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Read the full story here Web Link posted Friday, May 31, 2013, 6:44 AM
Town Square
Seniors 'cut' days at Pleasanton high schools cost district $42,417
Original post made on May 31, 2013
Read the full story here Web Link posted Friday, May 31, 2013, 6:44 AM
a resident of Birdland
on May 31, 2013 at 8:31 am
Is it the unexcused days that the school doesn't get paid? Or is it for both? I can see the parents anti up for nonexcused days, but if a child is truly sick, then I think not.
If you are going to yank your kid out to go to Disneyland or for some other event that isn't truly necessary, then I think it is only fair to pay the district and consider it part of your vacation expenses. The whole district suffers when students miss school for non-excused absences.
a resident of Downtown
on May 31, 2013 at 8:40 am
This is a non-issue. Senior cut day happens every year. It is a right of passage thing for the seniors. All school systems should anticipate this occurring and budget accordingly. To those who say parents should pay the school any "lost" money, I say that you are forgetting that it isn't the schools money, it's the taxpayers money.
a resident of Foothill High School
on May 31, 2013 at 8:41 am
God I am so tired of the whining about losing funding when my students have spent far more time out of class on "school sponsored" activities, often without my permission. Senior cut day has been a tradition for decades. Plan for it. It's one day in 4 years. And if I choose to take my kids to Tahoe or Disneyland during the school year, consider it payback for all the weekends and holidays we've given up working on school projects.
a resident of Valley Trails
on May 31, 2013 at 8:46 am
I would gladly pay the district back after I subtract for all the poster boards, stickers and ink cartridges I have bought for numerous projects that were unneccessary this year. In fact I am going to take this up with a 7th grade teacher at Hart. I have never seen a 7th grader color, print out pictures and use time that could have been better spent on reading and studying. One more project is due on June 11th. A written paper and a speech is all that is neccessary, but she has to create another poster. Last night she had to draw a picture of a tree and music notes placed around the tree because the teacher said they would understand the book better. Another waste of time and paper, especially since she had math to do.
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on May 31, 2013 at 8:48 am
There is a very good solution to cut day. Give exams worth a noticeable portion of their grade in all classes that day. It's been tried before and it was very effective.(Comment partially removed by Pleasanton Weekly Online staff as irrelevant to this thread.)
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on May 31, 2013 at 9:11 am
Jessie, I know it's probably been 50 years since you left high school, but you need to drop the self righteous attitude. You missed cut day becasue none of your 'friends' wanted to invite you to their activities.
One day in 4 years to enjoy cut day tradition is not too much to ask, even for you union supporting money grabbers. Spare us the threats...you're as bad the grafitti 'artists' leaving threatening scrawls on the school walls.
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on May 31, 2013 at 9:32 am
Sirena, I could not agree with you more. Stop the time wasting, coloring projects and assign learning projects.
They could also stop wasting class time with propaganda movies like "The Story of Stuff". This is a political film that has no business in a Science class. No science in it AT ALL.
Regarding this article, if the schools know the seniors are going to skip school and it happens every year, either plan for it or do something about it before it happens. Don't whine about it when you knew it was coming.
a resident of Amberwood/Wood Meadows
on May 31, 2013 at 9:32 am
It's been 23 years since I've left high school, but I completely agree with Jessie. Give them something they can't miss, and students will be forced to come to school. Each teachers does it, with full support of the administration, and parents will not know who to complain about.
My high school got rid of Senior cut days when I was there. Was I frustrated about it? Yes! Did I think it was unfair? Sure! Did my parents support the school? You better believe it! Has it affected my life today? Not in the least!
Students don't deserve a Senior Cut Day. They deserve an excellent education which will prepare them for their future.
a resident of Birdland
on May 31, 2013 at 9:59 am
OOOH! SCHOOL SPONSORED RITES OF PASSING? In that case, we should have the schools provide hotel rooms so that students can have sex. That is a rite of passing. How about giving everyone their first beer? Another rite of passing.
Also, it's rite not right. If you bothered to go to school on Senior Ditch Day, then you might have learned that.
a resident of Foothill High School
on May 31, 2013 at 10:04 am
@get over it - wow. your comment is so rude.
My child participated last year in the sr ditch day - the reason I'm not a big fan is not so much that they're missing one day of school, provided your child is a good student otherwise and doesn't miss regularly throughout the year, but that the camping trip is a disaster waiting to happen. In fact, this year it didn't wait to happen...it was not a good scene. Even if you graduated "50 years ago" you should know there's risk in having that many teens driving to a campground with absolutely no rules or supervision within miles!
a resident of Foothill Knolls
on May 31, 2013 at 10:05 am
Give me a break! Pleasanton knows about this. Plan for it. Budget for it. When my child came home on May 30th he said he had two "free periods" because they had nothing to do in class. It is obvious to me that "we" are more concerned about money than educating our children.
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on May 31, 2013 at 10:14 am
Dear Parent, who states
"It is obvious to me that "we" are more concerned about money than educating our children."
I am very concerned about both, but especially money because where would we be without it? Where will you children be without it. Add up the senior ditch days. I have calculated that over 100 years that will amount to every Pleasanton family paying an additional $1,385 in taxes, all because some parents are unable to act in a fiscally responsible manner.
Of course, both irresponsible parents and their children are taking their cue from teachers, whose salaries and pensions promise to leave us buried beneath crushing waves of debt, most likely multiple tsunamis that will change life on this planet. Look at Calpers and Calstrs. Add senior ditch day, and you'll no doubt begin to hear the upcoming roar of an impending wall of water.
a resident of Pleasanton Meadows
on May 31, 2013 at 11:04 am
This is clearly about money. Assume Pleasanton school district sent out a PR notice on this and it got picked up by PW staff or something like that So let's all view this with the desired context. About money. That's what we did. Our son at FHS took off senior day and we brought a check to the FHS office for $50 that same day. Done.
a resident of Las Positas
on May 31, 2013 at 11:42 am
(Comment partially removed by Pleasanton Weekly Online staff as irrelevant to this thread.) My students are in a few AP classes and tell me they are doing nothing since the AP test have been taken. It's amazing that the teachers complain that they don't want to teach to the tests but they do teach to the tests. Let school out after the Ap tests if this is the way it is going to be. It's a waste of everyones time and money. I'm disgusted by this teaching style.
a resident of Ruby Hill
on May 31, 2013 at 12:41 pm
$42K for Senior cut day, approx $70K in lost attendance revenue due to the threats posted at the two high schools. The amount contributed by the school board to supplement the PPIE money for 1st grade CSR was $112K. 2nd grade CSR isn't happening due to lack of available funds. So, while this may be a 'rite of passage', the cumulative effect of these types of actions have direct and indirect impact on programs. Arnold -thanks for your contribution.
a resident of Avila
on May 31, 2013 at 1:12 pm
Classic example of children who have never been said no to, do something constructive if you want senior ditch day. Go mow some old persons lawn, there are enough days squandered through the year as it is, $43,000 for a ditch day, I'll remember that when the tell me that schools need more money.
a resident of Birdland
on May 31, 2013 at 1:46 pm
My understanding is that the school districts do not get paid for excused absences anymore. A law was passed in the late 90's eliminating payment for excused absences to force the school districts to track absences better.
What the state really needs to do to secure more money is change how our property taxes pay for schools. Why should I have to subsidize the family down the street, in the same house as mine, who has four kids in school, paying the same property tax as I am, while I have only 1 child. In essence, 3 of their kids go to school for free!
a resident of Birdland
on May 31, 2013 at 2:04 pm
The AP teachers have to teach to the test because the tests are given on a certain day. The date is not up to the school. The same date for all schools throughout the state. If they don't teach all the material by the test date then the students would not be prepared. My student is in one AP class and they are doing projects now. Hopefully putting their studies to good use. And the stress is gone from that one class.
With regard to Cut Day. Yes it is a tradition, but at what cost? The money the school lost does affect the total population of the school. What about being a responsible student? Responsible parent?
My child went to school - didn't party it up the day before and wasn't recovering from a hangover on Senior Ditch day.
a resident of Birdland
on May 31, 2013 at 2:27 pm
(Post removed by Pleasanton Weekly Online staff for containing unverified or personal information.)
a resident of Amador Estates
on May 31, 2013 at 3:41 pm
How about the cost of senior ditch day comes out of the cost of graduation- that way it only affects seniors. Can always post them their diplomas.....
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on May 31, 2013 at 6:09 pm
There is no money for Graduation, at least not at Foothill. We have received phone calls and letters begging for donations. No surprise.
a resident of Avila
on May 31, 2013 at 7:17 pm
My kid is in several AP classes and only one class is still doing work. He said he is doing nothing in the other classes (he's in 4). I just asked him for specifics and he said the teachers ask the kids to bring video gaming consoles for tournaments and cards to play card games.
I realize the test is on a certain day but you can't tell me that there is NOTHING else my child could be learning? It does not have to be high stakes, high pressure like before the test but they should be doing something of educational value. Why not just stop teaching all classes after the state testing?
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on May 31, 2013 at 7:29 pm
I completely agree with you parent - the cost of Senior Ditch Day should come out of the cost graduation. An excellent idea!
a resident of Birdland
on May 31, 2013 at 10:06 pm
The comments about PUSD budgeting for senior cut day are comical. I can see it now, "we've cut class size reduction in the primary grades to accomodate senior cut day". (Post removed by Pleasanton Weekly Online staff for containing unverified or personal information.) There are a fraction of the parents in this town that need to start acting like grown ups.
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Jun 1, 2013 at 1:17 pm
There is an easy fix to this issue and I know that the district can't or won't advertise it and I understand why. The students just need to go and sign in for a limited amount of time, then get called out of school by their parent(like you normally do for a doctor or dentist appointment). The district gets paid because the students were at school for a time. Most do not know this and I'm not certain how long they need to attend.
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Jun 1, 2013 at 3:49 pm
Thanks to "Amazon" for some common sense.
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Jun 1, 2013 at 7:34 pm
So send your kid to school on cut day and see what happens. My daughter went to class three years ago when she was a senior. There was an average of 8 students in each of her classes and they watched movies and played cards all day. Hey, at least they teachers and their union got their funds.......it's funny how you whiners about school funding don't care about the quality of education, only that we all throw more money to your masters. Grow up, libs.
a resident of Vintage Hills Elementary School
on Jun 1, 2013 at 8:52 pm
Everyone here is a clueless parent. Senior cut day is not a right of passage. It's not a hangover recovery day. It's not any kind of deserved break. It's just dumb kids thinking that they can get away with not going to school because they think it's funny and/or cool. No matter what, it's detrimental for the school and the students.
Also, AP classes tend to do "nothing" after the AP tests because the students just spent almost a whole year rigorously preparing for a near impossible and stressful test. I think it's acceptable for those kids to shut their brains off for the last month of school.
a resident of Canyon Oaks
on Jun 1, 2013 at 10:12 pm
You wrote: "There is an easy fix to this issue and I know that the district can't or won't advertise it and I understand why. The students just need to go and sign in for a limited amount of time, then get called out of school by their parent(like you normally do for a doctor or dentist appointment). The district gets paid because the students were at school for a time. Most do not know this and I'm not certain how long they need to attend."
Yes, let's do this! Let's teach our young people that if the laws and rules that govern us all prove inconvenient, they can find ways to cheat and "game" those laws and rules. That's the very best lesson young people can learn to prepare them for the "real world". This will be excellent preparation for hiding corporate profits in offshore accounts and evading their fair share of taxes.
Don't worry that a state audit of attendance records would reveal this scam and bring the school or schools in question under severe sanctions, perhaps even loss of accreditation, not to mention a smear on the reputation of the schools that did it. Contemplating consequences is for losers!
a resident of Avila
on Jun 1, 2013 at 11:47 pm
Are you crazy? Shut off their brains for a month????? If that's the way it's going to be I don't need to pay 6 teachers 90k + per year to babysit them. That's garbage. They should still be learning. Period. You are wrong.
a resident of Downtown
on Jun 2, 2013 at 10:03 am
Jim Mora anyone? "Senior Cut Day! Senior Cut Day? You wanna talk Senior Cut Day!?..." Or how about some John McEnroe? "Senior Cut Day? You have got to be kidding me!" Or how about Jack Nicholson from A Few Good Men? "You think Senior Cut Day is the problem? Your home values ride on the quality of education the town provides and then you question the manner in which they provide it! I'd prefer you just say 'Thank you.'"
a resident of Foothill High School
on Jun 2, 2013 at 3:36 pm
The real issue that should be addressed is the way the state pays the school district. Paying for the number of students in school each day is ridiculous. There are many factors that are beyond people's control...a flu epidemic can reduce the population for a good couple of weeks. Absences are going to occur for a variety of reasons. It shouldn't affect state funding.
The state should be reimbursing based on the number of students enrolled in the school Some states do it based on the 14th day of school, some do it based on the enrollment for the previous year. But to pay the schools based on how many kids show up each day has to be an accounting mess and expensive. Only California could come up with something like this.
Instead of whining here, everyone should contact our state legislators to change the way the schools are funded in the first place.
a resident of Vintage Hills
on Jun 2, 2013 at 11:43 pm
Simmer down, Sleepy. I still had essays and labs every week for my AP classes, just without the stress of tests and the pressure of a college-level workload. They've had a boatload of information shoved down their throats for eight months, and those teachers did what they needed to do in that time to prepare them for the exam. Good luck on your quest to make sure kids are learning 24/7.
a resident of Vintage Hills
on Jun 3, 2013 at 9:50 am
Senior Cut Day could not happen if the parents in Pleasanton didn't support it. Like many times, they fall into the trap that everyone else is doing it. I do NOT think cut day is a rite of passage nor an entitlement and did not support participation of it with my child. I told him he was welcome to organize a camp out with his friends whenever he wanted but I wouldn't support a long drive with a zillion other kids who are tired, wired from a variety of substances whether it be alcohol, drugs or Caffeine drinks. It's just a forum for trouble waiting to happen. I've lived here for 15 years and have never heard a year that something major did not happen. Alcohol citations, arrests and worse. Why support this when you know our schools are already losing valuable funding dollars. I just don't get it. When my son did show up for school - there were minimal numbers of students in most of his classes. Ridiculous.
a resident of Canyon Meadows
on Jun 3, 2013 at 10:34 am
When there are only 6 kids in a class on senior cut day, there is no teaching that can be done because it will only have to be repeated the next day when all students are back. Therefore, yes, videos and card games are about all that can be done. Teachers also can't give a test or anything with substantial points attached because all the kids that had their parents excuse them (which is pretty much all) will still have the opportunity to take that test, or get those points, because of the excused absence. There is nothing that can be done about it. It hurts the students that do come to school because they are bored in class all day, and it hurts the school because they lose money.
And let's stop calling it a cut day because most students will get their absence excused anyways.
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Jun 3, 2013 at 1:19 pm
For all those shouting "It happens, budget for it!!!" - They do. It doesn't change the fact that the district is losing a substantial amount of money.
And to PUSD parent who says "consider it payback for all the weekends and holidays we've given up working on school projects." - perhaps you should teach your child to use the time in class or during the week to do their work. Oh I forgot, they don't have time for school during the week because of the 5 hours of soccer practice each day or swimming and homework just gets in the way of family time.
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Jun 3, 2013 at 1:56 pm
"And let's stop calling it a cut day because most students will get their absence excused anyways."
Exactly! You are not cutting school if your parents call you out. But that would mean the students would have to take responsibility for their own actions (like missing a test) which is unacceptable.
a resident of Civic Square
on Jun 2, 2014 at 4:11 pm
Maybe you should relocate where the school dance take place. Most students shouldn't be driving over 50 miles to some dance and relocate it here in Pleasanton like most schools. All parents should know what happens in the next day do you.
a resident of Val Vista
on Jun 2, 2014 at 10:42 pm
The district is worried about losing money. They can just charge more for the students parking fee next year. Do the teachers pay to park? How about employees at the district office?
a resident of Amador Valley High School
on Jun 3, 2014 at 5:33 am
Senior Cut Day has been going on for a long time and PUSD continues to survive.
I attend school many years ago in a different state and we had Senior Cut Day.
Let the kids have there fun they have earned it.
They will soon be joining the rest of in the workforce.
a resident of Downtown
on Jun 3, 2014 at 11:27 am
It's kind of like a prep course when they become a Muni or BART employee
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Jun 3, 2014 at 1:48 pm
I must laugh at all of these folks who have such an issue with Senior Cut Day...so much so, that they present it as a personal affront to their well-being. Give me a break. I would venture to guess that each and every one of you who have posted about how much of a travesty it is that these kids cut one day of their Senior Year (OH NO), yes, YOU, all did the SAME exact thing when you were in high school. Oh here we go..now the posts will come flying in about how that just isn't the case, and you NEVER would have cut a day in your life. LOLLLLLLLL. People on these threads continue to amaze and astonish at the self-righteous drivel that is spewn. Guess what? If I want to take my kid to a PORTA POTTY to go to the bathroom, I will take them out of school without hesitation. Same goes with Tahoe, Disneyland, or Timbuktu? WHY? Because they are MY kids. Not yours. Not the district's. And not the school's. As soon as you want to start paying for MY kid's shoes, clothes, food, roof over his head, and future college education, then I will be more than happy to let you tell me when he is allowed to cut school. Until then......SHUT IT.
a resident of Walnut Grove Elementary School
on Jun 3, 2014 at 3:52 pm
Dirk Nailed it. These are our kids, and we raise them, not the school. Yes they educate them, but that's it. I'm grateful for the hard working teachers that put kids first in regards to their education. It's very frustrating that the PUSD complains that the senior cut day will cost over 40k, but they've blown way over that amount for the scandal at Walnut Grove. The district need better leadership
a resident of Livermore
on Jun 3, 2014 at 4:04 pm
old news...doesn't happen anymore...
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Jun 3, 2014 at 6:02 pm
Why does PUSD insist that my child come to school when all the teachers are doing is showing movies or letting the students play games during the final month of school? What a waste!
a resident of Birdland
on Jun 4, 2014 at 5:00 pm
This is hilarious that this thread happens every single year, since my kids were in school and that was years ago. From what I have heard is even with excused absences the school doesnt get paid. I think the money should come out of the pockets of the teachers who take sick days and vacation days off and the disctrict has to hire subs, so basically we are double paying for subs who just basically sit their and babysit.. since elementary school we have been told not to take family vacation during school days since the school doesnt get paid for the days my child would be gone, boohoo it goes both ways teachers.
I know a few teachers who knew their students would be out for senior ditch day and called in sick, ha so the numbers the district really lost is much higher since they had to get subs for those teachers right.
The school should just call that day a teacher work day and no classes for the seniors done.


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Results 1 to 10 of 72
Thread: Advice on a Tow Vehicle
11-16-2013, 10:57 PM #1Junior Member
- Join Date
- Nov 2013
- Posts
- 3
Advice on a Tow Vehicle
I have been lurking on the forum for a while and have learned a ton about wakeboard boats. I am hopeful that this spring that my wife and I will be able to buy our first boat. We currently have a jet ski and use it like a boat (wakeboarding/skating). Our budget has us looking at older Mobius LSV or similar v-drive 20 ft. boats. We need a tow vehicle and I have NO experience with towing anything bigger then our old jet ski.
Here is what we need:
- We have 2 cabins in the family both 3 to 4 hour drives away mostly highway. We would leave the boat at one cabin most of the time and tow it home or to the other cabin 3 to 4 times a summer.
- We live in Minnesota so the terrain is pretty flat
- We are looking for 4 doors. We are planning on starting a family soon.
- Need something nice but any extra money spent on tow vehicle is coming directly out of the Boat budget money. Need to find a nice balance
- We have a kia spectra at home for everyday driving and tow vehicle would get used sparingly at home.
- Do people tow with SUV's or should I be thinking truck all the way?
- What type of engines should I be looking for (liters and v6, v8..)?
Any thoughts/suggestions/info. would be greatly appreciated. Just looking for the best bang for my buck so I can spend more on a boat.
Advice on a Tow Vehicle
My wife's vehicle is our tow vehicle, a 2011 suburban. I have a company car (Prius -woo whooo), and we've got 3 young kids so we needed something that would get the job done, and haul the kids. When we got our first boat, I made her trade in her cross over & get a Yukon. The Yukon served us well until we had twins.
It looks pretty comical in front of our house in the summers with all 3 things out.Matt
2016 Mojo
2012 LSV (sold)
11-16-2013, 11:24 PM #3Junior Member
- Join Date
- Nov 2013
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- 3
I have been looking at the F150 ecoboost trucks but I just don't know what to look for as far as engines go. I want it to tow well but not be overkill.
11-16-2013, 11:45 PM #4Senior Member
- Join Date
- Oct 2013
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- Ft. Collins, CO
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I towed my Sanger ski boat with a GMC Envoy. That boat is around 2500 lbs and the Envoy had enough guts from the V-6 to pull it and the trailers have breaks, so that's not a huge issue. However, I was putting some pretty harsh wear on the rear diff/axle and suspension. My mechanic was practically begging my to get a bigger truck (even though it was making him money).
My wife came with a 4-door Silverado (and a very little, out-board run-about, maybe 1000 lbs wet). This truck pulls soooo much nicer. Now that we have an LSV, which comes in around 3500lbs, I wouldn't even consider pulling it with the Envoy or anything smaller than a Yukon or Suburban built on the larger truck chassis. A pickup truck with a V-6 would probably be just fine too. You can get plenty of power from the smaller engines but that's not the issue.
The 4-door truck works nicely for us with a family. It seats 4-5 comfortably since it is wide, and up to 6 when we need it. We did add a soft tonneau top to keep the cargo dry. The only downside compared to a large SUV is having room for the dog to be without stepping on the back seat passengers. But the 4-door trucks are a bit less money than the large SUVs.
Last edited by gregski; 11-16-2013 at 11:52 PM.2007 Mobius LSV
1989 Sanger Skier DX - sold
My dad's advice - "Get more than you think you'll need"
Older half tons and SUVs will do the job but be working pretty hard. Newer, say 8 yrs or less (ballpark) typically have higher HP/TQ and tow ratings - in general.
I've towed the same boat with an Expedition, 1/2 ton GMC, and now F350. I'm sure you can guess which one is the best.The years have been kind, it's the weekends that have done the damage.
2001 MobiusV - Loaded with Ballast, Exile, Blood, Sweat & Tears
Advice on a Tow Vehicle
Seems like there are a lot of Ford guys here
I've always been a GM guy, but I must admit that I'm infatuated with the F350. In Feb I'll have to trade in the kick a$$ Prius for a Ford Cervix. I'm not sure which is worse. I couldn't ever justify the F350 as my daily driver, that would probably cost me $100/wk to just go to the office and back. The Prius is only $39 every 2 weeks.Matt
2016 Mojo
2012 LSV (sold)
Advice on a Tow VehicleMatt
2016 Mojo
2012 LSV (sold)
11-17-2013, 03:01 AM #9Senior Member
- Join Date
- May 2013
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find yourself a nice first generation power stroke extended cab and be done with it. By now the tranni would have been replaced with a updated one so that's no worries. Decent fuel mileage and it can sit for long periods of time without issue.
11-17-2013, 10:48 AM #10Senior Member
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I have been towing boats since 1984 with everything from a Toyota 4 cyl truck to a 1 ton 6L. Here is what I have learned ,if possible get a 3/4 or 1 ton with a strong tow package most 1/2 tons are just cars with a bed. You will never regret having too much vehicle. Towing with a short wheel base small engine economy vehicle can differently be a white knuckle experience. It can also be dangerous especially when the unexpected happens. Remember stopping is even more important than towing. Its also very hard on the equipment and will cause more frequent breakdowns. Your choices are PU trucks, SUV s or full sized vans all are built on truck chassis. Go as heavy duty as you can over kill is always best for a tow specific vehicle . I chose a 2005 GMC 12 passenger savana van 3500 6L 373 rear gear HD tow package. It has the ability to tow about anything and the inside space to haul 12 passengers or remove the seats and haul a ton of cargo. It was cheap because the PUs and SUVs are in and vans are the red headed step child now. Not pretty but tows and hauls great. It also gets better gas mileage towing than the 6 cyl I used to have . You don't need a Diesel they tow great but with the added cost to purchase higher fuel and high maintenance most never even hit break even over their gas counterparts. They do have the wow factor but it comes at a cost. What ever you get make sure it has the added towing equipment like trans cooler and HD suspension to handle the load.


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Most recent performance
There are currently no scheduled performances of How the Whale Became. It was last on stage 6 December 2013—4 January 2014 as part of the Autumn 2013/14 season.
Have you ever wondered why whales are so huge? Why foxes are crafty or why polar bears have white coats? The answers to all these questions and more are found in this enchanting family opera by composer Julian Philips and librettist Edward Kemp, based on Ted Hughes's well-loved story collection The Dreamfighter and Other Creation Tales.
The Linbury Studio Theatre will be transformed into a magical world by director Natalie Abrahami and designer Tom Scutt. A diverse ensemble of singers and musicians will bring to life witty and irreverent tales that are sure to keep everyone, from ages five and over, engrossed and delighted.
News and features
Watch: Director Natalie Abrahami on How the Whale Became5 December 2013
A behind-the-scenes glimpse of rehearsals for the operatic adaptation of Ted Hughes's creation tales.
Listen: Njabulo Madlala on BBC Radio 3 In Tune28 November 2013
The South African baritone discusses his journey from a small township to singing the role of a whale at the ROH.
Ted Hughes: Adaptations for the stage and screen6 November 2013
A look at the writer's legacy across opera and beyond.


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Discussion in 'Tennis Tips/Instruction' started by Greg G, Jul 7, 2012.
I did notice that the serves were better when playing doubles- when I had the intent to go in.
Haven't been paying much attention to my serve lately. Here's today's slow motion video. Toss is ever so slightly more forward than before. Still hitting on the way down- hard to change the timing of the legs!
From the side:
From the back:
Your body is dead upright as you hit the ball.
I think you should be leaning into the court slightly, so your body is leaning into the court.
I reiterate because on every shot, your body is dead upright.
@ Lee: Thanks! I moved the toss forward a little, but with my leg action now going further into the court, I ended up having the same straight angle at contact.
@ Cheetah: LOL. No fair, you exaggerated the bends! But the top angle yet again shows the need to toss even further out in front! When I'm serving, it actually feels like it's as far in front as it can go, and any further I'd fall over. Time to take a leap of faith and just really toss it way out there!
Is my hip too open at contact?
Any issues with my trophy pose? From the back view?
it's not just the toss. it's the whole alignment of the body. go to essentialtennis.com and watch the 'free serve course'. you have to give your email to register but its free.
... and yes i took a little creative liberty with the bends hahaha
Your mechanics at contact are goofed.
Look at where your feet are, well inside the baseline, all good.
Why not hit the ball while it's another 12" farther inside the court, rather than reaching BACK to hit the ball, when you're forwards and inside your baseline?
The reason you can't is because your swing is not moving upwards at contact, but has already swung thru the horizontal plane. Those 3 pics, player's leaning into the court? They probably went IN. Notice the angles. Racket facing down, but the ball goes over the net because their swing is upwards. Your racketface is upwards, as you hit the ball. Means it should go higher at contact, right (OK there)? But you need to almost reach backward to contact the ball, losing power and angle.
OK I really really need to pay attention to this now. I am super frustrated already at starting the point on the defensive because of this damn serve. Brings the whole game down and affects my confidence no end.
Something is short circuiting the kinetic chain. I'm not sure it's not mental, at this point. Right now I am not pleased when it's my serve, which is totally the wrong outlook, I know.
I do attempt to apply the tips here, but it doesn't seem to work consistently. I have to spend time deconstructing it and rebuilding it, like I did with the forehand...I wish it were as simple as tossing the ball in front a bazillion times.
Sorry the audio went out of sync.
Really like this and will download it to keep. Nice, especially if he is looking to go
big on the serve, but at his height and if he is looking more at a second serve,
he probably is pretty close to where he needs to be....
I agree a little more in front though..just think those items are factors as well.
OK worked on the serve today. Particularly the toss. Started out serving from the service line, since to get the ball into the opposite service box, I was forced to toss forward. The moved slowly back to the baseline.
Seems to have some good results. The swing seems to be much looser with contact out in front, and the kinetic chain seems be be better...well at least not short circuited. My shoulder was much happier as well! No twinges after serving so many baskets of balls. Hopefully the trend continues.
Slow Motion:
Still hitting the ball with the body on the way down...
Let's not obsess quite so much about pure mechanics.
Try to fall towards the target, not out to your left, and you'll gain another 10% more ball speed, plus you'll end up in better court position. Toss more right.
You jump fine, you swing fine, but at your height, maybe the idea of a perfect form serve like the pros is not needed.
The angle doesn't show how far you are leaning at your contact point...which is not so important, unless you really need to get to another level...higher.
Practice, Practice, Practice
Do you really think he should keep practicing serves with an upright body at contact and falling to the left?
Do we still need more sideshots to see if he's raising his toss shoulder and lowering his hitting hand?
Doesn't more practice just makes his style more grooved, when he should maybe make some changes to correct the flaws?
I don't know.
I'm an old fart who is not getting any better, so I'll allow my technique to go to pot...... low toss hand, great archer's bow, but straight toss arm at contact.
Well I am under no illusions that at the end of this I'll be serving bombs. But I do know there's a lot of improvement to be had in this stroke. The improved toss and easier swing (and resultant increased pace) has given me a glimpse of what could be, so I will keep plugging away.
The experience with my retooling the forehand was much the same way. It's a series of small "eureka" moments which add up. Then eventually a big breakthrough occurs, and you're over the hump. Hopefully it'll be the same with the serve. Anyway, as I said in that thread, I rather enjoy the learning process
Found some improvement in rhythm and consistency this past week. Was tossing a bit more in front, and getting some more pace off it. I actually hit a couple of aces even!
I also worked on keeping the start slow, and also concentrated on unweighting my front foot as I rocked back. Seemed to work wonders with the weight transfer/rhythm.
Real time video:
Here are slow motion videos for your comments:
Service points:
I didn't read the entire posts but looked at your videos out of curiosity. I took many years off of playing tennis; I'd guess up to 10. Then I started playing infrequently and now more frequently the last few years. I'm amazed at the number of things I've learned in my maturity.
1) I'm better mentally most of the time.
2) I realize that fundamental strokes are much more important than just repetitive strokes.
3) I'm still remembering little things here and there that I'd forgotten.
On #3:
Just the other day I realized I used to be a toe dragger on my serves. I think I must've stopped years ago due to the fact I couldn't afford shoes like I can now. The last two times out, I've begun toe dragging again and I'm amazed at the consistency I'm getting. My serve has been holding me back and has been very frustrating because it used to be the best part of my game 20+ years ago. It wasn't like it was a monster or it kicked up greatly or anything like that. It was placed where I wanted it and I could serve and volley behind it. Now, it's been just YUCK. However, I feel it is getting better and now I just need to continue to practice and work on my volleys (I still haven't figured out what the hack is going on here. I used to be very comfortable at the net!).
Good luck! I understand the fun, excitement, and frustration of starting over and rediscovering.
Just want to provide tip here re:Reviving Serves.
Its winter time here. Stuck in my house with no money to play indoors. I want my serves back. I do a lot of shadowing strokes including serves (we have a high ceiling family room). After 2 months, it gave me muscle memory on how to execute them properly.
How the hell i got muscle memory? Simple. I covered the string bed with cut-out plastic, tape it back to back. It has drag which enabled my arm muscles to exert efforts at the ball impact zone of my strokes.
Its really addictive doing it.
I happened to drag my toe a lot. Now, its automatically jumping, just the way like Federer. I found that my legs' the culprit. The left leg must get all the body weight during the toss action. I'm a righty.
Like I needed a new (to me) high speed camera to tell me the need to toss further in front, but hey, at least I can see contact clearly...
I did notice I have a better contact when warming up. So I 'outjump' my toss...?
Thought I'd post up today's footage from a doubles match. Serve was working pretty well, with me just concentrating on tossing out in front. Still needs more "out in front", but it's a hell of a lot more consistent now than a few months ago, and not a sitter
OK service seems to be getting better, the shoulder is getting much more relaxed. I feel I was unconsciously tensing up after trophy at max external rotation because of an old shoulder injury (pain at max range of motion). Stretching and shoulder exercises have reduced it to almost nil. Plus approaching the service line totally relaxed and not rushing the toss/backswing seems to have helped me explode into the ball better.
Real time:
Slow motion:
The sharp eyed may have noticed the stickers on me...playing with Kinovea software and seeing of the tracking markers on certain body parts will help with the tracking. Success! So fun hehe:
Today's (minimal) serve practice. First 4 warmup, feet square to net, no jump. Why do I get more effortless power this way compared to the full motion???
Looks like your serve is improving Greg. That patient persistence is paying off.
I would guess that it seems to us like the power to weight ratio is more when we're warming up because what we're doing in warm up is actually most of the shot. The full motion does increase the power, but in smaller proportion to the effort expended.
Thanks Tom! I think the take home message is that I should relax more during the motion. Whatever I'm adding to the warmup in the full motion is tensed up somewhere...
Great minds think alike - in this case your's and Jim McLennan's:
Rehearsing the Serve http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUeCEfUwyq4
Served really really well today in a doubles match. Bombs. And the spin was kicking up to the high backhand.
The 3 main points I worked on:
1. Consistent ritual prior to serving. Nothing unusual, just a 4 bounce rhythm.
2. Complete relaxation. The feeling of being super loose while starting the motion.
3. Toss way out in front. If the toss goes back, everything is screwed, and I can't do a relaxed swing.
Of course I had the camera turned off, so it becomes a 'cool story bro' kinda thing. Anyway, I hope I can make service days like this a regular thing. Absolutely no shoulder or arm pain, just amazing. Sorry for the fluffy post, I just got a good glimpse of the future
Arg. I lost the plot again. The toss is the culprit, based on where my right leg is kicking out.
Tried simple stuff like this?
Yup. It's more a relaxation issue I think. It tends to be a bit too far left/not in front when I'm tense, or try to rush the initial part of the service motion.
A few days ago:
Slow motion comparison to Ryan Harrison. Ugh.
Deuce court:
Ad court. Slightly better:
I thought, a few posts above, you said you served pretty well with a consistent ritual.
This vid, you walk up and hit the ball.
Shouldn't you adopt a consistent ritual before each and every serve?
What's the point of rapid fire serving, when the opponent is just standing there watching your serves?
And yes, your serve is very good even at 4.5 for someone your size, if you can keep from falling 5' to your left.
And do you have more than just the same old top/slice serve?
Yup, I need to really set aside time for serve practice. This was just tacked on after an hour of groundstroke work, so I was a bit lax with it, including the ritual. I notice on video I rush the toss. I'll dedicate a good chunk of time to it next time out.
I think that was the day I was watching a top junior serve, and he was a bit like harrison, just walking up to the line and swinging like it was no big deal. I think I was trying to see if that would work....
Mostly top-slice due to all the Rafter talk. I do have a flat serve which is highly temperamental.
I finally spent some quality time practicing the serve. Playing around with my serve stance- which has been platform since I started playing tennis- I discovered the pinpoint solved 80% of my issues! I found that with a pinpoint stance, bringing up the rear leg forces me to transfer weight forward, whereas with the platform, I could sometimes keep the weight back, especially under pressure. The forward momentum also made the toss go a bit more forward naturally.
Comments guys?
You can see the difference quite clearly on the slow motion videos:
Side by side:
I was surprised the change wasn't too difficult. Tried it in a practice set, was hitting it pretty well. I just forgot to bring the back leg up once
Processed some still sequences.
I just noticed it now...look at my left knee at 9 & 10. Bowed inwards in platform, unlike in pinpoint below. Wonder if that has any significance?
Little I think. Raonic does the same thing, he has a fine serve.
Going through the side by side video, I do notice that the pinpoint gives me ever so slightly more height, but more importantly I hit the ball at the apex of my jump, compared to platform where I was always a bit on the way down. More thrust from 2 legs?
I liked them all at YouTube. Left some comments also. I like the pinpoint. Great that you have the different camera perspectives and slowmo as well. I think I would have some problems returning your serve. Also, it's going to get even better via some tweaking, and the fact that you're so concientious about your practice. Nice job Greg!
Thanks Tom! Was quite surprised at how easily I switched to pinpoint, having never used it before. Will work on it more, since more than any stroke, the serve is a confidence thing. Gotta rebuild my trust in this stroke.
Your contact point is better on pinpoint than on platform IMO. Your toss is more towards the court too with that stance.
Thanks Lukhas! The contact and better toss just came with the pinpoint, I didn't actually try to toss further in front. A welcome surprise. Totally honeymooning on the pinpoint now, haha
Serve practice today, trying to get the timing of the feet right, and get more comfortable with the new pinpoint stance.
Rear view:
Side view:
Not sure if I was hitting it better today, or last time... Please let me know what I can work on
Looking at the footage, I think I need to hit even further out front, and have more upward movement of the shoulder, rather than forward.
Well, you seem to have gotten rid of the straight upright body position during the ball strike, so it's progress.
Now, you need to learn to hit only flat serves when messing with your motion. You hitting spin serves, there's no way to know if you have any real improvement in HITTING the ball, which is the whole key to serving.
The motion is secondary. The actual RESULT of the ball is the whole point of working on your motion.
Your one serve, back few, shows a pathetic 3.5 looking top/slice that bounces about 4' before the backwall......on an INDOOR court. Most indoor courts have abrasive surfaces, the ball bounces HIGHER indoors than outdoors.
And, no need for any technique change if you swing slow.
Swing fast, hit FLAT, and see what the ball does.
I'd say to bring your feet more side to side, close to each other. Your back foot has a tendency to go in front of your left foot.
EDIT: Like so:
What happened to your high speed video? It's needed for the faster parts of the serve.
I have some from the previous session here:
Indoor lighting
Oh wait I do have a little HS footage. Spin serve though, and not a great toss.
Been looking for one with a frame showing a ball on the strings to see how your shoulders, arm and racket are aligned.
See the ones with the camera behind the server and viewing along the ball's trajectory. Thumbnails show this frame, impact. In bright sunlight you should be able to get similar videos with your FC150.
Looking at your most recent rear view, as well as a slow motion rear view from earlier, it seems that at ball strike your racquet is in a straight line with your hand and wrist.
While this is fine on a slice serve, on both a flat and top spin serve, having an angle at the wrist allows for more efficient pronation.
In pic 7 above you can see that the racquet and arm form about a 30 degree angle.
You can see that same racquet/ angle in pic 7 in the following sequence:
Thanks charliefederer! You're right, I think that's an area to improve on. Thanks! Here's stills from today, for comparison.
OK Leed here you go. I made sure to hit the wall this time
OK Chas Tennis here you go. Hope I got the angle you wanted:
Looks fine in terms of directional positioning. Maybe some slight balance issues. I repost the pics because I feel you shouldn't bring your right foot slightly in front, but put your feet more side to side. Might correct your balance.
Thanks Lukhas, I'll experiment with that. The reason it's there is I was trying to mimic the foot position here:
I do agree that sometimes the balance is off, not sure if it's the feet or the toss. But I'll keep that in mind
Reposting toly's post in the forehand thread...
IMO the main problem is a toss.
At contact the racquet long axis is vertical and can produce sidespin only. There is no way to create topspin. You can hit flat or slice serves without any topspin. Thus reliability of the serves could be very low. The toss like that can afford people like Karlovic.
Sam Stosur shows two extremely different tosses. Racquet long axis is never vertical, but tilted to the left due to she has never tossed the ball on right side of her body.
Separate names with a comma.


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Special thanks to whoever posted this bit of humor over at AI, it had me entertained for about 10 minutes.
According to this article anyway. Interesting reading, although it's a pile of hooey.
And what, pray tell, leads you to decide this is hooey??
He even lists the configurations used.
It's not "hooey," it's just meaningless. It's a few random tests. It doesn't even attempt to give a comprehensive picture of performance. But hey, if you really need to render that Bryce rock island over and over and over again in your daily work, these are the benchmarks for you!
I don't know about "pile of hooey"...but questionable, yes.
First, off, with the possible exception of Photoshop, the test is really between a G4 400 and a single P3 600. I am not sure about Bryce, but I believe it does not have SMP support, I could be wrong though.
Quake2 and Unreal certainly do not have SMP support, so regardless of the fact they are running on NT, only one CPU gets used for them at one time.
NT does not run either Q2 or Unreal as well as Win9x, I believe. Primarily due to driver support and lack of Direct X support above 3.0.
Then numbers for Quake2 and Unreal on the PIII look low. Especially Quake2 Timedemo1...they look more like Crusher timedemo numbers which are usually about 30% lower.
Photoshop is well known to be better optimized for the PPC than for the x86, this is no secret, and no bad thing....just don't tell me that it's a good yardstick for cross-platform benchmarking, it's not. That would be comparable to using Quake1 scores to say the PIII romps on the G4.
This is quoted from the Dell side of things. It's kinda pathetic to point out that on the PC side, we do not have 66Mhz PCI slots. If they were, they'd be the 64-bit version that the G4 system has. So, with that concluded, this test is pure nonsense, like John stated. Especially when he never stated what he did to secure both test beds to run optimally. I can also tell you for a fact that 3dfx's Voodoo3 NT drivers are crap. My friend upgraded his TNT PCI card to one of these on his NT 4.0 WS system at home, and his system slowed down by half. Heck, he couldn't use Photoshop anymore without it lagging real hard on him. That's why if you get a Voodoo3, make sure you aren't going to be running it under NT, but run it under Win98 and Linux.
What pissed me off was he never stated if any of these programs were set to use the SMP functionality on the Dell side of things. He never stated if he re-installed NT or not, if the NT kernel saw both CPU's when booting up, etc (he obviously knew what he was doing on the G4, but definately didn't know what he was doing on the Dell, as proved by the quote).
So yeah, this whole thing was meaningless, and it at least shows his ignorance on the Dell. Please, take this guy's supposed benchmarking with a grain of salt the size of China.
I think the dolt who ran this "test" had better learn the difference between having an SMP system and USING SMP. Is the person using WindowsNT? What video card? How much ram is in the Yikes! System? Dear god...
[This message has been edited by Evil_Merlin (edited November 09, 1999).]
I thought the G4's has ATi Rage 128, NOT Voodoo3 3000.
Yeah, I think this guy's tests are hooyeh (sp?), mostly.
I am very impressed with the G4s, and suspect that in ideal cases they would spank the P6 clock-for-clock. Unfortunately, P6 is available (theoretically) 733mhz, compared to 450mhz for G4.
As for objectivity in reporting system setup - specifying processor speed, memory bus, and memory (in ONE of the machines - for all anyone knows, that G4 had 512MB RAM - the G4 memory was ommitted).
Do you guys just not bother to read? Most of the questions (not all) are answered right on the site.
I think the dolt who ran this "test" had better learn the difference between having an SMP system and USING SMP
What video card?
How much ram is in the Yikes! System?
I thought the G4's has ATi Rage 128, NOT Voodoo3 3000.
As for objectivity in reporting system setup - specifying processor speed, memory bus, and memory (in ONE of the machines - for all
It's still a bunch of hooey.
No, it's like tying the Gorilla's arm behind its back, since he didn't bother to test anything that would actually benefit from having multiple processors to use. Of course, he did manage to use Altivec for some things. He really should have used some SSE enabled filters, unless that would be cheating or something.
His webpage doesn't seem to be loading the entire table now though, it get's to the Dell's RAM and then nothing else shows, which is why he seems to have left a lot of questions unanswered.
[This message has been edited by GoofBall (edited November 09, 1999).]
Let us not forget that the Mac is also using the "Yikes" Motherboard, and so does not have the high memory bandwidth or AGP.
Just thought I'd throw that into the mix....
resteves I am not sure wether you know this or not, but you can't just throw an extra proccessor in a NT machine and expect it to work. That is why you need information about things like NT4? What SP? Why run tests on an SMP machine not using SMP applicaions? The test maybe ok, but it is purposely misleading, by implying you would try to use these two machines in the same area.
Hooey. It's got a certain ring to it.
Aren't Unreal and QII fillrate limited on a V3 3000 at that res anyway?
Let's wait until Bryce appears on the BeOS, http://www.be.com/press/pressreleases/99-06-22_meta.html
then we can try some REAL SMP vs. G450 comparisons.
By then we should all be running r5 of the BeOS with full
Hey, anyone notice that Be's stock closed above 15 points today?
Good point about the bus (66 Mhz PCI )...or lack thereof I should say. Also whether or not NT was re-installed for SMP.
I agree that its obvious that the guy knew what he was doing on the Mac side of things, and not on the Dell, evidence his saying "117 megs" reserved for EACH application...uh...okay...on the Mac, he managed his memory. certainly not on the Dell.
Even so...it's good to see some benchmarks for the G4. I would have hoped to see some Q3A Test benchmarks for it though.
Anybody out there know of any yet?
Yes, I noticed. Makes me wish I invested in Be when I could have. Doh!
[This message has been edited by GoofBall (edited November 09, 1999).]
About the 256 megs of RAM for the G4 - I've looked at the page using Opera3.6, IE5, and Navigator4.6, all under Win98, and I do not see that reported in the table.
Maybe my system is completely screwed. Or maybe I am hallucinating. But I still do not see a number for the G4 in that table.
I did not know you could pop in a PC graphics card into a mac and have it work - I thought there were severe driver availability issues - guess I am wrong.
It finally worked again, here's the table with the specs...
Okay, thanks, so something must have been screwed up. I take back what I said about the 256MB RAM
What I wanna know is where he got the prices from. I guestimated that the Dell is a DELL PRECISION WORKSTATION 410, but when I tried to to match the pricing, I could not.
The Dell comes with an LVD 9.1gig HDD default, along with a SCSI burner and EIDE reader (dumb setup). It also has all of this warranty extra stuff that could change the pricing around. It uses ECC memory, so this setup can easilty be turned into a nice e-commerce server (among other things). It also comes default with a Diamd Fire GL1, using IBM's new 256-bit video chipset (that rival's the GVX1 among other high-end graphic cards).
When I went to try and get the same price on the G4 system, the lowest I could go is 2699. It's still EDIE and I had to take out the v.90 modem (add $100 if you must). For SCSI, you had to add $49 for only Ultra SCSI (Narrow), and the SCSI drives the Apple store is selling are very expensive, but if you WERE to add SCSI to it, it would be 3548 (including the DVD-RAM, so it would make both comparable). Even then, you would need to get a Ultra2 SCSI card for your system (you don't have the option the get a U2W card from Apple, and U2W cards are NOT $49, but range around $250).
Oh, and resteves, -
What a load of BS. He never stated if the Dell side of things are optimized for SMP or even SSE (which on the G4 side of things, Adobe 5.5 is already optimized for PPC and the Velocity Engine). So in fact, this benchmark only proves that the guy didn't know what he was doing when he benchmarked the Dell. It also shows biased results from his ignorance. Even then, the Dell setup smacked it around a bit in most of the benchmarks. But that isn't the point. The point is that this is a poor "vs." benchmarking to begin with. And that is why some(most) of us are pointing out to you that this whole thing is meaningless and "hooey".
And let us not forget that the Mac was running MacOS, which in my book pretty much sends it straight to the crapper before you even turn the power on.
You're right Easy Rhino, that is pretty unfair.
Just for the record, Bryce *isn't* optimized for SMP. I could throw 300 processors at it and it would only see one of them. For a 3D program, it is dumb as dirt. But one must remember, that MetaCreations used to be a Mac only app company and they have that (one processor) Mac mentality. Until Bryce is released for Be (or should I say *even if*), it won't have SMP capability. BeOS looked to be the first OS that would be optimized for SMP for Bryce.
Because of the tests and their lack of SMP optimized apps used in testing, the test then becomes null and void. I hypothesize that the person running the tests *knew* of the SMP-dumbness of the apps and run the tests knowing full well of the outcome. Heck, I can buy a Ferrari for $100,000 and stick it next to a F1 car (that cost over $1,000,000) and on the grass infield the Ferrari is going to smoke the F1 simply because of the F1s tires made for pavement and nothing else. The same thing is done here. Neither test is fair and unbiased.
hmmm regardless the G4 400 (on the slower Yikes mother board) pretty much out preformed the 600mhz P3. You have to admit that thats pretty good ;-)
And dont even get started on the whole "coppermine and athalons are faster" stuff.
Eh? What are you talking about, Darken?? From what the table says that Goofball posted, the G4 is running on 100Mhz FSB, along with 66Mhz 64-bit PCI slots. How is that slow?
Dual CPU PIII systems are not that much faster than heir single PIII brethren. The advantage of a dual system ( I know be cause I run NT on two CPU's) is the added stability and the ability to _run_ and _use_ many resource hungry apps at once. And yes one needs the NT Resource Kit to be able to go from one CPU to two.
The utility to do this does not exist in NT without it.
Darken refers to the fact that the Yikes board isn't as fast as the umb board, which has new controllers, the AGP slot, etc. Before the speed downgrade, the 400mhz G4 (Yikes) used the G3 board, now the 350 mhz G4 uses that board (new Yikes) and the new 400 and 450 use the umb board.
Here's one thought on why the dual NT 4.0 might not have been set up as some have speculated it should have been: reintall to assure NT detects both cpus, etc. As a Mac guy, the tester probably assumed that the Dual Pentium rig would have been set up correctly and ready to run both CPUs. Why? In a Mac it would have. A Mac user assumes that if the hardware is there and the OS is set properly, then it will work. Just a thought.
see ya,
Here's what I said at AI:
Inaccurate? I'll say so.
The PC has: 66MHz PCI slot with 3Dfx Voodoo3 3000 running at 166MHz
Photoshop 5.5 was given 117MB of app size on each machine
Quake II test was run by pressing "~" after startup and typing "timedemo 1" (return) and "~" again. When the first person dies, I press "~" again to get the frame rate.
The G4 was faster in one of the Photoshop tests. Kinda contrary to the impression I got from Apple.
Using the latest version of Bryce (apparently) makes the Apple slower. As there are (apparently) only two seconds in it, might that make the PC faster?
Do we know what hard disks the machines have? Do we know what drivers they were using? Do we know why the PC had a crippled video card? Do we know which OS and SP level was installed on the PC?
The answers to all these questions is 'no'.
Further, we *know* that the person running the tests is biased. How? Look at the rest of the site. It's a Mac site, and I'm sure that none of the Mac users (or Mac lovers, as they profess themselves to be) would trust a similar PC site.
Furthermore, why not compare like with like? Why not compare the *best* PC available for $2000 plus the cost of a Voodoo card, with the *best* G4 available for $2000 plus the price of a Voodoo card.
Plus, Dell don't sell their machines on speed; they sell them as reliable workhorses. Not slow, but not hell-bent on performance.
Apple, OTOH, tout performance (and have done for a long time) as an important factor.
But apart from that, it's a great comparison.
[unquote -- deliberate non-UBB code ]
Yes, there _is_ a memory allocation box in Photoshop. Quite what it does, I don't know. It shouldn't be there, it's a dumb thing to have in a Windows program.
I didn't mention that Bryce wasn't multiprocessor aware, because I wasn't 100% certain about that.
The video card is really crippling the PC.
And also, why is a PC whose number one feature is rock solid reliability (it is, after all, a Dell) being compared to a machine whose makers tout the performance above everything else? Why not compare the G4 to a machine made by a smaller company going for out and out performance?
And if the person is allowed to tweak Photoshop on the Mac (by having to command-click it and select its memory allocation) then am I allowed to have a play around with the Dell machine and tweak it?
QII is fastest with OpenGL graphics, which doesn't use DirectX, and benchtests *should* be done with sound turned off (hence doesn't use DirectX). Unreal is heavily reliant on DirectX, most of the time, so is probably being hindered to a greater or lesser extent.
[This message has been edited by PeterB (edited November 11, 1999).]
Yes QII needs OGL and not DX, barring a wrapper I thought it was OpenGL only. But my point was the OGL drivers too. I have a Voodoo3 running both NT and 98. Suffice to say, the NT driver OpenGl performance blows. IMHO, you should leave the sound on while benchmarking, because that's how the games are played., my $0.02 though
The reason that the sound should be off is that to isolate it to just the cpu-vid card, you want to eliminate any obstacles that would hinder performance. Seeing as how sound is a bit different on a Mac than a PC, you would want to turn it off, in this case. If only, for arguments sake.
Sounds like MP G4's are the way to go when OS X comes. Who cares no one switches OS's simply for speed alone. Legacy apps weigh heavily in any OS switch. What is relevent is that it appears to be much faster than a G3.
I can see no compelling reason to switch to Macintosh OS from Windows. Of course, I can see no reason to have started with Windows in the first place. Games and a few accounting apps are just not enough reason to take the plunge into the Windows world.
"Games and a few accounting apps are just not enough reason to take the plunge into the Windows world."
Oh Atilla you're absolutely right. Who needs all those apps that you can get for Windows that you can't for Macs? Who needs game, either? Hell, who needs a better hardware selection? I guess if you want to be running Office 98, Communicator 4.7, and Quake 3/Unreal all on a computer with a 450 MHz processor, 100 MHz fsb, and a lousy video card, then Macs are the way to go.
How/When did a Voodoo 3 3000 become a lousy video card??
Its like many people define good/bad based on what isn't/is available for a Mac.
And a larger hardware selection is not necessarily a better selection.
It's always been lousy. Particularly in its 33 MHz PCI incarnation (as in, the version used on the PC in the test). It doesn't do 32-bit colour, it doesn't look that nice, it doesn't do OpenGL properly.
On the contrary. The Mac has plenty of good technology. It has UltraATA, it has AGP, it has PC100 RAM, it has PCI.... SCSI is good. Ultra2 Wide SCSI (I get it on Saturday. Wahoo!) is better.
OTOH, ATI Rage XXX is not good. 66 MHz 32-bit PCI ain't good for graphics cards (versus AGP, AGP x2, AGP x4). Crapola OS ain't good. Single processors ain't good. PC100 ain't as good as PC133 (or even, god forbid it should ever take off, 800+ MHz RDRAM). A maximum of 1.5 Gb RAM ain't good. Three (or so) expansion slots ain't good. Integrated sound ain't good. Closed architecture ain't good.
Big bucks for the machines certainly ain't good.
Mac users need to be aware of something here. You are getting OpenGl for macs which is great, except you need to know Voodoo's run OpenGL for crap. Glide, 3dfx's API, they do great and in software that supports both Glide and Opengl Voodoo's can compare with TNT2's. OpenGl on the other Voodoo's suck at, and can come NOWHERE near a TNT2 in speed, performance, and looks.
[This message has been edited by Laen (edited November 11, 1999).]
I keep hearing that macs suck because they don't do SMP, yet now people are mad about this comparison because the apps don't usually see/use multiple procs. I think that was a large purpose to this test, that having a dual processor isn't that big of a deal, unless you are using specific apps. (Sort of like altivec, but you guys say that is a waste, yet SMP is the bomb.)
Also, as I understand it (and I could easily be wrong) Dual procs will always help, even if the app isn't SMP aware, the OS will let the app use one proc, while the OS uses the other one.
For those of you happily assuming the worst about this comparison... I did a little checking with the site owner.
YES NT was seeing/using both procs.
YES photoshop was using both procs, and using altivec and SSE.
Apparently the Dell doc's refer to both 33mhz and 66mhz slots, he is looking into this.
The default memory allocation for photoshop on windows is 50%, so he set the Mac for an equivalent amount, 117meg.
He is planning on doing similar tests with a single P3 running Win98.
Yeah but you're forgetting something, resteves. If he was only running one app on the Mac, and the computer was doing nothing else (which I would assume, since the Mac's multitasking sucks so much ass that if he was running something else at the time the Mac would have lost big time), then there really is no difference between the 2 tests. Since the current app on Macs takes almost complete command of the processor, that would be the same thing as an app under NT getting one processor to itself. The Mac would still be at a slight disadvantage, but that's still something you have to consider.
But these tests are still bogus - go over to AnandTech or the FiringSquad and take a look at the detail they go into in describing their systems and how they ran the tests. That review is bogus - no 2 ways about it.
resteves stated:
Okay, lets use your excuse of this as the reason for this test. Were there any conclusions drawn after the test? NO! So, this isn't the case. You have some idiot (or evil genius) run these tests and effectively tie the second processor behind its back. Get this (because this is the fifth or sixth time I have had to explain this to Mac users...who tell me they know computers [read over at AI what is being said here] the second processor wasn't in use in most of these tests If that were the case, the reviewer should have explained the reasoning behind it. If the reviewer was wanting to show the difference between SMP and non-SMP apps, then SMP apps should have been in the test. This was a con from the beginning and will continue to be one.


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Another weekend, another batch of snow for some parts
Updated 6:57 pm, Saturday, March 1, 2014
Here we go again.
Much like last weekend, we have cold air and moisture joining together to bring some snow to parts of Western Washington, while the rest of the region will just be soaked with a typical rain.
The most likely spots for snow are in Whatcom County, the San Juan Islands and along the Hood Canal area.
A wet snow or mix of snow and rain have been falling across parts of the region today and moisture will increase overnight and into Sunday as a warm front approaches, but warm air will also quickly be eroding snow chances.
A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for the Whatcom County and San Juan Island areas from Saturday night through Sunday morning for up to 2 inches of snow Saturday night and then another 1-2 inches or so are possible during the day Sunday.
The Advisory is also in effect for the higher hills of the Hood Canal area -- this is towns along US 101 on the eastern slopes of the Olympics like Brinnon, Seabeck, Hoodsport and down to Shelton. 1-2 inches of snow is likely Saturday evening through Sunday.
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The Eastside Foothills and a few other areas near the regions in the watch may see a little snow, but no significant accumulations are expected (maybe 1" in the foothills), and the main Seattle area will likely remain too warm for snow and just get rain.
Just like last weekend, arctic air has settled into the interior of British Columbia and is pushing through the Fraser River Valley, blowing out into Whatcom County and spreading south.
A weak trough of low pressure will continue to spread some light flurries or snow/rain showers around Saturday night -- showers of snow mainly relegated to mainly Whatcom/Skagit/San Juan Island areas and the Cascade foothills.
Elsewhere we'll see a few light snow/rain/mix showers as we've seen in a few spots already, but no big deal, just for show. Lows will be around 30 in Bellingham and low 40s around Seattle.
Moisture increases a little Saturday night as a warm front approaches. The areas in the Advisory could see 1-2 inches overnight. Areas near the watch like Skagit, Island and Clallam Counties could see a slushy inch overnight, as could the Cascade foothills. Snohomish County, especially the areas around 500 feet, could see a dusting to 1/2" or just a non-stick snow. The rest of the region, including Seattle-Bellevue proper, will likely just see light rain showers.
The bulk of the warm front arrives around midday Sunday, bring a decent batch of moisture into the region. This will be rain for most everyone, exception being those close to the Fraser River Outflow -- essentially the northern areas near the Canadian border that got snow last weekend -- could see a period of moderate snow Sunday until enough warm air moves in to change to rain. Total snow accumulations could reach 1-3 inches by Sunday night with perhaps some isolated spots that could go a little higher if the cold air is stubborn.
Long range forecasts suggest the rest of the week will be mild and occasionally wet.


text:
Despite USA's early exit, Kimbrel enjoyed Classic
By Mark Bowman / MLB.com
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Growing up a Braves fan, Craig Kimbrel heard about how Greg Maddux used to prove prophetic after telling former Atlanta pitching coach Leo Mazzone that he was going to throw a certain pitch to an opposing batter and then get him to hit a ball to a specific part of the field.
|Bracket | Full scoreboard
While pitching the ninth inning of Team USA's 4-3 loss to Puerto Rico on Friday night at Miami's Marlins Park, Kimbrel gained first-hand confirmations of Maddux's ability to accurately predict outcomes.
With a man on second base and Yadier Molina on deck, Kimbrel told Maddux he had no desire to intentionally walk Carlos Beltran. Maddux, who was serving as Team USA's pitching coach, responded by saying "Let's throw two fastballs up and see if we can get him to pop it up."
Beltran did his part to add to Maddux's legend by popping Kimbrel's first-pitch fastball to shortstop Jimmy Rollins.
"I was like, 'You are a genius,'" Kimbrel said of his reaction to Maddux after he returned to the dugout. "'How did you do that? Like you knew that was going to happen.' I was like, 'You want to come out here every time and tell me where to throw it?'"
Unfortunately, Kimbrel's ability to keep Puerto Rico's ninth-inning lead to one run was not enough for Team USA to gain the victory it needed to advance to the semifinals of the World Baseball Classic.
With his first Classic experience complete, Kimbrel returned to Braves camp in time to stretch and play catch with his teammates before Saturday night's game against the Yankees. Because he pitched on Thursday and Friday, Kimbrel likely will not return to Grapefruit League action before Monday.
"It was a great experience," Kimbrel said. "It was cool to see how much [Team USA manager] Joe Torre really appreciated it and how much fun he had. It leaves a bad taste in your mouth how we went out. But it was still a pretty awesome experience.
"Now we're sitting here two weeks before the season starts and I'm ready to go. It's going to be a little different going from high intensity, where every pitch counts, back to Spring Training, where it still counts but you don't have everybody screaming at you like you did in those games."
Kimbrel made three appearances during the Classic. He tossed a scoreless inning against Canada on Sunday and another on Friday night against Puerto Rico. In between, he allowed a pair of ninth-inning runs that allowed the Dominican Republic to beat Team USA, 3-1, on Thursday night.
Kimbrel allowed a run in three of the four exhibition season appearances he made before leaving Braves camp on March 3. Though he has allowed runs much more frequently than he did while compiling a 1.61 ERA over the past two seasons combined, the hard-throwing closer said he feels like he is close to being ready for the start of the regular season.
"I feel good," Kimbrel said. "I feel like I've got a little bit further to go. But I'm close. I might need an outing or two more to work some kinks out."
Mark Bowman is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text:
NEW DELHI, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- The population of the famous Bengal tiger is falling in India due to dwindling prey animals in India's tiger reserves, studies by environmental groups suggest.
The Wildlife Institute of India has been looking at the prey base inside the Sunderbans Tiger Reserve in India's eastern state of West Bengal after the treatment of a Bengal tiger at the Alipore Zoological Gardens for starvation, China's Xinhua News Agency reported Monday.
In a collaboration with the National Tiger Conservation Authority and the Sunderbans reserve, the study found a very low prey density.
"Taking into account the entire 2,500 square kilometers (960 square miles) of STR area, the number of deer, considered the major prey for tigers, will be only a little over 30,000," researcher Y.V. Jhala said.
"This prey density is very low considering the huge area of Sunderbans."
Earlier studies suggested a total of 500 deer could provide sufficient food base to only one tiger, assuming the breeding rate of deer was always balanced by the killing rate of tigers.
By those figures, the poor density of deer, considered a hoofed prey for the big cats, could only support a population of 60 to 65 tigers in the Sunderbans, researchers said.
"If the study is to be believed, there is immediate need to increase the prey base by shifting additional prey animals from other sanctuaries to Sunderbans," Joydip Kundu, a member of the West Bengal wildlife advisory board, said.


text:
• People: Does the event directly affect the city where you're based, the people who work for you or a majority of your consumers? Then it's relevant and directly affects your brand.
• Content: For example, if your brand always talks about issues relevant to disaster relief or weather, your commentary on Hurricane Sandy might be relevant. If the topic wouldn't show up on your usual content calendar, it probably doesn't belong there now.
• Necessity: If you said nothing, would your customers be surprised, or would you come across as insensitive? A significant number of comments posed to you in social media might require a brand response.
[RELATED: Learn how to create content that sticks for the long haul at our December NYC summit.]
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© 2008 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Crawford has successful finger surgery
Operation 'went well,' but no exact word on outfielder's return
By Bill Chastain / MLB.com
OAKLAND -- Carl Crawford had surgery to repair a subluxation of his right middle finger tendon on Thursday in Phoenix.
According to Rays spokesman Chris Costello, the surgery "went well."
There is no definitive word on a timetable for Crawford's return, but it has been speculated that the best-case scenario would be the final week of the regular season.
Crawford, a two-time American League All-Star, said he heard something pop when he checked his swing on a 3-1 pitch from J.J. Putz in the 10th inning of Saturday night's game in Seattle. The injury was located at the joint connecting the base of his middle finger to his right hand.
Bill Chastain is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Kings of Leon / Jimmy Marble
By Radio.com Staff
Kings of Leon have announced their seventh studio album Walls.
Related: Watch Chris Stapleton and Kings of Leon Cover Lynyrd Skynyrd
The record, which is set to be released on October 14th, was produced by Markus Dravs, whose credits include Arcade Fire, Coldplay, Florence + the Machine.
It's the band's first new music since Mechanical Bull, which was released in 2013.
Check out the full track list for Walls below.
1. Waste A Moment
2. Reverend
3. Around The World
4. Find Me
5. Over
6. Muchacho
7. Conversation Piece
8. Eyes On You
9. Wild
10. Walls


text:
Sanchez shapes up for Spring Training action
Giants' backup catcher slimmer, feeling good after injury-plagued 2013
By Chris Haft / MLB.com
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Hector Sanchez's sleek new look captured the optimism that accompanies the start of Spring Training.
Sanchez, the Giants' backup catcher, showed up at the team's Scottsdale Stadium clubhouse Friday weighing nearly 20 pounds less than he did last year, when he was listed at 234 pounds. He was partly driven by suggestions from management about getting in better shape. Sanchez also simply wanted to feel better.
"I feel like my energy's at a different level," said Sanchez, who hit .248 in 63 games last year after batting .280 in 74 games as a rookie during San Francisco's World Series-winning season of 2012.
Sanchez, 24, also wanted to avoid shuttling back and forth between Triple-A Fresno and the Majors as he did last season while enduring a right shoulder injury.
"Last year was a learning experience about how I had to be in shape," Sanchez said. "I had to be ready."
Said manager Bruce Bochy, "It's nice to see Hector take that next step and show more ownership of coming into camp in good shape."
Pitchers and catchers officially reported to camp and underwent physical examinations Friday, though dozens of them -- as well as a handful of position players -- already have begun informal workouts at the stadium. Batterymates will open workouts Saturday. Position players are due to report Tuesday, one day before the first full-squad workout.
Veteran Casilla's reporting delayed by visa issue
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Maybe it's an oddity; maybe it's just an example of clerical red tape. But for some reason, visa problems are delaying veteran right-hander Santiago Casilla's arrival in camp, while his brother, rookie right-hander Jose, has reported.
Giants manager Bruce Bochy offered no explanation for why Jose, nearly nine years younger than Santiago, avoided complications.
Bochy said the Giants have sent the daily workout plan to Santiago Casilla and left-hander Jose De Paula, who's also stuck in the Dominican Republic due to visa issues. Bochy said they can maintain their conditioning and do their throwing at the Giants' baseball academy there.
Cain, Bumgarner among first-workout pitchers
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner, Jeremy Affeldt and Javier Lopez will be among the more experienced Giants throwing off bullpen mounds Saturday as pitchers begin working toward season-opening shape.
Tim Hudson, Tim Lincecum, Sergio Romo and Ryan Vogelsong will be among the pitchers taking their first turns Sunday.
Naturally, San Francisco's prospects will draw plenty of attention. One pitcher guaranteed to be scrutinized Saturday is left-handed starter Edwin Escobar, whom general manager Brian Sabean mentioned as having an outside chance to ascend all the way to the Majors this year. Sunday's contingent will include right-handed starter Kyle Crick, the organization's No. 1 prospect, and reliever Derek Law, who enjoyed an outstanding 2013 season in the Minors and the Arizona Fall League.
Chris Haft is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Haft-Baked Ideas, and follow him on Twitter at @sfgiantsbeat. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text:
Fear not, Jimenez ready for potent Sox
Rookie relaxed, and Rockies have confidence in Game 2 starter
By Lyle Spencer / MLB.com
Jimenez faces a daunting task on Thursday night: a rookie trying to contain a Red Sox offensive juggernaut that has scored 43 runs in its last four games. But in his last three starts -- two in the postseason -- he hasn't pitched like a rookie, allowing just three earned runs over 17 2/3 innings.
"He's very relaxed," Francis said of Jimenez, the Dominican Republic product who showed poise and toughness against Philadelphia and Arizona in his two playoff starts. "Obviously, he's got dominant stuff when he's on."He's probably done more than we've expected of him in such a short time. He's turned into a dominant Major League pitcher." A quick study with only 15 regular-season starts, Jimenez could see from Francis' struggles the need to throw strikes in good locations and keep the ball down, out of harm's way. "That's the focus of any pitcher, to keep guys off-balance and get them to hit it softly on the ground," Francis said. "He can get the job done." Jimenez's cool countenance was apparent when he was asked about the challenge of facing countrymen David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez in the heart of the Boston lineup. "I know it has to come, so I just let it come," Jimenez said. "I'm not worried about it. I'm going to go out there and face everybody like it's the same, just throw strikes and go after them." Ask him about the perils of Fenway Park, made evident by the Red Sox accumulating 17 hits (including a Series record-tying eight doubles) in Game 1, and Jimenez smiles. "I've never pitched here before," he said. "I just heard it's a fun place to pitch, so I don't feel any pressure. I'm just really excited about it. "It's so nice to be here, because there's a lot of history here in this stadium. Like when we came here [Tuesday], the first thing I did was go out there and just go, `Wow, it's amazing.' Just imagine it being full of people out there." As always, Jimenez will follow the lead of his catcher, Torrealba, a man he respects completely.
"He's the biggest key for our success, for every pitcher," the 6-foot-4 right-hander said. "Because he's like the guy. He'll tell you everything you have to do."Jimenez has a big arm to go with considerable charm. His fastball consistently finds the high 90s on radar guns, and he has a big-bending breaking ball to go with it. When he's working quickly and decisively, hitting his spots, keeping his defenders alert and in tune, the big kid is a handful. Jimenez has been a factor in the Rockies' remarkable run to and through October, filling a vital role in manager Clint Hurdle's rotation in the second half. "That stuff will be electric," Hurdle said. "That's the kind of stuff that every once in a while, you step back and you go, `Wow -- that's special.' He's shown some special poise for a young pitcher." If success truly breeds confidence, Jimenez has every right to take a good feeling to the mound against Red Sox Game 2 starter Curt Schilling, a man who launched his Major League career when Jimenez was 4 years old. After going 4-4 with a 4.28 ERA in those 15 regular-season starts -- he yielded more than three earned runs only once, against the Dodgers on Sept. 25 -- Jimenez has flourished in October.
|"That stuff will be electric. That's the kind of stuff that every once in a while, you step back and you go, `Wow -- that's special.' He's shown some special poise for a young pitcher."
|-- Rockies manager Clint Hurdle
Lyle Spencer is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Configuration: 12 boxes per case. 24 packs per box. 5 cards per pack.
88-Card Base Set, featuring detailed plot synopses for all 10 Season Two episodes, and biographies for more than 50 different characters!We are pleased to provide the first details of our all-new GAME OF THRONES: SEASON TWO TRADING CARDS, which is sure to be one of the hottest sellers of 2013! Last year's series was a very quick sellout, and we anticipate the same again this year. Each box of the Game of Thrones: Season Two Trading Cards will feature 2 autograph cards, and the list of signers includes more than 40 different signers. Plus, for the first time, we will also have randomly inserted relic cards and sketch cards! This year's incentive cards also include the first-ever signature cards signed by Game of Thrones creator and author George R. R. Martin. (Think of the significance of cards signed by Rod Serling, Gene Roddenberry, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, J.K. Rowling....) All I can say is "WOW!" PRODUCT HIGHLIGHTS: - 2 Autograph Cards Per Box! - Look for randomly inserted RELIC CARDS and hand-drawn SKETCH CARDS! NEW! AUTOGRAPHED INSERTSAutograph signers include:Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister)Sibel Kekilli (Shae)Rose Leslie (Ygritte)Kit Harington (Jon Snow)Natalie Dormer (Margaery Tyrell)Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark)Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen)Iain Glen (Ser Jorah Mormont) Lena Headey (Queen Cersei Lannister)Eugene Simon (Lancel Lannister)Gwendoline Christie (Brienne of Tarth)Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister)Richard Madden (Robb Stark)Michelle Fairley (Lady Catelyn Stark)Charles Dance (Tywin Lannister)Gemma Whelan (Yara Greyjoy)Tom Wlaschiha (Jaqen H'ghar)Maisie Williams (Arya Stark)Aidan Gillen (Littlefinger)Conleth Hill (Varys)Jack Gleeson (Joffrey Baratheon)Rory McCann ("The Hound")Nicholas Blane (Spice King)Nonso Anozie (Xaro Zhoan Daxos)Donald Sumpter (Maester Luwin)Natalie Tena (Osha)Ian Hanmore (Pyat Pree)Conan Stevens (Gregor Clegane)Francis Magee (Yoren)Roxanne McKee (Doreah) Stephen Dillane (Stannis Baratheon)Gethin Anthony (Renly Baratheon)Finn Jones (Loras Tyrell)Ralph Ineson (Dagmer Cleftjaw)Simon Armstrong (Qhorin Halfhand)and many more!Case Topper:Game of Thrones Poster Cards3-Case Incentive:D.B. Weiss (Producer) or David Benioff (Producer) Autograph Card6-Case Incentive:George R.R. Martin (Producer/Creator) Autograph Card18-Case Incentive:Game of Thrones: Season Two Archive Box