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The abrupt move to Charlotte, where he joined the prestigious SwimMAC Carolina program, was done in typical Ryan Lochte fashion.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Ryan Lochte walks slowly into the room, a bulky brace on his left knee. He's still got that same goofball demeanor, that same unique sense of fashion (on this day, he's wearing a fedora with his trademark phrase "Jeah" embroidered across the back).
But the signs of change are all around.
He's hobbled by the most serious injury of his career. He's adjusting to a new home in North Carolina. And there's that 30th birthday looming in August, the surest sign that he's getting closer and closer to the day when he'll have to find something else to do besides swimming.
"As you get older," Lochte said, "your body doesn't get any younger. I've started to realize that."
Lochte is an 11-time Olympic medalist who would surely be recognized as his generation's greatest swimmer if not for Michael Phelps. He left his longtime coach, UF's Gregg Troy, and familiar training base in Gainesville last fall. The abrupt move to Charlotte, where he joined the prestigious SwimMAC Carolina program run by Dave Marsh, was done in typical Lochte fashion.
"I'm not exactly sure how it came about," said Marsh. "I just know he showed up in Charlotte."
Marsh was skeptical of Lochte's intentions — and his reputation. Even though landing one of the world's best swimmers is a coup for any club, the coach wanted to make sure Lochte was making the move for all the right reasons, not because he wanted to bring his party boy image to a new city or was trying to line up another reality TV show.
"My biggest concern was his impact on the group," Marsh conceded. "He has an infectious personality, so people are going to go with him. I didn't want to see him come here and get on the party train and pull others with him, people who don't have the ability to get away with that and still have success."
For a while, Marsh wondered what he had gotten himself into. Lochte would show up at the pool for a training session, then disappear for a week. As the coach put it, "He was not in shape, and getting in worse shape." Then, in November, a jarring event seemed to change Lochte's perspective.
On a return visit to Gainesville, an exuberant teenage fan ran at Lochte, who tried to catch her. The two fell over and Lochte hit his left knee on a curb, tearing one ligament and spraining another. Suddenly, he realized that nothing was a given when it comes to his swimming career.
"That might have been a little bit of an awakening for him," Marsh said.
Showing a newfound dedication, Lochte worked hard to rehab his knee. Then, at a Grand Prix meet in Arizona last month that also marked Phelps' returns from retirement, Lochte pushed himself a little too hard on the breaststroke leg of the individual medley. The knee ached and began to swell. His doctor told him to back off for a while or risk a major setback.
One thing about Lochte: He doesn't back off well.
"I'm like Wolverine," he said. "Nothing can keep me down."
If anything, this might be another blessing in disguise, according to Marsh. With Lochte unable to use his legs in training, he can focus on improving his upper body strength and perhaps his biggest weakness — the way he uses his arms to "pull" himself through the water.
"Ultimately," the coach said, "Humpty Dumpty might come back together even better."
Assuming the ailing knee regains its strength and mobility. When talking about his injury, Lochte exudes his usual bravado for the most part. But, in a quieter moment, he reveals a bit of frailty.
"There's always concern," he said. "I never had an injury that set me back like this."
Even though the next Olympics are still more than two years away, this is an important summer. There's the national championships in early August, followed by the Pan Pacific Championships a couple of weeks later, with the combined results from those meets determining the U.S. team that will compete at the 2015 world championships.
Lochte may have to put the individual medley on the shelf for this year, depriving him of a chance to swim one of his best events at worlds. But he was already turning his focus to different races, knowing that he'll need to do some shorter distances as he moves into his 30s. As a swimmer ages, the body doesn't recover as quickly from previous races, making it tough to do the sort of grueling programs Lochte attempted in his younger days.
A newcomer to Lochte's program is the 100 butterfly, which puts him on a collision course with his longtime rival Phelps, the three-time defending Olympic champion in that event. Lochte, in fact, defeated Phelps in the fly at the Arizona meet.
"Now that I'm able to compete with him and be up there with him in the 100 fly, it's going to be interesting," Lochte said.
It always is in the world of Ryan Lochte.


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The Battlefield series is back after taking two years off to re-tool and rebuild. It's nice to see one modern shooter franchise that isn't afraid to take some time off, and the time in development has allowed for some significant jumps forward in technology and gameplay.
It's also allowed the developers at DICE some time to fix the biggest problem with Battlefield 3: the single-player campaign. I'm still not entirely sure why Battlefield games need a single-player campaign; it's as if someone in marketing felt like they wanted to check a big box off on a spreadsheet somewhere, but here we are again.
The good news is that the single-player campaign for BF4 is significantly better than the one in BF3. The plot is much tighter, much more cohesive, and it's actually a decent yarn. While it is not quite on par with the Bad Company series, it is in the same ballpark as the the last few Call of Duty games. The ending leaves a bit to be desired but it does pave the way for a continuation in the inevitable Battlefield 5.
As Recker, a member of Tombstone squad, you lead your elite squad as they are thrust into the center of a plot by a Chinese admiral to overthrow the Chinese government. To do this, the admiral convinces the Chinese people that the U.S. has assassinated a progressive Chinese candidate who was leading the Chinese away from military rule. This doesn't really make a lot of sense when you consider how intertwined the economies of the two countries are but it still makes more sense than Homefront.
As you play through the six to seven-hour campaign, you will visit places like the dark depths of an aircraft carrier to the dark depths of an underground prison. You will even run into a few characters from BF3 as you try to stop the world from descending into total war. There are some excellent signature moments including a battle through a war-torn Shanghai which shows off new levels of destruction in the game and a fairly epic battle on the bow of a slowly sinking aircraft carrier.
As a tutorial for the multiplayer portion, the single-player campaign excels. You learn the basic combat mechanics of the game, drive some vehicles, and, most importantly, you're introduced to the spotting mechanic. That's right, Battlefield 4 forces you to use the spotting command (Q key) if you want your non-player characters/vehicles to engage enemy forces. This is one of the most critical and under-utilized features of the multiplayer portion of the game and I was overjoyed to see it featured so prominently in the single-player.
There are a few other twists to the single-player game. You earn points for completing actions (killing enemies, destroying vehicles, squad kills, etc.), and each level has score-based objectives that unlock new weapons for you to use in the single-player. These unlocks are then added to the various weapons crates scattered throughout the level and can be immediately brought into combat. In addition to these unlocks, you'll also be able to pick up weapons from fallen enemies to add to your armory. This adds a bit of replay value, but I'm not sure it's something I personally would go back for as none of these unlocks carry over the the multiplayer side.
That aside, the single-player campaign doesn't really advance the field in any measurable way other than increasing the spectacle of destruction and making huge strides on the campaign from the previous game. There's not a lot of nuance in the campaign and the plot takes a lot of predictable bounces.
Of course you don't judge Battlefield games by their single-player campaigns but by their multiplayer component, and this is where Battlefield 4 leaves its peers behind. The folks at DICE have been perfecting the art of large-scale shooters for over a decade and this mastery of the First-Person Shooter is imbued in every piece of the game's DNA.
The game includes the same four classes (assault, engineer, supply, sniper) that were present in BF3. The assault acts as your assault-rifle-toting medic, the engineer is a decent field soldier who can damage/heal vehicles in the game, supply is there to re-arm your troops and lay down suppressing fire, and the recon soldier is the sniper class that kills you after you've spent five minutes walking across the map. Recon is also responsible for spotting enemies and providing some level of intelligence to your team.
DICE has re-jiggered some of the class progression and pace of the unlocks a bit but veterans of the last game will feel right at home.
Battlefield 4 introduces a few new game modes in addition to the old favorites like conquest and the various deathmatch formats and the Rush mode that was introduced in the Bad Company games.
In Obliteration teams attempt to take out three enemy targets with a bomb that spawns randomly on the map. This does a nice job of rotating the focus around the map as teams try to capture the bomb and then either defend/attack one of the map's targets.
Defuse has two small teams either trying to blow up targets or defend targets. It's a much smaller, more compact experience than the rest of the game modes and is a bit akin to the old bomb mode from Counter-Strike
Finally there's Domination which is a small scale version of Conquest where teams attempt to control three flags and bleed off the tickets from the opposing team. The smaller maps force much more intense combat and much shorter rounds.
The new modes are nice but outside of Obliteration I found myself struggling to gain the interest to play them or find servers that supported them. Conquest is where the Battlefield games live and breath for me, and the large scale combat that mode offers is something that no other FPS can touch.
The commander mode from BF2 also makes a return in BF4 with a few tweaks. The mode was a bit overpowered in its previous incarnation and DICE has tweaked it significantly so it's more about supporting your troops on the ground rather than killing enemies. Sure you can launch missiles on some of the maps to take out opposing troops but the missile takes awhile to get there and it's not the instant death that the artillery strike was in BF2. Instead Commanders are about assigning tasks, supporting squads through intelligence (UAVs), hiding their presence (EMP UAV's), supplies, light vehicle drops, and squad promotions.
In my experience with the game, bad commanders (or no commander at all) rarely hurt you too much whereas a good commander (and squads who listen to them) will help win a game. It's a solid experience and it's nice to see DICE bring it back. The fact that you can command games from an iPad app is also pretty cool as you can earn points while you are away from your computer.
The maps in the game are mostly excellent but special recognition has to go to the Paracel Storm level which starts off calmly enough before a giant storm starts to ravage the islands. As the game progresses the boats on the water start to experience more and more chop until they water causes them to surge up and down upwards of six to ten feet. I've never gotten motion sickness from a game but watching these boats move up and down like that caused a small pit to form in my stomach.
The other big feature when it comes to BF4 is the "Levolution" system which introduces large scale destruction in all of the multipayer maps. It's a cool gimmick and the result is that each map essentially gets an alternate version of the map that you have to adjust to. While the Levolution system gets all of the PR and media buzz, the big destruction in BF4 is the return of the Bad Company 2-style destruction of the other buildings. The Levolution stuff is cool but limited to big sections of the map, though the real fun comes in how you can level other parts of the map which is what dramatically alters the shape and flow of the game.
Of course the big issue with any Battlefield game is the fact that they almost always release with a one star hotel's supply of bugs. The good news is that the launch of BF4 on the PC was significantly better than the launch of BF3. That said, there were still a ton of issues, some of which have been fixed by the writing of this review but several that haven't. The game will still occasionally crash after a few matches and there are still some wonky moments in the game.
As of this writing (over a month after launch), the game is as unstable as most of my ex-girlfriends and that's a shame as the game is nearly perfect when it works. There are tons of little touches scattered through the game. I love that players can create custom logos for themselves and then those logos show up on your weapons and vehicles.
For the most part my experiences with Battlefield 4 have been amazing. The graphics are what I would point to as true next generation and the game is a ton of fun when it works. I just wish it worked more often and that it had worked well when it was released.
* The product in this article was sent to us by the developer/company.
Hi, my name is Charles Husemann and I've been gaming for longer than I care to admit. For me it's always been about competing and a burning off stress. It started off simply enough with Choplifter and Lode Runner on the Apple //e, then it was the curse of Tank and Yars Revenge on the 2600. The addiction subsided somewhat until I went to college where dramatic decreases in my GPA could be traced to the release of X:Com and Doom. I was a Microsoft Xbox MVP from 2009 to 2014. I currently own stock in Microsoft, AMD, and nVidia.

subset: commoncrawl


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Siberian Cypress
A true Siberian native that is at home in a variety of landscapes.
Low growing and winter hardy, the Siberian Cypress is a ground covering shrub the thrives in partial shade where other plants in this category would falter. The evergreen color is a winter favorite, especially in regions where snow is possible.
Hardy to zones 2 – 7, the Siberian Cypress will remain relatively low to the ground (between 1 and 3 feet maximum), but is known to spread well beyond the average of 4 – 5 feet.
Celtic Pride™
Starting at: $16.99


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Texas man found guilty in wrongful conviction case
San Angelo, Texas (AP) — A West Texas jury has convicted a man for the murder of an Austin woman whose husband was wrongfully convicted of her slaying.
Jurors in San Angelo found Mark Alan Norwood guilty of capital murder Wednesday for the 1986 beating death of Christine Morton. She was attacked in her home.
Prosecutors say Norwood beat the woman to death. He was sentenced to life in prison, but is eligible for parole after 15 years.
Morton's husband, Michael, was initially convicted in her death in 1987. But he was freed in 2011. He served nearly 25 years in prison before DNA evidence exonerated him and pointed to Norwood.
The 58-year-old Norwood also has been charged with capital murder in the 1988 death of Debra Masters Baker, who lived near the Morton's.


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Designer: Heather Bailey
1/8 yard print No. 1 (top and bottom)
1/8 yard print No. 2 (sides)
1 yard 1/8"- to 3/8"- wide ribbon
2—3/4"-diameter buttons
Polyester fiberfill
Dollmaker's needle
Water-soluble marking pen
Finished pincushion: 3-3/4x3-3/4x1"
Quantities are for 44/45"-wide, 100% cotton fabrics. Measurements include a 1/4" seam allowance. Sew with right sides together unless otherwise stated.
Related Links:


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Amazonian Purple Warrior Scarab
Amazonian Purple Warrior Scarab
from 290.00
Microsculpture is a ground breaking project by the British photographer Levon Biss that presents insect specimens from the Oxford University Museum of Natural History like never before. These images reveal an unexpected and often breathtaking beauty and make visible the many intricate adaptations to the form of insects - what entomologists call their microsculpture.
Each image takes 3 weeks to create and are produced from over 8000 individual photographs.
By photographer Levon Biss
Signed in a limited edition
100 x 150 cm 1800€
Open edition
31x41 cm 290 €


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Disney Driven Week In Review 3-20-16
Maria H. (ndm#130) 0 Comments 1983, 2019, Alice, alice through the looking glass, always moving mommy, animated, Anne Hathaway, announced, art, austin, Avengers, baloo, basketball, beautiful, blab, black widow, Bluray, bonus, boys & girls club, boys town, bug's life, Captain America, cast members, cavs, central florida, challenge, chat, children's home society, China, chris paul, christina aguilera, civil war, clippers, cole aldrich, collegiate pathways, colorful, commitment, community, community food, contest, counties, Country, crystal skull, dance, Ddl, deandre jordan, descendents, Disney, Disney channel, Disney Driven Life, documentary, Dove Cameron, DVD, eat right, economy, elephants, entrance, enzian, EPCOT, event, family, festival, financial, first order, flik, Florida, force awakens, freeform, fun, funday, gardens, gate, genie chic, genie in a bottle, girls, girls inc, governor, grantedbydisney, grants, harrison ford, healthy living, helena bonham carter, help, herd, high school, Indiana Jones, industry, internship, Iron Man, jobs, Johnny Depp, jungle book, lake. sumnter, lakeland, last crusade, liv and maddie, looking glass, Los Angeles, mad cow, Mad Hatter, Marvel, media, memories, mia wasikowska, Mickey Mouse, monarchs, money, Monorail, Movie, movies, Mowgli, music, music video, mustard seed, national academy of science, neighborhood improvement, new, new movie, News, online, outreach center, paul pierce, payroll, Pixar, Pocahontas, polk museum, posters, radio disney, raiders of the lost ark, Ratatouille, record, red queen, reforming the future, Remy, rick scott, science, social, spider-man, sports, Star Wars, stay active, STEM, steve rogers, steven spielberg, stormtroopers, stuck in the middle, swtfa, sxsw, team, teamcap, teamironman, teens, Television, temple of doom, texas, theater, throwback thursday, TIE fighter, tony stark, Topiaries, topiary, total access, tourism, TV, Tweens, urban think, video, vintage, voluntear, volunteer, Walt Disney, Walt Disney World, weekend, wesley johnson, what's on, white queen, wicked world, Wordless Wednesday, World Showcase
It's the Disney Driven Week In Review! We understand that life keeps you busy, so here is a listRead more


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Date Posted: January 9, 2019
In an announcement made today, the Bank of Canada has maintained its key interest rate at 1.75%. This rate impacts the bank prime lending rates on which variable rate loans are calculated.
The 25% decline in oil prices has had a significant impact on the economy and the Bank has downgraded its forecast for economic growth to 1.7%, as opposed to 2.4% three months ago.
Despite the slowdown in economic growth, the Bank has stated that further increases to the target rate can be expected. "The policy interest rate will need to rise over time into a neutral range to achieve the inflation target," the bank said.
"Meanwhile, consumption spending and housing investment have been weaker than expected as housing markets adjust to municipal and provincial measures, changes to mortgage guidelines, and higher interest rates. Household spending will be dampened further by slow growth in oil-producing provinces. The Bank will continue to monitor these adjustments.", according to the release.
The next scheduled announcement for the overnight rate will take place on March 6th, 2019 with a full update from the Bank of Canada set to be released on April 24, 2019.
To read the full statement, click here.


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Hybrid Cath Lab Solutions
Creating new therapeutic opportunities in interventional cardiology
"Siemens helped us plan and set it up. An Artis zeego forms the centerpiece of our new hybrid room, which gives us tremendous treatment flexibility."
Dr. Bernard De Bruyne,
Head of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Centre Aalst, Belgium
At the forefront of developments in cardiology
Compared with a conventional cath lab, the added expenditures for a hybrid room setup appear considerable. However, a hybrid cath lab can position a hospital as an innovative healthcare provider, one that offers a higher level of care.
The higher investment is also justified by the potential for new treatment opportunities and additional patients. For example, percutaneous valve implantations offer an alternative for high-risk patients previously considered untreatable. In addition, a hybrid environment allows emergency surgical intervention in the event of complications.
Satellite Symposium TAVI at ESC Congress 2010
Evolving standards of care in patients with severe aortic valve stenosis: Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI)
Chairperson: R Lange (München, DE), A Vahanian (Paris, FR) Satellite Symposium organized by Siemens AG, Healthcare Sector and Medtronic International Trading Sarl.
Please click here to watch the symposium recording


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This site requires Flash Player installed.Please download Please download Flash Player 9.
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At the touch of a button, get the most up to date blasting information. Register now for Orica's Pocket Blast Guide it's Free.
The new SHOTPlus™5 software has extensive blast initiation design capabilities and supports Orica's pyrotechnic and electronic blasting systems. It allows engineers and shotfirers to design, analyse and optimise blast initiation sequences in surface mining, quarry and construction applications.


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New Mexico Hatch Frozen Green Chile Peppers Chopped 10lbs (2 - 5 pound packages) Flame Roasted, peeled, chopped processed Green Chiles.
Shipping Options Frozen GoodsWe ship frozen goods where the transit time is no more than 2 days. USPS Express, (Guaranteed) or USPS priority. We want your order to arrive in good condition and assure that you are pleased with our products and service.
If ordering dry goods with your order, your dry goods will be shipped separately, due to the moisture from the frozen goods. We ship frozen goods only on Monday and Tuesday to try and assure a good delivery.* Shipping is NOT included in the price.


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August 16, 2012, 4:41 pm
What to do on Aug. 24? Choices include Fete des Fleurs, Firefighters Calendar release party
August draws to a close with plenty of excitement on the charitable fundraising front; specifically, with five — count 'em, five — huge events on the 24th alone.
Two of them — "The Book of Mormon" Gala at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts and Fete des Fleurs at Denver Botanic Gardens — are sold out. Tickets remain for Project Angel Heart's 11th annual Art for Life; the second annual White Party, benefiting the Urban League of Metropolitan Denver; and the release party for the 2013 Colorado Firefighters Calendar.


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Clarence William "Bill" Nelson (born September 29, 1942) is the senior United States Senator from the state of Florida. A member of the Democratic Party, he is a former U.S. Representative and former Treasurer and Insurance Commissioner of Florida. He is a leader in air and space policy, and in 1986, he became the second sitting member of the United States Congress to fly in space.
Born in Miami, Nelson attended the University of Florida before transferring to Yale University. He went on to receive his law degree from the University of Virginia. In 1965, he joined the U.S. Army Reserve; he served on active duty from 1968 to 1970, attaining the rank of captain, and left the following year. Nelson was admitted to the Florida bar in 1968, and began practicing law in Melbourne in 1970. In 1971, he worked as legislative assistant to Governor Reubin Askew.
In 1972, Nelson was elected to the Florida House of Representatives. He won re-election in 1974 and 1976. Nelson was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1978. He served in the U.S. House from 1979 to 1991. In January 1986, he flew as a Payload Specialist on the Space Shuttle Columbia. After a failed gubernatorial race in 1990, he successfully ran for the office of Treasurer and Insurance Commissioner of Florida in 1994 and served for six years. In 2000, Nelson ran as a Democrat for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by retiring Republican Senator Connie Mack. In the Senate he is generally considered a social moderate and economic liberal. He was re-elected in 2006 with 60 percent of the vote.


text: Glossary of Terms Aneurysm Dilation of a blood vessel (usually an artery but sometimes a vein). Angiogram/Angiography An X-ray of the blood vessels after injection of a contrast substance. Aorta The largest artery in the human body, carrying blood from the heart to branch arteries throughout the body. Atherectomy Removal of plaque from within a blood vessel by a specially designed catheter. Atherosclerosis Deposits inside the arteries that cause narrowing or complete blockage. Atrial fibrillation A rapid and irregular heart rate and rhythm that can decrease efficiency of the heart. Balloon Angioplasty A procedure that positions a catheter with a deflated balloon on its tip into the narrowed segment of an artery; the balloon is then inflated and compresses the plaque against the vessel wall. Claudication Reproducible pain (or a tired feeling) in the legs that occurs during physical activity. Dissection A split in the layers of tissue that comprise the aortic wall - blood can then "dissect" between the layers and cause bleeding or obstruction of blood flow. Embolism When a blood clot or other plaque debris moves through the bloodstream until it lodges in a narrowed vessel and blocks the flow of blood (circulation). Embolization A procedure in which coils (or other permanent synthetic material) are introduced into the circulatory system in order to clot off or close specific abnormal blood vessels, such as in Uterine Artery Embolization. Endovascular A minimally invasive procedure designed to access various regions within the body via major blood vessels using catheters, guidewires, balloons, stents, etc. Hemorrhage Bleeding that can occur from a ruptured or injured vessel. Ischemia The symptoms caused by insufficient blood flow to an extremity or other organ due to an obstructed or severely narrowed artery . Saphenous vein The greater and lesser saphenous veins are the primary superficial veins of the lower extremities. Stent deployment An endovascular procedure designed to keep a previously blocked passageway open in which a metallic tube in the form of a mesh is inserted into a blood vessel. Takayasu's disease A chronic inflammation of large or small blood vessels. Thrombosis The formation or presence of a blood clot within a vessel. Vascular Pertaining to blood vessels. Vasculitis Inflammation of blood vessels. Venogram A diagnostic X-ray of the veins or venous system after the injection of a contrast substance. Venous reflux A condition that develops when the valves that normally keep blood flowing out of your legs toward your heart become diseased and don't function properly.


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We have partnerships with other airlines to offer you more destinations worldwide, so even if you've booked direct with Royal Jordanian Airline, one or more of your flights may be operated by another airline.
The baggage allowances & excess baggage charges for Royal Jordanian can be found under checked luggage. If your booking includes flights on an airline other than Royal Jordanian Airline, your baggage allowance & excess baggage charges may differ from Royal Jordanian Airline allowances shown.
Please contact the other airline for information about their baggage allowances & excess baggage charges.


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2007- 2013 Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra 2500HD/3500HD - Pre-Owned
A Solid Used Heavy Duty Truck
The Silverado and Sierra, both based on the GMT910 platform, are stars among heavy-duty pickups. Admittedly, the Ford and Dodge offerings are also strong performers, but there's no good reason not to look at these when buying a pre-owned 3/4 or 1-ton truck.
Since both Chevrolet and GMC brands are virtually identical in terms of engines, options, equipment, and talents, the decision for buying one over the other might just boil down to availability or preference. There could be a sweet Chevy example for sale 50 miles away, but a comparable GMC truck a couple of miles down the road.
The 2500HD versions come with regular, extended, and crew cabs. The extended cab has rear-hinged back doors that open out 170 degrees. Long (8.2 feet) beds are offered with any cab, but extended and crew variants can come with the regular (6.6 feet) bed.
Gasoline-fueled propulsion comes from a 6.0L V-8 developing 353 hp and 373 lb-ft of torque. Output rose to 360 hp and 380 lb-ft in 2010. Also, there's the turbocharged 6.6L V-8 Duramax diesel, good for 365 hp and 660 lb-ft. A new Duramax debuted in 2011, making 397 hp and a considerable 765 lb-ft.
A bi-fuel option for the 6.0L V-8 was available for 2013, offering the choice of gasoline or compressed natural gas (CNG). However, output dips to 301 hp and 333 lb-ft while running on CNG.
All versions come with a six-speed automatic transmission. The diesel truck has a beefed-up Allison unit (the gasoline truck's trans is no wimp, though) and features a manual shift option. Rear-wheel drive is standard; four-wheel drive is optional. The newer diesel engine is paired with an Allison 1000 transmission, a combination claimed to improve fuel economy and emissions by 11 percent over earlier versions.
The Silverado's trim levels are Work Truck, LT, and LTZ (the latter for extended and crew cabs only). The entry-level trim is really basic, with manual windows and vinyl seat covering. Air conditioning became standard in regular WT cabs from 2011, although it was always part of the deal in extended and crew versions. Things get fancier with the LT,, offering powered accessories and cloth upholstery, while the LTZ goes for leather, heated front seats, and a Bose audio system.
GMC Sierra trims are Work, SLE, and SLT (2007 to 2010). The upscale Denali trim came on stream in 2011, packing items that would be options on lower trim levels, such as skid plates, EZ-lift tailgate, parking sensors, and chrome trim pieces.
A revision in 2011 also brought a stronger boxed frame construction. This stiffer frame enabled a finer tuning of the toughened-up suspension. Additionally, the diesels were blessed with an exhaust braking feature, which is a boon when towing on downhill stretches.
At some point, there's going to be a decision regarding whether to buy a gasoline or a diesel version. Which should be fairly easy. Since these are "heavy-duty" trucks, then they will probably have to work for a living and contribute to the general financial well being of the company. So, if situations requiring high mileage and/or high torque are expected, then it's diesel all the way, but be prepared to pay a substantial premium for the diesel, even on the used market.
The package of capable suspension, upgraded frame, and strong diesel engine is a winner. And depreciation from new makes a pre-owned version a bargain. If internet forums are to be believed, then owners of Duramax-powered HD models are a generally happy bunch, glad to get some bearable mileage from their engine and occasionally checking their mirrors to make sure their trailer is still attached because such huge torque results in effortless pulling.
Kelley Blue Book puts a rear-drive 2010 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD LT regular cab with the 6.0L gasoline V-8, in good condition, at $18,008. A comparable Ford F-250 Super Duty XLT with a 5.4L V-8 is valued at $15,971.
A diesel-powered, rear-drive 2010 GMC Sierra 3500HD SLE regular cab in good condition is rated at $22,130. Compare that with $24,411 for a similar Dodge Ram 3500 SLT with a 6.7L inline-6 turbo diesel.
|2007-2013 Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra 2500HD/3500HD
|Body type:
|Pickup truck
|Front engine, RWD/4WD
|Driver, front passenger (side-impact and side curtain optional from 2011)
|6.0/353hp OHV V-8, 365 hp from 2010; 6.6/365hp OHV V-8, 397 hp from 2011
|Brakes, f/r:
|Disc/disc, ABS
|Price range, whlsl/retail (KBB):
|$6,812/$8,468 (2007, RWD Chevy Work Truck 6.0 V-8, regular cab), $42,837/$45,895 (2013, 4WD GMC Denali 6.6 V-8)
|Too many to list; see motortrend.com
|NHTSA frontal impact rating, driver/fr pass:
|three stars/three stars


text: Last night, Dominic Muren, Willow Brughe and I presented a night of "Fab Lab" to the Dorkbot Seattle crowd. I saw later on twitter that some 120+ people showed up, which is not only uncommon for dorkbot, but it shows that whole physical computing and home fabrication thing is generating lots of interest. Dominic's talk was awesome, and it covered pretty much every way to digitally fabricate things. He's annotating the whole thing with links and should be uploading it to Humblefacture shortly, so if you didn't make it to the talk, you should dig through the slides. Probably the best list of fabbing technologies and software for modeling I've seen in a while. Makes me want to rethink my current toolchains. Willow Brugh, director of Jigsaw Renaissance, talked about their space in SODO, admittedly hard to find and hard to type, it sounds like a fun place to hang out. They're a non-profit, under the umbrella of Milwaukee-based Bucketworks, and they have some access to Artillery's tools. This is the second time we've met. Last was at KUOW. Hopefully I can get down to Jigsaw one of these days and check it out. Sounds interesting. Too bad it's not within my ridiculously short live/work radius. Milo the makerbot hummed away for a while on a print, but ultimately it's extruder failed. The makerbot portion of my presentation didn't get to have a live maple syrup smelling robot giving birth to a Mendel extruder. Suck. We adorned him with flashy LEDs and magnets, but the demo gods were not amused. More robot maintenance in my future. Unsurprising. I had a presentation, but I tried to keep it informal, I talked about the history of .\C:_ (most people ask), how it came together so quickly (i have the most awesome friends ever), and about some of the things that happen in our strange basement on Broadway. Dorkbot threatened to put the video up on their website soon, and I've shared my slides on Google Docs. I'm sure neither will make sense without the context of being there. The star of the night for me was Professor Mark Ganter, who wasn't on the schedule, but who has voided the warranty on his departments 5 zcorp printers by printing ceramic and glass. Apparently you can print different materials than $1000 per oz zcorp plastics, all of which are dirt cheap. The glass dust he uses is a byproduct of glass recycling, and is next to free. Printing in wood is easy if you have micron scale wood dust, which is something laser cutting produces. The binders are as simple as cheap vodka and maltodextrin, both easily available at local stores. He has dropped the costs on printing to nothing. This is huge stuff. Commercial 3D printing is a racket, and the costs ($600 for a gallon of comercial binder) of something so potentially world-changing is ridiculous. Ganter is putting all of this up on Open3DP, another amazing move for a professor at a University that lives on patents What happens if you dont have a zCorp printer? There is a guy in Brazil who has made a Homemade 3D Powder Printer out of an old Lexmark printer. Once we figure out the logistics of where to put something like this, and how we can make it relatively safe (glass dust is probably off the table), I think we've got a new shop project. And with that, more maintenance. Awesome.


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Needless to say, these were dark days in our relationship.
When Damon left Boston for the hated Yankees, Mrs. Tao was incredulous. When she saw him clean shaven and freshly shorn at his news conference introducing him to the Bronx faithful, she was beside herself. And in that moment, Johnny Damon was dead to her. Shortly thereafter, we were engaged to be married. And we find it hard to believe that this is a coincidence.
So when we heard the news from the audience wrangler that Johnny Damon was scheduled to appear today with Strombo on The Hour tonight, we passed along word to our lovely bride. She met the news with a shrug, and told us firmly "I don't like stupid Johnny Damon any more."
We couldn't have been happier.
If you, on the other hand, are in the GTA and are interested in seeing the self-proclaimed idiot chatting it up with Canada's foremost hipster talk show host, then have at it. Here's the 411:
About last night
So yeah, that was pretty fucking awesome, don't you think? A packed and emotionally-charged Dome, filled with love for Doc and hate for A.J.. Not to get too hokey about it, but that sort of crowd could make a difference for this team. (Okay, that was pretty hokey. But just play along with us.)
While we're anticipating a bit of a let down tonight in terms of attendance and the atmosphere in the park, we're hoping that some of the folks who made it down last night will be charged up enough to start coming back to the park and filling the joint for the rest of the season.
Given the way this team has performed thus far, they deserve your support.


text:
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Key Standard Features*
Unless otherwise stated, metallic paint at extra cost. Library image shown for illustration purposes only.
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PCP (Personal Contract Purchase)
PCP (Personal Contract Purchase) a simple cost effective way to buy your new or nearly new vehicle.
You choose the vehicle, the deposit, how long you want the contract to run for and the mileage you intend to do. You will then receive a quote for fixed cost motoring for the length of the contract. At the end of the contract you have a choice to either buy the vehicle outright for an agreed lump sum (the Guaranteed Minimum Future Value or final balloon payment), or hand the vehicle back to the lender.
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This is one of the most popular methods to buy a new vehicle. You pay an initial deposit, then pay off the balance in monthly payments over an agreed period of time, when the payments are complete the vehicle is yours.
One of the main benefits with Hire Purchase is the ability to buy a high value vehicle on monthly payments.
Hire Purchase allows you to tailor your finance package as deposit, length of time and monthly payments are all flexible.
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Personal contract hire is very similar to normal contract hire, but is exclusively for private individuals. This is one of the most common form of leasing.
With a personal contract hire agreement you take control of a vehicle for a contractual period � usually referred to as the �lease period�. You will make fixed monthly payments for the duration of the contract � when the contract expires you will simply return the vehicle and take out a new personal contract hire lease. PCH means you never have to worry about resale values of your vehicle.
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Fuel: Diesel
Body: Hatchback
Trans: Manual
Front/rear floor mats, Electrically operated front and rear windows with one touch opening and closing, Electronic stability control, Bluetooth system, Selectable drive mode, Easy fuel capless refuelling system...
Insurance groups range from 1 to 50 and dictates the cost of the vehicles insurance. The higher the group, the higher the insurance will be for the vehicle.
Insurance Group
BHP rates the engine performance of vehicles and stands for the brake horsepower.
Performance (BHP)
CO2 is the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by the vehicle in grams per kilometre travelled, the lower the CO2 emissions the cleaner the vehicle is for the environment.
CO2 (g/km)
The total number of seats in the vehicle.
Number Of Seats
Road Tax is based upon the CO2 emissions of the vehicle and is split into 13 bands from A to M. The higher the letter the greater the cost of tax paid to drive the vehicle on public roads. In addition to the road tax detailed below, any vehicle that had a manufacturers retail price in excess of �40,000 when first sold, attracts a road tax supplement of an additional �320 per year. This is charged until the vehicle is 6 years old.
Road Tax
Ten Second Review
The Ford Focus has evolved, this MK4 version offering slicker looks, higher interior quality and extra technology. There's also greater efficiency beneath the bonnet thanks to the addition of a hi-tech range of petrol and diesel engines. The best part though, is that this car should still remain as rewarding to drive as it's always been. The Focus might have grown up but it certainly hasn't lost its spark.
It's very difficult to over-state the importance of the Focus family hatch to Ford's European business. To understand its significance, press the rewind button for a moment and shuttle back to 1997. Ford's family hatch contender during this period was the fifth generation Escort, a car so all-encompassingly woeful that the brand was almost embarrassed to sell it. When the time came for a replacement, we all expected something better. What we got in the Focus model first launched in 1998 was something much, much more than that, a car that, at a stroke, offered arguably the biggest step forward in family car design the market has ever seen. Here at last was technology directed firmly at the man in the street who, in this apparently humble family hatchback, could experience a car more entertaining and rewarding to drive than almost anything this side of a sizeable lottery win. It was asking a lot for the MK2 model we saw in 2005 to repeat such a seismic step forward but that second generation Focus was still quite good enough to remain acclaimed as the driver's choice against rival Astras and Golfs that made up for their dynamic failings with a better ride and a more luxurious big car feel. These were attributes the Focus also needed and when it came to developing the MK3 version, launched early in 2011, Ford tried to provide them without compromising the car's class-leading handling. That's also been the goal with this more sophisticated MK4 model, announced in the Spring of 2018.
Driving Experience
Our test of this fourth generation Focus confirmed that the sharp driving dynamics that marked out previous models have been retained. That's aided by the standard inclusion of a driving modes system this time round with settings that can alter steering feel, throttle response and, if you've an auto variant, transmission response times. Talking of autos, there's a new 8-speed self-shifter on offer. Otherwise, you'll be swapping cogs with a 6-speed manual. The engine range initially looks familiar, but closer inspection reveals that it's been heavily revised. As before, the range primarily hinges around Ford's familiar three cylinder 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol unit, which gets a new turbocharger and cylinder head and is available in 85, 100 and 125PS guises. There's also a new 1.5-litre EcoBoost petrol engine with 150 or 182PS. Plus a fresh 1.5-litre EcoBlue diesel with 95 and 120PS. And a 2.0-litre EcoBlue unit with 150PS. As for the suspension, well a little disappointingly, Ford has followed Volkswagen's lead in equipping lower-powered 1.0-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel Hatch variants with a cruder twist-beam set-up. If you want the more sophisticated independent rear double wishbone suspension system that's supposed to improve ride comfort, you'll need an estate, the 'Active' crossover version, top-spec 'Vignale' trim or a hatch with 1.5-litre petrol or 2.0-litre diesel power. The top 'ST' high performance version gets stiffer, lowered suspension and a choice of either 280PS 2.3-litre EcoBoost petrol power or a 190PS version of the 2.0 EcoBlue diesel engine.
Design and Build
There's nothing particularly striking about the way this fourth generation Focus looks but the lines are crisp and pleasing, whether you opt for the five-door hatch body style or the alternative small estate. The overall length is 18mm longer than before and the car rides 15mm lower. Or at least it does in standard guise. The SUV-style 'Active' variant has a slightly higher ride height; the sporty 'ST-Line' model rides slightly lower than normal versions. As ever though, what's more important is the stuff you can't see: this Focus rides on the brand's latest 'C2' platform, which enables the wheelbase to be 53mm longer, freeing up extra cabin space. You should certainly feel that inside. Rear knee room has increased by 56mm and, thanks to a re-profiling of the rear doors, the rear passengers' heads are now adjacent to glass rather than metal, so they'll be able to see out more easily. Up-front, as you'd expect, it all feels of much higher quality - the fascia now has half the number of buttons that were there before. And shoulder room is class-leading. The extra body length has freed up more boot space too. In the estate version, there's now a class-leading 1.14m of width between the wheel arches and overall load length with the rear seats folded (1,700mm) is up by 134mm. That means 1,650-litres of carriage capacity.
Market and Model
The Focus range kicks off with the base 'Style' variant priced at around £18,500, before progressing through 'Zetec', 'ST-Line', 'ST-Line X', 'Titanium', 'Titanium X' and 'Vignale' variants. An SUV-style 'Active' version and an 'ST' hot hatch are also available. Equipment levels reflect the fact that most customers will be paying upwards of £20,000 for this once very affordable family hatch. Even the Focus 'Style' comes as standard with 16-inch alloy wheels, air conditioning, a DAB digital radio with Bluetooth and Emergency Assist, an electronic parking brake, autonomous emergency braking, tyre pressure monitoring, Hill Start Assist and a Lane-Keeping Aid. If you prioritise luxury and you've a healthy budget, you'll like the top 'Vignale' variant, which gets a unique front grille and body styling with 18in wheels, full LED lighting, leather upholstery, a head-up display, a rear view camera, a heated steering wheel and the 675-watt 10-speaker B&O Play Premium Audio System. For sporty drivers, the 'ST-Line' variant offers unique body styling, including unique upper and lower grille, rear spoiler and polished twin tailpipes. Inside there's a flat-bottomed steering wheel, black headlining, an aluminium gear knob, alloy finish pedals and red stitching. Sophisticated features available across the range include a head-up display, radar-operated cruise control, a more advanced Park Assist system and a wi-fi network that will connect up to 10 devices.
Cost of Ownership
Ford has re-fettled its engines in pursuit of greater efficiency. The 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol unit gets a higher compression ratio and increased injection pressure to facilitate this. It'll also help that this MK4 model Focus can be up to 88kg lighter than its predecessor. Around 33kgs of that comes from the new C2 platform, which uses a higher proportion of high-strength steel. A further 17kg of weight has been taken out of the interior, the powertrain is around 6kgs lighter and the electrical system loses 7kgs of weight too. A standard 'Active Grille Shutter' closes a flap in the front gill to reduce drag at speed. Plus there's clever 'Air Curtain' technology that guides airflow across the front wheels in a way that reduces turbulence. The result of all this effort is, according to Ford, a 10% improvement in running cost efficiency across the board. Specifically, on the volume 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol models, that means a CO2 emissions figure which can be as low as 108g/km, regardless of your choice between 85, 100 or 125PS versions of this powerplant. The 1.5-litre EcoBoost petrol unit can put out as little as 122g/km. As for the 1.5-litre EcoBlue diesel, well in 95PS form, this unit produces 94g/km of CO2. Choose the 2.0-litre EcoBlue diesel unit and the CO2 figure is 110g/km.
By Jonathan Crouch
If you�re looking for a new Ford Focus Vignale 1.5 EcoBlue 120 5dr Diesel Hatchback for sale, you�ve come to the right place. At Bristol Street Motors we don�t just have the best Ford Focus Vignale 1.5 EcoBlue 120 5dr Diesel Hatchback deals, we also offer friendly advice and help with all your enquiries to ensure your buying experience is a happy experience.
What are you waiting for? Make an enquiry online using the link above or call one of our friendly sales advisors today.
Key Standard Features*
- Special solid paint
- Cruise control + speed limiter
- LED headlights
- Special solid - Frozen white
- Premium paint - Frozen white
- Leather - Charcoal black
|Body Glass
|Electric front windows + drivers one touch
|Electrically operated front and rear windows with one touch opening and closing
|Tailgate wash/wipe
|Heated rear window
|'Quickclear' heated windscreen/heated washer jets
|Rear privacy glass
|Automatic rain sensing wipers
|Front variable intermittent wipers with electric wash
|ESP with traction control + emergency brake assist
|Electronic stability control
|Auto hold function
|Post collision braking
|ABS+Electronic Brake force Distribution
|Electronic parking brake
|Hill start assist
|Bluetooth system
|Driver Aids
|Rear view camera
|Lane keep assist
|Lane departure warning system
|Selectable drive mode
|Pre collision assist with autonomous emergency braking and pedestrian/cyclist detection
|Lane keeping aid with lane departure warning
|Rear wide view camera
|Active park assist system
|Front and rear parking sensors
|Eco mode
|Driver Convenience
|Easy fuel capless refuelling system
|Driver Information
|Ford SYNC 3 Navigation with DAB radio, 8" colour touch screen, voice Control ,app Link, Apple car play/Android auto
|TFT cluster screen
|FordPass connect
|SYNC 3 nav system with DAB radio, 8" colour touch screen, bluetooth, emergency assistance, Apple car play/Android auto, voice control and 6 speakers
|4" TFT coloured cluster screen
|Ford SYNC 3 nav system with DAB radio, 8" colour touch screen, voice control, app link, Apple car play/Android auto and 4.2" TFT coloured cluster
|Ford pass connect
|Trip computer
|Digital clock
|Head up Display
|Driving Mirrors
|Body colour door mirrors
|Electric adjustable heated door mirrors
|Body coloured electrically operated and heated door mirrors with side indicators
|Power folding door mirrors with puddle lights
|Auto dimming rear view mirror
|Diesel particulate filter
|Steering column with mounted audio controls
|Bang and Olufsen premium sound with 10 speakers
|B&O Audio system with 360 degree sound, 10 speakers, 675 watts of total amplifier power and digital sound processor
|Aux input
|2 USB ports
|Exterior Body Features
|Upper grille with chrome surround and horizontal bars
|Body styling kit
|Body colour rear spoiler
|Body colour door handles
|Body colour bumpers
|Chrome effect bar on front grille
|Twin exhaust tailpipe
|Body coloured bumpers
|Body colour large rear spoiler
|Door edge protectors
|Body coloured door handles
|Vignale front grille and body styling
|Polished twin tailpipe
|Exterior Lights
|Automatic headlights
|Rear LED lights
|LED daytime running lights
|LED front fog lights with static cornering light function
|LED rear lamps
|LED daytime running lamp
|Auto headlamps (on/off)
|LED front fog lamps with cornering function
|Dual electronic automatic temperature control air conditioning - CFC-free
|Dual zone electronic air temperature control
|Interior Features
|Ski hatch
|3 spoke heated leather multi-function steering wheel
|Alloy finish pedals
|Load through ski hatch
|3 spoke leather trimmed steering wheel with integrated audio controls
|Leather upholstery
|Reach + rake adjustable steering column
|Heated steering wheel
|Leather gear knob
|Centre console with sliding front armrest
|Interior Lights
|Advanced multicolour ambient light and LED interior light
|Ambient LED multi colour interior lighting
|Convenience Pack with park assist - Focus
|Passenger airbag deactivation system
|Rear seatbelt warning indicator
|Autonomous emergency braking
|Front Seatbelt warning
|Passenger airbag deactivate switch
|Front and rear seatbelt reminder
|Driver airbag
|Front passenger airbag
|Front side airbags
|Tyre pressure monitoring system
|Side curtain airbags
|Front inertia reel height adjustable seatbelts with pre-tensioners
|Three rear inertia reel lap/diagonal seatbelts
|MyKey system
|Rear centre head restraint
|Passenger seat height/lumbar adjustment
|6 way electric adjustable drivers seat
|6 way power adjustable driver seat
|Manual passenger seat height and lumbar adjust
|Rear centre headrest
|Heated front seats
|Height adjustable front headrests
|Isofix child seat preparation
|60/40 split back and cushion rear seats with 2 height adjustable headrests
|Keyless entry
|Keyless start with 'Ford Power' starter button
|Immobiliser-Passive Anti-Theft System (PATS)
|Thatcham Cat.1 alarm
|Remote central double locking
|Key free system
|Keyless Start
|Remote central locking & engine immobiliser
|Thatcham category 1 alarm
|Ford keyfree system with Keyless entry and keyless start
|Wheels - Alloy
|18" 5x3 spoke liquid aluminium alloy wheels
|Wheels - Spare
|Mini steel spare wheel
|Driver assistance pack with Adaptive Cruise Control - Focus
|Paint - Metallic
|Metallic - Moondust silver
|Metallic - Magnetic
|Metallic - Shadow black
|Metallic - Diffused silver
|Exterior Body Features
|Openable panorama roof
|Additional Exclusive paint
|Metallic paint
|Special solid paint
|Exclusive paint
|Premium paint
|Additional Premium paint
|Driver Information
|Blind spot information system includes cross traffic alert with active braking
|Wireless charging pad
|Driver Aids
|Cruise control + speed limiter
|Exterior Lights
|Adaptive front lighting system with dynamic LED headlights, glare-free high beam and LED turn indicators
|LED headlights
|Paint - Special
|Exclusive paint - Magnetic
|Premium paint - Diffused silver
|Special solid - Frozen white
|Exclusive paint - Ruby red
|Exclusive paint - Dark mulberry
|Premium paint - Frozen white
|Premium paint - Moondust silver
|Premium paint - Shadow black
|Detachable trailer coupling includes trailer stability assist
|Trailer Coupling Pre-equipment Electrical-Kit
|Trim - Leather
|Leather - Charcoal black
|0 to 60 mph (secs)
|0 to 62 mph (secs)
|Engine Power - BHP
|Engine Power - KW
|Engine Power - PS
|Engine Torque - LBS.FT
|Engine Torque - MKG
|Engine Torque - NM
|Top Speed
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*The information given about models and their specification and features applies at the time that a vehicle is listed online or when the listing has been updated. Specifications and features do change and the information is given only as a guide. It may contain errors or omissions. The actual specification of a vehicle at the time of purchase may differ from that listed above and any important feature should be clarified as part of your purchase. The information above does not constitute an offer to sell.


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Lubbock is in the northwestern portion of Texas, and its residents enjoy access to a booming job market and a low cost of living. In fact, the overall cost of living is 15.5 percent lower than the national average. Lubbock is known as "Hub City" because it provides the main resources of education, economy and health care to the entire region. When you combine this with a sunny and warm environment, it is easy to understand why so many people look for apartments in Lubbock, TX.
Lubbock Attractions
Lubbock is the home of almost 234,000 people, and the city's developers placed an emphasis on providing residents with quality attractions that have a distinct Texas flavor. For example, the National Ranching Heritage Center and the Southwest Collection both feature historical Texas artifacts. Many of the apartments in Lubbock provide quick access to the great nightlife in the Depot District, and you can also enjoy Big 12 Conference college sporting events at Texas Tech University.
Lubbock Park System
Lubbock has a very extensive park system, and tributaries from the gorgeous Brazos River wind throughout many of the parks. Mackenzie Park is the largest natural resource for recreational opportunities, and it provides stunning views of the water and trees. Additionally, the park is also the home of the American Wind Power Center, Prairie Dog Town, the Joyland Amusement Park and a golf course. Due to all of these attractions, many incoming residents choose to look at Lubbock apartments that are near Mackenzie Park.
Lubbock Apartments
The apartments in Lubbock, Texas offer renters an appealing mixture of sizes and price ranges. Whether you are looking for an inexpensive studio or need an affordable four-bedroom to accommodate a large family, Apartment Guide will be able to help you easily filter the available Lubbock, Texas apartments to find the perfect community. Our search engine puts the best apartments in Lubbock within your reach, and we can also help you ensure that you find all of the amenities that are important to you, including air-conditioning, a fitness center and a swimming pool.
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Information is copyrighted and school data provided by GreatSchools.org. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Schools listed above are based on distance from the selected location and are just a sampling of the schools in the area. To find a particular school district, and how it relates to a specific apartment, please contact the apartment manager.


text:
Turning 30
Publishing this so that people who share the same thoughts, values, and experience, know that there is at least one other person who think like them.
Few important things I have learnt in these 30 years based on my own personal experiences and observations. You may or may not concur with me, I do not care. I am writing this so when I turn 40, I can look back and maybe laugh at myself.
1. Money is not everything. Money may play a major part in making you feel happier, but it is YOU who decides if it anything makes you happier.
2. In my early 20ies, all I wanted was to earn my own living and move out. I wanted "freedom", I wanted away from my family, I wanted away from my "burdens". Yes, I was (and maybe still am) a selfish brat. But all I want now is to spend more time with my family, be close to them, buy my own place and have them move in with me.
3. My friends perceive me as a mentally strong person. Maybe… but I know I am more of a stubborn (and determine to be stubborn) person than mentally strong. I have a BIG ego. I cannot fail, I cannot stand to lose, I am very competitive person even if it is a competition with myself.
4. God, religion, heaven, hell, fung shui, karma, prayers, hungry ghost festival, ….etc. One does not just believe in them. It is a choice to believe in them. And I make my own choices.
5. Being depressed is a cycle. Understand the cycle and the triggers, but never feel comfortable being depressed. It took me almost 2 and a half years to snap myself out of depression the first time. And slightly over a year the second time. It is an experience which I know I will always be with me.
6. Walk the middle path. Too little, or too much, is harmful. Money, friends, emotions, motivation, work, hobbies, determination…..yes all that, walk the middle path.
7. Life is always hard, unfair, short. Do something about it and stop whining. Or, accept it and move on.
8. Focusing on things I can control makes my life much easier to live with. I can control my future (well not all of it but you get what I mean la right?), I can control the way I think, and I can try to work on controlling my emotions. Focus on changing oneself, instead of changing the world. I also learned that I have very high standards on certain things and people, but I expect less. (I think that is trying controlling emotions-disappointment right?) Stay away from poison people!
9. Never indulge in self-pity!!!
10. Always have faith in people and the things you believe in no matter how dark the world has become.
Last, but the most important, always be true to myself. There will always be people, family and friends included, who will downplay my determination, belittle me, insult me and do whatever to see me fail, angry, sad….but I know better. I will Just Be. (Read DJ Tiesto – Just Be lyric)


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A fundamental question in trying to understand the world -- be it classical or quantum -- is why things happen. We seek a causal account of events, and merely noting correlations between them does not provide a satisfactory answer. Classical statistics provides a better alternative: the framework of causal models proved itself a powerful tool for studying causal relations in a range of disciplines. We aim to adapt this formalism to allow for quantum variables and in the process discover a new perspective on how causality is different in the quantum world. Causal inference is a central task in the context of causal models: given observed statistics over a set of variables, one aims to infer how they are causally related. Yet in the seemingly simple case of just two classical variables, this is impossible (unless one makes additional assumptions). I will show how the analogous task for quantum variables can be solved. This quantum advantage is reminiscent of the advantages that quantum mechanics offers in computing and communication, and may lead to similarly rich insights. Our scheme is corroborated by data obtained in collaboration with Kevin Resch's experimental group. Time permitting, I will also address other applications of the quantum causal models. arXiv:1406.5036


text:
Last night the Brooklyn Museum kicked off its new Louis Vuitton-sponsored exhibit on artist Takashi Murakami, who made a name for himself Stateside for putting whimsical art all over old-school Vuitton handbags. At the event: Once blue-haired Louis Vuitton creative director Marc Jacobs (left) who, a la Amy Winehouse, has apparently gone back to black. Also: Linda Evangelista, Selita Ebanks and Eva Herzigova. Models, Murakami, and more, after the jump.
The Good:
Waris Ahluwalia and Chriara Clemente are one fierce duo.
Linda Evangelista: Oh yes.
Selita Ebanks is the shit.
I want to put Takashi Murakami in my pocket and bring him home with me.
The Bad:
Eva Herzigova was one of my favorite supermodels; why must she pain me by wearing this heinous fur?
Jennifer Creel is stiff; perhaps she could use a stiff one?
I pray to Pat Field and whomever else might be able to salvage Kristin Davis from the wardrobe of Charlotte York.
This MR. guy scares me.
Same goes for Terrence Koh.
And Tinsley Mortimer.
The Ugly:
Oh no, Chiho Ashima. Oh. No.


text:
Slide Over A Bit More - Responsive Design
MartinPacker 11000094DH Visits (4261)
I've played some more since I wrote Slide Over A Bit , most notably from the perspective of developing a web app that acts as a Slide View widget. This post addresses some of the issues. In particular: Offline web apps, a feature of HTML 5. Responsive design - writing a web app that works well in Slide View mode while still looking OK in Full Screen mode. Remote hosting. I wrote a better... [More]
Slide Over A Bit
MartinPacker 11000094DH Visits (4637)
The last post hit both the "Mainframe" and "Performance" aspects of this blog. This one is firmly in the "Topics" category. [1] You might've noticed a slew of announcements from Apple recently, and iOS 9 and OS X 10.11 "El Capitan" delivery. [2] I'd like to talk here about one feature of iOS 9 that is more useful than it appears at first... [More]
CICS and Batch DB2 Identifiers
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DB2 Accounting Trace names are a(n endless) [1] source of fascination to me. As many of you know, bridging the gap between DB2 and callers and the environment is permanently an imperative for me. These names might be cryptic but they can usually be related to non-DB2 concepts. As I'm about to explain this to colleagues at work I thought I might as well explain it to the world (or at least my... [More]
What's The Latency Really?
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In What's The Latency, Kenneth? I talked about Coupling Facility Link distance and OA37826. The whole supposition was that you might want to know about really long links. A recent situation showed me that short distances might be a different and interesting matter. So what's a microsecond or two amongst friends? Well, 1μs represents 100m of distance and 2μs represents 200m. This is,... [More]
The Right Curves?
MartinPacker 11000094DH Visits (4321)
In true IBM fashion this post features graphs without scales. [1] My aim is to share a rhetorical device I used in a recent customer workshop. I hope you find it useful. [2] The customer was worried about a piece of hardware whose responsiveness had deteriorated over the past year, but got better in recent days, coinciding with some tuning changes they'd made. This graph shows that:... [More]
Tally Ho!
MartinPacker 11000094DH Visits (4538)
Numbers are key to what I do; They're the basic data I use as evidence. Without them it's often just supposition. And nowhere is this truer than when trying to reduce bad [1] habits and reinforce good ones. So a while back I invested a small amount of money in a very nice little app: Tally, a Simple, Eyes-Free Counter for iOS . So this post is about why I like this app and also a... [More]
IMS Though My Eyes
MartinPacker 11000094DH Visits (4736)
Editorial Preview As a matter of chance, over the past few months I've been involved in a number of situations where IMS has been an important component of the customers' infrastructure (and I'm about to be involved in another one). Although I hope my customers don't think I think of them only as test data it's been good to have their data move my story forward: Several nice... [More]
z Systems Technical University, Dublin 18-22 May 2015, Slides
MartinPacker 11000094DH Visits (4261)
As most people know, I thoroughly enjoy conferences and learn a lot. The Dublin one 18 - 22 May was no exception. It was great to meet up with old friends, connect with potential new ones and have a couple of compromising photos of myself and friends to prove it. But you probably don't care much about that - unless you're in those photos. So here are the slides from the three... [More]
The Unfit Bit? :-)
MartinPacker 11000094DH Visits (4635)
I've put off writing this post for a while. Largely because it might sound like boasting. The truth being I have very little to boast about. But here goes anyway. I'm a fitful [1] exerciser. It's not that it's painful but that it's not interesting. I've never found a sport I enjoyed watching nor partaking in. But with that characteristic it's been a... [More]
Sysplexes Sharing Links
MartinPacker 11000094DH Visits (5525)
Just a brief one this time. A customer recently asked me how to detect Sysplexes sharing Infiniband links. [1] It arose when discussing the information in the new(ish) Channel Path Data Section in RMF's SMF 74 Subtype 4 record. The question really boils down to "how do I detect in RMF / SMF different Sysplexes using the same identifiable link"? [2] My first suggestion was the... [More]
Remember The Milk: Automatic For The People?
MartinPacker 11000094DH Visits (4382)
This post is one where I really don't speak for IBM. [1] It's also one that's firmly in the "Topics" category of "Mainframe, Performance, Topics", [2] being about the emergent fields of iOS Automation (and Web Automation). And, while I give Remember The Milk a "could try harder" score I'm actually a big fan of what they do. Like many... [More]
MartinPacker 11000094DH Visits (4570)
Being about Coupling Facility structures, maybe this should be called "re Structuring". Standing on the shoulders of giants, as I do , it is with some temerity that I rethink one of their designs. And it's only because you might find it helpful that I mention it now. Since the dawn of time coupling facilities have contained four kinds of structures: Lock Cache List Serialized... [More]
MartinPacker 11000094DH Comments (2) Visits (5797)
Regular readers of this post will have noticed the masthead [1] changing. I thought it appropriate to replace the zEC12 (and zBX) graphic with the new z13. I've also taken the opportunity to weave in a little gag. The blog's title remains "Mainframe Performance Topics" but you'll see I've injected a couple of commas in the masthead. These commas make all the... [More]
False Contention Isn't A Matter Of Life And Death
MartinPacker 11000094DH Comments (2) Visits (6321)
It's more like someone rich lighting their cigar with a hundred dollar bill. Seriously, this post is about Coupling Facility Lock Structure False Contention and why it matters. It is, of course, inspired by a recent customer situation. Before I explain what False Contention is, and then go on to talk about its impact and instrumentation, let me justify the title by asserting Lock... [More]
And Now In Colour
MartinPacker 11000094DH Visits (4700)
As you know, we turn data into reports and try to make sense of it. One thing we've not done before is use colour in our textual and tabular reports. So here's what I've learnt about how to make B2H use colour. Our Reporting Process But first a word or two about how we get these reports. We collect SMF data into engagement-specific VSAM-based performance databases. We use... [More]


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Sunday Sweets: Cupcakes!
A few of you still seem to think I have a problem with cupcakes. Not so! In fact, today's post features some awesome cupcake designs that get the Jen stamp of approval.
Check out this fabulousness from Bakerella:
It's everyone's favorite fat cat: Garfield! I used to collect the books when I was a kid. How cool is it that Bakerella included Pooky and Nermal, the World's Cutest Kitten, too?
Since I'm more of the Garfield generation, I don't claim to know who any of these Pokemon characters are:
But they sure are cute. Reader Kelly made them for her son's birthday. Ok, Kelly, you got me: I do love them.
And lastly, many of you have sent in these 3 beauties made by hello naomi over on Flickr:
See, now this is the way to do a cupcake-cake: don't ice them all together, and reference an 80's video game!
Another example:
I call dibs on the green mushroom!
Not only are these robot cupcakes the perfect collision of geekdom and cuteness, but the parts are also interchangeable. So, you can mix up the heads and arms and such to make different robot cupcake combos. Super nifty.


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LOLLIPOP patrols, librarians and road workers face the chop as details of £93 million of Hampshire County Council cuts begin to emerge.
Under plans that could see more than 1,000 job losses, services will be hacked back yet again as county bosses bid to shave off 12 per cent from their budget.
As previously reported, Hampshire County Council is trying to save millions of pounds after the Government shrivelled its council grant by 40 per cent over three years.
The true nature of the cuts is now coming to light as the budgets for culture and recreation and environment and transport were revealed.
More libraries will be expected to shed staff for volunteers, including Milford-on-Sea. If no one comes forward branches will be closed and residents will have to make do with a weekly mobile library stop.
Yet mobile library vehicles could be reduced from five to three across the county and the number of stops from 350 to 250.
Street lighting may be dimmed or switched off to save cash while £3.4 million could be cut from road maintenance, at a time when the roads are littered with thousands of potholes.
Lollipop patrols could be scrapped in quieter areas and funding removed for police patrolling 30mph village speed limits.
While council tax will be frozen, council leader Roy Perry said it was inevitable some services needed to be reduced. He said: "The fact remains that with less money and fewer staff we can't afford to deliver them in the same way."
The budget will be agreed at full council on February 20.


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The Human Cost of Stuff
It was only after experiencing the abundance of stuff in the United States that Simon Okelo learned to value life with less, the way he grew up.
What do we really trade for all of the cheap stuff we buy?
Photographer Jane Feldman on earning the trust of beloved world leaders—and capturing their laughter.
Why an African American marketing consultant and a white writer took a journey to explore the effects of slavery, racism, and privilege.
It took just 20 years to end the British slave trade. What history teaches us about ending exploitation today.
Filmmaker Pratibha Parmar's presentation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning author's life will inspire you.
Jake Bugg, a Tribute to John Denver, and Beethoven for Everyone.
(And 22 other facts you should probably know.)
While banning the use of bee-killing pesticides is crucial, planting your yard with flowers instead of grass helps, too.
Factory owners in the United States say that the Trans-Pacific Partnership—which is being negotiated this week in Brunei—will force them to lay off workers. Yet opponents in Washington are few and far between.
We all know our stuff doesn't grow on store shelves. Here's how we can rehumanize our relationship with our things—and the people who make them.
A Montana-based nonprofit is moving to preserve 3.5 million acres of the Great Plains.
I've respectfully informed my alma mater that, until it divests its holdings in the fossil fuel industry—coal, oil, tar sands, and fracked natural gas—I will not donate another cent.
From sharing to repairing, the inspiration you need to lighten your load.


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Collections Overview
The Society's collections trace the history of the Jewish community in the greater Washington, D.C., area from the mid-19th century through the present day. Through personal and family papers, organizational and business records, congregation and synagogue archives, historical photographs, oral histories, ritual objects, and a reference library, the collections document the unique nature of life in and around Washington, D.C.—a history that is local, national, and international.
- Personal & Family Papers
- Congregations
- Organizations
- Businesses
- Oral Histories
- Photograph Collections
Help us preserve the community's history!
The Society seeks donations of personal and family papers, photographs, organizational records, ritual objects, oral histories, and other memorabilia documenting the local Jewish experience. Download a detailed listing of materials we're interested in. Your contributions to the collections will help preserve the history of the Jewish community for generations to come. To make a donation, contact an archivist at (202) 789-0900 or email@example.com.
Reference Library
The Society's library houses biographical and reference files and over 100 books about local Jewish history, Washington, D.C. history, and American Jewish history. The library includes several publications on the history of specific organizations, congregations, and families within the greater Washington area, as well as the Society's annual journal and other journals about American Jewish history.
The Society's archival collections were moved off-site during preparations for our November 2016 building move and will remain closed for the next several months. Staff will have limited ability to answer research queries or fulfill reproduction requests. Please search our online catalog any potentially relevant online exhibitions before contacting us at firstname.lastname@example.com. We will try to respond to all research requests within 10 business days. More details about using the collections here.


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Johnny Vegas Custom Shoes
to check out our custom paint work
Bruce Maples wins Goodguys Muscle car of The Year Finalist Award with his 1970 Hemi Cuda Restored here at Hi Speed!
Hi-Speed Gets Print in Arizona Daily Star
Hi-Speed at Cops and Rodders Oct. 30th, 2010
Candies Hughes Funny car Featured in Hot Rod Deluxe Magazine
Hi Speed voted
Best of Tucson
Hi Speed on the cover of Performance Business magazine!
Nascar Star Greg Biffle visits
Johnny Vegas featured in
Street Rod Builder Magazine
Hi Speed featured in Tucson Lifestyle Magazine
Street Rodder Magazine Road Tour Drops In
1941 willys - "silver Dollar"
1974 challenger
1950 Mercury "Wasabi"
Welcome to
Hi-Speed Rods & Customs
, located in Tucson, Arizona. We specialize in Custom Paint, Fabrication, Hot Rods, Customs, Muscle cars, and harley davidsons. In addition to Paint and Fabrication, we also have a Custom upholstery Shop IN House. We are ALWAYS buying and selling Classic cars and Vintage Motorcycles. Next time you're in Tucson, stop on by and check us out. We are open M-F 8:00 am- 5:00 pm and weekends by appointment.
Check Out:
Sir Veza's Taco Garage
Phone: (520) 623-1973 • Fax: (520) 623-9626 • Email
©Hi Speed Customs • Tucson, Arizona


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Loading some great jobs for you...
A facility in Wisconsin has an opening for two full-time locum tenens radiologists. Candidates with body imaging fellowships are highly preferred. The case load will consist of mixed modalities. Nearly half will be made up of plain films, but others will include ultrasounds, MRIs, and CTs. Procedures are flexible; biopsies and drainages are plus. No call or weekends will be required.
Dates Needed: November 2018 - July 2019
Call Ratio/Schedule: None
Hours Per Day: 8
Case Load/PPD: 65 cases/day
Provider Availability: Regular Time
Assignment Duration: Locums
Facility Type: Health System
Call Required: No
Board Certification Required: Yes
Government: No
Equipment: PACS Agfa
Additional Information:
Launch your career - Upload your resume now!Upload your resume
Loading some great jobs for you...


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Art Search
Browse the entire WAG collection using the Art Search database.
Search results for:
Work Horses
Three work horses, side by side
Three Sheep
Three sheep - two reclining, one standing - by tree
Two sheep lying on grass at foot of two large trees; side view of sheep at left; hind view of sheep at right
Abstraction of seated man (Herodes), left hand holding baby upside down
Back Doorway
Back door of porch like extension of old house; fence post and weed like growth in foreground
Departure of M. Martine Frobisher to the North-West: 1576
Departure of Frobisher to the Northwest; two large sailing vessels named the GABRIEL and the MICHAEL
"On the Banks of the Dart" Devon
Treed village street
Colorado Crag
Lake or valley in foreground; large mountain peak in centre background
Head in Profile
Rough profile of man's (?) head
Two Heads in Profile
Two men's heads in profile
Byward Market, Ottawa
At left, woman in red dress, green sweater, with hands in apron pockets; at centre, man and woman by vegetable stand bartering with bald headed man on other side of stand
Idyllic Landscape
Three boys sitting on decayed tree trunk which serves as a bridge across stream; rocks, trees and rolling hills all around; farm buildings on hill in centre background
Side view of standing, horned cow
Side portrait of a grazing deer
Front, rear and side view of cattle
Woman and Man
Partially finished sketch of woman in cape-like garment, and man
Man in Armour
Portrait of man in suit of armour, left hand on sword handle, right arm extended outwards; church and mountains in distance
Figures in Interior
Four figures seated around table; fireplace in background
A Group of Figures
Group of figures
Mountain Landscape
Mountain landscape
Jug on the Window Sill
Jug on window sill
Tree with broken branch at bottom left forergound; pine trees in background
Pine trees and undergrowth
Abstract: Grey Paper (I)
Gallery Hours
- Tuesday 11am-5pm
- Wednesday 11am-5pm
- Thursday 11am-5pm
- Friday 11am-9pm
- Saturday 11am-5pm
- Sunday 11am-5pm
- Closed Monday


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Hello Dolly Bars Recipe
Weekly recipes to serve with a glass of milk.
"What are Hello Dolly bars?" you may ask. Also known as Magic Bars or Seven Layer Cookies, these gooey, sweet treats combine all the good stuff: coconut, chocolate chips, pecans, and a graham cracker cookie base.
- Yield:Makes about 12 bars
- Active time: 10 minutes
- Total time:40 minutes
- 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
- 3 cups (about a 13 1/2 ounce box) graham cracker crumbs
- 2 cups (about 12 ounces) dark or semisweet chocolate chips
- 2 cups (about 8 ounces) pecans, roughly chopped
- 3 cups sweetened shredded coconut flake
- 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Combine melted butter and graham cracker crumbs in a bowl until thoroughly combined. Press evenly into bottom of baking dish.
Top crust with chocolate chips, followed by pecans and finally the coconut. Drizzle with condensed milk. Bake until any crust visible is golden brown and coconut begins to toast, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely. To cut easily, let sit in refrigerator for at least one hour before serving. Cut into 12 bars. Bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, though especially if your kitchen runs hot, they are safest kept in the fridge.


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Combine spontaneous design with traditional techniques for bold quilts that are all your own. Joe Cunningham shows you how in this lively class.
Take two fabrics you like, then take a risk! Pattern-free quilting uses traditional methods but liberates them, creating spontaneous design in a structured format. Joe Cunningham guides you from simple ideas to the Wheel of Pattern, giving you options upon options to make your own unforgettable quilt. Joe tosses all the rules even his own out the window and shows you how to make a quilt based on your imagination. You won't stop smiling during this one-of-a-kind art quilting class with an instructor who not only welcomes but chases down the unexpected.
Go where your idea and fabric take you in this free-spirited approach to making art with fabric. Then spin the super-scary Wheel of Pattern, and watch Joe take three random ideas and turn them into a pattern-free quilt.
If you're not delighted with your Bluprint experience, we'll make it right or give you a full refund.


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Tigers relievers unable to follow starters' lead
BOSTON -- The Tigers seemed to match up perfectly with the Red Sox in so many areas, but ultimately, this 2013 American League Championship Series was defined by the bullpen -- and that's the one area where Detroit came up short.
In the coming days, when Detroit goes back to analyze where things went wrong in the best-of-seven series, most of the answers will lead back to a struggling relief corps and a pair of crushing grand slams.View Full Game Coverage
BOSTON -- The Tigers seemed to match up perfectly with the Red Sox in so many areas, but ultimately, this 2013 American League Championship Series was defined by the bullpen -- and that's the one area where Detroit came up short.
In the coming days, when Detroit goes back to analyze where things went wrong in the best-of-seven series, most of the answers will lead back to a struggling relief corps and a pair of crushing grand slams.View Full Game Coverage
There was the David Ortiz shot in Game 2 that stopped the Tigers from taking a commanding lead in the series, and then an even more devastating knockout blow by Shane Victorino on an 0-2 pitch from Jose Veras in the decisive Game 6.
"It was a curveball, [Victorino] hadn't done much with breaking balls this series, and you have to give him credit for hitting it hard," Tigers catcher Alex Avila said. "Ideally, you maybe want it a little lower, something if he's going to swing, he's not making contact.
"But I know Veras, and he was trying to make a very good pitch there. It was a little bit up, which allowed him to get some good wood on the ball, but he hadn't been hitting very many breaking balls either and you have to give him credit, too."
The tale of the two bullpens couldn't have been more different in this series, but earlier in the year, they were eerily similar. Both organizations went through more than their share of struggles with the back end of the bullpen, but by October, one team had figured everything out and the other was still searching for answers.
Boston auditioned three closers before finally settling on Koji Uehara in late June. Uehara enjoyed an impressive stretch where he was one of the most dominant relievers in the game, and took home the MVP Award in the ALCS. Left-hander Craig Breslow and Junichi Tazawa also emerged as the year progressed and the Red Sox solidified a reliable late-inning trio.
Detroit tried just about everything but couldn't find a similar solution. There was a closer-by-committee approach coming out of Spring Training, and then a brief appearance by last year's castoff, Jose Valverde, that ultimately didn't work out. Eventually, Joaquin Benoit stepped up as a viable closer, but the club's middle relief wasn't solidified. Never was it more glaring than in the ALCS.
The Tigers' bullpen surrendered seven earned runs in 12 2/3 innings against Boston. The Red Sox allowed just one earned run over 21 innings, and in a series where four of the six games were decided by one run, that proved to be the biggest difference.
"I can't go back right now and say, 'Why didn't you throw this pitch?' I can't blame myself, I can't fight myself with that," Veras said. "I have to live with that, we lost the game, I tried my best. You see all the series how we battled day by day, but tonight was their night. They played better baseball than us. In a short season, whoever plays better has the advantage."
The one thing that the Tigers will have to live with during the offseason is that they lost the series to Boston despite having received dominating performances from their starting rotation. Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Anibal Sanchez and Doug Fister were everything the organization could have hoped for and more.
Detroit's starters posted a sparkling 2.06 ERA during the ALCS, but as hard as it might be to believe, the club didn't receive a win from either Scherzer or Verlander -- two of the best pitchers in the game. A lack of offense certainly comes into play, but it doesn't change the fact that the Tigers would be headed to the World Series without blowing the lead in Games 2 and 6.
"When you see games like that, decided by one run, they give you a lot to look forward to," Benoit said. "In this situation, one pitch away to get out of it and you end up with a grand slam. It's something that we should do better, because the guys that hit the grand slams didn't do much the whole series."
Ortiz and Victorino combined for a total of just five hits in six games against Detroit. Two of them happened with the game on the line, and in both cases it was Detroit's bullpen that got exposed.
The Red Sox's bullpen never was and that remains one of the main reasons they are going to the World Series while the Tigers once again head into the offseason trying to find the right pieces so it doesn't happen again.
"The way I would sum it up is that I thought their starters were good," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "I thought their bullpen was great. I certainly don't want to sound like I'm taking anything away from their starters, because I'm not. I thought their starters were good. I thought their bullpen was great."
Gregor Chisholm is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, North of the Border, and follow him on Twitter @gregorMLB.


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Gavin Newsom, California's Democratic Lieutenant Governor, makes his official debut as the Current TV star of "The Gavin Newsom Show" starting May 18 — and he's already snagged a line up of guests representing the glitterati of the tech world and Hollywood, we've learned.
Newsom, the former mayor of San Francisco, hits the airwaves of San Francisco-based Current TVstarting Friday, May 18th at 10pm ET/7pm PT.
His first guests: marathon star biker Lance Armstrong and Marissa Mayer, Google's star vice president of location.
Check out who's coming down the pike: filmmaker Oliver Stone; Michelle Rhee, former chancellor of Washington, D.C. public schools and founder of Students First; Elon Musk, founder of PayPal, SpaceX and Tesla Motors and Chairman of SolarCity; VinodKhosla, co-founder of Sun Microsystems and head of Khosla Ventures; and Tony Bates, CEO Skype.
"The Gavin Newsom Show," an hour-long, weekly talk gig, "will feature California's 49th Lieutenant Governor hosting two one-on-one interviews" with newsmakers and notables from around the state and the nation, including Silicon Valley, entertainment and business leaders, boasts Current TV in a release today.
And (are you listening, Gov. Jerry Brown?) there will be a featured 2-3 minute segment in every show called "Just Gavin," where Newsom will "discuss his views on the issues of the day." Since the Democratic Lt. Gov. is known for his shoot-from-the-hip style in political conversation ("like it or not!"), that segment may be one to watch.
The network, founded by former vice president Al Gore and Bay Area business leader Joel Hyatt, said it plans to repeat "The Gavin Newsom Show" on Saturdays at 2am, 11am and Sundays at 10am, 8pm.( All times Eastern.)
The series is executive produced by Mia Haugen, a former executive at The Street, Forbes and CNN.
Here's Current's official bio of their newest talk show host:
"Gavin Newsom was elected as the 49th Lieutenant Governor of the State of California on November 2, 2010. His top priorities are economic development and job creation, improving access to higher education, and maintaining California's environmental leadership. In 2011, Newsom worked with a variety of stakeholders to create a comprehensive economic blueprint for the state of California. Newsom came from a successful background in the private sector, starting 17 small businesses and creating more than 1,000 jobs, and local government, having served as both Mayor of the City and County of San Francisco and, before that, as a County Supervisor."
The program's website is at http://www.current.com/shows/GavinNewsom. Says Current: "Fans can join the conversation on Facebook or Google+, and they can follow "The Gavin Newsom Show" on Twitter @GavinOnCurrent."


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by Terri Winder
When a family member dies, one of the immediate concerns – a "big thing" – is burial plans. It was a mixed blessing that we were spared this responsibility.
Initially, our daughter-in-law expressed a desire to bring Nathan's body home to his family, which is something we (perhaps selfishly) wanted. Then she decided to honor his wish to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, which we fully supported.
However, this meant some hard decisions would have to be made. As we told Nathan's brothers and sisters that he would be interred in Arlington, the most pressing concern was how to get there.
Our oldest son's wife called us back in tears after they had gone online, trying to find airline tickets. The least expensive ticket was nearly $1,000. She thought that perhaps they might be able to come up with the money for her husband to go, but what about food and lodging?
And she was distraught over the thought of not being able to go. Since marrying into the family, 18 years previously, she had loved and cared for Nathan. She felt his loss just as keenly as any.
It was at that point I made a decision. I asked her, "If we are able to come up with the money for plane tickets, can you do the rest? Can you make work and babysitting arrangements if we make it possible for you and Jared to go?"
She assured us they could, and so I told her to plan accordingly.
This was a great leap of faith. My husband Tom and I had just returned from Ft. Lewis, WA, where we attended a memorial service held for Nathan there. Included in this trip were our son, who had recently returned from Iraq, and his wife. We knew the price tag for that journey. The experience we had there would have been worth any price, but credit cards do have limits, and we have always weighed debt very carefully.
We had 13 children who desired and were able to attend their brother's funeral. Seven of them had spouses. With grandparents and a nursing baby included, this meant we needed to make arrangements for 25 people to get to Arlington.
The grandparents not only paid their own way, they helped with other's expenses. The baby went along for the ride, no expense included. Still, a first rough estimate put the total cost at about $27,000. We took a leap of faith and followed the principal we have always tried to adhere to: Do what is right (and let the consequence follow).
Even before we had decided that we couldn't leave any of the children behind, people volunteered to help us raise the money for the journey. I was uneasy about anyone asking for donations on our behalf, but I was assured people wanted to help. Knowing that we would be mortgaging our future if we refused aid, I relented. Then I worried about what would happen if we got more money than we needed.
In retrospect, I wonder why my faith faltered. A volunteer who helps Army families was able to assemble enough donated frequent flier points to pay for all but two of the airline tickets. The collected contributions – ranging from less than a dollar to as much as $500 – were enough to cover not only the Arlington trip, but most of the Ft. Lewis expenses. Financially, it has all turned out just right, and what a blessing that is.
From cinnamon rolls, to cantaloupe and orange juice, to monetary gifts, I have felt the Lord's hand in our lives.
This is above and beyond the thoughtful expressions of love and caring shown through visits, cards, flowers, food and- most importantly- prayers. I do not know how to adequately express my gratitude, other than to simply say thank you. You have touched our hearts, and by doing so have helped heal them.