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The E36 chassis 3-Series BMW was a huge hit among driving enthusiasts from the first moment the car hit the pavement. The E36 won numerous awards over the years it was produced and is still a favorite of many BMW enthusiasts to this day! -- View the E36 Wiki
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best oil weight for the summer months
I've narrowed it down to brand(mobil) i just want some input on the weight to get for the coming summer months.
i drive her about 240 miles(approx) each week and my rev's are always in the higher(4-6k) range.
mileage is over 214k.
would appreciate any and all suggestions
RTFM. Also, read this:
In the world of import automotive high performance, the kind of answers you get to your technical questions depends as much (or more) on the way you ask the questions as it does on the difficulty of developing the answer. This guide will teach you how to ask questions in a way more likely to get you a satisfactory answer.
Now that modding import vehicles has become widespread, you can often get as good answers from other, more experienced owners without the need to bug the "oldschool" guys. This is a Good Thing; people who are "newer owners" tend to be just a little bit more tolerant of the kind of failures newbies often have. Still, treating experienced users like "oldschool" in the ways we recommend here will generally be the most effective way to get useful answers out of them as well.
The first thing to understand is that a lot of the technical people you'll find around here actually like hard problems and good, thought-provoking questions about them. If we didn't, we wouldn't be here. If you give us an interesting question to chew on we'll be grateful to you; good questions are a stimulus and a gift. Good questions help us develop our understanding, and often reveal problems we might not have noticed or thought about otherwise. "Good question!" is a strong and sincere compliment.
Despite this, a lot of us oldschool guys have a reputation for meeting simple questions with what looks like hostility or arrogance. It sometimes looks like we're reflexively rude to newbies and the ignorant. But this isn't really true.
What we are, unapologetically, is hostile to people who seem to be unwilling to think or to do their own homework before asking a question. People like that are time sinks - they take without giving back, and they waste time we could have spent on another question more interesting and another person more worthy of an answer.
We realize that there are many people who just want to drive the car, and who have no interest in learning technical details. For most people, a car is merely transportation, a means to an end; they have more important things to do and lives to live. We acknowledge that, and don't expect everyone to take an interest in the technical matters that fascinate us. Nevertheless, our style of answering questions is tuned for people who do take such an interest and are willing to be active participants in problem-solving. That's not going to change. Nor should it; if it did, we would become less effective at the things we do best.
We're volunteers. We take time out of busy lives to answer questions, and at times we're overwhelmed with them. So we filter what we answer. In particular, we don't reply to questions from people who appear to be "time sinks" in order to spend our question-answering time more efficiently, On people who will use the information we provide & will learn from it...
If you find this attitude obnoxious, condescending, or arrogant, check your assumptions. We're not asking you to genuflect to us -- in fact, most of us would love nothing more than to deal with you as an equal and welcome you into our culture, if you put in the effort required to make that possible. But it's simply not efficient or practical for us to try to help people who are not willing to help themselves. It's OK to be ignorant; it's not OK to be stupid.
So, while it isn't necessary to already be technically competent with the car to get attention from us, it is necessary to demonstrate the kind of attitude that leads to competence - alert, thoughtful, observant, willing to be an active partner in developing a solution. If you can't live with this sort of discrimination, we suggest you stop working on the Supra, sell it and buy a Honda Civic (they are cheap & reliable if left stock) instead of asking us to personally donate help to you.
If you decide to come to us for help, you don't want to be one of the "time-sinks". You don't want to seem like one, either. The best way to get a rapid and responsive answer is to ask it like a person with smarts, confidence, and clues who just happens to need help on one particular problem.
(Improvements to this guide are welcome. You can PM me suggestions. Note however that this document is not intended to be a general guide to netiquette, and I will generally reject suggestions that are not specifically related to eliciting useful answers in our forum.)
Before You Ask
Before asking a question do the following:
* Try to find an answer by searching this website.
* Try to find an answer by reading the TSRM. If you don't have one, buy one, you are going to need it.
* Try to find an answer by reading our FAQ section.
* Try to find an answer by inspection or experimentation.
* Try to find an answer by asking a skilled friend.
When you post your question, display the fact that you have done these things first; this will help establish that you're not being a lazy sponge and wasting people's time. Better yet, display what you have learned from doing these things. We like answering questions for people who have demonstrated they can learn from the answers.
Search! This might well take you straight to a thread answering your question. Even if it doesn't, saying "I searched on the following phrase but didn't get anything that looked promising" is a good thing to include in your post requesting help.
Prepare your question. Think it through. Hasty-sounding questions get hasty answers, or none at all. The more you do to demonstrate that having put thought and effort into solving your problem before seeking help, the more likely you are to actually get top shelf help.
Beware of asking the wrong question. If you ask one that is based on faulty assumptions, someone is quite likely to reply with a uselessly literal answer while thinking "Stupid question...", and hoping the experience of getting what you asked for rather than what you needed will teach you a lesson.
Never assume you are entitled to an answer. You are not; you don't pay us for the service. However you can (and will) earn an answer, by asking a substantial, interesting, and thought-provoking question - one that implicitly contributes to the experience of the community rather than merely passively demanding knowledge from others.
On the other hand, making it clear that you are able and willing to help in the process of developing the solution is a very good start. "Would someone provide a pointer?", "What test am I missing?", and "What should I have searched for?" are more likely to get answered than "Please post the exact procedure I should use." because in the former examples you're making it clear that you're truly willing to complete the process if someone can just point you in the right direction. In the last you want someone to read you the manual. Go buy one.
How to search:
Search with key words related to your issue. Read the threads that are returned. Modify your search to include new terms you learned from the previous results. This will yield more/different results. Do this, until you have exhausted the variety of terms applicable, and you may just find the answer before you make a new thread. This works on forum searches and Google searches. Try it.
Choose your forum carefully
Be selective in choosing where you post your question. You are likely to be ignored, or written off as a waste of time, if you:
* post your question to a forum where it's off topic
* post a very elementary question to a forum where advanced technical questions are expected, or vice-versa
* cross-post to multiple forums.
A lot of us blow off questions that are inappropriately targeted in order to try to protect our communications channels from being drowned in irrelevance. Some people will remember the poster, and classify them as a waste of time. You don't want this to happen to you.
By the way, that last item on the punch list up there brings up a point worth making. We're ALL on the same forums. I'm on SF, SM and just about every other forum out there. If I see your question posted on 5 different forums, I'm less likely to answer it. Here's why. I don't want to put 45 minutes of my time into answering a post on SF if, for example, Dr Jonez is answering it over here. Pick the forum that most closely matches your style and technical level and post it one damned place please.
The first step, therefore, is to find the right topic area here at SM. Again, searching is your friend. Use it to find information about what is giving you difficulties. Check the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) list. Posting on this, or any forum is the final place to go for help, if your own efforts (including reading those FAQs you found and that manual you bought) do not find you a solution.. Think about it, when you post out here, you make your problem our problem, and we don't mind that, provided you have already tried to work it out yourself.
Also while we're close to the topic, sending a PM to a person which you are not familiar with is risky at best. For example, do not assume that the author of an informative post wants to be your free consultant. Do not make optimistic guesses about whether your question will be welcome - if you're unsure, post it publicly, or refrain from sending it at all.
When selecting a topic area verify your question is on-topic. Read some of the back traffic before posting so you'll get a feel for how things are done in that forum. Each topic area and its associated moderator has it's own style. In fact, it's a very good idea to do a keyword search for words relating to your problem before you post. It may find you an answer, and if not it will help you formulate a better question.
Don't shotgun-blast mulitple topic areas at once, that's a violations of the forum rules and it REALLY irritates us admins... Find the right location and post once.
Know what your topic is! One of the classic mistakes is asking questions about turbos in the N/A (non-turbo) section . If you don't understand why this is a blunder, you'd be best off not asking any questions at all until you get it.
In general, questions to a well-selected topic area are more likely to get quality answers than equivalent questions to the wrong one. There are multiple reasons for this. One is simply the size of the pool of potential respondents. Another is the size of the audience; a guy who specializes in helping on turbo cars would rather answer questions in the turbo forum. He may not even read the N/A forum.
Understandably, knowlegable members are already receiving more than their fair share of mis-targeted messages. We get PM's all thet time. By adding to the flood, you could in extreme cases even be the straw that breaks the camel's back - quite a few times, knowlegable members withdrawn their support because collateral damage in the form of useless e-mail & PM traffic to their personal accounts became unbearable.
The MK3 Supra Reference/Tech-Tips forum often has your answer
Here's a link to it.
These are good first places to check, especially if you think you may have tripped over a relatively simple or common problem.
Also, it's worth mentioning that any question good enough to be asked of one person will also be of value to the whole group. Contrariwise, if you suspect your question is too dumb for public posting, it's not an excuse to harass individual members. However, if you are sure your question is non-trivial, and you get no answer in the the general forum for several days, try the asking a mod or admin to help you find someone who could help. We may just have missed it, or we might be able to point out why you aren't getting an answer. You also would be well advised to lurk there for a few days before posting to learn who people are and how they respond to questions.
If you cannot figure out if your post is on topic, go ahead and PM that specifict topic areas moderator or an Administrator. Also mention that you don't object to having your message forwarded to other people. (Many people [myself included] believe that private e-mail and PM's should remain private, even if there is nothing secret in it. By allowing your message to be forwarded you give your correspondent a choice about how to handle your message.)
Use meaningful, specific subject headers
On forums, the subject header is your golden opportunity to attract qualified experts' attention in 50 characters or less. Don't waste it on babble like "Please help me" (let alone "PLEASE HELP ME!!!!"; messages with subjects like that get discarded by reflex). Don't try to impress us with the depth of your anguish; use the space for a super-concise problem description instead.
One good convention for subject headers, used by many tech support organizations, is "object - deviation". The "object" part specifies what thing or group of things is having a problem, and the "deviation" part describes the deviation from expected behavior.
HKS SSQV doesn't blow off
HKS SSQV Blow-Off Valve doesn't blow off after hard pipe install
The process of writing an "object-deviation" description will help you organize your thinking about the problem in more detail. What is affected? Just the BOV or are other problems happening at the same time? Someone who sees a good subject line can immediately understand what it is that you are having a problem with and the problem you are having, at a glance.
More generally, look at the thread list in a forum. Note that just the subject lines are showing. Make your subject line reflect your question well enough that the next guy browsing the forum with a question similar to yours will be able to follow the thread to an answer rather than posting the question again.
Do not simply hit reply to a list message in order to start an entirely new thread. If you are going off in a different direction, search for a thread that applies to that subject. If you don't find it then post a new question. Changing the subject is not a good way to do things. Once a thread has a title it does not change even if you change the subject of your individual post. This makes it harder for people to find.
Make it easy to reply
Finishing your query with "Please send your reply to [email protected]" makes it quite unlikely you will get an answer. If you can't be bothered to take even the few seconds required to come back and check your thread, we can't be bothered to take even a few seconds to think about your problem. On forums, asking for a reply by e-mail is outright rude, unless you believe the information may be sensitive (and somebody will, for some unknown reason, let you but not the whole forum know it). If you want an e-mail copy when somebody replies in the thread use the "subscribe to this thread" option.
Write in clear, grammatical, correctly-spelled language
Most of us have found by experience that people who are careless and sloppy writers are usually (there are excptions) careless and sloppy at thinking and working on cars. Answering questions for careless and sloppy thinkers is not rewarding; we'd rather spend our time elsewhere.
So expressing your question clearly and well is important. If you can't be bothered to do that, we can't be bothered to pay attention. Spend the extra effort to polish your language. It doesn't have to be stiff or formal in fact, the car culture values informal, slangy and humorous language used with precision. But it has to be precise; there has to be some indication that you're thinking and paying attention.
Spell, punctuate, and capitalize correctly. Don't confuse "its" with "it's", "loose" with "lose", or "they're" with "there". Don't TYPE IN ALL CAPS; this is read as shouting and considered rude. (All lowercase is only slightly less annoying, as it's difficult to read.)
More generally, if you write like a semi-literate boob you will very likely be ignored. Writing like a l33t script kiddie hax0r or a gangsta from the ghetto is the absolute kiss of death with us and guarantees you will receive nothing but stony silence (or, at best, a heaping helping of scorn and sarcasm) in return.
If you are asking questions on our forum and English is not your native language, you will get a limited amount of slack for spelling and grammar errors - but no extra slack at all for laziness (and yes, we can usually spot that difference). Write in English. We will flush questions in languages that the bulk of our users don't understand, and English is the working language of the Internet. By writing in English you minimize your chances that your question will be discarded unread.
Post your question standard format
If you make your question artificially hard to read, it is more likely to be passed over in favor of one that isn't. So:
Do not abuse "smiley" and text formatting features. A smiley or two is usually OK, but colored fancy text tends to make people think you are lame. Seriously overusing smileys and color and fonts will make you come off like a giggly teenage girl, which is not generally a good idea unless you are more interested in sex than answers.
Be precise and informative about your problem
Describe the symptoms of your problem or project carefully and clearly.
Describe the car in which it occurs (1990 1JZ Swap). Provide your mod list (Turbonetics T-61, RC 550's, Greddy SP Exhaust, DDP)
Describe the research you did to try and understand the problem before you asked the question.
Describe the diagnostic steps you took to try and pin down the problem yourself before you asked the question.
Describe any possibly relevant recent changes to your car. After 10 posts and queries it's maddening to see "oh yea, I forgot to mention I swapped out the fuel pump the day before".
Do the best you can to anticipate the questions a people will ask, and answer them in advance in your request for help.
Volume is not precision
You need to be precise and informative. This end is not served by simply writing a long winded description of the date you were on, or what had for dinner into your help request. If you have a large, complicated situation, try to trim it and make it as small as possible.
This is useful for at least three reasons:
1. Being seen to invest effort in simplifying the question makes it more likely you'll get an answer
2. Simplifying the question makes it more likely you'll get a useful answer.
3. In the process of refining your post, you may develop a fix or workaround yourself.
Remember, 99 times out of 100 there are many other owners that are not experiencing your problem. (If your RC550 injectors aren't working for example) Otherwise you would have learned about it while reading the forum and searching the site (you did do that before complaining, didn't you?). This means that very probably it is you who are doing something wrong.
Grovelling is not a substitute for doing your homework
Some people who get that they shouldn't behave rudely or arrogantly and shouldn't be demanding an answer, retreat to the opposite extreme of grovelling. "I know I'm just a pathetic newbie loser, but...". This is distracting and unhelpful. It's especially annoying when it's coupled with vagueness about the actual problem.
Don't waste your time, or ours, on crude primate politics. Instead, present the background facts and your question as clearly as you can. That is a better way to position yourself than by grovelling.
Describe the problem's symptoms, not your guesses
If you don't know what the problem is, it's not altogether useful to tell people what you think is causing your problem. (If your diagnostic theories were such hot stuff, would you be consulting others for help?) So, make sure you're telling them the raw symptoms of what goes wrong, rather than your interpretations and theories. Let them do the interpretation and diagnosis. If you feel it's important to state your guess, clearly label it as such and describe why that answer isn't working for you.
Since the preceding point seems to be a tough one for many people to grasp, here's a phrase to remind you: "All diagnosticians are from Missouri." That US state's official motto is "Show me" (earned in 1899, when Congressman Willard D. Vandiver said "I come from a country that raises corn and cotton and cockleburs and Democrats, and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I'm from Missouri. You've got to show me.") In diagnosticians' case, it's not a matter of skepticism, but rather a literal, functional need to see whatever is as close as possible to the same raw evidence that you see, rather than your surmises and summaries. Show me!
Describe your problem's symptoms in chronological order
The clues most useful in figuring out something that went wrong often lie in the events immediately prior. So, your description should provide precisely what you did, and what the car did, leading up to the blowup. "I stopped to get gas and then problem x happend" can save us all a lot of work.
All Supras have diagnostic codes. Check the ECU for them before posting a question. Include any codes you got in your description.
If your post ends up being long (more than about four paragraphs), it might be useful to succinctly state the problem up top, then follow with the chronological tale. That way, people will know what to watch for in reading your account.
Describe the goal, not the step
If you are trying to find out how to do something (as opposed to reporting a problem), begin by describing the goal. Only then describe the particular step towards it that you are blocked on.
Often, people who need technical help have a high-level goal in mind and get stuck on what they think is one particular path towards the goal. They come for help with the step, but don't realize that the path is wrong. It can take substantial effort to get past this.
How do I get enough power to my top fuel dragster sized fuel pump?
I want to make 350 RWHP, I have 550 injectors. I'm thinking I need one of these huge 400 liter an hour pumps, how do I get power to it?
The second version of the question is smart. It allows an answer that suggests a tool or part better suited to the task.
Don't ask people to reply by private e-mail
Most of us believe solving problems should be a public, transparent process during which a first try at an answer can and should be corrected if someone more knowledgeable notices that it is incomplete or incorrect. Also, helpers get some of their reward for being respondents from being seen to be competent and knowledgeable by their peers.
When you ask for a private reply, you are disrupting both the process and the reward. Don't do this. It's the respondent's choice whether to reply privately - and if he does, it's usually because he thinks the question is too ill-formed or obvious to be interesting to others.
Be explicit about your question
Open-ended questions tend to be perceived as open-ended time sinks. Those people most likely to be able to give you a useful answer are also the busiest people (if only because they take on the most work themselves). People like that are allergic to open-ended time sinks, thus they tend to be allergic to open-ended questions.
You are more likely to get a useful response if you are explicit about what you want respondents to do (provide pointers, suggest parts, check your install method, whatever). This will focus their effort and implicitly put an upper bound on the time and energy a respondent must allocate to helping you. This is good.
To understand the world the experts live in, think of expertise as an abundant resource and time to respond as a scarce one. The less of a time commitment you implicitly ask for, the more likely you are to get an answer from someone really good and really busy.
So it is useful to frame your question to minimize the time commitment required for an expert to field it - but this is often not the same thing as simplifying the question. Thus, for example, "Would you give me a pointer to a good explanation of turbo A/R's?" is usually a smarter question than "Would you explain turbo A/R's, please?".
Prune pointless queries
Resist the temptation to close your request for help with semantically-null questions like "Can anyone help me?" or "Is there an answer?" First: if you've written your problem description halfway competently, such tacked-on questions are at best superfluous. Second: because they are superfluous, people find them annoying - and are likely to return logically impeccable but dismissive answers like "Yes, you can be helped" and "No, there is no help for you."
In general, asking yes-or-no questions is a good thing to avoid unless you want a yes-or-no answer.
Don't flag your question as "Urgent" or "Need help fast!"
That's your problem, not ours. Claiming urgency is very likely to be counter-productive: most of us will simply ignore such messages as rude and selfish attempts to elicit immediate and special attention. We also might not answer if we missed the problem in the first few minutes. We'll assume that if you didn't get an answer quickly, it's too late now.
If you find this mysterious, re-read the rest of this how-to repeatedly until you understand it before posting anything at all.
Courtesy never hurts, and sometimes helps
Be courteous. Use "Please" and "Thanks for your attention" or "Thanks for your consideration". Make it clear you appreciate the time people spend helping you for free.
To be honest, this isn't as important as (and cannot substitute for) being grammatical, clear, precise and descriptive, etc.; We would all in general would rather get somewhat brusque but technically sharp posts than polite vagueness. (If this puzzles you, remember that we value a question by what it teaches all of us.)
However, if you've got your technical ducks in a row, politeness does increase your chances of getting a useful answer.
Follow up with a brief note on the solution
Post after the problem has been solved; let everyone know how it came out and thank everyone again for their help. I can't stress how important this is.
Your followup doesn't have to be long and involved; a simple "Hey! It was a failed fuel pump! Thanks, everyone. - Bill" would be better than nothing. In fact, a short and sweet summary is better than a long dissertation unless the solution has real technical depth. Say what action solved the problem, but you need not replay the whole troubleshooting sequence.
For problems with some depth, it is appropriate to post a summary of the troubleshooting history. Describe your final problem statement. Describe what worked as a solution, and indicate avoidable blind alleys and wastes of time after that. The blind alleys and wastes of time should come after the correct solution and other summary material, rather than turning the follow-up into a detective story. Name the names of people who helped you; you'll make friends that way.
Besides being courteous and informative, this sort of followup will help others searching the forum to know exactly which solution helped you and thus may also help them.
Last, and not least, this sort of followup helps everybody who assisted feel a satisfying sense of closure about the problem. If you are not a techie or mechanic yourself, trust us that this feeling is very important to the gurus and experts you tapped for help. Problem narratives that trail off into unresolved nothingness are frustrating things; we itch to see them resolved. The goodwill that scratching that itch earns you will be very, very helpful to you next time you need to pose a question.
Consider how you might be able to prevent others from having the same problem in the future. Ask yourself if a sticky or additon to the FAQ would help, and if the answer is yes, ask a mod or admin to stick or copy to the FAQ.
We really like to see this, and this sort of good followup behavior is actually more important than conventional politeness. It's how you get a reputation for playing well with others, which can be a very valuable asset.
RTFM and Search! - or - How To Tell You've Seriously Screwed Up
There is an ancient and hallowed tradition: if you get a reply that reads "RTFM", the person who sent it thinks you should have Read The ****ing Manual. He or she is almost certainly right. Go read it.
RTFM has a younger relative. If you get a reply that reads Search!, the person who sent it thinks you should have searched the site. He or she is almost certainly right. Go search it. (The milder version of this is when you are told "Google is your friend!") In fact, someone may even be so kind as to provide a pointer to the previous thread where this problem was solved. But do not rely on this consideration; do your searching before asking.
Often, the person telling you to do a search has the manual or the web page with the information you need open, and is looking at it as he or she types. These replies mean that he thinks (a) the information you need is easy to find, and (b) you will learn more if you seek out the information than if you have it spoon-fed to you.
You shouldn't be offended by this; by our standards, your respondent is showing you a rough kind of respect simply by not ignoring you. You should instead be thankful for this grandmotherly kindness.
Sometimes an answer will be "TSRM EM-53" - this means your question is answered in the TSRM in the Engine Mechanical section on page 53" - if you don't have a TSRM buy one. (There are TSRM's online, but we'd rather see you pay for that copyrighted material to encourage our manufacturer to keep printing the manuals.
If you don't understand...
If you don't understand the answer, do not immediately bounce back a demand for clarification. Use the same tools that you used to try and answer your original question (The TSRM, FAQs, the Web, skilled friends) to understand the answer. Then, if you still need to ask for clarification, exhibit what you have learned.
For example, suppose I tell you: "It sounds like you've got a stuck wastegate; you'll need to free it up" Then: here's a bad followup question: "What's a Wastegate?" Here's a good followup question: "OK, I read the manual and page and I found the wastegate, but the the manual doesn't say anything about freeing it up. Am I missing something here?"
Dealing with rudeness
Much of what looks like rudeness in our circles is not intended to give offence. Rather, it's the product of the direct, cut-through-the-bull**** communications style that is natural to people who are more concerned about the tech and solving problems than making others feel good about themselves.
When you perceive rudeness, try to react calmly. If someone is really acting out, it is very likely an admin like me on the forum will call him or her on it. If that doesn't happen and you lose your temper, it is likely that the person you lose it at was behaving within the community's norms and you will be considered at fault. This will hurt your chances of getting the information or help you want.
On the other hand, you will occasionally run across rudeness and posturing that is quite gratuitous. The flip-side of the above is that it is acceptable form to slam real offenders quite hard, dissecting their misbehavior with a sharp verbal scalpel. Be very, very sure of your ground before you try this, however. The line between correcting an incivility and starting a pointless flamewar is thin enough that even moderators and administrators themselves not infrequently blunder across it; if you are a newbie or an outsider, your chances of avoiding such a blunder are low. If you're after information rather than entertainment, it's better to keep your fingers off the keyboard than to risk this. We do ban people for using this as a form of entertainment. Please don't do it.
In the next section, we'll talk about a different issue; the kind of "rudeness" you'll see when you misbehave.
On not reacting like a complete loser.
Odds are you'll screw up a few times on the forum - in ways detailed in this article, or similar. And you'll be told exactly how you screwed up, possibly with colourful asides. In public.
When this happens, the worst thing you can do is whine about the experience, claim to have been verbally assaulted, demand apologies, scream, hold your breath, threaten lawsuits, complain to people's employers, leave the toilet seat up, etc. Instead, here's what you do:
Get over it. It's normal. In fact, it's healthy and appropriate.
Community standards do not maintain themselves: They're maintained by people actively applying them, visibly, in public. Don't whine that all criticism should have been conveyed via private e-mail: That's not how it works. Nor is it useful to insist you've been personally insulted when someone comments that one of your claims was wrong, or that his views differ. We don't have time to teach everyone on a one on one basis. If you get slammed in public, everyone learns from it.
There have been forums where, out of some misguided sense of hyper-courtesy, participants are banned from posting any fault-finding with another's posts, and told "Don't say anything if you're unwilling to help the user." The resulting departure of clueful participants to elsewhere causes them to descend into meaningless babble and become useless as technical forums. That isn't going to happen here. Grow a thicker skin.
Motivations for calling you on your bad behavior
Remember: When that someone tells you that you've screwed up, and (no matter how gruffly) tells you not to do it again, he's acting out of concern for (1) you and (2) his community. It would be much easier for him to ignore you and filter you out of his life. If you can't manage to be grateful, at least have a little dignity, don't whine, and don't expect to be treated like a fragile doll just because you're a newcomer with a theatrically hypersensitive soul and delusions of entitlement. We don't have time for it.
Sometimes people will attack you personally, flame without an apparent reason, etc., even if you don't screw up (or have only screwed up in their imagination). In this case, complaining is the way to really screw up.
These flamers are either idiots who don't have a clue but believe themselves to be experts, or would-be psychologists testing whether you'll screw up. The other readers either ignore them, or find ways to deal with them on their own. The flamers' behavior creates problems for themselves, which don't have to concern you. Trust us, the administrators and moderations staff will handle these people.
Don't let yourself be drawn into a flamewar, either. Most flames are best ignored - after you've checked whether they are really flames, not pointers to the ways in which you have screwed up, and not cleverly ciphered answers to your real question (this happens as well).
Questions Not To Ask
Here are some classic stupid questions, and what we are thinking when we don't answer them.
Q: Where can I find the list of ECU error codes?
A: The same place I'd find it, fool - at the other end of a search. Doesn't everybody know how to use the damned search feature yet?
Q: Where do I find the wiring diagram for the APEXi S-AFCII?
A: If you're smart enough to ask this question, you're smart enough to RTFM and find out yourself.
Q: How can I set my boost controller?
A: If you're smart enough to ask this question, you're smart enough to RTFM and find out yourself.
Q: My car doesn't work
A: This is not a question, and I'm not interested in playing Twenty Questions to pry your actual question out of you - I have better things to do. On seeing something like this, my reaction is normally "Damn, that's too bad, I hope you get it fixed.."
Good and Bad Questions
Finally, I'm going to illustrate how to ask questions in a smart way by example; pairs of questions about the same problem, one asked in a stupid way and one in a smart way.
Stupid: Where can I find out stuff about the HKS SSQV BOV? - (This question just begs for "Search..." as a reply.)
Smart: I used search to try to find out about the HKS SSQV BOV, but I got no useful hits. Can I get a pointer to install information on this BOV?
Stupid: I'm having problems with my car. Can anybody help? - (The average response to this is likely to be "Yes, if you'd tell us what is wrong..")
Smart: I tried X, Y, and Z on on my car. When that didn't work, I tried A, B, and C. Note the curious symptom when I tried C. Obviously the ignition isn't getting power, but the results aren't what one might expect. Anybody got ideas for more tests I can run to pin down the problem?
This person, on the other hand, seems worthy of an answer. He/she has exhibited problem-solving intelligence rather than passively waiting for an answer to drop from on high.
In the last question, notice the subtle but important difference between demanding "Give me an answer" and "Please help me figure out what additional diagnostics I can run to achieve enlightenment."
If You Can't Get An Answer
If you can't get an answer, please don't take it personally that we don't feel we can help you. Sometimes the members of the asked group may simply not know the answer. No response is not the same as being ignored, though admittedly it's hard to spot the difference from outside.
In general, simply re-posting or 'bumping' your question more than once every 24 hours is a bad idea. This will be seen as pointlessly annoying. Have patience: the person with your answer may currently be asleep, in a different time-zone, on vacation, etc.
There are also plenty of commercial companies you can go to for help, both large and small. Don't be dismayed at the idea of having to pay for a bit of help! Mechanics & shops exist for reason.
Participating: How To Answer Questions in a Helpful Way
Be gentle. Problem-related stress can make people seem rude or stupid even when they're not. Sometimes they are just freaked out that this car they have dumped thousands of dollars into is now dumping on them!
If you don't know for sure, say so! A wrong but authoritative-sounding answer is worse than none at all. Don't point anyone down a wrong path simply because it's fun to sound like an expert. Be humble and honest; set a good example for both the querent and your peers. If someone corrects you, accept it with good grace.
If you can't help, don't hinder. Don't make jokes about procedures that could trash the car - the poor sap might interpret these as instructions. I've seen this happen!
Ask probing questions to elicit more details. If you're good at this, the querent will learn something - and so might you. Try to turn the bad question into a good one; remember we were all newbies once.
While just muttering "Search" is sometimes justified when replying to someone who is just a lazy slob, a pointer to documentation (even if it's just a suggestion to search for a specific key phrase) is better.
If you're going to answer the question at all, give good value. Don't suggest crappy workarounds when somebody is using the wrong tool or approach. Suggest good tools, the right parts - Reframe the question.
Help your community learn from the question. When you field a good question, ask yourself "How would the relevant documentation or FAQ have to change so that nobody has to answer this again?" Then contact a mod or admin for a sticky or faq additon.
If you did research to answer the question, demonstrate your skills rather than writing as though you pulled the answer out of your butt. Answering one good question is like feeding a hungry person one meal, but teaching them research skills by example is teaching them to grow food for a lifetime.'
// Chad //
// 2006 BMW 330i Sport 6MT // 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid //
// 1997 Range Rover 4.0 // 1994 Range Rover Classic //
// 1997 Land Rover Discovery // 1998 Land Rover Discovery //
// 2009 Kawasaki Concours 14 // 2006 Kawasaki Ninja 250 //
// 1999 Chevy Tahoe //
Ok...this is getting ridiculous. Someone come buy a few of these things.
Double post.
Last edited by E36 Phantom; 03-18-2009 at 11:43 AM. Reason: Dammit. Double Post.
this is not the first time you have responded to one of my posts and i have to question the amount of time you have on your hands......i'll extend you the courtesy you dont have and say this:
but these smart remarks really belong somewhere else. this is a forum and if everyone had the same attitude you do then there be no reason to have new posts.
please guy....if your bored, hit the gym or something 'cos i've had it with your comments
It's explicitly detailed in a cute little chart. It seems like it's in the 80's or 90's page numbers. None of us know your local climate. And we've all answered this question to that effect multiple times.
So in conclusion, move your little mouse button to the one the says SEARCH and click it before posting a thread. And for something obvious like oil weights, light bulb types, etc, check the damn manual first. That's what it's there for.
// Chad //
// 2006 BMW 330i Sport 6MT // 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid //
// 1997 Range Rover 4.0 // 1994 Range Rover Classic //
// 1997 Land Rover Discovery // 1998 Land Rover Discovery //
// 2009 Kawasaki Concours 14 // 2006 Kawasaki Ninja 250 //
// 1999 Chevy Tahoe //
Ok...this is getting ridiculous. Someone come buy a few of these things.
"someppl in life have tiny egos, so to boost it they must **** on others to stroke theirs"
Last edited by farrk007; 03-18-2009 at 12:20 PM. Reason: sp. error
M-tech Bumper, OE M mouldings, Mirrors, OE Motorsport DS2 staggereds, gauge rings, Mobil 1 Euro Formula, K&N Panel in debaffled Box, Meguiars Detail, Proud Texas Plates in Sunny Mexico
looks like someone hasn't been getting enough of lovin' lately
I'm not sure which part of my post you missed - you choose oil by climate. I don't know what "summer climate" would be in the "great white north." Do you? I don't even know where the "great white north" is - do you? There's a chart in the owners' manual. That's what it's there for. Look at the chart, put in the oil.
I have absolutely, positively no desire to help someone who wants to be spoon fed. If you don't want to do some thinking on your own, you're not a contributing part of the community, you're a time waster. I, for one, don't want time wasters sucking up resources on our board.
I told the OP where the information could be found (in the manual). I even gave him or her a rough idea of where to find it in the manual. If that's not enough information for an intelligent person to decide with, then excuse me for being rude, but I would much rather them leave and find another board, because they're utterly useless to our community.
And Heidi......... It's finals week. Plan is to remedy said lovin' situation this weekend.
// Chad //
// 2006 BMW 330i Sport 6MT // 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid //
// 1997 Range Rover 4.0 // 1994 Range Rover Classic //
// 1997 Land Rover Discovery // 1998 Land Rover Discovery //
// 2009 Kawasaki Concours 14 // 2006 Kawasaki Ninja 250 //
// 1999 Chevy Tahoe //
Ok...this is getting ridiculous. Someone come buy a few of these things.
Summer and winter, WTF. The engine is the same temperature inside at normal operation regardless of where you live or what temperature it is, therefore you want thick viscosity at running temperature whatever the time of year. Let's have some common sense.
Just for your information, 15W-50 is rated for use down to -20 C. This business of putting in 5W-30 for when the engine is warming up is unnecessary.
330i SE coupé
Manual - N52K 262hp, 232ft-lb
*sniff* *snifffff* ~~ I SMELL BEEF !!! ~~ *sniff* *snifffff*
*unnecessary post *
Looking for a nice classic 2002, 1972-75 preferred
I drive a E36 328is, It's not a m3. It's not as fast as a m3.... Its faster
|Active autowerke Track Pipe | Custom Top Mount Turbo Manfiold | Umnitza Depo Angel Eyes |
| Turner Performance Cams | Stage 1 TurboCharger by Active Autowerke | Much More... |
Allow me to chime in as the voice of reason.
Asking a question that has already been discussed 11,289,365,211 times is bound to get you some smarmy answers. Seriously. Use the fvcking search button and pull the manual out of your glove box and read it. I did a search for "summer oil" in *just* the E36 forum and got 39 results. Many of them looked like they'd be useful.
If, after those two things fail to get you the answer you're seeking, then DELIBERATELY state that you have ALREADY DONE YOUR DUE DILIGENCE before you ask the question. That way, you're far more likely to get help.
Chad, you need to get some sleep or some nookie or both.
well.........i think i'm like the 5th owner of this particular e36 so no fvckin manual to read thank you very much!
while i sincerely appreciate the response, yes i could have searched b/4 i posted but i didn't, i dont have to get an essay/schooling 'cos i failed to do so, especially from a person who has a knack for being such a "child" here on this forum....i have read numerous posts to which "phantom" has responded to and i have to say the guys a real piece of work.
sorry his comments got the best of me today.
as for you "progress".........really?, is that the best you can do?....... give yourself a pat on the back for me eh.
Oh wait.
Thanks for the kind words, bro!
And seriously, get a f*cking manual. If not, search, and we've answered it for people before. If you search Google, you can even get an image of the chart someone scanned in. Glad to know you appreciate my responses on the board though!
// Chad //
// 2006 BMW 330i Sport 6MT // 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid //
// 1997 Range Rover 4.0 // 1994 Range Rover Classic //
// 1997 Land Rover Discovery // 1998 Land Rover Discovery //
// 2009 Kawasaki Concours 14 // 2006 Kawasaki Ninja 250 //
// 1999 Chevy Tahoe //
Ok...this is getting ridiculous. Someone come buy a few of these things.
So THAT'S the Monologue, huh? I've been waiting to see it for weeks.
"The Wheelie Bin" - 1995 320i Boston Green
A word on our sponsors: Iridium sparks thanks to NGK. #42 wheels are lovingly dressed by Yokohama C-Drive. The dark road ahead is turned into daylight by Eagle-Eye 6000K HID, supplemented by 7000K CCFL Angel eyes. HB/Fog have selected to go with Philips 4000K BlueVision. Engine parts choose to slip and slide with Castrol's finest 20-50 GTX genuine dinosaur slime, renewed every 10,000km.
Anytime bro!!!......i've kept quiet in the past when you made rude comments on my posts hoping you'd catch some manna but seeing as that hope was bust i figured a dose of your own meds would do you a world of good.
Last edited by farrk007; 03-19-2009 at 02:42 AM. Reason: sp. error
You don't catch manna. You just pick it up of the ground every morning.
"The Wheelie Bin" - 1995 320i Boston Green
A word on our sponsors: Iridium sparks thanks to NGK. #42 wheels are lovingly dressed by Yokohama C-Drive. The dark road ahead is turned into daylight by Eagle-Eye 6000K HID, supplemented by 7000K CCFL Angel eyes. HB/Fog have selected to go with Philips 4000K BlueVision. Engine parts choose to slip and slide with Castrol's finest 20-50 GTX genuine dinosaur slime, renewed every 10,000km.
to quote myself from the e36 chat with chad i am having now: Mobil 1 if your poor, royal purple if your baller........the f'n car does not care.
I see this, not just on the forums, but in real life situations also. I have worked in retail most of my life. Some people just can't do anything for themselves. I don't understand it. Some people need to be walked through everything and can't find information on there own even though that information is made readily available with little search. I compare them to little old ladies at grocery stores that need help finding everything on their shopping list.
Other people are independent and resourceful. They usually need little help, and these people I like.
I though there was a rule or something to the effect of remaining civil to forum members ?
I must be old school because I feel it's more important than asking, or not, the correct question.
If I may suggest... If you don't like a question move to the next thread. Easy, painless and fast.
If you anagram Julian Assange you get "Alien Anus Jags."
Last edited by farrk007; 03-24-2009 at 03:43 AM. Reason: SP. ERROR
Damn use 0-40 there
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text:
Q&A with Head Coach Patti Gerckens
Related Links
Coach Patti Gerckens' 19th season at the helm of the UC San Diego Softball team has turned out to be her best. Sporting a sterling, 41-13, record, the 16th-ranked Tritons were regular season champions of the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. (CCAA), have rolled to five straight NCAA post-season wins and by virtue of sweeping Cal State San Bernardino in last weekend's Super Regional, are in the NCAA Division II Championships for the first time. The winningest coach in UCSD history, Gerckens now owns 471 career victories and has taken her team to the NCAA Playoffs in four of the past five seasons. With the 2011 NCAA Championship opener against C.W. Post (NY) looming Thursday in Salem, VA, Gerckens took the time to talk about her team, the season and the coaching profession.
Q--What was your first thought when the final out was recorded in last Saturday's NCAA Super Regional final?
GERCKENS--There was just pure excitement and the incredible feeling knowing we were going to the national tournament, which was everyone's goal from the start of the season. I was also thankful we'd won the first two games of the series and weren't going to have to play a third.
Q--As a veteran coach, what does it mean to reach the NCAA Championships for the first time?
GERCKENS--It's about time. Seriously, it is the culmination of just putting in the hours, teaching the athletes, putting together a top notch staff and so many other things. There's a great feeling of accomplishment, but not satisfaction--not yet.
Q--Aside from making the NCAA Championship, what has made this season special?
GERCKENS--I think first of all, our freshmen class has made it special. They've contributed a lot. They are our future and at the start of the season, we knew we had a lot of good young players but didn't know how well they would do.
And our seniors, they stepped up and played a major role all season but over the last three weeks or so, they had a burning desire that really came out. They wanted this badly and that was something we haven't seen in a long time.
Q--Was there a particular point during the season where you first thought this team might be a little different in terms of how successful it could be?
GERCKENS--When we had a strong performance at the Tournament of Champions in Turlock and continued to play well past that tournament. A lot of times in previous seasons, that's where we let down but this year, we continued to play at a high level and compete.
I also felt as if this team had much more composure. It played to win more than not to lose and I think that's one of the keys to being successful.
Q--It's been such a whirlwind between Saturday's win and arriving in Salem for the NCAA tournament Tuesday night. What have been the key messages you've tried to impart to your team in the lead-up to Thursday's NCAA first round game?
GERCKENS--The message is "I haven't had one...." It starts Thursday prior to the game. That's not entirely accurate but it feels like that. We've had just one practice since Saturday's Super Regional final, flew on two separate planes back to Salem and there has really been precious little time to talk about what's ahead.
At our one practice, we talked about striking a balance in going to the NCAA Championship. We have certainly achieved many of our goals and I want the team to enjoy every moment of what they've accomplished. At the same time, we didn't play this year just to get here--we want to win. The message is to balance enjoying the experience while maintaining focus.
Q--How have you changed as a coach during your career and particularly over the last year?
GERCKENS--I really have just tried to stay relaxed and let the team play the game on game day. Sometimes that's more difficult than others but I've found that the calmer I am, the calmer they are. There have even been times when I've had to tell them to relax and enjoy the game. So, for me, the biggest change is being much more relaxed--at least outwardly.
Q--What is the most exhilirating and most frustrating part about being a coach?
GERCKENS--The most exhilirating thing to see is the look on the players faces during this run--to see their absolute excitement and enjoyment when they achieve their goals. And the biggest one is right in front of us.The see, feel and be a part of that is what every coach is in it for. It's also a thrill to be able to share that with an outstanding coaching staff.
As far as frustration, like any team we go through ups-and-downs and face adversity. But good teams learn to deal with those situations and get better for working through them. As a coach, hopefully, you make a difference.
Q--Especially late in the season, your team has ridden the pitching of All-American Camille Gaito. What does she bring to the team when she's in the circle?
GERCKENS--What you see is what you get with Camille. She's not an overpowering pitcher but she dominates because she makes her pitches move and she's such a smart pitcher. She's confident, competitive and I think the team has a sense that when she's out there, she's in control.
I'm excited for this week's games because none of these teams have ever seen her. I think it will be hard for them to adjust to the things she does.
Q--This team has had a penchant for doing what it takes offensively and there have been a lot of dramatic victories down the stretch. Is that something that can be a "learned habit?"
GERCKENS--At the time, I'm usually not all that thrilled about waiting until the last at bat to generate runs, but when a team can compete and come out with a "W," there's no better way to prepare for what we're going to be facing at the NCAA Championships. We know how to handle tight situations and know we can win--that's very important at this time of the season.
Q--What do you consider the key to this team's offense?
GERCKENS--When we score first, we do well. That doesn't mean we can't come back, but scoring first is really important. We're not a power team so we've got to put hits together, execute and do the little things that add up to big runs.
Q--What role has defense played in this team's success?
GERCKENS--From Day One, defense has been a top priority and over the last few weeks, our defense has definitely won games for us. We've had so many close games and being able to rely on your defense in those types of games makes the difference. We've done a really good job of just making the routine plays. That's an underrated part of the game.
Q--Your typical eight position players are comprised of four seniors and four freshmen. How has that dynamic played out?
GERCKENS--On the field, they don't think of themselves as seniors, juniors, sophomores or freshmen, just teammates. They've all really jelled and developed a lot of mutual respect. Having said that, I think our seniors have learned something about competing from the freshmen who have come in and taught our veterans that they could push their games to a higher level.
On the other hand, I believe our freshmen have been impacted by seeing that our seniors want to win very, very badly. We've had a great mix.
Q--You're from New Jersey, played collegiately at University of North Carolina and coached for some 20 years at UC San Diego. How do all of those experiences fit together as you head into this week's play?
GERCKENS--In a way, being in Virginia for the NCAA's is a little like coming home. Just being here this week is a little like getting a taste of my college life all over again. When I was a player at UNC, we played in this part of the country and we're not all that far from New Jersey where my love of softball started.
Being able to continue sharing a passion of mine with the student-athletes at UCSD in this part of the country is special. It feels very good to be here.
Q--Family has always been an important part of your life. How does that play into the chemistry on this team and what did your own mother have to say when she learned your team was going to the NCAA Championship?
GERCKENS--We've talked all year long about being a family and like a family, we've had our ups-and-downs, but we support each other and are a close-knit group. I think we've developed a lot of trust and rely on each other--kind of like any family would.
My mother (Betty) was following last Saturday's game on "live stats" in New Jersey. I called her immediately after the game and she was very, very excited. The first thing she said was, "I should have been there" and she wanted to re-live the entire game. She also said that she's not going to miss the next one so she's driving over to Salem from New Jersey this week. When we were talking, I was reminded of the fact that when I was younger, one of my teams won the Summer Nationals in Salem, OR. We're in Salem again. Hopefully, it's a good omen.Q--What are three of four words you hope people would use to describe you?
GERCKENS--That I care for people, have integrity, enjoy life and love my family.
Q--What do you expect from your team this week? When you return to San Diego, what would need to happen this week in Salem for you to feel satisfied?
GERCKENS--I just hope we play good softball and have no regrets. After each game I want us to know that we gave it everything we had--quality at bats, playing good defense, competed hard and played our game.
If we go down, so be it--only one team can win. If we play our game, I'll be satisfied. Just because you may not win doesn't mean you don't have a bunch of winners on your team.
We would like to have to buy another seat on the airplane for the national championship trophy, though.
Previous Q & A Articles
Blake Tagmyer (Baseball) May 11, 2011
Theresa Richards (Women's Track & Field) April 27, 2011
Austin West (Men's Tennis) April 17, 2011
Drew Lawyer (Men's Crew) April 11, 2011
Keith Okasaki (Men's Golf) March 26, 2011
Matt Herman (Men's Swimming & Diving) March 12, 2011
Hanalei Crowell (Women's Water Polo) March 5, 2011
Camille Gaito (Softball) February 23, 2011
Tim Shibuya (Baseball) February 8, 2011
Carl Eberts (Men's Volleyball) January 31, 2011
Neda Nguyen (Women's Swimming & Diving) January 24, 2011
Amy Bianchini (Fencing) January 14, 2011
Lauren Freidenberg (Women's Basketball) January 3, 2011
Christian Hatch (Men's Basketball) December 24, 2010
Blake Langland (Men's Swimming & Diving) November 27, 2010
Sarah McTigue (Women's Soccer) November 8, 2010
Brandon Yee (Men's Soccer) October 11, 2010
Bryce Madsen (Men's Water Polo) September 23, 2010
Annette Ilg (Women's Soccer) September 9, 2010
Ricci Luyties (Women's Volleyball Head Coach) August 24, 2010
Kevin Messey (Head Athletics Trainer) July 7, 2010
Dan O'Brien (Baseball Head Coach) June 18, 2010
Christine Merrill (Women's Track & Field) June 14, 2010
Vance Albitz (Baseball) May 11, 2010
Erik Elliott (Men's Tennis) May 3, 2010
Kelly Fogarty (Women's Track & Field) April 23, 2010
Liz LaPlante (Women's Tennis Head Coach) April 15, 2010
Kirby St. John (Baseball) March 24, 2010
Dan Perdew (Men's Swimming) February 28, 2010
Calvin Ross (Men's Volleyball) February 20, 2010
Nicole Saari (Softball) February 4, 2010
Brad Kreutzkamp (Women's Water Polo Head Coach) January 18, 2010
Tyler Acevedo (Men's Basketball) January 4, 2010
Dr. Cliff Kubiak (UCSD's Faculty Athletic Rep) December 18, 2009
Chelsea Carlisle (Women's Basketball) December 9, 2009
Carianne Cunningham (Women's Swimming) November 23, 2009
Elena Inouye (Cross Country) November 6, 2009
David Morton (Men's Water Polo) October 28, 2009
Juan Pablo Carillo (Men's Swimming) October 19, 2009
Sara Spaventa (Women's Soccer) October 10, 2009
Karen Reis (Women's Volleyball) October 2, 2009
Daniel Pavitt (Men's Soccer) September 23, 2009
Daniel Anderson (Cross Country) September 11, 2009
Peter Gresham (Men's Water Polo) September 2, 2009
Alexia Zatarain (Women's Soccer) August 24, 2009
Elaine Chen (Women's Volleyball) August 12, 2009
Jared Kukura (Men's Soccer) July 30, 2009
Dawn Lee (Former Women's Soccer Standout) July 8, 2009
Rob Mamula (Director of Athletic Performance) June 18, 2009
Garrett Imeson (Baseball) June 8, 2009
Leon Baham (Men's Track & Field) May 21, 2009
Kristyn Lesovsky (Softball) May 8, 2009
Kazumi Negishi (Men's Tennis) May 5, 2009
Laiah Blue (Women's Track & Field) April 16, 2009
Ryan Andre (Men's Crew) April 2, 2009
Josh Tanner (Baseball) March 24, 2009
Anju Shimura (Women's Swimming) March 7, 2009
Stephanie Bocian (Women's Water Polo) February 20, 2009
Lauren Chastain (Softball) February 5, 2009
A.J. Maulhardt (Men's Basketball) January 28, 2009
Annette Ilg (Women's Basketball) January 22, 2009
Steven Hardy (Men's Swimming) January 13, 2009
Frank Fritsch (Men's Volleyball) January 5, 2009

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Top Items:
Daniel Strauss / The Hill:
Postal Service to halt Saturday mail delivery — The U.S. Postal Service announced on Wednesday that it would discontinue mail delivery on Saturday but still continue to deliver packages six days per week, according to the Associated Press. — Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla), hailed the decision …
Discussion: Politico, CNN, Balloon Juice, americanthinker.com and Gawker
Kevin Cirilli / Politico: USPS to stop Saturday mail delivery
Jennifer Liberto / CNN: Postal Service to end Saturday mail service Aug. 1
Neetzan Zimmerman / Gawker: Neither Snow, Nor Rain, Except on Saturdays: USPS to Cease Weekend Mail Delivery
Pauline Jelinek / Associated Press:
Postal Service to Cut Saturday Mail to Trim Costs — Empty crates site next to a U.S. Postal Service (USPS) mail box in New York, U.S., Nov. 15, 2012. The U.S. Postal Service will stop delivering mail on Saturdays but continue to deliver packages six days a week under a plan aimed at saving …
Discussion: The Raw Story, Hit & Run, Outside the Beltway and The BLT
David Ferguson / The Raw Story: U.S. Postal Service to cut Saturday delivery
Scott Shackford / Hit & Run: Ailing Postal Service to Bypass Congress to Stop Saturday Deliveries
Doug Mataconis / Outside the Beltway: Post Office To Eliminate Most Saturday Mail Delivery
CBS News:
USPS to announce Saturday service cuts in effort to slash costs — (CBS News) Get ready for some big changes in your mail service. After losing $16 billion last year, the postmaster general will make announce Wednesday that the Postal Service intends to halt Saturday delivery of first-class mail …
Discussion: Washington Monthly, Poynter and Hot Air, more at Mediagazer »
Ed Kilgore / Washington Monthly: RIP Saturday Postal Delivery
Andrew Beaujon / Poynter: Newspapers, magazines will have 'not-great' choices as USPS plans to end Saturday delivery
Ed Morrissey / Hot Air: Post Office to end Saturday deliveries
Postal Service to Cut Saturday Mail — ABC OTUS News - US Postal Service to End Saturday Mail Delivery (ABC News) — Apparently trying an end-run around an unaccommodating Congress, the financially struggling U.S. Postal Service says it will stop delivering mail on Saturdays but continue to disburse packages six days a week.
Discussion: Weekly Standard and AMERICAN DIGEST
USA Today:
Postal Service to stop delivering mail on Saturdays
Postal Service to stop delivering mail on Saturdays
Discussion: The Week and iOwnTheWorld.com
Debbi Wilgoren / Federal Eye:
Postal Service plans to end Saturday mail delivery by August
Postal Service plans to end Saturday mail delivery by August
Alex Fitzpatrick / Mashable!: USPS Cutting Saturday Mail Delivery
New York Times:
With Brennan Pick, a Light on Drone Strikes' Hazards — SANA, Yemen — Late last August, a 40-year-old cleric named Salem Ahmed bin Ali Jaber stood up to deliver a speech denouncing Al Qaeda in a village mosque in far eastern Yemen. — It was a brave gesture by a father of seven …
Discussion: Telegraph, BBC, Shakesville, Washington Examiner, DAWN.COM, Guardian, Hit & Run, IHT Rendezvous and The PJ Tatler
Melissa McEwan / Shakesville: Drones Come Under Scrutiny
Washington Examiner: Morning Examiner: CBO's rosy assumptions can't hide government's spending problems
Chris McGreal / Guardian: John Brennan faces grilling over leaked drone memo as senators demand answers
Jesse Walker / Hit & Run: Creating Militants By Killing Militants
Stephen Green / The PJ Tatler: NYT Bemoans Lack of Coverage it Won't Provide
Washington Post:
Brennan nomination exposes criticism on targeted killings and secret Saudi base — President Obama's plan to install his counterterrorism adviser as director of the CIA has opened the administration to new scrutiny over the targeted-killing policies it has fought to keep hidden from the public …
Discussion: The Atlantic Online, Booman Tribune, Guardian and AEIdeas
Conor Friedersdorf / The Atlantic Online: Let's Hope Obama's Secret Drone Base in Saudi Arabia Doesn't Inspire Blowback
Roy Greenslade / Guardian: Washington Post was forced into finally revealing drone base secret
Marc Thiessen / AEIdeas: Obama, drones, and the 'imperial presidency'
Sheldon Alberts / The Hill: White House, Congress square off over Justice Dept. rules for drone strikes
Ken Dilanian / Los Angeles Times:
Memo gives U.S. broad powers to kill Al Qaeda targets
Memo gives U.S. broad powers to kill Al Qaeda targets
Discussion: American Prospect and emptywheel
Robert Reich / American Prospect: The Real Debate over Citizenship
Andrew Rafferty / NBCNews.com:
American drone deaths highlight controversy
American drone deaths highlight controversy
Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, Moe Lane, NewsBusters blogs and Mother Jones
Mark Finkelstein / NewsBusters blogs: Meacham On Drone Kills: Obama Acting Like 'American King'
Amie Parnes / The Hill:
Carney: Drone strikes are 'fully consistent' with the Constitution
Carney: Drone strikes are 'fully consistent' with the Constitution
Patterico's Pontifications: More Reasons to Worry About a Slippery Slope From the Assassination Memo
Kevin Jon Heller / Opinio Juris: The DoJ White Paper's Confused Approach to Imminence (and Capture)
Brett Taylor / Twitchy: New unmanned drone superfan Touré 'very comfortable' with killing Al-Qaeda leaders
Benjamin Wittes / Lawfare: Just Calm Down About that DOJ White Paper
Jonathan H. Adler / The Volokh Conspiracy: Reactions to the Drone Strike "White Paper"
Jim Hoft / The Gateway Pundit: Obama 2007: Can't Just Air Raid Villages and Kill Innocent Civilians... Obama 2013: Air Raids Are Legal, Ethical, Wise
Doug Powers / Michelle Malkin: Jay Carney: Drone strikes constitutional, ethical, wise, and completely within the province …
Donald Douglas / American Power: Here's That Video of Touré Defending Obama's 'License to Kill' Drone Strike Memo
Obama to nominate REI chief Sally Jewell for Interior Secretary — President Barack Obama on Wednesday will nominate Sally Jewell, president and CEO of the outdoor and recreational retailer REI, to replace outgoing Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, a White House official confirmed to POLITICO.
Discussion: Federal Eye, Hot Air, msnbc.com and Post Politics
Ed Morrissey / Hot Air: Obama picks REI exec Jewell for Interior
Rachel Weiner / Post Politics: Obama to nominate Sally Jewell for Interior
Meghashyam Mali / The Hill:
Obama to nominate REI chief executive Jewell for Interior secretary
Obama to nominate REI chief executive Jewell for Interior secretary
Discussion: CNN
Brianna Keilar / CNN: Obama will nominate Jewell to replace Salazar at Interior
Igor Volsky / ThinkProgress:
CNN Host Destroys Supporter Of Boy Scouts Discrimination For Equating Pedophilia With Being Gay — CNN's Soledad O'Brien challenged the conservative opposition to keeping gays scouts and leaders out of the Boy Scouts on Wednesday morning, comparing the organization's ban to past restrictions on African Americans and women.
Discussion: The Raw Story, Good As You and Daily Kos
David Edwards / The Raw Story: Soledad O'Brien shames Perkins for defending gay scout ban with homosexuality-pedophilia link
G-A-Y / Good As You: Yes, Tony Perkins, you are in fact conflating homosexuality and child sexual abuse. Own it.
Bill / Daily Kos: Cheers and Jeers: Tuesday
Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
Eric Cantor's empty happy talk — Republicans have happened upon a felicitous new strategy for reviving their party from its depressed state: They need only think happy thoughts. — At a retreat for Republican leaders last month, former House speaker Newt Gingrich told them to …
Discussion: Washington Monthly, AEIdeas, Althouse, Wonkblog, msnbc.com, FIRST DRAFT and The Heritage Foundation
Ed Kilgore / Washington Monthly: Bad Speech Poorly Delivered
Ann Althouse / Althouse: Signs that people are tired of thinking about politics.
Ezra Klein / Wonkblog: Full text: Eric Cantor's 'Make Life Work' speech
Matthew Spalding, Ph.D. / The Heritage Foundation: Morning Bell: Fighting Government Cronyism with an Opportunity Agenda
Karen Tumulty / Washington Post:
Republicans try a softer focus — on life issues
Republicans try a softer focus — on life issues
Discussion: First Read and Post Politics
Rachel Weiner / Post Politics: Schumer to GOP: Follow Cantor
Frank Newport / Gallup:
Americans Widely Support Immigration Reform Proposals
Americans Widely Support Immigration Reform Proposals
Anna Palmer / Politico: Immigration's latest ally: Christian right
Ted McLaughlin / jobsanger: Strong Support For Immigration Reform
Ashley Parker / New York Times: House G.O.P. Open to Residency for Illegal Immigrants
Greg Dworkin / Daily Kos: Abbreviated Pundit Round-up: How divided government works
Ashley Killough / CNN: Poll: Americans favor immigration reform proposals
Jonathan Easley / The Hill: Gallup: Key immigration-reform proposals hold broad support
Terence P. Jeffrey / CNSNews:
Karl Rove Is Not a Conservative — Karl Rove — "The Architect," as President George W. Bush called him — crafted Bush's two presidential campaigns and served as a key player in Bush's White House. — Now, with an assist from The New York Times, Rove is presenting himself as a conservative leader.
Discussion: Hot Air, Cold Fury and The Right Scoop
The Right Scoop: EXTENDED AUDIO: Mark Levin exposes Karl Rove, Steven J. Law and why they are bad for GOP
Steve Deace / Politico:
How to beat Karl Rove at his own game
How to beat Karl Rove at his own game
Discussion: CNN, The Maddow Blog and americanthinker.com
Kevin Liptak / CNN: Rove on new group: 'I don't want a fight'
Steve Benen / The Maddow Blog: Crossroads invites rivals, starts to backpedal
Rick Moran / americanthinker.com: Fox News Dumps Morris, Renews Rove
International Business Times:
Women's Unclean Breasts Cause Diarrhoea, Says Egypt Prime Minister Hisham Qandil — By VASUDEVAN SRIDHARAN: Subscribe to Vasudevan's RSS feed — Egypt's prime minister, Hisham Qandil - Reuters — The inability of women in rural Egypt to clean their breasts is causing a diarrhoea epidemic …
Discussion: The Jawa Report, Weasel Zippers and This ain't Hell …
Embattled Scott plans $100M campaign vs. Crist — Rick Scott is preparing to defend the Florida governorship with the most expensive reelection campaign in state history, drawing up plans for a battleship-sized political operation aimed at overcoming the Republican's deep personal unpopularity.
Discussion: Washington Monthly and The Hinterland Gazette
Fredreka Schouten / Associated Press:
Ex-House members spend campaign money after they depart — WASHINGTON — Former House members are spending their leftover money to pay for everything from luxury cars to foundations that bear their names, a USA TODAY review of new campaign-finance reports shows.
Shane Goldmacher / NationalJournal.com:
Bob Menendez Spent Up to 87 Percent of Wealth Paying Back Donor — When Robert Menendez arrived in the U.S. Senate in 2006, he was a relative pauper in a chamber often called a millionaires' club. The New Jersey Democrat ranked 97th out of 100 senators in terms of his personal wealth …
Discussion: The Fix
Scott Clement / The Fix: Obama makes immigration comeback
Dylan Byers / Politico:
Dick Morris out at Fox News — Fox News has decided not to renew its contract with political commentator and pollster Dick Morris, an industry official tells POLITICO's Mike Allen. — Morris, who was on contract with Fox News throughout the 2012 presidential campaign …
Discussion: Guardian, DickMorris.com, The Moderate Voice, Washington Times, Taylor Marsh and The Hinterland Gazette
Harry J Enten / Guardian: Dick Morris exits Fox News: even he might have predicted this correctly | Harry J Enten
Joe Gandelman / The Moderate Voice: Fox News Boots Dick Morris
Jennifer Harper / Washington Times: Dick Morris exits Fox News, arrives at CNN
Steven T. Dennis / Roll Call:
The Budget War Is Back — A familiar script: The GOP rejects Obama's demand for new tax revenue in a short-term deal to avoid automatic spending cuts — The nation's brief respite from the serial budget battles that have consumed Washington, D.C., is officially over …
Discussion: NBCNews.com
First Read / NBCNews.com: First Thoughts: Budget battle resumes
Brian Beutler / Talking Points Memo:
Deficit Obsession Has Hurt The Recovery: CBO — Here's the buried lede from the Congressional Budget Office, which on Tuesday released its Budget and Economic Outlook for the coming decade: D.C.'s deficit obsession has been quite effective at cutting deficits at the expense of the still-struggling economy.
Steve Benen / The Maddow Blog: Choosing the self-inflicted wound
Robert Borosage / Campaign for America's Future: Sequestering Hope: Washington's Mad Hatter Budget Debate
Greg Holyk / ABCNEWS:
Poll Finds a Boost for Obama on Handling Immigration — Public approval of Barack Obama's handling of immigration has jumped to a career high in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll, buttressed by majority support for a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants and, much more broadly, endorsement of stricter border control.
Discussion: The Maddow Blog
Steve Benen / The Maddow Blog: Defining the 'extremes' in the immigration debate
Janet Lorin / Bloomberg:
Yale Suing Former Students Shows Crisis in Loans to Poor — Needy U.S. borrowers are defaulting on almost $1 billion in federal student loans earmarked for the poor, leaving schools such as Yale University and the University of Pennsylvania with little choice except to sue their graduates.
Discussion: The Glittering Eye, The Daily Caller and Truthdig
Dave Schuler / The Glittering Eye: Alumni Relations
Andrew Sachais / The Daily Caller: Ivy League schools sue recent graduates over loan repayments
Annie-Rose Strasser / ThinkProgress:
NRA Endorsement Actually A Curse For Candidates, Poll Finds — Endorsements from the National Rifle Association might be doing political candidates more harm than good, according to a new poll from Public Policy Polling. — In a national survey, 39 percent of voters said that they are less likely …
Discussion: Public Policy Polling


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There is a house in the next town over, the town where my husband grew up, that every Halloween displays dozens of the most beautiful jack-o-lanterns I have ever seen. I always thought is was a group of people, maybe a club, that got together to pump out the masterpieces, because there was no way it could be done by one person. Well last night I met the woman responsible and it turns out she does do it all. Wow! Every year I look forward to seeing them and am never let down by her amazing creations.
Jer did the shopping last week and picked up ham and turkey for sandwiches and then it sat, untouched all week. I was worried it would go bad before we even opened the packages so I put Monte Cristos on the menu again. They ended up being the perfect meal in the middle of the week when we both got home pretty late and didn't feel up to cooking much.


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Toronto FC and the Colorado Rapids have officially announced the trade that was rumored during the morning.
Marvell Wynne has been shipped to Colorado in exchange for Nick LaBrocca and a 2011 third round draft pick.
On Monday the Toronto Sun reported that Wynne had fallen out of favor with TFC head coach Preki.
"Marvell is a great athlete and we wish him all the best," TFC head coach Preki said. "He's been a big part of this club and I'm sure he will be missed by the fans."
Known for his pace down the flank, the right back was the first overall selection in the 2006 SuperDraft and has three caps with the U.S. National Team. He was also a member of the U.S. 2008 Olympic Team.
Wynne, who will compete with Kosuke Kimura for the right back spot, was already on a flight on Thursday afternoon and will join the Rapids in Los Angeles ahead of their season opener against Chivas USA on Friday.
LaBrocca is headed to Toronto where he will join the team for the trip to Columbus this weekend.
The up-and-coming LaBrocca, who played more minutes than any other Rapid player last season, had a breakout 2009 and participated in a U.S. National Team camp in Nov. 2008. His position on the team may have been threatened by the acquisition of Jeff Larentowicz from New England.
"He's a consistent player and will make our midfield a lot stronger," Preki said.
This is the third trade Colorado and Toronto have completed in the last three months. The two previous ones saw Jacob Peterson and Ty Harden head to Toronto while Colorado picked up a draft pick and allocation money.


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Dungeons are automatically generated structures created by the game, regardless of the game mode you're playing. They are created as five to seven block spaces surrounded by cobblestone and moss stone and usually contain a monster spawner and up to two chests. Sometimes two dungeons are created next to each other, giving containing two spawners and up to four chests. Some dungeons, however, contain no chests or the spawner could be destroyed by natural occurrences like lava.
Dungeons either contain a zombie, skeleton or cave spider spawner. (A skeleton spawner is also able to spawn spider jokeys)
A dungeon chest can contain up to eight item stacks and is the only way to acquire rare items, like the saddle, Horse Armor or enchanting books. You can also find gunpowder, diamonds, bones, etc.
How to find a dungeon:
- Explore underground caves. Dungeons are usually connected to large caverns. Listen for mob or ambient sounds that often accompany a dungeon location (though aren't exclusive to one). Have a sword ready, torches, and lots of picks. Look for a [monster spawner] that generates the enemies in the dungeon. Kill the monsters to get close and place a torch next to the Spawner or break it. This is the only way to stop the Mobs from generating. Look for treasure chests around the walls of the dungeon.
Was this guide helpful?


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Highlands Elementary plans first walk-a-thon
Students at Highlands Elementary in Concord will participate in the school's first Walk-a-thon fundraiser on Oct. 19.
Students in all grades are soliciting pledges for the walk-a-thon, with 100 percent of the proceeds benefiting their school.
As an added incentive, Highlands Principal Dr. Vicki Eversole has agreed to wear some silly accessories as fundraising goals are reached.
Some local police and firefighters will also be on hand to walk with students in the PTA-sponsored event.
Dyslexia simulation set for parents, educators
Hope Academy for Dyslexics presents an "Experience Dyslexia" simulation, 7 p.m. Oct. 16, at the Walnut Creek Library, 1644 N. Broadway.
Parents and educators can experience firsthand what it is like to have dyslexia.
Experience Dyslexia is developed by the Northern California International Dyslexia Association.
Space is limited. R.S.V.P. to www.experiencedyslexia.eventbrite.com or call 925-687-7555 for more information.
College Park musicians' showcase scheduled
The College Park High School instrumental music program presents its annual musicians' showcase Saturday, Oct. 20, at the Hilton Concord, 1970 Diamond Blvd., Concord.
"Let's Go to the Movies!" will take place from 5 to 10 p.m. and includes dinner, live and silent auctions and features entertainment by all six of the College Park High school music ensembles.
Tickets are $60 per person and can be purchased at http://auctions.readysetauction.com/cpimb-collegeparkins/home. All proceeds will benefit the instrumental program at College Park.
For information, visit www.cphsmusic.net, or call the school at 925-682-7670.
Football, food fundraiser will benefit FPHE grants
Magoo's Grill of Pleasant Hill is teaming up with Foundation for Pleasant Hill Education for Football Fundraiser for Education from 5 to 9 p.m. every Sunday and Monday through Dec. 23.
Participants can visit Magoo's, 1250 Contra Costa Blvd. in Pleasant Hill, to watch the game, have appetizers and dinner, and have Magoo's donate 25 percent of food sales to the FPHE grant program.
On Oct. 29 and Nov. 19, 50 percent of food sales will benefit the educational foundation. Additionally, former San Francisco 49er Dan Colchico will be visiting Oct. 29.
Present the flier at www.fphe.org to the hostess. For more information, email firstname.lastname@example.com.
Since 2009, FPHE has awarded $120,000 to Pleasant Hill public schools.


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Stunning Photos Put 'Face' to NYC's Poverty Problem With 'Faceless Project'
New York City photographer Donato DiCamillo is on a mission to bring awareness for NYC's homeless population. In the city that never sleeps, there are indeed an extraordinary number of impoverished who in fact "sleep" on the streets.
DiCamillo hopes his "Faceless Project" will give a face to a real problem, and inspire people to get out there and do what they can to help.
"As a street photographer I began photographing images of our city's afflicted and homeless, now, realizing how many there actually are I became much more motivated to document them. I am creating a collection of photographs and video clips in hopes to shed some light and educate people on why and how these people wind up living the way they do.
"At one point in my life I was afflicted with a number of spiritual and mental diseases that left me emotionally and spiritually bankrupt. "I lost hope." Now my life has completely turned around, and it started with the smallest of gestures, "KINDNESS."
"Please follow me on my journey and allow yourselves, to see and feel the joy of giving, helping, and loving."
- Donato DiCamillo.
See DiCamillo's "Faceless Project" and more photos here.


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"I Told Them My Errand"
Soon after his ride on the night of 18-19 Apr 1775, Paul Revere wrote out a deposition describing his experiences. This is how his first draft characterized the message he carried from Boston to Lexington:
I was sent for by Docr. Joseph Warren about 10 oClock that evening, and desired, "to go to Lexington and inform Mr. Samuel Adams, and the Hon. John Hancock Esqr. that there was a number of Soldiers composed of the Light troops and Grenadiers marching to the bottom of the common, where was a number Boats to receive them, and it was supposed, that they were going to Lexington, by the way of Watertown to take them, Mess. Adams and Hancock or to Concord."The second draft has somewhat different wording but the same sense. Revere wrote nothing in either version about carrying a written message.
Furthermore, there are significant differences between what Revere recalled that Dr. Warren knew when he left Boston and what the Rev. Jonas Clarke of Lexington wrote a year later. Clarke said the message from Boston included an estimate (much too high) of the number of soldiers, a different location for their landing across the Charles River, and a definite statement that they were headed to Concord. Those discrepancies indicate that Clarke was not quoting a message Dr. Warren had written before Revere began his journey, but working with additional information and perhaps some hindsight.
Revere also didn't mention carrying a written message in his 1798 letter to the Rev. Jeremy Belknap about the start of the war. In fact, in that account the silversmith wrote: "I found Messrs. Hancock and Adams at the Rev. Mr. Clarke's; I told them my errand," implying that he delivered the warning from Boston orally.
Revere was nearly stopped by a British mounted patrol as he left Charlestown, but in none of his accounts did he describe worrying about being caught with an incriminating document. (After officers stopped him on his way from Lexington to Concord, Revere wrote, "they first searched me for Arms.")
The Rev. William Gordon of Roxbury, who appears to have been close to Samuel Adams, didn't mention a letter from Dr. Warren in his early account of the day. The traditions passed down in William Dawes's family, published in 1878, say nothing about a written message.
Instead, the evidence indicates that Dr. Warren, Revere, and their colleagues worked to set up a network of messengers whom leaders could trust without needing written confirmation. Revere had worked with Adams, Hancock, and Warren for years. Hancock knew Dawes as adjutant of the Boston militia regiment, and Dawes was somewhat active in politics.
Revere visited Lexington a few days before 18 April to prepare the ground. On his way home, he arranged for colleagues in Charlestown to send a rider west based on a signal from the Christ Church tower; obviously, that rider starting on the other side of the river couldn't have carried a letter from Dr. Warren. But with signals arranged and relationships established, he didn't need to. At least that's my interpretation of the evidence.


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Bamboo: Young and Old
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5 responses
Ronnie Sul (Deleted) said (31 Jan 2009):
Very nice shot!
Christophe Le Canne gave props (12 Feb 2009):
Indeed ! Well done!
Alexis - Now on Flickr gave props (14 Feb 2009):
Quelle simplicité, quelle elegance
Jean Pierre Vacherot (Deleted) gave props (14 Feb 2009):
Superbe détail
dp * gave props (27 Feb 2009):
Wow, very nice. Really like the texture and color. dp
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Horizon Steel Expands via Acquisition
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Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Flat-rolled steel supplier Horizon Steel, Wheeling, IL, has acquired the facility and equipment of the former MC Steel Co., also in Wheeling. Included is a 72-in. cut-to-length line, a 24-in. slitting line with deburring capabilities, a sheared blanking line and a second edge-conditioning line; Horizon has added to the facility a 72-in. 1⁄4-in.-capacity Red Bud slitter with in-line corrective leveler.
See also: Horizon Steel Company
Related Enterprise Zones: Materials/Coatings
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Best Bargain Family Adventures: Mermaid Theater
Weeki Wachee Springs has been home to a live mermaid spectacular since 1947. Learn more about this Florida roadside institution from the insiders.
Newton Perry, a Navy diver and inventor, looked into the trash-filled Weeki Wachee Springs more than six decades ago and imagined mermaids swimming in the water. So, naturally, he cleared out the trash, built a glass-front theater 6 feet below the water's surface so that spectators could see into the spring, hired and taught some pretty girls how to perform underwater ballets while breathing through an air-hose system he invented (adding mermaid tails a short while later), and opened one of the country's most unusual attractions. Newton's mermaids made a national splash when the American Broadcasting Company bought the property. In 1959, ABC built a 500-seat theater and developed elaborate underwater shows. The theater became part of a state park in 2008, but mermaids still swim in the clear, blue waters of Weeki Wachee Springs.
Meet the Mermaids!
Barbara Wynns, mermaid veteran
Barbara performed at Weeki Wachee for eight years before hanging up her mermaid tail. But now the master diver and certified scuba instructor regularly returns to the theater to appear with a group called the Former Performing Mermaids. "We held a 50th reunion of the original mermaids a few years ago and some us of older gals started talking about putting on a show just for fun," Barbara says. "You never get it out of your blood. I don't care how long you're a mermaid, you start to tear up whenever you come back to Weeki Wachee."
Heather Dubois, mermaid newbie
Heather made her mermaid debut last summer. "It takes about two years of training, practicing three times a day, so I'm still learning," she says. "The hardest thing is getting used to the tail." The fabric tails weigh about 5 pounds wet, while plastic-and-fabric tails can get up to 15 pounds. "That's a lot to carry when you're under water!"
Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, Weeki Wachee, Florida; weekiwachee.com


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In the reports of tension earlier this week between San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh and the team's front office (specifically general manager Trent Baalke), there was this interesting tidbit from NFL.com's Mike Silver:
As much as [CEO Jed] York and his top executives value Harbaugh and appreciate the swift and sublime success he has enjoyed since arriving in 2011, a stretch that has included three consecutive NFC Championship Game appearances and a near-miss Super Bowl defeat, they are not inclined to beg him to stick around, either through words or emphatic financial gestures of support.
Yes, they like him, and acknowledge that he's very good at what he does. Sure, he is high-maintenance and at times demanding -- but they can live with that. What Harbaugh's bosses won't do is panic in the face of reports that he might be wooed to greener (as in the color of money) pastures, be they the University of Texas, the University of Southern California or the Capital of Creative Combine Questions.
"We didn't do that when we hired him in the first place, either," one top Niners official reminded me on Saturday, referring to the team's refusal to raise its offer to Harbaugh in the face of a late push (and reportedly sweeter deal) from Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross. "Why would we run scared?"
Well, one reason to run scared would be the Dolphins' current situation under head coach Joe Philbin, or any number of scenarios in which teams are blown apart by the simple fact that the man in the most publicly prominent leadership role doesn't know how to lead. And the Cleveland Browns' recent attempt to trade for Harbaugh got us to thinking -- who are the league's most indispensable coaches? The coaches without whom NFL teams would be lost? Harbaugh's on that list, but there are a few names above his.
Bill Belichick, New England Patriots
Since he became the Patriots head coach before the 2000 season, Belichick has been the only constant through a decade and a half of unrivaled success. New England has won at least 10 games in all but two of Belichick's Foxboro seasons -- one was his first season there, and the second was 2002, when the team won nine games. The Pats managed to win Super Bowls in the years on either side of that "disappointment." You can talk about Spygate and the fact that there hasn't been a Super Bowl win since the end of the 2004 season, but Belichick has cycled through players, assistants and front office talent, with plenty of in-season success to show for it. And for that reason, no NFL head coach is more indispensable to his team.
MORE: 2014 NFL Mock Draft | 2014 NFL Draft Big Board | More 2014 NFL draft coverage
Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks
Here's an amazing stat: If the Seahawks cut defensive end Red Bryant in the next couple of weeks to alleviate their salary cap issues, nose tackle Brandon Mebane would be the only player left on the defensive side of the ball from before Carroll came to the Emerald City in 2010. That means Carroll and general manager John Schneider built the league's best current defense, and one of the best in recent years, from the ground up over a four-year period. One of the most underrated points about Carroll's current success as an NFL head coach, and perhaps where he failed in the 1990s with the New York Jets and the New England Patriots, is that his decade at USC allowed him to get a sure bead on the best college players based on his own thoughts about them when they were high-school recruits. From Percy Harvin to Richard Sherman, several key cogs on the Seahawks' roster are kids that Carroll wanted, but didn't get, out of high school.
Schneider is the personnel guy, but Carroll calls the shots, and he's assembled the youngest Super Bowl-winning team in NFL history. The way he's done it makes him just about impossible to replace.
Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints
It's a football truism that people, at times, show their true value in their absence. That was certainly true of Payton when he was suspended for the entire 2012 season for his role in the BountyGate affair, and the Saints plummeted from 13-3 to 7-9 in the year their head coach was gone. Payton has a rare and extremely productive relationship with quarterback Drew Brees, and that's no accident -- he understands the position as few coaches do, and his advanced route concepts allow just about any receiver to come into New Orleans' offense and succeed. Payton is probably the most indispensable offensive coach in the league today, and his control over his team adds a lot to the picture. When he hasn't controlled things -- well, you get what got him booted from the league for a season.
Jim Harbaugh, San Francisco 49ers
So ... contrary to what Baalke may believe, you can't just throw any half-decent coach at the 49ers and make them win. Because before they hired Harbaugh in 2011, management had thrown several half-decent coaches at the problem, and had little to show for it. The franchise hadn't had a winning season since Steve Mariucci's last year in 2002, and three men -- Dennis Erickson, Mike Nolan and Mike Singletary -- tried and failed in the decade after. Harbaugh, who had turnarounds at San Diego and Stanford on his resume, brought offensive coordinator Greg Roman and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio with him from Stanford, and immediately created a culture of success. In his three seasons, the 49ers have 41 regular- and postseason wins, tied with New England for the NFL lead. Harbaugh's personality may be grating, and he may not be long for the Bay Area as a result, but there's no denying his effectiveness as a head coach. And if the 49ers think they can plug another guy in without a diligent search, they're fooling themselves.
Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals have been eliminated in the wild-card round of the last three playoffs, but Lewis still gets the nod here because it's tough to imagine too many coaches would put up just three losing seasons in 11 years with an owner/general manager like Mike Brown, and a scouting department that only recently went beyond a pathetically low-staffed scouting department. In addition, Lewis has the rare ability to take character risk after character risk and have it work out -- for the most part. Few NFL teams rest more on their head coaches. And when you consider what the Bengals were before he showed up -- a franchise that couldn't manage a winning season from 1991 through 2001 -- Lewis' value becomes even more clear.


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His [Kenny Williams] revelation that virtually silent but sound coach Harold Baines will play a greater role on the next coaching staff is a step in the right direction.
Or the new hitting coach? I think both positions require more communication though than 1st base coach though.
Other White Sox links:
- James looks at Sergio Santos' new contract.
- Mike looks at Ozzie Guillen's departure.
- J.J. presents his '2011 White Sox in beer' guide.


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VIERA, FL - Viera Hospital, the newest hospital in the network of Health First hospitals, announces a unique opportunity to become a part of the newest team in Brevard County health care.
When the hospital doors open in April 2, 2011, Viera Hospital will signify a new level of health care for residents in the Viera/Suntree area. Helping to make sure patients receive the highest level of attention to their needs, a new team of volunteers will be activated.
In anticipation of the opening, Viera Hospital is now recruiting that core group of volunteers to be on deck for the grand opening April 2:
Information Sessions:
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
3 to 7 pm
Presentations hourly - 3:15 pm, 4:15 pm, 5:15 pm, 6:15 pm
Pro Health & Fitness Center Viera - Community Room
8705 N. Wickham Road, Viera
Saturday, February 5, 2011
10 am to 2 pm
Presentations hourly - 10:15 am, 11:15 am, 12:15 pm, 1:15 pm
No reservations needed. For more information, call Debbie Helton, Viera Hospital Manager of Patient Relations and Volunteer Services at 321.434.9369.