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Today we announced the release of the distribution side of Flash Platform Services. Most of the action is on Techmeme but I liked the ReadWriteWeb post, the TechCrunch post, and the VentureBeat post specifically. Distribution Services is the one that's new and the goal is to let you track your application across a number of different screens while also simplifying the distribution mechanism. There are also hooks that will let you easily bring in advertising so that you can both track and monetize your content. The first thing people will think of is widgets, and that makes sense because a lot of the "sharing" aspect, which we're partnering with Gigya for, will remind people of the widgets they're able to place on Facebook, MySpace, blogs, and other places. But as Serge's MAX Widget shows, these can be more complicated applications as well. So while widgets may be the first thought, any one of these three threads; sharing, tracking, and advertising, can be brought into an application of any size. So regardless of what kind of application you're building, these services should be helpful.
Show me the money
One thing this allows you to do is easily monetize your content. The money side of this is that advertisers or developers can buy installs and pay a fee (starting at one dollar) per successful installs. You can also target this a bit, so if you want to make sure a high number of people are embedding your widget, you can promote it via the network and you'll be charged a fee anytime someone embeds or installs your content. On the profit side, you can also offer to host advertisements via our network. We'll give you a specific CPM (cost per thousand impressions), we estimate around $5, and pay that out to you.
These services also work with mobile devices. This is one of the slickest features I've seen demoed because when a user wants to install a shareable mobile application, they'll get an SMS with a link to the application. When they click it, our distribution service detects which device they're on and will push out the correct version of the application. Currently we support Symbian S60 phones, Windows Mobile, and the iPhone. That doesn't mean you can use Flash on the iPhone, but you can create an iPhone version that can be pushed out with our distribution network.
The Rest of the Services Story
There are three parts to the Flash Platform Services initiative; Distribution, Collaboration, and Social. Distribution is what we announced today, Social will make it easy to integrate social networks like Facebook and MySpace, and Collaboration has been in beta for a while, you know it as Flash Collaboration Services. All of these will have a pay-per-use model and will provide added functionality or easy integration for developers. The Flash Platform is the most cutting edge technology on the web. The full range of things it lets developers and designers do just doesn't exist on any other platform. As a result, we're able to do some very interesting things when it comes to collaboration, tracking, distribution, or integration. The goal of these services is to make it much easier for any Flash Platform developer to accomplish those things. Lowering the barrier to entry for things that makes Flash so powerful is going to be beneficial for a lot of developers.


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Check Availability
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To Return to the Website and to view more pictures of each cabin, please click on the logo for Beavers Bend Lodging at the top of this page.
Rates are charged by the number of nights that you are staying in the cabin, not by the days. All cabins have a minimum night stay requirement of 2 nights. There is a 3 or 4 night stay requirement on all major holidays and selected dates throughout the year.
One (1) night rentals are considered and are not available more than 1 week in advance of arrival. One-night rentals are considered only if it makes good business sense to do so. We cannot accommodate one-night stays in 4,5,6 bedroom cabins the cost to clean normally exceeds our commission. Discounts are not available for One-night rentals Full rack rates apply and include additional fees for outside cleaning services.
AGE REQUIREMENT: All cabins are limited to families, couples, or adults 25 years of age or older. You must be at least 25 years of age to reserve a vacation rental. We will not rent to vacationing students or singles under 25 years of age or un-chaperoned groups. Upon check-in, we reserve the right to refuse service with monies forfeited if any discrepancies in our policies are suspected. Exceptions are made for couples, i.e., honeymoon, anniversary, etc. Please call our office to reserve couple cabins if you are underage.
Number of Guests: Please enter total number of people, except children 3 & under. (Children 3 & under free)
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All cabins have a base rate and additional charges for extra people.
TAXES & FEES: All reservations will be charged the current tax rate of 9.25%. Plus and additional cleaning and stocking fee of 9%. Total Taxes & Fees are 18.25%.
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HOURS OF OPERATION We are open 7 days a week except Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Our office hours are 8am - 6pm Monday - Friday and 9am - 5pm on Saturday and Sunday.
Janet Cress, Owner/Operator
Beavers Bend Lodging
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subset: commoncrawl


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In the recent rash of wrong-way drivers hurtling down American freeways, we haven't seen much police involvement. A suburban Dallas officer changes that dramatically when he uses his police cruiser as a speed bump against an oncoming suspected drunk driver.
Thankfully, the too-opposite locked Nissan Murano was only doing 20 mph, and the crash wasn't severe enough to harm anyone. The driver of the Murano — who had kept on trucking despite spike strips thrown on the freeway by police — was arrested on drunk driving charges.


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Last week, a number of funds came to market, including a new iShare fund, two ETNs from UBS, a Neuberger Berman global fund, a Catholic advocacy fund from Aperio, a currency fund from quantitative fund manager Aequam Capital, and a merged Highland Funds product.
In other fund news, Morningstar has announced plans to introduce forward-looking, analyst-driven global fund ratings and a uniform approach for global fund research reports.
1) iShares Announces Launch of Floating Rate Note Fund
BlackRock Inc.on Friday announced that its iShares Exchange Traded Funds business, the world's largest manager of ETFs, has launched its first floating rate note fund: iShares Floating Rate Note Fund (FLOT). The fund is designed for investors to use in a rising rate environment.
"The value of floating rate bonds fluctuates much less in response to market interest rate movements than the value of fixed-rate bonds," said Russ Koesterich, iShares chief investment strategist, in a statement.
"They can be a key instrument to help fixed-income investors insulate their portfolio in a rising inflation environment. While we don't see this as a near-term threat, we still believe that interest rates are likely to rise, arguably substantially, in 2012 and beyond," he added
FLOT is benchmarked to the Barclays Capital US Floating Rate Note <5 Years Index. The market cap-weighted index measures the performance of U.S. dollar-denominated, investment-grade, floating rate notes with less than 5 years to maturity. The bonds that are included in the index must have an original maturity of between 18 months and 5 years and remain in the index until one month prior to maturity.
2) UBS Announces Two New ETNs Designed for Contango in Oil and Natural Gas Markets
UBS Investment Bankannounced the launch of two new Exchange Traded Notes (ETNs)designed to take advantage of potential contango in the oil and natural gas markets. The ETRACS Natural Gas Futures Contango ETN (GASZ) and the ETRACS Oil Futures Contango ETN (OILZ) began trading on Thursday. These ETNs are designed to capitalize on contango in oil and natural gas futures markets, while minimizing the exposure to absolute changes in the underlying prices of these commodities.
GASZ is linked to the performance of the ISE Natural Gas Futures Spread Index, which, through a series of investments in natural gas sub-indices, effectively provides short exposure in front month natural gas futures contracts and long exposure in far-term natural gas futures contracts.
OILZ is linked to the performance of the ISE Oil Futures Spread Index, which, through a series of investments in oil sub-indices, effectively provides a 1x short exposure in front month oil futures contracts and a 1.5x long exposure in midterm oil futures contracts.
3) Neuberger Berman Introduces Global-Allocation Fund
Neuberger Berman Group LLCannounced on June 13 the launch of the Neuberger Berman Global Allocation Fund (NGLAX, NGLCX, NGLIX). It is the firm's first global portfolio with broad investment latitude and an emphasis on risk management to be offered to mutual fund investors, and blends fundamental and quantitative investment analysis to determine asset allocation and security selection.
The fund, with current assets under management of $1.9 billion, is managed by a team consisting of Wai Lee, chief investment officer of Neuberger Berman's quantitative investment group, as well as three other portfolio managers from the group: Bobby Pornrojnangkool, Ph.D., Alex Da Silva, and Ping Zhou, Ph.D. The team also includes Joseph Amato, the firm's president and chief investment officer, and Brad Tank, chief investment officer for fixed income, and may also leverage the expertise of more than 130 of the firm's dedicated equity and fixed income research analysts.
The fund seeks to provide exposure to global equity, fixed income and currency markets through a variety of investment instruments, including long and short positions in individual securities, index instruments, and ETFs as well as derivatives.
It employs a proprietary top-down asset allocation model to establish a "tactical tilt"—making allocation decisions among the various investment regions and asset classes. It also employs a proprietary bottom-up security selection model to add value by choosing global securities its managers believe are most likely to perform well relative to other investment options.
4) Aperio Group Expands Faith-Based Strategy Offerings with Catholic Advocacy Portfolio
Aperio Group LLC announced June 1 that it has expanded its faith-based Socially Responsive Indexing (SRI) offerings by introducing the Aperio Catholic Advocacy Portfolio. The portfolio, designed for HNW and institutional investors, seeks to match the performance of the broad equity market while meeting and exceeding the U.S. Catholic Council of Bishops (USCCB) guidelines through a combination of security screening and active corporate participation.
The portfolio is the result of a screening process developed by Aquinas Associates. Companies included in its universe must first pass exclusionary screens to ensure they do not exceed a maximum threshold involvement in the following businesses' activities: those that contradict the sanctity of human life, pornography, military weapons of mass destruction and landmines.
Additionally, companies whose activities involve tobacco, alcohol, and gambling are also excluded. In order to fully comply with the USCCB guidelines, which include active corporate participation, Aquinas Associates (acting on behalf of investors) engages companies on issues including human rights, racial and gender discrimination, labor standards, access to pharmaceuticals, affordable housing/banking, protecting the environment, global warming, access to water, and encouraging corporate responsibility.
Aperio integrates classic portfolio optimization techniques with SRI agendas for engineering more "efficient" socially screened, indexed investment portfolios. The portfolio is designed to track the broad equity market and forecasted to have a tracking error of less than 1%.
5) Aequam Capital Launches Aequam Currencies Fund
Aequam Capital, an independent French quantitative fund manager, announced on Thursday the launch of the Aequam Currencies Fund, a UCITS 3-compliant systematic multi-currency fund.
Available in two currencies, the euro and the U.S. dollar, it is uncorrelated to bond and equity markets. It has a volatility target similar to that of equity markets and is particularly adapted to investors' constraints.
The fund is managed by Lionel Lefebvre, Arnaud Chrétien and Alonso Rivas. The fund targets investments from professionals such as private banks, multimanagers, institutions, treasuries and family offices.
Investing in a universe made up of the G10 currencies and 9 emerging market currencies, the fund's performance is based on four drivers:
- Trend following (identification of currency pair trends)
- Carry trade (taking advantage of short-term differences in interest rate spreads between two currencies)
- Evolution of the dynamics of interest rate movements
- Risk appetite (a proprietary indicator measuring the evolution of investor appetite for risk).
The fund distinguishes itself by its rigorous management of risk through diversification of underlying investments. Simultaneous positions are held in a minimum of 15 currency pairs. It also exhibits weak correlation among different investment strategies. Fund management is based on risk (operational, liquidity, counterparty, portfolio, research and market), with risk management both methodical and constrained by a predefined risk budget – VaR 5, weekly, 95%.
6) Highland Merges Two Leading Floating-Rate Funds
Highland Fundsannounced on June 13 that it has merged the Highland Floating Rate Advantage Fund (XSFRX) and the Highland Floating Rate Fund (XLFAX) into the Highland Floating Rate Opportunities Fund (HFRAX). The new fund offers investors better liquidity features and expanded parameters to meet its investment objective.
The merger was in direct response to investor demand for an open-ended, daily liquid mutual fund focused on the floating rate, or bank loan, asset class. In addition to improved overall liquidity, the new fund is expected to offer a lower expense ratio than its predecessor fund, the Highland Floating Rate Advantage Fund.
To best achieve its investment objective of providing a high level of current income consistent with the preservation of capital, the new fund has the flexibility to invest up to 20% of its assets in nonfloating rate securities and the ability to hedge against systemic risk.
The new fund will have approximately $930 million in total assets; it offers A, B, C, and Z share classes, with tickers HFRAX, HFRBX, HFRCX, and HFRZX, respectively. Its portfolio manager is Greg Stuecheli, who had been the named portfolio manager since December 2008 for the merged funds.
7) Morningstar to Introduce Forward-Looking Morningstar Analyst Rating for Funds
Morningstar, Inc. (MORN)announced on June 9 its plans to introduce forward-looking, analyst-driven global fund ratings and a uniform approach for global fund research reports. The ratings and reports will be based on analysts' convictions about a fund's ability to outperform its peer group and/or relevant benchmark on a risk-adjusted basis over the long term. The company plans to launch the new ratings and research reports in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand in the fourth quarter.
The new rating is a qualitative, forward-looking measure based on analyst research; while it will not replace star ratings, and existing star rating methodology will not change, it will supplement the star rating. It will use five ratings—AAA, AA, A, Neutral, or Negative.
The new ratings will be available for free on Morningstar.com. A written analysis of the fund and an explanation of the analyst rating will be available through paid premium membership. Financial advisors will have access to the analyst ratings and the in-depth Morningstar Global Fund Research Reports for funds available for sale in the U.S. through Morningstar's advisor software products.
Read last week's Portfolio Products Roundup at AdvisorOne.com


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Innovation, performance, value, long-term reliability-the Honda Ranchers offer it all, and more. It's an ATV partner you can count on, for years and years to come.This item may not be available immediately in dealer stock. Some items may need to be ordered. See terms for details. 2868
*Price: $6,399.00 *HALLS Deal: $4,895.00


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The COMMUTER COWL pattern is here!!!!! You guys I am so excited!!!! This cowl has been in the works for a while now and it's very close to my heart. After releasing the twisted slouch hat tutorial I just knew the next item in my little sketchbook of goodies had to be my first sewing pattern.
The drawings in this sketchbook all have one thing in common...a theme inspired by the leafless and twisted trees that form a halo around our island city. They always remind me of knitted cables (which I adore) and I really have been enjoying the idea of manipulating and altering the construction of fabrics and thinking of new ways to twist, knot and move fabric to change it's appearance all while keeping it simple in it's sewing but fun on construction. I hope you all enjoy it as well.
: : digitally drafted & professionally designed tutorial
: : 12 page full color pdf pattern complete with clear & easy to understand step by step instructions with bright photos and digitally drafted diagrams
: : instructions for a professionally finished accessory featuring 2 ways & 2 sizes to make/wear your cowl
: : fabric requirements, notions, and sewing tips/glossary to ensure a great finished product
: : a fun sewing experience :)
The Commuter Cowl Pattern is available for purchase at the following:
The Commuter Cowl Pattern can be worn 2 ways and sewn in 2 different sizes.
the commuter cowl pattern is a stylish, lightweight and versatile cowl that is fun in construction and high on style! This is a great project for beginners to advanced sewers & is made all in one piece from ½ of a yard or 3/4 of a yard of fabric with little waste leftover.
Show off your fave print and add some flair to any outfit throughout the whole year. The idea of movement inspired from the fabric line used paired with the knots reminiscent of the leafless branches of the tress on the island I live helped to create what is now the commuter cowl.
In the commuter cowl pattern you will find clear photographs throughout this sewing tutorial as well as easy to read instructions to help make sewing the commuter cowl an enjoyable & fun experience. So grab your fave fabric crush and come sew along with me!
Made from a 1/2 yard, worn as a necklace style cowl (top) or as a more structural cowl (middle).
Made out of 3/4 of a yard of fabric that can also be worn 2 ways as shown above. The 3/4 yard cowl gives you an extra dose of loft, pouf, and the movement that's reminiscent of a knit cowl.
Besides our lovely winter tress the main inspiration for the name, styling and overall appearance of this cowl was the awesome line "commute" from birch fabrics by jay-cyn. LOVE it! Something about those bikes, transportation and the color palette struck me as the perfect fabric to pair with this cowl for those daily commutes.
Who says we all can't add a bit of whimsy to our daily commutes? Even if we're biking, driving, walking or busing we might as well look stylish right? Plus it will keep us warm on cool days and cool on warm days :) That's right...that's how we roll here <3 I'm a gemini - what can i say..lol.
You all know how I love options! I love giving you all a great base that you can customize and wear the way that suits your style and personality! Heck you could even adjust the size down on this cowl and whip one up for your kidlet! I plan on making one for mackenzie really soon.
I want to give a huge thank you to all my friends/family who supported me when deciding to take the plunge into selling a sewn pattern. It's been a crazy ride and i just started...lol. You guys are the best. I'd also like to thank all my lovely pattern testers who helped me out tons! I couldn't have done it without your help (thanks mom!). A special thank you to Anna from noodlehead for her invaluable help and eye :) And how could I not thank my gorgeous and talented friend jane richmond for modeling for me and also for being a constant sounding board for all my crazy ideas - thank you for all of your support Jane - I luv ya girl. A thank you to Cynthia of fabricworm & birch fabrics for her awesome designs and generous use of her rockin' fabrics!
So are you all ready to sew with me? Hop on over to my brand new etsy shop and pick up a copy of your own! I can't wait to see what you all create!!!! Don't forget to add your cowl pictures to our flickr group!
So we can all see how lovely you look in your commuter cowls! What fabric line are you going to make yours in? Stay tuned for tomorrow when I'll be doing a fabric review on the Birch Fabrics I used today. Happy sewing everyone!
From commute by jay-cyn for birch fabrics - by bike, bike it, and pool ride can be purchased at fabricworm
From lark by amy butler - chinese lanterns grass can be purchased at stitch simple


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23 User Reviews of Noordam Cruise Ship
We boarded the Noordam around noon on 23 Dec 11 and had a small wait until our room was ready. We had a superior veranda suite and was very pleased with the size of the room. We had so much room we didn't know what to do with it. In the bathroom we loved the double sinks, the separate shower as well as the jetted tub/shower combo. My boyfriend and I were able to get ready at the same time without getting in each other way. The closets were big enough to hide all our suite cases and clothes. The balcony was so big it accommodated four chairs, a table to eat on and a side table. Our room stewards Aep and Hans were the bomb. They were available for anything we needed (I don't know when they slept). I always looked forward to coming back to the room to see what towel animal was waiting for me.
The staff were very friendly and personable. You could engage in conversations with anyone in the staff and you feel like you have known them for years. We had open seating andhad great servers except when we ate at table 4. The server never introduced himself to us and he appeared as if he really didn't want to serve us. I try not to complain when servers act ignorant but show them how displeased I am by either not eating there again or showing it in their tip. All I ask from my server is to be polite. The food was excellent from the omelets in the morning, the burgers at at lunch, the variety of dishes at dinner to the cookies and ice cream at night.
Our first stop was half moon cay and it was wonderful. You had so much to choose from to do. (Pay the extra for the shell). We had to tender to get there and it was not so bad a ride (I am terrified of the small boats considering I can't swim).
That night was formal night and it was nice to see others dressed up. The crew did an international Christmas program and it was nice to see all the different nationalities singing songs from their native countries. It was wonderful.
Our second stop was Turks and Caicos but did not stop because the weather did not cooperate and the captain came on and explained.
The entertainment staff were nice and I enjoyed them. The Hal Cats were excellent. Drew, our entertainment coordinator, was entertaining. Keep up the good work Drew. Reggie, our DJ, had the music bumping. Great job.
We also stopped at Samana Dominican Republic(Tender), Bonaire and Aruba. I loved Curaco. We were there from 0700-2300hrs. The floating bridge was the gateway to the other side and there was shopping galore and when nightfall came, the entertainment started. I wished we could have stayed over night.
We spent four days at sea (25, 27, 31 Dec 11 and 01 Jan 12) and there was so much to do from just laying around catching some sun to different activities to choose from. We had two more formal nights (27 Dec and 31 Dec). In the evenings, you could listen to the violinist, go to the piano bar, go to the disco, the sports bar, the casino, the explorers cafe for espresso, a good book, magazine or games. On New Years Eve, you had different choices on where to go for the count down. I was a little disappointed that the only place to get your hat or tierra were in the main dining room and everyone did not get one. They should have had different sections where you could get it especially if you ate in your room or the lido. It was nice to see the staff who were not working dressed up in their uniforms bringing in the new year.
We did the luggage direct program and it was worth it. It only took us 20 minutes to get off the boat and we didn't see our luggage again until we landed. Sweet!!! I truly felt spoiled on this boat. I I think I have become an Holland American girl.
I will never recommend somebody this ship. It was the worth experience in my life. Food in " all you can eat" buffet is like food in High School Cafeteria. The shore excursions are TURIST TRAP.
At Palma de Majorca they took us to pearl factory trying to sell. We did not come from NYC to visit pearl factory. Then we spent 40 minutes across the street on bullring, witch is place for public urinate. Nice. We spent 1hour and 20 minutes in cathedral where other people spend 20 minuets and cost for public ticket only 4 euro.
Out of 4 h we spent 1 ½ h in the bus and did not see Palma de Majorka. Shame!!!It was insult and abuse. And when you complain, they ignore you. It was like robbery. They spoiled our vacation.
Our 5th cruise, This was 3 weeks mediterranian may 2014 from Barcelona to Venice. Everything was Perfect, We were on the 5th level which has slightly bigger balconys (the lowest balcony level). The boat was full but never had any waits except a few times for dinner (we had open seating). The buffett was not bad but we loved the normal restaurant. Most always all was perfect- When you order a steak medium rare it is always so. There was always room at all shows and pool areas and whirlpool. We like Celebrity a tiny bit more. I can not say enough that this was way excellent in all aspects.
Below are copies of the note I sent to Holland Americal line and
their response on the 10-DAY SOUTHERN CARIBBEAN SEAFARER January
18th January 28th on Noordam:
> From: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Sent: Wednesday, January 30, 2013 10:16 AM
> To: Guest Relations (HAL)
> Cc: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: 10-DAY SOUTHERN CARIBBEAN SEAFARER January 18th January 28th on Noordam
We were very disappointed with our most recent voyage on the Noordam. There were some very good points about the ship as well, but the overall impression I/we had with the Noordam and Holland America was negative.
I would like to start with the GOOD Ray and Vincent at the front desk/Purser's desk were excellent, providing as much assistance as possible with a smile. The Ship it self was clean and in good repair and well handled, both in our cabin and the public areas. The Spa/Gym staff were excellent, especially Saundra the leader of the morning Stretch and exercise class!! (and having these two sessions each morning from 7:00-7:30 and 7:30-8:00 as free classes was GREAT) The dinning room food was excellent as
However, our vacation was overshadowed by several events starting even before we boarded:
The first being our dinning room seating. When we booked initially, we were unable to get first seating (5:45) and were wait listed. Our travel agent suggested we try back on the day the final portion of the fare was due, which we did. We were able to obtain first seating (and it was reflected on the web site.) When we did the original submission of our documents to check in, 1st seating was displayed. About five days before sailing we went to print more luggage tags and noticed we had been re-assigned to open seating for dinner. We called Holland America Line and were told there was nothing they could do and we would have to call our travel agent, which we did. After spending close to an hour on the phone with our travel agent, we were able to again have 1st seating in the dinning room. (And again, we checked the next day to be sure it was on our reservation on the web site and it was.) When we came to board and were issued our ID cards, printed on the face of the card was open seating for dining. We immediately brought this to the attention of the agent that was checking us in. She, rather curtly said there was nothing she could do and we would have to handle it 'ship board' by talking with the dinning room manager. (In the past we have had to do this to get early seating and it always involves a "gratuity" of around $50.00 and since we worked at getting first seating before the cruise we had no intention giving anyone a gratuity for this again.) At my insistence, the manager on duty came over and I explained the problem. He also said there was nothing he could do and the only way to fix it was to do it on board.
I was surprised that a member of management was not empowered to resolve issues of this nature in a better way. He said my only alternative would be to call the 800 customer service number, which he provided. I did so ASAP right there and then (I think to the manager's surprise) I talked with a gentleman who claimed he was in the President's office. He also said that we should just go and talk with the dinning room manager. I again explained that fixing it with the dinning room manager would involve cash payments and about 1-2 hours of time. I pressed him with "if you are in the president's office, you mean you can't solve a simple customer's issue like dinning room seating?" he then put me on hold to "check something" and after a few minutes he came back and said that we should check with "Annie", the guest relation's manager on the ship and she would resolve our issue. I thanked him, boarded the ship, and went straight to the front desk/purser's office and asked for Annie. After a 10-15 minute wait, Annie came out and introduced herself. We explained our issue and she called the Dinning room, and after some discussion, we were granted 1st seating and had our ID cards re-issued, but not before Annie informed us that it was not the ship's fault that we did not have 1st seating. In all of this, we managed to miss the Mariner's Lunch in the dining room. We were the 7th, 8th and 9th people at a table for eight, so it was crowded, but our dinner companions were great and we all enjoyed each other's company each night at dinner (there were always empty tables in the dinning room and we heard from many others that they also wanted early seating and could not get it, but this has been an ongoing issue, since anytime dining was introduced and a different matter all together.) In all of this, the overall attitude that we encountered, both on the phone before the cruise, at check in and on board was:
It's not my fault
There is nothing I can do about it
It's not my issue
Where I was expecting the attitude of "How can I fix/resolve your problem." Which to me would be a signature of excellence.
The 1st night of the cruise, we received to notes about the deep sea fishing excursion we booked for a member of our group. One of the notes said the boat was out of commission and the other said here is your ticket for the excursion. Neither were date/time stamped so we did not know which to believe. We called and were not able to reach the excursion's desk (they were closed) We went down to the front desk to ask. They did not have a clue on which was correct, had no information other than the schedule for the next day with a mark next to the deep sea fishing and said there was no way to contact the excursion people to ask. (Where they were very nice and trying to be helpful, apparently they were not empowered to call/page/locate the excursion people to get an answer to our question) They suggested that we plan on the excursion, just in case it was "on", which we did and the it was (thank god we did plan) We also noticed that there were several people signed up for Deep Sea Fishing that did not show up at the boat, and we wondered if they had the same issues we did. Again we had the attitude of "there is nothing I can do/that I am allowed to do, to resolve the issue."
One night we ordered an in-room movie to be delivered. After the phone hold wait of 3-4 minutes they came on the line, took our order and said the movie would be there in 10-15 minutes, even though we offered to pick it up. After waiting over an hour for the movie, we called again (same 3-4 minute hold) they were surprised that we did not have the movie, then put us on hold trying to find out what happened, then we were told they thought the movie had been delivered asking us to be sure (we checked the outside bin, even though we were in the room the whole time, it was not there) then waited while they tried to figure out what happened. We never got the movie.
The times and locations of the ship board activities were poorly thought out nothing scheduled then several things scheduled at the same time. Locations and times of things like team trivia, and shipboard movies were greatly varied, even thought it was always well attended (when we could locate it) The quantity of the activities was very low. The late night Dessert event was held in the atrium, which was way too small. It was cramped, on three levels, and the A/C could not keep up we left quickly, without sampling much (We almost felt like the venue was chosen so people would leave quickly without partaking in the dessert buffet.
The movies around the pool on the Lido deck could not be heard/understood, ruining the movie. This is a BAD place to present movies and we declined to view any other movies on the pool deck. When we mentioned it to the Cruise Director, he said he knew and there was nothing that could be done. (Notice the theme of "not my fault, nothing I can do...")
The following items are just notes/comments about other things we think you should be aware of that normally we would not bother to write about, but since I am already writing, I am including them as well:
The Cruise Director, (Sean Michaels?) was the poorest dressed Cruise Director I can remember, who told very old, poor jokes to an audience that clearly, after the first couple of times he spoke, didn't what to hear them. I may be an old fogey, but on formal night, I would expect the Cruise Director to be turned out in a well fitting Tuxedo, complete with bow tie, cummerbund/vest studs and cuff links. This was not the case and it was noticed by many of the guests.
In the past, participation in trivia, game shows... yielded some nice mementos of the trip. This time, either they were not given or they were so poor as to be not wanted who really wants another pin... We can remember the days of the Dam Dollars and ending up with a "dam ships" sweat shirt, hat or t-shirt and we miss them.
Room service was prompt in the morning, delivering our wake up coffee. However, it took them forever to retrieve the tray (sometimes as late as 4:00 pm, even though we called early to to have them picked up) We honored the request not to put them in the hallways, but we were tempted to several times because of the delay in getting them.
Calling anyone on the ship's telephone resulted in always being put on hold for 1-5 minutes, regardless of who we were trying to reach.
The tenders on half moon cay were some of the worst boat handlers I have ever encountered. They struck both the dock and the ship very hard, jarring the passengers and alarming some of them. The weather was not particularly rough or windy, just poor drivers (When the Ship's tenders were used at Samana, they were smooth and gentle, in worse conditions...) Where this did not affect our enjoyment much, I thought I would note this for you, since they are outside contractors and you need to know the quality (or lack there of) of the contractors.
This was my 3rd cruise on a Holland America ship in the past five years and each one has been a step down in customer service from the one before. This is an alarming trend and feel that as a loyal customer, I need to make you aware of them. If this trend continues, Holland America will no longer be my cruise line of choice.
On 2/11/2013 11:50 AM, Guest Relations (HAL) wrote:
Thank you for your email to Holland America Line's Guest Relations Department.
We are committed to providing our guests with the highest level of service, and appreciate the effort it takes to write to us. Please be assured that we respond to all correspondence in the date order it is received. At times it can take several weeks to properly investigate and research some issues to provide a proper response. We appreciate this opportunity to review your correspondence and thank you for your patience.
You will be hearing from us soon.
If you find it necessary to contact us in the meantime, please refer to your booking number.
Kind regards,
Office of the President
Holland America Line
We had arranged our flights through Holland America, and everything went smoothly. We were met at the airport in Rome by the HAL representatives, who were very helpful in getting our luggage onto the truck to the port, and to our bus. It is about a 45 minute drive from the airport to Civitiveccia, where the ship is docked. Once at the pier, we quickly received our ship's card and were on board. Unlike many cruises, we were able to go to our cabin, even though it was before noon. After admiring our cabin and spacious balcony, we headed to the upper deck casual restaurant for lunch.
The Noordam, as sister ship to the Westerdam, on which we'd sailed a few years ago, was a little easier to navigate than a brand new ship, but we still were lost some of the time. One thing that we really enjoyed, which a lot of ships no longer have, is a wrap-around deck for walking. We only got to use that one the 2 at-sea days, but it is really nice. That deck also has deck chairs for lounging, which we did afew times.
We liked the "open seating" dining that we opted for. We had a table for 2 twice, and "sharing" tables the rest of the time & had great table mates. Fixed seating is nice, if the mix is good & most of the time, we've had good luck, but there have been some that haven't been so great. We ended up missing three of the shows in the main theater since we were having such great conversations. One other nice thing about open seating is that you don't feel like you have to leave the table so that the waiter can clean the table for the second seating.
Our favorite entertainment venue was the Adagio Strings, a classical quartet, two men & two women who were wonderful. They played in a fairly small lounge, but one night they were in a larger theater doing Vivaldi's 4 Seasons concerto and it was fantastic. They had a great comedian/magician who was amazing, and we also saw one of the singer/dancer shows.
Our first port was Dubrovnik, Croatia. We took a tour that included a performance by an ethnic singing/dancing group at an outdoor theater. They were great, but all I could think of was how hot they must be. It was very hot/humid in the outdoor theater & at least we were in the shade. They were in long pants or skirts and long sleeved blouses/shirts. From there, we walked through the city's "Old Town," with its fortified walls, churches, monasteries & shopping areas. People on the tour had an option to be dropped off there to shop, after visiting the beach area, but we opted to return to the ship...just too hot!! From the Old Town, we went to a seaside resort area and relaxed by the beach area in the shade. It was beautiful! That afternoon, we went to the pool and it was nice, though a little crowded. The Noordam did have an "adults only" pool at the aft end of the ship, which was nice.
On the 9th, we were in Corfu, Greece, and we took a tour of the "Palaces of Corfu," two residences with a lot of history. The places were beautiful and it was interesting to hear about the area.
The next day, we docked in Katakolon, Greece, where we took a bus tour out to the sie of the original Olympics and the Olympic village. It is fascinating to see all the excavations that have been discovered and restored. It was a huge area, and the guide was very good at explaining everything. I'm not a huge Olympics fan, but the history is fascinating.
Saturday's port was Santorini, Greece, the one that we'd been waiting for. We visited Oia, a town way up on a hilltop and looks like the setting for the movie, "Mamma Mia." the views were breathtaking! This is the place where the artwork/photos must be taken for travel brochures for the Greek Isles...beautiful whitewashed houses & churches, with ocean blue roofs. They also had a lot of nice shops.
We visited a winery on Santorini and sampled three wines, yes at 9 AM...and they were all delicious. Better than the wine was the fantastic view from their patio. The ship looked gorgeous in the harbor. That was the only port that we had to tender to shore.
On Sunday, we were in Kusadasi, Turkey, where we took a tour to Ephesus. The restored ruins there were even more amazing than the ones at Olympus. This was our only afternoon tour, leaving at 12:30 PM. I was concerned at first that the heat might be worse, but it was fine, and there was a lot of shade. It was nice to sleep later, since our other tours before & after were EARLY, assembling in the show lounge before 8 AM...no sleeping in for those!
Following the tour, we were taken to a shop for a "rug demonstration." It was fascinating to watch the worker weave a rug, and lovely to watch the workers lay out the gorgeous rugs of various sizes, but then they put on a pretty agressive sales pitch that wasn't at all enjoyable. We had thought some of the designs were lovely, and might have bought a smaller size rug, even just to display on a wall, but the overwhelming aggressiveness of the salesman was a huge turnoff, so we just left. We walked through the shopping bazaar outside of the port area and found that ALL the sales people in that town in Turkey were super aggressive. I might have looked at some of the cloth purses that looked nice, but I didn't want anyone hanging over me trying to make a sale. It was a relief to get back to the ship, but we did enjoy the trip to Ephesus.
The next day, we toured Corinth and it was kind of an anti-climax, since the excavated ruins there are nowhere as impressive as Ephesus and Olympus, but it was interesting and they had a very nice, informative museum.
Our last at sea day was spent mostly on our balcony in the afternoon after walking on deck in the morning. It was another day when we really appreciated being able to sleep in. We had taken advantage of an upgrade offer from HAL to go from a Verandah cabin, to a Superior Suite. It was great having a much larger cabin & especially the extra room on the balcony. We had wicker furniture with comfortable cushions, not just plastic chairs as we've had on other lines.
Our last port was Messina, Italy where we had booked a tour called "In the Steps of the Godfather." We had liked that one, not so much since it went to the villages where the movie(s) were filmed, but because the villages sounded interesting. They were, indeed, very interesting. Both were at the top of the mountainous island of Sicily, and on the trip up to the second village, we had a fantastic view of a beach resort.
We docked back at Civitiveccia on Thursday, and took a bus to Rome and our hotel, where we spent two additional nights before flying home.
I can definitely recommend both the Noordam, and this itinerary. We spoke with several people who were doing back to back cruises on the Noordam's other itinerary to the Western Mediterranean, making it a 20 night cruise. The Noordam staff was wonderful, no complaints at all.
In September 2011 my wife and I boarded the Holland America ship Noordam for a 10 day cruise to Greece. This was our 19th cruise but our first on a Holland America ship. We had been upgraded to a suite and were happy about the spacious accommodations. In fact, on the first day we were talking about becoming regular Holland America cruisers.
On either the second or third day, we began to notice the smell of sewage in our room and in the passageway outside our room. It seemed to get worse as time went on. I began to make sure that the bathroom door was closed at all times thinking that the smell was coming from there. It did not help and I became nauseous from the smell. I called the room steward and he said the smell was coming from the AC unit and he would notify engineering. Engineering came and said that they would notify housekeeping.
The oder seemed to go away for a day and then came back as bad as ever. Once again, I called to complain. Some people came to investigate but I got norelief from the problem. I was only able to tolerate being in the room by using a chair to hold the door open to the veranda. On the last day, before we docked, the odor went away.
We took a land tour and sat at a table with another couple that were on our ship. We all said we were having a nice time on the cruise until I said that I had only one problem: "the smell in our room." With that, the man went into a rant about how awful the smell was in his room and that he would never go on another Holland America cruse. I asked if he had complained and he said no. I told him that I had and it did no good.
I know that there is a tendency to blame the cruise staff for these problems and I want to say that I place no blame on any of the crew. In fact, at all times, they were friendly, courteous and respectful. Clearly, the blame for our terrible experience rests on top management for allowing such conditions to continue.
A mediocre experience.
This was our 3rd cruise with Holland America; the entire experience did not measure up to our previous cruises.
Definitely, there were very good things: attention for safety and infection control was outstanding. Every single corner of the ship was sparkling clean. The decorations on the ship were of the best of taste (the Florentine mosaic table in the library, the valuable pieces of Dutch art, or Turkish carpets, the old books, etc) The suites were great: lots of storage, and a large veranda, on deck 6. We were able to get in the very moment we were on board The cabin and dining room stewards were indeed very professional. Room service worked well The good habit of HAL to welcome back the tourists after their shore excursion with cold towels, lemonade or cold water was a very nice touch; we noticed that other ships in the port (from Cunard, or Royal Caribbean) did not do that for their passengers.
Unfortunately, the list of "not so great", even negative things , is longer. Embarkation was less smooth than accustomed to. It was a very hot day of August, and everybodywould have appreciated some complimentary cold water or lemonade. Food in "Lido" was mediocre. For infection control purposes, food was handled by the personnel; they were not always in the best mood. There are no more plastic trays, that makes difficult to carry the food to the table. The personnel was less eager than we were used to to help the older/disabled passengers. Food in main dining room looked very nice; main course though was too salty, most of the time. The shore excursions were expensive. We were a party of 5 (15- 68 yr); we planned our own land trips, at a fraction of cost. There were much less fresh flowers arrangements that we were used to. The entertainment was probably the lowest point of the cruise. The string trio in the Explorer lounge was sub mediocre. Most shows in the Vista lounge were mediocre one man shows, the dancers and singers were OK, but the quality of productions was almost embarrassing, obviously done on a very low budget. "Very low budget", or, in better words "much lower budget than before" is the general note on board of Noordam in 2011.
This was a first time cruise for my wife and I starting off from Ft. Lauderdale for a 10 day cruise. Stops included Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas, St. Thomas USVI, Dominica, Curacao, and Aruba.
Dominica was the port that we liked the most. We took the Rain Forest Tram tour, and it was a really fun time and the tour guides were very friendly and made sure everybody had a good time. All of the stops were great with clear blue waters. Snorkeling was very good at Half Moon Cay and Aruba.
When we first pulled up in the Ramada Inn bus, the lines for embarkation looked long and disorganized. But as soon as we were handed over to the staff of Holland America, things changed very quickly. There were many red jacketed people there to help and point us in the right direction. Within 20 minutes we were welcomed onboard the ship. The entertainment had already started with a band playing and a crew wanting to serve.
At 1:30 pm the announcement came that cabins were ready, so we made our way to our cabin on the UpperPromenade deck. The cabin was larger than expected with the balcony on this deck being about 2 feet wider than on the others to help cover the open deck below, but it is a great benefit for those on deck 4. The cabin was just as described, which is not always the case for rooms. The bed had a pillow top mattress and top quality bedding.
Dining on the Noordam has many options. We ate in the Lido dining room most of the time. The food is the exact same menu as in the Vista dining room, but you are able to see the dishes before ordering. We did dine in the Vista a couple of times, but preferred the Lido.
The staff were so friendly and helpful. The Pinnacle Grill was as nice as any five-star restaurant on land.
The entertainment was very good. The cast of the ms Noordam, which is a 14 member cast of singers and dancers, were really good. Many of the HAL ships do not get very good reviews, but that is not the case with this cast on the Noordam. With featured male and female singers, along with a male and female lead singer, dancers backed them up with 4 each of male and female dancers, they perform some very good shows. The guest performers were also of top quality. As for music, Caren and the HALcats were everywhere from poolside to lounges, and they sounded good no matter where they played. Dave the piano man put on a fun show every night. There was some type of music or show every night for everybody's taste, from a string quartet to piano players, to disco.
One of my favorite things to do each day was that the Exploration Café personnel would give a 30 minute talk about each stop, or a history of the area in general. Some of the talks included Rum Runners, The Real Pirates of the Caribbean, and Under the Keel. These were very informative and interesting even to those not that interested in history.
Holland America's silent disembarkation works very well. You are given a time slot and they leave it up to you to be there. No calling out of group numbers or colors every few minutes; just a smooth fast-moving line all the way to the airport bus.
Friday, January 2 Picked up at 7:00am for 9:30 flight to Ft. Lauderdale. It was snowing and 30 degrees. Arrived 12:30 in 80 degree weather. Stayed at a Marriott, which takes its customers to their ships for free.
Saturday, January 3 Arrived at the ship, Holland America's USS Noordam, about two years old. Dark Blue hull with white superstructure. One of the first on board, we went immediately to the spa to make various appointments. I'm not a spa person, so I passed. Arrived at rooms about 2:30. Before the market crash, I, as usual, was feeling flush, so I got a suite for us and an outside balcony for the kids. The suite was at least twice the size of a normal stateroom, came with a private lounge for suite holders, a Captain's welcoming cocktail party, free laundry service, and other meaningless BS. But I loved the size of the room. Ship left the dock shortly after 5:00pm. The dining room has two fixed hour dinner seatings and a dining when you want to seating. We took the second. The room was three floors, with fixed dining on the first andthird. The third floor was crowned by murano glass-like flowers that were actually made of some kind of plastic, but looked authentic. Attended the captain's cocktail party. Melanie wore a Maori hook necklace (looks kind of like a reverse "s") on a rope around her neck. I had been trying to identify the captain's accent and asked him where he was from. I guessed Australia, but he was from New Zealand and immediately noticed Mel's necklace. That got them off talking, and Mel identified herself as a rugby player and a New Zealand All Blacks fan. The two bonded immediately!
Sunday & Monday, January 4 & 5 Two days at sea. The first evening was a formal night, Phil and I in tuxes. We ran into our biggest controversy of the cruise, the fact that one had to be 21 to drink. Of course Phil had expected to be able to drink once we entered international waters, but that wasn't the case. That night, our table service was very good, and we had a lot of fun kibitzing with the crew. They suggested we come back the next night, so I went to the private concierge for suite holders who reserved the same table for the rest of the cruise. It became the only place where Phil could get a drink with no hassle. As an aside, their dessert menu always had a "shooter" of the day. So, of course, most nights, Dad and the kids enjoyed an after dinner zowie!
Tuesday, January 6 Arrived in St. Thomas, USVI. Holland America and other premium cruise lines use the new Crown Bay dock, leaving the old one to Carnival and its ilk, much to the consternation of the souvenir sellers at the old one. We were picked up by a very nice older driver, who took us to Coki Beach, a snorkeling venue, and an aquarium. On the way, we learned that there were a total of nine cruise ships there, adding some 20,000 visitors to the island. The beach was a sea of humanity, but the water was 78 degrees. Snorkeling was OK, including the sighting of an octopus, but the crowds made it impossible to relax. On the return, we HAD to stop at McDonalds so that Phil could get his fix.
Wednesday, January 7 Dominica, with the accent on the "ni." The kids did a zip line adventure, while mom and dad tubed down a river. We had guides, but I still went ass over applecart through one of the rapids. Upon return, we all went to the local hotel for some local beer, Kuhbuli. When I went into the bar to order, I noticed that the TV, instead of carrying CNN, was carrying Al Jazeera. The island is mostly rain forest. No beaches, little snorkeling and no resorts -- probably the only one of its kind in the Caribbean.
Thursday, January 8 Granada, with long second "a." I was immediately corrected by our guide in pronouncing the island. I assumed ahh. Anyway, Melanie and I had our own excursion, a climb to see the seven sisters, a series of waterfalls in the highlands of the island. It was quite a workout. The guide/driver talked about a 72 year old man who had recently made the hike; I waited until I had actually made it before telling him my age. Mud steps were carved into the sides of the hills, mostly going up. If you saw Lord of the Rings, I felt like Frodo, climbing the Mountain of Doom. I stopped several times to catch my breath and rest, but we made it to the first two waterfalls -- a great view, lovely pools, etc. Mel swam in one of them, freezing her ass off. It was there that we learned the other falls were accessible only to those who were willing to ascend on all fours and return the same way, who were dressed properly to resist the cutting of the saw grass, or who were willing to dive from pool to pool back down to where we were now standing. I took a pass, as did Melanie. We then had to return, and it seemed as if I were still going uphill instead of down. But, at the end of the hike, Melanie was quite proud of my being able to do it with her, and I got TWO bottles of the local beer, Carib.
Friday, January 9 Martinique -- well, of course, our favorite island. But no excursion. Not enough time. Besides I had to track down my favorite Martiniquan rums!!! and Mel had to have a typical Parisian lunch of bread and cheese.
Saturday, January 10 St Maarten/St.Marten, half French, half Dutch. Docked on the Dutch side. I had arranged for a car and driver for half a day. We were met by a young man, with no personality, who knew little about the island, except for where the tax building, police stations, and school buildings were. He also turned out to be a Muslim, as he reminded us too often that he didn't drink. Anyway, we ended up on the French side for a quick lunch, and returned to the Dutch side for some shopping. Not me! Phil and I found a local bar and had a couple of beers. The interesting thing about this island is that from it you can ferry to Anguilla, British, and to St. Barts, French.
Sunday, January 11 At Sea. Finished reading my second book and started the one that I held for last, Jon LeCarre's new one. Last Formal night of three. By this time, Phil had become one of the finalists on the Ship's karaoke competition, had developed a reputation for being a wild and out of control, though charming, dancer, and hung out with the only two or three females that were his age. Also by this time, Melanie had made friends with the young spa ladies, and they partied into the night the last few evenings.
Monday, January 12 Holland America, like many cruise lines, has its own private island, this one called Half Moon Cay, but it's a part of a larger, empty island in the Bahamas. They have a beautiful beach, a place for kids, and some shelter from the sun, a barbeque, and some water toys. There are also "cabins" available that come with a butler, so that you don't have to go to the barbeque house and mingle with the commoners. Interestingly enough, even though they are all open ended, they also have an air conditioning unit. Phil managed to befriend the only girls whose parents rented one. There are only 15 or so spread around the beach. I opted for renting a sunfish sailboat, and setting off for parts unknown. Of course, since it's only 10 ft. long, I could see all of the unknown parts. In the course of turning a sailboat, one has two options: turn with the wind in front of you, or behind you -- the safer being the first of the two. As I turned into the wind and came about, I forgot to let go of the line attached to the sail. A gust of wind turned the boat over, so for the second time in a week, I got dunked. I was taught how to right the ship, so to speak, though I was quite unsuccessful in doing so. Anyway, I determined to get back on the horse, and sailed around the bay for another 15 or 20 minutes before calling it a day. Left with a sunburn and a bruised ego.
Tuesday, January 13 Ft. Lauderdale. Saw both the Queen Mary and the Queen Victoria docked ahead of us, as well as the ship known as The World, a condominium ship that takes its owners literally all over the world. We exited the ship, and took our last excursion to an Everglades venue for an airboat ride to find alligators. Unfortunately, there was no sun, so the buggers were hiding. Though, we were fortunate enough to see 2 before a second airboat came roaring by.
My wife and I were on our 16th cruise sailing from Ft. Lauderdale on Thanksgiving Day for 10 days visiting St. Lucia, Tortola, Barbados, St Kitts, Martinique and Half Moon Cay. This was our second trip on Holland America and we are both 45 years old. This review will be detailed for those that want specific information.
We stayed at the Marriott Harbor Beach Resort and Spa prior to the cruise. They have a restaurant called 3030 which is one of the top places to eat in Ft. Lauderdale. We had a fantastic meal at 3030 which was one of the highlights of the trip. My wife also used the Marriott spa for her seaweed wrap. The cost is cheaper than you will pay on the Noordam and includes a message jet bath which the ship doesn't. I set this up in advance and my wife loved it. The Marriott has a private beach and a tropical pool which were both excellent. A great start to a vacation.
Ports We really enjoyed all the ports and particularly enjoyed the "Boat Yard" beach in Barbados and Cane Garden in Tortola. The Boat Yardis $4 per person by cab and provides a free ride back to the ship. Entrance cost is $15 per person and includes chairs, umbrella, choice of free drink and unlimited use of non motorized beach items. In Tortola we got off the boat and found a 30 person taxi waiting. He was charging $6 per person for Cane Garden Bay Beach. We spent 5 ½ hours at Cane Garden and found plenty of taxis for the return trip ($6) back to the ship. Chairs are $5 per person and several friendly vendors will set you up right on the beach (umbrellas were $10). The beach has plenty of shade if you don't want to pay for an umbrella. We had lunch at Sharkys on the beach which had a great lobster salad and cold beer.
Embarkation We arrived at the pier about 1:30 pm at the same time as a few buses from the airport. We found a line out the front door and thought we were in for a long wait. This was because the metal detector and x-ray machine are at the entrance which actually worked better. The line moved fairly quickly and the only snag was with the medical questionnaire. The lady who handled it was rude, didn't give instructions until you were at the point where you needed to have it filled out and just a pain in general. Not a big deal and we quickly filled it out while in line before getting to the check-in counter. Note: even when filling out everything on line "before" hand, you still have to have the immigration form in your cruise documents signed. They then write completed on a line across the top. The whole check in took about 30 minutes and because it was after 1pm we were able to go directly to our cabin and drop off carry on bags.
Crew I will say that we have seen several different types of crew members over the years. We have had crew members who do what is required only and those who go above and beyond especially with automatic tipping. The Noordam Cabin Stewards, Waiters, Assistant Waiters, pool and cleaning staff are all from Indonesia. Your bar staff is from the Philippines and your officers are mostly Dutch. All crew members are highly trained and it shows. We never heard the word "NO" and heard "Yes" to all requests. I had very high praises on the comment card and to some supervision about this very hard working crew. They smile all the time and will accommodate special request with a smile. Just ask if you want something and give them a little notice in the dining room and it's done. Service really makes HAL and out of 1900 passengers on board, 1300 were repeat customers. Many people have had comments about extra tipping, the extra cash given to an employee stays with that employee. The automatic tipping is pooled and distributed based on a formula. I was told that as long as you left the "service charge" as they call it alone, the crew kept the extra cash given.
Cabin We booked a "guarantee" inside and were upgraded to a large inside. The cabin had 3 separate closets, tie holder mounted to the door, shoe shine basket (for free shoe shine) a safe, plus plenty of space, once you placed the life jackets under the bed. Note there are two drawers under the end of the bed that pull out. You can easily place suitcases and life jackets under the bed to allow for more cabin space. The cabin has a hidden dirty laundry hamper located in the chair under the vanity/desk. You pull the seat top off the chair and place dirty laundry in it. It seals up and the chair slides right back under the vanity/desk. You also have a full mini bar located to the right of the vanity with the same pricing as the other ship bars. On the left of the vanity/desk a hidden compartment has a hair dryer and extra glasses for wine or champagne (a bottle opener and cork screw are provided with your ice bucket). The hair dry only plugs into the vanity and can't be used in the bathroom. Two HAL robes are provided and are a nice touch and so are the full size bath towels. HAL uses Elemis spa shampoo, body wash, conditioner, lotion and soap (replaced daily). They don't use those stupid wall mounted soap and shampoo dispensers. Beds were fantastic and the room was keep spotless.
Pool and Deck Space Plenty of deck chairs padded and non-padded. Chairs were always available at both pools and plenty of chairs were available in the shade. No signing out towels with a limit (like RCI -- so stupid) you just help yourself. This includes towels when going ashore which are not signed out with a threat of being charged if you don't return them. Other lines need to take note here, we are adults and don't need to sign out a towel. HAL gets points for having towel stations all over the ship. You don't have to go down to the pool to get towels from the upper decks (like RCI). They also have towels at the hot tubs and on the Promenade deck #5. The pool and decks are clean and trash is removed quickly to avoid stuff blowing all over (NCL is famous for this one). I was very pleased with the efficient deck staff and their willingness to get water or tea for seniors.
General Areas Spotless and public bathrooms have cloth hand towels which keep the restrooms clean. No paper towels anywhere and plenty of hand sanitizers. Bars and common areas have comfortable seating, the recliners are located in the observation lounge, great leather seating in Library/Coffee bar. In the stairwells between decks is some very nice art work of the different HAL ships through the years. Outside the shops on deck #3 is a touch screen interactive map showing ship location and other information about the ship.
Food This one is subjective but this is my opinion. The Noordam Lido has the same concept as you see on Costa and Carnival with the newer ships. The use of food stations which include a sandwich bar, pasta and pizza, salad, dessert and ice cream, Asian and sushi station and a hot food station. They have the stations located on both sides of the ship when in full service. They also have a taco, fajita, hamburger and hot dog station by the pool. What is different here is the execution. You are served most of your food and several things are cooked at the food station limiting people handling items and keeping food fresh. All plates are served covered to keep food hot until you return to your table. In the mornings most stations cook eggs, make toast and have basics along with the specialty items. This keeps lines down because you have multiple egg stations going at the same time. They have three special breakfast items daily plus all the basics. They have a great waffle station and an eggs benedict station which had some nice combinations. During the day, tea and water are served table side so you don't have to get up for a refill. Juices are available from 6am to 6pm at the ice cream station (just ask the attendant). Free fresh squeezed orange juice is available in the morning which is not the case on most lines. I found limited lines and the Lido staff assists with carrying trays and keep lines moving. This concept is less of a buffet and I found the food quality to be very good. Plus not as much food sits out and people handling items is kept to a minimum.
The dining room food was on a 20 day menu cycle which gives better variety on longer trips. The lobster was excellent because we asked in advance for it to be steamed, not broiled. The prime rib and all steaks were very good. The Coho salmon was good and the Noordam uses large shrimp, not the mini shrimp used by other lines. All the deserts were lighter (less sugar) than I have seen on other ships. The sugar free items were pretty good and the ice cream selection was nice. Fresh fruits were top notch! We did assigned second seating and had a table for two (plenty of them) and had fantastic service. I didn't notice any major waits for the "as you wish dining" but didn't use it. We also skipped the specialty restaurant Pinnacle Grill which I never saw even close to full. Overall food was very good.
Spa/Gym/Pools The gym was very nice, good sized with most of the standard equipment, classes and a great view. A nice touch is the cold towels available in the refrigerator after your work out. The Spa is very nice and the girls are very friendly. We only used the hydro pool and the relaxation room (a hidden gem with a great view and chairs that will make you fall asleep). The sauna and locker rooms are complementary and so is the gym. The hydro pool can be purchased with packages or just used at a rate of $20 a day. That includes use of the robes, slippers, showers and changing area. We chose the day pass and it was nice, but, I would not get the whole week. Pools are not sea water and the main pool (top) was closed and opened according to weather conditions. The whirlpool closest to the spa has foot jets and seats that fit the body.
Entertainment The Vegas acts were very good and vary from cruise to cruise. We had a comedian, classical pianist who did magic and a juggler. The dancers had nice sets and a great theater and several production shows. Two male dancers destroyed some classic songs and several of the female dancers were a bit chunky (which was something I had seen in other reviews and made me laugh). Overall it was fine and we went to most shows. The crew also has a show which is popular.
Overall this is a great ship and I found numerous people under 40 who were trying cruising for the first time. It is true that most of the ship is over the age of 55, but I found the older group to be fun, interesting and respectful. So this ship is a winner for all ages.


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What is an update or a check?Every time you click on the update button at the top right of a player profile, we request the player's data from EA. If this data is different than what we have, we proceed with an update of the player otherwise we just save the date of this check.
When is a check made?If the last check of a player is older than 12 hours and you visit the player's profile, we do automatically trigger the update button. Otherwise you need to click the update button manually.
Another possibility could be: an app requests a player update via our API.


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The obligor (the person who is required to pay child support) must continue to make all payments as ordered by the Court, until the court order is changed or dismissed.
To have a court order changed or dismissed, a parent or guardian must file a written request with the Family Court.
You must report a change in address, employment or your health insurance provider within 10 days of the change to the Probation Division. Failure to comply will violate the order.
Payments must be made through the New Jersey Family Support Payment Center, unless the court order says to pay someone else. The obligor may not receive credit for payments made directly to the child(ren) or obligee (the person receiving child support) unless approved by the court.
A direct deposit program is available for payments. Direct Deposit means that the support payments individuals currently receive by check may be deposited directly into their bank accounts. Direct Deposit makes support payments faster, easier and safer.
Any missed child support payment is a lien against the responsible parent's real or personal property and may affect his or her ability to obtain credit or sell real estate.
The order may provide for a cost-of-living adjustment. If the order contains a cost-of-living adjustment provision, you will receive a reminder that the adjustment will be applied to your order about two years after the order has been issued. If your order does not contain a cost-of-living adjustment, your order will be reviewed once every three years.
If you fail to comply with the provisions of a court order, you may be sent to jail, have your driver's license revoked and/or have other enforcement actions taken against you.
Specific information about your case, such as last payment and balance of account, is available by calling 1-877-NJKIDS1 or clicking here.


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Italy Escorted Tours
The leaning tower. The Venetian canals. The churches of Rome. With a Globus Italy vacation, you will go beyond these must-see sights to experience the real Italy. We weave together personal insights and unique cultural experiences to create a most enriching Italy vacation for you to enjoy.


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While SEC-MALS with a DAWN® or miniDAWN® is the primary means of characterizing soluble protein aggregates, FFF-MALS, CG-MALS and DLS are valuable orthogonal techniques to meet FDA requirements.
SEC or FFF plus triple detection UV-MALS-RI and ASTRA® software determine the molar mass of protein and modifier in conjugated biotherapeutics such as antibody-drug conjugates or PEGylated proteins.
The DynaPro® Plate Reader performs high-throughput screening of excipients and buffers for optimal formulation in situ in standard microwell plates, detecting aggregation as well as conformational and colloidal stability indicators.
CG-MALS combines a Calypso® and DAWN or miniDAWN to characterize the affinity and absolute molecular stoichiometry of drug-target binding, without labeling or immobilization. It also analyzes self-association at low, moderate and high concentrations.


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Ariana Grande Shares Unreleased Song 'Boyfriend Material' [LISTEN]
It's a good day to be an Ariana Grande fan! She surprised her Arianators by dropping 'Boyfriend Material,' an unreleased track that some fans have been waiting years to hear.
The love song was scrapped from the singer's debut album 'Yours Truly,' to the disappointment of many fans. It's been a long wait since then, but the 20-year-old is rewarding everyone's patience.
The 'Problem' singer posted a link to 'Boyfriend Material' on her Twitter, with the sweet message, "A little surprise for my loves as a thank you for all of your constant love, support and dedication. i know how much y'all love this song and how disappointed you were when it didn't make it on my first album so i knew i had to get it to you somehow someday."
Put away those scratchy demo versions, Arianators, because Ariana has shared the real thing. The pop star's powerhouse voice can be appreciated in all its glory as she belts out, "Boy, at night when I close my eyes, I can see you / My perfect type / I never really thought my dreams would come true / Until I lad eyes on you / Can't you know you are / Boyfriend material."
Ariana is clearly appreciative of her fans! She continued in her message, "This song means a lot to me and holds such a special place in my heart as it was one of the first songs i did when i started working on 'yours truly' when i was like 17 ….. don't worry… you'll get more of these oldies too as time goes on! I'm working on it for you. love you all so much. you are everything. love you."


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Rea was one of Harvard's leaders in 2012 (photo Justine Agaloos).
USA Field Hockey's Release
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard field hockey's Caitlin Rea has been selected to participate in the 2013 Womens' National Championship in Norfolk, Va., May 23-29, USA Field Hockey announced. Rea will play for the New England/North squad against other regional teams for a chance to be crowned national champions.
Overall, 108 athletes were selected to compete in the tournament, which serves as a tryout for the U.S. Women's National Team and a development squad. Team USA will select 24 players for its roster after the week-long competition.
Rea, a rising junior, was named Harvard's Most Outstanding Field Hockey Player after the 2012 season. She was one of two All-Ivy League selections on the Crimson and contributed a goal and four assists from her midfield position. The neurobiology concentrator originally hails from Manchester, England.
Coached by Denise Zelenak, Head Coach, Drexel University
Lindsay McArdle (Upper Darby, Pa.), Danielle Grassi (Brookeville, Md.), Amanda Fleischut (Doylestown, Pa.), Jordan Page (Denver, Pa.), Ali McEvoy (Gilbertsville, Pa.), Kathleen Sharkey (Moosic, Pa.), Stefanie Fee (Virginia Beach, Va.), Meghan Dawson (Berlin, N.J.), Rayell Heistand (Hamburg, Pa.), Paula Heimbach (Palm, Pa.), Rachel Sumfest (Lewisburg, Pa.), Jessica Javelet (Philadelphia, Pa.), Rachel Dawson (Berlin, N.J.), Genna Kovar (Hampton Bays, N.Y.), Katie O'Donnell (Blue Bell, Pa.), Kelly Driscoll (West Chester, Pa.), Anna Zarkoski (Trooper, Pa.)
Coached by Steve Jennings, Head Coach, American University
Emma Bozek (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.), Maxine Fluharty (Millsboro, Del.), Marie Elena Bolles (Phoenixville, Pa.), Aileen Johnson (Oceanport, N.J.), Laura Gebhart (Mount Joy, Pa.), Alyssa Chillano (Phoenixville, Pa.), Kelsey Smither (Suffolk, Va.), Lisa McCarthy (Evanston, Ill.), Emily Wold (Freehold, N.J.), Katie Gerzabek (Springfield, Pa.), Nikki Parsley (Evanston, Ill.), Teresa Benvenuti (Morristown, N.J.), Heather Morris (Pottstown, Pa.), Georgia Holland (Stony Brook, N.Y.), Ashley Hoffman (Mohnton, Pa.), Anna Dessoye (Mountaintop, Pa.), Lauren Blazing (Chapel Hill, N.C.), Maddy Carpenter (Wilbraham, Mass.), Tara Vittese (Cherry Hill, N.J.)
Coached by Grant Fulton, Associate Head Coach, University of North Carolina
Casey DiNardo (Virginia Beach, Va.), Abby Frey (Lehighton, Pa.), Michelle Kasold (Chapel Hill, N.C.), Jill Witmer (Washington Boro, Pa.), Michelle Vittese (Cherry Hill, N.J.), Caitlin Van Sickle (Wilmington, Del.), Katelyn Falgowski (Landenberg, Pa.), Paige Selenski (Shavertown, Pa.), Taylor West (Princess Anne, Md.), Loren Shealy (Chapel Hill, N.C.), Alyssa Parker (Woodbine, Md.), Katelyn Smither (Suffolk, Va.), Julie Hodge (Downingtown, Pa.), Carissa Vittese (Cherry Hill, N.J.), Grace Christus (Bernardsville, N.J.), Natalie Hunter (Palermo, NJ)
Coached by Shellie Onstead, Head Coach, University of California
Anna Simmons (Worthington, Ohio), Natalie Cafone (Fairfield, N.J.), Audra Heilman (Easton, Pa.), Nicole Wallstedt (San Diego, Cali.), Lauren Crandall (Doylestown, Pa.), Kelsey Harbin (Escondido, Cali.), Kelsey Kolojejchick (Larksville, Pa.), Ainsley McCallister (Ann Arbor, Mich.), Hannah Theiman (St. Louis, Mo.), Carolyn Cabrey (North Wales, Pa.), Abby Barker (Columbus, Ohio), Charlotte Martin (St. Louis, Mo.), Dani Hemeon (Gilroy, Cali.), Torrie Albini (Escondido, Cali.), Meghan Beamesderfer (Iowa City, Iowa), Allison Swartz (San Diego, Cali.), Alesha Widdall (Whitney Point, N.Y.), Kathleen McGraw (Iowa City, Iowa)
New Jersey
Coached by Kristen Holmes-Winn, Head Coach, Princeton University
Amber Youtz (Dauphin, Pa.), Katherine Ferrara (Spring City, Pa.), Hannah Barreca (Oceanport, N.J.), Katie Reinprecht (Perkasie, Pa.), Jamie Montgomery (Lewisburg, Pa.), Sydney Kirby (Cleveland Heights, Ohio), Julie Reinprecht (Perkasie, Pa.), Michelle Cesan (New Vernon, N.J.), Lisa Patrone (Sewell, N.J.), Jennifer Stone (Easton, Pa.), Allison Evans (Macungie, Pa.), Kelsey Bryne (Wayne, Pa.), Rebecca Stiles (Medford, N.J.), Meredith Long (Ocean City, N.J.), Wesley Drew (Highland Park, N.J.), Caroline Nichols (New York, N.Y.), Melissa Vassalotti (Arlington, Va.), Cassidy Arner (Red Hill, Pa.)
New England/North
Coached by Carla Tagliente, Head Coach, University of Massachusetts
Isabella Delario (Rehoboth Beach, Del.), Abby Beltrani (East Setauket, N.Y.), Kim Young (Sidney, N.Y.), Chrissy Davidson (Reading, Pa.), Melissa Gonzalez (Mohegan Lake, N.Y.), Kellie Joyce (South Pomfret, Vt.), Alexa Sikalis (Acton, Mass.), Caitlin Rea (Cambridge, Mass.), Lauren Pfeiffer (Mt. Laurel, N.J.), Abby Bascetta (Granby, Conn.), Shannon Taylor (Midlothian, Va.), Hannah Price (Amherst, Mass.), Rhian Jones (Boston, Mass.), Jackie Kelleher (Walpole, Mass.), Melyssa Woods (Durham, N.H.), Meg Bozek (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.), Jackie Kintzer (Robesonia, Pa.), Samantha Carlino (Kennett Square, Pa.)


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When you export your data to an XML file using the previously described method, any dates you have in the table will be converted to UTC time. This means your date will look something like this:
For those of us with OCD that need things "just so", this is unacceptable. I went about trying to convert this several ways, but was unable to manage it. Below you will find the solution i used which finally did the trick. As always, you will find my specs below as well:
Visual Studio 2010
.NET Framework 4.0
VB.NET (I can translate to C# if necessary, but I would suggest you familiarize yourself with both languages)
I am not going to show the supporting application, as that information is unnecessary to show the functionality of the methods used here. Additionally, there are many versions of similar code out there. This one has been tweaked to fit my specific needs of exporting for use with Excel.
All necessary code is held my method "CreateExcelFile", although there are some checks you should perform prior to using the method (like checking to see if the file already exists).
Private Sub CreateExcelFile(ByVal dt As DataTable, ByVal savepath As String) 'You could always pass a dataset in here instead of a datatable, but I rarely use the DataSet object. 'make sure you name your table as well. I did mine before it was passed here. Dim ds As DataSet = New DataSet("MyDataSet") Dim elementName As String = String.Empty Dim xtr As XmlTextReader Dim fs As System.IO.FileStream = New System.IO.FileStream(savepath, IO.FileMode.Create) Dim xtw As System.Xml.XmlTextWriter = New XmlTextWriter(fs, System.Text.Encoding.Unicode) Try ds.Tables.Add(dt) xtr = New XmlTextReader(ds.GetXml(), XmlNodeType.Element, Nothing) xtr.Normalization = True xtw.Indentation = 5 xtw.WriteProcessingInstruction("xml", "version='1.0'") xtw.WriteProcessingInstruction("mso-application", "progid='Excel.Sheet'") ' Parse & display each node While xtr.Read() Select Case xtr.NodeType Case XmlNodeType.Element xtw.WriteStartElement(xtr.Name) elementName = xtr.Name Case XmlNodeType.Text If elementName = "MyUnformattedDate" Then 'this needs to be the name of the field, with a date, that you want to format xtw.WriteString(CDate(xtr.Value).ToString("ddMMMyyyy hh:mm:ss")) Else xtw.WriteString(xtr.Value) End If Case XmlNodeType.EndElement xtw.WriteEndElement() End Select End While Catch ex As Exception 'your exception handling code here End Try xtw.Close() End Sub
Unlike my previous blog, this tutorial requires that your datatable be part of a dataset (or you could change the parameter to accept a DataSet object). The reason we need this dataset is because it gives us access to the method GetXml(), which provides the XmlTextReader with the necessary XML code to read through. Instead of just writing the entire XML code to the XmlTextWriter all at once, like in my blog, this time we are going to write it to the XmlTextWriter line by line. The reason we have to do this is because we have to change the format of one specific field (or many fields if needed) and there is no other available method to do so. Personally, i would have thought that Microsoft would have thought that maybe people wouldn't always want their dates in UTC format, but thats just me.
At any rate, the xtw.WriteStartElement basically writes any node start line (i.e <MyDataSet>, <MyTable>, <MyRecord>), the xtw.WrtiteEndElement method performs the same operation, but on the closing statement for the node (i.e. </MyDataSet>, </MyTable>, </MyRecord>). The third case in the select statement actually reads what is between the start and end of the node. It is where we change the date and time format for our XML. In actuality, we are changing the data type as well, but I haven't had any issue with it in Excel. If it were an issue, you could simply select the column and format the datatype in Excel. Obviously, I am using military time, but any datetime format will work. The last thing needed is to close the XmlTextWriter and voila! Your brand new file is in the place you designated.
The one problem I have with this particular method is when I go to examine the XML as XML. The whole darn thing is on one line...not very readable. I have inserted line breaks to help with it (in my personal code), but I would prefer something a little more elegant. If anyone has any good suggestions, hit me with a comment. Thanks for reading. I hope this helps. Happy coding!


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Feb. 17, 2007
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Bronco women's tennis team broke through for the first win of the season, defeating the Gonzaga Bulldogs 5-2 at the Degheri Tennis Center. The win was also the team's first under head coach Ben Cabell, who took over as interim head coach in September. The Broncos got great performances up and down the lineup at singles, winning four out of the six matches. In doubles, the Broncos featured a new lineup that took two out of three matches to earn the team's first doubles point of the year. SCU improved to 1-2 with the win.
Myra Davoudi, playing her first match at No. 1, won her singles match 6-4, 6-2 while Casey Knutson, Kim Daniel and Stephanie Galainena also earned straight set victories to get the Broncos out to a big lead. Galainena clinched the match with her 6-4, 6-2 win at No. 6 for her first win of the dual match season. Playing at No. 5, Daniel remained unbeaten in 2007 and Knutson, playing at No. 2, won her second straight match.
In doubles, Cabell switched the lineup prior to the match, teaming Davoudi with Daniel at No. 3 and Lindsay McBride with Galainena at No. 2. No. 1 team Erika Barnes and Casey Knutson remained intact. Barnes and Knutson got the Broncos off to a good start by defeating Emily Anderson and Kendall Bates 8-3. On court No. 3, Davoudi and Daniel recovered from an early deficit to pull out a clutch 8-6 win that clinched the doubles point for the Broncos. At No. 2, Galainena and McBride narrowly lost 9-7.
SCU gets right back in action on Sunday, Feb. 18. The Broncos host Saint Mary's in another West Coast Conference duel at 11:00 a.m. PT at the Degheri Tennis Center.
Santa Clara def. Gonzaga 5-2
1. SCU Erika Barnes/Casey Knutson def. GON Emily Anderson/Kendall Bates 8-3
2. GON Sydney Lederhouse/Courtney Lau def. SCU Stephanie Galainena/Lindsay McBride 9-7
3. SCU Kim Daniel/Myra Davoudi def. GON Aglaya Kokurina/Carrie Schofield 8-6
1. SCU Myra Davoudi def. GON Emily Anderson 6-4, 6-2
2. SCU Casey Knutson def. GON Sydney Lederhouse 6-2, 6-0
3. GON Kendall Bates def. SCU Lindsay McBride 6-3, 6-3
4. GON Aglaya Kokurina def. SCU Erika Barnes 4-6, 6-1, 1-0 (10-8)
5. SCU Kim Daniel def. GON Erin Humphrey 6-1, 6-4
6. SCU Stephanie Galainena def. GON Carrie Schofield 6-4, 6-2


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NEW YORK (Reuters) - Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan Chase's (JPM.N) Chief Executive, had his 2012 bonus cut in half after the bank's board decided he should shoulder blame for $6.2 billion of "London Whale" trading losses.
Dimon's bonus cut, which cost him more than $10 million, came even as JPMorgan posted a 53 percent jump in fourth-quarter profit and record 2012 earnings. The fourth-quarter results were helped by increased mortgage lending profits and a decline in bad loan costs. Without these results, Dimon's pay would have been worse.
Dimon's 2012 pay of $11.5 million will fall from being high for the sector to being ordinary. John Stumpf, the CEO of Wells Fargo & Co (WFC.N) made $18.9 million in 2011, while Brian Moynihan, CEO of Bank of America (BAC.N), made $8.1 million. In 2011, Dimon was paid $23 million.
In addition to posting earnings and disclosing Dimon's pay, JPMorgan released two company reports about the losing trades. The positions, known as the "London Whale" trades because they were so large relative to the market, lost a little more money for the bank in the fourth quarter. The reports added more detail to prior disclosures about the trades.
Money managers that own the stock said they were satisfied with the pay cut.
"We've been a long-time believer in linking pay to performance, and we think that linkage was made in this case," said Ricardo Duran, a spokesman for the California State Teachers' Retirement System, which owns JPMorgan shares.
The London Whale reports took attention from what otherwise would have been an upbeat day of financial results for Dimon and the company.
The bank benefited from significant tailwinds during the fourth quarter, including the Federal Reserve's decision in September to buy $40 billion of mortgage bonds a month, which triggered more trading in fixed-income products and lowered mortgage lending rates at some points during the quarter.
Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N), the largest standalone U.S. investment bank, also posted stronger profits on Wednesday, helped by rising asset values.
But JPMorgan also seemed to have outperformed rivals in some areas. Chief Financial Officer Marianne Lake, in her first conference call for analysts, said JPMorgan had gained market share in deposits, for example.
Fourth-quarter net income rose to $5.69 billion, or $1.39 a share, from $3.73 billion, or 90 cents a share, a year earlier. Analysts had estimated, on average, that the company would report $1.16 a share, according to a survey by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
JPMorgan shares closed at $46.82 in New York on Wednesday, up 1 percent for the day.
Despite fourth quarter profit growth, Dimon said the bank plans to reduce its share buybacks in 2013 in a bid to build capital to meet stricter international standards by the end of the year.
When asked if increased regulatory scrutiny spurred by the Whale loss had played a role in the bank's more conservative plan, Dimon said: "Not really."
The report on the Whale loss by the bank's management task force primarily assigns blame to three executives beneath Dimon: Ina Drew, the former chief investment officer; Barry Zubrow, the former risk chief; and Douglas Braunstein, the former chief financial officer.
But Dimon was not without blame either, according to the task force.
"(He) could have better tested his reliance on what he was told," the task force said, while also praising him for responding "forcefully" when he learned of the problem.
While Dimon said on Wednesday that the Whale position was close to being a "non-issue" from a trading standpoint, regulators were still probing what happened.
The financial results included a 51 percent surge in JPMorgan's revenue from mortgage production, excluding losses on repurchases of past loans, to $1.6 billion.
JPMorgan, like Wells Fargo & Co (WFC.N), which is the nation's largest home lender, has benefited from being a middleman in the U.S. Federal Reserve's drive to channel inexpensive money to borrowers to support the housing market and the economy. Revenue from making home loans has eased the squeeze on bank profit margins that has come with low interest rates.
The provision for credit losses plunged 70 percent to $656 million.
"We continued to see favorable credit conditions across our wholesale loan portfolios and strong credit performance in our credit card portfolio," Dimon said in a statement.
On a conference call, Dimon said the first quarter of 2013 is "probably okay" for the mortgage business. As the mortgage refinancing boom runs its course, some worry that lending for new purchases will not rise fast enough to offset the decline.
JPMorgan's stock has more than recovered all of the $26 billion in market value it lost in the first two weeks after the company acknowledged the Whale trade. Dimon said share buybacks were still a good deal at current prices.
The financial results and board action came alongside news showing that the bank has many issues to cleanup from the debacle. Reuters reported exclusively on Wednesday that JPMorgan has reached an out-of-court settlement over its lawsuit in London against Javier Martin-Artajo, a former boss of Whale trader Bruno Iksil. JPMorgan had said in July that it would seek to claw back pay from people responsible for the loss.
Reporting by David Henry and Emily Flitter in New York, Rick Rothacker in Charlotte, North Carolina and Kirstin Ridley in London.; Writing by Ben Berkowitz and Dan Wilchins; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe


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Daniel Wellington represents detail oriented design at its finest.
The heart of the city is home to the best New Zealand designers, international fashion labels, department stores & boutiques. Stroll the laneways through to Britomart, High Street, Queen Street and more when heading into the city centre for all your shopping needs.


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Buy One Get One Free
Paint Samples & Brushes
Lowest Prices of the Year - Paint starting at $21.95/gallaon
Listings of events for categories like: Arts & Entertainment, Business After Hours, Chamber of Commerce, Ribbon Cuttings, Community, Volunteer Opportunities, Educational, Health & Wellness, as well as Fundraisers.
Buy One Get One Free
Paint Samples & Brushes
Lowest Prices of the Year - Paint starting at $21.95/gallaon
The Greenville Area Chamber of Commerce is an association of business people concerned about improving the area in which they do business. We are a not-for-profit organization. Our strength lies in the number and diversity of our membership. Both large and small businesses from virtually every profession are represented and influence the direction of the Chamber's programs. These programs are financed by membership investments.
The more members the Chamber has, the better we can represent the business community. We accomplish collectively what no other business could do alone.
We are not a department of the city, county or state government; a political body, a civic club or professional society; a social service, welfare, or charitable institution; a private advertising, publicity or public agency.
Greenville Area Chamber of Commerce | 182 Main Street, Greenville, PA 16125


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DGS Publications
|Publication Date
|SP28 Digital Elevation Model of Delaware
|Wang, L.T.
|RI80 Investigation of Submarine Groundwater Discharge at Holts Landing State Park, Delaware: Hydrogeologic Framework, Groundwater Level and Salinity Observations
|Andres, A.S., Michael, H.A., Russoniello, C.J., Fernandez, C., He, C., Madsen, J.A.
|OFR50 Database of Quaternary Coastal Geochronologic Information for the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts of North America (additional information for sites in Peru and Chile)
|Wehmiller, J.F., Pellerito, V.
|OFR17 A Guide to Information on Benchmarks in Delaware
|Schenck, W.S.


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Suppose $G$ is a finitely generated discrete group and that there is a subset $E$ of $G$ such that if $\mu$ is a finitely additive probability measure on $G$, then there is a $g$ in $G$ such that $\mu(E \cdot g) \ne \mu(E)$. Certainly $G$ is non amenable. Can more be said about $G$? Must $G$ contain $\mathbb{F}_2$?
It should be noted that the above situation can happen: let $E$ be all elements of $\mathbb{F}_2$ which ``begin'' with $a$ or $a^{-1}$. Then both $E$ and its complement have infinitely many disjoint translates (by powers of $b$ and $a$, respectively).


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the book
For Kora's Maxandra Short, life has been one big ol' happy accident. When co-founder Amy Walker's public health gig in Africa took an unexpected turn towards handicraft development, the duo discovered horn and decided to build a jewelry line around the material together. Following the smashing success of the trunk shows unveiling their Rwandan bracelets, Maxandra left her film job in Los Angeles behind and never looked back. "That's the best time to start your business—when you really hate your current job," she laughed.
As a kid growing up in Southeast Asia, the designer moved around between places like Seoul and Jakarta, collecting antique and Indonesian jewelry and making her own, too. Though her childhood interests weren't supposed to evolve in a career, her passion for overseas travel, business development, and craft made it a perfect fit. "My absolute favorite part has been when I'm in Kenya and I'm at the workshop, working on the piece together and trying to tweak it with them," she said. "When you get it, it's the best feeling in the world."
For the past four years, Maxandra and Amy have focused on building a line from four sustainable components: brass, recycled aluminum, glass shards, and, of course, the one that started it all. While it's probably easy for Maxandra, who has been alone at the helm since a few months ago, to get distracted by collaborating with Rooney Mara or seeing her designs in Vogue editorials, she has committed big-time to economic development in foreign countries—a passion that keeps her bopping around the globe as much as possible. —carlye wisel
The Four Key Kora Materials
Get down with Maxandra Short's essential components.
Get Outta Town Kora's Insider-y Tour of New York's Chinatown
There's more than dim sum.


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Agreement for the exclusive distribution of the Litron Laser products in Italy
LOT-QuantumDesign is pleased to announce the collaboration agreement for the exclusive products distribution in Italy of one of the world's leading laser manufacturers, Litron Laser.
LOT-QuantumDesign is a leading European distributor of high-quality scientific instruments and components. Our products range comprises components and systems used in materials science, imaging, spectroscopy, photonics, nanotechnology and life science research and Litron Laser allows us to enrich our products portfolio and offer solutions for the most advanced laser applications to our customers.
About Litron
Litron Lasers is a manufacturer of pulsed and CW Nd:YAG and Nd:YLF lasers. All its lasers are designed and manufactured by Litron in Rugby, England.
Litron was formed in 1997 and pioneered commercial photodiode energy monitors while developing a technology base for manufacturing solid state lasers. Litron's first laser products were launched in 2002 and these have developed into a set of standard models and configurations including dedicated PIV systems and high energy pulsed lasers. With an installed base of over a thousand units the design and manufacturing integrity of Litron products is truly field proven.
Litron's philosophy is to keep all design and a significant proportion of manufacturing in-house. As a result all electronics, both digital and analogue, mechanics, software and all optics for the lasers are designed at Litron. This structure results in not having to rely on third-party support when supporting our Litron products, a significant customer benefit.
As well as an extremely comprehensive range of standard products Litron offers the expertise to produce complex custom Nd:YAG and other solid-state laser systems.