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Hoarding Advertising At Busstand Road, Aurangabad
- Nagsenvan | Aurangabad
- Outdoor
- Multiple Ad Options
Nonlit Hoarding is at eye level with clear visibility without any obstruction.
No. of Units : 1
Facing : 0
Illumination : Nonlit
Installation Cost : 2000
Production Cost : 1000
Display Type : Traditional
Media Type : Outdoor
Size : 200 ( 20 X 10 ) Sq.ft
Venue : Commercial Area (Workplace/Residential)
Ad Options
Hoardings are a creative and powerful outdoor advertising option because of their sheer size and grandeur. These ads attract potential customers and allow the message to seen vividly and clearly.
Additional Details
Nonlit Hoarding is at eye level with clear visibility without any obstruction.
Mediaseller Details
Dream Creation Advertising Pvt Ltd
Dreams Creation Advertising Pvt. Ltd is an advertisement company in Auranga
Dreams Creation Advertising Pvt. Ltd is an advertisement company in Aurangabad working in the fields of advertising, branding, field marketing, social media marketing, promotions, etc. Established in 2006, Dreams Creation Advertising Pvt. Ltd has been striving to provide its clients with creative ideas and extensive perpetual support since our inception. We are one of the pioneers in the Marathwada Region giving brand image to more than 500 organizations from various sectors and regions of the country.
Various options like hoardings, digital billboards, bus shelters, unipoles, pole kiosks etc.
Disclaimer: Gainbuzz.com has not independently verified any of the information in this listing and makes no warranty as to its accuracy or completeness


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Global Draft, Changes to Signing Pools, Qualifying Offers Part of Ten Point Draft Makeover
The key to any successful long term winning effort more than ever in today's MLB depends on a quality player development program. Teams rely heavily on the domestic draft and international scouting to infuse the pipeline with young talent that will eventually play in the big leagues. As we all know, baseball has tried to level the playing field, with caps in place on how much a team spends internationally and within the domestic draft. Both procedures have their good and bad qualities and what follows is the New Deal plan to improve this process.
One of the big complaints is that the penalty for exceeding the international spending limits, the inability to sign players for more than 300 thousand dollars during the next 1 or 2 seasons has proven to be no deterrent. Teams that go over the amount are not impeded from spending huge sums of money once the limit has been exceeded, think of it as a credit limit of 5 thousand dollars to spend. Nothing exists to stop you from taking it to 10, 20, 50 thousand over the limit, other than your own budget. So if you can afford the large fee that comes with blowing through the limit, what good does the limit serve in the first place? The penalty for going over by 15% is no more severe than the penalty for going over by 150%. IN addition, teams can certainly load up on lower cost prospects and a team that hits on one player out of 10 signed for 300K each will still reap a true benefit even when the 300K contract caps are enforced for the following one or two seasons, because the international pools do not go away, just the size of how big your contract offers are to those prospects.
Second is the issue concerning the draft caps, the draft slots teams value much more greatly. They have not shown any willingness to blow through the draft budget for fear of losing a first round pick, even though teams will gladly give up that same pick for an aging free agent. These players in theory may offer more in terms of a known quality but less future upside, as opposed to over spending for more prospects who are unknown beyond their amateur ability, even if the ceiling is higher. The major problem with the system as many have documented, is the incentive to lose as much as possible. When only two or three teams take this approach, the reward is huge because the value of the top three picks is so much greater. IN 2015, the difference between pick #1 and pick #4 was around 3 million bucks, the difference between picks 5 and 20 was half that. So in a season like 2016 with the Reds, Brewers, Phillies, and Braves all clearly playing for the future, plus other weak teams like the Athletics, Rockies, and Padres in the running for those worst records, how well a team does may depend less on its luck of the draft order from 1-5, and more with how much money it can allocate to the obtaining of top talent. This was how the Astros, who had a huge hall of money due to a pair of top five picks, were able to get three players viewed as top 10 talents, by paying under slot value on two of them and then going well over the assigned value with their first pick in the second round.
I have many solutions that I believe MLB and the players should all consider as part of the next CBA to solve these issues. Before I go down the list of changes, lets first be clear on this point, one worldwide draft. OK, many will say it can't happen, here is how it can. First, the Major League Baseball Players Association has by its own design not represented minor league or amateur players, so MLB is governed not by what MLBPA wants, but rather by the laws of the US and Canada with respect to employment and immigration of foreign players. Now with that out of the way, my 10 point plan that changes the MLB draft.
1, move the draft to the Wednesday through Friday during the week of the College World Series. The third and decisive game could be played on that Wednesday evening and prior to that game, the first round of the draft takes place. Rounds 2-20 would be on Thursday, 21-40 on Friday.
2, have regional draft combines to evaluate the health of players. Offer 10 of them around the US, including one in Hawaii. Offer three in Canada, one each in Mexico, Japan, Australia, two in Europe, and one in South Africa. Participation would not be mandatory but MLB should take a page from the NFL so that Brady Aiken 2.0 can be easier to avoid.
3, With one combined draft, the pools for international and domestic players would be combined into one and teams would be able to spend more freely on who they believe is the best player. The pools would be less extreme in the difference of total dollars, the average combined international and domestic draft pools for top 10 picks in 2015 was just over 10,270,000, with over 70% of this focused on the domestic draft. However, the Astros had over 17 million in the draft pool, the Mets had less than 4 million, while international allotments ranged from just under 2 million for the Nationals and Angels, to over 5 million for the Diamondbacks. Rather than have a slot value system that starts very steep in its decline before leveling off, the slope down the curve if you will should be more gradual. I would propose a pool of 12 million for the worst team, 8 million for the best team, even if first round picks are lost. This would encourage teams to spend more in the free agent market, as they would lose just draft picks, not money with which to also sign them when dealing with those players tied to qualifying offers. Teams that went over their draft pool would face the loss of future draft picks which would be awarded via lottery to other teams. the best team in terms of win-loss record that did not qualify for postseason would have the best lottery odds for this type of pick, with odds decreasing as win percentage decreased. The key here is the overall draft pool, not the assigned slot value, so a team with a pool of 12 million could in affect spend 10 million on its first pick if it so chose. But if that team went over its pool by a single dollar up to 2.5%, it would lose a second round pick in the next draft. Go over from 2.5 to 5.0%, it would lose an additional first round pick, again those picks then going into a lottery as just described. Going over from 5 to 10% would result in the loss of picks in both the first and second round in the next two drafts, and going more than 10% over the pool would result in the loss of first through third round picks in the next two drafts.
4, change the draft eligibility rules so that they are uniform. If a player goes to a junior college, he must complete 2 years of schooling before being able to appear again in the draft, players who go to a four-year university maintain the current rules, accept they apply in a uniform manner to all colleges and universities in the united States or Canada, with the player having to complete three years of college eligibility, or be 21 on June 1 the year of the draft. For all players from any corner of the globe not in college, they must have completed high school or received an equivalent diploma, or turned age 18 by June 1 the year of the draft. Players not graduating high school must be 18 by June 1 to be draft eligible, those graduating high school or receiving the equivalent diploma can be drafted no younger than age 17, with the 17th birthday no later than June 1 of that year's draft.
5, Drafting players from nations with pro leagues, Japan, Cuba, south Korea as examples. Any player not from the United States or Canada who has a proof of current contract to a foreign league can be drafted by an MLB team and his draft rights maintained until age 28. A 19 year old player from japan would thus have his MLB draft rights held by an organization until age 28, with those rights expiring on the 28th birthday of the player. The players MLB salary would be structured like that of other MLB players, accept that if he does not come to an MLB team until age 25 or later, his first year salary would be based on the average of all players his age on opening day rosters from the previous season. This formula would govern the first three years of salary with standard arbitration and other rules taking effect as normally scheduled for all MLB players. MLB teams would be allowed to buy out the contract of the player from the foreign league, while paying a posting or transfer fee to the foreign league or team. Foreign players who were not under contract to another pro league at the time of the draft would have their MLB draft rights held until age 24. After the 24th birthday, the player if not part of an existing foreign professional league would be an undrafted free agent who would be free to sign with the team of his choosing but only for the MLB minimum taking a 40-man roster spot, or to a minor league contract with the signing bonus then counted against the draft pool for the year in which the player is signed. Players age 28 or older signing as free agents would be treated like MLB free agents, in that they would be signed for however much the club feels the player is worth, accept the contract would be no longer than 6 years in length and players age 28 or older could not sign to contracts from the minor leagues and draft bonus pools. Players returning from MLB to their foreign league would have their MLB contract bought out by the foreign league in question and they would have to wait one calendar year before returning to an MLB roster.
6, Trading draft picks and draft rights. Teams who owned draft rights to an international player outside the United States and Canada would be able to trade those rights like any other future draft pick to another organization as part of a trade to obtain MLB talent. Draft picks and draft rights to international players could not be used as a player to be named later and they could not be offered in a deal involving only players not on a 40-man roster. A team trading such a pick must be receiving at least one player on another teams 40-man roster. If three or more teams are involved, the player rights or draft picks being sent away do not have to go to the same team that is the source for the obtained player to meet the 40-man roster requirement. Lastly, teams could trade no more than the rights to three picks from any single draft that they have obtained, even if additional picks were granted through lottery, compensation or trades. Example, Nationals trade draft rights to the Brewers, Nationals must get a player from the 40-man roster of the Brewers or from another organization if a third team, such as the mariners were involved.
7, Qualifying offers and compensation picks would change. The qualifying offer would be the average of the top 100 salaries among all players in MLB and the qualifying offer would be good for a two-year contract if accepted by the player. Compensation for qualifying offers would be modified, so that the first four players signed would result in the loss of a second round pick, all others would result in the loss of a third round pick. All first round picks would be protected going forward.
8, The order of draft picks would change so that the top 20 teams who did not make the playoffs would draft in the inverse order of their win-loss record from the previous MLB season. Picks 21-22 would go to the two teams who lose the wild Card game in inverse order of win-loss record. Using a similar formula, picks 23-26 would go to the four losers of the division series, picks 27-28 to the two losers of the League Championship Series, pick 29 to the World Series loser and pick 30 to the World Series winner.
9, Draft pool totals. The worst team would be allotted a total draft pool of 12,000,000, the best team would be awarded 8 million. The difference from positions 1-6 would be a drop of 200K per slot with the 6th position in terms of pool rankings worth 11 million. After position 6, starting with the 7th through 30th positions, the drop would be 125K per placement, so that the 7th position would be worth a pool of 10.875 million and the 14th position worth 10 million. Positions 15-22 would be from 9.875 to 9 million, while positions 23-30 would range from 8.875 to 8 million in terms of the total draft pool value. A draft pool lottery could also be put in place for pool positions 1-14, so that the worst team is not guaranteed the top pool of 12 million but it is guaranteed a pool of at least 10 million. If MLB expanded to 32 teams, the slope downward in pool totals would be slightly adjusted for picks 15-32.
10, additional picks. Two rounds of six draft picks each, one between rounds 1-2 and one between rounds 2-3 would be held. The first round would be for teams that missed the playoffs for each of the previous two seasons, with the order of draft picks based on best to worst combined overall winning percentage, think of it as a way to reward teams who tried and missed out rather than tanking on purpose. So based on 2014-2015, the Mariners, Twins, White Sox, Indians, Red Sox, Rays, Padres, Diamondbacks, Rockies, Reds, Brewers, Phillies, Marlins and Braves would be in the running for those picks. The second set of six picks would be based on the current MLB competitive balance lottery.
IN conclusion, I believe that one combined draft is the way to go forward, with many changes needed both in terms of how bonus pools and compensation are dealt with. I believe that current players are being harmed by the system as teams don't want to lose the ability to obtain current amateurs by losing highly valued draft picks and the dollars tied to them. It removes the incentive for thugs to smuggle players like they were cocaine in return for huge sums of the players professional contract. It rewards teams who scout well in all corners of the globe and it does not guarantee teams that lose on purpose will obtain the best drafting slots. I'm not Tony Clark or Rob Manfred, but maybe this serves as a blueprint for what a future MLB draft looks like.
- Posted on February 25, 2016 at 1:57 pm
- Permalink
- 1 Comment
- Filed in: Dailies
- Tags: Amateur Draft, Draft Lottery, Draft Slot Values, Free Agent Compensation, International Bonus Pools, International Draft, International Draft Rights, International signings, Korea Baseball Organization, Major League Baseball, Nippon Professional Baseball, Qualifying Offers, Serie Nacional, Smuggling, Tanking, Trading Draft Picks

subset: commoncrawl


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Create an Account - Increase your productivity, customize your experience, and engage in information you care about.
For more information email Cape May County Clerk Archivist Diana L. Hevener or call 609-463-6448.
County Historian
Cape May County Clerk Rita Marie Fulginiti was named County Historian by the Board of Chosen Freeholders on April 14, 2015 (Res. No. 289-15).
As County Historian Clerk Fulginiti and her staff carry out a historical program presenting exhibits and preserving, collecting, and providing access to historical records important to Cape May County history which dates back to its formal creation on November 12, 1692 by an Act of the General Assembly of the Province of West Jersey.
There is always something new to rediscover from the past.


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What are the shade names for the French Nude Hypnose Palette. I would like to purchase a couple of individual shades instead of the entire palette. Thank you.
I am over 60 and do not like any frosted color . Do you have any to recommend ?
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I love coral crush eye shadow! Please bring it back! I have tried other pallets and they don't compare. You have discontinued so many products that I use everyday. I have been forced to switch from your discontinued products to Bobbie Brown. Disappointed
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5 Tokyo bars for train nerds (yes, they exist)
You thought your grandfather was a train buff?
Sorry to break the news to you, but ol' gramps would have been a mere caboose in the train of railway geeks in Japan, where hard-core train aficionados are referred to by the somewhat affectionate term "densha otaku," or train nerds.
They're famous for feats like memorizing phonebook-size timetables and visiting every single one of the country's almost 10,000 stations.
When they aren't trying to increase their encyclopedic knowledge of all things rail, they're out looking for like-minded people to impress with it.
As it turns out, Tokyo offers the densha otaku a wide selection of railway-appropriate watering holes -- or perhaps we should call them bar cars?
1. Ginza Panorama
Ginza Panorama is the model train lover's dream bar.
Not only does the counter have four separate built-in electric tracks, allowing patrons to watch trains zipping by while sipping their cocktails, but a large glass case directly opposite displays about 700 model train carriages for sale.
The drink menu has the standard beer, wine and liquor options, but visitors will likely be tempted to splurge on a train-themed cocktail, like the Romance Car, named after the Hakone-bound express, or Doctor Yellow, the nickname for the diagnostic high-speed test trains used on shinkansen routes.
There's also a full food menu.
With its mellow ambiance, mature crowd and the gentle clacking of trains as they whirl around the bar, Ginza Panorama is a relaxed place for a drink -- even if you don't get giddy debating the relative merits of the Tokaido and Tohoku Lines.
Ginza Hachikan Building 8/F, 8-4-5 Ginza, Chuo-ku; +81 (0)3 3289 8700; Monday-Friday, 6 p.m.-3 a.m., Saturday, 6-11 p.m., closed Sunday; 420 yen seating charge; www.ginza-panorama.com
2. Kiha
There are two things all visitors need to know about Kiha.
One, the second floor has been lovingly kitted out to look exactly like the inside of a Tokyo subway car, complete with advertisements, hand straps, emergency call buttons and luggage racks.
Two, the only thing on the menu is canned food and one-cup sake.
From salted pork to seafood to curry, Kiha stocks an impressive selection of things to eat right out of the can. This is meant to recreate the nostalgic experience of a long train journey in the days before meal services were offered.
Most of the customers are dyed-in-the-wool otaku, as evidenced by the closet full of timetables and the rare ticket stubs adorning the tables. Like all train obsessives, of course, they're more than happy to chat with newcomers. You've been warned.
1-6-11 Horidomecho, Chuo-ku; nearest station: Ningyocho; +81 (0)3 5651 5088; Monday-Saturday, 6-11:30 p.m., closed Sunday; Kiha-sake.com
More on CNN: Japan's riveting Railway Museum
3. LittleTGV
The world is already familiar with Japan's maid cafes and those are certainly popular with otaku of every stripe.
Real rail buffs have their own version at LittleTGV near the geek paradise of Akihabara.
The restaurant bills itself as the world's first rail-themed, moe-style pub. Instead of a pretty girl in a maid costume calling you "Master," you'll get a pretty girl in a conductor's uniform telling you to board her train. No joke. And no jokes (please).
The walls are covered with train photos and memorabilia, so even if you don't know your SLs from your JRs, the girls will be happy to chat with you and teach you a bit about their world.
LittleTGV offers a full food and drink menu with foreigner-friendly pictures, including several different courses that include all-you-can-drink options.
Isamiyadai 3 Building 4/F, Sotokanda 3-10-5, Chiyoda-ku; nearest stations: Suehirocho, Akihabara; +80 (0)3 3255 5223; Monday-Friday, 2-11 p.m., Saturday-Sunday, noon-11 p.m.; Littletgv.com
More on CNN: Best Tokyo maid cafes
4. Mistral Bleu (Train Bar)
Often referred to simply as "Train Bar," Mistral Bleu isn't just a hang-out for train nerds, but it is a bar made out of a train.
Somehow a train carriage was crammed into the first floor of the ROI Building close to Roppongi Crossing and transformed into a hole in the wall bar for classic rock fans.
As the Aerosmith blasting out the front door might attest, the bar is a nostalgic pleasure for drinkers of a certain age.
In addition to the novelty of boozing in a converted train car, you can keep yourself entertained by checking out the international currencies plastered all over the walls and ceilings.
It's the kind of place where it's easy to strike up a conversation with the person sitting next to you -- a rarity in Japan.
ROI Building 1/F , 5-5-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Roppongi station; +80 (0)3 3423 0082; Monday-Saturday, 6 p.m.-5 a.m., closed Sundays; www.trainbar.com
5. Cafe & Bar Steam Locomotive
Not every train nerd likes to booze it up. Indeed, some of them aren't even old enough to do so.
Luckily, there's a family friendly option called Cafe & Bar Steam Locomotive, which is appropriate for train lovers of all ages.
Located on the ground floor of a Yurakucho office building, this venue is more suited to a coffee over a lunch break than an after-work bender, though the place does serve alcohol.
The center of the cafe is dominated by a massive model train display that includes several tracks and recreations of famous sites like Tokyo Tower.
The endless details -- tiny pedestrians crossing the street, a little grove of cherry trees in bloom -- will keep the youngsters entertained while the grownups enjoy a latte or glass of sake.
Shinyurakucho Bldg 1/F, Yurakucho 1-12-1, Chiyoda-ku, Yurakucho station; +81 (0)3 3211 0610; Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.-8 p.m.; www.steamlocomotive.jp
More on CNN: 16 hours on a train, from Tokyo to Sapporo


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A new tasteless meme is spreading across Reddit: good girl college liberal. As usual, I think you can guess what makes someone a "good" girl: it's the willingness to do anything the guy with a copy of photoshop wants her to do. And what makes her a "college liberal"?
She's topless.
I've never known that to be a common characteristic of women in college, liberal or otherwise, but as we all know, reality never interferes with a misogynist's fantasies about how women should behave.
I've included an example below the fold. Breasts are blurred out, but you might still want to be careful about flashing the picture around the workspace.
I did find this comment on the poor propagators of this nonsense amusing.
"I just had a female employee accuse me of looking at porn at work," opined one unfortunate meme participant.
Hopefully he was able to explain that he wasn't participating in a culture that routinely objectifies women; he was just browsing Reddit.
It's a shame. Reddit, in principle, is a really good idea. It's too bad our culture isn't grown up enough to participate in it responsibly.


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Here is the full exclusive Vancouver Sun interview with RCMP Staff-Sgt. Bruce Hulan, the officer in charge of B.C.'s Unsolved Homicide Unit and team commander of Project E-Pana, which is conducting homicide investigations of 18 girls and women who disappeared or were found murdered along major highways in northern B.C.
It is the first extensive media interview by police to explain Project E-Pana, which began in the fall of 2005 when the Unsolved Homicide Unit was tasked with viewing three homicides that the behavioural sciences people, the profilers, had reviewed and found there was some commonalities between the files.
Hulan: We reviewed the files with the view of whether we could identify or say the homicides had been committed by the same person or whether there was a reason to believe there were three separate killers.
There was rumour, speculation and media reports in the north suggesting that a serial killer was responsible for these and other files.
So part of our mandate was to determine if there was a serial killer responsible and also trying to identify investigative strategies to move those three files forward.
The three files were Alishia Germaine, Roxanne Thiara and Ramona Wilson.
That was the birth of Project E-Pana, which used an Inuit word describing the spirit goddess that looks after the souls just before they go to heaven or were reincarnated. One of investigators our came up with the name.
Q. What did the initial review tell you?
A. The review was a bit of a slow process, to say the least. We started doing the review but very early into it we recognized that, if we are looking for this serial killer, we'll have to broaden our scope and have a look at other files, if they were out there.
So what we did, using ViCLAS [Violent Crime Linkage Analysis System] and other databases we have, missing person records, and analyzing the information contained in there, we recognized that we also had to look at six other files. We've moved now into the spring of 2006.
They [the nine cases then on the list] were essentially from the road from Prince Rupert to where Shelley Bacsu was found in Hinton, Alta.
We decided we couldn't review the files in a paper format. The size and number of boxes of file material that we have, no person can keep straight in their head - [for example] the name that appears in box number one also appears in box 200.
So we decided we would load the files into our evidence and reports database, which meant bringing the files to our officer here in Surrey, scanning them into the database and doing all the work that went with that.
We underestimated how big of a job that is, having never done it before, I thought we could get it done in three months and it took close to a year to load it in.
There were close to 200 boxes for the first nine [cases]. Just one investigation was close to 100 [boxes] - Bacsu is a big file.
Once we were at the point we had three or four files loaded in, we had teams of reviewers that we assigned files to begin the review with.
We identified three key points to include files: that the victim was involved in a high-risk activity that would expose them to danger, being hitchhiking or [involved in] street trade [prostitution]; our first search was along Highway 16 and we had to decide how far we would go off Highway 16, and we decided a mile; and, of course, that they were female.
At the time, all were girls from the 17 to 20 range.
The one-mile limit was for both last seen or a body found.
The investigators were saying to us: Have you taken a look at this file or this particular investigation? And we decided to do another search for similar files, meeting the same criteria, but extending it down to Highway 97 to Highway 5 ?- from Prince George down to Kamloops and the Merritt area.
Q. Why that particular stretch?
A. We were trying to control, to a certain degree, the volume of files we had. It was limited by resources, to a certain extent. We couldn't look at the entire province, only because we don't have the resources for this particular project to take on a significant number of files.
It's commonly referred to in the media as the Highway of Tears, but that didn't come from us....Who came up with the term, I don't know....We refer to it by the project name or the Highway 16 investigations, which is where we started out.
Q. In 2007, when the list went from nine to 18, the new nine cases, they chronologically came before the first nine. Is it because the older cases take more time to look back at them or was it just a matter of coincidence?
A. It was just coincidence that they were older. We expanded our geographical search.
Q. Did you go through about 200 unsolved cases before you decided on the 18?
It was based on the number that the ViCLAS database would have searched .... If there was a [homicide] investigation that was a mile and a half, we certainly looked at that if it was within reasonable proximity. We didn't discount it simply based on distance. And if there was one that should be brought in, we made that assessment.
Our file review began in earnest in late 2006, with investigators actually sitting at their computers reading the file, page by page. Our goal was to be able to say that this file has been meticulously reviewed and doesn't require another review.
You have to understand that these investigations, a number or a majority have all been reviewed and they've been subjected to lengthy investigations, then reviewed, then investigations conducted beyond that review. So we're kind of going over work that's been done several times.
In February of '09, the review was completed and we then moved to the investigative stage of the project.
What we did is we have 18 files - we can't investigate all at the same time. We prioritized files based on the risk of losing evidence and the potential threats to the public.
We have a staff right now of about 60 people. That is made up of investigators and support staff and a number classified as temporary civilian employees, who are hired on a contract basis to do a job - retired members of the RCMP or Vancouver police and other police departments as well.
I'm a little bit reluctant to talk about how many files we're actively investigating. I think it's fair to say were focusing on several on a priority basis, and there's also a smaller group that we're conducting the necessary inquiries right now, with the aim of moving them up to the priority stage as we progress.
Q. A lot of the cases are pretty old. Are they solvable?
A. Some them we may be able to determine what happened to provide a bit of closure to the families. Is it likely we will be able to charge on all 18 of them? I'm doubtful about that.
Q. Is it because of the passage of time? Do you believe some of the people who committed these crimes are dead?
A. That's certainly a concern. We don't know. You know, we haven't looked at them to the point where we can categorically say that Joe Smith was responsible for this homicide and, in our opinion, Joe Smith is dead. But it's certainly a concern that some of the people responsible have themselves died.
Q. What about the Moody case - her family said that back in 1998 the RCMP said 'The case is closed, we know exactly who killed Levina, there's three suspects and they're all dead.' But now we fast forward to 2009 and she's added to the list. In a case like that, are you just reviewing the file to make sure that the conclusion drawn in the 1990s was in fact true?
A. The case wasn't closed. A homicide case isn't closed until a person is convicted of the offence or there is another requirement in which the file is slightly more than 100 years old, then there is no way the person responsible is still alive.
So that investigation wasn't closed and it met our parameters and we brought it in to determine whether there are any investigative steps that can be taken, and that's probably all I can say.
(RCMP Cpl. Annie Linteau, who also attended the interview, pointed out that many of the old files pre-dated modern forensics technology, including DNA testing." Even from five years ago, we need a much smaller DNA sample now than we did a few years ago. So some of those exhibits have been tested," she said.
Hulan: Yes, we've done extensive testing on a significant number of the exhibits from all or the majority of the files. We are very fortunate, I suppose, that we have a very good relationship with our lab and certainly receive a priority with our testing.
To go back to the Moody file for a minute, remember that we are looking for a serial killer as well. We're trying to determine whether there was one out there. And to discount a file that may potentially give us that answer would have been a little bit reckless, I suppose.
Q. Can you say at this point whether police have determined or not determined whether some of all of them are linked to a serial killer?
A. I don't think we'll be able to say that until we're at the point where we are satisfied that we have been successful in solving or charging in all 18 of the files, or the majority, or having determined what the circumstances were that led to the murder, who was responsible for it. It's too early to say that.
Until we work through all 18 of them and charge somebody, charge the person responsible, we don't know whether they are responsible for more than one. And it may be they are responsible for one of our 18 but may be also responsible for others we haven't included.
It's too early in the whole scheme of things to be able to answer that question.
Q. What is the timeline of the project? How long do you think it will take to get through the investigative stage?
A. That's a good question. (Laughs.) I expect the project will be here, easy, for the next three to five years.
Q. Was the project started because the government decided to provide some funding? Or was it the RCMP?
A. Funding had to come from somewhere and it does come from the provincial government. But I guess the decision of creating the project or even moving forward on the investigations was made by the RCMP.
Q. Was that Gary Bass [now the commanding officer of the RCMP in B.C. ]
A. He didn't directly make the decision. At the time it would have been Chief Supt. Dick Bent who approved the project. He's now retired. But the government is committed to the project and the funding is there as long as the project is running and viable.
Q. Can you give a rough idea of what kind of annual budget this project takes?
A. $6 million.
Q. About two-thirds of your list are murder victims and about one-third are missing. Was that a difficult decision to make - to include the missings?
A. Well, the missing files that are included are investigation where we believe they are victims of homicide. I don't think we've portrayed it to the family members that we're looking for their missing daughter elsewhere. We're conducting homicide investigations and unfortunately we don't have the evidence of the remains.
Q. One of the things often portrayed in the media is that only Nicole Hoar is not native.
A. I think it's about half and half...Early on in the investigation we were asked what the racial make-up was of the victims and we wouldn't say. And I think someone probably decided we'll make up our own answer and see what they [police] say. But race is not a factor for us. These victims weren't targeted because they were white or native or any other race, for that matter. They are victims because...they were engaged in high-risk activity, is essentially a big factor here.
We regularly hold meetings, briefing sessions, with the victims' family members. We invite family members from all 18 of our files. And I can tell you that race is not a factor to any of the people in that room...I don't think there's ever been an issue of race. I think if you go back 20 years ago or 15 years ago, then there may have been concerns about that at that time for them. But I don't see that concern still there today.
Q. We've heard from some of the families, back in the '70s or early '80s in some of the northern native communities, they weren't terribly thrilled with the initial response they get from the Mounties.
A That was then.
Annie Linteau added: Even during the search for Nicole Hoar in August, a lot of native families were interviewed in the media and were very supportive of the efforts. It wasn't a situation of 'How come they're searching for her and not my daughter' type of thing.
Hulan: Back then, 20 years ago, we didn't have DNA and we didn't investigate homicides the way we do today. And you see in a remote community where you have a small number of investigators and they are limited by resources. But there are dozens of investigators to draw on in the Lower Mainland. Would I, if I were in that situation, feel like I was getting the same result for my tax dollars? I can understand their concerns.
Annie Linteau: And how quickly information flows now with the Internet. Back then, I doubt very much back in 1969, who would know about this? Tips now, you have to face the fact that tips are generated a lot by media interest. The last time, we had over 100 tips generated by a media story...the Nicole Hoar search. We never had that 20 years ago.
Hulan: I don't want to throw stones at you guys [media] but one of the files not included in our 18, because it was an active investigation, we have the murder of Cindy Burk, which was a young girl hitchhiking in northern B.C. She met all the parameters of our search and would have been included in the 18 had it not been for the fact that the [Unsolved Homicide] unit was conducting an investigation and Russell Felker was charged and convicted of murder and there was very little [media] coverage of that. For this project, it was a significant success.
Q. Was that the work of E-Pana?
A. No, it was the Unsolved Homicide Unit. He was identified as a result of a hit from the DNA data bank.
Q. When you have a case like that, you obviously must look at him and wonder if he's tied to any of the others on the list.
A. Absolutely.
Q. And do you do that with any other kind of people arrested for other cases?
A. We have looked at other cases where people have been convicted of homicide. To analyze those files and individuals to see whether they are responsible or could be responsible for these homicides or any other homicides.
I regularly get calls from retired members or other police. We're always open to and alive to the potential of [people] being responsible or charged with other offences and we assess their information with the information contained within our files.
Q. There was talk of Bundy being responsible for the Darlington murder because of the bite marks.
A. We've looked at that, his [Bundy's] movements. We haven't found any link to our investigations.
We have a number of strategies beyond the reviewing of files. We also with anyone identified in the files as a person of interest we do a background check and analysis on them, their criminal history, and when they were in and out of custody, and if they had the opportunity or not to commit the homicide. That's the part that the retired members have brought to us - we use them for that. Any idea how long that list of potential persons of interest is?
We have a list right now of about 2,000 that we've done profiles on. We're now moving to a secondary list that has close to 5,000 names on it. They are people named in the investigational files. It runs the full gamut of a person named as a strong person of interest to conducting neighbourhood inquiries or inquiries at motels about who's staying there.
Q. Would it be correct to say there are 7,000 suspects?
A. No.... I think we have to work through the 5,000 now and work that down to a manageable number we have to interview.
Q. Do you see the same names come up again and again?
A. Over the years, there has been the usual suspects list in some of these investigations and there's certainly a number of people who appear in files, and it's more confined to the geographical area along Highway 16.
In a couple of the investigations who were people identified as prime suspects, if you want to user that term, they've been eliminated either through establishing an alibi or through DNA.
Q. So you're doing DNA testing to eliminate people?
A. Yes.
Q. Would you categorize them as prime suspects or persons of interest.
A. I'd say strong persons of interest.
Q. Would you say you have any prime suspects at this point?
A. I would say that in a significant number of our investigations, there are areas for us to pursue.
Q. What came out of the search in Prince George this summer? Was that a dead end?
A. We collected some exhibits - and we're talking about the Hoar investigation - and some evidence that is at the lab being analyzed. I don't wish to get into the specifics of what we collected. In addition, there were a number of new pieces of information that were brought to us and we're continuing to pursue that.
Q. Human remains? Is that what you are saying?
No. I'm saying we found evidence that is being tested at the lab.
Q. For DNA?
A. For DNA and other testing as well. I don't want to get into specifics. The Hoar investigation is very sensitive and we're moving forward on that.
Q. Did you retrieve evidence in both locations in Prince George?
A. We excavated an area looking for a specific item but didn't find one....We did locate a vehicle and some of the exhibits at the lab relate to that vehicle.
Q. Back in 1981 there was the police meeting about the Highway murders and the officers at the time said that in the cases of Darlington, Weys, MacMillen and Ignace one person of interest's name surfaced - a 33-year-old white man. Is his name one of your persons of interest?
(Hulan read a microfiche story The Sun provided about the police conference involving about 40 detectives from B.C. and Alberta who compared notes about unsolved cases.)
A. I can say that we brought those investigations in here ...His name may well be here....The reviews that were conducted back then weren't as well documented as ours are. I'm not being critical, but they didn't have computers, which may not have been a bad thing...But the names they identified were all made available to us, were part of our review.
When reviewing these files, to give you an idea of the report we did on each of these reviews, the members were identifying areas that required further follow-up and in each of the files there was prepared a 100-page report with all the key facts of the investigation, the significant witnesses, the persons of interest or potential suspects. The idea is that if tomorrow we bring a new team of investigators to the project, they don't have to review that entire file - 25 boxes or whatever it may be. They just have to review the 100-page report to get the important facts of the file.
Q. Some of the families have said they hate the kind of connotation for being on this list - that they're loved one may have been involved in some kind of high-risk activity or doing something they shouldn't have been doing. Have you given any thought to someone like Colleen MacMillen who was hitchhiking when a lot of people hitchhiked. Can you clarify, when you're talking about high risk, you're not blaming the victim?
A. We certainly don't want to be critical of the victim or blame the family in any way. But we can't lie to these people either.
Q. The case of Monica Jack - the 12-year-old girl riding her bike from Nicola Lake to Merritt and back - is she on the list because she was on Highway 5 or did she have to be involved in something high risk that day.
A. No, she was riding her bike and was last seen along that highway.
Q. Are there other files out there that could be similar to these cases but you might now have the manpower to investigate them and put them on the same list?
A. There are other investigations out there that when you look at them would cause you to be concerned whether there are connections between them, but as I said before, we are constrained by resources. But also I think it's important that when we are assigning investigators to a project, there is not necessarily a goal but an end in sight. If we bring in 100 files, it will never end. So when you give a job to a person and it's almost impossible to achieve, you start losing people pretty fast....It's not an overwhelming list.
I looked at the list you sent me and I have to be careful here because I don't know what the investigating units have disclosed...Sometimes when people go missing there may not always be a criminal act involved, but sometimes family members are not always ready to accept that.
Q. Can you talk about the challenges of the project - you've taken on files that span 40 years and a large geographical area.
A. How hard is it? It has its challenges, there's no doubt about that. Probably the biggest challenge we face is that people are getting older and in some cases their memory improves and in other cases it doesn't.
But we have some advantages as well that the investigators didn't have 20 odd years ago - new technology and DNA. We also have, I don't know if I'd call it the luxury, but the benefit f bringing together a group of investigators who are strongly committed to resolving as many of these files as we possibly can.
The benefit of using a dedicated team is that they are not pulled away for other duties. And 20-odd years ago, they didn't have that.


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Our 3-Step Checkout is designed to make the online ordering process as simple as possible, but if you do have difficulty ordering, check out the overview below for some helpful information.
Can't find the information you need? Please email one of our friendly Sales Associates at firstname.lastname@example.com for assistance.
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Dominique Hodgin
Dominique Hodgin is a master's level educator who has a passion for educating and equipping professionals with information that helps them improve the health of those they reach. Her interest in health and wellness led her to pursue both the study of and occupations in pharmaceuticals, nutrition science, and education. Her expertise in these three areas combined, contributes to her success as an educator/trainer, writer, and speaker.
Dominique was instrumental in the formation of the health education company, Dr. Sears Wellness Institute.
Dominique was instrumental in the formation of the health education company, Dr. Sears Wellness Institute. She works closely with world-renowned physicians, authors and TV personalities, Dr. Williams Sears, in the writing and development of professional certification courses and nutrition education curriculum. These educational curriculums have been used in a variety of settings including hospitals, schools and corporations. Dominique and her team have trained over 800 individuals, in twenty-two countries, through both live and virtual training events.
In addition to writing and training, Dominique has had the privilege of speaking for local, national and international organizations, teaching hospitals, medical centers and universities. She has also made appearances on local television.
Dominique is a life-long learner so when she is not teaching others, she likes to develop her own knowledge. You will often find her experimenting with cooking, exercising, skiing, reading, traveling, and being a wife and a mother to her three children.


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Twitter me at @headhardhat
Please don't forget to visit our GeoSnippits Geocaching Tutorial Videos Website at http://www.geosnippits.com/
HeadHardHat's Award Winning Geocaching Blog is a geocache treasure trove of geocaching information. Years of searchable geocaching insights await you here. HeadHardHat's GeoSnippits Geocaching Videos series can be seen on You Tube. You can also find him on his new GeoSnippits Reboot Podcast series and the Geocaching Podcast. Geocaching the outdoor treasure-hunting game which the participants use a GPS receiver to hide and seek containers called "geocaches" or "caches" anywhere in the world
Great site. Thanks for sharing!
Have used that site in the past as it is a great one. Have another you may or may not know about.
With this site, you can drag a marker to a specific location and it will tell you the coordinates of that point. It works with google maps, so satellite imagery and the zoom function can get you in close to place the marker where you want.
I love this site and use it frequently to verify my coords for when I am placing new caches. Just thought I would share since your blog brought it to mind.
Let me know what you think,
Robert (Harwell5)
PS. Keep up the good work and congrats on the TV show!!
If need to create a geocache in a city use https://maptools.info/tools/map/


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Bh demonstrated in doubles video
do not post this publicly
As a coach .. can you critique the techniques .. watch the 3 different shots by this guy in short < 30 second videos ?
Curser down 3 post, to 2014 videos.
If you are thinking of posting a visitor's message here for me, do not. There is no reason to post visitor's messages to me. If i see them, i will usually only see them months after they are posted. If you want to get in contact with me, send me a private message.
If you are thinking of posting a visitor message to me, send a PM instead. I hardly ever see these visitor messages and usually only see them months after they were posted.
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About spring
Advanced Member
- Birthday 06/22/1976
Profile Information
Oakland, Ca
soccer, hiking, camping, swimming, kayaking, eating, vintage video games, drawing, collecting crap I probably will never use, bird watching, reading, watching action movies, writing, learning, day dreaming about places I will travel to, archeology, history, social issues, global culture, environmental issues, cooking, cilimatology, pretty much anything that will make my art better
Recent Profile Visitors
spring replied to Dave K's topic in Clay and Glaze ChemistryI've been testing out a clay body that the manufacturer states is cone 4-10 which is such a huge range. I've taken it to cone 6 which is what I fire to and it has 5% absorption, which is ofc way too much for functional ware. But I had a thought when you test for absorption, do you test the clay with or without glaze? I mean I figured it would be best to replicate what people would be using so I tested it glazed in a manner I would glaze the piece. What do you guys do? Thanks, Spring
Mark, thanks for the tip. I never check people's post history. I saw it was from 2014, but I know people always seem to come and go and then come back to this forum. Well, at least that's the case with me
Advice On The Best Porcelain
spring replied to spring's topic in Clay and Glaze ChemistryUmmm, cuz I guess I never thought Tom Coleman was gonna answer some random question to see if his clay is gonna work for what I want. I'll try it!
Crackpot, Hi, I'm just wondering where you got the New Zealand China Clay? I noticed you live in Canada so I'm guessing you didn't get it in New Zealand. I live in California and was hoping to get it online. Thanks, Sprinf
Cone 6 Casting Slip
spring replied to Mug's topic in Clay and Glaze ChemistryMug- I'm very sorry that happened to your son and hope he recovers 100%. It just broke my heart to read that. I only have one child, a son who is 16. He had to have minor surgery while we were on vacation in Africa. I was freaking out! I think it is great that you are exploring this to get him involved too. Best of Luck, Spring
Plasticizer/poreclain- Throwing Properties.
spring replied to glazenerd's topic in Clay and Glaze ChemistryThis is a very interesting and informative thread, so glad I came across it. Nerd- please let us know what happens in your experiments Spring
Advice On The Best Porcelain
spring posted a topic in Clay and Glaze ChemistryHello Everyone, I'm working on a large project in porcelain. My go to porcelain is usually southern ice but its expensive and costs a lot to ship. I need to buy about 300lbs, so I wanna choose wisely. I need a porcelain that will be very translucent, is plastic enough to work in very thin long slabs that will be manipulated, and stays white. I tried frost cone 6 porcelain and found it to be very short and ill suited for my needs. I've thrown with Babu and Coleman; had positive experiences with both but never handbulit with them. I'll be firing cone 10 because the midrange clays available t
Nceca 2015 Providence, Ri?
spring posted a topic in Educational Approaches and ResourcesOk who's going to NCECA this year and what are you looking forward to most? Just an FYI, I'll be hosting one of the NCECA connections " Second Annual NCECA Cup Swap" in Room 552 A/B. Hope everyone can stop by, even if just to say "Hi". Spring
Nceca 2014 Milwaukee
spring replied to Marcia Selsor's topic in Educational Approaches and ResourcesYikes -20! I'm hoping for warm and 70 considering I'm from Cali and possess nothing that could keep me warm in 40 degree weather. Fingers crossed
Nceca 2014 Milwaukee
spring replied to Marcia Selsor's topic in Educational Approaches and ResourcesMarcia, gonna try and make it to Texas Clay party . Hopefully we will be able to meet this time. I'm still bummed that I wasn't able to meet you last year at Houston. I hope to also meet other CAD peeps in Milwaukee!
Dealing With "do You Make This Smaller....?"
spring replied to PotterGrl's topic in Business, Marketing, and AccountingLast year I did my first sculpture fair. I like to stand a little ways from my work to observe and listen to peoples responses. ( I didn't have my name tag on either) I stood behind these two guys and one guy looked at the price and said "how much .....for what?" and proceeded to make a face that said, this person is effing crazy! I started laughing. I thought it was hilarious. I put myself in his shoes, and I know he had absolutely no idea how much time and energy it takes for me to make it. But more important, I knew he didn't say it with malice, it was just a plain honest reaction. In
I'm On The Nceca Blog
spring replied to spring's topic in Educational Approaches and ResourcesThanks TJR and Diana : )
I'm On The Nceca Blog
spring posted a topic in Educational Approaches and ResourcesJust wanted to let you guys know that I'm the featured member story for September on the NCECA blog. Super excited to be featured and kinda just surprised. Hope you can check it out. http://blog.nceca.net/member-story-spring-montes Thanks, Spring
Considering postponing grad school another year
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I would reflect on your consideration some more. If possible, do grad school now, spring!
why would you postpone?
portfolio isn't ready


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Award Funds Student's Particle Physics Research
UT Dallas physics student Alex Palmer has won an award from the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science Graduate Fellowship Program to pursue research on particle physics.
The terms of the fellowship are generous. The $50,500 award includes support for tuition and fees, an annual living stipend and an annual research stipend. It is renewable for up to three years, as long as the fellow makes progress toward a PhD and attends a yearly research conference.
"I'm very excited because it grants me a lot of extra freedom in graduate school," said Palmer, who will graduate this May with a bachelor's in physics. "I can likely get into research during my first semester, rather than just taking classes and being a TA. Additionally, if for some reason I decide to switch specialties within physics, I won't be a year behind."
Palmer is also a recipient of the prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and is a member of the University's Eugene McDermott Scholars Program. Since his junior year, he has studied under Dr. Joseph Izen, principal investigator of the Elementary Particle Physics Group.
"From the very start, Alex functioned at the level of a graduate student," Izen said. "The running joke amongst physicists on our experiment is that Alex is likely to complete his PhD before his BS."
"The DOE fellowship is great news for Alex," Izen said. "It's not enough to be a smart person with strong grades. At this level, students earn these awards by demonstrating their ability and interest in research. It's a lot of hard work."
According to Izen, the award is an indicator that the physics is on the right track. "UT Dallas has always been able to attract strong students," he said. "Awards like Alex's are an affirmation that the coursework and research opportunities we provide in physics allow our students to compete with the best our country has to offer."
The highly-competitive program was established to support outstanding students as they pursue graduate training in basic research in areas of physics, biology, chemistry, mathematics, engineering, computational sciences and environmental sciences relevant to the DOE's Office of Science and to encourage the development of the next generation scientific and technical talent in the U.S.
Palmer's current research utilizes data collected with the BaBar detector at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory which is adjacent to the Stanford University campus. The BaBar experiment recorded collisions of electrons and positrons at high energies to understand fundamental aspects of particle physics.
"Many things can result from smashing electrons and positrons together, but I am specifically looking at events where two particles called Lambda_c's come out of the electron-positron collision," Palmer said. "By analyzing these events, I can determine how the rate to produce a Lambda C-anti-Lambda-C (Λ⁺cΛ⁻c ) system from the annihilation energy of the electron and varies with the energy of the collision."
After graduation Palmer is headed to Chicago, where he'll use his award to pursue a graduate degree in experimental high-energy physics at The University of Chicago.
Palmer, a 20-year-old senior from Midlothian, Texas, hopes to become a researcher or professor in an elementary physics specialty such as high energy physics or cosmology, a path that he says began with the quality of education he received at UT Dallas.
"UT Dallas has given me a great education, and I always feel on par with other students I meet from larger institutions," Palmer said. "More importantly though, UT Dallas has given me an opportunity to participate in undergraduate research and activities outside of the classroom."
Dr. Joseph Izen (left) and student Alex Palmer conduct research at the BaBar detector at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. "The running joke amongst physicists on our experiment is that Alex is likely to complete his PhD before his BS," Izen said.
Media Contact: The Office of Media Relations, UT Dallas, (972) 883-2155, [email protected].


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Tracing Japan's Best Roads in the Subaru BRZ
We Tackle Mt. Fuji and More in an Epic, 750-Mile Journey in Subaru's Rear-Drive Coupe
Big story concepts usually start with a simple "What if?" In this case, it went something like this: What if we drove the new Subaru BRZ on a 750-mile trek on some of the most amazing roads in the Land of the Rising Sun? And what the heck, we'll throw in watching the BRZ contest a Super GT race and tour the plant where it's built for good measure.
Reams of data about the BRZ had already been downloaded into my cranium. Last summer, I participated in a prototype drive of Subaru's rear-drive coupe in the hills above L.A. Then late last year I drove the Scion FR-S -- Toyota's Americanized version of the car it jointly developed with Subaru -- at Japan's Sodegaura Forest Raceway before it landed in the States. At the time, I was one of a handful of people in the world to have driven both iterations. The BRZ is a special car to me, as it's the first one I've watched progress from drivable prototype to production car. But I wanted more -- much more.
"We need to see where it's built, where it's raced, where it came from," I told photographer Michael Shaffer during a brainstorming lunch. "And drive it on the roads we've read and heard about -- those twisty, extra-smooth, super-clean pieces of pavement." I was determined to turn this what-if? into a drive of epic proportions.
Eight long months later, after cajoling and convincing my superiors and undertaking countless hours of planning, Shaffer, video pros Duane Sempson and John Smart, Subaru USA PR man Dominick Infante, and I were on a bird bound for Narita.
Follow Nate Martinez as he tours Japan's greatest driving roads in Subaru's new rear-wheel drive BRZ coupe on the latest episode of Motor Trend's Epic Drives on YouTube.
Friday - Shinjuku -> Super GT
We landed in Japan during Golden Week, one of the country's major holiday periods. The always incredibly busy Tokyo was another level of insane.
We were still shaking off our double dose of jet and bus lag when we met Uemura-san, the first of several helpful Subaru hosts, in the hotel lobby. It was 5:15 a.m. and the city was already on full blast -- both above and below ground. From the hotel we walked 10 minutes to Subaru's world headquarters, located right on top of the positively massive Shinjuku bus and rail station. It holds the Guinness Book of World Records title as the world's busiest transportation hub -- some 3.64 million people pass through it every day. It was already bursting with rushing salary men.
Uemura-san, who took one day out of his Golden Week vacation to host our group (arigato!), led us two levels below Subaru HQ through a maze of tightly packed spots to where Subaru's media fleet was neatly parked.
"These are the vehicles for you: BRZ, STI, Outback," he said as he pointed to the recently washed, right-hand-drive testers. The WRX STI A-Line Type S -- a five-speed automatic (Japan-only) version of the 300-horse STI sedan we have in the States -- and the Outback were our photo/video support vehicles. Time to wade into the madness.
Tweet Peek: Our steeds. #MTEpicDrive #BRZ #Subaru #outback #wrx #sti #aline http://twitpic.com/9gwfld
"Please watch for the people," Uemura-san warned politely over the walkie-talkie. As we emerged onto street level, nearly every pedestrian who spotted the bright silver BRZ did a double-take. The car is still a rarity in Tokyo.
"Nearly 30 percent of BRZ buyers are under 29 years old. We exceeded sales for the first two months by four times our first expectations," Uemura-san said over the two-way walkie. "They love it!"
The pavement overflowed with people and machines. Amazingly, everything and everyone stayed orderly. Oceans of well-dressed business people, students, and tourists neatly coexisted with rivers of fast-flowing traffic.
Escaping the human mass at Shinjuku Station, we jumped onto Highway 317 south through Shibuya, later merging onto Highway 412 east, also known as the Metropolitan Expressway No. 3 Shibuya Road. Our first stop -- the famed Fuji Speedway with Mt. Fuji looming above it -- lay 66 miles and two hours in traffic ahead. There we would watch Subaru Team R&D Sport and its STI-built BRZ GT300 racer compete in a Super GT event.
GT-Rs, Ferraris, NSXs, M3s, AMGs, old-school Japanese rides -- you name 'em, we crawled alongside 'em in the traffic jam on the way to the track. Shaffer nearly filled a memory card with images.
Tweet Peek: Hello, Fuji Speedway.... Left Tokyo at 5 am to get here. #worthit #fujispeedway #MTEpicDrive #Subaru #BRZ #supergt http://twitpic.com/9gy4hr
For the uninitiated, Super GT is the country's Big Show of motorsport. Cars compete in one of two categories -- GT500 and GT300 -- over the course of eight rounds held throughout Asia. The former class is reserved for more powerful (usually domestic) vehicles, while the latter is for cars running smaller engines and lower power (usually foreign and domestic makes). The BRZ racer is certified as a Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) GT car and competes in the GT300 class.
In R&D Sport's pit sat Subaru's blue beast. Huge, exaggerated wheel arches, a low-slung body and a super-wide stance give the BRZ racer the look of a spaceship. Mechanics traded tools and made pre-grid revisions as managers and drivers reaffirmed race strategies. You could feel the anticipation. Today was important: The team didn't finish the last race, the first round of the car's debut season.
"It took us nearly 14 months to complete the car seen here," said Subaru Tecnica International deputy general manager Hideharu Tatsumi. "Everything done to the car has been specially made."
During warm-up starts in the garage, the EJ20 flat-four's leonine roar reverberated violently against the white walls. It sounded like there was an American V-8 stuffed in its bay, not a hand-built 2.0-liter turbocharged boxer.
Tweet Peek: The EJ20 Says Hello.... A close look at the #Subaru #BRZ GT300 Super GT EJ20 turbo mill. Low in there, like prod car. #MTEpicDrive
According to Tatsumi-san, the race car shares one main similarity with the production model: a low center of gravity, thanks to a boxer engine stuffed as low and far back in the chassis as possible. When asked why his team stuck with last year's engine rather than start anew with the BRZ production car's FA20, Tatsumi-san said it came down to a matter of familiarity.
"We aim to live up to the BRZ's reputation as a spectacular road car. It's one of the most popular cars in the world. We do this on the track and every race we will aim for first position," Tatsumi said.
According to lead driver Tetsuya Yamano, first position will be hard to come by at Fuji, one of Super GT's biggest circuits, with long straights and gradual sweeping turns. "Suzuka and Autopolis are more suitable for the BRZ," he said. "They have many, many corners, kind of like a mountain road."
On a circuit like Fuji, the BRZ is an underdog. But Yamano loves the production car so much, he has two in his personal collection. "As a production car, the BRZ is the best-handling car I've driven," Yamano-san said. "One of my cars is used for gymkhana only. I won a competition last week in it. I love it."
Shortly after our interview, Yamano-san and co-driver Kouta Sasaki began their 300-mile battle. Sasaki-san drove hard in the first leg after starting in 12th position. Not only did he have to fight other cars, but he also had to deal with rainy conditions. Halfway through, Yamano-san swapped in and began his charge.
The rain fell harder, and Uemura-san suggested we leave early in hopes of beating traffic. We took his advice and left Fuji with 13 laps left to go in Round 2. Too late. It took us five hours to travel the 66 miles back to Tokyo. Yes, you read that right.
Finally back in my room, I heard the news that Yamano-san and Sasaki-san finished 9th overall, not bad considering the challenges they faced.
Tweet Peek: BRZ Beast - Race Car in the pits @SUBARU_FHI_PR @subaru_usa @MotorTrend #MTEpicDrive #Subaru #BRZ #supergt #WOW http://twitpic.com/9gy7kh http://twitpic.com/9gy7lu
Tokyo Tourist
In Japan, automakers usually don't loan cars to media types over weekends. So we returned the BRZ (we'd pick up the same cars come Monday morning), said our goodbyes and domo arigatos to Uemura-san, and headed out to explore some of Tokyo's amazing sights.
The world-famous Shibuya crossing, featured in several Hollywood movies, truly is a sight to behold. It's so big, traffic lights stop all cars and motorcycles so the masses can walk across. To experience the crossing's enormity (and get a stunning shot for video), we'd have to see it from above. We found a wicked vantage point some four flights up at the Starbucks in the Tsutaya mall. Watching the amoebic blob come together, then immediately dissipate -- all in the span of about a minute and a half -- was stupefying.
Later, we caught taxis from our hotel in Shinjuku to the Roppongi nightlife district for a delicious dinner at Omae XEX restaurant, set on a quiet street far away from Roppongi's rowdy club scene. James Bond would have been at home in the luxurious, low-lit ambiance.
The following day we took a subway car to Ryogoku Station into the heart of sumo country and the home of the National Sumo Arena.
We took off our shoes, settled into our floor seats, and prepared to watch the battles -- spectators nearest to the 15-foot diameter ring sit on red cushions placed on super-compacted dirt. Sumo's a whole lot more than just two big-boned dudes pushing each other around; it's as much a multi-layered cultural and spiritual tradition as it is a professional sport. To win, a contestant must touch the floor with any body part other than his feet, or step outside the ring.
Once the two minutes of repeated face-to-face psych-outs, drinks of water, salt tosses, leg lifts, and towel wipes are over, the titanic clash of muscle commences. Then, in as little as 8 seconds, it can all be over. When the reigning yokozuna (highest-ranked sumo) loses, it's customary for everyone in the crowd to throw their cushions in the air. I accidentally hit a kid with mine.
Tweet Peek: Sumo Celebs.... National celebrities. Always mobbed when they walk around. #Sumo #MTEpicDrive #Subaru #tokyo http://twitpic.com/9i7qsd
Monday - Shinjuku -> Hakone Turnpike -> Fuji-san
Driving time had finally come again. Before us lay some of Japan's most amazing roads and natural wonders.
We traced the same path out of Tokyo as we did on Friday, through the maze of apartment buildings surrounded by tall, dark foliage and south onto the Tomei Expressway to the Odawara-Atsugi Road, some two hours and 70 miles to the south of Tokyo.
Once in Odawara, we drove along the coast about 50 feet above the ground atop another elevated highway before heading inland to the gigantic entrance for the Toyo Tires Turnpike, more commonly known as the Hakone Turnpike.
Tweet Peek: Welcome to Heaven: #ToyoTires #Hakone Turnpike.17km of #Amazing. #heaven #MTEpicDrive #Subaru #BRZ http://twitpic.com/9ib8jg http://twitpic.com/9ib8l0
More than 10 miles long with numerous sweeping curves set in lush, mountainous coastal terrain, Hakone is a choice driving road. Sporadic patches of skinny gray tress emerged from the region's densely foliaged rolling hills, all hundreds of feet above the coastal cities of Hakoneitabashi and Minamiitabashi.
Once past the toll booths, the road climbed up into a ravine. Within the first kilometer, we traversed a massive, beautifully designed red bridge. Finally, a road worthy of the BRZ. I immediately got on the throttle and readjusted my posture to "Drive Hard" mode.
Hakone Turnpike ranks among the best roads in Japan not only because of its hyper-curvy layout, but for its immense beauty, glass-smooth pavement, and relatively remote location despite its proximity to Tokyo. During the week it's basically abandoned.
While 151 lb-ft of torque isn't all that much for a sports car, the BRZ held its own on the high speed uphill road. Quick double-downshifts awakened the mill's burly burble, which had been muzzled by Tokyo's traffic, and produced enough quickness to make the brakes work hard.
A visitor center and restaurant marked the point at which the Hakone Turnpike turned into Hakone Skyline. Even more curvaceous than the turnpike, the skyline leads down from the mountain's edges and into the town of Hakone, on the shores of Lake Ashinoko.
From Hakone we made our way to Japan's most famous and magnificent natural icon: Mt. Fuji. At 12,385 feet tall, Fuji is the highest point in the country. Only a handful of roads lead up the mountain, and only one (Road 152) leads to the highest drivable location. Called the 5th Station, it's some 7562 feet above sea level and is one of nine stations on Mt. Fuji.
Mt. Fuji carries a godlike importance in Japanese culture. It plays a part in countless paintings, stories, and legends throughout thousands of years of history. Shrines from the bottom to summit pay homage to the mountain's goddess, Konohana-Sakuya Hime.
For the first time during this road trip, I didn't call over the radio to tell my cohorts what I was about to do. I was focused on one thing: Driving Fuji-san as hard and as controlled as possible. I made sure traction control stayed off for this monumental run.
Downshifting in the BRZ sounds and feels better than many extravagant six-figure supercars. The six-speed Aisin 'box engaged crisply no matter how hard I rowed its short stick. Route 152 got more interesting the further up we traveled. The road twisted and jetted off in predictable, always visible ways -- there were no true blind corners, abrupt elevation changes, or off-camber angles. I tossed the BRZ hard and deep into each bend, tach needle pinned hard with each successive cog. Heel-toeing in a right-hand-drive car surprisingly was a cinch to figure out. The tires squealed more than usual.
I couldn't stop thinking of how amazing this moment was: I'm climbing Mt. Fuji, going as hard as I can. No music. No traffic. No potholes. No bad weather. No pollution or smog. It was as perfect as I could have imagined.
It reached mind-blowing status when we pulled into the 5th station and its famed visitor center. My BRZ's ambient temperature gauge showed 7 degree Celsius, or around 45 degrees Fahrenheit. The snowline begins here.
Fuji's peak stood completely barren of clouds. For a few minutes we stood in awe, jaws dropped, cameras snapping as many stills as our memory cards would hold, stopping frequently to blow warm breath onto our frozen hands. This was destined to be one of my top driving experiences ever.
Domo arigato, Fuji-san.
Tweet Peek: The Day I'll Never Forget: Hi, Fuji-san. One of the best driving moments of my life. #MTEpicDrive #Subaru #BRZ @MotorTrend http://twitpic.com/9iegzd http://twitpic.com/9iegzx
Tuesday - Lake Kawaguchi -> Nihon Romantic Highway (Irohazaka)
"There is a very twisty road in Tochigi that you may be interested in," said Obara-san, another of our Subaru hosts, over green tea at the traditional Japanese ryokan on the shore of Lake Kawaguchi near Mt. Fuji where we stayed the night. "It is far away, however. About four or five hours north."
"Is that the road with corners that represent letters in the alphabet?" I asked.
"Yes. Irohazaka," he said.
Prior to our trip, we had researched Irohazaka, also known as the Nihon Romantic Highway, but ruled it out because of its distant location, some 180 miles to the north of Tokyo. It was rumored to have been a location mentioned in the famous "Initial D" comic book series. We also heard that if tour buses were on the road, it could take hours traverse.
Until Obara-san's suggestion, we had no set plan for the next day's drive route. We decided to take his advice. Irohazaka it would be. We arrived at the beginning of the Nihon Romantic Highway loop late in the afternoon. We stopped at a small visitor's center at the entrance, set on the elevated shore of the Kegon Falls River. A sign was posted that had on it what looked like a giant spaghetti noodle tied in a messy loop. I asked Obara-san what it said.
"It says, 'Be careful', 'Respect the natural beauty', and 'Watch out for the small monkeys,' " he responded.
Irohazaka Route 120 is a 12-mile loop that leads over a river and up a forested mountain to a vista point. From there it heads through a tunnel and into the quiet town of Chugushi on the banks of Lake Chuzenji. From Chugushi's town center, the 120 heads back down the mountainside.
There was no time like the present to run up the hill. After three shifts down a straight path, the road swung into a right-hand hairpin followed by a short WOT straight, then another hairpin. Even with VDC stability control in the more lenient Sport mode (Traction Control still engaged), the BRZ's tail loved to slide. With every corner I attacked, the Michelins screamed in search of traction on the heavily channeled surface. (It rains and snows almost every day in the region). Slower traffic immediately pulled over and stared as we flew by, boxer wailing, rubber chirping.
We stopped at the first leg's vista and took in the view. A ribbon of gray twisted downward between patches of green trees and pink cherry blossoms. A waterfall gushed in the background. Awestruck, we jumped back in the BRZ and cruised through Irohazaka's tunnel and into Chugushik, the anticipation of tracing the downhill road made us giddy. "Dude, it's going to be AH-MAAAAY-ZEENG," Shaffer said.
Instead of two lanes like the uphill portion, there's only one. Tire tracks scarred every corner; the esses were tighter; the bends steeply banked. Paint streaks colored the barriers. This is where the drifters come to play. With VDC Sport engaged and Traction Control off, it was time to blast downhill.
Then suddenly, our worst fear: A tour bus pulled ahead of us. We stopped and waited at the nearest turnout. When the traffic finally cleared, I mashed the throttle and turned into the first, super-sharp right-hand hairpin, and the tail loosened up. Bend after bend, the BRZ stayed as composed as a ballerina.
By the time we arrived at the visitor center near a picturesque waterfall, my eyes hurt. I hadn't blinked as much as I should have. Extreme focus will do that to you.
Wednesday - Nihon Romantic Highway (Irohazaka) -> Gunma Cycle Sports Center
Irohazaka made such an impression on us that we decided to go back early the next morning to snag some more visuals. For the first half-hour of shooting, everything went well. Then we heard a worried-sounding Shaffer over the walkie.
"Umm, you guys REALLY should get up here. Like NOW."
As we approached the vista, Sempson and Shaffer stood still across a small parking lot from the Outback. Three monkeys sat outside of the SUV. The guys had forgotten to shut the door and a monkey had gotten inside and was holding a canister of Black Black caffeinated gum hostage.
"Honk at them!!" Shaffer radioed.
I laid into the BRZ's horn and the monkeys scattered. The few that stood outside of the Outback slowly retreated. The alpha male downing tablets of Black Black jumped from the seat and trotted away with a smug, victorious attitude. Monkeys in this region are keen opportunists and aren't afraid of humans. We were lucky the primates didn't steal some of our gear, or worse, take the Outback's keys.
Tweet Peek: When Monkeys Attack: Attacked by a pack of monkeys.Then drove this path.Definitely #goodtimes #MTEpicDrive #Subaru #BRZ http://twitpic.com/9iwzg7 http://twitpic.com/9iwzyj
Monkey business over, we input our next destination into the navigation: Gunma Cycle Sports Center. It would take us nearly three hours to go just 65 miles east, thanks to the slow-going mountain road. Part race track, part amusement park, Gunma hosts motorcycle, automotive, and cycling events. It's also the home base for many of Subaru's R&D tests.
Until last spring, Gunma also served as Best Motoring's test location. Best Motoring is a famous Japanese TV show that reviewed cars by having professional race car drivers like Keiichi Tsuchiya -- aka the Drift King -- flog them within an inch of their life on both road and track.
The place was empty. Dense rainforest encompassed the building. I could hardly see the pavement in the distance, but I knew it was there. The iconic race official's tower jutted up beside the main straight. I recognized it from the countless touge (loosely translated as pass) battles I used to watch as a kid. To this bona fide JDM-phile, Gunma is hallowed ground.
A solitary older gentleman held down the fort. When we walked in he calmly put down his newspaper and politely indicated that we were late. After accepting our sincere apologies and pertinent signatures, he granted us full reign to his domain. No safety briefing. No helmets. No paramedics on standby. No license check. No joke.
Tweet Peek: Wannabe Tsuchiya-san.... Pretending to be #Tsuchiya -san at Gunma Cycle Center #bestmotoring #MTEpicDrive #Subaru #BRZ #touge #gunsai http://twitpic.com/9izkdw
Before I went hot, I needed some "recce" (short for reconnaissance). Sempson and Smart rigged up a GoPro camera to capture my initial taste of the 3.7-mile track as they readied their bigger rigs. Last year I spoke with Subaru USA Rally Team driver Dave Mirra regarding his approach to recce. Memorization was his main callout. Keen environmental awareness was another.
Once set up, it was time to launch. My first taste of Gunma's automotive jungle gym would be at full bore. It had to be. Hard accel runs in the BRZ aren't rocket science -- Traction Control off, Stability Control deleted, revs pegged high, then, BAAAAM, the Michelins begin wailing away. Maintaining speed wasn't a problem on this short, tight track. It was as if Gunma and the BRZ were meant for each other.
Time for Round 2. This pass I'd be without a passenger and with a decent amount of recce gathered. Small raindrops began to fall. Like the first run, I had to start it with the BRZ's tires a-blazin'. Flat-out around multiple blind bends can be crazy, but not on this track, not in this car. I felt ever more confident as the BRZ's binders, rubber, and suspension all operated as designed.
A few laps into my Gunma track attack, the drops turned into a deluge and any chance of running again was lost. While it wasn't the best ending to the driving leg of my trip, I couldn't have asked for more overall.
But it wasn't over yet. On our final day in Japan we'd get an inside look at Subaru's Gunma Main Plant where the BRZ is built.
Thursday - Subaru Gunma Main Plant -> Subaru Oizumi Plant
"Yup, this is definitely Subaru-ville," Smart radioed as we drove down a busy business-lined street in Ota, a manufacturing town located in the heart of Gunma Prefecture.
In March of this year, the Ota Main Plant began its full-time production of the BRZ and its Toyota and Scion iterations. Prior to building the BRZ, the plant constructed Subaru's kei, or small, cars. Oizumi, Ota's sister plant, builds every 2.0-liter 200-horse FA20 engine, as well as the brand's FB20/25 mills.
Last summer I visited Subaru of Indiana Automotive Inc. in Lafayette, Indiana. Walking into Ota Main Plant's Final Assembly and Trim area, I was surprised at how familiar everything looked, felt, and smelled. Physically, Ota's facilities are smaller, but the same metallic musk permeated the air. Loud clangs from welds and pneumatic bolting echoed off the walls and ceiling. The place is a masterpiece of efficiency and cleanliness.
Like the Shinjuku crossing, every process flowed perfectly in unison at Ota. At full tilt the factory will be able to crank out 100,000 BRZs and Toyota GT-86/86/FR-S per year. (Officials wouldn't say how many cars they build per day).
At the beginning stage of assembly, a car is paired with a work manual that indicates to the assembler what model they'll be building. By Stage 17, the car's pre-assembled dash is married to the interior via a giant hydraulic crane. Workers ensure its correct placement. Stage 31 is where the glass is set in place and weather-sealed, and at Stage 38, every trim and interior piece is quality controlled.
Stage 44 is where the BRZ gets its FA20 heart and multi-link rear suspension. Two stages later, the exhaust pipes are fitted and a new order sheet is given to the assemblers. A robot double-checks the powertrain's bolts at Stage 47, and by Stage 50, a full-phase quality control of Final Trim assembly is conducted.
Trim in and done, the BRZ's lightweight wheels, Michelin Primacy tires, and supportive buckets are bolted on at Stage 54 and 56. Next comes a free roller dyno session where the car is sped up to 120 km/h (75 mph) in order to test and calibrate vital systems. From the dyno, the BRZ moves outside for a brief-real world evaluation. Once it passes the tests, it's wrapped, tagged, and driven onto a delivery flatbed. And that's that.
Tweet Peek: Exhaust time. #Subaru #MTEpicDrive #BRZ http://twitpic.com/9ja2y9 http://twitpic.com/9ja2z9
Tweet Peek: Multi-link Install.... Rear suspension in. #MTEpicDrive #Subaru #BRZ http://twitpic.com/9ja1ck
Tweet Peek: Low CoG.... #proudofboxer ... low center of gravity... #MTEpicDrive #Subaru #BRZ http://twitpic.com/9ja1z9 http://twitpic.com/9ja1zu
Tweet Peek: Check and Double Check.... Hand-installed powertrain is retightened by machine for quality, performance, safety. #MTEpicDrive #Subaru #BRZ http://twitpic.com/9ja4f7
Tweet Peek: New Shoes.... Time for some shoes. #BRZ #Subaru #MTEpicDrive http://twitpic.com/9ja5jv
Tweet Peek: Rollers.... Then free rollers at speeds up to 120kmh max. #MTEpicDrive #Subaru #BRZ http://twitpic.com/9ja7tr
Tweet Peek: More Inspection... After seats, then inspection. #MTEpicDrive #Subaru #BRZ http://twitpic.com/9ja77w
Going Gaga before the flight home
Back at the Hilton, as we reluctantly began to pack for the journey back to the States, I felt a mixture of sadness and accomplishment. We marked the end of our trip with a few drinks at the Hyatt Regency Tokyo's New York Bar. Movie buffs will know it as the bar from "Lost in Translation." Suddenly, the live music stopped. A wild-looking, slender woman walked up to the mic next to the pianist, and without hesitation, began to belt with all her might. (Above is a short video I shot of Gaga in action)
"That's Lady Gaga," Subaru's Infante calmly mentioned to our table. She had been all over the local news channels because of her recent concert in the city. "Only in Japan," he said as he ordered us another round. "It really is a special place." It is indeed.


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Wyatt, Atzmon & Stephen | 30/11/10
If the photo didn't already give it away, here at Domino we're in the festive spirit, and we're celebrating with the release of the new single by Robert Wyatt, Gilad Atzmon and Ros Stephen, 'What A Wonderful World', released digitally on 13th December 2010.
In case you were wondering, 'What A Wonderful World' is indeed a cover of the Louis Armstrong standard, and Mr Wyatt and co, as can be expected, put their own unique stamp on things, encouraging listeners to fully take on board the deep lyrical meaning behind a song many may have unfairly come to identify as merely a 'guilty pleasure.' In Wyatt's own words, "Our 'Wonderful World' is not sarcastic, ironic or even just sentimental. It's Social Realism: not the WHOLE truth, but nevertheless The truth."
The single is now available to pre-order here
Also, For The Ghosts Within, the critically acclaimed collaborative album between Wyatt, Atzmon and Stephen is available to order here.
Anyway, it may seem a tad premature, but with the news of this release we feel it's the perfect time to say Merry Christmas from Domino and Merry Christmas from Robert Wyatt and co.