San Diego Housing Bubble News and Analysis

I prefer the term "Curious George".

http://www.reuters.com/article/vcCandida...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Barack Obama may consider delaying a campaign promise - to roll back tax cuts on high-income Americans - as part of his economic recovery strategy, two aides said on Sunday

Breeze lets bring back the group that failed to address our foreign issues, what a brilliant idea. What your left brain fails to see is that we have a global problem, one that Clinton had no interest in getting involved in. Thanks to Clinton and his 1997 sub-prime act along with deregulation we have a global masterpiece of mortgage failure.

Funny you say Bush was F%&$*# 95% of the population while benefiting the other 5%. Keep in mind Obama's initial plan to roll back the Bush tax cuts are on hold. Maybe taxing the rich a bit too much does take away from the creation of new jobs.

While you are kneeling down and praying to your golden statue of Obama please make sure to download a spell checker so you aren't the one that looks like the @@sclown.

Riiiiigggghhht.

Let's bring back half of Clinton's administration and fill the gaps with failed candidates from the Democrat primary!!!!

That's CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN!!!!

Apparently, NO WE CAN'T.

You gotta love appointing Daschle to HHS. He's been working as a policy advisor for a lawfirm that is in the pocket of big health care since he got booted from the senate.

I'm gonna love watching the Democrats play the rabbit to the conservative hare over the next four years, partying and pissing their 'mandate' away with failed promises, cronyism and blamegate.

I wonder how Obama supporters will feel when names like "Chimpy" and "Curious George" are used to describe the new president. I wonder if some will pull out the race card and say that it is racist to refer to the president as some kind of primate.

A little more to the subject... while Obama is at it, let him bring back Robert Rubin. You know the guy that sits on the Citigroup board. The guy who's incompentency ruined Citigroup. Clinton's former Treasury Secretary.

Clinton's group simply rode the wave of good work that preceeded them. 12 years of Reaganomics!

I was just sitting on the pot thinking how could someone post such a ridiculous topic. Breeze if you think Bush is that dumb, I can only imagine your level of intelligence. Don't get me wrong, you are probably raking in $8/hour at Pita Pit, but that doesn't quite give you the knowledge and understanding of ex prez Clinton and Obama's current economic advisers.

Please do some homework when you get off work. Does your manager know you spend this much time blogging about your superhero Obama! Hopefully your manager doesn't have to take any extreme measures and fire employees. Chances are if he has to he will go out in the parking lot and look for Obama bumper stickers and those will be the first to go. Don't take it for granted that you still have a job.

Socratt/Meadandale: Don't go down the rabbit hole with this guy!

He is a completely propagandized little Lefty. To prove the point, ask him any serious question and see if he answers. He won't.

For instance, and given his love of all things Clinton, ask him about Slick Willie's forays into foreign policy and how those turned out, specifically in places like Somalia, the Balkans, Haiti and especially Iraq.

Ah, Iraq. Clinton and his administration were BIG believers in WMD. They also gave us wonderful pieces of legislation, like the Iraqi Liberation Act of 1998, right? What did that say again? Oh, yeah, it advocated the removal of Saddam Hussein, by any means, including invasion.

How about Clinton's stance on torture, especially extraordinary rendition? What's that? He started the policy of extraordinary rendition? No kidding!

And his signature on the NSA Echelon and Carnivore programs in 1994? You know the ones widely expanding governmental search capabilities into our private lives, including the widening of the 1978 FISA program?

He is either a troll or someone so blinded by the propaganda he doesn't know any better and is therefore not up to the debate anyway. My advice is to let it go.

Curious George was one of the worst presidents this country has seen. Already in 2000 it was obvious to anyone with half a brain. He's less qualified to be the president than Sarah Palin.

I thought it was 7 years of losing manufacturing jobs to Japan, followed by a stock market crash, followed by one of the worst recessions of the 20th century.

Gee what does that remind me of? Oh yes I know. By your logic, Obama's group will ride the wave of good work (8 years of Bushonomics) that preceded them.

Sitting ot the board does not make one responsible for ruining the company. If he were a CEO or a CFO, I might agree with you.

While we're at it, why don't you look up Henry Paulson (you know, the one appointed Treasury Secretary by Curious George) and find out who we was up until his appointment in 2006.

Watching the Democrats in the final weeks of the presidential election has been a lesson in revisionist history. While they lament the terrible crimes perpetrated against the American people by George Bush and vow to keep fighting for our rights, they conveniently gloss over the fact that they have no standing to make such claims. Indeed, the Democrats, including Senator Barack Obama, have actually voted with President Bush’s agenda, making them complicit in his acts, not valiant opponents defending our liberties.

http://www.counterpunch.org/gonzalez1029...

Gosh, breeze. You must be really annoyed at all the good housing threads on the site lately. I can understand how a dearth of political topics on a housing forum can really get under your skin.

arraya: Excellent article. Very informative. I did not know about Biden's past voting record and it was interesting to note how has past voting directly conflicts with much of what Obama holds dear.

This message of "change" is really "business as usual", it's just been wrapped in a new, more rhetorically gifted package. All of these Clinton appointments would certainly suggest that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Of course, Breeze won't read the article. It contains all those pesky facts. They do so get in the way of good polemics and propaganda.

Remember it is Bill Clinton who refused Sudan's offer to serve up Osama Bin Laden on a silver platter...Thousands of lives are his responsibility..And all those pardons..Marc Rich, Mr. Gambino..pleeezeeezzz.

The facts are that Obama gave a 20-minute economic speech today and the market went up 600 points. The guy is a market maestro and he plays it like a fiddle. TGO the market maestro. It has quite a ring to it, don't you think?

Polemicist!

That one is for you Allan...

You seem to forgot the 2500 other points missing from the board.

Your a troll and a jackass and hope you tire of this forum soon and take your worthless post to Poway Seller's site...

CE

Breezie: I love ya, baby. Let's not discuss facts or history, those just get in the way. Let's focus on spin and revisionism, because those are more fun and let us rewrite history.

Enjoy the rush while it lasts, because the end, when it comes, is gonna be ugly.

Just out of curiosity, did you happen to read either of the two articles? If so, what are your thoughts? Seriously, now.

AFF, You're not following your own advice. Let it go!

In other news the Fed pledges to bankrupt the US and politicans are silent.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=2...

Nov. 24 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. government is prepared to provide more than $7.76 trillion on behalf of American taxpayers after guaranteeing $306 billion of Citigroup Inc. debt yesterday. The pledges, amounting to half the value of everything produced in the nation last year, are intended to rescue the financial system after the credit markets seized up 15 months ago

arraya: When you're right, you're right. I'll just lurk and seethe.

Another good article, by the way.

Dude I think TheBreeze's purpose is just to goad and irk. I don't know what's funnier. His statements or reactions to his statements....

Anyway, got to love the "I feel great tha the stock market is up because of obama statement", but the fact is we're still at 8400....

Breeze, remember the cowdung analogy...

I dont think much of either party as they both take payola from the same guys. So they owe the same debts. But I dont think Gore would have gotten us into war in Iraq. And we'll be paying for that one long after shrub has been found floating in a boat somewhere in South America.

Wrong, Breeze. Your Lord and Savior temporarily killed the Dow rally. You need to focus more on details, not just the propaganda you are fed.

"Obama Rolls Out Econ Team, Dings Dow Rally"

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/economy...

I love how TGO the market maestro is forging his economic team with the execs who brought us the financial meltdown. LOL! Yes, this is definitely CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN!

This is a SNL skit waiting to happen. Just wait 18 months, Breeze. and keep plenty of liquor on hand. I have a feeling you are going to need it.

"Obama's Bailout Bunch Brings Us More of the Same: Jonathan Weil"

"Nov. 11 (Bloomberg) -- It's hard to believe Barack Obama would even think of calling this change.

Take a good look at some of the 17 people our nation's president-elect chose last week for his Transition Economic Advisory Board. And then try saying with a straight face that these are the leaders who should be advising him on how to navigate through the worst financial crisis in modern history.

First, there's former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin. Not only was he chairman of Citigroup Inc.'s executive committee when the bank pushed bogus analyst research, helped Enron Corp. cook its books, and got caught baking its own. He was a director from 2000 to 2006 at Ford Motor Co., which also committed accounting fouls and now is begging Uncle Sam for Citigroup- style bailout cash.

Two other Citigroup directors received spots on the Obama board: Xerox Corp. Chief Executive Officer Anne Mulcahy and Time Warner Inc. Chairman Richard Parsons. Xerox and Time Warner got pinched years ago by the Securities and Exchange Commission for accounting frauds that occurred while Mulcahy and Parsons held lesser executive posts at their respective companies.

Mulcahy and Parsons also once were directors at Fannie Mae when that company was breaking accounting rules. So was another member of Obama's new economic board, former Commerce Secretary William Daley. He's now a member of the executive committee at JPMorgan Chase & Co., which, like Citigroup, is among the nine large banks that just got $125 billion of Treasury's bailout budget.

There's More

Obama's economic crew might as well be called the Bailout Bunch. Another slot went to former White House economic adviser Laura Tyson. She's been a director for about a decade at Morgan Stanley, which in 2004 got slapped for accounting violations by the SEC and a month ago got $10 billion from Treasury.

That's not all. There's Penny Pritzker, the Obama campaign's national finance chairwoman. She was on the board of the holding company for subprime lender Superior Bank FSB. The Chicago-area thrift, in which her family held a 50 percent stake, was seized by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. in 2001. The thrift's owners agreed to pay the government $460 million over 15 years to help cover the FDIC's losses.

Even some of the brighter lights on Obama's board, like Warren Buffett and former SEC Chairman William Donaldson, come with asterisks. Buffett was on the audit committee of Coca-Cola Co.'s board when the SEC found the soft-drink maker had misled investors about its earnings. Donaldson was on the audit committee from 1998 to 2001 at a provider of free e-mail services called Mail.com Inc. Just before he left the SEC, in 2005, the agency disciplined the company over accounting violations that had occurred on his watch.

Telling Stories

So, by my tally, almost half the people on Obama's economic advisory board have held fiduciary positions at companies that, to one degree or another, either fried their financial statements, helped send the world into an economic tailspin, or both. Do you think any of that came up in the vetting?

Let's say we give Buffett a pass -- smart move he made, skipping the group photo-op last week in Chicago. What about the rest of them? Donaldson, for one, was chairman when the SEC voted in 2004 to let the big Wall Street banks, including Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. and Bear Stearns Cos., lever up their balance sheets like drunks. Talk about blowing it.

And whom did Obama tap for White House chief of staff? Rahm Emanuel, the Illinois congressman who was a director at Freddie Mac in 2000 and 2001 while it was committing accounting fraud.

Ideally, this job would go to someone who can't be easily fooled. Think about it: Of all the people Obama could have chosen as his chief of staff, couldn't he have found someone who wasn't once on the board of Freddie Mac?

Renewed Confidence

The president-elect needs some new advisers -- fast. We are in a crisis of confidence in American capitalism. These aren't the right people to re-instill its sense of honor.

Many of them should be getting subpoenas as material witnesses right about now, not places in Obama's inner circle. Did Obama learn nothing from the ill-fated choice of James Johnson, the former Fannie Mae boss, to lead his vice- presidential search committee?

Does he think people like Robert Rubin or Richard Parsons will offer any helpful advice on how to stop crooked bankers or sleep-walking directors from sinking our economy? Or that they won't mistake the nation's needs for their own corporate interests? Or that the people who helped get us into our long financial nightmare have any clue how to get us out?

Obama has created hope that our nation can stand for all that is good in the world again. It's not too late to change course.

Start by scrapping this board."

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=2...

NEW ORLEANS (AP)—After heading out on the road for more than a month, the New Orleans Saints were unstoppable at home.

The Saints spent 43 days away from the Louisiana Superdome for a trip to London, a bye and three road games, then returned to New Orleans and put on one of the more memorable performances in franchise history.

Drew Brees threw for four scores, Deuce McAllister set a Saints record with his 54th career touchdown and New Orleans rolled to a 51-29 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Monday night.

“I mean, 40-something days on the road. It was great to get back in the dome,” Brees said. “You look at this game, so many things. Deuce getting the record, us just really feeling like we had our stride going the whole game.

“We’re kind of in the middle of pack, just like a lot of other teams,” Brees continued. “This is the time where a few of those teams start to separate themselves and we want to be one of those teams.”

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Brees dismantled a Packers secondary that came in ranked third in the NFL with 176.3 yards passing allowed per game. He was 20-of-26 for 323 yards as New Orleans tied a club record for points scored and touchdowns (seven) in a game. Two of Brees’ touchdowns went to Lance Moore, one for 70 yards.

“It’s a dream come true playing with him,” said Moore, who had 115 yards. “All we have to do is run our routes. We don’t have to worry about doing anything extraordinary.”

Brees remained on pace to break Dan Marino’s 1984 record of 5,084 yards passing in a season. He has 3,574 yards with five games remaining. He also has the Saints (6-5) feeling better about their hopes of rallying for a playoff spot now that they’ve won two games in a row for the first time all season.

“There’s an old saying, ‘10 and you’re in,”’ Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma said. “We’ve got to find a way to get to 10 wins and get into the playoffs.”

The Packers (5-6) dropped a game behind Minnesota and Chicago in the race for first in the NFC North.

“We didn’t slow them down at all tonight,” Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy said. “Give credit to the Saints and the play of their quarterback. He was on fire coming into the game and we didn’t cool him off any.”

Aaron Rodgers’ attempt to keep up with Brees’ torrid passing resulted in three interceptions, two by Jason David and one by Kevin Kaesviharn. David returned his first pick to the 3, setting up McAllister’s scoring run, which broke Dalton Hilliard’s club record set in 1993.

The sellout crowd erupted after McAllister’s score. The Saints’ career rushing leader kept the ball as he trotted to the sideline, where he was hugged by Payton.

“I didn’t want it to be anything out of the context of the game because I respect the game so much,” McAllister said. “I wanted it to come in the natural flow.”

It might have been McAllister’s final game in the Superdome this season. He has appealed a four-game suspension levied after he tested positive for a diuretic banned by the NFL because it could be used as a masking agent for steroids. It is not clear when the league will rule on McAllister’s case.

Rodgers was 23-of-41 for 248 yards and touchdown passes of 7 yards to Greg Jennings and 4 yards to Ruvell Martin. Rodgers also ran for a 10-yard score. Ryan Grant rushed for 64 yards in the first half, but the Packers were forced to throw more as their deficit grew and Grant finished with only 67 yards.

New Orleans Saints running bac…

AP - Nov 25, 12:46 am EST
“After the first half we knew we had to throw,” Rodgers said. “We tried to answer but we didn’t. We let this one get away from us.”

Leading 24-21 at the half, the Saints began to seize control with a long touchdown drive that ended with Brees’ 16-yard strike to tight end Billy Miller. McAllister then went in from the 3 and Brees hit Marques Colston in stride down the sideline for his second 70-yard TD pass of the game. It was Colston’s first score of the season after battling back from a thumb injury on opening day.

Pierre Thomas rushed for 87 yards and two touchdown runs, a 4-yarder in the first half and a 31-yard scamper in the fourth quarter that gave New Orleans a 51-29 lead. The Saints had scored 51 points twice before in their four-decade history and easily could have reached 52 if Payton had elected to kick the extra point. However, Payton called for a 2-point conversion that failed in an attempt to go up by 24 points.

The Packers scored first on a 1-yard touchdown leap by fullback John Kuhn. It was the first rushing touchdown for Kuhn in his three-year career and only his eighth carry.

But that would be Green Bay’s last lead. Moore’s 70-yard score came on the Saints’ next play, and New Orleans took the lead on Thomas’ first TD run. Green Bay tied it at 14 and again at 21 before New Orleans took the lead for good shortly before halftime on Garrett Hartley’s 30-yard field goal, set up by Courtney Roby’s 62-yard kickoff return.

Notes

Jeremy Shockey had one of his better games for the Saints with five catches for 57 yards. … Moore has a touchdown catch in four straight games. … Green Bay had won 10 of its last 15 road games coming in. … Reggie Bush was a scratch, missing his fourth game. The Saints are 3-1 without him.

LISBON, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Barcelona have the chance to secure top spot in Champions League Group C and prove they are not dependent on striker Lionel Messi to win matches when they visit Sporting on Wednesday.

Barca’s nine-match winning streak in the Primera Liga came to an end with a 1-1 draw at home to Getafe on Sunday, as Pep Guardiola’s outfit struggled to open up their well-organised opponents.

Argentine Messi, who has four goals to his name in the group stage this season, was left in the stands as a precautionary measure after picking up a thigh strain last week, and although he was included for the trip to Portugal, remains a doubt. “Lionel is a very important part of the team and there is no doubt he is missed when he doesn’t play,” goalkeeper Victor Valdes told a news conference on Monday.

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“But we can’t always be waiting for, or dependent, on one individual. Every player has qualities to offer to the group as a whole.”

Teenage striker Bojan Krkic played wide on the right against Getafe but struggled to make much of an impression and was seen to be in tears on the bench after he was substituted in the second half.

He could start in Lisbon along with Samuel Eto’o and Thierry Henry up front. Midfielder Andres Iniesta and full back Eric Abidal are out injured.

Captain Carles Puyol and midfielder Yaya Toure have been rested from the squad suffering with minor complaints.

Barca beat Sporting 3-1 at the Nou Camp in September and are unbeaten over their four games, though they slipped up with a 1-1 draw at home to FC Basel last time out.

Both Barca and Sporting have already qualified for the knockout stage with the Catalans holding a one-point advantage over Sporting, who have progressed to the last 16 for the first time.

Sporting coach Paulo Bento is set to rest a number of players after an energy-sapping 1-0 league win over Naval on Saturday, a match in which the Lisbon team played with only nine men for the last 23 minutes.

“The aim in the League (Champions) is reached. We’ll fight for the first place in the group, but with other factors to be taken into account, most of all the attrition (in Naval’s match) to which the team was subjected, that may weigh on my options for managing the squad,” Bento told reporters.

Sporting will be without right-back Abel, central defender Tonel and Brazilian midfielder Fabio Rochemback due to injuries, while defenders Marco Caneira, Pedro Silva and Grimi are doubtful.

Probable teams:

Sporting: 1-Rui Patricio; 25-Pereirinha, 12-Marco Caneira, 4-Anderson Polga, 3-Daniel Carrico; 24-Miguel Veloso, 7-Marat Izmailov, 30-Leandro Romagnoli, 28-Joao Moutinho; 11-Derlei, 31-Liedson

Barcelona: 1-Victor Valdes; 20-Daniel Alves, 4-Rafael Marquez, 3-Gerard Pique, 16-Silvinho; 15-Seydou Keita, 6-Xavi, 21-Aleksandr Hleb; 11-Bojan Krkic, 9-Samuel Eto’o, 14-Thierry Henry

Referee: Matteo Trefoloni (Italy)

(Additional reporting by Mark Elkington in Madrid, editing by Justin Palmer)

How to build your own BattleBot

We have been getting a lot of e-mail asking us "How do I build a BattleBot?" well, the answer is not that simple. You must do a lot of research before you begin. We can not tell you what kind of robot to build or how to build it. You have to do the work yourself. There are many websites with info on the basics, but the final design must be your own brainchild.

Read the rules
The first thing you need to do is read and understand the rules to battlebots. Read them over and over until you have a good understanding of what is and isn't allowed.
Next you must decide what weightclass you want to compete in. I suggest you start with a lightweight or middleweight your first time out. We spent over $3000.00 on our middleweight Psychotron. We expect to spend about $5000.00 on our next heavyweight.
What type of robot do you want to build? There are many kinds of weapons out there, wedges, spinners, saws, hammers, lifters, etc. Each one has it's own set of design problems and limitations. A wedge is by far the easiest design but be warned, the judges were really biased against wedges in the last competition. This is a televised event so try to make your robot as interesting and innovative as you can. I can speak from experience when I say noise, sparks, and speed will get you more points than just pinning your opponent against the spike strip.
I would stay away from walking robots, gas engines, hydraulics, and pneumatics for your first time around. Stick with electrical power. Electric is the easiest and most reliable of all the power sources out there.
Once you have decided on the basic design you will need to decide what parts you will use to put it all together. There are eight basic parts to an electric powered BattleBot.
1) Radio control
2) Motors
3) Batteries
4) Speed Controller
5) Drivetrain
6) Chassis
7) Armor
8) Weapon

Radio Control
The radio control unit is the brain of the BattleBot. These are the same radios that the R/C airplane and R/C car guys are using. The new rules however state that only PCM type radios with the 75mhz ground frequencies will be allowed after Dec 31st 2001. So if you buy an airplane or helicopter radio you will need to have it converted from 72mhz to 75mhz. There are several manufacturers of radio control units. The most popular are: Futaba, Hitec, Innovation First, and Airtronics.
Radios have a set number of channels. Each channel will allow you to control an individual function on your BattleBot. You will need at least two channels, one for steering and one for forward and reverse. Additional channels may be needed for controlling weapons. I recommend you get a six-channel radio now because you will want those extra channels at some point down the road. A good 6 channel PCM radio will cost around $300.00 Tower hobbies has great prices on radios but you will need to get it converted to 75mhz. Contact D&M electronics for frequency conversion.

Motors
The motors are probably the most important part of the BattleBot. If you skimp on the motors all the rest of the parts won't mean a thing. Get the beefiest motors you can fit into your weight class. The type of motor you choose will depend on your drive train. If you want to go the easy route I recommend gear drive motors. The drivetrain is already worked out for you. You simply bolt the wheels directly to the motors. National Power Chair has great gear drive motors all ready to go. They also sell wheels ready to bolt onto the motors. These are great motors for middleweights on up to super heavyweight battlebots. Most of the lightweight builders use rechargeable drill motors. The DeWalt motor/gearbox combination seems to be the most popular. I personally would not recommend plastic gearboxes in a BattleBot.

Batteries
The batteries are the blood of the BattleBot. You need to squeeze as much power out of your batteries in a three-minute match as you possibly can. In addition you must be able to recharge or switch batteries quickly. You may only have 20 minutes between fights so you must be able to get back to full power really fast. Most electrical systems run on either 12 or 24 volts. The new rules allow up to 48 volts, that's 4 12-volt batteries wired in series. Make sure all your electrical components are rated for the voltage and amperage you intend to use. There are two basic types of batteries allowed by the rules, Sealed Lead Acid Batteries and NiCad batteries. The type you chose will depend on both your configuration and budget. SLA batteries are by far cheaper than NiCad battery packs.

Speed Controller
The speed controller is what takes the radio signal and converts it into electrical power to drive the motors in forward or reverse. Speed controllers are very expensive and sensitive components. When you see smoke pouring from a BattleBot during a match is most likely the speed controller making that magic smoke. Smoke bad, smoke not good for bot. Make sure that you purchase a speed controller that is rated for the motors and batteries you will be using in your bot. It is a good idea to use a speed controller that is over rated just in case you stall out the motors. If you do not want to blow up your expensive speed controller we recommend using fuses between the motors and the speed controller and between the battery and the speed controller when operating your BattleBot.
Some good speed controllers are available from Innovation First and Vantec. Be ready to spend between $300.00 - $800.00 for good speed controllers

Drivetrain
The drivetrain on a BattleBot must be bullet proof. If something breaks on your drive train you are history. Most losses in the battlebox are due to drivetrain failure, so build it tough. There are several different types of drivetrains; Chain drive, gear drive, belt drive friction drive and gear drive motors as I mentioned above. All have their advantages and disadvantages. Do a lot of research on this subject before you decide what type of drivetrain you will use in your BattleBot.

Chassis
All of the different parts of a BattleBot have to be assembled together onto a chassis. Much like the frame of a car the chassis is what holds everything together. Some chassis are welded steel, others are machined out of a solid block of material. Biohazard has by far one of the most innovative chassis I have ever seen. It is machined out of several different types of alloys to make it both lightweight and strong.
Remember that whatever type of chassis you build it must be able to take a beating from the pulverizers and the killsaws.

Armor
A BattleBot is much like a tank in that it is covered with some type of armor plating. Your armor must be strong enough to survive the killsaws and other weapons, yet also be light enough that your battle bot will not be over weight. Titanium is by far the lightest strongest material used for BattleBot armor but it is very expensive and hard to work with. 6A1/4V is the most popular grade. Aluminum is softer but it is easy to cut and drill. If you use a softer material like aluminum we recommend making spare panels that you can replace in between matches. Aluminum has one other distinct advantage, it does not spark. If you get stuck on a killsaw or get attacked by a sawbot like Minion, the judges will not see a shower of sparks like titanium or steel armor would make.

Weapon
Your weapon is probably the one thing that will make your robot stand out from the rest. It must inflict maximum damage to your opponent's robot without self-destructing. Think of ways to cut, smash, lift, throw, split and otherwise maim your opponent. Remember that points are awarded for aggression, strategy, and damage. All three of these categories can be enhanced by the proper choice of weapon. Weapons can be gasoline powered, electric, pneumatic, or hydraulic.

These are just the basics you need to know before you begin designing a battlebot. I have left out a lot of intricate details that you need to find out by researching and reading. I have compiled a helpful list of links to get you started on your research, good luck.

Builders Websites
Team Biohazard Great info on materials
Cool Robots.com By far the best place for info on getting started
Robot Combat.com Great list of frequently asked questions
A Technical Guide To Building Fighting Robots
Team S.L.A.M. Lots of good info
Puppet Master Robotics
Team Hazard Very good tips for robot builders

Online Calculators
Weight Calculator
Conversion Calculator
Calculator City

Batteries
Battle Packs
Battery Mart
Batteries.com
Odyssey Batteries
Power Sonic Batteries

Books & Videos
Robot Books.com
Team Delta

Motors
National Power Chair Robotics

Speed Controllers
Diverse Electronics Not widely used in BattleBots
Innovation First Victor 883 speed contolers as used by Team Rockitz
Vantec 2 Ch high end speed cotrollers used in bomb disposal robots
4QD UK company, Needs interface like Team Delta's RCE110

Specialized Robot Parts Suppliers
Team Delta

Field Surface
Matches may be played on natural or artifi cial surfaces, according to
the rules of the competition.
The colour of artifi cial surfaces must be green.
Where artifi cial surfaces are used in either competition matches
between representative teams of member associations affi liated to
FIFA or international club competition matches, the surface must meet
the requirements of the FIFA Quality Concept for Artifi cial Turf or
the International Artifi cial Turf Standard, unless special dispensation
is given by FIFA.
Field Markings
The fi eld of play must be rectangular and marked with lines. These
lines belong to the areas of which they are boundaries.
The two longer boundary lines are called touch lines. The two shorter
lines are called goal lines.
The fi eld of play is divided into two halves by a halfway line, which
joins the midpoints of the two touch lines.
The centre mark is indicated at the midpoint of the halfway line.
A circle with a radius of 9.15 m (10 yds) is marked around it.
Marks may be made off the fi eld of play, 9.15 m (10 yds) from the
corner arc and at right angles to the goal lines and the touch lines, to
ensure that defending players retreat this distance when a corner kick
is being taken.

Dimensions
The length of the touch line must be greater than the length of the
goal line.
Length (touch line): minimum 90 m (100 yds)
maximum 120 m (130 yds)
Width (goal line): minimum 45 m (50 yds)
maximum 90 m (100 yds)
All lines must be of the same width, which must be not more than
12 cm (5 ins).
International Matches
Length: minimum 100 m (110 yds)
maximum 110 m (120 yds)
Width: minimum 64 m (70 yds)
maximum 75 m (80 yds)
The Goal Area
Two lines are drawn at right angles to the goal line, 5.5 m (6 yds) from
the inside of each goalpost. These lines extend into the fi eld of play
for a distance of 5.5 m (6 yds) and are joined by a line drawn parallel
with the goal line. The area bounded by these lines and the goal line
is the goal area.

CHAPTER I

Down the Rabbit-Hole

Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister
on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had
peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no
pictures or conversations in it, `and what is the use of a book,'
thought Alice `without pictures or conversation?'

So she was considering in her own mind (as well as she could,
for the hot day made her feel very sleepy and stupid), whether
the pleasure of making a daisy-chain would be worth the trouble
of getting up and picking the daisies, when suddenly a White
Rabbit with pink eyes ran close by her.

There was nothing so VERY remarkable in that; nor did Alice
think it so VERY much out of the way to hear the Rabbit say to
itself, `Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be late!' (when she thought
it over afterwards, it occurred to her that she ought to have
wondered at this, but at the time it all seemed quite natural);
but when the Rabbit actually TOOK A WATCH OUT OF ITS WAISTCOAT-
POCKET, and looked at it, and then hurried on, Alice started to
her feet, for it flashed across her mind that she had never
before seen a rabbit with either a waistcoat-pocket, or a watch to
take out of it, and burning with curiosity, she ran across the
field after it, and fortunately was just in time to see it pop
down a large rabbit-hole under the hedge.

In another moment down went Alice after it, never once
considering how in the world she was to get out again.

The rabbit-hole went straight on like a tunnel for some way,
and then dipped suddenly down, so suddenly that Alice had not a
moment to think about stopping herself before she found herself
falling down a very deep well.

Either the well was very deep, or she fell very slowly, for she
had plenty of time as she went down to look about her and to
wonder what was going to happen next. First, she tried to look
down and make out what she was coming to, but it was too dark to
see anything; then she looked at the sides of the well, and
noticed that they were filled with cupboards and book-shelves;
here and there she saw maps and pictures hung upon pegs. She
took down a jar from one of the shelves as she passed; it was
labelled `ORANGE MARMALADE', but to her great disappointment it
was empty: she did not like to drop the jar for fear of killing
somebody, so managed to put it into one of the cupboards as she
fell past it.

sduuude: if you don't like the discussion, kindly go away or stfu but please refrain from posting page after page of irrelevant crap like a 6 year old having a temper tantrum.

The Pool of Tears

`Curiouser and curiouser!' cried Alice (she was so much
surprised, that for the moment she quite forgot how to speak good
English); `now I'm opening out like the largest telescope that
ever was! Good-bye, feet!' (for when she looked down at her
feet, they seemed to be almost out of sight, they were getting so
far off). `Oh, my poor little feet, I wonder who will put on
your shoes and stockings for you now, dears? I'm sure _I_ shan't
be able! I shall be a great deal too far off to trouble myself
about you: you must manage the best way you can; --but I must be
kind to them,' thought Alice, `or perhaps they won't walk the
way I want to go! Let me see: I'll give them a new pair of
boots every Christmas.'

And she went on planning to herself how she would manage it.
`They must go by the carrier,' she thought; `and how funny it'll
seem, sending presents to one's own feet! And how odd the
directions will look!

ALICE'S RIGHT FOOT, ESQ.
HEARTHRUG,
NEAR THE FENDER,
(WITH ALICE'S LOVE).

Oh dear, what nonsense I'm talking!'

Just then her head struck against the roof of the hall: in
fact she was now more than nine feet high, and she at once took
up the little golden key and hurried off to the garden door.

Poor Alice! It was as much as she could do, lying down on one
side, to look through into the garden with one eye; but to get
through was more hopeless than ever: she sat down and began to
cry again.

`You ought to be ashamed of yourself,' said Alice, `a great
girl like you,' (she might well say this), `to go on crying in
this way! Stop this moment, I tell you!' But she went on all
the same, shedding gallons of tears, until there was a large pool
all round her, about four inches deep and reaching half down the
hall.

After a time she heard a little pattering of feet in the
distance, and she hastily dried her eyes to see what was coming.
It was the White Rabbit returning, splendidly dressed, with a
pair of white kid gloves in one hand and a large fan in the
other: he came trotting along in a great hurry, muttering to
himself as he came, `Oh! the Duchess, the Duchess! Oh! won't she
be savage if I've kept her waiting!' Alice felt so desperate
that she was ready to ask help of any one; so, when the Rabbit
came near her, she began, in a low, timid voice, `If you please,
sir--' The Rabbit started violently, dropped the white kid
gloves and the fan, and skurried away into the darkness as hard
as he could go.

Alice took up the fan and gloves, and, as the hall was very
hot, she kept fanning herself all the time she went on talking:
`Dear, dear! How queer everything is to-day! And yesterday
things went on just as usual. I wonder if I've been changed in
the night? Let me think: was I the same when I got up this
morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little
different. But if I'm not the same, the next question is, Who in
the world am I? Ah, THAT'S the great puzzle!' And she began
thinking over all the children she knew that were of the same age
as herself, to see if she could have been changed for any of

Last Dec. 9, as I drove from Gillette Stadium to my hotel in Boston’s Copley Place on a cool Sunday night, I called my editor to talk about the following week’s assignment. Unlike that day’s compelling showdown between the undefeated Patriots and playoff-bound Steelers, there was no obvious must-see game on the upcoming Sunday’s schedule, and we tossed around a couple of options.

Finally, I suggested, “What about Ravens at Dolphins?” To my editor’s credit, he didn’t burst out laughing. Baltimore had lost seven games in a row to drop out of contention, while Miami was 0-13. “I know it’s a little different, but it’ll be a cool story,” I told him. “Because the Dolphins are going to win.”

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Sure enough, Miami prevailed on a dramatic overtime touchdown, and we got the column we’d anticipated. The moral of the story? When it comes to figuring out when a winless team will finally achieve victory, no one is more psychic than yours truly.

All of which brings us to the Lions, now five defeats away from becoming the first NFL team to go 0-16.

Could imperfection become a reality? Normally, I’d say no, but the Lions are a special breed of awful. They fired their team president, Matt Millen, after their third defeat in September. They signed their starting quarterback, Daunte Culpepper, off the street in early November.

On Sunday at Ford Field, Detroit managed to take a 17-0 first-quarter lead over the Buccaneers – and trail at halftime en route to a 38-20 defeat. That is hard to do, but these guys made it happen.

Making matters more complicated, each of the Lions’ remaining opponents is currently in the playoff hunt. Next up are the Titans on Thursday at Ford Field, a matchup for which exactly zero football fans outside of Tennessee are giving thanks. Any notion that a perfect-storm, Turkey Day upset over the Titans was possible disappeared on Sunday when the Jets handed Jeff Fisher’s team its first defeat.

Tennessee’s proud players will be quite angry Thanksgiving, and they’ll take it out on the Lions.

On Dec. 7, Detroit completes its three-game homestand against the Vikings, currently tied for the NFC North lead and playing well. Can you say “0-13”? Then they travel to Indy, for a game the Colts will likely need to win to remain in the wild-card chase. As long as Peyton Manning doesn’t get done in by some spoiled stuffing between now and then, it’s a blowout waiting to happen.

That’s right, gang, the Lions will officially match the 1976 Buccaneers as architects of an 0-14 monstrosity.

In the end, however, those bumbling Bucs will stand alone. No, by in the end I don’t mean the Lions’ Dec. 28 season finale against the Packers at Lambeau Field, a game in which the Detroit players’ focus will be on two things: a hot postgame shower and a New Year’s Eve celebration on some pristine Caribbean beach. As ugly as Green Bay looked in New Orleans on Monday night, this game will be even uglier, with the home team possibly battling for a division title.

No, the Lions’ victory will have come the week before that, in a Dec. 21 home game against the Saints.

Yes, I realize I’m predicting the Lions to beat a team with a prolific offense; the Saints just put up 51 points against the Packers, moving two games behind the Bucs and Panthers (and a game behind Atlanta) in the competitive NFC South.

But New Orleans, which until Monday hadn’t won consecutive games all season, is maddeningly inconsistent. The Saints’ next three games are against Tampa Bay, Atlanta and Chicago, and they could easily lose twice and be eliminated from playoff contention. Surely, they’d be able to put up points on Detroit, but New Orleans’ defense is lousy enough – dare we say Lionsesque – to keep an 0-14 team desperate to avoid everlasting ignominy in the game.

So mark it down: Detroit will somehow pull out a victory over Drew Brees and company. The only remaining question is whether I’ll be there to witness it.

That’s for my editor to decide. In the meantime, ponder these equally scintillating mysteries, beginning with the league’s best team (a new one) and descending all the way down to the You Know Whos:

1. New York Giants: Is Domenik Hixon that dangerous on kickoff returns or are the Cardinals’ coverage teams simply that atrocious?

2. Tennessee Titans: Was that an aberration or did the Jets unveil a blueprint for attacking this physical team on both sides of the ball?

3. Pittsburgh Steelers: Can Dick LeBeau and his zone-blitzing defenders find a way to burst the Matt Cassel Bubble?

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Will they hit a wall like last year or might this team actually peak for the playoffs?

5. New York Jets: Isn’t it cool how, even at 39, Brett Favre still acts like the world’s happiest man after throwing a touchdown pass?

6. Dallas Cowboys: Is any NFL player more important to his team’s fortunes than Tony Romo?

7. Carolina Panthers: Are the ‘08 Panthers turning into the ‘07 Bucs?

8. Washington Redskins: How much did Shawn Springs enjoy that game-clinching interception in Seattle, his old stamping grounds?

9. Indianapolis Colts: What do you think the odds are that Peyton Manning will outduel Brady Quinn (and/or Derek Anderson) next Sunday?

10. Arizona Cardinals: Yo, Ralph Brown, how do you not catch that onside kick, and shouldn’t they replace you with someone who can?

11. Minnesota Vikings: Should Adrian Peterson’s new nickname be AAD (Almost All Day)?

12. New England Patriots: Is any team more dangerous on fourth down with a 13-point lead in the final minute?

13. Atlanta Falcons: Can Harry Douglas be stopped or do you just try to contain him?

14. Baltimore Ravens: When Ed Reed intercepted that pass eight yards deep in the end zone and started racing down the right sideline, did Eagles quarterback Kevin Kolb yell “Olé!”?

15. Chicago Bears: If he keeps running like this, how long will it be until Matt Forte cuts a hip-hop single with this guy?

16. Miami Dolphins: Have you ever seen two football players exhibit more simultaneous joy upon being ejected for brawling than Channing Crowder and Matt Light?

17. New Orleans Saints: Would you buy an abused car from this man?

18. Green Bay Packers: Did they sneak out to Pat O’Brien’s for some halftime Hurricanes on Monday night?

19. Denver Broncos: When you allow Ashley Lelie to come back to his old town and upstage Brandon Marshall, can we conclude that you’re the most dubious late-November division leader in recent memory?

20. Buffalo Bills: How long until Leodis McKelvin becomes one of the NFL’s best cornerbacks?

21. Philadelphia Eagles: When Andy Reid says his decision to start Donovan McNabb against Arizona on Thursday “has nothing to do with [Kevin] Kolb’s performance,” are we actually supposed to believe him?

22. San Diego Chargers: Wait, Jacob Hester wasn’t a complete waste of a draft pick?

23. Jacksonville Jaguars: Hey, Jack Del Rio, how do you really feel about Sunday’s stinker against the Vikings?

24. Houston Texans: Do we really have to wait six whole days to watch this team host the Jags on “Monday Night Football”?

25. Cleveland Browns: Will owner Randy Lerner soon be telling his players to “chin up”?

26. Oakland Raiders: Aren’t they, like, totally awesome?

27. Seattle Seahawks: With all due respect to Mike Holmgren’s illustrious career, how poorly coached is this team?

28. San Francisco 49ers: Does Nate Clement have good dental records?

29. Cincinnati Bengals: If Carson Palmer is “sick of watching,” is there a Bengals fan alive who can’t relate?

30. Kansas City Chiefs: On Sunday, was former Cal defensive back Herm Edwards trying to make ex-Stanford quarterback Trent Edwards feel better about the pimp-slapping his school absorbed in the previous day’s Big Game, or did it just seem that way?

31. St. Louis Rams: When Jim Haslett says he is “helpless on the sidelines,” is it fair to conclude he’s no longer a realistic candidate for the permanent head coaching gig?

32. Detroit Lions: If you insist upon watching all four quarters of their game against the Titans on Thursday, how much do you hate talking to your in-laws?