Last Year...
More controversy from the Swami...
The Swami's "Top 16" rankles lax fans again...
Laxpower.com Forum posters skewer the Swami for his many (ultimately correct) predictions...

Here is a small sampling of some of the comments made after publication of the Swami's "Top 16" last year:

This Week...
Lacrosse broadcast links...
Each week the Swami notices questions on the Laxpower board about which games will be broadcast that weekend. Hey, they're all here!

If you need to connect to lacrosse games on the Internet, remember: the Swami's list is the most complete compilation of lacrosse TV and radio broadcasts on the Internet. To get to that page, or any of the Swami's other exciting pages, just run your mouse over the floating link bar at the left of your screen. That will activate the pull-out tray which contains links to Radio/TV, the Swami's other links and the Swami Fan Club, which is now the most populous fan club in lacrosse. Hey, when you read the Swami, you get it all!

It usually takes two weeks or so to get down all the many changes that college stations make to their webcasts between seasons, so be patient.

From STaTs...
STaTs previews the 2005 season...

Well another season is upon us… I’m back on the best coast, so I won’t be able to catch much live action this year, but thank the good lord for CSTV!!

There were a few shockers to start the year, namely the loss of Ian Dingman for Navy. With 6 other pre-season All-Americans and the bad taste in their mouth of losing in the National Championship game, I don’t think Dingman’s absence will be as devastating as everyone predicts. The first few weeks are always tough as teams are searching to define their seasons.

Think back to last year when both Princeton and Syracuse were embarrassed by Johns Hopkins, and Navy dropped an easy one to Ohio State early in the season. All four of these teams were still standing on Memorial Day weekend and the best team at the beginning of the season, Johns Hopkins, was crushed by Syracuse when it came to crunch time. Princeton battled their way into and through the playoffs. Navy turned around their season. And Syracuse, well Syracuse did what they always seem to do. Every year it seems that we question Syracuse’s ability to advance to an umpteenth straight Final Four, but every year they figure out a way to do it.

Things won’t be much different this year. I said it last year and I will say it again. The secret to an NCAA Championship is goaltending. With a solid defense and solid offense you can put up numbers all season long, but when it comes down to crunch time, goaltending trumps everything else.

On May 31st 2004 the best two goalies in the country were squaring off and if not for an injury in the third quarter, the team with the best goalie would have hoisted the crown.

Syracuse has lost #22, who knows if another player can bring the respect and talent to that jersey again. One thing is for sure though, Syracuse will have just enough offense and defense to get them to the playoffs and because of their leadership and skill in the cage, they will be playing in the National Championship game once again.

Navy, with again, the nation’s top goalie and a top ranked offense and defense will be playing in Philly.

Hopkins has come so close in recent years and has had arguably the most talented roster in the nation every year. They too will be playing at Lincoln Financial. My wildcard this year is the Tarheels, they have what it takes to reach the pinnacle. It’s happened plenty in the past. A repeat match-up in the Championship game, Syracuse-Princeton, Princeton-Maryland, North-Carolina Hopkins… In 2005 it’s going to be a new chapter in the repeat book, this time Syracuse-Navy. With the Mids taking the crown.

1.) Georgetown at Maryland (Game of the Week)--Georgetown (4)

2.) Navy at Ohio State--Navy (8)

3.) Towson at Loyola--Towson (6)

4.) UMass at Hofstra--Hofstra (1)

5.) Army at Syracuse--Syracuse (7)

6.) Denver at North Carolina--North Carolina (11)

7.) UMBC at Duke--Duke (5)

8.) Hobart vs Butler (in Baltimore)--Butler (2)

9.) Manhattan at Virginia--Virginia (10)

10.) Notre Dame at Penn State--Notre Dame (3)

11.) Robert Morris vs St. John's (a meeting of two brand new Division I teams in Haverford, PA)--St. John's (9)

STaTs.

Let me start with my preseason Top Twelve:

1. Hopkins - Talent is the key word and the Jays may have too much. It's tough to get all those superstars on the field and keep everyone happy. Question remains in goal but I don't see many L's (except of course the Virginia game).

2. Syracuse - The Orange always find a way to be there at the end. They lost a lot of offense but picked up Mike Leveille, a freshman who is the real deal. It may take a few games to sort out the midfields but the talent is there. Jay Pfeifer is a solid veteran between the pipes.

3. Virginia - The Hoos were the disappointment of the year in '04 and most pollsters have them somewhere between 6-9 this year. Preseason wins over Navy and Georgetown are a good sign. Christmas has to step up with the loss of Yevoli and Ben Rubeor is a freshman who can really play. Midfield is still an issue but the defense with the addition of Bateman from PSU is solid. Biggest question is in goal. Turner or Petit?

4. Princeton - Losing Boyle does hurt but Doneger is a stud. Like UVA and Cuse the midfield is still a question. A young defense plays the sliding zone better than anyone and freshman Cocoziello is a great cover guy. Law has been shaky at times in goal, only time will tell.

5. Navy - Mids can't replace Dingman but a weak Patriot League schedule will keep the W's coming. The Looney brothers lead a solid midfield corps and 1st Team AA Matt Russell returns in the cage.

6. Maryland - Defense was decimated by graduation. Five AA's are tough to replace. Joe Walters is a terrific attackman along with mids McGlone and Healy. Terps need to get off to a good start or the season could implode.

7. Georgetown - This team really impressed me last year in the playoffs. Top two scorers are gone but Denihan returns on attack and Miaritis on midfield will put up points. The defense is solid led by Merrill and the acrobatic Rich D'Andrea in goal should keep any tough game close.

8. Cornell - Another team that wowed me in the playoffs. Joe Boulukos may be the toughest middie in the nation. With Greenhalgh and Nee on attack this team will challenge the Tigers for the Ivy crown.

9- Rutgers - The Knights never get any respect but they are a decent team. Plenty of legs in the midfield as well as Blomquist and Doctor on attack will help. The best part about this team is goalie Greg Havalchak. If you can't score you can't win!

10. North Carolina - Will this be the Heels breakout year? Lots of experienced talent but they still must prove they can win a big game. Prossner, McCall, Will and Zimmerman will lead the offense. The defense and goal situations also seem solid. Can Haus make it happen?

11. Duke - Still a very young team but like the b-ball team the talent still flows into Durham. Danowski is the QB supported by Flannery and Zash. Look for Hopkins transfer Dowd to be an impact player.

12. (Tie) Notre Dame and Towson - Both these teams have guys who can play but they also play relatively weak schedules. Still look for both to be at the Dance in May.

Here go the Week 1 picks:

(1) Georgetown / Maryland - Pick um. Toughest first week game. Terps beat Cuse last week in a pre-season tilt so I'm taking them at home.

(7) Navy / Ohio State - Bucks lost to Penn State last week so there is no way the beat the Mids.

(3) Towson / Loyola - Another tough week 1 pick but I like the Tigers with almost everyone back from '04.

(2) UMass / Hofstra – Second toughest pick but I like the Dutchman at home early in the season.

(9) Army / Syracuse - Cuse is at home in the dome with too much firepower but Wagner and Walker will keep the Cadets in this one.

(6) Denver / North Carolina - When the Pioneers come down from the mountains they are not that good. Heels in a walk-over

(8) UMBC / Duke - Devils at home should dominate.

(4) Hobart / Butler - Statesmen are a better team than last year but this still may be a 1 goal game.

(11) Manhattan / Virginia - Jaspers are the second of two cupcakes that the Hoos open with. Dom will clear the bench by the third quarter.

(5) Notre Dame / Penn State - Was the OSU win a fluke? Irish have more talent and experience.

(10) Robert Morris / St. John's - The Red Storm may all be freshmen but they are also all from Long Island.

--Glory Days

From Baldo...
Ready or not...

11 - Virginia over Manhattan - Make mine Hoos.

10 - St. John's over Robert Morris - Welcome back, Johnnies.

9- Hobart over Butler - Statesmen will surprise this year.

8 - Massachusetts over Hofstra - Minutemen start off better than last year.

7 - North Carolina over Denver - its a long way from the Rockies.

6 - Duke over UMBC - its in Durham but will be a close one for the Dukies.

5 - Notre Dame over Penn State - Luck o' the Irish

4 - Loyola over Towson - you pick 'em

3 - Navy over Ohio State - another nail-biter

2 - Maryland over Georgetown - slight edge to the home team

1 - Syracuse over Army - barn burner in the dome.

--Baldo

From Ivyman...
From somewhere in snowy New York...

Well -it's been a terrific off-season.I found an old classmate from law school who specializes in securities, tax law, and divorce . One-stop shopping for the Ivyman's legal needs. The hat trick of legal advice. He helped me out with a little disagreement I had with the IRS last April, neatly spanked my fourth ex-wife's attorney, and helped me to get a license in the state of Massachusetts. This last was important because I have been retained by the Alumnae Women for Harvard Enhancement of Lacrosse Leadership (AW-HELL).

It seems AW-HELL has been irked on two fronts by recent statements by the President of Harvard Lawrence H. Summers. As reported by the New York Times in the last few weeks, President Summers has managed to irritate the entire female cohort of Harvard alumni and their loyal lacrosse followers on a single day last month. It seems he spoke at a conference on "Diversifying the Science and Engineering Workforce" on January 14. I am not making this up (www.nytimes.com/education.)

AW-HELL was provoked by several provocative statements by Dr. Summers about the "intrinsic aptitude" of women. He compared the relatively low number of women in the sciences to the number of Catholics in investment banking, whites in the National Basketball Association, Jews in farming, and Ivy League Lacrosse championships at Harvard. He said that the innate aptitude of women was a factor behind their low numbers in the sciences and engineering, and later suggested that innate ineptitude on defense was and will continue to be a factor in the drought of championships at Harvard. Harvard Hockey immediately protested that they were among the best defensive teams in the country, in an effort to distance themselves from their lacrosse brethren, saying "at least we occasionally can beat Cornell."

AW-HELL disputes Summers' contention, pointing to such stellar players as Jake McKenna, Keith Cynar, Jeff Psaki, and Spencer Stenmark. They point to the confidence of Coach Anderson in Stenmark and the rest of the defense. So confident that he will (intentionally) not only play a goaltender that has NEVER made a save in the Harvard cage, but backing him up with a freshman from perhaps the weakest lacrosse section in New York State. Clearly President Summers will be under substantial pressure to come up with some type of mitigating explanation for his slanderous comments that have insulted the gallant overachievers that will again be unsuccessful in bringing a championship to Jordan Field.

Oh yeah- I almost forgot - also slandered the many outstanding female scientists and engineers of our country. Including Venus Lee. Sorry Venus.

Georgetown at Maryland 3

Navy at Ohio State 9

Towson at Loyola 4

UMass at Hofstra 2

Army at Syracuse 1

Denver at North Carolina 8

UMBC at Duke 10

Hobart versus Butler 5

Manhattan at Virginia 11

Notre Dame at Penn State 6

Robert Morris versus St. John's 7

.Ivyman...

From Wombat...

My motto is "Alone at the Bottom" and there is a good reason for it. I usually am one of the trailing dogs in the pack, and if you are never the lead dog, the view never changes. Also, being at the bottom makes it easy for Swami to cut my material and leave it on the cutting room floor.

Memorial Day weekend was truly memorable last year for the lacrosse world. Navy made a strong showing, and Syracuse took home probably one of their more satisfying trophies

because it is that much sweeter to win when you are the underdog.

Now, the 2005 season is upon us, and we here at Swami, Inc. will do our best to try to look into the future and make bold predictions. I have dusted off my cracked crystal ball, and so let's have a go at it...

I promised I would do more research during the offseason, because my yearly successful prognostication average keeps dropping. I will have more stats on that next week. I think the trouble I am having with making successful predictions is that with the increased talent there naturally comes more parity among the ranks of lacrosse. More upsets are likely to

occur, but one starts to wonder whether they really are upsets any more. We should be expecting more unpredictability with more parity.

So, by June of last year, I had enough anecdotal stories of stupid things that I have done to offer a little entertainment value to this weekly section where I examine things like lacrosse and the meaning of life, among other things. Yes, if you dare to enter here, this is the Wombat Zone, where I try to draw out an occasional chuckle, make an some lacrosse observations, while trying not to offend too many people in the process. For the most part, I usually prove on a weekly basis that I am not the sharpest tool in the shed.

My research this past year consisted of deciding to get a beer education, so I could comment on the scandals in the beer industry, and maybe offer some good beer recommendations too. So I joined a beer club at my local watering hole, the Rams Head Tavern in Savage, MD, and proceeded to drink 100 DIFFERENT beers from August to January. It took awhile, and when the Wombatress found out what I was up to in mid-December, I got into the doghouse big time. But I was up to beer number 87 by then, so she had to let me finish. I was also up to 222 pounds, further getting me in the doghouse.

A word about the doghouse. If you ever start getting real comfortable being in it, odds are you are going to be in it more frequently than you really should be. More on doghouses in

the future. I seem to live there. I bet many of you can relate.

So, leading off the 2005 Wombat Zone, where you never know what will come out of my computer keyboard, is a discussion of Austrailian beers again. If you read my Wombat Zone comments last year, you know that I used to drink Fosters a lot (I like the oil can) but my attitudes changed when I realized that it is now brewed in Canada and shipped over the northern border just so it can still be called an import. It makes me think their commercials should read: "Fosters: Canadian for Australian Beer."

A real Australian beer, if you can find it in your local speciality wine and spirits shop, is Coopers Sparkling Ale. Bottle fermented, a bit cloudy, but very nice. And it is really is brewed in Australia. It was my tailgate beer at the final four last year, among four and a half cases of other stuff I brought. Coopers is good stuff. Take it from Wombat. I even found a website that describes Coopers:

http://www.australianbeers.com/beers/coopers_sparkling_ale/coopers_sparkling_ale.htm

Coopers is a family run operation also. Mom and Pop beer from Australia. That is Wombat's first tailgate beer recommendation of the year. I will share more as the season goes on, but I do want to remind people - drink responsibly. Don't drink and drive.

Now that I have finished the 100 beer education, I have promised the Wombatress that I will give up drinking until I get my weight down to 185. So I will probably be dry all this lacrosse season, which is a good pledge that many lacrosse teams should consider taking up during the season. It helped UVa win their second title in 1999.

I am not going to dwell on talking about the Oscars for the third year in a row, but my bet is on Million Dollar Baby, with no appearances by Michael Moore this year.

Also, one other item from last year, if you have never seen Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown play his American Music, Texas Style, you need to catch him while you can. Unfortunately

his health is declining, but he is still touring. His website is www.gatemouth.com. A great act. His version of Unchained Melody is superb. He will be in Easton, MD in later March and I plan to be there.

Let's now move on to discussing the 2005 lacrosse season.

WOMBAT'S CRACKED CRYSTAL BALL:

I think I dropped it after the Syracuse semifinal win...

My final four picks for Philadelphia are Johns Hopkins, Princeton, North Carolina and Maryland. I think this is the year that the 22 Streak ends for Syracuse. Johns Hopkins will be an early favorite but maybe jinxed again by that, so I peg them as the underdog until they prove it on the field. Princeton will be more experienced and that much tougher - they made it to the 2004 final four like I expected. UNC didn't make it though, like I thought they would, because they wound up in the same quarterfinal bracket as JHU last year. If they can replace

Frew at the X, the Tar Heels should make a very solid run this year. And Maryland, my Maryland, will have a much different look to them and be that much more dangerous, particularly on the offensive end of the field.

Now let's move on to the game predictions and get you up to speed on this week.

1.) Georgetown at MARYLAND [10] (Game of the Week)

Wombat likes how Maryland has played during the preseason, particularly last weekend in dismantling Syracuse 14-7. They did well at the faceoff square (guess I can't call it the X anymore because of the new rules) in that scrimmage, and they will need it vs. Georgetown's Corno. Anyway, Fear the Turtle. This team will be much more consistent than the UMd basketball team. Georgetown will need to be very efficient on offense, i.e. shoot often and on the cage, to pull this one out. Wombat likes Maryland by 3 or more, probably more.

2.) NAVY at Ohio State [7]

The Mids, despite the loss of Dingman, are still the real deal. Ohio State's loss to Penn State has me scratching my head. Navy is on the road, but they have sniffed the sweet smell of success and will pick back up where they left off. Navy by 2 or 3.

3.) Towson at LOYOLA [3]

Wombat is picking a mild upset here by taking Loyola over Towson. I like Loyola's youth, and Towson needs to have someone step up and control faceoffs the way DiFilice did so well. I think the Greyhounds are going to come racing back into the scene this year. Loyola by 1 or 2.

4.) UMASS at Hofstra [6]

Hate to pick against Hofstra, a rowdy place, but I like UMass, who, by the way, incidentally did me in during the pennant race last year for the Big Boyz prognostication title. If UMass had beaten Rutgers, I might have had a new feather in my cap last year. But alas, I am still Alone at the Bottom. UMass is healthier this year, and thus all the more dangerous and I am looking for them to rebound from an off 2004 year. UMass by two at a tough place to play, on the road at Hofstra.

5.) ARMY at Syracuse [1]

I almost went with Syracuse on this one, but that scrimmage against Maryland last week left me flabbergasted enough to take a shot at calling a mild upset here. Army is very talented, with a third year goalie in Darak. They have the dangerous duo of Wagner and Walker. If Syracuse is going to win this, they have to do better on faceoffs than the did last week because you can't score if you don't have the ball. I like Army in a nailbiter by one in the final minute. Am I a fool to think this? Maybe. I just feel like going out on a limb on this. My original prediction was going to be Syracuse and I was going to put 8 points on it. So, I have done some serious second guessing on this one. I'll roll the dice and go with Army.

6.) Denver at NORTH CAROLINA [9]

I like North Carolina big in this one. They have to replace Frew who dominated several teams last year at the X, but the offense, defense, and goal are still very solid. Denver had a great year last year but going to UNC to start 2005 will not be at all like beating UVa at home last year. UNC by five.

7.) Univ. Md..Balt County at DUKE [5]

I like Duke here a little more than UMBC. UMBC should be stronger this year, and have excellent coaches, but Duke might have more horses for this one to pull out a two goal win at home to get things rolling. Wombat likes Duke. Nice campus. Maryland fans like Cameron.

8.) HOBART vs Butler [4] (in Baltimore)

Never root against Hobart - they usually have winning seasons and are in the thick of things in their conference. Butler has impressed me during the fall (vs. Princeton in St. Louis) so I know they have the legs to run Hobart into the ground, so Hobart has to show up from their northern climate and play a full 60 minutes to pull this one out. Wombat likes Hobart by two.

9.) Manhattan at VIRGINIA [11]

This is the easiest game to pick this week, and if UVa loses, they can claim it was the altitude in Albemarle County, Virginia that caused it. I would think a loss is more due to attitude than altitude though. I like the Hoos, by twelve. 19-7.

10.) NOTRE DAME at Penn State [8]

Notre Dame was one of the most impressive teams I saw last year when they took JHU to the wire out in St. Louis. I think the Irish are back in full force and hungry to claim the GWLL title. Penn State got a great win last week vs. Ohio State, and they could pull off a second great week, but I think they are going to find ND tough to beat, because it is particularly tough in getting much by Crosland in goal. Wombat likes ND by 3, even if it is on the road.

11.) Robert Morris vs ST. JOHN'S [2]

I love this pick by Swami. Two newcomers to D1, plus a third team in Bellarmine makes the D1 ranks grow for the first time in a long, long time. Now, finally, D1 has 57 teams

instead of 54. The declining D1 membership has driven me crazy for the past 15 years, but I don't want to launch into a Title IX discussion here. Anyway, a mighty D1 welcome to the Colonials and the Red Storm. Both teams are young, but I like St. John's in this one. From what I have read about them, I think St. John's is going to be a bit deeper and ready to roll.

So Wombat likes St. John's by two in a very, very fun contest.

Well, that is it for this first edition of the 2005 Wombat Zone. Go out, have fun, and enjoy this great game that we all share and enjoy.

Take care, be safe, and have a great February weekend of lacrosse. Brrr....

--Wombat

still..."Alone at the bottom"

What's new...
RPI's: A primer...

Hymie! has just refurbished his RPI and SOS pages. They now contain more information that ever. If you're a fan, and you haven't been to Hymies! pages, you are missing one of the best lacrosse web sites around. Hymie! has incorporated a "what if" scenario on his site. So you can take a look at this week's big games and plug in the team, or teams, you think will win, and see the impact of that (those) win(s) on their RPI's. This is especially important in 2004 since so many opponents' RPI's are being devalued by upsets.

The Swami's Top 16
(February 25, 2005) 

1. Georgetown
The Hoyas came within a step of making the Final Four last year. Georgetown had Syracuse on the ropes when a player stepped off side, giving the ball, and the game, to the Cruisers. Had Georgetown won that game, the Hoyas would have played hapless Hopkins in the Final Four, defeated them, and lost for the second time in the same season to Navy, giving the Swami his predicted second place Hoya finish. This year the Hoyas remember that (maybe their coaches will actually have a practiced two minute drill prepared this season). The Hungry Hoyas time has arrived.
2. Johns Hopkins
The Swami notes that only Syracuse lost more of its scoring that did the Blue Jays. But the Jays are still everyone's favorite. With a Number Two ranking by the Swami, there is more of a chance of a mass Kool Aid Drinkathon at Homewood following the conclusion of the 2005 seasoned that's always a sight to see.
3. Navy
The Mids are deep and fast. That's a hard combination to beat.
4. Army
Army will be the surprise team of the season. The Cadets watched while their arch rival basked in the glory of the Final Four. This did not go down well at West Point. The Black Knights only had three seniors on a terrific team in 2004. They handled a tough Maryland defense in College Park in the playoffs, going down to defeat only after a freak cyclone visited the playoffs. Look out!
5. Virginia
Virginia, for all its 2004 problems, only graduated four goals. If this team can get its head together, the Cavaliers can make it all the way. But getting its head together is always a tough question in Charlottesville.
6. Princeton
Princeton will be much improved--but from what? The Tigers best regular season win last year was a one point victory over Virginia. Without Maryland, Princeton would have never seen the inside of M & T Bank Stadium.
7. Denver
Where's the respect for this team? Denver loses two starters and only 7% of its scoring. The Pioneers will win the GWLL and advance through the first round of the playoffs.
8. Syracuse
The Cruisers lose more than they have ever lost on paper. It will show on the field.
9. Maryland
The loss of its entire defense will hurt the Terps, but when was the last time this team fielded a bad goalie?
10. North Carolina
The Tarheels, a laxocrat favorite, have yet to prove themselves under coach Haus. North Carolina lost four starters and a fifth of its scoring last year. That's actually about average, but this team has to get itself together before it can be ranked higher in the pre-season.
11. UMass
If the Minutemen can remain uninjured this season, they have an outside shot at the playoffs.
12. Cornell
The Swami has picked the exact finishing position of the Big Red for four years in a row, and stated last year that they would win the Ivy League. This year Cornell will give up that championship to Princeton and will, once again, finish where the Swami predicts.
13. Loyola
The Swami thinks this team is still a bit too young to challenge for the top spots in 2005. But Loyola will shake a few trees this season.
14. Towson
Lost to Virginia in overtime, but the Tigers best win is Rutgers.
15. Notre Dame
Down, but not out, the Fighting Irish will rebuild.
16. Delaware
Is Delaware back? The Swami thinks maybe so. If the Blue Men can stay healthy, always a risk with their brand of lacrosse, Delaware could make waves.

PLEASE NOTE: The Swami's links have moved to the pullout tray to the left of the screen labeled "The Swami's Links." Move your mouse over that tray to pull it out and connect to the links by clicking on the appropriate marker.  

--Swami (Official winner of the "Prognosticator of the Year Award"; the prestigious L.P.A. "Goldfinger" trophy; the 1999 "Best Seed" selector; the 2000 Best Playoff Record Award; the 2001 "Most Accurate Rankings Forecast," and, in an independently audited open poll conducted during the 2000 season, was selected "Prognosticator of the Decade" by an impartial fan vote.)

Some of the Swami's many other awards:   

E-mail the Swami:

WASHINGTON, Dec. 29, 2004 — by Donna Miles, American Forces Press Service--Three Marine Corps disaster relief assessment teams are on the ground or about to arrive in Thailand, Sri Lanka and Indonesia, and at least two P-3 aircraft are conducting initial reconnaissance of damaged areas as a wide range of other Defense Department assets works its way to tsunami-stricken regions of the Indian Ocean.

U.S. Pacific Command has marshaled assets ranging from carrier strike groups to water purification ships to aircraft to provide emergency support for victims following the Dec. 26 earthquake and subsequent tsunamis, Marine Corps Lt. Gen. James Conway, director of operations for the Joint Staff, told reporters today at a special State Department briefing.

Navy Adm. Tom Fargo, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, stood up Joint Task Force 536 to coordinate U.S. relief efforts, Conway said. A forward command element has moved into a military base at Utapao, Thailand, and the headquarters is in the process of deploying. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Rusty Blackman, commander of the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force based in Okinawa, will command the joint task force.

Conway said the strike group, with its seven ships, 2,100 Marines and 1,400 sailors aboard, also has four Cobra helicopters that will be instrumented in reconnaissance efforts. Because fresh water is one of the greatest needs in the region, Fargo has ordered seven ships — each capable of producing 90,000 gallons of fresh water a day — to the region. Conway said five of these ships are pre-positioned in Guam and two will come from Diego Garcia. A field hospital ship pre-positioned in Guam would also be ordered to the region, depending on findings of the disaster relief assessment teams and need, Conway said.

This Week's Music: "Call Me," by Blondie. This song hit #1 on the Billboard Chart on April 19, 1980. Written (and sung) by Debbie Harry with Georgio Moroder, this hit became the unofficial theme song of the Richard Gere movie "American Gigolo."

This page is sonified. The Swami says that if you're listening with a cheap browser related sound program you're not hearing the right stuff. You need to get the Beatnik Player 2.2 (it's free and it's an upgrade from last year's version) so that you can hear the sounds the way the Swami wrote them. And, if your Beatnik Player doesn't seem to be working right, you can test it HERE. NOTE: this page now contains a mute button for those readers whose musical tastes may be retarded. It is located near the top of the page just below the introductory Flash graphics. If you cannot see the mute button, or if the mute button appears to be a truncated portion of an audio icon, that means that you haven't yet downloaded Beatnik Player 2.2. If you download Beatnik, you will see a small, clean icon that enables you to turn off the Swami's music.