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Sitting here on a plastic internet cafe chair in Santa Fe de Antioquai, once the capital of Antioquia before it moved to Medellin in the 19th century... bumb numb from the bum callouses, which for those interested to know are improving... I had a good rub in the shower this afternoon (keep it clean!), the dead growths are gradually peeling off and the feeling is definitely coming back unless greeted by a rock hard chair, when it all reverts to numb bum city. The intent was to go for a walk around the Plaza Meyor to check out the vendors stores and sample some local treats, but no sooner as I had grabbed a sugary drink and looked for my culinary experience for the evening, the heavens opened and its been flash, bang, wallop and torrential rain ever since. I survived my first Couch Surfing experience on halloween night (the irony was not wasted on me once I remembered what day it was - actually the litterally thousands of kids swarming the city in fancy dress reminded me, I have totally lost track of dates, barely remembering what day it is from one day to the next - only the few scheduled events such as the weekly flights are keeping me grounded time wise) - Juan's fear was I would end up in a flavela somewhere never to be seen again, however I found myself in a nice neighbourhood high atop a mountain over looking the city and three of the nicest guys you'd could every meet... unfortunately, I dont know if it was because I was tierd or their accents are very different but my spanish comprehension totally escaped me, and my hosts not having more than the odd word of english the conversation was more of a game of sharades. What amazed me most of all about my Couch Surfing esperience was the trust my hosts put in a total stranger whom they knew very little about and whom spoke (as it turned out) much less Spanish than they probably expected (and less than I expected) - they opened their home to me, gave me my own room, a key to come and go as I pleased and advice on things to see and do in and around Medellin - I arrived earlier than expected and their neighbours even took my backpack and kept it safe for me while I explored the barrio waiting for my hosts to finish work - the negotiation via a boy around 10 or 12, I seem to communicate better with kids, maybe they are more patient, they speak slower or their volcabluary is more in tune with my skillsets. My hosts having previously made plans for their late evening, after my tour of their home and the game of sharades, they introduced me to a fantastic lady neighbour complete with clown like PJ bottoms, crock shoes and a mini poodle, who took me to the local parquadero on the wildest bus ride yet, racing down a 1:3 hill hell for leather, round corners and over bumps, to experience the craziness of the Colobian Halloween experience - I got a lesson in Spanish volcablary, the benefit of travel instructions and the benefit of her remarkable English volcablary, minus the grammar but it was enough - it is with fond memories of one night in Medellin that I left the barrio and moved north to Santa Fe de Antioquia to sample the heat and architecure before heading back to Medellin and a flight back to Bogota and the final leg of my Colombian experience.
Thursday, 1 November 2012
Wednesday, 31 October 2012
Salamina? Fugetaboutit! Manizales
The road north was another washing machine ride which prevented anything more strenuous than listening to the iPod and staring out the window - at least you can trust the view to keep you captivated in these parts. The intent was to travel north through Manizales to Salamina to checkout the old colonial town before arriving in Medellin for a day and a bit, however a rain storm from hell arrived mid way from Periera to Manizales which make the 2 hr journey 3.5 hrs and no hope of reaching Salamina before nightfall (all year round it gets dark at 5.30pm here - that may explain the high levels of low level criminality such as street muggings and general disobedience), so just moments before the colectivo taxi pulled away I hit the ejector button, much to the disgust of the driver, and headed into Manizales to make the best use of the day, if the rain gives that is. Manizales is an odd city, high on the crest of a mountain top, one particular view not unlike the Machu Picchu terrain. Making the most of the 2 or so hours I had I headed straight downtown, which was remarkably easy as there is a bus every few seconds (the guide book says 30 seconds but the longest I waited was 10 seconds - its like a Canadian freight train with the punctuality of a European passenger train, but without the tracks or the price tag). After a scout around town, exploring a cathedral make with reinforced concrete (and it looks like it, although the aesthetic was a bit sullen and shoddy looking on the outside, it worked on the inside) the light was failing so I headed back to the hostel, a bite to eat and watching the Colombian version of The Voice with the very appreciative hostel proprietor and someone who I couldnt work out if it was her son or a guest. Also there was an odd fellow in a leather hooded jacket, track pants, big black hair and a thick beard, wearing plastic framed milk bottle bottom glasses, hands in pockets wandering around the lounge, sitting on the balcony, still with hands in pockets and without saying a word - he looked a bit like a hipster Rabbi who had done too much acid in his new age attempts to get closer to god - I never did figure out if he was a guest or a resident. Manizales being high atop a mountain its not all that warm here at night. The hostel rooms are arranged around a nice lounge area, with comfy sofas, a glass dining table a telly and some nicknacks, that wouldn't be unfamiliar in any western home, however the kitchen had a glass roof that was open on two sides and the back of the corridor of rooms was also open to the environment, so while sitting in the living room at night it was necessary to wear an extra layer or two, or as the proprietor does, a nice parker complete with fur on the hood (for animal overs everywhere, it wasn't real, definitely polyester). The beds had unusually thick blankets and a thin quilted throw though so I was toasty warm all night - unusual even for the tropical climate of Tyrone. Back to cold showers though, which in this climate was even harder to tolerate, but being the man that I am I sucked it up and took the dive. There was some kind of heater contraption on the shower head but I couldn't get it to heat the water any more than luke warm to the hand, which was cold all the same when you took the dive - attempts to manipulate the device lever while the water was running resulted in a nice electric shock which added another not so welcome dimension to a cold shower. In the morning I was awoken by the cook and ordered to breakfast least I start the day with an empty belly - this is more like a home for waifs and strays and a home for some serious motherly love, than a hostel. I should tell you about the mainstay diet here in Colombia - Breadfast; always includes fruit, eggs, arepa (a cross between a pancake and a flatbread, perfectly round but comes in sizes from 2 inches across to jumbo ones that fill the plate, and they splits like a pita bread), hot chocolate is also a mainstay of breakfast and the quality varies by location (the best was definately at the Hacienda Guyabal) - if you dont get to sit down for breakfast the trade in ceviche (fried crispy pancakes filled with meat or chicken with rice or potato or potato and cheese). Lunch: always includes something fried, whether its a ceviche, fried plantain (sticky, crispy thick, crispy thin etc but always with salsa) or fries (they like fries here, they come with everything) - but there is always a lump of meat to accompany the healthy fried veggies - oh and don't forget the arepas. Dinner is whatever you like, as long as its meat, fried plantain or a local delicacy specific to the Zona Cafetera and known far and wide - a small potato like thing fried, its the Colombian homefries. All this washed down with copious amounts of hot chocolate, milo (cold chocolate milk) or postobon (very very very very very sweek soda). Its a wonder with all this sugar and fried food I haven't put on any weight, as it happens I actually think I have stuck with my usual pattern of losing about 5 pounds on this trip... its only because I have escaped travellers tummy (apart for about 2 days of being more than regular, but no other symptoms to speak of) that I haven't lost any more weight - nothing will beat my Syria record of 12 lbs weightloss - thats about 5.5 kgs in 3 weeks! I caught myself in the hostel bathroom mirror post cold shower and the turtle is definitely looking endangered. Medellin bound and my first couchsurfing experience to come... I know, I picked an interesting country to start staying in strangers homes but balls the wall and all that... or is it blindfold with a gun to the head? Getting a bit tierd of hostels though so would be good to experience the wholesome confines of a real home for a night or two - even if I do get kidnapped, raped, tortured or sold into slavery at least I would have made more Colombian friends :)
Monday, 29 October 2012
Zona Caffine the land of the barking dogs
For someone with a sensitivity or low tollerance for sugar, alcohol and caffine its a little odd to be visiting one of the hotspots for caffine production. On a recommendation and as a chance to catch up with Juan for a long weekend I am here seeking caffine direct from the source. Salento was the first stop, a traditional town of late colonial architecture and in the middle of the Zona Cafetera. What was intended to be a wholesome day of sightseeing in the old town and in the local national park turned into a souvenier shopping marathon which lasted all afternoon, punctuated by a walk up to the mirador and a splash of the local coffee. Armed with more tatt than I know how to get back to London we made our way back to Pereira for a night on a soft mattress (so I hoped), however on arrival back in Pereira we discovered no matter how posh the hotel the mattresses are still as hard as a rock, must be a Pereira or Zona Cafetera thing... although as we have a family room with the choice of three beds we settled on the childerens beds as at lest they seemed to have at least an inch of foam to soften the blow... thank the stars for childerens beds. Cant help feeling like Im going to fall out of single beds though, I always wake in a start in the middle of the night as the least sniff of the edge of the matress. As the next day was going to be direct to a coffee finca with only an hour or so on route, we decided to head out to a local bar and sample the local nightlife. The internet being what it is we unsuccessfully found three bars but were successfull on the forth and final on our list - a strange mix of Madonna, Adel and Colombian salsa house saw us through a few hours and it was off to bed for a night of well earned sleep in semi comfortable beds. In the morning the anticipated up and out was thwarted by the Colombian decision making process... I should explain here my observation of Colombian decision making and communicating in general... what can be said in 10 words or less is often communicated in several minutes of discussion and converence often involving many people... and to be able to do anything or make a decision in Colombia you must consult the internet, phone a friend or two and then revert to a hotel employee to verify all the information and advice you have just been given... I think we phoned everyone bar the president of the United States of America and the Queen of England, Im pretty sure the Dalai Lama got a call at some point though. It all makes for a very sociable and democratic decision making process. Some two hours after we awoke - and a real hot, you heard me, HOT, shower! - we were finally on route to Hacienda Guayabal deep in coffee country... the usual bus journey with all its highlights and lowlights and we arrived at a nameless path off the main road through a barios of bamboo houses and a curious bamboo church - yup bamboo, who would have guessed they have bamboo in Colombia? dotted around the countryside and in small woods bamboo is native to Colombia and shares the slopes with the expected mix of tropical trees, palms and banana plants - a short climb later, which brings back memories of Cuidad Perdida, and we were at the finca house, a stunning minimalist 70s construction surrounded by cocoa, papaya and palm trees and 87 hectares of coffee. Before we had a chance to sit down the coffee was on the way and although not being a coffee expert you could tell this was good stuff, thats single source premium 18 coffee to you, I didnt know what that meant either until the 2 hour tour around the finca and the process of turning the cherry into a coffee bean. Did you know that the coffee bean is effectively peeled 3 times before it gets to the stage where it is ready for roasting? The first is the cherry like outer, the second is a grape sweet coating on the bean, then after drying the bean has a husk which is removed and you have the bean ready for roasting... and then even if you chew on the bean before its roasted it has a sunflower like seed inside the bean... Surprising fas-kin-ating. Coffee beans in their natural state are far more enjoyable than some Colombian fruit Ive tried to date... the names escape me at present but one is round similar in size to a cherry tomato, which looks like a tomato unpeeled but like a cross between a potato and a carrot in colour... they draw you in by sprinkling over sugar and sweet honey and when you thrust it in your mouth and realise its texture is like a cross between a dry micowaved fiberous potato and a carrot with a similar taste you feel cheated and struggle to find the attraction of these oddities, as they are sold on every street corner and sell like hot cakes and regarded as a treat... the other is a large orange sized fruit in a dull green easy peel skin, the flesh is a bright orange similar to a peach but as a recurring theme, has a fibreous flesh, and you can easily peel segments out just like an orange - the catch? Those segments are 20% fruit and 80% stone the size of an unshelled brazil nut, very tasty flesh but you feel cheated and frustrated at not being able to sink your teeth into it and give it a good chew, sigh. Several hours, many coffees, a stellar lunch and dinner and several games of cards later - including a thunder storm out of a hollywood movie and dogs that never seem to stop balking. Whenever a dog barks on the finca or on a neighbouring finca they all set off and this continued into the small hours (ok we were in bed by 11pm, but thats the small hours here) without let up until I think they finally tired of it or got sore throats - who knows, thank to my ear plugs I managed to escape the inconvenience once my head hit the pillow. The ear plugs didnt help with the noisy beds though, I always feel like I am going to fall out of a single bed, I wake up startled thinking I am on the edge. These beds have seen better days and although they were comfortable the bow to the edges accentuated the feeling of falling to my death in mid sleep - not helped by the fact that when you moved the bed continued to move for what seemed an eternity afterwards and made some curious noises to boot. I got up for the obligatory bathroom break in the middle of the night thanks to the gallons of coffee, kicked an invisible chair on my way (its dark out here) and caused Juan to break into laughter, him thinking I had actually fallen out of bed - having told him about my fear of single beds previously. Breakfast was another three course feast that I struggled to consume, not because it wasnt tasty - it was amazing, but Im not one for eating as soon as I wake up and this was enough food for a whole day or a family of three - we werent to be hungry again until 7pm that night. Struggling to wake up and get ourselves into gear, depite the gallons of Colombian Arribica coffee and the usual Colombian decision making process (this time I think we did actually call Obama and Elizabeth) - although its hard to drag yourself away from this place and I was quite happy chillaxing... this is the ultimate relaxation spot, with a fantastic view, a beautiful house, a pool, the atmosphere of quiet mediterranian island and service like a five star hotel - but small town B&B prices... it`s a shame we didnt get to stay longer but the Santa Rosa Termales becon and Juan returns to Bogota in the morning. Taking the old track back to Santa Rosa, which last hosted the train tracks in 1945, was a surreal experince with old colonial train stations still remaining along the stone and mud track. Sheer drops to one side, the usual bumps and humps that remind you where you are and in the smallest mini bus I had ever been in make it all the more eventful (think mini bread delivery van in a rural french village). Time was getting on and it was a mad dash by taxi to the thermal springs for some hot water therapy, however in Colombian style badly produced tinny music was blaring out of the Swiss challet style building which distracted from the fairy tale falls and mountain landscape... been there, done that, back to Santa Rosa for a well earned chorizo sausage, beans, rice and a local delecacy which turned out to be home fries and it was back on the road back to Pereira still buzzing on the finca coffee. Juan returns to Bogota in the morning and I move north through Manizales and Medellin before my return to Bogota on Friay... its that time in a holiday when I start thinking about the return to reality but I am trying to block that out of my mind for as long as possible, so I must keep extra busy from now until Sunday. Water bottle still tastes like Gatorade, mosquito bites and sunburn subsided, calouses on my bum cheeks still there (thats what you get from living in wet clothing and sitting on wooden benches for 5 days I guess), running out of clean socks and craving a cup of tea, despite all the coffee.
Saturday, 27 October 2012
En Route to Zona Cafetera
After the heat and the thick air of Cartagena (although the seas were picking up on my departure, so something was afoot in the Caribbean) it was time to move on. I woke up on time, gracias para la aircon en la hotel! packed my bags and headed off to the airport (not wanting to spend the next 12 hrs on a bumpy bus it was worth the $80)... the taxi was an event in itself, having no understanding of each other the driver stopped to fill up with gas, then chat with a friend, then to pick up some food, all the time I was watching my clock and wondering when I would get to the airport and would it be on time (I had allowed a check-in only an hour before the flight so it was cutting it fine)... and on arrival I found, true to Colombian logistics, the flight was now leaving half an hour early, so it was a quick dash from check-in to departues and a hasty chickeny pastry thing and a coffee so hot it burnt my mouth to a cinder (now Im burnt on the inside and the outside) and it was time to embark... but true to Colombian logistics the flight was now 25 mins late. Flight uneventful although a long 2 hr layover in Bogota ensured I was low on energy on arrival in Pereira - but the dash to the hotel from the airport was quick and the driver surprisingly tame - on arriving at the uninspiring hotel I was pleasantly surprised at the room considering the $20 paid... until i threw myself onto the bed and injuring myself in the process, this isnt a mattress, this is a subway train seat! Ive slept on floors more comfortable than this. Not relishing the night on a slap I headed out to check out the local nightlife and found myself a very traditional tavern with lots of same sex salsa dancing. The music was surprisingly palatable and the crowd entertaining enough so I stayed for three beers then headed back to the dreaded mattress. The sleep was not exactly restful as sleeping on my side resulted in a dead shoulder and sleeping on my back wasnt much better... roll on the moring and the caffine jolt - finally some luck in the ablutions department - warm showers! (notice I didnt say hot) Juan arrived early in the morning and after a quick search for a new hotel and a review of the Cafetera options we headed off to the traditional town of Salento in coffee territory.
Thursday, 25 October 2012
My usual pattern of travel includes long bus journeys and a lot of reading to pass the time, however after bringing three books with me I have only managed to get through half a book and even that has been a struggle. The reason? The roads. The four hour bus journey from Santa Marta to Cartagena (8 hrs if you include the Tyrone to Santa Marta route) was perfect for devouring a book, however the roads conspired against me again. Every hour or so on a Colombian motorway there are toll booths, but I doubt that any British or Canadian driver would happily pay a toll for these roads. Its more like being in a washing machine than a bus - if the roads aren't in a general state of disrepair then the authorities do their best to create the bumps with speed bumps at almost any location - though I cant see how a 8 inch speed bump on a road with a sheer drop on one side can improve safety, if there weren't roofs on these buses then the passengers would get catapulted over the edge. Despite the road woes I arrived in Cartagena after surviving Tyrone, mucho mosquitos! ...to find the heat in Santa Marta to be just a warm up for the real thing... hace much calor aqui! ...can people really live in this heat? With only a day and a half to explore the city it was only going to be a quick peruse, but I found myself heading to bed early (Colombian style) to escape the heat of the evening and catch the cool of the early morning... we are still in the land of cold showers so waking up will continue to be a jolt to the system. When the morning came I had a very productive hour and a half exploring the old city, after the shock of the cold shower that is, finally getting my hair cut after a month (ragger muffin!), until the heat of the day finally hit me with a vengeance - with camera still acting up and at risk of dying in the street I retreated to a cafe then an internet cafe and whiled away two to three hours in glorious air conditioning. I was told Cartagena was the safest city in Colombia, and I know why, there are police or army or private security on every street corner and every 80 to 100m on main roads - its no wonder the Colombian tax rate is +30% with no social security, public health care or public pensions to speak of. Not sure how the police numbers improve security though, they are mostly to be found texting, talking on the phone, eating ceviche or hanging around in packs discussing something with much gusto. Safety is relative and for the first time since arriving in Colombia I felt unsafe, but not for the reasons you may think - the fat bottomed prostitutes in this town are aggressive, I think it was the first time I have been hissed at (Middle Eastern style if you have ever been to Morocco or Turkey)... and if you wont buy sex they will try and sell you cocaine and if that doesn't work they will go back to the promotion of sexual acts but this time in rather good English I must say. Surviving the fat bottomed prostitutes, cocaine peddlers and the heat it is time to move on, to the Zona Cafetera. Before I go, remember that Gatorade (sp?) I had at circa 950m in the rainforest? ...water from my bottle still tastes of the stuff a week and a half later, what the f&%k do they put in it?! ...experiment yourself, I for one am put off the stuff for life. I am definitely looking forward to more temperate weather and a slower pace of life in Zona Cafetera after the heat and the buzz of the Caribbean coast - ironically the slower pace will come with high octane coffee and being chorizo country I expect mucha bueno comida! Who doesnt like a sausage?
Wednesday, 24 October 2012
After the trek to Cuidad Perdida I was tempted to stay in Santa Marta and explore but opted for another early rise and made my way (with some backtracking) via bus to Tyrone National Park on the promise of pristine beaches and a restful 24 to 48 hrs An uneventful bus ride (but not without the usual fear of my Spanish letting me down and ending up somewhere else than expected) and I was back in the national park for another treck through the rain forest to the promise of a hammock for 25,000 pesos (approx 7.5 pounds sterling) I did start questioning my santity treking in swealtering heat again after just completing the trek of death, especially considering my hamstring was still giving me jip. But in no time at all and with an obvious improvement in general fitness, leaving my fellow bus companions long behind. 1.5 days of beach, beer, cards with some English lads I met on camp and it was Wednesday before I knew it... and with a very nice patchy sun burn from an afternoon on the beach under a cloudy sky, go figure. 8am Wednesday and it was on the road again back to Santa Marta and onto Cartagena. I was blessed with a minute 5 minute wait for a bus from the park to the main road and another 5 minute wait for the bus to Santa Marta - things were going far to well so it was inevitable we would get stopped by the Military, decamped, searched and the colectivo taken apart and reassembled again piece by piece before we made some real headway - then, half way to Santa Marta the colectivo broke down and we were stranded on the side of the road. A second bus and an hour late and I finally arrived in Santa Marta for my connection to Cartagena after a search for mobile minutes and Comida Pronto. Cartagena next!
Monday, 22 October 2012
Cuidad Perdida, mi pierna esta enfermedad!
Cuidad Perdida, the lost city, now the found city - as the crow flies, 26km from the nearest village, 39km from the nearest paved road, into the Tyrone RAINforest.
Guide books always overplay the danger and the effort required for some activities to filter out the uncommitted, so it was with knowledge an effort was required but without the clarity of the task before me that I booked myself onto the 5 day hike to the lost city.
Day 1: After a night in, La Briza Loca the noisiest hostel in Colombia, I awoke at 7am, packed my bags and was picked up and escorted to the tour office at 8am to catch the 4x4 to the base camp. After 1.5hr wait, while dying for a decent morning constitutional and being denied the privilege, the delay became clear when we greeted the 4x4 which had been involved in a traffic accident the night before, it took another 30mins to finally get transport organised, a less than luxurious 4x4 of 1970s fame but it did the job.
The driver, a 20s something maverick roadster who spent most of the journey on the phone or yelling greetings to his many friends along the way and my partners in crime, the guides de force Miguel and Rodrigo and my fellow trekkers, two Belgium Chicas, German and Australian Chicos and a Colombian couple.
A bumpy 13km approach to Base camp from the relative luxury of the tarmac, a quick lunch, realisation I had packed way more than my fellow trekkers, removing a quarter of my pack contents, and it was onto the trail we went.
The first day would be a 3 to 4 hours hike, but the first hour was the worst, two river crossings - the 800m+ ascent in 30C+ heat and 80% humidity made for a tough climb - it was at this point I doubted my ability to complete the hike at all. After quick refreshments via a tienda (shop) at 800m+, selling nothing else but Coca Cola, Gatorade, a pump of the inhaler and a fight to the death with a rumbustious duck (at 800m above sea level?) to keep hold of my orange - I lost - and we were on the trail again, this time a shorter climb to approx 950m and we found a plateau to recharge the legs and put the spring back in our steps.
On the last climb we lost the German to uncontrollable evacuations mid ascent and as the afternoons rains had arrived the guides were keen to press on with some urgency to keep to our pace, so we continued minus the German - when the rains came I first felt dread, then relief as the heat subsided, then dread again as the 600m+ decent became a challenging slide over rocks, mud and the increasing river of water that would plague us for the rest of the day - I not so much as walked down as surfed down on a wave of mud and water. We continued our ascent and decent pattern until arriving at the river crossing from hell... 4.5 feet (armpit territory for someone of stature) of rushing rain forest river! Gripping onto anything for sheer survival - guides, rocks, tree branches - and finally reaching the other side, the elation of the achievement and finally being free from mud in my shoes soon subsided on remembering my camera was in my backpack and my money and credit card were in my pocket, oops!
A short walk later and we arrived at camp 1, greeted by cold showers, the most deserved meal of 2012 and a hammock to sleep the night. Dinner was followed by a safety talk on checking your hammock before entering, checking your shoes before wearing, watching where you step at night, least you get bitten by a snake or a crab, instructions to not walk off in the middle of the night (who the f$&k would do that in the middle of the rain forest anyway?), many games of President and Asshole, general back slapping, moments revisited, a curious hour of uncontrollable laughter discussing the Aussies liking for British television and then it was off to the uncharted territory of a hammock, .
Day 2: Based on our stellar performance the day before (really, are you sure?) over dinner last night the group decided to increase the pace and reach the lost city on day 2 to allow a more leisurely trek on the return trip. Something I am glad on in retrospect but which made for a challenging day 2.
After the challenge of day 1, I halved my pack size again at camp 1 and left the contents at camp 1 for pickup on the return trip - I had packed everything on the recommended list but found that there are only two outfits required, a wet one and a dry one, a towel, a pack of cards, a mini pillow for the hammock, as with my camera weighing in at a cool 2kg+ it was in my interest to slim my pack down as much as possible. - up here you wash and wear still wet, and with 5 to 7 hr hikes to look forward to you want to carry a little as possible
I awoke cold at 4am not to get back to sleep again, I tossed around in my sleeping bag for a while until I finally decided I would be better off out of the hammock and staring into space for an hour or so - the group rose at 6am and we were on the road after a quick breakfast by 7am, wearing the same wet clothes from the night before.
7 hrs of rain forest trekking in one day is quite an achievement, the constant ascent, decent, river crossings, hiking in the heat and the rain etc takes it toll - the paths gradually get narrower and the conditions more treacherous - being knocked over by the pack on the side of a donkey, surviving 2ft wide paths of slippery mud and rocks, crossed by not so inconsequential streams and waterfalls, it was with mercy we reached camp 2, in the vicinity of the lost city, just before nigh fall and before the rains came, making the paths an n-1 life or death calculation and the river crossings doable without the same life flashing before your eyes experience as the day before.
As the group caught up with us front runners we claimed our beds (yes beds! bloody luxury!) - and glad I had the strength of mind to keep my mini pillow in my pack - another well earned meal - I think I am eating more in a day here than I eat on a regular weekend back home, you need the energy alright, but think I am going to come out of this trip without an ounce lost and my turtle intact.
Day 2 is the day I discovered the Colombian lady's phobia of cats - each camp has a dog and a couple of cats - now I am not an expert on cats but Ive met a few in my time and these cats are more on the cute and stupid end of the spectrum, one even had a leg missing - it was more of a comedy act than a threat, but even he caused a vertical reflex jump from a seated position on the picnic table style bench in one clean jerk, while shouting 'Puta!' at the top of her lungs - I'm not afraid of cats but Im sure startled by crazy Colombians! Either the cat goes or she goes! After that she retired to bed at 6:30pm without finishing her dinner, just to escape the cats. In a land of things that go bump in the night its bizarre behaviour to say the least. After more time in Colombia I grew to understand that Colombian city folk are a pampered lot.
Day 3: The trek to the lost city. We awoke at a luxurious 7am (after a warmer night with two, yes two blankets, hoorah!), had breakfast and set off for the lost city. The river crossing was challenging but not life threatening (OK it was but its all relative after the 2 days Ive just had) and then it was the steps of death, 1200 well crafted, wet and moss strewn, read: treacherous none the less. After the first few meters I poised my camera for the classic shot and discovered it had given up the ghost overnight - the lens was fogged up, the viewfinder was fogged up, the meter setting wouldn't hold, the LCDs were on then off then on then off, and when they were on they were as equally fogged up and unreadable - so I progressed with a blind and ambitious photo kamikaze tour of the lost city and I am still not sure if I have managed to get any lasting pictures of the lost city or not. Two weeks on the screen is still dodgy, the metering is not reliable and the various buttons dont do what they purport.
At the final altitude we looked back at our achievement with the knowledge that now we must walk all the way back again - apparently in one months time they open a different return route, good for the soul but not for my belongings I ditched at Base and Camp 1.
After a walk back down through the city and the river we got to explore some of the size of this place - you need a few days to explore this place in detail - apparently inhabited for 300+ years then abandoned with the start of the 200 years of war with the Spanish, this place was never again been populated or used for its previous purpose, although there are a few twin hut dwellings scattered around the site.
Back across the river and a trek back to camp for lunch and we were on the trail again for the 3 day hike back to base. Its surprising how familiar but how unfamiliar a trail can seem on the second pass, and how soul destroying it is turning that corner to find that downhill you remember and welcomed on first pass, is now an uphill fight to the death.
A pain has developed behind my knee on my left leg which is less than confortable and slowing me down but not debilitating, yet.
After a leisurely 3 hrs on the trail we were at camp 3 for another night in beds - I am starting to feel spoilt until I realise the catch is only one blanket! By this time I have got used to the Colombian way of bed by 8:30pm and rise at 5am so it was with surprise that tomorrow we will rise at 8am which meant we had 3 hrs more of 'President and Asshole' to play, but everyone was lacking the energy required to hold the cards so we called it a day at 9pm and I attempted to read before falling asleep.
Day 4: As per my usual timings I awoke around 6am to see the Colombian couple off (they were doing the trek in four days to be able to catch their plane home), but they hadn't told us they were leaving on donkeys! Bloody cheats! How can she be afraid of fluff ball cats but not these manky and unpredictable horses, donkeys or whatever they are? I spent the rest of the morning waiting for the rest of the group to awake by drinking sweet coffee and staring into space and forward planning my mental strategy for the day.
After breakfast it was on the trail again for a 4hr trek back to camp 1 - picking up one of the honorary outrider positions making pace with the camp cook, or as I called her 'mi amiga caminando' (my walking friend) - this position I maintained to the last mile, which also afforded benefits in the form of cookies, cake and someone to look to for mental support when you turn the corner and catch the view of those ascents in your future.
Its today that I discovered the pain in my left leg from the day before had developed into a cramp which became a pulled tendon and plagued me for much of the days trek - the ascents were the worst and there was lots of that, the descents brought some relief but the pain of the ascent still haunted me.
The obligatory ~800m ascents and descents, walking in the heaviest rain yet, crossing a stream from day 2 that had become a river 4ft deep and its back to camp 1 for hot food, cold shower, another night of cards, mosquito bites and swinging in the hammock. I seemed to have survived with around 12 to 15 bites on my legs and arms whilst the Belgian girls legs looked like an infestation of smallpox! ouch!
The stream that became a river was one thing I will not forget - the indigenous Indians believe that women and girls should be in touch with the earth to maintain fertility and so walk without shoes and may not ride a horse whilst the men wear wellington boots and ride horses, a stark contrast to our western approach to the sexes - this was not wasted on one of the Belgians who was actually born in Colombia, a fierce feminist and a tour de force in her own right, often to be found near the rear, taking, talking, talking and when the rains came, finding a store of energy to come from last to pole position by streaming past you on the trail at 100km an hour to avoid another chest deep river crossing - anyway back to the indigenous, on a horse was a boy around 13 years and on foot was a girl around 8 years, the boy crossed the river on horse back and rode up the path with nothing more than a glance back, the girl was left to her own devices to cross the river alive, I don't believe she would have made it across if it wasn't for our guide who waded back into the river to help her and myself across, simply put, I was in fear for her life and impressed at the foresight and generosity of our guide, remembering his perviously passing them on the trail and returning to assist.
At this point I chatted, or mostly listened, to my guides story and found out the cook was his wife and he has three children at home who depend on their tour income for everything, roof, food, education and health care. The oldest of 16 looked after the other two while they were on the trek - it really brings home to you the differences between your own life and the life of others while in these situations.
Day 5: The final trek home, again I awoke early, around 6am and spent the first hour of the day staring into space and drinking sweet coffee in the company of the cook - I did start to wonder why I don't go to bed at 9am and awake at 6am at home - there is something to be said for an hour of staring into space in the morning.
Breakfast, the return to wet clothing and its back on the trail again - this truly is the toughest part of the trek, the day starts with a short walk and a river crossing, then the ascent is relentless in 30C temperatures and 80% humidity, at around 10am you reach the plateau that marks the start final ascent to base.
The pain in my leg from the previous day had subsided and I managed most of the ascents without too much discomfort. On reaching the plateau and starting the long descent home, the decent I had waited for for so long, the injury became a downhill one and gravity was now my nemesis.
We escaped the rain on day 5, river crossings were tame, but the sun was hot and despite factor 40 sun screen I acquired a decent burn on the back of my neck.
The busiest part of the trail, a constant trail of donkeys and riders working like motor taxis to ship in goods for the mountain farmers and trekkers, including full sized pigs strapped to the side of the donkeys squealing in disgust and indignation as they are transported over bumpy trails legs poking straight out - those legs can give you a thud if you dont duck in time! Youd better get out of the way when these donkey caravans approach, their cargo is heavy and I learnt my lesson early on.
'Mi amiga caminando y yo' make it back to base to find Sam the Australian feet up with a ice cold drink, having run down the final descent - damn his youth! It was another hour before the Belgium girls arrive and Sam and I await with hungers that would kill the feint hearted - the fresh head of a cow displayed on a tree stump across the street looked mighty appetising righ there and then.
Its Sunday, and while waiting in the ever watchful eye of the military the odd crack of gunpowder/explosive would fill the air, at first I was slightly distubred that none of the many townfolk or military were concerned, not only by this but also the many bars and pool halls competing in music wars, young men racing up and down the street on motorcycles while pint sized kids played on their cycles on the same road - exhaustion soon took over and I no longer noticed the explosive cracks (I soon realised it was the Colombian high explosive version of bowls - how would they be able to tell which is bowls or a FARC attack?) or the noise of the music or the craziness on the street - I concerned myself with a secret exchange of love letters between a member of the military and a local girl, passed between them by a young girl of about 12. This went on for several hours until we were back in the 4x4 on the bumpy road back to the highway and back to Santa Marta.
Experiences like this are supposed to teach you something, these are my lessons:
1. My willpower is stronger than my legs
2. (but) I am fitter than I though
3. Rain is good and bad
4. Travel light
5. Keep the faith and never relinquish your pillow
You need a souvenir to remind you of every trip, here are mine:
1. One pulled hamstring
2. A wet clothing rash on both legs and around my neck
3. Sunburn to the back of the neck
4. 30+ mosquito bites
5. Calouses on both bum cheeks
6. Very smelly clothes - two merino tshirts eaten by insects
7. A dead camera
Its one night in Santa Marta then back out to Tayrona national park to spend a day and a half on the beach to recover from 5 days torture and onto Cartagena for a day and a half to explore the old city before moving onto Zona Cafetero to meet up with Juan and drink some serious coffee - body shakes here I come!


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Yemeni planes bomb tribesmen during clash; 3 die
The tribesmen wanted to prevent the soldiers from heading to Sana'a.
Sana'a: A Yemeni tribal leader says government planes have bombed his fighters during a clash at an Army camp outside the capital, and that three tribesmen have died in the bombing.
Sheik Ali Saif says his tribesmen surrounded the camp of the powerful Republican Guard on Friday in the al-Fardha Nehem area, 50 miles (80 kilometres) northeast of the capital Sana'a.
He says they wanted to prevent the soldiers from heading to Sana'a to join a five-day battle between troops loyal to President Ali Abdullah Saleh and tribesmen who joined the popular rebellion against the longtime ruler, inspired by Arab uprisings. At least 109 have been killed in that fighting.
Yemeni state TV has warned residents in Sana'a neighbourhood engulfed in the battle to leave their homes in expectations of more street fighting.
Brink of ruin, anarchy
As the situation deteriorated, foreign embassies reduced staff and urged their nationals to leave.
Leaders of the Group of Eight powers meeting in Deauville, France, called on Saleh to quit.
"We deplore the fighting that occurred overnight which was a direct result of the current political impasse, for which President Saleh has direct responsibility due to his refusal to sign the GCC transition agreement," a French Foreign Ministry spokesman said, referring to the Gulf Cooperation Council.
The United States, which long treated Saleh as an ally against al Qaeda, also said it now wanted him to go. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said he had "consistently reneged" on agreements to step down.
Tribal leader Ahmar said there was no chance for mediation with Saleh and he called on regional and global powers to force him out before the country of 23 million people plunges into civil war.
"Ali Abdullah Saleh is a liar, liar, liar," said Ahmar. "We are firm. He will leave this country barefoot."
Saleh said on Wednesday he would not bow to international "dictates" to step down and leave Yemen.
Pressure has been mounting since February, when protesters inspired by democratic revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt began camping in squares and marching in their hundreds of thousands to call for Saleh to go. His attempts to stop the protests by force have so far claimed the lives of 260 people.
Bureau Report

subset: commoncrawl


text: Alright, I'm going to need anyone's help I can get. I have a wallshrine of the Fab5. Yes, I am obsessed. Yes, it has big rainbow letters that say "Gotta Love 'Em". I'm printing out quote and putting them on the wall, so if anyone has any quotes for me by any of the Fab 5, I would be VEEEERY happy!!!


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Capturing FRLG Legendaries
Capture Rate
Each legendary is assigned a numerical catch rate, as are all wild Pokémon. Essentially, the higher the Catch Rate, the higher the chance to capture. The Catch Rate is plugged into a formula, which determines whether the Pokémon will be captured or not. While the actual in-game formula is quite complex, Community Member X-Act has made a formula that produces nearly exact results. Note to always round down should you get a decimal.
(( 1 + ( MaxHP * 3 - CurrentHP * 2 ) * CatchRate * BallRate * Status# ) / ( MaxHP * 3 )) / 256
Top Poké Ball Rates :
A Master Ball catches any wild Pokémon without fail, though it may only be obtained once in Silph Co. Timer Balls begin at 1 and increase every 10 turns, with a cap of 4. This means Timer Balls can have the highest catch rate of any Ball other than the Master Ball. Net Balls are ineffective, due to the fact that no competitive legendary caught in FireRed/LeafGreen is a Water or Bug-type (more on this later). Likewise, Nest Balls begin at 3 and decrease every 10 levels the wild Pokémon is, with a low of 1, making them ineffectual against legendaries. All other balls have a catch rate of 1. It is best to use either Timer or Ultra Balls when going for the legendaries.
Status#s :
As you can see, sleep is your best bet, due to the lack of reliable freeze moves. Paralysis is a much lower #, so sleep moves are preferred. You should never poison or burn the legend; this sets a time limit on the longevity of your legend's lifespan.
The catch rates of the legendaries are 3; it will be a challenge to keep them in the ball!
Let's say we try and catch a Level 5 Max HP Magikarp with a Timer Ball, having waited over 30 turns for some nigh-incomprehensible reason. Magikarp's Catch Rate is 255.
Capture Rate = (( 1 + ( MaxHP × 3 - CurrentHP × 2 ) × CatchRate × BallRate × Status# ) ÷ ( MaxHP × 3 )) ÷ 256 = (( 1 + (( 18 × 3 - 18 × 2 ) × 255 × 4 × 1)) ÷ ( 18× 3 )) ÷ 256 = (( 1 + ( 18 × 255 × 4 × 1 )) ÷ 54) ÷ 256 = (( 1 + 18360 ) ÷ 54) ÷ 256 = ( 18361 ÷ 54 ) ÷ 256 = 340 ÷ 256 = 1.328125 = 100%
Any decimal numbers were not shown, and simply rounded down.
So, if the end result is over 1, you have a 100% chance to capture the Pokémon. However, due to varying IVs, it is difficult to know the Max HP of the legendaries, let alone determine their Current HP. The formula is here for reference, and a little bit of insight on why certain Balls or Status effects are used.
Ball Capsules
After you get your first Pokémon, and acquire the PokéDex, what does Professor Oak give you? That's right, Poké Balls. For the purpose of capturing the legendaries, Ultra and Timer Balls are your best bets. Ultra Balls can be picked up at most later-game PokéMarts, and are available before you fight your first legendary. You'll want to stock up on a good number of them; around fifty per legendary (there are four competitive ones that can be caught normally, and an additional three with events) for a total of three hundred fifty should do nicely.
Timer Balls, while not native to Kanto, are sold by a man on the Sevii Islands… eventually. On Boon Island (also known as "Two Island"), there is a Game Corner man who you must deliver Celio's Meteorite to. He will then ask you to find his daughter Lostelle. To do so, defeat the biker gang on Kin Island, also known as Three Island. Travel beyond Bond Bridge, and deep in the Berry Forest is Lostelle, who is terrified of a Hypno; you must deal with the Hypno, and you two shall travel back to Boon Island. Later, defeat the Elite Four at least once. Finally, travel back to Boon Island, and buy 99 of each item he has in his inventory. Walk into a building, then walk out again, and he will, at long last, add Timer Balls and Repeat Balls to his inventory.
If you wish to obtain any other kind of Poké Ball (for whatever reason), you must trade them over from Ruby, Sapphire, or Emerald. Having said that, you could always clone a whole bunch of Master Balls via Pokémon Emerald, if that's what suits your fancy.
The Catcher
If you are planning on transferring over unlimited Master Balls from Pokémon Emerald, this section will not be of much use to you. If not, you'll probably need a good capturing Pokémon. What makes a good capturing Pokémon? A Pokémon that can learn both a reliable sleep move and False Swipe fits the bill. False Swipe is a great move to capture legendaries; it allows you to always get them down to 1 HP, without the risk that you may do too much damage and cause them to faint. A list of Pokémon that meet the aforementioned criteria is as follows:
The "One Under" Pokémon
An optional Pokémon that you may wish to take with you is the "one under" Pokémon. This is a Pokémon that has a Speed stat one point below the maximum of the legendary you're trying to catch. This is for the Pokémon you really need to have reach a certain speed. It isn't the wisest choice to bring one of these along for every legendary however; the "one under" Pokémon can be a pain to get, but it will be worth it if you don't have Master Balls. The idea is to have your "one under" Pokémon lead, then have it use an attack. If the legendary goes first, switch to the capture Pokémon and continue the battle. If not, reset. This "one under" should preferably be of a high level, and not use any priority moves.
However, there is a catch to using the "one under" Pokémon in the third generation. If you are one of the select few people who read the instruction booklet that accompanies the game, you will notice that once you gain a badge, your Pokémon's stats will increase. However, this is not a visible change; once you collect a badge for a certain stat, all Pokémon you capture will have their appropriate stat permanently given a Badge Modifier of x1.1. This only applies for a Pokémon once it is in your possession; legendaries will not have this modifier in effect whilst you are attempting to capture them. On the other hand, your "one under" Pokémon will. This means that your "one under" Pokémon needs to reach the desired Speed stat after the 1.1 modifier is applied to its stats.
As an example, say you were using a Rapidash to be the "one under" Pokémon for Mewtwo. Assuming absolute maximum Speed, Mewtwo has a Speed stat of 228 at level 70. Rather than aiming for your Rapidash to have a Speed stat of 227, you would need to find what Speed stat it needs after the Badge Modifier modifier is applied. Sounds rather difficult to find out what speed is required, but it is actually quite simple if you use the following formula :
"One Under" Speed = floor(Legendary Speed / 1.1)
The operation "floor" simply means to round down whatever number is a result of the operations in brackets.
Let's try this using the example of a 228 Speed Mewtwo.
"One Under" Speed = floor(228 / 1.1) "One Under" Speed = 207
Assuming you had 207 on its summary screen, this Rapidash should have 1 less Speed than a 228 Speed Mewtwo, once the Badge Modifier is in effect. To confirm your result, simply multiply the "One Under" Speed you found by 1.1, rounding down the result (Pokémon does not use decimals in stats).
floor(207 * 1.1) = 227
As you can see, calculating the Speed for your "one under" Pokémon is not very difficult at all.
If you are going for a defensive legendary who is not concerned about outpacing certain threats, then you may wish to go for a different variation of the "one under" Pokémon that uses Endeavor. Endeavor is a move that takes the foe's Pokémon's HP down to the HP the Endeavor user currently has, but fails if the Pokémon using Endeavor has more HP than its target. This can be abused by giving your Endeavor Pokémon 1 less HP than the maximum HP of the legendary you are going for. If your "one under" Pokémon's Endeavor attack fails, then you know that the legendary you are fighting does not have the amount of HP you are looking for, so you can reset without having to capture it. If Endeavor takes the legendary's HP down, then you know it is fine to resume trying to capture it. However, this Pokémon must also be faster than the legendary, so it does not risk taking damage, which would result in a false positive. The Badge Modifier does not apply to HP, so finding a "one under" Endeavorer is quite straightforward.
Other Items and Pokémon
Take another stop at a PokéMart; you'll want to buy a few Revives and Hyper/Max Potions/Full Restores if you're far enough in the game. Revives are also very useful; they keep your main capture Pokémon alive, as well as the rest of your party. About 30 Super Repels are almost mandatory too (these are actually more cost effective than Max Repels). Five or so Escape Ropes are useful to have, albeit not required. Zapdos likes to paralyze a lot, so Paralyz Heals are worth a mention if you do not wish to spend the money on Full Heals/Restores. You should always bring a team of three high-leveled Pokémon (the other two are HM slaves, but leveling them up is great).
Tricks of the Trade
Before you go after even your first legendary, keep in mind a couple of tips:
The Raikou/Entei/Suicune Factor
As you may or may not be aware, a member of the legendary trio from the Gold/Silver/Crystal era is available to you after obtaining the National PokéDex. In the vein of your Rival's starter, the legendary you are able to obtain has a type advantage over your starter Pokémon. This means if you chose Bulbasaur you can get Entei, if you chose Squirtle you can get Raikou, and if you chose Charmander, you can get Suicune. This legendary is unlike the others in two ways. The first of which is that it wanders the grasses (in Suicune's case, waters as well) of Kanto.
The second way the legendary G/S/C trio is unique is that their nature and IVs are set upon fixing Celio's Machine on One Island. In addition to the fact that their IVs and nature are set, the IVs of the trio are victims of either an odd programming decision or a glitch; only their HP IV can be random, while the rest are set extremely low (typically in the 0-5 range). Despite what others may tell you, it is impossible to capture a competitive member of the G/S/C legendary trio in Kanto. This is due to the programming, not "luck", so it is a fact that these particular legendaries will always have bad IVs, and very often poor natures as well.
Should you really want a good Raikou/Entei/Suicune in the third generation, your only option is to soft reset for them in Pokémon Colosseum for the GameCube (also compatible with the GCN's successor, the Wii), or obtain them at a special Nintendo event.
Catching the Legendaries
Now that you have some more knowledge, or at least something to reference, get out a piece of paper and a pencil. Be prepared to make a little tick mark every time a legendary uses a move, and put two ticks if your Pokémon has the ability Pressure. This will be used to reference the amount of PP the legendaries have before Struggling, which is listed in this section. Note that if your sleep-inducing Pokémon is faster than the legendary, it will use a PP (or two with Pressure) the turn it is put to sleep; and of course it still uses PP the turn it wakes. PP is not used up while the legendary is asleep.
So, what order should you catch the legendaries in? The legendary birds are the only ones available before the National PokéDex, so you may wish to pursue them. It's logical to go for the lower-leveled legendaries first, and work your way up. For this guide, the legendaries will be listed in the order they are found in the National PokéDex; Raikou, Entei, and Suicune are excluded due to their non-competitive nature. Having said that, let's get started!
Like in the original games, Articuno waits in the Seafoam Islands, which can be reached by surfing to the east of Fuschia City. It is highly recommended to bring many Super Repels on the quest to capture Articuno, and use them as you run out. You will come across two large islands, however, only one is accessible at the moment. Enter the island to find a chilly, convoluted cavern. Articuno is hiding on a rock past some rapids, so the idea is to push enough boulders down to the bottom floor to make the water safe for Surfing.
It takes two boulders to access the remaining two, making it four boulders in total you must move to reach Articuno. It awaits you on the bottom floor at level 50.
Articuno's Maximum Stats
Articuno's Moveset
Articuno's moveset certainly leaves something to be desired. On the other hand, Articuno only has 10 PP to actually do anything to your Pokémon, which makes it pretty easy to just focus on the capture.
Zapdos is arguably the easiest of the legendary birds to find, located in a Power Plant near the Rock Tunnel. To reach it, Fly to the Pokémon Center nearest to the Rock Tunnel. Then, head Northwest to a large bunch of tall grass with a fence. Look for the gap in the fence, and Surf down the river found there. Follow the river down, then left, until you find a large building with a PokéManiac standing outside it. This is the Power Plant; inside is a sort of maze-like area full to bursting with wild Pokémon. The latter problem can easily be fixed using Super Repels. As for the maze itself, it is not too difficult, nor too punishing if you make a wrong turn.
Zapdos is located in the northwestern region of the Power Plant, along with another exit. Whilst traversing the maze, you will want to head all the way east, then north, and finally, west. Zapdos awaits you at level 50.
Zapdos' Maximum Stats
Zapdos' Moveset
Detect can be annoying, but fortunately it runs on a meagre 5 PP, so it shouldn't be a pain for very long. Thunder Wave is a bit more of a problem due to the fact that it has 20 PP, and can cause you to be fully paralyzed when trying to put Zapdos to sleep. Attending to the paralysis problem is necessary when it occurs for the aforementioned reason. Luckily, Drill Peck runs off of Zapdos' weaker Attack stat, so it doesn't reach its full destructive potential.
Veterans of Red/Blue/Yellow may be surprised to learn that Moltres no longer resides at Victory Road. Rather, it is found on Knot/One Island, at the peak of Mount Ember. Surf from the Southeast section of the island, and continue north until you stumble upon a cave. In here you may heal your Pokémon in the hot spring, and obtain the HM Rock Smash, though neither is required to catch Moltres. It is however, recommended to heal your party before you proceed. Continue heading north, until you reach Mount Ember. Head to the west once you reach a fork in the road, and you will find another cave. Make your way through it, and eventually you will find yourself higher up on the outside of Mt. Ember. Strategically use Strength to move the boulders out of the way, and then save in front of Moltres. It is fought at level 50.
Moltres' Maximum Stats
Moltres' Moveset
Though you may be tempted to hammer Moltres with your strongest attacks because it has Endure, there is only a one in four chance it will use said move, thus it is safer to weaken it via False Swipe like anything else. While Endure can mess with the "one under" strategy due to its positive priority, Moltres isn't too much of a challenge to deal with, moveset-wise. Full Restores will get rid of burns and damage taken from Flamethrower, and Leftovers can help negate the continual damage taken from Fire Spin.
Perhaps the most famous legendary Pokémon of all time, Mewtwo waits in the Cerulean Cave, known as the "Unknown Dungeon" in the original Red/Blue/Yellow games. As the name would suggest, Cerulean Cave is not too far from Cerulean City, and is available to explore upon defeating the Elite Four at least once. To reach it, head up the bridge where you fought the Team Rocket Grunt for the Nugget, then Surf down the water to your left. Continue heading left until you reach a cave.
Once you are inside the cave, surf to the patch of land in the southwestern corner. Climb the rock formation to the right, then pass the ladder on the said rock formation. Instead, proceed up the ladder standing on a lone rock, and follow it to another ladder leading down. You will find yourself in a maze-like floor; take the path leading down, then proceed to take every path leading right, and eventually you will begin heading up. Head to the right, then descend the ladder to end up on the last floor. From here, it is a simple matter of navigating the bottom floor until you reach the large body of water. Surf to another rock formation, where Mewtwo stands, waiting. It is fought at level 70.
Mewtwo's Maximum Stats
Mewtwo's Moveset
In the original Red/Blue/Yellow games, Mewtwo was often known as the most difficult Pokémon to capture. While its capture rate is identical to that of the legendary birds', and many new legendary Pokémon, its moveset makes catching it a pain. Safeguard will prevent you from putting Mewtwo to sleep for five turns, while it can Recover to restore health. Psychic can also put a nice dent into Pokémon that do not have good Special Defense/HP, or resist it. Luckily, Mewtwo is among the legendaries that have higher PP, so it should not resort to Struggling too quickly, despite the fact that it may be awake more often than one would like.
Lugia can only be obtained via a special Nintendo event, along with its counterpart Ho-Oh. Once you receive the MysticTicket from said event, talk to the sailor in Vermilion City. He will notice your special ticket, and is able to take you to Navel Rock. Once you arrive there, you will notice an entrance to the Navel Rock. However, there are no wild Pokémon inside, other than Lugia and Ho-Oh, so there is no need to use any Super Repels. Unfortunately, an Escape Rope cannot be used to exit either. Start by heading down the stairs, then down the next set of stairs on the floor below. You will find yourself in a long hallway; head all the way down the hall until you reach the wall at the end, with two paths. One will lead right to Lugia, and the other will lead left to Ho-Oh.
Head to the right, and you will come across a set of stairs heading down. Now you must keep heading down several floors, until eventually, you will find yourself in the watery bottom floor of Navel Rock. Lugia is sitting there patiently, and will let you walk right up to it and save. It is level 70.
Lugia's Maximum Stats
Lugia's Moveset
Recover complements Lugia's ability to shrug off most hits—which is unfortunate for one who is trying to weaken and capture it. Fortunately, Lugia is not too threatening offensively—Swift has low Base Power, and while Hydro Pump under the rain is as powerful as a STAB attack, it has low PP and accuracy. It may be worth it in the long run to boost your catcher's Attack when dealing with Lugia, allowing you to make an investment of time early on, rather than repeatedly spending the time and PP weakening it.
Ho-Oh can only be obtained via a special Nintendo event, along with its counterpart Lugia. Once you receive the MysticTicket from said event, talk to the sailor in Vermilion City. He will notice your special ticket, and is able to take you to Navel Rock. Once you arrive there, you will notice an entrance to the Navel Rock. However, there are no wild Pokémon inside, other than Lugia and Ho-Oh, so there is no need to use any Super Repels. Unfortunately, an Escape Rope cannot be used to exit either. Start by heading down the stairs, then down the next set of stairs on the floor below. You will find yourself in a long hallway; head all the way down the hall until you reach the wall at the end, with two paths. One will lead right to Lugia, and the other will lead left to Ho-Oh.
Head to the left, and you will come across a set of stairs heading up. Now you must keep climbing up several small floors, until eventually, you will find yourself at the peak of Navel Rock. Ho-Oh is nowhere in sight, but there is a rock you can ascend with three spaces to walk. Save on the first space; once you reach the second, Ho-Oh will fly down to battle you. It is at level 70.
Ho-Oh's Maximum Stats
Ho-Oh's Moveset
While Ho-Oh's Special Attack is its lower offensive stat, it is certainly not weak by anything but Uber standards; even then it would be merely "below average." Having said that, STAB Fire Blast in the sun will definitely hurt anything without a good amount of HP/Special Defense, or that does not resist Fire. Having Full Restores handy is a great idea, even given the below average accuracy and low PP of the move. Despite Ho-Oh's 130 base attack, Swift isn't too powerful. While Ho-Oh has a nice HP stat, its Defense is only passable, making it easier to continually weaken than its counterpart, Lugia.
Deoxys is the newest legendary available in FireRed and LeafGreen, albeit only accessible via a special event. Once you receive the Aurora Ticket from said event, talk to the sailor in Vermilion City. He will notice your special ticket, and is able to take you to Birth Island. Upon arriving there, you will notice an odd, triangular shaped rock. After you touch it by pressing A, it will become hot, and shift to a different place on the island. The objective is to reach the rock in as few steps as possible, then touch it. This will make it shift to a different spot on the island. Once it is glowing bright red, and sitting at the top of the island, head to it as you normally would, but save before touching the rock again. Once you do, it will explode for some reason, and Deoxys will confront you.
Depending on what version you are playing, Deoxys will have a different moveset, and more interesting, different stats after the battle. In FireRed, you will end up with an Attack table class=s Attack when dealing with Lugia, allowing you to make an investment of time early on, rather than repeatedly spending the time and PP weakening it.thForme Deoxys, and in LeafGreen, Deoxys will take on its Defense Forme. During battle however, Deoxys' stats are the same in both versions; it takes all its Formes' HP, and its Attack Forme's Speed. Deoxys is fought at level 30 in both versions.
Deoxys-A's Maximum Stats
Deoxys-A's Moveset
Deoxys-D's Maximum Stats
Deoxys-D's Moveset
Deoxys is generally easier to capture in LeafGreen thanks to its higher PP and lack of Taunt. Taunt prevents you from putting Deoxys to sleep the next turn (or in the same turn if Deoxys is faster), which can be annoying. However, Knock Off is a nuisance.
After catching all of the legendaries that you are able to, feel free to capture whichever Johto legendary corresponds to your starter, for completion's sake. However, the above legendaries are the only ones with competitive viability caught in FireRed and LeafGreen; congratulations if you have caught them all!


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text:
Cowboy on a mission to help find the cure
Published 7:00 pm, Thursday, August 14, 2008
Upon first impression, Dennis Gaines doesn't look as if he has endured the rigors of three separate bouts with cancer in 5 1/2 years. The tall, rugged, former ranch cowboy speaks with an almost detached air as he recalls his struggles with three different forms of the disease.
"The skin cancer diagnosis was not a complete surprise," he said. "Probably a direct result of too many years exposure on ranches and across various oilfields of the world. It was a wakeup call, though, and I am still cognizant of the risks.
"The second episode, with head and neck cancer, was a complete shock. The doctors said it most commonly occurs in tobacco users, and since I have never used tobacco in any form, I became aware of the capricious nature of cancer. That one was touchy, since my voice was at risk, and that is an essential element of how I earn my living now.
"Prostate cancer is the most recent, and since this is a disease that took both my father and my uncle, I was prepared for the possibility, but it still was not pleasant to hear."
Although his appearance conjures up images of riding, roping and wrestling livestock, a profession Gaines pursued for years in West Texas, his eloquence belies his current livelihood, that of writer and entertainer. He now "puts beans on the table" with stories about his rollicking and sometimes sentimental days on the ranch, performing at cowboy gatherings and numerous other functions across the West.
He has been writing for 20 years and performing full-time since 1996. The Kerrville resident is a long-standing member of the Texas Commission on the Arts, has been named the Best Storyteller and Humorist by the Academy of Western Artists, and won the award for Best Cowboy Poetry Album from the same organization.
In addition, he has achieved some notoriety in the last couple of years, having been named the "Biggest Liar in the State of Texas" for two years running, as well as recently winning the same honors in Austin and San Antonio, although he laughs when he says "my wife, Karen, bless her heart, is not nearly as proud of the 'Liar's' titles as one would think she should be.
"I consider myself fortunate, even blessed," said Gaines. "Having cancer has opened my eyes. I have had chemotherapy, radiation and surgery, and there are some minor side effects of treatment that I contend with every day, but surviving three forms of the disease puts me in rare company."
Gaines came up with an idea to give something back, and decided to focus his efforts on this new goal.
"There are 254 counties in the state of Texas, and I intend to present a performance of cowboy storytelling and a message of hope and inspiration in every one of them," he said. "Early detection and awareness has literally saved my life, and I want as many people as I can reach to understand the importance of these, and the resources available to them.
"I have been in touch with the American Cancer Society, and I have informed them that a portion of the proceeds from these events will be remitted to them to further the cause of cancer research. I have entitled this project 'A Cowboy For The Cure.'
"My family and friends are behind me, and if I can get this message out to civic clubs, chambers of commerce, cancer survivor groups or anyone else in this state who might be interested in hosting a truly fun program that serves a good purpose, then it will go a long way toward helping me achieve my goal. It doesn't matter if it's a community center, church hall, house concert, theater or barn party. I will consider any venue.
"Professionally, this is all I care about for the foreseeable future."
Gaines can be contacted at 830-896-5598 or e-mail email@example.com
"I may not ever raise the kind of money that Lance Armstrong can, but I'll give it the old cowboy try. I can't do it all, but I can do my part."


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Inhibition of cerebral endothelial cell proliferation and motility by RAF-1 small inhibitory RNA
Inhibition der Proliferation und Motilität von zerebralen Endothelzellen durch RAF-1 inhibitorische RNA
Search Medline for
|May 8, 2006
Objective: Malignant gliomas are highly vascularized tumors. Therefore, antiangiogenic therapies emerge as a promising approach to improve the prognosis in these patients. The Ras-Raf system is activated by various growth factors and may enhance tumor and endothelial cell growth and motility. The aim of our study is to evaluate the effects of small inhibitory RNA (siRNA) directed against Raf-1 on glioma and endothelial cell viability, proliferation and motility.
Methods: Three different Raf-1 siRNA sequences and non-functional control siRNA were obtained from Dharmacon and Invitrogen. Human U373 glioma cells as well as human cerebral microvascular endothelial cells (HCMEC) were transfected with Raf-1 siRNA using a modified lipofectamine protocol. RT-PCR and Western blotting were used to control siRNA-mediated Raf-1 knock down on mRNA and protein level, respectively. Functional effects on viability and proliferation were evaluated in both cell types by the MTT assay and cell counting. The effects on cell specific motility were investigated by a spheroid based migration assay (U373) and a tube formation assay on Matrigel (HCMEC). For all assays, pure lipofectamine and non-functional siRNA served as controls.
Results: Half-quantitative RT-PCR and Western blotting revealed pronounced siRNA efficacy in U373 and HCMEC with a significant reduction of Raf-1 transcript and protein in both cell types. In U373 glioma cells, Raf-1 down regulation did not affect proliferation or glioma cell migration at various siRNA concentrations. In HCMEC, however, a highly significant decrease of cell proliferation and a significant inhibition of tube forming ability were achieved by Raf-1 siRNA as compared to non-functional siRNA or vehicle controls.
Conclusions: Inhibition of the Ras-Raf pathway by Raf-1 siRNA caused a significant reduction of endothelial cell growth and motility. If this can be confirmed in transformed endothelial cells derived from malignant gliomas, this strategy appears suitable for future anti-angiogenetic approaches in the treatment of malignant gliomas.


text:
Use these dough recipes to make the monsters on the cover.
After forming the dough into disks, authors Valerie Peterson and Janice Fryer instruct, roll out each between sheets of wax paper or parchment before chilling. Roll out to 1/4-inch thick. Slide dough (paper and all) onto a cookie sheet; refrigerate until firm, 20-30 minutes, before cutting shapes.


text:
17/2/13 Great news for Blue – he's found his forever home!
Meet Blue, an old soul of 14 years who hasn't had the best of lives. He is a Lurcher who has spent most of his life outdoors in poor conditions before arriving at Dogs Trust Merseyside.
With lots of love and attention, Blue is starting to come round to the idea of having cuddles and treats. He likes to keep warm in his jacket in this cold weather and is enjoying the comforts of a soft bed.
Blue will be rehomed under the Dogs Trust's Shared Adoption Scheme which means that all his future medical bills will be taken care of. He needs a quiet, comfortable home, with any children over the age of 14, as he can be a little nervous. He would do best in a home without cats or small animals, but may be able to live with another dog, provided they get along when they meet at the centre.
Can you make Blue's remaining time happy and full of love? If so, please contact Dogs Trust Merseyside as follows:
Tel: 0151 480 0660
Please mention that you saw Blue on the Oldies Club website.


text: I'll try to make it short and sweet. Every day here I see gourmand talk....LIDGE v DHI, etc, etc. I'd really love to wear one for Fall but unlike many people on here I'd like the safest bet to sample to start. As a reference when I tested New Harlam I enjoyed it but it was years ago. Dior Homme, no matter how much I test and wear it, comes off very feminine on me..the iris just never quits. So that might eliminate DHI. I really don't want to go all out price wise either. So what is the best reference gourmand to start with that will be safe for a law firm and around 3 kids, wife, etc.? Thanks


text:
Mall name:
17 Premium Outlets Boulevard, Lee, Massachusetts - MA 01238
Phone number to Lee Premium Outlets mall
413 243 8186
Hours (mall)
Monday – Saturday 10:00 am – 9:00 pm, Sunday 10:00 am – 7:00 pm.
Driving directions
Other stores in Lee Premium Outlets:
Looking for another location of Brooks Brothers store?
Go to Brooks Brothers store locator to see all Brooks Brothers stores


text:
Alisha Sullivan focuses her practice on employee benefits as a member of the firm's Employee Benefits + Compensation Group.
Employee Benefits and Compensation
Ms. Sullivan helps clients comply with laws governing employee benefit plans. She advises and supports clients on a range of programs, such as pension plans, profit-sharing plans, 401(k) plans, health and welfare benefit plans, and compliance with HIPAA and health care reform. Ms. Sullivan handles matters related to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).
Ms. Sullivan is a contributor to the ERISA Claim Defense Blog, a platform that offers commentary and insight on administration and evaluation and litigation of group benefits claims as well as other compliance and litigation issues involving ERISA.
Prior to joining Robinson+Cole, Ms. Sullivan worked for four years at Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, where she was an ERISA Legal Specialist.


text: I have been shooting with a Konica Minolta point and shoot for the past couple of years. I finally decided to take a huge step up and purchase a SLR. I debated long and hard on what I want/need, and finally purchased a Nikon D80 body, Sigma 18-200 lens, Hoya clear filter, and extra battery. I mainly shoot car shows, family events, some scenery, and lot of motorcross, and motorsports in general. I know the lens is not the best, but just for starters I didn't want to drop a lot of money on a lens. Anything else I should consider purchasing as I start shooting more? I hope to share a little and learn a lot from here. Thanks JT


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Bus trip from Santiago de Chile to Mendoza
There are several buses traveling daily and even nightly from Santiago de Chile to Mendoza in Argentina. The bus ride crossing through Andes is scenic and it takes about 7 hours. If you include the time required for border crossing, the total time for travel is about 9 hours. The route closes during the heavy snowfall. However, since you are traveling in November that should not be a problem.
Road from Mendoza to Santiago (Source: ActiveSteve)
Bus services to Mendoza are available from Terminal Alameda and Terminal Santiago in Santiago de Chile. They are located adjacent to each other. Click here for the bus companies that run the services between the two cities.
Terminal Alameda: directly by Universidad de Santiago Metro station; the companies "Tur-Bus" and "Pullman Bus" leave from here to all directions;
Terminal Santiago (formerly, Terminal Sur): Alameda at Nicasio Retamales, 150 m west of Alameda terminal; all companies going to the coast and south
(Source: Chile-Guide / Buses)
Terminal buses2 (Source: macha.cl)
You can easily get bus tickets on the day of travel at the terminal. Having said that, many people advice booking the tickets beforehand to get the best seats, which will enable you a good view of the scenery during the journey.
I would say book in advance, you should get some seats as suggested by #1 & #2 on the same day, but not the best one. If you book in advance you can take the upper deck panoramic first row, views are amazing and it's totally worth it.
I used Andesmar and have no complains, it's easy to book with them online with your foreign credit card.
(Source: bus from Santiago to Mendoza - Lonely Planet travel forum)
You will have to book the bus tickets after you reach the country if you are using Chilean bus companies since they do not allow online booking from outside the country. It is possible to book the bus tickets online from outside the country with Argentine bus companies.
Chilean Bus Companies
Telephone: 779 5624, 490 7512, 270 7510, 779 1582, 776 1582
Telephone: 776 2424, 779 6254
Chi Ar Autos
Telephone: 776 0048
Telephone: 650 2113
Argentinian Bus Companies
Andesmar and its sister companies (El Rapido, Coitram and others)
Ticket on line Argentina (Source: Ticket on line Argentina)
The ticket prices are shown in Argentine Pesos.
As of today, 1 ARS = 0.209501 USD
Price Range of tickets: $26-42
Book tickets here.
Telephone: Andesmar -779 683, Coitram - 776 1891
Telephone: 779 3660
776 7290
Read more about bus trip from Santiago to Mendoza here.
Montañas de Mendoza (Source: fainmen)


text:
"Guess what we're making today," I asked, lifting him up to the table.
John surveyed the googly eyes and feathers laid out in front of him and said without hesitation "monsters!"
And so, with no prompting at all from me, and no help whatsoever, John made monsters. Big ones and baby ones. Ones with feathers and ones with spots and ones that went "boom, boom, boom!" towards me.
The results were spectacular.
And it was the perfect activity for my own little spotty monster, who is handling chicken pox in his own easy-going way, with a lot of sleep, a cheery smile and just the occasional itch.


text:
(For more resources related to this topic, see here.)
Most importantly, you can apply your creativity to make the design your own. Foundation gives you the tools you need for this. Then it gets out of the way and your site becomes your own. Especially when you advance to using the Foundation's SASS variables, functions and mixins, you have the ability to make your site your own unique creation.
Foundation's grid system
The foundation (pun intended) of Zurb Foundation is its grid system—rows and columns—much like a spread sheet, a blank sheet of graph paper, or tables, similar to what we used to use for HTML layout. Think of it as the canvas upon which you design your website.
Each cell is a content area that can be merged with other cells, beside or below it, to make larger content areas. A default installation of Foundation will be based on twelve cells in a row. A column is comprised of one or more individual cells.
Lay out a website
Let's put Foundation's grid system to work in an example. We'll build a basic website with a two part header, a two part content area, a sidebar, and a three part footer area. With the simple techniques we demonstrate here, you can craft mostly any layout you want.
Here is the mobile view
Foundation works best when you design for small devices first, so here is what we want our small device (mobile) view to look like:
This is the layout we want on mobile or small devices. But we've labeled the content areas with a title that describes where we want them on a regular desktop. By doing this, we are thinking ahead and creating a view ready for the desktop as well.
Here is the desktop view
Since a desktop display is typically wider than a mobile display, we have more horizontal space and things that had to be presented vertically on the mobile view can be displayed horizontally on the desktop view.
Here is how we want our regular desktop or laptop to display the same content areas:
These are not necessarily drawn to scale. It is the layout we are interested in.
The two part header went from being one above the other in the mobile view to being side-by-side in the desktop view. The header on the top went left and the bottom header went right. All these make perfect sense.
However, the sidebar shifted from being above the content area in the mobile view and shifted to its right in the mobile view. That's not natural when rendering HTML. Something must have happened!
The content areas, left and right, stayed the same in both the views. And that's exactly what we wanted.
The three part footer got rearranged. The center footer appears to have slid down between the left and right footers. That makes sense from a design perspective but it isn't natural from an HTML rendering perspective.
Foundation provides the classes to easily make all this magic happen.
Here is the code
Unlike the early days of mobile design where a separate website was built for mobile devices, with Foundation you build your site once, and use classes to specify how it should look on both mobile and regular displays.
Here is the HTML code that generates the two layouts:

Header Left

Header Right
   Sidebar Right

Content Left

Content Right

Footer Center

Footer Left

Footer Right

That's all there is to it. Replace the text we used for labels with real content and you have a design that displays on mobile and regular displays in the layouts we've shown in this article.
Toss in some widgets
What we've shown above is just the core of the Foundation framework. As a toolkit, it also includes numerous CSS components and JavaScript plugins.
Foundation includes styles for labels, lists, and data tables. It has several navigation components including Breadcrumbs, Pagination, Side Nav, and Sub Nav. You can add regular buttons, drop-down buttons, and button groups.
You can make unique content areas with Block Grids, a special variation of the underlying grid. You can add images as thumbnails, put content into panels, present your video feed using the Flex Video component, easily add pricing tables, and represent progress bars.
Plugins include things like Alerts, Tooltips, and Dropdowns. These can be used to pop up messages in various ways.
The Section plugin is very powerful when you want to organize your content into horizontal or vertical tabs, or when you want horizontal or vertical navigation. Like most components and plugins, it understands the mobile and regular desktop views and adapts accordingly.
The Top Bar plugin is a favorite for many developers. It is a multi-level fly out menu plugin. Build your menu in HTML the way Top Bar expects. Set it up with the appropriate classes and it just works.
Magellan and Joyride are two plugins that you can put to work to help show your viewers where they are on a page or to help them navigate to various sections on a page.
Orbit is Foundation's slide presentation plugin. You often see sliders on the home page of websites these days. Clearing is similar to Orbit except that it displays thumbnails of the images in a presentation below the main display window. A viewer clicks on a thumbnail to display the full image. Reveal is a plugin that allows you to put a link anywhere on your page and when the viewer clicks on it, a box pops up extra content, which could even be an Orbit slider, is revealed.
Interchange is one of the most recent additions to Foundation's plugin factory. With it you can selectively load images depending on the target environment. This lets you optimize bandwidth between your web server and your viewer's browser.
Foundation also provides a great Forms plugin. On its own it is capable. With the additional Abide plugin you have a great deal of control over form layout and editing.
As you can see, Foundation is very capable of laying out web page for mobile devices and regular displays. One set of code, two very different looks. And that's just the beginning.
Foundation's CSS components and JavaScript plugins can be placed on a web page in almost any content area. With these widgets you can have much more interaction with your viewers than you otherwise would.
Put Foundation to work in your website today!
Resources for Article:
Further resources on this subject:
- Quick start – using Foundation 4 components for your first website [Article]
- Introduction to RWD frameworks [Article]
- Nesting, Extend, Placeholders, and Mixins [Article]


text:
Richard J. Spath's career arc went from college instructor to college president, and he was equally adept and comfortable in the classroom and the college boardroom.
Mr. Spath grew up in Ohio and, after serving in the Army Air Corps in World War II, got his degree and began his teaching career at John Carroll University in Cleveland. He eventually became dean of the graduate school there and, even though his background was in the classics, he worked to elevate the college's science department, said his daughter, Susan Spath.
"He always had that wide perspective," she said. "He had the big picture in mind."
Susan Spath said her father attended several summer programs that sought to bring together professors in the humanities and those in the sciences, leading to his interest in making sure John Carroll University was strong in both disciplines.
While he recognized the importance of technological advances, she said, he also felt society needed humanities to remain grounded.
"He saw them both as important, but definitely saw that the humanities were important to deal with issues of meaning" and man's place in an increasingly technological world, she said.
In 1967, Mr. Spath got the opportunity to become president of St. Francis College, which is now the University of New England, and he jumped at it, his daughter said. In the mid- and late 1960s, cities were becoming increasingly congested and contentious places to live, Susan Spath said, so "the idea of moving to the coast of Maine sounded attractive."
One of his first acts was to make St. Francis a coed school, although Susan Spath said she doesn't recall whether that was her father's initiative or a move that was already under way by the time he became president.
Four years after coming to Maine, Mr. Spath was named president of the University of Maine at Fort Kent, and his daughter said a key focus was making sure the school was responsive to its host community "while at the same time being a real university."
During his 15 years as president of the University of Maine at Fort Kent, Mr. Spath oversaw the addition of bachelor's degree programs in environmental science, nursing, business management and behavioral science, along with minors in Canadian-American studies, social science, theater and computer science. He also helped establish Madawaska House as a Franco-American Bi-Cultural Center and a new sports center.
Susan Spath said her father, who used to keep score at basketball games while at John Carroll University, insisted the court in the sports center be made of real wood.
Mr. Spath also helped develop the academic plan when the University of Maine at Portland-Gorham was transformed into the University of Southern Maine in the late 1970s.
After he retired as president of the University of Maine at Fort Kent, Mr. Spath became the first "University of Maine Professor," which allowed him to go back to the classroom, teaching writing and English literature.
He retired a few years later and, after remarrying 12 years ago, he and his wife, Gail, moved to North Conway, N.H., where they enjoyed hiking in the White Mountains, Susan Spath said.
Even though he spent a lifetime in academia, "he was never arrogant in the least," Susan Spath said. "He was a great scholar and administrator, but never arrogant."
"He was a warm and funny guy at home," she added. "He liked good jokes and he had a really good sense of humor. He was a very gentle, sensitive person and a very good father."
In his retirement, he enjoyed gardening but kept up with his reading. Susan Spath said he mentioned recently that he was having trouble understanding the poetry of W.H. Auden and they were making plans to discuss it soon, but he passed away Nov. 6 at age 89.
Susan Spath said she's sure her father would be happy if people would donate to the University of Maine at Fort Kent in his memory.
Staff Writer Edward D. Murphy can be contacted at 791-6465 or at: [email protected]


text:
Send This Job to a Friend
Full Time / Part Time / PRN
Contact: Vickie Izzo
Email: email@example.com
We are seeking dynamic Registered Nurses to join our team at Riverside Doctors Hospital in Williamsburg, Virginia on the Med Surg Unit!
The Riverside Doctor's Hospital is nestled on a beautiful 25-acre campus and is a state-of-the-art acute care hospital with a full-service Emergency Department. Featuring the latest technology and amenities this hospital is designed around the convenience and comfort of our patients. For more information please visit www.riversideonline.com/rdhw .
Works under the supervision of the Nurse manager and the Director and is responsible for the assessment, planning, implementing, and evaluating the total nursing care of assigned patients. The RN may work in a variety of settings and roles within Riverside Health System. The RN utilizes communication, critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making to create a care plan for each patient based on physiological, psychosocial and cultural diversity. Responsible for supervising and delegating non-professional personnel working directly with him/her to ensure optimum patient care. Must demonstrate competence in dealing with age related needs of specific patient populations served in their assigned unit/dept. Works under the direction of leadership and a multi-disciplinary team to provide a comprehensive range of services or clinical care associated with and in accordance with standards of excellence established by Riverside Health system and facility goals and strategic plans.
EDUCATION: MSN, BSN, ADN, or nursing diploma required. Specialty certification in field highly encouraged.
LICENSURE: Licensed RN or board eligible by the State of Virginia or compact state. Must have or obtain ACLS, PALS per departmental requirements. CPR Required
EXPERIENCE: Experience preferred in an acute care setting but not required. Some specialty areas may require previous nursing experience.
Are you sure you want to continue as an EXTERNAL applicant?
Are you sure you want to continue as an INTERNAL applicant?


text:
Rearrange the game you're in
Let's start from the begin
With confidence you'll win
That's the reason you were born
'cause Jesus Christ, man
Won't be coming back no more
He's set up his proper loss
And you know well that he did
Just what he could have done
When I was growing
And my hair was getting longer
I was feeling so much stronger
I could carry my guitar
And I knew that I could sing
But, hey, how could I know
The wind would blow in the rain?
Hey, how could I see
What would they make out of me?
When I was little
Used to dream I was a king
Now they taught me how to sing
Think I've got most everything
I could ever as 'fore
You've got your pencil
Your guitar, your amplifire
You will set this world on fire
Like Nero did to Rome
But, hey, how could I know
My eyes could see in the dark?
Hey, don't press on me
I'm not to blame, can't you see?
It's been to long now
Since the latest reb has gone
Who knows will be the next
To go down in History
Lyrics taken from http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/r/raul_seixas/how_cold_i_know.html


text:
How much did you pay for your used M3?
View Single Post
New Member
Drives: 2009 M3 (sold)
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Chicago, IL
iTrader: (
Originally Posted by
I'm in the middle of negotiations but can't seem to make the dealer budge much on price.
2009 with original MSRP of 68350 (+dest and guzzler tax which aren't my concern).
Previous owner was a doctor that didn't drive the car much. It now has 16k miles.
Best pricing I could get $50500 CPO or $49000 without CPO. To me that seems $3000 too high but honestly I think the dealer will find a buyer for that price without an issue. Seems like all the CPO M3s sell on the high end around here.
What do you think of that price? I always seem to hear that M3's lose about $10k per year for the first three years but this doesn't line up.
I know the car you are talking about. I drove it the Wednesday before thanksgiving. The sales person said someone else from Stevens Point area was coming to look at it. I assume that was you. It is a great car and in perfect condition.
I am signing the paperwork for it tomorrow. Paid about the same as you mentioned. The M3s around here go quick because there just aren't as many for sale as in Chicago. When 1 hits the lot in good condition they are gone within 10 days.
I was considering a S5, CTS-V, or the M3. On paper the M3 wasn't all that impressive to me but as soon as I drove it i knew that this was the one. There are faster cars, cheaper cars, and more economical cars but the M3 is the total package.
I used to be a service advisor for the dealership about 10 years ago so I like the CPO warranty. Things can get real expensive if a module or controller fails. There is something to be said about buying a car locally and establishing a relationship with the dealer. They are more willing to do things for you when they know you purchased the car there and will likely buy more vehicles depending on how you get treated each visit. When I was an advisor we bent over backwards for repeat buyers and many times lost money on the service visit to keep them happy. To me that's worth the extra money I might have paid for the car vs. buying one online.
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