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WOW how amazing
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Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Union, WA
Age: 35
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when somebody asks a question without separating the sentences at all it makes it very difficult for people to read and understand what they are saying know what i mean its like a giant run on sentence that never ends the members that have been here for a while have seen many people come on here that do the exact same thing and after a while the people that post like i am posting get ignored because sometimes its like world war II code breaking very time consuming and slow not really worth the effort especially if its a question thats been asked a million times before
If you make the effort to post something that's even slightly readable then others will make the effort to respond. You've heard the old adage "What goes in, goes out" does apply. Remember that many members here are professionals that are in their 40s, 50s and 60s. They do expect a certain level of professionalism on the other end. Nobody is saying your posts have to be perfect but a little effort does go a long way.
Centerline even gave you a friendly reminder the first time and for him that's unusual.
Originally Posted by
A little capitalization and punctuation would help people read your posts and you'll get more answers. Most of the experienced people here aren't going to take the time to decipher a post in order to learn what the question is.
Good luck with your build.
Besides, I looked at a couple of your posts and it looks like you did get responses that were informative. People asked you questions in return and you never replied to any of them. Remember that you can't ask a vague question and expect a direct answer either. Check up on posts that you've made and questions that you've asked. When somebody else asks you a question to try to get more information try to respond with as much information as possible. If you've done that then you usually will get what you are looking for. Or at the very least, something that will give you a nudge in the right direction.
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Anderson Silva's next defense of his middleweight belt won't take place in his home country, after all.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Tuesday confirmed rumors that the rematch between Silva and Chael Sonnen has been moved to July 7 in Las Vegas. UFC originally planned to hold the fight June 23 in Brazil.
Several logistical problems cropped up that kept the promotion from securing a stadium venue in Brazil for the June date, said Dana White, president of UFC parent Zuffa.
"We were looking at Sao Paulo, we were looking at Rio," White said Tuesday a press conference in Rio de Janeiro. "There were many things that caused this fight to fall apart here."
He has previously said that a United Nations gathering in Rio on the weekend of June 23 was making it difficult for UFC to get a stadium. The promotion wanted a large venue because of the magnitude of the Silva-Sonnen II.
The original hope was for Sao Paulo. Brazilian media have reported that local noise ordinances in that city made it difficult for UFC to get permission to hold at a stadium there.
A second bout between the top two middleweights in the USA TODAY/SB Nation consensus rankings has been brewing ever since Sonnen dominated the champion for the better part of of five rounds before succumbing to a submission with less than two minutes remaining in their August 2010 encounter.
UFC still plans to hold a June 23 event in Brazil, but a specific location hasn't been finalized, White said. The card will include the finale for the first season of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil, including a bout between coaches Wanderlei Silva and Vitor Belfort.
Officials also hope to move Brazilian star Jose Aldo's next featherweight title defense to the June 23 card. Aldo previously had been announced for a July date in Calgary, but he "probably" will fight on the Brazil show instead, White said. An opponent hasn't been announced for him yet.
If Aldo fights in Brazil, one possibility for a Calgary main event might be light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones vs. Dan Henderson, White said. But it will be a few weeks before UFC knows if Jones will be ready for July, following his win this past weekend against Rashad Evans.

subset: commoncrawl


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Original Sin, in Raptorville
Araujo pick set off chain reaction
I've always considered the drafting of Rafael Araujo the Raptors' original sin. It set off a chain reaction the team has never really recovered from.
Araujo, as every Raptors fan knows, was picked No.8 overall by Rob Babcock, who promised on draft night that the big Brazilian was "Not a stiff."
Well, he was a stiff. One with small hands and short arms and – quite literally – no upside.
Missing at No.8 isn't ordinarily the end of the world. It happens. And it says A LOT about the NBA that having the chance to pick the eighth – or in this year's draft – the ninth best player in the world in a given year carries with it no certainty of success.
Tough league.
But the 2004 draft had its share of good players. One of them – Andre Iguodala – was taken ninth by the Philadelphia 76ers, as every Raptors fan knows.
Which is the problem: It's not so much that Araujo was a bust, it's that Iguodala represents exactly and – short of Kobe/LeBron/Wade – I mean exactly what the franchise needs.
He slashes. He defends other wings. He's a one-man fastbreak. He's a passable spot-up shooter. He's very good playmaker and passer. He's relatively affordable, at $12-million a year, which is pretty good value for a Tier 1A wing player in the NBA.
But you know all this.
Still, I've been thinking about Iguodala as I've [been] watching Mickael Pietrus with the Orlando Magic.
In contrast, what this corner sees is that the specific time-line … i.e. Chain Reaction … for the de-evolution of the Raptors looks like this:
* Fired Glen Grunwald, Apr 1, 2004
* Hired Rob Babcock, Jun 7, 2004
* Drafted Rafael Araujo [No. 8], Jun 24 2004
* Hired Sam Mitchell, Jun 29, 2004
* Traded Vince Carter, Dec 17, 2004 [for exactly what, in return?]
* Fired Babcock, Jan 26, 2006
* Hired Bryan Colangelo, Feb 28, 2006
* Drafted Andrea Bargnani [No. 1], Jun 28, 2006
* Traded Charlie Villanueva for TJ Ford, Jul 1, 2006
* Traded for Carlos Delfino, Jun 15, 2007
* Signed Jason Kapono, Jul 11, 2007
* Traded TJ Ford & Rasho Nesterovic & No. 17 Draft Pick for Jermaine O'Neal & No. 41 Draft Pick, Jun 26, 2008
* Signed Hassan Adams, Jul 8, 2008
* Signed Roko Ukic, Jul 16, 2008
* Signed Will Solomon, Jul 28, 2008
* Bought out Jorge Garbajosa, Aug 10, 2008
* Fired Mitchell, Dec 3, 2008
33-49/.402, 14th place in the Eastern Conference
April 1, 2004 [and, then, Dec 17] will live-on, in infamy … as a sort of very real, cruel JOKE … in the history of this franchise, purpetrated by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment [MLSE, i.e. Richard Peddie & Larry Tanenbaum].
Tags: Andre Iguodala, Andrea Bargnani, Bryan Colangelo, Carlos Delfino, Charlie Villanueva, Glen Grunwald, Hassan Adams, Jason Kapono, Jermaine O'Neal, Jorge Garbajosa, Larry Tanenbaum, Michael Grange, Mickael Pietrus, MLSE, Rafael Araujo, Rasho Nesterovic, Richard Peddie, Rob Babcock, Roko Ukic, Sam Mitchell, TJ Ford, Toronto Raptors, Vince Carter, Will Solomon


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My 2002 WRX has 126K miles on it, but the motor was replaced at 84k (short block).
My mods include a GFB Stealth BOV (came with the car), a Mishimoto radiator, and Stage 1 AccessPORT tune.
My car started leaking a little oil a while ago, so I took it to the local Scooby dealer. They replaced the head gaskets, and said that all else was fine. Right after I got the car back, I noticed that the car was making a funny noise under boost.
The noise happens with anything greater than 30% throttle, and only after the boost guage is above -0.02 MPa.
I watched a bunch of boost leak videos on youtube, and the noise is low-pitched compared to that. It sounds as if the sound of the spooling turbo has been amplified 5 times. It is like a banshee screaming with a gurgle, or Rales for the medical people. I put the old bypass valve back on the car with a new gasket, and the noise didn't change. All of my vacuum lines are fine, and all connections on the cold side of the turbo are fine. I took the heat shield off, and there was a little bit of black residue on the inside/back flange, at about 9 o'clock if you are looking at the front of it.
The car is still boosting fine, and there is no loss in power. The gas mileage hasn't changed either. I always run 93 octane, and replace the oil with Subaru synthetic every 3000 miles.
I know it isn't rod knock, and the compression was just checked due to a bad fuel filter/misfire code. There aren't any codes being thrown at this point.
Could it be a leak on the hot side of the turbo (UP/DP exhaust leak)? Any other ideas?
Thanks in advance for any help.


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Zonbu Notebook is a 15.4" widescreen laptop with all the bells and whistles:
The hassle-free Zonbu service is no longer limited to your desktop! Take your Zonbu Notebook anywhere you like — at friends, at work or on holidays. With its rugged but lightwight design, it will follow you on all your trips. Work offline or connect to any wifi spot, the 60GB hard-drive stores all your data and backs it up automatically when it's connected to the Internet.
With Zonbu, green doesn't have to make you blue! With its efficient ultra low power design, Zonbu delivers the power of a traditional desktop computer but uses just a fraction of the energy.
That could mean as much as $10 a month in energy savings for you — and might just help save the planet, too.
Not only does Zonbu's low power design reduce CO2 emissions, but by buying carbon offsets, we make the operation of your Zonbu device completely carbon neutral.
Talk about guilt-free computing!
The best thing about Zonbu is that it just works — right out of the box.
Connect it to your DSL or cable Internet, press the power button and go.
You'll be surfing in moments and using all those productivity and multimedia applications you've come to love, without the hassles of maintaining them.


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Ashford, WA, USA < change city >
Coordinators (1)
DJs (1)
Florists (1)
Wedding Day Beauty (1)
Rentals (1)
Ceremony Sites (4)
Reception Sites (2)
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JOE AND REBEKAH'S WEDDINGSeptember, 2012 in Ashford, WA
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Ceremony: Wellspring Spa Woodland Sanctuary
Reception: Wellspring Spa Yurt
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- Band: Boys of Greenwood Glenn
- Ceremony: Wellspring Spa Woodland Sanctuary
- Seattle Hotels: Hotel Andra
- Reception: Wellspring Spa Yurt
- Coffee shops: Bauhaus Books and Coffee
- Restaurant: Alexander's Country Inn Restaurant
- Coffee shops: Caffé Vita
- Restaurant: Armandino's Salumi
- Coffee shops: Cupcake Royale
- Restaurant: Baja Bistro
- Coffee shops: Dino's Espresso
- Restaurant: Beechers Handmade Cheese
- Coffee shops: Mighty-O Donuts
- Restaurant: Bors Hede Restaurant
- Coffee shops: Original Starbucks
- Restaurant: Can Can Cabeeret
- Coffee shops: The Station
- Restaurant: Chaco Canyon Organic Cafe
- Coffee shops: Whittaker's Bunkhouse Cafe
- Restaurant: Chaco Canyon Organic Cafe
- Attraction: Bill Speidel's Underground Tour
- Restaurant: Copper Creek Restaurant & Gift Shop
- Attraction: Cashmere Pioneer Village
- Restaurant: Dahlia Lounge
- Attraction: Columbia Tower Observation deck
- Restaurant: Daniel's Broiler - Leschi
- Attraction: E Z Times Horse Rentals
- Restaurant: Daniel's Broiler- Bellevue
- Attraction: Hiram M. Chittenden Locks and Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden
- Restaurant: Daniel's Broiler- Lake Union
- Attraction: KeyArena
- Restaurant: Highlander Steak House and Lounge
- Attraction: Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park
- Restaurant: Ivar's Salmon House
- Attraction: Last Resort Fire Department Museum
- Restaurant: Ivar's Salmon House
- Attraction: Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum
- Restaurant: Kushibar Japanese Restaurant & Bar
- Attraction: Mineral Lake Resort
- Restaurant: La Cabana Restaurante
- Attraction: Mt. Rainer Scenic Railroad
- Restaurant: Local 360
- Attraction: Northwest Trek Wildlife Park
- Restaurant: Mighty-O Donuts
- Attraction: Olympic Sculpture Park
- Restaurant: Mt Rainier Railroad Dining
- Attraction: Olympic Sculpture Park
- Restaurant: National Park Inn Restaurant
- Attraction: Pike Place Market
- Restaurant: Paradise Inn Restaurant
- Attraction: Recycled Spirits of Iron Sculpture Park
- Restaurant: Piroshky Piroshky
- Attraction: Seattle Center Monorail Station
- Restaurant: Plum Bistro
- Attraction: Smith Tower
- Restaurant: Serious Pie
- Attraction: Space Needle
- Restaurant: The Dining Room and The Attic at Salish Lodge
- Attraction: The Museum of Flight
- Restaurant: Top Pot Doughnuts
- Attraction: Tillicum Village
- Restaurant: Traveler's Thali House
- Attraction: Westlake Center Monorail Station
- Restaurant: Travelers India Shop & Tea Co
- Attraction: Wing Luke Museum
- Restaurant: Umi Sake House
- Attraction: Woodland Park Zoo
- Restaurant: Wild Berry Restaurant
- Bar: Elbe Bar & Grill
- Restaurant: Woodman Lodge Restaurant Steakhouse and Bar
- Bar: Feierabend
- Hiking: Christine Falls and Comet Falls Hike
- Bar: Headquarters Tavern
- Hiking: Hike to view Nisqually Glacier
- Bar: Prost
- Hiking: Narada Falls
- Places of interest: Ashford Valley Grocery
- Hiking: Paradise Glacier Hike
- Places of interest: Lola
- Hiking: Paradise Park Hiking
- Places of interest: Mt. Rainier National Park Entrance
- Hiking: Seattle Arboretum Foundation
- Places of interest: SAM
- Hiking: Wellspring Spa Trails
- Places of interest: Suver's General Store
- Picture spot: Christine Falls
- Places of interest: Woodland Park Zoo
- Picture spot: Kerry Park
- Beaches: Alki Beach Park
- Picture spot: Mineral Lake Lodge
- Beaches: Golden Gardens
- Picture spot: Narada Falls
- Beaches: Lincoln Park
- Picture spot: Paradise WA
- Shopping: 5th Avenue Shopping District
- Picture spot: Park at the North end of the Pike Place Market
- Shopping: Pacific Place Mall
- Picture spot: Scenic Overlook
- Shopping: Utilikilts
- Seattle Hotels: City Hostel Seattle
- Shopping: Westlake Center
Boys of Greenwood GlennSeattle, WA, USA
Wellspring Spa Woodland Sanctuary54922 Kernahan Rd E
Ashford, WA 98304
Wellspring Spa Yurt54922 Kernahan Rd E
Ashford, WA 98304
Alexander's Country Inn Restaurant37515 State Route 706 East
Ashford, WA, United States
(360) 569-2300
"Casual bistro dining in a country inn setting. Homemade desserts, northwest wines and beers. We haven't personally been here yet, but we've heard good things about the place."
Armandino's Salumi309 3rd Avenue South
Seattle, WA 98104, United States
(206) 621 8772
"If you're looking for a great Italian lunch spot, meats and cheeses cured in house, unreal grinders, and great local flare, look no further than this local gem! Salumi was featured on Anthony Bourdain for good reason. Their cured meats are local favorites, sold all over the city markets, and although the line to get in can get long, it is well worth the wait! Beware- they are only open between the hours of 11am and 4pm, so this is primarily a lunch spot!"
Baja Bistro2414 Beacon Avenue South
Seattle, WA 98144, United States
(206) 323-1157
"This quaint little neighborhood Baja style Mexican place on Beacon Hill is quite possibly one of my most frequented haunts in the city. This isn't your normal Mexican food! Their authentic Baja food is served bistro style, their happy hour is amazing (both food and drinks), and their brunches cannot be rivaled! We love their chilaquiles, potato enchaladas, fish tacos, pork verde, rellaino, rajitas en crema, spinach salad, breakfast egg enchaladas, mole, etc. Their recipes are all based off the owner's mother's and grandmother's traditional Baja recipes, and their drinks are generous! Very friendly, local place for great conversation and people watching. Coffee here is fine, but The Station around the corner serves better coffee. Bar side, bistro side, and small patio seating. Veg/vegan friendly!"
Beechers Handmade Cheese1600 Pike Place
Seattle, WA 98101, United States
(206) 956-1964
"If you're in the mood for fantastic locally made and sourced paninis or superb handmade mac and cheese, look no further than Beechers Cheese Shop located in the heart of the Pike Place Market. Sit and eat while you watch Beecher's cheese made before you in their production room. Their mac and cheese is one of the best in Seattle (and Seattlites love their mac and cheese) and comes in a few different varieties. It also made the list of Oprah's favorite things! The line can get long at times, but it moves pretty fast. This is our favorite place for lunch when checking out the Pike Place Market. Thier cheese curds also make great snacks!"
Bors Hede Restaurant10320 Kelly Road Northeast
Carnation, WA, United States
"Travel back in time to 14th century England and experience a meal as Chaucer himself would've eaten! Enjoy spectacular, authentic recipes from the time of Chaucer as taken from recipe books of the upper class from the time. Live entertainment by minstrels and storytellers bring the history to life! The entirety of this inn, down to the cooking apparatuses and other minute details, are authentic to the time period (except the bathrooms of course which are up to modern expectations...) with a fabulous, welcoming atmosphere- even the beverages are authentic to the time period and remote area of 1300's England. This place is truly an experience you don't want to miss! One of our favorite dining experiences in the Seattle area and a magical night you will never forget!"
Can Can Cabeeret94 Pike St # B
Seattle, WA 98101, United States
(206) 652-0832
"A miniature Moulin Rouge under the streets of the Pike Place Market! The Can Can specializes in caberet and burlesque, and artsy live performances. Have dinner and a show or just go for the cocktails. My favorite is the Corpse Revivor #2, a 19th century favorite."
Chaco Canyon Organic Cafe4757 12th Avenue Northeast
Seattle, WA, United States
Chaco Canyon Organic Cafe3770 Southwest Alaska Street
Seattle, WA, United States
Copper Creek Restaurant & Gift Shop35707 State Route 706 E
Ashford, WA, United States
(360) 569-2799
"Light, tasty, bistro fare in the heart of the forest. Dine outdoors on their backyard patio under the trees, out front and people watch, or inside the spacious cabin. They have delicious homemade desserts, and a good wine and beer selection from the northwest. Visit the Gift Shop for a bottle of Washington wine or a fresh homemade snack!"
Dahlia Lounge2001 4th Ave
Seattle, Washington, United States
Daniel's Broiler - Leschi200 Lake Washington Boulevard
Seattle, WA 98122, United States
(206) 329-4191
"If you are looking for class, amazing views, and world class steaks, come no further than Daniel's Broiler. Arguably the most prestegious steakhouse in the area, and the best steaks and chops in all of Seattle, Daniel's Broiler is fine dining at it's best! There are 3 locations in the city, and Anonymous has worked at them all! This was the location that served as Anonymous's home store for the last 3 years, and is the favorite location of people like Bill Gates and Howard Schultz. Located right off Lake Washington, this location serves up great views of Bellevue, Lake Washington, the Cascade Mountains, Mount Rainier, and Mount Baker from either it's cozy dining room or from their lakeside deck. They are the most relaxed and comfortable of the Daniel's restaurants, preferring a warm neighborhood feel and a friendly, slow paced atmosphere. They also serve a happy hour and neighborhood night."
Daniel's Broiler- Bellevue10500 Northeast 8th #21
Bellevue, WA 98004, United States
(425) 462-4662
"If you are looking for class, amazing views, and world class steaks, come no further than Daniel's Broiler. Arguably the most prestegious steakhouse in the area, and the best steaks and chops in all of Seattle, Daniel's Broiler is fine dining at it's best! There are 3 locations in the city, and Anonymous has worked at them all! This is Anonymous's current location and he serves as a Sous Chef here. This location serves up great views of the Seattle area from the 21st floor of the Bank of America building in downtown Bellevue, overlooking Lake Washington and has outdoor seating on their various patio decks. They are one of the top 3 busiest and most prestigous restaurants in all of the Seattle area, and also serve a happy hour."
Daniel's Broiler- Lake Union809 Fairview Pl N
Seattle, WA 98109, United States
(206) 621-8262
"If you are looking for class, amazing views, and world class steaks, come no further than Daniel's Broiler. Arguably the most prestegious steakhouse in the area, and the best steaks and chops in all of Seattle, Daniel's Broiler is fine dining at it's best! There are 3 locations in the city, and Anonymous has worked at them all! This location serves great views of Lake Union and the seaplanes as well as outdoor seating on their lakeside deck. They also serve a happy hour."
Highlander Steak House and Lounge30319 State Route 706
Ashford, WA 98304
(360) 569-2953
"Steakhouse and general good place for anything meat and animal related (not veg friendly). More normal fare- not as geared to local northwestern dishes. Locals recommend the place, but we've never been."
Ivar's Salmon House401 Northeast Northlake Way
Seattle, WA, United States
"Traditional Pacific Northwest fare in the strictest sense of the word- both regular continental fare and Native Pacific Northwest fare as the original tribes would have prepared it. Rich in history with old fashioned, pioneer era pictures of the natives who helped form Seattle into a city, this location also has killer views of the Seattle skyline from north Lake Union. With outdoor deck seating along the water, a nice happy hour, a longhouse style feel, and an alder smoke grill, this place is authentic Seattle in its finest!"
Ivar's Salmon House401 Northeast Northlake Way
Seattle, WA 98105, United States
(206) 632-0767
"Enjoy dining in a cedar replica of a Northwest Native American longhouse while overlooking the waters of Lake Union and the gorgeous Seattle skyline! Ivar's Salmon House uses traditional Native American cooking over alder planks, and their seafood and traditional Northwestern fare cannot be rivaled! Eat inside or enjoy happy hour on their lakeside dock or in their bar."
Kushibar Japanese Restaurant & Bar2319 2nd Avenue
Seattle, WA, United States
"Awesome Japanese street food and great oriental atmosphere! You will feel like you are on the streets of Japan and the food is amazing! Get the takoyaki, yakisoba, okonomiyaki, or grilled meat or veggie skewers, but really anything you get here will be excellent."
La Cabana Restaurante2532 Beacon Avenue South
Seattle, WA, United States
Local 3602234 1st Avenue
Seattle, WA 98121, United States
(206) 441-9360
"Local sourced, all natural and organic, creative food. This place has something for everyone! Catering mostly to meat eaters, this place has very unique and creative meats and dishes, and also has fun, original vegetarian options and has no problem making something vegan if they can. Exciting whole foods with flair for environmentally minded and socially conscious diners!"
Mighty-O Donuts2110 North 55th Street
Seattle, WA, United States
Mt Rainier Railroad Dining54106 Mountain Highway East
Elbe, WA, United States
(360) 569-2505
"Fun times and good food in an old repurposed train! Two dining cars and a car converted into a bar. Casual and eclectic food choices such as elk, bison, buffalo, sandwiches, homemade blackberry lemonade. Awesome smoked meats and BBQ, including smoked prime rib. Wonderful breakfast. Good northwest beer, bloody marys, and great atmosphere. Last time we were here there was an outdoor patio area too."
National Park Inn RestaurantLongmire, WA, United States
"Creative Northwestern fare served in Longmire's historic National Park Inn. This location is about 15-20 minutes into the park entrance. A good choice on the way to or from viewing the mountain or hitting the trails. I remember the place to be veg/vegan friendly, but also had the option of fun entrees such as buffalo"
Paradise Inn RestaurantParadise, WA 98304
Washington, US
"Enjoy great views from atop Mt. Rainier as you dine (especially on days without rain). Soak in views of the mountain and the lower ranges while enjoying Northwestern fare from an historic lodge style great room. Similar fare to Longmire- eclectic, varied, and sustainable. We have not personally dined here but have heard great things about the atmosphere and the food. Located about 30-40 minutes into the park, enjoy a hearty meal after a scenic drive or beautiful hike. Closes Oct 1 for the season."
Piroshky Piroshky1908 Pike Place
Seattle, WA 98101, United States
(206) 441-6068
"I dare you to walk by here and not get something. As you walk through the market you are suddenly and intensely overcome by all the best smells of your childhood and your adult life mixed together (as pertaining to food anyway). You begin to salavate instantly. "But I just had lunch" you start to say while mindlessly heading into the line that has formed outside. Now you're hooked and ready to experience the wonder that is Piroshky Piroshky. This is completely normal and a usual response to the smell that wafts within a half block of the place. Specializing in traditional Russian pastries, both of the savory lunch variety (potato, spinach, mushroom) and sweet dessert variety (apple, rhubarb, hazelnut), this place will put a delightful spell on you!"
Plum Bistro1429 12th Avenue
Seattle, WA, United States
Serious Pie316 Virginia Street
Seattle, WA, United States
The Dining Room and The Attic at Salish Lodge6501 Railroad Avenue
Snoqualmie, WA, United States
"Located right above the falls atop a mountain ridge, some seats with good views of the falls, and all seats with sweeping views of the mountains and landscape for miles around! Get some pacific northwestern small bites and cocktails or dinner and drinks while watching the view and possibly viewing an eagle or two! We recommend The Attic as it is small, cozy, and higher up than the Dining Room. Full fare menu also in The Attic as well as happy hour. Lavender and herbs grown on site, and honey harvested on site from their own bees! They have many drinks and dishes that incorporate these very fresh ingredients."
Top Pot Doughnuts6845 35th Avenue Northeast
Seattle, WA, United States
Traveler's Thali House2524 Beacon Avenue South
Seattle, WA, United States
Travelers India Shop & Tea Co501 East Pine Street
Seattle, WA, United States
Umi Sake House2230 1st Avenue
Seattle, WA 98121, United States
(206) 374-8717
"If you are looking for world class sushi you won't ever forget, this is the place for you! Umi's is one of our all time favorite places to eat in Seattle. With 2 daytime happy hours and a late night happy hour, you can enjoy their fusion sushi and asian food even on a budget! Our favorites are the James Bond themed rolls and the Bad Boy roll. Try geoduck for a true Northwestern experience, and Copper River Salmon if it's still in season for the best salmon you will ever eat! This is truly the best sushi we have ever eaten!"
Wild Berry Restaurant37718 State Route 706 East
Ashford, WA, United States
"Casual American cuisine and traditional Sherpa Himalayan/Nepalese set dinner. Homemade meals and desserts. Sounds veg/vegan friendly (and interesting) but we've not yet been here to check it out."
Woodman Lodge Restaurant Steakhouse and Bar38601 Southeast King Street
Snoqualmie, WA, United States
"Awesome ambiance and service. Old time "saloony" feel complete with a running water spittoon at the bar! Buffalo and elk steaks, huge cowboy steaks, wild boar, and other fun entrees. Entrees are more expensive (but worth it) and their happy hour is excellent for more budget minded folks. Veg/vegan friendly- not many options for this, but the options they have are unique and exceptionally tasty, like a roasted eggplant, red pepper and tomato stack with sundried tomato salsa and root veggie risotto- fabulous! Bloody Marys are made with amazing house infused vodka (good even by itself- VERY smooth!), great liquor selection, extensive wine list, and mostly local snoqualmie brewery beers on tap. Definitely our favorite place in the area!"
Christine Falls and Comet Falls HikeLongmire, WA 98361
Washington, US
"Hike up to Christine Falls or hike a few miles past the lower falls up to Comet Falls."
Hike to view Nisqually GlacierParadise, WA 98304
Washington, US
"Take the path up to Alta Vista or Panarama Point to view the Nisqually Glacier on the side of the mountain."
Narada FallsParadise, WA 98304
Washington, US
"Hike down and around Narada Falls. This trail will take you down to Reflection Lakes, or up to Paradise."
Paradise Glacier HikeParadise, WA 98304
Washington, US
"Hike up to one of Mt. Rainier's active glaciers! This used to be the site of Rainier's famous ice caves, however global warming has caused the glacier to melt substantially in the past 10 years. Pass Sluiskin Falls and continue up the desolate, rocky side path to the glacier. This hike does take a few hours and is more beginning to intermediate as the elevation change is about 2,000-2,500 feet, but the reward is by far worth it!"
Paradise Park HikingParadise, WA 98304
Washington, US
"Great hiking for those of all ages and levels! From the parking lot there is an easy, paved path that takes you into alpine meadows with low vegetation and beautiful flowers with the mountain towering above. Keep hiking a while or take one of the many other side paths and you will find rockier terrain or terraces that take you straight up to higher points on the mountain."
Seattle Arboretum Foundation2300 Arboretum Drive East
Seattle, WA, United States
"A little chunk of wilderness in the heart of Seattle. Enjoy extensive trails of all levels- some paved and gentle, some gnarly or steep (none are considerably challenging at all, but there are accessible routes for those with mobility issues). Beautiful gardens for all seasons, Japanese garden, rare plants, trees and botanical collections, small hidden ponds, wonderful paths through the woods. See the year round beauty that comes with the Seattle climate and enjoy a secluded, meditative light hike close to the banks of Lake Washington."
Wellspring Spa Trails54922 Kernahan Road East
Ashford, WA, United States
"For a light hike, there is a 1 mile loop trail around the back mountain to Wellspring Spa. It goes past the woodland sanctuary, up the mountainside by the creek to a bench for a peaceful view, around the top of the cabins, back down the mountain, and comes out by Trail's End cabin. There is also a path to the Labyrinth by the woodland cabins close to the yurt."
Picture spot:
Christine FallsLongmire, WA 98361
Washington, US
"Pull over to the parking area for some wonderful pictures of Christine Falls!"
Picture spot:
Kerry Park211 West Highland Drive
Seattle, Washington 98119, United States
(206) 684-4075
"The classic picture spot for views of Seattle. If you've seen a postcard of Seattle, chances are it's been taken here. Beautiful pictures of the Space Needle with the city and Mt. Rainier in the background."
Picture spot:
Mineral Lake Lodge195 Mineral Hill Road
Mineral, WA 98355, United States
(360) 492-5253
"A beautiful picture spot of Mt. Rainier with Mineral Lake in the foreground. Take a picture from the road, or if you want to go down to the water, be sure to ask at the lodge- the people who run the lodge are very kind but don't like trespassers. Or you can park down the street and walk over to take a picture."
Picture spot:
Narada FallsParadise, WA 98304
Washington, US
"Park in the lot and take a short path down to beautiful Narada Falls! Last time I was here I found volcanic rock! Big, beautiful waterfall, but beware you may get a little wet."
Picture spot:
Paradise WAParadise, WA 98304
Washington, US
"From the parking lot of the Visitor's Center are sweeping views of the surrounding mountainside and valleys below, with beautiful views of the surrounding mountains. Turn around and find a breathtaking view of Mt. Rainier!"
Picture spot:
Park at the North end of the Pike Place Market
"I don't know what this park is called- all I know is that the views are spectacular! View Mt. Rainier to the south and the Olympic mountains and the sound to the West. This park is always lively and entertaining!"
Picture spot:
Scenic OverlookLongmire, WA 98361
Washington, US
"When given the opportunity to take the one way path after Christine Falls, do so! Park along various points of the parking lot and see wonderful panoramas of the surrounding wilderness with the mountains below you."
Seattle Hotels:
City Hostel Seattle2327 2nd Avenue
Seattle, WA, United States
Seattle Hotels:
Hotel Andra2000 4th Avenue
Seattle, WA, United States
Coffee shops:
Bauhaus Books and Coffee301 East Pine Street
Seattle, WA, United States
Coffee shops:
Caffé Vita1005 East Pike Street
Seattle, WA, United States
Coffee shops:
Cupcake Royale2052 Northwest Market Street
Seattle, WA, United States
Coffee shops:
Dino's Espresso54124 Mountain Highway East
Elbe, WA 98330, United States
(360) 569-2282
"Little espresso shop by the train restaurant and little church. Good, Seattle-grade espresso for the people who don't want boring coffee."
Coffee shops:
Mighty-O Donuts2110 North 55th Street
Seattle, WA 98103, United States
(206) 547-0335
"Seattle's famous vegan donuts (although I dare you to tell the difference). Made in house from scratch on old fashioned conveyor belts, these donuts are exotic (my favorite is french toast) and made with only certified organic ingredients. They contain no chemical preservatives, no hydrogenated oils (no trans fat), no coloring or artificial flavors, and no animal derived ingredients, which make them cholesterol free (and guilt free ;) Their coffee is also organic, shade grown, fair trade, and chemical free, coming from local roasters. This is why at Mighty-O Donuts, everything just tastes better..."
Coffee shops:
Original Starbucks1912 Pike Place
Seattle, WA 98101, United States
(206) 448-8762
"This is where it all began. This tiny store in the heart of the Pike Place Market housed the first Starbucks back in 1971. This is a small, tight, usually crowded store that only serves beverages- no food but also sells lots of merchandise. If you want food, go to 1st and Pike to the specialty Starbucks there. Even if you don't go for a drink, the original logo is there and is a nice picture spot!"
Coffee shops:
The Station2533 16th Avenue South
Seattle, WA 98144, United States
(206) 453-4892
"Seattle is well known for their coffee, and as there are many great coffee places to choose from it's hard to determine which is the ultimate best. This is certainly one of the best places in the city- certainly within the top 5 and my personal favorite. A half block away from the Beacon Hill Light Rail station, this local coffee shop is a quaint place where everyone knows everyone else, the baristas are warm and friendly, and you can always catch fun or interesting conversation. Sit out front in their comfy deck chairs and people watch, sit inside at their pretty bistro tables or the bar and check out local art, or out back on their covered patio and comfortably watch the Seattle weather. They make a mean latte and specialize in Mexican Mochas. They also have other drinks like wine, beer, mimosas, sangria, and food like tamales, cheddar bacon biscuits, and lemon poppyseed scones to name a few. They also sell neighborhood t-shirts. Stop by during happy hour for some good deals! Here's from Yelp: http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-station-seattle-3"
Coffee shops:
Whittaker's Bunkhouse Cafe30205 State Route 706
Ashford, WA 98304, United States
(360) 569-2439
"Quaint coffee and ice cream shoppe specializing in espresso, floats, shakes, smoothies, sodas, and breakfasts."
Bill Speidel's Underground Tour608 1st Avenue
Seattle, WA, United States
"One of the must-sees in Seattle! Even as locals we never get tired of taking guests on this tour as its slightly different each time and with each tour guide. Come under the streets of Seattle to the original storefronts from the pioneer days before the great Seattle fire of 1889. Complete with old artifacts from Seattle's early days found under the city's streets and loaded with tons of information, anecdotes and humor, this tour is wonderful! All ages fun during the day, and 21+ with cocktails and more discussion around Seattle's red light district at night."
Cashmere Pioneer Village600 Cotlets Way
Cashmere, WA, United States
"Visit an authentic pioneer village and see how life was like in the wild west! Museum next door with pioneer artifacts depicting life on the frontier complete with extensive native American artifacts, some ancient. *** Best time to go is in the fall during apple days in October! Witness fast paced, fun reenactments and demonstrations from the pioneer days of Washington."
Columbia Tower Observation deck701 5th Avenue #7600
Seattle, WA, United States
"See views of Seattle from atop the city's largest skyscraper! Full views from the northeast to the northwest (the direct north view is blocked by offices) for a mere $5. See the space needle as though it were a toy! Check in with security by the Bank of America on the 5th Ave entrance."
E Z Times Horse Rentals18703 State Route 706
Elbe, WA 98330, United States
(360) 569-2449 (866) 675-7770
"Scenic horseback trail rides in the foothills of Mt. Rainier or along the Nisqually River. The trails range from easy going to the harder ones for the more experienced riders. Some of the more traveled trails go to different view points where you can see Alder Lake and/or the Nisqually River. There are also trails that go so close to Mt. Rainier that its almost as if you could reach out and grab the snow off! The advantage of being on horseback is that you can see all that mother nature has to offer…from the deer and elk to the black bear or even the mountain lion that live in the woods out back. Then you have the numerous birds that you can see or hear in the distance. The horses are very gentle and a pleasure to ride, and are used to the trails and the surroundings. Sunset rides can be accommodated."
Hiram M. Chittenden Locks and Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden3015 54th St NW
Seattle, WA 98107, United States
(206) 783-7059
"The Ballard Locks as the locals call them, are a series of shipping locks built at the beginning of the 20th century. Watch as boats go from the interior lakes out to the sound, or go to the fish ladder and watch the salmon swim through (you can even watch through the glass from down below). There's also a year round botanical garden overlooking the locks."
KeyArena401 1st Avenue North
Seattle, WA, United States
"Old home of the Seattle Sonics, the Seattle Storm still play here."
Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park319 2nd Avenue South
Seattle, WA, United States
"In the heart of Seattle's original city center, the Pioneer Square district, learn about life during the Klondike gold rush! Seattle acted as a gateway to the north and a major hub of activity during the rush for gold in the Yukon."
Last Resort Fire Department Museum301 2nd Ave S
Seattle, WA 98104
"Go back in time and see fire engines from the old days of fire departments. All types of fire equipment through the past 150 years."
Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum735 Front Street
Leavenworth, WA, United States
"See the complete history on nutcrackers up to the beloved modern incarnation. Including videos, thousands of rare or ancient nutcrackers, and life sized models!"
Mineral Lake Resort148 Mineral Hill Road
Mineral, WA 98355, United States
"Rent a boat or canoe and see Mt. Rainier in all its beauty as it majestically towers over Mineral Lake. Enjoy the peaceful serenity from drifting under the mountain on a peaceful lake surrounded by wilderness. Bring a camera! The resort also rents fishing equipment."
Mt. Rainer Scenic Railroad54106 Mountain Highway East
Elbe, WA 98355, United States
(360) 492-5391
"Take a ride on the Railroad and enjoy scenic views of Mt. Rainier and the surrounding area while riding on an historic steam train. Also offering BBQ dinner excursions!"
Northwest Trek Wildlife Park11610 Trek Drive East
Eatonville, WA 98328, United States
"Discover Northwest wildlife up close and personal! Take a safari-style tram tour or a walking tour, walk the nature trails, go to keeper talks, and see the wonder and beauty of Northwest wildlife in person!"
Olympic Sculpture Park2901 Western Avenue
Seattle, WA 98121, United States
"World class sculpture park right off the waterfront with views of the Olympic mountains and the sound. A branch of the Seattle Art Museum, the Olympic Sculpture Park is free and open to the public year round."
Olympic Sculpture Park2901 Western Avenue
Seattle, WA, United States
Pike Place Market85 Pike Street
Seattle, WA, United States
"The epicenter of Seattle culture and artistic expression, the Market is a melting pot of all things Seattle. The Market spans 3-4 floors, 2 blocks wide and 3 blocks long. Here you will find all manner of taste testing, local artesians, niche shops, local produce and souveniers, local companies, interesting restaurants with great views, and pretty much anything you can think of. I recommend seeing the gum wall, the Rachel pig (large golden piggy bank), watching the fishmongers throw the fish, getting a sample of the famous smoked salmon, Chuckar Cherries, Micks pepper jelly, the chocolate noodles, and pretty much anything anyone else is sampling. Go down into the shops below for awesome old turn of the century pictures or propaganda art, some eclectic shopping, local artist shops, a magic shop, and a comic shop- among others. Don't forget to mosey on down toward the Pike Place brewery for TeaVana- an awesome experience in tea sampling. Ask about the little boy trick..."
Recycled Spirits of Iron Sculpture Park22410 State Route 706 E
Ashford, WA 98304
"Quirky and fun sculpture park made from recycled natural and man made materials! Watch as the artist creates in his open workshop to the tune of his creation, sit and chat with the artist or his wife in his indoor gallery and gift shop, or take a relaxing stroll on the grounds to see his larger pieces in his sculpture park. Or just go to pet the cats! Park admission is free or donation."
Seattle Center Monorail Station370 Thomas Street
Seattle, WA, United States
"This is the world famous Seattle Monorail from the Seattle World fair. This is the stop right by the space needle."
Smith Tower506 2nd Ave # 1021
Seattle, WA, United States
"The original skyscraper west of the Mississippi, originally the largest skyscraper outside manhattan when built! Access to the observation deck and Chinese room via the original 1914 elavators, the last manually operated elevators on the west coast."
Space Needle400 Broad Street
Seattle, WA 98102, United States
(206) 905-2111
"Come to the Seattle Center and relax in the park, hang out if there's a festival, visit the Seattle Children's Museum, the Experience Music Project (their laser shows are pretty cool), the Science Museum, or the world famous Space Needle! The Space Needle is a museum to its beginnings at the Seattle World Fair as well as a 360 degree observation deck for the surrounding area (although if you don't mind a 300 degree view- the north end view is blocked- the Columbia Tower Observation Deck is much, much taller and far cheaper). There is also a nice gift shop at the base and for an interesting experience we recommend taking the monorail from Westlake Center to the Seattle Center- not much is stranger than nonchalontly driving by the 4th story of office buildings. A bird's eye view for sure! We discourage visiting the restaurant at the top of the space needle as it is overpriced (although if you go for cocktails to see the rotating scenery it may be worth it)."
The Museum of Flight9404 East Marginal Way South
Seattle, WA, United States
Tillicum Village1101 Alaskan Way
Seattle, WA, United States
"This is where the Argosy leaves Seattle en route to Blake Islans and Tillicumvillage Village, where Chief Seattle (Seattle's namesake) was born. Experience an authentic Northwest traditional native salmon bake in a longhouse with a buffet of other traditional Native American foods, as well as traditional storytelling and dance. I've also heard you can stay in a teepee overnight somewhere on the island."
Westlake Center Monorail Station400 Pine Street
Seattle, WA, United States
"This is the world famous Seattle Monorail from the Seattle World fair. This is the downtown stop inside Westlake Center on the 3rd floor."
Wing Luke Museum719 South King Street
Seattle, WA, United States
Woodland Park Zoo601 N. 59th Street
Seattle, WA 98103, United States
(206) 548-2500
"A zoological garden located in the Phinney neighborhood of Seattle, the zoo is well known for its naturalistic exhibits, worldwide conservation, and exotic and local plant species. The whole of the zoo is a garden, so as you focus on amazing animals and beautiful exhibits, you can also view all the wonderful plant life that surrounds you at every step! Feed the elephants or giraffs, watch the baby snow leopards play, catch and feed a budgie, pet some goats, watch an awesome raptor show, see a keeper talk, get an upfront animal encounter, and perhaps the penguin feeding will be back in season as well. There's so much to see at the zoo- it could take as little as a few hours to a whole day!"
Elbe Bar & Grill54312 Nisqually Avenue
Elbe, WA 98330, United States
(360) 569-2545
"Great local bar. Good beer, good food (grub), lots of charming and friendly locals. Pool tables and such and I hear they have karaoke too."
Feierabend422 Yale Avenue North
Seattle, WA, United States
Headquarters Tavern112 East Front Street
Mineral, WA 98355, United States
(360) 492-3261
"A little further away from the main strip. Good beer, good pizza, good bar food. Lots of friendly locals. Karaoke."
Prost7311 Greenwood Avenue North
Seattle, WA, United States
Places of interest:
Ashford Valley Grocery29716 State Route 706
Ashford, WA 98304, United States
(360) 569-2560
"Good gas station/convenience store. Has a reasonable selection for a convenience store. The only gas station until Elbe or Mineral. Go say hi to the cat :)"
Places of interest:
Lola2000 4th Avenue
Seattle, WA, United States
Places of interest:
Mt. Rainier National Park EntranceAshford, WA 98304
Ashford, Washington, US
"Entrance to Mt. Rainier National Park"
Places of interest:
SAM1300 1st Avenue
Seattle, WA, United States
Places of interest:
Suver's General Store30402 State Route 706
Ashford, WA 98304, United States
(360) 569-2377
"Good all around country general store. Has food, some produce, beverages of all kinds, ice, video rentals, cooking utensils, sewing stuff, tools, etc."
Places of interest:
Woodland Park Zoo601 N. 59th Street
Seattle, WA, United States
Alki Beach Park1702 Alki Avenue Southwest
Seattle, Washington 98116, United States
(206) 684-4075
"A beach!... done the Seattle way! :) Seattle's beaches are not your typical swim in the surf beaches (the sound is far too cold most of the time, unless you're wading), but they are amazing local chill spots for sunbathing, bonfires, smores and dogs, beach sports, and perhaps an acoustic set or two. Come relax by the sound!"
Golden Gardens8498 Seaview Place Northwest
Seattle, Washington 98117, United States
(206) 684-4075
"The beach!... done Seattle style :) This is not a beach for swimming- although wading might not be too cold- but rather for bonfires, amazing views, secluded strips of sand, outdoor games, and perhaps an acoustic guitar. Keep adult beverages on the down low (just don't be obvious), and remember to bring the dogs and the smores!"
Lincoln Park8011 Fauntleroy Way Southwest
Seattle, Washington 98136, United States
(206) 684-4075
"More than just the beach, this park has wooded trails, playgrounds, shelter houses, a public swimming pool, paved paths for running or biking, and a beautiful, long expanse of beach with both open and more secluded sections. This beach doesn't have fire pits because of the many shelter houses and grill stations around, and as the sound is very cold most of the time, it's better to just wade on Seattle beaches. Bring some hamburgers, dogs, and smores, a croquet set or bocce, and a few friends and you're set for a nice, relaxing time!"
5th Avenue Shopping District
"This area between 4th and 5th Ave, spanning the distance between Olive Way and Seneca St has lots of shopping- high end, boutiques, and more well known brands- and also some food and bistros."
Pacific Place Mall600 Pine Street
Seattle, WA, United States
"Come here for shopping! This mall has something for everyone- from local wine stores and seahawks store, to high end stores and normal mall stores. Also has great food- some restaurants are local as well."
Utilikilts620 1st Avenue
Seattle, WA, United States
Westlake Center400 Pine Street
Seattle, WA, United States
"Come here for shopping! Daiso Japan is a really neat Japanese dollar store, there are some great Pacific Northwest shops, high end and boutique shopping, and eclectic stores."


text:
Snowboarding Forum - Snowboard Enthusiast Forums (http://www.snowboardingforum.com/forum.php)
- General Travel Forum (http://www.snowboardingforum.com/general-travel-forum/)
- - Snowboarding honeymoon suggestions?? (http://www.snowboardingforum.com/general-travel-forum/76721-snowboarding-honeymoon-suggestions.html)
Snowboarding honeymoon suggestions??
So me and my fiancée are deciding on where to go for our honeymoon. We want to go somewhere with great snowboarding but also romantic. We have been deciding between Whistler, Vermont and Banff/Lake Louise/Sunshine. I have heard great things about Banff. I hear they have hot springs which is a bonus. I have never been to any of these locations and would like peoples opinions. I have tried to look online for honeymoon packages but there doesn't seem to be much of anything. All honeymoon packages seem to be to Europe or some tropical destination :rolleyes: which is not what we are looking for. Where's the honeymoon vacations for snowboarding??? Any opinions/suggestions would be greatly appreciated :)
Telluride maybe? That is if they get more snow
IMO, i would say banff might not be a great location for a romantic honeymoon...the banff springs hotel, while stunning is extremely pricey and the rooms are "old style" AKA small. The hot springs are so developed, it is actually a chlorinated pool heated with the springs water. Plus banff is quite busy and full of city folk from Calgary.
KickingHorse (Golden, BC) may be a decent option, the Eagles Eye restaurant at the top is stunning and as close to "fine dining" you can get at the top of a ski hill, you could get a slope side cabin with a bit more privicy, hot tub etc. There are a few nightclub/bar areas right on the hill that stay open till 2. Plus you are a quick day trip to Fairmont Hot Springs, or an adventure to Lussier Hot Springs.
Hopefully some others can weigh in and help you out!
Thanks I'll check it out. Planning on going February 2014 so I'm sure where ever we go will have snow. Like to plan ahead and do my research
FYI Kicking Horse is a bit of an advanced mountain in terms of riding. There are green runs top to bottom, but it aint no cupcake trail.
I don't think Banff is a bad option, there are a lot of nice restaurants and stunning scenery. Chateau Lake Louise is a beautiful hotel as well, and the Banff Spring is too, small rooms don't bother me. The hot springs in Banff are still enjoyable even if it is overdeveloped. I would not go to Kicking Horse... its a good hill for advanced riding but a shit town to spend your honeymoon in.
+1 for Banff
Im saying to stay in the village of KH....and yes Golden is a dump, hahah.
Fairmont might be an option too as Panorama is close.
Lake louise, fernie, and panorama are your best bets for honeymoon. Big white and silver star would top choices too as they lie in the okanagan. They all have actual amenities that you would want, and quietness if you choose.
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text:
Previous Challenge Entry
Topic: Poor (10/25/04)
TITLE: God is So Good
By Lynne Gaunt
"Good! Why don't you gather the stacks of jeans and arrange them on the tables?" Ellen smiled at her teenaged daughter, then went back to hanging up the skirts and dresses that had been donated to her church's annual clothing give-away.
Hours passed as dozens of volunteers prepared mountains of clothing for the needy people who would be welcomed through the doors the next day.
"Great work girls!" Ellen started the car and pulled out of the church parking lot. "I don't know about you two, but I'm starved! How about burgers and milkshakes for supper? My treat."
Alison was nervous in the morning, uncertain about how she would react to people. She confided in Whitney on the way to the church. "I've never done anything like this before. What if I say something stupid?"
"Don't worry, just be yourself." Whitney advised, "It's probably hard for people to come to something like this, so they want to feel welcome. They'll want to know that you don't think they're weird or anything."
A warm sun was shining when the doors opened for the clothing give-away. Volunteers inside the church stationed themselves around the room to assist with finding sizes or to help carry bags of clothes to waiting cars.
Throughout the day Alison checked on the jeans tables. After arranging everything so carefully the night before, she felt some ownership of the task and wanted it to stay tidy.
An old man approached Alison, "Can you show me where the pants are? Size 32. I really do need some pants." The man was thin and taller than Alison and had a grizzled appearance. He was wearing clean clothes, but they were worn through at the knees and the hems were tattered. His face was kind and calm, and when Alison gave him her attention, he smiled, revealing more than a few missing teeth.
"Sure!" she replied, "I just finished stacking them, we have lots left in your size, they're right over here."
"Oh my! God is so good isn't He?" The man said softly.
"Yes. He is." Alison paused for a moment, "Well, if you need help, just let me know. You can try things on in the men's room if you like."
Alison busied herself straightening clothes on nearby tables, but she kept glancing back at the old man. She was puzzled by his manner – he wasn't at all what she'd expected. She'd seen all types of people today, some of them very grateful, some not at all. This man was really different. He was obviously poor, maybe even homeless… What was it about him? He wasn't rushed or fretful like so many others she'd seen today. He wasn't demanding or grabby. He seemed at peace. Alison didn't understand it. How could a man with so little have such a positive outlook?
About twenty minutes later the old man approached Alison again. He had some pants draped over his arm, he was smiling. "I just wanted to thank you for all this, dear." He said, putting his hand on Alison's shoulder. "It's a wonderful thing! I've been praying for something good to happen, and here it is. God is so good!"
Alison returned his smile but could find no words.
The man continued, now with some concern on his face, "I hope I'm not being greedy, but I found three pairs that fit me real nice, and they'll be so warm when the cold weather comes. I wanted to leave some for somebody else. Did I take too many?"
Tears were brimming in Alison's eyes. "No, not too many. There will be plenty."
"Yes, there will be plenty." The man nodded in agreement. "Plenty. God is so good. Yes He is." His hand patted Alison's shoulder, and he walked away humming to himself.
Ellen Taylor loaded the last of the boxes into her van at the end of the day. "Whew! Quite a lot of hard work! And you girls were a huge help. I hope you enjoyed yourselves. How did you do Alison? Sometimes it's hard the first time."
"Oh, I did fine, Mrs. Taylor. It wasn't really like what I expected. I almost felt like the whole thing was for me as much as it was for the poor people… weird, huh?"
"Not at all." said Whitney
"God is so good." Ellen thought.


text:
AMD Releases Video Driver for Windows 8 Consumer Previewby Ryan Smith on 2/29/2012 9:00 PM EST
18 Comments
Back to Article
Zok - Wednesday, February 29, 2012 - link"Considering AMD has yet to publish a WHQL certified Win7 driver for GCN"
Isn't that the truth! My 4890 finally bit the dust and was beyond excited about the 7970 launch the same week... only to be disappointed by atrocious driver releases for a month.
C'mon AMD! Let's get this fixed. Reply
B3an - Wednesday, February 29, 2012 - linkIt's always like this with AMD.
I've had the same thing with 4870's, 5870's and 6970's on release. I always have Crossfire too. All the time AMD's drivers have been really poor for atleast the first 2 months, and even worse when you have Crossfire. Sometimes just getting the drivers to actually install properly has been a big issue. I miss Nvidia drivers but AMD has always had the better hardware / price for me for a while.
But i've learned my lesson which is why i've not got a 7970 on release this time. Reply
highlnder69 - Thursday, March 01, 2012 - linkSo you guys are complaining about AMD not releasing drivers for an OS that was just released yesterday and is still in the Customer Preview stage? So what did Nvidia release yesterday? Reply
jeremyshaw - Thursday, March 01, 2012 - linkConsidering you didn't read, I wonder if this message is worth the time typing out, however, I guess others will read it.
Both are talking about late Win7 drivers. Get a grip. Reply
notty22 - Thursday, March 01, 2012 - linkNvidia released a WHQL driver last week and works with Win8, tested with my gtx 460 sli setup. No problems.
I've read there are more 3D features built in to win8, but am unable to test those since I don't have a 3D monitor. Reply
kyuu - Thursday, March 01, 2012 - linkSo are the drivers for the 7000-series actually that bad? All it says is that they haven't released a WHQL certified driver, which doesn't say anything about the quality of the drivers. Reply
Zok - Friday, March 02, 2012 - linkUnfortunately, yes. The "Preview 11" drivers are, at least on my system, the best. Almost no issues, but, according to the benchmarks are not the best performing. The current release candidate was freezing both at desktop and gaming, at least for me - and that was after a full reformat. I'm confident the card itself is fine, since it runs perfectly fine 95% of the time under the preview 11 driver. Reply
Zingam - Thursday, March 01, 2012 - linkWith such paradigm shift, AMD might need many months to fix the drivers. The new architecture is very different, so the drivers will be completely redesigned and reimplemented from the ground up, I guess. Reply
CeriseCogburn - Saturday, March 10, 2012 - linkSo, in other words, the same as usual, it takes forever and is never really fixed, 5 out of the 25 bugs always get you no matter the version nor the hotfix nor the cap combo.
This is nothing but the usual, and it won't be any sooner or later than the usual, which is unbearable for about 47% of amd users for the lifetime of their cards. Reply
Spivonious - Thursday, March 01, 2012 - linkBoo, where's the support for HD3000 series? Or is the built-in driver good enough for WDDM 1.1 cards? Reply
Ryan Smith - Thursday, March 01, 2012 - linkThe built-in driver should be good enough for WDDM 1.1 cards. Or for that matter, the current Catalyst driver should be fine (though you'd have to do some extra work to get it to install).
The only real purpose of this driver is to enable WDDM 1.2 for the cards that support it (AMD's DX11 cards). Reply
Aikouka - Thursday, March 01, 2012 - linkI guess this might explain why they missed their usual monthly Catalyst release as 12.1 is still available on their site as the latest stable release. Reply
Glibous - Thursday, March 01, 2012 - linkMy guess would be their trying to make the final touches on their 12.2 drivers and combine VLW4/5 & GCN into one package instead of the fragmented driver packages we've seen since GCN released (Preview releases I mean, not WHQL obviously). Seeing how GCN is a major architecture change compared to their VLW architecture. They must be trying to understand how the hardware works while optimizing the drivers.
Honestly, I expected this. I'm also expecting major performance improvements down the road. I just hope AMD comes through. Reply
chizow - Thursday, March 01, 2012 - linkHonestly this is a major issue and concern as a worst-case scenario for AMD after their 3rd major arch in the span of a little over a year. How long, if ever, will it take to merge their different driver branches that support the 3 different driver archs on their last 3 generations of video cards?
I guess that's a major benefit of Nvidia's driver and GPU arch, backward compatibility. All goes back to CUDA and a true vision and commitment to that vision as it seems Nvidia keeps building on their GPU architecture with backward compatibility while AMD just continues to release new features on new GPUs but no support on older ones. Reply
Zingam - Thursday, March 01, 2012 - linkNo, NVIDIA doesn't build backward compatible cards. They've just managed to guess the future proof architecture at once years ago. While NVIDIA was making GPGPUs, AMD was making GPUs for games. Reply
chizow - Thursday, March 01, 2012 - linkNo Nvidia built an architecture that did both well because they saw the similarities involved with HPC and GPU rendering. AMD is only finally realizing this.
They also put the legwork into developing CUDA and ensuring full forward and backward compatibility with their CUDA-capable GPUs going back go G80.
Also when I refer to backward compatibility, I'm talking about new or improved features, like 3D Vision, PhysX or SGSSAA that may have been introduced after a product launch but are still compatible with the older cards too.
For example, Nvidia rolls out SGSSAA by accident with Fermi and the functionality is available for 8800GTX too: http://www.pcgameshardware.com/aid,748911/Geforce-...
Now look at how AMD handled the situation with SGSSAA with DX9 only on certain cards...now DX10/11 finally but only on 7-series, but you get the idea. GCN is going to be more of the same for GPU compute but luckily for AMD, they don't have much of an HPC business to disturb with the discontinuity. Reply
CeriseCogburn - Monday, March 12, 2012 - linkYeah, like 3 monitor surround gaming for the GTX200 series, introduced after the cards launched - so like a big added value for that whole series, which is still right now a great value to take advantage of as 2x 260 2x 275 2x 280 and 2x285 are really nice triple monitor sli combos some under $200 right now.
Plus the ambient occlusion addition in the drivers that went back to the G80 in that case I think. ( amd fans told me they hated shadows in games when that happened - lol )
Now since ambient occlusion is kind of standard like in BF3, it's great of course say amd fans - thanks to Nvidia.... Reply
CeriseCogburn - Saturday, March 10, 2012 - linkSo now amd has abandoned gpu's for games, as you and yours have claimed nvidia did with gpgpu's.
How does it feel to be abandoned by amd ?
How does it feel when they don't give one whit about you the gamer ?
( I suspect your tune carrying will suddenly undergo a 180 degree transformation). Reply


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Me: The name Crunchy Farm Baby is pretty self-explanatory, but do you really live on a farm?
Leah: I do live on a farm! It's quite serendipitous actually; we live on the farm that my great-grandfather purchased in the 40s. My grandfather and my father were born and raised here. My father joined the military out of high school, so I moved around a lot as a child. When he retired in 2003, we moved back to the farm. Last year, my father accepted a government job and moved back to Italy and my husband and I were fortunate enough to be able to move into the farmhouse.
Me: I read in your "about" section on Etsy that you started making things after your baby was born. Was there any other reason? What made you start selling things?
Leah: Well, as I was growing up, my mother did a lot of sewing and crafting, so it has always been something that I enjoyed doing. Throughout my college years though, my creativity kind of tapered off since I was so busy (and didn't have anyone to make things for). After my son was born and I noticed that the only toy options for him were aisles and aisles of plastic junk, I knew that I needed to dig back into my creative mind and create some eco-friendly toys for him. My husband bought me a really nice sewing machine for Christmas, which really gave me the incentive to create! I decided to start selling on Etsy after several of my friends and family members mentioned that they thought I could really do well selling my items. Since I'm a stay-at-home mom now, I have that extra time needed to make an Etsy shop successful, so I decided to delve in and I'm so glad I did!
Me: What's the favorite thing you've made so far? What's your son's favorite thing?
Leah: I think my favorite items are the hooded monster towels! This item was actually the inspiration for opening my Etsy shop, as I received SO much positive responses about it. My son has one that we use after his bath every day and I just love it!!
My son really loves his plush car, since his favorite things to play with are cars, trucks, tractors, and anything else that goes "Vroom!" He also loves his tractor floor pillow, which he uses every day when he sits down with his books.
Me: Some of your products could be considered "green", such as reusable Swiffer heads! Are you big on "being green"? What types of things do you practice at your home that you could recommend to others?
Leah: Yes, we do everything we can to be as environmentally friendly as possible, but I definitely feel that there is always room to grow. We recycle and compost, which minimizes our trash consumption significantly. We have a big garden and our own free-ranging chickens, so we try to eat sustainably. We buy mostly second-hand items to avoid the processing of new plastic-laden materials. I cloth diaper my son; and when doing laundry, I only use cold water and line dry everything. I make my own health/beauty products to avoid chemicals. Lately, we've really been trying to reduce our paper/plastic consumption, so I stopped buying napkins and paper towels and am making my own reusable ones. It's incredible how much plastic infiltrates our lives!
My biggest piece of advice for others looking to make their lives more eco-friendly is to make one change at a time, and to not get overwhelmed. I often find myself feeling guilty for something as simple as using a plastic spoon and then throwing it away. Yes, I'd love to live a "plastic free" life, but constantly feeling guilty and and stressed out about it takes the joy out of life and ruins the purpose anyway. The first thing I would recommend changing is the way you do your laundry! Using only cold water to wash saves SO much energy, and very few washers get water hot enough to actually "sanitize" anything anyway! Line drying can be done in just about any home - in Europe, they have these awesome racks that hang off of balconies to air dry their clothes. In the winter, I put clothes on hangers and hang them all over my laundry room. It may look silly and take a little bit longer, but you'd be amazed at the energy you'll save by not using your dryer!
Me: So what do we have to look forward to in the Crunchy Farm Baby shop? Any new products?
Leah: My first priority is revamping the looks of the shop page! I really need to upgrade my camera and take some nicer, cleaner photos. I also am working on my "About Me" page and hope to make it all a bit more personal for my shoppers.
I do have a few new items in the works, as well. My crocheted elephant has been a good seller, so I'm crafting up some more little animals to join him. I've also been working on creating some new toddler-friendly toys, since my son is getting older. Now that he's so busy and mobile, he isn't really interested in teethers anymore, so I'm designing some cool things that will hold his attention and that he can learn from as well!
Isn't she awesome? Ok, so back to the review.
I just love the idea of using these on a regular basis! The regular dry swiffer pads may not seem that expensive, they run about $4-5 for a 16 count at Wal-Mart. Let's say you're an over-achiever and use one pad a day, that will last you just over 2 weeks. Reusable Pads at Crunchy Farm Baby go for $12.50 for a set of 2 plus shipping, so it would take you about 6 weeks and your Reusable Pads would have paid off.
BUT, these can be used for more than dry use, they work just as well on the Swiffer Wet Jet! I have both so this is just great for me. I hate using a mop! The Reusable Pads turn inside out, one side is for dry use, the ruffled side is for use with the mop. Perfect! Everyone knows the Wet Jet pads are more expensive, about $12-13 for a set of 24. For the same price of one box of Wet Jet pads that will last you maybe a month, you can buy two reusable pads that will last you forever!
Here's your chance to win a set of two Reusable Pads from Crunchy Farm Baby! You can buy a set for just $12.50, but you should try to win some first ;)
Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter! Giveaway ends August 26th at midnight! Open to US & Canada.


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Article Preview
OATS SCARCE ON MARKET.; Prices Weak -- Rye Attracts More Attention -- Barley in Demand.
Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES. ();
August 20, 1934,
, Section FINANCIAL, Page 26, Column , words
CHICAGO, Aug. 19. -- Elevator interests were good buyers here last week of September oats and sellers of the December and May deliveries, and speculative interests who held the September and December deliveries bought either liquidated or transferred their interests to May.
August 20, 1934
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A P Sawhney
Mr. Ajay Sawhney, Additional Secretary, MoP&NG, an IAS Officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre (1984 batch) is a Mechanical Engineer. Mr. Sawhney has handled various assignments in the State of Andhra Pradesh, covering land administration, law and order and quasi-judicial functions, rural development, health & family welfare, communication & information technology, e-governance and elections etc.
He played a lead role in the Total Literacy Campaign taken up in Nizamabad district in the early nineties. He has also catalysed the establishment of the International Institute of Information Technology in Hyderabad and its emergence as one of the premier institutions in computer science education and research in the country. He has spent more than ten years in assignments relating to information technology and e-governance and has led the formulation of innovative policies and implementation of several major e-governance, communications and broadband projects. He has also worked as the Principal Secretary to Chief Minister of AP after the reorganisation of the State of Andhra Pradesh.
He has also held important positions in the Govt. of India as Joint Secretary Training in the Department of Personnel and Training and as the President and CEO of the National e-Governance Division, which assists the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in the implementation of the National e-Governance Plan. Since March 2015, he is working as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and is currently also holding charge of the position of CMD, Oil India.


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Fun AND Functional
A-B-C-D-E-F-G ... it's so easy to wipe snot off me!
Kids. So sweet. So innocent. So … leaky. I mean, really. At what point does the biological material stop oozing out of every orifice in their adorable little bodies?
The other day, my kid was playing on his ABC Foam Playmat, and he successfully interlocked two of puzzle pieces together for the first time. I was so proud of him, I just scooped him up and gave him a big ol' squeeze! Big. Mistake.
I won't go into too many details, but here's a visual for you. Ever bite into a burrito a little too enthusiastically and all the stuffings squirt out the end? Yep. That.
Anyway, the point is, this mat is awesome for a variety of reasons. It'll cover a 7 by 4-foot area. It has really good colors, the alphabet letters are fun and educational. But most importantly, the entire thing wipes clean with a damp cloth. I know. You're welcome.


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Fast & Furious Adrenaline Preview Racing games on the iPhone/iPod Touch are big business, they are extremely popular and they demand the top prices too so they are obviously doing some right. The newest racing game to hit the streets around April 16th is Fast & Furious Adrenaline from the franchise of the same name, and it is to street … Read More
Mad 'O' Ball 3D for iPhone: Ball tilting madness may drive you crazy!
Mad 'O' Ball 3D Rating: Remember Marble Madness or Super Monkey Ball? Yes, well Mad 'O' Ball 3D is similar to both those titles all be it without the free roaming nature of Marble Madness or the monkey driven craziness of Super Monkey Ball. Instead Mad 'O' Ball 3D requires you to tilt and roll your ball around a 3D … Read More
Alien Equation for iPhone: Mathematical puzzle game with a twist
Alien Equation Rating: There are plenty of games available for people who like word play so why not for those people that like number play! Well with Alien Equation that's exactly what you get in the disguise of an educational for children. The game kicks off with a brief tutorial that takes you through the basics of the game play, … Read More
1 2 3 Sheep! for iPhone is an engaging educational game: Review
1 2 3 Sheep! Rating: Educational games for all ages are becoming more and more popular across all platforms and no more so than the iPhone and iPod Touch. 1 2 3 Sheep! falls directly into that market as it's a simple counting game at it's core but also teaches the basic controls of the touch-screen controls of the iPhone/iPod … Read More
AbstractWar 2.0 for iPhone provides well paced frantic action in a bright neon style
AbstractWar 2.0 Rating: I love a good shoot-em up and so I was excited to get my hands on a new dual shooter called AbstractWar 2.0. AbstractWar 2.0 is a shoot-em up in the style of the classic Geometry Wars and is a brightly lit, neon fire storm of action where you have to survive against 10 different enemies. The … Read More
Tap Tap Revenge – Kings of Leon: A beautiful addition to the Tap Tap Revenge range of games
Tap Tap Revenge – Kings of Leon Rating: One of the most successful games on the iPhone/iPod Touch has been Tap Tap Revenge range of games which is now in it's third incarnation of rhythm based addiction. What has helped make the Tap Tap Revenge games so successful is that the fact that not only is it a really great … Read More
Like a good quality wine 'Championship Manager 2010' gets better and better over time
Championship Manager 2010 Rating: There are some games that can take over peoples lives, cause sleepless nights and take up all of your though of all your waking hours. One of those games for many people are sports management simulations and for fans of football, or soccer as it's know here in the USA, there have been to versions of … Read More
'We Rule' for iPhone: Gameplay Walkthrough and Tips
We Rule is developed by Ngmoco and New Toy and is a great Kingdom building, social interactive game. The game play is simple you farm and harvest crops, build shops and houses and rule your own kingdom. The game is relatively easy to play but here is a detailed run through and tips to help you along. When you first … Read More
Gameloft Releases Sports Bundle for the iPhone
Gameloft have just released a Sports Bundle [$4.99, iTunes Store] of three of their hugely popular games. Now there is no deciding which one to download, you can have all three of them and for a reduced price! This is a Perfect application to choose if you love many sports. The three games are: Let's Golf! A 3D golf game with … Read More
2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa coming to iPhone on April 30th!
2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa iPhone During GDC 2010 EA Mobile announced their upcoming sports game 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa for iPhone and today they confirmed its release date. 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa for iPhone will be available on April 30th. Game Description Everyone can play in the 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP. The biggest sporting … Read More
SimCity Deluxe for iPhone: Coming Soon [New Screenshots]
SimCity Deluxe iPhone We just received an update from EA Mobile regarding their upcoming simulation game for iPhone called SimCity Deluxe. Build and manage your dream city with a newly updated SimCityTM experience for iPhone® & iPod touch®. Designed for dedicated and casual fans, let your inner urban planner run wild SimCity Deluxe will be an improved version of the … Read More
Super Turbo Action Pig for iPhone. Yes, pigs do fly!
Super Turbo Action Pig Rating: Super turbo action pig created by Joystick Generals is a limitless endurance game. You control the little pink pig, who is nicely strapped with an everlasting jetpack, avoiding the hazards that the nasty butcher Bill is sending your way. Butcher Bill by the way is the sausage obsessed phsyco out to kill your piggy friend. … Read More
Rabid Gophers for iPhone is a fun filled reaction game
Rabid Gophers Rating: Rabid Gophers is a well designed reaction puzzle game. It is a game that is a lot similar to whack- a-mole and Smack it that are already available in the app store. The type where you have animals popping up out of holes and you have to hit them on their heads in some shape or form. … Read More
Shape Up your brain with Shape-Up for iPhone [Review]
Shape Up Rating: Shape Up from DS Enterprise has a simple goal and that is to shape up your brain with a brain teasing game of color and shape matching that can drive you to frustration, sometimes in a good way, and sometimes in a bad way! The premise is simple, you start with two colored discs on either side … Read More
White Lines for iPhone: Addictive Line Drawing Memory Game
White Lines Rating: The iPhone is a great platform for casual games. There are many memory (brain) games in the App Store which offer traditional 'simon says' gameplay but WhileLines for iPhone offers an addictive twist to the memory game genre. Current version of WhiteLines offers 5 gameplay modes which only vary in difficulty levels. The premise of the game is very … Read More


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Center for Health Behavior Research
The Center for Health Behavior Research (CHBR) tracks the development and progression of health-related behaviors, and develops and tests programs to improve health and social behaviors. As the CHBR builds evidence about what approaches succeed in improving these behaviors, it shares these best approaches with communities and researchers across the country.
The leading causes of death and disability are primarily the result of behavioral risk factors. Society can make major progress in reducing premature death and improving quality of life by changing everyday behaviors such as diet, tobacco use, and low physical activity.
CHBR is part of the Institute for Health Research and Policy housed at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The center works with dozens of community-based organizations, nonprofit service-oriented organizations, health care providers, schools and government agencies providing health and social services.
Dr. Jun Ma, professor of health policy and administration in the UIC School of Public Health, directs this center.
Researchers in CHBR aim to:
- Identify the predictors of smoking patterns by tracking the smoking experiences of 1,200 adolescents over ten years and evaluating their risk factors, including possible genetic markers for smoking. [more]
- Find approaches to prevent the recurrence or progression of prostate cancer by tracking 400 men diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer, studying their medical treatment and lifestyles, and conducting biochemical and molecular studies of their tumors and surrounding fat tissue. [more]
- Foster positive social development of kids by testing in Chicago Public Schools a curriculum designed to reduce problem behaviors and academic underachievement and tracking the program's effects on more than 500 students. [more]
- Promote the use of evidence-based tobacco treatment by providing a free toolkit to evaluate smoking cessation programs for youth. [more]
As part of the University of Illinois at Chicago, CHBR nurtures and supports the development of researchers through all stages of their careers.


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Text Size: A A A
Effective October 1, 2005, licensed physician/surgeons are required to participate in continuing medical education (CME) activities. A licensed physician shall earn a minimum of fifty contact hours of qualifying continuing medical education every two years commencing on the first date of license renewal on and after October 1, 2007. One contact hour means a minimum of fifty minutes of continuing education activity.
Continuing medical education shall be in an area of the physician's practice, reflect the professional needs of the licensee in order to meet the health care needs of the public and include at least one contact hour of training or education in each of the five following topics:
Download Connecticut General Statutes - Continuing Medical Education Physician/Surgeon Section 20-10b.


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Getting the best deal on your mortgage refinance
Glossary Terms
- Cash-Out Refinancing
- A refinance in which the new loan amount exceeds the total needed to pay off the existing mortgage. The difference goes to the borrower and can be... read more
- Rate and Term Refinancing
- A mortgage refinance that replaces the existing mortgage with a new one but does not disburse cash to the borrower. Rate and term refinancing is... read more
- Refinance
- Refinancing means replacing one loan with a new, better loan. Improving the terms of a loan can mean obtaining a lower interest rate, a lower monthly... read more
You don't have to earn a finance degree or work in a bank to pull off a mortgage refinance, and you shouldn't have to spend hours studying and worrying about it to get a good deal. This mortgage refinance guide will help you get it done.
Should You Refinance Your Mortgage?
Before you undertake the steps to refinance your mortgage, you need to answer the question: "Should I refinance?" Here are some of the most common reasons to refinance.
- Pay less over the life of the loan
- Reduce your mortgage payment
- Trade home equity for cash
- Drop mortgage insurance coverage
- Get better loan terms
LendingTree's Refinance Breakeven Calculator is a great tool, because it shows you the difference between a new loan and your old one, and how long it would take for the savings generated to offset the cost of refinancing. It also compares the total interest expense of keeping your current mortgage with the total costs if you refinance.
Understand that unless you have an FHA or USDA home loan, you don't have to refinance in order to drop mortgage insurance. You can request cancellation in writing once the loan is at 80 percent of that value.
Finally, refinancing for cash out can be significantly more expensive than taking cash with a home equity loan. Compare both options before deciding.
How To Refinance Your Home in 3 Steps
Refinancing a mortgage involves three simple steps:
- Assemble your documents and information
- Compare refinance options
- Choose a refinance lender
Step 1: Documentation and Information
There's no such thing as a "no doc" mortgage today, which means you'll have to document your income and assets when you apply for a mortgage refinance. Be prepared to supply two years of W-2s and two most recent pay stubs, or two years of tax returns and recent financials, if self-employed. To count any other income, like pensions or alimony, you'll have to prove that you receive it and that it will continue for at least three years.
You'll need statements for your investment, retirement and savings accounts. You should also know your credit score. Pull your report for free at annualcreditreport.com and purchase your scores, or get your VantageScore for free at LendingTree.
Step 2: Decide Upon a Refinance Program
There are many products available, and you'll want to narrow down your options before shopping for a mortgage. Here's what you'll need to consider:
- Timeframe -- how long do you plan to keep your home?
- Your goal -- lowest payment, least amount of interest, better terms?
- Your qualifications -- equity, credit rating and income
Ignoring your timeframe could be expensive. That's because interest rates for 30-year fixed mortgages are significantly higher than those of hybrid ARMs, which have introductory rates that are fixed for three, five, seven or ten years. Blindly paying for a 30-year rate when you're only going to have the loan for five years could cost you. For example, as of this writing, a 5/1 is available at 2.625 percent, while its 30-year fixed counterpart is at 3.625 percent. If you refinance $300,000, the difference between the two payments is $163 per month, almost $10,000 over five years!
Your goal is important as well. Suppose you want to pay less over the life of your loan. You can do this by getting a lower mortgage rate or by shortening your term -- perhaps from a 30-year to a 15-year loan.
Finally, your qualifications -- credit, equity and income -- determine what programs you can consider. If you have little or no home equity, you'll probably be limited to government programs like HARP, FHA, VA or USDA loans. If your loan amount exceeds limits set by the government or Fannie Mae, you'll be looking for jumbo financing. How do you know what's out there for people like you? Try LoanExplorer by LendingTree. Simply input your qualifications -- loan amount, home value and credit rating (click "more options" for VA eligibility, bankruptcy filings and more). You'll see real loan offers from LendingTree lenders -- tailored to your inputs.
Step 3: Choose a Refinance Lender
Now that you've chosen your program, it's time to find a lender. That decision revolves around two factors -- mortgage rates and service.
Comparing refinance rates and terms is pretty easy, and it's very important. A Stanford University study found that people who obtained quotes from at least four lenders saved thousands in loan fees.
Contact several lenders and ask them for written mortgage quotes. Try to get your quotes simultaneously if possible, because rates change all the time. You can do this in person or by telephone, but it's easiest to do online. At LendingTree, for example, you can complete one simple form and get up to five custom quotes from competing lenders, or scroll through LoanExplorer (offers can be sorted by interest rate, APR and more).
Your quotes should list all costs and fees, so you can make an accurate assessment. The interest rate and APR (annual percentage rate) should also be prominently displayed. Once you have a few finalists, it's time to contact the lenders.
When you speak to your lenders, pay attention to the way they treat you. Do they answer your questions in an easily-understandable way? If they suggest a product, do they explain their reasons? Do they return your calls right away (or your emails / texts if that's your preferred method of communicating)? You can peruse lender reviews and ratings at LendingTree to get the benefit of other borrowers' experiences.
Refinance Your Mortgage
You're now ready to go. You've got your documents in order, you've chosen your lender and your program. The hard part's over for you, and the rest is up to your loan officer, underwriter, appraiser and title company.
Frequently Asked Questions
Account Deletion
2 Answers | asked 1 year ago
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2 Answers | asked 1 year ago
Call List
5 Answers | asked 1 year ago
4 Answers | asked 1 year ago
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5 Answers | asked 1 year ago
My wife and I are looking to refinance our 1st and 2nd mortgage and are at wits end.
4 Answers | asked 1 year ago
What's the minimum credit score needed to refinance?
5 Answers | asked 1 year ago
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2 Answers | asked 8 months ago
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3 Answers | asked 11 months ago
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Was the swine flu overreaction useful?
- By Joshua Keating
Joshua Keating was an associate editor at Foreign Policy
Anne Applebaum has an interesting piece over at Slate arguing that while the reaction to swine flu may have been overblown, we should ultimately be grateful for it:
Before "that panic was ridiculous" becomes the conventional wisdom, let's be frank about it: Where infectious diseases are concerned, panic is good. Panic is what we want. Without panic, nothing happens. Up to 500 million people will get malaria this year, and more than 1 million of them will die, mostly in very poor countries. Yet there is no fear of malaria in the rich world; there is no hysterical media coverage, and thus there is still no satisfactory prevention or cure.
By contrast, designs for preventions and cures for swine flu are already, after a mere two weeks of hyperattention, well on track. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not only developed a test kit to detect the presence of the H1N1 virus that causes the flu; it has already shipped this test kit to all 50 states, plus Puerto Rico and several other countries. Genetic sequences of the virus have been analyzed and databased. A vaccine will probably be ready in time for flu season next fall. Boxes of Tamiflu have been transported to guarded warehouses around the globe, where they await distribution.[…]
if the H1N1 virus mutates into something really dangerous, we'll all be in trouble. But not in as much trouble as we would be if it hadn't been for that brief, possibly ludicrous but nevertheless useful moment of mass hysteria that brought us such terrific headlines over the past couple of weeks.
All of this is true. But I'm not sure about the conclusion. First, I don't really understand Applebaum's argument that infectious disease, in particular, are an issue that benefits from public hysteria as opposed to any other threat. If the media was doing a public service by treating thirty deaths in Mexico like the black death, shouldn't they be trying to work people into a panic over nuclear terrorism or global warming? The argument that "Without panic, nothing happens" could apply to any number of very real threats, but I'd still prefer not to live in a state of perpetual terror.
Beyond that, is a state of panic really the best time to be making critical decisions? There were certainly some rational government responses to the flu. But there were also quite a number that were really, really stupid. Thankfully, the U.S. government resisted the urge to do anything too drastic in response to swine flu, (congress wasn't exactly a big help) but from Japanese Internment to Gitmo, the United States has done some very regrettable things during times of high public fear. I'm not sure it's wise to make it a regular thing. I also think its likely that the hysteria over the swine flu outbreak could make us less likely to take it seriously if a real pandemic should emerge.


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Fast Impossible Garden Pie RecipeRead Reviews Be the first to add a review
5 1 1
- 2/3 cup chopped fresh broccoli
- 3 tablespoons chopped onion
- 3 tablespoons chopped sweet red pepper
- 1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup biscuit/baking mix
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- Place 1 in. of water and broccoli in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 3-4 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain.
- In a well-greased 5-1/2-in. pie plate, combine the broccoli, onion and red pepper. Sprinkle with cheese. In a bowl, combine the egg, milk, biscuit mix, salt and pepper just until combined; pour over cheese. Bake at 400° for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown. Yield: 2 servings.
Originally published as Impossible Garden Pie in Cooking for One or Two Cookbook 2003, p235
Reviews for Fast Impossible Garden Pie
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Reviewed Feb. 17, 2013
"Excelent texture,very easy to make & very filling. Great recipe that you can add other items to suit your tastes."


text: Back Up Your Registry Files How to back up your registry files. To back up the Registry before you make any changes, select the Start menu, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, then System Information. In the application window, click on the Tools menu, then choose Registry Checker. Once your system has been scanned, opt to replace the oldest backup file with a new one.


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Kat Von D Breaks Off Engagement Again
By JACKIE WILLIS
June 27, 2013
Unfortunately for Kat Von D, history seems to be repeating itself when it comes to her love life. First she breaks off her engagement with Jesse James over cheating allegations, and now she's called it quits from her new fiance, deejay Deadmau5.
The 31-year-old tattoo artist posted the news on her Twitter yesterday, June 26, writing:
Cheating on your loved one is the most hurtful thing one could do. I hate to have to admit, that this relationship is indeed over.— Kat Von D (@thekatvond) June 26, 2013
Onwards and upwards.— Kat Von D (@thekatvond) June 26, 2013
An hour later, Von D posted an Instagram pic that showed a heart etched in the the middle of her palm. The caption read: "Go out into the world with Love."
RELATED: Guess Who Got Engaged?!
UPDATE: Deadmau5, whose real name is Joel Thomas Zimmerman, reacted to Von D's tweets, telling ET that he did in fact have "relations" with another woman, following the couple's first split. "Kat and I split in November and I moved back home to Toronto. During this time, while we were broken up, I did have relations with another woman. Following that, Kat and I reconciled and I acknowledged being intimate with another person while we were estranged," the deejay's confesses.
"We did move past those issues and I proposed to Kat in mid- December. At the end of June, it was clear that the relationship was not working and we mutually ended the engagement. I was not, at any point, unfaithful to Kat during our time together. I don't wish to go tit for tat with these kinds of pronouncements and don't expect to comment further, but I do believe that those who have expressed concern deserve a more complete understanding of what transpired."
What do you think? Is this the final breakup for these two?


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Supplying Model Makers since 1895
Telephone us on: 01508 549330
Deluxe Materials Plastic Kit glue
20ml Bottle
Bonds in seconds, fine applicator, anti-clog action.
Deluxe Materials is delighted to announce Plastic Kit Glue a very fast, plastic cement for all types of plastic kits. The clog-resistant formula and fine tip bottle make for great ease of use. Plastic Kit Glue dries clear, bonds styrene, clear plastic, and even wood to plastic and has a long life. Simply apply to one surface and bring parts together for fast strong bond.
** Flammable items will have to be sent using a courier. Please note surcharge areas may incur an extra charge see Postage
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text: The Leonard Lopate Show Published by The Leonard Lopate Show Underreported: Biofluorescence Download this audio Want to embed this player? Use the code below. More info. <iframe frameborder="0" scrolling="no" height="130" width="100%" src="https://www.wnyc.org/widgets/ondemand_player/wnyc/#file=/audio/json/54875/&share=1"></iframe> Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email a Friend Scientists have a lot to learn from fireflies and glowing jellyfish. On Underreported: a look at the science of biofluorescence, and how it could lead to revolutionary advances in brain research and even military technology. Vincent Pieribone and David Gruber are co-authors of the book Aglow in the Dark. Aglow in the Dark is available for purchase at amazon.com