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Like it or not, the digital world has changed at a wicked pace, and more and more interactions between companies and their customers now happen via an interface. Software serves us everywhere, and the user experience now shapes these interactions every day. At the center of all this change sits the brand. TV and print advertising now regularly feature digital experiences from the likes of Apple, Google, Toyota, GE, and Amazon. The visual interface has become the new face of your brand. This means that the role of Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) is now harder, and their influence must reach further into the organization than ever before.
More customer interactions are now digital, and the brand sits at the center
Expectations are now much higher. My wife, for example, has lost all patience with technology. She hates how TiVo doesn't record her programs on time; her Dell laptop seems to break frequently; her iPhone is too slow. It's not just my wife, though. I see it frequently in healthcare and financial services. Even employees in larger enterprises have lost patience and expect better.
At Cooper, I see clients struggle with traditional marketing practices to deliver software that lacks the deeper level of engagement that customers are looking for. Some of our clients have changed their approach to marketing and product design and are reaping the rewards with a place on Forbes' Most Innovative Companies list.
Products like the flip have changed the way we record and share movies
User experience has improved from, for example, yesterday's clunky camcorders to today's magically simple Flip camera, but the competition to provide better experience grows daily. There are now more than 500,000 apps available on Apple's iPhone and many more for other mobile platforms. It's no longer good enough to have an intuitive interface. The question has become: How can marketers connect customers and brands in the digital era, and direct their organizations to guide products that inspire lasting engagement?
Software is a different experience
First of all, software isn't fashion. While marketing campaigns can change at a rapid pace, software interfaces can live for years, sometimes decades, before undergoing major identity change. Visual interfaces need to express a sense of timelessness, and can't be tied to a brand initiative that's likely to be gone in a few years.
You may remember the sporty line of Sony Walkmans, with their design stuck firmly in the 80s. In contrast, Apple's iPod hasn't undergone a major change in 10 years and still has a modern feel to both its hardware and software.
Sony's Walkman feels far more dated than the more iPod generation
Software has become more complex and we must balance style with usability in interface design. A good interface is a humble servant of information, but this stance means we have less opportunity to show a strong visual identity. Instead, the identity must live in the visual details, and the interactive flow becomes the memorable experience. The brand's identity can still be strong because its power is more than skin deep.
The litl interface surfaces content and remove all sense of complexity
One frequent challenge is the belief that a universal brand- or style-guide should drive the look of all products. But the best digital products focus on a unique set of users and contexts. It's not a one-size-fits-all experience. For example, we recently helped a medical products company redesign a set of touchscreen devices operated by non-technical users. The company's visual standards, developed by their marketing team for all of their products including those for dark room technicians, weren't engaging for our group of users. With our research-backed findings, we convinced the central team to adopt a new set of visual standards for these less technical devices.
Too much rigidity in guidelines can result in products that look the same but speak to no one. Just look across Apple's products to see a diverse set of interfaces. Also compare their products to their own human interface guidelines and you'll find they often break their own rules in lieu of a better experience. A CEO I work with told his team, "the person's the same, but the clothes they wear can change depending on the occasion." Guidelines can define the person and suggest a wardrobe.
User experience design can transform your organization
Software is determining ever more interaction points between companies and their customers. Thus we see the software-defined user experience having a greater influence on how organizations are perceived. What's more, this now extends well beyond software
We recently crafted a vision for a software suite by closely collaborating with a large Silicon Valley company to establish a set of user experience design principles. Initially, we intended just to improve software development quality. However, the design principles we introduced quickly extended outside of the software domain. In less than 18 months, these guidelines have helped transform them to a far more service-oriented culture. The principles now guide legal teams, appear on employee security cards, improve HR processes, and even support their sales experience. Because of its effectiveness, the company has begun to embrace a design-centric approach to business and product development.
Defining a memorable experience that customers love
To help companies create experiences that better support their company goals, we host popular experience workshops where new ideas and perspectives emerge. This new approach to brand strategy helps teams agree on the feel of their future experiences. The workshops help the conversation feel less abstract by using imagery as a guide. People can draw from their own experiences to support their views. The conversation becomes less subjective and more meaningful with tangible examples to point at.
Output from an experience workshop where images drive ideas in a group discussion
It's often the participants less integrated with their teams who are the most grateful to have participated in what they considered a highly engaging and educational meeting. Most importantly, teams are equipped with more effective tools to guide and evaluate their work with users.
A strong visual experience strategy derived from qualitative user research can help you identify the true value of your product from your user's point of view. Their experience can then be elevated and strongly differentiated in the marketplace. Your focused visual experience establishes your brand more effectively than ever before, enabling you to create experiences that go beyond usable to one your users will fall in love with.
What marketers should know
User experience design can drive users to be more engaged with brands, but behavior is as important as appearance. The visual interface design sets expectations about the experience, but the product's behavior delivers on that promise. And engagement starts with understanding your customers.
A completely consistent experience won't speak to diverse user groups with unique goals and unique contexts. The new standards for software design need more flexibility to connect with users. Experience strategy can be defined for each product while still serving the broader business goals.
A strong experience strategy, derived from qualitative user research and experience workshops, can bring a collected vision to your organization and not only identify the true value of your products but help you transform the way your company does business.


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A Conversation with Roshann Parris
Library Director Crosby Kemper III conducts a public conversation with Roshann Parris, president and CEO of the award-winning public relations firm Parris Communications Inc.
In addition to more than 35 years in public relations, public affairs, and strategic corporate communications, Parris has managed dual roles in both the Clinton and Obama White Houses, and on nine national presidential campaign staffs. Serving as a lead advance person on the White House Presidential Advance Team, she has led teams to over 60 countries over the last 20 years on behalf of the U.S. president and first lady.
Now in its 25th year, Parris Communications Inc. has earned a reputation for corporate communications campaigns and crisis management efforts for clients nationwide. With a passionate focus on the community, the firm has been named Kansas City Small Business Philanthropist of the Year and the No. 1 Small Business "Best Place to Work" in Greater Kansas City.
Parris is a recipient of the Kansas City Spirit Award, United Way's Adele Hall Spirit of Caring Award, the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce Athena Award, the Girls Scouts Pearl Award, and has been named both Kansas City's Woman of the Year and the Public Relations Professional of the Year. In November 2013 Parris will become chairman of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, only the 4th woman in 126 years to assume that position.
This event is a continuation of the Library's Cradle of Entrepreneurs series with a new emphasis on Kansas City women business owners and founders. It is co-sponsored by the Central Exchange.

subset: commoncrawl


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The area that has drawn most attention in Woodhaven is directly behind the houses of residents on 98th Street, and they came up with a couple of options designed to try and address their concerns of privacy.
In a nutshell, the proposal is that a path would be dug down the center of the high hill that currently exists with the earth being pushed to either side to provide a barrier between the path and residents' homes. On both sides of these barriers would be vegetation and fencing which they claim will keep the homes invisible from the path and vice versa.
That's the good news.
The bad news is that the project is still a deeply flawed fantasy with serious questions that the group is unable to address.
Within the last few weeks, a couple of ridiculous renderings were released showing various scenes of bliss and harmony; children and butterflies playing together in a field of flowers and sunshine. However, there was one really important thing they neglected to Photoshop into any of their fantastical renderings.
After all of the discussions and concerns about safety and security at their workshops last November, it was hard to believe that the group would come back to us and fail to address lighting.
We're sensitive to this issue. Last summer, the Department of Transportation (DOT) proved to be entirely incompetent in keeping the existing Greenway in Forest Park adequately lit. Runners and walkers were left to stumble around in the dark toting flashlights.
Even a serial rapist stalking Forest Park was not enough to generate a sense of urgency strong enough for DOT to fix the problem.
The QueensWay group has come up with a unique approach to the lighting problem – they ignored it completely!
The one QueensWay rep I spoke with helpfully offered up the notion that the path wasn't really supposed to be used at night. "Neither is the alley next to my house," I told her. "That's why we light it up." I don't think this logic made any sense to them.
In the end, all of the hard work they did to address security was thrown out the window by the failure to consider how this thing was going to be lit.
Beyond lighting, there are other important questions which remain unanswered. For example, how much is this fantasy going to cost? Why is that important to know? Because currently there isn't enough money to adequately maintain the existing 538 acres of land and pathways in Forest Park.
Take a brief walk between the Bandshell and Oak Ridge and you will find sidewalks that are crumbled and in many spots, completely gone; roadways and paths that are eroded and have long been in need of maintenance.
A massive parks project such as this is going to deplete the insufficient resources we already have supporting our existing park land. When asked about the cost and effect that a QueensWay would have, the answers I heard were as much a fantasy as the renderings they presented.
One answer was that dropping hundreds of millions of dollars on this would encourage the city to spend even more on the park attached to it.
Yeah, right.
Another was that a good deal of the cost would be offset through fundraising.
Please stop, you're killing me.
They mean well, and their intentions are good, but when it comes to the tough questions there are too many "if's" and "maybe's" preceding their answers.
The fantasy they've concocted might translate into some fantastic sketches and renderings, but fantasy doesn't serve us well when dealing with real-world problems.


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Flint's Genesee Towers Are Gone — See the Implosion Here [VIDEO]
Flint's tallest building, Genesee Towers, is now officially gone. We've got video of the implosion for you to check out from multiple angles here.
Downtown was unusually busy for a Sunday morning. The streets were packed and parking spots -- in the parts of the area that weren't blocked by police or fire trucks -- were scarce. Crowds were gathered at every corner that had a decent view of Genesee Towers and shortly after 10a, several large booms were followed by a massive cloud of debris. After the tower quickly disappeared, its demise was met with cheers and applause. It was definitely the most expensive show the people of Flint had been treated to.
The building was finished in 1968 and has been vacant since 1997. The City of Flint was court ordered to purchase the building from its owner, a decision that would ultimately cost $6 million. Emergency Manager Michael Brown upset a lot of people when he unloaded the building from the city's inventory for just $1.
The area where the Genesee Towers stood will be turned into a public park. Along with the nearby site for the new Farmer's Market, the building's absence should actually improve the look of the area substantially.


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The Minke whale, or lesser rorqual, has often been spotted in the waters off the Pembrokeshire coast in recent years.
Indeed, only 50 miles across St George's Channel, whale-watching expeditions set sail from County Cork to spot Minkes and several other cetaceans in the waters of the Western Approaches.
The Minke (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) is a member of the rorqual family which includes the humpback, the blue whale, the fin whale, the sei whale and the Antarctic minke, with two other subspecies, the dwarf minke and the Scammon's minke. The northern Minke measures an average of 24-feet long although maximum lengths vary between 30 and 35-feet. They weigh between 4.4 to 5.5 short tons, although 11-tons has been recorded. They are black, grey, or purple in colour with white undersides and the northern species is distinguished by a white band on each flipper. They live for between 30 and 50 years although 60 years has been recorded. They breathe three to five times at short intervals before deep-diving for two to 20 minutes, and deep dives are preceded by a pronounced arching of the back. They can swim at an estimated 24mph. Whaling is a very ancient activity, and is mentioned in Norwegian literature as early as the year 800, hunting for minke whales having been common in the 11th century. They were considered too small to chase by the 19th century. They are believed to have derived their name from a young Norwegian whale-spotter named Meincke in the crew of a whaler named Svend Foyn, who harpooned a minke by mistake, thinking it was a blue whale, and was derided for it. Three minke whales have been found washed up on UK shores in recent months, two on the Norfolk coast at Cromer and Sea Pallin. the other on a beach in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, where two other minkes have been found this year (2013). In total 14 have been found on UK beaches this year, and their strandings have been a mystery, leading to post mortems and exhaustive tests to establish the cause of death. The minke stranded at Magilligan Point, Londonderry, was 29-feet long, and caused the authorities a problem disposing of the huge carcass. Whales often become stranded because they are ill and disoriented, or because they have followed a fish shoal into shallow waters where they are unable to turn and get back to sea. The whales spotted off the Pembrokeshire coast have been few and far between and mostly identified by people on charter boats well off the coast on trips specifically organised to spot and photograph unusual visitors or transients, combined with a bit of sea angling.
Minkes are identifiable from other whales by their size and the fact that when they dive they do not allow their flukes to break the surface. They are more often to be seen than other whales because they are quite inquisitive and will approach a passing boat.


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The On-site Commercial Laundry Experts
Call us at 781-559-4077.
Garment Machinery Company, Inc. is one of the New England's leading providers of On Premise Laundry Equipment (OPL). For over 70 years our customers have trusted us to provide excellent quality commercial laundry machines from world renowned brands such as Wascomat, Frigidaire, Cissell, and other Alliance Laundry Systems products.
- New England wide coverage with fast, friendly service.
- Thousands of successful installations through out New England
- On hand 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to ensure the best possible support service
Garment Machinery Company, Inc is a commercial laundry supplier to a wide variety of different customers across numerous business sectors. From single commercial washers to large multi machine sites, Garment Machinery Company, Inc has supplied Nursing Homes, Universities, Housing Associations and many more.
Garment Machinery Company, Inc. is one of the largest suppliers of machinery and parts in the Northeast. We carry a wide range of parts and machinery for several brands including Huebsch, Milnor, Wascomat, American Dryer Corporation, Speed Queen, IPSO, Unimac, Maytag, Whirlpool, Edro, Continental Girbau and Dexter Laundry Equipment. We also sell used washers and dryers as well.
Garment Machinery Company, Inc has the knowledge and expertise to provide the best commercial laundry package available, from offering guidance on on-site commercial laundry equipment through to sales, installation, and ongoing customer support. And with over 70 years experience providing commercial laundry solutions, you can be sure that you're dealing with the experts!


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In 1875, the Le Droit Building at the SW corner of 8th and F Streets was erected. Designed by James McGill in the Italianate commercial style of its period, the Le Droit Building was intended exclusively for office use. Its first tenants included J. Bradley Adams and William H. Boyd (publisher of Boyd's Directory), a barber, two auctioneers, various agents, twenty lawyers and others, including the architect, James McGill until 1880. Further development resulted in 814 F Street which was built in 1875 or 1876. By 1877, J. Bradley Adams moved his book and stationery business from the Le Droit Building to this address. Soon after, in 1878,
As the commercial core of the city moved to the west and northwest, the 800 Block of the south side of F Street became shabby and disused. In recent years, however, the block has slowly been revitalized by artists, shopowners and other businesses. The opening of the nearby MCI Arena in 1997 has once again made it a lively and active area.
Located at the 800 Block of F St., NW, the buildings are privately owned for commercial use and are not accessible to the public. Metro stop: Gallery Place/China Town. The General Post Office is now the Hotel Monaco, a Historic Hotel of America member, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.


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AVG OBP SLG OPS+ Suzuki: .261 .288 .353 83 Aviles: .262 .286 .412 83While Suzuki can still play right field, he has been in serious decline as a hitter since 2010, and, at age 38, is not running as often. He's a free agent at the end of this season, so New York is renting a replacement-level platoon hitter with a very famous name for about three months at a fairly low cost. He'll do the job in the field in Brett Gardner's absence and his noodle bat won't make much of a difference one way or the other in the lineup.
Other 2012 splits (not including last night's stats):
AVG OBP SLG Against LHP: .236 .242 .267 In July: .208 .235 .273 With RISP: .175 .255 .263 Late/Close: .215 .257 .262 High Leverage: .175 .229 .190He's 2-for-13 in three games at Yankee Stadium III. His first game there will be Friday night against the Red Sox.


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"We will see each other down the line in litigation." That threat was leveled by Rep. Steve King (R-IA) at Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano during a Congressional hearing last week. After President Obama's decision to temporarily defer deportations for certain young undocumented immigrants, Rep. King immediately stated his intention to challenge its legality in court. Based on legal precedent, however, his lawsuit is meritless and will be quickly dismissed.
Deferred action is not only legal, but was in regular use before the administration's decision to expand it. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) Commissioner Doris Meissner pointed out back in 2000 that "INS has prosecutorial discretion, and it exercises it every day." Meissner specifically noted that this discretion "applies not only to the decision to issue, serve, or file a Notice to Appear (NTA), but also... deciding whom to stop, question, and arrest... settling or dismissing a proceeding, granting deferred action, or staying a final order."
In Reno v. American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, 525 U.S. 471 (1999), the Supreme Court affirmed that "in the deportation process, [a]t each stage the Executive has discretion to abandon the endeavor, and at the time [the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA)] was enacted the INS had been engaging in a regular practice (known as "deferred action") of exercising that discretion for humanitarian reasons or simply for its own convenience.... many provisions of the IIRIRA are aimed at protecting the Executive's discretion from the courts--indeed, that can fairly be said to be the theme of the legislation."
These administrative and court decisions have clear basis in legislation. As noted by the Court in Reno, "8 U. S. C. § 1252(g)... restricts judicial review of the Attorney General's 'decision or action' to 'commence proceedings, adjudicate cases, or execute removal orders against any alien under this Act.'" Moreover, 8 U.S.C. § 1227(d) under "Deportable Aliens" explicitly discusses "the authority of the Secretary of Homeland Security or the Attorney General to grant a stay of removal or deportation in any case not described in this subsection," meaning that Congress authorized deportation deferrals.
Rep. King is not satisfied with this legal foundation. "I accepted the prosecutorial discretion when it dealt with individuals," he told Sec. Napolitano. "I do not when it deals with groups of people that are created by a memorandum." But this distinction is weak. Deferrals are still determined on a case-by-case basis. Prosecutors simply base their decisions on these categories, which is not new. Meissner's memo noted that criteria for its use in 2000 included length of residence, criminal history, humanitarian concerns, military service, and availability of agency resources.
Rep. King is also upset that if these young immigrants stay, some may be allowed to work in the U.S. "Our visas and work permits are a creation of Congress, not the executive branch," he told Sec. Napolitano. Yet as the secretary's memo notes, "this memorandum confers no substantive right, immigration status, or pathway to citizenship." Nonetheless, under current law 8 CFR § 274.12 (c)(14), DHS can issue Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) to any person "who has been granted deferred action... if the alien establishes an economic necessity for employment."
Pres. Bush used this deferral authority for undocumented immigrants during Hurricane Katrina, and Republican Governor of Mississippi Haley Barbour was thankful. "I don't know where we would have been in Mississippi after Katrina if it hadn't been for the Spanish speakers who came in to help rebuild," he said in 2010. "If they hadn't come and stayed for a few months or a couple years, we'd be way, way behind." Rep. King never threatened to drag Pres. Bush into court.
Immigration restrictionists may disagree with this particular use of prosecutorial discretion, but they do not disagree with its use in principle. When 60,000 Alabama businesses missed their state's deadline to sign up for E-Verify--the employment verification program designed to catch undocumented workers--the state extended them a temporary amnesty. Alabama DHS spokeswoman Katheryn Kennedy said, "Right now we're not penalizing businesses. We're trying to help them, to be a safe harbor." Georgia and Arizona had to offer similar E-Verify amnesties.
This decision would not allow Pres. Obama to refuse to enforce tax law, as Rep. King and conservative Charles Krauthammer have charged, but if millions of Americans suddenly refused to pay taxes, it would allow him to set enforcement priorities. Given a population of between 10 and 12 million undocumented immigrants, a decision that affects barely ten percent of them (1.4 million) seems justifiable from an administrative perspective. While the congressman believes the order is a general refusal to enforce immigration laws, this targeted approach has resulted in a record 1.2 million deportations in the president's first three years in office. The idea that the deportation record-holder is not enforcing immigration law is self-evidently absurd.
Discussing the Constitution's presidential pardon power, Federalist 74 concludes that "without an easy access to exceptions in favor of unfortunate guilt, justice would wear a countenance too sanguinary and cruel." The Founders understood that discretion plays an important role in responsible enforcement--a role recognized in the immigration laws Congress passed. If Congress wants to revisit the discretionary powers it has vested in the executive, it is free to do so. Until then, restrictionists will just have to deal with a few more immigrants picking vegetables, starting businesses, and providing services that benefit all Americans.


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During the past few years, a highly integrated, community-focused health care system unique to Grand Junction, Colo., has been held up as a model to the rest of the country by sources ranging from medical journals(www.nejm.org) to mainstream media(www.newyorker.com), and from public policy think tanks(www.newamerica.net) to President Obama(www.whitehouse.gov) and other health care reform advocates.
Family physician Michael Pramenko, M.D., evaluates a patient in his Grand Junction office. According to Medicare data, the Colorado town had the sixth-lowest health care costs out of more than 300 U.S. cities evaluated in 2005 while ranking 31st in quality of care.
According to Grand Junction family physician David West, M.D., who wrote about his hometown last year in the New England Journal of Medicine, or NEJM, such regionally run, regionally financed health care systems represent the sole pathway to achieving the twin goals of providing high-quality health care and holding down costs.
"We will never solve health problems comprehensively until we somehow escape profit centers and the current reimbursement system," he said.
With those goals in mind, a group of primary care physicians and subspecialists in Grand Junction got together nearly 40 years ago and started the independent benefits provider Rocky Mountain Health Plans(www.rmhp.org), known locally as "Rocky," and Mesa County Physicians Independent Practice Association, or MCPIPA(www.mcpipa.org). Both are nonprofit organizations, as are both local hospitals, two mental health centers, a hospice and a handful of other vital health care entities.
Upcoming One-day Session to Kick Off PCMH Training Program for Colorado FPs
The Colorado AFP(www.coloradoafp.org) is helping its members take the first steps toward earning patient-centered medical home, or PCMH, recognition from the National Committee for Quality Assurance, or NCQA, by offering an all-day session April 14 in conjunction with its Annual Scientific Conference(www.coloradoafp.org) in Colorado Springs. That session, which covers the requirements for NCQA recognition, marks the beginning of a 10-week program, said Angel Perez, B.S.N., the Colorado AFP's PCMH resource adviser.
Practices follow up by participating in three one-hour webinars during a seven-week period. The practices also participate in conference calls with PCMH trainers a week after each webinar and peer-to-peer conference calls with participating practices two weeks after each webinar.
In addition, practices have the option of receiving weekly in-office coaching at no cost through HealthTeamWorks, a Lakewood, Colo.-based nonprofit organization that helps practices transform their procedures and culture.
The Colorado AFP and HealthTeamWorks are part of a collaborative -- the Systems of Care/Patient Centered Medical Home initiative -- that received a two-year grant from the Colorado Health Foundation in 2009. The collaborative is seeking an extension that would make additional training possible, said Perez.
The April 14 session kicks off the second PCMH training program funded by the grant. The first started with 20 practices, and 18 completed the program. Perez said the Colorado AFP likely will take 20 practices again this time. As of March 24, 10 practices had registered.
Perez said practices that complete the 10-week program should be prepared to submit an application for PCMH recognition to NCQA within six months.
"The transformation process takes about two years," she said. "We want to make sure they have tools and resources to start that transformation."
"I can't stress enough the importance of a health plan that's community-oriented," said Grand Junction family physician Michael Pramenko, M.D. "I don't think this would have happened in Grand Junction without Rocky. Physicians made their own health plan and made it a nonprofit."
How Does the Model Work?
Specifically created to accept Medicare and Medicaid patients, as well as those who are privately insured, Rocky and MCPIPA work together to keep costs low. The organizations withhold 15 percent of physician fees in a risk pool. If health care costs are kept low, physicians receive the withheld funds at year's end.
The two organizations also are part of a consortium that subsidizes a health program for pregnant women and their infants(www.htop.org), providing them access to insurance. The program actually lowers health care costs for the community by improving outcomes and reducing the need for intensive care services for newborns, Pramenko said.
And at the other end of the life spectrum, primary care physicians in the area encourage patients to have advance directives, thus decreasing costs by allowing patients to avoid unwanted procedures at the end of life.
The upshot of these and other cost-containment measures is that when Medicare ranked more than 300 cities for quality of health care in 2005, Grand Junction ranked 31st. At the same time, the town had the sixth-lowest costs.
Rocky, which is the largest private payer in the region, has several other distinctive features.
- Physicians are paid similar rates for both commercially insured and publicly insured patients, improving access to care.
- Incentive contracts reward physicians for quality performance.
- Individually identified performance data from each physician is shared with all physicians in the system for peer review, largely eliminating overutilization of services.
- Primary care physicians are paid to see their patients in the hospital, even if those patients are under the care of a subspecialist, resulting in improved follow-up care and reduced readmission rates.
"It's another set of eyes looking in on a patient, and it's someone who knows that patient better than anyone at the hospital because of the long-term relationship you have as a primary care provider," said Pramenko, who added that the arrangement saves money, shortens hospital lengths-of-stay and improves outcomes.
Pramenko also noted that subspecialists in Mesa County don't balk at having primary care physicians checking in on patients.
"When a patient sees their primary care doctor," he said, "their experience is improved and they feel better taken care of. Most specialists appreciate the primary care physician's involvement."
Pilot Program Aims to Engage Colorado FPs in Combating Childhood Obesity
Obesity affects one-fifth of U.S. children ages 6-11 years, according to the CDC(www.cdc.gov). The Colorado AFP and several partner organizations are planning a pilot program (www.coloradoafp.org)that will address this growing public health problem.
"There are not a lot of systems in place or tools for primary care physicians to treat childhood obesity," said Cara Coxe, the Colorado AFP's wellness programs manager. "Some physicians shy away from dealing with childhood obesity because it's an overwhelming issue. We're offering tools to diagnose and treat it."
Eighteen primary care practices, including 13 family medicine practices, will participate in the pilot, which begins with a training session on April 9. Coxe said practices then will recruit patients and their families for the Fit Family Challenge: Addressing Childhood Obesity in Colorado. Implementation of the pilot in practices is scheduled for the fall.
The project will evaluate the use of a clinical guide designed to help physicians diagnose and treat obesity in children ages 6-12 years. A later phase of the pilot will seek to link efforts of physicians, schools and community organizations.
In addition to developing a specific office intervention for addressing childhood obesity and developing protocols for diagnosis and treatment, the pilot aims to:
- develop a pediatric patient registry;
- increase body mass index assessment of pediatric patients;
- train physicians and staff members in motivational interviewing and behavior change techniques;
- develop a proven process to educate and motivate families and children to make healthier food, activity, and sleep choices;
- mobilize physicians to be proactive in their patients' and community's health education;
- create community-based interventions and access to obesity prevention and intervention opportunities through a myriad of community settings, as well as at home and in school; and
- create a replicable, scalable model based on research.
The pilot, which is being funded by the Colorado Health Foundation, also will provide patients and families with resources based on the "5210" approach, which stresses that children should eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables each day, watch no more than two hours of television, get at least one hour of physical activity and drink zero sweetened beverages.
Coxe said the department of family medicine in the University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, will evaluate what works and what doesn't and will disseminate that information to physicians statewide and, possibly, nationally after completing the nearly three-year study.
Grand Junction -- a town of about 50,000 people -- has just two hospitals, and Pramenko acknowledged that making rounds might not be possible in a larger community.
"In a bigger city, my patients could be at three or four hospitals," he said. "Logistically, it would take all day, and you'd be better off with a hospitalist. It's easier in a small town. I wouldn't be doing this in a big city."
Can the Model Work Elsewhere?
In their NEJM article, West and his co-author -- Thomas Bodenheimer, M.D., M.PH., co-director of the Center for Excellence in Primary Care at the University of California-San Francisco -- pointed out seven features of the city's health care system that could be replicated elsewhere:
- leadership by the primary care community;
- a payment system that involves risk-sharing by physicians;
- equalization of physician payment for the care of Medicare, Medicaid and privately insured patients;
- regionalization of services into an orderly system of primary, secondary and tertiary care;
- limits on the supply of expensive resources;
- payment of primary care physicians for hospital visits; and
- robust end-of-life care.
West, who is vice president of medical affairs for Hospice and Palliative Care of Western Colorado, told AAFP News Now that effective hospice care might be one of the least difficult measures to duplicate in another setting.
Conversely, he added, the most difficult is changing the payment system.
Although Grand Junction's successful system has been around for decades, it hasn't been duplicated. Pramenko said the Health Maintenance Organization Act of 1973 led to the creation of new health plans, but, in time, many were sold to for-profit insurance companies or larger nonprofit insurers.
"That didn't happen with Rocky," he said. "It stayed focused on the community."
Pramenko hopes more nonprofit insurers will result from a provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that calls for $6 billion in loans to start nonprofit, consumer-oriented, privately run, local insurance plans.
"The only reason it hasn't happened before is people haven't had the start-up money to cover the risk," said Pramenko, who is a member of an advisory board that is writing guidelines for HHS regarding the application process for such loans. "If you want to start your own health plan, the best opportunity in a lifetime is in Section 1322 (of the Affordable Care Act)."
Another obstacle to creating a Grand Junction-type system is the scrutiny the county's physicians had to withstand from the Federal Trade Commission, or FTC, in the 1990s. Eighty-five percent of Mesa County physicians belong to MCPIPA, and that caused antitrust concerns for federal regulators. Although the matter eventually was settled by a consent order and the organization was permitted to continue almost all of its operations, the prospect of violating antitrust regulations raises a significant barrier to collaborative health planning among community-focused organizations.
FP Michael Pramenko, M.D., is one of more than 1,500 users of the Quality Health Network in western Colorado and eastern Utah. The online repository of patient data is a collaboration of the local physicians' association and Rocky Mountain Health Plans.
New regulations regarding accountable care organizations are expected by the end of summer. Pramenko said those regulations could be another force to help build better health care systems.
"You need to have collaborative effort," he said, "but people are wary of collaborating based on historical rulings of the FTC and the Department of Justice. It's going to be important to see that there are safe harbor provisions in the regulations, like if you stay community-oriented or share risk."
The collaborative spirit in Grand Junction is easy to see. After Rocky won a $21 million judgment against the state's Medicaid department in 2002 because of underpayments made to the plan during the 1990s, physicians were due $2.5 million in interest. Instead of divvying up that money, Rocky and MCPIPA agreed to invest in the Quality Health Network, a shared repository of patient data.
Facts About the Colorado AFP
Chapter executive: Raquel Alexander, M.A., C.A.E.
Number of chapter members: 1,899
Date chapter was chartered: 1948
Location of chapter headquarters: Aurora, Colo.
2011 annual meeting date/location: April 14-17/Cheyenne Mountain Resort, Colorado Springs
"Everybody agreed to do something with the money to continue the progress we've made," Pramenko said.
In addition to Grand Junction's health care model, Pramenko said the outdoor lifestyle of western Colorado -- complete with skiing, hiking and great scenery -- boosts physician retention. West said there are about 75 family physicians in Mesa County, including more than 50 who are graduates of the family medicine residency program(www.stmarygj.com) at St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Junction.
Perhaps most importantly, as Grand Junction continues to garner attention for its health care system, medical students are beginning to take notice. Michelle Jimerson, M.D., a second-year family medicine resident at St. Mary's, told AAFP News Now about her experiences during the interviewing process for prospective residents in which she, like her peers in the residency, is involved.
"I received questions from several applicants during interviews about the 'Grand Junction model,'" said Jimerson. "For those interested in health care reform or public health, I think this model is a draw to the area. As new physicians, we are going to face a very different landscape of health care when we enter practice than even existed when we entered residency. Learning about these possibilities in a place with a progressive model like Grand Junction is a great way to help with this transition."
Related ANN Coverage
Chapter of the Month series
More From AAFP
Family Practice Management: "Strategies for Reducing Costs in Your Medical Community: The Grand Junction Experience"
(July/August 2010; Members/Paid Subscribers Only)
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Marble slab falls from courthouse
On Friday afternoon, Sept. 9, 2011, the Nolan County Courthouse suffered some building damage. One marble slab — which covers the entire outside of the courthouse — approximately 10 feet by 5 feet, weighing about 2,000 pounds, fell off of the courthouse into the north entrance. Nolan County Sheriff David Warren and a deputy took a square foot chunk, weighed it, and calculated the weight based on the overall dimensions of the slab. The slab cracked a section of sidewalk and part of the planter closest to the doors at the courthouse. There were no injuries.


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A Southern California company is suing Google over patent infringement of its navigation system technology.
EMG Technology, a Santa Monica, Calif.-based company, has filed a lawsuit alleging that the search titan is infringing on its navigation system technology in its Chrome mobile browser, according to Business Wire. The complaint was filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.
According to the report, Elliot A. Gottfurcht, managing member and lead inventor of EMG's patent portfolio, said, "Google's Chrome Mobile Browser directly infringes the '196 patent by displaying mobile Web pages on smart phones and tablets using EMG's patented simplified navigation system, which permits users to navigate a touch screen with unique inputs and to manipulate the screen for zooming and scrolling."


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Drake Comes On Stage With Pusha T & 2 Chainz At Howard University Homecoming!
"Drake shutting down Howard's Homecoming (10/19/12). Upon his arrival to the stage, the crowd barrier broke and dozens of fans were crushed as the show was momentarily stopped. Despite, Drake went on to give an amazing performance for Howard and Washington DC." - TwentyFourEight
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Suplest ROADSERIES 01.035. 41 - White - KONTROL | Attributes
Suplest ROADSERIES 01.035. 41 - White - KONTROL | Description
Swiss brand Suplest's latest EDGE/3 Pro shoes blend exclusive and distinctive styling with cutting-edge performance. The ultra-stiff carbon sole along with the included SOLESTAR insole ensure that power transfer is maximized, while high-tech fabrics boost breathability. Two Boa closures ensure a precise fit, along with the unique and innovative thin carbon shield under the laces that spreads the load and delivering class-leading comfort without sacrificing performance. DESIGN & INNOVATION AWARD 2016
Solestar explains suplest edge/3 pro road shoes
Features of the Shoes
The uppers are made out of an ultra-thin and ultra-lightweight, seamless microfiber from Japan. Whose open mesh construction offers a combination of breathability, suppleness and support.
Replacable heel tread.
Additional heel-grip due to a special anti-slip lining in the heel area.
The Delta Grid construction allows the upper material to adapt to the shape of feet.
The mesh is positioned in areas to get the ventilation and allows the shoes to dry quickly.
This shoe has reflective elements, which helps the rider to be seen after dark, in low-light conditions or while riding through tunnels.
suplest EDGE/3 Pro shoes
Extra Features
Equipped with SOLESTAR's footbeds, which are specifically made for cycling. No loss of power, highest comfort and maximum stability.
The anatomic WRAP tongue construction has been built to accommodate multiple foot shapes and widths. The construction allows a maximum foot hold and is comfortable at the same time.
The Carbon Shield is a thin carbon layer, which spreads the pressure of the laces and offers a comfortable fit.
Boa® Closure System, which provides smooth and even closure without pressure points.
Insole Bundle Options
SOLESTAR Suplest cycling insoles are the entry level of the SOLESTAR product range, these insoles offer more performance and stability to every cyclist.
- More stability
- Increased comfort
- Higher performance
- Included in the Suplest Edge/3
SOLESTAR KONTROL cycling insoles, give you increased stability immediately. Your foot, shoe and pedal become one.
- Great transmission of forces
- Optimal guidance of the foot
- Great stability
- Special bundled price for extra €50.00 with Suplest Edge/3 Pro
SOLESTAR BLK cycling insoles for those who make no compromises with material or performance. Provides 100% power on the pedal, and has been specifically designed for the requirements in competitive cycling and triathlon.
- Core made of high-quality carbon
- Outstanding transmission of forces
- Perfect stability
- Special bundled price for extra €100.00 with Suplest Edge/3


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Jerkbaits are one of the few bass lures that are highly effective because of how an angler can control over the action of the bait. Jerkbait minnow can be divided into floating, suspending, sinking three diving types and hard plastic, polymers and wood three making materials. The swim action of minnow jerkbait is done by jerking your rod and you reel the lure in.
Product Name:
Slim Fighter
Hard Jerkbaits Fishing Lure
6 Colors for Option
Hook & Size:
China Brand #8 2pcs
Target Fish:
Bass Trout Bluegill Perch
Diving Depth:
Origin and Loading Port:
Guangzhou China and Guangzhou port
12 months (Jan2018-Jan2019)
River, Reservoir Pond, Ocean Boat Fishing, Ocean Beach Fishing, Stream, Lake
Design according to the customers'requirement. Such as material, shape, size, printing logo etc.
Eco-friendly fishing activity
Special design rainbow eye,which is suitable for all customized bait.
Flat split ring has the ability to withstand greater power when retrieving.
The quality of the two hooks play an important role in catching the fishes.
All painting oil is come from Japan to ensure the best quality output.
Apply To: River, Reservoir Pond, Ocean Boat Fishing, Ocean Beach Fishing, Stream, Lake
This is the process to have the weight and hologram into the plastic body so that the bait will have correct swim action when casting into the sea.
It refers to the process of scrape off the extra plastic little parts after sonic welding. After that, the two plastic parts will look like combined with each other closely and naturally. We will also have the pressure test and water leakage test to make sure our bait is perfect.
In which the process of painting desired colors and patterns on the bait surface with special oxidized pigment after plating or hot stamping. In order to make sure pigment will attached to the body firmly, the coating oil will be covered on the surface of the each bait after the painting tested and being qualified.
This is the final working process and also the most complicated one, as it not only need to get hooks and rings on but also figure out the right barcode for each color and each item. Cover with correct clam and customized logo card is the final step.


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Looks like Justin Timberlake's blossoming acting career is starting to "rock his body" – literally.
The talented triple threat, who's still receiving rave reviews for his performance in David Fincher's "The Social Network," suffered an injury on the set of his new film, Access Hollywood has learned.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: From Small Screen Star To Blockbuster Beauty — Mila Kunis!
U.S. & World
"Justin Timberlake sustained a muscle injury to his calf on the set of Andrew Niccol's thriller 'Now,'" a rep for Fox — the studio behind the film — told Access on Saturday. "Production has taken a brief hiatus and will resume shortly."
The "Sexy Back" singer is a hot commodity in Hollywood — Justin is currently promoting his latest film, "Yogi Bear" (in which he voices the character Boo Boo), and recently wrapped filming on "Friends with Benefits," alongside "Black Swan's" Mila Kunis.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Justin Timberlake: From The Stage To The Red Carpet!
"Now," which also co-stars "TRON: Legacy" beauty Olivia Wilde, as well as "Big Love's" Amanda Seyfried and Cillian Murphy of "Inception" fame, is slated for release on September 30, 2011.
Copyright 2010 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Related Content from AccessHollywood.com:
VIEW THE PHOTOS: From 'House' Hottie To 'Tron' (Head) Turner: The Lovely Olivia Wilde
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Stars Who Golf
PLAY IT NOW: Fashion's Night Out 2010: Justin Timberlake & Trace Ayala Celebrate New William Rast Line
PLAY IT NOW: Access Spotlight: Justin Bieber's Rise To Stardom
More from Access: [ Justin Timberlake Health Scares Olivia Wilde ]


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Italian Food Market, Delicatessen, Catering
Since 1982 - Over 30 Years!
In an effort to give our people what they want, we're adding dinner hours in the evenings. This daily schedule will continue until further notice:
Open Daily - Takeout Only
Thanks so much for the support and we hope you're all staying healthy and finding moments of positivity and enjoyment.
Stay safe, wash your hands and stay healthy,
Tom Roukous & the Coppola's Deli family
Coppola's Deli has been an institution in Richmond's Historic Carytown district since 1982. For the past 32 years, Coppola's Deli has been providing Richmond the taste of an authentic delicatessen. You will find only the finest products, from your basic deli meats to the finest Italian wines.
Our sandwiches have always been our most popular draw.
See our menu for all our popular selections. Among them:
- The South Bronx Club - voted one of the best 50 foods in Richmond, by Richmond Magazine.
- The Industrial is our classic Italian Hero with mortedella, Genoa salami, Capicola ham, provolone cheese, hot & sweet peppers, onions, lettuce, tomatoes and oil & vinegar.
- Vegetarians! - Our classic Cheese Columbo with either marinated eggplant or artichoke hearts.
We also cater for those special occasions as well. See our catering menu and contact us about your catering needs.
For your event consider:
- A tray of lasagna or baked spaghetti
- Deli trays
- Sandwich trays
- Or maybe your own suggestion if you'd like.
We offer impressive boxed lunches for corporate events or other large gatherings. We can do a few or a few hundred….whatever your needs, we can make it work.
|Eggplant Spaghetti Parmigiana
|Generous portion of spaghetti with our homemade marinara sauce topped with eggplant and baked with mozzarella cheese. Served with a garden salad and bread and butter.
Try the Cheese Columbo with your favorite meat! This could possibly be THE BEST sandwich you've ever had! Some of the house favorites have been proscuitto, steak or honey ham


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Readers' Rides Roundup
Trailbusters, Daily Drivers & Oddball 4x4s
Jeeps Rule!
The Buddy System
Vehicle: 1992 Jeep Wrangler
Owner: James D. Pickett, Bend, OR
Tires & Wheels: 33x12.5 Big O Bigfoot tires on 15-inch American Racing wheels
Suspension: 4-inch Skyjacker military wrap leaf springs and shackles, Rancho 9000 shocks
Drivetrain: AX-15 transmission, NP231 transfer case, Dana 30 front and Dana 35 rear, Richmond 4.88 gears, Lock-Right differentials
Performance Mods: None yet
Other Doodads: Warn Rock bumpers, 8,000-pound Smittybilt winch
Funniest Wheeling Incident: Attempting a hillclimb everyone said was too steep and having to use my buddy Rob like a counterweight to keep me from rolling over
Does everything work the way you want?: Yes
Anything you would change?: Upgrade to Dana 44 front and rear, more power
Lady's Choice
Vehicle: 1994 Jeep Wrangler S
Owner: Austin Webber, Richfield, UT
Tires & Wheels: 39.5x16.5 tires on 16x10 black steel Pro Comp wheels
Suspension: Front Rubicon Express 21⁄2-inch leaves with extra shackle reversal and rear XJ leaf springs with Bilstein 5150 shocks
Drivetrain: Stock I-4, AX5, NP231/Dana 300 doubler kit with custom twin sticks by DD Machines, front and rear Dana 60 with 5.86 gears with spools
Performance Mods: Custom cold air intake
Other Doodads: Full hydro steering, reversed front knuckles, rear disc brakes, rear anitwrap bar, custom crossmember skidplate for transmission and transfer case, custom coolant reservoir made with a Jägermeister tin
Funniest Wheeling Incident: Launched 3 feet over a hill and broke both motor mounts and other parts. Made it, though!
Does everything work the way you want?: Picked the wrong ram for the hydro steering
Anything you would change?: Double-ended ram steering and beadlock wheels
Jeepster Addiction
Owner: Russell Witkop
Vehicle: 1971 Jeepster Commando Hurst Edition (1 of 100 made)
Tires & Wheels: Original
Suspension: Original
Drivetrain: 225ci V-6, TH400 transmission
Other Doodads: All factory power options and chrome roof rack
Vehicle: 1969 Jeepster (for wheeling)
Tires & Wheels: 33-inch Super Swampers
Suspension: Original
Drivetrain: Muncie 465 4-speed, Terra Low, 4.27 Dana 30 with Detroit Truetrac front and Dana 44 with locking rear
Other Doodads: Custom armor, rock rails, and cage
Vehicle: 1967 Jeepster Deluxe Sports Convertible
Tires & Wheels: Original wheels and mag caps
Suspension: Stock Drivetrain: 225ci V-6, TH400 transmission
Other Doodads: Stayfast Hot Rodder red power top, every factory option available, including rare white on white paint
Vehicle: 1969 Jeepster Half Cab Pickup
Tires & Wheels: Original
Suspension: Original
Drivetrain: 225ci V-6 with 3-speed automatic
Anything to add?: Jeepsters are like nachos, I just can't get enough
Will Wheel for Beer
Vehicle: 1997 Jeep TJ
Owner: Tracy Smith, Vancouver, WA
Tires & Wheels: 38.5x14.5 Super Swamper SX tires on 15x10 steel DIY beadlock wheels
Suspension: Custom 3-link front and rear, front 14-inch SAW coilovers, rear 5.5 RE coils
Drivetrain: TF999 with Currie deep pan, NP231 with slip-yoke, Terra Low 4:1, 5.38 front Dana 44 with Detroit Lockers, Yukon inner/outers, rear Ford 9-inch with spool, Yukon axles, and hydro steering
Performance Mods: K&N filters, dual Optima RedTop batteries, upgraded fuel injectors, and custom exhaust
Other Doodads: Stretched front 51⁄2 inches and rear 9 inches for 109-inch wheelbase; custom flat fenders, cage, body armor, and fuel cell
Funniest Wheeling Incident: Traded beer for ATF on the Rubicon after flopping it on its side
Does everything work the way you want?: Yes!
Anything you would change?: No!
Anything to add?: Tread lightly and always, if you pack it in, you pack it out!
I ❤ Mud
Vehicle: 1993 Jeep Wrangler
Owner: Rob Kowalski, Long Island, NY
Tires & Wheels: 33x12.5 Maxxis Bighorn tires on 15x10 wheels
Suspension: 4-inch Rough Country suspension lift
Drivetrain: Stock with 6-speed manual Performance Mods: New 4.0L I-6 engine
Other Doodads: Custom toolbox, Cobra CB radio
Funniest Wheeling Incident: Getting stuck in a disguised 4-foot mud hole
Does everything work the way you want?: Other than a leaky fuel line, yes
Anything you would change?: Warn winch and Air Lockers
XJ His Way
Vehicle: 2000 Jeep Cherokee
Owner: Christopher Ball
Tires & Wheels: 37x12.5x17 BFG Krawler Red Label tires
Suspension: Rusty's Long Arm Suspension
Drivetrain: Dana 60 front and rear with 5.38 Yukon Gears and spools
Other Doodads: Custom 8-point rollcage
Does everything work the way you want?: Everything works great, noises and all
Anything you would change?: Hydro steering
Anything to add?: I've done all my own work. Built not bought!
Daddy's Girl
Vehicle: 1989 Jeep Wrangler
Owner: Cameron Weavil, Mobile, AL
Tires & Wheels: 42-inch Pit Bull Rocker tires on 15x12 Eaton beadlock wheels
Suspension: Spring-over conversion, front stretched 3 inches, Pro Comp shocks, 3-inch body lift
Drivetrain: TH350 transmission; Dana 300 transfer case; Dana 60 front with 35 spline chromoly axleshafts, Detroit Locker, 4.56 gears, and Teralow hubs; 14-bolt rear with Detroit Locker and 4.56 gears
Performance Mods: 350ci TPI V-8 from a '92 Corvette, shorty headers, Flowmaster Series 10 race mufflers
Other Doodads: Entire Jeep is Rhino-lined inside and out, PSC full hydro steering, full rollcage
Funniest Wheeling Incident: Caught wheeling on city land with my 9-year-old daughter and she talked the cop out of a ticket!
Homeland Humvee
Vehicle: 1996 Jeep Cherokee
Owner: Scott Armstrong, Port Jervis, NY (currently deployed overseas)
Tires & Wheels: 31-inch Super Swamper tires on 15-inch Crager wheels
Suspension: 4-inch Rough Country suspension lift
Drivetrain: Stock Performance Mods: 4.0L I-6 High Output, snorkel, Borla cat-back exhaust
Other Doodads: Removable doors, custom flat black front and rear steel bumpers with D-rings, Warn 9500 winch, new frame and floor pans, bedliner coating on floor pans and over fenders
Funniest Wheeling Incident: I was so eager to test out the snorkel and winch, I went straight for a mud pit after being warned about it swallowing every other truck. After creeping in, I couldn't back out, so I went for it. I found myself up to the steering wheel in muddy water. The snorkel kept the engine running and I hopped on the hood to reach the winch under the water. The snorkel and winch both passed their first test and it took about two weeks for the truck to dry out.
Does everything work the way you want?: One of the most reliable and toughest trucks I've owned. I love it.
Anything you would change?: Lockers, bigger lift, 33-inch Boggers, and flat green olive drab paint
Anything to add?: I bought this Cherokee after my first tour overseas. I enjoyed driving the Humvees so much that I couldn't wait to get home and get a rig of my own.
Rocky Road Rubi
Vehicle: 2005 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon
Owner: Kyle Poole
Tires & Wheels: 33x11x16 Toyo MT tires with 11⁄2-inch wheel spacers
Suspension: 2-inch Pro Comp coil lift, sway bar removed
Drivetrain: Stock Performance Mods: 4.0L I-6 with K&N filter and air box mod for snorkel
Other Doodads: Poison Spyder front fenders, chopped stock rear fenders, AEV heat reduction hood, Warn steering box skidplate, Rancho steering damper
Funniest Wheeling Incident: It doesn't like water
Does everything work the way you want?: Everything works great
Anything you would change?: 3-inch long arms, more skidplates, 35-inch tires, 4.88 gears, Warn winch, rear tube fenders, rollcage, spare tire carrier—and it still won't be done!
Anything to add?: Love the magazine and live to wheel
Farmtastic Flopper
Vehicle: 1979 Jeep CJ-7
Owner: Josh Husted
Tires & Wheels: 49-inch tractor tires
Suspension: Homebuilt triangulated 4-link front and rear
Drivetrain: T-18 transmission, Dana 20 transfer case, Dana 70 front, Dana 60 rear with Lincoln Locker, 5.13 gears
Performance Mods: 304ci V-8 with Edelbrock Performer package (camshaft, carburetor, and intake), D.U.I. distibutor, K&N intake, fenderwell-exit headers
Funniest Wheeling Incident: Putting it on its lid because I couldn't see and needed a spotter
Does everything work the way you want? It's getting there
Anything you would change?: Coilovers, lower stance, propane injection
Anything to add?: This was my first time welding and I cut the back half of the frame out and started over with a pile of steel and a borrowed welder. You can do anything you set your mind to.
Rockin' XJ
Vehicle: 1999 Jeep Cherokee Sport
Owner: Ryan Smith, Ephrata, PA
Tires & Wheels: 35x12.5 Pro Comp Xterrain tires on 15x8 steel wheels
Suspension: 8-inch Iron Rock long-arm suspension lift, lost rear sway bar, front JKS sway bar quick-disconnect system
Drivetrain: AW4 transmission, NP242 transfer case, Tom Wood's Slip Yoke Eliminator and rear driveshaft, high-pinion Dana 30 front, 8.8-inch Ford rear with disc brakes, rear Power Trax locker, and 4.56 gears
Performance Mods: 4.0L I-6 engine with MagnaFlow exhaust
Other Doodads: JCR front bumper, Rusty's Off-Road skidplates
Does everything work the way you want?: Getting there. It works better than I thought it would, but the rear needs more flex.
Anything you would change?: Add a front locker, BFG KM2 tires, and rock sliders
Unpopular Aussie
Vehicle: 1974 Jeep CJ-6
Owner: Jason Caruana, Jimboomba, Queensland, Australia
Tires & Wheels: 33x12.5 Cooper ST tires on 15-inch custom steel wheels
Suspension: 2-inch lift coils all around, long-arm rear
Drivetrain: AX15 transmission, NP231J transfer case, '99 XJ Dana 30 front, '99 WJ Dana 44 rear narrowed 3 inches, 4.26 gears
Performance Mods: Australian Redesigned Buick 3.8L V-6 EFI dual-fuel propane and petroleum
Other Doodads: Chassis swap CJ-6 body on a TJ chassis, moving the differential 10 inches back to fit the body, all TJ electrical system, 7-inch TJ flares, TJ seats, rollcage
Funniest Wheeling Incident: When going to meet friends at a campsite while towing a trailer, I took a wrong turn and went up a very steep hill and got stuck halfway. My wife got out to try and call for help from the top of the hill and fell over three times trying to get up there. Subsequently I was not Mister Popular.
Does everything work the way you want?: Almost
Anything you would change?: Locker up front and doors
Anything to add?: Love your mag. Keep up the good work.
Don't Tell Dad
Vehicle: 1999 Jeep Wrangler
Owner: Michael Swanson, Jacksonville, NC
Tires & Wheels: 34x12.5 Interco TrXus tires on 15x8 Pro Comp alloy wheels
Suspension: 3-inch BDS suspension lift
Drivetrain: Stock
Performance Mods: Ram-air cold air intake
Other Doodads: Warn bumpers front and rear and 9500 Warn winch
Funniest Wheeling Incident: Getting buried before I had my license and my dad never knowing [Until now! —TR]
Does everything work the way you want?: I wish it had more horsepower and torque
Anything you would change?: I would drop a Cummins 4BT into it
Do It Yourself
Vehicle: 1984 Jeep Scrambler
Owner: Vinny Civitarese, Butler, Pennsylvania
Tires & Wheels: 33x10.5 BFG tires on stock steel wheels
Suspension: 21⁄2-inch Skyjacker springs and custom shackles
Drivetrain: T-177, D300, front Dana 30, rear trussed AMC 20 with 1-piece shafts, front/rear lockers
Performance Mods: Original 4.2L I-6 with duct-taped factory cold air intake
Other Doodads: Homemade drivetrain and body armor (some with plumbing equipment), converted propane tank for air, vintage CB radio
Does everything work the way you want?: Works well, but never finished
Anything you would change?: 3.31 gears suck and rear bumper is an anchor
Anything to add?: If you can't afford to buy it, build it!
Jolly Green Jeeper
Vehicle: 1975 Jeep CJ-5
Owner: Tom Petrak, Portland, OR
Tires & Wheels: 32x12.5 BFG KM2 tires on 15-inch Pro Comp black steel wheels
Suspension: Modified Super Lift springs, Warrior shackle reversal, Rancho shocks
Drivetrain: T-18 transmission, Dana 20 transfer case with Bronco gears, Dana 30 front with Lock-Right differential and 4.56 gears, Dana 44 rear with Power-Lok differential and 4.55 gears
Performance Mods: AMC 360ci V-8, Edelbrock intake, Chevy TBI, K&N filter, MSD coil, Headman headers, Flowmaster dual exhausts
Other Doodads: York pump for onboard air; Warn M8000; full rollcage; disc brakes; homebuilt bumpers, rocker panels, and spare tire; Hi-Lift jack mount
Funniest Wheeling Incident: Learning how fast you can get into trouble the first time out with front and rear lockers!
Does everything work the way you want?: Sometimes
Anything you would change?: Is that a trick question?
Anything to add?: Jolly Jeepers rule! Just Everybody's Extra Parts!
Wait, What?!
Best Bird Ever?
Vehicle: 1968 Pontiac Firebird 4x4
Owner: Brian Moses, Wichita, KS
Tires & Wheels: 33x12.5 Futura Dakota RVT tires on 15-inch American Racing polished wheels
Suspension: 23-inch suspension lift, International Scout front springs, stock rear leaf springs, long-travel shock
Drivetrain: Chrysler 727 transmission, Dana 20 transfer case, Dana 44 front and rear, 3.08 gears, Detroit Trutrac rear differential, stock Trac-Lok front differential
Performance Mods: International 345ci V-8 bored 0.30 over, forged flat-top pistons, ported and shaved heads, sodium exhaust valves, digital MSD ignition, 4-barrel Thermoquad carburetor
Other Doodads: The car is not on a 4x4 frame; it's the original Firebird, but still steers and drives perfectly
Funniest Wheeling Incident: My buddy, who stores everything he owns on his dash, told his girlfriend, "If he can do it, I can too," and tried to follow me up the embankment of a river. He did a nose plant into the embankment, and everything on the dash—and his girlfriend—ended up in the backseat. She wasn't hurt, and I laughed my butt off.
Does everything work the way you want?: Beyond expectations! It does an easy 130 mph.
Anything you would change?: Upgrade the sound system to digital with two 10-inch subwoofers
Anything to add?: This is the best thing that ever happened to a '68 Firebird [Really? —TR]. It's a true muscle car now. I love running with Corvettes on the highway and outclimbing rockcrawlers that come in on trailers.
Radio Fly-by-4
Vehicle: Radio Flyer wagon
Owner: Brandon Black, Rolla, MO
Tires & Wheels: ATV tires on silver-painted steel wheels
Suspension: Triangulated 4-link suspension, custom frame, custom body lift, coil springs
Performance Mods: Powered by his son's imagination
Other Doodads: Custom stainless steel exhaust stack, custom tonneau cover, custom paint, Rhino lining
Anything to add?: I gave this to my son for his third birthday and would love to see it in your magazine for him to keep and so he can brag about it when he's older
Family-Built Frankentruck
Vehicle: 1985 Chevy Silverado Owner: Ben Partlow, Bruno, MN
Tires & Wheels: 56-inch tractor treads
Suspension: 12-inch Superlift with custom frame modifications, Rancho shocks
Drivetrain: Modified Turbo 350 transmission, NP205 transfer case, Rockwell top-loaders
Performance Mods: 482ci Chevy big-block V-8 with 200hp nitrous kit and header exhaust stacks
Other Doodads: Custom fiberglass pickup box sides, cowl hood, racing seats with 5-point safety harnesses, "lots of others"
Funniest Wheeling Incident: Breaking the rear window while pulling someone out
Does everything work the way you want?: It definitely gets it done!
Anything you would change?: I would like to put in a rollcage and do some frame modifications
Anything to add?: This has been an ongoing project with me and my three little girls (ages 4 years, 7 years, and 10 months in the photo). We all really enjoy working on it and wheeling it even more.
Nice Tata
Vehicle: 2004 Tata TL 4x4
Owner: Owned by U.S. Army in Iraq, submitted by Sgt. Casey Kelver, Spring, TX
Tires & Wheels: Stock with first tubeless tires from India that significantly reduce tires from bursting at high speeds
Suspension: Stock double-wishbone front with torsion bars, solid axle with rear leaf springs
Drivetrain: G76 5-speed manual transmission, limited-slip rear differential, electric 4x4 with automatic locking hubs
Performance Mods: Stock I-4 1.9L turbodiesel with 92 hp and 137 lb-ft of torque, top speed of 76 mph
Other Doodads: Machine gun mounted in bed, Petersen's 4-Wheel & Off-Road stickers (I think the stickers may have bumped it up to 100 hp)
Funniest Wheeling Incident: Just driving this thing in Iraq
Does everything work the way you want?: As well as you can expect. Anything is better than a Humvee.
Anything you would change?: I'd trade it for one of the Land Rovers or Suburbans here
Anything to add?: The Tata makes me miss my F-250
Raider Nation
Vehicles: 1997 (left) and 1998 Dodge Raiders
Owners: Justin and Neil Hager, Colorado Springs, CO
Tires & Wheels: 33x12.5 Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac and 235/75/15R BFG Trail Maker tires on 15-inch black steel wheels, 2-inch wheel spacers
Suspension: 3-inch body lift with stock springs and shocks
Drivetrain: Stock
Performance Mods: Weber Redline carburetor on the '98
Other Doodads: 3-inch exhausts, electric fuel pumps, extended shifters
Does everything work the way you want?: Fantastic
Anything you would change?: Lockers for both, front solid axle swap for both, 32-inch tires for the '97
Anything to add?: The small one ('97) is mine and I got it for $1,000. The big one ('98) is my dad's and he bought it for $500. They both run great and outperform my '80 CJ-5 in many ways.
New Yeller
Vehicle: 2008 Dodge Ram 1500 Sport
Owner: Stefan Brownell, Ithaca, NY
Tires & Wheels: 35x17 Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac yellow-lettered tires on 17x9 Pro Comp black and yellow wheels
Suspension: 4-inch Rough Country suspension lift
Drivetrain: Limited-slip rear differential
Performance Mods: 5.7L Hemi V-8, Superchips programmer, K&N air filter
Other Doodads: N-Fab 3-step Nerf bars, 4-foot bed toolbox, tailgate vise, 120V/15A inverter
Funniest Wheeling Incident: Cruising uphill past emergency vehicles stuck in Upstate New York snow
Does everything work the way you want?: Almost there. Locker and a winch are next.
Anything you would change?: Needs different Nerf bars and onboard air, and I'm just awaiting the next deer hit to get a nice winch bumper
Anything to add?: Upgraded from my '98 ("4xDose" in Readers' Rides, June '09) to this 2008, which is just off-warranty, so let the mods begin!
Ice Breaker
Vehicle: 1999 Dodge Ram 1500 Sport
Owner: Steve Schuda, Sicklerville, NJ
Tires & Wheels: 315/75/16R Pro Comp M/T tires on 16x10 Pro Comp Rock Crawler wheels
Suspension: 5-inch Skyjacker Stage 1 suspension lift system, dual steering stabilizer system, add-a-leaves
Drivetrain Stock transmission, front forks converted to cable setup, NP241HD transfer case conversion, custom driveshafts, Eaton lockers front and rear, 4.56 gears
Performance M ods: 360ci V-8 roller camshaft engine bored 0.10 over, K&N air filter, Flowmaster dual exhaust
Other Doodads: Dual Halo HID 8,000K kit, 8,000K foglamps, eight 130-watt KC Daylighter lamps, LED taillamps and third brake lamp, N-Fab Pre-Runner front pushbar, red Mopar 4x4 bed stripes, Mopar nose badge, all "Dodge" and "Ram" stickers replaced with "Mopar" or "Mopar 360"
Funniest Wheeling Incident: During winter, I was going down a trail and came up to deep frozen water. I decided to drive across, but the truck was too heavy, and at the deepest part the right side of the truck broke through the ice. Just before it flipped, the left side broke through and dropped in, leveling me out. I threw it into 4-Lo and was able to drive right out.
Does everything work the way you want?: Yes. I built it myself, so it runs like a horse!
Anything you would change?: I want a body lift along with bigger wheels and tires
Anything to add?: I love this truck! I built it myself and it's a never-ending project. There are always things to change.
Domesticated Imports
Pirate 4xCross
Vehicle: 1999 Isuzu VehiCross Owner: Lawrence Wussow
Tires & Wheels: 32x12.5 Nitto Mud Grappler tires on 18x8 Center Line Tomahawk Rapid wheels (photos show 20-inch wheels)
Suspension: Old Man Emu 919 springs and 2-inch poly spacers for 4 inches of lift, 2-inch differential drop, 33⁄4-inch torsion bar crank, Indy 4X HD lower links, Indy 4X tie rods, Energy sway bar bushings, XL Prothane rear bumpstops, stock KYB remote reservoir shocks
Drivetrain: Isuzu 4.77 gears, Aussie locker rear differential, Magnum cross-drilled brake rotors with Indy 4X stainless steel brake lines and Speed Bleeders
Performance Mods: Alpine Supercharger with 5-psi boost, Autometer carbon fiber boost gauge, custom insulated carbon fiber intake with K&N cone and prefilter, Dynomax Super Turbo muffler
Other Doodads: Too many to list, but highlights include 2-inch receiver hitch with D-ring, machined aluminum battery tray, brass knuckles transfer case shifter, Tone Monday front skidplate, custom fabbed 1⁄4-inch steel belly pan under transmission, modified Trooper transfer case skidplate, functional heat extractor hoodscoop, Thule Xpedition 696 roof basket with spare tire, 50cf scuba tank portable air, Optima RedTop battery, third brake lamp flasher, rock sliders, Blazer overhead console, full audio system with tool/storage/subwoofer/amp box, Cobra 40-channel CB radio, Kenworth truck front grille with pirate logo
Flatbed Fun
Vehicle: 2001 Toyota Tacoma
Owner: Levi Burgett, Atascadero, CA
Tires & Wheels: 39.5x13.5 Irok Super Swamper tires on 16x10 steel wheels
Suspension: Custom leaf springs with Bilstein shocks
Drivetrain: 4.70 Trail Gear transfer case, Dana 44 front with chromoly axles, 14-bolt Corporate rear with Detroit Locker
Performance Mods: 2.7L I-4 with MagnaFlow exhaust
Other Doodads: Custom bumper, rock sliders, flatbed, and underbody light kit
Does everything work the way you want?: Heck yes!
Anything you would change?: Full hydro steering
Big-block Taco
Vehicle: 1998 Toyota Tacoma
Owners: George and Christopher Gonzalez, San Gabriel, CA
Tires & Wheels: 44-inch Interco Super Swamper Bogger tires on beadlock wheels
Suspension: 6-inch front and rear leaf lift using K5 Blazer leaf springs, Bilstein 5150 front shocks, and 16-inch Fox rear shocks
Drivetrain: TH350 transmission, NP205 transfer case, Dana 60 front, 14-bolt full floater Corporate rear, 5.13 gears
Performance Mods: 454ci Chevy big-block V-8, 540 camshaft, Holley tunnel ram intake, Holley Truck Avenger carburetor, Headman headers
Other Doodads: Rear disc brake conversion, rollcage, sound system, winch
Funniest Wheeling Incident: Getting lost with an empty gas tank, a dead battery, no phone, and no CB radio
Does everything work the way you want?: Most definitely!
Anything you would change?: No, I wouldn't change anything, but I would like to add more to it, such as a fuel cell
Inspired Isuzu
Vehicle: 1994 Mazda B4000
Owner: Kevin Roussin
Tires & Wheels: 37x14 Swamper Irok tires on 15x10 steel wheels
Suspension: Front 3-link with Panhard bar, Deaver coil springs, and Ruff Stuff brackets; 63-inch rear Chevy leaf springs with extended shackles
Drivetrain: 5-speed manual, manual transfer case, Ford Dana 44 front, 9-inch rear
Performance Mods: 4.0L V-6 with modified intake and exhaust
Other Doodads: A/C converted to onboard air, home-brew high-lift jack, axe mount, Smittybilt 8,000 pound winch, auxiliary lamps, auxiliary reverse lamp, auxiliary off-road lamps, fire extinguishers in cab and pickup box, CB radio
Does everything work the way you want?: For today
Anything you would change?: Lower gearing and new snorkel
Anything to add?: Ali Mansour's Danger Ranger project [Mar.–Aug. '12] was the original inspiration for this truck
Cheap Thrills
Vehicle: 1987 Toyota Short Box Pickup
Owner: Derek Emerson, Helena, MT
Tires & Wheels: 37x13.5 Pit Bull Rocker tires on 16x8 American Racing Baja wheels painted olive drab green
Suspension: Toyota rear springs up front, 63-inch Chevy rear leaf springs, Sky Boomerang shackles, Monroe shocks
Drivetrain: Old prototype Budbuilt adapter that mates two Toyota G/W series 5-speeds (you read right, my reverse-reverse-4-Lo gearing is 224:1!), stock transfer case with Trail Gear twin stock remotely shifted, stock axles, 4.38 gears, high steer, front IFS hub swap, rear Aussie locker
Performance Mods: Lead foot Other Doodads: Many! Home-fabbed exocage/tube bed, power steering cooler converted from an old dirt bike oil cooler, ammo boxes for modular storage, jerrycans strapped to the bed, Humvee front/rear signal lights, Summit seats with RLS 5-point harnesses, custom transmission tunnel
Funniest Wheeling Incident: Having a friend's battery break on the trail and hiking to my rig to borrow its battery for a jump. It wasn't very fun to hike a 4-rated obstacle while carrying a battery and jumper cables!
Does everything work the way you want?: So far, I'm loving dual 5-speeds. Shifting on the fly with a much lower range than dual transfer cases. No coupling shafts were required because the male and female shafts on the Toyota transmissions are both 21-spline. Not to mention, no one at the parts store even believes me!
Anything you would change?: Finish up my custom crossmembers and run a 2-piece front driveshaft and tuck part of it under a flat belly pan, and link suspension and add another locker when I no longer need to DD during winter
Anything to add?: Got to thank my parents for fostering the 4x4 bug, and 4WOR Editors-in-Chief Péwé and Freiburger for showing me how to get away with doing things cheap
Too Pretty?
Vehicle: 1987 Toyota FJ60 Land Cruiser
Owner: Paul & Amy Carrill, Kansas City, MO
Tires & Wheels: 33x15 BFG A/T tires on 15x8 widened Toyota stock wheels (originally 15x5.5), OEM hubcaps
Suspension: 3-inch BDS suspension lift with BDS shocks, 4-inch Old Man Emu lift kit in the box and ready to install soon
Drivetrain: Australian H55 5-speed transmission, rebuilt transfer case, U-joints, balanced driveshafts, rebuilt/packed front Birfield joints and knuckles with Toyota parts, rebuilt rear axle with Toyota parts
Performance Mods: Stock I-6 with 230K miles
Other Doodads: Underhood ARB compressor, dual batteries, snorkel, ARB front bumper with Warn 8274 winch, SOR rock sliders, SOR custom rear bumper with spare tire mount, ladder, work lamp, fuel can carrier, roof rack, utility interior panels, security console, rear seats for increased storage, Engel 12V refrigerator, rooftop tent, interior camping storage
Funniest Wheeling Incident: Other than people always calling it a Land Rover, during a Cruise Moab event most people thought it was "too pretty" to wheel. Everyone was stunned when it crawled up several step on a near-vertical climb on a portion of the Devil's Backbone.
Does everything work the way you want?: Yes. The truck was built to travel long distances to backcountry destinations and back. It's not the fastest, but it has taken us to some of the most beautiful spots in America and back home without a single problem.
Anything to add?: You learn so much about an old truck when you restore one. The Rhino Ride started life as a ranch truck on a poultry farm, so when I pulled the interior every crevice was full of feathers! I'd love to meet the original owner some day and learn about his experiences with this truck.
Dirty Datsun Hybrid
Vehicle: 1974 Datsun Pickup
Owner: Kyle Pheneger, Houlton, WS
Tires & Wheels: 235/75/15R Sport King steel radials on 15-inch steel wheels
Suspension: '74 International Scout II frame and suspension
Drivetrain: 3-speed manual, Dana 44 front and rear, 3.54 gears
Performance Mods: International 345ci V-8
Other Doodads: Hydraulic dump box and snowplow
Does everything work the way you want?: No
Anything you would change?: Suspension lift, bigger tires, lockers, 4-speed transmission
Anything to add?: Because it's a Datsun on a Scout II frame, I call it the Scoutsun
The Daily Beast
Vehicle: 1994 Toyota Pickup
Owner: Daniel Jones, Moreno Valley, California
Tires & Wheels: 33x12.5 Timberline M/T tires on 15-inch steel wheels
Suspension: Stock with Pro Comp shocks
Drivetrain: Stock
Performance Mods: 22RE I-4, K&N air filter, Ice big-bore throttle body, intake tube, Stage 2 cylinder head, handmade headers, 21⁄2-inch exhaust, Flowmaster muffler
Other Doodads: Prerunner-style fenders with sledgehammer modification to fit the 33-inch tires
Funniest Wheeling Incident: During an easy Sunday my brother and I thought it needed some mud on her and found a small lake nearby. Seven hours later and two more stuck trucks, we finally got out. Yeah, that was a good day
Does everything work the way you want?: She is my daily driver and does everything amazingly
Anything you would change?: I really want to change out the 5-speed for a 6-speed and add a Total Chaos, generation-two Caddy kit for the front with a nice set of bypass shocks, and a 4-link setup for the rear
Anything to add?: I call her Beast and she goes anywhere
Fun with Fords
Canadian Twist
Vehicle: 1979 Ford F-150
Owner: Tyson Heuer, Sparwood, British Columbia, Canada
Tires & Wheels: 35x10 Pro Comp M/T tires on 15x10 white steel wheels
Suspension: 4-inch Rough Country suspension lift and Rancho shocks
Drivetrain: 4-speed manual transmission, NP205 transfer case, stock axles
Performance Mods: 429ci V-8 with Dove-C heads, Wiseco flat-top pistons, Comp Cams camshaft, over-the-frame headers for 450 hp
Anything to add?: It may not be the prettiest, but it sure turns heads in the bush!
Lady's Little Blue Stocker
Vehicle: 1999 Ford Ranger XLT
Owner: Alicia Cornish, Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada
Tires & Wheels: Dunlop Winter tires on Stock 15x6 wheels
Suspension: Stock
Drivetrain: Stock
Performance Mods: Stock
Other Doodads: None. Haven't had a chance.
Funniest Wheeling Incident: Being stuck up on a hill with a dead alternator when I wheeled with my crew, Peace Liard Mudding
Does everything work the way you want?: For sure
Anything you would change?: Better tires and a suspension lift
Anything to add?: Even an all-stock truck can handle some good stuff
Trip of a Wifetime
Vehicle: 2001 Ford F-150 Lariat
Owner: Joshua Martin, Olathe, KS
Tires & Wheels: 39.5x16 Pit Bull Rocker tires on 16.5x12 Weld Racing beadlock wheels
Suspension: 10-inch Whiplash suspension lift, Pro Comp MX6 adjustable shocks, rear lift springs
Drivetrain: 4.10 gears
Performance Mods: 5.4L Triton V-8, cold-air intake, headers, full MagnaFlow exhaust
Other Doodads: Removable front hitch mount
Funniest Wheeling Incident: While wheeling at Tuttle Creek ORV Park, my buddy and I sank our trucks in the mud flats. After hours of digging, two tow straps, a logging chain, and a cell phone full of mud and water, we finally made it home to my very mad wife.
Does everything work the way you want?: Yes, it works great!
Anything you would change?: 2-inch body lift for a little bit of tire clearance, spare tire rack in the bed, new HD bumpers front and rear
Cradle Rocker
Vehicle: 1992 Ford F-150 XLT
Owner: Eric Ramsey, Coaling, CA
Tires & Wheels: 33-inch Cooper Discoverer S/T tires on steel wheels
Suspension: 4-inch Superlift suspension lift, 2-inch body lift
Drivetrain: Dana 44 front and rear, Warn locking hubs
Performance Mods: 351ci Windsor V-8, K&N 2-stage air filter system, Flowmaster exhaust
Other Doodads: Rollbar and KC lamps
Funniest Wheeling Incident: Cracked an engine cradle pulling a buddy out
Does everything work the way you want?: Most of the time
Anything you would change?: Rear locker, custom bumpers, winch
Anything to add?: Great magazine!
Warning: Bronco Bites!
Vehicle: 1978 Ford Bronco
Owner: Mike Proctor, Muskegon, Michigan
Tires & Wheels: 35x12.5 BFG M/T tires on 15x10 Eaton steel wheels
Suspension: 4-inch Deaver coils, Superflex Superlift leaf springs, Superlift front shocks, Fox rear shocks
Drivetrain: C6 transmission, NP205 transfer case, front 8-lug Dana 44, 14-bolt rear, 4.10 gears
Performance Mods: 351ci V-8 engine; Edelbrock intake, carburetor, and headers; Flowmaster exhaust
Other Doodads: Rear disc brakes, GM power steering pump, Bullet Proof track bar
Does everything work the way you want?: Works great
Anything you would change?: 460ci V-8, rollcage, locking differentials, a front Dana 60
Anything to add?: Almost lost a finger putting a Chevy axle into a Ford!
The Generals' Troops
Crazy Caddy
Vehicle: 2008 Cadillac Escalade EXT
Owner: Ken Powell, Nags Head, NC
Tires & Wheels: 36-inch Mickey Thompson MTZ tires with Rockstar wheels
Suspension: 15-inch Full Throttle suspension lift, 3-inch body lift
Drivetrain: Stock fulltime AWD
Other Doodads: Electric drop steps and JL Audio sound system
Does everything work the way you want?: Truck still rides like a Caddy, just all jacked up
Anything to add?: This High-Tech RedNeck truck will crawl through anything
Boat Motor Bow Tie
Vehicle: 1992 Chevy Silverado Z-71
Owner: Robby Haakma, San Jose, CA
Tires & Wheels: 37x13 Super Swamper Bogger tires on 16-inch American Racing Crater wheels with Teflon coating
Suspension: 11 inches total lift using Pro Comp traction bars, 54-inch long front leaf springs, 6-inch Superlift Softride springs, 21⁄2-inch ORU suspension lift, 3-inch body lift, Pro Comp reservoir shocks
Drivetrain: '79 King Pin and high-pinion Dana 60 front, double CV joint front driveshaft, 1-ton 14-bolt rear with Detroit Locker, 4.88 gears
Performance Mods: High Performance 350ci V-8 MasterCraft marine engine, 1⁄4-inch raised camshaft, throttle body spacer, K&N intake, Edelbrock headers, high-flow catalytic converter, single-chamber Flowmaster muffler
Other Doodads: Solid front axle conversion, crossover steering, Westin pushbar with KC lamps, 21⁄2-inch steel cowl hood
Does everything work the way you want?: This truck goes wherever I tell it to
Anything you would change?: I'd love to have dual transfer cases
Nature's Paint Job
Vehicle: 1986 Chevy Silverado
Owner: Ryan Thompson, Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Canada
Tires & Wheels: 37x14.5 Bogger tires on stock 15-inch Chevy Rallye wheels
Suspension: 6-inch Superlift with a leaf pulled and a zero rate Drivetrain: TH350 transmission with TransGo kit, NP208 transfer case, 10-bolt front, 12-bolt rear, 4.56 Motive gears
Performance Mods: 355ci V-8 Vortec TBI, Ultimate TBI mods, Melling camshaft, headers, Dynomax Bullets with dual exhaust
Other Doodads: LS1 fans and four Hella 500 lamps on front bumper
Does everything work the way you want?: Needs to be a touch higher because the Boggers rub a bit
Anything you would change?: Tuff Country 6-inch EZ Rides with the zero rate are waiting to go on along with paint
Civilian Duty
Vehicle: 1998.5 AM General Hummer H1 Owner: SSG Joe Nuzzolese, US Army Drill Sergeant, Fort Benning, GA Tires & Wheels: Toyo M/T tires on chrome wheels
Suspension: Stock
Drivetrain: 6.5L GM Turbodiesel V-8
Funniest Wheeling Incident: I've had it in water almost up to the windshield, climbed near-vertical faces, and everything in-between
Does everything work the way you want?: I use this beast for what it was intended for
Anything to add?: I love loading the family and dogs up for weekend camping trips. It's nice being able to go from interstate speeds, make a turn, and take anything Mother Nature can throw at me without the blink of an eye or having to stop to put it into 4x4 mode.
208K Tahoe
Vehicle: 1998 Chevy Tahoe
Owner: Phillip Holmes, Westminster, MD
Tires & Wheels: 35x12.5 BFG Mud King tires on 15x8 Mickey Thompson Classic II wheels
Suspension: Cranked torsion bars and 3-inch Performance Accessories body lift
Drivetrain: Stock Performance Mods: Shorty headers, short ram intake, throttle body spacer Other Doodads: Mild fender trimming
Funniest Wheeling Incident: Got stuck in a creek at the bottom of a hill behind my buddy's house just before it started pouring rain for three days Does everything work the way you want?: Runs pretty well for having 208,000 miles
Anything you would change?: 4-inch suspension lift, 37-inch Interco TSL tires, better brakes
Anything to add?: This is my first truck. Thanks to Wes Hogg and Andy Tillman for all of their help.


text:
Two home-made bombs hit a mosque and a conference center in eastern Germany late Monday in what officials called a "xenophobic" attack, NBC News reported.
No one was injured by the blasts in Dresden, birthplace in 2014 of the anti-Islam PEGIDA movement, whose name is an acronym for Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West.
The city's police chief said officials were "now in crisis mode."
U.S. & World
"Even though there has been no claim of responsibility, we have to assume that there is a xenophobic motive," Dresden police chief Horst Kretzschmar said in a statement.
A recent government report warned that xenophobia was rising in ex-communist eastern Germany.


text:
Shooting victim was an Eagle Scout, 'tremendous talent'
By all accounts, Reat Underwood was the all-American boy.
Reat, 14, was one of three people killed in a gunman's rampage at two Jewish sites on Passover eve in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park. Authorities said Monday that the accused killer will face murder and hate-crime charges.
Reat had gone to the Jewish Community Center on Sunday with his grandfather, physician William Corporon, 69, to try out for the KC SuperStar singing and scholarship competition. Both were fatally shot. The third victim, shot outside the Village Shalom retirement home, was Terri LaManno, 53.
All the victims were Christians.
Reat was an Eagle Scout who enjoyed "spending time camping and hunting with his grandfather, father and brother," said Mindy Corporon, Reat's mother and the daughter of William Corporon.
She said she arrived at the scene as police were arriving.
"It was very unreal," she said Monday. "It didn't feel like a crime scene to me, it was family. My family members on the ground."
She called the shootings a "horrible act of violence," adding that her loved ones were at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Reat was a freshman at Blue Valley High School, where he was involved in debate and theater.
"He loved to debate," she said, adding that he had been involved in eight debate contests and earned a varsity letter.
"He was very proud of that," she said.
"He was with us for a wonderful 14 years and had a real full life for a 14-year-old," she said.
Blue Valley has almost 1,500 students, but Principal Scott Bacon told USA TODAY that Reat made a positive impression right away, at the annual Blue Valley Educational Foundation breakfast that draws almost 1,000 people.
"He sang the national anthem," Bacon said. "I realized very quickly we had a young man with tremendous talent in our school. I was certainly impressed by his presentation in front of such a large audience. I saw him as a young man with great promise."
Bacon said he often saw Reat chatting with other students in the hallways. Bacon said Reat already had become a fixture at singing events in the school, including the annual musical — this year Guys and Dolls.
"This was a traumatic event for our school community," Bacon said.
The high school had planned an in-service day for teachers Monday, so no classes were scheduled. But counselors were being made available for students, schools superintendent Tom Trigg said.
Trigg also was at the breakfast and knew Reat.
"His talents were on full display that morning," he said, adding that he found Reat to be "an engaging and exceptional young man."
Reat was still in his grandfather's truck when police say Frazier Glenn Cross, 73, opened fire at the community center, killing Reat and his grandfather, then fired shots outside the nearby Village Shalom retirement home.
Cross, also known as Frazier Glenn Miller, is a former "grand dragon" of the Ku Klux Klan with a long history of running illegal paramilitary organizations and intimidating minorities, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.
"That idiot absolutely knocked a family to its knees for no reason," said Will Corporon, William Corporon's son and Reat's uncle.
Corporon practiced medicine in Oklahoma from 1976 through 2003, when he and his wife moved to the Overland Park area to be closer to their grandchildren. Will said his dad was in college when Will was a baby, and that his mother worked to put his dad through medical school.
Will Corporan said many people come up to him and remark that William Corporon's hands were the first hands ever to touch their children.
He said his dad would have gladly given his life to save Reat's life.
"My father leaves behind a legacy of faith and family and community," he said.
LaManno, whose mother lives in Village Shalom, was the mother of two and an occupational therapist at the Children's Center for the Visually Impaired, Overland Park Police Chief John Douglass said.
The family members are long-time parishioners at St. Peter's Catholic Church in Kansas City, where a rosary was said for LaManno after Monday morning Mass, The Kansas City Star reported.


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text:
The original Yellow Clearance Black Box Blues – revised, updated… Remastered!
You can grab your own copy now at: http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/215 ... te_id=7242
One of the most famous missions in Troubleshooter history has returned to enhance the lives of a new generation of clones. Once more Troubleshooters can pursue the elusive Black Box, explore Outdoors, and bring peace and security to Alpha Complex.
We can't tell you what this adventure is about (except that lots of confused and desperate people are killing each other over a mysterious Black Box), but we can tell you what it (the mission, we mean, not the box.
This set contains :
• Track 1: Bop 'til You Drop
• Track 2: I Was a Mutant for the FBI
• Track 3: No-One Gets Out of Here Alive
• Track 4: Why Don't We Do It In The Road
• 8 Unique Equipment Cards
• 8 New Action Cards
• 3 Two-Sided Map Cards
Why worry when we can Rock?
Mongoose News - Yellow Clearance Black Box Blues (Remastered)
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Mongoose News - Yellow Clearance Black Box Blues (Remastered)
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