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Top Truck Challenge 2010: Adrenalin Rush
Non. Stop. Action.
"It's nothing like I expected. There's a whole lot of adrenalin here, that's for sure." These words were spoken by Jason Gray, immediately following his pull in the Tow Test. Gray was the very first competitor in the first event of this year's Top Truck Challenge, and his insightful comment was right on the money. From the moment Top Truck starts, the adrenalin begins.
What is Top Truck Challenge? Well, TTC, as it's known, is a weeklong event that we created 18 years ago. It takes place near Hollister, California, at Hollister Hills State Vehicular Recreation Area. It features 10 vehicles that are chosen exclusively by Four Wheeler readers. Each vehicle contains a "team," which is defined as a driver and co-driver. These teams compete in seven events consisting of the Tow Test, Frame Twister, Mud Pit, Obstacle Course, Hill Climb, Mini Rubicon, and Tank Trap. Each of these courses is custom-made and one-of-a-kind. They are designed to push even the most well engineered rig to its breaking point. They're also designed to be a form of mental calisthenics for the drivers, as they're forced to think on-the-fly. The seven events we create represent almost every discipline of four-wheeling. The legendary Tank Trap, the final event of TTC, is an unrelenting compilation of thick mud, steep hills, deep water, and evil rocks all packed into approximately 1,320 feet. Tank Trap forces teams to confront their off-highway demons while the clock is ticking. Over the years, Top Truck has drawn competitors from coast to coast, as well as from Canada and Israel. This year, we had a competitor from the Territory of Guam. As you can imagine, the video footage gathered at Top Truck is riveting, and recently, footage from TTC 2009 was featured on country superstar Brad Paisley's H20 world concert tour.
This year saw some incredible drama in addition to the unrelenting action. For instance, Brian Barker had awful luck when his Ford Ranger's C6 transmission case blew apart in the Frame Twister. When piecing it back together didn't last, he refused to give up, and ultimately the truck ended up at Quality Transmission in Seaside, California, where a rebuilt transmission was quickly installed so Barker and his team could compete in the Tank Trap. Another dramatic turn of events hit Ryan Knoche. His Suzuki Samurai suffered massive front suspension failure in the Obstacle Course, which allowed the front axle to rotate. Thanks to help from many of the other competitors, Knoche was able to repair the damage in a short amount of time and return to competition without missing a beat.
This year's TTC brought together a group of fascinating rigs and incredibly talented drivers. The action was spellbinding and the teamwork inspiring. A lot went on and we've summarized each event for you in detail. It begins when you click to the page.
Day 1, Event 1: The Tow Test
What it is: It's a heckuva way to start Top Truck, that's what it is. We strap each rig to a 35,280-pound cement truck and we have 'em pull the monstrosity as far as they can from a standing stop. Sounds simple enough, right? Well, not exactly. You see, we have 'em pull uphill. Yep, you read that right. It's a test of pull power, tire traction and drivetrain stoutness, and it weeds out any weak links fast. Welcome to Top Truck.
How it works: Each competitor is allowed one pull on our 150-foot track and there is no time limit. A pull is completed when forward momentum ceases or the competitor crosses the finish line, whichever comes first. This year, the finish line eluded all of the competitors, so each was ranked by the total distance they pulled.
Finish Line Quotes
"It's heavier than I thought. I thought I'd get it."-Roger King
"It's all I could do to just hammer on it and see what it could do. It was heavier than I thought it was going to be. As soon as I felt it cinch up and shake a little bit, I was like 'this is no joke, I'm glad I put it in First.'" -Leo Kuether
"It took me totally by surprise. It acted like I was on an anchor when I first started." -Darren Sinkey
"That's heavy. I didn't think it was going to be near that heavy. Just to move. Just a rolling object. But man, that's like dead weight." -P.J. Hale
The Play-By-Play
Barker's Ranger: Best pull of the event, even though engine issues wouldn't let the 598ci V-8 rev over 3,000 rpm. Ran in 4-Hi, First gear.
Gray's Blazer: First competitor. Ran with 7 psi in the rear tires and 9 psi in the front tires. Straight run, with no visible wheelhop. Driver wished he would've used a lower gear because he didn't get the wheelspeed he wanted.
Hale's Willys buggy: Suffered some wheelhop off the starting line and had to back off the throttle. Had the 54-inch Mickey Thompson tires aired down to 7 psi.
Karwath's YJ buggy: Suffered a little wheelhop and drifted to the passenger-side of the course, which necessitated a heading adjustment near the end of the run. Ran with the rear suspension locked out and the front sucked down with the winch. Had 12 psi in the rear tires and 31/2 psi in the front tires.
King's Power Wagon: Second competitor. Ran with the 54-inch Mickey T's set at 30 psi rear and 15 psi front in an effort to keep wheelhop to a minimum. Had the adjustable wheelbase set at its longest setting (about 145 inches).
Knoche's Samurai buggy: Drew down the front with the winch and locked out the rear suspension. Ran with 12 psi in the rear 54-inch Mickey Thompson tires and 10 psi in the front tires. Suffered wheelhop, which forced him to back off the throttle.
Kuether's "Fat Girl" buggy: Used the front winch to draw down the frontend and he set the tire pressure at 10 psi. Started in low range First gear and shifted to Second after gaining momentum. Kept the 502ci Ram Jet at the rev limiter.
Quichocho's CJ-7 buggy: Shifted from First to Second gear during the run and kept the 502ci big-block in its sweet spot. Ran with 14 psi in the rear 54s and 10 psi in the front.
Simmons' Ford: Had the 46-inch Mickey Thompson tires aired down to 10 psi in the rear and 15 psi in front. Had the NP205 in low range and the C6 in Second gear. A little over nine feet into the course, a factory weld on the rear driveshaft broke, ending his run.
Sinkey's Bronco: Good start off the line with the 351ci V-8 pulling strong. Wheel hop forced him to back off the throttle, which caused slack in the tow strap as the cement mixer rolled forward. This caused a series of launches and wheelhop episodes.
|Barker's Ranger
|82 ft. 1 in.
|King's Power Wagon
|77 ft. 1 in.
|Quichocho's CJ-7 buggy
|68 ft. 4 in.
|Kuether's "Fat Girl" buggy
|67 ft. 6 in.
|Karwath's YJ buggy
|66 ft. 8 in.
|Gray's Blazer
|64 ft. 5 in.
|Hale's Willys
|59 ft. 7 in.
|Sinkey's Bronco
|55 ft. 8 in.
|Knoche's Samurai buggy
|51 ft. 1 in.
|Simmons' Ford
|9 ft. 1 in.
Day 1, Event 2: The Frame Twister
What it is: Exactly what its name implies, we've packed this 400-foot course with a banner collection of frame-twisting nastiness. Seventy-two feet into the course, there's a tight, 90-degree turn littered with rocks. By 170 feet, competitors have been through two gnarly water holes. At 195 feet, the sheetmetal-gouging, axle-grabbing boulder pile has surfaced. A special treat, our legendary log section, which contains a series of 2-foot-diameter logs placed perpendicular to the direction of travel with deep water holes between each log, waits at 271 feet. This year, we extended the course by approximately 100 feet and included an evil log pile and some large cement culvert pipes. The course climbs slightly in elevation from approximately 1,104 feet at the starting line to approximately 1,115 feet at the finish line.
How it works: Each team is allowed 12 minutes. This is an increase of two minutes from last year to compensate for the added course length. During this time, each competitor battles to get as far as they can on the course. Penalties, for infractions such as reversing, winching, etc., are added to each competitor's raw time. Ranking, for those who finish, is by total elapsed time including penalties, or for those who don't finish, overall distance traveled.
Finish Line Quotes
"The biggest surprise was when I hit the culverts, how hard my nose smashed into the steering wheel when I landed. I totally drilled it." -Leo Kuether
"Those logs are serious. They're serious." -Mike Karwath
"What a mess. Very nice. You could do that all day, I think. You see it on the video, but nothing is what's like on the video." -P.J. Hale
The Play-by-Play
Barker's Ranger: First competitor. Got to the first turn with 23 seconds on the clock and had to execute a three-point turn, which used up about 10 seconds. Arrived at the rocks with 1:10 on the clock. Made good progress and entered the log section with 2:41 on the clock. Got stuck in the logs and traveled out of bounds while winching. The C6 transmission housing was severely damaged during the run.
Gray's Blazer: Last competitor. Got stuck in the logs and fought to get out, to no avail. High revs and water caused the power steering belt to fall off. Timed out.
Hale's Willys buggy: Consistent, restrained run. They arrived at the logs with 2:50 on the clock, got stuck, and started winching. Exited the logs and began disconnecting winch cable with 4:00 on the clock. Drove the remainder of the course with no drama. Somewhere along the line, the winch quit working and the welds holding the front hydraulic steering ram were damaged.
Karwath's YJ buggy: Ran with 51/2 psi of tire pressure. With 3:30 on the clock, they were stuck in the logs and beginning to winch. With 4:45 on the clock, they were out of the logs and spooling cable. Less than a minute later, they were done.
King's Power Wagon: Made it to the boulder section in 40 seconds. Exited about 90 seconds later. Got stuck in the logs with 3:18 on the clock. Broke the intermediate driveshaft to the divorced transfer case. Winched as far as they could until they timed out. Their electric winch threw in the towel.
Knoche's Samurai buggy: Ran with 6 psi of tire pressure. Arrived at the boulders with 40 seconds on the clock and easily crawled through using front "dig" maneuver. For some reason, the rear axle didn't re-engage and the rig got stuck early into the logs. With 4:00 on the clock they were winching the rig. Drove the rest of the course to finish on the clock.
Kuether's "Fat Girl" buggy: Fastest run of the event. Never winched. Co-driver operated the rear steer through the boulder section. Rolled on the big-block horsepower and flew over most of the logs on two wheels. Also airborne over the cement pipes.
Quichocho's CJ-7 buggy: Blew through the course. No winching and only a few penalties for backing up. Flew over most of the logs.
Simmons' Ford: Slow, calculated run. Entered the boulder section with 1:20 on the clock and exited 80 seconds later. Got stuck in the logs and winched, exiting with 6:40 on the clock. Broke a spring retainer cup on one of the rigs coilovers in the boulders.
Sinkey's Bronco: Conservative run with his underhood siren occasionally wailing. With 4:00 on the clock he was stuck in the logs. Winch problems forced the team to end their run with 6:04 on the clock.
|Kuether's "Fat Girl" buggy
|2 min. 40 sec.
|Quichocho's CJ-7 buggy
|2 min. 50 sec.
|Hale's Willys buggy
|5 min. 03 sec.
|Karwath's YJ buggy
|5 min. 37 sec.
|Knoche's Samurai buggy
|5 min. 42 sec.
|Simmons' Ford
|7 min. 30 sec.
|King's Power Wagon
|Barker's Ranger
|Sinkey's Bronco
|Gray's Blazer
Day 1, Event 3: The Mud Pit
What it is: In a pre-event Q & A, half of this year's competitors said they were not looking forward to the Mud Pit competition. Well, this inspired our sicko track builders to make sure our 138-foot Mud Pit would be extra special. With that said, they created a track filled with what could possibly be the best mud we've ever created. The consistency was extra-thick and gooey, and it had the delightful characteristics of industrial adhesive. It was a test of each rig's cooling system, drivetrain beef, and tire traction.
How it works: Rigs run individually, and the fastest elapsed time wins. Those rigs that do not complete the course are ranked in order of their overall distance traveled. This year, only one rig made it the length of the course, and it was the first one to run.
The Play-by-Play
Barker's Ranger: Came to the event with the transmission case hastily pieced back together and the correct spark plugs installed in the engine. With the 598ci V-8 engine running correctly, he threw down a great run.
Gray's Blazer: Great launch off the starting line, thanks to liberal application of the 454ci V-8. The power steering belt fell off shortly into the run, which forced both driver and co-driver to combine their efforts to steer the truck.
Hale's Willys buggy: Did not back up off the line, and shut the engine down as soon as forward progress ceased.
Karwath's YJ buggy: Last competitor. Reversed as far as possible to gather momentum and hit the mud with so much speed, the TH400 transmission had shifted to Third gear. Traveled the furthest distance of the nine rigs that didn't finish. Co-driver operated the rear steering.
King's Power Wagon: Came to the event with a replacement intermediate shaft installed. The propane-fired 408ci stroker motor was screaming when he hit the mud. Ran with the adjustable frame fully extended. Lost momentum, but employed a tactic where he repeatedly extended and shortened the adjustable frame in an inchworm-like procedure to gain more distance.
Knoche's Samurai buggy: Co-driver piloted the rig, and Knoche monitored the gauges. The team added a mud shield over the gauges so they could be viewed when the flying goo covered the interior.
Kuether's "Fat Girl" buggy: While blasting through the mud at speed, mud encased the air cleaner on the Ram Jet 502ci powerplant, choking off airflow and killing the engine causing a premature end to the run.
Quichocho's CJ-7 buggy:First competitor, and the only one to complete the course. Reversed off the starting line and then nailed the 502ci big-block to gather forward momentum before entering the rut-free mud.
Simmons' Ford: Second competitor. Aired the tires down to 5 psi and unspooled the 575hp, 521ci V-8. Hit the mud with a good head of steam, but was quickly overcome by the goo.
Sinkey's Bronco: Backed up from the starting line to gather momentum and actually hit the mud airborne. The 46-inch Mickey Thompson Claws actually found a bite in the deep ruts.
Finish Line Quotes
"I wanted to go first and I picked a lucky number." -Joe Quichocho
"It's an awesome pit. I think if we would've had our steering the whole time, we might've been able to do a little better, but I don't know. It gets real thick at the end." -Jason Gray
"Nasty. I don't normally run mud, but this is a good experience. It confirms what I don't want to do." -P.J. Hale
"Mud pit was serious. I was hoping we were going to make it, but somebody else stopped right there." -Ryan Knoche
"Somebody made a big wall of mud at the end. I don't know who that was. I sure stopped fast." -Brian Barker
"I thought we did very well for all the ruts and holes that had been dug in there." -Mike Karwath
|Quichocho's CJ-7 buggy
|27 sec.
|Karwath's YJ buggy
|87 ft. 0 in.
|Barker's Ranger
|86 ft. 6 in.
|King's Power Wagon
|85 ft. 6 in.
|Knoche's Samurai buggy
|80 ft. 2 in.
|Hale's Willys
|75 ft. 6 in.
|Sinkey's Bronco
|71 ft. 2 in.
|Gray's Blazer
|65 ft. 8 in.
|Simmons' Ford
|65 ft. 0 in.
|Kuether's "Fat Girl" buggy
|45 ft. 4 in.
Day 2, Event 1: The Obstacle Course
What it is: This course begins with a long, steep, slippery hill descent that is designed to get everyone's undivided attention right from the get-go. After that, the course only gets worse. We pack this quarter mile of insanity with a variety of obstacles (some wet and some dry), and we purposely make the course twisty and confusing. The course consists of an upper and lower section. Highlights include a cluster of four water holes at the bottom of the hill descent in the lower section, a deep water hole in the upper section, and a tight 90-degree dogleg turn a short distance from the finish line in the lower section. Yep, it's a great way to start Day Two of Top Truck Challenge.
How it works: There's a 20-minute time limit, so speed is critical. But so is accuracy. Hitting any of the cones that mark the course earns a 5-second penalty (each). A DNF looms if all four tires of a vehicle travel off course. Ranking is by the fastest overall elapsed time for those who finish or overall distance traveled if they do not.
Finish Line Quotes
"It was pretty scary at the top. Because where you're staged, you're looking over the hill and you can't even see the dirt, so you're dropping into a blind hill." -Mike Karwath
"It was controlled chaos, I can guarantee you." -P.J. Hale
"Great course, guys. Really challenging. A lot of fun." -Leo Kuether
"At the top we looked at each other and said 'Do you really want to do this?'" -Kevin Simmons
The Play-by-Play
Barker's Ranger: Good start to the run, but the damaged C6 transmission gave out with approximately 4:25 on the clock.
Gray's Blazer: Incredibly fast run that included a unique backwards front burn in the 90-degree dogleg. Hit only three cones for a 15-second penalty.
Hale's Willys buggy: Even with steering issues that hindered a full range of motion, their run was quick. They did hit six cones, resulting in a 30-second penalty.
Karwath's YJ buggy: First competitor. Utilized the rear steering throughout the course. Was in the 90-degree dogleg doing a front burn with 4:20 on the clock. Hit four cones, which added 20 seconds to his time.
King's Power Wagon: The rig broke the front passenger-side knuckle in the upper part of the course, resulting in no steering control of the passenger-side tire. The driver chose to continue on the course backwards using the rear steering to aim the truck. They came close to rolling in the 90-degree dogleg and almost made it to the finish line, but timed out.
Knoche's Samurai buggy: Got a little crossed up coming down the steep hill descent. With 1:45 on the clock, they were driving the upper part of the course and the front driveshaft was broken and whipping wildly. With 3:45 on the clock, they were nose down in the 90-degree dogleg preparing to winch. With 7:40 on the clock, they were backwards on the course in the final trench. Somewhere along the line, a front four-link bar broke, which was the beginning of an incredible amount of damage to the frontend. Even so, the team backed through the rest of the course and across the finish line.
Kuether's "Fat Girl" buggy: Accelerated down the steep hill descent and then flew through the course to earn the fastest time. Co-driver was operating the rear steering by the halfway point. Hit five cones for a 25-second penalty.
Quichocho's CJ-7 buggy: Didn't even try to miss the cones at the 90-degree dogleg, figuring it was better to take the penalty than lose time trying to thread the wide rig through the turn. Penalized 25 seconds for hitting cones.
Simmons' Ford: Slow, careful run. Executed a dramatic rear wheelstand. Easily crawled the 90-degree dogleg. Only gathered 15 seconds in penalties.
Sinkey's Bronco: Broke a tie rod in the upper water hole with about 3:00 on the clock. Driver chose to end his run shortly thereafter.
|Kuether's "Fat Girl" buggy
|2 min. 28 sec.
|Gray's Blazer
|3 min. 09 sec.
|Quichocho's CJ-7 buggy
|3 min. 47 sec.
|Hale's Willys buggy
|4 min. 11 sec.
|Karwath's YJ buggy
|5 min. 52 sec.
|Simmons' Ford pickup
|8 min. 34 sec.
|Knoche's Samurai buggy
|9 min. 09 sec.
|King's Power Wagon
|Sinkey's Bronco
|Barker's Ranger
Day 2, Event 2: The Hill Climb
What it is: Like beaming parents, we're especially proud of our hill climb. It's approximately 600 feet of pure misery perched on a steep, slippery hillside that is surrounded by poison oak. We bring in a big excavator and dig out deep, off-camber holes, and we throw the loose dirt all over the place for good measure. We also incorporate some sweeping turns and dirt piles, too. This event rewards those who can think on-the-fly, and it punishes those who are thinking about what they had for lunch.
How it works: Fastest time to the top wins. Those who don't make it to the top are listed as DNF and ranked in order of how far they traveled. Competitors are not allowed to see the course in advance. Competitors can stop and restart as long as it doesn't exceed five seconds. If they exceed a five-second stop, they are listed as DNF at that point. If the inside of a tire breaks the outside plane of a cone, it's a DNF.
Finish Line Quotes
"They surprised me and I wasn't ready for it." -P.J. Hale
"If any one event, this was the one I was most nervous about. You can't see anything." -Joe Quichocho
"That was crazy. I mean that was absolutely insane. I mean that was nuts." -Mike Karwath
The Play-by-Play
Barker's Ranger: Did not run due to transmission damage.
Gray's Blazer: Second competitor. Rolled onto the driver-side in the first hole. It actually looked for a moment like he was going to make it through, but when the driver-side rear tire dropped into the hole, the rig flopped.
Hale's Willys buggy: First competitor. On his third attempt through the first hole, the rig rolled onto the driver-side as soon as the front driver-side tire entered the hole, ending his run.
Karwath's YJ buggy: Fast run with some incredible wheel lift in some of the holes.
King's Power Wagon: Ran with the adjustable chassis fully extended. Rolled in the first hole.
Knoche's Samurai buggy: After a quick repair session to fix the damage sustained in the Obstacle Course, the team came to the Hill Climb and made a quick, undramatic climb to the top of the hill.
Kuether's "Fat Girl" buggy: Fastest run of the competition. Co-driver used the rear steer to keep the rig from flopping over in one of the holes, and he shifted the transmission from time to time to help keep momentum.
Quichocho's CJ-7 buggy: Fast run with very little drama as the four-link suspension with Fox coilovers soaked up the bumps.
Simmons' Ford: Great run, but lost momentum and stopped just past the 284-foot mark. Broke the driver-side rear sway-bar link.
Sinkey's Bronco: While exiting a hole almost halfway up the hill, the rig did a pirouette and rolled onto the passenger-side. Driver-side engine cylinders loaded with oil.
|Kuether's "Fat Girl" buggy
|41.75 sec.
|Karwath's YJ buggy
|47.50 sec.
|Quichocho's CJ-7 buggy
|55.00 sec.
|Knoche's Samurai buggy
|1 min. 06 sec.
|Simmons' Ford
|284 ft. 5 in.
|Sinkey's Bronco
|255 ft. 0 in.
|King's Power Wagon
|185 ft. 3 in.
|Gray's Blazer
|175 ft. 2 in.
|Hale's Willys buggy
|174 ft. 1 in.
|Barker Ranger
Day 2, Event 3: The Mini Rubicon
What it is: If you inject the name "Rubicon" into something, it had better be good. Our 150-foot course is worthy of its namesake, with giant boulders that have been strategically placed to ensure maximum challenge. The course is narrow, so there are not many options and we integrate four nasty, deep crevices that stretch across the course at random.
How it works: Each competitor is given 30 minutes to get as far as they can. Winching, reversing, stopping, etc., all earn penalties in the form of seconds, which are added to a competitor's raw time. Competitors who complete the course are ranked by their actual time, while those who do not finish are ranked by their distance traveled.
The Play-by-Play
Barker's Ranger: Did not run due to transmission damage.
Gray's Blazer: Had trouble getting up on the rocks. Broke the ears off the passenger-side chrome-moly 35-spline stub shaft when the tire became lodged in an undercut boulder. With 5:15 on the clock, the power steering belt fell off. After several attempts to winch and move the truck further down the course, they chose to end their run with 14:11 on the clock after proceeding 22 feet. Other damage included a twisted steering ram mount.
Hale's Willys buggy: Arrived at the second crevice with 2:15 on the clock, third crevice at 3:04, fourth crevice at 3:20. Very steady run with no drama. Broke a spherical rod end on the rear upper link bar.
Karwath's YJ buggy: Insulted our track builders by easily blasting through the course in 57 seconds with no penalties. Photographers and video crew ran to keep up.
King's Power Wagon: Co-driver never exited the vehicle. Cleared the first crevice with 25 seconds on the clock and never looked back.
Knoche's Samurai buggy: Co-driver piloted the rig in this competition. Smooth, steady progress with no winching. Bluetooth in-helmet radio communication between driver and co-driver. Cleared the first crevice with 2:15 on the clock, the second crevice at 3:05, the third crevice at 3:45, and the fourth crevice at 5:25. Only gathered 6 seconds in penalties.
Kuether's "Fat Girl" buggy: Co-driver took the wheel. With 3:30 on the clock, the buggy rolled onto the driver-side in the third crevice, but the driver powered out of it by using Reverse. Co-driver never exited the rig. Gathered 1:16 in penalties. Damage report: Broke both front sway-bar end links, shattered the rear brake rotor, broke both front and rear limiting straps.
Quichocho's CJ-7 buggy: First competitor. Made it to the first crevice with 1:08 on the clock, the second crevice at 4:15, the third crevice at 4:33, and the fourth crevice at 4:45. Gathered 47 seconds in penalties.
Simmons' Ford: With 3:30 on the clock, the rig was tilted to the driver-side, just shy of the second crevice. Arrived at crevice two with 5:50 on the clock, crevice three at 6:16, and crevice four at 6:45. Completed the course. Broke their troublesome rear sway-bar link again.
Sinkey's Bronco: Got stuck early into the course and things never really improved. The team chose to end their run with 10 seconds left on the clock after proceeding 68 feet.
Finish Line Quotes
"We are the less experienced team out here on the rocks, but it really meant a lot to finish the Rubicon." -Joe Quichocho
"I'm very happy with that run. Very happy." -Mike Karwath
"That's what we do in Texas. That's what we do once or twice a month." -P.J. Hale
"That's what we enjoy. That was fun. That was a good rock climb." -Roger King
|Karwath's YJ buggy
|57 sec.
|King Power Wagon
|1 min. 29 sec.
|Hale's Willys buggy
|4 min. 06 sec.
|Quichocho's CJ-7 buggy
|5 min. 53 sec.
|Knoche's Samurai buggy
|6 min. 23 sec.
|Kuether's "Fat Girl" buggy
|6 min. 28 sec.
|Simmons' Ford pickup
|8 min. 18 sec.
|Sinkey's Bronco
|Gray's Blazer
|Barker's Ranger
Day 3, Final Event: The Tank Trap
What it is: It's approximately 1/4-mile of some of the most extreme terrain you'll ever encounter. It sits deep in a natural valley surrounded by a staggering amount of poison oak and various plants with sharp protruding objects. All the flora seems very angry. The area is brutal in its basic form, but we make it even worse (or better, depending on how you look at it) by adding dirt hills and deep holes filled with water. The unrelenting course kicks off with a pair of deep water holes that have earned a reputation for shattering Tank Trap dreams before they even begin. From there, the course transitions into the Canyon. This section is about 100 yards in length and is filled with steep, slippery rock waterfalls that thwart forward travel, and off-camber sections that tip rigs into sheer rock-laden walls. The Canyon has claimed many victims. After that, there are three more water holes before the infamously deep Water Hole 6 that is the ultimate test of waterproofing. The grand finale is a hard left turn into the last water hole and then a steep climb up a long, mega slippery slope.
How it works: There's one rule for Tank Trap: Competitors must travel through the marker cones when they appear. That's about it. Each competitor has 30 minutes to travel as far as they can. Rankings are by overall time or distance traveled if DNF. The Tank Trap is so tough, we make it worth double points. This means it is strategically important to teams who need to gather much-needed points or extend a lead.
Finish Line Quotes
"It was a blast. It was a good way to end a good week. Very nice. The steepness of the climbs to crest the water holes was the most intimidating thing because all you're looking at is sky, sky, sky, and you just know you're coming down in six feet of water." -Mike Karwath
"The DVDs we watched, so many people run through it, but it's a totally different ballgame when you're in it. No words can explain it until when you're in it. It's tough." -Joe Quichocho
"That was rough, man. You always hear it and you watch it on videos and you're like 'yeah, I can do that.' Then you get out here and start doing some of it, and you're like, 'man, do I really want to be here?'" -P.J. Hale
"That was tough. We got hung up on a couple spots that we didn't even expect. The water was deep. It came up over the top of the motor right up into my lap almost. This is the highlight of the week, finishing the Trap." -Jason Gray "Tank Trap was one event I wanted to finish, and when we didn't I was really bummed. I shouldn't have been. I should've been more excited we were there." -Kevin Simmons
"I had to walk it after the event to make sure I saw what I saw when I was going through there." -P.J. Hale
|Karwath's YJ buggy
|Gray's Blazer
|Quichocho's CJ-7 buggy
|Knoche's Samurai buggy
|Hale's Willys buggy
|Barker's Ranger
|Simmons' Ford pickup
|Sinkey's Bronco
|King's Power Wagon
The Play-by-Play
Barker's Ranger: Came to the event with a new C6 transmission. Easily cleared the first two water holes and entered the Canyon with 1:40 on the clock. After winching in the Canyon, they entered Water Hole 3 with 12:50 on the clock. Miscommunication between driver and co-driver culminated with the truck rolling onto the driver-side in the trench just past Water Hole 5. After several attempts to right the rig, the batteries went dead, so the engine and winch were unusable. Timed out.
Gray's Blazer: Restrained run with low rpm to help keep the power steering belt on the pulleys. Entered the Canyon with 1:50 on the clock. The cooling fan threw water high in the air as they entered Water Hole 6. Winched part way up the final hill and drove the remainder to complete the course.
Hale's Willys buggy: Flew through the first two water holes and entered the Canyon with 1:35 on the clock. Got stuck at the bottom of the final hill and winched part way up before driving the remainder. Completed the course. Engine was smoking because it was overfilled with oil.
Karwath's YJ buggy: Fastest time of the event. Blew through Water Holes 1 and 2 and entered the Canyon with only 55 seconds on the clock. Entered Water Hole 3 with 1:50 on the clock and cleared Water Hole 4 with 2:26 on the clock. Co-driver operated the rear steer occasionally and never exited the rig.
King's Power Wagon: Entered Water Hole 1 with :45 on the clock. Entered the Canyon with only 1:18 on the clock. Hit the waterfall in the Canyon too hard and simultaneously blew the front driver-side tire, the rear axle, the rear driveshaft, and the rear of the transfer case with 1:30 on the clock. Spent the next 24 minutes trying to coax the rig further up the Canyon, but the rig's engine started to overheat and they chose to end their run with 25:30 on the clock.
Knoche's Samurai buggy: Easily drove through the first two water holes and entered the Canyon with 1:15 on the clock. Blew through Water Hole 3 with 3:40 on the clock and Water Hole 4 with 4:00 on the clock. Arrived at the bottom of the final hill with 5:30 on the clock. Broke both upper rear link bars at the frame, as well as the rear driveshaft, which required winching the entire length of the hill using the Warn 9.5ti winch.
Kuether's "Fat Girl" buggy: Disqualified prior to the event for a rules infraction.
Quichocho's CJ-7 buggy: Transfer case kept popping out of low gear even with the driver trying to hold the shifter in place. Driver switched to high-range and it stayed put. Entered the Canyon with 1:32 on the clock, Water Hole 3 with 3:12 on the clock and Water Hole 4 with 3:30 on the clock. Employed the Warn 9.5ti winch to help climb the final hill with 5:30 on the clock.
Simmons' Ford: Left the starting line with the winch rope in the co-driver's lap. The winch rope became knotted, which cost the team some time. Entered the Canyon with 7:25 on the clock. Both rear sway-bar links broke in the Canyon, which allowed the body of the Ford to lean into the Canyon wall. Driver and spotter switched positions with 14:20 on the clock. Entered Water Hole 4 with 29:50 on the clock. Timed out.
Sinkey's Bronco: First competitor. Entered Water Hole 1 with 3:33 on the clock. Almost rolled in Water Hole 2 with 6:50 on clock. Exited Water Hole 2 with 11:45 on the clock. With 15:10 on the clock, the bolts fell out of the passenger-side front brake caliper. Small engine fire quickly extinguished with 16:45 on the clock. Halfway through the Canyon with 25:30 on the clock. Timed out in Water Hole 3.
The Winners! Here are the top finishing teams of Top Truck Challenge 2010!
Team Gray, from Amity, Oregon, scored the most points of the trucks in this year's competition, and Team Karwath, from Union, Kentucky, scored the most points of the buggies.
Both ended up on top, but they arrived there in vastly different fashion. Team Gray, in their '75 Chevy Blazer, had problems with a defecting power steering belt in almost every event, which eventually forced them to keep their 454ci big-block in the lower rpm through the Tank Trap in an effort to keep the belt on the pulleys. The Mini Rubicon put the big hurt on the team when they bent up the steering ram mount and snapped the ears off a 35-spline, chrome-moly stub shaft. Conversely, Team Karwath reported no failures of any component on their 468ci, V-8-powered, Rockwell-equipped YJ buggy.
It's interesting to note that Gray was the only truck to complete the Tank Trap, while Team Karwath was the fastest buggy. Also notable (to GM fans anyway) is that both rigs are GM big-block-powered and sport TH400 transmissions.
In addition to their award, Team Karwath was invited to compete in the 2011 Griffin King of the Hammers (KOH) event in Johnson Valley, California. Jeff Knoll of KOH says, "King of the Hammers was built on the idea that the right combination of trail ingenuity, desert racing speed, rockcrawling technical ability, and driver skill could yield a vehicle that could do multiple tasks off-road. TTC's foundation has been laid on a marriage of off-road capability coupled with a broad requirement of skill sets, making it a relative of modern Ultra4 racing. It seems a natural fit to bring the winner of Top Truck Challenge to the Griffin King of the Hammers platform."
What did our winners think of Top Truck? Jason Gray says, "Pure awesome event. This thing, put together from beginning to end, it was seamless from the very start, and each event is just awe-inspiring. It just gets better. Every day you think 'it can't get better wheeling than this.' And then every day they throw you something else that just gets better." Mike Karwath says, "It's the most amazing off-road event I'll ever be a part of. Period. Leaving with lifelong friends. You guys put on an amazing event, and no matter what, everyone here is a winner."
More Awards
We handed out several specialty awards during Friday's closing ceremonies. From the competitor who traveled the furthest to the rig the judges would most like to own, we cover it all. Here are this year's winners.
Long Distance: Team Quichocho (from the Territory of Guam, approximately 5,876 miiles)
Hard Luck: Team Barker (battled persistent transmission problems)
Team Spirit: Team Knoche and Team Quichoco; both displayed positive attitude from start to finish
Driving Elegant: Team King (drives like he's listening to Tchaikovsky, and he probably is)
People's Choice: Team Quichocho's CJ-7 buggy (big-block goodness with attitude)
Judges Choice: Team Kuether's "Fat Girl" buggy (looks great, runs great)
|Karwath's YJ buggy
|Quichocho's CJ-7 buggy
|Hale's Willys buggy
|Knoche's Samurai buggy
|Gray's Blazer
|King's Power Wagon
|Barker's Ranger
|Simmons' Ford
|Sinkey's Bronco
How Top Truck is Scored
The winner of each event gets 10 points; Second place gets 9 points, and so on. The final event, Tank Trap, is worth double points. When all seven events are completed, each team's points are tallied, resulting in their final score. This year, we awarded Champion plaques to the truck and buggy with the highest point values of all competitors combined.
Safety First
There's some crazy action at Top Truck, but make no mistake, safety comes first. Not only do we enforce the rules that govern the Hollister Hills SVRA, we also institute our own policies to ensure everyone's safety. Further, we gathered all the competitor rigs and physically documented important safety information including, but not limited to, what types of safety restraints are installed, where the ignition shutoff is located, where the battery is mounted in each vehicle, etc. This was done to ensure a quick response time in case of emergency.
Heartfelt Thanks
As you can imagine, Top Truck challenge requires a significant amount of logistics before, during, and after the event. For this, the staff of Four Wheeler relies on a dedicated group of people to help us out. These folks selflessly put a significant amount of time into Top Truck, and we don't take their sacrifice lightly. So to them and the companies that helped make TTC '10 a success, we offer our most heartfelt thanks.
Chris Finstad, our lead medic, John Fox, Robert Lund, Tony Morales, Debra Fox, and JP Juarez from the San Juan Batista Fire Department.
Phillip Indihar at Quality Construction, for providing the camera truck, water truck, and pressure washers.
J3 Excavation and Las Animas Concrete, for the heavy equipment support.
California Site Services, for the safety fencing.
Black Wolf Security Services, for guarding the perimeter.
Yamaha, for use of the way-cool Rhino.
Mansmith's BBQ, for all the incredible meals including the wood fire-cooked welcome dinner.
Hollister Hills SVRA staff and rangers, including John Vallett, Jeff Gaffney, Crystal Sanchez and Kris Plank. Also, Daphne Greene, deputy director, California State Parks OHV Division.
Want to see more photos?
If you have a hankerin' for more TTC photos, you can see scores of images by simply visiting www.fourwheeler.com. There, you'll find a wide range of exclusive photos from all seven events.
See the DVD!
Our professional film crew was on hand to record all the action at TTC '10, and the result is a high-definition DVD that will blow you away. It's packed with gobs of amazing footage of our 10 competitors battling our seven brutal events. You can only get the DVD through 4Wheel Parts Wholesalers, so call 800/213-5668, visit www.4wheelparts.com, or get to your local 4Wheel Parts Wholesalers retail location.
Last Words
"It's definitely a whole lot different than what you might think, just reading it in the magazine and watching the videos. It's ten times tougher." -Darren Sinkey
"It's well worth coming here. It's an event you can't take lightly. It's one of those deals where you're glad you're here. However much work it took to get here, you're just glad you're here and just glad to be a part of it." -P.J. Hale
Four Wheeler would also like to thank the official Top Truck sponsors:
Official Retailer: 4Wheel Parts, www.4wheelparts.com.
Official Tire: Mickey Thompson Tires, www.mickeythompsontires.com
Official Axle: Superior Gear & Axle
Official Oil: Amsoil, www.amsoil.com
Official Winch: Warn Industries, www.warn.com
Official Suspension: Tuff Country, www.tuffcountry.com
|Karwath's YJ buggy
|Quichocho's CJ-7 buggy
|Hale's Willys buggy
|Knoche's Samurai buggy
|Gray's Blazer
|King's Power Wagon
|Barker's Ranger
|Simmons' Ford
|Sinkey's Bronco


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When was the last time you truly felt happy? Finding everyday happiness is a challenge for everyone in today's fast paced society. It is especially challenging for the elder part of our population. How do you remain happy despite chronic conditions and the effects of aging? Walt Disney once said "Happiness is a state of mind. It's just according to the way you look at things." Research similarly illustrates Disney's statement. Researchers have shown more positive thinkers tend to have a stronger positive "happy" outlook of themselves and those around them; whereas, those who are more negative in their frame of mind tend to be more doubtful of their own self-worth and the worth of others. So with this is mind, here are some tips to guide your beginning steps on the road to becoming happier as you age.
Focus on what you can do instead of what you cannot
It is often difficult to not dwell on the things that we wish we could change. We wish that we did not have aches and pains. We wish that we could eat anything we want without repercussions. We wish we could still do all the activities we used. However, focusing on this line of thinking is not productive and in fact can be detrimental to your own sense of self-worth. Instead, accept your new reality and focus on what you can do that will bring you joy. You can read those guilty pleasure books. You can go for walks through the park. You can eat that piece of chocolate (or two no one is going to tell). Dedicate your time to enjoying your life and prioritizing those passions that drive you. If you enjoy and can still garden, plan that dream garden and then go out an actually plant it. You will come out of it much happier then if you had sat inside dwelling on what cannot be.
Be Mindful of Having a Positive Outlook
One of the easiest ways to start changing your outlook is to be mindful of your internal and external language. In particular, try to be aware of how you think and speak about yourself and others. Are you more positive or negative? What words seem to keep being used? How we talk about something or someone does reveal how we think about someone or something. Make a conscious effort to try to honestly talk more positively about something or someone in your life and you will see that your outlook will start to change as well. For instance, some people may respond to how they are doing by saying, "Can't complain". Though at face value this appears to be a positive statement, your brain has a negative connotation to the word "complain" and will subconsciously cycle through other concepts that are associated with "complain" while processing the statement. By replacing, "Can't complain," with "Doing well," you are making a small linguistic shift that has a much more positive connotation. Other small thoughtful changes likes this to the way you speak can lead to a large impact on how you think.
Avoid Unnecessary Stress and Take Time to Reflect on the Happy
This seems like stating the obvious, but somehow people still manage to get caught up in unneeded (and unwanted) stress. If you absolutely hate messing around with the newest technological wonder, why do it? You could have someone in your family set up the tech or hire someone to help. Do not let yourself get bogged down by stress that can be avoided when you can easily circumvent it.
After mastering your stress, make sure that you take time to be mindful of how you have been happy. At the end of the day, reflect on what has happened and pick one thing that made you happy. It could be the cup of coffee your co-worker brought you or that you got to have a nice chat with a friend. It could be small thing or it could be a big thing—all that matters is that you recognize that it made you happy. Additionally, take time to appreciate the small changes you have made. At the end of the week, take some time to think about what you have done to change your outlook. Recognize the work you have been doing to make yourself a happier you and pat yourself on the back (and have another piece of chocolate – after all – you deserve it).

subset: commoncrawl


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This slimline, wired mouse (powered via USB) takes up next to no space in a laptop bag and is particularly good for presentation work on the road.
Like all super-small mice, though, it's fiddly to use over a long period of time, so isn't the ideal solution for regular office work.
Works from the box
The mouse comes with three buttons - left, right and scroll-click. There's also the dragging ability of the scrollwheel. Everything works as it should.
There's no need to install a software driver; the Accuglide works right out of the box. You don't even have to restart your computer.
On the downside, there's nowhere to hide the wired USB cable. We just wound it around the mouse, which is clumsy - some kind of retractable setup would've been nice.
There are plenty of other tiny wired/wireless mice on the market, remember, so hunt around for one that suits. Kensington and Belkin do good ones, too.


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Nothing wrong with the bare necessities.
found here
Other Stories
8 comments:
exactly...simple and good quality items are all you need. It's like, I am happy to have my chanel bag than 100 cheap ones floating around!!!ReplyDelete
xxx love this picture of the bed without a frame or stand...romantic
- AnonymousMarch 06, 2013
agreed, nothing wrong with that. xReplyDelete
dreamy...I need that kind of minimal space ^^ReplyDelete
love it!ReplyDelete
just perfect!
That's how I envision my bedroom at times. Just the 'primitive' stuff!ReplyDelete
I always think room like this are so pretty, but there is no way I could ever become this minimalistic lol.ReplyDelete
Beautiful and simple. It would never work in my house of 6 sticky hands (3 kids 4 and under).ReplyDelete
Love it! simple is beautiful, have a nice sunday!ReplyDelete
/ Annie
Thank you for your comments, I love hearing from you!
Questions, comments or sponsorship inquires, please contact me via the 'contact' link.


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This fan-shaped area of flattened grass wasn't there when we left yesterday morning, but it was definitely there when we got home late afternoon. It looks like a giant footprint:
|Mello investigates
Anyway, if your pet therapod has escaped somewhere in Grumpyville, I think it was in my backyard today. Hope that helps.


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- Tiny Brass Inlay Flower UrnA brass inlay flower adorns the hinged lid of this tiny wooden box urn. Learn MoreAs low as $15.00
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Why does it always happen this way? What starts out as an genuinely interesting approach to a horror film climaxes with the thud-heard-round-the-world.
Here's the thing, when you already have one excellent gimmick (cobbling an 88-minute movie together out of 10 shots, so it feels like it's happening in real time) you don't need any more! But by the end Silent House, starring Elizabeth Olsen, just can't help itself. And it's crushingly disappointing to watch. Spoilers ahead.
Based off the film by Gustavo Hernández, the American version of Silent House was directed by Chris Kentis and Laura Lau of Open Water fame. Where Open Water succeeds and Silent House fails is that, while both films were based on the "it looks real" gimmick, at the end of Open Water we don't find out that the sharks were secretly raping the husband years ago.
Open Water is simple: Couple is abandoned in the ocean, couple slowly dies in the ocean. It's painful, horrifying, soul-sucking and gruesome to watch. We wish Silent House had just let us watch a group of folks die horribly, while trapped in a dark house — but alas, it was not meant to be.
This low budget flick stars the doe-faced Elizabeth Olsen (of Olsen twin lineage) and two sacks of flour (who played the character's father and uncle). Together Olsen and the sacks of flour are boarding up their lonesome summer home, conveniently located in the no-cell-zone forest. With no power and no lights (they only have lanterns and candles) and only one car, these three are ripe for a good old-fashioned slaughterin'.
Actually, we'd like to point out one exceptionally clever thing about this flick: Since the house is being closed off, all of the windows are boarded over with plywood and and the doors are almost all locked from the inside, with padlocks. Which means most of the really terrifying scenes in the early parts are happening in artificial darkness, just inches away from daylight.
Within minutes, the Uncle takes off, and the Father is conked on the head — leaving the little doe all alone with something malicious in the house. Cue 80 minutes of the main character making the "I want to scream but I can't, so I'll just make dry heaving expressions under a table" face.
We had high hopes that Silent House would utilize its real-time scenario to heighten the tension and scare tactics. And when things start to fall apart for the pretty, young protagonist, it's genuinely scary. But as the minutes ticked by we slowly started to realize that every big scare is getting marred by aggressive shaky cam. It gets to the point where you just can't tell what's going on. After a while, the whole thing starts to feel like an old MTV Reality TV show where they made teens stay in haunted pet hospitals, or something. Because while we may have seen a ghost, we know that was just wishful thinking.
When things finally start to get clear, Silent House uses every horror movie trope in the metaphorically locked children's safe to reach its goal of total exploitative mediocrity. Giving the protagonist a camera flash to navigate a dark room, old polaroids of horrific past deeds, and finally a psychotic break for the main character. It's just too much all at once, and hell bent on involving two characters we didn't care about. Once it becomes obviously clear that little Olsen is no longer in danger, we check out emotionally.
Overall, it's a damn shame that this fun real time POV movie is wasted on a story with such a lazy ending.


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News & Notes: Game 44
Saturday, May 21, 2011 (7:05 p.m.) – Coca-Cola Field
Radio: WWKB AM 1520, bisons.com
Buffalo Bisons (18-25, T5th(-8.0), North)
RHP Chris Schwinden (3-1, 1.82)
Charlotte Knights (19-21, 3rd(-4.5), South)
RHP Freddy Dolsi (2-3, 8.17)
FOR THE FANS: Since record temperatures were NOT reached in Buffalo today, the Bisons will offer all fans a $7.00 TICKET and a FREE Hot Dog/Drink at tonight's game.
TODAY'S GAME: Tonight, the Bisons take on the Charlotte Knights in the first game of a four-game series from Coca-Cola Field (7:05 p.m.). Today's game opens up an eight-game in nine-day homestand for the Herd as they will also welcome in the Gwinnett Braves, May 26-29. The Bisons are coming off a 3-5 roadtrip and a 3-2 loss to the Indianapolis Indians on Friday night.
SCHWING AND MISS: RHP CHRIS SCHWINDEN will make his team-high eighth start of the year tonight. The Triple-A rookie has stormed onto the scene with the second-lowest ERA in the International League at 1.82. He has allowed one run or less in five of his seven starts, including none in a season-high seven innings in his last outing, May 16 in Louisville. Opponents are hitting just .184 with one home run in 141 at bats against Schwinden this year.
VS. THE KNIGHTS: Today's game is the Bisons' first against Charlotte this season. It's also the Herd's first match up against a team from the IL South Division. Last year, the teams split their eight-game season series with each club winning three games in their home ballpark.
GONE FISHIN': INF MICHAEL FISHER has posted four consecutive multi-hit games as part of his five-game hit streak. The 26-year old is hitting .433 (13-30) with a home run and five RBI in his first eight games since being promoted from Double-A Binghamton on May 12. In his short time, Fisher has posted a .800 (4-5) average with runners in scoring position.
YOUR NEW HOME: The Herd's active roster features four players who have yet to play at Coca-Cola Field with the Bisons. OF JASON BOTTS was signed yesterday out of the independent Atlantic League and INF CHIN-LUNG HU joined the club Friday after beginning the season with New York. INF LUIS FIGUEROA was signed and OF BUBBA BELL was acquired in a trade with Cleveland on May 13 -the first day of the Herd's most recent roadtrip.
BISONS BITS: The Bisons are the only team in the International League that has yet to allow a passed ball…RHP DALE THAYER has not allowed a run over his last 8.2 innings of work over eight appearances…C CHARLIE 'DOCK' DOYLE joined the Bisons on Friday from extended spring training.
METS UPDATE: The Mets opened the 2011 Subway Series with a 2-1 win over the Yankees. Former Bison RHP R.A. DICKEY allowed just one run in six innings for the win. Former Bisons INF DANIEL MURPHY snapped the 1-1 tie with a home run in the sixth inning. The Mets take on the Yankees again today at 7:10 p.m.


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Self-catering apartments in Alghero, Sardinia
Check availability, make a booking - all online, instantly!
If you want to escape the rat-race, then Sardinia, with it's picture-postcard beaches, endless days of sunshine and delicious cuisine could be the ideal spot for your next break.
Why self-catering accommodation? Well if you want to get off the well-worn tourist tracks and experience the daily rhythms of local life, then a rental apartment in the heart of it all is just the right base for your holiday. Your biggest decision of the day may be whether to gather wonderfully fresh ingredients from the market and cook up a storm, or simply stroll to a nearby restaurant.
Bluewater Apartments are kitted out with all the necessities for perfect self-catering holidays, right down to the beach towels for your daily swim. On arrival you'll be met by our local manager Karen who is on hand should any issues arise. In your apartment you'll find a comprehensive Welcome Book, updated regularly from our own experiences and those of our guests. It gives you a rundown on good places to eat and drink, excursions and most of the things you'd like to know.
Our website is "live" which means that once you have chosen your preferred apartment you can:
- check if it is available for the dates of your holiday
- make the booking with secure credit card payment
- receive an immediate confirmation
Here is the best of Italy, now all you have to do is enjoy yourself!


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Genre titles Sightseers and Berberian Sound Studio close behind with seven nods each.
The nominations for the 15th annual Moët British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) were announced today in London with Rufus Norris' Broken [pictured] leading the pack with nine nominations, including Best Film, Best Director and Best Debut Director.
Ben Wheatley's black comedy Sightseers and Peter Strickland's giallo-inspired thriller Berberian Sound Studio were close behind with seven nods each, while Bart Layton's critically acclaimed documentary The Imposter picked up six nominations.
John Madden's box office smash The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel received five nominations and Ben Drew's iLL Manors, Paul Andrew Williams' Song For Marion and Sally Potter's Ginger & Rosa each received three.
Best Film will be contested by Berberian Sound Studio, Broken, Sightseers, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and The Imposter; Best Director between Layton, Wheatley, Madden, Strickland and Norris; while Riz Ahmed, Steve Oram, Terence Stamp, Tim Roth and Toby Jones will be in contention for Best Actor and Best Actress will go to Alice Lowe, Andrea Riseborough, Elle Fanning, Judi Dench or Meryl Streep.
The jury for the 2012 awards consists of chair Alison Owen (producer), Adrian Hodges (writer), Christine Bottomley (actress), Danny Leigh (film critic), Iain Canning (producer), Jamie Thraves (director/writer), Jina Jay (casting director), John Boyega (actor), John Fletcher (marketing director, Paramount), Lesley Sharp (actress), Maria Djurkovic (production designer), Michelle Eastwood (producer), Nick Angel (music supervisor), Paul Franklin (SFX supervisor), Tom Hiddleston (actor) and Tristan Goligher (producer).
BIFA Patron James Nesbitt will host the ceremony for the seventh time, with the ceremony taking place at the Old Billingsgate in London on Dec 9.
BIFA joint directors Johanna von Fischer & Tessa Collinson commented: "In this our 15th year, we are delighted to welcome back six-time former host James Nesbitt. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our dedicated Pre-Selection Committee who watched over 200 films in order to produce the 2012 Nominations, which once again reflect the diverse range of British film talent, and also welcome this year's appointed independent Jury who will now spend the next month considering the nominated films."
The BIFAs are sponsored by Moët & Chandon, BFI, 3 Mills Studios, BBC Films, Company3, M.A.C, Raindance, Sanderson & St Martins Lane – Morgans Hotel Group, Soho House, Studiocanal, Swarovski, Variety, AD Creative, AllCity, Intermission and LightBrigade Media.
Full nominations:
BEST BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM Sponsored by Moët & Chandon
Berberian Sound Studio
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
The Imposter
BEST DIRECTOR Sponsored by AllCity & Intermission
Bart Layton – The Imposter
Ben Wheatley – Sightseers
John Madden – The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Peter Strickland – Berberian Sound Studio
Rufus Norris – Broken
THE DOUGLAS HICKOX AWARD [BEST DEBUT DIRECTOR] Sponsored by 3 Mills Studios
Bart Layton – The Imposter
Ben Drew – Ill Manors
Rowan Athale – Wasteland
Rufus Norris – Broken
Sally El Hosaini – My Brother the Devil
BEST SCREENPLAY Sponsored by BBC Films
Abi Morgan – The Iron Lady
Alice Lowe, Steve Oram, Amy Jump – Sightseers
Mark O'Rowe – Broken
Paul Andrew Williams – Song for Marion
Peter Strickland – Berberian Sound Studio
BEST ACTRESS Sponsored by M.A.C
Alice Lowe (Tina) – Sightseers
Andrea Riseborough (Colette McVeigh) – Shadow Dancer
Elle Fanning (Ginger) – Ginger & Rosa
Judi Dench (Evelyn Greenslade) – The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Meryl Streep (Margaret Thatcher) – The Iron Lady
Riz Ahmed (Aaron) – Ill Manors
Steve Oram (Chris) – Sightseers
Terence Stamp (Arthur) – Song for Marion
Tim Roth (Archie) – Broken
Toby Jones (Gilderoy) – Berberian Sound Studio
Alice Englert (Rosa) – Ginger & Rosa
Eileen Davies (Carol) – Sightseers
Maggie Smith (Muriel Donnelly) – The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Olivia Colman (Queen Elizabeth) – Hyde Park on Hudson
Vanessa Redgrave (Marion) – Song for Marion
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Sponsored by Sanderson & St Martins Lane
Billy Connolly (Wilf) – Quartet
Cillian Murphy (Mike Kiernan) – Broken
Domhnall Gleeson (Connor) – Shadow Dancer
Rory Kinnear (Bob Oswald) – Broken
Tom Wilkinson (Graham Dashwood) – The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
MOST PROMISING NEWCOMER Sponsored by Studiocanal
Elliott Tittensor (Tits) – Spike Island
Eloise Laurence (Skunk) – Broken
James Floyd (Rashid) – My Brother the Devil
Paul Brannigan (Robbie) – The Angels' Share
Zawe Ashton (Joyce Vincent) – Dreams of a Life
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION Sponsored by Company3
Berberian Sound Studio
Ill Manors
The Imposter
The Sweeney
BEST TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT Sponsored by LightBrigade Media
Nic Knowland Bsc– Cinematography – Berberian Sound Studio
Joakim Sundström, Stevie Haywood AMPS IPS– Sound Design – Berberian Sound Studio
Electric Wave Bureau – Music – Broken
Robbie Ryan – Cinematography – Ginger & Rosa
Andrew Hulme – Editing – The Imposter
Dreams of a Life
London: The Modern Babylon
Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir
The Imposter
BEST BRITISH SHORT Supported by the BFI
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Rust & Bone
Searching For Sugar Man
The Hunt
Love Tomorrow
City Slacker
Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet
THE RICHARD HARRIS AWARD (for outstanding contribution by an actor to British Film)
To Be Announced
To Be Announced
Announced at the ceremony on Dec 9


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Seventy percent of Americans oppose cuts to Medicare and 57 percent are against cutting Medicaid, even when they are aware that the programs constitute an outsized weight in the federal deficit. Of the two wildly popular programs, Medicaid is the most vulnerable.
Writing in the Washington Post about a report from the Kaiser Family Foundation about the health of Medicare and Medicaid, Ezra Klein says "It doesn't matter whether Eric Cantor says he's bargaining for the Ryan budget or not. The GOP cannot privatize and voucherize Medicare. They can't even get close. It's too easy an issue for Democrats, too dangerous an issue with seniors, and too slipshod a policy even for Michele Bachmann. The attack on Medicaid, however, is another story. That one might actually work. And if it does, it'll actually be worse. 'in-the-know political circles,' says Chris Jennings, who ran President Bill Clinton's healthcare reform efforts, 'it's just assumed Medicaid is going to be hit. No one is going to want to touch Medicare. Medicare is where the political juice is. But we're going to need savings. So that leads to Medicaid.' There are two reasons Medicaid is more vulnerable than Medicare. The first is who it serves. Medicaid goes to two groups of people: the poor and the disabled. Most of the program's enrollees are kids from poor families, though most of the program's money is spent on the small fraction of beneficiaries who are disabled and/or elderly. These groups have one thing in common: They're politically powerless."
It's a little-known fact that Medicaid covers more people than Medicare. In 2010, according to the Department of Health and Human Services, Medicaid covered 53.9 million people, compared with Medicare's 47.3 million. Additionally, Medicaid patients are also among society's most vulnerable. "Kids (and) pregnant women are the vast majority," according to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. "But then older seniors, many of whom are in nursing homes…and very disabled individuals" are also covered by Medicaid.
Although states and the federal government share the cost of Medicaid, what grates on some governors is the rules that come with the money. "Governors just want flexibility to run our states," said Republican New Jersey Governor Chris Christie at the annual National Governors Association meeting in February. "We don't want to pay 50 percent of the cost of Medicaid and have zero percent of the authority. And I don't think that's an unreasonable thing to be asking for." Governor Haley Barbour of Mississippi agrees. "If I could get total flexibility, I would take a two percent cap in a heartbeat," he said. Barbour's preference is to receive a lump sum – what it gets now from the federal government, plus two percent to fund Medicaid.
Dr. Donald Berwick, administrator of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, (CMS) said "There's a right way to reform Medicare and a wrong way," Berwick believes that the direction he is taking — modeled on his successful patient safety campaigns at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement – will bring about needed healthcare change. The Obama administration's efforts to improve patient safety are more or less bipartisan. There is little cause to dispute CMS' data: the agency spent $4.4 billion in 2009 caring for patients harmed in hospitals and an additional $26 billion on patients who were readmitted within 30 days. The Partnership for Patients, funded through the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), seeks to reduce preventable injuries by 40 percent and cut hospital readmissions by 20 percent in just two years. According to CMS, achieving the Partnership's goals will result in 1.8 million fewer patient injuries, allow more than 1.6 million patients to recover complication-free and save up to $35 billion in health costs.
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius described contentious portions of the ACA as the inaugural steps toward entitlement reform. Sebelius criticized proposals to transform federal Medicaid funding into block grants for states. When some lawmakers asked her to speak about the Obama administration's alternative proposal to rein in entitlement spending, Sebelius pointed to two provisions of the new law. The ACA created a new board of independent experts that will recommend Medicare payment cuts. Its recommendations will take effect automatically unless Congress blocks them — and proposes equivalent savings. According to Sebelius, the panel represents "a big step in terms of entitlement reform that actually doesn't potentially cause harm to our seniors." She also pointed to an HHS effort to create new methods of dealing with people who are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid because those patients represent a lopsided share of the programs' costs.
Tags: Block grants, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Department of Health and Human Services, Disabled, Dr Donald Berwick, Ezra Klein, Governor Chris Christie, Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Kaiser Family Foundation, Kathleen Sebelius, Medicaid, Medicare, National Governors Association, Obama administration, Partnership for Patients, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, poor, President Bill Clinton, Representative Eric Cantor, Representative Michele Bachmann, Representative Paul Ryan, senior citizens


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Save Those Spoiling Strawberries!
|Areas of Science
Cooking & Food Science
|Time Required
|Long (2-4 weeks)
|You will need a stovetop to heat water. You will also need fresh strawberries, so be sure you're performing this science fair project in the right season. Frozen strawberries will not work.
|Material Availability
|Readily available
|Average ($40 - $80)
|Always use caution when using a stovetop to heat water.
AbstractFresh strawberries and summer just go together. Walking through the local farmers' market on a warm day, the bright, red strawberries call out to you, beckoning you to buy them and take them home. The next day, as you get ready to savor the delicious berries, you notice that yesterday's juicy, red strawberries are now covered in...eewwww, mold! In this cooking and food science fair project, you will investigate thermotherapy and whether this technique can preserve strawberries and prevent mold and decay.
To investigate thermotherapy using strawberries, and to determine the right combination of temperature and time to prevent the strawberries from molding.
Share your story with Science Buddies!Yes, I Did This Project! Please log in (or create a free account) to let us know how things went.
Michelle Maranowski, PhD, Science Buddies
Cite This PageGeneral citation information is provided here. Be sure to check the formatting, including capitalization, for the method you are using and update your citation, as needed.
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Last edit date: 2020-06-23
Strawberries are used in many delicious recipes—strawberry ice cream, strawberry pancakes, strawberry shortcake. The list of ways to enjoy strawberries goes on and on. One of the best ways to enjoy a strawberry is to pick it from the plant, wash it, and pop it straight into your mouth. The sweetness of the berry tickles the taste buds. However, once in a while, the tasty treat turns into something gross—a moldy and decomposing berry. Besides making you sick, moldy berries are a waste of money. For some, wasting money on berries that mold so quickly can practically make them sick!
Is there a way to prevent strawberries (and other fruit) from molding too quickly? Something that you can do easily at home? Pomologists are scientists who study the development, cultivation, and physiology of fruit plants, and they have long been aware of the benefits of thermotherapy treatments. In the thermotherapy process, fruit is exposed to hot water (thermos is Greek for "hot") for a set amount of time. The hot water kills mold spores and slows the spoilage of berries and other fresh fruit. Simply dip your strawberries in hot water for a few seconds to minutes, remove the berries from the hot water, and spread them out on a clean kitchen towel to dry off completely and cool down. Then, repack the strawberries in a basket; it is that simple! But how long will the therapy last? And another key question is whether thermotherapy treatments destroy the flavor of the fruit.
In this cooking and food science fair project, you will investigate the effectiveness of thermotherapy treatments on slowing spoilage of strawberries. Your task will be to find out the right combination of water temperature and treatment time. One benefit of this cooking and food science fair project is that if you figure it out, you may never have to see another moldy strawberry again!
Figure 1. Strawberries can go from succulent and sweet (1.a.) to spoiled and scary (1.b.) in just one day! (1.a.:United States Department of Agriculture, 2006; 1.b.:Flickr, 2007.)
Terms and Concepts
- Pomology
- Thermotherapy
- Trial
- Variable
- Control, as in an experiment
- Cross-contamination
- Rate
- What kinds of mold will grow on a strawberry that is spoiling?
- From your research, can you describe how thermotherapy is used to treat other types of fruits and fruit trees?
- What is the difference between pomology and horticulture?
- McGee, H. (2009, August 26). The Curious Cook: Prolonging the Life of Berries. The New York Times, page D5. Retrieved October 1, 2009.
For help creating graphs, try this website:
- National Center for Education Statistics. (n.d.). Create a Graph. Retrieved October 2, 2009.
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Materials and Equipment
- Pot with lid, large enough to hold a strawberry basket
- Strawberries (at least 18 pints of fresh strawberries)
- Baskets, plastic, pint-sized (18). You can find these baskets at your grocery store. Just ask the produce department to give you a few.
- Thermometer. A partial immersion thermometer or a digital probe thermometer suitable for this project are available online from Carolina Biological Supply Company.
- Digital stopwatch
- Slotted spoon
- Tongs
- Kitchen towels, clean (at least 3)
- Paper towels (1 roll)
- Plastic wrap (1 roll)
- Sticky notes
- Masking tape (1 roll)
- Newspapers
- Disposable gloves (1 box). Can be purchased at a local drug store or pharmacy, or through an online supplier like Carolina Biological Supply Company. If you are allergic to latex, use vinyl or polyethylene gloves.
- Lab notebook
- Graph paper
Disclaimer: Science Buddies participates in affiliate programs with Home Science Tools, Amazon.com, Carolina Biological, and Jameco Electronics. Proceeds from the affiliate programs help support Science Buddies, a 501(c)(3) public charity, and keep our resources free for everyone. Our top priority is student learning. If you have any comments (positive or negative) related to purchases you've made for science projects from recommendations on our site, please let us know. Write to us at email@example.com.
Experimental Procedure
Note: Try to perform all trials of your experiment on the same day so the strawberries are all approximately the same freshness. You will perform three trials of each thermotherapy treatment, further explained below.
Performing the Experiment
- Fill the large pot with water and place it on a stovetop burner on medium heat. The pot should have enough water in order to cover a basket of strawberries, but not so much that the water spills over the side of the pot when you immerse the strawberries.
Take a pint of strawberries and separate them into two groups of about equal numbers of strawberries. Put each group into a new plastic basket. Assign a number to each basket and remember which is which. Record the basket number, the number of berries in each basket, and the date in your lab notebook in a data table like the one shown below. You will expose one of these baskets to thermotherapy and leave the other basket alone for comparison.
Basket Number of Berries Start Date Thermotherapy Conditions (Water Temperature & Immersion Time) Initial Observations Observations After One Day Observations After Two Days Number of Moldy Berries: Number of Moldy Berries: Number of Healthy Berries: Number of Healthy Berries: Appearance of Berries: Appearance of Berries:
- Before placing a basket inside the pot, bring the water to 125°F. Use the thermometer to monitor the water temperature. Record the water temperature in your lab notebook. Spread out a clean kitchen towel.
- Once the water comes to 125°F, turn off the burner and immerse one basket of strawberries into the hot water. Immerse this basket for 45 seconds (sec.). Use the timer to keep track and use the slotted spoon to keep the strawberries submerged.
- After 45 sec. have elapsed, quickly remove the strawberries and the basket from the water and spread them out on the clean kitchen towel to dry and cool off. Use caution when working with the hot water. Use both the tongs and the slotted spoon to remove the strawberries from the water, and the paper towels to gently blot the strawberries off. Do not expose the second basket to thermotherapy.
- When the strawberries are completely cool and dry, put them back into their basket. Note the condition of the strawberries. Do they still look red, or did the hot water affect the color and condition of the berries? Record your observations and the time that you immersed the strawberries in the hot water in your lab notebook.
- Now wrap each of the baskets, both the treated strawberries (those that were heated) and the untreated strawberries (those that were unheated), in two layers of plastic wrap. This will create a nice humid environment for the berries.
- Write the basket number, the conditions of the treatment (treated or untreated), the time of immersion, the date, and the trial number on sticky notes and label the baskets with the notes. Use masking tape to secure the sticky note the plastic wrap. Make sure to record this data in your lab notebook, too. The untreated baskets are control baskets. The purpose of a control is to act as a constant and to highlight any effects the variables in an experiment (like heat or no heat) may have on the experimental group. To learn more about variables and controls, read the Science Buddies page Variables in Your Science Fair Project for a more in-depth discussion.
- Now place the wrapped baskets in a location that will not be disturbed on top of a few pages of newspaper. The newspaper will absorb any excess liquid from the strawberries. Keep the baskets at room temperature and not in the refrigerator.
- Repeat steps 1–9, except this time, immerse the strawberries for 3 minutes in 125°F hot water.
- Repeat steps 1–9, except this time, increase the temperature of the water to 140°F and immerse the strawberries for 45 sec.
- Repeat steps 1–11 two more times. It is important to perform at least three trials of your experiment so that you can be sure that your data is reliable and repeatable. The temperature and time conditions are shown in the table below:
|Temperature (°F)
|45 seconds
|3 minutes
|45 seconds
Analyzing Your Data
Leave all three trials of the strawberries undisturbed for one whole day. After a day has gone by, unwrap the baskets of strawberries and make observations about the conditions of the strawberries.
- Record the date in your lab notebook.
- Put on a pair of disposable gloves.
- Note down in your lab notebook how the surfaces of the berries look, if the color has changed, how the berries smell, if the berries are becoming watery. Observe one basket at a time.
Count the number of moldy berries and the number of berries that do not have mold. Record the numbers in your data tables in your lab notebook. Make sure that you keep track of the treatment and the trial for each basket.
- Important: Be sure to change your gloves each time you handle berries from different baskets. This will help avoid any cross-contamination of mold spores from one basket to another during handling.
- Rewrap the berries in the plastic wrap. Let the berries sit undisturbed for another full day.
Repeat step 1 of this section over and over again until all the berries have molded. Once all of the berries in a basket have mold on them, you can throw that basket away, but remember to record in your lab notebook that you have done so and on what date.
- Change the newspaper layer with fresh newspaper as needed.
- Plot the data that you collected on a graph. You can make your graphs by hand or you can make your graphs online at https://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/CreateAGraph/default.aspx. Choose a bar chart to display the data. Label the x-axis Treatment and the y-axis Days Without Mold. On the Treatment axis, group each control and its companion treatment together. Do the treated berries last longer than the untreated berries? Which treatment results in berries that last the longest?
If you like this project, you might enjoy exploring these related careers:
MicrobiologistMicroorganisms (bacteria, viruses, algae, and fungi) are the most common life-forms on Earth. They help us digest nutrients; make foods like yogurt, bread, and olives; and create antibiotics. Some microbes also cause diseases. Microbiologists study the growth, structure, development, and general characteristics of microorganisms to promote health, industry, and a basic understanding of cellular functions. Read more
Agricultural InspectorWho works to protect the public health from food-borne illnesses? Agricultural inspectors. Everyone needs to eat, and agricultural inspectors work to ensure the quality and safety of the food supply to determine if they are in compliance. They also inspect farms, businesses, and food-processing plants to determine if they are in compliance with government food regulations and laws. Read more
Food Scientist or TechnologistThere is a fraction of the world's population that doesn't have enough to eat or doesn't have access to food that is nutritionally rich. Food scientists or technologists work to find new sources of food that have the right nutrition levels and that are safe for human consumption. In fact, our nation's food supply depends on food scientists and technologists that test and develop foods that meet and exceed government food safety standards. If you are interested in combining biology, chemistry, and the knowledge that you are helping people, then a career as a food scientist or technologist could be a great choice for you! Read more
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- Calculate and plot the rate at which the strawberries get moldy for each treatment.
- Repeat the experiment with blueberries or different kinds of berries.
- Will refrigerating the treated berries make them last longer? Compare how long refrigerated, untreated berries last with refrigerated, treated berries.
Share your story with Science Buddies!Yes, I Did This Project! Please log in (or create a free account) to let us know how things went.
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Zelda123 said:
2019-10-07 16:15:07
What was the most important thing you learned?
Strawberries absorb substances fast and they need to be in certain temperatures to last long.
What problems did you encounter?
Can you suggest any improvements or ideas?
Science Buddies materials are free for everyone to use, thanks to the support of our sponsors. What would you tell our sponsors about how Science Buddies helped you with your project?
It was fun to do but also gross to see the moldy strawberries
Overall, how would you rate the quality of this project?
What is your enthusiasm for science after doing your project?
Compared to a typical science class, please tell us how much you learned doing this project.
|Do you agree?
|Report Inappropriate Comment
fkassem said:
2019-07-28 22:03:43
What was the most important thing you learned?
It is hard to keep strawberries good, and that science fair doesn't allow you growing mold.
What problems did you encounter?
Can you suggest any improvements or ideas?
Science Buddies materials are free for everyone to use, thanks to the support of our sponsors. What would you tell our sponsors about how Science Buddies helped you with your project?
It helped me find a good project that is not too hard.
Overall, how would you rate the quality of this project?
Very Good
What is your enthusiasm for science after doing your project?
Compared to a typical science class, please tell us how much you learned doing this project.
|Do you agree?
|Report Inappropriate Comment
Muzhangora said:
2019-03-15 00:06:08
What was the most important thing you learned?
Using aloe vera juice helps to keep the strawberries fresh but it also makes the strawberries very sour.
What problems did you encounter?
Can you suggest any improvements or ideas?
Science Buddies materials are free for everyone to use, thanks to the support of our sponsors. What would you tell our sponsors about how Science Buddies helped you with your project?
Science Buddies is one of the most helpful websites I have ever been to. If I did not have Science Buddies, I would have never won so many awards. So, Thank You!
Overall, how would you rate the quality of this project?
Very Good
What is your enthusiasm for science after doing your project?
Compared to a typical science class, please tell us how much you learned doing this project.
About the same
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|Report Inappropriate Comment
genesisdawes said:
2018-01-02 22:21:37
What was the most important thing you learned?
that whenever i want to eat strawberries and keep them "alive" longer i could just do this experiment
What problems did you encounter?
more than one variable
Can you suggest any improvements or ideas?
choose and post only ONE variable
Science Buddies materials are free for everyone to use, thanks to the support of our sponsors. What would you tell our sponsors about how Science Buddies helped you with your project?
Overall, how would you rate the quality of this project?
What is your enthusiasm for science after doing your project?
Compared to a typical science class, please tell us how much you learned doing this project.
About the same
|Do you agree?
|Report Inappropriate Comment
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The Chang's turbulent upper course, called the Jinsha or Kinsha, is roughly half its total length and flows southeast through forested, steep-walled gorges 2,000–4,000 ft (610–1,220 m) deep. After receiving the Yalong River, its first great tributary, at the Sichuan-Yunnan border, the Chang turns NE toward the Sichuan basin. At Yibin, on the western edge of the Sichuan basin, the river becomes the Chang proper and is joined by the
four rivers of Sichuan (Min, Tuo, Fou, and Jailing). There is a hydroelectric power plant at Chongqing, on the basin's eastern edge.
Leaving the Sichuan basin, the Chang receives the Wu River and flows through the gorges that extend from Fengjieh to Yichang; temples and pagodas are perched on prominent hills along the gorges. The Three Gorges Dam , 30 mi (48 km) west of Yichang (constructed 1994–2006), is the world's largest concrete structure and hydroelectric station; its construction also flooded the spectacular gorges. The Gezhouba Dam near Yichang also regulates seasonally fluctuating water levels and harnesses the river's hydroelectric potential.
East of Yichang, the Chang enters the lake-studded middle basin of Hubei, Hunan, and Jiangxi provs., a rich agricultural and industrial region; Wuhan, at the confluence of the Han and Chang, is the principal city. The huge Dongting and Poyang lakes, which receive the Yuan, Zi, and Xiang rivers and the Gan River, respectively, are linked by numerous channels with the Chang and serve as natural overflow reservoirs. Now shallow because of sedimentation, the lakes are less effective as regulators of the Chang's flow. Dikes protect large areas of the river's middle basin from floodwaters. Although the Chang does not often experience the devastating floods that characterize the Huang He (Yellow River), it has occasionally caused wide damage; great floods occurred in 1931, 1954, and 1998. The fertile middle basin is China's most productive agricultural region; rice is the main crop.
The river enters the East China Sea through the extensive, ever-expanding delta region of Anhui and Jiangsu provs. Dikes have been built to reclaim coastal marshes and create additional farmland. The Chang carries its greatest volume during the summer rainy season. It is navigable for oceangoing vessels to Wuhan, c.600 mi (970 km) upstream; during the summer high-water period, Yichang, c.1,000 mi (1,610 km) upstream, is the head of navigation.
In 2000, China announced plans to divert water from the Chang to the Huang He , which often runs dry from overuse, and to Beijing, Tianjin, and other northern cities. An eastern route would bring water from the lower Chang to the Huang He and Tianjin, utilizing in part sections of the Grand Canal , while a central route connect the Han (a tributary of the Chang) and the Chang to the Huang He, Beijing, and Tianjin. These routes are now expected to be largely completed by 2014. A third, western route, linking the headwaters of the Chang to those of the Huang He, is expected to take up to 50 years to fully complete.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
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