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Brachypodium distachyon (brachy) has emerged as a cornerstone for research pertaining to key energy and food crops as well as biomass processing. Work in these areas is a point of interest in no less than twelve labs at UMass Amherst. This ensemble of laboratories comprises our Brachy Consortium, where we collaborate to advance plant and microbial science.
We have several research themes and participating faculty to provide opportunities to conduct research using brachy as a model system.
Graduate students from eight UMass life sciences graduate programs presented their research at The Second Annual Life Sciences Graduate Research Symposium. The 2012 Best Talk Award went to Pubudu Handakumbura, who presented a talk titled, "BdMYB48 directly controls the accumulation of biomass in the model grass Brachypodium distachyon."
In many areas of the life sciences, genomics is a key tool used to address important questions in biology and agriculture scientists are leading the way. The annual Plant & Animal Genome Conference is the largest Ag-Genomics meeting in the world with four UMass Brachypodium Consortium investigators presenting there this winter. At the Brachypodium Genomics workshop, Dr. Elsbeth Walker will tell of progress in understanding the uptake and transport of an important nutrient, iron. Dr. Sam Hazen will present results on the study of growth and biofuel feedstock quality in Brachypodium at the Bioenergy Grass Genomics workshop. Offering incite in the exciting area of meta-genomics, Dr. Jeff Blanchard will discuss global warming and forest soil microbiomes as part of the Ecological Genomics workshop. A leading investigator of Brachypodium population genetics, Dr. Ana Caicedo, will enlighten the Weedy and Invasive Plant Genomics workshop on the evolution of weeds.
April 26 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH DAY
June 19-21, 2013, Modena, Italy International Brachypodium Conference
This site is maintained by the Brachypodium Consortium. © 2013 University of Massachusetts Amherst • Site Policies


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Iron Fireplace Accessories
- Aspen Fireplace Triple Screen Quicklook
- Aspen Fireplace Single Screen Quicklook
- Aspen Fireplace Andiron, Set of 2 Quicklook
- Marais Fireplace Log Holder Quicklook Forged by hand of heavy iron in a vertical loop design, our fireplace screen shares characteristics of architectural gates in the Parisian neighborhood Le Marais. The coordinating log holder and tools complete the set, pairing carefully wrought curves with long dramatic lines. Fireplace Screen: 49" wide x 31" high Tool Set: 19" wide x 19" deep x 37.5" high Log Holder: 18" wide x 15.5" deep x 12" high Hand forged of iron with a rustic blackened finish.
- Twisted Metal Fireplace Triple Screen, Rustic Bronze finish Quicklook Scaled down for smaller hearths, our triple screen is decorated with hand twisted and hand forged wrought-iron detail. The coordinating tools feature sculptural twisted handles; the ends of the poker and shovel expand into an intertwining open lattice. Screen: 48" wide x 30.5" high Tool Set/Log Holder: 9.5" square, 34" high Hand-wrought of iron with a rustic bronze finish. Tool set includes a poker, broom, shovel, tongs and stand. Catalog / Internet only.
- Victor Glass Fireplace Single Screen Quicklook Enjoy an unobscured view of the flickering fire through a clear screen of tempered glass. Horseshoe loops and curving feet add lightness and elegance to this fireplace collection. The forged iron frames of the screen, tool set and log holder feature a blackened finish and rivet details. Screen: 43" wide x 13" deep x 30" high Tool Set: 20" wide x 2" deep x 29.5" high Log Holder: 15" wide x 17.5" deep x 18.5" high Crafted of forged iron with a blackened finish. Tempered-glass screen.
- Paxton Copper Bucket, 23" diam. Quicklook

subset: commoncrawl


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Office Impressions Wirebound Steno Book, 6 inch x 9 inch, White, 80 Sheets OFF 82286
Item # 116681
Minimum Order Quantity: 6
- White
- Page ruled into two 3 inch wide columns
- Rigid cover
- Coil lock wire binding
- 6" x 9"
- 80 sheets
Brand: Office Impressions
Color: White
Notebook Length: 9 in.
Notebook Width: 6 in.
Number of Sheets: 80
Type of Binding: Wire
Delivery is not available to Puerto Rico.
Standard shipping via UPS Ground is included in the quoted price.
The estimated delivery time will be 1-3 business days from the day of order.
Please note: Large orders may be shipped using an alternative shipping method which may change the delivery window to 1-4 days.
Please be sure to inspect your order at time of delivery for any issues or damage and if possible note any damage with delivery driver.
Please call 1-888-320-3277 with questions or concerns regarding your order.
Costco.com products can be returned to any of our more than 600 Costco warehouses worldwide.
Merchandise: We guarantee your satisfaction on every product we sell with a full refund. The following must be returned within 90 days of purchase for a refund: televisions, projectors, computers, cameras, camcorders, touch screen tablets, MP3 players and cellular phones.
How to Return: For an immediate refund (including shipping and handling), simply return your purchase at any one of our Costco warehouses worldwide. If you are unable to return your order at one of our warehouses, please email customer service or call our customer service center at 1-800-955-2292 for assistance. To expedite the processing of your return, please reference your order number.
If you request an item be picked up for return, the item must be packaged and available for pick up in the same manner as it was delivered.
If your order was delivered "curb side", it will need to be available for curb side pick up.
If the item arrived to you in a box, it will need to be in a box at the time of pick up.


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National / International News:
1 week ago
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- As three choirs sang a modern-day arrangement of the "Memorare" together May 11, a Vietnamese father, mother and daughter in traditional "ao dai" attire walked reverently to the front of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington and placed an ornate crown on the statue of Mary to the left of the altar.
1 week ago
ANNANDALE, Va. (CNS) -- Behind all the musical prowess of Carlos Ibay is a young man whose strong connection to the heart of Jesus can be recognized through the many outlets of his ingenuity.
1 week ago
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- One of Mary's titles is "Christ's First Disciple," and some of Christ's earliest followers were women, two of whom he appeared to first after his resurrection.


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Mumps in DogsPrint
Paramyxovirus Infection The salivary glands consist of four sets of glands that make up the exocrine glands of the mouth in mammals. The parotid, submandibular, sublingual, and minor salivary glands make up this essential group that controls the production of saliva, which in turn breaks down starches into glucose for use by the body. The parotid salivary gland is located just underneath each ear in the dog. When a dog is exposed to a person who is infected with a viral infection called the mumps, the dog may develop the same infection. This cross-over is very rare, but is known to occur occasionally. When a dog does acquire an infection, the parotid salivary glands will swell in response. Symptoms and Types
Causes Mumps is caused by a viral infection of the salivary gland located just below the ears in dogs. Diagnosis You will need to give a thorough history of your dog's health, onset of symptoms, and possible incidents that might have preceded this condition, including whether your dog has come into contact with anyone know to be infected with a virus. Your veterinarian will examine your dog by palpation (touch) to determine the amount of enlargement and precisely where the swelling is located. Once the location has been determined to be in the parotid glands, your veterinarian will order a complete blood count and biochemical profile. This will be analyzed for other diseases that might be causing the salivary glands to swell. A blood sample will also be taken for a viral antibody test, which will show whether dog has been exposed to the mumps infection, or to other infections. An aspirate collected by a fine needle will also be drawn so that the fluid in the glands can be analyzed. Related ArticlesRacoon Disease in Dogs Most commonly called "raccoon disease" because of its prevalence in the raccoon population,... READ MORE Toxoplasmosis in Dogs Toxoplasmosis infection is caused by a parasite called Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii).... READ MORE
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Latest In Dog NutritionFive Life-Lengthening Health Tips for Your ... Anyone who has ever had a dog or cat wishes just one thing — that he or she has a... READ MORE The Role of Exercise in Pet Weight Loss Exercise is beneficial for our pets in so many ways. It helps decrease stress, improve... READ MORE How Antioxidants Improve Our Pet's Health, ...
The science behind pet nutrition continues to make major advances. One such example... READ MORE |


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I just finished Kenichi, totally loved that show gonna start reading the manga now. Though now I must find a new series to watch as new One Piece only comes out on Saturdays.
I just finished Kenichi, totally loved that show gonna start reading the manga now. Though now I must find a new series to watch as new One Piece only comes out on Saturdays.
Here, on Funmation's instant streaming service, I've been watching Fairy Tail and Steins; Gate. Made it to episode 11 of the former and 3 of the latter.
I'm Watching Shugo Chara Its A Really Intresting And Funny Show You Should Watch It!
I'm Watching Shugo Chara Its A Really Intresting And Funny Show You Should Watch It!
I finished Kids On the Slope today, which could basically be described as "every high-school relationship experience put together into one anime. With jazz."
Lovely series. Between this and Cowboy Bebop, I'd have to call Shinchiro Watanabe one of anime's top directors.
Well, I have quite a number:
1.) Madoka Magica- Oh god, this show is amazing! I only finished episode 2 a while, and it was fairly sad.
2.) Persona 4- Possibly the best video game anime. So witty and cool, like the game.
3.) Fairy Tail- I also enjoy this one. Erza seems cool, so I can't wait to see more of her in the next episode.
4.) Neon Genesis Evangelion- My only action anime at the moment. I like the dub, and the battles are cool. It tends do be extremely religious at times, though Not that that's bad
5.) Azumanga Daioh- This show makes me laugh so much! I loved the "contemplations" Osaka made about Chiyo's hair in episode 2. I'm on episode 4 at the moment, and Kimura's kinda creepy.
6.) Hetalia Axis Powers- Never have I watched a show with so many stereotypes in it. I love it!
I just finished Star Driver. It's bizarrely awesome, and the most visually impressive work I've ever seen from Bones (which is saying a lot)--but whether it was an abuse of the formula or the different genres (High-school romance and Super Robot) not melding together well, it never felt as good as it should have been. Still worth at least one watch, though.
To try and catch up with Bones' catalogue, I watched the first episode of Star Driver today. Fans of Gurren Lagann should check this show out--it seems to have the same kind of awesome ridiculousness.
Other than the simulcasts I'm following, I finally got around to watching FMA: Brotherhood on Blu-ray.
Ranked from most enjoyable to least enjoyable.
Psycho-Pass #15-16
Tamako Market #4-5
Vividred Operation #3-5
Magi: the labyrinth of magic #16-17
From The New World #17-18
Zetsuen no Tempest (Blast of Tempest) #16-17
Kotoura-san #4-5
Hunter x Hunter 2011 #64-66
Sasamisan at Ganbaranai #4-5
Cuticle Detective Inaba #4-6
The Pet Girl of Sakurasou #16-17
AKB0048 Next Stage (going to marathon in chunks)
Other stuff.
Hanasaku Iroha #1-26, Complete.
Listen to Me, Girls. I Am Your Father! #1-12
Ghastly Prince Enma Burning Up #1
I've had the Sengoku Basara Series 2 for a while now and i've finally got around to watching it so far half way in other than that i have been watching:
Ishida to Asakura episode 06
Bakumatsu Gijinden Roman episode 06
The Unlimited episode 06
Sakurasou episode 18
Magi episode 18
From the New World episode 19


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Pedestrian crosswalk, other safety measures on the table for stretch of Ann Arbor-Saline Road where woman died
Daniel Brenner | AnnArbor.com
Ann Arbor city officials are considering safety improvements to the stretch of Ann Arbor-Saline Road where a 70-year-old woman was struck by a car and killed Friday night.
However, solutions may not come right away, one official cautioned.
City Transportation Manager Eli Cooper said the area was definitely going to be in the city's plans after the woman, whose name has not been released, was struck by a pickup truck while crossing Ann Arbor-Saline Road at Oakbrook Drive at 6 p.m. Friday.
Cooper said he hadn't been aware of citizen requests for a pedestrian crosswalk on Ann Arbor-Saline Road between Eisenhower Parkway and South Main Street, but such a crossing would make sense with the increase in residential properties in the area in recent years.
"Make no mistake about it, the city takes pedestrian safety seriously," Cooper said. "This is a very unfortunate circumstance and it clearly has brought to our eyes the fact there are people who are attempting to cross there.
"We're going to have to take a look at what's the best way to proceed with an appropriate crossing."
Property owners and city government officials have expressed their concerns about the area in the days following the crash, which took place in an area with no pedestrian crosswalk. The speed limit in the area is 45 miles per hour and there are either four or five lanes of traffic on the stretch of Ann Arbor-Saline Road between Eisenhower and South Main.
Daniel Brenner | AnnArbor.com
Although Cooper believes something should be done to make the road safer for pedestrians, he urged patience.
"There's a right way to do it," he said. "It'd be premature (to do something) without having analysis and getting data about traffic patterns and pedestrians' activity. We're not just jumping out and saying we need to do something. We need to do what's right; there's no timeline."
A pedestrian crosswalk across Ann Arbor-Saline Road was proposed in the city's Non-Motorized Transportation Plan from 2007. That plan called for a crosswalk northeast of the Oakbrook Drive intersection. However, the crosswalk was never installed.
City Traffic Engineer Les Sipowski said the crosswalk was never put in because there was no good way to slow traffic on a four-to-five-lane road for pedestrians in 2007. However, recent developments such as the High-Intensity Activated crossWalK (HAWK) systems have made it safer and more feasible. Those systems are activated by pedestrians and remain dormant when no one is trying to cross.
"Doing a pedestrian crosswalk on a roadway like that requires more than just striping bars," Sipowski said. "When the Non-Motorized Plan was prepared, we didn't have any devices that would help pedestrians cross roadways with four or five lanes of traffic moving."
He added, "right now, with these new tools, it's probably feasible to provide a better pedestrian crossing opportunity."
While many officials have said the area on Ann Arbor-Saline Road between Eisenhower and South Main wasn't being talked about as a safety concern, one resident of the area said she had been contacting city officials with her worries.
Sabine Gabaron, who lives on Northbrook Drive, said she'd been exchanging emails with Sipowski since the fall of 2011. Gabaron said she'd told Sipowski she was worried an accident would happen due to heavy traffic coming to and from Whole Foods in Cranbrook Plaza and the increasing amount of pedestrian traffic crossing at the Northbrook Drive intersection.
Northbrook Drive is directly across Ann Arbor-Saline Road from Oakbrook Drive.
Gabaron said a walk from her home to Whole Foods or Busch's, near South Main Street and Ann Arbor-Saline Road, might only take five minutes but she refuses to make the trek because she finds the area too dangerous.
"There should be a way to get to the other side of that road and more and more people are just doing it without realizing how dangerous it is," she said.
Cars coming over a hill in the northbound lanes add to the danger of the area, Gabaron said. She said she had contacted Sipowski and was told there would be work done to make the intersection more clear by the end of the construction season, typically mid-November.
She said it's important for the city to revisit how people come in and out of Cranbrook Plaza. She would like to see more street lights added to the area to improve the lighting at night and some sort of crosswalk installed.
"Something needs to be done. They have to allow people to go to the other side of the road," she said.
Carolyn Grawi, a board member for the Washtenaw Biking & Walking Coalition in addition to director of education and advocacy for the Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living, said one solution could be Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons — or RRFBs — similar to those on Plymouth Road.
Grawi said Friday's accident, the accident that killed a pedestrian on Golfside Drive in Pittsfield Township Thursday and a very serious crash involving a bicyclist on Washtenaw Avenue on Aug. 13 all had one thing in common: Pedestrians were struck by vehicles while they tried to cross a five-lane road. Having a crosswalk with the RRFBs, along with a pedestrian refuge, would improve safety considerably, Grawi said.
"It's impossible to cross a five-lane road with no safe crossing," she said.
She urged city officials to take up a Complete Streets Policy. Complete streets are defined as "roadways planned, designed, and constructed to provide appropriate access to all legal users ... whether by car, truck, transit, assistive device, foot or bicycle" by state legislation, enacted in 2010. State roads throughout Michigan are designed, or being designed, to be complete streets that are safe for all users.
"It's really important we consider all users when we talk about this," she said.
Grawi said the fact there are two parks in the area of Northbrook Drive, as well as grocery stores and residential neighborhoods — among other things — suggests that it would be more useful to have a crosswalk there instead of forcing pedestrians to walk to the corner of Ann Arbor-Saline Road and Eisenhower Parkway or Ann Arbor-Saline and South Main Street.
Sipowski said many things need to be studied before any changes can be made to the road.
"We have to see what is the best location and what the best financing for the project would be," he said.
View Pedestrian accident in a larger map


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2006 Chestnut Colt
Trainer: Gerald S. Bennett | |
Jockey: Walter De La Cruz | |
Owner: Winning Stables Inc, Rech, Ray and Lamarca Stable | |
Breeder: Gary L. Aiken |
Burley's Gold | Touch Gold | Deputy Minister |
Passing Mood | ||
Mop Squeezer | Roanoke | |
Honey League Girl |
Kensei, who won the Dwyer Stakes (gr. II) at Belmont Park earlier this season, returns to the New York oval Oct. 11 to lead a field of five in the $150,000 Jerome Handicap (gr. II) for 3-year-olds going one mile on the main track.
Friday, October 09, 2009Trainer: Thomas M. Amoss
Owner: GoldMark Farm, LLC and Whisper Hill Farm
Jockey: Rosie Napravnik


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By Konami
Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 (or Pro Evo' or PES for real fans) has a lot to live up to with a proud history – and a battle with EA's FIFA franchise. This year's iteration of PES brings its game very much to the table.High up the list of improvements is the improved Defender AI in which, opposition defenders hold position rather than rushing to any potential attack and thereby leaving holes. This time they will pressure your attacks.This comes hand-in-hand with improvements to the goalkeepers' AI and, more importantly with the player's ability to control their own keeper. The keepers now respond more rapidly enabling faster counter attacking as well as the ability to use goalkicks to build accurate attacks.Producer Seabass has also worked with his team to update and improve the 360 control of players in motion. Not only are throw-ins, lobbed passes and through-balls more accurate, players now have to actually gauge the weight of passes. This can be combined with the new Speed of Play aspect, enabling new gamers to start slowly only to build their game pace up to compete online with the hardcore.Added to this is a Shot & Stamina Gauge which shows are more accurate representation of an on-screen player's ability to compete – enabling better decision making in substitutions.Master League Online is the pinnacle of PES mastery. It marks the debut of what many consider to be the jewel in the PES crown as Master League now enables you to compete with real world PES managers with the squad that you've built up from the lower leagues to the top. You'll need to have mastered the offline modes such as Become A Legend, and League/Cup (and, of course, Master League) but that's the challenge.
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– Customer review on 20/05/2011
Online play is more accessible now with instant game matching within Exhibition menu as opposed to drilling down inside Online menu. I did not experience any noticeable lags even with subpar network connections. The new game plan (tactics/strategy) with drag-and-drop interface is so easy and intuitive that I find myself tinkering with different settings - something that I haven't done often in previous PES. Feint settings where you can combo series of feint moves with the right stick is also a welcome addition and fun to watch.
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Catch the ring game for all ages that can be played in the office, at home or on your way to work.
This game has an awesome physics and gameplay.
In the game you need to pass the levels at the shortest time period possible, accumulating the highest scores. You will need to make quick decisions which button to press, where air flow should be directed and put rings of various size onto the corresponding posts in the right order using your phone accelerometer.
You can play the game on your own or let your children develop motility and cognitive skills.
You'll admire not only the gameplay, but the also the sound effects!
Useful function 'random level' makes it possible to start the game at a random level after completing it.
'Сatch The Ring' will help you to fill in time and enjoy beautiful game physics 'Objects in The Water'.
No options - just play.


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Good Quality Chair-
By Paul C
from Providence, RI
About Me Midrange Shopper
Best Uses
Comments about Norstar Boss� B9505 Series Fabric Stacking Chair Without Arms; Blue:
Overall very good chair for the price. Attractive and modern appearance. Decent fabric covering back and bottom.
Can't find what you need? Contact Us
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This Web site is intended only for use by U.S. residents.


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Tag: strawberries
Berry Pie?
16th April
Ok ok so before everyone freaks out about this week's special I just want to say we let the cooks pick it… and well some of the capitol hill pizza cooks might be 'eccentric.' aka Conrad might be still tripping from burning man five years ago. Goat cheese, strawberries, roasted garlic on an olive oil base.


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Wisconsin Dells, WI
Register here for STEM Summit
Registration deadline: October 2, 2012
Wisconsin STEM Summit Pre-Conference October 7, 2012
Bryan D. Abrecht, Ed.D.
Murray Banks
Marc Prensky
Dr. Bryan Albrecht has served as Gateway's President since 2006.
In this role, Dr. Albrecht represents the college on over 50 local, state, and national boards. He supports a comprehensive and vision-driven college, by increasing student support, contemporary programming, positive community partnerships, and innovative classrooms and facilities that reflect the business and industry. Under Dr. Albrecht's leadership, Gateway has been recognized as a military friendly college by the United States Department of Defense, an innovative college by the United States Department of Labor, a leadership college by the Association for Career and Technical Education, and a model college by the American Association of Community Colleges for sustainable education and economic development.
Murray Banks is an honored educator and world champion athlete. Murray has an engaging and motivational message. His unique and interactive style will have you ready to recharge, reenergize and refocus.
Marc Prensky is an internationally acclaimed speaker, writer, consultant, visionary and innovator in the field of education and learning. Marc has taught at all levels. Marc has been featured in articles in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, PBS, and the BBC, and was named as one of training's top 10 "visionaries" by Training magazine.
Sessions will focus on advancing STEM education and include:
• Instructional Innovation and Leadership;
• Science and Health;
• Energy, Environment, and Sustainability;
• Mathematics, Engineering, and Manufacturing;
• Technology, Multimedia, and Telecommunication.
CESA 6 proudly announces its third annual STEM Summit. Educators, industry leaders, and others will gather to showcase replicable models and discuss increasing student access to and success in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The 2012 STEM Summit will help educators explore the strategic use of information technology to better serve their students, campuses, and communities.
Over 60 sessions will cover everything from recruiting and retaining students for STEM-related programs to using information technology to improve organizational and student learning.
Who should attend: K-16 educators, building administrators, course administrators, CTE disciplines.
Are you a business who wants to support this educational opportunity? For more information visit: Exhibitors and Sponsors.
We look forward to hearing from you!
For more information contact:
Tania Kilpatrick CESA 6 Career and Technical Education Coordinator email@example.com (920) 236-0531
Dorreen Dembski CESA 6 Communications Director email@example.com (920) 236-0527


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Dean of Students Department New Student & Family ProgramsUniversity Center A, Room 4320 850.644.2785FSUDeanStudents (AIM)
Hours: M-F, 8:00am - 5:00pm
The Dean of Students Department's Office of New Student & Family Programs coordinates a series of programs designed to support your experience at The Florida State University. Take time to learn about the University's orientation programs, One Book / One Campus shared-reading program, and various resources for new students and families. Family members, are invited to link with services and information available through Family Connection.
If you have questions or need assistance, remember that we are here for you!


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On the Line: Succeeding in 4-Way
Part 5 of 6—Jump Preparation (Dirt Diving) and Debriefing
During jump preparation, a team should repeatedly practice team communication skills and personal flying skills, habits and discipline. It is during this process that a team has the best opportunity to develop and train the correct behavior so that it becomes almost instinctual. For this reason, it is crucial for the team to perform each skill correctly every time. If the members are complacent about this, the team will inevitably perform the skills incorrectly as many times as it does correctly and will have ingrained the wrong behaviors. The team will be repeating the exercises either way, so be sure to do them right.
Every dirt dive should:
- Reinforce personal and team skills, habits and disciplines, including sharp moves, full stops, eye contact, communication, awareness, anticipation, solid grips, synchronicity, key discipline, correct responses to errors and decision making.
- Simulate the feeling, pace and attitude of the jump the team wants to have.
- Create the correct pictures on the creepers.
- Build confidence in how the jump will go and the team's ability to make it happen.
- Be efficient with no waste of time.
Dive-Preparation Sequence
- Initial walk-through
- Random angles
- Blocks
- Random series
- Entire sequence
- Walk-through
- Exit line-up
- Final extended walk-through
1) Initial Walk-Through
The initial walk-through sets the tone for the prep and, in turn, the jump itself. Yet, during this first part of the dirt dive, most team members focus only on trying to remember the next point while fumbling through the sequence with their eyes staring at the ground. They waste the opportunity to work on the basics. The dirt dive usually feels nothing like the way the team wants the jump to feel, so not only will the team not meet the goals of the dirt dive, it will have practiced all the wrong things and invested quite a bit of time doing so.
During the first walk-through, the team will have not yet memorized the sequence of the jump, but it must still move sharply, stop hard, stay together, maintain good eye contact, pick up solid grips and practice good key discipline. The key person needs to slow down the keys and allow time for the team to anticipate the next point. With good anticipation, the team members can sharpen all their basics from the beginning.
After walking through the formation sequence a few times, the team will start to learn the jump and will be ready for the keys sooner. Since the team's level of anticipation changes throughout this process, it is a unique opportunity for the key person to practice the important skill of being able to read the readiness of the team and change the key speed accordingly.
The entire dirt dive should feel strong, sharp and together. The team members should see the stages of the blocks and the midpoint pictures, and they should produce the pace of the particular category the jump falls into (see "Different Types of Jumps" in part four of "On the Line" in the September issue of Parachutist). The team should finish the first walk-through with confidence, and the entire process should only take a minute.
The first walk-though also allows the team to practice how it will respond to brain locks and other glitches. Since the team is not yet familiar with the jump, it's likely to encounter a few brain locks. Take advantage of this, and train the team to respond the way it should if the same error happens in the air (see "Recovering From Mistakes and Brain Locks" in part four of "On the Line"). The best skydivers in the world make mistakes, but they have practiced how to recover from them. The first walk-through gives the team this opportunity.
Perform these steps during the first walk-through process:
- Before beginning the walk-through, take a few seconds to get the sequence in your heads.
- Begin from the exit. Don't talk.
- The key person should break the formation when he sees the team is ready and anticipating the next point.
- Expect to hold each formation longer than normal while the team learns the jump.
- Move sharply.
- Maintain good eye contact through the entire transition.
- Stop completely. Practice anticipating the next point before taking grips.
- Make solid contact when picking up grips. It is not important to use grippers (for instance, on a caterpillar, you could pick up solid grips on your teammate's hips instead of bending over for leg grips).
- Move in sync at all times, making sure grips are on and off simultaneously.
- There will almost always be glitches during the first walk-through. Use this opportunity to practice how you want to respond when the same error happens in the air.
2) Random Angles
Now, move to the creepers. The first thing to do is define the exact geometric choreography the sequence calls for. It is the most visually accurate way to rehearse how the random formations and transitions will look in the air. To get the most out of this process, creep each random move exactly like a stop drill:
- Always let the key person key the point.
- Move sharply to your next position.
- Maintain eye contact throughout the entire move.
- Stop and anticipate the next point.
- Match the center flyers as they pick up grips.
- Look directly at the grippers and practice picking up solid grips that you could fly a piece with.
- Return to the previous formation and repeat the move. (Repeat the move three times, or more if anyone on the team requests it.)
- When moving back to the previous formation, continue to perform each part of the move correctly. Move sharply, maintain good eye contact, stop completely, pick up good grips and follow good key discipline.
Most teams creep each random angle three times in their dive preparations. However, many reinforce as many bad habits as good ones by letting the key person key the first point, moving sharply to the first point and then letting anyone key the second point, moseying back to the previous point and starting again. In essence, they rehearse an equal number of sharp and weak moves. They practice incorrect key discipline on as many formations as they practice correct key discipline. Make sure to avoid this mistake, and perform every part of the move correctly every time.
3) Blocks
Creeping the blocks is a skill in itself, and one well worth practicing. With enough repetition, the team can do it in a way that comes close to simulating the proper technique and creates the correct pictures. But even then, many blocks won't have an accurate feel to them, and creeping them too much can have a negative effect. But at minimum, the team should creep each block once while practicing the angles. The purpose is to remind the team of the technically perfect move and to see the pictures created in that move. Stop the block completely at the midpoint picture. See the closing point and finish it.
4) Random Series
Creep each random series three times, always performing it like a stop drill. Practice anticipating the next move at the pre-finished picture (what the formation will look like just before it is complete). Start from the close of the block, go through the random series and stop at the top of the next block. This will help the team prepare to shift gears on the jump.
5) Entire Sequence
If the jump includes blocks that the team can creep well and the sequence feels fairly realistic, then creep it three times. If creeping does not give a fairly realistic simulation of the jump, then it is OK to skip it.
6) Walk-Through
Get off the creepers and perform a good walk-through that lasts at least 35 seconds to create the feeling and pace that the jump should have. Before starting the walk-through, take 30 seconds to get the sequence in your heads. Then begin from the exit count.
On a walk-through, it is important for the team to pick up and release grips together. Take solid grips, but don't be concerned with picking up grippers, since that can be awkward.
7 and 8) Exit Line-Up and Final Extended Walk-Through
On a five-minute call, go to the aircraft mock-up and do an exit line-up in full gear. Launch the exit, stop it right outside the door and transition to the second point.
Step away from the mock-up, and perform another walk-through that lasts at least one full minute. Someone may get distracted and make a mistake, but you should not stop, talk or quit when there is a glitch. You have to recover from it and get back on your game. By maintaining a steady, strong team pace during the walk-through and holding it together for a full minute, the team will discover a new level of calm, intense focus. It's easy to dirt dive for 20 or 30 seconds; it requires a much higher degree of discipline and focus to hold it together for a minute or more.
It is important to be very regimented as you go through the dive-preparation process. Your team can finish in a few minutes. There is no advantage to lengthening the dirt dive by talking too much or joking around. Get serious, get the job done, and then relax and take it easy.
In this dive-preparation plan, only make moves that are sharp. Always maintain good eye contact through every transition. Always come to a complete stop at the end of every move. Constantly work on anticipation. Always pick up solid grips. Always practice good key discipline. Always move in sync. Always stay on the line.
By practicing skills correctly and repeating them, they will become habitual. If your team prepares well, the members will walk away from the dirt dive ready to go and confident that they are going to have a great jump.
Visualization Training
Visualization is the ability to create clear, detailed and accurate mental images of events that you want to recreate as physical reality. Positive visualization is immensely important. Every sports psychology and peak-performance book contains extensive chapters on its benefits and value (and its worth holds true in areas of life far beyond sports).
Visualization is extremely important when training for competitive skydiving because of the minimal time teams have on the actual playing field: the air. In nearly all other sports, someone can realistically rehearse for hours. Even when making 1,200 training jumps a year, a team will only spend 15 hours actually skydiving. Compare that to other sports, in which athletes can practice 15 hours or more a week. The introduction of wind tunnels has helped, but it's not a completely accurate playing field, and in no way does it replace the need to practice visualization skills.
Regardless of your skill level, if you can create a clear, detailed and accurate mental image of you and your team performing well, it will often become reality—that's why visualizing a good jump on the way to altitude is so important. Quality visualization has the same effect on your consciousness as actual experience, but so does poor visualization. You need to see it right so you can do it right.
Visualizing, like any other skill, takes time and practice. When you visualize, start from the beginning of the jump: See the door open; see the entire climb out; see the exit count; see the exit and see the first point. Continue all the way through breakoff.
Learn to visualize from two angles. The first is the camera flyer's angle. Watch the whole team working together as four parts of one machine. Watch yourself within the team. To help you create an accurate image from this angle, you should spend a lot of time watching a best-of DVD of your team's jumps. The second angle is your own point of view. Take the time to see everything just as you will on the actual jump.
Visualize at a speed that allows you time to see it all. The true speed always feels slower when you visualize. Feel the power in your moves, the strong and controlled stops, the calm mind. See the sharp eyes of your teammates as you communicate during the jump. Feel how much fun it is when you and your team are at your best.
The ability to create full sensory images of yourself and your team, complete with the confidence and attitude your best performances engender, is a skill that will take more time to learn than the ride to altitude provides. On top of your jumping and physical training, you should visualize a minimum of 20 minutes a day. You don't have to do this all at once; it can be two 10-minute sessions. Try to find a quiet place where you can be alone, where it's easiest to create the most detailed images. Slow down, calm your mind and relax into an almost meditative state.
There are 22 block moves and 11 or 12 jumps if you perform a draw of the entire dive pool. Visualize one-third of these each day—seven or eight blocks and four of the 12 jumps. Visualize each block individually. Perform the single block transition in all its detail:
- Begin from the build of the first point of the block.
- See the key and the first stage of the block move.
- Recognize the midpoint picture and where the finished formation will be.
- Work the second stage of the block through to the final close.
Do it perfectly, again and again. Work the exit move of that block, as well as the freefall move. See it from your slot and your piece partner's slot.
When visualizing a complete jump, minimize the technical details of each move. Slow it down so that you can see everything happening as it should but without having to give it too much thought.
Visualizing an entire jump is the ideal time to practice the pace of the jump and your anticipation. Become familiar with the pre-finished picture (for example, what a compressed accordion will look like right before it completes). Practice visualizing at a speed that allows you to anticipate the next point at the moment you are sure the formation will build but before it is actually complete. This technique is very effective in minimizing brain locks.
In addition to your scheduled 20 minutes, it is also very useful to visualize spontaneously. When you are in the middle of doing something completely unrelated to jumping, stop and go through a jump. Force yourself to instantly create the correct pictures and feeling. This is much more difficult than when you visualize in a quiet place, but it teaches you to instantly call on this skill anytime, anywhere, even while distracted.
Jump-by-Jump Visualization Plan
Developing a visualization method that you use for every jump will be important in the heat of competition. Here is a method that many competitors have found successful:
- Calm down. As soon as you sit down on the aircraft and buckle your seat belt, take a moment to relax and calm yourself. Your visualization will be more accurate and under control when your mind is calm.
- Use two angles. Visualize the jump from both angles: the camera flyer's view from above and what it will look like from your own eyes.
- Minimize the technical details. See them happening correctly but don't devote much of your thought process to it. Instead, visualize that calm, strong, confident, on-the-line attitude you want the jump to have. With the right attitude, the technical details will work themselves out.
- Visualize at the real speed, but remember that it will seem slow.
- Then, visualize at twice the speed you plan to go. This is a great exercise in anticipation. You will find you actually have to calm down even more for your mind to keep up. Realize that this is an anticipation exercise and not the speed you are aiming for. Don't visualize at double speed when you are getting close to exiting; try it during the middle of the plane ride and return to real speed in the last minutes of preparing for the real thing.
- Try saying the names or numbers of the formations in the sequence in your head like a mantra.
- Stay positive. Anxieties and fears have an amazing ability to produce pictures that you don't intend. Realize that this is your mind messing with you, and get a little laugh out of it. Relax, and remember the attitude you want to fly with. Let all details go, and visualize only the attitude you are going to play with.
Once you figure out a jump-by-jump visualization process that works for you, be disciplined about using the same process each time. Don't have one plan for a jump you think is easy and a different plan for a jump you think is difficult. They are all easy if you are capable of visualizing them well.
You will want to experiment to discover the system you prefer. It is also worth speaking with your teammates, coaches and other competitors. Be fairly scientific when you experiment. Spend a day of training when you visualize constantly all the way to altitude. On another day, try visualizing at 2,000, 5,000 and 8,000 feet. Be aware of what you tried and what worked for you. It won't take long before you customize a system for yourself that you enjoy and are confident in.
Reviewing or Debriefing Jumps
The video debrief is a team's primary opportunity to learn. When reviewing the jumps, the team should discuss each other's strengths and weaknesses, as well as talk about technical flying skills. How a team chooses to communicate will have a great impact on its mood, attitude and character. It can make the difference between building confidence and increasing fear. How team members speak to each other during the debrief can determine whether they maintain their senses of humor and enjoy the challenge of training or lose perspective and increase their performance anxiety by taking themselves too seriously.
It's your team's choice as to whether each member will take personal responsibility and choose to demonstrate a confident make-it-happen attitude or will search for somewhere else to point the blame. Will everyone take responsibility for their own and each other's learning, or will they leave each other to fend for themselves? How the team members choose to respond will have a great impact on the personality and winning spirit of the team.
To gain all the benefits from the debrief, the team must be able to clearly and efficiently share ideas, opinions, criticism and compliments. With a smart plan and clear rules, the debriefs can improve the team's skydiving, build its confidence, provide fun and entertainment, and strengthen the team's bond. Otherwise, the debriefs can be poison.
This debriefing plan sets the stage for a team to have positive, productive and enjoyable communications:
Debriefing Goals
- dentify positive aspects of the jump and how to repeat them.
- Identify errors and decide on specific plans that will lead to solutions.
- Take responsibility for your own errors.
- Recognize what you could have done to help the team recover from mistakes that weren't necessarily yours.
- Be responsible for your own and each other's learning.
- Be concise.
- Maintain a positive attitude.
- Maintain an open and honest line of communication and your sense of humor.
Watch the jump twice before commenting. Never miss out on an opportunity to laugh at yourself and each other. If there are any exceptionally bad moments, pause the video at the craziest point and enjoy the humor in it. It is better to freeze frame the video, slightly embarrass the person who is in the compromising position and laugh about it than it is to hide from it and pretend it didn't happen.
During the debrief, one person speaks at a time. Start by stating any positive things you see in yourself, your teammates or the team as a whole. Then debrief yourself by recognizing only your own errors and state what you plan to do to correct them.
If you see a problem the team is having but don't think that you contributed to it, identify what more you could have done to contribute to fixing it. (For instance, say you are the rear floater, and the front floater didn't get a good launch on exit. He came under the formation and it funneled. You may not have caused the funnel, but had you been aware sooner that the front floater had a bad exit, you could have responded by pulling your end of the formation down the hill, and you may have been able to prevent the funnel.) There will always be mistakes: Don't be a victim; make it happen.
The discussion is now open for input from teammates. If the individual has recognized his errors and made a good plan to fix them, there is nothing more that needs to be said. If there are errors that the individual made but didn't recognize or recognized but didn't know how to fix, then it is the other teammates' responsibilities to speak up. Don't search for and point out every little error that otherwise would have gone unnoticed. There are simply too many, and you can't focus on every minor detail. But if the mistakes are significant or repetitive, you need to point them out. The team can't fix something if it doesn't know it's broken.
Only give input to a teammate if you are certain that the information you are offering will be valuable. This is essential. If different teammates start throwing in every idea that crosses their minds, the person being debriefed won't stand a chance of filtering through it all. The filter gets clogged, and the receptors shut down. But if he knows that only well-thought-out input is allowed, then he will consider the information carefully. Save the loose, untested ideas for a brainstorming session.
When receiving input from a teammate, don't allow yourself to operate from the defensive feelings that you are likely experiencing. Listen. Remember that he is your teammate and is trying to help you—and the team—achieve. He wouldn't be offering this information unless he had thought it out and was sure of what he was saying.
Accept input without discussion or debate. It doesn't matter if the person is right; it matters that he might be. Be sure that you clearly understand what he is saying, but don't argue its worth. Doing so is a defensive response that, at best, takes too much time and, at worst, deteriorates the team's ability to constructively debate issues.
It is up to the individual being debriefed to decide if the input is worth applying. If you think that the information a team member was offering is not applicable, carry on as you had planned. If the errors continue to resurface, you should consider his input again.
Not Allowed in Debriefs:
- Defensive responses.
- Saying, "It's not my fault," or, "I couldn't do anything about it."
If your team uses this plan, it will meet all the goals of a debrief. Stay disciplined as you first start working with this process. Before you know it, your video reviews will be productive, efficient and often quite entertaining.
Next month: "Putting It Together," the conclusion of "On the Line: Succeeding in 4-Way."
About the Author
Dan Brodsky-Chenfeld, D-8424, is a founding member of Arizona Airspeed and has earned many U.S. and world 4- and 8-way formation skydiving championships. He has used the coaching strategies he shares in this series to lead many teams to achieve the same success. Brodsky-Chenfeld currently manages Skydive Perris in California and is a member of the P3 organizing team. His critically acclaimed book, "Above All Else," is available at aboveallelsethebook.com and at major book retailers.


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National Media Museum Artist Commissions
WHO: artists.
WHAT: Open Call. The National Media Museum is commissioning two artworks for our forthcoming exhibition In the Blink of an Eye, which opens in March 2012. This exhibition, which explores themes surrounding the capture and synthesis of movement will offer artists the opportunity to engage with and respond to images and artefacts from our National Collections, including the work of Dr Harold E. Edgerton, Roger Fenton, Tim Macmillan, Etienne-Jules Marey and Eadweard Muybridge.
WHEN: Application submission deadline: 16 May 2011.
PAYMENTS: Artist and production fee: £15,000.
Deadline: 16 May 2011 ** Deadline expired**
Organiser/employer: National Media Museum
[ Added on 18 March 2011 ]
- Payments:
- Pays fee/prize/award
- Location:
- UK - Bradford
Deadline expired


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Jewish Family & Children's Service host Lifecycles & Laughtracks gala
Joel Rosenthal and Alan Zweibel.
Marcella Apter, Harriet Lewis and Bev Mermelstein.
Victor Rudkin and Shelley Daniels.
Christina Poppito, Cecilia Griffin-Golden, Matt Arch and Chaton Turner.
Dan and Debbie Frankel.
Share with others:
Honorary chairs Herb and Barbara Shear along with event chairs Carolyn and Marc Mendelson welcomed more than 260 guests to Jewish Family & Children's Service's Lifecycles & Laughtracks gala on Nov. 17. The evening was a celebration of the agency's 75 years of service in Pittsburgh, and featured Alan Zweibel, comedy writer for "Saturday Night Live" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm."
First Published December 4, 2012 12:00 am


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Kati Haycock presents the Ed Trust at the Arnold Giving Library. Watch. Connect. Give.
In its release of the "2012 Report on College and Career Readiness," the College Board announced that the SAT was taken by more high school seniors than ever before, including the highest percentage of students of color. Yet only 43 percent of all test takers met the college readiness benchmark (a predictor of college success), evidence that the nation's high schools are failing to adequately prepare many graduates to succeed in either college or career.
It's no secret that some schools and some districts have more funding to work with than others. Now a new report from the Center for American Progress examines inequities in state education finance systems. The findings confirm that in some states, high-poverty districts consistently receive fewer state and local resources than low-poverty districts, a practice that consistently shortchanges larger proportions of our most academically fragile students.
In recent years, states have enthusiastically adopted standards that promote college and career readiness. A new report from Achieve, Closing the Expectations Gap 2012, reminds us once again that simply adopting more rigorous standards is not enough to adequately prepare all students for life after high school. Boosting student preparedness relies squarely on aligning the courses students are expected to take with the new standards, and providing crucial support for districts, teachers, schools — and students, particularly those who are farthest behind.
A new program in Oregon offers a hopeful example of how collaboration and teamwork can produce innovative solutions to enhancing teacher effectiveness and student achievement. TeachOregon, launched by the Chalkboard Project in August, was established with grants totaling $180,000 awarded to five partnerships configured among 20 school districts and six universities. The partnerships will work together to design innovative new models for preparing the next generation of Oregon's K-12 teachers.
WASHINGTON (September 20, 2012) — Nationwide, college graduation rates are far too low, particularly among students of color, a fast-growing demographic in America. But two reports released today by The Education Trust show that it doesn't have to be that way. "Advancing to Completion: Increasing degree attainment by improving graduation rates and closing gaps for African-American students" and "Advancing to Completion: Increasing degree attainment by improving graduation rates and closing gaps for Hispanic students" spotlight colleges of all types that are producing better results by improving graduation rates and/or narrowing the graduation-rate gaps on their campuses.
A new report from EdTrust-Midwest highlights the need for better teacher quality measures and professional development. With Michigan's teacher evaluation system rating nearly every teacher "effective" or higher while student scores slip, "Strengthening Michigan's Teacher Force" makes the argument for a stronger evaluation system that supports teachers in order to improve student achievement.
Surveys have long shown that college professors, employers, and graduates themselves feel that high schools are graduating students who lack the writing skills necessary to succeed in college and the workplace. Recent results from the 2011 National Assessment of Education Progress corroborate these opinions, showing that far too many American middle and high school students have insufficient writing skills.
A recent brief from the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) finds few states are taking steps to improve the chances that individuals entering the teaching profession will be effective. For example: while 41 states require teacher preparation programs to screen candidates at either program entrance or exit, the most commonly used basic skills tests only assess skills up to the middle-school level. Making bad matters worse, 95 percent of the states for which NCTQ could obtain test data set the passing score on elementary teachers' licensure tests at the 16th percentile of all test takers or lower.
Students in California scored a victory recently with the demise of AB 5, a bill that would have pushed the state backward on both teacher evaluations and accountability for basic education. If enacted, the bill would have weakened California's requirements for teacher evaluations by not meaningfully including student, parent, and community feedback or factoring in student progress and achievement. Such a change would have left the state unable to meet requirements set by the U.S. Department of Education for states seeking waivers from No Child Left Behind.


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Teen Books, Romance
Lena looks forward to receiving the government-mandated cure that prevents the delirium of love and leads to a safe, predictable, and happy life, until ninety-five days before her eighteenth birthday and her treatment, she falls in love. Delirium trilogy, book 1.
Also available as an audiobook.
Eleanor & Park
Bono met his wife in high school, Park says. So did Jerry Lee Lewis, Eleanor answers. I'm not kidding, he says. You should be, she says, we're 16. What about Romeo and Juliet? Shallow, confused, then dead. I love you, Park says. Wherefore art thou, Eleanor answers. I'm not kidding, he says. You should be.Set over the course of one school year in 1986, this is the story of two star-crossed misfits-smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you'll remember your own first love-and just how hard it pulled you under.
Every Day
Every morning A wakes in a different person's body, in a different person's life, learning over the years to never get too attached, until he wakes up in the body of Justin and falls in love with Justin's girlfriend, Rhiannon.
Also available as an eBook and audiobook.
Fault in Our Stars
Bestselling author John Green returns with an eagerly anticipated and emotional novel about sickness and health, life and death. Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs. for now. Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too - post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and - shockingly, to her - interested in Hazel.
Also available as an audiobook.
Just One Day
Sparks fly when American good girl Allyson encounters laid-back Dutch actor Willem, so she follows him on a whirlwind trip to Paris, upending her life in just one day and prompting a year of self-discovery and the search for true love. First book in the Just One Day series.
Keep Holding On
A romantic and empowering book about bullying Noelle's life is all about survival. Even her best friend doesn't know how much she gets bullied, or the ways her mom neglects her. Noelle's kept so much about her life a secret for so long that when her longtime crush Julian Porter starts paying attention to her, she's terrified. Surely it's safer to stay hidden than to risk the pain of a broken heart. But when the antagonism of her classmates takes a dramatic turn, Noelle realizes it's time to stand up for herself--and for the love that keeps her holding on.
When seventeen-year-old Katy moves to West Virginia she expects to be bored, until she meets her neighbor who just happens to be an alien. Lux series, book 1.
Also available as an eBook.
Pushing the Limits
Rendered a subject of gossip after a traumatic night that left her with terrible scars on her arms, Echo is dumped by her boyfriend and bonds with bad-boy Noah, whose tough attitude hides an understanding nature and difficult secrets.
Return to Me
Always following her parents' wishes and ignoring her psychic inner voice takes eighteen-year-old Rebecca Muir from her beloved cottage and boyfriend on Puget Sound to New York City, where revelations about herself and her family help her find a path to becoming the architect she wants to be.
Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
Hadley and Oliver fall in love on the flight from New York to London, but after a cinematic kiss they lose track of each other at the airport until fate brings them back together on a very momentous day.
Tiger Lily
Fifteen-year-old Tiger Lily receives special protections from the spiritual forces of Neverland, but then she meets her tribe's most dangerous enemy--Peter Pan--and falls in love with him.
Also available as an eBook.
We'll Always Have Summer: A Summer Novel
The summer after her first year of college, Isobel "Belly" Conklin is faced with a choice between Jeremiah and Conrad Fisher, brothers she has always loved, when Jeremiah proposes marriage and Conrad confesses that he still loves her. Book 3 in the Summer series.


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Best gadget reviews this week: May 20th - 24th
Wipe away the Xbox One-flavoured tears and let this week's finest Stuff.tv gadget tests put that smile back on your face
Microsoft patents "holodeck" style gaming system
Next Xbox could project a gaming environment onto the walls of your living room
Sony debuting 360-degree head-mounted display
Concept of new HMZ gaming headset to be shown off at this year's Tokyo Game Show
Valve's Big Picture mode launching today
Couch potatoes rejoice – the living room-friendly interface for Steam is finally ready
Raspberry Pi to be mass produced by Sony in the UK
The affordable naked PC on a motherboard is coming to the UK in hefty supply at last
MG puts Android in a dedicated gaming handheld
Kickstarter project follows Ouya success with the first dedicated Android gaming handheld
Sony VAIO Duo 11 tablet/laptop combo spied
Windows 8-powered device is an 11-inch tablet one moment and a compact notebook the next
Sky's Now TV on-demand service launches on Xbox
Not a Sky subscriber but want to get to all those early released films? Xbox has you covered with Now TV
Asus Transformer Pad 300 gets Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update
Asus gives its budget Transformer Pad a taste of Jelly Bean goodness – but Prime and Infinity owners will have to be patient
Gamescom 2012 – Mad Catz and Razer unveil keyboards for hardcore gamers
Take your PC gaming to ridiculously high levels of awesome with these touchscreen-equipped keyboards
Windows 8 available for free 90-day trial
Head this way to give Microsoft's tile-tastic new operating system a test drive
Windows Surface RT tablets will be thinner and lighter than the iPad
Tell your iPad to look away now – Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8 tablets could give it a dose of the chunky blues
Budget tablet turf war: Acer Iconia A110 takes on the Nexus 7
Acer has parted the curtains to reveal its latest Android tablet to take on the mighty Google Nexus 7, with a microSD card slot in its arsenal to boot
Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 global release date is nigh (UPDATE: August 15th?)
The tablet that's hoping to convert us all back to styli will hit shelves worldwide in August. Unless Apple's lawyers have other plans
OUYA Android console completes Kickstarter whip-round and prepares for March release
Having completed its funding on Kickstarter, the OUYA console is ready for reality – and it's got a shipping date


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Greece Weeps - http://goo.gl/KYoIE |
Bloomberg: Greek President Told Banks Anxious as Deposits Pulled (Update 1)
By Natalie Weeks and Maria Petrakis - May 15, 2012 8:38 PM PT
Greek President Karolos Papoulias was told by the central bank chief this week that financial institutions are becoming anxious about their prospects as Greeks pull out cash after the inconclusive May 6 elections.
Central bank head George Provopoulos told Papoulias that Greeks have withdrawn as much as 700 million euros ($891 million) and the situation could worsen, according to the transcript of the president's meeting with party leaders on May 14 that was published yesterday.
Greek President Karolos Papoulias. Photographer: Angelos Tzortzinis/Bloomberg
"Provopoulos told me that of course there's no panic but there's great fear which can evolve into panic," he said.
Greece's future in the euro has been thrown into doubt by the political standoff, forcing the president to call for new elections yesterday. German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble called the next vote a referendum on whether Greece exits the euro, a move that would leave lenders to its government, businesses and households unsure of recouping their money.
The risk of a run on Greek banks is "a very serious problem," Yannis Ioannides, professor of economics at Tufts University in Massachusetts, told Bloomberg Television. He said the European Central Bank needs to guarantee deposits held by the region's lenders to guard against contagion. "That's the only way to kill a bank run: not words but deeds."
Stocks Fall
Asian stocks fell for a sixth day, with the MSCI Asia Pacific Index (MXAP) sliding 1.8 percent at 12:12 p.m. in Tokyo. The euro traded less than 0.1 percent from the weakest level in almost four months. Greece's benchmark ASE Index (ASE) fell to its lowest since 1992 yesterday.
Greek leaders will seek agreement today on an interim government that will schedule new elections as early as June 10. Public opinion polls suggest the Syriza party, which opposes the austerity measures pledged by Greece as part of an international bailout, may come in first place.
The country will run out of cash by early July if partners withhold their next aid payment. The European Financial Stability Facility on May 9 confirmed that a 5.2 billion-euro tranche will be released by the end of June, with 4.2 billion euros already disbursed May 10. The remaining 1 billion euros will be released depending on Greece's financing needs.
The once-taboo issue of a Greek withdrawal or expulsion from the 17-nation currency union burst into the public debate last week, starting in Germany, Europe's biggest economy and the country that invented the euro's low-debt rules.
'Catastrophe' for Greece
European Central Bank officials including Patrick Honohan of Ireland and Luc Coene of Belgium weighed the arguments for and against a euro exit, adding to speculation that a currency designed to last forever might start splintering after 13 years.
Leaving the euro would be a "catastrophe" for Greece, with the risk of a run on banks, former Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis said yesterday in Beijing. Banks would have to close for at least three months while preparations, including printing a new currency, are made, Simitis said, citing the views of "experts."
"Having the banks close for three months -- that's nonsense," Simitis said, adding that he believes Greece will stay in the euro. "If they close more than three days there will be a bank run."


text: This, frankly, is a sickness at the heart of the fanboy world. There's nothing (too) wrong with maintaining a fondness for the things that you grew up on, but there is something borderline psychotic about needing those properties to conform to a frankly juvenile vision of 'maturity.' And it isn't like the modern grim n' gritty obsession (which has been going on for DECADES) is about deconstruction; Albrecht has nothing to say about Voltron at all, he just thinks that he could redo it in the style of Battlestar Galactica (a rare example of something that was grittied up in a way that works, because it had something to say. See: The Dark Knight Returns or Watchmen).


text: COURSE: 52-547 Supervising the P-12 Reading Program (3) The course examines the skills to support teachers and other personnel in the design, implementation and evaluation of the reading and writing curriculum for all students. Candidates will also explore ways to build effective school-wide professional development programs and provide individual coaching to support the professional growth of teachers and other educators. Candidates examine the role of the reading professional in community involvement and professional advocacy. This course includes a 25 hour field work (clinical) component, which requires the candidate to develop and deliver a professional presentation to an external audience, provide coaching to a teacher and analyze a district literacy curriculum for improvement initiatives. |


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SMA Art Cart: Color Mosaics (Workshop)
Saturday May 26, 2012
10:00am - 4:00pm
Spencer Museum of Art
10:00am - 4:00pm
Spencer Museum of Art
The Spencer Art Cart is a fun, fresh, and free drop-in art program available during gallery hours every Saturday and Sunday. Designed for children and families but open to everyone, the Art Cart changes monthly, each time highlighting a different gallery and featuring a new, self-guided art activity. Youll learn about selected works from the SMA collection, and then create your own art based on that experience. Spend as little or as much time on your project as you like. Get started today! Saturdays: 10 AM " 4 PM & Sundays: 12" 4 PM For May: "Color Mosaics" Look at the computer generated works of art featured in the exhibition "Cryptograph: An Exhibition for Alan Turning" then create a colored paper mosaic.


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IHC Merwede delivered the Alberto Alemán Zubieta to Autoridad del Canal de Panama (ACP) in Panama City. The formalities were handled by ACP's Contracting Officer, Mrs.
Specialist boatbuilder Strategic Marine delivered the Njord Puffin to offshore windfarm service fleet operator Njord Offshore for deployment in Northern Europe.
The Holland Shipbuilding Association say that the various shipbuilding sectors presented a mixed picture in the past year, ship repair & supereyact construction did well, not so large new-buildings.
Clean tanker rates for refined petroleum products on top export routes soften with build up of ships pressurizing the transatlantic market. Rates for medium-range (MR) tankers for 37,
PortVision's Jason Tieman will speak to the International Liquid Terminals Association (ILTA) Conference on 'New Ways toMaximize Uptime & Utilization with Limited Resources'.
All are welcome to visit the Tanker Mary A. Whalen on Pier 11, Atlantic Basin, Red Hook, Brooklyn on Tuesday, May 21. Our short stay in Atlantic Basin, in Red


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A collection of news and information related to Kris King published by this site and its partners.
Displaying items 1-4 of 4
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James River football roster 2012
#, Name, Position, Height, Weight, Grade #1, Justin Stevers, WR/DB, 6'0", 145, 12 #3, Tanner Clemmer, WR/DB, 6'2", 160, 11 #5, DJ Fowler, QB/DL, 5'9", 190, 10 #7, Kyle King, QB/DB, 5'11", 165, 12 #8,...Tags: Isaac Austin
Bruins' Gregory Campbell finds himself in unusual spotlight
The Fabulous ForumMuch of the talk at the Bruins' media session Wednesday centered on forward Gregory Campbell, whose father, Colin Campbell, has relinquished his role as the NHL's chief disciplinarian. The elder Campbell will remain a senior vice president of hockey... -
After one at Staples: Kings 1, Calgary 0
The Fabulous ForumBoth goaltenders were exceptionally sharp in the first period, which ended with the Kings holding a 1-0 lead. The Kings survived a mild scare at 6:20, when an apparent goal by the Flames was waved off after league officials watching...... -
Toronto calling: No goal, Blackhawks
Tribune staff reporterFor years the Blackhawks have believed they haven't received a fair shake from the league offices. Sunday night did nothing to dispel that notion. The Hawks lost 4-3 to the Minnesota Wild in a controversial shootout after league officials in Toronto...Tags: Wes Walz, Marian Gaborik, Chicago Blackhawks, National Hockey League, Pavol Demitra
Aug 22, 2012
|Story| WDBJ7
Jun 1, 2011
| Los Angeles Times
Dec 9, 2010
| Los Angeles Times
Jan 14, 2007
|Story| Chicago Tribune
Original site for Kris King topic gallery.


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FORT COLLINS, Colo. (GoThunderWolves.com - Apr. 23, 2011) - CSU-Pueblo's sprint relay emerged as the top team at the Colorado State University Jack Christiansen Invitational in Fort Collins Saturday, headlining a day that saw Pack sprinters put up very strong performances.
For the third straight meet, the 4x100-meter relay team qualified provisionally for nationals, this time with a 47.29 second mark, 0.59 seconds slower than its top mark this season, set a week ago at the CSU-Pueblo Invitational.
The front leg of the relay, Blair Gilkes (Jr., Aurora, Colo.), turned in a personal best in the 100-meter, running 12.14 and finishing second. Another relay participant, Shilay Willis (Fr., Aurora, Colo.), matched a personal best in the 200-meter, finishing third with a 25.37 mark.
Hayley Lewis (So., Colorado Springs, Colo.) also set a personal mark in the 1500-meter, running at nearly 5:00 flat. She has improved her 1500-meter time at each meet so far this season.
CSU-Pueblo will now focus on the RMAC Outdoor Championships, taking place in Golden May 8-10.


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Beautiful things: paintings, books, sculptures, photographs, artistic finds. www.getty.edu The Getty is art, architecture, and gardens at two locations: the Getty Center in Los Angeles and the Getty Villa in Malibu.
How to turn yourself into a Gustav Klimt painting in four easy steps:
Here's an easier way…time travel back...fin de siecle Vienna and marry


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Different civilizations have different ways of calculating time, and there's no evidence that the planet actually cares what year it is. To the
Chinese, 2004 is actually 4702. To the Jews, this is 5765. To the Moslem world, this is 1475 (dates begin at the birth of Mohammad.)
For the ancient Athenians, it's about 2500 years after the reign of the First ARchon. To the ancient Romans, it's about 2700 after the Founding of
Rome. It's been about 6 billion years since the Earth coalesced ("was born."
So who knows what year it is? It's simply a social and political way of counting time. Don't let an artificial set of numbers spook you --
remember, we went through all of this during the Y2K scare and we'll go through it again in 2012... and after nothing happens THEN, then we'll get
another round of people predicting another Ominous End of the Earth in a few years after that.
And for the Aztecs (the ones whose calendar folks are getting spooked over) it would be a certain year in the time of a certain ruler... and time to
carve a new calendar.
[edit on 24-12-2004 by Byrd]


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CHENNAI: It was a night of firsts for several of the award winners at the 59th Idea Filmfare Awards 2011 (South) in Chennai on Saturday. Right from Dhanush (Best Actor - Tamil), Nayanthara (Best Actress - Telugu) to Vijay Yesudas (Best Playback Singer Male - Malayalam), Shruti Haasan (Best Debut Female - Telugu), G V Prakash (Best Composer-Tamil) -- it was the first time they were winning Filmfare Awards.
"I don't know why it has taken so long," laughed Nayanthara, when asked about her first Filmfare award after being in the industry for so long. It was the same reaction with Malayalam actor Kavya Madhavan, who won the Best Actress in Malayalam for her role in the movie 'Gaddama'. This was her first statuette, despite being in the industry for more than a decade.


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He was born June 18, 1931, in Parsons to Dwight Campbell and Margaret Louise (Denison) Fultz. He grew up and attended rural Labette County schools and was a 1949 graduate of Labette County Community High School in Altamont.
On Sept. 23, 1950, he married Beryl D. Wheat in Parsons.
The couple owned and operated Fultz Strawberries for 20 years and enjoyed visiting with their customers, who would come from miles away to pick their own strawberries. Through the years, the Fultzes received great pleasure in opening their home to numerous foster children. Darrel farmed most of his adult life, helped build many homes in the area and joked that he was a jack-of-all-trades.
Always eager to learn, he declared attending college as his major hobby, and at the age of 65 returned to school, where he later earned his master electrician license.
Survivors include a son, Rick Fultz of Cherryvale; two daughters, Cheryl Tullis of rural Parsons and Terri Picolet and her husband, Frank of Tecumseh; 10 grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; two brothers, Dale Fultz and his wife, Joyce of rural Parsons and Jerry Fultz and his wife, Thelma, of rural Parsons; and a sister, Lou Jane Moore and her husband, Dale, of Camdenton, Mo.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Beryl D. Fultz, on Nov. 3, 2006.
Following cremation, a celebration of life memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at Center Bethel Union Church.
Memorials are suggested to Parsons Community Health Clinic and may be left at or mailed to Forbes-Hoffman Funeral Home, 405 Main, P.O. Box 374, Parsons, 67357.
Online condolences may be left at www.forbeshoffman.com.


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DATE: | Friday, March 3, 2006 |
New York Law School is hosting "A Conference on Perspectives on Postconflict Constitutionalism." This all-day event will examine the constitution-making processes in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as the theoretical implications of postconflict constitutionalism. Speakers include:
To view the conference brochure, click here or copy this link into your browser: /user_files/1/3/4/97/Postconflict_Constitutionalism_Brochure.pdf |
TIME: | 10 a.m.–5 p.m. |
CONTACT: | Edith Sachs, New York Law School, 212.431.2187 or firstname.lastname@example.com |
PRESENTED BY: | U.S. Association of Constitutional Law, together with New York Law School's Comparative Law and Politics Workshop and the New York Law School Law Review |
ADDRESS/LOCATION: | Wellington Conference Center, New York Law School, 47 Worth Street, New York, N.Y. 10013 (between Church Street and West Broadway) |
DIRECTIONS: | Via Subway: 1 to Franklin Street; 2, 3, A, C to Chambers Street. |
Founded in 1891, New York Law School is the second oldest independent law school in the United States. Drawing on its location near the centers of law, government, and finance in New York City, its faculty of noted and prolific scholars has built the school's curricular strength in the areas of tax law, labor and employment law, civil and human rights law, media and information law, urban legal studies, international and comparative law, and interdisciplinary fields such as legal history and legal ethics. New York Law School has more than 11,000 graduates and enrolls some 1500 students in its full- and part-time J.D. program. It is one of only two law schools in the metropolitan area to offer the Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Tax Law.


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Blog Archives
An Age Old Subject
Posted by lbdarling
****This is a follow-up post to What Is Sexy? and Comparison Shopping; I Hope You Haven't Had Breakfast Yet.****
Maybe you wanna listen to the tune as you read today's entry. We've discussed this crap before but something really, and I mean REALLY, caught my eye today.
Do you remember this girl?
I actually had one of the following, for any collectors out there I apologize for breaking your hearts by telling you that I totally TRASHED it.
I said I was sorry!!!!
Let's not forget about this plucky young thing, I had her too
In case you're under 40…that's Malibu Skipper, Barbie's little sister.
This was my favorite Barbie. Oh I played with it and the van, the plane, the boat, the townhouse, until I was tired and had to go to bed.
Yes, I had Ken dolls and yes, as we got older and near to the end of our doll-playing-days my friends and I made Barbie, Ken, and Skipper do some pretty nasty things. Yes, oh, yes, we did.
I loved Barbie and her world and all of things I could do and places she took me to when I was small. I don't know what's really different from when I was a kid then today but I don't ever recall wanting to BE Barbie. I don't recall thinking I would look like her when I grew up or even that I would have the fancy van, boat, townhouse, jet, etc. It was just a doll that let me expand my imagination and wander around my own little Barbie Universe. In others words, there once really was a thing called Harmless Play.
Yeah. I swear. There was.
I turned on GMA this morning and was presented with
GMA informs this is Valeriya Lukyanova from Russia. You can Google her or check out this link. There are some sites claiming this is a REAL doll and can't possibly be a WOMAN at all.
I tend to agree. In fact, that was my very first thought; it's fake.
Here's another shot
If she's real, she's not the first chick to go off her rocker and want to be customized to look like a Barbie Doll BUT she may have had the best work done. Sites suggest she paid upward for $250,000 to $1,000,000 to get 'the look'.
I can think of a lot better uses for that kind of money so that alone makes me a little ill. BUT, on the bright side, this 'chick' now has someone to legitimately compete against! Yeah!
Jenna Talakova
See, now it's a fair fight. They've both had more customization than a low-rider so..it's even. Go for it ladies. Have fun.
I got to wondering why anyone would want to look like a doll….Barbie or otherwise. Yes, it's shaped nicely, for a doll. But…it's a doll. It's not real. It doesn't walk, talk, think, breathe, love, grieve, eat, live or die in any manner. Unless you're actually in "The Graduate" I'm not sure 'plastics' is the way to go. Especially not to the Living Barbie degree. Is that just FREAKY or what? It's bizarre!
We've discussed here before What is Beautiful? What is Sexy? I don't think either will ever be fully or even satisfactorily defined. As for myself, I'm a Libra, it is my nature to see the beauty in pretty much everything. Even in things you might never think of.
To balance out the Living Barbie piece, GMA also brought me this girl
Florence Colgate.
This lovely 18 year-old was just named/voted/whatever The Most NATURALLY Beautiful Woman in the World…or some crap like that. Supposedly, she is 'perfectly symmetrical' according to the Ancient Greeks. While she doesn't look 'plastic' she still sorta resembles a Barbie Doll. Don't you think? Weird. Yes, she is a very pretty GIRL but I wish the most naturally beautiful WOMAN in the world contest was open to natural females of womanly age….say….30 and up. Frankly, I'm a little tired of the words 'beautiful', 'woman', and 'sexy' seeming to no longer apply past the age of 23 or so. What about you?
I went off in search of 'beauty' and what it means today. I discovered it all comes down to…PhotoShop. Yes, it does. Anyone and everyone can be absolutely GORGEOUS if properly PhotoShopped. Here, I'll show you.
Jessica Alba
On the left is Before and on the right is After. See what they've done…just with her waist??? Never mind the rest of it.
Kim Kardashian
Now, before I show you the next one, I have to admit that part of me is really hoping it's fake. BUT….well…here you go…
Don't you wish YOU could do THIS come Bathing Suit Season??? I know I do!
We've all heard about 'PhotoShopping' and 'Air Brushing' for eons now but, I for one, never knew it could be taken this far. I thought; Oh, a little touch up on the face…so what?
OOOOO was I wrong! I gotta to learn how to use this stupid program more effectively! LOL As I looked at them and studied them, yes, my eyes were opened and I was able to see the 'magic' involved. The…well…soft lighting, and possibly a bit too bright light in some areas both cover up a multitude of sins and the graphics person is counting on the fact that you won't notice the lights and shadows are a bit askew in some areas because you'll be too dazzled to care. The graphics person was right for a very long time. Other areas have been 'blended' or totally 'erased' and others 'cloned' over. They're just better at it than I am, that's all.
We, as women, have been duped for decades and it wasn't Barbie that did it it was the Ad Men. It has to be because, while I searched, I really only came across one picture of a true male celebrity with Before and After shots. I don't mean to break any hearts….
George Clooney
Geez, the guy looks like my dad! He always has that's why I've never really been able to put him on my List of Hotties though I do like him.
The older I get, the more this whole thing baffles me. But, at least it fully explains why the Pretty People only live in magazines, the movies, and TV. If you walk out your door, take a stroll to downtown, have a look around, you'll see that on whole the Human Race isn't exactly 'gorgeous', you know, As Seen On TV and all.
I also still believe that beauty, real true beauty, isn't in the eye of the beholder, it's in the SOUL of the object the beholder is beholding. It extends past the age of 23 and only glows brighter with time it doesn't fade and it doesn't need PhotoShop to make it shine through and dazzle you.
I don't know who she is and I probably never will but I think she is absolutely divine. She has always been my template for 'Alena' and I want to be her when I grow up. I want to look like HER not like Barbie. She's beautiful past the grace of youth although she is still youthful. She is brimming with wisdom and a bit of devilish delight sparkles in her eyes making her the slightest bit sexy and mysterious. You can see the miles behind her and those still stretching out ahead of her along with the fact that she embraces both with equal zest.
I also think this woman epitomizes 'womanly beauty' but didn't dare put a picture of Emmy Lou Harris on the cover of one of my books! LOL
See? Vibrant. Vivacious. Beautiful.
The 'natural beauty of a woman' doesn't even begin to appear until around age 30, when she has some real life experience behind her, after the graces of youth so easily taken for granted fade away, and she is left with just herself. That's when a woman's true beauty starts to shine through. We shouldn't squander it or hide it behind a bushel, after all, with any luck life won't end at 23 so why act like it does?
Lisa Beth Darling is the author of
And the Upcoming
Posted in Life
Tags: barbie doll women, beauty, jenna talackova, life, natural beauty, plastic women, what is beautiful, what is sexy


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25' diesel Regal |
Watch for this 25' Regal running the white water on the Snake River in Idaho while sporting the first Yanmar diesel V8 engine on the market. |
30' twin diesel Guide Series |
A 30' twin diesel that doesn't need to stop for anything with a 200 gal. (us) fuel capacity. This boat was built for hauling several people and a lot of gear long distances for fishing or hunting in Slave Lake, Canada. |
26' twin diesel Regal |
This 26' twin diesel was built for camping and entertaining on Slave Lake, Canada. |
24' engine forward Regal |
24' engine forward diesel built to fish the rivers and lakes around Clackamas, OR. |
20' engine forward Regal |
This 20' engine forward diesel Regal was built to run the smaller rivers in Oregon and Idaho. |
25' twin diesel Regal |
This 25' twin diesel was built for camping and traveling many rivers and chasing whitewater throughout Idaho. |
25' diesel Regal |
A 25' high deck that sports an Alaskan bulkhead sliding door to keep the evening breeze out while entertaining on the waters of Albany, OR. |
20' Open Guide Series |
A 20' open guide with a super-charged 6.2L engine that will get you to those fishing holes in the rivers in Montana faster than anyone else. |
25' engine forward diesel Regal |
This 25' engine forward diesel Regal finds itself at home on the waters of Norman Wells Territory. |
24' engine forward Regal (Sold) |
A 24' engine forward 8.1L Regal designed for fishing with built in overhead drop down tackle boxes. This boat now lives in Tri-Cities, WA and will be seen frequently in Hell's Canyon.. |


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How to Register:
1) Look through the classes and special events by clicking on the "Registration" link on the top of the event page. You can look at the descriptions by clicking on the title of a class. 2) When you find a class or event you want, click the Add button on top of the decryption page or the right side of the list page. 3) Finish making your selections and click the "Checkout" link on the upper righthand corner of the page. Important: after entering your credit card information you will receive a summary of your order, you need to click the button at the bottom of the page to complete the order and secure your spot in the classes. A few other hints: * When your order is complete and you have a receipt, you will no longer have any items in your shopping cart. You can view your selections by clicking on either "Login" or "Account" (if you are already logged in) in the upper right hand corner of the knittinguniverse website. There you will see a list of your orders. Click on the magnifying glass behind the order you wish to view. * So that you can get the most out of the class, we suggest that you be aware of and adhere to the skill levels listed for each class. You will find the level suggested by the teacher on left hand side of each class description. No Skill required: Classes with this skill level will teach you everything that you need to know to successfully participate. Basic: If this is the skill level indicated, you need to know the basic stitches for either knitting (knit and purl) if it is a knitting class or crocheting (single and double crochet) if it is a crochet class. Easy: For this level, you should know the basic stitches (from the level above), and how to increase and decrease. You also have completed at least one project. Intermediate: If you have worked a few stitch patterns and are familiar with basic garment shaping, you would be ready f or an intermediate level class. Advanced: This level is for knitters who enjoy a challenge and who are willing to think about their knitting. To take an advanced class, you should have made several garments in various stitch patterns, and you need to be comfortable making minor changes to patterns. * Take note of materials fees listed for some of the classes. These fees are in addition to the class fee and paid directly to the teacher. * Although you will be able to see the classes and the descriptions prior to the opening of registration, the "add" buttons will not appear until 9 am central time on the opening day of registration. If you still have questions or problems registering, you can check out our Help Link in the upper right hand corner of the class page (you may find the answer there). If you don't find what you need there, you can call 800-237-7099 or email firstname.lastname@example.com. |