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As the housing market goes, so eventually goes non-residential construction, say industry economists. With the value of U.S. construction expected to fall for the third year in a row (Fig. 1), major downturns are predicted for the vertical markets that have carried the slumping housing sector over the last few years. Even sacred cash cows, such as health care, education, and manufacturing, won't be able to avoid the slowdown caused by the credit crunch brought on by the effects of the subprime mortgage crisis. Portending the economic climate to come in the next year and possibly beyond, in July and August the U.S. Census Bureau reported first-time declines in private non-residential construction spending, with only a slight comeback in September (1.3%).
"Non-residential construction in general, we have to remember, always follows residential," says Lee Smither, managing director of the management consulting group for FMI Corp., Raleigh, N.C. "It generally lags behind by about 12 to 18 months."
In its 2009 forecast, FMI is expecting a 12.5% plunge in non-residential spending, led by a 30% decline in lodging, a 22% drop in office, and a 21% drop in commercial. Predicting total U.S. construction spending for 2009 to top out at $963.3 billion, an overall decline of 7.4% (click here to see Table 1), the firm is not alone in its dire predictions.
Of its 16 non-residential construction categories, the U.S. Dept. of Commerce is expecting seven to decline in 2009, with a 25% plunge in commercial, a 22% decline in lodging, and an 18% dip in office (click here to see Table 2), dragging down total construction put-in-place to $985.9 billion for a 7.5% decline. Portland Cement Association (PCA), Skokie, Ill., is envisioning a 23.1% drop in non-residential construction put-in-place. Loss leaders include hotels and motels with a 33.4% belly flop, other commercial with a 28.9% decline, and industrial with a 27.7% dive. PCA's outlook for 2009 is predicting a 13.9% decrease in total construction put-in-place for 2009 (click here to see Table 3). McGraw-Hill Construction, New York, is anticipating a 9.7% decline in non-residential project starts contract value (a leading indicator of construction put-in-place) and another 9% dip in non-building project starts contract value, led by a 31.6% drop in manufacturing and a 30% drop in electric utilities. With total project starts contract value to decrease by 7.4%, the company expects total U.S. construction starts contract value to equal $514.6 billion (click here to see Table 4). "By whatever broad measure of the industry that you look at, it's clearly in retrenchment," says Robert Murray, chief economist for McGraw-Hill.
Only Reed Construction Data, Norcross, Ga., is anticipating a somewhat level non-residential market, with an increase of 1.2% (Fig. 2), and a total construction increase of 0.7% in 2009 (Fig. 3). "You can see the steady uptick from early 2006 and into 2008 has now ended and is going to slip off a little bit because of the strong start this year — a 12% gain in non-residential construction spending — falling to about a 1% to 2% gain in 2009 and picking back up very slightly in 2010," says Jim Haughey, chief economist, Reed Construction Data.
Reed is anticipating activity levels — the number of square feet under construction — in non-residential construction to experience a decline in the high single digits for two or three quarters (or longer for some types of projects) into the early part of next year. "But compared to housing, where the decline was approaching 60%, this is rather mild," Haughey says.
All markets down
From the onset of better economic conditions, according to Edward Sullivan, chief economist for PCA, the non-residential construction market typically takes 18 months to rebound. Therefore, it could be several years before the non-residential vertical markets recover. One of the hardest hit sectors will be retail. In 2006 and 2007, this segment derived demand from the housing market and is now reflecting its meltdown. Predictions for a decline range from 10% to 30% for construction put-in-place and starts. "Store construction has taken the biggest hit," Sullivan says.
According to Suzanne Mulvee, senior real estate economist for Property and Portfolio Research, Boston, the volume of transactions has dropped across all property types, but particularly for stores. "The transaction volume is off year-to-date by as much as 70% in the retail market," she says. "The deals just aren't getting done."
However, at this time, inventory isn't as high as it was at the onset of other economic hard times. "Commercial avoided the surge it experienced in the prior decade," says Murray, who maintains there's still a competitive retail landscape. "The decline won't be as severe as previous corrections."
The other part of commercial construction, office, will also take a hit in the coming year, but it will most likely be contained to various geographic regions. "Vacancy rates in downtown areas will be pretty high," says Hank M. Harris, president and managing director, FMI Corp. "Some suburbs are following, but we think the suburbs will probably bounce back faster than the urban markets. But all of them can be expected to go down for a while before they start to resurge."
Like retail, the office market was more cautious in its recent boom time, so the recession won't be as bad as the correction in 2001. "It got killed in 2001, but may not be hurt as much this time through," Mulvee says.
According to Mulvee, the 2001 office recession was led by tech companies that leased space well ahead of hiring. "This time through, we're seeing companies with real products, and up until a week ago, real profits. They weren't leasing space ahead of their hiring. We think there's going to be less glut in the office market this time through."
Surprisingly, institutional buildings, such as education and health care, are also expected to decline in 2009. Predictions for decreases range between 2% and 6%. "There's a short-term blip here, mainly because of funding and budget problems in a lot of these institutions," Harris says. "Health care is going to go down only temporarily, but the market's got a good strong prognosis to it in the long haul."
As for education, the credit freeze on the bond market makes it a wait-and-see situation, according to Murray. Although spending for K-12 schools is on the decline, the long-term outlook for high schools and universities seems optimistic. Many states in recent years have passed school construction bond measures, especially Texas and California. In addition, major universities have increased capital spending plans. Financial aid difficulties may end up affecting dormitory building, however.
Forecasts for manufacturing are split. McGraw-Hill Construction is predicting a 31.6% plunge in 2009, preceded by a record 69% gain. "Manufacturing buildings will plunge 32% in dollars after an exceptional 2008 that was lifted by the start of several massive oil refinery expansion projects," Murray says. "Investment in new plants will be restrained by tight credit and diminished capacity utilization in a slow economy."
With a 4% increase on its books, FMI disagrees with this dismal view of the market's future. Although the manufacturing market will feel the impact of the weakening economy, it still has the potential for a revival in the United States. "After years of off-shoring most of our manufacturing capacity, we are in the process of bringing some of it back," Harris says. "There are some industries, like steel, that because of pent-up needs have been able to bounce back strongly in the United States. We think that's got some short-term health to it. For other industries, like food and beverage processing, they're impervious to economics. People have to eat and drink."
Bottoms up
Ironically, the cause of the decline in non-residential spending — the housing recession — may be on its way back up in the next few years. Many forecasts are predicting a bottom to be hit at the end of this year or early in 2009, followed by a mild rebound. Reed Construction Data is expecting a 26.2% decrease in housing starts for 2008, to be followed by an 8.6% increase in 2009 (Fig. 4), with construction spending following suit shortly after. "The single-family market has largely cleaned up most of the problems," Haughey says. "Builders are starting fewer homes than they're selling and are now just waiting for realtors to unload the existing homes that are on the market. Even though housing started this whole problem several years ago, it's going to do better than the rest of the construction markets for the next few years and even better than the rest of the economy, even though it won't get back to where it was."
David Seiders, chief economist for the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), Washington, D.C., isn't expecting an increase in new single-family home sales until the end of 2009, and a substantial rebound in new-home starts until the end of 2010. "There is some pent-up demand building," he concedes.
In addition, the $7,500, 15-year interest-free loan for first-time home buyers included in this summer's housing rescue legislation should spur housing demand in the coming months. Yet, Seiders remains realistic. NAHB calls for housing starts to post their fourth year in a row of double-digit declines, with another 16.2% drop in 2009 (Fig. 5 on page 36). "Momentum is still definitely downward," he says.
Others are also fairly pessimistic about a near-term residential market turnaround. "For single-family housing, declines are continuing and showing no sign of an upturn," Murray says. "Home prices are continuing to drop, 20% so far this year, and we expect another 10% decline through the first half of 2009. Then, things should level off."
McGraw-Hill is predicting a 36% decline in single-family starts for 2008, compared to a 2% decline in 2009. FMI is predicting a 10% decrease in single-family housing construction put-in-place for 2009, and PCA is expecting an 18.1% decrease.
"Although production has declined dramatically, we haven't begun to work off excess inventory," says Kermit Baker, chief economist at The American Institute of Architects, Washington, D.C. "With falling demand, high inventory levels are not declining."
However, according to Baker, once the recession ends, housing should snap back fairly quickly. "The industry has a history of returning to the 15% to 30% range in the first quarter of recovery and even stronger in the later quarters," he says.
The excess inventory of single-family homes is also causing problems for the multi-family housing market. "The most immediate impact on the apartment market is the competitive supply in the form of vacant homes: for-sale product that is sitting out there and competing with landlords for tenants," Mulvee says. "With the shadow inventory, we think that the apartment market demand is going to struggle a little bit in the near term."
However, through sheer demographic drivers the apartment market has the potential for a rebound in the same geographic areas that have been hit hardest by the housing recession. According to Mulvee, the children of the Baby Boomers (the Echo Boomers), will soon be graduating college, forming new households, and moving to warmer climates for jobs to cities such as Raleigh N.C., Austin, Texas, and Orlando. "Yes, even Florida's getting younger," Mulvee says. "These are the markets that will see the biggest influx of new renters, on a percentage basis. On an absolute basis, markets like Los Angeles and New York, which have huge existing populations of young people, they'll see the largest change going forward."
Price declines
The one bright side to the decline in construction projects is an easing of demand for construction materials. "The commodity price surge, which was such a problem for construction in the early part of this year, is essentially finished," Haughey says. "If you had a problem of underestimating the cost of materials for jobs in the last seven or eight months, that's going to go away for several years."
According to Haughey, construction material prices increased at a 20% pace through July, were unchanged in August, and then increased again at about a 6% pace in September. "The slowing world economy has caused some outright price declines for metals and, through energy, for plastics, and the ebbing U.S. demand and demand from overseas is going to keep construction materials price inflation well below what it was in the early part of this year."
John Mothersole, principal, Industry Practices, Global Insight, Washington, D.C., says the investor component, or speculation, that helped to inflate prices along with demand, will also decline in 2009. "Trading volume is likely to be less," he says. "Prices are going to track more closely with the fundamentals of the market."
According to Mothersole, steel prices have only begun their retreat. "Prices are falling with big reductions to come," he says.
In addition, scrap, the canary in the coal mine for predicting market changes, will fall to $220 per short ton next year. Finally, copper prices may drop from their all-time highs. "We see a small surplus in 2008 that widens out in 2009, pointing prices lower still," Mothersole says.
There will be continued erosion in the construction equipment market as well. From 2005 into 2006, the construction equipment market was booming, relying on exports to Asian markets. This was followed by a falloff in 2007. "We expect to see some more falloff with much of the damage coming ahead in foreign sales, partially to Asia," Haughey says. "It's going to be a slack market, which means if you're buying, better prices."
More collateral damage from falling markets will be increased competition and higher unemployment rates for engineering and construction firms. When vertical markets are on the decline, competition for projects in the healthy markets increases. "Even if you're a firm that's positioned in the good vertical markets sectors, you can pretty well guarantee that your competition's going to be going up dramatically, because all of these people who are in unhealthy sectors have got to have a place to go," Harris says. "So everybody, no matter where they're positioned or how they're positioned, is going to feel the net effects of this."
With fewer projects may come layoffs. "Construction unemployment has almost perfectly mirrored general U.S. unemployment over time, in the ups and downs of the cycles," says Harris. "It stands to reason that you're certainly going to see our industry's unemployment moving up, which is ironic because most of the firms in this industry have spent the last 10 or 15 years doing everything they can to hang on to talent. Now it's going to be a situation of probably going in reverse on some of that, having to deal with the other side of the coin."
Downside risk
The numbers for the 2009 construction forecasts depend on the success of recent actions from Congress and the Federal Reserve Board, such as the Federal Housing Relief Bill in July, the $700 billion bank rescue that also included extensions for tax credits for renewable energy sources, and the coordinated cut in interest rates with foreign nations. They also anticipate further fiscal stimulus for investment in construction projects, such as an infrastructure bill supported by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), Arlington, Va. Yet, even with continued measures, construction is expected to remain in the red. "The steps taken to help the frozen credit market will work, but with time," Murray says. "But even before these events, we were dealing with a tough credit market."
However, a recession is preferable to a state of panic. "We think the genie's going to get put back in the bottle," Haughey says. "We anticipate that within a month or so credit costs and availability for non-financial firms and consumers will return to where they were back in July and August. Unfortunately, that's not a very pleasing prospect because we were just on the verge of a recession, but the panic will be gone and people can stop talking like it's 1929."
There is a lesson to be learned from construction's history. "All of us who live long enough are ultimately going to become believers in economic cycles — and economic cycles come and they go," says Harris. "In the 1970s, for example, some people thought our problems were so large they were going to last forever. Obviously, that's not the case, but we do have some serious challenges ahead of us as an industry right now." (See Strategies for Hard Times on page 30 for more information).
According to Harris, past recessions took as long in recovery as they did in the making of them. "The down period lasted about as long as the preceding up period," he says. "So there could be an argument to be made that this recession — from a construction standpoint — could go for a long, long time because the construction markets have been basically bullish for 16 years, at least on a national level."
However, Harris thinks a prolonged recession is doubtful. "There are so many demand drivers behind so many different forms of construction that it's hard to imagine it would take a decade to come back," he says. Yet, he's unable to make predictions beyond it being soft for several years. "My best guess is we're in for some very difficult times in this industry in the next couple of years. It may be soft for as many as three or four, but again the cycles come and go."
Instead, FMI examines the impetus behind construction spending. "Consumer demand and demographics are ultimately what drives construction activity, especially in a vertical market," Harris says. "Most of us tend to think that our projects are somewhat derived from the developers or private spending or public budgets, or whatever the immediate issue might be, but it's always good to peel the onion and look at what's behind that money."
Sidebar: Strategies for Hard Times
Under any economic condition, you want to position your firm for success. However, in a weakened economy, revitalizing your strategies for success may mean the difference between keeping your doors open or shutting them for good. "You always want to get your business ahead of the money," says Hank M. Harris, president and managing director, FMI Corp., Raleigh, N.C. "You always want to try to get your business to where the demand is."
Therefore, in order to position yourself for success, you should have a contingency plan. The following are suggestions for formulating your own:
• Check for warning signs. A key indicator that your region is headed for tough times is an increased number of project delays and cancellations in your area.
• Look outside your own sphere of influence. Gather and read as much economic and market data as you can from the outside. The AIA Billings Index is a reliable indicator. "Beginning in January 2008, the Billings Index gave us an indication that there was less work on the boards," says Lee Smither, managing director of the management consulting group for FMI Corp. "It was certainly a shot over the bow, if you will, back in January."
• Challenge your old way of conducting business. The strategies you use during good financial times might not work under a weakened economy with increased competition. "The things you believed were true before may not be true now in your marketplace and for your future," Smither says.
• Examine the incremental economics of your business. Track your metrics, such as the number of new contracts versus the previous year, gross profits, overhead, cash flow, labor productivity, liquidity ratio, rate of backlog fill, amount of work on the boards, and age of collections. "What are some of those incremental economics that are business-specific?" Smither asks. "Get back to the balance sheet, and look at how strong you are."
• Contingency planning for the next six to 12 months. Using your metrics, put a plan in place for at least a 10% shortfall in revenue or work. If the recession lasts longer, from nine to 12 months, or spans more than a year, begin to develop a long-range plan with critical actions you can take that will ensure your survival and establish a mechanism for cost-cutting in your business based upon sound financial analysis and advice.
• Look at your organizational structure. Get back to basics. Implement best practices project management to reinvigorate productivity. Look at your general conditions. Reward employees who are margin aggressive. Fix or eliminate any marginal locations. Ask yourself if your structure works based upon what you think is coming in the future. "Will there be too much redundancy in places where one time it was good because you were so busy you couldn't see straight, but now becomes burdensome?" asks Smither. "We have a lot of clients that have admitted that over the last five to seven years, they've gotten sort of lazy with regard to their project management practices; they were just trying to get work done."
• Undertake scenario-based business planning. Perform exercises for changing economic environments. Hold a planning session to discuss the best-case/worst-case/expected-case scenarios. "If you're a multi-divisional company that has vertical markets, you go through all the different scenarios for each division," Smither says. "Each major department does it, too. This whole process takes about a month or two to go through, but it's well worth it."
• Keep score. Track risk management: Check over subcontracts before they're signed, keep insurance certificates up-to-date, implement or refresh safety programs, and verify and perform due diligence on the project funding before breaking ground.
• Establish cost-cutting hierarchy. Non-people-related cuts come first, followed by office staff, and then professionals in the field. Examine your different locations and profit centers. Delay capital expenditures. Look at hiring.
Source: FMI Corp.


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Aug 27, 15 16:41
Post #1 of 779 (60428 views)
it seems as if the previous thread on this topic has exhausted its purpose. accordingly, from here on in i'd prefer that you limit your posts to anything that you want to say regarding the factual elements of this particular case. catching someone who has cut a course, yes, i'm all for that. these discussions serve a purpose, as we ought to have the expectation of fair sport and uncovering cases where contestants do not finish the prescribed course, whether inadvertently or on purpose, is helpful. this is where my interest in these threads starts and stops.
Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

subset: commoncrawl


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Toyota Tacoma Real World MPG Numbers
I have a 2007 Toyta Tacoma 2 wheel drive, 4 cylinder, automatic that is getting 16.5 mpg city, and 20.5 mpg highway @ 65 mph. It has 6600 miles. I checked the computer and it was found to be running fine. The rear gear is 3.58 like it is supposed to be. The truck is supposed to get 21 mpg city and 28 mpg highway. Does anyone know why the mpg's are so low? Thank you for your input.0
It could be any number of thingss IMO....are you driving the double cab, access cab or single cab? Are you driving in OD? what Tranny do you have? 5 or 6 speed? I have not owned a 4 cyl in a Taco or larger truck so I really don't know what to expect. I do know that in my 07 Double Cab V-6 5 spd auto it gets excellent mileage (It weighs nearly 5,500 lbs w/o any luggage) so you re looking at nearly 3 tons of weight with no load on it. If you are driving below 40 mph a lot the tranny will not go into OD and you are reving the enige like you are running 65 on the road (taking more gas and not going as far)...I TRY to start off at a moderate pace, not "Charging" from light to light for example...then try to get it into OD asap and in town, watch ahead for the lights and slow down way before I get right on a light....this may not make much sense but it works for me.
On the highway or interstaes, I try to keep in below 75 MPH or 2,200 RPM in OD. Off the intersate I try to run at 55-60 and not use cruise so it does not sown shift on hills. I live in the mountains ...
As far as BF Goodrich tires...The Rugged Trails on mine are NOT low rolling resistant. I think when I get new tires and go with a highway ribb type tead it my increase the MPG....I DO NOT LIKE the Rugged Trails on mine...they are too soft and won't get the mileage I am used to...I'll be lucky to get 40K on these tires. I do about 50% highwy driving so I am dissapointed in these tires. The ride and handling is good but the tire is to soft for highway driving, resulting in less mileage. I run the MAX tire pressure on these too. That can affect your MPG as well. an underinflated tire will use 10% more fuel than a properly inflated one.
OK Hope this helps...0
Thank you for your response. I have a Toyota single cab, with Firestone tires: 21570R15 and I keep the tires at 44psi. It is automatic and has 3 speeds and overdrive.Yes, I drive in overdrive. It has minimal weight and it is the smallest truck Toyoyta base unit that Toyota makes. (Not pre-runner, not 4x4 etc.)0
carey4 Posts: 1I get OVER 35 m.p.g. in my 1999 Toyota Tacoma!highway of course. Thats on my weekly commute to Los Angeles from Riverside County (about 150 miles round trip). I've tested it about a dozen times.
Car stats: Extended Cab. Automatic Trans.
Note: To get the high mileage I just have to slow down to 60 m.p.h. and drive at a steady pace. No fast starts or stops. It makes my trip about 5 minutes longer. At 65-70 mph I get about 28 m.p.g. highway.
If anybody does better I'd like to know, and how.0
cwbykishi Posts: 3thanks for the response but what kind of mileage are u getting though? i dont want a 4 cylinder because the trd package does not come with a 4 cylinder. im looking at other trucks like the dodge dakota and the colorado and canyon and frontier as well but i like the looks of the tacoma the best0
grunt Posts: 6I just bought a 2008 Tacoma 4X4 V6 double cab, auto, TRD off road. I have owned it for the past 3 weeks. My first tank of gas, I got 16.75 miles to the gallon(mixture of city and highway driving). The second tank of gas I got 18.91 to the tank(1/3 city driving and 2/3 highway). I am putting 87 octane in the gas tank. When driving on the highway I am setting the cruise control at 65mph.0
I have a '05 Tacoma TRD Sport crew cab long bed 4.0L. I made 2 trips from Florida to Canada the first in 2006 . I noted my fuel consumption at every fuel stop. On the Interstate I avg. 17.1 MPG @ 80 MPH, 18.3 MPG @ 70 MPH and 20.9 MPG @ 65 MPH. I had approx. 3000 miles at the start. The Second trip in 2007 I changed out the stock intake for a fujita F5 comp. air intake. MPG was roughly the same as the first trip. Later in 2007 I got stuck in the mud crossing the median on I - 10 responding to a Fire/Hazmat call. I had to get a fire truck to pull me out. 4X4 is almost useless with the stock tires in the mud. So I added buckshot mud tires 285 / 75 R17. HUGE MISTAKE. ( the largest you can fit without a lift kit ) Over a measured mile my ODO showed only 0.9 which I figured would happen. I knew I would get a decrease in MPG but I didn't think it would go down to 15 MPG @ 70. I have to slow to 62 MPH to get peak Fuel Economy. ( 65.5 MPH by GPS ) I believe I can better the MPG with a tonneau cover. I plan on replacing the Mud tires with the lowest rolling restiance tires I can find. Any recommendations?0
I'd get rid of the mudders nd go with a M&S Tread....you've lost over 20% in MPG due to the mudders lone. A tonneau cover will not make any improvement in MPG according to research I've seen...the truck is designed to optimum MPG with the bed open and tailgate closed. This creates a positive draft. On Hwy I personally try to stay below 70...and if possible draft behind (Safely) an 18 wheeler pulling a van trailer...That increases my MPG by 12% over 100 miles. I can't draft if I am in high traffic or hilly terrain and get much benefit.
My 07 2WD off road TRD Pre-Runner with 4.0L double cab normally gets 20-21 hwy and 19-20 around home...as of late I have seen a 15% decrease in MPG....I found out that Texco locally is adding over 10% Methanol to the 87 octane gas...so far Shell is not doing that here but I suspect all the majors will be before long, if they can get away with it....using shell I still get the 20-21 Hwy and 19-20 around home....not bad for almost 6,000 lbs of Truck and it sets as high off the ground as a 4WD....
I have BF Goodrich OEM's now but next year will put a highway rib type tire on...maybe a Continental Conti Trac tire and should improve MPG a little more as The BFG's add some drag. Good Luck!0
I have a 2006 Toyota Tacoma TRD 4 door. All I can say is that I am very disappointed with the milage I get. 14 MPG's on its best days. My brothers Ford 150 gets better. There has to be something wrong.
I have now about 40,000 miles and nothing has changed from day one. I am thinking of selling it for just this reason. I love the truck otherwise but bad gas milage for a 6 banger. I had a Plymouth Voyager van with a 6 banger that got close to 30 MPGs. With the Toyota, I can literly watch the gas gauge go down from stop to stop!!!
What gives???? Any help out there
I can be contacted at 310-227-6860 or email at [email protected]
Martin<a href="0
Whats your email or phone number?
I get 14 MPGs with my 2x4 Toy Tac TRD
May have a cure
Martin 310-227-6860
email: [email protected]0
carver48 Posts: 1i have a 2008 reg cab , 2wd , 4cyl , automatic with 3,025 miles on it and i'm getting on the freeway to work 24 miles to 25 miles per gal. Its 20 miles each way. I run it tell the fuel light comes on and the divide by the gals. Usually run between 60 -65 miles per hr , when the traffic permits.0
dorifuto Posts: 2I had a 2006 2X4 tacoma access cab 2.7L, I averaged about 400 miles to the tank, about 21 mpg, but my demand for power add off road made the mpg number not as high as they could be, so I just purchased 2009 tacoma 4.0L V6 5 speed auto double cab. First tank 20.8 mpg, second tank the same, but I drove 60 miles on mountain road, so I think things are getting better as it's loosing up.0
nicoarg_00 Posts: 1I'm looking to buy a Taco 4x4 v6. extended cab. I'm leaning for a 6 speed manual, does the manual make for better gas mileage?0
fastfreddy Posts: 3I saw a glossy at a dealership that posted 2 sets of ranges for a 4WD 4 cylinder Tacoma. The set in large type said 17/22. In smaller type below it said 20/26. While there was no clear explanation in the brochure, the dealer maintained the 20/26 range was what I could expect if I were operating the truck in 2WD mode. This goes against my common sense and past experience with other 4WD trucks. I expect that milleage is compromised even if 4WD is not engaged - there is additional weight and additional internal and external friction. But maybe Toyota has worked a miracle here. Can people with a 4 cylinder 4WD please chime in - what milleage range do you see when in 2WD and what is it in 4WD? Thanks!0
mtrialsm Posts: 159My first 5 tanks;
21, 19.5, 20.5, 20.5 and 20 mpg. Mostly driving back and forth to work, no long trips yet.
Well I added a soft tonneau and 70k mile hwy tires Continental Cross contact. I also had the front wheel bearings changed due to signs of wear. ( off roading ) Now after 3 tanks I get 20.25 mpg avg. If i could find a Gas Station that sold Gas that was not Enriched ( watered down) with ethonol. I might see 22 MPG avg. I am also building an HHO cell with an EEFE ( a computer to adjust the O2 sensor readings) and PWM (it makes the conversion of HHO more effecient). A guy on youtube has an '06 prerunner with the 4.0l and has seen a 18% increase in millage with the system running. Anyone else messing with HHO? here is a website to check out HHO http://alt-nrg.org/index.html0
I just checked my gas mileage and I know its not real accurate to check 1 tank but so far it looks good 19.8 driving mixed city / highway0
4th tank = 20.6 MPG0
bigandy Posts: 704x4? PreRunner? 4 or 6? Manual or automatic?0
6th tank dropped to 19.8 MPG (using AC now)0
gfunction Posts: 1I'm also interested in this...
Do Taco's (and other trucks) get 2WD-like gas mileage when they are operating in 2wd mode?0
now have 2000 miles, drove on Highway A/C + 75MPH got 21.0 MPG could not be happier with this truck. (2 wheel drive TRD prerunner Double cab)0
Sorry it is a Prerunner 2 wheel drive TRD 4.0 V6 Auto Double cab0
tc99 Posts: 1I now know that this is a problem but nevertheless I am guilty, I have been topping off my truck (Toyota Tacoma reg cab, automatic trans) and managing to get 23+ gals in an empty tank. After doing this the first time I noticed that I could drive 500 miles (21.7 MPG) between fuel stops. Being that I drive a lot and hate to stop at the gas station I began to make it a regular practice. This became an issue with the fleet manager so I cut back to 21 gals and about 460 miles between stops.
My questions are,
How much gas can you get in the same vehicle?
What is the vapor recovery capacity that this extra gas is going into?0
onoffroad Posts: 17Best Motor was the 2.7 4cy. ! But not enought h,p. for the newer tacoma ! My Son and I have loved toyota trucks (He's a six cy.man and standar shift)! His 02 ext.cab 17 to19 mpg (4wd)! My 98 4wd ext.cab 5 speed got between 17 to 21 and I didn't baby it ! Got 09 Frontier crew cab SE 4wd 6 auto ! Got 21.5 mpg first fill-up ! Break in 60,65,70,73 ! Now drive 65,Int.75mph ! AC on ! Best 22.6 mpg ! Avg. 20 mpg city/hwy ! Better ride ,more horses,tran.,mpg than 4cy. tacoma !!!0
avalon02wh Posts: 785Seems to me that the Toyota should put the new 2.7L/6spd auto from the Highlander into the Taco. Not only does the engine have 30 more horses, it also would likely increase the EPA mpg ratings to 21/28 from 19/25. The Highlander gets 20/27 mpg while weighing 3850 pounds. The Taco 4x2 access cab weighs 3590.
A two liter diesel getting 140hp and 230 ft/lbs would likely push the Taco to 25/35 mpg. It would make a nice little stump puller too.
This is all fantasy of course. I guess its back to the real world.0
cpboy99 Posts: 8I've had this truck for over two years now, it was totaled on Friday. But I wanted to post this for future Taco buyers/ After the first few tanks of gas, I realized that I was always getting over 20 mpg. After that, I stopped calculating. When getting gas I just multiplied by 2 to make sure I was over 20 mpg and moved on. So I'm getting 20-22 mpg average city & highway for my first 30k miles.
Great truck, debating getting the same one as a replacement. Or going to the Access Cab 2.7L for a little more fuel savings. My guess is if my driving habits kept me on the high end for the Dbl Cab V6, then on the Access Cab base, I'll be in the 26-27mpg. Hopefully... comments?0
superglide Posts: 67I'm on Toyota pickup #8... had several variations, 4 and V6, 2WD 4WD, Prerunner, manual automatic, etc. This one is a 2007 2.7 5 speed Prerunner Access Cab. Best I've gotten is 25.9, worst I've gotten is 19.2. Best mileage is highway driving under 2500 RPM. Typical highway mileage is 23-25, but if I run over 80 it drops to 21. It needs a 6th gear to get better mileage at high speed. Over 2500 RPM it starts sucking it big time, though it has PLENTY of power. I think a 2.7 with a 5 speed automatic would get the best, but Toyota is clueless and could care less about gas mileage. They don't offer an automatic with a 4 cylinder in the Prerunner PERIOD, though the last series of Prerunners were ALL AUTOMATIC... go figure.
The only pickup I've had that got better mileage was my 99 2.4 5 speed (not a Prerunner) which I got 28 highway with once. I think there's a penalty in aerodynamics with the Prerunner because it sits higher off the ground. I'd love to have a new Prerunner Access Cab with a 4.0 5 speed automatic and a scangauge to play with for awhile to see how good I could get out of the new V6 auto combination. I never got better than 22.5 out of the 3.4 4 speed auto Prerunner.
I'm with avalon02wh in msg #338. If Toyota engineers just swapped a few parts around, they could make MUCH BETTER PRODUCTS... and bring us the diesel from the HiLux that they build in the rest of the world. And if they built one the size of my 1986 Xtracab, I'd be even happier !!!
Amazing how many times I've whined to Toyota and GM about the stupid products they build... and all I ever get back is "We're sorry you don't like our product." So let them lose money and go bankrupt... why should I care?0
gas_gusler Posts: 1I have an '06 Tacoma 4x4 with 33 on the 16 in rims, K&N filter, a full Borla Exhaust system, upgraded front rotors and a 2 in lift, now i'm getting about 15 miles to gallon ANY IDEAS ON HOW TO IMPROVE IT, total miles 62,000
nedzel Posts: 787Removing your lift will improve your mileage somewhat.0


text: Here is a video of tiny fog machine. Magicians have been using similar rigs to make smoke come from nearly anything. Several years back a guy marketed them to produce smoke from empty hands. After watching this video, you could rig a small black box with wrist strap (via spiderman) and give it to an outside actor to entertain with. Making smoke appear in people's hands, in their shirts, and even while doing magic tricks.


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Browse Forest River ROCKWOOD ROO 23SS HYBRID RVs for sale on RvTrader.com. View our entire inventory of New Or Used Forest River RVs. RvTrader.com always has the largest selection of New Or Used RVs for sale anywhere.
Save this search and opt-in to get an email when new matching RVs are listed.


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The public's awareness of new marketplaces is growing, but potential customers are getting much of their information about the health law from sources they don't trust very much, according to a poll released Wednesday.
Starting Oct. 1, people lacking insurance can begin enrolling in plans through online marketplaces, also called exchanges, which will be run by the federal government, 16 states and the District of Columbia. About 7 million people next year will get coverage under these policies, which take effect Jan. 1, according to the Congressional Budget Office. By 2017 that number is expected to grow to 24 million people.
Supporters of the law and insurance companies have begun mobilizing to educate people about new insurance offerings.
The new poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 33 percent of the public reported hearing "a lot" or "some" information about the exchanges, up from 22 percent in June. (KHN is an editorially independent program of the foundation.)
The most common source of that information was the news media. Eighty-one percent of the public said they had heard "something" about the law within the last month from newspapers, cable TV shows, online news or radio. But only 8 percent of respondents said they have "a lot" of trust in the news media.
The second most common source of information was friends and family: 49 percent of people said they had heard something about the law from them. Pals and kin rank quite low on the list of trusted sources, however: Only 18 percent put "a lot" of stock in them. The third most commonly mentioned source of information was social networking sites, which the respondents ranked dead last among accurate sources of information, with only 3 percent crediting them as consistently reliable.
The most commonly cited source of accurate information about the law are doctors and nurses, with 44 percent of the public citing them as trustworthy resources. Only 22 percent of people said they had heard something about the law from them. One of three people said they trust information put out by federal and state health agencies, but only one in six said they had heard information about the law from those sources.
Overall, the views about the health law remain constant. The public is basically split on it, with 42 percent opposing and 37 percent supporting. But 57 percent oppose cutting off funding, something that some congressional Republicans have been pushing in negotiations over raising the federal debt limit. Only 36 percent favor defunding the law. The most popular reason for opposing defunding is a procedural one: that if lawmakers want to get rid of the law, they should repeal it, not undermine it by cutting off funds.
The poll was conducted from Aug. 13 through Aug. 19 among 1,503 adults and has a margin of error is +/- 3 percentage points.


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Hello Cheetah Family,
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!! One of the most cherished days in elementary school is just around the corner. Our Field Day is Friday, May 4, 2018 for all grade levels.
All family members are welcome to attend. If you bring small children, I ask that you please keep them with you at all times.
Please note that you and any other adult(s) attending field day will need a visitor's badge from the front office. All visitors attending will need to have an approved MISD background check on file prior to Field Day. We will utilize the Fast Pass Reservations that we use for our parties again this year. We ask for your patience and cooperation with us concerning this matter. The safety of all of our students is our top priority.
If you have not already submitted your background check, please do so on-line. This is for the safety of all of my students. It takes less than five minutes. Go to our Nancy Neal website and you will find the link listed under Field Day.
Our PTA will be sending order forms for Field Day shirts soon. This shirt, if you choose to purchase one, is pre-sale only and forms will be due on April 20th. There will not be any shirts available to purchase after this date or on Field Day. Purchasing one for your child and yourself only enhances the experience, but is not required.
Please note the following for Field Day:1. Electronics devices should not be sent to school.2. You will not be permitted to bring pets or smoke on school property.3. Nancy Neal is not responsible for any lost or stolen items.
More information on what your child needs to bring on Field Day will be coming soon.
With many thanks,
Coach Sally Smith
Nancy Neal Elementary817-299-1270
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Nell Rankin
The following biographical sketch was compiled at the time of induction into the Academy in 1976.
Nell Rankin, the internationally-acclaimed mezzo-soprano, sang more leading roles than any other mezzo in the history of the Metropolitan Opera Company.
Born in Montgomery in 1926, Miss Rankin began her voice training there, and in her early teens sought out the help of Madame Jeanne Lorraine, a former European opera star living in Birmingham. To earn the money to pay for her lessons she rented the Huntingdon College pool and spent her summers teaching the children of Montgomery to swim.
In 1943 when Miss Rankin was 17, she received her first real break. Helen Traubel came to Montgomery to sing, and the determined Miss Rankin went backstage to audition for Miss Traubel's accompanist, Coneaad v. Bos. His verdict was that her voice was good but not yet good enough, and he offered her the chance for further coaching if she came to New York. A period of intense and dedicated study followed, and in 1947, when coaches judged that she was ready, she made her debut at New York's Town Hall.
No contract offer was forthcoming from the Met, but she continued to study and to sing until 1948, when she sailed to Switzerland, where the Zurich Opera Company was reported to be recruiting young singers. Unexpected and unannounced, she was nearly turned away with the explanation that all the singers needed for the coming season had been hired. But she insisted on auditioning anyway and sang the role of Amneris in Aida, which she had learned in German especially for the occasion. This time a contract was forthcoming, and she immediately became a diva for the Zurich Opera Company.
Despite her stardom in Europe, she was still unknown in the United States. To become recognized here she was determined to win the Concours de Musique, an international contest that no American singer had ever won. Overcoming stiff competition, she took first prize in her category. World fame and a stunningly successful career followed. Milan's La Scala engaged her as its leading mezzo for the 1951 season; Italy selected her to sing Verdi's Requiem on the fiftieth anniversary of the composer's death. And in November, 1951, at the age of 25, she made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, again singing the role of Amneris.
Her subsequent career included roles as Maddalena in Rigoletto, Azucena in Il Trovatore, Ortrud, in Lohengrin, recognition as the "greatest Carmen of our time," and stardom at the Met, Covent Garden, and La Scala. Critics all over the world acclaimed the "exceptional intelligence and rare beauty" of her voice and the "formidable technique and exciting stage presence" that she brought to her performances. According to one commentator, she "lived her roles with remarkable intensity," using her voice to act for her through its warmth, its range, and its power of coloration. The State of Alabama has honored Miss Rankin repeatedly. In 1957 the legislature passed a joint resolution to congratulate her on her victory in the Concours de Musique and to recognize her as the first "cultural ambassador of the State...for the year 1957 and thenceforth." And in 1972 the board of the State's newly created American Arts Hall of Fame voted to make her a member of its first class. On that occasion she was honored for her achievements as an artist and was described as "one of Alabama's proudest exports." The legion of Miss Rankin's friends and admirers would agree that the description fits her exactly.
Nell Rankin died January 13, 2005, at the age of 81.


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Elizabethan Revenge Tragedy, 1587-1642
P. Smith, 1940 - Revenge in literature - 288 pages
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accomplice action Alphonsus Andromana Antonio's Revenge Atheist's Tragedy Atreus audience Barabas Bel-Imperia Belleforest blood-revenge brother Castrato catastrophe cause character Chettle Claudilla Clotaire crime death deed delay Dessandro dramatic dramatists duel duelling duke Elizabethan Elizabethan tragedy enemies England English ethical father finally Fletcher force ghost Hamlet Hieronimo Hoffman honor horror important incidents influence injury interest intrigue Italian Jew of Malta justice killed king Kyd's Kydian revenge Kydian tragedy Lorenzo lover lust Machiavellian madness Maid's Tragedy Marlowe Marston Massinger Maximus Medea moral motive murder murther novelle Orestes passion plot poison popular private revenge protagonist punishment revenge play revenge tragedy revenger of blood Revenger's Tragedy scene Second Maiden's Tragedy Seneca Shakespeare's situation slaying Spanish Tragedy stabs stage story suicide Tamora theme Thomas Thyestes Tiberius Tiberius Nero tion Titus Andronicus Tourneur tradition tragedy of revenge tragic tyrant Ur-Hamlet venge vengeance victim villain play Vindici wife wrong


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The media hasn't been as roughed up by Sandy as, say, the transportation industry. But with power failures and flooding, it can be hard to get a proper source on the line. And while Twitter may be a "truth machine," fact-checking rumors in real-time, its constant flood of information is as unpredictable as the storm itself. That came into focus earlier this week when Shashank Tripathi was outed for spreading a false report about the New York Stock Exchange under the pseudonymous handle @comfortablysmug.
Well, add another troll to the list. Rather, an entire crew: the self-styled Gay N**ger Association of America (GNAA), an online activist group, behind the willfully misleading hashtag #sandylootcrew. False information and fake images of black looters tweeted under that hashtag were published by the Daily Mail, the Drudge Report and Infowars, which is exactly what the four core members of the GNAA wanted, Leon Kaiser, GNAA's "interim president and head of public relations" told Betabeat by email.
Read More


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The Home of Fashion Film and Live Fashion Broadcasting
Report by Anders Christian Madsen on 17 February 2014.
Marios Schwab was in the mood for a candlelight catwalk on Sunday afternoon, the tones of The Doors striking up an atmospheric vibe in the background. If it was romantic or sombre was hard to pinpoint, but there was a rawness to the collection which would suggest the latter.
Day 3 at @LondonFashionWk - we can't wait for the @MariosSchwab catwalk! #lfw #mariosschwab


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Guess what? It's time for another compilation!
So without further ado, here are some more photography how-tos for photography aficionados ;).
How to make a circle and create patterned text using Photoshop
I've said it before and I'll say it once again, to me Photoshop is not user-friendly. But luckily, there are many bloggers like Lexy who post very helpful tutorials :). Learn how to make a circle and how to create patterned text.
How to write with light on pictures
Ever wondered how you can draw or write with light? Well, you can use this product.
Pss! It comes with letter stencils :p!
How to add your own handwriting to pictures
Elsie has recently posted this tutorial which explains what you need and how to do it.
How to take studio quality product photos
Here you can learn how to take product pictures like a pro by means of very simple objects.


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Craft it Forward 2011. They were fun to make. They are part of the reason I have silver glitter engrained into the rug on my office floor (here's the other reason). I guess that makes my floor a shiny happy floor.
Until I lay on the floor in fleece pants the other night to cut fabric. Now my black fleece pants shimmer. Shiny happy pants.
I'm an official writing instructor and I cringe at my own writing. How much rule-breaking is allowed in blogging? The text in this post is a perfect example of poor style; take heed!
Dare I tell you that I'm about to go correct a stack of writing assignments and a research article? Do you fear for them?? =)
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Shiny happy bags
Written by Juliette
Labels: craft it forward , glitter
3 comments :
- Allison said...
Well you know what they say... shiny, happy bags make shiny, happy people. Oh, oh... one of those names looks fimiliar. Hmmmmm.
..."ooh, ooh, wait a minute mister postman".
- December 7, 2011 at 9:19 AM
- Monica said...
Thank you again! I love it ALL and the package totally made my day. Now I just have to find a prominent way to display the lovely tags...
- December 8, 2011 at 10:35 PM
- likeschocolate said...
So cute!
- December 9, 2011 at 10:00 PM
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Designer Bruno Pieters and fashion journalist Kristopher Arden-Houser have teamed up to create the "From1000 Transparency Prize". The award is inspired by Piter's Honest By label and Arden-Houser's work in the world of academic couture. The Prize will recognize the importance of open, public supply chains that allow buyers to trace the origins of their clothing. Pieters and Arden-Houser will work with nine Nordic fashion schools to find a winner who will receive a mentorship as well as having their product sold through specialty stores via www.honestby.com.
Honest By was conceived by Pieters after a 2010 sabbatical from the fashion industry in Southeast Asia. Seeing how native peoples wore clothes that were sourced and produced locally, he wondered if designer products could be made with the same amount of transparency. On his return to Antwerp, he began Honest By as a company that would share the full cost breakdown of its products and offer a platform for brands to take advantage of research done into the backgrounds of organic fabrics and suppliers.
Every part of the collaboration process, from sourcing materials to markup, is meant to be available and open to the public. Striving to be as environmentally friendly as possible, Honest by features collections from designers that adhere to their ideals and offer vegan lines, eco-friendly textiles, and avoid the use of animal products. They also take into consideration the safety of working conditions in processing factories, and 20% of their profits are donated to charities chosen by the invited designers.
"I believe we are living in a moment where it is becoming clear that not just fashion design but any kind of product we create needs to be made in a progressive and sustainable way," Pieters told British Vogue. "As a child I dreamed of fashion, as an adult I realized that I needed to wake up so the dream could continue. With this prize we would like to reward designers who are able to create collections with a story behind them which is just as beautiful as the design."
Kristopher Arden-Houser's From1000 is a research and development company based on the founder's projects and collaborations. As a journalist, Arden-Houser has covered cultural happenings around the world, contributing to such publications as Italian and British Vogue, the New York Times and Ponystep. He has worked with notable designers including Helmut Lang and Charles Anastase, and has sat on a number of academic juries. Together with Bruno Pieters, he will offer the From1000 Transparency Prize. The recipient will be chosen from graduate students participating in Designers' Nest February and August shows. The pool of applicants will be taken from nine Scandinavian schools present at the CPH Vision fashion fair in Copenhagen.
+ From1000
[Via British Vogue


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Enjoy Free Shipping on Orders over $50!
ALOR Classique Collection Bangle
In Stock | STYLE: 001-350-01605
ALOR Classique Collection Bangle. Stainless Steel with PVD bronze stainless steel cable in 5 rows. size 6.25
The Classique collection presents feminine charm with an edge. 18 karat gold and diamonds skillfully complimented by grey, yellow, or rose stainless steel cable bring pretty and powerful together for soft everyday essentials or evening extras.
ALOR is a California born fine jewelry and watch brand, ALOR since 1979, is the largest global designer and creator of luxury cable and 18 karat gold jewelry. ALOR combines casual simplicity with high fashion elegance for the contemporary woman with 18 karat gold, diamond and signature cable jewelry and Swiss-made watch designs that are a result of a three decade old establishment and marriage.
ALOR jewelry and timepieces are guaranteed under normal usage against all defects in workmanship and materials for a period of three (3) years from the date of purchase provided the timepiece was purchased from an authorized ALOR dealer.
The warranty DOES NOT cover:
* Leather or material strap, metal bracelet, clasp, crystal, crown or case.
* Damage resulting from accident, misuse, abuse or negligence (scratched or cracked case or crystal, damaged crown, etc.).
* Regular maintenance service.
* Damage caused by moisture, unless the watch bears the engraving "water-resistant" on the back of the case.
The warranty will be automatically voided where the watch/jewelry is:
* Serviced by anyone other than an authorized ALOR Service Center.
* Modified in any manner such as adding diamonds on a bezel or engraving.
* Purchased from anyone other than an authorized ALOR dealer
For the continued enjoyment and pleasure from the timepiece and to ensure optimum functioning, customers should always have the timepiece serviced by an authorized ALOR Service Center, a list of which can be found in the International Guarantee booklet accompanying the timepiece, and should have the timepiece serviced at least every 18 – 24 months at an authorized ALOR Service Center.
ALOR reserves the right to discontinue the production of the replacement parts for any model after a period of five (5) years from date of introduction of the model.
All warranty services must be performed by an authorized ALOR Service Center and will require presentation of a valid proof of purchase.
Register Your ALOR Piece here: https://alor.com/warranty/... *Prices are subject to change based on fluctuations in metal prices and currencies
General Details:
ALOR Fine Jewelry
California born fine jewelry and watch brand, ALOR, is the leading global designer and manufacturer of luxury stainless steel cable and 18 karat gold jewelry. ALOR combines casual simplicity with high fashion elegance for the contemporary woman with 18 karat gold, diamond and signature cable designs that are a result of a three decade old establishment. Designer and Chairman Jack Zemer and his wife, ALOR President, Sandy Zemer have created an artful collaboration of timeless yet modern pieces in their family business devoted to women.
Do you have questions about ALOR Classique Collection Bangle?
Please send us a message and our staff will be happy to help you with whatever questions you may have.


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George Libman Engel (1913-1999) spent the greater part of his career at the University of Rochester Medical Center with appointments in the Dept. of Psychiatry and the Dept. of Medicine. This dual appointment reflects Engel's interest in psychosomatic medicine, which culminated in his formulation of the biopsychosocial model.
George L. Engel was born in New York City, where he grew up in the Manhattan townhouse of his mother's brother Emanuel Libman, M.D. A prominent clinician and medical scientist, Libman is perhaps best known for his work on subacute bacterial endocarditis. As an undergraduate Engel majored in chemistry at Dartmouth College, from which he graduated in 1934. That same year he entered Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and in the following year was funded by the Rockefeller Foundation to spend two months at the Leningrad Institute of Experimental Medicine. Upon receiving his medical degree from Hopkins in 1938, Engel began an internship at Mount Sinai Hospital, where physicians such as Eli Moschowitz and Lawrence Kubie were incorporating psychosomatics into the clinical service. At this point Engel was sceptical of psychoanalysis and psychosomatic medicine, and remained committed to purely physical explanations of disease processes.
In 1941 Engel was appointed Research Fellow in Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Graduate Assistant in Medicine at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital. In Boston Engel came under the supervision of Soma Weiss, who at this time was becoming interested in psychosomatics. In Weiss's medical service Engel first met the psychiatrist John Romano, who had arrived in Boston several years before. With Weiss's encouragement, Engel and Romano collaborated on a study of delusional patients. When in 1942 Romano assumed chairmanship of the psychiatry department at the University of Cincinnati, he invited Engel to join him, with appointments in medicine and psychiatry. While in Cincinnati Engel "converted" to the psychosomatic school that he had resisted at Mount Sinai and in Boston.
In 1946 Romano was offered the opportunity to establish an entirely new psychiatry department at the University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry. Engel joined Romano in Rochester, again with dual appointments in psychiatry and medicine. He established a medical psychiatric liaison service staffed largely by internists, became deeply involved in the incorporation of psychiatric training in the medical school curriculum, and began his own training in psychoanalysis, initially with Sandor Feldman in Rochester, and then at the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis and the New York Psychoanalytic Institute. In 1953 Engel began collaboration with Franz Reichsman on the Monica project, a study which extended from Monica's infancy to adulthood. By the mid-1950s Engel was one of the leading figures in psychosomatic studies. He was prominent in the American Psychosomatic Society, edited its journal ( Psychosomatic medicine ), and began publishing numerous books and articles on the relation of emotion and disease and on the incorporation of these ideas into medical training and clinical practice. Under Engel's direction, the program in Rochester became a leading center in the development of psychosomatic theory and training. The ultimate expression of Engel's ideas came to be termed the "biopsychosocial model." In 1979 Engel stepped down from directorship of the Medical Psychiatric Liaison Group that had flourished under his direction for a quarter century.
The Papers of George L. Engel are contained in 147 boxes (81 linear feet). They are remarkably complete, reflecting the development of Engel's thinking in extensive correspondence series and in his many lectures and publications. The collection includes almost complete documentation of the activities of the liaison group from the late 1940s through the late 1970s in the form of reports, committee minutes, clinics, conferences, curricular materials, etc. Transfer of the Engel papers to the Miner Library began before Dr. Engel's death in November 1999, and was completed after. Processing of the collection was completed in December 2003. It is important to note that materials pertaining to the Monica studies are not at the Miner Library. The Monica archive was transferred to The Henry A. Murray Research Center, Radcliffe College, Cambridge, Ma. in the early 1990s.
Miscellanea pertaining to GLE's uncle Emanuel Libman (Boxes 1-4), including correspondence regarding Libman; materials pertaining to Libman family history; an inventory of the Emanuel Libman papers at the National Library of Medicine; E. Libman's reprints; and photographs. Boxes 5-7 include Engel family history; correspondence with GLE's twin brother Frank (FLE) and his elder brother Lewis (LLE); publications of FLE and LLE; and GLE's correspondence regarding the myocardial infarction he suffered following the death of his twin brother.
Materials pertaining to the summer (1935) that GLE and FLE spent at the Institute of Experimental Medicine in Leningrad; the manuscript of their translation of A.G. Gurwitsch's Mitogenetic analysis of the excitation of the nervous system (see Box 25 for print copy); and materials from the First International Physiological Congress held in the Soviet Union (1935).
Videorecorded interviews (and their paper transcriptions) conducted between 1973 and 1993. GLE discusses his career in medicine and psychiatry, the biopsychosocial model, his colleagues, and the Dept. of Psychiatry at the University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry.
Includes six bound volumes of reprints (i.e., articles & book chapters published between 1935 and 1994); three boxes of books to which GLE contributed chapters; extensive correspondence from colleagues regarding ideas expressed in these publications arranged by the year in which the book or article was published (Boxes 17-22); GLE's monographic publications (including their translations); correspondence with publishers regarding the production of these books; and copies of book reviews.
Correspondence makes up the largest series within the Engel papers, and is divided into two subseries. With the exception of the first box that contains miscellaneous correspondence dated 1933-1946 (arranged chronologically), the first correspondence subseries (Boxes 31-68) is arranged alphabetically by correspondent.
The second correspondence subseries (Boxes 69-79) is accessed topically, and follows an arrangement devised by GLE's secretary Jean Strachan (JS). In her familiarity with GLE's correspondence, JS selected words or phrases from his letters that she felt were representative of the most significant elements of his thinking. JS divided this series into general correspondence (Boxes 69-75) and fellows' correspondence (Boxes 76-79). The arrangement of and access to both are parallel. JS devised two mechanisms to access this subseries: an alphabetically arranged topical index, and a sheet catalog arranged alphabetically by correspondent.
TOPICAL INDEX. The terms for the alphabetical topical index are derived from terms used in the correspondence, not from a standard thesaurus. The terms are numerically related to the correspondence. For example, the term "ego mechanisms" in the topical index of the general correspondence (Box 71, Folder 1) is followed by eleven numbers; the name "Kubie, Larry" is followed by five numbers, etc. These numbers correspond to numbered photocopies of GLE's original correspondence (Boxes 71-74) in which the terms appear.
CORRESPONDENTS' CATALOG. The sheet catalog is arranged alphabetically by correspondent. It does not reflect the whole of GLE's correspondence files, but those letters selected by JS that contain representative or significant ideas. Thus, if the name "Barton, David" is consulted in the sheet catalog of the general correspondence, citations to five letters are found. These citations include: a number corresponding to numbered photocopies of the originals in boxes 71-74; indication whether the letter is to or from GLE; the date the letter was written; key terms derived from the correspondence; and excerpts from the letter in which the key term appears. The linking together of correspondent's name, key term and excerpt in the sheet catalog may obviate the need to consult the photocopy of the original letter.
A card catalog replicates the information in the sheet catalog for both general correspondence (Box 75) and fellows' correspondence (Box 79).
GLE's activities within the Dept. of Psychiatry are reflected in such files as: minutes of the Separation Conferences (1954-1972); annual reports of the Medical-Psychiatric Liaison Group (1958-1973); GLE's personal contributions to the departmental annual report (1972-1987); grant applications; files pertaining to the Center for Brain Research (1960-74); the proposal to establish an Institute for Biopsychosocial Studies; Monica Committee minutes (1993-96), etc.
This series includes the syllabi for the courses for which GLE was responsible in the medical school curriculum. It also includes files pertaining to GLE's participation in the Medical School's Curriculum Committee, the Psychiatry Dept.'s curriculum committees, and reports and minutes of the Medical Liaison Group.
Comprised of clinics and teaching rounds, this series includes psychsomatic clinics (1946-1948), the medical in-patient survey (1948-1955), and the Medical Liaison Group rounds (1955-1967).
Because Clinics & Rounds includes protected health information, it is closed to researchers who have not obtained permission for access from the UR Medical Center's HIPAA compliance officer.
This series reflects GLE's involvement in regional and national associations (e.g., the American Psychosomatic Society), his interaction with other universities, correspondence pertaining to the attempted recruitment of GLE by other universities, and files pertaining to GLE's psychoanalytic training.
This series includes invitations that GLE received to deliver lectures, to serve as visiting professor, to participate in conferences and seminars, to contribute journal articles or book chapters, etc. The focus of the correspondence included in this series often goes beyond the invitation per se to include discussion of personal or professional matters, making this series an extension of GLE's personal/professional correspondence.
Videocassettes and transcripts of lectures and/or training sessions GLE presented as an A.O.A. Visiting Professor between 1981 and 1988.
An almost complete set of daily appointment books spanning the years 1947-1990.
Studies conducted between 1945 and the mid-1980s on patients with chronic pain and ulcerative colitis. Also included in this box are observations that GLE made correlating his own emotional states with esophageal problems and hemorrhoidal bleeding.
Contributions to the medical sciences in honor of Dr. Emanuel Libman by his pupils, friends and colleagues. In three volumes . New York : The International Press, 1932
Copies of these contributions are included among the bound reprints (Box 13)
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The White House is proposing legislation for a dramatic overhaul of human resources inside government and wants $50 million to execute the plan.
GSA is developing a cloud email and enterprise services contract inspired by the single-source vehicle the Department of Defense devised for back-office software.
Defense Department acquisition head, Ellen Lord, hopes to simplify software buying and improve business systems following the release of the Defense Innovation Board's final software acquisition study.
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16th Reel Hope raises $428,000 for Jewish Family Service
The "sweet 16" edition of Reel Hope, Jewish Family Service of Colorado's annual night at the movies, featured the regional premiere of the Cold War spy thriller "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" and raised $428,000 for JFS services.
The movie starring Gary Oldman, Colin Firth and John Hurt was part of an evening that also included a ceremony at which Harvey and Sue Allon were given the Kal Zeff Business Leader Award and Ken and Rebecca Gart accepted the Jack Shapiro Community Service Award.
The Allons, long-time Jewish Family Service supporters, are nationally recognized leaders and visionaries in their respective professions. He is chairman/ceo of Braddock Financial and served Fannie Mae in various consulting roles from 1993 to 2001. She is the CEO of Allonhill, and is an authority in mortgage due diligence.
The Garts, also longtime supporters of JFS, focus their philanthropy on children's causes and the support of Jewish organizations. They were among the first to make a multi-year commitment to the agency and its various human service programs. They include mental health counseling, senior and adult in-home care, disability and employment services, and family safety-net services.
Reel Hope was emceed by Lisa Belkov-Snyder, host of "LIVE with Lisa!" on Mile High Sports FM 93.7 & AM 1510. In addition to the movie and the awards, the evening also included the debut of a new JFS video, "The Chain Reaction of Good." Kevin Taylor's at the Opera House catered the boxed dinner that guests enjoyed, as well as the dessert reception that followed the movie.
Debra Duke and Kerry Shelanski chaired the fundraiser; Carla Bartell was the adviser. Committee members included Doug Antonoff, Daniel Bennett, Andrew Duke, Kelley Duke, Bizzy Gart, John Gart, Marjorie Gart, Ken Glickstein, Robin Glickstein, Elana Hirschfeld, Hayden Hirschfeld, Gail Kassan, Dana Klapper Cohen, David Koff, Judith Koff, Steven Kris, Alan Mayer, Dean Prina, Tammy Schiff, Kimberly Siegel, Michelle Sobel and Kenneth Weil.
Sponsors includedd Ken and Rebecca Gart, Steve and Elizabeth Kris, Oak Tree Foundation, Joyce Zeff, ColoradoBiz Magazine, Denver Post Community, Will and Sheri Gold, Charlie Gwirtsman and Dr. Nancy Reichman, MBH Enterprises, Phil and Elle Winn, Production Managers, Berenbaum, Weinshienk P.C., Tim and Libby Brown Foundation, The Chotin Foundation, Sam and Nancy Gary, Jack and Celeste Grynberg, Otten Johnson, Robinson Neff & Ragonetti, Eric and Ellen Pollock, Stanton and Jane E. Rosenbaum, Specialty Sports Venture/Vail Resorts and the Gary and Teresa Yourtz Foundation.
Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314, firstname.lastname@example.com and @GetItWrite


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3 Tips For Moving With Small Children
Read More
When my youngest child moved out, I was left living in a large home by myself. Weekend visits from the grandchildren only filled the space part of the time. The home became more of a burden as each day passed. It was not until I was working with my real estate agent to sell my home and find a smaller home did I realize that there were so many others in the same position. I created this blog to help other empty nesters explore their options for downsizing and to provide guidance on finding a new home that fits in more with their lifestyle.
Benefits Of Selling Before Buying
27 October 2017
How To Rent An Affordable House In An Expensive Neighborhood
27 October 2017
The Big One: Are You Really Ready To Own A Home?
20 October 2017
3 Benefits Of Buying A Home Versus Renting
16 October 2017


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Actor Michael Cera is best known for his role as George-Michael Bluth in the Fox comedy series "Arrested Development."
Cera typically plays sweet and shy good-guy types, such as Paulie Bleeker, his character in the 2007 indie comedy "Juno." He also has starring roles in the Judd Apatow-produced "Superbad" and the romantic comedy "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist."
In 2007, Cera co-wrote and starred in CBS' original Web series, "Clark and Michael."


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Hi all,
Just got my kit and built it only to find the LM358 dual opamp is missing.... I may well have dropped it and lost it though as I didn't check the parts before I started building. Anyway I thought I'd try an alternative opamp which is almost the same pinout - a CA3240 as that's all I had lying around. Only thing is one pin is gnd (lm358) vs -ve (ca3240) power. No idea if it'll work! I thought it can't break anything anyway (opamp inputs/outputs and vcc are the same) until I can try and get the right part tomorrow, and would just give poor volume or sound quality?
Anyway tried it on my PS/2 P70 and the test tool makes either horrible screeching sounds (EMS enabled) or silence (XMS or no EMM386). Anyone tried it on a PS/2 386 yet? Or is this due to the wrong opamp?
I'm now trying to get my oldest laptop working - an old P233 Thinkpad - to see if it works on that, but that already has a soundcard in it.
EDIT - Yes it works on this old Thinkpad! So now to see why it doesn't work on the PS/2 as that's where I want to use it


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Women's Metallic Jewels Verne Shark Jaw Cuff
£1,244 From Farfetch
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on partners' sites at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
White rhodium plated and sterling silver Jewels Verne Shark Jaw cuff from Stephen Webster. Material:Rhodium Plated Sterling Silver. Colour: metallic


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Written By: NM State Athletic Dept.
MOSCOW, ID - The New Mexico State soccer team concluded its 2012 season at Idaho. The Aggies (2-14-3 and 0-7-1 WAC) suffered a 3-1 loss to the Vandals (6-13-1 and 3-4-1) in the season finale.
Sophomore forward Layla Todd scored a goal for the Aggies in back-to-back matches on the road trip, and she led the team with four goals in 2012.
In the first half, Idaho struck first with two goals in the sixth and 40th minute. The Vandals scored again in the 60th minute of action. The Aggies answered two minutes later to cut Idaho's lead to 3-1, when Todd beat a Vandal defender on a breakaway.
"We didn't start with the necessary energy in the first half," head coach Blair Quinn said. "We gave up a couple of goals that we normally don't give up.
"In the second half, we played a lot better, and we matched them, it was a 1-1 game in the second half. We don't score enough goals to spot people a two-goal lead. The second half was much better. The second half we played a lot more of our style."
The Aggies end the season after not qualifying for the six-team WAC Tournament.


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HOUSTON - A YouTube clip of football fans coming to blows at a Texans game on August 18, has caught the attention of thousands.
The fight broke out in the stands at Reliant Stadium with adults and kids in the fray. Lionel Palomares said his family witnessed the brawl and got hit too.
"I don't think it should happen that way, especially when you have kids around," said Palomares.
"Some Texan fans behind us were just game talking, you know talking stuff back and forth. It just escalated a little bit," Palomares said.
Palomares said he jumped in when his 18-year-old son received the first punch. His 15-year-old son also got hit in the face and suffered a broken nose.
In the cell phone video you can see staff members nearby. Houston police officers eventually responded too.
"There were staff, but nobody seemed to do anything about it," said Palomares.
Texans president Jamey Rootes said the staff response was appropriate.
"Non-police personnel were on the scene trying to address the situation as the argument began," Rootes told Local 2. "When the fight happened, it was immediately reported to the command post and the police were immediately taken to that site."
Rootes said it took several minutes for police to arrive, but once there, the fight ended.
This violence came just a week before a fan accidentally fell from an escalator to his death at the stadium during a Thursday Texans game.
Rootes called both incidents unfortunate, but said Texans games are usually very safe, with 800 security personnel and 200 police officers on site at each game.
"For those rare occurrences that pop up, they get taken care of quickly," said Rootes.
However, Rootes said his staff will still review each incident, to see if there are ways they can improve. If fans encounter problems on game days, they can call the game day service hotline at 832-667-1400.
Copyright 2012 by Click2Houston.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Set to take over as Utah's top lawman at a pivotal time for polygamists, Attorney General-elect John Swallow said he doesn't plan to prosecute consenting adults in plural marriages but will defend the law that makes the practice a felony.
"I've thought about that a lot," he said in a recent interview. While Swallow said he's concerned about child abuse, domestic abuse and fraud, "otherwise law-abiding partners are not going to be prosecuted while I'm attorney general."
There are an estimated 38,000 people in polygamous communities, many in Utah, and the state doesn't have the resources to prosecute all those in plural marriages or deal with the ripple-effect consequences, Swallow said. His approach to prosecuting polygamy will continue that of Mark Shurtleff, his predecessor and boss until Jan. 7.
But there will still be plenty of polygamy-related issues drawing Swallow's attention: He will defend the state from a lawsuit challenging Utah's polygamy ban that has progressed further than any other case of its kind, seek an end to a massive case involving a polygamous community's multimillion-dollar property trust, and deal with the fallout from a time of intense turmoil among followers of Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints leader Warren Jeffs.
Swallow, who served as a state lawmaker in the 1990s, was appointed head of the civil divisions of the Utah Attorney General's Office about three years ago. He also worked as a lobbyist and corporate counsel after twice running unsuccessfully for Congress.
Some activists, though, say the state could do more to prosecute abuses within polygamous groups.
"I definitely have felt frustration and anger of what I feel has been ignored for way, way too many years … the abuse in the guise and name of religion," said Kristyn Decker, who grew up in the Apostolic United Brethren and wrote the book 50 Years in Polygamy.
When Jeffs was tried last year for sexually assaulting two girls he took as polygamous wives, Texas prosecutors presented seized sect records of dozens of underage marriages from Utah.
Swallow said he isn't yet privy to that evidence, but "as I get into the office of attorney general and have that authority, we'll do everything we can to uncover any type of abusive practice going on in any community."
The FLDS, meanwhile, is now in the midst of turmoil apparently imposed by Jeffs from his Texas prison cell, with hundreds of members cast out in recent years and others subjected to increasingly bizarre and controlling edicts. Swallow said he's committed to helping ease the effects of what's been called a humanitarian crisis at the sect's home base along the Utah-Arizona border through Safety Net, a committee established by Shurtleff to ensure polygamists have the same access to education and justice as the rest of the state.
"All that we can do, that we can afford to do, we should do," Swallow said.
He'll also inherit one of the state's longest-running legal battles touched off after Shurtleff moved to take control of the FLDS communal property trust in 2005 amid allegations of mismanagement by sect trustees. Last month the state won an important victory when a federal appeals court ruled the approximately $114 million trust should stay under state control, but the fight won't come to a full halt until there's a plan for the state to give up that control.
"I feel it's important for us to help [people who contributed to the trust] reclaim those assets if possible," he said, "then let the state step out of it and let that community … move forward with their own lives without state interference."
He also has to straighten out the millions of dollars in debt owed to Bruce Wisan, the private accountant appointed to run the trust seven years ago, and his attorneys. A judge ordered Shurtleff to help pay some $5.6 million of that money earlier this year funds Swallow will now have to ask the Legislature to appropriate.
"We cannot force the Legislature to appropriate money," he said. "I'm going to do all I can to encourage the Legislature to comply with the court order and get [funds] into the hand of the special fiduciary so he can pay his bills."
And even as the Utah Legislature meets next month, state attorneys will fight at a hearing Jan. 17 to keep the state law banning polygamy on the books. The polygamous Brown family, stars of the highly rated reality TV show "Sister Wives," is suing to strike down the statue that makes bigamy a third-degree felony. It's not the first attempt to challenge the law, but the Browns' case argued by a nationally known constitutional attorney has made more headway than any other.
For pro-polygamy groups, the case is about winning the freedom for consenting adults to marry and conduct their personal lives how they see fit.
"We're definitely hoping something positive will come from it," said Anne Wilde, head of the advocacy group Principle Voices. "What we have tried to do in the last 12 years is try to educate people about the diversity and the fact that we're not all lawbreakers in any other way."
The Browns are relying on the same right-to-privacy principle at the heart of the growing movement to legalize gay marriage, an issue that the U.S. Supreme Court is taking up. Swallow said he hadn't yet decided whether the state would file an amicus brief to weigh in on that national case.
"We have no choice but to defend the law and that's why we're doing it vigorously," he said. "Our job is to protect the laws of the state of Utah."
Twitter: @lwhitehurst
The Polygamy Blog: blogs.sltrib.com/polygblog


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Gov. Rick Scott's courtesy notes double as campaign promotion
Call him Governor Congratulations.
For the last year, Gov. Rick Scott has asked for the names and addresses of lottery winners, Florida bar candidates, professional license applicants, recent college graduates and even agency staff so that he can pen them a personalized note or an "attaboy."
Some get a hand-written recognition of a special achievement, a new family member, even a birthday wish. Most get a form letter of congratulations, studded with the talking points of the governor's re-election campaign.
"It is my pleasure to congratulate you on winning a Florida Lottery prize!'' Scott has written to 18,541 lottery winners since September. He then notes how Lottery proceeds go into education, how education helps create jobs and repeats his mantra: "I am focused on keeping Florida's economy moving in the right direction."
It's all a part of the governor's attempt to turn the routine courtesies of the office into a public relations machine.
Scott is running for re-election with poll numbers that remain low against Democratic challenger, former Gov. Charlie Crist, as much as 10 percentage points according to recent polls.
The Lottery Department estimates the cost of the Lottery letters is $1,149.54. Since the beginning of the year, the governor has also written to more than 400,000 Floridians who have received or renewed their business and professional licenses — a cost to the state of nearly $10,000 the Florida Times Union reported. And last year, Scott asked for the names of school kids who got a perfect score on standardized tests.
"Growing up, my parents struggled financially,'' Scott wrote in his letter to those who received business permits. "In fact, when I started school, we lived in public housing."
In a letter to the new attorneys, the governor detailed the legacy of his predecessor, Crist, without mentioning his name.
"In the four years before taking office, Florida lost more than 832,000 jobs, and unemployment more than tripled — from 3.5 to 11.1 percent," he said. "State debt increased by $5.2 billion, our housing market collapsed, our economy was off track and our families were hurting."
The practice has drawn fire from the Florida Democratic Party, which accuses the governor of having "wasted taxpayer dollars on poll-tested letters."
"This is what you do when you're desperate to win, and have more spin doctors than common decency,'' wrote Democratic Party spokesman Joshua Karp in a statement to reporters.
Some of the recipients aren't pleased either.
Gail Ellyson complained to The Miami Herald in June, after she received a Scott letter when she renewed her Florida Broker's License.
"I find this letter disturbing,'' she wrote. "The Governor has undoubtedly used taxpayer funds for self-service of his political office and future. I resent my tax dollars being used for a tagalong political comment with my renewal."
It has not all gone according to plan for Scott. The governor's office had hoped to be able to send personalized notes to the biggest lottery winners — the hundreds who win between $600 and $100,000 each week — but his office was rebuffed when it discovered the Lottery Department is not allowed to release those details.
And in September, Lisa Meyer, of the governor's staff asked officials at the Department of Children and Families and the Agency for Health Care Administration to send her the names of 50 employees each month but emphasized they should also include "a suggested brief text for him to include" in the personalized notes.
Form letters are nothing new for politicians, nor is using the powers of office to campaign. But Scott's letters are not only more extensive in scope when compared to predecessors like Crist and former Republican Gov. Jeb Bush, they adhere more closely to the governor's campaign mantra.
Crist, who was known for writing his share of notes during his four years in office, said he has no problem with the practice.
"I think it's important for the governor to congratulate people when good things happen to them and what I try to do is call people when sad things happen to them,'' he said. "It's part of the responsibility."
As for whether the notes go too far in promoting the governor's agenda, Crist added: "I'll leave that to others to judge.''
Scott said Tuesday he's not going to stop.
"I think every Floridian ought to brag about our state,'' he said. "I want to congratulate everybody that is doing a great job and I'm going to continue to do that."


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Bad Memories of a South Dakota Blizzard
Looking outside and seeing blowing snow brings back one of the most frightening times I've ever had behind the wheel.
It was two days before Christmas 1983, and Sharon and I had gone out to the home farm in northern McCook County to have our Christmas with my parents.
It was very cold and windy, with wind chill readings around -70, but that's all it was--not to minimize extremely cold wind chills, but our little front-wheel-drive Chevy Citation would not have trouble.
Until it started to snow while we were there, and incredible as it may sound, I had left my insulin at home. Not a good thing at all for a diabetic (and not smart, either!), so we struck out for home in the dark with the wind howling and snow blowing to near-whiteout conditions.
My parents lived on a county road--McCook County 5--and it was seven miles to SD 38, and then it was four or five miles to Interstate 90, south of Montrose.
We followed wheel tracks--wheel tracks!--to Highway 38 and we finally made it to I-90, where I expected the reflector posts would help me navigate. But I could only see them one at a time.
I drove something like 35-40mph with vehicles passing us at speeds that still puzzle me, but we finally made it home, although Sharon's family, knowing where we were, worried about us. As did my parents and other relatives in McCook County.
It was a hard lesson, and a frightening one, and I still think of it whenever I see blowing snow.


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Skip Hire Carswell Marsh from YourLocalSkipHire.co.uk
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To book your skip using YourLocalSkipHire.co.uk, let us know your postcode using the box above. We'll get back to you with a no-obligation quote. No messing around required – giving you more time to plan your project. If you'd rather book your skip over the phone, just drop us a line now on 0330 1130 700, and we'll handle the rest.


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Today, the ladies of The View appeared on Oprah. O had the original table from The View's first season flown in for the special event for all the ladies to sit around it, Hot Topics style. It was more like a boring sleepover than anything, with the ladies sharing what they have in their purses. (Babs' keeps hard copies of everything from publications to her personal schedule in hers, while Whoopi didn't have a purse to show.)
Eventually, Oprah got around to confronting the elephant in the room: Elisabeth Hasselbeck. (Get it? Because she's a republican?) O asked her if she feels picked on. Elisabeth said no, but this somehow devolved into getting a quick verbal spanking from Joy. Later, O asked the women to describe each other in one word. Most got "super," "wonderful," "friend," while Elisabeth received "talkative."
BTW, they featured some behind-the-scenes action of what goes on at The View. The most surprising thing was learning what goes on with Joy's hair.


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OK, so the sun is blazing, your AC is cranked to full tilt and fireplaces are probably the last thing on your mind.
We totally understand priorities, yet your focal point is needy. Poor wee thing feels abandoned. One minute you love it — and won't leave its side — and the next minute your fickle affections have darted elsewhere. Don't you feel even a little guilty? Come on; how could you be so cold to the very asset that warms the cockles of your heart during chillier times?
Banter aside, we're constantly shocked by the lack of attention afforded to the average fireplace during the summer months. No matter the seasonal thermometer, it is still, largely speaking, your focal point, whether resplendent in flamed attire, or awaiting the next batch of logs as temperatures dip. As such it should be updated from time to time, lest its esthetics suffuse a dated demeanour across your abode.
And here's some good news; you don't have to wield the demo ball and start from scratch; you can achieve great results with a sequence of clever tricks to create an infinitely more modern vibe.
So, Mr. or Ms Flintstone; as far as painted fireplaces are concerned, are you in the YabadabaDO or the YabadabaDON'T camp? During last week's column we referenced another painted fireplace and it sparked quite the controversy across our various social media strata. Most readers, thankfully, enjoyed the update, yet one expressed concern about paint removal (a fair observation) should tastes subsequently change. So, this in mind, we've done some homework.
It transpires the market has several different paint removal kits and each one is different; some, for instance, are more caustic than others. To determine which is best for your job, analyze manufacturers' specifications and seek advice in store. For the record, here's a generic guide to paint removal from brick which, in most cases, should prove successful.
First, clean brickwork with soapy water to remove dust and grime. Allow to dry and then (wearing a breathing mask and protective gloves) apply generic DIY store gel paint remover, carefully protecting areas that aren't being treated. We recommend using a stout brush to work in the product.
Next, cover with cotton sheeting (old bedding is ideal) and pat the fabric across the wet surface. As the gel cures, the paint (and the residual gloopy mess) should pull away and adhere to the sheeting. Peek underneath from time to time to monitor the progress, but allow 30 minutes for the chemistry to kick in. When the osmosis is complete, carefully remove the sheeting — and the sticky ooze along with it — then wash down the brick to remove residue. Always refer to manufacturers' instructions for disposal of used product. Retreat problematic zones as required and use a wire brush to tackle grouted or grooved areas. Et voilà!
Back in the room …
Our client was complicit as far as painting was concerned, especially being that her fire breast was actually only faux stone tile, so we opted for an easy update to pull it kicking and screaming into the present day. Our first task, before painting, was to make good all surfaces and, in this regard, we removed all loose elements, filled gaps where appropriate and then washed everything down with clean water.
Note: We used creamy white exterior paint, which made covering the brick really easy, but it should be noted that, on previous jobs, we've used regular latex, to great effect.
Home is Where the Hearth Is
A new fire insert and a new black granite hearth transformed the uninviting fireplace into an eye-catching focal point. With this project, because we didn't remove the brickwork, we were able to indulge our clients with a lovely new insert that helps modernize the feature. And, being that we only needed a small section of granite, we used an off-cut, which we secured for a modest $350. Contact kitchen suppliers or bathroom companies and ask what they have before shelling out. Take care of the dimes and the dollars take care of themselves.
Float It
Wall shelves come in all shapes and sizes but, rather than simply stack 'em in a regimented grouping, think about different applications to add extra flair. Here, for instance, we used them either side of the hearth and their smooth finish helps balance the brickwork's rougher texture.
Modern floating shelves such as the Lack range at Ikea are great for showcasing collections and accessories, but don't overload them; with an installation such as this, less is always more.
At the other side of the room we ran the same shelves vertically and horizontally (in different sizes) to dramatic effect. Don't be ruled by convention; using products in different ways can be very rewarding.
Warm walls
The space benefited from loads of natural light (we could have used an even darker tone had we so wished), but after running through options, we settled on this soft, golden tone. Always choose paint from large chips — rather than postage stamp sized samples — and pin up your choices in situ to analyze how they perform under different lighting conditions.
Bear in mind, also, that paint can be used to manage surface imperfections; matte finishes will minimize lumps and bumps, whereas satin can actually exacerbate less than perfect walls.
Rugs As Decor
Colour, shape and pattern are all very important, but don't feel you have to change walls — or completely refurnish — to express yourself; it could be that flooring is the only thing you need to alter to successfully switch up mood. As a final layer, after carpeting, we installed a new rug and the cowhide (striped to resemble zebra) adds an exotic feel, which further elevates our project's glamour factor. Tonally, it connects to the new chandelier, the patterned window blinds, the huge vases and to the various accessories that flavour our work.
Seats you, sir
The existing sofa and chairs, a clunky combo of brown leather and Asian lines, were dispatched to the basement to become part of a newly created TV room. A mix of slipper chairs and a large white sofa (specifically instructed by our client) add instant flair. The resultant look is fresh and compelling and at polar opposites to the overstuffed space we inherited when we walked in for the very first time.
All things considered we — and our client — are thrilled with the way he project evolved. And just think; as the summer of love gives way to colder Canadian months, our newly ordained doyenne of design will be warmed by the fact her fabulous fireplace is well dressed and ready to roar into action. Chestnuts at the ready; flame on. Isn't it time to make your hearth start beating once again?
Colin McAllister and Justin Ryan are the hosts of HGTV's Colin & Justin's Home Heist and the authors of Colin & Justin's Home Heist Style Guide, published by Penguin Group (Canada). Follow them on Twitter @colinjustin or on Facebook (ColinandJustin). Check out their new product ranges at candjhome.co.uk. Contact them through their website colinandjustin.tv.
Paint and painting sundries: Dulux, dulux.ca
Building supplies: Rona, rona.ca
Fire insert: Toronto Home Comfort, torontohomecomfort.com
Granite off-cut: Ciot, ciot.com
Window attire: Select Blinds, selectblindscanada.ca
Carpets: Millenia Flooring Design, milleniacarpet.ca
Rug: HomeSense, homesense.ca
Floating shelves: Ikea, ikea.ca
Sofa manufacture: N'shape Design, Toronto, 416-742-7323
Chandelier: Living Lighting, livinglighting.ca