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In the late '50s the management at Chrysler Corporation was taking serious aim at the performance market. Chrysler 300s, Dodge D500s, and Plymouth Furys laid down the initial gauntlet. By 1960 the company had introduced a new induction system for its B-block wedge-head engines that was so outlandish-looking it left people speechless. This dual-quad, Ram Induction intake actually created a boost effect, while the long runner tubes may just be the ultimate underhood accessory.
By the '62 model year, Dodge and Plymouth had their very own maximum performance B-blocks with the appropriately named Max Wedge treatment for their new downsized intermediates. These 413s were packed so full of the right stuff that even the Beach Boys sang about them. And the reality was, no fuel-injected Sting Ray alive could beat a 413. This Max Wedge design was offered in two versions. The more streetable one had 11:1 compression, while the true racing option came with a door-slamming 13.5:1.
For the '63 model year the magic Mopar number "426" was introduced. A 426ci Max Wedge Stage III engine would be offered through '64 and was actually from the factory at the same time the 426 race Hemi was released. For organized drag racing, these ultrahigh-compression Wedges were often put in special lightweight bodies that utilized aluminum fenders, hood, and scoop; lightened bumpers and brackets; no back seat or heater; and even superlight side glass. These cars were never intended for street use, so they were delivered without a factory warranty.
This particular four-speed Max Wedge race car, currently sporting a Hemi, was purchased new by a gentleman who would probably still insist on remaining anonymous. It seems he bought the car without consulting his wife. When she became aware of this purchase, the horsepower hit the fan. Almost immediately, he was forced to get rid of the Plymouth to save his . . . well, everything. So, he told her the car was sold, even though it was actually hiding out at the very dealership where he had bought it. Ironically, this original owner ordered this race-only car with a back seat because he was, after all, a family man. Women! Go figure. About this time Jim Gowin got involved. Talk about good timing.
That original owner was a coworker of Jim's. Jim was driving a '57 Plymouth with a transplanted dual-quad 383 and a four-speed. He was also in the market for something a little newer, and the '64 Max Wedge fit his parameters like a glove. Since the owner was desperate to sell the car (which had only been driven 1,000 miles), he accepted a quick $1,250 and finally got off the "bad boy" list with his wife.
As a young guy, Jim was living with his Aunt Helen and Uncle John and doing so on a beer budget, so he had to hit up Uncle John for some bucks. The cautious but sympathetic uncle said if Jim's aunt OK'd the car, he would loan Jim the money. The next day Jim and his aunt headed to the dealership, where she actually drove the radical Belvedere herself. The dramatic lope of a racing camshaft made her think the engine had some kind of miss. Jim assured her that he'd have the dealership fix it. So dear Aunt Helen gave the deal her blessing.
Then the insurance man called Jim's uncle and explained that the car would have a substantial impact on the premiums. Suddenly the sympathetic uncle wasn't so and instructed Jim not to drive the Plymouth. The next day Jim's aunt, for some reason, straightened everything out with Uncle John. Jim got the keys back and has held on to them for almost 46 years.
Jim raced the car routinely at Lake Geneva Dragway in Union Grove, Wisconsin, and Racine Dragway. The Belvedere was driven to the tracks for the first years of its competitive life, but Uncle John eventually supplied Jim with a '58 Chevy Biscayne—with a tri-power 348 and a four-speed—as a tow car. Guess who the Chevy man was. Actually, Uncle John owned an International Harvester distributor and service center. The gearheads who worked there were eager to help Jim keep this red, silver, and hot Super Stock Plymouth razor sharp, so they volunteered to make sure it was always tuned just right.
The '64 Plymouth established a bad-to-the-bone local reputation by taking on and beating almost all comers. Jim even found himself paired off with Mr. Norm's '65 A/FX injected Hemi car. Naturally, the Grand Spaulding Dodge ringer beat the S/S Plymouth handily, but at the same time gave Jim bragging rights for a lifetime just by the experience.
Road Trip
Since the high-compression Max Wedge cars were designed for all-out racing applications, it's safe to say that no one in his right mind would venture out onto the public streets in such an uncivilized beast. Jim was the exception to the rule who would, and did. In fact, he and his other uncle, Louie, drove this rascal from Wisconsin to Miami to attend Jim's sister's wedding.
Gasoline was about 35 cents a gallon back then, and it's hard to imagine this car getting even 10 mpg. Even in 1965 or 1966, this was not an inexpensive trip. Yet Jim liked the Miami area so much he decided to stay there for a while. He did find time to race the Plymouth at Miami Dragway so he could spread the Mopar word around to his new friends in south Florida.
When career and family became the dominant forces in Jim's life, the car was put in storage in a variety of family garages. Jim actually sold the car for about a year then realized you simply can't part with a family member and bought it back. It will stay in the family forever.
When all those pressing family needs were addressed and Jim moved to the Atlanta area, he had the time and energy to resurrect the race car with the help of his eager son Chris. The two have serious resto credentials, since they own North Georgia Corvette, a company that specializes in Corvette restorations.
During a trip to the Mopar Nationals, one of his buddies suggested he take the next logical step with the Max Wedge Plymouth odyssey and drop a Hemi in it. After all, it was available from the factory, plus all his original paperwork on the engine simply referred to a "426" and did not differentiate between head designs.
The date-coded Hemi received a fresh build with all the right parts and generates a room-clearing 780 hp. Although there are no particular plans to race this car again, it will remain a fantastic example of what the factory could and would do to keep its customers happy, and at the same time cement Chrysler Corporation's reputation as a horsepower provocateur of the highest order.
At a Glance
1964 Belvedere
Owned by: Jim Gowin, Atlanta, GA
Restored by: North Georgia Corvette, Muscle by Martin
Engine: 583ci/780hp Hemi V-8
Transmission: 833 4-speed manual
Rearend: Dana 60 with 4.88 gears
Interior: Super Stock van seats and door panels
Wheels: 15×7 front, 15×12 rear Stockton
Tires: Mickey Thompson Sportsman
Special parts: Engine built by Dyno Don Dickson, engine block deburred and retapped, ported/polished aluminum heads, stainless steel valves with hardened seats, 0.670-inch lift Competition Cams solid roller camshaft, roller lifters and roller rockers, TPI Super Stock headers with complete exhaust system, 8-point bolt rollcage


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Contact Information
Buffalo Therapy Services - Amherst
705 Maple Road, Williamsville, NY 14221
Maple West Plaza
Amherst, NY 14221
- (716) 580-7360
- Monday-Thursday, 7 a.m.-6 p.m.
- Friday, 7 a.m.-4 p.m.
- Map & Directions
- (716) 690-2031
- Map & Directions
DeGraff Memorial Hospital
445 Tremont Street
North Tonawanda, NY 14120
Buffalo Therapy Services
Buffalo Therapy Services provides complete physical, occupational and speech therapy, and work therapy/retraining.
Services Provided
Orthopedic - Musculoskeletal
Treatment of patients who have suffered injury to their muscles, bones or joints such as back/neck injury, sprains/strains of knee, ankle or shoulder. Also specializes in post-surgery rehab of total joint replacements, shoulder surgery, knee cartilage/ligament repair, as well as all sport-related injuries.
"Neuro Rehab" is the treatment of patients recovering from a neurological disease or injury, such as stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury, MS, Guillain-Barre, Parkinsons, etc. Neuro rehab focuses on restoring the patient to their highest level of function through a team effort involving physical and occupational therapists and speech-language pathologists, if indicated.
Speech Therapy/Voice and Swallowing Rehabilitation
Licensed speech-language pathologists evaluate and treat individuals with a variety of communication disorders. They specialize in improving speech, language, cognition and swallowing function resulting from problems associated with strokes, head injury and neurological disease processes including Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis and A.L.S. They are also experienced in the evaluation and treatment of a wide variety of voice problems, including hoarseness resulting from vocal nodules/polyps/cysts and vocal changes due to neurological conditions.
Vestibular Rehabilitation
Vestibular Rehab involves the rehabilitation of patients with the following symptoms: loss of balance, dizziness or nausea due to either a problem with the inner ear or from a problem originating in the central nervous system. This very specialized therapy requires treatment by therapists who have received advanced training in this area.
Vision Rehab/Therapy
Specially trained occupational therapy clinicians provide therapy to remediate visual deficits that affect a person's performance in self-care, work and leisure activities. Such visual deficits may be the result of a neurological event or low vision secondary to age-related disease.
Cancer Rehab
Rehabilitation professionals including Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists and Speech Therapists can help with a wide variety of treatment related conditions and their symptoms including - pain, weakness, fatigue, shoulder problems, balance and gait problems, memory and concentration issues, swallowing and speech problems and lymphedema. Survivor Steps: Cancer Rehab and Recovery is a Kaleida Health program which provides you with coordinated cancer rehabilitation supported by a team of specialty certified STAR Clinicians. The STAR program is a nationally recognized cancer survivorship certification that is focused on improving the lives of cancer survivors.
Lymphedema Therapy
Certified Lymphedema Therapists are trained to provide complete decongestive therapy – a non-invasive approach to treat lymphedema and related conditions. This specialized treatment consists of a combination of manual manipulation of the lymph through gentle rhythmic massage to stimulate return to the circulatory system, compression bandaging, exercises to promote fluid reduction, skin care and education. Treatments take from 45-60 minutes.

subset: commoncrawl


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In the highly competitive job market, having a degree in hand can help you one-up your competitors when applying for employment. When you earn a business administration degree online at a school like Ashworth College, you could gain that competitive edge you're looking for.
Through the program, you could learn about a wide range of business processes and functions necessary to succeed, including marketing, communication, accounting and a whole range of other business related skills you'll need for a role in this field. Best of all? You can earn your business administration degree on your own terms--with Ashworth College's online programs, you study on your own time, at your own pace.
Through Ashworth's Business Administration degree program, you'll hone in on your math and English skills, while learning the basic skills needed to thrive in an administrative role. Later on, you'll learn leadership and managerial skills that will help you move up in this career. You even get to choose your own electives to supplement your program!
While you're studying for your business administration degree online at Ashworth College, you can also intern for companies, which will provide great on-the-job experience. Mentors can teach you skills that you can't learn from a textbook. Meanwhile, the relationships you build might spark a job offer. Furthermore, your business professors can leverage their knowledge and connections to help you cultivate your career.
So, if you want to start a career in business, earning a business administration degree such as a Bachelor's in Business Administration with Ashworth College is a great first step. Better yet, at Ashworth College, you can get started right away! You will be able to study at your pace, and won't have to worry about breaking the bank.
Interested in a business administration degree? Request information to learn more!
Career When Hard Work Isn't Enough, Here's What You Need to Succeed
You've been studying hard and working towards that 4.0 GPA. But, is that what employers will care about most? While good grades will get you far on your career journey, soft skills can get you even further. Excellent grades don't guarantee spot on performance, but developing soft skills can show potential employers that you have what it takes to adapt, learn, and confidently take on new tasks as they're given to you. In fact, 31% of teachers think it's more important to develop soft skills. Here are the skills you need to impress employers.
Companies across the United States are finding it difficult to find applicants with soft skills, according to the Wall Street Journal. Some skills are difficult to teach and work ethic is one of them. Employers will be impressed if you possess this skill right from the start. Having a strong work ethic means you're organized, timely, and dedicated. But, that's not all. Work ethic also means you budget your time wisely while being able to work independently or with a team. Either way, you can be trusted to get the job done every time and without excuses.
Employers want candidates with critical thinking and problem-solving skills. That means you need to be creative and curious. Stand out from other applicants by showing you can make informed decisions and analyze situations. No matter the field, you'll need to think critically and understand problems while providing solutions. You'll also need to adapt to new challenges and take ownership of problems as they arise. Thinking outside of the box can go a long way. Set yourself apart by approaching challenges in a critical way through analysis, open-mindedness, and creativity.
Communication skills go beyond talking. To be a good communicator you need to be able to effectively articulate your needs and also listen to the needs of others. Employers look for candidates who can communicate their ideas and receive the ideas of their coworkers with an open mind. No matter the career, you'll need to communicate with coworkers, clients, customers, or vendors. As an employee, you may find yourself discussing problems, giving instructions, and working in teams. Being able to do so effectively can help you advance your career. By bringing forth clear ideas, plans, and processes for how to improve goods or services in your company in an easy to understand manner, you'll show your employer how invested you are in what you do.
Teamwork really does make the dream work, and employers recognize that. That's why employers look for candidates who work well with others. As an employee you'll often work with your colleagues on projects and you may not always see eye to eye. Being part of a team doesn't just mean working together. It also means you give and receive feedback and constructive criticism. Collaboration skills are essential and employers look for candidates who can work independently while also contributing to overall team goals.
A smile goes a long way. While you may not think a positive attitude is the key to succeeding in the workforce, employers are genuinely interested in candidates who are optimistic and are refreshing to be around. As an employee, you should be friendly and eager to work. It's especially important to remain positive in a less than ideal work environments. Your enthusiasm, patience, and overall energy won't go unnoticed.
While a high GPA is certainly something to celebrate, remember that employers are looking beyond your grade when considering you for a position at their company. Job candidates who can think outside of the box, understand teamwork, can come up with creative solutions, and possess leadership skills are in demand. Work to strengthen these skills like you would any other lesson you learn at school. With hard work and a dynamite set of soft skills you can succeed in work you're passionate about!
Career Career Programs You Can Start & Finish This Year
If you're ready for your next career adventure or if you're looking for something new and exciting on your current career path, you don't have to take the long road. Ashworth is here to help you embark on your journey towards a rewarding career. Here are 10 programs you can start and finish this year.
The need for child care providers is increasing. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, 1,298,700 people will be employed as child care providers by 2026. Parents rely on child care providers to help keep their kids safe while also aiding in their intellectual growth. As a child care provider you may work in a daycare center, before- or after-school program, preschool, or home visit. Through our Child Care Provider Career Diploma program, you'll develop skills to care for children from birth to school age in as little as four months.
Upon completion of the program, you'll become a member of the National Association of Family Child Care (NAFCC).
Learn in-demand skills with our online Medical Billing and Coding Career Certificate. This program will help prepare you for work in doctor's offices, medical practices, hospitals, and clinics. With a growing aging population that requires medical treatment, medical billing career opportunities are expected to grow by 13% by 2026 according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
You'll learn the responsibilities of a medical biller/coder, the purpose of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), billing guidelines for medical needs, the life cycle of insurance claims, and the need for accurately coding diagnoses and procedures using industry-standard coding systems.
Commercial and residential buildings require HVAC systems, leaving a need for qualified professionals to install, maintain, and replace those systems. In our online Heating and Air Conditioning Career Diploma program, you'll learn skills such as how to identify systems and components used for heating and air conditioning, understand standard installation procedures, and troubleshoot and maintain HVAC installations and commercial refrigeration in as little as four months.
This program also offers students the opportunity to complete the EPA 608 Certification Exam.
If you're interested in financial data, spreadsheets, and statistical reporting then a career in bookkeeping may be for you. Our online Bookkeeping Career Diploma program will help prepare you to meet entry-level bookkeeping needs for businesses of all sizes. You'll learn the basics of bookkeeping and accounting practices, to explain the concepts of cash and accrual accounting, to prepare payroll transactions, and assist in basic internal controls to prevent theft, embezzlement, and check and credit card fraud.
If you have a furry friend who you trained or if you enjoy helping friends train their new pet then you might want to consider starting our online Dog Obedience Trainer Career Diploma program. As dog owners seek help training their pets, animal trainer careers are expected to grow 20% by 2026, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. In this program, you'll learn the roles and responsibilities of dog trainers, different breed characteristics, problem behaviors, and critical periods of dog behavior in as little as four months.
If you're detail oriented, organized, and enjoy working with people then you may want to consider a career as an event planner. In our Event Planning Career Diploma program, you'll learn the role of an event planner, the importance of the interview process and how to determine the budget, size, and style of events, how to plan various events, such as birthdays, religious celebrations, showers, and more, and business considerations involved in running an event planning business.
Enrollment in this program also comes with a one-year student membership to Meeting Professionals International.
If you have a love for art and design and want to turn your passion into a rewarding career then our online Graphic Design Career Diploma program may be right for you. In this program, you'll learn the elements and principles of design and how to apply them to print and web projects. You'll also learn to use graphics software from Adobe Creative Cloud®, including Photoshop®, Illustrator®, InDesign®, Muse®, and Edge Animate®.
If you're looking to enhance your resume and are interested in being in a role that combines leadership and interpersonal skills with sales knowledge, then consider enrolling in our online Retail Management Career Diploma program. Growth in managerial roles in expected to increase with 77,300 new jobs expected for first-line supervisors of retail sales workers by 2026, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. In this program, you'll learn the basics of retail management and merchandising, including organizational structure and key positions, growth and expansion, consumer communication, and merchandise layout and presentation.
You love love and you're a people person, but most importantly, you enjoy planning parties. Newly engaged couples often seek the help of professionals to plan their big day. By enrolling in our Wedding Planner Career Diploma program you can turn your love for love into a career. You'll learn the role of a professional wedding planner, wedding customs, rituals, and traditions, planning wedding events, including parties, showers, and ceremonies, and how to run a wedding planning business.
In this program, you'll also receive a one-year membership for the Association of Bridal Consultants® (ABC).
Whether you're interested in launching a home-based business or opening your own store, the Small Business Management Career Diploma may be right for you. In as little as four months, you'll learn how to plan, structure, and run a small business. You'll cover topics such as business plan development, sales and marketing basics, and the fundamentals of small business accounting and finance.
Ashworth programs are self-paced and available online, allowing you to study when and where you want.
When you enroll you'll have access to your Student Portal dashboard, which provides instant access to your lessons and support. You'll also join an active online community of students, staff, and alumni.
Contact Ashworth to start your journey towards finishing your program this year.
Career What Kinds of Jobs Can You Get with an Associate Degree in Early Childhood Education?
An online Associate Degree in Early Childhood Education is designed for aspiring educators who want to develop a career focused on teaching children age 4 and younger. Though you may have stayed at home with a sitter or guardian, or attended a loosely-programmed preschool or play group at that age, it's now the 2010s and expectations for life pre-K now include structured education by teachers who have earned degrees specifically for this field.
If you have a heart for little kids and patience to boot, consider earning your online Associate Degree and preparing for a job as a preschool teacher! The main goal of preschool is for toddlers to gain language, motor, and social skills while having lots and lots of fun.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the need for preschool teachers is projected to increase 10% between 2016 and 2026.* That's a faster-than-average growth projection for all occupations during the same time period. Since the typical requirement for launching a career as a preschool teacher is the completion of an Associate Degree, that leaves plenty of time to get started, graduate, and secure a position in this growing field.
Positions for preschool teachers are available through Head Start programs, private early childhood education centers, churches and faith-based schools, as well as through tutoring, nannying, and at-home childcare services.
As more school systems throughout the U.S. enroll first-generation citizens from non-English-speaking homes, there's a growing need for trained teachers who can help the youngest of students learn English. Becoming a preschool teacher who works with English Language Learners (ELLs) is a unique way to apply your passion for ECE to a demographic of children who can greatly benefit from your language skills.
If private childcare and teaching is more your style—and you have a sense of adventure—use your ECE degree to become an au pair for a family outside the U.S., or nanny for a foreign family that's recently moved to the U.S. In both situations, your training will bolster the children's English-speaking skills and you'll gain a world of knowledge about another culture.
Ready to learn how to play with purpose? Check out the curriculum of our Associate Degree in Early Childhood Education. Or practice your ABCs and enroll today!
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Preschool Teachers, on the Internet at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/preschool-teachers.htm (visited October 31, 2018).
Let's talk about your educational goals. Call 1-800-957-5412


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Thailand to Oman: Three Passages, Three Ports
By Liz Tosoni
We're still in Malta, busy with Feel Free, getting her ready for the next leg, to Tunisia. In the meantime, if you read the blogs on "Pirate Alley" (January15 and February1, 2009), you were probably wondering what route we took to get there, so I thought I'd fill you in.
We'd spent two years in the Thailand-Malaysia area, visiting the many beautiful island groups and anchorages. Feel Free was in good nick after two haulouts, one in Phuket's "Boat Lagoon" the first year, and another at Rebak Marina in Langkawi the second year. Her 36-year-old engine Yosh had been overhauled, rigging replaced, mast pulled, sails re-stitched where necessary, and it was time to move on.
|Our ancient engine had been overhauled in Malaysia, Feel Free was in ship-shape, and we were set to do another ocean passage.
Everyone wondered where we were going next. We wondered too. We were like kids in a candy shop who wanted it all: Chagos, the Maldive Islands, Seychelles, Madagascar, East Africa, the Med. We'd done the homework and had charts for all of them. The timing was right as it was January and the northeast monsoons were starting to blow nicely.
Lockers were full to the brim including provisions to last at least six months and back-ups for all systems. We couldn't have it all, of course, so when we departed and set sail from Phuket, we were really curious as to which direction Feel Free would point. As it turned out, winds were ideal for Sri Lanka, a destination we hadn't really considered too seriously because of negative reports from cruisers of previous years.
Phuket, Thailand to Galle, Sri Lanka -- 1,140 Nautical Miles In Six Days, 18 Hours
How do you describe a dream passage? It was 10 to 20 knots of east to northeast winds pretty well all the way, with a brief period of 25 knots, and favorable current helping us along. The seas were slight, maybe two meters during the 20- 25-knot spell; at times, the Speedo indicated 9s and 10s. This is what we experienced en route to the tear-drop-shaped island of Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon.
The last several hours, approaching the port of Galle, the wind died and we had to keep a sharp lookout for dozens of fishing boats. We arrived at Galle at 0100 and anchored behind Watering Point outside the harbor. Here, you have to use an agent, so at 0700 we called GAC -- a recommended company, and "Tissa" came back immediately. He contacted the Navy, who met us upon entering the inner harbor in a rag-tag boat. Four friendly guys in uniforms boarded Feel Free and guided us into the harbor, instructing us to raft up to Barnstorm, which was tied to a concrete wharf. They searched the boat and left. Tissa arrived shortly, requesting $200 US which was $100 agent's fee and $100 for all other fees. Immigration, Customs, and one other official came aboard with forms to be filled out. No fuss, no muss. This was a far cry from the old days when bribes and negotiations were all part of the game in Galle.
We booked a tour through Dee Dee's Yacht Services and through him also had laundry done, and used his tuk-tuk drivers for trips into town. The countryside was spectacular, and the driving was scary. There is so much to see, you just have to decide how much time you have, and go from there. We saw so many incredible things -- amazing temples, both ancient and modern, unlike any we've seen in other Buddhist nations -- but the elephant orphanage was the highlight.
Galle, Sri Lanka to Uligan, Maldive Islands -- 440 Miles In Three Days And A Bit
Uligan is the northernmost of the Maldive Islands and a great stepping stone en route to the Arabian Sea. From Sri Lanka, Med-bound vessels usually go directly to Uligan, or make a stop at Cochin on the west coast of India before heading toward the Red Sea. We chose the more direct route and motored the first 13 hours with very light southwest winds. Around 2300, somebody must've flicked a switch, as the picture changed dramatically with winds out of the north-northeast ranging from 20 to 35 knots and seas to match for the next 36 hours – the heaviest weather we'd seen in a long time.
Shipping was heavy, too. That first 24 hours we counted 27 ships. The winds clocked around to the east-northeast, and gradually diminished to 10 knots, and then to nothing by the time we arrived. A luminous full moon was our welcome friend and guide. Current was contrary or neutral the entire passage. We took the south entrance to Uligan, giving it a wide berth, and found a relatively shallow spot to drop the hook in 30 feet of sand and coral. There were three other boats at anchor when we arrived, but later we learned that just days earlier, 20 boats from the Around-The-World Rally had left. We were boat number 36 to arrive that year.
|The tiny island of Uligan in the Maldives is a little slice of paradise.
We called Port Control and they were aboard within half an hour – five uniformed guys, efficient and quick, no fees. They require five crew lists upon arrival and give you a list of rules to follow while in Uligan, including "Local peoples are not allowed come aboard" and "If you are coming to shore or town, please dress properly."
This place was a little bit of paradise -- picturesque, orderly, and immaculate, with painted houses inside coral-walled and flowered courtyards; pristine beaches; wide, raked, sand avenues; no vehicles; a couple of humble mosques; a population of 450 slender, genial, and gentle Muslim locals; graceful women covered head to toe in lovely colorful garments, regal in bearing; adorable kids.
Fish, both edible and ornamental, are plentiful, and the snorkeling was good. Tom speared three respectable fish in as many days. You can catch as much squid as you want right off the boat. We swam with manta rays and saw sleeping turtles. There are a few shops selling a variety of dry goods and some fresh fruits and vegetables. You can definitely chill out and enjoy yourself in this delightful spot.
|The squid were plentiful in Uligan and they like to squirt their black ink in order to ruin the fisherman's shirt!
Uligan To Salalah, Oman -- 1,256 Miles In Under 14 Days
We departed Uligan with perfect conditions: 15 knots of north-northeast winds, flat seas, and cotton-ball puffer clouds marching across a ceramic blue sky. By 1430 though, the winds vanished and Yosh (our engine), was called to duty. Sometimes we'd give Yosh a rest and Feel Free would be floating along like a cork in a glassy sea, shimmering in the sunshine, as smooth as silk in this flat and vast sea of indigo. It was very peaceful and placid, but slow.
|Local sailor
Late on Day 2, the winds filled in again at 12 to 15 knots, and we were able to make good progress. This pattern of north to northeast winds anywhere from 5 to 15 knots, continued for about half the journey. The second half gave us even lighter winds and from every direction. Often, the winds dropped off completely and we'd motor for a few hours and then they'd fill in again. It was very relaxing with hardly any seas to mention. And it was comfortable, like being at anchor, especially during the off watches. We slept like babies.
|The seas were flat, and the sailing frustratingly slow on the leg from the Maldive Islands to Oman.
One night, before the moon rose, we got a surprise: The ocean as far as the eye could see became alive with glittering phosphorescence. It seemed that the stars overflowing in the skies were being reflected in the waters below, flashing and shining brightly in every direction, like florescent lights. It so affected our night vision that we had to concentrate carefully to distinguish the lights of fishing boats on the horizon. The wake alongside the hull, created by the movement through the water, was a dazzling emerald, appearing like long streamers of ribbon, mesmerizing and astonishing. On a few occasions when the wind dropped off completely, and having to conserve fuel, we dropped sail and lay ahull. Feel Free bobbed in the silent sea, enjoying the rare calm and solitude.
Shipping traffic was not heavy, but vigilance was needed as we saw about 20 large ships and freighters during the first five days, and another half dozen the last several days. Fishing boats were a concern. The nets are long, five to 10 miles in length, attached to the vessels, marked by small floats. At the end of all this is a mere tiny flag. We knew of sailboats getting caught up in them and didn't want to find ourselves in that predicament.
We overheard a VHF conversation between a fishing boat and a freighter. The guy on the fishing boat was requesting medicine of the freighter captain. "My friend is ill. He need medicine." The ship captain asked what kind of medicine. The fisherman just kept asking for medicine and the captain finally ignored him. These boats are large and unwieldy and imagining one coming alongside was a scary thought. We were relieved they didn't make contact with us.
|Camels were the ubiquitous sight of Oman
I remember our Arabian Sea passage to be slow and smooth yet salubrious. It was bizarre to be on the open ocean in a flat sea, lake-like, the entire voyage. We could make use of the slightest zephyr of wind. For hours on end our boat speed would be two or three knots as we baked bread, muffins, or pizza, read good books, listened to World Space Radio news or music, enjoyed happy hours. I'd be down below reading and I'd suddenly hear an excited exclamation from Tom: "We're really cooking along now Liz! We're doing four knots!" For laughs one morning, his report on the Indian Ocean Net included "today we have three knots of wind, gusting to four at times."
Other boats heading the same way were reporting similar conditions. We were like a herd of turtles on land, plodding along slowly but surely toward the exotic Arabian shores. Oh, they were very frustrating, those ephemerally fickle and fluky winds. With the boat going so slowly, fishing was nothing to brag about. We landed three mahi mahi and a tuna but that was it. We saw schools of dolphins, a pod of pilot whales and a few sea birds. Days were balmy, nights cool. There was a finger nail moon that was pared down a little every night. Current was mainly contrary, sometimes quite strong.
We contacted Salalah Port Control about one hour out, and they got back to us almost immediately, at 0100. They were helpful, had us on radar, and instructed us on how to enter the harbor, as there was an outbound vessel that we had to wait for. It's a huge working port, well lit, with ships coming and going at all times, and the anchorage is a small easy-to-find basin off the main harbor. Soon after dropping the hook, we were boarded by the police -- two friendly guys in a speed boat, who quickly took our particulars and bid us good night. Around 0900, Customs and Immigration came by to check us in.
|Tom's not sure what to do here -- turn around and make friends, or run!
Mohammed was the friendly, handsome character in traditional white robes and fez, who gave any and all info we needed, provided cars and generally enjoyed the companionship of yachties. Through him, we rented a car, sharing with Terry and Debby of Wings.
Salalah, the capital of Oman, our first town in the Arab world, and the surrounding countryside, were unlike anything we'd ever seen. Some parts reminded me of a lunar landscape. There are dramatic, mountainous areas, caves, sand dunes, pristine beaches, villages that look like ghost towns with ancient castles in ruins, camels all over the place, herds of them chewing away on the scrub.
There are some areas of huge mansions and the people seemed affluent, well dressed with cell phones and good cars. Women were in full black flowing robes with slits for their eyes, men were in white Aladdin-like turbans. Men were comfortably affectionate with one another, kissing on both cheeks in greeting, often holding hands while walking.
|Ladies rest-room sign. We were truly in a new world.
Women were seen with women only, men with men, there was no communication in the streets between the two sexes. To be respectful, Tom and I wore long pants and long-sleeved shirts in town, and tried not to stick out too much. People stared but were friendly when we spoke to them, and they smiled easily. There were good restaurants -- inexpensive Lebanese, Pakistani, and Chinese places. English is widely spoken. The Oasis Club was the cruiser hangout, with a good variety of food, beer, a pool table, wide screen TV, internet connection, air conditioning. It was a great after-passage spot.
|Wings with Terry and Deb on board are seen here leaving Oman, setting out for the Gulf of Aden.


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Nature Is Nurture: Furniture & Decor
Today, March 20th, is the spring equinox, the official start of spring in the Northern hemisphere. To celebrate, this post features some truly inspirational pieces inspired by the flora of nature, especially the tree sofa in the main photo. Designed by La Chance & Noé Duchaufour Lawrance, it's a sofa I can't stop looking at.
From the practical to the sublime, these pieces are gorgeous. (Please note: While these items were constructed almost entirely of natural materials, the sustainability of the materials were not listed. Contact designers for more information.)
Shown above from left to right:
1. La Chance & Noé Duchaufour Lawrance's Borghese Sofa, from A+R $5,175.00
2. Unknown, from Phillips Collection $(Contact for pricing)
3. Chesnut Branch Wooden Planter: Sun Boat, from Officine Microcosmo, $33.25
4. Wood Branch Coasters -- set of 4, from Found Purpose $25.00
5. Sculpted Jewelry Tree, from Red Envelope $69.95
• Natural Holiday Decor Idea: Beautiful Birch Branches
• 10 DIY Ideas for the Simple Wood Stump
• Branches... In The Bedroom
(Images: As credited above.)


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The Dodgers officially parted ways with former first-round draft pick Chris Reed, as they traded the left-hander to the Miami Marlins on Wednesday.
Reed, 25, was designated for assignment and removed from the Dodgers' 40-man roster last week.
In exchange for Reed, the Dodgers received Grant Dayton from the Marlins.
Dayton, 27, was 2-1 with a 2.83 ERA (11 ER/35.0 IP) and 35 strikeouts in 25 games for Triple-A New Orleans this season. Left-handers were hitting .182 against him.
Dayton will report to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Reed was drafted out of Stanford by the Dodgers in 2011. In 24 games at double-A Tulsa and triple-A Oklahoma City this season, he had a 5.97 earned-run average. He entered this season ranked by Baseball America as the 10th-best prospect in the Dodgers system.


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HANG TIME CHICAGO — The key to success in the NBA these days, we were reminded during The Finals, is to have a Big Three of stars who can shoulder the biggest load, no matter the supporting cast assembled around them. In that sense, the Orlando Magic should do just fine in 2012-13.
Night after night, possession after possession, the Magic will attack all comers by running a classic pick-and-roll with Salary-Cap Space as the primary ballhandler and Future Draft Picks coming out to set a high screen. Depending on how a defense reacts, Salary-Cap Space has the option to hand off, pull up to shoot or attack the rim, with a kickout release to the corner where Fancy New Building will be waiting to launch a 3-ball.
S-CS to FDP to FNB. Your new Orlando Magic heroes.
The first thing to remember, as news of the four-team blockbuster Dwight Howard trade leaked and then gained legitimacy Thursday, was that the Orlando franchise had very little choice. Its centerpiece player wanted out in the worst way. And thanks to his constant diva antics from early in the 2011-12 season right into August, Howard seemed determined to go that route: the worst, as in awkward, unprofessional, even shameful.
Yet as the names began to swirl — a mix of All-Stars and starters and role players, from Andrew Bynum and Andre Iguodala to Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington and Nikola Vucevic — something else became clear: Orlando was screwed and, even given little choice, should have done better.
If anyone has learned anything from recent NBA free-agent history, it is this: Do not fall in love with someone who does not love you back. Rather, trade his ungrateful quitter's butt ASAP, bite down hard, deal with the pain up front and move on. The Denver Nuggets should have done it with Carmelo Anthony, the Toronto Raptors should have done it with Chris Bosh and, in hindsight, one could argue that the Cleveland Cavaliers even should have done it with LeBron James. Most of all, though, the Magic should have done it with Howard.
Instead, as if to keep a happy veneer on the fleeting fun of All-Star Weekend 2012, Orlando management let things drag on far too long while getting used and misdirected by Howard and his handlers. It squandered the 2011-12 season, agonized through much of this offseason and now is poised to waste several more years, selling youth and development in an arena meant for superstars and banners.
With an inexperienced coach (Jacque Vaughn), hired by a novice general manager (Rob Hennigan), to oversee a roster of unproven and under-ripened talent, the Magic at least can say they're all on the same page. Trouble is, it reads "See Dick run. Run, Dick, run. Sally sees Dick run…"
They've gone waaaaaayyyy back to the basics in Orlando. And they're doing it while hiding behind the fresh, smiling faces of young men and younger players.
Let's keep this simple: How can you trade the best center of his generation in a deal in which two other All-Stars switch teams (Bynum, Iguodala), yet wind up with neither of them? No offense, but Afflalo, Harrington, Vucevic and Philly first-rounder Mo Harkless evoke memories of Connie Dierking, Paul Neumann and Lee Shaffer — the three guys San Francisco landed when Wilt Chamberlain wanted off the Warriors in 1965.
This might not leave the Magic as bereft of prospects and options as Shaquille O'Neal's outright departure-for-nothing did in 1996, but it feels close. If there's a trend here to be discovered — a lower-wattage team donating the reigning all-NBA center to the Lakers every 16 years or so — it's not likely to catch on.
Philadelphia seems to be doing all right, based on initial reports of its haul, in reaping Bynum and Jason Richardson chiefly for a player, Iguodala, with whom it has been ready to part anyway. The 24-year-old, second-team All-NBA center still can be a free agent next summer but, with the Sixers, will be playing about an hour from where he grew up in New Jersey. He is in line to sign an extension or, if he waits, to re-up with Philadelphia for a longer term (five years) than he can get elsewhere.
Denver, which went through something similar with Anthony, seems content to tag along to upgrade its perimeter defense and backcourt rebounding via Iguodala. The Nuggets gave up some scoring in the transaction and, maybe, greater upside in Afflalo. But Iguodala, who will begin his ninth season, still is just 28.
All of this was made possible by Orlando's momentary flexing of savvy and leverage last spring — getting Howard to waive his opt-out to table the whole mess until further notice. Clearly, that decision has backfired. Better trade packages from Houston and Brooklyn for Howard's services came and went. The relationship between Howard and the team that drafted and catered to him turned increasingly bitter, not better.
Now this: A Finals team from three years ago blown up, a return trip inconceivable for heaven-knows-how-long. A solid coach in Stan Van Gundy — who could have done wonders in a situation devoted to youth and development — trash-canned simply to please a superstar and to squelch some rare honesty.
A franchise caught empty-handed at closing time, the harsh fluorescent lights turned up high now, nothing pretty where it's standing. All sorts of unknowns in terms of lottery balls, Draft evaluations, free-agent recruiting and future trade partners. And a league embarrassed once again by a tail wagging its dogs, a superstar getting darn near everything he wanted (OK, so the Lakers aren't the almighty, alluring Nets) without regard for the team, coaches, staffers and fans left behind.
At this point, the NBA might not know what it is anymore to not have an active prima-donna hostage crisis to drive its 24/7 coverage, its social media and other Internet frenzies. In which case … hey, Chris Paul, Bynum or (ugh) Howard again, you're on the clock.


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Indigenous Cultures Awareness Month at Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin is underway, and it was kicked off in a grand way with a talk by a living hero.
Chester Nez, the last surviving member of the original Navajo Code Talkers from World War II, spoke before a crowd of around 1,000 people at the college on Friday, March 1. Nez was among the original 29 Navajo Marines who developed a code within their own language to aid the war effort against the Japanese. The code remains the only unbroken code in modern warfare. Nez spoke about his experience as a Code Talker in the South Pacific at Guadalcanal and Guam.
"We never thought it would work, but we developed a code that the Japanese could not understand," Nez said, according to a press release from the college.
Nez shared his experience about being a Code Talker with Judith Avila.
The two co-wrote the book Code Talker: The First and Only Memoir of the Original Navajo Code Talkers of WWII.
During the war, the code talkers developed an encrypted alphabet from English to Navajo. The letter A in English stood for the word Ant in the Navajo language. In some instances, the code used common words for everyday items, animals or birds to refer to military vehicles. For example, the Navajo word for turtlereferred to tanks. Fighter planes were described as hummingbirds.
"It made it so that they could easily memorize the words," said Avila, in the release.
The Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs presented Nez with a plaque from Gov. Scott Walker honoring Nez for his service during the presentation Friday evening. Veteran honor guards from tribes across Wisconsin, including the Lac Courte Oreilles, Oneida and Mole Lake tribes, participated in the opening ceremony to recognize the importance of warriors in native culture.
"I know some of these Code Talkers were wounded, but, in the long run, they were proud to serve their country and their people," said Nez.
Nez was assigned to the 1st Marines Division in the South Pacific. When other soldiers went for rest and relaxation, the Navajo Code Talkers were asked to stay behind.
"They stayed in battle the whole entire time. It was an amazing feat," said Avila. "They were exhausted and often they would go 24 to 35 hours without food or rest."
Kat Werchouski, coordinator for multicultural programs at Northland and also a Red Cliff tribal member, said meeting Nez was like a dream come true.
"The code talkers changed history for World War II. Without this code, it¹s been said that the U.S. may have lost the war," said Werchouski.
"The energy that he carries is that of an honorable elder who has served as a cultural warrior for his entire life a status most of us can only dream of obtaining. Words can not begin to describe the respect, pride, and honor I carry for the opportunity to introduce these beautiful people to our home."
Around 40 to 70 Code Talkers are estimated to still be living. No one knows the number for certain because the nature of their military service was classified for 23 years following their service, according to Avila. Nez is the only member of the original 29 Navajo Code Talkers alive today.
Northland College invited Nez to campus as one of the featured speakers and programs offered during Indigenous Cultures Awareness Month during March. The events seek to further understanding and education of indigenous culture through the Native American and Indigenous Culture Center (NAICC) at Northland College. The events, offerings in the Northland College Community Connections series, are all free and open to the public. T
One of the culminating highlights of the month's events will be the 39th Annual Northland College Spring Powwow, to be held March 23 in the Kendrigan Gymnasium on campus. Grand entries are scheduled for at 1 pm and 7 pm. The Community Feast is at 5 pm.
For more information about Indigenous Cultures Awareness Month and to view a full listing of events, go to Northland.edu/naicc.


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Aren't these little hearts adorable!! They are tiny cloth hearts that I found on Ebay awhile back. They went perfect with this layout because they symbolize the kisses.
Here is my "Christmas 2006" layout. I had this photo of us for the longest time and I have never scrapped it. I think it's because it's just your average everyday Christmas photo. I was actually a few months pregnant in this pic. I really love how this layout turned out. Most of the items are from the kit and add-ons. I did add my own Etsy pearls and some super cute metal objects I purchased off of Etsy.
I love the added pieces of chipboard in the kits. So pretty!! I didn't want to over do this dear so I just used some stickles on the edges of the antlers, hoofs, and tail.
I used some smooch paints on the poinsettia diecut. It was so pretty plain but I wanted just a touch of color and it turned out great. I put some gold stickles in the center.
Here is my layout that I couldn't figure out a title for. So I just used one of the stamps included in one of the add on kits that said Merry Christmas. This is a sweet little picture of Brooky just looking at her dress. I did a cut out of the paper to create this framed effect and roughed the edges up a bit. Basically the only thing I added was the large jewel, the green ribbon, and the red butterflies and leaves.
Here is a close up of the jewel work I did at the top. The easiest way to do this is use a stencil to create the swirls using a fine tip pencil. Then just lay the jewels over the line for a perfect swirls. These faux diamonds are also in my Etsy.


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Taiwan Gets it Right with Funeral Strippers
Funerals suck. We don't like to get into that sappy crap. Unless of course said funeral involves half-naked women, because half-naked women make any situation a thousand times better. Well folks, our twisted dreams have come true. Over in Taiwan, they have this whole honoring the dead thing down pat.
Basically, the Taiwanese have funeral strippers. Yup, bare butts and cleavage galore at a funeral. Jackpot! Apparently, this kind of stuff is pretty common at religious festivals in the country, so as to "appease the wandering spirits." You mean like, horny spirits? Because that'll totally be us.
Now, this doesn't happen during the actualfuneral. The ladies get down and pole-stripping dirty on the backs of truck beds that are converted into stages, so they can do their "appeasing" performance in the middle of the funeral procession.
This has got to be the most genius after-death idea to date. Looks like we'll have to put "have strippers do their thing on my casket" in our wills alongside "make me a naked calendar."


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Raiders coach Dennis Allen says he's done extensive research, with help from administrators Dan Ventrelle and Tom Delaney, on the new collective bargaining agreement to make sure his club doesn't run afoul of the law.
Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer noted that Allen has been strident in making sure rules are enforced while at the same time accounting for every split-second available during the strength and conditioning phase.
"It's kind of weird. We've really had only one meeting with coach Allen where he kind of introduced himself and introduced the team," Palmer said Thursday afternoon. "There are so many rules and he's doing a good job of making sure he doesn't even come close to breaking a rule.
"But you can tell his hand print, his footprints, are all over everything. Everything is so organized. You can tell the plan is in place. He didn't spend a bunch of time on it, but he let it be known his job is to come in and win a world championship.
"There's a map to it. They've been very anal about the time in meetings, the amount of time we can spend in the weight room, making sure there are no infractions whatsoever. There's a real tight focus on where he's headed with this team and this organization. It gets you excited for the next stage, the minicamp, the OTAs, the mandatory minicamp, training camp and then of course the season."


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MoonriseeBook - 2009
From the critics
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My favorite part was when Feathertail died. Not that I read the book.
Cmon guys y are u spoiling it! Also FEATHERTAIL DIES?!?!?! I'm in Thunder Clan and my warrior name is Firelight
This book was AMAZING! 10/10. Though some parts are quite sad, it also reminds me of my cats sometimes XD. The thing that happened to Feathertail broke my heart :( She was my favourite cat in Warriors, she was sweet and kind, she did NOT deserve to die :(
There are not enough good words to describe how AMAZING this book is. Though some parts are quite sad. This is a must read for ANY age! :)
This book is amazing!!!!!!!!!!!! though there are some sad parts.
this book is awesome!!! Though I don't like when feathertail dies
Written and published in 2005, this book is surely not one to disappoint. On this valiant quest to save their clan, six cats travel long and far from home. Meeting new creatures on the way, such as Midnight the badger, they experience many life-changing events hat will forever stay with their hearts. With new prophecies and their fates supposedly told by the stars, can these cats shape their own destinies? Viewers with deeper mindsets can easily pick out certain references to everyday life. For example, are we all entitled to our own decisions?
- @Siri of the Teen Review Board of the Hamilton Public Library
My favorite book yet. I love how Crowpaw likes Feathertail. I love how Crowpaw is so protective of Feathertail and how he's so nice to her. NO why did feathertail have to die she was one of my favorite cats in warriors. But a good thing about her was that she fulfilled the prophecy and save the Tribe cats from Sharptooth the Lion cat that live in the mountains. But in the end when they go back to their clans its still a really great book
warning: do not read the end of the book until you have the next book, dawn
AgeAdd Age Suitability
aaron_halli thinks this title is suitable for 9 years and over
indigo_fish_90 thinks this title is suitable for 9 years and over
brown_bear_1657 thinks this title is suitable for 8 years and over
green_chicken_403 thinks this title is suitable for 9 years and over
black_cat_910 thinks this title is suitable for 10 years and over
violet_sparrow_18 thinks this title is suitable for between the ages of 8 and 99
blue_panda_2035 thinks this title is suitable for between the ages of 10 and 16
QuotesAdd a Quote
"You know about Sharptooth?"
"Of course we know about Sharptooth every cat in these mountains knows about Sharptooth."
"I saved you once, don't make me save you again"
"Think you have nine lives, do you? I saved you once...Don't make me save you again."
"Feathertail, don't leave me!"
"I won't. I'll always be with you. I promise."
"A cat will come, a silver cat not from this Tribe, who will rid us of Sharptooth once and for all" -Stoneteller
SummaryAdd a Summary
Feathertail dies, and it is so sad because I love Feathertail. Feathertail fans, do not read this book.
The questing cats must now return home after visitng Midnight, a wise badger, who has told them that the Clans must leave their home or be destroyed by the humans who wish to build a highway over their forest. On the return journey, the cats encounter the Tribe of Rushing Water, who have their own traditions and beliefs. They have a prophecy that they believe Stormfur must fulfill. However, his sister Fetaher tail eventually sacrifices her life to kill a mountain cat called Sharptooth, fulfilling the Tribe's prophecy. The cats then return home.
NoticesAdd Notices
Violence: In this book you will find some intense scenes and descriptions of a bloodthirsty mountain lion named Sharptooth. There are also deaths caused by this creature.


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Pentagon wins Round 1 in assault fight
The country's most senior military commanders filed into a Capitol Hill hearing room in June, sat in front of TV cameras and promised to stamp out military sexual assault — a problem Army chief of staff Gen. Ray Odierno called "a cancer."
"We can and will do better," Odierno told the senators.
Story Continued Below
But privately, Pentagon lawyers and advisers were trying to limit just how much they'd have to do.
Over the past three months, Pentagon lawyers and legislative officials met with senior lawmakers and aides, including the Senate Armed Services Committee staff director and its top lawyer, to persuade them to shut down a movement led by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) to take the chain of command out of sexual assault cases.
( PHOTOS: Key players in military sexual assault fight)
Federal agencies plead their case to Congress all the time, so that's not unusual. Senators on the committee argue that they wouldn't be doing their jobs if they didn't weigh the Pentagon's view. "I've had an awful lot of generals on that couch that are professing with sincerity that they realize that this is something they can no longer assume will take care of itself, or that there's just a training issue," Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) said in an interview in her Capitol Hill office.
But in this case, the Pentagon's lobbying machine went further than usual on a legislative fight, ratcheting up in-person meetings with key senators and even sending lawyers to negotiate, an unusual step longtime Hill aides said.
Pentagon lawyers even combed through dozens of alternatives offered by the committee staff, picking and choosing among ideas to include in the bill and nixing the ones viewed as cracking down too hard, several sources involved in drafting the bill tell POLITICO.
( Also on POLITICO: Paul, Cruz set off GOP scramble on sex assualt)
A new prosecution system to enforce major crimes. Faster jury trials. A new rule that would ban all sexual contact between instructors and trainees, a recurring problem. All out.
What did the lawyers give in return? Steps the Pentagon says it's already taking, such as barring commanders from overturning jury convictions.
That means if the negotiated package becomes law, it won't amount to much of an overhaul since most of the toughest steps Congress will have asked the Pentagon to take in 25 years of promising to solve the problem aren't even new.
( Also on POLITICO: Bipartisan scene over sexual assault)
The edited package already sailed through Chairman Carl Levin's Armed Services Committee in June. It defeated Gillibrand's measure to remove sexual assault cases from the chain of command, a proposal that she is now taking to the full Senate.
Gillibrand's measure is picking up momentum, with Republican Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Ted Cruz of Texas announcing at a Tuesday news conference that they're signing on as co-sponsors.
But the military's maneuvering in committee is a reminder that Gillibrand is confronting what many Democrats and Republicans have seen before her: The Pentagon rarely loses on Capitol Hill.
Just look at the military's track record so far: This wasn't a routine ask for more money for a weapons project, backed by a senator or two with a home-state interest, but a top-to-bottom reshaping of a measure meant to force the Pentagon to solve a problem that's been festering for more than two decades, despite intensifying congressional scrutiny from both parties and growing public outrage over fresh rounds of headlines documenting sexual misconduct in the ranks.
And still the Pentagon won Round One.
( Also on POLITICO: Paul, Cruz join in on military sex-assault bill)
Plus, the Pentagon is still going full speed ahead. Military officials are working the phones and meeting with senators of both parties who don't serve on the Armed Services Committee, urging them to oppose Gillibrand, according to a Defense Department source.
McCaskill, a chief backer of Levin's package, said Tuesday she plans to encourage senators to hear from retired military lawyers, too.
McCaskill is also cheering the package itself, pointing to language stripping commanders of the ability to overturn jury verdicts and making it a criminal offense to retaliate against victims who report alleged crimes — changes she says will improve how sexual assault cases are handled. Even supporters of Gillibrand's alternative do not oppose the other measure, but simply argue it does not go far enough.
And the Pentagon has a second line of defense. Even if Gillibrand pulls off an upset victory in the Senate, the measure is expected to hit a wall in the Republican-controlled House. The House bill includes similar language to Levin's alternative, and there is no serious push to remove cases from the chain of command in the lower chamber.
( QUIZ: Do you know Kirsten Gillibrand?)
When the two bills meet in conference, many observers expect the Gillibrand proposal would be stripped out to ensure the bill — considered a must-pass because it authorizes funding for the Pentagon — will still pass in the House.
"There's understandably deference given to people who have spent their entire lives in the service," said Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine). "The military does many things extremely well, but it's done an extremely poor job of dealing with this problem. And, I don't think we can defer to the military's views on this issue given their poor track record."
When asked if the Pentagon scuttled the chain of command provision, Collins, an original co-sponsor of the measure, replied: "Clearly."
But not everyone agrees that cooperation is a bad thing.
Levin defended the work of his committee and the Pentagon.
"We don't demur to the agencies. We're responsible for legislation. They've got their responsibility. We have ours. They want us to do things we don't do. We don't rubber-stamp their budget by any stretch of the imagination," Levin said in an interview, noting that the items in his legislation came from about 30 senators.
McCaskill a former county prosecutor, believes the military hierarchy — and Pentagon buy-in — is critical to solving the problem of sexual assault.
"There's an honest disagreement over which version is going to protect sexual assault victims better," McCaskill said. "I want to make sure everybody understands what this is about, I mean, I think people know I'm not into coddling the Pentagon. I think they know I'm a real sex-crimes prosecutor. And I would never do anything that I didn't think was going to result in more and better prosecutions."
After meetings at the Pentagon and in her office with key military leaders, like Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Amos and Air Force chief of staff Gen. Mark Welsh, as well as lawyers from the Judge Advocate General's Corps representing the different service branches, McCaskill said she reached the conclusion that it'd be best to leave the chain of command alone.
One Democratic aide close to the process explained that Levin's senior staff spent a lot of time with military lawyers working on sexual assault language to "diagram the process and understand how it works."
"We bounced [the different bills] against them and try to understand how they work and what will work and what won't, but they've not been generated by DOD," a senior Senate Democratic aide said, defending the process.
Many observers say it's not just that the Pentagon works the system, but that it is embedded in it.
Nearly every Democratic and GOP member of the Armed Services committees has a career military officer working as a fellow — whose salary is paid by the Pentagon — to help craft legislation, unravel the department's labyrinth of offices and sub-offices and decipher acronyms.
"Imagine if we had bankers serving as fellows for the Financial Services Committee. Would we do that?" said Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.), who has been pushing the military for years on sexual assault.
Plus there are Capitol Hill liaisons, members of the military who regularly meet with key Hill staff to make the Pentagon's case on a variety of issues. And three- and four-star generals also have little trouble securing meetings to make their own personal appeals to key senators when necessary.
One of the military's best assets is unheard of for any other special interest or agency: office space right inside the building. Each of the service branches has space in the basement of the Rayburn Office Building — across from a popular barber shop and food carryout and just one floor below the House Armed Services Committee's offices and main hearing room. They also have offices a floor down from the Senate Armed Services Committee in the Russell Office Building.
The setup inspires close friendships between Hill staff and military staff. The Air Force Liaison Office holds a monthly happy hour in the Rayburn building. The aides and military lobbyists have even collaborated on a cookbook, titled "Savory Secrets of Congressional staffers … and their Dangerous Liaisons," according to a recent email invite.
In this year's debate over sexual assault, Senate Democratic aides said the Pentagon initially resisted weighing in on some of the high-profile options that were up for consideration, including Gillibrand's chain of command bill and another one to expand the availability of special legal counsel for victims beyond an Air Force pilot program to all the service branches.


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The UC Davis Hospice Program and UC Davis Children's Hospital Bereavement Program will offer an eight-week Young Adult Bereavement Art Group for individuals 17 to 24 who are coping with the recent loss of a loved one.
The sessions will be held on eight consecutive Tuesday evenings from Feb 20 through Apr. 10. Each session will be held from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the UC Davis Home Care Services Building, 3630 Business Drive, Suite F, Sacramento, Calif. The discussions will address such topics as acknowledging and understanding grief, expressing and accepting one's feelings, changing roles, coping with stress and developing supportive relationships.
There is no cost for participation. The facilitators will be Don Lewis, bereavement and volunteer coordinator for the hospice program, and Katie Lorain, art therapist for the Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy Department at UC Davis Children's Hospital.
Those interested in participating should register before Feb. 18. For further information, please e-mail firstname.lastname@example.com. The group is offered every spring and fall.
The group is made possible by a continuing grant from the Children's Miracle Network at UC Davis.


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Last Sunday, February 28th, about 400 "Film Week" listeners attended our yearly Academy Award preview. Not only was the turnout a thrill, but the back-and-forth between our critics was particularly spirited. The show airs Friday at 10:30 a.m. on KPCC.
Though I have a great time hosting our in-studio "Film Week," it's even more fun to see our critics and audience members respond to each other at the Oscar show.
This year was particularly lively, as James Cameron's "Avatar" polarized. Critic Henry Sheehan was a strong defender of the movie, and he had plenty of support in the audience. Sharply disagreeing was critic Charles Solomon. His blistering ridicule of "Avatar" also hit home, triggering guffaws.
Katherine Bigelow's "The Hurt Locker" was universally acclaimed by our critics, all of whom are members of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA). LAFCA was the first critics' organization to choose "The Hurt Locker" as Best Film.
Probably my favorite part of each year's show comes from our critics championing the movies and performances that they thought were overlooked. This year was no exception, even with the Academy expanding the number of Best Picture nominees to ten.
We look forward to next year's "Film Week" On the Road at the Egyptian and hope to see you there. Our critics put great care and passion into "Film Week," and I know that your support of their work means a lot to them. As always, it's a real treat to see listeners like you at our programs throughout the Southland.


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Over the past few days of the endlessly perplexing hunt for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, much debate and confusion has swirled around what was once dubbed the most promising lead in the search: a series of underwater signals, or "pings," picked up by sound-detecting equipment scouring the remote Indian Ocean in early April.
At the time, officials said they were consistent with a plane's black boxes. But an underwater sub that spent weeks scouring the seabed in the area near where the signals were detected found nothing, and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, which is helping head up the search, this week ruled the area out as the plane's final resting place.
The search is now on hold for two months while new, specialized equipment can be brought in to scan a 700 kilometer by 80 kilometer (430 mile by 50 mile) arc of ocean that was largely identified by an analysis of hourly transmissions, or "handshakes," between the plane and a satellite. The seventh and final handshake involved a logon request consistent with a plane powering up its satellite communication equipment after a power interruption _ leading investigators to believe the plane had nearly exhausted its fuel supply.
With the origin of the underwater pings now in doubt and the search stalled, what do the officials heading up the hunt for Flight 370 have to say? Here, Martin Dolan, chief commissioner of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, answers some of the most pressing questions:
Q: Are you still confident that the plane is somewhere along the arc defined by the seventh handshake between the plane and the satellite?
A: "We are very confident that it's close to that arc."
Q: Why were officials so confident initially that the underwater pings came from the black boxes?
A: "They had a range of acoustic characteristics that were consistent with underwater locator beacons and … given that we were chasing black boxes with underwater locator beacons, it was a very credible detection _ and it was the only credible detection we had. So those sorts of leads you've got to pursue until you can eliminate them, which is what we're doing."
Q: Have you at this point ruled out the pings as coming from the black boxes?
A: "We're still looking at those signals to try and understand them because if it wasn't from the ULB _ the underwater locator beacon _ we don't know what it was. And we'd really like to understand that. And until we can understand it, we don't think we can confidently say that the detections were ruled out. What we can say is we've searched the area associated with them thoroughly and the aircraft is not there."
Q: If the pings turn out not to be from the black box, what else could they be from?
A: "At this stage, we don't know. We're still analyzing the signals, but the experts that will be coordinating that work in fact are devoting most of their time to the reanalysis of the satellite data so we can confirm the search area."
Q: Do doubts over the pings cast doubt over the wider search area, since the pings corroborated the satellite analysis?
A: "What we know _ what all the experts agree _ is that the arc associated with the seventh handshake is where the aircraft ran out of fuel. We're very confident that the aircraft will be found very close to that arc. The question we're now trying to review is … where on that arc is it most likely to be?
At the time we were looking and we got those detections, the best assessment of the experts was that was the area (where) we should be looking. So all we're doing now _ and we would have done it anyway _ is to revalidate the data and analysis and then, having done that, to review where the search area should be. It may move, it may stay in that area that we've been looking in and if so, we've eliminated at least one small part of that area."
Dolan adds that it will take another two to three weeks before the experts finish re-analyzing the satellite data.
Q: Do you think the plane will be found?
A: "We're cautiously optimistic. I think even when we've completed the satellite data analysis, that will probably be about how we're feeling about it because we know whatever happens _ we'll do refinement _ but we'll end up with a large area that needs to be searched. We're talking about an area the size of Tasmania. … We can't be too confident given the scale of the area we'll be searching, so cautiously optimistic."


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20022002 December 5-6 San Antonio, Texas Fall 2002 Task Force Meeting- Coalition for Networked Information. Project Briefings. http://www.cni.org/tfms/2002b.fall/index.html
2002 December 3-5 London, UK Online Information 2002. http://www.online-information.co.uk/
2002 November 21-22 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Research, Innovation and Scholarship: the Role of Open Access Publishing. http://www.carl-abrc.ca/meetings/other/index-e.htm
2002 November 17-21 Wellington, N.Z. Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa (LIANZA) Conference 2002. http://www.confer.co.nz/lianza2002/
2002 November 11-12 Canberra National Resource Sharing Forum and Field Day. National Library of Australia. http://www.nla.gov.au/rsforum/index.html
2002 November 8-10 Atlanta, Georgia "The New Dynamics & Economics of Cooperative Collection Development" A Conference Hosted by the Center for Research Libraries http://www.crl.edu/info/awcc2002/02confinfo.htm
2002 November 1 Adelaide Acquisitions - The New Age. ALIA Acquisitions National Seminar . Contact Jenni Jeremy Work 08 8302 0318 Email <email@example.com>
2002 October 30-31 Melbourne, Australia Seventh Quality in Higher Education International Seminar: Transforming Quality. Centre for Research into Quality in Birmingham, UK and the Centre for Management Quality Research, in Melbourne. http://www.qualityresearchinternational.com/tq/index.htm
2002 October 28-29 Sydney, NSW Funding and Financing Strategies for Education: Proven Strategies for Sourcing Additional Funding and Maximising the Use of Existing Resources. http://www.iqpc.com.au/AU-D10596
2002 October 18 Washington, D.C. Institutional Repositiories: A Workshop on Creating an Infrastructure for Faculty-Library Partnerships Co-sponsored by ARL, SPARC, and CNI - Presentations now available. http://www.arl.org/IR_agenda.html
2002 October 15-17 Washington, D.C. Association of Research Libraries 141st Membership Meeting. http://www.arl.org/arl/meetings/141/ [Schedule, Officers & Members of the Board of Directors & Committees]
2002 October 10-13 Westin Galleria & Westin Oaks, Houston, TX Making Connections. LITA National Forum. The Library and Information Technology Association http://www.lita.org/forum02/index.html
2002 October 10-11 Canberra Blurred Boundaries: Australians and Globalisation: Negotiating Our Way. Annual Conference of the Independent Scholars Association of Australia Inc. http://www.independentscholars.asn.au/AC_2002_reg.doc
2002 October 9-11 Mesa, Arizona ECURE 2002: Preservation and Access for Electronic College and University Records. http://www.asu.edu/ecure/
2002 October 6 12 (USA) IT and Universities: Where Now? Where Next? Management Frontiers International Study Program. http://www.mgtfrontiers.com.au/education/IT%20Brochure%202002.pdf
2002 October 3-5 Thessaloniki, Greece 4th E-ICOLC (International Coalition of Library Consortia in Europe) http://www.heal-link.gr/e-icolc/
2002 October 3-4 Canberra Sights and Sounds in Scholarly Communication. National Scholarly Communications Forum Round Table #15 http://www.humanities.org.au/NSCF/current.htm
2002 October 1-4 Atlanta, Georgia EDUCAUSE 2002 Juggling Opportunities in Collaborative Environments http://www.educause.edu/conference/e2002/
2002 September 30 - October 4 Hobart, Tasmania 16th Australian International Education Conference: New Times, New Approaches. IDP Education Australia. http://www.idp.com/16aiec/
2002 September 27-28 Brisbane Australian Universities Quality Forum (AUQF) http://www.auqa.edu.au/auqf/ (AU)
2002 September 27-28 Washington, D.C New Ways of Listening to Library Users: Tools for Measuring Service Quality: An Association of Research Libraries and Special Libraries Association Workshop. http://www.arl.org/libqual/events/listen/index2.html
2002 September 23 Melbourne Information Audit: workshop conducted by Sue Henczel. CAVAL Collaborative Solutions. http://www.caval.edu.au/pdt/courses/workshop/#Information
2002 September 19 E-learning: design and experience. British Computer Society Electronic Publishing Specialist Group. http://www.epsg.org.uk/meetings/e-learning2002/
2002 September 18 - 20 Oxford A Celebration of Libraries on the 400th Anniversary of the Bodleian Library: An international conference in celebration of libraries to mark the 400th Anniversary of the refounding of the university library by Sir Thomas Bodley. http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/2002conf/
2002 September 11-12 The Shine Dome, Canberra The Financial Future of Australia's Universities Conference. Jointly presented by: National Institute of Social Sciences and the Centre for Economic Policy Research, Australian National University http://demography.anu.edu.au/NISS/text/Conference.htm
2002 September 10 Dunedin NZ Expanding Horizons: Print Cultures across the South Pacific: Seminar of the Bibliographical Society of Australia and New Zealand. Contact Shef Rogers (email@example.com)
2002 September 5-6 The University of Sydney G.I.S. for the Humanities. Geographic Information Systems for the Humanities: Two-day workshop presented by Dr Ian Johnson and Mr Andrew Wilson (Archaeological Computing Laboratory, The University of Sydney) http://www.arts.usyd.edu.au/departs/rihss/gis.html
2002 August Glasgow 68th IFLA Council and General Conference http://www.ifla.org/IV/index.htm
2002 August 26-27 Paris IMHE Seminar on Managing University Libraries. OECD Institutional Management in Higher Education (IMHE) http://www.oecd.org/EN/document/0,,EN-document-610-5-no-20-27020-0,00.html
2002 August 15-18 University of Strathclyde Gateways to the changing landscape of art information: ARLIS /UK & Ireland Annual Conference. Email: email@example.com://arlis.nal.vam.ac.uk/even/conf.html
2002 August 9 Canberra Privacy: Balancing the Needs of Researchers and the Individual's Right to Privacy Under the New Privacy Laws. National Scholarly Communications Forum. Round Table #14. http://www.humanities.org.au/NSCF/current.htm
2002 July 24-26 Townsville, Queensland The AVCC Public Relations and Marketing Conference. http://www.jcu.edu.au/events/AVCCconf/about.html
2002 July 19 University of Technology, Sydney Higher Education Update. ATEM NSW Branch http://www.nmh.uts.edu.au/atem/
2002 July 9-12 Macquarie University, Sydney The 7th INRUDA International Symposium on Globalization and the Role of Universities in Development International Network on the Role of Universities in Developing Areas. http://www.mq.edu.au/international/inruda/
followed by
2002 July 12-13 Macquarie University, SydneyUNESCO APHERN Workshop on University-based Research in the 21st Century.
2002 July 7-10 Perth, Western Australia Quality Conversations: HERDSA conference. The Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia http://www.ecu.edu.au/conferences/herdsa/
2002 July 7-10 Melbourne, Victoria Untangling the Web - Establishing Learning Links. Australian Society for Educational Technology International Education & Technology Conference. http://www.global-ed.com/aset2002/
2002 July 6-10 Twin Waters Resort, Sunshine Coast Queensland AusWeb 2002. http://ausweb.scu.edu.au/
2002 July 1-5 Gold Coast, Queensland QUESTnet 2002 Networks Across Borders. QUESTnet 2002 Networks Across Borders Queensland Education, Science and Technology Network (QUESTnet). http://questnet.scu.edu.au/
2002 June 27 - July 4 Atlanta American Library Association Annual Conference http://www.ala.org/alaevents/alaevents_home.html
2002 June 26-27 Canberra National Research Priorities Strategic Forum. Australian Academy of Science Symposium proceedings. http://www.science.org.au/proceedings/priorities/index.htm
2002 June 26-27 Edinburgh The 4th International JISC/CNI Conference - co-ordinated by UKOLN http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/events/jisc-cni-2002/
2002 June 23-28 Convention Center of Ceará-Brazi, Brazil XX Brazilian Congress of Librarianship, Documentation and Information Science [XX Congresso Brasileiro de Biblioteconomia, Documentação e Ciência da Informação (XX CBBD)] Theme: Human, Economic And Political Dimension Of Information [Dimensão Humana, Política e Econômica da Informação]. http://www.cbbd.com.br/
2002 June 19-22 Halifax, Nova Scotia Inventing Our Future: CLA 2002 Annual Conference & Tradeshow. The Canadian Library Association and the Atlantic Provinces Library Association. http://www.cla.ca/conference/cla2002/
2002 June 19-22 Porto, Portugal EUNIS'2002 8th International Conference of European University Information Systems The Changing Universities: The Challenge of New Technologies. http://www.fe.up.pt/eunis2002/
2002 June 16-19 Yeppoon, Queensland Building Learning Communities through Education: 2nd International Conference to be hosted by Central Queensland University http://www.library.cqu.edu.au/conference/
2002 June 12-15 Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Fostering the Spirit of Inquiry: 22nd Annual Conference of the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. http://www.mcmaster.ca/learning/stlhe2002/
2002 June 2-6 Kansas City, Missouri, USA 23rd IATUL Annual Conference: Partnerships, Consortia, and 21st Century Library Service. International Association of Technological University Libraries (IATUL) http://www.lindahall.org/iatul2002/
2002 May 30 - June 1 Provo, Utah "Pioneering on the Electronic Frontier: e-theses and Intellectual Solidarity" The Fifth International Symposium on Electronic Theses and Dissertations. http://ce.byu.edu/cw/etd2002/
2002 May 22-23 Sydney CAUL-Industry Think Tank 2002. Publishers' Pricing Models & Intra-Consortial Cost Allocation http://www.caul.edu.au/datasets/tt2002.html (AU)
2002 May 19-22 Sydney Powering our Future: ALIA 2002. Australian Library and Information Association Biennial Conference. http://www.alia.org.au/conferences/alia2002/
2002 May 16-17 Sydney Research Library Futures: Strategies for Action. Colloquium organised by the State Library of New South Wales. Papers available at http://www.slnsw.gov.au/2010/papers.htm
2002 April 2426 Suntec Singapore Global Knowledge Renaissance: World Library Summit 2002. National Library Board of Singapore http://www.wls.com.sg/
2002 April 12 We Can't Go On Like This: the future of journals (International Learned Journals Seminar) The Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers. PowerPoint slides and PDF files are available for some presentations. (UK)
2002 April 8-9 Adelaide Australia Taiwan Conference on Higher Education. Supported by the Australian Vice-Chancellors' Committee. http://www.unisa.edu.au/inr/austtaiwanconf.htm
2002 March 20-22 Glasgow IT&ILit 2002: 1st International Conference on IT & Information Literacy. Jointly hosted by Glasgow Caledonian University, the University of Glasgow and the University of Strathclyde http://www.iteu.gla.ac.uk/IT&ILit2002/Net/
2002 March 4-5 Adelaide Global Summit of Online Knowledge Networks. education.au limited The Global Summit is associated with, and follows the World Congress on Information Technology 2002 (WCIT2002) Papers now available. | http://www.educationau.edu.au/globalsummit/
2002 February 6-8 Melbourne 11th VALA Biennial Conference and Exhibition. Victorian Association for Library Automation Inc. http://www.vala.org.au/conf2002.htm
2002 January 21-22 New Orleans, Louisiana LibQUAL+ A Total-Market Survey. Association of Research Libraries http://www.arl.org/libqual/events/listen/alajan02.html
2002 January 18-24 New Orleans American Library Association MidWinter Meeting http://www.ala.org/alaevents/alaevents_home.html
Send comments/suggestions/requests about this site ....
This site is written, compiled
and maintained by Diane Costello, Executive Officer, CAUL.
This site's URL is http://www.caul.edu.au/


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Great golfing Denmark
Golf is a really popular sport in Denmark and with over 200 courses in the country, there are many varied opportunities to get out on the green stuff. Courses tend to be quite close together, so in one holiday, you can try out a few different courses and find the one that best suits your play.
Guest players are welcome on most courses in Denmark, with payment of a green fee. Clubs have different prices and accessibility, so it's a good idea to contact the course before you go, especially if you are a disabled player.
Green Fees
Compared to the rest of Europe, it is relatively cheap to play golf in Denmark. Green fees start at around 200kr on weekdays and 300kr at weekends.
You can pretty much play all year round in Denmark, depending on the snow. That means that winter greens are common between November and April.
Pay & Play
Many courses have Pay & Play options, where you can simply turn up and play, without having membership of any golf club.
Further reading
Pay and Play is a useful website, even though it is in Danish. If you click on "baner" in the top menu, you will open a map which clearly shows the location of all pay and play courses when you click on a region.


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Big Wheel-like trike for grown-ups turns heads
A savvy engineer with a love of Big Wheel-like trikes has created an adult version for nostalgic grown-ups.
Still miss that Big Wheel trike that your mom sold in the yard sale — decades ago?
Nostalgic grown-ups now have a head-turning adult option: the High Roller.
Unlike the Big Wheel for kids, which sells for $59.99, the adult-targeted High Roller — which comes with an extra-cushy seat made with 4 inches of plush foam — fetches a cool $599.99. And, yes, it comes complete with a bell and handle-bar tassels.
But it's not Jakks Pacific, the current owner of the Big Wheel brand, that's making the adult-size version. At least, not yet. Jakks tells USA TODAY that it, too, plans to roll out an adult-targeting Big Wheel. But that one, for about $400, won't be available until 2014, says Ron Cohen, president of the Kids Only division of Jakks Pacific.
Until then, tiny High Roller USA is the company behind the adult three-wheelers. The giant trikes are so low to the ground that they're arguably too dangerous for most folks to even consider riding anywhere but on the sidewalk. "Cars in the street might not see you," says CEO and designer Matt Armbruster.
Even then, the 45-year-old entrepreneur says he's already sold his first 300 — and plans to sell at least another 1,000 this year. His sales pitch: pure nostalgia for the trike that changed the suburban landscape after it rolled out in 1969. "We may call it High Roller, but every kid born after 1969 calls it a Big Wheel," says Armbruster.
Beyond nostalgia, another growing trend could propel its sales: adult play. "There's an interest in introducing more 'play' into our already stressed lives," says trends guru Janine Lopiano, partner at Sputnik. "As adults, we don't allow ourselves to experience the creative energy that play releases in us."
High Roller recently earned the dubious distinction of being named to The Worst Things for Sale blog. "Childhood joy was more about exploring a world of endless possibilities and less about your material possessions (like Big Wheels)," the blog said.
"That might be true," says Armbruster, who laughs off the blog's comments and prefers to revel in the free publicity.
As a kid, Armbruster recalls blasting his way through three Big Wheels before moving on to bikes. "I just wore them all out," he says.
But his passion never wore out. As a student at University of Colorado in 1991, he founded an annual Big Wheel rally — a night-long fundraising rally across local bars and restaurants. Twenty years later, the annual event attracts hundreds of participants.
Folks at the rallies kept asking Armbruster where they could get adult-size Big Wheels. He couldn't find any either, so the aerospace engineer quit his job to design them himself. He raised $89,000 through Kickstarter and found a manufacturer in Taiwan to make them.
"High Roller has taken over my life," he says.
His target: men 35 to 45. Some grandparents have ordered High Rollers for their adult children, he says, so they can ride along with their Big Wheel-pedaling kids.
"Everyone wants to tell me their Big Wheel story," he says. "I'm happy to listen."


text:
horse.com > Blankets & Sheets > Blanket Liners, Coolers & Dress Sheets > Item # E005757
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Barkhamsted man charged with threatening Gov. Malloy due in court Monday
NEW BRITAIN - A Barkhamsted man will appear in Superior Court this morning on charges of threatening the life of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.
John Montysko, 59, of 6 Swanson Road, was arrested Friday and charged with threatening and inciting injury to a person as well as possession of illegal weapons after State Police say he posted a threat against Malloy on a local television news station's website.
Upon searching his home Friday, police said they found an array of illegally possessed weapons, including an AK-47, a weapon that would have been illegal even before the state's recently-strengthened gun control laws.
In an article posted Sunday, WFSB, a local CBS affiliate, confirmed that the threat had been posted by Montysko to their website on an April 14 story.
On the same day, Montysko posted a link on Facebook to the story, which focused on how a man had doused himself in gasoline and lit himself on fire in Willimantic on April 13, and told people to open the article and "look at my two comments at the bottom."
According to the news station, their staff was notified of the comment by police after concerned viewers contacted law enforcement regarding the threat.
While the offending comment, which was not released by state police, has been removed from the station's website, another comment bearing Montysko's name read "Yea I use my real name so maybe the coward will come see me!"
Other comments which referenced the removed message also remained, including one by "Theboss11" that read, "You seem like a very unstable person who has many weapons. Threating (sic) the Governor, not smart at all."
According to State Police spokesman Lt. J Paul Vance, Montysko made the offending comment anonymously but was later tracked down by police through the use of their computer crimes unit.
Just days after the comment was posted, Malloy visited nearby Torrington and Litchfield. He spoke at a meeting of the Litchfield Area Business Associates on Tuesday and took questions at a town hall meeting in Torrington on Wednesday.
During the meeting at Torrington City Hall, Malloy was surrounded by a security detail throughout the hour that he took public questions, with Torrington Police officers placed at entrances to the building, where those attending the event were not allowed to bring in bags. However, it remains unclear if security was increased at all due to Montysko's threat as Andrew Doba, Malloy's director of communications, said that the administration generally does not comment on the governor's security detail.
Montysko has also made numerous comments to the Register Citizen's website over the past few months, including several on gun control-related articles stating how, even with his "spotless record," he would "not obey this law."
"I will be just as proud to become a felon because I will not bow down to these arrogent (sic) so called dudley do rights that want my freedoms. Come and try me see how it works out for you," wrote Montysko on a March 5 article about lawmakers recommending additional gun control restrictions.
Images of Montysko holding an assault rifle, along with images of several guns in his possession, have since been removed from his Facebook page, but not from his YouTube account profile, which was empty of video uploads as of Sunday evening.
Montysko is currently being held on $120,000 bond.
Reach Tom Caprood at 489-3121, extension 315.


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Prof Alex Wilkie - personal details
Contact details
Role: Professor Emeritus
Alan Turing Building-2.120
School of Mathematics
The University of Manchester
I am the Fielden Professor of Pure Mathematics, in the School of Mathematics, at the University of Manchester. Within the School I am in the Mathematical Logic Research Group.
I obtained my B Sc (in mathematics) with first class honours from University College London in 1969, my M Sc (in mathematical logic) from the University of London in 1970, and my Ph D (thesis title: Models of Number Theory) from Bedford college London in 1972.
I was then appointed as a lecturer in mathematics at Leicester University (1972-3), then a reserach fellow in mathematics at the Open University (1973-8), and this was followed by two periods as a junior lecturer in mathematics at Oxford University (1978-80 and 1981-2). I spent the year in between (1980-1) as a visiting assistant professor at Yale University.
In October 1982 I was appointed as a research fellow in the department of mathematics at the University of Paris VII (Jussieu), but returned to England the following year to take up a three year SERC (now EPSRC) advanced research fellowship at the (Victoria) University of Manchester. I held this position for two years before being appointed, in 1984, as a lecturer in the department of mathematics. But I remained in Manchester for just one more year before moving to Oxford to take up the readership in mathematical logic there which had become vacant upon the retirement of Robin Gandy. This was 1986 and I remained in Oxford for the next 21 years before moving back to Manchester to take up my present post.
I have also held brief visiting positions at several universities around the world, the longest being a three month visiting professorship at the University of California (at Berkeley) in 1986.
I have twice addressed the International Congress of Mathematicians (45 minute talks in 1986 and 1998), and also given talks at the British Mathematical colloquium on two occasions (40 minute talks in 1990 and 2003).
I recieved the Karp Prize (the highest award made-every five years- by the Association of Symbolic Logic) jointly with E. Hrushovski in 1993.
I was elected to the Council of the London Mathematical Society in 2007, and elected vice-president of the Association for Symbolic Logic in 2006.
I was elected a Fellow of the Royal society (FRS) in 2001.


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Continuing Dental Education
The Department of Dentistry at Jersey Shore University Medical Center offers a great deal of continuing dental education throughout the year.
Our program goal is to provide a quality dental education and to optimize patient care. Our programs provide up to date information and strategies for our dentists.