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Tuesday, August 15, 2006 Mrs. Plager told her boys not to grow up to be cowboys. So they didn't. Over at CIO the debate rages about whether or not Brian Leetch is an answer for our D corps. I said no but regular commentator Steve asked, well, who then? Uh ... good question. Regular surfers here know I'm a pint half full type of guy or as Lowetide would say I tend to Blue sky things. I'll admit to that. And while I can paint a scenario where the Oilers can make do with their D as presently constituted just as I painted a scenario where the Oilers could get by the Wings, the truth is this team has three decent guys who can eat up minutes (Smith, Staios, Tarnqvist) and a bunch of question marks. Bergeron might figure it out. Hejda may be a player. One of Smid, Gilbert, Syvret or Young may be ready. Greene may be ready to be Commodore (although I think he is a year or two away from that in reality). Check out San Jose's D if you want to see young and unproven. They did alright. The truth is the Oil likely will get a decent third pair out of the lot of them this season and in a year or two we will have a nice quality young D corps. So where do we look? A really nice summary of teams and their cap situations here and a few things jumped out at me. The Oilers have gone back to being young - the third youngest team after San Jose and Columbus from what I can see. Of course this includes Schremp on the roster. Jersey, even with the rumours that they are going to try and hide Mogilny and Malakhov on the IR to resolve their salary situation, are still in big cap trouble. Problem is the guy I like, Rafalski, has an expensive number on his contract and I'm not sure if Matvichuk or Lukowich add much more then what we have. So, why the Plager brothers up above? Because while the Blues may have, in some estimations (Lowetide again and Mudcrutch as well) have had a nice summer, I think they aren't even close to being back. And they have a lot of age up front - Weight, Guerin, Tkachuk and Drake. Only Detroit, Jersey and Dallas are older. And they have three young Dmen - Brewer, Backman and Jackman. Could we pry either of the latter two away for a young forward or two? Would Torres fit the bill? Or someone else? Maybe a fit? Posted by Black Dog at 2:12 PM

HOULTON, Maine — A compliance check recently conducted in Aroostook County to ensure that businesses that sell alcohol are complying with Maine’s liquor laws produced disappointing news, as nearly half of the establishments targeted were cited by police. Deputy Kris Malmbourg of the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Department said earlier this week that 33 establishments, including restaurants and stores, around The County were checked for liquor law compliance as part of the Underage Drinking, Adult Consequences campaign. Of those, 13 were summoned for violations. Aroostook County was selected last month as one of only four sites in the nation to participate in the underage drinking project sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Community Voices, a countywide organization that works to curb substance abuse among youths, was awarded a $325,000 grant, which it is using to work with 11 law enforcement groups on a pilot project to get alcohol out of the hands of minors. Malmbourg said the most recent compliance checks were part of the initiative and are being conducted to reduce the number of underage drinkers and the number of underage drinking and driving fatalities in The County. They also are being conducted to deter those who provide alcohol to youths. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, teens are at far greater risk of death in an alcohol-related crash than the overall population, despite the fact that they are below the minimum drinking age in every state. Thirty one percent of 15- to 20-year-old drivers who were killed in crashes nationally in 2006 had been drinking. According to Maine’s office of substance abuse, a 2008 statewide survey reported that 48.8 percent of Maine students in grades seven through 12 had tried alcohol. Research also has shown that 40 percent of children who begin drinking before age 15 will develop alcohol abuse or dependence at some point in their lives. Malmbourg pointed out that 142 people died in Maine from 2006 to 2010 as a result of a crash involving a 15- to 20-year-old driver with a blood alcohol content of 0.01 or above. In 2010 alone, 22 percent of 15- to 20-year-old drivers involved in traffic fatalities in Maine had a blood alcohol content of 0.01 or above. “One careless decision by a young person can end and destroy lives,” Malmborg said. “We know we have more work to do, but if we got across to just one teen who might have otherwise chosen to drink and drive, we’ve accomplished something and hopefully changed lives. And if we’re able to reduce their access to alcohol, that’s tackling the first part of the problem.” Along with the 13 establishments summoned for noncompliance, the additional road patrols in Aroostook resulted in youth transportation and possession of alcohol citations, as well as citations for adults furnishing a place for minors to consume and alcohol for minors to consume. Other violations not alcohol-related were dealt with as a result of the increased patrols, ranging from driving violations to drug violations, according to Malmbourg. “Local enforcement officials and community partners came together for this campaign, and we believe it was a tremendous success,” he said. “Hopefully, the teens in our community now know we will not tolerate underage drinking, and just as importantly, the adults and organizations who provide the alcohol know they also face serious consequences.” This is not the first time that compliance checks have revealed that not all County businesses are enforcing the state’s liquor laws. In March 2011, the Sheriff’s Department oversaw an operation that had minors attempt to buy alcohol at 43 businesses stretching from Macwahoc to Fort Kent. Twenty-three of the establishments sold alcohol to the minors and were summoned for the violation, according to Sheriff Jim Madore. During the summer of 2010 in Caribou, the Police Department selected 12 local businesses where alcohol is served. Fifty percent of the businesses failed the test and sold the minor alcohol, according to Caribou Chief Mike Gahagan. Gahagan said at the time that he was stunned by the results, especially since the department offers free responsible beverage training to businesses in the city. Michelle Plourde Chasse, Community Voices project manager, said Friday afternoon that she also was disappointed with the results. She noted that compliance checks that were conducted in January revealed an almost 50 percent failure rate. That rate is slightly lower this time. “I wish there was a magic button because I would push it,” she said. “We will continue to offer training twice a year to businesses in this area and we are going to continue with compliance checks.” The project manager said she believes that it would be helpful to immediately list the names of businesses that were summoned in order to let parents and others know that they were cited. But the names have not been released in the past until the cases were settled in court, and Plourde Chasse did not have the list of businesses that were cited during this round of checks. Penalties for the violations can result in a fine, license suspension or both. Fines for stores start at between $550 and $1,500 for a first violation, depending on the number of offenses. The next wave of compliance checks will start this month and the enforcement campaign will continue throughout the year.

At midday a light snow began to fall; the white was a welcome sight. While parts of the country are shoveling out, we here in southwest Wisconsin have needed only a broom. The ground here has been bare most of the winter. It's been great for the farmers who try to get their corn and soybeans harvested before the snow flies. By late afternoon there was an inch of new white snow on everything--the ground, trees, fence posts, bushes, everywhere. It was nice to see something bright. In Wisconsin, winter just doesn't seem like winter without some snow. I've been itching to slide down a hill on a sled, but I need at least three or four inches before it's soft enough to cushion these old bones. The birds at the birdfeeders seemed extra busy this morning. Blue jays called and flew off in several directions. A pair of cardinals flew by me as I stood in the snow. A gang of black crows sailed high overhead, calling out to me as they passed by. I noticed a pair of jay-sized birds coming at me from the south and passing right over my head. There was no doubt they were robins. This was a nice treat, even though I saw them for only a few seconds. I think the birds knew there was snow on the way, and when they are busy, they tend to add more life at the start of a day. I broomed the snow off the woodpile and picked up three heavy chunks of split hickory. As I climbed the steps, I wondered where those two robins were headed and where they have been. I can't remember the last time I didn't see a robin in the winter, but it's been at least five years. Seeing the first return of a robin in the spring is not so shocking when you know a few are hanging around all winter. These winter robins are shy and rarely will come to the bird feeders. They prefer to fend for themselves, and they are good at it. They will gladly eat the nutritious berries of chokecherry, wild grapes, serviceberry, and highbush cranberry, but the winter robins' favorite food is the seed found in the dark red tops of the sumac. Over the years I have shared many winter stories with my readers--stories of the tracks in the deep snow as the landscape turns white. For me it meant a chance to write about how the wildlife survives in a snowy world. So I, for one, am looking for more snow. An Amish farmer told me the other day about seeing a large white bird on top of a fence post in a hayfield. This, of course, made me very curious, so I had to ask him some more questions. He said the bird was over a foot tall, but seemed to be huddled down over the top of the post. The bird was a hundred yards away, but it looked like there may have been some black spots on its white feathers. The farmer's excellent description was of the great white owl, also known as the snowy owl. It's always a wonderful treat to see one of these magnificent birds from the far north. Life can be very harsh on the Canadian tundra, and the snowy owl is used to cold winter weather. In the spring and summer they raise their young on the treeless landscape. Food is plentiful and the owls catch voles, lemmings, and flightless young birds. When winter comes, their true hunting skills surface, and they look for hares and ptarmigan. If the hunting is bad, many of these large white owls migrate across the northern boundaries of the U.S. in search of food. With their large, keen yellow eyes, snowy owls can spot their next meal at a great distance. On huge and silent white wings, they glide low to the ground and surprise their prey. The female great white owl is larger, and her feathers may be heavily barred with black, while the smaller male is lightly barred or pure white. When everything is covered with snow, the great white owl is perfectly camouflaged to blend with its surroundings. With no snow on the ground, though, the snowy owl stands out like a sore thumb. I've spotted them a mile away, sitting motionless in a tree or on top of a fence post. They truly are one of nature's most beautiful and mysterious winter birds. All art ©2013 Organic Valley

Psalm CXXVI. 5492 1. …How man had come into captivity, let us ask the Apostle Paul.…For he saith: “For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin.” 5493 Behold whence we became captives; because we were sold under sin. Who sold us? We ourselves, who consented to the seducer. We could sell ourselves; we could not redeem ourselves. We sold ourselves by consent of sin, we are redeemed in the faith of righteousness. For innocent blood was given for us, that we might be redeemed. Whatsoever blood he shed in persecuting the righteous, what kind of blood did he shed? Righteous mens blood, indeed, he shed; they were Prophets, righteous men, our fathers, and Martyrs. Whose blood he shed, yet all coming of the offspring of sin. One blood he shed of Him who was not justified, 5494 but born righteous: by shedding that blood, he lost those whom he held. For they p. 604 for whom innocent blood was given were redeemed, and, turned back from their captivity, they sing this Psalm. 2. “When the Lord turned back the captivity of Sion, we became as those that are comforted” (Psa. 126.1). He meant by this to say, we became joyful. When? “When the Lord turned back the captivity of Sion.” What is Sion? Jerusalem, the same is also the eternal Sion. How is Sion eternal, how is Sion captive? In angels eternal, in men captive. For not all the citizens of that city are captives, but those who are away from thence, they are captives. Man was a citizen of Jerusalem, but sold under sin he became a pilgrim. Of his progeny was born the human race, and the captivity of Sion filled all lands. And how is this captivity of Sion a shadow of that Jerusalem? The shadow of that Sion, which was granted to the Jews, in an image, in a figure, was in captivity in Babylonia, and after seventy years that people turned back to its own city. 5495 …But when all time is past, then we return to our country, as after seventy years that people returned from the Babylonish captivity, for Babylon is this world; since Babylon is interpreted “confusion.”…So then this whole life of human affairs is confusion, which belongeth not unto God. In this confusion, in this Babylonish land, Sion is held captive. But “the Lord hath turned back the captivity of Sion.” “And we became,” he saith, “as those that are comforted.” That is, we rejoiced as receiving consolation. Consolation is not save for the unhappy, consolation is not save for them that groan, that mourn. Wherefore, “as those that are comforted,” except because we are still mourning? We mourn for our present lot, we are comforted in hope: when the present is passed by, of our mourning will come everlasting joy, when there will be no need of consolation, because we shall be wounded with no distress. But wherefore saith he “as” those that are comforted, and saith not comforted? This word “as,” is not always put for likeness: when we say “As,” it sometimes refers to the actual case, sometimes to likeness: here it is with reference to the actual case.…Walk therefore in Christ, and sing rejoicing, sing as one that is comforted; because He went before thee who hath commanded thee to follow Him. 3. “Then was our mouth filled with joy, and our tongue with exultation” (Psa. 126.2). That mouth, brethren, which we have in our body, how is it “filled with joy”? It useth not to be “filled,” save with meat, or drink, or some such thing put into the mouth. Sometimes our mouth is filled; and it is more that we say to your holiness, 5496 when we have our mouth full, we cannot speak. But we have a mouth within, that is, in the heart, whence whatsoever proceedeth, if it is evil, defileth us, if it is good, cleanseth us. For concerning this very mouth ye heard when the Gospel was read. For the Jews reproached the Lord, because His disciples ate with unwashen hands. 5497 They reproached who had cleanness without; and within were full of stains. They reproached, whose righteousness was only in the eyes of men. But the Lord sought our inward cleanness, which if we have, the outside must needs be clean also. “Cleanse,” He saith, “the inside,” and “the outside shall be clean also.” 5498 … 4. But let us return to what was just now read from the Gospel, relating to the verse before us, “Our mouth was filled with joy, and our tongue with delight:” for we are inquiring what mouth and what tongue. Listen, beloved brethren. The Lord was scoffed at, because His disciples ate with unwashed hands. The Lord answered them as was fitting, and said unto the crowds whom He had called unto Him, “Hear ye all, and understand: not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.” 5499 What is this? when He said, what goeth into the mouth, He meant only the mouth of the body. For meat goeth in, and meats defile not a man; because, “All things are clean to the clean;” and, “every creature of God is good, and none to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving.” 5500 … 5. Guard the mouth of thy heart from evil, and thou wilt be innocent: the tongue of thy body will be innocent, thy hands will be innocent; even thy feet will be innocent, thy eyes, thy ears, will be innocent; all thy members will serve under righteousness, because a righteous commander hath thy heart. “Then shall they say among the heathen, the Lord hath done great things for them.” 6. “Yea, the Lord hath done great things for us already, whereof we rejoice” (Psa. 126.3). Consider, my brethren, if Sion doth not at present say this among the heathen, throughout the whole world; consider if men are not running unto the Church. In the whole world our redemption is received; Amen is answered. The dwellers in Jerusalem, therefore, captive, destined to return, pilgrims, sighing for their country, speak thus among the heathen. What do they say? “The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we rejoice.” Have they done anything for themselves? They have done ill with themselves, for they have sold themselves under sin. The Redeemer came, and did the good things for them. 7. “Turn our captivity, O Lord, as the torrents in the south” (Psa. 126.4). Consider, my p. 605 brethren, what this meaneth.…As torrents are turned in the south, so turn our captivity. In a certain passage Scripture saith, in admonishing us concerning good works, “Thy sins also shall melt away, even as the ice in fair warm weather.” 5501 Our sins therefore bound us. How? As the cold bindeth the water that it run not. Bound with the frost of our sins, we have frozen. But the south wind is a warm wind: when the south wind blows, the ice melts, and the torrents are filled. Now winter streams are called torrents; for filled with sudden rains they run with great force. We had therefore become frozen in captivity; our sins bound us: the south wind the Holy Spirit hath blown: our sins are forgiven us, we are released from the frost of iniquity; as the ice in fair weather, our sins are melted. Let us run unto our country, as the torrents in the south.… 8. For the next words are, “They that sow in tears, shall reap in joy” (Psa. 126.5). In this life, which is full of tears, let us sow. What shall we sow? Good works. Works of mercy are our seeds: of which seeds the Apostle saith, “Let us not be weary in well doing; for in due season we shall reap if we faint not.” 5502 Speaking therefore of almsgiving itself, what saith he? “This I say; he that soweth sparingly, shall reap also sparingly.” 5503 He therefore who soweth plentifully, shall reap plentifully: he who soweth sparingly, shall reap also sparingly: and he that soweth nothing, shall reap nothing. Why do ye long for ample estates, where ye may sow plentifully? There is not a wider field on which ye can sow than Christ, who hath willed that we should sow in Himself. Your soil is the Church; sow as much as ye can. But thou hast not enough to do this. Hast thou the will? 5504 As what thou hadst would be nothing, if thou hadst not a good will; so do not despond, because thou hast not, if thou hast a good will. For what dost thou sow? Mercy. And what wilt thou reap? Peace. Said the Angels, Peace on earth unto rich men? No, but, “Peace on earth unto men of a good will.” 5505 Zacchæus had a strong will, Zacchæus had great charity. 5506 …Did then that widow who cast her two farthings into the treasury, sow little? Nay, as much as Zacchæus. For she had narrower means, but an equal will. She gave her two mites 5507 with as good a will as Zacchæus gave the half of his patrimony. If thou consider what they gave, thou wilt find their gifts different; if thou look to the source, thou wilt find them equal; she gave whatever she had, and he gave what he had.…But if they are beggars whose profession is asking alms, in trouble they also have what to bestow upon one another. God hath not so forsaken them, but that they have wherein they may be tried by their bestowing of alms. This man cannot walk; he who can walk, lendeth his feet to the lame; he who seeth, lendeth his eyes to the blind; and he who is young and sound, lendeth his strength to the old or the infirm, carrieth him: the one is poor, the other is rich. 9. Sometimes also the rich man is found to be poor, and something is bestowed upon him by the poor. Somebody cometh to a river, so much the more delicate as he is more rich; he cannot pass over: if he were to pass over with bare limbs, he would catch cold, would be ill, would die: a poor man more active in body cometh up: he carries the rich man over; he giveth alms unto the rich. Think not therefore those only poor, who have not money.…Thus love ye, thus be ye affectioned unto one another. Attend not solely to yourselves: but to those who are in want around you. But because these things take place in this life with troubles and cares, faint not. Ye sow in tears, ye shall reap in joy. 10. How, my brethren? When the farmer goeth forth with the plough, carrying seed, is not the wind sometimes keen, and doth not the shower sometimes deter him? He looketh to the sky, seeth it lowering, shivers with cold, nevertheless goeth forth, and soweth. For he feareth lest while he is observing the foul weather, and awaiting sunshine, the time may pass away, and he may not find anything to reap. Put not off, my brethren; sow in wintry weather, sow good works, even while ye weep; for, “They that sow in tears, shall reap in joy.” They sow their seed, good will, and good works. “They went on their way and wept, casting their seed” (Psa. 126.6). Why did they weep? Because they were among the miserable, and were themselves miserable. It is better, my brethren, that no man should be miserable, than that thou shouldest do alms.…Nevertheless, as long as there are objects for its exercise, let us not fail amid those troubles to sow our seed. Although we sow in tears, yet shall we reap in joy. For in that resurrection of the dead, each man shall receive his own sheaves, that is, the produce of his seed, the crown of joys and of delight. Then will there be a joyous triumph, when we shall laugh at death, wherein we groaned before: then shall they say to death, “O death, where is thy strife? O death, where is thy sting?” 5508 But why do they now rejoice? Because “they bring their sheaves with them.” 11. In this Psalm we have chiefly exhorted you to do deeds of alms, because it is thence that we ascend; and ye see that he who ascendp. 606 eth, singeth the song of steps. Remember: do not love to descend, instead of to ascend, but reflect upon your ascent: because he who descended from Jerusalem to Jericho fell among thieves. 5509 …The Samaritan as He passed by slighted us not: He healed us, He raised us upon His beast, upon His flesh; He led us to the inn, that is, the Church; He entrusted us to the host, that is, to the Apostle; He gave two pence, whereby we might be healed, 5510 the love of God, and the love of our neighbour. The Apostle spent more; for, though it was allowed unto all the Apostles to receive, as Christs soldiers, pay from Christs subjects, 5511 that Apostle, nevertheless, toiled with his own hands, and excused the subjects the maintenance owing to him. 5512 All this hath already happened: if we have descended, and have been wounded; let us ascend, let us sing, and make progress, in order that we may arrive. Lat. CXXV. A song of degrees. A sermon to the people.603:5493 Rom. vii. 14.603:5494 Or, “made righteous.”604:5495 Jer. 25:11, Jer. 29:10.604:5496 [A bishop seems to have been present.—C.]604:5497 Matt. xv. 1, etc.604:5498 Matt. xxiii. 26.604:5499 Matt. 15:10, 11.604:5500 1 Tim. iv. 4.605:5501 Gal. vi. 9.605:5503 2 Cor. ix. 6.605:5504 Oxf. mss. “have a good will.”605:5505 Luke ii. 14.605:5506 Luke xix. 8.605:5507 Luke xxi. 1-4.605:5508 1 Cor. xv. 55.606:5509 Luke x. 30.606:5510 Luke 10:35, 37.606:5511 Provincialibus. 1 Cor. iv. 2.606:5512 1 Thess. 2:7, 9, 2 Thess. 3:8, 9.

Nowadays — in both the novel and in actuality — Maxine's younger sister, Bonnie, is happily married to a nonmusical retired physician. She stays in Motel 6's and accepts the fact that diner waitresses no longer recognize her. Back in the 1950s, however, she was Elvis's secret sweetheart (and so busty that the producers of The Ed Sullivan Show insisted on sewing another piece of cloth over her stage costume for a broadcast). As the Browns savor their fame, Bass foreshadows the real-life blows they would absorb in later years: the accidental death at age 12 of the Browns' richly talented youngest brother; the damage to Jim Ed's guitar-picking fingers when he stumbled while operating a circular saw; and Elvis growing distant and mean as his rising star leaves the Browns earthbound in the Arkansas woods. Gallant Jim Ed Brown is perhaps the least developed character in Bass's perceptive portrayal. Though the young man eagerly joined Elvis in hotel rooms to receive groupies, he comes across as stolid in later life, blithely carrying on as a minor solo act. (Jim Ed learned to play the guitar again, using different fingers, and he did ultimately partner with a major talent: country singer Helen Cornelius.) Readers taking stock of their own lives are apt to sympathize most with the long-suffering Maxine. We come to care about her and count on her for the novel's tension as she confronts the reality, as Bass puts it, of a time "when the contracts vanished and the Browns disbanded — and before she made her uneasy peace with that new accommodation, the cessation of fame." If the Browns were more prominent today, Rick Bass's novel might not have achieved the suspense it manages to deliver. Perhaps the group was jinxed; perhaps brother-sister acts came to seem cornball; or perhaps the bitch goddess of Fame is simply a false idol. Bass's Maxine proclaims that the Browns opened the gates for such glorious successors as Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn, and that Kenny Chesney and Garth Brooks both owe her thank-you notes. Perhaps she'll take solace in a shout-out called Nashville Chrome. Charlie Clark, a Washington writer, got hooked on oldies by the Browns in the early 1980s.

Well you people don't live here. Bad enough we have to hear what a debacle of a season we are having. But if we lose to the Clowns twice, thats an embarrassment. If you want the Steelers to lose, anytime you are not a true fan. Cleveland Browns suck! I want to see the young guys too. So, starting dl should be heyward McClendon and Woods. Lb's should be Worilds, Sylvester and whoever else. CB's should be Brown and the backups S's Golden and Allen. The offense should sit Ben, Brown, Pouncey, Miller, and Starks if Adams is healthy. We have a lot of FA decisions this off season. sent from my Galaxy SIII using tapatalk 2 Basically you guys nailed it on the head ...young guys please ... I'm really interested in Sylvester ... I've always liked him and thought he could take away the need for the other ILB ... guess either I was wrong or like usual the DL defense is to complicated for 2-3 year players to get some time to prove what they have??? I would even go as far as releasing somebody and signing the QB Johnson we had in the pre season and let him play the last game ... see what he has Our feeling are still hurt because of this season, so there is a lot of emotion out here. . .Simple, last game of the year and potentially the last time we will see Hampton, Foote, Wallace/Sanders, Lewis, Mendenhall, Kiesel and Harrison in a Steelers uniform. This is Cleveland; let's just go out there and kick their Brown Stained a$$es all over Heinz field. End the season on a positive and hope that the GM and ownership make the necessary changes to make sure this underachieving season was simply a case of bad diarreah. Remember, if the Steelers go out and crap the sheets, this will stew in our bellies for upwards of 8 months. . .I'd rather end the season on a positive note. Tomlin, Lebeau and all the coaches are about to have some uncomfortable meetings in the next couple of weeks with management and that is precisely what we all want. The Steeler way...is the only way. Well, seeing as how they will be without Trent Richardson and their starting QB will be Thaddeus Lewis, I say I'd like to see them not score lol. Don't recognize Thaddeus Lewis' name? Oh he was the coveted undrafted QB out of Duke in 2010 by the Rams. He's never played a regular season game and has spent his career on the Rams' and Browns' practice squad. I hope they don't rest any starters. I'd like to see what the defense can dial up against the likes of Thaddeus Lewis lol. A lot of stains on the ground. Not ours. And their fans. Why get a better draft pick? So we can pick a stud pass rusher and watch him sit for three years because LeBeau's defense is too hard? There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Many of you reading this are over the age of 27. Why is this important you ask, well of late Gaila and I have been trying hostels to save money. I think the average age is about 22 to 25 but who knows. Haven’t really asked, just observing. But safe to say I have definitely been one of the more “seasoned” guests at all the ones we have stayed at. You know what? Who cares! Truth is we have had very nice stays. Just like we have couchsurfing, camping and cheap hotels. I must admit, some of the hotel stays have been less than pleasant. Some down right disgusting to be perfectly honest. Part of The Bad, if you will. While writing this I am curled up in a hammock on the Pacific Ocean hugging the Nicaraguan coast just west of Leon. We are doing a weekend stay here at Quartzal Playa Hostel http://playa.quetzaltrekkers.org/ after two awesome nights at Lazybones Hostel http://www.lazyboneshostelnicaragua.com/?lg=En in Leon. I really am liking the vibe. Not only do we have clean and functional rooms, but we are getting for well under $30 for private rooms. If you are willing to do the dorm thing, most are in the $7 to $15 dollars a night range. Best of all however are the locations and the facilities. In Leon it was all about location, patio and pool. Here it is the garden, hammocks and ocean waves. Yes, we change the age curve, but who cares! Most of you are young at heart too and can get a dose of youthful enthusiasm from the 20 something guests. We are. We did a couple in the US and they were fine, but I think our expectations were wrong. Now that we are south of the border these relaxed accommodations seem to fit right in. Now, before you think everyone is wet behind the ears, that is simply not true. Last night we shared the Lazybones with a few German couples that were definitely in their late 50′s or 60′s. Even a family with a small 1 1/2 year old baby were there with us. They, like us were in the private rooms. Our motorcycle friends Mark from Idaho on KLR, Marco from Canada on F650GS single and Pedro from Redmond https://www.facebook.com/pages/Redmond-to-Rio/523014447726275 with his Vstrom DL1000 all elected to do the dorms and save even more money. Since you can’t sleep together those are not the best options for us. Four things impress me about the hostel experience: 1. Better than expected rooms 2. Super friendly people excited to have interesting conversations (not to mention Gringos) 3. Cheap food and beverages 4. They are well connected with the locals and can set you up with good tours, adventures & etc. OK, 5 things…just a general sense of happiness and well being. Yes it is true most are backpacking, but even the older folks we met in Honduras and here too all seem to have the same zest for life and inquisitive souls. As such, my advice is this: If you are young hurry up and get out there as the world is waiting for you. If you are middle aged and strapped for cash at the moment and who isn’t, then just go this budget route you will be happy you did. Indeed, at the moment I am sitting between a 30 something couple from North Carolina, 20 somethings from Germany and some 50ish ladies from somewhere TBD. If you are perhaps retired, use this as a way to stretch your financial resources and get a shot of youthful enthusiasm at the same time. All of the hostel hosts have been super gracious and very helpful. Telling us about hidden gems like Canyon Somoto and others. Today is yet another day in paradise and I sure am looking forward to our tree house hostel near Granada. After that, we will be looking for our next deal on Isla de Ometepe (a two volcano island in the middle of Lake Nicaragua) then Costa Rica and Panama! Oooooops, almost forgot to mention hostel in Honduras which is sort of a hotel/hostel/brewery. Seriously, if you get a chance go to D&D Brewery. What a unique place and Bobbie the guy that owns and runs is really excellent. Here are some that we have stayed at so far and can fully endorse & recommend: Lastly, Lonely Planet is full of good suggestions that have been pretty spot on as far as we are concerned. Travel well, with or without lots of money.

Blogger: Steve Rowland, Public Affairs Manager Spring seemed a long way off last week as I took my lunchtime walk through the woods, the leaves on the trees were yet to unfurl, the ground was bare and covered in a mulch of last autumns dead leaves, and a light, cold wintry rain drizzled down. And yet I realised that my mind had picked up on the subtle changes in the quality of light and drawing out of the days. I became aware of a slight tightness in my ears, an unconscious straining and heightened alertness to the bird song around me. And I thought that after more Springs as a birder than I care to remember, my brain was quietly and unobtrusively saying to my ears to be alert for couple of unremarkable notes of bird song one up followed repetitively by another down, up and down in short bursts, from a bird that takes its name from these two notes of song, the chiff chaff. (photo below). Naming a bird after the sound it makes is known as onomatopoeia and two other species that occur in the UK the cuckoo and the kittiwake also take their names from their calls. I will acknowledge here that chiff chaffs are not blessed with the most captivating of names or musical of songs. But for me they compensate for that with the charisma that comes from being the first of our returning migrants to fill our bare Spring woods with their song, perhaps a month before the other returning warblers have got back from a winter spent south of the Sahara. Chiff chaffs like many of our other warblers, might at a glance appear a little drab and indistinct. In particular at first you might easily confuse a chiff chaff with its close relative the willow warbler. (photo below). A rough guide to telling them apart is that a willow warblers legs are a light flesh colour whilst a chiff chaffs are black and a chiff chaffs has a more olive coloured plumage (being a birder you carry a veritable colour palette in your head to describe shades of green and brown feathers). But the surest way to tell these cousins apart is to listen to them singing. Compared to the chiff chaffs repetitive two notes, willow warblers have a to my mind a much nicer song, a lovely tinkling sound that seems to gently descend a set of musical scales before being hauled by the bird back to the top only to descend down them once more. Willow warblers arrive from their wintering grounds in Africa a little later in the spring than chiff chaffs which tend to spend the winter in the Mediterranean. So my brain wasn't tipping my ears off to listen out for a willow warbler practicing its scales, but for that starting gun of the season, a simple two note Chiff then Chaff song that would light up the woods and put a smile on my face, a sign of the end of winter and the beginning of natures headlong rush into spring. I didn’t hear a chiff chaff last week but I’ll be out again for a lunchtime walk in the woods this week, listening carefully for those two notes. If you have some time to spare over the next week or so why don’t you go out and see if you can hear a chiff chaff and then tell us here. Photos credit John Bridges (rspb-images.com) Blogger: Kate Blincoe, Communications Manager Look out of your window. The catkins are swaying in the spring breeze, the blue tit is hunting out caterpillars for its young family and an early bumblebee buzzes by. Nature is busy all around us. What if pound signs were flashing over all these beautiful, natural events? If you look on these living things as paid workers for us then the catkins tree is capturing carbon, the blue tit is performing pest control on your garden and the bumblebee is a professional pollinator. All these creatures are in fact performing tiny actions that in sum, add up to a healthy environment and hence healthy economy. In simple terms, if they didn’t do it for free, we’d have to pay to find a technical replacement. Let’s look at some of the massive ways in which we benefit financially from nature. Carefully managed wetlands reduce the risk of flooding to our homes and businesses. Salt marshes, such wonderful habitats, provide protection from sea level rise, acting like big sponges. Forests and peat bogs store carbon for us, helping in the battle against climate change. The list doesn’t end there: It is estimated that one third of the human food supply depends on insect pollination, most of which is accomplished by bees pollinating crops. Of course, beautiful places with charismatic wildlife also equal booming tourism and lots of visitor spend – especially in our stunning region. What about you and me and a walk together in the bluebell woods? Does that have pound signs attached to it? Yes. It will reduce our stress levels, increase our heart rates and hence improve our health. It’s a proven fact that nature is good news for the NHS budgets. For children, time spent in nature can even improve their behaviour and performance at school. As a bit of a nature loving ‘tree hugger’, a part of me screams at this reduction of wonder and marvel to pounds and pennies. Wildlife means so much more than that and has a basic, intrinsic right to exist. I believe that is the case, however, when so many political arguments are made in financial terms, it doesn’t do us any harm to be able to speak that language too. In a troubled economy, the need for a new development or construction project is often justified by saying growth is critical for our financial future. However, if we trash our special habitats and lose incredible species then, even in crude monetary terms, we risk jeopardising so much more than we gain. We overlook the function that the environment plays in our economy at our peril. The bottom line is this: We need nature more than it needs us. Article in Eastern Daily Press on Saturday 10 March 2012. Photo by Mark Sisson (rspb-images.com) Blogger: Jane Warren, RSPB in the East Green Team As we edge along towards spring in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s worth sparing a thought for the climate. Today is the beginning of Climate Change Week (12-18 March), and there are easy ways for us all to get involved. Many of us are already doing our bit, but it’s always good to be reminded! So here are three things to do this week: Get cooking with Climate Week cuisine: Make food part of the solution to climate change by eating a low carbon meal during Climate Week. Just follow one or all of these three tips: eat less meat or dairy, eat local and seasonal ingredients, and eat leftovers. Walk, cycle or use public transport: Use Climate Week as an opportunity to use more sustainable ways to get to where you are going. Take the train or bus instead of driving. Take advantage of the spring weather (!) and walk or cycle, getting some additional exercise! Swap, recycle or upcycle old things: Eliminate waste by finding a second life for things that would otherwise be thrown away. Host an event to swap unwanted items, such as books, toys or clothes, with friends or colleagues. Recycle unusual things like batteries, or electrical goods such as old mobile phones. You can even recycle through Ebay, by taking up the RSPB’s Ebay for charity challenge. Do you have something lurking in a loft, back room, garage or shed? Something that you know has some saleable value but you have never got around to selling? This could be your chance to do just that and step up for nature at the same time! Please do get in touch with suggestions of what you might have to sell, and we can check if it is worth us getting our fabulous Ebay volunteers to sell it on the auction site for us. Please do not send anything to us without checking first and please note that we can’t accept electrical goods! (It’s worth repeating that so that our collector Matt Howard isn’t locked in the cellar as punishment along with the potential deluge of books, CDs, DVDs, autographed Barry Manilow LPs etc.) Matt is looking forward to hearing from you at [email protected] Tel: 01603 697515. Our thanks to Climate Week for ideas and tips. Check out their website at www.climateweek.com and get inspired to create a sustainable future! Blogger: Gena Correale-Wardle, Community Fundraising Officer Do you remember in January when I blogged about the great partnership the RSPB had with Dozen Artisan Bakery and Pulse Cafe Bar, two great independent eateries in Norwich? I bet you’ve been waiting with baited breath to see how we got on.... Well, today I went to see the lovely manager of Pulse, Helen, as she presented us with a great big cheque (literally – see the photo!) for £86.50. That equates to 173 starters, mains and desserts eaten in aid of the RSPB. Dozen Artisan Bakery sold their field loaves for nature too – another £91 and 91 satisfied tummies and smiles on faces! Wouldn’t it be nice if all fundraising could be that easy?! The lovely people at both outlets also hosted pin badge boxes and gave out lots of leaflets to promote Big Garden Birdwatch, raising awareness of the project as well as raising even more money (over £40) through pin badge donations. A win-win all round! We are really glad to work with such great local, independent businesses in the area and hope we can do more with them in future. We are always looking for ways to get businesses involved throughout the whole of the Eastern England region so if you have any links or want to promote your business and raise money for nature in the process, do get in touch! The money raised will help the RSPB save and protect wildlife supporting schools and families through field teaching programmes and schools visits as well as directly managing habitats for wildlife at our amazing nature reserves. Thank you to all of you who ate great food and saved nature at the same time. Here’s to more fab little initiatives like this in the future! Email me at [email protected] or call me on 01603 697521. Blogger: Adam Murray, Communications Officer Last June you may have remembered my Swift, Swallows & House martins - I am a bit clueless blog post, well just as think I have nailed some of my bird ID skills I recently went on my hols to Osea Island. We went as a family with my brother and his gang and spent the time walking the island when the causeway (as seen on the Woman in Black movie) was covered by the tide. The island was a perfect tonic as there were no modern day distractions that seem to fill our free time usually. This meant that we had an excuse of not doing very much at all – just what I needed after the crazy hustle bustle of the RSPB Eastern Region office in Norwich. Each day we would spend many hours in wellies walking the island. In the interior we spotted dancing flocks of skylarks, eyeing foxes in the distance and then the adventurers inside us would walk alongside the beaches and salt marshes to circumnavigate our little piece of Essex. If we were lucky enough to get the tides right we would see vast numbers of birds coming into feed or queuing up ready for the seafood frenzy. The rest of my family were happy to spot a “funny looking goose” or distinctive oyster catcher with their carrot beaks. I on the other hand, trained zoologist and bitten by the RSPB bug, realised that I wasn’t just seeing a few species of animals out there on the mud flats but dozens – all ever so slightly different. However, this is my question to you – how on earth are you supposed to tell the difference? I am now going to give it a go. The keen ones amongst you, feel free to correct me, I won’t take it personally ;) Dunlin: Little fella, grey wings, white belly, slightly curved beak Turnstone: Little, black wings, white belly, red legs Common sandpiper: brown body, straight beak, black eye stripe Curlew sandpiper: if you squidged the two sandpipers together Green sandpiper: dark, white bellied sandpiper that is not green Grey plover: a more speckly version of a turnstone Curlew: This one I get, bendy beak and big as a chicken! Redshank: Medium sized, red legs and red beak near face Spotted redshank: red legs, black top beak, red lower beak So, can you see why I was confused. It doesn't help that when I was reading the information on my RSPB i-phone app it told me that these are the winter plumages of these birds - so as new species come in for the summer I will have to learn this all over again. I did however figure out that the bird call I has associated with the wilds of southern Ireland ( a previous family holiday) was not the charismatic oyster catcher but the close neighbours the curlew. I guess the beauty of this whole thing is now, once I get my eye in, I realise how many different species find the eerie and beautiful Essex coast a perfect tonic, just what they need.

Several home invasions have been reported in Oakland County in the past few weeks, according to the Franklin-Bingham Farms Police Department. They are urging residents to be wary of burglars posing as solicitors or lost travelers. “It appears that the burglars repeatedly ring the door bell and knock on doors to determine that no one is inside the house before they break in,” said Franklin officials in a Friday media release. “If an occupant answers the door, the suspect either claims to be looking for someone they thought lived there or offering some type of home improvement service.” Franklin police have kept investigations open in a few incidents in their village. The most recent, say officials, is a break-in that was reported around 11 a.m. Wednesday in the area of Helmandale Drive. Authorities warn that burglars have been reported breaking windows in the back of homes or prying doors open. Suspects in these certain types of robberies are described by neighbors and victims as young men in their late teens to their early 20s, sometimes dressed in business or casual clothes. Suspicious vehicles have also been reported as being a green or blue SUV, a gray or sliver minivan, a silver Ford Taurus, a tan or white sedan, or a gray PT Cruiser. Officials are asking residents to be vigilant in immediately reporting any solicitors or suspicious people and vehicles in Franklin or Bingham Farms. Contact the police department’s dispatch center at 248-626-5444. Continued... Contact staff writer John Turk at 248-745-4613 or [email protected]. Remember to activate your home security alarm systems and lock all doors and windows. Do not leave valuables such as laptop computers, jewelry, iPhones and purses within view while you’re outside. Keep valuables stored in a safe or a heavy-duty lock box. See wrong or incorrect information in a story. Tell us here Location, ST | website.com National News Videos - Driver runs into Rochester Hills bar in accident that is one of many involving cars crashing into buildings in county (2058) - PAT CAPUTO: Detroit Red Wings show Blackhawks, again, why they are real Stanley Cup contenders WITH VIDEO (1530) - Pontiac taxpayers to pay $2.3 million of $7.8 million schools debt, neighbors to pay rest (1507) - Prince Fielder helps Tigers rally past Minnesota (1328) - DEAR ABBY May 24: Wedding thank-you note fails to deliver intended message (1066) - One killed, one injured in Brandon Township crash (1042) - PAULA PASCHE: Time for Detroit Lions' Ndamukong Suh to step up as leader (1032) - New backcourt leads Lathrup over Dragons (57) - Pontiac taxpayers to pay $2.3 million of $7.8 million schools debt, neighbors to pay rest (9) - Nearby neighbors concerned after man convicted of murder paroled, moves to Pontiac group home (8) - Auburn Hills chamber eyes lawsuit over $7.8 million Pontiac schools tax bill (8) - Property owners in eight communities may have to pay Pontiac schools' $7.8M debt (7) - Holly High School graduate to perform free vocal recital (6) - Michigan wolf hunting put on hold; issue will be put before voters (6) Recent Activity on Facebook Stephen Frye has covered the police beat and courts for The Oakland Press and now serves as online editor for www.theoaklandpress.com. Informs on and discusses current matters of legal interest to readers of The Oakland Press and to consumers of legal services in the community. Caren Gittleman likes talking cats. She'll discuss everything about them. Share your stories and ask her questions about your favorite feline. Roger Beukema shares news from Lansing that impacts sportsmen (this means ladies as well) and talks about things he finds when he goes overseas to visit his children, and adding your comments into the mix. Join Jonathan Schechter as he shares thoughts on our natural world in Oakland County and beyond.

What can you do to create a healthier personal environment? Assess your nest. Working with a home inspector, public health professional, contractor, or other construction expert as a guide, ask yourself some questions to evaluate your current house or apartment's environmental health: - Are you free of the "big three?" Radon, mold, and lead are all common home toxins. Radon testing is widely available, and best practices exist in new construction to minimize radon entry into the property. Check for moisture problems that act as hotbeds for mold growth, and look into mold testing if necessary. Finally, lead is present in many older homes' paint and pipes. Call your local public health department for information on testing for and eliminating lead in your home. - How well-ventilated is your home? While solid construction decreases your home's energy loss, a home that is too airtight can seal in indoor air pollutants. Proper ventilation also helps control moisture and reduce risk of mold and other environmental health concerns. Simple fixes to increase ventilation include installing ceiling fans and operable skylights and windows. - Does your landscaping contribute to your environmental health? Large lawns traditionally require greater pesticide use, and increase air and noise pollution generated from mowing. Consider planting perennial groundcovers, native foliage, or other low-maintenance landscaping. Even better, landscape with edible plants and devote a portion of your yard to organic vegetable gardening. Before you rent or begin new construction, consider these additional questions: - Will your new space support recycling/reuse with storage space for cans, bottles, paper, and other items? - What is your potential home's proximity to major noisemakers like airports, railroad tracks, or highways? - What will keep you warm? Although most mainstream commercial insulations are considered safe, check out some healthy alternative insulation, including those made with recycled denim and other cloth, wool, icynene and nanogel. - How big is your planned home? Small is good. A well-planned home with less square footage uses fewer building and maintenance resources. Clear the air. Consider these steps toward improving indoor air quality: - In your home, radon and mold tend to be the most serious barriers to indoor air quality. Relatively inexpensive tests exist to assess your home's mold and radon levels. - The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) offers guidelines about common workplace air quality complaints, which usually focus on temperature, humidity, lack of outside air ventilation or smoking. Find out more . - For employees in farming and industrial fields, on-the-job outdoor air quality is also a concern. Each state has a department of environmental health within its main health department that can advise workers and employers on outdoor air quality regulations. To find your state's health department, visit the Centers for Disease Control site. - If you smoke, stop. If you live with someone who smokes, insist on a strict outdoor smoking policy. Approximately 3,000 American adults die of lung cancer each year due to secondhand smoke exposure. In young children, secondhand smoke increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and asthma. Know your H20. Increase your water quality with these tips: - The longer water has been sitting in pipes, the more lead it may contain. Run or "flush" your tap for up to two minutes, depending upon how long it's been between uses. - Since hot water is more likely to contain lead, only drink, cook and make baby formula with cold water. - The only way to be totally certain about your home's water quality is to have it tested. This is especially important for people in high-rise buildings, where "flushing" the pipes may not be as effective. Your local water supplier, health department or university can offer information about credible testing resources. - Water filters have been shown to increase purity. Filters can range from simple pitcher-based systems to more elaborate reverse-osmosis home units. - Remember that bottled water is not necessarily of higher quality than regular tap water. And according to the Natural Resources Defense Council, 60 million plastic bottles a day are manufactured, transported and then disposed of in U.S. landfills, compromising your community's environmental health. Green your cleaning. Are your cleaning products messing up your health? While we're far from knowing the health impact of all chemicals used in cleaning agents, you can easily (and very inexpensively) create your own house-healthy cleaners. Some tips: - Mix either vinegar or baking soda with warm water in a spray bottle, and you've got an effective, all-purpose cleansing agent. - Bypass commercial air deodorizers, many of which contain formaldehyde. Instead, add cinnamon, essential oils, cloves, or any herbs you like to a pan of boiling water, and let the sweet steam deodorize. - On laundry day, reach for Borax (sodium borate). This natural mineral acts as a stain-remover, bleach alternative and detergent booster. Baking soda can remove stains and deodorizes, and cornstarch absorbs greasy stains and starches your clothing. Lemon juice can also double for bleach. - Salt (sodium chloride) is a mild abrasive for cleaning bathrooms and kitchens. - Consider hiring a "green" cleaning service, or ask your traditional housekeeper to use the methods and products you find healthiest. Increase your chemical awareness. While it's impractical to try to have no contact with chemicals, you can reduce your chemical exposure in relatively simple ways: - Some beauty products contain chemicals that are anything but pretty. For example, nail polish, body lotions, and perfumes often contain phthalates, a controversial substance linked to birth defects in animals and possibly humans. Shampoos that attack dandruff might also play havoc on your health; the active ingredient selenium sulfide is a neurotoxin and possible carcinogen. Hair dyes often have coal tar, another chemical linked to cancer. So read labels, and choose a product that will be as lovely for your health as it is for your appearance. - Don't create toxic trash. If you're tossing old medications, resist flushing them down the toilet, where they can invade water supplies. Also consider calling your local recycler, many of which accept old cleaning products, paint, oil and other chemicals that create even more treacherous landfills. - Be sure to air out your garments after a trip to the drycleaners. Dry cleaning employs a chemical called perchloroethylene, which is actually toxic to humans. Some environmentally conscious cleaners use methods that do not contain "perc;" seek them out. Better yet, when possible choose clothing that only requires a trip to your laundry room, not a professional cleaner. - Be mindful of plastic use. Some plastics contain bisphenol A (BPA), an estrogen-like chemical potentially linked to cancer. Experts also advise against microwaving food in plastic containers; although research is inconclusive, the heating process is thought to release chemicals from the plastic into your food. Reusing plastic bottles is another source of controversy. Some experts think reuse is safe if you carefully wash and dry the bottles between each use, while others feel that wear and tear on the plastic causes toxic chemical leakage. An always-safe alternative is glass. Finally, you can reduce the amount of plastic produced by recycling. Look at the bottom of your plastic container for a number from 1-7. Items labeled 1 or 2 (usually soft drink, jjuice, water, milk, and detergent containers) are eligible for curbside recycling. Numbers higher than 2 are either unrecyclable or require special drop-off at a recycling center. Reduce the roar. Decrease sound pollution at home and work with these simple suggestions: - Employ low-tech solutions like earplugs and heavy curtains to block street noise. - White noise machines and noise-cancelling headphones also create quiet. - Double-paned windows reduce outdoor noise, including jet traffic. - Before you begin new construction projects, communicate with your architect and/or contractor about noise reduction options. Some building materials and methods offer greater sound absorption or masking than others. - When you are engaged in construction projects, or if you work in construction or another noisy trade, always wear hearing protection on the job. - Be mindful about your personal noise production. For example, are you really watching your television, or is it simply on as "background noise?" Could you use a push mower instead of a power model, a shovel rather than a snow blower? Could you bike instead of drive? Select "vibrate" rather than the latest ringtone? Even small actions increase the peace. Raise your EMF awareness. It is important to note that research on EMF exposure is ongoing. But these easy actions just might improve your wellbeing: - When possible, use a land line rather than your cell phone. - Use a hands free device or speaker phone function if using a cell phone. - Do not stand directly in front of your microwave oven while it's in use, or simply use your conventional oven. - Limit your computer time. - Use manual versions of personal care tools: an old-fashioned toothbrush rather than an electric model, or a razor instead of an electric shaver. - Don't sleep under an electric blanket. - Sit several feet from your television screen. Enjoy local and organic foods. The foods you choose not only impact your health from a nutritional standpoint, but from an environmental angle as well. Think about these fast facts: - Eating locally grown produce means less transportation is required to get that apple from the tree to your table. This translates to reduced air and noise pollution in your community. - Organic farming doesn't employ the pesticides often used in non-organic methods. That means that eating organic produce may reduce your ingestion of chemicals, and that pesticides will not leach into local water supplies. Joining a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) food plan might "cleanse" your diet and help your water supply. - Research indicates that raising livestock increases greenhouse gas emissions, pollutes water supplies, and contributes to land degradation and deforestation. Food for thought next time you're choosing between a steak and a salad.

Bonifay- In day three of testimony in the murder trial of Johnny Sketo Calhoun, the state called six more witnesses to the stand. Half of them were Florida Department of Law Enforcement Agents. Friday was also the first time this week jurors heard testimony regarding DNA evidence discovered in Calhoun's trailer. "I found a partial roll of duct tape and some pieces of duct tape," said FDLE Senior Crime Lab Analyst Charles Richards. Crime lab analyst Trevor Seifret told jurors crime techs found Brown's blood on that tape. He also revealed investigators found both Brown's and Calhoun's blood on other items. The state then introduced another key piece of evidence, a picture of the ceiling of Calhoun's trailer taken by Brown's camera. FDLE Agent Jennifer Roeder testified it was most likely captured December 17, 2010 the same date Brown disappeared. "In the internal workings of the camera, there's usually a setting when you turn on the camera where you can set the date and time and that time and date is stored," said Roeder. Holmes County Sheriff's Office Captain Harry Hamilton and Investigator Michael Raley were the final two witnesses of day. Raley testified as to what Calhoun told deputies when they caught him in his trailer the Monday following Brown's murder. "What was his response?," Assistant State Attorney Brandon Young asked Raley. "That he had been evading and hiding from law enforcement," said Raley. Besides Brown's blood in the trailer, investigators also discovered several strands of her hair. The defense will start presenting its case Monday.

The recruitment policy at ZEE does not just aim at placing the right mind at the right place for the right job. It takes a lot of care to see that the employees are happy and satisfied so that the organisation can have a long and enduring relationship with them and thus make them feel like a part of the family. This in turn, brings out the best in them. The flatness of the hierarchical structure of ZEE forms a base for cross-functional teams to work together regularly thus developing coherence and communication. A panel of senior colleagues oversees recruitments so that rational decisions can be taken and so that all biases are obviated. Every industry has its own aspirational brands that every youngster wants to work with. An ideal culmination of his dreams happens with landing a job with these companies. The Zee network has been one such sought after organization for years! In sync with being the best in the industry, ZEE prioritises its selection of students by virtue of going to the best campuses in the country and picking up only the brightest minds. The very fact that these young recruits bring in fresh perspective, constructive criticism and novel ideas, is something that ZEE stands to gain from. ZEE employs MBA graduates from premier B-Schools in the country as management trainees across various functions and work areas. These students are expected to perform under these various domains sometimes even cross-function across streams and departments for a year as an integral part of their training. This on-the-job training is expected to give them a feeler of real time work functions and pressures and also impart valuable experiential learnings. On the assessment of their contribution at the end of a successful management training programme, these trainees are confirmed as executives in their respective fields of work. ZEE's richness of human resource stems from the body of work and the sincerity in portraying the same. ZEE hand picks professionals from the media industry for junior, middle and senior management positions. Some absolutely critical criteria for these candidates are as follows: Mass communication / any management background (CA/LLB, etc) Considerable exposure in their areas of expertise like programming, direction, promo direction, operations along with a proven track record of excellence An external recruitment happens only if there is no internal response to the advertised vacancy. Last Updated - July 23, 2012

Sweet Tooth is a literary spy novel, both in the sense that it's an espionage story told by a literary writer and because it's an espionage story that, at its heart, is about literature. Set in the early 1970s against a backdrop of IRA bombings, Cold War anxiety, and labor unrest, the book follows a young, pretty MI5 recruit named Serena Frome who gets sucked into a decidedly low-stakes intelligence caper. Anyone looking for John le Carré-style intrigue will be disappointed. There's no clandestine slink through East Berlin, no sniffing out of Soviet moles. Instead, Frome embarks on an unremarkable undercover mission to financially support a young writer who's shown flashes of unfashionable anticommunism. It quickly turns out that the budding novelist and soon-to-be love interest, of course has an awful lot in common with McEwan himself. As things inevitably get complicated, McEwan has a lot of fun digging into (and taking digs at) his own past, even enlisting old pal Martin Amis, first publisher Tom Maschler, and early mentor Ian Hamilton as characters. Sweet Tooth offers enough atmosphere and forward motion to compensate for the story's slightness (and for an unnecessary twist ending that feels forced). It also provides McEwan with plenty of space to ruminate on writers, writing, and the power of stories both the kind in books and those that we spin in real life. B+

Before your equine athlete starts racing or competing it must have the muscle mass to power its required workload. This work can includes sit and sprint as well as middle and long distance racing, jumping, dressage, eventing, endurance, rodeo, polo, trekking, carts and games. The Hanley Formula is the most powerful muscle building equine supplement available. During hard training, racing and competing the large muscle groups which power the horse are broken down and damaged. The only way to build and repair these muscles is by providing your equine athletes the essential building blocks. The Hanley Formula contains all these building blocks. By using The Hanley Formula your horse can produce and repair its own tendons, connective tissue (collagen) and ligaments. Protein Needs for Exercise |Average 500kg Horse||Light Work||Moderate Work||Hard Work||Very Hard Work| |Protein Needs (Grams per Day)||700||768||862||1000| The Hanley Formula is an amazing supplement. We use it with the young horses for weight gain and top line. It is great for building lean body mass. For our top eventers the amino acids are crucial to maintaining them at the top end of the sport, assisting with muscle recovery and metabolism. We have used Hanley Formula on our stallion Don Quattro for about a year now. We have noticed that he maintained great overall condition right through the competition year without needing extra feed, and in particular his muscle condition was outstanding. Since I've been using The Hanley Formula my horses have raced more consistently, staying at the top of their game for longer. Their muscle tone and recovery are excellent .

Anna Karenina (2012) Anna Karenina SynopsisThe third collaboration of Academy Award nominee Keira Knightley with director Joe Wright, following the award-winning box office successes Pride & Prejudice and Atonement, is the epic love story Anna Karenina, adapted from Leo Tolstoy’s classic novel by Academy Award winner Tom Stoppard (Shakespeare in Love). The story unfolds in its original late-19th-century Russia high-society setting and powerfully explores the capacity for love that surges through the human heart, from the passion between adulterers to the bond between a mother and her children. As Anna (Ms. Knightley) questions her happiness, change comes to her family, friends, and community. Anna Karenina Release Date In Theaters November 16, 2012 Anna Karenina Credits Starring: Keira Knightley, Aaron Johnson, Jude Law, Matthew Macfadyen, Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander, Kelly Macdonald, Ruth Wilson, Olivia Williams, and Emily Watson Written by: Tom Stoppard Directed by: Joe Wright Produced by: Tim Bevan, Alexander Dostal, Alexandra Ferguson MPAA Rating: [ R ] Distributor: Focus Features Subscribe To Anna Karenina Updates if you're excited for Anna Karenina This Week In Home Entertainment: Argo & Anna Karenina, Plus Things Get Sinister There’s a lot of imagination in this week’s best releases. From a ghastly creature haunting old visual mediums to reenvisioned historical moments, and world and their wars built entirely for the small screen, this week in home entertainment offers a little something for everyone, even if that something is watching scantily dressed teens try to find a younger sibling in a haunted house. by Jessica Rawden February 19, 2013 comments Skyfall, Lincoln And More Nominated By The American Society Of Cinematographers Skyfall may be seen by some as just another silly blockbuster action movie, but the truth is that it really was one of the most beautiful films to be released in 2012, the Shanghai sequence alone deserving tons of recognition. But do you think that he deserves the top prize from the ASC? by Eric Eisenberg January 9, 2013 comments The Top 10 Movies Of 2012: Kristy's List Creating this list has filled me with a dizzying amount of joy and dread. Really, 2012 was a year that offered so many examples of daring and thrilling cinema that it was difficult to even determine what the criteria should be for a list of my personal ten favorites. In the end, I went with my gut, selecting those films that not only hit me hard in the theater, but also lingered with me for days, weeks, or months afterwards, and which I can still vividly recall. by Kristy Puchko December 19, 2012 comments The Top 10 Movies Of 2012: Katey's List 2012 was a really, really hard year to sum up in list form, and a top 20 would really be more appropriate to reflect the astonishing variety of blockbusters, out-of-nowhere successes and totally tiny arthouse stuff that grabbed me this year. A lot of these movies snuck up on me, only revealing their brilliance long after I'd written a review or thought I'd forgotten about it. Plenty of those not on this list did the opposite, making an amazing first impression and fading so quickly by Katey Rich December 17, 2012 comments Joe Wright And Keira Knightley Talk Collaboration In Anna Karenina Featurette With the cast and crew gushing so profusely about how terrific Knightley's performance is and how deep her devotion to the role was, it seems this featurette is meant as a kind of "For Your Consideration" ad. It's a relief to see Focus Features making such a push, since—despite all its grace, grandeur and great performances—this film appears to be getting lost in the shuffle with so many hotly anticipated titles nearing release. by Kristy Puchko December 3, 2012 comments Domnhall Gleeson Goes From Holding A Wand In The Background Of Harry Potter To Anna Karenina's Romantic Lead For a while Domhnall Gleeson didn't think he'd become an actor. As the son of famed Irish actor Brendan Gleeson, he had every young person's urge to separate himself from his parents-- even as it became clear to him that acting was what he wanted to do anyway. by Katey Rich November 21, 2012 comments Jude Law On The Difference Between The Theater And The World Of Anna Karenina It’s never easy playing the third wheel in a love triangle, particularly when it’s your wife who wants to leave you for another man. Couple this with the fact that Karenin (Jude Law) is a well-respected and very public figure in Russia’s aristocracy – and his crumbling marriage is being played out on a national stage – and you can understand why Anna Karenina is such a challenge by Sean O'Connell November 19, 2012 comments 5 Oscar Hopefuls You Should Catch Up With Over The Holiday This time of year you're probably overwhelmed figuring out your holiday plans and making a list of everyone you need to give presents, but there's another list you probably have in mind as a movie buff: the Oscar nominations. No, the nominees won't be announced until January 10, but now is the time to start catching up on the names that will probably be read that day by CB Staff November 19, 2012 comments Keira Knightley Explains Why You Shouldn't Be Intimidated By Anna Karenina The conversation, according to Keira Knightley, started on the set of by Sean O'Connell November 19, 2012 comments Aaron Taylor Johnson Talks Anna Karenina's Heightened Style If Anna Karenina was a by-the-numbers, Garry Marshall-directed romantic comedy, we’d actively root for Anna (Keira Knightley) to buck the odds and be with her true love, Count Vronsky (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). But this isn’t Hollywood fluff. It’s classic Russian literature – Tolstoy, to be specific. Anna is a married Russian socialite, and Vronsky her forbidden fruit by Sean O'Connell November 16, 2012 comments Operation Kino 89: Swooning For Anna Karenina, And The New Short The Sleepover This week on Operation Kino, we're embarking on a pretty ill-fated affair, as we review Joe Wright's gorgeous new movie Anna Karenina. From there we bring you the newest installment of OpKino Indie, in which Da7e chats with Chris Cullari, Jennifer Raite and Carolyn Jania, the team behind the new short film "The Sleepover," by Operation Kino November 16, 2012 comments Director Joe Wright On Regaining His Confidence To Make A Bold Anna Karenina Now we have Anna Karenina, which might be the umpteenth adaptation of the Tolstoy classic but which stands very much on its own, partly because of Wright's bold decision to set most of the film inside a dilapidated theater, where bedrooms are tucked in among the rafters and horses can trot among the audience seats by Katey Rich November 13, 2012 comments Oscar Eye: Lincoln Holds Strong, Jennifer Lawrence Moves Up, And More Developments Between Election Day and a nasty fever that suddenly took over my life, I didn't have it in me last Tuesday-- and I got the feeling you guys had other things on your mind as well. Plus, what we're talking about this week is the same thing we would have been talking about last week: Lincoln and Skyfall, and the handful of mysteries still waiting for us down the line by Katey Rich November 13, 2012 comments Now Streaming: Netflix Instant Alternatives To Lincoln, Anna Karenina & Breaking Dawn - Part 2 This week, inspired by Lincoln, Anna Karenina, and Breaking Dawn – Part 2, for inspiration, we offer a selection of historical dramas, steamy costume dramas, and supernatural romances. by Kristy Puchko November 11, 2012 comments Joe Wright Considering A Harry Houdini Biopic As for Houdini, his biopic almost landed in the hands of The Hunger Games director Gary Ross. And his life story is informing a Broadway musical backed by Aaron Sorkin and Hugh Jackman. But the escape artist really deserves his own movie, and in my opinion, Wright would be a tremendous choice to take over the project. by Sean O'Connell October 12, 2012 comments Oscar Eye: Argo Prepares To Emerge As A Frontrunner, While Lincoln Surprises New York This week marks the wide release of one of the very big Best Picture contenders, Ben Affleck's Argo, but through sheer chance I've managed to catch up with four major Oscar movies in the last week. Argo is among them, so we'll start there, but there's plenty else to go over, even if the rest of these movies won't emerge in theaters for a few weeks yet. Exciting times to be a moviegoer! by Katey Rich October 9, 2012 comments Anna Karenina Posters Put Different Forms Of Love On Display This is such a smart campaign, because audiences need to be informed that Karenina -- despite being based on centuries-old Russian literature – is a passionate piece of filmmaking that crackles with creative energies, lustful performances, emotional heat and palpable tragedy. Don’t mistake this for another dry costume drama. by Sean O'Connell October 8, 2012 comments Toronto Film Festival Wrap-Up: The Good, The Bad, And The Best Oscar Bets The Toronto Film Festival technically doesn't wrap up until Sunday, when award winners will be announced (including the usually important Audience Award) and the crowds will recede from downtown Toronto for another year. But Team Cinema Blend has already left the premises, with dozens of movies and a handful interviews under our belts by Katey Rich and Sean O'Connell September 14, 2012 comments Anna Karenina: The Best Film Of TIFF 2012 So Far The heavy hitters emerged at the Toronto International Film Festival on Friday, as audiences got their first look at films that would make any cinema junkie drool. Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master, Joe Wright’s Anna Karenina, Ben Affleck’s Argo and Noah Baumbach’s Frances Ha all played north of the border to packed houses … and we were there for as much of it as we could absorb. by Sean O'Connell September 8, 2012 comments Keira Knightley, Jude Law In Anna Karenina Character Posters Russian literature might not float your boat, but we remain excited for Karenina because of Wright’s previous collaborations with lithe, beautiful leading lady Keira Knightley. They reinvented Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice, then found heat in a steamy pre-war affair on the wrenching Atonement. by Sean O'Connell September 3, 2012 comments Anna Karenina Featurette Shows Off More Theatricality And Glitz It's still hard to know exactly how it will work out, but today we get another glimpse at the film and, once again, it's cramming with arresting visuals and some intriguing looking performance. The clip also has a lot of Keira Knightley and Wright talking about the idea behind the film's melodramatic style. Take a look below by Katey Rich July 30, 2012 comments Joe Wright's Anna Karenina Shows Breathtaking Ambition In Six-Minute Clip Wright has become cheered for his incredible and complicated long takes, like the beach scene in Atonement and the underground fight scene in Hanna. But now his love of this elegant but hard-earned fluidity has informed the entire construction of his Anna Karenina, an epic breathtaking in its ambition. by Kristy Puchko July 23, 2012 comments Anna Karenina Steals Great Gatsby's Thunder With Glamorous Poster And Trailer Between Baz Luhrmann's Great Gatsby and Joe Wright's Anna Karenina, moviegoers will be spoiled for choice this winter, when it comes to luxurious adaptations of novels that explore ill-fated love in high society. Focus Features has previously unveiled a striking string of first look images for Anna that revealed an almost unrecognizable Jude Law, a stunningly regal Keira Knightley, and a mustachioed—yet dapper—Aaron Johnson. by Kristy Puchko June 20, 2012 comments Robocop Sets August 2013 Release, Anna Karenina Coming This Oscar Season It's hard to think of anything that really connects the upcoming Robocop remake and the upcoming Anna Karenina adaptation, so let's just get down to facts. Recent schedule updates at Box Office Mojo have finally assigned release dates for both films; by Katey Rich March 13, 2012 comments Keira Knightley Dances In First Look At Joe Wright's Anna Karenina In 2007 director Joe Wright made a huge splash when he directed Atonement, a period drama starring Keira Knightley, Saoirse Ronan and James McAvoy. The film was a huge hit, both with audiences and critics, and it ended up earning seven Academy Award nominations (and it won for Best Original Score). Wright's last two films, The Soloist and Hanna, were both a step away from what we have typically seen from the director by Eric Eisenberg February 24, 2012 comments Exclusive: James McAvoy Still Unsure On Anna Karenina, Talks Welcome To The Punch Wright has been very vocal about wanting McAvoy for the film, but it's been unclear if McAvoy's schedule would cooperate; based on what he told me it seems that's still very much up in the air. by Katey Rich April 13, 2011 comments Benedict Cumberbatch And Kelly Macdonald Join Joe Wright's Stunning Anna Karenina Cast Cumberbatch actually makes this even more of an Atonement reunion, having played the actual rapist who goes off scot free when Ronan's character Briony accuses McAvoy instead. The British actor has been working steadily for years in all kinds of films you might recognize him in by Katey Rich April 7, 2011 comments James McAvoy And Saoirse Ronan May Also Join Joe Wright's Anna Karenina Though Hanna, a modern-day action thriller with strong fairy tale elements, is a bit of a departure from the polished period world of Atonement, Anna Karenina gets Wright back to what he established early as his wheelhouse. It's a classic story that's building a phenomenal cast by Katey Rich April 2, 2011 comments Jude Law Might Join Knightley, Johnson In Anna Karenina It's still a little unclear which role he might potentially be attached to in the eight part novel. There's Anna husband, twenty years her senior, which might work considering Law is thirteen years older than Knightley by Mack Rawden March 19, 2011 comments Kick-Ass Aaron Johnson Considering Tolstoy And New Oliver Stone Flick If he chooses both of these projects, studios should start getting a pretty fair handle on Aaron Johnson’s bankability. All the acting talent in the world doesn’t make you a leading man by Mack Rawden March 17, 2011 comments Joe Wright Hints That Keira Knightley Will Still Star In His Anna Karenina Though Wright says he's "not sure yet" who the star will be, he also admits "it's fairly obvious" and "I'm loyal to my actors," and is only holding back because "she hasn't signed on the dotted line." by Katey Rich March 2, 2011 comments Around The Web

Import tolerances (Maximum Residue Levels or MRLs) for Bayer CropScience’s Movento and Ultor insecticides have been established on certain commodities intended for export to Japan, effective immediately. The recent announcement by Japan’s Ministry of Health Labor and Welfare establishes MRLs for spirotetramat, the active ingredient in the Movento and Ultor brand insecticides. The regulatory approval and establishment of MRLs followed a comprehensive safety review by Japanese regulatory officials. “We are thrilled that Japan has established the MRLs for commodities treated with Movento and Ultor,” says Kevin Adam, product manager for Bayer CropScience. “Japan was the last major export market to give their go-ahead. This is tremendous news for growers of grapes, citrus and other label-approved crops who want to incorporate Movento and Ultor treatments into their integrated pest management programs on their crops bound for Japan.” Movento and Ultor had already earned regulatory approval from the U.S., EU, Codex, Canada and Mexico with the establishment of MRLs by regional and national authorities there. A comprehensive list of established Maximum Residue Levels (MRL) can be found here. On October 15, 2010, Movento and Ultor received registration from the EPA for a second time, giving U.S. growers back a sorely missed tool for the management of their toughest pests. Crops listed on the product container labels for Movento and Ultor remain the same as under the prior registration, and include grapes, citrus, lettuce and apples, among others. For a complete list of approved crops, please refer to the most current product label. Growers have come to depend on Movento and Ultor to protect their crops against a broad spectrum of damaging sucking insects such as aphids, mealybugs, scales and many others. The efficacy demonstrated by Movento and Ultor is based on its two-way transport within the plant. After application, Movento and Ultor move upward and downward through the plant tissue, ensuring even and continuous distribution and better overall protection of young shoots, leaves and roots. Movento and Ultor target sucking pests specifically, and have minimal impact on beneficial insects which makes them a good choice for use in an Integrated Pest Management Program.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, February 4, 2014 – Xoom Corporation (NASDAQ: XOOM), a leading digital money transfer provider, today announced it has acquired BlueKite, LTD, a cutting edge technology company that develops solutions and applications to improve the way people around the world pay their bills. Xoom acquired BlueKite for approximately $15 million in cash and equity. BlueKite has built a robust technology platform for cross-border bill payments and mobile phone top ups. This acquisition will allow Xoom to offer adjacent services to their burgeoning money transfer offerings, with the ability to pay bills for their loved ones, as well as top-up mobile phones. By facilitating safe, reliable and accurate cross-border bill payments, Xoom will be able to help its customers take even better care of family members back in their home country. Guatemala City-based BlueKite currently has 30 employees. “I am very pleased to announce that Xoom has acquired this exciting, young company, BlueKite. By adding these services, Xoom continues to broaden our relationship with our customers, and in so doing, create greater lifetime value and increased loyalty to the Xoom brand,” said John Kunze, President and CEO for Xoom. “We’re excited to build out bill pay and top-up services and enlarge and strengthen the Xoom team with our new development center in Guatemala City. This development center will also augment our San Francisco product and development efforts.” Bobby Aitkenhead, former CEO of BlueKite, will report to Kunze as vice president in charge of Xoom Bill Pay and Xoom Top Up. "Xoom’s online and mobile platforms are disrupting traditional forms of money transfer, and we are thrilled to be part of the Xoom team,” said Aitkenhead. “The people, technology, consumer reach, and brand appeal are a perfect fit for our company. We all look forward to a great future together and contributing to Xoom’s mission of offering customers convenient, fast and cost-effective ways to send money." Initial product services will be announced later this year. Xoom is a leading digital money transfer provider in 31 countries, focused on helping consumers send money in a secure, fast and cost-effective way using their mobile phone, tablet or computer. During the year ended December 31, 2013, Xoom’s more than one million active customers sent more than $5.5 billion to family and friends. The company is headquartered in San Francisco and can be found online at www.xoom.com. This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 relating to, among other things, expectations, plans and prospects for Xoom, including, but not limited to, its expectations regarding its expansion into new markets, ability to improve the way people around the world pay their bills and market demand for bill pay products. These forward-looking statements are based upon the current expectations and beliefs of Xoom’s management as of the date of this press release, and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements made in this press release are based on information available to Xoom as of the date thereof,and Xoom disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements. In particular, the following factors, among others, could cause results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements: the evolving nature of the industry in which Xoom operates; its failure to attract new customers or retain existing customers; economic, political or regulatory factors beyond its control, in the U.S. or in countries to which its customers transfer money and pay bills; fluctuations in foreign exchange rates; competitive pricing and marketing strategies by competitors; the adoption of competing technologies that supplant its services; the failure of partners to disburse funds according to Xoom’s instructions; declines in customer confidence in its business or in money transfer providers generally; potential breaches of its security systems; and other risks and uncertainties. For a detailed discussion of these and other cautionary statements, please refer to the risk factors discussed in filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including but not limited to Xoom’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2013, Xoom’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 declared effective on September 10, 2013, and any subsequently filed reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K. All documents are available through the SEC’s Electronic Data Gathering Analysis and Retrieval system (“EDGAR”) at www.sec.gov or Xoom’s website at www.xoom.com.

You’ve probably heard IAMSU without even knowing it: he’s the producer responsible for the slapping beat on “Up” by LoveRance (and on NYC radio, 50 Cent). He’s also a solo artist in his own right, and on his excellent new mixtape KILT he teams up with fellow producer/MC (and longtime FG fam) Trackademicks for the track “Clothes Shows And Afros.” Download the whole thing here. Pitchfork reviewed Kool AD of Das Racist’s latest solo joint 51 today, mentioning our dude Trackademicks as part of the tapes’ “impressive” lineup of producers alongside Young L and more. We agree! Download 51 here, check out more from Track on his Soundcloud, and stay tuned for some new joints very soon… Read More Birthday boy Trackademicks just released an awesome new suite of moody, futuristic instrumental r&b entitled Cherry 2000, grab it from his Soundcloud as one continuous piece or separate, DJ-friendly tracks. Right on time for the last weeks of summer (always the smoothest) it’s a new, free release from Trackademicks, aka Alameda, California’s true King Of Slaps, aka master of the Western Slapademic Tender Smobbin Cosmic Music. Fresh Coastin features guest appearances from Freddie Gibbs, Phonte, Polyester the Saint and of course Track’s Honor Roll crew. Download and cool out… In the latest edition of his “Liner Notes” video series, Trackademicks talks about the genesis of his State Of The Arts collaboration with Teedra Moses, “Face The Music.” The timing couldn’t be better, since the new Luxurious Undergrind mixtape from Teedra just dropped, featuring the Trackademicks-produced “Invitation,” as well as the 1-O.A.K-produced “So Special”. It’s a Honor Roll / Maybach Music explosion! Read More After weeks and weeks of blood, sweat and InDesign, the Fool’s Gold chapter of Frank151 is out! You can snag physical copies soon at parties and select retail spots around the world (and via subscription, of course). But since the internet streets can’t wait, you can peep a downloadable PDF and flippable web mag version of the entire issue right here. What’s inside you ask? Read More

YA COLFER, E. When a twelve-year-old evil genius tries to restore his family fortune by capturing a fairy and demanding a ransom in gold, the fairies fight back with magic, technology, and a particularly nasty troll. YA WOOD, M. On a bike trip in Ireland trying to recover from a broken heart, sixteen-year-old Morgan is transformed, not only by the others on the tour, but by her visits to the past, where she is believed to be the legendary half-goddess Morganne, sent to help end a faery curse. YA FALLON, L. Instantly drawn to a mysterious, alluring boy in her class, teenaged Megan, an American living in Ireland, discovers that they are linked by a supernatural destiny that gives them powers Megan never knew she possessed. YA THOMPSON, K. Bobby lives a reckless life smoking, drinking, and stealing cars in Dublin. So his mother moves the family to the country. But Bobby suspects their cottage might not be as quaint as it seems. And spooky details of the history of their little cottage gradually turn Bobby into a detective of night creatures real and imagined. YA DOWD, S. Coolbar, Ireland, is a village of secrets and Shell, caretaker to her younger brother and sister after the death of their mother and with the absence of their father, is not about to reveal hers until suspicion falls on the wrong person. YA THOMPSON, K. Irish teenager JJ Liddy discovers that time is leaking from his world into Tir na nOg, the land of the fairies, and when he attempts to stop the leak he finds out a lot about his family history, the music that he loves, and a crime his great-grandfather may or may not have committed. YA FOLEY, J. It’s 1993, and Generation X pulses to the beat of Kurt Cobain and the grunge movement. Sixteen-year-old Maggie Lynch is uprooted from big-city Chicago to a windswept town on the Irish Sea. Surviving on care packages of Spin magazine and Twizzlers from her rocker uncle Kevin, she wonders if she’ll ever find her place in this new world. When first love and sudden death simultaneously strike, a naive but determined Maggie embarks on a forbidden pilgrimage that will take her to a seedy part of Dublin and on to a life-altering night in Rome to fulfill a dying wish. Through it all, Maggie discovers an untapped inner strength to do the most difficult but rewarding thing of all– live. YA LENNON, T. Neil Byrne, a teenager in Dublin, Ireland, in the 1990s, comes to terms with the fact that he is gay and seeks acceptance from his friends and family. YA MELLING, O. Two teenage cousins, one Irish, the other from the United States, set out to find a magic doorway to the Faraway Country, where humans must bow to the little people. YA SF MCKINTY, A. Thirteen-year-old Jamie is overjoyed when a bequest sends him and his mother to live on an Irish island, where he and his newfound friend Ramsay travel back in time to help a young girl save her people from certain death. YA DOYLE, R. Mary O’Hara is a sharp and cheeky twelve-year-old Dublin schoolgirl who is bravely facing the fact that her beloved Gran is dying. But Gran can’t let go of life, and when a mysterious young woman turns up in Mary’s street with a message for her Gran, Mary gets pulled into an unlikely adventure. YA NAPOLI, D. Fifteen-year-old Melkorka, an Irish princess, is kidnapped by Russian slave traders and not only learns how to survive but to challenge some of the brutality of her captors, who are fascinated by her apparent muteness and the possibility that she is enchanted. YA KIERNAN, C. After their nan accidentally burns their home down, twin brothers Pat and Dom must move with their parents and baby sister to the seaside cottage they’ve summered in, now made desolate by the winter wind. Itʹs there that the ghost appears, a strange boy who cries black tears and fears a bad man, a soldier, who is chasing him. Soon Dom has become not Dom, and Pat can sense that his brother is going to die while their overwhelmed parents can’t even see whatʹs happening. Isolated and terrified, Pat needs to keep his brother’s cover while figuring out how to save him, drawing clues from his own dreams and Nan’s long ago memories, confronting a mystery that lies between this world and the next, within the Grey. Chloe: If I Stay by Gayle Forman Katie: The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien Movies and TV Reese: Duck Dynasty Chloe: Earth to Echo Matt: Black Ops (XBOX 360) Will: Oblivion (XBOX 360) Reese: The Escapists (PC game) Pick up one of this action-packed novels to get your heart racing again! YA MARSDEN, J. When Ellie and her friends go camping, they have no idea they’re leaving their old lives behind forever. Despite a less-than-tragic food shortage and a secret crush or two, everything goes as planned. But a week later, they return home to find their houses empty and their pets starving. Something has gone wrong–horribly wrong. Before long, they realize the country has been invaded, and the entire town has been captured–including their families and all their friends. Ellie and the other survivors face an impossible decision: They can flee for the mountains or surrender. Or they can fight. YA GEBHART, R. Thirteen-year-old Tyson sneaks off with his roughneck, but ill, grandpa to go on his first elk hunt, amid reports of a stalking man-eating grizzly. YA STIEFVATER, M. Nineteen-year-old returning champion Sean Kendrick competes against Puck Connolly, the first girl ever to ride in the annual Scorpio Races, both trying to keep hold of their dangerous water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. YA LAYBOURNE, E. Trapped inside a chain superstore by an apocalyptic sequence of natural and human disasters, six high school kids from various popular and unpopular social groups struggle for survival while protecting a group of younger children. YA COLFER, E. In Victorian London, Albert Garrick, an assassin-for-hire, and his reluctant young apprentice, Riley, are transported via wormhole to modern London, where Riley teams up with a young FBI agent to stop Garrick from returning to his own time and using his newly acquired scientific knowledge and power to change the world forever. YA MY LANE, A. In 1868, with his army officer father suddenly posted to India, and his mother mysteriously “unwell,” fourteen-year-old Sherlock Holmes is sent to stay with his eccentric uncle and aunt in their vast house in Hampshire, where he uncovers his first murder and a diabolical villain. YA SMITH, R. A fourteen-year-old boy attempts to be the youngest person to reach the top of Mount Everest. YA SF LORE, P. In rural Ohio, friendships and a beautiful girl prove distracting to a fifteen-year-old who has hidden on Earth for ten years waiting to develop the Legacies, or powers, he will need to rejoin the other six surviving Garde members and fight the Mogadorians who destroyed their planet, Lorien. YA PATTERSON, J. After the mutant Erasers abduct the youngest member of their group, the “bird kids,” who are the result of genetic experimentation, take off in pursuit and find themselves struggling to understand their own origins and purpose. YA HOROWITZ, A. After the death of the uncle who had been his guardian, fourteen-year-old Alex Rider is coerced to continue his uncle’s dangerous work for Britain’s intelligence agency, MI6. YA DEUKER, C. Living with his alcoholic father on a broken-down sailboat on Puget Sound has been hard on seventeen-year-old Chance Taylor, but when his love of running leads to a high-paying job, he quickly learns that the money is not worth the risk. YA CARTER, A. A group of teenagers uses their combined talents to re-steal several priceless paintings and save fifteen-year-old Kat Bishop’s father, himself an international art thief, from a vengeful collector. YA SF MULLIN, M After the eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano destroys his city and its surroundings, fifteen-year-old Alex must journey from Cedar Falls, Iowa, to Illinois to find his parents and sister, trying to survive in a transformed landscape and a new society in which all the old rules of living have vanished. YA CLINE, E. In the year 2044, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he’s jacked into the virtual utopia known as the Oasis. Wade’s devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world’s digital confines – puzzles that are based on their creator’s obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them. But when Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade’s going to survive, he’ll have to win – and confront the real world he’s always been so desperate to escape. YA MY RITTER, W. Newly arrived in 1892 New England, Abigail Rook becomes assistant to R.F. Jackaby, an investigator of the unexplained with the ability to see supernatural beings, and she helps him delve into a case of serial murder which, Jackaby is convinced, is due to a nonhuman creature. YA SF MORGAN, K. When 100 juvenile delinquents are sent on a mission to recolonize Earth, they get a second chance at freedom, friendship, and love, as they fight to survive in a dangerous new world. YA CARRIGER, G. In an alternate England of 1851, spirited fourteen-year-old Sophronia is enrolled in a finishing school where, she is surprised to learn, lessons include not only the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but also diversion, deceit, and espionage. YA SF SANDERSON, B. At age eight, David watched as his father was killed by an Epic, a human with superhuman powers, and now, ten years later, he joins the Reckoners–the only people who are trying to kill the Epics and end their tyranny. YA SF YANCEY, R. Cassie Sullivan, the survivor of an alien invasion, must rescue her young brother from the enemy with help from a boy who may be one of them. YA SF CHARBONNEAU, J. Sixteen-year-old Malencia (Cia) Vale is chosen to participate in The Testing to attend the University; however, Cia is fearful when she figures out her friends who do not pass The Testing are disappearing. YA SF GRANT, M. In the near future, the conjoined Armstrong twins, under the guise of the Armstrong Fancy Gifts Corporation, plot to create their own version of utopia using nanobots, while a guerilla group known as BZRK develops a DNA-based biot that can stop bots, but at risk of the host’s brain. Yesterday morning the Youth Media Awards were held at the American Library’s Association’s Midwinter Conference. These awards are held annually and recognize some of the best books written for the year for kids and teens. Check out the recording of the awards ceremony and then take a look at the winning Teen books below! Given for excellence in literature written for young adults. Four Printz Honor Books also were named: This One Summer also was named a Caldecott Honor Book: the Randolph Caldecott Medal is for the most distinguished American picture book for children. Given for a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens. Four other books were finalists for the award: Four other books were finalists for the award: The Family Romanov was also named a Robert F. Sibert Informational Honor Book, for most distinguished informational book for children and teens: These books, recommended for ages 12-18, meet the criteria of both quality literature and appeal to teens, while comprising a wide range of genres, styles and subjects. Click here to find the full list! Top Ten list from the final selections: The Crossover by Kwame Alexander The Carnival at Bray by Jessie Ann Foley Vango by Timothee de Fombelle The Story of Owen Dragonslayer of Trondheim by E.K. Johnston The Gospel of Winter by Brendan Kiely We Were Liars by e. lockhart The Young Elites by Marie Lu I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson Jackaby by William Ritter Noggin by John Corey Whaley Coretta Scott King Honor Book: The Coretta Scott Kind Book Award recognizes an African American author and illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults: John Steptoe New Talent Author Award: The John Steptoe New Talent Award recognizes new talent and is determined by the Coretta Scott King Task Force: Schneider Family Book Award’s Teen Selection: for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience: Stonewall Honor Books: given annually to English-language children’s and young adult books of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience: Check out the books, movies, TV shows, and music that come highly recommended by our Teen Advisory Board Members! Will: 1984 by George Orwell Veronika: Empty by Suzanne Weyn Ashley: Insurgent by Veronica Roth Movies & TV Will: Once Upon a Time Julia: Law & Order Chloe: If I Stay Barbara: FourFiveSeconds by Rhianna, Kanye, and Paul McCartney; I Need You by M83 Kelsey: Symphony Soldier by The Cab, Pirates of the Caribbean film scores by Hans Zimmer Julia: The Big Bang by Rock Mafia Katie: The Heart Wants What it Wants and My Dilemma 2.0 by Selena Gomez; Sledgehammer by Fifth Harmony; Cry Me a River by Justin Timberlake; Something Big by Shawn Mendes

(c) Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield MA. All rights reserved. Contact us for information about using this image. It was customary in the 18th century for a young man to ask the parents or guardian of the girl he wished to marry for permission to continue his courtship. Samuel Field (1743-1800) of Deerfield, Massachusetts, was the uncle and guardian ("since her kind and dutifull behaviour towards me and my Family, has much endeared her to me, so that she seems more like a Child than a Niece") of Hannah Taylor (born 1722). The letter responds to the request by Elihu Hoyt (1771-1833) to marry Hannah. Field admits that he does not pretend to control Hannah, but he feels the match would be a good one and he extends to Mr. Hoyt his best wishes for success in courting her.

The Baby Birds and Bees A recent article by Associated Press stated that a certain King Middle School in Portland, Maine decided to make birth control pills available for its students. That’s right, Middle School. The Apostolate of Being Words are not enough. In order to live sanctity we need living models. For that reason, God the Father sent us his son, Jesus. He also invites us to mirror Christ. Indeed, the greatest apostolate is to embody Jesus Christ as perfectly as possible. More than I Want to Know If we were to listen to what goes on in the locker room at halftime of a NBA game, either television folks would have to do a lot of bleeping or we would have to develop a new tolerance for profanity. Surely, neither would make the game more enjoyable. Immaculate Conception Young girl of faith from Galilee: so human, so prone to motherhood, craving life, yearning Yahweh to see a world more softened. Marian Strategy Apostolic mission: the role of the Rosary prayer when pursuing holiness. And Now, a Word from Whose Sponsors? “Appropriate” is a word that has fallen out of use – and application. Advertisers and television networks ought to exercise a little judgment about what is proper to show. The Vocation of Mary This is a festival of the mother of God whose skin is brown, red, and yellow as well as white. This is also a day to celebrate the diversity that God, the Creator has gifted us with. A Contemporary Christmas Carol Each one of us has this time of Christmas to discover someone in need, someone who is sad, someone who is looking for Christ. And so often we learn that we really don’t have to look that far.

The time has come to draw a line in the sand on extreme poverty. We have the resources and the will. What we no longer have is any excuse for inaction. On August 15, I signed into law House Bill 4369, which establishes the Commission on the Elimination of Poverty in the state of Illinois. The stated goal of the new body is to create a plan to cut extreme poverty in Illinois in half by the year 2015. By combining achievable goals with a comprehensive approach to poverty, I believe this Commission can move Illinois even further into the forefront in the national movement against poverty, and establish Illinois as the model state for others to emulate. The Commission will focus on those who live in extreme poverty, defined as 50 percent of the federal poverty line, or an income of merely $11,000 per year for a family of four. According to the Heartland Alliance for Human Needs and Human Rights, 700,000 Illinoisans live in extreme poverty, 150,000 of whom are aged 12-24. Confronting extreme poverty demands more than making up for an unacceptable shortfall in the means required to achieve a reasonable standard of living. It also means we need to stand with those children and young adults whose fragile futures we have the power to shape. To provide opportunities for these families to work themselves out of poverty is both to help provide them what they need stay alive today as well as to provide them with the tools and opportunities to thrive tomorrow. Every person has a right to a safe place to live, adequate healthcare, food, and decent educational and employment opportunities. Because a quality life has so many dimensions, we have structured our new Commission to focus on eight key areas: - Affordable housing - Food and nutrition - Affordable and quality health care - Equal access to quality education - Dependable and affordable transportation - Quality and affordable child care - Opportunities to engage in sustainable work that pays a living wage - Availability of adequate income supports We already know that you can’t just give people a hand-out and expect them to succeed. These eight areas acknowledge that we need to cover people’s basic needs and, at the same time, that we can never make serious inroads into poverty until we open up to everyone the tried and tested pathways to success. A deeper look at rising poverty levels in Illinois shows why we need to take a broader approach: in the last 10 years, low-income students have risen from 36.3 percent to 40.9 percent of the total enrollment and this year alone has witnessed a 4 percent increase in the number of households that receive Food Stamps. These are problems we can conquer, but only if take into account – and address – the many factors of poverty. One reason we are creating this Commission is to ensure that the Illinois has a long-term plan. The political will exists to do something about poverty and so it is equally important to develop an approach that can garner support from both sides of the aisle. When everyone can agree that we must act to reduce poverty, there is no time to let politics overwhelm initiative. This bill, which passed unanimously in both the Illinois House and Senate, mandates that the Commission represent all points of view. I will appoint five members, the Lieutenant Governor will appoint one, and then the House Majority and Minority Leaders and the Senate Majority and Minority Leaders will appoint five each for a total of 26. This gives us confidence that when the Commission does develop a plan, it will be one that all of Illinois can get behind. We have allowed extreme poverty to persist for far too long. I am proud to say that the creation of this Commission is an important first step in remedying that inaction. We have now made a firm commitment to identifying and implementing policies that will greatly reduce the number of Illinoisans living in poverty. I hope that we can inspire other states and communities to follow suit, and pledge to dramatically reduce poverty in the coming years. These goals are not always easy, but they are within reach. It will require hard work and determination to halve the number of people living in extreme poverty by 2015. Yet it is a deadline that all Illinoisans can now await with optimism and hope. Viewpoints in this section solely represent the authors’ opinions and not the opinions of "Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity."

Meeting Mia for her first ever full frontal nude sessions proved to be a happy experience for both model and photographer. At the photo session in Paris, Mia proved herself to be perfect model material. Not only does this playful and sexy young woman have a superb body – with a particularly amazing ass - she also has the brains too. Mia recently moved to Budapest and is studying Public Management. She has plans to open her own model agency and experience in front of the camera is certain to help this ambitious girl on her way. Mia is gorgeous, polite and full of personality. She is the kind of girl you could easily fall in love with. She has the tiniest of appetites... but like many girls Mia just loves chocolate! With brains and beauty this girl is definitely headed for the top!

Miners’ Rescue Dominates News Interest Jump in Attention to Midterm Election News Summary of Findings The dramatic rescue of 33 Chilean miners trapped underground for more than two months dominated the public’s news interest last week, while the media focused on both the miners’ saga and the midterm Congressional elections. With the Nov. 2 elections fast approaching, the percent of the public tracking election news very closely jumped to 33% from 23% one week earlier. According to the latest News Interest Index survey conducted Oct. 14-17 among 1,002 adults by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, Republicans continue to follow election news more closely than Democrats or independents. Currently, close to half of Republicans (47%) say they are following this news very closely, compared with 32% of Democrats and 26% of independents. The week of Oct. 7-10, 31% of Republicans said they were following news about the midterms very closely, compared with 21% of Democrats and 20% of independents. While the public appears increasingly attentive to election news, four-in-ten say they followed news about the rescue of the miners – heavily covered and broadcast live on television – more closely than any other news last week. Nearly two-in-ten (19%) say they followed news about the economy most closely; 15% say they followed news about the elections most closely. For its part, the media devoted 28% of coverage to the midterm elections and 21% of newshole to the drama that unfolded in Chile, according to a separate analysis by the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism (PEJ). Roughly 12% of coverage focused on the still-struggling economy – about 8% on the economy in general and 4% on the foreclosure issues causing new problems for the housing market. About half of the public (49%) says they followed news about the rescue of the Chilean miners very closely. That’s greater than the 33% that said they very closely followed news about a deadly explosion in a West Virginia coal mine this April and comparable to the 47% that said they followed news that closely about the deaths of 12 miners in a West Virginia mine in January 2006. Women generally paid closer attention to the developments in Chile than men: 55% say they followed this news very closely, compared with 42% of men. More than four-in-ten (42%) say they followed news about the economy very closely, while 19% say this was the story they followed most closely. About a quarter (26%) say they followed news about foreclosure problems very closely, while 6% say this was the news they followed most closely. A third (33%) say they followed news about the midterm elections very closely, 15% say this was the news they followed most closely. Nearly four-in-ten men (38%) say they followed election news very closely, compared with 28% of women. About two-in-ten of the public (19%) say they followed news about Obama administration plans to lift the ban on deep-water oil and gas exploration put in place after the BP disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. The story accounted for 3% of coverage; 5% say this was the news they followed most closely. Two-in-ten (20%) say they very closely followed news about a federal judge’s decision to block enforcement of the government’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy concerning gays in the military. This news accounted for 3% of coverage and 3% say this was the news they followed most closely. While young people generally say they are following key news stories less closely than older people, that is not the case with the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” story. More than two-in-ten (22%) of those ages 18-29 say they followed this news very closely, compared with 17% of those age 30-49, 19% of those age 50-64 and 24% of those 65 and older. These findings are based on the most recent installment of the weekly News Interest Index, an ongoing project of the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. The index, building on the Center’s longstanding research into public attentiveness to major news stories, examines news interest as it relates to the news media’s coverage. The weekly survey is conducted in conjunction with The Project for Excellence in Journalism’s News Coverage Index, which monitors the news reported by major newspaper, television, radio and online news outlets on an ongoing basis. In the most recent week, data relating to news coverage were collected October 11-17, and survey data measuring public interest in the top news stories of the week were collected October 14-17, from a nationally representative sample of 1,002 adults. About the News Interest Index The News Interest Index is a weekly survey conducted by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press aimed at gauging the public’s interest in and reaction to major news events. This project has been undertaken in conjunction with the Project for Excellence in Journalism’s News Coverage Index, an ongoing content analysis of the news. The News Coverage Index catalogues the news from top news organizations across five major sectors of the media: newspapers, network television, cable television, radio and the internet. Each week (from Monday through Sunday) PEJ compiles this data to identify the top stories for the week. (For more information about the Project for Excellence in Journalism’s News Coverage Index, go to www.journalism.org.) The News Interest Index survey collects data from Thursday through Sunday to gauge public interest in the most covered stories of the week. Results for this survey are based on telephone interviews conducted under the direction of Princeton Survey Research Associates International among a national sample of 1,002 adults living in the continental United States, 18 years of age or older, from October 14-17, 2010 (671 respondents were interviewed on a landline telephone, and 331 were interviewed on a cell phone, including 157 who had no landline telephone). Both the landline and cell phone samples were provided by Survey Sampling International. Interviews were conducted in English. The combined landline and cell phone sample are weighted using an iterative technique that matches gender, age, education, race, Hispanic origin, region, and population density to parameters from the March 2009 Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey. The sample is also weighted to match current patterns of telephone status based on extrapolations from the 2009 National Health Interview Survey. The weighting procedure also accounts for the fact that respondents with both landline and cell phones have a greater probability of being included in the combined sample and adjusts for household size within the landline sample. Sampling errors and statistical tests of significance take into account the effect of weighting. The following table shows the error attributable to sampling that would be expected at the 95% level of confidence for different groups in the survey: In addition to sampling error, one should bear in mind that question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of opinion polls.

Stocks Hit Highs While Uncertain Credit Union Members Continue to Save The Dow Jones industrial average in recent days has ended a surge that the markets hadn’t seen in 17 years. For some, it was one more sign that the nation’s economy may be continuing to move along the road to recovery. Industry watchers said the Dow’s ascension, which started at close to 14,254 on March 5 and peaked at 14,514 on March 15, was fueled by several factors, including a spike in gas prices. Investors may have either been spooked by the record rise or made some adjustments to their portfolio mix. For credit union members, who tend to err on the side of conservative, the Dow’s increase might have aligned with their savings, which were up in January, according to CUNA Mutual Group’s March Credit Union Trends Report. The timing of the Dow’s record movement coincides with the latest update from an initiative between CU Solutions Group and SaveUp. According to the Michigan Credit Union League & Affiliates, which owns CU Solutions Group, SaveUp is a free rewards program that encourages consumers to make positive changes to their financial behaviors. More than 40 credit unions have signed on with SaveUp since the alliance launched six months ago. Every time members contribute to their savings or retirement accounts, pay down their credit cards, mortgages or other loans or engage with SaveUp’s financial education content, they earn credits they can use to win prizes from sponsors such as Virgin America, Banana Republic and GameStop, as well as a $2 million jackpot, CUSG said. For the $737 million Northeast Credit Union in Portsmouth, N.H., SaveUp has served several roles particularly with certain member niches and their spending and long-term planning goals, said Andrea Pruna, vice president of marketing at Northeast. “SaveUp is a great innovative tool to engage with the Gen Y market, reward positive member behavior and help plan our marketing tactics using its incredibly useful data reports,” Pruna said. Unlike their baby boomer counterparts, Gen X and Gen Y have a bit more time to plan for retirement. To target these younger members, SaveUp recently released its first U.S. Consumer Savings and Debt Report with its major findings focused on the financial habits of Gen X and Gen Y. With Gen X, average mortgage debt was $181,706, which was 21% above the U.S. average. Average student loan debt and credit card debt were $44,270 and $8,801, respectively. Gen Y had less debt averages, according to SaveUp. The average mortgage debt was more than $161,000, which was 7.5% above the U.S. average. Average student loan debt and credit card debt were $40,273 and $4,113, respectively. “Our recent data report shows that young people are bearing a disproportionate share of the country’s non-asset debt, and if credit unions can engage younger Americans to offer them better terms, and longer term financial services, there is a real benefit to all sides,” said Priya Haji, CEO and co-founder of SaveUp. Meanwhile, despite the Dow’s winning streak and more consumers paying down debt, retiring comfortably remains elusive for some. According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute’s Retirement Confidence Survey, released on March 19, the percentage of workers confident about having enough money for a comfortable retirement is essentially unchanged from the record lows observed in 2011. While more than half expressed some level of confidence, with 13% being very confident and 38% somewhat confident of being able to afford a comfortable retirement, 21% were not too confident, and 28% were not at all confident. The latter figure is the highest level of those not at all confident recorded during the 23 years of the survey, EBRI said. One reason that retirement confidence has remained low despite a brightening economic outlook is that some workers may be waking up to just how much they may need to save, according to EBRI. Asked how much they believe they will need to save to achieve a financially secure retirement, a striking number of workers cited large savings targets: 20% said they need to save between 20% to 29% of their income and 23% indicated they need to save 30% or more. “Aggressive as those savings targets appear to be, they may not be based on a careful analysis of their individual circumstances,” said Jack VanDerhei, EBRI research director and co-author of the report. “Only 46% report they and/or their spouse have tried to calculate how much money they will need to have saved by the time they retire so that they can live comfortably in retirement.”

Common Skin Conditions: Fine Lines and Wrinkles Creases. Furrows. Crevices. Cracks. No matter what you call them, the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles are a natural part of the aging process. So, what causes wrinkles? As we get older, our skin becomes thinner and less supple, and its ability to protect itself from damage is also diminished. From smoking to sun exposure and even smiling, there are many possible causes of wrinkles.1 Whether you see them as markers of milestones or a sign of the mileposts behind you, wrinkles are a beautiful expression of who we are and where we have been—even still, most of us would prefer to keep them to a minimum. How can I prevent them? Wrinkles affect everyone as they age, but where and when they appear is largely up to you. Limiting sun exposure, or wearing long sleeves and hats when outside, is the best way to help maintain your youthful complexion a little longer. The importance of applying a sunscreen such as our award-winning, PABA-free Nu-Derm® Sun Shield Matte Broad Spectrum SPF 50 cannot be overstated for its ability to keep signs of skin aging at bay, now and down the road. Dry skin, often made worse by sun exposure, can also make the appearance of wrinkles look more prominent. Make it a habit to carry a reusable water bottle with you, and sip it constantly. Add a squeeze of fresh citrus like lime, lemon, or even orange to give your water a kick of flavor and some power-packed Vitamin C. What can I do to get rid of them? Unfortunately, wrinkles are just a part of life. Instead of trying to wage an all-out war on them, we suggest starting each morning with something you actually can control: a quick beauty trick that can help tighten the appearance of your skin. Fill a small basin with cold water and ice cubes, and dip your face in for 5 to 10 seconds. Doing this will help to shrink the appearance of pores and reduce under-eye puffiness.2 Follow that with a 10-minute facial massage to stimulate skin cells and tighten the appearance of the skin. Moisturizer has inherent plumping properties that temporarily smooth out the skin, so be sure to apply your favorite every morning. At bedtime, try a targeted eye-area product such as Obagi ELASTIderm® Eye Cream to help diminish the appearance of pesky crow’s feet, fine lines, and wrinkles around the eyes. A humidifier and a good night’s rest can also work wonders to help keep the stresses of the day from showing up on your skin. As you may have guessed, the key to flawless skin is really you: your discipline, your ability to stay young at heart, and your selection of just a few of the right products to bring out the best of every milestone you’ve achieved. Protect and bring out your natural radiance for years to come by incorporating these steps into your daily beauty ritual. References: 1. Cosmetic procedures for wrinkles. WebMD Web site. http://www.webmd.com/healthy-beauty/cosmetic-procedures-wrinkles. Accessed March 13, 2013. 2. Banish the bags under your eyes. WebMD Web site. http://www.webmd.com/healthy-beauty/features/banish-the-bags-under-your-eyes?page=2. Accessed March 26, 2013.

|S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r| Trouble with the Curve [Blu-ray] (Robert Lorenz, 2012) Review by Gary Tooze Theatrical: Malpaso Productions Region: FREE! (as verified by the Momitsu region FREE Blu-ray player) Disc Size: 28,797,006,423 bytes Feature Size: 26,927,726,592 bytes Video Bitrate: 24.84 Mbps Case: Standard Blu-ray case Release date: December 18th, 2012 Aspect ratio: 2.35:1 Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video DTS-HD Master Audio English 3577 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3577 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit) Dolby Digital Audio French 640 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 640 kbps / DN -4dB Dolby Digital Audio Portuguese 640 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 640 kbps / DN -4dB Dolby Digital Audio Spanish 640 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 640 kbps / DN -4dB English (SDH), French, Portuguese, Spanish, none •Behind the Scenes: Trouble with the Curve Rising Through the Ranks (4:37) •Behind the Scenes: Trouble with the Curve: For the Love of the Game (6:02) Description: Gus Lobel (Clint Eastwood) has been one of the best scouts in baseball for decades, but, despite his efforts to hide it, age is starting to catch up with him. Nevertheless, Gus-who can tell a pitch just by the crack of the bat-refuses to be benched for what may be the final innings of his career. He may not have a choice. The front office of the Atlanta Braves is starting to question his judgment, especially with the country's hottest batting phenom on deck for the draft. The one person who might be able to help is also the one person Gus would never ask: his daughter, Mickey (Amy Adams), an associate at a high-powered Atlanta law firm whose drive and ambition has put her on the fast track to becoming partner. Against her better judgment, and over Gus's objections, Mickey joins him on his latest scouting trip to North Carolina, jeopardizing her own career to save his. Clint Eastwood and a superb cast hit it out of the park in Trouble With The Curve, a great entertainment filled with heart, humor, family drama and fantastic acting. It's less a baseball flick, and more an engaging father/daughter relationship film that uses America's favorite pastime only as a bridge to get to the real heart of the matter. As an aging baseball scout battling failing vision, Eastwood must compete with computer programs and younger corporate know-it-alls, plus deal with a grown daughter (Amy Adams) who only wants his attention. This smart and extremely likeable outing has the veteran star right where he belongs and should draw his fans and beyond.Excerpt from Box Office.com located HERE Georgia to North Carolina in this sports drama produced and directed by frequent Eastwood collaborator Robert Lorenz. For decades, Gus Lobel (Eastwood) has been one of the best scouts in Major League Baseball. But these days his eyes just aren't what they used to be, and as a phenomenal young batter enters the draft, the owners of the Atlanta Braves cast a shadow of doubt over Gus' judgment. Meanwhile, his daughter Mickey ( Adams) is an aspiring partner at a major Atlanta law firm. In the wake of his wife's death, Gus sent Mickey away, and their relationship has been strained ever since. But she knows a thing or two about baseball, and recognizing that her father's job is in jeopardy, she decides to help him -- even at the risk of derailing her own career. Now, throwing caution to the wind (and ignoring her gruff father's objections), Mickey joins Gus for a scouting trip that could keep him in the game until he's ready to retire, as well as repair a father/daughter relationship that once seemed all but lost. Justin Timberlake, John Goodman, Robert Patrick, and Matthew Lillard co-star.Excerpt from MRQE located HERE Image : NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. Trouble With the Curve looks acceptable on Blu-ray from Warner. It has no flaws but the 1080P image lacks a certain identity to send it to the next level. There are a lot of outdoor scenes that look reasonably impressive. This sneaks into dual-layered territory with a supportive bitrate. Colors have a blue/teal leaning but contrast is adept. This Blu-ray has a consistent appearance. The baseball fields tend to look the most impressive and there is some depth. This Blu-ray isn't demo material but it gives a stong enough presentation to focus attention on the appealing story. CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION The DTS-HD Master 5.1 at a whopping 3577 kbps easily handles what the film dishes out including some surround baseball sounds. Mostly dialogue with a few effects. Marco Beltrami is a busy guy - notable for The Hurt Locker and 3:10 to Yuma - and his score here suits the film and the baseball milieu. There are optional subtitles and my Momitsu has identified it as being a region FREE disc playable on Blu-ray machines worldwide. Just a couple of shortish 'Behind the Scenes' pieces. One on Rising Through the Ranks (5-minutes) focusing on director Robert Lorenz climb up the ladder and a second entitled For the Love of the Game running just over 6-minutes. December 12th, 2012 About the Reviewer: Hello, fellow Beavers! I have been interested in film since I viewed a Chaplin festival on PBS when I was around 9 years old. I credit DVD with expanding my horizons to fill an almost ravenous desire to seek out new film experiences. I currently own approximately 9500 DVDs and have reviewed over 5000 myself. I appreciate my discussion Listserv for furthering my film education and inspiring me to continue running DVDBeaver. Plus a healthy thanks to those who donate and use our Amazon links. Although I never wanted to become one of those guys who focused 'too much' on image and sound quality - I find HD is swiftly pushing me in that direction. Oppo Digital BDP-83 Universal Region FREE Blu-ray/SACD Gary W. Tooze ALL OUR NEW FORMAT DVD REVIEWS

Mostly Credited As: Dylan Minnette Birth Name: Dylan Christopher Minnette Date Of Birth: December 29, 1996 (Age 19) Country Of Birth: USA Birth Place: Evansville, Indiana Height: 5' 8" (1.72 m) Dylan Minnette is an American actor, and was born on December 29, 1996 in Evansville, Indiana. Minnette's first high profile role was as Holly Hunter's nephew Clay on the TNT drama Saving Grace. Prior to that, he played the young version of lead character Michael Scofield on five episodes of FOX's Prison Break. In 2010, he played Jack Shephard's son David in the sideways timeline of the final season of Lost. In 2012, he portrayed Det. Michael Britten's son Rex on the short lived but critically acclaimed NBC drama Awake. Other credits include Two And A Half Men, Ghost Whisperer, Rules Of Engagement, The Mentalist, Supernatural, Let Me In, Medium, Lie To Me, Men Of A Certain Age, and Law & Order: SVU.

Daily Telegraph, April 3rd 2006, p.1 A drop in qualified staff appears inevitable as leaked documents suggest reduction by a third, with qualified nurses replaced by unqualified staff. While NHS Direct attracts millions of calls, website visitors and digital television viewers, seventy per cent of enquiries are passed back to the commissioning care trusts according to critics. Daily Telegraph, March 28th 2006, p.16 Reflecting on similarities between problems in healthcare for the young and old now and twenty years ago, the author asks about moral, ethical and personal perspectives in deciding how to prioritise health funding. Guardian, April 19th 2006, p.1 The parliamentary Health Select Committee is preparing to inquire into how NHS trusts acquired deficits despite extra funding. The article provides comments on costs and the progress of the reform programme. Financial Times, April 13th 2006, p.4 Tony Blair was warned at a Downing Street summit with local health heads that clearing the NHS deficit may take more than a year. Further job losses are anticipated as are cutting agency workers and shifting care outside hospitals as heavily indebted trusts seek cost saving measures. The article also touches on a think tank report’s assertion that moving care away from hospitals will result in ten per cent job losses. [See also Daily Telegraph, April 13th 2006, p.6; Times, April 13th 2006, p.4; Guardian, April 13th 2006; p.7; Independent, April 13th 2006, p.5] Financial Times, April 21st 2006, p.4 Poor and delayed NHS procurement procedures are adding £2.4m to the cost of PFI hospitals according to the Confederation of British Industry. The article looks at the process and provides comments. N. Hawkes & G. Hurst Times, April 18th 2006, p.2 “Vital specialist paediatric capacity” is threatened by an insensitive tariff which leaves four children’s hospitals with a £22m shortfall in income. The situation was revealed by a letter from the hospitals’ heads, and supports criticisms of the national tariff’s lack of sophistication. [See also Daily Telegraph, April 18th 2006, p.4; Guardian, April 18th 2006, p. 13] Public Finance. March 24th-30th 2006, p.20-23 Part of the blame for the current financial crisis in the NHS has been laid at the door of the new payment by results system. The author argues that payment by results should in the long run lead to efficiency gains and greater transparency in NHS management. Problems are to be expected in the implementation phase until the new system settles down. These include difficulties with calculating the national tariff, problems for trusts adjusting to a single national price for treatments, and perverse financial incentives for hospitals to do unnecessary work. Guardian, April 3rd 2006, p.1 Challenging the free at point of service stance, and calling for an urgent multiparty review of health policy, the “Doctors for Reform” pressure group claims that a service funded only by taxes will result in rationing and fail to meet patient expectations. The group which finds disillusionment with the current NHS system among voters, proposes an insurance-based alternative. [See also Independent, April 3rd 2006, p.6; Times, Monday April 3rd 2006 p.2] Financial Times, April 19th 2006, p. 15 The lack of an adequate commercial costing system half way through the implementation of “payment by results”, and conflicting policy directions underlie the current NHS deficits according to Darwall who asks whether internal markets can work, and whether Whitehall has the policy design capacity, and implementation skills needed for change on the scale required for NHS reform. The article looks at inaccurate data, management skills and alignment of incentives with efficiency. Health Service Journal, vol.116, Apr. 13th 2006, p.5-7 Reports on plans to achieve financial balance in the NHS in London. These include draconian measures to save money by reducing the number of referrals of patients for hospital treatment. GP decisions could be overruled by PCT referral panels. N. Hawkes & D. Charter Times, April 12th 2006, p.8 Cuts to the annual spend on drugs and temporary staff are proposed by the new NHS chief as a think tank report predicts 100, 000 job losses following reforms. The article looks at training and recruitment levels. [See also Guardian, April 12th 2006 p. 8] Financial Times, April 19th 2006, p.4 Given the discounts that pharmacists obtain from wholesalers and manufacturers of generic drugs, analysis finds the NHS paying up to 78% over the source price. Generic drugs account for 80% of NHS prescriptions while prescriptions overall make up 11% of the NHS budget according to the article. N. Timmins & J. Burns Financial Times, March 31st 2006, p.4 Although pay awards will be phased in for the NHS and other public services, the cost of the rises will consume almost a third of the extra money allocated to the NHS. The article provides comments from representative bodies including the British Medical Association which has described the awards, which will raise health workers’ pay by between 2 and 2.5 per cent, as “vindictive” and likely to alienate the profession. [See also Times, March 31st 2006 p.26; Guardian, March 31st 2006 p. 7] Health Service Journal, vol.116, Apr. 6th 2006, p.14-15 Article reports on a study of the early rollout of the payment by results system in South Yorkshire, where all acute trusts had achieved foundation status by June 2005. The study found that primary care trusts had too little control over hospital activity. Although a wide range of local initiatives had been put in place to try and control activity levels, no overall strategy has been developed to address demand pressures. At the same time, the hospitals had financial incentives to increase activity, and were also beginning to stop running unprofitable services. London: TSO, 2006 (Cm 6752) Key recommendations and conclusions of the Review Body are: 1) an increase in the Agenda for Change pay rates of 2.5 per cent from 1 April 2006; and 2) and increase of 2.5% in the existing minimum and maximum High Cost Area Supplements for Inner London, Outer London and the Fringe. The Review Body also recommends that the health departments ensure that a comprehensive survey is conducted annually to identify the earnings of the remit groups and their location within pay bands. London: TSO, 2006 (Cm 6733) The Review Body took into account the following economic and general considerations: 1) that the health departments were critically concerned about the affordability of the uplift; 2) the continued growth in the number of medical and dental staff in the Hospital and Community Health Service; and 3) that the latest NHS Staff Survey for 2004 showed some improvements in terms of staff satisfaction. The Review Body stated that doctors such as consultants and GPs have benefited financially from new contracts and the pay of doctors compares well with comparator groups. Analysis of figures from the Office of National Statistics indicates that doctors' pay has increased at a much faster rate than the average for high earners in the economy. The Review Body stated that there was no indication that there was a problem in recruiting in London, so there was no reason to increase London weighting Times, April 4th 2006, p.18 The question of which services should remain in a tax-funded core and which are appropriate for co-payment should be the focus of a multi party review of NHS aspirations according to Sikora of Doctors for Reform. Dropping failing areas like provision of hearing aids from the NHS would allow for a modern, innovative system based on insurance and co-payments, while increased rationing would decrease equity as the wealthy could queue jump by going private. J. Carvel and W. Woodward Guardian, March 24th 2006, p.1 Guardian figures show 4000 NHS job losses in the previous fortnight including 700 announced in Prime Minister Blair’s constituency. The Shadow Health Secretary has accused the government of allowing the NHS to sink under financial pressures and Chancellor Gordon Brown of ignoring the NHS in his budget. Plans for dealing with deficits have been submitted to the Healthy Department. [See also Times, March 24th2006 p.28; Independent, March 24th 2006 p.11; Daily Telegraph, March 24th 2006, p.8] Health Service Journal, vol.116, Apr.6th 2006, p.5Money intended public health improvement has instead been spent on NHS staff salary hikes which far exceeded the recommendations of the 2002 Wanless report. The report set out a vision of a “fully engaged” scenario in which people took control of their own health care. Achieving this scenario would require increased productivity, better health improvement services and action to tackle the wider determinants of ill health. In order to support this staff pay rises of 2% per year over 20 years were recommended. Instead, the Department of Health agreed immediate large salary increases under the new GP and consultant contracts and the Agenda for Change programme.

Both blunted osteocytic production of the Wnt inhibitor sclerostin (Scl) and increased T-cell production of the Wnt ligand Wnt10b contribute to the bone anabolic activity of intermittent parathyroid hormone (iPTH) treatment. However, the relative contribution of these mechanisms is unknown. In this study, we modeled the repressive effects of iPTH on Scl production in mice by treatment with a neutralizing anti-Scl antibody (Scl-Ab) to determine the contribution of T-cell–produced Wnt10b to the Scl-independent modalities of action of iPTH. We report that combined treatment with Scl-Ab and iPTH was more potent than either iPTH or Scl-Ab alone in increasing stromal cell production of OPG, osteoblastogenesis, osteoblast life span, bone turnover, bone mineral density, and trabecular bone volume and structure in mice with T cells capable of producing Wnt10b. In T-cell–null mice and mice lacking T-cell production of Wnt10b, combined treatment increased bone turnover significantly more than iPTH or Scl-Ab alone. However, in these mice, combined treatment with Scl-Ab and iPTH was equally effective as Scl-Ab alone in increasing the osteoblastic pool, bone volume, density, and structure. These findings demonstrate that the Scl-independent activity of iPTH on osteoblasts and bone mass is mediated by T-cell–produced Wnt10b. The data provide a proof of concept of a more potent therapeutic effect of combined treatment with iPTH and Scl-Ab than either alone. © 2014 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research. PTH; BONE; SCL; ANTIBODY; T CELLS; WNT10B Multifrequency atomic force microscopy imaging has been recently demonstrated as a powerful technique for quickly obtaining information about the mechanical properties of a sample. Combining this development with recent gains in imaging speed through small cantilevers holds the promise of a convenient, high-speed method for obtaining nanoscale topography as well as mechanical properties. Nevertheless, instrument bandwidth limitations on cantilever excitation and readout have restricted the ability of multifrequency techniques to fully benefit from small cantilevers. We present an approach for cantilever excitation and deflection readout with a bandwidth of 20 MHz, enabling multifrequency techniques extended beyond 2 MHz for obtaining materials contrast in liquid and air, as well as soft imaging of delicate biological samples. atomic force microscopy; multifrequency imaging; nanomechanical characterization; photothermal excitation; small cantilevers Tropical forests are being rapidly altered by logging, and cleared for agriculture. Understanding the effects of these land use changes on soil fungi, which play vital roles in the soil ecosystem functioning and services, is a major conservation frontier. Using 454-pyrosequencing of the ITS1 region of extracted soil DNA, we compared communities of soil fungi between unlogged, once-logged, and twice-logged rainforest, and areas cleared for oil palm, in Sabah, Malaysia. Overall fungal community composition differed significantly between forest and oil palm plantation. The OTU richness and Chao 1 were higher in forest, compared to oil palm plantation. As a proportion of total reads, Basidiomycota were more abundant in forest soil, compared to oil palm plantation soil. The turnover of fungal OTUs across space, true β-diversity, was also higher in forest than oil palm plantation. Ectomycorrhizal (EcM) fungal abundance was significantly different between land uses, with highest relative abundance (out of total fungal reads) observed in unlogged forest soil, lower abundance in logged forest, and lowest in oil palm. In their entirety, these results indicate a pervasive effect of conversion to oil palm on fungal community structure. Such wholesale changes in fungal communities might impact the long-term sustainability of oil palm agriculture. Logging also has more subtle long term effects, on relative abundance of EcM fungi, which might affect tree recruitment and nutrient cycling. However, in general the logged forest retains most of the diversity and community composition of unlogged forest. Tropical forests are being rapidly altered by logging and cleared for agriculture. Understanding the effects of these land use changes on soil bacteria, which constitute a large proportion of total biodiversity and perform important ecosystem functions, is a major conservation frontier. Here we studied the effects of logging history and forest conversion to oil palm plantations in Sabah, Borneo, on the soil bacterial community. We used paired-end Illumina sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene, V3 region, to compare the bacterial communities in primary, once-logged, and twice-logged forest and land converted to oil palm plantations. Bacteria were grouped into operational taxonomic units (OTUs) at the 97% similarity level, and OTU richness and local-scale α-diversity showed no difference between the various forest types and oil palm plantations. Focusing on the turnover of bacteria across space, true β-diversity was higher in oil palm plantation soil than in forest soil, whereas community dissimilarity-based metrics of β-diversity were only marginally different between habitats, suggesting that at large scales, oil palm plantation soil could have higher overall γ-diversity than forest soil, driven by a slightly more heterogeneous community across space. Clearance of primary and logged forest for oil palm plantations did, however, significantly impact the composition of soil bacterial communities, reflecting in part the loss of some forest bacteria, whereas primary and logged forests did not differ in composition. Overall, our results suggest that the soil bacteria of tropical forest are to some extent resilient or resistant to logging but that the impacts of forest conversion to oil palm plantations are more severe. Since the invention of hybridoma technology, methods for generating affinity reagents that bind specific target molecules have revolutionized biology and medicine. In the postgenomic era, there is a pressing need to accelerate the pace of ligand discovery to elucidate the functions of a rapidly growing number of newly characterized molecules and their modified states. Nonimmunoglobulin-based proteins such as DARPins, affibodies, and monobodies represent attractive alternatives to traditional antibodies as these are small, soluble, disulfide-free, single-domain scaffolds that can be selected from combinatorial libraries and expressed in bacteria. For example, monobodies—highly stable scaffolds based on the immunoglobulin VH-like 10th fibronectin type III (10Fn3) domain of human fibronectin—have yielded antibody mimetics that bind to numerous targets for applications including intracellular inhibition,[5,6] therapeutics, and biosensors.[6,8] These 10Fn3-based ligands can be derived from highly diverse libraries using techniques such as phage, ribosome, mRNA, bacterial, and yeast displays. antibodies; directed evolution; mRNA; ligand design; selection methods Modern high-speed atomic force microscopes generate significant quantities of data in a short amount of time. Each image in the sequence has to be processed quickly and accurately in order to obtain a true representation of the sample and its changes over time. This paper presents an automated, adaptive algorithm for the required processing of AFM images. The algorithm adaptively corrects for both common one-dimensional distortions as well as the most common two-dimensional distortions. This method uses an iterative thresholded processing algorithm for rapid and accurate separation of background and surface topography. This separation prevents artificial bias from topographic features and ensures the best possible coherence between the different images in a sequence. This method is equally applicable to all channels of AFM data, and can process images in seconds. adaptive algorithm; artifact correction; atomic force microscopy; high-speed atomic force microscope; image processing Little is known of how archaeal diversity and community ecology behaves along elevational gradients. We chose to study Mount Fuji of Japan as a geologically and topographically uniform mountain system, with a wide range of elevational zones. PCR-amplified soil DNA for the archaeal 16 S rRNA gene was pyrosequenced and taxonomically classified against EzTaxon-e archaeal database. At a bootstrap cut-off of 80%, most of the archaeal sequences were classified into phylum Thaumarchaeota (96%) and Euryarchaeota (3.9%), with no sequences classified into other phyla. Archaeal OTU richness and diversity on Fuji showed a pronounced ‘peak’ in the mid-elevations, around 1500 masl, within the boreal forest zone, compared to the temperate forest zone below and the alpine fell-field and desert zones above. Diversity decreased towards higher elevations followed by a subtle increase at the summit, mainly due to an increase in the relative abundance of the group I.1b of Thaumarchaeota. Archaeal diversity showed a strong positive correlation with soil NH4+, K and NO3−. Archaeal diversity does not parallel plant diversity, although it does roughly parallel bacterial diversity. Ecological hypotheses to explain the mid diversity bulge on Fuji include intermediate disturbance effects, and the result of mid elevations combining a mosaic of upper and lower slope environments. Our findings show clearly that archaeal soil communities are highly responsive to soil environmental gradients, in terms of both their diversity and community composition. Distinct communities of archaea specific to each elevational zone suggest that many archaea may be quite finely niche-adapted within the range of soil environments. A further interesting finding is the presence of a mesophilic component of archaea at high altitudes on a mountain that is not volcanically active. This emphasizes the importance of microclimate – in this case solar heating of the black volcanic ash surface – for the ecology of soil archaea. The development of new antiviral compounds active against hepatitis C virus (HCV) has surged in recent years. In order for these new compounds to be efficacious in humans, optimal dosage regimens for each compound must be elucidated. We have developed a novel in vitro pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic system, the BelloCell system, to identify optimal dosage regimens for anti-HCV compounds. In these experiments, genotype 1b HCV replicon-bearing cells (2209-23 cells) were inoculated onto carrier flakes in BelloCell bottles and treated with MK-4519, a serine protease inhibitor. Our dose-ranging studies illustrated that MK-4519 inhibited replicon replication in a dose-dependent manner, yielding a 50% effective concentration (EC50) of 1.8 nM. Dose-fractionation studies showed that shorter dosing intervals resulted in greater replicon suppression, indicating that the time that the concentration is greater than the EC50 is the pharmacodynamic parameter for MK-4519 linked with inhibition of replicon replication. Mutations associated with resistance to serine protease inhibitors were detected in replicons harvested from all treatment arms. These data suggest that MK-4519 is highly active against genotype 1b HCV, but monotherapy is not sufficient to prevent the amplification of resistant replicons. In summary, our findings show that the BelloCell system is a useful and clinically relevant tool for predicting optimal dosage regimens for anti-HCV compounds. Background: Focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID) is a direct-writing technique with nanometer resolution, which has received strongly increasing attention within the last decade. In FEBID a precursor previously adsorbed on a substrate surface is dissociated in the focus of an electron beam. After 20 years of continuous development FEBID has reached a stage at which this technique is now particularly attractive for several areas in both, basic and applied research. The present topical review addresses selected examples that highlight this development in the areas of charge-transport regimes in nanogranular metals close to an insulator-to-metal transition, the use of these materials for strain- and magnetic-field sensing, and the prospect of extending FEBID to multicomponent systems, such as binary alloys and intermetallic compounds with cooperative ground states. Results: After a brief introduction to the technique, recent work concerning FEBID of Pt–Si alloys and (hard-magnetic) Co–Pt intermetallic compounds on the nanometer scale is reviewed. The growth process in the presence of two precursors, whose flux is independently controlled, is analyzed within a continuum model of FEBID that employs rate equations. Predictions are made for the tunability of the composition of the Co–Pt system by simply changing the dwell time of the electron beam during the writing process. The charge-transport regimes of nanogranular metals are reviewed next with a focus on recent theoretical advancements in the field. As a case study the transport properties of Pt–C nanogranular FEBID structures are discussed. It is shown that by means of a post-growth electron-irradiation treatment the electronic intergrain-coupling strength can be continuously tuned over a wide range. This provides unique access to the transport properties of this material close to the insulator-to-metal transition. In the last part of the review, recent developments in mechanical strain-sensing and the detection of small, inhomogeneous magnetic fields by employing nanogranular FEBID structures are highlighted. Conclusion: FEBID has now reached a state of maturity that allows a shift of the focus towards the development of new application fields, be it in basic research or applied. This is shown for selected examples in the present review. At the same time, when seen from a broader perspective, FEBID still has to live up to the original idea of providing a tool for electron-controlled chemistry on the nanometer scale. This has to be understood in the sense that, by providing a suitable environment during the FEBID process, the outcome of the electron-induced reactions can be steered in a controlled way towards yielding the desired composition of the products. The development of a FEBID-specialized surface chemistry is mostly still in its infancy. Next to application development, it is this aspect that will likely be a guiding light for the future development of the field of focused electron beam induced deposition. atomic force microscopy; binary systems; electron beam induced deposition; granular metals; micro Hall magnetometry; radiation-induced nanostructures; strain sensing Intravenous zanamivir is recommended for the treatment of hospitalized patients with complicated oseltamivir-resistant influenza virus infections. In a companion paper, we show that the time above the 50% effective concentration (time>EC50) is the pharmacodynamic (PD) index predicting the inhibition of viral replication by intravenous zanamivir. However, for other neuraminidase inhibitors, the ratio of the area under the concentration-time curve to the EC50 (AUC/EC50) is the most predictive index. Our objectives are (i) to explain the dynamically linked variable of intravenous zanamivir by using different half-lives and (ii) to develop a new, mechanism-based population pharmacokinetic (PK)/PD model for the time course of viral load. We conducted dose fractionation studies in the hollow-fiber infection model (HFIM) system with zanamivir against an oseltamivir-resistant influenza virus. A clinical 2.5-h half-life and an artificially prolonged 8-h half-life were simulated for zanamivir. The values for the AUC from 0 to 24 h (AUC0-24) of zanamivir were equivalent for the two half-lives. Viral loads and zanamivir pharmacokinetics were comodeled using data from the present study and a previous dose range experiment via population PK/PD modeling in S-ADAPT. Dosing every 8 h (Q8h) suppressed the viral load better than dosing Q12h or Q24h at the 2.5-h half-life, whereas all regimens suppressed viral growth similarly at the 8-h half-life. The model provided unbiased and precise individual (Bayesian) (r2, >0.96) and population (pre-Bayesian) (r2, >0.87) fits for log10 viral load. Zanamivir inhibited viral release (50% inhibitory concentration [IC50], 0.0168 mg/liter; maximum extent of inhibition, 0.990). We identified AUC/EC50 as the pharmacodynamic index for zanamivir at the 8-h half-life, whereas time>EC50 best predicted viral suppression at the 2.5-h half-life, since the trough concentrations approached the IC50 for the 2.5-h but not for the 8-h half-life. The model explained data at both half-lives and holds promise for optimizing clinical zanamivir dosage regimens. In 2009, a novel H1N1 influenza A virus emerged and spread worldwide, initiating a pandemic. Various isolates obtained from disparate parts of the world were shown to be uniformly resistant to the adamantanes but sensitive to the neuraminidase inhibitors oseltamivir and zanamivir. Over time, resistance to oseltamivir became more prevalent among pandemic H1N1 virus isolates, while most remained susceptible to zanamivir. The government has proposed the use of intravenous (i.v.) zanamivir to treat serious influenza virus infections among hospitalized patients. To use zanamivir effectively for patients with severe influenza, it is necessary to know the optimal dose and schedule of administration of zanamivir that will inhibit the replication of oseltamivir-sensitive and -resistant influenza viruses. Therefore, we performed studies using the in vitro hollow-fiber infection model system to predict optimal dosing regimens for zanamivir against an oseltamivir-sensitive and an oseltamivir-resistant virus. Our results demonstrated that zanamivir, at a dose of 600 mg given twice a day (Q12h), inhibited the replication of oseltamivir-sensitive and oseltamivir-resistant influenza viruses throughout the course of the experiment. Thus, our findings suggest that intravenous zanamivir, at a dose of 600 mg Q12h, could be used to treat hospitalized patients suffering from serious infections with oseltamivir-sensitive or -resistant influenza viruses. In this study, we pilot tested an in vitro assay of cancer killing activity (CKA) in circulating leukocytes of 22 cancer cases and 25 healthy controls. Using a human cervical cancer cell line, HeLa, as target cells, we compared the CKA in circulating leukocytes, as effector cells, of cancer cases and controls. The CKA was normalized as percentages of total target cells during selected periods of incubation time and at selected effector/target cell ratios in comparison to no-effector-cell controls. Our results showed that CKA similar to that of our previous study of SR/CR mice was present in human circulating leukocytes but at profoundly different levels in individuals. Overall, males have a significantly higher CKA than females. The CKA levels in cancer cases were lower than that in healthy controls (mean ± SD: 36.97 ± 21.39 vs. 46.28 ± 27.22). Below-median CKA was significantly associated with case status (odds ratio = 4.36; 95% Confidence Interval = 1.06, 17.88) after adjustment of gender and race. In freshly isolated human leukocytes, we were able to detect an apparent CKA in a similar manner to that of cancer-resistant SR/CR mice. The finding of CKA at lower levels in cancer patients suggests the possibility that it may be of a consequence of genetic, physiological, or pathological conditions, pending future studies with larger sample size. It has been proposed that elements of the renin angiotensin system expressed in the arterial wall are critical for the development of atherosclerosis. Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) is highly expressed by the endothelium and is responsible for a critical enzymatic step in the generation of angiotensin II. However, the functional contribution of ACE expression in the vascular wall in atherogenesis is unknown. Therefore, we made use of unique genetic models in which mice without expression of ACE in the vascular wall were crossed with apoE-/- mice in order to determine the contribution of tissue ACE expression to atherosclerotic lesion formation. Methods and Results Mice expressing either a soluble form of ACE (ACE 2/2) or mice with somatic ACE expression restricted to the liver and kidney (ACE 3/3) on an ApoE-/- background were placed on a standard chow or Western diet for 6 months. Atherosclerotic lesion area in the ACE 2/2 mice was significantly lower than that seen in the ACE 3/3 mice. However, these animals also had significantly lower blood pressure and reduced plasma ACE activity which precluded establishing a specific causal relationship between absent tissue ACE activity and decreased atherosclerotic lesion extent. Therefore, we studied the ACE 3/3 mice which are normotensive and lack vascular ACE expression. In the ACE 3/3 animals, atherosclerotic lesion area was no different from wild type controls despite reduced plasma ACE activity. We concluded that under these experimental conditions, expression of ACE in the arterial wall is not required for atherosclerotic lesion formation. angiotensin; atherosclerosis; endothelium We report the first use of ultrasonic standing waves to achieve cell cycle phase synchronization in mammalian cells in a high-throughput and reagent-free manner. The acoustophoretic cell synchronization (ACS) device utilizes volume-dependent acoustic radiation force within a microchannel to selectively purify target cells of desired phase from an asynchronous mixture based on cell cycle-dependent fluctuations in size. We show that ultrasonic separation allows for gentle, scalable and label-free synchronization with high G1 phase synchrony (~84%) and throughput (3×106 cells/hour/microchannel). Sample preparation is often the most tedious and demanding step in an assay, but it also plays an essential role in determining the quality of results. As biological questions and analytical methods become increasingly sophisticated, there is a rapidly growing need for systems that can reliably and reproducibly separate cells and particles with high purity, throughput and recovery. Microfluidics technology represents a compelling approach in this regard, allowing precise control of separation forces for high performance separation in inexpensive, or even disposable, devices. In addition, microfluidics technology enables the fabrication of arrayed and integrated systems that operate either in parallel or in tandem, in a capacity that would be difficult to achieve in macro-scale systems. In this report, we use recent examples from our work to illustrate the potential of microfluidic cell- and particle-sorting devices. We demonstrate the potential of chip-based high-gradient magnetophoresis that enable high-purity separation through reversible trapping of target particles paired with high-stringency washing with minimal loss. We also describe our work in the development of devices that perform simultaneous multi-target sorting, either through precise control of magnetic and fluidic forces or through the integration of multiple actuation forces into a single monolithic device. We believe that such devices may serve as a powerful “front-end” module of highly integrated analytical platforms capable of providing actionable diagnostic information directly from crude, unprocessed samples - the success of such systems may hold the key to advancing point-of-care diagnostics and personalized medicine. Sample preparation; Cell sorting; Magnetophoresis; Microfluidics Hyperparathyroidism in humans and continuous parathyroid hormone (cPTH) treatment in mice cause bone loss by regulating the production of RANKL and OPG by stromal cells (SCs) and osteoblasts (OBs). Recently, it has been reported that T cells are required for cPTH to induce bone loss as the binding of the T cell costimulatory molecule CD40L to SC receptor CD40 augments SC sensitivity to cPTH. However it is unknown whether direct PTH stimulation of T cells is required for cPTH to induce bone loss, and whether T cells contribute to the bone catabolic activity of PTH with mechanisms other than induction of CD40 signaling in SCs. Here we show that silencing of PTH receptor 1 (PPR) in T cells blocks the bone loss and the osteoclastic expansion induced by cPTH, thus demonstrating that PPR signaling in T cells is central for PTH-induced reduction of bone mass. Mechanistic studies revealed that PTH activation of the T cell PPR stimulates T cell production of the osteoclastogenic cytokine tumor necrosis factor α (TNF). Attesting to the relevance of this effect, disruption of T cell TNF production prevents PTH-induced bone loss. We also show that a novel mechanism by which TNF mediates PTH induced osteoclast formation is upregulation of CD40 expression in SCs, which increases their RANKL/OPG production ratio. These findings demonstrate that PPR signaling in T cells plays an essential role in PTH induced bone loss by promoting T cell production of TNF. A previously unknown effect of TNF is to increase SC expression of CD40, which in turn increases SC osteoclastogenic activity by upregulating their RANKL/OPG production ratio. PPR-dependent stimulation of TNF production by T cells and the resulting TNF regulation of CD40 signaling in SCs are potential new therapeutic targets for the bone loss of hyperparathyroidism. Spontaneous regression/complete resistance (SR/CR) mice are a unique colony of mice that possess an inheritable, natural cancer resistance mediated primarily by innate cellular immunity. This resistance is effective against sarcoma 180 (S180) at exceptionally high doses and these mice remain healthy. In this study, we challenged SR/CR mice with additional lethal transplantable mouse cancer cell lines to determine their resistance spectrum. The ability of these transplantable cancer cell lines to induce leukocyte infiltration was quantified and the percentage of different populations of responding immune cells was determined using flow cytometry. In comparison to wild type (WT) mice, SR/CR mice showed significantly higher resistance to all cancer cell lines tested. However, SR/CR mice were more sensitive to MethA sarcoma (MethA), B16 melanoma (B16), LL/2 lung carcinoma (LL/2) and J774 lymphoma (J774) than to sarcoma 180 (S180) and EL-4 lymphoma (EL-4). Further mechanistic studies revealed that this lower resistance to MethA and LL/2 was due to the inability of these cancer cells to attract SR/CR leukocytes, leading to tumor cell escape from resistance mechanism. This escape mechanism was overcome by co-injection with S180, which could attract SR/CR leukocytes allowing the mice to resist higher doses of MethA and LL/2. S180-induced cell-free ascites fluid (CFAF) co-injection recapitulated the results obtained with live S180 cells, suggesting that this chemoattraction by cancer cells is mediated by diffusible molecules. We also tested for the first time whether SR/CR mice were able to resist additional cancer cell lines prior to S180 exposure. We found that SR/CR mice had an innate resistance against EL-4 and J774. Our results suggest that the cancer resistance in SR/CR mice is based on at least two separate processes: leukocyte migration/infiltration to the site of cancer cells and recognition of common surface properties on cancer cells. The infiltration of SR/CR leukocytes was based on both the innate ability of leukocytes to respond to chemotactic signals produced by cancer cells and on whether cancer cells produced these chemotactic signals. We found that some cancer cells could escape from SR/CR resistance because they did not induce infiltration of SR/CR leukocytes. However, if infiltration of leukocytes was induced by co-injection with chemotactic factors, these same cancer cells could be effectively recognized and killed by SR/CR leukocytes. Spontaneous Regression/Complete Resistant (SR/CR) mice are a colony of cancer-resistant mice that can detect and rapidly destroy malignant cells with innate cellular immunity, predominately mediated by granulocytes. Our previous studies suggest that several effector mechanisms, such as perforin, granzymes, or complements, may be involved in the killing of cancer cells. However, none of these effector mechanisms is known as critical for granulocytes. Additionally, it is unclear which effector mechanisms are required for the cancer killing activity of specific leukocyte populations and the survival of SR/CR mice against the challenges of lethal cancer cells. We hypothesized that if any of these effector mechanisms was required for the resistance to cancer cells, its functional knockout in SR/CR mice should render them sensitive to cancer challenges. This was tested by cross breeding SR/CR mice into the individual genetic knockout backgrounds of perforin (Prf-/-), superoxide (Cybb-/), or inducible nitric oxide (Nos2-/). SR/CR mice were bred into individual Prf-/-, Cybb-/-, or Nos2-/- genetic backgrounds and then challenged with sarcoma 180 (S180). Their overall survival was compared to controls. The cancer killing efficiency of purified populations of macrophages and neutrophils from these immunodeficient mice was also examined. When these genetically engineered mice were challenged with cancer cells, the knockout backgrounds of Prf-/-, Cybb-/-, or Nos2-/- did not completely abolish the SR/CR cancer resistant phenotype. However, the Nos2-/- background did appear to weaken the resistance. Incidentally, it was also observed that the male mice in these immunocompromised backgrounds tended to be less cancer-resistant than SR/CR controls. Despite the previously known roles of perforin, superoxide or nitric oxide in the effector mechanisms of innate immune responses, these effector mechanisms were not required for cancer-resistance in SR/CR mice. The resistance was functional when any one of these effector mechanisms was completely absent, except some noticeably reduced penetrance, but not abolishment, of the phenotype in the male background in comparison to female background. These results also indicate that some other effector mechanism(s) of granulocytes may be involved in the killing of cancer cells in SR/CR mice. Both phenotypic plasticity and genetic determination can be important for understanding how plants respond to environmental change. However, little is known about the plastic response of leaf teeth and leaf dissection to temperature. This gap is critical because these leaf traits are commonly used to reconstruct paleoclimate from fossils, and such studies tacitly assume that traits measured from fossils reflect the environment at the time of their deposition, even during periods of rapid climate change. We measured leaf size and shape in Acer rubrum derived from four seed sources with a broad temperature range and grown for two years in two gardens with contrasting climates (Rhode Island and Florida). Leaves in the Rhode Island garden have more teeth and are more highly dissected than leaves in Florida from the same seed source. Plasticity in these variables accounts for at least 6–19 % of the total variance, while genetic differences among ecotypes probably account for at most 69–87 %. This study highlights the role of phenotypic plasticity in leaf-climate relationships. We suggest that variables related to tooth count and leaf dissection in A. rubrum can respond quickly to climate change, which increases confidence in paleoclimate methods that use these variables. Spontaneous Regression/Complete Resistant (SR/CR) mice are resistant to cancer through a mechanism that is mediated entirely by leukocytes of innate immunity. Transfer of leukocytes from SR/CR mice can confer cancer resistance in wild-type (WT) recipients in both preventative and therapeutic settings. In the current studies, we investigated factors that may impact the efficacy and functionality of SR/CR donor leukocytes in recipients. In sex-mismatched transfers, functionality of female donor leukocytes was not affected in male recipients. In contrast, male donor leukocytes were greatly affected in the female recipients. In MHC-mismatches, recipients of different MHC backgrounds, or mice of different strains, showed a greater negative impact on donor leukocytes than sex-mismatches. The negative effects of sex-mismatch and MHC-mismatch on donor leukocytes were additive. Old donor leukocytes performed worse than young donor leukocytes in all settings including in young recipients. Young recipients were not able to revive the declining function of old donor leukocytes. However, the function of young donor leukocytes declined gradually in old recipients, suggesting that an aged environment may contain factors that are deleterious to cellular functions. The irradiation of donor leukocytes prior to transfers had a profound suppressive effect on donor leukocyte functions, possibly as a result of impaired transcription. The cryopreserving of donor leukocytes in liquid nitrogen had no apparent effect on donor leukocyte functions, except for a small loss of cell number after revival from freezing. Despite the functional suppression of donor leukocytes in sex- and MHC-mismatched recipients, as well as old recipients, there was a therapeutic time period during the initial few weeks during which donor leukocytes were functional before their eventual rejection or functional decline. The eventual rejection of donor leukocytes will likely prevent donor leukocyte engraftment which would help minimize the risk of transfusion-associated graft-versus-host disease. Therefore, using leukocytes from healthy donors with high anti-cancer activity may be a feasible therapeutic concept for treating malignant diseases. A national survey of medical school admissions administrators was used to assess the acceptability of applicants' qualifications that included degrees earned partly online, partly in a community college, or in a traditional program. A questionnaire was sent from The Florida State University in 2007 to admissions administrators in the 125 accredited allopathic medical schools in the United States. In each of three situations, the respondents were asked to select one of two hypothetical applicants to invite for an interview. The applicants with their coursework taken in a traditional-residential setting were overwhelmingly preferred over the applicant holding the degree earned partly online. Further analysis indicated that online courses were perceived as not presenting sufficient opportunity for students to develop important social skills through interaction with other students and mentors. Graduate school admissions; online degrees; acceptability

“The Wizard of Oz” runs June 6-22 at the Baldwin Theatre, 415 S. Lafayette, Royal Oak. Advance tickets are $20 for Thursday shows, $22 Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at www.stagecrafters.org (online handling fees apply) or by phone at 248-541-6430. Remaining tickets may be at the box office one hour before performance ($2 more per ticket). Student, military and senior discounts available for specific performances. The Good Witch, Bad Witch Ladies Night Out Fundraiser is 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 4, at Baldwin Theatre. Advance tickets are $30, available at Stagecrafters.org or at 248-541-6430. Patrons attending opening night Friday, June 6, may attend 7 p.m. pre-glow for hors d’oeuvres and beverages hosted by Blackfinn Ameripub of Royal Oak. If you though the movie was spectacular, just imagine staging “The Wizard of Oz” live on stage. “Technically, it’s one of the harder shows ever, with the set pieces and the flying, but it’s exciting,” says Randall Wrisinger of Royal Oak, who directing the musical for Stagecrafters at Baldwin Theatre in Royal Oak. He has been directing theater for more than 25 years — the last seven in Michigan — and previously directed “The Sound of Music,” a youth theater production of “Cinderella” and Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” for Stagecrafters He auditioned 100 youths for this show, casting 15 children ages 8-18 and and 35 adults, plus a dog. “I was very lucky — a member of our cast had a neighbor with a rescued Cairn terrier that looked just like Toto,” Wrisinger said. “His real name is Jo-Jo — they work with him, and he and Dorothy have quite a relationship becaase she’s with him all the time.” Wrisinger’s Dorothy is 15-year-old Gabrielle Phillips of Lake Orion, who acted and sang in Stagecrafters’ “The Sound of Music” last year. It’s based on the 1939 MGM movie starring Judy Garland. It’s so iconic, some of its lines were voted into “The 100 Greatest Movie Lines” by Premier magazine in 2007. “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain,” is No. 24. “This is the 75th anniversary of ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ and we’re doing the Royal Shakespeare version, but it’s exactly like the movie,” Wrisinger says. “The music is from the movie, the characters are from the movie, and of course the story.” Stagecrafters is a nonprofit community theater now in its 57th year. Musicians are paid, Wrisinger says, although the cast and technical crew work on a volunteer basis. But everyone strives for a professional level. The show opens on Friday, June 6. “We’ll be ready, but that’s a challenge with the professional effects,” he says. “The amount of work on the set and the sewing of costumes ... the costume changes are fast, and the makeup people have their work cut out for them. The casrt works so well together, but the technical crew is extraordinatry.” A special event connected to this production is the Good Witch, Bad Witch Ladies Night Out Fundraiser on Wednesday, June 4, at the Baldwin Theatre. This is a themed evening in which patrons dress as their favorite “good witch” or “bad witch,” for a pre-glow of hors d’oeuvres prepared by Café Muse of Royal Oak, drinks including a Flying Monkey Brew, shopping, a raffle, costume contest and preview performance of “The Wizard of Oz.” The event begins at 6 p.m., and costume prizes will be awarded in each category. The fundraiser is sponsored by Credit Union Advantage. “The Wizard of Oz” is sponsored by Miner’s Den Jewelers of Royal Oak. “I think that when people think about the movie, they have it in their minds what it’s supposed to look like,” Wrisinger says. “We’re gonna get that, but with a flair. It’s a little bit of ‘Wizard of Oz,’ a little bit of (the Broadway smash) ‘Wicked,’ so it’s ‘Wizard of Oz’ with a twist, and I’m very, very excited to share that.” One of the mysteries of the story is that many characters have dual roles — one in Oz and one at home in Kansas. And so do the actors. In case you’ve forgotten the story, Dorothy is growing up on a Kansas farm with Auntie Em (played by Helen Frizzo of Royal Oak) and Uncle Henry (Bill Glace of Ferndale). A mean neightbor, Miss Gulch (played by Elizabeth Schultz of Royal Oak) claims Dorothy’s dog bit her, and she takes him away. But Toto escapes, and Dorothy decides to run away with him. She meets Professor Marvel (Ron Otulakowski of Eastpointe) who convinces her to return home. When she arrives home, a tornado hits the area and causes her to fall and hit her head. When she awakes, she finds herself in the colorful Land of Oz, where she meets the people of Munchkinland and good witch Glinda (Randi Hamilton of Ferndale). Dorothy also meets the Wicked Witch of the West (Schultz) who wants the magical ruby slippers that Glinda places on Dorothy’s feet. Then Dorothy sets off on a journey to seek help from the great and powerful Wizard of Oz. Along the yellow brick road, she meets a scarecrow (Matthew Miga of Ferndale, who also plays farmhand Hickory), a tin man (Bradley Ellison of Southfield, also playing farmhand Hunk) and a cowardly lion (Jerry Haines of Berkley, also playing farmhand Zeke). Together, they travel to Emerald City and the powerful wizard. But first, they must battle talking (and in this show, singing!) trees, and the scariest thing of all — evil flying monkeys. Stagecrafters’ flying effects are courtesy of ZFX Inc. The book is by L. Frank Baum with music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg, background music by Herbert Stothart, dance and vocal arrangements by Peter Howard, orchestration by Larry Wilcox and adapted by John Kane for the Royal Shakespeare Company. “I wanted to do another show that involved youth and adults. I love working with the young people and seeing them grow up in the theater as well as the excitement that it creates in their eyes,” Wrisinger says.