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Vol. LXIII, No. 28
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
MAKING A DIFFERENCE: To be successful in life, you should be truly caring about others. Every child is important and must have an opportunity to be successful in school. Throughout his career as teacher, principal, and superintendent of schools, Chester (Chet) R. Stroup, Ph.D. has worked hard to help students find success.
Chet Stroup has traveled throughout the 48 states of the continental U.S. and the 10 provinces of Canada on his motorcycle!
Considering the fact that he didnt get the motorcycle until he was 60, this feat becomes even more remarkable.
But then, this is a remarkable man. Former principal of the then Nassau Street School and superintendent of the Princeton School District, he has made a positive difference in the lives of many students, colleagues, peers, and friends, gaining their admiration and affection.
Chet is a special person, says former Princeton resident Martha Hartman, who worked with him on the video commemorating the 50th anniversary of the integration of Nassau Street School. The way he approached the integration of the school was so important. He was very patient and tried his very best. He was also understanding about the integration of the teachers. And, as a person, he has always been independent. When you consider his motorcycle rides, you have to agree, hes a free spirit!
In fact, says his long-time friend, Hopewell Township resident Lewis Edge, Chet was at a motorcycle rally in Glens Falls, N.Y. when he was 85. They took a poll to see who was the oldest cyclist. Chet was about 10 years older than the next oldest cyclist!
Chester Ralph Stroup was born in 1915 in the mining town of Kulpmont, Pa. He was the youngest child of Ralph and Cora Stroup, and little brother to Edna, Helen, and Grace.
School Bands
Chet, as he was called, was born at home, and he received a warm welcome. My dad was named Mayor of the town the day I was born, and the Italian-American band came to serenade us!
Perhaps that early introduction to music kindled his interest, prompting his love of the trumpet, teaching music, and playing in, and leading various school bands.
He liked school, especially music, but also science. My favorite high school teacher was Thomas Price, our Latin teacher, recalls Mr. Stroup. I was also always interested in dramatics, and appeared in school plays.
Chet and his friends went to the movies on weekends, spending 15¢ for a feature, and he loved westerns, especially those with cowboy star, Hoot Gibson.
When he was 14, he worked as a clerk in a grocery store after school and on weekends, and he was also interested in sports. In high school, I started with football, but then I switched to track, and ran on the track team. I also decided that the high school band would be even more fun.
The family was close, and enjoyed listening to the radio together, especially to the Jack Benny show. They also went camping. As a family, we did a lot of camping, remembers Mr. Stroup. We had a big tent, and later, we acquired a log cabin. We hiked and had picnics. Overall, I think my father and I liked it more than my mother and sisters.
My father was a great inspiration to me. He was really my hero. He was wonderful.
Good Career
After graduation from Coal Township High School, Chet entered West Chester State Teachers College near Philadelphia. As a boy, he had become interested in teaching. He admired his teachers and thought it would be a good career. Two of his sisters also became teachers.
His interest in music came to the fore again, and helped him earn needed money toward his college education. I played trumpet at various places in Philadelphia, including the Bellevue-Stratford, he remembers. A good friend of mine, who later became first trumpet player in the Philadelphia Orchestra, got us jobs. We mostly played swing it was the Big Band era.
Interestingly, my father and mother grew up in the Pennsylvania coal region, where the Dorsey brothers lived. My dad played in the same school band with Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey. Also, my best friend in college, Walter Bates, and I played in the college orchestra. He later joined the Gene Krupa band.
Chet also continued his interest in sports, and ran on the college championship track team. He majored in science and music, and his favorite professor was Edward Zimmer, who taught music appreciation, and later helped Chet get his first job.
He graduated in 1937, and headed south to Delaware for his first teaching position. This was teaching general science and music at Georgetown Delaware High School in southern Delaware, recalls Mr. Stroup. I enjoyed it very much, and I was also especially interested in developing the music program. I was the high school band leader during World War II. We were called upon to play at special events at the Kiwanis Club and other patriotic events.
The band continued to grow. When I arrived, there were only 12 members. When I left, there were 25 in the junior high school and 45 in the senior high school.
Scary Time
Mr. Stroup also started a program in the elementary school to help students learn to read music.
Since he was the only science teacher in the high school, he was deferred from military service during the war. He remembers those days very well, however. I was home Sunday afternoon when we heard about the attack on Pearl Harbor. The next day, we heard President Roosevelt on the radio, and it was a scary time. We didnt know what to expect. Later, a number of the kids in the band enlisted, and wound up playing in bands in the army.
Mr. Stroup had married Kathryn (Kay) Hartzel in 1938. Kay had been my girl friend and college sweetheart. She was in the music program, and played the piano.
Later, three children, Ralph, Fred, and Janet, were born.
After nine years in Georgetown, including three as principal of the elementary school, Mr. Stroup accepted an offer to become principal of Nassau Street School in Princeton. Georgetown hated to see him go. As the local newspaper noted: Georgetown loses not only a popular and capable school administrator, but a versatile man and his talented wife as well. The Stroups gave generously of their diversified talents to Georgetown. Who will replace the petite Mrs. Stroup as minister of music at Wesley Methodist Church: the organist, choir directress, orchestra leader, carilloneer, and organizer, with her husband, of the annual Sunday evening Musical Vespers which drew community-wide audiences?
Will the Tall Cedars and the Kiwanians find in one man a band director, song leader, board member, and president to replace Chet and his cheerful grin? Can the many members of Georgetown High School bands find someone to take his place?
Chosen Profession
In his chosen profession, Mr. Stroup made significant contributions to the community. His course in senior science was a popular one in which the students learned much about the effects of scientific progress on their immediate environment. His bands reached a high degree of perfection. In his post as principal of the Georgetown Elementary School, he instituted science instruction in the lower grades, the wider use of audio-visual aids, an organized program of recreation and sports, and an improved plan of reading instruction.
Princeton is indeed fortunate in securing such a talented family.
Although he enjoyed the experience in Delaware, Mr. Stroup was eager to look ahead to new opportunities. I had ambitions, he says. I had gotten a masters degree in education administration at Columbia, and I was ready for new challenges.
He didnt know it then, but a very important one awaited him. In 1946, the elementary schools were not consolidated, and Nassau Street School operated under the Princeton Borough Board of Education. It was kindergarten through eighth grade, and also all white. Black students in the Borough attended the Witherspoon School for Colored Children on Quarry Street.
In 1948, the school was integrated under what would later be called the Princeton Plan.
This was one of my happiest experiences, says Mr. Stroup. I knew in my heart that a segregated school was wrong. Overall, the community welcomed integration, but I talked to parents, spoke at churches, and clubs to help people understand what was happening.
Good Friend
Howard Waxwood, principal of the Witherspoon School, was a good friend, and we joined together to make integration work. The children and parents of the Witherspoon School were not especially looking forward to the change. They loved their neighborhood school and teachers. They had their roots there. So, we had to recognize that. The Witherspoon School became the middle school for black and white students, grades six through eight.
Princeton was the first district in New Jersey to desegregate its elementary schools, and in 1998, a video produced by the Legal Defense Fund commemorated the 50th anniversary of the event.
Princeton resident and former Princeton High School guidance counselor Shirley Satterfield, who participated in the video with Mr. Stroup, was one of the children who transferred to Nassau Street School in 1948. I remember Dr. Stroup as my principal when I, as a student, left the Witherspoon School for Colored Children, to attend Nassau Street Elementary School, she recalls. Dr. Stroup worked closely with Howard Waxwood, the principal of Witherspoon School, to see that the transition went smoothly, and he was not only concerned with the best interests of the children, but was also patient and understanding with Nassau Street School parents who were reluctant to send their children to Witherspoon School.
I have great respect and admiration for Dr. Stroup because of his firm stand, respect for students and parents, and his continued interest in the welfare of all students at a time when the integration of schools in Princeton Borough was not a favorable move for many of us who felt the loss of caring, nurturing, and motivating teachers. Dr. Stroup can clearly be called a pioneer in the history of educational change in Princeton Borough.
In a letter to Town Topics at the time of the 30th anniversary of the schools integration, Carl C. Hoyler, M.D., who had been one of the students to transfer to Witherspoon School from Nassau Street School for sixth grade, praised his teachers at Witherspoon and also the two principals.
Certainly, the greatest credit to the success of Princeton integration is shared by the respective principals Howard Waxwood of Witherspoon and Chester Stroup of Nassau Street. These icons, in their quiet dignity, buttressed and championed the noble Princeton Plan. These men were community pillars, luminaries well ahead of their time.
Hard to Match
Former Mayor of Princeton Township Richard Woodbridge was also a student at Nassau Street School, and he admires Mr. Stroups many accomplishments, as well as his kindness. Hes gone out of his way to help so many people so often. Of course, he is clearly a giant in the Princeton public school system. First of all, because he was in charge during the Princeton Plan, and then he was actively involved in the consolidation of the Township and Borough schools. Both of these efforts were a major success in the community.
His longevity and his contribution to Princeton are hard to match.
The schools integration has meant a great deal to Mr. Stroup. As he points out, My proudest achievement was being part of the integration of Nassau Street School.
He was very involved in many other aspects of education in Princeton as well. He helped lay the groundwork for team teaching, school camping, and the focus on child development. In 1955, he became assistant superintendent for elementary education for three years, and then superintendent for eight years.
During his stewardship, two important building programs were concluded; Princeton received a grant from Educational Facilities Laboratory, Ford Foundation for planning the John Witherspoon School; and he played a major leadership role in the consolidation of Princeton Borough and Princeton Township school districts.
The merging of the two districts was not always smooth sailing, he recalls. It was opposed by a lot of different small groups, but eventually, it passed by 26 votes.
Lady Kay
After the merger was accomplished in 1966, Dr. Stroup (he had earned a Ph.D. in education administration from Rutgers in 1966), decided to accept a new challenge. After 20 years in the Princeton school district, he moved to Haddonfield to serve as superintendent of schools. He stayed for nine years, and during that time, he oversaw the total renovation and expansion of the high school, and a complete revision of the curriculum.
Always interested in music and continuing to play the trumpet, Dr. Stroup also liked the fact that many members of the Philadelphia Orchestra lived in Haddonfield. Another plus was that it was not so far from Barnegat Bay where he loved to sail the Lady Kay, his 29-foot sloop.
In 1975, the Stroups returned to Princeton, and he remained active in education. In addition to his positions in the Princeton and Haddonfield school districts, Dr. Stroup has been involved in numerous adjunct and visiting professorships. These included posts at Rutgers, Trenton State (now College of New Jersey), Glassboro State, and the Princeton Theological Seminary.
In 1975-77, he served as Visiting Professor in the Rutgers Graduate School of Education, Department of Administration and Supervision, where he had a full range of responsibilities, including teaching, advising, and supervising.
Rutgers had a special grant from the U.S. government regarding superintendents, explains Dr. Stroup. But no one on the faculty had been a superintendent. So my job was primarily to share what being a superintendent was like.
He was voted the Distinguished Service Award by faculty and graduate students of the Department of Administration and Supervision in 1976.
Kind of a Tutor
Dr. Stroup had earlier lent his expertise regarding the public school system to retiring Princeton University President Harold Dodds. I got to know him, says Dr. Stroup. He was going to make a series of speeches on American education, and I helped him out with information on secondary public education I was kind of a tutor! We had a nice relationship.
Dr. Stroups wife died in 1987, and he later married Catherine Fredericks. After 19 years together, Mrs. Stroup says she is still amazed at the impact Dr. Stroup has had both on students and their parents. The other day I was walking down the hall, and a woman stopped me and introduced her daughter, who had been a student at Nassau Street School. Her father was dying of a heart condition at the time, and the family was in distress. The girl refused to go to school.
Then, the mother said that Chet suggested they bring her to school and that he would meet her at the car. They did this, and he talked with her, and she returned to school. The daughter and her mother had always remembered his kindness.
Chet was so involved with the kids, continues Mrs. Stroup. He always said hello to them by name in the corridor, watched them on the playground, and took them on camping trips. He had such a personal interest in them, and wanted them to do well. If there was ever a disruptive child in class, hed visit the family to see what could be done.
I always enjoyed working with children, adds Dr. Stroup I thought it was important to have contact with them, and I was interested in all of them. When I was president of the Rotary Club, the emphasis for scholarship aid was on academic achievement. I established a scholarship for non-college-bound students those who hoped to attend vocational school. I wanted to make sure there was an opportunity for everyone.
His concern for his students has not gone unnoticed. Mrs. Stroup tells another story about his influence. Chet and I went to a meeting of the Princeton Coalition for Peace, and George Kennan was a speaker. He and Chet had met years earlier, and when Chet went over to introduce himself, he said, Mr. Kennan, you probably dont remember me George Kennan interrupted and said: Chet Stroup! You were principal of Nassau Street School. My children went to schools all over the world, and Nassau Street was the best school they ever attended.
Cockney Accent
Dr. Stroup was also very active in the community. I loved Princeton, he says. There were so many interesting things going on all the time from cultural events to athletic events. I was also a member of the Princeton Community Players, and I appeared on-stage at McCarter as a policeman in Mary Poppins. That was especially fun because I had to learn and perfect a Cockney accent.
A long-time photographer, he also taught photography at the Princeton Adult School, and among his many other activities, he raised and trained dogs pointers and setters.
In addition, he served on numerous boards, and has been a member of many professional organizations. He is a life member of the National Education Association, as well as a mainstay of many civic groups. He was Rotary Club president in Princeton and Haddonfield, and Kiwanis Club president in Georgetown. The Red Cross, Princeton United Fund, Princeton Symphony Orchestra, and Princeton Public Library are other organizations he has served and supported. He is a long-time member of the Princeton United Methodist Church.
Dr. Stroup was twice cited as Town Topics Man of the Week, which noted in February 1950 that Dr. Stroup experimented constantly with educational techniques in searching out methods and procedures that would inculcate a sense of individual responsibility as well as knowledge of the subjects taught.
For believing implicitly that children everywhere are wonderful; for knowing that one of the secrets of education lies in sincere respect for those being educated; for participating to the hilt in the community life of his community; he is Town Topics Man of the Week.
A Good Ride
A resident of Stonebridge at Montgomery for the past six years, Dr. Stroup has recently been dealing with advanced prostate cancer. He is meeting this challenge with the same fortitude and forbearance he has always exhibited.
As his friend Lewis Edge points out, Chet knows how to be a good friend and how to reach out to people. I admire him a lot. Certainly, he has shown how a person can age with a great deal of dignity. And he now faces the end of his life with no bitterness or apologies, and he is surrounded by people who love him.
I remember that his 90th birthday which was one of the happiest birthday parties I have ever been to ended with him singing love songs to his wife.
Pictures of Dr. Stroups family, including five grandchildren and four great-granddaughters, are everywhere in his room. A poster given to him by granddaughter Monica on his 85th birthday features 85 Wonderful Memories about him. In addition, his devoted dachshund Mitzi is always by his side.
Visits from family and friends are welcome, and two weeks ago, he had a unique experience at Stonebridge, one that was especially meaningful to him; he took a motorcycle ride around the Stonebridge grounds. The head nurse had arranged for a friend to take him for a spin.
It was a good ride, says Dr. Stroup. And it has been a good life.
Town Topics® may be purchased on Wednesday mornings at the following locations: Princeton McCaffreys, Coxs, Kiosk (Palmer Square), Krauszers (State Road), Olives, Speedy Mart (State Road), Wawa (University Place); Hopewell Village Express; Rocky Hill Wawa (Route 518); Pennington Pennington Market.
Copyright© Town Topics®, Inc. 2011.
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Thursday, April 11, 2013 11:13 am
Marina V's magical music tour
A performer's journey from Moscow to Springfield and beyond
What separates the dreamers and schemers of the world from the believers and achievers? Some say hard work and some say circumstance, but most would think it's a fair amount of both that make the dreams of a lifetime come true. In the case of Marina V, a singer-songwriter-musician with ties to central Illinois, all that and more makes her life a happy home for realized dreams, completed fantasies and continued aspirations.
Living in Moscow as a teenager during the tumultuous 1990s after the fall of the Soviet Union, Marina looked for a way to escape a life that restricted her creative impulses. Circumstances landed the Russian minor immigrant in a Springfield high school where the influences of local citizens encouraged her on to a college degree and into a life of artistic work as a full-time performing musician and songwriter. Experiences during these formative years in central Illinois shaped and nurtured an inherent sense of creativity that sparked a whirlwind of activity. Her formation here allowed Marina V to eventually touch the lives of thousands of fans across the globe.
Born Marina Gennadievna Verenikina in Moscow, Russia, on Oct. 3, 1982, to a nuclear physicist father and child psychologist mother, the young child showed an early inclination for music, with her mother claiming "she could sing before she talked." In recognition of this aptitude, from age 6 to 14 Marina attended a special music school for classical lessons and piano practice after her regular daily class work. This extra training time, intense and involved, left little room for creativity or imagination, yet the young Marina felt the urge of songwriting even then. At age 10, she composed a little ditty for her piano teacher who promptly labeled it "nonsense" and swiftly returned her to Russian classical masters and folk songs of the people.
During these difficult years of extensive studies, Marina felt forced to bury her creative impulses and toe the line, while making excellent marks in school as she prepared for a professional career in the remnants of the Soviet Union. A bright light came in the form of a bootleg cassette of the Beatles (no recollection if Back in the U.S.S.R was a favorite cut), at the time still an illegal item in a country that attempted to bar all Western influences. Inspired by music of the Fab Four, Marina began secretly composing songs again, and acquired English language knowledge through the lyrics of Lennon and McCartney.
At 15 she worked at and won an exclusive national competition for a fully funded scholarship called Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) of the Freedom Support Act, sponsored by then U.S. Senator Bill Bradley, that allowed a Russian student to study in the United States. Through various means she wound up in Springfield and attended Lanphier High School for a year in 1995. After returning to Russia, the budding young artist felt determined to head back to the States as soon as possible, where her creativity and individuality could flourish. Around this time her mother moved to Australia and the Russian school system decided not to accept her American school credits, so Marina finished her Moscow high school, got a job, saved her earnings and bought a one-way ticket to the United States.
By 1996 she returned to Springfield, her adopted American hometown, working many odd jobs to bide the time and pay her way, including "selling cheeseburgers" at the Illinois State Fair, handling the concession stand at a flea market near the fairgrounds and working with the Junior Blues hockey team as a merchandise attendant (she also played a fair amount of ice hockey herself), all the while impatiently and incredibly waiting the year and a half it took to clear international visa hurdles. From the recommendation of Gary Wilhoit, her Lanphier history teacher and an Illinois College alumni, she decided to attend the small, private liberal arts college in Jacksonville, graduating summa cum laude in 2001 with a combined degree in international studies and economics-business plus a minor in Spanish.
"I found that being a foreign student, the state colleges actually cost three times what they would if I lived in state, but private colleges prices stayed the same," Marina commented. "After I visited the IC campus, I enrolled and received a scholarship."
Normally it's a tough time emotionally for any college freshman adjusting to a new life and independence, but multiply those difficulties for a young girl from Moscow attempting to break into central Illinois culture with little preparation. Marina dealt with the severe emotional concerns and intermittent depression by doing what an artist does: she created.
During her early days at IC she wrote songs that expressed her feelings and began playing her first live shows. An entry into a college-sponsored talent contest garnered her first prize for the performance of "Leaving," an original composition. Next came a full-capacity show at a local coffeehouse, then shows in Springfield and other towns across the Midwest. Inspired by her success, Marina decided to finance a CD recording from pre-orders (not as common a thing in 1999 as it is today with fan-supported CDs all the rage) and easily sold enough to produce Let Me Dream, her first (now out of print and collectible) recording of self-composed material.
"I remember playing a show back then at college and heard later that a girl in the audience started crying during a song of mine," she says. "I never in my life thought my music could move someone like that. I was absolutely amazed."
Right before this productive time of creativity and promotion, Marina met Nick Baker, a fellow musician and a Springfield native also attending Illinois College. From Baker came the encouragement to take her music seriously and develop it to the level needed for full-time success. Behind all this artistic and emotional growth was the support and dedication of Nick, who quickly became a working musician in the duo and songwriting partner of the newly christened "Marina V." As the two developed musically and professionally, they also grew romantically, eventually marrying, combining life and love as a complete package.
"He is always there supporting me, emotionally and musically," she says. "He calls himself the 'Soft Focus Guy' because when we're in pictures, I'm in the front and Nick is in the background in the soft focus. Without him there would be no Marina V. I give him the credit for being amazing and always there."
In 2001, the couple implemented a planned move to a major music industry center and relocated to the Los Angeles area just a week after graduating from Illinois College.
Since the move to LA, things just keep getting better and better for Marina V and life partner Nick Baker. From the early days of taking any gig available to make some cash and get noticed, such as a Borders bookstore tour and noisy, inattentive bars, the tune-making team always looked ahead to better days. In the span of a little more than a decade, they've accomplished a great deal of respectable work. It's not the kind that necessarily gets an artist to the top of the pops, but the good stuff that gets achieved only through hard work and perseverance in tandem with talent and ability.
The accomplishments notched by the singing-songwriter piano player from Moscow, with invaluable aid from the guitar-playing wordsmith from Springfield, are varied and valid. They signed for a time with David Krebs, a big-time music industry manager known for his work with Don McLean, Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Aerosmith, among others. In 2005, the well-respected producer Jack Douglas, a favorite of John Lennon, George Harrison and Aerosmith, gave of his time and produced two tracks for the Simple Magic album. Marina sang on the long-running NBC daytime drama, "Days of Our Lives" Christmas special in 2012, playing on air with cast members. Several other songs of hers were played during the program over the last few years.
Let's see, what else can we add to the list? How about licensed airplay on, among other shows, a National Geographic program and Oprah Winfrey's network? Her song "Pesnya o Tebe" made it in Direct Contact, a 2009 Danny Lerner film starring Dolph Lundgren. In 2011, as a finalist in the international song contest YouBloom, she and Nick performed at London's Cobden Club during the YouBloom concert and ceremony, receiving a hand-delivered award from Sir Bob Geldof for her song, "You Make Me Beautiful." Back in 2009, Marina's own "Sunshine Guaranteed," appeared on Tap Tap Revenge 2, a popular iPhone game and "You Make Me Beautiful" got nominated for a Hollywood Music Award. They also composed, arranged and produced a Pepsi jingle played in the Ukraine and they toured extensively in Eastern Europe.
In a not-so-public event, Marina reports that once, when playing in London, she and Nick received a guided tour that eventually ended up on the roof of Parliament, a venue not often visited by American singer-songwriters. In 2010 they attracted more than $30,000 in fan support to make the record My Star and continue to add to the more than 7,000 names on the Marina V Komrades email list and fan club. By combining all her album releases (and she keeps an organized account) she has sold nearly 20,000 physical CDs worldwide and thousands of downloads of individual songs and records. In the past she performed more than 120 live shows annually, but last year reduced the number by choice, down to a more manageable 60.
"When I first started, I played every gig I could for experience, but now I feel I can choose more of where I play and do more quality shows," she says. "I could never play a loud bar again. I care about my music and it just breaks my heart to play when nobody is listening. I would rather stay home than play a gig that upsets me."
Album titles often tell much about an artist's progression, and with Marina V the list reads like a positive advancement toward fulfillment and completion. Her first record was aptly titled Let Me Dream (1999), and then came Lift (2001), as the couple moved to LA. Out in southern California, Something of My Own (2003) and Simple Magic (2005), were the next telling titles of happenings in the life of Marina V. The next records, Marina V: Live at SoundMoves (2006) and a Russian Bootleg (2007) show a bit of a holding pattern as the artists struggled to get a strong foothold in the business. Then with Modern Fairytale (2008), My Star (2011) and the latest, Inner Superhero (2013), with a Small Collection of Interesting Songs included during 2011, the songwriting team achieved a striking maturity of creativity with inspired songs of hope and discovery.
"In songwriting, it really is my release. I try to get myself from down to up. It inspires me to go beyond no hope," she says. "We write pretty much about 99 percent of the songs together, except for the ones I do in Russian. I always come up with the music and then Nick adds to every song in some way, sometimes the last three words, sometimes half the lyrics."
Along with the developing song-composing partnership, the couple experienced growth in producing sounds and arranging the music on each successive recording. On the most recent effort, Inner Superhero, Nick picks up the ukelele as Marina stretches herself to new heights in non-instrumental ways.
"This is the first time I've sang without playing the piano part as well on every song. With our great producers, who are fabulous musicians too, on some songs they replayed my piano parts and left me to sing," she says. "It's amazing and kinda fun too, to realize that Nick and I wrote the songs and these guys make it sound so good that I can just sing what I want and it's done and sounds great. I just go with the flow with what works for the album and I'm really happy with the way it sounds."
In other innovative work on the new record, Marina asked several supporters and friends to add claps and vocals to the songs "Light Up the Dark" and "Say Hello" by sending prerecorded parts through email. The effect adds a friendly and warm feeling to the songs, especially on "Say Hello," where "a handful of people who meant a lot to me" are singing on the song and "a lot of my good friends are there and our voices sound really cool together." Central Illinois singer-songwriter Eva Hunter, an early supporter of Marina V, as well as me and my son John, are among the lucky ones who are on the cut.
Besides the music, there's a lot more behind the scenes keeping the Marina V machine chugging along. Like most independent artists, one part is the creative idealist, but the businessperson side keeps the gigs coming, the fans informed and the bills paid. She spends a good deal of her day on the computer following leads and doing the work necessary to keep the ball rolling, updating her MarinaV.com website continually and promoting herself through other social networking devices.
"My one wish would be only that music wasn't related to money, but I know it is," she revealed. "It's so rarely just about the purity of the music. I do need to make money from music, but I just wish it weren't that way."
What does Marina V see in her future and where would she like to be in five, ten years down the road?
"I don't have a specific plan. I'm really, really happy with my life now. I say that every time, but it's true," she exclaims. "I try to do different things that are exciting to me and hopefully some of them or one of them or all of them will lead to bigger and better things. I want to do more – more collaborations, more cool venues, more listeners. That's the dream."
And dreaming is good, but working the dream to reality is wonderful and continually reaching to find the power behind it all is sublime.
"I cannot imagine my life without music in it. Some people have religion, I have music," Marina muses. "Lots of people, including singers and artists, can identify with the idea that music can save you when you're down, that it lifts your spirits. Music is spiritual. Music is my salvation."
Contact Tom Irwin at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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- Select From Scratch and click Next
- Name: No Template w. ID
Theme: Select your default theme (in most cases you'll only have one option)
Template Class: Reports Region
Click the Create button
- You should be brought back to the Templates page. To filter the list of regions select Region as the Type and click the Go button
- Click on No Template w. ID to modify it
- Put the following HTML in the Definition section
- It should look like
- Click the Apply Changes button
If you modify your region that used No Template and change it to the new template that you created, No Template w. ID, it will look the same for the end users with the big difference being that dynamic actions will work when applied against the region.
The following query identifies regions that use the No Template region template which you may want to modify to use the custom No Template w. ID:
Note: I think Patrick Wolf mentioned that the No Template region template will include an ID in APEX 4.1.
SELECT page_id, page_name, region_name, template
FROM apex_application_page_regions
WHERE application_id = :app_id
AND template = 'No Template'


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Bidders vying for Michael Brown's surgery company
A new buyer for former hand surgeon Michael Brown's company could emerge as soon as next week, according to the man tasked with trying to save Brown Medical Center and related entities.
David L. Grange, named in March as the chief restructuring officer overseeing Brown's businesses, said Thursday that the company is viable and potential buyers have made bids on it.
This is a head-spinning time for Brown and his company, with the headline-generating doctor scheduled to appear this month in three different courts in Florida and Texas.
"We've been in tremendous negotiations with different possible buyers for the last three months at least," Grange said.
A resident of North Carolina, Grange is working in Houston with a team from his firm, Osprey Global Solutions, to reorganize Brown's business.
"We're trying to pick out the best bidder," he said. "Our plan is to present an option to sustain the company going forward through a Chapter 11 bankruptcy so the company will reemerge as a viable organization, with new ownership, a new brand and a focus on the clients and high standards. A lot of doctors will stay with us; some probably won't."
The company has lasted as long as it has, Grange said, because Brown developed an innovative surgery technique. A dedicated team of "middle managers" has kept the enterprise going, Grange said.
Last week, Grange filed a motion to reinstate the Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding that Brown requested in January and withdrew the next month in federal court.
Grange has also asked the court to appoint a trustee and transfer the case from Miami, where Brown lives now, to Houston.
Personal legal dramas
A hearing on Grange's motion is scheduled for Sept. 23 in Miami.
Two days later, in another Miami federal court, a judge is scheduled to sentence Brown following his July 16 guilty plea to one count of assaulting or intimidating a flight crew member. Brown was arrested Jan. 2, accused of choking a flight attendant and threatening to strip naked on a transatlantic flight.
Federal prosecutors in Florida have recommended that Brown be sentenced to two years of supervised release and a $5,000 fine, according to court records. The judge, however, is not obliged to follow the recommendation.
On Sept. 30, in Houston, the long-awaited trial in the divorce proceeding between Brown and his estranged wife, Rachel Brown, is set to begin.
State District Judge Sheri Y. Dean, who is hearing the divorce case, ordered Brown's arrest on July 30 when he failed to attend a hearing in her courtroom.
Dean ordered Brown's arrest in March and then sentenced him to 180 days in the Harris County Jail on a previous contempt-of-court finding. He was released after serving less than three weeks.


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Layer this jacket over other pieces from our SKINS Plus and A400 ranges for the ultimate training kit.


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- SpecsConvert Specs to MetricSwing21 "Gap Swing30 "Centers80 "Spindle Bore4 "RPM1500 rpm
- About Company
For over 60 years Summit has been serving the metal working industry by providing quality machine tools and performance solutions to customers worldwide. Summit's machine tools offer outstanding features with proven technology and workmanship. Our wide selection of metal lathe models include tool room lathes, engine lathes and CNC lathes. Summit also offers a full line of conventional and CNC vertical mills, radial drills, upright drills, horizontal and vertical boring mills for the most common applications and are in stock and ready for delivery.
Service & Repair Shops
- Service & Repair Shops2IQL Independent Quality Labs, Inc.
15 Gray Lane
Suite 401
Ashaway, Rhode Island 02804
United StatesSoCal Industrial Repair LLC
2855 Foothill Blvd Unit D105
La Verne, California 91750
United States


text: I found out today that ALL VIP Auto Parts Stores now have FREE wireless hot spots. We were caching in Winslow on Sunday and we got a connection across from a VIP. We thought how cool. Today I was in a VIP and saw a sign at the register saying exactly that. I asked the girl at the checkout and she confirmed it. VIP's are everywhere! Awesome!!


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Styling From Scratch Round Two: Living Rooms
Timothy's Scandinavian Modern Living Room
"Creating a fun and energetic living room was really important to me when I recently moved into my new place. Luckily, IKEA is a pretty colorful place! Finding a couple of vibrant accent items to mix in alongside the more neutral base pieces was easy. Mod poppy wall decals add some subtle whimsy."
Kayne's New Traditional Living Room
Patrick's Global Eclectic Living Room
Meet the designers:
Originally from Williamsburg, VA, Timothy Minerd started trading comic books for the latest IKEA catalog at an early age. He now works in hospitality and marketing, and enjoys impulsive redecorating, DIY design, and long walks through furniture showrooms.
Patrick J. Hamilton is an interior designer, blogger, writer and "accidental activist" living in Manhattan, in a studio designated "Smallest, Coolest" in Apartment Therapy's first ever Small Cool Apartment contest. On Apartment Therapy, Patrick is a regular House Tour contributor and well known in its community as "patrick (the other one)." He won the first ever Bloomingdale's Big Window Challenge, has appeared on HGTV, and had work featured on major interior websites like HouseBeautiful.com. Patrick is an accomplished writer, contributing to The Bilerico Project, Huffington Post's Gay Voices, New England Home's blog, and his own blog, AskPatrick. Patrick graduated from the Rhode Island Design and is a Miami native.
Drawing upon her studies of both landscape and interior design as inspiration, Kayne Rourke has developed a unique approach to space and lifestyle planning that results in comfortable and functional spaces for her clients. Her three-phased approach brings clients along with her during the planning stages, often using existing objects and furnishings as her initial inspiration. Kayne Designs is based in Brooklyn, NY, and has completed projects in New York, Massachusetts, and California.


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Many are calling for the cancellation of "The Colbert Report" after a tweet mocking Asian stereotypes was posted Thursday from the @ColbertReport account to its over 1 million followers.
The tweet in question — which has since been deleted — is below:
The tweet was in reference to a bit from Colbert's Comedy Central show on Wednesday in which he mocked the Washington Redskins' latest attempt at PR damage control in partnering with a charity for Native Americans.
Since the post, the hashtag #CancelColbert has gone viral.
Some were outraged:
I'm sick of my daughter's ethnicity being a punchline. It sure wasn't funny for her when she was mocked in kindergarten. #CancelColbert— Amy D. Cubbage (@amydcubbage) March 28, 2014
Good humor punches up, at the powerful. Lazy humor relies on racist stereotypes. Apologize and do better. #CancelColbert— Shane Landrum (@cliotropic) March 28, 2014
"you just don't get satire!" no actually i'm pretty sure you just don't get how racism works lol #CancelColbert— pots is everything (@fairybukkake) March 28, 2014
Others argued that people just don't understand Colbert's character or the show's tone:
#CancelColbert NO. If you were offended by this, you don't understand the show and should stop watching it. @ColbertReport#ColbertNation— Jon (@brijon24) March 28, 2014
This whole #CancelColbert thing reminds me of when we read "A Modest Proposal" in English class and half the people didn't recognize satire — Erik Bremer (@erikbremer8) March 28, 2014
This #CancelColbert thing serious? Can people really not understand parody/satire when race is involved? How 'bout this? #CancelStupidity. — Jeffrey Wright (@jfreewright) March 28, 2014
Late last night, Colbert jokingly tried to ease the online tensions over the tweet he didn't write. And the show was forced to do damage control:
#CancelColbert - I agree! Just saw @ColbertReport tweet. I share your rage. Who is that, though? I'm @StephenAtHomehttp://t.co/e0Pqz7U7i9— Stephen Colbert (@StephenAtHome) March 28, 2014
For the record @ColbertReport is not controlled by Stephen Colbert or his show. He is @StephenAtHome Sorry for the confusion #CancelColbert— The Colbert Report (@ColbertReport) March 28, 2014
This is a Comedy Central account, with no oversight from Stephen/show. Here is quoted line in context http://t.co/UFnaFfOSpn#cancelcolbert— The Colbert Report (@ColbertReport) March 28, 2014
"I do the show in character — and he's an idiot," Colbert once said during an interview. "He's willfully ignorant of everything we're going to talk about. Disabuse me of my ignorance. Don't let me put words in your mouth."


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What Nelson Mandela meant to the Bay Area
Long before Nelson Mandela filled the Oakland Coliseum in a triumphant visit shortly after being released from a South African prison in 1990, the Bay Area had been a hub of the antiapartheid movement - and shared a special connection with the civil rights leader.
Opposing South Africa's racist apartheid system unified factions in the Bay Area and state like few other issues. Longshore workers and college students joined in the effort with celebrities such as Whoopi Goldberg and politicians including a Republican governor, George Deukmejian.
Longtime Rep. Ron Dellums led an often-lonely fight in Congress to win federal sanctions against South Africa. When he was lieutenant governor, Leo McCarthy was arrested at an antiapartheid protest. So was the poet Maya Angelou.
In 1986, California became the largest government in the U.S. to require divestment of South Africa-related investments - $11 billion at the time. Deukmejian endorsed the move.
"In apartheid, we saw the epitome of evil," said Pedro Noguera, who was UC Berkeley's student body president in 1985, leading protests and being arrested at antiapartheid demonstrations on campus.
For once, 'we won'
Now a professor of education at New York University, Noguera said, "People who are for progressive causes are often used to losing. But they can point to this one and say, 'We won.'
"Mandela was more of a mythic figure at that point," Noguera said. "He was more of an inspirational symbol to us."
Antiapartheid protests were staged at hundreds of campuses nationwide in the 1980s, and the ones at UC Berkeley were among the most powerful.
In April 1985, 10,000 students boycotted classes a day after police arrested 159 people during a Sproul Plaza protest.
When the university announced in 1986 that it would divest $3.1 billion from companies doing business in South Africa, "you felt that you were part of something that made the world different," said Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, who helped organize the UC Berkeley protests.
Dockworker protest
Mandela was impressed when members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union in San Francisco refused to unload the South African cargo ship Nedlloyd Kimberley in 1984. Mandela praised the union workers during his 1990 speech at the Coliseum, saying, "They established themselves as the front line of the antiapartheid movement in the Bay Area."
"It was electric when he said that," said Lawrence Thibeaux, who sat in the fifth row as Mandela spoke. He recalled being on the dock as the union's business agent when workers refused to unload the cargo.
"Fifty percent of our membership was black," Thibeaux said. "To keep unloading cargo meant we were helping their government continue their program of apartheid."
Seeing Mandela in person years later "showed that we had helped change things," Thibeaux said.
Movement grew
The horror of apartheid had long resonated in the black community, particularly among those who had lived through the civil rights era. But Alex Bagwell, an African American who participated in the longshore worker protests, said the movement boomed among people of all colors during the recession of the early 1980s, "when there were a lot of people out of work or on picket lines."
"There was a hell of a connection there, a lot of identification," said Bagwell, now retired and living in San Francisco.
"Part of (the connection) was that the United States also was dealing with its issues of racism," said Wilson Riles Jr., who was a member of the Oakland City Council when it divested its South African-related holdings in the mid-1980s.
Riles said his lasting memory of Mandela will be how he walked out of prison in 1990, "head held high, back straight, and with his values intact."
Unforgettable day
Oakland Deputy Mayor Sandre Swanson was a staff member for Dellums and helped coordinate Mandela's visit to Oakland on June 30, 1990. He still gets chills remembering the day.
"It was not commercial at all - it was spiritual," Swanson said of the mass rally. "There were so many kids in the audience, it was like family.
"I remember opening the door when (Mandela's) car pulled up. I shook his hand and I said, 'Thank you.' "
Joe Garofoli is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: email@example.com Twitter: @joegarofoli


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Jo Penn
Author Romance Paranormal M/M Menage Shifter
Vampire Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Book List
Life and Writing
Book Cover Gallery
A wolf and a wizard
Jo Penn
Sunday, October 30, 2016
Milson Valley Blog #5
I haven't been able to write as much as I would like the last year, but I am excited to be back at the computer and able to put to 'paper' all my ideas. It was fun to write about Archie finally getting his man, and more than he bargained for in the form of demon Shachar! I enjoyed showing Lincoln's history and how he ended up a Sanchez as well as his relationship with his family. Lincoln is a sweet, curious kitty with a big heart. He willingly accepts Archie and Shachar and works to overcome his
Milson Valley Blog #4 Macario's Savior
Fale Taucher has just moved to Milson Valley to join Prince Caspar's fae guild. He loves the valley and opportunities available to him and takes a job as a masseuse. There are a lot of changes for Fale. Having come from Tahiti where his life was relaxed and he doesn't have to worry about Renegades, following schedules and being cautious is new to him, but he settles in well, he loves his new job and jokes about giving up his surf sandals for sneakers. Then he meets his mate, a hot human who
Milson Valley Blog #3
Milson Valley Blog #3 Their Grouchy Bear I couldn't wait to tell Uri and Finn's story. Their mateship is solid and vibrant, and they are strong characters, and quite different from one another. Urian is the Alpha of the largest wolf pack in the North of the States and is the heart of the Alliance. Since a pup, Urian has strived to make Milson Valley work together and become the thriving city and community it now is. He was the original instigator of the Alliance between the paranormal groups in
Milson Valley Blog #2
Edward Nelson is an accounting officer, avid recycler and appointed by the court to anger management classes. He's also not a fan of paranormals. He tolerates them, mostly avoids and is occasionally passive aggressive toward them. When Edward is confronted by a big bear shifter and is told they're mates, he immediately gets angry and seeks out a lawyer. But after a bad morning and being rescued by Milson City's Police Captain, Tripp Croggen, who happens to be Edward's mate, he agrees to lunch
Milson Valley Blog
There are many amazing characters I cannot wait to write about in Milson Valley. One character in particular began very one dimensional, but swiftly evolved into a far more complex personality. In doing so, this has shown while we can have beliefs, opinions, conflicts and experiences, we can easily become caught up in our own feelings and forget to look beyond these. I have three others awaiting their stories, this one said tell me now! Of course this then meant I too had to delve deeper,
Dom, Chane and of course, Archie
The Coolest Prince of Cats Dominic Sanchez, littermate to Drake (Crown Prince) and Emile the prestigious, is the relaxed Sanchez. He's always up for anything, loves his family and is best friends with his littermates. Dom's motto is 'quality over quantity' and applies that to all aspects of his life, though he's a huge fan of anything luxurious, like stretch limousines, sharp suits and large screen televisions. Until Drake mated Xavier and Keeley, Dominic enjoyed his freedom and wasn't looking
The Avenger Claims His Mates
I am excited the next book in the Milson Valley Series is due out the 21st of September! Milson Valley's Avenger, Vicus Aston, was a mostly silent shadowy figure in the first book Prince of Cats Claims a Mate or Two but he, and his family, have a huge impact on the Valley. Relatively new in town, mated couple Deakin Myers, a human with some sprite biology and wolf shifter Ran Markson, are a happy couple looking to find their forever home. Deakin believes that's Milson City. He's got his
The day begins
I am up before the sun when it is quiet and still. I drink copious amounts of caffeine and enjoy watching the sky slowly change as the sun rises. Today I hope to have my website up and on the internet. Exciting! I am learning how to use social media and am enjoying trying so many new applications. I have discovered there are a lot out there and am slowly signing up to a few sites that promote books and reviews. With so many media sites and websites on the net, it can be time consuming to find
Writing paranormal and all things Keeley
Writing and all things Keeley... I found Keeley inspiring. Yes, he was chaotic and static. Yes, he caused chaos and confusion but he was also scared, scarred and loving. So many parts of our personalities define who we are, who we present ourselves as being, and how we are interpreted. But they are not the whole of us. As we develop and change, so do many characteristics that once showed a large part of who we are. For Keeley the experiences of is childhood shaped him but did not entirely
jo penn
milson valley
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#paranormal #magic #shifter #wolf #wizard #mm #romance #suspense #milson valley
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#iamwriting #writing #writinglife #paranormal #romance #reading #mm #menage #lbgt #jopenn #@jopenn2015 @
#@jopenn2015 #jopenn @bookstrand.com #goodreads.com #amazon.com #iamwriting #writing #mm #paranormal #manlove #sirenpublishing #shifters #werewolves #vampires #magic #romance #suspense #gay #iartg #lgbtqiabooks #milsonvalley #jopenn #
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#paranormalromance #ian1 #mm #shifter #vampire #magic
#milson valley


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AAC M5: 01.27.14 EditionPosted by Ross Schulz on January 27th, 2014
- Connecticut forward DeAndre Daniels showed his toughness on Saturday by returning from what appeared to be a bad ankle injury in the Huskies' victory at Rutgers. The junior forward went down with 4:11 to go in the first half, but eventually returned to produce a gutty seven-point, five-rebound performance in limited time. Daniels had been criticized for his lack of… well, anything and everything in the prime time game against Louisville last weekend. But he bounced back with a 31-point performance in a mid-week win over Temple, and it was his toughness returning after Saturday's injury that may have UConn fans hopeful for the remainder of the season. After all the criticism, maybe Daniels is out to prove something. The Huskies certainly need him to play at his best is they hope to have a special season.
- Louisville needs Chris Jones in its lineup if the Cards hope to win another national title, but a different version than the one before he was sidelined with an oblique injury. Jones will most likely come off the bench going forward, since in his absence Terry Rozier has played exceptional basketball. The main difference between the two players is that, according to head coach Rick Pitino, Rozier understands the russdiculousness of Russ Smith while Jones does not. Smith doesn't always make the obvious choice — such as passing to an open Jones, for example — and that could become frustrating for a score-first player who likes the ball in his hands. Regardless, the idea of Jones, along with forward Wayne Blackshear (and streaky-shooting Tim Henderson), coming off the bench could provide an offensive spark even more dangerous than last season's group.
- South Florida has signed an agreement with a Texas-based executive recruting firm to assist with its athletic director search, at a cost of $100,000. The firm's president, Bob Beaudine, is reportedly a friend and associate of Rob Higgins, the overwhelming local favorite to replace retiring athletic director Doug Woolard. Higgins, a USF grad, currently heads the Tampa Bay Sports Commission. In the ever-changing climate of conference alignment in college sports, there's never been a more important time to have the right person leading an athletic department, especially for schools like South Florida that are currently on the outside of the football-driven conference landscape.
- Longtime friends and point guard rivals, Quentin Snider and Tyler Ulis, look to continue their rivalry at the college level by attending Louisville and Kentucky, respectively. Ulis attends Marian Catholic High School in Chicago Heights, while Snider plays at Ballard High School in Louisville. The two have played with or against each other in AAU and basketball camps since the second grade, including a stint as roommates at Chris Paul's elite point guard camp in August. The two are excited to become a part of one of the country's best rivalries. "Us going to rivals [in college] is going to be pretty fun," Snider said. "He knows my moves. I know his moves." Ulis is the No. 6 ranked point guard by Scout.com, a spot ahead of Snider.
- The Cincinnati coaching staff wore "4 Pete's Sake" lapel pins yesterday in the Bearcats' overtime win against Temple. The pins were worn to recognize former assistant coach Dan Peters, who is fighting pancreatic cancer. Peters is currently the director of basketball operations at Akron, and he was at Cincinnati for six seasons (1999-2004) under Bob Huggins. Akron held a purple-out last week in honor of Peters, and this weekend was also dedicated to the Coaches vs. Cancer suits and sneakers program, where coaches all around the country wore sneakers to support the good cause.


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The crisis isn't just a global problem—we're facing it in our own backyards. Meet some of the species that are already seeing an impact.Read More
The unprecedented threats facing wildlife must be a clarion call to action, the National Wildlife Federation says following the release of a new report from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.Read More
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My hated of a particular class changed with each expansion. Here's my list and my thoughts on it
Vanilla - Warrior (Why do I keep dying!? ><). Favorite was Mage, second was Priest
Burning Crusade - Rogue (Stabbing things wasn't working for me) Favorite was Mage, second was Paladin
Wrath of the Lich King - Shaman (Always forget totems). Favorite was Paladin, second was Warrior
Cataclysm - Warrior (byebye armor penetration ;_;). Favorite was Paladin, second was Rogue
Mists - Mage (can't stand my own mage anymore ;_;) Favorite was Paladin, second was Hunter
I also was never a fan of Death Knights, but I leave them out of my list since I never levelled one past 74, despite trying to do so, repeatedly.


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Engineering Biofilms
Understanding how bacteria function in communities could lead to a host of new applications.
"Anywhere there's a surface and water in the liquid state," Tom Wood confirms, "you're going to have biofilms."
In riverbeds and showerheads. On the hulls of ships and inside pipelines. On contact lenses and joint prostheses and the gleaming white surfaces of your teeth. Biofilms, says Wood, professor of chemical engineering and biochemistry at Penn State, "are communities of bacteria that have the ability to cement themselves to a solid surface, and then—if you picture them in a river, say—rather than going with the flow they anchor down to a rock, and as the river goes by they get the nutrients they need and they're able to thrive."
"Communities" is the operative word. The biofilm that coats your teeth harbors more than 300 species of bacteria, working in concert. Most of these microbes either do no harm or are actually beneficial, but the few bad actors can saddle you with tooth decay and gum disease.
Biofilms cause corrosion, a huge economic drain on industry and infrastructure, and are also increasingly recognized as a leading culprit in chronic disease, from childhood middle-ear infections to cystic fibrosis. Hospital infections are largely due to their ubiquitous presence.
These complex microbial communities, in short, cause a variety of problems, both inside the human body and out. But they also have the potential to do great good, from wastewater treatment to oil-spill clean-up to producing alternative fuels--if their biochemistry can be controlled. Wood believes that it can.
Complex microbial communities have the potential to resolve practical problems in ways that combine the laws of nature with engineering principles.
"The whole idea of my lab," he says, "is that if we can understand the genetic basis of biofilm formation, then we can either get rid of a biofilm, or promote it to do whatever we want."
Sleeper Cells
The Dutch scientist Anton van Leeuwenhoek first noticed biofilms back in 1683. When placing a scraping of plaque from his own teeth under one of his first-generation microscopes, he spotted a host of "very little living animalcules, very prettily a-moving." For most of the next 300 years, however, biofilms were largely ignored, as microbiology focused on individual organisms in their free-floating, or planktonic, state.
"But bacteria do have this desire to hunker down and form an attachment to a solid surface," Wood says. "That's the way they are in nature, primarily—living in communities."
Living in communities, bacteria are much hardier than when floating around free. They're far more resistant to antibiotics—up to a thousand times more resistant, according to common estimates. "They're much harder to kill," Wood acknowledges, "but they're even trickier than that." Standard antibiotic treatments, he notes, target bacteria that are growing, dividing, evolving. "But in a biofilm, up to 10 percent of the population is not actively metabolizing."
Under antibiotic attack, Wood explains, these bacteria in effect "put themselves to sleep" to avoid destruction. "If a cell is asleep, not dividing, the antibiotic has no effect," he says. Then, when the coast is clear and the drug has run its course, these sleeper cells have the ability to wake themselves up and kick off a whole new infection.
Appropriately, they're called persisters. Their discovery is fairly recent, and when and how they work are hot topics among researchers of infectious disease. "What's really fascinating to me," Wood says, "is that they don't undergo genetic change at all. There's no mutations, no change in the DNA. It's the opposite of building up genetic resistance."
Chemical Messages
Wood arrived at Penn State in January 2012, to fill the Endowed Biotechnology Chair in chemical engineering, with a joint appointment in biochemistry and molecular biology. "I'm a microbiologist in practice," he likes to say, "but an engineer by training." As such, he has always had an eye for down-the-road applications.
"At first, I was just interested in trying to clean up the world—engineering bacteria to get rid of toxic waste," Wood recalls. Then he started thinking more broadly, about sustainable practices for other types of chemical manufacture. "We got to wondering, how could we use these bacteria we were creating to do remediation, and also to do green chemistry? And we figured it would have to be in biofilm reactors"—engineered systems for growing and exploiting bacterial communities. But in order to build successful reactors, Wood knew, he first had to get a better handle on how biofilms form.
Biofilms are, he suggests, "basically the beginning of a tissue--the beginning of us. What I mean is that as these bacterial cells join together and grow, they differentiate, like the cells of higher organisms. It's not like one group of cells becomes a tooth and another group becomes an ear, as in a developing mouse or a human. But they differentiate themselves by turning on different genes at different times, according to what's needed."
Acting in the common interest requires communication, something bacteria achieve by cell-to-cell signaling. "Bacteria cells, whether free-floating or attached, are constantly secreting chemical signals," Wood explains. As cells aggregate, however, held together by the slime that makes up the biofilm matrix, the concentration of signals increases. "The chemical will build up and up, and eventually you'll reach a threshold," he says. At that point, the signal crosses back into the cell and spurs it to act in some appropriate fashion. "It's called quorum sensing. This is how the cell monitors what's going on around it."
Experiments have shown that quorum sensing figures in a remarkable range of coordinated behaviors. As Wood notes, "Some cells in the disease state will hide until they reach critical numbers and realize they can overwhelm the immune system. Then they attack." Other biofilms will "agree" to a division of labor: one group of cells will remove oxygen and another group will secrete building blocks for the community.
In still other cases, a cell may be programmed to attack itself. As Wood explains it, bacterial cells contain enzymes called toxins, and, typically, corresponding antitoxins that—under normal circumstances—hold the toxins in check. In E. coli, the most-studied of all bacteria, researchers have so far identified 37 of these toxin/antitoxin pairings.
Under certain stresses, however, the antitoxins can be eliminated, freeing the toxin to damage the cell. Intriguingly, in the case of persister cells this is not a calamity but a survival choice. "The cell is not trying to kill itself," Wood explains, "but just to slow down its growth rate, or make itself go to sleep." Figuring out the nuts and bolts of how a persister actually achieves this feat and then manages to 'wake up' again when the time is right, he adds, "has been one of the thrusts of my lab."
Harnessing the Potential
In 1999, at the University of Connecticut, Wood became one of the first researchers to engineer a biofilm for a real-world application, putting a protective film on a mild steel to prevent corrosion. "That was the beginning," he remembers—"the first inkling that we could control biofilm reactions."
A decade later, he and colleagues discovered that fluorouracil, well known as an anticancer compound, could also be deployed to prevent quorum sensing. "There's a company now in Canada that is using it to coat hospital catheters," he says. The protective layer is intended to slow the inevitable formation of biofilm on the catheter surface, lessening the risk of infection.
Wood has studied another family of cell-signaling disruptors, called furanones, in a species of seaweed that lives off the coast of Australia. Furanones are now being considered as a possible alternative to standard antibiotics in the aquaculture industry, where antibiotic resistance is a serious problem.
In a paper published in January 2012, Wood and Arul Jayaraman of Texas A&M reported still another important advance. After characterizing a previously unknown signaling protein called BdcA, they engineered it to make biofilms disperse on command. "What this experiment shows," Wood says, "is that we can control bacteria in consortia—more than one at a time. That means we can hope to control biofilm formation for more complicated applications."
The next hurdle is to be able to dictate the positions of individual bacteria within a given biofilm. "If we can pull that off," Wood explains, "we will have gone a long way to show how biofilms could be used in a biorefinery." Doing so would also bring him closer to his old graduate-school dream of a sustainable chemistry.
"In my profession," he says, "we need to manufacture chemicals. With conventional chemistry, that often requires harsh, polluting processes and solvents, and results in lots of waste.
"But what's becoming clear is that just about anything you can make by conventional means, you can also make with a bacterium, with enzymes, and you can do it all in water. At the end of the day, then, everything is biodegradable. In essence, you can make the same chemicals for the same price without hurting the environment.
"That's green chemistry. And that's the kind of thing that I envision."


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We humans have long been charmed and fascinated by the sight and sound of birds, so it's not surprising that so many composers have tried to capture those qualities in music. What issurprising, perhaps, is the great variety of approaches they have taken-almost as much variety as we find in the birds themselves.
In this hour, avian-inspired music, from medieval and renaissance songs to works by Dvorak, Prokofiev, Saint-Saens, Vaughan Williams, Mozart and many others.


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Sales tools, localized marketing and inflation driving Supervalu comps
MINNEAPOLIS — Hyper-local initiatives and the rollout of sales tools at Supervalu, along with inflation, are helping to drive better-than-expected comparable sales for the company's second-quarter results, Supervalu reported Wednesday morning.
Through hyper-local initiatives, store directors now control half of the promotional space within the store, Supervalu reported during an analyst conference call. "We'll continue to emphasize the unique nature of each store," said Craig Herkert, Supervalu president and CEO. Herkert identified an Albertsons in Cheyenne, Wyo., that dressed up its store and store associates during the Cheyenne Frontier Days, a 10-day rodeo event in September that attracts upward of 70,000 tourists. Because of the merchandising ceded to the store director — bottled water was moved to the checkstand, for example — the store realized a significant uplift in comparable sales, particularly in snack foods and beverages.
"Our 8 Plays to Win strategy is gaining traction, and we remain on plan with our business transformation," Herkert stated. "Increased discipline and analytical tools are helping to advance hyper-local retailing initiatives, which are starting to have a positive impact on our customers' shopping experience," he said. The company has been rolling out sales tools — in-stock management, space allocation and promotional effectiveness — that are assisting perishable positions across 69% of its store base and nonperisable positions across 74% of its store base. Supervalu plans to have these inventory management tools implemented across its entire store base by the end of the year.
According to a Deutsche Bank research note issued Tuesday, the in-stock management tool analyzes scanner data over a trailing 13-week period and identifies eight to 10 potential out-of-stocks weekly. Improved out-of-stocks is expected to improve sales and customer satisfaction. The space allocation tool uses seasonal information to determine unit movement for certain items over a specific time frame. This information enables store-level associates to better allocate shelf space, expanding facings for better-selling items.
Supervalu realized a 0.6% gain in customer count from first quarter 2012 to the second quarter ended Sept. 10, and an average ticket increase of 1.5%. Same-store sales were up 2.1% in those sequential quarters, and gross profit was down 0.1%. Private-label penetration was up 60 basis points to 19%.
According to Herkert, those results were aided by inflation but also reflected positive traffic trends borne from the 8 Plays to Win strategy — an eight-piece strategy that includes simplifying processes and funding across the company, delivering better value and customer service through neighborhood marketing, and an emphasis on "fresh" and a commitment to growing its Save-a-Lot discount banner and its wholesale service to independent grocers. "While consumers remain cautious and the competitive environment remains challenging, we expect to see continued improvement in ID sales trends this quarter, helped by a pickup in food inflation and traction from the rollout of the aforementioned new tools/processes," noted Charles Grom, Deutsche Bank research analyst.
Supervalu reported second quarter fiscal 2012 net sales of $8.4 billion, down 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year, and net earnings of $60 million, or $0.28 per diluted share. The results exceeded analyst estimates of $0.21 per diluted share. "The upside was driven by better-than-expected [same-store] sales … and gross margin," said Edward Kelly, Credit Suisse analyst. "We believe much of the improvement in sales has been inflation driven, and price increases appear to have peaked. The consumer is also a concern. Consequently, current trends seem to be the realistic run-rate for now."
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Today marks the start of National Work Zone Awareness week, frequently known as "NWZA" for short.
Since 1999, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has worked with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA) to coordinate and sponsor this annual event – along with an ever-growing list of private industry partners – to raise the safety consciousness of the motoring public where highway work zones are concerned.
Indeed, just by looking at the numbers, this yearly NWZA effort seems to be working. For example, work zone fatalities dropped in every year between 2002 and 2009 – falling by more than 7% from 720 in 2008 to 667 in 2009 – with overall work zone fatalities and injuries combined plummeting by 35% since 2000, according to FHWA data.
Yet raising "work zone awareness" not just about trying to improve safety for highway workers, as FHWA pointed out that more than four of every five victims in a work zone crash are motorists themselves – which is why it is particularly important for drivers of every vehicle, be it a car or big rig, needs to remain alert while driving through work zones.
[The video below created for last year's NWZA outreach efforts in Pennsylvania further illuminates the issue of highway work zone safety.]
Bob Kreuzer, second VP for Travelers Construction Risk Control, shared some thoughts with me on this subject specifically aimed at fleets – noting that the key to safely navigating such roadway work is mainly about staying focused on the "fundamentals," especially where "signage" is concerned.
"The signage a driver experiences before entering a work zone in the advanced warning area can influence their movement through the work zone – for just as billboards alert drivers to restaurants and attractions further down the road, so does the signage for potential hazards created by upcoming work zones," he explained.
Warning signs vary, as almost any truck driver knows, but most commonly include the following:
- Diamond-shaped orange warning signs, which are posted in advance of road construction projects
- A "flagger ahead" warning sign, which is posted within the work zone
- Flashing arrow panels or "lane closed ahead" signs
"It may seem obvious, but before entering the work zone, follow the directions on the signs and slow down when the signs say to," Kreuzer stressed. "For example, when approaching a 'lane closed ahead' sign, drivers should merge as space is available, communicating with other drivers before making a lane change."
He added that this is a time when big rig operators need to truly drive "defensively" and be on the lookout for more aggressive drivers who may not signal before switching lanes.
"Allowing space for someone to merge in front of you doesn't appreciably slow down your trip, and it may prevent a collision," Kruezer stressed.
Upon entering a work zone, drivers should proceed with extreme caution, he pointed out. "Warning signs and barriers are meant to direct you, but cones and barrels ultimately provide little protection for workers," Kruezer said. "Keep a look out for workers or vehicles that are close to the lane of traffic and may accidentally stray into your path."
It is also important to note that some work zones, including those for line painting, road patching and mowing, move down the road as the work is finished. In these instances, drivers should carefully observe posted work zone signs until they see one that specifically states they have exited the work zone area, he emphasized.
Truck drivers should also ensure they keep a safe distance between their vehicle and traffic barriers, work trucks, construction equipment and workers.
"The most common crash in a highway work zone is the rear-end collision, so operators should remember to leave enough braking distance between their vehicle and the car in front of them," Kruezer explained, pointing out that the National Safety Council recommends a three second following distance for light vehicles, and six seconds for heavy vehicles like commercial trucks.
"It is also important to be aware of individuals operating within work zones," he stressed. "Such workers typically wear bright colors during the day and retro-reflective gear when working in the dark, so fleet operators should keep an eye out for these individuals and keep a safe distance from them when passing through."
Yet making the biggest difference when it comes to highway work zone safety may actually happen before a tractor-trailer ever hits the pavement.
"Prior to departing, fleets and their drivers should plan the route of their trip accordingly," Kruezer noted. "As many highway agencies inform motorists about the location and duration of major work zones, either through online notices, phone calls or other communicative means, it is advised that fleet owners and operators do a bit of research in advance to make sure highway or road construction sites do not interfere with their travel plans."
He added – as every fleet knows – that highway agencies will often suggest a detour to help motorists avoid the work zone entirely.
"Use this information wisely," he said. "Also, if running into a construction zone has unexpectedly slowed you down and may make you late for an appointment, don't start making phone calls inside the work zone; this is a place where you want your full attention on your driving. Wait until you are out and parked somewhere safe to make that call."
Good advice for when the orange cones start to sprout up along the roadways.


text: A door is something that every home has, usually several, in fact. Doors are, however, one of the most overlooked organizational devices out there. Until now. Door storage racks take advantage of these willing recipients. Space-conscious and unassuming, door storage racks allow you plenty of storage space in a small amount of room. Use these racks in the bedroom, and you'll never lose one shoe from a pair again! Door storage racks are great in the kitchen, as well, to keep often used items such as silver foil, sandwich bags, or paper towels. Every room in the house can benefit from these fantastic space-savers.


text: This week will see a number of indie projects open in select theaters across the country. The 9th Life of Louis Drax is a mystery thriller from horror director Alexandre Aja (The Hills Have Eyes, Piranha 3D) surrounding a psychologist working with a boy young boy who suffers after a near-fatal fall. The film was penned by actor Max Minghella (The Social Network, The Ides of March), whose late father Anthony was an Oscar-winning screenwriter responsible for such gems as The English Patient and The Talented Mr. Ripley. Jamie Dornan (Marie Antionette, Fifty Shades of Grey), Aiden Longworth (Cut Bank, Hector and the Search for Happiness), Sarah Gadon (The Amazing Spider-Man, Enemy), and Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad, Exodus: Gods and Kings) star in the film, which is based on a novel by Liz Jensen. Continue reading


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You can be forgiven if you've never heard of Ravens draft picks Brandon Williams, Ryan Jensen and Aaron Mellette. For that matter, you can be forgiven if you've never even heard of the schools they attended.
Baltimore drafted Williams out of Missouri Southern State, Jensen out of Colorado State University at Pueblo and Mellette out of Elon. Throw in Harvard's Kyle Juszczyk, and the Ravens dug deeper beyond big-time college football than any team in the draft this year. Ravens Assistant General Manager Eric DeCosta says that's all about the team's continuing efforts to find the best players in the draft, no matter how far they have to go to look.
"For a long time we didn't draft any small school guys, or a very, very few," DeCosta told the team's website. "In the last couple of years we have drafted more. I think one of the reasons is because we really draft best available player."
Williams, a third-round pick, was the only Division II player selected in the first two days of this year's NFL draft. But Williams, who was chosen as the defensive player of the year in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association last year, says he has never had any doubt that he could play with the best.
"I always knew I could play at that talent and level," Williams said. "I just had to prove to the NFL that I could do it. I always believe in myself every step of the way."
The Ravens are now giving him the chance to prove it.


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Employee Update from the Chancellor's Office
Note: the following e-mail was sent on 1/6/12 to all faculty and staff from President Robert A. Corrigan
Dear Colleague:
Following is an update from the Chancellor's Office, which we have been asked to share with you.
--Robert A. Corrigan, president
Governor Proposes Flat Budget for the CSU in 2012-13
Gov. Jerry Brown's proposed 2012-13 state budget calls for the same level of state support for the California State University as this year, provided that a November tax initiative is passed by voters.
The governor's proposed $2 billion in state support for the CSU reflects the continuation of this year's $750 million (27 percent) reduction in funding.
The governor's budget plan, which was released yesterday, relies on the passage of a tax measure that would raise income taxes on high-income earners and increase the state sales tax. The measure would generate approximately $7 billion a year in additional revenue in an effort to close a $9.2 billion state general fund deficit.
If voters do not approve the measure, however, a series of trigger cuts would go into effect, including an additional $200 million cut to the CSU. That cut represents funding for almost 27,000 enrolled students.
"Our campuses have done everything they can to get through this fiscal year with a $750 million budget cut," said CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed. "We have only survived by implementing numerous cost-cutting measures, being extremely prudent with resources, and spending down one-time reserves. However, we are just about out of options, and if the state does not begin to reinvest in the CSU, we will need to take more drastic measures including cutting enrollment and programs, raising tuition and reducing personnel."
The $2 billion in state funding allocated to the CSU for the 2012-13 budget is the lowest level of state support the system has received in 15 years, but the university currently serves an additional 90,000 students.
For the past three years, the CSU has instituted a number of cost saving measures including enrollment reductions, employee layoffs and furloughs, deferred maintenance, travel restrictions, and expanded use of information technology, among others.
For the remaining months of the fiscal year, campuses will draw on one-time reserves, delay equipment purchases and facility maintenance work to offset the $100 million "trigger" cut the CSU received last month. In the next fiscal year, however, extremely difficult longer-term tradeoffs will be considered, including possible additional cuts to academic programs or further increases in tuition.
The budget proposal for 2012-13 does not restore the $100 million trigger cut, making the $750 million reduction permanent to the CSU's base budget. In two of the last four fiscal years, state support to the CSU has been dramatically reduced, forcing the CSU's Board of Trustees to approve sizable tuition fee increases. But the increases in revenue from tuition hikes – after setting aside one-third for financial aid – have not kept pace with state funding cuts. For the current academic year, tuition increases raised approximately $300 million, but CSU's budget was cut by $750 million.
"We cannot continue down this path and expect that we can offer the same number of courses to the same number of students and maintain quality," said Reed. "California needs to make public universities a priority again. It is unrealistic to think the state will be able to grow its economy without an educated workforce."


text: Intel LGA775 Platform Intel® P45 chipset ASUS Express Gate VRM 5000hrs lifespan @105°C, 500,000hrs @65°C VRD11.1 CPU support (backward support VRD10.X CPU) Shop Modal header ASUS Exclusive Features ASUS Express Gate0 to Internet in Seconds!Express Gate™ is an ASUS exclusive OS that provides you with quick access to the Internet and key applications before entering Windows®. 5000hrs VRM Solid CapacitorsThis motherboard uses 5000hrs VRM high-quality conductive polymer capacitors onboard for durability, improved lifespan, and enhanced thermal capacity. CPU, Chipset and Graphics features LGA775 Intel® Core™2 Processor ReadyThis motherboard supports the latest Intel® Core™2 processors in LGA775 package. It also can support Intel® next generation 45nm Multi-Core CPU. With new Intel® Core™ microarchitecture technology and 1600 / 1333 / 1066 / 800 MHz FSB, Intel® Core™2 processor is one of the most powerful and energy efficient CPU in the world. PCIe 2.0Double Speed; Double Bandwidth & Triple Performance This motherboard supports the latest PCIe 2.0 devices for double speed and bandwidth which enhances system performance. Memory Features Dual- Channel DDR2 1200The motherboard supports DDR2 memory that features data transfer rates of 1200/1066/800/667 MHz to meet the higher bandwidth requirements of the latest operation system, 3D graphics, multimedia, and Internet applications. The dual-channel DDR2 architecture doubles the bandwidth of your system memory to boost system performance, eliminating bottlenecks with peak bandwidths of up to 19.2GB/s. ASUS EZ DIY CrashFree BIOS 3Simply restore corrupted BIOS data from USB flash diskThe ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 allows users to restore corrupted BIOS data from a USB flash disk containing the BIOS file. This utility saves users the cost and hassle of buying a replacement BIOS chip. EZ-Flash 2 Simply update BIOS from a USB flash disk before entering the OSEZ Flash 2 is a user-friendly BIOS update utility. Simply launch this tool and update BIOS from a USB flash disk before entering the OS. You can update your BIOS only in a few clicks without preparing an additional floppy diskette or using an OS-based flash utility. ASUS Crystal Sound S/PDIF-out on Back I/O PortThis motherboard provides convenient connectivity to external home theater audio systems via coaxial S/PDIF-out (SONY-PHILIPS Digital Interface) jacks. It allows to transfer digital audio without converting to analog format and keeps the best signal quality. Noise Filtering Eliminate background noise while recording This feature detects repetitive and stationary noises like computer fans, air conditioners, and other background noises then eliminates it in the incoming audio stream while recording. Other Innovative Features AI Nap Minimize noise and power consumption when temporarily away! With AI Nap, users can instantly snooze your PC without terminating the tasks. System will continue operating at minimum power and noise when user is temporarily away. It keeps downloading files or running applications in quietest state while you´re sleeping. Simply click keyboard or mouse, you can swiftly wake up the system in few seconds. MyLogo2Eliminate background noise while recording You can convert your favorite photo into a 256-color boot logo for a more colorful and vivid image on your screen. RoHS GreenASUS The motherboard and its packaging comply with the European Union´s Restriction on the use of Hazardous Substances (RoHS). This is in line with the ASUS vision of creating environment-friendly and recyclable products and packaging to safeguard consumers´ health while minimizing the impact on the environment.


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Pakistan's nuclear plants, reactors under IAEA safeguards, PM tells IAEA chief
ISLAMABAD, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif Tuesday told Yukiyo Amino, visiting director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that Pakistan is a committed nuclear non-proliferation state and its current nuclear power plants and research reactors are under IAEA safeguards.
Yukiyo Amino, who had arrived here Monday for talks with Pakistani leaders on cooperation in the use of peaceful nuclear technology.
Pakistan had conducted nuclear tests in 1998 in a tit-for-tat response to its arch-rival India.
"Pakistan has very close cooperation with IAEA since 1957, under the 'Atoms for Peace' initiative and all obligations are being fulfilled adequately," Sharif said.
Pakistani officials said the country has a very productive and mutually beneficial relationship with the IAEA and is already one of top recipients of its technical cooperation.
As a member of the IAEA Board of Governors, Pakistan is also contributing to the agency's decision making, the Foreign Ministry said.
"We value this cooperation for peaceful uses of nuclear technology as the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission has benefited significantly from IAEA's program on cancer therapy and control in member states," Prime Minister Sharif said in his talks with Yukiyo Amino.
He said Pakistan, with the help of IAEA, is making use of nuclear technology in several areas including power generation, medicine, agriculture, food preservation and water management for the benefit of its people.
"Given Pakistan's severe energy crisis, our Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) is actively expanding its power production potential," he said.
The prime minister appreciated the positive role played by the agency in the development of peaceful use of nuclear technology in Pakistan, for human resource development in various scientific disciplines as well as establishing Research & Development facilities at different centers in the country.
"Every year, a large number of our scientists and engineers benefit from IAEA- sponsored activities under National and Regional Projects and share their knowledge and experience in specific fields. Similarly, our experts render valuable services to other IAEA member states," he added.
The IAEA director general appreciated Pakistan's commitment to use of nuclear energy for the benefit of its people and extended his support for the cause.


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Roll over image to zoom in
|0.20" (5.0mm)
|Max Velocity
|625 fps
|Barrel Length
|Overall Length
|Shot Capacity
|Cocking Effort
|1-3 pumps
|Front Sight
|Rear Sight
|Adjustable for windage & elevation
|Two-stage adjustable
|Suggested for
|Trigger Pull
|0.75 lbs
|Multi-pump pneumatic
|Body Type
|Fixed/adj. power
|3 settings
|2.4 lbs
Create an online review and share your thoughts with other customers
5.0 5.0
5.0 5.0
5.0 5.0
Things I liked: Well made , accurate , fits your hand like a glove. I got mine in 20 caliber the in between caliber and this pistol packs a pretty good wallop , i was quiet impressed. The trigger is very predictable to me anyway . No Co2 needed just the pistol and some pellets and your ready to go , my favorite part.
Things I would have changed: Price seems a little steep otherwise not one thing.
5.0 5.0
4.0 4.0
5.0 5.0
Things I liked: The grip is quite comfortable, the trigger is pretty good, accuracy is superb, and the flexibility of 1, 2, or 3 pumps is very cool.
Things I would have changed: I would prefer for the trigger mechanism to have a more positive engagement within so that it feels crisper. Now that I have it adjusted as well as I can, it's pretty good, but still rather mushy. It isn't bad at all, just not as good as it could be. I'd also like to see it cost more like $200, which is why I gave it only 4 stars for value.
What others should know: I've owned this pistol for 9 months now and still absolutely love it! It's super accurate, really smooth, and so much fun to shoot. With 1 pump it's very quiet and doesn't even wake the squirrels. If I really want to put the "spank" on something, 3 pumps does the job. Although I wish I could have spent less on it, I don't regret the purchase at all. Buy quality, cry once.
5.0 5.0
3.0 3.0
5.0 5.0
Things I liked: It is a well built gun. Let's face it, like the Webley name. Look how well the Webley revolver is selling, even though it is not made by Webley. The case is very nice. Trigger out of the box is better then anything I have except my P17. I like the added space for loading compared to the P17. Pumping is MUCH easier then the P17. Looks like reliability will be very good for this pistol, judging from online reviews.
Things I would have changed: Some pellets are very tight in the breech . If the breech could be slightly chamfffed " darn spelling check isn't help me", pellets would load easier. The stock sights are hard to see compared to the P17.
What others should know: Be sure and totally open up the pistol. I have had several misfires. Would have to pump 2, sometimes 3 times to fire pellet. I was attempting to fire with not enough air pressure to expel the pellet. It would expand the back of the pellet and jam in the barrel. It seemed that Gamo diablo match were the worst offenders. Once I got my act in gear, no further problems. Many references were made to the Beeman P17 If money is short, just buy a P17 and enjoy most of the benefits the Alecto will give you. If you are a Webley collector or want the benefits of higher power with multiple pumps, buy the Alecto. I like mine.
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|0.20" (5.0mm)
|Max Velocity
|625 fps