text:
Originally published Saturday, June 23, 2012 at 6:01 AM
New books for all ages
Kids' Books: A roundup of new children's books includes "City Chickens," "Maisy Goes on a Sleepover," "Riley Mack and Other Known Troublemakers," "Just Ducks," "Surfer Chick," "In the Garden," "Go Out and Play!" and more.
Scripps Howard News Service
Summer's here, and it's time to celebrate with these great new books for all ages:
• In "Peekaboo Baby" (Candlewick Press, $6.99, ages infant-2), author/illustrator Sebastien Braun winningly combines two favorite baby activities — playing peekaboo and lifting flaps in books.
• "Play Baby Play!" (Sourcebooks/Jabberwocky, $7.99, ages infant-2) is the third volume in a cheerfully rhyming series by author/illustrator Marilyn Janovitz. Look also for the first two books in the series: "Baby Baby Baby!" and "Go Baby Go."
• A rhyming text consisting of just a few words introduces the youngest readers to the joys of growing things in "In the Garden" (Peachtree, $6.95, ages infant-2), written by Elizabeth Spurr and illustrated by Manelle Oliphant.
• In "Noodle Loves the Beach" (Nosy Crow/Candlewick, $8.99, ages 6 months-2), author/illustrator Marion Billet offers readers a fun "touch-and-feel" book, including a "sticky" picture of a peach and a sand castle crafted from sandpaper.
• Learning opposites is pure fun with "Hippopposites" (Abrams/Appleseed, $14.95, ages 1-3). Author/illustrator Janik Coat's graphic designs are both eye-catching and educational.
• Maisy, the spunky girl mouse character created by author/illustrator Lucy Cousins, is growing up, as evidenced in her latest adventure, "Maisy Goes on a Sleepover" (Candlewick Press, $12.99, ages 3-6).
• Kids learn that patience is an essential ingredient in gardening in "Plant a Little Seed" (Roaring Brook, $17.99, ages 3-6), beautifully written and illustrated by Bonnie Christensen.
• "Frog and Fly" (Philomel, $12.99, ages 3-6) is sure to tickle the funny bone of preschool readers. Author/illustrator Jeff Mack tells his tale in "six slurpy stories," and it's usually Frog who has the upper hand — until the very end.
• Author Kristy Dempsey and illustrator Henry Cole team up to tell the comically inspiring tale of a "gnarly new legend" in "Surfer Chick" (Abrams, $16.95, ages 3-7).
• Nicola Davies has a knack for making nonfiction books for young readers, as she demonstrates in her new books.
First, there's "Just Ducks" (Candlewick Press, $15.99, ages 4-7), in which Davies and illustrator Salvatore Rubbino present an intriguing look at urban ducks. Rubbino's illustrations are both lively and helpful.
Davies also has just published two volumes in a series called "Uncover & Discover" (Candlewick Press, $9.99 each, ages 3-7) that uses "lift the flap" features to engage the youngest readers.
In "Who's Like Me?," readers are asked to choose among four possibilities to find another animal who is most like a fish or bird, etc. In "What Will I Be?," Davies asks young readers to read a few clues before lifting the flap to find out the answers. Both books offer a wealth of information for young readers as well as vibrant illustrations by Marc Boutavant.
• Two new informational books for young readers focus on beetles.
In "The Beetle Book" (Houghton Mifflin, $16.99, ages 4-8), award-winning author/illustrator Steve Jenkins delves into the amazing world of beetles. As he notes in his opening text: "Line up every kind of plant and animal on Earth, and one of every four will be a beetle." Jenkins' trademark collage illustrations emphasize the beauty and complexity of these insects.
Meanwhile, author/illustrator Gail Gibbons highlights one particular kind of very popular beetle in "Ladybugs" (Holiday House, $17.95, ages 5-8).
• Chickens don't just live on farms, as author Christine Heppermann shows in "City Chickens" (Houghton Mifflin, $16.99, ages 6-9), an engaging, photo-filled look at a Minneapolis woman who has created an inner-city poultry shelter.
• Two new books will inspire kids — and their grown-ups — to get off the sofa and move. In "Go Out and Play!" (Candlewick Press, $11.99, ages 3 up), the leaders of KaBOOM, a nonprofit devoted to getting children to play, give directions for a variety of outdoor games.
More outdoor fun can be found in "Get Outside: The Kids Guide to Fun in the Great Outdoors" (Kids Can Press, $16.95, ages 5 up), written by Jane Drake and Ann Love and illustrated by Heather Collins.
• Author/illustrator Kevin Henkes, who has won multiple awards for both his writing and his art, turns his talents to beginning readers with "Penny and Her Song" (Greenwillow, $12.99, ages 5-7). In this gem, Henkes shows how Penny's patience pays off when she finally finds just the right moment to sing her new song.
• Readers will have a blast following the comical adventures of seventh-grader Riley Mack and his friends, the Gnat Pack, in "Riley Mack and Other Known Troublemakers" (HarperCollins, $16.99, ages 8-12), written by Chris Grabenstein.
• Anna feels most comfortable with her head in a book, but that changes as she begins to explore the joys and woes of friendship detailed in "The Year of the Book" (Houghton Mifflin, $15.99, ages 7-10), written by Andrea Cheng.
• Phillip Pullman, acclaimed author of "The Golden Compass," depicts the Victorian-era adventures of the "New Cut Gang" of kids as they try to solve mysteries in "Two Crafty Criminals" (Knopf, $16.99, ages 8-12).
• In "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again" (Candlewick Press, $15.99, ages 8-12), author Frank Cottrell Boyce offers an exhilarating update of the classic children's tale by "James Bond" creator Ian Fleming.
• Fans of Kristin Cashore's two previous books, "Graceling" and "Fire," will revel in her newest novel, "Bitterblue" (Dial, $19.99, ages 14 up). Readers new to Cashore's work also can enjoy this emotionally intense book, which stands on its own.
• Best-selling author Richelle Mead's newest novel, "The Golden Lily" (Razor/Penguin, $18.99, ages 14 up), will thrill vampire-romance lovers. It's the second in her "Bloodlines" series, a spinoff of her popular "Vampire Academy" books.
• In "Cinder" (Feiwel & Friends, $17.99, ages 12 up), debut author Marissa Meyer reworks a fairy tale into a compelling dystopian tale. "Cinder" is the first of a quartet of books, all based on fairy tales.
Karen MacPherson, the children's/teen librarian at the Takoma Park, Md., Library, can be reached at email@example.com.


text:
Monday, March 5, 2007
You Remain the Same
You, LORD, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth,
And the heavens are the work of Your hands.
They will perish, but You remain;
And they will all grow old like a garment;
Like a cloak You will fold them up, And they will be changed.
But You are the same, And Your years will not fail.
Hebrews 1:10-12, NKJV
When I first decided to become a teacher, I had to pick a subject to teach. My background was in math and science, and so when I first began teaching in a private school, I taught both of these subjects. But when I made the move to the public school system, I had to choose one of the two areas to focus on. I decided on math, because I thought teaching it would be easy. All I had to do was stand up, work a bunch of problems on the board, explain them as I go, and I would be done! But when I actually began to teach, I found that this did not work very well. And, as I went through various training courses, I was repeatedly told that my style of teaching, the style in which I had been taught, was old-fashioned. Kids had changed from when I was in school. The technological revolution of the last couple of decades had changed the way that kids think and learn. So, I had to go back to the old drawing board and learn how to teach all over again.
Change is a part of our lives, and now more than ever. It is true that change has always been part of human society, from its very beginning. But experts tell us that the rate of change in today's world, particularly in technology, is constantly increasing. In my relatively brief life, I have seen us go from records and 8-tracks to cassettes to CDs to MP3 players, and who knows what is next? Computers are constantly getting faster, smaller, and more powerful. By the time a computer appears on the shelf, it is practically obsolete already.
All these technological changes are forcing us to change as well. I recently heard that the average child in school today will change careers 10 times in his or her lifetime. That is CAREERS, not just jobs. And those of us who are working stiffs today are having to constantly learn new skills and new technologies, lest we find ourselves out of a job tomorrow. Another thing that is constantly changing is the morals and values of our society. Behaviors that were considered shameful not too long ago are now considered valid, alternative lifestyles. Things that use to shock us now barely provoke any comment.
Yes, change is all around us. For some of us (especially those over 35), the ever-increasing rate of change in our lives sometimes makes us want to run and hide. We long for stability, something that we can count on to be the same, day in and day out. Thankfully, we DO have something, or rather someONE—our God. And I am thankful for that! Today's epistle reading speaks to us about God's unchanging nature, and what we must do in return.
Hebrews is an epistle written to Jewish converts to Christianity who were experiencing great pressure to return to their traditional faith. The writer's purpose is to reaffirm the idea that Jesus is the promised divine Messiah of the Old Testament and that he is superior to angels, to Moses, and to the Aaronic priesthood. He also speaks of how Jesus' self-sacrifice on the cross both completed and did away with the old system of animal sacrifices at the Jerusalem Temple. Most importantly, the author urges the Hebrew Christians (and us today) to remain steadfast in their ways, not reverting to Judaism or falling into unbelief and spiritual apathy.
Today's epistle reading picks up at the end of a section in which the author uses the Old Testament to demonstrate Jesus' superiority to the angels. In verse 10, he quotes part of the 102nd Psalm (101st in the LXX), which he applies to Jesus: You, LORD, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, /And the heavens are the work of Your hands. /They will perish, but You remain; /And they will all grow old like a garment; / Like a cloak You will fold them up, And they will be changed. /But You are the same, And Your years will not fail. (quoting vv. 25-27)
No one knows how quickly garments wear out better than the parents of young children. Since the beginning of this year alone, our daughters Beth (5) and Courtney (8) have worn holes in nearly every pair of jeans that they own. Things wear out; they break down and become no longer useful. This is one of the irrefutable laws of the universe. Verse 10 reminds me of one of my pastor Fr. Matthew's sets of gold vestments. This particular set is very special to him, because it is the set in which he was ordained to the priesthood. But, as he told me recently, these vestments are starting to wear out, and he will soon be forced to fold them up and put them away, never to be worn again until he wears them one final time--at his funeral.
In the same way, the heavens and the earth, at least as we now know them, will be no more. Despite what Carl Sagan said, the cosmos is not all that is or ever was or ever will be, for there will be a day when the cosmos will grow old like a garment and will be folded up and then will be changed by its Creator. Heaven and earth will pass away, but our Lord and his word never change. I take great comfort in this fact, because I don't have to wake up each day wondering if God is still going to be in control, or if he still loves me, or if his will for our lives will change. If you have read much mythology, you know that the pagan gods, regardless of the culture, were anything but constant. They were essentially glorified humans, fickle beings with ever-changing emotions and desire. But our God is not like that. As the author of Hebrews writes in another place, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever" (13:8).
The fact that our Lord and God and Savior Jesus does not change is the reason why the Orthodox Church does not change. Many people in the world today say "the Church needs to keep up with the times and adapt its doctrine and worship accordingly." But if Christ does not change, why should his body, the Church? Why should the Church adjust itself to the world? Shouldn't it be the other way around? I once heard a joke: "How many Orthodox Christians does it take to change a light bulb?" Answer: "Change? What does that mean, change?"
That is not to say that there have not been some minor changes to Orthodox worship and practice over the centuries. But the core of Orthodox theology and worship are the same today as they were in the fourth century, the third century, the second century, and yea, even the first century! That is one of the many things that attracted me to the Church in the first place: its timelessness, its constancy. And that is what continues to attract more and more people to the Church today. Unlike most other Christian traditions, we Orthodox don't have to wonder what our Church will believe and teach in ten, twenty, or one hundred years. And I say "Amen" to that!
Soli Deo gloria!
The unworthy priest,
3 comments:
- Celina Monks said...
This is wonderful Father James. I look forward to reading more....
Celina Monks - March 6, 2007 at 4:01 PM
- katy said...
I was brought to this blog by my cousin Celina, who I see has also written a comment. With which I am totally in accordance.
I want to say is that if Christ told his apostles and his disciples to tell everyone of the great news. It is our obligation as His Church to do this. We must go as fast as the slowest person; so as to save everyone. So, what happens to the advanced people. Should we loose them?
I know what you are going to say. If they stray they are no sooo advanced.
If we would have stayed in the 1st century we would not have had the advances we have today. So if the world changes in its mondus oporanti, shouldn´t we?
I am not saying to change our foundations, but yes our methods.
Well.... I could go on but this is a comment not an essay. Hope to here from you.
Katy Orozco - March 8, 2007 at 3:38 PM
- Fr. James Early said...
Thank you for your comment. I agree with what you said: "I am not saying to change our foundations, but yes our methods." As I mentioned in this post, the Orthodox Church has changed in some minor ways, but it has not changed its doctrine, or its "foundation," to use your words. For example, when the Church has taken the Gospel to other nations, it has adopted the language of the native people, and in some cases, it has adapted the style of music used in worship. For example, an Orthodox service in Kenya sounds very different from one in Russia. I hope that this has helped. If not, ask again. - March 8, 2007 at 8:21 PM

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Lacing Up: Eaton Parks In Pittsburgh
In remembrance of the late Ashley Gallant, originator of "Lacing Up,†Matt Paul, Joshua Neal, and, at times, guest writers will hold a week-long email discussion, which will be published on FF Monday mornings. If you have any topics you would like to see us discuss, or if you would like to be a guest in our series, please let us know through the comments section below or on our Contact page, linked at the top of FF.
Matt Paul: It's no secret I'm a nostalgic guy when it comes to life in general and the Pittsburgh Penguins in specific. So when word broke earlier this week that Mark Eaton had signed a one-year contract to officially return to the Penguins, I was pretty excited. Obviously, though, my delight comes with little care of his performance on Long Island the last few seasons, which has left some to question what Penguins GM Ray Shero is thinking.
Josh, in our "planning discussion," I got the sense that you're not as excited about this signing as I am and that we could be in for a good old fashioned argument straight ahead. Are you embedded in the "what's Shero smoking" camp?
Joshua Neal: No, I'm not excited by the move. Don't get me wrong, I like Mark Eaton and think he did a lot of good things in a role player's role with the Penguins on their way to the Cup. He actually scored a big goal or two in the Flyers' series with the fabled Game 6 comeback from the 3-0 deficit, if my memory doesn't fail me.
Here's my beef with the issue: the Penguins are heavy on defense already. You won't hear much argument that Martin, Orpik, Niskanen, and Letang (in no particular order) are every-night players. We lost Brian Strait to waivers because of the overload we had of defensemen. After that, we still felt comfortable enough with the play of Deryk Engelland, Robert Bortuzzo, and Simon Despres to trade away Ben Lovejoy. That's nine defensemen I've mentioned already with NHL experience. Certainly some have more than others, and not all have as much as Eaton, perhaps even combined for the last 4 or 5 names there.
To me, it just doesn't make a whole lot of sense to bring another guy on, even with the vacated roster spot because of Malkin's status on injured reserve. Besides a good will gesture, what could the motives be, Matt?
Matt: I get where you're coming from: they had a logjam of defenseman, which they trimmed down to a serviceable number, only to once again add to it. It seems strange — but it's not, and here's why. Strait and Lovejoy were young extras whose careers were going nowhere admits the logjam. Rather than keeping them around and holding them back, Ray Shero offered greener pastures. Strait moved on to New York, where he was a top-pairing defender for the Islanders before injury and Lovejoy found a permanent top-six role in Anaheim.
In Eaton, the Penguins have a been-there-done-that veteran whose career won't be jeopardized by not playing. He's capable of being a healthy scratch for long stretches of games before getting some playing time, while not being a liability on the ice.
Josh, you mentioned Eaton's important role on the Stanley Cup winning Penguin roster. He has played key minutes in hostile arenas against big-time opponents during high-pressure games. Last year in the playoffs we saw the Penguins turn to Lovejoy who was turned around by the Flyers' forwards. It was a mess, and I can't help but wonder if that would have been a non-issue if a player with games under his belt was on the ice.
Josh: I don't doubt that the veteran presence that Eaton provides could be valuable in that sense. From a roster standpoint, though, I think that the move is still questionable. When Evgeni Malkin returns from the injured list, this Eaton signing could have ramifications on players like Simon Despres and Robert Bortuzzo.
I think that Despres and Bortuzzo have been pretty fantastic in their roles so far this year, all things considered. And Despres wouldn't have to clear waivers to go back down to the Wilkes-Barre club, so it appears he will be the casualty in this situation. A young guy who has shown flashes of being very capable at both ends, and shown consistency more so than some of the other more veteran defensemen on the team at many times, gets sent back down to the AHL for a move like this. That's what I don't like.
Or is another roster move coming in kind? Could one of the bottom pairing or healthy scratch guys from the Penguins' defensive roster be headed out soon?
Matt: I certainly don't think roster tweaking is done, by any means. In fact, unlike most seasons, I think the roster this season could be in constant flux, seeing minor parts come and go via waivers and trade (as we've seen from day one thus far). That said, I'm not sure a defenseman will be the next to go. Instead, I think it will be Boychuk, who will be placed on waivers only to be reclaimed by Carolina, in my opinion.
An NHL lineup generally consists of 12 forwards and 6 defensemen, with three healthy scratches. It might seem logical to keep two extra forwards and one extra defenseman to keep the ratio the same. But, really, on offense, there is much more room for cushion in case of injury. If two of the 12 go down, just shift things around. On defense, if two go down, 1/3 of the group is on the shelf.
It's that line of thinking that leads me to believe that, once Malkin returns, Boychuk will be waived, Jeffrey will return to the press box, and the defense will remain as is, with Depres and Bortuzzo splitting time on the third pairing, while Eaton gets the nod occasionally. Long story short, Eaton, to me, is pure depth. He's number eight on the depth chart and won't negatively impact either Despres or Bortuzzo. Whatever happens with them, in my opinion, would have happened with or without Eaton.
Josh: So, as I read this, Mark Eaton is an insurance policy. Bylsma said that he didn't expect Eaton to be on-call to play anytime soon in a presser the day following the signing. But beyond Mark Eaton, I think that there is an overarching question here that emerges from this, with your point that Boychuk will probably be placed back on the waiver wire.
Before Geno went down, the question was "who will play with Malkin and Neal?" Since then, there's been some necessary line juggling. The first answer was Eric Tangradi, who now dons a Winnipeg Jets sweater. Dustin Jeffrey got a shot and didn't look bad, but was ousted in favor of Boychuk. Now Boychuk might be the next guy on the waiver wire.
So when you say whatever happens with Despres and Bortuzzo would have happened anyway, does that mean that there is something perhaps larger than a roster-to-waiver adjustment? This is pure speculation on my part, but the 8th defenseman seems to be like a 5th or 6th wheel on a bicycle. So my question isn't one about the possibility of trading Despres or Bortuzzo, but one that springs from it.
Given that the Penguins will still need to presumably address the second-line winger situation, would you feel comfortable moving either Despres or Bortuzzo, while holding onto Eaton and pushing him into that 7th defenseman, healthy scratch but next-guy-up role?
Matt: Josh, we'll consider this overtime, as we've both gotten our three "periods" of say in on the conversation. I'm not suggesting that Despres or Bortuzzo gets dealt, just that Eaton provides insurance for the defense. Maybe one of those guys (or someone else) gets dealt, maybe not. Regardless of what happens, I think it was part of the plans all along and is not something that was spawn of the Eaton signing.
To answer your question directly, I think Bortuzzo has more value in Pittsburgh than he does in a trade. He has physical, top-four written all over his future. Despres seems untouchable, but might become available given the depth at young defense behind him. I only trade him if the return is significant. Would I be comfortable with Eaton as a 7? No. I like him as a practice veteran to skate occasionally in games.
Ultimately, what I see happening is Engelland (trade) or Despres (trade or demotion) leaving the roster with a PK specialist defenseman coming to Pittsburgh in a trade to round out the top six. If we learned anything in the playoffs last year (other than he ramifications of throwing an inexperienced, cold player to the wolves) it's that the coaching staff doesn't trust Engelland enough to put him on the ice when it matters. If he isn't trusted when it counts, let's replace him with someone who will be. Final words, Josh?
Josh: I'd have to agree that Engelland is a guy who is in a somewhat similar position to Lovejoy, though Engelland is significantly older and brings some different things to the ice. Much like Lovejoy, though, he hasn't been and probably never will be trusted with the big minutes. Then again, we didn't trust Niskanen with those kind of minutes in 2010 against the Lightning, but he worked his way into being arguably the best defenseman Pittsburgh had in the Philly series the following year, which in that series is about like being the best smelling bag of garbage.
Shero has made big moves, and he's made subtle ones. The Eaton move is perhaps one of the most subtle he's done, but one that has drawn some questioning. And being that the questioning is on a player who we've already seen play in Pittsburgh, I think it's only natural to speculate that this subtle move might mean some bigger ones in the not-so-distant future.
Commenting is closed for this article.


text:
Crystal Casino & Hotel Los Angeles
Knott's Berry Farm
Property Location
Located in Compton, Crystal Casino & Hotel Los Angeles is close to Home Depot Center and Rancho Los Cerritos Historic Area. This casino hotel is within the region of California State University Long Beach and Citadel Outlets.
Make yourself at home in one of the 238 air-conditioned guestrooms. Cable programming and video-game consoles are provided for your entertainment, while wireless Internet access (surcharge) keeps you connected. Bathrooms have shower/tub combinations and complimentary toiletries. Conveniences include blackout drapes/curtains and wake-up calls, as well as phones with voice mail.
Rec, Spa, Premium Amenities
Take advantage of recreation opportunities such as a casino, or other amenities including wireless Internet access (surcharge) and gift shops/newsstands.
Satisfy your appetite at the hotel's restaurant, which serves breakfast, dinner, and brunch, or grab a snack at a coffee shop/café. Quench your thirst with your favorite drink at a bar/lounge.
Business, Other Amenities
Featured amenities include audiovisual equipment, a 24-hour front desk, and multilingual staff. Event facilities at this hotel consist of conference/meeting rooms, small meeting rooms, and banquet facilities. A roundtrip airport shuttle is provided for a surcharge, and parking (subject to charges) is available onsite.
Standard Room, 2 Double Beds more info » |
Standard Room, 2 Double Beds
Standard Room, 1 King Bed more info » |
Standard Room, 1 King Bed
Hotel Policies
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card or cash deposit are required at check-in for incidental charges.
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges. Special requests cannot be guaranteed.
- Two Double Beds
- One King Bed
Hotel Facilities
Important information
Driving Directions
Long Beach, CA (LGB-Long Beach Municipal) - 9.6 km / 6 mi
Los Angeles, CA (LAX-Los Angeles Intl.) - 18.3 km / 11.4 mi
The preferred airport for Crystal Casino & Hotel Los Angeles is Los Angeles, CA (LAX-Los Angeles Intl.).
Distances are calculated in a straight line from the property's location to the point of interest or airport and may not reflect actual travel distance.
Distances are displayed to the nearest 0.1 mile and kilometre.


text:
Welcome to the best source for Charlotte, NC real estate listings and homes for sale. We cover the entire Charlotte Metro area including Union, Lancaster, and York Counties. Charlotte and the surrounding cities offer a broad range of housing options from reasonably priced homes for first time buyers to gated estates worth millions to farms & equestrian properties and more. We have waterfront homes, golf course and country club homes, condos and town homes and just about anything else you can imagine.
A different way of buying homes.
When you work with a buyer's specialist at R.W. Price & Associates you'll have the benefit of knowing that they are working hard for you and only for you. Our buyer's specialists are just that - specialists. They work with buyers only - never with sellers - which allows them to focus 100% of their time and effort on getting you the best possible deal. And because they don't work with sellers there's never a possibility for a conflict of interest. The buyer team does a great job of locating the right house, getting the best deal, and making sure the transaction is a smooth as possible.
A different way of selling homes.
Unlike a traditional real estate brokerage R.W. Price & Associates does not have individual listing agents. Rather we have a centralized marketing team that includes both staff and independent contractors all of whom are responsible for executing specific parts of our marketing plan. This team, headed by Richard Price, markets every property according to the same plan rather than having many different agents each doing it their own way. This is how we sell our homes faster and for more money - it's like nothing you've ever experienced.
Latest Charlotte Metro Listings
0000 Nations Ford, Charlotte
158 +/- acres of Prime Southwest Charlotte residential property. Parcels of this size and quality seldom come on the market. Purchase price is for THREE parcels (167121...
- Courtesy ofRLSTATE dot com
- StatusActive
4222 Fox Brook, Charlotte
Spanning almost two acres, this exquisitely appointed manor house is uniquely located in one of Charlotte's most prestigious private gated enclaves, Morrocroft Estates. A...
- Beds6
- Baths11.0
- Courtesy ofIvester Jackson Properties
- StatusActive
200 Wadsworth, Charlotte
Wadsworth Place is an opportunity for serious investors and visionaries/developers. Nestled in uptown Charlotte just north of 277, this 5 acre property runs parallel to a...
- Courtesy ofWilkinson & Associates ERA
- StatusActive
0000 Galloway, Charlotte
This listing is made up of 4 adjoining properties to add up to 35.43 + or - acres. These parcel #'s are 02902132, 02902124, 02902126,and 02902133. This property has expos...
- Courtesy ofUniversal Realty
- StatusActive
8333 Providence, Charlotte
Magnificent home on over 5 acres in the prestigious gated Greenwood. You will be amazed when you enter by the soaring ceilings, extensive custom moldings, abundance of na...
- Beds6
- Baths8.0
- Courtesy ofGreenleaf Development LLC
- StatusActive
4329 Fox Brook, Charlotte
Quality built stunning home in gated Morrocroft Estates. Lovely large formal areas. Casual living in the lower level with a heated lap pool. Billiard room, cherry paneled...
- Beds5
- Baths6.0
- Courtesy ofHM Properties
- StatusActive
2352 DR WEBBER, Charlotte
Church located on exit 37 former keller ave, now dr webber ave on interstate i85 minutes from uptown this property includes parking lot across the street parcel 069-171-2...
- Courtesy ofWilkinson ERA
- StatusActive
$3,699,000 ▼
14661 Rudolph Dadey, Charlotte
Everything is state-of-the-art & truly one-of-a-kind! Spectacular lot w/ breathtaking views of golf course & pond. Vanishing edge custom pool, pool house w/bar, 3-tier so...
- Beds8
- Baths11.0
- Courtesy ofHM Properties
- StatusActive
7401 Morrocroft Farms, Charlotte
Located on 1.3 private and beautifully landscaped acres in the highly sought after gated community of Morrocroft Estates. Designed by Myer, Greeson and Paullin. Built by ...
- Beds5
- Baths10.0
- Courtesy ofHM Properties
- StatusActive
1816 Craigmore, Charlotte
French-inspired home in popular Pellyn Wood! Main level w/ 7" Long Leaf Pine floors and walls; 2nd floor hallway is Venetian Plaster. Chef's dream kitchen opens to den a...
- Beds6
- Baths9.0
- Courtesy ofKeller Williams South Park
- StatusActive
"The data relating to real estate on this website derive in part from the Internet Data Exchange program. Brokers make an effort to deliver accurate information, but buyers should independently verify any information on which they will rely in a transaction. All properties are subject to prior sale, change or withdrawal. Neither Real Estate Company nor any listing broker shall be responsible for any typographical errors, misinformation, or misprints, and they shall be held totally harmless from any damages arising from reliance upon this data. This data is provided exclusively for consumers' personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties they may be interested in purchasing. © 2015 Carolina Multiple Listing Services, Inc."
Free Daily Email Updates
- Automated home searches
- Favorite properties
- Email updates
- And much more…


text:
จาก โครงการระบบอีเลิร์นนิ่ง มก.ฉกส.
Send Cards! If you've been area of the network marketing business, you'll want come across the name. Send Cards has gained a great deal of interest in late like a network marketing business. Although the company has been doing business for some time now, there's been a rise in advertising lately. So what is Send Cards all about? Is it legit or perhaps is it another scam? What's the business opportunity on offer? These are the questions we aim to answer through this review.
Send Out Cards: The Company
Send Out Cards was founded way back in 2004, by Kody Bateman and is based in Salt Lake City, Utah. As a work from home home business, it's earned over $150 million, within the last five years alone. The concept behind the company is the fact that people don't send real printed cards anymore - so there's an obvious market waiting to become tapped. Besides that, Send Cards doesn't have any real competition. The 2 major players in this niche market - Hallmark and American Greetings offer greeting cards at $3 to $4. Send Cards provide the same at 62 cents. Also, unlike Send Cards, they do not offer a business opportunity.
Send Out Cards: The Product
The product provided by Send Cards are post cards, greeting cards and gifts. Prepaid credit cards are compatible with an array of occasions, from thank you to follow-up cards. What separates Send Cards products from the competition is the low prices, but more importantly, the opportunity to change the cards. Users can customize their very own greeting cards with artwork, photos and messages online. They even have the messages written in their own handwriting. The organization, then prints and mails these personalized cards on the user's behalf. People can send out prepaid credit cards to friends, family, prospects, customers and clients - a customized approach will definitely please the recipient. While businesses mostly use emails and auto-responders today, delivering a customized message on a minute card can function wonders for them because it facilitates one-to-one relationship marketing.
Send Cards: The Business Opportunity
Individuals being employed as a part of Send Out Cards, can choose to operate being an independent distributor. The price associated with being a distributor is $398 plus a distributor kit worth $59. The kit contains all the tools necessary for recruiting new reps. As a Send Cards distributor, you can earn profit three various ways -
Leadership Bonuses - Distributors are paid every time they recruit a distributor who purchases an item package. The bonus begins at $140 and increases as you move up to higher ranks within the six levels. To be able to qualify, a distributor will need no less than three qualified customers as well as meet his personal monthly volume target. They can also earn bonuses from down line coding, each time a new rep is sponsored.
Retail Sales Commission - The retail sales commissions are earned in line with the distributor's monthly retail sales. Commissions vary between 5% and 30%, based on the number of qualified active customer subscriptions.
Residual Commissions - These commissions are determined by the total volume generated through the distributor's network. Commissions range from 5% to 30% based on whether the distributor reaches the retail level or at the very top level of the compensation plan.
Like a conclusion, Send Cards is definitely not a scam, however in order to earn money through this home business, you will need to successfully promote the business opportunity and recruit more distributors.


text:
In accordance with the Big 12 Conference Principles and Standards of Sportsmanship, commissioner Bob Bowlsby has issued a public reprimand of TCU men's basketball head coach Trent Johnson.
Faced with potential changes that could impact universities of all sizes in all regions of the country, a group of 32 conferences today announced the creation of a coalition designed to protect and improve the student-athlete experience.
Big 12 administrators and student-athletes helped lead the way during historic autonomy session at the NCAA Convention.
The committees selected 23 cities to serve as regional host sites for men's and women's championship play from 2016-18, with Big 12 sites hosting four regionals.
Goal is to Protect and Improve College Experience for Student-Athletes
West Virginia native and current Deputy Director of Athletics at the University of Alabama Shane Lyons, has been named director of Intercollegiate Athletics and associate vice president at West Virginia University, effective in February, President Gordon Gee announced today (Jan. 5).
The Big 12 Conference has announced its Scholar-Athlete of the Year recipients for the 2014 fall sport season.
The newest level of leadership in Division I is set - and three members will be from the Big 12 Conference.
The Big 12 Conference Board of Directors has announced a series of progressive measures to further ensure the success of its student-athletes on the field, in the classroom, and in life.
The Big 12 Conference has issued a public reprimand of Baylor Associate Athletic Director Heath Nielsen for Twitter comments made during Saturday's football game against West Virginia.
The Big 12 has announced the lineup for its second national "State of College Athletics" Forum to further examine the issues facing college athletics, slated for October 21 in Washington, D.C.


text:
Good with...
DriveClub PlayStation 4
- PlayStation 4 Your selected format is PlayStation 4
- The PlayStation 4's power brings life to the customisable cars, from the glimmer of the Paint in the sun to the view through the windscreen.
- Join/create a club and reap the benefits of more in game currency and bonuses as well as hooking up with your Club and representing with custom team colours and logos on your Cars.
- With the Android and ios DriveClub App you can watch live races and set and send challenges.
- Get behind the wheel of some of the fastest cars on the road with Driveclubs impressive roster of manufacturers including Audi, Alfa Romeo, Mercedes and more…
- Race on roads from around the world for a unique driving experience that will present a challenge to each driver's skill.
In stock - £29.99
Get FREE UK delivery on this product!
In stock - £24.99
Get FREE UK delivery on this product!
Get FREE UK delivery on this product!
Please note: prices in GAME Stores may differ.
Add to WishList
You have chosen to add this product to your Wish List, but which version would you prefer to add?
GAME DiscCare
GAME DiscCare will cover your games against future damage. Whether it's caused by an accident or overplay, we'll run it through one of our disc cleaning machines and try to repair your disc and get you back in the game. See below:
Additionally if you've got a scratched Game, DVD or CD we can bring it back to life for £2.99 a clean or 3 for £5. Ask staff in-store for further details.
Add Disc Care
Preowned Guarantee
Preowned is a great and cheap alternative to get your hands on some of the best games and consoles around. With GAME you can be assured that all our preowned games and consoles meet the high standards and quality you would expect when buying with us.
All our preowned products come with a 12 Month Quality Guarantee and, as with our new products, are also covered under GAME's 28 Day Returns Guarantee, meaning you can sit back, relax, and enjoy all your favourite games with our Preowned products.
Preowned games
As you'll see from this video, we take every measure to clean, re-package and re-seal all our preowned games, making sure it's as good as new before it gets to you.
Preowned consoles
Take a peek behind the scenes as GAME takes you into our Reclamation Centre, where all preowned consoles are cleaned, refurbished, tested and certified.
There are no customer reviews yet for this product. Be the first to write a review!
Av. User Rating
- Suitable for people aged 3 and over.
Release Date
DriveClub brings to life the heart and soul of car culture. An incredible, authentic and immersive driving experience, DriveClub makes you feel the exhilaration of driving the most powerful and beautifully designed cars in the world, all rendered in staggering detail, inside and out. Race them in richly detailed real-world locations, alongside your teammates.
Driveclub exclusively on PlayStation 4 Features:
- Join A Club – Get more by playing within a Club. Gain access to more races, special challenges and events by joining a Club. Join an existing Club or create your own to team up with ~12 drivers and get more in-game currency and earn bonuses. Everything they do helps you, and everything you do helps them achieve more. Unite together and represent your Club with customized team colors and logos for your cars.
- Take on Challenges – Constant and varied challenges keep the game feeling fresh and unique, offering pick-up-and-play gaming experience to suit every player's lifestyle. Every section of every track offers a new opportunity to face-off with your Clubmates and rivals, so there's always something to play for. Overdrive, and earn fame for your Club by beating recent times, high speed records or pulling off incredible drifts. Then create custom challenges to take on your friends and rival Clubs for fun, or up the ante by wagering on the outcome.
- Immersive Driving Experience – Every detail of high-speed racing has been painstakingly recreated to give you an authentic and thrilling first person driving experience. Feel every inch of the road beneath your tires, the thunderous roar of the engine and the rush of adrenaline coursing through your veins as your knuckles whiten on the steering-wheel.
- #DRIVECLUBLIVE - There's always something new to do and big rewards to play for. Take on individual challenges where you can go at it alone and earn prizes for yourself, race in special events with Clubs around the world, or enter weekly tournaments to see who the ultimate driver behind the wheel is.
- The World's Coolest Cars – Hand-picked for their power and beauty, each car in DriveClub is a pure pleasure to drive, recreated with an insane level of detail and accuracy both inside and out. Personally customize the cars in your garage to show off your unique look or represent your Club's colors out on the track. Take care not to get your paint-work scraped and carbon fiber chassis torn in high-speed collisions.
- Stunning Real-World Locations – Inspired by real-world roads from diverse regions across the globe, the racing tracks in DriveClub present a variety of different challenges for every driver. Practice technical maneuvers on the open, fast-paced freeways of Canada, check your reflexes on the unpredictable UK roadways, or sharpen your high-speed steering skills on the mountain and dust-filled roads in India.
- Stay Connected with the DriveClub Partner App – No matter where you are in the world, you and your friends can stay connected 24/7 with the iOS and Android DriveClub app. Keep pace with your teammates performance, watch the races live as they happen, set and send challenges, plus check out all of the latest and greatest from the DriveClub world.


text:
Prison Cell Phone Smuggling Out of Control
Soulskill posted more than 3 years ago | from the how-else-can-they-play-angry-birds dept.
428Hugh Pickens writes writes "KCRA reports that the number of contraband cell phones discovered in California state prisons has exploded as prison guards, staff and vendors are cashing in on smuggled phones that can fetch between $200 and $800. Although the large majority of inmates are using the phones to stay in contact with loved ones, there have been documented cases of escape attempts, drug deals and conference calls coordinated via smuggled cell phones. 'The potential is there for the worst kind of activity,' says Folsom Prison Warden Rick Hill. Even Charles Manson has been caught with a cellphone smuggled to him. 'We know the problem is out of control,' says State Senator Alex Padilla, who has proposed making such smuggling illegal in hopes of stopping the continued rise of contraband cell phones in prison."


text:
unoriginal humor in last week's list. The
offending contributor has been tossed out the
nearest airlock without a pressure suit.
10> A Ferengi will do anything you say with the proper application
of a Q-Tip.
9> Yoda is pretty much the John C. Holmes of the Dagobah System.
8> The bigger the ship, the bigger the worm hole needed.
7> You should wait at least an hour after eating before going
through a wormhole or your stomach will wind up in a different
sector of space.
6> Every February 29th, all ships have to drop out of warp and
turn off the communications console because it's the
Federation's Subspace Cleaning Day.
5> If you hold in a sneeze in zero G, you'll soil your spacesuit.
4> Being swallowed by the Worm is good luck, not the other way
3> King Luke was crowned after he pulled the lightsaber out of a
lump of the hardest metal alloy in the multiverse.
2> If you look closely at the monoliths, both on prehistoric
Earth and in Jupiter orbit, they both have little Starbucks
logos on them.
a spaceship behind you keeps flashing at you: It's part of a
horrible spacegang initiation. Whatever you do, DO NOT STOP!
Selected from 30 submissions from 9 contributors.
This week's list authors are:
G. Griebenow, Johannesburg, S. Africa — 1, 3
Slick Sharkey, Miami, FL — 2
Guy Reeves, Houston, TX — 4, 8
Andrea Kelly, Brookville, MD — 5
Bill Livingston, Decatur, AL — 6, 7
Randy Lee, Burke, VA — 9
Donald Johnson, Cincinnati, OH — 10
James Knowles, Bellingham, WA — Topic
Dave Oberhart, Durham, NC — SF List Moderator


text:
Select () or exclude () categories to narrow your recipe search.
As you select categories, the number of matching recipes will update.
Find exactly what you're looking for with the web's most powerful recipe filtering tool.
Sort by: Date | Rating | Most Helpful
"Good. I used a vegan cream cheese made from cashew nuts and coconut milk so my hubby would eat them (he doesn't like cheese) and he loved these poppers. He ate them up!"
"Tasty, I could eat it by the lovin' spoonful!"
"MY grandma taught me to make it due or do with out. So, that's what I did. I didn't use Greek yogurt because I had some full fat French kwark to use up. And to be honest I didn't want it too sour so I skipped the sour cream and buttermilk. I did use a squeeze of garlic dressing and I didn't have Ranch mix but I tried to stay wi..."
"Delicious. Very berry good... that's because I didn't and don't have ice cubes. I used about a 1/2 cup of frozen blueberries and frozen raspberries. Even without, the Nutella and chocolate would give it the perfect flavor pick me up - it's really gloomy today so this has been the perfect mid-morning snack. I used regular cow mi..."
"I made these today... slow cooked them for 8 hours on low... my oh my were they tender. The meat just fell off the bones. We did find the marinade too strong. Too - soy - tasting. Other than that... I'm happy I tried making ribs. It was my first time doing ribs from scratch... I'm sold on it... I'll definitely be visiting the butche..."
"it was edible and everyone ate it but I went out of my way to buy Maple syrup and there is only one tablespoon in it. I think I would try it again but I'd add more maple syrup... i really wanted that flavor to come out more.
Maple syrup is really expensive so you know - I wanna get my money's worth. We ate it with di..."
"This was really yummy - i didnt have red onion though. I used 1 green onion, 1 red bell pepper, 3 radishes sliced up for the vegetables and I did orange zest but i added a squirt of lime juice at the end. My husband complained it was bland and added sweet chili sauce but I do not agree with him this time. I also used a meat substitute - I'm s..."
"I absolutely loved this soup. It had the perfect blending of flavors. It's hearty but not like stew - because it's still soupy. We actually called it souper soup ;) I had never had radishes in soup before (that I know of) and I was a little hesitant - but I loved them and I would probably double the amount of radishes in the soup next ti..."


text:
Review Summary
Oster Mechanical Food Steamer 005711000000
$39.99 Original Price $54.99
Savings: $15.00 (27%)
Product Features:
-Instant steam allows you to start cooking immediately
-75-minute timer with safety auto-off
-External water fill with see through reservoir allows you to never run out of steam
-Cook and steam anything with our double-tiered 6.1 quart capacity steamer: includes a large 3.8 qt., and a smaller 2.3 qt. steaming bowl
-Fully collapsible steaming trays for easy cleaning
-Large steaming bowl includes 8 egg holders for soft or hard cooked eggs
-Large 10-cup capacity rice bowl
- One year warranty
- Plastic
Shipping your purchase is easy on belk.com. Depending on the destination of your package, you can expect it to arrive within 4-7 business days. Shipping Information
Returns are easy on belk.com. Easy returns
With a commitment to exceptional performance and ultimate versatility, the Oster® brand inspires confidence in perfect results, and empowers experimentation and self expression. For those consumers who value quality, expect durability and desire trusted expertise, the Oster® brand offers functional innovation across a breadth of products for your home.
Power, Performance, Ultimate Versatility, Pride in Results
More from: Oster


text:
Brand new 27x40 inch original US One Sheet movie poster of The Village featuring William Hurt and Sigourney Weaver
We promise to never spam you, and just use your email address to identify you as a valid customer.
This product hasn't received any reviews yet. Be the first to review this product!
Click the button below to add the THE VILLAGE 502751 ORIGINAL DOUBLE-SIDED REGULAR POSTER to your wish list.
All prices are in USD Copyright 2015 The Movie Store. Sitemap | Shopping Cart Software by Bigcommerce


text:
Following shortly after Dell announced the Venue Pro tablet and a day on from Lenovo unveiling the Miix 2, Acer introduced its own Windows 8.1 tablet and said that it will start shipping in the U.S. later this month.
As rumored, the Iconia A4 has an improved 1280 x 800 resolution IPS display with wide 170 degree viewing angles and better sunlight readability. It also has Intel's Bay Trail-based Atom processor (clocked at 1.8GHz), connections for micro USB and micro HDMI, and is lighter than its predecessor, the Iconia W3.
The inclusion of Windows 8.1 adds some other advantages too, most notably the Windows start button and the pre-loaded Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013 edition.
(Worth reading: Acer's improved Windows 8 tablet gets spotted at Intel event & Microsoft confirms Windows 8.1 will launch on October 18)
Acer says that the 32GB model will sell for $330, with the 64GB edition retailing at $380. There will be accessories available for the tablet, including a protective case for $35, a case/stand for $40 and a keyboard folio for $80.
Acer will certainly be hoping that the Iconia W4 fares better than the Iconia A3, which launched in June. The tablet was the first 8-inch device running Windows 8 but was generally panned for having a poor touchscreen and cheap build quality.


text:
Select () or exclude () categories to narrow your recipe search.
As you select categories, the number of matching recipes will update.
Find exactly what you're looking for with the web's most powerful recipe filtering tool.
Sort by: Date | Rating | Most Helpful
"Okay, it's total instant chocolate gratification. But did you look at the nutrition facts? ONE serving, one brownie, one cup, one recipe is 535 calories! 24 grams of fat! OMG! Then I looked at the Dietary Fiber....4.4 grams per serving? How can that be, if you are using only 4 tablespoons of all-purpose (white) flour? You're not ge..."


text:
Google purchases 1,029 patents from IBM
Add New Comment
TechSpot Members
Login or sign up for free,
it takes about 30 seconds. |
You may also... | |||
Get complete access to the TechSpot community. Join thousands of technology enthusiasts that contribute and share knowledge in our forum. Get a private inbox, upload your own photo gallery and more.


text:
Win 10 Invitations To 'Silver Linings Playbook' Premiere
November 6, 2012 by Faisal Hashmi
Filed under Competition
Life doesn't always go according to plan. Pat Solatano has lost everything – his house, his job, and his wife. He now finds himself living back with his mother and father after spending eight months in a state institution on a plea bargain. Pat is determined to rebuild his life, remain positive and reunite with his wife, despite the challenging circumstances of their separation. All Pat's parents want is for him to get back on his feet – and to share their family's obsession with the Philadelphia Eagles football team. When Pat meets Tiffany, a mysterious girl with problems of her own, things get complicated. Tiffany offers to help Pat reconnect with his wife, but only if he'll do something very important for her in return. As their deal plays out, an unexpected bond begins to form between them, and silver linings appear in both of their lives.
Thanks to Italia Films, we have 10 tickets to the premiere of the Bradley Cooper- Jennifer Lawrence film to give away.
Premiere Details:
Venue – Reel Cinemas, The Dubai Mall
Date & Time – November 12th at 9:00pm.
Win 25 Invitations To 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2′ Premiere
November 6, 2012 by Faisal Hashmi
Filed under Competition
After the birth of Renesmee, the Cullens gather other vampire clans in order to protect the child from a false allegation that puts the family in front of the Volturi. The astonishing conclusion to the series, THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN, PART 2, illuminates the secrets and mysteries of this spellbinding romantic epic that has entranced millions.
Thanks to Gulf Film, we have 25 tickets to the premiere of the much anticipated finale to give away.
Grand Megaplex – IBN BATTUTA MALL
· Date November 13th
· Time 8pm
Win 30 Tickets To Watch 'Cash Flow'
November 6, 2012 by Faisal Hashmi
Filed under Competition
Mazen, a struggling young man is addicted to living large on a less-than-mediocre income. He falls in love with a co-worker, Elsa, who happens to be high-society. Knowing how expensive her taste would be, he was reluctant to ask her out. One day, he saves a rich philanthropist's life and is awarded a credit card that can withdraw a thousand US dollars every day. Mazen's life turns around overnight. He finally funds his courage and asks Elsa out on a date. Ultimately, Mazen's newly found love-for-life attracts unwanted attention from unsavory people who decide to give him a very hard time in order to push him to relinquish his credit card.
Thanks to Gulf Film, we have 30 tickets to the Lebanese film to give away.
Win 20 Tickets To Watch 'Sinister'
November 3, 2012 by Faisal Hashmi
Filed under Competition
Sinister is a frightening new thriller from the producer of the Paranormal Activity films and the writer-director of The Exorcism of Emily Rose. Ethan Hawke plays a true crime novelist who discovers a box of mysterious, disturbing home movies that plunge his family into a nightmarish experience of supernatural horror.
Win 30 Invitations To 'Seven Psychopaths' Premiere
October 27, 2012 by Faisal Hashmi
Filed under Competition
Seven Psychopaths is a 2012 British comedy film written, co-produced and directed by Martin McDonagh. It stars Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson, Christopher Walken, and Tom Waits…..
A struggling screenwriter inadvertently becomes entangled in the Los Angeles criminal underworld after his oddball friends kidnap a gangster's beloved Shih Tzu.
Thanks to Front Row Filmed Entertainment, we have 30 tickets to the premiere of this exciting dark comedy to give away.
Premiere Details:
Venue: Reel Cinema – Dubai Mall
Date & Time: 7th of November at 8PM.
Win 10 Invitations To The 'Wreck-It Ralph' Premiere
October 24, 2012 by Faisal Hashmi
Filed under Competition, News
Walt Disney Animation Studios and Emmy®-winning director Rich Moore take moviegoers on a hilarious, arcade-game-hopping journey in Wreck-It Ralph. Ralph (John C. Reilly) is tired of being overshadowed by Fix-It Felix (Jack McBrayer), the "good guy" star of their game who always gets to save the day. But after decades doing the same thing and seeing all the glory go to Felix, Ralph decides he's tired of playing the role of a bad guy. He takes matters into his own massive hands and sets off on a game-hopping journey across the arcade through every generation of video games to prove he's got what it takes to be a hero.
On his quest, he meets the tough-as-nails Sergeant Calhoun (Jane Lynch) from the first-person action game Hero's Duty. But it's the feisty misfit Vanellope von Schweetz (Sarah Silverman) from the candy-coated cart racing game, Sugar Rush, whose world is threatened when Ralph accidentally unleashes a deadly enemy that threatens the entire arcade. Will Ralph realize his dream and save the day before it's too late?
Thanks to Italia Film, we have 10 tickets to the premiere of the much anticipated animated tribute to video games to give away.
Premiere Details:
Date & Time – Tuesday October 30th at 8:00pm
Venue – Reel Cinemas, Dubai Marina Mall
Win 30 Invitations To The Premiere Of 'Here Comes The Boom'
October 24, 2012 by Faisal Hashmi
Filed under Competition
In the comedy Here Comes the Boom, former collegiate wrestler Scott Voss (Kevin James) is a 42-year-old apathetic biology teacher in a failing high school. When cutbacks threaten to cancel the music program and lay off its teacher (Henry Winkler,) Scott begins to raise money by moonlighting as a mixed martial arts fighter. Everyone thinks Scott is crazy – most of all the school nurse, Bella (Salma Hayek) – but in his quest, Scott gains something he never expected as he becomes a sensation that rallies the entire school.
Thanks to Sony Pictures Releasing International and Empire International, we have 30 invitations to the premiere of the Kevin James comedy to give away.
Premiere Details:
Venue – Reel Cinemas, The Dubai Mall
Date & Time – October 31st, @8:20pm
Win 10 Invitations To 'House at the End of the Street' Premiere
October 16, 2012 by Faisal Hashmi
Filed under Competition
Seeking a fresh start, newly divorced Sarah (Oscar-nominee Elisabeth Shue) and her daughter Elissa (Oscar-nominee Jennifer Lawrence) find the house of their dreams in a small, upscale, rural town. But when startling and unexplainable events begin to happen, Sarah and Elissa learn the town is in the shadows of a chilling secret. Years earlier, in the house next door, a daughter killed her parents in their beds, and disappeared – leaving only a brother, Ryan (Max Thieriot), as the sole survivor. Against Sarah's wishes, Elissa begins a relationship with the reclusive Ryan – and the closer they get, the deeper they're all pulled into a mystery more dangerous than they ever imagined.
Thanks to Italia Film, we have 10 invitations to the Jennifer Lawrence thriller to give away.
Premiere Details:
Venue: VOX Cinemas, Mall of the Emirates
Date & Time: October 22nd at 9:00pm
Win 40 Invitations To 'End Of Watch' Premiere
October 10, 2012 by Faisal Hashmi
Filed under Competition
A powerful story of family, friendship, love, honor and courage, "End of Watch" stars Gyllenhaal and Peña as young Los Angeles police officers Taylor and Zavala as they patrol the city's meanest streets of south central Los Angeles.
Giving the story a gripping, first-person immediacy, the action unfolds entirely through footage from the handheld HD cameras of the police officers, gang members, surveillance cameras, and citizens caught in the line of fire to create a riveting portrait of the city's most dangerous corners, the cops who risk their lives there every day, and the price they and their families are forced to pay.
Thanks to Front Row Filmed Entertainment, we have 40 tickets to the premiere of the tense cop thriller to give away.
Premiere Details:
Venue: VOX Mall of the Emirates
Date & Time: 9PM on 15th of October
Win 30 Invitations To 'Paranormal Activity 4′ Premiere
October 9, 2012 by Faisal Hashmi
Filed under Competition
It has been five years since the disappearance of Katie and Hunter, and a suburban family witness strange events in their neighborhood when a woman and a mysterious child move in.
Thanks to Gulf Film, we have 30 tickets to the premiere of this much-loved horror installment to give away.
Venue: Grand Megaplex – IBN BATTUTA MALL
Date & Time: Wednesday Oct 17th, 9pm


text:
Login to add this name to your list! |
The meaning of the name Rogelyn is Created Name | |
The origin of the name Rogelyn is American | |
Notes: Combination of the names Roger and Lyn. | |
People who like the name Rogelyn also like: Lorelei, Isolde, Morwen, Madelina, Roselyn, Daisy, Leda Coen, Rodney, Medwin, Andres, Rogelio, Wyatt, Fynn |


text:
Family – Juglandaceae
Also called 'Persian' or 'English' walnut. Regia from the Latin 'royal' was probably given because of the delicious flavour of the nuts.
The term "Carpathian Walnut" in its widest sense generally refers to a cold-hardy race of J. regia adapted to northern latitudes from about 35-45°North.
In contrast the French varieties which are much more sensitive to cold are generally known as Persian walnuts.
Walnuts have been imported from overseas over the years for trials here in New Zealand
It can be a tall tree to 30m and 1.5m diameter with a broad rounded crown.
Silvery gray smooth bark when young, becomes furrowed on older trees.
Compound alternate leaves formed of 5-9 leaflets, shiny green on top and light underneath 6-12 cm long with slight perfume. It is one of the latest deciduous trees to come into leaf.
Before you decide which trees to plant it is suggested you have your end product in mind.
Timber or nuts or both?
Do you want to sell nuts in shell, shelled or for oil and other processed products?
These decisions will affect which type of walnut to plant.
Success depends on getting the right cultivar for the local environment and the presence of good pollinator clones. Then there is the debate between grafted and seedling trees.
The two major factors limiting the walnut industry are blight and frost.
In Central Otago the area suitable for planting is limited to areas frost-free during the growing season of walnuts.
In Canterbury areas with lower rainfall are preferred because higher rainfall areas are more likely to have problems with blight.
David NcNeil is working on a rather ingenious project to find a solution to the problem of blight and if he is successful he will have earned the gratitude of walnut growers all over the world as it is not just a New Zealand problem. It is quite possible that some varieties of walnuts growing in areas which are generally not considered to be suitable for commercial walnut production could very well have resistance against blight. It is possible that this genetic plant material could be important to increase the areas where walnuts can be considered a commercial crop, since they are likely to be resistant to blight.
It is important to realise that it is possible to grow crops in between the walnut trees to utilise the ground until there is a commercial return from the walnuts. The long wait for this return could be putting many people off the idea to grow walnuts commercially.
In countries in the Balkan it is a usual practice to grow peaches in between each row of walnuts and one peach tree in between each walnut tree in the row. Peaches start producing commercially after 3 years and it is not unusual to plant peaches for a rotation of 6-10 years. When the walnut trees are starting to cover the ground the peaches are removed.
There are many other horticultural crops that can be grown in this manner.i
J. regia is the only species suitable for commercial nut production. For commercial production it is suggested to use cultivars approved by the Walnut Action Group of NZTCA.
The drier areas of the eastern parts of New Zealand are suitable for commercial nut production.
Many other areas are suitable for timber and home orchards, provided 4 metres of free-draining soils are available.
Walnuts are suitable as an organic crop and there is an established market in Christchurch for them; named cultivars as well as 'wild'.
All walnuts, regardless of variety, require a fertile, free draining soil.
The roots have to breathe. If a soil is waterlogged there is no oxygen for the roots.
It takes only one day of waterlogging to kill a walnut tree and even soaking for too long before planting can have the same effect, as does constant leaking water.
Soil should be neither too acid or too alkaline.
There is evidence that walnut trees improve the quality and quantity of pasture beneath them but some plants will not thrive if they come into contact with juglone from the roots.
Indicator crops, which may show where walnuts will do well, are potatoes and lucerne.
Limiting factors are spring and autumn frosts, extreme summer heat and insufficient winter chilling. A North to Easterly aspect is preferable.
Late spring frosts can damage catkins, new growth and young fruit thus spoiling nut set, but unless severe they are not normally a problem in older trees. In colder areas selection of late-flowering cultivars is important.
Early autumn frosts can injure young shoots preventing leaves the following spring. Winter temperatures rarely injure dormant trees.
Winter chilling requirements needed to be considered for different cultivars to break dormancy.
If the cultivar does not have adequate chilling, they leaf out and bloom late. Nuts are then small and crop reduced.
High summer rainfall can cause blight (Xanthomonas juglandis), as it thrives under moist humid conditions. Progress is being made with blight resistant cultivars.
Growing walnuts in areas of low summer rainfall, preferably less than 700 mm per annum to lessen the problems associated with blight is best for nut production. (See later under Blight Control.) The additional water requirements may then be met from under-tree irrigation.
Nuts grow rapidly during the 5-6 weeks immediately after flowering. Shortage of moisture during this period results in a large percentage of small size nuts.
No amount of mid-summer (or after) irrigation will increase the nut size once the shell has hardened.
Sunburn early in the season may cause "blanks" (no kernels); later the kernels may be partly shriveled, dark or stick to the shell and stain.
Wet weather at harvest time will cause stained kernels and shells and may delay nut fall from husk.
It is essential to shelter the young orchard to enable the tree to be trained to a suitable shape, to maintain higher temperatures for maximum growth, and to assist pollination in the young orchard where pollen may be blown away or catkins blown off the tree. It is highly desirable to have shelter established before planting walnuts.
You need permanent shelter on the outside of the orchard, as well as temporary, fast growing shelter internally that can be removed later.
Excessive shelter will produce leggy growth that will not stand strong winds.
Remember that any shading of the walnut tree will reduce the nut yields.
Select the right type of shelter tree as they can suffer from competition from some, which are too dense, casting shade and robbing the soil of nutrients and moisture.
Blackened edges of the leaves are a sign that they are being physically damaged by wind.
It is much more difficult to see the more serious damage of the tree being cooled by the wind.
Walnuts grow best at temperatures between 25-49°C so shelter greatly improves cropping and growth.
Walnuts are self-pollinating, but, as maximum pollen shed does not coincide with peak pistillate flowering, to attain maximum yields it is desirable to plant at least two cultivars that will fertilise each other.
For information on compatible cultivars contact the Walnut Action Group.
In all situations some mixture of trees may be required for adequate pollination.
The exact timing of pollen-to-flower formation may vary in different sites for different lines, so that several lines would be recommended.
The highest quality nuts are not always the highest yielders and growers should decide which is the more important to them.
Male and female flowers are present on the same tree.
Male flowers are clusters of small brownish green hanging catkins (with pollen) carried on one-year-old twigs.
Female flowers are very small, green and insignificant in groups of 1-4 at the end of young shoots of the current season, laterally in some new cultivars and appear in late spring (mid October).
The main difficulty with walnut pollination is the failure of pollen shedding to coincide with the receptiveness of the pistil. In some cultivars pollen is released too early and in others too late for pollination of the majority of the pistillate flowers.
Accordingly in any planting plan provision should be made for cross-pollination by planting different combinations.
Basically the aim is to combine an early pollen shedder with a late on, so that pollen is available during the whole of the pistil receptivity period for both cultivars.
Pollen is normally released 10-12 days after bud burst with full bloom of female flowers usually 15-18 days later though this varies between cultivars.
The pollen is distributed by wind and in a dense orchard its maximum effective movement is about 80-100 metres.
The fruit is considered as a true nut as both the outer husk or hull and the nut grow with a sigmoid (crescent-shaped) curve.
The edible kernel varies as to colour and taste depending on cultivar.
Harvest time is March to April when the hulls turn brown.
Some cultivars release nuts from hulls on the tree, others are removed mechanically.
Irrigating a week before harvest can make nuts drop.
If using for pickles pick about December, before the nut has hardened and a needle can be pushed through.
In the commercial orchard, spacing at 11m by 11m is suitable where sprinkler irrigation is used to cover the total orchard area.
Where trees are liable to grow very large without cutting back a spacing of 15m by 15m is desirable, with interplants for heavier production in the early years.
Some of the newer lines (eg Vina) are much smaller trees than traditional varieties. With these, a 6m x 6m spacing, eventually becoming 12m x 12m spacing would be most suitable.
With the use of mini-sprinklers for irrigation, or where no irrigation is used, spacing may vary. The important point is that trees do not shade each other nor branches inter-twine.
The prevention of moisture stress is desirable. However, over-watering rather than under-watering causes more problems.
The result of over-watering is root damage and dieback in the tree, which, if severe, can be righted only by severely cutting back the top of the tree to compensate.
When irrigating, the use of tensiometers at a depth of 1.5m is a simple precaution to take against over-watering.
Commercial irrigation monitoring with neutron moisture meters has also been successfully used in some orchards.
Blight control
Walnut blight (Xanthomonas juglandis) is the only significant disease problem of walnuts in New Zealand.
Blight is controlled by the use of copper-based sprays such as Bordeaux mixture or Kocide 101.
With a mixture of cultivars, spraying will need to be done at 10-14 day intervals from catkin development through to pistillate flowering.
If heavy rain follows spraying, the spray may need to be applied again, although light rain will reactivate the spray.
Propagation is by either grafted or seedling trees depending on the end use.
Patch, chip or tee budding is used in various nurseries.
Seedlings are much more vigorous and some lines come fairly true to type. (See section Seedlings v Grafted).
It is possible to provide frost protection in a nursery while it is not practical to do so at a field level. Grow trees to the required height then transplant, to avoid frost damage.
Juglans regia (English Walnut): Suitable for use as rootstock. As the Action Group has as yet done no satisfactory trials on rootstock you have to select your own – use fast-growing seedlings. It is more tolerant of medium fertility soils than J. nigra
Juglans hindsii (Californian Black Walnut): An excellent rootstock for very free-draining soils. Seed may be available through the Walnut Action Group.
Juglans nigra (Black Walnut); If this variety is used as a rootstock, it may produce slightly less vigorous trees. However, it is susceptible to black line disease, which can rapidly kill a mature tree. This disease is not yet a problem in New Zealand, but using this as a rootstock may increase the risk.
In some areas it is considered as too fast growing – incompatibility does not show up for some years and is disastrous if the trees are just coming into full production. Where there are clay soils which are prone to water logging J. nigra is a preferred rootstock as J. regia tend to get die back. (Eric Cairns)
Juglans ailantifolia (Japanese Walnut): Not suitable for rootstock.
Juglans neotropica (Andean Walnut): Has been used in Bay of Plenty.
Soils should be kept at pH 6 to 6.5.
Nitrogen is necessary for plant growth and will be especially needed by young trees in the first years of establishment.
A good balanced NPK fertiliser, such as those used for apple or kiwifruit orchards, would be a reasonable annual base fertiliser, with a nitrogen side dressing in the establishment years.
Soil tests should be used to help you decide what fertilisers are needed.
Foliage tests should be carried out if you suspect any deficiencies, especially of minor elements.
There should be a good balance of soil nutrients.
Foliar analysis has shown why the addition of more nitrogen gave no response for a BOP grower. It was because the Magnesium levels dropped as a result of the extra Nitrogen, resulting in the tree being unable to use that extra fertiliser.
Pruning should be done only during summer months when callusing occurs more readily.
If pruned during winter this species bleeds which can lead to the death of the tree.
In New Zealand a minimum of pruning is required.
Pruning needs to be done only to correct faults and to make the tree into a strong shape so it will withstand wind and mechanical shaking for harvesting.
For air circulation, no branches should be below 1.5m from the ground on the mature tree.
The first limb, being the strongest, should be into the prevailing wind.
Branches opposite each other sap the energy from the central leader, and one should be removed.
Any limbs growing excessively should be cut back to two thirds the height of the central leader from the base of the branch.
It is desirable to try and space the limbs well apart in a spiral around the tree.
Alternatively, trees may be pruned to the vase shape, which may have the advantage of letting more light into the centre of the tree and consequently giving an improved fruit set. This method is not recommended for Canterbury, where limb breakage is common with trees pruned to this system.
For timber and nuts, trees are trained to have 2.5 meters clearwood. This does take a few years longer than allowing the branches to fruit, but has the advantages of keeping fruiting branches well clear of ground frost. The orchard is then clear of hanging branches, which improves air circulation and lessens the likelihood of blight.
Weed control
Better growth in the young orchard is maintained with cultivation and the removal of all weed growth from around the base of tree.
However, this is expensive in equipment and labour, so sprays may be used to keep weed growth at least 2m from the base of the tree. This is particularly important on dry soils.
As walnuts have deep roots, most pre-emergent weed killers can be applied to bare ground to prevent weed growth. Gardoprim, Simazine, Surflan and Caragard have all been used, but care should be taken on very light soils with Caragard. Surflan is a better choice for sandy soils.
Roundup and Paraquat can be added to any of these pre-emergent chemicals to kill existing weeds. Fusilade, Goal, Karmex, Touchdown and Treflan are also suitable for walnuts.
Word of warning: Roundup will damage young trees even if it gets on dormant bark, so that care must be taken to protect the trees from spray contact.
Also, none of the chemicals mentioned is at present registered for use with walnuts, so care and consideration must be taken prior to their use.
In some areas rooks(?) can cause serious financial loss by eating the nuts prior to harvest, and rats will eat nuts left on the ground or in storage.
If nuts are allowed to fall to the ground it is essential to pick them up daily or they will be damaged by mould, and the kernels will darken and spoil rapidly.
The best time to harvest the nuts is when they are at peak quality, which is when the packing tissue, which fills the space between the kernel and the shell, has turned brown. This is generally March/April.
Usually the first harvest is 4-5 years with full production at about 10 years.
This generally coincides with the green hull covering the nut starting to crack and break away, at which stage about 80% of the nuts will fall with the first good shaking.
For the commercial orchardist, nuts may be gathered by hand or mechanically.
The amount of machinery used will depend on the size of the orchard, but may consist of shaker, sweeper, pick-up, huller and washer, drying and storage facilities.
On a small scale, walnuts can be air-dried in open mesh sacks or on wire racks.
Quality is the dominant requirement.
The meaning may vary but includes the physical and interior attributes, which vary widely with cultivar.
Physical attributes
Kernel to total weight ratio (crack-out percentage) should be at least 50%
Strength of sealed shell – a thin shell may give a better crack-out, but if too thin it will break in the field at harvest. A poor seal will let in codling moth and mould.
Colour of kernel – the market demand is for a light, attractive colour (McNeil et al, 1994)
Nut size – larger nuts are sought for the in-shell trade.
Nut shape – should be appealing to the eye and may be important with respect to ease of extraction from the shell and breakage during mechanical shelling.
The colour of walnut kernels may range form extra light to amber, due to the time of harvesting, location of the tree in the orchard, and variety.
Dark walnuts are not necessarily of inferior quality as in some countries and industries darker walnuts are prized for their stronger taste, However, locally the darker walnuts are currently used as a second grade product, processed into a baking grade.
Lighter walnuts are preferred for the decoration of tops of cakes and pastries by the baking industry (Walnut marketing Board, 1999).
There are also small markets for coloured varieties, eg white and purple.
Interior Quality Attributes
Nutritional contents (eg vitamin and oil composition).
Freshness (rancidity).
Nutritional studies have shown that walnuts are rich in food value and contain a wide range of vitamins and minerals.
They contains about 70% oil, which is primarily polyunsaturated, and are rich in essential fatty acids which are essential to health through their cholesterol – lowering benefits (Chisholm et al. 1998).
Other benefits come from their high content of fibre, vitamin E, arginine, antioxidants, some minerals and their level of protein (about 14.1 grams per 100 grams of edible nuts, most of which is digestible).
However it is the polyunsaturated fatty acids which if not stabilised (eg by vitamin E), may cause walnuts to become rancid, consequently reducing their shelf like.
New Zealand cultivars tend to have more variable fatty acid and vitamin E profiles than locally grown or imported European and American walnuts. (Savage, McNeil, Dutta, 1998)
Local consumer preferences lean towards larger sized walnuts with light coloured kernels (Johnson, 1993) even though very large walnut generally suffer from a lower kernel crack-out and light coloured walnuts are often weaker in taste.
Other preferences are toward sweeter nuts with a lack of aftertaste (McNeil, Smith Gardner, 1994).
Shelled walnuts are highly susceptible to deterioration through moisture, light, heat, and oxidation in air causing losses in freshness and taste besides promoting kernel darkening leading to rancidity with reduced shelf life. Similarly walnut oils have been shown to be unstable when heated (40°C) or subjected to air or sunlight for prolonged periods.
Imported walnuts are often inferior, being shelled walnuts stored for long periods in unfavorable conditions. So the local industry has concentrated on the selection of high quality walnut cultivars.
However good quality nuts can easily be spoiled during the harvesting and post-harvest operations.
Southern Nut Growers Association promoted NZ grown nuts as a high quality product, and to this end they have set up various quality standards which must be met before nuts can be sold under the Southern Nut logo.ii
Planting Seed
Walnut seed loses viability under warm dry storage condition. They should be kept at just above 0°C from harvest until they are planted.
Mid-winter planting with the seedlings emerging in spring seems to be most successful.
Stratifying seeds just above freezing point for two months or more before planting can improve germination.
Nuts should be planted in the nursery at intervals of about 30cm, about 5cm deep, and in rows 2 meters apart.
The best planting position for walnut is horizontal with the plane of the suture line perpendicular to the soil surface. From this position when the nut germinates, and the tip of the shell opens, both the root and the stem emerge readily and produce the strongest, most rapidly growing seedling.iii
Seedling trees vs Grafted Trees
Point of View 1 – Nick Nelson Parker
There is a huge range of quality factors that make the nuts more usable, not the least of which is size.
Considering the cost of fertilising and protecting a walnut tree until it starts cropping, it is worth taking the extra trouble to plant a good variety.
There is a report of a someone who planted a walnut tree they found on the side of the road, then waited twelve years to find out that it was not even a proper walnut, but a wild Japanese species, only useful for fire lighters.
The most important factor in the time taken for a new walnut tree to come into bearing is not breeding at all, but how well the tree is looked after in its formative years. On Nick Nelson Parker's orchard he has come up with a planting method that took five years off this waiting time.
However, a grafted tree will produce male flowers up to ten years before a seedling.
If you have planted some walnuts seedlings where there are no other older walnuts trees to provide pollen, then you could be waiting a while for some nuts. Strangely enough seedlings produce female flowers at the same age or earlier than grafted trees. If there are male flowers around they will produce nuts. The youngest he has had nuts off a seedling is eighteen months after planting.
A popular misconception is that walnuts do not come true from seed. They have planted about 2000 seedling walnuts and can say that they grow quite satisfactorily from seed. There obviously is some variation, though not marked. The important thing to remember is that the tree providing the male pollen has as much effect on nut quality as the one the nut came from. That makes it important to know both parents.
When planting a grafted tree, only the one the graft came from is important.
Like most biological decisions it is a numbers game. The result is that if you are planting less than 3 walnut trees, it pays to plant a grafted tree.
If you are planting more than 10 trees it pays to plant one grafted tree for pollination, and the rest seedlings, provided that both parents are as good as the grafted ones available.iv
Point of View 2 – Otto Mueller
Another grower reports that when there has been a shortage of grafted walnut trees, a number of people planted seedlings.
During a conference for walnut producers from all over the world in Budapest, there was general consensus that under good management it was possible to get the following production from a mature orchard:
Seedling trees: 2.5 tonnes/hectare
Terminal bearers: 4.0 t/ha
Lateral bearers: 6.0 t/ha
Seedling nuts in the South Island sell for a lot less than grafted, so the return for grafted lateral bearers would produce the best return.
It was pointed out that lateral bearers will only produce more than the terminal if the trees are subject to a suitable pruning regime to enable light to penetrate into the centre of the tree.
There is also a great yield variation among different varieties. On some of the good nuts they got 80% whole nut halves but the poor nuts from the seedling orchard would have been more profitable to crush for bird feed.
In the best markets for walnuts, the undamaged nut half is worth twice the price of broken pieces. From the processor's viewpoint the price they can afford to pay producers is based on:
The percentage nut-halves and quarters they can obtain, and the amount of time to do the hand sorting after the cracked nuts have been through the separator. Separation of shell-pieces and kernels are generally done by the air-stream separator:
It is very effective in separating the plump kernel from a thin shell.
It is ineffective in separating a skinny kernel from a fat shell. -
The effective crack-out percentage. If nut-halves are stuck in the half shell it may be more economical to deed them to birds than to extract them by hand.
It is reasonable to expect that the processor may not be interested in buying seedling nuts if the recovery of sale-able pieces is poor and takes too much hand sorting. -
Uniformity is of the utmost importance so that machine settings can be made for a given variety. Seedling trees where every tree differs are not attractive to a processor.
It is also of interest to find out the reason why seedling trees are less productive. One major reason is "pistillate flower abscission". Many seedling trees produce an enormous amount of male flowers. Scientists have now established that excess pollination causes a build-up of ethylene, which results in the pollinated female flowers falling off. Trees among these heavy pollen producers produce hardly any nuts at all, although they are healthy and full of female flowers.
Fortunately our grafted trees have their female flowers at a later time and are not affected. Also, seedling trees that have their female blossoms at a different time to the heavy male blossom producers have good crops though of inferior quality nuts.
The question of uniformity of products is of equal importance with regard to walnut timber. We can only play the world market if we can regularly export substantial quantities of walnut timber.
The variety Franquette has a reputation of producing very high quality timber. An American timber company heard of these trees and said they would contact them again in 50 years time with a view to buying these trunks from us.v
Which Type?
There are four basic types of walnut selected for. Numerous varieties have been produced within these types.
A high proportion of meat in the walnut and not so much shell.
Most of the commercial varieties come into this category. Most of these are susceptible to blight. The Californian varieties are particularly bad for this and should only be grown in dry areas such as Gisborne, Hawke's Bay and Canterbury.
Easy walnuts to open. These are usually extra large nuts as well.
Although all walnut varieties have been selected for size of nut to some extent, the easy to open varieties tend to be extra large. The best know in NZ is Wilson's Wonder type.
Most commercial growers shun them because they tend to have less meat in the shell and are also lighter croppers.
For the home orchard, ease of opening is a more important consideration. There have been some selections made. -
Late leafing varieties.
Late leafing is a very desirable characteristic if spring and early frosts are a problem. Walnut trees are really designed to withstand frost during winter without any trouble, as it is deciduous. The leaves on the other hand are very frost tender, and frost during the summer can kill a tree if they happen repeatedly. It does not do the flowers any good either.
There is a German variety G26 which comes into leaf very late. Some years it can be mid-December before any sign of leaf show.
Franquette, a Californian variety is also late. It comes into leaf early November and also seems to be not quite as susceptible to blight as other Californian varieties. -
Varieties that are less susceptible to blight.
Resistance to blight is an elusive characteristic.
Walnut blight is increased by rain during spring and summer.
The ideal is one heavy downpour once a month, at night.
There is a marked range of susceptibilities, but no variety can be called truly resistant. Even with spray programs some total crop failures are to be expected.
Nut types
The Walnut Action Group of NZTCA has approved a number of cultivars of Juglans regia for use throughout New Zealand. Some nurseries are producing these and selling them with NZTCA Walnut Action Group labels attached. These labels are your only guarantee of type and cultivar.
Cultivars at present fall into three main groups: in-shell, kernel and specialist types.
In-shell types
These need clean large shells with a tight seal but with a kernel that can be extracted easily. Nuts need a high proportion of kernel to shell, nuts should be light in colour, plump in appearance and have good taste.
The trees which grow the nuts should be compact, high yielding, precocious and manageable in the orchard.
They need good branch angles and should not be affected by local frosts, nor subject to diseases such as blight.
Cultivars which seem to meet these goals are G120 and Esterhazy.
Kernel types
Trees for the kernel trade should have all the characteristics of the in-shell types; nut size is generally smaller, the shell seal should be tighter, and the percentage of kernel is more important.
Nuts that meet these goals are W152/Rex, Vina, Serr, Tehama, BLE300/Stan and 1199/Meyric.
(W143/Dublin's Glory may have some problems with late frosts.)
Specialist nuts
These include Wilson's Wonder types, very large nuts but with very poor kernel yields, more for decoration in the shell. G1(2)39 also has a purple nut for decoration purposes. Yields are low and shell integrity may be poor. There are instances of growers who are able to sell these types of nuts on a small scale.
Meyric (1199) and Stan (BLE300) are more vigorous trees for use in wide-spaced orchards, such as where timber is also being considered.
G026 is very late leafing out, but may be of interest where the growing season is short. However, a suitable pollinator may be hard to find.
Walnut cultivars are often district-specific, with W152/Stan and 1199/Meyric being favoured in Canterbury, Serr favoured by Bernard Vavasour in Marlborough, and 1199/Meyric performing well in Hawkes Bay.
Franquette and Vina (they like heat) do well in parts of Otago for Otto Mueller.
There is a growing realisation that different cultivars are needed for the North and South Islands.
Selections named at NZTCA Conference 1998
After extensive trials four excellent cultivars have been named.
Local selections have been called Rex, Meyric, Dublin's Glory and Stan and principally pay a tribute to those who worked on their development.
Meyric and Dublin's Glory bear heavy yields of high quality nuts, and when you add qualities such as easy opening and improved storage potential, they stand out as good income earners.
Stan Orchard of Marlborough gained praise for harvesting the crop of what was a stunted old walnut on his property and now, through budding and grafting, the progeny is growing throughout New Zealand. Rex – named after Rex Baker – has exciting prospects because it is an easy tree to manage, is blight resistant, and has health qualities, which aid in lowering cholesterol.
Walnut Descriptions
Dublins' Glory (NZ) – Released 1997. Selected for areas subject to late frosts as later leafing and flowering. Heavy yields of high quality nuts. Easy opening.
Esterhazy (G) – Moderately vigorous. Thin-shelled medium sized nuts.
Franquette (F-USA) – Vigorous, spreading. Terminal bearing, thick-shelled medium sized nuts. Good flavour. Late leafing so needs another late variety as pollinator – perhaps Rex or Meyric. Some blight resistance. High quality timber.
Hartley (F-USA) – Medium to large tree Large well sealed nuts with light coloured kernels and good flavour. Late leafing – needs late pollinator.
Meyric (NZ) – Released 1997. Not vigorous. Selected for areas with late frosts. Late leafing and flowering, early dormancy. Large, thin-shelled nut, very good kernel quality. Good resistance to blight.
Payne (USA) – Medium size tree. Lateral bearing so can be pruned, but susceptible to sunburn. Early leafing so not suitable frosty or humid areas.
Rex (NZ) – Released 1997. Vigorous and productive. Selected for late frost areas as it is late leafing and flowering. Small round nuts. Pale kernel. Suitable for mechanical cracking. Blight resistant. Health qualities – lowers cholesterol.
Serr (USA) – Vigorous large tree. Lateral buds. Early leafing. Thin strong shell with good kernel.
Stan (NZ) – Released 1997. Late leafing and flowering. Long smooth dark shell, light coloured kernel. Less vigorous and slower into production than Serr or Tehama.
Tehama (USA) – Large tree, needs pruning to prevent over-bearing. Lateral buds. Medium sized nut.
Vina (USA) – Small to medium tree. Heavy cropper of thin pointed nuts. Flat dark kernel.
Wilsons Wonder (NZ) – Local selections are available. Good yields. Large nuts. Generally in-shell trade.
Economics of walnut orcharding
There are many variables in estimating what is an economic area to grow. A small area may use a minimum of machinery but a lot of hand labour.
A large area will be dependent on machinery. As yet data is too limited to make an informed estimate as to what is an economic area to grow.
Potential market
With a New Zealand population of 3.89 million and a consumption of 45gm per person (present consumption) = 175,850kg per annum.
At the French level of consumption of 2.5kg per annum = 9,725,000kg per annum.
At the German level of consumption of 4kg per annum = 15,560,000kg per annum.
If good quality nuts were marketed in New Zealand, many of the nuts sold at present would not be sale-able.
The product range now made in New Zealand includes: in-shell walnuts, halves, pieces, chopped, ground, paste, oil, pickles, and other byproducts.
A Christchurch business is processing both cultivar types and seedling nuts and is unable to fill the demand.
The oil is reputed to be the best in the world according to well known Chef Julie Biuso.
There are also markets to be filled in the North Island with shops specialising in locally grown products.
Patch Budding
Seed may be sown in the final position in the field and later patch-budded, or grown in the nursery and either patch-budded there, or lifted and grafted under controlled conditions.
Patch budding is done with a double-bladed knife with blades 4-cm apart.
Well-grown two-year-old wood is required for buds.
Maximum sap flow is required at the time of the year when temperatures will not fall below 20°C for more than 24 hours during the 10 days following budding, usually the second week of December to the first week in January.
Bench Grafting
Bench grafting is by far the most common method used in New Zealand.
With this method we are dependent on minimum sap flow and maintaining high temperature at the graft union until the graft has taken.
The stock trees are lifted from the nursery, grafted on the workbench, then placed in a Lagerstedt Tube or Lincoln Box for temperature control.
The Lagerstedt Tube
[a better quality diagram please anyone?]
The Lagerstedt Tube consists of a 75mm PVC pipe with 20mm slits cut into it for its entire length.
Inside this pipe is placed a 25mm pipe filled with water and with heating cable of electrically-safe commercial nursery electric heater attached, with thermostat set to 26°C.
The completed tube can be set up in any convenient shed.
The tube needs to rest on insulation such as roof batts, and have strips of insulation to cover the slits after placing the grafts in them.
Cover the roots with damp sawdust.
The tube can be used for grafting walnuts, hazels, chestnuts, conifers or any other plant that benefits from heat to assist callusing.
The Lincoln Box
As an alternative to the Lagerstedt Tube, a polystyrene box or tube can be used. It has an upper and lower half and the grafted plant is sandwiched between the halves.
The box contains a thermostat, element and thermal sink. A closed foam strip around the box helps contain the heat.
For further details contact Brian E Smith, Plant Sciences Department, Lincoln University, Canterbury.
Sources of information:
Further reading and information was available from Walnut Action Groups.
Walnut Research Group; (NI) Vernon Harrison, (SI) Linda Gardner.
David Murdoch
Dr David McNeil
i: Otto Muller, Personal Notes
ii: DL McNeil and D Waitzmann, Overview of the NZ
Walnut Market, The Tree Cropper, Issue 22 Summer 1999
iii: DH Ryde, Horticultural Produce and Practice.
Walnuts MAF Publication
iv: Nick Nelson Parker, Personal Notes
v: Otto Mueller, The Seedling Walnut. The Tree Cropper Issue 22 Summer 1999
Eric Cairns, Media release, NZTCA – Walnuts Another potential Earner, March 1998
David Jackson,Temperate and Subtropical Fruit Production, Walnuts
www.naturalhub.com Walnut Varieties (very dated)
Pollock & Halliwell, A guide to Walnut Growing in NZ MAF
Nick Nelson Parker, Selecting a Walnut Variety, The Tree Cropper, Issue 17, September 1998
BJ Vavasour, 1998 Letter to Editor, Rural News.
Recent significant work
Walnut New Varieties Trial, Diana Loader, October 2007, "Nuts'n May", Wanganui.
Oops, not yet compatible as I strive to convert our heritage 'user-friendly', and unlikely to be achieved as I feel the stab between my shoulder-blades from the far right plunderers… surprise, even WordPress is not UF enough for their agenda? Web ed, 6 July 2013
Original Walnut Fact Sheet, B.J. Vavasour
Updated 1996, Dr David McNeil
Updated 2001, 2007, Gail Newcomb
Privacy removals and proprietory format conversion – December 2007
2013 Post unavailable for a period due to a naming conflict – apologies
This crop guide was produced with the latest information available at the time of publication. This should not be considered the ultimate in information for New Zealand growing conditions: it is just a basic guide on the subject. If any member has information to add, or feels that any of the information is misleading, please use the contact below.
…Interested in knowing more? So are we! Join us…