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Stax Earspeakers Overview
From Wikiphonia
Earspeakers General Information
Timeline of the company
1938 - Stax Ltd. was founded
1960 - First electrostatic earspeaker made
1995 - Stax is out of business
1996 - Stax is reformed by a few Stax Ltd. engineers as new STAX company.
Old Company: Stax Industries Ltd.,Tokyo Japan (1938-1996)
New Company: Stax Limited, Saitama Japan (1996-Present)
Interesting Facts About Various Stax Earspeakers
SR-1: The world's first electrostatic headphone debuted at a Tokyo show in 1959 and was put into production in 1960. There were a number of different versions as the SR-1 evolved over its 8 year life span. Amongst the changes were a move from a 150VDC bias to 200VDC (which Stax used until 1977), and a new earpad design.
Stax Panoramic-sound Earspeakers: It was during the years when Stax Industries, Ltd. was run by the the president/owner Naotake Hayashi and later along with his son Takeshi Hayashi that Stax developed their Panoramic and Semi-panoramic Earspeakers.
With SR-Σ (Sigma) Stax attempted to recreate a natural, realistic sound field in a headphone format. After four years of development the huge Stax SR-Sigma series was released in 1977. SR-Sigma's design positioned an oval driver at about an 80-degree angle to the ear. This created an illusion of a sound field located in front of the head, not on the sides. The very large driver, larger than the ear, allowed the outer ear to guide the sound into the inner ear, thus removing the in-the-head effect.
Stax Semi-Panoramic-sound Earspeakers: SR-Sigma was followed by the SR-Λ (Lambda) series in 1979. The SR-Lambda series was based on SR-Sigma research and utilized the same driver in a less bulky frame. The use of angled pads and slanted housing was an approximation of the tricks of driver positioning used in the SR-Sigma's design.
During the 1980s Stax developed the Professional Series, originally developed for Daimler Benz, the German car manufacturer. SR-Lambda Pro was the first headphone to utilize a driver with a wider 0.5 mm electrode gap and 580V bias voltage.
By the end of 1995 Stax Industries, Ltd. along with its American subsidiary, Stax Kogyo, ceased business operations due to a disagreement between owners of the firm and its employees. However, around 1996 some engineers from the old company formed a new company, Stax Limited, in Saitama, Japan. The design of the Lambda frame was very successfully updated (e.g., the headband's arch was widened) and continues to be used to this day with only minor modifications by the new Stax.
Sigma Series, Panoramic-sound Earspeakers (1977-1994)
Name: SR-Sigma (-, Pro)
Transducer shape: Elliptical/Oval
Electrode type: Perforated metal plate
Diaphragm thickness (micron): High polymer film 2 (230 V), 1 (Pro)
Electrode gap: 0.3 mm (230 V), 0.5 mm (580 V)
Bias Voltage: 230 V, 580 V (Pro)
Frequency Response: 30-35 kHz, 25-38 kHz (Pro)
Signal cord: 6-pin OFC, 5-pin PC-OCC (Pro)
Lambda Series, Semi-panoramic-sound Earspeakers (1979-Present)
Name: SR-Lambda (-,Pro,Signature), Lambda Nova (Basic,Classic,Signature), Numerical Series (SR-202,SR-303,SR-404)
Transducer shape: Elliptical/Oval
Electrode type: Perforated metal plate
Diaphragm thickness (micron): High polymer film, 2 (230 V), 1.5 (Pro), 1 (Sig), 1.5 (Nova Series), 1.35 (Numerical Series)
Electrode gap: 0.3 mm (230 V), 0.5 mm (580 V)
Bias Voltage: 230 V, 580 V (Pro/Signature/Nova/Numerical Series)
Frequency Response: 8-35 kHz, 7-38 kHz (Pro), 7-41 kHz (Sig/Nova/Numerical Series)
Signal cord: 6-pin OFC (230 V), 5-pin OFC/PC-OCC/Wide PC-OCC (580 V)
Notes: The Nova-series and later have an improved stator design
Gamma Series Earspeakers (1985-1989)
Name: SR-Gamma, SR-Gamma Pro, SR-Alpha, SR-Apha PRO Excellent
Transducer shape: Round
Electrode type: Perforated copper plate
Diaphragm thickness (micron): High polymer film, 2 (230 V), 1.5 (Pro)
Electrode gap: 0.3 mm (230 V), 0.5 mm (580 V)
Bias Voltage: 230 V, 580 V (SR-Gamma Pro, SR-Apha PRO Excellent)
Frequency Response: 15Hz - 30KHz ?
Signal cord: 6-pin OFC (230 V), 5-pin OFC/PC-OCC (580 V)
Notes: Gamma and Alpha series share drivers with the earlier SR-5, SR-X and SR-5N
Omega Limited Series (1993-1994)
Name: Stax SR-Omega
Transducer shape: Circular
Electrode Type: Gold-plated copper mesh
Diaphragm thickness: High polymer film, 1.5 micron
Electrode gap: 0.5 mm
Bias Voltage: 580 V
Frequency Response: 6-41 kHz
Signal cord: Wide format high quality LC PC-OCC, 5-pin
Notes: Stax developed the Omega-series as a direct competitor to Sennheiser's Orpheus Series. Limited Edition. 300+ sets have been reported being produced (more likely around 350+). 50% larger diaphragms than Lambda Series, electrode mesh structure instead of flat perforated metal plates
SR-007 Series (1998-Present)
Name: SR-007 (Omega II)
Transducer shape: Circular
Electrode Type: Gold-plated perforated printed circuit board material
Diaphragm thickness: High polymer film, 1.35 micron
Electrode gap: 0.5 mm
Bias Voltage: 580 V
Frequency Response: 6-41 kHz
Signal cord: Wide format high quality LC PC-OCC, 5-pin
Notes: Fewer (and smaller) holes than Lambda Series
Detailed information about various Stax Earspeakers can be found by clicking on the links in the chart below
Stax Electrostatic and Electret Earspeakers Models
Stax and non-Stax Amplifiers & Energizers for Electrostatic Earspeakers
| Stax Amps with Pro bias socket
(5 pin socket)
| Stax Amps with Normal bias socket
(6 pin socket)
| Stax Energizers
6 or 5 pin sockets
| Non-Stax Amps
(with Stax connector)
| Non-Stax Energizers
6 or 5 pin sockets
SRM-001 (mini connector)
SRM-001 MK-2 (mini connector)
SRM-X Pro
SRD-7 Pro
SRD-X Pro
Singlepower ES-1
Singlepower ES-2
HeadAmp KGSS
HeadAmp KGSS DX
HeadAmp Aristaeus
HeadAmp Blue Hawaii
HeadAmp Blue Hawaii SE
Rudistor Egmont Signature
Rudistor Egmont
RSA A-10 Thunderbolt
McAlister Audio EA-6
McAlister Audio EA-4
McAlister Audio EA-1
Woo Audio GES
Woo Audio WES
Masters BA-215TM
Illusion ESC-1001
Woo Audio WEE
Brochures, Marketing Materials and Photos of Drivers
Stax 1970's Brochure
Stereophile 1971/1972, Stax SR-3 and Koss ESP9 reviews
Audioscan 1983 - with Stax Info and Stax SR-Sigma, Stereo Magazine October 1980
Stax 50th Anniversary - 1988 Brochure
Stax Lambda Nova Signature Manual, Stax Lambda Signature Brochure
Stax SR-Sigma Brochures, Stax Lineup Brochures
Photos of Drivers
Hifi Choice Article
STAX - It's a family affair
The Hi-Fi Choice in Japan series continues with Dan Houston and photographer Chris Richardson boarding the bullet train and heading for the home of the electrostatic "earspeaker".
The story of Stax is also the story of modern electrostatics - the firm's founder even named it by shortening the word electrostatics. Today Stax is nearly 40 years old and is famous throughout both the audio and recording worlds for its electrostatic headphones. But it also makes floor standing electrostatic loudspeakers, gigantic amplifiers on castors, the Quattro CD player, and a new digital to analogue converter which uses valves in the output stage - the DAC Talent.
Stax is run by a family; the 84 year old founder and chairman Naotake Hayashi, his wife Toyoko, and their son, the company president Takeshi Hayashi.
The current factory was built 20 years ago and has been added to over the years - the end result being a collection of prefabricated units which looks as though someone has just plonked them down on the plot. The factory employs 35 people, mainly assembling components which are supplied by a range of (often local ) firms. A main corridor on the ground floor leads to the spartan offices, a carpeted listening and reception room; workshops full of test equipment and, at the end, an anechoic chamber hung with rolls of acoustically absorbent material. Plain duckboards across bare earth lead off to speaker assembly units, while back in the main building the first and second floors house dust-free rooms for the assembly of headphones.
Heading for the toy room If the words tawdry, run down or functional spring to mind then one must take heed of Wordsworth's aphorism: 'plain living; high thinking'. And posters around the walls, of musicians like Chick Corea (wearing his SR Sigmas the wrong way round!), confirm the standing of the company. The one room which is far from plain is Naotake Hayashi's office - or toy room as his son refers to it.
At 84 Naotake still puts in a full day's work, striving to develop electrostatic principles ever further. During our visit he was testing his latest invention - a six feet high horn-loaded electrostatic loudspeaker. The new unit was playing with a dedicated transformerless vacuum tube amplifier; the tube being connected directly to the diaphragm. The speaker folds like a screen, with the wide baffles acting as a straight horn to the diaphragm, and will be finished by the autumn. Although the type we listened to was made of wood, eventually the hinged baffles will be made from Coran, a heavy, inert plastic material manufactured by Du Pont.
"We first thought of this 25 years ago," Takeshi told me, "but it was too big and cumbersome and used a round, wooden horn. The new material is expensive but very inert and there is less vibration. The horns can fold so users can adjust the sound. We're thinking of making a smaller one but the problem of a smaller diaphragm is that it would give more coloration and less frequency extension." Even with the prototype it was possible to hear how the system worked with the horn amplifying the sound of the driver without making it too directional or harsh.
The company was founded in 1952, its first product being a cartridge using electrostatic theory to convert vibrations into electronic signals. In the toy room, papers and case files surround the walls, along with examples of the company's products over the years. Books on music therapy confirm Naotake's long held belief that music is essential to good health: "soft but clear sound is important," he told us. A small tool box contains a saw (for fine tuning the horns perhaps) while several industry awards collect dust on the shelves and indescribable boxes with their electronic innards spilling out reflect a hands-on approach to design.
Takeshi takes up the story: "After the second world war my father worked in Shanghai as a recording engineer with the Chinese Recording Company. He was always interested in systems which would deliver the best sound quality and he started researching electrostatic theory.
"Electrostatics were invented by a German in 1880, but the materials for the diaphragm were never good enough for quality sound reproduction. Chemical technology had improved during the war and there were better plastics available - even though we now believe purity of sound is better with just the bare metal. Our first products were the Monaural Radio Frequency Condenser Phono Cartridge and an integrated tonearm designed especially for use with the cartridge.
"In 1956 we were still only a cartridge manufacturer and my father patented a design of cartridge with a rotating stylus. Because you rotated the stylus every time you played a record we could use a softer sapphire tip. Another feature of the stylus was its extremely light tracking weight - about a gram - which gave better tracking performance at a time when other styli were tracking at between 10 and 20 grams.
Stax first came to prominence with its ear speakers which made their debut at the Tokyo Audio Fair in 1959. Takeshi remembers the occasion even though he was still a boy: "I was at junior high school but was already starting to help my father where I could," he said.
The ear speaker
The original headphone was the SR1 ; it was the first electrostatic headphone in the world and set a pattern for the types that were to follow, coming complete with its own energiser unit. Gradually the headphone business took over, even though Stax continued making cartridges and tonearms, finally winding up production in 1977 when the company's last electret direct pickup cartridge was made. "We'd still like to make a phono cartridge," Takeshi said, "but the problem is finding the time."
Headphones now account for 70 per cent of the company's business although as Takeshi points out, products such as the loudspeakers and DACs are changing the ratio slightly says. The early headphones were soon followed by Stax's first full range floorstanding electrostatic loudspeaker, the ESS 3A , launched in 1960. The main reason for developing electrostatic products was to avoid the problems of magnetic hysterisis, something Takeshi views as one of the major disadvantages of traditional dynamic loudspeakers.
There are now three models of loudspeaker: the nearly two metre high elegantly proportioned ELS-F83, the shorter and slightly wider ELS-F81 and the colossal ELS 8X. The latter is also available as the ELS-8X BB (for battery box). The DC battery supply gives 4,000 volts to polarise the massive diaphragm; it's basically similar to a Stax headphone but with the polarising energy multiplied to compensate for its size. And with the powerful batteries lying on the floor next to the loudspeakers it's not the sort of thing you'd want with children crawling around, as Takeshi admitted.
"Electrostatic energy is getting force from plus and minus signals with a single diaphragm between electrodes," he explained, "if we apply DC voltage to the entire diaphragm and put a high voltage through the plus and minus sides the diaphragm is pulled by the opposites and pushed by the same polarity - that's the basic principle. But we need to polarise the central diaphragm and by using a powerful DC current from the batteries we can eliminate the noise, which is present from the rectifiers in AC systems, and so reduce the impedance factors.
"It's exactly the same with the ear-speakers. The regular system uses a 230 volt power supply and the professional series uses 580 volts - they have battery packs for DC and better sound." This is why the ear-speakers need an adaptor (AC or DC) which raises the signal voltage from your amplifier to cater for the polarising energy needed by the diaphragm.
Takeshi joined the company in 1972 after reading Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Design at Sofia university in Tokyo and a short spell with the research and development team at Harman Kardon - in Long Island, New York. He worked on Stax's first stereo Class A DC power amplifier, the DA-300, a 150 watt per channel monster which was to provide the pattern for subsequent Stax amplifiers. "The Mark Levinson company used it as its reference power amplifier until it had finished its own," he told me with some pride.
A glowing reference Alongside the DA-300 sit a variety of valve amplifiers, built by Naotake in the Fifties for use in the listening room. Indeed valves are still very much in favour at Stax. The company's first digital to analogue processor, the DAC-X1T, uses a dual triode valve in the output stage, as does the new slim and compact version - the DAC Talent, which also uses a new American made "glitchless'" chip to eliminate the need for de-glitching circuitry which degrades sound quality.
Valves are also in evidence in the SRMTI ear speaker energiser. Valves deliver superlative sound according to Takeshi, who believes that the simplicity of valve circuitry along with the perceived smoother or faster passage of electrons through a valve have kept it very much in the audiophile domain in spite of the greater availability, reliability and design attractions of the transistor.
Powering up The side-by-side development of both electrostatic loudspeakers and amplifiers led to one of the most powerful amplifiers ever made. In 1987 Takeshi unveiled his DMA-X1, an FET output monoblok that weighed a massive 101 kilograms and which could push 1,000 watts into a one ohm load. As Takeshi describes it, it was more like the power supply for a welding machine! When you consider two were needed for stereo it makes sense that the amplifier was fitted with castors.
Last year another power amplifier arrived. The DMA-X2 is a slightly smaller version, weighing in at a mere 47Kg, and with non negative feedback and Class A output stages. "The power supply is A/B which reduces the problem of heat generation. It is balanced from input to output and is a traditional BTL (balanced transformer less) design," said Takeshi. If all this implies that Stax is not primarily a headphone manufacturer then that is also what we discovered. However, the company is probably still best known for its electrostatic 'ear speakers'.
1977 saw the launch of the SR Sigma where the electrostatic diaphragms were angled slightly in front of the ear to make the listener believe he is hearing sound from in front. In 1982 the Lamda Pro and Lamda Signature followed the same design philosophy and incorporated high quality PCOCC cable and a thinner membrane "for golden ears" as Takeshi describes discerning audiophiles.
Going digital
But by the mid Eighties Stax was heavily into digital electronics, releasing its Quattro CD player in 1986. The Quattro uses a Sanyo Fisher drive system and Stax designed electronics in the digital to analogue conversion process. The 18-bit CD player was followed by the DACs which also use multi (20) bit technology. Takeshi doesn't rate bitstream as highly as some: "We have measured the new Philips one bit chip and we can see that noise levels are greater than with multi bit systems," he said showing me graphs to prove his point.
Takeshi himself favours the analogue medium for its higher frequency range and more lifelike qualities: "The problem with digital formats for high-end people (audiophiles) is that a higher bit or higher sampling frequency is needed. We don't just listen to music with our ears - we can also feel some frequencies with maybe our face or stomach. CD is still in its infancy and of course even four bit technology would be popular with most people. Denon has announced that it will making a higher density CD which will carry higher frequency sampling - that could be good for audiophiles."
One can see that the making of Stax products is both exacting and painstaking. Takeshi said he spends hours every night listening and relistening to products with a view to improving them. And while the factory may not be as plush and clinical as some of the Japanese workplaces we visited, products are all hand-assembled and rigorously tested before leaving for Germany or the States, or any other of Stax's 20 marketplaces.
Stax engineers do clean clothing and masks to work in a dust free environment while assembling the delicate diaphragms of the ear-speakers and matching a left and right pair for efficiency.
Even though it's not a noisy factory Takeshi says he wants to extend it to incorporate a small concert hall and proper listening room where the engineers can play live music before listening to recordings on quarter inch tape. Whether this will be on the scale of the Nakamichi hall we visited last month remains to be seen, but if the company's previous exploits are anything to go by then you can rest assured that it will be more than a little out of the ordinary.
--from Hifi-Choice, 1991 © Copyright 1991 by Hifi Choice


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Dr. Mark Russell
- Filed Under
Are knee and hip pain affecting your everyday activities? Have standing, walking, and even sitting become painful challenges?
If so, learn about symptoms, common causes, risk factors, and treatment plans for chronic hip and knee pain by attending a special program on Monday, Nov. 19 from 6-7 p.m. Dr. Mark Russell, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon at Bronson ...

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Esty campaign says Chris Donovan will win convention, but they will primary
Elizabeth Esty, left, answers a question at Tuesday night's Democratic 5th District congressional debate in Torrington as Dan Roberti and Chris Donovan wait their turn. (Register Citizen photo/Rick Thomason)
Even the campaign of Chris Donovan's closest rival for the Democratic nomination for Connecticut's 5th District Congress nomination acknowledges that Donovan is going to win the endorsement of the state party convention tonight.
But Elizabeth Esty and Dan Roberti both say that they'll compete in the August 14 primary regardless, making tonight's deliberations at 7 p.m. the Rotella Interdistrict Magnet School in Waterbury even more of a ceremonial exercise.
The convention's "nomination" earns Donovan the right to say he has the backing of the party's establishment, and it means his name will appear first on the primary ballot. But that's about it.
Esty and Roberti can win an automatic spot on the primary ballot if they gain support from more than 15 percent of delegates tonight.
"The speaker is more than likely going to get over 50 percent, but we expect to get the 15 percent we need to get on the ballot and take the fight to the voters in the August primary," Esty campaign spokesman Jeb Fain said earlier this month.
If a Democratic candidate doesn't receive 15 percent support of delegates tonight, all they need to do to make the primary ballot is gather 2,585 signatures before June 12.
A fourth candidate in the race, Randy Yale of Cheshire, who has raised no money and is a long-shot to qualify for the ballot at the convention, says he does not plan to launch a petition drive if he falls short.
While Donovan is expected to dominate at the Democrats' convention tonight, the five-way contest for the Republican nomination is far less certain. They meet to endorse a candidate on May 18. Like the three major Democrats running, all five Republicans say that they plan to be on the August primary ballot regardless of the outcome of the convention.
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November 28, 2015
Folks at KCEOC are getting ready for Thursday's open house in Corbin.
The agency has converted the Old Corbin Hospital into a 16-unit apartment complex for the elderly. Monday, crews brought in furniture for the open house.
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text: July 22 -- In recent days, heated outcries have been made in these pages and in other Maine media outlets criticizing the action taken by the Legislature in directing the Maine PUC to reopen the process of accepting power purchase agreement proposals for offshore wind. We write here as the founding members, with the late Matt Simmons, of the Ocean Energy Institute, which in 2007 initiated the drive to determine the technical and economic practicality of offshore wind for Maine. >>View Article


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A Bride For Seven Brothers #2
By Maria Garcia
The Moral Right Of The Author Is Asserted
(Warning: Sexually Explicit Content)
The honeymoon is well and truly over; her seven men are proving troublesome in more ways than Ruby could ever have imagined and to add to her problems Grumpy is considering leaving the farm to return to the city, the twins; Sneezy and Sleepy although quite happy to share argue about exactly who should be on top; Dopey is in counselling for his 'issues' and Doc is being a total arse. But Bashful is hornier than ever and desperate to start a family while Hap has abandoned his brothers and Ruby
and gone AWOL. Can one woman really hold it all together and satisfy seven men?
It was a scorching summers day as Ruby climbed down from the apple tree retracing her steps back the way she had come inhaling the sweet scent of The Woods she shifted the basket in her arms her eyes falling to the fresh earth at her feet; there were Indian Pipes; Eastern Redbuds; Wild Hyacinths; Red Columbines and Wood Poppies to name but a few. Her knowledge of flowers entirely down to Hap who had patiently talked her through the endless beauty of the land. At the thought of Hap her heart took a downward slide, without him she felt incomplete, lost.
Absently Ruby examined her engagement ring, a large rugged diamond that sparkled in the noonday sun. One ring from seven brothers; they'd all chipped in to purchase the stone. Ruby had cried with delight the day they had presented it to her keeping the truth a tightly balled up secret inside herself: She hated the dam thing but didn't have the heart to say this was the case. Agreeing to marry them had taken Ruby to places she could never have dreamed of; not all of them good or true. For now someone was out there hating her every breath; someone who sent tokens of their contempt and loathing without fail each and every week. She had burnt the notes but watching the flames consume those hateful words penned with bloody red ink had not erased them from her head or her heart. They remained branded against her memory: You can run but you cannot hide; once a whore always a dirty cunt; only death can part us; I know your seven horny secrets …
Now only one note remained toxic and vile burrowing a hole in her dress pocket
It's warning chilling her to the bone …I am watching you
Ruby fought the bile that rose in her throat, her skin positively crawled with the sensation that she was being watched.
"Hey there, are you Ok?" Bashful stepped forward, tall dark and indecently horny his hair tied back from his face in a tight pony tale, his muscular torso fully exposed through the torn and tattered T-shirt and tight jeans.
Looking up Ruby forced a smile to her lips a warm pulsing heat lancing through her body. These days it was becoming increasingly difficult to juggle all the competing demands made on her. In a few days time she was due to be married swearing her body and soul to seven men so why did she have the overwhelming desire to run as far and as fast as her legs would take her and never look back.
Everything was different now; now there were rules. There was to be no random spontaneous actions of making out or as Bashful had renamed it, 'fucking out.' When and how her men fucked her was now a system of meetings and votes clumped together with what to grow in the lower east field; whose turn it was to bed down with her for the night and on which nights she should be left alone to rest and luxuriate in her own space. Even her monthly cycle and what birth control options should or should not be utilized was now open to debate. Ruby closed her eyes and moaned in delight as Bashful's strong knowing hands cupped her breasts and squeezed her tight.
She laughed a sound alien to her ears; it had been so long since she'd had anything to laugh about. "Hey quit that; you know it's against the rules."
But her body was delighted the slick fleshy folds of her pussy hot and desperate to be mounted and pumped. Ruby sighed greatly appreciating that Bashful never had been too hot on following rules … her arousal shooting up a notch at the knowledge that this was a highly forbidden act they were currently engaged in as Bashful kissed her harder still. His fingers travelling ever further up her legs following the curve of her backside before beginning a new journey that traversed her anal hole. Ruby let out a moan of sheer pleasure dropping the basket it landed with a gentle thud the apples spilling out onto the warm grass.
Ruby was in the mood to be taken roughly and fast, already her loose cotton dress was undone trailing to her waist, her full breasts spilling out nipple hard taking hold of Bashful's cock her fingers began to caress him a rhythmic edge transforming his thick shaft from hard to bone hard in seconds.
"I've missed this." She breathed against his neck her final words catching in her throat as his index finger drove into her butt hole and began to finger fuck her rear with ruthless savagery.
"You like that don't you?" His voice was hoarse, his cock desperate to plough into the soft rich heat of her cunt. He loved the way she kept her eyes open, the dream like quality that took possession of her liquid hot gaze as he fucked her tight anal passage. With his other hand he grabbed her breasts, caressing and pinching the deep swell of her chest noting how they rose and fell as he continued to ram his fingers and thumb into her, the sweet sounds that escaped her lips turning him on no end.
"Fuck me." Whispered Ruby tightening her fingers around Bashful's cock his pre-cum slick against her palm as with relentless passion she continued to milk his shaft. Her climax took her breath away; it consumed her entirely as she squatted down squeezing out the last shred of raw hot pain and infinite arousal that washed over her body. Ruby shuddered screaming out her release her cunt juice spurting slick and fast down her trembling legs.
"I'm not done with you yet." Bashful warned raising her dress higher he bent her over pressing his engorged cock against Ruby's slick pussy lips, in one smooth motion thrusting past the barrier of muscle and into her juice filled cunt.
Bashful closed his eyes feeding his engorged shaft into her sodden hole in deep rough thrusts. He took her hard and without mercy. This was the way he liked to screw his woman, out in the open as nature had intended. He filled her with his full length in slow savage pumps adoring the way her pussy clung to his cock as he worked his way deeper into Ruby's hole filling her to the hilt. Raw pleasure held him captive as he creamed up Ruby's hungry sex driving her to an ever-greater slick wetness pulsing pure pleasure and infinite lust that roared in his ears and exploded in his heart.
"Tell me how much you love it!" Demanded Bashful holding her hot cunt close as he hammered her hard.
"I love it, dam it fuck me!" Begged Ruby her dripping wet pussy responding to his every thrust with a thrust equally as harsh and hard of her own.
Against a low guttural roar Bashful released his load filling Ruby's slick hole with his thick plentiful spunk. The relief was intense, Bashful bucked against Ruby's soaking sex until he was certain she had taken every drop of his cum. With satisfaction he watched her pussy lips fill to overflowing.
Hot and sticky they collapsed against each other and fell to the grass.
"Dam, that was good!" Declared Ruby struggling to catch her breath. Why couldn't't it be like this all the time she thought laying flat on her back, eyes fixed on the brilliant blue sky as though this might give her the answers she sought. She'd give anything for things to go back to the way they'd been six months ago.
"What's wrong, Ruby?"
Bashful was looking down at her his eyes a perfect reflection of the sky above. Warm, brilliant and deeply intense. Could she really pull it off, lie to him, lie to them all?
"Is there any word from Hap?"
A pained look broke through the perfect smile that only moments ago had played against his lips. "No. Nothing."
"And do you agree with Grumpy that if he's gone off we should just let him be."
"Ruby, you know that's not what Grumpy said."
A rebellious stubborn light that all the brothers had come to dread entered Ruby's eyes. "Have none of you thought that maybe he didn't walk out on us. Perhaps there's more to this; he could have gone into The Woods and gotten into trouble …he could be lying in a ditch somewhere…" Ruby bit her lip close to tears. "Why would he leave us?" she asked her voice rising with uncontained emotion when what she really wanted to scream was: why would he leave me?
"Hush now," soothed Bashful taking her in his arms. "OK, I'll have a word with Grumpy and the other guys, see if we can search The Woods again."
"You promise?"
Those eyes would melt any man's resolve and harden the most reluctant of cocks. Bashful inhaled Ruby's scent his hand falling to the slick wetness of her cunt.
"I promise." He whispered, his fingers slipping deeper into the sweet warmth of Ruby's pussy as he kissed her hard. Ruby responded opening her legs wide so that her entire sex was exposed eager for him to finger fuck her more deeply.
An electric current raced through her body as shivering with pleasure she got ready for round two; Bashful was never satisfied until he'd fucked her good and hard several times every and each way. With a knowing smile she reached out and gripped his engorged cock that jumped up stiff and high against his body. Ruby's mouth watered in anticipation; she could not wait to possess his long hot manhood, feel it thrust against the walls of her mouth then fuck into the deep tight confines of her throat. Her pussy was beyond wet at the very thought!
"So, this is what you do when I ask you to go do chores around the farm!"
"Shit!" Ruby cried out in frustration and rage as Bashful's hands fell away from her the hot spot between her legs that he'd been feeding with his expert touch fading as Grumpy, eyes cold and condemning walked towards them his tall muscular frame ready for several worlds of confrontation. "We have rules for a reason!" He hissed.
"Don't lecture me!" Spat Bashful returning a seriously hard cock with reluctance back to the confines of his pants. He stepped forward his anger heightened by the unrequited need that continued to pulse like wildfire through his erect shaft.
"Since when did you get to choose when and how I fuck my wife?"
"She's not our wife yet and not fucking every and anywhere are the terms we agreed to - all of us."
"I don't ever recall agreeing to not make love to the woman I adore." Spat Bashful his eyes hot with fury as he stood his ground, the tension between the two brothers palpable against the late summer air.
"Oh cut the crap and stop playing that shit with me! You know full well what the rules are and why they've been put in place."
"Don't push me, Grumpy. You may be older than me but it don't mean you can be the boss of me!"
"Enough!" Ruby's head was spinning with all the fighting and ill will. It had crept in so it seemed almost overnight and was slowly beginning to tear apart there little home."
"This isn't how it was supposed to be." It was only as the two men turned to look at her that Ruby realized the thoughts she'd believed were racing around in her head had actually been said out loud.
"This is to make things better, Ruby. Give you space and privacy so you don't have us jumping you all the time making demands." Insisted Grumpy a wild angry looks in his eyes.
"Who says I don't want to be jumped on at every hour of the day?" Ruby semi naked stood up, confronting Grumpy her rage in danger of turning into something mean and spiteful where she'd spit words she could not take back.
"I love being fucked, screwed and wanked over."
Ruby watched the muscles against Grumpy's jaw flex and tighten, the sky blue of his eyes twisting to a darker tempestuous hue.
"And you know I just adore sucking cock, the bigger the better with a full load of creamy spunk as desert!"
His muscular arms fell to his side his long strong hands bunching into fists.
"Why do you say things like that?" His words came out gruff and barely contained.
"Because this isn't about rules, is it? This is about you and your dam jealousy."
Grumpy took a step back his gaze moving from Ruby and the full round curve of her breasts, then down to her slender legs; here was a woman he would quite happily kill for; to possess her cunt and fuck her glorious pussy night after night and never have to share but then his gaze cooled, fell to his brother, Bashful. These days Grumpy found himself struggling not to start a fight when he saw her being touched by any man but himself. Inhaling deeply Grumpy took a step back dragging his thoughts away from the possession of Ruby's body and back to the farm. He was lovesick, cunt hungry and full of anger but there was nothing to be gained from pursuing the matter, not here, not now. "This farm won't sort itself. I have work to do."
Ruby's heart sank as she watched him walk away. Once he would have come and joined them down in the grass and helped his brother fuck her senseless but thought Ruby disquiet and dismay filling her heart, those days were now long gone.
Everything was falling apart piece by piece. Why couldn't the men she loved simply stop fighting and love her? Fear grabbed at Ruby's heart, she could not shake the feeling that she was losing them one by one.
"This is for you."
Doc slid the heavy tomb of a book across the kitchen table his eyes never leaving hers. He noted with humour the way her sweet full lips turned down a stubborn glint appearing in those wondrous brown eyes. He stifled a laugh. "Sugar, it's not going to bite. Pick it up and have a look." He encouraged gently.
Ruby's fingers trailed with visible reluctance across the glossy cover: '101 Easy Slow Cook Meals.' A laboured sigh escaped Ruby's lips. She could find her way around the most convoluted of financial statements; pull an engine apart piece by piece into its constituent parts and then return it whole but cooking just about stretched the limits of her comprehension and patience. She felt like a cat appraising a cage; a wary trepidation taking hold.
"Come on now, Ruby this is so simple and I have bought something else to go with the book."
Ruby inclined her head to one side her eyes brightening with mischief. "A sexy cook's uniform with suspenders and a thick wooden spoon I can use to slap that tight backside of yours as you fuck my cunt?"
Doc chuckled his cock thickening to an erect fullness within his pants. "Sounds real tempting but no."
With exaggerated ceremony he placed a large box before her, on the side of the box in bold calligraphy were the words …
"Slow cooker." Ruby's incredulous eyes settled on Doc. "What happened to flowers or a box of chocolates?"
"This is better, its long lasting benefits will keep the household happy."
"I thought my wet cunt was doing that." Said Ruby a truculent edge creeping into her voice. "I cannot cook and no cook book can teach me the impossible." She swallowed her throat constricting, the sting of tears suddenly painfully close, "that was Hap's job; he loved cooking, he even had the patience to try to teach me and we all know how that turned out."
Doc's eyes hit the ground for a moment the topic of Hap and his sudden disappearance remained a sore wound.
"Do you think he had enough of us, that he simply got up one morning and without a word walked away?"
Doc struggled to articulate his thoughts and failed. Words these days were simply inadequate to say what he felt. He took Ruby's hand in his and squeezed tight.
"Do you think he's safe and content?" She pressed.
"Sure." Said Doc desperate to change the subject each question like a sharp nail against his chest. "Now about this gift, when do you think you're going to use it?"
"Look, if you really want to have a meal free from food poisoning let Eva come help me. She's always offering to come over and give us a hand and she is very easy on the eye."
The transformation was immediate. A wild fury swept into Doc's eyes as he slammed his fist down on the table.
"Never. I will not have that woman under this roof!"
Ruby stared at Doc in shock. What had come over him? Why was he being such a jerk!
"This is Eva of Eva's Food store we're talking about not some mass murderer. Every time I ask one of you guys to let me invite Eva over or even say her name this is the reaction I get. What the hell's going on?"
"I won't discuss it, Ruby."
"But I want to discuss it." She persisted.
He stood up so abruptly he knocked the kitchen chair over. "You'd best get acquainted with the ingredients you'll need for one of the meals I'll expect tonight. I have work to do."
Ruby grabbed the closest thing that came to hand. Wielding the heavy book she threw it with all her strength aiming for the thick stubborn irrational target better known as Doc's head. She watched the book sale through the air a glancing blow clipping the side of his head. Ruby took a step back cursing her temper and good aim; what had she been thinking. These days Doc was so moody and unpredictable, prone to saying hurtful things only to go overboard in his attempts to say sorry later, buying truckloads of flowers and enough chocolate to float the moon.
Now his handsome face was unreadable, those brilliant blue eyes raking over her skin in a way that made her recently spunk filled pussy heat up once more. A flutter of nerves momentarily consumed Ruby as she watched Doc remove the belt from his jeans a wicked smile curling his lips as with his index finger he beckoned her over.
"That was uncalled for … seems I'm going to have to teach you a lesson." The softness in his eyes twisted and became cold. Ruby swallowed feeling an edge of dangerous energy fill the room.
"Now come over here like a good girl and take your punishment."
"It's not your turn this weekend."
Steel entered Doc's voice. "And when Bashful was fucking you hard was it his turn?"
Anger flared in Ruby's heart. "Grumpy told you…"
Doc in answer unbuttoned his pants. Ruby watched cunt pulsing with excitement as he pulled out his thick expansive cock his eyes hot with lust.
"I want a little of what Bashful had." Not bothering with the general niceties of warming up her cunt, Doc pressed the helm of his cock against Ruby's sweet lips; she eagerly obliged opening her mouth so that Doc could feed his long length down her throat.
"Now I'm going to have to teach you a lesson." Twisting Ruby's red gold hair around his fingers so that her face was aligned with his cock he reined her in the better to fuck her with the full force of his growing need. With a deep sigh of satisfaction Doc ploughed his solid shaft into Ruby's eager wet mouth hole. A mouth that had in the last few months become like a second pussy to Doc that he could fuck with serious abandon. With his other hand Doc ripped off Ruby's dress cupping her large breasts, feeling her nipples tight and thick against the rough palm of his hand.
Ruby, mouth full of hot pulsing cock felt the slow trickle of pussy juice slick against her cunt as her excitement grew; this was what she wanted and always craved, this was her idea of heaven! There was the sweet salty taste of spunk as Doc's cock filled her mouth drilling in deep thrusts until the helm of his thick rod was pressing against the very back of Ruby's throat.
"That's it, take it all my love." Whispered Doc totally consumed by the need to fuck her beyond endurance.
Ruby fixed her eyes on Doc, cunt close to dripping, nipples crowning to a stone like tightness as she luxuriated in the experience of her mouth being fucked with a mean nasty force. She knew some women tended to choke and gag as they ate cock but any such issues had left Ruby long ago. She moaned through a mouth full of prime manhood as Doc continued to ride her face pumping his shaft into her mouth until his balls slapped against her chin.
He closed his eyes sensing release wondrously close. "Now, promise me you won't mention that Eva woman again … just moan if you agree."
Doc waited but the only sound in the room was the wet to slick slamming of his cock as he fucked Ruby's mouth.
"Ok, if that's the way you want to play this." Doc drilled his cock down Ruby's throat with a little more force pressing her head against his member so tightly that he began to block Ruby's nasal passage. He watched as she struggled for breath. His excitement rising a notch at her obvious discomfort, he groaned rutting faster into her oral hole so close to climax now it was beginning to hurt.
"I said moan if you agree." He pulled her head back; the better to watch her continue to suck hard at all he had to give. He watched her shudder and squirm her eyes raw with rage her open mouth hole widening ever more to the pounding his cock was giving her. Slowly Ruby released a low moan, the sweetest sound ever to Doc's ears as with one last thrust he climaxed shooting his rich spunky load into Ruby's mouth.
Doc well satisfied slowly pulled his big cock from the delicious tightness of Ruby's mouth. These days his tastes ran far wilder than he was openly willing to admit. He was not the man Ruby believed him to be. He was well aware of the new sadistic edge that flavoured his dreams when he slept. He longed to chain and gag Ruby, have her submit to him in the most brutal of ways. He'd wake bone hard with longing and dare not say a word or act on what he really wanted to do to the hot sexy woman by his side. He smiled watching as she licked the final traces of his spunk from her moist lips and glared at him those hot sultry eyes already doing havoc to his heart and cock once more as with regret he zipped his pants back up.
She was angry, these days that was most always the case. No amount of boning seemed to calm her down. He cleared his throat righting the upturned chair that had fallen in his haste to fuck her.
"I don't understand what's up with you and your brothers! Talk to me."
Ruby waited but Doc remained still, his handsome face stone cold as he watched her.
A furious crazy anger was beginning to burn deep inside Ruby that even fucking good and hard had failed to diminish. Something was seriously up with her men. She could feel it; from the tips of her toes to the throbbing ache that remained in her moist spunk filled cunt. Ruby picked up the cookbook defiant eyes resting on Doc.
"Fine, be like that! I'm going to clean up then go into Town."
She turned on her heel her ruined dress exposing the full sexy curves of her body, the roundness of her hot backside, the weeping juices of her cunt.
The growing hardness in his cock was becoming unbearable; Doc imagined the feel of her pussy as it took a firm hold of his shaft. He closed his eyes and swallowed. What was wrong with him; he'd not always been this tongue tied and foolish … why could he not tell her the truth. That Hap was gone most probably gone for good and that was sad, so sad it was eating him up inside as was the fact that he wanted to fuck her seven days a week; fuck her in a way that would bring her sweet serious pain.
Doc watched Ruby's hot sexy body stride out of the kitchen conscious that with each step she seemed to take with her all the light and heat of the day.
Thank You For Taking The Time To Read This Naughty Tale! Maria x
Full Naughty Read Available for Download At Amazon, Kobo and Smashwords.
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PennDOT workers put up a 'speed enforced by aircraft' sign on Route 422
A state police car waits a mile or more up Route 422 from the Margaret Road intersection while an airplane 2,500 feet in the air is clocking anyone going well over the allowed 55 mph limit.
Last week state police were able to use that speed enforcement method there to issue citations to nine drivers, including five operating commercial trucks, in one hour.
It was part of an effort by state police to crack down on aggressive drivers before the Labor Day holiday got under way.
The State Police Aerial Reconnaissance and Enforcement program, known as SPARE, works so well that police and PennDOT want to keep reminding motorists that they could be caught speeding in that dangerous area from the air at any given time.
The painted lines are in place and on Tuesday, a PennDOT work crew was putting up "Speed Enforced by Aircraft" signs on both sides of the intersection to remind motorists to slow down.
PennDOT District 10 safety press officer Shawn Houck said troopers can sit in an area and wait where it's safe for motorists and safe for them before pulling vehicles over.
"This area is very difficult for conventional enforcement techniques because of the lack of area to pull motorists off safely," said Houck. "When you look at the entire 422 corridor from Indiana to Kittanning the crash rates are actually under what you would expect for a highway of this design of winding hills, turns and dips and truck traffic. But when we do have a crash it's catastrophic in a lot of cases and it shuts down the highway for hours at a time."
"They're looking for standout speeders," he said. "It's all about saving lives and reducing fatalities on Route 422, an area where people tend to get pretty fast."
Lt. Tom Dubovi , state police commander in East Franklin, believes the signs will be an effective tool for police.
"Typically we don't tell them (we're there)," said Dubovi. "This road isn't designed that we can run radar in a lot of spots. We're spotted pretty quickly. With these signs, it will always be in the back of their mind that state police might have the plane up and be waiting up ahead."
There are 17,000 vehicles that travel Route 422 through the county a day, according to Dubovi, and when there is an accident it often involves a commercial vehicle and is violent and ties up traffic for five to six hours, he said.
"For years we've been looking for solutions for this section of highway to cut down on the crashes," Dubovi said. "We'll be able to slow people down and keep the speed in check."
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Toulouse-Lautrec, Henri de (1864-1901), The Dance of the Moulin Rouge: detail of an elegant woman dressed in pink, 1889-90 (detail of 490) , 1889, oil on canvas, Private Collection, bridgemanart.com
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Clallam Transit System Assumes Operations of Specialized Paratransit Service
On April 1, 2011 the Clallam Transit System assumed the day-to-day operations of providing the county's public specialized paratransit service to persons who have difficulty using the regular fixed-route public transit service due to impairment or age. No changes have been made regarding how paratransit clients use this service.
Clallam Transit's mission is to provide a seamless transition and will continue to provide a high level of quality of service to the residents of Clallam County.
What is complementary paratransit service?
In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was established as a comprehensive approach to end discrimination against persons with disabilities. This Federal Act specifies that public entities that provide a routed bus service must offer comparable paratransit service to individuals with disabilities who are unable to use the routed bus system.
Who is eligible for paratransit?
Individuals are eligible for paratransit service if they fall under one or more of the following ADA categories or are 80 years or older.
Category I
Any individual with a disability who is unable to board, ride, or disembark from any vehicle on a bus system that is readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities.
Category II
Any individual with a disability who needs the assistance of a wheelchair lift or other boarding assistance device and the bus route the person wants to travel is not 100% accessible or the bus lift cannot be deployed at the desired stop.
Category III
Any individual with a disability who has a specific impairment-related condition that prevents that individual from traveling to a boarding and disembarking location on the bus system.
How do I become eligible to ride Clallam Paratransit?
Call Clallam Paratransit, and we will send you an ADA application form which includes professional verification for applicants less than 80 years old; a counselor, physician, or other health care professional must verify your disability status. For applicants 80 and over, a professional verification is not required. Applications can be mailed, faxed or brought to our office:
Clallam Paratransit
(360) 452-4511 (phone)
Office Hours: Monday through Saturday, 8:00 a.m to 4:00 p.m
Clallam Paratransit operates Monday through Saturday. Our hours are based on the CTS route schedule.
Buses do not operate on the following holidays: New Year's, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
Call for a reservation between 8:00AM and 4:00PM, Monday through Saturday.
An answering machine is also available after hours and on Sundays to take service requests and cancellations.
For a ride call (360) 452-4511 or 1-800-858-3747
Trips should be scheduled at least 1-day in advance, or up to 7-days in advance. Help us to serve you better by making your trip reservation as far in advance as possible. When scheduling, be prepared to schedule a return time as well as a pickup time. Next-day service reservations must be made by 4:00PM the previous day; same-day service will be provided only if space and time are available. the longer you wait to schedule your ride, the less likely we will be able to meet your time constraints or we may not have room for you!!
If you want to reserve a ride for a specific appointment time, be sure to:
Allow plenty of time to finish your appointment so you will be ready for the bus when it arrives.
Trip reservations are made with a "30-minute pickup window." For example, for a pickup time of 8:00AM the bus could actually arrive fifteen (15) minutes before 8:00AM or up to fifteen (15) minutes after 8:00AM
Buses that arrive in the thirty (30) minute pickup window will wait no more than five (5) minutes for a rider that is not ready. If the vehicle arrives earlier than the pickup window and the rider is not ready, the driver will wait until the pickup window begins and then will wait an additional five (5) minutes.
Riders should be ready and waiting just inside the most exterior door of the pickup address. Those who will be picked up at a large facility with many entrances must specify the exact pickup location when the reservation is made.
Traffic conditions or other unexpected events can delay a pickup. If the bus has not arrived by the end of the thirty (30) minute pickup window, call our office to inquire.
Clallam Paratransit provides door-to-door assistance. Our drivers will assist wheelchair riders and will provide support to ambulatory riders who need assistance. For additional care and assistance, rider must have a Personal Care Assistant (PCA).
Please limit number of carry-on items to four grocery bags. Drivers are more than happy to assist with carry-on items; however, they will only carry items from the bus to a point just inside the destination door.


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Magnolia Home Entertainment, Phase 4 snap up Sushi Girl
The revenge thriller stars Mark Hamill and Tony Todd and received its international premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival on Jul 21.
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- celiacfamily.com - http://celiacfamily.com -
Gluten-Free King Cake!
Posted By Heather On February 21, 2009 @ 9:56 pm In Holidays,Recipes | 52 Comments
[3][Update 3 Dec 2009: I'm linking this recipe to this week's Party Food Theme at The Gluten-Free Homemaker's "What Can I Eat That's Gluten-Free?" [4]
I first learned of King Cakes [5] while living in Texas, though I think it's more common to find around New Orleans, LA. It is a traditional pastry treat baked for Christmas and Mardi Gras, but other celebrations as well.
A fun tradition of the King Cake is the little toy baby (representing Jesus) that is baked inside (or slid in after baking). The person who gets a slice of the cake with the baby inside it is obliged to bring a King Cake to the next celebration. The tradition makes it a fun food item to offer at a party. The pastry itself also makes a great breakfast treat Christmas morning or New Year's morning.]
I've been searching for a gluten-free king cake [6] recipe for weeks now, and just couldn't find one. With Mardi Gras [7] only a few days away, I came to the conclusion that I was going to have to make my own recipe. I was a little nervous about making a gluten-free yeast bread, but I think I got lucky because it turned out better than I expected. That's assuming I can still remember what a king cake is supposed to taste like. This is basically a breakfast pastry shaped into a ring. I made two small cakes out of this recipe and tried a different filling with each. Some king cakes have no filling at all, but I like the extra flavor of the fillings.
2 (.25 oz.) packages of active dry yeast
1/2 Cup warm water (100 – 110 degrees F)
1/2 Cup + 2 tsp white sugar
1 Cup milk
1/4 Cup butter
2 eggs
1-1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2-1/2 Cups brown rice flour [8] (super-finely ground)
1 Cup potato starch [9]
1/2 Cup tapioca flour [10]
2 tsp xanthan gum [11]
Brown Sugar Filling (makes enough for two small king cakes):
1 Cup packed brown sugar
1 TBSP cinnamon
1/2 Cup melted butter
1/2 Cup pecans, chopped (optional)
Cream Cheese Filling (makes enough for two small king cakes):
1 (8 oz.) package of cream cheese
1/2 Cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Cups powdered sugar, sifted to remove lumps
1/4 Cup orange juice
1 tsp butter flavor
1 tsp almond flavor
1 tsp vanilla extract
Article printed from celiacfamily.com: http://celiacfamily.com
URL to article: http://celiacfamily.com/gluten-free-king-cake/
URLs in this post:
[1] : http://celiacfamily.comhttp%3A%2F%2Fceliacfamily.com%2Fgluten-free-king-cake%2F
[2] Image: http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fceliacfamily.com%2Fgluten-free-king-cake%2F&media=http%3A%2F%2Fceliacfamily.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2009%2F02%2Fimg_3014x-300x225.jpg&description=Gluten-Free%20King%20Cake%21
[3] Image: http://celiacfamily.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/img_3014x.jpg
[4] "What Can I Eat That's Gluten-Free?" : http://www.glutenfreehomemaker.com/2009/12/party-food-what-can-i-eat-thats-gluten.html
[5] King Cakes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_cake
[6] king cake: http://www.mardigrasneworleans.com/kingcakes.html
[7] Mardi Gras: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mardi_Gras
[8] brown rice flour: http://astore.amazon.com/celifami-20/detail/B00021639Y
[9] potato starch: http://astore.amazon.com/celifami-20/detail/B001KUQIU0
[10] tapioca flour: http://astore.amazon.com/celifami-20/detail/B000216TSE
[11] xanthan gum: http://astore.amazon.com/celifami-20/detail/B0001ZRHDM
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Our Choice & Value
Here at The Manor House Hotel and Ashbury Hotels, we believe that we have Sport, Craft and Leisure facilities that are unrivalled anywhere in the UK. Our philosophy has always been to include as much in the price of your break as we possibly can. This means that your break will be FULL BOARD with free use of all of our facilities.
Many of our guests have commented on what great value we are our compared to one of our leading competitors:
*Center parcs spa entry is based on twilight package and includes a glass of champagne
As you can see from this comparison we offer outstanding choice and value. But remember at Centre Parcs "You only pay for the activities you want to do" (Centre Parcs Website) - whereas at The Manor House and Ashbury hotels "we include as much as we possibly can into the price of your break." Meaning all sports and leisure facilities and activities, plus all craft tuition is completely free!
All Center Parcs prices are a guide based on a sample activity price guide which can be found on their website, as at January 2014
Following on from this is a comparison of our facilities at The Ashbury Hotel to some of its leading competitors:
All golf hotel prices are taken from individual websites as at May 2014.


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World 8-2 Secret Exit New Super Mario Bros Wii
This is one of the final levels in New Super Mario Bros Wii. In the world of 8-2 you can find a secret hidden exit if you look carefully. Read these Nintendo Wii tips.
After hours of video game playing on your Nintendo Wii, you are now finally at the last levels of the game. Is world 8 really then end of the Super Mario adventures? You'll have to wait and see, however, you might already know the answer to that. In the eighth world of the game, you can find a hidden exit in the second level. Go to world 8-2 like you normally would, and then go to the checkpoint flag. It's from here at the checkpoint that you will want to follow the next set of directions very carefully. If you don't follow them exactly as they are, you will miss the hidden exit and you won't be able to find all of these Nintendo Wii secrets.
Go past the checkpoint flag and jump over the huge spinning stone circles. Just after the flag you will see a red ring that will activate the red coins. You can go ahead and get these extra goodies right now if you want to, or just ignore it and continue to finding the secret exit for 8-2. In the area where you do the red coin collecting there are a ton of Goombas on the spinning platforms. Be careful through this area, you could easily die if you don't watch it. There are bigger sized enemies that will split into two when you bounce on their head. Continue past this area and you will see a yellow and red pipe coming out of the stone. Just under these pipes, this is where you got one of the hidden Star Coins. If you've got this already, just continue on.
You are getting much closer to the secret exit for world 8-2 in your Nintendo Wii game. It's just past the red and yellow pipe, where you will find the hidden wall that contains the path to the secret exit. Jump over the red and yellow pipe and follow the path. There are spinning spiked balls around here, and you need to move around quickly to avoid them. Just past the red and yellow pipes, look for the second circular spinning stones. There will be a small one just after the red and yellow pipes, and then another one shortly after. At this second spinning circular stone, is where you will find the hidden pathway to the secret exit in world 8-2. Jump on this second spinning circular stone, and walk directly to the left. There is an invisible wall that Super Mario can walk through.
If you look carefully around the area, there is a clue that hints that there could be a secret lower level. Look at the red bridge and you will see another red bridge just under that one. This is the hidden clue that Nintendo has put in the game to help you to figure out this secret. Nintendo may have put this clue there, but it still could be difficult to spot for a casual gamer. When you walk through the wall there, you will go through an invisible area and discover a green pipe. This next room leads you to a red flag which is the secret exit for world 8-2. This is how to find the secret exit for world 8 in New Super Mario Bros Wii. There are a total of two different exits in this level. The one with the red flag is the secret hidden one, and the black flag leads you out of the normal regular exit. There are more Nintendo secrets to be revealed soon.
For additional Nintendo tips and strategies please visit the Gameolosophy article writer profile here.
Informative indeed.
I love this game!!!!!!!


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DeSantis Patriot Shoulder Holster System Ambidextrous Glock 17, 20, 21, 22, S&W M&P, 5904, 5906, 5944, 5946 Nylon Black
Product #: 946665 DeSantis Holsters #: N84BJB2J0 UPC #: 792695255468
- Information
Lined with suede for extra support, the Patriot shoulder holster rig comes with a double magazine pouch and is ambidextrous to accommodate all shooters. The Patriot features a unique thumb break system and includes a comfortable harness. Made from ballistic nylon.
Technical Information
Holster, shoulder harness and double pouch are made from ballistic nylon.
Harness is fully adjustable, padded and lined with synthetic suede.
Holster has thumb break for firearm retention.
Includes tiedowns with belt clips, one on each side.
Technical Information
Delivery Information
- The total weight of the product, including the product's packaging as it sits on our shelf. Since some products ship directly from the Manufacturer, their weight may be unavailable. Because of variations in the manufacturing process, similar products may have differing weights. Unless the product is designated as "Ships Alone", Shipping Weight does not include the shipping box or packing materials associated with your order. Shipping Weight: 0.800 Pounds
- Product ships from MidwayUSA, separate from any other products on your order due to its size. Products that are Shipped Alone incur separate "Per Order" and "Per Pound" shipping charges. Ships Alone: No
- Product is regulated by the US Department of Transportation (DOT) and cannot be shipped via USPS or air shipping methods. DOT-Regulated products must ship UPS Ground. DOT-Regulated: No
- Product is restricted by shipping carriers and cannot be shipped to certain locations or via certain shipping methods. Carrier Restrictions: No
- Additional shipping charge for HazMat products. Carriers charge extra to ship packages with products they consider hazardous, such as reloading powder and primers. HazMat Product: No
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Customer Reviews
The statements and opinions expressed within Customer Reviews reflect each author's personal perspective and do not imply endorsement by MidwayUSA, its Employees or any other organization. Customers should in no way infer that MidwayUSA has validated review information as safe, accurate or appropriate.
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- Filed Under
My Morning Jacket, on its sixth studio album and after establishing itself as one of the most monstrously compelling live acts of the last 10 years, returns to a more disciplined form on Circuital, a welcome tightening of the reins after the downright goofball antics of 2008's Evil Urges.
On both records, the band digs outside its dusted country roots to incorporate barroom soul, glistening R&B and the chugging twists and turns borrowed from prog-rock.
It's a game of musical tag that keeps My Morning Jacket limber, if not always focused, but on Circuital, the genre experiments seem guided by a watchful eye.
There are moments when the bear-voiced Jim James and company sound as if they're scraping an old dinner plate for a last lick, but then they strike on something inspired enough to renew their license to rock-trot all over the globe.
The title track, soaked in atmosphere that veers from a stealth synth backdrop to open-hearted strumming, hangs on a pristine needle of a guitar part.
Holdin' on to Black Metal, built from a Thai pop song and with a children's chorus thrown in, is giving Lucifer the shivers or it's the theme to a never-ending James Bond movie, screening in hell's cineplex.
Either way, MMJ has given itself plenty to work with onstage. On Hello, Tokyo, you can practically hear James saying. Looking good tonight!
Margaret Wappler, Los Angeles Times
Over the course of five studio albums, My Morning Jacket established itself as one of America's best rock bands, rooted in Southern country rock but wide-ranging and experimental. Blessed with the heavenly vocals of Jim James, MMJ dabbled in soul and funk on 2008's fantastic Evil Urges. The long-awaited Circuital curtails some of that wild eclecticism, although it does veer into heavy psychedelic set pieces several times.
This mostly live-in-the-studio album contains a few underwhelming tracks (the repetitive The Day Is Coming, the ambling You Wanna Freak Out), but it also has one grand anthem (Circuital), one playful celebration (Outta My System) and several transcendent ballads, Wonderful (The Way I Feel) among them.
Circuital is the first MMJ album in a long time that's less than epic.
Steve Klinge, Philadelphia Inquirer
Frontman Jim James comes across as part prophet, part preacher on MMJ's sixth studio album, devoted to themes of spiritual enlightenment, salvation and getting one's act together. It's recorded mostly live in a studio set up in a Louisville gymnasium, but the back-to-basics approach yielded a collection that too often lacks conviction.
Jerry Shriver, USA Today


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If health reform is so great, why does everyone want to be exempt from it?
And aren't those exemptions, as well as the individual mandate forcing people to buy coverage, also unconstitutional?
Answer: Yes.
Unions, federal, state and local employees, senior citizens in Florida, Michigan taxpayers in Blue Cross/Blue Shield, the states of Nebraska, Vermont and Massachusetts, along with 17 states, religious objectors, policemen, firefighters, longshoremen, construction workers, miners, and fishermen, all have won or are in the process of winning legislative exemptions that say they don't have to abide by health reform, or certain parts of it (for details, see below).
Legal experts say these exemptions are unconstitutional, as unlucky Americans with high cost plans who don't get these exemptions will have to pay more, so they may not feel so equally protected under this new law.
Coverage costs are high because health costs are high, which this reform does nothing to stop--and insurance costs will go even higher as those unlucky Americans in Cadillac plans will have to cover the costs of special interests who get an exemption.
Individual Mandate is Unconstitutional
And also unconstitutional is the individual mandate, the lynchpin of health reform, a mandate which forces those who don't have insurance to buy health coverage, and if they don't, they have to pay a tax and/or face possibly jail time (sections 501 and 513 of pending Senate bill).
If the insurance mandate vaporizes upon a successful constitutional challenge, that is the end of this chapter of health insurance reform.
The Framers of the US Constitution never intended to let Congress regulate economic activities that were not commercial, much less interstate, because the mandate is effectively a tax on not doing anything, meaning, not buying insurance.
The Congressional Budget Office has already said that an insurance mandate is unconstitutional, and legal experts agree--with talk of a Supreme Court challenge in the air.
Backers of the insurance mandate contend it is constitutional under the government's power "to regulate commerce…among the several states," according to legislative language (curious that the more sweeping Congressional powers to tax and spend are not invoked here).
Since When Can the US Force You to Buy Anything?
That's at the heart of what legal scholars say would be an easy constitutional challenge to health reform if it passes, a case that could make its way to the US Supreme Court. Critics charge an individual mandate would violate the interstate commerce clause of the US constitution.
The mandate would be an expansion of federal government power and involvement in individual decisions that would be an unprecedented expansion of Congressional power, legal pros add.
Passing into law an individual mandate forcing taxpayers to buy health insurance would open up a well-packed Pandora's box, as it would give Congress unprecedented power to regulate, prohibit, mandate and tax all sorts of consumer economic choices.
Never Forced to Buy War Bonds, Wheat or Cars?
Never before in the history of the United States has the federal government forced any taxpayer to buy any goods or services, say legal experts Randy Barnett at Georgetown University Law Center, Nathaniel Stewart, a lawyer at White & Case, and Todd Gaziano, director of the Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative DC think tank.
Even during World War II, taxpayers were not forced to buy US bonds to support the war effort, they note.
No farmer was forced to grow food for the troops, no worker was conscripted to build tanks.
And as of yet, taxpayers are not forced to buy Cadillac Escalades or any other car to support the bailed out auto companies.
This is essentially Congressional coercion of taxpayers, forcing them to buy "artificially high priced policies to subsidize coverage for others, as well as an industry saddled with other government costs and regulations," the legal experts note in a new report.
"If Congress can mandate this, then it can mandate anything," the three law experts say, adding, "Congress could require every American to buy a new Chevy Impala every year..because such purchases would stimulate commerce and help repay government loans." Congress could also force taxpayer to buy, say, wheat bread to subsidize farmers, the three opine.
Watershed Moment for the US
The passage of this mandate would fundamentally alter the "relationship of the national government to the states and the people," the three legal pros say, adding if it passes, there would be no boundary to "Congress's commerce power—Congress could mandate anything."
Backers of the mandate contend that revenues from the individual mandate would go towards lowering health costs, though you don't hear now about a lockbox for these new tax revenues, so there is nothing to stop Congress from using tax revenues for pork or other spending.
(Don't be fooled when you hear this new tax called a penalty or a "shared responsibility payment." It's a tax.)
The same lockbox issue goes for the revenues raised from the Cadillac tax on high cost policies, which is now really a Dodge minivan tax, as that 40% rate hits more middle class taxpayers because it is not indexed for inflation, forcing the President to break his campaign pledge to not raise taxes on the middle class.
Plus the contortions figuring out what plan gets socked with it would give Houdini a backache. Unions and 17 states got exempted, too, and don't have to pay this tax for eight years.
In fact, health reform giveaways to states like Nebraska and Louisiana have turned the states into tin cans on a just got married car, clattering away for their government cheese, too.
CBO Said There's a Case Against the Mandate
But the argument against the federal mandate is this. The Constitution grants only limited powers to the federal government when it comes to regulating interstate commerce, as the Congressional Budget Office noted when the Clinton Administration attempted health reform in 1994:
"A mandate requiring all individuals to purchase health insurance would be an unprecedented form of federal action. The government has never required people to buy any good or service as a condition of lawful residence in the United States."
The CBO added:
"An individual mandate would have two features that, in combination, would make it unique. First, it would impose a duty on individuals as members of society. Second, it would require people to purchase a specific service that would be heavily regulated by the federal government." -- Congressional Budget Office, 1994
And the mandate would for the first time let Congress "regulate the doing of nothing at all," not buying insurance, which is hardly economic activity, say Barnett, Stewart and Gaziano. If you don't buy insurance, the new health reform bill says the IRS would slap you with a fine or penalty, and possibly jail time.
The Supreme Court's most expansive rulings on Congress's power do not support the mandate, the three say, and if the Court upheld it, it would "create a new constitutional doctrine," they add.
The Congressional Research Service said in a July 24 report that enacting a mandate, while possibly constitutional, would pose a "challenging" and "novel" question as to whether Congress can use the commerce clause "to require an individual to purchase a good or service."
Health Insurance is Not Like Auto Insurance
Supporters of the mandate will tell you that states force licensed drivers to buy auto liability insurance coverage. Meaning that in a car accident, you are required to have coverage to protect against injury to another person driving on government built public roads.
But what they won't tell you is that auto insurance is a state regulated issue, in fact, it's connected to the states' constitutional authority to provide police protection, the three legal experts say. And the government can say, look, you're driving on public roads so we can force you to have coverage.
Moreover, no one forces passengers in cars driven by bad drivers to buy auto insurance. But the government would force you to buy health insurance if this reform passes. Also, driving is a voluntary act—living isn't, the three legal pros note.
What Massachusetts Said
Massachusetts got around its Constitutional criticisms of its mandate by saying that its health reform, which includes a similar mandate, does not infringe on any right protected by the state or the US Constitution because:
(a) it has a religious carve-out for people whose religious beliefs preclude them from acquiring health care insurance, and
(b) it is not an unreasonable taking of private property because the state has a carve-out for people who can prove they cannot afford it.
Federal Health Reform Apes Massachusetts
Likewise, federal reform backers can argue their legislation passes constitutional muster, too, as the proposed federal insurance mandate exempts taxpayers with income below 100% of the poverty line, as well as religious objectors, incarcerated individuals and anyone determined to have suffered a hardship regarding their capability to obtain coverage, as determined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Massachusetts won the only solid challenge to its law.
More on the Massachusetts Plan
Since enactment, the number of newly insured persons has increased by approximately 430,000 in Massachusetts.
Of this group, 34% were newly enrolled in private, employer-sponsored coverage, 9% had private, non-group coverage (through the traditional non-group market or CommChoice program), 18% had public coverage through MassHealth, and 38% had fully or partially subsidized coverage through Commonwealth Care.
The state had the lowest uninsured rate among all states in 2008, and by 2009, state survey data showed the insured rate was 97.3%.
Massachusetts had an uninsurance rate of 2.7% in 2009. This compares with an uninsurance rate of 6.4% in 2006, the year of enactment.
Massachusetts' Costs Higher Than Expected
However, Massachusetts' costs for expanded coverage have exceeded initial projections, and consumers have experienced increases in the affordability of obtaining health care during the initial implementation phase of health reform.
Original expenditure projections for the CommCare program in FY2007, FY2008, and FY2009 were $160 million, $400 million, and $725 million, respectively.
While actual spending for FY2007 was less than originally projected, expenditures for FY2008 and FY2009 were greater than original projection amounts.
Commonwealth Care Expenditures
Original Expenditure Projection: $160 million
Actual to Date and Updated Expenditures: $133 million
Original Expenditure Projection: $400 million
Actual to Date and Updated Expenditures: $628 million
Original Expenditure Projection: $725 million
Actual to Date and Updated Expenditures: $800 million
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Why did Massachusetts' costs rise? In part, due to greater than anticipated enrollment in the CommCare program, at least during initial implementation. One of the reasons is that the state originally underestimated the size of the uninsured population.
And besides underestimating the size of the enrollee population, costs under CommCare were larger than expected because the subsidies provided under the program are more generous than originally specified.
Not One Thin Dime, the President Says?
If federal health insurance reform passes, the US deficit will inexorably rise. The president said health reform would not raise the deficit "by one thin dime, and he's right," says economist Art Laffer. "it will raise it by hundreds of billions of little dimes."
Who Else Has Won Exemptions from Health Reform?
- "Frontier" hospitals and doctors in Montana, North and South Dakota, Wyoming (they get higher Medicare payments)
- 2,900 citizens of Libby, Montana (individuals exposed to environmental health hazards and who now suffer from asbestos-related illnesses due to a now-closed mineral mining operation in Libby get Medicare coverage)
- Nebraska Blue Cross/Blue Shield and Mutual of Omaha (exemption from insurance fees like Michigan Blue Cross)
- Individuals employed in "high risk" professions have higher threshold amounts for the Cadillac tax -- electrical linemen, policemen, firefighters, emergency first responders, longshoremen, and workers in construction, mining, forestry, fishing and certain agriculture jobs.
- Retirees 55 or older with gold-plated health care plans (they similarly have a higher threshold for the Cadillac tax on their plans – meaning, UAW retirees.


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Starting with a short tale:Just came back from te Spanish Sierra Nevada. Basically 3 season stuff. Climbed the highest peak in Iberian peninsula (Mulhacen - circa 3500m) its a non technical grade which in summer is just a winding walk and with soft snow would have been posthole affair - but snow was packed/icy and we could not move w/o crampons. Luckily the local Refugio rented them out...so we ended up using a semi rigid 10/12 point Grivel crampons. That got me thinking about all the times i got lucky with climbing snowy tops where the snow was soft enough or the icy bit was short enough that i managed to wrangle through.Long story short I am thinking of getting myself a light pair of traction devices.Assuming my usage is non technical - but as described could be in quite icy and/or mixed conditions and sometimes could be steep (but non technical) what is your view and experience onLW crampons (Kahtoola KTS, Hillsound trail pro)micro spikes (Kahtoola micro, hillsound trail)small traction devices (hillsound cypress, Suluk Ti, Grivel spider)Since i have little experience with ice I'm not sure what the demarcation lines are between the LW and Micro stuff and how to decide on the suitability to my needs.HELPMike
Edited by RogerDodger on 06/19/2015 09:43:47 MDT.
@roger - thanks for that....so im still not sure what a good strategy would be. Reason has it that i dont need to buy full on steel 12 point crampons cause i dont have the skillset to go to places that require them...Lets assume $$ is not the issue here.i am trying to figure out if a reasonable LW strategy would be -do most people carry micro's or AL 10 spikes as their "backup" for routes that are not winter routes?
Edited by RogerDodger on 06/19/2015 09:46:31 MDT.
Roger just gave a pretty good review of your options.I would add ... first determine the footware you will be using, then pick a crampon specifically for them.full step ins require a pretty stiff boot with a specific type of toe and heal.for serious (non vertical) winter stuff I prefer full step ins to strap ons (and the boots to go with them).I am not familiar with the strap on toe - step in heal type Roger mentioned, but would feel a bit nervous about them staying on.for casual summer stuff I use the Katoola KTS steel (10 point) with my trail runners.the aluminum version is lighter weight but points are shorter and they are not as durable.
so what you guys are saying is that the micro spikes are pretty useless for anything that is mixed, not flat and longish and my real choice is steel/AL 10 point stuff....RE boots - I have keen mids for warmer stuff and my heavier boot just died on me...was contemplating if i need to get a B2 or B3 boot (ie just normal mountain/backpack or the ones that have crampon slits) i dont really do that much super cold stuff so was leaning towards keeping the keen and a slightly heavier sturdier pair but not full on winter bootsare the AL crampons that much less durable? (assuming if i PLAN to go on a full winter trip i'll get/rent new kit)
I have never used micro spikes,but it is my impression they are mainly for on trail, on sidewalk stuff, like winter trail running.I would not use them for anything resembling mountains.Regarding the Aluminum v.s Steel Kahtoola KTS ...I went with the steel mainly because the spikes are a 1/4 inch longer, closer to real crampons.in mountain travel you may sometimes travel over a mix of ice, snow, and rock.the travel over rock will destroy the aluminum much quicker then the steel, so you are faced with removing the crampons each time you come to some short rock travel.but if you are only going to use them a few times, the weight saving of aluminum may be a factor.
Edited by asandh on 11/26/2012 13:37:17 MST.
For what you describe Microspikes would be fine. There's a pretty massive difference between Microspikes and something like Yaktrax.
I've used YakTrax and have been happy with them. My friends carry Microspikes, which obviously have better traction, but I've never felt like I needed them. I'm pretty snow savvy, though, so you may feel otherwise. Yaktrax are lighter and easier to throw in a pack (less likely to cut something). I think Yaktrax are easier to put on and take off. I've walked on bare ground with them, and they are comfortable, but obviously get worn down quicker. Either one will work and be much better than plain boots. It is just a matter of trade-offs. Yaktrax are lighter, easier to stow, easier to take on or off (I think). Microspikes provide better traction and will last a lot longer.
The advice to first pick your footwear is good. Only a fairly narrow range of spikes will work well with each shoe type, and this will also tell you how non-technical you intend to get.Yaktrax are good for getting the mail. I've seen lots of them break on simple hikes. Not appropriate backcountry gear.Microspikes are comfy with even the most flexible trail runners. Durability is excellent. On hard ice they provide great traction. The short spikes limit their grip in neve and the like. Skilled climbers use them for some pretty serious alpine stuff in summer conditions.Only the most flexible of strap on crampons will work with trail runners, and even then it's less than ideal. If you need full spikes, you probably want a boot stiff enough for step kicking. The crampon must fit the boot very well, if it does this the method of strapment doesn't matter that much. Folks climb very hard ice and mixed with the strap front, click back models because they fit their boots.
Edited by RogerDodger on 06/19/2015 09:47:55 MDT.
I tried using microspikes with my vivobarefoot aquas. The traction worked fine, but the front strap just rolled the excess material in the toe box and jammed into my front toes. Very uncomfortable for extened wearing. I have seen people use micropsikes more effectively with 5 fingers because they can put the tiny metal bar in between their toes. I used them for hiking up very steep, dry and hard slopes where my shoe would just slip off. I will be getting some vivobarefoot neo trails for better traction, but it would be nice if I could find some way for the microspikes to work.
if you dont need an axe then microspikes or their copies should work fine ...
You might want to take a look at the Hillsound line, previously posted about at:http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=61336They have several models, one of which is reported to be a little more effective than MicroSpikes, but not as heavy as a crampon. It should not be confused with the heavier ones they make for technical climbing.
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BI in Pen and Ink I
Aug 21 2014 1:00PM
Aug 28 2014 1:00PM
Sep 4 2014 1:00PM
Sep 18 2014 1:00PM
Registration begins June 10, 2014 at 9am. Classes appear sold out until then.
Pen and ink is at the heart of botanical illustration. Expand your drawing repertoire as you learn techniques to create line, form and texture in black and white. "Expressive line" and "stipple" become part of your artistic vocabulary as you practice this traditional medium with modern and versatile technical pens. Step-by-step instruction, demonstration and practice will give you the foundation you need to draw any botanical subject accurately and skillfully. Fee: $230 member, $285 non-member. Prerequisite: Botanical Illustration in Pencil I; Perfecting Perspective strongly recommended.
• Thu, Aug. 14, 21, 28, Sept. 4, 18, 1-4 p.m.
Instructor: Marjorie Leggitt
• Tue, Nov. 11, 18, 25, Dec. 2, 9, 6-9 p.m.
Instructor: Renee Jorgensen


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People who care about legal marijuana sales in Larimer County are encouraged to share thoughts by e-mail, phone or in person to help guide the changes.
The county commissioners are hosting meetings in Fort Collins and Loveland next week to solicit feedback as officials decide whether and how to bring pot stores to the county.
The public policy we make here has never been made anywhere before, Commissioner Steve Johnson said in a news release. We know how citizens voted and now we want to find out, for example, if citizens in the unincorporated areas want to see facilities in these areas. We want to hear what citizens think might be the potential impacts of our decisions.
The changes come as a result of Amendment 64 passing last November to legalize marijuana. Voters in the county approved the ballot measure 56 percent to 44 percent, and it passed statewide by a 55 percent to 45 percent margin.
The two listening sessions are:
Fort Collins: 6:30 to 9 p.m. April 30, first floor hearing room of the Larimer County Courthouse Offices Building, 200 W. Oak St., Fort Collins. The meeting will be televised live on Cable TV 14.
Loveland: 6:30 to 9 p.m. May 1, Loveland City Council Chambers, Loveland Municipal Building, 500 E. Third St., Loveland. This meeting will be televised live on Cable TV 16.
Both meetings will also be streamed at http://larimer.org/bcc/broadcast.cfm. Viewers can call in with questions or comments at (970) 498-7016 or email email@example.com.
Anyone who cant make the meetings is encouraged to e-mail the commissioners at email@example.com or call them at (970) 498-7010.