text:
David Stockman On 'The QE Follies': Bernanke's Swell Gift To The Big Four Banks
Submitted by David Stockman via Contra Corner blog,
I recently pointed out that the Fed's 5-year campaign to drive the 30-year mortgage rate from 6.5% to 3.3% had accomplished nothing except to touch off another of those pointless "refi" booms which enable homeowners to swap an existing mortgage for a new one carrying a significantly lower interest rate and monthly service cost. Such debt churning exercises have been sponsored repeatedly by the Fed since the S&L debacle of the late 1980s.
I further noted that this time the Fed had really outdone itself:
During some periods upwards of 80% of new originations were not money purchase mortgages to finance a new home, the declared purpose of interest rate repression, but just refis of existing debt. By resorting to this maneuver to leave more money in the pocket of borrowers each month, our monetary central planners undoubtedly hoped that America's flagging consumers would buy another flat screen TV, dinner at Red Lobster or new pair of shoes.
The choice of a flat screen TV or mortgage payment ought to be up to the American people, not the monetary politburo in the Eccles Building. But even within its own terms, the Fed's massive refi party made no sense. That's because unless the Fed intended to peg the mortgage rate at artificial, sub-economic levels for all time to come, its refi maneuver could only shift consumer choices and their mix of spending between quarterly GDP reports; it could not generate permanent gains in national output and real wealth.
In fact, the Fed's interest rate pegging policies amount to an arbitrary transfer of wealth from mortgage investors to mortgage borrowers—and even that is ultimately temporary. Capital markets do eventually, and often violently, reject central bank imposed financial repression—- as they did during the Great Inflation of the 1970s when bond prices plummeted.
So it was evident all along that even the mighty Fed would have to eventually take its thumb off the scales in the treasury market, thereby permitting benchmark interest rates to "normalize". In that event, mortgage rates would rise and new homebuyers would find themselves spending more on their mortgage and less at the Red Lobster. And on the margin, a higher so-called "cap rate" for residential real estate would mean that housing prices would tend to weaken, not rise. The whole exercise was ultimately a circular delusion.
Even though this cash flow shuffle is perfectly silly, it has been stubbornly pursued by our paint-by-the-numbers Keynesian central bankers because they refuse to acknowledge the reality of "peak debt"—especially in the household sector. Yet only a permanent gain in leverage can cause consumer spending to remain elevated in response to monetary stimulus.
The overwhelming evidence, however, is that America's shop-till-they-drop consumers have finally dropped. After a forty-year cycle of soaring household leverage ratios, "peak debt" ratios were finally encountered in 2007-2008— and now retrenchment has set in. Accordingly, consumer spending will now have to come solely out of income, not income plus incremental credit drawdowns which fueled the spending party for decades.
Household Leverage Ratio – Click to enlarge
But while peak debt means that the Fed's entire 5-year money printing spree was destined to fail, it nevertheless has produced massive impacts—–all of them bad or stupid. One of the most crucial is that it generated an artificial refi windfall to the Big Banks which now dominate the home mortgage business. And the profit windfall was a doozy.
Now that financial results for Q1 2014 have been posted, the impact on Big Four financial results can actually be quantified. The four charts below on mortgage originations per quarter during the course of the Fed's balance sheet expansion binge are the smoking gun.
They show that during the most recent quarter the four banks only originated about $67 billion in new mortgages on a combined basis. That figure is a reasonable proxy for the steady-state condition that would have existed had the Fed not been engaged in a monetary cattle drive to get mortgage rates to the bottom of the valley. That is, had mortgage rates remained at their not unreasonable 2008 levels or oscillated randomly owing to the interaction of supply and demand for mortgage funds on the free market, there would have been no thundering stampede by American homeowners to refi their housing debts.
Accordingly, activity rates in the mortgage operations of the Big Four would have reflected mainly purchase money borrowing by households who were buying a new or existing home. So the difference between the peak mortgage origination rates shown in the graphs and Q1 results roughly measures Bernanke's gift to the big banks.
On a combined basis, the Big Four originated mortgages at a peak rate of nearly $300 billion per quarter—or $1.2 trillion annually during the period between 2010 and early 2013. So the refi maneuver resulted in up to a 5X gain in the rate of mortgage originations—a process that gave rise to a triple dip of profits, as previously described:
As summarized in the Fortune article below, the mortgage originators were booking up to $3,300 of up front profit per refi.
And that was just the fee on the transaction—before booking the embedded "gain-on-sale" (often thousands more) when most of this booming mortgage volume was subsequently shuffled off to Freddie and Fannie to be packaged and resold as an MBS. Yes, and at that point, such newly minted "mortgage bonds" did flow back to Wall Street where they were doubtless churned many times over by the dealer side of the banking houses in their endless and remunerative chore of supplying "liquidity" to the homeowners of America….So the banking side of the Fed's refi churn did well too—–enjoying a triple profit dip along the way.
As can be seen in the graphs, the windfall in some quarters was even more stupendous. The peak rate for Bank of America was 10X its Q1 2014 rate and for Citi it was 9X.
Yet the real story is in the Wells Fargo (WFC) data. During the third quarter of 2012 it originated $100 billion more in mortgages than it did in Q1 this year after the Fed's refi cattle drive had ended. Stated differently, the geniuses who run Warren Buffet's favorite bank were handed a giant book of totally artificial businesses by the Fed— and the consequent opportunity to triple dip from mortgage volumes that amounted to nearly one-half trillion at an annualized rate. WFC had indeed learned at the knee of the nation's master crony capitalist.
It should not take more than a moments reflection to grasp the hidden function of the massive mortgage churning shown in the left side of these graphs compared to the meager (and more market neutral) levels shown for Q1.Triple-dipping through their massive mortgage churn, the Big Four banks were able to book net income of $20-25 billion per quarter from originations, gain-on-sale and mortgage trading during much of this period.
That means that thanks to Bubbles Ben's largesse they could pretend that their balance sheets were being repaired. Accordingly, raiding their equity accounts in order to fund dividends and stock buybacks was now fully copasetic.
So Uncle Warren along with his fast money trend followers got their reward in a munificent flow of cash out of bank vaults that had been wards of the state only a few months earlier—as did long suffering executives who's stock options rose 5X in value owing to all the dividends and buybacks.
Indeed, during fiscal years 2009-2013 Wells Fargo disgorged $59 billion in cash to fund dividends and share repurchases and JPMorgan paid out $65 billion during the same 5-year period. Needless to say, $110 billion of cash flowing toward the bank stocks post at the Wall Street casino had the hedge fund speculators who continuously cycle in and out of these names delirious with excitement.
Likewise, their echo boxes in the financial press were quick to pronounce the all clear. The economy is fixed, the banks are back, and their stocks are soaring—surely proof that all is well. Compared to post-crisis lows, WFC's stock price was recently at 6X (i.e. $60 per share vs. $10), JPM and BAC were at 3X and even the zombie known as Citi was at 2X.
Yes, some of the banks also raised new capital—especially in the early years after the crisis. But that was mainly a smokescreen to give false credibility to the phony "stress tests" concocted by Turbo Tim and Bubbles Ben. But even giving credit to new equity issued—the net cash distribution by WFC and JPM over the five-year period was just short of $80 billion. Adding in BAC, the Big Three distribution of cash for share repurchases and dividends amounted to nearly $35 billion during 2013 alone.
It goes without saying that this all amounted to a lot of "shareholder friendly" action—even if it did constitute horrid public policy. And Washington's policy of allowing the same big banks—who allegedly brought the financial system to the brink of Armageddon just 66 months ago— out of supervisory lock-up is indeed horrible.
Every dime of big bank profits—honest earnings and windfall gains like these from the refi contraption alike—should have been sequestered on their balance sheets for years and years to come. Or at least until one of two conditions pertained.
One option would have been for some of them to grow up and become real free enterprises. But that would require giving up the Fed's discount window privilege, deposit insurance and undertaking an irrevocable renunciation of any future bailout claims on any agency of the state.
In the alternative, their balance sheets could have stayed in sequester during the entire five years since the crisis. This would have permitted retained earnings and capital to pile-up so deep that even the weak-kneed pettifoggers of the beltway would not be panicked into throwing the banks a life line next time they blow themselves up.
Neither option was chosen, obviously. Instead, while the Fed's entire mortgage refi gambit did nothing for Main Street–except to confer cash flow windfalls on the less than 15% of households that actually did the refi— it did accomplish wonders on the Wall Street side.
Not only did it confer massive capital gains on speculators like Warren Buffet and the bank management teams who brought us the financial crisis, but it also amounted to a regulatory get out of jail free card.
Yet what was the all-fired hurry in Washington to open the flood gates to bank dividends and stock buybacks. Supposedly, that was to pepper the market for bank stock—so that they would raise new capital on their own.
Really? In our financialized economy and crony capitalist policy regime there is apparently no need for more bank capital. As was well demonstrated in 2008-2009, when push comes to shove the state treasury will be raided.
In the interim, its all about the secondary market. That is, goosing the price of existing stock certificates held by gamblers who scooped them up at the bottom and management teams who got themselves issued more options after Bubbles Ben pronounced the all clear.
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The US Govt is taking insider trading to the next level, straight to the President.
White House invited a select group of money managers discussing forthcoming Russian sanctions. You have been warned and may proceed to trade with insider information - that was the message!
U.S. Warns Money Managers of More Russia Sanctions
Their comments sent a message that more sanctions are on the way and that investors, if they were concerned about the impact, should manage that risk, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the discussions weren't public.
MEANWHILE, AMERICAN TAX DOLLARS ARE AT WORK. http://www.dw.de/us-drone-strike-in-yemen-kills-suspected-militants-and-...
9 'suspected' Al Qaeda militants (they were having stamps on their forehead readable by satellites stating that they were militants) and 3 civilians dead, in today's news.
Some American call it barbaric and some call it a day's work. http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/04/06/357389/us-drone-attacks-are-huge...
Since when did it become legal to kill 'suspected' people?
Crony capitalism, anyone?
ZIRP and the alarming decline of the velocity of money tell an ugly tale of capital destruction. Yesterday I read two articles that had the St. Louis Fed graph showing the slowest money velocity in 50 years! The hair stood up on the back of my neck... Capital destruction is not talked about very much, but is a real killer of economies.
EDIT: That graph & those articles is the first time I had EVER seen a good piece on the current low velocity of money, that had never been in my thinking before...
Here is Darryl Robert Schoon's article (Jim Willie wrote another):
Give it some time to load, maybe the URL being so long and all...
Oh come on, DCRB, nothing wrong with 3% down no credit checks on new money mortgages when there's so much free money out there. Let the masses enjoy the fruits of their labors. Well, their subsidies. Quit being such as stickler for common sense.
The statements that author made based on the velocity of M2 money are not justified:
and GDP = consumer spending + business spending + government spending + exports - imports.
Purchases of existing housing doesn't even affect GDP (maybe a tiny amt from sales commissions) and therefore doesn't affect velocity. The Fed was interested in inflating housing to bail out the banks' and others' mortgages. And money spent on consumer imports, for example, increases the consumer spending term but increases the import term also, so it would have only a small effect on velocity. We could still have price inflation with low velocity as money spent on say oil imports doesn't affect velocity much but would increase demand and therefore prices.
Also he quotes Richard Koo as stating the monetary base (MB) has increased by a factor of 19, "According to Koo, QE has increased the US monetary base by a factor of 19". But it's "only" gone from 0.875 trillion to 4+ trillion, a factor of 4.6. What Koo actually said is that the money supply (M2 for example) could increase by a factor of 19 based on the increase in the MB, not that the MB had increased by that amount. Listen for yourself:
Thanks, socalbeach, let me throw all of that into my mental hopper...
But, what about the velocity of money falling? OK, I do understand that figure needs to be kept in context of other monetary figures (more money flowing in MIGHT slow down the overall velocity under some circumstances)?
Hello, DoChenRollingBearing,
There used to be a long thread on Monetary Velocity -amongst some other interesting topics- in the Monetary Policy section of the Market Ticker site. I haven't seen what has been going on inside Market Ticker since being banned by Denninger last year, so I don't know the status of that thread/information may be and cannot give any comment on the amount or accuracy of the data and associated discource presently being exhibited on that site...
IMHO, there simply isn't enough dicussion of monetary phenomena, history, policy or mechanics presently. IF You or Anyone Else reading this post know of a place where monetary issues are being discussed I'd very much appreciate being informed.
I make no secret of the fact that I consider Mosler and the rest of the MMT/Chartalist camp to be dangeously idealistic and naive; -specifically concerning notions of equating statist 'full employment' economic/financial policies with ( remedial and/ ? /or radical monetary ) policies.
That said; I believe there are few discussions worthy of greater urgency and broader public assesment than Monetary Policy; and I intend to be a part of those discussions. I would much rather be respectfully invited than impose Myself uninvited and implicitly unwelcome.
John Ralston - Throxx Of Vron
Lets just make it in easy to understand laymans terms. . Were f'd.. and they've done an awesome job of hidin the truth from the layman.
If you told me 100 years ago ..that a scheme like this would work..fooling the public..id say you were nuts.
We gotta face facts..these guys are the cleverest bunch to ever walk the planet. I would never even imagine that humanity as a whole could be this gullible. .and here we are.
So between ignorance and their genius. ..the plan could NOT have worked any better..no way..no how.
And here we are.
You're correct that the velocity needs to be kept in context of other monetary figures. Since QE started about 9-8-2008, M2 has gone up at a compounded annual rate of about 7%/year. So if GDP has averaged 3% nominal (not inflation adjusted) growth, then the velocity of M2 has been dropping at almost 4% annually. So all the money printing hasn't had much effect in stuff that goes into GDP like domestic manufacturing (think ball bearings). But there's been huge speculative appreciation in stocks and real estate (at least in coastal CA) which helps the banks (fewer underwater mortgages for example), but most of that doesn't show up in monetary velocity since that appreciation doesn't increase GDP much. Actually the price inflation rate has been higher than the nominal GDP growth rate, so the economy has been contracting in inflation adjusted terms as measured by GDP.
refi debt churn was put in place by capitol to hide from labor their steep declining purchasing power because capitol has refused to share with labor the benefits and have hoarded it all for themselves
american economy 1971-2014
These guys don't have any capital. That's the problem. They are insolvent. This has been to create income for these yahoos who should all be bankrupt. They wasted it however.
The declining purchasing power is caused by inflation ... the conventional means of theif from the masses.
I'm starting to see alot of refi. commercials on the TV again...It's obvious that lending is slowing down again.
This story made my w/e. Twelve gold bars removed from Indian man s stomach - Yahoo!7
It will help make my weekend if they let him keep his gold bars...
I've noticed those too; and advertising rates well below prime; you know there are shenanigans involved there. Also seeing a lot of HARP commercials, along with law firms on helping you file for S.S. Disability.
Not to mention the Fred Thomas/Henry Winkler (Fonz)/Robert Wagner reverse mortgage commercials non-stop. The kids won't be left with anything. No farm, no homestead, no house - just a bill.
That may be a blessing considering the potential for property taxes to soar to the moon when this farce comes to a close. Owning property of any kind in the current enviroment is asking for it. Gold and Silver are the only things that make sense "investment" wise anymore.
Mortgage origination is down ... across the board. Untaper is removing bond sale commissions. US corporation buying back stock at peak? WTF.
Then you hear that the US has told Japan to stop printing more money. And ... then you have Goldman in Utah?
Something is afoot. You can bet it isn't in our collective best interests.
I'm afraid there will be a domestic false flag event that will be used by the arseholes to clamp down on us ... you and I.
Leave no incumbant in office.
They are so desparate, that they are now sending offers to surviving relatives. I received one about a month ago, after my mom died in January. The letter expressed sympathy, then offered a HELOC. I kid you not. I'd rather burn my house first.
thank god for david stockman - truth in a universe of lies.
Yep, and just wait til they come crashing down, and people go from being 'wealthy' in their McMansions, to being 100k of negative equity in the hole. A bunch of my friends are buying too. 'Now is the time to buy'. And they are convinced that even if the transfer, they can rent it out for more than the mortgage, and then sell it for twice what they paid for it when they retire. This won't end well. People are going to see their 50% of their net worth evaporate twice in less than a decade. People never learn.
The house flipper seminars have been advertizing for about a year down here.Always a sign the top is in.
I think my cat has a longer memory than these fools.
We aren't even talking history, it the very recent past
for Dog's sake.
The gene pool needs an acid shock.
Who is Hawthorne's 'Gray Champion.'
Generational Theft of the Citizenry and Nation - pure and simple.
Treasonous - and a hanging offense for a great many in Washington and on Wall Street.
This is why they are raping the Constitution and deploying combat brigades domestically while militarizing police forces; the Kleptoligarchy is being cemented.
Nobody cares about facts. The fiction, the illusion, is reality. It will continue to work until it doesn't and then it will be replaced by another fiction.
Wash, rinse, repeat.
You are 3/4 correct.
Money issues can be fictionalized.
Oil can't be.
Yup, and food and potable water.
Oil *is* fictionalized. The mechanism of its fictionalization is the petrodollar. The hyperreal geopolitics of American military power + American magic money is nothing if it is not one giant fiction.
Obama's mantra has always been to 'do no harm'. The problem with this thinking is that it will never lead to solutions for problems, only more kicking the can down the road. No one wants to destroy the economy, but as Volcker showed us in the early 80's, sometimes some nasty tasting medicine solves big problems sooner and better. Obama is timid in everything he does except his bullshit self promotion. Time to unload him and his group of knuckleheads and replace them with some intelligent people that will take action. On that note Mitt Romney would have been such a huge improvement yet Christian voters would not turn out to vote for him. Fucking idiots, look what we got instead. Time to get smart and vote for the right person for the job and put aside the smaller petty diffrences.
Mitt Romney would have made Obama look like George Washington. A complete corporatist shill who would have had us in 2 world wars and would have had the poor and elderly in lines at soylent green factories.
Religion is the cancer that will destroy mankind.
Voting and protest is meaningless!!
Dems want to enslave the poor and middle class, the repubs want to kill them off!!
Both parties have sold us down the river.
Both parties need to be ejected from office.
Neither party is the lesser of two evils. They are both evil. And evil needs to be stamped out.
Agree, vote red, blue or orange, completely pointless, you might get one or two more wars with one party than the other, thats about the only difference, the future is all planned out, corporations will control everything while assuring you how much better of you are, as for wars, well, we call them wars, but since the US has enough force to eliminate the entire rest of the world ten times over with just conventional forces, massacre would be a more apt description.
Cant wait to try some yummy Soylent green, I hear its very good for you, vitamin fortified.
Just as well we are the good guys and don't rampage around the world killing innocent woman and children and arming terrorists.
Politics is the distraction.
Two headed hydra of the same deadly monster.
U.S. has crossed the Rubicon; politics will never ever solve this problem.
Yea. Fucking Christians and their petty principles. Wish we had more atheists. Those people are the smart ones.
Happy Easter!
Hahahahaha Great stuff David,
Bu then I heard news ,, ONE in SIX 1 in 6) American Morons think the fucking Kenyan monkey NEVER lies.
Never Ever, One in 6 , Jesus fucking christ, look around you, count the dumb fucks as they waddle past one out every 6 still thinks that the greatest asshole, the most incompetent degenerate corrupt lying piece of shit on the planet does not lie.
Just what chance does that give you that these fuckwits could even add two and two together let alone the complexities of a mortgage or its refinancing.
No wonder the banks take the piss, a fucking retarded monkey can take the piss, A fucking retarded monkey is doing.
Kenyan monkey?
May I recommend http://www.niggermania.net for you?
WOW!, chill out, you are not doing your case any good, you just look like a total lunatic. :)
I will say it again: "The pols and crats could have chosen to bailout the American people directly, and the banksters indirectly, but they chose to bailout the banksters only."
Not that any bailout would have been a good thing, but their choice reveals their ownership and corruption.
The banksters and their associated pols and crats will have no quarter with me.
"Be fruitful and multiply your guillotines."
Eric Holder prosecuted nobody for the trillion dollar crime of rigging the LIBOR.
I still can't get my head around that.
LIBOR is set in London, by London banks. HTF could Holder prosecute British bankers who operate in London?
There's plenty wrong with Holder, but LIBOR is out of his jurisdiction.
but the crime was committed and executed in the usa.
"Changing the Focus to Fraud
Suits to recover damages for collusion, antitrust violations and racketeering (RICO), however, have so far failed. In March 2013, SDNY Judge Naomi Reece Buchwald dismissed antitrust and RICO claims brought by investors and traders in actions consolidated in her court, on the ground that the plaintiffs lacked standing to bring the claims. She held that the rate-setting banks' actions did not affect competition, because those banks were not in competition with one another with respect to LIBOR rate-setting; and that "the alleged collusion occurred in an arena in which defendants never did and never were intended to compete."
Okay, the defendants weren't competing with each other. They were colluding with each other, in order to unfairly compete with the rest of the financial world – local banks, credit unions, and the state and local governments they lured into being counterparties to their rigged swaps. The SDNY ruling is on appeal to the Second Circuit."
to wit...
"...Why would keeping interest rates low enrich the rate-setting banks? Don't they make more money if interest rates are high?
The answer is no. Unlike most banks, they make most of their money not from ordinary commercial loans but from interest rate swaps. The FDIC suit seeks to recover losses caused to 38 US banking institutions that did make their profits from ordinary business and consumer loans – banks that failed during the financial crisis and were taken over by the FDIC." ..e.b.
Wall Street's latest sucker: Your hometown
By Stephen Gandel, senior editor July 11, 2012


text:
Professor Lawrence Young of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology will speak at CU-Boulder Thursday, Jan. 21, on the challenges of human exploration of the solar system.
Professor Lawrence Young of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology will speak at CU-Boulder Thursday, Jan. 21, on the challenges of human exploration of the solar system.
Professor Lawrence Young of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology will speak at CU-Boulder Thursday, Jan. 21, on the challenges of human exploration of the solar system.
The Minority Arts and Sciences Program (MASP) and United Campus Ministries at the University of Colorado at Boulder are sponsoring a tribute to Martin Luther King. Jr. on Monday, Jan. 18, at 7:30 p.m.
The event will be held at the First Christian Church, 950 28th St.
"This year we have a unique opportunity to expand our approach to celebrating Martin Luther King and his message. Rev. Smith and I are tremendously pleased about the new event," said Alphonse Keasley, MASP director. "There will be two hours full of musical joy and inspirational messages."
The second annual Career Fair for Graduating Students at the University of Colorado at Boulder will be held Jan. 27 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the University Memorial Center Glenn Miller Ballroom.
More than 90 organizations are looking for graduates from all majors. Liberal arts students, as well as business and engineering students, are encouraged to attend. The fair is free and open to CU students and alumni only. No registration is necessary.
Robert D. Ballard, the renowned deep-sea explorer and scientist who discovered the sunken Titanic, the Bismarck and the Yorktown, will lecture at the University of Colorado at Boulder on Feb. 3.
Ballard, one of the world's premiere spokespersons for marine research, will give a free illustrated lecture on "Deep Sea Explorations" at 8 p.m. in Macky Auditorium. The 34th annual George Gamow Memorial Lecture is intended for general audiences.
Peering deep into a distant galaxy, astronomers from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and the University of Colorado at Boulder have obtained a glimpse of what may be the youngest massive star clusters ever observed.
Spring semester registration is Jan. 19-20 for the Senior Auditors program that allows Colorado residents age 55 and older to audit regular daytime classes at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Registration will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 19, and 9 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, Jan. 20, at Koenig Alumni Center, located on the southeast corner of University Avenue and Broadway.
A University of Colorado at Boulder research project on long-term ecological changes occurring in an alpine region west of Boulder will continue for at least six more years as a result of a $4.2 million renewal grant from the National Science Foundation.
Erica Ellington, who became fascinated with the universe when she was only 5 years old, this week will take Fiske Planetarium audiences out to the distant star clusters previously visited only in science fiction.
The assistant professor in the University of Colorado at Boulders department of astrophysics and planetary sciences, will present public programs on "Galaxies at the Edge of the Universe," on Tuesday, Jan. 12, and Friday, Jan. 15, at 7:30 p.m.
EDITORS: In some cases, reporters can arrange meetings with these business leaders prior to or following their lectures. Contact Laurie Van Horn, (303) 492-2224, for information.
Undergraduate students in CU-Boulders Profiles in American Enterprise class will hear from a variety of top CEOs this semester from telecommunications companies like Nextel and Qwest to retailers like Wild Oats.
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Kings are on a Stanley Cup stroll
LOS ANGELES – When Justin Wiliams made it 4-0 it was still light outside, which meant the New Jersey Devils could have gotten out of town before sundown.
Alas, they are trapped in Hockey Central for two more days, with waves of inevitability crashing upon them.
The Kings continued the smoothest cruise in modern Stanley Cup playoff history. They scuttled the Devils' power plays. They even scored on two of their own.
They hunkered down as Jonathan Quick kept catching bullets in his teeth. Then they streaked down the ice for quick-strike goals that mocked everything coaches say about the postseason.
You have to score ugly? You can't make pretty plays? Tell it to the Kings, who have frolicked, the whole Royal Spring, on breakaways and three-man rushes.
You can't have a layoff? You can't stay sharp when you wrap up series quickly? Hah. This was only the Kings' seventh home game since the playoffs began, which was on April 11.
On Monday morning, Darryl Sutter was saying how much he enjoys game days as a coach. "Junior Seau said you'd play for nothing but you get paid to practice, right?" Sutter said. "That's bang-on."
The Kings have been practicing a lot more than playing. This was their 17th playoff game. In 54 days. Some teams would have trouble remembering the icing rules. This team keeps getting quicker, stronger, better. By winning this one, they have taken a 3-0 lead in every series, and nobody ever has done that.
The Stanley Cup is the hardest trophy to win? The Kings are making it look easier than a stuffed dinosaur at the shooting gallery.
They disagree with all this, of course, because they respect the Devils and even if they're struggling to find reasons to, they don't want to awaken them.
Rob Scuderi, the defenseman, went through four punishing Stanley Cup rounds with Pittsburgh in 2008 and 2009.
"I don't recall those teams being beaten up any more than this one," he said. "The Devils are out there finishing their checks. They've knocked me into the boards a lot. Just because you haven't played a sixth or seventh game doesn't mean the games haven't been difficult."
Yes, the Kings have refused to go to a Game 6. If they avoid this one, they will be the first team to do that since the 1988 Edmonton Oilers of Wayne Gretzky, who dropped the ceremonial first puck before Game 3.
"I think our coaches have done a great job of keeping us sharp," Scuderi said. "They know how to ramp up the intensity just before the next series starts. The drills are faster, there's more physical contact. We've been ready."
The turning point is simple. It is Quick's ability to remember what time the games start.
In three games against New Jersey he has stopped 66 of 68 shots on goal. That's a save percentage of .970.
In 17 playoff games he has stopped 424 of 448 shots on goal. That's a save percentage of .950.
After a scoreless first period, Adam Henrique and Zach Parise challenged Quick at close range. Quick dismissed both. He wasn't forced to deal with second chances, however, and he rarely had to push somebody out of his sight lines, although he went down like a movie cowboy when Steve Bernier approached him, and then slammed his stick when his Mark Taper Forum audition wasn't rewarded with a penalty.
The point was that Quick, on a nightly basis, demonstrates that he is the Kings' antilock braking system.
So they accelerate with no fear. Dwight King assaulted the side of Martin Brodeur's net and kept whacking at the puck until Alec Martinez swooped to tap it in. Martinez's goal meant that Scuderi was the only Kings skater who had played more than one game and still had not scored a playoff goal.
"That's not a shock," Scuderi said.
The second goal is the one that joins the video collection, next to Drew Doughty's slalom run in Game 2.
The Kings basically went 200 feet without breaking stride, as Dustin Brown hit Justin Williams in the middle, and Williams passed to Brown on the right side, and Brown laid a nice fat softball in the middle of Anze Kopitar's blade from the other side of the ice.
"I didn't want to waste any time," Kopitar said, and he didn't. It was now 2-0, and 45 years of repressed frustration went bellowing through the Staples roof and radiated out to Sylmar and San Clemente alike.
The Kings keep stomping through opponents, records and precedents alike. They have done everything in this Royal Spring except handle Adversity, which, if it's coming, had better hurry. It's getting dark.
Contact the writer: email@example.com
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Stomp the Yard 2: Homecoming
|Release Date: September 21, 2010
|Genre: Drama, Musical, Sequel
Columbus Short
Stephen Boss
Tika Sumpter
Collins Pennie
All Cast & Crew >>
Summary:In the countdown to a national step-off, rivalries at Truth University run red hot. The Theta Nus are counting on new pledge Chance Harris to lead the team to victory. But he's too caught up in his own problems to focus. At odds with his father, caught up in romantic troubles and targeted by a street gang for an unpaid debt, Chance must decide what is truly important and make the choices that will shape his life.


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Burlington, VT
July 7 - 10, 2016
The JDRF Ride to Cure Diabetes in Burlington, VT offers cycling on some of New England's prettiest roads through the Champlain Valley. The out-and-back route snakes south through beautiful farms and historic villages, over covered bridges and flowing rivers to Middlebury, where JDRF staff and volunteers are waiting to feed you before turning you around to cycle back to the finish line.
Nestled on the eastern shore of Lake Champlain between the Adirondack and Green Mountains, Burlington is one of America's most beautiful cities. Home to several colleges, including the University of Vermont, Burlington has the liveliness of a college town with the shopping district and restaurants of a much larger city.
Register today for the Burlington Ride for a first-class cycling experience in New England that only JDRF can offer while contributing toward groundbreaking T1D research.
With you every mile of the way
Whether you choose to ride 25, 60 or even 100 miles, you'll be surrounded by the T1D community–fellow riders, coaches, friends and family. You can do this.
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Have questions? Let's talk.
Call us at 888-533-9255 or send us a message and we'll answer any questions you might have about joining the JDRF Ride.
Thank you for contacting us. Someone from the JDRF Ride team will follow up with you within 48 hours. Meanwhile, please review our FAQ page for more information.


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getting my fitness and fashion on
Often times I talk about my giddiness and glee that I am filled with when I get a comment, receive something in the mail related to blogging, get an e-mail reply, or make a new friend. Well, this week was full of Glee. The latest episode had me giggling the entire time! Is anyone else much in love with Noah, Will and Finn? I thought Will was my fave, but Noah is making a very fast strong impression. Mmm..
Coming home was just that: filled with glee. My week was full of good things to dance about. First off I received my oat bowl and the "I Eat Real Food." tee shirt I ordered, which I so fashionably wore on my first three mile run on Wednesday afternoon. I ran my second three miles with my mama on Friday morning. We're running a 5k a week from Sunday, for our FIRST run ever. Surprisingly I'm doing better than I thought. I do not like running. I won't pretend to like it, but I'm hoping gradually I'll learn to like it. Slowly, but surely. I'm not looking to run a marathon, but we'll see where it takes me. I also tried my first Bikram yoga class yesterday at a real studio. You know the old saying "you don't know what you got till its gone"? Making my return to Tucson is kind of like that. Tucson is a runner's, yogi's, outdoor enthusiast's oasis of a city. Yet I never took advantage of the beautiful weather, numerous yoga studios, or my own neighborhood the first 18 years of my life. Sure.. I went to the gym, used the elliptical, and practiced yoga, at my gym; but since moving away my world has been completely rocked. There is so much to do here!
My first bowl of oat bran! YUM! This actually lasted longer than my bowl of oats. Tres filling!
- 1/2 cup oat bran, 1 cup water, 1/2 banana, cinnamon, splash vanilla
- Topped with shredded coconut, t coconut butter, spoonful AB
Dinner I fixed for the fam: Grilled chicken, raw kale salad (literally only raw kale, olive oil, lemon juice, red pepper flakes and grated parmesan.) and roasted butternut squash!
Americano, two poached eggs and 1/2 a english muffin with AB and a drizzle of honey.
Dinner- sometimes a protein drink is all you need! Delicious. (1 scoop vanilla, 1 cup water, ice.)
Later I did make kale chips though! 1/2 batch plain, and 1/2 batch Averie style. We loved both! Craazy good, that kale.
Post run.
Big salad: spring mix, carrot, cucumber, yellow pepper, jicama, a couple grapes sliced, chicken, olive oil and balsamic. Celery and 2 T homemade hummus on the side.
Oatmeal I fixed for myself and my parents. A la, Kath: with french press coffee and the added chia seeds! (BTW, my parents said the oats were too rich and they could hardly finish them. Word to the wise: You're supposed to eat them slowly. That's the best part!)
In the mix: (1 serving)
- 1/2 cup oats, hemp milk, water, 1/2 banana, 1/2 T chia seeds, splash vanilla
- Topped with carob chips, t coconut butter, spoonful of crunchy PB
I let them choose their own toppings!
Question for you all: I'm only going to be in town for three months, are there specific jobs that would hire for seasonal help? I have a few leads, but I'm still trying to get as many options as possible. Do I tell them I'm leaving eventually, or do I keep that information to myself?
Also, I'm gonna hit up Trader Joe's in a few days.. are there any products I must try that I can't get at WF's? Another place I took advantage of my entire life. Not anymore!
xo, Bekah
October 24, 2009 2:58 pm
Lovin' the all the KERF gear😀
October 24, 2009 3:06 pm
Thanks for the shoutout Bekah! I am so glad to hear you liked the kale chips AND That they worked for you in the oven.
And I totally agree about absence making the heart grow fonder. You appreciate that which you used to take for granted sometimes when you're away from it. Part of that is blossoming into an adult and growing…how awesome for you!
Enjoy yoga and your running. Bikram is not my personal fave b/c I dont love the artificial heat thing but the important part is the YOU enjoy whatever yoga you're doing
October 24, 2009 6:37 pm
i love your bowl and shirt! and the kale chips look even better. i cant wait to finalyl try some myself. hopefully i can find it soon.
glad to hear you did some birkram yoga. whatever works for you is best😉
October 25, 2009 12:42 pm
I love the shirt and I love the food that you eat in this blog!I came across your site from the foodieblogroll and I just wanted to say I had so much fun reading your posts.I'd love to guide our readers to your site if you won't mind.Just add your choice of foodista widget to this post and it's all set, Thanks!


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- NicaraguaRetailFunding via MiCredito
Trigo Y Mie...NicaraguaRetailFunding via ADIM (Asociación Alternativa Para el Desarrollo Integral de las Mujeres)
Diana AntoniaNicaraguaRetailFunding via ADIM (Asociación Alternativa Para el Desarrollo Integral de las Mujeres)
Concepcion Group
In this group Gladis V. R. also sells shoes, however she works in her house, offering credit to the people of the community, persons known to her and vouched for by others. The third member, Rosa Argentina S. O., works in a different, but no less lucrative field than her partners. She sells fried foods from her house, mostly at night and on the weekend. All three women will use the loan to buy merchandise and/or primary ingredients to continue growing their working capital.
En éste grupo, Gladis V. R. también se dedica a la venta de zapatos, sin embargo ella realiza esta actividad en su casa de habitación ofreciéndolos en su mayoría al crédito a la gente de la comunidad, personas conocidas y recomendadas por sus familiares. La última integrante, Rosa Argentina S. O., tiene una actividad distinta a la de sus compañeras, pero no menos lucrativa, ella se dedica a la venta de fritangas; su puesto se encuentra en su casa de habitación y atiende principalmente por las noches y fines de semana. Todas ellas destinarán el crédito a la compra de mercadería y/o materia prima para seguir aumentando su capital de trabajo.
Additional Information
About ADIMLocated in Central America, ADIM is a small microfinance institution with a strong social focus. In the saturated microfinance market of Nicaragua, ADIM stands out for its emphasis on the holistic development of women as well as its provision of responsible financial services. Founded in 1989 by a small group of Nicaraguan women, this institution has remained true to its initial goal of providing its clients (90% of which are women) with an opportunity for economic growth, in addition to personal and professional empowerment. Supporting an ADIM borrower means contributing not only to the continued offering of the socially conscious services it provides, but also to the sustainable growth of a truly unique microfinance institution.
This is a Group Loan
In a group loan, each member of the group receives an individual loan but is part of a larger group of individuals. The group is there to provide support to the members and to provide a system of peer pressure, but groups may or may not be formally bound by a group guarantee. In cases where there is a group guarantee, members of the group are responsible for paying back the loans of their fellow group members in the case of delinquency or default.
Kiva's Field Partners typically feature one borrower from a group. The loan description, sector, and other attributes for a group loan profile are determined by the featured borrower's loan. The other members of the group are not required to use their loans for the same purpose.
About Nicaragua
71View loans »
Success!! The loan was 100% repaid
- Repayment Term
- 7 months (Additional Information)
- Repayment Schedule
- Monthly
- Pre-Disbursed:
- Jul 31, 2010
- Listed
- Aug 19, 2010
- Currency Exchange Loss:
- Covered
- Ended:
- Dec 15, 2010


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You limited your search to:
County: Houston County, TX
County: Shackelford County, TX
Collection: Rescuing Texas History, 2009
[Newspaper Clippings and Photographs Regarding the Matthews Ranch]
Date: unknown
Creator: Holt, Harry
Description: A page from a worn cowhide scrapbook regarding the Matthews Ranch. The newspaper clippings cover the ranch's purchase and showing of livestock, while the photographs offer views of the ranch and the Matthews family.
Contributing Partner: Matthews Family and Lambshead Ranch


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New London - Locked-out nurses and technicians at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital learned Monday that state law does not protect them from the immediate loss of their health care coverage.
But Matt O'Connor, a spokesman for two AFT Connecticut union locals, said that his organization has referred the matter to the U.S. Department of Labor and that federal representatives would be meeting today with locked-out workers at the union hall to review their options.
O'Connor said he wants to find out what kind of federal relief might be available to help union workers, many of whom are single parents, navigate the difficulty of being out of work and having to pay for their own medical insurance. The union previously announced a $20,000 defense fund to help members undergoing economic hardships.
"It's a double whammy," O'Connor said. "Shame on the corporation for locking out their nurses and technicians and putting them in a double jeopardy position."
A state Department of Labor spokeswoman told The Day that L+M, because it is self-insured, does not have to provide 20 days' notice before dropping coverage, as is required of companies that do not assume such risks. Striking members of AFT Connecticut had complained that, though the hospital informed them of the possibility of losing coverage, they did not get any formal written notification.
But Nancy Steffens, a Labor Department spokeswoman, said L+M has no legal obligation to provide such notification.
"L+M is self-insured for health insurance, therefore they do not fall within (the statute) ... which provides for the notice of cancellation of health insurance," Steffens said, citing the opinion of the department's Program Policy legal unit. "The definition of insurance ... does not apply to self-insured companies."
O'Connor, however, said he couldn't understand hospital management's decision to drop coverage so quickly in light of the fact that it is a health care institution.
"Even if it's permissible to do so, it's certainly not the behavior they would be expected to engage in," he said. "It's not what the community wants to see from their community hospital."
Insurance coverage for the nearly 800 union workers ended Nov. 30, the day that L+M began a lockout after employees went on a four-day strike. Workers, who had intended to return to their jobs at the end of the strike period despite having failed to come to contract terms with the hospital, were protesting management's strategy of saving money by using nonunion labor at affiliated locations outside the main hospital.
L+M spokesman Mike O'Farrell has said that striking workers became eligible Dec. 1 for coverage under COBRA, the federal program that provides temporary health coverage to groups that otherwise would lose their benefits. The union documented one case in which a locked-out worker would be required to pay more than $1,400 a month for health coverage.
Employees would have to pay the full premium for medical, dental and vision coverage, according to a strike fact sheet produced by L+M and acquired by The Day, plus a 2 percent administrative fee tacked on by COBRA.
Other coverage, such as disability and life insurance, also would be terminated in the event of a strike, according to the fact sheet, unless an employee wishes to extend coverage with a personal policy. L+M declined to provide the fact sheet to The Day.
While the Labor Department said L+M didn't have to give notice that it was dropping medical coverage, its Board of Review offered an opinion that the hospital's lockout of employees would allow workers to claim unemployment benefits.
Normally, striking workers do not receive unemployment compensation, Steffens said, but there is an exception.
"If a claimant's unemployment is due to the existence of a labor dispute which constitutes a lockout, the claimant is eligible for benefits," she said.
O'Connor said the union started helping workers with unemployment documentation last week. The first unemployment hearing related to locked-out L+M workers is scheduled today at the Labor Department's Shaw's Cove offices, he added.
"There's been a lot of support, a lot of sympathy for the nurses and technicians and their plight," he said.
The hospital has been staffed with replacement workers since the strike and lockout began, and L+M said union workers would not be allowed back to work until a new contract is in place, for fear of intermittent disruptions of patient services.
Task force seizes fentanyl-laced heroin from Groton property
Police arrest Grasso Tech student following threatening comment on Facebook
Connecticut U.S. Attorney: Local men staged 50 accidents to defraud insurance companies
Police arrest man after he allegedly displayed a gun inside a New London nursing home
'The Voice' finalist Braiden Sunshine performs at Groton middle school
Police release name of man who died in Lake of Isles canoe accident
Fentanyl-related overdose deaths projected to increase significantly
Joseph LaDuke reflects on his recovery from heroin addiction
At NRA, Trump slams Clinton for 'heartless' gun restrictions
New London councilors remove obstacle for Edgerton School developers
Former 'menace to community' hopes concert will show others that sobriety is possible


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climbing frames Archive
Outdoor toys and games the perfect gift for ChristmasPosted on Tuesday, October 20, 2009 | No CommentsSeesaws, swings and outdoor trampolines provide exercise and outdoor activities for your little athletes. Theyll get plenty of fresh air […]
Fun garden games for kidsPosted on Friday, May 22, 2009 | No CommentsEncouraging your children to play outdoors isn't always easily, particularly when there are often so many distractions available to them […]
Top 8 garden gamesPosted on Sunday, May 17, 2009 | 1 CommentAre you looking to buy games that children will enjoy playing in the garden? We've taken a look at 8 […]
Helping your kids to enjoy outdoor playPosted on Sunday, May 17, 2009 | No CommentsMaking the most of outdoor space can have many benefits in family life. In this article we take a look […]
Garden games for childrenPosted on Sunday, May 17, 2009 | No CommentsMany children spend a lot of time playing indoors. This is a real shame because there are so many outdoor […]
Outdoor Toys For Spring/SummerPosted on Tuesday, May 12, 2009 | No CommentsThe number one online toy shop in the UK Toys Games Gifts are expanding their outdoor toy range with some […]
Trampolines in the Garden are Great for KidsPosted on Wednesday, March 11, 2009 | 1 CommentTheatres , climbing frames, and swing sets are a selection of the most popular outdoor toys acquired by families today. […]


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Edit Article
How to Make a Movie Projector
Do you like movie projectors but just can't afford one? If you want to make one, this article will show you how.
This article has been tagged as a stub.
That means it's off to a good start, but still has room to grow into a more helpful resource. Until the article reaches its full potential, it will be hidden from search results. Can you help it flourish? If you think the article offers complete and accurate instructions, feel free to remove this tag.
Community Q&A
Ask a Question
- Your box should not have any holes in it.
- Your iPhone should be standing up in front of the magnifying glass.
- Make sure you have an area for it to project on to.
- Don't use cheap magnifying glasses that you can't even see through.
- Make sure you iPhone screen doesn't change directions while you are watching a movie.
Things You'll Need
- Shoe box
- Hot glue gun
- Magnifying glass
- Mobile device (phones)
- Scissors
Article Info
Categories: Stub | Home Theater
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 26,743 times.
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Food and Dining Briefs for April 8
Sake dining event: Roppongi Restaurant & Sushi Bar in La Jolla will host a "Pure Sake" dining event at 6:30 p.m. May 19 for $65 per person. The five-course dinner pairs Roppongi's "New Asian" cuisine with five sakes; dinner items include New Style Loch Duarte Salmon Sashimi With Pink Sea Salt And Yuzu Champagne Vinaigrette; Local Spiny Lobster Miso Soup With Seaweed, Tofu, Shiitake Mushrooms And Enoki Mushrooms; Jidori Crispy Chicken Breast With Furikake Rice Cake, Sweet Plum And Sage Jus; and more. Go to www.roppongiusa.com or call 858-551-5252.
SDCC dinner: The San Diego Center for Children will hold its annual dinner May 20 at the US Grant Hotel in downtown San Diego. The nonprofit agency helps children who have had issues keep them from success. E-mail Jessica Johnson at email@example.com, go to centerforchildren.org or call 858-569-2148.
Tesoro Winery's "Girls Night Out!": The Temecula winery hosts a women's-only event with wine, appetizers, shopping and a chocolate fountain from 7 to 10 p.m. May 20 at 28475 Old Town Front Street, Temecula. Tickets are $24 ($22 before May 15). Call 951-308-0000.
Brews & Blues Festival: The Fallbrook Animal Sanctuary and The Rotary Club of Bonsall co-host a music and beer festival to benefit the sanctuary from 4 to 10 p.m. May 22 at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido, 340 N. Escondido Blvd. Tickets are $60 each and $40 for designated drivers. To assure donations are credited properly, visit bonsallrotary.com and under "charity partners," select the Fallbrook Animal Sanctuary.
RA fundraiser: RA Sushi Bar Restaurant will host its sixth annual "Nicky's Week" fundraiser from May 30 to June 5, benefiting the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. During that week, RA will donate 100 percent of the proceeds from a special "Nicky's Week" menu to the hospital. Go to rasushi.com or call 619-321-0021.
Dick's hosts strawberry fest: Dick's Sporting Goods hosts the 2010 Strawberry Festival 5K & Kids Run from 6:30 to 10 a.m. May 30 at 101 Wave Drive in Vista. The event includes a 5-kilometer race for adults, a 1-mile children's run, and strawberry sales, vendor booths, art displays, a health and fitness expo and more at the finish line. Cost to register is $20-$30. Visit www.kinanevents.com.
Wine, cheese and chocolate: The San Diego Women's History Museum & Educational Center is hosting its annual San Diego Wine, Cheese & Chocolate Festival from 6:30 to 10 p.m. June 4 in the Spanish Village at Balboa Park. Dozens of chocolatiers, cheese and wine vendors will offer samples, and Sue Palmer (the "queen of boogie woogie") will entertain. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door, and VIP tickets, which include reserved seating and drink vouchers, are $50; go to www.womensmuseumsd.org or call 619-233-7963.
Encinitas Rotary Wine Festival: Rotary Club of Encinitas hosts its annual fundraising gala featuring international wines, local microbrews and cuisine from 5 to 8 p.m. June 5 at San Diego Botanic Garden, 230 Quail Gardens Drive in Encinitas. Tickets are $85 (tickets are $100 after May 15). Visit encinitaswinefestival.com.
Jazz brunches: The Westgate Hotel in San Diego will host jazz brunches on its Riviera Fountain Terrace from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays from June 20 to Sept. 5. The brunch is $49 per person; go to westgatehotel.com or call 619-557-3655.
Taste of Gaslamp: The Gaslamp Quarter in San Diego will host its 17th annual Taste of Gaslamp, presented by Samuel Adams, from 1 to 4 p.m. June 26 and 27, on the streets of the Gaslamp, with more than 25 venues participating. Restaurants will show off house specialties in the form or 2- to 4-ounce samples; guests also receive a "Taste of Gaslamp" recipe book, and there's a beer garden for those ages 21 and older. Tickets are $30 per day and are available beginning in May at www.gaslamp.org.


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The Walt Disney World® Marathon presented by Cigna® is the final race of the weekend, where you will complete the most magical 26.2 miles on Earth. The course takes you through all four Walt Disney World® Theme Parks, starting at Epcot®, continuing on to the Magic Kingdom® Park, Disney's Animal Kingdom® Park and Disney's Hollywood Studios before an exhilarating finish back at Epcot®. Plus there's an all-new Mickey Mouse finisher medal for you to remember the magic. Join the fun during the 2016 Walt Disney World® Marathon Weekend.
Walt Disney World® Event Hotels available
at great rates!
Specially Priced Theme Park Tickets availableSee Specially Priced Tickets
|Dopey Challenge: $610*
|Walt Disney World® Marathon: $205*
|Walt Disney World® Half Marathon: $205*
|Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge: $400*
|Walt Disney World® 10K: $135*
|Walt Disney World® 5K: $75*
|Mickey Mile: Visit runDisney Website
|runDisney Kid Races: Visit runDisney Website
Note: Event Registrations are non-refundable and non-transferable and due in full at time of booking with your hotel reservation of 3 nights or more. Other races types can be requested and will be based on availability at time of call.
To Register Call 888-877-4445, opt 4
Mon - Fri 7:30am - 5:00pm (PST)


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U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
Federal Highway Administration Research and Technology
Coordinating, Developing, and Delivering Highway Transportation Innovations
|This report is an archived publication and may contain dated technical, contact, and link information
Publication Number: FHWA-HRT-07-039
Date: July 2007
Conclusions - Corrosion Resistant Alloys for Reinforced Concrete
Both short-term laboratory experiments in simulated pore solutions and long-term exposure of concrete specimens reinforced with corrosion resistant rebars exposed to chlorides were performed. The reinforcements included UNS-S31603 (Type 316L stainless steel (SS)), UNS-31803 (Type 2205 SS), ASTM A055-98 (Type 2201LDX SS), UNS-S41003 (Type 3Cr12 SS), ASTM A615, Grade 75 (MMFX-II™), two 316 SS clad steels (Stelax and SMI), and ASTM A615 (black bar). The following conclusions were reached based on results during the initial 3 years of this 5-year study:
Topics: research, infrastructure, structures
Keywords: research, structures, Reinforced concrete, bridges, corrosion resistance, corrosion testing, high performance reinforcement, stainless steel, MMFX-II™
TRT Terms: research, infrastructure, Facilities, Structures, Corrosion resistant alloys Evaluation, Reinforced concrete Corrosion Evaluation, Bridges, Concrete Corrosion
Updated: 03/08/2016


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When a person has been through some kind of life threatening or traumatic event, it is common to have stress-related reactions that are signs of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Symptoms or reactions such as upsetting memories of the event, increased jumpiness, or trouble sleeping are common. But when symptoms last more than three months, and they're not getting better, it's time to get help. If you recognize any of these symptoms of PTSD in yourself, or someone you love, don't wait to see your health care provider. Learn more about PTSD, and watch the "What is PTSD?" video on Youtube.com.
Any time is a great time to quit smoking. It may be difficult, but it is possible. Whether you smoke cigarettes, cigars, pipes, or use chewing tobacco, VA encourages you to quit for your health. From smoking cessation medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration to taking part in tobacco cessation counseling, you have options. And VA is here to help. In this video from Youtube.com, find out why Brian, an Air Force Veteran, decided to quit smoking, and how VA can help you quit, too.
Want to make a 'quit plan?' Take the first step to being tobacco free, and check out VA's Public Health site on Tobacco and Health.
Free help is available for Veterans. Call 1-855-QUIT-VET to make a quit plan, or text VET (or VETesp for Spanish) to 47848 to sign up for daily text messages offering support and encouragement while quitting. Learn More.
Keeping track of all your medications is easier with My HealtheVet's My Complete Medications List. This list allows you to view all of your self-entered medications and supplements that you buy over-the-counter or are prescribed by non-VA doctors. It also shows all of your VA prescription medications. To use the list, login in to your premium My HealtheVet account. Next, select Pharmacy from the red navigation bar, and choose VA Medications List. From there, select "My Complete Medications List" at the top left. This displays a list of all medications you or your VA doctors have entered into your My HealtheVet record. Log on today!
My HealtheVet is the VA's Personal Health Record. It was designed for Veterans, active duty Servicemembers, their dependents and caregivers. My HealtheVet helps you partner with your health care team. It provides you opportunities and tools to make informed decisions.
VA Appointments available for Blue Button users... More »
Do you need to refill your prescriptions? Do it online... More »
Securely communicate with your VA healthcare team... More »
What's your health age? Take the healtheliving assessment and find out More »
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The Blue Button is a feature that packages all your available health records into a single file that you can safely share with doctors, nurses, clinicians, even family members. Read More
If you are a Veteran and use the VA health care system, then a Premium My HealtheVet Account is for you. To upgrade your account, you need to be authenticated. What you need to know »
Notice: The way you log in to My HealtheVet will change!
In the future, you will be required to access your My HealtheVet account using a trusted Sign-in Partner. You may choose a Sign-in Partner now that is right for you from the AccessVA selection page.
Would you like to select a Sign-in Partner now? Yes, start now
You can now access your My HealtheVet account by using a VA approved Sign-in Partner, available on the AccessVA Sign-in Partners selection page.
Select an AccessVA Sign-in Partner you may already use or register for one. Your Sign-in Partner User ID and Password will replace your My HealtheVet User ID and Password. A single login to your Sign-in Partner will give you access to My HealtheVet, as well as other participating VA and Federal websites.
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Love God. Love the game.
At Great Lakes we strive to be loving, gracious, and humble while competing to the best of our ability to win the game.
At Great Lakes, our mission is prepare students to be effective servant-leaders in the church and the world, and we believe that athletics plays a huge part in that mission. We compete hard, and we compete to win, and we thank God for the opportunity to compete. We believe that our highest calling is to be effective witnesses of the Kingdom of God, and that we can accomplish this by displaying the Kingdom on the pitch and the hardwood in our competitiveness, our athleticism, our passion, and in the love we show for the game and for our teammates, coaches, opponents, spectators, and officials.
Our community is made stronger by our competitiveness and our passion.
We believe that our college Kingdom community is made stronger by uniting in competition, on the field and off the field. Our student section shows up early, stays late, and makes a lot of noise in-between. Our on-campus community shares in both victory and defeat, and our athletes will always have the support in the stands of their friends and peers in the blue and white.
We are Great Lakes.
From the opening whistle to the final horn, the Lakes will always strive to win while honouring God and advancing the Kingdom, and we invite you to join us this season for all of the action in soccer, basketball, and volleyball.
We would love for you to join us here at the Lakes. If you're interested in playing for us, click on "Recruit Me" to get in touch with our recruiting department so we can get to know you! If you want to follow the action from Henderson Field and the Doty Center, check out "Athletics News!"
Check out our YouTube channel for video broadcasts of home basketball and volleyball games, and our Meridix channel for live audio broadcasts of soccer and away basketball and volleyball games! And don't forget to follow us on Twitter for the latest live in-game updates and full game reports!
The Lakes play men's and women's basketball, men's soccer, and women's volleyball, and are looking to add more programs in coming years. The Lakes compete in the Midwest region of Division II of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) with Grace Bible College, Northland International University, Moody Bible College, and Maranatha Baptist University.


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Smith Tower owner Walton Street Capital defaulted on loans totaling $42.5 million.
Wanna buy the Smith Tower?
Seattle's first skyscraper, now mostly empty, is slated to be sold at a foreclosure auction March 23 outside the King County Administration Building, according to a notice filed with the county.
Bring a cashier's check: By law, the high bidder must pay the full price at time of sale.
The auction notice was filed last month by a representative of CBRE Capital Markets of New York, which acquired the delinquent mortgage on the troubled Smith Tower last fall and began foreclosure proceedings a few weeks later.
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A court-appointed receiver took control of the 42-story landmark in early December.
The historic office building's owner, Chicago-based Walton Street Capital, has defaulted on loans totaling $42.5 million that it took out when it bought the Smith Tower and an adjacent two-story building in 2006, according to public records.
Most foreclosure auctions in Washington result in the lender taking title to the property, because other bids — if any — fall short of the outstanding debt. Walton Street owes more than $43 million on the Smith Tower loan, which matured last April, according to the auction notice.
CBRE presumably paid less than that for the nonperforming mortgage, but the price hasn't been revealed.
King County values the Smith Tower for tax purposes at $21.3 million — less than half what Walton Street paid for it less than six years ago.
The 97-year-old Smith Tower is 70 percent vacant, according to CBRE's court filings, and monthly rents don't cover the building's operating expenses.
Walton Street received city approval in 2007 to convert the tower to condos but backed away after the condo market cooled. The building, at Second Avenue and Yesler Way, has languished since, according to real-estate insiders.
Eric Pryne: 206-464-2231 or email@example.com


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Sardaran's Group
Sardaran has applied for a loan from Kiva's partner, Asasah, for her son who wants to buy a rickshaw which will help him provide better transport services to his customers without any time restriction. He will be able to keep the whole earnings from his work without giving to the rickshaw owner. He has been attached to this profession for the past four years, and Sardaran is confident that a new rickshaw will help him improve his profits.
In the photo, the lady with a book (an Asasah passbook) is Sardaran.
Additional Information
This is a Group Loan
In a group loan, each member of the group receives an individual loan but is part of a larger group of individuals. The group is there to provide support to the members and to provide a system of peer pressure, but groups may or may not be formally bound by a group guarantee. In cases where there is a group guarantee, members of the group are responsible for paying back the loans of their fellow group members in the case of delinquency or default.
Kiva's Field Partners typically feature one borrower from a group. The loan description, sector, and other attributes for a group loan profile are determined by the featured borrower's loan. The other members of the group are not required to use their loans for the same purpose.
About Pakistan
269View loans »
Success!! The loan was 100% repaid
- Repayment Term
- 13 months (Additional Information)
- Repayment Schedule
- Monthly
- Pre-Disbursed:
- May 20, 2011
- Listed
- May 27, 2011
- Currency Exchange Loss:
- Possible
- Ended:
- May 15, 2012


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Few days ago I have installed the Quick Heal Antivirus Pro 2012 on my computer which is running windows 7. I bought it online and also got a registration key with. At first the registration key didnt work. So I reported back to the QuickHeal and they immediately sent me another key which worked fine.
Now the registration is complete. Since it was a fully upgraded package, it hadnt updated anything at that time. Its been a week now and my computer is always connected to the internet. But there is no sign of QuickHeal automatically updating its virus signature database. I have to manually start the update and install it. The settings for update set as automatic but still it wont update anything by itself.


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Hello to you here on Audiko.net! You can conveniently download a free Cloudkicker ringtones for your iPhone or mobile. Take your favorite tune from your favorite track - Amy, I love you , Here, Wait A Minute! Damn It!, Hold On, or any other track. Here you can have your tune both in the MP3 and m4a formats, supported by both mobile phones and iPhones. Just select a track, and choose free Cloudkicker ringtones download option.
Download Cloudkicker Ringtones
13 Dec 2008


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VERONA United Methodist Men meets for breakfast at 8 a.m. Feb. 2 in the fellowship hall. All faiths welcome. Call 910-347-1979.
DIVORCEHOPE support group meets from 6 to 8 p.m. Feb. 4 at Brookwood Baptist Church, Henderson Drive on �Facing my Anger.� Call 910-455-7607.
CATHERINE LAKE Baptist Church, Richlands hosts a free streaming online debate at 7 p.m. Feb. 4 between Bill Nye the Science guy and Ken Ham.
Location, ST | website.com


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Were in our last week of the Takeover and we are giving away 3 canon cameras per day, which is an insane amount for you listers to win in the space of a day!
Below are our competitions, make sure you enter before the week is up otherwise the competitions will have finished.
Competition 1: Selfie Stick
This one is simple. Try and get as many people as you can in a selfie stick- this could be friends, family, lecturers and even animals! Tweet the picture in to us @scratchradio or Instagram us @scratchradio to enter the competition.
Competition 2: Guess the band and its members
You have to use your brain and some music knowledge for this one! Below are the initials of 3 bands and their members, all you have to do is tweet or Facebook us (@scratch radio/ Scratch radio) with all of the members name, and the band!
Competition 3: Best DubSmash video
We all love a good DubSmash video, so send us yours on Facebook or Instagram and you'll be in with a chance of winning! Our drivetime host Amos has uploaded a video on his Instagram so you can see an example! @Amoskemp
Terms and conditions!
- You cannot be a member of Scratch or a close friend/relative
- You must have a valid student ID card
- You must be able to come to Parkside to pick your prize up
Make sure you stay tuned to Scratch for the best in music and presenting for the next week, and remember on Friday 30th Jan we are doing our Scratch Sessions and will be having tons of live artists performing in Parkside all day!


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Progression offers professional-looking notation and powerful, guitar-specific playback tools in an affordable package.
Notion Music has released an entry-level program called Progression ($99) that's designed primarily for notating guitar and bass scores with standard notation and tablature, though it's also capable of creating keyboard and drum parts. Note entry in Progression is very intuitive whether you use the palette or MIDI, as is inserting articulations, sizing the music, changing fonts, or applying chords.
Playback is smooth, offering WYSIWYH ("what you see is what you hear") results: scored dynamics and articulations are played, including bends, slides, and slurs. Notion recruited guitarist extraordinaire Neil Zaza, bassist Victor Wooten, and percussionist Futureman for the sampled sounds used during playback. The guitars and basses sound especially convincing and varied — from strummed acoustics to spanky-clean country leads and distorted rock shredding (see Web Clip 1).
The interface's main screen has a guitar neck on the left side, a score window in the center, a tool palette and mixer on the right side, and a transport bar across the top. A second window, using a rack metaphor, appears when you want to apply and tweak the effects. The program exports WAV files (with effects) and MIDI files.
The only printed documentation is a handy card-stock foldout listing the keyboard shortcuts, but I got pretty far without having to invoke the help screens. When I finally did use them, I was impressed with the logic and presentation of the features.
As a quick test, I entered a rather knotty-looking Van Halen solo transcription, complete with bends, slurred tuplets, and unusual graphics (tapping indications, whammy bar moves, and so on). Except for one or two purely graphical, nonmusical symbols, I got all of the conventional notation right where I wanted it in very little time. (Notation and tab update automatically no matter which is entered.) I discovered that some of Progression's tools aren't editable once they're on the page. If you make a mistake (as I did when applying a palm mute), your only recourse is to delete it and start over. But that's not too bad, given how quickly you can select, delete, and reapply the appropriate tool from the palette.
You can apply any manner of bends — immediate, gradual, bend-and-release, and so forth — by grabbing the appropriate symbols from the palette. To change the immediacy of a bend's response, simply pull it horizontally (extending it in musical time). To change a bend's interval, just click-and-drag the arrowhead up or down to reach the desired result. (Microtonal bends are also available.) I would have liked the hammered and pulled notes to be more slurlike and less articulated; they retain some of their articulation, though it becomes subdued once it's within a slur.
When you select a chord grid, a new palette called the Chord Library opens showing a choice of related chord forms. Pick the chord you want, or edit an existing frame by moving the fingerboard dots. Unfortunately, you can't save your customized chords to a library.
The Ntempo feature, which lets you control the tempo by tapping your controller's keys to the beat, works very well. I found I could speed up and slow down the music smoothly — handy for teaching purposes.
For a notation program, Progression has a compelling and versatile effects section. You can activate and bypass effects in real time and hear your parameter changes, too. However, once you're in the effects screen, none of the transport functions work. You have to activate the score screen (which deactivates the effects screen) to pause, rewind, or restart your music. Also, you can't resize the effects window, making it inconvenient to adjust effects and work on your score at the same time unless you have two monitors. Progression's capabilities for professional layout are limited: you can't save scores as a PostScript or EPS file, which limits further graphics work using other programs.
Progression's depth and editability, not to mention its excellent electric and acoustic guitar sounds, make it useful to beginners and pros alike. The program offers a great way to get elegant-looking guitar tablature and notation and great-sounding playback for under $100.
Value (1 through 5): 4Notion Musicnotionmusic.com
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As quite a few colleagues of mine I stayed in the Holiday Inn GB 17 nights on business trips during the spring of 2012, as a result of which I am a Platinum member of priority club. LOCATION Could not be better, the hotel is located just next to the metro station (Grands Boulevards) exit. Another metro line (Bourse) is... More
What is Certificate of Excellence?
TripAdvisor gives a Certificate of Excellence to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers.


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/ Market Sectors
/ Aerospace
Our expertise is supplying, stocking and repairing equipment and components, returning your assets to operational status at peak effectiveness.
/ Defence
Experienced in precision engineering, ASL offers complete spares and repairs support solutions for defence organisations around the globe.
/ Mass Transit
We offer a range of integrated services for our rail customers, covering materials supply, repair, reconditioning and re - manufacture.
/ Marine
We supply and service navigation and control equipment, PXI and automated systems and associated parts to the defence and offshore industries.
/ Full Platform Support
We are very proud of our experience in engineering, technical ability and knowledge, specialising in the management of component subsystems, ensuring they function efficiently. From inventory and obsolescence management to AOG Support and Service Exchange we offer a comprehensive service to maintain your systems and sub assemblies.
/ In-house capabilities
We are able to repair, overhaul and re-manufacture a diverse range of electronic, mechanical and electrical components and spares. We often take a product which has reached 'the end of service life' refurbish or remanufacture it to 'as new' condition, and then offer a Service Exchange to reduce the cost of ownership.


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Why? Because you can! And pickle, and jam, or otherwise celebrate the resurgence of the domestic arts our forebears held so dear. Put on your best apron and step into our kitchen, won't you?
Nannyberries, arguably the sweetest and juiciest of all wild berres. Here's how to identify and harvest them as well as a few ideas of how to enjoy them.
What I love about Pontack Sauce is that it doesn't have any added sugar, it keeps forever, and has a nice tangy flavor reminiscent of Worcestershire Sauce– but with berries. It's fairly simple to make, and goes really well with game meats.
Greek yoghurt, blended with fresh, salty feta cheese & seasoned with crushed garlic, lemon juice, freshly ground black pepper and Dijon mustard. Healthy nom!
I have a love-hate relationship with BBQ. I know, un-American, but that's how it is. While I love to smoke fresh, brined meat at home, I often find the combo of heavy smoke and sticky sauce unpalatable. Balanced, this one hits right down the middle.
Tomatillos, tomatillos, tomatillos. They are EVERYWHERE and still coming on strong. I wanted something new, besides my ubiquitous salsa verde. Add in some Bulgarian carrot chiles, and this smokin' sauce is what came out.
This recipe makes two awesome barbecue sauces, a stampede style sauce, and a sweet and sour sauce. Make both, or double the ingredients for one of them and make just one.
Containing various different berries, diced fresh pear, lemon zest and a variety of spices, this sauce has a somewhat Christmassy touch, but with such a delicious, complex, layered taste I refuse to banish it to one mere season!
You don't need a lot of this intensely flavored marinade to infuse meat or fish—just enough to coat the surface. The ratios below of two parts oil and vinegar to one part soy sauce can be easily multiplied for larger portions.
Savor the season with this easy, versatile, and fresh-flavored strawberry sauce!
This homemade barbecue sauce is sweet and spicy with a hit of pepper and a touch of smoke. Free Father's Day printables for a mason jar gift.


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I'm wondering how I would go about doing some advanced html editing in WordPress 1.5? The default advanced controls that comes with WordPress don't cut it for me. Or I don't get the advanced controls when choosing it in the options? Because selecting either simple or advanced have no effect (the write page still stays the same).
Anyway I was wondering if there are any "custom" built apps to create pages/blogs with and have them upload to your wordpress home online?
I'm interested in the PC platform. More specifically Windows XP Pro SP2.


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Knitting and writing have been a part of my life since elementary school. I never considered combining the two until now. I still dream of writing that New York Times bestselling book, but pattern writing will be my focus in the mean time.
Take Craftsy with you!
Craftsy Apps for iOS and Android. Read more »


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Some REDjet customers to get refunds this week
Some REDjet customers are expected to start receiving refunds from this week when payments will be made by officials from the Ministry of Public Works.
Principal Assistant Secre-tary in the Ministry of Public Works Derrick Jodhan told this newspaper yesterday that payments will be made by cheque to customers on the provisional list as they await the completion of the other list of customers.
He stated that while the money was available, certain systems had to be put in place before the payments begin. Payment by cheque was seen as a better method since it facilitates easy tracking or verification, Jodhan added.
Jodhan had told the Government Information Agency (GINA) that around 70% of the claims submitted by Guyanese here have been approved by REDjet.
The list of names compiled by the ministry after advertisements earlier this year was sent to REDjet for approval.
The low cost carrier REDjet, which attracted many passengers in Guyana and other parts of the Caribbean, suspended flights on March 16 and has applied for bankruptcy.
The Barbados-based carrier had suspended operations after competition from other airlines and claims of unfair subsides.
Attempts to get financing from the Barbados and Guyana governments failed and the airline remained grounded.


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Description And Comments
This is Universal Studios' big nighttime event, designed to cap off your day at the park. Shown on the lagoon in the middle of the park, the presentation runs through film clips and music from the first 100 years of Universal's biggest movies. The scenes are projected onto three enormous "screens" made by raining a curtain of water from a frame into the lagoon (similar to Fantasmic! at Disney's Hollywood Studios). Fireworks, lasers, and colored lights are also used to good effect throughout the presentation, which is narrated by God himself (actually Morgan Freeman, but lots of people make that mistake). It's an enjoyable way to end your day at the park.
The show premiered in May 2012, with reviews generally either mixed or positive. This mother of two had a positive experience:
My family really enjoyed the show. It didn't have the same emotional impact as [Disney's] Wishes, but it was entertaining. There were so many great movies we hadn't thought about in ages! I wouldn't make a special trip to see it, but it was nice to have a night event to end the day. We'll definitely stay for the Cinematic Spectacular on our next trip.
If you've been experiencing USF attractions throughout the day, you've already been exposed to many of the characters and memorable scenes spotlighted in the nighttime show. Reliving them again so soon may seem redundant, though there are dozens of films referenced that aren't otherwise honored in the parks; sharp-eyed viewers will catch fleeting references to cult favorites like Mallrats and Army of Darkness.
The main complaint we have with Cinematic Spectacular, and for that matter with Disney's Fantasmic! and World of Color is that the "stirring movie montage" idea is now found in so many places that there's little difference between any studio's implementation. Every park's montage has the same predictable narrative arc: first show clips and witty dialog from your most memorable and recent movies. Transition to something sensitive to remind us we're all human. Then introduce an action sequence that covers the whole "good versus evil" battle. Show the good guys win amidst a bunch of pyrotechnics and roaring fountains. We're pretty sure that you could swap the film clips from Disney's Great Movie Ride with Universal's Cinematic Spectacular, and 90% of the audience wouldn't know or care.
Touring Tips
The best viewing spot is in Central Park directly across the lagoon from Richter's Burger Co., where the sidewalk makes a small protrusion into the water. Because acquiring a spot here can be difficult during peak season, we recommend arriving up to 45 minutes ahead of time; in slower seasons you can stroll up five or ten minutes prior. Other good spots found in the seating area behind Duff Brewery in World Expo, the dock behind Richter's Burger Co. in San Francisco, and the waterfront embankment in front of Diagon Alley. Wherever you plant yourself, make certain that you have a straight-on view of at least one water screen; they can be seen equally well from either side. The MEN IN BLACK end of the lagoon is not recommended for viewing, but the terraced area near Mel's Drive-In at the opposite end affords a good look at the lasers and fireworks.
Before the show begins, realize that not all of the movie clips may be suitable for young viewers. The horror montage, for example, mixes excerpts from hoary black-and-white monster movies with potentially fright-inducing clips from films like The Birds, Halloween, Psycho, The Silence of the Lambs, and Tales from the Crypt.
Finally, just as Disney does with Fantasmic!, Universal offers a dinner package for Cinematic Spectacular. As of now the only restaurant option is Lombard's Seafood Grille; the cost is $45 for adults and $13 for kids, including tax and tip. After the meal you'll have access to an special seating area to watch the show. It's a decent option if you're in the mood for seafood and were going to see the show anyway. Reservations are required and can be made online (here's the link) or by calling 407-224-7554 (7:30 am to 10 pm Eastern Monday through Saturday, and until 9 pm on Sunday).
Attraction Photos
Special Needs
Touring Plans with Universal's Cinematic Spectacular - 100 Years of Movie Memories
- Universal Studios One-Day Plan for Parents with Small Children
- Universal Studios One-Day Plan for Seniors
- Universal Studios Florida One-Day Plan with Early Entry
- Universal Studios Florida One-Day Plan without Early Entry
- Universal Orlando Highlights One-Day/Two-Park Plan with Early Entry PART 1
- Universal Orlando Highlights One-Day/Two-Park Plan without Early Entry PART 1
- Universal Orlando Two-Day/Two-Park Plan with Early Entry DAY 2/PART 2
- Universal Orlando Two-Day/Two-Park Plan without Early Entry DAY 2/PART 2
- See all Touring Plans...
|Film-themed water show
|Our Rating
|Park is closed
|Grade School
|Young Adults
|Over 30
|The Lagoon
|Opening Date
|May 8, 2012
|22 minutes
|Scope and scale
|Major Attraction
|Closures / Refurbishments
Inaccurate/stale data?
Let us know.


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Hi Keith, have a great holiday.
Thanks everyone
The plane from Manchester was really good actually. I need to be fair to them because I'm usually so critical of virgin and manchester airport. We did a cheapy premium economy upgrade at the airport, fast, easy, great and hundreds of pounds cheaper than just the day before!
At checkin we were directed to the upper class checkin desk which happened to be empty. The checkin agent was fast but she wasn't exactly overflowing with enthusiasm. No matter, it was early and the rest of the staff were great!
Security is now upstairs at Manchester Terminal 2 and fair enough, it was again fast and efficient. Despite all the fuss about the new body scanning, there was no sign of it. It wasn't mentioned to us and we didn't see any sign of it. Good!
I'm not sure I'm a huge fan of the terminal make over and we couldn't find the little book shop we usually look in, but fair enough, it looks more modern.
We went straight up to the Escape lounge which we get free with our bank thankfully. It was nice as usual. Quiet and a nice range of food & drink including toast. I know that's a small thing but years ago business lounges I used to use had proper hot breakfasts and things like that. At least the Escape lounge has warm toast.
It's strange how quickly the time goes! We got to the airport a good three and a half hours before take off time but suddenly we were boarding.
We had seats downstairs in PE by the bulk head and had loads of space. Really great seats and the time passed quickly for once
Interestingly, Premium Economy seemed better catered to this time. They came round making a note of our meal preferences to make sure we got first choice. First time they've ever done that. They also asked what drink we'd like with dinner and brought a choices of wines. All in all, a much better experience than previous trips in PE.
We had a great but tiring night at the hoop dee doo and a great sleep in the wonderfully soft Animal Kingdom Lodge beds. People say the rooms are too dark but to be honest, I find them perfectly relaxing and don't find myself squinting at all. Then again, I'm a night owl
Today we went to an Orlando camera store to stock up on some bits and pieces and tonight it's off to the Halloween Party with Wishes Dessert Party. I'll let you know how it goes
Disney information? Try our online guidebook at http://wdisneysecrets.com
Get your own Disney Countdown at http://toys.wdisneysecrets.com
Have a great time at the halloween party I'd love to go one year....but especially the US Halloween nights.
I'd love to hear about the dessert party too
FLORIDA VIDEOS HERE.... https://www.youtube.com/user/isafari...?feature=watch
Fantastic time as ever! I reckon 75% or more of people were dressed up and there were a lot of insanely good costumes. Really impressed!
The dessert party was equally great. Wonderful desserts and a perfect view of the fireworks, definitely recommended.
Disney information? Try our online guidebook at http://wdisneysecrets.com
Get your own Disney Countdown at http://toys.wdisneysecrets.com
have a great holiday whats the weather like we fly in on thursday
well so far, crazily hot! even in the eveningOriginally Posted by daveann, post: 174687
I think I hear talk of it cooling down (I hope so!)
Disney information? Try our online guidebook at http://wdisneysecrets.com
Get your own Disney Countdown at http://toys.wdisneysecrets.com
no i want crazily hot anything better than the cold uk