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For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Goruck Challenge: http://goruckchallenge.com/
It will take me some time to fully process the breadth of this accomplishment. I am now the proud owner of a well-earned GR2 bag and a TAC hat with the widely-sought-after Goruck Tough patch.
Peter and I had been spending time together in preparation for the event. Spending Friday waiting for the hour to come was excruciating. We passed the time and then eventually got to organize our materials. Here is a look at what I brought:
I was fortunate enough to be allowed to record the data from the challenge, and I will go into some detail about it as I describe the experience. There was a short period where I lost the GPS signal, which I would attribute to the frequent switching of rucks during the run. For the most part the data came out really well. The most impressive piece, in my opinion, is the route as represented by the GPS markers.
That imposing red line represents almost all of our cadre's movement over the course of the morning.
Rucking Of Where Everybody Knows Your Name, But No One Cares
The event began in earnest at the ruckoff which took place at Cheers on Beacon Street. We were fortunate to have the entire back room reserved for us, and people filed in as the night progressed. The first few were nervous enough before two towering figures strode into the room. An awed hush came over the group as we realized their TAC hats were adorned with already worn-in Goruck Tough patches. They introduced themselves and soon became the topic of the majority of the conversations. We sat and talked about our apprehensions, anxieties, experiences and hopes. It was a good bonding experience, outside of the obligatory name-game about which most people, save Sarah – our motivational "mouth-made-for-pain" Goruck girl – seemed relatively ambivalent.
The ruckoff lasted from 9pm to around 12:45am Saturday morning. There were 20 of us before 12:30am, and then the final ten showed up as a group. We rallied and brought our things out to the sidewalk to await Jason and Brian. They arrived before long, pulling up in their jet-black Escalade and strutting down the sidewalk like bosses. Handshakes were exchanged briefly and sporadically before we were organized and the lectures began. Our bricks were to be inspected and everyone was to be given a GR bag.
I was thankful to have some friends join me for the beginning of the event who were willing to tote my discarded things home for me. I cleared out the unnecessary things from my standard backpack and soon thereafter began the transfer into my stiff new GR2. In a moment of panic I realized that I had forgotten to take my hydration pack out of my other bag and put it in my GR2. Luckily my friends hadn't left and I retrieved it from them.
Our group weight was provided by Rod Butler's saint of a wife who found it in her heart to bake us 25lbs of cookies. There were 30 individual Ziploc bags of cookies to be distributed to the cadre.
Soon everyone had their bags packed and we went through the logistics of signing the waivers. Jason ran through some basic, sparse details about the ideology of the challenge. He hesitated, looked around, screwed up his face, and went to the back of the truck muttering something about another ruck. He pulled out a GR2 and began loading it with some horrific slabs of what looked like lead. After fiddling with it for a moment he stood up, looked it over, asked out loud "Hm, is that heavy enough?" Silence. He looked at the group, raised his eyebrows and playfully said "Nope." Some more slabs were added to the bag that would become known as "The Bítch". Our group lined up along the sidewalk and Jason placed The Bítch in front of us. He said simply "29 rucks, 29 guys". We all looked around stupidly. His eyes narrowed. "I see 30 rucks. We're leaving with 29 rucks and 29 guys. Get it together!" His tone was sterner and perhaps even angrier than an exclamation point can express. We slowly converged on the bag and began emptying one of the borrowed bags to distribute its contents among us. The Bítch was born and saddled. It quickly became clear that Jason would be accompanying us instead of Brian, as I had originally been told.
I will not deign to describe Jason for those of you who don't know him. Very simply, it comes as no surprise that his personality spawned something as profoundly progressive as the Goruck Challenge. I greatly appreciated his leadership and dedication to our team cohesion.
Unceremoniously, we began. The run commenced with a light jog into the Commons.
Figure Eight That Shít Out – Your System Sucks
We traipsed along through the Commons with no recognizably consistent pace, no formation and no regard for Jason's various instructions. He would occasionally shout "Go!" to which we would either respond with awkward silence or someone would shout "Ruck!?" Jason was unforgiving in realizing that we had no idea how to organize ourselves into a reasonable line. We also had no idea what the "Go" command meant. He stopped us in front of the water and berated the group for being incompetent. We were facing him with our backs to the water and he told us to take a step backward. Everyone stepped to the ledge of the pond. He said "Take a BIG step" with a twinge of contempt in his yet untrusting voice. In the water we went. He went on to explain what we were going to do for some indeterminate period of time.
Jason described this portion as "Doing figure-eights", which puzzled everyone. The nature of this devilishly clever exercise would soon become uncomfortably familiar. There is a footbridge across the pond in the center of the Commons. We were to form a two-by-two line and do bear crawls along the bridge until we reached the stairs at the end which lead down to the lower level. We would descend one flight of stairs, crawl under the bridge, ascend the other set of stairs, and then go back across the bridge to repeat the pattern at the other end; hence the 8-shaped portion on the GPS readout. At the beginning of this exercise we were instructed to perform all movement as bear crawls. It was explained that there were snipers around and that no one, unless called upon, should stand.
We were finally told what the "Go" command meant: each time he calls this out, two of us from the back are to move to the front of the line. The partners are meant to remain the same. Jason left it to us to figure out how to best coordinate this movement and it took our group an inordinately long time to come to a consensus which, at first, was a resounding failure. It was demoralizing and we paid for it with the skin of our hands and knees as we scrambled along on loose gravel and shards of glass from broken beer bottles. Our pace was inconsistent at first, but we were able to reduce it to something more accurately resembling a crawl, which serves to make the movement more difficult.
Eventually Jason decided that the crab-walk would be better suited for moving down the sets of stairs than the bear crawl. This was such a relief. If you've never tried a bear crawl, do it now. Look it up if you don't know what it is and have no imagination. Now that you realize how that might feel on flat ground with no weight, just try to go up and down a set of stairs. Yes. Now imagine doing that fifteen times with a backpack full of bricks, pond water and any assortment of what Jason calls "useless bullshít" (food, for example).
I estimate from following the GPS markers that we went up and down those stairs at least fifteen times. At our pace, and with frequent setbacks, it took us about two hours to get our team to a point where Jason deemed us worthy of a dip. We lined up in front of the water again and locked arms. Suddenly we were on our backs in the water and were being told to flutter kick. I lost my mind and started yelling like a madman. I was euphoric. We kicked our way through the water from one end of the bridge to the other and then did about another half an hour of bear crawls on the stairs. I experienced a wonderfully grounded moment when I was waiting in the bear crawl pose. The pond water was dripping heavily from my GR2 into my face and it felt amazing. We continued the exercise for some time. Our pace and formation tightened and we eventually graduated to running. We were briefly praised by Jason saying that the Baltimore groups had taken three hours to organize themselves in this way, and that we had done better. We had no way to know if this was true, but it sure was reinforcing in the moment.
We began a shuffle-like trot around the pond, still straining to maintain a two-by-two formation. Jason began belting out his "Go!" commands, but we weren't getting it. He stopped us and we were told that we were no longer allowed to talk while running. He was not happy and would give us some short period of time (ranging from 30 seconds to two minutes) to devise a system for our Indian Sprints (here again the idea that the back runners run up to the front on each "Go"). We spent an inordinate amount of time trying to decide on a system and ended up failing again. We were punished with doing pushups and flutter kicks in the rocky dirt while Jason told us how "silly" it was. The flutter kicks absolutely killed my right Sartorius, but I did not stop. We were given another chance to find a working plan while listening to the faraway shouts of Jason exclaiming how much our system sucks.
While running, Jason would often shout two or three "Go" commands, so we had to devise a way for the people in the back of the line to know whether they were meant to run without looking around or talking. It took us a few tries before we decided on a shoulder/ruck-slapping method which seemed to do a passable job. A slap on the shoulder meant you run, a slap on the ruck meant you are now the last man in line. This was shaky at best, but we made it through. This method evolved with us throughout the morning, eventually becoming an effective method of counting off running placements. Without this basic skill we never would have been able to complete the various challenges to come.
Bounding for Breakfast
We ran around two full laps around the pond with general success at the Indian Run order which allowed us to graduate to the actual run itself. We left the commons and crossed over onto a footbridge leading to Storrow Dr on the Charles. We made our way into a little park and we were about to practice an exercise called Bounding.
We split off into four groups and were numbered. Groups 1/3 and 2/4 were paired, and were to run together and drop to the ground on command. The exercise was actually quite fun. Peter was in my group and was carrying The Bítch at the time. This made getting up considerably more difficult for him, and he was liable to topple over from the sheer weight of the pack. We were just beginning to enjoy ourselves when we were interrupted by a police cruiser which was prowling the park. They explained that the park is closed at night because there are "weirdoes" out at night. We grumbled our compliance and ran back across the footbridge onto Beacon Street. Jason nominated a navigator and we were off to see Fenway Park.
Fumbling through Fenway – Coupon Commencement
We went down along Arlington Street and someone asked to switch out The Bítch. I volunteered because I was feeling light and strong. Those feelings quickly dissipated with all that extra weight on my back. I still maintained my pace, and had only slightly more difficulty with the sprints. We turned onto Newbury Street and continued the length of it, enjoying the breadth of the deserted road as a nice contrast to a narrow sidewalk. We ran the length of Newbury and turned out onto Comm Ave. I handed The Bítch off and we briefly stopped under the Charlesgate Bridge for bladder relief and some refueling. We followed Comm Ave to Brookline Ave and Fenway was finally in sight at around 4:45am. We reached Lansdowne Street and Jason explained that we were going to do laps around the park. He also mentioned, in an off-hand unconcerned kind of way, that we were to begin our buddy-carries.
I don't remember the exact ratio, but Jason chose a fraction of the group to be carried. I believe we began with six carriers. We took some time to determine who was the lightest and to exchange our rucks. It soon became clear that many of us didn't know how to carry another person with any efficient technique. Jason told us to work it out, and one guy stepped up to explain the Fireman's carry. We adopted this technique and worked our way around the park for the first time. I took turns with Peter, carrying him first. Some carriers were handing off their rucks to the others, while some preferred to leave theirs on to act as a sort of "shelf" on which the carried buddy could rest. We reached the other side of the park and I was no longer carrying or being carried. Jason spotted a burlap sack with one end wrapped in duct tape. He pointed at it and said "There's our first coupon. Somebody grab it." With a faint understanding of the coupon system from my obsessing over past Goruck pictures, I shouldered the bag and continued along. Coupons are essentially any object added to the group which comprises extra burden, typically chosen as a punishment but occasionally the result of Jason's aimless whim. We went around the park once more and then rested from 5:12am to 5:18. We left the street corner and started to run again when Jason suddenly realized that we no longer had the sandbag coupon. Fortunately for us he brought this to our attention so early. We turned around, reclaimed the bag, and began again.
We stopped at a corner at 5:26 to check on Rod since his stride was locking up. Jason determined that he was carrying too much weight, so we took some bricks out of his ruck. Rod was not happy and one could easily tell from his frustrated sighs (which sounded suspiciously like the word "shít"), that he was even ashamed of himself. Not one person reproached him, and we were all very supportive. I gave him a high-sodium stroopwafel which I hoped would help loosen his cramp.
Muck, Mire and Mental Grit – Lifting Logs from the Fire Pit
We worked our way along Ipswich Road to some strange, muddy garden which is located behind the Charlesgate Bridge. By this point our team was bonding quite well. The shrill cries of Sarah, our inspirational Goruck diva, were profoundly inspirational. We trudged through the gardens, some of us still making a bizarre effort to avoid mud by balancing along haphazardly-placed boards, eventually making our way out to more water. Jason stopped us at the water and by this time he didn't have to say anything for us to realize what he expected us to do. Brian, one of our group's largest members and a Goruck veteran, took it upon himself to tackle the water first. This became one of the few instances during the run when his size became a hindrance to our group.
Brian was suddenly sucked into the water, knee-deep, in mud. The two guys following him were sucked in as well. Jason was standing at the rear of the group, idly surveying the area and remaining generally ignorant to the developments at the front. Suddenly he took an active interest and balked "Hey what the f*ck is going on up there? Why aren't we moving?" Weak cries for mercy leaked from the front "We're stuck in the mud-", Jason interrupts, aloof and dismissive, "Well yeah-", the stuck members and those pulling them out respond "-up to our knees…" Jason's expression, for the first time, showed surprise. He expected us to simply slosh through the water. About face. With our larger, more ambitious members out of the mud, we stood around awaiting our next task. Jason indicated a wood pile.
We started picking it apart. Not knowing what we were expected to do, I pulled a thick branch off the pile. Jason barked "That is a disgrace to every class that has come before you." I hastily tossed it back, ashamed and confused. It soon became clear that we were trying to find one of the legendary logs to be carried by our group. As we searched Jason expressed his lament at not being able to find a log during his scouting of the route. As if by magic we produced two horrific misshapen trunks from the pile. These awful arboreal antiques were scarred by fungus, decomposition and burns. Both touted significant weight from being waterlogged and dense. Their shape was as conceivably far from portable as they might have been; replete with jagged edges, bumps in inappropriate places, uneven weight distribution and flaky patches which provided the occasional ejection of ashes into the faces of the carriers. They were lovely and nothing made Jason happier than to see us shoulder them. He sounded like Donald Trump in his speech about the President's birth certificate, "I'm so proud of myself. I was so upset earlier, like, I didn't think we were going to have a log for these classes. It would have been the only Goruck class to not have a log and then BAM! there they were. I am so good." He also was sure to mention that he was proud that we had thwarted a few "drug deals", this judged by the number of shady characters hanging around in the gardens in the wee hours of the morning. One guy picked up a thick, awkward waterlogged stump, one picked up a large ball of cement, and another grabbed a sapling with its ball of earth clumped around the roots.
And so began the log saga. We carried those things for an hour and a half – over a total distance of approximately 1.5 miles according to my Forerunner. It felt a hell of a lot longer and farther than that.
We toted them from the park back into actual civilization. By this time the sun was up and people were out and about. We received plenty of dazzled stares and we took the opportunity to crack jokes. The streets began to refill with cars and the sounds of the city began to dwarf our grunts – "bítch noises", according to Jason.
We worked our way along Massachusetts Ave, and faced the long bridge across the Charles. We picked up another coupon along the way, a Rock Band guitar controller, which although initially humorous was more of a logistical concern than anything. By the end of the challenge there was a general consensus to want to smash it. The view from the bridge was incredible and I took a few selfish peeks away from the group to savor the moment. The sunrise was just what I had hoped it would be, and it did indeed have the rejuvenating effect I expected. Jason furiously snapped some photos and teased us about being done when we reached the other side of the river.
When we made it to the other side it became clear that we were done with the logs. To say that we were happy to see them go would be a severe understatement. Despite our contempt we were considerably ginger about placing them on the ground to be handed off to the following cadres. It was almost 7am at this point, but our best guesses relied on judging by the sun's position. We briefly rested before tackling our next undertaking.
Brian's Brainchild and The Bítch – The Handoff from Hell
Jason took some time after the logs to explain what we were meant to do. "Your shoulder straps no longer exist. You will continue to do Indian Runs, but the rucks have to stay with their owner. Figure it out." Renewed puzzlement. We stood bewildered for a moment before rallying and deciding to continue with our current system which had proven successful. So it began. We ran along the Charles, handing off the rucks to the person in front of us as we ran. Most of the handoffs were done by the top handle while the GR2s usually required cradling in both arms, especially The Bítch.
I'm going to take a minute to note that the right line, my side, was stuck with The Bítch for the ENTIRETY of this task. I assign no blame for this development; this is simply a digressional gripe.
It seemed like we endeavored to simply pass the rucks towards the front of the line at a steady rate regardless of when Jason was calling out "Go". Peter was behind me and we generally kept a good rhythm, but there were a few instances where I simply neglected to turn and accept the ruck. This happened quite often. The rucks tended to bunch up, and it seemed like this happened for an especially long time when I was running while cradling The Bítch in my arms. Lovely. It helped that by this point Jason felt good enough about our group to be singing the refrain of an LL Cool J song at us. This chant of "Doin' it and doin' it and doin' it well" became something of a credo by morning's end.
In my opinion we did really well with this exercise, and before we knew it we were on the banks of the Charles for a group photo. There was a short break on the steps of a Boston University Rowing Gym which we invaded for water and bathrooms much to the dismay of the hoity-toities inside. We were eventually locked out so we resorted to shamelessly pissing on their building. One guy was sent home by Jason. He had apparently injured himself and was not allowed to continue.
We continued the handoffs until we reached the John Weeks Bridge. Jason announced, much to our relief, that we were done with that portion. We stood in our two-by-two formation and he asked us how much we liked the shoulder straps on our Gorucks, to which we enthusiastically shouted our approval.
Jason floated alongside the group in long strides as we shuffled beside the Charles. He turned to us and said, "Hey why don't we try something different?" We perked up because his tone sounded so positive and hopeful. He paused briefly to be sure that he had everyone's attention. "How about Indian Runs? Go go go!"
He teased us some more about being done with the whole challenge, and quickly hit us with another exercise.
Shítty Silhouettes – Hahvahd Yahd
We stopped briefly and Jason asked for four of our biggest guys to step forward. It was eventually decided and Jason had them lie on the ground. He had one of our cadre members explain what we were meant to do. Essentially we had to drag the body of this large individual across the ground on Jason's command. It did not work very well for us and the extent of our "large individual" (Brian)'s discomfort quickly became clear. After seeing the relative failure of this exercise, and judging the ground to be "shítty", i.e. rife with sharp rocks, we left to continue our run.
We ran down John F. Kennedy Street towards Harvard, now in our standard two-by-two formation which actually felt like a relief. We made our way onto the campus itself while snide comments about the students being stuck-up nerds rung out contemptuously. We snaked through some small footpaths on the quadrangle before stopping on the steps of what I believe was their library. Jason pointed out a serpentine path along the steps and we ran up and down them. We stopped at the bottom and he allowed us a minute to rehydrate and refuel with our "lickies and chewies", while warning us ominously about the danger of stopping at this point as it relates to muscle cramps. We left Harvard and made our way back onto the streets, crossing onto Massachusetts Ave. We stayed on this street for a long time, continuing our Indian Runs up the sidewalks while deftly avoiding parked bikes, benches and pedestrians. We stopped at a McDonalds to refill out hydration bladders. Another member was added to the "watch list"; his stride was shot. Both he and Rod now looked like they were wrestling an octopus on a conveyor belt but their determination inspired us. The break at McDonalds was too long and I felt bad for the first time during the challenge. Before too long we were off again, and our group pace leveled itself out.
We were 8.5 hours into the Challenge when Jason explained that "this isn't the Harvard tour, is it? It's the Boston tour, and we haven't even seen the city. Let's go do that." And so we did.
Bawstin's Brains, Bridges and Bottlenecks – Downtown Cadences and Faneuil "High-Knees" Hall
As we passed MIT the group's snide comments about nerds were significantly more pronounced. We passed their edgy architecture and made our way out to the streets off-campus. We took the Longfellow Bridge back across the Charles and made our way towards the Commons again. This lead us into the heart of the city where our raucous cries of "TWO!", "SEVEN!" and "GO!", "RUCK!" were followed by supremely enjoyable echoes against the steel monoliths that surrounded our cadre. At one point we were running out of things to shout without feeling redundant and Pete broke into his own cadence – one with which I was familiar from our training run around Fresh Pond.
"My Grandmamma was Ninety-One! She did Goruck just for fun! My Grandmamma was Ninety-Two! She did Goruck better than you! Ninety-Three – better than me. Ninety-Four – out the door. Five – to stay alive. Six – just for kicks. Seven – up to heaven. Eight – at the pearly gates. Nine – doin' Goruck, doin' fine."
Glorious. The cadre loved it, and it had a wonderful rallying effect on us all.
We stopped briefly at Faneuil Hall and some people needed to use the bathrooms. Jason decided that this was a good reason to make us do high-knees which hurt like hell. I remember wondering how long it could possibly take to use the damn bathroom, but I'm sure the pain in my Sartorius over exaggerated the amount of time that we were actually standing there jumping up and down. Some people were reduced to standing in place and slowly lifting one knee, then putting their foot down, and then slowly lifting the other. Some didn't do it at all. We were definitely hurting by then. I took a moment to remove my shoes and clear the little rocks out of my socks which were doing a number on my feet. It felt so much better to have my shoes clear of the rocks, and the people who were using the bathroom did eventually come back out.
The Freedom Trail – That Green Piece of Shít
We converged on the Freedom Trail and followed it all the way out to Paul Revere's House – another false end-point of the Challenge.
The path led out from the North End to some smaller streets which eventually became cobblestones. We did a decent amount of buddy carries on these smaller streets, and the ratio was increasing with each iteration. We were punished on more than one occasion for not securing more carriers by increasing the ratio.
Jason stopped us at the bottom of the hill which leads up to Paul Revere's house and berated us on our organization into the buddy carries. We were forced to remain in the push-up position while he reprimanded us, and we organized ourselves into more groups. I decided that I wanted to carry someone for this portion – someone significantly larger than me. I told a guy near me, who is probably 30 pounds heavier than me, that I wanted to carry him up the hill. He seemed incredulous at first because he was one of the largest guys in our group and he had been shouldering a lot of the burdens throughout the Challenge. I explained that this was precisely why I wanted to carry him and he complied. We finally got our group ratio right, and I led the group with the guy piggybacking me. Jason walked along beside us and I looked up the hill and asked, "We're going up to that green piece of shít, right?"
He laughed and said "It could be the most beautiful house in the world, but right now…"
"Yup, it's just a piece of shít." I replied.
I was moving fast and my buddy's words of caution about the cobblestones filled my ears, but I heard nothing until he told me that I had passed the house. I had my sights set on the top of the small cobblestone hill, but it turned out that Paul Revere's House was a small grey house on the right hand side and I had indeed passed it by about ten feet. I let the guy get off my back and I looked down at the rest of the group as they made their way up the hill. We regrouped on the sidewalk and Jason continued to tease us.
"We're all done, right? That's the end, right?"
I caught myself thinking, "Shít, I hope not."
Finish Strong – Bunker Hill and The Navy Yard
We continued to follow the Freedom Trial as it led us across the Charlestown Bridge towards Bunker Hill. The Indian Runs continued.
It became clear to me that as we weakened as individuals, the team became stronger. This is the basis for the cadre's evolution.
Sarah continued to root us on though her voice was strained and fading. Our two weakest members set the pace for the group by running in front. Most of us were out of water.
We made it to the other side of the Charles and snaked our way to Winthrop Street which leads up a small incline to Bunker Hill. We were rallied, and our pace quickened almost imperceptibly. We regrouped again at the base of the hill and made our way up together.
We stopped at the top of the hill for a group picture and some preemptive celebrations.
We were not quite done. After some milling around we shouldered our rucks once again and headed downhill towards the Naval Yard.
It soon became clear to the entire class that our end point would be the USS Constitution, the oldest commissioned vessel in the Navy, having been named by George Washington.
The cadre emerged onto the Yard at just before noon. Jason explained that in order to complete the Challenge we had to "finish strong". This meant a full 50/50 ratio, everyone is either being carried or carrying someone. During past buddy carries we were able to hand our rucks off to others to reduce the weight. Now we were contending with multiple coupons, the full weight of all of our rucks, and a buddy carry. We picked up our buddies and some strange noise disseminated from the Yard. The din grew louder and I lifted my head to see that the tourists were all cheering for us. I looked at the cadre and we all shared the same desperate goofy smile. There is no eloquent way to describe the simple pride we experienced as one.
Our group seemed ready and we made our move for the finish – the vessel as she sat in the harbor. Just as I found a rhythm Jason cried out for us to stop. I turned to see one of our injured lying on the ground with Sarah kneeling at his side. We regrouped and he insisted on carrying her to the end. We let him, but stayed close. I readjusted my two rucks, re-shouldered my buddy, and we were off again. One-by-one we reached the gate in front of the USS Constitution and the finishers before me let the carried buddy back down to Earth. I soon followed suit and was finally allowed to revel in the culmination of our evolution.
I estimate our total time to be 11 hours over a distance of approximately 18 miles (distance calculated by the GPS trackers and filling in the gaps with a path marker tool).
Initial Reaction
My pride for the group's performance is still burgeoning and it serves as a consistent reminder of our accomplishment. The lessons of unity and trust are undeniably salient and serve as the fundaments for the Challenge's very philosophy.
I'll take a moment to briefly describe my impression of the Challenge as I realize – with pride – that my language to this point has been very collectivistic.
I felt strong throughout the event and didn't realize just how focused I was until I allowed myself to relax. My concentration was set at a firm 100% from the moment we stepped into the Commons to the moment I put my buddy down in the Yard. I experienced one mental lapse after the event (briefly forgetting Brian's name), but only for a moment. Admittedly it only deteriorated from there until I was truly able to rest, but I find this development remarkable.
My voice was absolutely destroyed from all the yelling we did. I didn't realize how much I had been yelling until the event was over. Three days later I still sounded like some contemptible septuagenarian harridan who has been chain-smoking since her teens.
My shoulders were severely sore for two days after the challenge. I attribute this mostly to shouldering the logs and simply the prolonged support of the ruck itself. Two days after the Challenge my right bicep and forearm were sore from the handoffs.
Otherwise I experienced no issues. My ankle held up with no concerns. Even my left knee, which would sometimes be tender after a longer run, showed no signs of fatigue. I found that I was very well prepared for the Challenge as a whole – mentally and physically.
Jason made it clear that he is very consistent in "underpromising" and "overdelivering". We received far more as a group than I could have imagined, and it has instilled in me the thirst for more. I will be signing up for future Challenges. It is humbling to realize just to what extent this achievement is collective, as compared to something distinctly individual like a mind-numbing road race or competitive mud run.
I have attributed my athletic endeavors over the past months to a desire to find my limits. This experience has helped me to realize how much more might be accomplished as a team. I was deeply honored to be a part of this shared evolution.
**Photos courtesy of my friends Whitney and Gopi; and Jason's shots of the Challenge.


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Amazon Offering Virtual Cash for Fire Phone Apps
Amazon.com is offering to pay developers up to $5,000 worth in its virtual currency for each app they bring to its new Fire smartphone, a sign the retailer is working to bring more apps to the handset introduced this week.
Incentives also include up to $500 in credits for using Amazon Web Services, the company's cloud computing offering, and free promotion on Amazon's mobile ad network, according to a posting on the Amazon website Friday.
The Seattle-based company will give the virtual currency, known as Amazon Coins, for up to three apps per developer. Its virtual coins can typically be used to buy apps, games and in-app items and on Amazon.com. Amazon said the developers can redistribute the coins to their users for in-app purchases or other uses.
Amazon's payout is a far cry from what Microsoft offered some developers to bring apps to its Windows Phone app store. Microsoft at one point was offering up to $100,000 to developers or third-parties to make applications for its mobile platform.
The number and quality of apps have become crucial differentiators in the smartphone market, where Amazon is playing catchup to Apple's iOS, Google's Android and Windows Phone. Consumers may forgo a handset because its app store lacks certain apps they desire.
Amazon is using a version of Android it calls Fire OS, though Android apps don't necessarily work on its hardware or in the Amazon app store. The store has 154,000 apps that will work on the Fire phone, according to its website. That compares with roughly 1.2 million for both Apple's and Google's app stores.
Developers are eligible for the virtual currency only if they make apps that take advantage of some of the new features of Amazon's mobile software, like the ability to bring up menus by tilting the device.
News of the incentives was reported earlier by AndroidPolice.com.

subset: commoncrawl


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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Catherine Lu, Public Information Officer (702) 486-6982 / 334-7953 email@example.com (Carson City, Nev.; July 25, 2013) — In response to intense federal and international scrutiny for their business formation practices, Nevada, Delaware and Wyoming Secretaries of State jointly created a white paper that details the rise of the unlawful use of corporate entities and recommendations for preventing future crimes, while encouraging business formation and growth. Entitled "Encouraging Business While Fighting Fraud: States Focus on Changes Made and Changes to Consider," the white paper highlights new developments in state company formation laws in Delaware, Nevada and Wyoming and sets forth best practices of "company registries" in the United States, which may help other states reduce their susceptibility to the formation of fraudulent businesses. Nevada Secretary of State Ross Miller, along with representatives from the offices of Delaware Secretary of State Jeffrey Bullock and Wyoming Secretary of State Max Maxfield, presented the white paper to their colleagues last week at the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) 2013 Summer Conference in Anchorage, Alaska. "When it comes to state law and filing practices, there is a delicate balance between being business-friendly and fraud-susceptible," said Secretary Miller. "This paper details measures Nevada, Delaware and Wyoming have taken to combat fraud while continuing to provide the incentives that companies seek when deciding where to do business." Delaware, Wyoming and Nevada have been singled out in recent years as states where requirements and practices may encourage those wishing to perpetrate fraud or conduct illicit activities. Critics point to their ease of filing, minimal filing requirements and registered agent practices. Although these three jurisdictions have been identified as states where the misuse of corporate entities may occur, the issue persists to some degree in all jurisdictions. As Delaware, Wyoming and Nevada take steps to crack down on unlawful activity, individuals involved with fraudulent business formation filings could migrate to other jurisdictions that have not taken action. The white paper outlines measures that every state could consider that would go a long way toward deterring money laundering and assisting law enforcement, while not creating undue burdens for states or legitimate businesses. In 2007, NASS created a national Company Formation Task Force dedicated to examining state company formation processes and developing meaningful recommendations for state and federal consideration. Its mission includes identifying sound policies regarding the collection of corporate entity ownership information and sharing state perspectives with federal officials. The task force works closely with other stakeholder organizations, including the American Bar Association, National Conference of State Legislatures, and the National Conference of Commissioners of Uniform State Laws. NASS has consistently opposed federal legislation that would place expensive and unworkable requirements on state filing offices and their consumers. To download a copy of the white paper, click "Encouraging Business While Fighting Fraud: States Focus on Changes Made and Changes to Consider."
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Worthy Effort
Help students earn degree in four years
May 20, 2013
For several years, West Virginia University officials have made it a priority to keep students from wasting time and money by enrolling but dropping out before they obtain degrees....
Another factor is that many students at WVU-P are there on public assistance and do not have to work outside the home because they're already getting food, low income housing and child care provided for them at school. They are unfortunatly the majority now.
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One LITTLE significant factor that this article fails to cite, is that many of these same students are required to work 2 jobs {at inadequate minimum wage} to keep a roof over their head. At the same time they are accumulating massive student loan debt, that will require the rest of their lives to pay. Big Banks borrow money from our government at .075%, while student loans will soon be at 6.%. Minimum wage should be at $10 per hour and student loans should be at the same rate as the BIG BANKS get.
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Michael Lasser - Kansas City in Popular Song
Missouri Valley Sundays
Sunday, October 21, 2012
2:00pm @ Central Library
Peabody Award-winning radio personality Michael Lasser explores the songs inspired by our town, from "Everything's Up To Date in Kansas City" to the rock classic "Kansas City" with its "pretty little women," a tune recorded by artists as varied as the Beatles and Trini Lopez.
Lasser has been called "a walking encyclopedia of American song" and is the author of America's Songs: The Stories Behind the Songs of Broadway, Hollywood, and Tin Pan Alley.
He hosts the weekly syndicated radio show Fascinatin' Rhythm.


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Location: Invasive Plant Research Laboratory
Project Number: 6032-22000-011-60
Start Date: Oct 22, 2013
End Date: May 06, 2014
Host range testing methods will be conducted with approved protocols established by the weed biological control community (McFadyen 1998). The host range of prospective agents will be determined when forced to feed, complete development, and reproduce on different test plant species. Assays will include no-choice, free-choice, larval transfer, and adult oviposition designs to examine behavioral responses to beneficial plants. Testing will be done under controlled environments in permitted quarantine facilities. No-choice methods are generally done with whole plants but the use of leaf bouquets can be effective especially in preliminary screenings. Care will be taken to test only healthy individuals on fresh plant material in healthy condition. Data collected from replicated tests may include the amount of plant material consumed, the number of feeding or oviposition marks, the number of eggs laid, stage specific mortality or survival, growth rates, development times, and fecundity of resulting adults.


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Well it seems I cannot figure out how to configure this server. Let me expand.
I recently put together a new desktop specs as follows:
amd quadcore 3.0 GHz
4GB ram
Asus mobo
Problem is I was running the ps3 media server v1.10.51 on my shitty old laptop (1.6 Ghz cpu, 1/2 gig of ram) a hell of a lot better than its running off the desktop.
I am configured using my wifi connection at 54Mbps(PS3 IS WIRED). I am getting lots of laggin out during video and even music. This was somewhat of an issue previous to the upgrade however I cannot notice any improvements and even some shortcomings.
Another note, I have my ps3 configured with DMZ so my ports are completely open on the playstation.
I have yet to tweek any settings within the server, I was hopeing for some direction from the guys in the know!
ANy input is worth considering, please help if you have something useful to say
Much obliged


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Flights of fancy
Academy Award nominee "Life of Pi" exemplifies the Oscars' fascination with journeys (real or imagined) and spectacular settings. In honor of the Academy Awards, Cheapflights.com has come up with a list of the staff's favorite travel-themed movies since 1951 that have won at least one Oscar. How many have you seen?
-- Linda Zavoral, firstname.lastname@example.com and Twitter.com/buh_byetravel.


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I am trying 3.03 on the side and I noticed that the program hangs up with the parallel tools: the new line does not show unless you exit the tool, it also does not show the auto snap indicator, so you are not sure that the line is placed correctly.
Has anyone noticed that behavior?
Win 7-64


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Community Shred-A-Thon Scheduled for October 12
Arvada, CO – The Arvada Police invites residents to protect their identity and personal information by taking part in the Annual Shred-A-Thon. This community event is on Saturday, October 12 in the parking lot at the Arvada Center for the Arts & Humanities, located at 6901 Wadsworth Blvd. The Shred-A-Thon will be available from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Arvada Police partners with Shred-it to safely destroy documents containing personal information. Resident and businesses can bring up to three boxes or three bags of documents. Items recommended for shredding are:
- Credit Card Statements
- Bank Statements
- Tax Forms
- Medical Statements
- Other items containing personal information
The event is free, but donations are welcomed. Proceeds from the Shred-A-Thon will benefit the W.Michael Northey Foundation, which provides scholarships to local high school students who want to pursue a higher education degree. Area high school students and Arvada Police Explorers will be on hand to assist with unloading items.
About Arvada Police
The Arvada Police department, established in 1945, was the first agency in Colorado to be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies. Arvada boasts one of the lowest crime rates in the metro area. Over 230 employees serve more than 100,000 residents and businesses and are committed to the principles of responsibility, dedication and respect. Learn more by visiting www.arvadapd.org or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
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Support for Writing Instruction
The writing center provides support for instructors of writing within the disciplines of the university. We do our best to ensure that our services are responsive to the needs of the students, courses, and instructors' needs in addition to our handouts.
Please use the menu to the left to find resources related to the teaching of writing in any discipline.
For any additional questions about integrating the writing center with the writing you do in your classroom, please contact us at 616-331-2922. Kay Losey (Director) or Patrick Johnson (Assistant Director) will be happy to meet with you!
Page last modified September 5, 2013


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Crashes spotlight ultralight aircraft
Published: Monday, January 28, 2013 at 11:16 p.m.
Last Modified: Monday, January 28, 2013 at 11:16 p.m.
In the 20 years Will Tennison has flown his 1963 Cessna 172 off the grass strip at Airport Manatee, he has known six pilots who have crashed and died.
• Ultralight — Maximum capacity is one person and five gallons of fuel. Top speed 62 mph. Restricted to flight in non-urban areas. No pilot's license required and no registration required for the aircraft, just a driver's license.
• Light Sport Aircraft, or LSA — A relatively new FAA category, these seat two and weigh no more than 1,320 pounds loaded for takeoff. Maximum speed of 132 mph. Fixed landing gear, non-pressurized cabin.
A certified private pilot can fly an LSA or an ultralight. But someone also can qualify as a "sport pilot" with fewer hours of training than as a regular private pilot and without the need for a physical exam. As a sport pilot, you must operate only in the daytime and in clear weather.
• Experimental Aircraft — An aircraft that is amateur-built, and then submitted for inspection to the Federal Aviation Administration. It gets an N-number on its tail as a registered aircraft, along with an airworthiness certificate. Regular private pilot rules apply.
Once the aircraft passes inspection, a pilot must fly 25 to 40 hours of test flights in specific non-populated areas to make sure all components operate properly. Only after that can the plane carry passengers. The aircraft also is subject to inspection by an FAA-certified mechanic every 12 months.
Pilots must earn and maintain the same federal pilot training and ratings as those who fly traditional factory-built aircraft such as Cessnas, Pipers and Beechcrafts.
All were flying ultralight aircraft.
For Tennison, it's not difficult to figure out why the lightly regulated aircraft crashed.
"We've had people show up here to fly ultralights who say they have 150 hours on a computer," the veteran pilot said. "They find out it's something entirely different when they get up in the air."
Five light aircraft have crashed in Southwest Florida during the past six weeks. They were all non-standard aircraft, either ultralights, experimental or amateur-built craft.
Three of the five pilots were more than 70 years old, including two octogenarians.
These days, older pilots can choose to fly under sport aircraft rules, which restrict them to daytime flying and good weather, but avoid the necessity of taking a yearly physical.
Ultralight pilots need no license at all.
The recent crashes have left some critics asking: Is this combination of lax licensing and do-it-yourself aircraft creating a safety hazard?
Hands-off attitude
Ultralights, in particular, draw little scrutiny from any government agency.
Federal Aviation Administration regulations allow them to be built and flown with no registration, as long as they carry only one person, five gallons or less of fuel, and can fly no faster than 62 mph.
Their pilots are told to stick to non-urban areas.
Meanwhile, the National Transportation Safety Board, the main investigative agency for air crashes, also takes a hands-off attitude with the aircraft.
If the plane has no number on its tail, there is no federal investigation.
Most of that is left to local investigators.
But the Manatee County Sheriff's Office does not investigate an ultralight crash as it would a car accident — an inquiry aimed at showing cause and who was at fault, spokesman Dave Bristow said.
"Our determination has to be whether it's anything other than accidental, like the pilot was poisoned," Bristow said. "It's almost like working it backwards. If there is a death, it's a death investigation. If there's not a death, we're writing it up, but we're not investigating."
A spokesman for the Experimental Aircraft Association acknowledges "there is a gap there." As result, there is no real database on such accidents, said Dick Knapinski, the EEA's director of communications.
"We are working with the NTSB right now to really narrow down the causes of crashes," Knapinski said. "Much of what we know on ultralight accidents is more anecdotal and experience-based than anything else."
NTSB records for Southwest Florida during the six-week period of the five crashes follows this bureaucratic course.
Out of the five, only two had tail numbers and were flown by bona fide trained pilots: the amateur-built Skybolt that plunged into the Gulf of Mexico off Lido Beach on Dec. 19 and an amateur-built Seawind 3000 that crashed into trees on the New College of Florida campus on Jan. 12.
"For the most part, we do not — if they are not an N-registered aircraft — we typically do not get involved," said Aaron Sauer, a Wisconsin-based senior air safety investigator with the NTSB.
The NTSB's guidelines are not written in stone, but do reflect the fact that the agency has only 45 investigators covering 1,800 crashes per year.
A divisive issue
Until two years ago, the NTSB rarely responded to the crash of an experimental aircraft, meaning one that was amateur-built and then approved and registered with the FAA.
"We kind of changed our tune on that," Sauer said. "We had seen a rise in the usage of those kind of aircraft. Over the last two years now, we have pretty much been responding to those accidents as well. Before that it was very limited."
Under existing rules, pilots must get more training when they upgrade — for example, moving from a single-engine Cessna to a twin-engine plane, or from a piston plane to a jet.
But there are few hard and fast rules when a pilot goes the other direction, or "downsizes."
The Oshkosh, Wis.-based Experimental Aircraft Association says it has been pushing for more "transition training," said Knapinski, the group's spokesman.
A "two-seater" or an ultralight "have different flying characteristics. It is important to get that understanding as people move back down the ladder, too," Knapinski said.
The issue of these smaller planes is a divisive one among pilots and mechanics at Airport Manatee, a small, out-of-the-way operation with a grass strip, no control tower and small hangars with few walls.
Don, a pilot there with 40 years of experience who declined to give his last name, has seen the difference between aircraft.
"A wind gust that would buffet my Mooney would flip an ultralight," he said, referring to his Texas-made single-engine plane.
Tennison — the 20-year Airport Manatee veteran who started flying at 12, sitting on two phone books next to his father — said he has flown the cheaper, less-regulated ultralights. He does not think much of them, or their lack of scheduled maintenance.
He says it is hard enough for him to keep his traditional Cessna well maintained given Florida's humid climate.
He has a theory about the spate of recent crashes: "It's the pilots. A lot of them were pretty old."
There are two distinct camps at Airport Manatee — traditional pilots and ultralighters.
One group rarely speaks ill of the other.
Dan, an FAA-certified mechanic who also declined to provide his last name, was helping Don install a new radio in his 1969 Mooney four-seater Monday morning.
"They're flying lawn furniture," Dan said of the ultralights. "If it was up to me, I wouldn't allow them on the airfield."
Ultralights and small two-seaters lure older pilots who still want to fly but know that they would likely fail a traditional flight physical, said Don, the pilot.
But Dick, a non-FAA certified mechanic who works on ultralights, said some of ultralights are extremely airworthy. He pointed to a Challenger, a small one-seater powered by a snowmobile motor with aluminum struts supporting canvas covered wings.
"There are more than 4,000 of these flying — it's safe," Dick said. "These recent crashes are most likely attributable to pilot error or fuel issues."
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.


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9:56 am
Wed November 28, 2012
Top Ten Things I Am Not Going To Do During This 'Les Miserables' Screening
Originally published on Wed February 20, 2013 9:44 am
It's just about that time when members of the press begin to attend screenings of Les Miserables. I hereby vow to engage in none of the following conduct.
1. Throw crusts of bread at the screen and yell, "HEY, JEAN VALJEAN, ARE YOU HUNGRY?"
2. Do my imitation of Amanda Seyfried singing "There are so many questions and ah-nswers that somehow seem wrong," even though it's really funny and quite terrifying.
3. Refer to the short-haired Anne Hathaway as "Ruth Buzz-y."
4. Sing "I am the monarch of the sea" whenever Russell Crowe appears in uniform.
5. Wear my Pepe Le Pew shirt and keep pointing to it going, "Huh? Right?"
6. The Time Warp.
7. Covertly record the movie on my phone and upload it to a Hugh Jackman facial hair fan site.
8. Yell "You would never make it on the legitimate stage!" whenever anyone starts singing.
9. Sing "Airball! Airball!" when anyone is shot at and not hit.
10. Be miserables.


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All Governors State University students are required by Illinois Law (Public Act) 85-1315 to provide proof of immunity for tetanus/diphtheria, measles, mumps and rubella.
Where can I locate my immunization documentation?
International students, born outside of the United States, must provide proof of three DTs and two MMRs by submitting documents from their home country. International students must have had a Tuberculosis (TB) skin test in the U.S. within the last 12 months. If records are not in English, they must be accompanied by a certified translation.
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
Transfer, graduate, doctoral and freshman students must submit complete documentation in order to be in compliance. Starting the Fall 2016 semester, students born between 1993 and 2000 (and vaccine is given after the 16th birthday) must submit proof of the meningococcal/meningitis vaccine. Students who do not submit immunization records by the above deadline will have a registration hold placed on their records that will prevent registration for classes in the second semester; prolonged noncompliance will result in a $25 late fee charge assessed to a student's account.
Check your GSU student email for regular communication regarding deadlines, late fees, and reminders.
If you are exempt due to date of birth, exclusively attend classes at an off-site location, or are exclusively enrolled in an online degree program, then download the Immunization Exemption Form and submit.
Email: email@example.com (scanned and attached as pdf)
Fax: 708.235.3961Drop off: Academic Resource Center, Room B1215 (across from the cafeteria)Postal mail: 1 University Parkway, University Park, Illinois 60484-0975
Phone: 708.235.7154
For more information and to access the Immunization Form, please click here.
Notice about the Meningococcal Meningitis VaccinationGovernors State University, consistent with the American College Health Association (ACHA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices, recommends that students consider the meningococcal meningitis vaccination to reduce their risk for potentially fatal meningococcal disease. For additional information, please refer to the index of the ACHA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This statement is intended to promote public health awareness and practices, and is in compliance with the Illinois Meningitis Information Law (110 ILCS 690/35-120).


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(a) The West Virginia Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists is continued. The members of the board in office on July 1, 2014, shall, unless sooner removed, continue to serve until their respective terms expire and until their successors have been appointed and qualified.
(b) The Governor, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall appoint:
(1) One licensed cosmetologist;
(2) One licensed barber;
(3) One licensed barber crossover or licensed barber permanent wavist;
(4) One licensed aesthetician;
(5) One licensed nail technician;
(6) One representative from a privately owned beauty school licensed by the West Virginia Council for Community and Technical College Education; and
(7) One citizen member.
(c) After the initial appointment term, the term shall be for five years. All appointments to the board shall be made by the Governor by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.
(d) Each licensed member of the board, at the time of his or her appointment, must have held a professional license in this state for a period of not less than three years immediately preceding the appointment.
(e) Each member of the board must be a resident of this state during the appointment term.
(f) A member may not serve more than two consecutive full terms. A member may continue to serve until a successor has been appointed and has qualified. A member serving on the board on June 30, 2014, may be reappointed in accordance with the provisions of this section.
(g) A vacancy on the board shall be filled by appointment by the Governor for the unexpired term of the member whose office is vacant and the appointment shall be made within sixty days of the vacancy.
(h) The Governor may remove any member from the board for neglect of duty, incompetency or official misconduct.
(i) A member of the board immediately and automatically forfeits membership to the board if his or her license to practice is suspended or revoked, is convicted of a felony under the laws of any jurisdiction or becomes a nonresident of this state.
(j) The board shall elect annually one of its members as chairperson who serves at the will of the board.
(k) Each member of the board is entitled to compensation and expense reimbursement in accordance with article one of this chapter.
(l) A majority of the members of the board constitutes a quorum.
(m) The board shall hold at least two annual meetings. Other meetings may be held at the call of the chairperson or upon the written request of two members, at the time and place as designated in the call or request.
(n) Prior to commencing his or her duties as a member of the
board, each member shall take and subscribe to the oath required by
section five, article four of the Constitution of this state.
Note: WV Code updated with legislation passed through the 2015 Regular Session
The WV Code Online is an unofficial copy of the annotated WV Code, provided as a convenience. It has NOT been edited for publication, and is not in any way official or authoritative.


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Reece A. Treasure, 16, of Bethel, Mo., suffered minor injuries in a truck accident at 9:50 p.m. Saturday, March 16, on Shelby County Road 162 approximately five miles north of Bethel. She went by private vehicle to Hannibal Regional Hospital.
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, she was a passenger in a 2009 Chevrolet Silverado driven by Bryan E. Ramsey, 20, of Shelbyville. Mo. Treasure was not wearing a seat belt.
Officers reported the truck came to a dead end on the gravel road and hit an embankment. Ramsey was not injured.
Location, ST | website.com


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Week of Jan. 3, 2008
Eagle County Health and Human Services Director Kathleen Forinash retired after serving 16 years.
Chris and Susan Spiegel of Gypsum welcomed triplets Cayden Scott, Billy CJ and Shelby Sky, born on Christmas Eve.
A Grinch stole Christmas for a Dotsero family. While members were out shopping in Glenwood Springs, a thief broke into their home and made off with all of the family's wrapped presents as well as their DVD player, their collection of approximately 400 DVDs, a Playstation and a Wii game system. Neighbors reported seeing a car cruising through the area during the time frame when the theft occurred.
Week of Jan. 2, 2003
Construction work began on the 200-unit Bluffs subdivision in Eagle. Initial construction was focused on the road linking the development to the Eby Creek roundabout.
The Eagle Police Department and the Colorado Division of Wildlife responded to several reports of people harassing wildlife on the Eagle Ranch Golf Course. Three elk had been killed in the area - one was hit by a car, one panicked and impaled itself on a fire hydrant and one was fatally injured when it became entangled in ropes used to protect the golf greens.
Prosecutor Mark Hurlbert was tapped to replace Fifth Judicial District Attorney Mike Goodbee, who was going to work for Colorado Attorney General Ken Salazar.
Week of Jan. 7, 1993
Eagle County hired consultant Alan Richman of Aspen to spearhead development of a new master plan.
Eagle Valley Middle School was one of five Colorado schools nominated for the prestigious national Blue Ribbon Award.
Eagle County Commissioners Don Welch, Dick Gustafson and Bud Gates joined officials from the Colorado Division of Wildlife for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new "Fishing is Fun" bridge in Eagle. The pedestrian bridge linked the town with the county fairgrounds property.
Temperatures dipped down to -30 degrees on Jan. 4.
Week of Jan. 6, 1983
After a public hearing where a BLM site located north east of Eagle was selected for the new Eagle County Criminal Justice Center, Commissioner Keith Troxel said he would actively work to reverse that decision and locate the building in a less-expensive location. He said he would begin his efforts when Commissioner-elect David Mott took office Jan. 11.
After eight years of service, Eagle County Commissioner Dale Grant prepared to leave office.
Jockey Pat Day compiled 399 wins during 1982, making him the top rider of the year. Day was raised in Eagle County.
Eagle veterinarian Dr. Daniel Jones reported that two dogs had died from apparent 1080 poisoning. Compound 1080 was a poison used in the county's gopher extermination program.
Week of Jan. 4, 1973
The Eagle Town Board approved a multi-family zoning request for the Kaibab development, clearing the way for an apartment unit complex to be built in the area.
The Eagle Lions Club was organizing the annual 12th Night celebration at Eagle Town Park.
A special sledding area was established on Fourth Street, as it ran east from Capitol. Howard Street was barricaded at its intersection with Fourth to ensure safety. The Eagle Town Board was discussing the need for an ordinance prohibiting the used of snowmobiles on public roads within the town limits.
New dog control rules went into effect in Eagle. The new rules required owners to purchase a license and to keep their dogs under "human control."
Week of Jan. 3, 1963
Despite a fire the previous week that nearly destroyed the American Legion Hall in Gypsum, the organization was back in business. IOOF lodge members in Gypsum offered the Legion use of their building, and donated $25 toward the Legion's building fund.
Claude Gerard, Ormand Hurt and Tom Taylor attended a weed control workshop in Delta.
Recounting the previous year's growth, the Enterprise noted that the town of Eagle started 1963 with a new Post Office located in the 300 block of Broadway, a new mortuary on the corner of Broadway and Sixth, new crew quarters for the U.S. Forest Service, a new exhibit hall at the county fairgrounds and a new Colorado State Highway/Highway Patrol building on Grand Ave.
Week of Jan. 1, 1953
In her "Around Town" column, Enterprise editor Marilla McCain suggested that the Colorado State Legislature resolve to follow through on creating a tunnel under Loveland Pass. McCain also lamented the institution of a bighorn sheep hunting season. She noted that what once was a large herd of "woolies" in the Brush Creek Valley had dwindled to just eight head.
For 23 nights in a row, Eagle experienced sub-zero temperatures.
Local soldier Sonny Morgan, via a letter to his parents, reported that he was stationed two miles behind the fighting lines in Korea. Soldier Jim Ping was home visiting his mother, Lucille, before shipping out to the Far East.
Herman Stein of Eagle escaped injury when the county truck he was driving hit an icy spot near State Bridge and rolled three times.
Week of Jan. 1, 1943
The Enterprise extended Happy New Year wishes to local boys in the service, including William Aerts, Sgt. Richard Crann, John Paddock, Clyde Dean, Pvt. Lloyd A. Greve, Sam and Frank Lopez, Signal Third Class Joe Brett and William Collins Jr.
The students at the Colorado River School collected more than seven tons of scrap metal. They planned to use the money earned on playground equipment.
Phyllis Barnes, a student at Mesa Junior College in Grand Junction, was spending her vacation in Eagle with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Guy T. Barnes.
Week of Dec. 30, 1933
Fifth Judicial District Judge Francis E. Bouck held his last session in Eagle County. Bouck was appointed to the State Supreme Court.
Businessman A.B. Koonce took over the Pharo and Dickerson Garage in Eagle.
Charles Hemberger and George Spangler of Cooley Mesa Ranch were showing off their blue ribbons earned for their seed potatoes at the Colorado Seed Show.
Miss Iola Baer was the bride of Henry Knuth in a Glenwood Springs wedding.
The Minturn community was mourning the death of Dr. Noah Dymenberg, who was killed when he accidentally stepped in front of a locomotive.


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Whether you're planning on opening your first restaurant or adding another location, thorough analysis of the financial feasibility of the project is essential. The Restaurant Feasibility Worksheet has been refined over several years on a wide variety and number of actual restaurant ventures.
It offers a complete and detailed approach to helping you quickly consider all the essential elements that impact the financial feasibility of a proposed restaurant.
The model, designed specifically for tableservice restaurants will not only help you evaluate the financial feasibility of a proposed restaurant, but it also functions as a valuable tool in selling your project to potential partners, lenders and investors.
The Feasibility Model comes with the following individual worksheets -
The Restaurant Feasibility Model comes in an Excel (.xls) file format and comes bundled with a fully functional, completed example and a series of blank worksheets with no values, ready for your assumptions.


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This may be one reason why. Her recipe for Cheese Coins With Jalapeno Jelly does not work as written. I know this because I've tried it as written. Without the addition of some type of liquid, this dough will not come together as she claims. However, it is beyond the scope of conceivability that I would get into a
Cheese Coins With Jalapeno Jelly (adapted from Martha Stewart)
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
4 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, cut into one ounce pieces
1-2 TBSP cold water
1/3 cup jalapeno jelly
Step one:
Fit food processor with the metal blade. With machine running, drop cheese through the feed tube and process until crumbled. Remove to a small bowl and set aside.
Add flour, salt, paprika and cayenne pepper to processor. Pulse to combine.
Add butter pieces and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
Add cheese and pulse to combine briefly.
With machine running drizzle water in through feed tube until dough starts to come together.
Step six:
Remove dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead a few times.
Divide dough into three pieces and shape into logs. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour or up to three days. At this point dough can also be frozen for up to one month.
When ready to serve, spoon a small amount of jelly onto center of each coin.


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The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in Jackson County in November lingered at 10.6 percent, roughly the double-digit range it has been stuck in for the past year.
The county's unemployment rate was 11.3 percent in November 2011 and 10.7 percent in October 2012, figures compiled by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics show.
Total nonfarm payroll employment in the county grew by 530 jobs in November, the Oregon Employment Department reported.
Seasonal retail work and the opening of new shops at the Northgate Center contributed to that growth, as did continued hiring in education.
Construction and leisure and hospitality sectors saw seasonal job losses.
For the year, the job-creation trend is positive, although gains are small, the employment department reported.
The county gained 1,140 nonfarm payroll jobs.
Location, ST | website.com


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Business Administration
Business Administration
B.S. Degree
The Business Administration program provides an academic environment which prepares students for graduate school and for professional roles in a global economic system. It provides a broad background in basic business principles and is supported by a strong liberal arts education. Emphasis is placed on helping the student understand (1) the operation of a business enterprise; (2) the economic and legal environments in which businesses operate; (3) the importance of the business management profession and its responsibilities and (4) essential problem solving or critical thinking abilities. The program incorporates extensive experiential learning opportunities for students including setting up and running a small business and mentoring local businesses. Furthermore, the program offers e-business and e-commerce applications.
To be effective in a managerial role, one must be prepared to handle demanding and changing situations. The student who majors in Business Administration has opportunities to develop the administrative skills and the background knowledge necessary for dealing with these situations. Business majors develop strengths in oral and written communications, and quantitative decision-making skills.
During the freshman and sophomore years, the student concentrates in the liberal arts and receives an introduction to the basic functions and tools of business. In the junior and senior years, the student has flexibility in determining the area of professional concentration that will meet particular academic and career plans.
Students are urged to get involved in student organizations and clubs such as the Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE). Such award-winning organizations enhance the students' understanding of theoretical concepts, provide a service to the community, and help build their resume. The globalization of the U.S. enterprise system necessitates exposure to other cultures, languages and customs, and a better understanding of political and historical events. Business students are urged to take courses in languages, political science, and history, and to prepare for graduate school.
The five emphasis areas (Management, Marketing, Financial Management, Decision Support
and Sports Management) offer the business student an opportunity to emphasize an area
of special interest and prepare for a specialized business career. The recommended
off-campus internship gives students a real work experience prior to completion of
their bachelor's degree requirements.
The Experiential Component (requirement of the major) can be met by successfully completing any one of the following courses:
|ACC 290,390,490 Accounting Practicum
|BUS 190,290,390 Free Enterprise Strategies and Implementation
| BUS 291,391,491 Business Practicum
| BUS 395 Directed Study (this may include presenting a paper at an undergraduate
| BUS 492, 493 Global Competitiveness Practicum
| BUS 499 Internship
Liberal Arts Core and Degree Specific Requirements
| ACC 201-202 Principles of Accounting I & II
ECO 201-202 Principles of Macro- and Microeconomics
MTH 103 Concepts in Pre-Calculus
MTH 206 Introduction to Statistics with Business Applications
Students are strongly urged to explore career opportunities and to establish mentors through an internship. A minimum of 2.00 grade-point average is a prerequisite for the internship.
I. Common Required Courses (24 hours)
|BUS 230 Computer Applications
|BUS 303 Principles of Management
|BUS 308 Business Communications
|BUS 311 Marketing
|BUS 313 Business Finance
|BUS 315 Business Law
|BUS 330 Quantitative Methods
|BUS 498 Senior Seminar: Business Policy
II. Emphasis Areas (12 hours)
A. Decision Support Systems
The Decision Support Systems emphasis area focuses on the use of contemporary techniques to assist managers in decision-making and problem solving. It is designed for students who are interested in the use of computers to aid in the analysis and evaluation of a variety of business situations. The curriculum prepares majors to use and manage computer-based information systems.
|BUS 318 Introduction to Electronic Commerce
|BUS 325 Advanced Computer Applications
|BUS 331 Production/Operation Management
|BUS 430 Management Information Systems
B. Financial Management
Financial Management involves the efficient acquisition and use of funds. Every organization, whether it is a large corporation or a small business, must be concerned with financial management. There are a number of job opportunities for financial planners, budgeting officers, analysts, and decision-makers. The financial management program prepares graduates for financially-oriented positions in business or in management of financial institutions such as banks, insurance companies, and brokerage houses.
|BUS 314 Advanced Corporate Finance
| BUS 418 Investments
| ECO 313 Money and Banking
| ECO 400 International Finance
C. Management
Management involves achieving results by the combination and use of all available resources in an organization. Because this task is complex, all managers must possess technical and conceptual skills as well as interpersonal and communications skills. Ferrum's program is designed to help students develop these skills. It is an appropriate program for those students planning to enter general management and for those whose career goal is to own their own businesses.
|ACC 301 Managerial Accounting
|BUS 320 Entrepreneurship
| BUS 331 Production/Operation Management
| BUS 403 Human Resources Management
D. Marketing
Marketing is the link between the organization and the consumer and involves planning and execution of the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of products. Ferrum's marketing program gives students a basic understanding of marketing and its role in society and business. It prepares students for such fields as advertising, sales, marketing research, retail sales management, and internet-based careers.
|BUS 304 Advertising
| BUS 305 Sales Management
| BUS 316 Retail Management
| BUS 410 Marketing Research
E. Sports Management
The growth of sports as a major industry has increased the need and opportunity for well-trained professional managers. A well rounded business education which includes Finance, Accounting, Management, Marketing and Quantitative Skills with a focus on sport management skills is essential in this rapidly growing field. Sport Management majors can expect to find careers in professional sports, sports and fitness clubs, golf clubs, ski areas, education, the media, athlete representation, nonprofit recreation for such organizations as the YMCA, Boy and Girls Clubs, community programs, intercollegiate athletics and in the consumer segment.
|REC 450 Special Events Planning and Management
| HHP 402 Organization and Administration of Sports
| BUS 250 Introduction to Business and Economics of Sports
| BUS 403 Human Resource Management
It is recommended that the student choosing the Sports Management Emphasis obtain
a license in First Aid Response.
Students using Sports Management as their emphasis are encouraged to take REC 350, Risk Management as one of their approved electives.
III. Approved Electives (12 hours)
Students choose 12 credits from Accounting, Business, Economics, or other disciplines.
At least 9 credits must be at the 300-400 level. Students may choose to select these
approved electives in such a way as to complete additional emphasis areas in business
administration or to work toward a minor in another discipline. Students should work
with a Business program advisor to determine the course that will be designated as
approved electives.
Total Hours in Major 48


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Aerospace Industries Association President and CEO Marion C. Blakey calls on Congress and President Obama to use the upcoming budget cycle to reverse sequestration budget cuts.
Arlington, Va. — The release of DOD's "DD 1414, Base for Reprogramming" report on Tuesday marks a watershed in ongoing debate over the detrimental effects of sequestration budget cuts. For the first time, details from the program down to the project and activity level on how the $37 billion sequester affects the fiscal year 2013 enacted appropriations are available.
With respect to the investment accounts: research and development and procurement, the cuts are substantial. For the procurement account, $98 billion was slashed by about $9.5 billion or 9.6 percent. For the research and development account, $69.4 billion was cut approximately $6.0 billion or 8.6 percent. The impacts of these cuts will be felt broadly across the economy, triggering layoffs and lost investment in industrial plant, training and research and development.
Industry's primary concern is the disruption of a stable and predictable percentage of the total budget allocated to the investment accounts. These accounts provide the foundation for an industrial base that can recruit and retain a skilled work force, initiate the new projects required to maintain a design and build capability and ensure a stable and flexible supply chain, all of which contribute to America's technical superiority and market competitiveness.
Our industrial base is threatened by two huge waves. The first wave is what we know today, the $37 billion dollar sequester which falls heaviest against investment accounts. The second wave – something we can expect to be much worse – strikes if current law holds and the fiscal year 2014 budget is hit by an even larger sequestration amount of $55 billion. Congress and President Obama must work together in the current budget cycle to overturn this destructive policy and find a responsible, balanced and bipartisan path to address our long-term debt and deficit issues without crippling the very investments we need to promote growth in our economy and ensure our national security remains second to none.


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Foreclosure activity plummeted 54 percent last month in San Joaquin County compared to a year earlier, an industry tracking group is reporting today. Statewide, foreclosure activity dropped 50 percent year over year.
Irvine-based RealtyTrac data indicate that foreclosure activity has shifted away from California and to Florida, where seven of the top 10 foreclosure markets are located.
The other three were in California, including Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario at No. 3, with one in 248 housing units filed for foreclosure; Stockton at No. 6, with one filing for every 265 housing units; and Modesto at No. 7, with one filing for every 270 housing units.
The three California metro areas in the top 10 all posted annual decreases in foreclosure activity, while the seven Florida metro areas in the top 10 all posted annual increases.
"The drop in overall foreclosure activity in November was caused largely by a 71-month low in foreclosure starts for the month, more evidence that we are past the worst of the foreclosure problem brought about by the housing bubble bursting six years ago," said Daren Blomquist, vice president at RealtyTrac.
"But foreclosures are continuing to hobble the U.S. housing market as lenders finally seize properties that started the process a year or two ago - and much longer in some cases. We're likely not completely out of the woods when it comes to foreclosure starts, either, as lenders are still adjusting to new foreclosure ground rules set forth in the National Mortgage Settlement along with various state laws and court rulings."
Nationwide, foreclosure filings - default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions - were reported on 180,817 U.S. properties in November, a decrease of 3 percent from October and down 19 percent from November 2011. That was the 26th consecutive month with an annual decrease in foreclosure activity.
RealtyTrac said one in every 728 U.S. housing units had a foreclosure filing in November. In California, one housing unit in every 430 had a foreclosure filing last month.
Contact Opinion Page Editor Eric Grunder at (209) 546-8261 or at email@example.com.
Location, ST | website.com


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New Study is Latest Proof That Part D Helps Save Money While Improving Health
American Journal of Managed Care Looks at Economic Impact of Part D on Congestive Heart Failure
05.21.13 | By
This past weekend the American Journal of Managed Care released a study titled, "The Economic Impact of Medicare Part D on Congestive Heart Failure."
Key findings of study include:
- Improved medication adherence connected with the expansion of drug coverage under Part D led to about a $2.6 billion reduction in medical expenditures annually among beneficiaries diagnosed with CHF and without prior comprehensive drug coverage.
- Of the $2.6 billion reduction in medical expenditures, $2.3 billion was savings to Medicare.
- Greater improvements in adherence could potentially save Medicare another $1.9 billion annually and upwards of $22.4 billion in federal savings over 10 years.
This research makes some really important points on why Part D matters for the more than 3.5 million Part D enrollees who were diagnosed with congestive heart failure (CHF) and the Medicare system as a whole.
To put things into a broader perspective, those 3.5 million beneficiaries make up 14 percent of the total Medicare population. This small portion of the population accounts for nearly half of total spending in Medicare Parts A and B. CHF is also the most common reason for hospitalizations among the elderly, which makes up one-fifth of all admissions.
As most of us know, medications play an important role in helping treat and manage diseases like CHF and when they're not taken as prescribed, it can create serious problems for patients. Patients who are not adherent to their medications often lack insurance, which leads them not to fill prescriptions or skip medications due to cost. Part D helped change that in 2006. Prior to its implementation, approximately 30 percent of Medicare beneficiaries lacked creditable drug coverage. And thanks to its unique competitive market-based structure, average monthly premiums have remained steady at about $30 for the last three years.
Similar research has found that patients with CHF who were adherent to medications experienced 5.7 fewer hospital days and $8,881 in reduced medical spending annually compared to those patients who were not adherent to their medications. Another study found that each 10 percent increase in the use of CHF medications was connected with reductions in three year Medicare Parts A and B expenditures by $510 to $923.
Medications play a vital role in helping treat and manage CHF and Part D is an important part of that equation.
For further information on why Part D matters, check out this page.


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Allendale Cottages
Just show me Allendale Cottages
Please find below a selection of self catering holiday cottages to rent in Allendale, Northumberland.
Gateway to the Allen Valleys and the North Pennines, Allendale
is surrounded by a landscape of exceptional natural beauty and
features a lovely collection of Allendale cottages.
Pretty stone buildings house all kinds of shops, inns, restaurants and other attractions (don't miss Pebbles for coffee, cakes and art), while the characteristic skyline of prominent chimneys is a constant reminder of Allendale's industrial past.
Its vibrant ambience oozes community spirit and culture. And if
your Allendale cottage holiday falls over New Year, you'll
witness the Allendale Tar Bar'l Ceremony, a fascinating pagan
celebration when villagers parade the streets with burning barrels
of tar on their heads! Other annual festivals take the more
familiar form of beer, music and flowers, as well as the 25-mile
Allendale Challenge for walkers and runners.
But you don't have to be a competitor to enjoy the wonderful
walks in and around Allendale. Just get out and about and explore
the North Pennines, a nationally protected smorgasbord of velvet
moors, picturesque dales, wooded glens and meandering rivers.
Walking trails range from family rambles to the testing 36-mile
trek across the North Pennines from Allendale to Alston,
affectionately called Isaac's Tea Trail.
Cycling is another popular pursuit, along quiet back roads or
more daring off-road tracks. Or enjoy an exhilarating hack over the
moors on horse back. Or a quiet day spotting wildlife, or fishing
at nearby Langley. And if you're keen to perfect your swing,
Allendale Golf Club offers nine holes of play in a glorious
Plenty for everyone on an Allendale cottage holiday!


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John Clemente, 74, of Bushkill, died Wednesday morning, May 15, 2013, at Pocono Medical Center in East Stroudsburg. He was the husband of the late Beatrice Clemente.
Born on March 7, 1939, in Manhattan, N.Y., he was the son of the late Juan and Conception Clemente and lived in Bushkill since 1995, moving from Bronx, N.Y.
He worked as a union painter while living in New York.
John is survived by children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
There will be a viewing from 1 to 2 p.m. Friday, May 17, at William H. Clark Funeral Home, 1003 Main St., Stroudsburg. The funeral service will begin at 2 p.m. at the funeral home. Burial will follow at Prospect Cemetery, East Stroudsburg.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Gomez family, 178 Kittatinny Drive, Bushkill, PA 18324.
William H. Clark Funeral Home
1003 Main St., Stroudsburg
Location, ST | website.com


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What's that you say? Can't get your fill of random draw doubles? I know!
Random draw doubles at Eastern Avenue Park in Davenport will make its triumphant return this Thursday, April 16th beginning at 5:30PM.
This will be $5 for QC Club members, and $6 for non-members.
$1 from each entry fee will go to the US Women's Championship.
See you there!


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Southwest begins flights to Key West, Fla.
Southwest Airlines has begun flights to Key West, Fla., the southernmost city in the continental United States. It's the 78th city served by the carrier.
Key West International Airport formerly was served by AirTran Airways, which Southwest purchased last year.
Air New Zealand uses hobbits in safety video
Perhaps hairy-footed hobbits can teach us all something about safety.
Most travelers pay little attention to those snooze-inducing in-flight safety videos. But Air New Zealand, which calls itself "the airline of Middle-earth," has found some magic by celebrating the upcoming premiere of the first in "The Hobbit" movie trilogy.
The airline's safety video featuring the character Gollum and film director Peter Jackson got more than 2 million hits its first day on YouTube.
Two of author J.R.R. Tolkien's great-grandsons make cameos. Royd Tolkien appears wearing prosthetic feet -- big and hairy, of course.
Guitars of the stars on display in Nashville
Legendary guitars, including one played by Elvis Presley, are on exhibit through Dec. 30 at the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville.
"The Guitar: An American Love Story" also includes Eric Clapton's 1958 Gibson Explorer and cowboy star Roy Rogers' 1930 OM-45 Deluxe. More than 150 guitars are on display, and audio stations let visitors hear the greats playing. Details: www.tnmuseum.org.
-- Associated Press


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INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. - Next week's regular meeting of the Incline Village General Improvement District Board of Trustees has been canceled.
"There are no matters requiring action by the board," said Board Clerk Susan Herron on Friday morning.
The meeting was scheduled for 3 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 13. Among possible agenda items, according to previous reports, was an update to the search for a new general manager, including possibly revisiting the position's job description and whether to put out a bid for an executive search firm.
The next meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 27.


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Finalizing the Agreement
What's Next? TPP Heading Into the Final Stretch
08.30.13 | By Mark Grayson
The 19th round of Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations in Brunei conclude today, and with countries looking to finalize the agreement by the end of this year, there is much to be done in the coming months.
U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman emphasized that nothing would be jeopardized in this rush to complete the deal, but with a number of difficult provisions still to be negotiated, including intellectual property (IP) protections, it is likely something could be compromised. The entry of Japan means that TPP countries would account for almost 40 percent of global GDP and about one-third of trade worldwide. Such a significant agreement means we need to ensure it is not rushed and sets a tone that will be beneficial to global economies in the future.
Protecting intellectual property is one way to ensure this occurs. Studies show a correlation between how strong an economy's IP protections are and the extent to which it participates in trade, foreign direct investment and technology transfer. Stronger IP rights mean increased foreign direct investment and trade, and this is not just for developed countries. When developing economies protect IP, there is an increase in technology-intensive foreign direct investment.
Emphasizing strong IP protections in the TPP benefits all countries, and it is necessary for future U.S. economic success. As an innovation-based economy, we depend on strong intellectual property protections to grow industries like the biopharmaceutical sector, and failing to do so could have lasting implications on innovation and job growth. As negotiators look to identify and execute the next steps of this agreement, they must ensure it benefits all participating countries, and protecting intellectual property is key to accomplishing this.


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Selma Deanna Pace, 74
Published: Friday, November 30, 2012 at 4:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, November 29, 2012 at 3:53 p.m.
HENDERSONVILLE— Selma Deanna Pace, 74, of Hendersonville, passed away Nov. 29. Forest Lawn Funeral Home will announce the arrangements.
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