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Trail Reports
As much as I love to hike the trails in the Ouachitas and Ozarks, sometimes they get a little rough. Due to a combination of brushy undergrowth, dead fall due to high winds and ice storms, nasty briars, relatively few hikers and minimal trail maintenance budget for the Forest Service, each year there are sections that are virtually reclaimed by the forest and rendered nearly impassable. I don't know how long or how well I can keep this up, but this page is to post recent reports on the condition of the trails. Under the best circumstances, maybe this can be a place to help volunteers identify trails in need of maintenance. Worst case, maybe it will help you decide which trail to avoid for now.
If you want to supply a report, email me at email@example.com, give the name of the trail, the date you were there and as much specific information that you can about the condition (what section of the trail, type of obstuction, no blazes, how passable, etc.). If it was in great condition, that is valuable information, too. I am not planning to spend much time editing or tying to reconcile discrepencies in the reports. They are what they are. Some folks have a higher tolerance for sketchy trails than others (to quote the DismalHiker, "one person's "not bad" is another person's "overgrown", "impassable, "dangerous", etc.) and some report may be more recent than others. As new reports come out older ones will be dropped. As a further resource, here is a link to FoOT's trail condition page for the Ouachita Trail. If you know any more trail pages like this, please let me know and I'll link to the site.
Trail Name
|Beech Creek
|09/23/2014 From Andrew: I was at Beech Creek/Turkey Snout last week and the condition of both trails are poor. The sign-in box was shot up, with shotgun shells littering the ground and someone had made a fire right on the forest service road at the trailhead. The trails are overgrown with briers and vines, with many fallen trees completely blocking the trail. I was unable to locate the start of Turkey Snout near the road entrance (BH-01) because of the undergrowth, and completely lost Beech Creek somewhere past BH-07 and had to turn back. I'd recommend anyone going out there be prepared to bushwhack and watch their step! The overgrowth hides plenty of loose rocks and holes that are perfect for twisting ankles. The creeks were very beautiful however.
|Beech Creek
|02/23/2014 From Steve:
We tried to hike the Blue Bouncer Trail, starting at BH-02. We were immediately met with downed trees and branches forcing lots of off-trail bushwhacking. We continued counterclockwise from BH-14, continuing to experience a lot of downed branches and trees and much off-trail bushwhacking. Much of the problem with this is not so much the downfallen stuff, but the huge amounts of greenbriar and other thorny brambles (especially greenbriar) beside, above, and on the trail. We only were able to hike approx. 1.8 miles before being completely blocked by fallen trees and an impassable greenbriar thicket. Where the trail was passable, it was barely visible with only (fortunately) the white blazes to guide us. Once we realized that the trail was not getting better, we bushwhacked up hill back to FR6025, finishing with a 3.25 mile trip. If not cleaned up, this trail will be essentially gone after another summer. I would NOT recommend it for hiking until it is cleaned up. (In this same area is Turkey Snout Loop, is in much better shape - still has some downfall but very little thorny stuff, and makes a nice nearly 5-mile loop).
|Billy Creek Trail
|10/20/08 From a Hiker: Just got back to Dallas after a beautiful weekend backpackinGlag on the Billy Creek trail. We hiked the loop going around to the east down to Billy Creek campground, from Horse Thief springs. We hiked the 6.5 miles down and the
4.5 miles up. The weather was superb with temperatures in the upper 70's Saturday the 18th and Sunday October 19th. Overnight temperatures were in the mid 40's both nights, for a nice sleeping experience. The trail was in good shape with a few signs of washes on the vertical rises. The streams were low or not running at all even though there was standing water in some places late Friday. Fall colors were not quite at peak, but I'm sure they will be over the next couple weeks.
|Black Fork Trail
|9/25/10 From Susan. Hiked the Black Fork Wilderness trail 9/25/10. The trail register at the junction of the Black Fork and Ouachita trails is in very poor condition. Many sections of the trail were overgrown with brambles, and spiderwebs were very bad across the trail (as is usual this time of year) but generally the trail was in good condition. It was a great day hike.
|Boardstand/Old Military
8/4/15 From Steve. Some friends and I finally took on the loop this last weekend. We all
It is the wettest year on records there and no easy water as your description indicates.
The year round water source indicated near BD-02 has moved. It is down
the trail head path about 1/3 mile. I would say it's super close to
the "16" grid square. It's a puddle not much more than a 5 gallon
There is a campsite just about at the 2 of BD-02.
We also found the pond about .1-.2 miles from BD-06 back south toward the Ouchita trail.
Based on the map we had anticipated finding it before we turned back south.
One other danger to note. In addition to Bears, snakes, etc. Bees. I got stung by about a dozen on the Ouchita trail about .25 miles before Dead mans gap. It is super overgrown as if no one has been down it in a very long time.
The bees surprised me. Ha!! Although they are pretty much everywhere!
All in all it was an awesome adventure. Your map made it all possible and we knew how to prepare based on that.
Hope this is helpful. Thanks again!!
|Boardstand/Old Military
|12/31/14 From Bob : The trail is generally in good shape, but it hasn't been travelled a lot in recent weeks. There are a lot of leaves covering the trail in some sections, so pay close attention. The sections downhill from Deadman Gap going North, also further along (moving counter-clockwise) as the trail approaches FR 6010, seemed to be the worst. There's plenty of water in the creeks, not necessary to cache. The forest is pretty soggy, building and maintaining a fire takes a lot of effort. I completed the trail in two short days and a longer one with no problems, Dec. 27-29, 2014. Watch for "ankle twisters" as the abundant leaves often obscure the rocks and crevices in the path. General word: proceed carefully and with caution. It was an absolutely beautiful and astounding hike.
|Buckeye-Caney Ck
|See Backpacking Arkansas for the most up to date trail information.
|Butterfield Trail, Devils Den
10/28/14 From Gabe : I hiked the Butterfield Trail clockwise at Devil's Den State Park this past weekend, 10/24-10/25 and thoroughly enjoyed myself. The beautiful fall colors, while not yet at their peak, were nevertheless progressing in full force. The old and faded blue blazes have been replaced with bright blue diamonds (some with reflective tape) nailed to the trees, making trail navigation easy. The trail conditions were good from the start. A few downed trees scattered throughout required some hike-arounds, but there were no impassable obstructions. The carpet of leaves definitely hides innumerable loose rocks and trail irregularities ripe for twisting an ankle, so look sharp! I stayed at Junction Camp, which was also in good shape. I found some broken glass near my campsite, but the majority of the area was fine. Hard to beat the crystal clear, emerald green waters of Blackburn and Lee Creeks, especially when viewed from the comfort of ample stone furniture! The return from Junction to the Park is more overgrown than the first 10 miles, with brush chest-high in some places. I ran into a water moccasin crossing the trail near Junction, and gave him a wide berth. Where the trail intersects with various horse paths, conditions worsen with some muddy stretches, but these don't last long. I'd be interested in returning during leaf-off, which must be impressive given the inspiring vistas I occasionally happened upon when the trees would clear. All in all a great overnight trip, and Devil's Den itself is always a pleasure to explore.
|Eagle Rock Loop
|See Backpacking Arkansas for the most up to date trail information.
|Greenleaf State Park
|10/3/15 from John:My son and I hiked the Greenleaf loop trail this past weekend (2-3 Oct 2015). The weather was beautiful and we had an enjoyable time. The Southern loop up to Mary's Cove was in good shape although it is slightly over grown. The northern loop was a different story. Past Mary's Cove, the trail seems to disappear. Much of the trail is nonexistent and there are long stretches that are not properly blazed. Having the map was invaluable; many times we had to rely on it and GPS to find our way.
|Horsethief Springs
|5/30/16 from corogers:a small group of women, including myself, hiked this trail a couple weeks ago, and the trail was in good repair.
|Horsethief Springs
|6/5/16 from Zachary:
I did an overnight hike with two other guys starting from Cedar Lake. We started in the afternoon May 28, and returned the morning of May 29th. We hiked clockwise around the loop, and camped near the springs.The second leg was well maintained for the first half, and progressively got worse. We passed another longer section of overgrowth and downed trees. About 1.5 miles from the intersection point we passed a sign, which had fallen over, for the scenic route, and chose the direction that appeared less overgrown (straight ahead). The trail became progressively more overgrown and less visible as we gained elevation until we finally lost the trail and white blazes. At this point we found ourselves off the GPS waypoints by a quarter to half mile northwest and a few hundred feet higher in elevation. It is very possible we accidentally took the scenic route, or were on an old section of the trail. Having lost the blazes, we maintained elevation and bushwhacked in a northerly direction until we intersected a horse trail (yellow blazes). We ended up exiting the horse trail onto Holson Valley road about a quarter mile west of the Horsethief loop trailhead.
The first leg to the springs was well maintained, and the blazes were easy to follow. There was a section with many downed trees, presumably from a fire several years ago, some of which had fallen across the trail. It was easy enough to hop over the logs or navigate around them. The same section had a considerable amount of tall grass, which made the trail hard to see at times, but we never lost it.
|Magazine Mt/Cove Lake
|03/24/14 from Barry:This weekend my wife and I attempted Mt. Magazine to Cove Lake. Mt. Magazine has received A LOT of ice storm damage. The Signal Hill trail was in pretty good shape, with a few more trees lift to be removed. The Mt. Magazine-Cove Lake trail was in very rough shape, both of the terminus trailheads said the trail was closed, but the intermediate trail heads were open, so we decided to see what it looked like. The upper part of the trail was covered in small limbs and sticks, annoying but not a big deal. About a mile in you started having to pass fallen oak trees, whose canopies were on the trail. At about two miles in, there were so many fallen trees the trail became very hard to find/follow. It became clear that the trail was only going to get worse, so we turned around. From the road, it appeared the lower you go the more tree damage. It was apparent they are working on getting the trail back in shape, but I would expect it to take a while.
|Ouachita Trail
|11/9/10 From Steve: Well I certainly got the solitude and serenity I was looking for last week along the OT. I only saw one group of hikers going the opposite direction, and a single thru hiker also named Charlie that was dropping water bottles along the trail. With rain in the area the night before, I was expecting freely flowing water in the Kiamichi river bed. I did find a clean standing pool at the first campsite and flowing water at the last campsite. How reliable is the Kiamichi for water in this area throughout the year?
I really enjoyed the Kiamichi Hike, except for the bear that came up to my tent one night at the last campsite on the river. He didn't seem to be phased by my loud whistle or the flashing light inside my tent, but when I told him there was no food in my tent he took off like he was more scared than I. I'm especially glad you convinced me to hang my food because I heard more rustling over there thru the night. When I came out of the tent the next morning I was greeted with another loud snort along the hillside above this campsite, which sure looks like ideal bear habitat to me as did the climb up Wilton Mt. Any reports of big cats along the OT?
I was certainly impressed with the Ouachita Mountains and can't wait till my next hike along the OT.
|Ouachita Trail
|02/20/09 from a OuachitaHiker: On Tue. Feb. 17th I helped clear from Winton Mnt. to the Kiamici Wilderness trail head.
We didn't find any ice storm damage. We (Mark Davis) cut out one downed tree and Mark cut another one close to the top of the mountain. This part of the OT is clear!
On Mon. the 16th while we were doing work on our section of the OT (OK state line to FS RD514 we met a group of backpackers. One a solo hiker and a group of scouts from Mansfield AR. The report the trail is clear thru the Kiamici Wilderness to the state line. Our section mentioned above didn't receive any damage from the ice storm. We just lopped back briar's and such. So the trail is clear form Winton Mnt. to FS514. I strongly suspect that the trail form 514 to the state park is also clear. I don't know about the trail conditions from the lodge to the scenic drive. We have a 1.4 mile section from the scenic drive down to the wizard trees. I found ice storm damage here but have cleared it.
On Wed. the 18th I hiked in with Mark Davis to his section of trail at mile marker 61 to 64. We started at Eagle Gap (58.5). From Eagle Gap to 58.5 we found two trees down across the trail. You can go around them. There is another place that a small tree top is across the trail but we cut some of this out. Some brush is growing in the trail but I have reported this to FOoT. Mark and I cleared from 61 to 64. That was a 11 mile round trip hike in one day with trail gear! But I enjoyed it.
|Ouachita Trail
|10/14/08 from a Hiker: The OT west of horse thief springs is also quite overgrown in sections. No major problem with downed trees. I note the forest service was recently in that area clearing away the multiple downed trees.
|Ouachita Trail
|10/15/08 from a Hiker:The OK trails you mention are in an area that has been badly overgrown for over a year. I have not seen those trails (Boardstand/Old Mil), but the Ouachita Trail west end from Talihena to Winding stair was in terrible shape. The USFS found some money this summer to clean up the OT sections, but I doubt they have done much on the other two trails in their district.
|Ozark Highlands Trail
|4/16/09 From OuachitaMaps: We hiked from Lake Fort Smith to Cherry Bend and the trail was in very good shape.
|Ozark Highlands Trail
10/16/09 From Hiker Ben B: Ben hiked the Hurricane Wilderness Section. Referring to the high water by-pass he says "The high trail had a ton of down trees... Lots of detours and climbing".
|Ponca Wilderness (several trails)
10/14/08 From a Hiker: Two weekends ago ( Oct. 3-5 ) we backpacked in the Ponca Wilderness area near Ponca Arkansas. We started from the Centerpoint Trailhead and went to Hemmed-in Hollow and the Falls, Big Bluff via the goat trail, Granny's Cabin, Sneeds Creek, Rocky Bottom, etc. The trails were in really good shape overall however there were a few very large blow-downs in the way that folks had been going around which is not necessarily a good thing. Most of the junk in the way we could climb over or go under. In a couple of weeks we plan to go back to the same area and head to Steel Creek, Kyles Landing, and the Indian Creek area.
|Skyline Trail, Beaver Bend
|10/14/08 From a Hiker:
My husband and son just returned from a weekend trip to Beaver's Bend, OK. They planned to backpack the Skyline Trail there, but part of it was closed. If you look at this link:
http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/viewtrip.aspx?tripId=43668. The trail was closed from SKY006 to SKY012. Now they did manage to go on in and help with some trail maintenance, and they found that most of the damage was fairly minor, and mostly between SKY010 and SKY012. One thing they noticed from the last time my husband had been up there is that they had built a road along the ridge between SKY010 and SKY011. He mentioned that it appeared they are beginning to develop the area (which is, if you notice, outside the state park). If that's the case, I imagine it will change the dynamics of the trail considerably.
|North Sylamore Creek
|05/17/2016 from Baxter. Hiked the North Sylamore Creek Trail from Cripple Turkey to Allison this weekend in two days. The trail was mostly in great shape, but the Cripple Turkey to Cole Fork was very grown over with some thorns and 3+ foot tall weeds in the middle of the trail for this entire section. It also looks like some scattered fire pits have developed in the parking lot at Cripple Turkey with no fire rings from what we could see. Google Maps can lead you slightly wrong, however, due to a double naming of Barkshed Rd off of highway 341. The more southern end of the road is very rough, and was almost impassable in my 4wd 4runner. The northern road (fr 1108) as you have specified is the one you want to take, unless you want to get stuck.
|Talimena Bohannon
|03/30/2012 from ABC. I soloed this trail Mar 13 14 and 15 2012. I went counterclockwise.
All trail junctions seemed obvious to me, with the exception of the Bohannon Trail up to the Ouachita Trail. I was having fun, missed it, or just disregardedl it, and ended up in the next drainage over (east), Sycamore Cr maybe. Found a great campsite, (coyotes very vocal at my presence).Backtracked the next morning to Camp Hale (BSA). They have a outdoor payphone on the lake side of the trading post. Was able to check in with family (cel reception spotty).
Didn't know bike damage to trail when confronted with it, just like the non-corridor trails in the Grand Canyon to me.
The climb out on the Bohannon Trail was much nicer than the description on your site, I enjoyed it very greatly. Very steep, don't believe passable by bike or horse. Good campsites a the beginning, down low. Many great views of Bohannon Lake. Plenty of water, maybe even a swimming hole.
The intersection at the top of the trail is well marked. Not as much flowing water, you're at the top of the hill.
Took the Choctaw Nation Trail (when it intersected with Ouachita Trail) back to my car at the state park. Trail not much used but easy to follow, some intersections with Ouachita Trail unmarked. Saw the only wildlife here, a few turkeys.
Saw 3 horse riders the whole 3 days, no hikers.
The geographic and geologic addenda to your trail narratives is much appreciated, keep it up.
I'd be glad to respond to specific questions your readers might have.
|Upper Buffalo Wilderness
|11/0608 From a Hiker: On Sunday, I dayhiked with a hiking pal down Pruitt Hollow to the Buffalo. It is not a suitable route for a backpacker to reach the river. It is great fun for dayhiking, though. In upper Pruitt Hollow we did encounter three college students toting backpacks on their way back to the Kapark area. They had set forth on Saturday bound for the Buffalo before they decided Pruitt was too rugged a conduit to the river. They said they had camped close to where we saw them, so they had not traveled far with backpacks. Sometimes the youth are wise.
|Whites Creek Trail
|5/8/2014 from Sean: I just wanted to let you know that your page here: http://www.ouachitamaps.com/Irish%20Wilderness.html is a bit out of date--almost the entire trail is absolutely infested with poison ivy. It made the trek quite different, unfortunately. Thanks for the info, we had fun out there.
Also--the trail disappears just before IW-6 heading in the counterclockwise direction. We were able to pick it up for another mile or so before it disappeared again for good. We turned back at that point.
|White Rock-Shores Lake
|10/14/08 From a Hiker:I did west loop ascent, east loop descent. Just a couple of blowdowns on west loop approach to base of white rock where OHT & S.L.W.R.loop coincide, still O.K. to pick up trail on other side of blowdowns. The worst of it is a few (blowdowns) on the 2 mi.stretch of East loop side before the S.L.W.R loop leaves the OHT to return to S.L. trailhead. Both 4-5 mi. lower sections toward the lake trailhead in good shape.
Weatherproof Topographic Maps at
OuachitaMaps.com - Hiking Trails of the Ouachitas and Ozarks


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Cards Diaspora is off today, most likely being immature and throwing Snickers bars into public pools or something… but we wanted to take a moment and thank our Armed Services and the people that support our Armed Services for protecting our ability to act like complete jagoffs.
Unfortunately, some of these fine men and women have made the ultimate sacrifice. Today, we pause… remember… and say thanks to everyone that has, is and will protect our way of life.

subset: commoncrawl


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- Table View
- List View
The Dark Sideby Kathy Reichs Andrew Pyper Don Gutteridge Robert Rotenberg Sean Slater Jennifer Hillier Brad Smith David Rotenberg Robert Pobi Deryn Collier Nick Cutter
Welcome to The Dark Side, a collection of excerpts from some of Simon & Schuster Canada's most terrifying, mysterious, and suspenseful novels. From Nick Cutter's old-school thriller, The Troop, to Kathy Reichs' internationally bestselling Bones series, these stories will leave you trembling. The Dark Side includes excerpts from: Bones of the Lost by Kathy Reichs The Demonologist by Andrew Pyper Shoot the Dog by Brad Smith Eye of the Storm by Rob Pobi The Troop by Nick Cutter Open Secret by Deryn Collier A Murder of Crows by David Rotenberg The Guilty by Sean Slater Death of a Patriot by Don Gutteridge Stranglehold by Robert Rotenberg Freak by Jennifer Hillier
The Deepby Nick Cutter
From the acclaimed author of The Troop--which Stephen King raved "scared the hell out of me and I couldn't put it down....old-school horror at its best"--comes this utterly terrifying novel where The Abyss meets The Shining.A strange plague called the 'Gets is decimating humanity on a global scale. It causes people to forget--small things at first, like where they left their keys, then the not-so-small things, like how to drive or the letters of the alphabet. Their bodies forget how to function involuntarily. There is no cure.But now, far below the surface of the Pacific Ocean, deep in the Mariana Trench, a heretofore-unknown substance hailed as "ambrosia"--a universal healer, from initial reports--has been discovered. It may just be the key to eradicating the 'Gets.In order to study this phenomenon, a special research lab, the Trieste, has been built eight miles under the sea's surface. But when the station goes incommunicado, a brave few descend through the lightless fathoms in hopes of unraveling the mysteries lurking at those crushing depths...and perhaps to encounter an evil blacker than anything one could possibly imagine.
The Troopby Nick Cutter
Once every year, Scoutmaster Tim Riggs leads a troop of boys into the Canadian wilderness for a weekend camping trip--a tradition as comforting and reliable as a good ghost story around a roaring bonfre. Te boys are a tight-knit crew. Tere's Kent, one of the most popular kids in school; Ephraim and Max, also well-liked and easygoing; then there's Newt the nerd and Shelley the odd duck. For the most part, they all get along and are happy to be there--which makes Scoutmaster Tim's job a little easier. But for some reason, he can't shake the feeling that something strange is in the air this year. Something waiting in the darkness. Something wicked . . . It comes to them in the night. An unexpected intruder, stumbling upon their campsite like a wild animal. He is shockingly thin, disturbingly pale, and voraciously hungry--a man in unspeakable torment who exposes Tim and the boys to something far more frightening than any ghost story. Within his body is a bioengineered nightmare, a horror that spreads faster than fear. One by one, the boys will do things no person could ever imagine. And so it begins. An agonizing weekend in the wilderness. A harrowing struggle for survival. No possible escape from the elements, the infected . . . or one another. Part Lord of the Flies, part 28 Days Later--and all-consuming--this tightly written, edge-of-your seat thriller takes you deep into the heart of darkness, where fear feeds on sanity . . . and terror hungers for more.
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The Shaman & Ayahuasca: LA Film Screenings
(June 17, 2010, 7:00pm and 9:15pm)
The Shaman & Ayahuasca: Journeys to Sacred Realms
A film by Michael Wiese
Film Showings: June 17, 2010, 7pm and 9:15pm
Cost: $12
(best way to ensure you get a seat)
The Landmark Theater – Westside Pavilion
10850 West Pico at Westwood Blvd. (map)
Q&A after each showing with filmmaker Michael Wiese.
The Shaman & Ayahuasca: Journeys to Sacred Realms
Ayahuasca is a entheogentic or psychoactive vine-based plant brew that has been used for healing by shamans for thousands of years. It is widely known throughout South America for its healing and visionary properties that has, in recent years, caught the attention of the Western world. Ayahuasca is called a 'plant teacher' because it can heal physical, psychological and emotional blocks and through vivid visions take the patient to other realms and dimensions providing profound insights into human beings' true nature and place in the cosmos.
Intrigued by these extraordinary claims, filmmaker Michael Wiese went to the home of Don Jose Campos, an internationally known Peruvian shaman or curandero, to experience first hand the healing and transformational aspects of Ayahuasca. Shot on location in the jungle and in the Amazonian river towns of Pulcallpa and Iquitos Peru, this 73-minute film documents the shamanic work and ayahuasca ceremonies of Don Jose Campos and includes the last filmed interview with internationally renowned visionary painter and former shaman Pablo Amaringo. Also included are interviews and an exploration of medicinal plants with famed biochemist Julio Arce Hildalgo. The film features the music of Peruvian recording artist Artur Menas Salas.
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More about Michael Wiese and Michael Wiese Productions:
An accomplished filmmaker himself, Wiese launched his publishing company in 1981 with a unique mission: Make outsiders insiders. "When I first started in the film world there was a dearth of resources for independent filmmakers. Information was tightly held and nearly everything was a 'trade secret.' My goal was to give film world outsiders the skills they needed to become insiders," he says. Wiese's business model proved prescient as the independent film community multiplied and the DIY ethic spread.
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- Judith Weston, independent studio owner, teacher, and author of the bestselling Directing Actors: Creating Memorable Performances for Film & Television, (1999, second edition coming in 2010). Weston has trained such notables as Alejandro González Iñarritu, David Chase, and Polly Platt. "I feel very safe with MWP because of their honesty and integrity," she says.
In these lean economic times when many publishing houses are posting losses, MWP has seen an up-tick in sales. Wiese speculates that it's due to many people deciding to pursue their dream job in film when their existing work evaporates. This year sales are up as much as 31 percent at Amazon.com and have grown at other major accounts too. In a business often hit by heavy returns, MWP has seen a decrease in returns this year. On average, their sales have grown by a robust 17 percent for each of the last three years. MWP's success also reflects their ability to closely nurture a book throughout its development, marketing, and retail life. "Publishing is a huge collection of details and the publisher who attends to most of them will win. On that level MWP is really good," says Karen Cross, Vice President of Publisher Relations, Ingram Publisher Services.
"We realized early on that cultivating teamwork among our authors was one of the best things we could do to drive sales and marketing," says Ken Lee, Vice President of MWP. As part of this, the company not only stresses to their authors the importance of publicizing and marketing their books, they also encourage authors to share information with each other and to cross-promote their titles. Every year MWP holds a publishing summit with their authors, where they brainstorm with them on cutting-edge ways to build buzz and share information on new developments in the publishing world. They also host a Google group for their authors. Their author-friendly approach creates a mutually beneficially relationship for publisher and author. "They engender a lot of loyalty from their authors and as a result the authors are willing to put the effort into doing what they need to do to make their books successful," says Ouimet.
You might be interested in…
Fast, Cheap & Under Control – Buy Now
by John Gaspard $20.21 List price: $26.95 Saving: 25%
To place your order by phone, call 1 800 833-5738, 24 hours a day.
MWP Mentors
Our filmmakers and screenwriters have written some terrific best-selling books that have become industry standards throughout the world. But, beside writer, these folks do even more. They mentor. They make themselves available to you to help you with every aspect of your project. Here you'll find websites and email addresses so you can contact them. We've learned from personal experience that mentors and consultants can get you where you want to go much faster than trying to do it alone. Check them out and make them part of your film project's dream team.
You might be interested in…
The Script-Selling Game – Buy Now
by Kathie Fong Yoneda $12.71 List price: $16.95 Saving: 25%
To place your order by phone, call 1 800 833-5738, 24 hours a day.
Upcoming Events
Go to our Google Calendar where you will find workshops and seminars of all kinds. Almost everyday, somewhere in the world, an MWP author/expert is sharing her or her knowledge. In April, Ric Viers (The Sound Effects Bible) did sound demos at NAB, Michele Yamazaki (Green Screen) discussed Green Screen technology, Morrie Warshawski (Shaking the Money Tree) talked about how to raise money for films, and Judith Weston (Directing Actors) ran her internationally famous acting and directing workshops.
On Google Calendar you can learn in advance where these great people are teaching so you will have time to get yourself there and gain the knowledge you need to succeed.
You might be interested in…
GreenScreen Made Easy – Buy Now
by Jeremy Hanke and Michele Yamazaki $14.96 List price: $19.95 Saving: 25%
Directing Actors – Buy Now
by Judith Weston $20.21 List price: $26.95 Saving: 25%
The Sound Effects Bible – Buy Now
by Ric Viers $20.21 List price: $26.95 Saving: 25%
To place your order by phone, call 1 800 833-5738, 24 hours a day.
Follow Us On Facebook & Twitter
Following us on Facebook or Twitter will keep you up to date on new book and film releases, our experts' workshops and seminars, and allow you to enjoy the fun of being part of the MWP community which includes thousands of writers and filmmakers throughout the world.
For example, if you were checking us out on Facebook recently you'd see a wild and funky video that followed Ric Viers (The Sound Effects Bible) around Las Vegas at the NAB show. You'd hear about Marcie Begleiter's lecturer and book signing for From Word to Image which is about storyboarding. You'd read about the Columbia University Film Festival where MWP was a sponsor. You'd meet film festival experts Rona Edwards and Monika Skerbis, and Kim Hudson, author of The Virgin's Promise, a book on writing great female characters.
There are also frequent fun facts and quizzes where you can win new books and other prizes. Don't miss out on the action. Become a MWP Facebook and Twitter fan today!
You might be interested in…
The Virgin's Promise – Buy Now
by Kim Hudson $14.96 List price: $19.95 Saving: 25%
The Sound Effects Bible – Buy Now
by Ric Viers $20.21 List price: $26.95 Saving: 25%
Hit the Ground Running
I'm halfway through this trip to LA. Tonite is the showing of SACRED SITES – a high water mark.
So far I've had meetings with our company's bookkeeper and accountant, Debbie and Steve. These folks are terrific. Without the smooth infrastructure they provide, business would be impossible. Each time we meet we find better ways of doing things – which is also the goal of the upcoming "Publishing University" which we are holding for 30 authors on Saturday. Read more
Our latest book catalog – FREE download
BALI BROTHERS – Publishing the film script as a book
BALI BROTHERS – Publishing the film script as a book
Scripts are usual secret documents that are only shared initially with actors, department heads and financiers. I took quite an opposite approach and just published the script which is now available in all bookstores and on Amazon BEFORE the film has been made. This is the rationale behind such madness. mw
No one doubts that the road to getting an independent film made is filled with incredible obstacles. Not only is writing an original script a laborious accomplishment that may take dozens of rewrites, but even if it's great, truly original and has something to say, sadly, that doesn't guarantee it will get made.
To get made (by someone other than the writer) a script has to land in the right hands at the right time. Many screenwriters do not live in L.A. or New York. They do not have access to agents, studios, or independent producers. And even if they did, their "small" (e.g. non-blockbuster) movie would fall well below the radar of most executives anyway. Therefore, their films need to be made outside the system, be great, and then with the luck akin to lightning striking a penny, find distribution and audiences.
The publication of this "great unproduced script" is the first of what we hope will be a series of original, heart felt stories from screenwriters seeking to get their independent visions into the world. By publishing these scripts, we hope they will be read by producers, filmmakers, or private investors seeking fresh material and that these films will get made. If not, then at least the story will be read by many more people than would normally read a script.
We've been doing what we can to support independent film since 1981 when we released our first book, The Independent Film and Videomaker's Guide by Michael Wiese. At that time there was only one other "how to" filmmaking book in the bookstores. Today we've published 150 books about all aspects of filmmaking. We've helped define the genre. This next step is an experiment to see whether publishing great scripts will assist in the process of getting great films made, that have something to say and that will inspire audiences for generations to come for the benefit of all.
Once again, Michael Wiese steps up to the plate first, and his Bali Brothers script — a story he has been developing for years — serves as the guinea pig.
Bali Brothers was inspired by the time I lived with a friend in what was then a remote village in Bali. It was 1970, and not far away, the Vietnam War was in full bloom. We were film students setting out to discover who we were and what life was all about.
A Balinese painting salesman found us on a beach and invited us to his village. Dewa Nyoman Batuan, the kind and generous head of the village, gave us a tiny room to sleep in and fed us. We learned some Indonesian, prayed in the temple ceremonies, participated in ritual magic, studied painting and shadow plays, and played extraordinary gamelan music. Besides being immersed in what has to be one of the most creative and exquisite cultures on the planet, we saw a people who lived communally, where the family and community came first, where the ego was suppressed for the benefit of the whole, and where an entire people lived in close harmony with nature and their gods.
After many months living in this remote location, being a participant in the spiritual and ritual life of the Balinese, immersing ourselves in the trance-invoking gamelan, and the mythic archetypal characters channelled into life by the shadow master, we experienced various levels of non-ordinary realities.
The time spent in Bali forever transformed me at the deepest level and I've been exploring those feelings and trying to find my place in the world ever since — not unlike the protagonists in our script.
I've returned to Bali more than twenty times during my life and maintain a close relation with the village and my friends, now revered village elders.
In the early nineties, I started going through old diaries and reconstructing the events of that first trip. In 1995, I published a novel called On the Edge of A Dream: Magic and Madness in Bali which tells the story of that first year. While it is written as fiction, 80% of it is true.
Then I started work adapting it into a film script.
For eight years, I wrote draft after draft. I had written some scripts before but, as I found out, I knew little about what I was doing. This was more complicated, because the scripts were based on autobiographical material and even though some say "write what you know," the fact that it was based on my life gave energy to my ego and kept me from the core of the material. As I learned, I was too busy protecting myself.
So I studied, took courses and published a lot of screenwriting books from some of the greatest minds in the industry. This gave me an amazing ace. I had access to the world's greatest scriptwriters, script consultants, and story editors. They not only wrote books for me but they were my friends. Over the years, some very smart people consulted on the script and gave me extensive notes and guidance.
I bow down and touch their feet with the greatest of appreciation for their contribution to my work and my life: Christopher Vogler, Steve Katz, Blake Snyder, James Bonnet, Mary Trainor-Brigham, Judith Weston, Mark Travis, Jeffrey Schechter, Matthew Bishop and Lacy Waltzman.
Of course, more than anyone else, my wife, Geraldine Overton, has watched me twist and turn in the wind, and I am grateful for her patience. I've come to call the project "Michael's folly" because of the vast number of hours (and dollars) I've put into this work over the years. Granted, I've been running a publishing company and making the occasional other film and I haven't been working on it every day, but it has been fifteen years, and I have yet to make this film.
Howard Suber, UCLA educator and mentor to just about every major director and producer in Hollywood, says the average films takes nine years to make. People don't realize this. They think a script is written, and then shot, then appears in the theaters. Many times I've despaired and really questioned whether this was something I wanted to pursue and every time I got "yes" as an answer and there would be another burst of creative energy. If this is the film I was born to make, then let me make it! I take frequent comfort in friend Bucky Fuller's advice when he said that great things like the redwoods, the great whales, and the elephant have long gestation rates. I like to think of this film as one of those "great things."
In 1994, after countless drafts, I realized I had taken it as far as I can. I needed help. I needed a co-writer. I found Matthew Bishop, who gave me notes and then came up with a strategy and structure for rewriting it. I gave him my blessing and he ran with it.
I took this version and continue the process I had begun earlier of trying to find producers, foreign sales reps, and talent to join in. I made the rounds at Cannes. As I've learned, no one says "no" but they don't say "yes" either. They hope to remain friends with you and hope you'll get your film made and come back to them when it's finished. There is so much film product available, distributors do not need to finance anything, they just wait, go to festivals, and pick the plums off the tree. The filmmaker is expected to hock house and the family fortune to make his film and hence gain entry to this glamorous world.
Writing a film that is set in another culture presents other challenges. Not only is a script a kind of blueprint that gives everyone the vision and must tell a cracking good story, it has to do so within 120 pages. (The "right length" in Hollywood this year is 106 pages!) The story has to be told with great economy. So writing in a way that allows people to "get" Bali is very difficult. Most readers had never been there. So how do you create that image in their heads without them substituting Mexico?
I would shoot a trailer. In 2002, a month after the Bali bombings, I took two actors from Los Angeles, a U.K. cameraman, and a producer to Bali for ten days, and we shot a short piece. I made DVDs of it, sent it around with the script, and put it on YouTube. Of course the problem with this is that we shot it for nothing on mini-DV and the style of the piece is not the look we'll have the final movie. Also, by now, the actors in the trailer are not the actors who will be in the film. Nevertheless, I learned that a mixed Balinese and Western cast and crew can work very well together. I learned how long things really take to shoot and what it would cost. So, for that alone, it was well worth doing.
A few more years went by and I was not getting it financed. Part of the problem is that I no longer live in the States, and I don't just mean L.A. I live in Cornwall, England, a most powerful and beautiful place but also one of the most depressed places in Europe with high rates of unemployment. Talk about out of the loop! It's very remote, which I like, and takes five to six hours by train to get to London. So I am unable to have lunch meetings, attend parties, and do all those social networking things that helped me find financing in the past — unless I travel far from home.
A sales agent at Cannes introduced me to an executive producer in Los Angeles who liked the script. She started making pitches to help secure young name actors. Curiously, and in contrast to what I expected would happen, the agents of the actors liked the script, but the actors passed. We were not able to find out whether it was the part they didn't like or that they simply didn't want to leave their new girlfriends and spend seven weeks in Bali. We started to get insecure about the script.
Another rewrite. I wrote another list of possible changes and I got more notes from script consultants. (When you garner advice from experts, they'll always find something.)
In looking for another writer, I was given a moody script set in New Orleans by Lacy Waltzman. It was very good and had a dark and mysterious tone. I hired her and after many months we had a much-improved script.
I'm a morning person. I get up a 4:30 a.m. and by 10 p.m. I'm knackered. The U.K. is eight hours ahead of L.A. So if I want to start pitching, the earliest I can do so is about 6 p.m. my time. I found it far too difficult to make late night pitches to actors' agents or anyone, for that matter.
I decided to set up the production in the U.K. I did a series of auditions and mixed and matched actors until I found a trio that I felt would work very well with one another: Phillip Barantini and Leo Gregory would play the roles of "Nick" and "Eddie," and Rebecca Grant would be "Shakti," the mysterious apprentice to the shaman.
I made one-sheets (sales sheets) and appointments at the market of the Berlin Film Festival. My actors, while I was confident they all had the potential to be great stars, had not yet arrived at that place in their career to be worth anything from a world sales perspective. They were not on that short list of "A" actors or bankable stars.
I like these actors tremendously and have spent as much time with them as I could every time I went to London. I know they can deliver memorable and moving performances. That, it seems, isn't what the money people want to hear. They want names that will guarantee box office sales and a great return on their money.
For anyone who's tried it, you know it's a chicken and egg cycle that you have to break out of. You need financing, but that won't come without a bankable star, but a bankable star won't come without a firm cash offer. You can't get the cash without the actor and you can't get the actor without the cash. But, if you have a great script, you might be able to get the actor, if you can get the script to the actor without going through the agent. Ultimately, of course, you need to work with the agent.
So my strategy was to try to obtain an "A" actor for the small but important role of "Nigel," the expat. At Cannes and other film festivals, I met several name actors who I thought would be good for the Nigel role. (It can be played by a wide range of actors.) I got them the script, but they passed. This time I found out why. The part wasn't substantial enough for them.
I withdrew from the selling process. Lacy and I again worked on another rewrite strengthening the lead roles and also deepening the ex-pat role. When the script was finished, I gave it to the leading casting director in London, who presented it to the first person on our list. After about six months we never got a reply so it was time to move on, assuming they didn't want to do it. It is now with another "A" actor and we are waiting to hear.
Without cash in hand and the ability to say we are definitely starting on this date, months and years pass. If a name star does agree to be in your film by the time you actually do raise the money, that "A" star could be booked up for many years.
Even with an "A" star there are no guarantees. Every year there are many films made with "A" stars that do not perform at the box office.
So, what you have in your hands is probably not the last version of the script. It will go through more revisions until it is shot. And the film itself will be different again because the story actually gets told three times — once in the script, again in the performance, and lastly in the editing.
Regardless of whether or not the film is funded, I continue to do works that will inform the envisioned film. A few years ago in Bali, I gathered together a Balinese composer and a dozen musicians. I gave them ideas for short sound sketches that related to scenes in the film such as "Shadows on the Wall," "Flirting," "So Sad to Say Goodbye," "Demons Approach," and a few dozen others. In less than a day we recorded some twenty-eight cues, which, if they are not used in the film, they are a healthy start in banking sounds and sound design ideas for the ultimate sound track.
Also, after years of watching Dewa Nyoman Batuan paint mandalas, I published 140 of them in Mandalas of Bali in November 2009. These mandala paintings will have a presence in the film.
For me, this is and has been a process of exploration and discovery, trying to create something that was seeded in me decades ago that continues to grow and find expression.
For the last twenty-five years, I've given filmmaking seminars all around the world. I've heard hundreds of story pitches. Many of them fail because their creators are not able to communicate (or even know) what their story is about. Okay, to some degree this criticism is not fair because filmmakers and writers go through this process to discover what their work is about. Nevertheless, to deepen their understanding of what they are trying to achieve and to help them articulate it, I put the attendees through an exercise I call "What's it REALLY about? Two seated people face each other. One runs the mind of the other (the writer/filmmaker) with a simple question: What's it really all about? The question is asked flatly, without judgment. A short answer then erupts. Sometimes we run this exercise for half an hour. All kinds of stuff come out, most of it rubbish, but if the writer is really willing to dive deeply, a very powerful statement often emerges that surprises everyone.
In all fairness, I run this exercise on myself about Bali Brothers: "What's it really all about?"
• It's about freedom and responsibility.
• It's about magic.
• It's about love that heals.
• It's about finding out who we really are.
It's about discovering we are even more magnificent than we think we are.
It's about two brothers who heal their differences through the beauty and magic of Bali.
It's about the incredible capacity of human beings to pull back the veil and enter new worlds.
• It's about how we might live together.
• It's about how we might create a world that benefits everyone.
It's about an amazing culture that has a great deal to teach us if we are willing to listening.
May you enjoy Bali Brothers!
Michael Wiese


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Join us for our next campus theme event of Spring term:
Diplomacy in Turbulent Times
Career diplomat and former US Ambassador to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau, Lewis Lukens will provide an overview of current global challenges and address how the US Department of State promotes US policies and protects American interests around the world. Drawing on experiences from his 27 year career as a Foreign Service officer, Lukens will offer insights on the current international situation and challenges ahead for the next administration.
Presenter: Lewis Lukens, Former US Ambassador to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau
Thursday, May 5, 2016 • 7 pm
Meese Room of the Hannon Library
Link to poster on Diplomacy in Turbulent Times
The Center for the Humanities at SOU consolidates the efforts of the departments of art, communication, language, literature, and philosophy, history, music, and theatre to promote the arts and humanities on the SOU campus and in the community.
The Center for the Humanities is the main organizing group for the SOU Campus Theme Activities.
Each year, the Center for the Humanities selects, with the support of other campus groups, a thematic focus for the year and coordinates lectures, courses and other events around that theme.
2015-16 Theme: Campus Theme: Exploring Reality
Previous Themes
2014-15 Revolution
2013-14, Race
2012-13, Exploring Happiness
2011-12, Civility
20010-11, On Being Human
2009-10, Tocqueville Imagining America
Arts and Humanities Council
Dan Morris, Chair 1250 Siskiyou Blvd
Ashland, OR 97520
(541) 552-6740


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Selected Alternative Map
Design Public Meeting Map (U-4751) Sheet 1
Design Public Meeting Map (U-4751)Sheet 2
Design Public Meeting Map (U-4751)Interchange Detail
Final Compiled MapsUS 17 Bypass CIW (8-15-13).
The US 17 Corridor Study includes North Carolina Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) projects U-4751 and R-3300. Project U-4751 is an extension of Military Cutoff Road on new location from Market Street (US 17 Business) to the US 17 Wilmington Bypass (John Jay Burney Jr. Freeway). Project R-3300 is the US 17 bypass of Hampstead.
The final environmental document for the projects, the State Record of Decision (SROD), has been completed. The SROD formally documents the selection of Alternative M1+E-H as the proposed action for the projects.Read more.
In response to citizens' concerns, NCDOT added an additional interchange for the bypass to provide access for existing US 17 north of Topsail High School. This interchange north of the schools is in addition to the interchange south of the schools presented at the August 2011 corridor public hearing and in the draft environmental impact statement.
NCDOT presented this additional interchange to the public at a citizens informational workshop held August 15, 2013 at Topsail High School in Hampstead.
Thirteen detailed study alternatives were initially developed for the proposed project. Seven of the alternatives were dropped from further consideration because of anticipated impacts to the human and natural environments. Two new location build alternatives for Military Cutoff Road Extension (M1 and M2) and four new location build alternatives for the US 17 Hampstead Bypass (E-H, O, R, and U) were studied in detail. These detailed study alternatives were shown to the public at two corridor public hearings held for the project in October 2011.
NCDOT has selected Alternative M1 as the corridor for the proposed Military Cutoff Road Extension (U-4751) and Alternative E-H as the corridor for the proposed US 17 Hampstead Bypass (R-3300). In making this selection, NCDOT reviewed all public and agency comments and preferences. Meetings were held on December 15, 2011 and May 17, 2012 with state and federal regulatory and environmental resource agencies to review the evaluation of alternatives. A consensus was reached on the Least Environmentally Damaging Practicable Alternative on June 8, 2012. NCDOT formally selected the Preferred Alternative on June 20, 2012.
Military Cutoff Road Extension Alternative M1 will extend Military Cutoff Road from Market Street to the US 17 Wilmington Bypass. The proposed roadway will begin at a proposed interchange at Military Cutoff Road and Market Street. The road will then extend to the north and northwest, ending near Plantation Road and Crooked Pine Road at a proposed interchange with the US 17 Wilmington Bypass, approximately midway between I-40 and Market Street. This alternative generally follows the alignment shown on the August 2005 official transportation corridor map adopted by the City of Wilmington for the proposed Military Cutoff Road Extension.
US 17 Hampstead Bypass Alternative E-H begins in New Hanover County at a proposed interchange with the US 17 Wilmington Bypass. The proposed roadway will extend from the US 17 Wilmington Bypass northwest past Sidbury Road into Pender County. The alternative then turns to the northeast and continues to a proposed interchange with NC 210. From this interchange, the proposed bypass extends northeast and crosses Hoover Road north of South Topsail Elementary School. The project continues northeast behind the Topsail Schools complex and then turns east to tie into existing US 17 near Leeward Lane. The proposed road continues north on existing US 17 to Sloop Point Loop Road. Alternative E-H follows the alignment shown on the November 2011 official transportation corridor map adopted by the Wilmington Area Metropolitan Planning Organization for the proposed US 17 Hampstead Bypass.
NCDOT has prepared a State Record of Decision (SROD). The SROD formally documents the selection of Alternative M1+E-H as the proposed action for the projects. This selection was based on the analysis and evaluation contained in the July 2014 Final Environmental Impact Statement and after careful consideration of all social, economic and environmental factors and input from the public.
Hard copies of the SROD are available for public review at the following locations:
The SROD is also available for download at this link.
A Design Public Hearing for Hampstead Bypass will be scheduled at a future date. This future hearing will present updated information regarding access to properties near the proposed bypass.
For more information click the links below:
The purpose of the project is to improve the traffic carrying capacity and safety of the US 17 and Market Street corridors in the project area.
The US 17 Corridor Study Team, consisting of federal, state and local agency representatives, reviewed the results of analyses for the detailed study alternatives. Potential environmental, social and economic effects were evaluated to identify the alternative that best meets the purpose and need of the project while minimizing negative impacts. The Study Team also considered input provided by the public. This included comments from the Citizens Informational Workshops and public hearings, and the public agencies involved with the project. Refer to the Description section above for the Selected Alternative Map and more details.
The US 17 Corridor Study Team follows the Merger Process to reach concurrence at critical milestones related to project development and permitting.
Public involvement is an important part of the planning process. NCDOT encourages citizen involvement with transportation projects and considers your suggestions and will address your concerns. Several opportunities for providing input have been provided during the development of the proposed project.
Citizens informational workshops were held on April 23, 2007 in Hampstead and on April 24, 2007 in Wilmington. A total of 174 participants signed in at the workshops. In 2011, a Citizens Open House and Corridor Public Hearing was held on October 17 in Wilmington and on October 18 in Hampstead. Over 380 citizens attended the Public Hearings. A Design Public Meeting was held for the proposed Military Cutoff Road Extension (Project U-4751) on August 28, 2012 in Wilmington. A citizens informational workshop was held for the proposed US 17 Hampstead Bypass (Project R-3300) on August 15, 2013 in Hampstead. A Design Public Hearing will be held for the proposed Hampstead Bypass in the future.
Five newsletters have been mailed to those on the project mailing list to provide updates on the project's progress. See the Newsletters section above for details and to download earlier newsletters.
To have your name added to the project mailing list, please get in touch with one of the project contacts or submit your information via the project Contact Us form below. A toll free project information telephone number is also listed in the Contact Information section below.
Right of way acquisition for the proposed Military Cutoff Road Extension is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2015. See the Project Schedule section of this website for additional schedule information.
A Design Public Hearing will be held for the US 17 Hampstead Bypass project at a later date, following the completion of the SROD. More detailed information will be available on this project at that hearing.
Any state or federal agency proposing a project that uses public funds and may have a potential detrimental environmental effect must comply with the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) or the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Under SEPA/NEPA, agencies are required to evaluate the environmental impacts of their proposals. The evaluation generally follows a project development process that can be divided into the steps described in the Project Development Process .
Toll Free Project Information Line: 1-866-841-4420
Kim Gillespie, PENCDOT Project Development and Environmental Analysis
Liz Kovasckitz, AICPMulkey Engineers & Consultants
In many cases, it is inevitable that a certain amount of private property must be acquired. The displacement of homes and businesses is minimized to the extent practicable. The following brochures will answer questions about this process.


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The big white tents are up, the sun is out, the schedule is set, and we're seeing the first waves of Denisonians who are trekking back to Granville for a weekend of fun, food, music, events, and, best of all, catching up with dear friends.
If you can't make it back to campus this year, you can follow the action live on Twitter at #DUreunion11. And there's a "virtual reunion" on Denison's Flickr site, where you can see the fresh photos that will be posted throughout the weekend.
Check back next week to see the full re-cap. Here we go!


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The journey of Stanley and Kensly Printemps Owens started years ago when their mother left them at an orphanage in Haiti. Kensly, now 9, remembers the day.
"I was crying really hard when I got there," Kensly says in the living room of his adoptive family's home in suburban Pittsburgh. After their father died, "we didn't have enough money to take care of all of us."
Their mother visited, but always went home - alone.
At the memory, Kensly cries. Adoptive mother Carmen Owens tenderly leads the boy to another room. They talk in gentle tones that make clear Kensly has two mothers in two lands.


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'Most Wanted' fugitive apprehended
A woman wanted by the Erie County Sheriff's Office for a probation violation was apprehended by Erie police on Saturday, deputies said today.
Neelyn M. Pinkston, 53, was featured in the July 24 Erie Times-News Most Wanted. She is the 779th fugitive to be apprehended since the feature began in March 2004.


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July 5, 2011
Minutes from ECF Executive Board meeting on July 2 and 3, 2011 at Munich, Germany
At its recent meeting on July 2 and 3, 2011 at Munich, Germany, the ECF Executive Board discussed respectively agreed the following:
The ECF Executive Board has recognized the resignation of the President, Mr Andrew Ferguson-Smith for personal reasons. The Board feels sorry for his decision, but at the same time wants to thank him for his services to the ECF and European curling. The Board wishes Andrew Ferguson-Smith all the best for his future as well as good health.
The Executive Board has also confirmed that Mr. Olli Rissanen is now the acting President of the ECF, and the unanimous recommendation of the Board is that Mr. Rissanen would continue to do so until the next scheduled elections in December 2012.
However, as this current situation is not clearly regulated in the ECF constitution, the Board feels it fair and right towards the Member Associations that the President´s vacancy (for one year) will be officially confirmed in an election at the Annual General Meeting of the ECF in Moscow, Russia in December 2011. According to the Constitution the Member Associations may also nominate other candidates for this vacancy.
The ECF Executive Board has unanimously agreed to recommend to the next Annual General Meeting that the following mission statement be adopted to the ECF constitution:
MISSION of the European Curling Federation:To unite Member Associations throughout Europe and uphold the interests of European curling.
This will be achieved by:
The ECF will at its earliest convenience issue a separate statement on this subject.
The dates of the European Curling Championships 2012 at Karlstad, Sweden have been confirmed. These are: December 7-15, 2012.
As of 2013 the European Curling Championships will take place in the last week of November.
The following issues/projects are currently dealt with by the ECF Executive Board:
An ECF Open Meeting will take place during the European Curling Championships 2011 at Moscow, Russia. Time and location will be announced in due course.


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A three-year epidemic of legionnaires' disease in a hospital was dramatically curtailed following hyperchlorination of the potable water supply. The hypothesis that potable water was the source for the outbreak was further supported by isolation of Legionella pneumophila (the agent of legionnaires' disease) from the hospital water supply, observation that a sudden upsurge had occurred in the number of cases following a peculiar manipulation of the hospital water system, and documentation of a 30-fold increase in concentration of organisms in the water when this manipulation was artificially recreated. Thus, potable water may be an important source of epidemic legionnaires' disease and continuous hyperchlorination a method of control.
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We begin life built on the same blueprint as a Slinky. The younger the kid, the more pliable he is.
Six-year-olds shinny up door frames, prickly pear trees and the occasional cactus plant by some sort of trick of fluid elasticity.
Two-year-olds wriggle into corners where you didn't know corners existed and slide under spaces where you can't see spaces.
Babies are so flexible that they jam their chubby little feet into their chubby little mouths.
I no longer shinny up anything. Wriggling is restricted to pulling up and buttoning my pants.
Should I be crazy enough to lie down and try to aim a foot toward my mouth, you'd hear the clankety-sproing sound a Slinky makes, and I'd end up in traction for three months.
We, uh, more mature types lumber about with the same agility as a battered, rusty mailbox - only we're louder around the hinges.
I used to wonder why old people made so much noise getting up out of chairs. Now I know. And I'm a little tired of the way youngsters cover their ears as I oof and grunt and crackle my way to an almost upright position.
My chiropractor constantly reminds me that it's still possible even in my advanced middle agedom to do so. All I need to do is stretch, stretch, streeeetch.
I can do a fair amount of sagging, but the only thing that stretches is my imagination when I fantasize over the possibility of touching my toes. I've reached that golden age where I have to warm up in order to do warmups.
There was a time when I could roll out of bed and hit the ground running. Now I'd just hit the ground.
"Why are you still in bed?" my wife asks.
"I'm stretching."
"To get out of bed?"
"Not yet. I'm stretching my toes. After they get loose - oof - I'll work on bending my knees. Then - ouch - I can begin the stretches so I can - ugh - twist - argh - over here so that maybe I can slide one leg - oomba - over the side of the mattress, and then"
"And then you'll get out of bed?"
"No. Then I'll take a nap before trying to limber up the other leg. I should be up and at 'em in another 45 minutes or so. Now hand me that tube of BioFreeze. I think I pulled an ambition muscle."
It's ridiculous. We used to glide like well-oiled machines. Now we're rusted.
"You should sign up for a yoga class," a young, well-meaning former friend told me.
Can you imagine a yoga class full of my ilk? It would sound like an orchestra of Rice Krispies.
I've studied some yoga stretches and as I near as I can tell, the goal is to bend yourself into shapes pretzels never thought of. We'd be good at that, only not on purpose.
Once we tried to force a limb or torso or appendage in such a manner, a great twanging would drown out the snaps, crackles and pops. That would be my muscles rolling up like window blinds. I'd crinkle into shapes that neither pretzels nor yoga ever thought of.
That's when my grandson - who is 4 and as pliable as a rubber band, only more flexible - would dive through the oddly shaped twists and turns like I was a heap of rusted playground equipment.
I just hope he doesn't push me down the stairs. My Slinky slunk off long ago.
---- Write Cole at email@example.com or on the Burton W. Cole page on Facebook.


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There's so much to do this week that has nothing to do with theater - tracking Santa, wrapping presents, last minute shopping, cookie baking – the list goes on and on. Luckily, with Christmas in the middle of the week, that still leaves time to unwind and enjoy some theater this weekend.
This week's listings include frivolous family fun, a more serious adult offering, an educational kid's show that's Pure Michigan, and a show worth travelling for. So, when you're done decking those halls, get out to your favorite local theater, and enjoy some much deserved rest and relaxation.
Show: "Wolverine Will" by Carla Milarch, one-time event, December 28, 1 p.m.
Company: Performance Network Theatre
Type of Company: Professional Children's Theatre
Venue/location: Performance Network Theatre, 120 E. Huron, Ann Arbor
Recommended Ages: 5+
Description: From lumberjacks to lugnuts, the bumbling and lovable Wolverine Will takes you on a whirlwind tour of Michigan history. From the earliest migrations of the Native Americans, to our unusual journey to statehood, to the innovations of Henry Ford, Michigan's native son uses music and laughter to tell some of the greatest stories of our great state.More information
Fun Fact: Performance Network Associate Artist Phil Powers stars as Will.
For tickets and information: www.performancenetwork.org/, 734-663-0681
Show: "Gruesome Playground Injuries" by Rajiv Joseph, December 27 & 28, 8pm
Company: (seventhreefour) Productions
Type of Company: Professional Non-Equity
Venue/location: A2CT Studio Theater, 322 West Ann St., Ann Arbor
Recommended Ages: 16+
Description: Gruesome Playground Injuries follows childhood friends Doug and Kayleen for 30 years as they move in and out of each other's lives, relating the variety of injuries that bring them together. From the school nurse's office to the hospital, Doug and Kayleen compare both their physical scars and the damage that goes far deeper.
Fun Fact: (seventhreefour) Productions is a newly-formed theater company hailing from New York City. It was founded by four Ann Arborites who settled in New York after completing degrees in theater and film. Director Gabriel Frye-Behar and actor Sasha Lazare are graduates of the prestigious Tisch School of the Arts at New York University; director James Leaf is a graduate of Harvard, and actor Max Rasmussen is a graduate of the renowned Musical Theater program at Western Michigan University. The company's first production, Gruesome Playground Injuries, completed a sold-out run at NYC's Under St. Mark's Place Theatre in mid-December.
For tickets and information: 734-945-2271, email@example.com
Show: "Jerry's Girls" music and lyrics by Jerry Herman, concept by Larry Alford, Wayne Cilento, and Jerry Herman, through January 5
Company: Performance Network Theatre
Type of Company: Professional Equity SPT
Venue/location: Performance Network Theatre, 120 East Huron, Ann Arbor
Recommended Ages: 8+
Description: Fabulous, flamboyant and fun for the whole family, JERRY'S GIRLS is the larger than life musical revue of Jerry Herman. Winner of four Tony Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement of Theatre, Jerry Herman and his music are synonymous with some of Broadway's biggest hits – "Hello Dolly," "Mame," "La Cage Aux Folle," and more! Complete with production numbers, tap dancing, and a little bit of drag – it is the perfect holiday excursion. More info
Fun Fact: Musical Director R. MacKenzie Lewis works all over the country, including the Kennedy Center, and recently New York's Hangar Theater, where he was nominated for "Best Musical Direction" by BroadwayWorld.com.
For tickets and information: 734-663-0681, www. Performancenetwork.org
Worth travelling for: Ann Arborites have become familiar with the work of actor John Manfredit ("A Picasso" and "An Illiad" at Performance Network) and Michigan playwright Joseph Zettelmaier ("Dead Man's Shoes" and "It Came From Mars" among others). Now, the two team up in a world premiere at yet another Michigan theater, The Jewish Ensemble Theatre in West Bloomfield. Developed in part at Performance Network's 2010 Fireside New Play Festival, "The Scullery Maid" is Zettelmaier's take on King Edward III, and for new play lovers, should definitely be worth the trip.
Show: "The Scullery Maid" by Joseph Zettelmaier
Company: The Jewish Ensemble Theatre
Type of Company: Professional Equity,
Venue/location: Aaron Deroy Theatre, 6600 West Maple, West Bloomfield
Recommended Ages: 16+
Description: Michigan's premier playwright and four-time nominee for The American Theatre Critics' Award for the Best New Play has written about a Jewish Scullery maid named Miriam, trapped in the castle of King Edward III. The year is 1360, and Miriam is doing double-duty as a cook, since the Black Plague has wiped out so many people. Now she has access to two things: the King, and a terrible secret about her father, putting her on a collision course with history. This dazzling adventure story combines raw human emotions with urgent, important questions about the meaning of freedom, family, religion, loyalty and survival.
Fun Fact: "This amazing play takes us back to a time when Jewish existence hung by a thread throughout Europe. These were the darkest of dark ages and JET is proud to shine some light upon them." -David Magidson, JET Artistic Director
For tickets and information: 248-788-2900, www.jettheatre.org
Carla Milarch writes about theater for MLive.com/The Ann Arbor News. Email her
at email@example.com