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FAQs about Peace Corps in El Salvador
|FAQs about Peace Corps
For information see Welcomebooks
- 1 How much luggage will I be allowed to bring to El Salvador?
- 2 What is the electric current in El Salvador?
- 3 How much money should I bring?
- 4 When can I take vacation and have people visit me?
- 5 Will my belongings be covered by insurance?
- 6 Do I need an international driver's license?
- 7 What should I bring as gifts for El Salvador friends and my host family?
- 8 Where will my site assignment be when I finish training and how isolated will I be?
- 9 How can my family contact me in an emergency?
- 10 Can I call home from El Salvador?
- 11 Should I bring a cellular phone with me?
- 12 Will there be e-mail and Internet access? Should I bring my computer?
How much luggage will I be allowed to bring to El Salvador?
Most airlines have baggage size and weight limits and assess charges for transport of baggage that exceeds this allowance. The Peace Corps has its own size and weight limitations, and will not pay the cost of transport for baggage that exceeds these limitations. The authorized baggage allowance is two checked pieces of luggage with combined dimensions of both pieces not to exceed 107 inches (length + width + height) and a carry-on bag with dimensions of no more than 45 inches. Checked baggage should not exceed 80 pounds total with a maximum weight allowance of 70 pounds for any one bag.
Peace Corps Volunteers are not allowed to take pets, weapons, explosives, radio transmitters (shortwave radios are permitted), automobiles, or motorcycles to their overseas assignments. Do not pack flammable materials or liquids such as lighter fluid, cleaning solvents, hair spray, or aerosol containers. Any sharp objects including pocketknives, scissors or even tweezers should be packed in checked luggage. Security requirements for luggage may change. Please check with the Federal Aviation Administration http://www.faa.gov for updates on luggage security.
What is the electric current in El Salvador?
The electric voltage is 110v, the same as in the United States.
How much money should I bring?
Volunteers are expected to live at the same level as the people in their community. They are given a settling-in allowance and a monthly living allowance, which should cover their expenses. Often Volunteers wish to bring additional money for vacation travel to other countries. Credit cards or debit cards are preferable to cash. Traveler's checks can be difficult to change and banks will generally charge a fee for cashing them. If you choose to bring extra money, plan on bringing the amount that suits your own personal travel plans and needs.
When can I take vacation and have people visit me?
Each Volunteer accrues two vacation days per month of service (excluding training). Leave may not be taken during training, the first three months of service, or the last three months of service, except in conjunction with an authorized emergency leave. Family and friends are welcome to visit you after pre-service training and the first 3 months of service as long as their stay does not interfere with your work. Extended stays at your site are not encouraged and may require permission from your country director. The Peace Corps is not able to provide your visitors with visa or travel assistance.
Will my belongings be covered by insurance?
The Peace Corps does not provide insurance coverage for personal effects. However, such insurance can be purchased before you leave. Ultimately, Volunteers are responsible for the safekeeping of their personal belongings. If you wish, you may contact your own insurance company; additionally, insurance application will be given to you, and we encourage you to consider them carefully. Additional information about insurance should be obtained by calling the company directly.
Volunteers should not ship or take valuable items overseas. Jewelry, watches, radios, cameras, and expensive appliances are subject to loss, theft, and breakage, and in many places, satisfactory maintenance and repair services are not available.
Do I need an international driver's license?
Volunteers in El Salvador do not need to get an international driver's license. Operation of privately owned vehicles is prohibited. Most urban travel is by bus or taxi. Rural travel ranges from buses, to mini-buses, to trucks, to a lot of walking. On very rare occasions, a Volunteer may be asked to drive a sponsor's vehicle. But this is only with prior written permission of the country director. Should this occur, the Volunteer may obtain a local driver's license. Your U.S. driver's license will facilitate the process, so bring it with you just in case.
What should I bring as gifts for El Salvador friends and my host family?
This is not a requirement. A token of friendship is sufficient. Some gift suggestions include: knickknacks for the house; pictures, books, or calendars of American scenes; souvenirs from your area; hard candies that will not melt or spoil; or photos to give away.
Where will my site assignment be when I finish training and how isolated will I be?
Peace Corps trainees are not assigned to individual sites until after they have completed their pre-service training. This gives the Peace Corps staff the opportunity to assess each trainee's technical and language skills prior to assigning sites, in addition to finalizing site selections with their ministry counterparts. If feasible, you may have the opportunity to provide input on your site preferences, including geographical location, distance from other Volunteers, or living conditions. However, keep in mind that many factors influence the site selection process and that the Peace Corps cannot guarantee placement where you might ideally like to be. Most Volunteers will live in small towns or in rural villages, but will usually be within 1 hour from the nearest Volunteer. Some sites will require a 6 to 10 hour drive from the capital. There will be at least one Volunteer based in each of the regional capitals, and Volunteers may work in the capital city.
How can my family contact me in an emergency?
The Peace Corps' Office of Special Services provides assistance in handling emergencies affecting trainees and Volunteers or their families. Before leaving the United States, you should instruct your family to notify the Office of Special Services immediately if an emergency arises, such as a serious illness or death of a family member. During normal business hours, the number for the Office of Special Services is 800.424.8580, extension 1470. After normal business hours and on weekends and holidays, the Special Services duty officer can be reached at 202.638.2574.
For non-emergency questions, your family can get information from your country desk staff at the Peace Corps by calling 800.424.8580.
Can I call home from El Salvador?
The international phone service to and from El Salvador has improved tremendously in the last few years. AT&T, Sprint, and MCI can be accessed, but most Volunteers are opting for phone cards from local companies to call the United States.
Should I bring a cellular phone with me?
It is best to wait and see if there is coverage in your site and then decide if you want to buy a cellular phone here. There are several companies, the phones are relatively cheap, and almost all Volunteers have bought them here. If you already have a cellphone, you might bring it with you. Many phones with a removeable SIM chip can be "reprogrammed" by buying a local company's cellphone SIM chip and inserting it into the phone.
Will there be e-mail and Internet access? Should I bring my computer?
E-mail and Internet access are becoming more common and widespread and frequently used by the Volunteers, although they may need to travel a bit to access. Every department has Internet facilities so e-mail is never more than two hours away and most often closer. Some Volunteers have their laptops here and appreciate having brought them. This mostly depends on your personal interest, as it is seldom a necessity for your eventual work here. Volunteers who bring computers save travel time by doing non-internet computer tasks at home. Tigo internet cards are now available and have signal almost every where in the country. Thus, if you have cell phone service in your site you are able to have internet. its 30 dollars a month for unlimited access.


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Hawaii's unemployment rate rose to a seasonally adjusted 4.5 percent last month.
The state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations said Monday the jobless rate edged 0.1 percentage point higher from 4.4 percent in November.
The department says the trade, transportation and utilities sectors lost jobs during December as did educational and health services.
The construction and hospitality industries both added jobs.
The state unemployment rate has either stayed the same or went up month-over-month since August 2013. The came after six straight months of unemployment rate declines.
Year-over-year, December's jobless rate was down from 5.1 percent in 2012. In 2011, December's unemployment rate was at 6.4 percent.
Nationally, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stood at 6.7 percent last month, down from 7.0 percent in November.
Click here for the states with the lowest unemployment rates.

subset: commoncrawl


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At this storage facility, the upscale cars get top-notch service. Owner James Machinist makes sure his team pays special attention to the wheels. James Machinist "Every time you hit the brakes, brake dust gets on the wheels. Every time you hit a rock, it chips the wheel. Every time it rains, the road gunk comes up and gets on the wheel." While few people have extra cars in storage, keeping your wheels clean can prevent them from dulling or getting damaged. Consumer Reports tested five cleaners designed for cleaning wheels, from names like ArmorAll and Black Magic. All promise to get rid of "brake dust and grime." The spray-on, hose-off cleaners cost anywhere from five to seven dollars. To test, Bernie Deitrick took "before" pictures and then went to work. He wiped off some dirt "for the record" - applied each cleaner as directed -and waited. He rinsed … and wiped the tire with a second cloth so he could compare "before" and "after" dirt. Bernie Deitrick,"During the test, I didn't use a brush with these products because I wanted to see how well the product itself worked." Turns out none of the products delivered dazzling results without brushing. To get that required some scrubbing. Bernie Deitrick,"There are better options than these wheel cleaners. If you're going to have to brush to get good results, you might as well start with a less expensive product that gives good results with brushing." The ZEP degreaser Bernie used costs a lot less - about 10 dollars for a gallon. That's just pennies per wheel! " .
Wheel Cleaners 10/29/12
Published On: Nov 02 2012 10:25:00 PM CDT
Copyright 2012 by WKBT News8000. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The views expressed are not those of this company or its affiliated companies. Please note by clicking on "Post" you acknowledge that you have read the Terms Of Service and the comment you are posting is in compliance with such terms.


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Saeed al-Shihri, deputy leader of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula in a photo from undated video posted on a militant-leaning Web site in January 2009, and provided by the SITE Intelligence Group.
SANAA, Yemen — Al-Qaida's No. 2 in Yemen died in a U.S. drone attack last year in southern Yemen, the country's official news agency and a security official said Thursday.
Saeed al-Shihri, a Saudi national who fought in Afghanistan and spent six years in the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, was wounded in a missile attack in the southern city of Saada on Oct. 28, according to SABA news agency.
The agency said that he had fallen into a coma since then. It was not clear when he actually died.
A security official said that the missile had been fired by a U.S.-operated, unmanned drone aircraft. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.
Yemen had previously announced al-Shihri's death in a Sept. 10 drone attack in the province of Hadramawt. A subsequent DNA test however proved that the body recovered was not that of al-Shihri.
On Oct. 22, al-Shihri denied his own death in audio message posted on Jihadi websites.
Also known by the nom de guerre Abu Sufyan al-Azdi, he denounced at the time the Yemeni government for spreading the "rumor about my death ... as though the killing of the mujahideen (holy warriors) by America is a victory to Islam and Muslims."
Al-Shihri went through Saudi Arabia's famous "rehabilitation" institutes after he returned to his home country, but then he fled to Yemen and became deputy to Nasser al-Wahishi, the leader of an al-Qaida group.
John Moore / Getty Images
President Obama's one-year deadline to close the facility has long passed as shutting it down has proven complicated and controversial.
Al-Shihri's death is considered a major blow to al-Qaida's Yemen branch, known as al-Qaida in The Arabian Peninsula. Washington considers it the most dangerous of the group's offshoots.
Al-Qaida in Yemen has been linked to several attempted attacks on U.S. targets, including the foiled Christmas Day 2009 bombing of an airliner over Detroit and explosives-laden parcels intercepted aboard cargo flights last year.
In 2011, a high-profile U.S. drone strike killed U.S.-born Anwar al-Awlaki, who had been linked to the planning and execution of several attacks targeting U.S. and Western interests, including the attempt to down a Detroit-bound airliner in 2009 and the plot to bomb cargo planes in 2010.
Yemen, the Arab world's poorest nation, has fallen into lawlessness since the start of an uprising in 2011, when millions of Yemenis took to the streets demanding the ouster of their longtime authoritarian ruler Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Al-Qaida militants exploited the unrest and took control of large swaths of land in the south until last spring, when the military, backed by the U.S., managed to drive hundreds of militants out of major cities and towns.
Since then, the group has carried out deadly attacks targeting mostly security and military officials, including suicide bombings that targeted military and security compounds.


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Drugs and distractionMay 15,2014Fifty percent of incarcerated Vermonters, men and women, are functionally
illiterate, whether in Vermont prisons or elsewhere (Kentucky, Missouri, Texas).
Almost all became public school dropouts who experienced school failure consistently, beginning with the primary grades.
Typically, they initially were labeled attention-deficit disorder, or learning-disabled, although new labels proliferate the point being
that school administrators often insist upon parents taking their nonfunctioning student-children to medical specialists for medications, ostensibly so they could then learn. Typically, that involves one brief diagnostic evaluation, followed immediately by intense medication, usually Ritalin, currently known as street cocaine or St. Coke.
A significant, documentable percentage of Vermonters became incarcerated for an offense that occurred while they were impaired by drugs and/or alcohol. And as could be documented, the very large majority of incarcerated Vermonters, in or out of Vermont, are maintained on heavy-duty psychiatric drugs to keep them quiet. Anyone doubting, or wondering about, the prolific use of medication by corrections need only observe the bumper-to-bumper med lines every morning and evening. Obviously, not even politicians would be permitted to observe the damning lines (of the damned). Although 40 years ago, when I was a full-time corrections psychologist and Sen. Richard Sears was a full-time guard, meds in corrections were used but had not proliferated.
Prior to becoming a psychologist in 1964 with the Vermont Department of Health, I worked six years as a special ed teacher in Pennsylvania, New York and Ohio. Three of those years I taught a class of severely disabled kids, ages 5 to 12. Impairments ranged from quadriplegia, traumatic brain injury, legal blindness, cerebral palsy, but all were disabled and distractible. The point is I found it useful to determine how they learned and taught them accordingly.
If a child was distractible, we removed the distraction, whether visual or audio.
If a child rotated letters or words, we used large print sight-saving books, which I simultaneously tape recorded to double the input for the student. If a child had further tactile dysfunction or reversals, we used wet sand to learn words with fingers and did the same for seat work, with modeling clay.
In short, and this was before the era of pharmaceutical education, the kids thrived on success, and success is infinitely less expensive than failure. A highly significant percentage of the aforementioned corrections inmates return to jail for a new offense within one year of release.
It would be highly useful if anyone questioning the incredible proliferation of medical drugging in prisons or in elementary schools were able to visit any elementary school and check the audio and visual distractibility of the typical classroom or library, i.e. elbow-to-elbow circular student work tables and completely distracting wall decorations.
After doing this, then go to the University of Vermont and visit the medical school library, which is characterized by silence and by screens in front of and alongside every medical student or researching physicians computer. Pretty amazing that mature and hard-working medical students require freedom from distraction and elementary students of energy do not. (I typically had highly energetic recesses, mid-morn, noon and midday, but the classroom was quiet.)
Food for thought. None of the aforementioned need cost the taxpayer anything in terms of schools and effective education of children. But the inexcusable failure of corrections, in concert with drugging without accountability, will continue to injure inmates and taxpayers.
J. David Egner is a psychologist with a practice in Rutland.MORE IN CommentarySure, you can buy your uncle a necktie that he wont wear, or your niece an Amazon certificate... Full StoryA lot of serious long-term national issues simply werent addressed in the recent national election. Full StoryI have written on the anomaly of the separation of the private and public sectors in our society,... Full Story
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"Exploring Size - Measure Yourself" is a hands-on activity in which visitors mark their height on a height chart and discover how tall they are in nanometers. They learn that although being a billion nanometers tall sounds impressive, it doesn't mean they're super tall: it means a nanometer is super small. Visitors can also measure their hands in nanometers.
- A nanometer is a billionth of a meter.
- Nanometer-sized things are very small, and often behave differently than larger things do.
NISE Network products are developed through an iterative collaborative process that includes scientific review, peer review, and visitor evaluation in accordance with an inclusive audiences approach. Products are designed to be easily edited and adapted for different audiences under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike license. To learn more, visit our Development Process page.


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Wednesday, 25 May 2011
First South-East Europe World Heritage Youth Forum
The First South-East Europe World Heritage Youth Forum is currently underway with the theme 'World Heritage education: Networking for a ...
Friday, 20 May 2011
Parks Canada wins conservation award; celebrates 100 years
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre would like to congratulate Parks Canada on its 100th anniversary, and for receiving the Gift to the Earth award from ...
Friday, 20 May 2011
[in French only] Formation intensive pour gestionnaires francophones de sites patrimoniaux
[in French only] « Construire ensemble l'avenir des sites patrimoniaux : élaborer et mettre en œuvre une gestion durable pour ...
Thursday, 19 May 2011
International Conference "What is the fate of Public Art?"
In celebration of the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development On the 19th and 20th May 2011, the World Heritage Centre of ...
Wednesday, 18 May 2011
Anti-Poaching Patrols to continue at Niokolo Koba National Park, thanks to Rapid Response Facility emergency support
Niokolo Koba National Park in Senegal was inscribed onto the List of World Heritage sites In Danger in 2007 due in large part to intensive poaching ...
Wednesday, 18 May 2011
Ashgabat Agreement: representatives and experts of twelve Asian countries outline the Silk Roads Heritage Corridors approach for the future Serial and Trans-boundary World Heritage Nomination
Some fifty potential Silk Roads Heritage Corridors have been identified, with twenty corridors being considered as a medium priority, while ...
Monday, 16 May 2011
UNESCO World Heritage sites iPhone and iPad Application from HarperCollins
UNESCO and HarperCollins Publishers are pleased to announce the release of the world's first fully comprehensive World Heritage sites application ...
Friday, 13 May 2011
World Migratory Bird Day 2011 observed 14-15 May in over 50 countries
The theme for World Migratory Bird Day 2011, celebrated around the world on 14-15 May, is ' Land use changes from a bird's-eye view ' and it ...
Wednesday, 11 May 2011
Dr Kenton R. Miller, nature conservation leader and former IUCN Director General, dies
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre and IUCN are deeply saddened by the loss of one of nature conservation's leading lights. Dr Kenton ...
Tuesday, 10 May 2011
Human - Elephant conflict: Rapid Response Facility awards emergency grant to the Wildlife Conservation Society of Tanzania
The UNESCO - FFI - UNF Rapid Response Facility awarded an emergency grant to the Wildlife Conservation Society of Tanzania this week in response to ...
Thursday, 5 May 2011
Forty-two sites to be considered for inscription on UNESCO's World Heritage List in June
Remarkable natural and cultural properties from 40 countries will be considered for inscription on UNESCO's World Heritage List during the ...
Wednesday, 4 May 2011
Jaeger-LeCoultre auction proceeds support Malpelo Fauna and Flora Sanctuary
From 18-22 April 2011, the Swiss watch manufacturer Jaeger-LeCoultre organized its third online auction for the benefit of World Heritage marine ...


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The average cost for a Ignition Wire Set Replacement is between $176 and $331. Labor costs are estimated between $132 and $167 while parts are priced between $44 and $164. Get a personalized estimate based on your location and specific car. Estimate does not include taxes and fees.
Ignition Wire Set Replacement Cost for Chevrolet G Series Van (G30)
Ignition Wire Set Replacement Estimate (National Average)
Validated estimate range for national average.
View Estimate Details
Parts & Labor Breakdown
Labor: $132 - $167
Parts: $44 - $164
Estimate does not include taxes and fees.
Best Practices
Ignition wire failure can be caused by failures elsewhere in the ignition system. The ignition coils and spark plugs should be thoroughly inspected and tested.
We recommend replacing the ignition wires if they have more than 60,000 miles on them and especially if other ignition components are being replaced.
Common Symptoms
Oil or coolant leaks can damage ignition wires. To prevent reoccurring problems, the leaks will need to be repaired along with the ignition wires.
Failing ignition wires can cause the engine to run roughly or a lack of power upon acceleration.The Check Engine Light will often flash when the engine is misfiring—continuing to drive under these conditions can damage the catalytic converter.
Last step before receiving your estimate:
* Estimate for all Chevrolet G Series Van (G30) model years. Get a more accurate price by entering in your year.


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I've been pumping at work every 2.5 hours to 3 hours. On the days I'm home, I am so engorged!! Should I be pumping every 4 hrs instead?
I've been pumping at work every 2.5 hours to 3 hours. On the days I'm home, I am so engorged!! Should I be pumping every 4 hrs instead?
Pump as many times as your baby is eating when you aren't there. Pumping more than that (unless you are like me and can't get enough that way) will lead to over supply. how old is your lo? how long have u been back at work?
Mom to Gage 12/28/06
Wife to Trinity 6/21/03 my best friend
ed for year, finally done!!!!
for more than a year now!
I've been back to work for 3 weeks now. At first I was worried I wasn't pumping enough since they barely had enough (my husband and sitter) for the day, so that's when I upped it to 2.5-3 hrs apart. Josh is now 10 weeks old and is a big boy! He is 14 pounds and 90th percentile. Do you think I should continue with the current pumping time frame ? I probably have 3 oz leftover each day.
If you have too much milk you can reduce the pumping to slow down your supply or you can freeze it to build your milk stash (for emergencies or when you get sick, etc). Also, if you have extra you can donate it to LOs that need it. Here is a link on the topic: http://forums.llli.org/showthread.ph...=milk+donating
Samantha: born 3 1/2 weeks early on Sept 2006 6lbs 4 oz 18 inches long with situs inversus totalis. Now a strong healthy little girl that wants to be a NICU doctor, loves her little sister and breastfeeds her dolls!
Milk donated with while nursing first LO: 2,200 oz
Alexandra: born 3 weeks early on July 2010 7lbs 8 oz 19.5 inches long.
Milk donated with while nursing first LO: 1,200
For information on becoming a Breastmilk Donor http://hmbana.org/index/donatemilk
I think you should keep up your current schedule. LO will hit a growth spurt and you'll be glad you have the extra 3 oz. - I promise!


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Her fevers 103.7 Dr. says to bring her to er if it doesn't get better.
Her fevers 103.7 Dr. says to bring her to er if it doesn't get better.
Should I switch from tylenol to motrin. I am worried b/c shes not eating too.
Did the fever come down. Hope all is well.
Its gone way down to 99.0. Thank God! I was worried. She hasn't eaten much, do you think I should pump to keep up my suppl?. She has had some wets and drooling so I know shes okay. Thanks guys
Definitely, when she's eating again she will probably be HUNGRY.. so the last thing you need is supply issues. Plus it will give you something to do to keep from worrying. I know how it is my lo just had her first cold and I spent all night feeling her and wondering if the fever was coming back. I nearly sent my dh crazy.
Finally got a computer and wanted to see how your LO was doing?
We use Motrin even though out ped says not to give it to lo under 1yrs something about kidney issues. Anywho, you can alternate or at least we do. We use motrin and tylenol and alternate every four yours until the fever breaks and stays under 101.
I am taking dd2 to the dr tuesday I think she has a sinus infection because I can not get the stuff out of her nose.
Becky ~ 33 Dh ~ 37 (my little geek of geeks)
Dd1 ~ Brittney 5yrs aka Bunny
Ds ~ Xander 3yrs aka Xaxu
Dd2 ~ Bailie 1yr aka Dede
Still going 14months later.
1yr goal and save $2200 average.
She is much better and eating again. Although her nose has a little blood when I bulb her nose. I hope I am not going to deep, she acts like I am torturing her. I hate doing it I am afraid she'll think I am being mean. I am so glad to have her back to her old happy self.


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At Westminster College, you don't have to choose just one.
Bibek is a recent graduate of Westminster from Nepal. He double majored in economics and theatre and was active in campus life while at Westminster. During his time at Westminster, he served as a presidential ambassador, resident advisor, and campus leader.Check Out Undergraduate Life
Westminster is more than checking a box for a degree—it's a diverse network of learners, alumni, and faculty.
Each member of that network brings one-of-a-kind wisdom to the table that broadens and enriches every student's experience. This amazing network also includes graduate and professional programs that are offered with both on-campus and online options.
Fernando is a 20-year veteran fire captain and paramedic. Fernando has been actively involved in raising awareness and developing policies aimed at combating sexual violence and human trafficking. He received a Master of Public Health from Westminster and remains active in the campus community as an adjunct professor and the faculty advisor to the Tipping Point, a student club dedicated to raising awareness about sexual assault and human trafficking.
Be on his side.
KC is a world champion skier on the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team who has been competing since the age of 13. Throughout her ski career, she has been at the top of her game with numerous top-three finishes in both national and international completions. K.C. is co-founder of Jill's Legacy, a youth advisory board to the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation. K.C. completed the Project-Based MBA program at Westminster College.
Be on her team.


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Apple Pork Chops-Mayo Clinic Health System
Apple Pork Chops
Time Prep: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 6-9 minutes
Servings Total: 4 servings
What You Need:
3 Tbsp. Mrs. Dash Original Blend
4 4 oz. pork loin chops
2 Granny smith apples, peeled, seeded and cut into 8 wedges
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Make It:
SPRINKLE apples and pork chops evenly with Mrs. Dash Original Blend.
HEAT sauté pan to medium heat. Add 1 Tbsp. olive oil and cook the apples 3 minutes.
REMOVE to a plate. Add remaining olive oil and brown pork chops on both sides.
RETURN apples to pan on top of chops and cook 3 minutes turning once.
Mrs. Dash Original Blend
Pork loin chops
Granny smith apples
Olive oil
251 Total Fat
13 g Trans Fat
0 g Sodium
48 mg Potassium
465 mg
Total Carb. 10 g
Protein 23 g
Copyright 2012 by WKBT News8000. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


text: Karl Marlantes (4) tv-pg Play video Select your TV provider to log in to have full access to videos Select your TV provider See all providers Don't see your TV provider? Learn more You can access this video on the free HISTORY® app. *You must verify your TV provider towatch this video on the App Your Parental Control settings do not allow you to view this content. Karl Marlantes (4 min) tv-pg Marine Karl Marlantes left behind a Rhodes scholarship to volunteer for service in Vietnam.


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On Second Thought is a one-hour, daily news talk show that airs at 9 a.m. ET weekdays.
Relive the misadventures of headstrong orphan Anne Shirley with our marathon of the family classic "Anne of Green Gables." Sunday, December 11 at 2 PM.
The GHSA state championships for football are right around the corner. There are 16 teams left on the road to the Georgia Dome and by late Saturday night all eight champions for 2016 will be... MORE
GPB Passport is the new member benefit that provides you with extended access to an on-demand library of quality local and national public television programming, including tens of thousands of hours of your favorite programs.


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Home List of Titles Microscale structure and function of anaerobic-aerobic granules containing glycogen accumulating organisms
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.3/232581
- Title
- Microscale structure and function of anaerobic-aerobic granules containing glycogen accumulating organisms
- Author(s)
- Meyer, Rikke Louise; Saunders, Aaron Marc; Zeng, Raymond Jianxiong; Keller, Juerg; Blackall, Linda Louise
- Abstract
- The spatial arrangement and metabolic activity of 'Candidatus Competibacter phosphatis' was investigated in granular sludge from an anaerobic-aerobic sequencing batch reactor enriched for glycogen-accumulating organisms. In this process, the electron donor (acetate) and the electron acceptor (oxygen) were supplied sequentially in each phase. The organism, identified by fluorescence in situ hybridisation, was present throughout the granules; however, metabolic activity was limited to a 100-μm-thick layer immediately below the surface of the granules. To investigate the cause of this, oxygen microsensors and a novel microscale biosensor for volatile fatty acids were used in conjunction with chemical staining for intracellular storage polymers. It was found that the limited distribution of activity was caused by mass transport limitation of oxygen into the granules during the aerobic phase.
- Publication type
- Journal article
- Source
- FEMS Microbiology Ecology, Vol. 45, no. 3 (Aug 2003), pp. 253-261
- Publication year
- 2003
- FOR Code(s)
- 05 Environmental Sciences; 06 Biological Sciences; 11 Medical and Health Sciences
- Keyword(s)
- Acetic acid; Biosensor; Candidatus competibacter phosphatis; Competibacter phosphatis; Cytochemistry; Fluorescence in situ hybridization; GAO; Glycogen accumulating organisms; PHA; Polyhydroxyalkanoate; Polymer; Polyphosphate accumulating organisms; Sludge; Volatile fatty acids
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- 0168-6496
- Publisher URL
- Copyright
- Copyright © 2003 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V.
- Peer reviewed


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Dengue is fast emerging pandemic-prone viral disease in many parts of the world. Dengue flourishes in urban poor areas, suburbs and the countryside but also affects more affluent neighbourhoods in tropical and subtropical countries.
Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection causing a severe flu-like illness and, sometimes causing a potentially lethal complication called severe dengue. The incidence of dengue has increased 30-fold over the last 50 years. Up to 50-100 million infections are now estimated to occur annually in over 100 endemic countries, putting almost half of the world's population at risk.
Severe dengue (previously known as dengue haemorrhagic fever) was first recognized in the 1950s during dengue epidemics in the Philippines and Thailand. Today it affects Asian and Latin American countries and has become a leading cause of hospitalization and death among children and adults in these regions.
The full life cycle of dengue fever virus involves the role of mosquito as a transmitter (or vector) and humans as the main victim and source of infection.
Dengue guidelines, for diagnosis, treatment, prevention and control. This manual provides health professionals and programmes managers with the latest recommendations. Ref: ISBN 978 92 4 1547871
Dengue in the news!
Frequently asked questions
Photos on Dengue for download
All images on this page may be downloaded and used, provided credit is given to WHO and photographers as mentioned with individual photos


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All about Medieval Times
This is the Gatewaypage to all my informations and free downloads about Medieval Times.
Wappenrolle fuer Franken
Wappenrolle fuer Franken. Wappen aus den Gebieten des alten Fraenkischen Reichskreises.
A Medieval Novel Website
This site has info on my YA novel interspersed with the characters and history of 13th century England, Ireland and the Isle of Man. There are also many pages of history notes and a medieval fashion s ...
Odin's Castle of Dreams & Legends
An Archive of History and Historical Resources. From the Dawn of Mankind to the Space Age and everything in between. Including mythology, folklore, legends, King Arthur, Robin Hood, aviaition, maritime, ...
International Directory of Medioevo Italiano
Medieval directory, history, e.journal, discussion list.
Michael & La Rae's Medieval Realm
Links for Medieval study and fun.
The First Crusade
An overview of the First Crusade, 1095-1099 AD.
Randomality Medieval Links
A site with many useful medieval links organized by subject.
Forth Armoury
Forth Armoury provides highly authentic, affordable riveted maille, as well as do-it-yourself supplies. Drop by our web site to see our product offecommunitys, as well as our educational essays!
History of Byzantium
Byzantine Empire stood alive for more than 1000 years. All that period it received continuous blows from barbarians. It was the fortress of{;}Christian Europe, cultivated and mixed the ancient greek philosophy ...
Wagner's Sources
Sources in Medieval Literature of Wagner's RING and William Morris's SIGURD THE VOLSUNG
Historical and Fantasy costumes
This webstite is maintained by Deredere Galbraith.{;}Here you can see the medieval and renaissance costumes I've made. Some patterns and some stuf about medieval and renaissance archery. And some clothing ...
All About All Crusades
The site's name tells it all: Castles (hundreds of original pictures), Chronology, Links and Crusader related Maps, Maps, Maps (at least two new maps weekly). And more.
Medieval Studies Community Homepage
Homepage of the Medieval Studies Community that links together webpages related to authentic medieval studies and/or philosophy.
Early Prints of Medieval Warfare - Knights and Jousting/ Sieges and Battles
Rare prints of medieval knights in battle, jousting and tournament contests are offered to the publishing trade with royalty free license. Everyone is invited to enjoy the online galleries without charge. ...
Practical Blackwork
A collection of all things blackwork embroidery - history, articles, galleries, patterns, photos, links...
Privacy and Disclarmer
Related Articles
Black Dating
©2003-2009 www.RingSurf.com
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Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.3/43965
- Title
- Hubble Space Telescope imaging of the globular cluster system around NGC 5846
- Author(s)
- Forbes, Duncan A.; Brodie, Jean P.; Huchra, John P.
- Abstract
- Bimodal globular cluster metallicity distributions have now been seen in a handful of large ellipticals. Here we report the discovery of a bimodal distribution in the dominant group elliptical NGC 5846, using the Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2). The two peaks are located at V-I=0.96 and 1.17, which roughly correspond to metallicities of [Fe/H]=-1.2 and -0.2, respectively. The luminosity functions of the blue and red subpopulations appear to be the same, indicating that luminosity does not correlate with metallicity within an individual galaxy's globular cluster system. Our WFPC2 data cover three pointings allowing us to examine the spatial distribution of globular clusters out to 30 kpc (or 2.5 galaxy effective radii). We find a power law surface density with a very flat slope, and a tendency for globular clusters to align close to the galaxy minor axis. An extrapolation of the surface density profile, out to 50 kpc, gives a specific frequency S-N=4.3+/-1.1. Thus NGC 5846 has a much lower specific frequency than other dominant ellipticals in clusters but is similar to those in groups. The central galaxy regions reveal some filamentary dust features, presumably from a past merger or accretion of a gas-rich galaxy. This dust reaches to the very nucleus and so provides an obvious source of fuel for the radio core. We have searched for proto-globular clusters that may have resulted from the merger/accretion and find none. Finally, we briefly discuss the implications of our results for globular cluster formation mechanisms.
- Publication type
- Journal article
- Source
- Astronomical Journal, Vol. 113, no. 3 (Mar 1997), pp. 887-894
- Publication year
- 1997
- Keyword(s)
- Discovery; Elliptical galaxies; HST; Hubble Space Telescope; NGC 5846; Photometry; Planetary camera; Star clusters; WFPC2; Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2
- Publisher
- University of Chicago Press
- 0004-6256
- Publisher URL
- Copyright
- Copyright © 1997 The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.
- Peer reviewed


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School Rumble
That's Gone! This is Gone! Options, Gone!
Episode 20 | TV-PG
Eri clumsily clips off Harima's precious beard, but he'll bounce back if a certain someone approves. His latest comic needs some help, but the loner doesn't have anyone to turn to. Have you ever heard of a damsel helping a dork in distress?!
Official Site: www.funimation.com/shows/school-rumbleHide Details


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TopRank Express is a trading brand of the StickyWeb Technologies Ltd Group of Companies, registered in UK and in India, governed by the laws of UK and India respectively.


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News Detail
Fisher Marketing Club Wins AMA Collegiate Chapter Excellence Award
St. John Fisher College's Marketing Club, which is an official American Marketing Association (AMA) College Chapter, recently won the Collegiate Chapter Excellence Award from the Rochester Chapter of the AMA at the 2013 Pinnacle Awards on May 16.
Criteria for the award include leadership, membership, programs, development, community service, and involvement with both the Rochester chapter of AMA and the national AMA. As the winner, the College's Marketing Club will receive $1,000 to use for future club activities. The club has earned national recognition from the AMA over the past two years.


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RIM's Ultra High-Risk Waiting Game
WATERLOO, Ontario ( TheStreet) -- Troubled handset maker Research in Motion (RIMM) , which just suffered through another disappointing quarter , is trapped in an ultra high-risk waiting game.
Speaking during his first quarterly conference call since taking the RIM reins, new CEO Thorsten Heins touted the delayed QNX-based BlackBerry 10 product as key to the company's turnaround.
"The lack of an LTE product and a high-end consumer offering in this market is hurting our performance," he explained. "
The problem, though, is that the BlackBerry 10 will not appear until the second half of 2012, likely sometime in the fall. In the meantime, RIM continues to take a pounding from Apple(AAPL) , Google's(GOOG) Android phones, and, increasingly, Microsoft(MSFT) Windows phones.
"Until then, things may get ugly," warned Charlie Wolf, an analyst at Needham & Company, in a note released on Friday. "To survive, the company plans to price BlackBerry 7s aggressively, which will translate into lower revenues and gross margins. In short, RIM can effectively write off the next two or three quarters until BlackBerry 10's arrival in the fall."
"Until the fall,
Set against this backdrop, RIM shipped just 11.1 million BlackBerry devices during the fourth quarter, down sequentially from 14.1 million, and 52.3 million in the same period last year.
During the conference call, Heins said that RIM will "aggressively incentivize" payers of BlackBerry 7 smartphones, but acknowledged that the next few quarters will be challenging for the company.
With RIM clearly on the ropes, the CEO promised "substantial change" such as refocusing the RIM's enterprise efforts. Heins also explained that RIM needs to "learn how to partner," as well as boost efficiency in its supply chain and production processes.
Analysts, however, warn that rebound efforts may be too little, too late.
"BlackBerry 7 products are showing little market traction and the prospects for BlackBerry 10 remain uncertain," explained Stuart Jeffrey, an analyst at Nomura Equity Research, in a note released on Friday. "We see little likelihood of RIM succeeding as a standalone ecosystem, even if it does find some partners."
Nomura, which has a neutral rating on RIM, lowered its price target from $15 to $13.25.


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Pacific Southwest, Region 9
Serving: Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Pacific Islands, Tribal Nations
Climate Change in the Pacific Southwest
— Smart Growth and Planning
Smart Growth Awards & Assistance
The layout of a city or county and access to public transportation can hugely affect the carbon footprint and overall sustainability of the region. Infrastructure built today can last into the next century so it is crucial that as we build the world today we consider the carbon constrained world of tomorrow.
EPA Region 9 is a partner in a national initiative to develop Transit Sustainability Guidelines and case studies specifically targeting public transportation opportunities to maximize contributions to sustainable communities. The program, led by the Bay Area Rapid Transit District and supported by the American Public Transportation Association, involves 11 leading transit authorities from the U.S. and Canada. While public transportation already reduces greenhouse gas emissions by encouraging denser development and decreasing vehicle miles traveled, these guidelines will highlight best practices of transit agencies in the United States and Canada in areas ranging from planning and development of new transit lines to energy efficient operations and maintenance to increase transit's contributions to environmental sustainability.
Under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), EPA reviews environmental impact statements that analyze the impacts of federal actions. EPA Region 9 has developed recommendations for implementing smart growth principles to include in our NEPA comment letters. We have provided smart growth recommendations for projects ranging from new housing developments to military base relocations.
Transportation and Land Use Planning in California
Since 2000, EPA Region 9 has partnered with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to promote "smart growth" practices throughout California, including developing the California Regional Blueprint Planning Program. Under this program, Caltrans provides grants to promote "smart growth" concepts in planning for future growth while minimizing sprawl.
Key goals of the California Regional Blueprint Planning Program include:
- Improved mobility and reduced dependency on single-occupant vehicle trips
- An adequate supply of housing for all income levels
- Reduced impacts on valuable farmland, natural resources and air quality
- Reduced greenhouse gas emissions
- Increased water and energy conservation and efficiency
- A prosperous economy and safe, healthy, sustainable and vibrant neighborhoods
The Smart Mobility Framework is a tool that is being developed by Caltrans with support from EPA's Smart Growth Office. Once developed, the tool will evaluate transportation options and assist with the implementation of multi-modal and sustainable transportation strategies in California.
California also passed the first Smart Growth legislation (SB 375) in the nation in 2008. The new law is aimed at curbing sprawl and reducing vehicle miles traveled in an effort to cut greenhouse gas emissions from California's largest emissions sector—automobiles and light trucks. Each of the 17 metropolitan planning organizations in California will develop a "sustainable communities strategy " which demonstrates how the region will meet greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets by reducing sprawl and vehicle miles traveled.
Smart Growth in Arizona
Phoenix, Mesa, and Valley Metro Rail are receiving assistance from EPA to develop a regional strategy that will encourage compact, mixed-use and transit-oriented development. A team of national experts, assembled by the Smart Growth Program at EPA, has developed options designed to promote transit-oriented development along Phoenix's new light-rail line in ways that are also consistent with Arizona's statewide private property rights act, Proposition 207.
If implemented, these options are expected to alleviate congestion on heavily traveled commuter corridors and help create more walkable, distinctive neighborhoods. Investment in development in conjunction with the rail line is expected to yield substantial environmental benefits by helping reduce the projected increase in air pollution as the area's population grows. More info »
Additional Resources
- Clean Energy State and Local Programs
- Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Partnership
- Smart Growth
- Energy Star for Buildings
- Energy Star for New Homes
- Climate Change for Local Governments


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Contact: Ted Slowik, Director of PR and Media Relations, 630-637-5307, firstname.lastname@example.com
June 7, 2010—John Bramsen, a longtime member of the North Central College Board of Trustees, has been named a Life Trustee of the College.
Bramsen, of Chicago, has been a trustee of North Central College for 19 years. He has been a longtime member of the executive and liaison committees and has served as both chair and member of the academic affairs committee.
"His understanding of academia and wise counsel have been integral to building the College's academic enterprise," the Board of Trustees said in a resolution naming him a Life Trustee. "Bramsen has been unselfish with his time and talents, enlightening many discussions over the years with his vast knowledge and good humor."
Honored by North Central with the Gael D. Swing Award for Meritorious Service in 2000 and with an Outstanding Alumnus Award in 1996, Bramsen has long been a generous benefactor of the College and a champion of academics and the faculty. He endowed the Svend and Elizabeth Bramsen Professorship in the Humanities in memory of his parents. He generously supported the Leadership, Ethics and Values Program and the renovation of Old Main.
Bramsen majored in mathematics at North Central College, graduating with honors in 1960. He went on to earn a master's degree in mathematics from the University of Illinois. During his doctoral studies at the University of Chicago, he became interested in the application of math to sociological theory, which inspired much of his academic research as an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Colorado. He later returned to the Chicago area to work at Wheaton-based Spraying Systems Company, a business founded by his father.


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Imagine you're an animal attending your evolutionary family reunion (just pretend that's a thing for the sake of this article intro, OK?). You might be surprised to find out how remarkably similar it is to your last family reunion: You spend the day trying to avoid "that guy" that no one wants to admit you really are related to, while the rest of your relatives randomly eat, fight or hump each other.
Here are five (more) of those "that guy" relations in the animal kingdom that prove evolution just likes to mess with us.
5Dolphins and Hippos
The cetaceans (whales and dolphins) are some of the most beloved and respected animals in the world. Whales are the gentle giants of the sea, while dolphins are the fun-loving clowns who show up in a lot of female tattoos, despite the fact that they maybe also are serial killers.
Now we all know that these regal creatures are mammals, so they're not as related to fish as you might otherwise think. But it would be safe to assume that their closest relatives would have to be 1) aquatic and 2) not huge lazy fatasses, right?
Closest Living Relatives: Hippopotamuses
Paul Maritz
We really hope this isn't some sort of hipporgy.
Well, that first assumption was semi-right, but we were way off the mark on that "huge lazy fatass" part. Just don't tell them that to their faces.
According to recent evidence, whales and hippos probably share the same great-great-great- (ad infinitum) grandpappy that lived about 50 million years ago. This ancestor split into two groups: the cetaceans and the anthracotheres. Believe it or not, whales and dolphins used to walk on land and were semi-aquatic, like crocodiles and otters. Here's a bad drawing of an Ambulocetus, an early whale ancestor:
Nobu Tamura
It turns out the distant past was kind of a huge nerd.
Now, here's an early anthracothere:
Dmitry Bogdanov
Well, Danny DeVito makes a lot more evolutionary sense now.
It's sort of like a hippo that tried one of those new fad diets and got even dumber as a result of the lack of nutrients. Anyway, over time the cetaceans became more and more aquatic, until they eventually abandoned the land altogether. Meanwhile, the anthracotheres died out (presumably slowly and lazily), leaving only one descendant: the hippo.
In fact, scientists have argued that dolphins and whales should be combined into the order Artiodactyla, which contains not only hippos, but also deer, camels, cows, pigs and giraffes. Yet, if you came across a whale humping a camel, you'd think it was weird.
But hey, we're not here to judge.
4Bears and Seals
We humans have a very odd relationship with bears. On the one hand, we put our kids to bed with a stuffed one every night; on the other hand, we'd shit our pants if we ever encountered a real one out in the wild. Take that big guy standing up there, for example: Have you ever seen another photo that simultaneously says "Hug me" and "I want to gnaw on your sweet, sweet face-meat"?
So you're probably thinking that, since bears are somehow concurrently cute and badass, their closest relatives must also be equal parts both, right? Well, Mother Nature doesn't always work that way.
Closest Living Relatives: Pinnipeds (Seals, Sea Lions, Walruses)
Andreas Trepte
Any bear smiling like that just devoured a hiker.
Actually, it looks like bears' closest living relatives have all the cute, but got severely shafted on the badass. The pinniped's location in the evolutionary tree has always been a little tricky, but genetic evidence revealed that pinnipeds are closely related to bears and weasels.
"But Cracked," you say, "seals don't even have freaking feet. You don't have to be a biologist to call bullshit here."
True, but have you ever taken a close look at a seal's flipper? We're guessing that's a no, so here's a pic:
Marcel Burkhard
"Down low -- TOO SLOW!"
Now here's a bear's paw:
The seal's flipper is flatter, and the bear's claws are longer (raise your hand if you knew that seals even had claws), but other than that, people who are way smarter than us yet spend a whole lot more of their time staring at animals' feet have found that they're very similar. Both have non-retractable claws, both have five claws on each foot, both have the same basic bone structure and both are plantigrade (meaning that both the heel and toe touch the ground).
In fact, the fossil record indicates that the pinnipeds probably arose from a bearlike ancestor called Puijila, which was a powerful predator that could run on all fours like a bear but also had webbed toes, allowing it to hunt in the water. Today, pinnipeds are rarely found in freshwater and, needless to say, they gave up on all that "running" bullshit long ago.
Perhaps one day, if we couch potato hard enough, we can reunite with our wiser brethren.
Just think: If Puijila had taken a different turn on Evolutionary Road, we might have bears that could outrun, outclimb and outswim you before using their cuddliness to lure you straight into their pointy bits.


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Alice: Madness Returns ReviewBy Adam Sessler - Posted Jun 14, 2011
While it starts out strong, Alice: Madness Returns quickly deteriorates into a rote experience, trapped by cliche mechanics and a story that, unfortunately, fizzles out at the end.
The Pros
- Improved Platforming and Combat
- Integration of HD-Era Game Design Concepts
- Beautiful Art Direction
The Cons
- Fails To Keep Experience Fresh For More Than A Few Hours
- Disappointing Storyline
- Overall Experience Very Lacking
Alice: Madness Returns Review:
Alice: Madness Returns is the follow-up to 2000's American McGee's: Alice, a game that drew much of its interest from the compelling visuals of a darker Wonderland, which resulted from Alice's mental decay after the death of her parents in a fire.
America McGee's: Alice was an action platformer, which was only released on the PC (a PS2 version was cancelled). It left players with only a keyboard and mouse to navigate platforming levels that would have benefited greatly from a controller.
Down The Rabbit Hole
The sequel, Madness Returns, is being released on the PS3 and Xbox 360, and benefits from the visual fidelity afforded by modern consoles and their controllers; however, the game itself is stuck in a wonderland of game design that, while initially nostalgic, becomes something of an anachronism, holding onto a past time as desperately as Alice herself holds onto a fantasy world that hides her from the nightmares of her reality.
The game takes place years after the events of the original Alice game. With her mind suffused with guilt over her potential role in the fire that killed her parents, Alice sees a psychiatrist whose method of care is not to confront her memories, but to eradicate them altogether.
This has an effect on her fantastical retreat of Wonderland that is for more damaging than anything from the first game: creatures called "Ruin" (a black tarry substance) are taking over, and the "Wonderland Express" train careens through the world--destroying it--as she tries to rescue and repair what has become of her only escape from the cruelty of her real life in Victorian London.
The Pool of Tears
The game plays in ways that are very reminiscent of the first game, but have taken some cues from contemporary design. At its heart, Madness Returns is an action platformer in the most traditional sense: platforms abound and jumps require increasing skill and precision to accomplish. In addition, there is much to collect in this decaying Wonderland and clever devices--such as hidden keyholes and invisible platforms that can only be seen by Alice in her diminutive form--abound to add a sense of mystery and exploration to the affair.
I found myself quite taken with the game in the beginning. As a huge fan of traditional platformers, it was a pleasure to find myself gauging jumps. I enjoyed the timed movement and environmental puzzles with reliable controls, and even in sections later on, there is a fleeting sense of awe in the layout of the design, especially the preamble to the Queen of Hearts lair.
Unfortunately, those moments are only punctuations in an overly pedantic design that never generates much surprise and so-closely adheres to similar structures and tropes from chapter to chapter that no one moment stands out from the next. When compared to a game like Super Mario Galaxy, which found a way to make every level distinct using a simple control set, the limitation of the core action of Madness Returns shows its extreme limitation.
Advice From A Caterpillar
The same issues can be found with the game's combat, which -- like the platforming -- has seen marked improvements, but eventually falls flat. In Madness Returns, combat is its own gameplay element, with lock-on targeting and upgradeable weapons. The combat -- in the beginning -- shows great promise and challenge out of the gate, with a mixture of enemies who require thought as you quickly move from one weapon to the next; however, as with the jumping puzzles, the promise gives way to predictable and leaden combat scenarios.
Challenge is added through an abundance of enemies and ranged attacks that exploit the narrow camera view when locked on and are exacerbated even more with increasingly smaller combat arenas. The upgradeable weapons, which fueled my exploration to collect the teeth to improve their performance, was also a disappointment as the performance of the upgraded weapons against enemies seemed nominal, because those very same enemies typically required the same effort to defeat as the game trudged onwards.
Pig And Pepper
Perhaps many of these shortcomings would have been mitigated if the presentation of the game itself wasn't so lacking. While the game is beautiful to look at, and the energy in the background art and environmental themes still remains a major and deserving draw for the franchise, the overall experience as an organic package feels oddly empty and limited: load screens jarringly interrupt the flow of cutscenes, vibrant voicework of the wonderland denizens are matched with wooden and staid animations. The decision to use fewer known characters and environments from the Lewis Carroll books also distances the game from one of its primary allures, the fascination of his anarchic and feverish world that has maintained a grip on the popular imagination and helped Tim Burton make more money.
All of these curious flaws prevent the game from feeling like a whole, and Madness Returns becomes merely a series of components clumsily attached to one another. The story, which had the potential to be an affecting visit into the mid of a troubled girl whose years of abuse have left her desperate, are lost in a muddle and become incomprehensible by the game's finale.
A Mad Tea-Party...And Reviewer
This disappointment in the game did take a while to coalesce, as its tried and true adherence in a style of classic platformer design felt refreshingly simple and straightforward at first. The basic satisfaction in completing a properly timed jump, discovering a secret room and taking out an enemy are undeniable and held my attention for a while in a game whose length is surprisingly extensive (12-15 hours).
It may be that there is so much content that its pacing undermines the essential need for such a game to continually surprise and motivate the player to want to see what's around every corner. In this it seems to herald from a different era, the one from which the original Alice game was developed, where sophistication in level design was minimal due to the novelty of videogames as a whole, their graphics and sense of world.
In this I was nostalgic and its appeal to those feeling is undeniable. Curious that a game whose primary appeal is for those able to remember a previous generation of game design would release the same day as Duke Nukem Forever, except that game is from the past. Alice: Madness Returns deserved to be so much more…maddening.


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Women's Media Center Announces Progressive Women's Voices Class of 2015!
The Women's Media Center today congratulates the 20 women accepted into its WMC Progressive Women's Voices class of 2015. More »
Announcing the WMC Speech Project at the Sixth Annual Women in the World Summit
New project on gendered online abuse is chaired by Ashley Judd. More »
The Oscars Gender Gap
The Women's Media Center released its 2015 review of the status of women as nominees for non-acting Academy Awards. More »
Women's Media Center Announces WMC Progressive Women's Voices Class of 2014
WMC announces it's Progressive Women's Voices class of 2014! More »
Number of Women Oscar Nominees Remains Low
The nominees for the 86th Academy Awards were announced this morning and as we have for the past two years the Women's Media Center looked at the number of women who were nominated for awards across all non-performance categories. More »
She's Not a "Danish Pastry," Pat Buchanan—She's the Prime Minister of Denmark
Eleanor Clift is right: "Pat needs a little educating on how to talk to women." More »
Announcing WMC Progressive Women's Voices Class of 2013!
The Women's Media Center congratulates the 20 women accepted into its WMC Progressive Women's Voices class of 2013! More »
Watch Gloria Steinem's Speech at the National Press Club
The Women's Media Center is so proud of our co-founder Gloria Steinem! Today she receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom. More »
Video: Gloria Steinem Discusses Women's Media Center on ABC's Windy City Live
When asked what she would go back and change about the women's movement if she could, Gloria Steinem responds: "We were too nice." More »


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There's an interesting item on the Chicago Tribune's website about the company it uses to "cover" local news stories in the suburbs.
A couple of months ago, the Tribune laid off a bunch of its suburban reporters and contracted with Journatic, a company that hires low-paid freelance reporters in the Philippines to sweep local websites for information that they then formulate into "local" stories. The Tribune is using this service for its TribLocal coverage in communities throughout the suburbs, including in McHenry County.
The thing is, neither the Tribune nor Journatic really wants its readers to know that its "local" news is being written in a foreign country.
You can read the Tribune's story here. The Tribune's story follows several other more detailed stories, one of which can be read here. The second story details Journatic's sometimes questionable practices, including adding fake bylines to stories, having foreign-based reporters obtain temporary local phone numbers so it can appear to sources that the reporters are local, and paying off employees to not talk to the media about its practices.
Is this what "local" journalism has become to the major metros? Unfortunately, this kind of journalism gives a black eye to all the truly local newspapers that have the best interests of their communities at heart.
The Northwest Herald's journalists not only work here in McHenry County, we also live here. I'll explore this topic further in my Sunday column.


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5 ways to keep phone charged in a power outage
Published On: Oct 30 2012 10:05:40 AM CDT Updated On: Feb 08 2013 09:39:08 PM CST
In our increasingly digital world, a mobile phone or other portable device is often a one-stop communication device. And when the power goes out, these gadgets can quickly become stylish but useless bricks. Here are some tools and tips to try to keep you connected longer.


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An established ski tour operator for over 20 years, Ski France is your first choice for the best ski holiday deals!
from £459//7
Hotel Le Christina in Alpe d'Huez was a Ski France favourite last year. Built in traditional chalet style, and with an unbeatable ski-in ski-out location at the base of the DMC cable-car, Hotel Le Christina offers comfortable hotel accommodation with a friendly service.
With twin, triple and family rooms available on half-board or all-inclusive, Hotel Le Christina offers a range of options for groups, families or couples. The hotel has 28 en-suite rooms, most of which are south-facing with a view towards the Oisans Valley and the Ecrins National Park beyond. Facilities include a welcoming bar and lounge area with a pool table, table football and Satellite TV, as well as large southwest facing terrace, ideal to sit and enjoy a cold beer after a day on the moutain!
from £319//7
If you've stayed with Ski France before, you may be familiar with Les Airelles, located in the heart of Les Deux Alpes. Les Airelles was one of our biggest successes last season, earning a reputation as a budget-friendly option with a great service...and we aim to keep it that way!
Les Airelles offers comfortable Bed and Breakfast accommodation in an ideal location in Les Deux Alpes, close to the shops, bars and restaurants, as well as the main Diable ski lift. Clients at Les Airelles can also enjoy the fantastic facilities at our nearby hotel, Ibiza, with the option of booking half board in the restaurant which includes the possibility of using the Indoor pool and spa facilities.
from £449//7
Renovated for Winter 2013/14, Hotel le Mottaret is located in the centre of Méribel Mottaret, at the heart of the worlds largest ski area The Three Valleys. Hotel Le Mottaret is located right on the piste and offers guests a winning formula of all-inclusive food and drinks, après ski entertainment and unrivalled service in a fantastic location. The hotel offers 42 spacious, well-equipped rooms with a balcony and either a piste or valley view.
The hotel includes the Café del Mott, a lively self-service BBQ restaurant and bar set on a huge terrace complete with a private Jacuzzi deck. Focused on providing impeccable service; our staff at Hotel Le Mottaret will ensure you have an incredible ski holiday you won't forget.
from £422//7
Ibiza is an exciting new project in Les Deux Alpes. Following the success of the revamped Hotel Le Mottaret and opening of the Café del Mott in Méribel-Mottaret last season, Madame Vacances have taken the same concept and brought it to Les Deux Alpes to create Ibiza... A classy 3-star hotel with top-notch facilities (bar, restaurant, lively terrace and indoor swimming pool, jacuzzi and sauna), a daily après-ski entertainment programme including live DJs and bands and an unrivalled level of customer service. Its 60 rooms, with twins, triples, duplex suites and interconnecting rooms cater ideally for families, groups and couples. Ibiza offers both half-board and all inclusive options, just click on the 'What's Included?' button to find out more. Welcome to Ibiza on ice... a piece of the Med in the Alps!
from £239//7
Located in the heart of Courchevel 1850, one France's most prestigious resorts, Hotel Courchevel Olympic offers affordable Bed & Breakfast accommodation in a resort usually known for high price tags. The hotel offers a selection of comfortable, spacious twin and triple bedrooms, each with en-suite bathroom, television and telephone. Improvements have been made for winter 14/15 with 10 rooms completely renovated along with the bar and breakfast area undergoing a stylish face lift.
Hotel Courchevel Olympic is unrivalled as a budget-conscious base to explore the resort of Courchevel and the rest of the vast Three Valleys ski area. As a Courchevel Olympic guest you'll also benefit from discounted lunch at the Café del Mott in Méribel-Mottaret.
from £559//7
Although we no longer operate catered chalet packages in conjunction with Madame Vacances UK we offer a range of self-catered chalets sleeping up to 16 people in some of the best resorts in the biggest ski areas in France. All of our traditional chalets are well located and offer comfortable, spacious accommodation.
Our most high-end chalets are located in Alpe d'Huez, a high-altitude resort known for its excellent snow record whilst receiving 300 days of sunshine per year! Resorts include La Tania, an affordable, family-friendly base from which to explore the 3 Valleys. We also offer chalets in La Plagne Soleil, one of the handful of villages that make up La Plagne, which links with Les Arcs to form the Paridiski area. If you're after something a bit different, try Isola 2000 in the Southern Alps, a high-altitude resort basking in the Mediterranean sun. We also offer a number of chalets in some traditional French resorts that you may never heard of, just give us a call to find out more!
from £139//7
We offer a large selection of self-catered apartments in residences all over the French Alps. Our functional apartments vary from 3 person studios to 4 bedroom apartments sleeping up to 10 people. Most of our apartment complexes have an indoor swimming pool or spa facilities and all are well-located within their respective resorts.
Our resorts include easily-accessible Flaine, world-reknowned La Plagne, traditional Valloire and snow-sure Les Deux Alpes amongst many others. Many of our residences are found in smaller, traditional and therefore more affordable ski resorts that you may never have thought of visiting. There are some great hidden gems out there so why not try something new whilst saving cash and maybe even brushing up on your French!
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Our Prestige selection are a range of self-catered apartments in top resorts that offer that little bit extra; spacious, high-quality accommodation with linen, towels and TV included. All our prestige apartment complexes also include indoor swimming pools and spa services to add that extra element of luxury, so you can relax after a long day on the slopes.
Our Prestige apartments are located in only the best resorts in the biggest ski areas in France. We offer 2 prestige residences in the high-altitude resort of Les Arcs 2000, located at the Eastern end of the impressive Paradiski area. We also offer two prestige complexes in the Three Valleys, the world's largest ski area, in both Val Thorens and Les Menuires. Other resorts in our prestige collection include Tignes and Chamonix... just give us a call to find out more!
Book your ski extras in advance and save time, money and hassle in resort...
Book your ski hire in advance with us and collect your equipment directly from our partners at Sport 2000, who are present in all of our resorts. You'll also save 25% compared to the public price in resort.
Book your lift passes in advance with us and they'll either be waiting for you at check-in or delivered directly to you in resort by our reps. You'll also save 5% compared to the public price in resort and avoid tedious lift pass office queues giving your more time on the slopes!
If you're staying in one of our 5 hotels in the Three Valleys, Alpe d'Huez or Les Deux Alpes, we can offer you a private transfer from most airports at competitive prices. Simply let us know your flight details and size of party when booking your hotel and we'll give you a quote for a hassle-free private transfer to resort.


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A pair of small moons that NASA's Hubble Space Telescope discovered orbiting Pluto now have official names: Nix and Hydra. Photographed by Hubble in 2005, Nix and Hydra are roughly 5,000 times fainter than Pluto and are about two to three times farther from Pluto than its large moon, Charon, which was discovered in 1978.
The names were approved this week by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), the recognized authority for assigning designations to celestial bodies.
In Greek mythology, Nyx is the goddess of the night. Among her many offspring was Charon, the boatman who ferried the dead across the river Styx into the Underworld. (Because asteroid 3908 already bears the Greek name Nyx, the IAU decided to use the Egyptian equivalent, Nix, for the name of Pluto's moon.) The mythological Hydra was a nine-headed serpent with poisonous blood. The Hydra had its den at the entrance to Hades, where Pluto and his wife Persephone entered the Underworld.
The team of researchers who selected the names, out of a list of more than two- dozen candidate names, used Hubble images to make the discovery in support of NASA's New Horizons mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt beyond. Team members are based at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) in Boulder, Colo., the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Md., the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore and Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Ariz.
"You're going to be hearing a lot more about Nix and Hydra in coming years, says co-leader of the discovery team, Alan Stern of SwRI. "Astronomers are already applying for telescope time to study their orbits and physical properties. And when New Horizons flies by Pluto in the summer of 2015, each moon will be mapped in detail."
In making the selection, team members explained that Nix and Hydra honor the search for new satellites and the New Horizons mission to Pluto by starting with the letters "N" and "H." The first letter of Hydra also honors the Hubble Space Telescope that was used to detect the satellites. This has historical tradition. Pluto's name begins with the letters "P" and "L" to honor Boston astronomer Percival Lowell, who inaugurated the search that led to Pluto's discovery. (Lowell did not live to see Pluto's discovery, which was made by Clyde Tombaugh at Lowell Observatory in 1930.)


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Classic Apple Pie
- Prep Time: 30 min
- Cook Time: 60 min
- Ready Time: 180 min
- Yield: 8 servings
- Double Crust Classic Crisco® Pie Crust
- 6 cups sliced, peeled baking apples (about 2 pounds or 4 large), such as Granny Smith, MacIntosh, Gala
- 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 3 to 4 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Preparation Directions
- PREPARE recipe for double crust pie, using a 9-inch pie plate. Roll out dough for bottom crust and place in pie plate according to recipe directions. Heat oven to 400ºF.
- COMBINE apples, brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg in large bowl. Toss well to coat. Stir in butter, lemon juice and vanilla. Spoon into unbaked pie crust. Moisten pastry edge with water.
- ROLL out dough for top crust, place onto filled pie and finish edges according to pie crust recipe directions. Cut slits in top crust or prick with fork to vent steam.
- WHISK egg and milk in small bowl. Brush on top crust. Sprinkle with sugar.
- BAKE 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350ºF. Bake 50 minutes or until filling in center is bubbly and crust is golden brown. Cool until barely warm or to room temperature before serving.
Nutritional Information Per Serving
Serving Size (1 slice, 1/8 of pie), Calories 410 (Calories from Fat 140), Total Fat 16g (Saturated Fat 5g, Trans Fat 0g), Cholesterol 20mg, Sodium 180mg, Total Carbohydrate 64g (Dietary Fiber 2g, Sugars 36g), Protein 4g; Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 2%, Vitamin C 6%, Calcium 4%, Iron 10%.
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
* Ensure all recipe ingredients are gluten free by referencing the ingredient labels, as products may vary. If uncertain, contact the ingredient manufacturer.


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"This show is a huge part of my conversion. I've learned more from it in six months than I had in my twelve years of Judaism and 30-plus years of atheism. Your answers always have a solid foundation and the show is inspirational."
"Since He Himself has declared and said of the bread: This is My Body, who shall dare to doubt any more?"


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Seeing your teen off on a date can give you the jitters. Unfortunately, parents also must consider a particularly frightening topic — teen dating violence.
It's worrisome, but it's not inevitable. You and your teen can avoid potentially perilous situations and reduce the risk for problems.
Abuse is defined by the National Domestic Violence Hotline as a pattern of forced control that 1 person uses over another. Battering is behavior that physically harms, causes fear, or prevents a partner from doing what he or she wants to do. It also forces a person to behave in ways he or she does not want. Battering also includes the use of physical and sexual violence, threats, intimidation, emotional abuse, and economic deprivation.
The pattern often begins with criticisms and demands from 1 partner. A boyfriend may dictate what clothes his girlfriend should wear or tell her which friends she is permitted to see. The demands can worsen to threats and rage. Teens may not know how to respond to the threatening behavior and "mind games." Teens may think that they are to blame and that they deserve the abuse.
Teens rarely seek help. So parents should watch for warning signs.
Signs of physical abuse include:
Unexplained bruises
Sudden abandonment of friends or activities
Change in looks or clothing
Neglected schoolwork
Sudden hostility or secretiveness
Refusal to let you meet a date
Signs of emotional abuse include:
Depressed or withdrawn behavior
Use of alcohol or drugs
Angry or destructive behavior
Teen girls, especially those with self-esteem issues, may not always recognize abuse. Teach them. Teach boys, too, because researchers say some boys seem to feel it's OK to control girlfriends through violence.
It may be difficult for your child to talk about problems in his or her dating life. Don't become angry or interfere if your child refuses to talk. Let him or her know that you care and that you want your child to be safe. If you think that your child is the abuser in a relationship, confront him or her about it. Seek professional help.
What if you think your teen may be in an abusive relationship? Offer this advice:
Always tell someone about the evening's plans.
Consider double dating when possible.
Have a plan for what to do if a date becomes abusive.
Avoid drinking and taking drugs.
Know and carry emergency contact information.
Trust his or her instincts.
Avoiding an abusive relationship is often a lot easier than getting out of one.
Reviewed Date: 02-03-2015


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Richard Childress Racing
Recent News
RCR Sprint Cup Preview for Texas Motor Speedway
April 9, 2013
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series News and Notes
Race: NRA 500
Date: April 13, 2013
Location: Texas Motor Speedway
RCR at Texas ... In 71 starts at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) dating back to 1997, RCR has recorded one win (Jeff Burton, April 2007), eight top-five and 27 top-10 finishes with drivers Burton, Clint Bowyer, Dale Earnhardt, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Green and Paul Menard. Prior to TMS's inaugural season in 1997, Richard Childress, a former driver in NASCAR's top division, earned a pair of top-10 finishes at the now defunct Texas World Speedway in College Station, Texas. RCR NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams boast a 20.2 average starting position, a 16.3 average finishing position and have completed 22,927 of the 23,747 contested laps (96.5 percent) with 139 laps led at the 1.5-mile Fort Worth-based race track.
RCR in the NSCS ... In 2,291 Sprint Cup Series starts dating back to 1969, RCR has amassed 101 wins, 42 pole awards, 435 top-five finishes and 915 top-10 finishes, with an average starting position of 17.9 and an average finishing position of 15.8. RCR has earned 14 total championships (six Sprint Cup Series championships with Earnhardt in 1986, '87, '90,'91, '93 and '94, five NASCAR Nationwide Series titles, two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series titles and one ARCA Racing Series title) and was the first organization to win titles in NASCAR's three national series.
RCR Martinsville Rewind ... In the Sprint Cup Series event at Martinsville Speedway last weekend, Harvick crossed the finish line in 13th while Burton finished 18th and Menard 19th.
The Collective RCR ... Throughout the season's first six races, RCR's Sprint Cup Series entries have notched five top-10 finishes and completed 5,729 of 5,949 total laps (96 percent) with drivers Burton, Austin Dillon, Harvick and Menard. RCR's three full-time Sprint Cup Series drivers rank eighth (Menard), 14th (Harvick) and 24th (Burton) in the driver championship point standings.
Interactive RCR ... For up-to-date news and exclusive content, visit RCR's Twitter page - @RCRracing - along with the RCR Sprint Cup Series team Twitter pages - @RCR27PMenard, @RCR29KHarvick, @RCR31JeffBurton and driver Twitter page @KevinHarvick. Information about the 14-time championship winning organization can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RichardChildressRacing and at www.RCRracing.com along with official driver pages - www.facebook.com/PaulMenard27, www.facebook.com/OfficialKevinHarvick and www.facebook.com/OfficialJeffBurton.
Catch the Action ... Live coverage of the NRA 500 at Texas Motor Speedway will be televised on FOX Saturday, April 13, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time and will also be broadcast on the Performance Racing Network and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
Paul Menard
No. 27 Quaker State/Menards Chevrolet SS
Event Preview Fact Sheet
This Week's Quaker State/Menards Chevrolet at Texas Motor Speedway ... Paul Menard will pilot chassis No. 418 at Texas Motor Speedway. This No. 27 Chevrolet SS is a new addition to the Richard Childress Racing stable this season.
Menard in The Lone Star State ... Menard has 13 starts at Texas Motor Speedway. His best start of fourth and best finish of fifth came in 2011. The Wisconsin native has completed 4,168 of 4,353 laps attempted (95.8 percent) at the 1.5-mile oval, leading two of them.
The No. 27 to have Different Look in Texas ... The No. 27 Quaker State/Menards Chevrolet SS will sport a different look this weekend carrying a special paint scheme combination of Quaker State green and Menards yellow.
About Quaker State ... Quaker State® motor oil has a 70-year history as a leader in consumer automotive products and vehicle care. Quaker State is among the industry's most innovative motor oil brands and offers a full line of products to meet every type of vehicle engine need. Quaker State is one of the first brands to develop high mileage engine motor oil. For more information about the full line of Quaker State products, visit www.quakerstate.com.
Team Chevy Stage ... Fans can participate in a question-and-answer session with Menard on Saturday, April 13 at 3 p.m. Central Time at the Team Chevy Stage, located in the midway at Texas Motor Speedway.
Race Rewind ... In this race last year at Texas Motor Speedway, Menard started 11th in the No. 27 Chevrolet and after struggling with handling issues throughout the night, finished 18th under the lights.
Menard's Thoughts on Racing at Texas Motor Speedway:"I think Texas (Motor Speedway) is going to be a lot like Auto Club Speedway. The tires fall off quickly and the groove moves around a lot. The setups that work with fresh tires probably aren't going to work with old worn out tires, so well have to calculate that into our adjustments. The track also has a lot of bumps that you have to drive around, kind of like the seams at Auto Club Speedway. The track has a lot of character to it, which makes it a fun 1.5-mile speedway to drive. After Martinsville, I'm looking forward to going out west and hopefully we can get back on track and start finishing in the top 10 again."
Kevin Harvick
No. 29 Rheem Chevrolet SS
Event Preview Fact Sheet
This Week's Rheem Chevrolet at Texas Motor Speedway ... Kevin Harvick will pilot chassis No. 404 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in the NRA 500. Harvick drove this Chevrolet twice during the 2012 season, earning a 16th-place finish at Charlotte Motor Speedway in October and a ninth-place result at Texas Motor Speedway in November.
Lone Star State Stats ... Harvick will make his 21st start at Texas Motor Speedway and 437th-career Sprint Cup Series start during the 334-lap event this Saturday. Since 2001, the California native has collected three top-five and 10 top-10 finishes. Harvick, who holds a 20.8 average starting position coupled with a 12.5 average finishing position, has completed 99.8 percent (6,677 of 6,691) of the laps contested and is credited with five laps led.
Gotta Have a Rheem ... Rheem Manufacturing Company (www.rheem.com) is privately held with headquarters in Atlanta and U.S. operations in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Indiana, North Carolina and Texas. In its 88th year of operation, the company manufactures a full-line of eco-friendly, technologically advanced residential and commercial heating and cooling systems; tank, tankless, solar and hybrid heat pump water heaters; whole-home standby generators, controls, swimming pool and spa heaters; indoor air-purification products; and commercial boilers throughout North America and world markets. The company's premium brands, including Rheem, Raypak, Ruud and Richmond have been recognized with countless industry and consumer awards for reliability, innovative design and high quality. Rheem is the official heating, cooling and water heating supplier to Richard Childress Racing, and is a primary sponsor of RCR's No. 29 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and RCR's No. 33 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
Ultimate Training ... On Wednesday, April 10, Harvick will join UFC fighter Johny "Bigg Riggs" Hendricks in an ultimate training session in Dallas, Texas. The RCR driver is a former high school wrestler who recently began training in Taekwondo. He will learn everything from takedowns and clinch work to standing submissions when he practices with the number one welterweight contender in the world. A special feature highlighting Harvick's training session will air during the pre-race race show Saturday night on FOX at 7 p.m. Eastern Time.
A Lap for a Cause ... Fans attending the Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway this weekend have the opportunity to take the ride of a lifetime with Harvick prior to the start of Saturday night's event. By attending the Speedway Children's Charities - Texas Chapter - Live Auction on Friday, April 12 at 4 p.m. ET in the 9th Floor Ballroom of the Speedway Club, one lucky Harvick fan can bid on the chance to join the RCR driver during the pre-race parade lap. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Kevin Harvick Foundation.
Double Duty ... In addition to driving the No. 29 Rheem Chevrolet SS in the NRA 500, Harvick will pilot the No. 33 Hunt Brothers Pizza Chevrolet Camaro in NASCAR Nationwide Series event on Friday night. This race is scheduled to air live ESPN2 at 8 p.m. ET, along with the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
2012 Race Rewind ... Harvick and the No. 29 team earned a ninth-place finish after starting 15th and using fuel strategy to their advantage in the 2012 event.
Share your thoughts on Texas Motor Speedway and what makes it unique to you as a driver?
"The track is just worn out. It's becoming a lot more like Atlanta Motor Speedway than it has in the past because the grip level has gone down, which is a great thing for racing. It's got some pretty good bumps in it, which gives it some character. The cars fall off a tremendous amount as you go through the run while you still carry a lot of speed, so it's definitely a handling race track. You've got to move all around to try and find a line that works for your car, and you definitely have to drive it hard every lap just to keep up."
Jeff Burton
No. 31 Caterpillar Hybrid Excavator Chevrolet SS
Event Preview Fact Sheet
This week's No. 31 Caterpillar Hybrid Excavator Chevrolet SS at Texas Motor Speedway... Jeff Burton will race chassis No. 416 this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. This No. 31 Chevrolet finished 17th at Auto Club Speedway in March after Burton started from the 22nd position.
No Stranger to Victory Lane ... Burton was Texas Motor Speedway's first two-time Sprint Cup Series race winner after visiting Victory Lane in the inaugural NSCS event in 1997 and again in 2007. Burton has also tallied three top-five and nine top-10 finishes while leading 180 laps at the 1.5-mile facility.
About the Caterpillar Hybrid Excavator ... The Cat 336E H is the company's first machine to use hydraulic hybrid technology developed internally by Caterpillar. Caterpillar defines a hybrid machine as one that is equipped with a device to collect, store and release energy during machine operation. The 336E H captures energy when the machine slows down or stops and then releases it as the machine accelerates. Field tests have demonstrated this machine will significantly lower customers' owning and operating costs by using up to 25 percent less fuel than the standard 336E without sacrificing performance. Hybrid technology is just one of the core focuses of the company's technology strategy. Since fuel is one of the largest operating costs for our customers in general, quarry and heavy construction applications, this is a technology that directly improves their bottom lines. Burning less fuel leads to fewer emissions and a smaller carbon footprint than the standard 336E.
Featured Cat Dealers ... HOLT CAT, Warren CAT, Mustang CAT and Louisiana CAT will be featured on the deck lid of the No. 31 Chevrolet this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway.
HOLT CAT sells, rents and services Caterpillar machines, engines and generator sets in a 118-county Texas territory spanning from the Red River to the Rio Grande. HOLT CAT also offers total machine and engine rebuild capabilities, sells used equipment around the world and fabricates its own line of land clearing equipment and HOLT Spray King® water tankers. The Holt name has been associated with heavy equipment and Caterpillar for over 100 years. Peter M. Holt, chief executive officer, is the great-grandson of Benjamin Holt, who in 1904 developed the first successful track-type tractor which he named the "Caterpillar." HOLT CAT has come to be synonymous with quality, integrity and commitment to customer service. The HOLT CAT team of 1,700 men and women are committed to providing rock solid stability with superior products and services to heavy equipment and engine users from the Red River to the Rio Grande®. For more information, visit www.holtcat.com.
Warren CAT proudly serves customers throughout sixteen locations in West Texas and the State of Oklahoma. Dedicated to providing customers complete solutions for their equipment needs, from heavy machinery to industrial engines, Warren CAT is segmented by five divisions to better serve the needs of our customers: Heavy Construction/Governmental, Rental/General Construction, Engines/Generators/Vocational Trucks, Ag, and Parts & Service. Warren's capabilities extend beyond their ability to offer the leading name in heavy equipment by dedicating their focus to providing customers with the finest service in the industry. As part of the Caterpillar dealer network, Warren's product support capabilities are vast, offering customers universal support at a local level.
Mustang CAT is the southeast Texas authorized sales, parts and service dealer for Caterpillar construction equipment and engines. The family of Mustang companies is comprised of: Construction Machinery - Caterpillar construction equipment and a selected group of allied lines, Power Systems - Caterpillar engines as well as the design, engineering and fabrication of state-of-the-art engine packages in a vast range of power ratings, Rental Services - The Cat Rental Store, offering Caterpillar and allied lines of large and small equipment for the building construction industry. For more information, visit www.mustangcat.com or call 1.888.NEXT.CAT.
For nearly 80 years, Louisiana CAT has served the area with sales and service of Cat equipment. With 21 locations across the Pelican State, Louisiana CAT provides an extensive line of equipment, engines and power systems, work tools, vocational trucks and more. In addition, they carry a large stock of used Caterpillar equipment, and with Caterpillar's extensive dealer network, Louisiana Cat has access to used equipment on a global scale. Louisiana Cat's parts and service departments provide the reliability and availability you have come to expect from your Caterpillar dealership. Louisiana Rents is your single resource for high quality, low-hour Cat and top brands construction equipment and attachment rentals. Louisiana Rents locations also sell new equipment from Caterpillar's brand allied vendors. Daily, weekly, monthly or longer rentals are available, and to ensure that the equipment is ready to work when you are, all machines are serviced and maintained by factory trained technicians. Big or small, Louisiana rents it all."
Inside the Cockpit ... The No. 31 Caterpillar Hybrid Excavator Chevrolet will carry an in-car camera during the NASCAR on FOX race broadcast of the NRA 500.
Race Rewind 2012 ... Burton and the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet team finished 29th in the Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway last April after suffering lug nut issues during a mid-race green-flag pit stop.
What are your thoughts heading into Texas Motor Speedway this weekend?
"Texas Motor Speedway is a really fun and fast race track. It's one of those places that requires throttle a lot of the time. It's also a rough race track with fairly low grip levels. Texas should be a huge challenge for us with the new Gen-6 car. We've learned that the new car doesn't like hitting the splitter on the bumps and Texas is a track that has many of those bumps. That will be an issue for sure. Having an extra test day will be beneficial for all teams, especially for the No. 31 team because we have been behind on the 1.5-mile program."