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Hello all,
I bought the M1a late last year and finally installed it into my Martin 000x1, and am having problems with a distorted signal from my p.a when strummed. I know that the signal will begin to distort when a battery is dying, and when the battery is replaced the distortion seems to go away, yet it soon returns. I definitely did not get 1000 hours from the battery (closer to 4) and the replacement battery ever less! Is any help out there regarding my situation?


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Policeman, Residents Burned In Grants Pass Apartment Fire
Three residents of a Grants Pass apartment complex on Northeast 8th Street and a police officer were injured in an early Friday morning apartment fire. The names and condition of the victims have not been released. Officer John Lohrfink is being treated for non-life threatening injuries incurred while pulling the victims to safety from the second floor of the apartment complex where the fire occurred. Firefighters were able to quickly douse the fire. The complex sustained minor exterior damage. The cause of the blaze is under investigation.


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Buffalo Chicken Salad
- 2 (8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
- 2 tablespoons cayenne pepper hot sauce (or other hot sauce), plus more to taste
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 hearts Romaine, cut into 1-inch strips (about 8 cups)
- 4 celery stalks, thinly sliced
- 2 carrots, coarsely grated
- 2 scallions, green part only, sliced
- 1/2 cup Blue Cheese Dressing, recipe follows
- Blue Cheese Dressing:
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup lowfat buttermilk
- 1/4 cup plain fat-free yogurt
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
DirectionsWatch how to make this recipe.
Preheat the broiler. Put the chicken between 2 sheets of waxed paper and pound with a mallet or hammer so the chicken is an even thickness of about 3/4-inch, then cut the chicken crosswise into 1/2-inch strips. In a large bowl, combine the hot sauce and the oil, add chicken and toss until the chicken is well coated. Arrange the chicken on a baking sheet and broil until it is cooked through, about 4 to 6 minutes, turning once.
In a large bowl combine the Romaine, celery, shredded carrots and scallions. Toss with the dressing. Divide the greens between 4 plates, top with the chicken. Serve with extra hot sauce.
Fold a full sheet of paper towel into quarters and put it into a small bowl. Spoon the yogurt onto the paper towel and place in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to drain and thicken. In a medium bowl, whisk the buttermilk and thickened yogurt into the mayonnaise until smooth. Add the vinegar and sugar and continue to whisk until all the ingredients are well combined. Stir in the blue cheese and season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
Yield: 3/4 cup
2005, Ellie Krieger, All Rights Reserved
Pairs Well With
Crisp, refreshing light beer
- Find easy pairings for your favorite recipes, Bobby's perfect picks and party ideas.
Cooking Tips
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Recipe courtesy of Ree Drummond
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Andrew Warhola, later known as Andy Warhol, was a key figure in Pop Art, an art movement which emerged in America and elsewhere in the 1950s and came to prominence over the next two decades. Drawing its subject matter from popular culture and often using mass production techniques, Pop Art was initially received with little enthusiasm by many in the art world. The noted American art critic Hilton Kramer, for example, was openly hostile in a Symposium on Pop Art held on 13 December 1962 at New York's Museum of Modern Art:
'Pop art does not tell us what it feels like to be living through the present moment of civilisation. Its social effect is simply to reconcile us to a world of commodities, banalities and vulgarities', concluding that it was 'indistinguishable from advertising art'.
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Crown-of-thorns starfish
Acanthaster planci, commonly known as the crown-of-thorns starfish, is a large multi-armed starfish (or seastar) that usually preys upon hard,or stony, coral polyps (Scleractinia). The crown-of-thorns receives its name from poisonous thorn-like spines that cover its upper surface. It is the second largest sea star in the world. Only the sunflower seastar (Pycnopodia helianthoides) is larger.
A. plancí has a very wide Indo-Pacific distribution. It occurs at tropical and subtropical latitudes from the Red Sea and the east African coast across the Pacific Ocean, across the Indian Ocean to the west coast of central America. It occurs where there are coral reefs or hard coral communities in this region.
Physical description
The body form of the crown-of-thorns starfish is fundamentally the same as that of a typical starfish. Its special traits, however, include being disc-shaped, multi-armed, flexible, prehensile and heavily spined, and having a large ratio of stomach surface to body mass.[1] Its prehensile ability arises from the two rows of numerous tube feet that extend to the tip of each arm. In being multi-armed it has lost the five-fold symmetry (pentamerism) typical of starfish although it begins with this symmetry in its life cycle.
Adult crown-of-thorns starfish normally range in size from 25 to 35 cm (9.8 to 14 in).[2] They have up to 21 arms[3] They are usually of subdued colours, pale brown to grey-green, but they may be more brightly coloured in some parts of their wide distribution.[1]
The long sharp spines on the sides of the starfish's arms and upper (aboral) surface resemble thorns and create a crown-like shape, giving the creature its name. The spines are stiff and very sharp and readily pierce through soft surfaces (below). Despite the battery of sharp spines on the aboral surface and blunt spines on the oral surface, the crown-of-thorns starfish's general body surface is membranous and soft. Field collection without damaging them requires careful handling with something like a blunt rod. When the starfish are removed from the water, the body surface ruptures and the body fluid leaks out so that the body collapses and flattens. The spines bend over and flatten, and the starfish becomes a sorry sight. They recover their shape when re-immersed if not left out of water to die. Handling the starfish in an aquarium system during experiments was done carefully by hand under the oral surface[4]
The family Acanthasteridae is monogeneric whose position within the Asteroides is unsettled. It is generally recognised as a distinctly isolated taxon. Recently Blake concluded from comparative morphology studies of Acanthaster planci that it has strong similarities with various members of the Oreasteridae. He transferred Acanthasteridae from the Spinulosida to the Valvatida and assigned it a position near to the Oreasteridae, from which it appears to be derived[5] He attributed Acanthaster morphology as possibly evolving in association with its locomotion over irregular coral surfances in higher energy environments. There is a complication, however, in that Acanthaster in not a monospecific genus and any consideration of the genus must also take into account another species, Acanthaster brevispinous, which lives in a completely different environment. A. brevispinus lives on soft-substrates, perhaps buried in the substrate at times like other soft substrate-inhabiting starfish, at moderate depths where presumably the surface is regular and there is little wave action.
Genus and species
The crown-of-thorns sea star has generally been considered as a single widespread species: Acanthaster planci. However, results from DNA analyses published in September 2008 suggest that the crown-of-thorns starfish is actually constituted of four species (or subspecies – given that the genus Acanthaster is otherwise monotypic, treatment as allopatric species is preferable), with distinct distributions in the Red Sea, Pacific, Northern and Southern Indian Oceans.[6] Differences between these putative species in behaviour, diet, or habitat may be important for the design of appropriate reef conservation strategies.[7]
Acanthaster planci has a long history in the scientific literature with great confusion in the generic and species names from the outset. There is a long list of complex synonymy[8] As a very distinctive starfish, it is not surprising that it was first described in 1705. Rhumphius used the name Stella marina quindecium radiotorum. Later, Linnaeus described it as Asterias planci, baed on an illustrataion by Plancus and Gualtieri (1743), when he introduced his system of binomial nomenclature. Subsequent generic names used for the crown-of-thorns starfish included Stellonia, Echinaster and Echinites before settling on Acanthaster (Gervais 1841). Species names included echintes, solaris, mauritensis, elisii and elisii pseudoplanci (with subspecies). Most of these names arose from confusion in the historical literature, but Acanthaster elissii came to be used for the distinctive starfish in the eastern Pacific Gulf of California.
Ecology and biology
Starfish are characterised by having saponins in their tissues and these are known as 'asterosaponins'. Starfish contain a mix of these saponins and there have been at least 15 chemical studies seeking to characterise the sapononis in the crown-of-thorns starfish.[1] A. planci has no mechanism for injecting the toxin, but, as the spines perforate tissue of a predator or unwary person, tissue containing the saponins is lost into the wound. In humans this immediately causes a sharp stinging pain that can last for several hours, persistent bleeding due to the haemolytic effect of saponins, and nausea and tissue swelling that may persist for a week or more. These are personal experiences and observations of colleagues researching the starfish over a number of years.[9] The spines, which are brittle, may also break off and become embedded in the tissue where they must be removed in a surgery.
It seems that saponins occur through the life-cycle of the crown-of-thorns starfish. There are saponins in the eggs that are similar to those in the adult tissues and presumably these carry over to the larvae[10] Mouthing behaviour of predators to juvenile starfish suggests that they contain saponins.
The adult crown-of-thorns is a carnivorous predator that usually preys on reef coral polyps. It climbs onto a section of living coral colony using the large number of tube feet on its oral surface and flexible body. It fits closely to the surface of the coral, even the complex surfaces of branching corals. It then extrudes its stomach out through its mouth over the surface to virtually its own diameter. The stomach surface secretes digestive enzymes that allow the starfish to absorb nutrients from the liquefied coral tissue. This leaves a white scar of coral skeleton which is rapidly infested with filamentous algae[11] so that the original attractive reef surface is replaced by a dull surface of algae. They are voracious predators. An individual starfish can consume up to 6 square metres (65 sq ft) of living coral reef per year.[12]. In a study of feeding rates on two coral reefs in the Central Great Barrier Reef region, it was found that large starfish (40 cm and greater diameter) killed approximately 161 cm²/day in winter and 357-478 cm²/day in summer. Smaller starfish 20-39 cm killed 155 and 234 cm²/day in the equivalent seasons. The area killed by the large starfish is equivalent to about 10 square metres (110 sq ft) from these observations[13]. Differences in feeding, and locomotion, rates between summer and winter reflect the fact that the crown-of-thorns like all marine invertebrates is a poikilotherm whose body temperature and metabolic rate are directly affected by the temperature of the surrounding water.
The starfish show preferences between the hard corals that they feed on. They tend to feed on branching corals and table-like corals, such as Acropora species, rather than on more rounded corals with less exposed surface area, such as Porites species[14] Avoidance of Porites and some other corals may also be due to resident bivalve molluscs and polychaete worms in the surface of the coral which dicourage the starfish.[15] Similarly, some symbionts, such as small crabs, living within the complex structures of branching corals may ward off the starfish as it seeks to spread its stomach over the coralsurface [16].
In reef areas of low densities of hard coral, reflecting the nature of the reef community or due to feeding by high density crown-of-thorns, the starfish may be found feeding on soft corals (Alcyonacea).[17]
The starfish are cryptic in behavior during their first two years, emerging at night to feed. They usually remain so as adults when solitary. The only evidence of a hidden individual may be white feeding scars on adjacent coral. However, their behavior changes under two circumstances:
- During the breeding season, which is typically during early to midsummer, the starfish may gather together high on a reef and synchronously release gametes to achieve high levels of egg fertilisation[18] This pattern of synchronised spawning is not at all unique, but it is very common amongst marine invertebrates that don't copulate. Solitary spawning gives no opportunity for fertisation of eggs and wastes gametes and there is evidence of a spawning pheromone that causes the starfish to aggregate and release gametes synchronously[19]
- When the starfish are at high densities they may move day and night competing for living coral.
The elongated sharp spines covering nearly the entire upper surface of the crown-of-thorns serve as a mechanical defense against large predators and there are many species of fish in the coral reef community that are in the category of large predators. Furthermore, there is a chemical defense. Saponins presumably serve as an irritant when the spines pierce a predator, in the same way as they do when they pierce the skin humans. Saponins have an unpleasant taste. A study to test the predation rate on juvenile Acanthaster by appropriate fish species found that the starfish were often mouthed, tasted and rejected.[20] These defenses tend to make it an unattractive target for coral community predators. In spite of this, however, Acanthaster populations are typically composed of a proportion of individuals with regenerating arms.
A variety of about eleven species have been reported to prey occasionally on uninjured and healthy adult A. planci. All of these are generalist feeds and none of these, however, seems to specifically prefer the starfish a food source.[21]. This number, however, is probably lower as some of these presumed predators have not been witnessed reliably in the field. Some off those witnessed are:
- A species of puffer-fish and two trigger-fish have been observed to feed on crown-of-thorns starfish in the Red Sea, and, although they may have some effect on the A. planci population, there is no evidence of systematic predation[22]
- The triton, a very large gastropod mollusc, is a known predator of Acanthaster in some parts of the starfish' range. The triton has been described as tearing the starfish 'to pieces with its file-like radula'.[23]
- A small shrimp, the painted shrimp Hymenocera picta, a general predator of starfish, has been found to prey on Acanthaster planci at some locations [24]. A polychaete worm, Pherecardia striata was observed to be feeding on the starfish together with the shrimp on an east Pacific coral reef[25] About 0.6% of the starfish in the reef population were being attacked by both the shrimp and polychaete worm, killing the starfish in about a week. Glynn suggested that this resulted in a balance between mortality and recruitment in this population, leading to a relatively stable population of starfish.[26]
- Since Pherecardia striata can only attack a damaged A. planci and cause its death, it may be regarded as an 'impatient scavenger' rather than a predator[27] As distinct from predators, dead and mutilated adult A. planci attract a number of scavengers. Glynn lists two polychaete worms, a hermit crab, a sea urchin and seven species of small reef fish[28]. Apparently they are able to tolerate the distasteful saponins for an easy meal.
- In an interesting reversal, a large solitary coral polyp of the genus Pseudocorynactis has been observed attacking, and then wholly ingesting a crown-of-thorns starfish of similar size.[29]
Ecological impact
The crown-of-thorns starfish has gained notoriety as a threat to the coral reef ecosystem, particularly in the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia. Overpopulation of crown-of-thorns has been blamed for widespread reef destruction. Birkeland (1985) describes the starfish as one of the most influential species in the diverse biotic communities that make up tropical coral reefs.
Some ecologists point out that the starfish has an important and active role in maintaining coral reef biodiversity, driving ecological succession. Before overpopulation became a significant issue, crown-of-thorns prevented fast-growing coral from overpowering the slower growing coral varieties.[30]
Other factors negatively affecting the reef ecosystem, such as coral bleaching or Black band disease, mean that outbreaks of the crown-of-thorns can now cause permanent and devastating damage. Increasing outbreaks are also thought to be caused by possible environmental pollution triggers. Algal blooms caused by agricultural run-off may supply predators of crown-of-thorn starfish larvae with plentiful alternative food sources. This seems the most logical explanation for the recent crown-of-thorns outbreak in the Tubbataha Reef, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[31] These explanations may also explain why massive outbreaks seemingly appearing out of nowhere, with no previous indication of an increasing population at the affected site.[32]
The crown-of-thorns starfish may also "promote transmission" of some coral diseases.[33]
Population outbreaks
Large populations of crown-of-thorns starfish (sometime emotively known as 'plagues') have been substantiated as occurring at twenty one locations of coral reefs during the 1960s to 1980s.[34] These locations ranged from the Red Sea through the tropical Indoo-Pacific region to French Polynesia. There were at least two substantiated substantiated outbreaks at ten of these locations.
Values of starfish density from 140/ha to 1,000/ha have been considered in various reports to be outbreak populations, while starfish densities less than 100/ha have been considered to be low [35]. From the surveys of many reef locations throughout the starfish's distribution large abundances of Acanthaster can be categorised as:
- Primary outbreaks where there are abrupt population increases of at least two magnitudes that cannot be explained by the presence of a previous outbreak.
- Secondary outbreaks that can plausibly be related to previous outbreaks through the reproduction of a previous cohort of the starfish. These may appear as recruits to reefs down current from an existing outbreak population.
- Chronic situations where there is a persistent moderate to high density population at a reef location where the coral is sparse due to persistent feeding by the starfish. [36]
The Great Barrier Reef is the most outstounding coral reef system in the world because its great length, number of individual reefs and species diversity. When high densities of Acanthaster which were causing heavy mortality of coral were first seen about Green Island, off Cairns, in 1960-65 there was considerable alarm. High density populations were subsequently found of a number of reefs to the south of Green Island, in the Central Great Barrier Reef region[37] [38] [39] Some popular publications suggested that the whole Reef was in danger of dying: 'Requiem for the Reef'[40] and 'Crown of Thorns: The Death of the Barrier Reef?'[41]. They influenced and reflected some public alarm over the state and future of Great Barrier Reef (GBR0. However, although the crown-of-thorns results in most or complete loss of living hard coral at locations where they have been at very high densities, the coral reef doesn't 'die'. Furthermore, the GBR consists of 2,900 individual reefs along a distance of 2,600 km (1,600 miles). Some individual reefs in one section of the GBR may be affected and drastically changed in appearance, but it is impossible for all the individual reefs along the total length to be affected. Amongst other reasons, there are too many reefs, they are too diverse and some are too isolated. In fact, 50 reefs, <2% of reefs were heavily affected at this time[42]
There have been a number of studies modelling the population outbreaks on the Great Barrier Reef as a means to understand the phenomenon. These are examples[43]
The Australian and Queensland governments funded research and set up advisory committees during the period of great anxiety about the nature of the starfish outbreaks on the GBR. They were regarded as not coming to terms with the unprecedented nature and magnitude of this problem[44] and the two references above. Many scientists were criticised for not being unable to give definitive but unsubstnatiated answers. Others were more definitive in their answers [45] Scientists were criticised for their reticence and for disagreeing on the nature and causes of the outbreaks on the GBR, hence the publication 'Starfish Wars' (cf. 'Star Wars').[45]
Causes of population outbreaks
There was serious discussion and some strongly held views about the causes of this phenomenon. Some hypotheses focused on changes in the survival of juvenile and adult starfish - the "predator removal hypothesis":
- over-collecting of tritons, a predator of the starfish [46]
- overfishing of predators of the starfish [47]
- decline in predator populations through habitat destruction [48]
Many of the reports of fish preying on "Acanthaster" are single observations or presumed predation from the nature of the fish. For example the humphead wrasse may prey on the starfish amongst its more usual diet [49]. Individual puffer fish and trigger-fish have been observed to feed crown-of-thorns starfish in the Red Sea, but there is no evidence that they are a significant factor in population control[50] . A study, however, based on the stomach contents of large carnivorous fish that are potential predators of the starfish found no evidence of the starfish in the fish's guts. These carnivorous fish were caught commercially on the coral reefs on the Gulf of Oman and examined at local fish markets.[51]
One problem with the concept of predators of large juvenle and adult starfish causing total mortality is that the starfish have good regenerative powers and they wouldn't keep still while being eaten. Also, they would need to be consumed completely or almost completely to die. In fact, 17-60% of starfish in various populations had missing or regenerating arms [52]. Clearly the starfish experience various levels of sublethal predation. When the damage includes a major section of the disk together with arms, the number of arms regerating on the disk may be less than the number lost [53].
Another hypothesis is the "aggregation hypothesis", whereby large aggregations of A. planci appear as apparent outbreaks because they have consumed all the adjacent coral.
Female crown-of-thorns starfish are very fecund. Based on the eggs in ovaries, 200, 300 and 400 mm diameter females potentially spawn 4, 30 and 50 million eggs, respectively[54] Lucas adopted a different approach, focusing on the survival of the larvae arising from the eggs[55] The rationale for this approach was that small changes in the survival of larvae and developmental stages would result in very large changes in the adult population. Considering two hypothetical situations.
Twenty million eggs, from a female spawning and having a survival rate of about 0.00000001% throughout development would replace two adult starfish in a low-density population where the larvae recruit. If, however, the survival rate increases to 0.1% (one in a thousand) throughout development from one spawning of 20 million eggs this would result in 20,000 adult starfish where the larvae have recruited. Since the larvae are the most abundant stages of development it is likely that changes in survival will be most importance during this phase of development.
Temperature and salinity have little affect on the survival of crown-of-thorns larvae[56] However, abundance and species of the particular component of phytoplankton (unicellular flagellates) on which the larvae feed has a profound effect on survival and rate of growth. The abundance of phytoplankton cells is especially important[57] As autotrophs, phytoplankton abundance is strongly influenced by the concentration of inorganic nutrients, such as nitrogenous compounds.
Birkeland had observed a correlation between the abundance of crown-of-thorns on reefs adjacent to land masses. These occurred on mainland islands as distinct from coral atolls about three years after heavy rainfall that followed a period of drought [58] He suggested that runoff from such heavy rainfall may stimulate phytoplankton blooms of sufficient size to produce enough food for the larvae of A. planci through input of nutrients.
Combining Birkeland observations with the influence of inorganic nutrients on survival of the starfish larvae in experimental studies, gave support for a mechanism for starfish outbreaks:
- increased terrestrial runoff → increased nutrients denser phytoplankton↑→ better larval survival increased starfish populations
There have been further conformations of these connections and this is now the generally accepted mechanism for population increases of crown-of-thorns starfish.[59][60]
There is also a flow-on effect in that where there are large starfish populations producing large numbers of larvae, there is likely to be heavy recruitment on reefs downstream to which the larvae are carried and then settle.
Population control
Population numbers for the crown-of-thorns have been increasing since the 1970s.[citation needed] However, historic records distribution patterns and numbers are hard to come by, as SCUBA technology, necessary to conduct population censuses, had only been developed in the previous few decades.
To prevent overpopulation of crown-of-thorns causing widespread destruction to coral reef habitats, humans have implemented a variety of control measures.
Injecting sodium bisulphate into the starfish is the most efficient measure in practice. Sodium bisulphate is deadly to crown-of-thorns, but it does not harm the surrounding reef and oceanic ecosystems.[61] To control areas of high infestations, teams of divers have had kill rates of up to 120 per hour per diver.[61] The practice of dismembering them was shown to have a kill rate of 12 per hour per diver and the diver performing this test was spiked 3 times. Therefore, it is for this reason and not rumors that they might be able to regenerate that dismembering is not recommended.
An even more labor intensive route, but less risky to the diver, is to bury them under rocks or debris. This route is only suitable for areas with low infestation and if materials are available to perform the procedure without damaging corals.
- ^ a b c Birkeland and Lucas (1990). Acanthaster planci: major management problem of coral reefs. Florida: CRC Press. pp. 97-98. ISBN 0-8493-6599-6.
- ^ Carpenter, R.C. (1997) Invertebrate Predators and Grazers" In: C. Birkeland, Life and death of coral reefs, Springer. ISBN 9780412035418.
- ^ Caso, M.J. (1974). "External morphology of Acanthaster planci (Linnaeus)". Journal of the Marine Biological Associataion of India 16 (1): 83-93.
- ^ Lucas, John; MM Jones (1976). "Hybrid crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci x A.brevispinus) reared to maturity in the laboratory.". Nature263. 5576 (1976): 409-412. 203 (5576): 409-412, cover.
- ^ Blake, DJ (1979). "The affinities and origins of the crown-of-thorns sea star Acanthaster Gervais". J. Nat. Hist. 13 (3): 303-314. .
- ^ Vogler C, Benzie J, Lessios H, Barber P, Wörheide G (2008-09-29). "A threat to coral reefs multiplied? Four species of crown-of-thorns starfish". Biology Letters (Royal Society) 4: 696. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2008.0454. http://journals.royalsociety.org/content/x87p263447251280/?p=75ccb31781484187840c4dfc8bf47f09&pi=0. Retrieved 2008-10-14.
- ^ "Coral-killing starfish turns out to be four species, not one". Yahoo! News. AFP. 2008-09-30. http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080930/sc_afp/environmentspeciescoralstarfish;_ylt=AlnppU0dwoo3z3CO4DxhcwgPLBIF. Retrieved 2008-10-14. [dead link]
- ^ Birkeland C and Lucas JS (1990). Acanthaster planci: Major Management Problem of Coral Reefs. CRC Press. pp. 13-19. .
- ^ Birkeland and Lucas (1990). Acanthaster planci: Major Management Problem of Coral Reefs. CRC Press. pp. 131-132. ISBN 0-8493-6599-6.
- ^ Barnett, D; et al. (1968). "Determination of contents of steroidal saponins in starfish tissues and study of their biosynthesis.". Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, B 90 (1): 141-145. .
- ^ Belk, D (1975). "An observation of algal colonization on Acropora aspera killed by Acanthaster planci'.". Hydrobiologia 46 (1): 29-32.
- ^ Pierre Madl (1998). "Acanthaster planci (An overview of the crown of thorns starfish)". http://biophysics.sbg.ac.at/planci/planci.htm. Retrieved 2006-08-28.
- ^ Keesing JK; and Lucas JS (1992). "Field measurement of feeding and movement rates of the crown-of-thorns starfish Acanthaster planci (L.).". Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 156: 89-104.
- ^ Birkland and Lucas (1990). Acanthaster planci: Major Management Problem of Coral Reefs.. CRC Press. pp. 149. ISBN 0-8493-6599-6. .
- ^ De Vantier; Reichelt and Bradbury (1986). "Does 'Spirobranchus giganteus protect host Porites from predation by Acanthaster planci: predator pressure as a mechanism of coevolution?". Marine Ecology Progress Series 32: 307. .
- ^ Pratchett (2001). "Influence of coral symbionts on feeding preferences of crown-of-thorns starfish Acanthaster planci in the western Pacific.". Marine Ecology Progress Series 214: 111-119.
- ^ Chansang et al., H (1987). Infestation of Acanthaster planci in the Andaman Sea.. 2. Int. Symp. on Indo-Pacific Marine Biology, Agana (Guam). pp. Abstract.
- ^ Babcock; Mundy and Whitehead (1994). "Sperm diffusion models and in situ confirmation of long-distance fertilization in the free-spawning asteroid Acanthaster planci". Biological Bulletin 186: 17-28. .
- ^ Beach, D H; Hanscomb, N J; Ormond, RFG. (1975). "Spawning pheromone in crown-of-thorns starfish". Nature 254 (5496): 135-136. .
- ^ Sweatman, HPA. (1995). "A field study of fish predation on juvenile crown-of-thorns starfish". Coral Reefs 14 (1): 47-53.
- ^ Moran, P (1986). "The Acanthaster phenomenon". Oceanogr. Biol. Ann. Rev. 24: 379-480.
- ^ Ormond, RFG; Campbell, A C. (1974). Formation and breakdown of Acanthaster planci aggregations in the Red Sea.. Proceedings of the Second International Symposium on Coral Reefs. Vol.1.. http://search.proquest.com/docview/17931170?accountid=14723.
- ^ Powell, G (1979). "Stars for kings". Sea Frontiers 25 (5): 282-285.
- ^ Glynn, P (1981). Acanthaster population regulation by a shrimp and a worm. 4. International Coral Reef Symposium, Manila (Philippines), 18-22 May 1981. http://search.proquest.com/docview/13786745?accountid=14723.
- ^ Glynn, P (1984). "An amphinomid worm predator of the crown-of-thorns sea star and general predation on asteroids in eastern and western Pacific coral reefs". Bulletin of Marine Science 35 (1): 54-71. .
- ^ Glynn, P (1981). Acanthaster population regulation by a shrimp and a worm.. 4. International Coral Reef Symposium, Manila (Philippines), 18-22 May 1981. http://search.proquest.com/docview/13786745?accountid=14723.
- ^ Birkeland C and Lucas JS (1990). Acanthaster planci: Major Management Problem of Coral Reefs. CRC Press. ISBN 0-8493-6599-6. .
- ^ Glynn, P (1984). "An amphinomid worm predator of the crown-of-thorns sea star and general predation on asteroids in eastern and western Pacific coral reefs.". Bulletin of Marine Science 35 (1): 54-71.
- ^ A.R. Bos, G.S. Gumanao & F.N. Salac (2008-02-09). "A newly discovered predator of the crown-of-thorns starfish". http://www.springerlink.com/content/b21mx171t2400680.
- ^ Larry Zetlin (2004). Predators of the Great Barrier Reef (TV-Special). Queensland, Australia: Gulliver Media Australia.
- ^ Arthur R. Bos (January 2010). "Crown-of-thorns Outbreak at the Tubbataha Reefs UNESCO World Heritage Site". http://zoolstud.sinica.edu.tw/Journals/49.1/124.pdf.
- ^ Uthicke S, B Schaffelke and M Byrne (2009) "A boom-bust phylum?" Ecological and evolutionary consequences of density variations in echinoderms. Ecol. Monogr. 79: 3-24.
- ^ Nugues, M. M.; Bak, R. P. M. (2009). "Brown-band syndrome on feeding scars of the crown-of-thorn starfish Acanthaster planci". Coral Reefs 28 (2): 507. doi:10.1007/s00338-009-0468-x.
- ^ Birkeland and Lucas (1990). Acanthaster planci: Major Management Problem of Coral Reefs. CRC Press. pp. 36-40. ISBN 0-8493-6599-6.
- ^ Moran, PJ (1986). "The Acanthaster phenomenon". Oceanogr. Biol. Ann. Rev., 24: 379-480.
- ^ Birkeland and Lucas (1990). Acanthaster planci: Major Management Problem of Coral Reefs. CRC Press. pp. 38. ISBN 0-8493-6599-6.
- ^ Endean, R (1974). Publication title Proceedings of the Second International Symposium on Coral Reefs. Vol.1.. The Great Barrier Reef Committee, Brisbane (Australia). ISBN 0909377006.
- ^ Endean, R; Stablum, W (1973). "A study of some aspects of the crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci) infestation of reefs of Australia is Great Barrier Reef.". Atoll Research Bulletin 167: 60 (Abstract).
- ^ Kenchington, R (1978). "The crown-of-thorns crisis in Australia: A retrospective analysis". Environmental Conservation 5 (1): 11-20. .
- ^ James, Peter (1976). Requiem for the Reef. Brisbane: Foundation Press. ISBN 0 959 73830 4.
- ^ Brown, and Willey (1972). Crown of Thorns: The Death of the Great Barrier Reef?. Angus and Robertson. ISBN 0 207 12390 X.
- ^ Anonymous (1977). "Australia's Great Barrier Reef is alive and well". Sea Technology 18 (11): 9. .
- ^ Reichelt, R E; Bradbury, R H; Moran, P J. (1990). "The crown-of-thorns starfish, Acanthaster planci , on the Great Barrier Reef.". Mathematical and Computer Modelling 13 (3): 45-60. .
- ^ Raymond, Robert (1986). Starfish Wars: Coral Death and the Crown-of-Thorns. Melbourne: Macmillan. ISBN 0 333 43015 8.
- ^ a b Endean, R; Cameron, A M (1985). Ecocatastrophe on the great Barrier Reef.. Antenne Museum-EPHE, Moorea (French Polynesia): Proceedings of the fifth international coral reef congress, Tahiti 27 May - 1 June 1985, Vol. 5: Miscellaneous papers (A).. pp. 309-314. .
- ^ Vicente, N (1999). "Natural treasures under heavy pressure". Oceanorama. Institut oceanographique Paul Ricard. Marseille 30: 7-12.
- ^ Bradbury, R. (1991). "Understanding Acanthaster". Coenoses 6 (3): 121-126.
- ^ Chansang et al. (1987). Infestation of Acanthaster planci in the Andaman Sea.. 2. Int. Symp. on Indo-Pacific Marine Biology, Agana (Guam),. pp. Abstract only.
- ^ Randall JE, SM Mead, APL Sanders (1978). "Food habits of the giant humphead wrasse Cheilinus undulatus". http://www.springerlink.com/content/u2j78566854m1364/.
- ^ Ormond, RFG; Campbell, A C (1974). Formation and breakdown of Acanthaster planci aggregations in the Red Sea.. Proceedings of the Second International Symposium on Coral Reefs. Vol.1..
- ^ Mendonga, V M, et al. (2010). "Persistent and Expanding Population Outbreaks of the Corallivorous Starfish Acanthaster planci in the Northwestern Indian Ocean: Are They Really a Consequence of Unsustainable Starfish Predator Removal through Overfishing in Coral Reefs, or a Response to a Changing Environment?". Zoological Studies 49 (1): 108-123.
- ^ Moran, PJ (1986). "The Acanthaster phenomenon". Oceanogr. Biol. Ann. Rev., 24: 379-480.
- ^ Birkeland and Lucas (1990). Acanthaster planci: Major Management Problem of Coral Reefs. CRC Press. pp. 38. ISBN 0-8493-6599-6.
- ^ Kettle, B; Lucas, JS (1987). "Biometric relationships between organ indices, fecundity, oxygen consumption and body size in Acanthaster planci (L.) (Echinodermata; Asteroidea).". Bulletin of Marine Science 41: 541-561. .
- ^ Henderson, JA; Lucas (1971). "Larval development and metamorphosis of Acanthaster planci (Asteroidea).". Nature 232 (5313): 655-657. .
- ^ Lucas, John (1973). "Reproductive and larval biology and Acanthaster planci (L.) in Great Barrier Reef.". Micronesica 9 (2): 197-203. .
- ^ Lucas, J (1982). "Quantitative studies of feeding and nutrition during larval development of the coral reef asteroid 'Acanthaster planci' (L.).". Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 65 (2): 173-194. .
- ^ Birkeland, C (1982). "Terrestrial runoff as a cause of outbreaks of Acanthaster planci (Echinodermata: Asteroidea).". Marine biology. Berlin, Heidelberg 69 (2): 175-185. .
- ^ Brodie, J; Fabricius, K; De'ath, G; Okaji, K. (2005). "Are increased nutrient inputs responsible for more outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish? An appraisal of the evidence". Marine Pollution Bulletin 51 (1-4): 266-27.
- ^ Fabricius, KE; Okaji, K; De'ath, G.. (2010). "Three lines of evidence to link outbreaks of the crown-of-thorns seastar Acanthaster planci to the release of larval food limitation". Coral reefs 29 (3): 593-605.
- ^ a b "Controlling Crown-of Thorns Starfish". Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. April 1995. http://www.reef.crc.org.au/publications/explore/feat45.html. Retrieved 15 December 2008.


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Actor and comedian Sinbad has been getting audiences to laugh since the '90s. His stand-up routine, which has earned him several HBO comedy specials, usually features humorous life stories about growing up as an afro-sporting preacher's son, and he often sings and plays funk music on stage. He's appeared in movies such as Jingle All The Way and Necessary Roughness and starred in the sitcom A Different World before getting his own series, The Sinbad Show. He'll perform at the Palm Beach Improv from July 6-8.
Tell us about your routine today. What stories are you telling on stage now?
You know, it's the same since Day One: I never know what I'm going to talk about. I've never kept a set of what I'm doing; it happens when I walk on stage. The first word out of my mouth, I never know what that's going to be. It's unprepared because my life is unprepared [laughs]. I always compare it to music. I'm trained enough, but I just play what I want to play. I trust my fingers to go where they need to go.
What's in your iPod these days?
Jazz. My daughter, Paige Bryan. And things like Kings of Comedy. These days, that's where I'm getting my moves. And always funk. I'm always playing funk.
How much would we have to pay you to grow an afro again?
[Laughs] If I could grow an afro, I'd pay you! If I could rock that now, I'd rock it. That's the only thing I regret—that 'fro is gone forever. I miss it. The bell-bottoms, we can let those go. Some things only come around once.
*Photo by Ian White


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Flute World
America's #1 flute specialty house since 1983.
Comfort Music - Volume 1Arranged for 4 C Flutes by John GibsonIncludes score and partsDuration: 15:30
First of a 2-volume collection of soothing pieces appropriate for dinner parties, weddings, church services, and other occasions. Pieces can be played separately or in sequence.
Contents:Faure's Pavane Pachelbel's Fantasia J. S. Bach's Oboe D'Amore Concerto (2nd movement)Brahms Chorale and Var. VII from Variations on a Theme by HaydnMozart's Piano Concerto #21 (2nd movement)


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Patel, age 21, said he loves to travel. A native of India who has resided in the United States most of his life and is a 2010 graduate of Rockcastle County High School, Patel heard about the Semester at Sea program while he was traveling around domestically in 2011. While in San Francisco visiting family, Patel had the opportunity to speak with two businesspeople who asked if he had thought about studying abroad and introduced him to the Semester at Sea program.
"My interest in the program quickly grew and sooner than I knew it I was applying to the program," Patel said. "I was accepted and quickly became excited to sail around the world."
While at sea, Patel had four classes – engineering, two psychology courses and a history course. Patel said life was very different, especially because of the limited contact with the outside world.
"Ship life was absolutely amazing," he said. "There was no cell phone service, two hours of internet time for the entire semester (not daily) and during breakfast, lunch and dinner you would talk to your soon to be best friends for hours on hours."
Patel was gone for almost six months and, during that time, traveled to over 27 countries.
"I started from Kentucky, circled around the world and stepped back onto US soil coming from the other side," he said. "I've had the privilege of attending the world Sumo Championship in Japan, climbing the Great Wall of China, staying at the highest hotel in the world with my roommates in Hong Kong at the Ritz Carlton, seeing the war museum in Vietnam, learning about the Pol Pot Regime in Cambodia, experiencing life in a nunnery in Myanmar, diving with great white sharks in South Africa and biking 150 miles across Ghana…and much, much more."
Patel plans to graduate from SCC in May 2014. He is currently planning his next adventure down under into the outback of Australia, the mountains of New Zealand and the white beaches of Fiji in January. While attending school, Patel also works for AT&T and says he is saving every bit of money only for travel.
Patel said he has been thrilled with the guidance and assistance he's received while being a student at SCC and credits the school and his professors with helping him figure out his next steps.
"Somerset is a very good school, especially as a stepping stone in order to get to where one wants to be," he said. "In my case I knew what I wanted in my life and currently SCC is helping me get there. Next summer I plan on interning at one of the biggest Audit/Tax/Advisory Consulting Firms in the country with Ernst & Young and I believe SCC will be playing their part in helping me do that."
In terms of travel, Patel offers one piece of advice: "For anyone that wishes to travel but constantly thinks they don't have the money for it should definitely reconsider their priorities and do whatever it takes to go out and experience the world. There is so much to see outside of the United States let alone Kentucky. Go out and get it, it's your world to see!"


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Protect your tablet from scratches with this slim fit case. Made from elastic neoprene, the TabSkin lets you securely transport your tablet. The zipper closure makes sure the tablet is kept in place and the decorative quilted pattern adds extra style to the sleeve.
TabSkin fits most available tablets on the market.


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The French film follows two boys -- one Palestinian and one Israeli -- who were switched at birth.
The story: Literary detective Sherlock Holmes and his trusted friend Watson solve yet another crime, which this time calls for as much muscle as mental capacity.
Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal star in Ang Lee's film about a pair of cowboys who fall in love in 1960s-era Wyoming.
A documentary chronicles a year in the life of a team of firefighters who battle constant blazes in Detroit.
The story of Arnel Pineda, the Filipino cover-band singer who was catapulted into stardom in 2008 when he joined Journey.
A romantic melodrama about a woman struggling to cope with life after her husband is imprisoned.
It's "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of Peter Jackson" when the Oscar-winning director takes on another J.R.R. Tolkien work. Martin Freeman plays Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit who accompanies 13 dwarves on a dangerous quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain.
This showcase of Oscar-nominated shorts is a throwback to the olden days of cinema.
A mash-up of dark comedy, grindhouse gore, film-noir narration and a headache-inducing sci fi premise about a drug that opens a portal to a parallel universe inhabited by evil creatures bent on our destruction.
Set in the 1930's Manchurian desert where lawlessness rules, three Korean men fatefully meet each other on a train.The three strangers engage in a chase across Manchuria to take possession of a map discovered while robbing the train. Also on the hunt for the mysterious map are the Japanese army and Asian bandits.
A french Jew living in Finland returns home to visit his dysfunctional family.
A realistic thriller from director Barry Levinson that hits close to home.
The documentary follows "National Geographic" photographer James Balog on a painstaking trek to set up time-lapse cameras across the Arctic in order to chronicle changes in glaciers.
In this found footage-style horror, Mary Shelley's monster wasn't fiction, but thinly disguised fact.
The sobering documentary looks at the dangers of climate change.
A little boy accompanies his recently paroled uncle for a day in this increasingly preposterous drama.
An unlikely relationship forms between two struggling individuals in this French film.
A moving story of an elderly couple facing love and loss.
Peter Jackson rehashes the story of three child murders in West Memphis, Arkansas.
It's "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of Peter Jackson" when the Oscar-winning director takes on another J.R.R. Tolkien work. Martin Freeman plays Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit who accompanies 13 dwarves on a dangerous quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain.
Washington native Jay Bulger produces a profile of British drummer Ginger Baker, best known for his participation in the bands Cream and Blind Faith.
Werner Herzog's documentary about the people of the Siberian wilderness.
The documentary looks at hunger from an unexpected angle.
Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami turns his lens on Tokyo with a slowly unraveling story of a young prostitute.
Oscar-nominated drama offers a child's-eye view of war's harsh realities.
The sci-fi love story features a Romeo and Juliet separated not by a family feud, but by gravity.
An austere but subtly textured retelling of a 2005 news story in which a young woman died during an exorcism.
These five films compete for an Academy Award this month.
Death darkens and deepens this year's crop of Oscar-nominated live-action shorts.
Two best friends and one oddball interloper decide to escape their stifling parents and live in the woods for the summer in director Jordan Vogt-Roberts's feel-good feature debut.
A married woman is caught between her husband and another man in this Portuguese movie.
The past and present collide in this bleak German police procedural in which a young girl is killed 23 years to the day, and in the same place, as another child.
The semi-autobiographical drama from French writer-director Olivier Assayas follows young radicals during the late 1960s and early '70s.
This Hong Kong comedy really lives up to its name.
The Sundance-selected documentary tracks "Blackwater" author and investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill as he travels the globe to research the U.S. government's "kill list" and uncovers mysteries surrounding the secretive Joint Special Operations Command.
American astronauts, including Gary Sinise, embark on a daring rescue mission to save their colleagues trapped on the Martian surface.
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Harlem Globetrotters 2017 World Tour
Kids & Family Expo 2017
Van Andel Arena's 20th anniversary
"Night Fever" Juice Ball 2017
Brew Ha-Ha 2017
Grand Rapids Camper, Travel & RV Show
Report It
Feb. snow storm blankets West Michigan
Snow blankets West Michigan
Halloween 2015: Kids in costume
Photos: Supermoon and eclipse over W MI
Photos: Fire at Tunnel Park
'Double star' of Venus and Jupiter
US & World
The world rings in 2017
10 arrested in SC prostitution bust
Filthy Florida home
Wildfires in East Tennessee
Attack at Ohio State University
3 injured in SC school shooting
Protests Against Trump Inauguration
Kaine, Pence face-off in VP debate
Clinton, Trump face off in first debate
Maranda Park Party in Kalamazoo
House Dems hold sit-in for gun control
Movies In The Park 2016
8 Iconic TV moms from ABC hit shows
Remembering Prince (1958 - 2016)
SXSW Film 2016 : Part II
SXSW Film 2016
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How to dress in your 20s, 30s, and 40s
Man hands out love notes to honor wife
Christmas 2016 around the world
Photos: 13th Annual Shop With The Mayor
White Co. Shop With A Cop
Photos: Flora parade 2016
2016 Stars and Stripes Celebration
Photos: Lake Freeman Fireworks Display
Snakes of SC, NC & GA
Snakes found in North Carolina
Woman reportedly attacked by 3 dogs
Pets enjoy February flakes
Houston Zoo residents feel the love
Animals rescued from 2 Tennessee homes
Rio 2016: Team USA highlights - Week 1
Pat Summitt's Knoxville home for sale
The life and career of Pat Summitt
Athletes express concern over Zika, Rio
Cleveland makes NBA history with win
Mr. Hockey: Gordie Howe dies at 88
Southern storm damage - November 2016
Tornado damage across the South
Aug. 20, 2016 storm damage
Louisiana flooding displaces thousands
Deadly West Virginia flooding
Tropical Storm Colin
September 11
Last living Ground Zero rescue dog
Wayne CC 9/11 tribute event
The White House reacts to 9/11
New photos from 9/11
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NYC Before and After: Sept. 11
28 arrested in Holland Latin Kings bust
28 of 31 alleged Holland Latin Kings gang members charged in a federal indictment were arrested on Feb. 12, 2013.
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About the Course This course will teach you how to obtain the most meaningful and cost-effective results in laboratory accelerated weathering tests. It is based upon widely-used ASTM standards that describe outdoor and laboratory accelerated weathering tests, and corrosion test methods. Since there have been dramatic changes in these standards, it is important to learn how they can affect the way tests are conducted and interpreted. (2 days)
On-Site Training Available ASTM can bring this course to your site for groups of 12 or more. This on-site training at your facility will be tailored to meet the specific needs of your organization. For more information, please contact sales here or call 1-877-909-ASTM.


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Area Police
Collins man charged; trooper injured
COLLINS – On Fri-day, Cory L. Cornell, 31, of Collins was charged with third-degree assault, fourth-degree criminal mischief and resisting arrest.
Two troopers from the Collins barracks responded to a call from a female victim who had barricaded herself in a bathroom at 3695 Edgewood Drive. Once on location, the officers located the victim and Cornell in the couple's bathroom.
The victim reported that Cornell had returned home at about 2 a.m. and started a physical altercation with her during which she received numerous injuries including several bruises and scratches, a sprained ankle and inflammation to her back and spine. Prior to the troopers' arrival, Cornell reportedly damaged a bathroom door and forced the victim's head through a plaster board wall. The victim was transported to Lake Shore Hospital for evaluation.
Cornell reportedly attempted to flee the scene after he was advised he was being detained. He was taken into custody after a brief struggle. During the struggle, one trooper sustained a minor injury to his left foot. The trooper was evaluated by emergency room staff and released.
Cornell was arraigned in the Town of Collins Court and remanded to the Erie County Holding Center on $5,000 bail.
Fredonia Police Department
Johnson Yvonne, 66, of Buffalo, was charged with having a suspended registration on Saturday.
Dunkirk Police Department
Edward Wilson, 18, of Lord Street, was charged with violating a noise ordinance on June 12.
Cristian Maeslve, 23, of Park Avenue, was charged with operating a motor vehicle without a license and driving an uninsured motor vehicle on June 12.
Tamika Thomas, 16, of Park Avenue, was charged with third-degree criminal mischief and fourth-degree grand larceny on June 13.
Matthew Mason, 18, of Lincoln Avenue, was charged with petit larceny and unlawful possession of marijuana on June 13.
Edriese Walker, 22, of Lake Shore Drive East, was charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, second-degree menacing and second-degree harassment on Friday.
NaJee Finley, 18, of Park Avenue, was charged with disorderly conduct on Friday.
Ruth Wheat, 55, of Gowanda, was charged with driving the wrong way down a one-way street and failure to yield the right of way on Friday.
Joseph Linger, 19, of Gerry, was charged with operating an uninspected motor vehicle and using inadequate signals on Saturday.
Selena Ruiz, 17, of South Main Street, was charged with operating a vehicle with no headlights and unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle on Sunday.
McKenna Phearsdorf, 19, of Allegany, was charged with third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation on Sunday.
Jacfet Roldan, 27, of West Second Street, was charged with violating a noise ordinance and third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation on Sunday.
Luis Galarza-Gonzalez, 31, of Canary Street, was charged with violating a noise ordinance on Sunday.
Frank Ameno, 51, of South Gazelle Street, was charged with trespassing on Monday.
Chautauqua County Sheriff's Office
SHERMAN – Eliza-beth A. Horn, 23, of Union City, Pa., was charged with second-degree criminal mischief, endangering the welfare of a child and leaving the scene of a property damage accident on June 16. The charges stem from an alleged incident on June 11. An arrest warrant was obtained by Sherman Town Court following the incident.
Horn was located on June 16 by deputies driving her car on Route 430 in the town of Sherman. She was taken into custody and arraigned in Sherman Town Court where she was committed to the Chautauqua County Jail on bail.


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quote Pokemon ExpertYou can soft reset for the interact-able ones, but I wouldn't know for the dogs. Either way, it is not worth it. The odds of you getting what you're seeking for are really, really low however. I wouldn't recommend it at all.I know. I defeat Entei, Raikou, Lati@s, and when you beat the Elite 4, they come back with new nature, and possibly shiny. It's called the Post Elite 4 Method. Also, can you Soft Reset for a shiny Entei, Raikou, or Lati@s? As for Ho-Oh, I'm not sure about his nature, but if you beat him and beat the E4 again, he will come back.
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TYR Boys' Tracer B-Series Jammer
Product Information:
If speed and performance are high on your champ's list, choose the TYR® Boys' Tracer B-Series Jammer. Designed with speed in mind, this suit features a five piece pattern design that hugs the contours of the body for a superior fit. The compression panels decrease body circumference up to 5% while also decreasing muscle undulation and improving the blood circulation and re-oxygenation of the muscle core to help reduce fatigue.
He will glide through the water and leave the competition stunned while wearing the TYR® Boys' Tracer B-Series Jammer!
- The Tracer Light shell and lining features a lightweight, hydrophobic and quick-drying fabrication. Woven with a powerful micro-filament, it has enhanced stretch properties and memory retention to promote longevity and form-fit.
- Used in conjunction with the Four-Way Lock Seams, and intricately designed around the human musculature, these muscle-mapped panels will lock the core in with up to a 25% increase in zoned compression vs. a typical Lycra� suit. Panels decrease body circumference by up to 5%. Compression generated by the suit decreases muscle undulation and helps improve blood flow and re-oxygenation of the muscle core.
- Smooth, flat-bonded seams outline the suit to create a stitchless design that provides a fluid, drag-reducing fit. The inside of the seam are bonded then encased with HB (high-bond) micro-taping to provide ultimate hold that won't burst. The HB tape provides a consistently smooth stretch that leaves leg, arm, and neck openings a seamless transition from skin to fabric.
- With industry exclusive muscle-mapping seams, the Tracer B-Series' five-piece pattern design fits along the contours of the body to provide superior fit and reduce drag.
Country of Origin: ImportedWeb ID: 4322826


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Click to request a copy of the State Transportation Map online.
Request Map
Maps are also available at North Carolina Welcome Centers and Rest Areas, or by calling 1-800 VISIT NC.
Download full-sized versions of the NC State Transportation Map
For more detailed North Carolina maps, see the State Mapping Resources site.
The state transportation map is the department's most popular publication. The map features the state's extensive highway system, as well as important safety information.
The new 2015-2016 State Transportation Map is available. To request a copy of the map, click here. Maps are also available by calling 1-800 VISIT NC.
If you plan to travel to North Carolina you may pick up one of our free maps at any of our welcome centers or rest areas.
Insets show more detail than the front of the state transportation map can reveal. Currently there are 22 insets covering major cities in NC and an inset that covers the Blue Ridge Parkway.
There have been quite a few changes to the state map since it was first printed in 1916. The detail of the map and number of roads shown have obviously increased over the past 90 years but it has changed in so many other ways as well. For instance, did you know that starting in 1941, the staff of NCDOT produced two versions of the travel map for three decades? The black and white version featured regulatory information for commercial vehicles where the color version highlighted points of interest for our many tourists. You may have also noticed that in addition to the map itself, there are various types of information printed on the sides and back of the map each year.
Read more about the map:


text:
The Face of Love is a sloppily written movie with an arresting premise and a great actress as its star — but in a role that makes little sense.
Annette Bening plays an upper-middle-class woman who seems to be in an idyllic marriage with an architect (Ed Harris).
Actually, the bond is too idyllic — and, within a minute, you know that he is going to end up dead very soon.
You know this because all the nonstop nice is too boring to sustain; and everyone knows, from watching movies, that corny, exaggerated happiness is always a prelude to catastrophe.
Next thing you know, the loving architect washes up on a beach in Mexico, leaving behind a grief-stricken wife.
Lest you be tempted to roll your eyes and distance yourself, remember: Bening plays the wife.
Her grief is impossible to dismiss. Her pain is the pain of the universe.
Five years later, she still hasn't recovered. She has become accustomed to misery as a type of low-grade fever.
Then, one day, she goes to a museum and sees a guy who looks exactly like her dead husband. (He looks so much like him that Ed Harris plays him, too.)
Understandably, she becomes obsessed. Understandably, she wants to meet him.
Basically, this is Vertigo,
only with the sexes reversed and with the exact double being a different person.
What happens? You won't find out here.
But the mere fact that the question comes up — what happens next? — means that the filmmakers were on to something.
They didn't, however, quite get there.
The Face of Love is marred by false conflicts and by characters violating their own internal logic. The latter problem becomes particularly acute as the movie wears on.
Bening is burdened by having to make sense of her character's behavior, which is erratic, contradictory and inconsistent.
Harris, every bit Bening's emotional match, has the advantage of playing a recognizable human being.
He even makes you believe he is falling in love with a woman who seems crazy half the time.
He does so by suggesting a lived-in understanding that
life damages everybody — so why should she be any different?
John Lennon once said that because he was an artist, if you gave him a tuba, he could get something out of it.
The Face of Love presents us with Bening and Harris playing the tuba: They get something out of it — but that isn't enough.


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Holiday Inn Express Melbourne
Smart Card
Holiday Inn Express Melbourne
4510 West New Haven Avenue
Melbourne, Florida 32904
United States
Check In: 3:00 PM
Check Out: 12:00 PM
Check-in Age: 21
More Details
- Complimentary Self Parking Available
- Public Entrance
- Guest Rooms
- Elevators
- Public Restrooms
- Registration Desk
- Exercise Facility
- Pool
- Number of Accessible Meeting Rooms: 0
Accessible Hotel Areas
- Registration Area
- Accessible Guest Rooms
- Business Center
- Meeting Room
- Exercise Facility
- Pool
Hotel Areas with Accessible Routes from Accessible Public Entrance
- Accessible Self Parking
- Van Accessible Self Parking
- Portable Bathtub Seats
- Closed Caption TVs
- Communication Kits with Visual Alarms
Provided by Hotel
Pet Policy
- Service Animals Allowed
- No Pets allowed except for Service Dogs.
- Smoke-Free Facility
- Number of Floors: 5
- Total Number of Rooms: 68
- Number of Suites: 0
- Number of Non-Smoking Rooms: 61
- Number of Accessible Rooms: 5
- Connecting Rooms Available
- Current Renovation: 03-October-2016 To 31-January-2017
- We are currently under renovation and making property improvements to make our guests even happier!
- Guest Rooms Renovated in: 2015
- English
- Spanish
Credit Cards
- American Express
- Visa
- MasterCard
- Diners Club
- Carte Blanche
- Discover
- Kids ages 19 and under stay for free when sharing their parents' room.*
About Our Hotel
Stay Smart at the Holiday Inn Express® Melbourne
If you are looking for hotels in Melbourne, FL, stay at our newly renovated hotel located near the area's most popular attractions, beaches and major corporations. Whether you are in town for business or pleasure, undoubtedly you will marvel at our terrific amenities and friendly staff.
Leisure travelers visiting Florida attractions love our Melbourne hotel's location near the King Center, Kennedy Space Center, Andretti Thrill Park, Melbourne Square Mall and Camp Holly Airboat Rides.
When you come to work in the Melbourne area, our hotel's business center, which offers printing, copying and faxing business services, is ready to help you stay ahead of the game. We are located close to area corporations like Harris, Northrop Grumman, Rockwell Collins, GE, DRS and Florida Tech University. Business travelers also enjoy the added convenience of our on-site fitness center that allows patrons to stay in shape even when they are away from home.
Our Melbourne, FL hotel features affordable deals and rates, as well as great amenities like free high-speed Internet access and a complimentary, hot breakfast bar every morning, which features our signature delicious, warm cinnamon rolls. Book your room now at our Holiday Inn Express® Melbourne hotel.
- Black-out Shades
- Rollaway Bed/Cot Available
- Crib Available
- Iron/Ironing Board
- Separate Hanging Closet
- In-Room Heating and A/C Controls
- Extra Bedding Available
Bathroom/Personal Care
- Private Bathroom
- Bathroom Amenities Available
- Hair Dryer
- Bathtub
- Separate/Walk-in Shower
- Separate Vanity Area
In-Room Features
- Mini Refrigerator
- Microwave
- Coffee Maker
- Flat-screen TV
- DVD Player
- Work Desk with Lamp
- Desk-level Electrical Outlet
- Cable/Satellite
- Premium Channels
- CD Player
- Stereo/Radio
- Two-line Phone
- Phone with Voicemail
- Complimentary Morning Newspaper
Added Value
- Connecting Suites Available
- Complimentary Coffee/Tea Supplies
- Complimentary Bottled Water
Complimentary Full Breakfast
Complimentary Breakfast Buffet
Complimentary Continental Breakfast
Complimentary Coffee in Lobby
Off-site Restaurant Delivery Available
Business Services
- 1 Meeting Room(s) Available
- On-Site Business Center
- Printer
- Copier
- Office supplies available
Internet Access
- Free High-Speed Internet in all Rooms
- Wireless Internet service is free for all IHG® Rewards Club members
Entertainment & Recreation
- Outdoor Pool
- Outdoor Pool Hours of Operation: 7:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Health & Fitness
Complimentary Fitness Center
1 Treadmill, 1 Elyptical, 1 Stationary bike and Free Weights.
Hours of Operation: 6:00 AM to 11:00 PM
Fitness Center Type: LIMITED
Fitness Center Equipment:
- Treadmill
- Elliptical Machines
- Free Weights
- Stationary Bicycle
Last Renovation of Fitness Center Equipment: 2013
Housekeeping & Laundry
- Daily Housekeeping
Added Value
- Wake Up Calls


text: Trichechus senegalensis are found in shallow coastal wasters and freshwater rivers. They appear to prefer large, shallow estuaries and weedy swamps, and have been reported to avoid salt water (Nowak 1991 and Nishiwaki 1984). Their range is limited by temperature. They are rarely found in waters of less than 18 degrees celsius (Nowak 1991).


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Cows, Fog and Lady Gaga Tats - Page 2
As we ran along the fringe of Muir Woods we weaved in and out of the Dipsea Trail and Deer Park Fire Road. Craggy and steep, technical terrain slowed our pace, before we headed toward the Muir Woods Road crossing and entered the Miwok Trail.
Keli Keleman leads the way. Photo by Mary Bernsen
Here I caught up with the lead runners, Keli, Jerome and Marty. The Miwok Trail slapped us with a steady climb, and, at the top, fog and strong winds cooled us quickly. Mount Tamalpais came into full view and, to the east, we glimpsed Mill and Tamalpais valleys and Richardson Bay. Our next descent brought us into Tennessee Valley, and marked a marathon distance. We welcomed our meeting with the Mothership, knowing our next climb of the Marincello Trail would be punishing.
Chelsea decided to call it a day, as the run thus far would constitute her first "marathon." The next two miles saw a remarkable spread between runners, as we all churned out our individual run-walk pace up the relentless Marincello Trail. Keli and Dani led the pack. Keli said he had a "love-hate relationship" with the hill, but Dani, slender and fit, never seemed to tire. She began running after college but only started training for a full marathon in February and had raced strong in a couple of shorter races. Asked why she had joined our group adventure, she replied, "I wanted a fun run with no competition. I wanted to be able to just kick back and not worry about pace or what place I was in."
As the Marincello Trail turned into Bobcat Trail we caught sweeping views of Gerbode Valley and Rodeo Beach. Then picking up Alta and Morning Glory Trail, we once again were faced with another sudden climate change as we cut through a windy and thick patch of eucalyptus trees.
To our left we were able to make out Tiburon, Sausalito and a small part of the San Francisco Bay. Out of the trees and to our right was the entrance to the SCA Trail, a well-worn favorite with the local path pounders, with postcard views of San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz and Angel Island.
The author, running along the home stretch. Photo by Mary Bernsen
At the bottom of SCA Trail and the crossing at Conzelmen Road we reached the stairwells that led us up to the span of the Golden Gate Bridge and the final 2.7 miles of the run. Crowds were there to urge us on ... well, just kidding, but the Golden Gate is always packed with sightseers and it was to fun to think they were there to cheer for us. We triumphantly crossed one of the wonders of the modern world and reached our final destination!
At the finish, we were greeted with smiles and hugs from wives, girlfriends, husbands, offering welcome food and beer. Slowly people drifted off, until it was just me sitting alone, staring off at the Marin Headlands and the Golden Gate, musing about the next time I might be able to host this run.
Want to get trail beta on running in and around Marin County? Read on ...


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Additional Resources
Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism
New Hampshire Office of Travel and Tourism
Beyond Boston
Brandeis' central New England location puts you just minutes away from some of the best recreational, sightseeing and shopping destinations in the country. Here are five suggestions for exciting and affordable day and overnight trips, all less than a three hours' drive from campus:
Ski Killington
Killington, Vermont
This "beast of the East," as it is known, is the region's largest resort and offers something for skiers of every level. Single-day lift tickets are $76, $79 on Saturdays and holidays.
> Approximate travel time (each way): 3 hours
Shop L.L. Bean
Freeport, Maine
Visit the original retail outlet of the legendary manufacturer of quality apparel and outdoor equipment. Open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
> Approximate travel time (each way): 2 hours, 20 minutes
Explore MASS MoCA
North Adams, Massachusetts
Since opening in 1999, the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art has become one of the world's premier centers for making and showing the best art of our time. Regular hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day but Tuesday.
> Approximate travel time (each way): 2 hours, 45 minutes
Ferry to Provincetown
Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Catch the ferry from Boston to one of New England's most distinctive and charismatic towns, strategically located at the tip of Cape Cod. P-town features great beaches, eclectic shops and galleries and several outstanding restaurants.
> Approximate travel time (each way): 90 minutes by ferry from Boston
Tour the Mansions
Newport, Rhode Island
See how the Astors, Vanderbilts and other famous families of high society lived during their summers in New England. Built near the turn of the 20th century, the Newport mansions are virtual museums onto themselves.
> Approximate travel time (each way): 90 minutes


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Testbed and Methods
We are going to investigate the gaming performance of PowerColor Radeon HD 6950 1 GB using the following universal testbed:
- Intel Core i7-975 Extreme Edition processor (3.33 GHz, 6.4 GT/s QPI);
- Scythe SCKTN-3000 Katana 3 CPU cooler;
- Gigabyte GA-EX58-Extreme mainboard (Intel X58 Express chipset);
- Corsair XMS3-12800C9 (3 x 2 GB, 1333 MHz, 9-9-9-24, 2T);
- Samsung Spinpoint F3 HDD (1 TB, 32 MB buffer, SATA II);
- Ultra X4 850 W Modular power supply;
- Dell 3007WFP monitor (30", 2560x1600 @ 60 Hz max display resolution);
- Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit.
We used the following ATI Catalyst and Nvidia GeForce drivers:
- ATI Catalyst 11.4 "Mjölnir I" preview for ATI Radeon HD
- Nvidia GeForce 266.66 WHQL for Nvidia GeForce GTX 560 Ti
- Nvidia GeForce 266.58 WHQL for Nvidia GeForce GTX 570.
The ATI Catalyst and Nvidia GeForce graphics card drivers were configured in the following way:
ATI Catalyst:
- Anti-Aliasing: Use application settings/4x/Standard Filter
- Morphological filtering: Off
- Tesselation: Use application settings
- Texture Filtering Quality: High Quality
- Enable Surface Format Optimization: Off
- Wait for vertical refresh: Always Off
- Anti-Aliasing Mode: Adaptive Multi-sample AA
- Other settings: default
Nvidia GeForce:
- Texture filtering – Quality: High quality
- Vertical sync: Force off
- Antialiasing - Transparency: Multisampling
- CUDA – GPUs: All
- Set PhysX configuration: Auto-select
- Ambient Occlusion: Off
- Other settings: default
Below is the list of games and test applications we used during this test session:
First-Person 3D Shooters
- Aliens vs. Predator (126.96.36.199, Benchmark)
- Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (1.0.5, Fraps)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops (1.04, Fraps)
- Crysis Warhead (220.127.116.111, Benchmark)
- Metro 2033 (Ranger Pack, 1.02, Benchmark)
- S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat (1.6.02, Fraps)
Third-Person 3D Shooters
- Just Cause 2 (184.108.40.206, Benchmark/Fraps)
- Lost Planet 2 (1.1, Benchmark)
- Dragon Age II (1.01, Fraps)
- Mass Effect 2 (1.01, Fraps)
- F1 2010 (1.01, Fraps)
- StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty (1.0.2, Fraps)
- Total War: Shogun 2 (1.1,Fraps)
Semi-synthetic and synthetic benchmarks
- Futuremark 3DMark Vantage (1.1)
- Futuremark 3DMark 11 (1.0.1)
- Unigine Heaven benchmark (2.5)
- Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. 2 Benchmark (1.04, Benchmark/Fraps)
We selected the highest possible level of detail in each game. If the application supported tessellation, we enabled it for the test session.
For settings adjustment, we used standard tools provided by the game itself from the gaming menu. The games configuration files weren't modified in any way, because the ordinary user doesn't have to know how to do it. We ran our tests in the following resolutions: 1600x900, 1920x1080 and 2560x1600. Unless stated otherwise, everywhere, where it was possible we added MSAA 4x antialiasing to the standard anisotropic filtering 16x. We enabled antialiasing from the game's menu. If this was not possible, we forced them using the appropriate driver settings of ATI Catalyst and Nvidia GeForce drivers.
Besides PowerColor Radeon HD 6950 1 GB, we also tested the following products:
- ATI Radeon HD 6950 2 GB
- ATI Radeon HD 6870
- Nvidia GeForce GTX 570
- Nvidia GeForce GTX 560 Ti
Performance was measured with the games' own tools and the original demos were recorded if possible. We measured not only the average speed, but also the minimum speed of the cards where possible. Otherwise, the performance was measured manually with Fraps utility version 3.3.2. In the latter case we ran the test three times and took the average of the three for the performance charts.


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Pieper Memorial Veterinary Emergency Treatment Services (VETS) 860-444-8870 has moved! They are now at 114 West Brook Road, Essex, CT 06426!
As part of the VCA family, we have over 83 specialty hospitals across the US and Canada which provide referral specialty care, so there may be one near you. Enter ZIP to find VCA specialty care hospitals near you.


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Here's how RW members rated this race in the past (326 votes).
In short: Mud, mud and more mud. This was my second year and the extra mud made it even harder this year. My shoes will never be the same again !Excellent atmosphere and very satisfying.Thanks to all the volunteers.Date of review: February 26, 2007
In short: The exceptionally muddy conditions and challenging hilly terrain make this a truely memorable event. Highly recommended to someone wanting to push themselves that extra mile! Trail shoes with that extra grip are a must.Date of review: February 26, 2007
In short: Great off-road race with challenging In full: Secone time at the Terminator and it never gets any easier. Totally forgot about the last hill about a mile from the end (was on my hands and knees climbing it!)Great organisation at a resaonable price. Thanks to all the marshalls who, again, were on top form. A+Date of review: February 26, 2007
In short: Downpour the previous night, made the mud deeper and the course trickierIn full: A nice natural course but with so much rain it turned this into a try and stay on your feet course and the first mile determined alot of the finishing order, but this race was not about your position but actually completing it. Move over Tough Guy with the gimmicky obstacle course at the end and try this with natural obstacles instead. Three killer hills all with 45 degree plus inclines and descents to match.Those spectators who just stayed at the start and finish have no idea! Roughly a mile from the finish as you re-enter Pewsey they put you through a river /stream, thigh deep to clean you up (sheep dip springs to mind), I imagine if you now go downstream there could well be a new island with the amount of mud cleaned off us all.Tips: You need trail shoes, those in road trainers struggled to stay on there feet.If you want a finish, start at the front due to the bottle necks occurring at the first couple of gates after going off road.Don't take your MP3's etc unless they are waterproof.Last mention to all the stewards - Thanks for keeping us going.Date of review: February 26, 2007
In short: Plenty of mud, which made for a very tough runDate of review: February 26, 2007
In short: A bit muddy wasn't it!!In full: What a great way to spend a sunday morning/ early afternoon for us slower ones!Looking forward to next year, hopefully will have recovered in time from my 'Trench Foot' i picked up after about 5 miles.Will try and persuade a few friends to give it a go as well in 2008.Date of review: February 26, 2007
In short: Steep Hills, rivers and mud that comes upto your knees - Brilliant!!!In full: It is a hard race as it puts a lots of pressure on your quads and thighs, but the great scenery and the excuse to get very muddy makes the achievement of finishing all the more sweeter. Oh and dont do it with new trainers, but make sure they have decent grip.Date of review: February 26, 2007
In short: How hard was this - there were several times when I asked myself WHY? Well worth it in the end thoughIn full: Well organised and everyone seemed to maintain a masochistic cheerfulness throughout. The mud was fantastic - must get the recipe!Date of review: February 26, 2007
In short: You've got to be joking!!In full: Mud mud glorious mud. Hills (or mountains)too. Like someone earlier mentioned - glad to have invested in off-road shoes a few months ago. Definitely the hardest thing I have ever done!! Only my second off-roader but immensley proud to have finished in under 2 hrs. Especially as the 10'ish and printed 11 miles turned out to be 11.5 (thanx 4 that) CONGRATULATIONS to everyone that finished and on the day dont be too unhappy if you didn't.Well done to all the organisers and the cheerful marshalls that just kept egging you on. By the way - glad to have helped a fellow runner from swallow diving into the mud at the first gateway by grabbing his arm - no problem. Certainly proud to say 'I was there' [just so glad it didn't rain!!!!!!!!!!!!!]Date of review: February 26, 2007
In short: Menatl, tougher than expected, not sure about the un even ground for twist and pulls though is my only negative point, otherwise a great race and friendly p.eoplDate of review: February 26, 2007
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HPBExpo - BBQ Trends Release
HPBExpo 2010 - BBQ Trends Release
Annual Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Expo Unveils New Products and Trends for 2010/2011, Recaps 2009 Industry Performance
Orlando, Fla. (March 11, 2010) - From time-saving accessories, to innovative grills and smokers, and state-of-the-art outdoor kitchens and living products, the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (HPBA) announced today the barbecue industry's latest trends and hottest items launching at the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Expo (HPBExpo) in Orlando's Orange County Convention Center, March 11-13. The largest outdoor living show in North America, HPBExpo brings together 350 exhibitors and 8,000 attendees from around the world, and showcases the hottest new products and industry trends.
With 82 percent of North American households owning a grill or smoker, and the majority (56 percent) of grill owners using their grills year round, the barbecue industry remains hot. Shipments of grills and smokers reached 15 million in 2009 alone.
"Outdoor cooking remains a staple American pastime that consumers turn to for delicious food with time and cost-saving benefits. The industry's manufacturers are launching new innovative accessories that make it easy to cook every part of the meal - from appetizer to dessert - on the grill, and new gadgets that are making clean-up easier than ever before" said Leslie Wheeler, HPBA Communications Director. "This year's Expo features an exciting variety of new products to fit every budget and outdoor cooking style."
2010 Trend Watch
As the May-to-September peak outdoor cooking season approaches, consumers can expect to see grills, smokers and outdoor living products in high demand. Unveiled today at HPBExpo, the trends that will drive sales during 2010 and beyond include:
Sizzling Accessories: This year, it's all about accessories, which are making it even easier to cook up your favorites or try something new to spice up your grilling capabilities. New accessories focus on time-saving and easy-living solutions for everyone, from the novice to the master griller. Time-saving tools, like the new BBQ Hooker four-in-one tool offer everything from a sharp hook to a strong rounded spatula, to a serrated knife edge and even a bottle opener all in one (also available in a left-handed version). Also new, the Zippo Flexible Neck Utility Lighter easily fits into most grills and lanterns with a flexible and durable neck that makes lighting torches and grills a snap. And making grilled kabobs more manageable, the Fire Wire® is a flexible, dishwasher-safe stainless steel skewer that allows you to marinate kabobs in a plastic bag for full-flavored grilled meals.
Keeping it Clean: Manufacturers are making outdoor cooking easier by offering new products for quick clean up. The latest products cut down clean-up time and make post-grilling more enjoyable. The new Gas Grill Splatter MatTM protects surface areas from sauce drippings and splatter without adhering to decking. And for a one-stop clean-up brush, there's the new Grand Grill Daddy - Platinum Edition high-end grill brush that cleans with the power of steam and has three rows of stainless steel bristles for restaurant-quality cleaning power.
Tailgate Fever: Portable grills and smokers are a game-winning addition sure to get the party started at any time. Beyond tailgating, new light-weight and durable grills and smokers are making it possible for consumers to get their favorite grilled and smoked meals and side dishes anywhere, whether at the beach, campsite or a local park. Popular industry technologies, including infrared grilling, make on-the-go outdoor cooking fast, easy and delicious.
Jack of all Trades: New multi-tasking grill systems are answering the call for easy cooking solutions. Consumers can experiment with side-burners, three-, six- and even 12-burner gas grills to create different dishes at one time. Multiple burners allow for varied temperature control, while extensions like built-in infrared rotisseries, storage drawers and lights for nighttime cooking adapt to consumers' 24/7 lifestyle.
Home Outside of Home: Remodeling extends beyond the walls of the home. Outdoor kitchens transform backyard spaces into luxury living areas with everything from barbecue grills to wood-fired pizza ovens, refrigerators, dishwashers, built-in sinks, bottle rails, cocktail bars and food preparation areas. With the ease and convenience of a backyard entertainment area, more people are looking for ways to turn their yards and decks into inviting, usable outdoor living spaces. And, as consumers are becoming increasingly cost-conscious when it comes to remodeling, outdoor smokers, grills and kitchen accessories provide an easy, do-it-yourself friendly way to upgrade the value of any outdoor space.
Sales Burned Brightly in 2009
The barbecue industry remained strong in 2009, shipping nearly 15 million grills and smokers overall. Gas grills continue to top the charts as the most popular type of grill, followed by charcoal and then electric.
- Total Gas Grills Shipments (57 percent of sales) - 8,543,000
- Total Charcoal Grills Shipments (41 percent of sales) - 6,164,000
- Total Electric Grills Shipments (2 percent of sales) - 277,150
Get Fired Up!
May is National Barbecue Month and the kick-off to the peak grilling and smoking season. Retailers see their highest sales during the summer months, but also recognize steady sales continuing into the fall with consumers cooking outdoors well past Labor Day and into the winter months. HPBA forecasts that as Americans keep entertainment close to home and watch travel spending, the popularity of grilling and smoking will soar.
For more industry and HPBExpo information, please visit www.hpba.org and www.hpbexpo.com .
About Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (HPBA)
The Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association based in Arlington, VA, is the North American industry association for manufacturers, retailers, distributors, representatives, service firms and allied associates for all types of hearth, barbecue and patio appliances, fuels and accessories. The association provides professional member services and industry support in education, statistics, government relations, marketing, advertising and consumer education. There are more than 2,500 members in the HPBA.