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Group Booking Terms and Conditions
Because you are making a Group Booking, there are additional Terms and Conditions that apply. Please read them and click 'I Accept' below to continue with your booking
General Group Booking Terms
By making a group reservation through Hostelworld.com you agree to the following terms and conditions as set by Hostelworld.com and as set by the hostel in question.
- In order to make a group reservation on Hostelworld.com it is necessary to pay a deposit. The balance is due directly to the hostel according to their payment conditions.
- The booking deposit is non-refundable.
- Please note that any cancellations must be notified directly to the hostel at least 24 hours in advance of your scheduled arrival date, unless otherwise stated in the hostel's conditions.
- Hostelworld.com are not responsible for changes or amendments to your reservation once it has been processed. All correspondence with regard to changes to your booking need to be dealt with directly with the hostel.
- Cancellations for reservations must be made directly with the hostel and must conform with the individual hostels cancellation policy (see below)
- It is your responsibility to pay the balance of your accommodation cost to the hostel in accordance with their payment conditions (see below). Failure to do so may result in your reservation being cancelled by the hostel.
- Individual hostels may have special booking conditions relating to group stays, please read the hostel booking conditions carefully before making your reservation.
Hostel Specific Terms & Conditions
The remainder of the amount due will be charged to your credit card 4 weeks prior to arrival. Should numbers or room selection change, the per person deposit times the number of people who actually travelled will be deducted from the total accommodation charge levvied by the hostel.
Cancellation / No Show & Reduction in Numbers Policy
Cancellation and refund policy: Any confirmed booking may be cancelled by clients at any time, as per the following policy:-
60 days prior to arrival - Full refund i.e. no charge
45 days prior to arrival - 75% refund i.e. 25% charge
30 days prior to arrival - 50% refund i.e. 50% charge
Less than 30 prior to arrival - NO REFUND i.e. 100% charge
The Ngurdoto Mountain Lodge Management reserves the right to make any alterations/changes in the policy (in part or in whole) without any prior notice.
Additional Terms and Conditions
In order to maintain a smooth and reliable mode of operations, Ngurdoto Mountain Lodge is kindly urging the cooperation and high level of understanding on the following points to secure a confirmed hotel booking:-
Any company/Organisation making a booking is kindly requested to submit an official booking voucher/letter or an e-mail with a 50% advance deposit payment. The hotel in turn will confirm and fully guarantee such a booking as per the specifications made by the company. The balance 50% shall be paid before the arrival date of the guests.
Booking security: In the event of a confirmed and guaranteed booking resulting to client NOT getting the room at Ngurdoto Mountain Lodge as per the confirmation due to reasons beyond the control of The Ngurdoto Mountain Lodge management, the hotel (Ngurdoto Mountain Lodge) shall be duty bound to make sure that such client is reserved a place in a similar standard hotel and The Ngurdoto Mountain Lodge shall cover any requirement arising as a result of this management.
Credit Facility: In order to secure credit facilities with the hotel, prior arrangement and terms must be drawn and signed between the concerned company and the management of Ngurdoto Mountain Lodge before the services are rendered. In other words, CREDIT FACILITIES SHALL NOT BE EXTENDED TO ANYBODY WITHOUT PRIOR ARRANGEMENTS.
Any cancellations resulting from agreement to these terms and conditions under false pretences will result in loss of deposit.
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MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Tony Stewart is mad at Joey Logano.
Logano isn't too happy with Stewart, either.
And Logano likely doesn't have a lot of friends over at Joe Gibbs Racing after being involved in the wreck at California that left Gibbs driver Denny Hamlin injured and on the sidelines for at least the next five races.
MORE: Stewart-Logano | Logano not backing down | Junior, the points leader | Starting lineup
There are so many hard feelings and feuds brewing that Jimmie Johnson can't keep up with them all.
"I can't recall all the beefs that are out there," Johnson said at Martinsville Speedway Friday. "There is obviously one or two that have been in the spotlight.
"One of those situations can't take place because Denny's not in the car. Tony and Joey, something could happen. I think we will all be aware, just as somebody watching on television, if you are in the car and you see those two near one another, just watch for a lap or two and see what is going on. And make evasive moves if you need to at that point."
Asked about the feuds that have been brewing in recent weeks, Jeff Gordon chuckled Friday and said, "It's nice to know that some of that attention is off of us."
Or is it?
Lost in the Hamlin-Logano-Stewart flap is perhaps the biggest and ugliest feud in the past year — Gordon vs. Clint Bowyer. Their infamous run-in last year started one year ago at Martinsville Speedway and some wouldn't be surprised to see it continue Sunday.
Gordon dominated this race last year, leading 329 laps, and was battling Johnson, his teammate, for Hendrick Motorsports' 200th victory when Bowyer entered the picture. With Ryan Newman banging on his rear bumper, Bowyer tried to go three-wide on Gordon and Johnson and caused all three of them to crash.
Gordon never got over the incident and intentionally wrecked Bowyer at Phoenix in November, ruining Bowyer's championship hopes and setting off a brawl between their two crews. Bowyer was furious over Gordon's retaliation and has not gotten over it. He has hinted that the bad blood between the two is not over.
Gordon recalled Friday how the feud started at Martinsville.
"Well, yeah, you know, he wrecked us," he said. "So, whether it was intentional or not, it's still something that was in the back of my mind.
"You could say it set the stage. But for me, it's an accumulation of things; sort of like a 'three strikes and you're out' deal. And we just made contact too many times last year."
Gordon, who will start sixth Sunday at Martinsville, said there was no need for the wreck, which occurred after a late restart, moments that are always hairy and dramatic at the narrow, half-mile short track.
"He was racing hard," Gordon said. "The thing that bothered me so much about it last year is that I really don't know if we were going to win that race because we were sitting ducks on old tires. He had it won, really, I think, pretty easily. But to try and make that move going into Turn 1 was very impatient and it really cost him as much as it cost me.
"All he had to do was wait until we got off of Turn 2 and he probably would have driven by all of us down the back straightaway. So, certainly that's not forgotten."
Johnson, who will start on the pole for Sunday's race, agrees that Bowyer made an ill-advised move trying to pass he and Gordon three-wide.
"On a restart, I can only recall one three-wide restart into turn one before and it didn't turn out well," Johnson said. "With that one, I had no clue what was going on and so much transpired in a short period of time and as the contact started I heard 'three-wide,' and then I was already turned around.
"Those (restarts) are tough, but you know something crazy is happening."
Bowyer, who starts 15th Sunday, admits that he made a mistake last year but also says that's why he loves racing at Martinsville.
"Just the racing itself, being able to root and gouge and sometimes beat and bang on each other," he said. "That didn't work out too good for me in the spring race last year when I was here. Hopefully I'll learn from those mistakes and put it to good use."
Johnson wouldn't be surprised if Gordon and Bowyer renew their rivalry on Sunday. Or if two other drivers got into it on a short track known for contact and hot tempers.
"Short tracks are where things kind of settle out and find a home," Johnson said. "There might be some other issues kind of lingering that aren't so notable that might flare up.
"It's just something you deal with."

subset: commoncrawl


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Mail: Southern statutes symbolize suppession
Mail: Thanks for helping Aiden
More opinion
Robertson and Delsing re-elected chair, vice chair of NWB
Goat Expo set first October weekend
More Ag News
The 16 Miss Nebraska contestants took time Friday afternoon to play with kids downtown at the Children's Museum.
"They inspire us too," Cook said. "They inspire us to have fun, to make believe, to remind us that fun can be built, destroyed and built again. Sometimes as adults, we need to remember that it's okay to make mistakes."
"I'm having a blast," said Miss Douglas County Aleah Peters as she helped two girls learn how to weigh garden produce and make change at a pretend sales stand.
"This is a good thing to do when we are not competing," she said.
The beauty contestants spread out through the museum, with kids everywhere, and everyone played for two hours.
Then the contestants went downtown for a parade along the brick streets.
The pageant continues through Saturday night, when Cook will crown the 2013-14 Miss Nebraska.
Miss Douglas County, was the preliminary talent winner on Wednesday night of the contest. Rachel Foehlinger of Omaha, competing as Miss Lake McConaughy, was the preliminary winner on Thursday. Both twirled the baton.
On the final night, the top eight contestants will start with a fresh slate for the judges. The night will feature some other stars onstage at the North Platte High School Performing Arts Theater. Patrick Thomas, a singing star of the television show "The Voice," will join Miss America Teresa Scanlan onstage.
Flatrock Publishing, Inc.
1300 E 4th St., Suite F
North Platte, NE 69101


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We are in Charlottesville VA
Nice quality black plastic cane instantly vanishes at your command! The cane can either vanish completely, or can appear to vanish and change into two silks (which is easier to do). Excellent for stage or standup!
Silks are not included, but are recommended. We suggest using two 12" silks. Consider getting black silks if you want to make the illusion that the cane has changed to silks.
Cane is approximately 3" long when closed, 30"-34" when opened. Made of flexible plastic. Black with white tips.
Please note: this is not suitable for small hands, as the closed cane is too large to hide in small hands.
You supply the silk handkerchiefs, glitter, etc.
Vanish the cane in a shower of glitter. Simply load the open cane with glitter before your performance. When you make the cane vanish, the glitter will be released in a big sparkly cloud. You could also use paper confetti or mylar plastic confetti instead of the glitter. Glitter can be purchased at craft stores like Michael's, Ben Franklin, Hobby Lobby, Joann Fabrics, etc. Confetti can be purchased at party stores like Party City.Also, you can use the Vanishing Cane in a routine using the Appearing Cane first. Produce the cane at the start of your routine, then pick it up (really you are picking up a different cane- the Vanishing Cane) and make the cane disappear at the end.
Carl Rosini introduced the concept of this trick.
Interested in magic history? Visit our free online Magic Library, full of biographies of famous magicians plus lots of magic history and trivia!


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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - We have all seen the Kiss Cam at sporting events -- some of us may have even been on it. But one Florida sports team's joke is now causing quite a stir.
Jacksonville Jaguar fan Dave Uible, 47, was at a football game when he noticed the Kiss Cam framing a pair of players from the opposing team, seemingly to get them to kiss.
Uible, who is gay, said the gag, which he didn't find funny, appears to make fun of homosexual couples' affection.
Uible wrote a latter to Jaguars owner Shad Khan about the Kiss Cam on Monday.
According to Yahoo! News, he wrote: "I am gay and I have a lot of gay and lesbian friends who are proud Jaguar season ticket holders. I'm not sure you are aware, but there is a video 'joke' called the Kiss Cam that plays at the games. Often, the bit goes like this: after showing several happy heterosexual couples kissing in the stands, the camera then pans to two opposing male players who are in close proximity and leaning toward each other – insinuating that they may do the exact same (and ostensibly wrong) thing and kiss. Hilarious, right? No, and the message is clear. Jaguars are heterosexual and approved. The opponent is 'gay,' disapproved and the butt of a crude joke. Really, why is this even at an NFL game?"
Team spokesman Dan Edwards has confirmed Khan received the letter but said they are not issuing a comment.
Uible said he doesn't want the Kiss Cam to end altogether; he just wants what he said was a homophobic joke to stop.
He also said he's still a Jaguars fan and has renewed his season ticket package.
Copyright 2013 by ClickOrlando.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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First would like to say hello to everyone on the forums. Just purchased a hybrid and cannot wait to share and get information with everyone on the forums.
I am getting 24-27mpg in the city!!! I should be reaching close to 40 easily! I am driving like a grandma!
I purchased a 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid from Carmax last week. MPG are listed as 40city / 38 hwy.
It was never owned, it was a fleet vehicle. 31,000 miles.
It was just serviced, oil change, oil filter, tire rotation, the works.
I have not gone through a whole tank of gas yet, still on over half a tank from Carmax. It is regular unleaded fuel.
I have been driving in the city around Boca Raton, FL and I am currently getting 24-27mpg in the city!
This is with AC off and if it is on it's in ECO friendly mode and on low. I am accelerating from stops and lights very lightly and moderately. I do not drive over 40-45mph in the city. I am very disappointed with the mpg in the city considering I should be getting close to 40.
On the highway, I am going 60mph with cruise control I was averaging 36-38mpg which is about where I should be, however, my primary concern is the city mpg. I start and stop a lot because of traffic and the distance between lights is short.
Anyone having the same problem? And ideas? please help.


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Topic: jaundice
Hi Friends,
Well I haven't posted in a long time although we have a blog under joesinformation.blogspot.com . We have had a fairly smooth ride since Joe was diagnosed in July of 06 but it looks like were are at a major hurdle now. His only symptom was a queasy stomach. We opted for no conventional treatment and then last March started IPT treatments. He had an RFa on one of his three liver tumors which was successful last June. He has multiple tumors in his lungs. We have been able to go with our life until now when over the weekend I noticed his eyes were yellow. You couldn't see it on his skin because he is tan but it does have a yellow tinge. His urine is also very dark brown which I think means his bilirubin is out of whack. We are currently in Bonaire in the caribbean or should I say I am. Joe flew home to Chicago today and will have an MRI and an MRCP Wed. and Thursday. His doctor was nice enough to take my fax from here and go with my suggestion. up til now he has only had PET scans but from this website I could see that an MRI gav more specific info on the bile ducts and the liver. He has intrahepatic and although he has been diagnsed for 19 months, he has had symptoms for 29 months so I know we have been lucky to have such a good journey so far. I know we are in trouble now and am waiting to hear th results of th tests to fly home. He had expected to fly back in a week but I think that is unrealistic. Our main purpose for being her ewas to get out of the Chicago winter weather but our secndary was to scuba dive. With this jaundice he cannot do this because he needs his liver to detoxify the nitrogen.
So long story shorter, if he needs a stent, can any hospital do it or do you have to go to a big one like northwestern? We have an oncologist at Northwestern but she has pretty much written us off bcause we went alternative. We 're working through our internist now and the doctor doing the IPT. Could you share your experiences with stents and whether he needs a major hospital to have this done. I am a nurse but when it comes to your own, it is a whole different story.
I am looking into flights home but this is high season. I look forward toyour suggetions and comments. We pray for all cc patients and know we ar on the far end of the bell curve but we aren't ready to give up yet. God bless Mary Anne


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Recipes for Cinco de Mayo
Al Pastor Tacos with Pineapple Salsa
Ingredients for Al Pastor Tacos:
1 pound chicken thigh meat, skin and bones removed
1 pound pork butt, trimmed of excess fat
1 cup Al Pastor Marinade
Cilantro, finely chopped for garnish
Ingredients for Al Pastor marinade:
2 guajillo chiles, seeds removed
2 ancho chiles, seeds removed
1 dried chipotle chile, seeds removed
1 chile de arbol, seeds removed
1/3 pineapple, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 large yellow onion peeled and cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 pinch ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon cumin seed
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 ounce pilloncillo (unrefined cane sugar) or brown sugar
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Slice the pork butt into 1/2 inch slices.
In a large bowl, combine sliced pork butt and chicken thigh meat with the chilled Al Pastor Marinade. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
For the marinade, toast guajillo chile, ancho chile, chipotle and chile de arbol in a hot oven or in a dry skillet over medium high heat. Set aside.
Broil or grill pineapple and onion slices until golden brown, set aside. Dice and reserve half for the tacos.
Place oregano, cloves, garlic, cumin, ginger and chiles on a plate. Heat a sauce pot on high heat and add vegetable oil. Add all of the spices at once. Toast for 2 minutes. Add the chiles to the spices and let them fry a little.
Add 1/2 the slices of grilled onions and grilled pineapple. Add pineapple juice, pilloncillo, vinegar, salt and freshly ground pepper, bring to a boil and cook at a simmer for 30 minutes. Once cooked, blend in a blender until smooth and strain though a sieve.
Cool completely before marinating chicken and pork.
Once marinated, cook chicken and pork slice on medium heat grill about 8 minutes or until desired doneness. Rest before cutting it into small dice for tacos.
Serve immediately wrapped in warmed corn tortillas and accompanied by diced grilled onion and pineapple.
Garnish with cilantro. Serve with your favorite rice and beans.
Mexican Birria
4 guajillo chiles
4 ancho chiles
1 cup hot water
1 cup of port red wine
1 pound of prime top round beef, cubed
2 1/2 quarts water
1 onion, sliced
6 garlic cloves
4 fresh bay leaves
6 sprigs thyme
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
Kosher salt and white pepper to taste
In a 350-degree oven roast the ancho and gaujillo chiles for about 8 to 10 minutes. Submerge into hot water. Let them sit for approximately 20 minutes. Remove from water. Puree in blender with a cup of warm water. Set aside.
In a Dutch oven add the beef, water, port wine, onion and garlic cloves. Bring to boil and cook for 1 hour. Add the bay leaves, thyme, chile puree, cumin, oregano, kosher salt and white pepper. Simmer for 30 minutes.
Serve and enjoy, with refried beans Mexican rice, and some homemade corn or flour tortillas.
Serves 4-6.
Diners wanting to celebrate Mexican culture this Cinco de Mayo might want to read up on some history.
Cinco de Mayo commemorates one battle in 1862 when the Mexican army defeated the French at the Battle of Puebla. Except for the residents of the Puebla region or its capital city of the same name, few of their fellow countrymen observe the day. Americans, however, tend to love it and host parades, street festivals and more.
Southern Californians, particularly, embrace May 5 as a day of fiestas and food. But toss the ground beef tacos and say no to nachos. Los Angeles and its neighboring cities are home to rich Latino communities with the people as richly diverse as the food, so instead opt for mole poblano, chalupas or barbacoa de Puerco (barbecue pig).
Mixing traditional flavors with modern twists is a craft that renowned chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger — both former competitors of Bravo's "Top Chef Masters" television show — have perfected at Border Grill, the duo's restaurant chain which has local locations in downtown Los Angeles and Santa Monica. And this weekend the restaurants are celebrating the Mexican holiday May 3-5 with entertainment and hearty dishes showcasing bold foods and flavors from Mexico, particularly the Yucatan and Oaxaca.
The downtown L.A. restaurant, with Executive Sous Chef Eddie Garcia at the helm, will even host Aztec Dancers this weekend and have a pig roast, while in Santa Monica, Chef Robert Lia will prepare Al Pastor shrimp quesadillas, soft shell crab tacos and Spot Prawn Tiradito on May 4.
Garcia's family roots are from Mexicali and his dishes reflect a respect for history.
He said the dishes at Border Grill have a fresh flavor profile that should conjure up images of how Mexican grandmothers would have made them.
Henry Gonzalez couldn't agree more.
As chef and owner of Spaggi's in Upland, he's always experimenting with new flavors and dishes. His suggestion for those looking to celebrate Cinco de Mayo at home to try birria, which is a spicy Mexican meat stew usually made with goat (though Gonzalez prefers beef). The Jalisco dish is popular for celebrations such as Christmas, Mother's Day and birthdays.
Gonzalez, a second-generation Mexican American with family ties in Jalisco, is known throughout the Inland Valley for his Italian food, but when it comes to his roots traditions remain strong.


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Disney & Pixar Release Two Family Favorites for 3D Home Use...
To insure your action figure collection, get in touch with Collectibles Insurance, the official insurance company of the Figures.com network. Say "Figures.com" to get 5% off your first term premiums.
To buy action figures, take a look at BigBadToyStore.com, Toynk.com, BriansToys.com, ToyWiz.com, and MonkeyDepot.com.
Disney and Pixar continue to impress families looking for great home entertainment with new re-releases of their older films in 3D. With Monsters, Inc. hitting theaters in 3D later this month (read more here), now's the perfect time for everyone to pick up two other newly released 3D movies that'll impress the whole family: Finding Nemo and Up.
Both Finding Nemo and Up are classic Disney films with everything fans and families have come to expect from the house that created the mouse: entertaining dialogue, dynamic characters, and an emotional roller coaster of an adventure. Both films feature plenty of drama, humor, and adventure and will appeal to movie-goers both young and old. Now, with both films available in 3D, the added appeal and depth makes for an even more engaging experience for families at home.
With an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and presented in gorgeous 1080p, Up is, simply put, gorgeous. The detailing on everything - be it clothing or hair, a home or blimp - comes through on this video. Even though the film originally debuted in theaters 3 years ago in 3D, it's only now receiving its 3D home video debut. While the film rarely forces its 3D on viewers, it's the minor, subtle use of 3D that's most impressive. This includes city settings, rural vistas, and the deep jungle scenes all prove not only impressive, but nearly breathtaking at times. Aerial shots of the house floating and the sky scenes will really impress.
Finding Nemo too is just as gorgeous, with an impressively converted film filled with scenes ripe for 3D at home. The underwater adventure makes amazing use of depth as schools of fish and other underwater sea creatures swim by, providing multiple layers of enjoyment. Optimized for the best home viewing experience, the entire crew of Finding Nemo looks brilliant here, the turtles riding the currents as well as the sharks tracing their ways through the sunken ships are two especially noticeable scenes in which the 3D comes to life. No matter what scene you're enjoying, the video is crystal clear, smooth, and easy to enjoy.
Up delivers a great audio experience thanks to the DTS-HD Master Audio 6.1 ES soundtrack which fills the stage and ensures both the city and the jungle surround the viewer. Everything from the busy cityscape to the sparsely populated jungle provide ambient sound and dialogue is clear and easy to hear and understand. Overall, an impressive and all-around enjoyable experience. Likewise, Finding Nemo features a Dolby TrueHD 7.1 lossless soundtrack which includes everything - and I mean everything - one would expect to hear underwater. Bubbles pop, water swirls and moves, the music fills the speakers and dialogue is clear.
Both releases include a wealth of special features.
Up includes the Cine-Explore commentary featuring director Pete Docter and co-director Bob Peterson. Both deliver an engaging, fun and deep Picture-in-Picture video commentary that also includes drawings, sketches, storyboards and alternate footage to keep fans entertained and informed. The 22-minute "Adventure Is Out There" featurette shows Docter and others discuss the creation of the film to include pre-production, story creation, and more. Seven various documentaries feature over 45 minutes worth of info and discuss everything from the film's "Geriatric Hero" (Carl) and the film's "Canine Companions" to the "Wilderness Explorer" (Russell) and "Our Giant Flightless Friend" (Kevin). These and other featurettes both inform and engage viewers. Other special features on Up include the 6-minute "Partly Cloudy" short film, a new animated short called "Doug's Special Mission" featuring the fan-favorite dog from the film, and two compilations of alternate scenes called "The Many Endings of Muntz" and "Married Life." Other special features include an interactive "Global Guardian Badge Game," a number of promotional spots, and the film's two trailers.
Finding Nemo special features includes the Cine-Explore commentary with director Andrew Stanton, co-director Lee Unkrich and co-writer Bob Peterson, who provide a fun P-in-P experience that's filled with interesting info, storyboards, concept art and more. An 18-minute "Finding Nemo: A Filmmakers' Roundtable" includes Stanton, Unkrich, Peterson as well as producer Graham Walters, production designer Ralph Eggleston and technical lead Oren Jacob for a retrospect on the film while the 15-minute "Reinventing the Submarine Voyage" gives viewers a look at the Disneyland attraction. The 8-minute "A Lesson in Flashbacks" includes Stanton discussing lessons learned, the 26-minute "Making Nemo" (formerly on the 2003 Collector's Edition DVD) is an informational behind-the-scenes documentary while the 7-minute "Exploring the Reef" features Jean-Michel Cousteau showing real-life reefs. Also included here are a 5-minute studio tour, a number of short featurettes, a number of deleted scenes and outtakes, and finally some promo material and trailers.
Overall, if you've seen these films before, you know just how exciting and entertaining Finding Nemo and Up can be. Now add another level of awesome - 3D - to that fun and you've got yourself Finding Nemo 3D and Up 3D. Both feature some of the most adored animated characters and some of the most memorable adventures in recent memory. Then, of course, add the opportunity to enjoy these at home in 3D and your family will fall in love all over again with an adventerous old man, a young scout, a talking dog, a lost clownfish, a recovering shark, and a forgetful Surgeonfish.
Both Finding Nemo 3D and Up 3D are available now wherever fine home video is sold.
- Jess C. Horsley


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The Pumpkin King gets his finest figure yet...
For a great selection of video game action figures and collectibles, check out BigBadToyStore.com, ToyWiz.com, PastGenerationToys.com, Urban-Collector.com, ToyDorks.com, HobbyLinkJapan.com, and Sekaido.com.
To insure your action figure collection, get in touch with our sponsor Collectibles Insurance.
The first Kingdom Hearts game was released in 2002; one year after the Playstation 2 was released in the US. The new formula that combined the magic and characters of Disney with the style, design, and video game expertise of Square-Enix was an instant smash hit. Also unique was the new game play style that did away with the turn-based combat of Final Fantasy and allowed players to explore and battle in three-dimensional worlds, which were often those out of Disney films. One of the most popular worlds in the series is Halloween Town, based off the fictional holiday world from the cult classic film The Nightmare Before Christmas. While main character Sora has been given two figures themed to the spooky land, the Pumpkin King himself, Jack Skellington, now joins the Play Arts figure series as only the second Disney character from the franchise to see release.
PACKAGING: The packaging of this figure is similar to previous serious of Kingdom Hearts figures, but sans the j-hook hanger. The box is primarily white with KH-inspired border designs on the various sides. The package has windows on the sides, top, and the front allowing a full view of the figure within. On the back, Jack is photographed against a backdrop featuring a silhouette of Halloween Town. On the inside of the box, the character is kept in place by a plastic shell and has a colored insert as a backdrop.
SCULPT & ARTICULATION: Fans of Nightmare Before Christmas are bound to ask themselves why they would want to pick up yet another figure of the films main character when so many have been released prior. We got several great figures during NECAs series, and another so-so release with Jun Plannings short-lived NBX line, so what makes Square-Enixs Jack figure different?
Well for starters, the most noticeable difference in terms of quality is that the artists at Square-Enix sculpted the pin striping of Jacks suit completely, whereas other companies have previously just painted or printed the lines on. The figure is very textured which is a welcome feature as it gives homage to the fact that the film is stop-motion and it makes the figure more natural, with less gloss. The head sculpts perfectly capture the personality and look of the character and can be swapped for different display options. But take care, as the joint is fairly tight, and it seems like it would be all too easy to snap off the neck joint if care isnt used.
The figure itself is slightly meatier than previous versions, which is okay, as he still maintains his proper lengthy proportions. This change also gives him the ability to do something other Jack figures could not stand. Other Jack figures have required the use of a stand to keep them up, but he can pull off a variety of poses that balance him enough to stay up. The figure features around 18 points of articulation including 4 points in the arms, three in the legs, the waist, and the neck. If there were any place where the figure has issues, I would say that because of the use of ball-joints in the shoulders, they come off as a little big and round.
PAINT: Jack consists of primarily two paints colors, black and white, with some small details painted here and there. Hes generally painted very cleanly, but the paint adds to the very organic look of the sculpt and brings out the texture even more. The stripes of his suit have been painted on using a wash to highlight the sculpting and detail had been added to his head sculpts using some airbrush work for shading.
ACCESSORIES: Jack really doesnt include accessories per se, but he does feature some packed in extras that add to your purchase.
The biggest addition is his sidekick Zero, who is fully sculpted with lots of texture. Jack also includes three different heads to display including smiling, angry, and open-mouth smile heads. He also includes a clear display stand for added stability and more attempting more exciting poses.
OVERALL IMPRESSION: Overall, I can say without a doubt that Square-Enixs version of Jack Skellington is the best in terms of quality, accuracy and value. They have gone the extra mile to give NBX and Kingdom Hearts fans a figure they can be truly proud to have on their toy shelves. Unfortunately, it seems like this is the last Kingdom Hearts figure we will get for awhile as no new products were shown at this years Toy Fair. It would be disappointing if we didnt see figures of characters from Birth By Sleep or more of the Organization XIII, but most importantly, main characters Donald and Goofy. The Kingdom Hearts 2 Play Arts Jack Skellington is available now from Square-Enix.
Review Sample Courtesy of Square-Enix
Review and photos by Michael Klein


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2008 Best of Braddock Awards Announced
June 30, 2008
News Highlights
- Best of Braddock awards go to VRE Centre Parking Garage and project manager Ken Lim; Kings Park Civic Association; Fairfax County Sheriff's Office; Annandale High School Band; Rich Barfield;and George Michael Billy.
- The 2008 Braddock District Citizen of the Year award is being given to D.E. "Bill" Sheads.
- The 2008 Braddock District Young Person of the Year is Liz Alva.
- The awards will be presented on Tuesday, July 8, at 7 p.m. at the Braddock District Supervisor's office, 9002 Burke Lake Road, Burke.
More Information
The Braddock District Council of Community Associations and Braddock District Supervisor Sharon Bulova announced the winners of the 2008 Best of Braddock (BOB), Citizen of the Year, Young Person of the Year and other public service awards.
The awards will be presented on Tuesday, July 8, at 7 p.m. at the Braddock District Supervisor's office, 9002 Burke Lake Road (Kings Park Library), Burke. Presentations will take place during the council's annual picnic.
The awards are a joint program of the council and Supervisor Bulova. Granted for the fifth consecutive year, the "BOBs" recognize those citizens, organizations and businesses in the Braddock District that have "gone above and beyond to be the very best." The Braddock District Citizen of the Year Award has been given since 1992.
The 2008 BOB award winners are:
VRE Burke Centre Parking Garage – Ken Lim, Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental
Category: Commercial Beautification or Improvement
The garage is being recognized because it was a collaboration between county government and the Burke Centre community, resulting in a building that is a neighborhood enhancement. Ken Lim, with Fairfax County's Department of Public Works and Environmental Services, is also being recognized for his work as the project manager.
Kings Park Civic Association
Category: Neighborhood Enhancement or Beautification
The association was nominated for undertaking a project that celebrated the diversity in its community and brought the community together.
Fairfax County Sheriff's Office, Community Labor Force
Category: Most "Can-Do" Public Employees in the Braddock District
The Sheriff's Community Labor Force is being honored for contributing substantial time and effort to the Braddock Road Beautification Project.
Annandale High School Band – Jack Elgin,
Category: Club or Organization Really Making a Difference in the Braddock District
The band was nominated for the part it played, with compassion and community spirit, in raising funding for the memorial for Mary Read, an Annandale resident and former band member, who died in the Virginia Tech shooting tragedy last year.
Rich Barfield, Area Landscaping
Category: Outstanding Business Person
He is being honored for the instrumental role that he and his company played in both the Braddock Road Beautification Project and the Mary Read Memorial. This included the donation of time and plant materials.
George Michael Billy
Category: Personal Achievement
This category was added to the BOBs this year, and the award went to George Michael Billy, a Lake Braddock Secondary School graduating senior. He is an outstanding wrestler who won three state championships in his weight class in Nebraska and Virginia. However, he also is being honored for changing his life and achieving the control and character that has allowed him to excel in athletics and gain the respect of his family, friends and teachers.
The 2008 Braddock District Citizen of the Year award is being given to D.E. "Bill" Sheads. He was nominated for his dedication throughout the years and contributions to the historical record of the Braddock District and Fairfax County. His insight and memory over the past 86 years have made him a valuable source of historical information. His "institutional memory" was a priceless resource for Supervisor Bulova's "A Look Back at Braddock" project.
The 2008 Braddock District Young Person of the Year is Liz Alva, a graduating senior at Robinson Secondary School. She graduated with a 3.6 grade point average, completed seven Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses, and is the first in her family to attend college. In addition to volunteering for a number of community groups, she participated in five sports in high school, earning varsity letters in three, captaining three teams and winning the Robinson Athlete-Scholar Award four times.
For more information about these awards, to request reasonable accommodations, or to learn how to nominate an organization or individual for an award in future years, contact Colin A. Campbell, Braddock District Supervisor's office, 703-425-9300, TTY 711.
Fairfax County Office of Public Affairs
12000 Government Center Parkway, Suite 551
Fairfax, VA 22035-0065
Contact: Merni Fitzgerald, Director of Public Affairs
703-324-3187, TTY 711, Fax 703-324-2010
Media Pager: 703-324-NEWS (6397)
Fairfax County is committed to
nondiscrimination on the basis of disability in all county programs,
services and activities. To request this information in an alternate
format, call the Office of Public Affairs at 703-324-3187, TTY 711.


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Gardening guru Alan Titchmarshgives readers a tour of his own private plot in his horticultural memoir, My Secret Garden - plus, find out what else needs doing in the garden this week.
By Hannah Stephenson
His old back garden at Barleywood was shared with millions of viewers every week when he was the frontman on BBC Gardeners' World - but it's taken 10 years for Alan Titchmarsh to finally reveal his current garden to fans.
A decade after moving a stone's throw from Barleywood to his current Hampshire home, a large Georgian farmhouse set in four acres, he finally feels ready to let the public see how he has transformed the garden, through the pages of his new book, My Secret Garden.
"It's difficult when you've done a garden like this to keep it to yourself," Titchmarsh reflects.
"I didn't want to open it up and have the pressure of folk coming in but people kept saying, 'Do you bother with your garden now it's not on the telly?' Well, this is proof that I do."
Years of hard labour have gone into achieving his private paradise, which features a mass of decorative borders, a wildflower meadow, a hornbeam avenue and a wildlife pond, and these days he just has two people to help him.
Between them, they also maintain the 35 acres of meadow and woodland which Titchmarsh retained after selling Barleywood, which he turned into a nature reserve.
"I'll never let the TV cameras into my private garden," he says now.
"I would never go to Alison (his wife) and say, 'Look, can we just do one programme?' because we made the decision not to. I'm blissfully happy being there on my own with the family."
It's amazing that he can fit any gardening into his hectic work schedule of TV presenting and writing.
"I have to," he shrugs.
"If I don't go out there and potter several times a week, I get ratty. There's quite a bit of mowing to do but I like the therapy of mowing.
"When I grew up my mum and dad had a tiny back garden up in Yorkshire and then when I first got married and lived in Berkshire we had a 15ft by 40ft strip behind the house. So I know how lucky I am in having more space."
Titchmarsh describes himself as a gardener who designs a bit, rather than a garden designer.
"I trained in a parks department and the legacy of that is a liking for striped lawns and trimmed edges. I do have a bit of an obsession with neatness, if I'm honest, and that manifests itself in my preference for balance and symmetry, but within the order I enjoy a degree of chaos too.
"I think my garden does betray a few delusions of grandeur - I like urns and finials and other classical touches - but I hope the resulting style is elegant rather than pretentious."
The book, which features different parts of his garden through the different seasons - from silky white snowdrops, bold yellow daffodils, hellebores and majestic tulips in spring, to glorious summer plantings fringing neatly striped lawn areas, swathes of wisteria around the house, the formal south terrace with its structured topiary, yew lollipops peppered with Allium 'Purple Sensation', and the garden statues which create interest and surprise throughout the year.
"I love May when everything's come out. The leaves are all fresh, unsullied and unbattered by wind and the first of the blossom's coming out."
He says that 'almost weekly' he thinks of cutting down on his TV commitments to enable him to spend more time in his garden.
"It may well happen over the next two or three years. I've been on telly an awful lot. I very much enjoy being at home and the reason I don't do big travelogue series where I go away for two or three months is because I couldn't bear to leave the plot.
"Sitting in my garden, looking out, it reassures me that in the great scheme of things, life goes on, the seasons are all powerful and we, in a way, are governed by nature and we should respect it and work with it."
The book is dedicated to Titchmarsh's nine-month-old grandson, Hugo, who's already been introduced to the garden, Titchmarsh smiles.
He says he's put a big fence up around the pond in anticipation of Hugo toddling towards it.
"I don't want to force him into gardening but if he's in and among it all the time, he'll grow up thinking that's the way it is and it'll become second nature to him."
:: My Secret Garden by Alan Titchmarsh is published by BBC Books, priced £25. Available now.
Best of the bunch - Pyracantha (firethorn)
Evergreen foliage, dainty white flowers and bright autumn berries make this spiny shrubs a must-have in any garden, particularly if you want to help feed the birds.
From late spring to mid-summer, flat clusters of small open flowers appear, followed by berries in vivid shades of orange, scarlet and golden yellow, which can persist through the winter.
Pyracanthas are spreading or upright in habit so you can grow them as free-standing shrubs, hedging or trained against a wall or fence in a fan or espalier shape.
They like fertile, well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade and will tolerate north-facing walls. Prune free-standing shrubs in late winter or early spring by removing shoots that spoil the shape.
The sideshoots of wall-trained plants should be pruned in midsummer, two or three buds from the base, while hedges can also be trimmed in midsummer.
Good varieties include P. 'Soleil d'Or', an upright variety with yellow berries, and P. 'Orange Glow', which produces deep orange berries.
Good enough to eat - Celeriac
Anyone who hasn't tried a delicious celeriac, garlic and potato mash as an accompaniment to any winter-warming dish, from sausages to roast meats, is missing a real treat.
Celeriac is a knobbly winter root which can be harvested until March.
The flesh - crispy when raw, silky smooth when cooked - has a delicate taste which suggests the flavours of celery with a slight nuttiness.
Sow the seed indoors in late March in trays of compost, not earlier as the plants tend to run to seed.
Transplant into seed trays when two true leaves have developed and grow on at 55F until mid-April, when they can be placed in a cold frame to harden off, ready to be planted out in May.
Plant out in a prepared bed spacing the plants 12in apart with 15in between the rows. Mulch with well-rotted manure or compost to retain moisture and ensure that they are kept well watered, or they will run to seed.
In early autumn, draw soil up around the stems to blanch them. Lift towards the end of autumn and store in boxes of moist peat in a frost-free place to be used as needed during the winter. In most areas you can cover the roots with straw and lift as required until early spring.
Three ways to... Enjoy cacti success
1. When plants become pot bound, pot on in spring into pots just one size larger in diameter than its old one.
2. Place desert cacti on a sunny windowsill all year round, although full sun is not essential.
3. In winter, provide a cool position with a minimum night temperature of 8-10C (46-50F) so they have a period of rest.
What to do this week
:: Remove decaying or dead branches of established trees, to prepare for winter winds.
:: Protect newly planted evergreens with a temporary windbreak until they are established.
:: Group containers over the winter for mutual protection, wrapping up vulnerable pots and plants.
:: Rotate your cropping plan on the vegetable plot to reduce any build-up of pest or disease and to create the right levels of food in the ground for various crops.
:: Use shears to cut back clumps of mint to near-ground level and apply a top dressing of leaf mould or compost.
:: Encourage the uppermost Brussels sprouts to swell by pinching out the stem tip.
:: Check all crops in store regularly as the air becomes cold and humid.
:: Continue to propagate trees and shrubs by taking hardwood cuttings.
:: Prune wisteria to increase flowering next year.
:: Lift begonia tubers, dry them and store in a cool, frost-free place.
:: Ventilate the greenhouse on sunny days.
:: Tidy borders for the winter by removing stakes, cutting back dying foliage and digging out perennial weeds.


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Brad on Ron:
Kings notes: Miller offers some insight into Pacer's world
The Kings' center recalls a visit to the hometown of Artest and says his former teammate is 'a great guy.'
By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Sunday, January 8, 2006
Story appeared in Sports section, Page C7
Long before the sports world went searching for ways to understand Ron Artest, Brad Miller was already on the mission.
It was late April of 2002, and the two Indiana Pacers teammates were in New Jersey to face the Nets in the first round. With Queensbridge, N.Y., not too far away, Miller decided to join Artest on a trip to his hometown.
"I went to Queensbridge with him ... to get a feel of where he's coming from," said Miller, who played with Artest in Chicago before being traded with him to Indiana two months before the visit. "I always like to learn a lot about people's background, to see what they've been through."
Did the day-trip help him understand Artest?
"I don't think it did," said Miller, traded from the Pacers to the Kings before the 2003-04 season. "Pretty much as long as you didn't get shot there, it wasn't too bad. You've got like 10 playground sets on each little block. Definitely, when the sun started to go down, it was time to leave."
One season after playing a major role in the Detroit brawl between fans and players, Artest's request to be traded from Indiana on Dec. 10 has created quite another headache for the Pacers. In every city along the way, there are questions and speculation about where Artest might go and how his teammates are coping. Miller said it's an unfortunate scenario for all involved.
"It's hard with Ron, because he is such a great guy," Miller said. "It's hard to watch a guy that's that talented. All he really cares about is basketball, in and out. That's all he lives and dies for."
Jaws, Part I - The wires are orange, wrapped tightly around his teeth as if the worst kind of dentist did a patchwork braces job.
Somehow, though, Shareef Abdur-Rahim was smiling through the hardware.
The Kings' forward, whose broken jaw has mandated such torturous rehabilitation, was at practice Saturday, retrieving rebounds in casual clothes for teammate Jason Hart. There had been earlier Abdur-Rahim sightings within the practice facility, with beads of sweat on his brow from light workouts. But before he considers a return date, Abdur-Rahim's focusing on keeping his sanity.
So far, so good.
"It is what you make it," Abdur-Rahim said in a mumbled voice. "I eat through a straw. My wife (prepares the food). It's fruit, potatoes, chicken. I can't really eat to enjoy food. I just eat the necessities."
For now, a quick return isn't one of the necessities. The Kings are 3-1 without Abdur-Rahim, using their full cupboard of forwards with new starter Kenny Thomas and Corliss Williamson playing well. While coach Rick Adelman said Thursday that he expects Abdur-Rahim to miss at least six more weeks, the medical professionals will weigh in Wednesday, when Abdur-Rahim is to be reevaluated.
"It is what it is," Abdur-Rahim said. "If you make it miserable, it'll be miserable."
More Miller memories - Miller arrived in Indiana right about the time Jermaine O'Neal began his ascension to stardom.
The Pacers' forward became a late bloomer during the 2001-02 season, his scoring average jumping from 12.9 points per game the season prior all the way up to 19.0. O'Neal, who was drafted by Portland out of high school, had four quiet seasons with the Trail Blazers before he was traded to Indiana on Aug. 31, 2000.
Joe Kleine, O'Neal's teammate in Portland and the Kings' 1985 first-round pick, was included in the trade to the Pacers. But Kleine's 15-year career ended before he could play for Indiana.
As for O'Neal, he's still on the rise.
"He's a stud down there," Miller said. "His post game is one of those that a lot of young players can look at and model off of. He's really become fundamentally sound."
O'Neal, battling pneumonia, is averaging 22.3 points and 10 rebounds per game this season.
About the writer:
* The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at (916) 326-5582 or email@example.com.
x - close Recent Stories By Sam Amick
Kings guard Francisco Garcia, right, makes a pass as Indiana center Scot Pollard defends in the third quarter of Sunday night's game.
Sacramento Bee/ Andy Alfaro
Pacers crush Kings 108-83
By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 8:44 pm PST Sunday, January 8, 2006
[Updated: 10:43 p.m. Sunday] Jermaine O'Neal wasn't quite himself, struck with a pneumonia bug that had taken him out of three games.
Ron Artest, of course, is eternally missing, placed on Indiana's inactive list since his trade request in early December.
But the Pacers didn't need much more than Stephen Jackson, whose 31 points in a 108-83 win over the Kings demoralized a team seemingly on the rise and brought the boo birds out at Arco Arena for the first time in weeks.
Maybe the Kings fans knew the historical significance. With the loss, the Kings tied their number of home losses for last season, the 11th coming nearly three months earlier this time than the last (April 3, 2005). It took a late surge from the reserves to avoid even more history in defeat, as the Kings cut a late fourth-quarter, 35-point deficit to 25 by the time the buzzer sounded and nearly half the sellout crowd had headed for the exits.
By the time Kings coach Rick Adelman arrived at his postgame news conference, with Kings employees and fans glumly leaving the building, there were more questions than answers.
"I'm at a loss in that one, so ask your questions," Adelman began the session.
They came inquiries about a blatant lack of passion; a sluggish offense that shot 39.5 percent and received five points from Mike Bibby (1 of 10 shooting), a combined 24 from Brad Miller and Peja Stojakovic; and two points in 21 minutes from Kevin Martin. Questions were posed about the defense that was two steps slow throughout, allowing the Pacers to set an opponents' season high for three-pointers (13) and losing the rebounding battle 51-37.
"We didn't compete," Adelman said. "It's hard for me to understand. As the (second) half went on, they started losing their will, and we just backed down and moved out of the way. I don't know how you could do that."
It was, Adelman had said, the same message afterward as it had been at halftime (the Kings down 60-39), with no response from his players.
"Everybody in that room is going to have to look at themselves and try to figure out what's going on and think about why we're so up and down. This wasn't just being down this is about as bad as it gets."
In conclusion, Adelman asked, "You guys got anything else? I got nothing else."
Jackson had plenty.
Early in the third quarter, as both teams scored at will in the opening three minutes, a Pacers player hollered to his defensive-minded colleagues, "Stop trading baskets. Let's go!" And there Jackson went, setting up his shots shop on the right side of the three-point arc. His first came with 8:37 left.
The second came some 30 seconds later, then a third after less than another minute passed, and a fourth 20 seconds later to blow the lead open to 80-47. When his fifth came with 1:31 left to put the Pacers up 91-59, Jackson tied the Arco Arena and Kings' opponent record for threes in a quarter.
All the while, Stojakovic couldn't fight around screens to contest, and a zone employed by Adelman didn't do much better. Adelman pulled Stojakovic and Bibby from the game before Jackson was done in the third, never to return.
"We just have to be more focused on the guys who are hot, (and) talk on the defensive end," Stojakovic said. "It's disappointing. It's up to us."
It was a night in which the adversity excuse would not cut it. No team has faced as much as the Pacers in the last season, distractions far greater than being short-handed as the Kings are without injured starters Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Bonzi Wells.
"Look at teams like Charlotte," backup point guard Jason Hart said. "They're not even one of the top teams; they lose all their starters, and they beat good teams. Shareef and Bonzi have been hurt. It's not like they just got hurt. We just needed more energy, and that just goes with effort. We didn't give ourselves a chance."
About the writer:
* The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at (916) 326-5582 or email@example.com.


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The other conversation of interest around Chez Melvin this past weekend -- in addition to growth-vs.-value debate I discussed Monday -- was the current level of the stock market. I don't try to predict market direction, as I have found this activity to be hazardous to my wealth. However, I do enjoy the debate. It also makes sense to pay some attention to rising risk levels, as identified by a lack of safe and cheap stocks. Many folks try to discern whether the stock market is cheap or rich, based on valuation, and then invest accordingly.
This past weekend, one such individual made the bold statement that the stock market was very cheap, and that it should be bought with great abandon. When challenged by others in the conversation, he told the group that the stock market was well below historical norms, based on forward earnings estimates, and that it could appreciate by more than 20%.In my usual kindly fashion I stated that this was one of the more foolish things I have ever heard, and a dangerous form of analysis.
Predicting the direction of the market via forward-price-to-earnings ratios, or earnings estimates, is a fool's errand at best. Those estimates will change constantly as we go through the coming year, and they cannot be used as a basis for any sort of valuation or prediction. I have studied forward-P/E ratios on several occasions and have found them to be predictive of nothing at all.
Let's take a second and dissect the earnings estimate for the S&P 500. When I look at the index estimates, I see growth is projected at about 10% overall, and financial-sector names are estimated to see an earnings increase of a little over 10%. Much of the earnings of the larger banks this past year came from the release of loan loss reserves, and I have a hard time seeing how that can continue into 2013. Since 2010, something along the line of one-third of bank earnings have come from the release of loan-loss reserves. The rising costs of regulation, and increased restrictions on trading activities, could also cause the estimates to come in well below the always-optimistic analyst expectation.
For instance, one of the largest estimated increases is in consumer discretionary spending, which is projected to climb 15% -- and I just don't see where 2% gross-domestic-product growth translates into that. In the third quarter, stocks in this sector reported earnings that were basically flat on a 1% sales increase. If we hit the much-discussed fiscal cliff, the consumer discretionary sector could well see prices drop year over year. It is almost certain that, should the GDP contract due to political and economic issues, any gains in the materials and energy sectors would be eliminated as well.
Yet all of those statements can be stood on their head and viewed form a bullish angle, as well. Things could go better than expected with Congress and President Obama, and it's possible they'll reach an agreement that satisfies consumers and business -- and that we'll see stronger earnings as a result. If Europe gets its act together, and we begin to see a global economic recovery, increased demand could be a boon for energy and materials. It is almost impossible to tell how 2013 will play out, and that renders the estimates pretty much worthless.
If we look at the trailing 12-month P/E ratio, it is currently at a little over 16x. If the economy were growing at 4% a year, the market would be reasonably priced, per the Graham P/E formula. But it isn't. The growth rate is estimated at 2% and, at that level, the right ratio is around 12.5x. For the market to be fairly priced, the S&P 500 would need to pull back to 1100 or so. Assuming we're set to hit the fiscal cliff and see flat to negative growth, the fair price of the S&P, based on earnings, is a gut-wrenching 750.
If you look at the 10-year average earnings, the Schiller P/E ratio is at 21x -- about 30% above its historical average. This P/E has been lower than the current level 80% of the time since 1928. A recent study from Cliff Asness, the noted quantitative-analysis fund manager, concluded investors should vastly lower their expectation or returns based on the index multiple, not just for next year but for the next decade. The ratio can stay high for an extended period, but it would be a mistake to ignore it at extreme levels.
Next month we will start to see a steady flood of 2013 stock-market predictions. The airwaves will be filled with well-dressed men and women making highly confident predictions about what the stock market will do for the next 12 months. Those who tell you the stock market is cheap based on projected earnings are just building sandcastles in the sky, and should be ignored at all costs.


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Robotech Miniature Game Brings Your Favorite Classic Mecha...
If you're a child of the 80s (like most of us at Figures.com), then chances are you're a fan of or at least remember Robotech. One of the most influential cartoons from Japan to air in the U.S., albeit in a somewhat different form, Robotech was a sweeping sci-fi space opera with everything from alien space ships to fast-paced combat, love triangles, real-life messages of pacifism and responsibility, and more. Of course, what most people remember are the series' incredible mecha designs! The heroic Earth forces featured awesome Veritechs, F-18 Tomcat-inspired fighter planes that transformed into giant robots, in addition to the walking tanks of the Destroids. Meanwhile, the giant alien Zentraedi fought in "pods" of various kinds from the standard Regult Battlepod to the heavily armed and armored Glaug Officer's Battlepod.
Robotech toys are few and far between these days, and mainly relegated to high end collectibles with a few exceptions. Now, though, the cool Veritechs, Destroids, and Battlepods are featured in a new miniatures game from Palladium Books, Ninja Division, and Harmony Gold. The initial launch is happening right now on Kickstarter - HERE - with the Robotech RPG Tactics Boxed Game. The standard kit includes 20 miniatures (1/285th scale high quality, multi-pose plastic), rules, battle dice, cards, and more. Backers can also receive a variety of extras including exclusive models, additional components, and artwork not available anywhere else. Whether you're a gamer or not, all Robotech fans should check this out!
- Scott Rubin
To insure your action figure collection, get in touch with Collectibles Insurance, the official insurance company of the Figures.com network. Say "Figures.com" to get 5% off your first term premiums.
To buy action figures, take a look at BigBadToyStore.com, PlasmaInfusion.com, Toynk.com, BriansToys.com, ToyWiz.com, and MonkeyDepot.com.


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Arizona Spartan Sprint
Fountain Hills MMRP , AZ
Sat 02/09/2013
1 Mile, 5-K, Adventure Race
6000 Participants
Chip Timing, Online Entry Available, Kids Only Event Included
|Sat 02/09/2013
|Adventure Race (5-K)
|Sat 02/09/2013
|Adventure Race (1 Mile)
|1 Mile
|Sat 02/09/2013
|Adventure Race (5-K)
|Sat 02/09/2013
|Adventure Race (1 Mile)
|1 Mile
Distance: It's a 5-K race, fastest time should be around 30 minutes. Longest times will be over 1 hour. We use Timing Chips for accuracy. Start Times: Heats start at 8 a.m. with up to 250 racers and continue every 30 minutes throughout the day. Enter the 8 a.m. Elite heat if you want to be as competitive as possible and race against the best. Aid Stations: Expect 2. All Racers Receive: Finishers Medal; T-Shirt; Free Beer ticket for anyone 21 and over; A chance to play on some really unique terrain; Bragging Rights; Free race photos; Free Mud; A scrape (or two); More stories to tell; Free race photos. Spectators:Want a front row seat to all the Spartan action? Spectator tickets are available for $20 online (click the yellow register button above like your registering for the race, and you choose the spectator option), or purchase them onsite for $25 (please bring cash). As a Spartan Race spectator, you'll receive $5 Spartan bucks redeemable at the merchandise tent, entry to the rocking festival area, a festival grounds map, access to some of the obstacles on course, not to mention the epic Gladiator pit and finish line. Enjoy the music and watch your friends and loved ones slip and slide through the Spartan course in the relative safety and comfort of the Spartan Race festival grounds! You can also test your fitness in our festival challenges including the Pull-Up Challenge, Slosh Pipe Challenge, Kaiser Challenge and Traverse Wall Challenge. Beware, the next ticket you'll want to buy might have you standing on the Spartan starting line! Interested in FREE parking and a FREE race entry (for you or anyone else)? Volunteer!
- Name:Steffen Cook
- Email:
- Phone:888-555-5555
- Address:Fountain Hills MMRP , AZ
Fountain Hills MMRP , Arizona 85255


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A Plague and a Blessing in My Empty Nest
September 25, 2017,
Ingrown toenails can occur on any toe but are most common on the big toes. They usually develop when tight-fitting or narrow shoes put too much pressure on the toenail and force the nail to grow into the flesh of the toe. Incorrect toenail trimming can also contribute to the risk of developing an ingrown toenail. Other causes are:
Caring for Toenails. Trim toenails straight across and keep them long enough so that the nail corner is not visible. If the nail is cut too short, it may grow inward. If the nail does grow inward, do not cut the nail corner at an angle. This only trains the nail to continue growing inward. When filing the nails, file straight across the nail in a single movement, lifting the file before the next stroke. Do not saw back and forth. A cuticle stick can be used to clean under the nail.
Treatments. To relieve pain from ingrown toenails, try wearing sandals or open-toed shoes. Soaking the toe for 5 minutes twice a day in a warm water solution of Domeboro or Betadine can help. People who are at increased risk for infections, such as those with diabetes, should have professional treatment.
Antibiotic ointments can treat ingrown toenails that are infected. Apply the ointment by working a wisp of cotton under the nail, especially the corners, to lift the nail up and drain the infection. The cotton will also help force the toenail to grow out correctly. Change the cotton daily, and use the antibiotic consistently.
In severe cases, more intensive treatments are needed. Surgery involves simply cutting away the sharp portion of ingrown nail, removing the nail bed, or removing a wedge of the affected tissue. Orthonyxia, a newer surgical technique that implants a small metal brace into the top of the nail, may be as effective as traditional surgical techniques for preventing ingrown toenails from recurring.
Nonsurgical methods can also treat ingrown toenails. One technique uses chemicals to remove the skin. Both sodium hydroxide and phenol may be used, but research shows that sodium hydroxide produces a better outcome and faster recovery than phenol. Other nonsurgical methods include using cauterization (heating), or lasers, to remove the skin.


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American IPA7.7% ABV80 IBU
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Heads up! Stone Delicious IPA Cask W/Mosiac Hops may not be available near you. Follow this beer to get notified when it's available nearby, try searching in a different area, or discover some similar beer.
American IPA7.5% ABV65 IBU
Old Ox BreweryAshburn, VA
Available at very few places nearby
Old Ox's interpretation of a West Coast style IPA. Very Hop Forward and deliciously dry finish. A pint of this will susrely take you to your hoppy place :)
American IPA7.0% ABV
Caboose BrewingVienna, VA
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American IPA6.8% ABV
Olde Saratoga Brewing CompanySaratoga Springs, NY
Available at very few places nearby


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MIAMI - Chris Andersen is getting another chance in the NBA.
The Miami Heat have signed Andersen to a 10-day contract. The Heat also brought forward-center Jarvis Varnado back for a second 10-day deal.
Andersen worked out for the Heat about two weeks ago and remained in the team's plans.Andersen has averaged 5.4 points and 5.2 rebounds in his NBA career. His last appearance was with Denver on March 25.
The Heat did not re-sign center Josh Harrellson to another contract.
Owner Micky Arison announced the signings Sunday morning.
Copyright 2013 by Local10.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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They're always chasing something. Life after Toby Gerhart or Jim Harbaugh or Andrew Luck.
One bar—one seemingly unreachable obstacle—higher than the next.
So why not go all in this time around? Next up for the Stanford Cardinal in 2013: winning the national championship.
"The logical next step," said Stanford safety Ed Reynolds.
That statement, a mere six years ago, was utterly laughable. That statement now is completely doable.
The team that six years ago was the worst BCS program in the game; that took a chance on a young coach who was turned down by Tulane; has developed into a beast of an organization that might just have enough to do the unthinkable: beat the SEC at its own game.
Might vs. might. Power vs. power.
"It's who we are," said Stanford coach David Shaw.
It's what Harbaugh and Shaw envisioned when they arrived on The Farm in 2007. It's how they turned San Diego into a success story in the NCAA lower divisions, and how it would play at the highest level of college football.
Years earlier, when Harbaugh was named coach at San Diego, he got a call from his mentor Bo Schembechler. The man who defined toughness as the legendary Michigan coach, asked Harbaugh three things:
—Will you play with a fullback?
—Will you play with a tight end?
—Will they be on the field at the same time?
Fast forward to Harbaugh accepting the Stanford job—after failing to land the Tulane job—and taking his assistant, David Shaw, with him. Before the turnaround began; before Stanford went from 1-11 in 2006 to 35 wins over the last three seasons, Harbaugh asked Shaw – who played at Stanford in the 1990s—if he thought the Cardinal could win by playing Maul Ball in the pass-happy conference.
"I told him it worked at Stanford before; we did it then," Shaw said. "It was a perfect fit. When everybody else was running sideways in the conference, we started running north and south."
This is what Shaw means when he speaks of a philosophy and mentality that will overcome any obstacle as long as everyone is invested. Too many times, he says, too many people have too many reasons not to buy in.
The best response: results.
Lose the Pac-10 player of the year and a Heisman Trophy runner up (Gerhart), and go from eight wins to 12 wins and an Orange Bowl victory.
Lose Harbaugh to the NFL, promote his top assistant, win 11 games and lose the Fiesta Bowl after your kicker misses a chip shot.
Lose the best quarterback at Stanford since John Elway (Luck), play two quarterbacks, win 12 games, win the Pac-12, win the Rose Bowl for the first time in 41 years.
"It's a testament to our program," said Stanford nickelback Usua Amanam. "How we train and how we prepare each week and every season."
If that sounds familiar, it should. There's a team in the south that has similar ideals; an iron-clad philosophy that preparation and toughness and competing against what you've already accomplished will make you that much better.
That team has won three of the last four national championships. That team has physically mauled the best conference in college football, and played nearly flawlessly when the biggest game of the season arrived.
Look, Stanford isn't comparing itself to Alabama, because doing as much would mean Stanford isn't focusing on – you guessed it—Stanford. But know this much: Just because the Cardinal lost star tailback Stepfan Taylor and a handful of players from a stout, underrated defense, doesn't mean this season won't be just like the previous with steps taken to get better and improve on what they've already accomplished.
There's redshirt sophomore quarterback Kevin Hogan, unbeaten as a starter after taking over for Josh Nunes midway through last season. He wasn't even on the depth chart when the season began, got his chance after Nunes struggled and was the team's most valuable player down the stretch.
You want potential? How about this potential:
"Andrew called after Kevin's first game," Shaw said, "and said that looks a lot like me in my (redshirt freshman) season."
Now get this: Hogan doesn't have a job when spring practice begins next week. He'll be competing for a starting job just like everyone else.
There's talented tailback Tyler Gaffney, who left Stanford last year (after serving as Taylor's backup) to pursue a professional baseball career, and has since decided he wants back in. He'll compete with Anthony Wilkerson and redshirt freshman and mega recruit Barry Sanders Jr., to replace Taylor.
There's an experienced offensive line with four starters returning; one that may be better than, yep, Alabama's heralded offensive line of 2012. David Yankey and Cameron Fleming are lock first round draft picks, and sophomore Andrus Peat—the most physically-gifted of the group—moves to left tackle.
Last month, when offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton left for a job with the NFL's Indianapolis Colts, Shaw elevated offensive line coach Mike Bloomgren to run the offense. Why wouldn't he?
The offensive line is where the magic happens. It's the one area, more than anything, that defines what Stanford is—and what it will become.
"I've reminded the young guys how hard it was to get to this point," Shaw said. "It's not going to get any easier. But for us, it's always about what's next."
What's next is the next logical step.
And it's completely doable.


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Delta and Your Overall Position
Posted on Thursday, May 15, 2014 at 12:04 PM
Delta is probably the first greek an option trader learns and is focused on. In fact it can be a critical starting point when learning to trade options. Simply said, delta measures how much the theoretical value of an option will change if the stock moves up or down by $1. A positive delta means the position will rise in value if the stock rises and drop in value of the stock declines. A negative delta means the opposite. The value of the position will rise if the stock declines and drop in value if the stock rises in price. Some traders use delta as an estimate of the likelihood of an option expiring in-the-money (ITM). Though this is common practice, it is not a mathematically accurate representation.
The delta of a single call can range anywhere from 0 to 1.00 and the delta of a single put can range from 0 to -1.00. Generally at-the-money (ATM) options have a delta close to 0.50 for a long call and -0.50 for a long put. If a long call has a delta of 0.50 and the underlying stock moves higher by a dollar, the option premium should increase by $0.50. As you might have derived, long calls have a positive delta and long puts have a negative delta. Just the opposite is true with short options—a short call has a negative delta and a short put has a positive delta. The closer the option's delta is to 1.00 or -1.00 the more it responds closer to the movement of the stock. Stock has a delta of 1.00 for a long position and -1.00 for a short position.
Taking the above paragraph into context one may be able to derive that the delta of an option depends a great deal on the price of the stock relative to the strike price of the option. All other factors being held constant, when the stock price changes, the delta changes too.
An important thing to understand is that delta is cumulative. A trader can add, subtract and multiply deltas to calculate the delta of the overall position including stock. The overall position delta is a great way to determine the risk/reward of the position. Let's take a look at a couple of examples.
Let's say a trader has a bullish outlook on Apple (AAPL) when the stock is trading at $590 and purchases 3 June 590 call options. Each call contract has a delta of +0.50. The total delta of the position would then be +1.50 (3 X 0.50) and not 0.50. For every dollar AAPL rises all factors being held constant again, the position should profit $150 (100 X 1 X 1.50). If AAPL falls $2, the position should lose $300 (100 X -2 X 1.50).
Using AAPL once again as the example, lets say a trader decides to purchase a 590/600 bull call spread instead of the long calls. The delta of the long $590 call is once again 0.50 and the delta of the short $600 call is -0.40. The overall delta of the position is 0.10 (0.50 - 0.40). If AAPL moves higher by $5, the position will now gain $50 (100 X 5 X 0.10). If AAPL falls a dollar, the position will suffer a $10 (100 X -1 X 0.10) loss.
Calculating the position delta is critical for understanding the potential risk/reward of a trader's position and also of his or her total portfolio as well. If a trader's portfolio delta is large (positive or negative), then the overall market performance will have a strong impact on the traders profit or loss.
John Kmiecik
Senior Options Instructor
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Man, I feel like all the old men in this sport are going to laugh at me and tell me to STFU and get over it, but this is actually kind of weird.
I've been experiencing, (feels really old) hip pains.... Now I'm in my mid 20's and I know I shouldn't be experiencing hip problems. But, coming from an athletic background and I've never had a problem perse with my hips. But, when I'd ride a roller coaster that you sit in, or anything that presses me against my hips with some force, it always felt like my hip would almost pop out of socket. Now, I've been struggling with what Blake Refers to as Jamming my hip when throwing. Due to stepping to far forward, and not bending my knee enough to help in getting weight forward. Now, this isn't a real "hip pain". Unless it's after I've been throwing for extended periods of time, or after many many rounds. (Mostly during field practice.) Then it sometimes feels a bit sore, but It's more of when I move certain ways, or bend over, get up, or sit down, twist or stuff like that certain ways it feels like my right hip needs to pop, and often does. Feeling much better, but I know this can't be good, and I'm not sure as to why it's like this. Any insight as to this odd condition or is everyone's hips like this? I'd assume not, but well we know what assuming gets us.


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Dress: Fancy Co
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Praise Wedding is a wedding planning and inspiration online magazine for the modern everyday brides&grooms. Our mission is to inspire sophisticated ideas by featuring the most talented vendors and products in the photography, fashion, decoration, design, and food industries. Praise provides inspiration and seeks to present trendy sensibility combined with unique romance.
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text: If you are up for adventure on two wheels then you know the toll that it can take on even the toughest bike. For years the hardcore ADV-ers had only so many options for protecting and spicing up their BMWs, V-Stroms and Ducati Multistradas. In 2010 we were pleasantly surprised to find AltRider and their selection of upgrades and protection for some of the most common as well as high-end, high-mile adventure touring motorcycles on the market today. While before it was enough to get excited just to find crash bars or an oil filter cover for your R1200 GS, now there is a line of product which leads with engineering, simplicity and style for Adventure riders by adventure riders. The full line of AltRider products add a tasteful upgrade to the look of most stock bikes while dramatically increasing their lifespan and crashability. You will find instructional videos, instructions in English and machined crashbars, covers guards and skid plates which are all made in the USA without giving anything away in their styling - and that is just a taste. Stay tuned to see what's next from AltRider and shoot us a line if you have any questions


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Tina Fey's 20 All-Time Best Comedic Clips
For her first MC cover shoot, in Nashville, Tennessee, Carrie Underwood acted like a girl about to play dress up, fawning over silk Burberry, floral Oscar de la Renta, and embellished Giambattista Valli. The 1950s Hollywood-glamour-inspired wardrobe was a far cry from the outfit she arrived in: no-name sweatpants, Havaianas, and a Nashville Predators sweatshirt — her husband, Mike Fisher, plays center for the team. In hair and makeup, she revealed plans for the home they're building together, complete with an elevator for when Fisher retires from the hard knocks of hockey. At first Underwood found the luxury impractical, but soon warmed to the idea like someone accustomed to a smooth ride to the top. —Ashley Ross
Swimsuit, $1,995, Burberry Prorsum; stacked rings, $700 to $4,450, gold circle ring, $2,600, De Beers; band ring, Underwood's own.
On nails: OPI Nail Lacquer in Who Needs a Prince.
What she wrote in her high school yearbook: "You were supposed to say what you would be doing in 10 years, and I said, 'I will be rich, famous, and married to a hot guy.' I guess I should have added a few more things."
Secret talent: "I can eat any man under the table."
Carrie Underwood's Red Carpet Résumé


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Main Content
bachelor's program
The baccalaureate social work program of Southern Connecticut State University is a 42 credit program leading to the Bachelor of Science degree in Social Work. One of five accredited undergraduate social work programs in Connecticut, it is designed to prepare students for beginning generalist social work practice and/or for graduate social work education in an accredited school of social work throughout the United States. Based on a liberal arts foundation, the program provides for a basic knowledge of the social welfare system and the essential knowledge and skills required for beginning social work practice.


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STEPHENVILLE, Texas A 25-year-old Iraq war veteran charged with murdering former Navy SEAL and "American Sniper" author Chris Kyle and his friend turned his gun onto the pair while they were at a Texas shooting range, authorities said Sunday.
Eddie Ray Routh of Lancaster was arraigned early Sunday on two counts of capital murder in the deaths of Kyle, 38, and Chad Littlefield, 35, at the shooting range about 50 miles southwest of Fort Worth.
Capt. Jason Upshaw with the Erath County Sheriff's Office said Routh used a semi-automatic handgun, which authorities later found at his home. Upshaw said ballistics tests weren't complete Sunday, but authorities believe the gun was used in the shootings. Upshaw declined to give any more details about the gun.
Routh has not made any comments indicating what his motive may have been, Upshaw said. Sheriff Tommy Bryant said Routh was unemployed and "may have been suffering from some type of mental illness from being in the military himself," but he didn't know if Routh was on any medication.
"I don't know that we'll ever know. He's the only one that knows that," Upshaw said.
The U.S. military confirmed Sunday that Routh was a corporal in the Marines, serving in active duty from 2006 to 2010. He was deployed to Iraq in 2007 and Haiti in 2010. His current duty status is listed as reserve.
Routh is being held on $3 million bond. Authorities did not know whether Routh had a lawyer yet.
Kyle, a decorated veteran, wrote the best-selling book, "American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History," detailing his 150-plus kills of insurgents from 1999 to 2009. Kyle said in his book that Iraqi insurgents had put a bounty on his head. According to promotional information from book publisher William Morrow, Kyle deployed to Iraq four times.
Travis Cox, the director of a nonprofit Kyle helped found, told the Associated Press on Sunday that Kyle and Littlefield had taken Routh to the range. Littlefield was Kyle's neighbor and "workout buddy," Cox said.
"What I know is Chris and a gentleman -- great guy, I knew him well, Chad Littlefield -- took a veteran out shooting who was struggling with PTSD to try to assist him, try to help him, try to, you know, give him a helping hand and he turned the gun on both of them, killing them," Cox said.
Kyle's nonprofit, FITCO Cares, provides at-home fitness equipment for emotionally and physically wounded veterans.
"Chris was literally the type of guy if you were a veteran and needed help he'd help you," Cox said. "And from my understanding that's what happened here. I don't know how he came in contact with this gentleman, but I do know that it was not through the foundation."
Cox described Littlefield as a gentle, kind-hearted man who often called or emailed him with ideas for events or fundraisers to help veterans. He said he was married and had children.
"It was just two great guys with Chad and Chris trying to help out a veteran in need and making time out of their day to help him. And to give him a hand. And unfortunately this thing happened," Cox said.
Jason Kos, a friend of Kyle's with whom he founded the fitness charity, also commended Kyle for always helping fellow veterans.
"For him to lose his life helping another veteran is literally unbelievable, tragic," Kos told CBS Radio's Sharon Mittelman.
Bryant seemed to confirm that scenario. The sheriff said Routh's mother "may have reached out to Mr. Kyle to try to help her son."
Bryant said the trio went to the shooting range around 3:15 p.m. Saturday. A hunting guide came across the bodies of Kyle and Littlefield around 5 p.m. and called 911.
Upshaw said autopsies were still pending and he could not say how many times the men were shot or where on their bodies they were hit.
After the shootings, Routh left the shooting range in Kyle's black pickup truck, Bryant said, first going to his sister's home in Midlothian, where he told her and her husband what he had done. The couple called local police.
Routh arrived at his home in Lancaster, about 17 miles southeast of Dallas, at about 8 p.m. Police arrested him after a brief pursuit and took him to the Lancaster Police Department.
A knock on the door at Routh's last known address went unanswered Sunday. A for-sale sign was in front of the small, wood-framed home.
Craft International, Kyle's security training company, had scheduled a $2,950-per-person civilian training event at Rough Creek Lodge called the "Rough Creek Shoot Out!" for March 1-3. The price included lodging, meals and shooting instruction. Kyle was scheduled to teach the first class, called "precision rifle."
Kyle is survived by his wife, Taya, and their two children, Cox said.


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West Virginia Public Broadcasting needs to shift its focus to more locally produced programming and websites in order to survive, Executive Director Scott Finn said Wednesday.
In an era of multiple media platforms, state Public Broadcasting cannot continue to function primarily as a delivery service for national PBS and NPR programming, Finn said.
"It's like we were UPS for PBS," he told the Educational Broadcasting Authority on Wednesday. "If that's all we are, we're going to be in trouble, because you can watch 'Downton Abbey' on Netflix."
Likewise, Finn said, there are smart-phone applications to listen to NPR programming, and households with satellite dishes either receive a national PBS feed or multiple PBS stations, including some from neighboring states.
He said WVPB needs to move from being primarily a distributor of national programming to being an "indispensable resource" for education and community programming.
Finn said WVPB is taking steps in that direction with the launch of the new educational websites West Virginia LearningMedia and West Virginia STEAM.
He said plans also are in the works to digitize past "Mountain Stage" performances, to create a video archive accessible from the WVPB website.
Also at Wednesday's EBA meeting:
| Finn said there has been huge interest in the "Antiques Roadshow" visit to Charleston on Aug. 16.
He said the show's producers gave WVPB 500 tickets for the roadshow taping at the Charleston Civic Center, and said about 400 tickets have been given out as premiums for fund-raising pledges.
"It's been a huge success. It's a reason our membership dollars are doing really, really well right now," Finn said.
In addition to three one-hour segments from Charleston that will be broadcast nationally, WVPB will have crews videotaping the day's event for a special that will air statewide.
There also will be a fundraising reception that Friday evening at the Culture Center featuring "Antiques Roadshow" host Mark Walberg and the on-air appraisers.
| At the request of Education and the Arts Secretary Kay Goodwin, the authority postponed action to approve an agreement to allow a low-power radio station to have its FM transmitter located on WVPB's Charleston tower.
Roots Town Radio, a nonprofit low-power station to be operated by FOOTMAD of Charleston, had a tentative agreement to lease transmitter space on the tower.
As part of the agreement, the station — whose signal would reach slightly beyond Charleston's city limits — will carry "Mountain Stage" broadcasts, Finn said.
EBA's next meeting is in June.
| About two years after the demise of the monthly Pubcaster program guide, WVPB will resume publication of a scaled-down magazine to be published six times a year.
The new publication will feature previews of upcoming programs but will not have programming schedules, as the Pubcaster had.
"This is a way to restart a print publication," Finn said.
He said WVPB mails out about 250 printouts of programming schedules each month to viewers who do not have Internet access.
| The long-running "Doctors On Call" program, featuring doctors from the West Virginia University Healthcare system, will cease to be a weekly TV program at the end of the month, Finn said.
The live, half-hour telecast will be replaced with a series of one-hour specials featuring pre-recorded segments on specific health-care issues, along with a live, call-in segment.
Reach Phil Kabler at firstname.lastname@example.com or 304-348-1220.


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Bike Rental France
We provide carbon fiber bike rentals for cycling in these areas in France: Burgundy, Pyrenees, Dordogne, Provence, Alps. We take care of our bikes like you take care about yours. They are in very good condition and are featured with latest components
Bike World Explores Myanmar
The Bike World Explores Myanmar Inn is situated at #10F Khabaung Rd, Hlaing Township in Yangon, about 5 miles from the city centre. The Inn has 4 single bedded rooms, 3 doubles and 1 triple bedded. All rooms have a/c's, wifi and tv. 5 of the rooms have their own attached toilets and showers whilst the other 3 rooms share 2 toilets and showers. All rooms have a bicycle theme. Bike World Explores Myanmar runs guided tours all over Myanmar both vehicle supported and bike only. The main areas for cycling include: Chin State featuring Mt Victoria, Kanpatlat & Mindet. Karen & […]
We have been mountain biking in the mountains of Greece for over 20 years. Our cycling and mountain bike holidays combine all that's good about Greece. Friendly villagers, great food, dramatic mountain ranges, ancient history, remote coves and mountain trails to suit beginners to extreme. All at prices people can afford. Our tours are informal and designed to cover areas that we as cyclists enjoy. Most of our clients come from English speaking countries, the UK, USA, Australia and Canada.
Bikeit You'll Likeit
Bikeit You'll Likeit specialise in French cycle holidays in the Creuse area of central France. We offer fully supported tours in one of Europe's most cycling friendly and beautiful regions. The boutique accommodation we offer is carefully selected and derives from our local knowledge as we live in the region. Services we offer include cycle hire, route design and mapping, luggage transport, guided or self-guided tours, excellent accommodation and all meals including picnic lunch.
Bikestyle ToursPO Box 3935, South Brisbane, Queensland, 4101, Australia
Bonza Bike Tours
Guided bike tours and bike hire around Sydney and Melbourne


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Charleston Police said no arrests had been made by late Friday in the Wednesday night break-in at a North Charleston home by two men who were allegedly posing as police officers.
According to Lt. Steve Cooper, chief of detectives for Charleston police, the men approached a home on the 3100 block of Fourth Avenue in North Charleston around 7 p.m. Wednesday and told the two men inside they were police officers and had a warrant to search their home. Once inside, the suspects knocked Robert Kennedy, 54, and Lloyd Daniels, 72, to the ground, zip-tied their hands and covered their heads with a quilt.
"Crimes like these are typically not random," Cooper said.
"People may get information that you have a certain type of drug in your house; it can be a variety of circumstances. Sometimes these are people who know each other or there may be nefarious activity going on, though we're not saying that's the case here."
The assailants stole $4,500, a food stamp card and roughly 60 oxycodone pills from the victims, police said. According to Cooper, both Kennedy and Daniels had valid prescriptions for the pills. A witness saw the suspects leave the scene carrying a pillowcase filled with something and went to check on the victims, where they were found still restrained. "He found them in that condition and was able to cut them free," Cooper said. Both victims told police they did not recognize their assailants. Police are looking for two white men, one about 5 feet 9 inches tall and 150 pounds with reddish hair, the other slightly taller and about 200 pounds, with a mustache, Cooper said. Police do not believe there was a weapon involved in the assault, and witnesses said the men fled in a white Chevrolet Impala.
According to Cooper, home invasions in which perpetrators impersonate police officers are rare. One of the suspects was reportedly wearing a hat that said "police," but Cooper said anyone suspicious of an officer should ask to see credentials. "Law enforcement officers will generally have a badge and identification," he said. "To have a hat that just says 'police' is not something we would generally use as our only means of identification. This is a rare type of occurrence, and it heightens our concern because they've identified themselves as police officers and impersonated police officers, and that's always a very dangerous situation." Anyone with information is asked to call the Charleston Police Department's Criminal Investigation Division at 304-348-6480.
Reach Rusty Marks at
or 304-348-1215.
Reach Lydia Nuzum at