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|Submitted By:
|Michael Bartosek on Apr 4, 2009 with updates from Benjamin Chapman and 1 more
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Comments displayed oldest to newest — Skip Ahead to the Most Recent Dated Jun 9, 2017
By benjamin malave
Jun 4, 2009
I just wanted to clear up some information about "the slabs." It is actually called Corpse Wall
due to the corpse we found at the bottom of the route "R.I.P. Arete" where the cross is located.
All the routes were put up by Abraham E. Benjamin M. Brahm H. Darren A. Mike O.
I also wanted to add that the corpse was a guy that committed suicide. We know this because he left a note.
There was a strong effort to make everything bomber. We did not put anchors on the top
of all the routes because it was not needed and would have been a much bigger footprint.
The routes have all been put up in the last 5 years. There are some more recent routes that
have not yet been bolted but can be TR.
I would also like to add that there are some random bolts on the wall that someone
put in for no known or obvious reason.
There are some routes that use pro as well as draws. In general. the routes were never intended to be sport routes.
If anyone's interested, I'll post the names and ratings of all the routes in the next couple of weeks.
Climb Safe and be good to our planet.
Benjamin M.
By steve edwards
From: SLC, UT
Jun 18, 2009
|Might want to change the name to Saddle Peak, since that's where this is. This place was developed by the same guys who did Tick Rock but they've disappeared so no route info is known. Very cool place for what it is.
By steve edwards
From: SLC, UT
Jun 18, 2009
|I think they had gear in mind between some of the bolts. I know I brought some, and maybe placed it. If the routes were at my limit I certainly would have. I recommend a small rack if pushing limits and onsighting here.
By Michael Bartosek
From: Los Angeles
Jun 30, 2009
|Thanks Steve. Feedback appreciated. I need to get out there and get some beta on the other 7 or so routes. It is a fun area to climb in and the slabs are a nice break from the pockets and overhangs at MCSP.
By Michael Bartosek
From: Los Angeles
Jul 9, 2009
|Benjamin - thanks for the clarification on Corpse Wall - I changed the name and it would be fantastic if you could update the information on that page..
By jt512
Apr 16, 2011
|Changed area name to Saddle Peak per historical FA information from S. Edwards above.
By JeffMK
Jul 4, 2011
|Not sure if it was done intentionally to keep this place quiet, but the "getting there" info is missing the turn to the right in the trail by the "boundary" sign.
By Eric Wilkins
Jan 29, 2012
|Can anyone tell me if there is an easy approach to set up a TR here for the various routes?
By Jim H
From: Pasadena, CA
Jan 31, 2012
Eric, The approach for setting topropes is super easy. Just keep walking along the top of the cliff (instead of turning right and walking to the bottom of the wall). Some routes have bolt anchors (reachable from the top) and placing gear for the others is possible.
I think all of the routes are toprope-able (I haven't tried, but it seems pretty possible).
By Tristan Burnham
From: La Crescenta, CA
Feb 6, 2012
|If you're a skater, there is a sick clean empty pool right before the water tower. You might want to throw your deck on your pack and get a little session in on your way in or out.
By Maidy
Apr 7, 2012
All the routes can be TR'd and access to the topside is easy (follow Jim's directions). Some climbs share anchors and may need a directional clipped to a bolt. The (shared) anchor for the RIP Arete and the Roof Route requires extension with a cordalette to TR without major rope drag.
PS: @Benjamin- We are definitely interested in the real route names. If you have the time to send us the info, we'd love to edit the route index for this wall to reflect the names that were originally chosen.
By Wil Sterner
From: Topanga, California
Nov 27, 2012
|I am wondering about the large formation directly across the trail from corpse rock or saddle peak. Never brought my binocs but there appears to be some shiny anchors on top? Also, I found a misterious bolt on top of another rock on the trail that covers the ridge that goes from the old foundation and radio tower trail over to the top of red rock. If anyone has any idea what I'm talking about I would love to know more about it.
By Brandon Riza
Jan 27, 2013
Hey everybody.
I've been climbing here a lot lately. Cool spot.
I shot this interactive photo from the top of the wall...not really a beta shot, but cool to look at.
Also here:
By Maidy
Feb 1, 2013
About the big slab opposite Corpse Wall.
Yes- there are anchors at the top of this formation.
This west-facing pocketed face rates 11-ish (?). Top-side access up the bushy south-face gully. Some 5.0 climbing involved to get down to the bolts. You'll need LONG webbing to extend the anchor since the rope drag is gnarly. We anchored and belayed off the boulder over by the RIP Arete to reduce rope drag. The rock quality is poor compared to Corpse Wall.
The north-facing big slab-climbs are a grunge-fest. Belay is only possible from the topside-down because of the manzanita jungle* at the base. The big gullies that split the slab make it less fun than it looks.
That being said.. it definitely will liven up your day if you are bored with the 5.9 slab climbing.
By Chris Owen
From: Big Bear Lake
Aug 10, 2013
|Visited this place for the first time today - with Sara Susca. It was a perfect day.
By Maidy
Aug 13, 2013
|Note: The topo for Corpse Wall in the most recent So Cal guide has a number of errors. Fortunately, since all the grades are moderate you won't really run into trouble. The info and topo here on MP is more accurate.
By Mia D
Dec 1, 2013
I went there today to check it out, and seems like there are spots to TR.
Gonna try it next weekend.
Brandon, can you post the names and ratings for me?
Thank you so much!
By Mia D
Jan 19, 2014
For routes 4,5,6 I was able to top rope it using the chains up top.
Fun routes, especially the crack climbing at the beginning
By Benjamin Chapman
From: Small Town, USA
Nov 27, 2014
|Thanksgiving Day, November 27, 2014. Record high temps for the holidays at 86 degrees Downtown. Beautiful conditions at Saddle Peak with four parties of climbers and a group High-lining across the gap. Everyone having a great time. AWESOME!!
By madge
From: 1986 Toyota 4x4 P/U
Jan 6, 2015
Hi folks!
I'm gonna ge going to this spot this sunday and i've never explored these mountains and i would like some beta about stealth camping. the sites are expensive and i also have a dog. I looked on the NPS page and dogs are allowed in the park just not in the bc. is this spot considered bc or fc? I saw the approach is like 1/2 a mile long so whats the scoop. any advice would be swell. or at least a section where you know is decent and i could scope it out when i get there.
By hikingdrew
From: Los Angeles, CA
Jan 19, 2015
|So a bunch of people were out at Saddle climbing today around 11 when a guy walks down the trail and tells us all that we're on private land, that he's the broker and the land was resurveyed. He didn't say we were trespassing and didn't ask us to leave. In fact he told us to take care. What's up with that?
By Jake Dunn
From: Los Angeles, CA
Apr 11, 2015
Was at Saddle peak today, talked to some folks who found a bolt with a loose nut. It was loose enough that the hanger came off. I believe they placed the hanger near the cross.
I also found one spinner.
By Maidy
Apr 19, 2015
It's difficult to tell who actually "owns" Corpse Wall. The hiking trail on the east side is a State Park boundary. It does not include Corpse Wall. A NPS boundary cuts directly across Corpse Wall lengthwise. Does this boundary include the cliff face itself and it's base has always been a question in my mind.
There are private property markers to the west and north and the remnants of a fence line not far from the base. Based on the location of the fence line and markers and the NPS maps, it *seems* like the climbs are on NPS land. Rangers I've run into out there while climbing never mentioned it being private land.
If the land has been resurveyed, that private property line may have been moved up to the the cliff itself. With the proximity to several heavy-use hiking trails, imminent domain already allows hikers to cross private land in at least one section of the approach BTW, but I'd just keep a low profile out there people. Stay clean and safe. Be polite with any person claiming to own the land - they may be telling the truth.
By Benjamin Chapman
From: Small Town, USA
Jun 17, 2015
By megapaul
May 24, 2016
|Been here a few times in the past month. Climbed pretty much every line, and it seems like there's a route that hasn't been posted here yet. To the right of Proud Mary there's a line that goes straight up the face before route 4. Might be an alt finish to Xeno Dance? Looks like the start is the same as xeno, then it continues straight up where the bolt line for Xeno traverses. Definitely felt like the hardest line to me (10d/11?) with lots of friction near the top.
By JTLA Tolins
From: Los Angeles, California
Oct 25, 2016
|I believe that the missing line you are referring to is Proud Mary which goes straight up through Xeno Dance and shares the one traverse bolt before continuing straight up. It starts by going up the flake with optional gear placements to a relatively high first bolt up and right of the flake.
By Bradley Johnson
May 13, 2017
The nut on one of the hangers is loose on route 7/8. Please bring a socket wrench or crescent wrench to tighten up. I climbed on it alright, but better safe than sorry.
Additionally, with all the rain we've had this year the paths to the anchors (for top rope) are becoming overgrown. Not terrible, but it could use some cleaning up. There are also some plants and moss on the wall that weren't there when I climbed here last year.
Still great climbing here as always!
By Benjamin Chapman
From: Small Town, USA
Jun 9, 2017
|A socket wrench or crescent wrench won't be sufficient as the bolt spins, not just the hanger.


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In a statement read by board attorney Tim McCaulay, Moss did not admit to violating the ordinance and said he never sought personal gain. But he also said he regretted doing anything that might have undermined trust in government.
"The public deserves leaders who comply with the standards of the ethics ordinance," Moss said.
The board then permanently dismissed the case without ruling on the validity of the complaint itself. Today's agreement followed meetings between McCaulay and Moss' attorney, former City Councilman Tim Pape.
Moss said he was relieved the ordeal – which resulted in thousands of dollars in legal fees – was over. But he said it went on far too long and should prompt a review of the ordinance by the County Commissioners.
Stein and Hardin said they appreciated Moss' willingness to apologize. Hardin called the statement's language "genuine. This has not been an easy task. In fact, it has been very difficult."
Moss was stopped by a county policy officer, apparently because his car was swerving. Moss, who later said he had not been drinking and may have swerved while texting, refused a breath test at the scene and called Fries.
Moss said he declined the field test because he considered it unreliable and called the sheriff simply to speed up the process of taking him downtown for a more accurate test. Fries denied ordering his officers at the scene to grant Moss special treatment, and that claim was subsequently supported – or at least not contradicted – by statements from the officers submitted to the commission.
The panel dismissed Pease's complaint against Fries in September, saying sheriffs are bound by their state association's code of conduct and hence not subject to the county's ethics ordinance.
Friday's hearing was required after Hardin and Stein agreed in October that probable cause existed to believe Moss had violated the ordinance by calling Fries. Calling the investigation a "witch hunt," board member and former Allen Circuit Judge Tom Ryan walked out of the Oct. 29 meeting and later resigned from the board.
The Commissioners will not replace Ryan until next year.

subset: commoncrawl


text: In diverticulosis, the intestinal lining weakens, forming pouches that bulge outward. Symptoms can include constipation, diarrhea and abdominal pain. In one study, 45 men and women with diverticulosis, average age 63, took 10 mL of Lactobacilli acidophilus (providing 37.5 million CFU) and bifidobacterium (providing 1.48 billion CFU) three times per day. Symptoms subsided during the study, and after six months, 68 percent of participants were still completely symptom free, with 78 percent of all participants saying probiotics were effective, or very effective, in reducing symptoms compared to the beginning of the study.


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The Spanish national team have won three major tournaments back to back, and a large amount of the credit is owed to it's top domestic league, the Spanish La Liga. Two of the world's best teams, Barcelona and Real Madrid, are regular La Liga title contenders. Barcelona are also the proud owner of one of (arguably) the world's best ever teams, as they dominated on several trophy fronts for many seasons. La Liga also has superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, who are both regarded as the top two players in world football today. For these reasons many would argue that the best league in the world is indeed the Spanish La Liga. Which jersey will you buy, Real or Barca?
Showing 1–12 of 378 results


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The Instant-Coffee Stock Market
Please make sure your seat belt is fastened. Keep your arms and legs inside the ride at all times. Sit back and enjoy the Fiscal Cliff ride. Markets are going to react to every word out of Washington. It is going to be frustrating. It is going to be annoying. It will be lauded and ridiculed. And it will be nothing out of the ordinary.
We are in an instant-coffee market. There is no more brewing or percolating required. Instant reaction. Right or wrong. If you are an investor, then honestly, you should not care. If you are a trader, then you need to be prepared for quick swings in either direction. In times like these, I prefer to keep positions smaller and stops wider so a single word out of Washington won't sink my trades or the thesis behind them....476 more words left in this article. To read them, just click below and try Real Money FREE for 14 days.
There's no substitute for a trading floor to get great ideas, so Jim Cramer created a better one at Real Money and blogs there exclusively. We then added legendary hedge fund manager, Doug Kass, with his exclusive Daily Diary and best investing ideas. Staffed with more than 4 dozen investing pros, money managers, journalists and analysts, Real Money Pro gives you a flood of opinions, analysis and actionable trading advice found nowhere else, and allows you to interact directly with each expert.
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Topic: Genomic Profiling
I thought to enclose the context of a conversation with Jimmy Lin, MD, PhD, MHS, http://www.raregenomics.org and web presenter of "Understanding Cancer in the Age of Genomics"
Genomic profiling is performed at a variety of institutions and companies - all based on the same technology: Next Generation Sequencing. The two companies that provide the machines for the different companies are Illumina (which hold approx 80% of the market) and Life Technologies. Many academic institutions offer their own NGS profiling test - usually based on a panel of genes, varying from 30 genes to up to 200. Institutions that have their own include MD Anderson, Memorial Sloan Kettering, Washington University in St. Louis, Brigham and Women's, among others. There are also commercial offerings of the similar service from companies such Foundation Medicine, PGDX, Caris, among others. Another company that is in the news is Myriad Genetics. Their test is for genetic predisposition of cancer, which the other test I discussed are mutations that are acquired later in life. Of the companies that provide this service, the largest is Foundation Medicine, which recently IPO'd. One drawback is they only sequence the tumor and does not compare the sequence with the normal tissue, which companies such as PGDX perform.
Depending on the tumor type and family history, the panel size may or may not be important. There are only a limited number that have targeted drugs or prognostic importance. However, if one wants to be comprehensive, there is the option of whole exome sequencing, which analyzes all the genes for the cancer - this service of course being more expensive. The ultimate test is whole genome sequencing and for now this is seldom performed due to its cost. The main company that does is the machine manufacturer itself, Illumina.
Sequencing is only the beginning as it provides the raw information. Like an X-ray or MRI, the interpretation is very important - perhaps even more important for molecular profiling. This is were bioinformatics companies that help with interpretation beyond what's just provided by the sequence providers can be helpful.
This is a vastly changing landscape and new companies are being started almost every week and new technologies are revealed also frequently. New sequencing technologies such as nanopore sequencing, which is so called third generation sequencing, is being developed as the state-of-the-art that will revolutionize the field once more. Companies working on this include Genia, Oxford Nanopore, among others.


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Due to our thorough adoption process (resulting in prolonged wait times for long-distance families), our dogs will be available to local adopters only. We apologize for any inconvenience.
If you have questions about a dog, please EMAIL us at firstname.lastname@example.com and we will respond as soon as possible.
In an effort to prevent pet overpopulation, C2CND ensures all animals are spayed/neutered prior to adoption or shortly thereafter, depending on the age/weight of an animal. Furthermore, should an animal be in an unhealthy or sickly state to the point of suffering, or has an incurable disease which is highly contagious to other animals, C2CND believes euthanizing is the best option to prevent further suffering of that animal and prevent the spread of disease to other healthy animals.
Catering to Cats & Dogs (C2CND) is a registered 501c3 Non-Profit Organization and is run solely on Private Donations. Please go to our donation page to donate online through Paypal! You may also mail your donation to: Catering to Cats & Dogs, Inc., P.O. Box 123, Cornelius, NC 28031
Please see our adoptable pets page for a list of the current pets that we have for adoption.
All interested applicants must complete an adoption application for the pet that you are interested in. Applications are considered in the order in which they are received.
One of our volunteers will review the application and contact you via email or phone to ask any questions that we might have. We also reserve the right to perform a home visit for any adoption. During a home visit, a Catering to Cats and Dogs volunteer will come to your house to see where your new pet will live.
If you are not sure which one of our adoptable pets would be right for you, please contact us and we would be happy to advise you as to which pet may be a match, just let us know what you are looking for.
Once your application is approved and a match is found, you will be required to sign an adoption contract and pay the recovery fee (Dogs - pups up to 2 years of age $250, 2+ years $225, & giant breeds is $350. Cats: under 1 year old - $125, Adults - $125 & Seniors (7 years+) - $75)
Thank You!
Your message has been sent to Catering to Cats and Dogs.
You'll receive a copy, too, at to help you keep track of which pets you've inquired about, and which shelters and rescues you've emailed.
NOTE: Some shelters have physical locations you can visit; some of these shelters may only have pets for a limited time, so please do not wait for a reply—just go visit the shelter! Other organizations are rescue groups run by busy volunteers who may take a while to reply. You can find information about the shelter or rescue group caring for this pet, and their adoption procedures, on the pet's details page on Adopt-a-Pet.com.


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Photo Flash: First Look at Huntington Theatre Company's BETRAYAL
The Huntington's production of Harold Pinter's BETRAYAL opens on Wednesday, November 14th at 7pm at Avenue of the Arts / BU Theatre. The production is directed by Maria Aitken. The cast includes Alan Cox, Mark H. Dold, Gretchen Egolf, and Luis Negrón and BroadwayWorld has new production photos below!
Acclaimed British director Maria Aitken (Private Lives and Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps at the Huntington) returns to the Huntington Theatre Company to helm Nobel Prize Laureate Harold Pinter's most accessible play, the Olivier Award-winning classic BETRAYAL. Aitken brings a unique relationship with the material, as she was herself directed by Pinter as a young actress.BETRAYAL is a searing drama that explores the complexities of human emotions, including love, guilt, and duplicity as it tells the story of a passionate, seven-year love affair between Emma and her husband Robert's best friend, Jerry. The play presents the couple's affair through a series of fragmented memories. The action begins in a pub in the spring of 1977 after Emma and Jerry's affair has ended, and then moves backward in time to reveal how the relationship flourished and eventually began. The storytelling technique – innovative in its day and frequently imitated – illuminates the ways in which the couple betrayed not only their spouses and each other, but also themselves through faulty memory and false perception.
"Harold Pinter has been on the short list of playwrights I've wanted to include in a season since I arrived at the Huntington," says Huntington Artistic Director Peter DuBois. "Director Maria Aitken will bring sharp honesty to the play's simple, spare beauty and a singular perspective as an interpreter of his writing."
BETRAYAL is considered to be one of the most human plays by Pinter, as well as one of Pinter's most personal. It is in fact a very close recounting of his seven-year relationship with Joan Bakewell, wife of director Michael Bakewell. The play debuted in London with Penelope Wilton, Michael Gambon, and Daniel Massey in 1978; Pinter's film adaptation starring Patricia Hodge, Jeremy Irons, and Ben Kingsley was released in 1983.
The cast includes: Alan Cox (Jerry): The Caretaker at BAM, the national tour of Frost/Nixon, and Translations on Broadway; Mark H. Dold (Robert): Absurd Person Singular on Broadway and Freud's Last Session Off Broadway; Gretchen Egolf (Emma): Ring Round the Moon and Jackie on Broadway, A Streetcar Named Desire (Guthrie Theater); and Luis Negrón (Waiter): The Miracle Worker at Wheelock Family Theatre, Zeta! Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater.
For more information about purchasing tickets for BETRAYAL and other events, please call the Box Office at 617-266-0800 or visit www.huntingtontheatre.org.
Photo Credit: T. Charles Erickson
Alan Cox, Mark H. Dold, and Gretchen Egolf
Mark H. Dold and Gretchen Egolf


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Four Rewarding Sectors for 2013
As we enter 2013, all eyes are on the fiscal cliff for the very short term. Assuming (as we do) that the government will eventually get its act together, it's important to scan the horizon for the likely stronger performers in the year ahead.
Overall, we are convinced that the stock market will have another year of favorable returns, despite anticipated bumps along the way. In some sectors, we expect to see follow-through from successes in 2012. In other cases, we anticipate a rebound from a lackluster year....552 more words left in this article. To read them, just click below and try Real Money FREE for 14 days.
There's no substitute for a trading floor to get great ideas, so Jim Cramer created a better one at Real Money and blogs there exclusively. We then added legendary hedge fund manager, Doug Kass, with his exclusive Daily Diary and best investing ideas. Staffed with more than 4 dozen investing pros, money managers, journalists and analysts, Real Money Pro gives you a flood of opinions, analysis and actionable trading advice found nowhere else, and allows you to interact directly with each expert.
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Rajon Rondo involved in 'scuffle'
Posted on: November 21, 2011 10:14 am
PrintEmail a FriendFacebookTwitterShareScore: 173
Log-in to rate:Log-in to rate:Log-in to rate:By Matt Moore
Rajon Rondo held a charity basketball game on Saturday night, the first time he and Kendrick Perkins had shared a floor since Perkins' trade. Then that night, they went out to have a good time. But the night ended with someone taking a swing at Rondo. From the Lowell Sun:
Officers working details and patrolmen assigned downtown were already at Brian's Ivy Hall, 74 Merrimack St., yesterday about 1:45 a.m., as a packed event featuring Rondo began to empty out.
Officer Michael Kandrotas noticed a scuffle, and learned that someone "took a fighting stance and threw a punch" at the Celtics all-star and his entourage, which included fellow NBA players Josh Smith of the Atlanta Hawks, former Celtic Nate Robinson and Rudy Gay of the Memphis Grizzlies.
Police and Kevin Hayhurst, co-owner of Brian's Ivy Hall, said members of Rondo's entourage wrestled Valarezo to the ground.
A police report indicates Valarezo continued to resist when officers arrived, but was soon arrested and led from the building.
Hayhurst was unsure what prompted the scuffle. But he said Rondo was "unpersonable" and "disrespectful toward patrons."
via Man arrested after scuffle with C's star - Lowell Sun Online.
Rondo? Unpersonable? Surely you jest! He's such a happy-go-lucky guy! He's like a rainbow of marshmallows whenever you see him! It couldn't have been him that unpersonable.
Maybe the best part about this story is that the man who was charged with misdemeanor assault for the thrown punch said he didn't even know who Rondo was, that he's "not an NBA fan." So some random dude just threw a punch at some guy he felt disrespected him, and it turned out to be Rajon Rondo.
Small world.
Also, speaking of small, please tell me it was Nate Robinson that wrestled him to the ground. Please, please, please.
Luckily no one was seriously injured in the incident.


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Essential Reading for the Serious Investor
The biggest edge any investor can have is information. Warren Buffett says that when he was in his 20s and running his investment partnerships, his No. 1 goal was to get as much information as possible. Thanks to the Internet, investors have more information than ever before at the click of a mouse. Unfortunately, time is also valuable, and investors can waste a lot of time looking at the wrong information, or even ineffective or harmful information.
In addition to reading specific, company-related information -- annual and quarterly reports, conference calls and so on -- investors should read what great investors have to say. Understanding the specifics about a company and its industry is critical, but understanding other concepts such as market psychology, risk, USA Inc. and other mental models is just as critical. Buffett's annual letters are a must, of course, but there are other sources that I consider just as valuable. They are required reading if you truly are serious about investing. And the best part is that the sources I'm about to reveal are free to the public....525 more words left in this article. To read them, just click below and try Real Money FREE for 14 days.
There's no substitute for a trading floor to get great ideas, so Jim Cramer created a better one at Real Money and blogs there exclusively. We then added legendary hedge fund manager, Doug Kass, with his exclusive Daily Diary and best investing ideas. Staffed with more than 4 dozen investing pros, money managers, journalists and analysts, Real Money Pro gives you a flood of opinions, analysis and actionable trading advice found nowhere else, and allows you to interact directly with each expert.
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Register to Buy Group Affiliate Membership
Fill in the form below and one of our membership advisors will call you back within 24 hours* to talk you through the application, securely take your payment and issue your affiliate group membership number. Alternatively, please call 0844 736 8451 to make your application and payment now.
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First authentic Super Shogun produced in over 25 years...
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Super7 announces full product details and a new website for the company's first collaboration with Lucasfilm Ltd.: the Star Wars Stormtrooper Super Shogun.
Children growing up in the 70s and 80s had their lives touched by two pop culture phenomena: the Star Wars saga and Jumbo Machinder toys (marketed in the US as Shogun Warriors). Super7 has combined Star Wars characters with the towering Japanese Super Robot aesthetic to create a collectible that could only have been imagined in the past. This marks the first authentic Super Shogun produced in over twenty-five years.
The Star Wars Stormtrooper Super Shogun stands a 24 inches tall, and includes all of the features that you expect from an authentic Jumbo: free rotating wheels on the bottom of his feet, and a spring-loaded Rocket Punch firing fist. Utilizing the same techniques implemented by Japanese toy manufacturers in the 1970s, the Super Shogun is constructed from durable, blow-molded polyethylene with a painted vinyl helmet. The figure is articulated at the neck and shoulders, and includes a removable BlasTech E-11 laser blaster, which even features a posable stock that unfolds from below the barrel.
Packaged in a dynamically illustrated gift box, each Stormtrooper is individually serial numbered as part of this one-time limited edition production run. As a special bonus, metallic foil stickers are included to allow fans the option to customize the torso with the character name in English or in Japanese.
In celebration of the impending release, a dedicated mini-website has launched at STARWARS.SUPER7STORE.COM containing additional product specifications, photos, and more. The home page features a countdown clock highlighting the date that the first preorders will begin being accepted online. The site will be updated regularly and will serve as the headquarters for all future Super7-Lucasfilm collaborations.
Source: Edited Super7 Press Release


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Flipping the channels and Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist just started so I left it there.
Pretty slow movie, but I enjoyed it.
Printable View
Flipping the channels and Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist just started so I left it there.
Pretty slow movie, but I enjoyed it.
Thinner (Great Stephen KIng book) it was average at best compared to the book.
The Campaign
Dumb but funny. I would call it realistic, but the real ones are even more crazy!
Ides of March.
What a *****ing boring movie.
Batman 1989. I've come to terms with it being a good Elseworlds movie. But as a real Batman movie there's just so much totally wrong with it.
The Impossible - After the first fifteen minutes or so of expected monotony, the bit with the flood and Naomi and the kid is pretty great. After that, the movie seesaws back and forth between being really genuinely moving and encroaching very close to being manipulatively sentimental. I think it ultimately came out positive. By the same guy who did The Orphanage, probably the best ghost story movie I've ever seen. Recommended.
Wreck-It Ralph - The best animated movie of the year, kind of by default. Still, the animation is great, the depth of the world is impressive, and Sarah Silverman makes the movie work. It's weird to say, but I don't think another actor could have pulled it off. The story does get fairly dark at times (perhaps without being completely aware), and there are some plot elements that are a little underdeveloped, but it's one of those movies like Cabin in the Woods or Scott Pilgrim where you know the people involved just had a ton of fun coming up with the universe and everything in it. Pretty strongly recommended.
Flight - This is barely worth reviewing. The crash is acceptable and there's a pretty interesting scene in a hospital stairwell. Other than that, it's a trite, messy, incoherent, and laughably bad attempt to sell the merits of rehab. Denzel's not bad in it, but when the material is so ******, it's tough to consider it a good performance. It's pretty funny that the lesson is to drink vodka and snort coke, since that's probably not the intention. Best original screenplay? Pretty strongly **** this movie.
LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring
I watched this over the weekend and I am reading the book as well. I did not realize how much they cut out of the first part of the book, but I have to agree the whole stuff with Tom would not been that good on the big screen.
Made me really want to see the second part of the Hobbit!
new Red Dawn. didn't think it could be worse than the original but it definitely seems to be. only made it 30 or so minutes.
I started watching Wet Hot American Summer last night. Picked it up somewhere in the middle. It sort of went like this...
"Oh there's an actor I like and think is pretty funny." "Oh there's another one." "Oh cool, she's funny too." "That guys usually in good stuff." "I like her." "I've been watching a movie for an hour that is packed full of people I like and think are funny and I've not laughed once. I guess I'll turn this off and go to bed."
I enjoyed Flight. More than I can say for the majority of today's movies. Does anybody think all this CGI is actually one of the worst things to happen to the industry? Many rely to heavily on it and we are starting to get cartoon reality movies. It's usually very easy to spot. Too much CGI and rehashing all the old classics are my major gripes about today's movies.
Very good movie that was pretty intense.
Love this movie. Really hope they make a sequel and we find out what happened to them that gave them powers.
Gonna be watching 7 Psychopaths that I got form Netflix either tonight or tomorrow.
Watched Les Mis. I don't feel qualified to review this. I will say that Russell Crowe's performance comes off as a loving tribute to "Matt Damon" in Team America.
Silver Linings Playbook - Seriously, everyone, do yourselves a favor and watch this movie.
X-Men First Class - Seen this twice now and was still as great as when I first watched.
Curfew, the short film that won the Oscar this year. Really, really outstanding. Didn't know I could get misty eyed multiple times in under 20 minutes.
It looks like Curfew is on iTunes for two bucks. Worth it?
The one thing about Up that's always, I don't know, given me pause I suppose, is that he made his living selling balloons to kids. You've gotta assume that means he loves kids, is great with the, all that. But then the Boy Scout kid hitches a ride and he treats him like crap for the majority of the movie. I know he lost the love his life and that changes a man, but you'd think old habits die hard. I don't know, maybe I'm over-analyzing lol.
Anyway, about Curfew. I'll preface it by saying that it's pretty damn dark and a big part of why I liked it is because a good bit of it hit home with me, and not necessarily in the best way. But yes, spend the 2 bucks, if only to support extremely quality independent artists. Even if you don't like the themes the quality of the work alone deserves it. And if you hate it, hey, it's only 2 bucks.
The Departed.
I want to see a lot of oscar movies (I saw Django - awesome); Life of Pi, Silver Linings Playbook, Argo, Beasts of the Southern Wild.
But #1 on my list was The Search for Sugarman. It's a documentary, but an absolutely amazing story. I saw the guy interviewed on 60 minutes, and he's just..endearing. I actually really like his music too. Such an interesting film. Something really positive too.


text: Win The Ultimate Supercross Experience Cycle News Staff | February 11, 2014 The following is from Motorcycle-Superstore.com…Motorcycle-Superstore.com, Bell Helmets and Pirelli Tires are teaming up to send two lucky race fans to Las Vegas for a V.I.P. Supercross experience at the final round of the 2014 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship, an FIM World Championship.Here's an opportunity for motorcycle enthusiasts and Supercross fans to win the ultimate V.I.P. Supercross Experience from Bell Helmets, Pirelli Tires and Motorcycle-Superstore.com, the nation's leading motorcycle gear, apparel, equipment, parts and tires retailer. Contest details and entry form can be found here: www.motorcycle-superstore.com/ContestEntryInsert.aspx?ContestId=18.The grand prize winner of this sweepstakes will be awarded with 2 round trip flights to Las Vegas for the weekend of May 2nd – 4th, hotel accommodations for the weekend, transportation to races and special events, 2 V.I.P. passes for the Las Vegas Supercross finale including a track walk guided by Justin Brayton, 2 V.I.P. passes for the Las Vegas opening round of EnduroCross including a track walk guided by Cody Webb, a signed limited-edition Justin Brayton Bell Moto-9 Helmet, and 1 set of Pirelli dirt bike tires. The second prize winner will win 2 tickets to the final round of the 2014 Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, 2 tickets to the opening round of EnduroCross, a Bell Moto-9 Helmet, a set of Pirelli dirt bike tires, and a bag of Motorcycle Superstore swag. Third prize winner will receive a Bell Moto-9 Helmet and a bag of Motorcycle Superstore swag.Customers will be automatically entered with any Motorcycle Superstore order containing a Bell or Pirelli product placed during the contest period (ending March 9, 2014 at 11:59 pm). See contest terms and conditions for complete details. Comments


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"Invasive species" — it doesn't sound very threatening, does it? But these invaders, large and small, have devastating effects on U.S. wildlife. Invasive species are one of the leading threats to native wildlife. Approximately 42% of Threatened or Endangered species are at risk primarily due to invasive species.
Human health and economies are also at risk from invasive species. The impacts of invasive species on our natural ecosystems and economy cost billions of dollars each year. Many of our commercial, agricultural, and recreational activities depend on healthy native ecosystems.
An invasive species can be any kind of living organism—an amphibian (like the cane toad pictured left), plant, insect, fish, fungus, bacteria, or even an organism's seeds or eggs—that is not native to an ecosystem and which causes harm. They can harm the environment, the economy or even, human health. Species that grow and reproduce quickly, and spread aggressively, with potential to cause harm, are given the label of "invasive".
An invasive species does not have to come from another country. For example, lake trout are native to the Great Lakes, but are considered to be an invasive species in Yellowstone Lake in Wyoming because they compete with native cutthroat trout for habitat.
Invasive species are primarily spread by human activities, often unintentionally. People, and the goods we use, travel around the world very quickly, and they often carry uninvited species with them.
Invasive species cause harm to wildlife in many ways. When a new and aggressive species is introduced into an ecosystem, it might not have any natural predators or controls. It can breed and spread quickly, taking over an area. Native wildlife may not have evolved defenses against the invader or they cannot compete with a species that has no predators.
The direct threats of invasive species:
The indirect threats of invasive species:
There are unfortunately many examples of invasive species invasions across the United States. Here are just a few:
Higher average temperatures and changes in rain and snow patterns caused by global warming will enable some invasive plant species—such as garlic mustard, kudzu and purple loosestrife—to move into new areas. Insect pest infestations will be more severe as pests such as mountain pine beetle are able to take advantage of drought-weakened plants.
National Wildlife Magazine Articles:
A Plague of Aliens
Exotic Species - Nutria
Asian Longhorn Beetles
Good Bugs Gone Bad
National Environmental Coalition on Invasive Species
Ecosystem Shock-The Devastating Impacts of Invasive Species on the Great Lakes Food Web
USDA Invasive Species Information Center
UGA Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health
The National Invasive Species Council - Invasive Species Definition Clarification and Guidance White Paper
USFWS Environmental Contaminants Program – Invasive Species
USFWS - What's the Problem with Invasive Plants?
Oil and Gas Methane Pollution Report


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Each young woman will learn to appreciate her physical body and keep it in the best possible condition.
Picture 13, a temple, and picture 18, girls exercising (located at the back of the manual).
Obtain paper and a pencil for each young woman.
Obtain grooming aids such as soap, water, deodorant, a comb, a brush, shampoo, a toothbrush, and a fingernail file.
Draw a large outline of a girl on poster paper and cut it into five sections, puzzle-fashion, as shown. Label as illustrated. Prepare to display it on a tackboard or on a larger poster.
Before the lesson, have the young women complete the following strength and endurance test: See how many times they can jump rope without missing or stopping. They may want to practice before taking the actual test. You may want to do this as a midweek activity (if so, have two or three ropes available, each about 8 1/2 feet long). Or assign the young women to do the test individually. Each young woman should record on a piece of paper the number of times she jumped. If the young women do the test on their own, check with them during the week to make sure they have completed it and to have them report the number of jumps to you.
Caution: Any young woman with physical limitations or serious health problems should not take this test, but she could help the others count and record their scores.
Optional: Prepare a chart of the Strength and Endurance Ratings (see page 166).
Review the counsel about physical health on
pages 36–37 of For the Strength of Youth.
Assign young women to present any scriptures you wish.
Suggested Lesson Development
A Young Woman Who Appreciates Her Body and Wants to Be Attractive Takes Care of Herself
Picture and scripture
Display the picture of a temple and have a class member read 1 Corinthians 3:16–17. Stress that we have been commanded to take good care of our bodies.
Puzzle and discussion
Display the "Knowledge" section of the puzzle on the tackboard or a large poster.
- •
Where in the scriptures can we find information about how to take care of our bodies? (D&C 89, the Word of Wisdom.)
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According to the Word of Wisdom, what things should we not take into our bodies? (Wine or strong drink; tobacco; and hot drinks, specifically coffee and tea.)
Scripture discussion
In addition to living the Word of Wisdom, a young woman can do many other things to take care of herself. Ask a class member to read Doctrine and Covenants 88:124.
- •
What does this scripture tell us about taking care of ourselves?
Ask one young woman to read aloud the last half of that scripture beginning with the word retire.
Puzzle and chalkboard discussion
Put the puzzle piece labeled "Rest" on the tackboard or poster.
- •
Why do you think the Lord counsels us to retire early and arise early?
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What are the advantages of getting the proper amount of rest? (List responses on the chalkboard: do better in school, be happier, feel better, have more energy, look better.)
- •
How might too much sleep be harmful?
Scripture and puzzle
Ask the young women to turn to Doctrine and Covenants 42:41 to discover discover another aspect of taking care of themselves. Stress that physical as well as moral cleanliness is important. Add the piece labeled "Grooming" to the puzzle.
Object lesson and discussion
Display the grooming aids. Stress that everyone is more attractive with clean teeth, skin, and hair. Point out that a fresh fragrance is attractive, whereas perspiration and body odor may be offensive. Ask the young women to consider their hair, skin, nails, and teeth and decide how they might improve their grooming. Suggest they select one good grooming habit to work on during the coming week.
Puzzle and discussion
Put the puzzle piece labeled "Nutrition" on the tackboard or poster. Give each class member a sheet of paper and a pencil and ask them to list as many different fruits and vegetables as they can in two or three minutes. Then ask the young woman with the longest list to read it. Have the other young women add any different ones they have, and then have everyone add to their lists items they did not think of. Be sure the list includes citrus fruits and green and yellow vegetables.
- •
What kinds of food other than fruits and vegetables do we need each day? (Breads or grains; meat, eggs, poultry, or fish; milk and other dairy products.)
Stress variety. Often a young woman's diet is insufficient because she eats only a few favorite foods. Refer to the long list of fruits and vegetables they have made and encourage them to try something new.
Ask the young women to turn their papers over and in one to two minutes make a list of foods they feel have little nutritional value.
- •
What does eating these foods do to your health and appearance? (Answers could include fatigue, susceptibility to illness, and weight gain.)
Emphasize that to feel and look their best, young women must limit or give up some of these things. Write on the chalkboard: "Give up something good for something better."
- •
What is the "something better" we get by giving up nonnutritional food? (Stress that proper eating habits can improve skin, hair, eyes, teeth, and figure.)
Teacher presentation
We have discussed grooming, nutrition, the Word of Wisdom, and getting proper rest; but our girl (refer to the puzzle) still needs something else to complete her physical well-being.
Puzzle and discussion
Place the final piece labeled "Exercise" on the tackboard or poster.
If you prepared a chart with the following information, show it now. Or write the information on the chalkboard.
10 to 24 consecutive skips—fair
25 to 44 consecutive skips—good
45 to 50 consecutive skips—excellent
Strength and Endurance Ratings
Discuss what the young women have discovered about themselves from the strength and endurance test (see page 164, item 5).
Picture and discussion
Display the picture of the young women exercising. Discuss the importance of active participation in sports, dance, jogging, walking, and other physical activities.
- •
Why do we need exercise?
- •
What are some enjoyable ways of getting enough exercise?
Teacher presentation
In addition to plenty of physical activity, formal exercises can often help us firm up our muscles or strengthen a particular part of the body. They also help us use the calories we take in. Suggest that each young woman select one exercise or activity that she feels would benefit her and plan to do that exercise or activity in the coming week.
Stress that physical fitness is linked to overall well-being in everyday life.
Proper Care of Our Bodies Brings Many Rewards
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What rewards might come from doing all the things we talked about? (Possible responses: better health, better self-image, more energy, more attractive appearance, happier feeling.) Encourage each class member to name at least one thing.
- •
Are these things worth sacrificing for?
Teacher presentation
We have put together a plan for taking the best possible care of our precious physical temples. We must work at this plan constantly until good habits become automatic. (Take away a section of the puzzle.) Our bodies cannot function at their best or look their best unless each part of the plan is followed. (Return the piece to its place.)
Elder Delbert L. Stapley said: "There is a close relationship between physical health and spiritual development. … When one's physical health is impaired by disobedience to God's eternal laws, spiritual development will also suffer" (in Conference Report, Oct. 1967, p. 74; or Improvement Era, Dec. 1967, p. 77).
Lesson Application
Teacher testimony
Testify of the importance of properly caring for our physical bodies and encourage each young woman to do something this week to improve her care of her body.


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The Kresge Foundation Awards Challenge Grant to Muskingum College
The Kresge Foundation of Troy, Michigan announced that it has awarded a challenge grant in the amount of $700,000 to Muskingum College. Under the terms of the challenge, the College must raise $3.2 million in new gifts and pledges to its current comprehensive campaign—The Long Magenta Line . . . The Campaign for Muskingum College—to claim the full amount of the challenge funds from the Foundation. All gifts and pledges must be received by June 30, 2007. The challenge funds from the Foundation will be applied toward construction of Muskingum's new campus center.
The Kresge Foundation is an independent, private foundation, created in 1924 by Sebastian S. Kresge. While Mr. Kresge also founded the S.S. Kresge Company, now known as Kmart, the Foundation is not affiliated or associated with that or any other corporation.
The $700,000 challenge grant to Muskingum College is one of 217 grants made by the Foundation in 2005 that total more than $131 million. Muskingum joins a highly prestigious group of grant recipients in recent years that include Dartmouth College, Smith College, Swarthmore College, the University of Pennsylvania, and Vanderbilt University. The Kresge Foundation is among the country's largest private foundations and among only a few that have as an objective the strengthening of the philanthropic
capacity of its grant recipients.
Board of Trustees Chairman Harold Burlingame '62, Muskingum College President Anne C. Steele, Campaign Chair Robert Patin '64 and Trustee Walter Young '66 noted in a joint statement that "The College is honored and pleased to have been found deserving of a significant challenge grant by the Trustees of The Kresge Foundation. This prestigious grant helps give Muskingum the capacity to move The Long Magenta Line . . . The Campaign for Muskingum College forward at this important time and assist the College in successfully funding construction of its new campus center. The Kresge challenge grant will offer College alumni and friends a special incentive to increase their support of the College and the campaign. We are most grateful for the support of The Kresge Foundation."
To meet the terms of the Kresge challenge grant, the College plans to approach alumni and other friends of Muskingum and request new and increased gifts to the College in support of its comprehensive campaign and its goal of $55 million. All new and increased gifts and pledges to the campaign will count toward meeting The Kresge Foundation challenge and may be made in support of the facilities component of the campaign or in support of the campaign's endowment and operating support components. A total of $3.2 million in new and increased gifts and pledges must be received by June 30, 2007 to claim the $700,000 from The Kresge Foundation.
Maps & Directions
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Undergraduate Admission
Financial Aid
Graduate & Continuing Studies
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Academic Catalogs


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Neutrogena Wave Original Vibrating Power-Cleanser Reviews
NO!All this does is vibrate on your skin. i noticed no difference in my skin. it didnt even foam well. the experience was not pleasant at all. save your money!!! — 5 years, 5 months ago
This review is: Helpful | Not helpful | Inappropriate | 0 of 1 people said helpful
soft skinthis product does make your skin soft and smooth but it doesnt foam as much as the commercial. my advice is to add foam by putting another cleanser on the pad so it has more to clean with. when you add another cleanser, you get a really good clean and it helps remove acne. i feel like this does make a difference in acne but with a little more effort from the buyer. — 8 years, 3 months ago
The Editor's correctThis does work well but is expensive because of the special pads made only for this and I don't like that it is not earth friendly — 7 years, 9 months agoTBjunkie | 692 reviews
Save your moneyThis little device might work up a lather but what exactly is in the pad? The wave works on batteries instead of an electrical charge. If you really want to see some change in your beauty routine splurge on a Clarisonic! Plus you'll be helping the environment by not cluttering landfills with batteries. — 8 years, 4 months agosweettpea29 | 280 reviews
This review is: Helpful | Not helpful | Inappropriate | 8 of 8 people said helpful
MehThere are many great things to the wave: the compact shape that fits in my hand, the fragrance,the shower-proof shell, but there could be so many other great things the wave just does not have. Many parts are disposable (not necessarily decomposable!) such as pads, attached head, and the batteries inside, feels like my money is only disappearing towards this so-so product. While I did notice a dif...read moreference between the number of black-heads accumulating on my nose after I stopped using it, I do have to wonder: was that the salicylic acid or the wave itself. — 7 years, 3 months agotheycallmerainbow | 106 reviews
great!this is a great exfoliator and the key to keeping a young appearance to skin is good exfoliation daily! — 8 years, 5 months agobrassa | 447 reviews
This review is: Helpful | Not helpful | Inappropriate | 0 of 1 people said helpful
umthis product is ok.. i feel it didnt help cleanse as much as id like — 6 years, 3 months agoaddkg777 | 237 reviews
Not for meThis intrigued me because of the commercials. I bought it and was very dissapointed. This left my skin squeaky clean, yes... but so clean it hurt! I have already very dry skin, and this just made my skin so much more dry. It did not help with my breakouts, rather I think it made them worse. Try this if you have oily skin, stay away if you don't. — 8 years, 5 months agoleelu | 354 reviews
This review is: Helpful | Not helpful | Inappropriate | 3 of 4 people said helpful
Not for meI've used similar products to the wave, so I thought I would give it a shot. I was very disappointed. It didn't really deep clean at all, it just sort of vibrated my skin. It left my skin feeling rough. A waste of money. — 7 years, 8 months agoGeekyChic | 226 reviews
This review is: Helpful | Not helpful | Inappropriate | 1 of 1 people said helpful
Not Worth itit does clean the face to some extent, but you have to keep reapplying more than just one of the pads it comes with just so you can get a clean face in one wash. Its also messy and leaves the skin feeling tight. — 3 years, 11 months agoMinnieMouse95 | 29 reviews
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A Master By Design: Tom Fazio
From Shadow Creek to Pinehurst, Tom Fazio Has Sculpted Some of America's Most Imaginative Golf Courses
(continued from page 2)
Another sort of workplace is found in the shadows of the Blue Ridge Mountains, in a Hendersonville, North Carolina, retreat where the otherwise bruising business of golf course architecture takes on a whimsical, rather surprising character. Mistletoe hangs from a vaulted ceiling. Red stockings are draped over a fireplace. Bing Crosby is singing "Silent Night," and instead of the usual encomiums to the designer's artistry, a brightly lit Christmas tree, sparkling with red, green and gold ornaments, towers overhead. There are so few golfing artifacts in this cheery mahogany-and-cherrywood den, visitors would scarcely know they're in the company of arguably the world's preeminent course designer.
"I'm a Christmas fanatic. I just love Santa Claus and the Yuletide's good cheer," extols architect Tom Fazio, 54 , hitting a switch that immediately fills his library with sounds of Nat King Cole singing "The Christmas Song." But even though dozens of gaily wrapped presents are strewn about the room, the bearded one and his reindeer won't be making an appearance this day. It's only mid-July, what Fazio calls "my warm-up period before I really get serious about Christmas," an obsession his wife and children view with amusement.
While Fazio may be a bit quirky, a singular personality who turns down invitations to play golf with presidents and refuses to join the parade of American golf course architects working abroad for small fortunes, this dirt devil extraordinaire is not to be laughed at. After styling more than 175 courses, including Steve Wynn's vaunted $60 million Shadow Creek playground in Las Vegas, four Pinehurst layouts in North Carolina, the River Course at Kiawah Island, South Carolina, and Loews's equally celebrated 36-hole Ventana Canyon retreat in Tucson, Arizona, this modest 37-year veteran of golf's designing wars is more than at the top of his game. Now that Donald Trump, Charles Schwab, Peter Ueberroth and Golf Digest magazine are tabbing him for projects, Fazio is walking in the hallowed footsteps of Donald Ross, A. W. Tillinghast and Alister MacKenzie, golf's pantheon of Rembrandts.
"I'm just having fun and doing a job, blending art with science to produce beautiful places people can enjoy," says Fazio, who despite his penchant for understatement, is buffeted with hundreds of million-dollar job offers annually, and is a three-time winner this decade of Golf Digest's "Best Present-Day Architect."
"I started as a worker, continue to be a worker, and by no means do I want to bring course architecture to any new level," adds Fazio, sitting next to a desk covered with mounds of paper and an assortment of cigars his clients have sent him. "Yet working at places like my new Forest Course at Pebble Beach [California], the TPC layout in Myrtle Beach [South Carolina], and World Woods in Brooksville, Florida [named one of America's 10 best public courses by Golf Digest's architecture editor Ron Whitten] is still a great adrenaline boost. Golf design is just a creative, neat thing to be doing; for every time I put all the puzzle pieces together and complete a project, I continue to be amazed."
In a world dominated by glitzy marquee personalities, most of whom have calculated "price point" strategies and grandiose egos, Fazio's low-key professionalism is also amazing. The golf design business, a $150 million-a-year industry that's been spawned by the 400-odd courses in the United States that are built or expanded each year, revolves around the sex and sizzle that's generated to sell pricey real estate, fashionable resorts and $250,000 memberships in exclusive clubs. Nowadays a tony "signature" course costs about $10 million to develop, and rising powers in the trade, such as the PGA Tour, former Blockbuster Video kingpin Wayne Huizenga, and REIT Golf Trust of America, expect the Normans and Nicklauses to exude Hollywood star megavoltage.
But fluctuating between a minimalist throwback to Donald Ross (who famously promulgated "God created golf holes; it's the duty of the architect to discover them") to a total site manipulator vigorously working the land at such once-featureless expanses as Shadow Creek and Galloway National in Atlantic City, Fazio steers away from the romance spinmeisters use to hype splashy projects.
While the $1.5 million-a-course Jack Nicklaus flies around the world to stage posh cocktail parties to celebrate grand openings, and the charismatic Robert Trent Jones Jr. likes to compare himself to Mozart and Beethoven, insisting "the land speaks to me, as all my courses are like symphonies with crescendos, lulls, and different rhythms," Fazio is a measured "blue-collar" American Gothic anachronism.
He stubbornly rejects farflung projects that would take him away from his wife, Susan, and their six children for extended periods (tenaciously wooed for months by a group of Japanese businessmen, he finally spurned their $3 million offer with: "What part of the word 'no' don't you understand?"). Yet even more unceremoniously, he dismisses the slightest notion of his having any larger-than-life talent, vision--or hubris--it takes to confront hostile mountains, deserts and swamps to solve jigsaw puzzles that test varied golfing skills.
"A lot's been written about my designing holes on scraps of paper, drawing layouts on napkins, 'revolutionizing' course architecture; but forget it, that stuff is just media smoke," says Fazio, who's known for styling dramatically aesthetic courses that are still forgiving enough even for average players.
"What I really do is to first analyze whether a piece of land is good or bad. I don't immediately see golf holes with bunkers, greens, etc.. Instead, I see a piece of paper that has natural contour lines on it, that has restrictions, property lines on it; then I start to think, 'Where do the holes go? If they have elevation, valleys, how should [they] be sculptured, and where [should] the green settings or tees be?' Determining where holes fit the best is easy, like breathing to me. I just do it, for it's life, living, surviving.
"There are times, though, when a piece of land is extremely flat, as with Shadow Creek, when I have to dramatically change nature, create a whole new exciting environment. Land preservationists might not like my imposing my will on nature, but if I can create grand golf, courses with true variety and beauty, I'll work to change the land. I'm still the traditionalist who doesn't believe in gimmicks like railroad ties, moving a lot of earth if avoidable, any trick or deception that's just too penal in nature. I believe in a redemptive view of mankind, a tolerance which punishes golfers, but is forgiving enough that when they make mistakes they're not sent into Dante's inferno of oblivion."
These commandments roughly serve as Fazio's golfing catechism, for there is no overriding theme at such diverse works as PGA National in West Palm Beach, Florida, and The Vintage Club in Indian Wells and The Quarry at La Quinta, both in California.
"I've long admired Tom's artistic work," says fellow course-designer legend Pete Dye. "He runs the greatest organization in the business, and does courses that are just terrific." Golf Digest, which has honored nine of his courses in its "America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses 1999-2000," writes that "the regal settings of Fazio's designs, relying on ornate blends of woods and waterscapes, provide instant charm."
Yet even though sages are quick to bless him as a natural, Fazio originally came to golf under duress. As a thin, frail child growing up in a blue-collar family in Norristown, Pennsylvania, he wanted no part of golf's proverbial torments, the drudgery of carrying his Italian father's clubs every Sunday, and worst of all, the pungent smells of Dad's DeNobili cigars that filled the 1949 Ford on the way to the course.
"Boy, were those black things smelly," Fazio recalls with a grin. "As a kid, getting green and dizzy from that smoke, I wasn't too excited by cigars. Or with what awaited me at the course, my pulling those heavy clubs around after having to sit through another Sunday mass."
His ardor for golf wasn't exactly heightened at family gatherings when relatives railed against Uncle George Fazio, who played the tour in the late 1940s and early '50s with modest success. Known for hanging out with showbiz types and "playboys" like golfer Jimmy Demaret at Los Angeles's fabled Hillcrest Club, George was branded the family's black sheep. Yet by the time Tom was in high school, he was spending his summers working for him, pulling weeds and raking bunkers at Philadelphia-area courses that his uncle was building.
Having "no clue" as to what he wanted to do for a career, Tom was immediately molded into shape by his taskmaster uncle. "George would always tell me, 'Forget girls, they'll get you into big trouble.' Yet who had time for fooling around?" wonders Fazio. "While a good person, he constantly pushed me to excel. He was ambitious, the lovable dreamer always fantasizing about great projects, and while I bought into those hopes, the guy was tough. He'd remind me every day, 'Don't forget, make sure you work until dark tonight.' "
Whether it was pouring asphalt, moving earth with a bulldozer, or eventually handling all of the company's finances, Fazio learned his lessons well at such Pennsylvania projects as the Waynesborough Country Club, Chester Valley and Moselem Springs Golf Course (in Reading) during the mid-1960s. Given "a great deal of responsibility early on," as his uncle "wasn't much of a details person," Fazio, barely out of his teens, steered the fledgling company towards success.
"It was shoot from the hip in those crazy days," says Fazio, "since with the lack of environmental and insurance limitations, there was a lot more room to improvise and to leave your mark."
Though paying the phone and credit card bills was still a juggling act, the Fazios soon became known for fashioning attractive courses that were profitable for their developers. As one of their early patrons says, "The Fazios came up with a budget, and no matter what, they stuck to it."
But the Fazios weren't only solving drainage problems and routing holes in the 1960s. Once the company started to show a profit, Tom, though still feeling he was "a country bumpkin," was dispatched around the United States to meet with well-known prospective clients. On one jaunt to Los Angeles, he joined his uncle at Hillcrest, and somehow managed to resist all sorts of "fancy cigars" in the company of George Burns, Milton Berle and the Marx Brothers. It wasn't until 1967, while in Las Vegas, that his cigar education finally took a more hands-on turn.
"Not knowing a thing about gambling, I ventured into a casino and stumbled across this tall Texan who was piling up the chips," Fazio delightedly recalls. "The guy kept winning, so I started to put my chips wherever he put his. I won, too, and feeling drunk on success, I immediately bought this big cigar in a glass tube. Up until then, I'd only been smoking those wooden-tip things, Hav-A-Tampas, so I wasn't too experienced in the finer things of life. I puffed and puffed, and nothing came out. This Texas guy, who undoubtedly thought I was crazy, then bumps me on the shoulder and says, 'Sonny, you're really making me nervous. Why don't you try biting off the end of that sucker?' "
Overcoming his embarrassment, Fazio went on to buy "real cigars" in drugstores (mostly glass-tubed maduro panetelas) and to turn down DeNobilis or other "small, Italian ropes" that were constantly offered to him by Philadelphia contractors. "A good cigar, whatever the brand, came to signify true relaxation to me, a wonderful, transcendental feeling which was always uplifting."
Though quickly dismissing any great knowledge about cigars, Fazio smoked at job sites, in his car on the way to meetings "to help me gather my thoughts," and invariably with friends over cocktails. His new, pricier cigar habit also reflected the Fazios's improving finances, as they parlayed their reputation for sticking to budgets into a thriving business.
"The course which really gave us a big lift and launched us into the 1970s was Jupiter Hills [north of Palm Beach]," says Fazio, who opened an office near the project in the late '60s that is still maintained today. "Along with the glamour of Palm Beach, which always captures widespread attention, my uncle did the course in collaboration with his friends Bob Hope and William Clay Ford, two great guys who gave us the freedom to sculpt, twist the land, to do real art."
Fazio has since styled masterpieces throughout Florida, including courses at Black Diamond Ranch, Pelican's Nest, Osprey Ridge, Pablo Creek, Jonathan's Landing and the Long Point Golf Club. But it was at Jupiter Hills, a 366-acre expanse with loblolly and sand pines, and sweeping elevation changes, where his bold imagination first flourished and dazzled a growing group of media golf course critics.
As Bradley Klein raved in Links magazine in 1996, "What remains most memorable about Jupiter Hills is how easily the bunkers fit. The Fazios built a number of shapes into their traps--butterflies, flashed ovals, and cloverleafs. By cutting the bunkers into the native slopes, the Fazios were able to soften the feel of uphill climbs while avoiding blind shots altogether. The design team also utilized native dunes vegetation to offset the dense tee areas, fairways and greens. Here was dramatic evidence of what has come to be called 'the Pine Valley look'," in tribute to the short course at Pine Valley in New Jersey that Tom Fazio designed in 1990.
The Fazios continued to score triumphs at Butler National near Chicago (1972), Bay Tree Golf Plantation in Myrtle Beach (1973) and the National Golf Course outside Toronto (1974). But since golf architecture lacked the mystique it holds today, George grew increasingly interested in real estate development, and left the design business to Tom.
"There was no split, no good-byes," insists the younger Fazio. "We just had a lot of bills at the time, and I kept doing the work, hiring all the people, and looking for stepping stones, like Pinehurst No. 6, which was then the biggest project in America and my way of celebrating getting married [in 1976]."
The same year, developer Raymon Finch Jr. decided to entrust Fazio with a windswept property of saltwater marsh and sand dune hugging the shoreline outside Charleston, South Carolina. Speaking on behalf of his father, Raymon Finch III says, "We chose Tom because his courses, instead of feeling forced or artificial, blended with their surroundings so well, they seemed to emulate nature. He created such natural contours at our site, it was like Mother Nature had done all the work."
Propelling Fazio into the spotlight, the rolling Wild Dunes Links Course was hailed by critics as "the ultimate in seaside golf," mirroring the glorious tradition of Scottish links golf. Those gorse-and-scrub settings, designed by such immortals as Willie Park Jr. and Old Tom Morris, defied the untrained eye, for unmanicured, they looked to be natural preserves without any formal starting or finishing points. In essence, such shrines at St. Andrews, Muirfield and Turnberry seemed to have been in place since time immemorial, and that's exactly the raw, untidy, even ominous effect Fazio created at Wild Dunes. He would later design similar links-type courses such as Lake Nona in Orlando (1985), Wade Hampton in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina (1986) and Raymon Finch III's Emerald Dunes in West Palm Beach (1990).
"Tom is a master of naturalism who subtly blends his courses into the surroundings and gives them a spectacular unforced look," says William McKee, who developed Wade Hampton. "While these courses might sometimes look brutal and play like a roller coaster, going from easy hole to tough, he keeps the difficult hazards where they'll only impact the better player. There's nothing loud; just soft, rolling, curving lines, for he simply has this uncanny ability to create courses that have an evolved appearance. Courses with instant patina."
Calling himself an "extremely lucky dirt mover," Fazio credits his staffers for his successes. "I've been blessed, for most of my senior people have been with me 12 to 25 years," says Fazio, a 7-handicapper who rarely has the time to play. "Attitude, integrity, loyalty, getting along with people--those are key qualities to me. They're the reason we get a lot of return business. We don't take shortcuts, which can, for example, lead to leaks in a sand trap. Instead, we respect clients, contractors, end users every step of the way."
But even if his high-mindedness seems a bit old-fashioned, or out of place in an arena where the jousting among architects for contracts frequently gets ugly--from the spreading of rumors about rivals' design credentials and personal lives to the willful underestimating of construction costs--Fazio is also a progressive thinker devoted to "big ideas." Besides scoffing at the notion that long-distance golf balls and space-age materials are threatening the integrity of the game ("they're only making golf easier and more popular"), Fazio, just as he was awed by his uncle's dreaming, is charmed by "visionaries who daringly push the normal boundaries, and thrive on challenges to do the impossible." Master builders like Mirage Resorts' Steve Wynn.
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