text:
Importers project higher prices and reduced volumes by early March, the expected effective date of a new suspension agreement between Mexican tomato growers and the U.S. Commerce Department.
The Commerce Department announced the plan on Feb. 2. The agreement sets different floor prices for Mexican fresh tomatoes during the summer and winter and also specifies prices for open field/adapted-environment and controlled-environment production.
The proposal raises minimum prices substantially, in some cases more than double the current floor price for certain products.
U.S. growers had been unhappy with current floor prices for Mexican tomatoes and in 2012 requested the end of a suspension agreement that set those prices since 1996, stopping an anti-dumping investigation.
There are no winners with the new suspension agreement, said Jaime Chamberlain, president of J-C Distributing Inc., Nogales, Ariz.
"I think the American consumer, whether at the retail or foodservice level, will end up paying the price," Chamberlain said.
He said the market price for Mexican tomatoes will increase and volume will decline when the new prices become effective. The Commerce Department said the prices should be in place by March 4, following a monthlong comment period.
"If you are a repacker, you will see an immediate increase in price," Chamberlain said.
Prices will be passed down the supply chain to consumers, he said.
The agreement raises the winter period (Oct. 23 through June 30) reference price for open field/adapted environment tomatoes from current levels of 21.69 cents per pound to 31 cents per pound. For a 25-pound carton of Mexican tomatoes, that would raise the price from $5.42 per carton to $7.75 per carton.
For the summer period, from July 1 to Oct. 22, the reference price for open field/adapted environment tomatoes from Mexico was raised from the current level of 17.2 cents per pound to 24.58 cents per pound. That translates into an increase from $4.30 per 25-pound carton in the current agreement to $6.15 per carton in the new deal.
Where as previous suspension agreement had only one reference price for summer tomatoes and another for winter tomatoes, the new suspension agreement also creates new categories for controlled environment and specialty tomato varieties.
Controlled environment tomatoes, other than the specialty varieties, now have a reference price of 32.51 cents per pound in the summer and 41 cents per pound in the winter. That would translate to $8.13 per 25-pound carton in the summer $10.25 per 25-pound carton in the winter.
Specialty tomatoes - grape, cherry, heirloom and cocktail varieties - have reference prices from 35.68 cents to 46.79 cents per pound in the summer and 45 cents to 59 cents per pound in the winter, depending on pack. That would translate to a reference price for loose specialty tomatoes in 20 pound cartons at $7.14 per carton in the summer and $9 per carton in the winter.
Regardless of the size of the price increases, some in the industry said a trade war sparked by a new anti-dumping investigation would be damaging to parties on both sides of the issue.
"In the big picture, I think everybody in the industry would acknowledge that we are glad it has come to a resolution," said Bruce Peterson, president of Peterson Insights Inc., Bentonville, Ark.
The higher tomato prices from Mexico may hurt smaller buyers more than larger buyers, he said.
The biggest retail and foodservice buyers can easier plug higher prices into their cost formulas. Small buyers depend on lower prices to create margins, Peterson said.
It is disappointing to see the industry spending time and money on the tomato dispute rather than trying to increase consumption of fresh produce, said Joe Comito, chairman of the board for Norwalk, Iowa-based Capital City Fruit Co. Inc. Comito referred to the avocado industry as an example of what should be done instead, with growers from Mexico, California and Chile driving avocado consumption higher with combined promotion efforts.
Consumer reaction to the agreement could be negative, Comito said.
"When this goes into effect, all they need is for the press to pick it up and say tomatoes have increased in price by this certain percentage because of this suspension agreement and consumers will quit buying because the perception is that they are too high," he said.
Wayne Passoff, owner of tomato repacker Wayne's World, Chicago, said he didn't think the government needed to inject itself in the market.
"Let the farmer be the farmer, and let demand and supply direct the price anywhere in the world," he said.
One concern about the agreement is how pricing of tomatoes will change, said Gary Myracle, executive director of produce field procurement for Associated Wholesale Grocers, Kansas City, Kan. Currently, Myracle said most of AWG's seven divisions buy Mexican tomatoes.
"The majority of our tomatoes — 75% to 80% — come from Mexico right now," he said.
The Fresh Produce Association of the Americas, which represents companies that import Mexican tomatoes, was not involved in the negotiations. President Lance Jungmeyer said it's not a reasonable solution.
Mexican officials who signed the agreement include representatives of grower groups Confederation of Agriculture Associations of the State of Sinaloa, Agricultural Council of Baja California, Mexican Association of Protected Horticulture, Sonora Regional Agricultural Union and National Confederation of Vegetable Producers.
Jungmeyer said many Nogales distributors are concerned about the effect of the price increases on buyer and consumer demand.
"A price increase this high gives the U.S. industry more room to maneuver, it gives them plenty of room to sell at 10 cents (per pound) below that floor price all day and essentially keep Mexico out of the market," he said Feb. 4.
After being briefed on the deal by the Commerce Department officials, the Florida Tomato Exchange and Certified Greenhouse Farmers released a statement expressing "tentative support" for the revised suspension agreement.
"The agreement as it is currently structured is a step forward," said Reggie Brown, executive vice president of the Florida Tomato Exchange, Maitland, Fla. Brown said the agreement's higher prices validate the contention of U.S. growers.
"We still feel very strongly that the cost of production is essential to determining what the correct reference price should be, and we look forward in the future for Commerce to obtain that information and adjust the reference prices on that basis," he said.


text:
Build a Small Tesla Coil
I want to make a very small Tesla coil and I have the right schematic! But I still remain a n00b in electronics...
This schematic is used in:
- Nano Tesla Coil I http://www.extremeelectronics.co.uk/coils/nt/
- Nano Tesla Coil II http://www.extremeelectronics.co.uk/coils/nt/index.php?page=nanotess2.php
Thanks you very much!
Stanislav A.K.A. Comodore
please can somebody help me
with simple plans
I hope I didn't miss any connections
PS the VSS and VDD are the power for the IC and the connections for the power.....
Grateful comodore!
IXDD414 is a highspeed mosfet/igbt driver
UF5408 are very fast diodes
your links all lead to a country page, probably cause I'm in the US
-Yea, that you chose your country and you enter the site...
Please enter the site and do a search for :
- HEF4049 (only 1 product and yes, it's a chip)
- IXDD414 ( 0 products, where can I find that diode, do you sell them???) :D
- UF5408 ( 4 products in total separated in 2 groups)
Thank you!
do you want a drawing?
- Yes, that would be very very very helpful....Thanks
- Shore, why not... :D
- If I get the drawing or a picture, I think that will not be needed...
- Yes, look up... :-D
- No...I am just working on multiple projects at the time...first I want to do the Tesla coil and than....
http://export.farnell.com/ , the components that I need for this project?
Grateful comodore!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
4 Beat - Musical Notes Tank Top
Product Color:
Product information
The Tank Top 4 Beat - Musical Notes is the no-sleeve version of the popular favorite t-shape, ladies style. Perfect for use in sports where you are bound to sweat and need wide range of movement as well as on hot and sunny days, to avoid those tan-lines across your biceps.
Put 4 Beat - Musical Notes on the finest combed jersey which feels soothing against your skin. 4-Beat Tank Top is available in 10 different color options. Heather Grey: 80% Peruvian Cotton/20% Polyester. Remaining Colors: 100% Cotton.
Sku: TT1HG0000020231111110002BLLBVR000


text:
Big business is really clearing out lately. On Friday, tobacco companies got their victory when the Federal Circuit ruled against the FDA's requirement of graphic cigarette labels, and on Monday, health care services giant Express Scripts Inc. won dismissal of most of the claims questioning its acquisition of Medco Health Solutions Inc.
The lawsuit, lobbed by the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, the National Community Pharmacists Association and several independent pharmacies in March, claimed that the Express Scripts-Medco merger would harm consumers by reducing competition and lowering the amount of services available.
The retail drug stores made a misstep, though: They sought only injunctive relief. U.S. District Judge Cathy Bissoon threw out their claims, saying injuries from a loss of competition would be better repaired with cash.
"Plaintiffs provide no indication that they are competitors in this market other than that unspecified members of the 'Associations' tried and failed to enter the market in the recent past," Bissoon said.
The plaintiffs have a chance to amend their claims though, and they have until Sept. 10 to re-plead them.
Read more at Reuters and Bloomberg Businessweek.
For more InsideCounsel coverage of the Express Scripts-Medco merger, see below:
Express Scripts, Medco sued over merger


text:
YORKSHIRE dotted the i's and crossed the t's on a comprehensive LV= County Championship innings win over Northamptonshire at Headingley yesterday to get up and running for 2014.
The White Rose county claimed 23 points to go with the 11 they secured for last week's opening round draw against Somerset at Taunton.
Having been asked to follow-on in their second innings - Northants were bowled out for 94 in the first - in reply to Yorkshire's 459-9 declared, they lost six wickets yesterday morning to slip to 245 all out.
Last season's promotion winners put up little resistance as only added 96 runs.
Their only positive of day four was a tenth-wicket stand of 50 between David Murphy and Azharullah, but by then it was too little, too late.
Steve Patterson struck twice yesterday, while Ryan Sidebottom, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid and Jack Brooks all struck once.
Brooks finished with 3-76 in the innings to contribute to career-best match figures of 8-112 against his first county, who he left at the end of 2012.
This may not have been a performance which makes the rest of Division One sit up and take notice as Northants are leading candidates for relegation, and they will suffer a few more defeats before the summer is out.
But it was job done ahead of bigger tasks against Middlesex at Lord's on Sunday and Durham at Emirates Durham the following week.
Despite Brooks's excellent efforts, Gary Ballance's 174 in the first innings was the stand-out performance in the match.
"I think we only played to 80 percent of our potential," said Gale.
"To get 450 was a good effort on that deck. I thought Gary Ballance was outstanding.
"It was a tough pitch first day, and I was probably starting to regret batting at lunch if I'm being honest.
"I thought the sun was going to come out. It looked a good pitch all the way through the game, and I thought it was going be a flat Headingley deck. It's done a bit.
"From a bowling point of view, I thought we were a bit ragged yesterday afternoon. But, on the whole, it was pretty ruthless.
"The top order didn't strike with the bat, and there was a few more runs in there. Leesy (Alex Lees) played well, but the difference in the side was Gary Ballance. We've still got quite a lot left in the tank."
Sidebottom had Rob Newton caught at point in the first over yesterday before Brooks had Maurice Chambers caught at second slip.
Plunkett then got Andrew Hall caught and bowled with a sharp reflex left-handed catch as Northants slipped to 181-7.
Patterson had David Willey caught behind in his first over of the day before Murphy and Azharullah resisted for nearly an hour. Rashid wrapped up the win when he had the latter caught behind at 12.55pm.
Ballance did not take the field yesterday after cutting a finger on his right hand on Tuesday, although it is not broken and he will be fit to face Middlesex - potentially as captain.
Meanwhile, Gale said that York-based Jonny Bairstow could return to the side for the trip to Durham on May 4. He was initially supposed to miss the first four games, but his broken finger is progressing well.


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The MVP of Black Cinema
Melvin Van Peebles is still free.
One of the last free black men on earth, in fact—an elite category of accomplished, streetwise aristocats whose ranks include Cecil Taylor and David Hammons, until quite recently Gordon Parks, and not too many more. Distinguished gentlemen of color, unafraid of dirt beneath the fingernails, who've made the world watch them do it their way for longer than some of us have been alive. Men who've even, on occasion, made the watchers pay handsomely for the privilege. Now 73, Van Peebles is still doing his thing, signifying, storytelling and combatting white supremacy on the sly.
At the end of 1971's Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song, we're told this badass nigger will be back to collect some debts. Turns out the badass in question wasn't the film's brother with no name but its writer-director-star-composer-producer, who defied odds and saw Sweetback become the most profitable indie film of its day. He seems as busy and as in our faces as ever, thanks to 2004's revival of his 1971 hit musical Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death, and to Joe Angio's doc How to Eat Your Watermelon in White Company (and Enjoy It), a riveting and uproarious documentary on Van Peebles' life. There's also Bellyful, the French-language feature he made a couple of years ago about a pregnant young African woman's travails in Paris. Most excitingly for Brer Soul's music fans is the promise of a double-album collaboration with indie hip-hop production wizard Madlib. He's also shooting and starring in a new semi-biographical feature, Memories of an Ex-Doofus Mother.
We can't call this a comeback. Van Peebles, like hip-hop, doesn't know the meaning of stop. He's never stopped working multiple hustles on multiple fronts. Some boomers will recall that after Sweetback he had two Tony-nominated Broadway musicals, that he took screenwriting credit for Richard Pryor's Greased Lightning, that in the '90s he reinvented himself as the first black floor trader in history at the American Stock Exchange, and that he adapted the script for his son Mario's Panther from his own novel. Though Van Peebles has only made four features since Sweetback, he ain't been collecting dust like some godfather-of-blaxploitation bust on the mantel. In 2003 he appeared as himself in a futuristic Isaac Julien video installation, where he has an anticlimactic encounter with a sexy temponaut and his own wax effigy—but no one has yet invented a future he can't keep up with or hasn't already seen.
Van Peebles' hustling credentials go back to age 9, when his father gave him a toy wagon and some old clothes to sell instead of an allowance. He has always been an autodidact. In Paris, he decided to become a French novelist in order to qualify for the filmmaking grant responsible for his feature The Story of a Three-Day Pass. That film led to Van Peebles being approached by Hollywood. "I kept turning them down because I wasn't going to be their one little genius nigger that they used to beat on the heads of everybody else," he says. "And what happened was that two guys who'd been out there for years butting their heads against a wall got work—Ossie Davis got Cotton Comes to Harlem, and Gordon Parks got to do The Learning Tree. I later agreed to do Watermelon Man under the condition that I got to shoot it out in Hollywood, where they were shooting everything else, and not on location. This also got me into the directors union, which had never taken a brother before then."
After Watermelon Man, Van Peebles shocked his handlers by deciding to go independent, risking all his salary from the studio project to make Sweetback, which remains the most gigantic fuck-you ever mounted against the Hollywood business, on every level that matters—from financing, scoring, shooting and union dues to its exhibition and distribution. The fuck-da-police politics of its rebellious hero are matched by every aspect of the means of production Van Peebles seized by balls, fist or gunpoint.
What the film also identified was the ravenous appetite that the hood had to see its own manners and mores satirized and surrealized on the big screen. Sweetback is a runaway-slave narrative whose adherences to the conventions of screen pleasure are few and far between; its sex scenes may be the most anti-erotic ever shot, though the one with the biker chick bears the distinctive honor of depicting maybe the first occasion, real or imagined, in which a black man screws his way out of a redneck lynching. Far more delirious passion gets portrayed in its various cop-killing sequences.
Today, though a lot more black people have moved on up, the cinema produced by black America still seems as underdeveloped and dependent on Hollywood welfare as in the '70s, and just as stocked with Hollywood clichs. What Van Peebles realized in the making of Sweetback was how much our liberation from Hollywood would depend on freebooting creative and economic models derived from an oppositional relationship to Hollywood. Van Peebles knows he's paid a price for defying the unions and for owning the rights to his product, but there's nothing beat-down or bitter about him. Surveying his spacious but humble working-artist digs in New York, he says, "As you can see, I have no need to live ostentatiously."
He continues to be the indomitable, upbeat, energetic workaholic he's always been. While the world makes plans to put him under glass or carve him in stone, he's as enthusiastic about what's next as your average whippersnapper hustling for a whiff of that first big paycheck. This is especially the case with the new film, a project for which he's yet again done the unthinkable and recorded his audio track first—sound, narration, music, dialogue, the whole megillah—without an investor in sight. (A word to the wise for all you luxurious hip-hop moguls out there: Van Peebles is on record as saying he will not decline your investment in Memories of an Ex-Doofus Mother.) "Fortunately I'm in excellent condition, because despite all the accolades it's still just me plodding along," he says. "So the new film will get done when it gets done. Every time I do something, it's ahead of the curve, so people still ask, 'How you gonna do that?' because, just like Sweetback, they've never seen anybody do it before."
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text:
A BURNLEY mum died after overdosing on a 'toxic' combination of drugs, an inquest heard.
Deborah Moss, 41, was discovered dead by a neighbour at her home in Hunslet Street on September 17 last year.
Burnley Coroner's Court heard how she was given just six months to live last February because of serious problems with her liver and kidneys.
East Lancashire coroner Richard Taylor said Ms Moss had battled alcoholism.
And was supposed to attend the substance misuse service Inspire.
Six weeks before her death, the service stopped prescribing Ms Moss with the heroin substitute methadone because of her repeated drinking and 'lack of engagement'.
It had previously reduced her dosage from 60 to 40 milligrammes per day.
But Dr Abdul Al-Dawoud, who carried out Ms Moss's post-mortem examination, said he found a 'high level' of methadone in her blood, along with the painkiller codeine. Addressing him, Ms Moss's sister, Julie Smithies, said: "At the time there were rumours that she had cuts on her face when she died.
"We want to know if she was hurt before she died."
The doctor replied: "I did not see any.
"The police investigated very thoroughly at the time. There is no evidence of any external injuries at all."
Dr Al-Dawoud said Ms Moss's alcoholism had left her with a 'very cirrhotic liver' which had caused 'extensive bleeding' in her stomach.
He added: "The toxic effect of methadone and codeine was the primary cause of death."
Concluding that Ms Moss had suffered a drug-related death, Mr Taylor said: "These cases are always extremely sad, someone as young as she was taken away by drugs.
"Unfortunately she was unable to go to Inspire as much as she maybe should have."


text:
Everett Golson says he was suspended from Notre Dame for "poor academic judgment" and vows to return to the school in the spring, Carolinalive.com and Myrtle Beach, S.C. television station WPDE reported.
Golson was in Myrtle Beach, his hometown, for a charity basketball tournament. He told the television station "I will be returning in the spring, that's pretty much it. The television station says he wouldn't go into specifics about the "poor academic judgment" and said he's trying to stay in shape while he is away from football.
"I've been working out, keeping my head up. I've had a little adversity, but I've learned you can't sit down and just take that, you got to pick yourself back up and keep going forward and continue doing what you were doing and everything is going to work itself out in the end," Golson said.
Notre Dame suspended Golson in late May. He helped lead the Irish to a 12-0 record and the BCS National Championship game against Alabama last season, where the Irish lost 42-14.
Golson completed 187 of 318 passes for 2,405 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also rushed for 298 yards and six touchdowns.


text:
" Brand: MB Games "
Connect 4 stands out for me as being my most played with game as a child- I still like it now. Having kids is a good excuse to buy them (yourself) toys from your own childhood.
The Hasbro/ MB classic updated version can be found in Argos for a tenner (at the moment it's in their 2 for £15) ours was from Tesco ages ago I think that was £10. We have classic, three play, travel version, giant garden version and even a keyring game of it- see I told you I liked it!
In the box you get a navy blue grid, forty odd red and yellow counters and a stand which doubles as a tray. It's easy to erect you just slot the grid into the base. It's all plastic and okay quality with no sharp edges. Once up it doesn't fall over. The whole thing is about a foot square- ish. Connect four doesn't take batteries- it is slightly noisy as it makes a clattering sound when you drop the counters into the grid slots.
The game is very simple you need four counters in a row to win. To do so you and your opponent must first choose what colour you're going to be, then you take it in turns to drop the coloured counters (yellow or red) into the connect 4 grid. The object of the game is to get either a straight, vertical, horizontal or a diagonal line. Who ever gets the four in a row first wins the game. You have to shout out Connect 4 when you win like the advert!
Straight forward enough? no it isn't you need to keep your eye on your opponent's counters then when you see they have a three in row you have to block it with one of your counters. It's a good strategy game but isn't complicated.
The newer version has abit more about it with three ways to play- the original game, Pop Out which you get four in a row by choosing to push a counter out rather than dropping one in and Pop 10 which starts off with the grid full of counters sort playing it of back to front. I only like the original game although I do sometimes and always have played connect five or even six- sad eh?
When a line is made you simply release the counters by pulling the bottom away- again easy- ready for the next game.
The game is not suitable for the under three's and is recommended for age six plus. My children have played this game since they were very young- probably four years old with no problem.
It's a two player game but I've played alone, I used to take it in turns with myself (I know).
My children love this game too so 5 stars from me!
I bought this game for £9.99 from the early learning center online for my kids. I always used to love playing this when I was younger so figured my kids would like it too.
What comes in the box
Connect 4 board
21 red counters
21 yellow counters
Stand for the bottom of the board
How to set it up
Well thats pretty easy the game does not take much assembly really, all you need to do is attach the tray which just slots on, so it is really easy. Then when you want to put it away just take the tray back off again.
How to play
To start you need to each decide which colour you would like to play with, and toss a coin to see who is going first. When that is decided you need to take all your own coloured counters, then start the game.
The connect 4 board is full of small circles which in total there are 42, which matches all the amount of counters you have. at the top of the board you have small slots where you can fit each of your counters in to. on your turn you place a counter at the the top which will then fall down as far as it can go, due to other counters maybe been placed there.
The aim of the game is to get four in a row, which can be horizontal or vertical, the object is to also try to stop your opponent getting four in a row too, so you do have to look at the board good, and place markers to stop your opponent while also trying to get four in a row yourself.
The first to get four in a row wins that game. when you have finished the game you need to pull the little slider out at the bottom to release the counters that are in the board already.
My overall opinion
I do like this game myself and so far the kids have enjoyed playing it. However it can get a little bit boring after a couple of games for me, but the kids seem to be able to play it for ages.
The game is not too expensive and its easy to store and to set up, the kids can do it themselves without having to come nagging at me.
The game is quite easy to play but you need to think about each move before you play it, so it does make you use your brain a little bit.
Here I go with a blast from the past; I like the fact that games I used to play when I was a child are still current nowadays.
Connect Four:
"This skilful game of strategy encourages premeditation and will provide you with hours of excellent entertainment!"
My Findings:
This game is made up of two different colour circular counters; they are blue and yellow with a rigged edge. The game is only a two player game which is good in one way as you can sit and play with someone one on one. But when you have two children wanting to play the game with you at the same time can be a little bit of a pain. That is when the line "learn to share" comes in!
The aim of the game is to make a line of four counters of the same colour in a line; this can be in anyway as long as they are together. The unit itself holds up to 42 counters at a time, so the first one to get that line of four is the winner it is that simple.
Setting up the game is easy, I have used two food bags one for the one colour of counters in and the other to add the other colour. So they don't slide around the box and get mixed up. When setting the game up itself you need to stand the unit up and attach its sides, they slide on with ease and within seconds. There is at the bottom a catch you need to make sure is shut before you start your game otherwise your counters will just fall out.
I like how easy this game is to set up and play but is does take a little skill working out where you could make that line of four counters. Samuel who is now 12 does still like to have a game of this now and then and normally wins each time! Gracie May who is 5 will have her moments and really enjoy playing or get bored very quickly so it really does depend of the mood of the child.
The game on the hold is sturdy and durable, and has a good age range for which it is suitable for. The recommended age for this game is 6 years plus, but Gracie who is 5 doesn't have any problem in playing and understanding this game.
The packaging seems to change slightly over the years but it is always bright and welcoming to gamers. It all fits nicely into it hard cardboard box for easy storage.
Price and Availability:
I picked this game up from a School fate maybe a year or so ago, it was still like new for only £1.50 so I grabbed it. I do a lot of child minding for my family so games like this always come in handy. You can pick this game up from £8.99 plus and they also do different versions of this game too.
I think this is a nice little game which comes highly recommended from me. I personally find it more of a time filler game as after a few rounds it does get a little boring to play. Nevertheless still a good game and great value for money.
Five out of five stars from me.
Thank you for reading.
Additional Information:
The original game of connect four was created in the 1970's and is still going strong today. Made by the Milton Bradley company which has now been taken over by Hasbro.
The Connect Four game has been out since the middle of the 1970s. The game is played on a board that has two sides of plastic both with holes cut through and then stuck together around the outside. You stand this board up on a stand that comes with it, The board is open at the top so you can place coloured discs into it. The bottom has a closure fixed to it so that you can shut it when it play and then open it up to get out the discs once the game has finished.
The discs that come with the game for you to play with are usually red and yellow. They look a bit like the pieces you use on a draughts board. The object of the game is that you play with two people, they sit facing each other with the board in between them. Then the person going first can place a disc of their colour in the board. The piece drops down to the bottom in which ever line they have placed it. The other person then places their colour disc in the board. They can start off a new vertical line or they can drop their disc above the one already in there. You have to keep doing this until one person gets four of their discs in a row which can either be horizontally, diagonally or vertically.
There is a bit more to it than it sounds as you have to make sure you are stopping the other person from making a row of four as well as trying to build up a set of three or may be a set of two together and then an odd one so that you can fill in the gap and make a row of four. It is good when you can do this especially if the other person doesn't spot what you are doing and misses it.
Sometimes you find you get to the end of the game and it is a stale mate as you have both been putting the discs in to stop each other and no line comes up for either of you.
This game is quite a good game to play with the kids, it can be a bit noisy as the discs make a knocking sound when you put them in and once the game has finished they kids love being the one to flip the bottom over so they all fall out and make a heck of a racket. Then you get the fun bit of trying to stack up your discs into a nice pile without it falling over, or may be you are just messy and leave them all down in a rubble and go from there.
The game doesn't take long to play so if you have more than two people you can play winner stays on and the other people waiting don't have long to wait. Or if you have an even number of players you can make up teams and then have a competition between the two teams (or more).
The board is very sturdy and if looked after can last for years and years. The best thing is to keep it all in the box then it wont get trod on and broken (been there, done that). Also it will help to keep all the discs together as you don't want to end up losing any of them. A good tip is to set the stand up in the lid of the box (have it upside down), then when the bottom gets flipped and the discs fall out they don't go all over the floor but stay in the lid. If they do fall on the floor and you have a floor like a wooden floor then they can tend to roll and end up under the furniture or something and you might not see where they go.
You can buy the original kind of connect four on Amazon for £11.77. There are other versions of the game as well, even a large sized version that you can have out in the garden or may be a Toy Story version for little ones. You can get travel sized games which would be good for a long journey on a train or in the car, and there are ones that are made by different companies to Hasbro that just call themselves Four In a Row. You can also find these games to play electronically on the web but they are not as much fun as having the noisy old board and discs.
Copied to Ciao under username Harveydog52
== MB Games Connect Four==
with the amount of rainy days that we have in this country I feel it is an absolute must to have a cupboard full of family games that we can all sit down and play when there is nothing to do. This is far more beneficial for everyone than watching the TV or playing the computer and it is something we all really enjoy doing (although its not very cool in this day and age!)
The Connect Four game is one of those classics that I had when I was growing up and so did everyone else you knew. Luckily mum my managed to keep a lot of the toys from when I was younger and this is one of them that has managed to not break and still have nearly all of the pieces (minus one or two).
The game is readily available from most shops and larger supermarkets. It is one of those games that has been around for ages and the simplicity of it will probably ensure that it stays one of the countries favourites for many years to come.
The connect four game is another one of those that is exactly what it says on the box. You basically have to connect four of your coloured discs to win the game. It is a game designed for two people and each of the players has the same amount of different coloured chips (red or yellow). These chips are inserted player at a time into the one upright game board that is supplied and they slot in the top and fall down in to the circular space. The winner of the game is the first player to get four of their colour in a row wither diagonally, vertically or horizontally.
The game is so easy to play and although there is an age range of 6 and over Jack who has just turned four, has been playing it for at least 6 months with ease and a lot of enjoyment. The fact that it is easy to pick up and enjoyable to play a quick game make it perfect for those not wanting a marathon of a board game such as Monopoly.
Overall this game is a family staple and a total must have for any child. The quality you get with the MB game when compared to the cheaper versions of the game is really good and in my opinion well worth paying the few pound extra that the branded game will cost you.
It can easily be found under £10 especially if you hunt for it online and the amount of time I have seen it at a Boot sale or the like is unreal so well worth keeping an eye out for.
I feel a top 5 out of 5 star rating and an exceptionally high recommendation is well deserved!
I do hope that this has been of some help/interest to you
Many thanks for taking the time to read.
Connect Four is a game that most people will be familiar with. Quite often the simplest things are the most entertaining, and all this game purports to be is a chance to place coloured discs in an effort to get four in a straight row before your opponent does. You can have hours of fun with it, and despite it being so simple, the game will keep your mind active and develop that competitive streak in you.
The contents of a box of Connect Four are simple. There is a plastic cage with circular gaps in. The cage slots into a base which has a cover over the bottom that you move so it is out of the way. Also in the box are a number of discs, equal numbers of red and yellow, which you then take it in turns to put into the top of the cage where they slot down to the bottom. A very tactical game, Connect Four allows you to try and outfox your opponent by placing your discs strategically so that you end up with four in a row before your opponent does. It's easier said than done as you can easily get blocked off by one of their discs, and quite often you'll find that the game is only won with a large number of discs having been played, a veritable sea of red and yellow already in the cage and a number of rows of three that are nearly there but were thwarted at the last moment.
You can make either a vertical or horizontal or diagonal line, and I love just how tactical it gets. It's also suitable for young and old. We have this at home and every now and then on a rainy day (which seems to be more often than not at the moment) we'll get this out and have a few games of it. Similarly, friends of mine got married recently and they had a giant version of it, which a few of us played for quite a while. Equal amount of enjoyment at each occasion, showing that something so simple can be so easily enjoyed for a sustained period of time.
You can also have variations of the game, although the single cover at the bottom of the cage is not particularly conducive to the first one, which allows you to EITHER put one of your discs in OR take one from the bottom. I like the concept of this variation, although you'd need to get a different cage bottom to play it and the traditional Connect Four game wouldn't necessarily come with one already.
The longevity of the game speaks for itself. First manufactured and sold in the 1970s, it still remains as one of the most popular and recognised games around, and I for one will never grow out of playing it. If you want to get a set to play, or if you think it would make a good gift for someone, then it's widely available, and prices come in at around the £10 mark depending on which brand you buy and where you get it from. Either way, it's a simple concept that is highly popular and a great game that I highly recommend. Great for young old.
Connect Four was one of my first ever games I played... The plastic frame that had to be assembled was simple to do so and comes in three parts, two legs and the 7 by 6 hole grid which slots nicely between two. The game came with a bag of coloured tokens, red and yellow, which would be inserted at the top.
Connect Four is a two player game. Players take turns to select a slot to put their chosen token in. The winner of the game is the one who has four tokens consecutively in a row, column or diagonal.
This game is extremely simple to play, and poses great fun for young children. It isn't as easy as you think, and there is great tactic to the game... Once you have played for a while you can begin to plan and strategise and be able to recognise routes that are common to certain games which will lead to a win or a loss.
An issue with the equipment itself is that it isn't very stable, and for me, the legs broke pretty quickly, which meant that the whole thing was ruined. Thankfully, sticky tape was strong enough to hold the whole thing together, so it can last slightly longer yet. Again, with regards to the equipment, there are really there just for novelty's sake, as you can always play this on paper. Just draw out a 7x6 grid and fill in with markers just as you would with the tokens...
You can purchase the set for under £10 which is acceptable, but not worth the money in my opinion. They do not last long physically, but also children get bored of this easily. It wouldn't really last past the age of 6 or 7 for any child I would think. Plus, it is a two player game, so unless you have two children of similar ages, one would probably not play with the other. If you really are interested in this, this can be purchased for Argos, Toys R Us or other toy retailers such as The Entertainer or Early Learning Centre.
I would not recommend this product at all. For such a simple game, such a set is not necessary and if you really want to play just use paper and pen. Save your money for more complex and long lasting board games such as monopoly.
I´m going to start with the obvious really, Connect 4 is a 3-D real life version of Noughts and Crosses but using red and blue counters and having the need to connect four colours of the same type raher than three.
The game itself is available in all good toystores and can be found in Tesco and Asda, we bought the game for our nieces in Asda for 8 British Pounds.
The game has been a family favourite for generations, partially because it eschews the need for complicated instructions, it is a really easy and addictive game and does bring out the competitive elements in us all.
The Box we have is two kids playing the game, setting up the game is reasonably easy as the board has pieces that easily connect together to create the stand up board. You have a decent number of counters for each player and then off you go, try to connect 4.
Whilst I like the game a lot and feel it is diverting and easily as addictive as computer games, I do find it difficult sometimes playing the game as I do have a tendancy to smash counters into the board or pull the trap door before my opponent can connect 4, this is unsporting and I accept against the general rules of the game. I wish I could be more sporting but the game is furiously simple and yet some people are great at it and i´m not!!!
The concept is to connect 4, diagonally, horizontally or vertically, it can become a game of tactics as your opponent blocks your attempts and you block theires but generally a game should last less than 5 minutes and in my house end in insults, slammed pieces and a general tendancy to stomp off.
However I have to say its an awesome game for all ages and well worth checking out and purchasing as it´ll last through childhood for the whole of your life which isn´t bad for under a tenner!!!!
I loved Connect Four when I was growing up and it was similar to Noughts and Crosses in my opinion in that it was a real game of strategy and you had to try and cancel each other out and create rows of your colour. So it is a bigger scale to noughts and crosses where you only had to form a row of 3 x's or 0's.
It was a very simple game to learn and play which helps when you are younger and I even remember playing a giant version of the game once in a pub. For such an easy game to play it could be incredibly hard to win regularly and you had to have a real knack sometimes to beat your opponent.
The game itself is a two player game and anyone really from the age of six or so can try their hand at it. It's easy to assemble the game which consists of the upright plastic frame that has 36 slots in it and is made up of seven columns and six rows. At the top is an open slot where you put your discs in. Each player chooses to have either blue or red discs and they take it in turns to drop one of their coloured discs down into the frame to fill a position. The aim is to become the first person to have four of your colour discs in a straight line, either horizontally, vertically or diagonally.
The game can be frustrating at times as you can cancel each other out but to be honest with you is great fun to play as it involves skill and strategy and gets your mind working.
Connect four was another favorite game of mine and remember having competitions with my cousins and friends (and being champion I'll have you know).
This game is like "Guess who" on the sense of it has been around for so long and it is popular still with kids of today and not faded away with time.
The one thing I use to like when I was a kid was that when we played a board game it use to involve the whole family, we would set a time aside and we would play and generally it was fun and it's always a good memory, as time has gone on board games have taken a little back burner since all these computers have gotten more advanced like your Playstation, Xbox, Nintendo Wii...etc.
Ok so the rules are really really simple, you have a plastic coloured grid frame (mine was yellow), you have coloured disks each, one set red and one set blue which you each drop one at a time into the frame, there is always one more with the red disks which means whoever is red starts the game, the object of the game is to get a row of four however you can whether it be vertical diagonal or horizontal. The first one to make their four wins.
That's it, that's all you have to do.
In the box there are little grooves to place all the pieces back in, the three bigger parts (2 legs and the frame) fit in safe and secure, the disks don't have a container and just go back into the box loose, even though they have there own little grooves for every single disk it still ends up being shuffled all over the inside. But it's still a small box and takes up no room at all.
Just like other board games this one has had various things done to it like, it's been made digital, giant size, travel size, even inflatable, which made me smile but I guess people want them otherwise.
But the original is always the best and most loved, just like most things that start out.
With this game you have to attach the two side blue legs onto the side, which is simple enough (once you line up the grooves you slot it in till you feel and tightening and hear a little click).
And when you finish a game and want to remove the disks from inside of the grid you slide the tab at the bottom and the disks just fall out to where ever you set it up, the thing with the old ones like these was there was no bottom tray to catch the disks which made no sense even back then but that was just how the game came so most of the time we played it on the carpet, it avoided the bouncing and flying of the discs on the table.
Some people believe they have a way of winning all the time but I just disagree, because I thought on a number of times that I had a strategy of winning, but it didn't work.
This is a simple idea for a game and there have been many copies and variations of the game which are all fine but of course the only name that sticks in my head is connect four, I guess that's the point huh.
What is it?
Connect four is a simple game which is quite frankly as simple as it sounds. You take it in turns to place disks into the plastic stand trying to achieve a row of four in any direction (up/down, across or diagonally).
Who can play?
Quite simply I think anyone old enough to know that the pieces should not be swallowed, and can place the pieces in the grid is old enough - so I would say anyone above 3 years old should be able to master connect four. However, the older the player the more tactics come into it and the more brain power is required!
Any good?
I think that this whoever initally designed connect four probably thought that it was, and I am still in agreement with them. It is a simple game so that young children can easily enjoy it, but still suitable when they eventually grow up and mature - it wouldn't be one that you take down the charity shop after everyone has grown out of it - as you quite simply in my experience don't!
I would say this game is perfect for families and an ideal way to get kids off the computer and back to talking to you as a family. The only disadvantage I think is the plastic frame and coins can look very cheap and tacky - but really this is just negliable.
Carrying on through my kids games cupboard I now come across Connect 4. Another great classic that has lasted the test of time.
I love playing board games with the children as it brings us all closer together rather than them all sitting solely in their rooms on their video games.
So Connect 4 is a very clever thinking game. You have a standing board, where you attach two legs at the side and this board has holes that are 7 across and 6 up. You have openings at the top of each column and a lever/stopper at the bottom of the board. This is used to stop the discs going through to the bottom while in play but when levered up the discs fall through to the floor, hence clearing the board to start again.
The object of the game is to take turns in placing your chosen coloured disc, (once you have fought over who is going to have red or yellow) which then fall into a window type circle showing your disc. The next player strategically places theirs and the objective is to try and get 4 of your coloured discs in a row either straight across up or down or diagonally. The first one to do this is the winner.
If you see your opponent attempting to get four you need to try and block them.
This game is one of our absolute favourites and in fact we now have the electronic version but it doesn't feel as good as playing the proper board. The satisfaction of pulling the bottom lever when you have won to let all the discs fall out is great.
The strategy and concentration you need to try and place your discs correctly in order to try and trap your opponent or trick them into not seeing what you are doing is brilliant. My 7 year old son is just getting to grips with catching you out and seeing your scheming plan. I think this is a great family game for all ages and my 16 year old still has to think when he plays his younger brother who has beat him a couple of times. This helps with his self confidence. I also believe in not letting them win for the sake of it as they need to learn how to lose occasionally.
It is easy to set up and put away, but you do have to make sure that you don't lose any discs. As with other classics there are now a few newer versions of this, including one where the counters are now stored in the board itself, or where the legs are attached but are just swung around rather than detached and has a tray underneath for all the discs to fall into.
There are many copied versions of this as well which are cheaper to buy and in my opinion are just as good. There is also a huge garden version and an inflatable version too which I imagine could be good in the summer BBQ season. On looking on Amazon I can see that there is an inflatable version for £9.99 so I may have to treat the kids for the summer.
Connect Four is a real timeless classic game. Pretty much everyone must have played it at some point, but here's a quick run through for those who haven't. The game is played with a vertical plastic grid containing 42 circular holes, seven columns and six rows, into which players drop their coloured chips (red or yellow). It's a two player game, each player placing one chip into the grid at a time; the chips are held in position by a plastic clip at the bottom of the grid and gradually build up as they are dropped into a column. The idea of the game is for a player to get four of their coloured chips in a row, vertically, horizontally or diagonally before their opponent. Typically, a game only lasts a maximum of five minutes or so, but can be over in a matter of seconds, depending upon how fast you play the game. If the game is over and you want to remove the chips you simply pull the clip from the bottom of the plastic grid and they'll come sliding out.
I did play connect four quite a bit as a child, especially at school during early maths lessons. It's good to play for a little while, but can soon become boring. I believe they do a travel addition of the game, probably more popular than the full size version. This would be good to play in the car during a long motorway journey, to keep the kids occupied.
In general, it is a good game to play, especially with kids and the fact it can be purchased these days for around £8.00 means it could make a good stocking filler at Christmas.
Thanks for reading.
The game Connect 4 is one of the simplest there is and can be played by young children and importantly can be played against adults on a relatively equal basis. The game has been developed for the computer now as a solitaire type game and its quick simple format means as soon as you have finished one game you can get one with another.
The game is played in a frame of 6 squares by 6 squares. Each of the 2 players is allocated a colour and the players put one of the discs into the frame alternately. Usually the colours are yellow and red. The objective is to have four of your discs in a line vertically, horizontally or diagonally. As you play alternately you need to watch how your opponent puts their discs in and by the placement of your own either try to bock their attempts to get four in a row whilst also developing opportunities to do so yourself.
The games advantages are its speed, as it does not take long, and the absence of opportunities for cheating. It is a good game for children as it helps them develop concentration as well as understand the concepts of vertical, horizontal and diagonal. As it is also possible to play with younger members of the family it helps give quality family entertainment. Connect 4 is highly recommended.
This is a very simple game to learn the rules for and a simple one to play as well.
It is a two player game and is suitable for anyone age six and over in my opinion. The game itself is easy to assemble, the main body of the game is a plastic square frame with 36 slots in it that make up seven columns and six rows, at the top there is an open section through which you can drop the circular discs. At the bottom there is a plastic flap to stop the discs falling straight through, all of this is ready assembled, all you have to do is clip the two plastic end on that suspend the main grid off the floor acting as the two supports of a bridge.
Each player has either a set of blue or red discs and players take it in turn to drop a disc into one of the columns to occupy a square. The objective being to be the first player to have four of your discs in a straight line, either horizontally, vertically or diagonally. This is a strategy game as sometimes you have to adopt spoiling tactics to stop your oppenent rather than focusing solely on your own colours.
Players should alternate whose turn it is to go first and when we play it is usually best of five with a coin toss to decide who goes first if a fifth decider is needed.
This is a very simple game with few rules and it is fun for all ages. Once someone has won or all of the squares have been filled and the game is drawn then the flap at the bottom can be released and all of the discs will fall out to be divided up.
The only real downside to this game is there is no real variation and good players will cancel each other out most of the time.


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BOULDER CREEK -- Starting next month, anyone caught smoking, drinking, camping, blasting music or engaging in any other illegal activities at Boulder Creek parks won't just get a little slap on the wrist. They'll be fined -- heavily fined.
The fees range from $160 for infractions, such as possessing an open container of alcohol, to $484 for misdemeanors, such as consuming alcohol. And no matter how the offense is classified, a third violation within one year will cost nearly $900.
The fees "give law enforcement another tool to keep order in public spaces," said Tess Fitzgerald, who sits on the board of directors for the Boulder Creek Recreation and Park District.
The fees are related to an ordinance the Board adopted two years ago, listing about 20 prohibited activities at Junction, Garrahan and Barbara Day parks, more commonly known as Dam Park. In addition to smoking, drinking and camping, the list includes hunting, fishing or harming animals, bringing dogs and cats, lighting fires and damaging district-owned property.
The crackdown was prompted by several violent incidents leading up to the December 2010 adoption of the ordinance, Fitzgerald said. Last March, for instance, a district staff member was assaulted by two unknown assailants at Junction Park. Soon after, district staff purchased and installed security cameras so they can monitor and report dangerous situations or suspicious behavior to law enforcement officials.
Before the ordinance was adopted, "law enforcement would have to take some other code (violation) and try to apply it to our district," Fitzgerald said.
Signs were later posted at the parks that listed which activities are illegal, but not the associated fees. That's because they first had to be listed on the Santa Cruz County Superior Court's bail, or fee, schedule, and it took two years for that to happen.
"Until you get that into the local bail schedule, law enforcement doesn't have anything to cite with," Fitzgerald said, adding the park signs will be revised to reflect the fees.
For each violation, the district receives just $20. But with various state and county fees and assessments tacked on, that's multiplied by a factor of eight -- so someone caught smoking, for example, will really wish he or she hadn't.
Follow Sentinel reporter Kimberly White on Twitter at Twitter.com/kwhite95066


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- Be a United States Citizen
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- An ex-felon who does not meet the requirements as specified by law according to 15 Del. C. Chapter 61 (Those whose sentence and fine have been satisfied less than five years prior to the application date or that have a felony conviction relating to murder, sexual crimes, or crimes against the public.)
Must register to vote by the fourth Saturday prior to the date of the election.
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You can also register to vote online.
Persons may vote by absentee ballot once ballots are available between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. on normal business days at the voter's local elections office. Absentee ballots may also be requested by mail or in person at the voter's local elections office.
An Affidavit for Absentee Ballot can also be found online.
Ballots may be returned by mail or taken to the Department of Elections for that County, and must be received at the Department of Elections no later than 8:00 pm on the day of the election.
For more election and voter information you can contact the Delaware Commissioner of Elections' Office.


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ONLY two games survived yet another wet Saturday in the Hunters York & District Senior Cricket League.
All the other games were abandoned without a ball being bowled as the 2014 campaign begins to echo the disastrous record wet season of 2012.
The two completed games took place at Driffield, which seems to have been a sunny oasis within an ocean as the widespread rain hit the whole of the league's geographical area.
In division one, Driffield took first innings against Goole Town and made 152-9.
Owen Goldsworthy top-scored with 34, while John Robinson hit 31.
However, it was Mark Spetch who took the first half honours with a bowling return of 5-61 and James Kerr gave solid support with his 3-45.
After the tea break, Ben Earl made 32, Neil Foster the game's top score of 44 and Spetch 36, but Alec Drury's four wickets for a mere seven runs put Goole on the back foot before they scraped to a draw at 135-9.
At Malton, Heworth had reached 24-1 in the brief spell of play that was possible before the heavens opened.
Driffield III fared better than their senior side on a good day for the club as they defeated Welton & Brough by five wickets.
Andy Copley made 33 for Welton but his side were dismissed for just 106 as a trio of Driffield bowlers took control.
The leading wicket-taker of the three was Grant Hutton, who claimed 4-43, but three wickets apiece by Sam Morris (3-18) and Andy Rogers (3-17) were both competitive and economical.
When Driffield replied, Jake Oakes posed problems as he grabbed 3-18, but an unbeaten 34 by Kev Walker ensured a home victory.
The Hunters York & District Senior League President's XI will play an annual game against the Royal Air Force at Sheriff Hutton Bridge tomorrow, starting at 11am.
The League side is: captain Mark Fisher (Sheriff Hutton Bridge), Jack Bolam (Dunnington), Tom Collins (Selby), Joe Dale (Acomb), Ben Fish (Beverley Town), Robert Fish (Beverley Town), Jordan Grose (Sheriff Hutton Bridge), Adam Iyer (Dunnington), Peter Kent (Duncombe Park), Simon Naylor (Sheriff Hutton Bridge), Jonny Rawsthorne (Selby). Scorer Aldred Bostwick, umpire Eric Wade.
* The funeral of league life member and former president George Myerscough will take place at Welburn Church tomorrow at noon.


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Dec. 29, 2005
San Jacinto Fees Increase, Monument Closed for Repairs
LA PORTE, Texas — Starting Jan. 1, the San Jacinto Battleground will begin charging admission. This move coincides with the temporary closure of the museum at the base of the San Jacinto Monument for safety repairs during the next few months. However, the battleground and the Battleship TEXAS will remain open to the public.
Starting in 2006, visitors over the age of 13 will have to pay $1 to enter the park.
"As the San Jacinto Battleground hosts just over 1 million visitors per year, we hope to recoup some of the costs associated with maintaining and operating the site through collection of the new fees," said Jerry Hopkins, state park regional director with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
Admission fees for the Battleship TEXAS will also increase Jan. 1 from $7 to $10 for everyone over 13 and from $4 to $5 for senior citizens. School groups touring the ship will have to pay $3 per child rather than the old rate of $2. School groups will not be charged a fee to access the museum until it reopens.
Also, the park's current operating hours of 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. will be reduced by two hours. In 2006, the park will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week.
Of the approximately 120 state parks in Texas, San Jacinto was one of the few remaining state parks that had never charged an entrance fee. Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site and LBJ State Park and Historic Site still do not charge entrance fees, although most of the historic homes, forts and other sites managed as part of the state park system have in recent years begun to charge entrance fees of $2-to-$3 for adults over 13 years old. State park officials say that the admission charge to the battleship is among the lowest in the nation's historic fleet.*
The new admission fees and hours of operations come just after the monument and museum closed in early December for several months to allow renovations using funding authorized by the Texas Legislature.
The $2.1 million project will add a sprinkler system along with fire rating modifications to better protect the staff and public at the site. The observation deck will also be equipped with a negative air pressure system that will keep out smoke and toxic fumes in the event of a fire.
Plans are also in place to renovate the monument's elevator, which takes visitors to the top of the 570-foot structure. The elevator has been out of operation for more than a year because of safety concerns.
Officials had hoped to start the renovations earlier, but initial prep work for the project revealed additional repair needs that delayed the starting date. The monument and museum are expected to reopen in spring 2006.
The San Jacinto Battleground marks the site where Sam Houston led the Texas army to victory over Mexico's Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna in the battle that secured Texas' independence on April 21, 1836. It is also home to the Battleship TEXAS, which is docked at the park on the Houston ship channel. In service from 1914 to 1948, it was the first U.S. battleship to mount anti-aircraft guns, use commercial radar and launch an aircraft. In 1940, she was designated the flagship of the U.S. Atlantic fleet.
The battleground site is located at 3523 Highway 134 in La Porte. For more information, call 281-479-2431 or see the park Web pages. For specific information regarding the temporary closure of the museum, call (281) 479-2421.
* Correction, Jan. 2, 2006: The original version of this paragraph was edited for clarity. (Return to corrected item.)
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(5.4.16 i)


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Hi Everyone, i went to the GP's last tuesday for full blood test's on everything going again and was told to ring friday, well i totally forgot about them.
I've just phoned now and spoke to dawn and she's checked them and said everything as come in fine but listen to this one for being the best, i've got anemia again as alot of you know and are taking Folic acid tablets for life which the hospital finally confirmed. The blood result which as come back to the doctor's shows i have'nt got it now and my reading's at 13.5 which is correct for a woman and up to 14.0.
I'm sitting here laughing at just how much the bloods fluctuate and keep telling different readings, no wonder half of us can't get a proper diagnosis when your bloods are running riot off the lupus.


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I want to register my voice as one who appreciates modern technology but does not want a smart phone. I've had one for about six years, and I'm in the process of giving it up.
I feel overwhelmed by the capacity to be constantly connected to my social circles and news streams, by the headaches I get from looking at screens for too long, and by the sheer amount of things I can do on my phone. I feel like a slave to it sometimes: it pulls me in, and I can't say no until I realize how stressed I feel — and even then I sometimes keep right on clicking and typing. If I put my email account on my phone, no matter how much self-control I try to summon, I end up checking it all the time for new messages. The capability is too powerful to refuse.
Some people seem to handle so much connectedness and screen time just fine. I'm not one of them. My smart phone sucks up a significant amount of my mental, visual and social energy, and more and more often I find myself wanting to get away from it (and from all screens) for a while and just be in physical, here-and-now reality instead.
I'm not the only one who feels this way. A New York Times article, "Step Away from the Phone!" by Caroline Tell from Sept. 20, 2013, discusses how "the expectation that we must always be available" harms us and how different people (including some big names like Marc Jacobs) are creating boundaries for their technology use and doing "digital detoxing" to help keep their sanity. Also, the New York-based non-profit Reboot sponsors a National Day of Unplugging each year in March and reported that this year's participants numbered in the thousands. Following the event, a New Yorker article ("The Pointlessness of Unplugging" by Casey N. Cep) criticized it as essentially a "priggish" national attention-seeking day for people to shout, "Look how unusual I am, I'm going off the grid!" and then get right back "on the grid" the next day as though nothing had happened.
But even if that were the case, I think personal wellbeing is a great cause to get attention for. And while completely changing our technology habits is surely more effective for our wellbeing and perhaps more worthy of notice, I think just taking brief periods "off the grid" can help tremendously as well.
Nevertheless, for me, the answer seems to be just getting rid of my smart phone. But I've used it for so long that the process of downgrading is not simple at all. I have to collect all the devices and services which will replace it — a digital camera, a landline phone and a basic cell phone for travel (and probably for texting with my family, because they prefer texting to calling these days), an mp3 player for my music, and so on. The process may not be simple, but I do love the feeling of simplicity, freedom, and peace I get with each new step away from the smart phone.
I'm finally figuring out that convenience does not equal necessity. Just because I can do everything on a smart phone doesn't mean I need to or should. Convenience and coolness, I've realized, are not nearly as high on my priority list as health and happiness.
Or, in the words of the old Boston song, "I don't care if I get behind … All I want is to have my peace of mind."
Sarrah J. Woods, of Charleston is a freelance writer and blogger and owner of S.J. Woods Writing, a professional writing service, sarrahjwoods.com.


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Can a 529 account have more than one beneficiary?
A 529 account can have only one beneficiary. If you have more than one child, you may want to open a 529 account for each. Alternatively, you could open one 529 account and, after funds have been withdrawn for your first child's college expenses, change the designated beneficiary of the remaining funds to your second child. However, this change of the designated beneficiary could have gift tax consequences.
Note: Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses associated with 529 plans before investing. More information about 529 plans is available in each issuer's official statement, which should be read carefully before investing. Also, before investing, consider whether your state offers a 529 plan that provides residents with favorable state tax benefits.


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What You Haven't Heard About Best Buy
I am very disappointed by the discussion surrounding Best Buy's (BBY) quarterly results. It's one thing to beat up on a company that is already on the ground, but as an investor, you have to understand what's really going on. This is especially true seeing that the stock, believe it or not, has been called out as a deep-value play.
Let's get real. It's management hype (profit opportunities in services, store closures, online experience, and so on) versus reality (more dreadful results, a worrying cash burn rate). Counter to J.C. Penney (JCP), reality wins on earnings day....374 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.
Already a Subscriber? Please login.


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Shady Records collaborated with Title Boxing to create an exclusive line of Official Southpaw merchandise, available now. Shop now.
Eminem and Paul Rosenberg visited Sway in the Morning along with Lord Sear to talk all things Southpaw. Eminem discussed his role as executive producer of the soundtrack, some of his history with the film's executive producer Paul Rosenberg, and the pros and cons of Lord Sear's oxygen intake on the air. Oh yeah, and Em left Sway with a 6-minute-plus freestyle that you might want to check out.
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Campus Life
Student Housing
Benefits of Living on Campus
- Easy access to college resources (such as the Holman Library);
- The ability to be part of university-style housing in a community college environment;
- Fully furnished apartments with private bedrooms and communal kitchens;
- Living with students from around the world. The residents at Campus Corner Apartments will be a blending of American and international students.
Become part of this new community and take advantage of all the opportunities available to you as a Green River student.
Leasing Packet
Don't delay! Download the PDF version of our leasing packet, fill it out and submit it today.
Office & Tour Hours
- Monday - Thursday: 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- Friday: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- Saturday: 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
- Sunday: Closed
- Monday - Friday: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Contact Us
Campus Corner Apartments
31920 124th Avenue SE
Auburn, WA 98092
Phone: (253) 876-0700
Fax: (253) 876-3610


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Cytarabine (Cytosar-U®, Ara-C, DepoCyt®)
Pronounced: SITE-ah-rah-been
Classification: Antimetabolite
About Cytarabine (Cytosar-U®, Ara-C, DepoCyt®)
Cytarabine kills cells undergoing DNA synthesis. Although the mechanism of action is not clearly understood, it appears to act through inhibition of DNA polymerase (an important enzyme in DNA synthesis). Because cells cannot copy their DNA, they cannot properly divide, and thus die.
How to Take Cytarabine
Cytarabine is given through intravenous (into a vein) infusion or subcutaneous (SQ, under the skin) injection. This medication can also be given directly into the spinal column (intrathecal) to treat or prevent cancer or metastasis. The side effects experienced as a result of intrathecal treatment may be different. The dosage and schedule is determined by the person's size, type of cancer, and mode of administration. It can be given alone or with other drugs.
Possible Side Effects
There are a number of things you can do to manage the side effects of cytarabine. Talk to your doctor or nurse about these recommendations. They can help you decide what will work best for you. These are some of the most common side effects:
Low White Blood Cell Count (Leukopenia or Neutropenia)
White blood cells (WBC) are important for fighting infection. While receiving treatment, your WBC count can drop, putting you at a higher risk of getting an infection. You should let your doctor or nurse know right away if you have a fever (temperature greater than 100.4), sore throat or cold, shortness of breath, cough, burning with urination, or a sore that doesn't heal.
Tips to preventing infection:
- Washing hands, both yours and your visitors, is the best way to prevent the spread of infection.
- Avoid large crowds and people who are sick (i.e.: those who have a cold, fever or cough or live with someone with these symptoms).
- When working in your yard, wear protective clothing including long pants and gloves.
- Do not handle pet waste.
- Keep all cuts or scratches clean.
- Shower or bath daily and perform frequent mouth care.
- Do not cut cuticles or ingrown nails. You may wear nail polish, but not fake nails.
- Ask your doctor or nurse before scheduling dental appointments or procedures.
- Ask your doctor or nurse before you, or someone you live with, has any vaccinations.
Low Red Blood Cell Count (Anemia)
Your red blood cells are responsible for carrying oxygen to the tissues in your body. When the red cell count is low, you may feel tired or weak. You should let your doctor or nurse know if you experience any shortness of breath, difficulty breathing or pain in your chest. If the count gets too low, you may receive a blood transfusion.
Low Platelet Count (Thrombocytopenia)
Platelets help your blood clot, so when the count is low you are at a higher risk of bleeding. Let your doctor or nurse know if you have any excess bruising or bleeding, including nose bleeds, bleeding gums or blood in your urine or stool. If the platelet count becomes too low, you may receive a transfusion of platelets.
- Do not use a razor (an electric razor is fine).
- Avoid contact sports and activities that can result in injury or bleeding.
- Do not take aspirin (salicylic acid), non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) such as Motrin®, Aleve®, Advil®, etc. as these can all increase the risk of bleeding. Unless your healthcare team tells you otherwise, you may take acetaminophen (Tylenol).
- Do not floss or use toothpicks and use a soft-bristle toothbrush to brush your teeth.
Fatigue is very common during cancer treatment and is an overwhelming feeling of exhaustion that is not usually relieved by rest. While on cancer treatment, and for a period after, you may need to adjust your schedule to manage fatigue. Plan times to rest during the day and conserve energy for more important activities. Exercise can help combat fatigue; a simple daily walk with a friend can help. Talk to your healthcare team for helpful tips on dealing with this side effect.
Mouth Ulcers (Sores)
Certain cancer treatments can cause sores or soreness in your mouth and/or throat. Notify your doctor or nurse if your mouth, tongue, inside of your cheek or throat becomes white, ulcerated or painful. Performing regular mouth care can help prevent or manage mouth sores. If mouth sores become painful, your doctor or nurse can recommend a pain reliever.
- Brush with a soft-bristle toothbrush or cotton swab twice a day.
- Avoid mouthwashes that contain alcohol. A baking soda and/or salt warm water mouth rinse (2 level teaspoons of baking soda or 1 level teaspoon salt in an eight ounce glass of warm water) is recommended 4 times daily.
- If your mouth becomes dry, eat moist foods, drink plenty of fluids (6-8 glasses), and suck on sugarless hard candy.
- Avoid smoking and chewing tobacco, drinking alcoholic beverages and citrus juices.
Loss or Thinning of Scalp and Body Hair (Alopecia)
Your hair may become thin, brittle, or may fall out. This typically begins two to three weeks after treatment starts and is most often seen with high dose regimens. This hair loss can be all body hair, including pubic, underarm, legs/arms, eyelashes, and nose hairs. The use of scarves, wigs, hats and hairpieces may help. Hair generally starts to regrow soon after treatment is completed. Remember your hair helps keep you warm in cold weather, so a hat is particularly important in cold weather or to protect you from the sun.
Decrease in Appetite & Taste Changes
Nutrition is an important part of your care. Cancer treatment can affect your appetite and, in some cases, the side effects of treatment can make eating difficult. Ask your nurse about nutritional counseling services at your treatment center to help with food choices.
- Try to eat five or six small meals or snacks throughout the day, instead of 3 larger meals.
- If you are not eating enough, nutritional supplements may help.
- You may experience a metallic taste or find that food has no taste at all. You may dislike foods or beverages that you liked before receiving cancer treatment. These symptoms can last for several months or longer after treatment ends.
- Avoid any food that you think smells or tastes bad. If red meat is a problem, eat chicken, turkey, eggs, dairy products and fish without a strong smell. Sometimes cold food has less of an odor.
- Add extra flavor to meat or fish by marinating it in sweet juices, sweet and sour sauce or dressings. Use seasonings like basil, oregano or rosemary to add flavor. Bacon, ham and onion can add flavor to vegetables.
Nausea and/or Vomiting
Talk to your doctor or nurse so they can prescribe medications to help you manage nausea and vomiting. In addition, dietary changes may help. Avoid things that may worsen the symptoms, such as heavy or greasy/fatty, spicy or acidic foods (lemons, tomatoes, oranges). Try antacids, (e.g. milk of magnesia, calcium tablets such as Tums), saltines, or ginger ale to lessen symptoms.
Call your doctor or nurse if you are unable to keep fluids down for more than 12 hours or if you feel lightheaded or dizzy at any time.
Your oncology team can recommend medications to relieve diarrhea. Also, try eating low-fiber, bland foods, such as white rice and boiled or baked chicken. Avoid raw fruits, vegetables, whole grain breads, cereals and seeds. Soluble fiber is found in some foods and absorbs fluid, which can help relieve diarrhea. Foods high in soluble fiber include: applesauce, bananas (ripe), canned fruit, orange sections, boiled potatoes, white rice, products made with white flour, oatmeal, cream of rice, cream of wheat, and farina. Drink 8-10 glasses on non-alcoholic, un-caffeinated fluid a day to prevent dehydration.
Hand Foot Syndrome
Hand and foot syndrome (HFS) is a skin reaction that appears on the palms of the hands and/or the soles of the feet as a result of certain chemotherapy agents being absorbed by the skin cells. HFS can begin as a mild tingling, numbness, pins-and-needles feeling, or pain or swelling of the hands and/or feet. This can then progress to painful swelling, blistering or peeling skin that can interfere with your ability to do normal activities. Be sure to let your oncology team know right away if you notice these symptoms, as they may need to adjust the chemotherapy dose or take a break to allow the skin to heal. Some tips to help prevent HFS include:
- Avoid tight shoes or socks.
- Avoid activities that put pressure on the palms or soles for 1 week after treatment.
- Apply moisturizer liberally and often.
- Avoid hot water for baths and showers.
Liver Toxicity
This medication can cause liver toxicity, which your doctor may monitor for using blood tests called liver function tests. Notify your healthcare provider if you notice yellowing of the skin or eyes, your urine appears dark or brown or pain in your abdomen, as these can be signs of liver toxicity.
You, and individuals who you live with, should not receive vaccines that contain live virus, including oral polio, measles, or the nasal flu vaccine (FluMist) while you are receiving this medication. Vaccines may not work as well as they should while taking this medication. Discuss this with your provider before receiving any vaccines.
Reproductive Concerns
Exposure of an unborn child to this medication could cause birth defects, so you should not become pregnant or father a child while on this medication. Effective birth control is necessary during treatment and for at least 6 months after treatment. Even if your menstrual cycle stops or you believe you are not producing sperm, you could still be fertile and conceive. You should consult with your healthcare team before breastfeeding while receiving this medication.
Side Effects with High-Dose Regimens
High dose regimens are often used in the treatment of leukemia and this regimen is associated with specific side effects:
- Neurologic Toxicity: This can include changes in personality, sedation, difficulty with walking, balance, and coordination. Your nurse will perform neurologic checks prior to each dose to detect these side effects.
- Eye Changes: This most often causes a type of conjunctivitis. You may be given a steroid eye drop several times a day to prevent this side effect.


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Stages Rep Presents LATE NITE CATECHISM: SISTER ROLLS THE DICE, 7/24-9/1
Late Nite Catechism: Sister Rolls the Dice is the latest class in the sinfully funny Catechism series. The convent has decided that Sister (with her extensive gambling experience running the Church Bingo for the last 25 years) will organize a Las Vegas night! Sister will tackle topics ranging from magic tricks to table games and the dangers of drive-through marriage chapels. Don't forget: "What happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas", but God sees everything!
Performed by Denise Fennell, the show will play Stages Repertory Theatre in previews on Wednesday, July 24 and Thursday, July 25, with opening night slated for Friday, July 26, 2013. The production will run through Sunday, September 1, 2013.
The show plays Wednesdays and Thursdays: 7:30 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays: 8:00 p.m.; and Sundays: 3:00 p.m.
Tickets are $23 - $54. Group rates available for groups of 6+ for Wednesdays, Thursdays; Group rates available for groups of 10+Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays; Call box office for more details and other offers at 713.527.0123.
Contact the Box Office at 713.527.0123 or visit 3201 Allen Parkway near Waugh Drive. Tickets are also available online at www.stagestheatre.com.


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Topic: Round 4 chemo
So, my oncologist here told me on Wednesday before chemo that I "could" stop the chemo as of the end of this round, since Mayo wasn't specific as to exactly how much I was to have....4-6 rounds as tolerated. I think she misunderstood ....the four is a minimum....IF I couldn't tolerate any more, but they prefer that I do up to and including 6 rounds if possible. I just told her that I "intend" to do 6 and we'll see what happens.
So, here I am, starting round #4. Day one was infused this last Wednesday and I have to say that the infusion went very easy compared to all of them before....due mostly to the port access being better. But, the side effects of queasiness started earlier and are a little tougher. My ears are ringing pretty loudly. They have each time, but always quiet down in about a week. I had to use a separate nausea drug half way through the first one. That is....I took Lorazapam and then barely 3 hours later, I was getting pretty queasy again...so took a compazine. That fixed it up pretty fast and I was able to go with the family to the fire works tonight. I'm also sleeping a LOT......giving in to my body whenever it wants to sleep. I got up at 10 a.m.....and then at 2 pm. I fell asleep again until hubby woke me up at 6 pm. for supper. Now, I'm yawning again. Time for bed. I know that in another couple weeks, I'll be done with this round's infusions and I'll have 5-6 good days again. I CAN do this!


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Beachy readies for first rehab start with Gwinnett
ATLANTA -- Brandon Beachy will move closer to a return to Atlanta's rotation Sunday, when he is scheduled to start for Triple-A Gwinnett. It will be the first official Minor League rehab start for the right-hander, who underwent Tommy John surgery last June.
Beachy was pleased with the way he felt during a two pain-free innings of an extended spring training game Tuesday in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. He is scheduled to throw three innings in Sunday's game with Gwinnett.
"[Tuesday's] first inning, it just felt kind of foreign to me, but I settled in, and it felt good," Beachy said. "It felt pretty normal."
Beachy led the Majors with a 2.00 ERA before he was placed on the disabled list last year. His recovery has proceeded on schedule, and he will make at least five more rehab starts before potentially rejoining Atlanta's rotation in the middle of June.
"I'm going to go out there trying to work on pitches," Beachy said. "A quality pitch down in Orlando against extended spring guys is going to be a quality pitch in Gwinnett or Atlanta, so I'm just working on that."
Beachy was not concerned with his velocity ahead of his first appearance in the Minors as much as command of his entire arsenal within the context of live at-bats.
"I've been throwing all my pitches, now it's: Can I throw them for strikes? Can I throw them for quality in a game situation?" Beachy said. "It's different when you're throwing it in the bullpen and when you're throwing it in a game with a hitter in there. It's just progressing to the point where I can make pitches to get guys out. There's a purpose behind the pitch now."
Mark Bowman is a reporter for MLB.com. Eric Single is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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NEW YORK (AP) - The NHL labor talks are set to resume Tuesday with six owners and players scheduled to meet without a couple of the key figures from each side.
With negotiations to resolve the lockout at a standstill, the league and union finalized the details for the unusual bargaining session over the weekend. The meeting will include the small group of owners and players, staff members and counsel on each side, but Commissioner Gary Bettman and NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr will not be present.
The NHL announced Sunday that Ron Burkle (Pittsburgh Penguins), Mark Chipman (Winnipeg Jets), Murray Edwards (Calgary Flames), Jeremy Jacobs (Boston Bruins), Larry Tanenbaum (Toronto Maple Leafs) and Jeff Vinik (Tampa Bay Lightning) will take part in the talks for the league.
The union will announce its representatives on Tuesday.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


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Topic: COBRA costs killing me!
I'm stuck paying $600 a month for COBRA. Does anyone have any recommendations of some other insurance company that is cheaper on premiums? Or am I stuck because of my pre-existing condition?
One thing I noticed is that most plans have a $2000 - $3000 limit on prescription drug costs. Does this include chemotherapy or just stuff like pain medication or depression medication?
Any ideas? My current COBRA plan is through BC/BS of California.


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For weeks now, I've been yakking about the likelihood of a return to the gaps from Nov. 7. Those, of course, were the gaps from the down opening following the surge on Election Day, Nov. 6. The close on Nov. 6 marked multi-week highs across the board. Then, the next day, we had the selling "on the news," and that created the big gaps to the downside.
Those gaps have just been filled, though in the Russell 2000, Nasdaq Composite and Nasdaq-100 they've been filled for a while now. The S&P 500 and Dow got it done today at 1428.39 and 13245, respectively. Now things get a little tougher, at least for the near term, as the pop back up to those gaps satisfied the initial objectives of this rebound.
That's not to say that the market can't go higher or that there are no higher objectives. Just that the retracement of the drop after the election was the first major objective of this rebound, and that's now a mission accomplished.
Let's revisit the S&P 500, where the market gapped down from 1428.39 on Nov. 7. Just seven sessions later, the index collapsed to a low of 1343.35, a drop of 85 points. From there, it has taken more than three weeks to retrace that drop, but the index got it done today. I would think that now it's time for a breather. Accordingly, this morning, at the morning pricing at Rydex of 1431.28, I sold some of my SPX positions, cutting back to a maximum of 45% invested. That's a pretty conservative level.
Of note, there is another overhead gap which remains unfilled. That's the one from Oct. 19, the anniversary of the Crash of '87, at 1457.76. That's probably where this thing is headed if the market continues higher over the near term.
Then there's the Russell 2000 small-cap index, which actually filled its Nov. 7 gap at 825.64, over a week ago, last Monday, when it popped up to 826.58. As you can see, the Russell didn't take out that level until today, but also noteworthy is that for the past several sessions, it gave up very little ground as it consolidated its run-up into the Dec. 3 top. That was a bullish omen, not just for the Russell 2000 but for the overall market.
Now, today, it's already working on filling its Oct. 19 gap. So far, it's coming within about 2 points of the top of that gap. If you figure that the last little top on Dec. 3 was marked by the Russell's filling its Nov. 7 gap, it shouldn't come as a big surprise if the top of this current move is marked by the filling of the Oct. 19 gap in the RUT. That gap, as shown below, is at 837.12.
The recent relative strength of the Russell 2000 should not come as a big surprise. The "January effect," though widely misunderstood, is defined by the tendency for small-cap stocks to outperform their large-cap brethren going into year's end and continuing through the beginning of the new year. That has clearly been a factor in the relative strength of the small-caps over recent sessions.
While the Russell 2000 traded sideways for the past several sessions, so did the oscillator. Notably, the McClellan Oscillator has traded in one of the tightest ranges I can recall, just 12 points wide, from +66 to +78, over the past five sessions. Today, if the market holds on to its current gains (with the SPX at the 1430 level), we may see this indicator pop back up into an overbought reading.
Meanwhile, the volatility index (the VIX) isn't telling us much as it hovers near recent lows. No new low here, and that is the good news. The bad news is that it's not far from recent lows.


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Discussion in 'Feedback' started by theprawncracker, Jul 16, 2009.
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SKELETON BOB: On the right track
2:30pm Thursday 22nd November 2012
By Owen Houlihan
2:30pm Thursday 22nd November 2012
By Owen Houlihan
REIGNING World Cup champion Shelley Rudman believes a first podium finish of this season is within reach as the north American leg of the series draws to a close.
The Pewsey skeleton ace, 31, has made a low-key start to the defence of her crown, improving on her seventh place in the opening round at Lake Placid two weeks ago with fifth at Park City, Utah, last week.
The 2006 Winter Olympic silver medallist, pictured, has eased herself in after recovering from a pre-season hamstring pull, conducting in-competition testing with the long-term goal of the Sochi 2014 Olympics in mind.
With round three at the 2010 Olympic venue of Whistler taking place tomorrow, before the series heads back over to Europe, the Wiltshire slider hopes she is approaching the sort of form need to trouble the leaders once more.
"I'm really happy with the way everything is going,'' she told the Gazette & Herald from Canada this week.
"My starts are getting faster and faster each race and last week in the Park City race I even got a start PB (personal best) which was an added bonus. There's definitely more in the tank.
The mum of one believes she would have reached the podium in Utah last week, but for one moment in her second run.
She added: "I analysed my timing splits after the race and my driving on the race day was really good.
"I pretty much outdrove all the other competitors, the only thing that put me into fifth position was the deficit at the start to the fastest pushers and I came out of curve 14 and brushed the right wall leading up to curve 15, which put me into a huge power slide.
"I lost about three-tenths (of a second) but this was the only thing that kept me from the podium so this is a real positive.''
Rudman was third in the Whistler leg of the series last year, having struggled with the track when she finished sixth in the 2010 Olympics.
She added: "I'm getting there. It's still definitely not my favourite track but I like a challenge so we will see what happens.''
The opening run in tomorrow's race takes place from 5pm (British time).
© Copyright 2001-2017 Newsquest Media Group


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