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In celebration of the 11th Annual National Mentoring Month, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area is recruiting 100 new mentors! THE NEED There are currently 720 at risk children on the BBBSBA waiting list, 80% of which are boys. However only 25% of BBBSBA's pool of prospective mentors are men. BBBSBA currently has fewer than 20 volunteers applying to become mentors in cities like Oakland…
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text: 2005 Encore Z-42, Kawi 17hp, Mulch Kit, 2 sets of blades, and only 140 hours - mower runs and looks perfect. Purchased July 2005, the perfect mower for getting through gates - why walk when you can sit. Oil changed bi-weekly, full off season tune-up - new with mulch kit $5500.00 out the door. My price $4500.00. Can email pics or will post some soon. PM me if interested, I can accept all major credit cards and will deliver / meet within 50 miles.

subset: commoncrawl


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A few weeks ago I posted about my new White Rotary Treadle I found on Craigslist.
With the help of members of the Quilting Board, I got her cleaned up and sewing. She sits in a place of honor in my livingroom to be admired by all who pass through.
This morning my roommate asked me if I was sewing late last night around 11:45 pm. No way. I go to bed at 9. She swears she heard the machine running. She got up out of bed to see what I was doing and the livingroom was dark and the machine was still.
Do you think I brought the original owner home with me, too? If I leave my quilting pieces on the machine, do you think she'll finish them for me? :-)


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Dec. 15, 2006
COLUMBUS, OhioOhio State women's soccer Buckeyes Lara Dickenmann, Melissa Miller and Lauren Robertson continue to earn postseason accolades in 2006, as more regional and All-America honors were announced by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) and Soccer Buzz Magazine.
Dickenmann and Miller were named to the NSCAA Great Lakes regional team, with Dickenmann earning first-team honors and Miller claiming second-team laurels. Earlier in the week, Dickenmann and Miller, as well as Robertson, were named to the Soccer Buzz All-Regional teams. Dickenmann was placed on the first-team roster, Miller on the second-team squad and Robertson was named to the All-Freshman team.
Soccer Buzz also announced its All-America honors during the week and Dickenmann and Robertson garnered fourth-team, formerly honorable mention, status by the publication.
Playing in the midfield, Dickenmann (Jr., Kriens, Switzerland/DFC Sursee) collected her third All-Big Ten honor, including her second first-team laurel, and earned her second all-tournament team award following Big Ten tournament play in 2006. She concluded her junior campaign tied for the team lead in points with 23 on seven goals (second on the squad) and a team-best nine assists in 19 starts. Dickenmann's numbers also rank in the Top 3 in the final 2006 Big Ten Conference statistics. During the season, the Buckeyes won 17 of 19 matches when Dickenmann scored at least one point. She was named the Big Ten Conference Offensive Player of the Week and was named to Soccer Buzz Magazine's Elite Team of the Week for the week of Oct. 9 after tallying a six-point weekend to help OSU go 2-0 during that span against Iowa and then-No. 10 Illinois. A senior tri-captain in 2006, Miller (Cincinnati, Ohio/Kolping) finished her Buckeye career as a two-time NSCAA All-American, three-time NSCAA and four-time Soccer Buzz all-regional honoree and four-time All-Big Ten honoree. Miller started all 19 matches in 2006, bringing her consecutive start streak to 84 games. Her 84 starts is second all-time in the OSU record books. After earning second team all-conference for three consecutive years, Miller was named to the All-Big Ten first team in 2006. She recorded four assists during the regular season, including three consecutive assists vs. Wisconsin, Northwestern and Iowa. Miller also anchored a Buckeye defense that posted six shutouts during the regular season against Kent State, Xavier, No. 15 California, Iowa, No. 10 Illinois and Michigan State.
Robertson (Mission Viejo, Calif./So Cal Blues) started 17 of 18 matches and logged 1512:20 minutes in the net. During that span, Robertson recorded five shutouts, including consecutive shutouts in the opening weekend of the season vs. Kent State (0-0) and Xavier (2-0). It was the first time a Buckeye had accomplished the feat since OSU career shutouts leader Amber Barnes in 1998. For her efforts during opening weekend, Robertson was named the league's Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for the week of Aug. 28.


text: I've been jonesing for a wah pedal for a while, but I'm not sure which one to go with. I've heard the 105Q is a great wah for bass, but a knowledgeable friend of mine just recommended the PDW-II because it's a little more versatile. Anyone have any recommendations, or at least some insight into the pros and cons of each?


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Jennifer Lawrence "Where'S The Pizza?"
$ 25.99
This tee may seem like a small part of your life journey but it is so much more than that. This is the time to really grab onto that moment when you couldn't stop laughing with your friends, or share your obsession for a classic pop culture reference with other fans.


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sun setting over the mountains
Flash Draw Created Mar 27, 2008 470 x 338px Unless noted Copyright 2008 bren_17.
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Jan. 13, 2014
Source: The Lansing Group news release
Lansing Trade Group today announced plans to construct a high speed shuttle train facility on the Union Pacific Railroad near Grayridge, Missouri.
Construction is expected to begin this month with plans to receive grain by fall 2014. Once completed, the facility will be capable of loading 110-car shuttle trains. The state of the art design includes high speed truck receiving, a high capacity dryer and the ability to receive multiple commodities. The facility will be Lansing's second shuttle facility in the delta region and add to the existing network of facilities operated by the company.
"We are excited to build our delta presence north toward Southeast Missouri" said CEO Bill Krueger. "This opportunity allows Lansing to bring value to producers in this rich production area of the Missouri Bootheel by providing access to a high speed UP served shuttle loading facility. The operation will expand our origination depth and enhance service opportunities for our destination customers."
Mike Lemke, VP added, "We have had tremendous support from the local community, the State of Missouri, and the Union Pacific to see this project develop. This project may never have gotten off the ground without partners such as Stoddard County IDA, Stoddard County Commission, Gray Ridge Special Road District, Missouri DED, MoDOT, SEMO Electric Cooperative and the Little River Drainage District. Lansing is extremely grateful to all those who helped to get this project to locate in Southeast Missouri and who assisted us in moving the project forward." Lansing and the Missouri DED are continuing to work together to develop state incentives to support the project.
Lansing Trade Group, LLC is an entrepreneurial commodity trading company committed to growth in existing and emerging markets. Lansing is focused on the physical movement of many different commodities including whole grains, oilseeds, feed ingredients, energy products, containerized commodities and freight throughout North America and internationally. Company headquarters are located in Overland Park, Kansas. Additional information is available online at www.lansingtradegroup.com.


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Wilkerson, P., Zhou, X., Przekwas, A., Buhrman, J. et al., "Virtual Body Generator for Anthropometry and Physiology Based Modeling," SAE Technical Paper 2009-01-2280, 2009, https://doi.org/10.4271/2009-01-2280.
We believe that the future of human body testing in military and civilian applications is in using a new generation of "dummies" - "virtual humans". CFDRC's CMB (Computational Medicine and Biology) research group has developed an integrated bioinformatics software framework for intelligent analysis of biomedical databases, generation of geometrical models for simulations, and modeling setup for human biomechanical and physiological performance. The integrated 3D Java based software framework is a fully user-interactive Virtual Body framework for creation and editing the Virtual Body and acting as a front end for multi-scale anthropometry/anatomy physics based simulation software. This paper presents a software framework for visual manipulation and processing of human body anthropometric, skeletal, joint, skin, vascular and other anatomical databases. We have demonstrated the framework for scan/anatomy based virtual human body model generation and predictive simulation of cardiovascular system responses to high-g aircraft maneuvers and blast wave impact. The Virtual Body software allows for complete user control and editing of morphing capabilities of various anatomical systems, including the skin, joints, skeleton, vasculature and organs, with a framework designed for additional anatomical systems such as muscles, nerves and lymphatics. It provides the capability to generate/edit the static/dynamic human body models from laser scans, anthropometric databases, and other image based anatomical techniques such as motion capture, for predictive modeling of human body performance. The generated anatomical systems in the Virtual Body are fully linked together, with all anatomical systems mapped to the underlying skeleton framework, allowing for complete manipulation of all anatomical systems via skeleton framework manipulation. The Virtual Body also acts as a data-generator/preprocessor for available human body simulation software including biomechanics, ergonomics, cardiopulmonary physiology, blast injury and other simulators.


text: Audiences already know Oscar nominee Jesse Eisenberg as the talented star of films like The Social Network and The Squid and the Whale, and now Eisenberg is showing he's equally gifted at writing his own material with the world premiere of his play, Asuncion. Eisenberg stars as Edgar, a not-so-motivated journalist who becomes intrigued with the mysterious background of his new sister-in-law (Camille Mana). The Rattlestick Theatre Company production also stars Eisenberg's longtime pal Justin Bartha and Remy Auberjonois. On October 27 the team celebrated their opening night at off-Broadway's Cherry Lane Theatre. Click below to join in on the fun!


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Today we decided to review a recent (well, recent on this side of the pond) new flavor from one of our favorite Tassimo brands, namely the Carte Noire Caramel Latte Macchiato T-Discs. Carte Noire has produced some superb products in the past and their espresso was always one of our favorites for quite a while.
Brewing these T-Discs unfortunately did not result in any caramel notes whatsoever which left us a bit perplexed since we were certain the word caramel was surely on the label. When the espresso T-Disc was popped in, we noted the characteristic smoky notes of the espresso along with some earthy notes in the background, but that was it. Odd... where the heck did the caramel go?
Flavor started revealing faint hints of caramel in the top espresso layers along with some smoky & oily notes from the espresso itself. It was only when we reached the base layer of milk creamer that we finally got the hit of caramel flavors. We definitely noted caramel but also noted the common buttery notes that are typically found in Tassimo milk creamer T-Discs. We didn't mind since we found the butter flavors melded quite nicely with the sweet caramel notes. It wasn't an overly strong caramel taste, but rather a lighter flavor instead.
Body was very nicely layered into individual sections with darker tan brown on top, medium beige in the middle and white on the bottom all topped off with an impressively thick froth/crema layer. That's one thing we've noticed consistently... the European milk creamer T-Discs always seem to produce a considerably thicker froth layer than the North American milk creamer T-Discs. We're not sure if it's due to different milk being used, differences in nozzle designs on the T-Discs, etc. but man, do we EVER wish Kraft would just use the European milk creamer T-Discs for ALL their lattes & cappuccinos.
As you can probably surmise by now, yes, the creamer was flavored instead of the espresso being flavored. We think this is a MUCH better approach since 90% of the cup is composed of creamer when you brew the drink, so why not make the largest quantity the one with the flavoring? More and more brands are taking this approach and we love it. Just compare the old Gevalia Caramel Macchiato T-Discs where the espresso is flavored to the revised newer Gevalia Caramel Macchiato T-Discs where the creamer is flavored. The difference is amazing. Instead of a weak caramel flavor, you now get LOADS of caramel flavor. Bravo to Kraft for switching to this method. Finally... something they took the time to work out.
Acidity was present but considerably toned-down by the presence of the milk creamer. This aided things by allowing the subtle caramel & butter notes from the creamer to push through the deep smoky notes of the espresso. Mouth feel was super smooth and silky with a rich creamy texture once we hit the base layer with a lingering creamy aftertaste. Overall, quite an impressive job. Carte Noire might need to work on the aroma a bit, but other than that, they certainly didn't let us down.
Overall Rating: 92 - Exceptional
We've tried several caramel latte macchiato T-Discs over the years and have seen some that were spectacular and other that were total rubbish. We're glad to say that despite the aroma issues, these T-Discs are most definitely on the spectacular side of things. We're madly in love with the European creamer T-Discs and sorely wish that they'd become standardized across each country in which Kraft sells their products, but unfortunately, we doubt this will ever come to pass. The difference just doesn't compare... it's like being brought up on average regular cuts of meat all your life and discovering an expertly trimmed, AAA prime-grade cut of Angus beef for the first time. Seriously, the North American creamer gets blown out of the water once you've tried the European one.
So, to sum things up, yes... this is quite a fine T-Disc which Carte Noire have done an exceptional job of producing. The espresso is strong enough where it counts while the caramel notes are light & delicate instead of strong & overbearingly sweet. Overall, just great T-Discs you should definitely try to get your hands on.
Carte Noire Caramel Latte Macchiato T-Discs will work in most Tassimo brewers and are available in 8-packs (8 espresso + 8 milk creamer) for $13.99 CAD at ECSCoffee.com. These T-Discs are not currently sold in USA.
A special thanks to SH for providing this Single Serve Coffee staff review. We would also like to thank ECS Coffee for supplying us with samples for the purpose of this review.
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SH – Bed Bath and Beyond is definitely the best store on this side of the border. They carry a lot of Gevalia along with King of Joe, Corner Coffeehouse and Tim Hortons. Plus, they are always sending out 20% off coupons so that helps. However, the rest of the stores are a bit sad. To compare, a US Walmart with a full grocery section may have 5 different Tassimo discs, mostly Maxwell House. Same with Target. There had to be 20+ different Tassimo discs at the Walmart I was at in Canada. Imagine if Kraft Canada and Kraft US combined their efforts and offered all of them in both markets.
I laugh when I read this since for the longest time, it was the opposite way around. Every time I'd go to NH/MA area of USA, I'd find tons of new flavors at Bed Bath & Beyond which weren't sold in Canada plus the selection on Tassimo's USA website was always better than what we had on the Canadian site. We literally had about 10 flavors to pick from on store shelves.
Now it would seem that Kraft have scaled back T-Disc releases in USA after their Corner Coffeehouse & Tea Bar releases and have focused mainly on Canadian T-Disc releases in 2012. They secured deals with coffee shops such as Second Cup & Tim Hortons, they've even gone so far as to get grocery store chains involved (Loblaws' President's Choice series) and most recently, they got Wal-Mart's own "Our Finest" brand on-board with a Canadian-exclusive release (review for that will be written-up soon).
I guess they're focusing on Canada since Tassimo sales have been better here than in USA where Keurig seems to be dominating the market. Ironically, the Keurig K-Cup selection is a lot better in USA than in Canada, plus we STILL don't have the Vue brewer available in Canada yet. I also highly doubt Canada will see the new Rivo brewer either. Time will tell, I guess.
Thank you for the review. We picked up a package of these during a recent trip to Canada but we haven't tried them yet. I find it interesting that the exterior package doesn't say caramel making me believe that it was going to be a straight up traditional macchiato but the picture of the creamer disc shows that it's for use with the caramel macchiato. Either way I'm really looking forward to trying it.
On the topic of Tassimo in Canada, I'm completely jealous of the Tassimo availability I saw while I was there. Our first stop was Walmart where they sell every Tassimo machine they make and had several Tassimo 4-way displays around the store. Then we made our way over to the grocery section and I was blown away. Half the isle was Tassimo discs. Later in the day we went to a mall that had a Canadian Tire located in it and we saw a few more packages that they didn't have at Walmart. When all was said and done we came across the border with 19 different packages of discs that we can't get here in the States.


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A quick breakdown of each of Sunday's three MLB postseason games:
Detroit Tigers at New York Yankees
Max Scherzer has struggled against Curtis Granderson, Russell Martin and Mark Teixeira -- giving up three hits to each of them in his career -- but Jorge Posada has been the Yankee who has hurt him the most with a couple of home runs and four RBIs. Alex Rodriguez, who was 0-for-5 in Game 1, will have his work cut out for him against Scherzer, as Rodriguez is 0-for-8 against him lifetime. If Scherzer pitches like he did on May 4, when he shut down New York with nine strikeouts and only four hits in eight innings, the Tigers could win. But like his inconsistent season, Scherzer is just as capable of giving up six runs in five innings, like he did on April 3.
The Yankees' bullpen is well rested, and the most important matchup in this game could involve Boone Logan in the sixth inning before Joe Girardi goes to Rafael Soriano, David Robertson and Mariano Rivera to finish the game off. Girardi could use Logan against Alex Avila or Jhonny Peralta -- who are a combined 0-for-6 against Logan -- or he might use Phil Hughes or Cory Wade against Miguel Cabrera or Victor Martinez.
Freddy Garcia will have to be careful in pitching to Delmon Young and Cabrera. Young has two home runs and a double against Garcia in 10 at-bats, while Cabrera is 9-for-23 lifetime against Garcia with three home runs. Both like the ball over the plate, and both are capable of pounding Garcia's fastball.


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Angels' Trout avoids carping about contract
After the Los Angeles Angels renewed slugger Mike Trout's contract for just $20,000 above the major-league minimum, the 2012 American League Rookie of the Year refused to complain Sunday.
"I mean, my time will come," Trout said before a team meeting, according to multiple reports. "I just have to keep putting out numbers and concentrating on one thing, and that's getting to the postseason."
Before a morning workout at the Angels' spring-training complex, Trout would only say "he's just happy to be in the lineup." Trout's base salary will be $510,000 in 2012.
A day earlier, Trout's agent, Craig Landis, was not so happy about the renewal, saying the contract was not fair and fell "far short" of expectations.
"During the process, on behalf of Mike, I asked only that the Angels compensate Mike fairly for his historic 2012 season, given his service time," Landis said in a statement. "I have voiced this to the Angels throughout the process. Nonetheless, the renewal of Mike's contract will put an end (to) this discussion."
Trout's base salary was $482,500 last year when he hit .326 with 30 homers, 83 RBI, a major league-leading 129 runs and 49 stolen bases. He also finished second to Detroit's Miguel Cabrera in MVP voting.
By comparison, Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper, who won the National League Rookie of the Year award last year, will play with a base salary of $750,000 this season as part of a five-year deal. Harper hit .270 with 22 homers, 59 RBI and 18 stolen bases last year.
If the Angeles and Trout fail to negotiate a new contract, he likely would be eligible for arbitration after the 2014 season.


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At Gemvara, we believe that the multistone emerald stackable jewelry you wear should be precious because it's personal. Every beautiful Gemvara design is made just for you, in your choice of gems and precious metals. Your child's birthstone in platinum. Your favorite gem in sterling silver. Add your own meaning to every design, creating beautiful memories and brilliant reminders. It's jewelry for all life's occasions, from a wedding or graduation to your own personal milestones and celebrations. Our brilliant Quincenera jewelry gift ideas will help her remember this moment for the rest of her life. Gemvara uses only the highest quality materials to craft your multistone emerald stackable jewelry with meticulous attention to detail. Our precious metals are recycled or responsibly mined. Our wide selection of multistone emerald stackable jewelry by Jeet Palavwala, Carl Ansley, Damon Washington, and other talented designers means you can find jewelry that's just your style. Each gem in our stunning multistone designs is carefully set by hand by our skilled craftspeople. You'll find it difficult to choose just one of our irresistible stack rings, which can be worn so many ways. Emerald enchants with its vivid grass green. Clean your multistone emerald stackable jewelry with mild dish soap: use a soft brush where dust collects. Gemvara's fine quality multistone emerald stackable jewelry is designed to be passed down for generations to come, crafted by hand in the United States.
We can help right away. Chat with a jewelry expert now!


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* Prices may differ from that shown
This Happyland funfair set is recommended for ages 18 months plus.
Carousel - H8 x L8 x D6 inches. It is mainly red and yellow. The carousel consists of 4 blue and orange horses that all turn around, to get the horses to spin around you simply push the yellow button on the right hand side, 1 push of the button will let the carousel do 1 complete spin. The horses are complete with seats so that a figure can be stood on each horse. The yellow base can also be spun around with a gentle push without needing to press the button. Pressing the button will also allow you to hear 3 funfair tunes. On the left hand side is a platform for the figures to stand to get onto the horses.
Pirate boat ride - H9 x W7 X D6. The frame is teal and features a stand on the left hand side for the figures. The boat itself is orange, with brown detailing, there are 2 seats with a skull and cross bones picture at the top. The boat can be pushed eitherway to a 45 degree angle.
Spinning rocket ride - H8 x W6 x D4. The base is yellow, and features a stand to the left hand side, the centre is teal with star detail. The rockets are red and blue and face a different way to eachother, they are complete with little seats for 2 characters. You can place your fingers anywhere on the rocket's to push them around.
Train - H4 x L9 x D3, There are 3 carriages to the train, they are all connected but still have a little movement so each carriage can still move side to side. The front of the train is teal with red detailing, the 2nd carriage is blue and the 3rd carriage is yellow, they are all fitted with green wheels so can be pushed along. Each carriage has a seat for a character to stand.
Car - H3 x W4. The car is red with yellow detailing, and a seat for a character. It has blue and green wheels so can move across the floor with an 'L' sticker on the back.
Figures - The figures vary in height from 2.5 inches - 4 inches. They are all based around the funfair theme from clowns, circus host, jugglers and children.
Oscar adores this set! We often go to Legoland as the boys love the rides, so I knew this set would be a massive hit with him, and I was right. He loves that there are so many ways to play. He can easily move the figure's around the playset,, and needs no help at all.
Its literally endless what Oscar does with this playset, from moving the train and car around around the playset, putting the people onto the different rides, ferrying them around to a different ride via the train or car etc.
The happyland funfair is a brilliant small world set. Happyland in general is a high quality toy perfectly made for small hands that provides hours of fun for children aged 1 and above.
The set:
The set itself includes a ferris wheel, swinging pirate ship, merry go round, spin around rocket ride and a train. All of these have seats with holes in that the happyland people fit in to have a ride! The ferris wheel and merry go round make classic fairground musical sounds. You also get some lovely happyland people including a clown, ice cream man and a young girl eating candy floss.
The price:
Happyland funfair's RRP is £60 although I purchased it half price in Argos for £29.99. I think it is worth the money although the RRP is quite steep and I don't think I would purchase it at full price.
As well as purchasing this for my Son they have it where I work at a nursery. It has been played with lots there (and quite roughly) and still has not broken. I think this is brilliant as it has been used for over 3 years on a regular basis.
The set has thick people perfect for the whole hand grasp of young children, as well as chunky levers and buttons to make it easy for young children to be able to use without help.
There are no small parts for children to put in their mouth or lose and the bright colours and musical sounds make it extra appealing.
I feel it is one of the best small world sets you can purchase for a 1-2 year old and provides hours of fun for them.
The set
We love the Happyland range from early learning centre and we now have a number of sets from the range. When I came across the funfair set reduced from £60 to just £20 I jumped at the chance to purchase it for my little girl. I had planned to buy the previous version a number of times for my son, but every time I remembered I found it was out of stock. For this reason I rushed through purchasing when it went on sale as I knew it would be popular.
In the set you receive a carousel, a train, a car, a pirate ship ride and a rocket ride. Then you also receive a huge set of 7 people to play in the fair. The 7 people include 2 fair ground workers, a clown and four children. All of the characters fit into each ride, including the fairground workers and figurines from other Happyland sets.
As with all happy land set the pieces are made from bright durable plastic and are the perfect size for little hands. The bright colours pull little one in but the interactive features really hold their attention. While all of the pieces and rides are fairly small put together it is a really substantial toy. Every ride, figurine and detail of the set are well thought out and very bold and attractive for small eyes.
In use
While I was opening the different parts of the set as they are separated in the box all I could hear was gasps and wow's from my little girl. She is only 18 months old but she was clearly impressed with the contents that were appearing from the nice large box she had received. Before I could even pull out all of the parts she got stuck in and began playing. Since then its popularity has not dwindled in the slightest. This is still the first toy she runs to when she gets up in the morning and she truly seems to love it. She loved there were 7 characters to add to the set as it means that more than one ride can be used at a time.
The train has three spaces for characters and can be pushed along by hand. It moves freely across the floor. It is a really good size and is the matching pair to the car. Again the car is a fantastic size and is pushed along by hand. My daughter and I both think the vehicles are a really good addition to the set. It means she can transport the children between rides and make the full journey around the rides. They are large and chunky vehicles which make them perfect for smaller hands just learning how to make things work.
The carousel is my daughter favourite and mainly because it is more interactive than the other pieces of the set. All of the rides are operated by pushing them round with your hand. The carousel round actually has a large button that when you press it, the toy will spin independently. The more you press it the more power that builds up and it moves quickly. My little girl is able to do this all by herself, and while it is a great feature she still enjoys pushing it around herself. The ride will move when little one pushes the horses, so it can be operated two ways depending on how little one wants to interact with it.
The rocket ride has to be pushed by hand and only has two seats. This is probably one of the least used toys by my little girl, but it still receives a fair amount of play. It moves freely and rotates in a circle so it looks as though the children are almost tilting. Again the pirate ship only holds two characters at a time but my little girl really like this part of the set. By putting the characters in and pushing the handle on top of the toy it sends them rocking back and forth. As she only has to give it a little push and it continues to rock forwards and back for a few seconds she thinks it is brilliant. While it is simple it always brings a smile to her face.
We like that everything ties in with each other. As there are only two spaces on the pirate ship and two on the rocket toy it means that all four children can ride at once without anyone being left out. The carousel holds all four of the children at the same time so they can ride together, and with the train holding three and then the car holding one, again it evens out so none of the characters miss out. Also, as there are so many pieces more than one child can play with this toy without any bickering at all. At times three of my children will happily sit and play together, and as there are so many pieces they can do so with everyone having a fun part of the set.
My little girl just loves the simple details. Of course all of the rides actually move, but the little details like stairs leading up to the rides, a button on the carousel to push it around, the figurines holding ice creams and being really detailed add to her fun. While she is at the lower end of the age range she really embraces each part and it already adds to the fun she can create with her imagination. As she gets older I'm sure these details will be even more vital to create more detailed stories and really push her imagination further.
It states that this set is suitable for children from 18 months plus but I think it could easily be purchased for a first birthday as there is nothing that could harm little one. It is made for small hands anyway and there is nothing overly complicated that could confuse little one. To get the most out of the set I suppose the 18 months age range is probably best, but I still think it could be used by a younger child easily. All of the characters are pushed into the ride with ease and the base of their figurines mean they can both stand upright easily, but it also works on a push and click system so once they are in place they stay where they are supposed to until little one decides to take them back out.
I would highly recommend this set to anyone with a child one year plus in their house. I do think the £60 retail is a little inflated and this is shown in the fact that it is almost always on offer for at least half price. I would have been happy to pay £30 for the set, and I think at £20 we did get a bargain. The simple yet fun interaction is perfect for hand eye co-ordination, the colours hold little ones attention and all of my children love this set, so it appeals to a large age range. Every single part of the set fuels imagination, holds little ones attention and is generally good fun. While some parts are played with more than others, she genuinely loves every part and I would go as far to say this is the best toy we have purchased from ELC to date.
Having previously bought our son the Goosefeather Farm set, Fire Station and Police Station, when I saw this Funfair ready to play set on offer, I had to get it! It was £30 in Argos, original price £60.
It comes in a huge box with a carry handle, and contains four different rides (Ferris wheel not pictured for some reason), a train and 6 different figures. The carousel and Ferris wheel both takes batteries, one takes AA and one takes AAA (I can't remember which takes which!).
Once my little boy had opened this on Christmas morning, he forgot about all of his other presents and spent most of the morning playing with this. Each ride spins or turns very easily. The carousel plays music when you press the button down, and the ferris wheel plays music when you turn the handle. This is easy enough for a 20 month old to do, so is great for playing alone, although I love playing with it too! The little people have to be pushed into place otherwise they fall off when the rides are turning round. This is quite stiff, and very hard for my little boy to do by himself.
The rides are all very bright and chunky, and very hardwearing. They have already been dropped quite a few times, and it hasn't affected them at all. It's a perfect toy for a fun loving toddler!
I don't think it's worth it's full price of £60, but if you can get it when it's on offer then it's a great deal!
We recently brought this for our 18 month old daughter, and unfortunatly so far we have been a little dissappointed.
We paid £29.99 from argos, it was 1/2 price reduced from £60.00.
When we went to collect it I was very excited. The picture on the fount looked great and it was quite big so we were optimistic.
Inside was six littlepeople figures as well as a train, merry go round, a spaceship ride a swing boat ride and a Ferris wheel (this is not in the picture above, not sure why).
The Merry go round takes AA batteries and when you press the button it turns and plays music, which seems great except that the batteries only control the music, not the motion so you have to press the button furiously to keep it spinning and our 18 month old cant press hard or quick enough and gets a bit frustrated and bored. It would be much better if this could spin on its own.
The Ferris wheel takes AAA batteries (not sure why as like the merry go round this is simply to play music) again all the motion is created by manually turning the handle (again our daughter can't yet do this on her own).
There are no other features, except that you can swing the boat with your hand. push the train along etc
The people push down into the seats on the rides so they don't fall out when your spinning, pushing etc.
both the ferris wheel and the merry go round have two sound setting low and high which is always handy.
This does have some very good points:
It is well made an colourful, there is a variety of things to play with and you get six different figures to play with.
I think when our daughter is a bit older she will appreciate this a lot more and to be fair I think it is recommended for 2 years plus so maybe this is our fault to some degree. However she has lots of other toys aimed at older age groups and it hasn't been a problem.
For the £29.99 it was a good toy, not fantastic but quite nice.
However if we had paid full price at £60 I think we would be very disappointed indeed.
Two year old Freddy has a huge collection of Happyland toys, from almost all of the different themes, he has the village, the school, train, farm, space rocket and even dinosaur set, but one set that was missing from his collection is the Ready To Play Funfair. When we saw this set offered at a fabulous 50% off recently, we couldn't help ourselves, we know how much he loves his Happyland toys, how fantastic they are for helping him develop his imagination and how well they survive his rather rough play. The Ready To Play Funfair seems to have been updated quite recently, previously you had to buy the Ferris Wheel separately, but now this comes included which is reflected in the price, which is £60 at full price and £30 when on offer.
==Roll Up, Roll Up - A parent's View==
The Ready To Play Funfair is supplied in a fairly large cardboard box that comes complete with a rather handy carry handle. Unlike many of the Happyland toys you are unable to see the pieces through an open face or test the sounds before purchasing. Within this large box are two smaller boxes each containing a number of elements wrapped in their own plastic bags. While I was immediately happy that there were none of those stupid plastic ties to untwist, I do still feel there was a little too much packaging and that the plastic bags were, perhaps, overkill. There are a couple of elements within the set that require batteries and these are not included, so if you are planning on giving this as a gift it's a good idea to buy a pack of AA and another AAA. Just like the real thing the Happyland Funfair features a few different rides and has a lot of children who come to join in the fun so it takes up quite a lot of room when set up. In fact when we set this up it takes up most of our living room floor, so maybe not idea for those short of space.
The largest element of the funfair is the Ferris wheel or as we call it (being English rather than American) the Big Wheel. If purchased separately this fairly large piece would set you back £22 at full price, which as far as I'm concerned means that this set is an absolute bargain. Standing approximately 27cm tall the big wheel is almost completely formed of tough plastic. The yellow wheel turns easily on it's axis and can either be turned by hand or via a crank handle. Within the wheel there are a total of four swinging seats for the Happyland characters to sit in, and what I especially like about these seats is that rather than the newer peg system these simply have holes to hold the characters in place. This system makes it easy for a child to place the characters in the seats and yet holds them securely enough that they don't fall out during a ride. The crank turns easily and the extra special little feature of the wheel is that once a pair of AA batteries are installed behind the securely screw locked flap a short tune will play. This tune literally only plays for a couple of seconds and really isn't that annoying, but the volume can be controlled if your child is a little obsessive, with the half volume not being loud enough to hear over a moderately loud television. Battery consumption is on the low side, we installed a pair at the beginning of the month and with very regular play they are still going strong.
The next largest piece in the set is the carousel or merry-go-round, which is another piece that requires batteries, this time a pair of AAA. Although slightly smaller than the big wheel, the merry-go-round still stands an impressive 24cm (approx) tall and takes up a touch more floor space. I think that this is probably the prettiest part of the with it's red and yellow striped marquee style top and four horses that ride round and round. Each of the horses has a space for a single character to sit and ride, but unlike the big wheel these do utilise the peg system to keep those characters in place. From experience I know that this peg system is frustrating for young children and even as an adult I find it quite difficult to push the characters down hard enough for them to stay put. As with the big wheel the horses can be pushed down by hand, but there is also a large button that when pressed not only sets them moving but also plays one of three short tunes. If this button is repeatedly pressed then the horses build an impressive build of speed and in fact travel so fast that the riders occasionally fly off in all directions. The tunes played are of a traditional fairground type and while longer than those on the big wheel are still very short at under thirty seconds and again there are two volume levels available. What I particularly like about both the big wheel and merry-go-round is that they can be played with while switched off or without batteries, so that if you did forget to buy batteries before giving this as a gift it doesn't really spoil the child's enjoyment.
There are another two rides in the funfair, neither of which require batteries. Firstly there is the spinning space ships, which holds two characters (using that peg system again). The two space ships spin easily with just a small push but do lose momentum quite quickly. What I particularly like about this ride is that space ships have very obviously been designed to tie in with the space themed Happyland sets. The final ride is a pirate ship, that again holds up to two characters, again using that awkward peg system. I wouldn't say the pirate ship was the most extreme of rides, it does swing easily but again comes to a stop very quickly. All of the rides are made of the same tough plastic and apart from the Merry-go-round they are all designed so that there is a platform for the operator (character) to stand. While I do think that all these rides are generally well made, one possible problem that I have noticed is that nearly all of them are decorated with stickers and Freddy and stickers really don't mix (he tends to pull them off and eat them). I do however like the colour scheme and think that it is very attractive to toddlers, the light blues, yellows and reds are bright without being garish.
Even if there were only the rides included in the set I think we more than got our money's worth but there are still several more pieces. There is a small red bus, with free-wheeling wheels that can hold four characters as they make their way to and from the fair. This is quite a nice bus, in fact it is identical to one that we already own that is the Sunflower School Bus. There is a also a small steam train with two carriages that is perfect to carry the characters from one ride another. This train is extremely easy for little ones to push and rather than the carriages being removable they are permanently attached and yet still articulate. Unfortunately the train yet again uses the peg system to hold the characters in place, but the bus doesn't. The final vehicle in the set is an ice-cream bike which is a kind of backwards tricycle with a freezer box on the front. What's really nice about this bike is a roller that has pictures of all different types of ice cream on it and can be spun to display which lolly the buyer wants.
The final elements of the set are not one, not two but seven Happyland characters. If you've never seen a Happyland character before then you wouldn't know that these little people are fantastically detailed and formed of a tough rubber-like material with their features painted on. All of the Happyland characters are incredibly well-made , about 7-8cm tall and feature a small hole in their base that allows makes them compatible with other vehicles within the range, meaning that your child can really mix and match. Another thing I like with the Happyland characters is that they encompass both sexes and different ethnicities and many of them break with stereotypes. Unfortunately a couple of the characters in this set are stereotypical, the ice cream seller is definitely a stereotypical moustachioed Italian, no matter how beautifully detailed he is with his bow tie, apron and ice-cream scoop. The ride operator is equally stereotypical, with his boater hat, stripy trousers and money apron. Personally I would have liked at least one or the other of these characters to be female. While very jolly looking with his hat, suit and pom-poms the clown is rather out of place in a funfair, if this was a circus set I could understand his inclusion, but I can't quite work out why he was included. The final four characters are a group of four children, two boys and two girls, who have obviously visited the ice-cream seller and are now eating their goodies.
As an adult I think this set is fantastic and more than worth the £30 I paid. There are lots of pieces to spark a child's imagination and lots for children to push, turn and spin. As with all the Happyland sets, I can't help but be impressed with the attention to detail and thought that has gone into the pieces. In fact simply from an adult's perspective I would give this set four out of five, dropping that one star because the original selling price is a tad high. But as with any toy it's not just my opinion that counts....
==All Of The Fun Of The Fair - A Toddler's Perspective==
At two years old, Freddy falls firmly within the recommended age range of eighteen months to four years, but I must tell you that Freddy has a developmental delay including speech and social difficulties and so isn't a typical two year old. Saying that he has been playing with various Happyland sets since he was about ten months old and he does love them even though he doesn't exactly play with them conventionally.
As soon as he saw the box Freddy made it perfectly clear that he wanted to play with the funfair NOW. So we opened it and he took the pieces as we freed them of the plastic wrapping. The first piece that Freddy got his grubby little mitts on was the big wheel and he instantly discovered that he could spin the wheel round and make the seats swing. He absolutely adored doing this and it was a struggle to get it off him long enough to install the batteries. On discovering that the wheel now played music as well as spinning, Freddy was even more entranced (if that's possible) and spent a good length of time spinning it. As some of the characters were unwrapped, I showed him how they could sit in the seats and have a ride, which was something he could manage with ease. I then showed him how to turn the crank handle, which is a good size for little hands, but to be honest he finds turning the wheel by hand easier.
It was a similar story with the merry-go-round, he loves to spin the horses round, but this time finds the button easier to press and can manage to get the horses going really fast. As the Merry-go-round uses the peg system to hold the characters in place, Freddy does occasionally get frustrated at how difficult they are to place and how easily they seem to fly out. With all the rides Freddy loves to make them spin or swing, while occasionally placing the characters in or taking them out, but he is very obsessive about this kind of thing. Freddy also loves the vehicles, finds them just the right size to hold and very easy to push across the floor. As with all the Happyland vehicles they run very smoothly and quite fast even over short pile carpets.
As well allowing him to play on his own, I obviously share this set with him, very often in conjunction with his other Happyland sets. This gives me a great opportunity to help him develop his conversational, imaginative and role play skills as I talk about which characters are doing what, how they may be feeling and sometimes make up silly scenarios (we had the aliens visiting the funfair one day, and the cavemen another). Just as he enjoys his alone time playing with the set, he loves those times when we play together.
All in all I would say that Freddy absolutely adores this set, it is the first toy he makes his way to in the morning and he gets very upset if it has been moved. If he could talk I'm sure Freddy would give the Funfair ten stars out of five, he really does love it that much.
==Developmental Benefits And Age Suitability==
Billed as suitable for children between the ages of eighteen months and four years the ELC themselves claim that this set will help your child develop their imagination, understanding of the world around them and social skills. Although I do agree with these claims, I do have to add that the set will also help your child develop their fine motor (small movements), gross motor (large movements) and hand eye coordination as they push buttons, chase cars, put the characters in the rides and spin and swing while also learning about cause and effect as they set off the sounds. As your child plays (and you join in) you can use this set to talk about an upcoming trip to a fairground (or theme park) and the different emotions your child may experience such as excitement, nervous, bored (waiting in queues) or even scared. With a child like Freddy this is invaluable as he is non-verbal and I'm constantly looking for ways to encourage his speech and self-awareness.
As to whether the ELC has got the age range right, well I do think that they are being a little over-cautious on the lower limit. Freddy has been playing with Happyland sets since well before his first birthday and this are so well made without small parts that I would have been perfectly happy for him to have played with this at that age. Of course this means that this set is perfect if you have a crawling baby in the house as well as a toddler as you don't have to worry about baby putting bits in their mouth and choking. In fact the characters make ideal teethers as strange as that sounds, Freddy used to love chewing on them when his back teeth were giving him problems.
This is also a set that is going to last the distance, it is incredibly well made and has so survived Freddy's very rough play (including being thrown across the room) with no damage. My only concern is that the stickers may be pulled off at some point (but this is only cosmetic). Being made of plastic the whole set is easy to wipe clean and so can happily be passed down to siblings, relatives or other children (or sold on), once the child gets too old for it (which I would imagine would be around three and a half to four depending on the child.
==Final Words==
This is a brilliant set from a brilliant range of toys and even more brilliant when bought at half price. I've been buying toys from the Happyland range for well over a decade now (older children), have always been impressed with the attention to detail, quality and overall design and this set is no exception. Although the funfair does take up quite a lot of floor (and toy box) space, it's well worth is just for the pleasure it gives Freddy. There are lots of different things for him to discover and it's actually a real pleasure to share the rides with him as well as just watching him chatter away in his own special language as he plays. Although the standard price is quite high as with all Happyland toys it is often included in their sales (we have a huge collection and have never paid full price) and so I am perfectly happy to give the Ready To Play Funfair a hearty five out of five and recommend it as a gift to any toddler between the ages of twelve months and three and a half. Just wait for it to go on sale though.
Those who have read a number of my reviews will have noticed that my twin boys have a huge toy collection and at least half of their toys come from ELC. My boys have a very clear favourite range of toys from ELC which are the "HappyLand" sets; a collection of imaginative play sets. For Christmas 2011 we decided to expand the boys' ever growing HappyLand collection with the ELC HappyLand Ready to Play Funfair set.
***HappyLand Ready to Play Funfair set***
The HappyLand range from ELC is aimed at toddlers and within the collection are various sets to make up an imaginary town, consisting of different buildings, vehicles and characters to help children explore their imagination.
ELC offer two versions of the HappyLand Ready to Play Funfair set. The older set costs £60.00 and includes a Ferris Wheel. The newer set (which we bought in November 2011 and a staff member explained this was the "new") does not include the Ferris wheel and costs £48.00 and you have to purchase the Ferris Wheel separately although all of the other parts in the set are identical and have not changed. My review will be based on the "new" HappyLand Ready to Play Funfair set.
The HappyLand Ready to Play Funfair includes:
A spinning musical carousel. This is made from mainly red and orange plastic and has space for 4 characters to sit on the carousel horses. When a button is pressed on the base the carousel spins and plays fairground music.
A spinning rocket ride- This is made from blue and green plastic and the two rocket cars with space for two characters spin on an axel when a child turns it around.
A swinging pirate boat ride- This is a green and blue plastic swinging boat with space for two characters inside.
Train- A plastic train with space for a driver and two further carriages which hold one person per carriage.
The set also comes with 5 different figures which include a clown, fairground workers and children.
The set requires 3 AAA size batteries which go into the carousel.
ELC state that the set is suitable for children over 18 months old.
The set is available from ELC stores and also online. As explained earlier in the review there are two "versions" of this set however the "new" set which my review is about does not include a Ferris Wheel and is priced at £48.00. At this price this is one of the more expensive HappyLand sets and although I think this is one of the best HappyLand sets I do think this is a lot of money for this toy. We purchased during a half price event during November 2011 for £24.00 which I feel was very good value and personally I would not recommend paying more than £30.00 for this set.
***Our Experience***
Like all of the other Happyland sets the HappyLand Ready to Play Funfair set comes with a lot of packaging. Because this is a large set with many parts you are required to remove the individual rides from the cardboard packaging and each of the rides are held in with five or six ties so this does take some time, in fact probably at least 10 minutes. Once the pieces of the set are removed from the packaging they are ready to be played with because the carousel comes with batteries included.
The HappyLand Ready to Play Funfair set is basically made up of 3 rides, a train and five different characters. When set out all together this is a really fun attractive looking set because of all of the brightly coloured pieces. For one child this is a really fun set with lots of parts to keep them entertained but because of the larger size of the set is great for encouraging children to share and play together and interact. There are enough rides for more than one child to play with, without too many squabbles and because there are five figures that come with the set these can very easily be shared out. I have found that with many of the smaller Happyland sets although there are enough parts or pieces of the set for both my boys to play with there are not enough figures which causes many arguments.
The carousel is in my opinion probably the "main" part in the HappyLand Ready to Play Funfair set. There are four horses on the carousel each with a "seat" in which a figure can be placed into therefore four of the figures can ride on the carousel. The seats on the carousel are very easy even for a young toddler to place the figures into. My boys were 23 months old when we bought this set for them and they easily could place the figures into the carousel as they could with the other parts of the set. There is a button to press on the base of the carousel which when pressed spins the carousel around. There is an on switch on the base of the carousel (with a half and full volume button) which when turned on plays fairground music. This adds to the fun and my boys enjoy and giggle as the carousel spins and plays music but you do not need to have the on button on for the carousel to spin. Even when this is switched off the carousel still spins although the music does not play. I was surprised how quickly the batteries needed replacing and after 2 months of a reasonable amount of play I had to change the batteries.
The swinging pirate boat and spinning rocket ride are the other two "rides" as part of this funfair set. These have no buttons to press and do not play music so it depends on a child to make them move. The pirate boat swings by rocking it however I do feel it is quite stiff and means a child constantly needs to push it back and forwards to make it move rather than just set it off swinging and allowing momentum to continue its movement. This is also the case with the rocket ride that spins. A child needs to constantly turn it rather than just set it off spinning around. Both of these rides fit two figures inside of them which are very easy for even very young children to put inside.
The train that comes with the set is also very easy to push around the floor and has space for three figures to fit inside; one in the driver's seat and a seat in each of the two carriages. These are also very easy for a young child to put a figure inside and push the train about without the figures falling out. I do think the wheels on the train are slightly stiff however. This is fine when my boys are pushing on wooden flooring but when they push the train over our short pile rug they have to use a reasonable amount of effort to keep it moving therefore on carpet the train will not move around so easily which may frustrate a child.
We bought the HappyLand Ready to Play Funfair set for Christmas 2011 so my boys were 23 months old when they started playing with this toy, obviously older than the 18months and over age guide. My boys have been playing with different HappyLand toys since they were around 12 months old and I would have been comfortable to let them play with the HappyLand Ready to Play Funfair set from this young age. There are no small parts and even for a child under 18 months old I feel because of all of the different coloured rides that move and the music played by the carousel this would be a very fun and entertaining toy. The figures that come with the set are very easy for small hands to hold and I feel for younger children there are many developmental benefits as by placing the figures in and out of the various rides and moving the rides around can help with motor skills and hand to eye coordination.
I do think from 18 months old toddlers and children will get the most benefits out of this toy from a developmental perspective and this will help with encouraging them to be imaginative whilst they play. The set has so many parts to it a child can really enjoy and focus on placing the figures into the different rides and acting out a fairground scenario. Watching my boys play who are just over 2 years old is very enjoyable as they talk out their different make believe scenarios which encourages their speech and when they are playing with the set together they also interact and talk to each other so I feel this set encourages interaction more so than some of the other HappyLand sets do.
For older toddlers and children their interest in this toy will be very much dependent on their personal play preferences so will vary between children but I do think that the HappyLand Musical Ferris Wheel would interest children up to the age of around 3 and a half. I think the HappyLand Ready to Play Funfair set is one of the HappyLand sets that would interest older children more so than some of the others because of all the moving parts and the attraction of placing the figures inside of the rides and spinning them around fast. I know when my friends little boy comes to visit who is 3 and a half he seems to really enjoy placing the figures on the carousel and spinning them around fast by pressing the button repeatedly whereas with some of the other HappyLand toys we own he doesn't seem to bother with at all.
Durability wise all pieces of the HappyLand Ready to Play Funfair set are well made. My boys play rough with most toys and this Happyland set is no exception to that. Each of the individual rides and characters have been thrown on the wooden flooring on a number of occasions and have suffered no damage. My boys have regularly attempted to pick up a number of pieces at once and have dropped them and all moving parts of the rides are still in full working order. Like most ELC toys the HappyLand Ready to Play Funfair set is made from a hard durable plastic which is not only robust it also can easily be wiped clean. The characters that come with this set have all been gnawed on and none of the detail on these characters has scratched off and there are no tooth marks left in these figures from my boys repeatedly biting them.
My boys love the HappyLand Ready to Play Funfair set and I would definitely say it is one of the best purchases from the HappyLand range. The set is a lot of fun and because there are different rides which makes sounds and have different moveable parts and a train to play with my boys are entertained for a long time giving the many characters rides on the different parts of the funfair. I also find that because this is a larger set it is perfect to encourage sharing and playing together and you can definitely have more than one child playing with it at one time, which you can't do with a number of the smaller HappyLand sets.
My main criticism of the set is it is very expensive when sold at full price. The quality of the different pieces of the set are very good and my boys get a lot of enjoyment out of the set but I do think £48.00 is excessive, especially if you also purchase the HappyLand Ferris Wheel separately like we did to add onto the set. We did purchase the HappyLand Ready to Play Funfair during a half-price sale and I think for £24.00 this is much more reasonable and I would say the price for this set should be no more than £30.00.
Another (fun) fair toy from ELC.
We bought this, along with other Happyland products, for my daughter's 1st birthday. Although she hadn't reached the recommended age of 18 months, she still enjoyed playing with it. There are no small parts so it's safe for all ages. It required no assembly and was ready to use straight from the box.
This has been one of her favourites from all the Happyland toys she has and she's had over 3 years of fun out of it. I think back then it was £35, and I used a Big Birthday Club 20% off voucher. But it now retails at £40 which is quite overpriced in my opinion.
The set consists of:
- A carousel featuring 4 horses around a mirrored centre. The Happyland characters are supposed to fit into the horses, secured by fitting onto a small bump, but have a tendency to fly off when the carousel is moving - annoying at times, amusing at others! In fact we've been known to not even try and secure the figures in just so they'll fly out once the carousel starts rotating. Pressing the large button on this battery (2 x AAA) operated toy makes the carousel move round, and play fairground type music. One good press and it does around 2 rotations, whilst the music plays. If it stops rotating before the music stops you can keep pressing to make it rotate. As it's been used so much the batteries recently ran out, although they lasted a fair amount of time given how much it's been played with. Not all characters from Happyland will fit properly into the horses, those with larger bottoms won't go in, which is frustrating for little ones. The detail is nice on the carousel, with little "lights" around the edge, and the mirrors in the centre, just like a real carousel. There are two horses of each colour. The top of the carousel collects dust and other bits easily due to its shape.
- The spinning rockets ride has two rocket ships which the figures fit into, again they're not that secure and fall out easily. No batteries here, you need to spin it around yourself. It's fairly sturdy, although pushing it round too fast can sometimes lead to it falling over.
- A pirate boat ride, is basically just that. A pirate ship that swings back and forth, seating a figure in each. It can be used as a swing-type toy, or if you hold down the base you can get the ship to do a full 360 rotation!
- A train completes the ride elements of the set, and seats 3 figures. It can be tricky to get one in the front seat due to the overhang on the front carriage. This is a nice addition and a good way for the figures to get around the fairground, plus it's an extra ride for them to go on. This gets played with outside of the fairground set in our house, and used as a general get around vehicle for the other Happyland figures.
- Four figures are provided: A fairground man, a clown, a boy and a girl. The fairground man looks quite traditional and stereotypical, with a straw boater, bow tie and striped trousers. It would have been nice to have an adult figure provided, i.e. a parent for the children, as it would be good to teach children that it's best to go to the fairground on their own, especially with a clown on the prowl!
Overall this is a great toy set which encourages kids to use their imaginations and develop social skills. It's also good for teaching cause and effect, with buttons to press and things to spin round. Kids can take the Happyland figures from other sets on a day out to the fairground, or maybe the fairground could come to town. If you have the Happyland airport set and plane, they could all go on a Disney-type holiday to the fair. And as I said above my girls have got lots and lots of use out of this and keep returning to it on a daily basis.
It's well built, especially compared to some of the other Happyland range, no bits have fallen off, although paint does scratch off over time.
A musical ferris wheel is available from ELC and would complement this set well.
ELC have sales every so often on Happyland items, so I'd recommend waiting for it to be on sale rather than paying full price, or use a 20% off voucher (via Big Birthday Club or occasionally available on food packs).


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If you guys have been with me here for more that 10 seconds, you know that I am a huge, huge, huge sports fan. And the #1 sports love-of-my-life is college basketball. I went to my first college basketball game at five months old, and man, did that obsession ever stick.
If you are a basketball fan, you know that today starts the NCAA tournament (aka: March Madness, The Big Dance, the most nerve-racking three weeks of the year). In this area of the country, pretty much everything revolves around the tournament. Basketball is religion in these parts. And March is our holiest of months.
My team doesn't play until Friday afternoon, but the first few games of the tournament are today, and I can promise you, I'll be tuning in. In fact, I pretty much rearranged my schedule this week to make sure I was inside, near a TV during game time.
March Madness isn't necessarily about your specific team (although, of course, I'd love to see my Hoosiers win a sixth national championship). It's about the love of the game. Even the years we didn't make the tournament, I watched as many games as I could. I love March Madness. All of it. Every second of it. Magic happens during the tournament, my friends. Magic.
Of course, I had to pay homage to my favorite time of year with a perfect game time black bean sliders. I absolutely love sliders. And I think they are a perfect option for a game day party. Sure, there is something really nice about a big, juicy burger, but I love the control you have with sliders. Since they are so small, portable and easy-to-eat, you can really craft a perfect, flavorful bite. Plus, everything tastes better when it's mini, right?
The black bean patties are an incredible, flavorful base for a burger, but the Sriracha mayo is the real superstar of this sandwich. If you've never had Sriracha, it's a type of hot sauce that's I personally think is pretty special. Honestly, I'm not a big spicy food fan. I like a little touch of spice, but I'm definitely not one of those folks who carries hot sauce in her purse. The great thing about Sriracha is that it has the spice, but it also has a lot of really intense, interesting flavor under the spice. I love Sriracha!
You can pick up Sriracha in the international foods sections of most major grocery stores. You won't be sorry.
I know these burgers are technically veggie burgers, but I promise, carnivores and veg-heads alike will love them. I've been perfecting my black bean burger recipe for years, and the result is a flavorful patty that is almost the texture of a beef burger—no mushiness here! These burgers freeze beautifully and are a great option for a speedy lunch. I like to make up a double-sized batch of them, freeze them flat, and then stash them in big zip-top bags for easy eating.
Oh, and did I mention that even in mini form, these guys pack a serious protein punch? Each slider clocks in at 11 grams of protein! That'll help you grow up big and strong, and maybe even help you land that crazy 360° dunk you've been working on.
Happy March Madness, friends! May your team of choice make it as far as possible in the dance. That is, until they play Indiana, and then may they cower in sheer terror at our overwhelming amount of talent. Nothing personal.
Black Bean Sliders with Sriracha Mayo
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Makes: 12 sliders
For the burgers
- Cooking spray
- 1-15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 medium green pepper, roughly chopped
- 1/2 medium onion, roughly chopped
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce
- 2 cups breadcrumbs
- 12 lettuce leaves
- 12 red onion slices
- 12 whole wheat slider buns
For the sauce
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons Sriracha sauce
- Salt and pepper, to tasted
- Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.
- In the basin of a food processor, pulse together the black beans, green pepper, onion, garlic cloves, egg, chili powder, salt, pepper and Sriracha sauce until well-mixed. The mixture will be pretty liquid-y.
- Transfer the black bean mixture into a medium mixing bowl, and stir in the breadcrumbs. Form mixture into 12 slider-sized patties and place on prepared baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, flipping once halfway through baking. Or until the burgers have begun to dry out and turn golden brown.
- While the burgers are in the oven, mix together all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
- To assemble sliders, place a leaf of lettuce, one slider patty, some red onion rings and a dollop of the sauce onto each slider bun.
Nutrition Info
Serving size: 1 slider. Servings per recipe: 12.


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Hello, friends. Let us gather in a circle. I'll wait while everyone gets set up. Now let us all join hands and reflect.
And by "reflect," I mean "cry for hours and help each other gather the shredded pieces of our hearts."
Allow me to wistfully sigh for a moment. I almost don't know how to react to an episode that is both so heartbreaking and uplifting. We can all speak about when the ALL GO FOR TEARS light sounded off in our heads, but for me, it was when Meruem calmly explained that he knows he will die soon and simply wants to spend his remaining time with Komugi. Like, it's not just the sadness of the scenario, but that Meruem accepts his fate without complaint and wants to make the most of what he has left. It's Meruem knowing with absolute certainly what brought the greatest joy into that short-lived existence and doing nothing but that until the end. It's the simple purity of grabbing onto something that moves you and hugging it right into your heart. Empathy can be hard and confusing, but making a human connection is a wonderful thing. What would we all do if we knew we were all going to die soon? Hopefully we have that one thing that gives us the greatest possible joy.
Meruem's self-awareness also made my poor heart feel pained. Right after Meruem says that he'll be joining the Royal Guard soon — which is already THE MOST CRUSHING THING!!! — the King mentions not being worthy of their loyalty. There's no betrayal of emotion, but god, it must be terrible to feel that way. Meruem's instinct all along as the leader of the Chimera Ants was domination. The Royal Guard followed Meruem for different reasons, they too were Chimera Ants at the core. They supported Meruem in that mission. Whether Meruem actually failed or not, that feeling is there. Discovering that humanity is simultaneously wonderful and a betrayal (from a certain point of view). And the worst part is, having a grasp on that humanity would allow Meruem to be all the more aware of that pain. But much like the inevitable death, Meruem accepts it rather than dwells on it. What has happened cannot change. All one can do is move forward as best they can.
For a brief moment, I wondered if Meruem was being selfish. Meruem's En provided all necessary knowledge. It is known that not only will Meruem die, but also that the poison is contagious. In a vacuum, one could condemn Meruem for knowingly putting Komugi in a situation that will almost certainly end her life. It is a death sentence without consent. But Komugi doesn't see it that way. She's a bright person, but she has also lived a rather bleak life. She was born in squalor. Her family's well-being was predicated on Komugi being unnaturally good at a game. It's like your family would starve if you didn't beat anyone and everyone at Black Ops or whatever. Komugi loved the game, but I don't know if she ever experienced the true joy of playing it before she played Meruem. (Or, if she did, it had probably been a long time.) For however scary Meruem was, eventually Meruem treated Komugi as an equal. They were partners enjoying a game. Komugi obviously played a large part in Meruem's change, but Meruem likewise brought great joy to Komugi's life. She could concentrate on the one thing that made her truly happy without reservation. She could feel like someone who deserved some measure of happiness rather than someone who society craps all over 24/7.
So I dunno. I could sit here and judge a selfish action, or celebrate a pair who bring out the best of each of their humanity. This empathy thing is fuckin' hard, y'all.
(But for real, though, it was all ONIONS AND DUST in my room when "Komugi, are you there?" and the title of this post got thrown around. THE LAST REMNANTS OF MY HEART HAVE BEEN DESTROYED.)
Believe it or not, other things happened in this episode. This part led to the first moment of heartbreak from Meruem, but Palm was equally powerful here. There's a struggle — not wanting to believe that someone who is such a monstrous figure to humanity has changed at all, but knowing deep down that it's true because she can sense the feeling behind Meruem's words. It's a moment of great irony: As a human, Palm cannot help but distrust what Meruem presents, but the Chimera Ant side of her knows that Meruem embracing that humanity is not a bullshit act. It gets to the point where the godlike figure who beheaded Ants for any perceived slight after ripping through the Queen's womb is ready to kneel and show humility if it means those final moments can be spent with Komugi. GOD, THIS WHOLE SCENE. It tightened the show's grip on my heart before later parts ripped it out. Even Palm can't handle this. She has the reaction that Pouf would have like, "OH MY GOD WHAT ARE YOU DOING YOU ARE THE KING NO I CAN'T HANDLE THIS"
Then there's the end of Netero's story later on, which both made me angry (which is meant to happen) and was sadly fitting. He gives his life to save humanity, and he's barely a footnote in the news. He of course didn't fight for that sort of glory, but the whole thing is dehumanizing and makes him seem like an expendable property. Just another case of the humans being a bit less human than the monsters they set out to destroy.
I also love the characterization that gave to this little guy, who I think I remember from waaaaaaaaaaaaay earlier in the anime. But yeah, I love the contrast between the dehumanizing staffer talk that frustrates Morel along with the subtle cues that show he truly cares about Netero (the whole "if the dudes on top find out about all this, they'll drop a heap of shit on you" with the obvious implication that he doesn't intend to let anyone know about all this). He's doing this shit because he's a cog in the machine, and certainly not because he actually WANTS to, but he doesn't let it overwhelm his humanity. It's a small thing that made the tears while watching Netero's will mean a bit more. I dunno, I feel like this small scene sketched a surprisingly strong character.
ANYWAY, damn, that is a lot of words about one episode. And I don't think I touched on nearly anything. (For example: The sad end of Pouf's life and the implication that all those people are dead as shit, too. Yeehs.) So talk away people. Or just cry. Cry a lot.


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AN OPEN day is being held on Saturday for prospective home-buyers planning to purchase properties in Harborough.
Market Harborough Building Society announced this week that it is offering mortgages for borrowers buying homes in Leicestershire, Rutland or Northants with five or ten per cent deposits.
With loans of up to 90 and 95 per cent of the value of the property being available it means a £6,500 deposit would be sufficient for a house priced at £130,000, subject to other normal mortgage criteria being met.
"We know many people have been finding it hard to even consider buying a house because of the amount of deposit needed to get a mortgage," the society's mortgage team manager Jake Hider said.
A recent survey revealed the national average age of first-time buyers has gone up to 35, compared to 24 in the 1960s and 28 just ten years ago. The
The open day is being held by Mr Hider's team on Saturday at the society's main branch office on The Square in Market Harborough, where you
The society recently won the Mortgage Finance Gazette's award for Best Local Building Society for the third year in a row.


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Lebanon I-44 Speedway Rewind-Rookie Blake Dominant In Road Warriors
Lebanon, Mo.- For the 2013 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Championship Series at the High-Banks of the Lebanon I-44 Speedway, there were many bright and shining moments, but none like the growth and competition of the Hoosier Tire Road Warriors. The Street Stock Full Bodied Class bonded together and worked together to showcase their talents along with some outstanding looking cars which featured the older generation style Camaro and Metric Cars.
Supporting an average of 13 cars per race night, the class featured several new drivers to the Speedway along with some old favorites, it would be the rookie drivers that would lead the win column along with the top 2 in points as Justin Blake of Lebanon and Geoff Ledford of Neosho showed the way.
To start the 2013 Monster Energy Cup Champion Chase on May 11th, it would be 3 rookie drivers to stand on the podium as Geoff Ledford took his number 45 Chevy to the win while Justin Blake and fellow rookie contender Alan Ellis following the winner as 13 cars took the green flag that night.
For round number 2, Blake took the Camaro to his first win ever as hard charging Carl Harlow would grab the runner-up spot while opening night winner Ledford rallied from 11th to a third place finish while again 13 cars checked-in.
With scheduled nights off and weather interruptions, it would be almost 1 month before the Road Warriors would take to the track again, and even that night was scheduled off for the class. Getting together with the track, the drivers gathered together and asked for the track to make it a points race and came out with 14 entries and some exciting action. Blake would have to be patient after starting 11th and ran down a fast moving Carl Harlow to capture his second win of the season while Harlow's Camaro again would be the bridesmaid again with a second place finish while Ellis again finished a solid third as the Speedway celebrated with the Lebanon Chamber Of Commerce in the Our Town Your Town Night with a standing room only crowd on hand.
The Road Warriors helped celebrate the Independence Holiday on Wed Night July 3rd with 13 entries and again Blake powering his way to his 3rd straight win while again Harlow was the early pace setter and finished second while Fair Grove favorite Les "Papa Drake" Mallard finished on the podium with his first top 3 of the season.
Following a week off for the Laclede County Fair, the Road Warriors came back on July 20th along with a full Monster Energy Cup Chase night as 13 entries checked-in as Blake was trying to make the drive for 4 in a row. With side by side racing in the pack, Blake would again make a late race pass on opening night winner Geoff Ledford to take the win while Ledford was back on a podium finish while Aaron Wilke in his number 8 Mopar made a strong run for a third place spot as Blake seemed to have the hot set-up every night.
On July 27th, The Hoosier Tire Road Warriors showed just how good and solid the class was. An Afternoon rain shower and evening showers almost placed the night of racing in danger, but the Road Warriors helped log several laps of track drying efforts to keep the track alive. With 12 entries checked-in for the evening, all eyes were on Blake in his drive for 5 straight wins this evening. Again, it was side by side racing action as opening night winner Ledford was setting the early pace with side-by-side racing behind as Blake was trying to move up. In the closing laps, Blake would try several attempts to overtake the fast moving Ledford, But Ledford would end Blake's streak at 4 by capturing win number 2 as Blake and Alan Ellis followed for the podium finish.
Following the track's 5th rainout of the season, the Road Warriors came in with 12 entries in a night of wild crashes on Aug.10th. While Blake would capture his 5th win of the season, Aaron Wilke almost stole the show as he led several laps before Blake made the winning move late in the feature as former Speedway contender Steve Shaw showed everyone he could tour the High-Banks with the best of them with a third place finish. The feature also ended the season of regular Chuck Higdon. Higdon was racing in a tight pack when he was involved in a wreck in turn 1 causing severe damage to his Camaro along with Caston Jones. Higdon would be transported to the hospital and later released, but out for the season as the Full-Moon night got the better of the Warriors.
For the Aug.17th event, a season high of 15 cars entered as the feature saw 5 different leaders with Aaron Wilke grabbing the win, but a post race tech infraction took the win away and allowed Carl Harlow his first of the season as Steve Shaw and point leader Blake finished on the podium. Harlow would be the third and final different feature winner of the season this night,
On Aug. 24th, the lowest amount of entries(10) checked-in but provided great action as Geoff Ledford wasn't going to let Blake just walk away with the points title. Ledford took early control and never looked back taking win number 3 as last week's winner Harlow rallied for a runner-u spot as point leader Blake finished third.
Heading down the final stretch with 3 races left in the season, Blake came loaded for bear as he took home win number 6 on Aug 31st while Harlow again takes home the runner-up spot as Steve Shaw grabs another podium finish with 13 cars entered. The Sept 7th event saw 11 entries and Shaw looked like he was going to get into the winner's circle, but a late race caution allowed Blake to capture the lead along with win number 7 as Shaw and Wilke followed. On Championship night Sept.14th, Blake had to slice his way from the back of the pack and overtook both Ledford and Harlow for his 8th win of the season and his third in a row to end the season.
Despite only 3 different feature winners, the Hoosier Tire Road Warriors came to life in 2013 and quickly became a crowd favorite.
The Top 10 in the Road Warrior point standings along with over 40 plus race teams will be honored on Saturday November 23 with the NASCAR Whelen Monster Energy Speedway Banquet at the Ramada Oasis Convention Center in Springfield, Mo.
For more information about the Lebanon I-44 Speedway and the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series 2014 season visit the website at WWW.I44Speedway.Net and keep updated with the Speedway's Facebook page.
Hoosier Tire Road Warriors Top 10
1 Robert Blake 15 Lebanon MO 1367 2 Geoffrey Ledford 45 Neosho MO 1114 3 Caston Jones 34 Belle MO 1037 4 Carl Harlow 7 Exeter MO 1002 5 Michael Juergensen 00 Lebanon MO 999 6 Les Mallard 21 Fair Grove Mo 885 7 Alan Ellis 52 Strafford MO 793 8 Gary Barrows 1 Versailles MO 723 9 Aaron Wilke 8 Bridgeton Mo 700 10 Mike Funcannon 38 Cassville MO678
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By Danny Picard
BOSTON -- The Bruins blew two leads in regulation and paid for it in overtime, as former Bruin Brad Boyes scored the game-winner with 1:16 left and gave the Buffalo Sabres a 4-3 win over Boston on Thursday night at the TD Garden.
Boyes skated hard to the left post and tapped in a Nathan Gerbe shot from the lower left circle, after Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas was caught out of position when a shot from the point hit him in the right shoulder and popped out to his right.
Gerbe picked up the loose puck and sent it in between Thomas and the left post to a wide-open Boyes for the game-winner.
Gregory Campbell had put the Bs up 3-2, just 2:18 into the third, knocking home a loose puck out front, after Zdeno Charas blast from the point bounced off several players.
But Buffalo tied the game nearly three minutes later, while on its second 5-on-3 power play of the game, when a puck thrown out front was knocked in by Tim Connolly.
The Bruins and Sabres went into the third period tied at 2-2, after Tyler Ennis and Thomas Vanek each scored in the final eight minutes of the second.
Mark Recchi had given the Bs a 2-0 lead with 8 12 minutes left in the period, knocking in a loose puck out front that was the result of Charas puck work down low, forcing Miller to be out of position. Chara then dished a pass out front and, after Michael Ryder hit the post, Recchi swooped in to knock it home.
Twenty-seven seconds later, Ennis cut the lead to 2-1, and Vanek followed it up with the tying goal, with 1:08 remaining in the period, on a puck that Thomas eventually knocked into his own net with his skate.
The Bs took a 1-0 lead into the second, after some pretty passing by David Krejci and Milan Lucic set up Nathan Horton with an easy goal at the right post. Krejci came down the middle and sent a pass to Lucic in the left circle, who then sent a perfect pass out front to Horton, who tapped it in. Danny Picard is on Twitter at http:twitter.comDannyPicard. You can listen to Danny on his streaming radio show I'm Just Sayin' Monday-Friday from 9-10 a.m. on CSNNE.com.


text: I have for sale a 2007 10th anniversary Cargo Mate enclosed trailer. This grailer is loaded out with every option and upgrade available. Reason for selling it is i no longer have to work and i dont trust my guy not to wreck. I am asking $5000 cas or will consider any and all trades that have to do with my line of work. I am looking for a Chevy 2500 or bigger truck or any lawn equipment.


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03 Jun Another health benefit of wine: A deterrent of food poisoning
We all know that wine has many health benefits (in moderation). It's long been known that red wine can be good for the heart. But apparently, it's also an effective remedy against food poisoning.
According to research, first reported in October 2007, conducted at the University of Missouri, red wine "appears to act as a natural anti-microbial in our intestinal tract." The wines that exhibit this most strongly: Cabernet, Zinfandel, and Merlot.
Red grape juice produced similar results but this was not found in white wine.
Unfortunately, after eating some falafel last week at a falafel stand on Rehov Bezalel in Jerusalem, I came down with a horrible case of food poisoning over Shabbat which – while improved from the situation over the weekend – has still not completely disappeared. I haven't tried the wine yet (and, opened up a bottle of white wine over Shabbat – which I couldn't drink due to the poisoning) but I think a glass is worth a try.


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Recently formed rock quartet Texas Space Monster Jalopy has a pedigree as wild and unexpected as the band's unconventional moniker. Fronted by veteran guitar virtuoso Gary Myrick (best known for his moody, pulsating 1980 New Wave rocker "She Talks in Stereo") and the powerful singer-guitarist Carla Olson (of the influential late '70s pop-punk janglers the Textones and notable collaboration with the Byrds Gene Clark and former Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor), TSMJ is one of the most intriguing new forces currently jolting local bandstands.
The band, which performs Tuesday at Cody's Viva Cantina in Burbank, delivers a relaxed yet authoritative brand of easy rolling, impeccably realized blues and rock. Anchored by drummer Mitch Marine (another well-traveled, veteran player from the Lone Star state) and acclaimed bassist Tony Sales (a Burbank resident whose solid musicianship played a significant part in the late-'70s output of legendary rock titans Iggy Pop and David Bowie), the group's fast evolving repertoire ranges from offbeat covers to brand-new compositions, which, as Sales describes them, "are somewhere between Wilson Pickett meets the Band."
The band is essentially a product of spontaneous rock 'n' roll combustion. A month of two ago, Myrick ran into Marine, who was looking to make good on an offer for a residency from now defunct local club Lucy's 51, and from that point TSMJ's genesis essentially ordered itself.
Shortly after that initial chance meeting, Myrick saw Sales at Toluca Lake diner Paty's. As Sales said, "Gary and I first met 30 years ago and we've always wanted to play together. So, one day I went out to lunch, there he is and this just came together."
Finally, Myrick turned to Olson. "I've known Carla since I was 17, and she was 18, back in Austin. She is one of my oldest and closets friends, so I called her," he said. Naturally, she responded positively and showed up at one of their first gigs. "I was supposed to sit in on one song," Olson said. "But I stayed onstage for the next two and a half hours!"
Together, the estimable foursome excels at a singular brand of wide-open, sunbaked Southwestern jams. At once tender and brawny, they unfailingly exhibit a passionate involvement and an organic, natural sound that lends the music a great appeal.
"We're not competing with Bruno Mars here," Sales said. "We let it take its own form. It's one of these bands where it works, if you let it work. I want to have a good time, I love working with these people and it's a lot of fun."
But just what exactly does that oddball band name mean?
"Well, the band and the name is all my doing — or all my fault, depending on how you look at it," Myrick said. "There are three Texans in the band. Tony's from Cleveland, but we made him an honorary Texan, and I drive an old 1930s hot rod every day. It's kind of a jalopy and so is this band — it's like a monster goin' down the road, out of control!"
What: Texas Space Monster Jalopy
Where: Viva Cantina, 900 W. Riverside Dr., Burbank
When: Tuesday, June 3, 8:30 p.m.
Cost: Free
More info: (818) 845-2425, vivacantina.com
JONNY WHITESIDE is a veteran music journalist based in Burbank and author of "Ramblin' Rose: the Life & Career of Rose Maddox" and "Cry: the Johnnie Ray Story."Editor's Note: This article originally published with an incorrect spelling of Olson. Also, Saul Davis is the photographer.


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Real-Time 3D Echocardiography for Congenital Heart Disease: From Fetus to Adults
Shuping X. Ge, MD, FACC, FASE
Professor of Pediatrics
Drexel University College of Medicine
Chief of Cardiology, St. Christopher's
Hospital for Children
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Chair, Department of Pediatrics
Deborah Heart and Lung Center
Browns Mills, New Jersey
Past President, CnAHA (Chinese American Heart Association)
No longer a bizarre, static image, blurry at best, 3D echocardiography (3DE) has become a dynamic visual tool, producing either gray-scale or Doppler color images, instantly available. It has rapidly become the technology of choice for the imaging of cardiovascular disease.
Real-Time 3D Echocardiography for Congenital Heart Disease: From Fetus to Adult is the first book to cover the applications of this technology throughout the human lifespan. Dr. Ge has assembled a stellar team of authors who have contributed not only clear and concise descriptive text, but also illustrations of the highest quality.
The ability to measure a heart's size, volume, flow, and function in such a direct, qualitative, and quantitative manner has never before been possible. It is the expectation of the authors that this new technology and its widespread application will elevate the quality of care for these patients. This text is intended to enable more widespread use of real-time 3DE and hasten the hoped-for improvements in care and outcome for patients of all ages with congenital heart disease.
This book will fill a gap in the literature for a diverse audience including pediatric cardiologists, congenial heart surgeons, anesthesiologists, high-risk Ob/Gyn specialists, neonatologists, adult congenital disease specialists, pediatric residents, fellows, nurses, physician assistants, and other health care professionals.
· The first monograph focusing on the full human lifespan from fetus to adult with congenital heart disease.
· Presents a brief description of the history, concepts, techniques, and clinical applications of this technology.
· Invited contributors are internationally renowned experts in this field
· eBook scheduled after print publication featuring 3D echo videos.
Cardiologists, pediatric cardiologists, congenial heart surgeons, anesthesiologists, high-risk Ob/Gyn specialists, neonatologists, adult congenital disease specialists
Publication date: March 2014
286 pages/Casebound
Trim siza: 7 x 10" trim
230 Figures
Price $125.00


text: New London? Hey I may be out there on business in the next couple of months. Cool. My best guess from old childhood memories & canoeing with grandparents in the hartford/ma/ri areas: Isn't OLFD is a type/brand of canoe...it's in a boat launch...is there an old metal canoe sitting around or dry docked around the area somewhere? Magnetic --> metal canoe? Cindy Want to learn about geocaching in Hampton Roads? Visit http://www.vageocachers.org Want to learn about geocaching in St. Louis? Visit http://www.geostl.com/SLAGAPostNuke/index.php ----- Original Message ---- From: "jknapp@xxxxxxxx" <jknapp@xxxxxxxx> To: geocaching@xxxxxxxxxxxxx; tnsl <sydstyr@xxxxxxxxxx> Cc: geocaching@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Friday, February 22, 2008 6:43:19 PM Subject: [GeoStL] caching abbr? "OLFD" - Does anyone know what this stands for? It's in a hint.... Do you know what that means. It's in a hint for.... Pilgrim's Landing by Devillo (1/1) N41° 19.779 W72° 20.400 (WGS84) UTM 18T E 722602 N 4578766 Use waypoint: GC189FX ------------------------------------------------- SIUE Web Mail **************************************** For List Info or To make _ANY_ changes, including unsubscribing from this list, click -----> http://www.freelists.org/list/geocaching Missouri Caches Scheduled to be Archived http://tinyurl.com/87cqw