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Game Of Thrones Season 2 Episode 1 recap
I am so greedy with Game of Thrones. Even though the show is the most popular and everything-bedecked in recent memory, I fear/hope we're only a few months away from a full-on theme park. It still feels really special and personal, even if everyone feels the exact same way about Joffrey as I do. So here we go with the inaugural Game Of Thrones recap, where I don't know yet how I'll identify everyone or whether we'll have a special signal for the difference between boobs that merely appear and the ones that really make an appearance. Also, until such time as Daenerys names her dragons I am calling the one on her shoulder "Morty".
To answer everyone's question, No, I haven't read the books; I started to read the first one but then thought I was going to get spoilers I didn't want to know. Yes, I do feel that Jon Snow's hair was a little greasy this week. (Lainey: he says he just stopped washing it when he was shooting so, yeah, it's real grease as opposed to greased on purpose in the hair and makeup trailer.) Finally, no, like everyone who watches this show, I do not catch every single name that goes by, so bear with me when and if I talk about Whitehair Muttonchops (except not, because he is gone. How cool was that spontaneous nosebleed?)
I came back to this recap after having finished it because I want to bolster those of you who are jumping in after the hoopla of last year and found yourselves going "Yeah, sure, it's about a whole bunch of people swirling their capes at one another. So what?" Game of Thrones, if you're having trouble keeping people straight or you're not a medieval mysteries type of person or you don't particularly care why the woman was sleeping with her brother, is not worried about whether or not you're keeping up with the names of the tertiary characters. Instead it puts real, likeable individuals in these awkward situations and kind of shrugs at them. "It's going to suck, can you kind of make the best of it?" The stories make the show so great, of course, but it's also the attitudes. Everyone hates what's going on; everyone faces up to it anyway.
Despite my being excited to see the episode it really did reek of being a season premiere, catching up everyone who hadn't seen it before and spent the episode going "who's that? Who's that?" I don't mind this where Joffrey is concerned. I know a bunch of people hate him and I do not understand this philosophy at ALL. He is the most hilarious source of medieval torture-fun I can imagine. And the boy has imagination! Anyone can behead someone. Joffrey's creative about his torture. Stuffing a man full of wine until he drowns? That's something special. I'm not really joking. I don't particularly expect Joffrey to live another year but I do think he's going to prove to be a challenge to those who try to control him before somebody offs him. He isn't just entitled, he's righteous; once you start to think about that, you wonder if that isn't part of what's required in a king, however terrifying. You need someone who isn't going to doubt his every decision. Of course, it means there are countless people like Sansa who has learned, for her own survival, how to manipulate the crazy-ass King. When her loyalty was questioned after Tyrion apologized for the death of her father, and she spouted her line, Tyrion Lannister learns for the first time that he can feel contempt for a child, well, that was pretty fantastic. In that moment, when she says her mother and brother are traitors, even though he hates them, he essentially writes her off. Isn't that fantastic?
It's not that surprising because Tyrion himself is, of course, fantastic, and I love that he relishes being the new hand even though I really have no time for that lady friend of his. She just makes me tired. But the people who are happy are boring, and even though Tyrion is more interesting than most, I can't wait for him to get into trouble. I like that he spends time stirring up the ire of the gorgeous Cersei - "[Your love of your children is] your one redeeming quality; that and your cheekbones" - and I think we'll find, now that the writers have had a chance to see which cast work best with whom, that Tyrion/Cersei scenes will be the meat of this season but I don't love lazy, indolent Tyrion. Let me be clear, I would trust him to entertain me by reading the "color-of-hair" book but I like him best when he's trying to stay out of danger using only his wits.
Maybe the inverse is Robb Stark. Honestly, am I the only one who finds him completely somnolence-inducing? He's too upstanding, too noble, doesn't seem to have any faults, and unlike Joffrey, he's not doing anything interesting to Jamie Lannister, other than telling him what the entirety of the world already knows: that he is Joffrey's real father. Why can't we get some creative torture out of this, or some old-fashioned humiliation? This is why, even though Robb would probably be a merciful king, he won't be an interesting one. (Lainey: he needs to have some sex.)
And this is not a fair assessment, because Jon Snow did not much except scowl at the daughter-hoarder who made them into his wives, and yet I love him, and I would watch him and Sam (Samm?) coil rope, that's how much I love him. But I was distracted, because for the amount of shock these characters display at people's incest, you wouldn't think there'd be so much of it going on, or that people would be so out in the open. Would you? Like if being a complete and total cretin where your incestuous life was concerned was frowned upon, wouldn't you think he wouldn't be quite so up front? Obviously, the line addressed to Snow, having to learn to be a follower to someday be a leader, made an impact on me, as you can see in the title. But this was only the tip of the iceberg where that story was concerned.
There were many of those. Remember when Whitehair Muttonchops bit it after the woman in the red dress who immediately struck me as needing to be nicknamed Yoko anointed another? And Robert Baratheon's brother who seems awfully controlled to be a Baratheon? And the servant woman in Bran's life who warned him the dragons were coming? (Do you love how many personal servants Bran has? "Hodor!") And the mass killing of maybe-heirs? For a show that doesn't really do montages, that was, pardon the cliche, bloody brilliant.
I'm glad someone cares about Arya being missing. I love that Cersei has told Littlefinger exactly how much he doesn't matter, and that I found a way to both love and hate her at the same time after she hauled off and slapped Joffrey, who might actually be driven mad by the knowledge of his parentage. I appreciate that the boobs in Littlefinger's brothel were in the service of proper hard work. Snerk. And I am horrified at how little time we got with my Khaleesi. Especially since Lainey put into my head the idea that Jorah, who's been faithfully by Daenerys' side all this time, is not actually a good guy. I need more, immediately. (Lainey: I have no evidence of this. I just don't like the look of that man and am worried he wants to f-ck her.)
To close, here's a hypothetical: sometimes we binge on shows and sometimes we save them. If you had access to all of GoT but you'd be racing ahead of the reviews and the talk show appearances and the shocking reveals to talk about at work the next morning...what would you do?
If You Want To Lead One Day Learn How To Follow
Game Of Thrones Season 2 Episode 1 recap


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Demiurge Studios
Aliens: Colonial Marines Wii U mysteriously delayed
Aliens: Colonial Marines still has not received a new released date for Wii U having missed a targeted March launch. A Sega representative simply told Gamespot that the publisher has no comment on the matter, and Gearbox and port developer Demiurge are also playing mum. The shooter attracted a great deal of attention at release […]
Demiurge Studios headlines
Shoot Many Robots now available for Android, iOS release planned
Demiurge Studios has announced Shoot Many Robots is now available for download on Android devices from Google Play. Those who aren't Android users shouldn't fret, as it will also be made available for iOS "in the near future." Shoot Many Robots was released on Steam, XBLA and PSN last year.
Demiurge Studios overseeing Aliens: Colonial Marines Wii U
Aliens: Colonial Marines for Wii U is being made at Shoot Many Robots developer Demiurge Studios, Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford has confirmed to Gamasutra.
Launch trailer released for Shoot Many Robots
Ubisoft has released the launch trailer for Shoot Many Robots, the side-scrolling PSN and XBLA title from Demiurge Studios. The game follows the exploits of P. Walter Tugnut as he travels around in his RV filled with guns and beer killing robots. The game contains four-player co-op and item customization in two modes: Traversal, where […]
Shoot Many Robots trailer invites you to Render This
This behind the scenes video for Demiurge's Shoot Many Robots is a little more in-depth than most, eschewing scripted PR babble to show you some of the render tools the team uses.
Ubisoft announces Techland ATV racer in the works, Babel Rising for XBLA and PSN
During its Digital Days event in France and the US, Ubisoft announced and outlined its various titles in the works, starting with a PSN and XBLA version of its iPhone game, Babel Rising.
Ubisoft picks up Shoot Many Robots
A new trailer has been released to celebrate Ubisoft's decision to publish tongue-in-cheek arcade shooter, Shoot Many Robots.
Shoot Many Robots trailer is self-explanatory
There's a trailer through the break, and I bet you can't guess what it's about. Here's a hint: on of the taglines is "learn absolutely nothing". Yeahhh.
Harmonix not developing Green Day: Rock Band [Update]
Update: Harmonix has just sent VG247 this statement, stating Harmonix is working on GD:RB alongside Demiurge and other studios."Green Day: Rock Band is being developed by Harmonix in partnership with Demiurge, MK12 and others."There you have it.Original Story: If this blog post is right, Harmonix isn't working on Green Day: Rock Band.Developer of the retail […]
Demiurge Studios latest
Shoot Many Robots now available for Android, iOS release planned
Ubisoft announces Techland ATV racer in the works, Babel Rising for XBLA and PSN

subset: commoncrawl


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Apple Smartphones - Reviews
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HTC U12+ review: A sharp-looking, pricey, revision of a familiar formula
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Alcatel 1X: An affordable budget device humbled by ambition
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Oppo R15 Pro review: A compelling mid-tier option with lots of value and few compromises
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It doesn't matter whether you're lost in the woods or victim to a large-scale natural disaster, survival scenarios can strike when you least expect them – even while on a relaxing, cruise vacation.
It seems we are reminded each week by some kind of large-scale survival event that these things don't just happen to "the other guy."
The stories from last week's Carnival Cruise meltdown – where passengers were stranded at sea aboard the Triumph for five days while raw sewage overflowed the unflushable toilets – confirm my basic survival teaching philosophies:
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- A survival situation can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time and does on a regular basis.
- Having a few basic survival supplies with you at all times can make a huge difference.
- Basic survival knowledge and skills are very important.
Human survival needs have been the same since the beginning of time. Shelter, water, fire, food, first aid and self-defense will always be critical priorities. At the end of the day, we are the only ones responsible for meeting those needs. Personal responsibility is at the core of survival. Not preparing for the worst is certainly a plan – it's planning to be a victim.
TRENDING: Report: Trump thinking about launching 2024 campaign during Biden's inauguration
Get Creek Stewart's "Build the Perfect Bug Out Bag," your guide to making a 72-hour disaster survival kit, from the WND Superstore!
Do you carry a survival kit with you when you travel?
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If not, let last week's cruise ship fiasco be the last in a long line of high-profile survival lessons. I'd like to outline what a basic survival travel kit should look like. At the minimum, it should contain the following items:
You can die in less than 3 hours without shelter in extreme conditions. Hypothermia is the No. 1 outdoor killer. Cold temperatures, moisture and wind are a recipe for death. Protecting yourself from the scorching sun is equally important. A simple tarp – lightweight and compact – can be erected in a variety of very effective shelter configurations. Knot-tying knowledge is a huge plus.
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These heat-reflective blankets can be a lifesaver in cold weather. They weigh almost nothing and are about the size of a deck of cards. They are also multifunctional and can be used as a shelter canopy, waterproof gear cover, rain collector or poncho.
Not only are these durable, but you can use one to boil and purify dirty water.
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If a fire isn't practical or possible to purify water, having a back-up plan is a must. Humans can survive an average of 3 days without water. A small-profile water filter like a LifeStraw or chemical purification tablets can keep you in fresh water.
The ability to start a fire is critical. Fire can purify water, send recue signals, cook food, make tools, help regulate core body temperature and boost morale. Pack a disposable lighter, a ferro rod and some good fire tinder. My favorite fire tinder is cotton balls mixed with petroleum jelly. They are cheap and easy to make at home. Just one of these will burn for upwards of 5-7 minutes and they can be stored practically forever.
100 feet of 550 parachute cord should be enough to do almost anything you will need. From building shelter to making tools and recue signals, it is an indispensable survival travel item. 550 paracord has 7 inner strands that can be "gutted" from the outer sheath. These inner strands can be used for anything from fishing line to gear repairs.
A good multi-tool is a must. It not only has a knife, but also pliers, wire cutters, screw drivers and a saw. The uses for this product are endless. Also, a flashlight is an indispensable survival tool. I prefer headlamps, but also like small LED keychain lights as well. Zip-lock bags and garbage bags are also incredible survival tools that can be used to contain human waste, transport water and everything in between.
A basic first aid kit should contain a variety of bandages, tweezers, extra glasses, medicines, mole skin, hand sanitizer, antibacterial wipes, toilet paper and some antibacterial ointment.
A whistle and signal mirror can both make the difference between being seen or heard in a rescue scenario.
A variety of energy bars is sufficient for a short term survival scenario. You can live for 3 weeks without food, but having a handful of these will sure make life more comfortable. They are lightweight, packed with calories and have a long shelf-life.
A handgun is my first choice for self-defense. However, it's not always possible to travel with a handgun. A couple other less lethal items are pepper spray and a tactical pen.
A kit like this can easily be packed in a small bag, waist pack or belt pouch and can make all the difference if you ever find yourself in a sudden survival scenario. We live in an unstable and unpredictable world. Triumph over your future survival scenario by packing a good-quality travel kit.
Remember, it's not IF, but WHEN.


text: Job Discussion Forums :: View topic - CBC's in Taiwan Get TEFL Certified & Start Your Adventure Today! Job Discussion Forums"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!" FAQ Search Memberlist Usergroups Register Profile Log in to check your private messages Log in CBC's in Taiwan Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Taiwan View previous topic :: View next topic Author Message marzipanJoined: 23 Jan 2003Posts: 3 Posted: Wed Feb 12, 2003 11:33 am Post subject: CBC's in Taiwan How does a CBC get a job teaching English in Taiwan? I've tried, I've been told that it's possible, but I'm losing hope. Advice anyone? Back to top TaoyuanSteveJoined: 05 Feb 2003Posts: 1028Location: Taoyuan Posted: Thu Feb 13, 2003 3:27 am Post subject: CBC. You mean Canadian born Chinese, right? My girlfriend is a CBC (or CBTaiwanese). You can get work here. She did. She actually makes more than I do. Do you speak mandarin? Most of the major companies employ chinese co-teachers, but smaller ones don't. So, a teacher who is a native English speaker and can speak mandarin is often sought after by these smaller schools. It's also possible to get hired as a Chinese English teacher by the major companies, but your written chinese and kk phonetics had better be really good. Keep looking. I thought it was going to be really hard for my gf to find work. I had even considered the possibility of supporting her while she just took courses or something because I thought she might not find anything. However, she did find something. I think you can too. Back to top marzipanJoined: 23 Jan 2003Posts: 3 Posted: Thu Feb 13, 2003 3:56 am Post subject: Yes, Canadian born Chinese. Only thing is I don't speak Mandarin, I speak Cantonese. Trying to learn Mandarin now. Thanx anyway. Cheers Back to top squidJoined: 13 Feb 2003Posts: 10Location: Taiwan Posted: Sat Feb 15, 2003 4:13 am Post subject: Hong Kong? Post deleted by author. Back to top Display posts from previous: All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Taiwan All times are GMT Page 1 of 1 Jump to: Select a forum Where to Begin----------------General DiscussionNewbie ForumCurrent Events ForumTechnology ForumOnline Teaching Forum Africa Forums----------------General Africa Forum Asia Forums----------------CambodiaChina (Job-related Posts Only)China (Off-Topic)Hong KongIndiaIndonesiaJapanMalaysiaPhilippinesSingaporeTaiwanThailandGeneral Asia ForumVietnam Caribbean Forums----------------General Caribbean Forum Europe Forums----------------Czech RepublicFranceGermanyGreeceItalyMacedonia and the BalkansPolandRomaniaRussia & C.I.S.SpainTurkeyUkraineUnited KingdomGeneral Europe Forum Latin America Forums----------------ArgentinaBrazilChileColombiaCosta RicaMexicoMexico (off-topic)PeruGeneral Latin America Forum The Middle East Forums----------------BahrainEgyptIsraelKuwaitOmanQatarSaudi ArabiaUnited Arab EmiratesGeneral Middle East Forum North America Forums----------------General North America Forum Oceania----------------Australia/New Zealand You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot vote in polls in this forum This page is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling. Contact Dave's ESL Cafe Copyright © 2018 Dave Sperling. All Rights Reserved. Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group Teaching Jobs in China


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Welcome to Maine Coon Cat Nation!
Maine Coon Cat Nation is the complete guide for owners (or future owners!) of this beautiful cat breed. Here, you'll find everything you ever wanted to know about these awesome animals!
Where To Begin... Our Top Sections:
The Care & Keeping Of Your Maine Coon Cat: It's hard to describe the love between a Maine Coon and their family. I know you understand! With such special family members often come special, breed-specific questions and concerns. Your loving Maine Coon is very unique, both physically and in purrsonality.
About The Breed - Unique Traits & Quirks:
These guys and gals are certainly unique! This section is all about those special quirks and personality traits. What makes them tick?
If you are considering this breed, explore our articles to learn about their unique traits and quirks, charismatic personalities, and more. Choosing a breed is an important decision!
There is something alluring, almost mysterious about these beauties. What is it? Here we take a look at their history, characteristics, colors and more.
What is a Maine Coon cat? What makes them one of the most popular breeds? Many people are familiar with this big, beautiful, long haired feline.
It is said they developed their thick coats in response to the cold winters here in Maine. There is so much more to them, though!
You'll want to learn about their characteristics, colors, and an exciting, mysterious history!
Pictures and Videos:
This is our photos and videos section. We have many Monthly Photo Albums to see.
Come see the pictures sent in by visitors, and if you have photos to share, this is the place to do it!
Maine Coon Kittens For Sale
Are you wondering where to get your new Maine Coon cat or kitten? This section is loaded with helpful articles on how to choose a breeder, what to look for at the cattery, and a huge directory of breeders.
There is also info on adoption, and our Rescue Page now has a handy interactive search tool.
You can find a local kitty to rescue with just a few clicks!
All About Kittens:
This section is dedicated to these adorable, irresistible kittens. Find everything related to planning and shopping, and info about introducing a new kitten.
Plus there are lots of names for kittens and many adorable pictures too.
Care & Grooming:
Care and grooming are important parts of life with these pets. Read on for some tips to keep them in top condition!
This section includes info on healthy food, and litter box care as well. There is a lot to think about.
If you already have a Coon (or two) in your life, you'll find lots of useful information regarding their care and grooming. It's not easy being beautiful!
Health Questions:
Each breed has it's own health concerns. Here, we aim to address Maine Coon cat health, common health questions, kitten health and elderly feline health.
Read on to learn about these specific, genetically inherited conditions. If you have health questions, we'll try to cover them here.
Shopping - Top Picks:
Pamper your furry feline friend(s) with the best of the best! We are regularly reviewing the latest products. After sifting through the sea of "stuff" and here we present our Top Picks for litter boxes, toys, outdoor enclosures, scratching posts and trees, flea control and lots more!
Whether you are a new or long-time Maine Coon owner, you'll enjoy our many cat cat care articles on nutrition, grooming, feline health and Photo Galleries.
If you are considering rescuing, adopting or buying a kitten, you'll find informative articles on how to choose a breeder, a full breed history, physical characteristics, colors, personality traits, and lots of kitten names.
You'll find breed-specific information, as well as lots of useful advice for owners of any breed. Whether you already own one of these special animals, or are thinking of bringing one home, you are in the right place!
Tattle Tails and


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Main Street and Wall Street are moving in opposite directions.
Individual investors are plowing money back into the U.S. stock market just as professional strategists say gains for this year are over. About $100 billion has been added to equity mutual funds and exchange-traded funds in the past year, 10 times more than the previous 12 months, according to data compiled by Bloomberg and the Investment Company Institute.
The growing optimism contrasts with forecasters from UBS AG to HSBC Holdings Plc, who say the stock market will be stagnant with valuations at a four-year high. While the strategists have a mixed record of being right, history shows the bull market has already lasted longer than average and individuals tend to pile in at the end of the rally.
"If Wall Street, after poring over all known data, comes up with a target and we're already there, and you still see individual investors buying and they're typically the ones that are late to the party, it would seem there is limited upside," Terry Morris, a senior equity manager who helps oversee about $2.8 billion at Wyomissing, Pennsylvania-based National Penn Investors Trust Co., said in a July 8 phone interview.
U.S. stocks slid from record highs last week, sending the Standard & Poor's 500 Index to the biggest drop since April, amid concern over financial stress in Europe and the timing of higher U.S. interest rates. The Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index jumped 17% from a seven-year low.
Steady Gains
The S&P 500 is still up 6.5% for 2014, compared with a 3.5% advance in the Bloomberg Commodity Index of 22 raw materials and 3.3% gain for the Bloomberg U.S. Treasury Bond Index. S&P 500 futures gained 0.4% at 9:30 a.m. in London today.
For most of this year, equity investors have seen little volatility and steady gains, giving them confidence to put money back into the market. Individuals deposited about $9.5 billion in June to stock funds and have added cash in eight of the past 10 months, data compiled by ICI and Bloomberg show. That's a reversal from the five years through 2012, when $300 billion was withdrawn.
Blue Skies
Professional investors, such as Nick Skiming of Ashburton Ltd., say that individuals investors are attracted to stocks after seeing others getting rich from a big rally, a time when equities are usually overpriced. The bursting of the technology bubble in March 2000 was marked by mutual funds absorbing a record $102 billion in the first quarter.
"As institutional investors, we're always concerned when the retail investor is actually arriving in the market," Skiming, who helps manage $10 billion at Ashburton, said by telephone from Jersey, the Channel Islands. "The retail investor arrives when they can only see blue skies."
For Laszlo Birinyi of Birinyi Associates Inc., stocks have entered what he calls the exuberance phase, the last of four stages usually seen in bull markets. He still sees more gains to come, citing the skepticism on Wall Street as a sign that plenty of investors haven't bought shares yet. The track record of equity strategists as a whole shows the difficulty in predicting stock prices. About half of the time, the S&P 500 ended the year more than 10% away from the average level predicted by strategists in January, according to data compiled by Bloomberg since 1999.
Birinyi expects the S&P 500 to keep advancing as bears capitulate and pick up stocks.
Durable, Sustainable
"This is a durable and sustainable bull market," he said in a July 9 phone interview from Westport, Connecticut. "It's going to surprise us because I still don't think we've got to a point where water is boiling yet."
Birinyi, one of the first analysts to advise clients to buy when stocks were bottoming after the 2008 financial crisis, predicts the S&P 500 will rise 6.7% to 2,100 by December.
Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its S&P 500 forecast today to 2,050 from 1,900. Rising earnings and faster economic growth will push equities higher and stocks are still attractive to bonds, according to a research report from David Kostin, chief equity U.S strategist at the bank.
Wall Street strategists are more cautious with forecasts implying the S&P 500 will rise 0.5% by year-end to 1,978, the average from a Bloomberg survey of 19 investment firms.
Set Back
The end of economic stimulus from the Federal Reserve will lead to more stock-market volatility and lower returns, according to Julian Emanuel, a U.S. equity and derivatives strategist with UBS in New York. Minutes released last week from the Fed meeting in June showed officials agreed they'll end their asset-purchase program in October if the economy holds up.
"When you're making a transition away from the Fed being the primary driver to corporate profits and a growing economy, it's more muted returns," Emanuel said by phone on July 10. "Stocks will pause or set back a little."
Relatively expensive valuations will also limit future gains, according to Garry Evans, HSBC's global head of equity strategy in Hong Kong. He said in a report last week that the S&P 500 will finish the year at 2,000, a 1.6% gain from last week's close. The index trades at 16.6 times projected earnings, near the highest level in four years, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
Earnings Season
Investors will get more clues about the health of the economy during the next two weeks with more than 200 companies in the S&P 500 releasing quarterly results. Profit probably rose 4.5% in the three months through June, analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg show.
The bull market, which has almost tripled the S&P 500's value since 2009, is closer to the end than the beginning, said Walter Todd, who oversees about $980 million as chief investment officer at Greenwood Capital Associates LLC. The rally has lasted 64 months, about a year longer than average, according to data since 1962 compiled by Birinyi and Bloomberg.
"To the extent that investors start to put a lot of money into the market, it would certainly be late," Todd said in a July 9 phone interview from Greenwood, South Carolina. "But to say that the end is going to happen in the next few months, I don't agree with that."
Related on ThinkAdvisor:


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Significant excitement is building in the IT community as Microsoft prepares for the rollout of the latest version of its flagship collaboration and document management tool, SharePoint Server 2010. Many organizations have already deployed or are in the process of deploying the current version, Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, but want to ensure that they are prepared to upgrade their environment to SharePoint 2010 in the near future.
While not all details of SharePoint 2010 are publicly available, Microsoft has released certain key information which can be used by SharePoint architects to prepare for an eventual upgrade. This information, organized into five steps in this document, can help an organization make informed decisions in advance of the release of the software.
Step 1: Plan for 64bit Architecture
For some time now, Microsoft has made it known that this next version of SharePoint will only run as a 64-bit version. To ease the transition, it is subsequently highly recommended to deploy any new SharePoint 2007 servers on 64-bit hardware and software, so as to make it easier to transition web parts or custom components to SharePoint 2010.
Since SharePoint 2010 will only run on Windows Server 2008 x64 or Windows Server 2008 R2 x64, it's subsequently a good idea to consider deploying any new SharePoint servers on one of those OSs, to help prepare administrators for the changes in administration, particularly within Internet Information Services (IIS) 7.0/7.5.
Step 2: Upgrade Clients
One highly significant change from a client support perspective is that SharePoint Server 2010 will NOT support any versions of Internet Explorer previous to IE7. This includes IE6, which is currently highly pervasive at many organizations.
Because it can take a significant amount of time to transition client machines and train employees on new browsers, it is highly recommended to begin this process early. Note that Microsoft also supports Mozilla Firefox 3.x as a browser and has improved support with Safari browsers.
Along with browser changes, an upgrade to SharePoint 2010 can be a good time to upgrade client Office versions to versions that have better SharePoint support, such as Office 2007. Office 2010 offers the most complete integration with SharePoint 2010, but won't be released until around the same timeframe as SharePoint 2010.
Software deployment tools such as Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R2 can assist with an Office client upgrade in advance of a migration to SharePoint 2010.
Step 3: Upgrade to SharePoint 2007 SP2
A prerequisite for migration of an existing SharePoint 2007 environment to SharePoint 2010 is the application of SP2 for Windows SharePoint Services (WSS) and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (MOSS 2007) (if installed.) Service Pack 2 contains functionality improvements, hotfixes, and the extensions to the STSADM command-line tool that allow the farm to be checked for upgrade readiness to SharePoint 2010.
When installing SP2, be sure to install it on all farm members. Also be sure that you have downloaded the updated versions of WSS and MOSS 2007 SP2 released after July 29th, 2009, which include a critical SharePoint licensing fix.
Step 4: Run the PreUpgradeCheck Tool and Mitigate Issues
The most useful tool at your disposal when preparing for a SharePoint 2010 migration is the 'PreUpgradeCheck' tool, which is really just an extension to the command-line STSADM tool found in all SharePoint farms.
Running 'STSADM –o preupgradecheck' from the '\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server extensions\12\bin' directory on a SharePoint server runs a series of checks that validates if your farm is ready for a SharePoint 2010 migration.
Prerequisites are verified, customizations examined, and remediation steps are listed when running this tool. This tool is also configured to be 'read-only' against your SharePoint databases to avoid any concern against running it in production. Note that this extension to STSADM is only available after upgrading to SP2.
Step 5: Take the Opportunity to Rearchitect
Finally, when considering a migration to SharePoint 2010, consider re-architecting your farm topology to comply with current SharePoint Best Practices. This could mean deploying multiple farms to provide for test and development environments; it could mean deploying SharePoint on virtual server infrastructure such as Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V, or it could mean deploying multiple SharePoint servers to provide for high availability. In other words, take the opportunity provided by the migration to fine-tune your environment to better match your organization's needs.
Organizations planning to migrate to SharePoint 2010 can simplify the migration process by beginning to plan for the upgrade in advance. Performing the steps outlined above can simplify the migration process and help you identify any roadblocks in advance.


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Feeling strong, Ludwick comes early to Reds camp
GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Reds left fielder Ryan Ludwick's surgically repaired right shoulder wasn't back to 100 percent, he estimated, until the end of December.
But the key thing for Ludwick is that it's 100 percent now.
"The good thing is I've been crushing my legs because I wasn't able to lift upper body until Nov. 6. It's helped my base and my core a lot," Ludwick said. "It feels good to be strong again."
Ludwick, 35, was the latest position player who reported to Spring Training early Monday. The full squad isn't required to be in camp until Wednesday.
Expected to be a key run producer in the middle of the lineup last year after he signed a two-year, $15 million contract, Ludwick's season was wrecked on Opening Day. He separated his shoulder sliding headfirst into third base vs. the Angels.
The injury required surgery to repair a torn labrum and four months on the disabled list to rehab. After Ludwick returned in August, he batted .240 with only two home runs and 12 RBIs in 129 at-bats over 38 games. It was a big loss for the offense after he had 26 homers and 80s RBIs in 2012.
"I think a lot of people don't understand that you come off of surgery, you rehab for four months, you're not going to be as strong as you are the following year," Ludwick said. "I kept telling people around me that they don't understand that. I've been through surgeries and you're never back feeling good until a year post-op."
With his body healed and in shape, Ludwick expects to produce again for the Reds.
"I guess one of the positive things is I got a lot of rest last year, my body did," he said. "And I didn't need any motivation this year to get into good shape. Any time the game is taken away from you, you kind of get a little bit more hungry. It was a good offseason."


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Rochelle Community Hospital Foundation
Develop and grow financial resources to support Rochelle Community Hospital in providing excellence in healthcare for our community.
The Rochelle Community Hospital Foundation will be the charity of choice to financially support the Rochelle Community Hospital by developing and nurturing the growth of a community of donors and as acting as good stewards of all contributions.
Our Future Depends On You...
Rochelle Community Hospital Foundation continues to grow due to the hardworking, devoted, loyal people of this community - the true owners of this hospital. We offer comprehensive healthcare to a service area that includes Rochelle, Creston, Lindenwood, Esmond, Kings, Oregon, Ashton, and Steward.
For over 80 years, we have been caring for generations of families, and your generous support helps ensure that this quality healthcare continues. Together, we can secure the future of our community's healthcare, maintain a vital community asset and preserve a community gift.
"Simply put, this hospital belongs to the community... we need it. It's a gift, a cooperative community area project. Let's help provide the fund we need to keep our momentum going, to continue to grow with the community and to enhance our services."
- Deanie Springmire


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Cobalt BDCO-9005 8mm
Are made from a unique alloy blend that consists of cobalt and other substances to offer a bright white alternative metal. It will never need plating and is so white it is often compared to platinum in color. This metal is bio-inert, making it compatible with the human body. Cobalt is harder than platinum with a scratch resistant surface. It will not break, shatter or chip thus providing extreme durability and wear. The luster and finish will not fade or tarnish in any way.
This item may come in half sizes! Call to ask!


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Vail Daily column: Dragon slayers never give up
Did you ever notice that in almost every movie, if not every movie, that includes a dragon slayer, the hero is going solo?
It's true, man or woman, adult or child, wizard or warlock, at some point the defender of our safety ends up fighting the fire-breathing beast alone.
Pushed backwards to the edge of a precipice or cliff our valiant dragon slayer is down to just their sword and shield and, in some cases, just his or her sword. I have even seen in some movies where they may have no weaponry at all, they are in the final throws of battle with just their bare hands, just like Harry Potter who lost his wand.
As viewers of a movie or readers of the book we are caught up in this intense moment with the character, our hands get sweaty and our hearts race as if we are the ones in battle and quite possibly about to die. With all of our hearts and might, we "will" the hero to succeed. We so very much want them to win. I mean, really, who ever really roots for the dragon?
Let's fast forward to the present day and our careers, our work place, our relationships, and our world. The dragons still exist, but I believe they are metaphorical dragons who we allow to frighten us, intimidate us, and threaten our success. We might feel like the dragons are our competitors, our difficult customers, the economy, or even people in our lives who for whatever reason seem to be against us.
The truth is that the biggest dragons we face are self-imposed and come in the shape of bad attitudes, lack of work ethic, compromised personal character, and wrong behaviors. So many people I coach and speak with completely understand their competitive landscape, they know who their enemies are and how they behave, they recognize the impact that the economy has and real world environment that they work and play in. But what they fight most often, the dragons that frustrate them beyond any other are the self-imposed belief systems or habits that they themselves have created.
Journey back with me to the movie scene, our hero or heroine is backed up to a cliff, the dragon is furiously breathing fire and attacking with claws and spiked tail, and the dragon slayer has two choices and two choices only … they can accept defeat and be killed by the dragon, or they can fight back, finding the dragons weak spot, and thrusting their sword into that spot to claim victory.
Even the dragon slayer who has lost sword and shield and whose demise seems imminent, somehow in the climactic moment a new sword appears and a sun shines behind the dragon casting the dragon in a silhouette, and our hero/heroine emerges victorious. This is you, you are a dragon slayer, no matter what battle you are facing, no matter how close to the edge you are, you can fight back, that relationship is yours if you really want it, that job is yours, that promotion is yours, that goal is yours, and even that addiction you are struggling with is yours to defeat.
Here we are in October, we have a few months to go, and we may still have some dragons we need to defeat. I would love to hear all about how you plan on fighting back or even how you have defeated those dragons of yesterday to achieve your success at firstname.lastname@example.com. Become a dragon slayer this week and I guarantee it will be a better than good week for you.
Michael Norton is a strategic consultant, business and personal coach and motivational speaker, and CEO of http://www.candogo.com. He writes a weekly motivational column for the Vail Daily.
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Vail Resorts' cancellation of cloud seeding this winter could mean less water in streams
Due to budget shortfalls, Vail Resorts has pulled this winter's funding for its cloud seeding program — the longest-running in the state at 44 years — potentially reducing the amount of water flowing down the…


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Connector Pin Insertion & Height Measurement
Connector Pin Height Measurement
Product used: LAL500 series linear, LAR500 series linear rotary
Objective: Flexible Insertion Systems, for press fit and solderless interconnects on PCB boards. Fitting contact pins into PCB boards with high speed and the optional ability to choose orientation using LAL500 & LAR500. Customer needed a faster and more flexible Solution. So far they had to turn the board to change pin orientation.
Solution: With the LAL500, SMAC achieved a profile below 200ms. With the LAR500, customer can choose pin orientation on the fly, pin by pin.
Connector Pin Height Measurement
Product used: LCA25 series linear and LCS50 series linear slide
Objective: Customer wanted to replace ball Screw & LVDT arrangement, which was the slowest part of the process in their testing machine. Also the spring loaded LVDT did not offer repeatability that they were looking for. They needed devices that are high speed and precise with flexibility in programming.
Result: Higher speed, higher throughput, higher repeatability, more time for more checks to be added.


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Manti Te'o on girlfriend hoax story: 'victim' of 'sick joke'
- Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te%27o%27s inspirational story turned out to be false
- His story about playing in the weeks following his girlfriend%27s death and subsequent funeral turned out to be a hoax
- Te%27o called himself a %27victim%27 of %27someone%27s sick joke%27 in a response statement
Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o's inspirational story about playing in the weeks following his girlfriend's death and subsequent funeral in September turned out to be false after a Deadspin.com article revealed Te'o's girlfriend didn't exist.
In what has been described as an elaborate hoax, Te'o's girlfriend, Lennay Kekua, was an online persona created by Ronaiah Tuiasosopo, a friend of Te'o's and a pastor at a church in Palmdale, Calif.
In a statement issued by CAA, which represents Te'o, the Notre Dame star called himself a "victim" of "someone's sick joke." The response statement read:
"This is incredibly embarrassing to talk about, but over an extended period of time, I developed an emotional relationship with a woman I met online," Te'o said. "We maintained what I thought to be an authentic relationship by communicating frequently online and on the phone, and I grew to care deeply about her.
"To realize that I was the victim of what was apparently someone's sick joke and constant lies was, and is, painful and humiliating.
It further pains me that the grief I felt and the sympathies expressed to me at the time of my grandmother's death in September were in any way deepened by what I believed to be another significant loss in my life.
"I am enormously grateful for the support of my family, friends and Notre Dame fans throughout this year. To think that I shared with them my happiness about my relationship and details that I thought to be true about her just makes me sick. I hope that people can understand how trying and confusing this whole experience has been.
"In retrospect, I obviously should have been much more cautious. If anything good comes of this, I hope it is that others will be far more guarded when they engage with people online than I was. Fortunately, I have many wonderful things in my life, and I'm looking forward to putting this painful experience behind me as I focus on preparing for the NFL Draft."


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Mauer has 4 RBIs to lead Twins over Orioles, 6-4
BALTIMORE (AP) — The Minnesota Twins were counting on their best pitcher to pull the team out of its latest funk, and Phil Hughes delivered.
Hughes held Baltimore without an earned run over eight innings, Joe Mauer had four RBIs and the Twins won 6-4 Monday to avoid a four-game sweep.
Nelson Cruz hit his major-league leading 36th home run and Nick Hundley had a three-run shot for the Orioles, whose lead in the AL East over the idle New York Yankees slipped to 8 1/2 games.
After being outscored 24-11 in the first three games of the series, Minnesota won for only the second time in nine tries.
Hughes (15-9) gave up five hits, no walks and three unearned runs. The right-hander has allowed one earned run or fewer in five of his last six starts.
"He's been huge," Mauer said. "Whenever we give him the ball, we feel like we have a real good chance of winning."
Following a 4-14 season with the Yankees last year, Hughes has accounted for 25 percent of Minnesota's 60 wins.
"I feel like I got away with a lot of mistakes today," the right-hander said. "But I had good enough stuff to overcome that and was able to make some pitches. That was kind of the story."
Mauer tripled in two runs in the sixth inning and added a two-run single in the eighth to put Minnesota ahead for good. The victory provided the last-place Twins with reason to believe they can put a positive finish on a miserable season.
"We're 1-0 in September and we need Joe to pick us up," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "Let's have a good September here. That's kind of our battle cry, and it's going to be led by him, no doubt."
Hughes should play a part, too.
"He's had a solid year for them," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "He's always taking the ball, giving innings. He's a good addition."
After Hughes left, Glen Perkins gave up a leadoff homer to Cruz in the ninth before getting three straight outs for his 33rd save.
Hughes and Orioles rookie Kevin Gausman (7-7) matched zeroes until the sixth inning, when the Twins took a 3-0 lead.
Danny Santana and Brian Dozier hit one-out singles before Mauer hit an opposite-field liner to left that bounced off the wall toward center. Mauer ended up with his second triple of the season, and Kennys Vargas followed with a sacrifice fly.
In the seventh, a single and a throwing error by third baseman Trevor Plouffe preceded Hundley's two-out drive into the left-field seats.
The deadlock didn't last long. Gausman gave up a leadoff walk in the eighth, and an error by third baseman Jimmy Paredes put runners on second and third with no outs. Mauer singled off Andrew Miller, took second on the throw to the plate and scored on a single by Vargas.
"It kind of (stinks) that I walked the leadoff guy in the eighth inning," Gausman said. "That kind of came back to bite us."
Gausman allowed five hits and four earned runs in a career-high 7 1-3 innings, losing his third straight start.
"I thought I threw the ball where I wanted to," he said. "A lot of their hitters are down hitters, so I think fastball up was a big pitch for me today. I used it effectively. I mixed in all my pitches."
Twins: C Kurt Suzuki, who sat out Sunday's game after taking a foul tip in the chin on Saturday night, returned to the starting lineup.
Orioles: 1B Steve Pearce missed a third straight game with an abdominal strain, but Showalter said Pearce is improving and should be back in a day or two. Also, SS J.J. Hardy was pulled after the seventh inning with back spasms.
"I sure hope I'll be in there (Tuesday)," he said. "I think getting out of there today was probably the right decision."
Twins: The Twins return home to face the White Sox on Tuesday night. Minnesota starter Tommy Milone is 1-0 with an 0.86 ERA against Chicago.
Orioles: Baltimore opens a three-game interleague series against visiting Cincinnati. The Orioles haven't lost two in a row at home since June 28-29.


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The Return of the Thunderbird: Avian Mystery of the Black Forest
by Gerald Musinsky
"There are no more conspicuous creatures than birds... Certainly it is very rarely that a large and quite unknown bird is discovered." -- Bernard Heuvelmans
Once known as the Forbidden Land, the Pennsylvania Black Forest region encompasses Clinton, Potter, Lycoming, Tioga, Cameron, and McKean counties. Predominantly sparsely populated state forest and game lands, it has been haunted for centuries by giant aves known as "thunderbirds."
The earliest known account is that of Mrs. Elvira Ellis Coats, who claimed to have seen Thunderbirds in the 1840's (Lyman, Sr., Robert R. Amazing Indeed, Strange Events in the Black Forest vol 2. 94). But even now, people continue to claim having seen this mythical bird.
Inside the Black Forest.
Before dusk in July, 1993, Shane Fisher, his mother and father, saw a very large bird flying above the trees on their property near Larry's Creek. "Looked just like a Piper Cub. You could hear the air rush through the wings," Shane Fisher said.
He described the bird as eagle-like with large black eyes, larger beak than an eagle, no light markings, and wings "wider than a cross bar on a telephone pole." His father thought it "had to be some kind of eagle" so he searched through a reference guide for birds of prey, but to no avail.
No hawk or eagle fit the description. Fisher's mother said it was "large enough to carry one of us away."
Early one April evening, Tammy Golder and her two year old son returned home on Beaver Lake Road. As she travelled a steep grade known as Frantz Hill a few miles east of Hughesville, her headlights revealed a very large bird.
"It jumped and circled over the hood, then hit the truck above the windshield on the passenger side and flew off! It wasn't a turkey or a vulture," she said. The bird left a dent the size of an apple in the cab roof. She was traveling about 40 mph when it hit the truck. She couldn't believe it survived and flew away.
In late September, 1992 as Kim Foley drove home late in the afternoon her two year old son, Jayson shouted, "Mommy, look at the puppy!"
What she saw was not a dog, but a large bird hunched over a deer carcass. "I expected to see a dog," she explained. "But it was a very big bird eating a dead deer. It was huge!" she said, "and dark brown, almost black, an ugly beak. Looked right at us in the car, it was that tall."
At the time of the sighting she was near Mt. Zion Church cemetery, south of a marsh near State Game Lands No. 252 and North White Deer Ridge in Lycoming County. Her sighting occurred where a bird of such dimensions would attract the least attention. No houses.
The former dental technician, admits she's not a bird expert but knew it was not an eagle after looking through a field guide. "More powerful, bigger chest and shoulders, and a big, ugly beak,... Something like this," she said pointing to Steller's sea eagle (Haliaeetus Pelagicus), "but not that one. It was much bigger."
Two weeks later near Hyner, in Clinton County, Dave Sims and children, Zach and Casey, saw a large bird. "It flew ahead of the truck and disappeared in the trees," he said. "I know the hawks around here, but I never saw this one before," Sims continued. "I've heard `thunderbird' stories but chalked that up to regional folklore. I don't know if this was or not, but it was a big, dark gray bird, and flew faster than 55 mph."
In June, Todd Hackenberg and Erin Goundie went crawfish hunting in Young Woman's Creek near North Bend. About 4:30 that afternoon while driving parallel to the creek, Goundie pointed to a large bird standing in the shallow water.
"Down from the spillway stood an awfully big, whitish bird," she said, "About five feet tall, had a long beak, thick legs as long as the stocky body. The neck was long. Not skinny, not thick. Didn't look like a bird that belonged around here, it was so big and strange." To get a better look, Hackenberg drove in reverse but lost sight of the bird in the trees.
"The wings were as wide as the creek. Two and half times longer than the body... held straight like an airplane when it flew off," Hackenberg said.
The shoreline is thickly wooded except at the clearing where the sighting occurred less than thirty feet from the observers. Hackenberg is familiar with hawks, vultures, and eagles, but Goundie is not. Both agree the bird was very large and very strange looking.
Later that summer Allison Stearn was hiking near Shingletown when she saw a bird she described, "like a small plane, dark brown or black, and maybe some yellow. I guess it could've been a Golden Eagle. Do they get that big? I mean, it was like an airplane."
On Thanksgiving Day 1989, Shannon Breiner saw what she thought was a deer on her grandmother's farm near Barbours. When she approached, the creature stood up on two legs and ran towards the swamp. Before it was out of sight, she saw it had no arms!
The creature was "a large eagle-like bird." Where she first spotted the bird she saw a mound of grass flattened in the center like a large ground nest. Breiner, a librarian at Pennsylvania State University is an avid raptor enthusiast. "Not a stork or heron, it had a shorter and thicker neck, and broad chest and shoulders. Not a frail bird," she said.
The area around Barbours (not far from Hughesville) has coniferous and deciduous forest, high elevations, swamp and farmland, and is sparsely populated. Ideal for a giant bird of prey.
While solo backpacking the Doughnut Hole Trail in Sproul State Forest in August 1977, Terry McCormick, a science teacher, saw what he thought "was an airplane in trouble because of how low and silent it flew, as if the engine had cut out." As he watched the plane fly near he realized "it was a bird and when it flapped its wings once and flew out of sight."
McCormick described it as dark brownish gray with a large beak and a straight leading wing edge. Certainly larger than any known eagle. "At least not one I've ever seen before," McCormick said before balking about its size. "How big is a Piper Cub? Because that's how big it looked," he said.
Driving through the Algerines, Russ Powers, Jr. and Denny Eckley stopped for deer crossing the road at Bear Run. As they watched, they saw a bird with wings that "spanned the forest road." The deer bolted into the surrounding woods, except the yearling that stood on the road. Out of nowhere the bird attacked, ripping the yearling's vital areas, and turned to look at them. It flew off struggling with its kill before disappearing above the trees.
Powers described the bird as having: "a longer and less hooked beak than an eagle, dark grayish brown plumage, thick legs, talons larger than a man's hand, and grayish legs." The head was flat with "feathers, like on a chick." The bird stood "eye level with us" and had wings as wide as the forest road, approximately 14-16 feet.
Later Powers and Eckley went to a library and found a photograph in what Powers thought might be The Guiness Book of World Records. The photo depicted a giant bird nailed to a barn wall with the caption "Thunderbird" greatly resembled what they saw.
Often people believe they have seen a particular photograph of a giant bird but cannot recall the source (Hall, Mark, Thunderbirds, 65-66) This mysterious photograph resurfaces from time to time in "thunderbird" lore and is an autonomous enigma.
In August, 1945, the school bus left Helen Erway off by Ole Bull 2 miles from home because the dirt road had been oiled. After walking near a stretch of pines along the road she saw a large shadow on the ground. Overhead was a very large bird. She feared being carried off, so she ran until a neighbor stopped and drove her home. "It was not an eagle. The wings were straight out. It made a high pitch noise. The shadow on the road was about 30 feet," she said recalling the incident.
Erway suffered severe nightmares and could not sleep or eat. Finally her parents took her to her grandmother, Marion Erway, an Indian "medicine woman", who told her she saw a Thunder Bird. That it was there to protect her because she was part Indian. Her grandmother said it was a magic moment and that Helen shouldn't be frightened.
Helen Erway also told of a "thunderbird" hovering over Delbert Schoonover, when he was bitten by a rattlesnake by the dam, until help arrived. Other loggers who came to assist him also saw the bird.
Contemporary "thunderbirds" are not limited to the scenic areas of the Keystone State. Significant sightings have occurred in Illinois, West Virginia, and other states across America. Not surprising since the Thunder Bird myth was as wide spread among the Native Americans.
The Thunder Bird is a nature spirit shared by most if not all Algonquian tribes (McClintock, Walter. "The Thunderbird Myth I" 170 and 16; also Alanson Skinner, "The Algonkin and The Thunderbird" 71-72).
According to Winnabego tradition, "Thunder is a spirit, and it is an emblem of war, it is winged, mighty and awful and it is called the Thunder Bird." (Curtis, Natalie, THE INDIANS BOOK: Song & Legends of the American Indian 252).
The Chippewa supreme bird had "eyes of fire, his glance was lightning, and the motions of his wings filled the air with thunder." (Emerson, Ellen Russell. Indian Myths 34). Concerning the origins of thunderstorms, "The Mandan supposed that it was because the thunderbird broke through the clouds (Hodge, Frederick Webb Handbook of American Indians (North of Mexico) 747)."
This colloquial nomenclature to identify a raptor larger than an eagle is presumably inappropriate since the Thunder Bird in the majority of Native American myths is benevolent toward humans. "Thunder Bird... was a friend of man... a willing protector; ...also a teacher and, at times, a creator" (Wherry, Joseph E. Indian Myths of the West 59-60). "It was the Thunderbird who taught the Kwakiutl how to build houses." (Wherry 60-65).
An Assiniboin account claims, "...but the old Thunder, or big bird is wise and excellent, he never kills or injures anyone" (Judson, Katherine B. Myths and Legend of the Great Plains 48).
But a Comanche story differs, "...a hunter once shot a large bird...it was so large he was afraid to go near it alone..." (Judson, 47). The hunter believed he shot a Thunder Bird. When he returned with the Medicine Man and others from the village, the bird was gone, and the hunter was struck by lightning during the resulting storm. This tale implies another large bird, not a mythical deity, but an earthly creature, existed concurrently with early Native Americans.
Thunder Bird lore can be classified as a benevolent nature deity or a malicious predator; not a spirit but mortal and co-extant with the aboriginal inhabitants of pre-colonial North America. The non-spirit myth might lead to the conceivable origins of giant birds reported in more recent times.
Powerful enough to carry away full grown deer, the piasa was a bird of prey and in spite of its size, could quickly surprise a hunter and carry him off to devour him in its cave. Entire villages were decimated.
A painted rock once existed near present day Alton, Illinois honoring Chief Ouatago and his band of twenty braves who slew the beast and delivered the Illini from its grizzly depredations (Russell, John. "The Piasa, An Indian Tradition of the Illinois", The Piasa 11-19).
The Hu-huk (Hoh-hoq) was a mythical bird of prey among the Pawnee was said to devour hunters (Curtis 258). Described as cannibalistic it is similar in behavior to the piasa; having tasted human flesh preferred it to deer.
"According to Indian legends the thunderbird flew down, seized a victim by the shoulders, and carried the prey to a barren mountain top where it was devoured. First the belly was ripped open, while the victim was still alive, and then the insides were eaten. Lastly, it picked a hole in the skull and ate the brain.
The Indians said it was capable of carrying away deer or a man" (Lyman, Sr. Amazing Indeed 93). Lyman's "thunderbird" is unlikely the same Thunder Bird mentioned in the vast amount of Native American myths.
Other accounts of giant birds preying on humans in post-colonial times exist. Stories such as Marie Delex and Jemmie Kenny (Pouchet, F. The Universe 255), Landy Junkins ("A Modern Roc" St. Louis Globe Democrat, February 1895 7) and Marlon Lowe (The Daily Pantograph July 1977 A-3) which irritate ornithologists fearing unwarranted attacks on more familiar and endangered species.
But also, these tales appear to substantiate Indian accounts of immense avian carnivores lingering from a neolithic past which might still exist in the most remote parts of North America, like the Black Forest region of Pennsylvania.
Regional historian and folklorist, Robert Lyman, Sr. recorded "thunderbird flocks" were seen near Dent's Run in 1892, (94).
.......Renovo River Area. Source: Mckittrick.com
In April 1922, Hiram Crammer saw his first Thunderbird with a 35 foot wing spread at Hammersley Fork. In 1957 "thunderbirds" appeared regularly over Renovo, Westport, Shintown, and Hammersley Fork (Cranmer's letter-to-the-editor, FATE, August 1957, also Lyman 94).
Near Bush Dam in 1964, road workers watched a "thunderbird" carry off a fawn (Lyman 95). A couple saw a giant bird fly at the car. "She said the claw was at least 4 times as big as her hand, and its legs as large as her arm..."
"Thunderbirds" soared over Jersey Shore in 1970, with estimated 18 foot wings. A family saw a "gigantic winged creature... almost like an airplane" (96).
In 1971, two women saw a "'thunderbird' devouring a dead opossum, "...its wings covered the tops of four trees which was 18 feet" (97).
In 1892, a farmer in Centerville caught a bird eating a dead cow at the edge of his field. Former Potter County school superintendent, A. P. Akeley, saw the bird and said "its color was grey. It stood upright. He is not sure how tall it was, but certainly over 4 feet and perhaps as much as 6 feet" (Lyman 97).
Near Coudersport in 1940, Lyman Sr. sighted a huge bird "between 3 and 4 feet tall... like a very large vulture.... its wing spread was equal to the width of the road..." (97).
The number of giant birds sighted in Pennsylvania were numerous enough for Mark A. Hall to devote a chapter on "Pennsylvania Thunderbirds," in his book Natural Mysteries (67-82, also see Thunderbirds). He lists additional sightings at Jersey Shore, Oregon Hill, Sundlinerville, Cross Forks, by Lyman and others, and the last near Snow Shoe by Herb Nesman (Hall 77-78). Nesman also later revealed that he and several others had seen small flocks near Hammersley Fork in the 1940's and recalled Cranmer's theories about "thunderbirds" and the Eastern Condor (another regional avian myth).
After the Agnes [Hurricane] Flood of 1973, a Renovo librarian watched what appeared to be two airplanes dipping and diving in tight circles above Hyner. She realized "they were not airplanes, but birds the size of planes high in the air. No plane could fly like that," she said.
A woman in Hyner, while hanging the wash with her infant in a basket beside her, saw a bird bigger than an eagle overhead. She dropped the wash, grabbed the child, and rushed into the house. The bird flew within thirty feet of her home. She had never mentioned it before. Another reason for the dearth of contemporary reports: observer reluctance to speak.
Mike Floryshak, Sr. was near Huntsville in summer of 1973 when he saw an airplane flying across a field before he realized it was a bird "...gliding about six to ten feet above the ground beside the car. I didn't think it possible," he said, "the wings appeared to be twenty feet wide." It was "dirty brown," with a large beak and very level, stiff wings. The bird didn't flap but turned on edge and disappeared into woods bordering the farm.
Late one afternoon, Charlie Passell and others sighted a "thunderbird" west of Renovo in late May, 1964. The bird was spotted perched in a dead Hemlock tree at a strip mine near Bush dam. "Where the wing meets the body was thick, longer neck than a hawk's but not as long as a stork or crane, bigger beak than an eagle," he said. Passell heard of "thunderbirds" and figured "that's what we must've seen because it wasn't like any bird we were familiar with. Definitely no eagle. Larger than a buzzard, real large."
From his camp at Kettle Creek, Robert Lyman, Jr., son of the regional historian and folklorist, sighted "thunderbirds" over Rattle Snake Mountain in 1973. Too far to notice any distinctive markings, he used his forestry skills to estimate the size of the bird.
"Over the very tall mountain in front of the camp, I saw two huge birds, slow wing thrusts, I used my finger nail to triangulate the size. By knowing distance and height of the mountain I calculated the wing span between 14-15 feet."
Lyman's father recorded "thunderbird" reports from Hiram Cranmer, a central figure in "thunderbird" lore. Both men professed theories about the "thunderbird" and the "Eastern condor" (Gymnogyps pennsylvanianus). Lyman, Jr. regards the "thunderbird" and the "Eastern Condor" as being distinctly separate species aptly describing the Eastern condor as identical to the California condor (G. californianus) except for minor variation in plumage (G. pennsylvanianus is lighter, the head darker). [Gymnogyps fossil remains were found in Genesee County, NY, north of the Black Forest].
Regarding the "Thunderbird" photograph Lyman, Jr. commented, "I've seen that photograph Hi Cranmer claimed to have." Crystal, Lyman Jr.'s daughter, recalled the photograph, possibly in Ripley's Believe It or Not.
Because of the frequent sightings, Lyman, Sr. speculated the "thunderbird" home is in the Black Forest, "north of the Susquehanna River, between Pine Creek in the east and Kettle Creek in the west (97)." But sightings have occurred in Clearfield, Cameron and Centre counties, beyond Lyman's designated boundaries.
In Spring of 1977 two Curwensville school teachers, Debbie Wright and Sue Howell, while driving to Du Bois about 7:30 am were unsettled by a very large bird "wider than the car." It flew straight at them before it veered away.
The sighting occurred on Route 219 near Drocker's Woods about nine miles south of Du Bois, bordered by State Game Lands No. 87 and Moshannon State Forest. Sue Howell said, "It was big, black or very dark brown with a huge beak." Debbie Wright said, "It was horrible, big, black and ugly. I'll never forget that. It was frightening!"
A large, charcoal grey bird perched on a rock in the Susquehanna parallel Route 879 at Curwensville was seen twice by a Clearfield store clerk. She first saw the bird about 9:00 am in the early Autumn 1991 and in October 1992, near the same spot at 7:30 am while on the way to work.
The bird stood on one leg, head twisted around and the beak nuzzled over the shoulder. She said the legs were "thick like an ostrich and it appeared to be sleeping." It wasn't a Great Blue Heron.
Truck drivers on Boot Jack Hill, north of the Howell/Wright sighting, were "harassed by large dark birds resembling "big buzzards" over the last few years.
This extended range of recent sightings could indicate populations spreading into "thunderbird" territory, while strip-mining and developments force the bird into more populated areas. Eagles are not known as domiciles and rarely frequent the area. The observers are certain the birds sighted are strikingly larger than eagles.
How can an immense unknown avian species elude detection? If the "thunderbird" exists then why haven't people reported it?
People have. But the reports are denied and trained observers fail to investigate. Most reports come from people who live in the areas and have a greater chance of sighting the bird than infrequent visitors. To dismiss the reports as "too incredible" lacks scientific rigor.
The opinion that all witnesses are incapable of identifying eagles, hawks, or vultures is a false assumption. The most outstanding and condemning feature is the bird's tremendous size. Even skilled observers have difficulty accurately assessing the size of a bird in the air. An eagle in flight is an awe inspiring sight.
Witnesses agree their reports are fantastic and hard to believe yet attest that the extraordinary bird they saw cannot be a known species.
Another argument against the "thunderbird" as a "bona fide" species is that no bird with so wide a wingspan could dwell in the thick forests where it has been sighted. Yet, the world's two largest eagles, the Harpy (Harpyia harpyia) and the Monkey Eater (Pithecophaga jefferyi) live near rivers in dense tropical forests. Both prey on primates and have ten foot wingspans.
Like most tropical birds their plumage is colorful and they possess other features which rule out a several thousand mile periodic visit to scenic Pennsylvania. But is it unreasonable to consider a similar North American species?
Not unless one wonders how it was able to remain undiscovered for so long a time and still secreted from eyes of contemporary naturalists.
Early pioneers considered the "thunderbird" to be an eagle other than the Bald and Golden eagles already known, like Audubon's Great Washington Eagle. The Monkey Eater of the Philippines was only discovered by John Whitehead in 1896 (Heuvelmans, Bernard. On the Track of Unknown Animals, 20) while a year earlier a distant kin might have been nesting in Webster Springs ("A Modern Roc" St Louis Globe Democrat).
John Audobon, famed naturalist and artist, twice had sighted what he referred to as the Great Washington eagle (present day ornithologists claim is the juvenile of the Bald eagle) once near Alton, and the other time en route through northern Pennsylvania.
Also regional lore claims Mark Twain while writing on rock (in present day Ravensburg State Park) and Edgar Allen Poe (now Poe Valley) sighted immense black birds in Pennsylvania.
Collectively the sightings possess more common than contrary characteristics. To dismiss the reports as embellished tales, hoaxes and fabrications prejudges the issue. Native American accounts regarding mythic birds of prey coincide with contemporary living folklore.
To suggest an identity for the illusive Thunderbird is difficult since no verified physical evidence has been collected; such as nests, feathers, droppings, or even the "mythic" photographs.
Speculative analysis of the empirical evidence says more about what the "thunderbird" is not, than what it might be. But what it is not might lead to what it is. Yet one fact remains, an avian of immense dimensions has been sighted again in the remote areas of Pennsylvania's Black Forest.
Works Cited Addison. "A Modern Roc." St. Louis Globe Democrat 24 February 1895
Cranmer, Hiram. Letter-to-the-editor. FATE August 1957
Curtis, Natalie, THE INDIANS BOOK: Song & Legends of the American Indian. New York: Dover, 1966
Emerson, Ellen Russell. Indian Myths. Minneapolis: Ross and Haines, 1965
Hall, Mark A. Thunderbirds. 2nd Ed. Bloomington: Mark A. Hall Publications, 1994----, "Pennsylvania Thunderbirds,"
Natural Mysteries. Bloomington: Mark A. Hall Publications, 1991
Hodge, Frederick Webb Handbook of American Indians (North of Mexico). New York: Pageant Books, 1959
Heuvelmans, Bernard. On the Track of Unknown Animals. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1971
Hultkrantz, Ake. The Religions of the North American Indian. Trans.
Monica Settwerwall. Berkely: University of California Press, 1979
Judson, Katherine B. Myths and Legend of the Great Plains.
Chicago: A. C. McClure 1913 "King Vultures or California Condors." The Daily Pantograph (Bloomington/Normal, IL) 27 July 1977 A-11
Lyman, Sr., Robert R. Amazing Indeed, Strange Events in the Black Forest. vol. 2.
Coudersport, PA: Potter Enterprise, 1971
McClintock, Walter. "The Thunderbird Myth I." vol. 15 nos. 5 and 6. 1941
Pouchet, F. The Universe, New York: Scribners, 1881 255 Russell, John. "The Piasa, An Indian Tradition of the Illinois." The Piasa. Alton Arts Council 1970
Skinner, Alanson, "The Algonkin and the Thunderbird." American Museum Journal vol. 14 no. 2 February 1914
Wherry, Joseph E. Indian Mass Myths of the West. New York: Funk and Wagnalls, 1969
Above article
Copyright © 1997 Gerald Musinsky
P. 0. Box 514
North Bend, PA 17760
(717) 923-0134/326-3761
Copyright © 1996-2002 Scott T. Norman, scottnorman.com
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Harkham House - Stunning Vineyard Property
Holiday house in Pokolbin
Harkham House is a stunning newly renovated 4 bedroom,2.5 bathroom house situated on Harkham vineyard Estate with fabulous views over the vineyards to the ranges.
You will receive a reply to your request confirming pricing & availability prior to payment.
Please enter the check-in and check-out dates for your stay as well as the number of adults/children checking in. We will check the availability and confirm the total price including any applicable fees and taxes.
Awarded 2018 TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence for providing consistently outstanding experiences and whose owners offer first-class customer service to their guests.
In the heart of the Hunter Wine region and adjacent to Harkham Cellar door, Harkham House is a stunning newly renovated 4 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom house situated on Harkham vineyard Estate with surrounding vineyards and views up to the ranges.
A stone built fire is the hub of a fabulous entertainment area of kitchen, lounge and dining, leading out to a sandstone balcony where you can watch the sun set over the vines. Walk next door for your private wine tasting at the cellar door, or treat yourself to lunch or dinner at one of the nearby restaurants. Alternatively, prepare your own meals in the state of the art kitchen.
Just relax and enjoy this fabulous part of the world.
Maximum 8 guests or 5 guests in separate beds
Bedroom One - 1 King Bed (only)
Bedroom Two - 1 Queen Bed
Bedroom Three - 2 king singles (only)
Bedroom Four - 1 Queen Bed
Weekend -2 night minimum, up to 6 guests from $750* per night (Thu-Fri or Fri-Sat or Sat-Sun)
Midweek - 2 night minimum, up to 6 guests from $565* per night (Mon-Thu)
Extra guests are charged at $125* per person per night
Infants under 2 years free of charge
Please contact us for a quote. Discounts are available on longer stays of 4 nights and over.
A security deposit/bond of $800.00 is required for your stay and is payable as a credit card pre- authorisation. This will be processed approximately 24 - 48 hours before your arrival, so please ensure the funds are available at this time.
One night stays are available midweek and will attract a surcharge. Weekend one night stays may be available but will attract a surcharge.
Weekend Public Holiday bookings must a minimum 3 night stay at full weekend rate.
Easter, Christmas and New Year are a 3-4 night stay and charged at full weekend rate.
Concert weekends must be a minimum of 8 guests and may be subject to a surcharge.
*Tariffs not inclusive of Aura 3rd Party Commission
- Dining table - Seats 10
- 2.5 Bathrooms
- Bathtub
- Shampoo, conditioner and body wash
- Hairdryers
- Freshly laundered towels and linen
- Full Kitchen with dishwasher
- Electric cooktop
- Cooking pots, crockery, cutlery, glassware and platters
- Tea, coffee, sugar, salt and pepper
- Ducted air conditioning
- Wood burning combustion fireplace
- Gas BBQ
- TV - Free to air
- DVD player
- Bluetooth speaker
- Board games
- Iron/ironing board
- Outdoor entertainment area
- Highchair available
- Porta cot available
- Air Conditioning
- All linen and bath towels supplied
- Amazing valley views
- Bluetooth Speakers
- Close to cellar doors and restaurants
- Complimentary bottle of wine and fresh ground coffee
- Fully equipped kitchen
- Great outdoor entertainment area
- Wine tours
- Concert and Restaurant Transfers
- Wedding or Event transfers
- Drop off meals, Platters and Catering
- Your own private in house Chef
- The Vintage and Cypress Lakes Golf discounts
- Private wine tastings
- Hot Air Ballooning
- Pets not allowed
- No smoking
- BBQ - Gas
- Kitchen
- Accept VISA
- Accept MasterCard
- Television
- Air conditioning
- Linen supplied
- Undercover or off street parking
- Log fires
- Bath
- Tea/Coffee Making Facilities
- Baby Cot
- Books/Magazines Supplied
- Highchair
- Dishwasher
- Balcony
- Bath towels provided
- Cooking facilities
- Electric stove
- Fireplace
- Hair dryer
- Heaters provided
- Iron and ironing board
- Microwave
- Parking
- Vacuum system
- Dishes and utensils
- Oven
- Refrigerator
- Stove
- Toaster
House rules
House Policies - All our houses have a policy whereby the facilities at the house are available ONLY to the guests who are booked and paid for.
We appreciate most will respect our beautiful properties but the occasional abuse requires that we state the following Terms & Conditions. Guest and Visitors must comply with all House Rules, By-Laws and instructions from the Manager and security services during their stay and must notify the Manager of any disputes or complaints from neighbours as soon as is practicable.
House Policies - All our houses have a policy whereby the facilities at the house are available ONLY to the guests who are booked and paid for.
Guests and Visitors must not create noise, which is offensive to occupiers of neighboring properties especially between 10pm - 8am and during arrival and departure at any time throughout the occupancy
Disturbance to our neighbors, including excessive noise, is prohibited and may result in termination of rental. No music should be played outside of the house and any music and noise must be kept to a minimum after 10pm. Offensive noise is prohibited and may result in termination of permission to occupy the property, eviction, loss of rental paid and extra charges for security and other expenses which may be deducted from Security Deposit or Bond under the Terms and Conditions
Guests and Visitors must not engage in anti-social behavior and must minimise their impact upon the residential amenity of neighbors and local community. Guests are responsible for ensuring that visitors comply with these House Rules.
Holding Parties, BBQs or any type of Function whereby extra people are invited onto the property is not allowed without prior written approval and by doing so may cancel your booking and forfeit your security deposit.
The facilities at the house are available ONLY to the guests who are booked and paid for. If you are intending to invite day guests, you must receive prior agreement in writing. The price charged is for domestic use only and not commercial. Use contrary to this may result in additional charges.
Hi-Fi, stereo equipment and TVs are set up for your use. Please do not unplug or play with connections. Instructions for use of this equipment should be found in the house compendium. Please do not move furniture as this can cause damage and fees will apply.
The swimming pool/spa must not be used between the hours of 10.00pm and 7.00am. Any pools and spas are for use of house guests only. Please ensure that the water levels do not drop below allowed levels on the pool or spa as this can affect the pump motor. Please do not take any glassware into pool and spa areas. Please ensure that children are supervised at all times when using any pool and/or spa
BBQ - We provide a clean BBQ. If you use the BBQ please ensure that it is cleaned before you leave. If we need to clean the BBQ then a $50 charge will be deducted from the security deposit for cleaning.
Hunter Valley Stays properties have a strict no pets policy with the exception 5 properties. If you bring a pet to the property without consent you will be charged extra fees.
Parking - Cars must be parked in the designated parking areas, carports or garage and not on the lawns.
Smoking – All our Properties are no-smoking properties. Smoking – Please do not discard butts ANYWHERE at the property including on the lawns and gardens.
Keys - Loss of keys attracts a $100 replacement charge. Should you lock yourself out or lose keys during your stay, an additional call out fee of $100 will apply if keys need to be delivered to the property for you.
Loss - Hunter Valley Stays take no responsibility for the guests' personal property. If property is left at the houses and needs to be returned, this will be done at the guests cost. Any property left behind can be sent to you through Australia Post at a charge
Injury – Hunter Valley Stays take no responsibility for any personal injury that may be incurred whilst staying at the property.
Damages, malfunctioning equipment - If there is any problems or MALFUNCTIONING EQUIPMENT, report it immediately, Do not leave your report until check-out. We will do our best to fix or replace malfunctioning items. We do not issue refunds for problems with Satellite TV, phone, Internet, VCR/DVD players, hot tubs, games/pool tables, or anything else that is not considered a necessity. We will make every effort to have repairs done ASAP; however there may be limited service contractors in our area. You will be held responsible for any damages to the rental home or property, caused by you or your guests. Homes are inspected after each stay. If any items are missing or damaged; you will be charged
Fires – Please do not light any fires on the property grounds
Many homes have a locked closet that belongs to the owner. Tampering with locked doors will result in a charge and legal action by the owner
Departure – Departure times must be adhered to. The property should be left in a similar state to its condition on arrival. Please ensure all windows and doors are locked, the air conditioners are turned off and fire screens are in place and all rubbish is put in the bins provided.
Terms & conditions
Hunter Valley Stays - HOLIDAY RENTAL TERMS & CONDITIONS
Hunter Valley Stays asks that you please read these Terms & Conditions carefully and in full.
We appreciate most will respect our beautiful properties but the occasional abuse requires that we state the following Terms & Conditions. Variations to these Terms & Conditions may only be made in agreement with Hunter Valley Stays in writing.
1.1. "Booking" means the period for which you have stayed, or intend to stay, at the property.
1.2. "Property" means the premises you have booked and all it's fixtures, fittings, and equipment.
1.3. "Management" means Hunter Valley Stays.
1.4. "Guests" mean the persons who stay overnight at the property during the booking.
1.5. "Visitor" means a person or guest permitted to visit the property during the booking.
1.6. "Owner" means the person or persons or legal entity that owns the Property.
2.1. Payment of the rental deposit or holding deposit constitutes the guests' acceptance of these Terms and Conditions.
2.2. If a guest is booking on behalf of other people, the person booking the accommodation is responsible for the property, and for making all guests and visitors aware of house rules and these Terms & Conditions.
2.3. You must be at least 25 years of age to book any accommodation with Hunter Valley Stays
2.4. Hunter Valley Stays properties are strictly not available for end of school celebrations or bucks parties.
3.1. We accept Visa and MasterCard. There is a 1.5% credit card fee.
3.2. A deposit of 50% of the full tariff is required to secure the booking.
3.3. A non refundable holding deposit of $300 may be paid to hold a property, which will give you a further 7 days to collect and pay the rest of the deposit.
3.4. If the arrival date is within 14 days of your booking date, the full balance is required to secure your booking.
3.5. In the event that the full deposit is not received by the due date, Hunter Valley Stays have the right to re-let the property.
3.6. Balance of the rental amount must be received in full at least 14 days prior to occupancy.
3.7. If balance is not received 14 days prior to your check in date, Management reserves the right to re-let the property. Cancellation policy will apply – your deposit may be forfeited.
4.1. Hunter Valley Stays takes a security deposit in the form of a pre-authorisation on your Credit Card the business day prior to arrival.
4.2. A pre-authorisation is a temporary hold on a security deposit, making these funds unavailable to the cardholder until the charge is cleared.
4.3. The held funds are cleared automatically after 5-10 days as long as there is no reported damage to the property.
4.4. The guest responsible for the booking must register with Hunter Valley Stays, by returning the registrtation form to the office, at least 7 days before check in, to provide their credit card details and authorisation signature, which will be used for the security deposit pre-authorisation.
4.5. This payment may be used to cover incidental items such as (but not limited to): extra guests not included in the booking, telephone charges on the house landline, excess internet downloads, any breakages or damage incurred during your stay, replacement keys, excess garbage, emergency call out fees or cleaning charges in excess of the normal level of cleaning. Hunter Valley Stays reserves the right to debit the card with any extra costs above the property pre-auth limit, if the damage or costs exceed the pre-auth amount.
4.6. Management will notify the guest by email prior to using any part of this credit card pre-authorisation or additional charges in excess of the pre-auth amount for any of the above charges.
5.1. Parties and Functions are prohibited at Hunter Valley Stays properties without prior written approval.
5.2. The number of guests staying at the property must not exceed the number stated on the booking confirmation notice or subsequently agreed in writing or email.
5.3. Additional guest rates will apply to additional guests staying at the property over and above the number of guests stated on the booking confirmation notice.
5.4. Visitors to the property must have prior approval from management in writing. Extra fees may apply.
5.5. Any pools, spas or other house facilities are for use of guests only.
6.1. Our check in time is after 3pm and check out time is 11am (weekends) or 10am (midweek). If the property is not vacated by the agreed time then extra charges will be incurred.
6.2. Early check in and late check out may be available in agreement with Hunter Valley Stays.
6.3. In circumstances where the property is vacated on the same day as your arrival, then the check in time may be later.
6.4. Check in and out times may change up to 7 days before your arrival.
6.5. Hunter Valley Stays will make every effort to ensure the property is available as booked. However, Hunter Valley Stays reserve the right to make alterations to bookings due to unforeseen circumstances.
7.1 All our Properties are no-smoking properties. Please do not discard butts ANYWHERE at the property including lawns and gardens.
8.1 Please do not light any fires outside of any property, at any time.
9.1. Some of our properties are not Child Friendly. For this reason pre approval of children staying at or visiting a property is required from Hunter Valley Stays
9.2. In the case of approval being granted, constant visual supervision of children is required at all times. The abundance of native wildlife in the area can be a danger to children – please be vigilant.
9.3. Always keep children at arms-length near water; be advised that there are dams and waterways at many Hunter Valley Stays properties, as well as adjoining properties, so ensure your children are supervised at all times.
9.4. If a property is listed on our website as not suitable for children, please note that Management reserves the right to cancel the booking if children are included in your group.
9.5. Management will not accept liability of any children should they be at a property without prior approval.
10.1. Hunter Valley Stays properties have a strict no pets policy with the exception of 10 properties.
- Please bring own pet bedding
- Please clean up and dispose of pet droppings
- Pets must not enter house. (an enclosed area is available)
- Any repairs or cleaning required due to pets will be charged to the security deposit.
10.2. Management will not accept liability of any pets or animals at the property.
10.3 If extra cleaning is required due to your pets, fees will be charged accordingly
11.1. Where a guest elects to cancel the booking, any monies paid will be forfeited in lieu of the property being re-let for the same period for a similar amount. The guest can elect to move the booking to a later date at the same property if the arrival date is greater than 90 days.
11.2. We will make every effort to re-let the property for the same amount within the given time frame and if successful, will refund to the booking party all monies paid less an administration fee of $100 which covers the booking administration fee and any credit card charges
11.3. We do not refund any payments for any guests who cancel or change their booking up to 14 days before arrival date.
11.4. Hunter Valley Stays reserves the right to cancel any booking if we deem the group to be not suited to a particular property, or if the booking is in breech of any of our Terms and Conditions.
11.5. Please note that if your booking is found to be in breech of our Terms and Conditions, you may lose all monies paid to Hunter Valley Stays
12.1. Hunter Valley Stays reserves the right to move your booking due to circumstances beyond our control.
12.2. Hunter Valley Stays do not issue refunds for items we have no control over such as power outages, flooding, lightening strikes and other unforeseen circumstances.
13.1. Guests who require after hours service are to call our after hours contact number on 0477 010 010 and leave a voicemail. You will be contacted by our after housrs staff as soon as possible.
13.2. If a member of our maintenance staff is required for onsite assistance outside our normal trading hours of Monday to Friday 9am - 6pm, that is the result of loss of keys, lock out of accommodation or any issue that arises that is not the responsibility or fault of Hunter Valley Stays, a call out fee of $100 will be deducted from your security deposit.
14.1. Hunter Valley Stays take no responsibility for any personal injury that may be incurred whilst staying at the property.
14.2. Hunter Valley Stays take no responsibility for the guests' personal property.
14.3. If property is left at the houses and needs to be returned, this will be done at the guests cost.
14.4. Any property left behind can be sent to you through Australia Post at a charge.
15.1. The personal information obtained from this website is used, where you have so requested: To provide products and services to you, to provide you with information, and to send newsletters or other communications to you.
15.2. Hunter Valley Stays may use your personal information for direct marketing or promotional activities, however, if we do undertake such activities, you will be provided with an opportunity when first contacted to decline to receive any further communications from us.
15.3. We do not pass guest details on to any third parties or external entities with the exception of our concierge service.
16.1 All quotes received from Hunter Valley Stays are valid for a period of 14 days only. All our tariffs are published on our own website at www.huntervalleystays.com.au. If you are provided with an incorrect quote from our staff, Hunter Valley Stays reserves the right to adjust the quote to the published tariff. Rates may increase for concert weeknds and/or maximum house numbers may be applied.
16.2 All estimated quotes from third party websites, are based on standard tarrifs for minimum guest numbers. Final quotes for any properties must be from Hunter Valley Stays reservations team.
17.1. Hunter Valley Stays recommends that you obtain travel insurance. This insurance can protect you against loss of personal belongings, public liability and also against your need to cancel under certain conditions.
Claire Jayatilake - Sydney, October, 2017
Fabulous house for a weekend away. Great location in the heart of the wine region, super peaceful with wonderful views. Beautifully presented and very spacious with everything you could possibly need. We stayed as a party of 6 and loved it. So handy having Harkham pop-up on the doorstep and being able to walk home.
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