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GIMME SHELTER- Gimme Ten: The 2008 Gimme Shelter Top Ten
Every year, dozens of trades people and professional experts in their field, including gardeners, contractors, plumbers, real estate agents, electricians, vets, landscapers, and exterminators, donate their brain power to bring you valuable how-to advise in the Hook's Gimme Shelter column (Okay, so they get a little free publicity, too).
Anyway, this year we've decided to honor a few of the more outstanding "Gimmes" by selecting 10 stand outs. And believe us, it wasn't easy, considering there we more than 40 excellent ones to choose from.
And congratulations to our Top Ten experts!
1) Eat your yard: A juicy primer on edible landscaping
Published September 25, 2008
Q: I've heard a little bit about "edible landscaping" but would like to know more. What exactly is it? And how would I get started creating edible landscaping around my home?
A: Edible landscaping puts an emphasis on "less care" plants and trees that supply fresh fruit of some kind of food value. It also goes along with the green home idea, as there is a self-sufficient and healthy living aspect to it.
Most people relate to the fruits they find in grocery stores– apples, plums, pears, oranges– but those plants are typically hard to grow, and people who buy them might not necessarily be aware of what they're getting into. After a few years, many people start getting cynical about having to maintain such plants, given the fact that they don't produce anything similar to what's found in stores.
Edible landscaping takes all the thousands of plant species and narrows it down to those that are less challenging, even not challenging at all, but that produce a tasty fruit. For example, pomegranate, paw paw, hearty kiwi, persimmons, and figs are all fruits that can be easily grown around your home. In addition, the arrangement won't look much different than regular landscaping, as you have to look pretty close to see the fruit on most of these plants.
Ideally, if you're thinking about edible landscaping, you should start with native plants– as they already thrive here– and ones you don't have to spray or cultivate, such as American persimmon, juneberry, or pecan. These native plants don't need alot, as long as there's no competition from grass. On the other hand, if you decide you want native blueberries or raspberries, you may have to add peat moss to the soil or plant them closer to your foundation, as they don't grow in red clay.
Remarkably, many people are not familiar with all the edible native plants we have. For instance, we were at a festival recently and were handing out paw paws– even though it's a native fruit, nine out of 10 people said they had never tasted one. Many people are also not familiar with wineberries.
Of course, there are also some misconceptions about which berries are toxic. Recently, I noticed there were juneberries on a bush in front of the Burger King at Barracks Road. I happened to see a kid walk by and try to eat one. His mother pulled him away, saying "Don't eat those. They're poisonous!" But juneberries were one of the fruits that members of the Lewis and Clark expedition survived on, as they were used in many Native American recipes. Still, there are some berries to watch out for, such as pokeberry, poison ivy berries, and black nightshade berries to name a few.
If you decide to get more ambitious about edible landscaping, there are dozens of food producing plants to choose from, including strawberry, plum, apricot, apples, cherries, oranges, pears, lemons, currants, even coffee and hops, to name a few. It all depends on how edible you want your landscaping to be and how much work you want to put into it.
2)Wood you? How to install a wood stove
Published November 6, 2008
Q: I don't have a fireplace, but I'd like to save on my heating bill this winter by installing a wood stove. How difficult would it be to install one? Any tips on what kind I should get?
A: Believe it or not, installing a wood stove system in your house is fairly simple. In fact, you don't even have to have a brick masonry chimney to have a wood stove– it can be placed almost anywhere.
If you do have an existing fireplace, there are free standing stoves that can be easily connected to your flu, as well as fireplace/stove hybrids that fit right into the fireplace opening. Depending on the size you choose, wood stoves can heat anywhere between 600 square feet and 3,000 square feet of space. While some people might want a larger stove to heat the entire house, others might want a smaller stove to keep a few rooms warm and keep their heat pump from kicking on.
In choosing a stove, there are several things to consider. Heat quality depends on the quality of the stove. Cast iron and soapstone stoves are the best, but you can also choose a cast iron/soap stone combination. Cast iron stove/fireplace hybrids, which fit right into your existing fireplace, are also an option. Cast iron holds heat better than steel, and can withstand higher temperatures. Soapstone takes longer to heat up than cast iron, but will stay hot longer. Soapstone also produces a "soft heat," which means you can get a a bigger stove without worrying about over-heating the room. With a cast iron stove, if you get one that's too big, it can make the room too hot.
There are also a number of "designer" stoves now available, in combinations of cast-iron, soapstone, and steel, that not only heat your home or offset your heating bills, but add to the aesthetic beauty of your rooms.
All new stoves have what are called "re-burning systems" that are now required by the EPA. These are a set of tubes inside the stove that "reburn" the gases and creosote produced by burning. These stoves are noticeably more efficient, reducing the wood to a fine ash, producing more heat for longer periods, and minimizing the smoke that comes out the chimney. In addition, the glass on the stove won't get black with creosote.
After you choose a stove and decide where you want to put it, you can choose the best chimney system. The simplest way is to set the stove against an outside wall, run a stainless steel, double-insulated pipe outside and up the side of the house, and build a wooden chase around it. However, you can also place the stove in the center of the room and run a pipe straight through the ceiling to the roof, or put the stove in the basement, or even in an upstairs room with a steep roof pitch.
Ideally, you want the chimney pipe to be as straight as possible to get a good draw. To avoid back-draw, the pipe should also extend at least two feet past the highest point where it passes through the roof, and at least two feet higher than any part of the house within 10 feet.
If you have an existing fireplace, you can simply install a direct-connect kit, which comes with an oval pipe that fits through the flu, and metal paneling that seals off the area around the pipe. If you go this route, make sure you measure the fireplace opening before you choose a stove so you have the correct clearance, as stoves vent at different heights.
Editor's note: this is a "Best of Gimme Shelter" re-print.
3)Short sights: Can you make money in foreclosures?
Published November 20, 2008
Q: I hear a lot about the increase in foreclosures, both nationally and locally, but I'm confused by all the terminology and the processes involved. For example, what is a pre-foreclosure or a short sale?
A: I've been reading and hearing a lot lately about foreclosures, pre-foreclosures, short sales, and everything in between in our market. It's a complicated issue, and many realtors and even real estate attorneys are still climbing the learning curve...some more successfully than others.
I've also seen and heard on local talk radio members of the general public discussing the issue, and a tremendous amount of confusion exists there as well. The process is convoluted, often excruciatingly slow, and often leads nowhere, at least from a potential buyer's point of view.
The television and internet advertising boasting huge profits and "buy a house for $300" doesn't help either, of course. I've had some success putting together short sales for my clients and my own portfolio, even more in pre-foreclosure situations, and very little at the foreclosure auction stage. Here's what those terms mean to me, and why I think things have worked out as they have.
Pre-foreclosure: A property still owned by the seller, but in a situation where payments are in arrears. If some equity still exists in the property (the difference between what is owed and what a buyer is willing to pay), this can be a good deal for all concerned.
Short Sale: A property that does not have enough equity to pay off existing obligation(s) and thereby deliver clear title. This is a case where the buyer, seller, and the existing lender(s) must all agree to a sales price, even if it does not fully satisfy the lender(s). Difficult, but not impossible to bring to a successful settlement.
Foreclosure: This is the auction process by which the primary lender attempts to obtain clear title to the property by wiping out secondary liens and obligations or accepts a bid that pays all or part of what it is owed.
Buying/bidding in: Here is the most misunderstood part of it all. Often, the lender will instruct a trustee to make a bid on its behalf that is near the amount it is owed, in hopes that someone will bid higher so they will be made whole. Or the lender hopes that once it has clear title, it can take back the property and resell to mitigate the loss. (Seems a little short-sighted to me if it bears little or no relation to fair market value, but it's clearly their right.)
Some have alleged that banks profit using this tactic, but I can't think of a single example locally in which a bank actually made money this way.
For one thing, any excess after paying off the debt and the cost of the sale would belong to the former owner. Another factor is that there are accounting and even some IRS issues that go along with such conveyances, and the lender rarely comes out ahead.
The bottom line is that the lender– who isn't the bad guy– very rarely is interested in owning the property and would be delighted just to break even.
4) Holy smoke! How to prevent chimney fires
Published March 13, 2008
Q: I have an older house that we heat with a wood stove, and I'm worried about a fire starting in the chimney. How can I prevent my house from going up in smoke, and what should I do if I suspect a fire has already started in the chimney?
A: One time I had a guy try to clean his own chimney, and he used a bigger brush than he needed. When I got there, I couldn't get it out. He eventually managed to get the brush out, but he ended up having to re-line the chimney.
We've all heard people describe the scary experience of having a chimney fire. Chimney maintenance should be taken very seriously, and is generally best left to trained professionals.
"It was roaring like a freight train," many say. In fact, a chimney fire does sound like a freight train and is a pretty scary occurrence.
Yearly inspections, regular maintenance, and frequent cleanings can help prevent a fire, but if you do hear a sound like a train barreling up the chimney, the best thing to do is call the local fire department and try to extinguish the fire in the fireplace or wood stove immediately.
There's always a chance of burning your house down if you don't clean your chimney regularly. Buildup in the pipe or on flue tile inside the chimney can ignite down in the firebox and quickly spread up the chimney.
Most of the fires I hear about happen when people bank up their stoves at night and put in more wood than they should because they want hot coals to be there in the morning. The creosote– resin from the green wood– swells up like a marshmallow and closes up the throat of the flue.
Besides regular cleaning and inspections, there are also several preventive measures. One important step is to keep water out of the chimney. People can waterproof the chimney with a seal made of sand and clay that they spread on the chimney crown. The coating lasts from 10-15 years and is flexible so it shrinks and swells with cold weather. You could also put a cap over the top of the chimney to keep the water from washing the joints out inside the chimney.
Even though chimney inspections and cleanings have gotten more expensive in recent years due to increased fuel prices– chimney maintenance people aren't so willing to come for gratis estimates any more– I would still highly recommend them. The safety of your home is worth the cost of the maintenance.
5) Chi change: Feng Shui is the way
Published March 27, 2008
Q: What exactly is Feng Shui and how can I use it in my house? Can Feng Shui help me find love and make me rich?
A:About five years ago, when I was trying to sell my house down in Atlanta in a fierce market, I decided to stage the house using Feng Shui and was able to sell the house in less than a week. The buyer was driving by and saw the sign, walked into the house, and decided on the spot he liked it enough to buy it.
Feng Shui is a design-oriented discipline that describes the ways our lives are affected by our environment, and how we can positively impact our lives by making changes in our living and work spaces. The primary premise of Feng Shui is that we are surrounded by energy, or chi, which constantly moves through our environment and affects our well-being. In a balanced environment, chi neither moves too quickly, which can make us feel frenzied or over-energized, nor too slowly, which can make us feel depressed or leave us with low energy.
Wood, fire, metal, water, and earth are the five elements you need to balance in your home as a part of practicing Feng Shui, and I have found that achieving a balance of these elements can really help. People tend to have one element that is stronger for them. Pack-rats, for example, tend to have a lot of earth elements in their homes. One of my clients with a lot of earth elements was able to let go of things more easily (and decrease her clutter) when we added more wood elements. Wood is also the element of growth, and she also noticed that her business grew!
Is there a room in your house that makes you feel happy and energized? Spaces with positive Feng Shui aspects can make us more productive at work and encourage us to stay at a party enjoying the company of our friends. By analyzing the furnishings, colors, and dimensions of a room, you can discover why it might make you feel up or down.
Placement of the bed, for example, is extremely important, and clients who have changed their bed location based on my suggestions have told me they are sleeping better. Your bed should have a solid wall behind it, and you should be able to see the door from your bed but not be directly in front of it.
The key aspects of Feng Shui include the flow of chi, the interplay of Yin and Yang, and the balance of the five elements. The Yin/Yang symbol represents the balance of opposites, and all your furnishings should have this balance- tall and short, light and dark, hard and soft, etc. An easy way to achieve a balance of the five elements is to pattern your spaces after the natural environment. Trees, sun, rocks, water, and earth can be translated into wood furniture, lighting sources, metal accents, mirrors (which reflect like water), and earth-tone colors or earthenware pieces.
But what about making your first million because your dresser was in the right place? You can use Feng Shui to support various life goals such as career, fame, and prosperity. The Bagua is a map used in Feng Shui to determine where to place items to activate your life energy and remind you of your intentions. For example, place a symbol of prosperity on the back left corner of your desk to remind yourself of the goals you have in that area.
6) Stinky dog? Buy him some Arfmani!
Published May 1, 2008
Q: What can I do about my stinky dog? I give him a bath regularly, but a few days later he stinks again. When guests come to our house their hands stink after petting Rover. Help!
A: Keeping dogs clean can be a challenge. We had a dog here recently that took a direct hit from a skunk. After we washed him using Skunk Off (the best product we've ever seen for eliminating skunk oder, and it can be used on people, too), the owner took him home. But the first thing the dog did was find that skunk again. He was back the next day.
Another customer of ours has a pair of West Highland White Terriers, who are white as snow after they've been washed. Unfortunately, the first thing they do when they get home is stop, drop, and roll in Virginia's famous red clay.
Of course, even when your dog isn't rolling around in a cow pasture, tracking a skunk, or finding a dead animal, he can still stink. And when it comes to stinky dogs, it's not how often you bathe them (dogs should be bathed about once a month, as bathing too often can cause skin problems), but how you bathe them and what you use.
We use a very thick 15-1 dog shampoo with an additive called orange oil that seeps down into the fur (you can order both products from places like Pet Edge and Davis Veterinarian Supply). For a thorough clean, it's important to rub deep into the undercoat, especially if your dog has thick fur. We also use high-pressure blow dryers, as they help push out the undercoat and make your dog easier to groom.
Regular grooming to remove any winter undercoat or excess fur is another way to eliminate doggie odor.
If this doesn't work, you can also buy– believe it or not– designer dog cologne or deodorant at your local pet supply store, with names like Arfmani, Tommy Holedigger, and Miss Claybone. Just spray your dog's chest and back after he's been washed, and he/she should remain fragrant for several days.
Of course, if your dog continues to stink, check with your vet to find out if Fido has an infection or some other medical issue that might be causing the problem.
7) Clutter buster: Focus on the little things
Published January 31, 2008
Q: After the holiday madness, I find myself with a messy house, lots of presents to find room for, and a New Year's resolution to "get organized." At the end of the day, I'm overwhelmed by the clutter and too tired to do anything about it. What are some simple ways to reduce clutter and organize my house, particularly after the holidays?
A: Today most of us have more things than we really need and a limited amount of time to care for them, a feeling that's only exacerbated during the holiday season. A good approach is to make room for the things you love and let go of the things you don't.
Take Christmas presents, for example. Did you receive anything that's a newer, spiffier version of something you already have, like a great new blender? You may be tempted to keep the old model "just in case," but in reality if something happens to your new blender, you aren't very likely to bring that old one out of storage. Heck, you might even decide it's easier to buy another blender than to try to remember where you stashed the old one. The best thing to do do is give older models and toys away to charity or friends.
Another common gift issue we all face is unwanted presents that just don't suit us. Maybe your aunt sent you a wool sweater two sizes too big, or you got a big bag of peanuts and have a nut allergy. Rather than hiding those presents in the back of the closet, go ahead and stick them in the donation bag along with the blender.
In fact, I recommend that everyone keep a donate box or bag ready to receive all those things in life that you no longer love or just never worked as promised. Each week, do a sweep and look for just five things to give away. After a month or so, you'll be surprised at how much clutter you've removed from your house!
Instead of thinking of "getting organized" as a huge project that you have to tackle in a weekend, think of being organized as the sum of all the little things you do to make life easier. You can probably think of several tasks you do around the house that already work really well; maybe you have a great system for handling mail or doing the laundry. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, just pick the next area that you want to improve on, and work on that. It may take several weeks for a new system to snap into place, but once it does, you've added "being organized" to your repertoire.
8) Pets gone green: Environmental ways to care for critters
Published February 7, 2008
Q: I feel like we've made a real effort to care for the environment around our home, but I worry about all the waste our pets produce. What are some ways to go "green" with our pet care?
A: In order to care for your pets in a green way, two of the most important things you can do are to ensure you are recycling everything possible and to look for environmentally friendly products.
The easiest thing to do to decrease the waste your pets produce is to make sure you're recycling all pet food cans and bags. Another thing you can recycle is all the dog or cat hair you get from brushing your pets. Rather than throw the excess hair out, you can put it outside for birds to use in their nests.
Cat litter is also recyclable and usually environmentally friendly as well. Sand or clay-based litter can be composted or used to fill a hole in your yard, and both are good for the environment.
Picking up after your dogs can also help reduce contamination, and using recycled plastic bags cuts down on waste. Even pill vials that you receive from your vet can be recycled!
If you bathe your pets frequently, be sure to look at the labels and be sure to buy environmentally friendly shampoos. Medicated shampoos, however, are not good for the environment and cannot be so due to the nature of the product.
Flea and tick treatments are generally safe for the environment, with the exception of outdated flea dips. Dips leave lots of harmful runoff and are also bad for your pets. Any approach to parasite control must be multi-modal as fleas are becoming more resistant to products. Topical products used by vets are safe because of the amount of product applied and the minimal runoff produced. Newer oral parasite controls are also environmentally friendly, and collars for tick control are fairly safe for the environment.
In general, most products you use on your pets really are not all that harmful to the environment. Looking for green products and recycling most of the waste your pet produces can help minimize the impact.
9) Houseplant CPR: Water, sun, and kill the bugs
Published April 3, 2008
Q: I can't keep a houseplant healthy to save my life. What should I do to prevent future massacres of these potted beauties?
A: If you suspect an indoor plant is dying and you see some spots on the leaves, it might be a good idea to get out your magnifying glass. If you notice what looks like speckling on the top side of the leaf, turn the leaf over and you might find that the sucking mouth parts of tiny spider mites are piercing all the way through the leaf! Spider mites are a very common pest for houseplants and one that many people aren't aware of because they're hard to see with the human eye.
Believe it or not, insects are a big problem for indoor plants. Without rain to wash them away or predators to devour them, many parasites have a veritable climate-controlled feast awaiting them inside your house.
Mealy bugs are another common indoor bug to watch out for, but unlike spider mites, they're highly visible. If you see white or light-brown cottony masses in the crotches of the plant that keep building up and getting larger, chances are you have mealy bugs. Fortunately, these mounds of bugs are easy to wipe out without harming the plant. A little alcohol on a Q-tip rubbed into the cottony masses will dry them right up. Be warned, though– the mealy bugs will probably return, because the larvae are very hard to kill off.
To prevent such unwanted scenarios, it's best to take your plants outside on pleasant days and hose them down to simulate rain. About twice a year, I actually spray my plants with Fantastic cleaner, leave it on for two minutes, and then hose them down with good pressure. Nowadays, they make organic sprays that act as a preventive for both insects and disease.
While plant maintenance usually depends on the size and type of plant, there are some general guidelines to follow when it comes to ensuring your plant has ample access to essentials like sun and water. I generally water my plants about once a week, but give a pretty good watering when I do. Certain plants, however, require much more or much less water. African violets, for example, should be watered two or three times a week. Additionally, I like to fertilize my plants about once every seven to ten waterings.
Be conscientious about where you place plants– try to avoid bright sunlight or gusts of air. As summer approaches, the sunlight is going to intensify, so anything right by a window will take the sun even harder. Certain plants are very touchy to drafts from open windows or forced-air heating. If you notice a plant dropping leaves it may very well be in a drafty spot.
Finally, always ask the people you buy the plant from how they recommend you care for it. They should be able to give you detailed advice on everything from whether it's a shade-loving or full-sun plant to whether it needs to be watered once a month or twice a week.
10) Retro green: Making a '70s gem energy savvy
Published May 8, 2008
Q: I'm thinking of buying one of those simple, "modern," open-floor-plan houses built in the early 1970s. Unfortunately, it was built when gas was 50¢/gallon, and it's about as energy efficient as a chicken coop– big single-pane windows, high ceilings with no attic space, thin layers of old fiberglass insulation. Is there a way I can upgrade the house to make it more energy efficient without completely breaking the bank?
A: Installing new weather stripping on your windows and doors is an inexpensive first step, but if you really want to make the house more energy efficient, you'll have to accept some financial sacrifice. There are a lot of variables to work with, so it's important first to know how much you have to spend. To reduce costs, it's best to avoid any extensive renovations.
Where you can get to your existing insulation– crawl spaces, attics, etc.– you'll want to replace the fiberglass insulation with some kind of spray foam insulation. Back in the '70s, people with little or no training usually installed the fiberglass insulation, and given that builders and home buyers weren't as concerned with energy efficiency back then, there wasn't the same attention to detail. Unfortunately, if you have fiberglass insulation in your walls, you're going to be stuck with that unless you opt to tear them out. Recently we put spray foam insulation in the attic and crawl spaces of an older house, and it made a dramatic difference in terms of energy efficiency.
Windows are a huge point of heat and cooling loss, so investing in storm windows is a good idea. You'll also want to replace those big single-pane windows with double-insulated glass. This can be expensive, but you get what you pay for, as the energy loss from single-pane windows is also huge.
If you don't have an attic, you might want to think about stripping the roof, putting down foam board, and then re-roofing. That's not cheap either, and design-wise it can be difficult not to make your house look like it's wearing a bad sombrero, as it raises the roof about three inches. But there's a lot of energy lost through a poorly insulated roof.
If you haven't blown your budget, you may also want to look at the mechanical systems. Is your duct work properly insulated? Are the connections tight? A poorly designed duct system can waste a lot of energy.
Finally, with high ceilings, you need to be able to mange air flow in the house, either by installing fans or calling in a pro to analyze how air flows. Air flow is important when it comes to using energy efficiently.


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The banks and the other financial companies in Valle d'Aosta
Please find in what follows the full listing on the banks anf other financial companies established in each town of theValle d'Aosta region.
For each bank and for each financial institution the following information is provided.
- Street Address
- ZIP Code
- The name
- The ABI and CAB codes.
Please select in the following menu the town of which you're interested to know the banks established in the same town:

subset: commoncrawl


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Cybex International's announcement last month that its board of directors had approved a plan to take the company private may not have come as a surprise.
For much of 2011 and part of 2012, the Medway, MA-based company had difficulty complying with NASDAQ's requirements to remain listed, which included having a minimum stockholders' equity of $10 million, a minimum bid price for its common stock of $1 per share and a minimum market value of publicly held shares of $5 million. The company's stock rose above $1 on Feb. 6, remaining there for the rest of the year, but getting no higher than $2.97 per share.
In addition, Cybex was found 75 percent liable in a $66 million product liability lawsuit at the end of 2010 and then spent much of 2011—and considerable dollars—appealing that verdict, finally settling it for $19.5 million in February.
Even without these issues, some market analysts have noted in the past that Cybex is small for a public company. Its 2011 sales were $140.1 million. By comparison, Life Fitness, Schiller Park, IL, had 2011 revenue of $635.2 million, just part of the revenue for its public parent company Brunswick Corp., Lake Forest, IL.
"There was little benefit to being public," says Arthur Hicks, Cybex International's president, chief operating officer and chief financial officer. "[It's] different than 30 or so years ago when Cybex became public. There are more ways to access capital now. There are much higher levels of regulation and costs of being public. From the cost/benefit standpoint, it doesn't really make sense. And from the shareholder standpoint, there is less liquidity in the stock, so it's difficult to attract mutual funds or institutional investors or research groups. It makes sense all around."
Is Public Too Public?
Hicks says that being a public company is distracting and expensive, which is not good for the company, its employees, its customers or its shareholders.
As of press time, at least four law firms were looking at whether they would file lawsuits related to any possible breaches of fiduciary duties and whether the acquisition was purposely timed to take advantage of what the firms called a temporary drop in the share price of Cybex.
Under the terms of the deal, which is being called a merger agreement to go private, Cybex would be wholly owned by UM Holdings Ltd., which is owned by John Aglialoro, Cybex's chairman and CEO, and his wife, Joan Carter, who is on the Cybex board. UM, Aglialoro and Carter own approximately 49.5 percent of Cybex's stock.
Cybex shareholders will receive $2.55 payable in cash for each share of Cybex stock they own. The merger price reflects an 89 percent premium over the closing price of the company's common stock on Oct. 16, the day before the merger announcement. The transaction has a total approximate value of $22 million. Hicks says the process was above reproach. "We're very proud of the process," Hicks says. "We're very proud that John did not try to just make the minimum offer. He's been conscious about trying to serve the shareholders all along since he's been involved since 1997."
The plan will be presented to shareholders at a meeting in January. Two-thirds of all shareholders and 50 percent of the non-interested shareholders (those who are not UM Holdings or Aglialoro and Carter) must approve the plan, according to Hicks. If approved at the meeting, the company could go private within a matter of weeks. Until then, Cybex must still act as a public company, which means reporting its quarterly financials.
Its third quarter results, released a week after the deal was announced, put the company's net sales at $34.4 million, a slight increase from the $33.5 million it reported in third quarter 2011. Its net income was $1.1 million.


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Welcome to Rosenberg Mitsubishi. All of our new vehicles are equipped with many popular and important safety and tech features such as backup camera and bluetooth. They also include all of these options:
FWD CVT 1.5L I4 DI Turbocharged DOHC 16V LEV3-ULEV70 152hp
25/28 City/Highway MPG Price does not include tax, title, license or Dealer added accessories. Not all customers qualify for all incentives. See Dealer for details. Price includes: $1000 - Manufacturer Down Payment Assistance . Exp. 04/30/2020 $250 - Loyalty Customer Rebate. Exp. 04/30/2020 $500 - Military Program. Exp. 04/30/2020
New 2020 MitsubishiEclipse Cross SEL CUV
- Stock: 6002
37 views in the past 7 days
- Fuel Economy
- 25.0/28.0 mpg City/Hwy
- Exterior Color
- Tarmac Black
- Interior Color
- Black
- Body/Seating
- CUV/5 seats
- Transmission
- continuously variable automatic
- Drivetrain
- front-wheel
- Engine
- 1.5L I-4 cyl
Dealer Notes
Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross
Highlighted Features
- Blind spot sensor
- Lane departure
- Leather upholstery
- Automatic temperature control
- Emergency communication system
- Wireless phone connectivity
- Exterior parking camera front
- Exterior parking camera left
Detailed Specifications
- 1-touch down
- 1-touch up
- Air conditioning
- Automatic temperature control
- Driver door bin
- Driver vanity mirror
- Emergency communication system
- Front beverage holders
- Front dual zone A/C
- Illuminated entry
- Passenger door bin
- Passenger vanity mirror
- Power windows
- Proximity keyless entry: doors and push button start
- Rear beverage holders
- Remote keyless entry
- Speed control
- Telescoping steering wheel
- Tilt steering wheel
- Alloy wheels
- Four wheel independent suspension
- Front anti-roll bar
- Front tires: 225/55HR18.0
- Power steering
- Rear anti-roll bar
- Rear tires: 225/55HR18.0
- Speed-sensing steering
- Wheel size: 18"
- 1st row LCD monitors: 1
- AM/FM radio: SiriusXM
- Primary LCD size: 7.0"
- Radio data system
- Satellite radio trial duration with new vehicle purchase (months): 3
- Smart device integration: Android Auto & Apple CarPlay
- Speakers: 6
- Steering wheel mounted audio controls
- Wireless phone connectivity: Bluetooth
- Basic warranty: 60 months/60,000miles
- Corrosion perforation warranty: 84 months/100,000miles
- Powertrain warranty: 120 months/100,000miles
- Roadside assistance coverage: 60 months/ unlimited distance
- Front center armrest
- Front seats: bucket
- Heated front seats
- Leather shift knob
- Leather upholstery
- Max seating capacity: 5
- Power driver seat
- Rear seat center armrest
- Rear seats: bench
- Rear seats Folding position: fold forward seatback
- Split folding rear seat
- Compressor: intercooled turbo
- Cylinder configuration: I-4
- Drive type: front-wheel
- Engine liters: 1.5
- Engine location: front
- Fuel economy city: 25mpg
- Fuel economy combined: 26mpg
- Fuel economy highway: 28mpg
- Fuel tank capacity: 16.6gal.
- Horsepower: 152hp @ 5,500RPM
- Manual-shift auto: Sportronic
- Number of valves: 16
- Recommended fuel: Regular Unleaded
- Torque: 184 lb.-ft. @ 3,500RPM
- Transmission: continuously variable automatic
- Variable valve control
- Ground clearance (min): 203mm (8.0")
- Bumpers: body-color
- Door mirrors: body-color
- Heated door mirrors
- Power door mirrors
- Rear cargo: liftgate
- Spoiler
- Tailpipe finisher: chrome
- Turn signal indicator mirrors
- Compression ratio: 10.00 to 1
- Curb weight: 1,530kg (3,373lbs)
- Engine bore x stroke: 75.0mm x 84.8mm (2.95" x 3.34")
- Engine displacement: 1.5 L
- Engine horsepower: 152hp @ 5,500RPM
- Engine torque: 184 lb.-ft. @ 3,500RPM
- Exterior body width: 1,806mm (71.1")
- Exterior height: 1,684mm (66.3")
- Exterior length: 4,404mm (173.4")
- Front headroom: 1,003mm (39.5")
- Front hiproom: 1,346mm (53.0")
- Front legroom: 1,039mm (40.9")
- Front shoulder room: 1,427mm (56.2")
- GVWR: 2,100kg (4,630lbs)
- Interior cargo volume: 640 L (23 cu.ft.)
- Interior maximum cargo volume: 1,385 L (49 cu.ft.)
- Passenger volume: 2,679L (94.6 cu.ft.)
- Rear headroom: 947mm (37.3")
- Rear hiproom: 1,321mm (52.0")
- Rear legroom: 897mm (35.3")
- Rear shoulder room: 1,400mm (55.1")
- Towing capacity: 680kg (1,500lbs)
- Turning radius: 5.3m (17.5')
- Wheelbase: 2,670mm (105.1")
- Auto high-beam headlights
- Blind spot sensor: Lane Change Assist (LCA) warning
- Delay-off headlights
- Display: digital/analog
- Exterior parking camera front
- Exterior parking camera left
- Exterior parking camera rear
- Exterior parking camera right
- Forward collision: Forward Collision Mitigation (FCM) mitigation
- Front fog lights
- Front reading lights
- Fully automatic headlights
- Heads up display
- Lane departure: Lane Departure Warning (LDW) warning
- Low tire pressure warning
- Outside temperature display
- Rain sensing wipers
- Rear collision: Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA) warning
- Rear window defroster
- Rear window wiper
- Tachometer
- Trip computer
- Variably intermittent wipers
- 4 wheel disc brakes
- ABS brakes
- Anti-whiplash front head restraints
- Brake assist
- Dual front impact airbags
- Dual front side impact airbags
- Electronic stability
- Ignition disable
- Knee airbag
- Occupant sensing airbag
- Overhead airbag
- Panic alarm
- Security system
- Tracker system
- Traction control
KBB.com Consumer Reviews
- 4.0
Great compact sporty SUV for the price
By Steve on Monday, March 19, 2018When I drove the Eclipse Cross I was pleasantly surprised by how comfortable the interior was. With creature comforts like dual zone climate control, heated seats and steering wheel, and even a heated back bench, the car didnt lack in competing with other similar makes/models for the interior feel. The engine was surprisingly responsive, even being a 1.5T CVT. That being said, if you can handle having the CVT than this car gives you enough power to play with and doesnt feel like youre drowning the engine when pressing the accelerator like it does in the under powered Outlander Sport. The HUD on the car looks and works great, just as the premium Rockford Fosgate speakers do. It has generous amounts of storage and gives multiple options for tonneau placements. Its a great sporty compact suv especially with is MSRP and brilliant red color option. Great handling and a very comfortable car. The only downsides I had was that if youre a taller person (over about 6) it can feel a little small, especially in the passenger seat.
- 5.0
The Eclipse Cross is a unique surprise! Love it!
By Kev McKenzie on Tuesday, November 05, 2019So I just purchased my brand new 2019 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross SEL with Touring Package and S-AWC and got $6,700.00 off the MSRP. Well we actually bought 2, one in Octane Blue and one in Red Diamond in identical SEL trims with the Touring Package! It reminds me of a Volvo and an Aztek in the rear and I love the styling of both those vehicles so I love it and it is unmistakable in its design! Plus the rear led signature of the parking lights is so unique and looks amazing and I love how they hid the rear wiper up under the rear roof spoiler to avoid ice and snow building up on it. Also the rear styling aids visibility in my opinion giving a much larger glass area. One thing my salesman said his customers all say is that at night they love how the rear led bar that splits the rear window directly lines up with and blocks the headlights of cars behind you from blinding you and by dang it sure does on 75% of vehicles, really neat. I have been averaging about 26 mpg in mixed so around the numbers projected but it does better than our 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport GT AWC on fuel that we traded. Now the 2017 Mitsubishi Mirage G4 SE that we also traded blew them both out of the water on MPGs but it was a 3 cylinder with 78 horsepower lol (was a great car). But we are very pleased with the Eclipse Cross and the features are awesome and it is truly loaded! Plus the looks and questions it attracts are cool. One thing it does have is great power or should I say torque. This thing is very zippy and can really take off with very little turbo lag. The CVT is very smooth and refined and the Eclipse Cross just has an effortless drive to it cruising so smooth and quiet. The interior is a step above the competition in my opinion with super comfortable seats, expensive looking materials, padded dash, arm rest and upper door trim. I have had no creaks or rattles at all and it has been chilly the last few days. The heated steering wheel works great even with my steering wheel cover on. Its just a very comfortable small suv with loads of personality. Features galore! I love the dual sunroofs, heated front and rear seats and steering wheel, heads up display, surround view camera and multiple views to choose from, and the radar cruise worked flawlessly on the 1.5 hr drive home at 70 mph and rush hour traffic stop and go. I love how the trim we purchased has all the safety features and the led headlights in this car are like wow you can see everything and you can adjust them. The auto high beams are a really cool feature. I will mention again the seats in this thing are so comfortable and they just hug you and are soft yet long distance comfortable and I am just shy of 6ft. The smaller cargo area does not bother me at all as I purchased this suv more on the styling and Mitsubishi reliability than anything. But you can slide the rear seats forward to expand your cargo but even before doing that it has 22 cubic ft which is still pretty good to me given its rear design. We have always loved our Mitsubishis and the Eclipse Cross is our favorite to date, Mitsubishi you sure nailed it as I cannot say there is anything I dont like inside, outside, or the way it drives. I just really am impressed and love this vehicle and to get it for close to $7,000.00 less than MSRP just sweetens the deal. I understand most (not all) people who buy this suv do so solely on the looks and that is why we got our 2 SELs with Touring Package so that we got every safety feature and the 2 sunroofs. It truly is loaded. The Mitsubishi Connect app on our iPhones (7 Plus and X) has worked amazing also and we have used it more than 20 times each to start and shut off our Eclipse Crosses, turn lights on and off, adjust the interior temp, and there are dozens of preferences and features you can adjust in the vehicle with the app. Plus it has the sos feature if the air bags deploy to call you and stolen vehicle assist. I called the call center with the black call button and she went over everything it does and can do. So cool. Free for 2 years which is awesome and runs about $12.00 to $19.00 a month after that depending on the package you pick, which I will gladly pay the $19.00 after 2 years its well worth it. It is also an IIHS Top Safety Pick and you can tell buy driving it that it is a heavy SUV for its size and feels very solid and safe (SEL 3,516 lbs).
- 5.0
Worth the money
By Al S. on Sunday, November 03, 2019It is comfortable and practical. Once the engine was broken in, mileage increased to 28-30 mpg. AWD is a nice feature for winter driving. Great stereo, and nice options in the SE trim level.
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- 1.2L I-3 cyl Engine
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But it wants to be full. Fill it with MultiTracks, CustomMixes®, RehearsalMixes and more
Ⓟ 2019 FP Music
Charts that match the MultiTrack. Every chart includes the song map of the original recording. Perfect for keeping everyone in sync. Once you purchase your chart you can transpose in ChartBuilder to all 12 keys. Every chart follows the exact arrangement of the MultiTrack. Download the track in Playback and your chart will perfectly match the arrangement, every time.
Patches makes it easier than ever to find great keyboard sounds. We've partnered with the original patch producers to provide the sounds that were used on the original recording. You can search by song and purchase the patches used on that song, find patches based on tones, and buy bundles from your favorite patch producers. Patches are available in multiple types of software and plugins. With patches you can stop guessing what patch was used on your favorite song, and stop digging through hundreds of presets to find a great sound.
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Seafood and Wine: Recipes for Success
Chef John Ash shares his passion for the versatile white, Sauvignon Blanc.
Food from the sea pairs beautifully with wines, especially whites. When considering what to pour, look for wines with "delicacy," says Chef John Ash, celebrated author, teacher, and co-founder of Sauvignon Republic winery in Santa Rosa, California. He means wines low in tannins, the bitter substances found in oak barrels and grape seeds, skins, and stems. The key to complementing seafood's inherently mild taste, John explains, is flavor: "Think of the seasoning or sauce you're preparing as the bridge to the wine." For serving with seafood, he's a huge fan of Sauvignon Blanc.
Why Sauvignon Blanc? In a word, versatility. Many people consider this varietal the easiest to pair with seafood, due to its crisp acidity. (Wine would taste dull and flat without acidity.) John says that, in the same way a squeeze of lemon gives a bright boost to simple grilled fish, Sauvignon Blanc's acidity enhances food's flavor. John Buechsenstein, a founding partner in Sauvignon Republic, concurs. "Sauvignon Blanc is food-brilliant," he says. "It's the red-wine lover's white wine."
Passion for the varietal has led these business partners to devote their entire production to versions of Sauvignon Blanc made from grapes grown around the globe. One taste of their wines and you immediately understand the importance of "terroir"―the impact that geography and the soil have on fine wines.
Flavor Guide
Although generally considered citrusy, Sauvignon Blancs may possess aromatic or buttery characteristics depending on their terroir and wine-making technique.
Citrusy: These Sauvignon Blancs make ideal palate cleansers. Or try varietals with similar characteristics, such as Pinot Gris, Pinot Grigio, dry Riesling, Alvarinho or Albariño, Verdelho, and Sancerre.
Aromatic: "Fruity, floral Sauvignon Blancs, particularly from Marlborough, New Zealand, have a fruit-basket quality," Chef John says. Wines with a similar nose include Viognier, Riesling, and Muscat.
Buttery: Winemakers often experiment with different techniques to achieve a desired buttery richness. Other buttery whites include Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, and Alsatian wines from the French-German border. "Sauvignon Blanc's range of fruit flavors highlights all of these seafood dishes," Chef John says of the following recipes. He also recommends alternative pours that work equally well with each recipe.
Ahi Tuna Seviche with Mango and Avocado
Scallops with Celery Root Salad
Grilled Wild Salmon with Roasted Beets and Arugula
Oysters on the Half Shell with Pickled-ginger Salsa


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During the eruption of the volcano that no one can pronounce (or barely even spell) Sean Stiegemeier took his Canon 5D Mark II out and produced this rather ace short film, set to music sung by Jónsi (lead singer of Icelandic band Sigur Rós).
We like the ethereal music mashed up with something that is, essentially, destructive. Violently elemental. Yet beautiful.
For best effect set to HD and then go full-screen. Turn it up.
Iceland, Eyjafjallajökull – May 1st and 2nd, 2010 from Sean Stiegemeier on Vimeo.
He notes on his Vimeo page (full of other very cool projects – check it out):
"So I saw all of these mediocre pictures of that volcano in Iceland nobody can pronounce the name of, so I figured I should go and do better. But the flights to get over took forever as expected (somewhat). 4 days after leaving I finally made it, but the weather was terrible for another 4. Just before leaving it got pretty good for about a day and a half and this is what I managed to get.
Wish I had more time. I missed all the cool Lightning and the Lava of the first eruption. But I figure this will just be a trial run for another day.
I am of course accepting sponsors to send me back there for more please…!! haha
Music: Jónsi – Kolniður (jonsi.com)
Canon 5d mkII
HUGE thanks for the Motorized Dolly via MILapse (vimeo.com/milapse). Details are to come soon so stay tuned…
© Sean Stiegemeier
Many thanks to @finnbarrw for the heads-up.


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Back in April Cate Le Bon's second album CYRK saw her stride confidently out of the sizeable super furry shadow of her mentor and collaborator Gruff Rhys, finding the right balance between melodic irreverence and eclectic musical curveballs, matched to a darker tone where Le Bon's droll vocal delivery could feel right at home. If she is Nico to Gruff Rhys' Lou Reed, or, probably more appropriately, John Cale, then CYRK was her Marble Index in so much as she gained deserved personal recognition. Perhaps what was most impressive was that she achieved this whilst borrowing the Super Furry Animals' instruments to record the album, having Gruff Rhys provide backing vocals on its opening track and releasing it through his label.
CYRK II consists of the remaining five songs of the 15 recorded in the album sessions, which supposedly separated themselves into two distinct camps. It's easy to be make assumptions about why certain tracks didn't make the finished album, but whilst the songs on CYRK II are unmistakably cut from the same cloth, they don't have the air of cast-offs or leftovers. In general it's not so colourful an affair with Le Bon borrowing less from the Furries' toybox. There's certainly nothing with the kind of twinkly eyed charm of 'Put Me to Work' or the fuzzy freewheeling psychedelic feel of 'Cyrk'. When the quaintly shanty-like keyboard tones appear on 'Eiggy Sea' alongside what sounds like the woodblock sounds of a primitive drum machine and dry guitar it sounds like it's a bit like a folk-rock Young Marble Giants. It's a pleasant blend though and gives way to soothing harmonies that find Le Bon in fine chanteuse form. Conversely, the synth that burbles up through the dull lethargy of 'Seaside, Lowtide' is its only point of interest. At five minutes plus it's longer than every song on CYRK bar one and potentially hints at the creative well drying a little as Le Bon pads with unmemorable guitar jams and nary a hook to be heard.
In simple terms CYRK II is more of a guitar record. The spare chugging guitars of opener 'What Is Worse' sound potentially too raw and simplistic to begin with, but embellished with glimmering treble notes, Le Bon's dead pan vocal delivery and arch melodic twists it grows in complexity and infectiousness. 'That Moon' and EP closer 'January' both prove that even stripped of her more eccentric tendencies, Le Bon is a stronger straightforward singer-songwriter than she's ever been; the former track a beautiful nocturnal folk ballad and the latter all bitter-sweet chiming guitars until loses focus a little with more tuneless noodling. CYRK maybe have been an eclectic affair, but the melodies remained to fore. CYRK II can't help but display its studio leftover roots in the passages of bland jamming, but there's enough of Cate Le Bon's virtues underpinning the EP to still recommend it.
6Neil Ashman's Score


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Business Analytics: Measuring ROI with Hot Chocolate
How much hot chocolate did the Cincinnati Zoo sell to visitors who came to see its December 2009 light show?
Before it decided to implement an integrated point-of-sale system and business analytics software, the Zoo would have had to go through individual receipts and manually count each cup sold.
But now, with its new POS and IBM Cognos analytics system in place, the Zoo has the ability to find out not just how many cups of hot chocolate it sold during December 2010 (44 percent of its sales, meaning hundreds of gallons). It can also tell you whether sales spikes correlated with drops in temperature (they did).
The project began two years ago when the Cincinnati Zoo realized it wasn't leveraging its IT and point-of-sale systems to their fullest potential. It had several systems across the organization that were not automated, nor were they able to share data.
"Our food service, for example, had cash registers. The only thing they were plugged into was the wall. We had a separate system for retail. We had a third system for our admissions and we had a fourth system where we sold zoo memberships," John Lucas, Director of Park Operations for Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens, tells CIO Insight."To a large extent we couldn't have been more fragmented."
The Zoo hired Boyertown, Pa.-based solution provider Gateway Ticketing Systems to bring in an integrated POS system that would have the ability to connect its sales networks and integrate data. At the same time, the Zoo brought in BrightStar Partners, a Chicago-based IBM partner, to help them deploy IBM's Cognos business analytics software solution to make sense of all that data it could now collect.
Leveraging business analytics software, the Zoo could now see who its 1.2 million annual visitors were, and where they were spending their money. And the results are paying off. The Zoo anticipates an additional 50,000 visitors this year and a $350,000 increase in revenue.
"The kind of insight that we're able to now do is profound for us. We come from a world where even finding out what yesterday's food sales were might take me three days," Lucas says. "We're now able to report on what members are doing, all the way down to their name level."
The system launched in July 2010. In March 2011, the Zoo will begin a loyalty program that non-members can join that will give more insight into how they're spending once inside the Zoo.
Lucas says the Zoo spent about $250,000 on updating and integrating its POS system. He says he cannot disclose how much the IBM Cognos solution cost, but adds, "we received a return on investment on the IT spend for analytics in the first quarter. We're beyond thrilled about that. "
Before launching the BA tools, the Zoo's IT team was comprised of an IT director, a database administrator and a hardware specialist. To manage the Cognos solution, the Zoo hired an additional database administrator, bringing its IT staff from three to four. "It truly is transforming our business, but that being said, it doesn't mean we can go out and hire six people," Lucas says.
For other organizations looking to get the most out of business analytics and help IT meet business needs, Lucas has two pieces of advice.
"The most important thing you've got to do is have buy-in from your president or CEO, your CFO, your marketing VP and whoever handles operations and things like that. This is not one of these projects that you get buy-in from the bottom up. You want to get buy-in from the top down," he says. "At the end of the day no matter what kind of analytics you are extracting out of your business, if your CFO doesn't believe in it, you're not going to move the needle."
When bringing business analytics the Zoo, Lucas says he formed a committee that touched all levels of the business, including the Board of Directors, to make decisions. "From the time we formed the project and on through, [the committee] was aware of how it worked and how the pieces worked together, and what role, for example, the loyalty program had in the big picture."
It's important for that committee to have a single point of contact for the project, he says. In the Zoo's case, Lucas filled that role. "Having the buy-in across department lines is key, but you also still need a single point owner . . . Whoever that person is in another organization needs to be someone that other pieces of the business listen to, that has the business acumen to actually form the business outcomes and communicate with the rest of the committee," he says. "You need someone who is very forward-thinking about business outcomes."
For more on how enterprises are making the most of business intelligence tools, read the article Business Analytics: Numbers and Nuance.
This article was originally published on 01-12-2011
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'The result is a phone that is slick and fast to navigate.'
'the phone is slender, glossy slab of Samsung goodness.'
'The phone is very fast, stable and is a clean slate with no added manufacturer or carrier bloatware.'
'The fact that the phone is unlocked and can be used abroad with other carriers is also a very big plus.'
'powerful and reliable phone'
'good phone'
'The BlackBerry Bold 9780 is a safe phone, based on a trusted model (the Bold 9700), and anyone that's looking for reliability and ease of use will not be disappointed with it. '
'The BlackBerry Bold 9780 is quite a stylish phone with a design which is very similar to the standard BlackBerry QWERTY. '
Great specs all around
Fast HSPA speeds
Very fast LTE data speeds
Big, bright display
'Universal search.'
'attractive and well-designed phone'
'The Torch is the first phone to ship with version 6 of the BlackBerry OS, which has been completely redesigned to compete with today's best mobile OSes, like Apple's iOS and Google's Android. '
'Basically, it's a pretty good mobile browser with some extra features that we really like (such as an actual cursor, which allows you to navigate sites the way god intended). '
'The Motorola Droid 2 Global offers world-roaming capabilities and has a faster processor than the Droid 2. '
'Global capability'
Redesigned keyboard is easy to use
ReviewGist helps you find the best products to buy by making sense of online reviews.
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covering over 29,474 products.
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Assisted Living
Lakeshore Woods, A Randall Residence, adheres to the highest standards ensuring that your loved ones are extremely well cared for. Our assisted living community has been thoughtfully designed to provide residents with a nurturing, comfortable, home-like environment where they can feel confident and in control. We can offer assistance with basic daily activities such as bathing, grooming, dressing, and more while still encouraging independence. Lakeshore Woods in Fort Gratiot offers the highest level of professionalism and care to meet the needs of each resident.
Lakeshore Woods, A Randall Residence
4851 Lakeshore Rd Fort Gratiot, MI 48059


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'Shop by Bike' - the results
'Shop by Bike' - the results
Firstly, a massive thanks to all who took part. The involvement of the willing (and hardy) volunteers meant the trial was a great success. It has provided us with some really interesting information - inevitably, some of it was negative, but there was also a tremendous amount of positive feedback as well.
You can read full version of the report, but for those with limited time, below is a summary of the results.
- A total of 77 people completed the trial and returned a questionnaire.
- In roughly four weeks, they travelled a combined total of 5,973 kilometres, saved 402 kilos of fuel, and prevented over a tonne of carbon dioxide emissions (the equivalent of four cars!).
- The vast majority of people said they had enjoyed the experience, and only one person said they were unlikely to continue.
- The facilities offered for cyclists and their bikes were varied, and there was a also a lack of consistency displayed by the national chains (Cycling UK will highlight this to the stores involved).
- Most people used panniers for their shopping, or a combination of things including panniers. Roughly two-thirds of participants found this sufficient for all their shopping.
- People transported all sorts of things during the trial, not just shopping - from musical instruments to televisions!
- Using the questionnaires, we tried to approximate what impact the 77 people involved in trial might have in the future. This was estimated at a further 40,000+ kilometres per year.
There were many positive comments about the trial. If you have time, please read the full report.
What is most interesting from this trial is that the savings quoted above are the product of just 77 people's efforts during what was a very rainy autumn. Projects such as CycleLogistics are trying to help create a culture where moving ourselves around in a sustainable manner is more commonplace. The effect this will have on our towns and cities will benefit everyone.
The CycleLogistics project is funded by the EU's Intelligent Energy Europe programme, which aims to promote energy efficiency and a more rational use of resources.
To find out more, please email Gavin Wood.


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Introducing the New X1 Carbon – our third iteration of the popular Carbon Series incorporates feedback from users – like you. We've taken the best of the past, and incorporated essential technologies of today to bring you a system with legendary usability and uncompromising performance.
Go Lighter
Without saying too much, it's simply the thinnest ThinkPad ever built. But don't let its ultra-slim profile fool you – the ThinkPad X1 Carbon is one of the most powerful fighters in its lightweight class.


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Despite Democrats' surprising victory last week in Louisiana — where state Rep. John Bel Edwards beat Republican Sen. David Vitter in the runoff – they hold only 18 gubernatorial seats, compared to the 31 held by Republican governors.
Next year, Democrats will defend eight seats, including ones in targeted U.S. Senate battle grounds such as Missouri and New Hampshire, while Republicans will defend four. Missouri: With incumbent Democrat Jay Nixon on his way out, Republicans believe one of their top pickup opportunities is in Missouri, where the chief executive's office has been held by Democrats for all but four of the past 22 years.


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Previous Lecture
Complete and continue
10x Landing Pages 2.0
How to use this course to write more landing pages that perform better (19:57)
MODULE 1: Starting Your Process
How to use Module 1 (2:40)
The conversion copywriting approach and process (26:29)
Before You Write - Think like a successful copywriter (1:56)
Conversion Copy - Move the prospect to act (5:35)
Barriers to Conversion - Fight back with copy (10:18)
Stages of Awareness - Understand prospect mindsets (2:34)
Rule of One - Engineer consistently great copy (2:13)
One Reader - Write for your ideal prospect (4:08)
One Big Idea - Find your most powerful benefit (1:38)
One Promise - Amplify your guarantee (9:05)
One Offer - Match your offer to your reader (2:06)
The AI Spectrum - Identify awareness and influence intent (3:46)
Where Does It Hurt? - Identify and kill prospect pain (5:02)
End-of-module exam
MODULE 2: Finding Your Message
How to use Module 2 (4:24)
Where Do I Start? - Ask the right questions (7:42)
Surveys - What to say (and how to say it) to find deeper reasons (9:19)
On-site Polls - Learn what works and what doesn't on your page (4:37)
Review Mining - Listen to what your prospects are saying (3:23)
Usertesting.com - Optimize pages by watching people use them (2:46)
Interviews - Explore deep motivators with first hand emotion (4:58)
End-of-module exam
Bonus: Letter-writing exercise, part 1 (6:13)
Bonus: Letter-writing exercise, part 2 (4:15)
MODULE 3: Laying Out Your Page
How to use Module 3 (4:38)
Spit Drafts - Start with your 'what' messages (2:05)
What vs How - Separate strategy from execution (1:22)
AIDA Framework - Attention, Interest, Desire, Action (11:58)
PAS Framework - Problem, Agitation, Solution (9:16)
10/90 - Divide your page to connect and convince (1:12)
Top 10% - Match your prospects expectations (9:43)
The Low-Hanging Hook - Awareness and the top of your page (17:20)
Bottom 90% - Exceed your prospects expectations (3:24)
Hero Section - Lead with what's right, not what's fashionable (11:27)
Decision Management - Limit options to boost confidence (4:35)
Attention Management - Get visitors to focus on your goal (4:52)
End-of-module exam
MODULE 4: Writing and Editing In the Awesome
How to use Module 4 (4:15)
Two Simple Steps - Brief yourself, and do quick tests (16:14)
What's In It for Me? - Turn features into tangible benefits (13:45)
Mind-Reader Shortcuts - A grab-bag of ways to join the convo and keep it alive (28:51)
"So What?" and "Prove It" - Because people don't believe you (1:55)
Personality, Voice and Tone - Connect with your targets (7:33)
Headlines and Buttons - Make them work together (43:57)
Crossheads - Introduce the why of a section, not the what (20:20)
Bullet Lists and Mega Lists - Use lists to inspire visitors (3:06)
Beyond Bullets - How to create fascinations that keep your One Reader reading (33:47)
Pricing Tables - Increase conversions with comparison (3:31)
The Close - Lower the risk of taking your One Offer (2:36)
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A brief history of time (in distributed systems)Logical Clocks (LC) was proposed in 1978 by Lamport for ordering events in an asynchronous distributed system. LC has several drawbacks for modern systems. Firstly, LC is divorced from physical time (PT), as a result we cannot query events in relation to real-time. Secondly, to capture happened-before relations, LC assumes that there are no backchannels and all communication occurs within the system.
Physical Time (PT) leverages on physical clocks at nodes that are synchronized using the Network Time Protocol (NTP). PT also has several drawbacks. Firstly, in a geographically distributed system obtaining precise clock synchronization is very hard; there will unavoidably be uncertainty intervals. Secondly, PT has several kinks such as leap seconds and non-monotonic updates. And, when the uncertainty intervals are overlapping, PT cannot order events and you end up with inconsistent snapshots as the one shown below.
TrueTime (TT) was introduced by Spanner, Google's globally-distributed multiversion database, to timestamp transactions at global scale. TT leverages on tightly-synchronized physical clocks, but TT also has drawbacks. As in PT, when the uncertainty intervals are overlapping TT cannot order events, and it has to explicitly wait-out these ε intervals. To alleviate the problems of large ε, TT employs GPS/atomic clocks to achieve tight-synchronization (ε=6ms), however the cost of adding the required support infrastructure can be prohibitive and ε=6ms is still a non-negligible time.
Hybrid Logical ClocksIn our recent work (in collaboration with Sandeep Kulkarni at Michigan State University), we introduce Hybrid Logical Clocks (HLC). HLC captures the causality relationship like LC, and enables easy identification of consistent snapshots in distributed systems. Dually, HLC can be used in lieu of PT clocks since it maintains its logical clock to be always close to the PT clock.
Formally, the HLC is problem is to assign each event e a timestamp, l.e, such that
1) e hb f => l.e < l.f,
2) Space requirement for l.e is O(1) integers,
3) l.e is close to pt.e, that is, l.e - pt.e is bounded.
Next I will show you a naive algorithm for HLC which is unbounded. Then I will present our HLC algorithm and show that it is bounded.
Naive algorithm
HLC algorithm
Here is the improved algorithm. This algorithm bounds l-pt and c for any case, including the example run presented above. Below is that run annotated with HLC values.
Under the most basic/minimal constraint that physical clock of a node is incremented by at least one between any two events on that node, we prove c < N*(ε +1). Recall that the naive algorithm cannot be bounded with this minimal assumption as the counterexample showed.
Under a more lenient environment, if we can assume that the time for message transmission is long enough for the physical clock of every node to be incremented by at least d, we prove c < ε/d+1. Note that under that assumption the naive algorithm also becomes bound-able.
Now let's see how we can get a consistent cut using HLC. The consistency of the cut is implied by ¬(∃ p,q :: l.snap.p < l.snap.q ), which is equivalent to (∀ p,q :: l.snap.p = l.snap.q). That is, to get a consistent cut, all we need to do is to take events with the same l and c value at all nodes. In the figure, we show a consistent cut for l=10 and c=0.
Fault toleranceStabilization of HLC rests on the superposition property of HLC on NTP clocks. Once the NTP/physical clock stabilizes, HLC can be corrected based on the maximum permitted value of l-pt and the maximum value of c. If bounds are violated, we take the physical clock as the authority, and reset l and c values to pt and 0 respectively.
In order to contain the spread of corruptions due to bad HLC values, we have a rule to ignore out of bounds messages. In order to make HLC resilient to common NTP synchronization errors, we assign sufficiently large space to l-pt drift so that most NTP kinks can be masked smoothly.
Concluding remarksWe can have a compact representation of HLC timestamps using l and c. NTP uses 64-bit timestamps which consist of a 32-bit part for seconds and a 32-bit part for fractional second. We restrict l to track only the most significant 48 bits of pt. Rounding up pt values to 48 bits l values still gives us microsecond granularity tracking of pt. 16 bits remain for c and allows it room to grow up to 65536. (In our experiments c mostly stayed in single digits.)
HLC provides the following benefits: HLC is substitutable for PT (NTP clocks) in any application. HLC is resilient and monotonic and can tolerate NTP kinks. HLC can be used to return a consistent snapshot at any given T. HLC is useful as a timestamping mechanism in multiversion distributed databases, such as Spanner. In fact, HLC is being used in CockroachDB, an opensource clone of Spanner, and is implemented in this module in particular.
Read our paper for the details.


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Cook the Book: 'Little Jars, Big Flavors'
I didn't grow up in a house with a dedicated canning pot or a stockpile of home-preserved goods in the basement. My mom made her mom's bread and butter pickle recipe once in a blue moon, but otherwise we bought our jams, jellies, dill spears, and tomato sauces from the neighborhood Publix. It wasn't until I worked on a few DIY-focused cookbooks a while back a that I finally got my canning feet wet. These days, I try to sneak in putting up a preserves or two on empty weekends. Now that summer produce is in full swing, I've got even more motivation to break out my empty Ball jars.
A wonderful new resource for home canners is Southern Living Magazine's new cookbook, Little Jars, Big Flavors. Like many newer canning cookbooks, Little Jars, Big Flavors focuses on small-batch preserving (instead of the massive homesteader-sized projects in books from our parents' generation). Preserving small amounts of jams, jellies, and pickles keeps canning manageable, even in small kitchens with negligible counter space.
Even so, canning can be daunting to the novice. When I first learned how to use a boiling water bath canner, I was terrified that my jars would explode, fail to seal, or worse, make me or one of my friends sick. Little Jars, Big Flavors does a great job quelling those anxieties. Between the warm, welcoming tone of the recipes and no-nonsense, information-packed canning intro, the book could put even the biggest hypochondriac at ease. There are plenty of step-by-step photos as well as super-helpful sections like: ingredients and techniques not to fudge, spoilage signs, and a list of issues that are "not ideal, but usually not a big deal."
The recipes, written with help from Southern culinary maven Virginia Willis, cover a wide range of preserves, from simple berry jam and dill pickle spears to scuppernong jelly and pickled cherries. Towards the end of the book, there are a few DIY pantry items like vanilla extract and mustard to expand the preserver's repertoire. In addition, there are recipes that make use of the preserves scattered throughout the book for those of us who need a little nudge to get through the last jar of jam. Yet, while some of the recipes add an intriguing spice or two, the flavor profiles are generally familiar—you won't run into recipes for things like mole-infused zucchini or Cynar artichokes anywhere on these pages.
What you will see this week are an assortment of summer preserves, like cardamom-plum jam, jalapeño jelly, and spicy peach salsa. We'll end the week by pickling several bunches of Japanese turnips with shiso and then using the results in a bánh mì-inspired sandwich.
Win 'Little Jars, Big Flavors'
Thanks to our friends at Oxmoor House, we have five (5) copies of Little Jars, Big Flavors to give away this week. All you need to do for a chance to win is tell us about your favorite preserve (Jams, pickles, jellies, chutneys, you name it!) in the comments section below.
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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U.S. gasoline prices have been on a wild ride the last five years: A gallon cost about $2 in 2005, surged past $4 in '08, fell below $1.80 in '09 and recently settled around $2.80. But just as Americans have begun seeing some stability at the pump, a perfect storm now seems poised to send gas prices' normal shifts into overdrive all over again.
The ongoing Gulf oil spill has already released around 100 million gallons of crude into the Gulf of Mexico, and with up to 2 million more gallons leaking out daily, many drivers have grown worried how gas prices might be affected back on land. The spill has also spurred a federal clampdown on offshore drilling, which some experts say could boost gas prices by raising oil companies' operating costs and reducing their petroleum supplies. And now that the cyclone-suppressing El Niño has faded away, scientists are predicting a potentially historic 2010 hurricane season that could rival 2005 — when Hurricane Katrina led a record-breaking procession of storms that killed thousands of people and sent gas prices soaring around the country.
Despite this year's looming threats, however, U.S. energy experts aren't expecting the "Mad Max"-style frenzies that sometimes break out during gasoline shortages, such as the Arab Oil Embargo in 1973 or Hurricane Ike's aftermath in 2008. The federal Energy Information Administration predicts gas prices will rise to about $2.79 this summer, averaging roughly $2.76 for the year overall. Gas prices usually rise about 10 to 20 cents in summer, and the EIA's projections don't foresee much change beyond those normal patterns, painting a far steadier picture than the dramatic price swings of 2008 and 2009.
But while the EIA's forecast is widely followed by experts and consumers, it's far from infallible. For example, in January 2008, the agency predicted that year's gas prices would peak in spring at $3.50 and stay around $3 all year; instead, they peaked in July '08 at more than $4.06 before falling to $1.68 five months later. In its 2010 outlook, the EIA points to the cheap global price and the reduced U.S. demand for crude oil as reasons why gas prices aren't likely to skyrocket. But while nothing on the horizon suggests Americans will be duking it out in gas-station parking lots this summer, experts acknowledge two X factors — the worst oil spill in U.S. history plus one of the most dire hurricane forecasts in recent memory — could still throw a monkey wrench into some Americans' road-trip plans.
Oil spills and gas prices
asoline is essentially just refined petroleum with some additives thrown in, so the cost of crude oil is the No. 1 factor that determines the cost of gasoline. Federal and state taxes boost the price at the pump (see the interactive graphic above for more details), as does the physical distance from the refineries that turn oil into gasoline, but oil is still the main force pushing gas prices up or down. Yet even though countless gallons of it are now leaking into the Gulf every day, experts generally doubt the BP oil spill will have much direct effect on U.S. gas prices, at least in the near future.
Part of the reason, explains EIA senior economist Tancred Lidderdale, is that the leaking oil wouldn't have been used to make gasoline this summer, anyway. The Deepwater Horizon oil rig, which caused the spill following an explosion on April 20, was merely doing reconnaissance to prepare for future oil production.
"The way [an oil spill] affects prices is if it were to disrupt supply," Lidderdale says. "Because the Deepwater Horizon platform was not a production platform — it was an exploration platform, and production was not expected for another two or three years — there has been no immediate disruption of crude oil to U.S. refineries, nor the production of crude oil in the Gulf of Mexico."
ut that doesn't necessarily mean the oil spill won't still cause pain at the pump. The expanding surface sheen could disrupt shipping traffic, potentially slowing oil deliveries to Gulf Coast refineries. Nearly two-thirds of all oil processed by the region's refineries arrives via ship, and any delays would slash the amount of gasoline they can crank out. Some experts also worry the slick may hinder production at other offshore rigs, as it already has at some natural gas platforms. And, as many oil-industry advocates warn, new offshore drilling restrictions might create cost burdens that could be passed on to consumers.
The United States is actually well-stocked with crude oil at the moment, however, Lidderdale points out — aside from the Strategic Petroluem Reserve, the country has roughly 363 million barrels of crude scattered around in various storage tanks and depots. The problem comes when we lose the ability to refine all that oil into gasoline, which is also held in emergency stocks nationwide, but in smaller, less evenly distributed amounts. Anything that disrupts refineries can therefore wreak havoc with gas prices.
"If you have a crude oil supply disruption, you not only still have your gasoline inventory, but you also have a bigger inventory buffer of crude oil itself," Lidderdale says. "If you lose your refinery capacity, though, that gasoline buffer is smaller. And that's what we saw after [hurricanes] Katrina and Rita — gasoline prices really increased more than crude oil prices because of damage sustained to refineries, rather than damage sustained to oil-producing platforms."
Hurricanes and gas prices
The Gulf Coast has suffered immeasurably for years after Katrina and Rita — which killed more than 3,000 people and caused $100 billion in property damage — and short-term gasoline shortages pale in comparison. Still, the price swings posed a serious problem for many Americans at the time: After U.S. gas prices had averaged $1.60 per gallon over the previous five Septembers, they jumped past $2.90 in September 2005. And the '05 season wasn't an isolated incident, which became clear three years later, when hurricanes Gustav and Ike forced most Gulf Coast oil refineries to temporarily close in September '08, driving up gas prices by as much as 60 cents in some parts of the country.
Hurricanes can have wide-ranging effects on U.S. gasoline supplies, but their reach is limited and varies from state to state. California and its Western neighbors, for example, are usually unaffected by Atlantic hurricanes, since their gasoline supplies mainly come from West Coast refineries. "The Rocky Mountains really do separate the West Coast as a different 'island market,'" Lidderdale says. "There aren't that many pipelines across the Rockies." While that insulates Western states from hurricanes' wrath, it can also be a liability, since Western states produce much less crude than the Gulf. That's why Western oil spills like the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster in Alaska have a greater potential to raise regional gas prices than similar supply shocks in the Gulf.
But ample oil is still little help without refineries to make it into gasoline. When a hurricane or other disaster forces Gulf Coast oil refineries to go offline, Eastern states sometimes must dip into their emergency stocks or pay a premium to import fuel from elsewhere. The chaos caused by hurricanes in '05 and '08 highlighted the short-term dangers of such gasoline shortages, which are often more severe than oil losses, but also more localized and shorter-lived. "A crude oil supply shock might have a smaller but longer impact," Lidderdale says, "whereas a gasoline supply shock may be of shorter duration with respect to prices, but the price impact could be larger."
And that's what has many experts worried this year — the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season is shaping up to be a doozy, thanks largely to El Niño's departure in the Pacific. El Niño helped make U.S. coasts nearly hurricane-free in 2009 by increasing wind shear over the Gulf and the Atlantic, blowing apart young cyclones before they could grow into monsters. Now that El Niño has faded, however, the Atlantic Basin is once again wide open for full-strength hurricanes to form. Some forecasters say it might even be replaced this summer by its doppelganger, La Niña, which boosts the likelihood of Atlantic hurricanes by weakening the same wind shear that El Niño strengthens.
But perhaps the biggest red flags this year are the record-high ocean temperatures in the North Atlantic, the birthplace of Western Hemisphere hurricanes. Since warm water is fuel for tropical cyclones, scientists keep a close watch on this patch of ocean to forecast upcoming hurricane seasons. And what they're seeing right now isn't good: In 62 years of record keeping, there have been only six months when the North Atlantic was more than 1 degree Celsius above average, and four of those months came this year. February, March, April and May 2010 all set or tied new records for unusual heat in the North Atlantic, and May's anomaly of 1.51 degrees blew April's record 1.38-degree deviation out of the water. The rapid rise is still going strong, and with weekly anomalies already pushing past 2 degrees, May might not hold the record for long. (See the map below for a look at sea-surface temperature anomalies as of June 10; click to enlarge.)
While the Atlantic Basin averages about 11 named storms and six hurricanes per year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is forecasting 14 to 23 named storms for 2010, as well as eight to 14 hurricanes.
"If this outlook holds true, this season could be one of the more active on record," NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco said in late May, when her agency released its forecast. "The greater likelihood of storms brings an increased risk of a landfall. In short, we urge everyone to be prepared."
Safety is the most pressing concern for anyone expecting a hurricane, including precautions such as stockpiling food and clean water, boarding up windows, and, ideally, evacuating to higher ground far from shore. But with a historic oil spill already complicating crude production and refining along the Gulf Coast — and a looming hurricane season that could potentially refresh the horrors of 2005 and 2008 — stockpiling gasoline might not be a bad idea, either.
How to save money on gas
If you don't have underground storage tanks, however, and don't want to fill your garage with gas cans, a more practical option might be to simply use less gasoline instead of hoarding more of it. That's wise any time of year, but especially in the summer, when gas prices usually go up by 10 to 20 cents anyway, regardless of oil spills or hurricanes. There are two main reasons for this: People drive more in summer, boosting demand and thus prices for gasoline, and oil refiners are also legally required to make summer-grade gasoline, which is more costly to produce.
But before you curse the EPA for making such a rule, consider its benefits — standard gasoline is more likely to evaporate in warm weather, thus contributing more to air pollution as well as vapor locking in automobiles' engines. Summer-grade gasoline has lower vapor pressure and is less prone to evaporate than other varieties, making it more ecologically and economically friendly in the heat of summer.
Since gas prices will inevitably rise by at least a few cents every summer, fuel conservation and efficiency offer a guaranteed way to save money (and often improve personal health, too). The easiest way to do this is to simply drive less often, whether that means walking, biking, carpooling or taking public transit. Replacing gas-guzzling clunkers with hybrid cars or flex-fuel vehicles is another option, but even high-mileage nonhybrids can make a noticeable difference if you drive them correctly. Follow the link below for 10 ways you can squeeze the most out of every gallon you buy, no matter what kind of car you drive:
DRIVING DOWN COSTS: 10 ways to save money on gasoline >
More information
To learn more about U.S. gas prices, foreign oil dependence, offshore drilling, oil spills, hurricanes and other related topics, check out these articles from MNN:
- 10 best and worst cars for fuel efficiency
- Eco-friendly tips for a 50-mile daily commute
- Four car-friendly fuel-saving tips
- Flex fuel vehicles may be on the way out
- How dependent are we on foreign oil?
- Is offshore drilling worth the risks?
- "Above average" 2010 hurricane season predicted
Hurricane Katrina satellite image: NOAA
Map of sea-surface temperature anomalies on June 10, 2010: NOAA
MNN homepage photo: mevans/iStockphoto


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Aug 07, 2012 | ISBN 9781616952426
"Terrifyingly authentic, shiveringly good."
—Val McDermid
"I read this new novel with something bordering on awe. Nobody should be as damn talented as Stuart Neville. Collusion is a magnificent novel."
—Ken Bruen
"Collusion is that rare beast: a second novel that not only lives up to the promise of the first, but actually exceeds it. Thankfully, it seems like Stuart Neville is going to be with us for a long time."
—John Connolly
"The violence in Stuart Neville's novels about Northern Ireland is about as nasty as it gets in noir crime fiction."
—The New York Times Book Review
"Riveting…. Neville's deft style builds mounting tension, and his characters, all tragic figures, are skillfully developed…. The violence, administered up close and personal—and the rage of those who commit it—is almost operatic. A feast for thriller fans."
—Booklist, Starred Review
"Neville's sophomore effort is just as well written and just as violent as his debut, winner of the LA Times Book Prize for best crime fiction 2009. Neville creates sympathy for his characters in the midst of violence and betrayal and reveals Northern Ireland as a country still under the effects of decades of terror."
—Library Journal, Starred Review
"Neville follows his stunning debut, The Ghosts of Belfast, with an even more powerful tale of revenge, violence, and redemption…. Neville rides the perfect Celtic storm in an action-packed, cerebral thriller with fully realized characters and an insider's view of the ever-shifting politics of Northern Ireland."
—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
"Brisk, addictive … Collusion is a worthy successor to one of last year's best thrillers."—Guardian
"Neville's follow-up to his corpse-filled debut The Twelve is another mesmerizing Belfast blood bath … the author's showdowns rival those in Jacobean revenge plays."
—Sunday Times
"Stuart Neville has a lock on dread…. Full-bodied and credible…. The question Mr. Neville raises with singularly artful drama is whether survival is enough to keep one going. We'll see."
—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Graphic, gory, gritty and provocative, Collusion is a wild ride…. Collusion keeps readers on edge until the closing page…. A gripping novel, peppered with a bizarre collection of warped and twisted personalities."
—Free-Lance Star
"Neville's way with tension is only matched by his skill at action scenes."
—Spinetingler Magazine
"If you by chance have never read Stuart Neville's Belfast Trilogy, it's time to redeem yourself."
—Grift Magazine
"Packed with historical and psychological detail…. [Neville] methodically builds suspense, moving his characters into position like chessboard pawns until they converge in a cataclysmic struggle."
—Suspense Magazine


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A charter school organization's ad features an embarrassing misspelling. KING's Drew Mikkelsen reports.
There are some words that auto-correct or spell-checkers just don't catch. They might be spelled right, but mean something oh-so-wrong in the context. And this one proved an embarrassment for a charter school organization in Washington state.
An advertisement that ran in the Sunday and Monday editions of The News Tribune in Tacoma left out a single letter in quite the unfortunate spot, NBC station KING of Seattle reported.
"Are you interested in Pubic Charter Schools?" the ad mistakenly read.
"This was our mistake," Jim Spady, a spokesperson for the Washington Charter School Resource Center, told KING. The center wrote the newspaper ad, which was supposed to publicize an upcoming conference.
The News Tribune also reportedly did not notice that "public" was misspelled.
"It's an honest error," The News Tribune's marketing manager, Sue Piotrkowski, told KING.
The newspaper ran a corrected version of the ad Wednesday, according to KING.
Correction: University of Texas doesn't have school of 'pubic' affairs
Last month, Washington state voters passed an initiative that allows for charter schools, The Seattle Times reported.
Drew Mikkelsen, KING's south bureau chief, contributed to this report.
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Southeastern Utah is home to some of the most awe inspiring vistas, unique rock formations, and brilliant winter weather. It was also the setting for the second annual Moab Red Hot 50K+ and 33K.
The La Sal Mountains from Poison Spider Mesa...the setting of the last six miles of the race.
Roughly 300 runners lined up for these two races on what would turn out to be a gorgeous February day. It was the perfect escape for many runners from the cold and snowy environs they had been inhabiting since last November. The race would, in turn, attract the most competitive ultra field thus far for 2008. The 50K has 4,500 feet of gain and takes runners over some classic Moab trails like Gemini Bridges, Metal Masher, Gold Bar Rim, and Poison Spider Mesa.
A View of what's to come. A glimpse of the course from the starting area. Runners would navigate up the Gemini Bridges Trail across the snowy cliff face to the right. Ultimately runners would end up on top of Gold Bar Rim (the cliffs in the far distance).
Race Director, Chris Martinez, shouts out last minute instructions.
Torrid paces were set from the beginning. Young ultraspeedsters, Tony Krupricka (CO) and Kyle Skaggs (NM), set a fast early pace in order to distance themselves from the competition. They were challenged late in the race by Justin Ricks (CO), but were able to out pace him and tie for a win and set a new course record in 4:03 (taking 22 minutes off of Karl Meltzer's 2007 course record). Ricks finished third in 4:04. Johannas Rudolph finished fifth overall and won the men's master's title in 4:22.
A pre-race photo with (l to r) Karl Meltzer, Ian Torrence, Tony Krupicka and Kyle Skaggs.
Perhaps the most exciting race of the day was battled out between Susannah Beck (of Eugene, OR) and Anita Ortiz (of Eagle, CO). Beck, a relatively new face to ultrarunning, see-sawed back and forth most of the race with Ortiz. In the last five miles Beck was able to build one last final lead to win and set a course record in 4:28. Ortiz finish second and won the master's race in 4:34. Darcy Africa, last year's Red Hot winner and course record holder finished third in 5:02.
...And they're off!
In the 33 kilometer race, Romiero Paris won the men's race in 2:32, while Anna Pichrtova won the women's race and finished second overall in 2:37. Anne Pence won the women's masters race in 3:34. Brandon Haddick won the men's masters race in 2:53. 155 runners completed the 50K course, while 84 runners covered the 33K course.
Full results can be found at Red Hot 50K's web site. Another good race report can be found on La Sportiva's Mountain Running Web Site.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Moab's Red Hot 50 Kilometer Trail Race
Posted by Rogue Valley Runners at 11:19 AM
2 comments:
- Rennaker said...
Great job Ian, 20 minutes better than last year! And congratulations to Maria on her first 33K! Awesome job!
Good job on the win and CR Kyle!
- Tuesday, February 19, 2008 10:36:00 AM
- vishus said...
Hey very nice blog!!. Thank you for posting this, It's just what I was browsing on bing. I'd very much rather hear opinions from an individual, rather than a corporate web page, that's why I like blogs so much. Thanks! outstanding fantastic.
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- Wednesday, June 15, 2011 11:36:00 AM
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Archers Of Loaf have always been a band that sounds like they're wallowing, gloriously, within their own over-bearing sense of misery. Even the faster tempos of their previous two albums (Icky Mettle and Vee Vee) all created a sense of insecurity. And All The Nations Airports was to be the band's discontent album. It contained the band's most graceful sighs and also their loudest attempts to burst through their past labels.
It was released in 1996, the year after the band had completed a huge tour with Weezer that had with it the expectation of a launch pad to the big time. It didn't come off though; the band's sound too heavy, with too much clanging and not enough nimble riffing for the punk-lite audience. It was, in retrospect, a mistake. A sense of disappointment is palpable in this album - possibly as a result of such an un-rewarded emotional investment.
For all the challenging layers to the music, there are also massive songs. None more perfect a collision of beauty and ugliness than the title track. Interestingly the 4-track demo versions of every album song - included in this remastered reissue - actually give great insight into the building of this album, as they are not just pre-mix desk takes but band leader Eric Bachmann's initial idea dumps. The title track demo shows the original thin thread, with programmed drums and melodies driving the music. Cut to the album version and the desperation is partly inserted, through Bachmann's vocals being buried beneath the weight of the bass. It's almost a shame to hear the album version first, as it becomes the more impressive for hearing its development.
The most obvious AoL put outs on this album were the ballads and instrumentals, evoking the typical fan-boy's discontent at change, even if 'Attack Of The Killer Bees' is as heavy as anything they'd ever done. 'Chumming the Ocean' plays soporifically, with rusty, clunky, piano tones; and 'Acromegaly' chimes like a minimalist piece, growing and turning into the softest explosions of guitar distortion.
'Assassination On Xmas-Eve' tells of a series of institutional mess-ups that allows Santa to be assassinated. For all its satirical tone, it sounds as stern as a song based on a true disaster, flecking humour into the band's morbid prophecies. It closes with 'Little Jets', an initially piano-led track quickly becomes menaced by low bass notes. It continues to develop into a dirge and faux jet engine sounds are used as drones. The bass and guitars continue to grow into mangled, unpleasant keys and tones as Bachmann continues to gruffly bark about 'swollen skies'
All The Nations Airports ends a mess, a superb mess, but a painful one too. For all its song-craft and staunch commitment to impact through arrangement and approach over volume, All The Nations Airports feels like an album born of negativity. It's frequently a superb listen and often a real eye opener for its jerks and shocks, but it's an album to brace yourself for.
8Jon Falcone's Score