text: An extremely diverse and successful group, reptiles are well adapted to the hot, arid environments of the United Arab Emirates. Over 54 terrestrial species are known to occur in the UAE, including many desert-dwelling lizards, snakes and a single species of worm lizard. The UAE is also home to significant populations of marine turtles and a number of poisonous sea snakes.


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Campus Happenings
NDUS Blog
NDUS Home
North Dakota University System office needs more staff, state auditor confirms
Posted on 3/7/2013
For More Information Contact:
Linda Donlin, Director of Communications and
Media Relations
North Dakota University System
Phone: 701.328.2962
North Dakota University System office needs more staff, state auditor confirms
During the 2013 Legislative session, North Dakota University System officials have repeatedly made the case for increased staffing, and now a new state performance audit report confirms that the NDUS central office is understaffed. North Dakota State Auditor Robert R. Peterson released the report today, which was conducted from September 2012 to early February at the request of the Legislative Audit and Fiscal Review Committee.
"We are pleased that this audit confirms the Board's own due diligence and the recommendations we have built into our planning process and budget requests," said Duaine Espegard, president of the State Board of Higher Education. "In order to operate as a true university system that is efficient and effective, we need adequate staffing at the heart of the system."
The objective of the performance audit was primarily to answer the question, "Is the University System Office adequately staffed to perform its functions," the introduction states. The auditors looked at staffing levels of eight other states' university systems, reviewed applicable laws and policies, and examined system office positions and their current responsibilities.
The recommendations in the report include the following:
Ensure there is a unified system of higher education
Obtain the necessary resources to adequately perform the functions and duties of the office
Determine whether campus resources can be used in centralizing certain functions and providing support for personnel costs
Take action to have internal audit functions within the university system report to System Office personnel
Establish a system-wide monitoring function
The most significant finding in the Audit Report is the endorsement of the direction that the Board and Chancellor are moving the system. "This is what the people and their legislators intend for a university system to serve the needs of all eleven institutions equally and fairly," explained Espegard.
The new report references a previous state performance audit where concerns were identified related to the university system not being a unified system of higher education. "While steps have been taken by the System Office to make certain areas more unified (such as transfer of credits between institutions)," the report stated, "there are a number of areas in which a unified system does not exist. Within a unified system, certain functions could be centralized which could lead to more streamlined processes and a shift of resources from a campus specific function to a university system function."
A risk assessment requested by the Board and conducted by outside vendor, Larson-Allen, in 2011 said, "there appears to be significant opportunities to improve effectiveness and efficiency, as a system, by focusing on consistence of approach and collaboration for both academic and administrative functions."
"These former and current findings and recommendations support the Board's blueprint for building a real system of higher education in North Dakota," said Chancellor Hamid A. Shirvani. "Together, they provide written testimony to the question of what a university system is all about and the consequences of failing to provide the necessary personnel to carry out needed responsibilities."
While the audit report does not include recommendations about how many staff would be needed in the central office to meet the needs of the system, comparisons with other states show that NDUS staff numbers are significantly lower in many areas than other university system offices with similar responsibilities.
"The Board has created a vision to develop a strong university system for the future," Espegard said. "This audit report confirms that we are going in the right direction and that our budget requests for appropriate staffing are reasonable and necessary to put our plan into action. The students and the citizens of North Dakota will be the long-term beneficiaries."
For a copy of the full report, go to
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If you haven't seen the 2003 Thai action flick Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior, you really, really need to.Here's one of the film's most memorable scenes, which just might be the closest we'll ever get to Fei Long's shienkyaku.
Ong-Bak went on to spawn two sequels, Ong-Bak 2 and Ong-Bak 3. The films' mastermind, Tony Jaa, is starring in the upcoming 3D action flick, The Protector 2.
ストリートファイターのフェイロンのキックを真似したら危険 [@attrip]


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Wine List
First Growths
More Information
Please note that all prices shown do not include delivery or VAT.
Wine descriptions using "A", "B" etc refer to our stock reference and do not infer any particular quality.
Robert Parker tasting scores (out of a possible 100 points) are indicated as: (RP 95) etc.


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The plan for the Burlington Christian Academy boys� basketball team was to make Raleigh Word of God hit outside shots to win Monday night�s non-conference game.
After a barrage of 3s from Word of God, BCA wound up on the losing end of an 81-38 home defeat.
�Our gameplan, because we knew we were a little bit outsized, was to make them shoot,� BCA coach Brian Dehart said. �They came in here (Monday) night and lit us up.�
Word of God (2-0) made 12 shots from 3-point range in the game, seven of which came on its first nine field goals. The Royals (1-1) employed a 2-3 zone defense to limit Word of God�s penetration and rebounding, giving the Holy Rams several open looks from behind the arc.
BCA played with Word of God for most of the first quarter, with the Royals� first six points coming from Romeao Ferguson. He finished with a team-leading 13 points.
When Jamison Jeffers nailed a 3 with 2 minutes, 53 seconds left in the first quarter, BCA trailed 12-9. But Word of God switched to a box-and-1 defense to limit Jeffers� scoring opportunities and went on a 19-2 run in a 7:35 stretch between the first and second quarters.
�I wasn�t worried about the 3s,� Jeffers said of the Holy Rams� shooting. �We couldn�t get anything going on offense and they started doing the box-and-1 on me and it was like everything started going down. We have to get better at that.�
A 35-15 halftime advantage for Word of God quickly expanded when the Holy Rams scored the first 11 points of the second half in 1:53. An alley-oop from Josh Newkirk to Shane Whitefield provided the exclamation mark at the end of the run.
Word of God coach Quentin Jackson said his team�s defensive intensity, in switching to the box-and-1 and turning over the Royals, was the difference in getting the Holy Rams sparked to the blowout.
Newkirk, a Pittsburgh commit, led Word of God with 14 points, 11 of which came in the third quarter. His highlight was a one-hand tomahawk dunk on a fast break with 2:15 left in the third quarter.
�We did it with the defense,� Jackson said. �The defense dictated our offense and we were able to get some really easier baskets, but we had to stop them because they came out at the beginning and were playing really well.�
Playing such a high level of competition early in the season is an aspect the Royals hope gives the team early moments to grow.
�We came out slow during the second half,� Jeffers said. �We�ll be fine down the road, playing these tough opponents first.�
BCA was not only out-manned in size but also in sheer players, matching a nine-player roster against Word of God�s 13 players, 12 of whom scored.
�They just wore us down,� Dehart said. �They played into our hand and hit the 3s.�


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Quote from: stormie on June 21, 2005, 10:50 AMI'll probably end up getting one eventually (for my kids). Nice try, we know who it's really for.
I'll probably end up getting one eventually (for my kids).
Looks like the Spudtrooper is now IN-STOCK at Amazon.com.Looks like a similar price to DarthTater - $8.99 plus tax/shipping.Good luck to anyone trying to nab a Spud!
I pulled the trigger on Spud Trooper... he shipped today and should arrive next week and will most likely look great posed with Darth Tater!
Sweet!My daughter asked for a Darth Tater last week, and there was pretty much no way I could say no. It has quickly become one of her favourite toys (after the Barbies, of course).
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|Los Altos, Calif.
|High School:
|Crystal Springs Uplands
Jonathan Taylor graduated from Crystal Springs Uplands school in Hillsborough, California. He swam with Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics for 4 years before moving on to college swimming. His start in competitive swimming began at the age of 9 as a summer league swimmer. Jonathan began year round swimming in 2002. Since 2002 he has qualified for Junior Championships in the 50m freestyle and in 2005 and 2006 he made finals in the 50m freestyle at the California-Nevada Sectionals. On his high school team, Jonathan set records in the 100y freestyle, 100y butterfly, 200y freestyle and 200y IM. He was a finalist at his high school championship his sophomore through senior years. In his first year at Yale Jonathan was a member of the ECAC Championship squad swimming the freestyle and butterfly events and the relays. As a student Jonathan participated in many different extra curricular activities at Crystal Springs Uplands School. He was president of the student body his senior year and a class representative his junior year. He was involved with the C.A.F.E. club, an organization designed to promote diversity.


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Before going afield, we recommend you review the open/closed status of the WMAs you're interested in. We continue to update this page with information about WMA opens/closures, including details about roads, entrances and more.
Florida has one of the largest wildlife management area (WMA) systems in the country at nearly 6 million acres. FWC is the lead manager or landowner on over 1.4 million acres and works in partnership with other governmental or private landowners on another 4.5 million acres. This statewide network of remote and scenic lands is managed for conservation and recreation. Healthy habitats and abundant game populations are the result of dedicated professionals – wildlife biologists, land managers, partners and volunteers – who work to ensure wildlife have the conditions needed to thrive.
Florida's WMAs offer a wide range of hunting opportunities from quota/limited hunts, special opportunity hunts, and public hunting areas where hunters can walk on to hunt.
To hunt on wildlife management areas (WMAs), you must possess a management area permit and a hunting license, (and often other permits depending on species and season), unless exempt. Limited entry/quota permits are required on WMAs during certain time periods. They can only be applied for during the scheduled application periods. The worksheets with the hunt choices and hunt dates are usually posted about two weeks before the permit application period opens.
WMA Locations Map Go to: Northwest | North Central | Northeast | Southwest | South
Links marked with * mean that the brochure has been updated since its original publication
Apalachee*Apalachee PSGHAApalachicolaApalachicola Bradwell UnitApalachicola River*AucillaBeaverdam Creek Blackwater*Blackwater Carr UnitBlackwater Hutton Unit*Box-R*Chipola RiverChoctawhatchee River
Perdido RiverPine Log*Plank RoadPoint Washington*St. Marks NWR St. Vincent NWR TalquinTate's HellTate's Hell Womack Creek UnitTyndall AFB WakullaYellow River*
Alligator Lake SGAAndrewsBayardBelmoreBig ShoalsBlue SpringsCamp BlandingCaryCedar Key ScrubCitrusCypress Creek Devils HammockFlying EagleFort WhiteFour CreeksGoethe*
Grove ParkGulf HammockHatchet CreekHickory MoundHolton CreekHomosassaJenaJennings ForestLafayette ForestLittle RiverLochloosaLog LandingLower EconfinaLower Suwannee NWR Mallory Swamp
Middle AucillaOsceolaPotash CorpPottsRaifordRalph E. Simmons Santa Fe SwampSnipe IslandSpring CreekSteinhatchee SpringsSuwannee RidgeThomas CreekTide SwampTroy SpringsTwin RiversWatermelon Pond
Baird UnitBuck Lake Caravelle RanchCaravelle Ranch Dove FieldCharles H BronsonDexterDunns CreekEmeralda Marsh PSGHAEtoniah CreekFellsmere Area 1 PSGHAFort DrumGores LandingGuana RiverGuana River - Lake Ponte Vedra PSGHAHalf Moon*Herky Huffman/Bull Creek
Jumper CreekKissimmee Chain of LakesLake GeorgeLake MonroeLake PanasoffkeeLake Panasoffkee SGALake Tracy UnitLake Woodruff NWR Little Big EconMarshall SwampMatanzasMerritt Island NWR OcalaOcklawaha Prairie PSGHAOrange Creek PSGHAPrairie Lakes Unit
RichloamRichloam PSGHARima Ridge UnitRock SpringsRolling Meadows UnitRoss PrairieSalt LakeSeminole ForestSeminole RanchThree LakesTiger BayT.M. Goodwin Waterfowl Management AreaTosohatcheeTriple NUpper St Johns River Marsh
ArbuckleAvon Park AFR Babcock Ranch PreserveBabcock Ranch Preserve Tier II AreaChassahowitzkaCroomGreen SwampGreen Swamp WestHatchineha Unit
Hickory HammockHilochee*Hilochee SGAKICCOKissimmee RiverLake Marion CreekLower HillsboroughMyakka State Forest SGAOsprey Unit
Punta Gorda SGARoyce Unit*Royce Unit SGA*TenorocUpper HillsboroughWalk-in-the-WaterWebb*WeekiwacheeYucca Pens Unit
A-1 FEB SGAAllapattah FlatsAllapattah Flats SGABig Cypress*C-23/24 Reservoir SGACREWDinner IslandDupuisDupuis Dove Field SGA*EvergladesFisheating Creek
STA 1 West Waterfowl SGASTA 2 Waterfowl SGASTA 3/4 Waterfowl SGASTA 5/6 Waterfowl SGASTA Parking Maps
FWC Facts:The FWC is working to expand deer hunting opportunities. Since 2005, 32 new WMAs have been added, totaling more than 141,000 acres.
Learn More at AskFWC
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Pursuant to section 120.74, Florida Statutes, the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has published its 2018 Agency Regulatory Plan.
Under Florida law, e-mail addresses are public records. If you do not want your e-mail address released in response to a public records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact this office by phone or in writing.
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- Home
- Custom Lettering
- Single Letters/Numbers
- STICKER Stencil Monogram Letters Numbers Lettering Vinyl Decal+
STICKER Stencil Monogram Letters Numbers Lettering Vinyl Decal+
Write a Review×
STICKER Stencil Monogram Letters Numbers Lettering Vinyl Decal+
- Availability:
- Made to Order - Production Time is 2-3 Business days
Props are NOT included, shown for illustration only
-Self-adhesive vinyl for flat and gently curved hard surfaces
-Apply onto the following surfaces(but not limited to): Cars, windows, glass, mirrors, metal, wood, walls, ceramic, cups/mugs, signs, laptops, cell phones, I-pad/phone covers/cases, leather, canvas
-Not for heat application onto fabric(can be used for one time only use)
-Will not adhere to rough or uneven textures or surfaces. Wall paint must be fully cured before application.
-Stickers may not be removable from all material types(including, but not limited to: paper, cardboard, laminate finishes, and similar type surfaces). Stickers are not reusable.
-6 Year Outdoor life, Unlimited indoor use. Household items, handwash only, do not place in dishwasher
-Choose your size from the menu based on the HEIGHT you want the design
2", 3", 4", 5", 6", 8", 10", 12", 14", 16", 18", 24"
-Sizes are based on the height, width will be sized proportionally and may exceed the height measurement by up to 1" or more(especially wide letters such as M, W, etc)
-White & Black are available in Semi-Gloss or Matte finish
-Rest of vinyl colors are semi-gloss finish
-Metallic colors are smooth glitter vinyl(not textured)
-Hologram colors have large dots
-Sequin colors have small dots
-Chrome colors have a shiny mirror finish
All designs are copyright Stickers by Stephanie or their respective owners.
Transfers may be used on physical items for sale. Transfers may not be resold or claimed as your own.


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Job Description
VCA Boston Road Animal Hospital in Springfield, Massachusetts is seeking a highly experienced Veterinarian to join our AAHA-accredited, multi-doctor specialty/general practice as Director of General Practice.
$15K Signing Bonus offered!
This position will work with the Medical Director to ensure that our General Practice is providing the exceptional service and care that our clients and patients have come to know.
Our team of 16 doctors includes specialists in Internal Medicine, Surgery, Oncology and Critical Care (with 2 Boarded Critical Care Specialists), along with a team of experienced Emergency Clinicians. Our caseload and clientele are diverse and influenced by the surrounding local communities, which include 5 colleges and Medical and Legal professionals.
We boast a collegial environment that is focused on client service, patient care and teamwork and this rewarding, professional environment is augmented by exceptionally approachable specialists, an emphasis on evidence-based medicine and on-site RACE approved CE events. This is all further enhanced by the tremendous resources, support and benefits of VCA Inc.
In this position you'll drive our success as you drive your own—by using your superior medical judgment combined with a high level of empathy, confidence and humility to heal pets.
Along the way you'll build a loyal client base and we'll help you sharpen your edge through continuing education. And as a General Practitioner with VCA, you'll have access to our brain trust of board certified Specialists, among the many resources of North America's leader in veterinary medicine.
We feature a state-of-the-art, 15,000 sq. ft. facility that is equipped with Digital Radiography, Dental Digital Radiography, 24-hour telemetry unit, abdominal ultrasound, cardiac ultrasound, endoscope, full-service lab, an ISO ward, and ICU unit.
Springfield is located in Western Massachusetts, and is easily accessible from all area highways and major routes. Our location affords the opportunity for a wealth of outdoor and cultural activities in the area, as well as close proximity to the larger urban communities of Boston, Hartford, and New York City.
The Director of General Practice—under the guidance of the Medical Director and with the support of the Regional Medical Director—carries out VCA's promise to our clients: making their pet's health our top priority and excellent service our goal.
The Director of General Practice will work with the GP Associates to provide oversight on client education and advocates for and strives to deliver the highest quality medical, surgical, dental and nutritional diagnostics, treatment, and preventative care to companion animals.
Skills and Qualifications
VCA rewards its team members with a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package, including:


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Our world-class, Level IV, regional Ahmanson Pediatric Center's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is one of the largest in all of Southern California and unmatched in the United States for its state-of-the-art design and technology. Under the leadership of Charles F. Simmons, Jr., MD, the NICU admits nearly 700 infants per year.
We offer comprehensive neonatal diagnostic and treatment facilities for critically ill newborns. Our center also holds a multidisciplinary research unit, dedicated to providing the highest quality care for all newborns, ranging from healthy neonates to sick or premature newborns requiring close observation or intensive care.
Patient Story
Avery Reynolds
At birth, Avery suffered from a life-threatening condition caused by oxygen deprivation. Luckily, doctors at the Cedars-Sinai Maxine Dunitz Children's Health Center wrapped her in a special cooling blanket.Read Full Story
Featured Program
Good Beginnings
Good Beginnings is a support group for the 45-bed NICU. The program offers a range of services to NICU families and caregivers including emotional, educational and some financial support while babies are still in the hospital. They're also a resource to help families cope after they have taken their babies home, helping to ease them through an experience that can be frightening and lonely.Read Full Story


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10:00 pm
Joanne Weir's Cooking Confidence "Rustic Yet Refined" Joanne makes us a classic Italian frico and then with her student Stephanie demonstrates how rustic and refined can work well together in the same meal, making a spiced lentil and herb salad and halibut wrapped in prosciutto. Recipes: Frico with Bacon and Potatoes, Prosciutto di San Daniele-Wrapped Halibut Fillet, and Spiced Lentils and Herb Salad. Student: Stephanie Gerbracht, Wine Sales. D
10:30 pm
Rick Steves' Europe "Poland Rediscovered: Krakow, Auschwitz and Warsaw" Rick finds Poland transforming itself into the new heart of Europe, and Krakow, with its Baroque and cobbled charm, emerging as the "next Prague." Rick visits nearby Auschwitz and experiences a timeless, soul-searching lesson.G
11:00 pm
Learning Math: Measurement "Video 5. Indirect Measurement and Trigonometry" Learn how to use the concept of similarity to measure distance indirectly, using methods involving similar triangles, shadows, and transits. Apply basic right-angle trigonometry to learn about the relationships among steepness, angle of elevation, and height-to-distance ratio. Use trigonometric ratios to solve problems involving right triangles. D
11:30 pm
Learning Math: Measurement "Video 6. Area" Learn that area is a measure of how much surface is covered. Explore the relationship between the size of the unit used and the resulting measurement. Find the area of irregular shapes by counting squares or subdividing the figure into sections. D


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Teach Your Kids to Save Money
Monkey Bank
Now more than ever is a perfect time to teach your kids about saving money. Make this great Monkey bank with your preschooler or prek student.
Money Matters- Lessons to Teach your Kids about Money- Saving, Spending and Donating
This is a great article to help parents teach kids about saving money, donating to charity, and allocating money for spending.
Fun Kids Game
Hide and Seek Kids Game
Let your kids have fun while learning their numbers-let your kids play hide and seek with Zoomer.
Food Tip of the Day:
Need a Quick Recipe for Dinner?
Yummy Black Bean Soup- Fast and Kids Love It!
Need a quick and nutritious dinner idea? Make this Black Bean Soup and serve with a salad- Dinner in 15 minutes!
Check back daily to see new ideas and activities for you and your kids. Bookmark our site and sign up for our newsletter to get great acitivities, articles and tips from ZiggityZoom.com
To see our Activity from Oct 5-Halloween Monkey Mask,Hopscotch Fit Mat,Food Veggie and Fruit Castle-click here
To see our Activity from Oct 3-Halloween Stickers, Leap Frog Lily Pad Kids' Game, Whole Wheat White Pizza Dinner
To see our Activity from October 2- Halloween Place Mat, Look and Find Backyard and Dinnertime Game Ideas


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Jason Simpson is WHNT News 19's Chief Meteorologist. He joined our team in January 2012.
Raised in Holly Pond, Jason is no stranger to the Tennessee Valley. Prior to joining WHNT News 19, he served as the morning meteorologist at ABC 33/40 in Birmingham, working alongside longtime Chief Meteorologist James Spann from 2004 to 2011. Simpson actually began his career while still in college, interning at ABC 33/40 as well. After college, he worked at WTOK-TV in Meridian, Mississippi, where he was Chief Meteorologist.
Jason was awarded the American Meteorological Society's Certified Broadcast Meteorologist Seal for excellence in television weather in 2007. Simpson graduated from Mississippi State University with a degree in Broadcast Meteorology.
Jason has covered many weather events from hurricanes to tornadoes and blizzards. Jason was on the air April 27, 2011 and saw firsthand the magnitude of the destruction in different parts of Alabama. After the storm he took action, volunteering in devastated areas to help people rebuild and where he couldn't go, he sent supplies.
A staunch advocate for science education in the classroom, Jason has been instrumental in building curriculum for elementary and middle school science classes through the "ABC's of Weather" series that he produced for the Alabama Math Science and Technology Initiative.
Jason and his wife Lacey have two beautiful children: Walt (born in 2011) and Shelby (born in 2013).


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Staybridge Suites Point Loma hotels are listed below. Search for cheap and discount Staybridge Suites hotel rates in Point Loma, CA for your family, individual or group travels. We list the best Staybridge Suites Point Loma hotels/lodging so you can review the Point Loma Staybridge Suites hotel list below to find the perfect place.
Our website will also provide discounted Point Loma, CA properties that have similar quality of Staybridge Suites.Booking a group or meeting? Set up a group hotel block in Point Loma CA
How should we direct your call?


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Sunday, February 14, 2010
Eat with your Eyes: Caffarel Milk Hearts
Anyone who has visited this blog regularly knows my fondness for Caffarel, the Italian chocolate maker that invented gianduia. What's even more remarkable about them is that they don't just make little nuggets of the stuff, they fashion it into beautiful morsels in clever shapes & wrappers to look at before you gobble them up.
While at the Fancy Food Show I was happy to see the Caffarel booth. Caffarel is devilishly hard to find in the United States, but if they're planning to distribute directly, maybe things will improve - wider distribution and perhaps the prices will be a little better.
These were simple little milk chocolate hearts, barely larger in diameter than a penny, the chocolate is silky smooth, sweet and milky with a cool melt on the tongue. As far as I'm concerned, the script Caffarel on any candy says I Love You.
Happy Valentine's Day! Did you get chocolate or candy from your sweetie?
POSTED BY Cybele AT 6:59 am Candy • Caffarel • Featured News • Fun Stuff • Photography •
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Laica & Caffarel Chocolate Eggs
My office is now next door to a Cost Plus World Market. Which means that I browse there about once a week ... and try to resist buying more than twice a month. It took three trips before I succumbed to this one kilo (2.2 pound) bag of Sweet Moments Chocolate Eggs (Ovetti) made by Laica. Priced at $9.99 it wasn't that it would cost me a Hamilton, it was that it was more than two pounds of foil covered chocolate eggs. That's a lotta candy!
The description on the front says milk chocolate eggs with hazelnuts cream and cereals filling. There's also a little logo in the top right that says puro cioccolato.
All of the candies are the same flavor, but feature four designs on the foil. Each has the company logo on it and calls these Nocciola (hazelnut).
The light blue has an angry chick, the green has a white duck, the tan has a decidedly unhappy sheep and the yellow features emotionless butterflies and flowers.
The eggs are about 1.25 inches long with little lines on the widest part. They smell sweet and a little like roasted nuts and hot chocolate.
The bite is soft and easy. The chocolate shell melts easily, it's real chocolate and in the European milky style.
The center is creamy with dots of little cereal pieces. They're like crisped rice, only spherical and according to the ingredients made of a mix of corn, rice, wheat and barley. They're crispy and provide a nice malty crunch. The creamy paste in the center is sweet and sticky with a hint of hazelnut flavor - not as much as I'd hoped. The ingredients show that the center is sugar, fractionated oils, the cereal bits and then 8% hazelnut paste followed by cocoa & milk plus some other stuff.
Overall, they're quite easy to eat. They don't satisfy in the sense that after three I don't want any more, instead I keep eating them. Though they're more expensive than some other American made chocolate confections available for Easter, they edge out on the quality front and they certainly taste good. And they're cute.
Last year Easter came much earlier (March 23, 2008), so I think there were far more after holiday deals to be found because of the compressed selling period between Valentine's and Easter. One of them I was eager to take advantage of was this set of Caffarel Eggs being sold at Williams-Sonoma (they're back this year). At regular price, they're pretty expensive at $24 for 10 ounces (19 eggs). But I ordered them on clearance after Easter for $6.99 a bag. I also got the candy shell version which didn't return this year.
Each little egg had a collar and label: mandorla (almond), torroncino (nougat), gianduja (hazelnut & chocolate paste).
Sadly my clearance deal netted me two bags of bloomed chocolate. I ate most of the first bag, and though the bloom wasn't too bad, it did make the outside of the eggs rather oily and difficult to remove the clingy thin foil.
The chocolate is smooth and silky (other than the bloom issue), the center was rich and thick, much like the other Caffarel gianduia products I've had. The nougat one had little crunchy bits in it. The almond one had an amaretto flavor to it that I didn't care for at all ... so about a third of the bag was a flavor I didn't care for (but luckily others I know do).
The quality of the ingredients is top notch and the hazelnut flavor (or almond, in the case of the mandorla) is rich and decadent. The packaging is exceptional, each one is a little gift (though also makes a lot of little bits of paper for cleanup). I'm not going to give them a rating because of the bloom though.
They're a wonderful little treat, but very expensive when there are other products around like the Ovetti or even the Moser Roth Truffles my mother sent me from Aldi. However, I do see them sold singly from time to time, usually for a dollar at fine delis ... so it's definitely worth it to have a little treat now and then.
Related Candies
POSTED BY Cybele AT 9:06 am
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Short & Sweet: Hazelnut Bites
As the temps are climbing here in Southern California, I need to eat up all my chocolate before it melts. So instead rolling these little goodies out one at a time, here's a few bites in brief:
I picked up these cute little cubes at Lucca, an Italian deli/grocer in San Francisco a couple of months ago. The graphic design of the little wrappers with bold FIAT logo and variations was just irresistible. They're made by Pasticceria Majani, founded in 1796 and one of the first confectioners to make actual solid chocolate in Europe. The Fiat line of chocolates were introduced in 1911 and actually named in honor of the Italian car.
This style of gianduia cube is rather common in Europe, I've had a few variations of these before.
They're all layered. They're a little shy of one inch on the longest side and about 3/4 of an inch tall and wide (so they're not quite cubes).
FIAT Classico: two medium layers alternate with two light colored hazelnut paste layers. It's extremely sweet, very hazelnutty. But really too sweet that it burns my throat. The only way to cut this is with a strong cup of coffee or espresso (which may be the way they're intended to be eaten). I didn't finish my second one.
FIAT NOIR: this is the one shown here, it's a dark chocolate layer with a thick medium gianduia center. Even the dark chocolate layer is a hazelnut infused chocolate, but it's the center that's packed with a hazelnut punch. The combo is spot on perfect. A little difference in the texture, a little difference in the sweetness and nuttiness and a perfect bite.
FIAT CAFFE: the caffe looks a lot like the Noir, but has a darker center than the top and bottom layers. It's sweet though, and has a light coffee flavor and a slight bitter tang. What sets this one apart from the other two is that it has almonds in it as well as hazelnuts. At first I thought it was too sweet, but once the bitterness and a dry finish kicks in, I came to appreciate it more, just as I did with unsweetened coffee as a teenager.
I give the line an 8 out of 10.
If I thought the Fiat cubes were a good deal, I guess I didn't realize what a value my Caffarel find was.
I got these little Caffarel foil hazelnut flower buds at Chocolate Covered in San Francisco. The little package had five pieces for four dollars ... so eighty cents each (and Jack, who runs the store, also gave me one to eat while I was there).
I love Caffarel's little bites, no matter what shape they are. These are rather small, they're obvious built in halves and mushed together to create the three dimensional bud, I kind of like pulling them apart with my teeth.
The milk chocolate shell is sweet and milky. The center is creamy and thick, a little fudgy and has tiny crushed hazelnut bits. It's super smooth otherwise and slightly cool on the tongue. If you're a fan of Perugina Baci, consider these a tiny milk chocolate version.
They're just so adorable. I don't know where to find them for sure, but if you're a hazelnut fan scoop a few up.
Rating: 9 out of 10
My final hazelnut indulgence this week is the Cote d'Or Experiences Milk Creamy Smooth bar.
What clued me in that this was a hazelnut bar (since it's not obvious) was that it was called a Smooth and intense MILK chocolate confection which is a coded way of saying, "there's something else in this bar."
The hazelnut paste is pretty far down on the list of ingredients, after the major chocolate ingredients and whey & milkfat but before the soy lecithin.
Like the dark bars I tried last week, the bar is big and thin, with the logo elephant on each segment.
It smells a little malty and very milky. It's a softer bite than the dark bars (as is usually the case with milk chocolate). The bar has a smooth but fudgy consistency. The hazelnut flavors aren't readily apparent, but there are some nice smoky and toasted notes to the bar.
It's not too sweet, has a dash of malt and even a little burnt sugar bitterness to it that I find appealing. I can't see myself buying one of these (I rarely buy milk chocolate unless it's for a review) but knowing that Cote d'Or does a very mellow milk does intrigue me ... I may find myself experimenting with more of their product line.
Rating: 7 out of 10
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Friday, February 1, 2008
Short & Sweet: Fancy Food Bites
Last year I ordered some wonderful products from Artisan Sweets which included this Nougat aux Figues: Cuit au Chaudron. I promptly took a photo of the product and then ate it.
Made by Suprem' Nougat G. Savin in Montelimar, France it is much like the Arnaud Soubeyran Montelimar Nougat that I've had previously, meaning it has wonderful lavender honey in it along with a generous embed of almonds. Of course it also has bits of figs in there too, as you might have guessed from the picture and name.
The figs gave the nougat a bit of texture, with the crunchy little seeds and combined well with the musky notes of the lavender honey. It seemed to make the whole thing a little sweeter, but it was a fresh taste. It's expensive stuff, so it's a sometimes-indulgence for me. ($8.00 for 3.52 ounces.)
I picked up these nice sized samples at the Fancy Food Show from K.L. Keller Imports. She also handles the excellent G. Savin nougats
This particular nougat has full macadamias in it. It's a light nougat, it actually felt lighter than many nougats in the hand. The scent was a light vanilla, almost like toasted marshmallows. Wow, the marshmallow comparison was evident once I bit into it. The nougat is fluffy and completely smooth ... there's no hint of sugary grain to it at all.
While I was completely missing any honey notes and macadamias aren't my favorite nut, this was fantastic. Sweet without being sticky or cloying and just the right balance with the neutrality of the macadamias.
Walters is a South African company (which explains the macadamias) and besides these samples and a store I found in the UK online, I don't know where else to get this. I guess I'll just have to keep hitting Keller's booth at the trade shows. Here's a review from Our Adventures in Japan of the Almond variety.
I've been on the prowl for good sources of Caffarel in the United States. Besides picking up those few pieces at The Candy Store in San Francisco and seeing them at trade shows, I'm completely at an impasse on how to find them besides hyping them on Candy Blog in hopes that more shops will carry them.
And why? Their products are good quality and in most cases so freaking cute I want to put a leash on them and buy them squeaky toys.
Above is one of the new items they were showing called Conetto, which is like a teensy Drumstick Ice Cream Cone (warning, sound on that site).
The little confection is about 3 1/2" tall. The waffle cone holds a firm guanduia that is then rolled in little toasted cereal "nuts" with a few little chocolate chips tossed in there. The hazelnut paste is soft enough to bite like ice cream with the added bonus that it doesn't melt. So take your time.
It only weighs .9 ounces, so it's probably not a show-stopper when it comes to calories and since indulgence is partially about appearance, this might be an excellent calorie controlled treat. (Of course the wrapper doesn't say how many calories, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's not more than 150.) Now the only things holding me back are where to get them and how much do they cost?
Another little sample from another hard-to-find Italian chocolatier.
BruCo makes wonderful flavored chocolate bars. I've had their orange one and rum one and thought they were quite nice with an attractive package. Last year at the Fancy Food Show I also tried their spiced chocolate and found it far too spicy for me. This year that had some other items that were definitely to my liking: BruCo Salt Tasting Chocolate, Ciocc'Olio & Cabosse.
Ciocc'Olio: The firm white chocolate center has a quick buttery melt. The taste is not strongly of olives. I was expecting a sort of grassy quality to it, but instead it was more nutty. It was definitely smooth and set off by the equally smooth and slippery melt of the dark chocolate shell.
Cabosse: I wasn't quite sure what this was supposed to be. At first I thought it was a dark chocolate guanduia, but later I thought it was simply a firm ganache with cacao nibs in it. Strong and fruity, this was a nice piece, the perfect size and really attractive.
I also tried a Salt Tasting Chocolate set. I'll probably have a full review of that at a later date. Basically it's two different versions of a salted chocolate in one package. Hooray for variety.
One of the other companies that I see at the trade show a lot is Marich. They're known for their fine panned chocolates, especially their Holland Mints and produced the first gourmet malted milk balls in flavors like Espresso and Peanut Butter.
They're based in Hollister, California (which seems to be a hotbed of panning with other confectioners like Jelly Belly, Sconza and Gimbal's nearby) but seem rather hard to find. Part of it is that they sell in bulk to many shops that repackage the product without reference to the supplier or they end up in bulk bins. In this case I found this little package of their Triple Chocolate Toffee at Ralph's in Glendale after trying them at the All Candy Expo.
They were absurdly expensive considering everything else in that aisle, $2.89 for that handful pictured above. But they are lovely to look at. They smell great too, like burnt sugar.
I didn't know at first if the triple was referring to how much chocolate was on the outside or the fact that there were three different kinds. But suffice to say that either title works, because there is a lot of chocolate on each of these ... a pretty precise proportion that matches well with the chunk of butter toffee at the center. The toffee itself is wonderfully crisp and has that great cleave that very buttery toffee has. A little salty, it balances well with the not-so-dark but also not-too-sweet chocolates.
I'd probably pick these up again, but not at this price. Luckily Marich has a webstore.
Everything here gets an 8 out of 10 but no further specs as I don't know retail prices (unless otherwise noted), calorie profile and often not even the ingredients.
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POSTED BY Cybele AT 9:07 am All Natural • Candy • Review • Caffarel • Marich Confectionery • Chocolate • Cookie • Nibs • Nougat • Nuts • Toffee • White Chocolate • France • Italy • South Africa • United States • Ralph's •
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Caffarel Figs & Chestnuts (Fico & Castagna)
As we head into December, I start looking at candy with an eye towards Christmas stockings. What makes good stocking candy? Well, small individually wrapped portions are a good start. Seasonal flavors, pretty packaging and some sort of exotic selling point also help.
When I was up in San Francisco, these little Caffarel Fig and Chestnut chocolates. I wasn't quite sure what they'd be, they were sold at The Candy Store out of a pretty jar. There were several varieties (I think something walnut and a bunch of others that I'd tried before) so I went for these that were new to me. The pretty foil showed a green fig, a cut fig and a ripe fig bursting at the seams. Everything I got at The Candy Store was fresh and perfect, these were no exception.
At the bottom they have a little sticker with the Caffarel logo. The fig ones all say fico and the chestnut one says castagna. I was expecting a gianduia center with a fig flavor or chestnut flavor.
Upon biting into the first fig one for this photo, I found that it was not a chocolate or nut paste center. Instead it was a molded dark chocolate piece with a flowing fig filling. Kind of like a syrup with real fig in it, it's a pretty intense fig flavor like a jam. A little like honey, it's a fresh taste of raisins and similar in smell as sitting next to a fresh pile of firewood.
I never cared much for figs as a kid. I had to make a very concerted effort to "like" Fig Newtons. It really wasn't until I moved to my present house that has a fig tree and I started eating them fresh off the tree that I understood the appeal of them. (And the fact that the tree is so wonderfully fresh and fragrant nine months out of the year.)
There were little bits of fig in there, a few seeds to really sell the fact that it's figs. I love these. I really, really love these. I love the shape, I love the size, I love the foil wrapping and the fact that they come in three different versions. I've eaten them all. I didn't love the price, but I'm trying not to think about that ... I'm trying to figure out where to buy more of these. (I don't recommend them for kids who haven't already expressed a strong desire for figs though.)
The chestnut one also had a flowing center, though not quite as thin and gooey as the fig. This one was slightly textured, like a caramel or dulce de leche (but no cream, per se). Sweet and a little roasted, it tasted like a marron glace but without that worry that it'd be a tough one. It didn't really thrill me, but I'm not a huge chestnut fan.
Now I have to apologize to everyone who now wants to try these and is in the same position as I am ... outta luck! If you know of another place (The Candy Store does not do web orders) that sells them online, please post!
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POSTED BY Cybele AT 9:33 am
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Caffarel Gianduias
Caffarel makes more than the traditional milk chocolate Giandiuia morsels. At the Fancy Food Show I found out they make a Dark (Gianduiotto Fondente), a Cinnamon (Cannella) and even a mini Chili (al peperocino) one. I was excited to find out more about Caffarel at the show from one of the vendors that imports them for the American market, hopefully they'll be getting wider exposure. At the moment they're still found in Italian markets in large cities and shops that carry international chocolates.
For those of you who haven't been around Candy Blog long, Caffarel makes the excellent Gianduia 1865, little hat-shaped hazelnut chocolate morsels.
Gianduiotto Fondente - this dark version made with Arriba cocoa is just as "stick to the roof of your mouth" rich as the traditional milk and hazelnut version. This one seemed to taste more of the deeper hazelnut flavors than the milk, with dark smoky notes and of course that slick and thick melt on the tongue.
Cannella wasn't just cinnamon dusted, it was spiced with the stuff with no hint of ground-spice-grain. It covered up a lot of the hazelnut flavors, but the texture was still thick and fudgy. Not too sweet, this was also the dark version of the giandiuia.
Giandiuia al Pepeprocino (chili) - had lots of peppery notes, not just the burn ... though there was definitely some burn. I was catching some more acidity in the chocolate on this one and some of the notes of fresh green peppers. If I had it to do all over again, I'd taste them in the opposite order ... this really gets to me! (I should have learned my lesson when I picked these up as samples at the Fancy Food Show ... I tasted it there and had the exact same reaction.) They're smart to make this one a smaller morsel than the others (they call it a Gianduiottini).
Of course I can't find any online sources for these. But I did see that Candy Warehouse has those little mushrooms for sale and Williams-Sonoma has little hazelnut praline eggs for Easter.
POSTED BY Cybele AT 6:17 am
Monday, November 20, 2006
Caffarel Chocolate Truffle Mushrooms
Early this year I fell in love with guanduia. A friend brought back some Caffarel Guanduia from Torino (a special version to commemorate the Winter Olympics). It was smooth, creamy, nutty and utterly addictive. And of course it's also long gone.
So I jumped at a handful of samples of another Caffarel product, these are called Chocolate Truffle Mushrooms.
These cute little chocolates would be excellent, edible motivation in a game of checkers or chess. They're taller than a Hershey's Kiss, but weigh about the same (they're narrow). The little foil wrap on them is cute and detailed. Each one has a little root and grass coming up around the sides and then the mushroom cap is a different color. The milk chocolate shell had a little Caffarel script logo emblazoned on it to match the one printed on the foil wrap. Inside there were two different varieties to go with the four different color combos.
Red Cap with White Speckles and Tan Cap - a light hazelnut cream filling with crunchies (like those bland wafer cookies) and crushed hazelnuts - very sweet, exceptionally smooth with a great caramelized sugar flavor throughout.
Black Cap and Brown Cap - light and sweet milk chocolate on the outside, rich smooth guandujia on the inside. This one was the closest in taste and texture to the Caffarel Gundujia hats from the Olympics early this year.
These puppies are freakishly expensive (as were those Torino ones), but the effect of getting them in a premium holiday basket or you Christmas stocking would be well ... exquisite.
Let me know if you find them anywhere else in smaller quantities, but if you're looking to do a big buy for your Christmas needs, they're sold in bulk pack weighing 1kg (2.2 lbs) for $59.50 (that works out to $27.05/lb).
POSTED BY Cybele AT 5:16 pm
Saturday, February 11, 2006
Caffarel Gianduia 1865
Everyone's talking about Valentine's candy. But I thought I'd give you a taste of a few other seasonal treats instead. Yesterday it was candy to watch whales by. Today it's Olympic candy. A friend of ours, Matt, was working in Torino for the Winter Olympics on the Canadian Pavilion and just returned. He was thoughtful enough to bring back some candy, and this Caffarel Gianduia is "officially" branded Olympics merchandise (it even has a hologram seal!).
These little cuties are packed in a clear cello bag, each piece wrapped in gold foil, marking the Torino 2006 Olympics. The pieces are shaped like little old lady handbags and are about two bites each (or you can put it all in your mouth, don't let me stop you).
Caffarel is the chocolate of Torino, so it's a natural fit. And if I do say so, I think this is a sporty chocolate. What I found particularly fascinating while browsing the Caffarel site was the story of how they invented this gianduia chocolate. Back in the 1860s cocoa was rationed, so Caffarel figured out a way to create a chocolatey confection that didn't feel skimpy. This gianduia contains 28% hazelnuts! The wondrous thing about combining the chocolate with hazelnuts is the soft feel it creates on the tongue. It's sweet, without masking the chocolate and nut flavors. But very sticky, consider this the Italian version of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth.
I was also happy to try these because the last Caffarel bar I had to try had bloomed and I'd heard that this was an excellent Italian brand. I can see why now. Tasting these little morsels has also made me crave their darker sisters called Gianduiotto Fondente, which is made without milk.
If you've ever had Ice Cubes and are looking for a more sophisticated version, especially one without the addition of hydrogenated oils, this might be it. Soft, nutty and sweet with that slight cooling sensation that makes me pop another one in my mouth, just to make sure they all do that. It'll be a sad day in my house when these are gone, and that'll probably be soon, I can't risk them melting in this freaky heat wave we've got going on in Los Angeles right now.
POSTED BY Cybele AT 2:40 pm
Meticulously photographed and documented reviews of candy from around the world. And the occasional other sweet adventures. Open your mouth, expand your mind.


text:
In less than a week, more than 2,000 prisoners, many of them Islamic militants trained by Al Qaeda, have been broken out of detention in Iraq, Libya and Pakistan in spectacularly violent raids.
The spree of suicide bombings and rocket fire that has liberated a potential army of extremists has raised concern among some that the breakouts were synchronized by an ascendant faction of the terrorist network.
But counter-terrorism experts attribute the seemingly coordinated prison breaks more to the similarity of local security failures in the countries involved than to any rebirth of the command-and-control structure of Al Qaeda that was disrupted by the killing two years ago of Osama bin Laden.
"I'm not a big fan of conspiracy theories, but as a member of the commentariat I'm fully aware of the Rule of Three," tweeted Daniel Drezner, a professor of international politics at Tufts University's Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. He referred to the stance among analysts that three similar occurrences constitute an indicative "trend."
Fears of a well-choreographed terrorist plot in the making have been bolstered by the example of a prison break in Yemen in 2006, which liberated the rank and file of what is now Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP. Though other Al Qaeda affiliates have been weakened by the assassination of Bin Laden and other leaders, AQAP is considered by international security experts to pose the greatest danger of launching strikes against the United States and its allies.
AQAP trained and equipped Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian convicted of trying to blow up a U.S. airliner as it approached Detroit on Christmas Day 2009 by detonating explosives sewn into his underwear.
Stephen Biddle, a professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University, sees different motivations behind the prison breakouts that, while all potentially destabilizing, are unlikely to herald any comprehensive plot directed at Americans.
"None of this should be interpreted to mean that these organizations can't attack us, but when you look at the scale of what these terrorist groups have been able to organize since 2001, it's very small," said Biddle, also a senior fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations.
"They've been trying -- it's not that attacks have been zero -- and they might ultimately succeed, but I tend to think the danger of regional instability poses more of a threat to U.S. security than [the freed fighters' plotting] a direct attack on the homeland."
If the escaped militants join forces with those fighting in the Middle East's myriad conflicts, oil production and shipment could be disrupted, with serious spillover effects worldwide, Biddle said.
Despite the horrors of the Sept. 11 attacks and the flashes of fear spread across the United States after failed terrorist plots like Abdulmutallab's and the 2010 Times Square bombing attempt, Biddle noted that terrorist attacks "have not been a significant contributor to mortality in the United States."
The breakouts of the last week were more likely motivated by Al Qaeda's regional interests, such as ousting Syria's Shiite-aligned president, Bashar Assad, and backing Islamists seeking to take power in the Middle East, racked by political upheaval spawned by the "Arab Spring" uprisings.
The Taliban fighters who on Monday attacked a teeming prison in Dera Ismail Khan, bordering the volatile northwestern Pakistani tribal region along the border with Afghanistan, are blamed for more than 50,000 deaths in battles with rival warlords and troops of the U.S.-led military force in Afghanistan. The Taliban attackers used suicide bombers, mortars and grenades to blow out the prison's power supply and blast through the outer walls.
Al Jazeera called the attack "extremely calculated" and noted that the assailants used bullhorns to alert their imprisoned comrades to the opportunity to escape. Authorities put the number of escapees at 248, most of whom apparently managed to flee the area before a manhunt was launched.
Pakistani Taliban spokesman Shahidullah Shahid said his group took responsibility for the assault, The Times' Alex Rodriguez reported from Islamabad.
On Saturday, about 1,200 prisoners escaped the Koyfiya compound in the violence-plagued Libyan city of Benghazi. The attack on the prison followed a riot among inmates and deadly clashes a day earlier between rogue militia units and members of the Muslim Brotherhood, which seeks Islamic rule over the chaotic country.
Libya has been convulsed by violence since the 2011 U.S.-backed uprising against longtime strongman Moammar Kadafi, including the militant attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi in September that killed Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.
The most dramatic prison breakout occurred a week ago with simultaneous attacks on Iraq's Abu Ghraib and Taji prisons, both near Baghdad. Responsibility for the operations, in which the Iraqi Interior Ministry said at least 50 guards and soldiers were killed, was claimed by the Al Qaeda-allied Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in a statement after an estimated 500 to 600 prisoners fled. Dozens were known accomplices of Al Qaeda fighters, including so-called high-value detainees captured by U.S. forces and sentenced to death after trials on terrorism charges.
In both the Pakistani and Iraqi prison breaks, news agencies quoted authorities as saying they suspected the attackers had help from inside the prisons or that authorities ignored reports that operations were in the works.
A foreign correspondent for 25 years, Carol J. Williams traveled to and reported from more than 80 countries in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.


text:
Diasks2 needed a new button or icon design and created a contest on 99designs.
2 winners were selected from 86 designs submitted by 17 freelance designers.
Putter King
Putter King is Japan's first indoor miniature golf franchise featuring unique, challenging, themed holes. We are creating a miniature golf game app for the iPhone and iPad and need your help to design an awesome, eye-catching icon.
The primary target audience will be kids. I've included some screenshots of the main menu of the app and some of the hole designs to give you a better feel for the style we are looking for.
* Must be a vector image (.ai file)
* 512 x 512 pixels square
* Can use full logo, full character, crown or character head as desired
* The icon needs to
1) make it obvious that the game is a miniature golf game app
2) use some part or all of the logo (character, character head, crown, full logo, etc.)
Other than that I am open to ideas, so be creative!
If there is a hole design that you would like to incorporate in the icon and you want a different angle or you need a .jpg image, please let me know.


text:
From left Ashton Cobaugh, 6, Rusty Cobaugh and Logan Cobaugh, 9, interact with several miniature greyhound dogs in front of the Loveland Museum/Gallery on Saturday while members of the group Italian Grehounds of Colorado pass out flyers with information about a missing dog in Loveland that they hoped to find.
Six-year-old Evan McMaine fends off a remote-controlled spider with his light saber while dressed as ObiWan Kenobi during the Halloween Family Fun Festival on Saturday in downtown Loveland.
Dressed as the Grim Reaper, 8-year-old Jesse McGarvey Jr. tosses a bean bag at a target while playing a game during the Halloween Family Fun Festival in downtown Loveland.
Youngsters in the 4 to 5-year-old bracket parade onstage in front of the judges while competing in a costume contest Saturday during the Halloween Family Fun Festival in downtown Loveland.
Wesley Palmer, 12, left, dressed as G.I. Joe and Taylor Apodaca, 9, as Bridezilla, color bookmarkers Saturday at the Loveland Museum/Gallery's booth during the Haloween Family Fun Festival in downtown Loveland.
Loveland Odd Fellows Lodge volunteer Linda Marshall sews a bag using material from a pair of denim jeans on Tuesday at the lodge's location in downtown Loveland. The bags will be filled with toiletry items like toothbrushes, toothpaste, bar soap and shampoo and then be distributed to homeless individuals in Loveland.
Volunteers at the Loveland Odd Fellows Lodge, from left, Linda Benefiel, Joan Schreiber and Linda Marshall, assemble and fill denim bags with toiletry items on Tuesday night that will be distributed to homeless individuals in Loveland. The bags contain a variety of items including a toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, shampoo, deoderant, shaving cream, disposable razor, bar soap, mouthwash and socks.
Cecil and LoisMilligan 2010
Performers from the Loveland Opera Theater's "The Magic Flute" prepare in the Rialto Theater's dressing room before going on stage for a performance in 2008. Seated from right to left are Rob Hoch, Jeffrey Medwetz and Dara Armstrong.
Six-year-old Matteo Scalise, left, looks through a reflecting telescope at the planet Jupieter with the assistance of Jon Caldwell on Tuesday outside Van Buren Elementary School during Space Night. Members of the Northern Colorado Astronomical Society set up several telescopes for visitors to the event to learn about the stars and planets.
Thompson School District Science Coordinator Jan Lanting, left, leads Courtney Dumont, 5, Brooke Dumont, 7, and Sofia Doyle, 8, into the Starlab portable inflatable planetarium during the Space Night event at Van Buren Elementary School on Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2010. Once the Starlab was filled with students and their parents Lanting turned out the lights and projected pictures of the stars and planets onto the walls.
Five-year-old Levi Gulbrandson pulls a wagon to the checkout while picking up pumpkins with his family Tuesday at Jake's Farm, 3620 E. Highway 34. Jake's Farm will have pumpkins for sale through Oct. 31, open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and they also have roasted chilis and firewood available for purchase.
Brian Walsh navigates a cone course with his bike as part of the training program for the Larimer County Search and Rescue Mountain Bike Team in North Fort Collins Saturday. The training program focuses on the fundamentals of biking with excercises meant to help wiht slow speed technique and rules of the road.
Jim Rabold, the Larimer County Search and Rescue Mountian Bike Team Coordinator, rides down an obstacle course as part of a training program for the team Saturday in North Fort Collins. The training program is part of 4 part class totaling 32 hours to certify the team with the International Police Mountain Bike Association.
Brendan Murphy, a member of the Larimer County Search and Rescue Mountain Bike Team, rides on a trail during a day of training at the Larimer County Emergency Services Cache in North Fort Collins. The Mountain Bike Team is trying to achieve a certification of Emergency Medical Services cyclists from the International Police Mountain Bike Association.
Pieces of material known as chinking stick out of the Charles Meining House. Chinking refers to materials used to fill the gaps between logs when used to build houses.
The Charles Meinging House, constructed in 1874, is located Southwest of Berthoud but will soon be relocated to the Little Thompson Valley Pioneer Museum. The house was donated by Gary and Julie Moon after they discovered the age of the house, which they had been living in.
Gary Moon, the owner of the property which the Charles Meining House was found, speaks in the loft of the building Saturday. Moon, who has owned the property for 21 years, lived in the Meining house for 10 years before donating it to the Berthoud Historical Society.
Ballot boxes are stacked at Larimer County's ballot processing center Thursday as election judges work to process ballots in the batching and date area of the center. From left they are Kerri Schnulle, Dorie Johnston, Nicki Bowman and Nelda Carpenter.