I knew I'd be a bit busy over the holidays, but had no idea I'd be taking such a long break! We had husband's family visiting over Thanksgiving (I'll be sharing a muffin recipe we tried on Wens!). We flew out to CA over Christmas to welcome my BFF's new son and celebrate with family. Things have been crazy, exhausting and fun. It's amazing how much great and amazing stuff can be fit into just a few short weeks.
It was an honor and joy to be with my best friend waiting for her baby to arrive. He came a few days late, so we had time to talk, relax, do a little shopping and a little cooking together. During that time we made this recipe.
This recipe is from Best-Loved Slow Cooker Recipes.
Place chicken in slow cooker. Combine salsa, peanut butter, lime juice, soy sauce and ginger; pour over chicken.
Cover; cook on LOW 8 to 9 hours or on HIGH 3 to 4 hours, or until chicken in no longer pink in center.
Serve chicken and sauce over rice; sprinkle with peanuts and cilantro.
The bestie and I were making spicy recipes and foods to try and help usher in a late baby. The medium heat salsa was a good flavor, but a HOT salsa would have added the heat we were missing. An easy and delicious recipe to have on hand for a weeknight dinner.
Every Thursday night I get to be a part of 30 to 50 you adults and leaders, where we share dinner, hang out and talk about life. It's literally the best night of my week. Each week we pick a theme for the food, Mexican, Salad Bar, etc. Last night we had to bring food that starts with the same letter as your first or last name.
Then yesterday morning it dawned on me – GORP! Good Old Raisin's & Peanuts. A Girl Scout favorite.
I found a fun recipe on AllRecipes.com and revised it a little.
In a LARGE bowl, mix cereal through the M&M's.
In a microwave safe bowl; melt the white chocolate – 1 min at a time, until smooth.
Pour the white chocolate over the cereal mix 1/3 cup at a time and mix until all pieces are coated.
Turn out onto a large piece of parchment or wax paper until cooled.
Put the whole mix back in a giant, brightly colored bowl and enjoy!


Dr. Michel White, Montreal Heart Institute, 5000 Bélanger Street East, Montreal, Quebec H1T 1C8, Canada.
Objectives This study investigated temporal changes in the demographics and the prognosis of cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) over 30 years following heart transplantation (HTx).
Background Effects of the changing HTx demographics on CAV outcomes, based on International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) classification of CAV, have been incompletely investigated.
Methods Patients who underwent HTx at the Montreal Heart Institute were classified according to the severity of CAV (CAV 0 is no presence of CAV; CAV 1 is mild, CAV 2 to 3 is moderate to severe) and era of HTx (early: 1983 to 1998; recent: 1999 to 2011). We compared the risk of progression, survival, and independent predictors of outcomes among the groups.
Results A total of 298 patients were followed for 11.6 ± 6.6 years. Patients who received transplants in the early era exhibited a higher risk for progression from CAV 1 to a higher grade (adjusted odds ratio: 8.0; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01 to 62.6). The presence of CAV was associated with a significantly increased risk for all-cause mortality in the early era (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.6; 95% CI: 1.1 to 2.5) but not in the recent era (HR: 1.1; 95% CI: 0.2 to 4.9). Regardless of the era, CAV classes 2 to 3 and CAV 1 were associated with a significantly increased risk for all-cause mortality compared to CAV 0 (HR: 6.5; 95% CI: 2.7 to 15.7; and HR: 1.750; 95% CI: 1.001 to 3.046, respectively).
Conclusions The progression and prognosis of CAV have improved over 30 years. The ISHLT CAV classification accurately and independently predicts long-term outcome following HTx.
Over the past 3 decades, the mortality rate conditional on 1-year survival has not significantly improved following heart transplantation (HTx) (1). Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) is a multifactorial process caused by immune and nonimmune mechanisms. Also, CAV represents the most common form of chronic rejection and remains one of the leading causes of late graft loss following HTx (1).
Over the years, some significant changes in the HTx landscape have occurred (1), including more frequent use of marginal donors, older recipients, routine statin therapy, and improvement in the immunosuppressive regimen (1). Most reports of the adverse angiographic characteristics related to CAV and events have relied on older data that may not reflect current standards of practice and population characteristics (2,3). Moreover, the accuracy of the recent International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) CAV classification to predict outcome, as well as the long-term evolution of patients with a milder degree of CAV have been incompletely studied (4).
The primary objective of this study was to examine the impact of the changes in demographics and treatments on the prevalence, severity, progression, and outcomes of CAV following HTx. Secondary objectives were to assess the independent predictors of mortality and CAV progression and to evaluate the prognostic value of the ISHLT CAV classification on events.
This retrospective study was performed in all 319 patients who underwent HTx at the Montreal Heart Institute between January 1983 and December 2011. Patients for whom a coronary angiography was not performed within the first 3 years after HTx and those lost early to follow-up were excluded. The final cohort included 298 patients followed until July 2013. The study was approved by the local institutional review board (20162025).
Coronary angiograms were performed yearly or every 2 years according to the patient's clinical status. In patients at risk for complications, such as those with advanced renal failure, noninvasive stress tests were used as a screening method, and angiography was performed upon detection of clinically significant ischemia. Additional angiograms were obtained if clinically justified. All angiographic and echocardiographic studies completed during the study period were reviewed. CAV was classified as absent (CAV 0), mild (CAV 1), moderate (CAV 2), or severe (CAV 3) according to the ISHLT classification (4). Patients with any significant lesions were classified as CAV 3 if an echocardiogram, performed anytime within 6 months of angiography, reported a left ventricular ejection fraction of ≤45%.
All patients received induction therapy with antithymocyte globulin, and most patients were maintained on a triple-immunosuppressive regimen including corticosteroids, an antiproliferative agent, and a calcineurin inhibitor. In selected patients at risk for CAV or in whom significant CAV was diagnosed, one of the last immunosuppressive agents was replaced by sirolimus. Corticosteroids were weaned over 6 to 12 months in the absence of cardiac rejection. Regardless of CAV status, statins and aspirin were initiated in the early post-transplantation period, as of 1996.
The cohort was divided in 2 groups according to the era of transplantation (early: 1983 to 1998; recent: 1999 to 2011) and CAV grade (CAV 0, 1, or 2 to 3). In order to match the annual data reports from the ISHLT registry as closely as possible, we used different timeframes for patient classification in the prevalence analysis and in the outcome analyses (Figure 1). For the prevalence analysis, we assigned a CAV grade based on the angiogram reporting the most advanced stage of CAV within 5 years following HTx. For outcome analyses, the same classification method was used with a shorter period of 3 years after HTx.
CAV = cardiac allograft vasculopathy; ISHLT = International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation.
The primary outcome was all-cause mortality. The secondary outcomes were major adverse cardiac events (MACE) and CAV progression (change of CAV classification over time). MACE included all-cause mortality, retransplantation for CAV or allograft dysfunction, stroke, transient ischemic attack, acute coronary syndrome, pulmonary embolism and peripheral arterial embolism. Patients were considered to have disease progression if, after the first angiogram demonstrated CAV 1 or CAV 2, any subsequent angiogram performed within the following 5 years yielded a higher CAV grade.
Baseline characteristics were collected at "time 0," defined as the date when the angiogram indicating the CAV status was performed. Variables are presented as mean ± SD or frequencies and percentages and were compared using Student t-tests, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), or chi-square test, where appropriate. Kaplan-Meier curves for all-cause mortality and MACE were first plotted according to CAV grade, then according to the era of transplantation (early or recent) and the presence of any grade of CAV (CAV+, CAV−). They were compared using the log-rank test. Potential predictive factors of mortality and MACE were assessed using univariate Cox regression models that considered all the variables listed in Table 1, including the era of transplantation and ISHLT CAV grade. Variables significant at the 0.2 level in the univariate analyses were included in a multivariate Cox regression model, using a stepwise selection process. For these Cox models, a maximal follow-up time of 13 years was considered for the recording of mortality and MACE to account for the differences in follow-up length between the 2 eras. Factors associated with CAV progression were assessed in a similar fashion, using logistic regression models. Normality and assumptions were verified. Two-tailed p values of <0.05 were considered statistically significant. Statistical analyses were performed using SAS version 9.4 software (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, North Carolina).
Clinical characteristics of the study population are presented in Table 1. A total of 298 patients were followed for a mean duration of 11.6 ± 6.6 years. At baseline, patients transplanted in the early era showed a trend for a younger age, received allografts from younger donors, and experienced an increased number of grade ≥2R rejections. Also, patients from the early era exhibited a higher burden of atherosclerosis risk factors such as tobacco use and renal dysfunction and higher levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides. The mean number of angiograms within the first 3 years following HTx was higher in the early era than in the recent era (2.2 ± 0.8 vs. 1.3 ± 0.5, respectively; p < 0.001). Similarly, the mean number of angiograms within the first 5 years following the first documentation of CAV was higher in the early era than in the recent era (1.4 ± 1.2 vs. 1.0 ± 0.8, respectively; p = 0.038).
There were significant changes in medication over time, reflecting the evolution and changes in pharmacologic management following HTx. Although azathioprine and cyclosporine were the main agents used in the early era, they were replaced with mycophenolic acid and tacrolimus in the recent era. Corticosteroid use, at the time of CAV diagnosis, was more prevalent in the early era. Sirolimus was used in a limited number of patients only in the recent era. Finally, the use of statin was rare in the early era but exceeded 70% in the recent era.
A total of 313 patients underwent coronary angiography within the first 5 years after HTx and were included in the prevalence analysis (Figure 2). There was a higher prevalence of any grade of CAV in the early era than in the recent era (38% vs. 23%, respectively; p = 0.005). For those who exhibited CAV, the proportions of patients with moderate to severe disease (CAV 2 or CAV 3) were not different between the early and recent eras (17% and 20%, respectively; p = 0.710).
Highest CAV grade diagnosed within the first 5 years following heart transplantation in the early (1983 to 1998) and recent (1999 to 2011) eras. CAV = cardiac allograft vasculopathy.
The proportions of patients with progression of CAV within 5 years after a diagnosis of CAV 1 or CAV 2 were significantly higher in the early era than in the recent era (Table 2). The median (interquartile range) duration of follow-up after the first angiogram documenting CAV was 5.0 (0.0) years in the early era and 4.2 (2.5) years in the recent era (p = 0.009). For validation purposes, we performed a sensitivity analysis including only patients with a minimal follow-up length of 3 years (n = 128). Analysis results yielded a similar association yet only a trend for a lower CAV progression in the recent era (p = 0.103). Independent predictors of progression of CAV included younger recipient age (5-year increment; odds ratio [OR]: 0.78; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.63 to 0.94; p = 0.013) and early era of transplantation (OR: 7.96; 95% CI: 1.01 to 62.63; p = 0.049).
Kaplan-Meier curves for all-cause mortality and MACE according to the ISHLT CAV classification are shown in Figure 3. Patients with CAV 0 exhibited a survival rate of 93%, 90%, and 82% at 2, 5, and 10 years, respectively. Corresponding survival rates were 95%, 87%, and 64% for CAV 1 and 64%, 53%, and 27% for CAV grades 2 to 3, respectively. There was a significant relationship between higher CAV grade and an increase in all-cause mortality and MACE (both: p < 0.001).
Shown are Kaplan-Meier curves for all-cause mortality (A) and MACE (B) according to ISHLT CAV classification for the whole follow-up period. MACE was a composite of all-cause mortality, retransplantation, stroke, transient ischemic attack, acute coronary syndrome, pulmonary embolism, and peripheral arterial embolism. MACE = major adverse cardiac event(s); other abbreviations as in Figure 1.
The effect of era of transplantation and presence of any grade of CAV (CAV+, i.e., CAV grades 1, 2, or 3; or CAV−, i.e., CAV 0) on outcomes is shown in Figure 4. In the early era, the presence of any grade of CAV was associated with an increase in all-cause mortality (p = 0.017) and MACE (p = 0.007). In contrast, the presence of any grade of CAV had no significant impact on all-cause mortality (p = 0.973) and MACE (p = 0.956) in the recent era.
Shown are Kaplan-Meier curves showing all-cause mortality (A) and MACE (B) according to CAV status (CAV+ [CAV 1-2-3]; CAV − [CAV 0]) and era of transplantation (early: 1983 to 1998); (recent: 1999 to 2011). MACE was a composite of all-cause mortality, retransplantation, stroke, transient ischemic attack, acute coronary syndrome, pulmonary embolism, and peripheral arterial embolism. Abbreviations as in Figures 1 and 3.
Univariate predictors of adverse outcomes are shown in Table 3. Older recipient age and conventional cardiovascular risk factors were associated with a higher risk of mortality and MACE. Although statins and more recent immunosuppressive drugs including mycophenolic acid and tacrolimus were protective, sirolimus did not have a significant impact on outcomes. A higher ISHLT CAV grade and the early era of transplantation were both strongly associated with increased mortality and MACE.
We further investigated the roles of selected clinical, biochemical, and pharmacologic parameters on outcomes, using multivariate analyses (Table 4). There were independent and significant relationships among a higher ISHLT CAV grade, mortality, and MACE. In addition, increased recipient age and absence of statins were identified as significant predictors for adverse outcomes.
Additional multivariate models were computed to assess the effect of era of transplantation on our observations. When era was forced in the model evaluating the predictors of mortality, statin use became not significant, the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin II receptor blocker yielded an inverse relationship with mortality (HR: 0.55; 95% CI: 0.32 to 0.93), and early era became significantly associated with mortality (HR: 2.53; 95% CI: 1.27 to 5.03). In contrast, in the model assessing the predictors of MACE, forcing era resulted in no significant change in our conclusions.
In this study, we report a decrease in the prevalence, morbidity, mortality, and risk of CAV progression over 30 years. The presence of any grade of CAV was associated with an adverse long-term outcome. Nevertheless, this relationship appears to be restricted to patients who underwent transplantation in the early era. The absence of treatment with statins was significantly associated with adverse outcomes and disease progression. Although older recipient age was associated with poor prognosis, younger recipient age was an independent predictor of CAV progression.
In this investigation, we reported a significant and independent relationship between the severity of CAV and mortality, using the ISHLT CAV classification. The prognostic value of this new classification was evaluated in retrospective studies that yielded controversial results. A short report indicated that CAV 3 was associated with higher rates of MACE than with lower grades of CAV (5). In contrast, another study found no significant differences in prognosis between CAV 1 and CAVs 2 to 3, although the inclusion of parameters for left ventricular dysfunction was not specified (6). An earlier report by Costanzo et al. (2) showed that multivessel involvement (2 or more primary vessels >70%) and left main disease were associated with a poor outcome. As a new feature, the ISHLT classification included left ventricular systolic and diastolic parameters in order to reflect the consequences of impaired coronary blood flow of left ventricular function (4). Indeed, a decrease in left ventricular ejection fraction or a restrictive filling pattern have been shown to increase mortality in patients with CAV (7,8). In the current analysis, we included parameters of left ventricular function in order to classify patients, and after adjustment for pre-selected clinical parameters, we observed a significant and independent impact of ISHLT CAV grade on mortality.
In this study, we present novel data for the interplay between the era of transplantation and the impact of CAV following HTx. In the recent era, CAV was not only less prevalent but it resulted on no significant impact on outcomes. These observations are in contrast with those from the ISHLT registry that reported a weaker yet still significant relationship between the presence of CAV and mortality over 20 years (1,9). Although our study completes the ISHLT registry by providing detailed information on the impact of CAV based on its severity over 30 years, our sample size was much smaller than the ISHLT database. Thus, the absence of association between CAV and mortality may be related to the lack of statistical power. Nevertheless, the present study provides novel data on the significant decrease in CAV progression over 30 years. Such observations have not been reported before.
The improvement in CAV outcomes may be explained by the evolution of demographics and treatments over the last 30 years. The incidence and progression of CAV involve the interplay between the alloimmune response, some nonimmune risk factors similar to those that promote native atherosclerosis, and other factors such as cytomegalovirus infection and donor-transmitted disease (10–13). Although the weight of the contribution for these risk factors remains speculative, changes in clinical parameters such as a decrease in the rate of dyslipidemia, tobacco use, and renal disease but an increase in donor age in the recent era have likely played some significant roles in our findings. This study also accounts for the many changes in drug therapy that have significantly contributed to improving outcomes in the most recent era. Indeed, an increased use of statins, mycophenolic acid, and tacrolimus in the recent era may have contributed to decrease the risk of CAV progression in our study population.
Statin therapy became universal after landmark trials were published in the mid-1990s, demonstrating their ability to reduce CAV incidence and mortality when initiated early after HTx (14,15). Long-term follow-up studies demonstrated that disease progression is slower in statin-treated patients, an effect that is sustained at 5 years (16). In addition to lowering cholesterol levels, statins may reduce CAV through immune-modulatory effects, such as inhibition of major histocompatibility complex class II expression and its subsequent T-lymphocyte activation, and decreased circulating levels of the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α (17,18).
More effective immunosuppressive drugs have also been shown to influence CAV-related burden. Mycophenolic acid therapy, which replaced azathioprine, has decreased the incidence of CAV in randomized clinical trials but has failed to slow progression of established intimal hyperplasia, suggesting that it is more effective when used immediately following HTx rather than initiated when CAV has already been diagnosed (19–21). The impact of cyclosporine compared to that of tacrolimus on the development of CAV remains controversial (20,22). Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors can modulate CAV burden through specific mechanisms, including direct antiproliferative effects on smooth muscle cells and decreased risk of cytomegalovirus infection (23). Their use has been associated with a lower incidence of CAV and slower disease progression, especially when initiated early after transplantation (24–30). In our cohort, no patient treated with sirolimus exhibited CAV progression.
The potent effects of statins combined with better immunosuppression and consequently less rejection likely explain the improvement in outcome and the significant decrease in CAV progression in the most recent era. The increased risk of progression in younger subjects in our study is consistent with the concept that higher alloimmunity promotes CAV and suggests that those patients could benefit from tailored and more effective immunosuppressive regimens.
Despite being a known risk factor for cardiac atherosclerosis, tobacco use yielded only a trend toward worse outcomes and was not associated with CAV progression. Although post-transplantation diabetes mellitus and renal failure were linked to higher mortality in the univariate analysis, this association did not persist in the multivariate model, nor was it related to disease progression. Overall, those findings are in agreement with previous observations showing that the risk factors for CAV are somewhat different than those related to the development and complications of coronary artery disease in patients who did not undergo transplantation (31).
The retrospective nature of this study is associated with several limitations. While every effort was made to reduce confounding factors, multivariate analyses cannot control for unknown or unmeasured variables. For instance, detailed information on drugs such as dosage, change in drug regimen during the course of the study, type of statin, and duration of steroid use was missing from our database. In this cohort, CAV detection was evaluated solely by angiography. Although the use of this technique is in agreement with recent ISHLT recommendations, it has limited capability to detect early stages of CAV. As such, the observations reported here may not be entirely applicable to centers that routinely use intravascular ultrasonography or optical coherence tomography for the detection and staging of CAV. However, these powerful diagnostic tools could be used to select the best immune-prophylactic strategies, such as the use of mTOR inhibitors, very early in the disease process. In addition, the higher rate of angiograms in the early era may have influenced the diagnosis of CAV and its progression. However, more frequent follow-up angiograms were expected in the early era as more patients presented some degree of CAV. In the recent era, the increasing availability of noninvasive diagnostic tests such as stress echocardiography might have contributed to reducing the number of angiograms in patients at lower risk for CAV.
Some differences in the duration of follow-up could have modulated the survival analyses, as patients transplanted in the early era had more time to develop comorbidities and thus may have exhibited a higher likelihood of adverse outcomes. To minimize this potential bias, we set a 13-year maximal follow-up time for each era in mortality and MACE analyses. Various maximal follow-up lengths were then tested by using sensitivity analyses, resulting in no significant change. However, for disease progression, a sensitivity analysis including only patients with a minimal follow-up length of 3 years yielded only a trend for a slower progression of CAV in the recent era. Consequently, despite analyzing nearly 300 patients over 30 years, our sample size and statistical power remain modest.
This single-center study that analyzed nearly 300 HTx recipients performed over a 30-year period reports a significant relationship between the ISHLT CAV grade and adverse outcomes. Despite the negative impact of high CAV grades, we observed a slower disease progression and lower mortality rates related to the presence of CAV in the recent era. These findings suggest that a diagnosis of CAV, especially if low grade, carries nowadays a less deleterious prognosis despite the changes in donor and recipient demographics. Further investigations are needed to confirm these retrospective observations and to identify the most appropriate pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic therapies in patients at high risk for developing CAV.
COMPETENCY IN MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE: Patients' demographics and pharmacologic therapies have changed over the past 3 decades and might have modulated the interplay between CAV and outcomes. Although severe CAV remains a significant predictor for an adverse outcome, the risks of disease progression and mortality related to the presence of CAV have decreased over time. A younger recipient age and the absence of statin use were identified as independent predictors of CAV progression.
TRANSLATIONAL OUTLOOK: Future prospective studies are needed to better define the immunosuppressive strategy for patients at higher risk for CAV development and progression and consequently to improve outcome. A patient-centered precision therapy could help in providing clinical benefits while minimizing the adverse effects of drug treatment in patients at lower risk for CAV.
This study was sponsored by the Montreal Heart Institute Research Center and the Carolyn and Richard J. Renaud Research Chair in Heart Failure of the Montreal Heart Institute, awarded to Dr. White. Dr. de Denus is a consultant for Servier, Pfizer, and Novartis; and has received grants from Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Roche Molecular Science, DalCor, and Novartis. All other authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose.
(2012) Prevalence and prognostic value of cardiac allograft vasculopathy 1 year after heart transplantation according to the ISHLT recommended nomenclature. J Heart Lung Transplant 31:332–333.
Cardiac allograft vasculopathy after heart transplantation: is it really ominous? Clin Transplant, [E-pub ahead of print]. 2017 Jan 12.
International Society for Heart & Lung Transplantation. Adult heart transplantation statistics. 2016. Available at: http://www.ishlt.org/downloadables/slides/2016/heart_adult.pptx. Accessed October 7, 2017.
(2012) Factors associated with the development of cardiac allograft vasculopathy–a systematic review of observational studies. Clin Transplant 26:E111–E124.
(2016) Elevated immune monitoring as measured by increased adenosine triphosphate production in activated lymphocytes is associated with accelerated development of cardiac allograft vasculopathy after cardiac transplantation. J Heart Lung Transplant 35:1018–1023.
(2015) Influence of cytomegalovirus infection in the development of cardiac allograft vasculopathy after heart transplantation. J Heart Lung Transplant 34:1112–1119.
(2005) Ten-year follow-up of a randomized trial of pravastatin in heart transplant patients. J Heart Lung Transplant 24:1736–1740.
(2000) Statins as a newly recognized type of immunomodulator. Nat Med 6:1399–1402.
(2001) Simvastatin treatment is associated with improvement in coronary endothelial function and decreased cytokine activation in patients after heart transplantation. J Am Coll Cardiol 38:814–818.
(2006) Preventing cardiac allograft vasculopathy: long–term beneficial effects of mycophenolate mofetil. J Heart Lung Transplant 25:550–556.
(2004) Mycophenolate mofetil for secondary prevention of cardiac allograft vasculopathy: influence on inflammation and progression of intimal hyperplasia. J Heart Lung Transplant 23:61–66.
(2000) Cyclosporine versus tacrolimus (FK 506) for prevention of cardiac allograft vasculopathy. Am J Cardiol 85:266–269.
(2016) Recent advances in mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor use in heart and lung transplantation. Transplantation 100:2558–2568.
(2016) Everolimus initiation with early calcineurin inhibitor withdrawal in de novo heart transplant recipients: three-year results from the randomized SCHEDULE study. Am J Transplant 16:1238–1247.
(2013) Attenuation of cardiac allograft vasculopathy by sirolimus: relationship to time interval after heart transplantation. J Heart Lung Transplant 32:784–791.


On the first Friday of each month Oakland's Kono district hosts an immersive art and community experience called First Friday. Art galleries open their doors and street artists, performers, DJs and poets entertain the masses on the street. Check out one of Oakland's several vintage theatres which hark back to The Golden Age of Film such as the Fox, The Paramount and Grand Lake.
Stock up on your fresh produce and people watch at one of Oakland's farmers markets. Dig into a variety of Dim Sum at Shan Dong in Chinatown or splash out in Michelin Starred restaurant, Commis. Let the locals show you Oakland's foodie neighbourhoods with tours from Savor Oakland, See Eat Love or Edible Excursions.
Shakewell in the Trestle Glen neighbourhood is a buzzy Mediterranean restaurant. They do great cocktails are recommended in 2015 Michelin Guide. For a delicious Mexican brunch check out Calavera. Their tacos are to die for and it's never too early for a margarita.
Bring the kids trotting around the Oakland Hills on horseback, to the Chabot Space and Science Centre or if they have a head for heights to Trapeze Arts Circus School. Younger kids will enjoy Fairyland, a theme park on the shore of Lake Merritt which opened in 1950. Walt Disney visited and it's said to have inspired Disney World.


Our leaflets come in all shapes and sizes to suit your requirements. Whatever your occasion may be, from a nightclub event to the opening of a new business our high quality leaflets will be sure to help give the impact your occasion needs.
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The international Häfele Group for hardware technology and electronic access control systems finished 2017 with total revenue of 1.375 billion Euro (2016: 1.311 billion Euro). This corresponds to a growth of 4.9%. Adjusted for currency effects, it is even 6.5%.
The 37 foreign subsidiaries made a plus of 6.3%, to which the parent company and the six production companies in Germany contributed 1.7%. Positive growth was achieved in almost every market that the company operates in. The "main growth drivers" in the past year were the subsidiaries in the USA, Vietnam and India. The growth rates in the Asian markets were generally above-average.
Worldwide, the number of employees increased by 200 to 7,600. Häfele has 1,600 employees in Germany, including 85 apprentices/students. With 37 international subsidiaries and numerous other sales organisations worldwide, Häfele operates in over 150 countries. 80 percent of revenue is now achieved outside of Germany. The company group supplies the world's leading furniture manufacturers, architects and planners as well as its joiner/cabinet maker partners and dealers with its products and services in accordance with their requirements.
Own-brand products are produced in one of five Häfele production plants or manufactured by one of its 1,500 partners all over the world. The Häfele Group is current pushing ahead with global networking. In the successful international project business, the company is concentrating on new solutions in the expanding hospitality sector. The company has also become a pioneer for innovative Smart Home concepts. Häfele Connect, an app for smartphones and tablets, networks and controls light and sound as well as electrical drives in furniture.
The company group has made an optimistic start to the new financial year, and sees good opportunities for again achieving international growth throughout 2018. "We are anticipating a mid-single digit increase in revenue for the whole year," says Managing Director Sibylle Thierer.
Investments in excess of 55 million Euros in markets, products, production facilities, logistics and services will also make a contribution to this.
The company management sees risks in the volatile foreign exchange and commodity markets as well as the many areas of political unrest and global trouble spots, to which a flexible and careful approach will be applied - just as in 2017.


What about new program for seniors to serve at home in their own stake. Still need bishop to open portal to apply?
Yes, they still need to submit their application through the online missionary recommendation system.


text:
25 Indestructible Facts About The Terminator
BY Sean Hutchinson
Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Terminator (1984).
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
He told you he'd be back. Before you go and see the newest installment of the Terminator franchise, here are some things you may not have known about the first four movies in the series.
1. THE TERMINATOR CAME FROM A NIGHTMARE.
Director and co-writer James Cameron first thought of the idea for The Terminator while stressed out and fever-stricken in Rome during production on his low-budget horror movie, Piranha II: The Spawning, which he had reluctantly agreed to direct. After a hard night of editing his own cut of a movie he hated, Cameron dreamed of a solid chrome torso crawling out of an explosion and dragging itself across the floor. The director quickly cooked up the story of a robot assassin sent back in time to kill the woman whose son will become the savior of humankind, and The Terminator was born. Cameron has since disowned Piranha II and considers The Terminator his first film.
2. JAMES CAMERON DIVVIED UP THE WRITING DUTIES.
To turn his nightmare into a screenplay, Cameron recruited his friend William Wisher, Jr., who is only given an "Additional Dialogue" credit in the final film. Wisher would actually write the early scenes establishing Sarah Connor and the police interrogation sequences, while Cameron fleshed out most of the action scenes and the details involving the war between humans and the machines. Producer Gale Anne Hurd, who would eventually marry and divorce Cameron, also received a writing credit on the movie, though according to Cameron she didn't do any writing at all. Hurd apparently only suggested script edits. (Cameron also sold The Terminator rights to Hurd ... for $1.)
3. THE MOVIE HAD A UNIQUE PITCH MEETING.
The script found its way to the desk of John Day, the head of low-budget movie studio Hemdale Pictures, who called Cameron in for a pitch meeting after Orion Pictures had already agreed to distribute the film nationwide. To woo the studio, Cameron had actor Lance Henriksen (who had appeared in Piranha II: The Spawning, and would go on to appear in The Terminator and Aliens) show up to the meeting decked out in costume as the titular cyborg who at that point had yet to be cast. Henriksen broke down the studio's office door while wearing a ripped shirt, leather jacket, combat boots, and gold foil from a cigarette pack folded around his teeth. Daly loved the gimmick and Cameron's pitch, which included detailed storyboards to round out his ideas, and greenlit the movie with a budget of $6 million.
4. THE STUDIO WANTED O.J. SIMPSON TO PLAY THE TERMINATOR.
Arnold Schwarzenegger first came to the attention of Cameron after the head of Orion Pictures had met the former Mr. Universe at a party. At that point, Arnold's only legitimate acting experience had been in 1982's Conan the Barbarian, and he was eager to break into different roles. Orion originally wanted Arnold to play Kyle Reese, the human fighter sent back in time, and wanted former NFL star O.J. Simpson to play the Terminator.
Cameron initially didn't like either choice, and took a meeting with Schwarzenegger with the intention of picking a fight with him and storming back to the studio demanding a new actor. Instead, the two clicked over Schwarzenegger's vision for the titular villain, which instead caused Cameron to run back to the studio and suggest he play the Terminator; the actor was signed the next day.
Fun Fact: Sting was considered for the role of Kyle Reese before Cameron chose actor Michael Biehn. Biehn would go on to appear in Cameron's next films, Aliens and The Abyss.
5. SHOOTING ON THE MOVIE ENTERED A STATE OF ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT.
After more than a year of preparation, Cameron was finally ready to start filming in the spring of 1983 when the producer of Conan the Barbarian, Dino De Laurentiis, exercised an option in Schwarzenegger's contract to force him to appear in the Conan sequel, Conan the Destroyer, despite his Terminator contract with Cameron. The entire filming schedule for The Terminator had to be scrapped and delayed for nine months while Schwarzenegger went off to film the other movie in Mexico.
6. CAMERON USED THE DELAY WISELY.
During the forced delay on the start date for his movie, Cameron used the script for The Terminator as a writing sample to attract new writing opportunities around Hollywood. He eventually got a meeting at Brandywine Productions for a remake of Spartacus that took place in space, but when that fell through the production company floated another property to Cameron: the sequel to Alien. Cameron went back a week later with a script treatment for "Alien 2" that incorporated ideas from another script he had written called "Mother" where a gigantic alien creature fights the female lead while she is strapped into a huge mechanical exoskeleton. The studio loved his take, and hired him to write the Alien sequel.
On the very same day, Cameron was also hired by a different studio to write the second Rambo movie. Not wanting to let two opportunities slip through his fingers, Cameron took both jobs, and wrote the screenplays simultaneously. To complete both projects in a three-month period, Cameron estimated each would be two hours long with scripts at 120 pages apiece. He then divided the total working hours he would have during the three months by the 360 pages for both scripts and wrote that many pages per hour until they were both complete.
7. THE FINAL TERMINATOR DESIGN WAS IDENTICAL TO CAMERON'S NIGHTMARE.
Cameron originally wanted special effects legend Dick Smith to create the design for the Terminator's skeleton. Smith was the genius behind the make-up for the iconic effects in The Exorcist and aging Marlon Brando in The Godfather, but Smith declined the offer, which left the opportunity open for his lesser-known friend, Stan Winston, to step in. Winston would go on to pioneer effects in such movies as Cameron's own Aliens and Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park. Despite the fact that both Cameron and Winston would spend weeks sending each other preliminary design sketches about what the Terminator would look like, the final design was from the same sketch Cameron made after having his nightmare epiphany in Rome.
8. WINSTON'S TEAM WORKED HARD TO CREATE THE TERMINATOR SKELETON.
Seven separate artists worked around the clock for six months to create Cameron's vision of the Terminator skeleton puppet. It was created using a clay, plaster, and urethane molding, which was then cast in a mixture of epoxy and fiberglass with reinforced steel throughout the rig. The whole skeleton was chrome-plated and distressed to look more realistic, and the final skeleton weighed more than 100 pounds.
When they tried to puppeteer the skeleton walking on set, Cameron thought the lumbering rig didn't look real enough. To make up for the fake-looking walking, Cameron added a story beat that had the Terminator develop a limp after walking out of the fiery truck.
9. THE MUSIC HAS A UNIQUE TIME SIGNATURE.
The movie's distinctive music was written and performed by composer Brad Fiedel. To create the iconic clangs of the film's percussive theme, Fiedel recorded samples of himself banging frying pans together and then layered in synth melodies underneath using Prophet 10 and Oberheim analog synthesizers. While blending the two together, Fiedel looped the rhythmic clangs a split second off the foundational synth melody, and made a propulsive theme that was slightly off. When he put together sheet music for the score he later found that his little mistake made the time signature of the theme into an impossible 13/16 at three plus three plus three plus two plus two. When he would complete the score for the sequel, Fiedel made things a little more plausible and used an updated 6/8 time signature.
10. SCI-FI WRITER HARLAN ELLISON WAS NOT A FAN.
After the movie was released, writer Harlan Ellison sued the makers of The Terminator for allegedly stealing the idea for the movie from two episodes of the 1960s sci-fi anthology series The Outer Limits. Ellison alleged that Cameron took the idea of two future warriors battling in the past from an episode entitled "Soldier," and that the Terminator skeleton was taken from a similar robot design he'd created for the episode "Demon with a Glass Hand." Rather than battling him in costly court proceedings, Orion Pictures simply settled out of court and agreed to add an "acknowledgment to the works of" credit in subsequent prints of the movie. Cameron wasn't too happy about Orion capitulating to Ellison, mostly because he felt he came up with an original idea and any resemblance to Ellison's work was because they both dealt with similar genre tropes. Cameron would later go on to call Ellison a "parasite who can kiss my ass."
11. TERMINATOR 2 COST A LOT OF MONEY AT THE TIME.
When Cameron decided to revisit the story of Sarah Connor for 1991's Terminator 2: Judgment Day, what he came up with wasn't cheap. Its $94 million budget made it the most expensive movie ever made at the time. The sequences before the title cards allegedly cost as much money as the entire budget of the first movie. Cameron alone was paid $6 million to direct and co-write the movie, while Schwarzenegger was coaxed back into the robotic role that made him a star for a whopping $15 million salary—$12 million of which was in the shape of a Gulfstream jet purchased for the actor by the film's producer, Mario Kassar.
12. THE PLOT FOR THE SEQUEL WAS THE ORIGINAL PLOT OF THE FIRST MOVIE.
Early story treatments for The Terminator had two Terminators sent back to our present to battle each other, but the dual robot idea ended up being too costly for the original film's relatively small budget. The initial ideas for T2 adopted the double Terminator idea, but would have had one good T-800 and one bad T-800 fighting each other, both of which were to be played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Cameron scrapped the idea because of logistical reasons and cherry-picked another unused idea from the original film's early story treatments for the villain: the liquid metal T-1000.
13. STAN WINSTON TECHNICALLY DIRECTED THE FIRST FOOTAGE OF T2.
Before filming on the sequel even started, Cameron had Winston direct and shoot a teaser trailer for T2 featuring an assembly line showing how the T-800s were created, and culminating in a robot in the form of Schwarzenegger uttering his famous phrase, "I'll be back."
14. THE MOVIE USHERED IN A NEW ERA IN SPECIAL EFFECTS.
Cameron had to leave the liquid metal T-1000 out of the original movie because it simply wasn't possible using the special effects that were available in the early 1980s. But he had tried a then-new method called CGI to create a few scenes involving an alien water tentacle for his 1989 film, The Abyss. He then tasked the effects artists at Industrial Light and Magic to bring a photorealistic liquid metal Terminator to life for T2 using the nascent technology.
Thirty-five different ILM artists worked for six months on shots that would only equal about five minutes of screen time in the 136-minute movie. To help them create the morphing effects, they used a new piece of software developed by ILM artist John Knoll and his brother. The software was actually the very first version of Photoshop.
Stan Winston and his team also returned to create practical effects that would accent the CGI, including a photorealistic puppet of the T-1000 with a gaping hole in its head and the liquid metal Terminator splayed in half after a shotgun blast.
Fun Fact: Early concept art used singer Billy Idol's face for the T-1000, and Cameron briefly considered him for the part until Idol broke his leg in a motorcycle accident and couldn't complete training in time for the movie.
15. THE FILMMAKERS LOOKED EVERYWHERE FOR JOHN CONNOR.
Casting director Mali Finn searched nationwide for a boy to play the young John Connor in T2 using all the usual Hollywood casting channels, but also in some unorthodox ways. She saw hundreds of professional actors, but it was her tendency to think outside of the box that got her to see Edward Furlong. Finn had visited The Boys and Girls Club of Pasadena, where Furlong caught her eye as he was playing with other kids. When she approached the boy he was immediately standoffish, and called her "frog lips," but was also extremely confident. Like John Connor in the movie, Furlong had never met his father and was raised by his single mother. After a few rough auditions with the completely untrained Furlong, Finn had a dialogue coach work with him to seem more natural, and Cameron eventually hired him for the part.
16. EDWARD FURLONG GREW UP A LITTLE TOO FAST.
The inexperienced actor was only 13 years old when filming began on T2, but he quickly started to go through puberty halfway through production, which caused his voice to become noticeably deeper. The change caused Cameron to have to re-record all of Furlong's lines from the first half of the shoot in order to match his deeper voice. Luckily Cameron didn't shoot the film chronologically so, using ADR, he was able to replace Furlong's high-pitched, pre-pubescent voice with his new one. Also, Cameron had to complete some pickup shots at the end of production, and one was of Furlong and Hamilton standing on opposite sides of a car. But Furlong had grown so much in height that it didn't match the shot they had completed months before, so the production had to dig a hole for the actor to stand in to appear shorter.
17. DESPITE THE CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY, CAMERON ALSO USED SOME OLD HOLLYWOOD TRICKS.
To achieve the effect of the T-1000 taking the shape of Sarah Connor during the final battle in the steel mill, Cameron didn't use big, expensive CGI. Instead, he used actress Linda Hamilton's twin sister Leslie to briefly appear as Sarah before the double is exposed to John as the T-1000 in disguise. Similarly, the police officer who the T-1000 takes the shape of at the mental hospital before meeting his demise was also played by twins.
18. LINDA HAMILTON GOT RIPPED TO PLAY THIS VERSION OF SARAH.
Hamilton was cast in the original Terminator because she was an everywoman, and the original script described her as "19, small and delicate features. Pretty in a flawed, accessible way. She doesn't stop the party when she walks in, but you'd like to get to know her." But for T2 she would subvert that description and have to become a killing machine burdened with knowing that the world will end and nobody believes her. To get her into peak physical condition, Hamilton trained with an ex-Israeli commando named Uzi Gal for three hours a day, six days a week, for four months. Onscreen she has about one percent body fat.
19. JUDGMENT DAY LOOKED VERY REAL.
To create the nuclear blast seen in Sarah's dream of Judgment Day, the filmmakers mixed practical and CGI effects after studying hours of actual nuclear bomb test footage. Large-scale miniatures stood in for close-up shots of L.A. being destroyed, including cars being blown off the freeway and entire buildings being demolished. The miniatures were shot at high speeds and blown apart with air mortars. The wide-angle shot of the atomic shockwave was created using early Apple Macintosh software. Cameron claims actual physicists have told him the depiction of the nuclear blast in T2 is the most authentic representation of the effects of an atomic bomb.
20. PEOPLE HATED THE ORIGINAL ENDING.
Cameron shot an ending that went from Sarah and John staring at the molten metal that had just dissolved the Terminator to Hamilton in old age makeup talking into a recorder in a park in Washington D.C. about how Judgment Day had been avoided. She watches John, who she explains is now a U.S. senator, play with his daughter amongst other people in faux futuristic clothing. When shown to test audiences at screenings held at George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch, audience reactions were grim. They didn't like the tonal shift of seeing their badass heroine in lumpy old age makeup, and they didn't like the implausibility of John becoming a senator. Also, this ending doesn't take into consideration the paradox of how Sarah would meet Kyle and give birth to John if the future apocalyptic war had been prevented.
Stuck not knowing what to do about changing the ending, Cameron called Hamilton in for a session to record additional dialogue and cut it together with 45 seconds of a beginning of a take that showed the road at night leading up to the Cyberdyne Systems building from a scene earlier in the movie. Audiences loved the ambiguity of the ending but appreciated the message Cameron wrote: "If a machine, a terminator, can learn the value of human life, maybe we can too."
21. ARNOLD CAME BACK FOR ROUND THREE … BUT AT A PRICE.
Schwarzenegger was paid $29.25 million to reprise his role as The Terminator in T3. His contract stipulated that $1.5 million of the budget should be set aside for private jets, a fully-equipped gym, deluxe hotel suites, limousines, and bodyguards for his personal benefit at all times during production. On top of that, Arnold also received 20 percent of the gross receipts on ticket sales, DVDs, TV rights, game licensing, and in-flight movie licensing on the movie worldwide.
22. THE PRODUCTION ON T3 WAS MASSIVE.
Several city blocks used during the crane chase sequence were created entirely by the production because they needed a level of destruction that wasn't feasible if they shot on an actual street. The studio didn't want to foot the bill for the sequence during the crane chase when the Terminator swings through an entire building facade while hanging from the crane, so Schwarzenegger put up his own money to complete the scene.
23. T3 COST EVEN MORE MONEY TO MAKE AT THE TIME.
Its production budget of $170 million made T3 the most expensive film ever made at the time. It has since been eclipsed many times over, and now stands as the 67th most expensive film ever made.
24. CHRISTIAN BALE WASN'T SUPPOSED TO PLAY JOHN CONNOR IN TERMINATOR SALVATION.
For the fourth installment of the series, actor Christian Bale was originally tapped to play the cyborg Marcus Wright (a role that eventually went to actor Sam Worthington), but he insisted on playing John Connor, a character that only appeared briefly in the original script. Bale's demands forced the filmmakers to rewrite the script and make Bale's Connor character a bigger part in the plot of the movie.
25. NEITHER BALE NOR SCHWARZENEGGER WERE FANS OF TERMINATOR SALVATION.
Schwarzenegger, who didn't appear in the fourth installment of the franchise, didn't like the movie. While promoting the upcoming chapter of the series, Terminator Genisys, he told interviewers, "I think the three that I was in all had their own little personalities and interesting storylines." As for Salvation, Arnold said, "Thank god [I didn't do it]. It sucked." When asked about his contribution to the series, Bale wasn't so happy about it either, saying, "I knew that we gave it a shot, it didn't work. I know the reasons for that. Wisdom sometimes is knowing when you have to walk away."
Additional Sources: The Futurist: The Life and Films of James Cameron by Rebecca Keegan
Blu-ray Special Features
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Ministry cracks down on bogus colleges
posted Oct 15, 2015, 9:02 PM by Brook Ross
Abridged from The Jakarta Post, October 07 2015, by Fedina S. Sundaryani
The Research and Technology and Higher Education Ministry said that students graduating from universities and colleges that were inactive on account of various violations will not receive diplomas acknowledged by the government. The ministry announced that 239 universities had been deemed problematic and were now inactive, meaning that they would not get services from the ministry such as grant distributions, professor certifications and scholarships. The ministry would also deny proposals for accreditation or new study programs.
The status of a university or college is managed by the ministry's Higher Education Institution Database (PDPT) and information regarding their status is accessible to the public at forlap.dikti.go.id.
The ministry's higher education institution guidance director, Totok Prasetyo, said on Tuesday that students who enrolled at a branch of an unlicensed university would not receive government-sanctioned diplomas. "Students at those campuses will not be allowed to graduate and their degrees will not be acknowledged," he said. Totok also said that students of universities suffering from internal management problems would also be prohibited from graduating.
Data from the ministry says there are 3,101 active universities, comprising 121 state universities and 2,980 private universities, under its oversight. The universities have a total of 6.44 million students and 216,138 lecturers and professors for the 2015 and 2016 academic year.


text:
31 days in United States Itinerary
Created using Inspirock United States trip planner
Start: Melbourne
Fly: 18h 45min
12698 kms / 18h 45min
Melbourne — Avalon
Avalon — San Francisco
12733 kms / 25h
Melbourne — Albury
305 kms / 3h 30min
Albury — Albury
Albury — San Francisco
314 kms / 4h
San Francisco — Mammoth Lakes
San Francisco — Reno
Drive + Fly + bus: 11h 15min
3957 kms / 11h 15min
Mammoth Lakes — Newark
3825 kms / 8h
Newark — New York City
Yosemite National Park — Reno
Reno — New York City
4446 kms / 42h
Fly: 5h
Washington DC — BWI Airport Amtrak
48 kms / 30min
BWI Airport Amtrak — Baltimore
Baltimore — Key West
646 kms / 10h 15min
Orlando — Austin
Austin — San Antonio
San Antonio — Austin
Austin — Las Vegas
Las Vegas — Ontario/San Bernardino
Ontario/San Bernardino — Los Angeles
69 kms / 1h 45min
Los Angeles — Broadway & Kettner Bl
Broadway & Kettner Bl — San Diego
San Diego — Melbourne
Los Angeles — Ontario/San Bernardino
Ontario/San Bernardino — Melbourne
End: Melbourne
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San Francisco is known for nature, museums, nightlife, shopping, and childrens museums. Your plan includes some of its best attractions: snap pictures at Golden Gate Bridge, contemplate the long history of SS Jeremiah O'Brien, get curious at Exploratorium, and take in nature's colorful creations at Japanese Tea Garden.
To find ratings, photos, other places to visit, and other tourist information, refer to the San Francisco online trip planner .
Melbourne, Australia to San Francisco is an approximately 19-hour flight. You can also do a combination of shuttle and flight; or do a combination of train and flight. Due to the time zone difference, you'll gain 18 hours traveling from Melbourne to San Francisco. Traveling from Melbourne in January, expect nights in San Francisco to be a bit cooler, around 9°C, while days are much colder, around 17°C. Wrap up your sightseeing on the 3rd (Fri) to allow time to drive to Yosemite National Park.
Parks Shopping Museums
10:00am, Wed Jan 1
5:00pm, Wed Jan 1
On the 5th (Sun), spend an exhilarating day on the slopes at Yosemite Ski and Snowboard Area. There's lots more to do: take in the dramatic natural features at Glacier Point, make a trip to Yosemite Conservation Heritage Center, tour the pleasant surroundings at Tuolumne Meadows, and take your sightseeing to a higher altitude at Mt. Hoffmann.
To see where to stay, maps, other places to visit, and tourist information, read Yosemite National Park vacation builder .
You can drive from San Francisco to Yosemite National Park in 4 hours. Alternatively, you can do a combination of flight and car; or do a combination of subway, flight, bus, and taxi. Traveling from San Francisco in January, expect nights in Yosemite National Park to be much colder, around -12°C, while days are little chillier, around 7°C. Finish up your sightseeing early on the 7th (Tue) so you can travel to New York City.
Parks Outdoors Winter Sports
4:00pm, Sat Jan 4
Yosemite Ski and Snowboard Area
10:30am, Sun Jan 5
Tuolumne Meadows
12:00pm, Mon Jan 6
Writer Pearl Buck once called New York City "a place apart," and this giant urban center remains unlike any other in the world.
New York City is known for museums, nightlife, shopping, historic sites, and parks. Your plan includes some of its best attractions: take in the pleasant sights at Central Park, enjoy breathtaking views from Empire State Building, wander the streets of Times Square, and admire all the interesting features of The High Line.
To see where to stay, maps, traveler tips, and other tourist information, go to the New York City road trip planner .
You can do a combination of car, flight, and bus from Yosemite National Park to New York City in 11.5 hours. Alternatively, you can do a combination of taxi, bus, and flight; or drive. Due to the time zone difference, you'll lose 3 hours traveling from Yosemite National Park to New York City. Traveling from Yosemite National Park in January, New York City is somewhat warmer at night with lows of -5°C. Wrap up your sightseeing on the 11th (Sat) to allow time to travel to Washington DC.
Parks Museums Historic Sites
12:00pm, Wed Jan 8
4:00pm, Thu Jan 9
10:00am, Thu Jan 9
The capital of the United States, the District of Columbia contains the lion's share of the country's most treasured monuments, memorials, and public museums.
Washington DC is known for museums, historic sites, nightlife, zoos & aquariums, and parks. Your plan includes some of its best attractions: admire the masterpieces at National Gallery of Art, get a sense of history and politics at White House, examine the collection at United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and get a new perspective on nature at Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
For more things to do, photos, where to stay, and more tourist information, read our Washington DC online day trip planner .
Fly from New York City to Washington DC in 3.5 hours. Alternatively, you can take a train; or drive. In January in Washington DC, expect temperatures between 7°C during the day and -1°C at night. Finish your sightseeing early on the 14th (Tue) to allow enough time to travel to Key West.
Museums Historic Sites
3:30pm, Sun Jan 12
12:30pm, Sun Jan 12
1:30pm, Mon Jan 13
Located just 140 km (90 mi) from Cuba, Key West is an island only about 6.4 km (4 mi) long and 1.6 km (1 mi) wide.
Key West is known for adventure, museums, nightlife, wildlife, and nature. Your plan includes some of its best attractions: examine the collection at The Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum, view the masterpieces at 7 Artists & Friends, find your balance on the water with some of the best stand-up paddleboarding in the area, and pause for some serene contemplation at Saint Mary Star of the Sea.
For traveler tips, maps, other places to visit, and tourist information, read Key West attractions planning website .
Getting from Washington DC to Key West by flight takes about 5 hours. Other options: do a combination of train and flight; or drive. Plan for warmer temperatures traveling from Washington DC in January, with highs in Key West at 28°C and lows at 22°C. Wrap up your sightseeing on the 17th (Fri) to allow time to drive to Orlando.
Wildlife Tours Outdoors
4:00pm, Fri Jan 17
The Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum
11:30am, Wed Jan 15
Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservatory
Theme Park Capital of the World
For most people, any mention of Orlando immediately conjures up images of sprawling theme parks filled with characters plucked right out of popular animated movies.
Pack the 18th (Sat) with family-friendly diversions at Universal's Islands of Adventure. Have a day of magic on the 19th (Sun) at Walt Disney World Resort. The adventure continues: get in on the family fun at Universal Orlando Resort.
Make your Orlando itinerary with Inspirock to find out what to see and where to go.
You can drive from Key West to Orlando in 7.5 hours. Alternatively, you can take a bus; or do a combination of bus and train. In January, Orlando is slightly colder than Key West - with highs of 25°C and lows of 13°C. Wrap up your sightseeing on the 20th (Mon) early enough to travel to San Antonio.
Things to do in Orlando
10:00am, Sat Jan 18
10:00am, Sun Jan 19
10:00am, Mon Jan 20
The Alamo City
As the state's second largest city, San Antonio embodies Texas' rich cultural heritage while maintaining the Old West charm of an oil town.
On the 21st (Tue), contemplate the long history of The Alamo, then get a taste of the local shopping with The San Antonio River Walk, then enjoy some diversion at San Antonio Western Shooting, and finally pause for some serene contemplation at San Fernando De Bexar Cathedral.
For other places to visit, reviews, and more tourist information, use the San Antonio online trip itinerary builder .
Traveling by flight from Orlando to San Antonio takes 6 hours. Alternatively, you can do a combination of train, taxi, and flight; or drive. The time zone difference moving from Eastern Standard Time to Central Standard Time is minus 1 hour. In January, San Antonio is slightly colder than Orlando - with highs of 20°C and lows of 5°C. Finish your sightseeing early on the 21st (Tue) so you can travel to Las Vegas.
Things to do in San Antonio
Fun & Games Historic Sites Parks
San Antonio Western Shooting
2:00pm, Tue Jan 21
The San Antonio River Walk
12:00pm, Tue Jan 21
10:00am, Tue Jan 21
Nicknamed the "Entertainment Capital of the World," Las Vegas sits in the middle of a desert in the southern section of Nevada.
When in Las Vegas, make a side trip to see Hoover Dam in Boulder City, approximately 50 minutes away. There's lots more to do: ponder the design of Bellagio Fountains, take in panoramic vistas at Eiffel Tower Viewing Deck, take in nature's colorful creations at Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens, and try to win big at Bellagio Hotel and Casino.
Make your Las Vegas itinerary with Inspirock to find out what to see and where to go.
Getting from San Antonio to Las Vegas by flight takes about 5.5 hours. Other options: drive; or take a bus. The time zone difference when traveling from San Antonio to Las Vegas is minus 2 hours. Traveling from San Antonio in January, you will find days in Las Vegas are little chillier (17°C), and nights are about the same (5°C). Finish your sightseeing early on the 25th (Sat) to allow enough time to travel to Los Angeles.
Parks Shopping Neighborhoods
Fountains of Bellagio
Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area
City of Angels
Surrounded by mountain ranges, forests, valleys, beaches, and deserts, the metropolitan area of Los Angeles is home to over 17 million people.
Step out of Los Angeles to go to Anaheim and see Disneyland Park, which is approximately 30 minutes away. Pack the 27th (Mon) with family-friendly diversions at Universal Studios Hollywood. There's lots more to do: examine the collection at The Getty Center, explore and take pictures at Staples Center, partake in some friendly competition at Fantastic Race, and admire the striking features of Bradbury Building.
To find maps, photos, more things to do, and other tourist information, go to the Los Angeles trip planner .
Traveling by flight from Las Vegas to Los Angeles takes 4 hours. Alternatively, you can fly; or drive. In January, Los Angeles is a bit warmer than Las Vegas - with highs of 24°C and lows of 11°C. Finish your sightseeing early on the 29th (Wed) so you can travel back home.
Things to do in Los Angeles
Theme Parks Museums Childrens Museums
Fantastic Race
32 days in United States BY A USER FROM SAUDI ARABIA July, teens, culture, outdoors, relaxing, romantic, beaches, historic sites, museums, shopping, wildlife, popular sights PREFERENCES: July, teens, culture, outdoors, relaxing, romantic, beaches, historic sites, museums, shopping, wildlife ATTRACTION STYLE: Popular sights PACE: Medium 32 days in United States BY A USER FROM BAHRAIN July, kids, outdoors, relaxing, beaches, shopping, wildlife, popular & hidden gems PREFERENCES: July, kids, outdoors, relaxing, beaches, shopping, wildlife ATTRACTION STYLE: Popular & hidden gems PACE: Medium 34 days in United States BY A USER FROM UNITED KINGDOM July, teens, kids, culture, relaxing, beaches, historic sites, popular sights PREFERENCES: July, teens, kids, culture, relaxing, beaches, historic sites ATTRACTION STYLE: Popular sights PACE: Medium 32 days in United States BY A USER FROM BAHRAIN July, kids, outdoors, relaxing, beaches, shopping, wildlife, popular sights PREFERENCES: July, kids, outdoors, relaxing, beaches, shopping, wildlife ATTRACTION STYLE: Popular sights PACE: Medium 34 days in United States BY A USER FROM BRAZIL January, outdoors, relaxing, beaches, shopping, wildlife, slow & easy, popular sights PREFERENCES: January, outdoors, relaxing, beaches, shopping, wildlife ATTRACTION STYLE: Popular sights PACE: Slow & easy 33 days in United States BY A USER FROM UNITED KINGDOM June, culture, outdoors, relaxing, beaches, historic sites, wildlife, popular sights PREFERENCES: June, culture, outdoors, relaxing, beaches, historic sites, wildlife ATTRACTION STYLE: Popular sights PACE: Medium 33 days in United States BY A USER FROM UNITED KINGDOM June, culture, outdoors, relaxing, beaches, historic sites, wildlife, popular sights PREFERENCES: June, culture, outdoors, relaxing, beaches, historic sites, wildlife ATTRACTION STYLE: Popular sights PACE: Medium 8 days in Houston, Los Angeles & San Francisco BY A USER FROM UNITED STATES March, teens, kids, culture, outdoors, relaxing, romantic, beaches, historic sites, museums, shopping, wildlife, popular & hidden gems PREFERENCES: March, teens, kids, culture, outdoors, relaxing, romantic, beaches, historic sites, museums, shopping, wildlife ATTRACTION STYLE: Popular & hidden gems PACE: Medium 60 days in United States BY A USER FROM CANADA April, culture, outdoors, romantic, beaches, historic sites, museums, shopping, wildlife, popular sights PREFERENCES: April, culture, outdoors, romantic, beaches, historic sites, museums, shopping, wildlife ATTRACTION STYLE: Popular sights PACE: Medium 60 days in Los Angeles BY A USER FROM UNITED STATES January, culture, outdoors, romantic, historic sites, museums, wildlife, fast-paced, popular & hidden gems PREFERENCES: January, culture, outdoors, romantic, historic sites, museums, wildlife ATTRACTION STYLE: Popular & hidden gems PACE: Fast-paced
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We compare how people react to good ideas authored by internal rivals (employees at the same organization) versus external rivals (employees at a competitor organization). We hypothesize that internal and external rivals evoke contrasting kinds of threats. Specifically, using knowledge from an internal rival is difficult because it threatens the self and its competence: It is tantamount to being a follower and losing status relative to a direct competitor. By contrast, external rivals pose a lower threat to personal status, so people are more willing to use their knowledge. We conducted three studies. Study 1 showed that internal and external rivalry involved opposite relationships between threat and knowledge valuation: The more threat internal rivals provoked, the more people avoided their knowledge, whereas the more threat external rivals provoked, the more people pursued their knowledge. Study 2 explored the types of threat that insiders and outsiders evoked. In particular, people assumed that they would lose more personal status if they used an internal rival's knowledge and, therefore, reduced their valuation of that knowledge. Finally, Study 3 found that self-affirmation attenuated these patterns. We suggest that the threats and opportunities for affirmation facing the self dictate how people respond to rivals and, ultimately, their willingness to value new ideas.
Menon, Tanya, Leigh Thompson, and Hoon-Seok Choi. 2006. Tainted Knowledge vs. Tempting Knowledge: People Avoid Knowledge from Internal Rivals and Seek Knowledge from External Rivals. Management Science. 52(8): 1129-1144.


Looking for Two-phase Orthodontic Treatment in Danville? For an appointment at Danville Family Dental Care call our office today at 217-442-0445 or make an appointment today.
The treatment will be timed to predictable stages of dental development to provide the greatest potential for improvement and correction of your child's malocclusion (bad bite). The first phase of treatment benefits patients physically, enabling them to bite or chew more effectively. It may reduce the risk of breaking front teeth that protrude. And for many patients, there is an improvement in self-esteem. Younger patients may be more cooperative and follow the orthodontist's instructions on appliance wear and oral hygiene. And the desired changes that result from a first phase treatment may contribute to long-term stability, meaning that teeth stay where the orthodontist has moved them.
The second phase of treatment moves permanent teeth into their final positions, usually with the aid of braces and retainers.
Ask us about two-phase orthodontic treatment for your child. Contact Danville Family Dental Care at 217-442-0445.


This complete walkthrough is for Level 2 of Escape If You Can.
Overview: You need to find a way to escape the room. The only way to leave the room is through an elevator. In this stage, the elevator is locked by a key. The elevator key is hidden in a locked safe.
1. Flower: The safe has a four number combination each with a color association. One of the clues is hidden behind the flower pot: Red 3.
2. Table: Underneath the table is another clue: Yellow 6.
3. Chair: Look under the chair, you will find another clue: Blue 8. Also, grab the ring taped under the chair.
4. Box: There is a jewelry box on the table. Attached the ring to handle and open the drawer. Grab the key inside. Also, there is the last clue: White 7.
5. Safe: Use the key to unlock the painting. Underneath is a safe. On top of the combination pad are stripes with colors: white, blue, yellow, and red. Enter combination: 7863. The safe is unlocked. Get the elevator key.
6. Exit: Insert the key into the elevator control panel. Elevator door will open. You have escaped!


What makes Blue Berg special to you?
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Every journey to Munnar is an experience in its own way. A drive through the deep woods and never-ending tea plantations will be evergreen moments in your life. Watching the sun at dawn and dusk, the pleasant weather in the backdrop of colonial charm gives a unique position for Munnar in Kerala's tourist map.
The misty hill town located in the Western Ghats will make you fall in love with nature yet again. There are a number of popular tourist spots in Munnar for every visitor here. Kurinjamala Sanctuary, Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary, Eravikulam National Park etc. are some of them. You can see a number of animals like Nilgiri Tahr, Sambar, Grizzled giant squirrel etc. Kashmir is believed to be one of the most beautiful places in India. Munnar is called as South India's Kashmir for its endless beauty.
Ride on the back of the biggest mammal on Earth - the pure thrill of such an activity is beyond words! At the Carmelagiri Elephant Park in Munnar, you can enjoy an elephant safari that will take you through rugged terrains and deep valleys of the misty Munnar forests.
(12.5 km from Munnar) Situated at a height of 1700 m above sea level, Mattupetty is known for its storage masonry dam and the beautiful lake, which offers pleasurable boat rides, enabling one to enjoy the surrounding hills and landscape. Mattupetty's fame is also attributed to the dairy farm run by the Indo-Swiss Livestock Project, where one would come across different high yielding breeds of cows.
(15 km from Munnar) This scenic place gets its name from the natural echo phenomenon here. Echo Point is on the way to Top Station from Munnar. We can hear interesting reverberations of sound here.
(28 km from Munnar) Kundala a tranquil, serene place with alluring, ravishing beauty, offers incomparable experience to travellers. In the heart of hearts a visitor can keep never fading memories of moments spent in the bosom of nature. The construction of Sethuparvathy Dam at Kundala was completed in the year 1946, as a part of Pallivasal Hydro Electric Project, when it was found that the reservoir at Munnar was not getting adequate water. Hydel tourism promoted by KSEB is an attraction to tourists. Pedal boats and Kashmiri Shikaras are available for tourists. Cherry blossoms, which bloom only twice a year, make Kundala a paradise on earth. Kurinji flowers, though seasonal, also provide ecstatic delight to visitors.
(35 km from Munnar) It is the highest point on the Munnar-Kodaikanal road. Travellers to Munnar make it a point to visit Top Station to enjoy the panoramic view it offers of the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu. It is one of the spots in Munnar to enjoy the Neelakurinji flowers blooming over a vast area.
(17 km from Munnar) Eravikulam National Park, a sanctuary for the Nigiri Tahr, the endangered mountain goat of South India. The park spread over 97sq Kms of the Kannan Devan Hills besides being a sanctuary for the mountain goat, is noted for the stark beauty of its rolling grasslands and sholas.
(24 km from Munnar) Of all the waterfalls near Munnar, the Lakkam waterfalls are one of the closest. These are located at just about a 5-minute drive from the city. The surrounding panorama is rich in "Vaga trees" which turn the scape painted red during the flowering season. The falls are not easily accessible for the elderly , but the little pool with the fall water collecting in it, more than makes up for it. Children love a splash in the pool.
(7 km from Munnar) This idyllic hill station with its velvet lawns, exotic flora and fauna and the cool mountain air is a rare experience. The Sita Devi Lake with its mineral waters and picturesque surroundings is a good picnic spot. The lake is also ideal for trout fishing.
(40 km from Munnar) Marayoor has a natural sandalwood forest with around 65,000 trees. The sandalwood of Marayoor is said to be of high quality. There is a 'Sandalwood Regeneration Experimental Plot' here from where one can learn more on the fragrant tree. The State Forest Department runs a sandalwood depot here where travellers can see the processing of sandalwood. Those who still haven't got enough to satisfy their curiosity can take a refreshing stroll in the forest, but only after taking permission from the Forest Department.
(40 km from Munnar) A fascinating destination for anthropologists and archaeologists from all over the world, Muniyara has remnants of Dolmenoid cists belonging to the Megalithic age. Dolmenoids were burial chambers made of four stones placed on edges and covered by a fifth one called the cap stone. Some of these Dolmenoids contain several burial chambers, others have a quadrangle scooped out in laterite and lined on the sides with granite slabs. These are also covered with cap stones. Muniyara is part of Marayoor. Marayoor occupies a vast area on the slopes of the Western Ghats in Idukki district and is an important pre-historic site in Kerala. Apart from the Dolmenoid cists in Muniyara, Marayoor is famous for its natural sandalwood forests and pre-historic rock paintings.
(60 km from Munnar) A unique thorny scrub forest with xerophyte species, Chinnar is the habitat for the endangered Giant Grizzled Squirrel of India. Their total number here would be less than 200. Located in the rain shadow area of the Western Ghats, unlike other sanctuaries in Kerala, Chinnar gets only less than two months of rain every year. Rich in wildlife, the mixed deciduous forests here are ideal for trekking.
(3 km from Munnar) The park has an extension of about 18 acres and is one among the must see spots in Munnar. The spot comprises of beautiful gardens with rare species of plants and flowers as well as shady tress. It also offers various amusing activities like water cycling, boating, cycling for kids and roller skating. Additionally, certain tree houses, ropeways and swings are also arranged within the park. Blossom International Park is the perfect place for anyone looking to spend leisure time in the lap of serene natural beauty.
(6 km from Munnar) You can watch the beauty of the Munnar mist that is engulfing the green hills from Pothanmedu View point.The drive to the Pothamedu ViewPoint takes you over an old bridge and narrow roads and the views during the drive is also very scenic. You should try to sip the hot tea from the tea shop near the view point to enjoy the feel of Munnar to the full.
(9 km from Munnar) A panorama of waterfalls and rolling hills, Attukad, located between Munnar and Pallivasal, is a feast for the eyes. The place is also ideal for long treks. These water falls cool down one's mind and provide a soothing experience even to disturbed minds. The misty hills give freshness even to puzzled or bewildered minds.
(7 km from Munnar) The name of this place is derived from Devi and Kulam. 'Devi' refers to Sita Devi of the Hindu mythology. 'Kulam' means a pond. This place got its name from a pond where Sita Devi is supposed to have taken bath. This idyllic hill station with its velvet lawns, exotic flora and fauna and the cool mountain air is a rare experience. The Sita Devi Lake with its mineral waters and picturesque surroundings is a good picnic spot. The lake is also ideal for trout fishing.
(13 km from Munnar) This is an ideal place for adventure tourism and trekking. The fresh mountain air, the mist-clad hills and panoramic view make it worth a visit.
(16 km from Munnar) The beautiful Chinnakanal Waterfalls is situated at a distance of 16 km from Munnar. Flowing from a height of 800 mts the waterfall is a popular picnic spot. Encircled by the Western mountain ranges the view of the crystal clean water falling down is a sight to behold.
(22 km from Munnar) Anayirankal dam & lake located 22kms away from central Munnar is a major tourist spot. Herds of elephants visit the lake to quench their thirst and it is a sight of amazing wildlife richness for the tourists. The dam is surrounded by Tata tea plantations and evergreen forests. It is every nature traveler's ideal location.
(35 km from Munnar) This adventurous full day tour takes you to the Kolukkamalai Tea Estate, which is accessible only by 4-wheel drive. Kolukkumalai is situated in the mountains at a height of approximately 8000ft, set amidst magnificent scenery with views to the mountains and over the vast plains of Tamil Nadu.
(26 km from Munnar) Very few have heard of this mountain peak even though it is the second highest peak in Kerala. Meesapulimala is 25km from Munnar. It stands within the Silent Valley National Park. The 8,661 feet-odd-metre-tall peak gives you a grand view of Tamil Nadu on one side. Even the Mattuppetty and Anayirankal reservoirs can be seen from this spot on clear days.