Credit: The News Herald, Panama City, Fla.

Judith Kaplan of Stuart, Fla., used the $1,000 check that the campaign sent back to her to buy a bracelet.

Mr. Hsu, one of the top fund-raisers for Mrs. Clinton, is under investigation for reimbursing associates for political donations after The Wall Street Journal wrote about the suspicious correlation in donations made by both Mr. Hsu and a California family of modest means.

Mrs. Kaplan said she made her contribution so her granddaughter could tiffany bracelets attend a New York fund-raiser for Mrs. Clinton organized by Mr. Hsu. Mrs. Kaplan said her granddaughter was eager to attend, because she had just written a school paper on the candidate and wanted to meet her in person.

That didn’t mean Mrs. Kaplan felt obligated to send the contribution back.

“I bought myself something because, I figured, if all this is going to happen, I might as well take care of myself,” she said. “And my son had a hard time with that — he said, ‘You’re going to give it back, aren’t you?’”

Her son, Andrew Kaplan, an analyst with Lehman Brothers, and Katherine Erwin, who lives at the same address in Bronxville, N.Y., were two of the 10 donors to decide to give the money back to the campaign. Mr. Kaplan declined to comment.

Mr. Hsu “bundled” more than $800,000 in donations for Mrs. Clinton’s presidential campaign, tiffany cufflinks from 248 individuals. Only $34,200 was again donated to the campaign after it was returned.

“These are not individuals we’re soliciting,” said Howard Wolfson, a spokesman for the campaign. “If anyone chooses to give again, we will scrutinize their donations very carefully.”

Mrs. Clinton announced the campaign’s intentions to accept more donations from Mr. Hsu’s contributors on a conference call shortly after the revelations about Mr. Hsu’s past.

“We’re not asking that that be done,” she said. “But I believe that the vast majority of those 200-plus donors are perfectly capable of making up their own minds about what they will or won’t do going forward.”

County Commissioner Burt Aaronson pressed Bradshaw during a budget workshop to consider using ankle bracelets as a means to save on food, medical care and other incarceration costs.

“That’s something we should explore,” Bradshaw said, speaking at a daylong meeting about the county’s budget.

In Palm Beach County, it costs roughly $140 a day to incarcerate an inmate. By tiffany earrings comparison, Bradshaw said, it would take just two correctional officers to monitor 50 inmates who could be released to their homes or other places in ankle bracelets.

Bradshaw has been sharply criticized in recent months for seeking a roughly $35 million increase in the sheriff’s budget at a time when most other county departments are facing cuts. Bradshaw said his department is already facing constraints, and has had difficulties filling detective positions.

“We realize that there’s not a big pot of money out there,” Bradshaw said. “But I can’t go to sleep at night and think that I can’t send people to help who need it.”

Bradshaw said that the sheriff’s department has taken steps this year to minimize cost increases, tiffany key rings such as delaying vehicle purchases, deferring major purchases, and tightening spending overall.

“Believe me, we felt an extreme amount of pain to get this budget as low as it is,” Bradshaw said.

County commissioners are seeking to maintain the current tax rate. Last week, they gave preliminary approval to a set of budget cuts, fee increases and budget transfers. They include roughly three-dozen job layoffs and more than $30 million in cuts to the portion of the county’s portion funded by property taxes.

The countywide tax rate is expected to remain at $378 per $100,000 of a property’s taxable tiffany necklaces value. As a result, a family with a $300,000 home will save about $60 on county taxes, assuming they qualify for the doubled homestead exemption that voters approved in January.

Mark Hollis can be reached at mhollis@sun-sentinel.com or 561-228-5512.

The Oscar-nominated actress has been pulled into an investigation regarding pricey designer jewelry that has gone missing in Spain, report celebrity new sites.

Ryder, 37, had been wearing a sparkling Bulgari bracelet and ring — totalling about $125 — at a Marie Claire event in Madrid last Sunday (Nov. 23), but now the jewelry cannot be found. Ryder was also loaned a dress and shoes for the event.

Very early the morning after, the actress checked out of her hotel, leaving all tiffany pendants of the loaned items in her room since no one from Marie Claire was present to collect them. When someone was sent up to retrieve them later, the bracelet and ring were gone.

Ryder fans can rest easy though. Despite a history with shoplifting, she is not a suspect in the case, according to the police. In 2001, Ryder was arrested for shoplifting approximately $5,500 worth of merchandise from the Beverly Hills Saks Fifth Avenue. She was later convicted of felony grand theft and vandalism.

The actress’ Europen trip has not been going so smoothly. In November, Ryder fell ill on an tiffany earrings overseas flight and was briefly hospitalized in London.

Ryder received Oscar nominations for her roles in “The Age of Innocence” and “Little Women.” She’ll as Amanda Grayson in the highly anticipated “Star Trek” movie, which premieres in May 2009.

Credit: Zap2It, Chicago

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

NAME OF PRODUCT: Chelsea’s Necklace and Bracelet Sets

UNITS: About 29,000

IMPORTER: D&D Distributing-Wholesale Inc., of Tacoma, tiffany earrings Wash.

HAZARD: Small parts can detach from the necklace and bracelet when the elastic string break, posing a choking hazard to young children.

INCIDENTS/INJURIES: None reported.

DESCRIPTION: This recall involves two models of Chelsea’s Necklace and Bracelet Set. tiffany key rings These two models are Crayon and the Shiny Heart Necklace and Bracelet Set. Both models have yellow, blue, red, green, purple, and pink crayons or hearts connected by elastic string. Each set has one necklace and one bracelet.

SOLD AT: Retail stores and wholesalers nationwide from April 1999 through April 2009 for about $4.

MANUFACTURED IN: China

REMEDY: Consumers should immediately take the recalled necklace and bracelet set away from children and contact D&D Distributing-Wholesale to exchange or refund the product.

CONSUMER CONTACT: For additional information, contact D&D Distributing-Wholesale toll-free tiffany necklaces at (800) 262-9435 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. PT Monday through Friday. Consumers can also visit the firm’s Web site at www.dddist.comFor more information please contact: Sarabjit Jagirdar, Email:- htsyndication@hindustantimes.com.

The veterans program began using the technology, known as SCRAM (for Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitor), in December of 2008 in order to help manage the epidemic rate of alcohol abuse and addiction among the combat veterans in their court. The system includes an ankle bracelet, worn 24/7, that actually samples an offender’s perspiration every 30 minutes in order to measure for alcohol consumption and ensure compliance with court-ordered sobriety and treatment requirements.

The award-winning program was the first veteran-specific court in the country to deal with the unique needs of the ever-increasing number of combat veterans going through the criminal justice system. Under the direction of the Honorable Robert T. Russell, the court aims to link veterans coming through the city’s criminal justice system with a full range of social services, including drug and alcohol treatment, mental health services, medical care, anger management, family counseling, vocation/educational services and housing. “Substance abuse, homelessness, unemployment, mental health problems–these issues are found in combination and in alarming numbers with our combat veterans,” says Russell. “Ensuring the sobriety of these offenders while we address their issues is essential for bracelets long-term success and for helping these men and women get their lives back on track, as well as community safety,” he adds.

The National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP) has recently launched a Veterans Treatment Court Clearing House in response to the overwhelming interest in creating a veterans program from courts across the U.S. According to NADCP, there are now 13 Veterans Treatment Courts across the country, and with funding from the Veterans Administration, the number of programs is expected to increase substantially in 2010.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), 1.8 million combat veterans meet the criteria for having substance abuse issues. The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) reports that 35 percent of justice-involved veterans suffer from alcohol dependency, and the U.S. Department of Defense reports that the rate of veteran involvement in alcohol-related incidents, including DUI, reckless driving and drunk and disorderly conduct, more than tripled between 2005 and 2006 alone. “This isn’t about criminality,” says Mike Iiams, chairman and CEO of Denver-based Alcohol Monitoring Systems, which manufactures and markets SCRAM throughout the U.S. “This is about addiction. When these individuals drink, bad things happen, and this program is redefining the way our justice system can change the course of their lives,” says Iiams.

The Buffalo Drug and DUI courts have utilized the SCRAM System since 2007, monitoring more than 330 offenders to-date, and the Veterans Treatment Court began using the anklets in December of 2008. AMS donated 10 units to the Buffalo Veterans program in 2008, acknowledging what Iiams calls the “critical importance” of the ground-cufflinks breaking program. Today, veterans monitored by SCRAM in the Buffalo program pay $6 per day for the monitoring fee, making the program self-sustaining.

SCRAM currently monitors just over 10,000 offenders daily and has monitored more than 115,000 offenders in 48 states since it became available in 2003. SCRAM is used to manage and monitor drunk drivers, drug and domestic violence offenders and underage drinkers. It’s also utilized as a tool in family court, where the determination of custody may be dependent on a participant’s sobriety.

About Alcohol Monitoring Systems, Inc.

Established in 1997, Alcohol Monitoring Systems, Inc. manufactures SCRAMA, the world’s only Continuous Alcohol Monitoring system, which uses non-invasive transdermal analysis to monitor alcohol consumption. SCRAM fully automates the alcohol testing and reporting process, providing courts and community corrections agencies with the ability to continuously monitor alcohol offenders, increase offender accountability and assess compliance with sentencing requirements and treatment guidelines. Alcohol Monitoring Systems employs 108 people across the U.S. money clips and is a privately-held company headquartered in Littleton, Colorado.

SOURCE Alcohol Monitoring Systems, Inc.

Two diamond rings valued at about $18,900 were taken from Zales Jewelers in the Francis Scott Key Mall on Buckeystown Pike at about 12:16 p.m., according to a news release from the Maryland State Police Frederick barrack.

Meanwhile, several pieces of jewelry were stolen from Zales Jewelers in the Columbia Mall on Little Patuxent Parkway in Howard County around 11 a.m., according to Howard County’s communications center.

The Howard County Police Department is investigating the robbery in Columbia. silver rings The department declined comment Wednesday evening.

Maryland State Police said the suspect in Frederick was wearing a black and white referee-style striped shirt when he entered Zales at FSK mall and asked to look at two diamond rings.

The store’s associate placed the two rings on her thumb and displayed them to him, the agency said. The suspect reached across the counter and pulled both rings from her thumb and left the store.

A witness described the suspect as a black man in his early to mid 20s, according to the press release. He weighs about 150 pounds and wore white and blue tennis shoes, the agency said.

Police searched the area around the mall but found no sign of the suspect, Maryland State silver bracelets Police Sgt. David Harper said.

The description of the man who stole items from the Zales store in Columbia matched the suspect described in the robbery at Zales in FSK, police said.

Anyone with information about the robbery should call Maryland State silver cufflinks Police Trooper First Class Jeremy Hite at, 301-600-4151.

Credit: The Frederick News-Post, Md.

In another novel he had a scene in which people who’d never before been outdoors went for a walk in the woods. “I wanted to get the feeling of being afraid of every sound, ” he says, but as an experienced backpacker, he was far too comfortable in the wilds. “So I deliberately hiked a trail that had had recent grizzly sightings. I told Kathy [his wife] to put ‘He died for verisimilitude’ on my headstone if things went badly.”

Most science fiction writers would rather not risk dying for verisimilitude. Most writers in any genre, for that matter (except maybe adventure travel). But a lot of stories could use more realism. As Oltion puts it: “You really do need to spend the time in the tank.”

Fiction is about merging fantasy with an Ulusion of reality. Even the most mundane mainstream fiction works that way; however “real” the characters may seem, they are, after all, nothing more than ink on a page.

So how do stories create and maintain that illusion?

Partly it’s by foUowing the oldest adage in the book: write what you know. This is particularly key rings important when it comes to the science. If you don’t know a quark from a quasar, there are topics you’d better keep away from. I’m unlikely to write about any of a number of fields (string theory, for one) because I’d be pretty certain to screw them up.

A corollary is to be utterly paranoid. When I’m nearing the end of either a story or nonfiction article, I go through it carefully, highlighting everything about which I have the sUghtest doubt. Then I get on Google or hit my reference Ubrary, trying to find two independent sources to back up each highlighted item. It’s a reporter trick, and an old one, because it’s axiomatic in reporting that the things most likely to trip you up are the ones you’re “sure” you know. IfI can’t verify it, I try to find a way to dodge having to know it.

Occasionally I run into something I’m sure is right but which readers might not beUeve. Analog editor Stanley Schmidt and I once had an entertaining back-and-forth over whether an ordinary human, fueled by adrenaline, could kick through one of the passenger windows of an automobUe if he was trapped inside. I thought it likely, since I’d twice had windows broken by car-stereo thieves armed with tire irons. But if Stan wasn’t sure, there would be readers with the same problem. Sometimes, being right isn’t enough.

So I compromised. I knew for certain that you can break into a car whose windows are partially necklaces rolled down. All you have to do is hook your fingers over the top of the glass and give it a good yank. (This is why leaving windows “cracked open” is a bad idea if you have valuables in the car.) So, in the pubUshed version of the story, the hero’s car windows weren’t tightly roUed up, making it a lot easier for him to kick his way out. A tiny change eliminated a potential stumbling block.

Sometimes it’s not that easy. Recently, a sports magazine reprinted one of my stories. Three editors looked at it and got to debating whether an Olympic distance runner, having made the team at the U.S. Olympic Trials, would run any other races between the Trials and the Olympics.

I’m a distance-running coach and sports writer. If I were coaching them, the answer would be “no way. ” And whUe I was pretty sure most Olympic-level coaches would agree, there’s a critical difference between “pretty sure” and “one hundred percent confident.”

This is where fiction writers have to think like reporters. Unlike Oltion in the septic tank, I can’t try my hand at being an Olympian. But as a sports writer and coach, I know a few Olympic distance runners. So I emailed the one most likely to reply quickly and said, more or less, “Help!” Within hours, I had the answer. Nobody she knew had done any extra races before the Beijing Olympics. Sprinters do that; distance runners don’t.

In the ideal world, I’d have found a way to acknowledge this tidbit in the story, but the prose didn’t aUow it without producing a duU exercise in coaching theory. The lesson: no matter how right you are, you can’t guarantee everyone wiU agree.

Another maxim is that details bring stories to Ufe. Unfortunately, it’s easy for science fiction writers to equate that with technical information – details that merely demonstrate that they’re good at research. “That’s often the downfall of a hard-sf story,” says Oltion. “Too many writers think [scientific] details equal believability.”

What works best in science fiction is the same thing that works in other genres: detaUs that make people Tiffany Accessories think they’re being given special insight into the world the characters inhabit, whether it’s ours or planet Crypto.

Jane Kurtz is an award-winning author of children’s books. In writers’ workshops, she likes to ask people how they would write about winter in Minnesota. Most come up with the type of details anyone could find on the Internet: The snow can be knee-deep; a lot of people cross-country ski; it’s kind of cold. Minus twenty degrees is common, -40掳 is possible, and wind chiUs can hit -80掳. But those are facts, not details. There’s better stuff, if you really know Minnesota or spend enough time talking to someone who does. On a January ski outing near the Canadian border, a member of my party once announced: “Singledigit temperatures are the best. Plus or minus doesn’t matter. ” In other words, in the pantheon of “cold” he saw no difference between 9掳 and -9掳. It’s hard to imagine a statement that says more about the Minnesotan attitude toward winter.

On the same trip, we drove a remote twolane at night, more slowly than seemed necessary. “Sorry,” the driver explained, “you have to watch out for moose. They like to get down on their knees in the middle of the road and lick the salt, and they’re hard to see because their eyes don’t reflect like the eyes of deer. ”

These are the types of details that bring stories to life. “You have to surprise your readers,” says Kurtz. “Remember how it was as a child, when your parents told you the same things over and over? Well, readers don’t like it [either] when you tell them the same things over and over. ”

Her own description of cold? Try this, from her book Jakarta Missing (Green willow/ HarperCollins 2001):

Dad was right. Anyone would have to be crazy to want to live through this kind of winter. I know now about days when the hair inside your nose freezes and you feel like someone stuck a toothbrush up there. I know about days when the wind hits you in the face so hard that you gasp for breath and think you must still be asleep and dreaming of Antarctica. The snow squeaks like Styrofoam when you walk to school, and you can see die breath of every car that passes.

I’ve lived in Minnesota. When I read this, I see three critical details that tell me she’s nailed it:

* The freezing hairs inside your nose.

* The squeaky snow.

* The exhaust plumes of the cars.

You don’t have to have lived in the frigid north to know all of this . . . but you do have to have done more than superficial research.

So we now have three basic rules:

1 . Write what you know.

2. Know what it is that you do and don’t know.

3. Make good use of details.

Let’s look a bit more at the third. How can you use vivid details if you’re writing about remote star systems, exotic physics, or alien ecosystems?

I think the answer often lies in the non-science-fictional parts of the story. Elsewhere in this issue is a story I set partially on Naiad, a moon of Neptune. Obviously, I’ve never been there. All the facts I had I got from the Internet. But I know the Naiad I depict because I have decades of experience in the stark landscapes of the American Southwest, sitting on cliff tops and staring at the distant play of light and shadow. These are vivid, emotional memories and I drew on them to get a feel for what it might be like to watch Neptune from an airless vantage point that zips around it every seven hours. I took it a step farther by letting my protagonist, Floyd, know the same deserts I do. He’s not me, but I know where he’s been and I know the details diat make up his background. Those I can Tiffany Keys bring into the story with absolute certainty. If my Naiad works, it’s because the reader senses my certainty about Floyd and his deserts and grants me leave to present a Naiad about which nobody actually knows much.

At heart, this is the same thing as Oltion putting in time in the tank. But instead of going out and finding a tank to sit in, I was recalling tanks I’d experienced long before I knew there would ever be a story. It’s the lazy man’s form of research.

Here’s another example. I don’t have to do any special research to know what it’s like to be around grizzly bears. Once, in Alaska, hiking through eight-foot-tall grass (yes, there is such a thing as eight-foot-tall grass; that’s an interesting detail in itself), I found a spot where something had smashed flat a circle of grass about a dozen feet in diameter. A bit later, I found steaming bear droppings in the trail.

Another time, also hiking in Alaska, a friend and I came upon a man and three young children in a meadow above an alder thicket. Stopping to talk, we found they’d been awakened that morning by a grizzly sniffing at their tent, near the alder thicket tiirough which my friend and I had just hiked. As the father gestured toward the woods, right on cue, the bear emerged, sniffing again at the t茅nt and hesitating as though trying to figure out if it was worth ripping it open to see what was inside.

All interest in hiking lost, the six of us waited, comforted by the presence of the father’s very big gun (a slug-breech 12-gauge for those with an interest in such things). Eventually my friend escorted the kids back through the woods while the father and I packed up his tent, frighteningly close to the alders, and carried it back through the woods.

How would I draw on this for a story?

Well, to start with, packing isn’t the best verb to describe what we did with that tent. It was more like rolling it up like a giant cigar, sleeping bags inside. The whole process took about thirty seconds. Nor did we simply “carry” it though the woods. Scurried is a better verb. All the while we were talking randomly, because the thing we most emphatically did not want to do was startle the bear, which still had to be somewhere in the vicinity. “Hi bear. Good bear. Go away bear. ” That type of thing.

Then there was the stream at the base of the woods, whose crossing bought us a few yards of precious open space. “Cold” was an understatement. It was 32.00 1-degree water that made my shins feel as though they crinkled as I waded through. Once across, there was the silent agony of doubling over for endless seconds . . . dozens of endless seconds . . . waiting for my shinbones to forgive me: a soundless scream that only those who’ve waded through ice water can fully comprehend- all compounded by the overwhelming desire to get back to town now to buy my own very big gun.

You cannot invent details like this.

“Writers have good powers of observation,” Kurtz says. “That’s more important than imagination.”

So we can now add a fourth rule: draw, when possible and appropriate, on your own experience. You are the world expert on yourself so this is something nobody else knows better. Obviously, you can’t base the entire story directly on this, or it won’t be fiction, let along science fiction. But you can use some of it directly and more, indirectly. I may never write about grizzly bears, but if I ever need an alien predator, I know what memories I’ll draw from.

I can almost hear the objections that most people haven’t waded through ice water, carrying cigar-rolled tents. But everyone has done something.

One of my day jobs is writing profiles. (Analog Biologs are only a few.) I also write essays. People often tell me their lives are too boring either for profiles or for writing their own essays, but I’ve never met an adult without at least one interesting experience. The trick is recognizing tiiem in yourself. Or, if you really don’t like digging into your past, learn to be a good interviewer (another way of being an observer) so you can draw on other people’s stories.

A related skill is one a family member used to refer to as collecting “rat facts.” (Think pack rat.) Writers accumulate trivia. You have to be careful how much of it you stuff into any given story because it’s easy to start showing off, but these factoids are a magnificent library from which you can often borrow just the right detail.

So we now have five rules. To recapitulate:

1. Write what you know.

2. Know what it is that you know.

3. Make good use of details.

4. Look for details in experience (yours or other people’s).

5. Collect information. You never know what will someday be useful.

One final bit of advice comes from an Icelandic proverb Kurtz likes to cite: “Keen is the eye of the visitor.”

A related aphorism, in journalism, is that the best reporters are often introverted outsiders: people who like to watch life rather than participate more directiy. I’m not sure if this really is true – I’ve known a lot of reporters who are enthusiastic, outgoing people. The “fly on the wall” may be more archetype than reality.

But the truth in the archetype is simple. The best writers observe things. Sometimes these are details about the universe. Sometimes they are grand visions that instill the sense of wonder about which science fiction fans wax lyrical. Other times, the observations take the form of details about people or the lives we live: overlooked realities that ring true as they float across the page before us.

When writers do this, their stories feel authentic. They come to life, even when they’re about star drives, black holes, alien worlds, or things that go bump in the night. And that’s when readers remember them.

Christmas tree permits are on sale for $5 each at all Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest ranger stations and the forest headquarters. Each permit allows a family to cut one tree, with a tree height limit of 15 feet, or dig a small live transplant tree. Permits may be purchased in person or by mail and are limited to two permits per family. The permits are non-refundable.

When venturing out into the cold and snowy hills in pursuit of a Christmas tree, here are some hints to help make your trip a safe one:

1. Before leaving home, notify a friend or family member where you will be going and when you will return. Then, stick to your plan and let your contact person know when you have returned.

2. Consider carefully your clothing, equipment, and vehicle needs, making certain they are adequate for the worst conditions you might encounter. If planning to drive over snow-covered roads, a high-clearance vehicle may be best, and don’t forget to carry tire chains and a shovel.

3. ALWAYS check out the avalanche hazard before leaving home.

4. Start out early in the day so that you have enough daylight to be able to choose that “perfect” necklaces tree.

5. Be familiar with the area that you plan to visit.

6. Carry extra clothing, food, and tools in your vehicle for those unexpected mishaps that may occur.

7. Christmas tree permits may be placed on the driver’s side dashboard in lieu of a Northwest Forest Pass when parking at a trailhead. However, once enough snow accumulates and selected trailhead parking areas convert to Sno-Parks, you must have a valid Washington State Sno-Park permit displayed on your windshield when parking at any State Sno-Park.

For those who can’t make it into any of our offices during daily business hours many local businesses are also selling Christmas tree permits.

* In Wenatchee, tree permits are available at Hooked on Toys and Arlberg Sports. * In Chelan, permits can be Tiffany Accessories bought at the Chelan Shell Foodmart gas station. * The Entiat Food Center in Entiat is also selling Christmas tree permits. * In the Lake Wenatchee area, Parkside Grocery, Midway Village and Plain Hardware have permits for sale. * In Leavenworth, tree permits are available at Dan’s Food Market, the 76 gas station and Shell Village Mercantile. * In the Cle Elum and Ellensburg areas Christmas tree permits can be purchased at Roslyn Cyclery, Pioneer Coffee, Intermountain Radio Shack, Morning Star Chevron/Deli and Ellensburg Chamber of Commerce. * Christmas tree permits are available at the following locations in the Naches Ranger District area: * Eagle Rock Grocery, Whistlin’ Jacks Resort and Rimrock Grocery Store on State Route 410 * Helms True Value Hardware and Save-On Foods in Selah * Oak Creek Ace Hardware and Slim’s Market in Naches * KOA Campground at Squaw Rock * Vendors selling Christmas tree permits in Okanogan County include: * Chevron Station in Okanogan * The General Store in Conconully * The Junction Mini Mart in Tonasket * Carlton General Store in Carlton * Twisp Chevron gas station, Hank’s Market and Hank’s Mini Market in Twisp * Pardners Mini Market in Winthrop

For more information about Christmas tree permits please contact any Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest office. These offices are open Monday through Friday from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Our offices will be closed on the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Forest Service offices may also close early the day before these holidays, so call ahead for operating hours.

Chelan Ranger District, 428 W. Woodin Ave., Chelan WA 98816; 509-682-4900

Cle Elum Ranger District, 803 W. 2nd Street, Cle Elum, WA 98922; 509-852-1100

Entiat Ranger District, physical address 2108 Entiat Way, mailing address P.O. Box 476 Entiat, WA Tiffany Keys 98822; 509-784-1511

Methow Valley Ranger District, 24 West Chewuch Road, Winthrop, WA 98862; 509-996-4000

Naches Ranger District, 10237 Hwy. 12, Naches, WA 98937; 509-653-1401

Okanogan Valley Office, 1240 South Second Ave., Okanogan, WA 98840; 509-826-3275

Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest Headquarters office, 215 Melody Lane, Wenatchee, WA 98801; 509-664-9200

Tonasket Ranger District, 1 W. Winesap, Tonasket, WA 98855; 509-486-2186

Wenatchee River Ranger District-Leavenworth office, 600 Sherbourne, Leavenworth, WA 98826;tiffany bangles 509-548-2550

Wenatchee River Ranger District-Lake Wenatchee office, CLOSED during the winterFor more information please contact: Sarabjit Jagirdar, Email:- htsyndication@hindustantimes.com.

Robin DeMario, 509/664-9292.

Yet the economic crash appears to have caused a significant reduction in the number of holiday-goers opting for ski excursions: according to the Guardian newspaper, ski trip bookings fell 13% just last year, with empty beds being cheaply sold off last minute, and companies failing to make profit.

With the ski industry now struggling to break even, this year has seen a sharp rise in the cost of ski holidays. Those budget and last minute deals have become harder to find, with ski companies adopting a supply-and-demand approach to save money.(1)

But the holiday-maker can look to the new resorts to find cheaper alternatives away from the more obvious destinations in the French and Swiss Alps. The “piste” found in the Abruzzo Mountains in Italy offer a similar experience to the more renowned ski-spots, and without a glamorous reputation of the more established resorts, it is a more realistic option for the budget conscious.(2)

Add this to the money-saving options of mid-week excursions and the enormous range tiffany bracelets of budget flight tickets available across the internet, and a festive holiday spent skiing or snowboarding remains a possibility. Even over Christmas, when expenditure hits a seasonal high.

With the recession still a very real concern, cutting back on essentials like travel insurance may be a tempting prospect, with those splashing out on their ski holiday simply hoping the worst never happens.

Tellingly, a survey commissioned by AA Travel Insurance exposes the need for an insurance package covering winter sports-based holidays. The fact that 57%(3) of holiday goers are taking more adventurous trips, signals a need for people to make sure they are adequately covered when they travel.. A sizeable 19% of those surveyed had required medical attention when abroad. 1 With the cost of treatment abroad potentially far outweighing the cost of the holiday, getting adequate cover for a winter sports holiday is a must. AA Travel Insurance offers a policy which includes medical expenses cover of up to Pounds 10 million and 24 hour medical emergency support which could prove vital in a medical emergency.

A spokesperson for AA Travel Insurance said, “Accidents can happen on a small or a large scale. Being equipped with the right insurance isn’t tempting fate; an insurance policy on a winter sports holiday is imperative in any kind of emergency.”

Notes to editors

(1) Taken from Skiing Trips that won’t break the bank on October 4th 2009 (Guardian.co.uk)

(2) Taken from Skiing’s cheap and cheerful alternative to the Alps on October 4th 2009 tiffany cufflinks (Guardian.co.uk)

(3) Survey carried out by PR Precision on behalf of AA Travel Insurance between 12th – 16th October 2009

About AA Travel Insurance

The AA is not only the UK’s premier breakdown service we also provide great value travel insurance with cover you can trust.

Our secure website allows you to buy single trip travel insurance or annual multi trip travel insurance online tiffany money clips in just a few minutes, or if you prefer to talk to someone why not contact our UK-based call centre? Our call agents are available 7 days a week.

AA Travel Insurance is a division of Drakefield Insurance Services Limited which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Drakefield Insurance Services Limited is part of The AA.