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The San Diego Chargers are ready for the 2011-12 football season with an all-star lineup and recharged goals. As one of the more consistent teams going into the season, the Bolts are largely favored to win the AFC West and are one of the strongest early contenders to have a shot at playing in the Super Bowl in Indy this winter. The Bolts have tons of returning players ready to finally capture an AFC title and Super Bowl berth this season, and they’ll get the chance as the 2011 season unfolds if they can get off to a good start and stay healthy. There are plenty of games on the San Diego Chargers schedule to watch this season, including the following.

Week 2, Chargers at Patriots:

The Chargers have a tough schedule this year, starting right away with a Week 2 melee in Foxboro at Gillette Stadium against the New England Patriots. The Chargers have for the last couple seasons gotten off to a slow start during the regular season, but they can’t afford early losses to AFC competitors like the Pats this year if they want to ensure a postseason berth.

Week 3, Chiefs at Chargers:

It was the Kansas City Chiefs and not the San Diego Chargers that won the AFC West last season and qualified for the playoffs, and football fans better believe the Bolts aren’t about to let that happen again this year. This season it’s personal for the Chargers, who will face their first divisional rivals of the regular season in this Week 3 matchup at Qualcomm Stadium.

Week 5, Chargers at Broncos:

Everyone’s waiting to see what the Denver Broncos will look like this season with a new coach and ongoing quarterbacking issues, and the Chargers will put their AFC West foes to the test in Week 5 at Denver. The Bolts have quite a few tough road games on the schedule this season, and this one on Oct. 9 will give the Chargers some major confidence if they can pull a W.

Week 7, Chargers at Jets:

The New York Jets have given the Chargers some stiff competition in the postseason over the last few seasons, and a big battle of the AFC heavyweights will come into play in Week 7, when the Chargers travel to the New Meadowlands. Former Chargers Antonio Cromartie and LaDainian Tomlinson have been big assets to the Jets roster since leaving the West for the East last season, and that will add more fuel to the fire behind this Week 7 matchup. NFL ticketswont’ stick around for a potential AFC Championship Game preview.

Week 14, Ravens at Chargers:

The Chargers have a consistently tough schedule that won’t let up during the final weeks of regular season play. San Diego faces Baltimore on Dec. 18 at home, welcoming the AFC rivals to Qualcomm in what could be a preview of the AFC playoffs. The Chargers and Ravens are two of the dominant teams in the AFC, and this Week 14 faceoff could determine how things might swing in the following month during the playoffs.

San Diego Chargers Schedule – Chargers Games to Watch This Season ©, .

WASHINGTON, D.C. – 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. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.

Name of Product: Circo Children’s Space Camp Combo Pack

Units: 1,500

Importer: Target Corp., of Minneapolis, Minn.

Hazard: The floor of the tent failed a flammability test and poses a fire hazard.

Incidents/Injuries: None.

Description: The recall involves one model of the Circo Space Combo pack, which includes a children’s tent, sleeping bag, backpack and a headlamp. The tent is green and dark blue with planets, stars and figures printed on it. The packing box has the UPC number: 490911500926, DPCI: 091-15-0092.

Sold exclusively at: Target stores nationwide and online at www.target.com from September 2010 through October 2010 for approximately $25.

Manufactured in: Bangladesh

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled tents and return them to any Target store for a full refund or store credit.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Target at (800) 440-0680 between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s website at www.target.com

Target Recalls Circo Kids Camping Combo for Fire Hazard ©, .

In Flanders Field, Robert Vonnoh, On display at the Butler

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

In Flanders Field ©, .

COLUMBUS, OH – Federal grant funds totaling $600,000 are available to communities impacted now or in the future by the emerald ash borer (EAB) in 61 Ohio counties, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Division of Forestry. Grant funding, which requires a 50 percent local match, will support the removal and replacement of publicly owned ash trees by cities, villages and townships.

“These funds provided by the USDA Forest Service will aid local jurisdictions in the response and recovery of urban forests from EAB infestations,” said David Lytle, state forester and chief of the Ohio Division of Forestry. “Removing hazardous and soon to be hazardous trees from public streets and restoring lost canopy cover are the primary objectives of this grant program.”

Since the emerald ash borer was first discovered in northwest Ohio in 2003, millions of ash trees have been killed by this devastating invasive insect, which can claim the life of an otherwise healthy, mature tree in as little as one year. Due to the insect’s spread, many Ohio communities are now confronted with the costly expense of dead ash tree removal and replacement.

Communities in the following counties are eligible to apply for these Ash Removal and Canopy Restoration grant monies: Adams, Ashtabula, Athens, Belmont, Brown, Butler, Carroll, Champaign, Clark, Clermont, Clinton, Columbiana, Coshocton, Cuyahoga, Darke, Delaware, Fairfield, Fayette, Franklin, Gallia, Geauga, Greene, Guernsey, Hamilton, Harrison, Highland, Hocking, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Knox, Lake, Lawrence, Licking, Logan, Madison, Mahoning, Meigs, Miami, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Morrow, Muskingum, Noble, Perry, Pickaway, Pike, Portage, Preble, Ross, Scioto, Stark, Summit, Trumbull, Tuscarawas, Union, Vinton, Warren, Washington and Wayne.

To access Ash Removal and Canopy Restoration grant instructions and application forms, go to http://www.ohiodnr.com/default/tabid/23073/Default.aspx or e-mail drew.todd@dnr.state.oh.us or call (614) 265-6707. Applications must be submitted electronically no later than close of business on December 15.

Healthy, safe and functional trees improve our cities and towns by enhancing clean air and water, increasing property values, reducing erosion and stormwater runoff, providing wildlife habitat, moderating temperature, lessening energy demands, and offering year-round enjoyment. For more information of the many benefits of trees, urban tree care and this grant program, visit www.ohiodnr.com/forestry.

Ohio grows more acres of trees than corn and soybeans combined. The ODNR Division of Forestry works to promote the wise use and sustainable management of Ohio’s public and private woodlands. To learn more about Ohio’s woodlands, visit the Division of Forestry’s Web site at www.ohiodnr.com/forestry.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources ensures a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR Web site at www.ohiodnr.com.

Federal Grants to Fight Emerald Ash Borer available for NE OH Communitites ©, .

WATERFORD, N.Y. – In the town of Albion, New York, a tugboat lounges in placid waters, secured by its mooring ropes. Nearby, a sage-green bridge appears in soft focus across the same waters—those of the Erie Canal.

A peaceful stroll along the canal banks at Albion is just one of the many attractions that the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor offers. This water-based network of communities in upstate New York is a fine travel destination. Read this week’s article in the National Park Getaway travel series, and you’ll find that in addition to tranquil vignettes like the scene at Albion, the Erie Canalway boasts history and outdoor recreation.

Ride on a canal boat, check out locks and bridges, and wander through towns like Seneca Falls, where an old knitting mill still stands. Go for a bike ride on the Erie Canalway Trail, where you can pedal through delicate morning mist and gaze at the rich greens (or—in autumn—yellows, oranges, and reds) of the trees that border the famous watercourse.

Reds and greens, historic towns and structures: the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor is saturated with local color. Visit www.nps.gov/getaways to start planning your navigation of the waterway, as well as to access 69 previous Getaway articles.

Erie Canal Heritage Center ©, .