text:
Extension > Garden > Yard and Garden > Selecting preservative treated wood
Selecting preservative treated wood
with special emphasis on landscape timbers
On this page
Wood is treated to prevent its destruction by wood-decaying organisms. Treating wood with the appropriate preservative increases its service life, and also helps to conserve our nation's timber resources. Although treated wood has long been used for products such as crossties and pilings, many new applications have been developed.
Preservative treated timbers are becoming increasingly popular for use in landscape construction. Their ready adaptability, ease of machining, and aesthetic qualities make them highly suited for use in landscape structures such as decks, fences, steps, and retaining walls. These structures blend naturally with the landscape and help to increase property values.
With so many different preservatives, methods of treatment, and wood species available, the buyer of treated wood is left with the difficult choice of which type of timber is best suited for use. The wrong choice could possibly require needless corrective measures or expensive replacement costs. This bulletin will provide the purchaser of treated wood with the information necessary to select treated wood with a special emphasis on landscape timbers.
Why treat wood?
Deterioration of wood in use is commonly caused by decay fungi, certain insects (including termites and carpenter ants), other organisms (marine borers), and weathering. Of these, decay fungi cause the greatest damage to wood in service.
Decay fungi, or wood rotters, are lower forms of plant life related to mushrooms, rusts, molds, and mildews. Wood rotters grow throughout the wood in threadlike strands digesting cellulose and other components for food. In the early stages, this causes a large loss of strength and eventually results in soft, crumbly, punky wood. In the advanced stages, fruiting bodies or conks may grow out of the wood releasing hundreds of thousands of tiny spores (similar to seeds) to the atmosphere. Because of the tremendous number of spores present in the soil and air, no wood is safe from decay if the proper growing conditions are present. Four conditions must be favorable for the spores to germinate and grow. These are:
- Heat (20° - 35°C or 68° - 95°F optimum)
- Moisture content (20% + moisture content in wood)
- Oxygen
- Food (cellulose and wood sugars)
By eliminating any of these conditions a decay fungus cannot readily grow and the wood is protected from decay.
Fungi need temperatures in the 68° - 95°F range for optimum growth. If the temperature rises above this range, fungal growth is greatly slowed. If the temperature drops far enough below, the rotters will become dormant until conditions are favorable again.
Figure 1. Cross section of a log showing the location of the heartwood and sapwood.
Fungi need sufficient moisture to decay wood. There is no such thing as "dry rot." Wood that is wetted and dried repeatedly may eventually decay because most rotters will become dormant until moisture conditions are favorable again. Wood with a moisture content of less than 20% will not decay.
Ground contact is especially likely to promote decay. Moisture from the soil and adequate oxygen provide extremely favorable decay conditions. Wood that is completely submerged in fresh water or buried far below the ground line will not rot due to a lack of sufficient oxygen.
The objective of a wood preservative is to contaminate or change the form of the fourth condition necessary for fungal growth, the food source. By impregnating the wood with a toxic substance, the fungi are unable to utilize the wood for food. It is probably the most effective decay prevention method used today for exterior exposure situations.
The wood in a tree consists of two general regions: the heartwood and the sapwood. The center of the trunk or the heartwood is generally darker in color than the sapwood which surrounds it (Figure 1). This difference is primarily due to the presence of substances called extractives which are deposited as a result of the tree's growth processes. The extractives of some wood species are toxic to rotters making their heartwood very durable for use in areas of high decay hazard. However, a dark-colored heartwood does not necessarily indicate a durable wood.
Photo courtesy of North Carolina State University
Figure 2. Untreated cedar post - sapwood at groundline has been destroyed by fungi after only two years of service. The heartwood is completely sound.
Sapwood: Light colored, porous, young wood just beneath the bark. Conducts food and minerals between leaves and roots. Decays quickly. Soaks up preservative readily.
Heartwood: Dark, old dead wood in center of tree that forms its support. More durable than sapwood; often decay resistant. Difficult to treat.
Good posts for treating:
- Have a minimum of heartwood
- Have at least one inch of sapwood surrounding the heartwood
Since sapwood does not contain extractives it is nondurable even in species with heartwood of high durability (Figure 2). Table 1 lists the heartwood durability of various woods commonly available and their estimated ranges of service life.
The durability of heartwood varies not only between species but between trees of the same species and within the tree itself. As a result, wide ranges of service life in the lumber of even a highly durable wood may be experienced and rapid decay is occasionally reported. A proper preservative treatment is usually more reliable when using wood in soil or water contact than naturally durable species and normally at less cost. Untreated lumber of highly durable species, such as the heartwood of redwood or western red cedar, gives excellent service in areas of low to moderate decay hazard in above ground use. Outdoor decks, rails, stairways, and siding are good examples.
Table 1. Life expectancy of various species of untreated heartwood in ground contact
Life expectancy of untreated heartwood (years)
Very durable
|Eastern red cedar
|Western red cedar
|White and burr oak
|Northern white cedar
|Moderately durable
|Red oak
|Douglas fir
|Red and jack pine
|Aspen (poplar) and cottonwood
|Ponderosa pine
|White birch
|Spruce and balsam fir
|< 5
|< 5
|< 5
|*Although tests at the Forest Products Laboratory in Madison, Wisconsin show that redwood durability can be good, it is at best quite variable. Their recommendation is treatment of redwood whenever it is used in ground contact.
Commonly used preservative
Through experience and experimentation, wood preservatives commonly used today have proved to be highly toxic to wood destroying organisms. Preservatives are generally divided into two groups: oil-type and waterborne salts.
Oil-type preservatives
Because oil-type preservatives are insoluble in water, they are resistant to leaching and do not cause wood to swell during treatment. Creosote and pentachlorophenol are the two most commonly used oil preservatives.
Creosote is a brownish-black oil composed of hundreds of organic compounds. It is made for preservative use by distilling coal tar, and it can also be made from wood or petroleum. Creosote treating gives wood a dark brown to black color and has been used extensively in treating poles, piles, crossties, and timbers.
Creosote is often combined with coal tar or heavy petroleum oil to lower preservative costs. Although this may decrease toxicity to fungi it often increases service life because oils and tar help reduce weathering and checking by preventing rapid uptake of moisture. Crossties are usually treated with creosote coal tar or petroleum solutions.
Pentachlorophenol, also known as penta or PCP, must be dissolved in petroleum oils or more volatile organic solvents such as mineral spirits, liquefied petroleum gas, and methylene chloride in order to treat wood. The more volatile solvents will evaporate leaving only preservative present. Treating solutions normally contain 5% penta by weight. Depending upon the solvent used, penta treated wood will vary from light to dark brown in color. Penta has been used extensively in the millwork industry and in the treating of posts and poles.
Specialized oilborne preservatives include copper naphthenate and Copper-8-quinolinolate. Copper naphthenate is safe for use where living plants contact the wood. Copper-8-quinolinolate is unique because it is safe to use where food and feed come in contact. Both compounds are expensive, thus somewhat limiting their use as commercial preservatives.
Waterborne preservatives
Waterborne preservatives are soluble in water during treatment. Since water is used as a carrier for the chemicals, the wood should be redried after treatment to a moisture content of 19% or less unless otherwise specified. There are two basic types of waterborne preservatives: leach-resistant and leachable.
Leach-resistant preservatives react chemically to form insoluble compounds that bond to the wood. Subsequent rewetting of the wood will not cause preservative loss. Leachable compounds do not bond with the wood and should not be used in areas of high decay hazard. Two of the most commonly used waterborne salts are chromated copper arsenate (CCA) and ammoniacal copper arsenate (ACA). Both are classified as leach-resistant and suitable for ground contact.
CCA mixtures contain copper, arsenic, and chromium compounds. There are three different types varying in the percentage of these chemicals. Table 2 lists the types and trade names under which these preservatives are available. All three types are equally effective and are used to treat lumber, plywood, and timbers where cleanliness is important. CCA gives wood a greenish tint that eventually weathers to gray, although a new process has been developed giving CCA treated wood a brown color.
ACA is used for many of the same uses as CCA. Copper and arsenic compounds are dissolved in ammonia. After treatment the ammonia evaporates leaving leach-resistant copper arsenate in the wood. ACA is commonly available in the western United States and Canada.
Three other waterborne preservatives have found limited use in treating wood. Acid copper chromate (ACC) is a leach-resistant preservative recommended for use above ground and for nonstructural items in ground contact. Chromated zinc chloride (CZC) and Fluor chrome arsenate phenol (FCAP) are leachable preservatives that have been only moderately effective in ground contact or very wet conditions.
Creosote, pentachlorophenol (penta) and CCA mixtures are currently EPA-registered pesticides. As such, they are not available to the general public for application purposes. (A pesticide applicators license is required.) To help builders and consumers use treated wood wisely, EPA-approved consumer information sheets (CIS) are available for the preservatives listed above, either from the treated wood retailer or from the American Wood Preservers Institute (AWPI). The AWPI address appears on the last page of this publication.
Table 2. Compositions of the three types of CCA and their trade names.
Percentages of Weight
Type 1
Type 2
Type 3
|Trade names
|Greensalt, Langwood, Edalith, Tanalith
|Boliden CCA, Koppers CCA-B, Osmose k-33, Koppers CCA-C
|Wolman CCA, Wolmanac CCA, Chrom-ar-cu
Wood suitability and preparation
In order for a preservative treatment to be effective three factors must be considered:
- Retention
- Penetration
- Uniformity
The proper amount of preservative must be absorbed or forced into the wood to provide adequate toxicity. Retention is the amount of preservative present in the wood and is measured in pounds per cubic foot. Retentions vary by preservative, product, and potential for decay. Penetration refers to how deeply the preservative enters the wood. The thicker the outer protective zone, the greater the protection afforded to the untreated core. Uniform retentions and penetrations are very important in providing maximum protection. Poorly treated sections often provide an avenue for decay to enter.
Source: Baechler, R., and Gjovik, L. Selection, Production, Procurement and Use of Preservative Treated Wood. U.S. Forest Products Lab General Technical Report FPL-15, 1977.
Figure 3. This southern pine bridge timber suffered heartwood decay. Because heartwood does not usually "treat" as easily as does the surrounding sapwood, the wide treated sapwood band on the right and the thin treated border of heartwood on the left have outlasted the untreated exposed heartwood core.
The sapwood of most species can be easily penetrated by preservative, but the heartwood is normally difficult to treat (Figure 3). When treating round stock such as posts, poles, and pilings, the aim is to penetrate as much of the sapwood as possible to provide a protective barrier around the heartwood.
Aspen is a species with both sapwood and heartwood that is difficult to treat, even if incised.* This results in nonuniform penetrations and retentions causing highly variable service lives for treated aspen products. It is reported that aspen can be adequately pressure treated with ACA if incised. However, at the present time no treating plants in Minnesota use ACA preservatives in this manner.
Although heartwood is generally difficult to treat, some species are more easily penetrated than others. Table 3 lists the treatability of heartwood of various species. When selecting a preservative treated product, the wood species used is extremely important in determining the quality of treatment.
After the proper wood is selected, it must be prepared for treatment. Peeling is essential to remove bark from wood. Bark prevents the penetration of preservative and even small patches will have untreated wood underneath. The bark will eventually fall off providing an opening for decay to reach the core. If possible, all cutting, framing, and boring should also be done before treatment to prevent the exposure of untreated wood.
Wood that is difficult to penetrate is often incised prior to treatment. Wood absorbs preservative most effectively through the end grain. Incising, in effect, exposes more end grain by puncturing the wood with holes, usually 1/2 - 3/4 inches deep. Proper spacing of the holes by the treater provides for uniform penetration. Incising is often required on sawn timbers with exposed heartwood, and poles or posts with narrow bands of sapwood.
Drying of the wood is essential before most preservative treatments because excess water prevents uniform penetration and retention. Also, by drying before treatment, checks and splits that develop are treated instead of opening after treatment and possibly exposing untreated wood. Air drying is the most widely used method of seasoning.
*Incising is the process where the wood is penetrated by sharp knives creating small holes or slits that aid in increasing the preservative penetration.
Table 3. Treatability of heartwood of various species
|Group 1
Heartwood least
difficult to penetrate
|Bristlecone pine
Pinyon pine
|American basswood
Beech (white heartwood)
Green and white ash
Black and water tupelo
Pin cherry
River and sweet birch
Red oak
Slippery elm
|Group 2
Heartwood moderately
difficult to penetrate
California red fir
Douglas-fir (coast)
Eastern white pine
Jack pine
Southern pine
Ponderosa pine
Red pine
Sugar pine
Western hemlock
|Bigtooth aspen
Black willow
Chestnut oak
Mockernut hickory
Silver and sugar maple
Yellow birch
|Group 3
Heartwood difficult
to penetrate
|Eastern hemlock
Engelmann, sitka, white spruce
Grand, noble, white fir
Western larch
Lodgepole pine
|American sycamore
Rock elm
|Group 4
Heartwood very
difficult to penetrate
|Alpine, corkbark fir
Douglas-fir (Rocky Mountain)
Northern white cedar
Western red cedar
|Beech (red heartwood)
American chestnut
Black locust
White oak
Treatment methods
Many different commercial treatment methods have been developed to protect wood from deterioration. The degree of success in using treated wood depends not only on the preservative and wood species but on the treatment method as well. These methods are divided into two main classes: pressure and nonpressure.
Pressure treatments
Pressure treatments force preservative into wood under higher than atmospheric pressures. Treating wood with pressure is more common than all other methods combined. In many species, deeper and more uniform penetrations (especially across the grain) and higher retentions are possible than when using nonpressure methods. Penetration of 2.5 inches or more across the grain is possible in southern pine timbers. Properly pressure treated wood is recommended for use in situations of high decay hazard (ground line contact).
Nonpressure treatments
A wide variety of nonpressure treatments have been developed, each differing in the retentions and penetrations attained. Although some of the treatments give good results, they are generally not as satisfactory as pressure treatments. Nonpressure methods include the thermal process, vacuum treatment, double diffusion, cold soaking, and superficial applications.
The thermal process or hot-cold bath involves placing wood in a tank of hot preservative oil followed by immersion in cold preservatives. The hot bath heats and expands the air within the wood, forcing some of the air out. The wood is then immersed in the cold bath and the heated air contracts pulling preservative in with it. The thermal process is frequently used in treating utility poles, especially western red cedar, with either creosote or pentachlorophenol solutions. In the vacuum process, wood is placed in a sealed container and as much air is pumped out as is possible, creating lower than atmospheric pressure in the wood cells. Preservative is flooded into the tank and the seal is broken creating a partial vacuum which sucks preservative into the wood. The vacuum method is often used to treat millwork with penta and a water repellent in a volatile solvent.
In the vacuum process, wood is placed in a sealed container and as much air is pumped out as is possible, creating lower than atmospheric pressure in the wood cells. Preservative is flooded into the tank and the seal is broken creating a partial vacuum which sucks preservative into the wood. The vacuum method is often used to treat millwork with penta and a water repellent in a volatile solvent.
Double diffusion is one of the few processes that uses green wood for treating. The wood is treated successively in two waterborne salt solutions that react with each other to form an insoluble compound. The chemicals move into the wood by diffusing from a solution of high concentration to an area of low concentration. It has produced excellent results on softwood roundstock but has not been widely used.
Cold soaking in solutions of creosote or penta has been moderately effective in treating roundstock of species with thick, easily treated sapwood, such as that of many pines. Cold soaking should not be used when heartwood is exposed. Normal soaking times vary from 24 to 48 hours and there is little control over retention and penetration.
Superficial methods include brushing, spraying, or dipping wood in preservative for short periods of time. They are the simplest and least effective of all treatments, suitable only for use under conditions of mild decay hazard. In the past, penta incorporated in a water repellent formulation was extensively used in superficial treatments of millwork, siding and decking. Presently, the labeling of penta as a pesticide means that do-it-yourselfers must use alternate preservatives for brushing, spraying, or dipping. Among the more commonly used are copper or zinc naphthenate, and formulations containing bistributyltin oxide (TBTO) or 3-IODO-2-propynyl butyl carbamate (polyphase). Penetration across the grain is minimal, though absorption through the end grain can be appreciable. Because decay occurs primarily in end grain at joints above ground use, these treatments can be quite effective.
For use in ground contact the superficial treatments are not suitable, possibly giving only 1 to 3 years of additional service life. The nonpressure methods that are suitable for ground contact usually require peeled wood (in the round form) conditioned to 25% MC or less. This provides a ring of easily treated sapwood that forms a protective layer around the heartwood core. Round posts of white oak and jack pine cold soaked in penta for 48 hours have average service lives in the range of 18 and 27 years respectively. Any wood, such as a landscape timber, that is sawn on two or four sides, exposing heartwood, should be pressure treated and incised if specified. Pressure methods give the best retentions, penetrations, and uniform treatment, with many methods currently in use providing up to 30+ years of service life.
Post treatment handling
Care must be exercised when handling treated wood so as not to break or penetrate the protective outer layer and expose the untreated core. Sharp instruments such as tongs should not be used to handle the wood, and throwing or dropping treated wood should be avoided.
Unfortunately, treated wood must often be cut or bored after treatment. In order to protect the untreated wood, a grease containing 10% penta is often applied. The grease provides a protective long lasting coating that can be slowly absorbed into the wood. Grease treatments are also used as remedial measures when untreated wood is placed in areas of high decay hazard. Brush-on solutions of penta or creosote are also used by those possessing a license to apply pesticides. However, do-it-yourselfers are encouraged to treat freshly cut preservative treated wood with copper naphenate or compounds containing tributyltinoxide or polyphase.
Pressure treating with waterborne preservatives forces large amounts of water into the wood. Unless otherwise specified, lumber 2 inches or less in thickness should be dried, after treatment, to a moisture content of 19% or less. For thicker material, the wood should be redried before it is placed in the structure if shrinkage would cause problems in use. Redrying is also important with some waterborne salts in order to complete the chemical reactions that make the preservative leach-resistant.
Both pentachlorophenol and creosote are skin irritants and gloves and protective clothing should be worn when handling freshly treated wood. Contaminated clothing should be washed before reuse. When cutting treated wood including waterborne salts such as CCA, a respirator should be used to prevent irritation by treated wood dust.
Selection and use
There are many factors involved in selecting the proper preservative for use. These include cleanliness, the ability to be painted, odor, toxicity to humans and plants, strength, and flammability. The following discussion emphasizes the uses of landscape timbers although it is applicable to treated wood in general. Since creosote, penta, and CCA are the most commonly available preservatives, the discussion will be limited to these.
Landscape timbers treated with penta or creosote in heavy oils leave an oily residue on the surface and can exude preservative, especially on hot, sunny days. This can be true even with railroad ties that are many years old. These timbers should not be used where they might come into frequent contact with clothing. CCA or penta in volatile solvents should be used where a clean paintable surface is required.
Most creosoted wood cannot be painted satisfactorily. This is also true of penta in heavy oils. Wood pressure-treated with penta in volatile solvents may be difficult to paint due to surface deposits. Such deposits should be removed by sanding or washing with a suitable solvent. Wood treated with waterborne preservatives can be painted if allowed to adequately redry, although a light brushing or sanding may be necessary. Dipping or brush treatments of penta for wood in areas of mild decay hazard can generally be painted without problems. Best results for staining are obtained after weathering for one year.
The odors of some preservatives can be quite disagreeable (or even toxic) and should not be used indoors in residences or offices, or in confined spaces. Creosote and pressure treated penta timbers can have fairly strong odors. Wood treated with CCA has essentially no odor since the chemicals are strongly fixed in the wood.
All wood preservatives are toxic substances and care should be used in their selection. As stated before, pressure-treated penta and creosote can irritate skin and should not be used where skin contact is frequent. We strongly encourage all users of preservative-treated wood to obtain EPA-approved consumer information sheets for the type of preservative treated wood they will be using (creosote, penta, or CCA). Each sheet details handling and use-site precautions.
Many broadleaved plants may be injured or killed if their roots or stems touch freshly treated penta or creosote landscape timbers. After a few years, as the wood weathers, this effect diminishes. Old, discarded railroad ties seldom injure plants. Some plants, including many grasses, are not affected even by freshly treated wood. Fumes from wood freshly treated with creosote or penta can also cause injury and should not be used in enclosed places such as greenhouses. CCA-treated wood has little contact effect on growing plants and is safe for use as vine stakes and greenhouse flats.
Wood freshly treated with oil-type preservatives ignites and burns more easily than untreated wood, producing a dense, black smoke. However, once the surface oil evaporates, treated timbers ignite no more easily than untreated wood. Waterborne preservatives do not easily ignite but once fired may have prolonged glowing combustion due to the presence of chromium salts. When disposing of treated wood it should not be burned, as potentially toxic chemicals may be given off. It should be buried or hauled to sanitary landfills.
The reaction of waterborne preservatives with wood does not affect most strength properties. Resistance to impact is the only one appreciably reduced. Oil-type preservatives cause no strength loss. However, using excessive temperatures and pressures in treating can damage wood and reduce its strength.
Corrosiveness to metal fastenings can be a problem whether wood is treated or not. Common iron fasteners used under moist conditions such as ground contact will rust. Heavy oil-type preservatives can help retard corrosion of fasteners but waterborne preservatives will not. Where there is need for long service life such as wood foundations, corrosion-resistant fastenings should be used. Examples are stainless steel, galvanized copper, and silicon bronze. For use in less critical areas such as landscape timbers, corrosion resistant fastenings may not be necessary.
Factors involved in selecting the proper degree of treatment include potential decay hazard, structural importance, and length of service life required.
Potential for decay is important in determining the proper retentions and penetrations. Areas of high decay hazard, such as ground contact or very wet conditions (wood with a moisture content >20%), need pressure treatment for maximum penetrations. In areas of moderate or low decay hazard, pressure treatments of lower retentions or superficial treatments are often adequate.
Structural importance is also a factor in specifying the degree of treatment. Failure of a bridge timber or a treated wood foundation is normally much more serious than decay of a nonstructural landscape timber. Treated woods in critical applications are specially treated with high retentions to get maximum service life from each piece. Wood for use in areas of moderate decay hazard should also be treated for maximum service life if replacement costs are extremely high in comparison to the initial cost of using treated wood. Non-structural landscape timbers in ground contact are pressure treated for maximum penetration but with lower retentions.
If a structure is needed only for temporary service of a few years, a dip or soak treatment may be quite adequate for its intended life span. But if a retaining wall or fence post is intended to last as long as possible, pressure treatment is highly recommended.
Purchasing treated wood
Specifications on treating wood have been developed to insure that the purchaser is receiving the proper product for the intended use. The American Wood Preserver's Association (AWPA) Book of Standards provides specifications on the treatments of various wood products by pressure methods and the thermal treatment of cedar poles. The information contained specifies minimum penetrations and retentions for various products of approved species. Table 4 lists the woods for which specifications on timber products have been developed. Southern, jack, and Norway pines are the most commonly used timbers for landscape purposes. The specifications also include inspection methods, incising requirements, and limits on temperatures and pressure to prevent damage to the wood. Table 5 lists the AWPA specifications for retentions in treated products for farm use.
The U.S. Government has developed Federal Specification TT-W-571 "Wood Preservation: Treating Practices" that is used for purchasing pressure treated wood for government use. The specifications are very similar to the AWPA Standards. Table 6 lists retentions of different preservatives for nonstructural (landscape) timbers in ground contact.
Minimum penetration and incising requirements in the AWPA Standards vary according to species. Penetration of preservatives in lumber of southern yellow, red, or ponderosa pines must be at least 2.5 inches or 85% of sapwood depth in 90% of pieces sampled. The requirements for softwood timbers 5 inches and thicker, other than the above mentioned species, is at least .5 inches and 90% of sapwood depth. All softwood timbers and lumber greater than 2 inches (nominal) in thickness with the exception of southern yellow, red, and ponderosa pine shall be incised on four sides.
Figure 4. AWPB Quality Control stamps used on waterborne pressure treated lumber.
Buying wood treated to either AWPA or federal specifications can help insure a quality product. But how does the purchaser know the treated wood offered for sale is treated to specifications? There have been many cases of disreputable treaters dipping timbers in dark oil with a little creosote for odor or a green dye to imitate CCA.
Large users such as the railroads have their own inspection departments to insure that the treated wood meets specifications. Other companies use independent testing agencies to perform the same function. However, it generally is not practical for the purchaser of small amounts of treated lumber to inspect the treatment. Retentions must be determined in the laboratory and penetrations, except for creosote and other dark oils, are difficult to detect. Chemical sprays must often be used that cause a color reaction with the preservative.
The American Wood Preserver's Bureau (AWPB) in cooperation with the AWPA has a program of periodic unannounced inspections at participating treating plants. If the plant's treating practices meet AWPA specifications they are allowed to stamp the AWPB quality mark on their treated products. This mark indicates that the wood was treated under an independent quality control program. Figure 4 shows some AWPB quality marks used on waterborne salt pressure treated lumber. The FDN mark indicates treated wood having passed stringent specifications to be suitable for use in wood foundations. If treated wood is suitable for use in ground contact, it must be stated on the quality mark along with the designation LP-22.
Normally, wood treated by reputable treating firms is marked with an identification brand or tagged. The federal specification TT-W-571 standard requires that sawn material greater than 2 inches (nominal) in thickness should be individually branded or tagged to identify wood species, preservative, retention, supplier, and year of treatment. These brands give the purchaser greater assurance of a properly treated product.
Recently a large number of treated aspen landscape timbers have been marketed. Aspen treated wood is not covered in the AWPA specification, and in general, takes treatment poorly. The purchaser of aspen treated timbers is taking a risk of getting adequately treated timbers for ground contact since there are no specifications to guarantee proper treatment. This is also true of other species not commonly treated (i.e., white spruce).
If treated wood is not branded or does not have a quality control mark, the buyer should ask the dealer to provide assurance that the treated wood meets AWPA or federal specifications. Reputable treating firms will usually provide this certification to dealers who sell treated products to consumers.
Table 4. Wood species for which AWPA specifications on pressure treatment of timbers have been developed.
|Southern pine
|Ponderosa pine
|Black or red gum
|Jack pine
|Lodgepole pine
|Northern white pine
|Western white pine
|Sugar pine
|Red (Norway) pine
|Douglas-fir (coast)
|Douglas-fir (interior)
|Western hemlock
|Western larch
|Source: AWPA Standard C2
Table 5. Minimum retentions of preservatives in wood that is pressure treated for farm use (specified in AWPA standard C16)1
|Type of wood and use
coal tar
|Minimum retentions in pounds per cubic foot of wood
|Poles and posts2 as round structural members
|Southern pine, ponderosa pine
|Red Pine
|Coastal Douglas-fir
|Western red cedar, western larch, intermountain Douglas-fir
|Poles and posts, sawn four sides as structural members
|All softwood species
|Posts, fence
|All softwood species – round, half-round, quarter-round4
|Sawn on four sides
|All softwood species – in contact with soil
|Not in contact with soil
|All softwood species
|All species, sawn four sides
|1Reprinted with permission of AWPA.
2Posts used as structural members will be assayed according to Stanford C4.
3NR-not recommended.
4Creosote-coal tar is not recommended for Douglas-fir, western hemlock, western larch, and these species are not recommended for half-round or quarter-round posts.
5All retentions are assay, based on the 0-0.6 inch zone. Assay sample must be taken from the center interior stakes of each bundle. Minimum penetrations must be 0.4 inch.
Source: Degroot, R., and Johnson, B. Preservative Treatment of Wood for Farm Use, University of Wisconsin Extension.
Table 6. Minimum retentions for sawn nonstructural timbers (landscape) specified in Federal Standard TT-W-571.
|Retention in Pounds Per Cubic Foot (PCF)
|Type of wood in use
coal tar
|Nonstructural timbers – ground contact
|For use above ground
|*Not recommended
Landscape timbers should be pressure treated to AWPA or federal specifications for use in ground contact. Only species for which specifications have been developed should be used. These include southern, jack, lodgepole, Norway, or ponderosa pines and certain hardwoods (Table 4). In areas where there are exacting requirements for cleanliness, nontoxicity to plant life or frequent human contact, waterbone salts such as CCA should be used suspicious or treated wood that is not marked or tagged if the dealer will not provide proper certification of treatment. These methods are the only means by which the purchaser of small amounts of treated wood can be assured of proper treatment.
Sources of information
P.O. Box 5283
Springfield, VA 22150
(703) 339-6660
1945 Old Gallows Road
Vienna, VA 22182
(703) 893-4005
P.O. Box 849
Stevensville, MD. 21666
(301) 643-4163
Revised by L.T. Hendricks and K. Powell
T.R. Hoffman was formerly a graduate research assistant.
K. Powell is a graduate research assistant.
L.T. Hendricks is a professor and extension specialist.
The information given in this publication is for educational purposes only. Reference to commercial products or trade names is made with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by University of Minnesota Extension is implied.
Reviewed 1995


text:
Ok, continuing off of the momentum of the All-Time Top 10 songs thread. Name your Top 10 favorite Albums / CD's of all-time. This will hopefully be easier than the songs thread, but still somewhat challenging, I'm sure. It's meant to be difficult.
Here's mine (in no particular order):
Paul Simon - Graceland
Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique
Radiohead - The Bends
Grateful Dead - American Beauty
Counting Crows - August and Everything After
Bob Dylan - Bringing It All Back Home
Jane's Addiction - Ritual de lo Habitual
Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
Guns N' Roses - Appetite For Destruction
Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
I know I'm leaving out a bunch more.
The Wall comes to mind, so does Dark Side of the Moon...ugh! I'll probably slap myself when someone posts their list and say "DOH!", but those are the 10 that came out of my head first.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Berlusconi Sues Italy for Harassment
Photo: Berlusconi With Bunga-Bunga Burnout
DISCLAIMER: The above article is provided for entertainment purposes only and the article, image or photograph held out as news is a parody or satirical and therefore faux in nature and does not reflect the actions, statements or events of real persons. The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the authors of The Sage Satire and forum participants on this web site do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the The Sage News Network or the official policies of the The Sage News.
More Satire News
Dogs, Drugs, and Forgiveness
Wednesday, October 25, 2017(SNN) Oh my goodness. Just heard that the four time champion of Alaska's Iditarod may have given his dogs drugs to enhance their speed. Now, I wonder if my former Golden Labrador dog Charlie (Charles Worthington ...
Tragedy Strikes Sullivan's Pond
Monday, August 14, 2017(SNN) After being sent yesterday by The Sage News Network to cover a memorial held for two geese that had been tragically run over, I sit at home today enjoying delicious foie gras on crackers. The event was held ...
How to Make Love in a Canoe
Monday, July 03, 2017One night a young amorous Sioux Had a date with a maiden he knioux; The coroner found The couple had drowned Making love in a leaky canoe -Anonymous (SNN) The French gave the world a kiss, the Spanish provided an ...
North Korea Axes Public Executions
Tuesday, June 20, 2017(SNN) Pyongyang, North Korea –In response to a major shift in US Foreign Policy and rumors of a possible state visit by US President Donald Trump, North Korean authorities have been ordered to curtail public trials ...
Senior Duffers Rules of Golf
Sunday, June 18, 2017(SNN) It's Spring and the thoughts of masochists turn to golf. When people ask me if I play golf, I respond: "I play a game similar to golf, only with more lurching about and travel." Actually there's nothing similar ...


text:
So glad they were found
So glad they were found
Darcy - Blenheim - 17th Sept 2005
'Life is a balance of holding on and letting go'
Thank goodness they have been found.
A comfy lap for
Trapper - tri boy Feb 2004, Bosco - ruby boy Jan 2008
It's wonderful news.I imagine it's not something that Rena will get over in a hurry.Such a sickening ordeal for anyone to endure.She must be exhausted today!
There's so much delight across Facebook and the canine publication pages today,alot of people have lost their dogs to theft recently,a lady returned from Carlow show a fortnight ago to find her chihuahuas had been taken so it's a very big problem.
I think I'd go totally out of my mind if I had to endure that.
That's wonderful. I'm so happy they were found
Last edited by TaraMar; 2nd October 2010 at 02:58 PM.
Cavalier: Riley- born 9. April. 2010 (B & T)
Spaniel Mix: Sophie- Gotcha Day 7. Dec. 2010
Thats great...I was thinking of their poor owner last night while my boy was safe and sound tucked up in his bed
Mumma to Leonardo (Leo to his friends)
Waiting at the bridge


text:
I don't know about fingerprints at 6 meters away, but if they come up with a miniature portable through the clothes scanner (ALA TSA) that can scan people from 6 meters away, I'll be happy to take it through a chain of 24-hour fitness centers to beta test it for them.
So are we going back to the habit of wearing silk gloves all the time now? I wouldn't mind that.
So are we going back to the habit of wearing silk gloves all the time now? I wouldn't mind that.
Silk gloves for fingerprints, beekeeper suit so as to not shed DNA in the wrong place, mask to obscure facial recognition and a wonky shoes to evade gait detection... Michael Jackson may have been sent from the future.
So are we going back to the habit of wearing silk gloves all the time now? I wouldn't mind that.
Silk gloves for fingerprints, beekeeper suit so as to not shed DNA in the wrong place, mask to obscure facial recognition and a wonky shoes to evade gait detection... Michael Jackson may have been sent from the future.
Note to self from the future: invest in stealth casual wear.
Just have a couple of IR-emitting LEDs on your person. The cameras get flooded, eyeballs can't tell the difference.
Just have a couple of IR-emitting LEDs on your person. The cameras get flooded, eyeballs can't tell the difference.
In some states (such as Virginia) it is a felony to hide your face in public (e.g. with a mask or a veil).
I predict there will be a federal law soon, saying the same thing about IR lighting your face.
If a gym, retail store, or credit card company ask for my finger prints, they will get told in no uncertain terms to politely go fsck themselves.
Not happening.
If you aint law enforcement, don't even bother asking.
If you aint law enforcement, don't even bother asking.
s/law enforcment/law enforcement with a valid warrant/
They don't need a warrant. They just need to arrest you. If you don't think they have a valid reason to arrest you and don't comply then resisting arrest becomes their reason.
You can sue them later, but good luck with that and with getting those prints out of the system.
forget who you are for about an hour or so
Where do I sign up?
Why do they need to ask if they can read it from a distance?
Not if you wear Bugles snacks on the end of your fingers.
Or have recently eaten cheez-its.
If my gym tells me that the member that body slammed me in the locker room wasn't even in the building at the time, because the video shows some other clown used their card, I'll stil be asking for that member to be sent off. If they can match fingerprints and stop this roided-out putsz at the door, fair enough.
I use my fingerprint AND an RFID card to get into work. And I like my job. Biometrics are coming to you. Prepare.
The gym I go to required my fingerprints.
Of course, I volunteer there, and all the volunteers require a Vulnerable Sector Screening.
I think we've just eliminated fingerprints as a viable identification method.
For many types of identity theft, often our only defense is that we're not worth impersonating.
yep. this device is not magic. it appears to be simply a camera with a decent lens, resolution, and lots of DSP.
it doesn't have security features lots of 0-distance readers have, such as temperature, conductivity, etc. checks.
therefore, highly susceptible to being faked out with e.g. photos of a fingerprint or even gummi fingers.
enjoy ur false sense of security, users of this machine!
I think we've just eliminated fingerprints as a viable identification method.
Contrary to popular opinion, fingerprints never were a viable method, thanks to confirmation bias.
Proof here [psmag.com]
Back when signatures were used to verify credit card transactions I had all sorts of problems with them. I injured my hand and couldn't reproduce the signature on my card very well. If we start using fingerprints then a single burn could make it very difficult for a person to live because not only will all their ID become invalid but they won't be able to make new forms of ID as they no longer have any fingerprints.
I don't think perfect identification, be it biometric, technological, or other, is in any way a good thing.
There are perfectly valid reasons for needing or wanting aliases, which are not associated with being a criminal.
Take for instance, employees of a collections agency. These are people who perform a distasteful, but still required service. Nobody really likes being called by a bill collector, nor do they like having to use one to get deadbeat clients to pay up. Deadbeats especially, despise bill collectors, and some are even belligerent enough to be a real physical threat to collection employees. This is why many collections agencies provide work aliases for call center staff, etc. If a foolproof means of identifying people is developed, these employees are at risk.
Then you have the quintessential witness protection program. These are people that have witnessed a violent or serious crime, and are now embroiled through no fault of their own in some serious shit. If Big Tony can perfectly identify them through his ring of heavies using foolproof tech, this program becomes effectively worthless.
and last, but certainly far from least, you have the serious problems with the Feds, and their "Papers Please!" abuses. History does a fine job of explaining, in graphic, nightmare inducing detail, exactly why perfectly being identifiable by government officials is bad bad juju.
People making startups, and companies offering products:
I understand that there is a very strong demand for this kind of technology. Please also understand exactly *why* there is a demand for this kind of technology, and what it opens the door to. Is landing a fat contract and making bank worth endangering people's lives, and being directly complicit in abuses of power that very well inevitably kill people really worth it?
I personally dont think it is.
This kind of technology, in the broad and general sense, is not a good thing. Please stop developing it.
Pandora's box of technology is already open. Our only option now is to try to shape the future, not return to the past. Don't close it with hope still inside.
Take for instance, employees of a collections agency. These are people who perform a distasteful, but still required service. Nobody really likes being called by a bill collector, nor do they like having to use one to get deadbeat clients to pay up. Deadbeats especially, despise bill collectors, and some are even belligerent enough to be a real physical threat to collection employees. This is why many collections agencies provide work aliases for call center staff, etc. If a foolproof means of identifying people is developed, these employees are at risk.
If you fear being associated with your employer, perhaps you should work someplace else? Also, you seem like a very judgmental person - I mean "deadbeats"? Have you conseidered the current economic environment and the fact that a LOT of people have lost their jobs?
It doesn't matter what the circumstances are, really. If you take out a huge debt, then default, and then refuse to pay, you are a deadbeat client.
A collections agency deals exclusively with such clients. Some are honest people who have had a serious problem happen, such as a death in the family, a serious illness, or injury. Most of the people I know who work in collections are more than happy to work out an equitable payment plan for such people, if they can prove their condition.
The problem, is that there are also "Dedicated deadbeats" out there. They game the system for all it is worth, rack up debts of unbelievable amounts, then move, change their names, liquidate their on-credit purchases for cash, and settle somewhere else, leaving other people to hold the bag of their shit. These people invent sob stories all the time, hoping to weasle out of their obligations. Dealing with these people makes collections people innately distrustful and cynical.
I actually interned at a collection agency for awhile. I got to see just what percentages of the debtors were real, diehard deadbeats. we are talking people with a paper file that weighs 10 pounds, with 50 aliases.
These people far outnumber the honest debtors. Most honest people will try to bend over backwards to pay a bill before it reaches a collection agency. The people collection agencies deal with are the people that absolutely refuse to pay, despite being notified for months on end, as a usual practice.
Collection agencies are like trash collectors. They are not a glamorous vocation, and like trash collectors, being one puts you at risk. Trash collectors get unregistered medical waste from things like insulin syrenges in the trash that could stick them. They get exposed to all kinds of toxic chemical shit. Bill collectors have to work with people that would rather kill the bill collector than pay the bill.
As much as you seem to hate the bill collectors, they provide a valuable and essential service to modern society. There is no such thing as a free lunch, and often times, the bill collectors are all that stands between a glut of people gaming the system, and ruining it for everyone else.
Do you like running water? Electricity? Those services are not free to provide, and paying the people to provide them is how you get them. Most bills processed at the company I interned at were utility bills. With people wanting free utilities, by getting them in other people's names, under false names, and abusing the system in so many ways i cant even describe them all.
Contrary to what you might believe, a collections agency *CAN* pull your credit history, and see that while you owe a huge ass debt, you also spent 1000$ on a new laptop at newegg. As such, when you give a sob story about being laid off, they arent going to believe you. That 1000$ could have paid your 500$ debt, and left some over. Why didnt you make an effort to pay your debt?
Again, for the people who really *ARE* impoverished, their histories will clearly show that. You would be surprised how a properly informed agency can actually benefit such a debtor.
But of course, you hate collections people, because they make people pay what they legally owe.
but thanks for the derail anyway.
I don't think it's fair to use the term deadbeats to refer to everyone who can't repay their debts. Some are unable to repay through no fault of their own. It's a mathematical certainty and the banks are aware of it. They created the system that causes it.
Money is created as debt [youtube.com]. The principal comes into existence whenever money is borrowed from the bank - the bank just creates it out of thin air [youtube.com]. If there were no debt, there would be no money.
One of the problems with the system is that the interest i
Money comes to existence when it's borrowed from _central_ banks and the interest paid to the central bank ensures that the money has to be invested. As for the idea that it's a pyramid scheme I think it's a bit ridiculous, it's like saying the ever increasing production of goods and services in the economy itself isn't real and the only thing that is real is money.
The value of money comes from the fact that it's the legal currency and people are allowed to themselves value it as they wish. I'd hate to thin
If I understood you correctly you claim having to pay interest on loans is the cause why people default on their them, unless of course the central bank continuously loans more money to cover the "gap". I'm saying this doesn't take into account the fact that most of the time economies themselves grow and increase the wealth associated with them that is then used to pay the loans. Although the economy can't print money it can offset the "gap" by growing.
Right, so if I understand, the system can work if and only if the bank spends every penny of interest earned on goods, services, salaries... If the bank keeps, invests or re-lends any of the interest earnings, then we're doomed, or at least some of us will have to default, which I think is what's happening.
Still, best case is that all the money in circulation is borrowed from these private corporations and they're sucking up compound interest for doing virtually nothing. Would you agree then that the valu
He's being accurate:
1. One who does not pay one's debts.
Take for instance, employees of a collections agency. These are people who perform a distasteful, but still required service. Nobody really likes being called by a bill collector, nor do they like having to use one to get deadbeat clients to pay up. Deadbeats especially, despise bill collectors, and some are even belligerent enough to be a real physical threat to collection employees. This is why many collections agencies provide work aliases for call center staff, etc. If a foolproof means of identifying people is developed, these employees are at risk.
Seriously dude, WTF?
Collection agencies are scum of the earth. They buy, in bulk and for very cheap, your debts, then harass you and your family to pay the bills. There has been numerous laws put on the books to protect people from bill collectors, mainly from the tactics that these people use.
These Collection Agencies are NOT any different then the Law firms that sue you on "behalf" of the Entertainment Industry.
In case you don't understand, lets put this in perspective. I owe you $50, and I haven't paid you yet, for whatever reason. You get tired of waiting, so you sell my debt of $50 to someone for lets say, $5. So are you going to be surprised when I don't pay that person $50? In fact, since I never had an agreement with that person, I do NOT plan on paying him shit. If you are stupid enough to sell my debt to you, then you just lost out your chance of getting your money.
And since you don't seem to understand, sometimes life sucks and you get behind in payments. Now, you might be able to pull yourself out, but a lot of times they won't work with you. You pay the $500 you owe now, or we send it to the collection agency. How you going to pay $500 now if you got no money? Does that make you a deadbeat? With the economy how it's been, fuck no. Banks get bailed out, people get shit on.
actually, I know people who used to run a collections agency. (now retired)
Most agencies that are worth a shit will work with clients to get a suitable arrangement going.
The problem is that many people refuse to make any effort at such an arrangement, or demand an arrangement that is unworkable for the collection agency. (The agency at most gets around 30% of the value of the bill. this means that your 100$ bill to little ceasar's is only worth 30$ to the bill collector. This is why they refuse to accept 5
You might not like collections agencies, but they do perform a legitimate service. If the bank merely dropped the debt, they'd have to raise fees (or cry for more bailout money) to cover the losses, and the rest of us would end up paying. I've never dealt with a collections agency from the other side, but I have written code for a sub-prime lender, and met a few in-house collections people. They weren't "scum of the earth" they were people trying to convince someone to uphold his part of an agreement. Witho
For every lock that was developed, there's also a lockpick.
It's the same for this. Just need to come up with a good lockpick. Something easy and ubiquitious enough that every person probably already possesses it.
Facial recognition can be defeated easily with a hood or a brimmed hat. Fingerprints can be defeated with gloves. And if certain services become draconian, then simply vote with your wallet.
Something you are. This is just one of three.
It's funny they talk about not being connected to major crime databases - your employer would have a local copy that would be used for building access. Sure right up until they passed it off as part of your background check they'll run on everyone now. All part of your 90 day probationary period!
The thing is, in case of compromise altering the stuff you have and the stuff you know is far easier than altering the stuff you are. For example, how would you easily replace a thumbprint?
Something got lost in translation, I guess...
Second try of an old system... http://thedailywtf.com/Articles/Cracking-your-Fingers.aspx [thedailywtf.com]
There are several problems with this technology most importantly how it will be used.
#1.) Cops will use it like minority report. WOOO we know where you are
#2.) This leads to number 2. Computers are not really used to perform fingerprint analysis. Yes, they can shorten the list but, in the end, its always a human who decides if its a "match"
#3.) There is no standard protocol for deciding if two fingerprints match. It is completely subjective. The IAI has flat out said they won't create a protocol because its not possible
#4.) There is no predictable margin of error. Frankly with no protocol and 100% subjective human interpretation, there is no way to quantify the probability of a match or more importantly, the margin of error.....heck, fingerprint analysts have been shown to make different identification to the same prints on different days and in different context.
#4) fingerprint analysis operates on the assumption that all fingerprints are unique (or unique within a reasonable margin of error). There has never been any evidence to support this assumption. Even the FBI with probably the worlds largest fingerprint database has never published any data suggesting finger prints are unique.
This all leads to the worst part. Law Enforcement will put this in an automated system to read our prints around town and assume its good enough to harass, arrest and convict citizens.
I don't like where this is going.
Dont get me wrong, its cool tech. Its just going to make a mess of things
You forgot #5. The courts don't really care about #1-4, and will reject any challenges to fingerprint evidence.
Actually, it's always seemed to me that the biggest problem with fingerprint identification is that everyone leaves the silly things all over the place all the time - imagine a world where everything you touch is left with a copy of your house and car keys.
Seriously, since we've have advanced cyanocacrylate-enhanced gummy bear fingerprint recovery and duplication technologies [slashdot.org] for over a decade now, why does anyone even *think* that fingerprints are a secure ID/auth method anymore?
Unless we all actually do s
...but was unsure how he felt, hence the one glove.
Hey, guys, scan this fingerprint. Yeah, the one on my middle finger, that's right.
...but was unsure how he felt, hence the one glove.
Hey, guys, scan this fingerprint. Yeah, the one on my middle finger, that's right.
You have to turn it around. They can't scan your fingernail.
After a little RTFA time, I don't think it's quite like the blurb makes it sound. The system can't scan dozens of people walking down a sidewalk (unlike the facial recognition technology used in most "free" countries today). The user has to actively wave at it to allow it to scan.
One concern the article raised is that it appears the prints are stored on the machine as an image (or perhaps a series of numbers describing the layout) rather than a cryptographically secure hash of the print. So if you steal the system, you get a bunch of free pictures of people's prints...and you probably get all of the prints on the hand, since they would likely scan every digit and compare it to the database. As prints become a more common means of identification, those boxes become as valuable as credit card and SSN databases. Although I'm sure the security of 24-hour Fitness and Target are second to none.
If someone needs to lift finger prints from a subject it has traditionally meant that someone needs to get him to touch something. With this, a guy can walk behind you, take a few pictures without ever touching you, and have your finger prints printed out in rubber.
Rather then giving us a better way to use finger prints... this means we have to go to retina scans.
There has to be a better way.
Nobody will every buy it. Except for government, fingerprint security is largely dead dead dead.
First off, fingerprints can be replicated. Secondly, these types of optical systems have a (relatively) high failure rate (dust, smudges, adverse lighting conditions, etc). Next, they don't work with anyone under the age of 18 with reliability (the ridges and such vary considerably in size). Lastly - it freaks out the customers.
Anyone that thinks fingerprint security is going to succeed in the market is delusional at best. Been there, spent millions, done that. No matter how good the system is or how safe the fingerprints are it just isn't going to be good enough for anything other than a door lock.
Hang on, what about the angular resolution of visible light at 6m, with indents in surely being 0.1mm? Can we get high enough resolution Is that even possible? How fast must the picture be taken to avoid blurring?
No, haven't RTFA. So sue me.
Hang on, what about the angular resolution of visible light at 6m, with indents in surely being 0.1mm? Can we get high enough resolution Is that even possible? How fast must the picture be taken to avoid blurring?
The resolution is doable. There's a tradeoff between speed and noise. What you can do is take many pictures, align them and take a sum to get rid of some noise. If my memory serves me the noise will go down with the square root of the number of pictures. Or just pump up the light in say infrared spectrum, if you have 10 times illumination you can cut the exposition time to 1/10 and get about the same quality.
I wonder if the thing can read fingerprints through a pair of leathers... I THINK NOT!
heh, heh...
Then there's the idea of wearing someone else's fingerprints on your fingers, like James Bond in Diamonds Are Forever. How long after this long-range reading technology comes out before some enterprising criminal starts selling other people's fingerprints already built in to some sort of finger covers?
Seriously, this sort of thing should be made illegal - even for cops.
OTOH, it seems to me you'd have to approach someone from the rear because when most people walk, their hands are facing to the RE
At least according to this recent frontline episode all most all forensic science is bunk
A password you cannot change but can read out 6 meters away without the victim knowing, isn't a good idea. Fingerprints are useless for security and this project simply proves that. You can do, at most, identification, but not authentication.
"The following is not for the weak of heart or Fundamentalists." -- Dave Barry


text:
Ten serious sci-fi films for the sentient fan
In space, no one can hear you ponder the eternal verities
2001: A Space Odyssey
Stanley Kubrick's attempt to turn sci-fi into a serious movie genre - no man-in-suit monsters, no flying saucers, no screaming chicks - presents a world where advanced technology (for the late 1960s) has almost entirely dehumanised the people living in it. Boffins and spacemen - they're all as cold as the airless lunar surface under which they discover an alien beacon awaiting the arrival of a species sufficiently evolved to uncover it.
Kubrick's surreal Heaven
Source: Warner Home Video
Worse, technological supremacy has given mankind delusions of grandeur - our attempt to play god and create life leads to failure when artificial intelligence HAL is forced to become too human and fib. He can't cope and kills the crew - and the hope we're ready to become quite as god-like as the makers of the Monolith. It also has aliens as a metaphor for God - they're certainly advanced enough. Powerful intellectual stuff, but it's a hard journey for sci-fi fans who prefer the black-and-white not-so-nuanced philosophy of Star Wars and its successor.
Writer Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C Clarke
Release 1968
Notes Yes, the 1960s styling grates today, but the pre-CGI star gate sequence remains one of SF cinema's most arresting episodes. The space craft photography is very special too.
Planet of the Apes
Only the man who created The Twilight Zone's dark view of inner space could have worked Pierre Boulle's bizarre allegory into a sci-fi classic with a true twist in its (prehensile) tale. But that's what Rod Serling's script gives us: an adventure in the far future that makes us question our own prejudices.
Taking liberties
Source: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Forget Chuck Heston the wrinkly old gun fanatic, and enjoy Chuck Heston the granite-faced anti-hero so disillusioned with the human race's self-destructive sabre-rattling that he has to he fling himself off into space to get away from it all. But he's brought down to Earth with a very literal bump, crashing landing on a world where humans are speechless animals and apes rule supreme. And they're just as bad as we are: hubristic, blinkered, dogmatic, dismissive of the different and preferring the comforts of easy religion to the harsh facts of life. Goddamn us all to hell!
Writer Rod Serling and Michael Wilson
Release 1968
Notes The source of a quartet of stock sci-fi sequels notable only for building on the paradoxical notion that chimps returning to the past from the future establish the conditions for the apes to succeed man. Timey-wimey.
Sponsored: Minds Mastering Machines - Call for papers now open


text:
We call it demockracy and that's not what we had. What we have now is an unstable crypto-plutocracy with the trappings of fairness and equality slathered on and maintained through the inertia of habit. We've not had a republic since the civil war which for the most part destroyed the concept of the sovereign nature of the states. There were a few amendments that eased the process. Governments will invariably acquire more power, sometimes it's given to it with great cheering and sometimes it's sullenly forced upon it and sometime it takes it by force.
It seems that everywhere in the world, governments and corporations have decided that because we have the technology, it's okay to use it to abuse people's rights and freedoms in ways that would be illegal if they were done in person, or on paper.
The barcodes ARE on paper.
And whether things are on paper or not wasn't one of the things she considered. What she considered was whether the law says you have a right to a secret ballot and decided that you don't and never have had such a right.
This one's definitely going up for appeal.
I doubted it will go up for appeal.
When the country was first formed, we did not have a secrete ballot. If the founding fathers did not see it as a right, I doubt any modern reading of the same constitution will provide the right. Unless the right was granted somewhere between now and then, it was just a good idea as far as the history of the US is concerned.
Smart governments, at least those that also like to keep up true democratic values, will do whatever they can to prevent election fraud. This is also one major argument against online voting, without the need of going to a polling station.
Ballots that can be traced to a voter, or where the voter can be watched filling in the ballot paper, can be bought. This way elections can be bought. And that alone is enough reason to not have any identifying mark on any ballot.
The irony is that people for this might sincerely argue that it is necessary to trace the votes to prevent one kind of election fraud; but of course it opens up the door for a much more common kind.
On the bright side, if they bought my vote, at least I would be getting SOMETHING out of it all. As it stands right now, I neither get what I want nor do I profit from it. The addition of profit would actually improve the system from my point of view.
(odd, CAPTCHA is uplinks)
Obviously, just barcode the people. It will make things much easier for admin.
It will only make it easier for Hitman to blend in.
So the big concern I have is how these barcodes work. Are they public? Are they encrypted? And what I mean by encrypted is if the value is scrambled to link back to the original voter.
Merely being able to be traced back to an individual voter is bad enough. No matter whether it's encrypted, hashed, etc. No trace back of vote to voter should be possible.
The reason I feel like this is unfortunately necessary is that it would be easy to sneak
in votes that had just some barcode if it didn't have to be decrypted and validated.
That can ALWAYS happen. That is why you need honest people in your election committee, and oversight. Allow before the election everyone who wants to see that a ballot box is empty, subsequently locked, and then that each voter can put one and only one paper in it. Keep on following this ballot box until it's opened and the votes are counted. Match total number of votes with total voters (knowing who voted is fine, you need to know that to prevent multiple votes by a single person). Have two opposing parties do this, add maybe an independent observer, and the risk of fraud is low without identification. That's how it's done.
No situation is perfect, but over the years we have come up with pretty good ways of making sure elections are done fairly. Non-traceable votes are key to that.
My suggestion would be to give users a randomly generated number that is then one way hashed with their SSN. Then that information can be published online and anyone can take their autogenerated number and plug it into the hash with their SSN. If they fear retaliation or if they fear their boss might demand the number from them to check on them, they can merely opt for the official to destroy their number.
"So you destroyed that number and you can't show who you voted for? That must mean you did not vote for the party I told you to vote for."
Again, NO TRACE BACK should be possible. Period.
My suggestion would be to give users a randomly generated number that is then one way hashed with their SSN. Then that information can be published online and anyone can take their autogenerated number and plug it into the hash with their SSN. If they fear retaliation or if they fear their boss might demand the number from them to check on them, they can merely opt for the official to destroy their number.
"So you destroyed that number and you can't show who you voted for? That must mean you did not vote for the party I told you to vote for."
Yes. It would also allow purchasing of votes (no verification, no payout). It is essential that even if you have incentives to or are under duress to prove how you voted, you can't.
Don't eliminate identifying marks if you can download an app to decode the mark into a number, then run an algorythm against it to transform the number into names, and figure out how that individual voted.
Which they did.
On a local radio station.
With a county comissioners barcode, they told him how he voted.
This should be interesting seeing how Colorado is voting this year to legalize marijuana...
The secret ballot wasn't in use anywhere in the United States until 1888. The secret ballot cannot be something the Framers envisioned as one of our natural rights, because the secret ballot wasn't even invented until the 1850s. (Seriously.)
If this nation conducted its presidential elections by a variety of non-secret ballot systems from 1792 to 1892, it's hard for me to take you seriously when you say that the secret ballot is a fundamental right.
Hmm, the US is one of the first nations in history to elect their leaders. Do you think it's just possible that in the course of a couple centuries we've discovered additional safeguards that are fundamentally required for elections to actually serve their purpose? We got lots of first-hand experience about how non-secret ballots become a farce that just solidifies the power of those who can coerce your vote.
Moreover, just because a right isn't codified in the constitution doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Straight from the Bill of Rights:
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people. i.e. you're not even legally permitted to argue that the enumerated rights are more important than implicit one, much less that the implicit rights don't exist
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.
Those two were specifically added because the Federalists were afraid that the codification of certain rights would be used as an excuse to implicitly revoke others. Surprise, surprise, they've been proven right time and time again since then.
It's quite possible -- likely, even! -- that yes, we have discovered better ways. That doesn't mean those better ways are Constitutionally required, though.
If you go to the Jefferson Memorial in DC, carved on one wall is a speech from Jefferson in which he declares that he knows the Constitution to be an imperfect document, and that he entrusts future generations with the task of correcting it by the process of amendment. If you believe the secret ballot is a fundamental right, then you need to acknowledge the absence of that as a flaw in the Constitution, and seek to correct that flaw by the process of amendment.
They have no understanding of constitutional law. The constitution does now lay out our rights... we have our rights with or without the constitution. The constitution was meant to restrain the government. Since a few people thought that enumerating some of our rights explicitly in the Bill of Rights was a good idea, some how the foolish judges have the idea that if they weren't explicitly enumerated that they do not exist.
I go further and affirm that bills of rights, in the sense and to the extent in which they are contended for, are not only unnecessary in the proposed Constitution but would even be dangerous. They would contain various exceptions to powers which are not granted; and, on this very account, would afford a colorable pretext to claim more than were granted. For why declare that things shall not be done which there is no power to do? Why, for instance, should it be said that the liberty of the press shall not be restrained, when no power is given by which restrictions may be imposed?
- Alexander Hamilton, Federalist Paper #84 [thefederalistpapers.org]
Or even the Declaration of Independence:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. - That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed...
Bonus points for reading political philosophy.
It is a perversion of terms to say that a charter gives rights. It operates by a contrary effect - that of taking rights away. Rights are inherently in all the inhabitants; but charters, by annulling those rights, in the majority, leave the right, by exclusion, in the hands of a few.
-Thomas Paine [ushistory.org]
Who cares if more people show up if they're showing up because they were paid or intimidated?
I don't care if one person shows up (because that person would be me....), as long as that person is voting for what s/he actually believes is best for the country.
There is no Constitutional right to a secret ballot.
In the State of Oregon, all voting is done by absentee ballot. There's no privacy screen around you as you cast your vote. Your employer can stop by and say, "I'll pay you $1000 for your unused ballot, so I can fill it out how I want and submit it." If you're in an abusive family, your domineering alcoholic bipolar parent might force you to fill out the absentee ballot in front of them so they can control how you vote. There is no way the absentee ballot is considered a secret ballot, and yet we have no trouble when an entire state converts to voting by absentee ballot.
The State of West Virginia guarantees, in its state constitution, every resident's right to cast a public ballot. There's no mention of the secret ballot.
The secret ballot wasn't in use anywhere in the United States until it was first adopted by the city of Louisville, Kentucky, in 1888. The State of Massachusetts followed soon after. The first President to be elected by secret ballot was Grover Cleveland, in 1892.
We didn't use secret ballots to elect Washington, Jefferson, Jackson or Lincoln.
So, yeah. Anyone who claims we have a constitutional right to a secret ballot has an uphill road to hoe. History clearly shows that at no point in our nation's history has any court held the secret ballot to be a right.
Your rights exist outside the constitution; it does not GIVE you your rights! The people must fight to exercise them and maintain them. The founders knew this, see "unalienable rights" (not in the constitution BTW.)
The ammendments restrict government powers from infringing on some of your rights; they never gave you rights. You have rights even if you are punished for exercising them. People drank what they wanted because that is their right and they defied government until prohibition was finally repealed
The party adjourned to a hot tub, yes. Fully clothed, I might add. -- IBM employee, testifying in California State Supreme Court


text:
Jumbo triple chocolate chip cookies with semi-sweet, milk and white chocolate chips. They're bigger than the palm of my hand with chewy edges surrounding soft centers that melt in your mouth.
The perfect cookie for chocolate chip cookie lovers.
Not only are they perfect they might just be the best chocolate chip cookies I ever made. Or ate. With a trio of chips that meld into one sweet, chocolate-filled, buttery bite. Believe you me every single bite is chock full of chocolate!
Baking up a batch is one of the best ways I know to clean out your baking cupboard. You can mix and match chocolate chips to use any combination you like. You can also use a different nut. . . did I mention the nuts? There's walnuts in the mix too! So smitten I was by all those chips I almost forgot.
There's no reason not to have these in your life! Tonight. They're that good.
So go forth and bake your little heart out.
Jumbo triple chocolate chip cookies with soft centers and chewy edges!
- Preheat oven to 375° F. Line 2 cookie sheets with silpats or parchment paper.
- In a large bowl whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together.
- In a large separate bowl beat butter with both sugars together on low until creamy about 1 minute. Beat in eggs and vanilla extract.
- Gradually beat in flour mixture 1/4 at a time. Stir in all the chocolate chips and nuts.
- Drop dough by level 1/4 cups 2 - 3 inches apart onto the baking sheets.
- Bake for 12 - 14 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes then remove to wire racks to cool completely.
- Store in tightly covered containers in a cool, dry place up to 5 days.
Adapted from Very Best Baking
Copyright ©2013 Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice by Reeni Pisano All Rights Reserved.


text:
You look great! Love the pics.
Btw- in NYC for the weekend. PM me if interested.
You appear to possess a very attractive physique...
far better than average to look at.
now that you've 'busted your cherry' with a few post and those great pics...
You'll make more postings in more and other threads.
Great body!
Sweet-looking cock and body... Wish I was closer (esp. as a passive sub guy with a sweet ass...)
Awesome cock and that body YUMMMMMMMMMMMM
Awesome pics man!!
Welcome to JUB!
Sir Ron is mightily impressed!
The Three Musketeers... Bashful, Chrisglass, and Ronboy!
Great looking cock. Love your bush.
Nice body and nice cock...
Gregster, Gumby, Muffin Man, Zer00ry, Zero, Tech Superhero ,Gumbicito, King Gumby VII, King Gumby VIII,
King of NoVA, King with a Royal Scepter, Greggo.
Mate, you're my type of guy. I'd definitely play with you if I had the chance.
awesome pic's. you have an awesome physique. the third pic is hot!
You have a super-hot body! I love that bush too!
I wish I was in NY so you could have your way with me.
We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing
if I was in NYC I would drop to my knees to be of service to you...yummy
you are super HOT! Almost makes me wish I were a bottom! But I'd sure service you!
Mmmmmm daddy, I'd love to let you teach me.
Thnx get in touch, I like training boys. [email protected]
Thnx man. Yeah I admit Im proud of my thick bush , glad you like it too ;-) Love it licked...
Oh daddy teach e to take a cock up my virgin ass!


text:
An alleged escort is charged with attempted murder for nearly biting off a man's genitals in a Florida hotel room.
Orange County authorities were called to the Crestwood Suites after 2 a.m. Tuesday by callers who reported hearing screaming and growling from a room on the second floor.
"I literally thought there was a beast inside this place," said hotel guest Evette Mays.
Responding deputies found the victim naked, covered in blood on the floor. He was going in and out of consciousness as he tried to describe what happened, officials said.
According to the sheriff's office, the victim had bite marks on his hands and stomach and was bleeding from significant lacerations on his genitals. He also had eye-gouging injuries and injuries that indicated he had been hit in the head and face.
Read more: http://bit.ly/YICFP7
3719 Central AvenueFort Myers, FL 33901Main Phone: (239) 939-2020Newsroom Phone: (239) 939-6223


text:
Page content
The Newsworthy Somerset Case
Augusta County, June 18, 1774
"Run away . . . from the Subscriber, a Negro Man named BACCHUS, about 30 Years of Age, five Feet six or seven Inches high, strong and well made . . . He formerly belonged to Doctor George Pitt, of Williamsburg, and I imagine is gone there under Pretence of my sending him upon Business . . . he is a cunning, artful, sensible Fellow, and very capable of forging a Tale to impose on the Unwary . . . [he] has been used to waiting from his Infancy. . . . He will probably endeavour to pass for a Freeman . . . and attempt to get on Board some Vessel bound for Great Britain, from the Knowledge he has of the late Determination of Somerset's Case."
More than two years before Bacchus left Augusta County, Lord Mansfield at the Court of King's Bench in London handed down a unanimous decision in favor of James Somerset, a slave brought to England from the colonies . . .
James Somerset had been born in Africa, was brought to Virginia by a slaver in 1749 when Charles Steuart, a Scots merchant living in Norfolk, purchased him. Stuart afterwards moved to Boston as a high official in the custom service. In 1769 he went to England on business, taking Somerset with him as a personal servant. Letters to and from Steuart indicate that Somerset served well and was trusted. He moved about freely, often alone, through London streets and the English countryside making deliveries and relaying messages . . . on October 1, 1771, he ran away, was recaptured and delivered to Captain John Knowles of the ship Ann and Mary and was held on board in irons. The ship was bound for Jamaica where the captain was to sell Somerset on Steuart's behalf.
The Somerset case began . . . [when] a writ of habeas corpus was granted on November 28, 1772 . . . to release an individual from unlawful imprisonment . . . This like several other suits in England's high court, had been designed and stage-managed, very much behind the scenes, by Granville Sharp, a philanthropist, scholar, and founder of the English Society for the Abolition of Slavery . . .
The case was much debated in Virginia—both in the press and face to face; for example, "the affair of yr. Damed Villian Somerseat came on the Carpet" during dinner at the Palace for members of the Council and other distinguished visitors . . . Steuart seemed to be resigned to losing Somerset and concluded "upon the whole, every body seems to think it will go in favouor of the negroe . . ."
And indeed it did. Newsmongers immediately spread that that decision meant the end of slavery in England and threatened the continuance of the institution in the English colonies . . . According to eyewitnesses, the Lord Chief Justice had said only that black slaves, while in England, could not be forced to leave. Legal historians have studied this case carefully, and William Wiecek, the most respected specialist in these matters summarizes the Court's decision this way:
"Read strictly and technically, the holding of Somerset was limited to two points: a master could not seize a slave in England and detain him preparatory to sending him out of the realm to be sold, and habeas corpus was available to the slave to forestall such seizure, deportation, and sale."
We can never know exactly what Bacchus learned about the pros and cons of England (and the purity of its air) from Dr. Pitt, but he was in a position to learn quite a lot. Like James Somerset and probably Dublin as well, Bacchus was a body servant and waiting man. Personal servants by their very job descriptions were well placed to their masters' political views, to overhear conversations and plans, and to acquire valuable information of all sorts. This is an important trait Bacchus and Somerset had in common . . .
From the beginning, myths grew up around the Somerset case; as usual, the myths proved more vivid and longer lasting than the truth. News of supposed emancipation spread from wishful thinking Anglo-Africans and English abolitionists to ill-informed printing offices in the provincial towns, as well as up and down the Eastern Seaboard . . . Enslaved people both in England and the Virginia backcountry heard and believed what they heard; they believed so strongly that they acted on the information and risked their lives by daring to escape. Somerset misconstrued was a giant fiction. Its repercussions in Virginia and elsewhere were greater than its legal reality.
Excerpted from an article by Emma L. Powers, historian, Department of Historical Research, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Originally published in the Colonial Williamsburg Interpreter, Volume 23, No. 3 (2002), the full article is also available online.


text:
Most animals are fanatic about the cleanliness and organization of their surroundings. In fact, when it comes to taking care of their homes, wild animals and humans share many similarities. Many animals designate individual areas in and around their dens as sleeping quarters, storage locations, and bathrooms. To keep each area ordered, they will spend hours moving objects, piling bedding, building nests and, in some cases, stockpiling food. Since the quarters in which animals live are often small, these chores are essential to the animal's overall health and well-being.
Animals cannot afford to keep waste products near their food cache, or allow food to mingle with their bedding materials. Doing so would diminish the size of already cramped quarters and potentially contaminate the precious foods it often takes so long to acquire. In a way, an animal's den or nest is somewhat like a human's studio apartment - everything needs to be ordered to maximize space and maintain a certain quality of life.
In particular, most small animals divide all of their waking hours between either searching for food or housekeeping tasks. This tendency doesn't diminish when a small pet is taken out of nature and brought into a cage in your home - despite all you may do to keep your pet well fed, well groomed, and well cared for. In fact, these maintenance instincts may be heightened when an animal is kept as a pet. Even the largest cage will create boundaries in your pet's world. Maintaining this defined area is essential to your pet's overall health, since waste in a cage, for instance, can quickly accumulate into dangerously unsanitary conditions. Thus, keeping your pet's cage clean and comfortable is the simplest way to ensure your pet stays healthy and poised for a long, happy life.
Clean With Your Pet's Health in Mind
It is easy to understand how your small pet's health is tied to the cleanliness of her cage. But what many people do not consider is how they clean their pet's environment and what potential toxins may be introduced to it, despite the best of intentions. Our world is filled with products designed to minimize the effort and time it takes to maximize our hectic lives. While many of these products are wonderful cleaning additions to our homes, most are not designed for use around animals, who use smell and taste to continually explore their world. But with a little common sense and an established cleaning routine, you can minimize the time and effort it takes to maintain a healthy environment for your pet, while offering her the safest of living conditions.
The following is a typical cleaning schedule:
While cleaning your pet's environment keep your small pet safely contained in an Exercise Pen or small traveling cage. An empty cage is much easier to clean.
In addition to thorough daily and weekly cleanings, there are a variety of nontoxic products designed to streamline future cleanings. Some products shield your pet's cage bars from waste, while others aid in the grooming of your pet. Both types of products safely reduce the amount of time it takes to clean your pet's environment:


text:
Grand Canyon Coupons & Promo Codes
Most popular now: Get the Best Tours at the Best Prices from Las Vegas.
Latest offer: Las Vegas Bus Tours starting at $79.99.
Check Out the Tour Specials Section for Huge Savings
Check Out VIP Tours as low as $74.99
Las Vegas Bus Tours starting at $47.50
Get the Best Tours at the Best Prices from Las Vegas
How to Use Grand Canyon Tour Company Coupons
Grand Canyon Tour Company offers frequent discounts on seasonal tours for Father's Day and the upcoming Fourth of July holiday. In the tour specials section, summer tours for groups and VIPs start at $49.99. Save even more with a $10 off or 2 for 1 VIP coupon for select shows and entertainment.