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Purple Dog Records is based in the US but we certainly don't limit ourselves to a specific region when it comes to discovering independent musicians. I was recently made aware of a band called, Dodson and Fogg from Leeds led by the very talented, Chris Wade. Their second album, Derring Do hooked me immediately with a beautiful acoustic introduction. The whole album continues heading steadfast toward prog folk perfection. The word, "chill" is often overused in describing music but damn it, I can't think of anything else to call it. It's just so good. With songs like "The Leaves They Fall", and "What Goes Around" it's hard to tell in what era they were recorded. Chris Wade's musical style gives the impression of a man who could have been friends with John Lennon, but by no means is he repeating the sound. Each song had a timeless quality and a brand new feeling attached to every guitar lick and yes, even trumpets (trumpeting?). I had the pleasure of speaking with Chris about his band's new album coming out this July among other fun tidbits of information.
PDR: Have you written and performed music prior to Dodson and Fogg?
CW: Yeah, I started playing music when I was really young. Me and my brother started learning guitars early on. Before I had a guitar I remember making one with rubber bands and an ice cream tub. I was always obsessed with music. I remember my first favourite bands were Nirvana when Kurt was still alive, when I was 8 or 9, and Black Sabbath, who I was totally obsessed with, and who I still love to this day. I started collecting their vinyl and saving pocket money to go to Relics in Leeds to get the records. We started writing songs then, me and my brother… well, I say writing. My dad has some tapes of them and they are grotesque haha. In my late teens I had a 4 track tape machine and used to make demos in my bedroom whenever I got home from work, back then I worked at a toy shop which was a fun place to work. And in my early 20s I had a band with my friend Shawn and my brother, which then turned into a band with my brother and my sister, and that "line up" did some gigs in Leeds where I live in around 2007 and 2008 I think. But that was more straight forward punk rock really, not like what I am doing now which I prefer. We were playing in some really ropey venues sometimes, but family and friends always came along and made parties of these gigs. That fizzled out though, and I started writing and illustrating in about 2009 and left music for a while until last year when I made the first Dodson and Fogg album. I firstly wanted to be a fiction writer, and did some really weird broadly comic novels that were made into audiobooks, narrated by Rik Mayall and Charlie Chuck, but there was no way I was going to be able to get that into a proper direction. Some of them stories were just mental, haha. This is different though, and really satisfying.
PDR: Who are some of your main influences?
CW: Well I love Black Sabbath and I also listen a lot to early Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Incredible String Band, early Leonard Cohen, Kinks and especially Donovan, who I think is just a brilliant artist. There's loads of stuff I listen to. I really like Goldfrapp at the minute, been listening to Air as well, and Amy MacDonald, alongside Yes, and early King Crimson, the first two albums in particular. But I don't know how much they have influenced me knowingly. When I make music it comes out naturally and I know I am happy with a track when I feel I could put it on myself and listen to it for pleasure. So maybe musical tastes just seep in for any artist subconsciously affect what music they record. I basically like to record music I could listen to myself I think. That's why I never understand the bands or artists who can't listen to their own songs. It's questionable, like almost as if they're in it for the money really, as Frank Zappa might say. But I will say that any band recording and mixing music these days, and paying close attention to it, HAS to be influenced by The Beatles, even if they don't know it…
PDR: One of my favorite songs of yours is "All Day Long" (featuring Celia Humphris of Trees) off of the debut album. How did she become involved?
CW: Thanks, glad you like the song. My dad has always been a big music fan and he was into Trees when I was a kid. First he had two of their tracks on these old samplers, one of which was called Fill Your Head With Rock (a classic compilation that anyone reading this should check out) and then he finally got a hold of their two albums, On the Shore and Garden of Jane Delawney. I was a fan right from then thanks to my dad and I interviewed Celia in 2009 or 2010 for my Hound Dawg Magazine (which was a free online PDF then, and now it's a print magazine) and asked her about the band. I hadn't stayed in touch with her though, but in around May or June last year I sent her some tracks to see if she was interested in collaborating and I could not believe it when she said she would sing on them! That's when I took this project seriously and dived right into it. She is one of my favourite singers, her voice is a proper instrument in itself, and on Derring Do she is doing all sorts of amazing things I wish I could do with my voice. On All Day Long as well, like you say, her voice on that is fantastic. I used three or four of her harmonies on that and mixed them all together. Worked out great I think.
PDR: Do you have a preference of one song over another? I can imagine it's almost like playing favorites with a child though.
CW: It's weird answering questions about your own music. It's funny because the Dodson and Fogg first album was only released last November, and most of these songs are pretty new to me really, so it's hard to look at them in a retrospective way. I will say though that Meet Our May, I wrote that when I was about 18, ten or so years ago and All Day Long comes from a melody I had in my had for years and never did anything with. So them two, and Crinkle Drive off the first album with Nik Turner of Hawkwind on it, I do have a soft spot for them chappies. To be honest though, the next album has my own favourites on it so far. I am really pleased with it.
PDR: You also have a solo project released, titled, "Moonlight Banquet". How does this differ from your work in Dodson and Fogg?
CW: That was a side thing really, because I had these instrumentals that didn't quite fit with Dodson and Fogg and my girlfriend said 'why don't you release them?' So it isn't really a major project or anything but it is a nice way to use some ideas I really liked and never got round to releasing. They're longer and more progressive I suppose, with extended solos and worked out sections. Fun to do actually, but Dodson and Fogg is definitely staying as my main focus. Working at home though, and with music being my hobby as well as a job type thing, I have plenty of time on my hands to try all sorts of things out.
PDR: Finally, do you think of the third album, "Sounds of Day and Night" as a continuation of the last two or are they all completely separate concepts?
CW:Well the third one is kind of following a concept, different characters so to speak and situations from the morning to the night, all kinds of scenarios and set ups, but it sounds similar to Derring Do, with the instrumentation and production. But it also sounds a little different too. It's hard to describe it, but I kept working on it, rewriting songs and getting rid of certain tracks, then bringing in new ones from around January when I started recording it (just before Derring Do came out) and it was last month or so when it actually started sounding like a step on from Derring Do. I'm finding myself listening to the albums and thinking that if they sound like a progression from their predecessor I am doing something right and pleasing myself. Then I think, well if I am happy with it, the folks who liked the other two albums might be up for it too. You have to not think about the whole process too much, as you know as a writer, because if you look too far into it you end up taking it too serious or you risk over analyzing your stuff and taking the fun out of it all. So while it is a little different in some of its moods, it is also like a continuation, but broadening the scope hopefully. That said, Celia is going to be singing on it again so it is nice to have her on board, and there are some other possible guest artists, but I won't say who just in case it doesn't happen. Also, my girlfriend Linzi Napier is a painter and she has done the cover art for the next album, one of my favourite pictures of her's. She has an exhibition in July which we are both excited about and some of the work for this next album will be on display.
Thank you, Chris for taking the time to chat! Be sure to check out Dodson and Fogg's latest album "Sounds of Day and Night" coming July 2013. Let him know what you think!


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Disclaimer: I am not an investing professional. This post is for informational and entertainment purposes only. You should always contact your financial advisor before making any investment decision.
Most of our retirement savings are invested in mutual funds. The kind that match the investment mix to the year you plan to retire. It's a plan we're happy with.
But in 2011 I had about $4600 from an old 401k and I saw it as a chance to invest it with dividends in mind, something that's always interested me. So I rolled the money into IRAs and spread it across five different stocks from the Dividend Aristocrats list.
Three years later, my little portfolio now contains six stocks. Here are my current holdings:
- 13.1672 shares of McDonald's (MCD)
- 30.0519 shares of Coca-Cola (KO)
- 19.3849 shares of Wal-Mart (WMT)
- 16.5302 shares of Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)
- 18.195 shares of Abbott Laboratories (ABT)
- 17 shares of AbbVie Inc. (ABBV)
All dividends from these stocks have been reinvested back into additional shares of the stock.
Why Dividend Stocks?
I like dividend stocks for the same reason I like rental real estate, or the idea of rental real estate anyway. That is, there are two ways you're rewarded for your investment:
- The value of the rental house (hopefully) increases over time. Same with the stock.
- As the owner of a rental house you're paid rent, usually monthly. As the owner of a dividend-paying stock you're paid dividends, usually quarterly.
That's a very basic analogy, but hopefully you get the idea.
#2 above is especially enticing to me. The rental income or dividends that are paid out create an income stream and, as you know from all the talk I do about found money, I'm all about income streams.
Why Dividend Aristocrats?
The Dividend Aristocrats are S&P 500 companies that have both paid a dividend and increased that dividend each year for at least 25 years.
In other words: these companies don't necessarily pay the highest dividends, but they've paid dividends the most consistently. I like that.
These aren't the sexiest stocks (Clorox, Kimberly-Clark, ADP) but they're solid stocks and they tend not to get beat up as badly when the market tanks. These are the stocks you'd take home to Mom and Dad. Again, I like that.
Why individual stocks?
After one of my previous updates, it was suggested that I think about investing in a mutual fund made up of dividend stocks instead of the individual stocks themselves. It would be simpler and probably cheaper to do it that way. There are even mutual funds made up of just the Dividend Aristocrats.
So why don't I do that? Because it's not as much fun.
Most of our retirement savings is already in mutual funds so I wanted to try something different.
What do I want to get out of this?
I've referred to these stocks in the past as my investing fun money, but that's probably not the best description. I am having fun with it and it's a pretty small part of our savings, but it's real money so I'd like it to be a little safer than – say – taking it to the casino.
I'm also using this as a learning experience. This update took me hours to write because I kept stopping to research different things along the way. I could read a shelf full of book about dividend investing, but actually owning a few stocks, tracking their performance, and digging into my account statements is much more effective.
So enough background, let's get on with the update.
How have my stocks performed?
McDonald's (MCD)
Ah, the golden arches. It's where I get my Diet Dr. Pepper fix when I'm out and about.
I bought the stock three years ago at a price of $85.57. The price at the time I am writing this post is $93.55. That doesn't seem like a bad return (9%) unless you look at last year's update and see that the price then was $95.60. Ouch.
Of course I'm writing this at a time when the whole market is down. But McDonald's was tanking before that. Really tanking. Back in mid-May it was selling at over $103/share.
There was the Chinese expired meat issue that you may have heard about. That's no doubt responsible for a lot of it. I don't think my Diet Dr. Pepper is going to taste as good the next time I drive through.
Coca-Cola (KO)
Coca-Cola's shares are at $39.45 at the time I am writing this, compared to $38.48 last year and $38.20 in August, 2012. All in all pretty flat (no soda pun intended).
I bought KO at $67.36 in 2011, which was the price before a stock split. Last year I attempted to do the math to see what my return had been, split and all. This year I'll just rely on Schwab's math to tell you that KO's 3 year return (with all that split business factored in) has been 17.52%.
Wal-Mart (WMT)
Speaking of flat, Wal-Mart's current price is $74.67, compared to $73.45 last year at this time and $72.53 the year before that. I bought WMT at $50.83 in August of 2011. The price has increased almost 47% since then, but that was thanks to that great first year return.
Now on to a bit of good news.
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)
The price of JNJ stock has risen from $62.85 when I bought it 3 years ago, to $101.08 today, an increase of almost 61%. Not much to say about that except: go JNJ!
Abbott Labs (ABT)
In last year's report I explained that Abbott Labs spun off part of it's operations and created a separate company in the form of AbbVie Inc. Here is Investopedia's explanation of a stock spinoff and a Chicago Tribune report of the Abbott/Abbvie spinoff specifically.
I bought ABT in 2011 at $49.90 and the price today is 41.69. That seemed to me like a decent return given the spinoff, so I checked with Schwab, which is reporting a 75.56% 3-year return for ABT. That certainly makes up for some of those MCD, WMT, and KO returns.
AbbVie (ABBV)
AbbVie is the stock that spun off from ABT in January 2013. I didn't own the stock before that date; in fact it didn't exist before that date. Since that time the stock price has increased from $35 to $52.82, or nearly 51%.
Dividend Payments
But the stock prices are only part of the story. The real reason I chose these stocks was for their consistency in paying dividends.
So what has that looked like? Here are the total dividend amounts I received from each stock since my last update. They represent a year's worth of dividends:
The total from all six stocks was $196.13. The three-year total of dividend payments was $510.19.
To put this in found money terms: the income stream is the dividend payouts and the job they've been given to do is to buy more shares of the stock.
Bottom Line
We're at exactly the 3-year market since I invested in these stocks. The value of my portfolio then was $4675, today it's $7345.
Some of that increase is because the prices of the stocks have gone up and some is because the dividends were used to buy more shares.
What's Next?
While preparing this post, I noticed that I have a small amount of cash sitting in my investment account, so I'd like to use that to invest in more stock.
Some of that cash came from AbbVie dividends, which were not set to reinvest for some reason. I need to change that.
Other than that it's keep learning and stay the course.
Are you a dividend investor? Have any thoughts on the subject?

subset: commoncrawl


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CARLSBAD — After months of negotiation, City Council members voted 4-1 in favor of the city's "last, best and final offer" regarding retirement benefits for local firefighters.
City staff and the Carlsbad Firefighters Association, or CFA, had reached an impasse, causing the council to vote on the issue on May 18. After a presentation from each party, the council opted for the city's solution over two alternative proposals offered by the CFA.
The terms and conditions of the "last, best and final offer" increase what CFA members will pay for retirement benefits and also establishes a second tier retirement plan for future employees.
Currently, the city pays 8 of the 9 percent of a CFA member's salary that is put toward retirement benefits. As of May 31, members will be responsible for the entire portion, saving the city an annual $750,000 after 10 years, said city negotiator Steve Berliner.
The "second tier" retirement plan is the first of its kind in the county and will affect new employees starting on or after Oct. 4, 2010. The new plan calls for employees retiring at age 50 to receive 2 percent of their salary for every year of employment, instead of the current 3 percent.
A charter amendment preventing further changes to the retirement plan without voter approval can also be included on the November ballot under the new plan terms.
Councilman Keith Blackburn — the lone dissenter — voted against the measure, suggesting that it would no longer attract star employees to the city and would compromise safety in the city of Carlsbad.
"I strongly think that going to the second tier retirement system is a big mistake," he said. "We're going to build the most mediocre group of safety personnel that this county has to offer."
Mayor Bud Lewis replied with his belief that young people from the military and other walks of life will still be attracted to a position in Carlsbad, regardless of the benefit plan. He originally voted for the 3 percent at 50 years old plan when the economy was better, and would encourage renegotiating each year as the economy changes.
"Those that are here are very professional and do an excellent job," he said. "Carlsbad is a very safe place and the reason why is because of our safety personnel."
The new terms will be in effect from Jan. 1, 2010, to Dec. 31, 2010. At year's end, a new round of labor negotiations between both parties can start again.
Council and firefighters come to agreement on benefits
CARLSBAD — After months of negotiation, City Council members voted 4-1 in favor of the city's "last, best and final offer" regarding retirement benefits for local firefighters.


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Reliant has a team of seasoned valve and controls associates who enjoy bringing knowledge and application experience to your particular valve and piping requirements. With an ever-changing industrial and commercial marketplace where quality and delivery are essential, we constantly strive to meet and exceed your expectations. We pride ourselves on our on-time delivery and high quality technical documentation support . When you partner with Reliant there will always be a voice on the other end that will handle your requirements and concerns in a professional business-like manner.
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Whether travelling with your children, your sweetheart or a big group of friends, you'll find the island that's right for you. Some are extremely popular, like Rhodes and Kos, and others have a virgin charm, like Kalymnos, Symi, volcanic Nisyros, Kastelorizo, Kasos, Karpathos, Astypalea, Halki, and Lipsi. And then there's Patmos, a sui generis destination, famous as the place St. John wrote the Book of Revelation, the 'Jerusalem of the Aegean'. Set sail for the Dodecanese and discover a mix of beachside magic and a colouful pot pourri of cultures. They will never cease to amaze you. Your holidays here will be a montage of beautiful imagery and exciting, unforgettable experiences.
Countless beaches of all kinds
In the Dodecanese, you'll find it hard to choose among the seemingly infinite number of beaches. Each one is special in its own way. If you're feeling active, there's scuba diving, snorkelling and all sorts of water sports. If you're looking for something more quiet and intimate, you'll sunbathe, swim and relax at secluded coves all your own. On Rhodes, the beaches are fun for everyone; tubing, jet skiing, windsurfing, go-carting and even bungee jumping go hand in hand with a myriad of chic beach bars, ideal for sipping cocktails while watching the waves lap against the shore. Elli, Ialyssos, Lindos, Agathi and Kiotari are the stand-outs. Karpathos' golden coast will also impress, with the award-winning, sandy Apella and touristy Amoopi among the highlights. Kos also has glittering beauties with all the right bells and whistles for exhilarating days in the sun. But if tranquility is more your cup of tea, then head to Kalymnos, Lipsi, Tilos and Armathia, near Kassos.
Living, breathing history
The Dodecanese has a rich history, visible everywhere you turn in the form of ancient citadels, famous castles, renowned museums and important archaeological sites and monuments. Among them are Rhodes' acropolis (Monte Smith) with its Doric temple, the ancient stadium, the ancient acropolis of Lindos, Ialyssos and ancient Kamiros. On Karpathos, visit ancient Vroukounda and Arkesia and the palaces of Doric Nisyros on the Saria islet. Make time to tour exhibits and monuments; on Rhodes, the Palace of the Grand Masters, the Archaeological Museum and the Aquarium; on Patmos, a stately home that has been converted into an exceptional gallery (the Nikolaidis mansion) and don't miss out on the Volcanic Museum on Nisyros.
Windsurfing, rock climbing and scuba diving at the southeastern edge of the Aegean
The Dodecanese is a popular destination for thrill seekers and lovers of water sports. Rhodes tops the list, with the best windsurfing in the region at Prassoni. At Kos' organised beaches, you'll see row upon row of sails in the distance. In addition to windsurfing, Karpathos is also famous for trekking trails of exceptional beauty, alongside mountain cliffs overlooking the big blue. Kalymnos is paradise for rock climbers, as it boasts some of the best climbs in Europe. Both aspiring and advanced climbers come here from all over the world for one reason; to challenge themselves at the 60 climbing venues and along the 1,300 signposted trails. And if you prefer the depths of the sea, then take a lesson with the best in the business; Kalymnos' famous sponge divers.
Dodecanese gastronomy: Rhodian wine, paired with authentic flavours
Rhodes, the first island in the Aegean to make wine, has dozens of vineyards and plenty of fine wine for you to enjoy. In the island's villages, dozens of local dishes await you and the desserts are just as memorable. Particularly noteworthy is Rhodes' melikouni (a sesame bar with honey), served at weddings and baptisms. On Kassos, you'll never tire of mizithra (the traditional cheese) and, on Kalymnos, you'll eat mououri (lamb stuffed with rice), like the Dorians. On Symi, don't leave without sampling its fried shrimps, small, flavourful and spiked with chilli flakes. Your culinary journey at this corner of the Aegean is sure to be unforgettable!
"A visit to Olympos gives you a window on old world Greece as women in the village often choose their traditional costumes over more modern attire."
"I remember the dawns, after hours of dancing in Kastro. Those of us who hadn't collapsed from the all-night revelry watched the rising sun as we lay on the roof of a little chapel."


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I have two brothers: one is a soil scientist the other an infant mortality specialist with the CDC. So, it's no huge leap that we refer to them- lovingly- as Dr. Dirt and Dr. Death.
They are so different and yet growing up they were best friends… as younger adults they took long motorcycle trips across the country sleeping under the stars and eating spam or tortillias. They are extreemely proud that they have swum across the border to Mexico… they made up songs about needing to have a "butt pad like a baboon" and they really enjoyed eachother's company.
Then, the women in their lives started interfering in their relationship and now they only speak when there is a reason. They only see eachother when there is a reason. Those women are now gone but the closeness hasn't returned.
They raise their children very differently. Dr. Dirt is much more like me– "I'm the parent that's why!" Where as Dr. Death is of the school that allows their children to run the show. That's caused problems between them… and child rearing has caused issues with the rest of the family as well.
Dr. Dirt is my friend. He's the guy I call to chit chat. He's the one I call for advice on everything from gardening to computers. Dr. Death annoys me– I'll just leave it at that.
My brothers are good men. They were raised in the same household by the same parents within three years of eachother. They are very different. I love them both.


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Sometime on Sunday, November 3rd, an unmanned American Predator reconnaissance aircraft, flying out of a base in Djibouti, fired a Hellfire missile at an automobile in Yemen that was believed to be carrying an Al Qaeda leader named Qaed Salim Sinan al-Harethi. A joint American and Yemeni intelligence team had been tracking al-Harethi, and the order to fire was not given until the car was isolated, far from any other traffic—and from any witnesses—as it sped through a vast tract of desert in Marib province. Al-Harethi was in the car, along with five other men. All of them were killed.
The operation entailed a high level of technical coöperation and trust between the Americans and the Yemenis. The joint intelligence team, working out of a situation room in Yemen—a Yemeni official would say only that the site was not visible from the air—had been tracing al-Harethi's satellite telephone calls for weeks. Al-Harethi clearly was aware of the danger and frequently changed telephones and numbers; five cell phones were found on his body. Yemeni security officials arrived at the scene shortly after the blast—a helicopter had been standing by—and removed the bombed-out car. They took the bodies to a military hospital in Sanaa, Yemen's capital, where American officials collected DNA samples for processing at a military laboratory in the United States.
By the next day, Bush Administration officials had begun informing journalists that the Predator had made its first Al Qaeda kill outside Afghanistan. Some journalists were also told that al-Harethi, long sought for a role in the bombing of the U.S.S. Cole in Aden harbor, in the fall of 2000, was on a list of "high-value" targets whose elimination, by capture or death, had been called for by President Bush. (A Defense Department consultant told me that, as of this fall, seven high-value Al Qaeda targets—"top guys that they're really after"—have been designated for elimination by the Bush Administration. According to the Yemeni official, there are still two high-value targets in Yemen.)
The Hellfire was meant for al-Harethi, but, Yemeni and American officials told reporters, the five passengers in the car had terrorist ties as well. Four of them belonged to the Aden-Abyan Islamic Army, an outlawed terrorist sect that had links to Al Qaeda, and the fifth had been identified as Kamal Derwish, an Arab-American who grew up near Buffalo and, according to the F.B.I., recruited American Muslims to attend Al Qaeda training camps. There is no indication that American or Yemeni officials knew in advance who was in the car with al-Harethi. The Yemeni official told me that there was no thought of blockading the highway and attempting to capture al-Harethi and his passengers, because he had evaded earlier attempts and because "it was suspected that they were going to a target." The official said, "From past experience, this was the most effective way."
The intelligence about al-Harethi that day had been superb. The Yemeni official told me, however, that earlier there had been two intelligence "mistakes" that almost resulted in targeting innocent Bedouins. In one case, the joint-intelligence center found a group of Bedouins whose armed pickup trucks—pickups are the main mode of travel in the desert—included at least one vehicle that was mounted with a heavy machine gun. The Americans were about to hit the truck with a Predator, the Yemeni official said, "but we had someone tracking it, too. He was asked by phone, 'Who are those people?' He said, 'Bedouins. Not Al Qaeda.' "
The Yemeni official also said that the al-Harethi operation had produced valuable diplomatic information. For example, the car bearing al-Harethi and his colleagues had Saudi plates, which led investigators to believe that al-Harethi had been shuttling back and forth along Yemen's border with Saudi Arabia. According to the official, al-Harethi had obtained operating funds from Saudis. Apparently, they weren't the only suppliers of cash for the terrorists. Al-Harethi's last known satellite telephone call, an hour before the Predator struck, was to a number in the United Arab Emirates, an American ally that is also known to be a center of support for Muslim extremists. "Lots of money comes from the U.A.E.," the Yemeni official said.
The killing of al-Harethi represented a dividend in the drive to track down suspected Al Qaeda terrorists who have fled Afghanistan and moved to Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Somalia, and other countries, a goal that has preoccupied American intelligence since the fall of the Taliban. Administration officials praised the Predator attack for its precision and effective use of on-the-spot intelligence. "We've just got to keep the pressure on everywhere we're able to and we've got to deny the sanctuaries," Paul D. Wolfowitz, the Deputy Secretary of Defense, told CNN. The Hellfire strike, he added, was "a very successful tactical operation."
The al-Harethi operation also marked a dramatic escalation of the American war on terrorism. For more than a generation, state-endorsed assassination has been anathema in the United States. In 1975, after revelations of C.I.A. efforts in the nineteen-sixties to kill Fidel Castro and other hostile foreign leaders, a Senate committee led by Frank Church concluded that such plotting "violates moral precepts fundamental to our way of life. . . . We reject absolutely any notion that the United States should justify its actions by the standards of totalitarians. . . . Of course, we must defend our democracy. But in defending it, we must resist undermining the very virtues we are defending." In 1976, President Gerald Ford signed an executive order banning political assassination, and that order remains in force.
In the aftermath of September 11th, however, the targeting and killing of individual Al Qaeda members without juridical process has come to be seen within the Bush Administration as justifiable military action in a new kind of war, involving international terrorist organizations and unstable states. Defense Department lawyers have concluded that the killing of selected individuals would not be illegal under the Army's Law of War if the targets were "combatant forces of another nation, a guerrilla force, or a terrorist or other organization whose actions pose a threat to the security of the United States."
On July 22nd, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld issued a secret directive ordering Air Force General Charles Holland, the four-star commander of Special Operations, "to develop a plan to find and deal with members of terrorist organizations." He added, "The objective is to capture terrorists for interrogation or, if necessary, to kill them, not simply to arrest them in a law-enforcement exercise." The manhunt would be global in its reach, Rumsfeld wrote, and Holland was to cut through the Pentagon bureaucracy and process deployment orders "in minutes and hours, not days and weeks."
When I asked Rumsfeld's office for comment, I was referred to a December 3rd press briefing in which the Defense Secretary had been questioned about the Pentagon's policy on the use of the Predator "to assassinate or to kill an Al Qaeda." Rumsfeld initially responded with a characteristic joke: "I'm working my way over to figuring out how I won't answer that." He then turned serious, and said that the policy "is what you all know it to be. There is really no mystery to it. We recruit, organize, train, equip, and deploy young men and women, in uniform, to go out and serve as members of our military. They are not trained to do the word you used"—assassinate—"which I won't even repeat. That is not what they're trained to do. They are trained to serve the country and to contribute to peace and stability in the world."
Nonetheless, many past and present military and intelligence officials have expressed alarm at the Pentagon policy about targeting Al Qaeda members. Their concerns have less to do with the legality of the program than with its wisdom, its ethics, and, ultimately, its efficacy. Some of the most heated criticism comes from within the Special Forces.
Rumsfeld began complaining to his deputies about General Holland's caution soon after September 11th. A few days after the attacks, he asked Holland to compile a list of terrorist targets for immediate retaliation. Holland returned two weeks later with four possible targets—suspected Islamic-fundamentalist redoubts in Somalia, Mauritania, the Philippines, and the Triple Frontier, the point where Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina meet. But the General also told Rumsfeld that an immediate attack wasn't possible, because the military did not have "actionable intelligence" on the proposed targets, according to a defense consultant. The retaliation would have to wait until the war in Afghanistan got under way. The Defense Secretary was not pleased. In the following months, "actionable intelligence" became a derisive catchphrase among civilian Pentagon officials, and Rumsfeld and his aides spoke of Holland's case of "the Slows," the complaint President Lincoln made before relieving General George McClellan of his Union Army command.
Some senior officers attached to the Joint Chiefs of Staff have argued that Rumsfeld's plans would turn the military's most élite forces, the Special Operations Command—which includes the Navy's SEALs and the Army's Delta Force—and the United States government's secret undercover team, known as Gray Fox, into hunter-killer teams. Currently, these forces train heavily in a wide range of specialties, among them strategic reconnaissance, direct action, unconventional warfare, and psychological operations. (Units of Delta Force and Gray Fox are now deployed in the Gulf region.) Questions of turf are involved. A defense consultant who has maintained close ties to the Special Forces said, "There is concern that emphasis on a target list will turn the Special Operations Forces into a counter-terror force and atrophy other attributes."
"They want to turn these guys into assassins," a former high-level intelligence officer told me. "They want to go on rumors—not facts—and go for political effect, and that's what the Special Forces Command is really afraid of. Rummy is saying that politics is bigger than war, and we need to take guys out for political effect: 'You have to kill Goebbels to get to Hitler.' " With regard to Rumsfeld, he added, "The military is saying, 'Who is this guy?' There's a major clash of wills as to what is the future of Special Forces."
A senior Administration official acknowledged that Rumsfeld's plans for Special Operations run "counter to conventional military doctrine." He may succeed, nevertheless, the official said, because the senior military leadership suffers from a lack of will. The official noted that Rumsfeld was able to get what he wanted in large measure because he made it a personal issue. "He's the strangest guy I've ever run into," the official said. "He doesn't delegate."
Speaking to journalists in September about the uses of preëmptive military actions in Iraq and elsewhere, Rumsfeld said, "We all would like perfection; we'd like all the dots connected for us with a ribbon wrapped around it." Americans, he added, "want evidence beyond a reasonable doubt. You want to be able to be certain that you know before anyone's punished." But, he continued, "this isn't punishment. We've got the wrong model in our minds if we're thinking about punishment. We're not. This isn't retaliation or retribution."
In internal Defense Department memos, Rumsfeld and the civilian officials close to him laid out the case for a new approach to the war on terrorism, one that would rely, in part, on the killing of selected individuals. The documents reflect their skepticism toward the generals and admirals who run the armed forces. One paper noted, "The worst way to organize for the manhunt . . . is to have it planned in the Pentagon. . . . Our prerequisite of perfection for 'actionable intelligence' has paralyzed us." In another paper Rumsfeld was told, "We 'over-plan' for every contingency. . . . This denies us the agility and tactical surprise so necessary for manhunts, snatches, and retribution raids. We must be willing to accept the risks associated with a smaller footprint."
The paper urged the Secretary to "ensure that the military leadership understands fully the cultural change you seek." The manhunting teams must be kept "small and agile," the paper noted, and "must be able to operate clandestinely, using a full range of official and non-official cover arrangements to travel and to enter countries surreptitiously."
At a press conference in September, one journalist noted the military's growing involvement in police and intelligence activities inside Afghanistan, and asked Rumsfeld whether tracking down Al Qaeda was still the mission. "Well, a manhunt is certainly not what the armed forces of the United States are organized, trained, and equipped to do," Rumsfeld answered. "We may have to learn to do that, and we are indeed learning to do it." Paul Wolfowitz, in a discussion of future military operations during an interview with Bill Keller in the New York Times Magazine, in September, also noted obliquely that "maybe somewhere along the way we should have a volunteer force that is specifically volunteering for missions other than defending the country." Wolfowitz's idea was characterized by Keller as "the opposite of the Peace Corps, you might say."
The Hellfire attack in Yemen was applauded by many Americans, and also by the media, as progress in the war against terrorism. There were only a few public complaints. Anna Lindh, the Swedish foreign minister, declared that the American military attack, even with Yemeni approval, "is nevertheless a summary execution that violates human rights." She added, "Even terrorists must be treated according to international law. Otherwise, any country can start executing those whom they consider terrorists." Amnesty International also questioned "the deliberate killing of suspects in lieu of arrest, in circumstances in which they did not pose an immediate threat."
However, even American legal experts who were critical of the attacks did not challenge their legality. "It's not a question of law," Michael Glennon, a professor of international law at Tufts University, said. "It's a matter of policy. Is it wise? Do such attacks increase the possibility of retaliation at home and abroad on the American political and military leadership?" A similar point was made by Philip Heymann, a professor at Harvard Law School. "I don't think Richard Nixon signed the treaty outlawing biological warfare just because he had a deep aversion to biologicals," Heymann told me. "He signed it because it was against U.S. national interests to have a lot of little guys running around with biological agents that could not be deterred by our nuclear arsenal. Assassination is in the same ballpark—it doesn't take much to assassinate a U.S. Secretary of State or another Cabinet member." The American goal, he added, should be to outlaw "any weapon that even a small country can use against the big guys." Jeffrey H. Smith, a West Point graduate who served as the C.I.A.'s general counsel during the Clinton Administration, said, "I'm not opposed to shooting people, but it ought to be a last resort. If they're dead, they're not talking to you, and you create more martyrs."
Other military officials I spoke with had similar concerns. "You might be able to pull it off for five or six months," a Pentagon consultant said. "We've created a culture in the Special Forces—twenty- and twenty-one-year-olds who need adult leadership. They're assuming you've got legal authority, and they'll do it"— eagerly eliminate any target assigned to them. Eventually, the intelligence will be bad, he said, and innocent people will be killed. "And then they'll get hung." As for Rumsfeld and his deputies, he said, "These guys will overextend themselves, and they'll self-destruct."
A fatal mistake involving the Predator is known to have taken place at least once before, in Afghanistan. In February, C.I.A. officers and officers attached to the U.S. Central Command watched as a Predator, thousands of feet above ground, captured images of a very tall man being greeted effusively, or so it seemed, by a small group of colleagues. It was quickly agreed that the tall man could be Osama bin Laden, and a request was made through the chain of command to launch a Hellfire. Minutes went by before permission was granted. By then, the men on the ground had disbanded and, shortly afterward, the Predator captured what seemed to be the tall man and two others emerging from a wooded area.The Hellfire was launched, and devastated the area, killing three people—a terrible scene vividly depicted by the Predator's infrared cameras. Journalists later reported that the victims were three local men who had been scavenging in the woods for scrap metal.
One recently retired Special Forces operative, a colonel who served on high-level planning staffs at the Pentagon, warned that the civilians running the Pentagon are no longer trying to "avoid the gray area." He went on, "It is not unlawful, but ethics is about what we ought to do in our position as the most powerful country in human history. Strategic deception plans, global assassinations done by the military—all will define who we are and what we want to become as a nation. Unintended consequences are huge." He added, "The perception of a global vigilante force knocking off the enemies of the United States cannot be controlled by any strategic deception plan."
The military's previous experience with assassination programs suggests some of the difficulties involved. In the late nineteen-sixties, during the Vietnam War, American Special Forces units worked with the C.I.A. in what became known as the Phoenix Program. The program started small: targets believed to be working for the North—based on intelligence from informers—were culled, one by one, from South Vietnamese hamlets. By 1970, the program had mushroomed: more than eight thousand suspected Communist sympathizers were assassinated in that year alone. The military command began setting high quotas for targets to be eliminated or neutralized. Subsequent investigations determined that some of the victims had been put on target lists by South Vietnamese officials not because of their political beliefs but for personal reasons—to erase a gambling debt, for example, or to resolve a family quarrel. "The whole thing just kind of slid in one direction," Patrick McGarvey, a C.I.A. agent who had been involved in the program, explained to me in an interview in 1971. "I mean, you can't prove that anybody ever said, 'O.K., we're going to go out and start killing people,' because it just started happening." That year, Congress was told by William E. Colby, the C.I.A. official who ran the Phoenix Program (and later became the director of the C.I.A.), that the early days of the operation had been a "wild and unstable period and a lot of things were done that should not have been done."
A Pentagon adviser who worked closely with the Rumsfeld team vigorously defended its position, saying, "We have a peacetime military leadership that was Clintonized. And now we're in a war that it doesn't understand. What Rumsfeld wants them to do is to fight it differently, but his way makes most of our senior military leadership's understanding of war fighting irrelevant. He is saying to the military leadership, 'You don't have the answers,' and they don't want to hear that. The argument that Rumsfeld is mean to the chiefs and treats them poorly is, I think, a political operation to make him look like a hip shooter."
Rumsfeld's purpose in authorizing a high-value list of terrorists, the adviser said, is "obviously to go after the command structure of Al Qaeda." He went on, "Capture them? You would if you could. But suppose you had isolated an Al Qaeda group in the Bekaa Valley"—in Lebanon. "It would be hard to capture them." Taking them into custody would probably require ground forces and a major firefight; eliminating them, on the other hand, requires only a Hellfire missile. Referring to criticism of Rumsfeld's insistence on targeting individual Al Qaeda members, the adviser said, "I know you've been getting this from the Joint Staff. Some of the snake eaters in Special Forces are against it, too. Of course, I've heard this—'It's not American'—from the military leadership. But it's not because of legality. It's because they don't want to do it." He added, "The idea of not wanting to go after the senior leadership of a paramilitary group that has declared war on you is such a perversion that it's mind-boggling. The problem of a peacetime military is that they cannot conceive of doing what they are paid to do. 'Going after the leadership of Al Qaeda—that's a serious problem.' My God!"
Earlier this year, the adviser went on, Rumsfeld proposed that the Special Operations Command be made a "global command" and that it become the dominant agency for all military antiterrorist activities worldwide. Far from seizing the opportunity to be aggressive and "leaning forward," General Holland, the Special Operations commander, "didn't want to do it," the adviser said. He said that civilians in the Defense Department are now convinced that "there are few four-stars leaning forward in the Special Operations Command." The adviser added, "We'll have to have a dirty nuke go off to realize how serious this is." What's needed, he said, is a reassessment of all the senior generals and admirals who rose to the top during the Clinton Presidency. "We need to find some more fighting generals."
Rumsfeld, in addition to his conflicts with the military, began what amounted to a public fight with the C.I.A. this fall, over the agency's inability to document significant direct ties between Al Qaeda and Iraq. It was widely reported that Rumsfeld had set up an alternative intelligence-analysis shop under Douglas J. Feith, the Under-Secretary of Defense for Policy. Part of Feith's mission was to find evidence of a link between Al Qaeda and Iraq. Feith also oversees the vaguely named Office of Special Plans, which is directed by William J. Luti, and is the center of some of the most aggressive strategizing taking place in the Pentagon today.
"Feith and Luti see everybody not one hundred per cent with them as one hundred per cent against them—it's a very Manichaean world," a defense consultant said. A former high-level intelligence officer told me, "Rumsfeld's got to discredit the C.I.A.'s analyses to make his intelligence more reliable." Another former C.I.A. officer said that Rumsfeld "wants his own G.R.U."—a reference to the former Soviet military intelligence agency. "He does not want to be dependent on the C.I.A. for intelligence to prepare the battlefield for his troops."
One recommendation to Rumsfeld called for restructuring Special Operations as a specific agency under the personal command of the Defense Secretary. The new agency, which would have to be approved by Congress, would take orders only from the Secretary and thus, the memorandum to Rumsfeld said, overcome internal bureaucratic inertia "to implement the changes you want."
One of Rumsfeld's goals has been to give the Pentagon the capability to carry out the kind of clandestine operations that have traditionally been left to the C.I.A. Rumsfeld and his senior staff are known to be disenchanted with the C.I.A.'s director, George Tenet. The C.I.A., in turn, a former C.I.A. official said, is "very nervous about what's going on that they don't know about." In fact, he added, "They're absolutely terrified." (However, one Pentagon consultant told me, with regard to the C.I.A., that "George Tenet has tried to make that organization do more than it's capable of doing. At least he knows we're at war.")
Internal Pentagon memorandums include scathing commentary on the intelligence community. In one, the Secretary was urged to keep the Gray Fox unit "out of the hands" of the intelligence community. The paper noted, "Alone, of all organizations within DoD, Gray Fox has the potential, if nurtured, to fight the kind of war the Secretary envisions fighting. . . . Let the intel people get their hooks into Gray Fox and intel will then control what operations can and cannot do."
Rumsfeld's ability to get his way both with the President, who has supported him, and within the defense establishment provokes awe inside the Pentagon. Commenting on Rumsfeld's influence over the Defense Intelligence Agency, which coördinates and analyzes all military intelligence, one former senior official said, "If it became known that Rummy wanted them to link the government of Tonga to 9/11, within a few months they would come up with sources who'd do it."
In recent months, some of Rumsfeld's most trusted aides have staged private meetings with past and present military and intelligence officials to discuss the expanding war on terrorism. "There are five hundred guys out there you have to kill," a former C.I.A. official said. "There's no way to sugarcoat it—you just have to kill them. And you can't always be one hundred per cent sure of the intelligence. Sometimes you have to settle for ninety-five per cent."
The reality remains that action causes reaction, and last month's Predator raid in Yemen was not without consequences. The Yemeni government had planned to delay an announcement of the attack until it could issue a joint statement with Washington. When American officials released the story unilaterally, in time for Election Day, the Yemenis were angry and dismayed. Yahya al-Mutawakel, the deputy secretary-general for the ruling General People's Congress Party, complained bitterly that the Administration was far too eager to talk about its success. "This is why it is so difficult to make deals with the United States," al-Mutawakel told the Christian Science Monitor. "This is why we are reluctant to work closely with them. They don't consider the internal circumstances in Yemen."
On November 29th, a powerful explosion shook government buildings in Marib province, the Yemen Times reported, leaving an unmistakable message. "This blast is more than just an explosion," a tribal sheikh told the newspaper. "It must be a message from Al Qaeda saying, 'We are here, and we can strike.' This is serious." ♦


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The Mobility and Development Opportunities are often available as fixed term, non-ongoing transfer of
vacancies that enable current APS employees to gain knowledge and skills from other
agency's business practices. For the agency who gains the employee, it resolves a recruitment need,
and the employee can provide new perspectives on existing business practices. The releasing agency
will release the participating employee if it is operationally convenient to do so. If approved, the
releasing agency receives a returning employee with enhanced experience and perspectives which they
can share within their agency.
Further information related to mobility and development is available at the relevant section of the APSC website
Employee mobility for professional development.
Below are current non-ongoing opportunities available, some of which can become mobility opportunities,
dependent upon agreement between agencies and applicants.


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Dress to get wet. A bathing suit, shorts and a t-shirt with sneakers or water shoes work well on a warm summer day. Always bring a fleece top or wool sweater, windbreaker and wool socks in case the weather turns cooler. Bring a towel and an extra set of clothing to change into after your trip. We provide paddles and personal floatation devices (PFDs). All guests using a kayak rental are required to wear their PFD at all times when on the water. Vermont State Law requires that one PFD per person be on each kayak at all times and that children under the age of 13 wear a PFD at all times.
Kayak Rentals
Trip Pictures
Highlights, Dates & Pricing
Season: May through September
Time: 10:00am - 4:30pm
Minimum Age: 7 for double 10 for single
$45 per person plus taxes for single kayak rental $75 plus taxes for double kayak rental. $8 optional shuttle fee per person.
Single Kayak Max Weight: 250lbs
Double Kayak Max Weight: 500lbs
We are happy to accommodate walk-in rentals whenever we have availability. If you would like to check before coming into our store, feel free to call or use the reservations widget to check online. In order to guarantee your rental on a specific date, we strongly recommend you book ahead of time.
Trip Info
Head out on the water with Zoar Adventure Center's light touring kayaks to explore the lakes of Southern Vermont. These kayaks provide a smooth kayaking experience for both novice and experienced paddlers. Take the whole day to paddle for miles, or go out for a more leisurely adventure on the water. Whatever your plans for the day, our touring kayaks will help make them a reality.
We provide you with a kayak, paddle, and personal flotation device for the price of the rental. For an additional per-person charge of $8, we also provide a shuttle service to and from the water.
Kayak rentals are based out of our Zoar Adventure Center in Wilmington, VT.
"Beautiful kayaks! And the shuttle service made it super easy to get to and from the shop to a beautiful spot on the lake. Will definitely be back. Highly recommend!" - Sydney M.
"We had a blast!! The people are super helpful and make it a great experience! We will definitely be back. Thank you!" - Cathryn W.
"The employees were professional and very knowledgeable about the area. They all went above and beyond to ensure our experience was hassle free and we were able to get the most time out of our day." - Brian G


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Stars: 5 out of 5
Pros: Fun characters in a great story
Cons: Nothing worth dwelling on
The Bottom Line:
Granny and Emma
Solve the forty year old death
Of bathing beauty
Itsy-Bitsy Teeny-Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Ghost Bikini
I tend to avoid the paranormal cozies that seem to be extremely popular right now. I just don't have the time for all the books I want to read, so it's an easy area to ignore. But when an author I love writes them, I have to at least give them a chance. That's how I got hooked on Sue Ann Jaffarian's Ghost of Granny Apples series. The second book in the series, Ghost in the Polka Dot Bikini, just came out, and it's as fun as the first one was.
In the first book in the series, Emma Whitecastle discovered that she can communicate with ghosts when her great-great-great grandmother, Ish Reynolds, also known as Granny Apples, appeared and asked Emma to solve her murder. Naturally, that took up the rest of the first book. This one picks up later and tells the further adventures of this unlikely duo.
Emma and her boyfriend Phil Bowers are spending a nice romantic Thanksgiving on
Catalina Island. Unfortunately, their weekend is cut short
when Emma sees the young, bikini clad ghost of Tessa North playing in the
waves. The young woman seems to be
confused about whether she is dead or not, but either way she insists that she
can't leave the beach because Curtis is going to come back for her.
Emma feels for Tessa, so she begins to look into the woman's life. She quickly determines that in life Tessa was a young actress who vanished not too long after bobby Kennedy was assassinated in 1968. As the investigation begins to hit closer to home, Emma feels compelled to find out exactly what happened to Tessa. But does she really want to know the truth?
It's been about a year and a half since the first in the series came out, and I must admit I was a little hazy on the characters. Fortunately, they were reintroduced well, so in no time at all, I felt like I was back among friends. All the characters, living and ghostly, were well developed. Granny Apples is easily my favorite character since she is such a wonderful contradiction, living partly in her time period but getting hooked on modern sports teams and shows. Emma is a nice, level headed main character, and I enjoyed spending time with her again. And the new characters were just as well developed as the series regulars.
The plot starts out quickly and gives us a rather huge mystery to solve. That mystery leads to secrets and twists and kept me turning pages. At one point, things seemed to get a little stuck, but just as I was thinking that, the plot jumped started again in a big way. The climax was logical and in some ways heart breaking. But it didn't feel out of place alongside some of the lighter moments earlier in the book.
The writing was great as well, letting me get lost in the story, turning pages as quickly as I could read them. I was done all too soon and now must wait for the next adventure in this series.
Ghost in the Polka Dot Bikini is another fun, ghostly adventure that will please anyone who enjoys paranormal cozy mysteries. If that's you, you owe it to yourself to give this fun series a chance.
And you'll enjoy it most by reading the Ghost of Granny Apples Mysteries in order.
And you'll enjoy it most by reading the Ghost of Granny Apples Mysteries in order.


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4000 Oran Gulf Road, Pompey, NY 13104 US Syracuse Home for Sale
4000 Oran Gulf Road, Pompey
Property Details
Listing Information
- Bedrooms: 4
- Baths: 2
- Partial Baths: 1
- Lot Size: 2.72
- Style: Colonial,Transitional
- Garage: 2
- Schools: Fayetteville-Manlius
More Information
Property Description
This spacious, 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath, 3,000 sq ft Colonial home is perfectly situated on a 2.7 acre lot with magnificent views and no neighbors behind for maximum privacy. Secluded in the Fayetteville-Manlius school district yet close to schools, parks, shopping, and all major highways. The first floor features an open foyer, a formal living and dining room, an office, a family room with a fireplace, an eat-in kitchen with abundant cabinet and counter space, a 1st floor laundry, and a half bath. Hardwood floors fill the living space. The second floor provides new carpeting, a master bedroom and bath, another full bath, and 3 other good sized bedrooms. The exterior offers a deck, a gazebo, an over sized driveway, covered front porch, a side load 2.5 car garage. Call today!
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Hi all,
I created a project template for designs needing ESP32 to ESP32 communication - for example a smart glove to control RC car directly with no external smartphon or PC software .
Here are some project features:
a) separate task to maintain Wi-Fi connection - if Wi-Fi network is gone, ESP32 is trying to connect next Wi-Fi access point. You can hardcode many different Wi-Fi network credentials to allow your project work in different locations with no reprogramming.
b) auto-recovery - if one of ESP32s is temporary gone, after power on it reconnects to second ESP32. It is realised thanks to ping mechanism.
c) it works both in LAN and over the internet - with no static IP addresses, forwarding ports on routers etc.
I tried to keep it simple to make it an easy to modify base for future projects.
The whole description is at hackster.io: https://www.hackster.io/donowak/esp32-t ... net-9799df .
I hope you will like it and I really appreciate your feedback!
ESP32 to ESP32 Communication Over the Internet
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Thanks to all who contributed to the filling and packaging of our College Connection care packages. Zion will make the day of 24 Zion college students and one who is serving in the military – all of whom are away from home! Special thanks to Lori Prussack, and Kerri Bataille for all their efforts. Our next "College Connection" will be in February, 2018, and if you would like to help or can sponsor a Thrivent Action Team grant for the shipping, please contact Kerri at [email protected], or Laura in the office.
College Connection Care Packages
Categories: Parish Life,Youth


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Latest news
The VW Santa Run returns for its fifth year
Over 100 Volkswagen vehicles will be arriving at Southampton Children's Hospital for their fifth annual New Forest Santa Run this Sunday (26 November).
The event will have both classic and custom VWs participating in the Santa Run; from split-screens, Beetles, buggies, Golfs and caddies to T4s and T5s, and will start from Beaulieu Motor Museum.
They will then be taking toys and craft items to the Piam Brown Unit at Southampton Children's Hospital. This is the Wessex regional cancer unit catering for children from birth to 16 years old treating all forms of cancer.
Rachel Funnell, charity coordinator comments: "We are thrilled that the New Forest Dub Club are supporting us again this year. This event just keeps growing year after year, and the entrance of all of the VW vehicles is such a spectacular scene.
Every year the unit sees over 100 new families, so for those who need treatment throughout December and over the festive period, this means we can give them a present through Southampton Children's Hospital Charity, to help brighten their day."
Further details about gifts and presents for patients of all ages can be found on our website.


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Peppers in the Garden
So what's new with the peppers in the garden? We've had a cold winter here in South Florida, which has affected the peppers (sweet and chile). However, the days are warming, and hopefully we won't have any more nights in the 30's!
So what's with the peppers in the garden — and what about another pepper germination update? Here goes!
What's in the Garden?
The biggest plant by far is my (oldest) jalapeno. Even though I have it growing in a 5-gallon container, it looks pretty happy, and already I see tiny peppers being born!
The plant most unhappy is a tie between my Thai Hot and a generic yellow bell. Both have gone through some mighty cold weather that the jalapeno didn't, and they are both showing stress. However, the yellow bell does have one pepper on it, and it starting to sprout more leaves, so maybe it's turning the corner. The Thai Hot has had a lot of flowers, but so far no peppers.
Some of the peppers that are just humming right along are Anconcagua, Park's Whopper (a sweet banana type) and Corno di Toro. Also doing well are Pretty Purple Pepper and Purira (both chile peppers).
What's in Staging?
My staging area is for plants that are too big to be inside anymore, but still a little too small to be in the garden proper. I have them in 1-gallon pots in a spot that gets about 6 hours of sun a day.
So here's what's in staging:
- Bhut Jolokia (one of the hottest pepper in the world).
- Cambuci Hot (2)
- Sweet Pickle (1)
- Redskin (2)
- Nardello Sweet (2)
- Mini Belle (2)
I had two Bhut Jolokia plants, but one of them I think I put out in staging a little too soon — it kind of melted away. The larger of the two seedlings seems to be doing fine, though.
Waiting in the Wings
I have a few more Redskin, Sweet Pickle and one Mustard Habanero. For some reason, the other one failed to "take" after it sprouted. This one waiting in the wings has taken it's own sweet time, and it will still be another week or two away from moving out to staging.
If you're wondering about the Peter Pepper I mentioned in my last report, alas, the peppers didn't make it. They sprouted, but never grew strong enough to shake off the seed coat. I'll try again sometime later this year.
Upcoming Chile Peppers
I've got some more chili pepper seeds that I'll be planting over the next few weeks. They include:
- Datil
- Fish Pepper
- Early Scotch Bonnet
- Aurora
- Purple Jalapeno
- Jaloro (a yellow jalapeno)
Still debating on if I should plant some Starburst, Medusa and Riot. All three are chile peppers, but more ornamental than for eating. I probably will, seeing as the front garden (which faces the street) could use some color.
I'll go out and take some photos in the next week, so you can see how pretty the large jalapeno is. Pretty Purple Pepper is also neat, as it has varigated foliage.
Meanwhile — gotta take care of the peppers! Which brings me to ask — what are you growing, or planning to grow?
Germinating Pepper Seeds, Update
It's been just over a week since I planted my latest batch of pepper seeds, both hot and sweet. So what's sprouting already?
And the Winner Is…
Corno di Toro, a sweet pepper, was first out of the gate at 5 days. However, of the two seeds I've planted, only one has shown up yet. On the other hand, I planted two different strains (confused yet?). At any rate, the red Corno di Toro is the clear winner.
Jalapeno M was the second to sprout at 6 days, with both seeds coming on up. Jalapeno M was closely followed by Cambuci Hot, about a half day behind.
The next two sprouted at nearly the same time — Nardello Sweet and [nmslink:mini belle pepper seed, Mini Belle].
And finally this morning — Mustard Habanero. Wow, a super-hot pepper in 7.5 days — amazing.
I'm Waiting On
Some "hotties" — Hot-Banero, Peter Pepper and Bhut Jolokia. Also lagging are two more jalapenos — Jaloro and Tam Jalapeno. Brazillian Rainbow is also nowhere to be seen yet. I know — patience! And considering 10 to 21 days is the usual for hot chile peppers, it's great that some have already shown their faces (er, leaves). Yes, the seed germination mat I talked about does work well, shaving days off the sprouting.
Thinking About a Transplant
Purira pepper (quite hot) is growing very strong and looks like it will need its final transplant before going outside to harden off for the garden in the next few days. Seeing as I did its first transplant early last week, this one appears to be a winner!
Other pepper seeds that need their final transplants before hardening off include Redskin, Anconcagua and the last of the sweet banana peppers. For Sweet Pickle I just did its first transplant on Saturday, and it appears that it will need its second transplant this weekend — wow, that was fast!
More Seeds?
I think I'll take a short break, since I have at least 20 pepper plants at the moment, not counting the ones that are just now sprouting. Come the middle of April, it will be time to start thinking about my late Summer wave. I'm planning on the following peppers for then: Datil, Tennessee Teardrop, Ring of Fire, Yellow Cayenne and [nmslink:scotch bonnet pepper seeds, Scotch Bonnet]. On the cooler side it will be more Sweet Banana, along with Anconcagua and probably Nardello Sweet. Perhaps Mini Belle again, if small bell peppers work well for me.
Have You Planted Your Seeds Yet?
I know, it's been a cold winter, and for many of you, putting pepper plants into the garden is many months away. But for you folks in zones 8, 9 and 10 — it's pepper "prime time". Get planting!
P.S. — it's a few hours later and both my Corno di Toro, both Cambuci and both Mustard Habaneros are up. Even Peter Pepper is starting to break through! What a difference a few hours can make. 🙂


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Last month, Netflix and Comcast announced that they have come to an arrangement that should ensure quality television and movie streams for Comcast customers for the foreseeable future.
Here are the basics: Netflix will pay Comcast an undisclosed sum, and in exchange Comcast will connect directly to Netflix's servers, improving streaming quality for all Netflix content.
In our guide to understanding the agreement, we noted that the deal wasn't really about net neutrality.
Apparently, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings doesn't agree with that assessment.
In a post on Netflix's blog, Hastings today argues that the "weak net neutrality" we have today isn't sufficient for protecting an open, competitive Internet. Here's Reed's argument for a "stronger" net neutrality:
"Strong net neutrality additionally prevents ISPs from charging a toll for interconnection to services like Netflix, YouTube, or Skype, or intermediaries such as Cogent, Akamai or Level 3, to deliver the services and data requested by ISP residential subscribers. Instead, they must provide sufficient access to their network without charge. "
Here, Hastings is a referring to the situation that led up to the Netflix-Comcast agreement. Comcast wouldn't hook up their data centers directly to Netflix, so Netflix had to pay an intermediary — Cogent — to connect to Comcast for them.
Cogent and Comcast had a deal where Comcast would accept traffic from Cogent for free, and Cogent would help Comcast customers get to other parts of the web faster for free. This is a standard industry practice, and went smoothly until Netflix traffic made the flow of bits between the two a bit too one-sided. That's when Comcast said Netflix (or Cogent, which could then charge more to Netflix) had to pay up.
Why does Hastings think that Netflix shouldn't have to pay?
"ISPs sometimes point to data showing that Netflix members account for about 30% of peak residential Internet traffic, so the ISPs want us to share in their costs. But they don't also offer for Netflix or similar services to share in the ISPs revenue, so cost-sharing makes no sense. When an ISP sells a consumer a 10 or 50 megabits-per-second Internet package, the consumer should get that rate, no matter where the data is coming from. "
The idea that cable companies should pay for infrastructure improvements themselves because their job is to simply offer a pipe for content is appealing, but Hastings' argument that cost-sharing isn't fair doesn't hold up to the simple fact that Netflix's streaming business wouldn't exist at all without the infrastructure provided by cable companies like Comcast.
Here's the full text of Hastings' blog post:
The Internet is improving lives everywhere – democratizing access to ideas, services and goods. To ensure the Internet remains humanity's most important platform for progress, net neutrality must be defended and strengthened.
The essence of net neutrality is that ISPs such as AT&T and Comcast don't restrict, influence or otherwise meddle with the choices consumers make. The traditional form of net neutrality which was recently overturned by a Verizon lawsuit is important, but insufficient.
This weak net neutrality isn't enough to protect an open, competitive Internet; a stronger form of net neutrality is required. Strong net neutrality additionally prevents ISPs from charging a toll for interconnection to services like Netflix, YouTube, or Skype, or intermediaries such as Cogent, Akamai or Level 3, to deliver the services and data requested by ISP residential subscribers. Instead, they must provide sufficient access to their network without charge.
Some major ISPs, like Cablevision, already practice strong net neutrality and for their broadband subscribers, the quality of Netflix and other streaming services is outstanding. But on other big ISPs, due to a lack of sufficient interconnectivity, Netflix performance has been constrained, subjecting consumers who pay a lot of money for high-speed Internet to high buffering rates, long wait times and poor video quality. A recent Wall Street Journal article chronicled this degradation using our public data.
Once Netflix agrees to pay the ISP interconnection fees, however, sufficient capacity is made available and high quality service for consumers is restored. If this kind of leverage is effective against Netflix, which is pretty large, imagine the plight of smaller services today and in the future. Roughly the same arbitrary tax is demanded from the intermediaries such as Cogent and Level 3, who supply millions of websites with connectivity, leading to apoor consumer experience.
Without strong net neutrality, big ISPs can demand potentially escalating fees for the interconnection required to deliver high quality service. The big ISPs can make these demands -- driving up costs and prices for everyone else -- because of their market position. For any given U.S. household, there is often only one or two choices for getting high-speed Internet* access and that's unlikely to change. Furthermore, Internet access is often bundled with other services making it challenging to switch ISPs. It is this lack of consumer choice that leads to the need for strong net neutrality.
Netflix believes strong net neutrality is critical, but in the near term we will in cases pay the toll to the powerful ISPs to protect our consumer experience. When we do so, we don't pay for priority access against competitors, just for interconnection. A few weeks ago, we agreed to pay Comcast and our members are now getting a good experience again. Comcast has been an industry leader in supporting weak net neutrality, and we hope they'll support strong net neutrality as well.
ISPs sometimes point to data showing that Netflix members account for about 30% of peak residential Internet traffic, so the ISPs want us to share in their costs. But they don't also offer for Netflix or similar services to share in the ISPs revenue, so cost-sharing makes no sense. When an ISP sells a consumer a 10 or 50 megabits-per-second Internet package, the consumer should get that rate, no matter where the data is coming from.
Some ISPs say that Netflix is unilaterally "dumping as much volume" (Verizon CFO) as it wants onto their networks. Netflix isn't "dumping" data; it's satisfying requests made by ISP customers who pay a lot of money for high speed Internet. Netflix doesn't send data unless members request a movie or TV show.
Interestingly, there is one special case where no-fee interconnection is embraced by the big ISPs -- when they are connecting among themselves. They argue this is because roughly the same amount of data comes and goes between their networks. But when we ask them if we too would qualify for no-fee interconnect if we changed our service to upload as much data as we download** -- thus filling their upstream networks and nearly doubling our total traffic -- there is an uncomfortable silence. That's because the ISP argument isn't sensible. Big ISPs aren't paying money to services like online backup that generate more upstream than downstream traffic. Data direction, in other words, has nothing to do with costs.
ISPs around the world are investing in high-speed Internet and most already practice strong net neutrality. With strong net neutrality, new services requiring high-speed Internet can emerge and become popular, spurring even more demand for the lucrative high-speed packages ISPs offer. With strong net neutrality, everyone avoids the kind of brinkmanship over blackouts that plague the cable industry and harms consumers. As the Wall Street Journal chart shows, we're already getting to the brownout stage. Consumers deserve better.
Some big ISPs are extracting a toll because they can -- they effectively control access to millions of consumers and are willing to sacrifice the interests of their own customers to press Netflix and others to pay. Though they have the scale and power to do this, they should realize it is in their long term interest to back strong net neutrality. While in the short term Netflix will in cases reluctantly pay large ISPs to ensure a high quality member experience, we will continue to fight for the Internet the world needs and deserves.
Here's Comcast's official response:
"There has been no company that has had a stronger commitment to openness of the Internet than Comcast. We supported the FCC's Open Internet rules because they struck the appropriate balance between consumer protection and reasonable network management rights for ISPs. We are now the only ISP in the country that is bound by them.
"The Open Internet rules never were designed to deal with peering and Internet interconnection, which have been an essential part of the growth of the Internet for two decades. Providers like Netflix have always paid for their interconnection to the Internet and have always had ample options to ensure that their customers receive an optimal performance through all ISPs at a fair price. We are happy that Comcast and Netflix were able to reach an amicable, market-based solution to our interconnection issues and believe that our agreement demonstrates the effectiveness of the market as a mechanism to deal with these matters."


text: Support and Guidance The MU is here to offer support and guidance if you face sexual harassment, discrimination or abuse at work. If you are an employed or self-employed musician, regardless of which part of the industry you work in, you can talk to us. Contact your Regional Office for advice and assistance. Every office has at least one female member of staff. If you would prefer to speak to a female member of staff, you can ask to do so at any point. All calls will be treated in the strictest confidence and no action will be taken on your behalf without your prior consent. MU SafeSpace We have set up an email account – firstname.lastname@example.com – to provide a safe space for all musicians to share instances of sexism, sexual harassment and sexual abuse that have occurred in the music industry. All emails are treated in the strictest confidence and no action will be taken on your behalf without your prior consent. Music Sector Code of Practice Together with the ISM, we've launched a joint code of practice to help eradicate bullying, harrassment and discrimination in the music sector. Sign up to support the code by emailing firstname.lastname@example.com. View the list of organisations who are already supporting the ISM-MU code of practice. Further help If you have been a victim of sexual abuse, we would encourage you to speak to one of the following organisations. They can provide support such as counselling and signposting of specific services to assist you in recovery and advise on reporting the incident to the police should you choose to: Sexual Assault Referral Centre – dial 111 to find the nearest Sexual Assault Referral Centre. They can provide immediate support and advice, including medical examinations and tests, and will not go to the police until you decide if you want to or not. Rape Crisis Victim Support - 08 08 16 89 111 Galop (LGBT+) – 0207 704 2040 Survivors UK (men) Naomi Pohl, Musicians' Union (MU) Assistant General Secretary, says: "Over the years we have dealt with many individual cases, but this is the first time we have glimpsed the true scale of the problem faced by women working in music. It's horrific to see how much has been tolerated or dismissed as part and parcel of the job. Let's hope this is the beginning of real change. "Traditionally, the MU is approached when harassment or discrimination occurs in an employment situation or when it has affected a musician's ability to get work. This might be an advert calling for attractive female violinists, for example, or an inappropriate dress policy, or where someone has suffered sustained harassment in a place of employment and wants to put in a grievance. "I would like to re-assure members that we can offer advice if sexual harassment, abuse or exploitation occurs in any aspect of their career in music. Our advice and support is here for freelancers as well as employed musicians. "If you have suffered inappropriate behaviour in the workplace, of any kind, please get in touch and we will listen."


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Oreo Popcorn Recipe
Oreo Popcorn
- 2 standard size bags microwave popcorn, popped (I used butter flavored popcorn)
- 1 package Wilton Orange Candy Melts
- 10 Oreos, crushed (I used Halloween Oreos)
- sprinkles
- Place popped popcorn into a large bowl.
- Melt candy melts according to package directions, then pour over popcorn using a rubber spatula to coat.
- Crumble Oreos over top of popcorn and sprinkle with tons of festive sprinkles.
- Break into pieces, and store in air tight container or wrap in cellophane.


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Christmas had come slightly early to First Monday Crime last night with not one, but two fabulous panels in the very festive Brown's Courtroom. Kicking off was Mark Billingham, Paula Daly and debut author, Corrie Jackson talking to Barry Forshaw.
Barry asked the authors to describe their current books and give us some recommended reads.
Mark Billingham's current book is Die of Shame. He described it as a locked room mystery within the close circle of an addiction therapy group. It's difficult to solve because the group is bound by confidentiality and they're all liars. Mark said that everything we think we know about addiction is wrong. It has nothing to do with chemical dependence but the trauma that triggered the need in the first place. Mark's recommended reads are Deep Down Dead by Steph Broadribb (a fantastic book, you can read my review here) and Mick Herron's Jackson Lamb series.
Paula Daly's book is The Mistake I Made. How do professional people get out of debt? If you were offered enough money to get yourself out of trouble in return for spending a night with your benefactor, would you do it? Her character, Roz, has a decision to make. Her next novel, The Trophy Child is out next year and focuses on pushy parents. Her recommended reads are This Must Be The Place by Maggie O'Farrell and Lie With Me by Sabine Durrant.
Corrie Jackson's debut book is Breaking Dead, set in the fashion industry. Sophie Kent is a journalist who investigates the brutal murder of a young model. As a former fashion journalist herself, Corrie felt free to write in her book what she couldn't write in magazines. Breaking Dead shows the darker side of the industry. Her recommended reads are Tall Oaks by Chris Whittaker and The Hidden Legacy by G.J. Minett.
A question from the audience was, do you get stressed about details or do you let it go and then come back to it later?
For Corrie, she was obsessed about getting it right with book one but with her second book she just wanted to get the first draft down and then sort out any issues.
Paula has a different approach. She writes 700 words a day and makes sure that they're right before moving on.
A question for Mark – do you like writing standalones?
Yes! It helps to not get too bored and sometimes your story doesn't fit your usual main character.
The second panel had Alex Marwood, Daniel Pembrey and Yrsa Sigurdottir.
Daniel's debut novel, The Harbour Master, is set in Amsterdam (you can read my review here) and Barry's first question – how many times have you been to the Red Light District? Daniel first went with the Dutch National Crime Squad on an investigation which helped to spark ideas for his Dutch police detective, Henk van der Pol. The sequel, Night Market, is out next year.
Alex Marwood's latest book is The Darkest Secret, the dark tale of a missing 3 year old. Alex writes standalone novels and is currently writing a story about cults. She feels that this is a huge thing at the moment and that the internet is feeding into this. It's now much easier to find large groups of people who agree with you and create echo chambers.
Yrsa Sigurdottir is known as the queen of Icelandic crime writers. Her latest book is Why Did You Lie?, a standalone novel. It's a story with three interlocking plots but has one thing in common – lying. Her series protagonist is Thóra Guðmundsdóttir and although she didn't set out to create a version of herself, there are some similarities. As well as a writer, Yrsa is also an engineer. She said it's not uncommon for people to have two jobs in Iceland as they have such a small population but still have a country to run.
Final quick question – pet hates?
For Barry Forshaw – pictures of cats that are sent to him on social media.
Alex Marwood – people who don't like pictures of cats.
Yrsa Sigurdottir – no women on the board of OPEC
Daniel Pembrey – 1* reviews (although Alex Marwood secretly enjoys them – hers not Daniel's!)
So with the panels finished, the Christmas party continued over at the pub. And for me it really was my Christmas party! I'll have been writing this blog for a year in January and I've loved every minute. But it is done in relative isolation so it's always great to meet up with friends and have a chat over a drink and a cookie! First Monday Crime will be taking a well deserved break in January and will be back in February.
And I'll be back with my final blog of the year next week, with my top ten crime reads of 2016!
If you're still looking for presents to buy then maybe you'd like to buy some of the books by the authors
For Mark Billingham please click here
For Paula Daly please click here
For Corrie Jackson please click here
For Alex Marwood please click here
For Daniel Pembrey please click here
For Yrsa Sigurdottir please click here


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We all hear about responsive design. But as a marketer, sometimes we are only focused on the specific tasks, such as creating content, developing email campaigns, building links, and updating social media networks. The fact of the matter is, if you or your clients do not have a responsive design in place, then all of the online marketing strategies we implement will not bring the full potential of results.
This post will cover the points you need to make to your boss or your clients when it comes to adding responsive design into the marketing mix.
A Quick Rundown of Mobile Statistics
So how does mobile play into content, email, search, and social media marketing? Here are just a few of the stats.
- 60 percent of Internet access is made on a mobile device. (InMobi)
- 51 percent of emails are now opened on mobile devices. (Litmus)
- The majority of mobile consumers use search in the shopping process. Forty-eight percent start on search engines. (Google)
- 70 percent of mobile searches lead to action on websites within one hour. That's assuming that the website is mobile-friendly, otherwise 40 percent will choose another result. (iAcquire)
- 60 percent of social media time is spent on smartphones and tablets as opposed to desktop browsers. (Business Insider)
What do these statistics mean? They mean that every aspect of our online marketing efforts – content, email, search, and social – is affected by mobile. People are reading content, opening emails, performing searches, and engaging with brands on social media – all on their mobile devices.
If statistics do not convince you that getting mobile-friendly with responsive design is important, then hop into your Google Analytics and go to the Mobile Overview in the Audience portion. Chances are, if you do a traffic comparison between this year and last, you'll notice that your mobile users have grown, potentially significantly.
Even if it's only a small portion of your traffic, that's still a large number of users that could be converting IF you have a mobile-friendly website.
How Responsive Design Helps
Responsive design allows users on any device – desktop, smartphone, or tablet – to have the same experience. Some businesses choose to go with a mobile-only and desktop-only experience, but the trouble with this is the lack of consistency between the two.
People who make a purchase on the desktop site will have a completely different purchasing experience on their mobile. And the most troublesome issue is generally how a mobile-only design will not include every page that a visitor will want to see.
Hence, responsive design will help support your online marketing efforts in the following ways:
- Content Marketing: When people are browsing their Feedly subscriptions and post from your blog comes up, they will be able to not only read it on their mobile device if you have a responsive blog design, but they will even be able to use your social sharing buttons.
- Email Marketing: When people open an email with a responsive template, they will be able to read it no matter what device they use. Most importantly, when they click on a link from that email, if the website design is also responsive, they will have no issues browsing the website.
- Search Marketing: When people click on a link to your website from search results, if you have a responsive website design, they will be able to get to that page and be able to consume the information they need. If the page in search isn't included in your mobile-only design, they might get redirected to a homepage and never make it to the page they want.
- Social Media Marketing:When people click on a promoted offer from your Facebook page on their mobile device, they'll be able to purchase the promoted item just like they would on their desktop browser.
This means that you won't lose any visitors coming to a website as a result of any of the above online marketing strategies just because they are on a mobile device. This is especially important for any paid advertising you may be doing that appears to a mobile user.
Where and How to Get Responsive
So how can you make sure your online presence is as responsive as possible? Here's what you need to do.
Responsive Websites
First and foremost, you need a responsive website design. If your website, shopping cart, and blog are all built on a responsive design, then visitors to your website will be able to learn about your products and services, buy your products, and consume your content on any device without issues. The consistent experience will also make it more likely that users who discover your business on their desktop can easily make conversions on their mobile device at a later time.
Obtaining a responsive design for your website doesn't require you to be a website designer or to pay a lot to hire one. You've got several options to choose from.
- If you use a content management system like WordPress, you can choose a responsive theme design. Premium theme makers and marketplaces like StudioPress, ThemeForest offer plenty of responsive designs to choose from.
- You can also find responsive templates on services that make designing your own website as simple as drag-and-drop, such as IM-Creator, Wix, and Weebly.
No matter what path you choose, make sure it is a responsive one. Test demo themes and templates on your own mobile device to confirm their ease of use and flow. Also be sure that the theme or template can support additional features, such as shopping carts, on-site search, comparison tools, account logins, and other specific functions your visitors will expect.
Responsive Emails
Responsive design doesn't end with your website. Email marketing is also quickly adopting responsive design so that emails on mobile devices look just as great as those on desktop browsers. Email marketing services such as GetResponse have created responsive email templates for their users to allow them to create emails that work beautifully for every subscriber.
They also have landing page software that helps non-designers create responsive landing page designs using a collection of more than 100 templates. These are perfect to capture email subscribers who are visiting your squeeze pages from their mobile device.
Final Thoughts
I hope this has convinced you to consider responsive design for your business and for your clients. It will not only make your website visitors (and your clients) happy, but it will also help you get more results from your online marketing!
Have you noticed a difference in website and email engagement using responsive design? If so, please share in the comments!
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