text:
Top company Web sites are slow and occasionally unavailable
Web sites for the UK's leading businesses are offline for almost two days a year, according to a study into the performance and...
Tim Murray, director of Parallel, a UK-based network management firm, said his company's Nexus Watch service found the current mean availability of FTSE 100 companies' Web sites was 99.53% a year. This represents 41 hours of downtime.
The worst sites, he said, were in the logistics support services sector, where site availability was only 98.39%.
The best performer, in terms of availability was in the insurance sector, with an uptime of 99.97%.
"This is quite respectable," said Murray, "given that five nines availability [99.999%] isn't yet possible on the Internet."
One of the easiest ways to improve performance and reliability is to simplify site design, Murray advised. "Web designers recommend that Web site home pages should be less than 40Kbytes in size. But the average among FTSE 100 Web sites was 60Kbytes." With a 30Kbytes homepage, Murray said, the average download time would be in the region of eight seconds.


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PNM Sky Blue®:
Renewable Energy for New Mexico
PNM Sky Blue. Your Local, Affordable, Clean Energy Resource
Did you know that PNM Sky Blue® is New Mexico's own home-grown source of 100% locally-generated, clean energy? PNM Sky Blue uses 22,000 solar panels from our facility in Los Lunas plus wind purchased from the New Mexico Energy Center near Fort Sumner to give our customers an easy, affordable way to show their support for clean energy.
No assembly required.
Joining PNM Sky Blue makes it easy and affordable to support clean, renewable wind and solar energy without making the huge commitment of putting solar panels on your roof or wind turbines in your backyard. That's especially desirable if your budget doesn't allow for the purchase of solar panels right now or you are renting your home. There's no 30-year commitment to a contract, and you can stop, start or change your subscription at any time and with no penalty.
So simple. So significant.
As little as $1.70 per month is all it takes to support clean, renewable energy here in New Mexico. You have two options to subscribe. Since we already supply 15 percent of your electricity with renewable energy, you can subscribe for up to 85 percent of your use. Don't worry - we won't make you do the math. Our calculator will show you how much it costs to join and looks at your usage history to advise you on the right subscription level.
Option 1 - Block Subscription: This is the perfect plan for someone who wants to add more local renewables to our grid but wants to pay the same amount each month. With the "block" option, you can purchase 100 kWh blocks for just $1.70 each, above your current rate.
Option 2 - Percentage Subscription: This plan is ideal for someone who wants to add more local, clean energy based on how much energy they use each month. Because your electricity usage varies each month, your PNM Sky Blue cost will vary monthly too with your electric use.
Not sure which option is right for you?
Log into your PNM account to compare your options with our easy-to-use calculator. Call us at 888-342-5766. We are open from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.
We hope you say YES to the 100% local PNM Sky Blue program. With over 300 days of sun a year, and abundant wind throughout our state, we are so fortunate to be able to provide all the clean energy we will ever need for you right here in New Mexico. It doesn't get any better or local than that.
PNM Sky Blue is an easy and affordable way for you to demonstrate your commitment to the environment while you continue to receive reliable service from PNM.
FAQs: PNM Sky Blue
Why is there an extra charge for PNM Sky Blue?
- PNM Sky Blue is a voluntary wind and solar energy program, so the only customers who pay for it are the ones who sign up.
What is PNM Sky Blue?
- PNM Sky Blue is our voluntary program that allows you to purchase wind and solar energy at a premium price to show your commitment to the environment without putting panels on your roof or having a turbine in your back yard. You can purchase 100 kilowatt hour "blocks" of electricity or sign up for a set percentage of your usage.
If I enroll, does this mean I will only receive renewable power?
- No. The premium you pay helps to put more renewable power onto the PNM grid. The renewable power does not specifically go to provide electricity to your home or business.
How much can I enroll for?
- You can purchase between 1 and 85 percent of your monthly electric usage. Or, you can purchase 100 kilowatt hour "blocks" up to 85 percent of your monthly usage. You cannot sign up for more than 85% of your usage because PNM already provides 15% of your power from renewable sources.
If I move does PNM Sky Blue move with me?
- No. You would need to sign up your new PNM account for PNM Sky Blue.

subset: commoncrawl


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Beaulieu Road pony sales
The Beaulieu Road pony sales yard is located on the Lyndhurst to Beaulieu road (B3056), approximately 3 miles from Lyndhurst.
The sales are famous throughout the equestrian community and the sale yard has recently undergone a complete refurbishment, in order to bring it in to line with more strict government health, safety and animal welfare regulations.
Originally, New Forest pony sales were held in Lyndhurst itself and have been happening on a regular basis for around a century.
But when the mainline railway was built to carry passengers from London to places as far east as Dorchester, the sale yard was relocated to the then new Beaulieu Road station. Transportation of the livestock was simplified, changing from road to rail, and the sale yard had found its permanent location.
Nowadays of course, ponies and cattle are transported by road more than rail, but the Beaulieu Road sale yard still holds the perfect location, in the very centre of the New Forest.
The biggest pony sales occur late in the year. Between late summer and early winter, all the New Forest ponies are rounded up by Agisters and commoners in 'drifts', and are taken off the Open Forest. After a drift, all animals are counted for and health checks and any necessary treatments are given. The following pony sales then give the animal's owners the chance to sell their livestock, or to purchase more.
Equally importantly, the sales are major social events in the equestrian calendar and provide the perfect opportunity for pony owners and enthusiasts to get together.
Opposite the Beaulieu Road sale yard is the Beaulieu Hotel and pub, while the tall pine trees and grassy lawns adjacent to the sale yard make a great spot for a relaxing picnic, on non-sale days!
If you happen to be passing the yard when a sale is happening, take a minute to stop and experience a true taste (and smell!) of New Forest life.


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This is Easter weekend. In the long distant past it was the practice – when a Vintages release fell on this weekend – to delay the release to the following weekend so front line staff could deal with the otherwise peak traffic that arrived the day before Easter festivities.
That was then and this now; the Vintages juggernaut has such momentum that the machine can not stop for anything and releases are delivered without fail on the fortnightly cycle until the break that does eventually happen for three weeks in mid-December.
If you haven't done your shopping for Sunday lunch or dinner you will find some fine wine which will do very well with turkey or ham and one red that could be a stretch-match for lamb – that is, if you don't have a fine Cabernet Sauvignon on standby. Be patient – the lines will be long.
Happy Easter!
France, Midi – AOP Corbières Château de Tréviac 2014
I consider wines from de Tréviac to be the most consistent values from the very large and widely varied Corbières zone. Wines from this small producer are grown from fruit cultivated at reasonably high altitude and have structure, juicy acid and fruit-forward and herbal aromatics and flavour. This is not a wine to keep, nor is it a wine typical of the big and ripe red wines from the Midi. Enjoy it now for its brightness, black and red berry fruit and its delightful medium weight. There are some earth notes, along with spice and garrigue and light flaky tannins.
Extra dry, red wine – $16.95 per bottle
Australia, Victoria – Chapoutier Tournon Mathilda 2014
Chapoutier has established a solid beach head in Victoria after many years making a name for its wines in the northern Rhône. This wine is a Rhône-style blend of Viognier and Marsanne and Chapoutier delivers a fresh, light, aromatic delight for spring and summer dining/sipping on the deck or dock. The texture is fleshy and the nose and palate have oodles of citrus, tropical and peach along with firm minerality on the mid-palate. The finish is long and clean.
Extra dry, white wine – $17.95 per bottle
Australia, Victoria – Fowles Wild Bouquet Chardonnay 2014
This is a lightly-oaked Chardonnay from the cool-zone that is the high-elevation Strathbogie Ranges, located some one hour north of Melbourne. The aromas on opening are slightly reductive (that is, the opposite of slightly oxidized) – wait a few minutes after your first pour and the smell will blow off. You be left with a delightfully fresh and crisp Chardonnay that is complex and refined in the glass. It shows citrus, peach, light spice and herbs on nose and palate. The finish is long and clean.
Extra dry, white wine – $19.95 per bottle
Italy, Campania – IGP Campania Porconero Fiano 2015
Fiano is a delicate grape known for some of the best whites from the south of Italy. It is a difficult grape to grow profitably as it yields limited fruit and juice but those makers who persist, or who have other varieties to fall back on, make some of the best-value concentrated whites you will find anywhere. This wine is an amazing value and you should run, don't walk to stock up on a few bottles for enjoyment over the next three years, or so. It has pear, peach, tropical notes, flinty minerals, crisp acid, light alcohol and a long finish. The structure will support further development and enhanced complexity. Great!
Extra dry, white wine – $16.95 per bottle
Spain, Montsant – DO Montsant Jaspi Negri 2013
This is Grenache-dominated blend from the northeast part of Spain, in the broader zone dominated by Priorat and Catalonia. Here we have a light-bodied, fruit-forward, well-structured value that amazes for its complexity and character. There is plenty of red berry fruit, herbs, floral notes and a soft, smooth texture that is easy to appreciate even for those who shy away from Spanish reds. This may be a first time ever but this is the second run, don't walk wine of this release.
Extra dry, red wine – $17.95 per bottle
à bientôt…
Copyright© W. John Switzer 2003 – 2017.


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Unfortunately, some malicious software writers have used this component as well in their creation of malware. Ridiculously, in response to this, some anti-virus / Internet "security" suites have overzealously decided to prevent this common and useful component from being insalled on PCs. This basically represents laziness / incompetence on the part of the 'security' software writers.
So far, in all cases that people have reported problems with this component, the issue has been that their security software has protected them from installing this common and safe component.
If you are haviing problems, the answer is to DISABLE your security / anti-virus software and try again. IMPORTANT: much security software is notoriously difficult to disable. We have had many cases where people THIHK they have disabled it, but really haven't.
Don't believe us? Then please try this: if you're still having problems, please visit the web pages of Polar Software. PolarZipLight is available as a FREE download.
A FAQ is available there, too, which explains the issue in further detail, too.
Basically, one of two things will happen if you try to install PolarZipLight from Polar Software's pages onto your PC:
We provide customer and technical support via this online helpdesk. This allows you to receive prompt
(sometimes instant), efficient help from either our automated response system and/or the exact person who can best assist
you. As a plus, such a system ensures that a detailed written record of the conversation is available for you
which can be extremely helpful when asking for and receiving technical help.
While the vast, vast majority of our visitors understand and appreciate this industry-standard system, to some of you
such an online helpdesk may nevertheless be a new concept. If so, please click here
to learn more about why we do things this way. Thank you for your understanding!.


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Clumber Park
Freedom to discover
Our collections
Explore the objects and works of art we care for at Clumber Park on the National Trust Collections website
Freedom to discover
Explore the objects and works of art we care for at Clumber Park on the National Trust Collections website
Clumber Park is a beautiful expanse of parkland, heath and woods covering more than 3,800 acres.
Clumber was once the country estate of the Dukes of Newcastle. Although the house was demolished in 1938, there are many glimpses of its grand past to explore. From the Gothic-style chapel, often referred to as a 'Cathedral in miniature', you can follow in the footsteps of Dukes through the peaceful pleasure ground to the Walled Kitchen Garden where you can experience sights, scents and a taste of the past.
Today Clumber offers freedom to discover a ducal park - explore picturesque parkland and gardens, peaceful woodlands and a magnificent lake. Not only is Clumber's mosaic of habitats home to an amazing array of wildlife, it is also a great place to spot it.
|Gift Aid
|Single adult family (Up to two children)
Group Adult
Minimum group size 15
Group Child
Minimum group size 15
Most of our places run the Gift Aid on Entry scheme at their admission points.
Under this scheme, if you're not a member you have the choice of two entry tickets:
If the place runs Gift Aid on Entry, we'll offer you a clear choice between the Gift Aid Admission prices and the Standard Admission prices at the admission point. It's entirely up to you which ticket you choose.
Gift Aid Admission includes a 10 per cent or more voluntary donation. Gift Aid Admissions let us reclaim tax on the whole amount paid - an extra 25 per cent - potentially a very significant boost to our places' funds.
An extra £1 paid under the scheme can be worth over £3 to the National Trust as shown below:
|Gift Aid
|Amount paid by visitor
|Tax refund from Government*
|Total received by the National Trust
*Gift Aid Admissions let us reclaim tax on the whole amount paid - an extra 25 per cent - potentially a very significant boost to our places' funds.
National Trust members go free.
Charges cover the entire site, including the Walled Kitchen Garden.
All entry points are cash only.
*Gift Aid disclaimer: Includes a voluntary donation of at least 10% which will be put towards the restoration of and upkeep of this property. If you are a UK taxpayer, please complete a Gift Aid declaration which will allow the National Trust to claim an extra 25% from the Government on your total payment. You will be asked to pay the Gift Aid Admission unless you request to pay the Standard Admission.
~Group Rate applies for 15 or more people irrespective of number of members/payers


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All Solutions
This knowledge base outlines some hardware recommendations if you plan to set up your own compute cluster for running distributed COMSOL jobs.
Depending upon the type of problems that you want to solve you will want to...
Version: All versions - Platform: Windows, Linux
I have installed a new MATLAB version, but running COMSOL with MATLAB keeps opening the older version of MATLAB.
You need to manually update the MATLAB root directory path.
In the COMSOL Desktop, go to the Options...
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This knowledgebase describes how to benefit from the recovery feature in COMSOL. This is particularly useful if you have a long computation that for some reason was interrupted at some point, maybe due to system...
Version: All versions - Platform: All Platforms
How can I see which stabilization schemes are used by COMSOL Multiphysics in transport physics interfaces such as Single-Phase Flow and Transport of Diluted species?
Numerical solutions of transport equations can...
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This article contains guidance for solving models that include structural contact, and the procedures that should be followed to achieve a converged solution.
Structural contact modeling is a highly...
Version: All versions - Platform: All Platforms
Email servers may reject larger file attachments. If you want to provide COMSOL staff with model files larger than 10 MB, you can create an FTP directory to upload them.
First, see if you can reduce the size of the...
Version: All versions - Platform: All Platforms
This solution describes how COMSOL takes advantage of multicore computers.
COMSOL supports two mutual modes of parallel operation: shared-memory parallelism and distributed-memory parallelism (cluster support)....
Version: All versions - Platform: All Platforms
When trying to run a COMSOL model, the following error message appears: Failure loading MATLAB® libraries. This model requires that MATLAB is available.
When calling external MATLAB functions, COMSOL automatically...
Version: All versions - Platform: Windows
This solution provides some tips and troubleshooting guides for installation on the Linux platform. For basic installation information, please refer to the COMSOL Multiphysics Installation Guide
Verify that a...
Version: All versions - Platform: Linux
When I install or start COMSOL I get the following error message on Windows (or a similar message on Linux):
An error has occurred.
See the log file...
Version: All versions - Platform: Windows, Linux


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The scaling between star formation and gas content follows a tight relation when considering whole galaxies (the Schmidt-Kennicutt Law), but quickly unravels when zooming into galaxies. The relation is now being investigated on two fronts: that of high redshift galaxies, finding that it appears to hold at least in general; and that of increasingly smaller regions within galaxies, finding that the physics increases in complexity and the scaling may present many different forms. The goal of this conference is to bring together experts of both the stellar and gas distributions in galaxies, and explore avenues for reconciling the global and local scaling of star formation.
Issues to discuss include:
Invited speakers (confirmed):
Format: 5-day conference.
Conference fee: Conference fee is 1200 sek and includes receptions, coffee breaks, 4 lunch, social event (boat trip including dinner).
Important dates:
Scientific organizing committee:
Daniela Calzetti (University of Massachusetts)
Angela Adamo (Stockholm University)
Goeran Ostlin (Stockholm University)
Matthew Hayes (Stockholm University)
Rob Kennicutt (University of Cambridge)
Natasha Forster-Schreiber (Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische)
Kelsey Johnson (University of Virginia)
Alberto Bolatto (University of Maryland)
Local organizing committee:
Goeran Ostlin (Stockholm University),
Garrelt Mellema (Stockholm University),
Rocio Mendoza de Andersson (Stockholm University),
Emily Freeland (Stockholm University),
Matteo Messa (Stockholm University),
Johannes Puschnig (Stockholm University),
Veronica Menacho Menacho (Stockholm University)
Supported by: Stockholm University, The Oskar Klein Centre, Vetenskapsrådet


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Our philosophy is simple.
We believe you have better things to do than scrub mildew off your driveway or inspect your mattress for bed bugs.
If a professional could complete these tedious and difficult tasks for you, you'd have more time for what matters, be it relaxing with family or working on your own projects.
So we want to take these annoying responsibilities off your hands. Whether you need gutter cleaning, house washing, rodent control, or something else, our dedicated team of specialists is here to help.
You'll appreciate our straightforward approach.
In New Zealand, far too many people in this industry tend to behave a bit like cowboys. Many of our clients have been frustrated in the past by unprofessional contractors who leave a mess, charge unfair prices, extort unnecessary services, or take dangerous risks with the property they're working on.
We strongly believe in doing things differently. In the long run, it's far better to do a great job at a fair price and earn the trust of our clients, than it is to make a few quick bucks. It's for this reason that most of our success is based on repeat work and referrals, rather than constantly searching for new customers.
We're proud of our reputation as Auckland's most reliable property services company.
So what can you expect from working with us?
You shouldn't have to take time off work for an appointment with us. We're available after hours and in the weekends – whenever suits you.
All of our quotes are tailored to your needs. Before signing up for anything, you'll know exactly what you're paying for.
We never rush jobs, or compromise on quality. We want you to be so satisfied with our service that you'll choose us again in the future.
We'll drive anywhere in the Auckland region, inspect your property, and provide you with a verbal report and quote at no cost to you.
Are you a business owner or property manager?
If you own a business or manage a property portfolio, you've come to the right place. Our specialised commercial services are designed to handle all those aspects of property management you don't have time for yourself. We can help with commercial building washing, window cleaning, carpark cleaning, and more.
Don't struggle with dubious DIY methods or ineffective store-bought equipment any longer. Chat with us today about how we can take some of the burden of property maintenance off your shoulders.
Client Testimonials
"Endeavour went the extra mile for me on my house. I gladly and highly recommend them - you will not be disappointed!"
"Endeavour Property Services has done an outstanding job in washing our family home it looks like it has just been freshly painted! Will pass on your details to the neighbours. Also really appreciate the extra efforts in cleaning the front fences too. Thanks guys!"
"I recently employed Endeavour Property Services Limited to clean my house in preparation to sell. It is a rather large two story house and they did an excellent job of removing black road grime and algae walls and guttering etc. I would strongly recommend their services as they did a thorough and very cost competitive job."
"The product was installed during the past year and for the first time this coming year we are looking forward to having no leaves in our gutters during autumn. We have really appreciated not having to get up ladders this year."


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Sustainable tourism is another way of paying for ecosystem services, which encourages the conservation of natural as well as cultural resources. Business, including many forms of tourism, can be destructive to the environment, but since ecotourism and community-based tourism are based on the destination's resources and therefore it's interesting from a business point of view to maintain those resources in order to generate income over the long term. Often, tourism creates pride amongst the local population in their surroundings and their culture, providing an incentive to take an even more active role in conservation of their nature and culture.
One of the ideas for developing sustainable livelihoods that provide an alternative source of income is supporting sustainable eco-tourism projects across the Guiana Shield with local ecosystem managers.
A desk study on patterns of eco-tourism across the Guiana Shield was carried out during phase I of GSI, including:
An inventory of the current status of eco-tourism in the Guiana Shield region
An analysis of criteria for the development of sustainable eco-tourism with local community involvement, including possibilities for equitable benefit sharing.
During phase II of GSI, we will take a further look into the possibilities of developing and marketing ecotourism in the GS Region, and analyse the ways to do this in the most sustainable way.
For copies of ecotourism-related documents check the 'Documents' section.


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The Shadow AT-AT was an All Terrain Armored Transport walker variant utilized by the Galactic Empire during the Galactic Civil War. Covered with gleaming black armor, the Shadow AT-AT was created solely for the purpose of intimidating enemy forces, rather than performing stealth operations. Rebel Alliance soldiers found the Shadow AT-AT to be one of the most frightening specters on the battlefield.
The Shadow AT-AT was a variant design of the Galactic Empire's All Terrain Armored Transport assault walker covered with gleaming black armor.[2] Manufactured by Kuat Drive Yards, the Shadow AT-AT stood at an imposing height of 15.5 meters. Armed with blasters and laser cannons, the Shadow AT-AT was capable of transporting forty Imperial stormtroopers.[1]
The Imperial Shadow AT-AT was never intended to conduct stealth operations.[2] Instead, its sole purpose was intimidation—which the walker's black armor effectively helped to reinforce. The Empire typically deployed the Shadow AT-AT during night operations or on the dark surfaces of sunless planets as a way of instilling terror into the minds of enemies. The Shadow AT-AT functioned as a troop transport and assault walker.[1]
During the Galactic Civil War, the Imperial Military utilized the Shadow AT-AT as a terror weapon. The sudden appearance of a massive Shadow AT-AT appearing out of the night with weapons blazing was among the most frightening things Rebel Alliance troops faced.[1]
Behind the scenes
The Shadow AT-AT was first included among Hasbro's 2007 set of the Star Wars: Titanium Series line of die-cast Star Wars figurine vehicles.[1] In 2008, the Shadow AT-AT was provided an entry in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia.[2]
- Star Wars: Titanium Series (Pack: Shadow AT-AT) (First mentioned)
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
Notes and references


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Citizens of Trinidad and Tobago living and working in Cayman expressed relief and gratitude that the damage from Tuesday's (21 August) earthquake was not more serious.
The quake's epicentre was located in Venezuela. However, it rocked the neighboring Trinidad and Tobago, causing structural damage to buildings in the capital.
A second earthquake, an aftershock, occurred early Wednesday (23 August) afternoon.


text:
Only one of the largest furniture industries in Brazil can
offer such a complete bedroom line.
Ref. D602-05 - HP white
Ref. D602-10 - White
Ref. D602-76 - Gris
Ref. D602-83 - Moka
Ref. D602-94 - Rústico
Ref. D602-101 - Café
Ref. D602-23 - Duna
H: 1085 x W: 2520 x D: 415 mm For box spring bed mattress 1.38m
For box spring bed mattress 1.58m


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A University of Glamorgan study found more than half the hard drives they saw still contained sensitive information.
It is feared some of the information could be used by criminals.
The Information Commissioner's Office, which monitors data disposal, has said it will be tough on any organisations breaching the Data Protection Act.
The study examined 105 hard drives which had been purchased on internet auction sites and was able to access 92 of them.
The data recovered by the university team included staff passwords and national insurance numbers, a template to print a university degree and even detailed information about school children.
Researchers found 57% of the readable disks contained data which allowed the original owners - ranging from organisations in the leisure and financial services industries to a number of universities - to be identified.
A fifth of the disks contained financial information, including sales receipts and profit and loss reports.
And disks from home users or small firms had family information, VAT numbers and internal organisation data on them.
Dr Andrew Blyth, principal lecturer at the university's School of Computing, said companies needed to have a "cradle-to-grave" approach to computer security.
He said organised crime now saw e-crime - including identify theft - as a source of revenue.
"This type of information could fall into all types of criminals' hands," he said.
"We're not just talking about organised crime, about hackers, we're also talking about extortionists, blackmailers, even conceivably, paedophiles.
"Companies need to wake up to the fact that under the Data Protection Act, they have a duty of care towards personal data.
"They can't just take hard disks and throw them in the bin and say we have disposed of them, they have a duty to make sure that data is disposed off a sound manner.
"The advice we always give is take a six inch nail and stick it through your hard drive - physical destruction of the hard drive is the only way to be sure that you have got rid of that data."
Dr Blyth added there were software programmes, some of which were freely available, which offered users the chance to clear their hard drives for re-use by others.
"There are companies out there that can do that and there is software out there which will do it, some of it open source," he said.
But he cautioned research done at the university previously had found some of the programs were significantly less successful than others.
"The only way to be sure if you are really paranoid about your data is to physically destroy your device," he told BBC Wales' news website.
The Information Commissioner's Office, which monitors data disposal, has said it will be tough on any organisations breaching the Data Protection Act.


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"This is much more than just a training program:" New carpenter apprentices will work on Bucks arena
Posted: May 26, 2017 10:19 AM CDT
Some new apprentices have a big job.
WRTP/ Big Step is a one stop shop to find a career in the trade.
Those new carpenter grads found out they'll be working on the new Bucks arena complex.
They also met some of the people they'll see out on the job site including Mayor Tom Barrett and the owner of Wall-tech Inc. which is the company building the arena.
"This is much more than just a training program, we're building careers, making differences in their lives, giving them skills, and a trade that they can learn for a lifetime," said President of Wall-tech Pete Braun.
The roof of the new arena was installed a few weeks ago. Officials say it's on track to open in time for the 2018 season.
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Meet My Virtual Team
Cathy is constantly researching topics and staying up-to-date in the business of real estate, residential housing finance, mortgage servicing and loss mitigation. She incorporates the latest facts, policy changes, rules and regulations in course material she creates and teaches. If you have expertise in a topic and would like to volunteer your knowledge so others can benefit, please email email@example.com
Cathy has met and trained over 45,000 real estate professionals since 2007. She is very active in the community as a home ownership advocate and participates in many conferences, conventions and consumer outreach programs for finance literacy.


text:
There is no other product that can give you the creative freedom of a PocketWizard wireless triggering system. Whether you are a seasoned pro looking for a creative new approach to your photography using our patented HyperSync technology or a new photographer simply looking to free your flash from your camera, PocketWizard's reliable, industry-standard wireless triggers will help you do just that.
PocketWizard Wireless Triggering Systems feature the MiniTT1 and FlexTT5 with both E-TTL II for Canon & CLS / i-TTL for Nikon capability as well as the Plus III and PlusX with manual control of remote flashes, enable fluid, un-tethered triggering between all components of your photographic system allowing you to get the perfect shot, anytime, anywhere.
Even a wireless device needs a cable now and then. Click on the link below to read more about PocketWizard's many cables. Or simply use our Cable Finder by clicking on the call out to your left.
PocketWizard's line of Gear Bags, Lighting Accessories and RF Shields have been designed by photographers for photographers.
Digital Wireless Freedom. PocketWizard has partnered with leading manufacturers of lights, power and light meters to integrate its trigger technology into their products. All of your photographic equipment will communicate together, wirelessly, so you can work smarter, not harder.
Sign-up to receive an e-mail when firmware updates are available for your USB upgradeable PocketWizard Transmitter, Transceiver or Receiver.
PocketWizard Photo Products include state of the art innovations allowing photographers to take pictures never thought possible.


text:
The European Central Bank left its key interest rate unchanged at 4 percent on Thursday, as widely expected, and its president Jean-Claude Trichet warned that requests to raise wages may put additional pressures on inflation.
"There is a risk that price and wage setting behavior could add to inflation pressures," Trichet told a news conference in Athens. "Higher than expected wage growth may emerge."


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addascaspec version 1.21. Jun-04-97
usage: addascaspec list_file out_spec out_response [outbgd]
The list_file should have the following format:
g2_source.spec g3_source.spec g2_bgd.spec g3_bgd.spec g2.arf g3.arf
On each line, list the spectra, background, arf, and rmf file names to combine. You can add two or more spectral files. Order of the appearance of lines does not matter, but source spectral files should appear prior to the background files. You may or may not enter background files and rmf files to combine.
Note that in the case of GIS, you do not have to add RMFs, since GIS2 and 3 RMFs are identical. In this case only ARFs are averaged. For SIS, each ARF and RMF are multiplied and averaged.
The method of calculation is explained in the ASCA ABC guide section 8.9. Click here for an explanation of how the The background normalization is calculated.


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Palmer/Parmer Family Reunion
2007 Palmer/Parmer Reunion
2007 Palmer/Parmer Family Reunion - San Augustine, Texas
Dear Palmer/Parmer Cousins,
It's time again for our Palmer/Parmer Family Reunion and
this time we will gather at historic San Augustine, Texas where
Martin Parmer lived during
the time of the Fredonian Rebellion in 1826 and later as a delegate from San Augustine to the Convention at
Washington - on - the - Brazos in 1836.
When: Saturday, March 24, 2007
Agenda for the 2007 Reunion:
Friday, March 23, 3:00 p.m. - Check in begins at San Augustine Inn or Budget Inn in San Augustine,
Texas for those arriving on Friday. (See Hotel information below)
4:00 p.m. - The San Augustine Civic and Tourism Center has a meeting room has been reserved for a "Get-Together." Light refreshments
will be provided.
-----------------------------------------Saturday, March 24, 8:00 a.m. - Registration at San Augustine First Methodist Church Hall.
4:00 p.m. - Discuss 2009 reunion plans and elect new officers.
4:30 p.m. - Reunion Concludes.
Please consider a donation to the 2007
Reunion funds!!!
There are two Motels in San Augustine: The San Augustine Inn - block of
40 rooms and Budget Inn - block of 18 rooms.
San Augustine Inn
Budget Inn
1009 Hwy. 21 West
116 Hwy. 96 South
San Augustine, TX 75972 San Augustine, TX 75972
Phone: (936) 275-3452
Phone: (936) 275-0445
Bed and Breadfast:
The Columns Bed and Breakfast - (936) 275-3031
Whispering Pines Bed and Breakfast - (936) 275-2778
On the day following the reunion, Sunday March 25, 2007, many of you may wish to visit one
or more of the excellent sights that San Augustine and Nacogdoches has to offer visitors. Below are descriptions
of some the sights to see.
A Guide to San Augustine, Texas
Visitor Center:
The Visitor Center in San Augustine is a excellent place to find some History books
for sale about the early days in East Texas.
The Old Stone Fort:
Located in nearby Nacogdoches is a replica of the Old Stone Fort where Martin Parmer fought
and won a battle during the Fredonian Rebellion.
Information About the Old Stone Fort
Millard's Crossing
Be Sure and Bring All Your Children and Grandchildren to the Reunion!!
Officers 2007
Palmer/Parmer Family Reunion
Thomas (Tommy) Palmer
10907 Hwy. 36
Freeport, TX 77541
979-798-1957 home
979-299-7031 cell
979-373-5258 work
Vice President
Eugene Dewveall
17226 Mesa Springs Court
Houston, TX 77095
281-988-7333 home
281-723-3733 cell
Sheila Cannon
14 Park Ln
Huntsville, TX 77320
936-435-9276 home
936-661-5248 cell
936-594-9055 work
Martin Parmer Family Tree - Descendants, Ancestors and Collateral Lines
Martin Parmer in Primary and Secondary Sources
Texas History Page Blog
Texas History Page
Fredonian Declaration of Independence


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LIVE: Tim Wheeler – Oh Yeah Centre, Belfast
It is often stated that it is one of the hardest tasks for an artist who is used to being part of a band to then go solo.
Ash front man, Tim Wheeler has done just that with the release of his new album 'Lost Domain'. On Friday past, Wheeler finished the last night of his 4 date tour, at the Oh Yeah Centre in Belfast. I was fortunate to be there and spoke to him after the gig.
To a packed hall, Tim understatedly, took to the low lit, low level stage to start things off with the first track of his new album, 'Snow in Nara'. Tim called this out as one of the tracks he was most proud of – 'I don't know where it came from. I put this as this first song on the record as it is probably not what people who listen to Ash, are expecting, it lets them know that there are a few surprises on this record'.
The undertaking of his solo work is all the more commendable once it is known that the album deals with the loss of his father to Dementia in 2011. He manages to capture a range of emotions experienced from the visiting of his father in hospital to being at his bedside to dealing with the aftermath of his passing. Tim went on to admit it has been hard to play these songs but it has also been rewarding – 'Belfast was by far the hardest night of the tour as I was playing in front of my family. I found the whole process quite cathartic. I played 'First Sign of Spring' for my younger brother, he loved it and that gave me encouragement to write more. I was most worried about what my mum thought about it as she had the hardest time of us all, having to look after my dad but she thought it was beautiful'.
The music itself is a far cry from the pop infused fun and often fast paced sound of Ash. The sound is still undoubtedly by Tim Wheeler but is stripped back and for the most part, the guitar has been traded in for the piano and synthesiser. Tim admits it is different from what Ash fans have heard in the past – 'It is really different, it is much more personal. It is piano based whereas most Ash material is guitar based. It is contemplative and cinematic, although saying that it maintains its melodic sensibility that you might associate with Ash'.
This could all sound very bleak but Wheeler manages to capture the light in this dark time, as he tells the story of how this period brings his family closer together. 'I have tried to display my own personal experience but in that, look at the positives, in and around that period. What I was astounded with was the level of care my dad received from the staff that looked after him. That display of human caring was incredible and it is something that is not celebrated often in song. It is also a record dealing with my journey, resilience, dealing with that landmark event in your life, that acceptance and also a coming of age'.
In the first half of the night, Wheeler runs through most of the new album, with the highlights being the tracks, 'Hospital', his previous single 'First Sign of Spring' and the most uplifting track on the new album and title track, 'Lost Domain'. Wheeler alternates his on stage stance, track on track, from standing guitar to curled over the piano. Tim acknowledges he was nervous about touring as a solo artist. 'Before the first night of the tour in London, I was really nervous. I'm not used to playing the piano live so it was a first time for me as well as the first time playing this fresh set but now I have done it I would like to tour it again'.
Although looking slightly nervous (which Wheeler later admits to the crowd, due to performing this new material in front of family), his voice is clean, clear and on point. The intimate and personal emotion of these tracks lend well to the venue, with the audience hanging on every note and lyric.
Wheeler finishes the album set with the real standout tracks of the album, 'Medicine' followed by 'Vigil'. 'Medicine' is an epic 10 minute track that deals with the visiting of his father on the ward. Thoughtfully it even includes a few notes of his father playing the piano. It roams from mood to mood, sometimes painful, sometimes confused but manages to capture the positivity of their time spent together. Tim calls this song as the hardest one of the hardest to write but one he is most proud of – 'with Medicine I had to cut it down from 40 verses to the 10 minutes that it is. I tried to mirror the chord sequence and melody in the track with the mood shifts of my dad'.
'Vigil' highlights Wheelers outstanding song writing ability. A powerful track that is almost a final message to his father – this track demonstrates the development of Wheeler as a solo artist. 'The recording of this record was very different to recording Ash material. Previously I would half write a song and the guys would help me finish it or tell me whether it was worth finishing. This time round I had to record it myself then listen to it, add layers to it and figure that out for myself. It was a whole new process and that was a big challenge'.
For the last of the night's tracks, VerseChorusVerse's (who supported on the night) front man, Tony Wright joins Wheeler on stage. Rattling through an acoustic performance of the Ash fan favourite, 'Shining Light' as well as a sing along of another Ash fan favourite 'Oh Yeah', the night draws to a close. Talking to Tim about the local music scene he admits he is 'blown away' by the talent he sees coming out of Northern Ireland. 'I'm a big fan of Tony Wrights; he's a very enthusiastic talented song writer. Also 'And So I Watch You from Afar' (ASIWYFA), they are incredibly hard working musicians who seem to be constantly touring'.
Looking to the future Tim reveals there may be further solo tour plans as well as plans for Ash. 'I would be keen to play more solo dates of this album but we will wait to see if this grows wings. I would be keen to play some festivals. Also I would love to involve an orchestra with the live performance of this album. I think the way it is, it is ready to go to have it performed that way' As for plans with Ash – 'we are half way through writing and recording a new album and that could be released in April or May of next year. We are keen to get back touring together and keen to visit Belfast!'
Transforming himself from punk band front man, to solo artist, while tackling such personal and poignant themes, Wheeler has again proven himself to be one of the great Northern Irish song writers and performers. 'Lost Domain' is out now. Michael Chapman, Giggingni.com


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Everything about technology but product reviews
As I've previously discussed I want to get node.js running on Android, iOS and WinRT. But to make that happen we need to understand the node.js ecosystem and that includes native add-ons and node-gyp. So I created a node package, node-gyp-counter, to heuristically determine how frequent node-gyp usage is in the node.js world. If my numbers are right then less than 2% of downloads of packages in 4/2016 involved node-gyp in any way. Of that 2%, just 10 packages account for 76% of node-gyp root package downloads and only 5 of those are relevant to mobile.
[Updated with figures from 5/24/2016]
What is the Peer to Peer Web? WebRTC, the browser and Thali
Twice in the last week or so I've had people ask me about using WebRTC with Thali. I've already addressed WebRTC and Thali here. But recently Dominique Legault pointed me at a very cool project, freedom.js, that both explains why people keep bringing up WebRTC and helps us to really understand the question of - what is a peer to peer web and why does WebRTC in the browser not create it?Read More
A survey of options for applications that want to embed Node.js
Node doesn't really have an application model in the normal sense since Node sees itself as a server technology. But as Electron, NWJS, JXcore and JXcore-Cordova have shown there is a real need for Node based applications, both on desktop and mobile. This article is intended mostly as a primer to explore some of the issues anyone wanting to jump into building applications that embed Node.js need to think about. [Note: Updated on 4/18/2017 to add Termux, thanks to Jean-Jacques Debray for pointing it out.]Read More
How Google can fix the Marshmallow MAC Mess and enable P2P apps
Google in Android release Marshmallow prevents applications from seeing their device's local Bluetooth or WiFi MAC addresses. This puts a big roadblock in front of peer to peer apps. There is a really obvious solution which I suspect Google has thought about, so now the question is - why haven't they implemented it? Does anyone have a contact at Google I can talk to about this?Read More
Can Thali's local P2P capability survive Android Marshmallow?
Starting with Android Marshmallow (see here) it is no longer supposed to be possible for programs running on Android to see the local device's Wi-Fi or Bluetooth MAC address. This is a major problem for Thali because we depend on retrieving the Bluetooth address and then advertising it over BLE. A peer device then connects using the Bluetooth MAC retrieved over BLE with an insecure RFCOMM connection and then they authenticate/encrypt the connection at the application layer. But now this method won't work because as of Marshmallow we aren't supposed to be able to get the Bluetooth MAC address. Below I explore the various avenues we are investigating to try and deal with this change. But if anyone knows anyone at Google we can talk to about this that would be really helpful.Read More
Identity Exchange Specification for Thali
We previously outlined the basic protocol exchange for identity exchange for Thali here. But implementing this protocol requires dealing with a lot of details. The purpose of this specification is to capture those protocol issues. This is not intended as a proper protocol specification. It is makes a number of assumptions that are unique to our implementation environment. Eventually, for interoperability purposes, we will need to generalize this spec, but not today.Read More
Thali Story 0 – The lights are officially on!
Thali's mission is to create an open source/open standard peer to peer web. This means both local peer to peer (e.g. you and I are standing next to each other, can our devices talk directly even if there is no Internet?) as well as remote peer to peer (e.g. you and I are both on the Internet but aren't near each other). We have outlined a series of stories (or milestones or sprints or whatever your favorite term is) that lead us where we want to go. Today we released story 0 which contains almost all of the core technologies we need to make Thali fly! There is a ton of work to do but at least now we have a foundation to stand on.Read More
Android/iOS Local Radio Interop – Oy
As part of Thali we need to enable iOS and Android devices to communicate to each other just using local radios. For reasons explained below the only way we can figure out how to do this involves security issues and user intervention on the iOS side. If anyone has any better way to make this work I'm all ears!Read More
Thali's Story -1 – Getting Node.js and Local P2P to play well
As part of developing Thali we have a series of stories. One of our stories is -1 whose goal is to enable the native discovery and high bandwidth P2P frameworks we have on iOS and Android to successfully work with JXCore's implementation of Node.js on those platforms. We originally had intended to start with story 0 but we have had enough challenges at the native layer that it made sense for us to just break out a simpler story using TCP/IP sockets rather than the full PouchDB stack as our first baby step. This article explains the simplification.Read More
A user's bill of rights for Thali local discovery
As part of the Thali project we are working on using BLE and Wi-Fi Direct to provide for local discovery. That is, the ability to discover who is around you using BLE/Bluetooth/Wi-Fi. This feature has enormous implications for people's fundamental rights to privacy as well as personal security. So in this article I try to enumerate what rights I believe users of local presence software must have for such software to be considered ethical. I built these rights based on Kim Cameron's Laws of Identity.Read More


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—Brian Everstine
Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson addresses the standing room only crowd at the Air Force Association's Air Warfare Symposium on Feb. 22, 2018, in Orlando, Fla. Air Force Magazine photo by Mike Tsukamoto.
The Air Force's plan to not recapitalize its E-8C Joint STARS fleet may face a tough road with a skeptical Congress, but the service thinks it has a convincing argument.
If the service is required to buy a new battle management plane, it will not be able to do the battle management mission simply because that new plane would not survive a fight with a country like Russia or China, Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson said at AWS18.
"If that's the solution, it won't survive," she said.
The Air Force, in its Fiscal 2019 budget request, plans to end the recapitalization of its JSTARS fleet and move toward an integrated battle management system, with more ground-based operators working with air, sea, and space-based sensors. In the near term, the Air Force will buy back seven E-3 Sentry AWACS and keep some JSTARS flying through the mid-2020s.
In the meantime, the Air Force would develop a new way for battle managers to work, with more integrated sensors and communication systems on aircraft such as MQ-9 Reapers and RQ-4 Global Hawks.
"We think we presented something that can help us in a highly contested environment," Wilson said.
This plan, however, has already met resistance on Capitol Hill. During a Feb. 14 hearing on Air Force posture, Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.) said the plan is a "mistake" because of the ongoing need for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.
Wilson said the Air Force is still in the early planning, with more "detailed planning" to come. The service is still committed to the mission, but there is a need to "change the way we do things."
Daily Report: Read the day's top news on the US Air Force, airpower, and national security issues.
Tweets by @AirForceMag


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How about the costs?
Most clients prefer to know exactly how much a project will cost them before starting it. In fact, it is impossible to know exactly how much time will be required to finish the project. How much a web site will cost depends solely on each individual site's requirements.
"Nevermind, I hear the costs of web design in Vietnam are cheap!"
Sure, there's always a neighbour's nephew or someone's cousin who can build a website for $100. Think twice! Your web site reflects your business which in turn reflects you. If you are running a professional and legitimate business, how could you expect good value for the price of a dinner?
How can We justify that?
Let's first look at the general web site design process we typically follow.
First Draft
We begin designing the basic layout and navigation. It is still a prototype, just enough for a common understanding, not the actual solution. The actual iterative improvements start after you have reviewed the work and provided your feedback.
Extracting all Requirements
Clarifying the scope of the project which provides a solid foundation to begin with. By defining the concept we get to understand the exact needs of your project and map out the requirements of the entire project before moving on.
We then build the design into a working prototype. Since the project is 24/7 accessible to you on our server, we will work together to polish and tweak the site until it's completely to your liking.
Testing and Launch
Although the project is tested at each stage of the build, it needs a final usability test across all browsers, checking for functionality and appearance. Once the site is launched We'll monitor the site for a week and correct any potential problems that may arise.
We can safely assume that $100 isn't going to cover all of the above.
My first commercial job in web design was in 1998 and I have been developing and designing web sites ever since.
Our team spends countless hours refining skills and staying on top of cutting-edge technology to provide the best possible product for our clients.
The Bottom Line:
'In real life, you would not seriously expect to get a Mercedes for the cost of a Honda.'


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January 2014
On the field and in the classroom, Buckeyes rule! Ohio State student-athletes posted an 89 percent graduation rate. The number marked a four percent increase for Buckeye student-athletes and exceeds the 81 percent national average. The data are compiled from a four-class average based on the 2003-06 school years.
$19 million to fight the fight. Participants in Pelotonia, the bicycle tour that funds cancer research at Ohio State, raised more than $19 million in 2013, a record that surpassed the 2012 total of $16.8 million. In five years, Pelotonia has raised $61 million.
Best in the century. Alumni Association president and CEO Archie Griffin has been recognized by the Rose Bowl as its All-Century Player in commemoration of the 100th renewal of the game. The bowl game also recognized Woody Hayes as a part of its all-century class, representing the 1950s.
Where's the waste? Not here. For the second-straight year, Ohio State was the diversion champion in the Gameday Recycling Challenge, a nationwide competition among more than 80 universities. During the 2013 season, 90.5 percent of waste generated at Ohio Stadium during Buckeye football games was either recycled or composted.
Full tuition for best of the best. Ohio State has been selected to participate in the Stamps Leadership Scholars program, one of the most prestigious full-ride scholarships in the country. This fall, five entering Ohio State freshmen will be designated as Stamps Leadership Scholars and will receive four years of tuition support.
Calculus on iTunes, anyone? Math lecturer Jim Fowler has created one of the world's most successful massive open online courses. Fowler's Calculus One class has over 150,000 downloads and was streamed 186,000 times, making it the most popular course this past summer.
National recognition for chief wellness officer. Bernadette Melnyk, Ohio State's chief wellness officer and nursing dean, was one of 70 new members elected to the Institute of Medicine. The IOM recognizes outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service.
The Most Viral Band in the Land. The Ohio State Marching Band rules the Internet with online videos of its halftime shows. In the 2012 and 2013 football seasons, TBDBITL halftime shows have been viewed more than 42 million times on YouTube.
Impacting the world one scientist at a time. Six Ohio State faculty were elected Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Specializing in disciplines from cancer treatment to number theory, the faculty were recognized for their distinguished efforts to advance science.
Recognition for nurturing first-generation students. The Young Scholars Program earned the national Magrath Community Engagement Award, one of the highest honors a university outreach program can earn. The YSP focuses on high school students in Ohio's nine largest urban school districts and has produced more than 800 first-generation college graduates since the program's inception in 1988.
A global attraction. Ohio State is ranked 15th nationally for its international student enrollment, according to the Institute of International Education. The university hosted 6,478 international students in 2012, a 5.5 percent increase over the previous year.


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Tony Kanal: Full Speed Ahead with Dreamcar
Tony Kanal shifts forward in his chair to focus on the menu in front of him, in the vegetarian restaurant just a few blocks from the venue where he is soon to perform. An adamant vegan and animal rights activist at age 46, Kanal decides on the cauliflower tacos before returning his attention to important topics such as the significance of preshow naps, the difficulty in finding an original band name in 2017, the merits of being a vegan, and his newfound appreciation for Disney soundtracks. Since becoming a father to three-and six-year-old daughters, Kanal has developed quite the palate for animated film scores, and he can't give the album from Disney's Moana enough praise. It might not be the conversation you'd expect from one of the most popular rockers of the '90s and 2000s, but you can't argue that the Moana soundtrack isn't catchy.
While children's songs might be one new addition to his repertoire, Kanal typically lives his life by the creed "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." From using Yamaha basses for his entire career, to keeping the same bandmates for over 30 years (guitarist Tom Dumont and drummer Adrian Young), to remaining loyal to his GK amps since 1988, and even to his haircut, which he'll proudly admit he's stuck with since the '90s and is back in high fashion once again. It was a big change, though, when he decided to shift gears away from the pop/reggae/alternative sound of No Doubt to his take on his new '80s-inspired project, Dreamcar. Collaborating with Young, Dumont, and AFI frontman Davey Havok in place of Gwen Stefani, Dreamcar is a new-wave outfit that mixes classic sounds with modern elements.
Photo Credit: Steve Erle
Dreamcar's self-titled debut is a collection of 12 songs that could each be a hit radio single on its own, thanks to catchy hooks and energetic riffs. Although his big, midrange-heavy tone stands out in the mix, bass lovers might have to listen closely to determine whether or not Kanal has converted to pick playing. Fear not, finger purists—he hasn't. That's solidified on songs like "On the Charts," "The Preferred," and "The Assailant," where his funky slap-and-pop grooves remind us of his early No Doubt days. With his newfound appreciation of less being more, Kanal's ability as a riff writer comes out in every song. Just ask the band's producer, Tim Pagnotta. "Tony is a songwriter first. He knows how to balance being flashy and how to hold back and do what's necessary for the song. And his ability to come up with catchy lines is unparalleled."
Kanal and his bandmates are currently out on their first run of shows, where they've decided to play small clubs, a vast departure from the stadiums and arenas that No Doubt and AFI regularly sell out. But it's a nostalgic feeling for Kanal to revisit the humble stages he graced on his way up when his band first formed in the John Hughes movie era. Caught in a sentimental mood, Kanal spends the rest of our dinner contemplating what's to come and reminiscing about shows and studio sessions. Unsurprisingly, he wouldn't change a thing about the journey that has gotten him here now, but then again, not changing things is what got him here in the first place.
How is your bass playing different in Dreamcar, as compared with No Doubt?
The biggest difference is that I'm slapping and popping more than I did in No Doubt's latter years. It's been a lot of fun to explore that side of my playing again. And I'm loving moving between techniques in the same song. Playing parts in the studio versus playing them live are two completely different things, and discovering what is best for each song is a cool journey to be on, regardless of the project.
How and when did Dreamcar first form?
It's been about three years in the making. I love playing with Tom and Adrian, and we have such a deep musical bond where we don't even have to talk about stuff anymore, whether it's onstage or offstage; at this point it's all intuitive between us. We go on vacations with our families, our wives love each other; it's great. We knew we wanted to keep making music together, even though No Doubt is on hiatus, but we didn't want to look for someone to join us, we wanted them to come into our lives naturally. We had known Davey from our bands playing together for a while, and right around when I was becoming vegan, he had just moved to L.A., so we were seeing each other at a bunch of the same restaurants. We got to hanging out, and it turned out that we have a lot of the same interests and like the same music and food. That's when I realized that he should join us to make music, and Tom and Adrian instantly agreed.
And Davey was all for it?
In 2014 the three of us invited him out on a date at our favorite restaurant (Crossroads, Los Angeles), and we sat down and asked if he wanted to work on music, and he said yes. So we sent him four ideas, and within a couple of days he sent them back, and we knew we all had to get into a room together. For the first two years it was totally under the radar; we didn't know what was going to happen, and the beauty was there were no expectations, no managers, no record company, nobody telling us what to do or when we had to get it done. It was a great place to be creative from. We hadn't had that freedom since No Doubt was first starting out in our garage.
Did the four of you have a vision of what the music would sound like going in?
When we started collaborating, it was just flowing. We never once talked about what kind of band we were going to be or what kind of music we were going to make. Once we had about 20 ideas, we got a manager and started shopping to record companies, and we surrounded ourselves with a great team that were all good friends. It's made everything so fun for us.
Has this process been reminiscent of when you first started No Doubt?
Absolutely. There are a lot of similarities between starting this and starting No Doubt so long ago. It's an open flow of creativity, but we have a lot of history now, and with that comes knowledge and wisdom. If it's going to work, it's going to work, and with Davey we knew right away that something cool was happening. I will say that I love getting in my car and listening to this record. Everything about it—all the parts, how it makes me feel, the rawness—I just love all of it.
Was the writing process entirely collaborative?
Tom and I had a few ideas already, so when we went to send Davey the song concepts, we had a lot in the works. But the rest of the music on the album came from us sitting in the studio together and writing. And because there were no limits to what we were doing, I could play anything I wanted to and just throw out a bunch of ideas, and it didn't matter what they were. It was a complete freedom of expression for me as a bass player, and that's a cool thing to have happen.
You couldn't have done this project with Gwen because of how different the sound is from No Doubt, right?
I don't want to say that, but No Doubt is No Doubt, and we didn't want to do anything similar to that. And same with Davey and AFI—it had to be completely different. That's why we think this is so cool. It's great to step out and do something new, and for us having played together for so long, it's exciting to write in a different way than we're used to.
That's a great slap line in the verse of "On the Charts."
That's funny because that song didn't have any slapping on the demo version, and even up to the point when I went into the studio to record it, I had a different bass line written. Then Tim, our producer, urged me to slap on it, and so I wrote that on the spot in the studio. In the '80s there were so many players who slapped, and those players got into me. I've always been big into guys like Mark King or John Taylor, who would incorporate that.
Which other '80s players influenced you?
Simon Gallup, Peter Hook, Horace Panter from the Specials, and my bass teacher in high school. I was playing saxophone in high school jazz band as a freshman when the bass player Dave Carpenter, a senior, was graduating. I wanted to be cool like him—so when our band director Mike Stopher asked if anyone wanted to try out for bass, I volunteered. Between ninth and tenth grade, Dave taught me how to play bass (as did Mr. Stopher), and he influenced me big time. I had only been playing for about one year when I joined No Doubt in my junior year. Dave introduced me to so much great music from that time and so many great bass players.
It almost sounds like you're playing with a pick on some of these songs.
I did try to use a pick on one or two, but I'm no good with a pick, so pretty much the whole album I'm using my fingers like I always do, with the exception of a couple parts.
What were the keys to capturing your studio tone?
I left it up to Tim. I just bring in my basses and play, and he does the rest. I ran into a GK 800RB through one Neo 410 cabinet as my clean line, and then a GK Fusion 500 head through another Neo 410 cabinet, which was my effected signal. I've been using GK heads since the beginning. I still have the first one I bought at Guitar Center in 1988. They've even rebuilt it for me a couple of times, because it's blown out over the years.
What accounts for that great midrange tone you get?
One of my custom Yamaha BB basses is really mid-heavy, and that's great for replicating that '80s pick sound. I used that for a lot of the songs on the album where that tone was called for.
You've been playing Yamaha BB Basses for your whole career. How did you first get into them?
When I started playing I was using the school's Rickenbacker bass, and I would take it over the weekend to play shows. And as cool as [Mr. Stopher] was, as soon as he found out about that, he told me I had to stop taking it or he'd get in trouble. At the time I didn't have a lot of money, but Gwen's dad worked at Yamaha in the WaveRunner division, so he was able to get me an employee discount. I borrowed $350 from my dad and got a BB1600. That was my bass from 1987 until we went to Japan for the first time, in 1995, and I found a BB3000 in a store, so I bought it and started playing it. Right about then, Yamaha got in touch with me, and I've been working with them ever since.
How do they customize your basses?
For 22 years they've either been building me custom models based on my original BB1600, or finding vintage BB models from the '80s which they strip and put in new electronics and re-paint so I can style them how I want.
How did producing songs for Gwen, Pink, and other artists influence your bass playing?
You learn to let everything have its moment to shine and to give the other instruments their space. Everything fits together sonically in its own place, and you learn to identify that. When you're working on someone else's music, it's easy to be objective, because you're slightly removed from it—but when you're working on your own music you can only be subjective, because you're so close to it. Tom, Adrian, and I have always agreed on bringing in a producer for our albums so there's another voice making decisions.
What have you been listening to lately that's been influencing you?
I've been listening to a lot of Oingo Boingo. John Avila is a monster on bass! And also to a lot of Thompson Twins for the time being, but what I listen to constantly changes. That's just this week. My go-to is always Prince, though. I listen to Prince every day, and I play his music for my daughters constantly. Talk about a monster bass player. That guy made every bass player look like a joke, and that wasn't even his main instrument.
Photo Credit: Paul Haggard
He co-wrote and produced your song "Waiting Room" [2001, Rock Steady, Interscope].
That was a big one. I have so many amazing Prince stories. He used to come watch us play live, and he'd invite us to come jam at Paisley Park, but we were all too nervous to even pick up our instruments in front of him. On February 23, 1985, I went to see him play at the Forum, and I kept my ticket and framed it. I was 14 years old and that was the first concert I had ever been to. Fast-forward to 2011, and we were in the studio working on No Doubt's last record, Push and Shove, and Prince was doing 21 nights at the Forum, and he invited Gwen to sing with him, so we tagged along and got to hang with him at soundcheck. I called my wife at home and told her to look at the frame to see where I sat 26 years earlier when I first saw him. I went and sat in that seat and it was a magical feeling. I told him afterwards, and he was really cool about it.
What was it like going to Jamaica to work with reggae legends Sly and Robbie on Rock Steady?
It was amazing. I learned so much from those guys, especially from Robbie [Shakespeare] on the bass side. On our song "Underneath It All," I play the low bass line and Robbie is playing a strumming bass line on top of it. When we were recording, he didn't let me cut and paste any of my parts, so I had to play straight through. As studio musicians you take for granted that you can just patch your bass [part] into the chorus, but he wasn't letting me do that, so that song was all in one take. No matter if I got off or not, it was real, and I learned from that.
How would you say you've matured in your playing?
I've adapted to the idea that less is more and understated is better. Space is so important, and that's probably the biggest thing I learned from working with Robbie. Space is just as important as the notes. He would tell me that I didn't have to play as many notes to get my point across. My early bass lines with No Doubt were so busy, because as a kid you always have something to prove, so I was playing a ton.
What goes through your head when you're onstage?
When everything is firing on all cylinders, I usually go to another place entirely. That's where the muscle memory kicks in—you just go with it. Tom and I were writing the early No Doubt stuff when we were teens, so that's real muscle memory; when you're still forming physically and mentally, it's part of your fiber. When we play No Doubt stuff, it's there. And now it's getting there with Dreamcar.
Can we expect more from No Doubt?
I definitely think at some point we'll get back together when things align. No Doubt is a big part of my life. I've been in that band longer than I haven't been.
What advice would you give to an up-and-coming bass player?
You have to be hungry and work hard at what you do. We were just tenacious when we started out. People don't realize this about us, but we didn't get on the radio until we had been together for nine years. That's a long time to be doing something, but we loved what we were doing. I went to college for a little while and I was in psych classes and I was just working on the next No Doubt flyer. It was where my heart was. Love what you do, and don't stop putting in the work.
Dreamcar, Dreamcar [2017, Columbia]
Basses Yamaha Tony Kanal Custom BB3000s
Rig Gallien-Krueger 800RB and MB Fusion 500 Heads, Gallien-Krueger Neo 410 cabinets, Ampeg SVT-810E cabinet, Audio-Technica wireless system
Pedals Line 6 POD HD Pro X
Strings GHS (.045–.105)


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Obama's talking about a ":lack of diversity" again. That must mean nobody's agreeing with him on that subject. He whines about a "lack of bipartisanship," too. What THAT means is nobody's "knuckling under"" to him on ANYTHING. To him, "bipartisanship" is everybody agreeing with him on EVERYTHING. He doesn't think ANYBODY should disagree with him on ANYTHING. To do so MUST be "racism." He doesn't think there is any other reason to disagree with him. He's a damned fool.
FOUR MORE HOURS: Obama has "chopped off" yet another four hours from the government's definition of a "full-time job." Which is going to require workers to hold two, maybe THREE JOBS in order to get a full week's pay and avoid losing their health insurance coverage (by law) and being forced to buy his OVERPRICED health insurance (by LAW). If it's so damned good, why did he need to make a law FORCING us to buy it? Meanwhile, no jobs are available.
OBVIOUS POLITICAL MOVE: To protect Hillary's candidacy for president, the state Department says it won't release more thousands of her e-mails they "forgot" to release before, until after the New Hampshire Primary, blaming the recent massive snowstorm. How OBVIOUS can you be? Of course, they insist politics had nothing to do with it. Like Obama insists, against all evidence, that the economy is "doing great." This, of course, proves (again) that you can't depend on ANYTHING this government says to be the truth.
TYPICAL IRANIAN LIE: Iran claims to have "sent away" the American warship, The Monterrey. They claimed to have "shooed them away" from the Strait of Hormuz as part of Navy exercises there. Only one little problem. The Monterrey was 7,000 miles away in it's home port of Norfolk at the time. The chief liar about such things used to be the USSR. But after the collapse of communism in Russia, Iran has apparently taken on that role.
TOO MANY LEVELS: According to somebody who should know, there are SIX levels of permission required before we can "shoot back" in our "war zones." This is the kind of thing that can, and HAS gotten people KILLED, and it's all Obama's fault There should be NO such levels of permission required in a "war zone," because the enemy has no such prohibitions. They can snipe at you without warning, and keep shooting, while you're desperately screaming for permission to shoot back.
PLANNED PARENTHOOD INDICTS ACCUSER: The Grand Jury was convened to look into the Planned Parenthood practice of murdering babies and selling their body parts, Only one problem. The Grand Jury had a Planned Parenthood board member on the Jury, AND in the prosecutor's office, and they changed the direction of the Jury so as to indict the ACCUSERS of PP for using phony driver licenses. Apparently, phony driver licenses are a worse crime than is murdering infants and selling their body parts. Cops can get away with that, but apparently reporters can't. We know a corrupt prosecutor can get a Grand Jury to indict a ham sandwich, and the people who revealed these murders are now facing 20 years in prison as a result of that corruption, here. Somebody needs to do something about it.


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Two youth aged 19 and 20 have drowned to death last evening (29th), while bathing in a waterfall in Ganegama, Kahawatta.
The deceased youth are reported to be residents of Lellopitiya.
The bodies of the demised are at Kahawatta Hospital while the Post-mortem examinations are to be carried out today.
Police Media said that Kahawatta Police Station inspects the incident.


text: Congratulations to Katy B. and Kelly M., this week's Stars of the Week!Katy is a busy young lady! She was seen this week buying groceries for her mom at Whole Foods -- we know her mom appreciates the help. She also stays busy at BrightStone and told us her BrightStone favorites are doing stretching exercises at the Y, helping cook lunch, bowling, doing math games in the learning lab, and working in ceramics. Kelly had two wisdom teeth pulled last week and missed four days at BrightStone. She was not happy about this! Kelly lets everyone know there's no place on earth she'd rather be than BrightStone. She involves herself in all of our activities and has a great time here with her friends. She says her favorites are playing basketball, helping cook lunch, doing computer activities, bowling, and working in ceramics.


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Free Photography – Overturned Black Turtle Is Trying To Get Back To Water – Public Domain Photos
Free Stock Images Overturned turtle is trying to get back to feet.
The main picture was taken with a Canon brand camera, model Canon EOS 500D on Thursday 16th June 2011 by the Emilian Robert Vicol photographer.
As basic settings, an exposure time of 1/100 (10ms ) was used with aperture f/10.0 and the ISO Speed of the camera was 400. Actual focal length of the lens was 100/1 (100mm) with 18-270mm lens model (range).
The actual file size is 7.44 MBytes, resolution is 4752px on the horizontal and 3168px on the vertically and the original (or modified) file name is Overturned-Turtle-__77623.jpg (media type is image/jpeg).
The photo original orientation was portret with an X Resolution DPI equal to 72/1 and Y-Resolution DPI equal to 72/1.
Other camera settings (and APEX value) were the lens aperture 434176/65536, status of flash equal with 16, shutter speed 434176/65536 and brightness value unknown.
Note: The current image size corresponds to the original version but the original photo orientation it was changed to landscape.


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Residence console market with the Nintendo Leisure System
Greatest Offline Android games. The Atari 7800 was initially designed to succeed the Atari 5200 in 1984, however the system's launch was shelved when Atari was offered to new owners who wished to focus on the pc market instead. The console was, as an alternative, formally launched two years later in response to Nintendo and SEGA coming into the US residence console market with the Nintendo Leisure System and Master System respectively. Many of the console's planned options, corresponding to a excessive rating saving cartridge, had been by no means released.
This wind ups our checklist of the highest Android games to play with out the Web. As with any new gameplay system, it sounds great in principle to us, the way it plays would be the real check. This conduct is currently enabled by default, however server house owners can override playerlootmode to four totally different settings depending on … Read MoreRead more


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Viewing tagged as: International Year of Quinoa
FAO has declared 2013 as the International Year of Quinoa (IYQ). The International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) recognizes the value of Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa), a staple grain with origins in the South American Andes, in terms of its cultural placement, nutrition, importance in terms of biodiversity and to overall food security. We support the IYQ and its aim to raise awareness and encourage the exchange of knowledge of quinoa production, markets, opportunities and constraints. Through this year long initiative, international cooperation between public, private and non-governmental organizations can be improved and stimulate sustainable production of this invaluable crop.


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SONG OF SONGS: 11. "I am my beloved's, and his desire is upon me.
70 SOULS THAT DESCENDED TO EGYPT: Ziphion and Ephraim
TALMUD SHEVUOTH: Daf 35 – the Holy Name of G-d
BOOK OF JEREMIAH: Chapter 35
Week 35 in the Jewish calendar is the week of Yom Yerushalayim and Rosh Chodesh Sivan. The verse of Shir HaShirim of this week speaks of the close connection between the Jewish people and G-d, and how He desires us. This desire was certainly felt strongly at the time immediately prior to the giving of the Torah, and also when we were able to re-conquer Jerusalem.
Of the seventy souls of the Jewish people that descended to Egypt, the thirty-fifth mentioned is Ziphion, son of Gad. This week is also connected with Ephraim, son of Joseph. Ziphion appears related to the verb Letzapot, to see into the distance, like the name of a mountain in Jerusalem, Har HaTzofim, one of the scenes of the greatest battles for Jerusalem in 1948 and 1967. Ephraim comes from the word to be fruitful and multiply – Israel's size certainly multiplied after the Six Day War. Ephraim was the ancestor of Joshua, who conquered the Land of Israel for the first time. Ephraim, along with Menashe (previous week) were partners in a similar way as Issachar (connected to the month of Iyar) and Zevulun (Sivan). Of the two brothers, Ephraim is the most associated with spiritual pursuits and the acquisition of Torah, while Menashe was more concerned with running the affairs of the kingdom.
Daf Lamed Heh (Folio 35) of Shvuot discusses cases of exemptions, when oaths are not made, the wording of an oath, the holy names of G-d, and whether an oath must include Hashem's name. The various names of Hashem mentioned appear related to the the revelation of Hashem and the giving of the Torah on Shavuot. The Torah itself comprises of one of Hashem's names.
Chapter 35 of the Book of Jeremiah contains a similar theme to the above. It contains the story of Rechabites, sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab, children of Yitro. The story tells of how they faithfully obeyed their father's commands, including the one not to drink wine. Yithro's story (that of a convert) is very much related to the giving of the Torah. In fact, it is in Parashat Yitthro that we read about the giving of the Torah. It also shows the unity of the children, all obeying their father's wishes in unison. They themselves were converts, just like on Shavuot, when the entire Jewish people were like converts.
5. And I placed before the sons of the house of the Rechabites goblets full of wine, and cups, and I said to them, "Drink wine."
6. And they said, "We will not drink wine, for Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, commanded us saying, "You shall not drink wine, you or your children forever.
7. And you shall not build a house, neither shall you sow nor shall you plant a vineyard, nor shall you have [any], but you shall dwell in tents all your days in order that you live many days on the face of the land where you dwell.
8. And we hearkened to the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, to all that he commanded us, not to drink wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, and our daughters.
9. And not to build houses for our dwelling, and not to have a vineyard, a field, or seed.
10. And we have dwelt in tents, and we have hearkened and done according to all that Jonadab our father has commanded us.


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Parish Photos
Families in Service - Christmas Caroling 2015 - December 13, 2015
Families in Service - Christmas Caroling 2015 - December 13, 2015: Our Families in Service program continued the annual tradition of visiting the homes of our senior and homebound parishioners, bringing them a message of good cheer. Families with young children and several girl scout troops gathered in the cafeteria for some light refreshments and said a prayer before going out in groups to sing Christmas carols. It was a wonderful way for families to share the joy of Christmas with their children and with the seniors who remain a vital part of of our parish.


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The second time I ran eight miles
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
The second time I ran eight miles
9 comments:
Absolutely 100% worth it to go to a speciatly running store and have them fit you. You will be amazed! The wrong shoe can cause injuries. I hope you are able to meet your half goeal!! :) I have done insanity too and that is hard work.ReplyDelete
Well, you've convinced me. I'm going to start Insanity on Monday. :) I'm a little worried about my knees - I've had troubles with them to the extent that I can't run at all anymore. We'll see how it goes! :)ReplyDelete
I wish I had the motivation to be Insane :) I sure could use the workout. Good for you for training for a marathon. That's so awesome! Thanks for the blog visit and kind comment. We love sweet comments!ReplyDelete
Agreed on the specialty running store. Worth it!ReplyDelete
You'll have to let me know how Insanity is... I have TURBO FIRE and love it! :)
I'm impressed! Excited to hear about the marathon experience!!ReplyDelete
Thanks for visiting my blog:)ReplyDelete
Stop by and join the blog hop, we choose one blog to feature the following week.
My husband goes to Striders in Layton. They fit him for the shoes he uses for his half marathons, as well as for the Xterra trail run.
Hope your knee feels better soon
Amanda Joy
I swear I have seen an ad for those videos and I wanted to do it. It looks really hard! YES, totally got to a speciality running store. Also, if your knees keep bugging, I should give you the name of the Dr. that finally figured out my problem. Have fun with the workout!ReplyDelete
Looks like you're a lover of yellow, too;)ReplyDelete
Be careful while doing Insanity. Your form needs to be perfect, and even then the routines can be very tough on your knees. I also wouldn't recommend any running while doing Insanity.ReplyDelete
That being said, if you do the full two months and "dig deeper" as Shaun T says, your legs will be much stronger. Hopefully that will prevent injury in the future!
Specialty store is the way to go. Make sure they watch you run, as a lot of people tread differently when they run than when they walk.


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It may not be clear to many, though the weakest link of any chain is enough to destroy any project, or company for that matter. Ignoring the broken link may work for a while, but eventually, the chain will fall apart and lose both its strength and length.
Similarly so with projects and teams. Unclear analysis of the project at hand could mean assigning inappropriate resources towards a vital task.
Often though, the problem stems from the time a person enters the doors of an organization to commence work. It is crucial to understand individuals' strengths and how well they work within a team. A good leader has the uneasy responsibility to not only be able to form a team and assign the right people to any given task or group of tasks, but also has to be able to distinguish the "boy who cried wolf". Let me explain that a little better… you know the saying "Don't judge a book by its cover"? Well, unfortunately it is within our nature to do so.
A well presented person, well spoken at an interview could prove to be a future star employee, however more often than not, such individuals are merely that greatly designed book cover, with a lacking plot and predictable ending. One has to choose wisely and unfortunately the lack of abilities do not always manifest themselves at the onset of a relationship, but at times begin to surface later on in a role.
If opportunity and resources permit, it is crucial to lengthen the interview timeframes and broaden the search criteria. Simply searching for candidates based on proximity or geography, education status, background or the like is not merely enough anymore. Skill specialisation and expertise is becoming increasingly scarce so ensure that you are taking adequate measures to truly assess your own requirements of people and try to be a good judge of character and evaluate the correct skills over various scenarios before committing to permanent employees. These days freelance workers are available for virtually any industry, and often may prove to be highly skilled and very adequate candidates for a project or role.
Food for thought?


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by Style Army
Everyone loves a good clutch. They don't have to drag your shoulder down, and you get the pack the most minimal purse necessities. Fall's trend is the smaller the purse, the trendier. But I always love an oversized envelope…And a good print…And a good studded clutch. Ok, I just love all clutches.


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Agricultural activities at Valhalla will be characterized by what are known as intensive gardening techniques. These include but are not limited to the following: raised bed gardens, composting, worm farming, bee keeping, soil enhancement, and season-extending devices such as hoop houses and greenhouses.
Soil is going to be rocky and thin. We must literally create the bed in which plants will prosper. In order to do this we will build up, above the ground in raised beds approximately 12" to 16" high, confined by blocks, rocks, or wood frames. Each bed will be 4' wide so that a person can easily reach in from the side without having to walk on the soil. Once in place the soil will never be compressed by walking or machinery.
Some beds will be higher so that wheel-chair confined Soldier-residents can avail themselves of the pleasure and satisfaction of raising plants.
Once plants are up and growing we will use natural insect and slug control agents - chickens, ducks, and geese - to conduct daily foot patrols throughout the garden and eliminate (with extreme prejudice) invasive insect pests and new weeds. Judicious use of these multiple techniques - good soil, strong seedlings, and natural pest control - ought to reduce the need (and expense) of constant additives of insecticides and chemical enhancements. We are not organic gardening co-religionists, but will happily take the best of the techniques and use them to produce the highest nutritional value, best tasting produce possible.
The objective of combining these techniques is simple: produce the maximum quantity of high-quality vegetables, fruits, and herbs from the smallest space possible with minimum use of labor or machinery.
Intensive gardening is an old practice. Asian and European societies with severely limited land resources have used similar techniques for centuries. The modern American model of huge farms with concomitant demand on machinery, chemicals, and labor reflect the natural response of settlers to a seemingly limitless amount of available agricultural space.
While large-scale agriculture has proven highly productive, such practices are not the most useful or practical for a facility like Valhalla that focuses on productivity along with teaching skill sets that will most benefit the Soldier-residents in future endeavors.
We start with the premise that wherever we locate in the Ozarks we will have lousy soil. That's why you don't find mega-farms in the Ozarks. So what can we do to 1) improve the soil, 2) create sustainable production levels, and 3) teach skills that have universal applicability? The answer to all these challenges is intensive gardening. Let's look at them one by one.
|Photo credit: Hubpages
|Photo credit: Hubpages
Some beds will be higher so that wheel-chair confined Soldier-residents can avail themselves of the pleasure and satisfaction of raising plants.
The soil itself - the most essential element in intensive gardening - will be added to and improved over time, while being monitored regularly by simple testing kits for pH (acidity vs alkalinity), nutritive content, and friability. Initial tests will determine what elements need to be added, but in essence a mixture of topsoil (that may have to be purchased and trucked in), lime, compost, and additives such as peat moss and green sand. Biochar, as we mentioned in another entry here, will be a key component to the mix.
Meanwhile composting will be initiated for all waste vegetation and animal manure produced. At the beginning we may need to beg or buy waste bedding from local horse stables or chicken farms to jump-start the effort. In time, with addition of livestock, we ought to be able to produce sufficient quantities to keep the garden happy.
Once we locate the beds, excavate up to a foot of soil and remove it and replace it with our own mixture, then planting will begin. Seedlings will be started indoors from seeds to reduce costs of purchasing plants and to make sure that we have healthy, disease-free seedlings. Use of plastic hoop houses to extend both sides of the growing season (about 180 days) will afford the opportunity to plant before final frost and harvest past first fall frost dates.
Some beds will be dedicated to long-lived species like asparagus and perennial herbs or to the garden "thugs" like horseradish and rhubarb that are invasive and take over weaker plants. Others will be planted on a rotational schedule, season to season, in order to take advantage of maximum growing capacity of the soil and reduce pest damage. Raised beds lend themselves well to use of trellis and vertical growing techniques, another way to get increased productivity from limited space.
While the actual garden is getting up and running, we will add beneficial synergistic critters such as worms (useful in breaking down manure and rough soil into humus), fowl, and bees. Honeybees have been hit hard recently and many wild hives wiped out. By maintaining our own hives we will boost pollination by as much as 30% and have supplies of honey, wax, and comb to boot.
|Chickens patroling for insects just outside the
wire of a protected raised bed vegetable garden.
Photo credit: the Garden of Eating blog
One positive aspect of the Arkansas Ozark region is that annual precipitation levels are at 40" - 45" with a lot of natural water sources, meaning that when combined with our rainwater harvesting practices we ought not have to worry about the brief summer drought periods.
We plan to start small, with raised beds placed in fences, protected spaces to discourage natural animal pests like deer, raccoon, possum, and rabbits. In time we expect to convert larger areas to boost productivity (necessary to support an expanding population and to have enough to store for winter use). We will still use the raised bed techniques, but the area will be larger and will accommodate movable greenhouses that will provide exponential growth and harvest potential.
When we combine intensive gardening, rainwater harvesting, and the synergy of livestock and composting, we will be training Soldier-residents on some excellent skills that they can use themselves or utilize as landscape-garden-small farm consultants. We also have a lot of appeal to potential donors who stress sustainable living, environmentally friendly, and light-footprint in their corporate or foundation missions.
The exciting thing about these techniques is that they are all out there, tried-and-tested, and have proven extremely valuable. No wheel-inventing is needed to make this work. I began experimenting with intensive gardening in Northern Virginia when I was at the Pentagon and State, and picked it up again on a larger scale when I had my alpaca/llama farm in the Catskills. The potential is huge.
Garden produce will be larger in volume and quality than with other methods and residents will learn useful skills. A win-win outcome for all concerned.
If you want to read more about these ideas I suggest "Square Foot Gardening," by Mel Bartholomew and "Cubed Foot Gardening," by Christopher Bird (a retired USAF LTC living in the Shenandoah who has grown stuff all over the world including west Texas that he describes as "gardening in Hell").
Related books from our library