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How to Care for Your Ball Python
Explore this Article Making the Commitment Providing a Good Home Maintaining the Environment Show 1 more... Show less... Article Summary Questions & Answers Related Articles References
There are 20 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.
Ball pythons are a very popular choice for many people who are looking for a pet snake. Like all snakes, ball pythons will require you to be fully committed to their care. These snakes will live for up to thirty years and you must maintain a very specific environment to keep them healthy. Properly caring for your ball python can be very rewarding and will give them a comfortable life.
Part 1
Making the Commitment
1Be aware of their size. All snakes, including ball pythons, will grow quite a bit over the course of their lives. Ball pythons in particular will grow quite large and will require a proper living environment as they do. You should be prepared for this before you attempt to care for a ball python.[1]
- Female ball pythons will grow to around 5' in length, males to around 3'.
- You will need to provide enough space for a fully grown ball python.
- You will need to feed a snake of this size large rodents.
2Understand the long-term commitment. Caring for any animal is a serious commitment. You will need to feed, clean and maintain the health of your ball python over the course of its entire life. Make sure you are ready for a long-term commitment before deciding to care for a ball python.[2]
- Ball pythons have lived up to 40 years.
- Generally, ball pythons will live between 20 to 30 years.
3Look to purchase a ball python. Once you've decided that you can provide proper care for a ball python it's time to go find your new friend. Thankfully, ball pythons are very popular amongst pet owners and they are easy to find in most pet stores. Start looking for a ball python that is right for you once you feel prepared to care for it.[3]
- Reptile breeders will likely have ball pythons available.
- Attending a reptile expo can also help you find your new ball python.
- Ball pythons should already be eating and well fed before you buy them.
4Know how to handle a ball python. Snakes aren't used to being held in the wild. As a result, you will need to know when it's acceptable to hold your snake and when it will only cause stress. Take a look at some of these key ideas when considering if it's the right time to interact with your snake:[4]
- Allow your snake to eat one meal in it's new home before trying to handle it.
- Young snakes should be held no more than once a week.
- Adult snakes can be held around once a week.
- Don't interact with your ball python after it's eaten. Wait around two days after your snake eats to make sure it is comfortable.
5Be attentive. If you plan on caring for a ball python, you will need to be dedicated to maintaining and protecting its health. Keeping your snake healthy will require you to watch its behavior and actions for any changes or indications of illness. Keep an eye out for some of these common signs of illness:[5]
- A ball python should normally sit in a coil. Snakes that lay straight out or keep their head up may be ill.
- Ball pythons that spend a lot of time soaking may be ill or uncomfortable.
- In the case of respiratory issues, your snake may wheeze or have mucus come out from its nose.
- Runny or bloody stool can indicate a digestive issue. Snakes who don't void after ten days may be constipated.
- Refusal of food may indicate an infection.
Part 2
Providing a Good Home
1Ensure the python can stretch out in the cage. Ball pythons will need just the right amount of room to feel comfortable. Cages or enclosures that are too large or too small will stress the snake out and make its life uncomfortable. Keep these tips in mind when you are looking for a new home for your ball python to enjoy:[6]
- The container needs to be long enough that an snake can completely stretch out in it.
- Mesh cage lids can work. However, it can be difficult maintaining humidity levels in the cage.
- For younger snakes, you will need to find a smaller enclosure.
2Spot clean often. It's important to keep your snakes enclosure very clean. Keeping the cage clean will help keep your ball python happy and healthy. Part of your regular cleaning routine should include spot cleaning. Spot cleaning will allow you to keep up with any messes and require you to fully clean the cage less often.[7]
- Remove any waste from your snake every day.
- Any other obvious messes left in the cage should be removed.
3Clean the cage thoroughly. A big part of caring for your ball python is fully cleaning its enclosure. It's generally recommended that you fully clean the cage and everything in it once a month. Totally cleaning the cage will help keep your snake healthy and prevent any health issues over time.[8]
- Take your snake out of the enclosure during the time you are cleaning.
- Remove everything in the cage for cleaning. Any sticks, hiding boxes, or other decorations will need to be cleaned.
- You can clean the cage with a water and bleach solution. Make sure the bleach content is only 5%.
- Wait for the cage to fully dry before putting it back together and reintroducing your ball python.
4Ensure the snake can't escape. Snakes are well known for being escape-artists. You will need to make sure that your ball python's cage is secure, keeping it safely inside. Keep some of these things in mind when securing your snake's cage:[9]
- Any doors or openings need to be closed and locked.
- Lids need to be secure. Your snake shouldn't be able to push the lid away from the cage.
- Make sure there are no small gaps or openings that your snake can escape from.
Part 3
Maintaining the Environment
1Keep a temperature gradient. In a natural environment, your snake will move between areas that have different temperatures. Snakes are cold-blooded and the temperature will change their level of activity. To replicate this, you will need to maintain your ball python's enclosure with a temperature gradient.[10]
- The basking area should be 88 to 96 degrees Fahrenheit.
- The overall temperature of the cage should be 78 to 80 Fahrenheit.
- Use two thermometers to monitor both the cool and warm areas of the cage.
- You can heat the cage with under-cage warming pads or heating lights.
2Consider additional lighting. Supplemental lighting can be used in your ball python's enclosure. However, it is not a requirement. If you want to use additional lighting, try using a full-spectrum UV light. Consider adding supplemental lighting to help make your enclosure feel even more natural and comfortable.[11]
- Use 12 hour cycles of lighting. Keep the light on for 12 hours during the day and off for 12 hours at night.
- Do not leave the light on at night. Leaving the light on too long will stress your snake out.
3Maintain the right humidity. Creating and maintaining the right level of humidity is very important for your snakes health. Humidity will help keep your snake healthy and allow them to easily shed their skin. Always keep a close eye on the humidity levels in the cage to best care for your ball python.[12]
- Humidity needs to be between 50% to 60%
4Provide a quality substrate. Your ball python will need to have the right substrate in order to be comfortable and safe in its home. Certain substrates will work better than others, keeping your ball python happy and making the enclosure easier to clean. Take a look at some of the following examples of substrates to learn what's okay to use:[13]
- Aspen shavings will work well.
- Cypress mulch is okay to use.
- Most other mulch based substrates can be a good pick.
- Never use substrates that contain cedar or pine.
5Provide hide boxes. Your ball python will want a place to hide and be alone. If your snake is forced to be left out in the open, it will become nervous and stressed out. Always provide a hide box for your ball python to help them feel comfortable and at home.[14]
- Make sure you clean the hide box whenever you clean the cage.
- You can buy premade hide boxes from pet stores.
- Make your own hides by cutting a small, round door out of a plastic Tupperware container or bowl.[15]
Part 4
Providing Food and Water
1Find the correct size prey. It's important that you provide the right size prey to your ball python. Prey that is either too small or too large will present problems for your snake. Always make sure that whenever you introduce prey into the cage that it's the correct size.[16]
- Prey should be no bigger than the widest part of the snake.
- Prey that is too large can cause injury to your snake.
- Prey that is too small may not provide enough nutrition.
2Do not touch the snake after feeding. Snakes need time to be alone and digest their meal after they've eaten. Disturbing or handling your snake after a meal can cause them to regurgitate that meal. Always wait at least one full day before handling your ball python after they've eaten.[17]
3Remove uneaten food after every feeding. If your snake doesn't eat a prey item, you will need to remove it. Leaving dead or living prey items in the cage can pose health hazards to your snake. Always remove old prey items from the cage to best care for your ball python.[18]
- Feeding pre-killed items to your snake is safer. However, these items will decompose and need to be removed if left uneaten.
- Feeding live prey animals can bring harm to your snake. Mice or rodents have been known to attack and kill ball pythons.
4Feed on a schedule. It's important that you stick to a schedule when feeding your ball python. The regularity will benefit your snake and will allow you to notice if your snake has any changes in its appetite. Try to follow these basic feeding schedules to best care for your snake's dietary needs:[19]
- For adult ball pythons, offer food once every one or two weeks.
- For young ball pythons, offer food once or twice a week.
- Appetites may change normally over the year. Colder months usually result in lowered appetites.
5Provide water. Your ball python will also need a place to find water in their enclosure. Providing water will give your snake a place to relax and enjoy a good soak. Keep some of these tips in mind when providing water for your ball python:[20]
- Young snakes should only have about 1" of water.
- Make sure the container can't be tipped over.
- Water temperature should be between 72 and 79 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Your snake will often defecate in the water. Change the water at least once a week.
Community Q&A
QuestionDo ball pythons have salmonella on their skin, or in their digestive tract, or both?Community AnswerBoth, but as long as you wash your hands after touching them you don't need to worry about getting sick.
QuestionCan ball pythons eat things other than mice and rats, like eggs or something?Community AnswerNo, your ball python should only eat rats or mice. Rats and mice hold all the nutrients needed for your snake to be healthy.
QuestionMy snake doesn't like to go in his hide and usually only sits in one corner, is this a problem?Bunnycorn MurdererCommunity AnswerThis is not a problem. That is normal for ball pythons. If you're really worried, try placing his hide in the corner he stays in.
QuestionMy rock python has not eaten in about 4 weeks, and I can tell he has lost weight. He is not coming out as usual at night. What's wrong?NazgulCommunity AnswerRock pythons may not eat if their temperature isn't high enough, so make sure his enclosure is warm enough, around 90 degrees F. If that isn't the problem, it sounds like your snake may have IBD (inclusion body disease), so take him immediately to the vet.
QuestionHow big does the water bowl need to be?Community AnswerLarge enough so he can soak his whole body, but not deep enough to where he can drown.
QuestionAre ball pythons venomous?Community AnswerNo, ball pythons are not venomous.
QuestionDo I need to soak the python in a tub of water to help shedding?Community AnswerYou can do this to help aid him in the shedding process, though it's not absolutely necessary. Make sure its WARM water -- not hot or cold.
QuestionCan ball pythons swim?Community AnswerYes, and they are quite good at it too! Not all ball pythons like the water, though.
QuestionI've heard it's a good idea to have a separate enclosure for feeding. Is that true? And if it is, is it okay for me to transport him from the feeding aquarium to his daily aquarium after he eats?NazgulCommunity AnswerFeeding your snake in a separate enclosure may prevent him from expecting food when you open the cage and lessen the possibility of him mistaking your hand for food. Ball pythons are so docile that they usually wouldn't try to strike at your hand, so a separate feeding box isn't usually needed. If you want to use a separate enclosure, use a bin that you can place inside his daily aquarium after he takes the food so you don't have to handle him, then remove it once he's swallowed and has exited the box. If it won't fit inside his aquarium, put a secure lid on his feeding box with air holes and wait at the VERY least an hour before you pick him up and put him back into his aquarium.
QuestionMy ball python hasn't eaten in seven weeks. What is wrong?Community AnswerPythons don't eat for long periods of time, depending on the size of their last meal. Ball pythons can go up to six months without a meal. Your pet is perfectly normal.
- Make sure you can care for the snake over its full lifespan.
- Get a cage for your ball python that is the right size.
- Maintaining both temperature and humidity levels is critical.
- Keep some place in the cage for your ball python to hide.
- Make sure prey items are no larger than your snake is wide.
- Remove uneaten prey items.
- Keep the cage clean to help keep your snake healthy.
- Always wash your hands before and after handling a ball python or any reptile.
- Prey items must be 1-1.5x the size of the widest part of the snake's body, or else it may become malnourished.
- Never leave the lid open, especially when it is unattended.
- Never use cedar or pine shavings as they can cause respiratory problems.
- Never leave uneaten prey in the cage with your ball python.
- ↑ http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Care-Sheets/Snakes/Ball-Python/
- ↑ http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=17+1831&aid=2422
- ↑ http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Care-Sheets/Snakes/Ball-Python/
- ↑ http://www.uvma.org/snakes/snake-cages.htm
- ↑ http://animals.mom.me/signs-ball-python-getting-sick-4656.html
- ↑ http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Care-Sheets/Snakes/Ball-Python/
- ↑ http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Care-Sheets/Snakes/Ball-Python/
- ↑ http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=17+1831&aid=2422
- ↑ http://www.uvma.org/snakes/snake-cages.htm
- ↑ http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=17+1831&aid=2422
- ↑ http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Care-Sheets/Snakes/Ball-Python/
- ↑ http://animals.mom.me/tips-taking-care-ball-pythons-4467.html
- ↑ http://www.petco.com/content/petco/PetcoStore/en_US/pet-services/resource-center/caresheets/ball-python.html
- ↑ http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Care-Sheets/Snakes/Ball-Python/
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alR5eshJJRU
- ↑ http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=17+1831&aid=2422
- ↑ http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Care-Sheets/Snakes/Ball-Python/
- ↑ http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Care-Sheets/Snakes/Ball-Python/
- ↑ http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Care-Sheets/Snakes/Ball-Python/
- ↑ http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Care-Sheets/Snakes/Ball-Python/
Article SummaryX
To care for a ball python, choose an enclosure that will accommodate its size as it grows. A female ball python will eventually grow to about 5 feet in length, and a male will grow up to about 3 feet. Remove waste from the snake's cage every day, and give the cage a deep cleaning once a month. When your snake is a juvenile, feed it rats or mice once or twice a week, and decrease that to every 1-2 weeks when it's an adult. For tips from our Veterinary co-author on how to set up your snake's enclosure, read on!
Article Info
Categories: Pythons
In other languages:
Español: cuidar de tu pitón real, Português: Cuidar da Sua Píton Real, Italiano: Prendersi Cura del Pitone Reale, Русский: ухаживать за шаровидным питоном, Deutsch: Eine Königspython versorgen, Français: prendre soin d'un python royal


text: On Mon, 17 Apr 2006 21:36:30 +0200 Dominik 'Rathann' Mierzejewski <dominik at rangers.eu.org> wrote: > Do we have a vectorized MPlayer logo? If not, I may be able to get a friend > to whip up something by tomorrow. I found one on my disk. I think i got that one from Arpi long long ago. Don't know whether the original file is still somewhere available. I also have a .sit file i don't know how to extract (ok, i didn't look for a stuff it for linux) and an mplayer_final_id.ai where i dont know what kind of format it is (looks like a ps file with some binary around it, and definitly a mac format) Attila Kinali -- ?????????????? -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: mplayer_final_id.eps.gz Type: application/postscript Size: 19582 bytes Desc: not available URL: <http://lists.mplayerhq.hu/pipermail/ffmpeg-devel/attachments/20060418/fdec5620/attachment.ps>

subset: commoncrawl


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I'll really try not to have a super long post since I have a habit of trying to cram several weeks into a blog post once every six (weeks) or so. I keeping thinking "ohhh I should blog." And then I don't. I think it's more of a time issue. I'm a busy girl these days. Between work, working out, and social/fun things I don't take the time to sit and write. I'm also way more apt to sit and relax with the iPad than sit at a computer (after sitting at a computer most of the day during sessions/writing client notes). I guess the last thing I want to do at home is sit at my computer desk. I think the blog got to be "I need to" or "I should" more than "I feel like" or "I want to." That's probably why, over the last couple years, I haven't written as much. That and the weight gain.
So... The update last time was mostly about the half marathon. I didn't find another that worked with my schedule in October and not so far in November. The next will be in February. Which means vacation! I started this round of training a few weeks ago and it's going well. I'm doing my "long" runs, which haven't been long yet, on the weekends. I've also been running with a friend once a week, on the weekends. We usually stick to the 5K length but last week I had four on the agenda and she did four with me. This week is five, but since I've already done five, I may not do five with her. Or maybe I will. Hmmm... I feel like I'm (somewhat sneakily) prepping her for a half too. If this one wasn't sold out, I'd try to convince her take vacation with me. RATS! We have talked about doing one this Spring, so that will be fun.
I already have one schedule for Spring, the Flying Pig, in Cinci. There are a ton of races in April and May that I want to do. Unfortunately many of them fall on the same dates or very close together. Given that I do training runs that build on miles weekly, I'm sure I could do a half one week and then another a couple weeks later. However, they're all over the place and all that travel gets pricey. So, I have some narrowing to do!
I've recently gotten into yoga again. This is something I've gone in streaks with - probably because I was doing it at home and that gets kind of boring. And it's not a huge calorie burner so I found it ten times easier to do something else. Huge calorie burner or not, it is necessary. Especially for someone who runs a few times a week. Speaking of which, so far, I'm doing better at sticking to a training schedule of only running three times a week, maybe four on some weeks. I'm really bad at that. I could run 5-6 days a week. I am trying to be very mindful of the bad things that result for that. Like over-training injuries. I don't want those. I'd get super focused on it because I love it and it torches calories. Torched calories translate to pounds lost. BUT injury and inability to do most activities results in (usually) pounds gained, boredom, and anger over not being able to run. SO, I'm working hard to stick to my training plan.
Well, that sidetracked me... Back to yoga.
I'm now going to yoga class at a studio. I can typically make some of the morning classes, and every now and then, I might be able to go to the more intense, evening class. I'm also considering adding spin for my cross training a couple times a week. I've heard it is really good cross training for runners. It's a great workout and calorie burner, but it doesn't add on steps and those damn fitbit challenges (and my own goal of 10K a day) keep me focused on steps. But once or twice won't hurt!
So, AGAIN, yoga...
It's awesome. I love it ten times better in the studio than at home. The yoga teacher, Lauri, is awsome. And let's face it, an awesome yoga teacher in real life is far better than an obnoxious yoga teacher on a video. Videos also do not give you that live teacher element so that your poses or postures can be corrected or you don't have reminders and cues. Plus the cool down at the end is a million times better than on a DVD. And longer. Plus, she gives us affirmation cards to read and essential oils to smell. I leave class feeling relaxed but also refreshed. Some days I can REALLY feel my muscle tightness (from cardio) which tells me "oh yes, you needed this today." I feel like I get a lot more out of class than a video.
My affirmation cards have been a little eerie.
Last Friday, I got some about bringing back a childhood dream. When I was younger, I wanted to be a dancer. In High School, I longed to do color guard. Why? Because I didn't have confidence. Writing is another thing I've always loved and been passionate about. I write now and then... Typically through this blog, because as awesome as a novel would be, it would take me two years to write one, unless I quit working and did that full-time which is a risk I cannot take right now. Prior to getting that card, I signed up for the Saturday morning choreo-yoga class. It's a yoga flow set to music. It's beautiful. It's a little bit like..... Dance.
Monday's card was about getting rest because I work too hard. I don't usually think of my work as hard (mentally it is sometimes) but maybe that was more about sleep. I'm not always good at sleep. I also stress if I can't fit an intense workout in. I've eased up on that this week. Yesterday was just yoga. I didn't have time for an intense cardio because my day was so crazy. And you know what? I'm just fine today.
Yesterday's card was about love. The day before (Wednesday), I thought a lot about love. I try not to get political on here, but dang there's a lot of hate right now. On both sides. So on Wednesday I really tried to stay positive and stay away from the negative. I didn't get into any hefty conversations. Instead, I simply spread the message of love.... That all this hate is doing us no good. I'm actually a little frightened because this is probably the time the "bad guys" would prey on us. Hit us while we are weak and fighting with one another.... I haven't seen anything in the news but that's a scary possibility.
Today's affirmation was similar. It was about reflection.... Looking inside myself. Although I can't remember exactly what it said, there was also something about kindness or joy. I remember reading it and thinking "well that's weird... I was just looking up random acts of kindness cards and sayings while drinking my coffee this morning." I actually pinned a few ideas on Pinterest. And then went to class, where at the end, I received that card.
Okay, this is almost starting to creep me out. These cards of affirmation are chosen at random. We just grab one (like when you grab a card at random and the magician says he knows your card). I find it interesting that these are pretty much fitting in with things I've done or I've thought about. Apparently I must be on a good track with my thoughts and actions because these affirmation cards are definitely providing affirmation!
So I'm in love with yoga more than ever before.
Now, I need to go get a quick run in so that I can get back to work!
Hope life finds you well and you have a fantastic weekend!


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A new ATP wine has arrived on shore from the blustery viticultural seas! And yes, I admit that's a weirdly inappropriate nautical metaphor, but a swashbuckling wine like this deserves … well … an eyepatch!
All tomfoolery aside, this really is a wine for the passionate, the daring, the rogueish, the rebel. It's got fire in its belly, and it recognizes no master but the code of freedom; freedom to live, to laugh, to love!
Now, of course I highly recommend engaging in all the appropriately oenophilic rituals when experiencing this wine; foil cutter, Ah So, decanter, double-decantation, aeration, consideration of the visual, the olfactory, the first plush dance onto the palate floor … But on the other hand, if you just grabbed this bottle by the neck and jumped into whatever fray awaits you, you'd be fine in my book … I mean, you'd be welcome on my ship! My ship of lost souls, on the seas of the damned!
Ok, ok, I'm getting a little carried away again. But I'm TELLING you, tasting this wine makes you feel, I don't know, FREE! It's emotionally emancipating, and it makes you feel a little dangerous, a little more willing than usual to take that extra step into the sensual unknown …Perhaps it's the history of the Grenache in our vineyards; they were a discovery. And an unexpected one at that. So really, Ridge was in fact a wild band of explorers! Seriously though, this "discovery: is documented in the winemaker notes for this wine:
Ridge became involved with grenache quite by accident when, in 1972, we first harvested the vines on the eastern hills of Lytton Springs. Though we didn't know it then, one of the hills—planted in 1902—had a high percentage of grenache, interplanted with small amounts of zinfandel and petite sirah.
Maybe it's the age of those elder Grenache vines; they date to 1902, an altogether different era. An era when pirates ruled the seas, and tall tales of their adventures captivated the hearts and minds of young readers everywhere, readers who imagined themselves as those brave and daring ruffians flying across the high seas with nothing to think of but the passion on the moment …
The image above is from Howard Pyle's Book of Pirates, which was published … you guessed it! 1902. So there! The 2004 Lytton Estate Grenache IS SO a pirate wine.
Anyhow, here are some reasonably proper tasting notes:
Deep, deep ruby tones, with a nearly black core, and a subtle magenta limn; substantially viscous glaze in the bowl, that somehow still allow for reasonably narrow and swift legs to do their running …
Spoonful upon spoonful of cocoa powder, shaken over richly ripe black cherries, on a plate piled high with warmed autumnal nutfruits. Very slightly minty, with a faint trace of rootiness as well. Definitely still a little tight in its youth, awaiting a fuller expression of fruit …
Black cherry, black grape, warmed strawberries, blueberry, loganberry, just a whole panoply of low-tone fruit notes, but all decidedly low-acid in character, with an emphasis on dense and darkly fleshy opulence, as opposed to overt vivacity.
A certain degree of chalky tannins and granular minerality counter-weighting the tongue-side acidity that begins to emerge. Powerful on the palate, without being particularly weighty; a rather enticing yet somewhat unfamiliar integration of force and restraint …
By the time I reach the finish, the true decadent power of this wine has become evident; every portion of my palate is covered with a plush duvet of sweetly ripe, yet muscularly structured weaves that twine together fruit, spice, and minerals. It's as if I've dipped my weary tongue into the soothing reward of an autumnal herb and fruit bath at some secluded vineyard spa …
It's a pirate wine, pure and simple. It's flamboyant, yet determined. Wild, yet clever. At once aggressively forceful, yet deceptively wily and restrained. It doesn't trust you right away; rather, it reveals its secrets slowly, only after your palate has proven its mettle. Join its crew, stand by its side through thick and thin, and a treasure chest of rubies is yours …
In closing, both our Lytton Springs and Monte Bello Tasting Rooms are celebrating the release of this wine with the wonderful members of our ATP Program on Saturday night. If you're an ATP member, and you're in our respective areas, then we certainly hope you'll be in attendance. And if you're in our areas, and not yet an ATP member, this might be a good time to consider membership. I'm just sayin' …
So, from the deck of my ship, I extend my hook your way, and ask you, "Are you ready for the adventure of a lifetime?" Then join us! For now is no time to be a drivelswigger! It's time to climb up Jacob's Ladder, dodge the Hempen Halter, quit Swinging The Lead, and lift your Black Jack full of wine to the heavens! All Hands Hoay!
Oh, and here's the specs on the event, just in case!
November After Hours – ATP Members Only
November 14
4pm – 7pm at Lytton Springs (Healdsburg) and Monte Bello (Cupertino)
Can't make it to First Friday, but still want to pick up your ATP shipment? Our After Hours event is just the ticket. Our 2004 Grenache Lytton Estate is king this month, and we'll pour this new release alongside the 2006 Santa Cruz Mountains Estate cabernet blend. We'll also be showcasing the 2006 Monte Bello chardonnay; if you haven't tasted the 2006 vintage yet, you'll be delighted by this medium bodied chardonnay with notes of ripe pear. And what better pairing than with cheese? Harley Farms joins us at Monte Bello for the evening with their variety of unique cheeses adorned with toppings from flavorful fruits and herbs to edible flowers grown in the garden behind their goat dairy. The Lytton Springs tasting room welcomes Doralice Handal from the Cheese Shop of Healdsburg with an assortment of local artisanal cheeses paired specifically with our wine line-up for the evening.
This event is complimentary for all Ridge ATP Program Members (+1 guest per membership).
Categories: Events, Grenache, History, Lytton, Tasting Notes, Tasting Rooms, Varietals & Blends, Vineyards, Viticultural Salmagundi, Winemaking


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Kopi luwak
Kopi luwak (Indonesian pronunciation: [ˈkopi ˈlu.aʔ]), or civet coffee, is coffee that includes partially digested coffee cherries, eaten and defecated by the Asian palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus). Fermentation occurs as the cherries pass through a civet's intestines, and after being defecated with other fecal matter, they are collected.[1][2]
Kopi luwak is produced mainly on the Indonesian islands of Sumatra, Java, Bali, Sulawesi, and in East Timor. It is also widely gathered in the forest or produced in farms in the islands of the Philippines, where the product is called kape motit in the Cordillera region, kapé alamíd in Tagalog areas, kapé melô or kapé musang in Mindanao, and kahawa kubing in the Sulu Archipelago. Weasel coffee is a loose English translation of its Vietnamese name cà phê Chồn.
Producers of the coffee beans argue that the process may improve coffee through two mechanisms, selection – civets choosing to eat only certain cherries – and digestion – biological or chemical mechanisms in the animal's digestive tract altering the composition of the coffee cherries.
The traditional method of collecting feces from wild civets has given way to intensive farming methods in which civets in battery cage systems are force-fed the cherries. This method of production has raised ethical concerns about the treatment of civets and the horrific conditions they are made to live in, which include isolation, poor diet, small cages and a high mortality rate.[3][4][5]
Although kopi luwak is a form of processing rather than a variety of coffee, it has been called one of the most expensive coffees in the world, with retail prices reaching €550 / US$700 per kilogram.[6]
The origin of kopi luwak is closely connected with the history of coffee production in Indonesia. In the early 18th century the Dutch established the cash-crop coffee plantations in their colony in the Dutch East Indies islands of Java and Sumatra, including Arabica coffee introduced from Yemen. During the era of Cultuurstelsel (1830–70), the Dutch prohibited the native farmers and plantation workers from picking coffee fruits for their own use. Still, the native farmers wanted to have a taste of the famed coffee beverage. Soon, the natives learned that certain species of musang or luwak (Asian palm civet) consumed the coffee fruits, yet they left the coffee seeds undigested in their droppings. The natives collected these luwaks' coffee seed droppings, then cleaned, roasted and ground them to make their own coffee beverage.[7] The fame of aromatic civet coffee spread from locals to Dutch plantation owners and soon became their favourite, yet because of its rarity and unusual process, the civet coffee was expensive even during the colonial era.[citation needed]
The luak, that's a small catlike animal, gorges after dark on the most ripe, the best of our crop. It digests the fruit and expels the beans, which our farm people collect, wash, and roast, a real delicacy. Something about the natural fermentation that occurs in the luak's stomach seems to make the difference. For Javanese, this is the best of all coffees—our Kopi luak.— Doyo Soeyono Kertosastro, Indonesian Coffee Farmer, March 1981 National Geographic[8]
Kopi is the Indonesian word for coffee. Luwak is a local name of the Asian palm civet in Sumatra.[9][10] Palm civets are primarily frugivorous, feeding on berries and pulpy fruits such as figs and palms. Civets also eat small vertebrates, insects, ripe fruits and seeds.[11]
Producers of the coffee beans argue that the process may improve coffee through two mechanisms, selection and digestion. Selection occurs as the civets choose which cherries to eat – i.e. those that are most ripe and flawless. Digestive mechanisms may improve the flavor profile of the coffee beans that have been eaten. The civet eats the cherries for the fleshy pulp, then in the digestive tract, fermentation occurs. The civet's protease enzymes seep into the beans, making shorter peptides and more free amino acids.[12]
Early production began when beans were gathered in the wild from where a civet would defecate as a means to mark its territory. On farms, civets are either caged or allowed to roam within defined boundaries.[9]
Coffee berries are eaten by a civet for their fruit pulp. After spending about a day and a half in the civet's digestive tract the beans are then defecated in clumps, having kept their shape and still covered with some of the fleshy berry's inner layers.
Despite being in contact with feces and pathogenic organisms, the beans contain negligible amounts of the enteric (pathogenic) organisms associated with feces. Moreover, the "cherry" or endocarp surrounding the bean is not completely digested by the luwak, and after being collected, the farmer performs thorough washing and removes the endocarp.[13] The final roasting of the beans would, additionally, eliminate any remaining bacteria.
Sumatra is the world's largest regional producer of kopi luwak. Sumatran civet coffee beans are mostly an early arabica variety cultivated in the Indonesian archipelago since the 17th century. The major Sumatran kopi luwak production area is in Lampung, Bengkulu and Aceh especially the Gayo region, Takengon. Tagalog kape alamid comes from civets fed on a mixture of coffee beans and is sold in the Batangas region along with gift shops near airports in the Philippines.
Vietnam has two farms with 300 wild civets in Dak Lak, while in Mindanao island of the Philippines, has two farms with 200 (in Davao City) and 100 (Iligan City) wild civets. But the archipelago of Indonesia where the famous kopi luwak was first discovered and produced is leading in supplying the world market for almost three centuries, where many small-scale civet farms are proliferating in the countryside.
Several studies have examined the process in which the animal's stomach acids and enzymes digest the beans' covering and ferment the beans.[13][14][15] Research by food scientist Massimo Marcone at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada showed that the civet's endogenous digestive secretions seep into the beans. These secretions carry proteolytic enzymes which break down the beans' proteins, yielding shorter peptides and more free amino acids. The proteins also undergo non-enzymatic Maillard browning reactions in the later roasting process. Moreover, while inside a civet the beans begin to germinate by malting which also lowers their bitterness.[12][16] Marcone also conducted an analysis on the volatile compounds which are responsible for the coffee's flavour and aroma, showing that there are significant differences from regular coffee. He concluded that:[13]
- Protein structure had been altered, reducing bitterness and potentially impacting flavour.
- Volatile compounds had significant differences compared to regular coffee, indicating there are changes in flavour.
According to Dr. Davila Cortes, the altered protein structure degrades the effectiveness of the coffee as a diuretic.[17]
Few objective assessments of taste are available. Kopi luwak is a name for any beans collected from the excrement of civets, hence the taste may vary with the type and origin of beans ingested, processing subsequent to collection, roasting, aging and brewing. The ability of the civet to select its berries, and other aspects of the civet's diet and health (e.g. stress levels) may also influence the processing and hence taste.[9]
In the coffee industry, kopi luwak is widely regarded as a gimmick or novelty item.[18] The Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) states that there is a "general consensus within the industry ... it just tastes bad". A coffee professional cited in the SCAA article was able to compare the same beans with and without the kopi luwak process using a rigorous coffee cupping evaluation. He concluded: "it was apparent that Luwak coffee sold for the story, not superior quality...Using the SCAA cupping scale, the Luwak scored two points below the lowest of the other three coffees. It would appear that the Luwak processing diminishes good acidity and flavor and adds smoothness to the body, which is what many people seem to note as a positive to the coffee."
Tim Carman, food writer for the Washington Post reviewed kopi luwak available to US consumers and concluded "It tasted just like...Folgers. Stale. Lifeless. Petrified dinosaur droppings steeped in bathtub water. I couldn't finish it."[19]
Some critics claim more generally that kopi luwak is simply bad coffee, purchased for novelty rather than taste.[18][19][20][21] Massimo Marcone, who performed extensive chemical tests on the beans, was unable to conclude if anything about their properties made them superior for purposes of making coffee. He employed several professional coffee tasters (called "cuppers") in a blind taste test. While the cuppers were able to distinguish the kopi luwak as distinct from the other samples, they had nothing remarkable to appraise about it other than it was less acidic and had less body, tasting "thin". Marcone remarked "It's not that people are after that distinct flavor. They are after the rarity of the coffee".[22]
Several commercial processes attempt to replicate the digestive process of the civets without animal involvement.
Researchers with the University of Florida have been issued with a patent for one such process.[15][23] Brooklyn-based food startup Afineur has also developed a patented fermentation technology that reproduces some of the taste aspects of Kopi Luwak while improving coffee bean taste and nutritional profile.[24][25][26]
Vietnamese companies sell an imitation kopi luwak, made using an enzyme soak which they claim replicates the civet's digestive process.[14]
Imitation has several motivations. The high price of kopi luwak drives the search for a way to produce kopi luwak in large quantities. Kopi luwak production involves a great deal of labour, whether farmed or wild-gathered. The small production quantity and the labor involved in production contribute to the coffee's high cost.[27] Imitation may be a response to the decrease in the civet population.[28]
Animal welfareEdit
Initially, civet coffee beans were picked from wild civet excrement found around coffee plantations. This unusual process contributed to its rarity and subsequently its high price. More recently, growing numbers of intensive civet "farms" have been established and operated across Southeast Asia, confining tens of thousands of animals to live in battery cages and be force-fed.[29][30][31] Concerns were raised over the safety of civet coffee after evidence suggested that the SARS virus originated from palm civets.[32][33]
'"The conditions are awful, much like battery chickens", said Chris Shepherd, deputy regional director of the conservation NGO, TRAFFIC south-east Asia. "The civets are taken from the wild and have to endure horrific conditions. They fight to stay together but they are separated and have to bear a very poor diet in very small cages. There is a high mortality rate and for some species of civet, there's a real conservation risk. It's spiralling out of control. But there's not much public awareness of how it's actually made. People need to be aware that tens of thousands of civets are being kept in these conditions. It would put people off their coffee if they knew"'.[3]
A 2013 investigation by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Asia found wild-caught civets on farms in Indonesia and the Philippines. The animals were deprived of exercise, a proper diet, and space. Video footage from the investigation shows abnormal behaviours such as repeated pacing, circling, or biting the bars of their cages. The animals often lose their fur.[34] A BBC investigation revealed similar findings.[5]
Tony Wild, the coffee executive responsible for bringing kopi luwak to the Western world, has stated he no longer supports using kopi luwak due to animal cruelty and launched a campaign called "Cut the Crap" to halt the use of kopi luwak.[35]
Farmers using caged civets in Takengon, north Sumatra, confirmed to the BBC that they supplied kopi luwak beans to exporters whose produce ends up in Europe and Asia.[5]
Intensive farming is also criticised by traditional farmers because the civets do not select what they eat, so the cherries which are fed to them in order to flavor the coffee are of poor quality compared to those beans collected from the wild.[36] According to an officer from the TRAFFIC conservation programme, the trade in civets to make kopi luwak may constitute a significant threat to wild civet populations.[37]
Price and availabilityEdit
Kopi luwak is one of the most expensive coffees in the world, selling for between US$100 and $500 per pound in 2010.[9] The specialty Vietnamese weasel coffee, which is made by collecting coffee beans eaten by wild civets, is sold at US$500 per kilogram.[38] Most customers are Asian, especially those originating from Japan, China and South Korea.[39] Sources vary widely as to annual worldwide production.
The price of farmed (considered low-grade by connoisseurs) kopi luwak in large Indonesian supermarkets is from US$100 per kilogram (five times the price of a high quality local arabica coffee).
The price paid to collectors in the Philippines is closer to US$20 per kilogram.[9]
Some specialty coffee shops sell cups of brewed kopi luwak for US$35–80.[40][41][42]
Authenticity and fraudEdit
Investigations by PETA and the BBC found fraud to be rife in the kopi luwak industry, with producers willing to label coffee from caged civets with a "wild sourced" or similar label.[34][5]
Genuine kopi luwak from wild civets is difficult to purchase in Indonesia and proving it is not fake is very difficult – there is little enforcement regarding use of the name "kopi luwak", and there's even a local cheap coffee brand named "Luwak", which costs under US$3 per kilogram but is occasionally sold online under the guise of real kopi luwak.
There are reports of a kopi luwak type process occurring naturally with muntjac and birds. Bat coffee is another variation that is in demand. Bats feed on the ripest coffee and fruits and spit out the seeds. These seeds are dried and processed to make coffee with a slight fruity flavor.[43][44]
In cultureEdit
In the movie The Bucket List, billionaire health care magnate Edward Cole enjoys drinking kopi luwak, but is unaware of how it is produced. Carter Chambers explains how civets defecate kopi luwak coffee beans and that its gastric juices give the unique aroma to this coffee.
See alsoEdit
- ^ Mahendradatta, M.; Tawali, A. B. (2012). Comparison of chemical characteristics and sensory value between luwak coffee and original coffee from Arabica (Coffea arabica L) and Robusta (Coffea canephora L) varieties (PDF). Makassar: Food Science and Technology Study Program, Department of Agricultural Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Hasanuddin University.
- ^ Shepherd, C. (2012). "Observations of small carnivores in Jakarta wildlife markets, Indonesia, with notes on trade in Javan Ferret Badger Melogale orientalis and on the increasing demand for Common Palm Civet Paradoxurus hermaphroditus for civet coffee production". Small Carnivore Conservation. 47: 38–41.
- ^ a b Milman, Oliver (11 November 2012). "World's most expensive coffee tainted by 'horrific' civet abuse". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 25 November 2012.
- ^ Penha, James (4 August 2012). "Excreted by imprisoned civets, kopi luwak no longer a personal favorite". The Jakarta Globe. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
- ^ a b c d Lynn, Guy; Rogers, Chris (13 September 2013). "Civet cat coffee's animal cruelty secrets". BBC News. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
- ^ Lee, Hyon Jung (19 July 2006). "Most expensive coffee". Forbes. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
- ^ National Geographic Travelers Indonesia, November 2010, page 44
- ^ Starbird, Ethel A. "The bonanza bean: Coffee". National Geographic.
- ^ a b c d e Onishi, Norimitsu (17 April 2010). "From dung to coffee brew with no aftertaste". The New York Times.
- ^ "Tasting is Believing!". Cluwak. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
- ^ Ismail, Ahmad. "Common palm civet". Retrieved 18 February 2010.
- ^ a b Marcone, Massimo (2007), In Bad Taste: The Adventures And Science Behind Food Delicacies
- ^ a b c "Kopi luwak coffee safe, U of G study finds". University of Guelph. 26 November 2002.
- ^ a b "Legendee: The Legend of the Weasel". trung-nguyen-online.com. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
- ^ a b "Quality enhancement of coffee beans by acid and enzyme treatment". Reeis.usda.gov. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
- ^ Marcone, Massimo (2004). "Composition and properties of Indonesian palm civet coffee (Kopi Luwak) and Ethiopian civet coffee" (PDF). Food Research International. 37 (9): 901–912. doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2004.05.008.
- ^ Davila Cortes, Glenda "The International Guide to Coffee" 2008
- ^ a b Kubota, Lily (2 November 2011). "The value of a good story, or: How to turn poop into gold". Specialty Coffee Association of America. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
- ^ a b Carman, Tim (4 January 2012). "This Sumatran civet coffee is cra...really terrible". The Washington Post.
- ^ Hetzel, Andrew (7 December 2011). "Kopi Luwak: curiosity kills the civet cat". Coffee Quality Strategies. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
Kopi Luwak is, in more than one way, the coffee of assholes
- ^ Sinclair, Llewellyn (7 December 2011). "Just say no to kopi luwak". Sprudge.com. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
- ^ Kleiner, Kurt (16 October 2004). "Bean there, dung that". New Scientist. 184 (2469): 44–45. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
- ^ "Quality Enhancement of Coffee Beans by Acid and Enzyme Treatment". Faqs.org. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
- ^ Andrey Smith, Peter. "Better Coffee Through Bacterial Chemistry". Bloomberg. Bloomberg. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
- ^ Zimberoff, Larissa (3 August 2015). "How a New Startup Is Refining the Flavor of Coffee via Microbial Fermentation". Eater. Eater. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
- ^ WURGAFT, BEN (14 October 2014). "Vegan Kopi Luwak? Biotech's Cruelty Free Coffee Fermentation". Sprudge. Sprudge. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
- ^ "Feature by WBAL Channel 11 television news team". Youtube.com. 11 January 2010. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
- ^ "Vietnam species 'risk extinction'". BBC News. 13 August 2009.
- ^ Wild, Tony (19 September 2014). "Civet cat coffee: can world's most expensive brew be made sustainably?". The Guardian.
- ^ "Civet cat coffee: A delicious beverage or a case of animal cruelty?". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 12 April 2015.
- ^ "Coffee, civets and conservation". The Sunday Times Sri Lanka. 28 February 2015.
- ^ "WHO: More evidence of civet cat-SARs link". CNN. 17 January 2004. Archived from the original on 1 December 2004. Retrieved 16 August 2007.
- ^ "China scientists say SARS-civet cat link proved". Reuters. 23 November 2006. Retrieved 16 August 2007.
- ^ a b "Kopi Luwak Investigation". PETA Asia. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
- ^ Wild, Tony (13 September 2013). "Civet coffee: Why it's time to cut the crap". The Guardian.
- ^ AnimalCoffee. "The process of making kopi luwak". AnimalCoffee.com. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
- ^ Shepherd, Chris R. (December 2012). "Observations of small carnivores in Jakarta wildlife markets, Indonesia, with notes on trade in Javan Ferret Badger Melogale orientalis and on the increasing demand for Common Palm Civet Paradoxurus hermaphroditus for civet coffee production" (PDF). Small Carnivore Conservation. 47: 38–41.
- ^ Thout, Buon Me (15 January 2012). "Coffee in Vietnam: It's the shit". The Economist. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
- ^ McGeown, Kate (1 May 2011). "Civet passes on secret to luxury coffee". News. BBC.
- ^ "Kopi Luwak". AU: Heritage tea rooms. 5 September 2007. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
- ^ "The £50 espresso". The Guardian. London. 11 April 2008. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
- ^ Bale, Rachael (29 April 2016). "The Disturbing Secret Behind the World's Most Expensive Coffee". Nationalgeographic.com. National Geographic inc. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
- ^ "Bat Coffee Coorg". Otters Creek River Resort Coorg Nagarhole. 23 January 2018.
- ^ Abrams, Lindsay (22 October 2013). "Are you fancy enough for bird poop coffee?". Salon.com.
Further readingEdit
- Jumhawan, Udi; Putri, Sastia Prama; Yusianto; Marwani, Erly; Bamba, Takeshi; Fukusaki, Eiichiro (2013). "Selection of Discriminant Markers for Authentication of Asian Palm Civet Coffee (Kopi Luwak): A Metabolomics Approach" (PDF). Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 61 (33): 7994–8001. doi:10.1021/jf401819s. PMID 23889358.
- Jumhawan, Udi; Putri, Sastia Prama; Yusianto; Bamba, Takeshi; Fukusaki, Eiichiro (2016). "Quantification of coffee blends for authentication of Asian palm civet coffee (Kopi Luwak) via metabolomics: A proof of concept". Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering. 122 (1): 79–84. doi:10.1016/j.jbiosc.2015.12.008. PMID 26777237.
- Jumhawan, Udi; Putri, Sastia Prama; Yusianto; Bamba, Takeshi; Fukusaki, Eiichiro (2015). "Application of gas chromatography/flame ionization detector-based metabolite fingerprinting for authentication of Asian palm civet coffee (Kopi Luwak)" (PDF). Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering. 120 (5): 555–561. doi:10.1016/j.jbiosc.2015.03.005. PMID 25912451.
- Sulihkanti, Amrita; Wahyudi, Teguh; Tunjung Sari, Ariza Budi (2012). "Analysis of luwak coffee volatile by using solid phase microextraction and gas chromatography (Analisa senyawa volatil kopi luwak dengan menggunakan mikroekstrasi fase padat dan kromatolgi gas)" (PDF). Pelita Perkebunan. 28 (2): 111–118. doi:10.22302/iccri.jur.pelitaperkebunan.v28i2.204.
External linksEdit
|Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kopi Luwak.
This article's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines. (January 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
- Sumatra – Extreme Coffee (television), AU: ABC, 2007
- "Story and photo report", News, AU: ABC, 12 March 2010
- Civet coffee selling well despite SARS, BBC, 19 January 2004
- Report in the Philippines, BBC, 11 April 2006
- Cat poop coffee (article), CA: CBC, 13 September 2002
- Milman, Oliver (19 November 2012), "World's most expensive coffee tainted by 'horrific' civet abuse", The Guardian, UK
- Kopi Luwak: Most bizzare coffee in the world, Lataza Coffee
- The effects of the digestive system on coffee beans (article), CA: University of Guelph
- "Civet coffee", USA Today (article), 20 January 2004
- Lam Dong has first farm producing weasel coffee in VietNam, VN: Vietnam+, 26 April 2013
- "Lam Dong's 1st weasel coffee farm opens in VietNam", Tuoitre news, VN
- $2 million weasel coffee farm in Da Lat, VN: Vietnam net.
- Bat Coffee The Healthier Coffee in Demand, Coorg India: Otterscreek, 23 January 2018.


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It is not often you find a product that has the potential to change the way you work. The Genius Ring Mouse 2, made by KYE Corporation, is just such a product. I immediately could envision myself controlling my own presentation without having to return to the podium, or call on someone to flip through my slides. This alone is enough to justify the purchase for me. But, for the sake of our readers, Benchmark Reviews will test the Ring Mouse II to see what it can and cannot do for "business, travel, education and i-users".
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Michelle Stephan, EdD, is an associate professor of mathematics education with a joint appointment in the College of Education and Department of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
She earned bachelor's and master's degrees in pure mathematics and in 1998 earned an EdD in mathematics education from Peabody College of Education at Vanderbilt University. After working as an associate professor at Purdue University Calumet, she left academia for the classroom, where she taught middle school mathematics for seven years in Florida. It was there that she began to explore the ideas of lesson imaging with her middle school teaching colleagues George McManus, Jennifer Smith, and Ashley Dickey.
In 2012, Stephan became faculty at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and began a collaboration with coauthors David Pugalee, Julie Cline, and Chris Cline. Together they have presented on lesson imaging at numerous conferences and provided professional development for several North Carolina school districts. Stephan has published a dozen book chapters and more than 25 journal articles, and she has made more than 50 presentations both nationally and internationally.
From respected voices in STEM education comes an innovative lesson planning approach to help turn students into problem solvers: lesson imaging.
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text: Share: Comments Print July 16, 2013 at 11:25 AM Jimmy Eat World | Concert Review Posted by Charlie Zaillian Veteran pop-rockers Jimmy Eat World — Tom Linton, Rick Burch, Zach Lind and Jim Adkins — played Seattle Monday. Photo by Michael Elins. Jimmy Eat World has never been the most complex band, or the hippest, or biggest-selling. Its jangle-pop sound isn't timeless, or particularly influential. Its output since 2001's "Bleed American" and its feel-good mega-hit "The Middle" has been a bit, well, middle-of-the-road. Yet the almost-full room Monday at Seattle's jumbo-sized Showbox SoDo proved that while the Mesa, Arizona foursome's commercial peak might have passed, they're far from forgotten. Singer-guitarist Jim Adkins, guitarist Tom Linton, bassist Rick Burch and drummer Zach Lind kicked off their hour-plus set in fine form. Opener "I Will Steal You Back," from the recent "Damage," and cantankerous anti-music industry screed "Your New Aesthetic," off 1999 breakthrough "Clarity," showcased the sensitive-guy harmonies and alternately caustic, twinkly guitar interplay that registered the group on critics' — and Billboard's — radars back in the late '90s. Despite sounding dubious on paper, its hard-rocking rendition of Taylor Swift's pop-country chart-topper "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" fit surprisingly well alongside "Damage's" adult-contemporary breakup songs. The show lost some traction in its second act. When Adkins swapped out his cherry-red, semi-hollow-body Telecaster for an acoustic guitar, it signaled a transition into weepy balladry — never Jimmy's strongest suit, hard as they try. Even after the band plugged back in, the monosyllabic "Kill," "Work" and "Pain" — all from 2004's "Futures" — came up short in the hook department, and the audience's enthusiasm began to wane. Eventually, however, they regained momentum, first with 2010's AM Gold-styled "Coffee and Cigarettes" — featuring guest vocals from Courtney Marie Andrews, a Phoenix-born, Seattle-based singer-songwriter — then, a series of throwbacks for their longtime fans, now mostly in their thirties. Though pushing 40 themselves, Adkins, Linton, Burch and Lind sounded years younger during the set's kinetic final salvo, a blistering succession of tracks that included reggae-tinged singalongs ("Sweetness," off "Bleed American") and tense slowcore ("Goodbye Sky Harbor," from "Clarity"). By the time "The Middle" inevitably rolled around, Adkins — who, since the group's early days, has been known to arrive onstage drenched in sweat before even playing a note — was wet-haired and red-faced, but grinning from ear-to-ear. Throughout the night, his bandmates — while less demonstrative — showed their catalog to be deeper than casual listeners usually give it credit. At its best, the deliberately-paced opening performance by Ithaca, New York synth-rockers X Ambassadors echoed the narcotic melancholy of vintage Depeche Mode; at its worst, the saccharine modern top-40 of The Fray. Comments | More in Rock/Pop | Topics: Arizona, emo, rock


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'Of Rags' fair trade fashion: recycled textile trousers
(photo courtesy of Rachel Schwarz via Liz Ricketts)
I am pleased to share the very groovy news that Of Rags will be offering shopping coupons in the goodie totes that we will offer to the first 25 guests at 'Fashioning Self and the Environment', the art/fashion Earth Day open house at the Textile Arts Center.
"Of Rags is a fair trade fashion cooperative that combines elements of New York style and Ghanaian fashion into unique, artful clothing as a way to globalize the localized. Established in September 2009, Of Rags is the vision of J. Branson, an American social entrepreneur, photographer and musician, and RAAM, a Ghanaian designer and artist in Accra. The organizations employs seamstresses at fair trade wages and plans to work with new design partners, first in Ghana and then around the globe in a cooperative structure."
Guests at Friday evening's event wil alsol be able to chat with Of Rags team members, Liz Ricketts and J. Branson, at our community business table. Do not forget to rsvp to: email@example.com. See you there!


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Where is The "Punk Rock Candidate" For Mayor Now?
Text by Tom Mates. Image courtesy of Larry West.
For better or worse, John Street's mayoral tenure will be forever associated with the FBI bugging scandal and investigation into pay-to-play corruption in city government. While Street was never implicated, numerous people went to jail.
Street's reign was so marred by controversy that in 2007, Michael Nutter essentially ran for mayor as the anti-John Street.
As if that campaign season wasn't strange enough, Street's brother, Milton Street, announced that he would run for mayor – despite facing federal charges for corruption and tax evasion, and the fact that he sort of lived in New Jersey. During a poorly attended rally next to City Hall, Milton announced his intentions and then sang gospel songs while leaning on a casket, preaching to the city that he could end the violence on the streets.
Oh, and Milton Street repeatedly called Nutter "Watermelon Man," referring to the 1970 movie about a bigoted white man who wakes up one morning as a black man.
Most people just ignored Milton. Or laughed at him. Not Larry West, then a 22-year old metal-head with a Mohawk, who wanted to be your mayor.
He, alone, protested Milton's rally. Wearing a studded Guns-n-Roses jacket, he brandished a sign reading "Stop Milton Street/ No Criminals in City Hall."
Then Milton Street approached him.
"Why don't you like me?" Street asked West, a lifelong resident of Mount Airy.
The two opponents were instantly swarmed by cameras and microphones, and West was formally introduced to the people of Philadelphia.
Milton Street, who might have thought this moment was his, immediately went on the offensive, prodding West with questions about crime in Philadelphia. With some polite but sharp answers and a wry smile, West sent the former mayor's brother packing.
West's mayoral quest was more unusual than just his attire and hair. He wasn't legally allowed to run for mayor. Philadelphia's City Charter states that no person under the age of 25 can run for mayor or city council.
West received a considerable amount of media buzz for someone running as an independent write-in. Maybe it was his rally cry for "radical change" in Philadelphia politics, or perhaps it was the oddity of a mayoral candidate with a six-inch Mohawk.
It was certainly the latter which garnered West the nickname the "Punk Rock Candidate," which is a real misnomer as West is more Megadeth than he is Dead Kennedys.
In the end, West was unable to overcome Nutter, the other candidates or the City Charter.
So he returned to private life.
Now, in 2011, we are once again greeted by an election season, with Milton Street threatening to put on another sideshow. One might wonder, where is Larry West now? What has he been doing? What does the "Punk Rock Candidate" think of our incumbent mayor? Is he going to run again?
Well, he's not happy. But he's not planning to challenge Nutter.
After the election, West faded from public view. He works a day job – his employers asked him not to mention where. He shreds on his guitar, uses his weekends to work on freelance graphic design projects and, in his free time, West does pro bono concert promotions for metal bands coming into the city.
At the moment, the 26-year old doesn't have any desire to enter into the political arena again though that doesn't mean he's lost interest in the city's politics. He says he's lost confidence in the Nutter administration.
"In terms of the job he is doing now, I am horribly disappointed," says West.
Like many Philadelphians, West took issue with the attempts to shut down the city's pools and libraries, with the proposed taxes on sanitation and garbage collection and with Nutter's placation of the casinos.
West understands the implications of the immense budget issues Nutter was dealt, and supports efforts to close that gap. But he says there has to be a better way.
"The soda tax alone made me want to punch walls," says West. "Don't lie to people and tell them you're taxing soda to try and make Philadelphia healthier. That's a bullshit lie. Just say you want more money. We'll understand."
West believes Nutter should be pursuing people and businesses that are not paying their taxes. Alternatively, he says Nutter could step-up enforcement of finable offenses, as West proposed.
Metal as a musical genre is not typically associated with political movements but that is not really the case. Metallica has often taken a vehement anti-war stance with their music, especially in songs like "One" and "For Whom the Bell Tolls." Megadeth's 1986 classic "Peace Sells … but Who's Buy- ing" takes the stance that peace has be- come more of a buyable commodity than a political goal.
Metal is certainly an influence in West's political activism and helped to shape his perspective on the role of government in people's lives.
"I had a website called 'Refuse to be Denied,' when I was trying to change the age limit [to run for office]," says West. "Anthrax has a song called 'Refuse to be Denied.'"
Metal is very abrasive. It leaves little room for subtlety. It beats people over the head with the messages and emotions it tries to convey. This certainly does not resonate with the average person's view of politics or politicians but when you are calling for "radical change," as West was, perhaps that is the mentality one should have.
"They always tell you that there is one point you always want to get across when you're doing an interview and make that the thing that sticks," says West. "So, I decided to make mine 'Philadelphia needs some sort of radical change.' I thought that was perfect. It's exactly what we need."
West called for extreme campaign finance reform. He wanted to lower the limit that one person could contribute to a campaign from $20,000 to $1,000. He also encouraged greater enforcement of minor offenses, like jaywalking.
"If you focus on minor crimes the bigger ones aren't going to happen," says West.
West also saw this enforcement of minor crimes to be a way to earn the city some much needed money.
"If you're honest about it, like 'Yeah we're kind of doing this to make money but we also want you to obey the law that's already there,' people are going to be a little more receptive to it than any-thing else," reasons West.
Unfortunately, Philadelphia's budget was not the only one to give West nightmares. Near the end of his campaign, he faced his own deficits.
"My mother had passed on two years before and I was kind of living off that," says West. "But unfortunately it did run out. Before the end of the election everything started to fall apart, around September. I can say this now, I almost lost my house."
During this brief period of hardship, West was forced to do something most politicians would never dream of doing: work in retail. At Kohl's.
"I kind of made an agreement with myself," he says. "I was kind of just doing this because I was afraid of Milton and [I told myself] 'If Nutter wins the primary, I'll probably just drop out.' I really did agree with what he wanted to do. But then, right before the end of the primaries, he talked about his Stop and Frisk program and I said 'No.' That's a violation of so many civil rights. I cannot support that. That's why I kept running."
After getting hired, West underwent Kohl's orientation. It was here that he faced some culture shock – the kind he thinks more people running for office should have to experience.
"We were in this room – it was probably 15 by 15 – and I was in there with probably seven other people who had just been interviewed and hired," recalls West. "I'm in my shirt and tie. We're going around the room talking about what we did. They get to me and I go 'Well, I'm running for mayor right now and I need some extra income.' It was really depressing being in that room, not because of that. The stories I heard almost made me cry. In fact, I'm thinking about it right now and I'm almost ready to cry just thinking about it."
West pauses for a moment to compose himself.
"There were people working there who already had another job," West continues. "This was a second income for them. There was someone who had started working there – it was their third job."
Again West takes a moment to compose himself before continuing with his story, the sadness in his voice replaced by an incredulous tone – we let Philadelphians struggle like this?
It was for people like that individual working three jobs that West ran for office in the first place.
"I saw the entire [campaign] as me trying to do something to help everyone and that's always been the one thing I really enjoy doing," says West. "Running for office, for me, was that. It was doing the ultimate good deed."
It is for that reason that West continues to be politically active. He remains well-read on Philadelphia politics. He attends the Mt. Airy meetings of Drinking Liberally, a left-leaning social organization.
West also likes to point out one aspect of Philadelphia politics that many people often overlook.
"Philadelphia is not that liberal," he says.
Comments are closed.


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Who We Are
The Allegheny Conference on Community Development brings together public and private sector leaders across the Pittsburgh region to improve southwestern Pennsylvania's economic future and quality of life. These leaders and their organizations comprise the Regional Investors Council, which provides time, talent and resources to define opportunities and challenges, identify solutions to these issues and mobilize the public, private and non-profit sectors to achieve results in the 10-county Pittsburgh region. Our current 2018-2019 agenda, Creating a Next Generation Economy for All, focuses on growing the economy and improving competitiveness.
Learn more about joining the Allegheny Conference and becoming an integral part of transforming the Pittsburgh region.


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Hypoperfusion and Shock
This article is a simple explanation of what happens when we die. No matter how you die, blunt force, bleeding out, drowning, suffocation, poisoning, at a cellular level, dying is always the same process. But, to explain that we have to go back to the basics of how cells operate when they're alive.
You have lots of different cells all over your body and they all need different nutrients to do their different jobs. Included in these nutrients are the basic materials of life that all cells need: energy or ATP (Adeno-Tri-Phosphate). But in order for these materials to get into the cells, they have to pass through the cell membrane, which is very exclusive about what it lets in. In order to allow the materials to enter, they have to use a clever little mechanism known as the Sodium-Potassium pump. When the cell respirates, which it pretty much does all the time, it produces waste in the form of potassium. If the potassium stays in the cell, the cell will die, so in order to get rid of it, it has to trade out for sodium that is outside of the cell. So since the cell has one thing it wants to get rid of and one thing it wants to let inside, the ATP hitches a ride with the sodium into the cell, while the potassium leaves.
When someone dies, whether they bleed out or get an infection, oxygenated blood fails to reach all of the bodies cells, causing their Sodium-Potassium pumps to stop functioning. Cells become bloated with Potassium (which is poison) and they die. Widespread cell death leads to a lack of connection between cells which means revival is impossible. So, technically speaking, everyone dies of shock.


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Are you taking seriously your Project Life? I do! Two days ago I just decided that I truly need a planner for Project Life. Thank God for kind souls who were providing freebies because of them I was able to print and assemble a simple Project Life Planner that works best for me.
That's my desk that day while printing and assembling the planner and at the same time cooking dinner =)
Here's the inside of my Project Life Planner and links to the site where I got it for free!


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You are currently browsing the monthly archive for October 2007.
There is a fundamental difference between the three Abrahamic faiths; Jews, Christians and Muslims, that is the answer to Jesus' question who do you say that I am. Of the three Abrahamic faiths only Christians believe that Jesus was both human and divine (setting aside various 'heresies' within Christianity which disagree with the divinity of Jesus). Jesus was both human and divine. What God was able to do Jesus was able to do, because Jesus was God. Why then is it difficult to accept that Jesus performed miracles; indeed that his life was in many respects 'miraculous' from his birth to his rising from the dead. Critics and modern 'reformers' of Christianity are so willing to renounce any ounce of the possibility that Jesus was anything more than simply a good guy, another prophet.
Darryl Ellwood commented in the October 2007 edition of Focus (the newspaper of the Anglican Church in Australia, Diocese of Brisbane)
I understand that Jesus was more than a good 'man' for us to emulate. If he didn't miraculously come into the world. If he didn't miraculously heal the sick, if he didn't miraculously rise from the dead to show us that he and the Father (sic) are one, then where is the Good News of the gospel… Was the virgin birth too much for the creator God of the universe to organise? A 'Spongified' gospel doesn't sound like good news to me.
I have to admit to not reading much of Spong's material. I do think that he, as well as other more scholarly people have challenged contemporary interpretations of scripture that are used to divide and condemn the people of God. Listening to some podcasts of his work I am left wondering the same question as Ellwood. What is the Good News of the Gospel. Spong would have use believe that many of the NT scriptures used to support a divine Jesus are somehow made up or at least misrepresentations of the reality. He would have us conclude with him that the writers – redactors, authors – of the Gospels used well known Jewish stories of miraculous prophets to paint Jesus as 'greater than our ancestors' (I use a phrase here from the Samaritan woman to Jesus at the well who asks if Jesus is greater than their ancestor Jacob); in other words is Jesus somehow more than a prophet, or more correctly the woman wonders whether Jesus is not indeed the great Taheb of Samaritan belief who would deliver the people and restore true worship to the people of God.
The belief that Jesus was somehow more than a failed prophet-Messiah brought the disciples out of hiding after their dispersion after Jesus' execution and caused them to risk life and ridicule and indeed expulsion from the Temple to preach Jesus' Good News. This outcast group of Jews and Gentiles whose 'deviant sect' was tormented, killed and systematically sought out for destruction survived and from it's Good News came what we call today Christianity; a faith centred on the belief that Jesus was more than a man, whose miraculous life pointed him to be more than a prophet, but a divine being, incarnate in the world, the word made flesh, God in humanity.
OK so for arguments sake if the disciples, writers of the Gospels, redactors or whoever got it all wrong, and drawn on ancient stories to make Jesus out to be more than he was then what… do we cancel Christianity, go back to the 'faith of our ancestor', do we become Jews, do we return to the religion of pre Jewish-Christian schism or what about before the schism between Jews and Samaritans. Where do we find God and God's revelation of God's message to us.
My 'blog conscience' has been on me to post more; she knows who she is. There have been two major decisions I have been wrestling with for quite some time of late. The first is in relation to taking life vows in our community (SSF) and the second in relation to exploration of a vocation to the priesthood. Part of my recent trip to England and Assisi was in part a time to get away from everything here to be able to ask those kinds of questions in a new 'space' as well as to remind me of part of the journey that led to these questions being asked. Did I come up with any answers people seem to be asking me; what heavenly insights resulted from my trip. I'm not sure I can fully articulate what these insights are; except for being a little too simplistic and say in the end you have to follow Nike and just do it. Well this was certainly the advice of one person who I spoke with on my trip.
I was also reminded of a short anecdote told to me a friend when I was pondering over joining religious life in the first place. He told me the story of a person waiting to be saved from a flood by God; a row boat, speed boat, and helicopter later and the person was dead. In heaven the annoyed person asks why God did not save him. God says well I sent you a row boat, speed boat, and a helicopter what else did you want. In other words Andrew was telling me that we can spend so much time sitting around waiting for God's telegram and not enough time reading the ones God has already sent. While in Assisi I went to the church looked after there by one of our brothers, Tom. During the service while reflecting on the Gospel a man recalled this story, I had to have a quiet laugh to myself.
I have often said it before, I don't necessarily want to be brother or a priest, but I think it is what I am called to be. I look around at my friends who are in loving committed relationships, who have children, or who have others aspects of their lives that appeal to me. I think we are all called to a certain way of life, or better yet – vocation; whether this is married life, single life, professional life or whatever, there is something that is important for us to do.
The idea of being in a committed relationship is very romantic. Whilst it appeals to me, and at the late hours of the night I sometimes long for one I know that this will never be a reality. The feelings pass and I move on and in reality these thoughts only occupy a small amount of my thoughts and feelings. The idea of having a child too is also a romantic one. The thought of being a parent of a child, watching that child grow and develop and mature and take on their own life is appealing too. Watching my friends with their son, or hearing of the birth of my great nephew, or seeing students in their final year of school and talking with them about their plans for after school all stir a part of me that wonders what it would be like to parent a child. Though these feelings too pass and also in reality do not occupy my mind at length and I move on.
I hear of the struggles of my friends and family who do have these things. Particularly those who find trying to juggle relationships, families, jobs, study etc with their spiritual life. Then, if it were a revelation I don't know, I realised I have a gift to offer them. As a brother I have the opportunity to spend perhaps more time reflecting on our journey with God. I have the opportunity to have more time to pray, to think about some of those spiritual struggles we all have, and I have the time to share the 'juggle' with others who do not have that luxury. Non attachment to relationships and possessions which are supposedly the hallmarks of religious life mean that I can be there for those whose lives are given over to other callings of family, professions etc.
As a priest I would be able to offer another set of gifts be way of sacramental ministry. It is clear I'm not called to a committed relationship or the life of a parent but I would be able to bring the gift of baptism, eucharist, reconciliation, marriage as well as the ministry of the word to those whose lives are called to an equally gifted vocation of single and committed relationships and professions.
As I said, this is very hard to articulate. I think what I am trying to say is that I can share the spiritual journey with others when that journey becomes too overwhelmed by relatiopnships and professions. I can share the 'spiritual parenting' of young people who find it hard to share that journey with their parents. Perhaps what I can offer is to 'hold' people through the pot holes of spiritual life – not because I have got that sorted myself (let me be the first to say I am far from it) but because it is the gift that God calls me to. Through the Grace of God my gift to others could be to just be, to lighten their load sometimes so that they can do what God calls them to do.
I'm not suggesting the answers to my questions have been answered but I at least feel as though I now have a direction to look for the answers in.


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From time to time, I write for other publications, including The Guardian. Links to articles I've written or contributed to will appear here.
Will destroying a house ease the pain of April Jones's murder?
Father Christmas is real – pass it on
Are the pope's comments on smacking children right?
Don't blame depression for the Germanwings tragedy
As a Muslim woman I was never fearful in Britain. But today I'm afraid
Having a dry January? Your all-or-nothing thinking is a mistake
The London escalator trial shows how our fear of change defeats logic
Amazon Fresh is a triumph for the culture of instant gratification
As a British Muslim in post-Brexit UK, this is not the country I grew up in
Dear Theresa May, come and meet some Muslims. It might help if you knew us
Acid attacks aren't just a 'minority' story. The media must reflect us all
It isn't just halal slaughter that Britain needs to make more humane
Faith should be no barrier to schools teaching respect for LGBT rights
After Christchurch, Muslims need more than just your thoughts and prayers
You can give all your money away, but it won't solve poverty
Audio clips
GermanWings Crash; BBC News, March 2015
Islamophobia in the wake of the Paris attacks – NewsTalk FM, December 2015
Islamophobia – BBC World Service, January 2016
Conference papers
Stonewall (Feb 2016): Creating safe spaces for queer Muslims
Stonewall (Jul 2016): The mental health of LGBT young people


text: Dear Haskell lovers, The Haskell Prime process for standardisation of new versions of the Haskell language is at something of an impasse. Since the Haskell 2010 Report was issued (at the end of 2009), there has been very little momentum to formalise existing extensions and generalisations, nor appetite to decide on whether any such extensions should be adopted as part of the core language standard. We therefore seek nominations for new members of the Haskell Prime language committee; people who have the enthusiasm to take this forward, as well as some relevant experience. If you think you would like to contribute, please nominate yourself by sending a email to haskell-2011-committee at haskell.org describing who you are, and what you think the committee might hope to achieve. The address above is populated by the existing committee members, but is now (temporarily) open to all during the nomination period. Nominations close in 3 weeks time, i.e. to be received by end of Sunday 24th February 2013. The process for deciding a new language committee is described at http://hackage.haskell.org/trac/haskell-prime/wiki/Committee Regards, Malcolm


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Construction estimating is the process of calculating the cost to complete a specific building project. This process is performed by estimators, who may be employed by general construction companies or subcontracting firms. Estimates are usually done as part of the bidding process, where each contractor submits his estimate to the owner in hopes of winning the project.
Review the building plans, specifications and all other project information. Examine each page of the drawings carefully to understand exactly what tasks are involved in the project. Look for any special materials or installations that may add to the cost of the job.
Create a bid sheet that outlines all the tasks that will be performed during the project. For example, a small renovation job may include tasks like painting, drywall, demolition, carpentry and flooring. Larger jobs may involve hundreds of different tasks. Many estimators use the CSI MasterFormat numbering system as a guide when developing a bid sheet. This system will minimize your chances of overlooking certain tasks.
Decide whether you will need pricing from subcontractors. Examine your bid sheet to see which tasks your company will self-perform and which will be contracted out. Send drawings to subcontractors requesting pricing for these tasks. Give these companies plenty of time to prepare their bids or estimates.
Calculate the quantity and cost of the materials required for each task. For example, measure the total square footage of drywall shown on the building plans and multiply this figure by the average cost per square foot in your area. Repeat this process for every task on your bid sheet. For average cost data to help with your estimate, refer to the RS Means Construction Cost Data Book in the Resources section of this article.
Determine the installation and labor costs for each task on your bid sheet. For drywall, you will multiply the total square footage by your average labor cost per square foot. Calculate labor cost per square foot by dividing the hourly wage of your installers by the number of square foot they can install per hour. If each one installs an average of 100 square feet per hour and is paid $10 per hour, the installation cost equals 10/100 or 10 cents per square foot.
Add all of your costs to arrive at your final estimate. Include labor, materials and subcontractor pricing. If there are any additional costs you have not included, be sure to add them as well. This may include things like permits, tools, equipment rental, supervision or overhead. Once you have arrived at your final estimate, add a percentage on top to cover profit.
You can often find up-to-date construction cost data guides in the reference section at your local library.


text: Born in Carmel, California Paige Bradley knew she would be an artist by the age of nine. Immersed in nature and art, Bradley's fascination with the human figure began early. She believed that through the figure an artist could speak a universal language that is timeless and essential. Paige Bradley started drawing from the nude model by the age of ten and by fifteen was studying intensely at university campuses during the summer months. Educated at Pepperdine University, Paige spent a year in Florence, Italy with the university's study program. There she took classes at the Florence Academy of Art which included art history. She went on to continue her education at the prestigious Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, where she studied sculpture and learned to paint and print in several different mediums. Annually, Paige Bradley has several solo exhibitions, and her work can be seen in selected galleries throughout the world. In the spring of 2007 she moved to London, where she currently works full time.


text: I am persuaded that the reason why the churches are in so much difficulty about giving a lead in the economic sphere is because they are trying to fit a Christian standard of economics to a wholly false and pagan understanding of work… Work is not primarily a thing one does to live, but the thing one lives to do. It is, or should be, the full expression of the worker's faculties... the thing in which he finds spiritual, mental, and bodily satisfaction, and the medium in which he offers himself to God. "