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Strider Classic 12 Balance Bike - 2018
Strider's Classic 12 is a lightweight, pedal-less balance bike that allows your child to straddle the bike with both feet on the ground and easily propel the bike by walking or running. This nimble steel bike lets your little one focus on the fundamentals of balancing, leaning, and steering without the distractions and complications of pedals or training wheels. The maintenance-free ultra-light wheels feature industrial foam tires so you'll never have to worry about a flat. The built-in footrest with grip tape allows toddlers to easily glide with their feet up. Plus, the adjustable-height seat and handlebar let the Classic 12 grow with your kiddo.
Fits 18–36 months with included seatpost and 36–60 months with optional extended seatpost (sold separately).
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We purchased this bike for a grandson's second birthday and did this on-line. I didn't think there was any way this could get here on time but the day before the party it was on the porch. We put it together in 5 minutes and Mason walked up and just tossed a leg over like he had been doing it for months!
We bought the classic bike for our 2 year old daughter. She still has not mastered balancing on the bike but is quickly getting the hang of it.
I bought one for my Grandson last July, he loved it! The balance they learn is out of this world! I have two Grandduaters that turn two Jan 22 and 23 rd. Got them one of their own so there are no more fights over Logan's. Best ever purchase, DO. NOT be afraid of buying these for your babies, great investment!
My father bought this little guy for my son after I told him about it. When it arrived I couldn't wait for Christmas morning when I would give it to my son, Jace. He went straight to it and wanted to ride right away. Just need to get him a helmet before I take him on the open road.
Daughter is not warming up to it very well. Maybe needs more practice.
My daughter has been playing around with a Strider for a year or so - she didn't seem all that interested in it until this past summer (she is four years old.) She rode around on her bike with training wheels and played with the Strider occasionally. Recently, I noticed that she was riding her Strider a lot more and really seemed to be balancing very well on it. So today I asked her if she wanted to try her bike without training wheels. We took them off, and she was riding all by herself WITHIN 10 MINUTES!!! I held onto her a few times to help her learn the fundamentals of pedaling, and then she was off. My husband and I could not believe it!!! As fellow South Dakotans, we are so proud of your company. I was skeptical of the value of a little bike without pedals. Boy was I wrong!!! Love it! Now my middle child will be able to keep up with and annoy her big sister even more effectively. :-) Thanks for a great product!
Some companies build for one time sales. Strider Builds for a lifetime â�- Their Product Quality sets their Industry Standard. Their Customer Service develops Customer Loyalty and Buyer Referrals.
This is an Awesome bike! We have the original that is about 4 years old now. We got it for our daughter who is now 7, (early) 3rd birthday. As she didn't want anything to do with her 10 inch bike with training wheels (she has a processing disorder and the wobbling and false sense of security scared her). Without waiting a minute after assembly, she hopped on and started walking around with it, saying she loooved her new bike! Within 5 months she was riding her 10 in with No training wheels!! And our son who was 18 mo. at the time shared his sisters Strider, which was great because the other pre bikes didn't get that small. He road her pedal bike at 2 years 2 mos.!!!!!! Now both are awesome racers, our son turned Intermediate last week at just 5 :) :) I can't say enough about the quality and value of Strider!!!! Ps Both of our kids STILL ride their Strider and it's still in amazing shape considering what it's been through ;)
The perfect bike! My daughter learned to ride a pedal bike just before she turned 3!!!
All 4 bikes that I have purchased have been outstanding. Great quality and the kids have all enjoyed it.
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How to Use
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Inquiry Question
Reading 1: The Battles of Saratoga
Burdened by his supply train, General Burgoyne's army could not hope to make a run past the American river fortifications. He was sure neither of the size nor the location of the American lines. On September 19, 1777, the British army advanced in three columns, two heading through the heavy forests on the bluffs west of the Hudson, the third, composed of German troops, following the river road. Around mid-day, Col. Daniel Morgan's corps of Virginia riflemen met the center column at Freeman's Farm. A classical European-style contest followed as British lines advanced on the two brigades of Continental soldiers and militia. As American numbers and marksmanship began to weaken the British assault, the German column arrived. In the face of these reinforcements, the Americans withdrew. The British held the field at the end of the day but had suffered 600 casualties. The Americans had half the number of casualties and still blocked the route to Albany.
Now both armies dug in, building new fortifications and waiting. Time was against Burgoyne. Clinton was supposedly preparing to move north toward Albany from New York City, but ultimately he was not able to assist Burgoyne. While Burgoyne waited for help from Clinton, his supplies were dwindling, the morale of his men was shrinking, and winter was fast approaching. At the same time, General Gates' army grew as militia units continued to arrive. On October 6, 1777, Burgoyne and his top officers met in a council of war. Burgoyne wanted to commit more than 6,000 soldiers (all except 800 of his troops) on the next day to an attack on the American left flank. All of Burgoyne's subordinates opposed his proposal since the British lacked full knowledge of the American's fortifications and feared that an American counterattack on the weakly defended camp would leave the army without supplies or a route to retreat north. Some of Burgoyne's staff suggested that they fall back nearer to Lake Champlain while others suggested reconnoitering the American line. Burgoyne compromised and they agreed to send out 1,700 men to probe the American lines, forage for food and supplies, and decide if the hills to the west of the line could be used to mount the British cannons to bombard the Americans.
The reconnaissance force moved out around noon on October 7. Gates was informed of the movement and dispatched Col. Daniel Morgan's corps, Gen. Enoch Poor's brigade, and Brig. Gen. Ebenezer Learned's brigade to attack the right, left, and center of the British line, respectively. The Americans engaged Burgoyne's soldiers at Barber's Wheatfield and in a little over an hour inflicted more than 400 casualties, pushing the British troops back to their fortified lines. Although Poor's men failed to capture the Balcarres Redoubt (a log-and-earthen work on the Freeman Farm that was about 500 yards long and 12-14 feet high) fresh reinforcements joined Learned's brigade, and urged on by Gen. Benedict Arnold, they captured Breymann's Redoubt (a single line of breastworks about 200 yards long and 7-8 feet high). As night fell, Burgoyne's battered army retreated to the safety of the Great Redoubt (a system of fortifications designed to protect their hospital, artillery park, and supplies on the river flat).
After a day's rest, Burgoyne decided to retreat north to Ticonderoga. However, American forces had continued to swell with each passing day. Gates' army now numbered more than 12,000 and had sustained only 500 casualties in the three weeks of fighting compared to Burgoyne's 1,200 casualties. Militia from New Hampshire and Vermont cut off escape to the east side of the Hudson. Newly arrived Massachusetts militiamen who had begun to dig trenches at Saratoga (now Schuylerville) blocked the final escape route to the north. Only 9 miles into their retreat, the British army was effectively surrounded. Burgoyne and his officers concluded that they had no option left except to surrender. After negotiating over the terms, Burgoyne and his nearly 6,000 soldiers laid down their arms on October 17, 1777. According to the articles of surrender, they were free to return to England provided they promised never to fight again in America. The British troops were escorted to Cambridge, Massachusetts to await transport ships to England. However, the Continental Congress declared them full prisoners of war, so most remained as prisoners in America until the end of the war.
The Battle of Saratoga is often called the turning point of the American Revolution because the defeat of the British encouraged France to enter into a military alliance with the newly formed United States. Although the French were already supplying the Continental Army with weapons, and had been impressed by Washington's resourcefulness and favorable reports by German Johann de Kalb, they were concerned by the capture of Philadelphia. Saratoga convinced the French government that the Americans could fight against disciplined military units and win. On February 6, 1778, the French government signed accords with Benjamin Franklin and the other American envoys in Paris that recognized America's Declaration of Independence and pledged full military and financial support. Had the Americans not won at Saratoga, the French would not have supplied the troops or the French Navy that made victory at Yorktown possible. In bringing France into the war against Britain, Saratoga also brought France's allies, Spain and Holland, into the conflict. The American victory at Saratoga turned the American Revolution into a global war that Britain could not win.
Questions for Reading 1
1. How many battles were fought at Saratoga? How long a period of time passed between the battles?
2. What was General Burgoyne waiting for after the first Battle of Saratoga? How did time work against him?
3. What was the effect of the American victory at Saratoga on the course of the American Revolution?
Reading 1 was compiled from the National Park Service's visitor's guide for Saratoga National Historical Park; John Elting, The Battles of Saratoga (Monmouth Beach, New Jersey: Phillip Freneau Press, 1977); Rupert Furneaux, The Battle of Saratoga (New York: Stein and Day, 1971); and Don Higginbotham, The War of American Independence: Military Attitudes, Policies and Practice, 1763-1789 (Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1983).

subset: commoncrawl


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The Lakers say they don't haze any of their players, and no, Kobe Bryant's expletives and death stares don't count.
Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni confirmed the NBA recently sent a memo to all 30 teams warning about hazing amid the Miami Dolphins' bullying scandal.
"We will watch," D'Antoni said. "That's a thing not to fool with. I'm sure every coach says it doesn't happen here. I would hope that we're smart enough that it doesn't happen here."
Rookies Ryan Kelly and Elias Harris said the team hasn't addressed the issue internally. But they describe their rookie duties as harmless, ranging from carrying teammates' bags, putting balls back on the rack and picking up towels.
That appears to be a far cry from Dolphins right tackle Jonathan Martin leaving the team last week amid accusations that lineman Richie Incognito harassed him, including a racially charged voice message.
"The stuff we do builds team chemistry and makes the team stronger," said Harris, who signed with the Lakers this offseason after going undrafted. "If you're talking about the team down in Miami, that's a different story. That took it too far. That doesn't build team chemistry. That separates a team."
Outperforming superiors
Return of the Bench Mob?
After ranking 28th out of 30 NBA teams as a unit last season, the Lakers' reserves lead in the league in points (57.8), efficiency (58.1) and minutes (24.7).
If only the Lakers' starting lineup that features two future Hall of Famers could keep up with them. With an injured Kobe Bryant, a limited Steve Nash and an underachieving Pau Gasol, the Lakers' starting lineup has ranked last out of 30 NBA teams in several categories, including points (45.4), efficiency (45.6) and minutes (23.3).
"Mike goes with the guys that are hotter out there and sticks with them," Gasol said before the Lakers hosted Minnesota on Sunday at Staples Center. "It's got to be a balance. It's not about who scores more, (it's about) who is more effective."
Notable contributors include Jodie Meeks (averaging team-leading 12.3 points on a 48.4 clip from three-point range), Xavier Henry (10.1), and Jordan Farmar (10.3 points). Gasol (35.2 percent) and Nash (27.9 percent) have become a weak link.
"They just have played better. They're also playing against second-line guys," D'Antoni said of his bench. "I'm sure the starters would love to play the second group."
Odd man out
With the Lakers fielding a big lineup featuring Gasol and Chris Kaman, where does that leave Shawne Williams?
"A lot of 'Hey! Let's go,'" D'Antoni said. "He hasn't played so I don't know what else."
Williams played against Minnesota after Wesley Johnson picked up two early fouls. Williams averaged only 3.2 points on 35.3 percent shooting in 13.6 minutes through five games before missing the next two.
"He doesn't have to explain anything," Williams said. "I just have to be a pro and stay with it."


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The Problem with A/B Comparisons
One of the most popular - and in truth, most valid - ways of comparing two products is to, well, directly compare two products. A battle royale, two-enter-one-leaves style of head-to-head competition where it's clear which product is the victor.
Done correctly, direct A/B comparisons are by far the most accurate ways of determining product superiority.
The problem is, they're often not done correctly. Sometimes, they can't be done correctly. In those cases, the results couldn't be further from accurate.
Determining the best TV is one of the hottest Internet topics. It's understandable, to a degree. Most TVs cost a lot of money, and most people want to be sure they're getting the best for their money. Then of course there's the rampant fanboyism that is neither scientific, nor useful.
The problem is, it's nearly impossible for the average person to accurately determine what TV is better. Not because of any failing on their part, or from lack of research effort. (Manufacturer specs are often outright lies, so they're no help.)
The real problem is the lack of any decent testing space at retail. In a controlled environment, with correctly set up televisions, I'd bet good money that anyone reading this would pick the same TV I would. If not exactly the same, at least a TV that performs very similarly to my pick.
But you'll never find a controlled environment. You'll never see a correctly set up television. The Costcos and Best Buys of the world are about as bad a place to compare televisions as an Amish farmhouse.
The lighting in every store is radically different than what you have in your home. The plasma that looks washed out in a store will likely look better in your home than the LCD that looked amazing right next to it on the shelf. Worse yet, it's unlikely the TVs at a store will be set even remotely correctly. They're set to look great at a store, which is the exact mode you shouldn't be using at home. I've even seen TVs in stores deliberately set brighter than others, because that was the TV they were pushing that week. Dishonest? Yes. Does it work? Absolutely.
A few months ago I wrote an article about why all HDMI cables are the same. In it, I outlined the physics of how HDMI cables worked, cited sources, and showed why your picture will look the same whether you use a $2 HDMI cable or a $400 HDMI cable.
I'll admit to some sensationalism in the title (build quality is a big difference between cables, but it doesn't affect picture or sound quality), but what was amazing was how many people said something along the lines of "well I have two cables, I compared them, I saw a difference, you're wrong."
Now, it's not possible for them to have seen a difference. I proved that with, you know, facts. So what's going on? The simplest (and most condescending) explanation is that they're not seeing a difference at all. They want to see a difference to justify the $100+ by which they've just been ripped off.
Personally, I'm not a big fan of that answer. So let's go a step further: how would one test cables at home? The most obvious solution, perhaps, is to plug in both HDMI cables to two different inputs on the TV and go back and forth. A direct A/B comparison, correct? Incorrect. Are all the settings the same between the two inputs? If there's a visual difference, then probably not.
What about switching out the cables? Watch one, replace, watch the other. How long a time between light-on-eyeballs is there? No one's memory is that good, especially with the added bias of knowing, "well here's the expensive cable."
Now this one is even more difficult. So difficult, in fact, it's nearly impossible. Your ear is incredibly sensitive to changes in volume, and almost always louder is better. So matching volume is critical, but how do you do that? Most SPL meters aren't as sensitive as your ears. Matching the volume on the receiver/preamp won't work, as speakers all have different sensitivities, so "-20" on the receiver via speaker A might be louder than the same level through speaker B.
Then there's placement, as the speakers need to be in the same spot so the room has the same effect on them. Everyone's audio memory is pretty fickle, so if you wait around while someone moves the speakers into place, it's likely you've forgotten what the speakers sounded like to begin with.
No Conclusion, mostly
Is this a thinly veiled laudation of magazine reviews and trained reviewers? Sort of (well, at least the good ones). I've always said that you should trust your own eyes and ears when it comes to audio and video gear, and let them be the final judge. But let your knowledge of these potential errors in direct comparison be your guide. With any test, isolating the variables that can affect the outcome, but aren't themselves the factors under test, is more important than the test itself. This is true even with A/V gear.
With TVs, keep in mind that a well-lit store isn't the best place to compare TVs and that the TV's settings will have a profound effect on the picture quality. If you can't access them, it's nearly impossible to correctly judge the display.
With cables (or any piece of gear, really), know that the simplest A/B test may have significant variables that can dramatically affect the outcome. When the results go against physics - well, I don't know what to tell you. Take a close look at your test setup. There may be a difference somewhere, and it's not in the cable.
With speakers, trust your ears. Whatever sounds good to you is the best speaker.
As any good scientist will tell you: If you're getting results radically different from everyone else, it's probably time to re-check your testing methodology. Sure, it's possible you've discovered penicillin, but it's more likely you've just got a jar of mold.


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This delicious puff pancake is a super fun morning treat.
And, of course, I made it even better for you.
We used 100% white whole wheat flour, 1 less egg, reduced the amount of butter and sugar, and used 2% milk rather than whole. Loaded up the berries and served with with maple syrup rather than whipped cream.
Berry Puff Pancake – Adapted from Recipe Girl
- 3 eggs
- 1 C milk (we used 2%)
- 1 C white whole wheat flour
- 1/8 C white sugar (or try, 4 T honey)
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 1 T butter
- Splash of vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 C berries (we used blueberry, raspberry, blackberry)
- Pure maple syrup
Combine 3 eggs with 1 C milk and 1 C white whole wheat flour. Stir. Then, add in 1/8 C sugar, and a pinch of salt. Using a blender (we used our immersion blender), blend until smooth.
Meanwhile, melt 1 T butter into a large, oven-proof skillet. Swirl the butter in the pan so that the bottom and sides are coated.
Pour the batter into the skillet.
Toss the berries on top.
We used frozen berries (we did not thaw them first) and they worked really well.
Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, until the pancake is set in the center and lightly browned on the edges.
Cut into wedges and serve warm.


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Selling Shortly in Hayward
Let's visit the East Bay today, always good for a fresh angle.
466 OCIE Way
Hayward, CA 94541
3 Beds
1.5 Baths
1,185 Sq. Ft.
$388 / Sq. Ft.
Built: 1958
Lot Size: 5,005 Sq. Ft.
On Redfin: 14 days
Status: Active
Type: Detached
Stories: 1
Community: Alameda
Style: Ranch
View: Other
County: Alameda
Great Opportunity! Easy access to Hwy 880 and 92. House Needs TLC. 3 bedrooms one and a half bath. As is Sale.
We're going to take this one if this is really As it Is —>
And while some of the interior shots are almost maddeningly normal, fortunately the agent did not disappoint us with this careful study of the dining room.
One could almost think the Real Estate Professional was so excited about this Great Opportunity that she couldn't be bothered to focus the iPhone before running to her car to post the shots.


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Laucki Chana Dal is is a healthful, wholesome lentil and vegetable main dish. Having a low glycemic index, it is especially good for diabetics.
Serves 3.
- 1 medium bottle gourd (laucki, ghiya, doodhi)
- 1/2 cup yellow split gram (chana dal)
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
- A pinch of asafetida (hing)
- 2 whole red chilies
- 1 teaspoon shredded ginger (adrak)
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
- 1/2 tsp red chili powder adjust to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt adjust to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon of garam masala (optional)
- 1 teaspoon mango powder (amchoor) adjust to taste
- About 2 tablespoon finally chopped cilantro (hara dhania)
- 1 cup of water adjust as needed
- Wash and soak chana dal for one hour or more.
- Peel and wash the bottle gourd. Cut into half-inch cubes.
- Heat the oil in a saucepan. Test the heat by adding one cumin seed to the oil; if the seed cracks right away, the oil is ready. Add the cumin seeds. When seeds start to crack, add the asafetida and whole red chilies. Stir for a few seconds.
- Add ginger, turmeric, and chili powder and stir for a few seconds.
- Add the chana dal, bottle gourd, salt, and one cup of water (adjust as needed to desired gravy thickness; bottle guard varies in moisture content).
- Cook the chana dal until soft. About fifteen minutes. Turn off the heat and add the mango powder, garam masala, and cilantro. Stir and cover the pan for a few minutes before serving.
Serving suggestion
Serve with roti (whole wheat flat bread), paratha (flat bread), or plain rice.
- Mango powder can be replaced with lemon juice.
- Add two tablespoons dry fenugreek leaves or two tablespoons of fresh chopped fenugreek leaves when adding the bottle gourd.


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JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (May 6, 2010) - Just a day after ETSU men's tennis junior Charles Bottoni (Bois Guillaume, France) learned where he and his teammates would play in the 2010 NCAA team tournament, the Buc upperclassman was announced as a surprising automatic qualifier into the 2010 NCAA Men's Singles Championship field.
This marks the third straight season an ETSU individual player earned a spot among the nation's elite, after former two-time Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Year Enrique Olivares competed in the past two fields.
The only other ETSU competitor to earn the honor besides Bottoni and Olivares is current head coach and former great Yaser Zaatini who qualified three straight seasons from 1991-1993.
This spring the Bois Guillaume, France native helped guide the 65th-ranked Bucs to its fourth straight A-Sun Championship, while -- despite playing between the No. 3 and No. 4 singles positions -- Bottoni ended the spring as the highest ranked player in the league at No. 104.
Overall, the second-year star has played some of his strongest tennis after coming back from an injury at the beginning of March. Since resting Bottoni has won seven out of his last eight matches, while dating back to the fall season, he sits with a 14-9 overall record in singles play.
Heading into the tournament Bottoni has beat players from four ranked teams, in addition to topping at-large NCAA Singles selection No. 26 Steve Forman of Wake Forest.
History of ETSU players in the NCAA Singles Championships
Yaser Zaatini- 1991 (1st-Round L, Conny Falk of Miami 6-4, 6-3)
Yaser Zaatini- 1992 (1st-Round W, Robert Janeck of UCLA 6-4, 6-4)
(2nd-Round L. Charles Auffray of Pepperdine 6-2, 6-2)
Yaser Zaatini- 1993 (1st-Round W, Chris Haddad of Arizona State 6-3, 6-2)
(2nd-Round W. Brandon Coupe of Stanford 2-6, 7-6, 6-2)
(Round of 16 L, Brain MacPhie of Southern Cal 6-2, 6-3)
Enrique Olivares- 2008 (1st-Round W,. Alexandru Cojanu of W&M 7-5, 6-1)
(2nd-Round W, Ruben Gonzales of Illinois 6-4, 4-6, 6-4)
(Round of 16 L, J.P. Smith of Tennessee 6-2, 6-2)
Enrique Olivares- 2009 (1st-Round W, Martin Sayer of Radford 7-5, 6-4)
(2nd-Round L, Steven Moneke of Ohio State 6-3, 6-3)
Charles Bottoni- 2010
For more information on the ETSU men's tennis team and its players please visit www.ETSUBucs.com.


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Automotive Paints Market to Reach USD 25.7 Bn by 2022: ZMR
Press Release • Jan 11, 2018 02:33 EST
Zion Market Research has published a new report titled "Automotive Paints Market by Vehicle Type (Light Commercial Vehicles, Heavy Commercial Vehicles, and Passenger Cars), by Coat Type (Electro Coat, Primer, Basecoat, Clear Coat), by Technology (Solvent, Waterborne, and Powder Coating), by Texture (Solid and Metallic) - Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis and Forecast, 2016 – 2022". According to the report, global automotive paints market was valued at USD 18.5 billion in 2016, is expected to reach USD 25.7 billion by 2022 and is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 5.2% between 2016 and 2022.
Automotive paint plays an essential role in the protection of automobile against corrosion, UV rays, oxidization, and acid rains. These paints have low volatile organic compounds (VOC) and high solid content. Automotive paints are easy to apply and are clean and wear resistance. Over the past few years, the automotive paint technology has established in terms of quality, the durability of products and color choices offered to the buyers.
Request Free Sample Research Report @
Growing demand for vehicles worldwide has boosted the growth of the automotive paints market. End users prefer to buy vehicles; featuring durable automotive paint is expected to fuel the market growth in the forecast period. However, high prices of raw material may limit the market growth in near future. Nevertheless, altering government rules and regulations for growing environmental awareness would give many significant opportunities for the growth of the automotive paints market in coming years.
Automotive paint market is segmented on the basis of vehicle type, coat type, texture type, technology, and region. On the basis of vehicle type segment market is classified into light commercial vehicles, heavy commercial vehicles, and passenger cars. The coat type comprises of electro coat, base coat, primer coat, and clear coat. The Clear coat was the major coat type segment of automotive paint market in 2016 followed by primer, electro coat, and base coat. The texture type segment is categorized into solid texture and metallic texture. The metallic paints market is expected to grow at fast pace in the forecast period owing to growing demand for attractive glossy finish offered by these paints. In developed countries, metallic paints are utilized extensively even for heavy commercial vehicles along with passenger cars and light commercial vehicles; whereas, in the developing countries, solid paints are preferred as heavy commercial paints. On the basis of technology, the automotive paint market is segmented into solvent, waterborne, and powder coating.
Inquire more about this report @
In 2016, Asia Pacific was the largest market for automotive paint attributed to recent growth in automotive OEM market in developing countries in the region. Furthermore, favorable macro factors such as largest vehicle production, cheaper labor cost, and government support for manufacturing industry along with the big local market is expected to further boost the market growth in the forecast period. Europe was one of the leading markets for automotive paint in 2016 owing to the presence of leading vehicle producing countries in Europe. Europe was followed by North America, where the U.S. accounts for the largest market in 2016.
Browse detail report with in-depth TOC @
The automotive paints market is huge and tremendously fragmented. Key players profiled in the report include BASF SE, Akzonobel N.V., PPG Industries Inc., Kansai Paint Co., Ltd., Paint Holdings Co., Ltd, Nippon, Valspar Corporation, and Arkema SA among others. In 2016, PPG Industries Inc. was one of the market leaders and has a strong presence globally in the market. PPG's strong research and development and product expansion maintain its position in the automotive paints market. PPG recently launched a new Ultrapax coating system, which is a packaged system of pretreatment products and powder coating to meet the stringent standards to protect metals.
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Zion Market Research is an obligated company. We create futuristic, cutting edge, informative reports ranging from industry reports, company reports to country reports. We provide our clients not only with market statistics unveiled by avowed private publishers and public organizations but also with vogue and newest industry reports along with pre-eminent and niche company profiles. Our database of market research reports comprises a wide variety of reports from cardinal industries. Our database is been updated constantly in order to fulfill our clients with prompt and direct online access to our database. Keeping in mind the client's needs, we have included expert insights on global industries, products, and market trends in this database. Last but not the least, we make it our duty to ensure the success of clients connected to us—after all—if you do well, a little of the light shines on us.


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Not every Famine ship was a Coffin Ship
|The Jeanie Johnston, Custom House Quay, Dublin, Ireland.
|The Dunbrody, New Ross, County Wexford, Ireland.
Click on images to view larger versions.
|The Jeanie Johnston, Custom House Quay, Dublin, Ireland.
|The Dunbrody, New Ross, County Wexford, Ireland.
Jennifer, thanks so much for posting those links. Obviously, our family wouldn't be here if our ancestors hadn't made it on that long journey, but I have yet to find the records concerning which ship they actually used. I have Canadian census records to confirm the general time of their arrival, and confirmation letters of their baptism from their parish in Ireland...but no ship. I'm looking forward to checking out these resources in hopes of finding the connecting records!ReplyDelete
Hi Jacqi,
Thank you for your comments. You may find the Ships' List link to be of particular benefit. Best of luck to you in finding the ship on which they travelled.
Really interesting. I saw the exact same ships called coffin ships on another blog. It's nice to know there was some good stuff going on. Do you happen to know anything about the baby born on the Jeanie Johnston? My people arrived much more recently than famine times (well not as recently as yours jenn) but I'm going to look anyway.ReplyDelete
Hi Charlotte,
Thanks for your comments. The baby boy born on the Jeanie Johnston was the son of Daniel and Margaret Reilly, who named him Nicholas Johnston Reilly, namesake for one of the owners of the ship, Nicholas Donovan and for the ship itself.
Also, there were about 135 babies born on other ships during the Atlantic crossings between the years 1837 and 1913, and their information can be found in the Grosse-Île database too. Also Grosse-Île was a quarantine station and main point of entry into Canada until 1937. Did any of your people cross during that time period?
Thanks for the extra info Jenn. I didn't know Gross Ile was open until the 30's. Where did people enter after that?Delete
You probably know this already, but there is a new book out about the Jeanie Johnston. It looks like a good read.
Ashling Butler
Hi Ashling,
Thanks for your comment. I recently came across the book when the author Dr. Kathryn Miles did a radio interview about it on NPR. My understanding is that it was well researched and based on solid documentary evidence, so my hope is that it is a 'good read' from that perspective.
Comments on this blog are always deeply appreciated; however, in the spirit of true collegiality, I ask that you do not write something you would not say to me in person.
This blog is CAPTCHA free, but because of spammers, comments moderation is in operation for posts older than two days.
Any comments that are mean-spirited, include URLs which are not connected to the post topic, contain misinformation, or in any way resemble advertising, will be removed.
Cheers, Jennifer


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On a Short Leash
Did you hear about that Buddhist couple who're never more than 15 feet apart? Well, we tried it.
Five years after Buddhist teachers Christie McNally and Michael Roach received publicity for their bizarrely close—literally, they never strayed more than 15 feet from one another—and celibate relationship, the couple is now divorced and back in the news with the recent death of McNally's new husband Ian Thorson near Roach's Buddhist retreat. A delirious McNally and a dead Thorson were found in a cave in the Arizona desert after being expelled from the retreat. Back in 2008, David Plotz and Hanna Rosin attempted McNally and Roach's practice of staying within 15 feet of each other for 24 hours. The original piece is printed below.*
Of all the relationship experiments ever tried—polygamy, wife-swapping, no-fault divorce, open marriage—the one described in the May 15 New York Timesmight be the most perverse. For 10 years, Michael Roach and Christie McNally have been together—for every single minute. The two never stray more than 15 feet from each other. When they eat, they share a plate. When they read, they share the book—the faster reader waiting for the slower to finish the page. When they do yoga, they inhale and exhale together. When "he is inspired by an idea in the middle of the night, she rises from their bed and follows him to their office 100 yards down the road, so he can work." Oh, and did we mention that 1) they live in a yurt in the Arizona desert and 2) they're celibate?
Roach and McNally, who are Buddhist teachers (though he also made a fortune in the jewelry business), consider their partnership a "high form of Buddhist practice." Roach told the Times, "It forces you to deal with your own emotions so you can't say, 'I'll take a break.' "
Slate V Video: Watch David and Hanna's day of closeness.
When we read about the couple—separately, because we would never read the newspaper together—it didn't remind us of a high form of Buddhist practice. It reminded us of a particularly sadistic reality TV show or the "Love Toilet," Saturday Night Live's commode built for two. ("Why not share the most intimate moment of them all? … Because when you are in love, even five minutes apart can seem like an eternity.")
But then we began to wonder if we could learn something from these Buddhist claustrophiles. * We've been married (extremely happily!) for almost 11 years, with two children to show for it. But the idea of enforced physical proximity seemed terrifying—not to mention logistically impossible. How could we stay 15 feet apart if one of us had to take child A to her school while the other walked child B to his? Or when David had a meeting in his office at the same moment Hanna had a meeting in hers across town? It also seemed masochistic: Given even the briefest reprieve from work or child care, we're each of us out the door for a fortifying run, shopping expedition, or Starbucks jaunt. Which in turn led us to wonder if all the solo rushing around is its own kind of avoidance. Maybe we're crippling our marriage by neglect. Maybe we've turned it into a tag-team business partnership in which we mechanically swap off work and kid obligations, each viewing the other as a shift laborer.
Inspired by Slate's "Human Guinea Pig," we decided to subject our marriage to the Roach-McNally discipline. We would follow their rules for 24 hours and see whether it would be an exercise in mutual mindfulness or protracted torture. We cut a 15-foot length of string. Then we warned the kids that Wednesday was going to be very weird. Here's what happened:
David: I'm flossed, brushed, reading in bed. Hanna, who's putting laundry away, decides she needs to walk down the hall to deposit some clothes in our daughter's room, which means I have to get out of bed and follow her. Two minutes later, she does this again, and again I must get up. I utter some very un-Buddhalike curses. I can see why Roach and McNally moved into a one-room yurt—no hallways to negotiate, no kid bedrooms, no kids.
Hanna: "This is annoying." "This is annoying." "This is annoying."
This is the love song that opens our 24-hour experiment in marital harmony. Right before I get into bed, random, misplaced objects will sometimes catch my eye. In this case, it was my daughter's clean underwear on the floor and a gong on David's dresser. David wants to get into bed and read his book, and I want to put things in their proper places. I win. Thus, naked, muttering, glasses-free David trudging half-blind behind me into dark rooms trying not to wake up the kids.
Five minutes in, and I can already see the problem with this experiment: It's one thing to stay within 15 feet of your soul mate when you live in a yurt and do yoga all day. Not so easy when you have kids, two jobs, and a house with stairs. So far, this feels more like Lucy and Ricky or warring Siamese twins. But that's OK, right? It's like the few times I've tried (unsuccessfully) to meditate. They say it takes a while before you stop fidgeting and running through your to-do list and just settle down and empty your mind. That's why they call it a journey.
Early Morning
David: First thing in the morning, Hanna gets up and goes to the bathroom. As couples go, we're not big on privacy, but there are limits. You'll be relieved to hear there is no Love Toilet action at the Rosinplotzes. The rope is plenty long. I pace impatiently outside the door.
This is usually when I head downstairs to read the sports section and feed the kids breakfast, but not today. Instead I have to sit in our bedroom while Hanna gets ready. This turns out to be a revelation, but of the annoying sort. I learn that my wife has all kinds of creams and primping powders that I have never seen. She blow-dries her hair. She doesn't get dressed just once—which is all I require—she gets dressed three or four times. One shirt tried and rejected. Pair of pants scorned. Five pairs of shoes examined. And then, even though she has already blow-dried her hair once, she goes and does it again! While our kids starve downstairs!
I usually don't eat breakfast, but she does, so I glumly eat a few spoonfuls from her oatmeal. We briefly and futilely try to read the newspaper together, scanning the front page of the New York Times. I hate it.
Hanna: I never thought of myself as a "private" person or someone who keeps secrets from her husband. I do, however, want to put on makeup and fix my hair without David standing outside the bathroom tapping his foot and glaring. I have never much valued my two and a half minutes of morning mirror time. Now I feel like an angry grad student, defending sacred female space from the overbearing male gaze.
Breakfast brings a bit of unexpected peaceful togetherness. David can't sneak off to read the sports section, and I can't run around hanging up raincoats and sifting through mail. Instead we operate as a tranquil machine—one cooks the oatmeal while the other pours the milk. One brushes hair while the other puts lunchboxes in backpacks. We eat from the same small bowl, which is actually pleasant, and try to read the same section of newspaper together. Which is not.
David: Upon arrival at the Slate office, Hanna strikes up a conversation with one of my colleagues about the school our daughter and his sons attend. Since I had precisely the same conversation with him the day before, I am bored. I interrupt to tell her so. She ignores me and keeps talking. I try to leave, but Hanna won't budge. I'm not allowed to break the 15-foot barrier. It's the first moment when I actually understand the Roach-McNally project. Because I can't leave, I have no choice but to listen to the conversation: I force myself to pay attention. I force myself to suppress my interior monologue about work I have to do and e-mails I must answer. Instead, I will myself to tune into her world. This discipline brings a reward, albeit a tiny one: a sense for those few moments that we're deeply together.
Eventually, the conversation ends, and we settle into my office. She opens a laptop on the right side of my desk; I work on my computer on the left side. It's incredibly lovely, for a while. We tip-tap away on our keyboards. She sits on my lap while we compose an Evite for a party we're hosting. I need to photocopy a form, so we convoy down the hall to the photocopier and photocopy together. She has to go to the bathroom—not to complain, but she always has to go to the bathroom, like 10 times a day—and I wait, red-faced, outside the ladies' room, trying not to look like a perv. As we photocopy and work, we chat about all the stuff we usually talk about only at night, the state of the children, our work anxieties, our morale.
Pretty cute, right? But am I unbothered by her invasion of my space? No! Reader: She talks to her computer. When she types e-mail addresses, she speaks them aloud: "Peter underscore Jones at gmail dot com." And her phone voice! She spends a bunch of time on her cell phone interviewing sources for a story she is writing. Here are my notes from this dark period: "Hanna talking on the phone loudly. Loud loud loud loud loud. She talks too loud on the phone. Talk talk talk. Talk all the time. Talk talk talk. Always talking."
Hanna: When McNally told the Times she followed Roach to his work yurt in the middle of the night, any modern working girl would have winced. It merely confirms our suspicions about their student/teacher, young-hot-girl/old-rich-guy relationship and makes us wonder about who is doing most of the humbling in this saintly duo. This is what I am thinking again as I follow David into his office this morning. I am an annoying appendage, like those wives who come in to show off new infants while everyone's trying to work.
This karmic resentment I send out comes right back at me, leading to our first minor explosion of the day. Little did I know that the first thing my husband does upon arriving at work each morning is open the fridge and reach for a cold Fresca. It's not even 10 a.m., and Mr. Farmers'-Market-Cruelty-Free-Meat-I'll-Have-a-Decaf-Thanks is having his first soda of the day. Tragically, there is no cold Fresca because "who the hell forgot to put the Frescas in the fridge," and "how hard is it to remember," and I can actually feel him grow hot with anger because I am standing so close. Did I really need to know that the man I love is the office kitchen diva?
The petty toxins multiply. I engage in a conversation with one of his colleagues, a fellow dad at our school, about the latest principal flap. I keep this conversation going just a little too long. I know David is eager to get to his office, which is all the way down the hallway, and turn on his computer. But, to bring him down a notch, I make him stay and listen to this conversation. I know this is wrong. Submitting ourselves to the other's will is not supposed to resemble a tug of war, but rather a soundless, tilting seesaw of recycled bamboo, slowly erasing our egos. (Him. Me. I. Her. We. Whee! or something like that.) Nonetheless, balance is restored. For the next couple of hours, David and I work peacefully together in his office. We do not share much psychic space but we do create a collegial work environment on a cramped desk, which is not nothing. (David, by the way, will write that I make too much noise—talking loudly on my cell phone or saying e-mail addresses out loud as I type them. This first part is called "reporting," which is my job. The second part is delusional. Don't believe him. We had a lovely time, and I even sat on his lap for a bit.)
Early Afternoon
David: After lunch we walk over to Hanna's office at the Atlantic. She has to talk to her editor about the story she's writing. The editor is a good sport and allows me to come in. It's a joy to watch her at work. I see her best professional self, proposing, scheduling, clarifying, explaining—building a picture of the thrilling article to come. And my presence there contributes just what I'd hoped. I propose ideas. I bounce thoughts off her. Her editor and I agree about a major element of the story, and we change Hanna's mind. She and I are engaged, alive to the same subject. At 3:30, I have to do a conference call, and she deposits me in the cubicle next to hers. We're only 8 feet apart—way within the rules—but I can't see her. It freaks me out. I've been looking at her nonstop for nine hours: Not seeing her for five minutes makes me jittery. What's she doing over there?
Hanna: Back at my office, David gets to be the appendage. When we explain to my colleagues what we are up to, the women, especially, react with horror. "Yuck," "Creepy," "Suffocating," "I would die after two hours." One person mentions the Saturday Night Live "Love Toilet" parody commercial, which, when you watch it again, is really quite devastatingly apt, especially given how many times David has had to wait for me outside the bathroom.
Late Afternoon
Hanna: After a quick trip to the Foggy Bottom Farmers' Market, we head off to pick up the kids at ballet class. (I am intentionally skipping the half-hour I waited around for him in his office while he and a couple of Slate boys watched soccer. Because this is an outrageous thing to do in the middle of a workday, and I want to be positive.)
David: When we return to the house in the evening after picking up the kids, we have our only rule violation of the day. I stop just inside the door to check my e-mail. Hanna keeps walking through to the kitchen—25 feet away—to get food for the kids. I look up and yell at her for breaking the barrier. She barks back: "You're spaced out on your BlackBerry!" The point being, I guess, that it was my unmindfulness that caused the split. If I had been paying attention to her and to my family's needs, I would have been heading to the kitchen, too. Instead, I isolated myself in the electronic world, fleeing to my BlackBerry island. My mental separation was the real crime, not her physical one.
David: By the time we finally get the children bathed and bedded, I'm exhausted, much more than on a usual day. It is draining to be watched all the time, even by your wife. Weirdly, we have nothing to say to each other. We don't have any stories to tell each other about our day because we lived the same day. We don't have questions for each other because we know the answers. We can't lie and exaggerate and twist the day's happenings to gain sympathy—the usual evening activity for most married couples, I suspect—because the other will call foul. This is where the Buddhism may come in. We lived in the moment: Being together all the time eliminated the need for the usual daily reflection because we already spent every minute of the day reflecting.
The experiment was not nearly as disturbing as I expected it to be. I hope that's partly a tribute to the strength of our marriage—we find it easy to keep company with each other, thank God. I'm sure it's partly a tribute to the routinized banality of our lives, which ensured no melodrama. On the other hand, I don't think I could have made it another 24 hours. The next morning, as soon as I woke up, I grabbed the sports section, fled to the downstairs bathroom—one flight of stairs, 50 feet, and a psychological mile from Hanna—and locked myself in.
Hanna: At ballet, I notice that some harmony has snuck up on us. I have to admit that this day has not been creepy or yucky or suffocating. All in all, it's been quite pleasant. It's been admittedly exhausting to be watched all day, even if the witness is your beloved familiar husband. But the constant scrutiny has saved us from a layer of artifice. Many a married couple runs through the what-did-you-do-today ritual at the end of the day. This is the marriage's last vestiges of the awkward first date. It often includes elements of theater, drama, self-consciousness, self-pity, and bragging. It's often unsatisfying because it gets interrupted by the kids. Today, we got to skip this strained ritual. I know what David did today because I was there. This feels more like the happy, silent pauses at dinner after a day spent alone, together. We leave the ballet class for the car, holding hands. The next morning, I have to admit, I feel slightly disappointed when I wake up and David has already snuck away.
Correction, June 3, 2008: The piece originally described the Buddhist couple as claustrophobes. We meant, of course, that they were claustrophiles. (Return to the corrected sentence.)
Correction, June 6, 2012: The editor's note on the reprint of this articleoriginally stated that Ian Thorson's death took place at Roach's Buddhist retreat. It took place in the desert near the retreat.


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Monday, January 18, 2010
Profiles in Discourage
I've done countless things in the past that filled me with discouragement. I campaigned for Voluntary Euthanasia to try and help keep health care costs down. But everyone kept volunteering other people. Come on, folks, health care costs are never going to go down unless all the old people decide to use the 15 Items or Less line at the Reasons to Live Checkout Stand! All checkout lines are open, no waiting! I opened a Facebook account in order to start the "Fans Of HoseMaster of Wine" page but the only person to sign up was Chemical Ali. Right, Ali's cousin, Chemical Abuse Ali. Discouragement just seems to be following me around lately. I applied for a job at Constellation Wines and they told me my moon was in Cancer and I should have that looked at. So I went to a doctor and he made me Cassiopeia into a jar while he made fun of my Little Dipper. It's winter, it's cold and dark, and I am severely discouraged.
But none of those discouragements compares to wine blogging. I can't remember ever doing anything stupider than starting a wine blog. OK, aside from joining the Wall Street Journal Wine Club. Though I will say this, the wines in the Wall Street Journal wine club are consistent--always Standard and Poor. A wine blog is a soul-sapping hobby, especially if you like wine more than yourself, an uncommon trait in wine bloggers. I struggle every day with what to write about. I think every wine blogger struggles with subjects, except those who mindlessly blog about whatever wines they've been drinking lately or were sent as free samples. I hate those blogs, every one of them. And they are legion. Who reads that crap? The addlepated? The demented? The unbelievably stupid? Tea Partyers? Their Comments sections read like homework assignments for people who are recovering from blunt force trauma to the head. "Great post, WineCoprophagous! I really enjoyed your description of the St. Supery Sauvignon Blanc as 'perfect with Perry Como,' and I will seek it out. I really enjoy your blog--you use simple words and it's so peaceful here." These aren't blogs, they're cries for help. Google is raising the temperature of the planet two degrees with numberless servers, each the size of an eponymous Napa Valley winery owner's ego, scattered all over the planet so the brain-damaged can log on and read about the free crap some ignoramus received from a Temecula winery? Ah, screw the polar bears, I'm a wine blogger, dammit, and it's important what wine goes with my new Lady Gaga download. (Why, Soave Classico, made with 100% Gaganega...)
Yeah, I know what you're thinkin'. There goes the ol' HoseMaster off on one of his usual rants. Well, you're right, and I'm just as sick of them as you are. But every time I go out into the blogosphere and check out wine blogs I get discouraged. Am I the only one? Probably. I'm the only one in a lot of things in life. For example, I love the long waits in airport security lines--it means more time to play my favorite game, Who's the Ugliest Person in the Terminal? And I'm probably the only person who likes to pick other people's noses. It's really the only way you ever get to know somebody. Yet I don't think I'm alone in being discouraged by wine blogs.
Sure, there are a few wine blogs that are worth reading, present company excluded. The most successful blogs even receive a few thousand hits a day! So the most successful wine blog is the equivalent of the absolute worst porn site on the Interwebs. Www.FlaccidFatBoys.com. That's encouraging. And one might assume that the blogs with the most traffic are the best. After all, they say the cream rises to the top. Yeah, so does scum.
When I'm discouraged I even start writing about what all the other bloggers are writing about--say, Sarah Palin speaking at the next WSWA (Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America) convention. You know, it turns out Palin misheard the gig. She thought her agent meant the Wine and Spirits "Hole Sailors" of America and it was her chance to speak against gay marriage. Wait until she finds out it's a convention of alcohol distributors! Don't worry about Ms. Palin, she's nothing if not fast on her feet. She's from Alaska, the home of fast thinkers, and next thing you know she'll be giving a discourse on how she prefers alcohol distributors to those ones that use gasoline in her Jeep.
See, even those jokes are discouraging.
When you first start a blog it's very liberating. Then one day you wake up and you're in a prison of your own making, trapped in a 6' X 9' cell with a Hole Sailor eyeballing you like he's got the hot dog and you've got the bun. And all this for the glory of writing for nine people, eight of whom don't even like you. Yeah, it's discouraging.
But it could always be worse. I could be the featured newcomer at FlaccidFatBoys.com. Though I'd never be more popular than Rush.
9 comments:
- Arthur said...
Do you need a hug?
- January 19, 2010 at 1:54 PM
- Samantha Dugan said...
Hey celly, I got yer bun right here. I feel ya kid, I feel myself suffocating under the pompus burping of the self appointed, "serious wine" bloggers...the likes of which will wow us with their profound understanding of the complexities of Crane Lake Shiraz. I would rather have you pick my nose than read that shit. You may be a grumpy bastard but I come here for a voice, a voice of reason and a voice willing to call bullshit on what really is kind of a joke...award handing out, self promoting, lonely people that use their geekdom to feel cool, or worse...superior.
I adore you and I'm first up if you confess to needing that hug.
- January 19, 2010 at 9:11 PM
- Arthur said...
Move over blondie, I call dibs!
- January 19, 2010 at 10:14 PM
- Ron Washam said...
Hey Gang,
I don't need hugs. Though My Gorgeous Samantha has permanent dibs on that, Arthur. I think I'm just bored with my own blog.
Yeah, I know, get in line.
- January 20, 2010 at 8:46 AM
- Charlie Olken said...
Bored with your own blog?
Maybe you need to put more dirty pictures in.
Maybe you need to take a six month break.
Maybe you need to write jokes for Jay Leno.
Maybe there are only so many things one can write about in wine short of writing about individual wines, and thus you are bored because wine blogs are so damned repetitive.
But, even if all of that were true, the fact is that you are like so many writers. You recognize that you are only as good as your next column, joke, story--and that is a big load to carry. So, stop worrying. We will carry you.
And if that is not enough, well, we will send you samples to review. I have a few you might want to try.
And if you are looking for blog topics, you could do worse than to read Heimoff these days. He has corraled the market on nutcases who think that only their own wines are any good and everything else is trash.
I try not to raise my voice in such settings but it was all I could do today to avoid calling one of those posters/poseurs an idiot to his face.
So, believe me, Ron, there is plenty of material left to lampoon.
- January 20, 2010 at 9:49 AM
- Arthur said...
While I appreciate your sense of the fickle, wax-and-wane nature of the creative muse, I urge you not to give up.
- January 20, 2010 at 12:17 PM
- Tobias Ø said...
Great post, Mr. HMW! I really enjoyed your description of the gaganega and I will seek it out. I really enjoy your blog.. Your sort of faucet doesn't need Palin jokes.
- January 21, 2010 at 5:15 PM
- Ron Washam, HMW said...
Hey Charlie,
Yes, there is endless material to lampoon in the wine blog world, but, as it is, it's too much inside joking for my tastes. Though I do plenty of it. But I often feel myself beating a dead horse, which is not, by the way, a metaphor for self-abuse. And, of course, it's the deafening silence that resounds after my every post that wears on me.
Hey Tobias,
Long-time follower, first time commenter. Thanks for chiming in.
Palin is an easy target, and I'm not immune to laziness. And, to be honest, I never have the faintest idea what's going to flow from my faucet, I just turn the valve and out comes this crap. I've had "Hole Sailors" in my brain for a while, she just stepped into that land mine.
I do have a rather strange mind.
- January 21, 2010 at 5:59 PM
- 1WineDude said...
The muse fountain runneth low?
Impossible - I tell you, it's limitless! Behold just a few of the sources:
- Any video, TV, or film appearance by James Suckling.
- Randomly clicking any article in the eBob or Wine Spectator forums.
- Any of the 750,267 blog articles about what someone else said on the eBob or WS forums.
- Any one of my blog posts form the last 18 months.
You doth protest too much, I think.
- January 30, 2010 at 7:57 AM


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Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec, a financial institution that manages funds primarily for public and private pension and insurance plans, has invested $500 million in 1.5 GW of operating wind farms in the U.S. and Canada.
The wind farms are currently owned and operated by Invenergy Wind LLC. Following the transaction, Invenergy will remain the majority controlling shareholder.
Caisse will have a material financial interest in 11 wind projects in the U.S. and two wind projects in Canada. Included in this portfolio is the 138.6 MW Le Plateau wind farm, located in Quebec. The project is sited in the Gaspesie region of Quebec and has been in commercial operation since early 2012. The project sells all of its renewable energy to Hydro-Quebec under a long-term contract.


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The 10 best Baltic beach resorts
European beach holidays haven't always been just about the Mediterranean. A century ago, the resorts along the Baltic Sea were just as likely to attract the E…
Beautifully set on its own island, just south of Stadsparken, is the castle, Kalmar Slott. Unlike many other southern Swedish castles, this one is straight out of a storybook, boasting turrets, ramparts, a moat and drawbridge and a dungeon. The fully furnished interior – reached by crossing an authentically reconstructed wooden drawbridge and going through a stone-arched tunnel beyond the grassy ramparts – is great fun for a wander. Among the many highlights are the King's Chamber with its coffered ceiling, the Queen's Suite and the Golden Room. The tour guides will tell you that the castle is rattling with ghosts, but for more tangible evidence of life during the Vasa period, the kitchen fireplace is good enough; it was built to accommodate the simultaneous roasting of three cows. There's a splendidly minimalist café just inside the walls, dominated by a wonderfully evocative oil painting of a moody chamber interior.
Brief history
Kalmar Slott's foundations were probably laid in the twelfth century; a century later, it became the best-defended castle in Sweden under King Magnus Ladulås. If the castle doesn't appear to be defending anything in particular today, that's because a devastating fire in the 1640s laid waste to Gamla Stan, after which Kalmar was moved to its present site on Kvarnholmen.
The most significant event to take place within the castle's walls was when the Danish Queen Margareta instigated the Union of Kalmar in 1397, which made her ruler over all Scandinavia; given the level of hatred between the Swedes and Danes, the union didn't stand much chance of long-term success. The castle was subject to eleven sieges as the two rival nations took power in turn; surprisingly, it remained almost unscathed. By the time Gustav Vasa became king of Sweden in 1523, Kalmar Slott was beginning to show signs of wear and tear, and so the king set about rebuilding it, while his sons, who later became Eric XIV and Johan III, took care of decorating the interior. The result, a fine Renaissance palace, is still preserved in fantastic detail today.
The King's Chamber (King Eric's bedroom) is the most visually exciting room in the castle – the wall frieze is a riot of vividly painted animals and shows a wild boar attacking Eric and another man saving him. Eric apparently suffered from paranoia, believing his younger brother Johan wanted to kill him. To this end, he had a secret door, which you can see cut into the extravagantly inlaid wall panels, with escape routes to the roof in the event of fraternal attack. Eric's suspicions may have been justified – Johan is widely believed to have poisoned him with arsenic in 1569.
Eric's oak bed, originally in the King's Chamber, now resides in the Queen's Suite, which is otherwise surprisingly void of furniture. It is the only surviving piece of furniture from the castle and was originally stolen from Denmark. It is curiously decorated with carved faces on the posts, but all their noses have been chopped off – the king believed that the nose contained the soul and didn't want the avenging souls of the rightful owners coming to haunt him.
Adjoining the Queen's Suite is the Golden Room, which should have been Johan's bedroom, although sibling hatred meant he didn't sleep here while Eric lived. The room has a magnificent ceiling and a couple of huge and intriguing portraits: though Gustav Vasa was already of an advanced age when his was painted, but he appears young-looking, with unseemly muscular legs – the royal artist had been ordered to seek out the soldier with the best legs and paint those, before attempting a sympathetic portrayal of Vasa's face. The portrait next to his is of Queen Margareta, her ghostly white countenance achieved in real life through the daily application of lead and arsenic. Isolated on another wall is King Eric's portrait, hung much higher up than the others: his family believed that the mental illness from which he supposedly suffered could be caught by looking into his eyes – even images of them.
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Marilyn1 necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
2 ganadores han sido elegidos entre 92 diseños de 28 diseñadores freelance.
mac-fusion has been in business for over a decade. Above and beyond being Apple Authorized Service and Sales we are an Apple Specialist as well http://ow.ly/3jd8Q We don't have a store front and focus on Business to Business sales and service (basically outsourced IT for companies running their business on the Mac). There are strict rules about using Apple or even the Apple Logo within our logo so we prefer to not go there. The name mac-fusion (all lower case, always) came about since we don't only do Macs but we help businesses integrate iPhones, iPads and if necessary PCs (damn accounting departments). mac-fusion at times feels like two businesses in one as we have our office that focuses on Warranty (AppleCare) and out of Warranty repairs. Then we have our field techs that support day to day needs of various businesses. Currently our logo is the one you see in the header of our website http://mac-fusion.com/ it's knocked out of a blue block but normally it is stand alone and PMS 541 blue.
Our audience is Mac owners that need superior service. Whether it is in the form of a hardware repair, software issue or full blown IT service for small to medium business. We offer a wide variety of personalized solutions. We can set up an office and let them take it from there or we can hold their hand ever step of the way. I like to think of us as an Easy Button for Mac Support.
I would like a logo that is versatile. Our current one can be broken down to the dot alone or the dot with larger mac-fusion or as seen on the website with all three components. So horizontal is important as something that's more squared off. Our tag line "everything macintosh" is actually getting a bit outdated as Apple has stopped saying macintosh and now just uses Mac. Plus the scope of our business has turned to supporting and integrating iPhones as well as iPads into their business environment, so now we are more "everything Apple" but legal would not let that fly. Here's some links to see how I've adapted our logo:
http://twitter.com/# I made it into a square for Kevin's avatar.
http://www.facebook.com/macfusion it's a bit more buttony with our AASP
So I want something "fun" but still means "business" I have production skills so I can make anything press ready if needed, I just lack in branding and design skills. mac-fusion is somewhat casual as we get the job done. If you read any of our blog posts you will see we are not uptight tech, but then again, what Mac company is? Thanks for participating :-D
UPDATE:: Logo must be vector to win. mac-fusion is all lower case and we have to keep the hyphen in there. (there has been a squatter on http://www.macfusion.com for over a decade) My favorite logos so far seem to be the ones that are emphasizing the "mac" part of mac-fusion.
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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First Communion Christening Personalised Teddy Bear In A Bag.
Personalised Birthday Balloon Bear In A Bag
A lovely gift to remember your child's first Holy Communion / Baptism / Christening. The personalisation can be change to your event.
A cute fun gift for any birthday, personalised with any message you would like to have printed, a lovely bear in a bag.
Our Teddy bears are made of lovely soft fluffy fabric making them cute and cuddly. The perfect gift for your message. So whether you want to give a new born a teddy or a romantic teddy,then give a personalised bear, that they will treasure.
The Large Bear is approximately 23cm tall in sitting position.
The Bag : Natural Cotton Drawstring Stuff Bag
These personalised cotton bags are especially printed to match the bear.
The Bag:
- 100% Cotton - 140gsm (4.1oz/yd²)
- Rope draw cord closure
- Self fabric draw cord or handle.
- Unbleached and un-dyed.
UK Shipping:
Free UK shipping option is offered at check out with fast shipping options with signed for and next working day for quicker shipping options. We try our hardest to produce and ship your product as fast as we can. In fact, we will usually make your product in following 24 hours, from receiving your order.
Your order will usually dispatch within 2 to 3 working days, using the Royal Mail 24 service for a quick and efficient service.
As you would expect there are busy times such as at Christmas, dispatch times may take slightly longer.
If you need something urgently then you can always add a note to your order or use the next working day delivery option,
We will email you just to let you know your order has been dispatched.
If your order has not reached you within 5 business days, the best first step is to contact your local post office in case they are holding the package for you.
When an order is shipped using a track able service, tracking information for deliveries will generally be added to your order history Email.
If you are buying a gift to be delivered elsewhere, the 'billing' address must be your own, however, you can choose a different 'delivery' address. We do not include any invoices or payment information in the packages sent out, this is all emailed to you at the address provided on the order.
International Shipping:
We offer International delivery services world wide. Orders are shipped Royal Mail Airmail and areusually delivered within 7-14 days.
Shipping rates for all destinations can be found by clicking the Estimate Shipping at check out , where you enter your delivery destination to get a shipping estimate.
Whatever message you want or if you are adding a photo to your gift, it's always free and simple!
We have laid the options out on the product page, just click through to choose size, colour ext. If there is a text box, this is usually for personalisation, the other instructions you can let us know any changes in colour or additional text.
Just type the text you want to appear on the product in place of the example. But please do check your order form for the correct spelling and capital letters, as this will be copied directly on to your product.
If you do notice a mistake in your order details, please message us as soon as you can, we may be able to make the correction before it is printed.
The other instructions box is there for you to give us clear instructions if you want to change anything, or if you run out of space in the personalsation box. Remember the clearer your instructions are the easier we will make you product look as you intended.
If we have any queries we will always contact you for clarification or if you are worried just give us a call or contact us here, so don't worry just go ahead....personalise away.


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An arrest has been made in the 2006 murder case of Mattie Williams of Collinston.
Late Tuesday afternoon, Morehouse Parish Sheriff Mike Tubbs announced that thanks to new evidence uncovered in the case, Renwick Johnson, 6475 Harper Lane, Collinston, was picked up Monday evening and charged with home invasion and obstruction of justice.
"We have been re-interviewing witnesses and following up on information learned in the past several days," Tubbs said. "Johnson was a suspect in this case originally and new developments led to this arrest."
Williams was reported missing on August 28, 2006, when a family member could not get in touch with her and called the MPSO. A deputy was dispatched to her home in Collinston and noticed what appeared to be blood on the outside of the residence. When he could not get Williams to answer the door, investigators where called and a search of the home showed where there had been a struggle but Williams was not located.
Sheriff's deputies as well as Collinston residents began a search for Williams, whose body was located the next day in a wooded area approximately four miles from her home.
In June, 2009, in an effort to gain new information, deputies handed out flyers and spoke to Collinston residents about the case. Some leads where discovered but, nothing panned out, according to Tubbs.
The investigation is continuing.
Johnson is in the Morehouse Parish jail and will go before a judge this morning for a bond hearing.


text: Get your ice skates. For the second year, skaters can glide next to Wrigley Field at The Rink at Wrigley. It will open Dec. 1 and continue until Feb. 28. You can skate Monday through Thursday from 3-10 p.m.; on Fridays from 3-11 p.m.; on Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 11 p.m.; and on Sundays from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. A grand opening is planned for Dec. 4 at 10 a.m. and will include an open skate. Admission Monday through Thursday is $5 per adult, $3 per child, and proceeds will help offset the cost of the rink. From Friday through Sunday, admission will be $10 per adult and $6 per child. Skate rentals will be available for an additional fee. The Rink at Wrigley is sponsored by the Ricketts family, the Cubs, 44th Ward Ald. Tom Tunney, the City of Chicago, the Chicago Park District, local businesses and community groups.


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Lt. Col. Juel Frederic Enger of Las Vegas, Nevada, passed away on February 25, 2013.
Born February 11, 1934, in Brooklyn, New York, he was the son of William Juel Enger and Esther Isacksen Enger. After graduating from Lafayette High School in Brooklyn in 1952 he attended General Motors Institute for two years. In August of 1954, he was accepted into the United States Air Force as an Aviation Cadet at Reese Air Force Base, Class 56-H, becoming a 2nd Lt. and flying B-52 Bombers. Later assigned to K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base, in Marquette, Michigan, he was then promoted to Major and became a B-52 flight instructor. In December of 1966, he transferred to Willow Grove Air National Guard as a reserve pilot, allowing him to also begin his career as a pilot for United Airlines. He retired in Las Vegas, February 1994 as a United Airlines Captain B-767 and as a Lieutenant Colonel, USAF.
Traveling with his wife, Vivi, he enjoyed his retirement traveling across the country in their motor home and flying to Norway to visit family and friends. He also loved to play golf and drive his fancy cars.
He is survived by three daughters: Robin Bestel of Bethlehem, Radune Mautz of Mountain Top and Randi Mautz of Bethlehem, and eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He is predeceased by his parents, his wife Vivi Nordli Enger of Ski, Norway, his son Richard William Enger of Honesdale and his brother Juel Bredo Enger of Mount Pocono.
Funeral services are to be held at 12 noon on Saturday March 16, 2013 at Hawley United Methodist Church, 315 Church St., Hawley, PA. Visitation will begin at the church at 11 a.m. The burial will be at Lakeville Cemetery in Lakeville.
His daughters would like to extend their appreciation to all of his very close friends in Las Vegas and to the doctors, nurses and support staff of Spring Valley Hospital for all their love, support and the quality of care given to their father.
The family wishes to recognize the life-saving treatment given to their father in 2005, by Dr. Michael Keating at the Chronic Lymphonocytic Leukemia Global Research Foundation, affiliated with MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX. In lieu of flowers, contributions to their CLL research efforts would be greatly appreciated. Please make donations to http://www.cllglobal.org/donate.htm.
For further information, directions or to leave a Memorial Remembrance (Candle) visit www.TeetersFuneralChapel.com.
Arrangements by Teeters� Funeral Chapel, 505 Church St., Hawley, PA 18428.


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VALDAI, Russia — Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that he could run for a fourth presidential term in 2018. If he does and wins, that would keep him in power for about a quarter century and make him the nation's longest-serving leader since Josef Stalin.
Putin, who served two consecutive four-year terms starting in 2000, became prime minister in 2008 to observe a constitutional limit of two consecutive terms. He remained in charge as prime minister, with his loyal associate, Dmitry Medvedev, serving as a placeholder.
Medvedev initiated a law that extended the presidential term to six years, and Putin won a third term in 2012 despite major public protests in Moscow against his rule.
Putin addressed his future plans when challenged by former French Prime Minister Francois Fillon during an international conference. Fillon said he would not reveal whether he planned to run for president unless Putin answered the same question.
"And if I answer, will you?" Putin responded.
"We'll see," Fillon said.
"I don't exclude that," Putin said. To which Fillon added: "Me either."
During the conference, an annual event attended by Russia experts from around the world, Putin also took direct questions from Russian opposition figures about the protests and the rise of political activism they ushered in.
He held out the possibility of amnesty for more than two dozen people arrested after clashes broke out with police during a protest on the eve of his inauguration. They face charges of mass unrest that could send them to prison for years. Putin said he "would not exclude" an amnesty, but said he would only act after the courts had ruled.


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I would highly recommend a GetOiling website as its up to date on all of Young Living's news! The site itself is very easy to use even for beginners! You will love sharing this site as the pages are beautifully put together and very eye catching!
GetOiling replaces 2 of my paid subscriptions and gives me an amazingly beautiful website. My Dashboard makes it easy to follow up with people. All my business needs in one place - Zoom, follow ups, emails, member profiles, events, website, blog, and more. I love GetOiling!
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