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The lake District National Park has listed the following routes as suitable for wheelchair users. Most are very limited in terms of distance and often follow minor roads, offering some great viewpoints.
As with many areas of the Lake District, parking can be limited.
Hammerbank, Windermere
Grid Ref 405991
East shore of lake Windermere, just north of Bowness. Provides great views across the lakeshore. A recently installed information panel gives details of the view.
Beech Hill, Windermere
Grid Ref 388920
Situated on the East shore of lake windermere, south of Bowness. The location gives unrivaled views across the lake to the rugged Lake District Fells beyond. Parking is available next to the Beech Hill hotel.
Borrans Park, Waterhead
Grid Ref 375034.
Leave your car in the National Park car park opposite Waterhead Pier, follow the road north of the Pier to a gate giving access to the park. In the field next to Borrans Park are the remains of a Roman settlement, Galava.
There are also great views across Lake Windermere.
Brown Howe, Coniston
Grid Ref 292910
This is a sloping grassy lakeshore area which once formed part of the Duke of Buccleuch's summer Estate. Situated to the south of Coniston village the area provides excellent views up Coniston water.
Jenkins' Field, Glenridding
Grid Ref 387168
Use the National Park car park and take the road down to the steamer pier.
Jenkins Field is adjacent to the pier and is the perfect place to picnic, many use this area for bird watching. A memorial plaque adjacent to the Pier House denotes the original slipway used by Donald Campbell. One of the last Wild Red Deer herds can be seen grazing on the slopes of Place Fell on the opposite shore in the autumn.
Go to the Lake District National Park Website for more information


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Investing in property? Get the details right
The residential property market has been weak over the past couple of years but it continues to be a core investment, alongside shares, cash and fixed income securities. The lesson from the fall in prices since 2010 is that investors have to make sure they pay attention to all the details when they invest in real estate: get the right finance; be clear about all the costs they will have to pay and stay on top of tax issues.
Getting the right finance
Property investors need to be able to control their costs to make sure they are getting an adequate return. One cost that will be subject to considerable variation during the life of an investment property is the interest rate on a variable rate mortgage.
Taking out a loan with a fixed or part-fixed rate make a lot of sense for property investors, says Sheyne Walsh, an adviser in the lending service division of Centric Wealth.
"For people who want to manage their expenses our view is that fixed rates are a cheap form of insurance," says Walsh.
"If it a choice between fixed or variable, borrowers usually prefer not to give up the flexibility of accelerated repayments, lump sum payments, offsets and redraws that comes with a variable rate loan. Where we recommend fixed rates we always suggest some variable as well."
The other question investors have to consider is their level of gearing. If their annual interest cost on their borrowing exceeds their rental income they are negatively geared. The advantage of negative gearing is that an investor can claim a tax deduction on their interest cost (net of rental income). The disadvantage is that they will not have any rental income available to live on.
If rental income exceeds interest cost the borrower is positively geared. The decision to be positively or negatively geared depends, to a large extent, on whether the investor wants to tax deductions or needs the income from the investment property to live on.
Understand the costs involved
Investment consultant Monique Wakelin, a director of Wakelin Property Advisory, says management and maintenance costs can consume as much as 25 per cent of annual rental income from an investment property. Costs include agents' or managers' fees, insurance, rates, body corporate fees and land tax. The managers' fee alone can be between two and five per cent of the rent.
On top of the purchase price investors have to allow for stamp duty, legal fees, conveyancing, pest and building reports. On a $400,000 investment property, stamp duty in New South Wales would be more than $13,000 and in Victoria more than $19,000.
Tax considerations
Investors must include rental income from an investment property in their annual tax return (there is no GST on residential property rent).
Investors can claim tax deductions for many of the expenses involved in maintaining an investment property. This can get complicated because the Australian Taxation Office makes a distinction between repairs, which are deductible in the year the cost is incurred, and improvement, which affects the capital gains tax you pay when you sell the property.
Capital gains tax is payable when you sell an investment property.
The state of the market
Property market cycles are much longer than other market cycles. Share markets tend to rise and fall every three years but the last time there was a big residential property market slump in Australia, in 1990, the market took five years to recover.
Property prices have been falling for two years. From their peak in 2010 to their low in March this year, the Australian Bureau of Statistics puts the drop at 6.1 per cent, RP Data Rismark at 5.6 per cent and Residex at 3.2 per cent.
According to the latest RP Data report, published earlier this month, the capital city aggregate dwelling prices was down 2.4 per cent over the 12 months to the end of August.
ANZ Research published a report on the Australian property market in July, which says the market is showing "tentative" signs of stabilisation, following a period of considerable softness.
ANZ says: "The recent softness in prices has been mainly driven by weak household sentiment rather than economic fundamentals."
"In the absence of a sharp global economic downturn and escalating domestic unemployment, improving housing affordability, solid household financial positions and strong housing market fundamentals should support modest house price growth into 2013. We expect prices to increase at a moderate four to five per cent by the end of 2014."

subset: commoncrawl


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Welcome to the new Sound Affects Premier Website. This new site is home to our great range of premier guitars, amplifiers and pedals both new and pre-owned.
If you've just arrived here from our old website "The Rickenbacker Shop" rest assured you will still find a great range of Rickenbacker Guitars & Basses here as well as spares, accessories and clothing.
And of course you will still get the great service that you have come to expect from us.
Here are some quick links:


text:
WTF: Some ATLAH Preacher Is Willing To Die Just To Expose Barack Obama! "A Closet Homosexual, & Product Of A White Trashy Mother"
A ATLAH Preacher named "James David Manning" is willing to die to stop Barack Obama. Callin him a devil
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
Comments will only be displayed by verified emails. No Spamming or Racism.


text:
BioButanol Conquers Colorado Continental Divide!
have been making some small amounts of BioButanol for about
2 ½ years.
year's serendipitous discovery, of the "James River Mystery
Foam" diatom, has greatly accelerated the steady progress
towards a totally solar algal biomass BioButanol Biogasoline.
development and solar processing methodology, has begun to
advance more rapidly now.
am delighted to report a breakthrough demonstration of algal
BioButanol Biogasoline's potential to replace petroleum gasoline.
work was slow, and somewhat tedious, as only small quantities
of biogasoline were made from scarce algae biomass (the "Holy
Grail" of mass produced Alt/Fuels without detrimentally impacting
farmland use patterns or competing with human food-stocks
for biofuel feed-stocks).
I have now started ramping up production slowly as the more
abundant diatom algal feedstock availability permits.
have made only about 25 gallons of biobutanol so far, of which
about 15 gallons were from the diatom's starch and sugars.
of that has already been consumed in generator and small test
engine, power tests, and in the AlgaeMobile stock-car engine
is assaying as primarily N-BioButanol and Iso-BioButanol with
some Sec-BioButanol co-produced.
worst of the odors come in the early wet algae concentration
step and the solar sterilization oven, algal biomass pre-treatment
is a little like seaweed, decaying on the beach, in the sunlight.
Some butyric acid is produced, as the anaerobic reaction occurs,
but the smell it is really not bad, since the fermentation
consumes the butyric acid rapidly, at the same rate it is
produced, (provided that, I successfully keep removing, the
BioButanol [poop], as fast as it is produced) so that there
is not that much butyric around at any instant
anaerobic fermentation vessel is also sealed to keep oxygen
out, which also suppresses odors quite well.
BioButanol itself, just smells a little like a slightly minty
paint thinner.
am currently trying to produce 50-60 gallons, of mixed isomer
BioButanols (but no Tert-Butanol) made entirely with solar
energy, from algae or diatoms, to use in some record-breaking
transcontinental trips, to effectively silence, the endless
parade of ill-informed, or misleading (petroleum industry
shills?) critics who repeatedly assert and falsely claim.
that "all biogasolines have a negative energy in v. energy
out problem."
have just returned from a trip to NM where I did some serious
high altitude astronomy on the continental divide in NM.
I took along a couple of gallons of Solalgal Fuel (Algal BioButanol
made using only solar energy.)
27 June 2007 I put the algal BioButanol to a very severe driving
drove the AlgaeMobile eastward through, Colorado I-70 on petroleum
gasoline, until I had intentionally let the tank run out of
gas (which occurred about ¼ mile west of Eagle, CO).
I added 1 US quart of (solar energy only) algal sourced biomass
BioButanol Biogasoline, (just to purge any residual petrol
gasoline out of the tank, and engine) and drove, until the
tank was again empty, (at just about 0.2 miles east of Wolcott,
CO). Then, I added another 1 US quart of (solar energy only)
algal sourced BioButanol Biogasoline, (to purge any tiny amount
of remaining residual petrol gasoline out of the tank and
engine) and drove until the tank was again empty (about 1
mi west of Dowd's Junction, CO).
I added a measured US gallon of the precious "SolAlgal" BioButanol
and drove 49.6 miles, (including up a long 7% steep grade,
way up to, and through the Eisenhower Tunnel, under the US
Continental Divide at the Loveland Pass, CO, at over two miles
altitude!) until finally running out of the "SolAlgal" BioButanol
Biogasoline, at Silverdale Colorado, on the long downward
slopes of the descending Interstate 70, well down the eastern
side of the Continental Divide.
was a preliminary trial; a power/altitude test, just to test
the power, and performance, of BioButanol Biogasoline under
extremely sever conditions, as well as to test the ability
of the AlgaeMobile's (stock car) computer, to get the stoichiometry
right, for the fuel-air mixture, even at extremely high altitudes.
no simple feat.
Eisenhower Tunnel is one of the longest tunnels in the world
It is 8,941 feet (1.69mi) long, with a height of 48 feet,
and a width of 40 feet.
Eisenhower Tunnel, at Loveland Pass in CO, is the highest
part of any Interstate Highway, in the US.
It's probably, is also the highest, vehicular tunnel in
the world!
official elevations are 11,013 at the east portal, 11,112
at the midway point, and 11,158 at the west portal, which
is likely the HIGHEST altitude tunnel on planet Earth!
ascent approaches, from both West (7% grade) and East (6%
grade) are very steep.
lock, and overheating (partially due to the reduced radiator
heat transfer, into the rarified air at altitude which can
not cool the radiator very well that high up!), are common
events, in cars and trucks, on the approaches. In the week
before July 4, one year, 42 vehicles stalled and two caught
fire in the tunnel!
this was the perfect place, to test SolAlgal BioButanol biomass
Biogasoline, under the most severe conditions imaginable,
with regards to high altitude performance, under very severe
Interstate driving conditions.
results were very encouraging!
only was the mileage, a couple of MPG BETTER than petroleum
gasoline, but the high altitude power performance, on the
steep 7% grade leading up to the mountain pass was outstanding.
when using petroleum gasoline on a long 7% grade I will need
to downshift the 5 speed manual transmission from 4th
to 3rd gear, since the engine cant quite keep the
RPM's up without "lugging" the engine.
on a long, steep 5 mile, 7% grade, I would generally spend
about 30% of the time in 4th gear and 70% in 3rd
gear with petrol gasoline.
the BioButanol Biogasoline I was able to maintain the engine
RPM's in 4th gear, without "lugging" much longer,
and spent about 50% of the ascent in 4th gear and
50% in 3rd gear!
testing, has given me the needed confidence, that the AlgaeMobile,
will make the BioButanol fueled trip from New York City, to
San Diego California, without choking in the mountain passes.
the main remaining hurdle, is to finish making the remaining
50-55 gallons of "SolAlgal" Biomass BioButanol Biogasoline
fuel, that I will need to complete the transcontinental BioButanol
demonstration drive.
Dr. David Remey's 1995 Butanol fueled, transcontinental drive,
which merely used purchased petroleum industry sourced, (non
bio) fossil-fuel Butanol, refined using fossil fuel power
sources, my planned demonstration drive (if successful) will
use only home-made, home-refined, solar energy sourced only,
algal biomass bioButanol fuel.
think, that this is a very important distinction.
Remey simply purchased his fossil sourced Butanol, from Ashland
Oil Company.
want absolutely no oil company involvement at all
not even
as a sponsor!
will use a non-petroleum, fully synthetic oil, rather than
petroleum oil, as the engine lubricant as well!
want all the energy for the SolAlagal BioButanol demonstration
drive, to come from solar photosynthesis, solar photovoltaic,
or solar thermal energy sources used to create, and refine,
and distill, and process, every drop of fuel that I will use
to make the transcontinental demonstration drive.
Best Regards,
Vail, CO Pass Segment Of The Test Was Run On 100% SolAlgal
BioButanaol Biogasoline!
I was still carrying about 400LBS of solar thermal tubes,
that were bound for Denver, CO in the back of the AlgaeMobile,
(when I left Richmond, VA there were twice that many on-board)
so it could have easily done 50 MPG + had I not been carrying
a lot of extra weight onboard.
I could have simply coasted downhill, gaining, perhaps another
10 or 15 MPG, (which would have been completely fair, since
the uphill leg was on BioButanol power!) but the steep downhill
grade, made me stop when the 1 gallon of SolAlgal BioButanol
fuel ran out.
the engine power, the vacuum brake assist would not work properly
on the steep decline grades, east of the Continental divide.
I, therefore, decided, not to try to coast any farther, with
no engine power, for safety reasons, and to keep from overheating
the brakes!
"AlgaeMobile is an unmodified, "stock car"
1.0 Liter 3 cylinder throttle-body fuel-injected 1992 Geo
Metro, with a 5 speed manual transmission and a curb weight
of 1,368 LBS.
Pie Town NM (10,000 FT) I am installing a couple of community
food cooking versions, of the same basic Stationary Solar
Energy Concentrating Solar Oven that is used in BioButaanol
refinery for the sterilization (pasteurization) of the wet
algal biomass concentrate.
sterilization (pasteurization) kills all the living cells
including the algal cells and any other bacteria or zooplankton
so that might be hitchhiking a ride into the refinery anaerobic
fermentation Bioreactor. That prevents growing any undesired
invader species so that the only organism that can grow is
the desired inoculate from the BioCulture Bacteria Inoculate
Nursery Tank
Town will serve as the high altitude solar UV exposure materials
lab, as well as the AstroLab.
Stationary Solar Energy Concentrating Solar Ovens located
there, will be used for community events to bake 12 pies at
a time from sunshine. There will be another for cooking barbeques
and the like.
Town, NM is world famous for its, (perfect high desert plateau
climate) sun dried apple pies.
solar ovens will be used at the annual Pie festival as well
as for the Pie In The Sky star Festival and some alternative
energy workshops planed there.
just threw a couple of gallons of BioButanol on board in Richmond,
VA before leaving for the US southwest.
I had planed to just test burn some of the BioButanol on the
return trip the last hundred miles or so, in the VA/ West
VA mountains as I returned to Richmond.
did take some photos, (some not yet developed) and had been
pre-acclimated to the high altitude, for a week already, at
the Pie Town, NM AstroLab (also on the US continental divide)
where I spent a full week at altitude, installing, and upgrading
solar PV systems, to run several new telescopes and a future
24 inch Robotic Schmidt Camera system.
at the last minute someone in UT suddenly Internet purchased
some extra solar equipment which I had onboard, and, so, I
delivered that to Kanab, UT.
last minute change in routing took me through the I-70 corridor
through (the absolutely magnificent Colorado River) Glenwood
Canyon, and then, right into the most rugged part, of the
high Colorado Rockies.
because I happened to already have the SolAlgal BioButanol
on-board, and, because my body was already fully conditioned,
and fully acclimated to high altitude, and because the chance
was simply just to good to pass up; at the last minute, I
decided, "what the heck, I may have to walk home, but I was
hell bent on taking on the 11,000 Ft Loveland, Co Rocky Mountain
High Pass on BioButanol!"
I took a bold/foolish gamble, and planned to let the gas tank
run out, and then planned to burn 1 measured gallon of the
BioButanol over the most challenging, grueling, and rigorously
steep stretch of high altitude US Interstate Highway.
I ran out of BioButanol in Silverdale, CO., I just used a
5 gallon can of petroleum gasoline to refill the tank to get
to Denver, CO.
would have stopped at the NREL (National Renewable Energy
Labs) in Golden CO on the way into Denver, but I had not planned
for that or made any appointments there, and, I was trying
to outrun some fast approaching storms, that had already flash-flooded
parts of Texas and Oklahoma
AlgaeMobile performed flawlessly the whole trip even after
the Rocky BioButanol Mountain Road Test Adventure.
only mechanical problem encountered on the entire trip, was
the mechanical failure of the driver's side windshield wiper
regulator arm retaining clip, during the Texas Oklahoma, and
Kansas flash-flooding events that had me "high water dancing"
all the way back to the Mississippi River.
as it turned out, I did not have to walk back to Richmond,
but I did have to do the high water shuffle with high water
spilling over roads
made it back just in the nick of time
ahead of the biggest high plains flash-flooding since 1928!
brings really new meaning to the term "high plains drifter!"
July 2007
-70 In Glenwood Canyon, CO hugs the Colorado River East of
the Grand Canyon
Transportation Use River Basin
Opportunities Really Are Quite Abundant, Along the Colorado
River, and US Interstate Highway I-70, in Glenwood Canyon,
Powered Bio-Diesel Refinery
Solar Algae growth CO2 Aqualung
Thermal Energy Capture Tubes
(for hot water/heating)
Gently used by Uncle Sam!
These are evacuated thermal solar collector
tubes....the most efficient solar collectors available. They
are 46 inches long, by 2 inches in diameter. Water flows in
the central tube and collector space, surrounded by two outer
tubes with a vacuum between them. The water gets so hot that
it will boil, so water must be kept moving by a circulation
Maximum temperature is about 250 degrees F….. Hot enough
to heat your home with a hydronic radiator system, or heat
your domestic hot water.
tube captures approximately 80-150 watts or 300-450 BTU/HR.
Works even in the coldest climates!
mount on 4-inch centers and are 2 inches OD.
They are often combined with multiple tubes in an array, however,
just the solar capture tubes are being offered. Combined with
manifolds, this is an inexpensive way to capture a lot of
solar energy to make domestic hot water or heat for the home.
Each evacuated tube consists of two glass tubes made from
extremely strong borosilicate glass. The outer tube is transparent
allowing light rays to pass through with minimal reflection.
The inner tube is coated with a special selective coating,
which features excellent solar radiation absorption when compared
to conventional flat plate collector systems. The top of the
two tubes are fused together and the air contained in the
space between the two layers of glass is pumped out while
exposing the tube to high temperatures. This "evacuation"
of the gasses forms a vacuum, which is an important factor
in the performance of the evacuated tubes.
A heat pipe is inserted into the length of the tube. The heat
pipes contain a special fluid that allows solar radiation
to be absorbed and transferred to the stored hot water very
efficiently. Solar heat energy gets trapped inside, and cannot
escape except via the fluid…. air if you prefer. The
solar heating fluid is separate from the water to be heated
and is connected to the solar cylinder via a heat exchanger.
The maximum temperature reaches 250F-300 F+ in bright sunlight
and each tube can boil more than a pound of water per hour,
but you would not want to let steam actually form, so about
180 F maximum water delivery temperature (determined by flow
The tubes must be angled at a specific degree above horizontal
so that the process of vaporizing and condensing functions.
There are two types of collector connection to the solar circulation
system. Either the heat exchanger extends directly into the
manifold ("wet connection") or it is connected to
the manifold by a heat-conducting material ("dry connection").
A "dry connection" allows to exchange individual
tubes without emptying the entire system of its fluid.
Evacuated tubes offer the advantage that they work efficiently
with high absorber temperatures and with low radiation. Higher
temperatures also may be obtained for applications such as
hot water heating, steam production, and air conditioning.
Evacuated tubes can still work efficiently even on cloudy
days, because it is able to absorb the energy from infrared
rays passed through clouds.
You could also use the heat to desorb ammonia from calcium
chloride salt to make your own "Crosley Icy Ball"
solar powered refrigerator for off-grid living!
These solar capture tubes were made by Owings-Illinois Glass
Company, for Sunpac.
are made of extremely strong borosilicate glass.
They cost Uncle Sam $250.00 per tube new.
These solar capture tubes were working well, when removed
from a large hot water system in order to add on to an existing
building. Each tube is re-tested before sale.
Manifolds are not included, but we will provide plans for
do-it yourself manifolds, using standard plumbing fittings
that can be found at any good home improvement store, or we
can provide tube-ready manifolds at a very reasonable
Now available at
the Fossil Freedom Store
Click to join fossilfreedom
Home | Motives | Incentives | Methods | Communities | Cool Links | Products | Contact


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European Commission has established a group of requirements called the EU Directives (European Union Directives) which require goods in certain categories, including recreational boats, that are to be sold or imported into Europe, to confirm to a single set of harmonised standards. Builders manufacturing boats that meet these standards, and are certified as such, affix the CE (Conformite Europeene) insignia (above) to their products.
This CE mark indicates that a product complies with ALL the European Product Directives that apply to it. Products must comply with all the Directives that apply to it when being placed on the market or being put into service for the first time in the European Economic Area.
New Nordhavns
NORDHAVNS have been certified by the International Marine Certification Institute in Belgium and all new Nordhavns specifically purchased for importation into Europe are built as CE Certified, and can carry the CE mark.
Nordhavn Brokerage
Customers buying a US brokerage boat for import into Europe should contact the Hamble UK office for details of CE marking of these vessels.
Free movement within the EU
The EU Product Directives are intended to create a single legal structure within which products can be sold on the EU market without having to submit to a multitude of national assessment and approval regimes in member states.
A product that is proven to comply with the appropriate Directives in one EU member state must be accepted in all member states. A product must display the well now-familiar CE marking (shown above) once this has been achieved.
As these Directives are intended to overcome trade barriers, a Directive has achieved its purpose once a product has been traded. Thus products falling within the scope of such a Directive must comply at the first point of being "put on the market" or being "put into service". Thereafter the Directive carries no bearing on the operation and maintenance of the product. Other types of European Health & Safety legislation or national regulations may, depending on the product, regulate these issues downstream of the point of sale.
CE Category
Wind Force (Beaufort Scale)
Significant Wave Height


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Android 4.4 — nicknamed KitKat — is the 10th major version of Android. For devices running vanilla Android (such as Google's Nexus line) it's the most significant change to the look and feel of the OS since 2011's Ice Cream Sandwich release.
Android 4.4 was announced in September 2013 with the unveiling of an oversized Android KitKat statue outside Google's Building 44 in Mountain View, and a promotional tie-in with candy maker Nestle. But it wasn't until October 31st that we learned exactly what was new in this Android version. KitKat brought a new, lighter color scheme to Android, with flatter icons and (on the Nexus 5 only, at least at first) a redesigned home screen launcher incorporating Google Now. There's a new dialer app for vanilla Android devices that draws on the Google Maps business directory. Apps can now make the notification bar atop the screen transparent, and the new Immersive mMode hides this bar, and any software keys, to let you view your content full-screen. Under-the-hood changes include improved wireless payment support through HCE (host card emulation), support for low-powered sensors such as pedometers and optimizations to help the OS run on devices with as little as 512MB of RAM.
The first device to ship with KitKat was the LG-made Nexus 5, launched alongside KitKat and available from the day of announcement. The Nexus 4, 2012 and 2013 Nexus 7s and the Nexus 10 were all updated in the following weeks, along with Google Play edition devices. In early 2014 some third-party devices, such as the Moto X and developer edition HTC One, had already been updated to KitKat — at the same time, new devices began to ship with KitKat throughout the first quarter of the year.
Throughout most of its development Android 4.4 was known internally at Google as "Key Lime Pie," however this unofficial nickname was dropped after the Nestle tie-in.
Note: Here Is Link To Download the File Game =


text:
0 Members and 1 Lonely Barbarian are spying on this topic.
Bring on Vault-tech!http://money.cnn.com/2011/03/22/real_estate/doomsday_bunkers/index.htm?hpt=C2
http://www.terravivos.com/secure/gearshop.htmI have a hard time believing this
Quote from: valadaar on March 23, 2011, 07:04:31 PMhttp://www.terravivos.com/secure/gearshop.htmI have a hard time believing this 180 BHP 11.7 liter air cooled V8. 180 horsepower? How much for an engine upgrade?
The World Question Center 2006http://www.edge.org/q2006/q06_index.html
The Kraken!http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111010075530.htm
Page created in 0.454 seconds with 25 queries.


text:
Find accommodations in Cahokia with the hotel list provided below. Find cheap and discounted hotel/motel rates in or nearby Cahokia, IL for your personal leisure or group travel. We show the best Cahokia, Illinois motel and hotel rooms. Browse the Cahokia area hotels to find the perfect lodging! Please use the provided map of the Cahokia hotels. Planning a group? Lock in Cahokia Group Hotel Discounts
The Cahokia center point is about 3 miles southeast of Marine Villa.
How should we direct your call?
Below are reviews of the city of Cahokia, IL from an actual visitor's perspective.
Great restaurant and stores to choose from and close to the interstate.


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After the disasters of the last several years, leaders of various agriculture groups have learned to be skittish in predicting any kind of immediate, positive acceleration in U.S. farmers' collective fortune. And at the opening press conference of the annual Farm Bureau meeting in Orlando, Fla., Bob Stallman - the president of the organization - didn't buck the trend.
The year 2000, he said, was another challenging year for America's farmers and ranchers.
"Segments of our industry experienced minor recovery, but for the most part producers found the going very tough. This year promises to be a busy time for agriculture - particularly for those in Washington, D.C., whose focus is on agricultural policy. We look forward to working with the new administration and believe many of the items on President Bush's agenda will, if Congress cooperates, benefit farmers and ranchers. In particular, his promise to cut taxes, reduce regulations and open new export markets for our farm goods."
Stallman said congressional leaders have pledged to get a jump start on the next farm bill. Numerous plans and ideas have been floated already and many more are to come.
"I firmly believe that there are some solid principles on which to base the rewrite: the need to boost exports, to retain market-based policies, and to create a mechanism that provides some counter-cyclical support. One other thing is clear: we have to increase the budget baseline for agriculture. Unfortunately, the $4 billion envisioned by Congress in 1996 for the post-Freedom to Farm era is woefully inadequate. The farm economy will be devastated if we don't get that changed."
Stallman also mentioned the 21st Century Commission on Production Agriculture, of which he is a member. The panel was "created by Congress to make recommendations on farm policy after Freedom to Farm made future farm bills unnecessary. I can tell you now, the committee has had to modify the belief from five years ago that there would be no more farm bills."
Stallman said the commission will present its report to Congress within the next several weeks. Farm Bureau and other agriculture groups will follow up with their own proposals.
"We intend to be a major player and will work for comprehensive farm policy that addresses more than just the traditional commodity-based provisions of farm bills. We hope to see a vigorous and thorough debate over the next several years. Farm policy can no longer be merely an afterthought. It's clear however, that whatever mechanisms are included in the next farm bill, farm families will need to be placed at the forefront. We need to find a way to keep as many families as possible in agriculture and present opportunities for young people who want to farm."
Today's producers were greatly influenced by the economic troubles of the 1980s, said Stallman. They learned lessons and have done everything possible to stay competitive.
"By and large, the problems some of them have had over the years were caused by events out of their control - disasters and the Asian financial collapse to name two. These people are tough, they are survivors. They are the kind of people our nation should want and need to succeed. We can't afford to lose them."
Journalists' questions (in bold face) followed Stallman's opening statements. Among them:
How much should the baseline number be increased from the current $4 billion?
"We've been looking at that and haven't come up with a solid number yet. It'll have to be a substantial increase."
What would be substantial? $5 billion more? $10 billion?
"This is off the cuff, but I think you're going to have to double (the current number). I think we need to get into the $9 billion area. Some of that, obviously, can come off provided commodity prices improve."
Do you think Congress should begin writing the farm bill immediately instead of waiting another year or two?
"I think they're going to have to begin this year. The debate is going to be comprehensive and will take a lot of time. There are people who have spoken about completing a new farm bill in 2001. My personal take on that is it will be very difficult to do due to the new president, the tightness of party division in Congress and substantive issues that need fleshing out. I think it will be 2002 before it gets done."
If the markets don't improve, will Congress again provide extra income for farmers as they have the last three years - especially if the proposed tax cuts go through?
"I think there's certainly an indication that another assistance payment will be needed this year given the current low prices and that we won't have a fast enough economic turnaround in 2001. I think there's a good possibility that payment will happen."
What kind of suggestions do you have for the new administration in regards to opening new markets when people have been trying to do that for the past 100 years?
"It depends on how aggressively they do it. I'm convinced the Bush administration is going to push this more than has been done (over the last eight years). How you do it is to just keep going head-to-head.
"Look at the EU - we passed carousel retaliation almost seven months ago and the administration didn't implement it. That's one thing that's gotten the EU's attention. We expect this administration to use such tools to move us down the road toward opening markets."
There were conflicting reports from Texas during the presidential campaign on how Gov. Bush's policies affected farmers and ranchers there. In retrospect, how do you see those policies?
"Well, some of the national reports I heard didn't jibe with my own experiences there (where Stallman resides and works). We went to him on various ag issues. From a state level you obviously don't have the kind of support you do at national levels.
"But whether it was property rights, water issues or regulatory issues, we took them to him. He applied a lot of common sense and good judgment. I'd have to characterize his dealings with agriculture in Texas as very positive."
How do you feel about Bush's ability to relieve some of the regulatory burden on farmers?
"When he met with ag leaders in Austin before Christmas, both Gov. Whitman and Anne Veneman were there. By doing that, the point being made was it's very important for EPA and USDA to have interaction on issues - particularly regulatory - that affect agriculture.
"President Bush made it clear that he wants sound science used in regulatory decisions. I think there will be every effort to implement that to the extent that court decisions and laws allow. We're confident there's going to be a better operating environment than we've had in the past."
How have your (21st Century Commission on Production Agriculture) discussions gone coming down to the report. Will there be a minority dissenting report?
"When we first started the commission I said that if we could reach a consensus given the diversity of the panel, Congress should really pay attention. The final draft report hasn't been finished. As I understand it, there will likely be a report signed by the majority of members and there will likely be one or more minority reports. I don't think that's necessarily negative."
What's your take with Secretary of Agriculture Anne Veneman?
"I'm very pleased with that appointment. She'll likely come into the position with more on-the-ground experience with USDA than probably any secretary of ag in the past. She is also strong in international trade."
There are a few days left with the Clinton administration. It has been a busy last few days with executive orders. How big of a concern is that to you and how big a challenge will it be to overturn some of those?
"This a great concern. The term 'busy beaver' doesn't sufficiently characterize it. The number of proposals and regulations they're putting out is tremendous. This is one thing we spoke with President-elect Bush about. He indicated he would review every one of them and see what can be done to correct some of the excesses of the current administration's final days."
On the ag production side, there's been some concerns that too much is being done by ag powers for big farms instead of the traditional family farms. How does Farm Bureau balance those concerns?
"I'm very careful about talking about 'small family farmers' because I know a lot of large family farmers. We do have a diversity of situations between large and small operations. Both are very important to agriculture and both are FB members. That's one reason one-size-fits-all legislation probably won't work. It's going to take a range of policy options to deal with that."


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Asian Snack Attack is our ongoing series where we weed out the good from the bad in the wild and wooly world of newfangled Asian snacks.
Asian Snack: Eishindo Mini Cup Jelly ("Kuiso Jelly")
Manufacturer: Distributed by Nishin Trading
Country of Origin: Product of Japan
Pre-Consumption Expectations: Sometime in the 90s, jelly cups (also known as "konjac candy") were huge. And then came the jelly cup choking scare: apparently, the little suckers were of a shape, size and consistency that they caused a number of unfortunate choking deaths. I didn't know this until doing research for this post, but they were even banned in the EU. Manufacturers subsequently changed the shape, size and so forth to reduce the hazard, but please do consume (and chew) at your own risk! In any case, we were already familiar with the candies, and spied them in the grocery store, surprised that they were still around.
Texture: softer, more silky than jello, with water. They're waterier than I remember ... that might have to do with the agar agar.
Taste: Frankly I can't quite tell which flavor I'm tasting. The yellow jelly is so yellow, I think I must be eating pineapple, but there's just a hint of that fruit's flavor. It's more ... just ... SWEET, 100% artificial flavor. If you haven't had one of these before, think Jell-O, except tougher tasting. We actually enjoy these better in frozen form (pictured above), which apparently is also a choking hazard. Frozen, they resemble mini popsicles that hold their shape.
Quotes from the Snack Panel: "Don't forget to chew them!"
Stars: 2 out of 5. These things just don't appeal to our adult sensibilities
Want us to review a particular snack? Or want to share photos of your own Asian snack discoveries? Drop us a note below


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Many of us sleep poorly these days. But to my surprise, it is not the tanked economy or my decimated retirement account keeping me up, nor my various worries about climate change, loose nukes or extractive agriculture. The reason for my difficult nights is far more tangible and close to home: our fitful-sleeper, toddler son Elijah.
Although I must admit that my wife Cyndi has done far more nocturnal soothing than I have, one recent night I rocked Eli until his sobs became snuffles, and his snuffles became snores. His little frame went slack and heavy against me, as I gazed out the darkened bedroom windows at the moonlight-bathed fields of our farm and the bright constellations in the black sky above. In that golden, peaceful moment of gratitude, I so loved this little sleeping miracle, my son, flesh of my flesh, and I felt the profound bond between us. Gently I put him back in his crib.
When Eli woke us up for the third time that night, however, my blessed sense of paternal connection began to wane. In a fog of exhaustion, I lay in bed and tried to calm him with soothing assurances and by sending him what little remained of my loving energy. But his crying gained momentum, and soon he was screaming in an angry tantrum, demanding to be picked up and held. At this, my parental good will disappeared, and in its place I felt the unwelcome surge of my own anger and resentment.
I believe that love is a universal, hard-wired instinct, one of the divine ground rules of the universe. In moments of deep connection with our children, the love I feel between us does seem to resonate with something far larger: a love that, as St. Paul described it, "binds everything together in perfect harmony." At other times, though, I am astonished at how quickly and easily my love for them turns to frustration and anger, which also (and unfortunately) feels just as instinctual. I can feel guilty and ashamed of these feelings or ascribe them to fallen human nature and the shortcomings of my own character. But none of this lessens their power as I respond to my crying son.
My anger tends to flare when my own wishes and expectations crash against reality and reality stubbornly refuses to yield. The vocation of good parenting entails countless numbers of these collisions, these small daily crucifixions, in which parents must die to their own agenda for the sake of their children's needs, with a self-emptying, agape form of love. In my experience, however, the ego rarely yields without a fight. Given this struggle, how can one respond selflessly to others and to recalcitrant reality in general, day after day and night after sleepless night, with equanimity and without resentment?
One cannot—or at least I cannot. As trivial and fleeting as I know they are in the big picture, our nighttime wrangles with Eli have nonetheless brought me up against the very real limits of my capacity to love, my all-too-finite supply of patience and kindness. That night, it became clear to me that I cannot love Eli on my own power alone.
Often it is only at the end of our rope that revelation becomes possible. In bringing us to the boundaries of our own love, parenting opens the door to a love that has no limits: a steadfast and everlasting love in whom we live and move and have our being. As I held my shrieking son once more, I realized that I was likewise held, with unfathomable gentleness, by the one who alone can soothe my own angry and screaming ego, loosen its hold on me and work through the cracked earthen vessel of my imperfect love. In this embrace, Eli and I somehow made it through that dark night.
Until I became a parent, whenever I read in the Gospel how Jesus welcomed the little children into his arms and claimed that no one would enter the kingdom of God except by becoming like a child, I always imagined the children gathered around him to be angelic, innocent and pure. Real children, though, are both sweetness and struggle, and real parenting—like prayer—is a school of conversion that requires daily practice and constantly lays bare the grappling of egos and the limits of human love. Perhaps to enter the kingdom of God is simply to recognize that on some level, each of us is like a child, sometimes sweet and sometimes screaming, but held at every moment in God's infinitely patient, perfect and abiding love.


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This fall, Hourglass released a line of Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick ($28 each , available at Sephora, Bergdorf, Space NK and Barney's). These provide highly pigmented, very vivid color and a matte finish. At Cafe Makeup, we love a new formulation. There have been some real game changers this year, making it an exciting year for beauty. When Hourglass offered to send us some to try, we were delighted to accept.
We were able to try Edition, a soft pink with nearly imperceptible shimmer. As with the rest of the line, Edition is packaged in a slip-in-your-clutch convenient size with a clear front so that you can see both the color and the amount that remains. The doe-foot application is a familiar winning feature–it's predictable, easy to use, and always makes application foolproof.
The delightful part of this formula is that a single swipe lays down enough color to match the color you see in the tube, no layering required. This allows you to get a gorgeous swipe of color without a thick layer of product ("thick layer" and "lips" isn't usually a good combination). We found that this performed well, and gave long-wearing performance.
This is a single layer, no lipliner or balm was used. I suspect that adding a moisturizing balm would soften some of the lines on Liz's lips (above). Straight from the tube, we found Hourglass Opaque Rouge delivered a flattering matte texture. It's an edgy, on-trend look that stays flattering.
We also tried Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick in Canvas ($28), a soft dusty rose without any shimmer.
We found that Canvas' texture was very similar to Edition, which is a good sign that suggests that the high quality formula is consistent across the line. Here is Canvas on Liz (we were working a little too quickly as the early winter light began to fade, as you can see Canvas isn't 100% dry on the bottom lip but is dry on the top lip):
Here are swatches of both Edition and Canvas:
Both Edition and Canvas are crowd-pleasing colors that can be worn anywhere. There are edgier colors in the line, including the tangerine Riviera (reviewed here at Olivia Frescura) and the deep dark Empress (reviewed here at GlitterGeek). Overall, we found that these delivered comfortable, on-trend color with a long-wearing formula and a pleasing range of colors.
Hourglass send these Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipsticks to Cafe Makeup without charge for consideration for review.


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Strong trade winds make for the perfect ramp as Gabriel Medina becomes the second surfer to complete a backflip. That and a some heavy ripping in the north swell dominated week that was on the North Shore of Oahu.
Above: Gabriel's backflip from a few days after the one in the gallery.


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Discussion Presented by: Dr. Meenam Shinn, CEO of Fuel Cell Power Inc.
Date: 25th June 2007, Monday, 7pm
Venue: Samsung Insurance Building (6th floor) in Yeoido
It Is Always Best To Come To Our Place By Subway To Avoid Traffic, Please Take Line #5 And Get Off At Yeoido Station. Exit Entrance #5 And Walk Straight To The First Intersection Where You Should Turn Right. You Can See The Brown Color Building With 삼성생명(Samsung Life) Signboard On Top of The Building At The Next Intersection.
If You Bring Your Car, Just Drive To The Korea Stock Exchange (KSE) Building. Behind KSE, You Can See Meritz Securities Building, Boo-kuk Securities Building(부국증권) and Samsung Insurance building. You Can Park Your Car Either At Samsung Life Building (Free) Or Behind KSE (Not Free). Or refer here


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Houston (Nov. 15, 2011) – The Houston Apartment Association (HAA) and the City of Houston Solid Waste Management Department (SWMD) today launched the Go Green Community initiative to increase recycling in apartment communities. The City of Houston also proclaimed Nov. 15 as Houston Recycles Day, which coincides with Texas Recycles Day and America Recycles Day.
With approximately 2,000 apartment communities in Houston city limits, HAA and SWMD hope to see 50 percent of those properties establish recycling programs by 2013. Many apartment communities already have adopted recycling programs and the Go Green Community initiative will recognize those efforts. Participating communities will be listed on the City of Houston and Houston Apartment Association web pages as Go Green Communities. They also will be eligible for a Go Green Community certificate to let their residents and others know of their efforts to create a cleaner, greener Houston.
"By its very nature, apartment living is a cleaner, greener option for Houstonians," said HAA President Kim Small. "Apartment residents generally live in smaller homes and use less energy and resources than single-family home dwellers. As an association, we want to take our green initiatives one step further and encourage on-site recycling to create even more environmentally friendly communities," she said.
"HAA and its members are commended for their leadership and stewardship on this key issue," said Harry Hayes, Solid Waste Management Director. "Every Houstonian should be able to recycle easily, thereby preserving valuable landfill airspace."
"Mayor Annise Parker knows Houstonians are interested in transforming their communities to a greener place to live and work, and expanding recycling is at the top of the list," said Laura Spanjian, Sustainability Director, City of Houston. "The new avenues and partnerships being developed to expand our environmental efforts are more tools to help the City of Houston reduce its carbon footprint as well as decrease waste. The partnership with HAA to create a Go Green Community is a significant milestone in reaching beyond our traditional scope to offer recycling services."
Communities interested in joining can visit HAA's website at www.haaonline.org/Recycling to obtain information regarding Best Management Practices (BMPs) that will assist in creating, implementing and maintaining their recycling programs and to register as Go Green Communities.
About the Solid Waste Management Department:
The Solid Waste Management Department (SWMD) provides solid waste services to the citizens of Houston through the collection, disposal and recycling of discarded material in a manner that is safe, efficient, environmentally sound and cost-effective.
About the Houston Apartment Association:
The Houston Apartment Association is a professional trade association that serves individuals and businesses involved in the ownership, construction, management, maintenance and operation of apartments and other rental dwellings in the Houston area. See www.haaonline.org for more information.
( 回首頁 Houston eWIND )


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Coors Apothecary Mortar & Pestle
Carefully selected for their beautiful forms and details, the vintage pieces in this Otherness Design Co. collection will urge you to daydream about the rooms they once inhabited and the people who once used them. This curious assortment includes eye-catching pieces such as Eames chairs old cameras and medical charts science laboratory equipment rotary phones and more. Deck out your own room with these old-timey treasures to craft your own powerful visual narrative."
Mash up your own mysterious concoctions and poultices using this Coors Ceramics heavy duty ceramic pestle and mortar. This practical piece was originally meant to be used in apothecaries or laboratories. This gently used vintage product is in good condition.Country of Origin: US
Material: Ceramic
Finish: Glazed
Customer Reviews
- Reviews


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Text::Wrap - line wrapping to form simple paragraphs
use Text::Wrap
print wrap($initial_tab, $subsequent_tab, @text);
use Text::Wrap qw(wrap $columns);
$columns = 132;
Text::Wrap::wrap() is a very simple paragraph formatter. It formats a single paragraph at a time by breaking lines at word boundries. Indentation is controlled for the first line ($initial_tab) and all subsquent lines ($subsequent_tab) independently. $Text::Wrap::columns should be set to the full width of your output device.
print wrap("\t","","This is a bit of text that forms
a normal book-style paragraph");
It's not clear what the correct behavior should be when Wrap() is presented with a word that is longer than a line. The previous behavior was to die. Now the word is split at line-length.
David Muir Sharnoff <email@example.com> with help from Tim Pierce and others.


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Whether you are currently serving or separated from the service, you may be eligible for certain education benefits.
Education benefits will vary depending on your branch of service, length and type of service, as well as, current military status. Some examples of military education benefits are the GI Bill®, Federal Tuition Assistance, State Tuition Assistance and MN GI Bill.
GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government website www.benefits.va.gov/gibill
Montgomery GI Bill – Chapter 30:
Service members who have served on active duty with any branch of the armed forces may be eligible to receive Chapter 30, if they have signed up for and paid into the program. Chapter 30 recipients have 10 years after their date of discharge to use 36 months of payment.
Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve – Chapter 1606:
Most Reserve and National Guard members are eligible for Chapter 1606 upon completion of initial training. Recipients of Chapter 1606 retain eligibility for the duration of their active drilling status up to 14 years. Benefit extension available for those with mobilized service.
Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP) - Chapter 1607:
Reserve and National Guard members who have served on qualifying active federal service for at least 90 days may have eligibility for Chapter 1607. This benefit is based on a percentage of the active duty GI bill rate. Benefit extension available for those who complete an 8 year service contract in the Reserve or National Guard.
GI Bill "Buy-Up":
Program allows maximum contribution of $600, in $20 increments, which pays up to an additional $150 per month for 36 months. Option may be available on Chapter 1607 and Chapter 30.
Post-9/11 GI Bill – Chapter 33:
Eligibility for Chapter 33 is based on qualifying periods of active duty performed after 9/10/01. Percentage of the benefit you are entitled to is determined by number of qualifying months of service. This benefit consists of three components: tuition and fees paid directly to the institution, a housing stipend and a book and supply stipend paid to the student. This benefit expires 15 years from the last day of active duty separation. With additional qualifying service requirements, Chapter 33 includes an option to transfer the benefit to dependents. Your decision to elect Chapter 33 is irrevocable. We strongly recommend contacting the MDVA Regional Coordinator prior to completing an application for Chapter 33.
Federal Tuition Assistance (FTA) is available to active duty service-members and drilling members of the National Guard and Reserve components. This program will pay up to $4,500 per fiscal year toward tuition expenses including some student fees. In some cases, this benefit can be used in conjunction with other veterans education benefits.
This program has a limited budget and is paid on a first come first serve basis, so it is important to apply early. This benefit is paid directly to the college. You are required to earn a "C" and maintain a 2.0 GPA or better in your classes. Failure to complete classes satisfactorily will require repayment of FTA funds by the soldier.
Army National Guard Enlisted Soldiers must apply for Federal Tuition Assistance (FTA) in order to be eligible to apply for State Tuition Reimbursement.
Application website for Army Active Duty, National Guard & Reserve: www.goarmyed.com
Deadline to apply: First day of class.
Return of Tuition Assistance (TA)
Military Tuition Assistance (TA) is awarded to a student under the assumption that the student will attend school for the entire period for which the assistance is awarded. When a student withdraws, the student may no longer be eligible for the full amount of TA funds originally awarded. To comply with the new Department of Defense policy, Anoka Technical College will return any unearned TA funds on a prorate basis through at least the 60% portion of the period for which the funds were provided. TA funds are earned proportionally during an enrollment period, with unearned funds returned based upon when a student stops attending.
Return of unearned Tuition Assistance
16-week Course Withdraw submitted
8-Week Course Withdraw submitted
5-Week Course Withdraw submitted
8-Week Online Classes
75% of TA received of TA received will be returned if the student withdraws after submitting the first assignment and through the end of the second week of classes.
50% of TA received will be returned if the student withdraws after the second week of classes, but before the end of the fourth week of classes.
25% of TA received will be returned if the student withdraws after the fourth week of classes, but before the end of the sixth week of classes. (60% of course is completed)
No TA received will be returned if the student withdraws after the sixth week of classes.
This benefit is only available to current members of the Minnesota Army and Air National Guard and may be used in conjunction with the GI Bill® and Federal Tuition Assistance. The lifetime maximum State Tuition Reimbursement benefit is 208 quarter or 144 Semester credits. The reimbursement rate is 100% of the undergraduate rate of the University of Minnesota -- Twin Cities with a maximum yearly benefit of $12,000.00 per fiscal year (01 JUL through 30 JUN).
To apply for State Tuition Reimbursement you MUST contact your unit full-time representative to obligate funds as soon as you know you will be going to school. Like FTA, STR requires a "C" or better to qualify for reimbursement. Army National Guard Enlisted Soldiers must apply for Federal Tuition Assistance (FTA) in order to be eligible to apply for State Tuition Reimbursement. You can pick up the STR paperwork in the Veterans Resource Center.
To apply, please contact your Unit Administrator.
The Minnesota GI Bill program was established in 2007 to provide postsecondary financial assistance to eligible Minnesota veterans who served on or after September 11, 2001. Full-time undergraduate or graduate students may be eligible to receive up to $1,000 per semester or term and part-time students may be eligible to receive up to $500 per semester or term.
Eligibility Requirements
You must be a Minnesota resident enrolled at Minnesota institutions who is a:
Veterans benefits and federal and state aid may impact the actual amount received. Students wishing to use the Minnesota GI Bill must first complete a FAFSA. Applications can be found at www.getreadyforcollege.org/military
MN State Statute 197.791
It is also recommended that all students complete a FAFSA for possible additional financial aid. Federal Tuition Assistance and State Tuition Reimbursement are branch specific benefits.
The MN GI Bill is based on financial need. FAFSA can be used in conjunction with your military education benefits.
Depending on your individual circumstances, you may be eligible for multiple chapters of the GI Bill®.
While you are the only person who can choose which program meets your needs, meeting with the Higher Education Veterans Program Regional Coordinator can help you to better understand your options.
Monday - Friday
8 am to 4 pm
(Summer hours vary)
Rm 333
Veterans Resource Center Rm 333
Veterans Certifying Official Angela Homan Rm 105
Veterans Benefits Assistance Charles Egerstrom Rm 333
Counseling Erica Stene Rm 190H
Disability Service Julie Packer Rm 190G
Regional Veterans Affairs Office
PO Box 66830
St. Louis, MO 63166-6930
College Operator
Veterans Steps to Become a Student
Veterans Services
Financial Aid


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WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — Sales of new homes surged nearly 19% in May to the highest annual level in six years, though the surprising gain was partly spurred by a big spike in the Northeast that's unlikely to last.
New U.S. homes sold at an annual rate of 504,000 last month to mark the sharpest increase since May 2008, the government said Tuesday. Economists polled by MarketWatch had expected the pace of sales to rise to a 440,000 rate from a revised 425,000 in April.
Tampa, Charlotte among gainers.
• U.S. homeownership at 18-year low
The quicker pace of sales in May compared to April reflected the biggest one-month increase in 22 years.
The surge was spearheaded by a 54.5% gain in the Northeast, the biggest advance in almost two years. Yet the region typically has the fewest sales in the U.S. and the seasonally adjusted numbers can be particularly volatile. Just a month before in April, for instance, sales in the Northeast were the lowest in nearly two years.
Still, demand for new housing also showed renewed strength in the West and South, the regions with the highest number of home sales. Sales shot up 34% in the West and 14.2% in the South. In the Midwest sales rose a scant 1.4%.
"The data are highly volatile and the surge in May is clearly exaggerated," said Jim O'Sullivan, chief economist of High Frequency Economics, but "the housing recovery appears to be getting back on track."
The uptick in sales occurred despite another rise in prices. The median price of a new home advanced 6.9% year-on-year to $282,000. Read more about prices of existing homes.
Buyers are always more eager to purchase in the spring months, but an unusually harsh winter may have prompted some people who might have bought a house earlier in the year to wait for warmer weather to arrive.
Falling mortgage rates may also be drawing more home shoppers back into the market. A 30-year fixed mortgage dropped to 4.19% at the end of May from 4.43% in January, according to giant lender Freddie Mac. Lower rates may have helped boost sales of previously owned homes in May to fastest rate since last fall.
The supply of new homes on the U.S. market, meanwhile, dropped to 4.5 months at the current sales pace from 5.3 months in April. The number of homes on sales nationwide was unchanged in May, though home builders have applied for more permits to expand the supply of properties for sale. Economists expect sales to pick up as the year wears on, though not at the same blistering pace as in May.
New home sales were 16.9% higher in May compared to one year ago. In April, however, they were 6% lower, showing just how erratic the report on new home sales can be.
More from MarketWatch
City-by-city look at home prices, including the surge in Boston
Bubble or not? A look at home prices compared to rent
Health-care inflation heating back up


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"There have existed, in every age and every country, two distinct orders of men -- the lovers of freedom and the devoted advocates of power." ~ Robert Y. Hayne
The Politics of the Christ
I suppose since this essay is largely inspired by Mel Gibson's new God flick, The Passion of the Christ, I should start with a quick review. I had a chance to see it this past weekend, and in short: I thought it was good.
Visually speaking, The Passion is gritty and surreal. Is it dripping with violence, as some allege? Yes. But it's also dripping with realism. The flogging. The scourging. The trembling of fists atop a whipping post. It's far from PG-13, it's true, but to say Gibson's vision is sadistic is wrong. What do you think crucifixion is, anyway? A piece of cake? A walk in the park? We're talking about cruel and unusual punishment here. This isn't lethal injection. They don't prick your skin with a needle; they drive nails through your hands.
So kudos, I say, to Gibson & Co., for spot-on cinematics and a smart hand in casting straight down the line. No amount of spilled crimson can detract from the fact that this depiction seems very, very real.
(I mean, if it turns out our on-screen Jesus, Jim Caviezel, didn't survive filming -- he was struck by lighting on the set, after all -- it wouldn't surprise me. They really seemed to be killing the poor guy. And, indeed, he played as convincing a Christ as you're likely to find -- save for the Savior himself. That's no easy task, either, when your few lines of dialogue are in a language unused for 2,000 years.)
Now, beyond bloodshed, though, the other main point of contention with The Passion is the light in which it shows Jews. Is it, in fact, an anti-Semitic hit piece, as the Anti-Defamation League prophesied months ago? Well, let me start by saying this: From a purely critical standpoint, I do think it lacks context at times. This is no accident; its aim is to show 12 hours alone. And it's not that the context isn't there -- it is -- but it's not stressed. And that's fine in its own right, but for those not in "the know," who perhaps come to this picture expecting -- even hoping for, or trying to prove -- anti-Semitism, the understated back story is their only hope for extracting such a theme.
What I mean is, without proper context, it'd be easy for someone to say the involvement of some Jews in the murder of Jesus condemns Judaism on the whole. Not because it's true, but because -- for some reason -- it's what they want to believe. But to say so ignores one of the bible's most crucial lessons: That we ought to put faith in God, not man.
Let me explain.
In the months leading up to The Passion's release, Gibson's father, Hutton, was quoted a few times as having what might be mildly described as unconventional thoughts on the Holocaust. As he sees it, Adolf Hitler didn't kill six million Jews. No. "They simply got up and left," he says, in favor of Brooklyn, the Bronx, Sydney, and L.A. And because Mel Gibson hasn't denounced his dad's ramblings, The Passion, some say, must be guilty -- by association -- of anti-Semitism, too.
Maybe the fact that a son won't bash his father for the sake of his own reputation is hard to accept in this oh-so-familial day and age. Be that as it may, though, and in spite of Hutton's influence being absent in the film, it's easy to see why some say his comments don't bode well for Mel. After all, history shows us some people do think "the Jews" committed deicide.
In Denver, for example, the Lovingway United Pentecostal Church has responded to The Passion buzz with a sign outside their building which reads, "Jews Killed The Lord Jesus." It goes on to reference a bible verse, 1 Thess. 2:14-15, before proclaiming the matter: "Settled!" And that's it, as they'd have it. The exclamation mark proves the debate is over and done.
But not so fast. A quick look at the passage reveals something else. It mentions Jews killing Jesus, all right, but the Jews in question "killed Jesus and the prophets and drove us out." This was written by Paul. Like most early Christians, Paul was a Jew. And his words condemn not Judaism but a group of Jews who responded to the Jesus phenomenon with an old-fashioned "we don't want to hear it" attitude.
The lesson here is very much one of unalienable, God-given rights -- read: free speech -- abridged. And if you follow it to its logical, modern day conclusion, you'll find political correctness similarly blocking out viewpoints other than its own, as in some critiques of this very film.
But who, then, killed Jesus if it wasn't the Jews? The typical counterpoint is to say the Romans killed him. While the Roman prefect, Pontius Pilate, washed his hands of Christ's murder, it's true he allowed it to go on. So does that mean he's complicit or what? Well, let's look at it in context.
The Passion depicts Pilate as caught in a no-win situation. He's hardly a good guy. In fact, Caesar has twice warned him for being too violent. But while he finds no reason to execute Jesus -- and, in the movie at least, seems irked by the idea -- he fears an angry rebellion, the squashing of which might get him fired by Caesar once and for all. So Pilate fails to stand on principle. He takes the politician's way out.
But, as Jesus tells him in the Scriptures, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin."
Surprise, surprise: The men who bring Jesus before Pilate are the very same men who stand to gain from his execution. They're Jews, sure enough, and priests to boot. But that's not the point. What's worth noting is the fact that they represent the establishment. Indeed, as John tells it, they say of Jesus, "If we let him go on [performing miracles], everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation." In other words, Jesus threatens their power. He claims to be "the king of the Jews," but speaks of a heavenly kingdom -- which, unlike their earthly kingdom, has little room for bureaucrats.
In an earlier era, according to the Old Testament book of Judges, "Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit." But it soon came to pass that they rejected God's order and demanded a monarch to rule them. A king would raise armies, collect taxes, and make slaves of men, they were warned. "[Y]ou will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the Lord will not answer you in that day." But still they wanted a king, and so God gave them what they asked for.
Things of this world crumble. They wither. They die. But as modern experience shows us, politicians, bureaucrats, and willing constituents aren't interested in the long term. Given one last chance by Pilate to protect the man who claimed to be their king, the chief priests said of Jesus, "We have no king but Caesar." "Take him away! Take him away!" These men weren't going to believe in Jesus, no matter the accuracy of his message, because they'd already chosen to worship manmade institutions and their own power ahead of God.
So is The Passion of the Christ an anti-Semitic screed? No. Can it be interpreted as such? Sure. But only if you're willing to draw those dots and connect them. The fact of the matter, though, is "the Jews" did not kill Jesus Christ. Special interests did. And "the Romans," likewise, did not enable his murder. This honor belonged to the political expedience that goes hand-in-hand with putting one's faith in a government.
And so, politically speaking, the mistake everyday Jews made was allowing this spiritually bankrupt sham to go on.
Some would say, as human beings, we're all guilty of killing Jesus. I'm not going to challenge this statement, for or against, because I've got limited space to work with, and because the spiritual implications of his death are best left to wiser men than me. I will say this, though: That the Jews were Jewish, and the Romans were Roman, seems mostly incidental. Their flaws weren't ethnic, but human. And in a country that elects politicians to raise armies, collect taxes, and make slaves of men, all of us here in this melting pot, America, are descended from those particularly bloodthirsty human beings.


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Promises make debt, and debt makes promises. ~Dutch Proverb
Had I known that Barack Obama would have broken so many promises made to his voters, I would have tried much harder to convince them that there was no logical way that a man who did so little during his previous political career, could do so much as President of the United States of America.
There is not one day that goes by without my thinking of September 11th, 2001. I lived in New York city at the time. I was directly effected by the tragedy. I have the panic disorder to prove it. I watched while my fellow New Yorkers shifted uncomfortably in their subway seats whenever the train would sit on the tracks a little too long. Signs of a collective trauma unknown to most Americans born after the 1960's until that fateful day when we saw Icarus and his 3,000 brothers and sisters fall from the sky.
Winning in Afghanistan is important to me and Barack Obama said it was important to him.
On Monday, our country suffered the loss of 14 soldiers in Afghanistan during a helicopter crash.
Why is President Obama taking so long to make his decision concerning a troop surge in Afghanistan when he promised that he would be tough on the "real culprits" behind 9/11, unlike his predecessor George W. Bush who focused his time and energy on the "wrong war"?
From this article in the Wall Street Journal
Obama Promises Troops 'a Clear Mission' in Afghanistan
October 26, 2009
By Jonathan Weisman
President Barack Obama placed the mission of preventing Afghanistan from becoming an al Qaeda haven into the center of his war policy, a rhetorical hint that he isn't siding with those in his administration that see the battleground against terrorism shifting permanently to Pakistan.
In a speech at the Naval Air Station Jacksonville, billed as a thanks to U.S. men and women in uniform, the president inserted a salute to the 14 Americans who died today in helicopter crashes in Afghanistan.
"They were willing to risk their lives, in this case, to prevent Afghanistan from once again becoming a safe haven for al Qaeda and its extremist allies," he said. "And today, they gave their lives to protect ours. Now it is our duty as a nation to keep their memory alive in our hearts and to carry on their work."
Some in the White House have suggested that after fleeing to Pakistan, al Qaeda leaders are not likely to return to Afghanistan. Early this month, National Security Adviser James Jones said of al Qaeda in Afghanistan, "the maximum estimate is less than 100 operating in the country, no bases, no ability to launch attacks on either us or our allies." With the Taliban divided over al Qaeda, some administration officials have argued the U.S. could co-opt Taliban leaders and create a political atmosphere that would keep terrorists out, even if the Taliban increased its role in the leadership of Afghanistan.
Obama also defended the length of time he is taking in deciding whether to increase troop levels in Afghanistan. His extended policy review has drawn criticism from Republicans, including former Vice President Richard Cheney, who last week accused him of "dithering."
"This is very important as we consider our next steps in Afghanistan: I will never rush the solemn decision of sending you into harm's way," Obama said to loud applause. "I won't risk your lives unless it is absolutely necessary. And if it is necessary, we will back you up. Because you deserve the strategy, the clear mission, and the defined goals as well as the equipment and support you need to get the job done."
We understand that strategy takes time President Obama…but time also takes lives.
Autographed Letter Signed,


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Shown is TITANIC ~ This is a beautiful 22 inch wide brim designer straw hat shown in black. The adornment is a huge silk bow and silk hat band. Perfect for Titanic event, tea party or anyplace you'd like to be noticed! There's wire on the edge of the brim, so you can shape it just the way you want it!
This hat is too wide brimmed for my hat boxes, it arrives in a sturdy shipper that can double as a hat box. I'm always on the lookout for XLarge hat boxes.
This hat size measures 22 5/8 inches and if needed I can include a hat size reducer so it can be made smaller for a perfect fit. Please see instructions below: How to measure your head.
Please note!
Due to the nature of the hat and the fact that all items are hand-made and in many cases one-of-a-kind, there are absolutely no refunds.
All of my hats are handmade by me and they may vary slightly from the photograph, therefore making this hat virtually a "one of a kind".
Here's instructions on how to measure your head:
Place the string or tape around your head about 1/8" above your ear, across the mid-forehead, completely circling your head. Hold the tape firmly, but not too tightly. You need to measure your head exactly where the hat will sit. If your measurement falls between sizes, choose the next largest size.
I suggest measuring 3 times to make certain that you have the correct size.
Payment via Paypal or use Etsy's Direct Checkout
Check payment is only acceptable if agreed upon by shop owner.
All items shipped FedEX unless agreed upon with seller. If another shipper is chosen, additional charges may apply.
Just contact me within: 3 days of delivery
Ship items back to me within: 7 days of delivery
But please contact me if you have any problems with your order.
Because of the nature of these items, unless they arrive damaged or defective, I can't accept returns for:
Due to the nature of the hat and the fact that all items are hand-made by me and in many cases one-of-a-kind, there are absolutely NO refunds. NO RETURNS on Special Orders.
I'm a cottage industry working out of my home and I have no room to store returned hats. Thank you for your understanding. I do my best to give you all necessary information in every listing.
PLEASE read all descriptions carefully and make informed purchases.
NO REFUND & NO RETURN on SPECIAL Orders!


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League member cities and some LMC Business Alliance members may post for sale/free, wanted, and request for proposal (RFP) ads in the Marketplace section of the LMC website at no charge. Ads are posted for two months or until any deadline posted in the ad. NOTE: Job listings are not listed in this section, but in the Careers section of the site. Learn more about posting job listings.
Non-members may post these ads online at a cost of $75 per week.
The League will invoice and bill all non-member ads.
Submit all ads by email to email@example.com. Ads are typically updated twice weekly, so please allow 2-4 business days between submission and when you need the article posted. Ads requiring significant edits or retyping may be delayed up to a week.
Please format your ad in complete sentences, with no bullet points or special formatting. To see how to format your ad, view current ads posted in the Marketplace. Ads should be about 100 words, and include the following:
—Name of item/RFP
—City name
—Brief description (150 word maximum)
—How to obtain a full copy of the RFP (if applicable)
—Deadline to submit bid or proposal (if applicable)
—Contact phone or email
—How long you would like the ad displayed (Default is two months.)


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Sydney Airport is Australia's busiest airport. In 2017 the airport was used by 43.3 million passengers.
Our airport is located about 8km south of Sydney's CBD and has convenient transport to the city by both road and rail. Efficient airports are vitally important to Australia's national prosperity, facilitating international trade and community. They are an essential part of the transport networks that all successful modern economies rely on. There are three passenger terminals at Sydney Airport.
T1 International
This is Australia's gateway terminal, handling 14.9 million passengers a year.
T2 Domestic
This terminal is used by domestic and regional airlines including Jetstar, Virgin Australia, Regional Express and Tigerair.
T3 Domestic
This terminal is operated by Qantas and used for Qantas domestic and Qantaslink regional flights.
We have seven cargo terminals controlled by five cargo terminal operators. Approximately 80 per cent of freight is carried in the holds of passenger aircraft with the remainder transported in dedicated freight aircraft. Sydney Airport handles in excess of 517,000 tonnes of air freight per year (of which over 408,000 tonnes was international air freight), more than half of Australia's total. Exports include fresh, chilled or frozen perishables such as meat, seafood and fruit as well as manufactured items. Imports are typically high value manufactured items such as computers and car parts.
We are one of the oldest continually operating airports in the world. In 1919, the Australian Aircraft and Engineering Company leased land from the Kensington Racing Club and established an aerodrome at Mascot.
A canvas hangar was built and the first aircraft was assembled. The first flight took place in November 1919 when Nigel Love took off and circled the aerodrome.
By the mid-1920s, regular air services between Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide were underway and the Australian Government had taken control of the airport. In the 1940s, a passenger terminal was opened and the Cooks River was diverted to allow for the construction of two new runways.
In 1963, work commenced on the construction of the extension of the north-south runway southwards into Botany Bay and in 1965 work commenced on the construction of the International Terminal. In 1989, the parallel (or third) runway was approved and was completed in 1994.
The Australian Government privatised Sydney Airport in 2002.
Our airfield has been progressively expanded and modified in response to traffic growth and changes to fleet mix and aircraft size. The airfield consists of parallel runways in a north-south direction, an east-west runway, taxiways and aircraft parking aprons and supporting infrastructure.
The main north-south runway is 3,962 metres long, the parallel runway is 2,438 metres long and the east-west runway is 2,530 metres long. The two north-south runways are equipped with High Intensity Approach Lighting (HIAL) systems and all runways are equipped with Instrument Landing Systems (ILS).
The runways are supported by a taxiway system designed to facilitate the efficient movement of aircraft between the runways and terminals areas. Rapid Exit Taxiways (RETs) are provided on the parallel runways to minimise occupancy time.
Aprons are areas provided to facilitate aircraft parking positions known as stands. There are currently 41 stands for international and freight operations and 57 stands for domestic and regional operations.
Sydney Airport accommodates operations by the full range of aircraft codes with Code C (A320, B737), Code D (B767), Code E (A330, A340, B777 and B747) comprising the majority of operations. Code F services are operated from T1 by A380 aircraft.
The main north-south and east-west runways and their supporting taxiways have been upgraded to accommodate operations by aircraft up to and including the A380.


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One of Hood River County's most popular agricultural festivals marks its 10th year this weekend.
Gravenstein Days is back, throughout the Hood River Valley Fruit Loop. Plenty of fruit will be available, whole or in pies, sauces and other variations, but the late-summer festival focuses on the increasingly scarce Gravenstein.
"Gravenstein Apple Days is the perfect time to find them and enjoy a weekend of country food, fun, entertainment and attractions for the whole family," said Kaye White, Fruit Loop director.
White said this is the perfect time to enjoy a taste of the flavorful Gravenstein; the variety is considered by many as the best for pies, applesauce and desserts, as well as a tart and tasty eating apple.
But the Gravenstein season is early and short, and Gravenstein lovers often arrive too late in the harvest to enjoy them, according to White.
Participating fruit stands all along the Hood River Valley's famous Fruit Loop will have an abundance of Gravensteins for sale, as well as other popular early fall fruit and fresh garden produce, cold apple cider, pies and gourmet treats. Special activities add to the celebration this weekend. The Dee Fire Department will host an old-fashioned country barbecue from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday at the Dee Fire Station, 5235 Lost Lake Rd. Volunteer firefighters serve up hot barbecued roast beef sandwiches or kielbasa hot dogs with side dishes, apple crisp, and tea, coffee or lemonade.
Food is also the draw at Apple Valley Country Store, 2363 Tucker Road, where apple dumplings and pies — especially Gravenstein apple pies — are the centerpiece of a "Gravenstein Pie & Ice Cream Social." Whole pies are available to take home.
Wine enthusiasts will want to be sure to visit Hood River Vineyards, 4693 Westwood Dr., for their annual Gravenstein Days Open House with free wine and cider tasting, light hors d'ouevres, Gravenstein treats and special discounts. Flerchinger Vineyards, 4200 Post Canyon Rd., will also be celebrating with an open house, cheese and crackers, free wine tasting and special case discounts. This is a great opportunity to meet the winemakers and try their new releases.
Take an hourlong orchard tour/hayride of Kiyokawa Family Orchards, 8129 Clear Creek Road, growers of 60 varieties of apples and pears on over 100 acres in Parkdale. Hosted by Randy Kiyokawa, the tour describes their family history as third generation Japanese-American farmers and provides a historical overview of orcharding in the Hood River Valley. Pick your own Gravenstein, Gingergold or Sansa apples. See their 90-year-old Gravenstein Apple tree that produces nearly a ton of fruit all by itself. Tours are $7.50 per person and leave each hour.
Visitors to Draper's Farm, 6200 Highway 35, can find a variety of u-pick produce and try their own special blend of apple cider. Kids will also enjoy the free pony rides and farm animals.
A full line-up of activities for kids of all ages awaits visitors to Rasmussen Farms, 3020 Thomsen Road — from squash bowling to a treasure hunt in the flower and vegetable gardens. Enjoy live music and the popular pie walk from 1 to 3 p.m. both days. The corn maze opens this weekend for the fall season.
McCurdy Farms will be serving the icy cold apple cider slushies and previewing the line of Clear Creek Distillery's pear-in-a-bottle eau-de-vie, grown in their Bartlett pear orchard.
For more information about Gravenstein Apple Days, or for a copy of the Hood River County Fruit Loop Map, contact the Fruit Loop at 1-888-771-7327. The Fruit Loop website is www.hoodriverfruitloop.com.


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MONROVIA, Liberia (AP) — Liberian officials say an American woman sick with Ebola soon will leave the West African country and arrive in the United States early Tuesday.
Nancy Writebol, a missionary nurse who had been treating Ebola patients while working in a Liberian hospital, will be the second American repatriated with Ebola.
American doctor Kent Brantly is undergoing treatment in Atlanta, after arriving at Emory University Hospital on Saturday.
Liberian Information Minister Lewis Brown said the second evacuation plane is expected to leave West Africa between at 1 a.m. and 1.30 a.m. on Tuesday.
There is no cure for the Ebola virus, which causes hemorrhagic fever that kills at least 60 percent of the people it infects in Africa. At least 729 people have died in West Africa this year.


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Celebrating illustration, design, cartoon and comic art of the mid-20th century.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Ed Vebell, Historical Illustrator
Robert Fawcett once described a visit to a Hollywood movie studio: "I was talking to a woman who was in charge of all research," said Fawcett. "I told her of the great value we illustrators place in movie stills as sources of historical reference. We assumed, I said, that the research facilities of the movie industry were much greater than our own and we therefore relied heavily on this research for accuracy. She replied that, on the contrary, if a picture had appeared in a magazine such as The Saturday Evening Post, that constituted authority enough for them!"
If that woman was talking about Ed Vebell's illustrations, she would have been correct.
Vebell's clients often called on him for illustrations of historical subjects. They knew they could count on getting not only solid professional work, but work done with great authenticity.
While others might be satisfied to work from movie stills alone, Ed Vebell said he had little regard for what he called "studio style" art. He began his illustrations with a thumbnail sketch...
... and would then invest a tremendous amount of time and effort photographing the people, scenes and props - the "factual material" Vebell felt was essential to creating an authentic-feeling illustration.
Shortly after WWII, Vebell began collecting military uniforms, weapons and other historic articles and memorabilia. Over time, he amassed the largest private collection of these items in the U.S. When Westport News' Dan Woog visited Vebell in 2010, the artist pointed out, "I've got Buffalo Bill Cody's hat... over there, in a bathtub."
Once Vebell had assembled his photo reference, the drawing began. He felt that a line drawing should not be worked over - preferring to do a new drawing on a clean sheet over the old one on a light box.
During his time in Paris, Vebell had studied lithography on stone at the Beaux Arts. It had given him an appreciation for working with lithographic sticks and tusche. Only rarely would he finish a piece with pen and ink.
(A scan of the final image, found online)
* Images in today's post are from (in order) Pulp Illustration Art.com , Heritage Auctions and American Artist magazine, November 1962.
Posted by Leif Peng at 4:25 PM
Labels: Ed Vebell
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Pretty in Peter Soronen
The President and First Lady attended the wreath laying ceremony in honor of Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia today.
On the style front, Mrs. O wore a painted cotton lace dress from Peter Soronen, previously seen in April 2009, here. It is a true delight to see Mrs. O wearing Peter Soronen once again! In keeping with her style signatures, Mrs. O paired the dress with green pumps, a cream cardigan and House of Lavande jeweled belt at the waist.


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I'd proposed to Cara that I ride down there, do the race, then she could meet me at the finish and we'd do a little post-race ride together. We could do something flat, as she's just getting back to outdoor riding after back and knee issues. Instead, she said, she'd go down with me at the start and while I ran she'd do a little loop in Brisbane: a circuit with e little hill which has been used for the Brisbane Circuit Race.
|The start (Cara Coburn).
So as I got ready to start, Cara left on her bike. I mostly did a few form drills and rolled my legs and shoulders with a massage stick. Then I did some shoulder stretches.
This race was a mixed 5 km/12 km start at a ball field in Brisbane, near the eastern base of Guadalupe Canyon Road. Both courses ran over a short climb on Mission Blue before merging with Guadalupe Canyon for the main climb of around 1000 vertical feet. Up Guadalupe, gradual in steps, then left around a closed gate to Radio Road which averages 7.2% to the summit. The turn-around was close to the summit finish of the New Years bike race. Then it was back to the start.
I noticed at the start line one guy in particular looked particularly ready to go. He had the chiseled look of super-fit guys like Leor Pantelot or Gary Gellin. Curiously he had two ribbons, one for the 5 km and the other for the 12 km race. I wasn't sure what that was about…. Joining him on the front row were a bunch of other shirtless guys who seemed to all know each other. Hmm…. At least none of them had water, which seemed to validate my choice to leave the bottle behind. 12 km is close to my threshold for carrying water given there was none available on the course. Given the unusually warm sunshine at the start, the security blanket of water would have been comforting.
Soon enough the start, and these guys shot off in a sprint. What? Didn't these guys realize we had a mountain to climb? I checked out quickly, and they were gone.
As I turned from Mission Blue to the curiously overbuilt Guadalupe Canyon Road (a sign of housing developments thankfully deterred?) I could see what was happening ahead. WAY off in the distance was the shirtless pack. Then there was a larger group including the lead woman. Then two solo guys, then me. I wasn't worried, however: I could run the pace I could run and that's all there was too it. I knew most of those following the early rabbits couldn't sustain that pace.
Sure enough I picked off people steadily on Guadalupe. Approaching the 5 km turnaround, I was surprised how many of the shirtless crew were coming back -- they were running the 5 km, obviously, including the double-tagged guy. It seemed wrong -- the quality on this run is all on the upper portion.
Soon I was at the gate, trailing one guy who I was clearly outclimbing at this point ("Alex") and another on whom I seemed to be slowly making ground only because I was apexing corners he was taking at constant radius. I passed Alex soon enough, and tried to focus on catching the rider ahead of him. The sunshine was now gone as we'd entered the fog which enshrouded the top of the mountain.
Approaching the summit I saw a rider emerge from the mist wearing a Team Roaring Mouse vest. A teammate on a training ride? No -- it was Cara. I was shocked to see her here -- so much for her little Brisbane loop! I was very happy to see she had the confidence to try and the strength to succeed.
almost to the top (Cara Coburn)
The turn-around came a bit sooner than I'd expected. I still felt good, which I immediately tagged as a possible pacing error. I've been focusing on trail runs, where this would have been the first in a series of climbs. There you can't go into the red or there will be a high price to pay later. But here, how much did I need to save for the descent? Maybe I should have hurt a bit more on the climb, given the descent would shift the load to different muscles, and I'd be limited by impact other than aerobic condition. If it had been 6 km into a 12 km flat race, fine, but the mixed terrain had me suspecting I should have pushed it a bit harder in the second 3 km.
Descents are my weakness. I tried to limit the losses to the runner I'd been chasing. But any thoughts of improvement here were shattered when Alex came blowing by. He literally seemed to be flying down the hill, making me look silly. Within seconds he'd passed the runner ahead of me and disappeared into the mist. I wasn't even breathing hard: what was limiting my speed was instead the stride-by-stride impact of bounding down tarmac at grades up to 10%.
As the grade leveled out near the gate, I was able to actually run again instead of my inefficient downhill stomp. Passing through the gate I was surprised to see that fast 4 km runner heading back up. Later I heard he was doing both races today, the reason for his having both ribbons. Impressive: not so much running 17 km, but doing it with an opening 5 km done at an essentially maximal effort.
I tried to keep my Garmin at over 15 kph from here, but goals didn't mean much at this point, it was just a matter of going as quickly as possible, of avoiding getting in the way of gravity. Back into sunshine, Alex was still out of view. The guy I'd been chasing was up the road but out of range. I glanced back and the closest chaser was too far back to be a concern. This was essentially a time trial.
My left leg in particular causes me issues on descents (although my right leg isn't much better): probably some muscular imbalance. But it held out okay, and with the gravity assist I was soon enough back to Mission Blue. Back over the climb and to the finish… 55:04, I think. That was 4 seconds off my rough goal for the run. Ah, well: I couldn't complain about that.
|Approaching the finish (Cara Coburn).
I think I was 7th, but am not sure. Ribbons went 5 deep and I missed out on those. I think what would help my descending, in addition to practice, would be shoes with a bit more padding. I use 6 ounce Nike track shoes, pre-minimalist miminals, and I love them on the flats and especially on climbs but on the bounding downhills I think my muscles could use a break. Even the New Balance Minimalist road show looks beefy in comparison. Also I really need to work on the cycling-related muscle imbalances. A few minutes a day with a theraband might do wonders.
But no complaints: it was s fun day and I certainly can't be disappointed with my result, especially given the fun, low-key nature of these races.
|finisher's ribbon! (Cara Coburn)


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Sixela Ventures necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 131 diseños de 28 diseñadores freelance.
Sixela Ventures
Sixela Ventures is a newly incorporated company with two main areas of activity:
> Seed capital for young startups in the Internet / Tech space
> Consulting to help more mature startups growth faster.
Audience will be mostly businesses we will interface with:
> Startups we work with/for
> Lawyers, accountants...etc that we work with to help the startups
While it remains business oriented, the people we work with/for usually like our young, fun and dynamic approach. We would like it to be incorporated in our logo as well.
We would like to have logo where the name is easy to read and show some dynamism. Ideally a typed logo with a twist on maybe the X or S of Sixela. Something not too fancy. Both the words Sixela and Ventures need to appear on the logo.
Example of a logo that we like:
We also like the "X" on this one:
We like the way the word "ventures" appear on this one:
Please feel free to experiment with colors, but please keep it at 2 colors max.
The files we require are .jpg and .psd
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.