text: Ringwood Brewery's parent company, Marston's PLC, is an Associate Member of the Portman Group, an independent industry body set up to monitor and advise on the responsible marketing and selling of alcoholic products. We adhere to the Portman Group Gudelines which requires all visitors to alcohol promotion websites to pass through an Age Verification Page. This is to ensure that alcohol marketing and sales pages can only been seen by those of a legal drinking age. We apologise for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.


text: Angela del Toro knows pain: Her uncle - Hector Ayala, the former White Tiger - killed. Her FBI partner, murdered. Her career, ruined. Her mentor, Matt Murdock, jailed. And the hurt is just beginning. The Yakuza's bloodthirsty Sano Orii returns, a genocidal shadow organization appears, and a new-but-old super-powered madman is looking to put the squeeze on White Tiger. Armed with mystical amulets - and finally in costume - White Tiger demands answers!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
At our next Mobile Social, we're considering lots of fun bike things to do – [maybe a Bowie v. Prince theme](http://www.momentumplanet.com/blog/glorious/freak-vs-bowie-vs-prince –) or something like riding the craziest bike inventions we can find …
That's super crazy, but I think this butt-to-butt tandem is even crazier than the face-to-face tandem. The best idea though is possibly this breast-power one, modified to power your bike lights. And there's always the lawnmower bikes.
What's the craziest bike invention you've ever seen?
Don't give away your secret plans to rule bike culture, but maybe you've even got a great/crazy idea? And by coincidence, Wired just ran a similar post. Oddly claiming that a CVT was "wacky."


text:
Made of Mud
You know by now that dirt is good for lots of things: growing plants, feeding worms, even the occasional mud bath. But building houses? Absolutely.
There are lots of reasons to build with dirt. It's plentiful, really cheap, and fireproof. Thick dirt walls keep you warm in winter and cool in summer. And you can build a whole house with few tools other than your own two hands.
In fact, dirt is so good for building things that half the people in the world live in houses made of mud. Maybe even you!
Mud works best for building where it's dry for most of the year. If there's too much rain, the walls of your mud house could melt like ice cream on a warm day. But in places that don't see many storm clouds, mud bricks, which are baked hard in the sun or in a hot oven, can be as strong and durable as stone. In Africa, some mud-brick buildings have been standing for thousands of years.
In the southwestern United States, American Indians built four-story apartment buildings from mud bricks called adobe. And on the Great Plains, the first white settlers saw an ocean of grass as tall as oxen, but few trees for building houses. So they made their houses out of sod, dirt held together by the thick, tangled roots of prairie grass. Sod was stripped by a plow, then cut into bricks that were stacked to make walls and roofs. Even the floors of "soddies" were made of dirt. Sodhouses were muddy when it rained, but good for growing a rooftop garden.
Most sod houses became worm food years ago, but many of the buildings you see every day are pure dirt. The bricks that may make up the walls of your house or school are made of clay that's been baked in a fiery kiln. So the next time someone says a building is made of bricks, correct them. You know it's really made of plain old dirt.
To make mud bricks, you'll need dirt that's a mixture of sand and clay, straw to help hold it all together, and a few weeks in the sun to let the bricks dry.
- Step 1.
- Mix the dirt with water and straw. Sure, you could use a shovel, but wouldn't you rather feel the mud squishing between your toes?
- Step 2.
- Pat your mud into a wooden mold. Be sure to pack it tight to get rid of air bubbles.
- Step 3.
- Pop out the wet bricks, then let them dry in the sun. The bricks have to harden for two weeks or more.
- Step 4.
- Stack the dried bricks, using more mud as mortar. Plaster the outside of your finished wall with a thick, smooth mixture of mud and straw.
- Step 5.
- Voilà! A mud-brick house. If you plaster the walls with fresh mud every year, the house might still be standing when your great-great-grandchildren are reading Ask.
- kiln: An oven or furnace used to harden, dry, or burn pottery, bricks, grain, or lumber.
- What kind of a resource is mud?
[anno: Mud is a natural resource.]
- Why is mud an important resource? Think about the area where some of the homes described in this article are being built. Write a few sentences about why mud is an important resource in these areas.
[anno: People use mud to build homes and buildings. In many areas, there are probably not enough trees or other plants to make buildings, so people rely on mud to provide shelter.]
- Think about the buildings in your town or city. Name three buildings that are made out of mud or soil, or out of materials that once were mud or soil.
[anno: Answers will vary but could include buildings that are made out of bricks.]


text:
I can't believe I am still checking off my list of 50 Things I Want to Do Before 50. Lately, Summer is keeping me busier than school days, so it is no surprise to me that the only thing I can seem to get done these days is cook. Actually, not really cooking, more like heating things up. It's been so warm lately I haven't felt much like cooking. But, I still want to stay on track with my "bucket list" and complete Number 37, "Make one new recipe a week." So, that's what I am doing, even if I am
three four weeks behind. Hot weather or not, I am using a new recipe a week, although the recipes don't always involve food. For instance, one of my new recipes came from my trusted web site, The Food Network, and it involved this.
When life gives your neighbor's lemon tree a lot of lemons, make lemonade. And when life gives you a garden full of fresh mint, and a hot day with cranky kids bored on a summer day, what do you do? Make Minted Lemonade, of course. Actually, it was sticky, sweet and delicious fun! Nevermind that the recipe called for a lot of sugar, and all I had was raw Turbinado Sugar. The raw sugar turned my Mint Lemonade, a
gross brownish color, but it was still tasty. I tried not to mind too much when the kid next door, who had designated himself the lemonade stand hawker, was shouting, "ICE COLD MINT LEMONADE! DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE COLOR! IT TASTES GREAT!"
My second recipe was from a favorite blogger's website. And sticking to the beverages and kids formula, I thought a recipe that involved Nico and Erica's favorite soda, Dr. Pepper, would be sure to please. I guess it would have been a kid pleaser too, if I had not overcooked it. What did I say about it being a busy summer? I asked my babysitter to put it in the oven to cook for me while I was at work. She did, but unfortunately, I did not come straight home after work and by the time I made it home, the dish was in the oven for over 6 hours. The meat was still tender, but there was no juicy Dr. Pepper sauciness. (Is that even a word?) Ah well. When life gives you a pork roast without sauce, make carnitas. That's what it tasted like to me. So I made a little taco bar and we had "carnitas" for dinner.
The last catch up recipe on my list, involved no recipe. That's right, I had planned on making my old stand-by meal, the-late-from-work-no-time-to-cook-dinner-ground -turkey-with-pasta-and-sauce-from-a-jar, when I learned about a recent ground turkey recall. Instead of making dinner as planned, I enlisted my girls to help in the kitchen, and we improvised. They are both surprisingly good cooks. We inventoried what we had in the pantry: 1/2 a box of penne rigate, and 1/2 a box of angel hair pasta, and garlic. We inventoried what we had in the refrigerator: a bag of frozen shrimp, leftover roasted red bell peppers from last night's barbecue, fresh parmesan cheese, and artichokes. We also took stock of the wonderful bounty of fresh pear tomatoes that a friend had grown in her yard. Since there is no recipe, I'll tell you what we did.
We chopped about 6 garlic cloves. I steamed the artichokes and then took out the hearts. Olivia made a dip with mayo, butter, lemon and dill and we noshed on the leaves while we finished the rest of dinner. Erica sautéed the shrimp in most of the garlic, with olive and a bit of butter. We squeezed lemon over the shrimp in final minute of cooking. We then removed the shrimp from the pan and Olivia began to work her sauce magic. She deglazed the pan using white wine, while I supervised, drinking white wine and nibbling on artichoke leaves, of course. She threw in some butter, more garlic, added some lemon juice and seasoned it with salt and red pepper chili flakes. Then, we kept it warm while we sautéed the already cooked peppers, chopped artichoke hearts, and the fresh pear tomatoes. We tossed everything in a big pasta bowl, added the sauce, and tossed in some fresh basil and parmesan cheese. It tasted as good as it looked.
The last thing I was able to accomplish these past few weeks was Number 20 on my list, Try a New Wine. On a trip to Napa Valley one year, Juan and I were persuaded to join a cellar club at Jessup Winery. We loved the wines there and so it really wasn't a hard sell for us. We no longer are members of the cellar club, but that has more to do with economics than it does with the wine. Unfortunately, we have made quite a dent in our wine inventory and we only have a few bottles left. We have had this one lying around for a while, so we decided to open it.
Juan had never really had a lot of port before, and me, being the wine connoisseur that I am, told him it is usually poured with a dessert. Since I am also an epicurean, I told him that this port would go wonderfully with Smores. Yes, Smores. Because we are such wine snobs. Can't you tell?
We lit a fire outside, roasted marshmallows and brought out the graham crackers. And because the port we were drinking had wonderful cherry flavors, and smokey undertones, I brought out the dark chocolate. Can you say, "food and wine pairings?" I think I have created a new classic pairing.
So, nine weeks in and I still have two recipes to catch up on, among other things. The kids go back to school in a couple of weeks, and my real job is becoming busier, so I'll have to see how much cooking and checking things off my list I can accomplish.


text:
Survive The End Of The WorldPosted in Features on March 5, 2014
It's late at night. You're broken down on the trail but are figuring out a way to limp back to camp. Suddenly, there's a sound from the bushes near you. Then another. It's getting closer. You roll out from under your truck to check it out. Who is that? You shine your flashlight toward the bushes. Wait, what is that? Next thing you know, you're being brained by a zombie.
Everybody is talking about prepping for the zombie apocalypse, but are they really what's coming? "I'm sure something will come eventually," explained Jeromy Hasenkamp. "Basically, you have to think of it in terms of things trying to do you harm, and it could be anything, so we want to prep for that. If it takes worrying about the undead coming forward and attacking to get you started doing training and stuff like that, then I'm all about that." Jeromy is the owner of Pacific Tactical and an adjunct instructor for Phoenix RBT Solutions. His full-time job is as a law-enforcement officer. In other words, he's a seriously prepped badass. "We all know trouble finds us no matter where we go or what steps we take."
We decided to utilize Jeromy, as well as truck-building, knife, and gun experts as our undead-or-other-thing-coming-eventually consultants, to help us prep for surviving doomsday and taking those necessary steps: building a beefier 4x4 and understanding weapons. To check out the zombie-preparedness/survival tips video, head to www.fourwheeler.com.
Survive the End of the World With a Truck
Carter Reed, BDS Suspension/Zone Offroad Products/JKS Mfg./4x4 Posi-Lok
Base truck/configuration: Mid-'40s Dodge Power Wagon Carryall because it's different, old school, stout body/frame, rugged, rare, and mostly because it just looks cool as hell.
Tires/wheels: Either 46- or 53-inch Michelin XZL tires on aluminum beadlocks. Insanely strong tire/sidewall, aggressive tread, military spec. Might not be the smoothest ride (stiff material, even at low pressure the sidewalls won't flex much), but they'll put up with any abuse.
Suspension setup: BDS four-link long-arm suspension, Fox 3.0 Remote C/Os (16 inches of travel), leaf spring rear with Fox 2.5 bypass shocks. Stout suspension setup, great articulation, able to do the go-fast stuff or crawl. Rear helper airbags, depending on how loaded down the rig is.
Axles: One of three: 14-bolt F/R, Torq-14 F/R, or 2½-ton Rockwells F/R. All have their pros and cons: weight, strength, ample aftermarket support, OE replacement parts available in a pinch. It's a toss up.
Performance: A 12-valve Cummins with a twin-turbo setup. Great power output to turn the tires, decent mpg to help survive longer, and the thing will virtually run forever.
Accessories: Upgrade the original winch to front/rear Warn Olympus 25 winches. Extremely strong, fast line speed, military grade.
Interior mods: 1.75x.120-wall DOM full internal rollcage, late-model Ford Super Duty leather seats with heat and A/C built in, ARB Fridge Freezer, gun/ammo box.
Exterior mods: Heavy-duty bumpers (recessed winch mount), spears mounted to grilleguard, Rigid LED lighting throughout, flamethrowers on the front, sides, and rear of vehicle, ¼-inch armored plating on body, bulletproof glass…all should be self-explanatory.
Other bolt-ons: Survival gear, first aid equipment.
Communications/mobile/electronic mods: Navigation, iPod hookup, upgraded stereo. Loudspeaker outside to play techno music…zombies hate techno music.
Street/trail dual-purpose mods: Would be capable on all terrain. Four-link can articulate, leaf spring for stability/weight handling.
Weirdo/unconventional bulletproofing mods: Kevlar floor/roof/door panel lining.
Survival mods: 50-gallon fuel cell, extra water and food.
How you'd pack: Tool bag, chainsaw, MIG welder, assault rifles, all-weather clothes, camo tarp for truck, and junk food—lots and lots of Oreos, Twizzlers, Gushers, and soda.
What's your best guesstimate on what this vehicle would cost to build, adding up all your stuff: $75-100K.
OK, that's unlimited budget. But if you had only $2,000 to spare for this project, what would be the must-have items on a budget: Mud-terrain tires, welded rear axle, midrange winch, and lots of junk food.
Mark Mathews, Pro Comp/Smittybilt/G2 Axle & Gear/Rubicon Express/LRG Rims
Base truck/configuration: For my ultimate doomsday survival machine I'd select a '00-'03 Ford Excursion 4WD equipped with the Power Stroke 7.3L. The body-on-frame Excursion was the biggest and baddest off-road beast to come out of Detroit. It was a gift from the Ford Lord with solid axles and a bulletproof International 7.3L. Plus, it has all of the room you could need for weapons and gear.
Tires/wheels: For the tires, I would go with 37x12.50R18LT Pro Comp Xtreme MT2s. They have an E-load rating and tri-ply sidewall construction, so they can take a beating when venturing into the wasteland. They make insane traction off-road and have a long tread life. For the wheels, I'd go with 18-inch Pro Comp Rockwells. They have a super strong design and a clean flat black finish.
Suspension setup: To make room for the 37s, I'd go with the Pro Comp 6-inch lift with MX6 reservoir shocks and a double shock hoop system. This system will keep the ride under control over rough terrain and allow plenty of flex when needed.
Axles: The big, meaty Pro Comp tires are going to put a heavy load on the axles, so I'd add G2 chromoly axles with ARB Air Lockers and 5.13 gears. I'd cap them off with G2 Brute diff covers to keep the diff fluid cool and protect against off-road obstacles.
Performance: To make sure the mighty Excursion can hustle when needed, I'd add a Banks PowerPack. It adds enough power to get the 9,000-pound Excursion moving in a hurry.
Interior mods: In the event that things going completely down the toilet, I want to make sure I've got a clean air supply and clean water. I'd have onboard air and water filtration systems. The rear of the rig would have a convertible bench that turns into a bed. The center console would contain a loaded minibar for the post-battle celebratory drink.
Exterior mods: To help haul extra gear, I'd add a Smittybilt Defender roof rack with mounts for a jack, shovel, lights, and axe. I'd add a full arsenal of Pro Comp Explorer LED and HID lights, too. Gotta make sure I can see the enemy.
Any other bolt-ons: I'd have custom front and rear bumpers made with Smittybilt X20 12,000 winches to pull me out of a jam if needed.
Communications/mobile/electronic mods: I may end up spending a long time in the Excursion, so I'd add a complete Kicker sound system with a stockpile of MP3 files covering ALL heavy metal and hard rock from the last 30 years. A CB radio and Lowrance GPS to help me find my way.
Street/trail dual-purpose mods you'd make: Because I will probably end up driving over rubble and rocky terrain, I'd add skidplates on the belly to protect the gas tank.
Weirdo/unconventional bulletproofing mods: The entire rig would get the full bulletproof armor treatment and a low-profile flat black paint job. I'd add gun ports on the sides so I could defend my position without exposing myself.
Survival mods: Oversized fuel tanks would be essential to keeping the Excursion running for extended periods. I'd also add an onboard generator, air compressor, welder, and a loaded toolbox. I'm not much of a welder, but I'll probably have time to learn.
How you'd pack your truck: Lots of guns and ammo. As much clean underwear and socks as I can fit in the truck, too. I'm a junky for Reese's Pieces, so I'd bring a good stash of them. First aid gear, sleeping bags, blankets.
What's your best guesstimate on what this vehicle would cost to build, adding up all your stuff: I would guess this truck would cost about $100,000 to build, maybe more.
OK, that's unlimited budget. But if you had only $2,000 to spare for this project, what would be the must-have items on a budget: If I only had $2K, I'd probably go with the oversized fuel tank and a set of Xtreme MT2 tires.
Firearms 101
"Who can I trust for good advice? There are a lot of weekend warriors, self-proclaimed forum experts and 'it's the best thing since sliced bread' evaluation articles. Go to a range, see who's competent, take a class, and see what the instructor is shooting. Try it before you buy it." Those pearls of wisdom come from Kenneth Pfau of FNH USA. So, if you're new to firearms, what kind of stuff do you need to consider? Ask yourself first how it will be used. Hunting? Personal protection? Blamming in the desert? "If at all possible, I would suggest you shoot the model you're thinking of purchasing," suggested Ken Jorgensen of Ruger Firearms. "The difference between in-store perception and the on-range reality can be significant."
But the biggest buying mistake you can make? "There seems to be a belief among men buying for their woman that it should be a small gun," said Ken at Ruger. "Small guns are usually more difficult to shoot for a number of reasons and, depending on caliber, have considerable recoil. Hands-on experience before buying is very important." Kenneth at FNH USA points to another mistake: "Trying to save a buck on a gun that won't do the job you need when you need it the most. Quality comes at a price; materials, testing, service life. Choose a gun that has a track record of use from a company that knows how to build something that has delivered 100 percent results 100 percent of the time."
And what exactly is the difference between firearms? It's about distance. Explained Ken at FNH USA, "The firearm was designed to poke holes at distance, thereby keeping danger away from getting close to you. A Derringer is good at that from 3-7 feet, the modern pistol out to 10s of yards, and the rifle out to 100s of yards. Aside from distance, the second factor is portability. It's often not practical to carry a big rifle on a hike or urban area." Additionally, a rifle will usually give you more options in the potent-caliber department as well as longer range shooting and the possibility that if you're a newbie, you'll be accurate.
Survive the End of the World With a Firearm
Ken Jorgensen, Ruger Firearms
What you'd want for zombie apocalypse: My choice would be a Ruger SR762, as it uses the .308 cartridge, is an autoloader, and utilizes detachable magazines. I would also want one of the Ruger SR series pistols and would be sure to use Zombie Max ammunition from Hornady.
What you'd want for a Mad Max situation: I would want a Ruger M77 Hawkeye rifle in a Magnum caliber with reasonably powerful optics for long-range shots in the open country. Also, a large caliber semi-auto pistol, such as the Ruger SR1911 for the up-close situations.
What you'd want for an alien invasion situation: It is hard to determine the definitive firepower for all alien situations. My choice would be a long-range rifle for the reach-out-and-touch-them scenarios (maybe knocking down spacecraft) and a semi-auto carbine like the Ruger SR556 for everything else.
What you'd want for a Hunger Games situation: I would want more than one semi-auto pistol, such as the SR9c, and lots of loaded magazines.
Ken Pfau, FNH USA
What you'd want for zombie apocalypse: Zombie stopping requires massive accurate firepower. I want something that holds a lot of rounds that I can shoot accurately for those perfect close-quarter headshots. My choice would be a PS90 with a red dot with multiple 50-round magazines and backup Five-seveN pistol with an array of standard 20-round magazine topped off. Both guns shoot the super effective 5.7x28 round with minimal recoil and flat-shooting 40-grain bullets. Best of all, I can give either gun to the wife or kids and they will hold off the hoards as I prepare the fire-moat.
What you'd want for a Mad Max situation: I'd want my go-to gun to be the FN SCAR 17s topped with a Leupold Mark 8 1.1-8x24mm CQBSS M5B1 scope loaded up with piles of 7.62mm. The 1.1-8 Mark 8 gives me great field of view from 10 feet out to 600 yards. On my hip, I would have an FNX -45 Tactical with a Leupold Delta Point red dot. With 15 rounds of .45, I can deter anything that comes close. And, as a backup if things really get hairy, I'd want an FN SLP Tactical Shotgun with an RCI XRail magazine extension (think of a shotgun version of the Gatling Gun) giving me 23 rounds of 12-gauge motorcycle stopping power.
What you'd want for an alien invasion situation: With aliens, you don't know what you're up against. Therefore, I would want to start throwing big bullets their way from as far away as possible. I would want an FN Ballista in .338 Lapua for the job. The .338 Lapua has proven itself to be both antipersonnel as well as antimaterial in case I need to blast through some kind of energy shield. The Ballista delivers sub-MOA (MOA or Minute of Angle is 1 inch at 100 yards or 6 inches at 600 yards) accuracy out past 1,000 yards and if they keep coming and I run out of .338 ammo, I can switch the barrel out for the 7.62mm barrel and shoot my SCAR 17 ammo out to 800 yards.
What you'd want for a Hunger Games situation: If I was chosen for the Hunger Games, my gun of choice would be a SCAR 16s in 5.56mm sporting a Leupold Mk 6 1-6 power scope with a pile of Gen3 Magpul 40 round PMAGS. The SCAR is light and easy to carry, highly effective out to 400 yards, and impervious to any kind of dirt, mud, water, grit, or grime. If I'm being tracked and tracking, I want the advantage of distance with the ability to point and shoot quickly in close quarters. Of course I would also put a Surefire SOCOM Monster Sound Suppressor on it to keep from being found by the report.
Weapons Buyer's Guide
What: 915/916 Triage knife
Some features: Axis locking mechanism and modified sheepsfoot or opposing bevel-style blade, corrosion-resistant blade, and hooked-shaped safety cutter. The Triage also has an automatic variation version.
Cost: Starts at $170
Why Benchmade says it's the ultimate survival item: "The Triage family of knives are a dynamic triple utility tool that include a knife, safety hook, and carbide glass breaker."
Get: Benchmade
What: Gideon Tanto
Some features: The 5-inch fixed blade has a tanto design; the full tang design pierces and slashes. The handles are made of CNC-machined textured G10, and there are two holes in the blade for easy tethering.
Cost: $129
Why Blackhawk says it's ultimate survival item: "From opening a can of rations to fashioning a spear, the Gideon Tanto is tough enough to stand up to any job."
Get: Blackhawk
What: Gerber Gator Kukri Machete
Some features: The machete is 19 inches long, with a blade length of 12 inches. It has full tang construction, is 1050 steel, and uses a Gator Grip handle.
Cost: $48
Why Gerber says it's the ultimate survival item: "A three-way cutting tool based on a centuries-old design. With a pointed tip for piercing, a wide midsection for chopping, and a narrow neck for detail work, the Kukri is a true multipurpose blade."
Get: Gerber
What: Ken Onion-Designed Redemption
Some features: A 9.50-inch, ¾ tang blade. A G10 handle has been contoured with swells, curves, and grooves for grip. Ken is a knifemaker.
Cost: $300
Why CRKT says it's the ultimate survival item: "A survival tool, not a weapon."
Get: CRKT
What: SCAXE2G Survival Hatchet
Some features: See the word "axe" in the name? This one is about 15 inches long with a 3.8-inch blade, and has a ferro fire steel rod in the handle. Read: sparks. It also has a stainless steel head and ergonomic green phosphorescent rubber grip. Read: glow in the dark.
Cost: Around $35
Why Schrade says it's the ultimate survival item: "It has the ability to perform many survival and bushcraft tasks with its sharp titanium-coated head and rear pommel designed to hammer and crush."
Get: Schrade
What: G21 Gen4
Some features: Light recoil, and stopping power of the .45 auto round with 10/13 round magazine capacity. The modular back strap allows for a custom grip based on each shooter's hand size. There's also a reversible enlarged magazine catch.
Cost: $602
Why GLOCK says it's the ultimate survival item: "In the case of impending apocalyptic doom, you'll want a gun by your side that's both lightweight and powerful. This is a practical pistol harnessing the robust .45 caliber round."
Get: Glock
What: ESEE-3 Mil Clip Point
Some features: This sharpened clip-point specimen has a 1095 carbon-steel blade and a cutting-edge length of 3.38 inches. There are also thumb-grippers on the spine.
Cost: About $105
Why EMGEAR says it's the ultimate survival item: "As a bonus, the clip point penetrates rotting zombie flesh with ease."
Get: EMGEAR
What: C11 Delica Model (Combination Edge)
Some features: It's your basic knife—as basic as things can get. The Combination Edge means just that: combo. So, you get a plain edge for fine cutting and another edge for the separating task that needs a little more oomph.
Cost: $104
Why Spyderco says it's the ultimate survival item: "Proven, reliable, straightforward. No bells, no whistles."
Get: Spyderco Knives
What: Camp Series Machetes
Some features: Three sizes of blade are available: 10, 14, and 18 inches, which means the Camp Series is capable of doing just about anything, from making kindling to clearing brush.
Cost: Starts at about $65
Why Kershaw says it's the ultimate survival item: "The Kershaw Camp 18 will never run out of bullets. It won't jam or clog, even when covered with decomposing zombie yuck. As the longest of the three Kershaw Camp Series blades, you'll be able to stay far away from zombies—while still being within vital decapitation range."
Get: Kershaw Knives
What: KSG
Some features: Pump action, bullpup design—a 12-gauge shotgun that holds 14 2¾ shells in two mag tubes under the barrel. It weighs about 8½ pounds when loaded.
Cost: $990
Why Kel-Tec says it's the ultimate survival item: "Load slugs in one tube if you need to reach out far, and buckshot in the other tube for close quarters. The 12-gauge shotgun shell is widely accepted as the go-to zombie killing round!"
Get: Kel-Tec CNC Ind.
What: Vector CRB
Some features: It has KRISS Super V recoil mitigation system for reduced felt recoil and muzzle climb.
Cost: Around $1,900
Why KRISS says it's the ultimate survival item: "Chambered in .45 ACP in 13- or 25-round magazines, the Vector is the ideal choice for close-quarter combat."
Get: KRISS Newco USA
What: McMillan Custom Hunting Knife
Some features: McMillan and DiamondBlade's Friction Forging. There's a 4-inch blade and 8.70-inch overall length. It has a drop-point blade and 65-68 Rockwell edge hardness.
Cost: $495
Why McMillan says it's the ultimate survival item: "Expect the friction-forged blade on this knife to cut through most of your outdoor needs whether you're camping, fishing, or carving through some evil zombie deadites....no matter the level of decay."
Get: McMillan
Firearm Usage
"It's better to be prepared than to have the first time that you've had to shoot at a live person or a moving person be during a deadly force encounter," Jeromy suggested.
Since reality-based training is Jeromy's specialty, we headed to Bernet Farms in Scappoose, Oregon, and its vast acreage for just that. "Things happen in real time. You react on the fly and make snap decisions. Life doesn't allow you to plan." But it does allow you to prepare and also to become self-reliant; part of being prepared is to not have to lean on someone else to take care of you.
And having an idea of what it might feel like to be chased or have to shoot at something is part of preparedness. "Standing stationary and shooting a hole in a paper target—is that very real? I don't think so because I don't know of any gunfight or deadly force encounter or even a fight that everyone just stood there and let you do whatever you needed to do," explained Jeromy. "Everything is constantly moving. People are moving even if they're standing still."
He started us off with NLTA. Those in the know know that stands for nonlethal training ammo, like what's used for paintball.
Zombies and other attackers don't just come from down range; they come from all different directions: front, side, and behind. "You ever try doing headshots on the move? It's a mother." That's why reality training can be so effective. "We get outside of our comfort zone and push things as much as possible so that we can be able to make those split-second decisions, be able to understand what our gun is doing when we're moving, when we're turning. If I just go out with my gun straight out, I'm going to be surprised by something."
"I wouldn't necessarily say a gun is my weapon of choice. What I will say is I want to be prepared. You want to pick the right tool for the situation."
—Jeromy Hasen
Jeromy gave us a few firearm usage tips:
1. Handle your firearm the same way every single time: Grip it the same. Pick it up out of the holster the same. Handle the magazines the same. Doing so "becomes muscle memory and that's a safety thing, too." It'll soon become your innate shooting grip.
2. Buy a firearm based on your comfort level. How comfortable are you at doing reloads? How about malfunctions? Does the gun fit in your hand? How well can you shoot it? "No one is going to buy a gun because it feels good in the case."
3. Shoot at different things. "A lot of people don't think about, 'OK, what are my follow-up shots going to be like if I have to fire more than one round? What's the ammo capacity? What's the penetration?'"
4. "I'm not going to listen to what somebody says. I'm going to go out and test it myself. I mean, I'll use theirs as a gauge to start but I don't want to believe in anything until I see it happen for myself."
5. Before you buy ammo, first figure out your intent behind owning the gun, and what threats you will face. Is your weapon for home security in case someone breaks into your house during the night? Then you probably don't want ammo that will penetrate the walls. And it may seem obvious, but make sure the ammo will work in your firearm.
6. "If I could give buyers one word of advice, it would be 'train.' You could have the most high-speed gun with all the bells and whistles, but if you don't know how to run it, and run it reliably under all circumstances, it does you no good."
7. When aiming, bring the sights up to your eyes, not your eyes up to the sights.
8. The more you can stand up straight, the less fatigued you will become. Some crouching is natural, and it usually looks cool in movies, but you're actually going to fatigue yourself. You'll also be able to turn farther. Ideal: Bend at the waist, hips back, shoulders rolling up into the gun, so that you've got as much mass behind the recoil. Grip the gun firmly, but allow your trigger finger and thumbs to be relaxed; that helps with a good, quick trigger. "When people miss, they miss low."
What's a SIRT Pistol?
We did a lot of training with a SIRT pistol (www.nextleveltraining.com). The SIRT is based off a Glock pistol and is fullsize, but it's basically a laser gun/diagnostic tool. It's a great alternative if you can't get to a range, the weather is bad, you don't want to spend money on practice ammo, or just want to fine-tune your skills, anywhere. We trained with it on trigger control and having a good line, as well as with moving and stationary targets. You can also practice magazine changes and drawing from a holster
Wait, No More Beer?
"We talk about guns, big knifes, and pointy, sharp objects, and we talk about tactics. But one of the biggest things for surviving the zombie apocalypse or any kind of deadly force encounter is physical fitness," Jeromy noted. "Having a good level of physical fitness and maintaining that is going to play into how you survive an incident." Tired, sluggish, can't keep up? Heck, that happens on the trail just while spotting someone. We're d-day doomed. "If I had two words of advice? They would be 'health' and 'train,'" Jeromy remarked. "If there truly is a zombie apocalypse, you better get up on your training. You better practice those headshots and a dead run." So, we sought out the annual Run for Your Lives event (www.runforyourlives.com), a 5K trail course packed to the gills with obstacles that force you to practice running/walking, crawling, and climbing over obstacles and running away from things in order to survive. There's even a night run to take it up a notch, which we tried out—and forgot our headlamps. Preparedness fail. However, there were 367 other people trying to survive 373 zombies along with us and we came in Fourth and Fifth. In your rotting face, undead.


text:
Directed by: Christopher Hutson
Release Date: 2009
Contains spoilers
When I first heard of Bled I was extremely taken by the trailer. It seemed a stylish piece of work, and no mistake. Of course trailers are designed to mislead you, they are a sales piece, but based on what I saw I was excited.
My anticipation cooled somewhat when I read a comment (left by an anonymous poster) who had watched the movie and said "the story was just repetitive and there was no suspense, the ending did not make sense?" Not a good report at all but, dutifully, I sat down with the DVD and watched the film intent, as always, in making up my own mind.
The film – like many in the vampire genre – uses key genre names within its story but has a rather unusual premise. It begins with a voice over as preparations are made by a certain Renfield Lieb (Jonathon Oldham). He says that immortality comes not without sacrifice and that the fountain of youth is based upon the blood of the young. We see an alternate dimension, perhaps, he refers to it as a dream and in that dream is a creature waiting to cross over and offer Renfield new life. Within the dream is a girl hunted by the creature referred to in credit as incubus (Ivan L Moody).
Now, an incubus was, of course, a sexual demon (the male equivalent of the succubus). Whilst there is a sexual side to this creature its primary motivation is for blood – the fact that it uses seduction (it can shape shift) and sex as a primary lure to gain blood is not without the standard vampire genre. The relationship between our world and its tree dominated dream world is the interesting aspect to this films lore.
At an art Gallery the work of Sai (Sarah Farooqui, and I should mention that I am not sure if the character being referred to at one point as Sarah was a mistake or whether Sai is meant to be short for Sarah somehow) is on display. Also at the opening are the three people who share her warehouse apartment with her. Royce (Chris Ivan Cevic) is a photographer and he and Sai, it becomes clear, have a near miss and thus unrequited relationship. Also there is Eric (Alex Petrovitch), bad boy and general leech, and Kerra (Michele Morrow), whose entire presence can be broken down to the fact that she is a story cipher. Sai is introduced to Renfield who offers to buy a piece and goes off with her.
He wants to expand her mind, he says, and has a drug with which to do just that. It was used by many of the great artists and is the sap of a tree know as stigoï. Now, the pronunciation seemed off but I suspect that the name as written here is what they aimed for. The sap is melted on a spoon and the vapour breathed in, he says, opening the doors of perception (as Huxley might have said). One goes in and one stays out, he explains, thus he will not do the drug and I want to break here and look at one of the problems with the film… the acting…
Oldham is stagy but works as Renfield – his character is meant to be like that (another character calls him Shakespeare at one point). The other acting not so good and I just didn't buy Farooqui as Sai. Perhaps, however, the fault did not lie with her but with script and direction. You can image it… So, Sarah, you play Sai an artist and she takes this drug she has never heard of, offered by a man she has met that night… What's my motivation… he likes your work and gets it… okay, is that enough, am I a habitual drug user… don't know, the script doesn't say... These characters are not developed and have no motivation, no wonder the actors struggled… Back to the film…
When she takes the drug her face goes grey and she seems to choke. Renfield leaves the apartment, not watching over her. She finds herself in a strange place, wearing a red dress (those passing over wear red, the vampire (s) wear white). Incubus takes the form of Royce, though it is a Royce with black eyes and pointed teeth. They come together and he bites. The rising sun (in our world) seems to pierce the dream and she awakens.
The next day she paints a new, darker, picture. Royce comes in as do the bickering Eric and Kirra. Sai tells them about the drug, after Eric finds the twig, and they are doubtful but Eric decides to give it a go. He ends up in the dream place and is approached by three vampiric women – reminiscent of the brides from Dracula, of course – in the real world he is becoming physically violent to Kirra. He is snapped out of the dream but, when it happens, he breaks a branch in the dream world and the sap filled branch materialises in his hand in the real world (unseen by the others). Now, that would have given me pause to thought but obviously not Eric who is content to have a shed load of this drug in his hand.
Kirra comes to his room later, looking for money he owes her. He comes on to her and then suggests she tries the drug. Now, here we hit that lack of character and motivation again. She has seen him take it, his face going grey as he appeared to choke, and then experienced him getting violent towards her whilst tripping. She clearly is unsure about the drug generally and yet she takes it and… bad trips. She is hunted by Incubus in Eric form and attacked. Royce hears her screams and breaks her out of it but she continues to flash back as the door has been opened.
You see the door is two way and Sai is becoming addicted to the drug and, as such, turning into a vampire herself. Meaning that in our world she starts developing pointy teeth, grey skin with black veins and a taste for blood. She actually attacks Kirra, who spends the rest of her performance in her room, injured and on her back with blood at her mouth that never seems to dry… for shame – filmmakers note that blood does dry over time.
The entire set up seems to be about Royce, Sai is the lure. She becomes pulled more and more into the vampiric world and lures him to follow her allowing Incubus to trade places and come into our world. Renfield will then mug Incubus for a syringe full of his blood, which he uses to stay young (at the film climax he is aging and one suspects he has been doing this for a while). Of course the fact that Sai has involved Eric is a fly in the ointment, though how much so isn't really explored as Eric vanished off for the centre portion of the film. As for the ending, I don't want to spoil it but it didn't make too much sense all told, at least when it reached the epilogue section.
The lore, therefore, was really unusual and there was a stylisation to the film that I really enjoyed. The lack of locations (and they were limited) was completely disguised by the use of the dream realm, which looked mighty nice. However, the story was slight, even if the lore was very unusual, the characters wafer thin and most of the acting perfunctory at best and poor at worst. Lack of character made the film lose any sense of suspense and, quite frankly, I didn't really care what happened to the characters. Also, the bottom line was this was a vampire film about drug abuse and it has been done before, in other ways but so much better. I watched and I couldn't help but compare and contrast to Habit and, even more so, I Pass for Human.
All in all I was left with a feeling of a film that had style but nothing of substance and it was substance it desperately needed. 4 out of 10 reflects the truckload of style and unusual lore.
The imdb page is here.
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
Bled – review
Directed by: Christopher Hutson
10 comments:
- Everlost said...
Disappointing...that trailer looked so good!
- Frog God said...
vampire comic books
Chastity (chaos comics)
monster squad
vampire cartoons
count duckula
animated Buffy series
- The Dirge Of Gabriel said...
Hey Taliesin,
When I first watched this film I was blown away with it's imagery and was quite fond of it, but as time past I seemed to realise that it too was all style and mostly no substance with gaping parts of the story left untold, perhaps for the viewer to figure out on their own.
I proclaimed that this was better the Vampire Journals but now I think about it I do take it back - the characters in VJ are actually engaging and sympathetic (as was the story and use of location), even for the antagonist Ash who is almost as tragic as Zachery.
I think this was a good first effort though for the film makers, and since some of the protagonists survived I suggest that they do sequel with Royce attempting to hunt down Renfield and Eric and in turn explain to the audience through his (re)search the unanswered questions of Renfield, the Incubus, the dimension and the sap.
Part of the reason I liked it was in a world of vampire detectives/hunters and boxum slayers this was a breath of fresh air, someone who was willing to depart from the Buffy/Forever Knight/Moonlight/Blood Ties/True Blood world of chick-lit vampire fiction. The writer was influenced by Barker's Hellraiser and you could see its influence oh-so-slightly in this film, so I have to give the writer the kudos for that.
Yes - the acting could have been better, but I think with most things you get what you pay for and I don't know if the budget would have been extensive, and if it was most was used on the special effects.
I did like the look of the vampires and the use of abilities that Sai had, but it didn't explain where those other vampire women (brides) came from? Where they trapped in the dimension from Renfield's last sojourn of immortality and crossed over as Sai was about to take their place? And if they were older how was she able to defeat them?
Furthermore do you think Renfield was the character from Dracula (though in the novel doesn't D kill him for betraying him) or some kind of twisted alias? He does appear to be English as Renfield was.
Overall it did seemed rushed and I believe it either needed extra running times to flesh out the characters and expand on the story or a sequel to be made to answer these questions.
I give it 6/10
- Taliesin_ttlg said...
Everlost, I agree
Frog God... oookay
Gabriel, fair points...
re the vampire women I assumed they were ones drawn over like Sai. I didn't mention some of Sai's power - whilst unusual - as it was a little too spoilerful but... her ability to destroy them psychically was not explained, nor was their presence, but it didn't make much sense if they were the same as her.
I think the name Renfield was just the use of the name. Yes Renfield is killed by Dracula (when Renfield manages to grab his mist form and tries to prevent him reaching Mina) and, for some reason, despite the English accent the film states that Renfield is from Germany and gives his name as Renfield Lieb - whereas the Dracula Renfield was R.M. Renfield.
I appreciate your thoughts on this but I still think it was desperately lacking any substance. A brave film but one that is lacking ultimately. Cheers for the in depth comment.
- sexy said...
- This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
- The Dirge Of Gabriel said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- The Dirge Of Gabriel said...
Hey Sexy
Wakarimasen...Nihongo wo hanasemasen and I'm sure that goes the same for Taliesin too...though I can tell from your underlined links that it's just porn spam so good on you...i'm sure you'll be deleted any minute now...
- Taliesin_ttlg said...
Gabriel was completely correct - the comment was spam and has been deleted.
I work on a trust/tolerence level and, if I get quite a bit of spam comments I end up putting comment moderation on - to protect the real readers of the blog.
It is a pain for real commentators, and it is a pain for me. So kudos to you, Sexy, you have brought the blog one step closer to having moderation switched back on, for the sake of links that no one will have clicked and that have been deleted. Your momma must be real proud of you.
- Uranium Willy said...
I think I would like to see this actually from your review. I would not expect too much but it seems like a good late night week end flick while vegging on the sofa.
I have checked to see if you have reviewed Twilight which I recently saw. I could not find it in the A to Z archive but you may not have put it there yet. I would be curious about your take and any trivia you may have on that film.
I actually enjoyed it.
- Taliesin_ttlg said...
Twilight coming up soon - but you can see my first impressions under the menu heading Taliesin's Ruminations


text:
H.R.1834 - Freedom to Invest Act of 2011112th Congress (2011-2012)
BillHide Overview
|Rep. Brady, Kevin [R-TX-8] (Introduced 05/11/2011)
|House - Ways and Means
|Latest Action:
|House - 05/11/2011 Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means. (All Actions)
This bill has the status Introduced
Here are the steps for Status of Legislation:
- Introduced
Get more information
See Coverage Dates for Legislative Information and learn about other sources.
Subject — Policy Area:
- Taxation
- View subjects
Cosponsors: H.R.1834 — 112th Congress (2011-2012)All Information (Except Text)
Sponsor: Rep. Brady, Kevin [R-TX-8] | Cosponsor statistics: 109 current - includes 5 original
* = Original cosponsor
|Date Cosponsored
|Rep. Lummis, Cynthia M. [R-WY-At Large]


text:
Friday, January 27, 2012
wearing Jil Sander for Uniqlo coat, H&M sweater, silk shorts from a local shop in Switzerland and an ASOS bag.
Posted by Jenny Cindy at 1:04 PM
Labels: outfit
7 comments:
- Natalie Suarez said...
amazing! xx
- January 27, 2012 at 3:39 PM
- Valerie said...
i like that outfit. it looks comfy/cosy/chic :) great colour scheme as well
- January 29, 2012 at 7:34 PM
- villain r said...
love the bag!
- February 2, 2012 at 9:27 PM
- Cecilie said...
AMAZING blog! You inspire me :) I'm following you chica ;D
-Cecilie [kjolehysteria.blogspot.com]
- February 3, 2012 at 8:37 AM
- Cecilie said...
And I love your header btw. It's very fashionable! :D
-Cecilie [kjolehysteria.blogspot.com]
- February 3, 2012 at 8:39 AM
- vimaxpills said...
Thank you for blogging. . .
We learned tips for how to write on people's blogs, like a compliment.
We also learned that if you know something about the topic, you can put it on there if nobody else has written it. We liked the suggestion to only use one punctuation instead of a bunch if you liked it Vimax.
- February 8, 2012 at 5:23 PM
- Grace said...
Your bag!
Love Grace.
- February 21, 2012 at 12:32 AM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Lectures, discussions and analysis and presentation of case studies in the areas of scientific ethics and communication with the media. Topics in scientific ethics include misconduct, fraud, plagiarism, authorship, intellectual property rights, and academic codes of ethics.
Meetings 5:30 to 7:00 pm in TLS 301 on 29, 30 September, 1, 6, 7, and 8 October
Discussions led by Dr. Gene E. Likens, Distinguished Research Professor
- Responsible Conduct in Science
Misconduct and fraud
Falsification of evidence; deletion of "outliers"
Failures of Quality Assurance/Quality Control and methods of validation
Choosing inappropriate methods through ignorance or financial pressure
Peer review; challenges for referees
Power and personal relationships
Authorship and credit: assigning and responsibility at the beginning
Codes of Ethics at universities and professional societies
Pressure from funders to provide particular answers
Censorship, a growing problem?
Challenges of "advocacy science" – how to respond?
Resisting pressures and still be successful
Intellectual Property Rights?
Federal Policies
Respect for ideas in collaborative research
Attribution of ideas
"Copycat" research proposals
Relationship between a graduate student and a faculty advisor
Access to data
Communicating with the public
Dealing with the media
Responsibilities to science and to the environment; dealing with conflicts
"Least publishable unit"
"Covering the Environment"
Aldo Leopold – A Land Ethic
Alberts, B. and K. Shine. 1994. Scientists and the integrity of research. Science 266:1660-1661. link
Butler, D. 2008. Iranian paper sparks sense of deja vu. Nature 455, 1019 (2008) link
Butler, D. 2008. Entire-paper plagiarism caught by software. Nature 455, 715 (2008) link
Carraway, L. N. 2009. Ethics for and responsibilities of authors, reviewers and editors in science. Am. Midl. Nat. 161:146-164.
Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy. 1995. On Being a Scientist: Responsible Conduct in Research. National Academy Press, Washington, DC. Second Edition. www.nap.edu
Couzin, J. Truth and Consequences. 2006. Science 313: 1222-1226.
Couzin,-Frankel, J. and J. Grom. 2009. Plagiarism sleuths. Science 324:1004-1007.
Davis, G. 2005. Doctors without orders. [Highlights of the Sigma Xi Postdoc Survey]. Special Supplement to American Scientist (May-June), pp. 1-13. http://postdoc.sigmaxi.org
Eco-Ethics International Union. http://www.int-res.com [EEIU]
Economist Magazine 2008. Publish and be wrong. October 9, 2008. link
Elliott, Deni and Judy E. Stern (editors). 1997. Research Ethics: A Reader. University Press of New England.
Environment Institute of Australia. 1998. The Ethics of Environmental Research. Proceedings of 1997 Fenner Conference on Environmental Research Ethics. Australian Journal of Environmental Management. Vol. 5, 84 pp.
Fairchild, A. and R. Bayer. 2004. Ethics and the Conduct of Public Health Surveillance. Science 303:631-632. link
Galindo-Leal, C. 1996. Explicit authorship. Bull. Ecol. Amer., October, pp. 219-220.
Gilovich, T. 1991. How We Know What Isn't So: The Fallibility of Human Reason in Everyday Life. Free Press. New York. 224p link
Gladwell, M. 2004. Something borrowed. (Should a charge of plagiarism ruin your life?) The New Yorker, November 22, 2004, pp. 40-48.
Hayes, R. and D. Grossman. 2006. A Scientist's Guide to Talking with the Media. Practical Advice from the Union of Concerned Scientists. Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, NJ.
Horn, K. 2001. The consequences of citing hedged statements in scientific research articles. BioScience 51(12):1086-1093. link
Institute of Medicine, National Research Council of the National Academies. 2002. Integrity in Scientific Research. Creating an Environment That Promotes Responsible Conduct.
Interlandi, J. 2006. An Unwelcome Discovery. The New York Times 10/25/2006 link
Kaiser, J. 2000. Ecologists on a mission to save the world. Science 287:1188-1192. link
Kempner, J., C. S. Perlis and J. F. Merz. 2005. Forbidden knowledge. Science 307:854. link
Kitcher, P. 2004. Responsible biology. BioScience 54(4):331-336. link
Lawrence, P. A. 2003. The politics of publication. Nature 422:259-261.
Lawrence, P. (2007) The mismeasurement of science. Current Biology, Volume 17, Issue 15, Pages R583-R585 link
Leopold, Aldo. 1966. pp. 237-264. The Land Ethic, In: A Sand County Almanac. Oxford University Press.
Likens, G. E. 1992. The Ecosystem Approach: Its Use and Abuse. Excellence in Ecology, Vol. 3. Ecology Institute, Oldendorf/Luhe, Germany. 167 pp.
Long, T. C., M. Errami, A. C. George, Zhaohui Sun and H. R. Garner. 2009. Scientific integrity: responding to possible plagiarism. Science 323(5919):1293-1294.
Macrina, F. L. 2005. Scientific Integrity. 3rd Edition. ASM Press, Washington, D.C. 402 pp.
Martinson, B. C., M. S. Anderson and R. de Vries. 2005. Scientists behaving badly. Nature 435:737-738. link
Matisoff, G. 2001. Is it publishable? J. Great Lakes Res. 27(1):1-2.
Medawar, P. B. 1979. Advice to a Young Scientist. Basic Books, A Division of Harpur Collins Publisher.
Minteer, B. A. and J. P. Collins. 2005. Why we need an "ecological ethics." Front. Ecol. Environ. 3(6):332-337. link
Moller, A. P. 2005. Improving the processing of scientific misconduct charges: an eyewitness perspective. ISBE Newsletter (Supplement to Behavoral Ecology) 17(2):34-35.(See also related articles and emails)
Mooney, C. 2005. The Republican War on Science. Basic Books, Cambridge, MA. 342 pp.
National Academy of Sciences. National Academy of Engineering. Institute of Medicine. 1992. Responsible Science. Ensuring the Integrity of the Research Process. Vol. 1. National Academy Press, Washington, DC.
National Academy of Sciences. 1997. Adviser, Teacher, Role Model, Friend. [On Being a Mentor to Students in Science and Engineering]. National Academy Press.
National Science and Technology Council. 2000. Federal Policy on Research Misconduct. [1]
Nelson, M. and J. Vucetich. 2009. Abandon Hope. The Ecologist (March 2009), pp. 32-35.
Park, R. 2000. Voodoo Science: The Road from Foolishness to Fraud. Oxford University Press, New York. 230p. link
Primack, R. B. 2009. Why did we reject your paper? (Editorial) Biological Conservation 142:1559.
Resnik, D. B. 1998. The Ethics of Science. An Introduction. Routledge, London. 221 pp.
Schatz, G. 2006. Jeff's View on Science and Scientists. Elsevier, London. 192 pp.
Shatz, D. 2004. Peer Review. A critical inquiry. Rowman and Littlefield Publ. Inc. NY. 247 pp.
Seglen, P. O. 1997. Why the impact factor of journals should not be used for evaluating research. British Medical Journal 314:498-502.
Shea, W. R. and B. Sitter (eds.). 1989. Scientists and Their Responsibility. Watson Publishing International. Canton, MA.
Silver, S. 2006. Gaming the impact factor. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 4(6):283.
Smith, M. F., V. T. Eviner, K. C. Weathers, M. Uriarte, H. A. Ewing, J. M. Jeschke, P. Groffman and C. G. Jones. 2005. Creating individual awareness about responsible conduct in research: A case study of one institution's approach for researchers and administrators. J. Res. Admin. 36(1):21-25. link
Steneck, Nicholas H. 2003. ORI Introduction to the Responsible Conduct of Research. (Office of Research Integrity)
Stokstad, Erik. 2007. ORNITHOLOGY: Gambling on a Ghost Bird. Science 317:888-892[2]
Trevors, J. T. and M. H. Saier, Jr. 2008. Corruption and fraud in science. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution 189:1-3.
University of Zurich. 2001. Mission statement. Authorised by the Extended Executive Board of the University of Zurich on 16th January 2001. (Includes brief statement on ethical responsibility). Accessed 22 October 2008. [3]
Waltz, E. 2009. Battlefield. Nature 461:27-32.
Warner, J. S., G. M. Lovett and J. Cadwallader. 1991. Scientists and journalists: A primer for scientists who talk to reporters. Bull. Ecol. Soc. Amer. 72(2):116-118.
Weissberger, E. 2008. The ethics forum: the ethics of environmental manipulations. Limnol. Oceanogr. Bulletin 17(4):103-104.
Young, J. R. 2001. The cat-and-mouse game of plagiarism detection. Chronicle of Higher Education, July 6, 2001. A16. link
Ziman, J. 2000. Are debatable scientific questions debatable? Social Epistemology 14(2-3):187-199.


text:
threegivers needed a new stationery design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 13 designs submitted by 9 freelance designers.
Seeking Logo/business card design for a professional financial service company offering their clients creative avenues to financial freedom .
Uinline Inc.
Seeking a logo and business card design . Uinline Inc. is a company that has been established to offer services in the financial arena. Our services create avenues for our clients that will change their lives providing economic freedom one step at a time. Also with the ability to give entreprenuer's insight to run their own businesses .
The design should be Professional and unique looking that people take notice . Also it should be something that can easily fit into my website currently being designed. I would like to see more entries with orange /burgundy/gray . The color schemes I'm looking for are on this site exactly http://www.xango.com .
Accepted file formats: Adobe photoshop, illustrator or idesign plus PDF version all files should be print ready .
- Item 1...


text:
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Eli Lilly & Co may have a $15 billion wild card up its sleeve as it waits for desperately needed new drugs to bear fruit.
Should an obscure patent on Lilly lung cancer drug Alimta survive a court challenge this year, the company would be able to wring more than five additional years of peak sales out of the fast-growing product that it would otherwise lose to cheaper generics.
Annual sales of Alimta are expected by Wall Street to climb to $3.5 billion by 2016, when its basic patent lapses. Once faced with generic competition, branded drugs typically lose more than 80 percent of sales within a year.
While the likelihood of a Lilly victory is not a widely held view, a growing number of patent attorneys and industry analysts believe the particular patent being challenged will pass legal muster.
Alimta may keep its marketing exclusivity until 2022, thanks to protection from a separate so-called method-of-use patent on the way the drug is administered that many investors and Wall Street watchers are not aware of or have failed to appreciate.
Historically, method-of-use patents have had a much tougher time holding up in court than basic chemical patents on medicines. They are often viewed as manipulative, blatant efforts to extend the sales life of products.
But this one could be different because of specific safety language in the Alimta label that could provide a road block to cheaper generics.
The so-called '209 patent covers the administration of two nutrients - folic acid and vitamin B12 - to patients before they receive Alimta, to protect against toxic side effects of the cancer drug. Alimta's approved label instructs doctors to administer the nutrients prior to and during use of the medicine.
"For a generic to win approval, it usually has to copy the branded drug's label," said patent attorney Ben Hsing, a partner in the law firm of Kaye Scholer in New York.
Generics could have a hard time doing so because Lilly has a separate patent on the pre-administration of the nutrients, said Hsing, who last year successfully defended Roche Holding AG's Tarceva lung cancer drug from patent challenges by generic drugmaker Mylan Inc. "So I think generics would have a tough time" prevailing.
If generic versions of Alimta cannot mention use of the nutrients in their own labels, they could be compromising patient safety, which is not likely to sit well with health regulators that must approve any generic, according to patent attorneys.
Lilly, whose attorneys declined to comment for this story, is expected to counter legal arguments that use of folic acid and vitamin B12 is "obvious" and therefore not patentable by arguing that its researchers discovered the protective effects of the nutrients with respect to Alimta specifically.
Gary Frischling, a Los Angeles-based patent attorney for Irell & Manella, agreed that the language in Alimta's label could keep cheap generics at bay until 2022.
"This seems to be a case in which research done on how to safely use this particular drug has turned out to be very economically important," said Frischling, who has represented Elan Corp and other drugmakers.
Lilly badly needs new medicines to replace ones that have already lost patent protection or will in the next two years.
In October 2011, the company began facing one of the worst patent cliffs in industry history when its biggest drug, Zyprexa for schizophrenia, began facing generics. Sales of the former $4.5 billion-a-year drug have plunged by two-thirds.
The pain worsens in December of 2013, when Lilly's current top seller, the $5 billion-a-year anti-depressant Cymbalta, goes generic, and after cheap versions of its $1 billion Evista osteoporosis drug arrive in early 2014.
Blockbuster Alimta sales well into 2022 could go a long way toward easing some of that pain, while other new medicines work their way toward approvals.
Generic drugmakers Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd and APP Pharmaceuticals LLC have challenged the validity of the '209 patent, and will battle Lilly this summer in federal court in the drugmaker's hometown of Indianapolis.
The U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington last August upheld the validity of the patent on the drug's chemical structure, protecting it from generics through late 2016.
If the method of use patent also holds up in court, Alimta would then be protected from 2017 to 2022, according to Seamus Fernandez, an analyst with Leerink Swann, who received a four-star rating from StarMine for his predictions about Lilly over the previous two years.
His "outperform" rating on Lilly is based partly on that expectation, even though the general consensus on Wall Street is to the contrary.
"We see a real opportunity here," said Fernandez, who estimated Lilly's earnings per share would get more than a 25 percent lift in 2017, 2018 and 2019 if the patent is upheld.
"It would provide a pretty nice runway to launch products and get them to market," said Fernandez. He cited Lilly treatments for Alzheimer's disease, arthritis, psoriasis, diabetes and cancer now in late-stage studies.
Michael Liss, portfolio manager at American Century Investments, said Lilly's profits and share price could expand significantly if only a few good-selling drugs are introduced during the next few years.
Sanford Bernstein's Tim Anderson also has an "outperform" rating on Lilly, based largely on confidence the method of use patent will prevail in court. Anderson also received a four-star out of five StarMine professional rating for his analysis of Lilly.
The company has taken a conservative stance, not stressing the possibility of a patent victory. Lilly Chief Financial Officer Derica Rice has said an extension of Alimta's patent would be an "upside" for Lilly.
Attorneys for Lilly declined to comment on the case. A Teva spokeswoman also declined to comment.
To be sure, keeping Alimta patent protection beyond 2016 is no lock. Based on historical precedence, Morningstar analyst Damien Conover offered little hope the patent will pass muster with the federal court. "Most people expect the patent to fail," Conover said. "Method-of-use patents tend to be particularly weak."
But most people may be underestimating the protective differences of this particular patent, according to legal experts.
Patricia Carson, a patent lawyer with the firm of Kirkland & Ellis in New York, said pre-administration of folic acid and vitamin B12 appears to be "specific to Alimta" and not a procedure common with other drugs.
"In development (of Alimta), they came up with this type of method," she said.
Even so, Carson said Lilly may have to convince the court the method would not have been obvious to the ordinary researcher.
Should the Alimta patent prevail, Conover said it would significantly bolster Lilly's attractiveness and profits beginning in 2017. It also would help Lilly cope with a second patent cliff that would begin that year, as its Cialis impotence treatment and Effient blood clot drug begin facing generics. The drugs now have annual sales of $2 billion and $450 million, respectively.
Lilly's fourth-quarter results, due later this month, are expected to show earnings tumbled about 24 percent in 2012. The company expects to begin rebounding from its patent cliff in 2015.
Cowen and Co analyst Steve Scala, called the patent case a "wildcard opportunity" for Lilly.
Lilly shares rose 19 percent in 2012, compared with a 10 percent gain for the ARCA Pharmaceutical Index of large U.S. and European drugmakers, suggesting confidence in an eventual turnaround for Lilly.
"If the court upholds the Alimta patent," Scala said, "Lilly will bounce back a lot more quickly."
Additional reporting by Bill Berkrot; Editing by Jilian Mincer, Ed Tobin and Richard Chang


text:
I bought about 7 items from the MAC To The Beach collection because it looks so damn cute – overall I am disappointed with most of it – the cream bronzer, the lip stick (beach bound – doesn't look like ANYTHING on me) etc. I do like the eye kohls and the lip gloss.
This lipliner from the collection is called Temperature Rising. God knows why, but I thought it would be a chubby lip liner, perhaps with a slightly glossy edge:
Its actually just a pretty average textured bright orange lip liner. Pencilled all over my lips, it looks like a very bright, vivid orange. With some gloss on top I think this could work – otherwise, its just too dry:
Its ok – I can live without it though – its not quite the juicy coral I thought it would be.


text:
We live within 1km to Esther Starkman school in the SW, but our catchment school is Brookside (public), nearly 5km away..
Even George H Luck is closer, in Brookview.. The other thought is to apply for the Mandarin program at Parkallen, which is even further.
Can anyone offer some input as what our chances are like if we apply for a school that's not within our catchment zone, but one that's more convenient for our kids? She's only 1 at the moment, but never hurts to plan early.


text: From 1774 to 1789, the Continental Congress served as the government of the 13 American colonies and later the United States. The First Continental Congress, which was comprised of delegates from the colonies, met in 1774 in reaction to the Coercive Acts, a series of measures imposed by the British government on the colonies in response to their resistance to new taxes. In 1775, the Second Continental Congress convened after the American Revolutionary War (1775-83) had already begun. In 1776, it took the momentous step of declaring America's independence from Britain. Five years later, the Congress ratified the first national constitution, the Articles of Confederation, under which the country would be governed until 1789, when it was replaced by the current U.S. Constitution.


text:
SMB necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 85 diseños de 21 diseñadores freelance.
"Clockwork Bemanning" is a new start up in the Staffing industry in Norway. We provide other companies within the oil/gas industry, construction and buidling, and general industry with temps. We take proud in beeing a serious player, caring about our employes, and delivering higly skillled professionals to our clients. Our web site is still not up and running, so there is no additional information to be found on the web.
Oil and Gas Industry
Building and Construction Companies
General Industry
CEO´s, Human Resource Managers, General Managers
Scandinavian design may differ a little bit from the US preferences. Here in the northwest of Europe we tend to prefer the "less is more" approach when it comes to design.
The official company name is "Clockwork Bemanning" (Bemanning means Staffing). We would like a logo containing only the brandname "Clockwork", but you should also consider to make an alternativ including "Bemanning" - maybee in a smaller font beneath the main brand name or similar.
Colurs: I (the CEO) would prefer orange, or maybe red (cherry) The logo should be possible to "invert" as shown on the enclosed scetches.
Logo symbol: something releated to the clockwork (inside a mechanical clock) - gives assosiations to high quality, beeing precise, on time (on budget), going on without stopping etc, and also to the fact that we provide "work on hours"
Enclosed you willfind some "first scetches" - I like the "direction" but I am far from happy with this - maybee you could use this as a starting point, as a point of inspiration ?
Consider my inputs as guidelines, not as absolute requirements. The most important "requirement" is "less is more" - overwhelming very detailed "american way" designs will not win :-)
Best Luck
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


text:
As an adult, I really never look forward to the mail. Mail, as an adult, usually consists of bills or advertisements that I really don't care about.
I could create a real-life-sized home out of the countless catalogs my wife has somehow accrued over the years. It seems like two or three arrive daily.
To be honest, the only thing I look forward to in the mail nowadays is the arrival of my Netflix movies. In fact, I anticipate getting them so much that I even wish Netflix wouldn't send me an e-mail notifying me of their shipment, so I could be genuinely surprised like when I was a kid.
Ah, the simpler times … when I used to look forward to getting kid mail. There was no Internet or Amazon then, and if you ordered something, you often had to wait four to six weeks to receive it. There were catalog offers and advertisements in the back of comic books and, yes, I ordered sea monkeys and X-Ray glasses.
Sadly, but not surprisingly, after waiting nearly a month, I didn't have sea creatures roaming and creating a race of sea people in my fish tank. Nor was I able to see through walls, or see what women were wearing under their clothing. I mean, if they really were X-Ray glasses, as advertised, would I not see their bones instead of the bare essentials of the poorly sketched women's undergarments at a dinner party?
False advertisement, 100%! I think a pre-adolescent Tommy Dreamer would go to Congress on that political stance.
However, my world was made right again, monthly, when I would receive my wrestling magazines. I was a subscriber to The Wrestler, Inside Wrestling and Pro Wrestling Illustrated. I have every issue between 1980 and 1991. After 1991, I only purchased them if my name was in it, and eventually only if my picture was in it. But when I was a kid, I was super excited to see that brown envelope. I would read them cover to cover, maybe 10 times over. Yes, I was obsessed.
My favourite edition each year was the annual Pro Wrestling Illustrated year-end awards issue. I would love reading which wrestlers myself and the other fans voted for as wrestler of the year, rookie of the year, most hated, tag team and so on and so on. I would make my picks months earlier and mail in my results, which I later came to learn had no bearing on the results whatsoever.
Now, more than 31 years later, I can right that wrong by presenting my own awards.
I won't go into great depth and detail in each category; rather I'll go on the criteria of what the basis is if the awards were actually legitimate. Which wrestlers made wrestling topical … who ignited conversations (or aguments) via social media — what we used to call "water cooler stories" the next day … who earned the most money for the industry. This really helps break down most of the arguments because, bottom line, it is the financial aspect that makes companies continue to be able to present wrestling shows on a weekly basis.
So, without further adieu, Tommy Dreamer's 2012 Wrestling Awards:
Match of the year
The Undertaker vs. Triple H, WrestleMania 28. This had everyone talking for months after 'Mania was over. It was a show-stealing match that told an amazing story, had passion, emotion, and brutality, which is what every wrestling match should have.
Woman of the year
AJ. Sadly with the decline of women's wrestling, this category may not be around in five more years. I am a huge fan of the ladies and their in-ring work, but they are getting less and less on-air time on the main stage. However, AJ has everyone talking and was a major fixture and helped further many WWE storylines.
Inspirational wrestler of the year
Jerry Lawler. The man literally died while doing what he loves to do. The world collectively prayed for The King following his near-fatal heart attack during a live Monday Night Raw broadcast from Montreal. I watched Raw with tears in my eyes, trying to get news on his condition as the events unfolded. He came back from death. Long live The King.
Tag team of the year
Team Hell No. This team gets an ovation from the moment they walk through the curtain. Daniel Bryan has gotten more response from his "YES" chant than Stone Cold Steve Austin did with his "WHAT?" schtick. Kane continues to up his game. He has been on top of this business for a long time and I hope he never stops.
Most improved isn't a real category. It is based upon who is getting an opportunity to perform on a more top-tier level. So many talents deserve this opportunity and hopefully 2013 gets them that chance.
Rookie of the year
Ryback. Yes, he has been wrestling for a long time. Most people forget he was in The Nexus as Skip Shefield, but the Ryback character debuted in 2012. He was elevated to main-event status and has many people talking. He is the only rookie selling merchandise, creating a buzz and to have people buying tickets to see him.
Comeback of the year
The Rock. Simply put, his match with John Cena drew the largest attendance of any wrestling event this year. It also wins feud of the year.
Most popular, most hated and the coveted wrestler of the year produced a three-way tie.
Every wrestling fan, wrestler and anyone associated with the business owes a great deal of thanks, praise and the utmost respect to three men in 2012: John Cena, CM Punk and The Rock. I am sure the arguments will be heated after reading this, but these three men have made the business profitable and created more mainstream press for wrestling than anyone else.
The Rock: sure, he doesn't work a full-time schedule, but his box office draw doesn't seem to matter. He gets TV ratings, pay-per-view buys and entertains like no other. Yes, he is a big Hollywood actor. He has an insane schedule. He competes in the ring when he doesn't have to. I mean, what if he got cut or injured? His acting career could take a big hit. When he returns, everyone talks about it and awaits his next match.
CM Punk: He went from beloved to hated in the same year. He continues to work an insane schedule and has really good in-ring matches with any and all types. Punk's promos continuously sent shockwaves through the wrestling community. Whether you love him or hate him, people pay to see him and listen to him. He has held the WWE title for more than a year, which is a big deal in the modern era and, rightfully so, as he carries the title like a champion should.
John Cena: John has been carrying the WWE on his shoulders for quite a few years now. He will be the first to tell you he isn't the greatest technical wrestler, but yet he still has some of the better main-event matches night in and night out.
Cena continues to say boo or cheer him, but he will continue to be himself. He is a merchandise machine, kids love him and he does so much for charity. I swear he has coffee in his veins, not blood. He works hurt, trains hard and delivers all the time. His motto, "Hustle Loyalty and Respect", is so deserving. I have been in the wrestling business for a long time. I have nothing but the deepest respect for all three of these guys. They fuel the business and without them, there wouldn't have been a business in 2012.
Happy new year.
Thanks for reading.
Tommy Dreamer is a legendary and influential pro wrestler and a father and husband who has worked for World Wrestling Entertainment, Extreme Championship Wrestling and Total Nonstop Action. His column appears in the Kingston Whig-Standard and on SLAM! Wrestling. Follow him on Twitter @THETOMMYDREAMER and check out his website at thetommydreamer.com. He can be booked for live appearances through his website. Check out his new, custom-designed T-shirts and merchandise on his website as well.


text:
AJJCornhole 107-USA-Shooting-Star USA Shooting Stars Theme Cornhole Set with Bags - 8 x 24 x 48 in.
By AJJCornhole
Sold and shipped by
Oh no! The item you are looking at is out of stock online.
Enter your email address and we'll notify you if the item comes back in stock in the next 30 days.
Please select a specific item above, including all attributes such as size and colour.
The service is currently unavailable. Please try back again later.
|Where can you get it?
|When can you get it?
|How much does it cost?
from your location
|How can you get it?
|When can you get it?
|How much does it cost?
|Where can you get it?
|Is it available?
|What is the price in-store?
Description & Features+
AJJCornhole manufactures high quality cornhole board and cornhole bag sets. Our boards are made to be durable, inexpensive, and creative. We offer a wide range of cornhole sets and accessories that are creative as well as add value.Features. USA Shooting Star Cornhole Set comes with 4 red and 4 royal blue cornhole bags. Set measures 4 feet long by 2 feet wide. Ready to play right out of the box. USA Shooting Star design is printed vinyl and finished with a clear coat of polyurethane to protect your boards for years of cornhole!Specifications. Dimension: 8'' H x 24'' W x 48'' L. Weight: 65 lbs- SKU: AJCNL189
Featured Products
Featured Products
Return Policy+
If you buy something online but it's not everything you dreamed it to be, no worries! We're here for you.
You can return this item within 90 days from the day you receive your online order.
There are two easy ways to return this item:
- Return this item to a Walmart store
- Return this item by mail
From the Manufacturer +
Sponsored Products


text:
I rather watch the new ghost busters on repeat than watch this garbage movie again. Would also suggest to go back to acting school.
Amazing (((director))), propaganda at its finest.
The Germans are good at this kind of movie. It has no story and no point, except it's about "Kurdish husband Nuri (Numan Acar), a former drug dealer who she married while he was in prison... " I mean, what's not to like here? Thank you Germany.... (p.s. this is a really, really bad movie)
Interesting premise ruined by predictable cliches and stereotypes. Also, Diane Kruger could use a few acting lessons.
Front Row Centre |
Winnipeg Movies |
Edmonton Movie Guide |
Enprimeur |
Cine Entreprise |
US Showtimes |
Restaurant Guide
Coming Soon -
What's Playing -
Movies by Theatre -
Showtimes powered by Tribute.ca | © 2000-2011 FilmCan


text:
History of Debate at UH
SDP's Rich History & Bright Future
The newly formed Speech and Debate Program revives a longstanding tradition of debate at the University of Houston. Active intercollegiate competition began in 1949, and the team's history includes a number of highlights:
- Participation at 22 National Debate Tournaments, the premiere collegiate competition;
- Numerous prizes for Top Individual Speaker at the National Debate Tournament, including the first female to win ('57, Patricia Stallings);
- Distinguished alumni who have gone on to become regional and national policymakers, including CEOs, judges on the Texas Supreme Court, political candidates, and partners at top law firms; and
- Among the largest and most dynamic cities in the United States, Houston provides many opportunities for community engagement and serious consideration of complex public issues.
In 2014, UH's Forensics Society and The Honors College's Policy Debate team joined forces to create SDP. The new program will continue the debate success of both debate and individual events, while allowing students to participate in a variety of debate competitions and engage with the city of Houston's debate community.


text:
Production of the Mustang started in Dearborn, Michigan on March 9, 1964 and the vehicle was presented to the general public on April 17, 1964 at the New York World's Fair. It is Ford's third oldest nameplate presently in production. Initial sales forecasts predicted less than 100,000 devices for the very first year. This mark was gone beyond in 3 months from rollout. Another 318,000 would be offered throughout the model year (a record), and in its very first eighteen months, more than one million Mustangs were developed. Looking for Mustangs for sale in Cairo MO is easy now. Just use the internet to search for them near you.
Classic Mustangs For Sale
All these were VIN-identified as 1965 models, however a number of modifications were made at the traditional opening of the new design year (beginning August 1964), including the addition of back-up lights on some models, the introduction of generators to replace generators, and an upgrade of the V8 engine from 260 cu into 289 cu in. In the case of a minimum of some six-cylinder Mustangs fitted with the 101 hp 170 cu in Falcon engine, the rush into production consisted of some unusual peculiarities, such as a horn ring bearing the 'Ford Falcon' logo design below a trim ring emblazoned with 'Ford Mustang.' These qualities made enough distinction to warrant classification of the 121,538 earlier ones as "1964 1/2" model-year Mustangs, a difference that has endured with perfectionists. Buy Classic Mustangs in Cairo MO and live the muscle car dream.
The 1973 OPEC oil embargo brought with it more rigid contamination laws and the desire for fuel-efficiency. This was likewise the very first time in automobile history that the Big 3 were having to take on imports. The new Mustang II was smaller than the first version but, due to the extra equipment needed to meet new United States emission and safety regulations, was heavier than the first model. Efficiency was lowered and in the first year only 385,993 cars were offered. 2nd generation Mustangs were readily available between 1974 and 1978 and available in a coupe and hatchback version. 1979 the Mustang was upgraded a third time. This time it was based upon the larger Fox platform and the interior was truly big enough for four individuals. The trunk was bigger therefore was the engine bay. The body styles readily available consisted of a coupe, hatchback and in 1983 a convertible. In 1979 the Third generation Mustang worked as an Indianapolis 500 rate vehicle and Ford constructed 10,478 commemorative replicas. The third generation Mustangs were produced from 1979 to 1982. Now has never been a better time to buy the Ford Mustang Of Your Dreams in Cairo MO with special collector financing available.
Fourth generation design was readily available from 1994 to 2004. 1994 Brought about the very first significant redesign for the Mustang in 15 years. Patrick Schiavone included numerous styling from earlier Mustangs. The base design featured a 3.8 OHV V6 engine from 1994 to 1998, and was mated to a standard 5-speed manual transmission or optional 4-speed automatic.


text:
Operations at a remote cellular telephone relaying facility came to an abrupt halt one afternoon in 1992 when a 12V lead-acid automotive battery used to start and run a 50kW emergency engine-generator set (gen-set) exploded and emitted damaging acid fumes throughout the building. The gen-set served the facility's electronic equipment, HVAC, and lighting loads, and was located in a separate room from the telephone electronic equipment, along with a 200A automatic transfer switch that included the starting battery float charger. Photo 1 shows the battery with its clearly expanded-from-inside-outward sides, missing ends, and missing plate inspection covers over the four plate groups.
The owner/operator of the cellular telephone facility filed suit against the manufacturer of the emergency gen-set and maintenance company, claiming, among other things, that the gen-set battery charger and regulator were improperly designed, manufactured, and maintained. The plaintiffs alleged their equipment and facility suffered more than $600,000 in damages.
The evidence. The owners of the facility began investigating the incident immediately after it happened, but it wasn't until four years later that the insurer for the gen-set manufacturer hired me to conduct a separate investigation. The scene of the accident had long since been repaired, but significant evidence taken at the point of origin for the explosion and acid expulsion had been retained for examination. In addition, a remote cellular telephone relaying facility that was configured in a similar fashion to the incident site was made available for my inspection in 1996.
A visual examination of this similar site revealed first that the facility was improperly ventilated. Air was able to move freely between the electronic equipment room and the generator room where the lead-acid starting battery had been stored. Each of these rooms should have had its own ventilation system, and at a minimum, the air in the facility shouldn't have been permitted to recirculate. This facility design allowed the acid fumes that were released in the explosion to reach the electronic equipment room, thereby increasing the severity of the damage.
When I picked up the case, the original battery and its charger and regulator were still available for me to examine and test. An examination of the regulator's charge rates, electrical tests of the subject charger, and measurements of the specific gravity during charging all indicated that the regulator was continuously overcharging a fully charged battery. A second test with a new regulator showed the charger to perform properly as a "oat" type charger.
An investigation of the service records for the subject gen-set disclosed that approximately 10 weeks before the explosion, a field service technician who worked for the gen-set manufacturer's local distributor performed a scheduled semi-annual maintenance during which he found and replaced a dead battery and set the adjustable voltage regulator to what he thought was its lowest setting. Photo 2 shows the charger, regulator, and adjustable potentiometer. In his deposition, the service technician described the lowest setting as being a fully counterclockwise setting of the adjusting potentiometer. The manufacturer's specifications, however, state that the potentiometer is rotated counterclockwise to increase the oat voltage and clockwise to decrease the oat voltage.
Next I conducted a third laboratory test with the subject charger and regulator, but with the regulator adjusted following the manufacturer's specifications. This test confirmed that a properly adjusted regulator caused the charger to perform correctly as a oat type charger.
Normally a properly operating oat charger for this application delivers 100mA and maintains a battery open-circuit terminal voltage of 13.3V. The subject charger as adjusted by the field technician was delivering 1.4A to 1.6A into a partially discharged (12.04V) battery and stabilizing the battery open-circuit terminal voltage at 14.4V. From the service records I also discovered that an automatic weekly test was programmed to start the gen-set, run it for 10 minutes, and then shut it down.
I also determined that the electrolyte level in the battery was being checked semi-annually. The manufacturer's recommended interval for electrolyte monitoring was monthly, in accordance with NFPA 110, "Standard for Emergency and Standby Power Systems," 1996 Ed., Table A-6.3.1 (a), which suggests that the electrolyte level, specific gravity or state of charge, and charger and charge rate should be scheduled for monthly maintenance.
In addition, IEEE Std. 446-1987, the Orange Book, "Recommended Practice for Emergency and Standby Power Systems for Industrial and Commercial Applications," 8.6.4, Typical Maintenance Schedules, are as follows:
Daily — Check bus voltage, pilot cell hydrometer, and charge or discharge current.
Monthly — Check cell level and filter cap vent holes for plugs, inspect electrode plates for color, particles, damage, or swelling, inspect bottom of cell for residue, and inspect exterior of charger cabinet for signs of water entry.
Quarterly — Perform equalizing charge, and after completion take hydrometer readings of all cells; read and record cell voltages 10 to 20 minutes after starting equalizing charge; clean off cell tops with soda solution; check condition of cell terminations and straps, and check torque on connection bolts.
However, the maintenance schedule and work practices at this telephone facility didn't follow these suggestions or recommendations. In fact, the owner opted to reduce the maintenance schedule significantly in order to cut costs.
The ruling. My investigation revealed that the high continuous charging level set by the field technician, the frequent (weekly) exercising of the engine (starting), and the lack of regular monthly monitoring of the electrolyte level caused a boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion (BLEVE) condition. Such a condition can result from the superheating of the liquid electrolyte in the battery case to the point where it suddenly flashes into vapor or steam with an attendant large increase in volume; in the case of water, this increase is approximately 1,500 times. This large volumetric increase within the battery can produce forces that cause the case to explode. Several of the experts in this case postulated that a low electrolyte level in the battery would be further diminished during a heavy current discharge of engine starting and that the battery "BLEVEd" during such an operation, causing the explosion.
Each repetitive starting of the engine produced current heating of the battery plates and electrolyte. On discharge, both the peroxide (PbO2) on the positive plate and the "sponge" lead on the negative plate are quantitatively converted into PbSO4, which increases plate heating during current flow. This was followed by a short (one-week) period of relatively high current recharging that would have accelerated the loss of electrolyte from the battery case. As the cells approached full charge, they couldn't absorb all the energy from the charging current. The excess energy would have electrolyzed the water into free hydrogen and oxygen liberated from the cells as gases and decreased the water level of the cells. The BLEVE occurred when this combination of events overheated the diminished electrolyte level in the closed battery case and caused the liquid electrolyte to boil and expand catastrophically.
In the end, I concluded that the accident wasn't caused by the design or manufacture of the battery charger and regulator, but rather by the field maintenance — or lack thereof — of the battery charging system and battery. Developing this maintenance program was the joint responsibility of the gen-set manufacturer and the owner of the facility who was paying the bill for this service. The facility was located more than an hour from the distributor's office, making it impractical to perform daily inspections, but weekly inspections would have been feasible.
Because the facility owner went against manufacturer and IEEE recommendations for maintenance scheduling, the jury reached a defendant's verdict in favor of the gen-set manufacturer, who was awarded $7,500 in costs from the facility owner. However, the service company was ordered to pay the facility owner damages and costs totaling $140,000 due to the technician incorrectly setting the voltage regulator dial. Regardless of who was at fault, though, the case demonstrates the importance of regular, proper maintenance and what can happen when it's ignored.
Nabours is president of RENCEE (Robert E. Nabours Consulting Electrical Engineers) in Tucson, Ariz.


text: from THE WRAP UP SHOW on 1.16.13 topic was discussing Gary not having the respect of the office staff Gary: "I think also, and we can all agree without getting too into it… it's pretty tense in the office lately, and I think that that is what is pushing things… things that were smaller are now bigger today. Jason: "And you if you want to take it further, I'll take it a little further, and I'm being honest, and I've had this conversation with you off the air, but you want the respect and command of an office… and you have mine. You have it. But it's hard when you are here 3 days a week… Gary: "Yeah that's not a discussion for the air." Jason: "OK" John Hein: "OK so let's take a break…"


text:
White Orchid Grey Square Bridal Shower Invitations
Item# 23558
These bridal shower invitations feature a string of bold white and orange flowers going across the top on a grey background that really lets your information pop. Lots of room for your shower details with the bride-to-be's name in orange. Perfect for any spring time bridal shower or wedding.
Card Size: 5.75" x 5.75" (as shown image)
Paper thickness: 110 lb. premium quality 100% post-consumer recycled paper matte feel white finish card stock. FSC Certified eco-friendly paper, made in USA.
You have the chance to review digital E-Proof image of your text, in your choosen font, laid out on your selected card for your approval prior to submitting your order.
Digital printing press delivers high resolution digital images that rivals the 4 color offset printing press that is used on traditional mass-produced stationery.
Digital print output quality is outstanding, with an emphasis on rich, vibrant color and unsurpassed detail with crisp, clean text.
This means you get the best print quality for graphics, text and photographs. With this exclusive design, we offer premium quality print output since this order is always printed on-demand.
The use of a laser printer is not recommended due to the heat process involved, which tends to interfere and distort the image of your customized finish digital print-out.| Inkjet Printable: No (?)
Traditional inkjet printer may have difficulties to properly self-feed and tends to smear the ink due to heavy card stock involved.


text:
The Midwest Region includes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin. Find a location near you
Endangered Species Program
Conserving and restoring threatened and endangered species and their ecosystems
Grotto Sculpin (Cottus specus)
The grotto sculpin is a small fish found mostly in cave streams. Its entire range is within Perry County, Missouri, in an area with thousands of sinkholes and over 700 caves (collectively called a "karst system"). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has listed the grotto sculpin as endangered. Contamination of cave streams where the grotto sculpin lives is the primary reason that this fish could become extinct.
Recovering Aquatic Life In Missouri (Sept. 16, 2013) - - Grotto sculpin is a featured species in this article.
Sept. 25, 2013: Grotto Sculpin Listed as Endangered
News Release (Sept. 25, 2013): U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Lists the Grotto Sculpin as Endangered
Federal Register Final Rule: Determination of Endangered Species Status for the Grotto Sculpin (Cottus specus) Throughout Its Range (18-page PDF )
Federal Register Final Rule: Designation of Critical Habitat for the Grotto Sculpin (16-page PDF ) - - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service excluded all areas that were proposed as critical habitat for the grotto sculpin.
Questions and Answers about Listing the Grotto Sculpin as Endangered
Cottus specus, a new troglomorphic species of sculpin (Cottidae) from southeastern Missouri. A technical paper that officially names the species. (11-page PDF; 1 MB )
Proposal to List Grotto Sculpin as Endangered and Designate Critical Habitat
The decision to list the grotto sculpin as endangered was finalized on Sept. 25, 2013. Below are links to Federal Register publications and accompanying documents for the proposed rules.
May 7, 2013: Comment Period Re-opened; Draft Economic Analysis on Critical Habitat Available
We reopened the comment period on our proposal to list the grotto sculpin as endangered and designate critical habitat to provide for further input on the initial proposal, on a newly-released draft economic analysis of the proposed critical habitat designation and on a conservation plan prepared by the Perry County Community Economic and Environment Committeethat to address threats identified for the species.
September 2012: Grotto Sculpin Proposed as Endangered with Critical Habitat
Midwest Endangered Species Home
Last updated: October 10, 2018


text:
Through a new relationship between EasCorp and Trust for Credit Unions, 275 credit unions will have access to three new investment portfolios.
Trust for Credit Unions said it will offer several options to EasCorp including its Money Market Portfolio for overnight or short-term investment needs, an Ultra-Short Duration Portfolio designed to target a duration of nine months, and a Short Duration Portfolio designed to target a duration of approximately two years.
Callahan Financial Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of Callahan & Associates in Washington, distributes the TCU mutual funds. Goldman Sachs & Co. is the adviser of the funds.
EasCorp, a corporate credit union in Burlington, Mass., said it now serves 275 credit unions.