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Beloved Bear That Recovered From Massive Wildfire Burns Found Shot Dead
Cinder, an orphaned bear cub that was severely burned but had remarkably survived after one of the worst recorded wildfires in Washington state history was found dead, wildlife officials recently confirmed to news outlets.
She was likely shot and killed in October 2017 by a hunter, according to the Methow Valley News and a Facebook post by the Idaho Black Bear Rehab, where the famous black bear was treated.
The young bear was originally found under a horse trailer two weeks after the 2014 Carlton Complex Fire devastated Methow Valley. Cinder weighed only 34 pounds and was suffering from third-degree burns on all four paws. The burns were so severe she had to crawl on her elbows to get around.
After nearly a year of treatment at centers in California and Idaho and getting up to 124 pounds, she was set free in the mountains north of Leavenworth, Washington.
Cinder was collared with a tracking device but it stopped transmitting in October 2017, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife bear and cougar specialist Rich Beausoleil explained to Methow Valley News. The wildlife team thought the collar stopped working because Cinder was denning during the winter. A team set out to find Cinder's den this September, but instead they found her remains not far from her release location. She was about 5 years old.
"Unfortunately, instead of finding a den, we found Cinder's skeletal remains. It appears that she was killed in October 2017 by a hunter, who cut the collar, rendering it inoperable, and left it at the site," Beausoleil told the publication.
Beausoleil told CBS News that Cinder's story was an inspiration for Washington residents who suffered from the massive fire.
"She inspired them to rebuild and move on from the devastating Carlton Complex Fire," he said. "I'll always remember someone saying, 'If Cinder can do it, then we can do it.' That inspired me too."
Her story is the subject of a children's e-book called "Cinder the Bear: A True Story of Rescue, Recovery, Rehabilitation and Return."
The Idaho Black Bear Rehab's founder and president Sally Maughan also paid tribute to the famous bear.
"We will remember Cinder for the gentle, calm bear she was and for the pain and suffering and inspiration she became to so many humans," Maughan wrote. "She touched our hearts, filled our souls with compassion and the undeniable desire to help her heal. She did heal, bringing us humans along with her—those who suffer in fire and lose so much. Our tribute to Cinder is to never forget her, to thank her for showing us how to heal in the worst of times, and for her courage and fight to survive to live free again."
Cinder was released in June 2015 with a cub named Kaulana, who was also injured by wildfires. Sadly, the young male cub was also found killed by a hunter in 2015.
EcoWatch Daily Newsletter
As Biden Embraces More Ambitious Climate Plan, Fossil Fuel Execs Donate to Trump 'With Greater Zeal' Than in 2016
By Jake Johnson
With presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden's climate platform becoming increasingly ambitious thanks to nonstop grassroots pressure, fossil fuel executives and lobbyists are pouring money into the coffers of President Donald Trump's reelection campaign in the hopes of keeping an outspoken and dedicated ally of dirty energy in the White House.
- Biden Vows to Ax Keystone XL if Elected - EcoWatch ›
- Oxford Endowment Ditches Fossil Fuels in 'Historic' Decision ... ›
The FDA Now Warns Against Using More Than 100 Hand Sanitizers
Antonio_Diaz / Getty Images
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is now warning against more than 100 potentially dangerous hand sanitizers.
- What to Do if There's a Disinfectant Shortage in Your Area - EcoWatch ›
- FDA Expands List of Potentially Deadly Hand Sanitizers - EcoWatch ›
- FDA Recalls Dozens of Toxic Hand Sanitizers - EcoWatch ›
Cuomo Blasts Trump's COVID-19 Response as 'Worst Government Blunder in Modern History'
While the nation overall struggles with rising COVID cases, New York State is seeing the opposite. After peaking in March and April and implementing strict shutdowns of businesses, the state has seen its number of positive cases steadily decline as it slowly reopens. From coast-to-coast, Governor Andrew Cuomo's response to the crisis has been hailed as an exemplar of how to handle a public health crisis.
By Gavin Naylor
Sharks elicit outsized fear, even though the risk of a shark bite is infinitesimally small. As a marine biologist and director of the Florida Program for Shark Research, I oversee the International Shark Attack File – a global record of reported shark bites that has been maintained continuously since 1958.
A Big, Diverse Family
Not all sharks are the same. Only a dozen or so of the roughly 520 shark species pose any risk to people. Even the three species that account for almost all shark bite fatalities – the white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) and bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas) – are behaviorally and evolutionarily very different from one another.

The tiger shark and bull shark are genetically as different from each other as a dog is from a rabbit. And both of these species are about as different from a white shark as a dog is from a kangaroo. The evolutionary lineages leading to the two groups split 170 million years ago, during the age of dinosaurs and before the origin of birds, and 110 million years before the origin of primates.

White, tiger and bull sharks are distinct species that diverged genetically tens of millions of years ago. Gavin Naylor / CC BY-ND
Yet many people assume all sharks are alike and equally likely to bite humans. Consider the term "shark attack," which is scientifically equivalent to "mammal attack." Nobody would equate dog bites with hamster bites, but this is exactly what we do when it comes to sharks.

So, when a reporter calls me about a fatality caused by a white shark off Cape Cod and asks my advice for beachgoers in North Carolina, it's essentially like asking, "A man was killed by a dog on Cape Cod. What precautions should people take when dealing with kangaroos in North Carolina?"

Know Your Species
Understanding local species' behavior and life habits is one of the best ways to stay safe. For example, almost all shark bites that occur off Cape Cod are by white sharks, which are a large, primarily cold-water species that spend most of their time in isolation feeding on fishes. But they also aggregate near seal colonies that provide a reliable food source at certain times of the year.

Shark bites in the Carolinas are by warm-water species like bull sharks, tiger sharks and blacktips (Carcharhinus limbatus). Each species is associated with particular habitats and dietary preferences.

Blacktips, which we suspect are responsible for most relatively minor bites on humans in the southeastern United States, feed on schooling bait fishes like menhaden. In contrast, bull sharks are equally at home in fresh water and salt water, and are often found near estuaries. Their bites are more severe than those of blacktips, as they are larger, more powerful, bolder and more tenacious. Several fatalities have been ascribed to bull sharks.

Tiger sharks are also large, and are responsible for a significant fraction of fatalities, particularly off the coast of volcanic islands like Hawaii and Reunion. They are tropical animals that often venture into shallow water frequented by swimmers and surfers.

Humans Are Not Targets
Sharks do not "hunt" humans. Data from the International Shark Attack File compiled over the past 60 years show a tight association between shark bites and the number of people in the water. In other words, shark bites are a simple function of the probability of encountering a shark.

This underscores the fact that shark bites are almost always cases of mistaken identity. If sharks actively hunted people, there would be many more bites, since humans make very easy targets when they swim in sharks' natural habitats.

Local conditions can also affect the risk of an attack. Encounters are more likely when sharks venture closer to shore, into areas where people are swimming. They may do this because they are following bait fishes or seals upon which they prey.

This means we can use environmental variables such as temperature, tide or weather conditions to better predict movement of bait fish toward the shoreline, which in turn will predict the presence of sharks. Over the next few years, the Florida Program for Shark Research will work with colleagues at other universities to monitor onshore and offshore movements of tagged sharks and their association with environmental variables so that we can improve our understanding of what conditions bring sharks close to shore.

More to Know
There still is much to learn about sharks, especially the 500 or so species that have never been implicated in a bite on humans. One example is the tiny deep sea pocket shark, which has a strange pouch behind its pectoral fins.

Only two specimens of this type of shark have ever been caught – one off the coast of Chile 30 years ago, and another more recently in the Gulf of Mexico. We're not sure about the function of the pouch, but suspect it stores luminous fluid that is released to distract would-be predators – much as its close relative, the tail light shark, releases luminous fluid from a gland on its underside near its vent.

Sharks range in form from the bizarre goblin shark (Mitsukurina owstoni), most commonly encountered in Japan, to the gentle filter-feeding whale shark (Rhincodon typus). Although whale sharks are the largest fishes in the world, we have yet to locate their nursery grounds, which are likely teeming with thousands of foot-long pups. Some deepwater sharks are primarily known from submersibles, such as the giant sixgill shark, which feeds mainly on carrion but probably also preys on other animals in the deep sea.

Sharks seem familiar to almost all of us, but we know precious little about them. Our current understanding of their biology barely scratches the surface. The little we do know suggests they are profoundly different from other vertebrate animals. They've had 400 million years of independent evolution to adapt to their environments, and it's reasonable to expect they may be hiding more than a few tricks up their gills.

- Does 'Shark Week' Do More Damage Than Good? - EcoWatch ›
- Maine Woman Is Killed in Possible Shark Attack - EcoWatch ›
- 10 Little-Known Shark Facts - EcoWatch ›
Rising Temperatures to Be More Deadly Than Infectious Diseases, New Study Says
Current efforts to curb an infectious disease show the potential we have for collective action. That action and more will be needed if we want to stem the coming wave of heat-related deaths that will surpass the number of people who die from all infectious diseases, according to a new study, as The Guardian reported.
- Potentially Deadly Heat and Humidity Levels Are Already Here and ... ›
- 'Black Moms Matter': Increased Heat and Pollution Raise Pregnancy ... ›
- Trump Administration Buries Government-Funded Studies Showing ... ›
- Ocean Warming Dooms Most Fish, Study Says - EcoWatch ›
- Rising Temperatures May Cause 2,100 Annual U.S. Deaths ... ›
Should Plants and Animals That Relocate Because of Climate Change Be Considered Invasive?
By Jenny Morber
Caribbean corals sprout off Texas. Pacific salmon tour the Canadian Arctic. Peruvian lowland birds nest at higher elevations.
Known and anticipated changes in species distribution due to climate change around the world have implications for culture, society ecosystems, governance and climate change. Figure used with permission from Gretta T. Pecl, originally published on 31 Mar 2017 in Science 355(6332).
How we define species is critical, because these definitions influence perceptions, policy and management. The U.S. National Invasive Species Council (NISC) defines a biological invasion as "the process by which non-native species breach biogeographical barriers and extend their range" and states that "preventing the introduction of potentially harmful organisms is … the first line of defense." But some say excluding newcomers is myopic.

"If you were trying to maintain the status quo, so every time a new species comes in, you chuck it out," says Camille Parmesan, director of the French National Centre for Scientific Research, you could gradually "lose so many that that ecosystem will lose its coherence." If climate change is driving native species extinct, she says, "you need to allow new ones coming in to take over those same functions."

As University of Florida conservation ecologist Brett Scheffers and Pecl warned in a 2019 paper in Nature Climate Change, "past management of redistributed species … has yielded mixed actions and results." They concluded that "we cannot leave the fate of biodiversity critical to human survival to be randomly persecuted, protected or ignored."

Existing Tools
One approach to managing these climate-driven habitat shifts, suggested by University of California, Irvine marine ecologist Piper Wallingford and colleagues in a recent issue of Nature Climate Change, is for scientists to adapt existing tools like the Environmental Impact Classification of Alien Taxa (EICAT) to assess potential risks associated with moving species. Because range-shifting species pose impacts to communities similar to those of species introduced by humans, the authors argue, new management strategies are unnecessary, and each new arrival can be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Karen Lips, a professor of biology at University of Maryland who was not associated with the study, echoes the idea that each case is so varied and nuanced that trying to fit climate shifting species into a single category with broad management goals may be impractical. "Things may be fine today, but add a new mosquito vector or add a new tick or a new disease, and all of a sudden things spiral out of control," she says. "The nuance means that the answer to any particular problem might be pretty different."

In recent years, northern flying squirrels in Canada have found themselves in the company of new neighbors — southern flying squirrels expanding their range as the climate warms. Public Domain / USFW
Laura Meyerson, a professor in the Department of Natural Resources Science at the University of Rhode Island says scientists should use existing tools to identify and address invasive species to deal with climate-shifting species. "I would like to operate under the precautionary principle and then reevaluate as things shift. You're sort of shifting one piece in this machinery; as you insert a new species into a system, everything is going to respond," she says. "Will some of the species that are expanding their ranges because of climate change become problematic? Perhaps they might."

The reality is that some climate-shifting species may be harmful to some conservation or economic goals while being helpful to others. While sport fisherman are excited about red snapper moving down the East Coast of Australia, for example, if they eat juvenile lobsters in Tasmania they could harm this environmentally and economically important crustacean. "At the end of the day … you're going to have to look at whether that range expansion has some sort of impact and presumably be more concerned about the negative impacts," says NISC executive director Stas Burgiel. "Many of the [risk assessment] tools we have are set up to look at negative impact." As a result, positive effects may be deemphasized or overlooked. "So that notion of cost versus benefit … I don't think it has played out in this particular context."

Location, Location, Location
In a companion paper to Wallingford's, University of Connecticut ecology and evolutionary biology associate professor Mark Urban stressed key differences between invasive species, which are both non-native and harmful, and what he calls "climate tracking species." Whereas invasive species originate from places very unlike the communities they overtake, he says, climate tracking species expand from largely similar environments, seeking to follow preferred conditions as these environments move. For example, an American pika may relocate to a higher mountain elevation, or a marbled salamander might expand its New England range northward to seek cooler temperatures, but these new locations are not drastically different than the places they had called home before.

Climate tracking species may move faster than their competitors at first, Urban says, but competing species will likely catch up. "Applying perspectives from invasion biology to climate-tracking species … arbitrarily chooses local winners over colonizing losers," he writes.

The marbled salamander, a native of the eastern U.S., is among species whose range could expand northward to accommodate rising temperatures. Seánín Óg / Flickr / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Urban stresses that if people prevent range shifts, some climate-tracking species may have nowhere to go. He suggests that humans should even facilitate movement as the planet warms. "The goal in this crazy warming world is to keep everything alive. But it may not be in the same place," Urban says.

Parmesan echoes Urban, emphasizing it's the distance that makes the difference. "[Invasives] come from a different continent or a different ocean. You're having these enormous trans-global movements and that's what ends up causing the species that's exotic to be invasive," she says. "Things moving around with climate change is a few hundred miles. Invasive species are moving a few thousand miles."

In 2019 University of Vienna conservation biology associate professor Franz Essl published a similar argument for species classification beyond the native/non-native dichotomy. Essl uses "neonatives" to refer to species that have expanded outside their native areas and established populations because of climate change but not direct human agency. He argues that these species should be considered as native in their new range.

They Never Come Alone
Meyerson calls for caution. "I don't think we should be introducing species" into ecosystems, she says. "I mean, they never come alone. They bring all their friends, their microflora, and maybe parasites and things clinging to their roots or their leaves. … It's like bringing some mattress off the street into your house."

Burgiel warns that labeling can have unintended consequences. We in the invasive species field … focus on non-native species that cause harm," he says. "Some people think that anything that's not native is invasive, which isn't necessarily the case." Because resources are limited and land management and conservation are publicly funded, Burgiel says, it is critical that the public understands how the decisions are being made.

Piero Genovesi, chair of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's Invasive Species Specialist Group, sees the debate about classification — and therefore about management — as a potential distraction from more pressing conservation issues.

"The real bulk of conservation is that we want to focus on the narrow proportion of alien species that are really harmful," he says. In Hawaii "we don't discuss species that are there [but aren't] causing any problem because we don't even have the energy for dealing with them all. And I can tell you, no one wants to remove [non-native] cypresses from Tuscany. So, I think that some of the discussions are probably not so real in the work that we do in conservation."

Indigenous frameworks offer another way to look at species searching for a new home in the face of climate change. According to a study published in Sustainability Science in 2018 by Dartmouth Native American studies and environmental studies associate professor Nicholas Reo, a citizen of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, and Dartmouth anthropology associate professor Laura Ogden, some Anishnaabe people view plants as persons and the arrival of new plants as a natural form of migration, which is not inherently good or bad. They may seek to discover the purpose of new species, at times with animals as their teachers. In their paper Reo and Ogden quote Anishnaabe tribal chairman Aaron Payment as saying, "We are an extension of our natural environment; we're not separate from it."

The Need for Collaboration
The successful conservation of Earth's species in a way that keeps biodiversity functional and healthy will likely depend on collaboration. Without global agreements, one can envision scenarios in which countries try to impede high-value species from moving beyond their borders, or newly arriving species are quickly overharvested.

In Nature Climate Change, Sheffers and Pecl call for a Climate Change Redistribution Treaty that would recognize species redistribution beyond political boundaries and establish governance to deal with it. Treaties already in place, such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which regulates trade in wild plants and animals; the Migratory Bird Treaty Act; and the Agreed Measures for the Conservation of Antarctic Fauna and Flora, can help guide these new agreements.

"We are living through the greatest redistribution of life on Earth for … potentially hundreds of thousands of years, so we definitely need to think about how we want to manage that," Pecl says.

Genovesi agrees that conservationists need a vision for the future. "What we do is more to be reactive [to known threats]. … It's so simple to say that destroying the Amazon is probably not a good idea that you don't need to think of a step ahead of that." But, he adds, "I don't think we have a real answer in terms of okay, this is a threshold of species, or this is the temporal line where we should aim to." Defining a vision for what success would look like, Genovesi says, "is a question that hasn't been addressed enough by science and by decision makers."

At the heart of these questions are values. "All of these perceptions around what's good and what's bad, all [are based on] some kind of value system," Pecl says. "As a whole society, we haven't talked about what we value and who gets to say what's of value and what isn't."

This is especially important when it comes to marginalized voices, and Pecl says she is concerned because she doesn't "think we have enough consideration or representation of Indigenous worldviews." Reo and colleagues wrote in American Indian Quarterly in 2017 that climate change literature and media coverage tend to portray native people as vulnerable and without agency. Yet, says Pecl, "The regions of the world where [biodiversity and ecosystems] are either not declining or are declining at a much slower rate are Indigenous controlled" — suggesting that Indigenous people have potentially managed species more effectively in the past, and may be able to manage changing species distributions in a way that could be informative to others working on these issues.

Meanwhile, researchers such as Lips see species classification as native or other as stemming from a perspective that there is a better environmental time and place to return to. "There is no pristine, there's no way to go back," says Lips. "The entire world is always very dynamic and changing. And I think it's a better idea to consider just simply what is it that we do want, and let's work on that."

Biologist Egor Kirillin is on a special mission. Deep in the Siberian wilderness in the Russian Republic of Sakha, he waits on the Olenjok river until reindeer come thundering into the water.
- A Siberian Town Just Hit 100 F Degrees - EcoWatch ›
- The Arctic Is on Fire and Warming Twice as Fast as the Rest of the ... ›
- Siberian Forest Fires Increase Fivefold in Week Since Record High ... ›


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Southwestern Tribes Lead Cultural Healing March to Move Beyond Coal
Enduring record heat, Native Americans in southern Nevada led a three-day, 50-mile Cultural Healing Walk over Earth Day weekend to draw attention to the devastating effects of coal pollution on their community. The Moapa Band of Paiutes partnered with the Sierra Club to organize the walk and Earth Day rally, which drew members of several tribal nations and supporters from throughout the Southwest.
The cultural healing walk commenced at the Reid Gardner coal-fired power plant, which abuts Moapa Paiute lands, and ended at an April 23 rally at the Lloyd George Federal Building in Las Vegas. Reid Gardner is the last coal-burning power plant in Nevada.
The goal of the healing walk was to highlight the harm Reid Gardner is doing to the tribe's health, culture, and economy. Toxic coal dust from the plant is picked up by wind storms, blows over tribal lands and the towns of Moapa and Mesquite, and up to pristine areas like the Grand Canyon and Zion National Park.
"We were here, we are here, and we will be here," Moapa Paiute member Calvin Meyers says of his tribe's relationship to their historical lands. Watch this video about the cultural healing walk, produced by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, featuring Moapa Paiute members and local Sierra Club organizer Vinny Spotleson. That's Spotleson below, with his mom, Kay.
Tribal members suffer from frequent asthma attacks, allergies, sinus problems, ear infections, thyroid disease, and other maladies that they believe are caused by constant exposure to particulates blowing from Reid Gardner's toxic coal ash disposal ponds onto tribal lands, covering residents' cars and homes and filling the air they breathe.
Sierra Club organizers Lynn Goya and Elspeth Cordua, below, collaborated with the Moapa Paiutes to organize the healing walk and April 23 rally at the federal building.
"This was an incredibly moving event for me," says Goya. "When you see the energy and promise of a little five-year-old—the youngest Paiute member to participate in the walk—and think of the toxins that blow over his home, his playground, and his community, it's heartbreaking. He deserves better, and I'm so proud to be part of the Sierra Club, because together we can make his world better. Nevada should be using clean Nevada-based power, not dirty imported power."
Goya gives kudos to Cordua for turning people out to the event. "Elspeth made hundreds of calls to Sierra Club members over the past week. It was 99 degrees the day of the rally, but over 100 people joined 50 or more Moapa Paiutes and members of at least five other tribes at the federal building."
Tribal walkers as young as five and as old as 81 joined in. "The 81-year old walked an entire day and the 5-year old walked for over an hour in record heat," Goya says.
About 100 non-tribal supporters joined the final mile of the healing walk and gathered at the federal courthouse to greet the Procession of Flags of Nations. They were welcomed with songs and drums by Cree singer Randy Woods. Moapa Paiute Tribal Council Member Richard Fisher offered an opening prayer, then Woods blessed the group with a prayer in his native tongue. Leland Swan of the Southern Paiute tribe offered a blessing in Paiute.
"Indigenous languages are one of the most rapidly disappearing cultural treasures of the world," Goya says, "so it was especially moving to hear the languages once spoken freely throughout the region."
Tanya Means, chairwoman of the Las Vegas Paiute Tribe, spoke about her tribe's support for the issues facing the Moapa Band of Paiutes, and Vickie Simmons, a member of the Moapa Paiute's Environmental and Health Committee, read statements from children who had suffered from illnesses brought on by by living next to the power plant.
Moapa Paiute President Richard Anderson said the high percentage of thyroid and respiratory problems is a huge concern on the reservation. "We need air monitoring equipment installed on the reservation to study the emissions we're breathing in and determine what needs to be done for our people's health. We also need more stringent storage conditions for coal ash and a study to show the health risks associated with breathing in coal ash."
Lynn Goya spoke about the Sierra Club's shared commitment to replacing Reid Gardner with clean energy alternatives. The Moapa Paiutes are working on a proposal for a 350-megawatt solar array on tribal lands.
Pictured below, clockwise from upper left: Richard Anderson, Vickie Simmons, Leland Swan, Richard Fisher (in blue shirt behind Lynn Goya), Randy Woods, Tanya Means.
"We want to get Reid Gardner retired as soon as possible," says Barbara Boyle of the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal campaign. "This area has an amazing array of renewable energy resources—it's a perfect place for solar power."
On May 3, the EPA is holding two public meetings—one on the Moapa reservation and another in the nearby town of Overton—to discuss an air-pollution permit for Reid Gardner. There are informational sessions in advance of both hearings. If you are a resident of southern Nevada, or a concerned citizen from elsewhere visiting the area this Thursday, sign up here to attend the hearings.
All photos by Alan Goya.

subset: commoncrawl


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Hybrid press brakes 170/4250
|Maximal bending pressure (blankholder), kN
|Working length, mm
|Distance between racks, mm
|Throat, mm
|Maximal traverse travel, mm
|Traverse descending speed, mm/s
|Bending speed, mm/s
|Distance between table and traverse, mm
|General drive power, kW
|Approximate machine mass, kg
|Length, mm
|Width, mm
|Height, mm
CNC system SiX
The system has been developed independently by Salvagnini experts, such enabling maximum use of the equipment. The intuitive interface allows graphic simulation of the part, setting up the machine tool, assigning the necessary parameters of bending and starting the machine all in a matter of minutes.
The CNC system includes: intuitive and fast touch screen programming, a task manager, an interactive online manual and full compatibility with any other equipment from Salvagnini.
Rigid frame
The press brake has a completely closed frame both in its top and bottom what adds strength and stability to the structure and keeps reference stops position constant.
Speed and precision
Thanks to the implemented direct drive technology, the Salvagnini company has launched the world's first press brake providing movements of the top-beam that can reach a speed of 250 mm/s. The innovative technology ofdirect drive transmission also provides:
- Traverse positioning precision up to ± 0.002 mm
- Significantly longer useful life of pumps and hydraulic motors.
- Quiet operation of the machine.
- Reduced power consumption.
- The minimum amount of oil for the operation of the hydraulic system (100 l in total for a press with a force of 220 tons).
The frame deformation compensation system and the automatic mechanical crowning system Wila guarantee high precision bending and the same angle along the entire length of bending. This eliminates flaws and problems during the assembly of the final product.
Energy recovery for later reuse
The Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) recovers energy that is usually wasted and reuses it later, in further stages of production, obtaining higher speeds and accelerations with the same energy consumption. It allows saving up to 70% of the usual energy consumption.
Power consumption
The absence of proportional valves, together with the use of direct-drive transmission and brushless motorization, ensures that energy consumption is proportionate to the real intensity of use and utilization (that is, the machine does not consume when it does not perform); which turns the B3 press brake into a bending machine with extremely high performance ratio while keeping consumption and power levels low. Likewise, the KERS technology recovers energy and allows it to be reused later.


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I've been mourning my beloved Picnik. the photo-editing tool that closed its basket and moved to the Google+ Creative Suite. We can use Picnik there. When we're there.
Happily, we have several other free options for when we're not.
I am kinda falling in love with PicMonkey. In addition to basic edits, you can add: overlays; text; cool effects; textures; a lovely array of frames; touch ups like blemish fix, wrinkle remover, weight loss, lip tint and much more! And it's so easy to use. And it's so elegant.
Aviary, now replaces Picnik as Flickr's default photo editor. (Click on Actions when you are looking at a Flickr photo.) Aviary, of course, is really a Swiss-army knife tool kit. Its image editor Phoenix, is a super-simple tool now designed to work with Google Drive.
iPiccy looks very much like Picnik, with similar interface and features. Very easy, very flexible.
PhotoShop Express Editor is not as robust as its premium older sister, but it is robust enough for us amateur photo editors. It offers both editing and lovely decorating options.
Even more editors:
For even more fun with images, visit this LibGuide!


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☺Fonts Factory™ By Biecp008!!! ≤For S60V3≥ Also With Arabic Support <Updated>
Dear Members,
I going 2 post New & CooooL fonts for S60v3. This fonts r tested on my N73. It Also Supports Arabic Language. This fonts r specifically for mobiles which use font in .ttf format with all the message symbols.
Very Simple to Use & Delete! Install fontrouter first. Than, paste this fonts in E:\resource\fonts
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Download Fontrouter here:-
My First Font
Screenshots of FORU>>>
Last edited by biecp008; 28th April 2008 at 17:51. Reason: Fontrouter opensigned link updated


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This is a list of quotes in The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner.
Bree Tanner
" I didn't want to speak up and draw attention, but I wished somebody would decide something. I was really thirsty, and I didn't care much whether we went right or left or over the roof. I just wanted to find some unlucky people who wouldn't even have enough time to think wrong place, wrong time."
"This Diego guy wasn't like the others. He was kind of… calm, I guess was the word. Normal. Not normal now, but normal before."
"This was what Riley had told us to do. Hunt the dregs. Take the humans that no one was going to miss, the ones who weren't headed home to a waiting family, the ones who wouldn't be reported missing. It was the same way he chose us. Meals and gods, both coming from the dregs."
"It would be stupid to risk my life to save some total stranger. But I hadn't had anything close to a friend in forever. Already it would be hard to go back to having no one to talk to, after only one night."
"It was shockingly weird to touch another person after a whole life—because the last three months were my whole life—of avoiding any kind of contact. Like touching a sparking downed power line, only to find out that it felt nice."
"He looked into my eyes, and I waited for his lips to twitch into that easy smile, for him to make some joke about ninjas or BFFs. He didn't. Instead, he leaned in slowly, never moving his eyes from mine, and kissed me. His smooth lips pressed against mine for one long second while we stared at each other."
"Worst high five ever."
"Don't freak out, Bree."
"You're the kind that Riley should be looking for—the smart ones—not just these stupid gang-bangers that Raoul keeps bringing in. I bet you weren't some junkie ho when you were human."
"Hard to remember that stuff, isn't it? Everything's so fuzzy and dark."
Riley Biers
"Do any of you have a brain?"
"All our lives depend on you listening to what I'm saying now and thinking! We are all going to die. Every one of us, you and me, too, if you can't act like you have brains for just a few short days!"
"I will not tolerate any more stupidity."
"The girl will be with the yellow-eyes. And whoever gets to her first gets dessert."
"It's enough for you to know that our enemies have great powers. We cannot be too careful."
"If you are not here to kill us, then… what?"
"Spider-Man is such a whiny loser."
"Whoa. I'm all… shiny."
|Twilight • New Moon • Eclipse • Breaking Dawn • The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner • Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined
|Unpublished items
|Midnight Sun
|Twilight • New Moon • Eclipse • Breaking Dawn - Part 1 • Breaking Dawn - Part 2


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HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The trial is scheduled begin early next year for two former Penn State officials accused of lying to a grand jury and burying an allegation of a child's sexual abuse in the Jerry Sandusky scandal.
A judge on Friday ordered jury selection in the trial for Tim Curley and Gary Schultz to begin Jan. 7.
Dauphin County Judge Todd Hoover is still considering motions by the men's lawyers to throw out the charges. Curley is on leave from the athletic director's post and Schultz is retired from a senior vice president's post.
Prosecutors say Curley and Schultz lied when asked what a graduate assistant told them about a 2001 assault he witnessed in a locker room shower. Sandusky was convicted in June of abusing 10 boys.
(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


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Dam-buster hero, Wing Commander Guy Gibson VC, spent much of his childhood romping on the sands and exploring the harbour at Saundersfoot.
But as a carefree child enjoying seaside adventures he was unaware that he would be demolishing massive dam walls in World War Two, or that the destruction would be an echo of what the sea did to the stout walls of Saundersfoot harbour in October 1836.
A south-easterly hurricane blew in with such violence that the huge seas it generated smashed through the stout wall of the harbour over a length of about 30 yards. The harbour was barely two years old at this time and the storm also damaged two ships out of six sheltering in the harbour at the time. One, the Sunderland sloop "Wheatsheaf" was torn from her moorings and was wrecked on the north pier, while the other, the Echo, was pounded against the Ballast berth, but was salvaged.
What the Dambusters hero would have seen during his childhood in the twenties was the dying years of the coal industry, for Saundersfoot was an important centre of coal exportation. Before the building of the harbour, coal was brought down to the shore from the collieries at Bonvilles Court and Moreton by horse-drawn trams and loaded onto beached sailing vessels for transportation around Pembrokeshire and across Carmarthen Bay to Gower and the West Country. It was mainly top quality anthracite; shiny, clean black diamonds of coal which was virtually smokeless. Coal dust was mixed with locally dug clay to make culm, which was rolled into cricket-ball sized lumps and put onto a 'ball fire' where it burned slowly to ash, producing great heat, and in most households, was kept in all day and mostly overnight. "Stummed" down with coal dust, it could be revived quickly by poking a couple of holes in the top to let the air in and the heat out.
It was not only coal Saundersfoot was noted for. There were iron ore patches on the foreshore which were exploited commercially and where people also scrabbled for this useful mineral which was processed in the nearby ironworks at Pleasant Valley, Stepaside. In 1864, 4,683 tons of iron ore were also exported. To fuel the ironworks a new colliery at nearby Grove was sunk and coal was delivered by gravity down the steep slope of Sardis Mountain. And there was also fire clay, which was used to make the distinctive dark bricks produced and used for building locally and to line the ironworks furnace. By 1864 the ironworks was exporting nearly 3,000 tons of pig iron from Saundersfoot Harbour.
The collieries declined and closed altogether just after the war, and the harbour, which still accommodated fishing vessels, particularly the boats landing Carmarthen Bay clams, gradually shifted its emphasis towards tourism and the marina which thrives there today.


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Broadcast Media
I saw it on TV...
CNN. FOX News Channel. Dateline NBC. CBS 20/20. ABC Nightline. Discovery Channel's A Haunting. NPR's All Things Considered. PBS Online News Hour. Comedy Central's Colbert Report.
Many people get at least some of their daily information from television and radio. A good news program can:
- keep you informed of the important newsmaking events of the day
- suggest research topics
using Broastcast Media as an information Source
- Don't assume that everything on "the news" is true. Verify news stories with other sources.
- Learn to tell the difference between true journalistic reporting and soft news such as infotainment (entertainment news masked as real news).
- The media can respond to major events within minutes, but other events may be reported daily or weekly.
- Some shows are archived on the internet and/or available for purchase. As a rule, broadcast media does not provide a permanent record of events.
Want to learn more about the news? Watch "News War," a Frontline 4-part special. It's available online, free.


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It can be hard to avoid having shiny skin in the summer, as the temperatures rise and you can't help but get a little sweaty in the heat. But Latina beauty and songstress Demi Lovato has the matte look down pat, and with a few of her tips you can have a shine-free summer.
Before you even apply foundation or eyeshadow, use an oil-free or oil-controlling face lotion to prep your skin and make sure it stays free of shine throughout the day. Do this each morning before beginning your beauty routine.
If you have a naturally oily complexion, use a kabuki brush to apply powder in between your eyebrows, around the sides of your nose and on your chin. An overall matte finish can look unnatural, so you don't want to apply the powder all over.
To maintain Demi's matte makeup throughout the day, carry blotting papers with you at all times and use them to soak up any excess oil or shine when you're on the go. Then, you can touch up your look and apply a bit more powder as needed.


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About this blog
FLEFF Intern Voices
The Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival from the interns' point of view
Friday, February 18, 2011
Blog posting written by Brian McCormick, Film and Photography, '12, FLEFF Intern, Wilbraham, Massachussetts
Hello, all! My name is Brian McCormick and welcome to my FLEFF Blog! I'm a junior at Ithaca College, and I'm majoring in Film & Photography. I'm originally from


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The three-story Federal style homes located on Henry Street comprise the Henry Street Settlement and Neighborhood Playhouse, one of the nation's first settlement homes founded in response to the miserable urban conditions faced by the poor as a result of rapid industrialization and increased immigration. Lillian Wald was a student at the Women's Medical College in New York when she was asked to organize a course of instruction in home nursing adapted to the needs of the immigrants living in New York City's Lower East Side. Wald discovered first-hand the squalid conditions in which many immigrants suffered, and in 1895, Wald created the Henry Street Settlement, determined to live among the poor to better provide a variety of volunteer services. Nursing was central to Wald's idea of neighborhood service, and she introduced the pioneering concept of "public health nursing," which placed medical care within the reach of the poor. By 1940, nearly 300 nurses worked from 20 branches throughout New York City. Wald's most innovative experiment was a "Public School Nursing Service" designed to increase school attendance by having Henry Street nurses provide care at public schools. This was so successful that the New York City Board of Health soon organized a public school nursing program, the first such service offered anywhere in the world.
The Henry St. Settlement and Neighborhood Playhouse, a National
Historic Landmark, is located at 263-267 Henry St. and 466 Grand St.
in New York City, NY. For further information visit the Henry
Street Settlement website.
Home |List of Sites | Map | New York City Map | Next Site


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I'm back! Sort of. At least a version of me is — making a brief appearance.
It's the first real snow of the winter.
And you know how I feel about that.
So, in the interest of maintaining my sanity, in true form, I'm turning to lighthearted distractions.
Current pick-me-ups include:
* this Dr. Pepper Oatmeal Cake with Coconut-Pecan Topping via Homesick Texan.
* Norma Kamali's new line of adorable LBD's (for every body type!) under $100.
* these kid-crafty DIY Chunky Bead & Button necklaces via Curious Jane + momfilter.
* this adorable Reine Mere Peg + Chalk Board from Basic French.
* these Chelsea Heel Boots from Marais USA (I'm generally anti-ankle boots, but these I think I could get behind.)
* just knowing there's the new AB-FAB waiting for me on DVR.
Stay warm! Fingers crossed the Year of the Dragon has some good sh*t in store.
I'm ready.


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Aug 18, 2011 | ISBN 9780142419670 | Middle Grade (10 and up)
Accolades for A Tale Dark & Grimm:
• New York Times bestseller
• Selection on the Today Show's Al's Book Club for Kids
• NCTE Notable Children's Books in the Language Arts Selection
• An E. B. White Read Aloud Honor Book
• New York Times Editors' Choice pick
• Publishers Weekly Flying Start
• School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
• ALA Notable Book
"Unlike any children's book I've ever read . . . [it] holds up to multiple re-readings, like the classic I think it will turn out to be."—New York Times Book Review
"A marvelous reworking of old stories that manages to be fresh, frightening, funny, and humane."—Wall Street Journal
Accolades for In a Glass Grimmly:
• New York Times bestseller
• A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2012
• A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2012
• A School Librry Journal Best Book of 2012
"Gidwitz is back with a second book that, if possible, outshines A Tale Dark & Grimm."—School Library Journal, starred review
"Compulsively readable."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"Gory, hilarious, touching, and lyrical all at once, with tons of kid appeal."—The Horn Book
"Adam Gidwitz leads us into creepy forests, gruesome deeds, terrible monsters, and—far worse—the dark places of the human heart. It's horrible . . . and I LOVED it!"—Tom Angleberger, author of The Strange Case of Origami


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Dunn now says there "is no doubt in my mind" his April appendectomy caused his season to disintegrate after a strong opening day.
"I was never the same," he said. "I came back too soon, and I couldn't even bend like I should have (while batting). And it threw my swing way off."
Who screwed up? Was it Adam Dunn himself? I think that's the more probable explanation. That Dunn didn't reveal the extent of his after-surgery symptoms. It can't be a coach or a trainer.
Other White Sox links:
- James looks at the Adam Dunn admission, and at the Gavin Floyd trade rumors.
- J.J. and Tony Andracki come up with the 1970-1979 All-Chicago team.
- Watch parts 1-3 of CSN's Inside Look: Jerry Reinsdorf. Part 4 is here. Some extras are here. Put them all in 1 place J.J.!
- Kenny Williams says he put a high price on Sox players other teams wanted this winter and stuck with that price.


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Too many chores this weekend.
Spend last week out of town in a technical conference.
Had a raging bout of the highly contagious and discomforting "Caribou Cold" while there and am still suffering the tail ends of it.
Spent yesterday on my home "workbench" swapping out my system onto a new hard (larger/faster) laptop hard-drive which involved over 14 hours of work (mostly due to having to decrypt the whole-disk encryption prior to imaging it and porting it onto the new drive.
Had hoped to post much more this weekend but was not to be the case.
So here you go, semi-naked linkage.
- SuperCopier – One of my favorite specialized file-copy apps. Now active again at version 2.2 beta.
- TinyApps.Org Blog : Formatting partitions over 32GB as FAT32 in Windows XP – Link to the curiously useful fat32format tool. I suspect this could be useful on portable USB drives.
- Forensics: Mounting partitions from full-disk 'dd' images – Tip from SANS-ISC Handler's Diary blog.
- Tools and Links – Lots of linkage to tools and techniques from the Windows Incident Response blog
- JADsoftware – EDD – Version 1.1.0 now released. EDD checks HDDs for encrypted partitions from various whole-disk encryption solutions. See also TechPathways ZeroView, and TCHunt Quickly Find TrueCrypt Volumes – 16 Systems, as well as the File Investigator TOOLS version 2.23
- JADsoftware – IEF – Version 2.0 now out of the "Internet Evidence Finder". Really nice and more full-featured tool. I quickly added this to my collection and tossed the older one.
- Forensics from the sausage factory: Vista Volume Shadow Copy issues – Great tips on how to access and manage the Vista Volume Shadow when inspecting the system.
- Automated Recovery of Multimedia from Unallocated Space - SANS Forensics blog. Good information to know. Primary information related to NFI Defraser at SourceForge.net
- Somehow that eventually led me to Csaba Barta website and a tool called ptfinder to carve out processes from memory images.
"…ptfinder versions for Windows Server 2008 SP1, 2003 SP2 and Windows 7 beta are developed by me, and can be downloaded here.
The details of the technique can be found here.
Semi-Stealth Windows Live Updates
I've been waiting for some time for an update to Windows Live Writer, my blogging platform software. After the information below came out that a new version was available (14.0.8089.726 (previous build was 14.0.8064.206)). I quickly launched my WLW and used the update tool to get the update. Curiously it said I was still using the latest update. I manually updated it (successfully) to the higher version noted but still have been unable to find a change-log detailing just what got improved/fixed/updated.
- RELEASE: Windows Live Essentials "Wave 3" updated - Windows Live.
- Windows Live Writer - Windows Live download.
And fresh off my Video-Editing Resource Roundup post going over various builds and different downloads to get Windows Movie Maker installed on your XP/Vista/W7 system now there is this:
- Get The New Windows Live Movie Maker Today! - The Windows Blog.
- New Windows Live Movie Maker debuts, says good-bye to XP for good – Betanews.
- Windows Live Movie Maker Review – Paul Thurrott's SuperSite for Windows.
VHD booting and Virtual PC Stuff
- How to Boot from VHD (VHD booting re-visited.) – James O'Neill's blog.
- 7 Things about Windows 7 Native Boot VHD – Windows 7 Hacker.
- Windows 7 VHD Native Boot without any Hosting Operation System – Windows 7 Hacker.
- Running Virtual PC 2007 on Windows 7 – Virtual PC Guy's WebLog. Yes you can. Just uninstall "Virtual PC" (the new one) from Windows 7 first (if so installed) before installing Virtual PC 2007 (the old one).
- Windows Virtual PC RC and Jump Lists – Virtual PC Guy's WebLog
- Windows Virtual PC and Undo Disks – Virtual PC Guy's WebLog. Just some house-cleaning in the new version.
- Windows Virtual PC Blog. Finally found a "official" Microsoft Windows technical blog on Virtual PC. Hope it provides good information.
Windows Technical Bits 'n Pieces
- Ask the Performance Team : Two Minute Drill: Using PROCDUMP – Ask the Performance Team blog – Nice and clear tips on using the SysInternals – ProcDump tool to dump process information in troubleshooting.
- Dell Now Offering Windows 7 Drivers for Commercial Desktops and Laptops - Windows Experience Blog.
- What order should you install drivers in? – Ed Bott's Windows Expertise blog. From Dell, information on just how you should order your device driver installations for maximum impact and compatibility Good information to keep handy for system builders.
Summer's over. Alvis heads back to school tomorrow morning.
--Claus V.


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Western Carolina University's Forensic Science Program has acquired two state-of-the-art pieces of DNA sequencing instruments to help it establish a DNA sequencing core facility on campus.
"We will be able to offer a multitude of DNA sequencing services to institutions across the state and enhance research and educational opportunities for students, particularly in areas such as forensic genetics, cellular and molecular biology, environmental health sciences and biochemistry," said Brittania Bintz, a forensic research scientist at WCU.
The new equipment enables WCU to increase the number of samples that can be processed and supports research collaborations for faculty members across forensic science, biology, and health and human sciences disciplines and researchers at Highlands Biological Station. Currently, students and faculty use the laboratory to not only gain hands-on experience with sample preparation, genotyping, sequencing and analysis but also research the newest sequencing instruments to develop methods that may be employed in crime laboratories in the future.
A $175,000 grant from the North Carolina Biotechnology Center allowed WCU to purchase a fourth DNA sequencing instrument. Then, a new research collaboration with Illumina Inc., a manufacturer of next-generation DNA sequencing instrumentation, helped WCU to acquire a fifth sequencer, an Illumina MiSeq, for evaluation and use.


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Speaking with the Huffington Post about her performance institute being built in Hudson, N.Y., Marina Abramović said, "[The institute is meant] really to educate the public and the audience more about performance, to leave as my concept what I'm going to call the Abramović method. In theater there is [the] Stanislavski method, but now in performance, it's going to be the Abramović method."
Big words. Well, now, in a press release from her gallery Sean Kelly, Ms. Abramović will cement this point in an upcoming show at the Pavilion of Contemporary Art in Milan. It is called "The Abramović Method."
The show will focus on three works from the last decade, when Ms. Abramović's celebrity began to reach beyond the confines of the art world: The House With the Ocean View (2002), Seven Easy Pieces (2005) and The Artist is Present (2010).
In a statement, the artist does not compare herself to Stanislavski, but rather Duchamp:
I have arrived at the conclusion that… the performance has no meaning without the public because, as Duchamp said, it is the public that completes the work of art. In the case of performance, I would say that public and performer are not only complementary but almost inseparable.


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Chemo Fashion Scarf
Ribbed Cloche Bow Hat Ribbed Black
$ 25.99
ChemoFashionScarf ® ships to the continental USA including Alaska and Hawaii. We ship internationally to Canada, Australia & the United Kingdom. Packages are shipped via the US Post within 1-2 days of receiving your order. Weekend orders are shipped the next business day.
Estimated delivery for regular mail:
- California: 1-2 Days
- All other Continental States: 3-5 Days
- Hawaii: 2-3 Days
On average, our customers receive their product within 3 days of the shipping date. Please check your tracking number for updated delivery information.
Shipping Fee: $3.99 1-2 items, $4.99 3-4 items, $5.99 5-6 items, $12.99 7+ items. Packages are shipped via US Post Office First Class Mail, Priority Mail or UPS for large orders.
USPS ALERT: Due to limited transportation availability as a result of nationwide covid-19 impacts, package delivery times may be extended.
We make every effort to ship your items together. However, there are times that orders with multiple items are shipped in more than one package. If your items are going to be shipped separately, you will receive separate shipping confirmations for each package that is sent. When we divide an order into multiple shipments, you are not charged an additional fee. This policy applies only to in-stock ordered items and does not apply to orders that include pre-order items.
Some of our items are available for pre-order. Item specific pre-order information is available on the item product page. Please review your pre-order details before placing your order. If you place an order that includes in-stock and pre-order items, the pre-order items will be assessed a separate shipping fee. Please refer to your pre-order product page for details.
Estimated delivery for international mail:
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Shipping Fee: Shipping fee varies depending on country. Packages are shipped via US Post Office, International Priority Mail.
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Justine Griffin/Sarasota Herald-Tribune—The east side of Westfield's Sarasota Square Mall is easily the busiest part of the shopping destination.
Cars pack a parking lot that spans the equivalent of a few city blocks toward the residences of Palmer Ranch, and shoppers inevitably head for the large glass door entrance to Costco Wholesale.
The store is Sarasota Square's most unconventional and arguably most popular tenant.
It has been more than a year since the nation's third-largest retailer took over an anchor space left vacant by Dillard's, transforming the big-box department store space to a wholesale club with wide aisles traveled by forklifts and with merchandise stacked 20 feet high.
Costco's opening was one of the most successful in the history of the Issaquah, Wash.-based chain. But whether the retailer known for its discount prices on electronics, liquor, jewelry and enormous wholesale-sized food portions will be salvation for Sarasota Square and other malls is an open question.
"Initially, people in the industry thought Costco would generate traffic and help other retailers in malls, and it does appear to be doing that — only marginally," said Jeff Green, retail analyst with Phoenix-based Jeff Green Partners. "That's because so much of what Costco sells is perishable that it limits the ability shoppers have to cross shop.' "
All too often shoppers enter Sarasota Square's southside entrance with one retailer in mind: Costco. They leave with oversized red carts stuffed with food and make the haul back toward the parking lot.
"I shop at Costco and go home," Sarasota resident Lois Marks said. "I still shop at the mall sometimes, but not as often as Costco. I'm the type of person that I'm either in the mall state of mind or Costco. Can't mix them."
But Port Charlotte resident Denise Simmons said she loves the mix.
"I shop both. Usually I browse the mall before I go to Costco," Simmons said. "I think it's a perfect fit for the mall. I can get all my shopping done."
Positive effects
Sam Davidson, the Florida marketing director for Westfield, says that the wholesale club's debut has had an appreciable effect on Sarasota Square, giving many shoppers another reason to visit.
"The impact from Costco has exceeded our expectations. Visitor traffic continues to climb for the center as a whole, experiencing double digit increases throughout the past year," Davidson said. "Adding Costco to an impressive tenant mix of national fashion retailers and a top-notch AMC 12 (theater) has provided shoppers more reasons to visit the center more often."
Jeff Welch, owner of Sarasota Square's All Sports Custom Framing, says he definitely sees the Costco effect. His store, which opened about the same time, is two doors away from the wholesale club.
"We definitely get a lot of foot traffic when Costco is open," Welch said. "When it's closed, it falls off."
"I see shoppers daily with their Costco carts that come through the mall," he said.
But more competition is coming for those buyers.
With the $315 million Mall at University Town Center — being built by Taubman Centers and Benderson Development Co. at University Parkway and Interstate 75 — scheduled to open at this time next year, Costco's presence at Sarasota Square is perhaps more important than ever.
Mall rarity
Sarasota County was not the first market where Costco took over a space in a traditional mall.
As more big-box spaces opened during and after the Great Recession — either as chains failed or were absorbed into others — Costco found a new affordable niche.
Target and other brands, like Dick's Sporting Goods — which will open in Tampa's Westshore Plaza in a former Saks Fifth Avenue space — also have found cheap rents in high traffic areas at malls, too.
This year, Costco opened a 140,000-square-foot wholesale club on the site of a former Hecht's department store at Westfield's Wheaton, Md., mall.
"There are stand-alone Costcos on mall properties, but having a store inside a mall is still pretty rare," said Scott Christensen, general manager at the Sarasota Square Costco.
In Atlanta, Costco had taken over a former stand-alone department store space at the Cumberland Mall in 2006. While Costco immediately attracted customers, the wholesale club also sucked the dwindling mall traffic to its store and clogged up the mall's parking lot.
"When that store first opened, it didn't help the mall much at all. There was no interconnection of the customer base," said Tom Porter, a retail consultant based in Atlanta. "Costco shoppers aren't the same type as mall shoppers."
But over time, the mall's owner was able to replace ailing tenants with stronger brands, bridge the gap and draw a variety of shoppers from both ends of the spectrum.
"The mall was forced to find a mix of high end and low income tenants and restaurants," Porter said. "Having Costco brought people to the property who wouldn't otherwise have shopped there. It gave the mall some recognition."
In Sarasota County, being attached to a mall has also come with challenges, said Christensen, the local Costco manager.
"Customers have some difficulties finding parking, and because the lot is so huge as it expands around the mall, we have some trouble monitoring it and keeping track of carts," he said.
"But those are growing pains," Christensen said. "We've learned a lot during our first year here."


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Cooking For Engineers
Analytical cooking discussed.
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Kitchen Notes: Scoville Units
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Joined: 15 Apr 2006
Posts: 1
Posted: Sat Apr 15, 2006 4:02 pm
Post subject: Dave's is a sissy hot sauce
Dave's Insanity and other's are the old school. Blair of
has long since taken over the hot sauce market with extremely high scoville ratings in heat. (Dave's Insanity is roughly 50,000 Scoville units in heat *Blair's sauces range from 55,000 to 550,000 Scoville units in heat with his reserves and collector sauces ranging to a Guinness record setting 16 million in Scoville heat)
A regular Habanero hot sauce averages about 20,000 to 30,000 Scoville units. The "extract" sauces (usually named stuff like Devils Drool, or Blair's Mega Death, and have entertaining packaging) contain much higher concentrations of Capsaicin extract and range from 250,000 to 550,000 Scoville units. Needless to say that is extremely hot. So much so they carry warnings that they are to be dilluted and used on a per drop basis, and should be kept in a safe place. Generally 300,000 to 550,000 Scoville unit sauces are the apex of heat for even the seasoned "chileheads", and will undoubtedly induce a lot of sweating, eye tearing and nasal drip for a good 10 minutes or so in small applications. The Black Mamba however is in a group of maybe four or five in the world that carry the highest concentraions of Capsaicin at inordinately high levels. Black Mamba was tested and shown to have several million Scoville units per bottle! What this means is a toothpick sized droplet will burn burn burn in a way that nothing ever has before. I now know this to be true. I tasted a drop on a tortilla chip this morning and in the first few minutes almost wished I hadn't. My pallete was aflame with something I didn't perceive to be edible. My throat felt like something had literally blazed a trail through it, my sinuses were vaporized by what I liken to inhaling ammonia to keep from passing out, my entire head was sweating like I had just run 10 miles, and my eyes were a watery mess. This all from a single drop of this stuff (no lie). I seriously couldnt take the heat, and I admittedly enjoy hot foods, so that should gibve you a good indication at the power of this stuff. There is another sauce called The Source which is measured at 7 million Scoville units which is obviously ridiculous.
The Blair's private reserve collection has the Guinness record in Scoville measured heat with his 16million Reserve pure Cap flake. It's not even extract which is already uber hot, it's actually pure Capscium flake which is like oleoresin heat at extreme concentrations. You need to sign a waiver to even purchase the stuf,f and it has to be handled with gloves and safety glasses (not a joke - seriously). Reportedly one couple of seasoned chiliheads dropped a flake into a pot of soup, melted and stirred it in and both couldn't handle the heat. Another guy at a radio station tried it on the air and was sent to the hospital with respiratory problems.
If you're interested in genuine heat that won't kill you, your best bet is a max of 550,000 scoville to the most at maybe a million. Try something like Blair's Mega Death which is a nice 550,000 Scoville and you'll get what you're looking for.
There are a wide varity of products out there, many of us collect them.
The must visit links for serious chiliheads:
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Posted: Sun Jun 25, 2006 1:08 am
Post subject:
Checkout <href="http://www.insanechicken.com/worlds-hottest-hot-sauce.html">World's Hottest Hot Sauce. I buy my
Hot Sauce
from InsaneChicken.com and I am always satisfied .
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Joined: 26 Oct 2005
Posts: 535
Posted: Sun Jun 25, 2006 2:09 am
Post subject:
Since people are mentioning their favorite pepper sites, I might as well add the seller than got me in trouble with my wife one day when she went to delete the cookies.
They are very informative and sell a wide variety of sauces from mild to deadly.
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Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 2:48 am
Post subject: Measuring hotness
is there a kitchen measuring/sensor instrument to check the hotness factor of the food being cooker?
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Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 2:43 am
Post subject: Hot sauce sodium content
Something I noticed about the "Louisiana hot sauces" that you find in America is that they tend to contain a lot of sodium. I've seen anywhere from around 100 mg/tsp to 300+ mg/tsp. I used to think nothing of dumping a tablespoon on some tamales or a burrito, but now I hesitate to add 900 mg of sodium to an already salty meal. The one with the lowest sodium that I've been able to find is the original Tobasco, with (if I recall correctly) 30 mg/tsp. It doesn't taste quite the same, though.
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Joined: 26 Oct 2005
Posts: 535
Posted: Wed Oct 18, 2006 5:23 am
Post subject:
I agree. Tabasco adds some heat, but is totally lacking in the flavor department. For a more flavorful easily found sauce, Franks Hot Sauce is much better than Tabasco, although maybe not quite as hot.
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Joined: 07 Sep 2006
Posts: 77
Posted: Thu Oct 19, 2006 2:03 am
Post subject: So many sauces, so little time...
I personally favor "Endorphin Rush". I use it to accelerate my lamb curry to illegal levels of endorphin production. Great on burritos as well. The delightful dizziness that is brought on by a powerful sauce is something everyone should experience. Tabasco? Lousiana Hot Sauce? Puh-leez.
Also, ER is low sodium.
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Joined: 26 Oct 2005
Posts: 535
Posted: Thu Oct 19, 2006 6:53 pm
Post subject:
OK, Prof, I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt that you aren't as sick as I am, but if you are, go to
you can get your 6 million scoville unit sauces. That's what I do when I need a heat rush.
Also try this for 16 Million:
Good luck and eat safely.
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Joined: 07 Sep 2006
Posts: 77
Posted: Sat Oct 21, 2006 2:25 am
Post subject:
GaryProtein wrote:
OK, Prof, I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt that you aren't as sick as I am, but if you are, go to
you can get your 6 million scoville unit sauces. That's what I do when I need a heat rush.
Good luck and eat safely.
ER's 33.390K is more than hot enough for this old fool and it helps me watch my sodium ;-)
I like an endorphin buzz, but I don't want to wake up in the ER (the other acronym).
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Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2007 8:59 am
Post subject: Part of original article missing
Here's some of the examples that I've managed to collect to provide an idea of how the varieties stack up against each other.
This didn't show up in my usual Opera, so I tried it in Firefox, Lynx, and then (with much trepidation) fired up Internet Exploder (7). No dice, no table, no lucky streak...
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Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2007 6:38 pm
Post subject:
rsub8 wrote:
Capsaicin actually refers to a family of compounds, which vary in their "heat," explaining why diferent species of peppers (which produce slightly chemically different capsaicins) have different "heat" (and also where they "hit" you - tongue, back of throat, etc.) in addition to the quantity (and mixture) of capsaicin in the plant tissue.
This also is a good reason why it's a good idea to combine different "heats" (tabasco, habanero, cayenne, plus black AND white pepper) in a recipe. Paul Prud'homme explains this principle in his cookbooks (gumbo recipes).
AFAIK, there is only one type of receptor (called VR1) which 'detects' capsaicinoids (the group as a whole) some have more effect (cause more/less pain). Therefore to say different capsaicinoids affect different parts of the mouth/throat is erroneous, and therefore using different chillies would not give any difference in pain location. Just another urban myth, I'm afraid.
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Joined: 26 Oct 2005
Posts: 535
Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2007 1:17 am
Post subject:
Peppers have flavors. The heat evoking chemical, capsaicin is actually NOT a flavoring/taste compound. Capsaicin is actually a PAIN inducing compound, and its "flavor" is actually your response to the pain receptors, which is why it can be noticed in your mouth and throat at the top of your GI tract, in your stomach sometimes causing heartburn in the middle, as well as at the "bottom" of the GI tract in some people. The pepper burn can also be on the outside of the body, like the skin, and especially the eyes. BE VERY CAREFUL when handling high Scoville unit sauces and additives not to touch your eyes. You will NEVER forget that experience.
There are only four main tastes: salt, sweet, bitter, sour. If you count unami, the flavor of MSG, there are five. However, not everybody can taste unami, which explains why some people can tell you on the first bite when they eat food that has MSG. Most all "flavors" are actually smelled, so don't expect a gourmet creation from a cook who has a cold or summer allergies.
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Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2007 2:48 am
Post subject: My Vote
I put my vote for
InsaneChicken's Hot Sauce Catalog
. They send out the products quickly and their customer service is excellent.
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Joined: 16 Jul 2007
Posts: 15
Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2007 3:14 am
Post subject:
Have tried
Dave's Total Insanity
and my picture is on the wall down at a restaurant in Corpus Christi to prove that I was an idiot. But that was just a lark, for something really hot.
But, besides hot, there is absolutely wonderful flavor in one of the hot peppers, the habanero. This sauce is fantastic in stew, soup, or many foods where more depth of flavor is desirable. Doubt me....just try in a small, safe quantity. And, yes, you are welcome....in advance.
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Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2007 9:21 pm
Post subject: Flavor
Having spent years sampling as many sauces as I can, regardless of heat content, Tabasco original rules the flavor roost. If I'm looking for something to merely increase the heat, others are far better suited, but as a condiment, Tabasco is my standard by which all others are measured.
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I have started my 4weeks CELTA a week ago, if I hadn't had to pay 940 pound upfront I would have left that course from the second day.
I had to teach for 20 minutes on the second day! I was petrified. The amount of paper work is horrendous! It could be that I have other priorities to deal with though.
There is a book all about the celta course, it's called:
success on your certificate course in English language teaching.
Do note that the course is very good, and teaching ESOL learners is by far my best ever experience. So I say if you are up for a challenge and have no priorities whilst doing your CELTA, then go for it :)
Student or Learner


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Aspire @ Wooster
Aspire is a program of the Wayne County Schools Career Center that offers free classes to any adult wanting to improve their academic skills for successful employment. Through a variety of class options, students can prepare to earn a high school equivalence diploma (GED, HiSET, TASC), enter a college or career training program or brush up on skills for employment and personal success. Aspire also offer ESOL classes to help non-native speakers learn and improve their English language skills. Classes are held in Wooster, Orrville, Smithville and Millersburg. Day and evening classes are available. Academic and career advising is ongoing. Orientations are held monthly. Call 330-988-1007 to register. Aspire | Wayne County
- Date:
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The WNBA continues to be the Rodney Dangerfield of professional sports. No respect.
The Los Angeles Sparks have made a surprise run to the Western Conference Finals of the WNBA behind retiring star Lisa Leslie — and their reward is getting kicked out of their home.
The Sparks will host a game on Wednesday — but they will do so at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion. That's because Brittney Spears will be performing at Staples for a sold out show. Oh, and about that second home game for the Sparks on Saturday — Staples is booked then too for the Vladimir Klitschko and Chris Arreola WBC title fight.
The Sparks are not alone. The Atlanta Dream had to move their playoff game last Friday night from the Philips Arena out to the Atlanta suburbs and the Gwinnett Arena. The reason? Sesame Street Live was in town and had the arena booked.
Maybe the WNBA needs to adopt as their theme song Aretha Franklin signing "R-E-S-P-E-C-T."
It shows you where the WNBA stands in the money-making world of big-time arenas. The same thing happened to the NBA this year — Denver's Pepsi Center was already booked with a WWE Raw event the night a Nuggets/Lakers playoff game was scheduled. After Vince" McMahon milked the publicity for a few days, the WWE caved and moved their event.
Do you thing Sesame Street or boxing would get in the way of a Lakers game at Staples? Not a chance. Not even Britney would. First, Staples is careful not to book events on the dates of potential NBA playoff games because chances are the Lakers will be around. And a Lakers game is big money.
A WNBA game? Not so much money, even a playoff game. That is why events that will sell more tickets are booked and win the turf battle. This is America — the dollar always wins.
So the Sparks are sent packing to Westwood — an arena with unbeatable history but not near the modern amenities of Staples. No respect, I tell ya, no respect.
Oops They Did It Again; Sparks Step Aside For Spears
Sorry Lisa Leslie, Britney Spears has already sold out Staples Center. Try Westwood.
The WNBA continues to be the Rodney Dangerfield of professional sports. No respect.


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Product Description
Marvel at the big story; savor each detail
Biblical Theology allows you to ponder the individual stories and themes of Scripture while observing how they all fit together in God's grand biblical narrative.
With three articles introducing Biblical theology and 25 articles unpacking key themes of Scripture, the NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible equips you to follow the progressive unfolding of God's story. Helpful introductions to books and sections of the Bible combined with 20,000 verse-by-verse study notes will guide you to a clearer understanding of every portion of Scripture.
- Previously published as NIV Zondervan Study Bible
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Where to buy Neato Robot Vacuum accessories
Find a retailer near you.
It looks like there aren't any distributors in your country.
Always use Neato Genuine accessories when you need to replace your battery, filters, or brushes.
(4-pack and 12-pack available)
Neato Botvac filters are extra large to capture more dirt and debris than other accessory vacuums. Keep your home clean by changing the filters frequently – once every month or two, depending your usage. They are easy-to-change – just pop out and replace.
Compatible with Neato Botvac Connected, Neato Botvac D Series and Neato Botvac Series robot vacuums.


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Democrats Turn on Trade in Desperation
In the 2006 and 2008 election cycles, Republican candidates for Congress tried to save their bacon by running against immigration. In 2010, according to the Wall Street Journal this morning, a number of Democrats are trying to save their seats by running against trade. I predict the Democratic tactic will be as fruitless as the Republican effort before it.
Democratic incumbents have been running TV ads accusing their Republican challengers of favoring trade agreements, outsourcing, and tax breaks for U.S. companies that invest abroad. The charges are wrong on substance, as I address at length in my 2009 Cato book Mad about Trade: Why Main Street America Should Embrace Globalization, but running against trade has not proven to be a vote getter, either.
It is difficult to find a presidential or congressional election anywhere that has turned on trade. While most voters have an opinion on trade, the issue tends to rank down the list of top concerns, far behind the economy, jobs, and, in this election cycle, government spending and debt.
Demonizing trade is an especially odd campaign tactic in 2010. The recession of 2008-09 was not caused by trade, but by the bursting of the housing bubble. As the economy slowly recovers, trade has been one of the bright spots, with a healthy increase in exports fueling a revival of the closely watched manufacturing sector, as my Cato colleague Dan Ikenson blogged a few days ago.
Democrats running against trade should remember that the "Clinton economy" of the 1990s that they often speak nostalgically of restoring was built in significant part on the passage of major trade agreements and a robust expansion of trade.


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A beautiful lightweight Abaya/Kimono with elegant flower detailing on specially tailored bell sleeves and hem. Comes with a belt and can be worn open and closed This piece compliments many outfits and adds a touch of luxe to an evening ensemble.
- Material: Polyester
Hand-wash / Dry-clean
- Height of the Model : 5'7″
- Model wears: Size M – 54
- Hijab and inner dress not included
- Abaya has three buttons placed in the top half
Due to the nature of this fabric, we recommend only gently hand-washing this abaya.
Although we try our best to ensure product colors shown are true to the product, we do not guarantee a true color match due to different lighting and computer screens.
Refunds/exchanges will not be provided due to the same.


text:
Last night, we scored two hard mode kills back to back with Feng and Garajal. Once we got the mechanics down in place, it was easy and straight forward. Garajal had hard caps on both healing required and damage needed. We dropped down to four healers and managed to take out Garajal with under half a minute remaining on the enrage. Not a bad play. We'll be gunning for Elegon and Blade Lord next.
Tonight's challenge mode is Scholomance. I think this one will take a little long in "getting it" compared to Gate of the Setting Sun. This will be the first time I'll be healing a challenge mode in some time since we agreed to try switching me over to healing instead of playing Shadow. Although nothing's wrong with playing Shadow, our new composition will help us long term and help shave precious seconds off the timer as needed. Although for Lilian Voss, we'll be running 4 DPS on it instead. The logic is if we can take down Lilian in the first phase, we avoid the entire second and third phase of that fight. I hope my Vampiric Embrace and other spells with Dark Binding will be enough to keep us alive long enough.
This is the first time I'll be running Invisibility Potions. There's this place called Fungal Rock down in Un'goro Crater that just has these sprouting all over like crazy. We're expected to use those in order to bypass Professor Snape's room (the one with all those yellow ads).
One of my guild mates mentioned an item called Restorative Amber. I'll need to get myself some of this. I don't think I'll need it, but it's nice to have it anyway just in case we're off by a few seconds. The downside is that stuff is 10 gold each. I normally resort to Pearl Milk Tea to get my mana up but discovered quickly that it resulted in my awesome food buffs getting overwritten by Mastery. There's an NPC at the shrines that sell something called Golden Carp Consomme and he helps in restoring mana without sacrificing the food buffs.
I'm excited though! Hope to add another gold!


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When a reviewer writes about a product that's just been released, there's one insight that's unavailable: How the item being reviewed will do over time.
In some cases, the writer might be able to rely on past versions of the product for a clue about the longer haul. But for the most part, this is going to be a very cloudy crystal ball.
And speaking of cloudy …
When the iPhone 5 became available September 2012, I scrambled to find a case for it that I liked. I wanted something that was minimalist but still protective. Usually, selection for a case for a newly released iPhone is limited, but I found something that met my needs: a clear silicone case from Rocketfish, Best Buy's house brand for mobile accessories. I praised it in a Sept. 22 blog post that became very popular as people searched the Web for reviews of iPhone 5 cases.
I know quite a few people who bought this case based on my recommendation, including my Technology Bytes co-host Jay Lee and several people who work with me at the Mighty Houston Chronicle. I also heard from folks on Twitter and via email who'd bought the case and loved it.
But in that post, I offered this caveat:
Unless the clear silicone yellows quickly, I'll probably hold onto this case.
While it didn't yellow quickly, it did indeed yellow, something that happens often with clear plastics. In fact, it went beyond yellow, turning a kind of blackish green. I'd show you a picture of it, but I threw it away in disgust.
Also in that blog post, I said I'd switch to a Griffin Reveal case if the Rocketfish case yellowed, and that's what I did.
I looked around at other cases over the weekend, but kept coming back to the Reveal. I'd had an earlier version on my iPhone 4 and was very happy with it – it provided excellent protection while still allowing you to see the sleek design of the smartphone. I'd dropped my iPhone 4 several times, and the case did its job, keeping the glass front and back of that device from shattering.
The Reveal is what's known as a bumper case – it's got a band of silicon that hugs the edge of the iPhone 5, and a clear, plastic cover to protect the back. The biggest downside to this design is that the plastic back can be scratched, but better the case take a few dings than the back of the phone itself, right?
The bumper on the Reveal is a little thicker, and the lip that extends above the front of the phone is a little deeper, providing more protection. There's also a slight lip on the back, which may protect the plastic back from some scratches.
I've got a white iPhone 5, and chose the black version of the Reveal. The contrast of the black bumper against the white front looks great. It almost feels like I've got a new phone.
The only downside so far to my purchase: I overpaid for it. Best Buy had it on the shelf for $30, but you can buy it at Griffin's site for $20. In fact, Best Buy's own website sells it for $20. If you opt for this case, get it online.
One other note: The Reveal comes in multiple colors, and you may be tempted to get the white model if you have a white iPhone. Don't. Reviews of the white Reveal on Best Buy's site indicates it gets dirty quickly. Go with another color.
Oh, and if you've got an Android phone, Griffin offers Reveal cases for a handful of models, including Samsung's Galaxy S III and S4.
Update: Best Buy's support Twitter account responded to a query this morning and indicated they'd give me a partial refund on the overpriced case.
@dsilverman As long as the item has the same SKU# we will match our http://t.co/RP2esjIA7n prices, we will provide a partial refund. ^Tea
— Best Buy Support (@BestBuySupport) June 24, 2013
I'll return to the store later this week to see what happens.
Update 6.28.2013: I went back to the Best Buy store on Richmond near the Galleria Wednesday after work and requested a partial refund. Happily, the clerk behind the customer service counter didn't bat an eye. She cheerfully credited my credit card $10.82, and I was in and out of the store in less than four minutes. It might have taken less time, but she had to find a manager to punch in an override code.


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January found me in the Leeward Islands starting off in St. Thomas, St. Johns and then sailing over to the Spanish Virgin Island of Culebra for a nice little warm water break from the winter.
This was also the month that the Bianka Log Blog reached over one hundred thousand page views. So it was time to celebrate too.
In February I found one of the batteries in the 48 volt propulsion string was no longer taking a charge.
I spent the next several months investigating the issue and finally figured that a parasitic load from one of the battery meters was the cause of the problem. With careful charging and test the battery is once again up to snuff and worked fine all season. I was glad I did not have to purchase a new battery.
March found me in Ocean City Maryland. After seeing a nice little warm weather window my gal and I drove from DC to a beachfront hotel with an 11th floor balcony view of the Atlantic Ocean for a few days.
We had the beach to ourselves and were able to dine without making reservations. The smell of the sea also gets one thinking about getting the boat back in the water.
April 12th was the one hundredth anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. It bought back memories of when I was living on board BIANKA at pier 59 in New York. That was the pier that the rescue ship Carpathia bought the lifeboats from the ill fated Titanic and was only a few piers north of the peir where the Titanic was supposed to dock.
May found me and my gal in the Bahamas. The Exumas specifically via stopovers in Nassau. A new area for me and one of some great memories and interesting sights.
I also worked on my first major repair of the electric propulsion system in five years by replacing the shaft coupling. Replacing the original steel one with stainless steel.
June was all about getting BIANKA ready for the season and launching. The battery issue had been solved the mast lights checked. The prop cleaned and polished and finally BIANKA was splashed.
In July work reared it's ugly head eating up two weeks and my gal's beach vacation ate up another week. But, BIANKA was in the water with 200 feet of new anchor chain ready to go when time permitted. Also I worked on some finishing touches on the solar bimini.
August was another two weeks of work followed by another week on the beach. But, I was finally able to get back on board just in time to see another full moon a real treat.
September is usually the end of summer for many but, I view it as a new beginning. Some become melancholy with the end of the Labor Day weekend while I look at it as the time of less crowded anchorages So I was looking forward to making my annual cruise to New York.
September 11th was also the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.
Since BIANKA and I were docked in New York then and actually felt the impact of the planes and witnessed the collapse of the buildings I felt somewhat of an obligation to try and be back in the harbor on the anniversary. But, it was not to be, A broken pull cord and some frozen screws on the Honda 2000 generator soon put an end to those plans. Still I got to see another full moon on board so it was not all bad.
October had some of the highs and lows of the season. I saw a nice weather window and finally took BIANKA on the cruise to New York. I did something different regarding my electric propulsion system on this cruise. Which was to electro sail using about 10 amps to effectively negate the prop drag and actually propels the boat along a two knots when there is no wind. This technique worked really well and since EP is so quiet it does introduce the noise fatigue running and vibration that running a diesel would introduce.
After a night anchored by Ellis Island it was a nice sail up the Hudson River:
where BIANKA and I anchored for a few days off of Hook Mountain enjoying the fall colors.
Two days after returning back to BIANKA's mooring Hurricane Sandy hit the area:
The storm surge lifted BIANKA and her mooring and dragged them across the channel. I found her over a thousand feet away across the harbor. Still floating and relatively undamaged. I was very lucky. Since BIANKA had power available from her solar panels and wind generator I decided I would move back on her until power was restored back on the mainland. Which is where I spend most of the my time anyway during the season. I had all the comforts of home even more so as I had power available.
The beginning of November still had the area recovering from super storm Sandy. Gas shortages had boat owners coming down to the docks draining there boat's fuel tanks so they could keep their home generators running. I recovered the Honda outboard that went to the bottom of the harbor when the dingy flipped during the storm. It will be a winter project to try and get it running again. There were a lot of lessons learned from Sandy by me and many others too.
December was another month of a few weeks work that came my way. Just in time to pay some of the boatyard bills. Also it was time for holidays and looking back and also planning for the new year. I'm also way behind in some posts here on the Bianka Log Blog. So I will use the winter to catch up and publish about some of the projects I've been working on. Days are already starting to get longer and soon it will be time to starting thinking the new year and season.


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Wine-Oh! Tours
Wine-Oh! Tours by Passport to Adventure and More offers day trips with a focus on food, wine and spirits. We visit the wine country of Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Missouri. There are over 350 wineries within a 3 hours' drive of Evansville, Indiana and this number is growing every year! We at Wine-Oh! Tours have built great relationships with many of these area wineries in order to create exciting and memorable experiences for our groups. Not to mention, the local distilleries and breweries!
For more information about the Wine-Oh! Tours, click here!


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The Home Office has finalised plans to distribute £50m in extra funding to UK police so that they can purchase 10,000 mobile, networked devices for use by plods in the field.
"We are investing in new technology to make crime fighting more effective and to save officers' time," said Tony McNulty, minister for cops and spooks.
"Officers who have access to databases, such as the Police National Computer ... while out on patrol, will spend less time returning to the station and more time on the frontline," added Richard Earland, CIO at the National Policing Improvement Authority. The NPIA is the body which maintains the PNC, and also the UK's biometric and DNA databases.
The Home Office invited police forces to submit bids for funding to the NPIA, with the Authority remaining "technically agnostic". The only requirement was that all the different regional plans had to conform to security standards set by the Communication Electronics Security Group (CESG) - the defensive side of the UK's secretive spook listening agency, GCHQ.
In some cases, groups of forces combined to put in common applications, but the funding will be used to purchase a range of different solutions. Some forces intend to use Blackberries, others are employing different PDAs. There are also in-car terminals planned, some of them dismountable. Data connections will include both the dedicated Home Office TETRA wireless network, and commercial solutions such as GPRS, 3G etc.
Equipment of this kind has been in service with some forces for a while. For instance, British Transport Police (BTP) officers have had GPRS-equipped handhelds since 2006, giving them access to data from the PNC, electoral roll, intelligence data etc. They even carry "slim printers", allowing BTP cops to issue legally-mandated forms to people after a stop-and-search.
Similarly, Lincolnshire scene-of-crime-officers (SOCOs, British forensics personnel) already have the ability to send in fingerprints using laptops equipped with portable scanners and 3G datacards. According to Tony O'Keefe, project manager for the collaborative bid put in by five East Midlands forces, similar digital fingerprinting kit will soon roll out elsewhere in the UK. O'Keefe doesn't see ordinary coppers - as opposed to forensics personnel - having this capability soon, however, but notes that it wouldn't be hard to do.
No data will be held in any of the new devices, with memory being emptied as soon as an officer logs off. Access security will be by password, and there are other passwords after the initial logon to get into the different applications - PNC or whatever. O'Keefe says that modern policemen have to remember even more passwords than the rest of us as a result. He's very enthusiastic about the new kit, saying that for a rural force like Lincolnshire it will save a lot of travel time and wearisome reading-out of information across voice channels.
Asked about the way ahead for the sixteen police forces who didn't get any of the £50m pie, an NPIA spokesperson confirmed to the Reg that more funding would be forthcoming for such equipment in future. ®


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