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The Sea of Dreams spat me out with no memories, no idea of who I was or what my purpose might be. When Captain Bo, dream killer extraordinaire, arrived, I took a chance to explore. On the road of discovery, I tripped upon dreamplanes floating dead in a graveyard, scared children attempting to survive their dreams turned nightmare, strange guardians, rogue Dreamlanders, and ships with hearts of silver. I learned more about Dreamland than I ever thought possible. But people are dying. They're disappearing. Dreamland is twisting, shifting, ripping. I don't know how best to help, how to save those I've met, who have wormed their way into my heart. If only I knew who I was, what I'd been born to do. Then I found out. I know who I am. I wish I didn't. Dream Killers is geared for fans of Once Upon a Time. The first season (Spring 2014) consists of 3 novellas called episodes. It follows River as he discovers who he is and his role in Dreamland. Dream Killers is to Dreamland Stories what Agents of Shield is to the Marvel movies. Dreamland is an intense, rich, fascinating world with lots going on. If you like fairy tales, are looking for something new,try this one.
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Meet the Author:
SM "Frankie" Blooding lives in Colorado with her pet rock, Rockie, and Jack the Bird. Jack has refused to let her to take up the piano again, but is warming to the guitar. It might help that Frankie has learned more than two strings. She's added a few more Arabic words to her vocabulary, but don't invite her into conversation yet—unless, of course, you're willing to have a very . . . slow . . . conversation. She's dated vampires, werewolves, sorcerers, weapons smugglers and US Government assassins. Yes. She has stories. She's also an investigator with a local paranormal investigation group, Colorado Paranormal Rescue!


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Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Designed to perform in every situation, the EOS 5D Mark IV is beautifully engineered and a thoroughly accomplished all-rounder. Quentin says, "I'm using the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV because it's 4K capable and light."
In our digital age, clients are increasingly asking more of photographers. Many commercial jobs require not only still images, but also multimedia visual options for social media, from time-lapse and stop-motion footage through to fully narrative films. These sometimes-competing priorities can raise challenges for image-makers, but also offer great rewards.
Canon Ambassador Quentin Caffier has been working as a commercial photographer since 2008, but social videos have now become a significant part of his work. "There are a lot of projects where I've been contacted to do some photos and then suddenly they want videos," he says.
Under his alias, Markus Dewynter, he has shot social videos for clients – including the below videos for designer eyewear brand John Dalia – as well as clips showcasing high fashion, beauty and perfume.
Some of these videos remain closer to photography in form, such as the stop-motion videos he's made for Guerlain for social media – "a first step entry into video." Others resemble scaled-down film shoots, often with all the ambitions of a large-scale production but the budget for just a single operator.
The variety offered by social video makes it a fulfilling part of French photographer Quentin's work. "Social media projects are rather short, so you can switch from one to another quickly," he says. "You can learn from a lot of different people – I can be talking to a doctor about a disease one moment and then to a guy who is collecting watches. This content is exciting because you feel like you are entering into a lot of different universes, which I really like."
Here, Quentin shares his six golden rules for shooting engaging social media videos for clients.
"Most of the content is short – often just 30 seconds. The maximum length I've made for social is around two minutes. As a user, when you're on your phone you swipe quickly; if you see something, you don't stop for three or four minutes. So when making videos, you have to find something catchy."
Narratives need to be kept tight, so you need to have a good handle on your interviewees if you have on-camera speakers. "When I started to shoot some social videos, it was often interviews of people, so you need to think about how you deal with them. You're trying to make them formulate their thoughts in order to make short responses – one sentence, one idea, that's all. Then when you're doing your edit, you can cut what is too long to understand. And if you cannot handle your client, the video might be too long because people can be talking and not expressing their point."
Recent trends in video editing mean it is now easier than ever to create content for social on your own with just one camera, says Quentin. "A few years ago, when you were shooting people and interviews, you needed to have at least two angles in order to cut between them.
"But I've noticed that people are now used to jump cuts when you cut in the same point of view. I think that's because of all the podcasters and YouTubers who edit videos like that. It helps to have two angles – if you have a larger budget, you can afford to have two DSLRs, or one big camera and one DSLR. But if you can't, you can now shoot videos with just one angle."
Shooting in the highest resolution possible will allow you to make the most of the one angle you have. "The edit is an important time, and cuts are the key to having an interesting and catchy video," Quentin continues. "You can jump cut or try to zoom within the images to make the cuts more manageable. By zooming into the video slowly, when you cut, you can come back at a wider angle. But to be able to do this digital zooming, you need 4K [resolution] to be able to move within your images afterwards. Shooting in 4K is also important for stabilisation."
When considering edit time, Quentin also advises ensuring you keep time and money aside for sound design and colour grading. "It can often happen at the end, when you've almost finished a job, that you start looking for sound and music and realise you don't have the budget for it. A video can be so much better with just a few sounds – good sound design is the difference between a professional and unprofessional video.
"If you don't have a good microphone or good sound mixing, the video will not be nice – it's something in your gut.
"You should also spend time colour grading. Some Canon cameras enable you to shoot with C-Log, which is useful in enabling you to do some colour grading adjustments to make your images eye-catching."
When you're shooting a standard video, you usually decide your composition just once, but social brings up a whole new challenge, because you have to be able to present content across multiple platforms with different aspect ratios.
"Since I started shooting video, I've always used a wide format like 16:9 – classical cinema formats," says Quentin. "But on Instagram you have to make an image in a square, or in the Stories for Facebook you have to make a vertical video. For me, the main difficulty is finding a nice composition that works in three different formats, because we can't shoot it three ways. That is not easy, especially when you are coming from stills photography, where you take time to compose your image. That's why you need 4K, for example, because you can shoot a little bit larger and then crop specific frames, cutting your image in a few different formats."
This means creating content that will work across a traditional film format, for use on YouTube or as a Facebook or Twitter post; that can be cropped to a square 1:1 aspect ratio to be posted on an Instagram grid; and that fits in a vertical 9:16 aspect ratio for Facebook or Instagram Stories.
"My team has been working on a music project where we knew the video would be used across social media as well as on a website, so you're dealing with three different formats," Quentin continues. "So, we shot at a reasonable angle, and on Instagram we cropped to the square, and for Stories we kept the square and added moving objects up and down to fill the top and bottom of the screen."
"A DSLR is a cheap way to have a high-quality image," says Quentin, who usually chooses a Canon DSLR over larger cinema cameras when shooting for social, shooting stills and videos with the same camera. "I use the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV because it's 4K capable and light compared with the Canon EOS C300 Mark II or EOS C100 Mark II. Most of the time, shooting for social media means working with a tight budget, so you cannot come with a team of people to focus and to handle the lighting. You need a camera that's able to record with the most natural possible light, which the EOS 5D Mark IV is able to do. It also needs autofocus, so you are able to concentrate on the content of the video."
The mirrorless Canon EOS R also offers advantages for social shooting. "I've just shot a few test videos with the EOS R so far," Quentin says. "It's lighter, and what is really good on this is the autofocus. You can just say 'let's roll' and let the camera choose the focus."
Quentin leans towards fixed lenses for filming, currently working with the Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM lens for close-up portraits, the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM lens for "stolen moments" and the wide-angle Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM lens for capturing environments. "All of these lenses are great with light," he says. "You can open at a wide aperture, so you can shoot in almost any conditions, even if you are shooting at night or in a dark environment.
"I tried the RF 35mm F1.8 MACRO IS STM lens for the EOS R, which convinced me that this is a nice lens you can do almost everything with. It's good to shoot portraits, interviews and landscapes, and, for me, it's a nice balance between these things.
"I'd say that a 35mm and 100mm are perfect for videos. On the EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM lens the stabilisation is great, and the macro is able to shoot both portraits and stolen moments. You can just hold the camera in your hand and with the stabilisation can shoot people working, small moments, which are very important. With the RF 35mm F1.8 MACRO IS STM lens for the EOS R, you can have portraits of the people you are shooting for the interview, with some of the environment, so it can balance everything."
Ahead of a job, you need to think about the practicalities of the brief – a "quick video for social" might sound simple, but if the client is asking for a full narrative film, it's a huge increase in workload on top of shooting stills. This may be beyond the work of a single shooter, especially as you're now having to think in terms of two totally different mediums.
"It can be difficult to balance shooting photographs and video," says Quentin. "Even if your camera can do both, you have to set the camera in a different position for each. It's difficult to switch from one to another, and also in your mind – when you switch to video mode you don't think exactly like you did when you were shooting photographs. You need to talk with your client, understand what is important for them and what you have to focus on."
Quentin doesn't direct and shoot at the same time, instead relying on a larger team, adding in a second shooter, an assistant or a journalist. He says, "In Japan I was working for a luxury watch company, interviewing a watch collector. I was shooting film, and then I had another camera set up. A journalist was leading the interview to help explain what was wanted, and we had a translator. I was shooting pictures while the translator was translating, because otherwise you can hear the camera during the interview.
"Switching to mirrorless cameras like the EOS R System will be interesting because you can shoot silently, so you may be able to do both, shooting while rolling."
The key kit pros use for social videos
Designed to perform in every situation, the EOS 5D Mark IV is beautifully engineered and a thoroughly accomplished all-rounder. Quentin says, "I'm using the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV because it's 4K capable and light."
A pioneering full-frame mirrorless camera that sets new standards for photography and video. "It's lighter, with really good autofocus," says Quentin. "And using mirrorless cameras will be interesting because you can shoot silently, so you may be able to shoot while rolling."
With its high-sensitivity 20.2MP full-frame CMOS sensor, expanded 61-point Dual Pixel AF system and 4K video capture, the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II delivers class-leading performance.
This versatile lens gives great results in portrait work and handheld movie-making. "The stabilisation is great, and the macro is able to shoot both portraits and stolen moments," says Quentin.
A wide-angle prime lens for the mirrorless EOS R System with a fast f/1.8 maximum aperture and macro capabilities. Quentin says: "It's good to shoot portraits, interviews and landscapes, and, for me, it's a nice balance between these things."
With a large aperture, this L-series short telephoto lens is ideal for low-light shooting and creative effects with extremely shallow depth of field and smooth background blur.
This fast aperture wide-angle lens was the first to feature Canon's subwavelength structure lens coating to minimise ghosting and flare, while UD and aspherical elements eliminate distortion and aberrations, for crisp results.
How the DOP battled the Arctic elements to create a compelling series with a stylish cinematic vision
How the Canon Ambassador fought through a snowstorm, walked on frozen water and used three DSLRs to meet a demanding brief.
Should you be shooting 4K at all times to future-proof your work? A Canon video specialist shares his best advice.
Go behind the scenes to see how Canon engineers developed the latest in broadcast lens technology.
Click here to get inspiring stories and exciting news from Canon Europe Pro

subset: commoncrawl


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Welcome to the Stampin Friends Holiday Blog Hop! If you arrived from Cindy Slack Waldroff's Blog, thank you for continuing with the hop! Don't forget to click the Next Button to check out Barbara's amazing creations. PLUS, keep reading for a chance to win a bunch of new crafty prizes!
So, let me share with you my card first.
I used Black Licorice Cardstock as the base of my card. I then cut a layer of Whip Cream Cardstock and stamped randomly the stamps from the Countdown stamp set with Black Licorice ink.
Next, I cut a layer of Vellum Designer Prints with silver stars and added it to the top of the card.
I then die cut a Create-a-bow Mini from Journey Brush Silver Cardstock and adhered it to the card with hot glue.
To finish the card, I stamped the sentiment from the Countdown set with Black Licorice ink on Whip Cream Cardstock, cut the banner end and adhered it to the card.
I hope you found some Christmas inspiration. Click on the next button to go and visit Barbara's blog.
If you get lost, here are the bloggers with us this month:


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On July 28, 2012, Sr. Megan Rice, shcj, 84yrs, Michael Walli, 64yrs, and Greg Boertje-Obed, 59yrs hiked a ridge and cut through four fences to reach the new U.S. storehouse for Highly Enriched Uranium, which is needed for the production of thermonuclear weapons. These weapons, used to threaten other nations, are in violation of the U.S. Principles of Nuremberg (U.S. Law), in which citizens are directed to resist illegal acts by their government. The refurbishing of the weapons is in violation of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, in which the U.S. pledges complete nuclear disarmament.
(l to r): Michael, Megan and Greg (artwork by The Washington Post) |
They were convicted of sabotage (threatening the security of the U.S.) and depredation of government property and were sent directly into jail as terrorists to await sentencing (which took place ten months later). They were charged with $52,000 of damage- mostly to the fences. One of the attendees of the trial drew a parallel, "Would anyone let fences surrounding Auschwitz stand? Much less should we let fences guarding nuclear weapons stand."
Sr. Megan Rice was given 35 months imprisonment, both Michael and Greg were given 62 months. Jack and Felice Cohen-Joppa, editors of the "Nuclear Resister" stated: "As the Hibakusha (survivors of the terror from Hiroshima-Nagasaki bombings)"; so do Megan, Michael and Greg offer their lives to prevent similar massacre.
Ralph Hutchinson, coordinator of the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance, stated: "Though their bodies are in prison, their voices are free reminding us that the central issue of this action and trial have not been resolved- as long as the government continues to produce thermal nuclear weapons of mass-destruction in Oak Ridge or anywhere, people are required to resist."
Lynne Greenwald of the 'Disarm Now Plowshares Action' (DNPA) at Bangor in 2009 reminds us that the day of this sentencing is the same day, Feb 18th, as the sentencing to death (by guillotine) of Sophie Scholl, her brother Hans, and six other members of the White Rose Resistance to Nazi Germany's fascism in 1943 and also the day in 1985 when Lynne and six activists carrying white roses sat on the tracks leading into the Bangor Naval Base blocking the white train carrying nuclear weapons into the base.
Sr. Megan Rice who has spent her life living among and teaching the urban poor of our country and Western Africa, while also resisting U.S. militarism for the last 25 years, when questioned by Judge Thapars: "Do you have any regrets?", responded: "Only for not starting 70 years earlier."
Greg Boertje-Obed has been most faithful in his quiet powerful witness against all weapons through many selfless actions of resistance. He has been separated from his wife and daughter for ten years.
Michael Walli is a Vietnam Vet who received a bronze star. After the service his life changed to caring for the homeless and marginalized people in a number of our cities. At the sentencing he asked Judge Thapar to look at his face and see the face of the future~ the many who will follow in resistance.
Fr. Steve Kelly, sj, another member DNPA (Nov-2009) said that the judge's sentence gave great help to the U.S. in its efforts to categorize peace activists and whistle blowers as terrorists. The guilty verdict is meant to instill fear in the citizens. In contrast to this, Jesus says to Megan, Michael, and Greg: "Be Not Afraid."
Fr. Bill Bichsel, sj, also of DNPA says that the possibility of redress of grievances, from any of our branches of government, is blocked. The heroic action and subsequent sentencing of the three is a trumpet call to all of us.
Bix lives and works at the Tacoma Catholic Worker


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When you buy a new home and moving day is looming, it can be tempting to consider doing the move yourself. After all, by not hiring a moving company, you're saving money.
It is true, the DIY approach can lower your moving costs, which is money you can put towards needed fixes and upgrades to your new property. But, you're also adding a lot of work! You'll need to think about boxes, packing, truck rental, gas, lifting and lugging, friends who offer to help but bail last minute, and more.
So, if you're going to move yourself, plan carefully. Ensure you have all the boxes and packing supplies (tape, bubble wrap, etc.) you need. Most importantly, put together a reliable crew who can stick with you the entire day.
In addition to family and friends, it might make sense to hire a worker for the day. If that all seems like too much work and hassle, then using a moving company is a time-saving option. Yes, you'll pay more. But you'll get professional movers, with a truck, who can do much of the lifting and lugging for you. That will take a lot of the stress out of moving day. And, keep in mind, you don't need to get the moving company to do it all. You can cut costs by having them handle the heavier items, such as appliances and furniture, while you DIY-move other things, such as easier-to handle boxes.
Regardless of which option you choose, make your plans well in advance. When it comes to moving day, you'll be glad you did! Want more tips on making buying and selling easier? Private message me or give me a call! Always happy to help!


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High-tech meets fine art with this Playful Doves Mezuzah Case by Seeka. The Hebrew meaning of Seeka is Pin or Brooch. Nachshon Peleg and Stavit Allweis combine complementary skills from the fields of industrial design and fine art. Utilizing a proprietary technique, they mate stainless steel, resin and found objects in combination with hand-painded acrilics to create each of their Mezuzot.
This Mezuzah is Made in Israel


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Moving away from the days of analogue, Abica are improving the performance of phone systems for businesses in Glasgow through the use of VoIP solutions.
By working as a business partner and suggesting the best suited phone system for your business we will ensure you make the most of your investment. For example, if you don't have a large in-house IT department to install and maintain new or additional hardware to support your new VoIP software, then Hosted VoIP is a good solution.
Abica will show you how to integrate the latest VoIP systems into your business in Glasgow so that you can make the most of them, whilst looking at ways to reduce your monthly phone bills. Cloud based and full of features, our business phone systems provide a wide range of business benefits including cost savings and increased productivity.
Further business benefits of using Hosted VoIP with Abica include:
- Free calls: All your sites will benefit from free calls to each other.
- Call abroad: If you have suppliers or offices overseas – a VoIP phone can be used to call them for free – they become an extension on the phone system.
- Multiple phone numbers: Multiple incoming phone numbers, and the ability to differentiate between them. A VoIP system can have as many incoming numbers as you want, so you have a number for sales, a number for support, etc.
- Plug and play technology: Handsets are pre-configured meaning they can be easily installed at any site where a live internet connection is present.
To find our more about any of our phone system solutions, you can call us on 0141 404 1219 or use the form shown and our team will get in touch.


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Speaker: A day or two at Dramfest
24 Responses
Nice one, couldn't make it myself but I appreciate reading your lines on the event. Has given me a thirst, too...
I am reminded of a quote attributed to the English poet, John Keats who I had previously thought rather effete ...
His remark, on first tasting whisky, was
"this is smart stuff". -
It's something Lumsden and his team have to work on every day, even if, technically, they won't see the true fruits of their labour until a good decade afterwards.
Must be difficult to employ a distiller.
Q: So, you've been working at Joe Bloggs Distillery for eight years now. How's that going?
A: Dunno yet.
Ah, but Kyle, you get to sample the whisky's progress for its entire life in the cask. That must be satisfying.
Very young good whiskies (and there are more of them about) can be fun: no complexity, but quite a bit of clarity.
I went and had a great time, and yeah it was nice to see young people (although I guess I was one of them) and even shock horror.... women! on sunday, it made a nice change from all the fat rich men on saturday and the oddness of the "do" on friday.
also my advice compass box canto cask.
it's from a single cask! and every country has a different cask, NZ's one is very good! -
Author Ian Banks loved the drink enough to travel the whole of Scotland in search of the perfect "dram".
And apparently lost an i in the process...
I relish whisky (and the occaisional dram of Irish whiskey aint too bad either.) While I'm a serious Islay single malt fan, I'm not an age-worshipper (I've found some excellent drops in Michael's lesser-known deliciousnesses) and I'm not a whisky snob: I keep a couple of good Islay malts for those I know appreciate them; an NZ label (tends to be Milton, but some of the stuff sitting in Oamaru is exciting - I'll just have to win Lotto!) and a Jamieson's or Tullamore Dew or Blackbush
for the whiskey fans. Lastly, not least a cheap good blended Scotch ("Famous Grouse" or equivalent) for those that like sparkling sweet stuff* and/or ice with their dram.The idea is that fellow-drinkers gain pleasure from their drams, whatever the dram maybe...I hope to make a future Dramfest (a couple of unexpected events intervened this time) so, many thanks Matthew for this report! Slainthe!
*The number of Edinburghers & Glaswegians & Paisley & Aberdeen folk I saw sloshing gingere ale or lemonade into their glass was - an eye-opener!
Banks's book is a crock of sh*t. There is hardly anything about the whisky in it just how much fun he has drinking it with his friends. He tells you how many bottles of Glenfiddich he puts in his boot to drive home but not how they taste.
Kyle, and 8yo is a youngster. At Lagavulin their standard single malt is 16yo and it's caused them some problems predicting demand.
@Islander, the Scots aren't as precious about the stuff as everyone else is, though most bars here have a jug of water always on the bar for those who want a dash with their dram. Also don't just eyeball the malts behind the counter, ask if they have a whisky list including the ones not on display.
Oh and you can cook with it too. My wife's pan fried salmon with whisky cream sauce:
Pepper well a salmon steak per person then fry quickly in butter. Remove and keep warm then to the pan add some double cream and mix in with the butter and bits. The splash in at least two tablespoons of a good smoky malt, Lagavulin or Talisker are our choices. Heat to blend but do not boil. Serve spooned over the fish with a salad.
Peter - 3 things:
I am obliged for your wife's salmon & whisky cream recipe! The salmon run (in at the lagoon mouth, up through Zala's Creek, into MacDonalds where the redds are constructed) is just about over but I know there are some fresh steaks around-
my Nanna, Orkney Islander tho' born here in the 1890s, was a sworn teetotaller & a Wee Free Kirker, and never drank above a shandy BUT whisky was always in the house, and as a kid, I remember being given a mix of lemonjuice, honey, and -yep - whisky for colds. For flu', you also got an aspirin...it wasnt a drink you see, it was a medecine.
You & family may have a chance to try her venison stew:
"2 backsteaks m'td (which I take to be 'marinated') in w. (which I know to be whisky) for 2 hours: drain, flour, briskly fry in butter w. onions until browned;bring to a simmer with barley, carrots, and later, peas (dried suff.(ice - I assume.)) until tender."
She's cheating - I know she used marrow as well, and there were definitely pot herbs. But I have fun trying to recreate her stew (red deer are both vermin & sought after here - they literally come into the settlement.
Yep, I noticed the water jug: sometimes it was outadetap/chlorinated, and at least twice it had ash floating in it. But I loved the total lack of pretension over whisky!
Uh, highly tech. query Peter - maybe better addressed to your wife?
That's *white* pepper?
(And a really good Lagavulin or Talisker - just having heard screams of
disagreement & "Waste!" in the background - is a perfect enhancment to such a good rich fish like salm n...) -
I can recommend an excellent book on whisky: Peat, Smoke & Spirit by Andrew Jefford.
The book uses whisky as an axis to look at the history, geography, culture, flora and fauna of Islay - essentially it is a very good piece of travel writing. Chapters on each distillery are interspersed through the book, which go into the history, style and production in some depth, down to the shape of the lyne arm atop the still and how this influences the character of the spirit.
The book also makes an excellent guide for a visitor to Islay, and is so enjoyably well written that even a non-whisky person such as my girlfriend didn't feel like she was doing me a favour by reading it...
just having heard screams of
disagreement & "Waste!" in the backgroundWhat, you could hear me from here? - even though I'm a fan o salmon too.
To my taste, Port Ellen is the dram I've loved the most so far - more than Springbank 25 and the lovely Lagavulin.
I found Bank's book quite useful when I was in the Western Highlands last year, but that was perhaps more for the non whisky related tourist information. I would have never gone to Fort William or Glenfinnan or even hired a car to tour about the Highlands without his sales job.
Thank you Raffe Smith - that is now on my 'to obtain' booklist.
And Sacha - Port Ellen is now top of my list of new joys to try - thankyou both!
I have to warn it is not a cheap drop. Sublime though if you like te Islay.
S'ok Sacha - I'll sell - o another nephew or my axolotyl or the neighbour's iconshelf or - "blinks in surprise" - why! I could buy *2* bottles!
Yep, I noticed the water jug: sometimes it was outadetap/chlorinated
Nothing wrong with that. I remember when the Scotch Malt Whisky Society opened its member's rooms in London they said a dram would cost more than in Edinburgh because the London tap water was not suitable and they had to use Highland Spring bottled. In the Edinburgh rooms the jugs are filled with Auld Reekie tap water and I water my cask strengths with Dundee tap water. There is a lot of pretentious twaddle talked about the water you water your whisky with, the rule is: if it works, use it.
When you drink your Port Ellen be aware that every sip depletes our stock of it since it is closed and has been redeveloped so will not be doing a Bladnoch.
Peter - yeah - but I draw the line at chlorinated water (I'm highly allergic to chlorine ) or other people's cigarette ash (I didnt smell any cigars - I've never experimented but I think tip-ash from one of my really good cigars might be - an interesting addition.) Home here, good old Big O water is what everyone gets (no chlorination, and *very* few contaminants . OK, the occaisional drowned possum but-)
I've kepy special bottles for years&years - sounds like it will be that way if I can lay my tentacles on a bottle of Port Ellen-
(sometimes sniffing - or a tiny sip - is enough...)
I could buy *2* bottles!
On my way. :)
Whisky Galore has a few of the many variants. As Peter notes, it's one of the closed distilleries so they will never get any cheaper or more plentiful.
I liked the Banks book too, because it talked about the places and people and didn't wank on too much about how the whiskies tasted. He gave a vague impression, but left it for you to want to experiment. I spent $500 bucks at the whisky shop by Covent Garden when I was over last year, and I blame that book (no time to nip up to Scotland).
As for the festival, sounds like oodles of fun. It might be enough to drag me to Chch one day, but if it were in Dunedin, I'd be there in a shot.
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Tim Frahm in his beloved wool and neoprene on Pescadero Creek.
By Tim Frahm
Let's see, what do I need here. Oh yeah. Start with 5262s (size 6 and 8), gold bead (5/32″), spun mohair, palmer hackle…
Like most rod and gun nuts I know, I've got important dates marked off in my calendar. But for me, living on the central California coast, the most important date in the calendar is December 1.
Opening day of winter steelhead season.
I remember hitch hiking over to Pescadero Creek (near Half Moon Bay, now my "home water") with a buddy of mine back in 1968. We watched as some older guys threw line effortlessly through the ever-present wind. I can still hear Tony say "I can't wait till I'm old – then I won't have to worry about my casting anymore."
I guess I'm one of those "older guys" now. These days I don't worry about my casting. That means I'm free to be more focused on what's going on around me.
Call me obsessive, but if we're on the water together, I may be talking to you, but I'm not looking at you. I'm looking at the water. I'm looking for fish, and for clues as to why they are there — or not.
Over the years I've observed a lot. I've seen steelhead runs beaten back by drought and diversions and habitat destruction. I've seen fish take a back seat to cities, big ag, flood relief and even "food safety."
But I've also seen the amazing resilience of steelhead. They rebound when given a chance, from prolonged drought, from massive habitat loss, from extensive poaching.
And I've seen men and women with a conservation ethic – sportsmen, agency folks and ranchers, produce growers and timber harvesters – who find ways to give those fish a chance.
I've seen Trout Unlimited help those folks act on that conservation ethic.
One of my work mates calls me "the Steelhead Whisperer" because I usually do find a grab or two. Really though, I'm just a pounder of water who spends lots of time watching, and throwing line. And trying to keep the steelhead legacy alive.
The sun's coming up, the tide is turning and a fish just rolled. I may not take off my wool cap or my 3.5 mil neoprenes until April.
Tim Frahm is Central Coast Steelhead Coordinator for Trout Unlimited.


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Most teens don't realise that they
drive worse when texting;
© Marina Bartel/panthermedia.net
A University at Buffalo (UB) researcher's work with a state-of-the-art driving simulator is making better drivers among those considered to be the most risky motorists on the road: teens with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder).
Gregory A. Fabiano, UB associate professor of counseling, school and educational psychology, has already established a therapeutic program that not only helps these teens become better drivers but also builds better relationship with their parents.
Now Fabiano will extend his already successful program to other teens and their families, therapy that includes dramatic demonstrations of the unforgiving and often dramatic dangers of texting while driving.
"We had worked with children with ADHD for a long time at the university," says Fabiano. "And as those kids grew up, we heard concerns from parents about the transition to independent driving.
"So we did some research and found out results not surprising to anybody. Teen drivers are the worst on the road. And some recent research has shown that compared to that worst group of drivers, teen drivers with ADHD were significantly more at risk for everything."
Fabiano's project also has found stark results when it comes to teens texting while driving: Texting while driving can make individuals as bad as drunk drivers or worse.
"It's hard to turn on the TV or open a newspaper or magazine without seeing something about the risks of texting and driving," Fabiano says. "Because cell phones only have been around for a while, this is a recent phenomenon. And only in the past five years have text messages and texting been something we all have on our phones and in our pocket, so it's really a new distracter that teens now entering the roadway are having.
"In our research, we have yet to have somebody be a successful texter while driving, and that includes our internal staff and me," Fabiano explains. "Texting while driving impairs driving to the extent where there are deviations in the lane, on the shoulder, people spinning out, they lose control, and it's not hard to extrapolate that if that sort of thing happened on a real road, you could have hit a pedestrian, another car, a bad accident."
Fabiano says the significant conclusion of this part of his research is how the teenagers who lose control of the simulated vehicle while texting often do not realise their ability to drive was severely compromised.
"We have found teens with ADHD are like children with ADHD in that they have poor insight on the impact of their behavior on others," Fabiano says. "So most of the teens we work with think they can easily text while driving without any poor consequences."
REHACARE.de; Source: University at Buffalo


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RABRAB JOURNAL #02. Sezgin Boynik & Gregoire Rousseau (eds.). Rabrab Press
Posted in magazines on December 10th, 2015Tags: Aeron Bergman, Alejandra Salinas, Anthony Iles, Antti 'Eze' Eskelinen, Ben Watson, Ben Watson and Kari -Annala, Bruno Besana, Christine Delphy, Darko Suvin, Dror Feiler, François Nicolas, Gert Raeithel, Giovanna Esposito-Yussif, Grégoire Rousseau, Grupa za Politiku, Henrik Heinonen, heterophonies, improvisation, Ivana Momčilović, Jaakko Karhunen, Jean-Claude Moineau, Jyrki Siukonen, Martin Krenn, Mattin, Max Ryynänen, Mazen Kerbaj, Michel Chevalier, Milica Tomić, noise, Ozren Pupovac, Peter Gidal, RABRAB JOURNAL, Rahel Puffert, Russian avant-garde, Sezgin Boynik, Taneli Viitahuhta
The second issue of Rab-Rab is in two volumes, all together in 500 pages. The focus of the second issue is 'noise against culture.' The contributions deal with the formal theory of noise, politics of contradictions, the device of estrangement, materialist film, music and violence, Futurism, Russian avant-garde, improvisation, void, heterophonies, swearwords, communism, ideologies of marriage, class wars and electricity.
"Departing from our programme based on the understanding of art practice as a confrontation between formal and political inquiries, our aim in this issue is to use noise as the name for this difficult, disturbing, loud and coercive exploration. In many cases the formal and political aspects of noise are two separate things: the former is seen as an issue of information or perception, whereas the latter is usually reduced to a metaphor of spontaneity. But if we change these parameters of discussing the noise from measurable coefficients of failed communication, or from elusive metaphors of contingencies, towards the conceptual references related to ideology and class struggles, then what is understood as noise turns into something else. It can become a valid concept of inquiry, refusing to be pinpointed to conventional academic banalities silly phenomenological artistic fantasies immersed in ."
Contributors to the second issue are Aeron Bergman, Bruno Besana, Sezgin Boynik, Michel Chevalier, Christine Delphy, Antti 'Eze' Eskelinen, Giovanna Esposito-Yussif, Dror Feiler, Peter Gidal, Grupa za Politiku, Henrik Heinonen, Anthony Iles, Jaakko Karhunen, Mazen Kerbaj, Martin Krenn, Mattin, Jean-Claude Moineau, Ivana Momčilović, François Nicolas, Rahel Puffert, Ozren Pupovac, Gert Raeithel, Grégoire Rousseau, Max Ryynänen, Alejandra Salinas, Jyrki Siukonen, Darko Suvin, Milica Tomić, Taneli Viitahuhta, Ben Watson and Kari -Annala.


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Benefit Fact Sheet
The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) protects the employment rights of individuals who must be voluntarily or involuntarily absent from their civilian employment positions to serve in the U.S. military. USERRA also prohibits employers from discriminating against past and present members of the uniformed services.
USERRA applies to all Service Members, past and present, with a focus on those that have civilian careers and employment and perform service in the U.S. Uniformed Services. The law applies to all employers in both the public and private sectors.
The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA) helps ensure that those who serve in the U.S. Uniformed Services of the United States retain their civilian employment and benefits and are not discriminated against due to their service. The law also protects disabled Veterans and requires that reasonable efforts are made by employers to accommodate the disability. A 2010 amendment has extended the definition of "benefit" to include wages and salary.
USERRA is administered by the Department of Labor (DOL) through the Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS). It was signed into law in October of 1994 and can be found in the U.S. Code, Chapter 43, Part III, Title 38. The DOL has also issued important clarifications on the rights of returning Service members in 29 CFR Part 1002.210.
Reemployment Rights
Service members must meet five criteria to be eligible for reemployment under USERRA. The Service member must:
Be absent from a position of civilian employment by reason of service in the U.S. Uniformed Services
Give advance notice of service to the employer
Have cumulative absences for service of five years or less (actual uniformed time) (subject to exceptions) from their civilian position with the same employer
Return to work or apply for reemployment in a timely manner following the conclusion of service
Not be separated from service under other than honorable conditions or with a disqualifying discharge.
USERRA protections include some responsibilities on the part of the Service member as well as the employer. There are specifics in USERRA that apply to Service members based on the time periods of service and absence from the civilian position. Service members should consult the law for information regarding their individual situations.
Employers are provided three statutory defenses that may be asserted when presented a claim for USERRA benefits. The burden of proof regarding the use of any of these defenses lies with the employer. An employer is not required to reemploy a returning Service member when:
The employer's circumstances have changed so that reemployment is impossible or unreasonable
Reemployment would impose an undue hardship on the employer, (such as when a person is not qualified for a position due to a disability or other bona fide reason and the employer has made reasonable efforts to help the person become qualified)
The employment is for a brief and nonrecurring period of time where there should be no reasonable expectation that the employment will be for a significant period or continue indefinitely.
Service members have the right to be reemployed in the job that they would have attained had they not been absent for military service, with the same seniority, status and pay, as well as other rights and benefits determined by seniority. USERRA requires that reasonable efforts (such as training or retraining) be made to enable returning Service members to refresh or upgrade their skills to help them qualify for reemployment. The law also provides that while an individual is performing military service, they are deemed to be on a furlough or leave of absence and are entitled to the non-seniority rights accorded other individuals on non-military leaves of absence.
Health Insurance Protection
If a Service member leaves a job to perform military service, the Service member has the right to elect to remain on the existing employer-based health plan coverage for up to 24 months while in the military. The Service member may be required to pay the cost of this coverage. After returning to the job and being reemployed, the Service member has the right to be immediately reinstated in the employer-based health plan. There should be no waiting periods other than those required due to service-related illnesses or injuries.
Discrimination Protection
USERRA protects employees from discrimination due to military service. Therefore, an employer may not deny initial employment, reemployment, retention in employment, promotion, or any employment benefits based on an employee's military service. This protection is provided for past and present members of the U.S. Uniformed Services, those who have applied for membership in the U.S. Uniformed Services, and those who are obligated to serve in the U.S. Uniformed Services.
Claims and Enforcement
The U.S. Department of Labor Veterans Employment and Training Service (VETS) is responsible for investigating and resolving complaints of USERRA violations. VETS has developed an Internet-based system to allow USERRA claimants to officially submit claims through an electronic version of Form 1010. To file a complaint, visit https://www.dol.gov/agencies/vets for this form or contact VETS at 1-866-4-USA-DOL (1-866-487-2365). The Department of Labor also provides a USERRA Advisor to help understand employee eligibility, employer obligations, benefits, and remedies under the Act. The USERRA Advisor is a web-based system that helps users find specific information by answering a series of questions. A newly added test program will begin referring some USERRA claims by federal employees to the Office of Special Counsel (OSC).
In addition, employers are required to provide employees a notice of USERRA rights, benefits, and obligations. Typically, this is done by posting these rights in a public place within the workplace.
Service members may also contact the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of Defense office created to assist in the resolution of conflicts arising from an employee's military commitment. If ESGR cannot resolve a complaint, they will assist in handing it off to DOL VETS.
ESGR's Customer Service Center is available to answer USERRA questions or refer cases to a trained Ombudsman. Contact the Customer Service Center Monday through Friday (except Federal holidays) from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM (ET):
By Phone: 800-336-4590, Option 1
By Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act:
Chapter 43—Employment and Reemployment Rights of Members of the Uniformed Services:
Department of Labor (DOL) USERRA Advisor, Overview:
Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, USERRA FAQs:
DOL Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS):
Reemployment and Nondiscrimination Rights for U.S. Uniformed Services Members:
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Final Courtroom Sketch Art
August 14, 2014
The last in our three part series on Wayne Shellbarger's courtroom sketch art. Excerpted from Kevin Bohahnis' cover feature article on Wayne in Courtroom Sketch Artist magazine.
"Wayne would go on to enjoy the apotheosis of his career in 2009 with his unprecedented selection to sketch his own trial—"like getting to pull the switch on your own electric chair" he marveled in a 2010 interview for the documentary, Veeps: Profiles in Insignificance and the notoriety for his subsequent misdemeanor conviction for the attempted assassination of the Vice President-elect."
Wayne is traveling from San Francisco to Portland in just a couple short weeks, and will be in attendance at our Veeps movie premier at Cinema 21, as part of the Portland Film Festival. Learn more and buy tickets here. Come on out and rub elbows with the courtroom sketch artist tasked with sketching how own trial!


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Students at many public schools are having personal data collected, stored and distributed to third parties without their parents' knowledge.
"I had a conversation with my high school assistant principal and asked him how much data was being collected. He chuckled and slapped his knee and he said, 'It's a lot. It's getting to be more and more,'" said Dawn Sweeney, a Pennsylvania mother.
Sweeney has two children in public schools and homeschools her younger three. She had planned to enroll the younger three in public schools when they reached seventh grade, as she did with her two oldest, but because of the data collection, she's reconsidering.
"Nobody can say exactly what is being collected, but it's a lot, and it concerns me that every time my kids are on the computer, their person is connected to data," Sweeney said. "You don't need parent permission for that. However, you do need parent permission to hang artwork in the hallway."
Data Follows Kids
That data collection makes plenty of parents nervous and is a growing reason more parents homeschool their children, said Will Estrada, staff attorney and director of federal relations for Home School Legal Defense Association.
"The concern for parents is, good grief, this record is going to follow my kid through higher education. If they punched another kid in second grade or had emotional problems in sixth grade, that's going to follow them," Estrada said. "You can't be a child and grow and learn."
Other concerns include identity theft, data security, a child's physical safety if a sex offender gains access to the data, and the government or big businesses having access to the data.
Emmett McGroarty, executive director of the Preserve Innocence Project at the American Principles Project, said if government is able to collect information in an unfettered manner on individuals, it will change their relationship.
"If I have a wealth of private information on you, on what you buy, what you read, what you watch on TV, your voting records, and how much you make…If you're walking around knowing this guy is collecting this information and is keeping it on you and your children, it's going to bother you, and it's going to intimidate you," he said. "If you and I ever enter into a dispute down the road, you're really going to be at a disadvantage."
New Coalition Forms
In late July, parents who had worked to take down inBloom, a pilot project involving massive student data collection, formed Student Privacy Matters, a coalition to push for better privacy protections at the state and federal level.
Some federal privacy protections exist, but Student Privacy Matters chairwomen Rachael Stickland and Leonie Haimson said they aren't enough.
Those protections are outlined in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, drafted during the Nixon administration and quietly loosened in the past decade. Applying those protections in the digital age raises questions for lawmakers, school districts, private corporations and parents.
"What we really want to do is get FERPA strengthened, but we understand we have a lot of work to do at the state level as well," Stickland said.
A federal bill introduced in late July doesn't go far enough, either, they said.
Teachers and school administrators need to know some sensitive student information, such as if the student has a learning disability. But Stickland and Haimson said that information doesn't need to flow beyond the school.
Data-Collection Invisible, Ubiquitous
They also say parents ought to know what data is being collected and who has access to it—and ought to have control over that.
Sweeney said her daughters at the public school have been using Gmail and other Google programs for class work. While she's permitted to opt them out of having and using personal Gmail accounts for class, it's almost impossible for them to complete their class work without the accounts. State tests are now taken online, although she's opted to have her daughters take them on paper to avoid some third-party data collection.
While students are limited in what they can use school computers for—no YouTube, no social media—it's hard to know what kind of data is being collected, and by whom.
"Google saves everything," she said. "It tracks what they're looking at; it has their classwork that they're working on, whether it's a Word document or something else."
If that information were in students' medical records, it would be illegal to share without consent, Haimson said.
Parents are especially concerned if their children are racial minorities, have a low socioeconomic status, or have special needs, she said.
"The most important thing for parents to do is to start asking questions of their education officials. Ask the superintendent, ask the school board what is being collected on their kids, how it is being secured, who are the vendors that it's being shared with and how it's being used," Stickland said. "Once parents start asking those questions and they find out the reality of the environment, awareness will skyrocket.
"At the moment, everyone's under the assumption that it's just the registration information that we provide, and it's so much more."
Reprinted with permission. Image by Cory Doctorow.


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"Stuff is eaten by dogs, broken by family and friends, sanded down by the wind, frozen by the mountains, lost by the prairie, burnt off by the sun, washed away by the rain. So you are left with dogs, family, friends, sun, rain, wind, prairie and mountains. What more do you want?" Federico Calboli
Friday, February 23, 2007
The Zumbo Flap
"On Friday evening, a gunwriter who was apparently tired of his 42-year career put his word processor in his mouth and pulled the trigger."
Old hunting writer Jim Zumbo called semiauto rifles "terrorist guns", and said they should be banned.
Dumb, and ignorant. As anyone who knows me knows, I disagree with Zumbo.
I do not support the 1994 "Assault" weapons ban. I am an NRA Life member. I own a Russki SKS.
In Gun Nut, his old friend Dave Petzal, WHILE DISAGREEING, posted a limited defense of his old friend. Last I looked, there were over 400 comments, most insulting. Here is a sample.
"I am honestly starting to believe that a lot of these hick hunter types are actually socialists who found a copy of Mao and would like to see America fade into socialist aristocracy."
["Hick socialist aristocrat" may be the most unlikely and oxymoronic combination of words I have ever seen.]
"FUDD [ie, hunter] ignorance is a DANGEROUS thing to firearm ownership."
I agree with the commentators below.
"1. The last time I was around anything this vicious, my mother-in-law was going after the last beer at my wedding reception.
2. We don't need enemies, we got each other.
3. Now I understand the Salem Witch Trials.
4. Could some one arrange a truce before the NRA convention in April? I have enough stress in my life."
(On Petzal's affection for .50 caliber Barrets): "So here's Petzal, espousing something I disagreed with completely. I thought he was dead wrong. I thought it was a dangerous idea, treasonous even, a slap to the very core values of fair chase. I even tried to cajole him into debating it on his blog.
"What I didn't do was suggest he commit suicide, or wish him a painful death, or post his address and phone number with the implication that someone should pay him a visit. I didn't gleefully participate in the destruction of his livelihood and then dance on the smoking embers of what used to be his life while backslapping and high-fiving the rest of the mob.
"Nope, despite the fact that I thought on this particular subject his head was clearly ensconsed way up his ass, I spoke my piece and moved on.
"I agreed to disagree without threat of legal action or violence which is apparently a disappearing art in this viral age. Now it seems no one is satisfied with less than the complete silencing and utter destruction of any opposing views.
"The fanatics among us (and what else can you call them?) have taken what should have been just a few unthinking, destined-to-be-forgotten remarks from an admittedly ill-informed and apparently less-than-tactful hunting writer in the perigee of his career and turned them into some kind of twisted pogrom that has attracted the very kind of attention from the antis it never would have done...if all you vociferous dumbasses out there had just shrugged it off and gone on, like sane, rational people do."
"This will not end well."
Yes, I AM asking for civility.
John Derbyshire comments here,here, and here.
The money quote is from one of Derb's readers: "One thing gun owners have learned the hard way is we got to stick together. The antigunners want to separate the hunters, from the pistol guys, from the Military rifle type guys-- divide and conquer."
Amen. We had best learn soon.
13 comments:
Zumbo had this to say on the Ted Nugent board. He registered there 02-21-2007 which is a little suspect but it sounds like it may be him.
"The last few days have been an educational experience, to say the least. My ill-conceived inflammatory blog, as all of you now know, set off a firestorm that, I'm told, has never before been equaled. I'm not proud of that.
Let me say this at the outset. My words here are from the heart, and all mine. No one can censor me, and I answer to no one but myself. And I have no one to blame but myself. Outdoor Life, a magazine that I worked for full-time as Hunting Editor for almost 30 years, fired me yesterday. My TV show was cancelled yesterday. Many of my sponsors have issued statements on their website to sever all relationships. This may cause many of you to do backflips and dance in the streets, but, of course, I'm not laughing, nor am I looking for sympathy. I don't want a pity party.
They say hindsight is golden. Looking back, I can't believe I said the words "ban" and "terrorist" in the context that I did. I don't know what I was thinking when I wrote that. I can explain this as sheer ignorance and an irresponsible use of words. What I've learned over the last few days has enlightened and amazed me. As a guy who hunts 200 days a year, does seminars on hunting, wrote for six hunting magazines, had a hunting TV show, and wrote 20 books on hunting, how could I have been so ignorant and out of touch with reality in the world of hunting and shooting?
But I was. I really can't explain it, maybe because I just summarily dismissed the firearms in question in my mind when I saw them in magazines and catalogs. I saw one "black" firearm in a hunting camp in all my 50 years of hunting, and I shot one last year off a boat when fishing in Alaska. To tell the truth, it was fun and I enjoyed it immensely, but I never considered one for use in hunting. I have to tell you that I have had a revelation. I'm learning that many of my pals own AR-15's and similar firearms and indeed use them for hunting. I was totally unaware that they were being used for legitimate hunting purposes. That is the absolute truth.
My biggest regret is not the financial impact of all this. I'm almost 67 and retirement is an option. The dreadful impact here is that I inadvertently struck a spear into the hearts of the people I love most…America's gun owners. And, even though this huge cadre of dedicated people have succeeded in stripping me of my career, I hold no grudges. I will continue to stand as firm on pro hunting as I've ever done. But what's different now is that I'll do all I can to educate others who are, or were, as ignorant as I was about "black" rifles and the controversy that surrounds them. My promise to you is that I'll learn all I can about these firearms, and by the time this week is out, I'll order one. The NUGE has invited me to hunt with him using AR-15's, and I'm eager to go, and learn. I'll do all I can to spread the word.
I understand that many of you will not accept this apology, believing that the damage has been done and there's no way to repair it. You have that right. But let me say this. I mentioned this above, and I'll repeat it. I'm willing to seize this opportunity to educate hunters and shooters who shared my ignorance. If you're willing to allow me to do that, we can indeed, in my mind, form a stronger bond within our ranks. Maybe in a roundabout way we can bring something good out of this.
Jim Zumbo " - Friday, 23 February, 2007
I was wondering if you were following this internet cluster. I suppose it has been hard to avoid for everyone. I have been trying to ignore it with limited success. In any case, this post is the funniest commentary I have seen on it.
- Friday, 23 February, 2007
I was rocked back by the vicious use of the F word - fuddite - in this fracas. I'm told that this only refers to a subset of elitist hunters who disdain semiautomatics, but this blogstorm is going to help the anti-2A folks in driving a wedge between hunters and other firearms users. Who wants to be associated with a lynch mob?
I also think maintaining aesthetic and ethical standards are critical to preserve hunting. I don't think this makes one either an elitist or a prohibitionist. Gotta run now... - Saturday, 24 February, 2007
- mdmnm said...
Hooray for a voice of reason!
Also, Derbyshire's thoughts provide an intesting view. I think that hunters have a bit of the worst of this, as many supported the '94 assault weapon ban. Nonetheless, hunters aware of the blogosphere or who have some other ties to the shooting community cannot help but be put off by the vitriol as it continues. As pointed out by you and a few others, division is bad for all of us. Further, the military rifle enthusiasts should recall the '94 ban. They, too, are a small group subject to isolation. I can't muster a lot of sympathy for Zumbo's faux pas or for his point of view, but the personal attacks and the extent of the continuing furor over this are tooo much.
p.s. Thanks for the comments, Steve!
p.p.s. Thoughts on the SKS? I had one for a while, thinking it would be about like having an old M1 carbine, but found it awkward and not much fun to shoot. Eventually I hope to find a deal on one of those little CZ carbines in 7.62X39 to take advantage of the cheap ammunition. - Saturday, 24 February, 2007
- Steve Bodio said...
First, thanks for all comments here-- there ARE voices of reason!
MDMNM: The CZ carbines are nicer but the SKS prices better, and I did have this hoard of ammo. Mine is Russian, uncommon nowadays, with a rather handsome-!!-- laminated dark stock and better detailing than most Yugos or Chinese I have seen. It is (too) heavy but pretty accurate, certainly more so than an AK. I have seen them used as deer rifles in the backwoods of the old USSR (pretty much .30- 30 ballistics) and so it has a bit of historical relevance as well. And you can stick the bayonet in the ground to rest (:-)) - Saturday, 24 February, 2007
Fudd me? Fudd me? Nooo, Fudd you!
- Monday, 26 February, 2007
FUD, not FUDD = Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt. Usually attributed to a large software company's efforts to demolish the competition by making statements about what might happen if you don't choose their products.
- Thursday, 01 March, 2007
Zumbo deserved everything he got. I'm glad he lost his job and sponsors.
I will forgive him the day I see him begging for spare change on a street corner, homeless and ragged. Not before. - Saturday, 03 March, 2007
Hi Steve --
My own take on this has to do with the peculiar nature of ballisic marmot snipers. They are not really hunters are they? They are shooters. There's a difference, and that's what I suspect Jim Zumbo was objecting to, perhaps in not the most graceful fashion. I will pound out a little on this tonight to load up tomorrow morning.
Patrick - Wednesday, 07 March, 2007
- Steve Bodio said...
Right, Patrick. I wrote at some length explaining this to Matt but just in an email.
As long as the species is OK I can stand it but I don't confuse it with capital- H hunting. - Wednesday, 07 March, 2007
You've posted a very thoughtful, well-informed and well-written piece, as always.
Thank you for pointing out that image matters for the hunting community in this media age.
But I think you also should consider demographic trends. The majority of hunters are over 50 years old. The growth in firearms ownership is coming from younger sport shooters.
Is it unreasonable to expect that traditional hunting values will be degraded by people whose primary focus is in using animals as animatronic targets for their weapons?
You said that true hunters will not shoot over bait. But in fact some "hunters" are already shooting over bait, in high-fence arenas, at genetically modified game animal targets.
AR-15s may not be seen much in the hunting woods now because the .223 caliber is usually prohibited for big game animals. But many enthusiasts are already upgrading their receivers to more robust calibers. Vendors are always pushing for new markets.
I don't regard prairie dog shooting as hunting either. But since policy always lags reality, I think the game departments should get ahead of this before it's too late. - Friday, 09 March, 2007
Hi there! My name is Desiree and I'm wondering if anyone knows how to get in touch with Stephen Bodio? I think we might be related :)
- Thursday, 31 January, 2008
- Steve Bodio said...
Desiree: you can reach me at "ebodio-at-gilanet-dot-com". I suspect we ARE related.
- Thursday, 31 January, 2008


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Leysin Winter sprint
Hi all,
The next sprint will be in Leysin, Switzerland, during the week of the 16th-22nd of January 2011. Now that we have released 1.4, and plan to release 1.4.1 soon, the sprint is going to be mainly working on fixing issues reported by various users. Of course this does not prevent people from showing up with a more precise interest in mind. As usual, the break day on the sprint will likely be a day of skiing :-) Hoping to see you there. |
Update: there are actually a number of branches that we want to polish and merge into trunk: at least fast-forward, jit-unroll-loops, arm-backend and jitypes2. For more details, see the announcement.


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CertaPro Painters® of East Tennessee is Looking for Sub-Contractors who want to keep their teams busy!
If you are a self-motivated painter looking for work painting both commercial buildings and residential homes, we want to hear from you.
Independently owned and operated CertaPro Painters® of East Tennessee is experiencing tremendous growth in the market and we are looking to add experienced painters. We are looking for candidates that embody our visions and values and are excited about the opportunity to change the lives of our customers!


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Terra Firma is proud to offer SuperPro Polyurethane bushings and suspension components. Made in Australia, SuperPro is the leading aftermarket producers of high quality bushings engineered for the Nissan Skyline GTR and other R32, R33 and R34 models. Tested on the street and track, SuperPro has been making suspension bushing for the aftermarket for over 30 years. They are supported by a full time, dedicated research, and development team. Backed by a manufactures Lifetime Warranty, you will feel and see the difference out of the box and know you are covered by the best performance suspension parts for your GTR.
Questions & Answers
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About Aspen Australia
Aspen Australia is an entrepreneurial driven company which often works in partnership with other companies, including the multinationals. We are one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in Australia, and have one of the most comprehensive portfolios of medicines in the country, covering most disease states. The Aspen range includes Prescription Pharmaceutical brands, Speciality pharmaceutical products and OTC healthcare. In addition, we have a thriving Export and Contract Manufacturing business.
Medicine Websites
Many of our products have their own home on the web. Use the dropdown below to navigate.
Sens Announcements
Careers @ Aspen
We believe our people are our strongest asset, and are an integral part to our success as an organisation.
For all employment enquiries with Aspen Australia please email: firstname.lastname@example.com


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BEIJING, Oct. 24 -- Worries from some observers about a "hard landing" of China's economy have eased as China's gross domestic product (GDP) in the third quarter shows signs of sound and sustainable growth, although skepticism about China's reform remains.
China's GDP climbed 7.8 percent in the third quarter compared to a year ago, well above the full-year target of 7.5 percent, the National Bureau of Statistics said.
The third-quarter result is in line with market expectations and keeps the country on track to meet its 7.5-percent annual growth target, though growth may dip again in the final quarter.
However, some observers remain skeptical of China's reform as the Shanghai pilot free trade zone still imposes many restrictions on investors.
"The wide-ranging restrictions reflect jockeying among Chinese agencies over how broadly and quickly to open cloistered sectors to foreign competition," the Wall Street Journal said.
The Shanghai pilot free trade zone tried to relax restrictions on financial and service regulations, which could be rejected by some governmental agencies and large state-owned enterprises, Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun said.
As a matter of fact, this skepticism is groundless. The Shanghai free trade zone started a series of reforms, which included the testing of a convertible yuan and wider opening of 18 service sectors.
Those measures are expected to unleash economic potential in the zone over the next two to three years.
J.P. Morgan China economist Zhu Haibin suggested looking at the bigger picture, saying that reform in the free trade zone does not only concern the financial sector.
"Reform in the zone covers multiple areas of trade, investment, finance and administrative management, with its core being a re-definition of the relationship between the government and the market," Zhu said.
China has vowed to accelerate economic transformation, make full use of fiscal, financial and pricing and other policy instruments, and pursue reforms of the budgetary system to make it more open, transparent, standardized and inclusive.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Monday said stepped-up reform will yield more systematic dividends and China's economy has a good foundation for sustainable and healthy growth.
The Chinese government has pledged to deepen reforms concerning matters subject to government examination and approval, so as to provide quality public services and maintain social fairness and justice.
Less tax for small businesses and more financial support for local government are both on the cards as the Chinese leadership considers how to reform the fiscal system.
Fiscal reform is crucial to China's economic overhaul. Over-reliance on land sales for fiscal revenue and poor real estate market control are at the heart of changes to the tax system.
The concrete actions of pushing ahead with administrative, financial and tax reforms highlight China's determination to make sustainable and healthy economic growth.
"In advancing reform, the important thing is to take action," Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said. "Talking the talk is not as good as walking the walk."


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Place broccoli in a colander and rinse thoroughly under cool running water. Unless stalks are especially tender, cut off the thick base and peel them. Cut heads into florets.
Raw broccoli is great tossed in salads or in veggie platters with dips.
Blanch broccoli in boiling water for two minutes, then drain and rinse immediately with cold water to capture the color and develop great flavor.
Broccoli is an excellent source of vitamins C and A, and a good source of folic acid.
Copyright © 2024 TraceGains, Inc. All rights reserved.
Learn more about TraceGains, the company.
The information presented in the Food Guide is for informational purposes only and was created by a team of US–registered dietitians and food experts. Consult your doctor, practitioner, and/or pharmacist for any health problem and before using any supplements, making dietary changes, or before making any changes in prescribed medications. Information expires December 2024.


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The Equine Disease Communication Center (EDCC) works to protect horses and the horse industry from the threat of infectious diseases in North America. The communication system is designed to seek and report real time information about disease outbreaks similar to how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) alerts the human population about diseases in people.
The goal of the EDCC is to alert the horse industry about disease outbreak information to help mitigate and prevent the spread of disease. Ultimately frequent and accurate information about diseases outbreaks improves horse welfare and helps to prevent negative economic impact that can result from decreased horse use due to a fear of spreading infection. As part of the National Equine Health Plan the EDCC will serve as part of the communication to help educate and promote research about endemic and foreign disease.
Working in cooperation with state animal health officials and the United State Department of Agriculture, the EDCC seeks information about current disease outbreaks from news media, social media, official state reports and veterinary practitioners. Once information is confirmed, it is immediately posted on this website and messages sent to all states and horse organizations by email. Daily updates are posted until each outbreak is contained or deemed no longer a threat.
To register for alerts via e-mail, please click HERE.


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Bombastic New York Jets coach Rex Ryan provided a window into his philosophy of life two years ago when he merged Teddy Roosevelt and Babe Ruth into one swaggering demigod.
"They talk about walk softly and carry a big stick. I love that. I agree with that 100 percent," Ryan said. "But I guess I feel more like Babe Ruth. I'm going to walk softly, I'm going to carry that big stick and then I'm going to point and then I'm going to hit it over the fence."
Much like his father, Rex never is one to hold back -- be it with an incendiary quote or an adrenaline-fueled adventure. He tackled the latter on Sunday and Monday, joining the annual running of the bulls at the San Fermin festival in Pamplona, Spain.
The video footage shows Ryan struggling to climb a fence at the same rate one might run from disaster in a typical nightmare. In an often buttoned-up NFL, though, we can appreciate Rex's special brand of lunacy. He's an original.
Follow Chris Wesseling on Twitter @ChrisWesseling.


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Is Creativity a Bad Trait for a Senior Leader?
Supporters of the status quo — not the creative types — are seen as more effective.
(originally published by Booz & Company)Title: Recognizing Creative Leadership: Can Creative Idea Expression Negatively Relate to Perceptions of Leadership Potential? (Fee required.)
Authors: Jennifer S. Mueller (University of Pennsylvania), Jack Goncalo (Cornell University), and Dishan Kamdar (Indian School of Business)
Publisher: Journal of Experimental Social Psychology
Date Published: December 2010
Don't be too creative with your business ideas, this paper warns. Unless you have plenty of charisma to complement your creativity, thinking outside the box could keep you out of top management. Companies say they want fresh ideas from their leaders, and most researchers concentrate on the positive impact made by creative bosses. But this study focuses on how stereotypes about "creative types" and "effective leaders" clash, leading people to believe that their innovative colleagues aren't cut out for the top spots.
Psychologists have established that to most people, the prototypical leader reduces uncertainty and promotes stability, emphasizing shared goals and group identity to preserve the status quo. The stereotypes of creative people are at odds with that definition; the very act of advocating unproven solutions can be seen as rocking the boat.
The researchers conducted two experiments to gauge how bias against creative thinkers factored into whether they were seen as suitable for top jobs. The first asked 364 employees at a refinery in India, whose jobs required them to find innovative solutions, to rank their colleagues' level of creative expression and leadership potential. Even in a workplace that prized creativity, relatively creative people were seen as less likely to become leaders.
In the next experiment, nearly 400 undergraduates in the United States were assigned first to be idea pitchers and then to be evaluators. The evaluators were asked to rank the pitchers on the strength of their ideas and their leadership potential.
In the experiment, creative types were seen as just as competent and personable as their purely useful peers, but were judged less fit for leadership. However, when primed to think that the creative person also demonstrated stereotypically charismatic traits, such as uniqueness and individualism, the evaluators were more likely to regard that person as a potential leader. "A charismatic leader is expected to take the group in a new, novel direction," says Cornell University's Jack Goncalo, one of the study's authors. "If you are supposed to be a transformative leader, then actually being creative in those conditions is an asset."
Still, the findings indicate that the dominant model of leadership is one that encourages useful, noncreative solutions. The researchers also argue that creative employees are gradually filtered out on their journey up the corporate ladder.
Bottom Line: Because of conflicting stereotypes about creativity and leadership, stakeholders prefer the prototype of a leader they see as fostering a stable and secure environment. However, creative people who are also charismatic stand a better chance of advancing.


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Midnight Marvel Hibiscus
Hibiscus 'Midnight Marvel'
Height: 5 feet
Spacing: 5 feet
Hardiness Zone: 4b
Other Names: Rose Mallow, Hardy Hibiscus
This bold garden perennial features very showy deep red flowers; attractive, glossy, deep violet-purple leaves that mature to green; ideal for the mixed garden border or in mass; do not allow to dry to wilting point
Ornamental Features
Midnight Marvel Hibiscus features bold red round flowers at the ends of the stems from mid summer to early fall. Its large glossy lobed leaves emerge light green in spring, turning deep purple in color with distinctive red veins throughout the season.
Landscape Attributes
Midnight Marvel Hibiscus is an herbaceous perennial with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other garden plants with finer foliage.
This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and should be cut back in late fall in preparation for winter. It is a good choice for attracting butterflies and hummingbirds to your yard. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;
- Insects
- Self-Seeding
Midnight Marvel Hibiscus is recommended for the following landscape applications;
- Accent
- Mass Planting
- General Garden Use
- Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens
Planting & Growing
Midnight Marvel Hibiscus will grow to be about 5 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 6 feet. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 5 feet apart. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 5 years. As an herbaceous perennial, this plant will usually die back to the crown each winter, and will regrow from the base each spring. Be careful not to disturb the crown in late winter when it may not be readily seen!
This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It requires an evenly moist well-drained soil for optimal growth, but will die in standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid. It can be propagated by cuttings; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.


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One of the most common procedures in cosmetic dentistry today is dental veneers. Many types of problems can be remedied with veneers, such as teeth that are chipped, broken, gapped, misshapen, or discolored. A veneer is a very thin shell usually made of porcelain that is bonded to the fronts of teeth to hide flaws.
One of the best things about dental veneers is that they immediately transform your smile the minute they are placed. They are very natural-looking because the porcelain reflects light in the same way as real teeth. Discolored or stained teeth are erased by veneers that are created in the shade you choose. Porcelain resists stains so you no longer have to worry about discoloration. You get to keep your original teeth since veneers are attached directly to them. Veneers are not only an attractive choice, they are also strong and durable.
The process for getting dental veneers takes two or three appointments. At the first visit, you will have an examination and X-rays to learn if you are a good candidate for veneers. If this type of restoration is suitable for you and will help you achieve your goals, your dentist can customize your smile based on your facial features, coloring, complexion, and other characteristics. A mold will be taken of your mouth and sent to a dental laboratory for your veneers to be made. When they are ready in about a week, you will return to the dental office to have them attached to check for things like fit and color. The veneers will then be permanently bonded to your teeth and final modifications will be completed.
Your normal oral hygiene routine can be continued, including gentle regular brushing with a soft toothbrush and daily flossing. Regular dental checkups every six months should be maintained for checkups and cleanings. Avoid chewing or biting on hard items so that your veneers will not chip or break. If you follow these guidelines, your veneers should last a very long time.
Our dental office is located in Richmond


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With his new single Hennything, Washington, DC native Noochie brings the party to life with contagiously vibrant verses over a classic, bass-laden track from OY Productions. This song appears on Noochie's original mixtape Product of the DMV, and the young lyricist has been making waves throughout the country this year with his versatile delivery, clever songwriting skills, and unique style. Hennything is available on all digital outlets 11/29 via OY Music Group / Empire.
Click [Here] To Download/Stream
Connect w/ Noochie: Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/noochiemusic Instagram - http://www.instagram.com/noochiemusic Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/noochiemusic