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Development Aid Falls Short, While Other Financial Flows Show Rising Volatility
New Worldwatch Institute trend examines international aid flows
Washington, D.C.—As the world approaches its 2015 deadline for achieving the Millennium Development Goals outlined in 2000, development aid by the 26 members of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development declined in 2012 for the second year. Preliminary data indicate that official development assistance (ODA) totaled $128.4 billion (in 2011 dollars) that year, down 4 percent from 2011's $133.7 billion. The 2012 figure marks a 6 percent decline from 2010, when global ODA peaked at $136.7 billion, write Worldwatch staff in the latest Vital Signs Online trend.
The United States provided the largest amount of ODA, with a total of $29.9 billion in 2012, which was 23.3 percent of the DAC total. Trailing the United States are the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Japan. When tracking ODA as a percentage of gross national income (GNI), however, a different picture emerges. Since 1970 the United Nations has set 0.7 percent of GNI as the target for ODA: in 2012, only Luxembourg, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark exceeded this target. In comparison, the U.S. figure was only 0.19 percent. Not surprisingly, given the severity of the Eurozone crisis, the 15 European Union members of DAC decreased their assistance by a total of 7.4 percent, with the most severe cuts coming from Spain, Italy, Greece, and Portugal.
It should be noted that DAC governments are not the only ones that provide development assistance: according to a 2012 UN report, non-DAC countries donated a total of $7.2 billion in development aid in 2010, with Saudi Arabia providing almost half of the total. Furthermore, assistance from private sources was estimated at $56 billion that same year, but reporting on such flows is much weaker than for government funds.
Humanitarian assistance, or short-term aid provided in response to disasters and humanitarian crises, is a numerically small but highly visible portion of ODA. Preliminary data indicate that in 2012 assistance provided by governments for such purposes fell 6.5 percent from the previous year, from $13.8 billion to $12.9 billion. (When including non-governmental sources, humanitarian aid fell by 7.7 percent.) This decline is not totally unexpected, as many of the world's leading economies are still recovering from the financial crisis. Also, in 2012 the United Nations categorized 76 million people as in need of humanitarian assistance, fewer than the 93 million in 2011.
"ODA is far from the only mechanism of international capital flows to or from developing countries and emerging markets," said Cameron Scherer, report co-author and program associate at Internews. "A multitude of vehicles—private and public, bilateral and multilateral—fill the global finance landscape. And against this broader canvas, ODA involves relatively small amounts of money."
Among public funds, outflows have actually exceeded inflows into developing countries and emerging markets for most of the past decade. According to the International Monetary Fund, net outflows of more than $180 billion in 2006 turned into net inflows of close to $140 billion in 2009, but by 2012 there was once again a net outflow of close to $42 billion.
Among private flows, the largest amounts are accounted for by foreign direct investment (FDI). Net FDI rose from under $100 billion per year in the 1980s and early 1990s to a peak of $480 billion in 2008. The financial crisis then caused a dip to $335 billion in 2009, but 2011 saw a recovery to $473 billion. The bulk of FDI flowing to developing countries is going to Asia and Latin America. In East Asia and South Asia, almost 90 percent of FDI goes to China and India; in Latin America and the Caribbean, about half goes to Brazil. Only 10 percent of global FDI is destined for Africa.
"In general, FDI is more stable than other forms of private investments, especially where "greenfield" investments in new productive capacity are concerned, FDI is usually undertaken with a longer time horizon in mind, and happens mostly where macroeconomic conditions are stable," said Michael Renner, trend co-author and Worldwatch Senior Researcher. "In contrast, portfolio investment and cross-border interbank lending are often driven by short-term considerations such as changes in interest rates."
However, the United Nations points to evidence that a growing portion of FDI in recent years is going to investments in financial companies or to intra-company debt. Also, a considerable portion of FDI relates to mergers and acquisitions—and thus represents a transfer of ownership rather than fresh investment. These shifts imply that capital can be moved more easily among countries, and indeed the share of short-term and more volatile financial FDI flows has increased.
Further highlights from the report:
- The United States tops the list of assistance in absolute amounts, with $3.8 billion in 2012, or 29.4 percent of all humanitarian aid (a number that was $483 million below the figure in 2011). Luxembourg (at 0.16 percent of GNI) and Sweden (at 0.14 percent) top the relative standings.
- In 2011, the most recent year for which data are available, Pakistan, Somalia, and the West Bank and Gaza Strip were the three areas to receive the greatest amount of humanitarian assistance, together taking in over a quarter of global assistance.
- In 2002, FDI to Africa stood at just $15 billion; in 2012, it totaled $50 billion, having peaked at $59 billion in 2008. China is behind much of this FDI, providing at least $14.7 billion in 2011.
Notes to Editors:
For more information and to obtain a complimentary copy of "Development Aid Falls Short, While Other Financial Flows Show Rising Volatility," please contact Supriya Kumar at firstname.lastname@example.com
About the Worldwatch Institute:
Worldwatch is an independent research organization based in Washington, D.C. that works on energy, resource, and environmental issues. The Institute's State of the World report is published annually in more than a dozen languages. For more information, visit www.worldwatch.org.
About Vital Signs Online:
Vital Signs Online provides business leaders, policymakers, and engaged citizens with the latest data and analysis they need to understand critical global trends. It is an interactive, subscription-based tool that provides hard data and research-based insights on the sustainability trends that are shaping our future. All of the trends include clear analysis and are placed in historical perspective, allowing you to see where the trend has come from and where it might be headed. New trends cover emerging hot topics—from global carbon emissions to green jobs—while trend updates provide the latest data and analysis for the fastest changing and most important trends today. Every trend includes full datasets and complete referencing. Click here to suscribe today to Vital Signs Online.


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Are you presently in need of a completely new mixing container for your business? If so, turn to white mountain process for assistance in choosing the appropriate mix tank for your needs. Many learn a poly tank is perfect for their desires plus mix tanks of this specific type can be utilized for a wide range of functions. First of all, you need to decide which kind of poly mixing tank you wish to buy and then you will need to figure out the purpose. Below are great tips to really make the buying process less difficult.
As you go to choose a wmp poly tank, you are going to initially have to determine which sort of mix tank is best for your requirements. Polyethylene mixing tanks are generally obtained in FDA resin and are commonly used for blending tanks and also vessels. Polypropylene is incredibly light and portable and offers high clean qualities, if it is of interest. Many decide on this kind of tank because it offers scratch resistance, tensile strength and heat resistance than observed when using Polyethylene. Usually, organizations choose this selection for the storage of acids, bases, and chemical solutions.
Companies which need something stronger than polyethylene or even polypropylene normally turn to a polyvinylidene fluoride tank. This type of poly mix tank is made from extremely hard plastic-type material, but remains remarkably cost-effective for customers. It does supply great chemical substance resistance, making this type of tank the correct choice for several purposes. Others opt to go with polytetrafluoroethylene, also known as Teflon. This sort of tank offers the most chemical and also temperature resistance and it has non-stick qualities, and that's why this material is frequently found in pots and pans. It does not soften when it is warmed, so that it is more challenging to make use of however, therefore specific tactics need to be used to form, extrude or even weld this substance.
After the correct mix tank material is determined, you must next determine which sort of mixing vessel is needed. Clients select from sealed vapor tight, hinged lid top, as well as open top mix tanks, and tanks can be used for manufacturing, sanitary, or perhaps biopharma functions, or they may be utilized as a oxidation proof carrier. Talk to a rep at White Mountain Process when you are unsure of the type of poly mix tank you'll need. They'll be more than happy to go over the advantages and drawbacks of each type of mixing tank with you.

subset: commoncrawl


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In their quest to be America's Fastest Family in Land Speed Racing, Salt Lake City, Utah-based Nish Motorsports has been chasing a dream for 43 years. Since 1965, owner Terry Nish, 70, and his three sons Mike, 48, Jeff, 47, and T.J., 42, have been focused on breaking the 409.277mph Land Speed World Record set that same year by the legendary Sommers brothers. At the TOP 1 Oil World Land Speed Shootout this September 22-27, Mike Nish will lead the team in another attempt to carve its name in Land Speed history. Team Nish Motorsports hopes their Royal Purple Streamliner car will take them to 425mph.
In 2007, with the help of Klein Engines and veteran crew chief Cecil McCray, the team upgraded the Royal Purple Streamliner with a ten-liter, 1,800 horsepower Big Block Chevy engine. The upgrade was proposed after a piston failure swept away their dreams at last year's Land Speed Challenge. In 2007, Team Nish Motorsports in their Royal Purple Streamliner earned Hot Rod Magazine's Top Time Award at Speed Week with a speed of 380.046mph for the second time.
The Nish family has been making a name for itself in Land Speed Racing one member at a time, and currently holds 12 Land Speed world records. With more than 40 years of professional race car driving experience, Terry converted to Land Speed Racing in 1993 and currently holds three records. His most notable was set in 1995 with a 320.114mph run in the Vesco-Nish Streamliner. Quickly surpassing his dad's records and adding to the Nish legacy is Mike, with five individual records. None was more memorable than his 386.387mph run in 2006, which surpassed the team record by 10mph.
"My son will be the lucky one who gets to fulfill my dream," Terry said.
TOP 1 Oil has teamed with the record-setting Land Speed Racing veterans at Cook Motorsports to form the TOP 1 Oil World Land Speed Shootout, the first single competition ever to decide the fastest of the fast wheel-driven cars and motorcycles on the planet.
The TOP 1 Oil World Land Speed Shootout takes place this September 22-26 at theBonneville Salt Flats in Bonneville, Utah. A maximum of ten teams, five car and fivemotorcycle, will vie for official Land Speed Records recognized by the Fdration Internationalede l'Automobile (FIA) and the Fdration Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), the leadinginternational race sanctioning bodies. Contingency dates are October 13-17.Eligible vehicles must be wheel-driven, have set or come close to setting recent landspeed records in their respective classes, and conform to FIA/FIM technical and safetyrequirements. Entrants will be selected by a panel of judges assembled by Mike Cook, founderof Cook Motorsports. Only two will walk away with the right to claim they have the fastest car ormotorcycle in the world. The Discovery Channel is planning to follow the teams in theirattempts.
Cook created the TOP 1 Oil World Land Speed Shootout to give serious competitors theopportunity to push the envelope. "We're providing a platform for top contenders," he said."Land Speed Racing events like Speed Week have become very popular, which is great for oursport, but the number of entries makes it difficult to set new records, due to time constraints,"Cook added. "This competition isn't for amateurs - it is only open to the best qualified and mostexperienced teams in the world."
"Land Speed Racing is synonymous with exceptional technology, extreme conditions,strong passion and iron-willed perseverance, and we're proud to be part of it," said Frank Ryan,Top 1 Oil. "Whether it's salt, sand, dirt or rocks, TOP 1 sponsored riders and drivers have setrecords on some of the world's most challenging terrains. We can't wait to see who takes homethis historic title.
Each hand-built land speed vehicle is unique as there are few rules limiting innovation.TOP 1 Oil World Land Speed Shootout entrants to date include Nish Motorsports' 1,800hpRoyal Purple #998 Streamliner; the twin-engine, 417mph Burkland Streamliner; Sam Wheeler'srecord-holding E-Z-Hook motorcycle; and Poteet and Main's newest car, Speed Demon with its1,045hp four-cylinder Mopar engine. Teams interested in competing may send an e-mail firstname.lastname@example.com
About TOP 1 Oil
TOP 1 Oil Products Company was founded in 1979 with the purpose of providing highquality lubricants to customers around the world. Today, TOP 1 products are actively marketedin over 40 countries and its products are recognized for quality, versatility and value.TOP 1 has received multiple awards, both in the United States and overseas. TOP 1founder William A. Ryan received the State of California's Exporter of the Year award in 1985,and more recently, TOP 1 was the recipient of the Department of Commerce's prestigious "E"Award for Excellence in Exporting.
TOP 1 is unique from most businesses for it has been continually owned and operatedby one family. Today, three generations of Ryan's continue to pursue the organizing principle ofits founder: that of providing quality lubricants while forming and sustaining life-longrelationships with its customers.


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Traveling Exhibitions
The Gilder Lehrman Institute offers traveling panel exhibitions for display at schools, libraries, and other sites in the continental United States. These informative, colorful displays cover ten major topics in American history.
Ten Gilder Lehrman Traveling Exhibitions reached 104 sites in 31 states in 2016. Explore the map below to see where our exhibitions traveled.


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Gibson Brothers Rule At the International Bluegrass Music Awards
The Gibson Brothers won entertainer of the year for a second straight year at the International Bluegrass Music Awards on Thursday night as well as three other group and individual trophies.
Eric Gibson was named songwriter of the year and his New York-based quintet also won vocal group of the year and song of the year for "They Called it Music," written by Gibson and Joe Newberry. The Gibson Brothers also were the top winners at last year's Bluegrass Awards.
The awards were held in Raleigh, N.C., for the first time.
Della Mae won emerging artist, Junior Sisk and Claire Lynch won in the male and female vocalist categories and Balsam Range's "Papertown" was named album of the year. Tony Rice and Paul Warren were inducted into the Bluegrass Hall of Fame.
Gibson Brothers, Balsam Range Lead Bluegrass Awards Nominations
More than a year after Earl Scruggs' death, IBMA voters showed they're still thinking about the banjo pioneer by naming "Foggy Mountain Rock," a cut from a tribute album to Scruggs, instrumental recorded performance of the year. The Boxcars were named instrumental group of the year and Marty Raybon won gospel recorded event for "Beulah Land."
Rob Ickes was named dobro player of the year, and extended his individual instrumentalist award record to 15 wins in that category. Adam Steffey of The Boxcars (mandolin), Jason Carter (fiddle), Bryan Sutton (guitar), Barry Bales (bass) and Mike Munford (banjo) also won instrumentalist of the year awards.


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RoastLog necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 366 diseños de 100 diseñadores freelance.
RoastLog is a small start-up working on an integrated software system to help people who roast coffee. We provide tools for coffee roasters to track, and analyze, all sorts of data about their roasting with the end goal of improving the final product...the coffee we all drink and love. In effect, RoastLog is a "digital notebook" for coffee roasters.
If you love, or *need* coffee, let that inspire you on this project.
The right designer is almost certain to get more work from us including:
- Icon designs
- Website designs
- Other media (stickers, t-shirts, etc.)
The target audience is small to mid-size coffee roasters who care about the quality of the coffee they are producing. Some examples:
- http://www.ritualroasters.com/
- http://www.intelligentsiacoffee.com/
- http://www.counterculturecoffee.com/
- http://www.eccocaffe.com/
Any roaster who is trying produce the best cup of coffee possible will be using RoastLog. The specialty coffee world is fairly small, and people know each other. We will have many customers in the US, but also across the entire globe. By designing the RoastLog logo, everyone in the specialty coffee world will see, and recognize, what you've come up with.
First, a note:
It seems natural, and easy, to add a coffee bean into any kind of coffee company logo. We want to stand out, so please impress us by showing us designs *without* a coffee bean.
The main idea our logo should provide:
"Bringing together the old-world craftsmanship with new-world technology"
** Logo **
- RoastLog bridges the gap between old-school, analog artistry (roasters know from experience and "feel" and sound and sight how to roast a bean) and modern technology, which records data that can be analyzed and referred to later. We view this product as an aid to the art of coffee roasting, not as something that snubs the art in favor of a purely scientific approach.
- RoastLog is an "end to end" solution, which in our case means tying inventory, roast profiling and cupping (tasting) together and putting all that information online in a way that allows our customers to see, and analyze, how they've roasted their coffee in the past.
- All of our users data will be stored online, "in the cloud". This idea is far from new, but to our knowledge, nobody has done this in the specialty coffee world. So, the "cloud computing" theme could possibly be worked in somehow.
- analog working with, not against digital technology
- This is a great 7 minute short on coffee roasting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvO5QiIemlg See the notebooks in that video? That's the data our software will be collecting and storing for these folks.
** Icon **
Because there is software that is installed on users computers (either Mac or PC), the logo we accept should easily transition into a desktop icon.
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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When Mists of Pandaria first came out, I really didn't spend too much time on Pet Battles. My goal was to quickly get Arv to 90 and work on his professions and the many reputations to get as raid ready as I could. I caught a couple of pets that were scattered around Orgrimmar and I remember Navi trying to get me some Tiny Bog Beasts out in the Wetlands, but my team was too low-level to battle. So after achieving the Pandaren Ambassador achievement and getting all the 5.0 reputations to Exalted a couple of weeks ago, I finally decided to go on a Pet Battle Blitz and go and catch them all. Before MoP, I had around 180 pets, which I thought was a lot, but I didn't realize there was almost three times more than that to catch all over Azeroth.
I wanted to level up an all TCG team, consisting of my Spectral Tiger Cub, Ethereal Soul-Trader and Rocket Chicken, but got as far as level 6 before I realized that the Cub and Trader were both Magic types. I thought that diversity would benefit me as I made my way to level 25, so I switched out the Trader for my Celestial Dragon. Diversity didn't last long though; one of my first rare captures was a Nether Faerie Dragon in Feralas. The Faerie was tearing up most of the wild pet battles I was encountering, so I switched it for the Rocket Chicken. This team served me well, and so the Spectral Tiger Cub, Celestial Dragon and Nether Faerie Dragon became my first pets to reach level 25.
While leveling my team and capturing new pets and defeating the Tamers around Azeroth, I picked up a lot of the Pet Battle achievements, which helped pushed me over the 15,000 achievement points mark. All these Pet Battle achievements also give me a couple new pets, the Jade Tentacle and Venus, and I also got Porcupette from a Pet Supply bag.
Some pets, though, were not so easy to catch, namely the Minfernal, Silithid Hatchling and Scourged Whelpling. I parked some of my alts in their respective spawn points and would log in everyday for a couple of minutes to see if any were up. I was actually surprised that the Minfernal was the first one I caught out of the three, with Cross-Realm Zoning there were a lot of people camping Felwood for these guys. The Scourged Whelpling took the longest and I hardly saw anyone else looking for them.
Raid Pets
In patch 5.1, Blizzard released 12 new pets that can be obtained by defeating bosses in the older raids, specifically Blackwing Lair, Temple of Ahn'Qiraj, Molten Core and Naxxramas. Here is a list of the pets and the bosses they drop from:
Blackwing Lair
- Untamed Hatchling – drops from Razorgore the Untamed
- Death Talon Whelpguard – drops from Broodlord Lashlayer
- Chrominius – drops from Chromaggus
Temple of Ahn'Qiraj
- Mini Mindslayer – drops from The Prophet Skeram
- Viscidus Globule – drops from Viscidus
- Anubisath Idol – drops from Emperor Vek'lor
Molten Core
- Corefire Imp – drops from Magmadar
- Harbinger of Flame – drops from Sulfuron Harbinger
- Ashstone Core – drops from Golemagg the Incinerator
- Giant Bone Spider – drops from Maexxna
- Stitched Pup – drops from Gluth
- Fungal Abomination – drops from Loatheb
I was able to get 7 of the 12 pets on drops and I bought the other 5 from the Auction House. The Untamed Hatchling and Viscidus Globule were good buys, since Razorgore and Viscidus can be tough to solo without the right class or spec. Collecting all 12 pets grants you an achievement and a nifty new pet for fans of Naxxramas and Austin Powers:
And I didn't know Mr. Bigglesworth's whiskers glowed, lol.
Battle Stones
I've managed to collect 8 Battle-Stones so far, one being a Flawless that can be used on any pet and the rest family specific. My first Battle-Stone was a Mechanical one, so I decided to throw it on my Personal World Destroyer to upgrade him from an Uncommon to a Rare.
The second Battle-Stone I used was a Magic one and I quickly threw that on my Poor quality Minfernal as soon as I got him. There was no way I was going to camp Felwood any longer to search for a Rare one, lol.
I'm still debating on what pets should receive the upgrade treatment, but I'll have to decide soon as these Stones are taking up valuable bag space again, lol.
Pandaren Spirit Tamers
After easily defeating Grand Master Aki in the Vale of Eternal Blossoms, I finally got my chance to battle the special Pandaren Spirit Tamers. The team I found that was pretty effective against all four (Burning – Fire, Flowing – Water, Whispering – Air and Thundering – Earth) was my Rapana Whelk, Oily Slimeling and Celestial Dragon.
The Whelk is really strong against the Pandaren Spirits, especially against the Earth one. Because it's a critter, it can avoid the stuns that the Earth Spirit likes to dish out. And since the Spirits are part of the Elemental family and weak against Aquatic attacks, the Whelk's Dive ability can inflict massive damage.
So my strategy is to first use the Whelk to take out the Pandaren Spirit. I can usually take second pet the Tamer sends out to about half health before my Whelk dies, then I'll send out my Celestial Dragon to finish the second and third pets. I'll use the Slimeling and its dots to clean up anything my Celestial leaves behind.
When you defeat all four Pandaren Spirit Tamers for the first time, you are rewarded with a choice of your very own Pandaren Spirit pet. You can then defeat the Tamers as a daily quest for a chance at the other Spirit pets. I took the Earth Spirit pet first as my reward and got really lucky and managed to get the Air and Water ones with the first daily I completed for both. Navi was kind enough to give the Fire one to me as a present, and that finally brought my pet count to 500. Bonus internetz points if you can figure out the reference to the Spirit pets names.
Pets Left to Get
The pet collecting doesn't stop at 500…must…collect…more….
- Crawling Claw – the pet you receive while putting Tol'vir fragments together. I haven't seen this appear in my archy book yet, hopefully I'll see it when I finish up the rest of the Pandaria solves.
- Baneling – the companion pet that accompanies the next Starcraft 2 expansion, Heart of the Swarm. Will have to wait for March to get that.
- Darkmoon Eye – Jeremy Feasel wasn't kind to me this past Darkmoon Faire, hopefully he'll be more generous and drop this pet for me in the Darkmoon Pet Supplies bag next month.
- Imperial Moth – my mage Kerian has been doing his Imperial Silk daily, but still hasn't found this pet yet. Lots of Silkworms, though. ><
- Searing Scorchling – effin' Molten Front dailies….hate 'em, but I guess I have to go back to do them now…/sigh
- Clock'em – need to do two more Brawler's Guild fights to reach Rank 4 four and this guy will finally be mine.
- Qiraji Guardling – have to wait until summer for this guy and then I will finally have the Kalimdor and World Safari Achievements and the Zookeeper title. Woot!
- Singing Cricket – the reward for the Pro Pet Mob achievement, which is to raise 75 pets to level 25. Yeah…that's gonna be a while…
- Sumprush Rodent – these guys are available to battle and capture when someone drops a Rodent Crate in Krasarang Wilds. The crate can be bought with 2000 Domination Point Commissions, which I am close to getting. I plan on hosting a LBR, Laid-Back-Rodent night (or day) on Drak'tharon for anyone who would like to get this pet for themselves (my apologies to JD for borrowing his acronym, lol). I believe Domination Point is phased, so you'll have to quest through Krasarang until you can open the new 5.1 quests. I'll let everyone know when I'll be doing the LBR party, probably sometime after the holidays.
- Thundering Serpent Hatchling – a guild reward for obtaining a gold medal on all challenge mode dungeons. Yeah, I won't be seeing this for a while, lol.
Whew, sorry for the long post, but that's covers a lot of the Pet Battle Blitz I've done the past several weeks, now I need to do more leveling on these guys. Hmmm, I still have to name a lot of my pets, so stay tuned!


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Nordstrom Grand Opening Gala
Nordstrom kicked off the opening of its first Pittsburgh store in Ross Park Mall with the Nordstrom Grand Opening Gala. The crowd of 1,600 shoppers was lucky enough to have a sneak preview of the spectacular selection offered by the Seattle-based retailer, including five shoe departments and more than 1,400 shades of lipstick. The sounds of the eight-piece band Intrigue and DJ John Grammatis's '80s and '90s remixes entertained shoppers while they dined on cuisine from Common Plea and sipped Black and Gold martinis. Adjacent to the two-level store stood a specially constructed, hangar-size tent. There, two fashion shows captivated guests. On the 64-foot catwalk, 40 models wowed in fashionable fall looks from Vince, M Missoni, Tracy Reese, and St. John. The evening raised more than $220,000 for the signature projects of Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. Photos by Megan WylieRead More


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The Big Reveal! Jarrett's Bungalow Bar
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Style: Mid-Century Bungalow Bar
I had so much fun doing this basement bar redesign with Valspar Paint and the homeowner, Jarrett. He wanted something bright and not too serious — the kind of place where he could host parties and poker nights.
Over the last five weeks, my team and I have been creating a fabulous 60s throwback to the golden age of basement bars. Check out larger photos and links to a before and after slideshow below the jump, and get inspired!
Jarrett's basement was covered wall-to-wall in dark wood paneling. I wanted to highlight the vertical lines of the paneling but brighten it up quite a bit, so we settled on an offbeat stripe that goes around the room and really pops around the bar area. The main walls were painted with a beautiful canvas color that lightened the room tremendously, and the stripes are a series of neutrals and oranges. (At the last minute, we also decided to throw in a few extra stripes around the bar in an orange color called Spring Squash 2008-1B as a final touch.)
• Orange Fruit 2011-1 - orange stripes
• Soft Duckling 3001-2A - yellow stripes
• Tagsale Linen 3001-10C - base canvas color
• Milk Toast 3001-10B - darker neutral stripes
• La Fonda Boulder 3001-10A - darkest neutral stripes
Jarrett's basement bar before
Paint was the key to this makeover. The canvas color makes the room feel much more open, and the various stripes keep things interesting. They make a bold statement around the bar and set the color palette for the rest of the room.
Jarrett's bar and rec room after
I love this photo. Wouldn't it be fun to have a party in this room? The bar's been outfitted with the full 1960s treatment: retro shakers, glassware, and cocktail sets.
Jarrett and his wife, Catherine, have already begun using the room for small get-togethers. Jarrett emailed me yesterday with this quick note: "The basement looks great — we had a few friends over last night, and they were blown away!"
"When you first suggested stripes around the room, I was really nervous. When the first coat of the base color went up, I thought we should just stop with that. But, I'm really pleased with the way it turned out. The lighter colors and vertical stripes definitely make the room feel larger. It's something I never would have come up with on my own, but I really like the subtle color changes between stripes and the way it brightens up the room."
When I asked Jarrett about his favorite feature, he said, "I really like the new poker area. It's amazing what adding a table and new light fixture can do for that corner of the room."
"This room never got a lot of use before. It was dark, dirty, and frankly a little scary. We've already started using the room to hang out with friends, and we're looking forward to having parties and hanging out with large groups."
Thanks, Jarrett, and I'm so glad you like it!
In addition to the striping, there are lots of smaller paint projects around the room that offer DIY inspiration. The items in the trophy case have been coated with Valspar Spray Paint in Salsa Orange Gloss and Orange Gloss. You might remember the odd wood-chip planter (see the before here) which we restyled by filling with a 'screen' of branches coated in Porcelain White Gloss Spray Paint.
A HUGE thank you to Jarrett and his wife, Catherine, for doing much of the basement cleaning and a few key repairs themselves. They helped us lay the groundwork for all of the painting and furnishing that came later. Thanks also to our painters, Reliable Decorating, who did the main walls, and to Josh Cooper for his excellent work on the striping. Special thanks to Joe Maer for all his scouting, shopping, and styling, and to our photographer, Jim Franco, whose work shows off the space beautifully.
- All paint courtesy of Valspar Paint
- Sofa — Mellow Sectional from CB2
- Rug No. 1 — Switchback from CB2
- Rug No. 2 — Marimba from CB2
- Patterned pillow — Stardust from CB2
- Orange pillow — Crate & Barrel Outlet
- Vintage coffee table — Edgewater Antique Mall
- Vintage lamps next to sofa — Brown Elephant
- New handmade lamp shades — Benko Lamps
- Bowl on coffee table — Edgewater Antique Mall
- Elephant statue — Jarrett's
- Orange bar stools — Jarrett's
- Martini glasses — Jarrett's
- Thriller orange double old-fashioned glass — CB2
- Vintage bottle holder and vintage hi-ball glasses — Edgewater Antique Mall
- Aluminum ice bucket and bar tools — Brown Elephant
- Orange vases — Broadway Antique Mall, Edgewater Antique Mall, Ravenswood Antique Mall
- Disco ball — Target
- Dart board — Sports Authority
- Trophies — White Elephant and Brown Elephant
- Rackets, balls, bat — Play it Again Sports
- Orange/red dining chairs — Broadway Antique Mall
- Round wood table with chrome legs — Jubilee Furniture
- Cushions on banquette — Custom-made
- Sticks — Ikea
- Beige side chairs with chrome legs — Gypsy (going out of business sale)
- 60s large orange ceramic table lamp — Lincoln Ave. Antique Mall with Benko lampshade
- Air Hockey Table — Jubilee Furniture
- Wall Clock — Ikea
We've teamed up with Valspar Paint to create The Inside Man, a special feature dedicated to daily (Monday — Friday) posts from Apartment Therapy and GQ about men's color conundrums and style questions. From sofas with cup holders to brilliant bachelor pads, we're focusing on the décor dilemmas men often bring to us.
• Jarrett's Bungalow Bar: Phase 3 - The Progress Report
• Jarrett's Bungalow Bar: Phase 2 - The Prescription
• Jarrett's Bungalow Bar: Phase 1 - Local Inspiration
• Read more about guy style at theinsideman.apartmenttherapy.com.
• Check out GQ's guide to guy style at gq.com/theinsideman.
Photos: Jim Franco


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Thursday, January 12, 2012
Away Note
5 comments:
- Phil Warnell said...
Hi Bee,
I won't be hitting the like on this one and yet I wish that your trip and the subsequent experiences to be great ones.
"Not all those who wander are lost."
-J.R.R. Tolkien
- 6:54 AM, January 12, 2012
- Neil Bates said...
Have a good trip, Bee. If you want something to puzzle over (and cf my last comment re E&H): regarding the previous problem with a possible way to violate Δp Δx > ℏ/2, it seems to me that existing, demonstrated "interaction-free measurements" would already do this! Prepare the object in defined momentum, then "find it" with IFMs, have no affect ... Well?
PS: Interesting to have a SW (Mathematica) as topic there. I have ver. 5.2, a bit out of date.
- 8:55 AM, January 12, 2012
- Robert L. Oldershaw said...
Something to ponder in the meantime.
Nature-News had an interesting report from the AAS meeting in Texas, commenting on the second finding that gamma-rays appear to arrive at about the same time from distant GRB events.
Bottom line from this new research is that any "foaminess" to space-time has to be at a scale of 1/500 times the conventional Planck length, which would be ~ 10^-36 cm.
Bee is quoted on the statistical significance of the original finding and the second analysis.
Here is my comment, reproduced with kind permission of the powers that be.
"For decades particle physicists and quantum gravity researchers have warned us that space-time gets weird at the putative Planck scale, supposedly becoming "foamy" or "discontinuous".
Nature begs to differ; and empirical results trump pipe-dreaming.
As with the initial results from the LHC, where no "sparticles", no "WIMPs", no "extra-dimensions", no "strings", no "mini-black holes", no Randall-Sundrum 5-D phenomenology or "gravitons", etc., have been found, we again have a failed expectation.
Is it not abundantly clear that something is seriously wrong with the assumptions underlying the particle physics paradigm? Not to mention the vacuum energy density crisis, or the unnatural Planck mass.
Robert L. Oldershaw
Discrete Fractal Cosmology"
- 10:38 AM, January 12, 2012
- Uncle Al said...
An active sunspot group will be rotating over the sun's eastern limb during the next few days. Happy northern lights to you!
- 11:29 AM, January 12, 2012
- Neil Bates said...
Bee left Fundamental Limit on ``Interaction Free'' Measurements from arXiv, in E&H thread, quite to the point of my question. Thoughts?
- 12:07 PM, January 12, 2012


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Dallas Cowboys Potential 2012 Draft Pick: Brandon Boykin, CB, Georgia
Jonathan Bales
I'm getting into the portion of the offseason when, despite the urging of everyone else involved, I analyze nothing but cornerbacks. Luckily, my fascination with the cornerback position comes in handy in 2012, as the Cowboys desperately need a starter opposite Mike Jenkins.
I just posted a comparison of free agent cornerbacks Brandon Carr and Cortland Finnegan, explaining why I prefer the younger Carr. Either way, I think the team should sign a starter at the position in free agency.
Even if the 'Boys do sign a free agent cornerback, they could look at a rookie as early as the second round of the draft. As we saw last year, cornerback depth is essential in the NFL, and the Cowboys don't have it. One possible target in the second (or perhaps even third) round is Georgia's Brandon Boykin. Boykin is intriguing because he has return ability and can play in the slot.
I posted my scouting report on Boykin at the Times today. Go there to check it out. Here is a clip:
At 5-10, 183 pounds, Brandon Boykin (#2) doesn't have great size. His height doesn't necessarily preclude him from playing outside, but there's a solid chance he will start as and remain a nickel cornerback in the N.F.L. He's almost assuredly a second-round selection, but I'm not sure Boykin's game matches up with his projected draft spot.
Boykin tackles poorly and rarely fights off blocks. You can see him have trouble getting off a block at the 50-second mark and at the 1:26 mark in the first video below. At the 1:00 mark, Boykin gets himself so far out of position that he can't even attempt a tackle.
The above video highlights what Boykin does worst (tackling), as well as what he does best (returning). He's a fast, shifty return man who has a knack for finding open areas of the field. He reminds me a lot of Pacman Jones in that regard.
So how would Boykin fit in Dallas? Not great, in my view. A short slot cornerback who doesn't tackle better be able to cover, and Boykin simply has too many holes in his game to warrant consideration in the early rounds. He can't press or play off coverage very well. His return ability will be enticing, but it certainly doesn't make up for his weaknesses as a cornerback. I have a fourth-round grade on him.
Previous Scouting Reports
Devon Still, DT/DE, Penn State
Courtney Upshaw, DE/OLB, Alabama
Melvin Ingram, DE/OLB, South Carolina
Janoris Jenkins, CB, Florida/North Alabama
Whitney Mercilus, DE/OLB, Illinois


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This week we are headed to Facebook to check out their "new home on Android," and rumors suggested that a new HTC phone would make an appearance. A device with the codename Myst has been floating around for several months, but it appears the product will launch as the HTC First, according to a new image from notorious leaker @evleaks.
Rumored specs for the device include a 4.3 inch 720p display, 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon chip, 5 megapixel rear camera, 1.6 megapixel front camera, 16 GB storage, 1 GB RAM, and support for AT&T's 4G LTE network. Based on that hardware, we expect the HTC First will debut around $50-99 with a two year contract.
There is no word if Facebook plans to offer this device on other carriers or sell an unlocked model, but my gut tells me that AT&T has already locked up an exclusive launch for the HTC First.
The device is said to feature a new version of Facebook's Android app, and offer deep software integration into other parts of the phone. That means we should expect a Facebook news feed on the homescreen, Facebook camera app, Facebook messages, and a Facebook contacts manager. We should also see a new stand alone version of the Facebook app announced for other Android devices.
On the surface, it does not appear that the HTC First is a very exciting phone. We still don't know exactly what Facebook will reveal, so we are hoping there are some other surprises in store. I would love to see an unlocked version priced around $199, but we will have to wait and see what happens.
Even though the HTC First might not appeal to the hardcore Android faithful, I'm sure we all know a couple people who might go after this phone. If it's priced right and has an intuitive user interface, it could be the perfect device for a first-time smartphone buyer.


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Florida prepares for 2013 Hurricane Season
FORT PIERCE, FL - MAY 17: A bulldozer is used to push sand from a discharge pipe into place during a federally funded shore protection project by Great Lakes Dredge and Dock on May 17, 2013 in Fort Pierce, Florida. As cities along the East Coast prepare for the start of the hurricane season, officials say the area encompasing Fort Pierce beach has been in dire need of repair since Hurricane Sandy last year made worse an area already suffering significantly from erosion. Some experts say shore restoration projects can help reduce the physical and economic damage from waves, storm surge, and the resulting coastal flooding in a hurricane. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 169066837
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
Copyright © 2018, Chicago Tribune


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Small Desks, Small Budget: 5 Workspaces Under $300
In many ways, working from home is a dream gig. No awful florescent lighting, no $7 ho-hum sandwiches, an easy commute in your PJs. Writing from my beloved sofa was high on that list. But as laptops aren't as comfortable when actually on your lap, I've found myself in the market for a small, chic and inexpensive desk.
1. First on the search is the classic: the mini Parsons desk. Clean lines, great price, timeless style. Just big enough for a laptop and a few books and fits into most decor. 30"W x 24"D x 30"H.
2&3. Wall-mounted options are an obvious space saver. Minimizing the footprint, both the Helix and Murphy options are great office-in-the-bedroom options, keeping work as invisible as possible. Helix: 30"W x 20"D x 70"H; Murphy (when folded down): 30"W x 20"D x 28.75"H.
4. The widest of the bunch, this A-frame desk is larger without being visually heavy. And the shelving would be a bonus. 47"W x 20"D x 29"H.
5. The cheapest and surprisingly one of my favorites, this glass top desk is small, unassuming, and takes up minimal visual space. 36"W x 20"D x 30"H.
Images: as linked above.


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Smoker's Voice
How Obama's filthy habit could win him the presidency.
Sen. Barack Obama has the sort of voice that political consultants dream of: It's authoritative but comforting, rich and resonant and wise. Whether he's talking about the Darfur genocide or Monday Night Football, the man sounds like a leader. His voice helps account for why even hardened cynics go weak at the knees when they hear him. One of my friends prides himself on being strictly nonpartisan, but after listening to Obama's Dreams From My Father, read by the senator himself, he confessed to me, "I shouldn't say this, but I love him."
There are plenty of reasons for Obama's magic voice: where he grew up, how his parents talked, how he breathes. But perhaps most important is one Obama doesn't want to talk about: cigarettes. Obama is an occasional smoker.
Smoking over time transforms a person's voice by thickening and drying out the vocal chords. The vocal chords vibrate as your breath passes through them, so their texture and shape helps determine what your voice sounds like. David Witsell, who directs Duke University's Voice Care Center, notes that the nodules on Johnny Cash's vocal cords that stemmed in part from his smoking habit helped create his unique sound. "Many famous voices in history have pathologies that are part of their vocal signatures," Witsell says.
But Obama's semisecret weapon amounts to a double-edged sword. After all, what sort of successful Democratic politician smokes nowadays? Smoking is GOP old-school. House Minority Leader John Boehner regularly smokes cigarettes—which helps explain why he didn't hesitate to hand out tobacco-industry campaign checks on the House floor some years back. But Democrats shun the demon weed, at least in public. One of the first acts of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was to ban smoking in the Speaker's Lobby, long the haunt of nicotine-crazed legislators. (The most famous Democratic tobacco addict doesn't even smoke. Former President Clinton likes to chomp on cigars—and, as the Starr report detailed, to occasionally use them for other purposes. Sometimes a cigar is not just a cigar.)
So, it's understandable that Obama, according to his aides, has been trying to kick the filthy habit as he gears up for a possible presidential campaign. The senator is refreshingly honest about his penchant for cigarettes: When asked about it by the Chicago Tribune in 2005, he replied, "The flesh is weak." When asked whether Obama still smokes, his spokesman, Tommy Vietor, hedged. "I haven't seen him for a month, so I don't know," Vietor said in late December. Vietor later declined to comment for this piece.
(Though if any politician can make cigarettes cool again, it's Obama. As GOP consultant Stuart Stevens replied when asked whether smoking might actually help Obama's presidential aspirations, "You know it's true if John Edwards takes up smoking [too] … I think [Obama] will be fine, as long as he doesn't smoke Gauloises.")
Here's the problem: If he quits, Obama may lose that wonderful maple-syrup sound just as he begins running in earnest. Since smoking amounts to an irritant, stopping smoking altogether can help restore vocal chords to health. But it's unclear how long that takes, and whether a person's voice returns to its pristine state. "You can reverse the changes over time," said Vanderbilt University Voice Center Director Robert Ossoff, who treated Johnny Cash as well as a host of other country and western singers. "Whether you can get back to the 100 percent original voice, I don't know."
Ossoff is well aware that some performers intentionally take a drag or two on a cigarette before crooning; he's witnessed it in local nightclubs, and has asked singers about it. But in general, his performing patients worry that smoking is damaging their voice.
"They're losing some range, they're losing some clarity," Ossoff said, adding that some record labels now send him singers as soon as they sign them to have his clinic examine their voices and lecture them about bad habits. Even among Nashville performers, Ossoff said, when it comes to smoking, "I do believe it's way out of fashion."
Longtime smoker Bob Dylan tried to kick cigarettes for his album Nashville Skyline, and his voice sounds distinctively clearer on songs like "Lay, Lady, Lay." (Not necessarily better, granted, but easier to decipher.) However, Dylan resumed smoking, and tried to deflect the question of whether his voice had become huskier again in a March 1978 Playboy interview. "No, you know, you can do anything with your voice if you put your mind to it," Dylan told Playboy. "I mean, you can become a ventriloquist or you can become an imitator of other people's voices. I'm usually just stuck with my own voice."
So, will Obama abandon cigarettes altogether, or will he go the way of Cash and Dylan instead? It's a suitably tough decision for a man who aspires to be president: Quit now, and risk losing his vocal magic while campaigning, or puff on and pay later.


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Budget Decorating Ideas from a Barcelona Apartment
This vacation rental apartment from Barcelona is simple and spare, but we love the way it combines IKEA with Panton chairs, a neutral palette, and a few pops of color...
Neutral accent walls are used in every room, against a white backdrop. It's a subtle effect, but one that adds some definition to the furniture arrangements. (We also love the way the white IKEA Kulla lamp looks against that light coffee-colored wall.) Panton chairs are part of the room-to-room decor, around the dining table or used as a side chair in a bedroom. Furniture is relatively small in scale, leaving enough open space to create a good sense of "flow" around the floor plan.
In one of the bedrooms, a red console table carries through to red pillows on the bed—a basic and inexpensive idea for creating a coherent color scheme. The bathroom has another detail that we love: perfectly scaled to fit under the sink, an IKEA Molger bench looks like a more expensive piece than it is. By finding store-bought pieces that seem like they're made-to-measure, you can create a custom look in your home for much less.
See more photos and find more information about this apartment right here.
Photos: Habitat Apartments Barcelona


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School and college governors can play an essential role in tackling homophobia, biphobia and transphobia in schools by making sure their schools and colleges take appropriate measures to prevent and respond to bullying.
Why does it matter?
Under the Education and Inspections Act 2006, governors have a duty to promote the wellbeing of all children and young people in their care. This includes any child or young person who experiences homophobic, biphobic or transphobic bullying. Ofsted inspectors may also ask governors about homophobic, biphobic or transphobic bullying in their schools.
Under the Equality Act 2010, college governors are responsible for making sure the college does not discriminate in the provision of education in their college. Governors are also responsible for making sure lesbian, gay, bi and trans students are not excluded or subjected to any other harm because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying can occur in different forms, such as verbal abuse (including spreading rumours and using 'gay' as a derogatory term), cyberbullying and physical abuse and even death threats. The School Report found that where homophobic language is challenged, levels of homophobic bullying fall by almost half.
Unchallenged, homophobic bullying has severely negative consequences for students. More than half (52 per cent) of students who have experienced homophobic bullying say it has had an impact on their plans for future education; Two in five say they have skipped school to avoid bullies (The School Report).
Bullying directly affects young people's health and well-being. Almost a quarter of young lesbian, gay and bi people have tried to take their own life at some point and more than half have self-harmed. Governors can play a key role in addressing these vital issues and improving welfare for the students in their schools and colleges.
What you can do as a governor
- Make sure your school or college's anti-bullying policy specifically includes homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying.
- Ask your headteacher or principal to update the governing body on a regular basis on the number and nature of homophobic, biophobic and transphobic bullying incidents, and on how the school or college dealt with them.
- Find out what training staff receive to prevent and tackle bullying and support lesbian, gay, bi and trans young people.
- Involve parents – through the governing body and otherwise – in the life of the school or college. This includes parents in same sex relationships.
- Ask the headteacher or principal how the curriculum addresses different families and lesbian, gay, bi and trans issues in an age-appropriate way. Check again when the policy is updated.
- Ask your Chair of Governors what training is available for governors on tackling homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying.
- Check if your local authority is signed up to Stonewall's Education Champions programme, or your school to the School Champions programme. If they're not, push for them to join.
- Be a role model. Governors can help send out the message that the school or college is a welcoming place for all students.
Interested in becoming a governor?
Becoming a governor means that you have oversight of a school's, or college's, policies and practice, and the head teacher or principal is accountable to you. So by becoming a governor you're in the perfect position to influence your local school or college to do more to tackle homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying.
Lesbian, gay, bi and trans people have traditionally been under-represented on governing bodies. Thankfully, the vast majority of governing bodies now recognise the importance of reflecting their students' local community and are actively looking to become more diverse.
You don't have to be a parent to be a school governor and on average it only takes 10-15 hours a month, for which your employer has to give you time off. If you're interested, you can find out more about how to apply on the Governors for Schools website SGOSS and play your part in eradicating bullying. If you're interested in being a college governor, get in touch directly with your local college.


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By David Crane defrev (at) gmail (dot) com January 12, 2010 DefenseReview recently published an article on the GEN II SRSS BullDog762 bullpup M14/M1A 7.62mm NATO battle rifle going to combat in Stan (Afghanistan), and we're currently waiting on a field report on it. In the meantime, Short Rifle Stock Systems Inc. (SRSS) has just released a short test/demonstration video ... Read More »
Tag Archives: m14 ebr
FERFRANS SOAR Select-Fire SBRs and Carbines, and GRSC Combat Rifle Scope (CRS) at the Range
by David Crane defrev at gmail.com All photographic images contained in this article were taken by DefenseReview.com, and they are the exclusive property of DefenseReview.com. DefenseReview.com owns the copyright on these photos. All photos were shot with a 7.2-megapixel Sony Cyber-shot digital camera (Model #: DSC-P150). July 30, 2007 Back in April, DefenseReview published a short article on our approx. ... Read More »
Sage International, Ltd./NSWC Crane M14 Enhanced Battle Rifle (EBR) at AFJ Shoot-Out
by David Crane [email protected] Sage International, Ltd. has teamed up with Crane Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane, Indiana (NSWC Crane) to create a Special Operations-focused M14/M1A rifle package called the M14 EBR/M1A EBR, or M14/M1A "Enhanced Battle Rifle". Apparently, the M14 EBR/M1A EBR was developed to win a five-year Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (Crane NSWC) contract to ... Read More »
AFJ Shoot-Out at Blackwater 2004 Weapons/Product Videos
by David Crane [email protected] If you've already read my recent article, "AFJ Shoot-Out at Blackwater, the Milkor MGL Mk-1S, and the HK XM8 Rifle/Carbine", be sure to also check out the AFJ Shoot-Out at Blackwater 2004 videos page. There's some really great stuff on there. DefenseReview has, in the past (over time), already written articles on most of the weapons ... Read More »


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At the recent sneak peek for the snowmobile media this past January, one Polaris official asked me what I thought of the format the four snowmobile manufacturers had used the past couple of years to introduce their new models.
Under this format, the snowmobile media go to a snowmobile company's conference room or a hotel ballroom or other similar venue for a presentation and then to see the new models. We do it in two days. Prior to that we would usually go to some sort of presentation and then ride the new models for at least a half-day, usually an entire day and usually somewhere in the Midwest or eastern Canada. Occasionally the sneak peeks would be in the West somewhere.
Anyway, back to the question of how I liked the current format of new model intros. My comment was that I understand the current financial climate in the snowmobile industry and that it costs a lot less for the manufacturers to do it the way they're doing it now, but that I much prefer riding to sitting in a conference room somewhere. To my response, the Polaris person said, "You like riding the trails?" My reply was that, yes, I much prefer riding snowmobiles-even if it is only trail riding-to sitting inside. He was a bit surprised when I said that.
I love to snowmobile and I'm not usually too picky about where. Easy now, I didn't say I would want to ride trails all the time, but I have been on some really fun trail rides over the years.
That brief conversation got me to thinking. Do I really love snowmobiling that much-to admit I would rather ride trails than sit in a meeting or was I just saying that because it had been a few days since I had been riding and I was itching to go anywhere to ride.
As I've thought about that I've decided there are a handful of situations where I would probably, maybe, perhaps, possibly, as a last resort, say, "No thanks, I have to work in my inside office today." I'll admit those would be rare times. But here are a few.
- Riding with sledders who have no fear-because I still have a little when I ride in certain conditions and situations. Now if there was one rider without fear in the group and it was Christ Burandt, well, then that probably wouldn't hold me back because the few times I've ridden with him he wasn't really with the group anyway. Oh, we started out together but I rarely saw him. I'm sure he was in the vicinity somewhere but I think he was way off in the trees playing.
- Riding with self-claimed environmentalists (their real moniker should be preservationists or land-locker-uppers). Well, maybe scratch that. On the other hand, I think it would be very satisfying (notice I didn't say "fun") to take a handful of preservationists out for a ride. Do I have to bring them all back?
- Riding with any flatlander (or any rider for that matter) who boasts he can ride anywhere in the mountains we can-even though he's never ridden in the mountains before. Unfortunately, been there, done that. Ugh. Those were a couple of really miserable rides. I don't mind helping someone out who wants to learn how to ride in the mountains, but when the fella shows up with a short track and points to a peak and says, "I can go there," well..
- Riding in big groups. Look, I know some out there love to ride in big groups and can have a really good time doing it. That's just usually not for me. When I say group, I'm talking about 10 or more riders. It's been my experience that no matter how good the riders are, it just takes more time to cover a lot of ground. And it seems like you end up stopping a lot more often to regroup. I'll admit I've snowmobiled a couple of times with a big group and somehow it worked out and it was a lot of fun-but those were exceptions to the rule. (I'm sure I'm going to hear about this one. Before you sit down to blast me an e-mail, I am not anti-social. Really.)
- Riding when the powder is really deep. Just kidding. Those are the days I long for.
That's not too picky is it?
I have a lot of good memories of snowmobiling and that includes trips where things didn't go so well (remember the Arctic Cat award I got last winter? It was a pretty good ride until then).
For the most part, I'll snowmobile anywhere, anytime.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to work in my outdoor office.
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