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Mathew Heinecke asked me to read his book "Willakaville". It is a collection of short stories about the odd things that happen in the town of Willakaville. I will examine a few of these and then assign a grade.
As a whole these are morality tales. Short, plot driven narratives that illustrate the importance of performing one behavior and avoiding another, though some of them are more frivolous than others (the latter half of this sentence is not a pejorative; meant only to mean they are for entertainment rather than teaching). These are good morals and good lessons, in my opinion: "be polite", "be confident", "learning can be fun", etc.
The age range is very young on this. Personally, I think anyone ten years or older will roll their eyes at some of these. The age range might be higher or lower; I'm only guessing. The plots are very simple, their characters are similarly so, and require much in the way of Willing Suspension of Disbelief. When I was this age, I wanted something with more depth. Again, this is not meant as an insult but merely a generalized observation. The stories as individuals vary in terms of characters, plot, etc. with some better than others. That's why I'm taking a closer look at three of them.
This one is great. The moral is sound and well delivered. In short, it is 'polite and helpful people are more popular than jerkass bullies' and has a 'stand up for yourself, also politely' moral interwoven with it. It has a protagonist with depth. Instead of a bell curve, its plot is more of a roller coaster. To fully explain would be to summarize the whole thing which is another good point; it is a cohesive whole. Suffice to say that it is a piece that starts as a classic Fairy Tale type story and shifts into something more Magical Realism.
"Secret Passage"
I have mixed feelings about this one. On one hand, it gives factual historical information about how Philo of Byzantium is credited with the invention of the water wheel (or close enough). On the other hand, it gives out a random line about how women were banded in Ancient Greece. Gender equality was not that bad. Then again, it is the children who say this and they are not the expert that their teacher is, who values historical accuracy extremely highly.
The plot is nonsense but I think perhaps it was meant to be the "so ridiculous that it is funny" sort of nonsense. In that case, it just didn't appeal to me.
"The Mushroom Virus"
This is one of those that requires a tremendous amount of Willing Suspension of Disbelief. A kid puts a vitamin that his mom gives him into a science class petri dish and overnight this creates mushrooms that bring out hazmat suit guys and cause both the police AND the military to quarantine the city within the day. No one knows what the mushrooms do and yet everyone still panics. Then someone starts eating them and turns into a zombie. I feel like the whole purpose of it was the single line about how "garlic and oregano are natural anti-fungals". Maybe it was a moral about how "paying attention in class can come in handy".
When grading this I tried to keep in mind the audience that Mr.Heinecke was writing for. In some of the stories, I personally think he was talking down to kids because being silly and lighthearted gave way to being thread-bare and bland. In other stories, the plot was pretty deep while still being age appropriate or providing an engaging way to teach some lesson or trivia.
Trickster Eric Novels gives "Willakaville" a C
Click here for the next book review (which was not a review request): Heaven is for Real
Click here for the previous review request: "Gold Dust"
Brian Wilkerson is a independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).


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Ten years ago today, Columbine High School students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold entered their campus armed to the teeth and killed 12 students and one teacher, and wounded 23 other people. Then they killed themselves. In the hysteria following the tragedy, many people attempted to blame video games for the violence. A decade later, Youth Radio's Noah Nelson looks at whether the correlation between video games and violence correlation is still all the rage. From Youth Radio:
"What we've found is that violent crime has decreased dramatically starting in 1996 while video games sales have soared. More than doubling last year," said Dan Hewitt, a spokesman for the Entertainment Software Association the trade association for the video game industry. He cites a report that contrasts the Department of Justice numbers on violent crime and sales figures for games. Hewitt contends that "if there was some type of causal connection between video games and real life violence that the rate of real lifer violence would actually be going up, but actually the opposite is true."
(Dr. Karen Sternheimer, a professor of Sociology at USC and the author of "It's Not the Media: The Truth About Pop Culture's Influence on Children") says that because a game is "interactive it seems like logically that it could cause some kind of casual effect." She notes that the decline in the rate of violence "is most notable in youth, especially juveniles." While the data and the perceived connection don't agree, the perception remains "compelling because it's really easy for us to understand." The professor points to Dave Cullen's recent book on Columbine that paints a picture of Klebold and Harris as "not just everyday kids who played video games, and just kind of became crazy from too many video games. These were seriously disturbed individuals. We make a really big mistake when we overlook issues like that."
In many ways what happened at Columbine High is a kind of prologue to the wave of violence that has shocked the country in recent weeks. A wave that adds weight to Professor Sternheimer's assertion that "we don't just have a health care crisis-- we have a mental health care crisis in this country."
"Legacy Of Change: Gaming After Columbine"

subset: commoncrawl


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Trapped between Rush and hard place
Congressional Republicans are trying to figure out how to distance themselves from Rush Limbaugh without really distancing themselves too much from Rush Limbaugh.
Democrats laid the trap by declaring Limbaugh the head of the GOP, and Republicans in Congress can't seem to figure out how to solve the riddle.
Story Continued Below
They don't want to appear that they are taking marching orders from the conservative talk show host, but at the same time, they are wary of criticizing him and enduring the wrath of his powerful microphone and millions of listeners.
In interviews with POLITICO, several GOP leaders took a delicate, almost pained approach to explaining their party's relationship with Limbaugh. Several senators said Limbaugh is an important voice — but just one of many — in their party. And the senators said nobody wants President Barack Obama to fail, as Limbaugh has repeatedly suggested. But Republicans quickly follow up that point by defending Limbaugh's comments, saying the talk show host is simply concerned about Obama's liberal policies.
"My understanding is that the context of what Rush was talking about was that the proposals and policies the administration was trying to implement would contradict basic conservative principles and values," said Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate GOP leadership. "In that respect, I think that most of us would concur that much of the agenda that the president is trying to implement is not the best prescription for the economy. But I don't think any of us are wishing for his failure."
See also
Thune added that Limbaugh doesn't speak for him and that "there are a lot of Republicans out there that have their own views of the world."
Asked if Limbaugh was the party's leader, Arizona Sen. John McCain, the GOP's 2008 presidential nominee, said Limbaugh was "one of the voices of the Republican Party."
McCain added: "I'm sure when he's saying he wants the president to fail that he's talking about his policies; he made that clear."
Elected Republicans have consistently made the point that they might want only certain liberal policies to fail but they want the president himself to succeed for the good of the nation.
Limbaugh made no such distinctions over the weekend in a thundering speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference.
"This notion that I want the president to fail, this shows you the problem we've got," Limbaugh said. "This is nothing more than common sense and to not be able to say it? Why in the world would I want what we just described: rampant government growth, wealth that is not being created yet is being spent? What is in this, what is possibly in this that any of us want to succeed?"
The fact that Limbaugh — and not House Republican leader John A. Boehner or Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell — is at the center of the political conversation this week shows the struggle Republicans face in explaining their co-dependent relationship with Limbaugh and his dedicated base.


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Seeking opinion is an amazing exercise in perfection: Big B
Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who has been in the movie industry for over four decades, says that taking the opinion of the cast, crew and the invited audience while shooting a film helps to perfect one's performance.
Citing an example of The Great Gatsby filmmaker Baz Luhrmann, he said that he used to "sit the entire cast and crew of the film inside a studio floor and read the entire script with each artiste performing their parts".
"When I had gone down to shoot for Great Gatsby, Baz Luhrmann the director of the film would do a lot of this. But it was before the film went on the floors. He would sit the entire cast and crew of the film inside a studio floor and read the entire script with each artist performing their parts.
"Then he would call a live audience from the streets onto the sets... And we read and performed the entire script again... He would then seek an opinion from the invited audience on their reactions... And at times I noticed that they were incorporated in the film," the 73-year-old posted on his blog.
"It's an amazing exercise in perfection," noted the actor, who feels Indian filmmakers are also gradually practising such things and that is a good change.
"What I do notice in the times of our Indian filmmaking is the habit of doing similar. Wazir was read and re-read with the entire cast and crew and opinions sought.
"Many makers actually show the film to critics and journalists accomplished in the art of cinema judgement, to seek their reactions. It is a healthy practice. When so much money rides on the product, it is only wise that all possible effort is made to make sure that the recovery is healthy," he said.


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In the Bible, Nachum was a minor prophet who wrote about the end of the Assyrian Empire, and its capital city, Nineveh.
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You are currently browsing the category archive for the 'Garden Pests' category.
Widely distributed throughout North America, the cabbage looper (Trichoplusia ni) adult is a gray moth with a silvery V-shaped spot in the middle of each forewing with a wingspan of 1 ½ to 2 inches. The moths fly at night so most people rarely notice them.
Larvae are easily identified by their unique movement in which they double up or "loop" as they inch along. Also called "inchworms", cabbage looper larvae are large (about 1 ½ inch), pale green caterpillars with a pair of narrow white lines down their backs and one line along each side. Eggs are light green, dome shaped and generally found on the underside of leaves..
Life cycle
Moths emerge from overwintering pupae in mid-spring and lay their eggs on the lower surface of leaves. Eggs hatch in 3-6 days and the larvae feed for 2-4 weeks, then pupate for about 10 days in thin silky cocoons attached to stems or leaves and the new adults emerge. There are three to four generations per year in most areas.
Host Plants
Cabbage looper are common pests of the brassica family of plants, including cabbage, kale, collards, cauliflower, broccoli, turnips, Brussels sprout, kohlrabi, mustard, watercress and others, yet host plants are not restricted to only cole crops; other plant hosts include tomato, cucumber, potato, beet, bean, celery, lettuce, pea, parsley, spinach; flowers include carnation, and nasturtium.
Damage and Signs of Infestation
Larvae have voracious appetites making an "infestation" mean as few as 2 or 3 worms per plant. Cabbage loopers chew large, irregular holes in the leaves of host plants. As they feed they may bore into the center of heads and contaminate them with their fairly noticeable dark green fecal pellets.
A serious infestation can deprive a plant of photosynthesis owing to the absence of leaves, resulting in the death of the plant. A minor infestation will look unsightly but crops may still be edible.
Organic Control and Prevention of Cabbage Looper
1. Use row covers: Growing crops under floating row covers is an excellent and essential method of preventing cabbage looper adults and other pests from laying their eggs on plants. These row covers create a barrier that allows air, light and moisture through but keep insects out.
2. Scout and handpick: Keep a close lookout for caterpillars, eggs, or signs of damage (chewed leaves, dark green droppings). You can easily keep small populations of cabbage loopers under control by picking them off your plants and dropping them in a bucket of soapy water.
3. Cultural practices: Cleaning up after a harvest, tilling the soil and removing dead plants and garden litter can reduce number of overwintering pests in the garden. Another way to avoid serious infestations is to stagger (earlier or later) your planting dates in a manner to avoid crop susceptibility depending on your growing season.
4. Grow healthy organic plants: Strong plants can handle some cabbage looper damage better than weak, struggling plants which is of course a no brainer. Ensuring that your crops are getting enough sunlight and water and that the soil is well-drained and rich in nutrients and organic matter will help minimize damage caused by pests.
5. Biological insecticides: Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) has been used for suppressing cabbage loopers for a long time now, and has the advantage of not disrupting beneficial insect population. Bt is a naturally occurring bacterium that is fatal to only caterpillars. Spinosad, a biological pesticide is another bacterium that works as a neurotoxin when ingested by many insects including cabbage looper caterpillars.
6. Attract beneficial insects and natural predators: Planting flowers, such as marigolds, calendula, sunflower, daisy, alyssum, or dill can attract beneficial insects such as native parasitic wasps and trichogramma wasps that parasitize cabbage looper eggs. Birds, spiders and predatory beetles will also help in controlling these pests. If you have chickens or ducks, allow them to forage for cabbage loopers once your plants have been established.
7. Red-leafed varieties of cabbage and kohlrabi are less preferred by cabbage loopers, probably because they provide insufficient camouflage.
8. Organic sprays and soaps: Homemade hot pepper spray and garlic sprays have been known to work to some effect. Organic insecticidal soaps will help kill caterpillars but must be applied extensively to achieve good control.
If your plant leaves appear like a kid was doodling squiggly lines, you have leafminers. Leafminers are larval (maggot) stage of insects that live in and eat the leaf tissue of plants. They appear in spring, like young robins and daffodils, but are nowhere near as welcome. The vast majority of leaf-mining insects are moths (Lepidoptera), sawflies (Hymenoptera), flies (Diptera), though beetles (Coleoptera) also exhibit this behavior.
Host Plants
Host plants include apple, beans, beets, blackberries, cabbage, citrus plants, Swiss chard, lettuce, garlic, peppers, tomatoes, onions, spinach and a variety of ornamental flowers especially chrysanthemum and nasturtium, trees and shrubs.
On vegetable crops, the most common leafminers belong to the genus Liriomyza.
Adults are small (1/10th of an inch or 2.5 mm long) black and yellow flies with clear wings and are similar in appearance to small, hunch-back house flies. Sometimes the flies are more silvery-gray in color than black.
The only leafminers that lay masses of eggs on the underside of leaves in gardens are Pegomya fly species (Anthomyiidae), on Amaranthaceae (spinach, chard, etc.) and Polygonaceae (docks, garden sorrel; occasionally rhubarb, but the larvae always seem to die pretty quickly in rhubarb leaves). All agromyzid flies (such as Liriomyza) insert their eggs in plant tissue, and these are impossible to see, although sometimes you can see discolored spots where the female inserted her ovipositor. They are tiny, cream-colored and oval.
The larvae of leafminers are bright yellow or pale green, stubby, translucent maggots that are about 2 mm long when they emerge from the leaves to pupate. Pupae look like tiny brown grains of rice. Leaf-mining flies though, don't make cocoons.
Adults emerge from overwintering cocoons in early spring and lay their eggs in clusters just under the surface of the leaf epidermis. The larvae mine leaves for 1 to 3 weeks till mature, then drops down to the soil and pupates for 2 to 4 weeks. There are normally 2 to 3 generations per year; more in greenhouses.
Larvae mine between upper and lower leaf surfaces, creating winding, whitish tunnels that are initially narrow, but then widen as the larvae grow. This may cause leaves to dry out, resulting in sun-burning of fruit and reduction and yield and quality. Excessive damage from larvae on young plants and seedlings can cause them to die due to lack of chlorophyll and reduced photosynthesis.
Mines and feeding punctures also open up ways for pathogenic organisms to enter. Excessive leaf mining may cause death of the plant.
Organic Control and Prevention of Leafminers
1. Check your transplants for leaf mining damage before planting them out in your vegetable garden.
2. Cover plants with floating row covers to keep adults from laying eggs on leaves. Protect small seedlings by covering them with a protective cloth or a cold cap.
3. Pick off and destroy infested leaves.
4. Do not plant vegetables in areas where you've had previous leafminer infestations.
5. Cut forage crops, remove remaining old plants and till the ground after harvesting your crops. This can significantly reduce leafminer populations by destroying pupae in the soil and eliminating several sources.
6. Scout for egg clusters on susceptible plants regularly and destroy them as soon as they are visible.
7. If available, plant vegetables varieties that are less susceptible to leafminer infestation, such as tomato with curled leaves.
8. Leafminers on vegetable crops have been kept under control by their natural enemies, in particular parasitic wasps such as Diglyphus begini and Chrysocharis parksi. These wasps feed on leafminer larvae and can significantly reduce leafminer populations. Diglyphus isaea is a commercially available beneficial insect that will kill leafminer larvae. Encourage these parasitic wasps by planting nectar-and pollen-rich flowers such as dill and yarrow.
9. Leafminer infestation can be reduced or prevented by planting trap crops near the plants to be protected. Lamb's-quarter, columbine and velvetleaf will distract leafminers, drawing them to these plants and thereby reducing the incidence of attacks on nearby crops.
10. Spray infected plants with Spinosad, an organic insecticide, which will control the leafminer. Spinosad does not kill on contact but will have to be ingested by the leafminer to take effect.
11. Spray Neem oil to control or prevent leafminer infestations. Neem oil will break the leafminer's life-cycle by preventing larvae from reaching maturity. It also acts as an anti-feedant, a repellant and it interferes with egg laying activities.
12. Use sticky yellow traps to catch egg laying adults.
13. Cover the soil under infested plants with plastic mulch to prevent the larvae from dropping down into the soil and pupating.
14. If using trap crops to distract leafminers is not on your agenda, control weeds such as lamb's-quarter and dock which are known leafminer hosts.
Common Names: Spittlebug, Froghopper
If you spot little blobs of foam or mass of bubbles on your plants, the culprit is most definitely- spittlebug nymphs. Contrary to popular belief, the foam isn't really spit. Spittlebug nymphs suck plant juices like aphids, but they remove so much water and carbohydrates that excess fluid is produced.
They cover themselves with this fluid and then produce the spittle by bubbling air from the tip of the abdomen into the liquid. The froth serves a number of purposes. It hides the nymph from the view of predators and parasites, it insulates against heat and cold, thus providing thermal control and also moisture control. Without the froth the insect would quickly dry up.
Adults are oval, frog-faced, and 6 to 10 mm long. They are tan, mottled brown, or black and are similar to leafhoppers in appearance but stouter, with sharp spines on the hind legs. Adults are very active and jump when disturbed. Nymphs are yellow to yellow-green in color, look similar to adults but are wingless, and can be found inside the foamy mass of "spittle." Eggs are white to beige in color.
Life Cycle
Overwintering eggs hatch in spring (mid-April), and nymphs develop for 6-7 weeks in spittle masses on plant stems. Adults feed throughout summer and start to lay overwintering eggs in rows on stems or stubble by early fall, around September.
Host Plants
Strawberry, legume forage crops such as clover and alfalfa, many ornamental and nursery plants including junipers and pine trees.
Spittlebugs are rarely a serious problem in home gardens simply causing an unsightly mess. In crop plants however, adults and nymphs suck plant juices, causing stunted, dwarfed, and weakened plants with reduced yields. Adults migrate in large numbers from hay fields to nearby crops when hay is cut; this is when home gardens can be suddenly infested.
Organic Control and Prevention of Spittlebugs
1. Cultural control: Spittlebug eggs overwinter in old garden debris and other such areas so a good garden clean up ridding of old plant material before the start of every growing season will considerably limit the numbers that hatch. Make a point to till under stubble of foliage legumes in the fall as they are usually found there.
2. Monitor, handpick and spray: Keep a keen eye out for spittlebug patches and when you detect them, spray a direct stream of water on the patches to dislodge as many nymphs as possible. Light accessible infestations can be removed by hand or by a strong water spray.
3. Row covers: Spittlebugs are fond of grasses, so when nearby hay fields are cut, make sure to cover your susceptible garden plants with a floating row cover.
4. Homemade spray: A garlic or hot based organic homemade insecticide works well for spittlebugs. Using both garlic and peppers, you can do a double whammy on them! Puree peppers, garlic and water together. Let it sit for a day. Strain and mix in an organic liquid soap. Wipe the foam off your plants and spray this mixture. Always test a little of this mixture on a portion of the plant first to ensure that it will not harm it. Also, don't apply such mixtures on a hot or sunny day, as the plant could burn and ultimately die.
5. Predatory insects: There isn't any known effective natural control for spittlebugs but praying mantises prey on most insects that you would hate, so they would be your best bet. Order a case of them or attract them to your garden.
6. Plant based oils: Use neem oil or a citrus based oil to control and prevent insect infestations. They usually act as feeding deterrents and help disrupt normal bug activity.
7. Organic insecticidal soap: Several organic insecticidal soaps are available in the market that help control and rid of spittlebugs along with several other pests, Insecticidal Soap Concentrate being one of them. This organic soap contains potassium salts of fatty acids which help break down insect outer shell and cause dehydration and loss of body fluids.
Common name: Pickleworm
Scientific name: Diaphanis nitidalis
Pickleworms are tropical insects and cannot tolerate cold temperatures. These pests are predominant in the southeastern United States, ranging as far north as Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas and New York. They overwinter in Florida and Texas, where they may be active year round. They are known to spread northward late in the season.
Lifecycle and Description
Adults: The pickleworm adult moth is a small flashy moth with wide triangular wings and a wingspan of 1 ¼ inches. The wings are mostly iridescent brown with a central band of semi-transparent yellow. The tip of the abdomen contains a cluster of brush-like hairs. Pickleworm moths are generally inactive during the day and peak flight activity occurs typically 3-5 hours after sundown.
Eggs: Adult moths lay tiny eggs directly on growing areas of the plant, such as new leaf buds, flowers and shoots. Eggs are white initially, but change to yellow as they mature. Eggs hatch in about 4 days.
Larvae: The young larvae of pickleworms are thin white caterpillars with numerous black spots. As they mature though, they get plump and darker in color while losing their spots. Color is dependant largely on the insect's food source. When mature, larvae often attain a length of 1 inch. Pickleworms undergo 5 larval instars before pupating.
Pupae: Pupation usually occurs in a leaf fold, and dead, dry leaf material is used. Pupae are brown and about ½ inch long.
A pickleworm can complete its life cycle in 30 days and there can be up to 4 generations a year.
Host plants
Pickleworms feed on both wild and cultivated cucurbit species. Creeping cucumber, Melothria pendula, is an important wild host. Cucumber, pumpkin, muskmelon, cantaloupe and squash are the common hosts of pickleworms. Among all cucurbits, summer squash is the most preferred, and the most heavily damaged.
Primary concern with pickleworms is damage to the fruit. Pickleworm larvae do however, feed on, and tunnel into, flowers, vines and fruit. Young pickleworms usually feed for some time among small leaves at the growing tips of vines or within blossoms. Growing vines can get riddled with holes and cease to grow. As pickleworms grow they bore into fruit and continue to feed, causing internal damage to fruit. Entry holes are marked with a pile of white frass. Damaged fruit usually sours, spoils and rots.
Organic Control and Prevention of Pickleworms
1. Early planting: Early-planting enables growers to harvest most of the crop before the pickleworm can cause excessive losses. Very early spring plantings are seldom damaged.
2. Trap crop: Squash could be used as a trap crop to keep pickleworm from attacking other cucurbits, as squash is the preferred host of pickleworms.
3. Screen covers: The use of floating row covers has been shown to be effective against pickleworm moths and other insects from laying eggs on the plants. Row covers should be applied immediately after planting; however, they must be removed when plants begin to flower to allow for pollination.
4. Sanitation and weed control: Removal and destruction of infested plants including vines and fruit following harvest is a good cultural practice to reduce populations. Keeping the surroundings clean and weed-free can go a long way in preventing pickleworms from overwintering in and around your garden.
5. Fruit bagging: An experiment carried out in the field to test the efficacy of paper bags for protecting cucumber fruits against pickleworm penetration showed that paper bagging is 50% more effective than conventional insecticide! In addition, the color and size of the fruit were not altered by bagging.
6. Use of resistant varieties: The following varieties have demonstrated marked resistance to pickleworms: Butternut 23, Summer Crookneck, Early Prolific Straightneck and Early Yellow Summer Crookneck. Beware; the following varieties are more susceptible to pickleworms: Cozini, Zucchini, Black Zucchini Caserta, Shrot Cofozella and Benning Green Tint Scallop.
7. Monitor and handpick: Scout regularly for eggs among your cucurbits. Infested stems can be slit horizontally and the pickleworms can be removed. Soil should be placed over the injured stem to encourage rooting.
8. Natural predators: Pickleworms have natural enemies such as the soldier beetle, Calosoma beetles, Harpalus beetles, red imported fire ant, trichogramma wasps and braconid wasps that can help control or prevent infestations to an extent.
9. Spraying Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) or Steinernema carpocapsae, a beneficial nematodes is a great solution according to a vegetable crop specialist at the University of Florida. To control an infestation, spray Bt or beneficial nematodes in the early evening on susceptible plants.
10. Neem and Spinosad: Neem products are botanical insecticides that are effective against a variety of insect pests including pickleworms through contact toxicity, disruption of insect molting and feeding deterrence. Spinosad is derived by microbial fermentation and is effective against pickleworms while being safe to most beneficial insects.
Buy Grub Control, a unique organic formulation that can be used as preventative or early treatment against young active larvae. In need of some horticultural oil for organic insect and disease protection? Neem oil may just be the what you need.
Mealybugs are insects in the family Pseudococcidae, unarmored scale insects found in moist, warm climates. They are considered pests as they feed on plant juices of greenhouse plants, house plants and subtropical trees and also act as a vector for several plant diseases. There are approximately 275 species of mealybugs known to occur throughout the United States.
Mealybugs are very small (about an eighth of an inch long), oval-shaped flightless bugs that have a white powdery appearance and infest both indoor and outdoor plants. They move slowly, when they move at all. Mealybugs are soft-bodied insects, but they secrete a powdery wax layer over themselves. This protective layer gives them their name, as it makes them look as though they've been coated in meal or flour. It is also what makes them quite hard to kill.
Mealybug infestations appear on plants as fuzzy, white cottony-looking mass around the stems and leaf nodes. Female mealybugs hide their eggs in this fluffy white excretion and can deposit 300-600 eggs within their compact, cottony mass.
Eggs hatch in 1-3 weeks and small active yellow nymphs move all over the plant in search of feeding sites in which to settle in. As they feed, they secrete honeydew and a waxy coating begins to form over their bodies. Nymphs spend 4-8 weeks developing into the adult form.
Plants they attack
Mealybugs thrive on a wide variety of indoor and outdoor species, including ficus, philodendron, coleus, begonia, citrus plants, fern, dracaena, ivy, poinsettia, cacti and succulents, African violets, bougainvillea, fuchsia, grape vines, hoya, orchids, oleander, passion flower, peach, tomato, potato, pineapple, coffee trees, cassava, papaya, mulberry, sunflower and avocados among others.
Damage and Symptoms
Mealybugs feed on plant sap and generally position themselves under leaves and at stem joints, while they attack the plant with their piercing mouths known as stylets. This penetrative feeding damages the plant by draining its sap and may possibly transmit bacterial and fungal infections. This sap feeding weakens the plant and causes slow plant growth, yellowing and deformed leaves and leaf drop. They also excrete large amounts of sticky 'honeydew' that attracts ants and may lead to the growth of sooty mold. Damage is not often significant at low pest levels; however, heavy infestations can kill a plant.
Organic Control and Prevention of Mealybugs
1. The first rule of successfully ridding plants of mealybugs (or any pest for that matter) is to detect and act upon them early. It's far easier to rid of a small infestation than to eradicate a full-blown attack. Inspect your plants regularly to ensure early detection.
2. The water cure: Isolate the infected plants. Spray as strong a stream of water as the plant can bear. This will dislodge most of the bugs. Kill dislodged bugs, if not already dead. For this to be effective, repeat on a daily basis until the mealybugs are gone.
3. Sanitation and cultural control: It is a good practice to keep your garden and greenhouse clean and void of old and unwanted material. Dead leaves and prunings should be removed as these may have mealybugs or their eggs on them. Do not overwater or over-fertilize as mealybugs are attracted to plants with high nitrogen levels and soft growth.
4. Control ants: Ants feed on the honeydew that mealybugs produce and act as their henchmen by protecting them from predators to ensure their food supply.
5. Organic insecticidal soap: Buy an organic insecticidal soap which utilizes the power of potassium salts of fatty acids that works by weakening the insect's waxy protective outer shell and spray on infestations. These soaps are generally safe to use on vegetables but always check the label.
6. Rubbing alcohol method: Spot treat mealybug infestations with a cotton ball dipped in rubbing alcohol. Simply dab the critters and rub them away. The alcohol strips away the waxy coating leaving the mealybugs exposed.
7. Organic dishwashing liquid: Any soap will effectively suffocate the mealybugs as the soap coats the bug and also breaks down their protective waxy layer. Just mix the dishwashing soap in water and spray on infestations.
8. Neem oil: Neem oil derived from the neem tree has insecticidal properties in addition to being a fungicide and having systemic benefits.
9. Kitchen insect spray: Combine 1 garlic bulb, 1 small onion and 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper in a blender. Mix into 1 quart of water and allow it to infuse for an hour. Strain through a cheesecloth and add a tablespoon of organic soap and mix well and spray!
10. Beneficial insects: Beneficial insects and parasites are considered the best long-term solution for mealybug infestations. Ladybirds, lacewings and hover flies kill mealybugs. Parasitic wasps (Leptomastix dactylopii) parasitize mealybug eggs and are an effective method of controlling infestations. There is also a commercially available mealybug predator known as the 'mealybug destroyer', which is a small dark brown ladybug (Cryptolaemus montrouzieri) whose preferred food happen to be all the stages of mealybugs.
Thrips are tiny, slender insects with fringed wings that feed on a large variety of plants, by puncturing and sucking up the contents. Common names for thrips include thunderflies, thunderbugs, storm flies, thunderblights, storm bugs and corn lice. There are many different species of thrips (over 5,000), most of which are pests (often in the family Thripidae), while certain species (black hunter thrips and sixspotted thrips) are beneficial predators that feed only on mites and other insects.
Thrips are extremely active, feed in large groups and leap or fly away when disturbed.
Lifecycle and Description
Adults are minute, slender insects with narrow fringed wings and measure about 0.5 mm to 1 mm long. Immatures (called larvae or nymphs) are similarly shaped with a long, narrow abdomen but lack wings. Thrips are not strong fliers but can readily travel long distances by floating with the wind or being transported on infested plants. Most thrips range in color from translucent white or yellowish to dark brown or blackish, depending on the species and life stage.
Adults and pupae overwinter in garden soil, sod, debris and cracks in barks. In spring, emerging females lay eggs in plant tissues including flowers, stems and leaves. Eggs hatch in 3-5 days in warm weather, or in weeks in colder weather. Nymphs feed for 1 to 3 weeks, then depending on the species either drops down to the soil to pupate or pupates on the plant itself. Pupal stage lasts 1 to 2 weeks before adults emerge. There can be 5 to 15 generations a year outdoors and year-round generations in greenhouses.
Host plants
Thrips have been found on various plant orders showing their wide host plant range including various berries, field crops, forage crops, grass flowers, legumes, peonies, privet hedges, roses, trees, truck crops, vines and weeds. They are known to cause damage to avocado, beans, citrus and blueberry plants, figs, azalea, hypericum, photinia, rhododendron, garlic, onion, pepper, carrot, squash, gladioli, toyon, impatiens, petunia, cucurbits, grapes, strawberry, stone fruit among others. They seem to prefer grasses and yellow or light-colored blossoms.
Thrips, both adults and nymphs cause damage to the plant by piercing and sucking out cells on the leaf surface, leaving a silvery stippling or streaking on leaves. Severe thrip infestations can stunt and distort plants, damage flowers and scar fruit. Some species are responsible for spreading tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) and impatiens necrotic spot virus (INSV).
Organic Control and Prevention of Thrips
Producing thrips-free crops requires a multi-faceted approach, as with many other pests.
1. Eliminate sources: Remove weeds and grass from in and around your garden areas to eliminate alternate hosts for thrips. Remove and dispose of old, spent flowers after your harvest. Proper disposal of plant residues is also important.
2. Start and stay clean: An important part of keeping your crops void of thrips is to make sure the young plants are clean. Examine purchased plants or transplants for thrips before placing them in your greenhouse or garden. Covering openings to greenhouses has found to reduce pest problems by up to 70%. Vigorous healthy plants normally outgrow thrips damage, but excessive use of nitrogen fertilizers may promote higher populations of thrips.
3. Monitor: The most reliable way to detect thrips is with a yellow or blue sticky trap. Branch beating or shaking foliage or flowers onto a sheet of paper or a beating tray or sheet can help monitor and rid of a few thrips. Hosing down thrips from infested plants does help reduce pest numbers to a certain extent.
4. Row covers: Row covers, hot caps, and other types of cages can exclude thrips and other pests from vegetables and other young herbaceous plants. Basically, any type of covering that excludes insects but allows light and air penetration can be used.
5. Reflective mulch: Reflective mulch is said to confuse and repel flying insects that are searching for plants because the reflected ultraviolet light interferes with the insect's ability to locate plants. This is more effective during early growth when plants are small and do not cover the mulch. Reflective mulch has been shown to delay or sometimes even prevent pests such as winged aphids, thrips, leafhoppers and whiteflies.
6. Pruning: Prune and destroy injured and thrips infested terminals of plants. Shearing is not recommended though as it stimulates new susceptible growth. Instead, prune by cutting plants just above branch crotches and nodes.
7. Beneficial insects: Release commercially available natural predators to prey on thrips such as minute pirate bugs, damsel bugs, ladybugs, lacewings, predatory mites (Amblyseius cucumeris) and parasitic wasps or attract them to your garden by planting alfalfa, goldenrod and yarrow.
8. Biological insecticides: Biological insecticides such as Beauvaria bassiana and Verticillium lecanii are an effective strategy against thrips. Both are fungi that grow naturally in soils and are proven to help rid of thrips and many other pests. Spinosad insecticide is based on a compound found in a bacterial species and it helps kill thrips among several others.
9. Soaps and oils: Spray a safe organic insecticidal soap or horticultural oil such as neem oil on afflicted plants to aid with thrips control.
Common name: Melonworm
Scientific name: Diaphania hyalinata
Melonworms are tropical insects and cannot tolerate cold temperatures. They occur throughout most of Central and South America, the Caribbean, south Florida and south Texas where they live year-round. The melon
worm travels northward during the summer months where it can be found in the southeastern states, though occasionally it disperses north to New England and the Great Lakes region. Melonworms, however, are rarely found north of the Gulf states.
Lifecycle and Description
Adults: The melonworm moth has a brown head and white-tipped abdomen with bushy hair-like tufts. Their wings are white, slightly iridescent centrally and are edged with a broad band of dark brown. Wingspan of the melonworm moth is about an inch. Melonworm moths are active in the night.
Eggs: Melonworm moths deposit oval, flattened eggs in small clusters of about 2-6 eggs. Eggs are generally deposited on buds, stems, and underside of leaves of host plant. Initially they are white or green but gradually turn yellow. Eggs hatch in 3-4 days.
Larvae: Newly hatched melonworm larvae lack color, but turn pale yellow-green colored in a few days. Melonworm larvae build silk or cocoon-like nests under leaves where they rest or hide in during the day while continuing to feed on foliage. Mature melonworm larvae are dark green with 2 lateral white stripes that are their most distinctive characteristic. The stripes fade or disappear prior to pupation.
Pupae: Prior to pupation, larvae spin a loose cocoon on the host plant, often folding a section of the leaf for added shelter. Pupa is light to dark brown color, measures about 15 mm in length and lasts about 9-10 days.
A melonworm can complete its life cycle in 30 days and there can be up to 4 generations a year.
Host plants
Melonworms are restricted to feeding on cucurbits; both wild and cultivated species may be attacked. They prefer feeding on summer squash and winter squash. Pumpkin is of variable quality as a host, while cucumbers, gherkins and cantaloupes are attacked, but not preferred. Watermelon is a rare host.
Melonworm damage is mainly on foliage, especially if foliage of preferred host is available. Usually the leaf veins are left intact, resulting in a lace-like appearance. If foliage is exhausted, or if the plant is a less favored species, the larvae may feed on the surface of the fruit or even burrow into the fruit. Hence melonworm larvae are popularly called 'rindworms' among growers because they cause scars on the surface of melons.
Organic Control and Prevention of Melonworms
1. Early planting: Early-planting enables growers to harvest most of the crop before the melonworm can cause excessive losses. Very early spring plantings are seldom damaged.
2. Trap crop: Squash could be used as a trap crop to keep pickleworm from attacking other cucurbits, as squash is the preferred host of melonworms.
3. Screen covers: The use of floating row covers has been shown to be effective against melonworm moths and other insects from laying eggs on the plants. Row covers should be applied immediately after planting; however, they must be removed when plants begin to flower to allow for pollination.
4. Sanitation and weed control: Removal and destruction of infested plants including vines and fruit following harvest is a good cultural practice to reduce populations. Keeping the surroundings clean and weed-free can go a long way in preventing pickleworms from overwintering in and around your garden.
5. Fruit bagging: Although melonworms rarely bore into fruit, protecting fruit with a layer of paper bag or plastic will definitely help.
6. Monitor and handpick: Scout regularly for eggs and larvae among your cucurbits. Melonworm larvae feed mainly on foliage and can be easily spotted underneath leaves nestling in their silken cocoons.
7. Natural predators: Melonworms have natural enemies such as the soldier beetle, Calosoma beetles, Harpalus beetles, red imported fire ant, trichogramma wasps and braconid wasps that can help control or prevent infestations to an extent.
8. Spraying Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) or Steinernema carpocapsae, a beneficial nematode is a great solution according to a vegetable crop specialist at the University of Florida. To control an infestation, spray Bt or beneficial nematodes in the early evening on susceptible plants.
9. Neem and Spinosad: Neem products are botanical insecticides that are effective against a variety of insect pests including pickleworms through contact toxicity, disruption of insect molting and feeding deterrence. Spinosad is derived by microbial fermentation and is effective against melonworms while being safe to most beneficial insects.
The harlequin bug (Murgantia histrionica), also known as calico bug, fire bug or harlequin cabbage bug is a black stinkbug that is particularly destructive to cabbage and related plants in tropical America as well as throughout most of North America, especially the warmer parts of United States.
Host Plants:
In addition to cabbage, harlequin bugs can be a major pest of broccoli, radishes, kale, collards, mustard, turnips, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower. They may also attack corn, tomatoes, okra, squash, asparagus and beans.
Both adults and nymphs cause damage to stems, leaves, fruits and seeds. They use their piercing mouthparts to inflict damage and suck away plant sap. Damage on leaves and stem look like uneven discolored spots. Young plants if left unchecked, will wilt, turn brown and eventually die. Mature plants will have their growth stunted. Damage on fruits will appear as dark holes or white-yellowish spots.
Symptoms include cloudy areas around the point of extraction, browning and wilting plants, and slower plant growth.
Adult harlequin bugs are attractive shield-shaped shiny black insects with bright red, yellow or orange markings. They measure about 7-10 mm in length.
Eggs are light colored barrel-shaped, 1 mm long and are laid in clusters in the foliage. Eggs hatch in 5-14 days.
The nymph is oval and similar to adults in appearance and color but slightly smaller and lack wings. Nymphs mature into adults in 5-8 weeks.
Generally 1-3 generations depending on location with warmer places more likely to have more generations.
Organic Control and Prevention of Harlequin Bugs:
1. Grow resistant varieties: Some types of brassica plants are naturally resistant to Harlequin bugs. The following varieties are recommended:
Cabbage: Copenhagen Market 86, Headstart, Savoy Perfect Drumhead, Stein's Flat Dutch, Early Jersey Wakefield.
Collards: Green Glaze.
Cauliflower: Early Snowball X, Snowball Y.
Radishes: Red Devil, White Icicle, Globemaster, Cherry Belle, Champion, Red Prince.
2. Cultural control: Destroy heavily weeded and bushy areas in and near your garden. Adult stink bugs prefer overwintering in such sites among legumes, blackberries, Russian thistle, mustards and little mallow. Till the growing area, destroy and rid of crop debris and good weed management will help minimize stink bug populations.
3. Monitor and handpick: Harlequin bugs have decent mobility so be prepared. They also release a stink gas when threatened so beware and cover your nose! Remove them and drop them into a bucket of soapy water. Shaking infested plant or tree will send them tumbling down. Growers have successfully controlled harlequin bugs by frequent vacuuming. Spray plants with water to knock them down and kill them off.
4. Plant trap crops: Mustard, millet, buckwheat, sorghum, sunflower, marigolds, lavender and chrysanthemums are good trap crops to attract stink bugs to attack them rather than your crop of interest. Once these trap crops are infested, keep a bag ready to trash the infested plant in.
5. Physical traps: Yellow sticky traps or bucket painted yellow filled with soapy water can rid of quite a few unsuspecting stink bugs. An open pipe painted yellow stuck into the ground can also be used effectively for trapping stink bugs. Then there are commercially available stink bug traps that can be tried out.
6. Beneficial insects include ants, ladybird beetles, minute pirate bugs and some lacewings, all of which destroy stink bug egg masses. Attract these insects by planting several nectar producing flowers. Praying mantises, toads and some birds (including chickens and ducks) would love to feed on some adult Harlequin bugs.
7. Sprinkle diatomaceous earth in your garden and in prone areas. It works by breaking down the waxy protective layer on the stink bugs exoskeleton, eventually causing it to dehydrate.
8. Make a garlic spray and use as frequently as needed. Stink bugs detest the potent smell of garlic and will repel them from your garden.
9. Kaolin, a soft, white silicate clay mineral can be combined with water to form a protective physical powdery barrier that will prevent stink bugs and other pests from feeding on plant tissue.
10. Use an organic insecticidal soap and spray this solution directly on stink bugs or in areas they frequent. The soap kills the bugs by breaking down their protective exterior and dehydrating them.
11. Neem oil is another natural product that can help reduce stink bug populations by disrupting their feeding and mating habits.
12. Companion planting: Plant garlic, tansy, mint, catnip and radish to help repel Harlequin bugs.
Few things irk a tomato gardener more than a promising crop of healthy, juicy tomatoes ruined by fruitworms. The larva of the moth Helicoverpa zea is a major agricultural pest. It can feed on many different plants; hence the species has many common names depending on what the larva is consuming. Tomato fruitworm, when it consumes tomatoes. Cotton bollworm and corn earworm, when it consumes cotton and corn respectively, are its other well known aliases.
Adult moths have yellowish tanned bodies, a tan-colored head and bright green eyes. A solitary dark dot in the middle of each forewing coupled with several dark markings help distinguish them. The hindwings are pale in color and is enveloped by a dark brown border.
The moth lays eggs on the foliage of host plants both on upper and lower surfaces. Eggs are white or cream-colored, slightly flat, spherical shaped that darken before larvae hatch. Depending on the temperature, larvae hatch in 2-10 days.
The larva that hatches from the eggs is yellowish to white in color with a brown head. As the larva matures, its color can change to green, yellow, brown, red or black. Larvae are about 1 ½ inches long, have tan heads and alternating light and dark stripes that run lengthwise on their body. Their skin is coarse and has small, thorn-like projections called tubercles. The voracious larval stage lasts 14-21 days.
When the larvae are done feeding they drop down to the ground, enter the soil and transform into shiny brown pupae. Adult moths emerge from pupae in 10-14 days and start the cycle over. There are 2-5 generations per growing season.
Host Plants:
The host plants of tomato fruitworms are a plenty. They love tomato, corn and cotton the most, yet don't be surprised to see them on eggplant, okra, peppers, soybeans, beans, squash, sunflower and tobacco.
Damage is caused only by the larvae. Although larvae can feed and develop on leaf tissue, the preferred feeding sites in most crops are the reproductive sites, such as tomato fruit and corn ears. On corn, the larvae feed on fresh silk before moving down the ears eating kernels and leaving trails of excrement. In tomatoes, evidence of damage is usually a visible black hole at the base of the fruit stem. They will also eat the flower buds and chew holes in the leaves. It is much the same, though less common, on the other types of plants.
Organic Control and Preventative Measures:
1. Trim tomato plants so that there are no leaves or stems any lower than 12 inches from the ground. This allows ample airflow from ground up and helps keep away many insects from dwelling in your plants and feasting on your precious tomatoes.
2. Look for signs of fruitworm infestations regularly. Adults lay eggs on both sides of leaves, usually close to blossoms. Ridding of eggs can reduce fruitworm populations drastically. Handpick and destroy fruitworm eggs and larvae as you find them.
3. Prevent fruitworms from boring into fruit by covering fruit with fine netting. Better yet, cover plants with floating row-covers to prevent adults from laying eggs on host plants.
4. Avoid growing tomato near corn or any other aforementioned crop, unless your intention is to use them as a trap crop. If one plant gets infested, you could have your garden teeming with fruitworms!
5. Encourage natural predators of the tomato fruitworm. Big-eyed bugs, minute pirate bugs, lacewing and damsel bugs feed on tomato fruitworms. Attract them by planting goldenrod, daisies, alfalfa and stinging nettle. Trichogramma wasps and Hyposoter exiguae wasps parasitize the eggs and larvae respectively. Planting dill, parsley and asters attracts the parasitic Trichogramma wasps. These wasps are available commercially and can be ordered.
6. Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), a microbial biological control, is effective against tomato fruitworms among several other pests. Use Bt at the first sign of fruitworm eggs. Apply as directed by the product label. Bt works by paralyzing the digestive system and infected fruitworms stop feeding within hours.
7. Neem oil and biodegradable insecticidal soaps have been found to deter fruitworm infestations. Spinosad, a natural, broad-spectrum biological insecticide made from soil microbes works on tomato fruitworms too.
8. Cultural control: Remove and destroy infected plants. Roto-till the soil at the beginning and end of the season to expose and destroy overwintering fruitworm pupae. Rotate crops by planting tomatoes in a different area of your garden each year. Companion planting with garlic has been said to repel many pests.
9. Dusting plants with diatomaceous earth or Rotenone can help deter fruitworms from moving about the plant.
Common Name: Squash Vine Borer
Scientific Name: Melittia cucurbitae
Squash vine borers are one of the most common pests encountered when growing pumpkins or squash. They are a native American insect and are rarely seen west of the Rocky Mountains, but are extremely common in the east. They are diurnal, which means that they are active during the day and are known to prefer laying eggs at sunset.
Adults: Narrow-winged, olive-brown, 1-1 ½ inch moths, with fringed hind legs, clear hind wings, and reddish orange abdomens with black rings. The squash vine borer moth can possibly be mistaken for a bee or wasp because of its movements and bright orange hind-leg scales.
Eggs: Brown, flat, oval. Laid generally singly on the basal stems.
Larvae: Start out as tiny white caterpillars with brown heads. Feed for 4-6 weeks.
Pupae: Silk-lined, black cocoon, ¾inch long. Generally 1-2 inches below the soil surface.
Host Plants:
Vines of squash, pumpkin, cucumbers, melons and gourds.
Larvae or squash vine borers chew the inner plant tissue near the base causing vines to wilt, girdle and die off. You can often see a small hole and some frass that looks like sawdust at the base stems.
Organic Control and Prevention of Squash Vine Borers:
Good organic control should involve a combo of several different methods.
1. Cultural practices: Since squash vine borers overwinter in the soil as cocoons, removing spent vines and crop debris after harvesting is a good idea. Till your grow area to destroy any larvae or pupae still present and expose them to natural predators. Avoid planting squash in the same location in the garden season after season.
2. Row covers: Early in the growing season, use floating row covers to keep adult squash vine borer moths from laying eggs. Later when vines start flowering, uncover for pollinators or hand-pollinate. After removing the row covers, use pieces of tulle (wedding net) or aluminum foil to cover any exposed lower sections.
3. Monitoring and handpicking: Keep a close eye on your plants, especially check the stems near the ground. Seek and destroy vine borer eggs. If you see vine borer holes in the stems, one of the only things to do is surgically cut them out. Use a knife to make a slit along the stem (not across!) until you find the culprit or culprits. Remove and kill the caterpillar and cover the cut area of the stem right away with soil or compost to promote rooting.
4. Grow resistant varieties: Butternut squash and other varieties classified as Cucurbita moschata are naturally resistant to squash vine borers. Hubbard type winter squash varieties, yellow summer squash and zucchini, i.e. Cucurbita pepo varieties on the other hand are highly preferred by squash vine borers, and can be used as a trap crop. Another general rule of thumb is that wide hollow stems are preferred to narrow or more solid stems.
5. Color traps: The adult moths are attracted to the color yellow. Surround the garden with small yellow pails half filled with water.
6. Encourage secondary rooting: Heap soil or compost along stems of the plant at several points along the vine choosing nodes where new leaves and sprouts are occurring. This encourages the plant to send more roots into the ground giving rise to a healthy and strong plant that even if attacked by vine borers will not suffer too much damage.
7. Organic insecticides: Spray plants with Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis), concentrating on the stem area to tackle squash vine borers. You can also inject Bt or beneficial nematodes into the stalk where infection is present. These are commercially available, but always seek advice from a local expert to ensure its necessity.
8. Strategic timing: If you have a long growing season, set out transplants as late as possible to avoid the initial swarm of squash vine borers. If the weather permits, try to beat the vine borers by getting a very early crop out before the vine borers emerge.
9. Grow healthy organic plants: Strong, healthy squash plants can manage to give good yields even after taking some damage from vine borers. Ensure that your plants are in a sunny location, in loose, well-drained rich soil with plenty of nutrients and compost.
10. For those who keep chickens or other poultry, allow them to clean up garden patches before the season (after tilling the soil) and at the end of the season.


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Tuesday, April 17, 2018
Today's thought from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:
Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush.
— Doug Larson
Life is never just one thing. It is quite possible to feel optimistic and happy even when some things are not right with us. An optimistic outlook gives us energy to handle the harder things that we have to deal with. Research shows that people who have a positive attitude have a stronger immune system, are healthier, live longer, and are even more likely to recover from serious illness.
To believe in hopeful outcomes is largely a matter of choice. Many of us have experienced big disappointments and defeats in life. But having come this far, we can look back and see that somehow we had the capacity to deal with it. The Second Step guides us to believe in hopeful possibilities. We can't say that things will always turn out just the way we hope, but that we can cope with whatever happens.
Today I choose to believe that a power greater than myself can help me deal with life, and I have reason to be optimistic.
You are reading from the book:
Wisdom to Know © 2005 by Hazelden Foundation


text:
Different webmasters see placing images difficult. If you follow some steps, it can be much easier. First of all, you need to know the exact location of the image. NOTE: It is best to have the image in the same folder where the document is, or in another folder called IMAGES or something, just to keep track of them. I personally keep them in the same directory. If you put them in the same directory, it is much easier when placing them. Also, you need to know the EXACT filename of the pic, not just "pic", but also the extension "pic.*", usually .gif or .jpg.
Now that you know the exact location of the images in relation to the HTML document ( EX: "pic.*" for in same dir... "../pic.*" for in dir one down... "images/pic.*" for dir inside current dir ), you can place it generally in the document.
First of all, you need the IMG ( Image ) tag:
Again, there is no ending tag, since it is an element, not an attribute. Now, you need to place the image's source ( SRC ):

Of course where "pic.*" is, you put the exact file in the exact directory. NOTE: Do not put the folder as it would show on your hard drive, because it won't work on the web. Put in the directory as it would show when you upload the page to the host. Another thing, when dealing with different directories, ALWAYS make this slash ( / ), instead of the ( \ ) one.
Open the page. If the pic doesn't show up, and there is a 'broken' pic shown, you have done something wrong. Either you have the SRC wrong, the filename wrong, or the pic is in a different directory as you wrote in.
Now then, another attribute you can add is the ALT item. It tells the text to be displayed when the image is loading and when you put your mouse over the pic.

It's good to put something descriptive in there, so viewers with auto-loading images turned off can view the ones they want.
There is an ALIGN embedded item, but I prefer to use the DIV tag.
Now on the the image border. Whatever number you put is like a HR around the image. It's good to set the border to 0, especially if you don't want that disgusting border on linked images. Just add this:

Those are the important things to know about placing images. They are very widely used and can make a good site great. Even if you are good at making images, please do not jam pack tons of pics in one page. They take forever to load, and most people with lower-end machines will have to wait a long time, and usually give up. Please be reasonable.
Free gfx
Design Tips


text: I'm running ISPConfig 220.127.116.11 on two servers (one as a mirror), both of which have recently been upgraded to Wheezy. Quotas have worked as intended on this setup in the past. While updating templates I noticed that all quotas (web, mail, etc) are all showing in the overviews as unlimited. Usage is shown correctly. Quota appears to be working on both servers. The repquota command shows usage correctly but all hard and soft limits are shown as 0. The ISPConfig template and client pages show the limits correctly and these are also correct in the ISPConfig database. I've resynced everything and run the server.sh and cron_daily.sh scripts but all quotas still show as unlimited in the interface and in repquota. Any ideas? Really stumped by this one. Mods: Could you delete my original thread with the same title from ISPConfig3/General? Thanks!


text:
fun. moments. love. Joe creepin in the bushes. Amanda laughing at that (& pretty much everything else). You're going to dance...to no music. Amanda's going to trip over her words trying to explain what she wants you to do & eventually just show you with Joe. We are a husband and wife team of photographers/videographers who will go just about anywhere to capture real, genuine moments between people in love. We believe that it's better to actually know your photographers. We will never put you in awkward poses & our number one goal is to bring your personalities out through your photos.
Sound like what you've been searching for?


text: Brand MarketingExpedia Taps 180 L.A. as Creative LeadShop beats GS&P and Creature SeattleBy Noreen O'Leary|March 28, 2012 ShareBy Noreen O'Leary|March 28, 2012 Share Expedia.com has selected 180 L.A. as its creative agency, replacing The Martin Agency, which was hired by the online travel site in 2009. Omnicom's 180 beat Goodby, Silverstein & Partners and Creature Seattle for the business, sources said. Interpublic's Martin, which parted ways with Expedia in December, did not participate in the review. The account shift does not affect Expedia's media planning and buying agency TargetCast TCM. 180 L.A. has been given oversight of developing an integrated campaign using advertising, digital and social media. Martin previously positioned the marketer with the tag "Where you book matters" and featured Project Runway host Tim Gunn in ads for the company, which also owns Hotels.com and Hotwire. In August 2009, Martin won the business from Doner which had worked for Expedia since 2006 and did not defend. "We were looking for an agency that could help us bring the passion we have for travel to our customers and we chose 180 L.A. for their proven track record in developing compelling and share-worthy ideas that deliver results, something that was already evident in their pitch," Joe Megibow, Expedia.com's vp and general manager, said in a statement. Sharehttp://adweek.it/2k6UM5q copy Adweek Adweek


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A Detailed Study of Wisdom in the Book of James (Chapter 1)
"I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
-Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior; the Redeemer!
A Detailed Study of Wisdom in the Book of James
(Chapter 1)
(Not yet edited, but I have been asked by the Lord to publish as is (for now) enjoy!)
Today we will be studying chapter one of the book of James! The book of James focuses on wisdom! In my opinion the book of James is one of the most beneficial books in the Bible! Even after this study we do together I would encourage you to study the book of James further on your own, prayerfully! May it be a blessing to you and to those around you as you live out your life with wisdom!
In proverbs 8:11, the Lord proclaims, "For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it." Clearly wisdom is a big deal! But what is it?! The dictionary defines wisdom as "the ability to discern or judge what is true, right, or lasting." We see here that wisdom is difference than knowledge, with knowledge being defined as, "information gained through experience, reasoning, or acquaintance." Wisdom gives us the ability to discern what is right, true, and lasting, and knowledge is merely information gained over time.
So let's begin in our study of what the book of James has to say on wisdom. Today we will focus on chapter one. James opens line one with a greeting, and the first piece of wisdom he delivers is in line two. Line two holds one of the most essential pieces of wisdom to not only have, but to live by, saying:
"2 My brethren [my comrades, my brothers, my associates], count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations!
Joy from temptation?! If this is true (which it is!) this is a game changer! You mean I don't have to wallow around in self-pity when the enemy is attacking me in the most vulnerable places of my life?! Assuredly I don't, and you don't have to either! Immediately, we can glean several aspects of the Christian life from this first piece of wisdom! Firstly, we as Christians are not immune to temptation, nor will we ever be, so don't expect to be! Instead expect an indefinite (indefinite meaning, not definite; without fixed or specified limit), amount of temptation. Not only is this to be expected, but during hours of temptation, we can (and should) glean JOY from it! And why is this? Well there's a number of reasons, to discuss a few, we know from the Bible that God, although He does not tempt us, will allow us to be tempted, He even allowed His son to be tempted, and what great glory did it bring Him that His son didn't fall once?! We can and do glorify God as well as we overcome our temptations by relying on Him! We also know that God will never allow us to be tempted us beyond what we can handle, so every time we overcome a temptation we not only shame the devil, but we also glorify God!!! Now this is a beautiful thing, and makes temptation something worth celebrating, because when we choose rebuke the temptation in Jesus' name, and ask God to show us the way out, and take the way out, through the valley and back into the light, not only do we not fall to the temptation, but we glorify God in the process! To truly take joy from your temptation makes such a difference! I would attest most people get bitter and self-pitying when they are tempted. Don't! The devil loves this! Because it's counterintuitive, actively remind yourself to count all your temptation as joy! I would suggest making a note, and putting it somewhere where you can see it often throughout your day! Not only will this frustrate the enemy, it will increase the joy in your life and make dealing with temptation a whole new ball game! One that you can not only win, but enjoy as well! So make the note and put it somewhere you can see it! I'm sure you'll be tempted not to, so here is a great time to rebuke it, count that temptation as joy and glorify God by doing so! So go ahead! Practice makes perfect and you can't practice something that isn't on your mind! Grab a piece of paper and a pen, some tape, or a sticky note and pen, and make the note, "I will find joy in overcoming the temptations the enemy brings, for it glorifies God to do so!"
It should be noted that all temptation should be rebuked in the Lord's name! If you disagree with this, you should consider that when the Arch Angel Michael was confronted by Satan when returning the body of Moses to the Lord, the Arch Angel Michael did not choose to fight Satan on his own and Michael is a third Heaven arch angel, instead, Michael chose to rebuke Satan in the name of the Lord! We should do the same! If it's good for a third level arch angel, it should be good for us! I can say from experience, life changes when you actively rebuke your temptation, ask the Lord for the way out, and then follow Him out of it! Being joyful about the temptation takes this concept to the next level! This is truly the way to live and walk righteously!
James continues on saying, "Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience." Another benefit to overcoming temptation is that it will strengthen your patience by trying your faith. He continues, saying, "But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." A beautiful passage, showing that when we allow patience to complete its works, in other words, when we are truly practicing patience, we will want nothing. Why is this? I think we can all agree that God wishes to give us a good life and prosper us, the Bible says so, God's nature confirms this. If you've been around the Christian community long enough you've likely heard many testimonies of people talking about when they had little that they never did want or go hungry! This is a promise of God, that when we focus on the things of Heaven (His will) we will not want for anything that everyone in the world worries about (from food to clothing to shelter, etc.)! So if we really apply our faith and our patience, there should be no point where we are ever wanting, physically, spiritually, or mentally, and to worry about our needs is fruitless and a waste of time and energy that could be devoted to God instead.
the Lord has a great destiny for us, and along the way, He will be teaching us many things! It's hard to learn faith when everything is grand in your life. It's easier to learn when things look impossible and God keeps coming though time and time again! But overall, God wishes to prosper us, that's His plan, trust this, trust Him! God also makes all things work for good (including the bad which He did not cause)! What's the caveat? He does this for those who love Him and who are following His will! Which makes sense, how could He make something work for good if you are not following Him for Him to do so? God never forces His will, you must actively seek Him and His will out for your life! It's never too late. If you are here, there is a great purpose for you! May you seek it out moment by moment and fulfill it day by day!
It's a beautiful thing, patience! Practice patience through all things; adapt it into your life style, as with all of the Fruits of the Spirit! I'd suggest writing down and placing the Fruits of the Spirit where you can see them as well. This has been extraordinarily beneficial for me, I highly recommend it! The fruits of the spirit are faithfulness, patience, peace, joy, kindness, gentleness, goodness, love, and self-control! And I do believe in that order, one unlocks the next! From faith through love to self-control! Realize when you were saved the seeds of the Fruit of the Spirit were planted. It is your job to water them and allow them to grow within you! Allow how you react to life water those seeds and you will be transformed into the human being God created you to be! Be patient with yourself as well!
Line 5 of the book of James states boldly, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." The key part of this verse is, "ask!" It's also important to note that the Lord, upbraideth not, upbraideth meaning to severely rebuke or blame, to reprimand. Now does this mean that the Lord will not correct us when we are wrong? No. It means that when the Holy Spirit convicts us it will be in a way that is not harsh and not condemning, the conviction will bring hope and a way out, a way to change! This is good news! It is also one way we decipher the Holy Spirit's conviction from Satan's condemnation! There is a difference! And if it's bringing lasting guilt it's not from God!
So again, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." He continues, saying, "But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways." Again, it all comes back to faith, faithfulness is the foundation that gets you to love and self-control, as you progress through the rest of the Fruits of the Spirit! The foundation is faith, it's always faith! And without faith, God will not move, because without faith you will not be able to complete God's will for your life, so His moving in your lack of faith would be a disservice to you! That being said, make sure you do not put limits on God! If your faith says that God takes a long time to move, God will take a long time to move! God will move by your faith and your faith alone! God will always move in His time, but by your faith. Ask yourself, are you delaying God by not believing He will move soon? Where else are you limiting God by your faith (or lack thereof)?
There is no way. Life will get too hard at times without faith, and there will be times where what God is asking you to do looks impossible and again, without faith, you will crumble. So God must work on this with you, and you must rebuke your fear, worry, and doubt, and continually come into agreeance with the Lord and it will get easier and easier to have faith! The longer you have faith, and the more you will see God do what He said He would do because of your faith, and then the easier your faith will be! But you have to start by taking that step of faith, even if you don't believe you have ever seen God work for you before! (You have, we all have, you just might not know it yet!) So ask according to God's will, have faith, and you will receive it!
In verses 9 James goes on to say, "Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: but the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways." What we glean from this is that the poor should rejoice, for they will be exalted by the Lord and are blessed! The poor should not pray with a focus on the removal of difficultly in their lives but instead for the wisdom to make a good and pleasing use of the difficulty for the Lord, made joyful that the Lord is forming them through their trials and tribulations! Likewise, the rich should also rejoice for they have been made humble by the Lord and shall continue to remain meek and humble by the grace of God, remembering to seek their happiness from the Lord, as they did when they were poor, not from the fleeting pleasures of the world which truly only bring short term pleasure and long term pain, knowing it was through their humility that the Lord was willing and able to bless them how He wishes to bless us all!
James continues saying, "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love Him." Again, enduring temptation blesses you, for it not only glorifies God, but by succeeding in enduring your temptation, you shall receive eternal life with the Lord! It's also good to note that it says the crown is promised to those who love the Lord! Our love for the Lord is another powerful tool against the enemy, and against sin and temptation! Without love for the Lord, all your ways will fail and bring death upon you! Ask the Lord to teach you how to love Him, and then rely on this love to take the proper steps to both rebuke and take the path away from temptation that the Lord provides for you!
James continues, saying: "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: but every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren."
God cannot be tempted and will not tempt you! Allowing yourself to be drawn away by your own lust is when you will fall to temptation. But it's made cleat that this lust has to conceive! That tells me that it will take some time (although it may not be long) for that original lustful thought to take root inside of you and then cause you to sin. Repetitive thinking on a lustful thought, not rebuking and turning away from a lustful thought, anything that causes you to allow that thought to grow; those habits must be done away with! For it is only through acknowledging and immediately turning from the enemy that we conquer the enemy. The longer we let a long thought ruminate, the easier it will be for the enemy to cause us to fall! Be diligent in rebuking your temptation! As James said, "Do not err, my beloved brethren." Knowing how to fight the battle is more than half the battle!
This next verse, verse 17, is so very beautiful, saying, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." God does not change! He will not take away His promises, nor will He be anything but love! Every good and perfect gift comes from the Lord, so more the reason to know the Lord, learn His voice, and follow Him in all of the details of your life! Allow Him to take control, He knows what's best for you and your life, He knows the deepest desires of your heart that are hidden even unto you! He knew you from before your birth! Trust the Lord! Trust He knows what's best for you and your life. Ask Him to show you what you can do for those around you as well. We love because He loved us first, after all!
Verse 18: "Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures." The Lord begat [begat meaning to produce offspring] us with the word of truth, the word of truth being one of the way the Messiah is described in the Old Testament. Looking at Biblical Prophecy, it becomes clear Jesus is undoubtedly the Messiah. So God gave us His sound so His son could spread His truth, a truth that will allow us, Christ's followers to be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures, firstfruits meaning not only are we fruitful, but the firstfruits of the harvest were always the ones offered up to God, and it pleased Him.
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
It is amazing what happens when one applies this mindset. Be swift to hear, in other words, be willing to be a true and engaged listening ear to others. Slow to speak, in other words, instead of focusing what you are going to say next and trying to hold onto those words instead of truly listening to what the person in front of you is saying, let your thoughts go, be engaged, fully, trust when it is your turn to speak, the Lord will prompt you and give you the opportunity to say what needs to be said. It is amazing to see when you are slow to speak, how much more people will talk, and how much deeper the conversation will go. Just because there is a pause doesn't not mean you need to fill it. Allow the person to think, process their thoughts, phrase their words as they are trying to phrase them. If God is not prompting you to fill the space, don't. Also be slow to anger. Focus on yourself not others! Consider that before His crucifixion, Jesus said to His Father, "Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do!" When someone offends us, are we quick to take offense because of the pain they are inflicting, or do we have a mindset like Jesus, where instead, we realize they are hurting us out of their ignorance, that they are hurting us out of a place of lack in their walk with God? Have pity, for it is in the Lord's glory for us to overlook, and I mean truly overlook, and forgive an offense. You know you've forgiven when you need nothing back from the person who offended you, no apology, no sorrow, no revelation of what they did, nothing. From this place you will find peace!
Continuing on, verse 21, this verse is very important, engage this fully, "Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness [in other words excessively luxurious living habits that are in disobedience to God], , and receive with meekness the engrafted word [engrafted meaning the surgery of living tissue to be inserted, a metaphorically reference to the living Christ who dwells within us!], which [who] is able to save your souls! [Now this is amazing news! Those in the old testament did not have God dwelling in them, but the New Covenant, the sacrifice of Jesus and faith in Him and all His sacrifice means, has allowed God to come and dwell within us!!!] But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was." In other words, those who hear the word but do not do it, following themselves, and the Bible says that our deeds are like filthy rags to God, it does not specify righteous or unrighteous deeds, but all deeds. The Bible also says no man is good, no not one! So does that include Christ? Well yes and no. Technically, He was in flesh that was no good, but Christ never let the enemy in, He only followed the will of the Father, and therefore Christ's life was pleasing to the Father! This gives us hope, for we are also in fallen flesh, but we can also hear God's voice and discern the will of the Father like Christ did! Therefore, when we accomplish the will of the Father in obedience, we please God, and our works are pleasing to God. It has nothing to do with righteous or unrighteous, but all to do with the will of God vs. the will of self. The will of God is clearly and undoubtedly superior, and the only thing that is pleasing to God, because only He knows what is best! If you are presented with two righteous career paths simultaneously, do you take the first, the second, or neither? What is the best choice for the Kingdom of Heaven? Well, only God can answer that question in such a situation! We can fill our lives with all sorts of things that would be considered good by the world and ourselves, but if it's not the will of God, what's the point? If He needs you elsewhere, do it!
Verse 25: "But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed." And a part of this law is obedience to God, which Jesus fully displayed in every little moment of His life. He spoke nothing God didn't ask Him to speak, He did nothing God didn't ask Him to do. What a life, of full obedience! A beautiful display of how our lives should be! To live out this verse, one must study the word of God to understand the nature of God, but more importantly, one must form a relationship with the Lord through prayer and thankfulness, ideally, learn to discern the Lord's voice, or at the very least, walk righteously so the Lord can lead you in the spirit. But honestly, from experience, there is nothing more valuable than being able to hear the Lord's voice. The amount of time and worry it saves me is innumerable. The confidence it gives me in my walk and my path is vast! The love He shows me through the words He speaks to me is immeasurable! There's nothing better, in my opinion. I would encourage you to make learning the Lord's voice and discerning what He has to say, along with developing the ability to quiet your mind (Yes, this is something that can be developed, and if I can with how active my mind is, then you can too! There are no excuses, God wouldn't give you something to do that you could not accomplish, and Jesus did say that His sheep hear His voice, know it, and follow!).
This verse is important and has been so very important throughout the ages! It's the number one category of rebuke I get from non-Christians, is the hypocrisy of fallen man in the church. But you cannot judge anything by it's abuse, and you surely cannot judge the perfect living Christ by His followers. Our fallen nature is why we need a savior in the first place! Not to justify some of the horrific actions carried out by those in the church, but again, they must be separated from the true people of God and even the true people of God from God Himself and His son! With that said, we continue into verse 26, which states: "If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." This passage is saying, walk the walk, walk the talk, walk the will of God!
Let's take a moment to reflect together:
Do you talk like a Christian? Or do you talk like the world?
Do you follow God's will or do you follow your own heart?
Are you slow to anger?
Are you quick to listen?
Are you slow to speak?
Do you follow God for all of your promptings? Do you wait on the Lord and not move unless He tells you to?
Do you love the Lord God with all of your heart and try your best to show the love He has shown you to others? Have you drawn close enough to God to truly know His true love and His true nature?
Are you trying to represent the Lord your God the best you can?
Where should you focus?
Do you keep yourself unspotted (without sin)?
The outside might be pure, but is your heart and inner man as well?
Have you truly repented [repented in the Greek meaning, turned away from, to change one's mind, to change one's spirit] from your sin?
What have you been unwilling to surrender to God?
Lord, I thank you for this teaching! I thank you that your people will take what they have learned today to you in prayer! I thank you that we have the wisdom to bring everything to you Lord, including all preaching and teachings to discern the truth directly from you Lord! Please show us what you are specifically saying to us through others! Lord, reveal to us what is right, and what is not of you as well, as we walk with you Lord. I thank you Lord that we can lean on each other, because no other person can cause us to fall if we are in you, Lord! You will correct all that is wrong as we follow your will Lord, and we thank you for that! We know that no one is perfect Lord, even ourselves. May you help us stay focused on where we need to grow and not on other's transgressions! We ask that you increase our forgiveness and our ability to overlook…truly overlook an offense to glorify you! May we not sin. May we be truly repentant and turn away from our sins in full! Show us the way, Lord! May the strongholds of the enemy be broken, in Jesus' name! May we remember to rebuke temptation in your son's name and ask for the way out and take the way out, Lord! May we count our temptation as joy, for you always give us a way out and overcoming temptation glorifies you! We thank you Lord that you gave your son dominion over everything, and you gave your son to us, to not only die for us, but also to live in us, and we thank you that you live in us too, Father and Holy Spirit! Lord, we have so much in our lives to be thankful for, no matter where we are in life! Undoubtedly, knowing the truth of you and your son and your loving nature is the greatest blessing of all and allows for all other blessings, we are so very grateful for this, that we know the truth of the universe! May you show us all we have to be grateful for and may we proclaim it with a singing heart, in praise! May you complete the good work you have started in us! May you reignite the fire for works that you put in us that we have quelled! May we be comforted that it is never too late, you are the all-powerful, and one blessing from you can set us ahead lifetimes of what we can do on our own as we follow your will! May we be comforted that if we are still here, we still have a real and important purpose! May your purpose in our lives never be diminished by the enemy! May we walk by faith when we cannot see! May you teach us how to learn and discern your voice, and may we follow you all of the moments of our lives! Guide us Lord, we thank you that you will never leave our side! We thank you for who you are Lord and all of the things you have and will do in our lives and in the lives of others! We ask this all in Jesus name and through your son, our Lord Jesus Christ! Amen!
May your path be blessed, in Jesus' name! Amen!
"God is not hiding!"
Daniel Quartararo
A disciple of Jesus Christ, Christ being the Word of God, the Son of God, the Lamb of God, the Redeemer, the Teacher, the Rock, the Fortress; all things LOVE!!! I rejoice that my name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life! I look forward to be called a good and faithful servant by my Father in Heaven! As I say, "Jesus Christ came to be the example, not the exception." For Jesus came to show us how to have a relationship with our Father and we are called to be "imitators of God." (Ephesians 5:1) I love, spread the gospel, and walk in the power of the Holy Spirit. Like Paul, I do not come to you with persuasive words but in a demonstration of the Spirit's power! I take full surrender to our Father's will with deep reverence and respect by discerning the Lord's voice and following what He asks, moment by moment, all day, every day. I am called to equip others to walk in faithfulness just the same! That is the heart of this ministry; faithfulness to Christ, in Christ, in love!
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Hey! I am Tim, and together with Brecht I am working on providing a GTFS and GTFS Realtime feed for the Belgian railways. To find more information about this, you can read our previous blogpost 'NMBS going Open Data'.
The questions we get the most about our project (besides PJ asking for our presentation plans) are: "What is the point of what you're doing? I mean I can access the NMBS website, right? Why are you making this?"
So why are we making this?
Simply put, because we are too dependant on the NMBS website and app. A lot of people, including Brecht and I, think the NMBS website is not efficient. It feels crowded and busy and just needs a big overhaul. Many tourists also struggle to find the correct website or buy train tickets and so on. But hey, we are developers, why wouldn't we build our own website for the Belgian railways? That would be awesome, right?
Well, we'd love to do that, but it is not that simple. The NMBS does not provide an API or a way for developers to access all this information.
That's where Brecht and I come in.
We are making sure that every developer can access all this data. We are making the data for the static routes as well as providing the real-time data.
But how does this benefit me as an end-user? First you will have a wide range of apps and website that allows you to search for the right train. Let's go through a use case that would improve my day-to-day life.
You wake up in the morning and check on your phone which train you need to get. After having a quick breakfast and shower you check your phone again and see that you got a notification saying your train is going to be delayed by half an hour, based on statistics.
Because of this early warning you are able to reschedule your day by working from home or maybe you can just get an extra cup of coffee in the station.
I hope the point of the GTFS-project is clear now. You can take a look at irail.gent and if you have any questions, please contact us at twitter on @TimTijssens or @brechtvdv


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Internationally accepted good practice in the design and use of safety instrumented systems address many of the same issues that are covered by the COMAH regulations. If a site follows a standard such as BS IEC 61511 therefore, much of the information required of them by COMAH should be readily available.
This section of guidance breaks down common issues between COMAH and BS IEC 615111 into typical HSE Assessment team areas to act as a prompt for possible issues to include in an intervention plan.
Check that HAZOPs or other risk assessment tools have correctly identified safety critical functions.
Audit the site's approach to identifying hazard and hazardous events of the process and associated equipment.
Carry out joint inspection with C&I specialist on key safety instrumented systems as required.
Liaise with other disciplines on safety integrity of measures in place, and human factors issues as required. C&I Inspector to provide input on integrity of instrumented systems and alarm systems.
Audit a sample of safety instrumented control functions to determine suitable allocation of safety functions to protection layers.
Check that the required safety instrumented functions have been identified.
Audit the designed safety integrity level of the safety instrumented functions.


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