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This week was a good one for snow in the Cascades and colder air will soon be visiting the Northwest. And perhaps some of us in the lowlands may get a dusting of the white stuff Sunday night, before a week of cold and sun arrives.
First, the mountains snows this week. We FINALLY enjoyed a weakening of the extraordinarily persistent ridge of high pressure along the west coast, with cool flow from the southwest providing 10-20 inches at many locations above 3000 ft in the Cascades (see 500 hPa weather map for 10 AM on Wednesday, the solid lines are the heights of that pressure surface, with winds parallel to the height lines). Very different from the uber-ridge pattern of the past few weeks.
The impacts on snow at major Cascade ski areas were substantial. Here are the snow depths at Snoqualmie Pass, Stevens Pass, and Mt. Hood.
Snoqualmie Pass
Stevens Pass
Mt. Hood
Snoqualme Pass was a big winner, gaining 20 inches. Stevens got about 10 inches, Mt. Hood a bit less.
Let's check on how well the overall snow pack is doing compared to normal (see figure below of the % of normal snow water equivalent). Washington is below normal, but not dangerously so...roughly 70% in the North Cascades to about 50% near the southern border. Oregon is not so lucky, running from about 40% in the north to 20% in the south. Skiing has not started a Mt. Ashland and many other Oregon ski resorts. California is a disaster area. They have a big problem.
What about the future for us? Think cold and dry.
Our old friend, the east Pacific ridge of high pressure will be coming back, but this time it will shift slightly west, allowing strong northerly flow and cooler air to invade the Northwest (see map)
But we do have one shot of some very, very light snow in the lowlands. Sunday evening a week upper level trough will move though and than might do two things: bring in colder air and produce a few light showers...perhaps snow showers. Don't worry...we aren't going to end up like Atlanta (where the National Weather Service DID forecast snow and poor human response caused unnecessary havoc).
To illustrate the change in conditions, here is the surface chart for 10 PM tonight (Friday). The colors are temperatures at 925 hPa...about 2500 ft above the surface). Yellows are the warmest, purples are very cold.


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subset: commoncrawl


text:
But first, a cartridge giveaway!
Cricut Pretty Pennants!
1) Leave a comment below letting me know your favorite of this release!
2) Subscribe or follow the blog!
That's it!
Winner will be announced next week. Winner has two weeks to claim prize. Allow 4-6 weeks to receive.
Melanie at Courtney Lane Designs is also having a giveaway - click HERE to see!
1) Cricut Word of Mouth Imagine cartridge
2) Cricut Spring Chic Imagine cartridge
3) Cricut To the Cabin cartridge
Have a great weekend!
Want to see more of my projects?
Click HERE to see my gallery!
Subscribe to Obsessed with Scrapbooking to learn more about ways to use the Cricut in your scrapbooking!


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Saturday, March 5, 2011
6 FOOT 7 FOOT - LIL WAYNE FT. COREY GUNZ (OFFICIAL VIDEO) lyrics
Lyrics below:
Six-foot, seven-foot, eight-foot bunch
Six-foot, seven-foot, eight-foot bunch
[Lil Wayne Verse 1]
Excuse my charisma, vodka with a spritzer
swagger down pat, call my shit Patricia
Young Money militia, and I am the commissioner
you don't want start Weezy, 'cause the F is for Finisher
so misunderstood, but what's a World without enigma?
two bitches at the same time, synchronized swimmers
got the girl twisted 'cause she open when you twist her
never met the bitch, but I f-ck her like I missed her
life is the bitch, and death is her sister
sleep is the cousin, what a f-ckin' family picture
you know father time, we all know mother nature
it's all in the family, but I am of no relation
no matter who's buying, I'm a celebration
black and white diamonds, f-ck segregation
f-ck that shit, my money up, you n-ggas just like Honey Nut
Young Money running shit and you n-ggas just runner-ups
I don't feel I've done enough, so I'ma keep on doing this shit
Lil Tunechi or Young Tunafish
Six-foot, seven-foot, eight-foot bunch
Six-foot, seven-foot, eight-foot bunch
[Lil Wayne Verse 2]
I'm going back in
okay, I lost my mind, it's somewhere out there stranded
I think you stand under me if you don't understand me
had my heart broken by this woman named Tammy
but hoes gon' be hoes, so I couldn't blame Tammy
just talked to moms, told her she the sweetest
I beat the beat up, call it self defense
swear man, I be seeing through these n-ggas like sequins
n-ggas think they He-Men, pow, pow, the end
talking to myself because I am my own consultant
married to the money, f-ck the world, that's adultery
you full of sh-t, you close your mouth and let yo ass talk
young Money eating, all you haters do is add salt
stop playing, bitch, I got this game on deadbolt
mind so sharp, I f-ck around and cut my head off
real n-gga all day and tomorrow
but these muthaf-ckas talking crazy like they jaw broke
glass half empty, half full, I'll spill ya
try me and run into a wall, outfielder
You know I'ma ball 'til they turn off the field lights
the fruits of my labor, I enjoy 'em while they still ripe
bitch, stop playing, I do it like a king do
if these n-ggas animals, then I'ma have a mink soon
tell 'em bitches I say put my name on the wall
I speak the truth, but I guess that's a foreign language to y'all
and I call it like I see it, and my glasses on
but most of y'all don't get the picture 'less the flash is on
satisfied with nothing, you don't know the half of it
Young Money, Cash Money
paper chasing, tell that paper, "Look, I'm right behind ya"
bitch, real G's move in silence like lasagna
people say I'm borderline crazy, sorta kinda
woman of my dreams, I don't sleep so I can't find her
you n-ggas are gelatin, peanuts to an elephant
I got through that sentence like a subject and a predicate
yeah, with a swag you would kill for
money too strong, pockets on bodybuilder
jumped in a wishing well, now wish me well
tell 'em kiss my ass, call it kiss and tell
[Cory Gunz]
Yeah , Word to my mama, I'm out of my lima bean
don't wanna see what that drama mean, get some Dramamine
llama scream, hotter than summer sun on a Ghana queen
now all I want is hits, bitch, Wayne signed a fiend
I played the side for you n-ggas that's tryna front, and see
son of Gunz, Son of Sam, you n-ggas the son of me
pause for this dumber speech, I glow like Buddha
disturb me, and you'll be all over the flow like Luda
bitch, I flow like scuba, bitch, I'm bald like Cuba
and I keep a killer ho, she gon' blow right through ya
I be macking, 'bout my stacking, now I pack like a mover
shout to ratchet for backing out on behalf of my shooter
n-ggas think they high as I, I come laugh at your ruler
Cash Money cold, bitch, but our actions is cooler
Wayne, these n-ggas out they mind
I done told these f-ck n-ggas, so many times
that I keep these bucks steady on my mind
tuck these, I f-ck these on your mind, pause
to feed them, on my grind, did I get a little love?
keep throwing my sign in the middle
hit 'em up, piece on my side, 'cause ain't no peace on my side, bitch
I'm a man, I visit urinals abroad
Tune told me to, I'm shooting when the funeral outside
I'm uptown, thoroughbred, a BX n-gga, ya heard?
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This all-mechanical hexapod (translated) was meticulously planned and beautifully constructed. It's not craning its neck to see what's ahead. That's a smoke stack for the steam engine which propels the machine.
Mechanically the legs were the hardest part. That's only because the steam engine was not built from scratch. It's a Wilesco D14 which is powered by solid fuel tablets. It puts out high RPM but low power so the gear ratio was set at 286:1 to make the most of its output.
The legs themselves are made of brass rods. These are anchored on one side of a larger gear, with a pivot point that allows the leg to slide vertically. The result is best seen in the clip after the break. As the drive wheel rotates, the pivot point moves the body forward until the foot is lifted by the sliding motion of the rod. It ends up looking more elegant than some of the more dexterous hexapods, but it lacks the ability to turn.


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Like all business owners I know, I've got more to do than time to do it. Without a system to stay productive I would get very little done. I'm often asked to reveal what tools and tactics I use to get more done and that's what today's post is all about.
I use an app called Evernote as my primary productivity tool. I'm not the first to write about Evernote – the techies and hackers have been raving about Evernote since its inception in 2008 and the adoption and growth numbers seen by Evernote speak to its mainstream like acceptance.
But, like so many great tools without a system and logical way to bring them into your everyday reality, they can become just another distraction. So, I want to give you a little of the logic of how I use Evernote.
Like millions of people my thinking on productivity is influenced by David Allen's Getting Things Done. One of the core premises of the book and teaching is that by getting everything into a system that you know won't fail, you can relieve a great deal of the stress that comes from trying to make sure you don't forget something important. Listen to my interview with GTDs David Allen here for a good overview.
Why I use Evernote
I have adopted some the principles of Getting Things Done, but have greatly simplified them and that simplification is where Evernote really shines. Evernote has grown from humble roots of a stripped down note taking tool to powerhouse suite of software services and applications that can be used to run entire organizations, but the simple roots remain.
Evernote is my giant file cabinet for anything I want to capture. It is simple, yet brilliant and most important, perhaps, is that all my activity in Evernote syncs over the air to every device I use. This allows me to work on my laptop, iPad, iPhone or any computer I happen to stumble upon and know that the data is the same everywhere.
In simplest terms what I do for a living is consume, write and share information – oh, and I also delete a lot of email and attend the occasional meeting – so my system is built largely around making it easy for me to discover, retrieve, produce and distribute information.
The function that makes Evernote so easy to adopt for this purpose is the ability to add and capture information in numerous ways.
I can send Evernote an email with content and files attachments
- I can upload text, voice messages and images
- I can drag files from my computer to Evernote on my desktop
- I can save a file to Evernote from the print dialog command
- I can clip any web page or web content directly to Evernote while I surf
- I can write text notes directly to Evernote
- I can add photos directly from a camera
- I can add scans with ability to search them
So, you see there really isn't any form of content analog or digital that I can't capture. By adding tags to items you can file them in folders and make them fully searchable.
Again, just because you can do these things doesn't mean you will. Evernote won't be that useful to you unless you devise a system that makes it easy and logical to use and you start using it habitually for a month or so.
Here's my system for using Evernote
- I create separate folders for things like blog post ideas, research for my books, and each project I identify and then happily clip, take notes and email ideas to Evernote as I visit my RSS reader, read my email, meet with clients and surf throughout the day so that I know everything gets captured.
- I use Evernote as a tickler file by creating folders for each month of the year and adding reminders of future actions into each. So, now when I need to file some report quarterly I find a reminder when I review that month and add it to the to do list. Every time I have something that I know I want to follow up with in the future I stick it in that month's file and add a date to the front of it so it comes up when I review the folder. (We've all been asked to follow up with someone in three weeks and this keeps it and the email exchange in the system)
- Because I can get info into Evernote in so many ways and some many forms I also create and maintain lists of things I want to track of find later, like gift ideas, books to read, vacation ideas, wines and music. If I have a great wine I snap a photo of the label and shove it into that list.
- I have folders for random thoughts and when I hear, see or read anything that I want to capture I use my iPhone to capture it or a service called Jott to quickly record a voice message that's transcribed and added to Evernote.
Evernote has become the central nerve center of my work and its usefulness has spilled over into every facet of day to day life.
I check in every morning to create a list of action steps and to dos and then routinely add content throughout the day. The secret (once more for emphasis) is that its so integrated into every tool I use so it is easy to create a routine to use it.
The one thing I don't put in Evernote
While I could easily create to do lists with check boxes and all in Evernote I choose not too. I fire up Evernote and most days draw up my to do list from a combination of appointment commitments, project commitments and information from inside Evernote folders and then I record them in ink in a Moleskin notebook.
I've intentionally kept this step analog as I feel a very strong pull to keep some aspects of my work and life rooted in things that are non digital and offline. While it is easy to get sucked completely into the appeal of an entirely digital world, I can honestly say that I can't be as creative or inspired unless I employ all of my senses and the act of writing on paper somehow connects and fuses my human particles with those of the digital world in a way that I can feel. (Wow, hope that didn't scare anyone, but there's something in my brain that needs paper.)
I work through my to do list each day and fuse my actions and sparks of brilliance into Evernote in real time and as they enter my thoughts. The more I put into Evernote the more I focus on being creative, knowing that I come there and find everything that I want to keep.
Some additional resources
- The Evernote Essentials Handbook – $25 eBook that is the missing manual
- WP Evernote Site Memory – WordPress plugin that makes it very easy for people to clip your blog posts the their Evernote account
- How Evernote is Changing the Free Model – Evernote CEO Phil Libin was a guest on my podcast and shares some insights into why their Freemium model works so well
So, how are you using Evernote


text:
Last week I was awarded a Liebster by the ebullient and vivacious Beatrix Snyman of Btrix Dsigns. Thank you so much Beatrix, I really miss connecting with you over a cup of coffee and a ball of yarn! I also miss seeing your sales skills in action, no-one I know can close a deal quite in the way you do! Somehow I always spent more money than intended with you around, but I ended up loving the yarn so much, it didn't matter you rascal! In fact, the Istanbul inspired blanket published in Simply Crochet is the result of one such dealing between Beatrix and I. To any South African readers - if you live near Beatrix in South Africa and you haven't met her yet (whether to buy yarn or to attend a workshop) you are losing out!
2. Did you realize that crochet is becoming the new black? Why do you think it is becoming so popular? Li Edelkoort in Trend Tablet nailed it when she spoke about crocheting, knitting and other textiles "In reaction to our virtual existence, we will need more real emotions and unknown surprising scenarios: tactility and dimension to compensate the flat screens in our lives, to give pleasure to our fingers."
3. What is your biggest reason for crocheting/knitting? Connecting with people and hearing, seeing their stories as told through craft.
4. Do you prefer working from a pattern or do you make up your own pattern as you go? Why? I do one of three things - design my own simple pattern; adapt an existing pattern or use an existing pattern. I always learn new techniques and manipulate yarn in either one of these three scenarios.
5. Who is your favorite crochet/knitting designer. Why? I really prefer the work by all the unknown women of Africa and Asia - those who produce the visions of designers such as Sophie Digard and Anne Claire Petit. These women are hugely talented and almost no one is telling their stories!
6. What is your favorite fiber to work with? Why? Any natural plant fibers because it is most suitable to the climate in the Middle East and South East Asia. I have a great passion for raw, natural materials opposed to man made ones.
7. Which is your favorite yarn brand and why? I have a great love affair with Vinnis Nikkim, Bambi and Serina as well as Colours of Grace. These yarns define my style and everything I make in either of these stand head and shoulders above any other yarns I use.
8. In short, give an overview of your craft journey since it started. One word: hooked!
9. I assume you have a few WIP's. Who doesn't? So what inspired your current WIP's? Yes, name all of them! Ah, never assume! I work on one project at a time and at this very moment I do not have a single WIP to my name since I am awaiting delivery of a special hand dyed yarn order to start a special project!
10. Where is the most unexpected place you ever crochet/knitted? I have enjoyed hooking in many interesting places - from the overnight train between Penang and Bangkok to the beach in Teluk Bahang National Park overlooking a village build in the ocean. I also kept yarn and a hook in my lap whilst driving in the very slow moving Penang traffic, crocheting a few rows or rounds at red traffic lights or when stuck in traffic.
11. Which project/design/pattern was your biggest challenge up to now and why? The Barcelona jacket/bolero because it is a poorly written pattern and I am also not an expert in making wearables, meaning I couldn't improvise!
The Questions for my nominees:
1. Animal fiber, plant fiber or other fiber?
2. Variegated or solid?
3. Colours or textures?
4. Pattern or plain?
5. How do you organise your stash?
6. Favourite projects to make?
7. How many WIPs are you working on?
7. How many WIPs are you working on?
8. Where is your favourite hooky place?
9. What three words best describe you?
10. Which travelling destination is on top of your bucket list?
9. What three words best describe you?
10. Which travelling destination is on top of your bucket list?
My nominees are:
Andree, About Crochet
Sylvia, Tama Pollo
Gamze, Vintage Peony
Jeszizsu, Teszek-Veszek-Vacakolok
Jeszizsu, Teszek-Veszek-Vacakolok
Ingrid, Little Birdy
Chrissie, Chrissie Crafts
Congratulations, you have just been awarded a Liebster!


text:
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text:
SNOW HILL – The Seaside Village shopping center in West Ocean City will gain a second building to join the Applebee's restaurant currently on site, but no businesses have definitely committed to moving in there.
"We don't have any hard commitments from anyone," said developer Todd Burbage of Blue Water Development Corp.
There has been some interest in the building from national chains, including a national retailer that has signed a notice of intent, but has not committed to leasing space.
"We've actually had a tremendous amount of interest," Burbage said. "We were surprised by the amount of demand."
The company has branched out into commercial rental properties from residential subdivisions in recent years, Burbage said.
While the site plan for the Seaside Village shopping center was approved several years ago, the approval's conditions called for the Worcester County Planning Commission's green light on renderings of future buildings.
"Applebee's was somewhat contentious," Planning Commission Vice Chair Brooke Clayville reminded his colleagues at last Thursday's meeting.
Burbage said the design of the new building will be in keeping with the one housing Applebee's.
"We tried to use the same materials as on Applebee's, the same coastal flair," said Burbage.
The new building on the pad site will be a single story, compared to the story and a half of the neighboring chain restaurant, and offer five rental spaces.
"It'll give it some variation and have a nice aesthetic look," said Burbage.
Worcester County Zoning Administrator Kelly Henry asked Burbage to consider making the unadorned rear wall of the building more attractive. A neighboring upscale townhouse development borders the commercial center.
"There's always an elevation that's not going to be as pretty as another elevation," said Burbage.
Planning Commission member Jeannie Lynch asked Burbage to take some action on the rear wall.
"I think that this wall should be broken up, the scale and the mass," Lynch said.
"For you, Mrs. Lynch, we'll do it," Burbage said.
The rear wall should be consistent with the west side elevation, Lynch felt.
"That doesn't mean three windows. That means the ratio should be the same," Lynch said. Otherwise, she said, the building "looks reasonably consistent with Applebee's."
The commission voted unanimously to approve the rendering.


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Tomorrow, Northwestern football players will vote on whether or not to form a union, a right given to them by a National Labor Relations Board ruling last month. NLRB rules stipulate that no meetings can be held today, the day before the vote, to decrease the risk of outside influence—which doesn't mean all those with vested interests in preventing unionization haven't already done their part to sway the players.
Here are some of the actions taken by former players, coaches, administrators, and executives, all with one goal in mind: convincing Wildcats players to vote no.
- When players arrived for their first practice after the NLRB ruling, they were all presented with new iPads, and taken to a local bowling alley for a team party. (The university said the iPads were unrelated to the union vote.)
- Head coach Pat Fitzgerald emailed his players warning them what would happen if they voted in unionize. They would, he wrote, "be transferring your trust from those you know" to "a third party who may or may not have the team's best interests in mind."
- Fitzgerald followed with public comments at a press conference, saying "I believe it's in their best interests to vote no."
- The Times reports that former QB Dan Persa is one of a number of former players who have spoken privately with current players to urge them to vote no. Persa "has been among the most vocal in urging the players to vote down the union."
- Northwestern's president emeritus said that if players unionize, the university could end up dropping all Division I sports programs.
- The women's fencing coach announced that a vote for unionization could mean the cancelation of his sport.
- Northwestern's vice president for university relations released a statement saying that "a collective bargaining process at Northwestern would not advance the discussion" of college sports issues.
- Northwestern's legal team compiled a 21-page Q&A to distribute to players and their parents. It's meant to answer their questions about forming a union, but contains multiple hyperbolic warnings about all the bad things that will happen if they vote yes. The document claims that unionized players may no longer be allowed to leave the team for family emergencies. It cites how players have "said all along that they have been treated extremely well by Northwestern University," and says the University hopes players vote no. Hilariously, it says college football reform will happen faster via unilateral NCAA decisions than by unionizing.
- A Northwestern appeal of the NLRB ruling claims, bafflingly, that "Northwestern's scholarship student-athletes 'are not initially sought out, recruited and ultimately granted scholarships because of their athletic prowess on the football field." To that point, the Q&A distributed to players and parents claims that if they unionize, replacement players may be brought in to take their jobs in the event of a work stoppage.
All of this adds up to a group of college kids being told from all sides that they should vote no. Yesterday, a group of former players alleged that this amounts to illegal interference ahead of the vote.
"We all love our program but we have a problem that this process has been interfered with," former player Kevin Brown told CBS Sports. "We were very disturbed because it was every sort of classic union busting."
Brown also allegedthat current players have received phone calls from former players, warning them that if they vote "yes" they'll be shut out of the football alumni network and lose out on future employment opportunities.
A former NLRB general counsel told the Times pretty much the same thing about union-busting.
"It sounds like a vigorous, strenuous anti-union campaign that employers often employ when they're determined to defeat unionization efforts," said Fred Feinstein.
A Northwestern spokesperson says the university has acted within NLRB guidelines since the vote was announced.
Tomorrow's vote is, by all accounts, going to result in players saying "no" to unionization. But for all the fuss about it, this vote is small potatoes. The NLRB ruling clears the way for similar unionization efforts at other private schools, where football and basketball are much bigger business and players may feel differently toward their coaching staffs. And even without that, the NLRB national office may review the regional ruling, and could declare athletes employees. That would bring a host of changes with or without unionization. It's that ruling that ultimately matters, and it's likely to spend years wending its way through the court system before it comes down.


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The late Aretha Franklin's family said Monday that it found an Atlanta pastor's eulogy delivered at the Queen of Soul's funeral last week to be offensive and distasteful.
The eulogist, the Rev. Jasper Williams Jr., was criticized for a political address that described children being in a home without a father as "abortion after birth" and said black lives do not matter unless blacks stop killing each other. Franklin's funeral was on Friday.
"He spoke for 50 minutes and at no time did he properly eulogize her," said Vaughn Franklin, the late singer's nephew, who said he was delivering a statement for the family.
Franklin said that his aunt never asked Williams to eulogize her, since she didn't talk about plans for her own funeral. The family selected Williams because he has spoken at other family memorials in the past, most prominently at the funeral for Franklin's father, minister and civil rights activist C.L. Franklin, 34 years ago.
Williams has not backed down from anything he said at the funeral, and said he respects the family's opinion. "I understand it," he said. "I regret it. But I'm sorry they feel that way."
Besides a social media uproar, Williams heard resistance at the funeral itself. Singer Stevie Wonder yelled out "black lives matter" after the pastor said, "No, black lives do not matter" during his eulogy.
Williams had minimized the Black Lives Matter movement because of black-on-black crime. "Black lives must not matter until black people start respecting black lives and stop killing ourselves."
He also said "there are not fathers in the home no more" and said that a black woman cannot raise a black boy to be a man. Some people suggested that was disrespectful of Aretha Franklin, a single mother of four boys.
His eulogy "caught the entire family off guard," Vaughn Franklin said. The family had not discussed what Williams would say in advance, he said.
"It has been very, very distasteful," he said.
He said it was unfortunate because everyone else who participated in the ceremony was very respectful.


text:
Canadian chocolatier Shyte goes viral for hilarious name
Belgium Master Chocolatier Kevin Richards has created a new high-protein chocolate, advertised as Shyte Chocolate - and the internet can't get enough of it.
The hilarious name is apparently an acronym for 'seriously helps you to energise'.
The company's website advertises protein chocolate in a choice of flavours for $10, which can be bought in independent retailers in Ontario, Toronto and Alberta.
Kevin says on his website: "Everything that I do is with the highest quality ingredients and most premium chocolate.
"My chocolate and cocoa is always Point of Origin to Me. "I put my name behind each creation."
But it could be that Kevin is in on the joke as the Shyte Show section of his website says: "It's where shyte hits the fans."
The website also states: "We may be silly, but we take our chocolate very seriously. "Welcome to real chocolate with real protein.
"Please…Eat Shyte." And Kevin is delighted with all the attention he has been getting online saying: "I have just received some amazing International coverage from Scotland.
"My company Shyte Protein Chocolate has gone viral."


text:
One of my favorite globalization books is The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger by Marc Levinson. It is the story of how the invention of the standard shipping container (those 20-foot steel boxes you see on ships, rail cars and truck beds) made international trade much cheaper, more efficient and more secure. Now it looks like another kind of box is about to shake up the wine world.
Cheap and Nasty
I'm talking about box wines or bag-in-box (BIB) wines (the Australians call them cask wines) that feature an airtight wine-filled plastic bladder inside a cardboard box. You use a built-in spigot to get to the wine. They can be found on the bottom shelf of the wine wall and behind the bar and out of sight at your local restaurant. They come in several sizes — 3 liter and 5 liter containers are the most common.
Box wines have a bad reputation. They first appeared in the 1970s and were filled with generic bulk wines. They were one step down from the popular 1.5 liter "magnum" bottles of "Burgundy," "Chabils" and the notorious "Rhine" wine. Box wine was cheap, nasty stuff that acquired a frequently deserved bad reputation.
[Re]-Thinking Inside the Box
It's time to reconsider box wine. Screw caps had a bad reputation, too, until quite recently. We associated them with low grade swill until fine wines appeared under screw cap (the New Zealand producers were in the vanguard) and we began to appreciate that that screw caps have many advantages. Now screw caps are actually associated with quality for some types of wine, especially youthful whites, and no one expects to pay less or get less because of the screw-top closure.
The technology of box wine is very solid. The airtight bladder is a neutral container that is well suited to holding wine for relatively short periods of time. (Don't cellar box wine — consume within a year of production — check out the "drink by" date on the box.) The bladder and spigot do in fact protect the wine from oxygen in the short run, so it will last longer once opened (especially if the box is stored in the fridge) than similar leftover wine in bottles.
Bladders are so good at the particular thing that they do that they have become an industry standard technology for bulk imported wines, which are shipped in huge bladders inside steel shipping containers (big bag in big box) and then bottled in the import market. So you may already be drinking box wine and not know it.
The Box Also Rises
The most recent Nielsen retail wine sales figures (reported in the October 2009 issues of Wine Business Monthly) suggest that box wine sales are growing. Wine sold in 3, 4 and 5 liter containers (most of it is box wine, I think) accounts for just under 10 percent of US supermarket wine sales, according to the Nielsen data (compared to 65% for standard bottles with the remainder in 1.5 liter and other formats). Sales are rising in this category, with 3 liter packages up 8.7% in the last year on a dollar basis, for example, and 5 liter packages are up 9.3% by value.
The total market for box wines rises if we include on-premises sales. Recent data (see previous posts) indicate that box wines (served to customers in carafes and by the glass) are strong sellers in casual dining establishments.
The rise of box wine is part of the trading down effect, clearly, since most box wines fall into the two price categories that are experiencing the highest growth. Sales of wines that are less than $3 per 750ml bottle equivalent have risen 7.1 percent according to Nielsen and by 10% for wines between $3 and $5.99. Supermarket sales of $20+ wines, on the other hand, have fallen by 3.4%.
Nasty, Brutish and Short?
Does this mean that Americans have traded down all the way to the bottom, back to the nasty box wines of the 1970s? The answer, incredibly, is no. Or at least not necessarily, according to the October 15 issue of Wine Spectator. You can't miss this issue on the newsstand — it features a cover story on "500 Values for $20 or Less" and includes a set of box wine reviews that make interesting reading.
Wine Spectator purchased 39 box wines in packages that ranged from 1 liter to 5 liters. Twenty seven wines were rated as "good" (a score of 80-84) and ten "very good" (85-89). The names of the 2 wines that scored below 80 were not reported.
The top box wine, going by the rating numbers, is a white: Wine Cube California Chardonnay, which sells in Target Stores for $17 per 3 liter box, which is $4.25 per standard bottle equivalent. It earned a very respectable 88 points. Wine Cube is a partnership between Target and Trinchero, the maker of a wide range of wines including Sutter Home.
The best red wine (at 87 points) is the Black Box Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles 2006, which costs $20 for 3 liters or $5 per standard bottle equivalent. Black Box is a widely distributed Constellation Brands product.
Good and Cheap?
Some box wine, apparently, is both pretty good and pretty cheap. Perhaps just to show that they really do rate wines blind, Wine Spectator gave a pretty good 84-point score to a non-vintage Carlo Rossi Cabernet Sauvignon California "Reserve" wine. Five liters for $13, in case you are interested, That's $1.97 per standard bottle equivalent.
How can decent wine be this cheap? One answer, of course, is that you can choose to make the wine itself less expensive by economizing in the cellar in many ways (less oak or none at all for red wines, for example). But to a considerable degree the box itself is responsible for the savings.
The bag in box container costs less than $1, according to the Wine Spectator article, which automatically saves $4 to $8 compared with a similar quantity of wine in standard glass bottles and the box they come in. Shipping costs are also less since the boxes weigh much less than glass bottles for the same quantity of wine and are less likely to be damaged in transit. There are environmental benefits too, especially in areas where glass bottle recycling is problematic because the sour economy has undermined the market for recycled glass.
Is box wine the future of wine? No. The wine market is too complex to be dominated by any single trend. But with better wine in better boxes (and with consumers embracing a more relaxed idea of wine) box wine deserves to play a bigger role in the future of wine. Another triumph for The Box!
November 1, 2009: I was recently interviewed about box wines by Simon Morton of Radio New Zealand's This Way Up . Click on the link to listen to the interview.


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DOVER, Del. (AP) — A wide-ranging inspection has found
that vehicles and materials are being stored under several of Delaware's
bridges, conditions similar to those at a major interstate bridge
closed after shifting soils caused structural problems.
It was not
immediately clear what, if any, hazards the materials present, but
officials have ordered some of them removed. Inspection results shared
with The Associated Press on Wednesday did not contain an analysis of
possible risks. Department of Transportation spokesman Geoff Sundstrom
said in an email that he would try to obtain additional information from
bridge officials on Thursday.
Transportation Secretary Shailen
Bhatt ordered the review after engineers determined that a massive dirt
mound dumped next to the Interstate 495 bridge over the Christina River
may have caused the movement of underground soils, resulting in damage
to several bridge columns and the emergency closure of the bridge on
June 2.
The bridge, which normally carries an average of 90,000
vehicles daily around Wilmington, will be closed indefinitely as
engineers figure out how to brace it after they found columns tilting.
Most of the detoured traffic is on already-clogged I-95, which passes
through downtown.
The results of the latest inspection show that
14 of 29 bridges reviewed had materials or vehicles stored underneath or
within 100 feet of them. Among the vehicles were military vehicles,
construction equipment, trucks and buses, some belonging to the
transportation department. Among the materials were dirt, sand and stone
piles, although their volume was not quantified in the results.
Following the inspections, some private firms were told to move
vehicles, equipment or stored items, Sundstrom said.
vehicles beneath bridges is a common practice," Sundstrom said in his
email. "Whether or not that practice will continue is based on the
conditions for each specific bridge site."
Sundstrom noted that
while heavy, the weight of a single vehicle "is not remotely comparable
to the weight" of the dirt pile under the 1-495 bridge. Officials have
estimated the weight of that dirt at 50,000 tons.
The review also found that 21 of the 29 bridges have no right of way fencing, and that others have only
"some" fencing.
fencing is needed for security or safety reasons it should be installed
or reinstalled," Sundstrom wrote. "Many of our structures were erected
years ago and the right-of-way adjacent to them has not been reviewed
for some time."
Officials said the review involved bridges more
than 500 feet long. The state owns 59 such bridges, but 30, such as
those that are overpasses or that span wetlands, were immediately
eliminated from the review because nothing is stored beneath them.
addition to the site reviews, officials are examining archive plans and
documents to compile information on soil conditions, foundation types,
and rights of way for each of the 29 bridges.
Meanwhile, officials
acknowledged Wednesday that the state Transportation Management Center
was alerted after a motorist called 911 on April 15 to report a problem
with the I-495 bridge. The motorist, Charles Allen Jr., told a 911
dispatcher that concrete barriers separating the bridge's northbound and
southbound lanes, which are supposed to be level with each other, had
separated in elevation by as much as a foot.
Sundstrom said
details surrounding the 911 call, including who in the transportation
department responded to Allen and when Bhatt learned about it, are still
under investigation.
Bhatt's office also is still investigating
his agency's response to a notification from a private engineer who was
working near the bridge on Thursday, May 29, and reported to state
officials that it appeared to be tilting. State officials did not send
out a crew to examine the bridge until the following Monday.
Vehicles, materials stored under Delaware bridges
DOVER, Del. (AP) — A wide-ranging inspection has found


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Welcome to Elkhart Auto Center, Inc!
When Elkhart Auto Center opened its doors in 1982, carburetors, points and rear wheel drive were a common thing on vehicles. Fuel injection, on-board computers and front wheel drive were just talk of the future. Now carburetors, points and rear wheel drive vehicles are considered to be dinosaurs. But Elkhart Auto Center is not. Your automobile is most likely the second largest investment you will make, your home being the largest.
So why would you not want to maintain your vehicle in top notch shape so it will keep its value and get the most out of your investment? We, here at Elkhart Auto Center, can help you do just that. As the automotive industry has changed, so has Elkhart Auto Center changed to meet your automotive needs. Elkhart Auto Center is qualified to handle all of your automotive needs. It really does not matter if you drive an import or domestic vehicle, if you own or lease, or if you drive a new or old vehicle. The team at Elkhart Auto Center can handle it.
EAC is your one-stop auto repair. We perform all types of repair from complete transmission, engine replacement, tune-ups, ABS brakes, suspension, drive line, electrical, heating , air conditioning, struts, shocks, computer diagnose and repair, oil changes, maintenance required services and much more.
Please schedule an appointment with our friendly staff by clicking the Appointment tab, above or by calling (574) 294-2825.


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<< Back to RiverSmart main page
Schoolyard Greening and Conservation
For teachers and their students of all ages, pre-K through 12th grade.
What Students Gain
These innovative schoolyard greening projects focus on incorporating landscape design principles that create habitat for wildlife, emphasize the use of native plants, highlight water conservation, and retain and filter stormwater runoff. They have the added benefits of an outdoor classroom that supports effective teaching practices and promotes student learning.
Creating wetlands, ponds and meadows or planting trees, shrubs and gardens can add beauty and diversity to a site, while fostering ecological awareness and "big picture" thinking in those who participate. These projects will teach gardening and community service skills, improve the aesthetics of school grounds, and build student and community pride.
What Teachers Gain
In addition to installing new schoolyard green space, the program provides teachers with the training and resources they need to use their conservation site to teacher lessons based on the DCPS Standards. The garden will serve as a permanent outdoor learning tool for teachers to provide hands-on learning in many areas of study.


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Wild Card Sunday: RG3's injury, Lynch, Boldin
Click here for my notes from Saturday's Wild Card matchups.
The Seahawks and Ravens got the wins today in the Wild Card matchups to advance. Let's breakdown some notes and take a quick look ahead to next weekend's Divisional games.
US PRESSWIREShould the Redskins have pulled RG3 before he went down with a knee injury?
RG3's injury: Should Mike Shanahan have pulled the rookie QB early in today's ball game? This is a good discussion to have, because the player is never going to take himself out of a game. Not in pro sports. We have to understand the pro mentality when it comes to injuries: push through, play in pain and deal with the consequences after. But who is protecting the player himself? That's the key. We could all see that Griffin was struggling to move, plant in the pocket and protect the knee. Plus, when he did go down, his knee lacked any sort of stability as it gave out. Just based on a pure football and production standpoint, I would have gone to backup Kirk Cousins to get some rhythm and flow to the offense. The Redskins struggled to run their scheme with Griffin's lack of mobility. But in terms of the larger discussion, there has to be some accountability from the sidelines when it comes to the health of the player. Remember, these guys are too competitive and too proud to duck out of a game (especially on the playoff stage).
Marshawn Lynch's production: Impressive football player. If you were to breakdown Lynch's game, where would you start? He can run out of multiple schemes (2-Back power game, Read Option, inside zone, etc.), press the edge of the defense, work inside of the tackles and use vision in the open field to beat up defensive secondaries. In the Wild Card win over the Redskins today, the Seahawks' RB rushed for 132-yards and a TD (on 20 carries). Those are big numbers. And I love the fact that he will finish runs. Look at the pad level on contact. That's what you want in a No.1 back.
Boldin's impact: Here's the thing on the Ravens' WR: he isn't going to win with straight-line speed. That's not his game. However, if you watched the WR today, he can win at the point of attack and within the route stem. Go back to the TD catch (play the ball at the highest point, finish strong) or the deep ball on the quick double-move (created separation). The Ravens generated explosive gains on offense today and Boldin (5-145-1TD) was a major part of that because he made plays for Joe Flacco.
Russell Wilson gets a playoff win: The rookie had the one miss on the deep seam route, but looking at this entire ball game, you had to like what Wilson did in his first playoff start. I know he can run, break contain and make some plays on the Read Option scheme. But I'm more focused on the deep out cuts or the sideline throws that have to be put on the up field shoulder away from the defender.
Ravens' pass rush: Why not send overload pressure, use zone blitz schemes and even play some Cover 0 (man pressure with no safety help) vs. this Colts' O-Line? This was matchup Baltimore could exploit today and I like the idea of using multiple blitz schemes. This defense did allow Andrew Luck and the Colts to move the ball, but they made the plays in red zone situations. That sells in the playoffs. I don't know if having Ray Lewis back in the huddle was the key, but this unit played a much better brand of football today.
A quick look ahead to the Divisional Playoffs…
Ravens at Broncos… If you are going to blitz Manning, then you have to win in the backend. That's what I'm looking at in this game. Can the Ravens matchup to Thomas, Decker and the Broncos' TEs when they send pressure vs. Manning?
Packers at 49ers… Power O, Lead Open, Counter OF, Wham, etc. The base power run game from the 49ers. The Packers have to win at the point of attack with their defensive front seven, fit up the run and force Colin Kaepernick to challenge the secondary.
Seahawks at Falcons… I can't wait to see Julio Jones, Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez matchup to the Seahawks' defensive backs. A physical secondary that wants to compete and play press-coverage vs. legit talent at the skill positions. That's good football.
Texans at Patriots… Wade Phillips' game plan has to improve. The Patriots whipped the Texans in that Monday night matchup and its on Phillips to create a game plan that will impact Brady. Big week in the film room for the Texans' defense.


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Hunting in a great company at the edge of the desert north of Sunspear, the Prince of Dorne was attended by courtiers, knights and ladies both, as they tried their hawks and falcons, and tested their bows and spears. Prince Marence had been in a notably glad mood, and the rumor about the court was that recently Ser Mavros Uller had communicated from Yronwood that negotiations went well and that Lady Yronwood would soon relent in her near-rebellious obstinancy. At a desert oasis, they hunted their fill, sending arrows at scattered birds that the hunters had raised. All was going well…
... until the riders from Sunspear arrived in haste. One of the palace guard, Ser Emeric Santagar, had urgent news from Yronwood. Marence expected it to be word that Ser Mavros had concluded the negotiations and had secured peace. But no: Lady Yronwood herself had written, proclaiming that she had seized Ser Mavros and his escort for betraying the truce of parley, for trying to raise her own vassals against her. Outrage swept through the company of riders, and Prince Marence was first silenced by shock, and then by anger as he rarely showed.
Almost without hesitation, the prince had made a decision: this insult to Sunspear would not stand, and he would call the spears almost before members of the company urged him to it. Some attemped to urge moderation—the heiress to Hellholt, Liane Uller, proposed to be sent to Yronwood to try and negotiate anew—but the prince was set on his course. And it was something else Liane Uller said, that her House had already offered its spears to Sunspear if it came to war with Yronwood, that set off another witness: Ser Joris Yronwood. Taking this to be a sign of an elaborate plot against Yronwood by the Prince of Dorne and the Ullers, he spoke intemperately.
During all this, Prince Rhodry had been indulging himself, putting an end to injured birds. He paid little attention to the gathering, until Ser Mavros's bastard Samara Sand informed him of what had happened, and that Prince Marence had called for him. The infamous prince hurried then, and in time to hear Ser Joris mouth his calumny. It set him to string an arrow to his bow, remarking that someone had missed a pigeon… but Prince Marence would have no bloodshed. He had his men put up their weapons, and ordered Ser Joris disarmed and taken to Sunspear, to a cell in the Spear Tower.
Once the man was out of ear shot, the commands began: the reading to depart with all haste, Ser Laurent Dalt to commandeer ships at the Planky Town, word for the spears together. And when the question of command came—not so much a question, as a statement, from Prince Rhodry—Marence revealed that he would lead his banners into battle himself, to make sure that Lady Yronwood's trouble-making would be done for one and all.


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This weekend marks the 38th anniversary of the cataclysmic eruption of Mount St. Helens on May 18, 1980. Director Jeff Lieberman and his crew were filming JUST BEFORE DAWN down in Silver Falls State Park this same weekend in 1980, although the story is that they had taken Sunday off and were out at the coast when the proverbial shit hit the fan. In any case, to celebrate this historical collision of natural and cinematic violence, we had no choice but to stomp around Oregon's "crown jewel" and make like a couple of homicidal inbred cretins. If it is at all possible, we strongly encourage you to do the same. Silver Falls is a majestic region of the world, and visiting will make our screening on July 27th even more enjoyable! The nightmare has begun. Er...the hiking season. Whatever, man.
|Have a drink on me.
|If that ain't you touching my toes...
|Take only photos, leave only corpses.
|Man on the Silver Mountain.
|This beauty is just one of the TEN waterfalls to be enjoyed on the 8.7 mile loop at Silver Falls!


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If Lindsay Lohan was worried about the possibility of going to jail, she didn't let it show during an interview and photo shoot a few days before Superior Court Judge Marsha Revel sentenced her to 90 days in jail to be followed by rehab.
At the cover shoot for the latest issue of Maxim, on stands Aug. 10, Lohan was "philosophical" about her situation, according to Maxim West Coast editor Ruth Hilton, but the starlet remained professional.
"It's obviously a really super difficult time for her, but on the other hand, it's difficult for me to interpret on her behalf," Hilton said. "She kind of accepted she had to get on with things. You have to do your best to get through it and get the best advice at every level."
Hilton said Lohan brought her sister, Ali, and a couple friends to the Chateau Marmont location she requested for the June 30 shoot, the week before her sentencing. Hilton said that although Lohan has a reputation for high-maintenance antics at work, "she did not leave anyone in the lurch or anyone wanting or waiting."
"She was great to work with. It's the only shoot I've done where it finished early," she said, adding that it was clear that the starlet's working relationship with photographer Matt Jones and her previous modeling experience helped move things along.
One thing that's stuck out, though, is the black and white stripped bikini Lohan donned for the cover. Some sites have suggested that Maxim might have put her in the suit as a snide reference to her jail time. Hilton dismissed the rumors, saying that Lohan specifically requested her stylist Lysa Cooper, but the starlet had a lot to say about the clothing she wore in the photos.
"(Lohan) was really in the driving seat with the looks," Hilton said. "It's an interesting coincidence."
Hilton said the crew and the magazine staff all talked afterwards about how honest and professional Lohan was.
"The words in her piece are her own words, and I think maybe that's what's interesting about it," Hilton said. "Finally, she has talked about it. I think if people are reading the press and reading the media, these photos are who she really is. She is looking healthy, she is looking happy, and she really has her mind set on getting through this."
Betty White, hardest working woman in TV"I'm so sick of Betty White," Cloris Leachman joked at the Television Critics Association while promoting her new show, "Raising Hope." "Never liked her."
At 88 years old, Betty White just might be the hardest working woman in television. But just how many shows has she logged since Jan. 1, 2010? Here's a quick run through the numbers:
- TV episodes in which she's appeared as an actor: 13 (12 of those have aired: 10 episodes among "Hot in Cleveland," "The Middle" and "Storyline Online." Her guest turn in "Community" has yet to air.)
- Hosting gigs: 1 ("Saturday Night Live")
- Late night appearances: 6 (3 episodes of "Tonight Show with Jay Leno," one each of "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, "Lopez Tonight," and "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson")
- Talk shows: 8 (Twice on both the "Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and "Larry King Live," plus "The 7PM Project," "The Oprah Winfrey Show," "The Bonnie Hunt Show" and "The View.")
- Awards shows: 3 (MTV Movie Awards, TV Land Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards)
What could be next for White? Maybe "Desperate Housewives," according to creator Marc Cherry.
"I would love to have Betty (White) on the show," he said at a Television Critics Association panel on July 27. "She's a saucy, sexy gal and she's a blast. It's something that would make my heart very happy," he said.
But even he's having a hard time getting some one-on-one time with her to discuss the project. "She's constantly employed," he said. "I'm trying to just see if I can get her for dinner. She works harder than any of us."
How to hook up with The SituationThe taping of the third season of "Jersey Shore" is under way in Seaside Heights, N.J., and on July 29, Life & Style's Scene Queens went to Karma nightclub, where the show was filming. The biggest revelation to come out of the experience is that the men of "Jersey Shore" weren't allowed to interact with just anyone.
"We saw producers draw black dots on the hands of girls deemed worthy enough to talk to the cast. (They also had to be willing to sign release forms to be on television. Anyone without the mark was strictly off-limits to speak to on camera," according to the Scene Queens.
A source close to the show said that the women aren't the only ones clamoring to get on the show. Guys who were on hand that same night got into it over getting some time in front of a camera.
"The cast has to be more careful because everyone knows them now," a source close to the show told the Scene Queens. "Some of the guys, like the Situation, will have four to six security guys with them to stop people from approaching."
Sounds dramatic, but the formula is working. "Jersey Shore" season two debuted with 5.3 million viewers.
Courtney Hazlett delivers the Scoop Monday through Friday on today.msnbc.com. Follow Scoop on Twitter @courtneyatmsnbc.


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Twilight zone
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STARKVILLE – (AP) Mississippi State running back Nick Griffin will miss the Gator Bowl after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.
The 6-foot, 225-pound sophomore rushed for 223 yards and a touchdown this season while averaging seven yards per carry. He had emerged as the primary backup for starter LaDarius Perkins.
It's the second serious knee injury for Griffin, who tore the ACL in his left knee less than two years ago.
Mississippi State says Griffin suffered the injury during a practice on Saturday and tests revealed the damage. He is scheduled to have surgery on Thursday.
Mississippi State (8-4) faces Northwestern (9-3) in the Gator Bowl on Jan. 1.


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Account Executive - Data Center Solutions
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This opportunity is with a leading global provider of mission-critical data center solutions. The firm provides critical facilities solutions geared toward cooling and mechanical engineering solutions and installations that are custom-fit to the requirements of their client's mission-critical facilities. They help improve the reliability of mission-critical facilities for many of the world's largest organizations.
Account Executive - Data Center Solutions - Denver
Our client is looking for a Senior Sales Associate to join their team, supporting the Denver region, and pursue sales opportunities that are data center construction based within the Cooling / Mechanical / HVAC market. The ideal candidate will possess contacts and an established Rolodex of contacts in the Mission Critical Data Center / Critical Facilities Marketplace in commercial / colocation / government sectors.
Candidate's duties include
Calling on established clients and prospecting for new accounts among high-potential Mission Critical Data Center end-users.
Preparing proposals, presentations, and briefings.
Establish positive relationships with existing business partners in hopes to generate additional business.
A proven track record of consultative HVAC construction / service sales skills are a must.
Polished Sales Professional, selling to the Fortune 500 market
5-15 yrs. of relevant HVAC construction sales experience
Business Contacts in the desired Region – Data Center / IT Executives: - CIO, CTO, VP of IT, Director of Facilities, Facilities Managers, etc.
Background with Critical Facility OEMs, General Contractors, design/build, construction, commissioning, and operations / maintenance of data centers is a huge plus.
Belong to local professional organizations (AFCOM, ASHRAE, 7x24 exchange, Datacenter Dynamics, Uptime, etc.)
Contacts with Engineering Firms, General Contractors, Data Center Providers, Construction Companies, Engineering Firms, etc.
Have experience selling Critical Facility Construction Solutions
Must be a team player and be able to build long-term cooperative partner relationships with internal and external individuals who are part of the business development process.
Strong organizational skills and the ability to prioritize
Must be able to demonstrate a sustained track record of business development accomplishments as related to new business opportunities
Must be able to pass a background / drug test
Qualified candidates can send their resume to
( resume at pkaza dot com ) with 13701893 in the subject. After applying, if you have further questions, you may call 973-895-5200 and ask for Iggy. You can also submit via our career portal and also see all of our critical facility openings at:
Company offers a competitive compensation and benefits package, medical insurance and a 401(k) plan.
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You will recall that I posted yesterday on my trial and tribulations on trying to make a call to Thurrock Council to enquire about a mysterious local road closure, this is what I said in an email to the Councillor responsible for Highways;
While you may not be directly responsible for the telephone system or it's operators you may like to enquire, on my behalf, as to why Thurrock residents are ignored and treated to such an abomination of a service. Is it an unspoken directive from the ruling party in power that if residents can't get through and make enquiries/ complaint then we (the Council) can't register those enquiries/ complaints? It then stands to reason that they will not form part of any figures for comparison on official statistics on such enquiries/ complaints being made, or is it that I am again being far to cynical? Or is it just a question of:
a) poor performance by operators,
b) not enough operators to deal with the quantity of calls
c) not enough departmental employees to deal with the quantity of calls
d) lack of interest by council employees dealing with members of the public's enquiries/ complaints*
*The last one is based on the fact that when I did get through on the 652 652 number the FIRST time I selected option 3 for Highways. I waited 11 minutes and eventually the call was answered by, it sounded like Tracey, but when I asked the woman to repeat her name (I do like to make a note of the name of the person I am speaking to) the call was cut off!
I called again ignoring all the options and after 7 minutes the call was answered by an operator. I explained that I had previously called, that I had selected option 3 for highways, that eventually the call was answered and that when I asked for confirmation of the name of the person I was speaking to, the call was disconnected! The operator apologised and stated that she would put me through, that she understood all departments were experiencing heavy call volumes (See, b), c) and d) above !) but that she would remain on the line until my call was answered.
You've guessed what's coming now haven't you? Yes, I waited in silence for almost 5 minutes and then I heard the click, signalling that the call had been disconnected. Just what on earth is going on in Grays that makes the Council and it's staff so unhelpful to it's residents?Now this is what happened today when I happened to phone Basildon District Council, who are a few miles along the road:
I wanted to Speak to Environmental Health, guess what;
The call was answered on the first ring, I asked for the dept and the lady operator thanked me for calling, put me through and lo and behold, the call was picked up immediately by a nice helpful young chap, who thanked me for calling after listening to what I had to say, informing me that an EHO would get back to me tomorrow!
It might only be a few miles along the road, but they are galaxies apart in their response to callers – Thurrock could do well to emulate this approach, Oh! And BTW I did make enquiries and found that the operators and other staff were employees of the Council and not some faceless company earning millions?Is it, that Thurrock are Labour controlled and have outsourced, it seems, all of their resources to a Faceless International Company who go by the name of Vertex and who get over £400 million pounds of Thurrock taxpayers money for providing such an appalling service and who are providing (presumably previously direct employees of the Council)such an appalling service to callers to Thurrock Council, while the Conservative controlled Council in Basildon still employs staff directly?
On the question of Vertex, my blog is reproduced by a local web based paper and yesterdays blog was picked up by them and this is what the editor said in response to my comments on Thurrock employees:
EdMay 29, 2012 - 9:55 pmI doubt you spoke to any Thurrock Council employee – probably one of the Vertex employees?I have to confess I was ignorant of this companies existence until I saw this and popped over to their web site, you can visit it here . Now before you visit, if you are from Thurrock and have ever tried to call the Council, I don't want you laughing at them (otherwise you will cry) when you look at the site, because under the heading of: Public & Citizen Services it states, Making it easier for citizens to interact with government.
In 2005 Vertex won a £427 million contract to run the following council services:-
•Administration services
•Business accounting and financial services
•Customer services
•Engineering and transportation
•Human resources
•ICT and e-Government
•Payroll services
•Procurement and property services
•Revenues services
So the person answering the phone will be a Vertex employee and the repairs to the bridge will be handled via Vertex who will probably sub contract the work out.
Well, there you have it fellow Thurrock residents VERTEX are making it easier for us to interact with our local Government, what do you think, are they?
I should also say that there is a link on the same page to a 'Thurrock Council Case Study' I assumed that I was going to be directed to a page telling me how wonderful Vertex are and what a magnificent job they are doing in 'our' service, for the paltry sum in excess of £400 million pounds that they are getting, but alas we get 'PAGE NOT FOUND' I wonder why that is?


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I need remember to bug my wife into getting her passport so we can eventually travel somewhere. Thanks
-Dan Malone-
A year and a half ago, I wrote a post about how to fashion your own passport photos for under a dollar. It seemed that I wrote it at the dawn of the popularization of online passport picture organizations. Now, the process for making your own passport pictures on the cheap is much easier.
Below are four online passport photo companies, each offering varying levels of service (with corresponding costs). Wise Bread readers attest to their happiness with the first two organizations, and any readers who have tried the other two are welcome to chime in with comments.
Upload a digital photo, use their sizing assistance to crop and position the shot, and they arrange six shots onto a 4x6 photo as a jpeg file for you to print (or get printed).
The basic service above is free.
For $6, you can select the Premium service, which includes a professional compliance verification to ensure your photo will be approved with the passport application's latest standards (99% approval rate), printing on high-quality paper, and shipping to any address (either US or international).
ePassportPhoto makes a huge range of international passport photos available (more than 60), as well as visa and citizenship photos for some countries.
Because it is largely an online service, anybody anywhere can use ePassportPhoto. Users in the States will also appreciate same-day availability for pick up at Walgreens.
Follow the guidelines for how to take a good passport photo carefully. There is no editing available; only self-serve cropping with cross-checks to ensure your photo will be compliant.
Upload a digital photo, they will edit it as necessary to eliminate background flaws, shadows, and adjust lighting, and then they will produce passport pictures for you in a variety of formats depending on your location and preference.
Note: PassportPictures.org was launched in 2007, and the recently launched PassportPhotosOnline.com is an affiliate carrier. The services are the same between the two sites.
At $15 for 6 photos, it is not the cheapest service around, but the post-processing service may be worthwhile if you are struggling to take the perfect passport picture at home.
Passport photos can be produced for any country in the world (except Canada, where the the photographer is required to sign the back of the photo). Travel visa and citizenship photos are also provided for a variety of countries.
Completed passport pictures can be emailed to the user for printing. Pictures can also be mailed to a US address, or made available for same-day pick up at Walgreens.
Despite the editing services, certain requirements must be met in order to produce a valid passport photo. The photo must be good enough to begin with that the subject (ie: you) does not need altering or modification.
This service also boasts a customer support phone number which connects you to a representative who can answer your questions as necessary.
Upload your digital photo, they will edit it for background, exposure, and lighting/shadow flaws, and they will produce passport photos for you in a number of formats depending on your location and preference.
$6 will get you 6 passport photos. In other countries, they will produce up to eight photos for $6.95.
Although not fully comprehensive, the list of countries for which passport and (some) visa photos can be produced for is not bad, and they will make every attempt to fulfill your request if the country you need is not on their list.
The final product can be emailed to any address, mailed to US residents, or made available in as little as 24 hours at a local Walgreens or CVS store.
Since not all digital photos will suffice for compliance purposes (even with editing), they recommend that you email them your photos for pre-approval. Once they receive a photo that they believe is usable, they will email you an invoice through Paypal.
If the photos are rejected for any reason, OnlinePassportPhoto will either give you a refund or provide another set of photos at no cost.
Upload your photo, crop it, and make a jpeg sheet that you can download and print (or have printed).
Only US passports are truly covered, but there are a few sizing options which may suit the country's passport or visa requirements that you are after.
Being a fully online service, you could be anywhere to download and print your spiffy new passport photos.
There is no editing service available shy of self-serve cropping, so pay special attention to taking a picture that heeds the specific requirements for your passport photo (ie: background, lighting, proportions, etc).
These are but four of what could be many online passport picture services out there. Does anybody have experience with these four companies above, or any others you would like to mention?
Disclaimer: The links and mentions on this site may be affiliate links. But they do not affect the actual opinions and recommendations of the authors.
Wise Bread is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
I need remember to bug my wife into getting her passport so we can eventually travel somewhere. Thanks
-Dan Malone-
I took my husband's picture against a white wall, popped out the memory card and made a print in my printer. Then I measured the size of his head and adjusted the percentage to the guidelines on the passport application. Popped it back into the printer/scanner/copier, made two copies and trimmed them to the specs. Took about 15 minutes total.
DIY passport photos are along the lines of what I discussed in Part One of this series. If you have the patience and relevant software to do it on your computer, go ahead! It seems that some of these services above (the free ones anyway) do pretty much the same thing, without you having to whip out a ruler or double check the requirements yourself.
From what I read at http://travel.state.gov/passport/
" Copied or digitally scanned photos of photos will not be accepted. In addition, photos must not be retouched to alter the customer''s appearance in any way."
The local post office will take passport photos for a few bucks that meet all federal requirements.
We do the DIY photos on a computer, burn them onto a disc and take them to a drugstore and print them out, and cut them afterwards.
Once we took our disc to Rite-Aid to print out 2 pics, which total a 4X6 print in size, which amounts to $.29. The Luddite behind the counter called the manager on me and accused me of somehow breaking into Rite-Aid's passport photo system and using it. I tried to explain to her that we did it at home, copied our photos to a disc and brought the disc from home to print out on their self-serve machine. Neither she nor the manager got it, and I had to go to corporate level to get my $.29 photo. So be careful who's behind the counter.
We got into and out of Japan just fine with these.
This seems a little over-the-top.
Just go to Walgreens and spend $7 and wait 10 minutes for the photos to develop. I believe I got 2 photos for the $7.
This way you can guarantee your passport application will be accepted the first time, and you won't waste time messing with other websites and waiting for delivery.
I then went straight to the post office and turned in my passport application with photos.
Why make things difficult? I guess it might be worthwhile to go with an online company if you needed to order multiple passports (for an entire family?) to save a minimal amount of money. Or if you live in the middle of nowhere.
But how much is your time worth? I'd rather spend $7 and have it done in 10 minutes than spend up to an hour taking my own photo, uploading it on the computer, submitting it to the website, waiting for the final product & downloading it, and then taking that photo down somewhere else to get it printed and waiting some more at the store!
I have read that some passport photos from drug stores that advertise passport photos are rejected by the US State Dept - you would hope that you are getting photos that would be acceptable but I don't think it is guaranteed.
Also, for people, getting a good shot is difficult. Are you going to stand there at the drug store, asking the employee to "take just one more" shot because the other photos look awful? At least if you or a friend takes the photo, you can take as many as you want, and in a more relaxed setting.
It all depends on whether you would rather pay for convenience (in which case, you can just get your photo taken at the post office and turn in your application at the same time!) or if you would rather spend some time, spend less money and be in charge of the experience. I'd choose the latter but not everyone would feel the same way.
I had my pics rejected at the post office today done by CVS - excellent photos - I went back to CVS - corrected the problem - went back to the post office - and they rejected the same photo that CVS fixed - for a completely different reason they didn't state the first time. The post office was trying to convince me to get the pics redone by them - for 14 bucks for 2 - after I paid the 7.99 to CVS. I think it is a way for the govenment to make more money.
I have to get new pics done.
I quess I have to use the post office or the people there just won't allow me to mail it in at all.
I am considering using a different po in another town with the same photo - which I still don't understand why they rejected it.
They said they have new guidelines - but I can't find them online and they didn't have a copy of it.
I don't know what to do.
My other family members got theirs super fast using the same place for photos.
It makes no sense.
One of the themes I'm seeing here is about rejection; it seems that no pictures are guaranteed to be accepted...heck even the post office could take a bum shot. So even if you pay to have your photos done, know what the guidelines are (as long as they're not constantly changing!) and make sure they're adhering to them, to save you the hassle of a rejected photo and more running around.
You can use http://idphoto4you.com website to create valid passport photos.
It knows numerous passport standards and print sizes.
It uses face detection so very easy to use.
many times, if you need a picture taken, the company that you use to get your passport can help you. when i got my passport they gave me a number of options that were local.
i think i used http://www.uspassportnow.com
they have a phone number you can call too. just a thought
@apate016 - The service you mention above appears to be a full-service organization that expedites your passport application. As such it's a great service....but one you'll pay for. If you're in a hurry or don't have time in your life to organize getting a passport, it's a great way of outsourcing. Otherwise though, I think there are cheaper ways to do it.
It's extremely important to have your passport on you at allll times while you're on vacation.
When I got my passport the first time and when I renewed it last year, I just went to the County Clerk's office. In under 15 minutes I had an acceptable picture for free and turned it in with my application on the spot. When the person approving the picture takes the picture, it certainly helps, and you can't beat free.
I used idphoto4you.com and ordered prints for both the US Passport size and the size below that since those looked alittle big. Both were rejected as the wrong size, which they were (I measured when I got home). I will try another service. And yes, in our part of the country it's $10-$15 for 2 pictures even at drug stores and I need passports for a whole family (5 kids). So I am definitely going to keep trying! Thanks :)


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DANFORTH, ASA, colonizer and road builder; b. 29 June 1768 in Brookfield, Mass., son of Asa Danforth and Hannah Wheeler; m. there in 1789 Olive Langdon, and they had three daughters; d. in or after 1821.
Asa Danforth Sr moved with his family to New York's Onondaga valley in 1788. Asa Danforth Jr returned to his birthplace the following year to marry and shortly afterwards settled with his bride at Salt Point, later Salina (Syracuse), N.Y., where he manufactured salt. His father was a prominent figure in the Onondaga area and was described in 1794 by Upper Canada's first lieutenant governor, John Graves Simcoe*, as "the most virulent enemy of Great Britain in that Country." Thus, it was somewhat surprising when young Danforth appeared in the province in 1797 seeking the favours of government.
In 1792 Simcoe had initiated a policy of entrusting whole townships to the exclusive control of colonizers in the hope of promoting rapid settlement. There apparently was a misunderstanding as to the benefits promised to the township promoters; they seem to have thought they had been promised an outright grant of their townships if they succeeded in establishing a certain number of new settlers. In fact they were only entitled to 1,200 acres of land and the right to settle people where they pleased. In any case, it soon became evident that the scheme was a failure. In May 1796 Simcoe proclaimed many of these townships forfeited for lack of settlement, and declared that those who claimed to have settled their townships must submit their proofs to the Executive Council on or before 1 June 1797. Danforth was, as he put it, "connected . . . in Settling" the townships of Haldimand, Hamilton, Percy, and Cramahe, and to demonstrate that the proprietors' obligations had been met in these townships he appeared before the council in 1797 to ask that some 205 settlers there be confirmed in possession of their lots.
Simcoe's successor, President Peter Russell*, had a more conciliatory approach to the proprietors than Simcoe. Thus, in July 1797 the unforfeited townships were reopened but the proprietors, Danforth included, were allowed 1,200 acres each if they became residents of the province. The council's decision fostered a good deal of discontent and under the leadership of William Berczy*, one of the most disappointed of the proprietors, caveats were being filed contesting the council's right to grant lands previously entrusted to proprietors. To protect their claims to the four townships, Danforth and his associates directed their attorney, William Weekes*, to join in filing caveats. Outraged, the council dismissed this action as "most improper and unfounded" and rescinded its recommendation that Danforth be granted 1,200 acres personally. Early in 1799 Danforth apologized, explaining that he was bound to people in the United States "to use every exertion that might be made" and that no "disrespect" had been intended. His apology was accepted and the council restored his personal grants. His problems, however, were not at an end. In 1798 two settlers who had been part of the colonization of the four townships complained to the council that Danforth's name, rather than their own, had been entered against the lots which they had settled and improved. The council ordered an investigation and on the basis of the subsequent report (tabled in 1799) Danforth and his associates were accused of fraud and duplicity. As a result, all previous confirmations of lots in these townships were suspended; no new warrants for land were issued until 1 July 1800 and then only upon proof of actual improvement.
It is somewhat surprising therefore that, while this investigation was proceeding, the council on Russell's recommendation had contracted on 9 April 1799 with Danforth to open a road from York (Toronto) to the mouth of the Trent River. With causeways and bridges it was to be completed by 1 July 1800. Danforth was to be paid portions of what was owed him as the road progressed and was inspected, the balance upon completion. He did not receive his payments promptly, and was hampered by a shortage of capital. During a brief absence in the United States in March 1800, he was jailed as a debtor. Released, he returned to Upper Canada in May, sought and was allowed an extension, and completed the road on 18 December.
The council was not satisfied with his work. He received a partial payment but was told no further payments would be made until the road was properly finished. A bitter Danforth returned briefly to the United States where the pressure from his creditors had not abated. He claimed to have had several conversations with presidential candidate Aaron Burr. Danforth anticipated that a Republican triumph in the election would "afford something handsome to those who were draged from home by fair promises of Genl. Simcoe and the like . . . when the Executive Council saw that our Americans had made choice of the best lands in the Province they laid a plan to recind & take away the Lands theretofore granted and placed their own locations on the same." Danforth believed that Upper Canadian officials feared the likelihood of the eclipse of British power in North America but that "three-fourths of the common people would be happy of a Change." Back in the province in June 1801 he was hopeful of a favourable settlement on his claims for land and money. Disappointed yet again he left the province for good in January 1802.
Before departing Danforth laid plans for a meeting in Albany, N.Y., of disgruntled Upper Canadians. Among those he wished to include were Joseph Brant [Thayendanegea*], Ebenezer Allan*, and Silvester Tiffany*. The purpose was the overthrow of the provincial government. Several meetings apparently took place but nothing came of the plan. As late as 1806 Danforth saw a possibility for recovering land and money. In this instance Weekes's successful attack on Lieutenant Governor Peter Hunter*'s handling of public money was the source of his hope.
Danforth spent some years at Salina working his salt leases, constantly hampered by lack of capital and forced to borrow to finance necessary improvements. In 1811 he leased his salt privileges and equipment to his principal creditor, who eventually acquired out-right ownership of the property as well. Last notice of Danforth dates from 1821. He was in New York City hiding from the sheriff. The road for which he is famous fared little better. Official reports of October 1802 were highly critical. Deficient from the outset, within a few years it had deteriorated and was largely unused.
PAC, RG 1, E3, 32: 37–43; RG 5, A1: 557–59. Syracuse Univ. Libraries, George Arents Research Library (Syracuse, N.Y.), Green family coll., Timothy Green papers. Corr. of Hon. Peter Russell (Cruikshank). Onondaga Hist. Soc., Pub. (Syracuse), 1913: 134–36; 1914: 168. "U.C. land book D," AO Report, 1931. Danforth genealogy: Nicholas Danforth, of Framlingham, England, and Cambridge, N.E. (1589–1638) and William Danforth, of Newbury, Mass. (1640–1721) and their descendants, comp. J. J. May (Boston, 1902). Canniff, Hist. of the settlement of U.C. J. V. H. Clark, Onondaga, or reminiscences of earlier and later times . . . (2v., Syracuse, 1849; repr. Millwood, N.Y., 1973), 2: 108, 139–40. Cowdell Gates, Land policies of U.C. George Geddes, Report on the agriculture and industry of the county of Onondaga, state of New York . . . from the transactions of the N.Y. State Agricultural Society, 1859 (Albany, 1860). J.-P. Wallot, Intrigues françaises et américaines au Canada, 1800–1802 (Montréal, 1965). C. J. Werner, A history and description of the manufacture and mining of salt in New York State (Huntington, N.Y., 1917), 28–29. L. F. [Cowdell] Gates, "Roads, rivals, and rebellion: the unknown story of Asa Danforth, Jr.," OH, 76 (1984): 233–54.
© 1987–2023 University of Toronto/Université Laval
Cite This Article
Lillian F. Gates, "DANFORTH, ASA," in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 6, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed September 28, 2023, http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/danforth_asa_6E.html.
The citation above shows the format for footnotes and endnotes according to the Chicago manual of style (16th edition). Information to be used in other citation formats:
|Author of Article:
|Lillian F. Gates
|Title of Article:
|Publication Name:
|Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 6
|University of Toronto/Université Laval
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|Year of revision:
|Access Date:
|September 28, 2023


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Concrete on asphalt upgrades farm-to-market road
Oak Crest Hill Road South East in Johnson County, Iowa, appears to be just a typical farm-to-market secondary road.
But being one of 11 Iowa highway "Stimulus" projects, worth in total $13.7 million, makes it a little less ordinary. So does its new surface.
The unbonded concrete pavement overlay of Oak Crest Hill Road from south of the city limits of Hills to the Washington County line was a nearly $1.845-million job completed by Iowa City-based contractor Metro Pavers and funded through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA), more commonly known as "the Stimulus." Iowa received nearly $358 million for state and local roadway, bridge, trail and freight rail projects through the Stimulus, and Governor Chet Culver's I-JOBS initiative kicked in $115 million for transportation projects.
The Oak Crest Hill Road concrete overlay covered two lanes and spanned approximately 5.5 miles from start to finish. The county required traffic to be maintained in one direction at all times, says Nick Kempf, co-owner of Metro Pavers.
"Because it is not a primary highway, it was not that heavily used, but [the county] still wanted to improve the road system," says Kempf. "They tried to 're-profile' it and take out some of the bumps." And work went all the more easily, he says, because "most people along the roadway were happy to see the road improved."
Straightforward Doesn't Mean Easy
The overall job was fairly straightforward, says Kempf, but that doesn't mean it didn't have some challenges. The University of Iowa is located in Johnson County and this means a fair amount of bicyclists. As part of the project, the county asked that bicycle lanes be developed "to make it safer," Kempf says. However, this means the road has an extraordinary width for a secondary road. "The driving lanes are 24 feet plus the extra lane to bring it up to about 34 to 36 feet," Kempf says. As a secondary road, there were no contraction baskets, Kempf pointed out, so his team cut every 15 feet for joining.
There has been a great deal of whitetopping in Johnson County. Concrete overlays have become commonplace in Iowa as an economical means to rehabilitate the secondary road system. But for this project, rather than beginning with the removal of existing concrete, the concrete overlay was placed over an asphalt roadway. It was also poured on the shoulders that were compacted and then built up to accommodate the new bike lines. "We tried to maintain about 6 inches on the old roadbed and 8 inches on the shoulder," Kempf says. "Our ditches had to be filled, compacted and then brought up to grade."
The rock laid after the shoulders were compacted includes crushed recycled concrete and modified sub base. Although this wasn't a difficult process, at times it was challenging. "We'd have weeks where the dirt contractor could not work because it was too wet," Kempf points out. "We had to deal with the weather. We had the shoulders built up and were ready to pour on a Saturday, but then we had 2 inches of rain the night before."
Keeping it cool
The timing of the job also presented challenges. The Oak Crest Road job was the first time Metro Pavers undertook a concrete overlay in summer. Previous overlays had been done in the fall. The summer presented challenges, but by waiting until fall, Metro ran the risk of the maturity curve taking longer. And as the day warmed up, the asphalt had to be kept cool. "We had to bring in a water truck to cool off the asphalt before we could pour on it," Kempf explains. "We didn't need to bring it in until between 10:30 a.m. or 11 a.m., but then we would need it all afternoon."
According to the specs, the asphalt couldn't be more than 90 degrees Fahrenheit because it would set on the overlay but not on the rock, Kempf points out. "We had to keep a consistent ground temperature," he says. "We had to cool it down and stay just ahead of the paving machine. We had to have it cooled off, but it couldn't be wet."
Concrete overlays can be a good choice for the widening of an old pavement with narrow traffic lanes, the addition of new travel lanes – as was done with the addition of shoulders for bicyclists on Oak Crest Hill Road – or the extension of ramps, according to the University of Iowa National Concrete Pavement Technology Center's (NCPTC) "Guide to Concrete Overlay Solutions." (For a downloadable PDF of the guide, go to http://www.cptechcenter.org/publications/guide_concrete_overlays.pdf.) "Adequately designed and constructed widening can improve both faulting and cracking performance of the pavement," according to the guide. "Widened slabs should be used with care with concrete overlays on stiff foundations (such as on concrete pavements) because of the increased risk of longitudinal cracking."
NCPTC gives these rules of thumb for widening:
• Keep joints out of wheel paths, especially for bonded resurfacing.
• Tie longitudinal joints with #4 bars to prevent separation.
• Keep panels as square as possible (1.5:1 maximum).
• The width of widening rather than depth has more of a positive effect in reducing loads to the top of the existing pavement.
About the Job
Project: Concrete pavement overlay, unbonded, for Oak Crest Hill Road in Johnson County, Iowa, from south of the city limits of Hills to the Washington County line
Award from Iowa DOT: $1,845,120.47
Contractors: Metro Pavers Inc., Iowa City, Iowa
Equipment used: CMI trimmer, Power Pavers/Power Curbers 2700 slipform paver and Power Pavers/Power Curbers TC-2700 texture curing machine. "The 2700 slipform paver worked very well for the job," Kempf says. "It's very mobile for the kind of work we have, but it's still heavy enough to do this kind of work. It's a two-track machine – easy to load and easy to unload for transport."


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