text:
About Watchmaker Vismantas and this Privacy Policy
Watchmaker Vismantas, branch of Construction design solutions MB, Gojelio g. 20, Siesikai, LT-20316 Ukmergės r. Lithuania. In this Privacy Policy, we use the term Watchmaker Vismantas (and "we", "us" and "our") to refer to the head office of Watchmaker Vismantas at the registered address above, its affiliates and our boutiques.
Please take a moment to read the following policy which explains how we collect, use, disclose and transfer the personal information that you provide to us on our websites, mobile applications (together the "Platforms"), when you visit a Watchmaker Vismantas boutique or contact the Watchmaker Vismantas concierge by telephone or when you interact with us over social media platforms. It also explains how we collect information through the use of cookies and related technologies when you use our Platforms.
Updates to this Privacy Policy
From time to time we may update this Privacy Policy. When we do we will publish the changes on this Platform.
Information you provide to us and how we use it
To access certain areas of our Platform, you will need to register with us. During the registration process you will be asked to submit personal information about yourself (including your name and address, date of birth, e-mail address and telephone number, and, if you make a purchase with us, payment details). By entering your details in the fields requested, you enable Watchmaker Vismantas to provide you with the services you select.
In addition, we may also collect personal information from you when you correspond with us (for example, if you contact us with a query about one of our products or services), when you provide your details when you visit a Watchmaker Vismantas boutique or contact the Watchmaker Vismantas concierge by telephone. Please note that calls to the Watchmaker Vismantas concierge may be recorded for security, training and development purposes.
If you choose to interact with Watchmaker Vismantas via a social media platform or other third party service, we will collect the information you have provided to us through that platform.
We also collect certain information automatically about visitors to our Platform, described in the section headed "Cookies and other information that we automatically collect", below.
We will use the information we collect from you to:
· manage and fulfil purchase and repair orders and to provide after service care;
· deal with your enquiries and requests;
· send service related communications, including announcements and administrative messages such as order confirmation;
· send you marketing communications (including e-mails) relating to us and other third party partners in accordance with your communications preferences (please see the ''Editing or deleting your personal information" section below for further information about how you can control these updates);
· conduct market research so that we can continuously improve the services we provide to our customers;
· prevent fraud and other prohibited or illegal activities and as part of our efforts to keep our Platform secure; and
· understand how our Platform is used so that we can continuously improve our Platform and services and other offerings.
Cookies and other information that we automatically collect
Like most Platforms, Watchmaker Vismantas logs IP addresses and uses cookies and similar technologies that allow us to recognise you and to customise your experience, and provide us with information about the way our Platform visitors access our Platform. You can find out more about how we use cookies and related technologies below.
What is a cookie?
Cookies are text files containing small amounts of information which are downloaded to your computer or mobile device when you visit a website or mobile application. They are used to recognise your computer as you move between pages on a website, or when you return to a website or mobile application you have visited previously. Cookies are widely used in order to make platforms work, or to work more efficiently, as well as to provide information to the owners of the platform.
We use cookies to enhance the online experience of our visitors (for example, by remembering your language and/or product preferences) and to better understand how our Platform is used. Cookies may tell us, for example, whether you have visited our Platform before or whether you are a new visitor. They can also help to ensure that adverts you see online are more relevant to you and your interests.
There are two broad categories of cookies:
· First party cookies, served directly by Watchmaker Vismantas to your computer or mobile device. They are used only by Watchmaker Vismantas to recognise your computer or mobile device when it revisits our Platform.
· Third party cookies, which are served by a third party service provider on our Platform, and can be used by the service provider to recognise your computer or mobile device when it visits other platforms. Third party cookies are most commonly used for platform analytics or advertising purposes.
Cookies can remain on your computer or mobile device for different periods of time. Watchmaker Vismantas uses both 'session cookies' and 'permanent cookies'. Session cookies exist only while your browser is open and are deleted automatically once you close your browser. Permanent cookies survive after your browser is closed, and can be used to recognise your computer or mobile device when you open your browser and browse the internet again.
What cookies does watchmaker vismantas use?
The Platform serves only the following types of cookies to your computer or mobile device:
Type of Cookie
Cookies necessary for essential purposes
These cookies are essential to provide you with services available through this Platform and to use some of its features, such as access to secure areas. Without these cookies, services you have asked for, like transactional pages and secure login accounts, would not be possible.
Functionality Cookies
These cookies serve a variety of purposes related to the presentation, performance and functionality of this Platform. Their overall purpose, however, is to enhance visitors' experience and enjoyment of this Platform.
For example, some of these cookies enable visitors to specify language, product or other platform preferences.
Analytics Cookies
These cookies are used to collect information about how visitors use our Platform.
The information gathered does not identify any individual visitor and is aggregated. It includes the number of visitors to our Platform, the platforms that referred them to our Platform and the pages that they visited on our Platform.
We use this information to help run our Platform more efficiently, to gather broad demographic information and to monitor the level of activity on our Platform.
Advertising Cookies
When you visit our Platform or click on advertisements or promotional areas on the Platform these cookies are used to deliver adverts more relevant to you and your interests. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement as well as help to evaluate the effectiveness of advertising and promotion.
They are usually placed by advertising networks with our permission. They remember that you have visited a platform and this information is shared with other organisations such as advertisers.
Content sharing and social networking cookies
These cookies enable users to share pages and content through third party social networking and other platforms. The companies that serve these cookies may also use your information to serve targeted advertising on other platforms.
How to control or delete cookies
You have the right to choose whether or not to accept cookies and we have explained how you can exercise this right below. However, please note that if you choose to refuse cookies you may not be able to use the full functionality of our Platform.
You can set your cookie preferences by changing your browser settings so that cookies from this Platform cannot be placed on your computer or mobile device. In order to do this, follow the instructions provided by your browser (usually located within the "Help", "Tools" or "Edit" facility).
Further information about cookies, including how to see what cookies have been set on your computer or mobile device and how to manage and delete them, visit www.allaboutcookies.org and www.youronlinechoices.eu.
IP addresses
We may collect information about your computer or mobile device, including where available your IP address, operating system, log in times and browser type. We use this information to better understand how visitors use our Platform and for internal reporting purposes. We may anonymise and share this information with advertisers, sponsors or other businesses.
The Platforms may use third parties such as network advertisers and ad exchanges to serve you ads on third party platforms after you leave our Platforms, and we may use third party analytics and other service providers to evaluate and provide us and/or third parties with information about the use of the Platforms and viewing of ads and of our content. Network advertisers are third parties that display advertisements, which may be based on your visits to the Platforms and other apps and sites you have visited. Third party ad serving enables us to target advertisements to you for products and services that you might be interested.
Third party tracking technologies are not controlled by us, even if they are associated with our Platforms or our ads. Statements regarding our practices do not apply to the methods for collecting information used by these third parties and others or the use of the information that such third parties collect. The relevant third party's terms of service, privacy policy, permissions, notices and choices should be reviewed regarding their collection, storage and sharing practices. We make no representations regarding the policies or practices of third party advertisers or advertising networks or exchanges or related third parties.
You have choices in respect of the delivery of ads. You may opt-out of receiving certain types of behavioural ads by visiting the third party websites described in the section headed "How to control or delete cookies" above. We are not responsible for effectiveness of or compliance with any third parties' opt-out options.
Sharing your information
We do not rent, sell or share personal information about you with other people or non-affiliated companies except under the following circumstances:
· to third party providers who provide services on our behalf such as online and other payments, processing credit card transactions and handling credit checks and fraud prevention;
· we may disclose your personal information to any law enforcement agency, court, regulator, government authority or other third party where we believe this is necessary to comply with a legal or regulatory obligation, or otherwise to protect our rights or the rights of any third party; and
· we may disclose your personal information to any third party that purchases, or to which we transfer, all or substantially all of our assets and business. Should such a sale or transfer occur, we will use reasonable efforts to try to ensure that the entity to which we transfer your personal information uses it in a manner that is consistent with this Privacy Policy.
International Transfers
Information we collect may be transferred to, stored and processed in any country or territory where one or more of our affiliated companies or third party service providers are located or maintain facilities. While other territories may not have the same standards of data protection as those within your home country, we will continue to protect the personal information we transfer in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
Protecting your information
We want you to feel confident about using our Platform, and we are committed to protecting the personal information we collect. We limit access to personal information about you to employees who reasonably need access to it, to provide products or services to you or in order to do their jobs. We have appropriate technical and organisational physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards to protect the personal information that you provide to us against unauthorised or unlawful processing and against accidental loss, damage or destruction.
How to edit, delete or access your personal information
You have the right to ask for access to any personal information that we hold about you in our records, to correct any inaccuracies and to update any out-of-date information. You can also ask us not to send you direct marketing communications (however please note that we may continue to send you service related (i.e. non-marketing) communications, such as e-mail updates on your order status). If you wish to exercise any of these rights, please write to us at the address listed below.
You may unsubscribe from e-mail marketing communications at any time by e-mailing the address below in the section headed "Contact us" or clicking on the 'unsubscribe' link in any Watchmaker Vismantas marketing e-mails.
Contact us
If you have any questions or comments about this Privacy Policy, or privacy matters generally, please contact us at the address provided below. You can also use this address if you wish to request access to the personal data we hold about you or to unsubscribe from any further e-mail marketing communications.
Watchmaker Vismantas,
Gojelio g. 20, Siesikai, LT-20316 Ukmergės r. Lithuania
Phone: +37068741273
Mail: email@example.com
Last updated: September 2020


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Laws, Regulations and Annotations
Business Taxes Law Guide – Revision 2023
Sales and Use Tax Memorandum Opinions
Fresco Sales, Inc.
At the request of a dealer, a "home party" hostess would invite her friends and acquaintances to her home for a merchandise party at a scheduled time arranged with the dealer. That dealer would attend, display merchandise, distribute promotional materials, solicit orders for merchandise, and solicit those present to hold future merchandise parties. The hostess would be advised before the party of the general method which would be used to award her "gifts". The effort and sponsorship necessary to hold the party is good consideration for the "gifts". Therefore, the "gift" merchandise was sold to the hostesses.
In the Matter of the Petition of FRESCO SALES, INC. Petitioner
For Petitioner:
|Theodore Pappas
Tax Counsel, Dart Industries, Inc.
|Joe Trepani
Vice President, Tupperware Home Parties, Inc.
For Staff:
|Philip R. Dougherty
Tax Counsel
This is a petition for redetermination of sales tax in the amount of $6,324.85, for the period January 1, 1968 to June 30, 1971.
Fresco Sales, Inc. (hereinafter "Fresco"), engaged in business as a Tupperware distributor selling Tupperware (proprietary plastic housewares) and sales materials to its independent-contractor dealers. The dealers sold the Tupperware at retail through the "Tupperware Home Party" merchandising method. During the period in question, Fresco reported its dealers' sales on its returns pursuant to the board's (R.T.C. section 6015) determination that Fresco should be regarded as the retailer for Sales and Use Tax Law purposes. The board issued a deficiency determination against Fresco for the period in question, and Fresco petitioned for a redetermination. The issues presented are: (1) whether Fresco's dealers sold "gift" merchandise to party hostesses in exchange for the parties; and (2) what amount of "gross receipts" were received by the dealers from the sales of "gift" merchandise.
The Tupperware Home Party method which Fresco urged on its dealers is illustrated by the printed materials which Fresco provided for its dealers' use. At the request of a dealer, a "home party" hostess would invite her friends and acquaintances to her home for a "Tupperware party" at a scheduled time arranged with the dealer. That dealer would attend, display Tupperware merchandise, distribute promotional materials, solicit orders for Tupperware, and solicit those present to hold future Tupperware parties. The number of persons attending, the amount of merchandise ordered, and the number of future party appointments scheduled at each party would determine "gift stars" earned by that party's hostess. Near the end of each party the dealer would compute the "gift stars" earned and offer the hostess a choice of gifts displayed in a brochure. The value of each non-Tupperware gift would be displayed in "star" rather than money amounts, and the hostess would select the gift or gifts which had "star" values which in the aggregate did not exceed the number of stars she had earned. Alternatively, the hostess could select items of Tupperware at the rate of 50 cents worth of Tupperware for each star earned. The "gifts" selected by the hostess would be delivered to her along with all the Tupperware ordered by those at her party. The hostess was expected to collect from the guests the price of the Tupperware they ordered and to deliver the Tupperware to them after it had been delivered to her.
The dealer, following the general guidelines of Fresco's distributed materials, urged prospective hostesses to hold parties. The printed brochure for hostesses who volunteered contained the method of computing the "stars" and urged them to earn "star" credits used to compute the "hostess gifts" they could receive. Guest brochures for party guests do not describe the computation, but did encourage guests to become hostesses and earn their own "gifts". In short, the text of all of the materials assumed the prospective hostess would be advised before the party of the general method which would be used to award her "gifts". The petitioner has presented no evidence that its dealers did not follow the outlined methods.
Section 6006(a) defines sales to include in part:
"Any transfer of title or possession, exchange, or barter, conditional or otherwise, in any manner or by any means whatsoever, of tangible personal property for a consideration."
Fresco's dealers represented to prospective hostesses that if the hostess did hold Tupperware parties, they would so earn stars entitling them to "free gifts". That constituted an offer to compensate the hostess which the hostess could accept by holding the Tupperware party. The effort and sponsorship necessary to hold the party is good consideration for the dealer's promise (cf. Civ. Code, section 1605), and therefore we hold that the "gift" merchandise was sold to the hostesses, within the meaning of section 6006.
To propose, as does petitioner, that the transfer of the "gift" merchandise was not for a consideration because the hostesses gave parties in order to enjoy themselves or in order to buy Tupperware is to confuse the consideration for the contracts with the suggested motives of the hostesses (cf. Williston on Contracts, 3rd.Ed., § 111).
If it were true that the dealers made no statements and distributed no brochures which would reasonably lead prospective hostesses to believe that they would be able to choose "gifts" as a reward for holding the party, then it would be possible to conclude that the dealers intended no offer which hostesses might accept. But Fresco's dealers' training materials and sales materials were intended to create that expectation in hostesses and that circumstance controls the matter presented by this petition.
Section 6051 imposes the sales tax on retailers at a specified percentage of their gross receipts from the sale of tangible personal property sold at retail in this state. Section 6012, defining the term "gross receipts", includes the total amount of the sales price, valued in money, whether received in money or otherwise. Having concluded that Fresco's dealers sold the "gift" merchandise in exchange for the hostesses' parties, the value of the parties must be determined so that it can be included in "gross receipts". Because the hostesses' efforts could not be directly valued, the audit assumed that the parties were worth the "stars" received for them, which were valued at 50 cents per star for the purchase of Tupperware. Therefore, all the "gift" merchandise was considered to have been sold for a value of 50 cents per "star" redeemed. No better method of valuation has appeared.
The determination, accordingly, is hereby redetermined without change.
Done at Sacramento, California, this 18th day of September, 1973.
William M. Bennett, Chairman
George R. Reilly, Member
John W. Lynch, Member
Richard Nevins, Member
Attested by: W. W. Dunlop, Executive Secretary

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Nest of Curls Blanket - VINTAGE PINK
This is a MUST HAVE in your collection.
This Unique Nest of Curls Blanket is Hand felted Wool Blanket made from 100% lamb wool. Blanket can be used as a stuffer or a layer. Nest of Curls blanket is very well recognized in the newborn photography business and has been used by the worlds best photographers in the industry.
Ababa Baby Products have been featured on Creative Live as well as in many newborn photography magazines.
*Please note that each blanket is OOAK so there might be a slight variation in curl appearance, color and shape. During the whole process (from processing the raw wool until the final product) ONLY organic ingredients are used. We wash the wool 5times (using organic detergent for sensitive skin) before felt making . All the Nest of Curls blankets are triple washed so when you receive them they are nice and clean for your babies
*measurements are approximately 18x20inch
* please allow up to 4weeks for your order to be completed. If you need your order to be rushed pls contact me via email
Hand wash (or spot clean) in lukewarm water with a small amount of detergent. Gently squeeze the water out (you can also use the towel). Lay flat to air-dry.
*if you choose the option with matching tieback you will be getting the tieback as pictured here http://ababababy.bigcartel.com/product/3-piece-set
Photo Courtesy of
Christy Wallis Photography
Holly Heine Photography
Belly Baby Love by Ana Brandt
( turnaround time for Black Friday orders is 4-6wks, if you need it earlier pls just message me!)


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A new bill by state Rep. Nicholas Schwaderer would restore due process in Montana and counter the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Passed by Congress and signed by President Obama in December 2012, the NDAA codifies indefinite detention for those accused of supporting al-Qaeda and its "associated forces," a very broad term. Even American citizens could be held indefinitely in military custody without due process.
If passed, the bill would "prohibit state cooperation with federal officials regarding indefinite detention." LC 1810 would ban indefinite detention within the state of Montana. In addition, the state attorney general would be instructed to report any efforts made by federal agents to implement the NDAA. So far, the bill has garnered two cosponsors: state Rep. Mike Miller and Daniel Zolnikov. Both are Republicans, as is Schwaderer.
In an email interview, Schwaderer proclaimed his anti-NDAA bill was a way "to support the Constitution and defend liberty:"
"This legislation is a fulfillment of my commitment to Montanans to support the constitution and defend liberty. This is the result of hard work by a bipartisan coalition of folks who recognize that the concept of indefinite detention without charge or trial is repugnant to a free society."
A freshman representative, Schwaderer is already earning a reputation for what he calls his "small government, conservative principles." Schwaderer was the only representative to vote against giving more compensation to Montana legislators. He's cosponsored a bill to restrict drones in Big Sky airspace. A broader billrecently passed by the Montana Senate prohibits weaponizing drones and bans using intelligence gathered by drones in court.
This Republican is also leading a push to repeal Montana's outdated "sodomy" law. The Montana Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court have both struck down sodomy bans as unconstitutional. Yet under state law, anyone who has sex with someone of their same sex could still face a potential $50,000 fine and 10 years imprisonment. "In Montana we have a legacy of respecting people's rights. This flies in the face of what we're about," Schwaderer said in an interview with the Huffington Post.
Schwaderer's bill is just the latest in a nationwide movement against the NDAA. So far, Hawaii has formally opposed indefinite detention while Virginia codified state noncompliance with federal agents by passing HB 1160 last April. According to the Tenth Amendment Center, a dozen states are currently considering anti-NDAA legislation. Last June, the Rhode Island House of Representativesoverwhelmingly voted in favor of a resolution condemning indefinite detention. In December, the Michigan House unanimously approved an anti-NDAA bill. That bill prevents state law enforcement or members of the Michigan National Guard from aiding federal officials who are involved with "any investigation, prosecution, or detention of any person pursuant to section 1021 of the national defense authorization act."
On top of that, 17 local communities have passed resolutions opposing the NDAA. These counties and cities encompass the entire political spectrum, ranging from progressive Takoma Park, MD and Berkeley, CA to Fulton County, PA, a county that has supported the Republican presidential candidate in every election since 1964. Meanwhile, the Bill of Rights Defense Committee is tracking over a dozen more cities and counties considering opposing indefinite detention and resisting the NDAA. Plus, anyone can start their own local campaign to restore due process with a toolkit from the Bill of Rights Defense Committee.
Briefly, we wanted to update you on where Truthout stands this month.
To be brutally honest, Truthout is behind on our fundraising goals for the year. There are a lot of reasons why. We're dealing with broad trends in our industry, trends that have led publications like Vice, BuzzFeed, and National Geographic to make painful cuts. Everyone is feeling the squeeze of inflation. And despite its lasting importance, news readership is declining.
To ensure we stay out of the red by the end of the year, we have a long way to go. Our future is threatened.
We've stayed online over two decades thanks to the support of our readers. Because you believe in the power of our work, share our transformative stories, and give to keep us going strong, we know we can make it through this tough moment.
We've launched a campaign to raise $35,000 in the next 4 days. Please consider making a donation today.


text:
Modern education
Transport to Mamer
European schools Blog
Parents Blog about European schools
70 years of distracted European school Luxembourg
Luxembourg does not recognise European baccalaureate
Why weak Andreas Beckmann doesn't denounce Russian invasion?
European school's emails are used for spamming
Modern Education is awesome – What you Need to Know
Modern education
Modern Education is awesome – What you Need to Know
A mental health crisis in the European Schools community
Social and Emotional Skills: 2 Important Skills for Tomorrow's Education
Where Are the Locations of 14 European Schools?
European Baccalaureate – Everything You Need to Know About
Is there a future for European schools?
Leene Soekov shows lack of awareness about SWALS
Another example of discrimination of SWALS students
Why are SWALS students leaving European schools
Catastrophic timetable management at European school Mamer
1 stupid simple template – How to request your personal data…
European School was illegally collecting personal data
Did Leene Soekov and Per Frithiofson break the law?
GDPR–practical examples 2
GDPR – practical examples
Transport to Mamer
Open petition
Transport to Mamer
Open petition against intolerable transport situation to European school Mamer
Dear parents, in order to find soon a solution to the intolerable transport situation to European school Luxembourg II, please find below a link to an open petition in French addressed to luxemburgish ministry of transport: https://www.openpetition.de/petition/online/mobility-plan-ville-de-luxembourg-ee2-mamer Please participate and seed. Please do...
Latest News
70 years of distracted European school Luxembourg
The European School Luxembourg is a unique and prestigious institution that offers a high-quality education to students from all...
Is there a future for European schools?
With many problems facing the European school system and with their humongous and inefficient bureaucracy that forgets that the main goal is to provide quality education for the children, the big question is, is there a future for European schools? Disastrous management of public fundsAdministration...
Read more
Leene Soekov shows lack of awareness about SWALS
Reply from worried parent to deputy director Leene Soekov Dear Ms Soekov, Your answer is not only very worrying but it also shows the lack of awareness about SWALS in general. Their history, language competences, many injustices they go trough in European School in particularly in...
Read more
Another example of discrimination of SWALS students
It is unbelievable how new Mamer school management doesn't have a clue about situation of minorities in the school. New secondary Deputy Director Mrs Leene Soekov was asked to clarify why SWALS students are not allowed to take ICILS 2018 tests. Answer from Leene Soekov: Thank you...
Read more
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text:
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
John P. Miller
9 comments:
- AnonymousJune 26, 2012 at 10:37 PM
Wow, Jon Miller's art is amazing. Mind Blowing Sketches.ReplyDelete
The old school animation and art was/is amazing.
Thank you, they are really inspiring.
This is great! :DReplyDelete
Beautiful. Thank you!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJune 27, 2012 at 7:42 AM
This post is great! I love the old style look it has and the baby has so much character in these drawings.ReplyDelete
I know that you get this all the time but I was wondering if you could please take a look at some of my gesture drawings of animals and people. I had a few teachers and friends say that getting a job at Disney straight out of school is not possible, and that my drawings are no way near anything good. So I was hoping you could tell me what gestures that I have are ok and what I need to improve on.
I know you most likely don't want to give your e-mail out over the internet...so my e-mail is email@example.com
man amazing drawings!ReplyDelete
so much energy in the drawings!ReplyDelete
Baby Weems never really made a heavy impression on me, HOWEVER at second glance, it's obvious how strong the staging in these drawings are. The communicate SO well and command the eye where to travel.ReplyDelete
I agree the story sketches were strong enough to tell the story and is a nice contrast in storytelling. A kind of "storybook" feeling and charm. (It reminds me of the Tom and Jerry short "Johann Mouse")
I would love to see someone have the courage to tell a story like this today considering how hyperactive information is delivered in this generation.
Is it me or does John Miller look like Bob Clampett.ReplyDelete


text:
Gifts for Beer Lovers
Hi, fellow procrastinator … here are a few suggestions for the beer lover in your life that are easy, last-minute pick ups.
The Stocking Stuffers:
I love giving and receiving beer for the holidays. It's the perfect gift because you can pop it open and enjoy it with friends and family. Twenty-two ounce bottles also fit perfectly in stockings!
Two beers that will bring joy to your beer lover are Deschutes' Abyss Imperial Stout and Goose Island's Bourbon County Brand Stout. Both of these beers are big, bold and intensely flavored imperial stouts that have been aged in bourbon barrels.
Deschutes Abyss (about $16) is released once a year in limited stock and is highly sought after. Jet black in color and full of coffee, chocolate, toffee and silky vanilla flavors and aromas, this is a special beer that is meant to be shared. Give two bottles: one to drink now and one to store away to enjoy in a few months.
Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout (about $20) is making its first ever appearance in Hawaii this year. This beer started the barrel-aging imperial stout craze that has swept breweries across the country. It's only released once a year. The barrel aging gives it an incredible smooth texture that wraps your tastebuds with wonderful subtle notes of sweet bourbon. Both beers are extremely limited so don't procrastinate on getting them!
Both beers available at Whole Foods Kahala, 738-0820, Deschutes Abyss also available at The Liquor Collection, 524-8808
Under the Tree:
The next best thing to drinking beer? Making it yourself. It's fun, easy and allows you to create your own favorite styles. Give your beer lover a homebrewing kit from Homebrew in Paradise. They stock everything needed to brew a batch and are full of helpful advice, tips and insight. Kits start around $165.
Homebrew in Paradise, 834-2739
The Big Surprise:
There's nothing better than a beercation. The perfect beercation is actually close to home for Oahu residents. Plan a weekend getaway to the Big Island for the Kona Brewers Festival from March 6 to 8. This is Hawaii's largest beer festival and last year featured more than 30 breweries from around the world, with food and music on the lawn of the King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel. Hotels fill up fast; book early. While on Big Island, take a brewery tour at Kona Brewing Company in Kona, and visit Big Island Brewhaus in Waimea and Hawaii Nui Brewing Company in Hilo.
Tickets for the festival go on sale January 31, konabrewersfestival.com
Timothy Golden is a homebrewer and beer lover. Find more of his writing on Hawaii's beer scene at beerinhawaii.com


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Race provides a starting point for character creation and sets the tone for a character as it progresses. Race mixes biology and culture, then translates those concepts into racial traits. Yet since both biology and culture are mutable—especially when one considers the powerful forces of magic—racial traits can be so diverse that two elves can be extremely different while still manifesting aspects of their shared heritage and culture. A race's traits, its history, its relations with other races, and the culture that all of these things imply—all of these frame your character.
This is true whether you play to or against the stereotypes. A savage and bloodthirsty half-orc who lives only for battle is fun to play, but so is a stern and conflicted half-orc paladin constantly struggling to keep her bloodlust in check. Both fit comfortably within the theme of half-orc, but come off as very different characters around the game table.
Monsters as PCs
Note: The previous text and the Uncommon and Featured Races pages linked from here are all specifically geared to allow the described races as player-playable races. The text below comes from the original, "Monsters as PCs" rules which is superseded by the above but retained here for your convenience.
Using a monster as a character can be very rewarding, but weighing such a character against others is challenging. Monsters are not designed with the rules for players in mind, and as such can be very unbalancing if not handled carefully.
Playable Races
When discussing or considering a playable race's type, it's type is similar to the corresponding creature type, with a few important differences.
There are a number of monsters that do not possess racial Hit Dice. Such creatures are the best options for player characters, but a few of them are so powerful that they count as having 1 class level, even without a racial Hit Die. Such characters should only be allowed in a group that is 2nd-level or higher.
For monsters with racial Hit Dice, the best way to allow monster PCs is to pick a CR and allow all of the players to make characters using monsters of that CR. Treat the monster's CR as its total class levels and allow the characters to multiclass into the core classes. Do not advance such monsters by adding Hit Dice. Monster PCs should only advance through classes.
If you are including a single monster character in a group of standard characters, make sure the group is of a level that is at least as high as the monster's CR. Treat the monster's CR as class levels when determining the monster PC's overall levels. For example, in a group of 6th-level characters, a minotaur (CR 4) would possess 2 levels of a core class, such as barbarian.
Note that in a mixed group, the value of racial Hit Dice and abilities diminish as a character gains levels. It is recommended that for every 3 levels gained by the group, the monster character should gain an extra level, received halfway between the 2nd and 3rd levels. Repeat this process a number of times equal to half the monster's CR, rounded down. Using the minotaur example, when the group is at a point between 6th and 7th level, the minotaur gains a level, and then again at 7th, making him a minotaur barbarian 4. This process repeats at 10th level, making him a minotaur barbarian 8 when the group reaches 10th level. From that point onward, he gains levels normally.
GMs should carefully consider any monster PCs in their groups. Some creatures are simply not suitable for play as PCs, due to their powers or role in the game. As monster characters progress, GMs should closely monitor whether such characters are disruptive or abusive to the rules and modify them as needed to improve play.
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Copyright ©1998 by The Resilience Alliance*
St. Clair, C. C., M. Bélisle, A. Desrochers, and S. Hannon. 1998. Winter responses of forest birds to habitat corridors and gaps. Conservation Ecology [online] 2(2): 13. Available from the Internet. URL: http://www.consecol.org/vol2/iss2/art13/
A version of this article in which text, figures, tables, and appendices are separate files may be found by following this link.
Research Winter Responses of Forest Birds to Habitat Corridors and Gaps Colleen Cassady St. Clair1,2, Marc Bélisle2, André Desrochers2, and Susan Hannon1
1University of Alberta; 2Université Laval
Forest fragmentation and habitat loss may disrupt the movement or dispersal of forest-dwelling birds. Despite much interest in the severity of these effects and ways of mitigating them, little is known about actual movement patterns in different habitat types. We studied the movement of wintering resident birds, lured by playbacks of mobbing calls, to compare the willingness of forest birds to travel various distances in continuous forest, along narrow corridors (fencerows), and across gaps in forest cover. We also quantified the willingness of Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) to cross gaps when alternative forested detour routes were available. All species were less likely to respond to the calls as distance increased to 200 m, although White-breasted Nuthatches (Sitta carolinensis) and Hairy Woodpeckers (Picoides villosus) were generally less likely to respond than chickadees and Downy Woodpeckers (P. pubescens). Chickadees were as likely to travel in corridors as in continuous forest, but were less likely to cross gaps as the gap distance increased. The other species were less willing to travel in corridors and gaps relative to forest, and the differences among habitats also increased with distance. For chickadees, gap-crossing decisions in the presence of forested detours varied over the range of distances that we tested, and were primarily influenced by detour efficiency (the length of the shortcut relative to the available detour). Over short distances, birds used forested detours, regardless of their efficiency. As absolute distances increased, birds tended to employ larger shortcuts in the open when detour efficiency was low or initial distance in the open was high, but they limited their distance from the nearest forest edge to 25 m. Thus, chickadees were unwilling to cross gaps of > 50 m when they had forested alternatives, yet they sometimes crossed gaps as large as 200 m when no such choice existed. Our results suggest that the presence of corridors enhanced the movement of some, but not all, forest birds, and that even chickadees, which were less sensitive to gap width, preferred not to venture far from forest cover.
KEY WORDS: Black-capped Chickadee, corridor, detour trials, dispersal, Downy Woodpecker, forest fragmentation, gap width, Hairy Woodpecker, movement, Poecile atricapillus, Picoides pubescens, Picoides villosus, Sitta carolinensis, White-breasted Nuthatch.
Habitat fragmentation is increasing throughout the forested regions of the world and confers a variety of negative effects for forest-dwelling birds (see reviews by Wilcove et al. 1986, Saunders et al. 1991, Opdam et al. 1994, Robinson et al. 1995). Beyond the associated and more severe effect of habitat loss (McGarigal and McComb 1995, Fahrig 1997), fragmentation alters population structure in remaining habitat patches by impeding the movement of birds among them (Lens and Dhondt 1994, Matthysen et al. 1995, Matthysen and Currie1996). Unfortunately, it has been difficult to quantify the levels and configurations of habitat fragmentation that constrain the movement of individuals, particularly for vagile species like birds. To date, most of the emphasis in the burgeoning literature on habitat fragmentation concerns patterns of occupancy and abundance in habitat patches for which dispersal mechanisms are largely assumed or ignored (Wiens et al. 1993, Ims 1995). The factors that have long been recognized to shape animal movement decisions in behavioral ecology (e.g., learning, predation risk, travel costs) still have no counterpart in the parlance of metapopulations and landscape ecology (see also Wiens et al. 1993, Lima and Zollner 1996).
Because metapopulations are, by definition, connected by the movements of individuals (Gilpin and Hanski 1991, Opdam 1991), a detailed knowledge of the movement of organisms between habitat patches (i.e., through the matrix) is essential for predicting the population effects of fragmentation. The extent to which a matrix impedes movement will depend largely on its spatial configuration (Taylor et al. 1993, Fahrig and Merriam 1994, Ims1995) which, in turn, is perceived by animals at different and highly specific spatial scales (Kotliar and Wiens1990, Keitt et al. 1997). At a coarse scale, a given animal may circumvent an inhospitable matrix only with the help of physical connections or corridors among patches. Such corridors have been shown indirectly to increase movement by diverse species among habitat patches (e.g., Wegner and Merriam 1979, Dunning et al. 1995, Haas 1995, Machtans et al. 1996), although much debate surrounds their utility (see reviews by Simberloff and Cox 1987, Saunders and Hobbs 1991, Hobbs1992, Simberloff et al. 1992, Beier and Noss 1998). At a finer scale, individuals may still perceive sufficient connectivity in the matrix to permit movement among patches (Wiens 1994, 1995, Ims 1995), which may also be described as perceptual range (Lima and Zollner 1996, Zollner and Lima 1997) or gap-crossing abilities (Desrochers and Hannon 1997). Whether or not an animal will cross gaps between patches can be expected to vary among species, patch habitat types, matrix types, and a host of factors not normally associated with landscape ecology, such as weather variables, season, the presence of alternative routes, and associated costs (e.g., perceived predation risk, detour length).
Quantifying the movements of forest species in corridors and gaps has been difficult partly because investigators frequently can neither identify nor provide the motivation for animals to move between patches. Taped playbacks of bird songs or calls offer particular promise for providing this motivation in avian studies. For example, species-specific territorial songs have been used to quantify the willingness of forest birds to enter different matrix types (Sieving et al. 1996) and to cross gaps of open area up to 100 m adjacent to their territories (Rail et al. 1997). Desrochers and Hannon (1997) generalized this method to nonterritorial situations by using recordings of the mobbing calls of Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) to study the postbreeding dispersal of several forest species. By inducing birds to either cross or take detours around gaps in forest cover, they found that most species showed resistance to gaps as narrow as 50 m, and that birds generally preferred woodland routes even when these detours were three times as long as their gap alternatives. Although all three studies imply that habitat gaps pose problems for forest birds that might be alleviated by corridors, a direct comparison of corridor to matrix use is still needed (Nicholls and Margules1991, Inglis and Underwood 1992, Simberloff et al. 1992). Better resolution of the factors that determine whether or not birds will cross gaps is also needed. Such factors may include the configuration of habitat edges, spatial scale, and the influence of other individuals.
Here, we combine two data sets that address these needs by describing the movements of wintering resident birds responding to playbacks in three habitat types: continuous forest, gaps, and corridors. Both studies assumed that forest birds associate open areas with a higher risk of predation, and both studies focused on resident species in winter for three reasons: resident species may be more sensitive to the effects of habitat fragmentation (Bierregaard et al. 1992, Wiens 1994); winter may constrain behavior when environmental and food stresses are presumably greatest (Ekman 1984, Desrochers et al. 1988, McNamara and Houston 1990); and the effects of winter site fidelity may further limit resident movement. We address the following questions: (1) How does the willingness of birds responding to mobbing calls differ when the intervening habitat is continuous forest, corridors of forest, or gaps between forested patches? (2) How do these responses differ among species? (3) What factors influence the size of gaps that birds will cross when they have the option of traveling exclusively under forest cover?
We studied the movement patterns of forest birds between 10 January and 9 March of 1996 and 1997 in two agricultural-dominated landscapes, one at the southern edge of the boreal forest in north-central Alberta (54°37' N, 113°20' W) and one in the mixed-wood remnants of the St. Lawrence lowlands near Québec City (46°45' N, 71°20' W). Both were comprised of approximately 20% forest cover with the remainder devoted to crops, grazing, and housing. In Alberta, these forests are dominated primarily by poplar (Populus tremuloides and P. balsamifera) and white spruce (Picea glauca); in Québec, by sugar maple (Acer saccharum), yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis), beech (Fagus grandifolia), and balsam fir (Abies balsamea).
At both locations, we used playbacks of the mobbing calls of Black-capped Chickadees and Red-breasted Nuthatches (Sitta canadensis) to attract winter forest birds to a target destination. Chickadee mobbing calls appear to be highly effective for attracting diverse species in several forest types and seasons (Hurd 1996, Desrochers and Hannon 1997). To allow comparisons among studies, we used the same recording and followed the same broadcasting methods as in Desrochers and Hannon (1997). The calls were broadcasted from a single 5-W speaker connected to a portable tape player, and could be heard by human listeners from approximately 225 m. Responses to the playbacks were considered to occur when birds flew within 10 horizontal meters of the broadcasting speaker. We conducted no trials during gusting or moderate to heavy winds, when temperatures were below -30°C, or during moderate to heavy precipitation.Habitat trials
In Alberta, we conducted habitat trials in which we compared the willingness of birds to travel in three habitat types: continuous forest; corridors of aspen-dominated forest <10 m wide (fencerows); and gaps in forest cover between patches (Fig. 1). For a more detailed description of the study area, see Hannon and Cotterill (1998). During each trial, we played the mobbing calls at a designated origin for a maximum of 6 min or until at least two birds had arrived and no new birds had arrived for 1 min. The purpose of the origin tape was to give a known starting point for the trial. When the origin tape was stopped, a second observer began a tape at the destination and played it for 6 min or until all of the origin birds had responded. Both observers watched the path of the birds to determine the number and species of birds responding to the destination tape. We scored trials as positive for a given species when one or more individuals from the origin responded (responses were typically the same within chickadee flocks and nuthatch or woodpecker pairs). Responses were scored as negative for a species when no individual detected at the origin also appeared at the destination. For each trial, we also recorded the time, temperature (+ 5°C), and relative measures (on two- or three-point scales) of cloud cover (overcast, partial cloud, sunny), wind speed (no wind, light breeze, steady breeze), and precipitation (none, light rain or snow). The distances between origins and destinations were measured on 1:20 000 aerial maps (gaps) or by pre-calibrated pacing with an accuracy of 5 m. Trials were divided randomly among the three habitat types and approximately evenly among 20-m distance categories ranging from 20 m to 200 m. Trials were conducted between 0900 and 1600. Identical sites with a positive response at the origin were not reused and all trials were separated by at least 400 m spatially or 2 weeks temporally to avoid habituation effects. Origin sites for corridors and both origin and destination sites for gaps consisted of forest patches that were at least 0.5 ha in size.
Detour trials
We conducted detour trials in Québec that were designed to provide a finer resolution of the decision rules made by birds presented with gaps in forest cover. Here, we focused on Black-capped Chickadees and used forest edge configurations in which birds had to choose between a direct route to the destination via a gap (i.e., shortcut), or a longer route under forest cover (Fig. 2; see also Desrochers and Hannon 1997). Mobbing calls were played at the destination site only for 10 min while two observers watched for birds appearing within 10 m of the forest edge. We did not attract birds to predetermined origins, as they could easily be seen as they arrived at the forest edge. During the playback, the path of as many birds as possible was then followed visually until they reached the destination or the trial ended. Using visual landmarks and a laser range finder (accuracy 1 m), we subsequently mapped these paths for each responding individual. To limit interference in crossing decisions, observers were at least 30 m from both the origin edge and the destination throughout the trial. Distances between the destination site and the nearest origin forest edge were chosen opportunistically, but approximately regularly, between 10 and 200 m. By varying these distances, we created variation in the initial distances available in the open, and corresponding variation in detour length (Fig. 2). Trials were conducted between 0800 and 1600. Trial sites were used only once and were separated by at least 500 m.
Variation in forest edge configuration (Fig. 2) generated three independent variables that were used in subsequent analyses: the initial distance in the open between a bird's detection point on the origin edge and the destination (DOi , a scale factor); the ratio between the initial distance in the open and the length of the detour route available through the adjacent forest (DOi / DFi , the detour ratio); and the interaction between these two terms (DOi x DOi / DFi ). For simplicity, we consider the detour ratio (DOi / DFi ) to be an index of detour efficiency. Low values for detour ratios therefore correspond to long detour lengths relative to initial distances in the open (efficient shortcut), whereas high values indicate that both routes are similar in length (inefficient shortcut). Finally, we recorded conspecific group size (the number of individuals observed during the trial) as an additional independent variable. We used three continuous dependent variables as plausible measures of the trade-off birds made between a costly (in terms of time and energy), but safer, route in the forest compared to a shortcut in the open for which lower travel costs may be attended by a greater risk of predation. (1) The proportion of the path length that the bird made in the open indicates the relative use of one or more shortcuts. (2) The size of the risk area formed by the divergence of the bird's path from the adjacent forest integrates two important measures, the length of the path in the open and the distance from that path to the forest edge. (3) The maximum distance that the bird ventured from forest edges (forest edge distance) measures its perceived distance to safety.Statistical analyses
We used stepwise logistic regression with backward elimination to measure the effects of independent variables in the habitat trials. The entry and removal thresholds of variables into these models were set at alpha = 0.05 and alpha = 0.10, respectively. We used Wald statistics with reference categories to test the significance of multiple comparisons among the categorical variables of habitat type and species, and report R values, which are analogous to partial regression coefficients in linear regression, to describe the direction and strength of these relationships (Norusis 1994). Because we expected that the probability of response would decrease with distance, and would be greater for corridors relative to gaps and for forests relative to corridors in the habitat trials, we report one-tailed probabilities for these variables. For the continuous dependent variables of the detour trials, we used multiple linear regression with variable transformation when variances were heterogeneous. Some independent variables were centered on their means to reduce collinearity (Kleinbaum et al. 1988). Confounding scale effects in detour trials that might originate from the correlation between the DOi / DFi ratio and DOi (rs = 0.13, P = 0.09, n =158) were removed as the regression evaluated the contribution of each independent variable after controlling for the contribution of the other independent variables (Type III sums of squares).
The potential effects of conspecific attraction, which would limit the independence of movement decisions among group members (Smith and Peacock 1990, Reed and Dobson 1993, Romey 1996), were addressed in two ways. In the habitat trials, each species was considered to have responded positively if one or more individuals appeared at the destination, generating a single response per conspecific flock. This undoubtedly overestimated positive responses, but avoided confounding habitat type with ease of individual detection, which was more difficult in forest trials. In the detour trials, the paths of individual birds were recorded separately and were given a statistical weight equal to the inverse of the number of paths recorded during the same trial (i.e., each trial was given one degree of freedom and the bird paths making up that trial were analyzed with some fraction of one degree of freedom).
In the habitat trials, birds were successfully attracted to the origin on 92 occasions involving 408 individuals of 11 species. All but two trials included Black-capped Chickadees, and the majority (61%) of trials were limited to this species. Only three other species occurred in seven or more trials and are included in subsequent analyses: White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis, n = 10), Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens, n = 8), and Hairy Woodpecker (P. villosus, n = 7). We used logistic regression to examine the effect of distance, habitat type, the interaction between distance and habitat type, and species (n = 115). The probability of response decreased with increasing distance (chi-square = 8.0, df = 1, P = 0.003), and was significantly influenced by both species (chi-square = 16.6, df = 3, P = 0.0009) and the interaction between habitat type and distance (chi-square = 19.5, df = 2, P < 0.0001). Further examination of the interaction revealed that as distance increased, birds were less likely to respond in gaps than in forest (Wald = 13.8, R = -0.30, df = 1, P = 0.0001), but responses in corridors and forests were indistinguishable (Wald = 0.6, R = 0.0, df = 1, P = 0.2). In comparison to chickadees, nuthatches and Hairy Woodpeckers were less likely to respond to the playbacks (Wald = 12.1, R = -0.27, df = 1, P = 0.0005; Wald = 3.7, R = -0.11, df = 1, P = 0.06, respectively), but Downy Woodpeckers were indistinguishable from chickadees (Wald = 0.5, df = 1, R = 0.00, P = 0.5). None of the time or weather variables reached the criteria for entry into the model. Because the overall sample was heavily biased by chickadee responses, we tested the effect of distance, habitat type, and the distance x habitat type interaction for the nuthatch and woodpeckers alone (n = 25). Again, responses were negatively influenced by distance (chi-square = 4.8, df = 1, P = 0.03) and the interaction term (chi-square = 8.4, df = 2, P = 0.01). Relative to forests, responses were less likely in gaps (Wald = 4.1, R = -0.25, df = 1, P = 0.02) and corridors (Wald = 3.2, R = -0.19, df = 1, P = 0.04), but corridors and gaps did not differ (Wald = 0.2, R = 0.0, df = 1, P = 0.5).
We repeated this analysis with chickadees only (n = 90) to derive a predictive model of their responses. Again, the probability of response decreased with distance (chi-square = 6.0, df = 1, P = 0.01) and the interaction between distance and habitat type (chi-square = 13.8, df = 2, P = 0.001). As for the first model, the distance x habitat type interaction was strong for forest compared to gaps (Wald = 9.3, R = 0.29, df = 1, P = 0.002), but not for forest compared to corridors (Wald = 0.02, R = 0.0, df = 1, P = 0.5). Predicted values generated by this model suggest that chickadees are about four times more likely to travel 200 m in a forest, and 3.5 times more likely to travel that far in a corridor, than they are to cross a similar-sized gap (Fig. 3).
Detour trials
We conducted 151 trials in which we described 297 paths made by individual chickadees. Forest edge configuration influenced the path choices made by chickadees primarily through the detour ratio (DOi / DFi ), which accounted for most of the variance in all three continuous response variables (Table 1). The proportion of path length that chickadees actually made in the open [EpsilonDOa / (EpsilonDOa + EpsilonDFa)] increased with DOi and decreased with increases in the detour ratio (Table 1). However, the effect of the detour ratio was not constant, as indicated by a significant negative interaction between the two independent variables (DOi / DFi and DOi; Table 1). This means that detour efficiency influenced the proportion of path length made in the open at large distances, but had little effect at small distances, when chickadees tended to use the detour regardless of its length. For instance, when the detour ratio exceeded 0.7 and DOi was < 115 m, the detour ratio had little predictive value and the proportion of path length that chickadees made in the open was quite variable, ranging from 0 to 1. By contrast, the detour ratio was very important when the DOi was > 150 m, and the length of shortcuts increased most steeply as the ratio decreased from 0.85 to 0.75. The size of risk area(s) and forest edge distance(s) gave similar results (Table 1), also indicating that chickadees chose longer shortcuts when the detour ratio declined and the initial distance in the open increased. The negative interaction between the independent variables is perhaps best illustrated with the response variable of forest edge distance; the detour ratio had a larger effect on the distance chickadees ventured from the forest edge as DOi increased (Fig. 4). Thus, chickadees take the largest shortcuts when they are faced with large initial distances in the open and relatively inefficient alternative routes in the forest.
The importance of forest edge distance is further illuminated by the emergence of a threshold distance of approximately 25 m, beyond which chickadees would not venture (Fig. 5A and B; 95% of the observed paths included forest edge distances less than or equal to 24 m). This threshold equates to a 50-m gap size, and was not an artifact of site configuration; the actual forest edge distances were highly variable, but typically smaller than the largest distances that birds would have reached if they had crossed in the open along a path defined by DOi (Fig. 6A). The relationship between forest edge distance and risk area further underlines a threshold, as chickadees were willing to define relatively large risk areas in U-shaped sites as long as the forest edge distance did not exceed 25 m (Fig. 6B). None of the response variables was influenced by conspecific group size (Table 1).
Our results show that corridors as narrow as simple fencerows did facilitate movement for some winter birds, and that these corridors were as effective in promoting short-distance (< 200 m) movement by chickadees as was continuous forest cover. Habitat gaps, in contrast, began to impede movement between patches at relatively short distances; by 100 m, chickadees were 25% less likely to cross a gap than they were to respond to the mobbing call in a forest or corridor, and this probability was diminished by >80% at 200 m (Fig. 3). Chickadees undoubtedly do cross gaps this large and larger (personal observation), but our results quantify their willingness to do so.
Although all species were less willing to cross habitat gaps, responses varied among the four winter residents we studied. Chickadees and Downy Woodpeckers generally exhibited more positive responses than did White-breasted Nuthatches and Hairy Woodpeckers, although all four species share similar life history and habitat characteristics and are often observed traveling together. All responded negatively to gaps, but nuthatches and woodpeckers exhibited a similarly reduced response to corridors relative to forest trials. For these species, corridor width may be critically important (e.g., Tischendorf and Wissel 1997), and fencerows alone might be too narrow to provide adequate cover. Species differences in corridor use may also stem from differing home range sizes or flocking behavior tendencies, both of which tend to be greater for chickadees. Such species differences have important consequences for the way in which these species deal with habitat fragmentation. Our findings strengthen the assertion that results quantifying corridor use cannot easily be generalized across species or habitats (Lynch and Saunders 1991, Lindenmayer 1994). Roland and Taylor (1997) found that, within a guild of parasitoids, the response to habitat fragmentation may occur at different spatial scales depending, in part, on body size. Other spatial, ecological, and behavioral attributes are also likely to influence the reliance of individual species on corridors. We examined these attributes in the context of one species, the Black-capped Chickadee, with the aim of providing a baseline for quantifying and comparing species responses.
Our analyses of chickadee responses to detours suggest that forest edge configuration, an attribute of fragmented landscapes, was important. In all cases, detour efficiency explained the greatest variance in response variables, but our results also suggested that responses were potentially dependent on scale. More specifically, we found that the distance birds traveled in the open generally increased as detours became less efficient (i.e., lower detour ratios), and increased with the initial distance in the open. These results suggest that there are linear components in responsiveness, yet responses were actually highly variable when detours were economical and open distances were < 115 m. Birds clearly respond to detour efficiency and absolute distances in the open, but their sensitivity to both appears to change with the absolute distances involved. Yet, a host of other variables must also influence their decision rules about path choices. Factors such as boldness, dominance, conspecific group size, and internal state have been shown to influence the distance from forest cover at which forest birds will feed, as an index of forager sensitivity to predation risk (e.g., Lima and Dill 1990, Todd and Cowie 1990, Slotow and Paxinos1997). Given these effects and the potential importance of environmental conditions (McNamara and Houston 1990), we were surprised by the consistent absence of conspecific group size and weather effects in our results.
The importance of spatial scale was further underlined by the response variables of risk area and forest edge distance, where the interaction between the initial distance in the open and detour efficiency was again apparent. Both response variables decreased with detour efficiency (i.e., higher detour ratios), but increased with the initial distance in the open. Thus, the maximum distance chickadees ventured from forest edges (forest edge distance) depended on detour efficiency only at large initial distances, and birds typically chose the forest path, regardless of its efficiency at smaller distances. These results suggest that detour options appear to be important determinants of path choices only when a certain gap threshold is reached. The fact that chickadees used detours indiscriminately at short distances suggests that they prefer to travel under forest cover unless their options are economically or spatially constrained.
Perhaps the most interesting result from our analyses of detours was the clear emergence of a threshold distance from forest edges beyond which birds would not venture. This threshold, occurring at about 25 m, was apparent in all treatments of the forest edge distance variable and was not caused by spurious limits in the potential distance from forest edges that birds could venture at the outset of trials. Thus, it appears that chickadees, given the choice of detouring under forest cover, were unwilling to cross gaps of > 50 m (i.e., the gap size when they were 25 m from an edge), a value in accordance with the findings of Desrochers and Hannon (1997) from late summer. Similar gap thresholds have been detected for other species (see Andreassen et al. 1996, Zollner and Lima 1997). Comparing our threshold effect of forest edge distance to the much greater variation in risk area provides some information about the way in which chickadees perceive predation risk. Because birds were more affected by the distance to cover than by increases in the area in which predators may occur, they may equate a relatively constant risk of predation to any open area and rely on the proximity of forest alone to mitigate its effect. Avoidance of gaps at small spatial scales further suggests that chickadees attach a categorical risk to open areas.
The perceptual range (Lima and Zollner 1996) that dictates whether an animal is likely to perceive a landscape as continuing on the other side of a gap, or not, is likely to differ seasonally and regionally. In winter, this distance may either be enhanced, when birds are freed from the requirements of defending a territory or feeding young, or it may decrease with the disappearance of ephemeral (e.g., fruiting) food sources that encourage exploration (Lynch and Saunders 1991). Regional variation in the degree of habitat fragmentation might be expected to influence perceptual range through habituation and possibly even evolutionary changes. Black-capped Chickadees without detour options almost never crossed gaps as large as 100 m in Québec during the late summer (Desrochers and Hannon 1997), but the probability of crossing gaps this large was reduced by only 25% in Alberta during winter. This difference may stem from a greater willingness to cross gaps in winter, from regional differences affecting fragmentation responses, or from differences in the classification of successful crosses (see Methods) that would tend to overestimate crossing propensity in Alberta.
Our results have a variety of implications for the management of forest birds in fragmented landscapes. First, we found direct evidence that Black-capped Chickadees are as willing to travel in corridors (fencerows) as in continuous forest over relatively short (200 m) distances. By contrast, fencerows do not appear to facilitate the movement of nuthatches and woodpeckers, although the importance of corridor width should be investigated before their importance is dismissed for these species. Willingness to cross gaps declined precipitously with increasing gap width for all four species. Clearly, the movement of forest birds in winter is negatively affected by large gaps in forest cover, but this may be ameliorated for some species through the maintenance or creation of habitat corridors. Chickadees presented with an option of taking shortcuts in the open when a forested detour was available showed a clear preference to travel under forest cover. When detours were relatively costly and the initial open distance was large, chickadees used shortcuts, but avoided gaps > 50 m. Thus, chickadees were most likely to use shortcuts under intermediate conditions when absolute distances were neither trivial nor in excess of an apparent threshold in the distance from forest cover. Other residents, apparently more sensitive to gaps than are chickadees, would be expected to behave even more conservatively. In regions where many larger gaps already exist (e.g., agricultural fields), the creation of forested stepping stones (sensu Simberloff et al. 1992) might facilitate movement. The usefulness of this technique merits exploration.
Responses to this article are invited. If accepted for publication, your response will be hyperlinked to the article. To submit a comment, follow this link. To read comments already accepted, follow this link.
Funding and logistical support were provided by the Alberta Sport, Recreation, Parks and Wildlife Foundation, the Biodiversity Grants Program (supported by licensing fees of Alberta Hunters and Fishers), the Canadian Circumpolar Institute and the Office of the Vice-President, University of Alberta, the Meanook Biological Research Station, by postdoctoral fellowships from the Izaack Walton Killam Memorial Fund (University of Alberta) and the Centre de Recherche en Biologie Forestière, Université Laval (C.C. St. Clair), by an NSERC graduate scholarship and a PQSPB Kelly Fund Research Grant (M. Bélisle), and by NSERC operating grants (A.Desrochers and S. Hannon). We are grateful to the many landowners who allowed us access and to M.-A. Beaucher, J.-F. Gobeil, S. Jamieson, M. Hoekstra, C. McCallum, S. Roy, and R. St. Clair for wonderful assistance and good company in the field.
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Address of Correspondent:
Colleen Cassady St. Clair
Department of Biological Sciences
University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E9, and
Centre de Recherche en Biologie Forestière
Pavillon Abitibi-Price, Université Laval
Sainte-Foy, Québec, Canada G1K 7P4
Phone: (403) 492-9685
Fax: (403) 492-9234
*The copyright to this article passed from the Ecological Society of America to the Resilience Alliance on 1 January 2000.
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Julian Wadleigh
U. S. Department of State
Advisory Committee of Postwar Foreign Policy
Henry Julian Wadleigh, was an economist and employee of Dean Acheson in the United States Department of State in the 1940s. He was an economist in the Trade Agreements Division, for eleven years and was sent to Turkey and Italy and other countries as United States representative. Wadleigh secured a transfer originally from the Department of Agriculture to the State Department at the request of the Soviet intelligence.
After the statute of limitations had run out, Wadleigh openly admitted CPUSA membership and that he had stolen a vast number of classified documents while working in the State Department on behalf of Soviet intelligence.
At the trial of Alger Hiss, Hiss attorneys' attempted to pin the blame on Wadleigh for supplying Hiss's hand and typewritten notes to a courier for transmission to the Soviet Union.
- Alexander Vassiliev's Notes on Anatoly Gorsky's December 1948 Memo on Compromised American Sources and Networks


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Flower Power Trip by James J. Cudney
About the Book
Flower Power Trip (Braxton Campus Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Creativia (March 30, 2019)
Print Length: 270 pages
Digital ASIN: B07NDK76WF
At a masquerade ball to raise money for renovations to Memorial Library, Kellan finds a dead body dressed in a Dr. Evil costume.Did one of Maggie's sisters kill the annoying guest who'd been staying at the Roarke and Daughters Inn, or does the victim have a closer connection to someone else at Braxton College?As Kellan helps school president Ursula bury a secret from her past and discover the identity of her stalker, he unexpectedly encounters a missing member of his family. Everything seems to trace back to the Stoddards: a new family who recently moved in.Between the murder, a special flower exhibit and strange postcards arriving each week, Kellan can't decide which mystery in his life should take priority. But unfortunately, the biggest one of all has yet to be exposed - and when it is, Kellan won't know what hit him.
About the Author
James is my given name, but most folks call me Jay. I live in New York City, grew up on Long Island, and graduated from Moravian College with a degree in English literature. I spent fifteen years building a technology career in the retail, sports, media, and entertainment industries. I enjoyed my job, but a passion for books and stories had been missing for far too long. I'm a voracious reader in my favorite genres (thriller, suspense, contemporary, mystery, and historical fiction), as books transport me to a different world where I can immerse myself in so many fantastic cultures and places. I'm an avid genealogist who hopes to visit all the German, Scottish, Irish, and British villages my ancestors emigrated from in the 18th and 19th centuries. I frequently blog and publish book reviews on everything I read at ThisIsMyTruthNow via WordPress.
Writing has been a part of my life as much as my heart, my mind, and my body. I decided to pursue my passion by dusting off the creativity inside my head and drafting outlines for several novels. I quickly realized I was back in my element growing happier and more excited with life each day. My goal in writing is to connect with readers who want to be part of great stories and who enjoy interacting with authors. To get a strong picture of who I am, check out my author website or my blog. It's full of humor and eccentricity, sharing connections with everyone I follow—all in the hope of building a network of friends across the world.
When I completed the first book, Watching Glass Shatter, I knew I'd stumbled upon my passion again, suddenly dreaming up characters, plots, and settings all day long. I chose my second novel, Father Figure, through a poll on my blog where I let everyone vote for their favorite plot and character summaries. It is with my third book, Academic Curveball,, the first in the Braxton Campus Mysteries, where I immersed myself in a college campus full of so much activity, I could hardly stop thinking about new murder scenes or character relationships to finish writing the current story. Come join in the fun!
Watching Glass Shatter (October 2017)
Father Figure (April 2018)
Braxton Campus Mysteries
Academic Curveball – #1 (October 2018)
Broken Heart Attack – #2 (November 2018)
Flower Power Trip – #3 (Early 2019)
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From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release
KABUL, Afghanistan, March 21, 2012 - A coalition airstrike destroyed an improvised explosive device-making facility in the Sangin district of Afghanistan's Helmand province March 19, officials reported today.
Insurgents used the facility to build bombs and coordinate IED attacks in the area, officials said.
Following the precision airstrike, a coalition security force confirmed the building and IED-making materials were destroyed.
In other Afghanistan operations:
-- An Afghan provincial response company, supported by coalition forces, confiscated 44 pounds of hashish, some opium harvesting tools, two rifles and a grenade in Helmand province's Lashkar Gar district yesterday.
-- In Helmand province's Nahr-e Saraj district, a combined Afghan and coalition security force confiscated multiple homemade bombs March 18. The team first discovered a motorcycle packed with explosives and, on a later search, found four additional bombs.
-- An Afghan provincial response company, supported by coalition forces, confiscated a large explosives and IED-manufacturing cache in Ghazni province's Deh Yak district, March 18. The Afghan force found hidden in a garden four IEDs consisting of 187 pounds of explosives, 10 anti-tank mines, 66 pounds of homemade explosives and 10 fuses for anti-person mines.
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