text:
Over a relatively short space of time, Scott Adkins has become one of the most popular action stars in the business.
Today we exclusively chat with Scott about his career, including Ninja, Undisputed, The Raid remake, his upcoming actioner Close Range and the current state of the action industry.
First off congratulations on winning action star, best movie and best fight scene of the year at The Action Elite Awards.
Oh thank you, all I can say is that your readership are my kind of people!
Even with a back injury you still managed to create THE fight scene of the year: the bar fight in Ninja: Shadow of a Tear. Are you fully recovered now? And how is the knee injury?
The back injury wouldn't have been that major had it not happened in the middle of filming Ninja. It was a pulled/torn muscle in my back and it didn't allow me to kick very well with my right leg, but yeah the knee was a really difficult problem to go through. Anyone that's had ACL problems knows what I'm talking about. It's funny; the day I went in for surgery was the same day that GSP (Georges St-Pierre) had surgery on his ACL and it was kind of like keeping tabs on GSP's progress as he went through the rehabilitation. I was sort of using him as a benchmark of seeing where I should be at, as he progressed with much better trainers then what I had, I'm sure. But, I remember his first fight back; I was willing him to win so hard because I knew what he'd been through and what I was going through. I just wanted to see if he could come back as good as ever from such a difficult injury to get over. But he certainly did and I'm happy to report that I have as well.
How important is it to work with someone like Tim Man to ensure good choreography as well as safety?
It's essential; the safety aspect, that's not so much of a big deal. When you're doing fight scenes you can kind of keep a hold of what's dangerous and what's not. You're only gonna get small injuries really but if you're doing a big chase sequence with cars and everything then that's when safety needs to be paramount. As a fight co-ordinator Tim was amazing; he puts that stuff together brilliantly. His style sort of suited me as well, obviously he's a kick guy and I'm also known for my kicks. Really, you need someone like Isaac to film it right as well. You can have the best choreographer in the world but if it's not shot right, then it's all for nothing really.
How long did it take to put the bar fight scene together?
We had two days for that; it was the bar fight that I hurt my back on so it was about half-way through the first day when my back went. I did have to have Brahim step in and do a couple of kicks for me, if I'm honest with you. Not kicks that I couldn't do but just kicks that I couldn't do at that point as my back had gone. At that point I thought I don't want the fight scene to suffer too much because I'm letting my ego get in the way. We needed this little kick move so Brahim stepped in for me on that occasion. But if you make as many action films as me then you're gonna get injured; badly on one of them. The same thing happened on the first Ninja actually, I've been lucky on the Undisputed ones but sometimes you do get hurt. I tore my hamstring once on a Jackie Chan film and that was pretty bad as well.
You're working with Isaac again on upcoming action thriller Close Range, which sounds like it's going to be really intense. I hear it's sort of a modern Western. What can you tell us about it at this stage?
Yeah, I would describe it as a modern Western; it's a good character, hard as nails… which I'm good at playing. It's a full-on action movie where most of the story takes place in one area, so we'll be able to shoot it quite quickly, I believe. It's kind of like a siege movie with my character fighting off a load of Mexican Drug Cartel guys, trying to keep my family safe and they're all trying to kill us… which means I've got to kill them. So it should be a good action film.
I hear it's kind of like 'Die Hard on a Farmhouse'.
Yeah, a little bit like that and kind of 'Raid'-ish as well; where the action is confined to one location.
Lots of guys trying to kill one guy. We haven't officially got the green light on that to be honest but we're hoping to get some good news in the next couple of days.
Of all the movies you've done so far with Isaac, what has been your personal favourite?
I think it's Undisputed 3 because the story works really well, the character of course comes off really strong and I think the fights are the best that I've ever done, I have to say. What would you guys think?
I love Undisputed 2 & 3 but also Ninja 2; with Undisputed 3 it's not just the fights. I love the story and I was saying to Isaac a few months back that I love how Boyka is the villain in part 2 and how part 3 is a story of redemption. That was the thing about the Undisputed movies and why I think Boyka has become such an icon is it's such a great character arc, which is something you don't see that often. It's the writing as well as the action which makes it so good.
Yeah, he's a really strong character; I feel like I lucked upon something there. Nobody really knew what that character was gonna become. I love playing that guy and I can't wait to play him again. Sometimes I have to apologize for being Scott Adkins and not Yuri Boyka. People get annoyed at me: "Why aren't you Boyka in real life!!"
Metal Hurlant Chronicles is finally coming to North America in April; you're reunited with your Undisputed 2 co-star Michael Jai White. Was that by coincidence or was it a deliberate move to work together again?
Well, in the first season we worked together and we're both in the second season but we're in separate episodes at a time. We just thought it would be a good opportunity to get back together as we wanted to work with one another again. We also knew that there would be people out there expecting something great action-wise. Of course, with a TV show you don't often get the opportunity to do that. We were very pushed for time and to be honest we tried to do something that we didn't have enough time to accomplish properly. We had fun trying and I love working with Michael; he's a great guy, he's an incredible martial artists and a really good actor as well. He's actually a very funny guy as well and I love spending time with him.
You also co-star with Darren Shalavi as well and we're big fans of him.
So have you seen any of the show?
No, it hasn't been on here at all.
Right OK; I fight Michael and I also fight Darren as well. Me and Darren have a really cool fight scene actually; really good with weapons. It turned out pretty well. I'd known Darren for a long time actually; we'd crossed paths previously but hadn't been able to work together. He's a great guy as well honestly; we get on like a house on fire and hopefully we get work together in the future.
When it comes to fight choreography, do you think it's more fluid to work with someone you've worked with before or is it always different?
You don't need to have worked with them before but they need to have an understanding of film-fighting and the rhythm, the timing and the distance; all that stuff. If I can find someone that understands all that then it's an easy job. I just recently did a movie with Wu Jing in China called Wolf War, so obviously when you work with people like that it's very easy.
Wolf War is the first film ever actually to be made about the Chinese military in a modern sense. Tell us about your character and how you got involved?
Yeah, it's Wu Jing's baby; he's writing, producing, directing and starring. It's something he's been developing for about 5 years. It took a long time for him to get the cooperation of the Chinese military which is a difficult thing, as you can imagine. I was just happy to come out there as I'm a big fan of Wu Jing and the stuff that he'd done in the past. This job offer came up for me to come and play the villain; as I say, I have a lot of respect for him so I was happy to come out there and do that. It's different in China; you don't get a proper script beforehand and a lot of it is done on the fly.
Those guys really know how to do the action really well so it was a pleasure to do it.
It's improvisation and you're given the lines to read on the day but you can't put it into your own words yourself because they're Chinese so you need to translate it into English. You can have some happy accidents and sometimes it's very different to the Western style where they make you prepare a bit more but that's just the way they do it. It takes them a lot longer to make their films. So it was my first time back in China for 10 years doing an action film. Those guys really know how to do the action really well so it was a pleasure to do it. I haven't seen the film yet but hopefully it turns out well for Wu Jing as he's a really nice guy.
I picked up the Legendary Tomb of the Dragon DVD from Amazon France, any idea when it will be out in North America? It was a fun adventure flick and definitely has franchise potential.
No idea actually, I think I saw a cover that I had to approve so it shouldn't be too far away but I don't really know to be honest.
Also any word on when Re-Kill will ever get released?
I'd forgotten about that, thanks for reminding me. I've no idea about that either and from what I'm told it's quite good so God knows what the holdup is.
So it looks like we're getting a remake of The Raid by Patrick Hughes and you recently expressed an interest in being in the third movie; would you like to be involved in a possible remake?
I'd love it, I'd love it, but I don't think Hollywood would put me as the lead in the remake. They're gonna get… whoever they're gonna get; this makes me think, well a film like The Raid or a film like Enter the Dragon kind of exists around the front and centre performer being an amazing martial artist.
I don't see how they're gonna do it justice with actors that they're going to train to do martial arts and the same old shaky-cam stuff. I'm hearing of the team that's coming together to make the film and it sounds very promising. It'll be a big Hollywood film and I'd be happy to take a part in there if it came my way. So, we'll see…
I think they're going to have to change it drastically in order to do it justice. But do you really want someone like me in there who is a trained martial artist looking better than whoever they get in to be the lead. Unless I'm the bad guy or something.
Early word is that it's going to be Chris and Liam Hemsworth; good actors but hardly martial arts guys.
They seem like they're physical people but then people talk about The Matrix and the training of Keanu Reeves. They did that for six months. They trained for six months! It is not an easy thing to do.
Yeah, Reeves did a great job with Man of Tai Chi last year.
I love it when The Reeves does martial arts films. Brilliant; good on him. Keep 'em coming, I say.
As far as The Raid 3, I think Gareth Evans is a huge talent; I mean I absolutely ADORED the first 'Raid' and I can't wait to see the new one. That is my top film of 2014 that I'm looking forward to seeing.
So yeah, obviously I put that out there on Twitter, so I'd love to be in The Raid 3, but at the end of the day he's got his vision, he knows what he wants to do and if I could be a part of that, I'd love to. I'd love to work with Gareth at some point so we'll see what happens in the future.
If Gareth Evans doesn't give me a part in The Raid 3 I'm gonna kill him
By the way we're speaking with director Gareth Evans next week hopefully, do you want us to put in a good word?
Give him my best and tell him if he doesn't give me a part I'm gonna kill him (laughs).
It's funny, The Raid is the remake that is totally unnecessary as the original is a flawless classic. How can they possibly improve on it?
People won't go and watch it because it's subtitled; I mean all the people that like our sorts of films, they've seen it but the general public stayed away because of the subtitles. It does make sense but you've really got to get the right people in to carry off the action stuff. It's got to be approached carefully and sensibly.
What's your training schedule like these days and if anyone wants to get their ass kicked by Scott Adkins, do you plan on doing any seminars?
I should do some seminars soon, really; I'm training a lot at the moment. I've actually just come back from the gym which is why I sound like I'm about to fall asleep. So yeah, training a lot at the moment, six days a week, pushing it. The knee finally feels like it's 100% so it spurs me on to do some crazy kicks and not worry about it.
You'll be appearing at the MCM Expo Birmingham Comic Con on March 22 and 23 where fans in the UK can come to meet you. Is this your first Fan Expo?
Actually I think it's my second; I went out to the New York Comic Con to do a Hercules thing so that was the first. So yeah, if anyone's out there that's in England then come and see me.
Regarding Legend of Hercules; have you always been a fan of the sword and sandals genre and did you always want to do a period piece like that?
Yes! I've always been a fan of the sword and sandals genre and it was definitely a genre that I wanted to attempt at some point so I jumped at the chance. I will say that having done a fight scene in a skirt and sandals, I never want to do that again. It was a right pain in the arse! Getting blisters on your toes and they're constantly coming out of your sandals, your skirt is flying up above your waist which isn't pretty sometimes but it was a really good part.
I enjoyed playing this character that was completely over the top and I relished chewing up those words and spitting them out. I know the film's had mixed reviews but I had a great time filming it. Renny Harlin is a great guy and I really enjoyed working with Kellan, Liam McIntyre and Liam Garrigan behind the scenes. I just really enjoyed playing that character.
Doing a fight scene in a skirt and sandals is a pain in the arse!
What else do you have coming up in the next few months?
Just waiting for Close Range really and hoping that's going to happen. I'm chomping at the bit for Undisputed IV; I don't know why the producers are taking so long. I'd love to revisit Boyka. Things just crop up at the last minute and they say "right, we want you to do this film and it's happening in two weeks" off the back of an audition. I don't know; it keeps it exciting but also frustrating as you don't really know where your next job is coming from. I just hope to keep making the action films that I love to do but I want to try some different things and stretching myself as an actor. So watch this space…
You're kind of seen as the saviour of the action genre with very few other action stars appearing on the radar, so there's no pressure for you there.
Listen, I wish that I could make action film after action film but sometimes you have to do projects where you've only got three weeks to make the movie and you know you can't do the action justice. For Ninja 2 we had six weeks which was really difficult but it's doable, you know? Five weeks it's doable but sometimes you've just got to take these parts where you don't have enough time because the DVD market is in such a state. That's kind of the way it is now but sometimes we get to do those good ones. That's what I like about working with Nu Image because they'll give you the time to make a good movie.
You ever considered doing a Kickstarter campaign for Undisputed IV?
I would do it in a heartbeat and I think people would definitely pay for it but at the end of the day I don't own the rights to the film. Maybe I should talk to the producers about that. Certainly for Undisputed I think you could finance it that way but for a brand new film I'm not so sure.
How do you think the whole pirating of movies has impacted smaller films?
It's completely destroyed it. I realize it's difficult to support a film if you know there's a torrent on the internet with let's say Undisputed 3, but if it doesn't come out in your country until about three months later then you're gonna download it and I know that you can't help that, because how else are you going to get it? The distributors need to sort their end out but also there are just people who download stuff and don't pay for it and they don't understand that if they keep doing this, then you're not going to get these types of films anymore.
You're only going to get your big comic book movies and big action movies that everyone wants to see but smaller films like Ninja 2 and Undisputed, pretty soon they're drying up. There are producers that make those types of films that are quaking in their boots because you can't do it anymore. We're making no money and it's a scary thing, to be honest. When I was a kid, that's when the martial arts straight to video films were at their height in the early 90's.
You'd get one a week and that's really when I formulated the plan to do what I do now. I saw myself as one of those guys, but those guys don't exist anymore and I look at myself and think it's amazing that I managed to get into this position, when really this position doesn't even exist anymore. It's because of the piracy.
It's a really sad state of affairs because there's all of these movies and stories that we'll never get to see, so we'll continue to get remakes, reboots, comic books, like you say so the smaller movies we just won't get to see.
Yeah, it's scary to be honest.
Well, that wraps it up; thanks very much for chatting with us.
Nothing like finishing on a downer.
True, let's go drink!


text:
Who wouldn't want to test condoms? A recent advert that appeared on a Chinese Website was looking for 'lively and good-looking women between the ages of 18 and 25'. Their job is to test condoms. The pay would be $588 a day, a considerable amount of money in this country. Within around three hours, 22 people had already applied for the job.
The advert was posted by a condom manufacturer, although it of course caused a significant amount of uproar with many people claiming that this was akin to prostitution. The website ended up removing the post by itself later on in the day. It is unknown what the final total for applications for the job actually was.
One reporter spoke to a man who was running the advert. He identified himself as Chen and said he worked for a condom manufacturer based in Shanghai. He gave a brief overview about what the trial was actually about.
Disclaimer: condom-sizes.org is supported by its readers. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more.
He said that for the past few months the company had been seeking out women to test condoms. A number of women had already passed the interviews and they were waiting for a number of male testers to become involved as well.
The reason why they are searching for 'human' applications is because this particular company cannot afford the machines which are normally used for testing, so of course they opted for the next big thing. Have to give credit to them, at least they aren't trying to release a condom which is 'unsafe'.
He stated that during the tests the females would be required to take part in sexual activities, however the men would be the one taking notes and getting test results, therefore the job wasn't as hard for the woman. He stated that the woman would only be required for one day and any extra days would go unpaid.
It is unknown whether this type of job is legal as there is absolutely no law which is related to the testing of condoms.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Stop the Carnage
A pistol-packing American scientist puts his life on the line to reduce "the most serious threat to African wildlife"
The dense treetop canopy plunges day into night as we enter the rain forest. We are about 300 miles north of the Equator, in the Central African Republic, and the jungle vibrates with the haunting shrieks of insects as we clamber over fallen logs and step around giant trees strung with thorn-studded vines. Lurking overhead, I am told, are cobras. Leading the way is Babangu, a Pygmy tracker. He is followed by two tall Bantu paramilitary guards, clad in camouflage and toting AK-47 assault rifles. David Greer, a 35-year-old American who leads the anti-poaching patrols, is armed with a 9 millimeter pistol.
Shotgun shells litter the animal paths. "They're fresh, the poachers have probably been here today," Greer whispers. I gulp with fear, knowing that the poachers carry AK-47s and elephant guns. Babangu points to a poacher's snare—a wire loop buried in the fallen leaves and attached to a bent sapling. Greer snips the wire and uproots the trap.
Babangu leads us to a red duiker, a dog-size antelope, caught in a snare. It's dead. "This could have been a gorilla, a chimp or a leopard," Greer whispers as we squat by the body. His eyes harden as he sees that the duiker had almost torn off a front leg trying to free itself from the trap.
We leave the animal in search of more snares. In two hours walking the jungle, we find another 171. Greer and his 48 men have destroyed more than 30,000 of the illegal devices in the past year, putting a big dent in the poachers' haul of forest animals. But Greer knows that much more needs to be done.
Later, on our way back, we pass by the spot where the duiker had been snared. The carcass has vanished. Greer grimaces. "The poachers must have been nearby," he whispers. "If we'd stumbled on them, there could have been shooting."
Illegal hunting is devastating wildlife across sub-Saharan Africa. "The African bushmeat trade is huge," Jane Goodall, the distinguished primatologist (and Greer's mentor), told me in an e-mail. "Tons and tons of wild animal meat [are] trucked into the urban centers, and a good deal is shipped to other African countries and to other continents."
A study in the journal Science this past November said the bushmeat trade was among the "greatest threats to the persistence of tropical wildlife." The researchers—from England, Ghana, South Africa, the United States and Canada—found that increased hunting of wild animals in Ghana had led to sharp declines in 41 species. They went on to suggest that the bushmeat trade had grown partly in response to the depletion of fish off West Africa by foreign and domestic industrial fleets; deprived of a traditional protein source, people turned to the forests for food. To curb the traffic in bushmeat, the researchers called for both limiting "the access of large and heavily subsidized foreign fleets to fish off West Africa" and "increasing the size, number and protection of wildlife reserves."
In the Congo Basin—an area consisting of the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, the Central African Republic (CAR), Gabon and the Republic of Equatorial Guinea—some researchers estimate that up to five million metric tons of bushmeat are traded each year, according to the Bushmeat Crisis Task Force, a Washington, D.C.-based conservation consortium.
Another threat to wildlife is infectious agents, including the deadly Ebola virus, which has stricken primates in central Africa. It also poses a danger to people who eat or come into close contact with infected animals; some experts say that Ebola-contaminated bushmeat smuggled into the United States could trigger an Ebola outbreak here.
All told, the number of western lowland gorillas in the Congo Basin has fallen from about 110,000 to fewer than 40,000 in the past two decades because of poaching, loss of habitat to logging and development, and disease, says Richard Carroll, director of an African program for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF): "It's a crisis situation, and that's why the anti-poaching program is vitally important."
Greer risks his life virtually every day to protect some of Africa's most significant animals, including western lowland gorillas and forest elephants. He is based in the Dzanga- Sangha Dense Forest Special Reserve, home to one of the richest and most diverse assemblies of animals, birds, fish and insects on earth. The 1,220-square-mile sanctuary in the CAR connects with protected forestlands in Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, forming a 4,000- square-mile wilderness reserve overseen by the three governments with financial help from the WWF and the German Development Agency. Greer is employed by the WWF as a park adviser and empowered by the CAR government to enforce anti-poaching laws. Aprimatologist who had previously never wielded anything more lethal than a ballpoint pen, he's one of a new breed of eco-warrior who carries a gun in the fight against the slaughter of forest animals.
To reach this embattled tropical treasure, I fly from Paris to Bangui, the capital of the CAR, a landlocked country of about 240,000 square miles—slightly smaller than Texas—tagged by the World Bank as one of the world's poorest nations. Bangui is a tragic and frightened city, its residents cowed by decades of violent coups d'état by officers of a ruthless national army. Nestled against the Oubangui River, Bangui is a hot and humid relic of French colonialism littered with run-down buildings, potholed roads and crumbling monuments to former dictators. Surly police carrying clubs prowl the streets. Soldiers toting assault rifles and manning antiaircraft guns tear through the city in trucks escorting the country's military ruler. Foreign visitors mostly stay in one of several hotels that look as if they belong in a Graham Greene novel, their lobbies the haunt of shady characters whispering in Sango, the local language, and French. The hotel swimming pools are thronged by frolicking prostitutes, some as young as 12.
In the city's central, open-air market, Bantu women clad in colorful robes sell piles of smoked bushmeat—mostly duiker, Greer says, but occasionally great apes and elephants. To local residents, one of the main appeals of bushmeat is low cost; Greer says he has seen smoked gorilla meat selling for as little as 25 cents a pound in a village market. People who have traditionally lived off the rain forest view hunting and trapping as their prerogative, especially in the poorest areas. "Because they are very poor and have a difficult time finding jobs, they feel they should have the right to utilize the forest," says Pascal Dangino, a former poacher who now works for Greer as a guard. "Conservation is a difficult concept for them to understand."
I leave Bangui by SUV to get to the Dzanga-Sangha forest reserve about 300 miles to the southwest along a bone-shaking dirt road. I am accompanied by Angelique Todd, an English wildlife biologist who studies gorillas, and along the way we pass a handful of impoverished towns brimming with men and women playing cards, sitting by the road chatting and dozing in the sun. Nearing the reserve, I spy the igloo-shaped huts of the Bayaka Pygmy clans, who have inhabited the Congo Basin for more than a millennium. Masters of the rain forest, the Pygmies are among Greer's most valued allies.
Greer, wearing shorts and going shirtless and barefooted, greets me at his spartan wood bungalow in Bayanga, a village on the Sangha River at the republic's southernmost
tip. We had met seven years earlier in Rwanda, where he was studying mountain gorillas with the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International. "Hop in," he says, opening the door of a mud-splattered SUV. "Let's go see some gorillas."
As we drive through Bayanga, men and women wave, and smiling children run alongside the truck calling out, "Darveed." He returns their greetings in Sango. In the seven years he has lived here, he has clearly made an effort to blend in. "They know I like to live with them and eat their food, enjoy their culture and play basketball with them," he says.
On Bayanga's outskirts we enter a dense rain-soaked jungle, and a sign featuring a painted gorilla shows that we have reached the reserve's crown jewel, the 470-square-mile Dzanga-Ndoki National Park. Greer tells me the park is inhabited by 88 species of mammals and 379 species of birds, including many rare creatures hunted by poachers. "All fishing, gathering, hunting, mineral and forest exploitation are prohibited in the park, which is a vital reservoir for endangered species," he says. Native Africans, he adds, are allowed to hunt, fish and gather plants outside the national park, in the Dzanga-Sangha Dense Forest Special Reserve.
The farther Greer goes into the park, the wider he smiles, but then, he believes he was born to a life in the wilderness, despite his city roots. Raised in Kansas City, he says he was something of a street fighter as a youth. His father, a lineman for Southwestern Bell Telephone Company, took him fishing, hunting and camping. Greer won a baseball scholarship to Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas, where he studied psychology; after college, he worked briefly as a psychologist in a mental health clinic in Kansas City. But in 1994 he abandoned psychology to work with chimpanzees at the Jane Goodall Institute for Wildlife Research, Education and Conservation in Tanzania. Refused a resident's visa, he moved to Karisoke in Rwanda, the mountain gorilla research center founded in 1967 by Dian Fossey.
Greer well remembers the first mountain gorillas he ever saw, a silverback that Fossey had named Pablo and six females with their young, chomping on nettles and other plants on the slope of a volcano in Rwanda. "I felt like the luckiest human being on earth. I felt I was meant to be here, this was my calling," he says. "Every time I saw the mountain gorillas after that, my stomach would tighten with emotion. They're so big and beautiful, and yet so peaceful."
Greer had arrived in Rwanda after the Interahamwe— gangs of extremist Hutus—had shocked the world by killing up to nearly a million rival Tutsis and moderate Hutus. He often came across the marauders' fresh trails along the mountain slopes and saw armed Interahamwe in the distance. "There were bodies all over the place," he remembers. Once, while he was observing foraging gorillas, the animals came across a dead Hutu riddled with bullets. "The gorillas glanced at the body, then stepped around it," he says.
He continued to study the animals, driving an hour a day from the small city of Ruhengeri to the foot of the Virunga volcanoes, then hiking up to four hours into the forest where the gorillas lived. "I felt someone had to be with them every day to make sure they weren't harmed," he says. His work was finally disrupted when the Interahamwe began executing foreigners. In January 1997, gunmen stormed into Ruhengeri and fatally shot three Spanish doctors and wounded an American aid worker. The next day, Greer left for Kigali, the capital, and he says he stayed "until the rebels were eventually flushed back into the Democratic Republic of the Congo."
Several months later, Karisoke temporarily suspended the monitoring of gorillas, and Greer moved again, to a swampy jungle straddling the Republic of the Congo-CAR border. There he studied western lowland gorillas at Mondika, a research station run by Diane Doran, a physical anthropologist at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Greer, who would later serve as Mondika's director for two years until 2001, was intrigued by the differences between mountain gorillas and the western lowland species—the kind most commonly seen in zoos. Mountain gorillas forage in family groups along lush alpine slopes for wild celery, thistles, shoots and occasionally bark and insects. In contrast, lowland groups seek the leaves and sugary fruit of high jungle trees, shinnying up with astonishing agility to balance on boughs while they strip the branches. Also, Greer says, compared with mountain gorillas, the lowland animals "are much shyer, and are hard to find because they are hunted for food and travel much farther each day."
While visiting the Dzanga-Sangha reserve's headquarters at Bayanga, Greer sometimes encountered Chloe Cipolletta, a vivacious young Italian wildlife biologist and gorilla researcher. The daughter of an Italian banker, Cipolletta, 34, could have lived in a luxurious Roman villa and been courted by sleek Armani-clad young men. Instead, she has made her home since 1998 in a thatched hut at her base camp in Bai Hokou. (A bai is a forest opening with a water source that attracts wildlife.) In July 2001, three years after Greer and Cipolletta met, they were married in a Pygmy wedding ceremony beneath the high trees at Bai Hokou. Following the custom of the diminutive forest people, the newlyweds exchanged sticks—the significance of the ritual was not explained to them—and then celebrated with the Pygmies, singing and dancing until noon the next day. "Pygmies are inexhaustible when it comes to partying," Greer says.
An hour after leaving Bayanga, we reach Bai Hokou, a huddle of thatched huts on a heavily forested hill and surrounded by a wire barrier hung with tin cans that frighten off forest elephants when they run into the fence. Cipolletta, standing at an outdoor table, is separating gorilla dung with twigs to determine what fruits the apes had been eating— information that becomes increasingly important as gorilla habitat disappears. She has counted more than 100 plants they use as food. When I ask her about Greer, she says, "He's my Tarzan. He likes to climb trees and is the first to try anything."
"Does that mean you're his Jane?"
"No," she says, laughing. "I'm his Cheetah."
Based at the camp with Cipolletta are several Pygmy animal trackers and three research assistants, including two 26- year-old Americans, Jessica Zerr and Sarah Pacyna. Zerr, a Californian, found the work hard at first and has had four bouts with malaria. But she never despaired, she says: "To be with the gorillas was my life's dream."
The next morning, Greer and I leave with Ngbanda, a Pygmy, to find a gorilla group that he and Cipolletta have "habituated," or spent so much time observing that the animals have become accustomed to human beings. As a barefooted Ngbanda leads us along a path carved by the feet of generations of forest elephants, the rain-speckled jungle presses in from all sides, exuding a dizzying odor of dank earth and foliage. We push past tree branches blocking our way, shuffle through streams and duck away from djele— vines studded with thorns that festoon the tracks. Tiny, stingless sweat bees swarm us, buzzing around our ears and mouths and dive bombing our eyeballs.
Suddenly, Ngbanda halts. "Elephant," Greer murmurs. In the shadowy foliage I spy a trunk and tusks. Compared with plains elephants, forest elephants tend to live in smaller herds, thanks partly to their dense, tangled territory, and they also are smaller in size. Still, at some eight feet high and three and a half tons for a mature bull, forest elephants are formidable. "Run like hell if he charges, because they hate humans, with good reason," Greer whispers. Thankfully, the elephant ignores us.
Two hours later, as we push through a bamboo thicket where the air is so humid it seems to sweat, Ngbanda halts us. "Ebobo," he mouths. Gorillas. Greer and I see nothing, but he trusts the Pygmy trackers. "They seem to have X-ray vision," he says. "They see and hear things in the jungle that we can't."
Ngbanda points at a giant tree. About 50 yards above us, almost hidden by the foliage, a potbellied female feasts on fruit, while below her an infant nestles on another branch chewing leaves. Moments later we hear, somewhere in the thicket, the thock-thock-thock of a silverback pounding his barrel chest in warning. Ngbanda spies him about 15 yards ahead and drops to the ground, followed by Greer and then me. "Makumba," Greer whispers, identifying the animal by name. We crouch to mollify the huge ape, a primate gesture of humility and respect that silverbacks understand, indeed expect.
Moments later, Makumba disappears. Listening to gorilla sounds that Greer and I cannot distinguish, Ngbanda plots the path of the silverback, and we follow through the undergrowth and down an elephant track. Suddenly, Makumba leaps onto the track about ten yards ahead, his huge furry face scowling. With a forearm as big as a man's thigh, he slams a bunch of saplings repeatedly against the ground. "He's displaying his authority over us," Greer says, "warning us not to come closer." We steer clear of him and don't see him again.
That night, back at Bai Hokou, I use the camp's "shower"— a spring-fed waterfall that feels delightfully cold—and then rejoin Greer and Cipolletta. I ask him what made him take up arms against the poachers a year ago. He says he and Cipolletta had been hearing gunshots for days on end and knew from the Pygmies that poachers were slaughtering large numbers of elephants, gorillas and other animals. The couple had also seen lots of bushmeat in the Bayanga market. And they knew that the leader of the anti-poaching patrols had quit and that the guards had become "demotivated," as he puts it, "and had a sense of helplessness with the barrage of poaching."
So last October, Greer accepted the challenge. With the help of his deputy, Josue Nambama, a well-connected Bantu, he concentrated on building a network of sources to provide information on the poachers. (I saw several men approach him at the village soccer field or at his home to provide information, sometimes for a small reward.) He also hired new guards, putting one team on alert 24 hours a day and assigning another to find and destroy snares. In addition, guards set up roadblocks to catch bushmeat traders and patrol animal- rich areas in the reserve, up to ten days in the field at a time. It is dangerous work. On one snare patrol, guards and poachers stumbled on each other, and in the confusion, a poacher who shot at the guards missed and killed one of his own porters. Because the anti-poaching effort is short on funds, guards are heavily outgunned by poachers, having just four AK-47s and seven old Russian bolt-action rifles. Many guards go on patrol armed with only their bare fists. Greer and Nambama's efforts have led to the arrest and imprisonment of 20 poachers and discouraged dozens more. A CAR forestry and sustainable development official, Jean- Bernard Yarissem, says bushmeat has become noticeably less available in the Bayanga marketplace since Greer took over the anti-poaching effort. Jean-Rene Sangha, once the reserve's most notorious elephant killer, says, "Before, there were many poachers, but with David's arrival poaching decreased very much."
When I first met Sangha, whose parents named him after the nearby river and who now works with Greer as a guard, the wiry 26-year-old stared at me and said he'd begun to learn the poacher's bloody trade at age 10 from his older brothers. He said he has slaughtered many gorillas—silverbacks, females and young—for bushmeat. He also admits to having killed "more than 100 elephants." Flaunting a devil's courage, Sangha shot the elephants at point-blank range, then smuggled the tusks across the border into Cameroon. "Before, the price of one kilo of tusk was 8,000 CFA [about $15], but now one kilo costs 12,000 CFA [about $22]," he says, the market having inflated due to scarcity. With a pair of exceptionally big tusks weighing about 60 kilos, the 720,000 CFA (about $1,400) would keep a family in Bayanga for more than a year. Selling the elephants' meat was a bonus.
Sangha, who says he lost two brothers in poaching acci dents, approached Greer about working with him on the patrols. Greer offered him a guard job at about 90,000 CFA a month, or more than twice a laborer's wage. Sangha accepted. "I'll help the other guards because the forest is very large and I know how the poachers work," he says. "I was a poacher, I know how to struggle against poachers." after poaching, the threat to the Congo Basin's gorillas that most concerns Greer is Ebola, the highly infectious hemorrhagic fever virus that was first recognized in human beings, in central Africa, in 1976. The virus is passed on by direct contact with victims' tissues or body fluids, and kills up to 90 percent of people infected. No cure for the disease exists, and many sufferers die quickly and horribly with massive internal and external bleeding. Ebola virus infects gorillas and other nonhuman primates with similarly lethal effects. Arecent Ebola outbreak in the Republic of the Congo killed up to 90 percent of the gorillas in some areas; at Lossi Gorilla Sanctuary, 139 out of 145 gorillas died from Ebola, Greer says.
The disease poses a threat to the Dzanga-Sangha gorillas. "It's now been reported at the Congo's Odzala National Park, which has Africa's highest density of gorillas," Greer explains. "That's less than a few hundred miles away in a contiguous forest with some barriers, but nothing too extreme to be able to block it." Not long ago, he and Cipolletta arranged a meeting of local health officials and village chiefs, and urged them to warn their people not to slaughter or eat monkeys, gorillas or chimps. "That's how it spread in the [Republic of the] Congo," he says, meaning that people acquired the disease from handling an infected primate and passed the virus to others.
Some experts are concerned that bushmeat tainted with Ebola virus or other infectious agents might be smuggled into the United States. "Thousands of west and central Africans live in Florida, California, New York, as well as Atlanta and many other cities, and when they celebrate weddings, birthdays or other occasions, [many] want to eat bushmeat from their homeland," says Richard Ruggiero, an Africa program officer for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "Because its entry is illegal, it's smuggled in as other meat or is brought in undeclared by travelers." Most of the smuggled bushmeat confiscated so far, says Ruggiero, has been cane rat, a two-foot-long field rodent weighing up to ten pounds, but other wild meat has also turned up.
In 2002, customs officials at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport found a smoked primate carcass in the suitcase of a passenger from Cameroon; the passenger was reportedly carrying the bushmeat to a traditional wedding celebration. Inspectors at other U.S. airports have also reported a recent rise in seizures of African bushmeat, including a 600-pound shipment in 2003 of duiker, squirrels, bats and rats hidden beneath dried fish at New York City's JFK International Airport. The same year, a shipment of 2,000 baboon snouts bound for the United States was seized at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. "We have only 100 inspectors across the United States, and so it's scary because we're certainly only seeing the tip of the iceberg with bushmeat," says Mike Elkins, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service special agent in Atlanta.
Trish Reed, a Wildlife Conservation Society field veterinarian who has done research at Bomassa in the Republic of the Congo, is arranging to test primate carcasses for Ebola virus at a lab in Libreville, Gabon. She says the danger of Ebola getting into the United States by means of infected bushmeat is currently low. "Smoking the meat almost certainly kills any Ebola it might have," she says, "but we are not 100 percent certain." Indeed, in 2003 the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned of the dangers of prepared bushmeat, saying that "smoking, salting, or brining may slow down bushmeat's decay, but may not render bushmeat free of infectious agents." The Ebola threat, whether to primates directly or to people exposed to the infected animals, has added urgency to conservation efforts: saving gorillas could also mean saving human lives. Nearing dusk one day, Greer strides barefoot through the jungle heading for Dzanga Bai, the reserve's most spectacular forest opening. He is carrying a pack of red wine, cheese and baguettes for a monthly ritual. At the bai, a sandy salt lick the size of three football fields, 75 forest elephants have gathered, part of a recent resurgence that some attribute to Greer's efforts. Researchers have identified more than 3,300 elephants using the bai.
Cipolletta has gotten there first, and now the couple climb to a tree-high platform to watch in safety. As calves scurry alongside their mothers, a pair of young bulls jostle for dominance by locking tusks and shoving hard. Ignoring the ruckus, other elephants kneel by the mineral-rich water and drink. Calves wallow merrily in the mud until they look like chocolate elephants. Darkness arrives and a full moon turns the forest opening a ghostly silver. Greer and Cipolletta settle in for the night under their mosquito nets as the elephants' growling, rumbling, screaming and trumpeting echo around the bai. "Every time I'm at the bai," Greer says, "it's a magnificent feeling, and it gives me a sense of optimism that there is the chance to have some long-term success."


text:
Stainless Mug SM-PC20/30
Stainless Mug SM-PC20/30
Sale Sold out
Regular price $24.99 USD
Regular priceUnit price per
Sale price
The Stainless Mug features a stainless steel vacuum insulation that keeps beverages hot or cold for hours. The tight fitted flip open lid with a safety lock makes drinking from the mug easy and prevents the lid from opening accidentally.
- Stainless steel vacuum insulation keeps beverages hot or cold for hours
- 2-step lid release process prevents excess condensation on the stopper form being flung off while the lid opens
- Air vent on the mouthpiece allows beverages to flow out smoothly, without gushing or overflowing
- Tight fitted flip-open lid keeps beverages hotter or colder
- A special manufacturing technique was used to make the body ultra-lightweight and compact
- 1-1/4" (3cm) wide mouth opening
- Easy-to-clean nonstick coated interior
- Made of BPA-free plastic and stainless steel
More details


text:
The following article was published in February 1943 in The Jaina Gazette, Vol. XXXX (No. 2), p. 21-22. As a document of contemporary history this paper is of special interest since it describes Radhakrishnan's attitude of towards Gandhi and his liberation movement. When Radhakrishnan held this lecture, Gandhi was under arrest in Pune since four months and has been released only two years later due to health reasons.
On December 12, 1942 at Calcutta, in his last lecture as Kamala Lecturer of the Calcutta University, Sir Radhakrishnan observed that one day the world would look back upon Gandhi and salute him as one born out of his time, as one who had seen the light in a dark and savage world.
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1888 - 1975), second President of India and one of India's most influential scholars of comparative religion and philosophy
According to the Hindu view, non-violence as a mental state was different from non-resistance. It was absence of malice and hatred. Himsa or violence was different from danda or punishment, which was the legal restraint of the guilty. Force is not the law-giver, but the servant of the law in such cases. Even ascetics are obliged to use violence; only by great effort they reduce it to a minimum. Our endeavor should be to substitute persuasion for force, and reduce the scope for the employment of force as much as possible. Man was not a beast of prey. Human behavior was full of acquired attitudes. Man was the only animal that killed for reasons which were more or less metaphysical. Once upon a time war might have been relatively cleaner, when it was conducted according to rules. But now we have moved from flint to steel, gun-powder, poison gas, and disease germs; and we are called upon to fight with hatred for our enemy, with our heads full of scientific cunning and our hearts full with savage hatred. We throw ourselves against masses of humanity for attaining national aggrandizement. We cannot say that our wars are always just. In this war all the belligerents appeal to God and look upon their case as absolutely just. Humility becomes us all. A new technique which will break the vicious circle of hate is to be devised. The League of Nations failed because it did not give up rights acquired by the use of violence; it did not involve the instrument of peaceful change, and it had not an effective sanction. It was just like a gun that fired blank cartridges. We must set up a world organization with a world court, and an international police to support it.
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869 - 1948), usually called Mahatma Gandhi, the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian dependence movement
Paying a glowing tribute to Mahatma Gandhi, he said that, now and then, there arose above a common level some rare spirit who reflected more clearly the divine purpose and put into practice more courageously the divine guidance. Gandhiji's suffering embodies the wounded pride of India and in his Satyagraha is reflected the eternal patience of her wisdom. Ghandhiji admits that submission to injustice is worse than suffering it. He tells us that we can resist even through an act of non-violence which is an active force. If blood is to be shed, let it be our blood. Cultivate the quiet courage of dying without killing, for many lives freely only by his readiness to die, if need be, at the hands of his brother, never by killing him. Those few who practice this ought not merely to talk of peace and think of it, but will it with all their soul. When faced by a crisis they would prefer the four walls of a cell to a seat in the cabinet or a tent in the battlefield. They would be prepared to stand against a wall to be spit upon, to be stoned, to be shot. Gandhiji today is not a free man, but the light in him which is from the divine flame of truth and love cannot be put out.


text:
Bellisima Art Print - Giallo
Inspiration for this design first came from Murano's milky glass Mushroom lamp. Our Belissima reimagines the curves and shadows of the lamp through this versatile and effortlessly luxury yet fun design. The word 'Bellisima' has been hand-written by Whinnies dad and incooperated into the final art, thanks Stu!
About the Artwork
Introducing the Bellisima art print in Giallo - frame not included
This 80's design has been printed onto our pearlised wallpaper base, the thick papers flexibility reduces risk of creasing and allows us to print small production runs, reducing risk of paper wastage!
All our Bellisima art prints are made to fit a standard A2 frame so no need to spend a lot of timing and money buying a frame that's made to measure!
Design - Bellisima
Colourway- Giallo
Product Code - ART-03-BE-GI
Dimensions - 490 x 490mm
Production and Delivery Info
Order Type - Sent from stock holding
Delivery Time - 5-7 working days
Place of Manufacturing - UK
Refunds and Exchanges
We accept refunds on all faulty prints. Please allow up to 14 working days from receiving your print for your refund to be processed.
We accept exchanges on all prints returned in a resalable condition. Please allow up to 7 working days from receiving your print for your exchange to be shipped.


text:
Personally, I am dealing with a lot right now. I'm feeling a tremendous amount of internal turmoil about serious matters that could effect my family's life in many ways. I do not wish to discuss them here, but suffice it to say that I am distracted and stressed out big time.
In the midst of some serious real-life issues, I am on the calendar to be the secret reader for my son's first grade class. And as if my stress level was not high enough, I find myself faced with having to choose an exciting book to read aloud to his class this Friday. In typical Type A Mom fashion, I tried to do my research online, so I could make an informed decision. Now, I don't know if my stress has me so distracted that my Google-fu is not functioning properly or what, but I cannot find a damn thing through those means. It's hard to choose the perfect picture book through reviews.
While The Inventor was in his violin lesson yesterday evening, I scooted over to a nearby indie bookshop hoping that the personalized service and great selections would end my misery quickly. But no. I walked out with a hardcover picture book that sounded great when the salesperson told me about it and flipped through the pages, while Gigglyface tried to destroy the place; but, in the light of day I realize it just doesn't have enough pizzazz. Six year olds are known for their honesty, and if the book sucks, they're not going to hold back. They are not going to laugh to appease me. No. They are going to make that fifteen minutes hell for me, and I've got enough hell going on in my life. I don't need a bunch of snaggly-toothed, nose picking sweethearts throwing rotten tomatoes at me.
So, I decided to head over to a larger bookstore this morning, but for some reason Gigglyface has developed a deep aversion to his jacket. It causes him to melt to the floor, spreading his arms out and screaming like his coat is aflame. What this is about, I have no idea. None. I'm not going to say that things can't get any worse because we all know those were famous last words and I need good things to happen right now. So, I'm hoping to head out to the bookstore this evening, while Dad holds down the fort to find the perfect book and have a little me time. I need to exhale, decompress, let down the window and feel the air on my face. Whatever it takes.


text:
The TX3 is an approach shoe from La Sportiva that rides like a trail runner, yet provides the protection of a light hiker. With a breathable polyester mesh upper, a stable injected EVA midsole, and a super sticky Vibram MegaGrip outsole, there is a lot to love about the TX3.
The TX3 is built and designed as an approach shoe, but for this review, I'm going to focus on the performance of the TX3 as a dedicated hiker.
Buy the TX3 On: Amazon | REI | Backcountry
Fit and Feel:
Sizing and Weight: I wear a size 46 in the La Sportiva TX3, which is a full size smaller than I wear in the La Sportiva mountain running lineup. For reference, I wear a size 47 in the La Sportiva Mutant, Bushido, Akasha, and Akyra. My size 46 TX3 comes in at a hefty 15oz. The weight is definitely noticeable in comparison to most of my lighter weight trail runners, but the TX3 offers a lot of protection, durability, and stability with it's slightly heavy feature set.
Heel: The TX3 has a deep and lightly padded heel cup that provides a very nice fit for my heel shape. The TX3 has a high rand that runs from the heel of the shoe to the toebox. La Sportiva calls this rand STB Control, as it provides a stability cage around the entire shoe. In the heel, it the STB Control provides a very stable and supportive counter.
Midfoot: The midfoot on the TX3 is an extension of the heel, with support from the STB Control rand. La Sportiva provides additional support using a flywire system that integrates with the lacing.
Toebox: The TX3 has a wide foot-shaped toebox that fits me better than any other La Sportiva shoe that I own. This allows me to wear the TX3 all day on hikes of any length.
The upper of the La Sportiva TX3 is a polyester mesh. This shoe tends to run hot for me, as the amount of materials used on the upper keep my foot from ventilating optimally. In temperatures under 85 degrees, it's not noticeable at all. We had a very warm Fall here in So Cal, and my feet would sweat quite a bit on those 90+ degree days. The TX3 is also a bit of a sponge in wet weather, as the thick protective upper coupled with the STB Control rand doesn't allow for drainage or quick drying. The TX3 is best suited for dry outings in temps under 85 degrees.
The tongue on the TX3 is a burrito wrap style with a gusset stitch only on the medial side of the shoe. The fit and execution of the tongue is close to flawless in terms of comfort and performance. I have never had to adjust the TX3 tongue or lacing on the go, and rarely have to empty my shoe of gravel.
The TX3 utilizes a climbing shoe lacing system with eight eyelets that extend down towards the toe. Much like the tongue design, the lacing design is just about perfect. I love that I can adjust and customize my lacing tension, based on my needs for the day.
The TX3 has a very rigid and protective toebox that makes it work like a hiking shoe. I've kicked rocks at full tilt without feeling a thing on my toes.
The midsole on the La Sportiva TX3 is a firm injected MEMlex EVA. Compared to a trail running shoe, this midsole feels very firm, and at first, almost a bit harsh. For hiking and backpacking though, this firm and stable ride is perfect for me. This shoe feels at home with a 30lbs pack on, and just as comfortable on fast days with just a hydration vest. If you like plush cushioning and thick midsoles, this shoe is not going to be for you. The TX3 is for those looking for a firm, stable, and supportive underfoot ride.
I can't find the heel-to-toe drop of the TX3 listed online, but from my crude caliper measurement, it's in the 10mm range. With around 24mm in the heel and 14mm in the forefoot.
The outsole on the La Sportiva TX3 uses a Vibram MegaGrip compound on the Vibram Traverse outsole lug pattern. This lug pattern uses circular dot lugs in the front of the shoe with a flat climbing zone, and gum drop shaped lugs on the heel. This outsole is ideally suited for rocky terrain where you'll encounter a lot of talus and granite slabs. The amount of confidence and security I have with this outsole is amazing. I know that my foot is going to stick exactly where I'm placing it with each step. I've also worn the TX3 on sandy dirt trails, and a few muddy trails. The lugs don't shed mud very well, but they were definitely serviceable.
Closing Thoughts:
The La Sportiva TX3 is an approach shoe by design that doubles as an all-day hiking shoe without missing a beat. The stable and supportive midsole coupled with the Vibram MegaGrip outsole handle a wide variety of trails over any distance. The upper on the TX3 isn't the best at draining or drying, but on dry days under 85 degrees, these shoes have become my first choice in footwear. The amount of materials and protection on the upper also provide an amazing amount of abrasion protection and durability.
At $135.00 retail, the TX3 is priced very fairly given the durability and feature set being provided.
Disclosure: The product links provided in this post are affiliate links. Purchases made using these affiliate links go to support the content created here at Trail to Peak at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!


text:
Shaquille O'Neal played 19 seasons in the NBA and suited up for six different teams in the process. Though he'll be best remembered for his days with the Los Angeles Lakers, O'Neal came to superstardom with the Orlando Magic and won an additional title with the neighboring Miami Heat. He even played for three different franchises in the final three years of his career. As LeBron James takes some heat for returning to Cleveland, Shaq provided some clever, self-deprecating context to that decision and the state of The King's career.
Congrats to da king
You gotta love the The Big Aristotle. O'Neal and James were teammates for Cleveland during the latter's most recent season there in 2010, and Shaq clearly still holds LeBron in high-esteem.
Though O'Neal's efforts to ease the criticism of James are noble, he's missing the biggest takeaway here – that LeBron is held to the exalted standards of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and even Kobe Bryant as opposed to his own. And for some people, that James has switched teams a second time already puts him behind that legendary trio and players like them in basketball's historical pecking order.
That's not fair, of course, but expectations for LeBron never have been. Kudos to O'Neal for his self-effacing support of James regardless.
What do you think of Shaq's post?
Follow Jack on Twitter at @ArmstrongWinter.
Follow Dime on Twitter at @DimeMag.
Become a fan of Dime Magazine on Facebook HERE.


text:
Color Customize your iPhone with @ColorWare!
Not everything in life is just black and white—and now either is your iPhone 4S! I made the switch from the Blackberry Bold 9700 to the iPhone 4S about a month ago and I am in love. The iPhone does everything my Blackberry did and more, although I'm still a bit nostalgic about the loss of Blackberry Messenger (RIP bbm </3). While I have no complaints about the phone itself, I have to admit that with my whole family being iPhone-ers, it can get confusing. To add a personal touch, I tried out the Kate Spade case (hate it—its bulky and it cracked within the week) and then a pink Apple Bumper, but wasn't satisfied with either. I had heard about customizing the back glass panel of my iPhone with a color of my choice for a small fee and seeing as I've been going through phone cases like I own a store, I figured it was worth a shot.
I did some research online and saw that there are countless colors and combinations to create.
Now, my iPhone looks like this (and I absolutely love it) —
As designer Bill Blass so eloquently said, "When in doubt, wear red." 😉
(FYI ColorWare color customizes just about any electronic! To learn more, check out their website)


text: Ian Liyayi, senior biochemistry major, spent his summer University of Michigan in the lab of Dr. George Garcia working on a drug discovery project. Specifically, he worked with the transcriptional activator, VirF, which regulates the virulence cascade of Shigella Flexneri, the causative agent of shigellosis. He conducted mutagenesis on VirF to isolate its DNA binding domain in order to develop a crystal structure to probe interactions with a known inhibitor of the VirF DNA binding domain. Ian enjoyed his experience in Michigan, saying: "The lab work was challenging and taught me a great deal on conducting research. The experience was eye opening. I realized that I'm interested in pursuing a PhD in medicinal chemistry with a concentration in biochemistry. "


text:
A torch, a blacksmith, a fever, the warm body of a lover, the inspiration of the artist. Kenaz is the rune of both light and heat. With light comes clarity and insight, but with heat comes transformation. Fire provides warmth, food, the gifts of the forge, the passion to create, the electical impulses of the nervous system, the touch of a loved one; but it can also run out of control – the volcano erupting, the child burning his fingers on the cooking pot, a fever raging through the body.
Kenaz speaks to me of enthusiasm and curiousity, it is a rune of risk taking, appearing in the Futhark after Raidho which promotes a steady course and responsibility. In terms of risk taking, think Indiana Jones: self-starting, adventurous, autonomous, curious, intelligent but not a great team player. Kenaz is the rune of the artist who is unafraid to pursue their inspiration.
Work with Kenaz through baking, smithing, pottery, carpentry, painting and the development of any technical or creative skill. Chemistry and, indeed, alchemy are disciplines particularly attuned to the mysteries of Kenaz. Kenaz is also associated with healing as its powers include the transformation of the physical body.
Torch is to every living person
known by its fire,
it is clear and bright
it usually burns
when the athlings [nobles]
rest inside the hall. Old English Rune Poem (Translated by Thorsson)
In its positive aspect Kenaz signifies enlightenment or directed creativity (The Rune Primer: A Down to Earth Guide to the Runes). With the exception of the Old English Rune Poem quoted above the rune poems focus on the more negative aspects of the rune as a harbinger of discomfort and disease. Reversed Kenaz can, indeed, signify illness that maims and weakens. A potential link between the Old English Cēn and the other poems may be the heat of fire – or the heat of fever that needs to be fought and leaves the person weakened and needing to recuperate. A common theme is the impact of this rune upon the physical body (known as the lyke in northern soul-lore). Light and colour are strongly associated with Kenaz. The hues of sunset, the artist's pallete and the discolouration of the body through wounding, sickness or emotion are worth meditating on if you wan to connect strongly with Kenaz.
Literal meanings: Torch, sore, ulcer, lamp, firebrand
Rich meanings: Enlightenment, creativity, learning, knowledge, technical ability, children (as the result of creation)
Deepening your connection with Kenaz
This journey is based on the traditional meanings of the Kenaz rune. Take on the mantle of a Smith's apprentice in this journey to ncounter the rune's energies.e
Articles about Kenaz
Kenaz: half month, birth runes, maker of heroes
Learn about the mysteries of Kenaz with the sixth of my journeys with the Elder Futhark
Kenaz horoscope: 15th September – 1st October
Recent articles
When the zombies come are you on speed dial?
Are you a Healer without even knowing it?
When the ego over-rides the soul…
Leading from your Magician: divine timing and instinctive action
The intention behind my rune pages is to help you develop connect with each rune creatively and with confidence. The pages are by no means comprehensive but I hope they inspire you to journey deeper into their mysteries both through further research and personal gnosis.


text:
It's been a while! I've wanted to get back to blogging for many months but, with long work weeks, it hasn't been easy. But! I now have a very simple way to show you what I've been upto in New York (and beyond) for the past year. Between February 2015 and February 2016, I recorded a second of video …Read More
Tag / Travel
…hopped on the Water Taxi
If the subways seem too hot and cabs seem too pricey, there's a far breezier and cheaper way to get from Brooklyn to Manhattan: the water taxi. The New York Water Taxi has several routes but one of them – between Van Brunt Street in Red Hook, IKEA and Lower Manhattan – is completely free …Read More
…traveled back in time at the NY Transit Museum
The subway system seems an incomprehensible feat to me. How on earth did they dig so many tracks, so far down, so quickly? And in 1900?! The idea is baffling. So this weekend, I headed to the MTA's Transit Museum to try to figure it out. (And to check off something from my '30 Before 30′ list!) Appropriately, the …Read More
…took a roadtrip south
Every year I'm in New York, I swear it gets colder. This morning, it snowed for the third time this week and it's brutal. So will you allow me to reminisce about a warmer time? Last week, Ryan and I jumped in the car and headed south. On New Year's Eve, our friends Gina and …Read More
…visited the cells at Kilmainham Gaol
Ryan and I made one last stop on our Scotland-Ireland tour before heading back to New York – but, while it was fascinating, it wasn't a particularly merry one. From dingy cells at Alcatraz to lockups in Scottish castles, prisons are so interesting to me – I can't imagine the mental games or fear of being inside one. So while in Dublin, …Read More
…poured a perfect pint of Guinness in Dublin
After castles, cathedrals and ceilidhs on Scotland, we hopped on a plane to Ireland – Ryan's 'ancestral homeland', as he kept reminding me. We only had a day in Dublin so, like good tourists, we made a beeline for the Guinness Storehouse. We all know I like a bevvy or five, but Guinness? It always seemed so heavy …Read More
…explored Edinburgh Castle
I know I've not blogged in a few days, but I have a good excuse, I swear! Last week, Ryan and I popped over to Scotland (via Ireland) for a wedding – and got to work on a long list of things we wanted to see//eat//do. It means that we've returned from the holiday more …Read More
…went snowboarding at Hunter Mountain
I woke up this morning aching and bruised… and it was well-earned. Yesterday, a Sochi-inspired Ryan and I headed to Hunter Mountain, a small ski-resort town about two hours north of New York City. We had nabbed a Groupon deal, which included equipment, ski passes and a bus trip organized by Sourced Adventures. The only problem was …Read More
…walked on The Pantiles
A storm hit southern England last night – leaving my family's home without power or heat (just in time for Christmas) and trees strewn across roads and train tracks. It meant that our plan to play tourists for the day in London was scuppered – no trains were heading north. So instead, we jumped in …Read More
…visited Morocco
I've travelled to a fair few places in the U.S., but apart from that, I've not ventured much outside the UK. My parents, on the other hand, are avid travellers and one of their favourite spots in recent years has been Morocco. So tonight they were kind enough to take me there – kind of. …Read More
…browsed the Manchester Christmas market
While New York has everything I could ever need, it's lacking one thing: Some of my favorite Brits. So today, after landing in Heathrow, I hopped on various trains to Manchester to catch up with one of them, Lauren. While Manchester was the best option because it's midway between my family home and hers in …Read More
…spotted an animation from the Q train
Ryan and I were traveling on the Q train from Brooklyn to Manhattan tonight when he told me to look out the right-hand-side window. Before I knew it, I was looking at a colorful animation created by panels on the walls underground. Check out the video: As you can see, we slowed down halfway through, …Read More
…drank cocktails in Montauk
Sorry for the delay on the blog posts this weekend – I've been on a Girls' Trip. On Friday after work, Rachel, Meghan and I jumped on a train to the quintessential New York City vacation destination: Montauk. While I've never been before, I've been hearing about the Hamptons and nearby Montauk ever since I moved …Read More
…visited Madison, New Jersey
Everyone in New York seems to have a talent for something. Even more unfairly is how my friend Maddy has talents for two things. For months now, I've heard her sing beautifully – and today I went to see her act. I jumped on a train from Penn Station with Lindsay and an hour and 15 …Read More
…travelled to my 33rd state
I've done a fair bit of traveling throughout the U.S., but I've largely stuck to the coasts and avoided the middle. Today I went to one state so far out that such little attention was paid during its inception and it was sketched as a square: Colorado. It brings my number of states visited to …Read More
…visited my 31st state
Today I flew to Washington (state, that is) for the first time. I know it's not in keeping with my 'new thing in New York' premise, but I'm counting it anyway. And it takes my tally of states up to 31:Read More


text: On the main page I have a piece on a fascinating Science study that showed how scientists were able to genetically engineer chickens to make them virtually unable to pass on avian flu. That could have major implications for influenza—birds can spread new flu viruses to human beings—and for veterinary disease, if researchers can engineer animals to be disease resistant, rather than using vaccinations. On the other hand, it's kind of icky. Check out the piece here.


text:
Pope's Place
Pope's Place provides individualized care for children and young adults with exceptional medical needs to strengthen them, their families, and the community.
This Place Changes Everything
Pope's Place exists to provide support for families with the challenges they face in caring for their medically complex child or young adult. The types of support we provide include respite care, long-term or transitional care, and residential care. Our residents are children and young adults who require high acuity medical care and have mild behavioral needs. We are a team of skilled nurses, physical therapists, and social workers offering individualized, 24-hour care in a home-like setting. Our staff is dedicated to providing love, care, and support to our residents and their families.
Where Pope's Place Fits In
When you or your loved one need respite, help transitioning from hospital to home, or simply a place to stay where exceptional needs are met, we've got you.
Pediatric Care
Young Adult Care
Parent Support
Physical Therapy
Celebrating 25 Years
Pope's Place was founded and built by pillars of our community. Our doors opened on May 15th, 1995 with a small respite center for the families of medically fragile children. In the 25 years since, our generous community and staff have elevated our program to the prospering campus that exists today. We proudly support medically fragile individuals and their families through transitional, residential, and respite care at the pediatric group home, adult family home, and therapy center. Pope's offers endless thanks to the suppliers, vendors, donors, and staff that helped build this one-of-a-kind program. Your support helps us transform lives!


text:
News Item
September 28, 2006
Three new dark screenshots
Three new dark screenshots
Hot damn this game is going to be dark!
Three new BioShock screenshots have been released that appear to show a darker side to the game - Doctor Throws Fire and Captain Glowy Eyes:
You can catch them in our BioShock screenshots section. Oh, and although it should be obvious, Dr Throws Fire and Captain Glowy Eyes are not their real names - they're Fred and Tom.
If anyone has these without the lame compression artifacts could they let me know? My email address is at the bottom of this post, thanks!
Posted by David 9/28/2006 @ 03:04:03 EST. Link to this


text:
Pine coffee table, unpainted
Fairly generously sized with nice proportions, this solid pine coffee table would bring a shabby chic look to your home. The drawer is a nice touch to store your remote, etc. Take the piece "As Is" or have us paint it to suit your decor for the "Painted" price.
Dimensions: 48" long x 23 1/2" wide x 18" high
As is: $219 / Painted: $295
The Process: If you decide you would like us to finish the piece, go ahead and purchase it from the site. This will act as a deposit. Then you will need to reach out to us by phone or email to discuss the colour, upholstery fabric, hardware and all the details of how you would like your piece finished. Once the piece is ready for pick up or delivery, you can pay the balance.
Our Colours: Our standard colours include Oxford White, White Down, Metropolitan, Amherst Grey, Black and Wrought Iron. Custom colours can be accommodated for an upcharge of $50
Our Paints: We use Benjamin Moore® ADVANCE® paints in a pearl finish. ADVANCE premium quality paint is a low VOC interior paint that gives furniture a hard, durable finish once cured. We recommend a pearl finish because it's not too shiny like a gloss, but is more wipeable than a matte finish.
Our Finishes: Châtelet's painted furniture is sprayed using a compressor and a spray gun. We give all our pieces a light sanding, one coat of primer and two coats of Benjamin Moore ADVANCE paint. We don't offer faux finishes but we can provide a distressed finish. To create a distressed finish, we sand the edges and details of the piece to give it a more rustic, antique look.
Pine coffee table, unpainted
Sale price$219.00
Regular price
Choose options
Pine coffee table, unpainted
Sale price$219.00
Regular price


text:
You're doing your degree work: What else is there to do?
- Hang out in the Library. Not only is there a ton of great information to help you with your degree work,
but college libraries can also have some amazingly interesting special archives and historical items. Some even have associated museums!
- Enjoy the free internet. Just about anywhere you go on campus, you'll find a great internet connection that is free for you to use. Don't have a laptop? Check out the computers in the computer resource center!
- Enjoy the free fitness facilities. Gyms, pools, tracks, perhaps even racquetball courts, tennis courts, basketball courts, badminton anyone? Get a game going and use some of your other muscles, besides that big brain!
- Join a team or two. You might not make the pros, but you can still get into the school spirit and enjoy working out with the team while you do your degree work.
- It's all Greek to me! Join a fraternity or sorority. Many are very invested in academia, social service and helping charities. Fraternity and sorority brothers and sisters can be lifetime friends and important connections in your later career.
- Join student organizations. There are a plethora of campus organizations you can get involved with to inspire you and feed your passions outside of your degree work.
- Take some off-the-wall electives that are totally unrelated to your degree work. You may never have an opportunity to explore topics like this again. Enjoy it now while you have the chance.
- Learn a new language, or an ancient one! Where else can you learn a dead language?
- Join the debate team, or sit in the student union and debate other students informally! Learn to question, think critically, listen to others' opinions, form opinions of your own and defend them logically. Learn what you know and what you need to know to be able to defend your ideas.
- Get two degrees! When you've satisfied your general education requirements for one bachelor's degree, it's easier to get a second. If your first degree doesn't get you quite all the skill set you feel you need for the career you have in mind, fill it out with that second degree.
- Retired? Cut back to fewer hours now that the kids are gone and your expenses are lower? Go back to college and get a degree in what you really want to know about rather than what you need to know to pay the bills. Knowledge is always worth having, at any age.
- Stay involved on campus via working with the Alumni Association. Stay connected, meet new students, be a mentor and be for someone else the important person your mentor was for you.
- Stay connected to your Alma Mater via social media. It's cheaper than the Alumni Association, and you may reconnect with friends you haven't seen in years or even decades!
- Recreate yourself. When you start fresh at a new campus, you can be whoever you want to be. Take a new view of life and try something new. You may find you like being a new you.
- Make memories that will last. Don't forget to spend time doing things that you love, getting to know people, laughing and joking, trying new things, daring to be who you want to be. This time will never come again. Make the most of it.


text:
Catamaran Lagoon 42
- font size decrease font size increase font size
For a unique experience at Greek Ionian islands we offer you the brand new Lagoon 42 with 4 cabines and 4 WC/showers, which belongs to a new established family company(CG-VILLAS & YACHTING M.C.P.Y. ) in Corfu island. Our great love for sailing made this Dream of Life a reality with the acquisition of a brand new catamaran Lagoon 42/2019. Live your Dream today with Lagoon 42.
The Lagoon 42 is an amazing catamaran ideal for family or group of friends sailing holidays. Discover the Greek islands aboard this luxury sailing boat.The brand new Lagoon 42 catamaran, built by Lagoon on December 2018 and launched on January 2019, can accommodate up to 10 guests in 4 en – suite cabins and two crew bow cabins. She is available both for bareboat and skippered charters throughout the Greek coastline. Possible also cabin charter with or without skipper.
The Lagoon 42 is designed to meet the needs of sailors whose first concern is comfort and space, without sacrificing the pleasures of pure sailing.
A stunning catamaran charter with exceptional facilities and comfort, a practical and safe deck layout. The special feature of this catamaran is the amazing sea deck that makes the boat looks stunning.
This Lagoon 42 has a brilliant design. There is a rigid bimini flush with the coachroof for cleaner lines and better protection against the sun.
There is a composite bimini with a sliding panel to ensure a good view of the sails and a sunbed for the ultimate relaxation. Two sunbeds on the right side of the bimini are available for lounging under the starry sky.
The catamaran has easy and safe movement around rear deck and the cockpit and saloon are on the same level.
The panoramic saloon and galley connect directly with the cockpit to offer fantastic indoor-outdoor flow.
Technically speaking, there is a fully equipped technical system such as a chart table with a panel for navigation electronics and a small desk with a flap.
The spacious cabins have excellent ventilation thanks to the fans in cabins and salon and to the portholes that open out to the hull-side. The luxury catamaran is also fully air-conditioned throughout the boat.
Below deck there is plenty of natural light in saloon and cabins that come across the large hull windows. There are double beds with side access in all cabins.
Each cabin has its own electric toilet and private shower.
The panoramic salon and galley connect directly with the cockpit to offer fantastic indoor-outdoor flow. There is a comfortable Teak cockpit for lounging and dining al fresco as well as easy transom access to the water.
Put your favorite music in the stereo system and enjoy it through your cockpit speakers. The best part of a catamaran is the net where you can relax and enjoy the summer breeze.
There is also a standard tender incl. in the price or for 400euro weekly the bigger Attack 3.30m- 50% polyester and 50% inflatable with an outboard of 20Hp Suzuki
• Ms Fussion player + loudspeaker in salon
• Aft portholes in aft cabins with curtains
• Electrical circuit with 40 amp battery charger
• Electrical manoeuvre winch to port side 46.2 staeh
• Waterproof loudspeakers in cockpit
• 2 additional service batteries 140amp
• Flag halyards on spreaders
• Pulpits with wooden seats
• Leather bulkhead organizers in the cabins
• Battery controller
• Indirect lighting in cabins and salon
• Navigation pack B&G 2016
• 2 x Plotters B&G 12" one in Cockpit and one in Chartroom for all Mediterranea
• Generator Onan
• Inverter
• Full AIrconditioning, TV in Saloon
• Additional fuel tank (300lt) in port engine room (Total 600lt)
• Water tank 600lt, water maker 150lt/hour
• Dinghy hoist system with new Dinghy 3,3m with consol steering and 15 hp outboard
• Lazy bag with cover
• 4 double cabins with WC/shower.
• Berth in port bow compartment.
• Berth in starboard bow compartment .
• Double berth in Salon shark brown
The vessel can accommodate up to 10 people. Specifically, she provides four double cabins and
each one has its separate WC/shower. In addition, there are two single bow cabins,a spacious salon with direct communication with the cockpit, which is her great benefit.
Weekly Rates 2023 - 24 for S-Catamaran - LAGOON 42/Dream of life
|04/03/23 - 08/04/23
|Refundable deposit
|08/04/23- 27/05/23
|27/05/23 - 10/06/23
|10/06/23 - 29/07/23
|29/07/23- 19/08/23
|19/08/23- 16/09/23
|16/09/23 - 07/10/23
|07/10/23 - 21/10/23
|21/10/23- 31/12/23
For charter longer than one week ask for our best discount.
Embarkation: at 17:00 of the starting day.
Disembarkation: At 09:00 of the final day of the charter
-40% downpayment within 7 days from booking confirmation.
-20% downpayment 60 days before the embarkation..
-40% final payment 30days before the sailing starts.
40% of the total charter amount, if the booking will cancel up to 60 days prior the start sailing.
60% of the total charter amount, if the booking will cancel up to 30 days prior the start sailing.
100% if the booking cancel anytime within the 29 days before the sailing starts
Contact info: Τel. +30 6944 258481 , you find us also in whatsApp, Viber or Messenger.
Skypename: babiscfu07
catamaranholidaysingreece.com, catamaranholidays.gr
www.corfu-holidays-villas.com , www.menigosresort.com , corfu-glyfada-menigos-resort.com
Additional Info
- 12,80
- 7,70
- 1,25
- 2 x 57hp
- 2 x 300
- 2 x 300
- 90
- 4
- 10
- 4
- 21


text:
Uganda Map
Uganda Location MapFull size
Online Map of Uganda
Uganda political map
Administrative divisions map of Uganda
Uganda physical map
Uganda tourist map
Topographic map of Uganda
Uganda location on the Africa map
About Uganda:
Uganda is officially named the Republic of Uganda located in East Africa. It borders Tanzania in the south, Rwanda in the southwest, Democratic Republic of the Congo in the west, South Sudan in the north and Kenya in the east. In the south it surrounded by Lake Victoria, which is one of the biggest lakes in the world. Uganda has other lakes: Kyoga, Lake Edward, Lake George and Lake Albert.
Uganda name comes from the Buganda kingdom. Kampala is the capital and largest city in Uganda. English and Swahili are official languages. There are many other vernacular languages in the country. Many Asians mainly Indians live in Uganda, however the culture itself is very diverse.
The Facts:
Capital: Kampala.
Area: 93,065 sq mi (241,038 sq km).
Population: ~ 45,000,000.
Largest cities: Kampala, Gulu, Lira, Mbarara.
Official language: English, Swahili.
Currency: Ugandan shilling (UGX).
Maps of Uganda
Cities of Uganda


text:
My mother turned 60 a couple of months ago and to celebrate the occasion we went for a family lunch to this small but amazing restaurant called Swati Snacks in Mumbai. Every item on the menu was so delicious that we ordered quite a few of them multiple times. One of those dishes was this thin, crispy, buttery moong dal chilla. When I asked them about it, the restaurant guys insisted it had nothing but moong dal and it alone could result in a crispy crepe. I had two reasons to be suspicious – one, I am a typical South Indian and for me, lentil based crepes are thick and massive like 'adai' and secondly, I did try having besan chills and it did not work for me. Maybe I didn't do it right but even after multiple attempts the husband refused to eat it and for once, I couldn't fault him.
Then I figured I would try the moong dal chills. I mean, what was the worst that could happen? So I soaked some split moong dal and blended it with some salt and ginger. Voila, the results were fabulous. Then the next time I tried, I had some sour curd which I thought I could use up in this batter and the dosas were soft and delicious. So thanks to the people at Swathi Snacks for that amazing chilla and though mine isn't as good, I still get a tasty and easy breakfasts dish on the menu.
Makes around 8-10 chillas
Split moong dal 1 cup
Ginger, grated 1/4 tsp
Sour curds 1-2 tbsp
- Soak the moong dal in water for around 3 hours. If you are in a hurry, then you can soak it in hot water for 1/2 hour.
- Drain the water and set aside
- Add the moong dal in the blender / mixer
- Add the ginger and salt and enough water to make a smooth batter
- Transfer the batter to a vessel.
- The batter should be smooth and not very thick. It needs to be slightly thinner than the regular dosa batter but not too runny
- Heat a tava and once it is hot, pour a ladle full of batter on it
- Spread the batter with the back of the ladle to form a thin circular shape
- Pour a little oil around the edges and let it cook for almost a minute on high flame
- Once it is nearly cooked on the top side, lower the flame and use a spatula to gently separate the chilla from the tava
- Once it comes off fully from the tava, turn it over to cook on the other side
- Leave it on the tava for about 30 seconds on low flame
- Repeat the process till you have made as many chillas as you need
- Serve warm with some paneer bhurji and green coriander chutney
- Enjoy!
- You can also add some finely chopped onions and fresh coriander to the batter or to the chilla once it has been poured on to the tava
- Leave out the curds if you want a crisp chilla and add a little more curd for a softer chilla.
This is my post for the Blogging Marathon under the theme, 'Crepes'.
Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM


text:
Sunday in Vegas... Edward Kelsey Moore!
If you are attending the American Library Association's Annual Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, this weekend, then be sure to check your registration information for details on the Black Caucus' (BCALA) Membership Meeting and Awards Presentation on Sunday night. Edward Kelsey Moore will be an honored guest and will be receiving the 2014 First Novelist Award from the BCALA for his debut novel, The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat. This award acknowledges outstanding achievement in writing and storytelling by a first time fiction writer. There will also be a book signing. Cost: included with ALA conference registration. We will post a few pictures from the event on the Photo page next week. #alaac14
Comments are closed.
June 2021


text:
List of 2006 BMWs
List of 2006 BMWs, listed alphabetically with photos when available. List contains all the most popular BMW cars made in 2006. There were a lot of great vehicles made in 2006, especially by BMW. If you're sick of slimy salesmen at used-car dealerships then use this list to figure out which 2006 BMWs you'd want to drive before physically seeing them. BMWs have evolved their look since 2006, but it's interesting to see what vintage BMWs looked like. This list is made up of cars like 2006 BMW M5 and 2000 BMW X5 Sport utility vehicle.This list answers the questions, "What cars did BMW make in 2006?" and "What did 2006 BMWs look like?" {#nodes}


text:
Okay - let's say you've checked out how to make ropes and beads and you have some ready to play with. Read through this whole page then decide exactly what you want to do.
One of your first easy felt projects can be a teddy bear!
You will need the following...
Use a large bead as the teddy bear body, short pieces of rope for the arms and legs. Use a medium bead for the head, and cut a small bead in half for ears.
Glue only two pieces together at a time and let them dry before adding more parts. Add a tiny piece of thin ribbon around its neck or a bow made with yarn and ...voila!...the first of your easy felt projects is done!
You could also...
To make the earrings you'd also need... earwires, some seed beads, a needle and some thread (either use your thread double or use clear jewellery thread).
Here's how to attach the bear to earrings...Before glueing on his head...
What if you're not into teddy bears? You can just string your beads together to make a necklace or bracelet. You can coil up and stitch or glue your rope together to make a snail, a snake or just some buttons.
So many ideas so little time for these easy felt projects. Okay - for more practical easy felt projects, how about making wool felt insoles, or a wool felt door stop?
Interested? Here we go then...
You will need...
To start creating you should...
Want to try making felted snakes now? If you fancy an animal door stop as one of your easy felt projects you can choose a rock the shape of a turtle. Use a light colored fiber underneath and a dark one on the top. Use wool felt rope lengths for the legs and a large oval bead for the head. Stitch beads on for the eyes.
Your imagination can go wild with easy felt projects, creating fanciful animals or just sticking to the basic ones you know. Just think about the shapes you can use for different animal parts then shape the felted fiber to fit your project. Wool fiber is pretty cheap and you can get quite a lot of pieces, beads or ropes out of just 2 ounces.
What are you waiting for? Go and find some fiber and give some easy felt projects a try! Have fun crafting!
Find out how to make flat felt here!


text:
Page 365
Hey guys! Thank you so much for your patience, this page took a lot longer than I thought it would. Things have been fairly quiet on my end, I've been struggling with ongoing symptoms but it's nothing too bad, I'm just a bit slower than I'd like at getting things finished.
There's a new vote incentive on Top Web Comics, it was a sketch I did (orignally for Valentine's day) of Eve and Agrippa from Chapter 4. The page was getting a bit of extra traffic in recent months so I wanted to try redrawing one of the panels for fun. Figured it would work well as this week's vote incentive given what Agrippa is currently talking about.
Also, I wanted to mention that about a week ago the wonderful webcomic My Hero did a review of Terra! Every week their characters (Hasera and Lark) review other webcomics, it's a lot of fun so make sure to check it out!
Anyway, that's all from me today. I'm hoping to get page 366 up on time but will keep you all posted if anything changes from now until then.
March 8th
Hey everyone, sorry to have to do this (again) but page 366 is going to be late. I was making good progress with it, but there were a few last minute changes that slowed me down. It's a relatively complex page so I wanted to make sure I didn't rush anything out. My health hasn't been too bad lately, but my wrist is giving me some trouble (I'm thinking mild carpal tunnel), I'm trying not to work for more than a couple hours at a time just in case it aggravates the issue.
Thanks as always for your patience (even though saying that feels super repetitive at this point, I really do mean it). I'm hoping to get back on track next week and will try my best to keep up a consistent update schedule for as long as possible.


text:
A Jewish legend, translated from a small volume published in 1929, Judische Legenden, as told by Else Schubert-Christaller; printed in The Plough Reader, Summer 2001 (adapted).
(…continued) At this, the rabbi could no longer keep his thoughts to himself any longer. He turned and shouted at Elijah, "I tremble before you, but is this God's justice, that the devout suffer pain, while the evil receive love? If so, woe is me, for my heart has lost God."
Elijah towered over him. There was power in his voice as he rebuked the rabbi: "You fool! Who do you think you are to babble about God's justice because of what you see in just a few hours with your little eyes? Did I not tell you that you would not be able to bear what I do?"
But Rabbi Joshua flung himself down on his knees and beat his head against the earth and cried out, "Tell me why you have done all this, or I shall die without faith!"
Elijah replied, "You, who just three days ago believed yourself to be a godly man, full of understanding, and now you talk like this! Do you have no trust in God? Do you know more than God? Do you think you are kinder and more just than God? Must you see and understand everything in order to trust God?"
Despairing, Rabbi Joshua kissed the dust at Elijah's feet. Then Elijah said, "I will explain everything to you. The poor man whose cow I killed was guilty of a great sin and deserved worse. But because of his godliness, God did not want to afflict him or his wife for it. Instead, God took the cow as atonement. As for the man whose wall I straightened; beneath its stones a treasure lay hidden. Had he made the repairs himself, he would have discovered it. This treasure would only have served to harden his heart more and increase his evil. Then, I wished the arrogant men at the synagogue to become city officials, because a city with many officials will be a place of great quarreling, and they will go to ruin in conflict. Their own arrogance will punish them. And as for the good man who died here last night– God rewarded him by giving him just what he wanted. He had lived a long and abundant and godly life. And now, he desired no more than to have a quiet and peaceful death. That is what God, in his mercy, granted him last night."
Then Elijah spoke to the rabbi for the last time. He said, "Stand up, oh man! Our journey together is ended. What you have seen with me you will see wherever you may wander on the earth. But now, when you see wicked people living in lust and happiness while godly ones live in poverty and pain, let your trust in God be great and humble. The poor farmer had no idea why his cow died, but it was God's mercy. The rude farmer had no idea why his wall was repaired, but it was God's punishment. The synagogue leaders thought they were getting rewarded by getting the high position they wanted, but they were being punished. And you thought the old man who died was getting punished, but he was getting his reward. Things are seldom how they seem. Who are you, who sees so little, to judge God, who sees all. Who are you, that you should have the impudence to know the ways of the All-wise One, or search the paths of the Incomprehensible? It is enough that you believe in God and trust and obey Him. Leave God's business to God. Be silent now before God's righteousness, which is far beyond your grasp."
Elijah turned away from him and disappeared. But Rabbi Joshua sat still, praying to God. This time, he prayed not in despair and confusion and anger, but in faith and trust.
Job 10:1-3; 13:1…3 — (Job said), "I loathe my very life; therefore I will give free rein to my complaint and speak out in the bitterness of my soul. I say to God: Do not declare me guilty, but tell me what charges you have against me. Does it please you to oppress me, to spurn the work of your hands, while you smile on the plans of the wicked?… My eyes have seen all this, my ears have heard and understood it... I desire to speak to the Almighty and to argue my case with God."
Job 38:1-4 — Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm. He said: "Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand."
Job 40:1-5; 42:6 — The Lord said to Job: "Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him? Let him who accuses God answer him!" Then Job answered the Lord: "I am unworthy—how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth. I spoke once, but I have no answer— twice, but I will say no more… Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes."
Psalm 46:10a — He says, "Be still, and know that I am God."
Psalm 37:1-2…5-9 — Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away… Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.
II Corinthians 4:18 — So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
O God in heaven, I thank you that you do not require me to comprehend you and your ways; for if that were required, I would be most miserable. The more I seek to comprehend you, the more incomprehensible you are. Therefore, I thank you that you require only faith, and I pray that you increase my faith in you. Amen.
— adapted from a prayer by Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855)