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FCS Edger Attachment - $169.99 DSRP$169.99
Give your yard that professional landscaped look with the STIHL FCS edger attachment.
Give your yard that professional landscaped look with the STIHL FCS edger attachment. This powerful, straight-shaft edger is made for select STIHL trimmers, grass edgers and extended hedge trimmers. Use this handy gearbox attachment to cut defined edges and separate lawn from a planting area.
Important Information
WARNING! Improper use of any power tool may cause serious or fatal injury. Read, understand and follow carefully the operating and safety instructions in your instruction manual before using such products.Click to view the STIHL Limited Warranty Time Periods
STIHL products sold through U.S. STIHL Dealers are for distribution in the United States only.
STIHL products sold through U.S. STIHL Dealers are for distribution in the United States only.
Reserve with STIHL Express for In-Store Pick Up
With STIHL Express, you can reserve the STIHL product you need right from your home or office and pick it up at your local STIHL Dealer.
- Compare STIHL products online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- Pick up products assembled and ready to go
- Get the ease of reserving online while still having access to advice from your local STIHL Dealer.
Distributor Suggested Retail Price
All pricing on this site is Distributor Suggested Retail Price. This site strives to maintain accurate and current suggested retail pricing. However, dealers' actual prices may vary or change. Please confirm pricing with your dealer
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STIHL OUTFITTERS™ goods are sold and shipped by authorized STIHL OUTFITTERS™ Licensees. Ordering online is easy and items can be delivered directly to your address.
Show off your STIHL pride today!
FCS Edger Attachment Description
Give your yard that professional landscaped look with the STIHL FCS edger attachment. This powerful, straight-shaft edger is made for select STIHL trimmers, grass edgers and extended hedge trimmers. Use this handy gearbox attachment to cut defined edges and separate lawn from a planting area.
FCS Edger Attachment
FCS Edger Attachment
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Thank You!
Thank you! You will now receive this special offer within your email, so that it may be printed and redeemed in-store.
FCS Edger Attachment is rated out of 5 by 4.
Rated 3 out of 5 by spice from Starter cord pull out and it didn't edge correctly All the products I bought had problem right away. They have not lived up towhat I thought theywould be
Date published: 2017-03-29
Rated 1 out of 5 by Rush2112YYZ from Was good when it worked I found the unit bogged down in heavy grass. The unit must have done something to the internal shaft because it stopped working When it did work, it worked well. Currently in repair. For the money, not sure I would purchase this unit again.
Date published: 2016-06-08
Rated 5 out of 5 by timebak from Excellent attachment for Stihl straight-shaft trimmers/brushcutters I have an FS 90 trimmer/brushcutter with the bicycle handlebar. I didn't know how this attachment would work on my trimmer, but because the price is so reasonable, I decided to give it a try. This year, I started maintaining the grounds of our Church and Vicarage, and I needed an edger for all the sidewalks and curbs there.The Grounds department where I work uses this edger attachment on their straight-shaft Stihl trimmers with the standard handles and are very pleased with them. They maintain over 400 acres with sidewalks and curbs everywhere, so I knew these FCS Edger Attachments were durable and effective.I have been extremely pleased with all aspects of this edger attachment. I've had no problems installing or removing it, it's easy to set up my FS 90 to make it comfortable to operate, and it's very easy to control and direct, even around curves. The handlebar on my FS 90 has caused me no operational problems.The sidewalks and curbs hadn't been edged in years, and the grass and turf was grown out over them for four to eight inches. That meant that the blade had to cut two or three inches deep to get down to the level of the concrete. I adjusted the edger blade for a deep cut, so that the blade was kissing concrete about a half inch below the edge of the sidewalk or curb. It had no problem making a nice, neat, square cut the first pass in 99.5% of the places. I had to go pretty heavy on the throttle to keep it cutting that deep, but the gearbox barely even got warm.After that first time, I adjusted the blade back up, since the wheels are now running on the concrete, and it just takes a quick pass to keep everything looking great.Another bonus for this attachment is that replacement blades are really cheap and easy to change.
Date published: 2014-10-07
Rated 4 out of 5 by CEBMDB from Good edger attachment I bought one of these a year ago. I switch it out with my trimmer head. At times it is picky getting the shaft and socket to line up, but a little wiggling and it goes right in. Other than that, I have not had one problem. The gear box gets a good work out and still no shaft seal leaks or any other problems. I would definitely recommend this attachment and IF I need to get another one, I will get this one.
Date published: 2013-07-19


text: Cold Gripping U.S. Forecast to Persist Into February January 28, 2014 02:56 AM Tweet TAGS: Marketing, Overseas December 18, 2014 By Bloomberg Email The U.S. may have its fourth-coldest February since 2001 as blasts of arctic air spread across North America in coming weeks, said Matt Rogers, president of Commodity Weather Group LLC. Polar air is currently sweeping across the U.S. as far south as Houston and Atlanta, threatening snow and canceling thousands of flights. The pattern producing the outbreak may deliver more in the coming month, Rogers said. Watch the AgDay national weather forecast: "Like December and January, we continue to see a higher degree of volatility, but cold weather should continue to dominate the story," Rogers said. Lower-than-normal temperatures in the large cities of the Midwest and Northeast can spur natural gas and heating oil consumption in those areas. In addition, cold in the South boosts demand for electricity, which heats many homes and businesses there. Rogers predicted that February will have a natural gas- weighted heating-degree days value of 850, the fourth-highest since 2001. The value, a measure of cold and heating demand, is calculated by subtracting the average temperature from a base of 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18 Celsius) and giving more emphasis to those areas that burn natural gas. February 2007 was the highest since 2001 with a value of 904.8, Rogers said. The five-year average is 773.9 and last year it was 794.8. Back to news

subset: commoncrawl


text:
i'm not quite sure how many pairs of ankle boots I have piling up in my shoe closet these days but if you ask my husband he will likely tell you that there are too many. there is also a relatively large chance he will ask you if your ankles are freezing when there is snow on the ground. you will also very likely not care, when your shoes are just the prettiest shade of charcoal with a slight hint of dusty blue and they hit your ankles just so and they are pretty much the most comfortable thing ever made.
also: i am in love with this coat!! one of the best purchases of the year for sure and such a good price and (surprisingly) excellent quality.
also: i really need to take care of those gross looking roots of mine... yuck!
what I'm wearing


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Dave White Profile
Dave White
Your Movies.com Man at the Multiplex
Dave White's first movie review was of the animated feature Snoopy Come Home. He was seven years old...Read full profile
Your Movies.com Man at the Multiplex
Dave White's first movie review was of the animated feature Snoopy Come Home. He was seven years old...Read full profile
Better--but much sadder--than 1976. Read full review
Critics scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.
out of 100
Metascore®Mixed or average reviewsbased on a weighted average of allcritic review scores.
Shines brightest during its musical numbers.
Read Full Review
Sparkle is never more than an overheated mediocrity. The one thing it isn't, however, is dull.
The look, styles, dialogue and attitudes all feel more 21st century than 1968, but this new Sparkle still sparkles more brightly than its 1976 namesake, which was a sort of rough draft for Dreamgirls.
Sparkle isn't blindingly original but it delivers solid entertainment, and despite the clichés I was never for a moment bored.
See all Sparkle reviews at Metacritic.com
OK for kids 14+
Whitney Houston's final film has some mature elements.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Sparkle is a remake of a '70s melodrama about the many travails that face those who seek fame and fortune in the music industry. Starring late pop superstar Whitney Houston (in her final film) and former American Idol champion Jordin Sparks, the period showbiz drama will appeal to both young Idol and older Houston fans. Like most showbiz industry tales, Sparkle has a fair amount of substance use (alcohol and drugs) and sexuality (passionate foreplay, revealing outfits, and discussion of adultery, premarital sex, and teen pregnancy). Even more unsettling is the portrayal of an abusive marriage that shows a couple hitting and hurting each other (the wife-beater is eventually killed in self defense). Despite the more intense elements, though, Sparkle is ultimately inspiring for young artists who want to reach for the stars.
Messages: While there are some cautionary messages about marrying for money, allowing yourself to stay in an abusive relationship, and even not supporting your kids' passions, there are also positive themes. Sparkle, Stix, and Dolores all have big dreams: to make music and to become a doctor, respectively. Their journeys are filled with ups and downs, but none of them gives up, and by the end of the movie, they've all accomplished their goals.
Role models: Despite the two self-destructive characters, Sister and Satin, Sparkle does have several positive role models. Dolores considers singing a means to the end of getting into a good medical school and becoming a doctor; she's grateful for her mother's strict encouragement of education. Sparkle follows her dream of becoming singer-songwriter without being disrespectful to her mother. Emma seems overly rigid, but she realizes she shouldn't squash her daughter's dreams.
Violence: Domestic abuse is depicted; soon after their marriage, Satin begins to hit Sister, who fights back. Satin also strikes Sparkle across the face. Characters are shown with bruises on their face and body. Two men nearly come to blows at a nightclub. During a climactic fight, a character is killed in self defense.
Sex: Sister exudes sexuality with her sultry mode of singing, her barely there clothes, and her provocative dancing (the other two sisters are considerably more demure). In a couple of marital love scenes, Sister and Satin grope and kiss each other passionately while wearing nightclothes/lingerie. Sparkle and Stix kiss and flirt, and Sparkle mentions that she's a virgin. Emma mentions teenage hormones, premarital sex, and illegitimate children.
Language: Occasional strong language and insults, including a couple uses of "s--t," "a--hole," "bitch," "ass," "damn," "goddamn," "oh my God," "hell," "whore," and "jerk." Also some racial slurs, such as "Sambo" and "coon," said by African-American characters.
Consumerism: Mentions of Barry Gordy, Motown, Columbia Records, and Cadillacs.
Drinking, drugs and smoking: In addition to drinking in nightclubs and parties, Sister's husband introduces her to cocaine and heroin and overindulging in alcohol. She becomes the cautionary-tale junkie by the end of the movie. Several characters smoke cigarettes -- from a mother to clubgoers.
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© Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.
Movies.com, the ultimate source for everything movies, is your destination for new movie trailers, reviews, photos, times, tickets + more! Stay in the know with the latest movie news and cast interviews at Movies.com.
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text:
Harvard-Yenching Library
The Harvard-Yenching Library is the largest university library for East Asian research in the Western world. Although as an organized library it dates only from 1928, the collection can trace its beginnings back to 1879, when Chinese was first offered as part of Harvard University's regular curriculum. In that year a group of Bostonians engaged in the China trade invited Ge Kunhua 戈鯤化, a Chinese scholar from the city of Ningbo in Zhejiang Province, to give instruction in Chinese at Harvard. The small collection of books that was bought for his courses, the first acquisitions in any East Asian language at the Harvard College Library, marked the beginning of a Chinese collection. A Japanese collection was similarly launched in 1914 when two Japanese professors, Hattori Unokichi 服部宇之吉 and Anesaki Masaharu 姉崎正治, both of Tokyo Imperial University, came to lecture at Harvard and donated several important groups of Japanese publications on Sinology and Buddhism to the Harvard College Library. In 1928 these two collections, then consisting of 4,526 volumes in Chinese and 1,668 volumes in Japanese, were transferred from Widener Library to the newly established Chinese-Japanese Library of the Harvard-Yenching Institute, which had itself been independently incorporated that year in Massachusetts. Dr. A. Kaiming Ch'iu 裘開明, a renowned bibliophile and then a Harvard Ph.D. candidate, who had begun cataloging the collections a year before, was appointed librarian of the Chinese-Japanese Library.
With financial support from the Harvard-Yenching Institute, the expert bibliographical knowledge of Dr. Ch'iu, and the assistance of Yenching University Library in Peking, the library's collections grew rapidly. At the end of its first decade the library's holdings amounted to more than 110,000 volumes—18 times the original size. Although the library first collected only in Chinese and Japanese, with the major emphasis on the humanities, subsequent expansion in Harvard's East Asian curriculum led to a similar expansion in the library's scope. Tibetan, Mongolian, and Manchu publications were added, as were Western-language monographs and journals. A Korean collection was inaugurated in 1951, and a Vietnamese collection was added in 1973. Social science publications were given increased attention in the post-World War II years, and collecting in this area has been greatly accelerated since the mid-1960s. Thus, the once predominantly humanistic collection has gradually evolved into a research library that encompasses East Asian materials in all of the academic disciplines, including, to some extent, the natural and applied sciences.
In 1965 the name Chinese-Japanese Library of the Harvard-Yenching Institute was changed to Harvard-Yenching Library in order to reflect more accurately the expanded nature of the library's collections. The management of the library, which had been under the Harvard-Yenching Institute from the beginning, was transferred in 1976 to the Harvard College Library.


text:
Chenille Kraft® No-Spill Paint Cups - 10/Set
by Chenille Kraft | Item #: 104969 | Model #: 5100 |
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- $ 10 98 10.98
Non-member price: $12.08 Join now!
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Delivery estimates, taxes, and fees are based on ZIP Code. Club Pickup orders are based on your club's current price and item availability on the day of payment.
About this itemChenille Kraft® No-Spill Paint Cups
No more spilt paint with these dual-lid storage cups. Lid color easily identifies the color of paint inside. Outer lid seals cup securely; inner lid keeps paint from spilling out if cup gets knocked over. Also serves as a brush holder. 10 cups per set.
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text:
Disaster-Related Contracts
of Intent to Participate in Cooperative Contract –
State of Utah's WSCA contract for Tires, Tubes
and Services.
Notice is hereby given that the State
of New Jersey intends to participate in the State of
Utah's WSCA contract for Tires, Tubes and Services.
The State intends to award contracts to Bridgestone
Americas Tire Operations, LLC and The Goodyear Tire
and Rubber Company. Information regarding the WSCA contract
may be found on the WSCA website at: http://www.aboutwsca.org/contract.cfm/contract/w17b-2007.
The State of Utah's contract has a term of three
(3) years from April 1, 2012 through March 31, 2015.
The contract may be extended for an additional four
(4) years in two (2) year increments upon mutual agreement
of the parties.
The period for comments expires on September 4, 2012.
The State of New Jersey is permitted to join cooperative
purchasing agreements under the authority of N.J.S.A.


text:
STIHL Trimmer Buyer's Guide
Finding the right trimmer for your needs doesn't have to be a guessing game. Use this buyers guide to see which trimmers come with the power and features you need to get the job done.
If you still need more information after reading this guide, don't hesitate to visit our Dealership. We can answer your questions, show comparisons between models and even provide live demonstrations. We want you to be confident in your purchase, and will help you find whatever you need to do so.
STIHL grass trimmers are lightweight, powerful and easy to use. Just start them up and watch as they make quick work of those hard-to-reach areas mowers leave behind. Homeowner trimmers are available in either loop handle or bike handle styles. Both options are loaded with convenient features designed to save you time and effort.
- Weekly or monthly use as needed
- Smaller lots and home lawns
- Light grass trimming and weed cutting, landscape management
STIHL trimmers for professionals feature power, fuel efficiency and lasting durability - and they're specially designed for heavy-duty tasks. They boast an exceptional power-to-weight ratio, putting every last ounce of their well-balanced construction to work. With additional features such as anti-vibration technology and increased comfort to reduce operator fatigue, these trimmers are the complete package for any landscaper.
- Heavy use (every day)
- Larger lots with dense grass or brush coverage
- Dense grass trimming and weed cutting, area mowing
STIHL brushcutters and clearing saws cut through the clutter and provide a hardworking solution for your heavy-duty jobs. With a rugged professional design, these models have what it takes to help you in the field, whether you're maintaining a fenceline or out in the forest with a tough clearing job.
- Heavy use (every day)
- Larger lots with dense brush coverage
- Cutting saplings, clearing dense undergrowth, brush removal
Battery & Electric Trimmers
STIHL offers environmentally conscious trimmers, brushcutters and clearing saws for both homeowners and professionals. Choose between plug-in electric and lithium-Ion battery models to find your right shade of green.
- Any usage (monthly, weekly or daily)
- Areas with noise restrictions
- Light landscaping, controlled grass trimming, brush removal
When you see STIHL Trimmers with letters in the model number, they indicate specific performance features. Here is a quick guide to those letters, so you can better identify the features that better complement your needs.
E = Easy2Start™
The innovative STIHL Easy2Start™ (E) makes starting STIHL power tools easy and straightforward without requiring a lot of effort. The secret is an additional spring between the crankshaft and the starter rope rotor.
M = STIHL M-Tronic™
The STIHL M-Tronic™ engine management system electronically controls the ignition timing and fuel metering in any operating condition, factoring in altitude and fuel quality. This system provides professionals with optimum performance, whether you are just starting to work or resuming after a break.
R = Loop Handle
A rounded handle mounted on the shaft for support and control.
C = Built-In Special Comfort
X = Lightweight version


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That's not only a poor Scrabble score but we also couldn't find any results matching
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The new .uk domains seem to be unstoppable, despite the many potential drawbacks for UK businesses and consumers.
Here are a few reasons why I, and others, think this is a bad idea...
There is no real demand for it
The .co.uk domain works perfectly well for the country's online businesses, and there is no urgent need to change it nor any major sign of demand from businesses or consumers.
In fact, the only justification I can find comes from research that "79% of British consumers prefer to use a .uk domain when buying online".
This figure comes from Nominet's own research, carried out in 2011 and, since I cannot find the full survey or methodology anywhere, it's hard to make sense of that statistic.
It's effectively a tax on the UK's digital economy
If you have a site on the .co.uk domain, then you're effectively obliged to buy the .uk version. This is for several reasons:
- If .uk becomes the domain for the UK, you can't afford not to have one for your site.
- Fraud. Someone could easily buy the .uk version of your site and use it for phishing, as the distinction between .uk and .co.uk is a subtle one.
- Exploitation by competitors. A competitor site could buy the .uk version of your domain and use it to siphon off a chunk of your search traffic.
Estimates vary, but some guess that the new domains could cost the UK's digital businesses between £50m and more than £100m when you take into account the costs of acquiring the new domains, changing stationery, staff time, technical changes, PPC and so on.
As Dan Barker points out, "it's quite sad to think of the amount of money it would cost UK business, with no real upside".
It benefits Nominet and its members more than anyone
The benefits of the new domain extension are unclear at best for businesses, but the extra renewal fees will certainly benefit Nominet.
Depending on the uptake, and based on a £5 per year renewal fee, Nominet stands to make more than £25m, and perhaps £40m+ from .uk. (thanks to Edwin Hayward)
The Nominet voting system isn't exactly democratic
As Emily Taylor explains in this excellent article, the voting system in Nominet is somewhat puzzling to an outsider. It's reminiscent of rotten boroughs from the 19th century and before.
It isn't one member, one vote. No, for each domain you possess, you get an extra vote. Thus, the big domain businesses control most of the votes.
Just 1% of Nominet's membership controls over 60% of its voting power. Therefore, is it any surprise that policy coming from Nominet favours the interests of this 1%?
The security justifications for the new domains are not backed up by the facts
Nominet has tied the new domain changes into security measures meant to reduce the £27bn lost to online crime in the UK each year.
First of all, much of that £27bn comes from IP theft, which the new measures won't deal with. Secondly, if security is an issue, why not introduce these measures for existing domains?
Nominet has not really answered this question effectively,but one thing is clear. Security is not a justification for .uk domains.
It devalues .co.uk
This Nominet website is still promoting .co.uk as a great place to be, but it's about to reduce the value of these domains.
How? Here are just two ways:
- SEO. Will the new .uk domain carry more weight with the search engines? If so, then your search position is at risk.
- Security. If the new domains are billed as more secure, this implies that the others are riskier.
The difficulty of acquiring the .uk version of your current domain
Let's hope, if you're an online business, you have the .org.uk, .plc.uk (and so on) versions of your domain, as well as the .co.uk version.
Otherwise, you may face a battle to grab your .uk domain. This kind of confusion does not help business.
According to Nominet's consultation document:
We propose to grant registrants of existing third level domain names under Nominet's management (.co.uk, .org.uk, .me.uk, .ltd.uk, .plc.uk, .sch.uk,) a six month period to exercise a right of first refusal to register the second level equivalent. Recognising the range of second levels that make up the register we propose to grant the right to the currently registered domain name string which has the earliest registration date.
The modified release process would eliminate the need for detailed factual assessment of the merits of competing claims and the need for auctions to resolve 'tie-break' situations. On balance, we believe it would be fair, simple to use, less expensive to operate and less costly for end users and remain in line with the principles of first-come, first-served.
In summary
It seems likely that the new domains will go ahead, though this isn't finally decided just yet, simply because the members of Nominet with the most influence (domain name businesses) are supporting it.
However, it offers few, if any, real benefits for UK businesses, and promises to land them with lots of new costs, the uncertainty of acquiring new domains, and some real problems if they aren't able to secure the new version of their current web address.
Nominet has so far failed to put forward a convincing business case. Bizarrely, it even says this isn't its purpose when carrying out consultations.
Quite simply, if a non-profit organisation which is supposed to exist for the benefit of all online businesses and internet users wants to bring a change with such potential impact, it's not unreasonable to expect a solid business case.
So, with no convincing business case for .uk, the potential costs and confusion for online business the proposed changes will bring, combined with the £25m+ Nominet stands to make from this, it's hard not to be cynical...
What do you think? Good or bad idea? Will you be grabbing the new .uk domain for your business? Let me know below...
Comments (16)
Not sure that the "devalues SEO" argument is true - if your .uk domain is 301 redirected to your main .co.uk domain, there's no problem right?
If you choose to migrate from your .co.uk to your new .uk, you might see some short term losses but again, handled in the right way, it shouldn't be a problem.
@Rob I was thinking more of search positions being diluted if someone else has the .uk version of your current domain name.
It's simply a money making exercise driven by the domain name re-sellers and speculators. It is of no benefit to the industry at large. Nominet as a non-profit should represent the interests of all members, and not be driven by the ambitions of large for-profit businesses.
Unless the ".co.uk" becomes obsolete then , yes, the value of the ".uk" will be totally acceptable and companies will thank themselves for buying their second level domain names. If Google.uk were to be the main port of call for searches then it would have to be compulsory (like our .fr)... But for the cost of a domain name, why would one not want to own it?
@Graham given Google's down-weighting of exact-match domains last year (http://www.seroundtable.com/google-emd-update-15776.html) it shouldn't pose much of a problem - companies should be able to manage their brand search results with social media profiles etc.
Anyway - sorry to nitpick, good post!
@Keith Actually, "domain name re-sellers and speculators" are some of the most adamantly opposed to the idea of .uk. Being "inside" the industry, they were some of the first to see the gaping holes in Nominet's proposal.
The main drivers for .uk:
- Nominet stand to make a ton of money and gain more power and influence in the UK internet industry
- Nominet's partner registrars get a huge influx of extra business selling .uk domains to existing and new clients (the top 1% of registrars have 60% of the votes)
In fact, it's instructive to look at all the reasons Nominet have put forward for launching .uk. In V2 of the consultation, there are no security benefits left (all the security aspects were stripped out after the V1 consultation closed) and no benefits of any kind for the 10,000,000 existing registrants - only extra costs and consumer confusion.
I've covered this at length (with full sources - I don't believe in loosely throwing around data I can't back up) in my V2 consultation response, which you can download from http://www.mydomainnames.co.uk/v2response2.pdf
This is a self serving exercise on behalf of Nominet and their coffers. I'm angry that they represent and push the .co.uk meanwhile they come up with this devaluing distraction which will actually cost most businesses more money - and leave consumers baffled and possibly open to making mistakes online.
True a single .co.uk is not that expensive to a business, however like many companies and brands we have a raft of names which does cost a lot to maintain and for no benefit other than self defence and keeping the squatters and abusers out. As a small design consultancy Evolution Design has about 40 domain permutations and we may need to add up to 10 more, each and every year, forever.
Also being based in Scotland we are also having to face up to adding .scot domains as well, and who want that one?
It is a real issue as we did have a domain dispute recently when an SEO company registered similar domains and ran them against us until they were forced into liquidation by HMRC, Nominet were not of much use then, unless we paid for the entire Dispute Resolution Service process, for that story see: http://www.edinburghdesignconsultancy.co.uk/?p=12
Hi Deri
I just checked and it worked for me, the first page is http://www.edinburghdesignconsultancy.co.uk
Thanks for your interest.
Worth noting that Nominet hired in an external consultancy, Nomensa, to summarise the results of their first round of consulting on this issue.
This V1 report can be downloaded from http://www.nominet.org.uk/sites/default/files/NomensaAnalysisFinal.pdf
However, you have to know of the report's existence, because it is no longer linked from any other page on Nominet's website! In other words, unless you already know about it you'll literally never be able to find it.
So what does this have to say about South Africa where we use the .co.za domain? We predominantly want to attract South African end users and clients. It also builds trust with the end users we're attracting as we are a born and bred SA company that offers competitions by SA brands to SA consumers. Most sites by SA companies use the .co.za domain and it's trusted.
We briefly, very briefly, considered the .com version of our website and ditched it. Yes, it was almost immediately bought up and we've been offered to buy it back. However, that is unconstitutional and we have the relevant international laws that we can call upon if we wish to 'buy' it back.
Please get rid of the captcha code. There's newer versions out there that are more user-friendly.
One of the problems with this proposal is that Nominet are positioning .uk as a commercial space, but that is exactly what .co.uk already is.
So we will have two parallel commercial spaces within the UK namespace.
Who does this benefit?
Internet users? No - they have the confusion of two address variations where previously there was one. Their favourite sites could get hijacked by competitors or scammers.
Businesses? No - they must now pay for both variations of their name in the UK commercial name space - something they thought (Nominet led them to believe) they had already secured with .co.uk. Plus they may not get their name at all if a cyber-squatter has the .org.uk. What a disaster that would be!
Nominet? Yes - even though they are a not-for-profit, they openly admit to wanting to grow the Nominet business.
Registrars? Yes, and how! The registrars, who own Nominet, stand to net an absolute bonanza as the size of their UK business could double overnight.
It makes me wonder if Nominet is really a safe custodian of the UK namespace, given that the only stakeholder it seems to consider is the registrars (and itself).
If we must have .uk, why not just migrate .co.uk to .uk, and fund it using Nominets vast cash reserves?
It's interesting that there's almost zero media support for the idea of .uk. Of the 115 articles I've collected since the first consultation began in October 2012, only 11 (9.5%) could find anything positive to say about it, while 42.5% were strongly opposed to the idea and 90.5% were opposed to .uk.
Despite that, Nominet's stance all the way through this process is that there is "broad support" for .uk, although they have provided no evidence to support their statement.
You can see the full media analysis (complete with sources) on my blog http://www.webmastering.co.uk/domain-names/media-sentiment-analysis-for-the-concept-of-uk-domains/
Edwin - did the journalists properly understand how Nominet is owned and governed? This piece on econsultancy is the first thing I have read where the author exposes how Nominet is basically a puppet for the large registrars, and the fact that it is a "non-profit" is a complete red herring.
The media should be asking whether Nominet's structure makes it a fit and proper entity to govern the UK namespace on behalf of UK citizens!
Thanks guys I did view the report PDF linked by Edwin, it says "The responses to the consultation were analysed by Nomensa"
I'm not sure that Nomensa are an external research consultancy at all - the report has their logo but they appear to be more of a digital design and UX agency based on a visit to http://www.nomensa.com/ they say "Nomensa - We're a strategic UX design agency transforming digital experiences"
Why hire a UX agency to present research findings?
The report does have one pretty "Important caveat #1: Question 11a was confusing and potentially misinterpreted by respondents
Q. Do you agree that Nominet should consider the provision of
a more secure .uk domain name service with registrations directly
at the second level? This question was potentially confusing to respondents.
In my opinion .uk domains are good idea - why? they are shorter that co.uk.


text:
After the San Diego convention center closed its doors this evening, a small protest outside drew our attention. Captain America insisted that the con shouldn't "goat" to Anaheim, which is one location where it might relocate. The goat was adorable.
There's a lot of talk about where the Con might go after its contract with the San Diego convention center runs out. Las Vegas and Anaheim are two possible ideas that have been floated, but there are no concrete plans either way. This fan, however, wanted us to know that Anaheim is goaty. Having grown up just a few miles away from Anaheim, I can tell you from personal experience that he's not wrong.


text:
The numbers were staggering! Some time ago at a camp for Christian young people, a short, three-question quiz was given to the teenagers in attendance—most of whom were from homes with Christian parents (and many of whom already had made the decision to become a Christian themselves). The first question asked simply, "How long ago did the dinosaurs live?," and provided four possible answers. Over 70% of those present answered that dinosaurs had walked this Earth millions of years ago. People enamored with the type of material normally found within the pages of Time magazine, or National Geographic, or those who watch CNN and the Discovery channel, probably would not find that answer alarming. But try to harmonize the idea that dinosaurs existed millions of years ago—long before man is supposed to have arrived—with the Genesis account of creation. It simply cannot be done.
These youngsters were not atheists or agnostics from some "intellectually elite" university; they were our children—children who have been reared and nurtured in the church, and who believe Jesus Christ is the divine Son of God Who lived and died for them. And yet, by the time many had reached their teens, they already had discounted the words of the Bible in favor of an evolutionary timeline that, from their vantage point at least, is dominated by the most amazing creatures ever to have lived—the dinosaurs.
Ask an average 10-year-old boy or girl when the dinosaurs existed, and see what response you get. Follow up that question with one about whether or not men lived with the dinosaurs, and watch how quickly that same 10-year-old's brow wrinkles in quizzical shock at the very idea of such. Chances are, that excited little face—which belongs to a child who could share a veritable plethora of dinosaur trivia with you—will change into a puzzled look that is accompanied by a troubling frown. For, you see, we live in a world where our children are taught that dinosaurs evolved, and became extinct, millions and millions of years ago—long before man arrived on the scene. And so, those precious little souls march off to school, where they will learn about the "terribly great lizards"—completely unaware of the fact that what they are learning is thoroughly at odds with the biblical account of creation.
One thing on which both creationists and evolutionists agree is that dinosaurs make marvelous teaching tools. Rare is the adult—and even more rare is the child—who does not have a keen interest in dinosaurs. These magnificent beasts with the polysyllabic names capture our attention as we fixate on their massive size, their lizard-like skin, or the terror they apparently were able to create as they roamed the planet. From kindergarten through graduate school, dinosaurs frequently are used as a tool to indoctrinate students regarding the "fact" of organic evolution. In most public school, college, and university settings, whenever dinosaurs are discussed, it is in the context of their evolutionary origin, development, and extinction. Additionally, students are told about how the dinosaurs evolved into what we now know as birds.
What effect does this kind of teaching have on young minds? If the correspondence we receive at Apologetics Press on a regular basis via telephone calls, e-mail, and regular mail is any indication, the evolution-based teaching regarding dinosaurs may be pulling more of our children away from the church than any other single concept. Because practically all youngsters have a fascination with dinosaurs, and because teachers are among the most trusted of all adults, children often accept without question evolutionary dogma and its accompanying concept of an ancient Earth. With what results? If testimony from many of the evolutionists themselves is taken at face value, the study of dinosaurs was the deciding factor in their conclusion to abandon their belief in God and to accept in its place organic evolution. Evolutionists like the late paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould of Harvard, the famed dinosaur hunter, Robert Bakker, and others are on record as stating that it was the study of dinosaurs, at a very young age, which set them on their lifelong path as evolutionists. Dr. Bakker even commented on this fact in the preface to his immensely popular book on dinosaurs (1986, p. 9). Edward O. Wilson, the father of the discipline known as sociobiology, once commented that when he was fifteen years old, he had "great fervor and interest in the fundamentalist religion; I left at seventeen when I got to the University of Alabama and heard about evolutionary theory" (1982, p. 40). Henry M. Morris, former professor and department head at Virginia Polytechnic Institute, observed that he "spent over twenty-eight years teaching in secular universities and saw this sad tale repeated in many lives" (1984, p. 113). Because dinosaurs are fascinating to children, because they are such an effective teaching aid, and because they generally are used to teach evolution, these creatures represent a formidable tool to be used in robbing students of all ages of their faith in God and His Word. This makes the controversy over dinosaurs most important.
One of the worst mistakes we can make as parents, grandparents, and teachers is to suggest that dinosaurs never existed. While such a response may appear, at first glance, to be a simple and quick solution to "the dinosaur dilemma," in reality, it is a response that becomes impossible to defend when our children visit a museum and come face to face with a two-story-tall Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton. Children cannot be expected to deny such tangible, forceful evidence, and at the same time believe a well-meaning but very wrong parent. Did dinosaurs really exist? Most certainly! We have discovered their fossilized remains on all seven continents—from North America to the Antarctic. As a matter of fact, great dinosaur graveyards have been discovered in places like Tanzania, Africa, and at the Dinosaur National Monument on the Colorado/Utah border in the United States. Literally tons of fossilized dinosaur bones have been recovered from all over the globe. In 1993, Mike Hammer even unearthed a fossilized dinosaur (from the Hell Creek formation in northwestern South Dakota) that was said to still possess the ancient creature's heart. Plus, of course, paleontologists have unearthed numerous caches of fossilized dinosaur eggs.
The first discovery of the dinosaurs, as far as "recent" times is concerned, occurred in the spring of 1822. Gideon Mantell, a country doctor in England with a lifelong passion for fossil hunting, set off in horse and buggy to visit a patient. His wife, Mary Ann, accompanied him on the trip. While Dr. Mantell tended to his ill patient, Mrs. Mantell took a stroll. As she walked, she came across a pile of stones that had been placed alongside the road to be used in filling ruts caused by the spring rains. Amidst those stones, she discovered what appeared to be very large fossil teeth. She took the fossils back to her husband (a well-known, amateur paleontologist in his own right), who was amazed, never having seen such huge teeth before. He went to the nearby rock quarry from which the stones were cut, and found more teeth like those that his wife had discovered. He presented the teeth to several scientists, but none agreed with him that they were from some type of heretofore-unknown creature. He, however, was stubbornly sure that they were. In 1825, he named the long-dead owner of the teeth, Iguanodon ("iguana-tooth"), since the teeth were similar to those of an iguana, but much larger. Several years later, more teeth like these were discovered in a different quarry. Now, no one doubted that Iguanodon had once existed. Meanwhile, huge bones of another creature (which came to be known as Megalosaurus) had been dug up farther away in Oxfordshire. By 1842, enough of these kinds of fossils had been uncovered to convince the leading British anatomist, Sir Richard Owen of the British Museum of Natural History, that an entire tribe of huge, lizard-like reptiles had lived in the distant past. Based on his studies, he named them "dinosaurs" (from the Greek words deinos and sauros, translated by him as "fearfully great lizards")—known to us today as "terribly great lizards."
Soon, American fossil hunters joined in the search. The climax came in March of 1877, when two schoolmasters—Arthur Lakes and O.W. Lucas—separately stumbled onto colossal fossil bones projecting from the rocks in different parts of the state of Colorado. Lakes showed his find to the well-known paleontologist, Othniel Marsh. Lucas showed his find to Marsh's bitter rival, Edward Cope. Marsh and Cope became the most famous of all the "dinosaur hunters." All told, Cope named nine new genera of dinosaurs, while Marsh named nineteen. Now, no one who bothered to keep up with the times doubted the existence of the dinosaurs.
The question no longer was, "did the dinosaurs exist?," but "when did the dinosaurs exist?" Today, an important controversy exists between evolutionists and creationists regarding the matter of exactly when the dinosaurs lived. In fact, a chasm exists between these two groups that never will be bridged—so long as each side maintains its present view. Evolutionists advocate that dinosaurs evolved from some ancient reptile 200 million years ago, and that they became extinct roughly 65-70 million years ago. Man (in one form or another) allegedly evolved approximately 2-3 million years ago, and thus was separated from the dinosaurs by some 65 million years of geologic time.
Creationists who accept Genesis 1-2 as an accurate, historical record of God's creative activity, oppose such claims, and maintain instead that the dinosaurs were created by God within the six literal days described in the biblical record. Genesis informs us that all creatures were created during the Creation week (cf. also Exodus 20:11 and 31:17). Genesis also instructs us regarding the fact that dinosaurs, as land-dwelling animals, were formed on day six—the same day on which man was created. Thus, the inescapable conclusion is that dinosaurs and man would have lived together on the Earth as contemporaries.
Truth be told, dinosaurs and men did coexist as contemporaries. There is no other conclusion that respects the clear, compelling statements of the inspired Word of God. For some people, however, such a conclusion simply is not acceptable, and they have gone to incredible lengths in order to avoid the import and implications of the Bible's teaching on this subject. Consider, to choose just one example, the following statements from John N. Clayton of South Bend, Indiana:
(1) If dinosaurs existed 200 million years before Adam and Eve it does not present any problem to a literal understanding of the Genesis record (1968b, p. 16).
(2) I have no way of telling where man's beginning should be on the chart [of geological time—BH/BT]. Clearly man has become the dominant form of life on the Earth only in modern times, but where Adam and Eve fitted into this picture is unclear (1968b, p. 35).
(3) Birds, mammals and man are mentioned; and all of these are recent additions to the Earth geologically (1977, p. 151).
(4) Man is a very recent newcomer to this planet (1968a, lesson 8).
(5) Genesis 1:1 simply says, "In the beginning God created the Heaven and the Earth." The verse is undated, untimed, and without details as to how this was done. Tradition has said that the first verse is an instantaneous event and that verses 2-31 detail how it was done. It does not seem to this writer that this interpretation is consistent with the flow of the language and the message.... Could not dinosaurs and many other forms have been involved in the production of an Earth ready for man? I further submit for your consideration that some time may be involved in this verse and that natural processes may have been used as well as miraculous ones to prepare the Earth for man (1982, pp. 5-6).
Contrast such statements ("Man is a very recent newcomer to this planet") with statements from Jesus Christ Himself: "But from the beginning of the creation, male and female made he them" (Mark 10:6; cf. Matthew 19:4, emp. added). Further contrast such statements ("all of these are recent additions to the earth geologically") to statements of the inspired apostle Paul:
For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity; that they may be without excuse (Romans 1:20, emp. added).
The term "perceived" is from the Greek noeo, a word used for rational human intelligence. Paul, speaking by inspiration, stated that someone human was "perceiving." What, exactly, were they perceiving? The things God had made. How long had they perceived those things? Since the creation of the world! Who, from a human vantage point, was doing the "perceiving"? Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45; Romans 5:14) and Eve (1 Timothy 2:13). The apostle's point was that Adam and Eve had been present since the creation of the world (i.e., as a part of the six-day creative activity of God), perceiving the things that were made. And that includes the dinosaurs!
An article in the January 1993 National Geographic boldly proclaimed: "No human being has ever seen a live dinosaur" ("Age of the Dinosaurs," 1993, 183[1]:142). The evidence, however, reveals an entirely different story. Consider the following:
In the late 1800s, Samuel Hubbard, honorary curator of archaeology at the Oakland, California, Museum of Natural History, was excavating ancient Indian dwellings in the Hava Supai Canyon in Arizona. On the walls of the canyon where the Indians' ancestors once lived, Dr. Hubbard found elegant drawings of an elephant, an ibex, a dinosaur, and other animals. He stated concerning the dinosaur drawing: "Taken all in all, the proportions are good." He further suggested that the huge reptile is "depicted in the attitude in which man would be most likely to see it—reared on its hind legs, balancing with the long tail, either feeding or in fighting position, possibly defending itself against a party of men" (as quoted in Verrill, 1954, pp. 155ff.). Dr. Hubbard also noted:
The fact that some prehistoric man made a pictograph of a dinosaur on the walls of this canyon upsets completely all of our theories regarding the antiquity of man.... The fact that the animal is upright and balanced on its tail would seem to indicate that the prehistoric artist must have seen it alive (1925, pp. 5,7, emp. in orig.).
Nearby, Dr. Hubbard and his team of archaeologists discovered dinosaur tracks preserved in strata identified as Triassic—alleged by evolutionists to be more than 165 million years old. Question: How could Indians have known how to draw such a perfect picture of an animal (the dinosaur) that they never had seen (or had described to them by someone who had seen it)?
According to the belief commonly held by evolutionists, no advanced mammals were present during the "age of the dinosaurs." Artists' reconstructions generally show the huge reptiles living in swamps, surrounded only by other species of dinosaurs. The late evolutionary paleontologist George Gaylord Simpson suggested that the only mammals that had evolved up to that point in time (even at the very end of the Cretaceous period) were supposedly "small, mostly about mouse-sized, and rare" (Simpson, et al., 1957, p. 797). In his book, Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History, Stephen J. Gould addressed the same issue when he wrote:
Mammals evolved at the end of the Triassic, at the same time as dinosaurs, or just a tad later. Mammals spent their first hundred million years—two-thirds of their total history—as small creatures living in the nooks and crannies of a dinosaur's world. Their sixty million years of success following the demise of the dinosaurs has been something of an afterthought (1989, p. 318).
It thus is completely unthinkable, in evolutionary terms, that dinosaurs and advanced mammals (like elephants or giraffes) could have co-existed. Again, however, Dr. Hubbard's discoveries have "thrown a monkey wrench" into the evolutionary timescale.
However, a discovery reported in the January 13, 2005, issue of Nature challenged everything evolutionists have ever maintained regarding dinosaurs and mammals. The Associated Press reported: "Villagers digging in China's rich fossil beds have uncovered the preserved remains of a tiny dinosaur in the belly of a mammal, a startling discovery for scientists who have long believed early mammals couldn't possibly attack and eat a dinosaur" (Verrengia, 2005). Not only do we now have additional proof of mammals coexisting with dinosaurs, but we also have scientific evidence of a large mammal eating a dinosaur! The authors discovered the fossil remains of two different mammals. One was 50% larger than previous mammal fossils that were considered to be living with the dinosaurs, and was named Repenomamus giganticus. The other, Repenomamus robustus was fully intact—and had a dinosaur in its stomach. Yaoming Hu and his colleagues noted:
During preparation of the specimen a patch of small bones was revealed within the ribcage, on the ventral sides of the posterior left thoracic ribs and vertebrae, where the stomach is positioned in extant mammals. Unduplicated dentition [teeth—BH], limb bones and phalanges [bones of the toes or "fingers"—] in the patch confirm that these bones belong to a juvenile individual of Psittacosaurus, an herbivorous dinosaur that is common in Jehol Biota. The serrated teeth in the patched skeleton are typical of juvenile Psittacosaurus. The skull and most of the skeleton of the juvenile Psittacosaurus are broken, disarticulated and displaced, in contrast to the preservation of the R. robustus skeleton, which is essentially in its original anatomical relation. Although fragmentary, the bones of the Psittacosaurus are packed in a restricted area. These conditions indicate that the juvenile skeleton of Psittacosaurus is the remaining stomach contents of the mammal (Hu, et al., 2005, 433:151).
To complicate matters, researchers reported in the April 18, 2002 issue of Nature, one of the premier science journals in the world, that they now have determined that the "last common ancestor of extant primates" existed (as dated by evolutionary dating methods) 85 million years ago (Tavaré, et al., 2002). Since dinosaurs are supposed to have died out 65 million years ago, that means the primate would have lived with the dinosaurs for at least 20 million years. One of the co-authors of the Nature paper, Christophe Soligo of London's Natural History Museum, stated in regard to the find: "What we demonstrate is that modern orders of mammals appeared well before dinosaurs disappeared..." (see "Primate Ancestor Lived with Dinos," 2002). So much for the belief that mammals evolved "just a tad later" than the dinosaurs.
Javier Cabrera Darquea came into possession of his first burial stone (from the Ica section of the country of Peru) when he was given one as a paperweight for his birthday. Ironically, he could recall his own father also possessing similar oddly carved stones that his family found in their fields in the 1930s. Dr. Darquea sought out the origin of his unique gift, in an effort to amass a collection of these unique stones, and eventually assembled over 11,000 of them. The rocks turned out to be ancient burial stones that the Inca Indians placed with their dead. Almost one-third of the stones depicted specific types of dinosaurs (such as Triceratops and Stegosaurus) and various pterosaurs. The type of art form represented by these stones, and their location, dated them to the time of the Inca Culture, c. A.D. 500-1500. How could these ancient Indians have known the anatomy of these creatures if they never had witnessed them firsthand?
Validation of these stones comes from a full understanding of their history. In the 1570s, the Indian historian and chronicler of the Incas, Juan de Santa Cruz Llamgui, wrote about the engraved stones. He noted that Conquistadors had taken some of the stones back to Spain, and wrote that at the time of the Inca Pachachuti, many carved stones had been found in the kingdom of Chinca, in Chinchayunga. On October 3, 1993, the OJO, Lima Domingo, a major newspaper based in Lima, Peru, reported a Spanish priest traveling in the area of Ica in 1525, inquiring about the unusual stones that had strange animals carved on them. These reports verify that the stones were in existence long before those discovered by Dr. Darquea. Since that time, other investigators have had the opportunity to observe stones in Nasca tombs, as well as to inspect the entire Darquea collection.
Interestingly, several Diplodocus-like dinosaurs on the stones have what appear to be dermal frills—something never previously reported by scientists. In 1992, however, dermal frills were found during an examination of fossilized remains of sauropods. In an article titled "New Look for Sauropod Dinosaurs," paleontologist Stephen Czerkas noted:
Recent discovery of fossilized sauropod (diplodocid) skin impressions reveals a significantly different appearance for these dinosaurs. The fossilized skin demonstrates that a median row of [dermal] spines was present.... Some are quite narrow, and others are broader and more conical (1992, 20:1068).
Also, the skin of many of the carved dinosaurs resembled bumpy rosettes. For many years, scientists pointed to this as proof that these stones were not scientifically accurate. However, more recent discoveries of fossilized dinosaur skin and embryos have silenced the critics. In more than one report, these bumpy rosettes have been identified and discussed. In fact, one of the discoveries comes from the same continent as the Ica burial stones. Luis Chiappe and colleagues discussed sauropod dinosaur embryos, noting:
The general skin pattern consists of round, non-overlapping, tubercle-like scales.... A rosette pattern of scales is present in PVPH-130 [designation for one of the specimens—BH/BT] (Chiappe, et al., 1998, 396:259).
Again, we must ask: How could the Incas have drawn such accurate pictures of dinosaurs if they never had seen the animals (or had them described by someone who had seen them)? [For a discussion of Dr. Darquea's research, see Swift, 1997].
Natural Bridges National Monument is located in a desolate area in southeastern Utah. Visitors to this site will see where the White River has carved meandering paths through the sandstone rock. Three natural bridges have formed where these wandering streams have undercut the above rock formations: Sipapu Bridge (the second largest natural bridge in the world); Kachina Bridge; and Owachomo Bridge. It is at Kachina Bridge where an Indian petroglyph depicting a dinosaur was discovered. In fact, visitors to the site can see three or four drawings that appear to be dinosaur-like creatures. Francis Barnes, an evolutionist and widely recognized authority on rock art of the American Southwest, had this to say about this find just outside of Blanding, Utah:
There is a petroglyph in Natural Bridges National Monument that bears a startling resemblance to a dinosaur, specifically a Brontosaurus, with long tail and neck, small head and all. In the San Rafael Swell, there is a pictograph that looks very much like a pterosaur, a Cretaceous flying reptile. The artists who created this "pterosaur," and the "dinosaur," could of course, have been trying to portray some other real or imagined creatures. But what about other animals seen on rock art panels, such as "impalas," "ostriches," "mammoths" and others that either are long extinct in the western hemisphere or were never here at all? Such anomalous rock art figures can be explained away, but they still tend to cast doubt upon the admittedly flimsy relative-time age-dating schemes used by archaeologists (Barnes and Pendleton, 1979, pp. 201-202).
If National Geographic is correct in stating that "no human being has ever seen a live dinosaur," then whence came the models for these petroglyphs?
On a bright and sunny morning in July 1944, Waldemar Julsrud, a German merchant in Acambaro, Mexico, found himself riding on horseback on the lower slope of El Toro (The Bull) Mountain. From his elevated vantage point, Mr. Julsrud spotted some partially exposed, hewn stones and a ceramic object half buried in the dirt. After climbing off his horse, he dug the stones (and a few ceramic pieces) out of the ground. Being somewhat archaeologically astute, Julsrud immediately realized that these artifacts were unlike anything that he had ever seen. The objects he held in his hand seemed distinctively different than those from other known Indian cultures. He eventually worked out a deal with a local farmer to excavate these precious pieces.
Eventually, over 33,500 figurines and artifacts of ceramic and stone (including some in jade) were uncovered. A key feature of this discovery was the fact that many of the artifacts were highly detailed dinosaur figurines. Charles Hapgood, a professor of history and anthropology at Keene State College (of the University of New Hampshire), became interested in the figurines and decided to investigate firsthand. Initially, Hapgood was a self-confessed (but open-minded) skeptic. However, after witnessing the excavations (even going so far as to dictate specific locations for the workers doing the digging), and after examining the figurines personally, he became a believer. He made his first visit to Acambaro in 1955, returned on numerous occasions, and eventually authored a book about his eighteen years of research into the figurines (see Hapgood, 2000). Consider the following measures, enacted to establish the authenticity of the Acambaro collection:
When Teledynes Isotopes laboratories performed dating tests on the carbon deposited during firing on ceramic samples submitted by Hapgood, dates of up to 4530 B.C. obtained. Arthur M. Young, the inventor of the Bell Helicopter, who had sponsored Hapgood's investigation along with [Erle Stanley] Gardner [author of the Perry Mason mysteries—BH/BT], submitted Julsrud artifact samples [i.e., the Acambaro figurines—BH/BT] to the University of Pennsylvania for dating. Radiocarbon dating performed by Dr. Froelich Rainey in the laboratories of the University indicated that this culture may have been developed between 6,400 and 3,500 years ago. Additional tests using thermoluminescence method of dating pottery were performed. They produced dates of up to 4,500 B.P. (Before Present), or 2500 B.C., which upset the professional archaeologists and set off within the scientific and museum world a controversy over the accuracy of thermoluminescence dating. Retesting was done, and it was announced that because of anomalous factors in the clays it was impossible to determine an accurate date (Hapgood, p. 17).
According to David Childress, who penned the foreword to Hapgood's book, the most recent thermoluminescence testing done on Acambaro pottery fragments (taken by Bill Cote and John H. Tierney during the filming of the video, Jurassic Art, in the early 1990s) obtained results of 3,975±55 B.P. (Hapgood, p. 18). Consider also the fact that teeth from an extinct ice-age horse, the skeleton of a woolly mammoth, and a number of human skulls also were found at the same site as the ceramic artifacts. Hapgood noted: "I later took these teeth to Dr. George Gaylord Simpson, America's leading paleontologist, at the Museum of Natural History. He identified them as the teeth of Equus conversidans owen, an extinct horse of the ice age" (p. 82). Thus, the collection had evidence of extinct animals, human skulls, and dinosaur carvings from the same culture of people. But how could this be?
In 1999, Dennis Swift (who also was personally acquainted with Javier Darquea of Peru) made a trip to view the figurines. After receiving permission from the local authorities, he began to unwrap the ceramic figures. Dr. Swift noted:
There was an absolutely astonishing moment of breathless magnitude as one object was unwrapped and there before us was an Iguanodon dinosaur figurine. [For documentation on the Iguanodon discovery to which Swift alluded, see The Dinosaur Encyclopedia (Michael Benton, 1992, New York: Simon & Schuster, p. 80).]
Childress went on to note in an article titled "In Search of Sea Monsters":
Adding to the mind-boggling aspects of this controversy is the fact that the Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia through the late Director of Prehispanic Monuments, Dr. Eduardo Noguera, admitted "the apparent scientific legality with which these objects were found." Despite evidence of their own eyes, however, officials declared that because of the objects' "fantastic" nature, they had to have been a hoax! (no date).
This archaeological "hoax" presents insoluble problems for evolutionists. As Childress put it, "Most 'respectable' archaeologists will walk around the Acambaro mystery as if it were a land mine. The very existence of the figurines threatens the ivory tower of the current paradigm of history" (as quoted in Hapgood, 2000, p. 20).
In 1990, samples of various dinosaur bones were submitted for Carbon-14 dating to the University of Arizona's department of geosciences' laboratory of isotope geochemistry. Bones from an Allosaurus and an Acrocanthosaurus were among those sent to the university's testing facilities to undergo a "blind" dating procedure (which means that the technicians performing the tests did not know that the bones had come from dinosaurs). Not realizing that the samples were from dinosaurs prevented "evolutionary bias," and helped ensure that the results were as accurate as possible (within the recognized assumptions and limits of the C-14 dating method). We have in our possession—on the official stationery of the University of Arizona—a copy of the test results for the Allosaurus bones (see reproduction at right, sample B). Amazingly, the oldest C-14 date assigned to those bones was a mere 16,120 years (and only 23,760 years for the Acrocanthosaurus fossils; see Dahmer, et al., 1990). Both dates are a far cry from the millions of years that evolutionists suggest should be assigned to dinosaur fossils.
The February 26, 2000 issue of Science News contained an article that diligently attempted to defuse a potential bomb within the evolutionary camp (Hesman, 2000). Sitting inside the Boston Museum of Fine Arts is an ancient Greek vase. This vase is covered by a series of somewhat unusual paintings, including one that is bewildering to both archaeologists and evolutionists. The vase portrays a monster that possesses the head of a dinosaur. And, to make matters worse, the images on the vase depict men and dinosaurs as coexisting.
Known as the Hesione vase, this elegant potteryware was created around 550 B.C., and depicts the Greek hero Heracles rescuing Hesione from the monster of Troy. The tale of the monster was first told by Homer in the eighth century B.C. In this legend, a terrifying monster suddenly appeared on the Trojan coast after a flood, and began preying on the farmers in the neighborhood of Sigeum. The king's daughter, Hesione, was sent to be offered as a sacrifice to the monster, but according to the legend, Heracles arrived in time to kill it. The painting on the vase shows Hesione and Heracles battling the monster, with Hesione tossing rocks at it, and Heracles shooting arrows. You can understand the obvious plight of evolutionists when confronted with such imagery. Thus, in an effort to "explain" this artwork in light of evolutionary timescales, the editors of Science News concluded that the paintings on this unusual vase simply prove that ancient people dug fossils, too. They believe that this painting was the end result of fossils—possibly of an extinct giraffe—that were dug up thousands of years ago. What's that old saying? If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it's probably a—giraffe?
Consider also that in 1983, researchers reported in the science and engineering news section of The Moscow News that they had discovered what appeared to be a human footprint in 150-million-year-old Jurassic rock, next to a giant, three-toed dinosaur footprint. The article stated:
This spring, an expedition from the Institute of Geology of the Turkmen SSR Academy of Sciences found over 1,500 tracks left by dinosaurs in the mountains in the southeast of the Republic [Turkmen Republic—BH/BT]. Impressions resembling in shape a human footprint were discovered next to the tracks of prehistoric animals (see "Tracking Dinosaurs," 1983, 24:10).
Naturally, this report has received precious little attention, given the mindset of evolutionists.
Additional evidence for the coexistence of humans and dinosaurs is derived from various ancient writings. For instance, the largest creature ever known to have soared in the skies above the Earth was a pterosaur identified as Quetzalcoatlus (KWET-zal-COAT-lus). The fossil bones of one of these flying reptiles were unearthed in 1972 at Big Bend National Park in Texas. This Quetzalcoatlus had a wingspan of 48 feet (which is longer than some small airplanes!). While these giant birds are not classified scientifically as dinosaurs (since they are not strictly land-dwelling creatures, as dinosaurs were, by definition), they often are lumped into a group of animals known as "dinosaur-like" creatures. Notice the following quotation taken from Herodotus, a Greek historian from the fifth century B.C., who wrote:
There is a place in Arabia...to which I went, on hearing of some winged serpents; and when I arrived there, I saw bones and spines of serpents, in such quantities as it would be impossible to describe. The form of the serpent is like that of a water-snake; but he has wings without feathers, and as like as possible to the wings of a bat (1850, pp. 75-76, emp. added).
Herodotus knew of flying reptiles, and recognized that these creatures were neither birds, mammals, nor insects—but reptiles with wings. Notice also what the Jewish historian Josephus wrote 2,000 years ago about Moses and his army having a difficult time passing through a particular region because of the presence of flying serpents.
When the ground was difficult to be passed over, because of the multitude of serpents (which it produces in vast numbers...some of which ascend out of the ground unseen, and also fly in the air, and do come upon men at unawares, and do them a mischief)....
[Moses] made baskets like unto arks, of sedge, and filled them with ibes [i.e., birds], and carried them along with them; which animal is the greatest enemy to serpents imaginable, for they fly from them when they come near them; and as they fly they are caught and devoured by them (n.d., 2:10:2, emp. added).
Although these two historians do not mention the extremely large flying reptiles, they do record that snake-like winged creatures, which could fly, did live in the distant past. These reports are consistent with findings that A.H. Verrill reported in 1954 in his book, Strange Prehistoric Animals and Their Stories.
Primitive man, finding a fossil pterodactyl, might assume that the skeleton was that of some strange winged monster which still existed. Being totally ignorant of fossils and geology, an Indian or any other savage or semi-savage human being would never suspect that the bones had been reserved in rock for millions of years. Neither would it be possible for such primitive men to reconstruct mentally the creature as they appeared in life.... It is of course, inconceivable that the Cocle potter had first-hand knowledge of a living pterodactyl, ancient as the pottery is; yet had he been as familiar with the flying monsters as he was with pelicans and jaguars, he could not have depicted them more strikingly and accurately. Not only do the drawings show beak-like jaws armed with sharp teeth, but in addition the wings with two curved claws are depicted. Included also are the short, pointed tail, the reptilian head crest or appendages, and the strong hind feet with five-clawed toes on each (1954, pp. 55,57-58).
Obviously, the scientific evidence for the coexistence of dinosaurs and man speaks loudly, and yet it continues to fall on deaf ears within the evolutionary community. That silence, however, does little to change the documented facts, as we now know them.
Contrary to popular opinion, dinosaurs do not present a problem for creationists. In fact, quite the opposite is true. It is evolutionists who have a problem. While they continue to maintain, as the late paleontologist Roland T. Bird of the American Museum of Natural History once put it, that "no man had ever existed in the age of the reptiles" (1939, 43[5]:257), the evidence documents exactly the opposite.
The Mosaic record of the Creation is inexhaustively sublime. In it, we learn of the creation of the heavens and the Earth by an Almighty God. By divine fiat, light was formed and atmosphere was wrapped around this planet. Great seas were gathered together, and separated from dry land. The world of botany miraculously bloomed, and lights burst forth in the heavens. The waters swarmed with living creatures, and birds soared through the pristine air. Varieties of domestic animals and beasts were created and finally, man, the zenith of God's creation, stood proudly upon the Earth's bosom.
The dinosaur—one of the most majestic of God's creatures—stood with man. No doubt they pondered each other's existence. Today, we still stand amazed at these awesome giants. And as we do, their presence in the past should remind us of the magnificence of the God Who was able to speak them into existence by "the word of His power" (Hebrews 1:3). Awesome creatures—from the hand of an awesome Creator.
"Age of the Dinosaurs" (1993), National Geographic, 183[1]:142, January.
Bakker, Robert T. (1986), The Dinosaur Heresies (New York: William Morrow).
Barnes F.A., and Michaelene Pendleton (1979), Canyon Country Prehistoric Indians: Their Cultures, Ruins, Artifacts and Rock Art (Salt Lake City, NV: Wasatch Publishers).
Bird, Roland T. (1939), "Thunder in His Footsteps," Natural History, 43[5]:254-261, May.
Chiappe, Luis M., Rodolfo Coria, et al. (1998), "Sauropod Dinosaur Embryos from the Late Cretaceous of Patagonia," Nature, 396:258-261, November 19.
Childress, David H. (no date), "In Search of Sea Monsters," World Explorer, vol. 1 no. 7, [On-line], URL: http://www.wexclub.com/BackIssues/WEX7.html.
Clayton, John N. (1968a), "The History of Man on Planet Earth," Does God Exist? Correspondence Course, Lesson 8.
Clayton, John N. (1968b), Teacher's Manual, Does God Exist? Correspondence Course.
Clayton, John N. (1977), "Dinosaurs and the Bible," Evidences of God, Volume I (South Bend, IN: Privately published by the author), pp. 149-151.
Clayton, John N. (1982), "Where Are the Dinosaurs?," Does God Exist?, 9[10]:2-6, October.
Czerkas, Stephen (1992), "New Look for Sauropod Dinosaurs," Geology, 20:1068-1070.
Dahmer, Lionel, D. Kouznetsov, et al. (1990), "Report on Chemical Analysis and Further Dating of Dinosaur Bones and Dinosaur Petroglyphs," Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Creationism, ed. Robert E. Walsh and Christopher L. Brooks (Pittsburgh, PA: Creation Science Fellowship), pp. 371-374.
Gould, Stephen Jay (1989), Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History (New York: W.W. Norton).
Hapgood, Charles (2000), Mystery in Acambaro (Kempton, IL: Adventures Unlimited Press).
Herodotus, (1850 reprint), Historiae, trans. Henry Clay (London: Henry G. Bohn).
Hesman, T. (2000), "Vase Shows that Ancients Dug Fossils, Too," Science News, 157:133, February 26.
Hu, Yaoming, Jin Meng, Yuanqing Wang, and Chuankui Li (2005), "Large Mesozoic Mammals Fed on Young Dinosaurs," Nature, 433:149-152, January 13.
Hubbard, Samuel (1925), Discoveries Relating to Prehistoric Man by the Doheny Scientific Expedition (Oakland, CA: Oakland Museum of Natural History).
Josephus, Flavius (no date), Antiquities of the Jews (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, reprint).
Morris, Henry M. (1984), The Biblical Basis for Modern Science (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker).
"Primate Ancestor Lived with Dinos" (2002), [On-line], URL: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1935000/1935558.stm.
Simpson, George Gaylord, C.S. Pittendrigh, and L.H. Tiffany (1957), Life: An Introduction to Biology (New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company).
Swift, Dennis (1997), "Messages on Stone," Creation Ex Nihilo, 19[2]:20-23, March-May.
Swift, Dennis (no date), "The Dinosaurs of Acambaro," [On-line], URL: http://www.omniology.com/3-Ceramic-Dinos.html.
Tavaré, Simon, C.R. Marshall, et al. (2002), "Using the Fossil Record to Estimate the Age of the Last Common Ancestor of Extant Primates," Nature, 416:726-729, April 18.
"Tracking Dinosaurs" (1983), Moscow News, 24:10.
Verrengia, Joseph B. (2005), "Fossils Show a Mammal Turned Tables, Devoured Dinosaur for Last Meal," [On-line], URL: http://www.cp.org/english/online/full/science/050112/g011204A.html.
Verrill, A.H. (1954), Strange Prehistoric Animals and Their History (Boston, MA: L.C. Page).
Wilson, Edward O. (1982), "Toward a Humanistic Biology," The Humanist, September/October.


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Dr. Ron Mendel
Teaching Area(s): Exercise Science
Title: Professor of Exercise Science and Director of Exercise Science Program
Courses Taught: Exercise Science
Professional Accomplishments
Earning my doctorate degree is certainly something I am proud of and has directly led me to where I am today. I am also extremely proud and humbled at receiving Mount Union's Great Teacher Award in 2008.
Teaching Style
My teaching style really revolves around trying to make the material relevant and applicable to the students. It is about getting the students to make a connection with the material. Memorization is a technique to recall information, but not necessarily to learn the information. I use as many real world experiences as possible to make that connection through stories. I also try to incorporate humor because everyone needs a good laugh every now and again.
Interesting Curricula and Research
I was given the opportunity to restructure the exercise science curriculum when the University transitioned to the four-credit-hour system. Additionally, I am involved with a research project developed to measure the physiological stress that racecar drivers undergo during a race.
Favorite Part of the Job
I really enjoy many aspects of my job, but if I had to choose one thing it would be the fact that I get to go to college indefinitely. Most people get to go to college for 4 or 5 years, I get to do it every year.
Probably a bit biased, but I like the McPherson Academic and Athletic Complex (The MAAC). It houses a combination of academics and athletics, and I relate to both of those. It also is a comfortable place because I feel a bond with the students, faculty and staff that use the facility for health and/or performance reasons.
The Mount Union Feeling
I could list the typical clichés about what makes Mount Union unique, but I truly believe that what makes it unique cannot be put into words. It is just a unique feeling one has when they are part of Mount Union. I do believe an important part of that feeling is because of the alumni and their role in making Mount Union special.
Stepping Out
The preparation of students goes beyond just teaching content in an academic discipline. There is a focus to prepare each student to maximize their talents and provide them an opportunity to grow (which also means making mistakes) in an atmosphere designed for learning. I believe college is the last safety net in life and so this is the place to gain as many experiences as possible and step out of your comfort zone.
Research Interests
Stress on racecar drivers, impact of executive function on the success of athletes, sports nutrition
B.S., Biology, Walsh University
M.A., Education, Walsh University
Ph.D., Exercise Physiology, Kent State University
I could list the typical clichés about what makes Mount Union unique, but I truly believe that what makes it unique cannot be put into words. It is just a unique feeling one has when they are part of Mount Union.
- If You Could Teach Another Class
- I would like to teach a political science class.
- Favorite Quote or Motto
- I actually have two: "Do or do not; there is no try!" and "Equal opportunity does not mean equal outcome."
- Surprising Fact About Yourself
- I'm not a big fan of exercising just to exercise, but I love to play games. If I am going to exercise, it would be considered more training for a specific purpose or goal as opposed to just general exercise.
- Places to Visit or Things to Do
- Professionally, I would love to go more overseas (Europe) for a period of a few years to teach at a university. For fun, I'd love to spend an entire season training with a professional soccer team in Germany or England.
- Hobbies and Interests
- Soccer is my primary sport passion, but I enjoy NASCAR as well. One of my favorite hobbies is detailing cars.


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At about midnight on Wednesday 30 January 2008 the South African Police Services raided the Central Methodist Church in Johannesburg. About 300 people were arrested.
There followed a series of hearings over a two week period at the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court. A series of perplexing actions by Magistrate Du Pisani in Court 2 led to 15 of the church's refugees staying in prison for weeks. Several organisations co-ordinated by the Legal Resource Centre in Johannesburg then made an urgent application to the Johannesburg High Court. The High Court judge apologised on behalf of the judiciary for the way the refugees were treated and made a scathing indictment of Magistrate Du Pisani.
Plea for donations to church so that it can continue to support the people seeking refuge there
31 January 2008, 11:15pm (GMT+2)


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Richard "Dick" Carr
Richard "Dick" Carr, 62, of 124 Siecker Rd, St. Marys, died early Sunday morning, April 10, 2011, surrounded by his family following an incredible battle with leukemia. He was born Oct. 6, 1948, in Ridley Park, Philadelphia, son of the late William and Dorothy Detweiler Carr. He became a lifelong resident of St. Marys. On July 24, 1970, he married Margaret Weisner Carr. Together they had three children, an amazing, loving marriage, and countless laughs and fun times with family and friends. Aside from enjoying wonderful times with his family, Carr was a member of the National Guard from 1968-1974. He was an avid hunter and fisherman, and really loved spending time at his camp with his family and dog. He was a member of the St. Marys Sportsmen's Club, and since 1978 the Morgan AM&T Trap and Skeet team. He was previously employed as a machinist at SGL Carbon, LLC in St. Marys. Besides his wife, Margy, he is surived by two sons, Richard Jr. and his companion, Cheryl Cheatle of St. Marys, and Alan Carr of Ridgway; and a daughter, Kelly Carr of St. Marys and her companion, Eric Benson of Brockway. Visitation and services for Richard "Dick" Carr will be at Lynch Radkowski Funeral Home on Tuesday. Visitation will be at 10 a.m., with services to follow at 11 a.m., officiated by DuBois Regional Medical Center Chaplain, the Rev. David R. Nagele. Full military rites will be accorded by the St. Marys Servicemen's Detail.Burial will follow in the St. Mary's cemetery.In lieu of donations, Carr would like everyone to perform random acts of kindness for others.


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Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic's international reputation attracts quality candidates from the world's finest clinical and research institutions. In addition to teaching medical students and directing a five-year psychiatric residency training program, Western Psychiatric offers nine federally funded research training programs for pre- and postdoctoral fellows.
Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic is also a training center for graduate and undergraduate students from more than 20 colleges and universities, representing disciplines that include nursing, social work, education, childcare, and art and music therapy.
Our overall goal is to educate, train, and mentor clinical investigators who will go on to develop new approaches to the study of brain-behavior relationships. We continually strive to refine our training programs so that students and trainees are exposed to contemporary theories and practices associated with the changing medical care environment.
The various training programs at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic reflect our emphasis on comprehensiveness, balance, and integration of various scientific approaches and systems. The programs foster collaborative relationships and embrace the contributions of all disciplines for the understanding, treatment, and prevention of mental and addictive disorders.
As the only academic center of psychiatry in western Pennsylvania, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic is dedicated to providing behavioral health professionals throughout the region with state-of-the-art training, technical assistance, and mental health conference planning. A designated training institute of the Pennsylvania Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Western Psychiatric's Office of Education and Regional Programming (OERP) provides free or reduced-cost training and technical assistance for behavioral health professionals in 23 counties.
Each year, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic's OERP conferences and educational programs reach more than 20,000 registrants, from mental health and human services providers to consumers and family members, through over 500 "training days" of programming.
Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic's Office of Education and Regional Programming offers professional continuing education certification as approved by the following agencies:
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