text:
- For other characters, see Nikolai.
|Nikolai Belinski
The Red Menace
The Russian
|Appears in
|Call of Duty: World at War
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Call of Duty: Zombies
Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies
Call of Duty: Black Ops II
Call of Duty: Black Ops III
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
|Sergeant (formerly)
|Red Army (formerly)
|Unknown (Original Timeline, before fractures)
K.I.A., Soul formerly preserved within the Summoning Key (Ultimis Nikolai, Original Timeline, Agonia Fracture)
Alive (Primis Nikolai; in an infinite time loop as Primis)
Alive (Child Version)
|Killed By
|Primis Nikolai Belinski with a KRM-262 (Ultimis Nikolai; Original Timeline, Agonia Fracture)
|Before 1900
|Brown (Primis Nikolai)
|November 6th, 1945, Stalingrad, USSR (Ultimis Nikolai, Agonia Fracture)
|M1911, Mauser C96, MR6, any weapon obtained by the player.
Ray Gun (First Strike poster)
Olympia (Origins intro)
Hatchet (Origins Intro)
MP40 (Origins poster)
PPSh-41 (The Giant poster)
KRM-262 (The Giant and Der Eisendrache intros, Der Eisendrache and Gorod Krovi outros)
MX Garand
Marshal 16
KN-44 (Zetsubou No Shima intro and outro)
Staff of Fire (Revelations Outro)
|Stielhandgranate, M67 Grenade, Knife, Fragmentation Grenades
|Zombies Timeline
|Voice Actor
|Fred Tatasciore
|All (except Nacht Der Untoten (World at War), Verrückt (World at War), Dead Ops Arcade, "Five", Die Rise, Mob of the Dead and Buried)
- "It is said, that it is better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all. I... feel differently. Regret can consume a man so deeply, that it will blacken his heart and swallow his soul. For so long we have been fighting... many battles, many wars. I lost... only one. We have seen impossible things, cheated death countless times. I can no longer deny the possibility of an unseen power, a guiding hand helping us to fulfill our destiny. My path is chosen... Our fate is sealed. But the innocent... the children. Those untainted by darkness and chaos. They can find a better tomorrow."
- — Nikolai Belinski
Sergeant Nikolai Belinski (Russian: Николай Белинский) is a Russian soldier who fought in the Red Army, and is a playable main character in Zombies. His player indicator color is blue (shared with Robert McNamara and Robert Englund) but is randomized in Moon and all subsequent maps. An alternate version of Nikolai appears in Origins, and reappears in Call of Duty: Black Ops III, in The Giant, Der Eisendrache, Zetsubou No Shima, Gorod Krovi (which also includes the original timeline Nikolai Belinski), Revelations and Blood of the Dead.
Original Timeline Edit
"Stalin himself cannot stare Nikolai in the eye, no one can. There, in his eyes, you will see the soul of a man burning with the hatred of all things living. His closet is full of skeletons, many of them with the flesh still attached."
Early in his career, Nikolai had quickly made his way up through the party ranks by killing the next man in line, and by marrying politically. Ultimately, his aspirations all came crashing down after his fifth wife mysteriously died while cleaning his axe with her neck. Little did he know that she had been sleeping with a high ranking party official on the side. This made Nikolai infamous, and his reputation spread quickly through the party. It was not long before Stalin himself had heard about Nikolai. More importantly, he feared Nikolai. As soon as the war started, our hero was dropped on the front lines and forgotten about, where he wallowed in self pity and vodka for several years.
There are many weapons in his arsenal, not least of which is his breath."
- — Nikolai's biography added with Map Pack 2 in Call of Duty: World at War.
On June 24th, 1941, Nikolai Belinski's wife was killed during the German advance into the Soviet Union. In an effort to numb the pain, Nikolai increasingly turned to vodka. When drunk, he thought of imaginary wives that he had never had, and comments about them as if they were real, to hide the pain buried beneath his true self. On December 9th, 1942, Nikolai's brother was also killed during the Battle of Stalingrad.
On January 16th, 1943, Red Army Sergeant Nikolai Belinski was captured by German Forces during the Battle of Stalingrad. Later on, he became a test subject in Group 935 experiments.
On July 15th, 1945, Dr. Edward Richtofen traveled to the Siberian Facility to do further research on "live specimens". Group 935 begins transferring three test subjects for experimentation: Nikolai, Pablo, and Takeo. Alongside fellow test subjects, an American soldier named "Tank" Dempsey, who had replaced the Mexican spy who was accidentatally killed named Pablo Marinus, and a Japanese soldier named Takeo Masaki, each are exposed to serums and Element 115, causing memory loss, and in Nikolai's case, loss of responding to stimuli, as Richtofen stated "he recently begun responding to stimuli, but only after (injections of) a new serum made primarily from vodka."
On September 27th, 1945, Nikolai, along with the other test subjects, are put to sleep until further need to reawaken them.
On October 14th, 1945, Nikolai along with the other test subjects are reawakened by Richtofen. With no memory of who they are or who Richtofen is, Nikolai, along with Dempsey and Takeo, agree to help him. The four would become known as Ultimis.
On October 21st, 1945, Nikolai along with the rest of the Ultimis crew venture off to Group 935's Rising Sun facility in Japan to obtain Richtofen's diary. Unknown to Nikolai, along with Dempsey and Takeo, the plans Richtofen detailed in his diary are to take control of the Zombies and destroy the crew along with Samantha Maxis, who is the current controller of the Zombies, once he obtains the power from the M.P.D.
On October 28th, 1945, Ultimis then returned to Der Riese. Following Richtofen's orders, they planned to use the teleporter to teleport to the moon and confront Samantha. Unfortunately, the Wunderwaffe DG-2 overloaded the teleporter and sent them through time, which caused Richtofen to drop his diary.
From Der Riese, Ultimis teleported through time and space and ended up at the Kino Facility on October 28th, 1963, another station once ran by Group 935, which was located at an abandoned theater in Germany. Unbeknownst to them, they begin to receive help at this point from Dr. Monty, a Keeper, who added changes in the background across time with things such as chalk drawings of weapons on the walls, helping Group 935 come up the idea to make Perk-a-Colas, etc. Ultimis located a Lunar Lander and flew to the Ascension Facility in Soviet territory, which is where Richtofen finds out his diary is located. Ultimis then arrived at the Soviet Cosmodrome on November 6th, 1963 and following Richtofen's orders, freed Gersh, a scientist who worked for the Ascension Group from the Casimir Mechanism, after Samantha corrupted Yuri Zavoyski, another scientist of the Ascension Group, and obeyed her wish by tricking Gersh into activating the Gersh Device. The rift created by it absorbed him and allowed Samantha to travel through. Richtofen recovered his diary, and learned that they need the Vril Device from the Siberian Facility for his plan. Maintaining his ethereal form, Gersh sent Ultimis into a rift to their next destination before beginning his travels across space and time.
The group then teleports to Group 935's Siberian Facility on March 17th, 2011, where George Romero is filming a zombie movie with four well-known actors. Samantha, in her pursuit of Ultimis, unleashes an undead outbreak. The celebrities find the group trapped in a small room. The film's stars fight the undead horde, ultimately recovering the Vril Device for Richtofen. Ultimis then teleports to the exotic jungle where Richtofen once teleported to in one of his experiments, now known as Shangri-La, in an effort to acquire the next artifact Richtofen stated he required to defeat Samantha: the Focusing Stone. Ultimis soon arrived at Shangri-La on April 25th, 1956. Ultimis discovered explorers Brock and Gary, who are trying to find Agartha. During an eclipse, they're unwittingly trapped in a time loop. With the help of Brock and Gary, the group assist Richtofen in acquiring the Focusing Stone.
Having everything necessary to complete his plan, Richtofen teleported the group to Hangar 18 in Area 51 on October 13th, 2025. Overrun by zombies, Ultimis quickly ran to the teleporter in the hangar, which teleported them to Griffin Station on the Moon. Using the Vril Device and the Focusing Stone, Richtofen had completed his Grand Scheme and swaps bodies with Samantha on the Moon, giving him full control of the zombies and the Aether. Nikolai, along with Dempsey and Takeo then realized Richtofen's scheme for unlimited power and attempted to stop him by contacting Ludvig Maxis, who was present at Griffin Station on the Moon. Instead of helping the trio, however, Maxis manipulated them by claiming that Richtofen's link could be destroyed by launching three missiles to sever the link from Agartha and the Moon. The trio went forward with the plan to fire the missiles, only for the Earth's ozone layer to become polluted, and for the explosion as a result of the missiles to create more zombies and further chaos.
Nikolai's ultimate fate is left unknown until future events which fracture the original timeline. This causes Dempsey, Takeo and Nikolai to become displaced in time. As a result, the trio never ended up going to the Moon.
Dimension 63 Timeline Edit
"Forgotten and abandoned on the front lines of Europe, Red Army Sergeant Nikolai Belinski has learned to survive and endure even in the darkest of times. His loyalty to the Motherland has seen him battle his own demons, overcoming personal trials that few have ever truly understood."
- — Nikolai's biography for Call of Duty: Black Ops III.[1]
On August 3rd, 1917, Sergeant Nikolai Belinski of the Imperial Russian Army was sent into exile. On December 10th, 1917, still exiled in Europe, Nikolai received new orders from the Imperial Russian Army to investigate the enemy "War Machine." Still loyal to the motherland, he willingly obliged.
On February 23rd, 1918, Nikolai wrote of the ongoing civil war in his homeland. He did not expect peace to last long, but he is enjoying his time in France, while still spying on Group 935.
On June 4th, 1918, Element 115 completely awakened the undead knights from The Great War and quickly consumed the camp. Nikolai, along with American spy "Tank" Dempsey and Japanese spy Takeo Masaki unite with German scientist Edward Richtofen on the battlefield and help free a girl named Samantha from her imprisonment in Agartha. The four uniting marks the return of Primis from the original Great War, as the group were reincarninated versions of them. Samantha, who had been freed and sent to the House, then sent Primis to their next destination.
Nikolai, along with Dempsey and Takeo, upon learning of Richtofen's multi-dimensional travels, attempt to stop him for fearing that he will disrupt the established continuity of the dimensions. After several dimension jumps and failed attempts, they arrive at the Original Timeline which has been slightly altered due to Richtofen's past actions of travelling through universes and killing his other selves, at the Der Riese facility on October 13th, 1945, just moments after Ultimis Richtofen trapped Maxis and Samantha in the teleporter with Fluffy. Nikolai, Dempsey and Takeo confront Ultimis Richtofen, telling him that there is a chain of events that must be carried out, and prompt him to awaken the original versions of themselves.
As the zombie horde approach them from outside, Richtofen ignored the three's warning and turns on the teleporter, only to find Primis Richtofen inside. Primis Richtofen then shot the Ultimis Richtofen in the head, killing him instantly. This triggered a fracturization across the original timeline. While the group expresses disappointment in Richtofen for tampering with history, he defends his action, believing that what he does will be to secure a better future. While the others fend off the zombies, Richtofen pretended to use the Summoning Key to acquire the original Richtofen's soul. Eventually, the four activate a beacon in the facility, allowing Maxis from another dimension to locate them.
After acquiring a Giant Robot from the Der Riese facility, the four pursue the scattered remains of Group 935 to Griffin Castle, codenamed "Eagle's Nest", on November 5th, 1945. The Germans had captured Ultimis Dempsey's cryo chamber from being experimented on by Ultimis Richtofen and planned to bring him to Griffin Station, with Primis close behind until a German soldier fires a Panzerschreck at the Giant Robot, disabling it before it could retrieve Ultimis Dempsey. After arriving at Griffin Castle, the young four watch as a rocket containing the Ultimis Dempsey launches to the Moon. After making radio contact with Dr. Groph, Ultimis Richtofen's second-in-command, Richtofen masquerades as his Ultimis, older self in order to fool Groph. However, Groph becomes suspicious of Richtofen's change of personality and announces him as an imposter. Using the Death Ray, the young four managed to bring the rocket containing the Ultimis Dempsey back to the castle, much to Groph's anger, who activated a failsafe so they couldn't touch the chamber.
Using the Vril Device obtained from the crash site, the young four awakened a ghost Keeper and help it return it to its physical form before it returns the favor and brings the M.P.D. from the Moon to the castle. However, the Keeper becomes corrupted, forcing the four to battle it, eventually defeating it. After defeating it, Groph expresses his extreme anger, vowing to destroy them and the castle itself. In order to tie up these loose ends, the four use the Summoning Key to launch several missiles towards the Moon, destroying it, ultimately destroying Griffin Station and killing any Group 935 scientist at the station, including Groph. After walking towards Ultimis Dempsey's cryo chamber, Richtofen activated the Summoning Key, forcing the others to levitate in the air.
Here, Richtofen's plan is revealed to the Nikolai and the rest of the group. Richtofen planned to kill the Ultimis versions of themselves to be put in the Summoning Key like he supposedly did with his own at the Der Riese facility. Then, Dempsey himself sadly put his older self down. Richtofen then captured the Ultimis Dempsey's soul in the Key.
Nikolai and the other three then travel to a different fractured timeline, to an island, arriving on a Japanese vessel heading for a Division 9 Facility on October 18th, 1945, before being caught and the Summoning key being taken away from him. A brief fight ensues with the Japanese soldiers with Richtofen burning one alive before he notices the Key rolling toward the ocean, luckily Takeo had managed to barely catch the Key by his fingertips much to Richtofen's relief. The four then are forced to swim to a nearby island after the ship blows up. Later, Nikolai was present when the Ultimis Takeo Masaki was cured from being a Thrasher to collect his soul.
After the Ultimis Takeo honorably sacrificed himself for a better future, Richtofen then preserved his soul. Initially Dempsey suggested going after the Ultimis Nikolai but Richtofen said a "chain of events" must be set in motion. Realizing that he wants to save his three comrades from their eventual fate, Richtofen then takes them to Alcatraz on July 4th, 1941, where he meets his younger self and acquires the Victis blood samples. Then they jump to another fractured timeline, in a war-torn Stalingrad on November 6th, 1945, to kill the Ultimis Nikolai Belinski and place his soul in the Summoning Key. Eventually the four are teleported out of the sky and parachute in front of Ultimis Nikolai's mech while he is distracted with vodka and listening to "The Ace of Spades" on his radio.
Upon seeing them the Ultimis Nikolai attempts to kill them until a dragon throws him into a building. Later, Dempsey and the others make a temporary truce with the Ultimis Nikolai in order to kill the dragon. Afterward, Dempsey and the other three demand Ultimis Nikolai to surrender to which he refuses and betrays them. This lead to Primis Nikolai having a brief conversation with his Ultimis version, stating he that he should stop trying bury his emotion with an alcohol fueled rage. Primis Nikolai then gets shot by his Ultimis self, where it lands on armor. Primis Nikolai retaliates with a devastating blow to the head with shotgun on Ultimis Nikolai. Richtofen opens a portal in the sky with Maxis' help and lights a beacon from the Summoning Key which releases the Ultimis Nikolai, Takeo and Dempsey. After this, he says they will see Maxis soon.
Later, the mysterious voice contacts Dempsey, Nikolai and Takeo informing them that Richtofen can't hear him. He congratulates the crew on their progress of fixing the fracturing universe. However, he informs them that Richtofen had been searching for years for the correct versions of them to close off the dimensions, suggesting that the original timeline versions of the characters were the ones who determined the universe's disorder and fates of the incarnations of the alternate versions of the characters in other universes, who have all been erased due to the originals being killed off. He also tells them to not trust Richtofen and that's he's been in "The House" for "ages". Finally, the voice introduces himself as Doctor Monty, claiming it's so nice to see the characters.
LettersEdit"December 10th - 1917
- It appears my current exile from the motherland may prove fortuitous. I have received orders to undertake a vital mission in Northern France.
Reports from the area suggest the Kaiser's War Machine may be gearing up to unleash something unlike anything we have seen before..."
- — Nikolai Belinski
"February 23rd - 1918
- Despite the abdication, my country remains gripped by Civil War. Reds and Whites battle for power as I am forced to watch helplessly from afar. Despite the March treaty, many among us do not expect lasting peace… Our memories will not allow us to forget the tens of thousands of souls lost at Tannenberg… This war remains a threat to all our futures…
The people of France share my hatred and contempt for the Hun. They have been very kind to me on my journeys; offering me food, shelter and other more worldly comforts. It is a great relief that even amongst the madness of war, I may still find moments of joy in the arms of a good woman…"
- — Nikolai Belinski
Original TimelineEdit
Nikolai seemed to lack intelligence as revealed from various amount of quotes. He tended to crack weird, yet funny, jokes, intentionally and unintentionally. He seemed to not care about his physical appearance and smell, but only ever cared about Vodka. However, at the darkest of times, he could also be vigilant and appeared to have a very keen survival instinct. He liked Dempsey, and tended to despise as well as appreciate Richtofen at times (until Moon), but held a deep hatred for Takeo and monkeys.
Dimension 63 TimelineEdit
Due to his alcoholism not yet acquired, his personality was completely different. He was intelligent and got along with and tried to cooperate with his comrades; although did not hold himself in high esteem. He was willing to give his life for the greater good, humble and has a high survival instinct, while also maintaining an enjoyment in life. Unlike his Ultimis self, his opinions on the other three varied depending on how well they fought, he disliked Takeo and Dempsey if they fought poorly, and respected them if they fight well. However he hated Richtofen if he fought poorly and tolerated him if he fought well. When Samantha began to speak, he was the most concerned for her safety and wished to attempt to save her more than the other three. He was a proud revolutionist and supporter of Communism who did not wish for medals or glory. He also worried and feared the damage they can do when teleported into the future, but relents as he needed to make sure future events don't happen. However, as seen in later rounds of The Giant, Der Eisendrache, and Zetsubou No Shima, Nikolai talked more about drinking vodka and alcohol due to exposure of Element 115, thus resulting in his Ultimis personality mixing with his Primis self. In Gorod Krovi, this effect starts to wear off as we see Nikolai develop a steady mindset once again.
Gallery Edit
Video Edit
Trivia Edit
- Nikolai is an alcoholic and loves vodka; however, Richtofen suggests that the Element 115 used on him caused him to become an alcoholic.
- However, it is suggested that Original Nikolai became an alcoholic because of his first wife dying in an air raid.
- Origins Nikolai appears to have traded his love for vodka for a love for bacon, according to some of his quotes in maps such as Gorod Krovi.
- Out of all three of the other characters, Original Nikolai shows the highest respect for Original Dempsey while he and Original Richtofen appear to have a strong friendship, but deeply hates Original Takeo.
- The Original Nikolai hates monkeys so much about their beady little eyes and reminded him of circus in Bagrationovsk.
- Between the two World Wars, he was a carpenter.
- During the song that plays when the "115" Easter Egg is triggered in Kino der Toten, Nikolai will sometimes sing along to one of the verses in his own version of that part.
- Nikolai at one time in his life either lived or worked on a pig farm.
- Aside from his many wives, Nikolai's family includes:
- A sister he refers to multiple times, who he hates.
- A brother-in-law, who he also hates.
- A daughter, who was noted to own a teddy bear.
- A brother, who is homeless and broke.
- He was married at least nine times, and murdered at least five of his wives. The first wife was supposedly killed with a shotgun, the second is by either a PPSh-41 or a PTRS-41, the fifth wife was killed by an axe, and his third wife was killed with a sickle. Only his fourth wife was confirmed to have escaped alive. Even then, another Ascension quote implies he chased this wife down, and promptly beat her to death with his own hands. He mentions having a seventh wife in Moon, which also means he had a sixth but has not mentioned killing either of them. It appears that his seventh wife is still alive, as one of his quotes in Moon states that he has to tell her about his new girlfriend. It is said at the end of the Richtofen's Grand Scheme Easter Egg that "wife number nine" and "his new girlfriend" has died when the Earth was destroyed.
- He "killed" his first wife because she looked like him, his second because she is always asking for more, his third wife was killed because "she was bitch", his fourth wife was killed because she took his money and ran away, and because she was "always talking", and he killed his fifth wife when he was cleaning his axe with her neck.
- In the official timeline it was revealed that Nikolai only had one wife, and fabricated the rest due to his memory being wiped clean.
- He "killed" his first wife because she looked like him, his second because she is always asking for more, his third wife was killed because "she was bitch", his fourth wife was killed because she took his money and ran away, and because she was "always talking", and he killed his fifth wife when he was cleaning his axe with her neck.
- Nikolai's favorite weapons are PPSh-41, FN FAL and H115 Oscillator.
- Nikolai's favorite bow is the Void Bow.
- Nikolai's favorite staff is the Ice Staff.
- After the player completes the Original Characters Trapped Easter Egg for the first time in co-operative, they will receive a gamer picture of Nikolai's profile card as seen in Shi No Numa's loading screen.
- Nikolai appears to have pithecophobia judging from his quotes when he gets the Monkey Bomb or when he kills monkeys on Ascension and Shangri-La.
- According to a quote from Der Riese, at one point he had syphilis.
- Based on his quotes from Shangri-La, he hates Stamin-Up.
- Nikolai calls the FN FAL the "FNfalafel" and sometimes refer its sounding name as analogous to "Fucking Fail", similar to Dempsey calling the Wunderwaffe DG-2 the "Wonder Waffle."
- Rarely when using the Pack-a-Punch Machine, he will sing the Quick Revive jingle.
- Nikolai was physically abused as a child.
- In Call of Duty: Black Ops, Nikolai's gloves will show up in first person, but not in third person.
- Richtofen mentions Nikolai on Green Run, such as asking the survivors if they were going to mention vodka and even claiming he missed him.
- In the Origins Intro Cinematic trailer, his last name was initially misspelled "Belinksi", but this has since been fixed.
- Origins Nikolai has a preference of shotguns, as he uses an Olympia in Origins and a KRM-262 in The Giant, Der Eisendrache, and Gorod Krovi.
- Albert "Weasel" Arlington sometimes mentions Nikolai when killing zombies with the Ray Gun.
- Nero Blackstone may also mention Nikolai's name when all the fuses are placed in the power box inside the subway. This, however, may be a reference to Nikola Tesla, rather than Nikolai.
- According to a quote whilst interacting with Dempsey in The Giant, Origins Nikolai has taken part in three World Wars, rather than two.
- Upon activating a radio on The Giant, one can hear an alternate Nikolai claim that he has killed at least three Richtofens.
- In the Origins recap trailer for Revelations, the original Nikolai can be seen killing off the Origins characters.
- Within Zombies Chronicles, Nikolai 1.0 can be seen carrying a gun pouch on his side, which within is the KAP-40 from Black Ops 2.
- According to Dr. Monty in Revelations:
- Nikolai used to be a writer, and kept journals of his travels in Europe.
- Monty also revealed that he attempted to "water down" the Original Nikolai's vodka for years, but he just kept drinking regardless.
- He also mentions that the Original Timeline Nikolai once made a bear cub drink vodka. According to Monty, they both regretted it.
- Monty also says that the Original Timeline Nikolai truly loved his first wife and he was never quite the same after her death.
- Monty also references the Original Nikolai's brother, who the latter alluded to in the original Call of Duty: Black Ops. He says that the Original Nikolai apparently forgot about him.
References Edit


text:
"ID History" is a mandatory course for junior ID majors. As such, the course is an integral part of the RISD-ID department's educational philosophy of learning by doing. For example, we all know that in the metal, wood, and advanced studios, students learn to be designers through practice. By analogy, the ID History TimeLine assignments are a device for teaching the tools of critically engaged historical thinking about the incredibly diverse discipline of industrial design. After all, this is a field with no secure canon of landmark monuments, or even a consensus of when the field's history began. (See the course Reader.) The 80 students in this course come to an ID major with the most diverse interests, from crossovers with engineering to conceptual art to socially responsible design to the craft of a machine shop culture. Thus, my approach to this history course is motivated by the goal of delivering to each student an enduring skill that they can take with them and apply with flexibility to the diverse kinds of problems they will have to face in a rapidly changing world. This course emphasizes practical skill building in the methods of thinking about history more than a concern with the conveyance of factual content. Why? Because the topicality of the specific examples covered will be rendered out of date or out of fashion within a decade. But a student well trained in the tools of historical thinking will be able to use and build on this skill for a lifetime.
So far this semester, each student's practice required them to engage in three given topics in ID History: dealing with the past; technology and design as exemplified by lighting history; functionalism as a design philosophy of overwhelming stylistic importance, and distinct from the adage "form equals function". The three TimeLine assignments asked each student to choose 5 objects that illustrate some theme or point of view that interests them. One can immediately notice that none of them were the same and thus the 80 TimeLines x 3 topics generated a collective history of expertise among the class, which we were able to share among ourselves and with the entire ID Department (since many people stopped by to engage with your work displayed in the ID Gallery). This dynamic is an important one, since now the teacher becomes a reference point and guide, and the class members are empowered to connect among themselves as historian/experts on their specific case studies and developing/evolving points of view. This offers a way of forming the next generation of industrial designers who will already be practicing with their peers an engaged critical thinking about their discipline.
The three TimeLines visualized each student's research in a way that could be easily and quickly shared. Also, it was a kind of visual outline that instantly revealed if and how a written essay with a point of view could be developed from the work presented. This leads us to the midsemester review that will be a way of taking stock of where we are as a class, who is developing this opportunity in the most exciting ways, and who needs help understanding what is possible here. In a parallel universe, we would be preparing for mid-term exams and 5-10 page papers at this point. As a teacher, I have read these exams and papers and wondered what of lasting value was gained for either party. So we have here an opportunity and a freedom built on the expectation that RISD students will approach their work with passion, analytic rigor, and the sense that something that matters is at stake. It requires you to believe in the practice of history writing, and thinking about the field you have chosen as a profession – a field I am assuming you will embrace as something more than just a job. Something like a calling you go to with conviction.
The midsemester review asks you to develop your three TimeLines in two ways. First, the TimeLines are visual outlines with interesting information that can and should be shared. The larger community of sharing here will be the "blogosphere". This is a new kind of populist forum that can be banal and "blah blah blah", or a new and potentially amazing communication tool that you need to learn to master for the good it can offer. Secondly, it is my expectation that the TimeLine as visual outline should lead to an analogous kind of short critical essay that one would expect to do for a rigorous Liberal Arts course, which this ID History class is as well. It is this piece that I will discuss more as we go over where we are as a class. It appears that I am not communicating this aspect o the assignment as clearly as I had hoped. But we will spend time and make sure everyone understands by the end of class Monday.
To conclude, you must send me the link to your blog so I can post it on the main site, which is www.idhistory.blogspot.com. You must post your 3 TimeLines in either the original format and/or as well as in the way you have transformed them to the new presentation medium of a blog. It is my expectation that you do more than write captions for 5 objects x 3 timelines. Please demonstrate a critical engagement with the big questions each or all of your TimeLines lead you to consider. How you develop this is up to you. This is RISD, after all. I look forward to seeing where we are as a class on Monday. Who is doing something we might never have imagined? Who are you each as critical thinkers? How will the class generate themes and cross-connections and avenues for future research projects, from books to projects to clearly articulated visions of what an ID History, landmarks, method, and all, are for each of you. Interestingly, none of your approaches will be exactly the same. It will be great to be immersed in a community of such potential richness and sharing.
MidSemester Grades:
A-B: 3 TimeLines developed for new communication medium of blog and the requirement to take the TimeLine seen as visual outline to the next level; that is, critical thinking in expanded writing about what this material means.
C: blog linked by Sunday Oct 19th 6pm, with 3 basic TimeLines that accurately addressed 3 original assignments, up and posted by Monday Oct 20th 6 am.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Fishing throughout the month of November was rough, with the pun intended!! The weather was windy and very rough making offshore fishing very difficult for the majority of us that don't have 60+ foot boats. We are still in the transition of waiting for the cold fronts to pass bringing the major pods of sailfish with them. The cold fronts have been moving through almost back to back, making it rough seas and windy and rainy weather.
The few days we were able to run offshore we were able to locate some rip lines holding mahi mahi, where trolled ballyhoo combined with chunked or pitched bait would keep a school nearby for a nice, successful fishing trip.
The bottom fishing for mutton and yellowtail snappers had remained good, triple hooked sardines or cut squid seemed to be the ticket. From 80-130 feet off Jupiter or north of Palm Beach have been holding the fish.
For any rigging questions, help learning leaders, knots, methods or to just learn more tagging along on our fishing trips;
Contact Capt. Mike directly at 781-771-7977
or email - firstname.lastname@example.com
or visit our website www.anglermanagementfishing.com
Michael McCormack
USCG Charter Captain
Angler Management Sport Fishing
781-771-7977 - Cell Phone


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The event took place during the morning rush hour at about 8:45am local time in Bangkok, although the meteor did not make an audible sound as it struck the ground.
The size of the fireball is judged to be quite substantial, as residents of the Sisawat district in Kanchanaburi province, some 200km from the capital, also described seeing the meteorite. They say they also heard a thunderous explosion, according to Thai PBS.
Some even reported hearing two explosions, so a team of rescue workers was dispatched to where the crash site was assumed to be.
Although something of this magnitude can potentially fill people with a mixture of awe and dread, a meteorologist interviewed on local radio says things like that are not a major event, and happen all the time. He admitted, however, that this was not a small meteorite by any measure.
All aviation-related services quickly dispelled suspicions it might have been some sort of air catastrophe; no aircraft were in the area.
YouTube videos began emerging almost immediately.
Click the YouTube link below to listen our latest interview with John B. Wells
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What Powell said made me sad and angry, but he's a diplomat. He did the same thing with regard to Iraq.
Watch, and listen to, President Bush. Focus on him...
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June 30, 2003
A Look At Key Factors Behind The Recent Crisis
RN Editor Ali Nourizadeh
In Conversation With Mehrdad Khonsari
MK: The durability of the recent student protests around the country has been successful in capturing world attention. To what extent is this unprecedented movement, which began spontaneously capable of organizing itself for greater challenges? To what extent is the IRI capable of infiltrating, influencing and sidelining this popular movement?
ARN: It is foolish to think that a movement of this magnitude could have been orchestrated without some form of planning or organization behind it. There are strong indications that the regime - in the form of the Ministry of Information - may well have perpetrated the original protests which began on Tuesday afternoon some weeks ago. Their aim was to either hijack the movement being planned for 9 July or altogether stop it. But, the crucial role played by the various Iranian radio and television broadcasts (emanating from Los Angeles), was to prove highly provocative, in creating an unforeseen situation where the regime was ultimately outflanked. As a result, the protests began assuming a life of their own fuelled by a combination of various factors. Soon the messages being chanted by the protestors began to manifest themselves in a new scenario in which the movement had become largely hostile to all persons associated with the regime, including President Khatami. So, while at the start of these demonstrations, there might have been some plausible case to suggest that elements within the regime or its loyal opposition - namely the so-called reformers - were playing a leading role, as we speak, there are no doubts that slogans calling for Khatami to resign or those widespread chants calling for Khameneis demise have clearly gone beyond any previous red lines or thresholds that have been carefully observed in the past.
MK: To what extent has the role played by external powers - in particular the statements made by President Bush and Prime Minister Blair - been helpful in providing momentum to these protests?
ARN: There is no question in my mind that the public statement made by President Bush that was subsequently followed up by a similar well publicized statement from Prime Minister Blair, have both served to validate the justness of the cause which these young people have been protesting against in the past several weeks. In my view, while the US could not have been behind this matter, they are nevertheless, very pleased about its outcome. Moreover, their reaction and messages of support that have come by way of public statements from such senior officials, as Colleen Powell, Donald Rumsfeld and Condoleezza Rice have served to convey to the Iranian people that the most powerful nation on earth is behind them and their stand for freedom and democracy. To summarize, while there may be some reservations, particularly amongst certain intellectuals quarters, regarding the importance of these statements and the efficacy of the more uncompromising line that is being articulated by the US against the Islamic regime particularly in light of what has been previously experienced in Iraq back in 1991, it is my view that this new attitude has been crucial in lifting public spirits and giving heart and encouragement to ordinary people so that they may continue their struggle.
MK: Do you not think that Blairs comments that served to infuriate the leadership in Teheran was a marked point of departure from positions usually advocated by the British Foreign Office?
ARN: I believe that this statement was particularly important given the fact that it was made on the wake of Jack Straw (British Foreign Secretary)s visit to Teheran. Moreover, like the war against Iraq, it displayed quite explicitly the differences of approach that exist between the way in which the Prime Minister sees matters in comparison to the much more status quo oriented diplomatic corps at Whitehall. But, this is not without precedent and we Iranians have previously witnessed a similar example back in 1979, when the then Foreign Secretary, David Owen had clearly been the very last person to abandon the previous regime.
MK: Many consider Mohammad Khatami to be a lame duck president or a busted flush, at a time when the legitimacy and the popularity of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei is believed to be at an all time low. In these circumstances, there are rumors circulating that former President Hashemi Rafsanjani is trying to carve out a new role for himself as the main power broker in Iran. While remaining in the background, he is said to be trying to convey the message that were the West to deal with him by allowing him a free and unfettered hand in dealing with matters at home, then he would move quickly towards removing any existing barriers including resumption of normal ties with the US. To what extent have you noted any evidence that would validate such an assertion?
ARN: I have seen numerous evidence that would suggest to me that Rafsanjani - whom I should add is another equally despised member of the IRI leadership - is trying to position himself as the countrys next strong man. It is a known fact that a number of key people associated with him have met with US officials in Switzerland and Greece in recent weeks to convey the general picture you have described. It is also unbelievable to hear that he has even tried to engage the Israelis by sending an envoy to meet with their officials in Jerusalem, in the hope that he might persuade the powerful Jewish lobby in Washington not to bloc his various approaches. However, it is equally safe to say that people are a great deal more sober today than they have ever been in the past. In this regard, I am of the view that no one has so far been willing to attach any credence to his proposals. Nevertheless, he is pressing ahead, by saying that only he is capable of adopting a Chinese approach to solving Irans economic problems, thus ending rampant inflation, unemployment and the like. But, I am of the view that policy makers in Washington have moved on a great deal and they are no longer interested in supporting such hated people whose continuing role in office runs counter to a trend that is being demanded by the current milieu in the region.
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A massive car pileup in northwest Georgia today involved nearly 100 vehicles.
At least four were killed. 35 injured — some critically.
Heavy fog is getting the blame. And all this at a time most of these folks were just getting off to work, getting ready to put in another day.
It got me thinking, what if you thought you were going to die any second? What would you do? What would you be thinking?
Sue Shellenbarger was forced to ask that very question.
In a beautifully written and powerful column in the Wall Street Journal this week, Ms. Shellenbarger recounts her near-death experience while travelling on an interstate highway.
She was trying to pass an 18-wheeler, when all of a sudden she saw a car speeding toward her on the wrong side of that highway — her side of the highway.
Thank God, the truck driver saw what was happening. He moved over as far as he could to the right to allow her to get out of that car's way.
Ms. Shellenbarger survived. But her near-death experience prompted some real soul-searching.
Then and there she decided to make time for more aimless talks with her daughter and to plan the vacation her family had always wanted.
She recounts as well friends with similar experiences doing the same thing.
There's the guy who beat a major illness and decided to slow down and move his family out to the country.
Or the employees at a factory, who were so stunned by the accidental deaths of two workers' family members that they built a garden near their office for people to reflect.
Sometimes it's a good thing in life to think of death to put the big things in perspective. Sometimes all it takes are the lights of a car coming right at you. Other times a major illness.
But it gets you thinking. The trick isn't knowing you're going to die. But doing your best to be your best, before you do.
What do you think? Send your comments to: email@example.com
Watch Neil Cavuto's Common Sense weekdays at 4 p.m. ET on Your World with Neil Cavuto.
Neil Cavuto serves as senior vice president, anchor and managing editor for both FOX News Channel (FNC) and FOX Business Network (FBN). He is anchor of FNC's Your World with Cavuto - the number one rated cable news program for the 4 p.m. timeslot - as well as the FNC Saturday show Cavuto on Business. He also hosts Cavuto on FBN weeknights at 8 p.m. In addition to anchoring daily programs and breaking news specials on FNC and FBN, Cavuto oversees business news content for both networks and FNC's weekend business shows, including Bulls & Bears, Forbes on Fox, and Cashin' In. Click here for more on Neil Cavuto.


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"The arts are not the pretty but irrelevant bits around the border of reality. They are highways into the center of a reality which cannot be glimpsed, let alone grasped, any other way. The present world is good, but broken and in any case incomplete; art of all kinds enables us to understand that paradox in its many dimensions. But the present world is also designed for something which has not yet happened. It is like a violin waiting to be played; beautiful to look at, graceful to hold— and yet if you'd never heard one in the hands of a musician, you wouldn't believe the new dimensions of beauty yet to be revealed. Perhaps art can show something of that, can glimpse the future possibilities pregnant within the present time."
N.T. Wright, Simply Christian
I finally did it. I built a gallery to show off my turnings with good light and space. For years, when people came to my shop to look at my work, I pulled out my boxes of bowls and started spreading them out. "Here, hold this while I pull out some more bowls." It really got to be too inconvenient as I have hosted several bus tours this fall and had many dozens of guests with no good place for them to browse or see my work at its best
So this winter, I took part of a storage room in the back of the shop, a high ceiling-ed, 10 foot by 14 foot space with a nice window and the potential at least for keeping the dust at bay.
I sheet-rocked and "mudded," painted and wired and planned how to make a number of cabinets to store my travelling salvation show- the boxes, lights, and display items that I take to art shows.
On a 6 week trip to the British Isles and Norway last summer, I was on the hunt for strong graphics that I could use in my work, so I used some of them on my cabinet doors. In Norway,
there is a strong tradition on their folk architecture to cut designs into their "stave" or board work, in contrast to their logs. In my system, I take the tongue and groove boards for my cabinet covers, draw on the designs, and then cut them on my scroll saw, most often folding the boards to cut the same design on two boards at the same time. When I unfold the boards, I have a symmetrical cut-out that often mimics turning shapes.
I used aspen logged and milled from the Smoky Hills north of Perham. It has beautiful figure that I have often used to advantage. On my cabinet doors I preferred to pick out clear aspen so the graphics would stand out better.
I have moved my "birdpeck tree" to the gallery to show off my work. This sculptural tree has often been part of my display at the Hostfest and gallery showings. It is constructed of birdpeck elm. That means it came from a tree fed upon by the Yellow Bellied Sapsucker for many years. The sapsucker is almost like a woodpecker as it bores through the bark into the tree, but the sapsucker loves the sap. The tree hates when the bird exposes its insides to the elements so it heals over the wound, but the next year, the sapsucker goes right back into the same holes, and so it goes year after year. The decades-long process created huge ridges around the tree where the tree had defended itself. I cut the tree in such a way that I could lay out those boards to show off the wild colors and grain of those "battle sites" and also create an interesting set of shelves.
This is a pair of copper panels that I traded with the classy "Unique Bead" women from Velva and Minot. They have used chemicals and torches to create colorful patterns on the copper that I have framed in a black ash assembly with an oriental flare.
The gallery will be open by appointment, so give me a call at 218-346-3860 to set up a visit to the gallery.
I was surprised last week at the Norsk Hostfest in Minot to be awarded the "Chester" award for "Artisan of the Year." This is named after Chester Reiten, the leader who promoted my old First Lutheran Scandinavian Bazaar into an event that brings many 10's of thousands of people from all over the world to Minot. It's a love fest for Merrie Sue and me to greet thousands of old friends and to demonstrate and sell my burl bowls. I am humbled and thankful for this award.
We first heard about Jorgen Bleken from other woodturners in Norway. He is a legend there as the most skilled woodturner at the "old things"- he can do anything in turning and carving to replicate traditional shapes.
He lives in the Hadeland area, north of Oslo, not far from Hadeland GlassWorks and near where many of my relatives live. He was very gracious about receiving us as visitors, though he was self-conscious that he didn't have too much English. That was no problem because the real treat was what he could show us.
We started out in his house with some wonderful things he showed us. Both he and Trond Killi, where I last visited, love birch burl and had many pieces that he turned of burl. On the right is a traditional Norwegian vessel, turned of burl burl, with beautiful carvings on a clever lockable cover.
He loves burls, and we saw quite a collection of burls that he had collected and was preparing to turn. Birch burl seems to be most plentful, called "Valbjork," and it is quite unusual in that it often has dark lines caused by larva in the wood that give it a most unusual and rich appearance. The good stuff is very expensive because it is much prized for knife handles.
Like many Norwegians, he also likes to do imaginative outdoor sculptures using the burls. Outside his shop he had one large burl with a roof on it. He had a special place planned for this in his yard. Just inside the doors of his shop he had two tall burl posts. I asked him if he intended to place them on either side of his driveway at the entrance of his home. He smiled and told me he thought they would look very nice there.
It seems that many Norwegians love burls and other unusual wood. In rural areas, they often frame the entrance to their homes with large burls for gateposts.
In these two photos, you see Jorgen has turned traditional shapes in Birch burl. In the one with the stem, Jorgen has added a bit of dye to bring out the grain of the wood. On the right is a small box with some nice details in lovely birch burl. I believe it is recently turned but it is one of those pieces that looks like an antique instantly.
His execution is flawless and they look just like the antique turnings in the Folk Museum.
Next we visited his shop. It was full of projects and materials and tools. He had good tools, a huge band saw, and a very fine One Way lathe from Canada, with a shop built carriage for fluting and an extended lathe bed. He showed me photos of very ambitious and large projects he had done on that lathe. Right now an almost finished cabinet sits on top of that lathe.
But my favorite piece was perhaps his dinosaur. Besides all his traditional objects, he had also turned a fanciful and fun dinosaur that "worked." It had 4 large wheels and when you pushed or pulled it, the large round body which rested on the wheels was turned in the opposite direction. Very fun and quite beautiful in birch burl.
Meet Trond Killi. I met him last month in Otta, far north in Norway. I have known about him for ten years because I bought one of his "Turcopps" (which means a touring or travelling cup) in Lillehammer on a previous trip to Norway. It had a T.K. burned on the handle. I also really liked the cup, much like my old Sierra Cup. It is elegant, beautifully made and sold at a fair price.
So when I decided to travel to Norway I did some research and found that Norway's best known production turner had turned my cup and his name was Trond Killi. So I put him on my travel itinerary, emailed him and stopped to visit him. He lives in Otta, a beautiful city on the main highway from Trondheim to Oslo. There was even a sign along the highway advertising that a "Tredreier," a woodturner had a shop nearby.
My wife Merrie Sue and I stopped, rang the bell and out came our generous host, Trond Killi. He took us into his shop and gave us a great tour.
He has a great shop, with good equipment and lots of clever procedures to do production turning. There are boxes everywhere with blanks all roughed out and ready to turn. When Trond turned on his Vicmarc lathe, it was over 2000 rpm, pretty fast for me, but it worked very well and the wood just flew off the lathe.
Trond used an Ellsworth grind bowl gouge with a practiced economy of motion. He has obviously made thousands of these cups. While I watched, he ground the edges with quick and sure movements. Seldom have I seen such skill and speed. Trond turned the cup in short minutes and so cleanly that little sanding was necessary. Trond is also an excellent marketer. Here is part of his display in a store in another part of Norway.
Trond has been a production turner for many years and we saw his very distinctive products in many different shops. We also saw some of the traditional items that lend the Turcopp its design. It has a handle built into the design. After turning, the handle is then sanded to disguise how it was made. Trond does a great job of cutting out the blanks beforehand for best use of material and no extra turning.
Trond has another great product into which he inserts a standard plastic container, maybe margarine or sour cream. He turns a cover to fit this container.
He also has a great trick to set his divider to size the fit of the container. He has marked and bored appropriately spaced holes in the wall for his standard tasks and quickly can reset his calipers. He quickly turned the tentative fit based on the divider setting and and then refined it with the real plastic item.
Right next to Trond's workshop he has built a lovely retail shop. Here he shows a wide variety of turning. I bought a beautiful lidded bowl in spalted birch, shown below. I also bought a second Turcopp, this time in premium birch burl, which is shown below next to my original Turcopp, now 10 years old.
I was very impressed with the turning skill and business acumen of this Norwegian turner.
It´s always exciting to try something new with turning and one avenue I had never tried had been off-center turning. I have some long range plans of using off-center turning to enhance some sculptural and monumental turnings but first I needed to explore some of the basics.
Some of you know Paul Hedman from our Fargo-Moorhead Turning Club. He is making a name for himself nationally with his innovative and creative turning, often eccentric. He and I did a joint workshop in my shop in Winter 2012. I had admired his work and we had often spoken of the mechanics of eccentric chucks, and his increasingly sophisticated series of chucks.
Then at the Turning Symposium in St. Paul in the summer of 2011, I saw one of the new generation of Escoulen eccentric chucks and I knew I had to have one.
You can look at the Chucks Plus website to see more information on the chucks. They are definitely expensive ($500 for the basic chuck and another $250 for the ball attachment) but I have found them to be very well designed and made to allow lots of creative turning. What I like best about them is:
- A variety of ways to hold the wood, but mostly with a cup chuck, a nice solution wth end grain/spindle oriented wood
- the ability to use the ball joint to change the axis of the wood in fairly repeatable ways
- and also to slide the work off center. I like best to combine those two methods
- the ability to slide the weights to balance the work for good turning speed and minimum chatter. That makes for good quality of finish in the final turnings.
My first goal was to design and turn some new finials for some hollow vessels that I was turning. I wanted to start with Paul Hedman´s design and make them even more thin and angular. The following video will show the process I used to turn those finials and also a few of the finished designs. You can look at the following video from a TV broadcast that shows two kinds of eccentric turning.
I used either hard sugar maple for light colored wood or Rosewood for dark colored.
I have a great stash of rosewood that I keep for just such projects as this. In about 1994 I found a dining table at Goodwill store in St. Paul. MN. It was rickety, with bad joints in all the 6 chairs but the table was solid. Best of all the wood was Walnut and Rosewood. I quickly cannibalized the chairs for parts and have used that Rosewood for many projects since. From its color and grain, I believe that it is Indian Rosewood.
I cut the wood to a size that seems appropriate, with the wood perhaps 1 inch by 1 1/2 inches to allow me to swing the wood on its axis and still have enough wood. Like many fragile looking turning projects, goblets and even thin-sided bowls, they can be done only by leaving enough wood close to the chuck to support the turning further away from the chuck and then slowly and gradually thinning the wood closer to the holding point. It gives the work a magical quality that people can´t imagine how such thin and fragile work was created and supported.
Mark the centers of the rectangular piece, hold it between centers and roughly soften the corners of the piece. I don´t want it round because I am using a rectangular cross section piece to allow zig zags all on one axis. The most important task between centers is to create an accurately shaped spigot to pound into the cup chuck. I learned from Paul Hedman that a 1/4 inch final spigot size is very versatile- fine enough to look good on a delicate finial but also sturdy enough to support a large one.
One of the new techniques I learned in this process is how to adapt an open end wrench to be an accurate cutting tool for spigots. The Escoulen chuck includes a measuring gauge for accurate spigots, but by using an open end wrench, you can both cut and measure with the same tool, always a more accurate operation. To adapt a wrench, buy or find an open end wrench of the right size (which helpfully is just a tin fraction larger than the specified size) and sharpen the top flange of the wrench.
For short and small finials the spigot can be the 10 mm spigot, but for larger and longer ones the 22 mm is suggested for more support. For the larger ones it also makes sense to make the spigot longer for more support, perhaps just over one inch. Be sure to flatten and undercut the face that will abut the chuck. There are two problems I have had to deal with when I finally pound the spigot into the chuck. First, it´s difficult to pound it in straight enough that the right angle face of the work piece fits tightly against the chuck. When it doesn´t, I drip some thick super glue in the gap between the chuck and the work piece to add rigidity to the joint.
The other problem is hard to describe. It is a complex dance of adjustments to swing the ball joint side to side and also offset the work piece to put it in good cutting position. You might find watching the short video most helpful to understand this. But it is essential that the orientation of the work piece, especially if it is rectangular in cross section and not square, be pounded into the chuck in a way that lines up with the holes in the chuck and allows the swing in the correct plane.
There are four adjustments you need to make, and if you set up the process well, you may only need to make two of them with each swing of the zigzag finial.
First, the swing of the ball. You can read more in the Escoulen chuck material about how the set screws control the movement of the ball. Three pointed set screws tighten into machines depressions in the ball to either point the ball perfectly straight, or if only one of the pointe set screws is tightened, then they allow rotation of the ball on a single plane from that center point. The other three set screws, which are flat as they meet the ball, lock in whatever on or off axis position is chosen.
The second adjustment is the degree to which the whole assembly is shifted off-center. That means loosening the two hex heads and then using the set screw in the edge of the chuck to move the center. There is a a scale in millimeters which is helpful but not too precise.
Third, you will need to rotate the assembly. There are three set screws to the left of the ball that have indexing marks around their collar. You will be loosening and rotating this collar with every zigzag. This rotation means that the off-center adjustment in step two may only need to tweaked.
Fourth, the further the assembly is off-center or off axis, the more the weight may need to be shifted to balance the turning and allow higher turning speeds. That is done by loosening the set screws on two of the weights, but the weight that is on the opposite side of the chuck from the shifted assembly should stay where it is. The other two can be shifted, all the way up against the third weight if you are out past 20 mm on the scale or in between if the shift is only 5-10 mm. You may need to experiment and see if this adjustment can smooth out the vibration and allow higher turning speeds. You can buy even heavier auxiliary weights to add to the standard weights, which may be particularly necessay if you were turning bowls or vessels on this chuck.
Then I start my turning of the finial. Depending on the height, I will do it in 4-7 steps, in each case swinging the finial as far to each side as I can. With each swing, there are three actions that need to take place. First, loosen the three set screws and swing the work piece as far over as possible. I like the effect of the most radical swing possible, but you may need to work up to that. Then you will shift the work piece to the side so that you will be turning where you want to be. I keep the tail stock close at hand to be able to see where the center line of the lathe really is.
Carefully spin the work piece by hand to make sure that your tool rest does not touch. That may mean some considerable overhang and you may need to move the tool rest closer during each turning step. I have a 3/8 gouge that I like to use. It is short and sturdy, fine High Speed Steel in a metal handle that gives it extra weight and rigidity. You will need to use your very finest bevel-rubbing turning technique to get a good surface and be very careful of your hand placement. Be very careful.
As you come to the last section, you will want to finish the finial in the straight-on position so that the finial will stand straight on the top of the hollow vessel or whatever article you intend to add this to. I learned from Paul Hedman to put a 1/4″ spigot on the end of the finial with a 1/4″ wrench modified to be an accurate sizing cutter. Now, go and do it.
Dragon Woodturner
After 30 hours of fjords and waterfalls on the Hurtigruta Ferry from Bergan, Norway, we unloaded our Mini-Cooper rental car onto the Trondheim dock and headed to the home of a wood turner I met over the Internet. We knew we were in the right place when we saw logs and lumber and even 3 bags of wood shavings.
Rune Hjelen lives in the suburbs with his family. He is an elementary teacher, but also earned a master's degree in folk arts, especially turning and carving. We spent two days with him and learned about his specialty of "dragon style." That's the name of this style of swirling tendrils of plants and animals that form these amazing pieces. It's the style you see on the Norwegian stave churches, 1000 years old and more. Rune stretches dragon style into more contemporary forms. Most carving here in Norway is acanthus, a baroque style of curving leaves and flowers that is also found in their "rosemaling" or rose painting" but dragon style is older, less common and I believe more powerfully compelling.
Rune showed us some of his pieces, and I was instantly excited. I was in Norway exploring woodturning with the goal of using traditional styles but updating them into more contemporary forms. Rune was doing just that very beautifully. I was impressed with how he balances his busy life of teaching, being a husband and parent of two small children and also doing excellent and innovative work. In that way, he's like many other wood turners I know.
Rune's shop is well equipped for turning and carving. He has a 24' Vicmark lathe that I saw in several professional shops in Norway. That's a popular lathe in Norway that is sold by the big Verktoy woodworking store from Stavanger, Norway, for whom Rune is often a demonstrator. Rune also teaches both turning and carving classes at the Rauland School in Norway. He also has an even larger VB lathe from England, capable of the very large pieces he is exploring. His goal is to do large commissions for public spaces or corporations in contemporary dragon style. I visited two other turners in Norway which I am blogging about. They each have different goals for their work. Trond Killi is a very busy production turner and Jorgen Bleken most often does commissions or restorations of traditional Norwegian designs.
We had a great time with Rune, Camilla, Kristen and Ottar, pictured here with my wife Merrie Sue as well. I thank them for their hospitality and all that we learned there.
http://www.verktoyas.no/ you can check "translate" to make this in English
Cruise along the coast of Norway with an astonishing array of the world's best turners. You will probably meet Rune on board too.


text: This talk will seek to come to grips with the concept of "literary culture", both in general and as it pertains to Icelandic literature specifically, or, rather, to literature in or from the realm of Icelandic culture. The hesitation in the preceding sentence bespeaks one of the problems involved. What belongs in the category of Icelandic literature? This is an important question in a country where literature (oral and written) has been the dominant form of artistic and cultural expression for more than a millennium. Starting with a glance at recent works of Icelandic literary history, the discussion will touch on historical reaches of the term "literature", on national canonization, world literature, and "distant reading". The focus will then move toward issues of documentation, the role of grassroots activities, as well as hybrid and cross-cultural mobility (including translation), and the ways in which these elements have figured in an ongoing encyclopedic project seeking to work out the parameters of Icelandic literary culture. Astradur Eysteinsson is professor of comparative literature (since 1994) and former dean of humanities (2008-2015) at the University of Iceland in Reykjavik – and currently a visiting professor at the University of Victoria, British Columbia. He has worked mainly in the areas of literary and cultural theory, modernist studies, and translation studies, and is a practicing translator.


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04/26/13 Week In Review
Welcome back to OakTree Investment Advisors' Week In Review. Earnings seasons is still going strong and we got two big names who reported earnings this week, and we'll also look at today's GDP report and what that means for our economy moving forward.
Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) raises dividend, but misses the revenue mark
Exxon Mobil, well known as a great and stable energy investment, raised its dividend on Wednesday by $0.06 up to $0.63 a quarter. This was a 10.5% increase of the previous dividend and marks the 31st (!) consecutive year the company raised its dividend. No wonder why XOM was the second stock we featured on this blog, and one of only two of our recommendations that we've bought back after it's been called away. The company's commitment to returning value to shareholders by consistently increasing their dividend is why it makes it a great target for our Covered Call Strategy.
Any euphoria over the dividend increase was short lived though as the company reported earnings the next morning. While EPS beat by $0.07, revenue came in $11.03 billion shy, a miss of over 9%. This sent the stock tumbling from just shy of $89.50 on Wednesday's close, down about a buck-fifty for this week. This resulted from E&P earnings, oil and natural gas production, and refining and marketing earnings all driving downwards. Earnings were up, but due to margin increases mainly in the refining departments.
So this report expresses a trend we've been seeing in earnings this season, and raises an important question. The trend we've been seeing is that companies have been meeting or beating on EPS for Q1, but have been shy on revenue. What this is indicative of is that companies are doing well at becoming more efficient in their operations, but they aren't effectively growing. This is a bad sign for the economy, and could mean trouble for companies in general. They've been cutting fat for the past four years to keep their heads (and stock prices) above water, and eventually they're going to run out of things that can go on the chopping block. The question that arises is, "Should we be worried?". We don't think so. Exxon Mobil's revenues are highly tied to the price of gas, which over the past three weeks has declined by 9%. Now declining gas prices isn't the sole reason for XOM, our point is that gas prices tend to fluctuate. They'll be down for a couple of months, then they'll skyrocket for a couple of months. When you look at XOM, you have to look at the long term. Are the company's financials strong? Yes. Do they have potential for growth? Yes. Is their dividend or business model at risk? No. If oil prices continue to decline throughout the year, we won't see any of the energy majors like XOM beat the S&P's return. Then again, that's not why we're in XOM. We started a Covered Call Strategy for the stock to have a position that will give us income, stability, and exposure to the energy markets. Our strategy doesn't end till this July, and we believe a reversal in oil prices is possible by then. Regardless, if the stock stays under our $95 strike price, we'll be happy to sell another Call on the stock.
Boeing (NYSE:BA) reports earnings and Dreamliners get ready to return
Boeing reported earnings this Wednesday morning, with an EPS that beat by $0.26 while revenue missed by $0.3 billion. Like we mentioned above, the trend of missing on revenue also effected Boeing, but to a much smaller amount. Positive notes come from core operating earnings up 14% year-over-year, with core operating margins up 0.80%, while they reaffirmed their 2013 earnings targets.
What is more exciting is that late last week the FAA cleared Boeing to start installing the new upgraded lithium-ion batteries in their 787 Dreamliner line that has been grounded since the myriad of problems afflicting them in mid-January. Both the European Aviation Safety Agency and the Japanese Ministry of Transport have lifted the ban on the Dreamliners once the FAA officially issues its "airworthiness directive" which is expected later today. This bodes well for the company, though the stock doesn't seem to care too much about this little fact. That's because it didn't seem to care that the planes were grounded in the first place! Despite all the worries over the Dreamliner, the stock is up some 19% year-to-date, and is currently way above our January 2014 $80 strike price. Whether the sequester ends up affecting the company's defense-based revenue is yet to be seen, but with a backlog of $392 billions dollars worth of projects, we're sure BA will end up doing quite well for the year.
Q1 GDP shows accelerating growth, but misses forecasts
This morning we had the release of the GDP for the first quarter of the year. Gross domestic product expanded at a 2.5% annual rate, a massive increase from last quarter's 0.4% increases, yet still significantly under expectations of 3.0%. Part of the acceleration came from farmers increasing inventories; when that data is removed, the growth rate was a much less positive 1.5%. While the report showed the majority of the economy's areas supporting the growth we are witnessing, the government, trade, and business real estate investment did not - a repercussion of the sequester and companies still hesitant to hire and expand.
Nearly two-thirds of economic activity in the U.S. comes from consumer spending, which increased by 3.2% in the first quarter - the greatest increase since Q4 of 2010, but came at the expense of a 5.3% decrease in household saving rate down to 2.6%. This is the largest drop since Q3 of 2009, and the lowest rate since Q4 of 2007. This can leave American households ill-prepared for the economic headwinds to come, as all these economic signals suggest the economy will most likely decelerate from here into the second quarter. Especially since, historically, GDP data for the early quarters of recent recessions have all been revised downwards dramatically - meaning that the state of our economy could be worse than what even the numbers show.
This report could also give additional ammunition to the Federal Reserve to keep interest rates low and continue to purchase bonds at the current $85 billion a month. This will help support the stock markets, an important factor as consumers will need to tap into "wealth effects" like the strong stock and housing markets to get spending up in the second half of the year, which will be a requisite if we want our economy to improve.
Posted by OaktreeAdvisors at 4/26/2013 4:31 PM
Categories: Week In Review


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Gabe Trahan with Haag & Trammell, Inc. led a class at
Broadmoor on May 19 discussing a variety of topics on Field Engineering.
Haag & Trammell, Inc. is a full line Sokkia & Topcon
Surveying, Construction, and Engineering Instrument sales firm and offers
multiple educational seminars a year to teach various subjects of surveying and
construction. The class covered several different subjects: coordinates, GPS,
running a level loop and closing the loop in the field, right triangles, and basic
total station setup and use.
Attendees included Mark Scott, William Brad, Richard Rogers,
Josh Parker, Shane Cialona, Scott Hebert, Kyle Ibert, John Manale, and Michael
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The St. Mary's University Law Alumni Association has honored three graduates – The Honorable Karen H. Pozza (J.D. '91), 407th District Court of Bexar County; Peter E. Hosey (J.D. '79), Jackson Walker LLP in San Antonio; and David C. Courreges (J.D./M.P.A. '05), Courreges PC in Austin – during at its annual Distinguished Law Graduate Dinner, which was held Friday night before more than 1,000 alumni and friends.
Courreges received the Distinguished Young Alumnus Award for exceptional achievements of a practicing attorney under the age of 40.
As the founding shareholder of Courreges, PC (www.davidcourreges.com), he has more than a decade of direct experience in government law. But his work outside his firm has not gone unnoticed. Courreges serves as an executive on the Board of Directors for the Texas Young Lawyers Association and is the current president of the Austin Young Lawyers Association. He was honored this year by the Austin Under 40 committee as the top attorney under the age of 40 in Austin, and by the State Bar of Texas in 2012 with the Nancy Garmes Award for his outstanding contribution to legal and government education in Texas.
Courreges has also remained dedicated to the University, serving as an Adjunct Professor and helping create and administrate the Frank J. Madla and Irma Rangel Legislative Internship program, as well as the legislative externship programs for the School of Law. He is the immediate past president of the St. Mary's Alumni Association – the youngest in the Association's history – and a member of the University's Board of Trustees.


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A Scam Email with the Subject "[Fwd: Persian Offshore - Shipping Documents 9079929051]" was received in one of Scamdex's honeypot email accounts on Thu, 15 Jun 2017 11:21:49 -0400 and has been classified as a Generic Scam. The sender was "Shipping Agent (WAN HAI SHIPPING LINES CO.,LTD)" <email@example.com>, although it may have been spoofed.
---------------------------- Original Message ---------------------------- Subject: Persian Offshore - Shipping Documents 9079929051 From: "Shipping Agent (WAN HAI SHIPPING LINES CO.,LTD)" <email@example.com> Date: Wed, June 14, 2017 8:26 am To: -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Sir, FYI we got instruction from our client to contact you based on the change in the destination of your goods on the attached shipping documents. For this reason we kindly ask you to reconfirm shipping documents asap and revert back immediately before we dispatch goods. Regards Shipping Agent (Shanghai Shipping Co., Ltd.) 600 Minsheng Road Shanghai 200135 China Tel:(86)-(21)-58834638 Fax:(86)-(21)-58832073 Zip Code:200135


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Ah yes, the NBA was officially back last night and we were treated to the King picking up right where he left off last season with a triple-double and a dominating victory over the Knicks. Damian Lillard and Joe Johnson had an "anything you can do I can do better" battle, and the Spurs absolutely trounced the Warriors in Kevin Durant's debut.
We also were treated to some top notch jokes from the man, the myth, the legend, Gregg Popovich, as he had a funny take on Tim Duncan's retirement and whether he gives any advice to Steve Kerr.
On Duncan…
Classic Gregg Popovich.
— NBA SKITS (@NBA_Skits) October 26, 2016
Popovich refuses to accept Duncan's retirement (why would he) and apparently is fining him until he decides to show up. Who knew Duncan's retirement was really just a contract holdout? In all seriousness, Coach Pop is one of the funniest and most engaging coaches in professional sports when he wants to be, and he was in a pretty jolly mood as his team ran the "Super Team" Warriors off the floor Tuesday night.
He also shared some pretty passionate and shocking thoughts about Warriors Head Coach and former Spur Steve Kerr when asked if he ever gives Kerr any advice…
Oh Gregg Popovich,
Please never change ❤ https://t.co/QugMG8IGaS pic.twitter.com/DC6Z4wkblC
— theScore (@theScore) October 26, 2016
Popovich's sarcasm and dry humor is something that truly needs to be appreciated, along with the fact that he is the best coach the NBA has ever seen.
Don't ever change Gregg Popovich, who am I kidding, I know you won't and that is a gift to us all.


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Yes we have the start to our 2 Shimano Ultegra Di2 group sets arriving now. We will have one set up on a test bike and the other set will be for sale. This will be attached to one of our demo turbo trainers and will be a great opportunity to test a bike, electric group set and a video/virtual reality turbo trainer!
If you like the sound of this get in touch and we will keep your details and let you know when the bike etc is complete.


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The Ice on her Finger:
AN-I know I said that was all she wrote at the end of the last story, Mac Against Black Ice, but a reviewer gave me and idea, and it kinda exploded into a mini series, I dub the ICE SERIES because these are being written during the long icy weekends in the NC mountain range, nothing like the long drawn out epic of my other stories. Read and Review if you like.
JAG Headquarters
Harm's Office
It had been six weeks since Harm found Mac on the side of the mountain on that fateful January day. He watched her walk across the bullpen and pull out her brightly colored mug and fill it with hot chocolate. Harm never believed that he could find happiness, but there she was standing in front of him. The traces of the day that almost caused him to lose the most important woman in his life now were fading and just a distant memory.
He watched her lift the hot chocolate to her lips and caught the glint of her engagement ring. Harm remembered the night he got her home.
Harm's Memories:
It seemed like forever trying to find Mac on that barely traveled highway in the mountains. When he saw her car a foot from the edge of the mountain canyon, he immediately went into his panic mode. "God, please, I can't lose her now."
He walked up to the dark blue government sedan and opened the door. He would have to talk to Mac later about leaving her doors unlocked while driving. "I love you too Harm." He heard her whisper into the cold air, the air was so cold he could see the words hanging in the air, so he knew that he didn't imagine those sweet words.
He got her out of the car and into his arms, and at that moment he knew that this was home, he always had to have her in his arms. She fussed at him for making her go to the hospital and was none the too happy about the doctors saying that she probably shouldn't be left alone for long because she did loose consciousness for a couple of minutes.
She watched him from her bar stool on the island while sipping her hot tea, getting their dinner ready. She tried to tell him that she wasn't hungry, but he wouldn't hear any of it.
"Harm, I don't need a babysitter, I am …"
"A marine, I know, and I love you, I want to spend the rest of my life with you."
"You better be careful Flyboy, that sounded a little bit too much like a proposal."
"What if it was?"
"What if I said yes?"
"Then I would say you just made me the happiest man on the face of this planet." He reached down into his pocket and leaned over the island and slipped a 1.5 carat princess cut diamond on her finger. "You make proposing so easy." He said flashing his 90 watt smile at her.
"Harmon Rabb, if you thought that was a proposal . . ." She didn't get to finish her thought because he lips came crashing down on hers.
He lifted her up into his arms and took her to his bedroom. He laid her gently down on the bed drinking in every movement that was her. She pulled him down and kissed him again.
They woke up the next morning tangled in each other's arms. He kissed the top of her head and saw her left hand laying on his chest and the engagement ring sparkling in the rising sun. Dinner had been forgotten about on the stove.
End Memory
She must have gotten back from her doctor's appointment. Harm had made her one the day before because he thought she was getting the flu. She was throwing up constantly and it was scaring him.
"Hey Sailor," Mac said walking into his office. "You are looking a million miles away. What are you thinking?"
"I was thinking about the day I found you off the side of the mountain, it was the scariest, yet one of the happiest days of my life."
"What are the other happy days?"
"Well, the day Mattie decided to come back and live with me ranks, and then of course, there is the day we met, the little AJ's birthday, the birth of the Robert's twins." Harm laughed. "Speak of the devil."
Harriet came walking into JAG with the double decker stroller, with AJ holding one side and James perched on her hip. Harm immediately got up helped Harriet through the bullpen.
"Thank you so much sir."
"Uncle Harm, airplane!" James yelled.
Harm picked up James and threw him into the air. He made the airplane noises. James squealed. "Is your tailhook down pilot?"
"Yes sir." Harm threw Jimmy in the air, caught him quickly and set him down.
Mac came out of the office, "Harriet, what on earth made you decide to drive with four children?"
"Connor and Cole were getting fussy, and AJ wanted to see his dad."
Harriet so wanted a little girl, but was blessed with two boys named Connor Harmon Roberts and Coleman Calhoun Roberts (Cole for short). Harriet wanted the boys to have good strong names, Connor meaning much wanted, Harmon meaning soldier (and of course after Harm); Coleman meant peace and Calhoun mean warrior. Mac mused at the thought of Cole's name, peace warrior, wasn't that an oxymoron? After the fiasco with James' name, there was no way that she was letting Bud take a crack at the names again.
Harm came out of Bud's office wearing a smile on his face. "Commander I am so sorry. I need to talk to the boys about proper office decorum."
"Harriet, it's fine. I love playing airplane with the boys. Mattie won't let me do that, she only settles to fly Sarah. Now which one is my namesake?"
"He is the one wearing the sailor suit, and Cole is wearing the marine outfit." She said picking each one up and handing them to Harm. Harm took both of them in his arms. Mac stood in her office watching him. He was going to be such a good dad. Just then, General Creswell came out of the office.
"Harriet, very nice to see you again. I see you brought the boys in. Well, don't they look sharp!" He said smiling. "Enjoy dressing them up now. Commander, you look good with infants, when are you and the Colonel going to plan on starting a family?"
The question sent a pained expression across Harm's face. "Sir, the Colonel and I probably won't be able to have children." Mac came out of her office to help rescue him.
"But that doesn't mean we aren't going to give adoption a shot, I mean we already have Mattie to think about. We are going to wait though until after we are married." She supplied.
Harriet looked at both Harm and Mac, "Will you guys consider becoming godparents for a third and fourth time?"
Harm smiled. "You can count on me."
"Me too Harriet."
Harriet smiled as she watched Mac take Cole from Harm. She looked so beautiful with children. Harm was thinking the same thing. Just then Mac started looking a little green and quickly handed the baby to General Creswell and darted into the bathroom.
"Sir, what is wrong with her?"
"I think she has a stomach bug."
"Oh." Harriet said smiling at her boys. Harm and the general set the babies back into the stroller for Harriet and went back to work.
Harm's Apartment
North of Union Station
Harm knew the sound of Mac throwing up all to well in his bathroom. "Mac, when is the doctor going to call you?"
"I don't know. He took some blood to see if I had an infection, and that is what they are waiting on."
Mattie came strolling into the apartment. "Dad, Mac, I'm here for dinner."
"Okay Mattie, set the table, and we will be out in a few minutes." Harm helped her off the cold tile floor. She had gotten a little bit on her shirt, so Harm handed her one of his button down shirts to wear for dinner.
Mac had just finished buttoning up the shirt when her phone rang.
"Colonel this is the lab at Bethesda. We have the results of your earlier blood work."
"You guys said no news was good news."
"Well, we have news, Colonel Mackenzie you are six weeks pregnant."
"Thank you." She stammered into the phone, shutting it, effectively ending her call. She went out to join Harm and Mattie who were getting ready to start dinner.
"Who was the honey?"
"Bethesda," she said crunching into her vegetables.
"And?" Harm asked raising an eyebrow.
She looked up from her plate and saw both Mattie and Harm looking at her. "I'm six weeks pregnant."
"What, how, who, when?" Harm started sputtering.
Mattie looked at her guardian. "Well Dad, you know, you tried to give me the birds and the bees talk," she started laughing at him, "it's a good thing I learned that in school. Do I need to explain it to you?" Mac started laughing at the spunky teenager to keep the tears at bay. "I am sensing you to are needing some alone time, so I am taking the rest of dinner back to Jen's."
Harm nodded and mouthed thank you to her. She gave Mac a quick hug and exited quietly. Mac had let the tears start falling.
She spoke up, "The what to your question is, I am six weeks pregnant, the how must have been the only time we slept together, the when is six weeks ago when you proposed, and the who is you." She said pushing up from the table.
Tears flowing softly down her face. He got up and stopped her. He brushed the tears from her face. "We created a miracle." He dropped to her knees and kissed her stomach. "Hi there, I'm your daddy. I can wait to meet you in another seven and a half months."
The tears started flowing more freely down her face. "Mac, Honey, why all the tears?"
"It isn't true. I can't be pregnant. I don't believe." Harm looked at her and pulled out her cell phone and found the number that he was looking for.
"Hello, this is Commander Harmon Rabb. I need to make an appointment for my fiancé. We want to come in for an ultrasound to confirm a pregnancy. Tomorrow at 0800. Great. Can you call her doctor, she was given a diagnosis of endometriosis about 9 months ago, and we need to see her as well. Thank you."
She sat on the couch looking at him. "Why did you do that?"
"Well, the test came back positive, and I figure that since you don't believe, then seeing will be believing." He held her in his arms. She fell asleep and he carried her to his bedroom.
Bethesda Medical Center
Bethesda, MD
Harm sat by Mac's side holding her hand. The ultrasound technician came in wheeling the big machine and then left going to get Mac's doctor.
"Hello Sarah. Good to see you again."
"Hello Doctor Chen."
"I have here in your charts that you guys have produced a four percent miracle baby. Should we take a look to confirm our suspicions?"
She pulled out some of the gel and squirted it on Mac's slender stomach. The coolness of the gel made her flinch.
"Mac, did that hurt you," Harm asked with a concern tone.
"No, it was just cold." She said smiling at him. The ultrasound tech placed the wand on her stomach and positioned it for the doctor.
"Harley, are you seeing what I am seeing?" Doctor Chen asked.
"I believe so ma'am." Mac started worrying and stopped breathing.
She repositioned the wand, "There it is."
"Colonel, Commander, I think you need to brace yourself. You have accomplished a four percent miracle." Mac squeezed Harm's hand. The doctor continued. "In around eight months, you two will be parents to twins. Would you like to hear their heartbeats?"
"Yes!" Mac said enthusiastically. The tech switched on the sound and across the room they could hear the sound of two tiny heartbeats. A tap was popped into the recorder and a printout was made for the both of them. "I would like to set up your next appointment."
Mac smiled and nodded. Harm held her hand. He helped her off the table and she cleaned herself off. She started looking a little green again and immediately threw up in the wastebasket while Harm held back her hair.
He put his hand on her stomach, "He guys, its Dad again. You two need to stop making Mommy sick, or else how are you going to grow into big strong sailors?"
"Or Marines." Mac countered back. He held her hand and caught a glance of the ice on her finger catching the lights causing colors to dance around the room. Harm looked at them and realized that their life was going to be finally looking up.
AN – Do you want more of the ice series? Thinking maybe some antics that happen during the pregnancy and maybe their wedding?? Let me know! It seems that we are looking at a lovely icy weekend all weekend long, which means I have plenty of times on my hand – this southern Navy brat does not drive in the snow and ice anymore!