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Bulldogs make it 7 straight with 45-point derby victory
Monday, August 7, 2017 - 12:44 PM by Chris Pike
SOUTH Fremantle had to overcome a spirited East Fremantle at Fremantle Community Bank Oval on Saturday but came away with the 45-point win to make it seven on the trot this WAFL season.
Following South Fremantle's 145-point WA Day Foundation Derby hammering of East Fremantle, neither team expected anything close to the same coming into Saturday's contest in the last derby contest of 2017.
East Fremantle certainly was far more committed and looked capable of being vastly more competitive, which they were, but South Fremantle went on goal kicking sprees at the end of the opening three quarters to maintain a handy lead.
That ended up seeing South Fremantle come away with the solid 22.9 (141) to 15.6 (96) victory with the margin exactly 100 points fewer than back on WA Day at East Fremantle Oval.
East Fremantle's cause wasn't helped with the loss of Josh Cuneo and George Hampson to hamstring injuries, but South Fremantle also lost centre half-back Blayne Wilson to a hamstring complaint of his own.
The victory was a seventh straight on the season for South Fremantle with the Bulldogs improving to a 14-4 record and guaranteed of finishing in second position, hosting a qualifying final and having a finals double chance.
By being more competitive and losing by just 45 points with Perth going down to Claremont at the same time by 99, East Fremantle again got off the bottom of the ladder courtesy of percentage.
Brock Higgins again shone in the ruck for South Fremantle delivering just about his second straight best on ground performance in his 99th WAFL appearance. He ended the day with 22 possessions, 52 hit outs, eight inside-50 entries, six tackles and four marks.
South Fremantle's midfielders benefited greatly from his good work with Shane Hockey racking up another 31 possessions, Tim Kelly 30 (seven tackles, six inside 50s, one goal) and Dylan Main 22 (seven tackles, one goal).
Steven Edwards continued his blistering form out of defence not only continuing to do well when required defensively but then compiling 24 possessions, five tackles and a brilliant running goal.
Steve Verrier ended up with 27 disposals for the Bulldogs, Ryan Cook 24, Jarrod Garlett 20, Blaine Johnson 19, Mason Shaw 18 (nine marks), Matthew Parker 17 and Tom Vandeleur 17.
Shaw also kicked four goals for South Fremantle, Ben Saunders three in his 100th WAFL appearance, Haiden Schloithe two, Cory Dell'Olio two, Johnson two, Cook two, Parker two and Vandeleur two. They were Vandeleur's first two goals for the Bulldogs since returning to the club to start 2016.
East Fremantle came out a spirited outfit and desperate to make up for what happened back on WA Day while also having the motivation of still being able to avoid the wooden spoon in 2017. On the back of that the Sharks kicked the first two goals of the contest thanks to Jonathon Marsh and Ambrose Ryan.
It took 10 minutes for South Fremantle to kick its first goal and it was last week's debutant Parker who continued from where he left off by taking a strong mark and kicking truly.
But East Fremantle responded with the next two goals through Matthew Watson and captain Jamie McNamara to give the Sharks an impressive start with four of the first five goals of the game.
South Fremantle was able to stem the tide, though, and with the last three goals of the first term in the final eight minutes thanks to Vandeleur, Shaw and then a second Parker and scores were all tied up at quarter-time.
The Bulldogs then continued that momentum to start the second term firstly when captain Cook was left alone at centre half-forward to kick truly from just inside-50. Schloithe then showed his forward-line nous to mark on the lead and go back to goal.
That saw South Fremantle lead by 12 points having kicked five goals in succession but East Fremantle wasn't going to go away on this occasion. The Sharks kicked the next three goals through Jack Perham, Hampson and Tom Bennett to be back on top to the tune of seven points.
Again the Bulldogs responded late in the quarter with the last four goals in the space of five minutes with Dell'Olio, Shaw, Cook and Vandeleur all booting majors to give the home team a 19-point advantage at half-time.
South Fremantle then started the third quarter strongly to make it six goals on the trot after Schloithe and Johnson both kicked early majors. That saw the Bulldogs go from seven points down 21 minutes into the second term to leading by 31 points five minutes into the third.
East Fremantle big men Cameron Symonds and Watson did combine for their team's three goals in the third term, but South Fremantle pulled away again late with four goals in the final six minutes with Main, Dell'Olio, Johnson and Saunders all helping give the Bulldogs a 45-point buffer.
Both teams managed to kick five goals apiece in an attacking and free-flowing final quarter but in the end the final margin was the same as it was at three quarter-time with South Fremantle winning by 45 points.
South Fremantle's colts began the day impressively at Fremantle Community Bank Oval upsetting the ladder-leading East Fremantle with the 14.8 (92) to 11.8 (74) victory.
Lachlan Feeney, Jonathon Frampton and Kyle Hamersley all kicked three goals each or South Fremantle with Ryan Burrows booting two.
Feeney also gathered 21 disposals for the Bulldogs, Matthew Ward 19, Jarren Colpitts 18, Zane Sumich 18, Burrows 16 and Hamersley 16.
South Fremantle's ladder-leading reserves also had a strong 18.17 (125) to 8.4 (52) win over East Fremantle at Fremantle Community Bank Oval on Saturday.
Jarrod Parry, Daniel Burke, Andre Coutinho, Caleb Datson and Mitch Dzelebdzic all booted two goals apiece for South Fremantle.
Brendan Verrier racked up 41 possessions, Jake Florenca 33, Parry 29, Josh Collard 26, Kyle Russell 20, Datson 19, Brandon Donaldson 18 and Zac Strom 18.
Josh Branchi was impressive in his first full game back from a knee reconstruction with 21 disposals, 10 marks and 33 hit outs.
South Fremantle is guaranteed of finishing in second position and of hosting the qualifying final in the opening week of the finals.
But with plenty of pressure on for spots in the Bulldogs team, there will be no taking it easy over the last two games starting on Saturday against a desperate Claremont at Claremont Oval.
SOUTH FREMANTLE – Goals: Shaw 4; Saunders 3; Schloithe, Dell'Olio, Johnson, Vandeleur, Cook, Parker 2; Kelly, Edwards, Main.
Best: Higgins, Edwards, Hockey, Kelly, Verrier, Shaw, Cook.
EAST FREMANTLE – Goals: Watson 4; Perham 3; McNamara, Marsh, Hampson, Schofield, Symonds, Kalajzic, Bennett, Ryan.
Best: Marsh, Watson, Schofield, Stephen, Jupp, Perham.


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Posts Tagged 'bayview'
Clean Report
I'd already bailed from the 1D35 I usually race in Detroit for this weekend's Bayview Long Distance Race, but when my wife's plans to hold a garage sale changed an hour before getting a text from Rick Warner on Friday, I jumped at the chance to sail Rick's ORMA 60 Arete in the historic race on Saturday. I'd been trying to race with Rick since he bought the beastly trimaran, and a dead-calm delivery I did last month with him didn't really fit the bill.
With a forecast of 10-15 for the 50-mile race, this one would be somewhat different, especially since my old friend Bora blew off an invitation to appear as one of Michigan's Olympians on the U of M football field (in front of 106,000) to take the helm of the boat for this race. And while the Bayview Race Committee gave us a start, we were an 'unofficial' entry and the only multihull, but no one cared – we were there to set a record, and as far as we know, we did.
An ORMA is perhaps the perfect boat for the Mackinac races; blazing fast in light air, and even faster in heavy – but for a race on the depth-limited Lake St. Clair, this truly was a case of bringing a knife to a gunfight, even with much of Arete's core crew off doing other things. It took us twenty minutes to get through the 8 classes of boats ahead of us, flying at 20 knots all the way to the wind farm off the Canadian Thames light, and you couldn't ask for a less dramatic ride; furling sails and smart winch logistics make everything as smooth as the boat, and aside from one problem with the gennaker tack (that's me hanging on the bowsprit at 15-20 knots after the fix), we didn't leave much on the course, and while the Bayview Long Distance Race Record ain't something that matters to more than a tiny group of people, as my (possibly) first ever race record, it mattered to me!
Our total time for the 50 mile race was actually the same as my birthday: 4/20. While none of us can find an actual race record, we're pretty confident we set it – our time was just under an hour and a half ahead of the fastest boat behind us, the GL70 Equation. I uploaded some videos during the race – if you like big multihulls, you'll like them. Here's my arrival, update 1, update 2, and some gorgeous slow-mo of the leeward hull streaming in the sunlight.
Rick has done a great job getting young sailors aboard Arete in her two years in the Midwest, and his Mackinac resulted in one of the most interesting distance race video series we've seen in years, this one from a young videographer. Watch the four-part series, produced by Andrew Jowett from the Port Huron Times-Herald, here. Photo from Bora Gulari.
- Tags: arete, bayview, Bora Gulari, lake st. clair, michigan, ORMA, rick warner, trimaran
September 19th, 2016 by admin
Two Bayview Mackinac race courses means two great race reports, and we've got one each from the boats that took line honors. Tim Kent is the boat captain of longtime Great Lakes multihuller Rick Warner's ORMA 60 Arèté, which beat out the Volvo 70 and MaxZ86s to give some first-to-finish love back to the multihull community after a decade-long drought. And long, longtime SA'er (and former Mr. Clean crewmate) Paul Hulsey was the skipper of Holy Hand Grenade, taking advantage of the new, smaller size limit for BYC-Mack boats to bring his Melges 24 home first on the Shore Course. Here are their stories:
Higher and Faster
The start of the 2015 Bayview Port Huron to Mackinac Race promised action, if nothing else. Weather alerts were beeping and braying from the VHF and everyone's cell phone radar app showed it – there was a nasty front heading toward the 237 boats that had just started. A quick survey of the fleet showed skippers were of two schools; they either felt there was no reason to haul down their big kite, or they were bareheaded with reefs.
On board Rick Warner's ORMA 60 Areté, we were prepared. Everyone was foulied up, and as the boats on the beach near Michigan's "thumb" started to show the effects of the wind, we rolled up the big gennaker and switched to the J2, deploying the leeward lifting foil even though we weren't fast enough for it – yet. We were already blasting through the fleets ahead of us, with spotters on the low side advising Rick on whether to take boats high or low. Our "out" – the direction we had to turn if we got blasted by a sudden squall – was down at this point of sail, and we wanted to allow plenty of room for the big girl to run if we got nailed.
When the breeze hit, we were ready. The full main and J2 were the right call, if just barely, and Areté accelerated instantly, the leeward ama coming within inches of going full submarine. The foil did its work, keeping the boat on its feet, and we took off at just under 30, though no one had time to give more than the shortest glance at the knotmeter; were all busy easing sheets, traveler, barber haulers, and spotting traffic. Most of the boats in the fleet handled the transition well, but we had to dodge a few that were sailing…unpredictably.
Running the Yellowbrick Tracker replay just after this point was great fun for us; The entire fleet is bunched up like a fist and then – pop! – out comes Areté like a watermelon seed squirting between the fingers! This part of the race was all about speed, reaching hard in a fast boat. As we headed toward the Cove Island buoy, we went back to the gennaker, then down to the J1 and a reef as the wind built later in the day. And that reef caused a major problem we'd learn about soon.
Areté has halyard locks at both full hoist and at the first reef to reduce compression on her beefy wing mast. When it came time to shake the reef, we had to slow the boat, bring her almost head-to-wind, raise the sail and engage the lock. It's a bit of a process that we are still learning and it does not always work the first time. But this time it did not work the second time, or the fourth, or the tenth time. All that time, we were bleeding miles that we had built over the big chasing monos Windquest and il Mostro. We finally gave up, locked in at the first reef and took off, cursing the lost miles.
Before dark, with the wind clearly in full-hoist mode, we sent Mike McGarry, our ace repair guy, aloft. Once again, we slowed the boat and tried to engage the lock. We were communicating with Mike by VHF and after trying to engage at full hoist again…with the boat fully slowed…he told us to bring him down for parts. The headboard car where the lock release and engagement lines had broken…up he went again and after almost an hour of painfully creeping along at 12 knots – slow for us – he had the lock fixed and – as the sun completely set – we brought him down with the main fully hoisted and set out to make up a LOT of lost time.
As we rounded the Cove Island buoy, we did so with Windquest just a quarter mile behind us. We were going higher and faster and soon left her behind. But we were sure that the VO 70 il Mostro was still ahead and sure enough, several hours later she turned up on AIS – ten miles ahead. Ten miles.
As it turns out, it was not enough for her. Areté was sailing the beat as high as she was – and faster. As we neared il Mostro, she tacked to cover us. We cracked sheets, blew through below her, then hardened up and headed for the Island. So much for multihulls not going to weather. The big mono was in sight the whole time and as we got to Bois Blanc Island we had left her behind, ultimately finishing seven miles ahead.
We had accomplished the key challenge that Rick had set for himself, the team and the boat – first to finish! In so doing, we set the record for the fastest elapsed time ever for the Cove Island course – 23 hours, 12 minutes, 51 seconds.
We know that we left time out on the water. The fact is that Rick and crew essentially took a boat that had been in corporate day charter for five years, sailed it across the Atlantic and through the St. Lawrence Seaway to the Great Lakes, put some new sails on it and went racing. Evidence of years of deferred maintenance showed up all the time, and the crew McGuyvered their way through it –reveling all the time in the native speed and sheer competence of the boat. We have a lot to learn and more speed to find, but this was an excellent way to wrap up the distance racing part of Areté's first season – first to finish and a record. More to come if you stay tuned on our Facebook Page, and thanks to everyone watching!
-Tim Kent
Little Boat, Big Lake
Well that was a hell of a fun race! Let me start with a small recap of the events and then I will move on to lessons learned and ideas for next year. That's right, we're doing it again!
Heading out on Saturday Morning was pretty exciting. Most of the other boats were very supportive but there were a few that thought we were crazy. By all accounts the weather forecast looked fair with winds predominately predicted to be out of the south for Saturday and then shifting to westerly's by Saturday night and then going to North Westerly's on Sunday morning through late Sunday Evening. As most of you know, there was also a rather large storm cell moving in from the west that ended up hitting about an hour into the race.
The start was a little confusing as the starting times were all jumbled due to the lack of wind. I believe we ended up starting at 1:00pm, with a scheduled start time at 12:50. Can't believe it but we, on HH Grenade, were called over early with two other boats and had to clear ourselves down near the pin end of the line. At first I was a little upset, but that quickly disappeared as we were off on port tack heading at the beach with the wind filling from the west. In about five minutes we went from dead last to the clear leader, racing alongside the M24 Gnarly Ruca as we headed down the Michigan shoreline, catching and passing nearly all the earlier starters in less than an hour. As predicted, the storm cell moved in over the land and when the squall line was about 1/4 mile away, we dumped the kite and waited to furl the jib until the last minute. There were reports that the wind speeds might reach as high as 50 knots so we were being a little on the cautious side, putting on life jackets and clipping in with harnesses. When the squall hit it was pretty mild, with winds out of the west at 25 to 30 for a very short three to five minutes and then dropping rapidly to about 10 knots. In the mess we managed to slip past Gnarly and added about a 1/2 mile lead our class with only a very small number of boats still in front.
As the winds settled in they turned back to the South at about 11 knots. This may sound like perfect MELGES24 weather to the uninitiated, but in fact this is some of the worst stuff for us in a mixed fleet; we have to sail angles, and the competition just squares back, eases sheets, and rumbles down the rhumb line. These conditions held from about 4pm until 10pm and we were able to hold our lead – just barely – as a few others, including the all-conquering C&C Mark2 Eliminator, were able to pull within a few boatlengths.
As predicted, Saturday night's breeze shifted into the WSW, and we were were jib reaching at about 75 degrees apparent. Top wind speeds went to about 15 to 18 apparent. A little better for us, as the two lead Melges24's pulled out on the fleet once again to about an 11 mile lead going into Alpena by early morning. Alpena was a little tricky as there was a dead spot close to shore with a transition zone; on the South side winds were light out of the South and on the North side there were steady winds out of the North West. We were a bit too conservative, passing by the zone about two miles from shore. Gnarly decided to cut the corner (as did most of the fleet) and pulled within about 1/2 mile of us.
From there we match raced the other M24 for 50 miles on a dead beat always trying to protect the left side of the course. We had reports of the wind swinging back to the SW and also the waves were much more manageable on the shore. Gnarly did a great job of splitting tacks and always keeping some leverage for making small gains. At around 8:00 PM on Sunday the winds did manage to turn south slowly allowing us to fetch and then pop a code zero for our final run into the island. We managed to hold our 1 1/2 to 2 mile lead over the other 24 in the end but they made it pretty exciting on a few occasions coming as close a a few hundred yards.
Lessons Learned:
1. The toughest part of the race was managing fatigue. Despite our best efforts, there is just no sleeping on the Melges 24 in any kind of hiking conditions. The only time that we had conditions for sleeping was on the first day while running downwind – of course, none of us were tired at that point! We did manage to shift drivers every hour or so to keep people fresh (relative term) on the helm. I will admit that on Sunday, during full sleep deprivation conditions, it was a bit quiet on the boat and tensions ran high whenever the other 24 pushed us. As we got closer to the island I think the adrenaline kicked in and we were OK till the finish but there was about a 10 hour period were the mood on the boat got pretty dark.
2. We brought way too much shit on the boat. The MELGES24's advantage is how light it is, weighing in at under 3000 lbs with crew and all the gear. With all the required safety gear, food, water, Fuel to motor 10 hours (Roughly 4 gallons), and clothing the boat felt really slow and sluggish. I took about 1/2 the water that I thought I was going to need with the intensions of pulling the rest out of the lake for cooking. In the end We drank only !/2 of the 1/2 supply that we started with. Sure we could have done a better job of hydrating but I never felt like I was in any trouble. Next year I think that I would limit the water to 1/2 case for the first day and then pull the rest from the lake.
3. We ended up not taking our drysuits only because the air temp was never to sink below 60 degrees. I was OK but I'll bet Todd would have liked to have had his drysuit on Sunday pounding through the waves and basically being wet for 1/3 of the race.
4. We were simply not aggressive enough with our sail calls. If I could take anything back I would have decided to run with the code zero on Saturday night. Our code Zero was designed to operate at 75 to 50 degrees apparent with winds from 6 knots to 12 knots. On Sunday night we were seeing winds at around 15 to 17 knots and I was worried that the sprit might break under the load so we went with only a jib and main. If the pole breaks then you have a wide open hole in the bow of the boat and it would have ended the race for us. Knowing what I know now I would have run with the code. In my estimation we could have been running at a steady 12 to 14 knots instead of the 9 to 10 under jib alone. With a 7 hour run that would have put us another 14 or so miles in front of the competition and we would have won overall pretty easily. I think we are going to do a lot more testing with the code zero this year to figure out its limits. Also I am going to check into the idea of carrying an extra pole. I'm not sure if it's legal in PHRF to carry an extra pole so I will have to check into that one.
5. We should have been way more aggressive on our tactics especially rounding the Alpena and Presque points before turning west. We were afraid of getting caught in the dead zone near shore and as it turned out there was plenty of wind. In fact the Flying Buffalo went inside Middle Island (That shit is crazy because the cart depth is 5 feet in some areas), reaching along the shore while everyone else beat outside. In their estimation, they made up six miles on the fleet. That was the move to shot them into the overall winning position. I'm not saying that we should have done that, but with less than 5 feet of draft on the M24, some aggression with the navigation would be appropriate.
6. I could have done a better job sealing up the boat from water. We were completely dry until we turned up wind. At that point we were bailing about one bucket of water every hour and finished with about two buckets still on the floor. Made the clean up horrible after dropping the Illy Coffee can in the bottom of the boat and all the water was brown. It looked as if someone took a huge dump in the boat. The water comes in from the roller furling well and next to the mast where the halyards go below. I had the material to seal them but didn't take the time to do it properly.
7. I had plenty of power to run a laptop and should have been running Expedition. It would have helped out a ton especially on the trip across Saginaw Bay.
8. I think the life raft is overkill but I would not think less of anyone who decided to carry one. I probably would have pushed the boat harder if I indeed had one. The problem is that life rafts weigh too damn much and when you are trying to save every ounce on the boat it just becomes too difficult to fit one.
9. Most important – it's the people that sail with you that make all the difference. My crew was fantastic….. It's worth saying again…. MY CREW WAS FANTASTIC. Todd Jones, Brian Schaupeter, and Peter Shumaker were simply awesome. These guys pushed the boat and their bodies harder than I did and I owe all of our success to these three. in the end you can take all the safety shit you can but it comes down to having guys that you trust with your life. I would sail anywhere with this group.
Looking forward to the comments (good and bad) about my post and I'm really looking forward to this race next year. Congratulations to the Flying Buffalo and Eliminator or beating us on corrected time. Congratulations to the two other MELGES24's who gave us a good run.
See you all again next year with hopefully enough boats for a one design class!
-Napoleon Dynamite
- Tags: arete, bayview, byc-mackinac, holy hand grenade, hulsey, lake huron, mackinac, Melges 24, michigan, ORMA 60, warner
August 10th, 2015 by admin
Sailing Anarchy lifers will no doubt remember the slightly insane Chicago Mackinac race run by SA'er stayoutofthemiddle back in 2005 in a non-race legal Melges 24 – at the time, a boat considered 'extreme' and not suitable for anything but buoy racing. Well, we're extremely excited to announce that it only took 10 years for one side of Great Lakes distance racing to learn what Melges 24 sailors have known for years: If you can handle the conditions, the Melges 24 can too. That's why, for the first time ever, this year's Bayview Yacht Club's Port-Huron to Mackinac Race will feature Melges 24s in action – officially.
Geriatric hand-wringers and the nanny-state crowd have launched all the usual arguments in an entertaining thread, but you've seen 'em all before; the thread took a turn for the better late last week when one of the guys behind the rules change allowing Melges 24s posted his own reasons for racing his favorite wee yacht in his favorite race. You can follow along the in the discussion beginning here.
Well I have been sitting back listening to this thread long enough. My name is Paul Hulsey – skipper of GBR593 HH Grenade.
Before I start sparing with any of you lets get a few facts straight. I have owned 3 Melges 24's over a period of 15 years. I have competitively sailed them all over the U.S. If anyone knows this boat and its capabilities I do.
Apart from 34 Years of competitive dinghy and small keel boat sailing I am also a very accomplished offshore sailor. I have over 40k miles of offshore big boat experience with 1 Transatlantic (not the pussy way straight across but over Scotland), 3 Bermudas, 12 Chicago Macs and this year will be my 29th Port Huron.
Each of my crew have roughly the same resume. Also we are not kids – average age of our crew is close to 46 years (When you factor in Jonesy – or as he is affectionately known as "Grey Ballz")
We have spent our entire winter working on safety potocal – not just for ourselves but also sharing information between the three boats registered. What we have come up with is fantastic with very few Mods to the One Design Boat…. Meaning it will still be a One Design Boat at the end. What I want more than everything is for each of us to make it safe and sound to the island.
Why are we doing this? Well I can't speak for everyone but I can tell you that for me the race had become ultra boring.. Just a punch card thing I did mid summer. Come home from work and 'oh shit I'd better get packed the the Mac starting tomorrow.' This is something totally different for me. Putting life back into a dead race and making it interesting again. For the past few months I find myself dreaming thinking about the 'what ifs'. Yes, sure some of that about big weather and how I will handle it but also about if we get that perfect wind condition where we pop a kite and tear up the lake for 5 to 8 hours (With my trailer waiting for me on the other end!). What sportboat sailor hasn't dreamed of that?
In the end if something bad happens it won't be because we weren't prepared or because we didn't have the experience. Sometimes shit just happens. For us we are very aware of the risks and I know I personally feel safer sailing with my team than half of the other boats out there.
Finally I encourage all of you to come over and check the boat out on the island when we get there… And we will get there, come hell or high water. Come and introduce yourself and I will gladly show you how we set the boat up. Hell, come over and just say hi and bring beer.
This is what sailing is all about, kids!
- Tags: bayview, byc, hulsey, lake huron, mackinac, Melges 24, michigan, port huron
June 9th, 2015 by admin
With Great Lakes ice cover now at 88% – 2% more than even the cold and icy 2013-4 winter – it may seem like the hundreds of thousands of Midwest sailors will never even get soft water. But if the lakes do thaw out before July, there's some damned good long distance racing ahead thanks to the 500-plus boats that will race the two Mackinacs this year.
Chicago Yacht Club cemented their role as one of the forward-thinkers in offshore American sailing yesterday, announcing their amendment of the Chicago Mac rules to award the overall first-to-finish trophy to the first boat instead of the first monohull. That's 65 years of historical mistake they're rectifying, and it's about fucking time. In doing so, they make the countries other big-fleet distance races – The Cruising Club of America's Newport Bermuda Race and the Transpac – look positively mesozoic.
And while The Transpac does give a multihull trophy (first awarded in 1997 to Bruno Peyron in Explorer) the TPYC's most prestigious trophy – the Barn Door – goes not to the first boat to finish, and not even to the first monohull to finish…instead, they give it to the tortured category of 'first non-power assisted yacht to arrive that isn't a multihull.' That makes sense </sarcasm>. But hey – at least the Transpac allows multihulls to enter. The Bermuda Race doesn't even do that.
On the other side of the lake, we've heard (but not yet verified) that Bayview's 'Easy Mac' – the shorter, more sheltered Port Huron-Mac – has opened up its rules as well, allowing smaller, more sporty boats to compete on the 200 NM shore course. Melges 24s at dawn, anyone? More smart thinking from adaptable Midwesterners, and more inclusivity on the water – never a bad thing, and a good explanation of why there are 500+ yachts distance racing over two weekends on the Lakes. Nice work, Detroit and Chicago!
In a final bit of excellent Great Lakes news, the CYC also announced that 2015 would be a Super Mac year – that means the most intrepid teams will race from Chicago to Mackinac and then continue right through the finish line, sailing another 200 miles to the riverine entrance of the Port Huron Yacht Club. We called it 'five hundred miles of freshwater hell' when we ran it aboard Bruce Geffen's Nice Pair the last time the race was held in 2009 – here's a full account of that one.
Where else in the world are you going to get a 500 mile course through water you can drink? Check the CYC website for more info over here.
- Tags: bayview, byc, Chicago, CYC, detroit, distance racing, lake michigan, mackinac, super mac
March 3rd, 2015 by admin
After a five-year hiatus from covering the Midwest's second-biggest freshwater distance race, we're heading up to Port Huron, Michigan for the start of the Bayview Mackinac Race tomorrow. With Luna Rossa Challenge's Bora Gulari aboard the TP52 Natalie J, Annapolite-turned ocean racer Ryan Breymaier joining the F-31 Cheekee and a pile of fun boats including the old VO70 Il Mostro, there will be plenty to see, and you'll be able to watch all the action via Sailing Anarchy's Facebook Page starting around 10 AM EDT tomorrow.
Years of live coverage of the Chicago Mackinac and the 4 hours we'll be spending on the water tomorrow have reminded us of conversations we've had over the years about the start of the Mack races, and a basic question we still don't know the answer to: What is the purpose of starting each section separately, with the slow boats first? Sure, we understand that the slow boats will get there a bit sooner compared to the fast boats, but that seems like a silly reason for expending all the extra resources to involved in banging off 15 starts rather than a single one. Think about it; that's 15 starts at 10 minutes each, or nearly three hours of starting. The format guarantees a weaker experience for spectators (who rarely want to sit around watching 6-10 boats sail off a line every ten minutes), a tougher day for the Race Committee, a long, long wait for the racers on the water, and perhaps most importantly, a poor spectacle for the TV, print, and online media so important to getting new interest and keeping sponsors happy.
Think about the incredible action at a Sydney-Hobart start, with simultaneous guns over just three lines and course boundaries for spectators for a mile or so up the course to guarantee tacking or gybing in close proximity to the fans; contrast this with the Macks, where the Coast Guard sets a cordon to keep powerboats half a mile from the starting lines…not that there is much to see anyway. Nearly no boats chase the Mack fleet…because it's already so diluted at each start that there's not much to chase.
Our suggestion for the BYC and Chicago Macks: Four simultaneous starts: One for racing fleets, one for cruising fleets, one for multihull fleets, and one for shorthanded fleets. Win, win.
Shot of Lucky Strike (ex-Lucretia) sporting the SA flag yesterday on the Black River, thanks to Anarchist "Geff".
July 11th, 2014 by admin

subset: commoncrawl


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DominicanLou wrote:chadxor wrote:it's not only about winning, it's about staying competitive in a big money market with a small market team.
Well, the Marlins, who are a small market team, have won the World Series two times in the last eight years. Seems slightly more succesful than what any Moneyball team has done.
While winning it all is the ultimate goal, It can be argued that the regular season is a better representation for how well your team is put together. The postseason is such a small sample size that the best team doesn't always win. The A's have put out alot of teams that were definately good enough to win the series, but just had some rotten luck.


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What is IF?
IF is a ministry that has grown out of America across the world and is a tool for churches to use to gather, equip and unleash women whilst asking the question "If God is real, then what?"
The tools they provide are;
IF:Gathering - a yearly conference that can be experienced locally through live stream of video.
IF:equip - a weekday Bible reading and reflection.
IF:table - question prompts for women to meet once a month round the table to go deeper in their conversations around life and faith.
You can find out more about IF by clicking here.
IF:Gathering encourages women who are connected with a church to gather women in their local context. IF:Chichester is led by Lou Moore and a group of gifted and passionate volunteers.
We want to be women who live knowing God is real and His word is true, women who show up authentically and are ready to hear and be obedient to God's transforming word whilst cheering each other on as we run our race. We want to be women who are equipped with God's word and unleashed to be all who God has call us to be in our churches, workplaces and families. IF:Chichester is not about numbers and building big events but about providing space and encouragement for women to live lives obedient to God.
We gather for termly brunches and will be joining together for IF:Gathering 2018 on 27-28th April in St Paul's Chichester. Tickets can be purchased here.
We also have a private group on Facebook (click here) which is a great place to find out more information about upcoming events, as well as to connect with others on their journey of faith in Jesus.
Nearly 3 weeks on from when Chris and Craig Westhoff arrived and I am still processing my copious amounts of notes written from the wisdom they shared. What an honour to have these gifted friends come and hang out and minister to us for a whole 2 weeks - and the good news is they are coming back before the end of the year!!!
One of the sentences I've got written down in my notes and underlined multiple times is this;
"Can we see Him in each other? That's His dwelling place."
I can't get this out of my mind. When I am looking at my husband, children, friend, neighbour, stranger - am I seeing what God intended? His original idea crafted together by His own hand. Or am I a little blasé and blind to the worth of others? It made me wonder how we can keep growing as a community, as a family, to have a culture where it is normal to show up and be seen for who we really are. The great bits and the less than wonderful parts. I wonder whether it's harder to see the thumbprints of the Creator in each other when we come with the edited version of ourselves. When we hide behind "I'm fine" or when we avoid reaching out in a conversation or for prayer because it can feel risky.
We need a collaboration between the ones doing the looking and the ones being seen.
We need to look again; past the seen, beyond our preconceived ideas, further into the very essence of each person.
At the same time we need to shed the walls, lay down the filters and allow people closer so we can be seen just as we are.
So can we just agree to do that? To work harder at the "seeing" and to be brave enough in the "being seen"?
Who's in?
It's no surprise that this was the message God brought to us through our prophetic friends. Kris Vallotton says, "The main function of a prophet is to equip the saints." As we are seeking to LEAN IN to God and to each other this year, it's not surprising that the we are being encouraged and equipped in how to do that.
As Chris and Craig shared at our Leaders Community gathering, they urged us to acknowledge our weakness and celebrate it because when we do we can look around the body and find the strengths we need in each other. Doesn't that start with seeing? Seeing ourselves and each other clearly?
James 3v17-18 (The Message) says, "Real wisdom, God's wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterised by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two faced. You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honour."
What a challenging piece of scripture.
So here is what I propose;
Let's show up.
Le'ts be seen.
Let's look closer.
Let's call out where we see the thumbprints of our Maker.
Let's cheer each other on.
Le'ts be ridiculously generous in how we speak about each other.
Let's make sure people hear the great things others are saying about them.
Let's lean in.
Lou Moore
Last night was our third Leaders Community gathering since we launched in September. As an elders team we really felt this was an area God was prompting us to prioritise and be intentional about, that is an integral part of what is needed if we are to move forward into everything God has for us as a church family.
In light of our theme "Lean In" this year, we connected, worshipped, discussed and prayed around what leaning in meant for our leadership and how we help those we lead and do life with to lean in as well. As I was preparing for the evening, God gave me a picture that I'd love to share with you.
The picture was of a rugby field, with players running around with the same end goal in mind - to win - but operating in their individual roles. They all had specific jobs to do but at certain points there was a need to all come together as a scrum to drive the game forward.
We, you and I, are like those players. We all have individual roles and spaces but our goal, I hope, is the same. Our God given mission is to BUILD the church. Whether you are sharing the gospel, raising children to love God, being salt and light in your work places or taking someone out for coffee. Whether you are evangelising, making disciples, serving, encouraging, worshipping, teaching, learning or resting - it is all for one reason. To build His Church, the Bride.
The times where we have to all come together to lean in and push forward are when we form a scrum. Every member of the team is needed. You are needed. No matter your experience, your gift, whether you are on the rota or whether you feel like you will make any difference - everyone is needed. And all of them is needed. In a scrum, the players pushing forward are using their whole selves, every ounce of energy and strength. And there are those on the outside, ready waiting to anticipate, support and run when needed. Not one person is a spare part.
You are not a spare part.
I have felt God challenging to me to be all in - to use everything at my disposal to build his church. To not be passive but to engage, to lean in with all I have. He's been showing me the times I am sitting on the sidelines opting out, where I am not offering all I am and all I have. I don't think this is necessarily about doing more and giving more - but just being willing to give what we have and if that looks like measly scraps then that's enough and God can multiply it into being more than enough.
I wonder what a Sunday morning would feel like, what our homes, the school gates, our workplaces, our relationships would be like if we lent in with our whole selves..
I think it would feel like we were building the church and bringing His kingdom to earth.
This morning was a fairly typical morning in the Moore household. I sat down to do a 10 minute devotional from IF:Equip and got about half way through before Martha wanted a story and/or Rupert needed feeding. This is what life is like with two little ones. There isn't much time. Life is hectic, fast, messy and also brilliant fun. It is hard to remember let alone find time to do a quiet time. It is tricky to engage in church whilst keeping an eye on toddlers running around or keeping babies quiet. It would be easier to disengage and feel guilty that church and faith sometimes doesn't "feel" like it used to. Something has changed and it can be easy to think it is God rather than the season we are in.
I relayed this story to a friend and she replied, "yup, they don't call it the black years for nothing!" and I instantly wanted to reject that name. The black years. How many times do we name a season negatively and then live as if there is truth in that name?
Friends, I don't know what life is throwing at you during this time. Maybe you are tired. Perhaps you are grieving. Disillusioned? Disappointed? Doubting? Whatever it is you are going through at the moment, God is still God. He is BIG enough for all the emotions, all the turbulence, all the surprises we are dealt. And He can still move. Whether it feels like He is or not. We can trust Him to be God in the good times and the bad. The happy and sad. The colourful and the black.
There is a beautiful chorus in the "Desert song" by Hillsong that goes...
"All of my life, in every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship"
What ever the colour of your season, we still have reasons to worship. So let's not sit back, let's stand up. Let's not back off but lean in. Let's remind ourselves that He is still God and big enough for where we find ourselves.
I am a few months in to being a mother of two and I have just about caught my breath. There have been situations and circumstances that have made this adjustment just that little bit harder but it finally feels like we are getting the hang of it. At least, there are hours (sometimes maybe a day) where I think I have it all together and I am coping well. And then something happens... my eczema flares up, we get a set back on our plans, the children get ill, someone asks something of me that is more than I can give and then I am not so much coping but surviving. The guilt sets in and I am ashamed to say that for this season I. Am. Not. Coping.
You see, I have always prided myself on the fact that I can get on with things, that I keep going, that I cope. So it was a bit of a shock to learn that suddenly I cannot do all of this by myself. Of course this isn't the first thing I have found difficult. There have been tricky times before but I've got through them. And therein lies the problem. I. I have got through them. At least that is what I seem to have been telling myself. God is definitely trying to teach me a lesson here that I have, (excuse my bluntness) been too thick to learn. This time round, despite dusting myself off after each fall, the punches have kept on rolling and I am feeling done in. In this season I am having to accept help, to learn to rest, to say no and put things down. I have had to reassess priorities and put boundaries in.
And I am still wrestling with this lesson.
But despite feeling shame in not being able to do it all, although I worry what asking for help says about me. God is reminding me that there is no pride in being able to do it all, no badge of honour for being so independent you don't need anyone else. Instead He tells us that His power is made perfect in our weakness and that we should boast all the more gladly in our weaknesses so that His power can work through us (1 Corinthians 12v9). In fact, Jesus said we are blessed if we are poor in spirit (Matthew 5). It is not for us to hold it all together, to do it all in our own strength, priding ourselves on being independent and ok. It was never the point. We were designed to need each other. To need him. That's how the body works, we need each part to function like we were created to. We were never created to go it alone. Phew!
So when we can be brave enough to show up and take the risk to expose what is really going on for us, not only can we experience true community as we ask others to stand with us in it. But we also allow God to be who is he is meant to be. Our God. Our Father. Our comforter. Our provider. Our councillor. Our strength.
Freedom within boundaries
I have been watching my 2 yr old daughter Martha walk round the kitchen, mainly talking gobble-de-gook to herself, hearing her repeat phrases that I must say a million times a day that she has picked up. "Right", "so", "that's it, good girl", all hilarious little conversations between her and her baby that mimic our daily dialogue. But then I am caught off guard as she walks round the room again, pointing to various items and repeating, "No....." "mummy cross," and my heart breaks. I worry, wondering whether this is her overriding feeling of what I am saying to her day in, day out. That I am a stern figure ruining her fun, managing her, rather than releasing her. Controlling, rather than empowering.
The thing is, in reality, I do say 'no'. No to when she is about to touch something that will hurt her. No to things that aren't good for her. No to things that she wants but because she is two and I am not, I am aware of things she isn't yet. (There are also a number of not so noble reasons I say no too!) So, yes I say no. Not because I want to restrict her, but because I want her to be safe and secure. Can you see where I am going with this?
In this very average, every day moment, God reminded me again about who He is. He is not an angry parent, saying no to every desire, every road we want to travel down. He isn't putting in arbitrary rules to ruin our fun, but because He is God and we are not, He knows what's best for His children. He knows what will bring us goodness, what will bring us joy.
With Him, there is always more freedom within the boundaries He puts in place. We just have to choose to trust His goodness. His faithfulness. His love.
Let me just say from the get go: I am for marriage (I am also for singleness). I am for healthy, functioning relationships. I believe in the fairy tale marriage. *Gasp*…It's just that I have a slightly different view of what that looks like to the picture we are sold by this world.
In the wake of Valentine's Day and the beautiful card and flowers still sitting on my dining room table, I find myself with a sense of sadness. I'm sad because when I look past the pretty filters of Instagram and the carefully constructed statuses on Facebook, I know there are people who are hurting and aching because their relationships don't seem to measure up to those that the movies depict or the perfect life that social media portrays.
So let me tell you what I believe a fairy tale marriage/relationship looks like….
It looks like patience.
Putting others first.
Truth telling.
Sound familiar? This is what 1 Corinthians 13, biblical love looks like. The Message puts it like this…
Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first,"
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.
Love never dies.
I don't know about you but none of these things come naturally to me. By nature I am selfish and sinful, so this idea of love is hard. work. This is love that needs constant work. Constant grace. Constant forgiveness. It needs Jesus. Every. Single. Day.
It may not sound glamorous, but it is real and it is SO worthwhile. When we subscribe to this ideal, we get a glimpse of what God created marriage to be. Two people growing together, daily choosing each other. Preferring the other's needs above their own. Wouldn't a world where people chose to love like this be something to be reckoned with!!!
I'll let you in on a secret, I am not very good at praying. I find it hard. I get distracted. I can't find the words. I tell myself I don't have the time. I doubt. I get myself to a place where I know I should have been on my knees way before getting here, and then don't know where to start.
When was the last time you prayed?
This week at school, I have been prompted to pray by my team at school. They don't go to church. I'm not even sure if they believe in God, but yet they have each challenged me to pray. There have been times they have asked me to pray for things, from weather to more serious situations. And there have been times something good has happened and they ask if I had been praying. I am sure some of this was in jest, but the challenge was still heard. ARE YOU PRAYING LOU?
And yes, I have been a bit more this week. Not long prayers. Short phrases shot up to God about daily situations. And do you know what, some of them where answered. I hadn't even given the prayers a second thought until a colleague pointed out, what they asked me to pray happened. Thank goodness God is more faithful than me.
Despite my failing and reservations, I know prayer is a way into an intimate relationship with God. We need to spend time and converse with Him, just like you would to grow a healthy friendship. So where do we start?
"Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always." 1 Chronicles 16:11
We start my seeking his face. We start by building a relationship.
Praise Him.
Thank Him for the blessings bestowed each day.
Say sorry for where you have fallen down.
Present your requests.
Do it again!
We can be reassured that when words fail us that God knows our heart (Acts 15v8) and that Jesus intercedes on our behalf (Romans 8v34). We don't have to pray long prayers, out loud for all to hear (Matthew 6:5-12) and we can take comfort that the Lord is close when we call, however long its been (Psalms 145:18).
But lets not settle for that. Lets challenge ourselves to pray. Pray for those around us. For our colleagues. Our friends. Our family. Use them as your prompt. Pray for their days. Pray for their family. Pray for blessing. Thank God for them. Pray for the situations they are in. Help them give their worries to God. Pray that God would meet them.
Just pray.
It's been a while since my last post. It's been a while since I have felt I have anything to say. It's been a while since I have felt like I have anything to give. It's been a while since I have felt God speak, since I have felt His love. It's been a while.
It feels better just writing that. Admitting it. Relief.
Have you ever felt like that?
I have felt a bit lost recently. I guess I have been hurting. And when I am hurt, I hide. From friends. From family. From God. I have been mad. Disappointed. Confused. Frustrated. And hurt.
Today as I have been cleaning the house and adding little homely touches, I listened to a talk and then whacked the worship music on LOUD. As the words and truths permeated my being, tears ran down my face.
"How many time have you found me wandering in the rubble of yesterdays hope. Weighed down with burdens, barely standing but, I am desperate to see you again. I'm running into your arms of grace, with no reason to hide away. It's not the first time I've been in this place but I'm come home again. Welcomed home again."
God welcomed me home again today. I have kept Him out of the hurt corners of my heart. I have kept Him at arms length. But today He welcomed me with GRACE. Today as the tears fell, so did the walls.
You see, when I am hurt, I retreat. I become a recluse. I try and stand by myself. I close myself off from love. From the promises He has spoken over my future. I believe the lies. And then I blink and find myself distant, alone. And I try and find my own way back again. Believing that I have to do the work. That I have to start again. That I have to have my "routine" right before I can face Him.
"But while Lou was still a long way off, her father saw her and was filled with compassion for her; he ran to his daughter, threw his arms around her and kissed her."
The parable of the Lost Son tells us something different. I may feel more comfortable being punished for being distant, to apologise forever, to pay the price. But God bridges any gap we put between us and Him. He runs to us and embraces us with His forgiving arms of grace. We will find Him waiting for us to return.
Today, my only response could be to lift my hands and exalt Him. Proclaim truths where there had been the whisper of lies. Step up and out where I have held back. Fall on my knees and lay it all down again. Relinquish control.
As I prettied the house, I read over some promises and prayers written out on our wedding day by friends and family. I read over prophecies given to me. I forced myself to dream again. They had been forgotten, tarred by faithlessness. But today as I found myself on the way back, I reclaimed them. I put them into a centre piece on my table where I can see them daily. So I can be reminded. Encouraged. Inspired.
"I run this race set before me with perseverance, so that I can be all that God has created me to be."
So, with my heart bowed low and my hands held high, all I can do is walk with Him and build up a dialogue where there has been silence for a while.


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World's first global mobile Linux initiative
To support their goal of creating the world's first globally competitive, Linux-based software platform for mobile devices, Motorola, NEC, NTT DoCoMo, Panasonic Mobile Communications, Samsung Electronics, and Vodafone announced today the official launch of the LiMo Foundation.
A not-for-profit organization, the LiMo Foundation is aimed at blending the community-based development benefits of transparency, innovation and scalability with the best development practices from the mobile community to create an innovative new business model. Overseen by a Board of Directors comprising representatives from the founding member companies including Foundation Chairman, Greg Besio of Motorola and Vice Chair, Kiyohito Nagata of NTT DoCoMo, the LiMo Foundation will be seeking new members interested in participating in the development of a set of APIs, architecture, and contributing source code for the common components of the Linux based mobile platform. Foundation members will be available to discuss membership opportunities at the upcoming 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, February 12-15, 2007.
LiMo Foundation details – along with guiding principles and bylaws – can be found at http://www.limofoundation.org. Foundation members will be involved in building an active ecosystem and will have the opportunity to influence the evolution of the platform, leaving them free to provide compelling and differentiated services to customers.
The LiMo Foundation, through a fair and balanced contribution and participation process, will focus primarily on the joint development of a competitive Linux-based mobile platform, built around a common source code tree that can adapt to ever evolving market requirements around the world. In addition, members will also work on the following:
-Establishment of safeguards to minimize fragmentation
-Collaboration on a mobile Linux developer ecosystem
- Co-operation with existing industry organizations
-Securing new members from across the industry: device manufacturers, operators, chip set manufacturers, independent software vendors, integrators and third party developers
About the LiMo Foundation
The LiMo Foundation is an independent, not-for-profit entity that strives to increase the adoption of Linux within the mobile industry. The LiMo Foundation aims to leverage the mobile Linux platform to create an open, transparent, scalable ecosystem spanning application and middleware developer communities and to encourage the creation of compelling, differentiated and enhanced consumer experiences. A full description of the foundation, including the vision, goals, charter and membership information can be found at www.limofoundation.org.
- Login to post comments


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As noted, Paul Heyman offered Will Ospreay a contract with EVOLVE from Gabe Sapolsky at his Q&A show for Inside the Ropes in London. Our friends at The Tag Rope sent us the footage above of Heyman presenting Ospreay with the contract, and the transcription below:
"To which, I say this. This, and no I can't be your advocate on television because that job goes to Brock Lesnar. This, by the way, is my personal business card. Whoa-whoa-whoa, I assure you, it gets a lot better than this. I happen to have an attorney in New York who is great at immigration. The reason why I want you to call my office when I get back to the United States is so I can put you in touch with this attorney of immigration is because there's a dear friend of mine, he is a protégé of mine, he was my right hand man, not just Tommy Dreamer who was my right hand man, he was truly my protégé in ECW and his name is Gabe Sapolsky. And Gabe Sapolsky runs a company in the United States called EVOLVE. And EVOLVE is now truly one of the most progressive, innovative promotions in the world today. And I was speaking to Gabe Sapolsky last night because after you were kind enough, I was very honoured you accepted my invitation to come here, I said, 'man, this kid has everything'.
"I understand how hard you work with New Japan, by the way, don't ever let anybody screw that up for you. Keep on plying your trade and making a worldwide reputation in New Japan. But when you're not wrestling for New Japan, and if you choose to use an official attorney to want to work in the United States, EVOLVE wants you to know that if you're interested in signing a contract with them to perform in the United States, they do not want you to stop wrestling for New Japan, they would not stand in your way to go to NXT, they do not want you to stop your work for PWG, but if you feel like going to the United States and plying your magnificent trade in front of an EVOLVE audience, they would offer you that contract and they would be honoured, as anybody else would to have you call them home."
Follow Raj Giri on Twitter at @RajGiri_303. Got a news tip or correction? Send it to us by clicking here.


text: IMAGE OF THE WEEK: Published on October 11, 1999. Altoids advertising reaches new heights of "devil may care" in a print and outdoor execution that doesn't mention the brand but refers to a Web site. On www.toohot.com, the Cinnamon Girl is shown holding that new flavor of Altoids. Leo Burnett USA, Chicago, handles for Kraft Foods' Callard & Bowser Most Popular In this article: News


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The Canadian Press reports that Marvel Comics will put out an eight-issue series of their Spider-Man comic, in which the Manhattan of Peter Parker, Spider-Man's alter ego, goes topsy-turvy in a plotline dubbed "Spider-Island."
And — you guessed it: there's an important bed bug twist to the plotline — more on that in a moment.
The plot will run through issues 666-673 and portray a world in which ordinary people get Spidey-like abilities.
The Canadian Press asks,
What if New Yorkers suddenly wake up with abilities like Spider-Man? How would that change things? What would it mean for Spider-Man?
"Peter Parker will not be the only spider-powered person in New York. His power will not be so great," [Marvel writer Dan Slott] said. "Everyday folks — the guy putting the schmear on your bagel, the guy driving you in the bus, your neighbour down the block — it's spider powers for everyone! All shapes and sizes!"
Of course, infecting that many people at the same time is hard, but Slott has found a unique way to affect the transfer, one that real New Yorkers already fear: bedbugs. An evil person has genetically altered the critters. Who is that malevolent force?
You'll just have to read the comic book to find out.
The "Spider-Island" plot will begin to be set up in a free Spiderman comic book that Marvel is giving out for Free Comic Book Day, Saturday May 7th, 2011.
This is timely, since Spider-Man has been spotted filming live swinging sequences for next year's blockbuster above the streets of Manhattan this week.
And since bed bugs and new forms of bed bug art always multiply more quickly in the summer months.
More on Free Comic Book Day here. Click here to find a store participating in FCBD.


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Thanks for stopping by!
Well I have to say, this has been a long time coming… I have been pondering about starting a blog for quite some time now but just didn't quite know how to go about it… but now that I have, I'm sooo glad I did!
The main purpose for this space is to have a venue in which I can share those things that inspire me, and I hope they will do the same for you too!
What you can expect to find here is simply a little every day fun, to make your life "gourmet." This all comes from my own personal experiences and inspired by those things that I hold near and dear most: my family & friends, arts/crafts, cooking/baking, photography, health/fitness, wine ;) and pretty much anything else I'm "into" at the moment.
These are some of the things that make me happy and I hope they will make you happy too! I love to share – "sharing is caring" I always say, so here I am!
I truly hope that you enjoy what I have to say/share and I'm super excited to start this new ongoing project!


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This Eureka AirExcel Compact 990A canister vacuum has rubberized wheels which makes it safe to use on hard floor surfaces such as wood floors. And it is light, weighs only 8 pounds that makes it easy to transport from room to room. On top of that, it features a HEPA filter to trap more than 99.9% of dust and allergens. To learn more, you can read the Eureka 990A review below.
Pros of Eureka 990A
- Rubberized wheels protect your hard floors.
- The cord retractor is a plus.
- It is compact.
- Simple to remove dust cup and empty.
- Fairly quiet.
- Picks up dog hair, crumbs, dirt on tile, hardwood, laminate floors in its path.
- It is on the light side, weighs roughly 8 pounds, easy to take it around.
- Suction is great.
- Easy to pull around, it follows you well without tipping over.
- Picks up bird feather and seed hulls without blowing out.
Cons of Eureka 990A
- No place to store the attachments on board.
- The wheel with the HEPA filter is loose, feels flimsy and falls off often.
- No motorized brush.
- Suck up small rugs.
- Does not work and glide well on carpets, powerful suction makes it glue to carpet and hard to push.
- Cord is kind of short. Need to use extension cord for longer reach.
|Spritz Green and Metallic Fleck
|Motorized Brush:
|Height Adjustment:
|The floor nozzle has a two-setting height adjustment switch.
|Canister vacuum under $120, MSRP on eureka.com is $119.99 (on 05-01-2013)
|Power Source:
|Power Rating:
|9 Amps
|Cord Length:
|16.5 Feet
|Automatic Cord Rewind:
|Bagged or Bagless:
|Eureka 990A Filters Types:
|Can use the Eureka HEPA Exhaust Filter 86015, Dust Cup Filter 86051
|Comes with Crevice Tool and Dusting Brush
|Hose Length:
|6 ft
|Cleaning Path:
|13″ x 10″ x 14″ (WxDxH)
|8 pounds
|1-year limited warranty
|Other details:
|Multi-cyclonic system ensures that this vacuum never loses suction and maintains power as you vacuum; The adjustable wand allows you to clean hard to reach areas; Easy to empty dust cup.
|Eureka 990A Manual:
|Download, if the link is not working, you can visit http://www.eureka.com to search and download it.


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ERIC Number: ED236100
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1983
Pages: 29
Abstractor: N/A
Reference Count: 0
The Significance of Regional Analysis in Applied Geography.
Sommers, Lawrence M.
Regional analysis is central to applied geographic research, contributing to better planning and policy development for a variety of societal problems facing the United States. The development of energy policy serves as an illustration of the capabilities of this type of analysis. The United States has had little success in formulating a national energy policy, partly because it has failed to consider that various energy forms have regional patterns of need, availability, acceptance, and cost effectiveness. A successful policy must reflect this regional variation. Policy formulation should involve classification, mapping, and spatial analysis of regional characteristics as they relate to population densities, transportation systems, and socioeconomic variables. Several volumes on geographic data processing systems and computer programs are available to facilitate such analysis. Geographic analysis of local factors such as urban clustering are also relevant to energy policy formulation. Implementation of planned settlements would enable energy saving measures such as transportation cost cuts and district heating systems. Because of the uses of regional analysis in applied geography, greater emphasis should be given to this approach in graduate and undergraduate programs, both in methodology and substance courses. The paper includes samples of regional analysis maps and computer programs. (LP)
Publication Type: Opinion Papers; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Note: Maps contain small print. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers (Denver, CO, April 24-27, 1983).


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Steve Wolf is a serial entrepreneur. Born in Los Angles California he has successfully started, launched and consulted on a number of projects big and small. Steve is speaker, educator and published author with a keen sense for sales and marketing. He works with some of the best and brightest in the entrepreneurial world.
Well over a decade of sales and (digital) marketing. He carries a BA in Communication with a designation in consumer buying behavior with a minor in women studies. Certified in Google Analytics and Adwords, Steve brings a lot to the table when it comes to sales and marketing side on and offline.
Steve believes that if you can suit up, show, and work hard. The rest will come in time! His philosophy on life is to live fast, live full and live long!
Live Feeds From Steve
1 week ago
The Consulting Process Between a Digital Marketing Agency and a Client
The Consulting Process Between a Digital Marketing Agency and a Client


text: The Midwest Bisexual, Lesbian, Gay, Transgender, and Ally College Conference (MBLGTACC) is an annual LGBTQ three-day conference hosted by Midwestern colleges and universities in the following states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Created in 1993, MBLGTACC includes a variety of workshops, activities, speakers, and entertainment that touch on issues affecting the lives of LGBTQ+ people. MBLGTACC serves as a space for all LGBTQ+ people as well as allies. Everyone is encouraged to attend, even students who do not hail from the Midwest. Registration is open to all interested.


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Not Garbage by Leo Fitzpatrick.
OHWOW is pleased to announce the publication of Leo Fitzpatrick's Not Garbage, a book based on the exhibition Ray's A Laugh curated by the artist. Expounding on this exhibition, Not Garbage presents a selection of contemporary artists responding to the work of collage and correspondence artist Ray Johnson (1927-1995). Here, another generation of New York artists including Joe Bradley, Dan Colen, Adam McEwen, Leo Fitzpatrick, Hanna Liden, Nate Lowman, Josh Smith, and Dash Snow, apply their own sense of wit and guile to the work of their forefather.
- 144 Pages
- 125 x 190 mm
- Softcover
- 2011
- Published by OHWOW


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About This Prop Replica
Sideshow Collectibles proudly presents the officially licensed Batman Arkham: City - Batarang Full Scale Replica, masterfully sculpted and painted by the artisans at TriForce. The end result is the most authentic representation of this weapon available on the market. The Batarang Full Scale Replica is hand-finished and hand-painted to precision quality. Intricately crafted and cast in polystone, it measures 22 inches in height, weighs in at 20 pounds, features working LED effects modeled to mimic the Batcave design and technology, and detachable Batarang! Own this authentic piece of videogame history as part of a Limited Edition worldwide run of 750 pieces.
- License
- DC Comics
- Type
- Prop Replica
- Manufacturer
- TriForce
Additional Details & Dimensions
- Product Size
- 22.00" H (558.8mm) x 28.00" W (711.2mm) x 28.00" L (711.2mm)*
- Box Size
- 22.00" H (558.8mm) x 28.00" W (711.2mm) x 28.00" L (711.2mm)*
- Product Weight
- 20.00 lbs (9.07 kg)*
- Dimensional Weight
- 75.0000 lbs*
- Int'l Dim. Weight
- 125.0000 lbs*
* Size and weight are approximate values.
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- 901882
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A Masterpiece!!!
After watching the video of the Sideshow studio, from idea to GAD! It gives me a new appreciation of planning and execution of this product. It is a magnificent piece. And as a Batman fanatic since the 60s. My childhood dreams have come to life!!! Thank you!!
— Dr Frank Hernandez
Indio, Ca


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ASUS M5A99FX Pro R2.0 Motherboard Review
ASUS M5A99FX Pro R2.0 Motherboard Closer Look: The BIOS
The new UEFI BIOS pages seem to add more and more to look at, though it doesn't seem like there is really that much more to change; well unless of course you are looking at a DELL motherboard setup. The one thing they tend to offer more of, sometimes, is better descriptions of what the different things you can change actually are (well like I said, sometimes). The ASUS M5A99FX Pro R2.0 is not too hard on the eyes. There are six main tabs to focus what you want to change/look at: Main, Ai Tweaker, Advanced, Monitor, Boot, and Tool. There is also an Exit button in the upper right in case you are not navigating completely with a keyboard. The Main screen shows you quick information on what BIOS version you are currently running, the total amount of memory seen, your system date and time, as well as what your preferred system language is. In the lower right you can see how to navigate the menus with the keyboard options; most of which are pretty straight forward. One worth pointing out, and one which has become popular with UEFI boards, is the F12 function of print screening. This is definitely a handy feature when you want to keep track of settings while setting up your OC or perhaps just having trouble and need your buddy to take a look at what you have set. Either way it's quite handy to be able to dump settings quickly to a USB stick with the literal click of a button.
Jumping into the actual fun stuff, let's take a look at the Ai Tweaker tab. There's a little more here than just the tab leads on. You can scroll down to more settings, as well as navigate another layer deep (shown in the next picture set). Default settings are all about set on AUTO, which is the usual pain in the ass of trying to really figure out what the "default" options are. Anyway, this tab allows you to play with the basic CPU settings, adjusting your CPU ratio, turning off the auto OC, and setting up your new memory to run at proper speeds. Scrolling down you can adjust your voltage settings by either choosing AUTO, Offset Mode, or Manual Mode. You can guess which one I'll be playing with – full Manual! It lets you tweak the individual voltages and get a finer tuned OC, or just perhaps a little more out of that OC. Everyone knows that extra bit counts.
Moving into one of those sub-menus, DRAM Timing Control, you can find even more settings to play with. I think I'll leave these on AUTO for now, but you can really play with your RAM settings here; that's a completely different world of overclocking (no time today). Another sub-menu, DRAM Driving Control, provides even more settings; again I'm showing them off, but we won't get into the details in this review – just enjoy knowing they are there. Additional sub-menus include: OC Tuner and DIGI+ Power Control where you guessed it, you can play with more settings for your overclock and power management settings. Are you power saving or power hungry?
The Advanced tab has some more settings, perhaps not all advanced, but provide you with a nice list of menus to access what you are looking to fix. Beneath the CPU Configuration options you can toggle some of those features that are often hard to find. Cool'n'Quiet is listed here along with the C1E settings and Core C6 State options that can often help quite a bit in getting that last bit. One new-to-me feature, as I haven't had a board with it before, is the HPC Mode. It is supposed to keep the CPU from throttling. It is intended, I think, to be much like the big high performance clusters and never throttle down. However, in practice it seems to still throttle at some point.
The Monitor tab does just what you'd expect: it provides live updates of what is happening right now on the board. It sees the CPU's reported temperature, the VCORE voltage, the different voltage rails, and even fan speeds for those plugged into the board. Further down the list you can set fan profile options and even set a minimum speed you want your CPU fan to run at. This ensures that even on the quiet mode your fan keeps some air moving.
The Boot tab is pretty straight forward and I won't dwell long here. You can enable "Fast Boot" to reduce your start up time by reducing the devices launched with boot. With it Enabled you can see that USB will partially initialize, PS/2 will fully initialize, and your network ROM won't even go. After a power loss it knows to boot up slowly and make sure things are okay and defaults to a Normal Boot after an outage. You can of course tweak these settings as you see fit. It's enabled by default and really I see no reason for it to be disabled. The rest of your standard boot options are here as well: turn off that full screen logo, be sure to wait for the F1 on error, and get things set the way you like it on boot.
The final tab of most of these UEFI BIOS pages is the Tool tab. It allows you to easily flash your BIOS with a thumb drive and access saved OC BIOS settings so you can go back to something you know is stable without going all the way back to stock every time (no more losing your settings). The SPD menu gets you access to the RAM timings directly off the sticks. It can read the XMP profiles for Intel boards, but unfortunately these sticks lack the AMP profiles that AMD supports.


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Apart from our regular activities, we are also developing new projects as under at our land of 65 acres at Boisar, District Thane, 85 kilometers from Mumbai to give ample facilities to these underprivileged, innocent girls and children who in life are victims of human trafficking subjected to severe physical and mental torture for forced prostitution.
1. Biogas generation from buffalo dung & food waste to run gas operated generator for producing free electricity and to operate cooking range for cooking about 250 meals every day.
2. Vermicompost (high quality manure) produced from slurry (a by- product) of Biogas plant, for agriculture & income generation by selling the surplus.
3. Milk production by rearing cattle. The milk produced by them can be used to provide rich nutrition to about 200 girls, HIV positive girls and new born babies & many children residing in our Protective Homes.
4. Agricultural activities are done in about 40 acres. The farming activities include growing vegetables, fruits, grains, flowers & herbs. Besides this we have planted 200 coconut & 400 mango trees. These activities are very essential to train girls as they can normally get jobs as farm labor in their villages.
5. We have constructed a separate building called 'Recovery Care Center' for HIV positive girls in 2010 and its second phase in 2012. These girls need special care for medical consultations, medicines and very intricate individual psycho-social counseling.
Being illiterate or being less educated, they are not aware that an HIV positive person can also live a normal life if she takes the medicine regularly and overcomes the fear.
When the occupancy of HIV positive girls in the large building is less, we accommodate normal girls when more rescued girls have to be admitted and the protective home exceeds its capacity.
6. Separate building is established in 2011 as 'Training Center' to train the girls in classes to educate them and train them for crafts to generate income for their sustainability. They are trained for tailoring, production of handicrafts, jewellery making, sports, yoga, karate for self defense, painting, dancing, theatricals etc.
7. Electrical power required to light up the entire Boisar Complex is huge. Use of alternative source of energy is implemented by erecting 49 solar lights to illuminate home, kitchen and infrastructural facilities. In order to attain our aim of substituting electrical power by using solar power wherever possible, we shall be installing solar cells and panels on the roof of Recovery Care Center to provide power for geysers, for fans and illuminating dormitories. Any contribution for this purpose is very welcome as it will help the girls to live comfortable life during extensive power cuts in the area.
8. Pure drinking water is necessary for healthy living. We have installed 'Reverse Osmosis System' in 2011 for purifying water cooking and for drinking purpose. The system also requires alternative source of energy to operate during long power failures and power cuts.
9. We have established a fully fledged office at Delhi in 2011 for investigation of children in sex trade, identification of the girls missing from India, Bangladesh, Nepal and rescuing them from torture. Our experience in these activities will be effectively utilized to save lives of many girls as the trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation at Delhi has assumed considerable proportions
We are in the process of establishing a Rescue Foundation Protective & Rehabilitation Home for 100 girls at Delhi. This facility will enable us to provide all services effectively as we do at all our homes resulting in true and proper rehabilitation of tormented survivors.
More solar lights to illuminate passage ways, gardens, bungalows, staff quarters and farm in our large complex.
Installation of solar panels to illuminate dormitories and Recovery Care Center.
Vehicle for conveyance of girls to hospitals, courts etc.
Employing a residential MBBS doctor at Boisar to attend to 150 girls and emergency cases.
Ambulance for conveying sick girls to hospital in emergency.
Extension of our Mumbai and Pune homes.
About 20% of the trafficked girls rescued by us are HIV positive. Most of the girls have other serious sexually transmitted diseases and infection. Since they are from very poor backgrounds and have been exploited in the brothels they are easily susceptible to various illnesses leading to sexually transmitted diseases and other serious health complications.
These girls require special attention and care not just limited to their medication but providing them intricate psycho-social counseling at every stage and an overall positive attitude. Their wellbeing depends on the environment in which they stay. Because of their traumatic depression coupled with their HIV status, they develop suicidal tendencies.
There is a need to provide these girls special care and nutritious food, rich with proteins and vitamins to improve their resistance. The reason the project has been planned at Boisar is to have a Recovery Care Centre outside the city pollution and amidst a sprawling, green, serene atmosphere. Being in the lap of nature would ensure that they recover faster, both emotionally and physically. Also, the location is full of greenery and there is lot of open space to provide a relaxing environment to these girls.
Since the girls are very young, providing them with such facilities amidst nature will induce in them a will to live thus helping them to recover. Apart from providing them medical facilities in the Recovery Care Centre, we shall ensure that they become emotionally strong and imbibe a lot of zeal and jest to live a happy and longer life ahead. The Recovery Care Centre would also have "FUN SPACE", library with variety of books including moral stories and fairy tales for these young girls; indoor games, puzzles, drawing etc to bring out the hidden talent in them.
We shall also use different therapy techniques to treat them. Gardening will help them not just to engage themselves creatively but would also provide them with farm-fresh vegetables and fruits for consumption as well as to create income for their immediate financial needs after repatriation & also for part sustainability of the organization. Recovery Care Centre is primarily a concept of mental & physical care, not only a specific place for medical treatment. The centre is established partly with Japanese support and partly with support from the Netherlands. It has the capacity of about 40 patients.
Established of Recovery Care Centre for HIV/AIDS patients. 15% of the girls rescued by us are HIV positive.
Thus Rescue Foundation besides having achieved a prominent position in anti-human-trafficking is now posed to become an ideal NGO which is very active, transparent and honest in fulfilling its task of re-integrating this neglected and needy sector of our society.


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Bureau d'information touristique Maison du tourisme des Cantons-de-l'Est
Tourist information office Region:Eastern Townships City : Saint-Alphonse-de-Granby
Our office offers an interesting variety of information on the region as well as delicious local products. We invite you to take a break from driving by having an exterior or interior picnic at our facilities. Our conselors will be pleased to guide you with the planning of your stay. We look forward to meeting you!
100, rue du Tourisme , Saint-Alphonse-de-Granby, Québec, Canada, J0E 2A0
1 866 472-6292 Toll free
450 375-8774
Activities and services
- Tasting
- Children's playground
- Internet access : free wireless
- Boutique / Sales counter
- Documentation / publications
- Other services
Vehicle and Parking Services
- Free outdoor parking
- Parking for motor homes
Signs and shuttles
- Tourist signs (blue)
Restaurant and food services
- Restaurant on premises
- Picnic area


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Crewneck Sweatshirt
Product Details
- 17.3 oz
- Light Green; Orange
- new (we only sell new items)
- Acrylick
One of the more whimsical designs in our spring '13 collection, our "Tite", or actually "Tight" design is for everyone. Yes we know it is spelled wrong, but many of you know why we did. We are confident in this design regardless of the spelling. Having confidence in being you, are one of the keys to life. We have always promoted and stressed individuality, and this design is no different. This is to be worn to show others that you instill this confidence, and are proud of yourself no matter what others say.
- 80% Cotton, 20% Polyester.
- 80% Cotton, 20% Polyester.


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MCPF Annual Symposium
Thursday, June 23rd, 2016
Edward Jones Facility - 130 Edward Jones Boulevard, Maryland Heights, MO 63043
The MCPF Annual Symposium is a professional outreach offering of the MidAmerica Contingency Planning Forum for the entire St. Louis region. We are pleased to once again offer this as a full day event, with the Exhibit Hall opening at 8:00 AM. To provide attendees flexibility of schedule and options for specific areas of interest or expertise, we have included three separate tracks relevant to the Business Continuity profession:
- Disaster Recovery
- Business Continuity
- Incident Management
Additionally, our Annual Symposium is an effort to showcase the various tools and services that are available throughout the business continuity and related fields. In support of that effort, we also provide breakout sessions (held in a separate conference room) for hands-on vendor learning labs.
This symposium is appropriate for anyone interested in risk management, information security, crisis/emergency management, business continuity, or disaster recovery. Attendance is free, and early registration is strongly encouraged. To register, please go to the MEETINGS section on our Home Page and follow the prompts.


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Like nothing else in nature, the reluctant fliers are respected, admired and cursed by hunters from sea to shining sea.
Their eyesight is sharper than the two-edged sword of biblical lore, ever scanning the forest cover and taking note of the subtlest of changes.
Their wariness borders on the absurd, like an old lady who won't take a walk in the park of a gated community for fear of being mugged.
Their call is like an energy charge that zaps the synapses of their pursuers, sending chills down their spines and constricting hair follicles on their necks.
They are among the most challenging of all hunted species to harvest.
All of the above is also true of a much less regal species of the avian world — the common crow.
The only difference is that crows are substantially smarter than turkeys, which, according to legend, are so dumb they risk drowning from looking up in wonderment at the rain.
But just like a wild turkey, the vocal crow has Steve Austin-like eyes that seem to peer straight through the densest of cover. And a crow would rather miss out on a three-day-old, road-killed armadillo than take a chance dipping in on something that didn't seem quite right.
So why aren't they more prized as a game bird? Probably because there are too many of them around.
If you want to see a wild turkey, you need to wear clothes that perfectly match the terrain — practically even brush with camouflage toothpaste — and hope and pray that a gobbler thinks your calling sounds like the turkey-voice version of Eva Longoria.
But if you want to see a crow, just sprinkle all over your lawn whatever's left over in the bottom of your fast-food bag. The crows will show up before you're through with your milkshake.
To most hunters, crows are the birds that make a racket in the tree your deer stand's attached to or that eventually eat the wounded duck you're just not able to find.
But to Jeremy Poirier, crows are the targets.
The International Paper biologist has been hunting crows for six years, and he's grown to greatly appreciate the bird and the challenges it presents.
"When you get up in the morning, get set up and then you hear the crows, it's exciting," he said. "It's not like deer hunting, where you have to get up, get to your stand, climb up and sit and wait for a deer to come along.
"There are always crows around."
But that doesn't mean they'll always commit to be killed. Not only are the birds smart, they're also more sociable than a politician seeking reelection.
That works for hunters — and against them.
The fact that crows rely on communities for social structure means that they respond to calling, and that's what makes them realistically huntable.
But crows also rely on their communities for safety and security, and that makes them challenging to hunt. There's nothing, it seems, a crow enjoys more than being a tattle-tail.
"When you shoot at crows and miss them, they'll go to your perimeter and start calling, telling all the other crows to stay away," Poirier said. "If you get two or three calling on your perimeter, you're done. You might as well just pick up and go somewhere else.
"They are among the smartest of birds."
The crows proved that point during a late-February hunt near Mansfield.
Poirier and three friends awoke in the pre-dawn hours to air as thick and cold as Jello fresh from the fridge. Sleet and freezing rain had fallen two nights earlier, and although the Arctic blast had moderated slightly, mist continued to float down from an impenetrably thick cloud deck.
Poirier, a recent transplant to Louisiana, cut his crow-hunting teeth in the uplands of Georgia, and had never pursued the wily birds in such extreme conditions.
"I don't think it'll matter," he said. "Once you turn on the call, crows seem to come out of nowhere."
And that, he said, is one of the beauties of crow hunting. Even though the birds have all these physical tools working in their favor, the sheer numbers of crows available works in the hunter's favor.
So just as the sky was beginning to change colors from coal black to slate grey, the hunters trucked over slick roads to a 300-acre clearcut that was bordered by tall stands of dripping pine trees.
They hid their vehicles in the standing timber, and walked to a crossroad in the middle of the clearcut. Twenty yards from one of the roads was a pushpile that would serve well as cover for the hunters.
Poirier placed a great-horned owl decoy in the middle of the road, and surrounded it with three crow decoys. Owls and crows, he explained, are sworn enemies.
"There are a bunch of different tapes you can use, but I've killed 90 percent of my crows using the crow-and-owl-fight call," he said. "The crow-gathering call is also effective, but mostly for (afternoon hunts)."
More crow decoys would seem to be more effective, but Poirier said that's not necessarily the case.
"The birds aren't coming to the decoys; they're coming to the call," he said. "The purpose of the decoys is to give the birds something to focus on so they're not looking at you."
With the decoys in place, Poirier and his buddies slinked to the pushpile, pulled the cover around them and slid facemasks over their heads before replacing their hats.
"Facemasks are essential gear," Poirier said. "Gloves really help too, but you can get away without them.
"You can't get away without a facemask."
Poirier asked if all guns were loaded, and once assured they were, he turned on his battery-powered crow call. Out of a single speaker came the familiar caw-caw-caw of a group of crows, and occasionally added in was the eight-note hoot of a very frustrated owl.
Within minutes, agitated crows were filling the trees on the immediate perimeter of the clearcut. The wide-eyed hunters shifted nervously, and instinctively placed their fingers on their safeties in anticipation.
A pair of birds could take the torture no longer, and moved in to aid their fighting friends. They flapped their wings methodically but purposefully, their black bodies rising and falling between the strokes.
Soon, they were within range, and six shots roared from the pushpile. One of the birds fell, and was quickly retrieved by Abby, Poirier's Labrador. The other flapped off furiously, certain to go tell all his friends what had happened.
But one other crow apparently didn't get the message, or was too stubborn to heed it. It flapped in from the same direction the previous two had come, and within seconds, fell lifeless into the decoy spread.
But as quickly as the action began, it died.
Poirier wasn't surprised.
"You have to move a lot in crow hunting," he said. "It doesn't take them long to catch on to what you're doing.
"Normally you get four or five dumb ones that come as soon as you turn the call on. Then you get two or three pairs or singles after that, and then it's time to move on."
But Poirier added that it's not uncommon to have upwards of 15 crows within range at one time, especially in prime areas.
"If you ever get the opportunity to hunt near a city dump or in a pecan grove, you want to take the offer," he said. "That's where you have just world-class crow hunting. You can shoot them non-stop all day."
But most people, of course, are limited to more plebeian tracts of land — those forests, mostly pine, that are leased from timber companies. These paper farms actually offer perfect crow-hunting set-ups because of the presence of clearcuts and stands of young pines.
"A crow won't come lower than the highest tree (in the immediate area), so clearcuts really work well," Poirier said. "Another good set-up is a 3-year-old pine plantation, where the trees are 5 to 10 feet tall.
"You can set up on the edge of that on a road or, even better, something larger like a food plot."
An avid duck hunter, Poirier hunts crows not only for the thrills and challenges the birds present, but also to sharpen his shooting for the waterfowl seasons.
"A crow is roughly the same size as a duck, and they remind me of a mallard that gets hung up and just won't commit (to the decoy spread)," he said. "You very rarely get crows to land in the decoys. Most of the time, they just fly low through the area, and you've got to shoot them as they pass through."
Learning to shoot passing crows has greatly improved Poirier's shooting when he's in a duck blind.
"When I hunt crows heavily just prior to duck season, I can tell the difference in my shooting," he said. "I'll hit (ducks) that I normally wouldn't hit."
Poirier said one way crows are very much unlike mallards is that they seldom give hunters a second chance. A crow that passes near the decoys once likely won't do it again.
"If it's in range, you need to take the shot," he said.
The birds also can flap out of range much more quickly than ducks once they discover the ruse.
Ducks are heavy, and they have small wings relative to their body sizes. As such, they must constantly flap their wings to stay airborne.
But most ducks, of course, aren't shot until after they've locked their wings and committed to a decoy spread. Any birds that are missed by the hunters must then flap furiously to regain altitude and distance themselves from the hunters. They must earn every inch.
But crows sort of loaf into the area, frequently gliding, on large, powerful wings. When they see hunters or hear the report of shotguns, they can stop their forward momentum instantly, turn on a dime and flap twice to be out of range.
"They stop, and immediately start going the other way," said Tommy Smith, also an IP biologist, who was on the February trip with Poirier.
To try to get them to fall into the spread rather than "going the other way," Poirier shoots No. 6 lead shot through a full-choked, 12-gauge Benelli.
"I like a full choke because these birds are tough to bring down," he said. "But if you use a modified (choke), that works fine too."
No matter what you use, however, there will be times on any hunt when a bird is wrapped up in shot, and still manages to escape.
"One of the beautiful aspects of crow hunting is that there's no pressure," Poirier said. "You'll shoot, and feathers just explode out of the bird, so you know you hit it, and it flies off.
"So what — it's a crow. It's not like it's a prized greenhead."
Or a turkey. Nothing worse than wasting your camouflage toothpaste.