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It takes a little madness to build a '29 Ford highboy phaeton from a sedan
Street rod builders are clever creatures. Give an experienced builder a few pieces of sheetmetal, an engine, and drivetrain, toss in a few wheels, tires, and suspension components, and next thing you know you have a street rod ready for paint.
That's essentially the scenario that played out at R-Goods Autoworks in Arvada, Colorado, a couple years ago when this Model A appeared almost magically from the dark corner of the shop. R-Goods is actually the name on the shingle, but the shop owner's name is Brad Aregood and his specialty is fabrication and painting. He also builds cars, including his own phantom phaeton Model A using, well, pretty much the ingredients from the parts manifest listed above.
The seed for the project was planted when Brad spotted a sketch of a budget phaeton in the Apr. '09 issue of STREET RODDER's sister publication Rod & Custom. Jimmy Smith's sketch titled "Mo' Time Than Money" grabbed Brad's attention. "I told myself that I could build one of those," he recalls, but the thought languished until a few weeks later when he visited Bert's Model A Center, a popular place in Denver where A-bone fans go for their ferrous fix in Fords dating from 1929-31.
Bert's had a rather salvageable Model A Tudor that interested Brad. "It was just a shell of a Tudor sedan, really" he says, "but it had promise." That prompted Brad to remain true to his word, so he bought the old body to begin his own more-time-than-money project. He had his sheetmetal, now all he needed were a few other components for his street rod.
"First thing I did was cut the top to mimic a roadster," Brad says. Next he fashioned and smoothed the beltline, the style line as he puts it, to give the body a more finished appearance. To do that he cut about 1/4 inch above the beltline, fabricating a cap from sheetmetal to cover the exposed perimeter. Notice that there's a slight flare at the front of each door to blend with the front cowl, and speaking of doors, Model A roadster aficionados have probably spotted that the hangers on this car are noticeably long for an open-top Model A. "The sedan doors are about 4 inches longer than those on a roadster," Brad points out, "but the benefit here is that it's easier for my wife, Kelly, and me to get in and out of the car!" Ah, those clever street rod builders …
But Brad wasn't finished massaging the old body (the car's that is). "I didn't want the body to sit high over the frame as a Model A normally does," he told us. So he extended the lower portion of the body about an 1-1/4 inch, and the overall effect is an exceptionally clean-looking profile that's accented on the right side with the long lakes pipe that dumps the exhaust about a foot before the rear tire.
But what about the left exhaust? Glad you asked, because the left exhaust got left in the dust; Brad's A-bone has a General Motors Quad 4 engine so there's only a need for the right side pipes. The little four-banger nestles neatly in the engine bay, and what you see poking out of the left hood apron are four velocity stacks that lead to a pair of dual-throat Weber DCOE side-draft carburetors on the other side of the sheetmetal. Brad credits John Erlick of Quads For Rods, also in Denver, with engineering the engine for the car. Erlick also cast the intake, bell housing, and thermostat housing for the potent four.
After Brad had settled on the powertrain that consisted of the Quad 4, T-5 transmission, and early Ford Rodsville quick-change rearend, he commenced to building his own frame the old-fashioned way. He laid down the dimensions on his shop floor, broke out the rectangular steel tubing, and started cutting and welding. There's a slight kickup in the front, and the rear section was Z-cut to maintain the low stance. "I had a lot of help from Chris Mac at Max Innovations (Arvada) with the frame and its geometry, plus he performed some of the high-tech welding when I needed it," Brad adds.
A 4-inch drop Super Bell I-beam axle mounts a pair of Vintique 15×6 spoke wheels and '40 Ford juice brakes, and the rear axle rides on 15×7 Vintique spokers. This little phaeton is meant for driving, so BFGoodrich radials are found on all corners.
After Brad applied the paint to the finished body, Ron and Dan at Auto Weave stitched the upholstery. Next stop was Rick Losh Pinstriping for the cowl art.
"World War II nose art has always interested me," Brad says, "so I wanted some on this car." After months of searching for just the right piece of work, he settled on "Midnight Madness II" that had been painted on a P-61 Black Widow night bomber. Turns out that the original "Midnight Madness" P-61 crash-landed on Iwo Jima, and the crew dutifully named their second plane Midnight Madness II. By chance Brad had once built a Model A Tudor that he named Midnight Madness, so naturally he elected to name the roadster MMII. "The theme fits," Brad adds, "because after building cars all day at my shop, I spent a lot of nights, often past midnight, working on my own car." Like all street rod builders, though, there is a little method to Brad's madness.


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The non profit Allsongslist reg. began in 1984 and has more than one thousand songs, all the Elton John charts, all the set lists of the concerts since 1970, all the album tracks, etc. This is not an Official Elton John site and is intended for personal use and entertainment only, and share time with eltonites. In 2017 due to Elton's 70th BDay, the 50 years of partnership between Elton and Bernie and the 33 years of AllSongsList all will be revealed
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Lakes across the northern hemisphere are getting darker; causes include heavier rains, changes in land use patterns, and recovery from acid rain. Cary Institute ecologist Chris Solomon is working to advance understanding of how lake browning impacts fishery productivity. Recent work explores the role of phantom midges and bass cannibalism in this complex system.
The science of phenology is now advancing with the lengthening record of the Earth's greenness, snowcover and temperature from satellites and other sensors.
Environmental policy guided by science saves lives, money, and ecosystems. So reports a team of eleven senior researchers in Environmental Science & Policy. Using air pollution in the United States as a case study, they highlight the success of cleanup strategies backed by long-term environmental monitoring.
With some 300 million tons of plastic products produced annually, it is not surprising that plastic is ubiquitous debris in the environment. Plastic bags hang in the trees in New York City and blow across the barren lands of the Mojave desert.
I had to chuckle over the recent Wall Street Journal report that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) had rejected Trump's plans to subsidize the coal and nuclear power industries—to prop them up as a campaign promise. The agency is mainly composed of Trump's own appointees. So sad.
In urban streams, persistent pharmaceutical pollution can cause aquatic microbial communities to become resistant to drugs.
Human activities are exposing US rivers and streams to a cocktail of salts, with consequences for infrastructure and drinking water supplies.
As we hear pressures to roll back some of the provisions that ensure clean air, largely in pursuit of unfettered economic activity, it is worth spending a little time reflecting on the benefits of clean air to human health. A long list of gases that exacerbate asthma, emphysema, and COP, such as ozone and nitric oxide, are known irritants and oxidizers of lung tissue.
More than 240 scientists and researchers from around the world recently descended on the Hudson Valley to strengthen an international partnership aimed at studying and understanding the world's lakes.
North America's freshwater lakes are getting saltier. The culprits: development and road salt. So reports an extensive study of 371 lakes conducted by a team of researchers in the Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network (GLEON) Graduate Student Fellowship Program, an initiative led by Cary Institute scientist Kathleen Weathers.
The Cary Institute is home to one of the longest running Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) programs in the nation. Since 1987, more than 300 students have spent a summer conducting independent research with a Cary mentor.
Effective conservation begins with a keen understanding of where species live and what environmental conditions they need to survive. Using new modeling techniques fueled by citizen science, Vijay Ramesh and colleagues have developed a data-driven method to accurately map where species live so that these areas, and the species within them, can be protected.
The Baltimore Ecosystem Study (BES) is a National Science Foundation Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network site directed by Cary's Emma Rosi.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) funds work at the frontiers of science. Proposals selected for funding must pass a rigorous and objective merit-review system. We are thrilled to congratulate four Cary scientists on their recent receipt of NSF awards.
It is an exciting time at the Cary Institute. Our strategic plan is in full implementation, and we are hiring staff and making plans to modernize our facilities. New scientists will strengthen our world-class research program, and investments in conference space, labs, and technology will enable us to continue advancing the science needed for environmental solutions.
Africa's Serengeti-Mara ecosystem is home to one of the largest overland animal migrations in the world. Each year, more than a million wildebeest journey between Tanzania and Kenya in search of food and water.
When it comes to common chemicals in streams, the dose doesn't always make the poison for aquatic life
Team to develop tools to map areas at risk of zoonotic disease outbreaks with new NSF grant
Two New York state senators released a report last week aimed at combating the spread of Lyme and tick-borne diseases. Disease ecologist Rick Ostfeld commends the report, but offers suggestions for improving it.
Baltimore City faces a vexing, decades-old question: How do you transform 14,000 vacant lots and properties into healthy neighborhoods? It may just start with a flower meadow.
With support from a $1.47 million grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), an interdisciplinary team of researchers from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Dartmouth, and the University of New Hampshire are developing high-tech tools to monitor cyanobacteria in lakes, predict impending blooms, and identify factors that are degrading water quality.
There are lots of ways that carbon dioxide (CO2) enters and leaves the Earth's atmosphere. Even though the natural movements of CO2 are enormous, all indications are that the total inputs and outputs to the atmosphere were well-balanced before the Industrial Revolution, because the CO2 concentration was not changing very much.
Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, which hit in August and September, are estimated to be the most costly ever to make landfall in the United States. The damage they caused calls for a major investment in infrastructure that is resilient to such extreme events.
The Urban Water Innovation Network (UWIN) links researchers across the United States who represent a range of academic disciplines and are intellectually connected by a common interest in solving urban water issues.
Recent news of the discovery of the emerald ash borer in Franklin County and the hemlock woolly adelgid near Lake George crystallizes the threat that imported forest pests pose to the Adirondacks. The emerald ash borer, a small green beetle from Asia, is poised to wipe out all of the ash trees in the region — and potentially North America.
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Author: Nathan Willis
In the intervening months, members of the Art Team had designed entirely new material, based on internal discussions and contributions from the Ubuntu community at large. On October 12, however, Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth declined to accept the new package, reverting artwork to its Dapper Drake contents. Shuttleworth explained his reasoning on the ubuntu-art mailing list, but the action still provoked negative reactions from both list subscribers and Ubuntu forum participants, many of whom felt that Shuttleworth's veto violated his pledge to leave final decisions to the Art Team's leadership.
The public discontent was confined to non-participants; while accusations flew and argument ensued among outsiders, Shuttleworth worked with three core members of the Art Team to tweak and polish the existing Dapper artwork package in time for Edgy's release. Emotions run high during such a controversy, so it is difficult to get an objective account of what happened. The week after Edgy's release, however, Ubuntu Artist in Chief Frank Schoep agreed to give his take on the full story — and try to clear up any misperceptions suggesting friction between the Art Team and upper management.
Edgy art rolled back to Dapper
Although some in the volunteer community had speculated that Shuttleworth or higher-ups at Ubuntu had been dissatisfied with the Art Team's scheduling or communication, Schoep said that the rejection of the team's proposed artwork was ultimately made on aesthetic grounds, though, he added, there were branding issues raised by the marketing team.
On the critical question of whether Shuttleworth's decision to reject the team's work violated the wishes of the community, Schoep insisted that the Art Team had always understood the Ubuntu sponsor's role as "client" to their "design firm" — and in the professional design world, you work to the client's vision, not your own. "We weren't working as much to our client's vision as I thought we were," Schoep said. "Mark had a very clear view of what he was looking for in artwork for Edgy, and the direction we took with the artwork team didn't really connect with that in the end."
To a degree, that disconnect stemmed from the individual artists' interest in pushing Edgy's look in new, flashier directions. "We set out to start from scratch and to top Dapper, while Dapper was arguably very close to what Mark had in mind."
A prominent factor in much of the submitted artwork — which is still publicly available — is the use of visual effects, yet even as the feature freeze approached, there were still unsolved technical problems, such as inconsistency between color palettes. After Shuttleworth announced the rollback, Schoep, Jonathan Austin, and Jozsef Mak reworked the Dapper art packages for consistency, and limited the effects enhancements to a gloss finish.
Community versus Team processes
In spite of the last-minute reversal, Schoep does not regard the time invested during the Edgy process as a waste. "We learned a lot as a team. I learned a lot, being the Artist in Chief attempting something completely new," he reflected. "What we did for Edgy was following a totally new way to create artwork with our community. During the [Ubuntu Developers Summit] in Paris in July this year a small group of us — consisting of Kenneth Wimer (the Kubuntu Artist in Chief), Troy James Sobotka, and me — drafted a process plan similar to one you would find in a professional environment."
The plan involved multiple stages of defining requirements, proposing fixes, and iteratively developing solutions. Schoep credits the process with easing the chaos normally associated with creative brainstorming. "Instead of a scenario where you have 20 people dropping in with random designs and asking them to be the default, we had those people work together closely and build on their peers' work."
Nonetheless, the oversupply of interested artists made project management difficult, particularly as the release date neared and the team needed to focus its attention on refinement. "Instead of collaboratively refining artwork, we'd still have 20 different people working on 20 different designs, so to speak."
Schoep said that the team discussed traditional tools like Version Control Systems (VCS) but never found anything suiting both their unique workflow and non-source-code product. "The last phase, Polish, is the only phase where a proper VCS could have helped in theory. In practice it didn't get that far since by the time we got there it became clear we needed to start over again because of the direction we were heading."
On the other hand, Schoep cites Theme Teams as an overwhelmingly successful byproduct of the Edgy release cycle. Theme Teams are self-organized, independent theming projects that enjoy the freedom to pursue their own design philosophies, but still enjoy the benefit of shipping with the main Ubuntu release. The Edgy release cycle produced four; Schoep expects more next time around.
Gearing up for round two
All things considered, Schoep is proud of the work the Art Team and community contributors did in the Edgy release cycle, both as artists and as newcomers to the formal Ubuntu development process. He is quick to admit his own missteps as a first-time team leader, but remains positive in his outlook and focused on making improvements as the Art Team and volunteer artists start work on the next Ubuntu release, Feisty Fawn.
"The road was the destination. Although I fully understand the disappointment about the community Human artwork not being the default, I want to thank everyone in our artwork community for being around and sticking to the process for Edgy."
"For Feisty," he says, "a major improvement will be to have Mark's visual direction explicitly clear in advance of any work done by the community, so we can prevent working opposite of where we should be going. This will also allow the community to focus more on creating artwork instead of defining a design direction."
In preparation for Feisty, the Art Team has begun work on revamping the art.ubuntu.com site, which Schoep hopes will simplify community submissions and team coordination. Formalized style guides and documentation remain a possibility, though Schoep declined to go into detail. "In the end, I think Ubuntu will move towards a more formally described style, which will make it easier to contribute artwork, which in turn will result in more artwork available for inclusion." Feisty Fawn is slated for release in April 2007.
- News


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Here are sixteen of my favorite crazy and sexy tips for supercharged and healthy living.
1. Get back to nature and back to the garden – preferably the organic garden – when affordable – when not, try to choose fruits and veggies that are less sprayed. You can find a Shopper's Guide to Pesticides at foodnews.org. There are over 80,000 chemicals in our world today, eating them and putting them on our bodies is a dangerous proposition.
2. Create an anti-inflammatory diet and lifestyle. Learn about pH, the acid/alkaline balance, and say goodbye to the SAD, acidic diet in favor of alkaline raw organic veggies, sprouts, green drinks, green smoothies, enzymes, vitamins, minerals, love and oxygen.
3. Make juice not war. Green smoothies are great too. My favorite juicer is the Breville Ikon, and the best blender is the Vitamix. Instead of your morning cup of Joe, (or nightly cup of booze) try filling your day with fresh vegetable juice.
4. Drink lots of clean, purified water.
5. Decrease the amount of animal products you consume (especially dairy products) and move towards more of a plant-based diet.
6. Refined sugars and processed starches are the devil – dump them. If it's made in a lab it takes a lab to digest. If it has a shelf life longer than you, don't eat it. Choose low glycemic foods as much as possible.
7. Shake your booty. Your lymph system, which carries away waste, needs you! Unlike your heart, it doesn't have a pump. Aerobics is the pump. Brisk walking is the pump. Yoga is the pump.
8. Give your colon a regular spring-cleaning. That's right, flood your body with alkalinity and flush it of toxins. As the good stuff goes in the bad stuff should come out – on a regular basis.
9. Use natural skincare products. Your skin is your largest organ and what you put on it you literally drink in. Everything you consume either gets assimilated or eliminated. Chemical creams and perfumes tax your body big time.
10. Stress also creates acidity, so turn down the volume on chaos and turn up the joy factor up. Find and regularly commit to activities that help you bring it down a notch. Some ideas: meditation, gratitude journaling, guided relaxation or visualization CD's, nature.
11. Snooze. Snooze. Snooze. Optimal hours: 11-7am.
12. Chew. Your stomach does not have teeth.
13. And stop eating late so that when you snooze, your body can focus on repair instead of digestion.
14. Set boundaries so that you have the physical and emotional time to take care of yourself – it's not selfish, it's self-preserving.
15. Make time for fun, for love, for laughter!
16. Sound good? Last but not least, pick up my book, Crazy Sexy Diet :)
Ready to learn more about how to unlock the power of food to heal your body, prevent disease & achieve optimal health? Register now for our FREE web class with nutrition expert Kelly LeVeque.


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How long would it take for a single person to fill up an entire swimming pool with their own saliva?
—Mary Griffin, 9th grade
My most random thought about:
Footnote 3 wrote:I suppose you can make a pool that continues through to the other side of the Earth, but then you run into trouble when you try to follow the instructions in section FR 2.14 about painting lane markings on the bottom.
...is: Does anybody have a Gungun Sub handy?


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I'm back in Charleston for the month visiting friends and family and recently went to visit my friend Zach at The Golden Elephant! No, it's not an Indian restaurant it's his tiny house! He's about half-way through his build and I was really curious to see the progress in person and talk about his approach to building a tiny house. Here are some of his insights!
What inspired you to build a tiny house?
I was originally inspired by the shed that Cedric re-modeled in to a living space in the backyard at our apartment. It was the perfect set-up. I was attracted to the minimalism of the lifestyle as well. Plus, all the resources and time to do it were there.
What freedoms do you hope to attain living the tiny life?
Time, I want my time back. Time and flexibility in life. I feel like you have to pay that ahead though. Truthfully, I don't want to work as much. I also really appreciate the mobility the lifestyle offers.
Why is it called The Golden Elephant?
Cedric and I were hanging out at the house and we were discussing names at one point. We got to work and then he turned to me and said it was going to be called the golden elephant. I think the name fits. The cantilever of the house looks like a big trunk. It's one of the largest tiny houses I've seen so far and the outside of the house is a golden color from the cypress.
How has community impacted your build?
I've met so many awesome people through this thing and it's made me form stronger bonds to my community. It would not be possible without my friends. You can't really do it without help from your community unless you have that skill set already. Building I had help with the sheathing, siding and installation of the roof. I have had help figuring out where systems are going to go, talking about ideas and how I'm going to approach these things. A lot of help has come through talking to people who have done things like this before and going over what I plan to do.
What are your methods for getting rid of stuff?
The formula that I've adopted is if it's not serving a purpose or I haven't used it in 30 days, I try to get rid of it. The exception to this is tools and camping gear because you're not going to use them all the time but it's difficult and expensive to replace those things. At minimum, I do four major purges a year. I will take full inventory and clean everything that I own. I will touch everything that I own in my house and if it doesn't serve a purpose or I don't need to own it, it's gone. That's what keeps me sane because I don't need to own any more of this stuff. I've never been let down by not hanging on and you just have to really decide what you can and can't live with.


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As Libyan fighters battle the last remnants of Muammar Qaddafi's regime, Libya's new transitional leaders are already confronting one of the major challenges that will come next: disarming the scores of militias that fought the war.
Once the fighting is over, disbanding the militias will be key to ensuring independent armed groups do not become a destabilizing force in the new Libya. The ability of the National Transitional Council (NTC) over the next few weeks to rein in militias will be an indicator of whether it is up to the task of governing all of Libya or not.
"You need to have people feel safe and secure. You can't have independent military organizations roaming the country," says Zahi Mogherbi, political science professor at Garyounis University in Benghazi. "The NTC's performance in this regard will solidify their legitimacy. And I think the legitimacy of the NTC will now be based on its performance."
Already, the NTC is running into trouble, as divisions deepen between rebel leaders. The rebel military commander in Tripoli was stridently displeased with acting Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril's plan, outlined Sunday, to bring the militias fully under civilian control – either by sending members back to their civilian jobs or incorporating them into the army or police force.
Militiamen eager to go back to families, jobs
Most of the fighters who have become known as Libyan rebels are civilians who, until the uprising began in February, had no idea how to operate an AK-47, much less how to fire an artillery gun or launch a Grad rocket. Many men are eager to go back to their families and return to work as lawyers, engineers, teachers, and myriad other professions.
"Each one of us will go back to his own work," says Khalid Tayer Faraj Hussien, a fighter with the Ali Hassan Jaber Brigade who has fought on the front lines in eastern Libya for months. He wants to go back to school after the fighting ends.
His friend Marai Rafallah Suleiman Dakheel says he wants to marry his fiancée of three and a half years when it's all over. "I want to rest and marry and have a settled life," he says.
Such fighters likely outnumber those who have angered residents of the capital, Tripoli, by charging around, firing weapons into the air, and displaying a privileged attitude toward civilians. Those who may pose the greatest difficulty are not individual fighters but militia commanders. Some worry they won't easily give up the power that comes with directing a heavily armed group.
A National Guard model?
One of the most powerful men in eastern Libya is Fawzy Boukatif, head of the Feb. 17th Brigade and leader of the union of militias in eastern Libya. He denies any desire to stay in a military role. Disbanding militias, he says "is not difficult, but it takes time." Amid all the talk of disarming, he points out that militias aren't going away anytime soon, because they're still needed.
Qaddafi gutted Libya's army, leaving high-ranking officers but few soldiers, and the organization is in shambles, says Mr. Boukatif. He proposes a National Guard of sorts, composed of militias, to maintain order in the short term.
"We are there until we build our army," he says. "We will try to build like the National Guard in the [US], so we have something … that at least can perform the necessity during these months until we build up our army."
Inclusive approach – so far
The NTC plans to integrate those fighters who want to remain in the military into the army or the police force. In the meantime, with the country awash in weapons, it has begun to license guns, and eventually try to get them out of the hands of civilians altogether.
But some say not everyone will be so eager to lay down arms.
"We should all give back our weapons, but in reality that won't happen. Some will keep their weapons," says Seraj El Mana, a young fighter who participated in the battles for the eastern towns of Ras Lanuf and Bin Jawad. He was making a veiled reference to Islamist groups, as NTC members, academics, and other fighters also did when mentioning those who might not want to give up their weapons.
Such groups are a concern for some NTC members. But so far the council has followed a strategy of inclusion, preferring to bring all groups under their umbrella rather than alienate any.
"Now in the beginning we work with everyone because we don't want any problems with anyone," says NTC member from Zuwara Othman bin Sasi. "But when the country is free we can start to talk. We can see who is good."
And Mr. Mogherbi points out that with Qaddafi gone, and a transitional government that appears to be inclusive, those who might in the past have fought with the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group or joined other Islamist movements would now have little reason to keep their arms. "A lot of causes for extremism will be obliterated or eliminated," he says.


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Wednesday, September 07, 2011
Pepsi, Smoked Fish And Green Mango Salad
I cycled through the hot, dusty streets around Battambang, Cambodia, for a few hours looking for the old Pepsi factory, when I realised I was looking straight at it.
I'd sat down at a road-side stall selling green mango salad, and was ferreting through the ice box for a second cola, when I turned round and saw the same logo, but this time faded and sorry-looking and without the "Max", on a disused building across the road.
The place was massive. I pushed open a side-door and an old caretaker waved me away. I offered him some dollars, but still he wouldn't let me in. So I took a long shot of some old Pepsi bottles that had survived the plant's sudden closure when the Khmer Rouge seized power in 1975, and walked back out into the yard.
A Pepsi plant was never going to get an easy ride from Pol Pot's thugs, who'd thought nothing of destroying their own temples, libraries, and schools to cleanse the country of its perceived political enemies, let alone a brand associated with American capitalism. It stood out like a bucket of KFC at an anti-vivisectionists' meeting.
I was amazed how much of it was still standing. I went round the back, but there was nothing to see apart from a couple of cement water tanks, so I returned to the old man, and handed him another note, and this time he relented. I couldn't go into the dusty office block, but he opened a gate and let me into the warehouse.
"But no machine," he kept saying, as he stuffed the notes into his back pocket.
It looked like a film set from an Armageddon B-movie, with shell damage and bullet holes letting in shards of sunlight. The place had stopped in time like an old watch. There was the odd broken Pepsi bottle buried in the rubble and debris. But other than that, a series of switches was pretty much all that remained of the 1960s machinery.
Back then, Coca Cola had reportedly signed a deal with Bangkok to only allow its cola to be manufactured in Thailand, so Pepsi set up the bottling plant on a ferry point in Battambang, near the Thai border, so that it wouldn't miss out on the Thai market.
I took a few more photos, and had a last stroll around the rubble, watching my step for snakes, and then returned to the old man. He was padlocking the door to the office block. I tried another bribe, but he just shook his head and smiled.
I rode back out and stopped at the stall for another drink. I ordered a green mango and smoked fish salad, and chatted away to the woman as she made it.
She told me the old man and his family were paid to sleep in the factory grounds to keep out visitors. She said the government was planning to turn the whole thing into a huge fresh water-producing plant at some point, but they'd been saying that for years.
She began breaking off pieces of smoked fish and pounding them in a large, wooden pestle and mortar.
The fish was from the prahok market a few miles up the river. I'd been up there the day before to watch them make it.
It's soaked in brine, and then grilled over smouldering wood for up to eight hours. It's hard and chewy and full of bones, and has a strong but pleasant taste of that magical, hot-smoked combination of salt and burned wood.
She added three whole red chillies and three peeled garlic cloves and continued pounding away for another minute. And then she suddenly stopped, and frowned at me as though she'd just thought of something.
"But this one we only eat with rice, and you eat only alone? It's very sharp! It's very hot, and maybe you get diarrhoea?" she said.
She was right, as I would learn. It was hot. And sharp. Heat-wise, it was as spicy as any som tam papaya salad you'd get in Thailand, even in the notoriously fire-eating Isaan area. But my word it was good.
She continued pounding, and then sprinkled in half a teaspoon of sea salt, a teaspoon of sugar, and about the same again of MSG before I could stop her.
She worked away with a hand-sized mandoline shredding long strips of green mango into the mortar, then mixed it altogether and pounded the salad lightly. She spooned it on to a small plate and garnished it with three roughly-chopped thorny coriander leaves.
"We can use the green mango, but very sour, but when we put the grilled fish, not," she said, reminding me again of the Cambodian custom of balancing flavours.
I've made the recipe again, and it really is good, but very hot, so lessen it to just one red bird eye chilli if you don't like the heat.
You could always brine and then barbecue the fish yourself over smouldering wood, but Rick Stein recommends the far quicker method of skinning a couple of smoked mackerel fillets, flaking the meat, and deep-frying it in a skillet filled with an inch of oil for a minute or so, until the fish is golden-brown and crisp. You then scoop out the fish pieces and let them drain on a piece of kitchen paper to soak up the oil before pounding them to begin the salad.
In my version, I missed out the sugar and MSG, and instead balanced the sweetness and chemicals with a splash of Pepsi at the end. It was really good, and a fitting reminder of that old soda plant and the days I spent cycling to the pre-Angkor ruins near Battambang that had also survived the Khmer Rouge's rule.
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This blog was brought to you by the words... Battambang, Cambodia, Cambodian cooking, Coca Cola, Khmer Rouge, MSG, papaya, Pepsi, Pol Pot, Rick Stein, smoked fish and green mango salad
5 comments:
- Talei said...
Love it. You have some nice negotiation skills! Pics and a great recipe to boot. ;-)
- 8 September 2011 at 07:37
- Lennie Nash said...
Ha ha. Thanks. Wish the old man had let me into the admin block though!
You shoud try the salad - it's delicious.
- 9 September 2011 at 14:15
- Paul W-F said...
Great piece, I want to go now...
- 9 September 2011 at 14:16
- Lennie Nash said...
You've got to come here! It's a great place for pictures!
- 9 September 2011 at 14:18
- phnompenhpast said...
Great pictures of the Pepsi plant. There are pictures in one of the DCCAM books of Khmer Rouge cadres enjoying Coca Cola at a rally in Olympic Stadium, perhaps they just preferred "the real tihng!"
- 5 October 2011 at 17:38
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text:
Miles&Smiles program partner Gloria Hotels & Resorts are situated in Antalya's Belek area, on the Acısu River and on the coast, amidst pine forests which harbor all the beauties of the Mediterranean. The Gloria Hotels & Resorts facilities cover an area of 2122 m2 and consist of Gloria Golf Resort, Gloria Serenity Resort, Gloria Verde Resort, Gloria Villas and Gloria Golf Club. Designed by famous architect Michel Gayon, the Gloria Golf Club is the only 45-hole course on the Mediterranean Riviera and has two 18-hole championship courses as well as the 9-hole Verde Golf Course.
Gloria Hotels & Resorts offer guests the chance to unwind and refresh in spas and the Thalasso Center, as well as the opportunity to enjoy world-famous shows at the 1054-capacity Arena Amphitheatre. The Gogi Kids Club has special play and entertainment areas to suit different age groups.
For more detailed information please visit the Glora Hotels website.


text:
The yoga exercises included in this chapter address many specific menopause related symptoms and issues, such as bone strength, cardiovascular and breast health, of concern to all women past midlife. You may want to begin by trying all the stretches, then practicing on a regular basis those exercises that bring you the most symptom relief and general health benefits. If you prefer, begin with the exercises that offer relief for the specific symptoms of greatest concern.
General Techniques for Yoga
When doing yoga exercises, it is important that you focus and concentrate on the positions. First, let your mind visualize how the exercise is to look, and then follow with the correct body placement in the pose. The exercises are done through slow, controlled stretching movements. This slowness allows you to have greater control over your body movements. You minimize the possibility of injury and maximize the benefit to the particular area of the body where your attention is being focused. Pay close attention to the initial instructions. Look at the placement of the body in the photographs. This is very important, for if the pose is practiced properly, you are much more likely to have relief from your symptoms. In summary, as you begin these exercises:
Practicing yoga stretches regularly in a slow, unhurried fashion will gradually loosen your muscles, ligaments and joints. You may be surprised at how supple you can become over time. If you experience any pain or discomfort, you have probably overreached your current ability and should immediately reduce the amount of the stretching until you can proceed without discomfort. Be careful, as muscular injuries take time to heal. If you do strain a muscle, immediately apply ice to the injured area for ten minutes. Use the ice pack two to three times a day for several days. If the pain persists, see your doctor. If you wish more background and information on yoga, refer to the books listed in the bibliography at the end of this book.


text:
Broadway hit 'Hairspray' opens two-month New Canaan run
Instead of sticking to its previous formula of producing two different musicals running for three weeks each, the Summer Theatre of New Canaan decided this year to build momentum and audiences with one big show running for eight weeks.
"Hairspray" opens in New Canaan's Waveny Park on Saturday, June 21, giving new life to the 2002 best-musical Tony winner about a spunky 1960s Baltimore girl named Tracy Turnblad and her determination to get on the most popular TV teen dance show in the city.
The musical, based on a 1988 John Waters film, turned out to be one of the biggest Broadway hits of the new century, running for more than six years.
"We found in past seasons that the good word-of-mouth would take a while to spread and by the time that happened we'd be in our last week and we couldn't extend, because we'd have another show coming in," executive director Ed Libonati said.
In past seasons, the STONC would do one modern musical and one classic -- last year, the shows were "Grease" and "South Pacific."
"Hairspray," which runs through Aug. 3, has proven to be so popular with audiences of all ages that it already qualifies in both of those categories, Libonati noted.
"It's a fun show that also deals with some serious issues," Libonati said of Tracy becoming active in the civil rights movement after she joins the fight to allow black teenagers on the segregated TV show.
"The show is centered on a girl who never expects to be an inspiration to other kids."
The 1960s rock-influenced pop score appeals to older theatergoers who were around at the time, as well as the young people who can identify with Tracy and her friends.
"It has '60s nostalgia, which everyone seems to connect with, and it's just a great time. Ninety percent of our tickets are bought by women and I know that in some cases they drag their husbands along, but I think those guys are going to be very happy, too.
"The songs are relentless. This is a show with 15 production numbers and when you have a cast like we do, they're going to make the hair on the back of your head stand up," Libonati said of the mostly New York City company that made the cut after hundreds of performers were seen at auditions.
The Summer Theatre of New Canaan, Waveny Park, is presenting three children's shows on weekends this season -- "Merrilee Mannerly," which opened June 14 and runs through July 19; "The Little Mermaid Jr." from June 28 through Aug. 3; and "Charlotte's Web" July 12 through Aug. 3. Libonati stressed, however, that the main stage shows are always family friendly.
"If they're not G-rated, they're definitely no more than PG," he said.
Tickets are $25 to $30 and can be purchased by calling 203-966-4634 or visitng www.stonc.org.
email@example.com; Twitter: @joesview


text:
Lately, Cols been infected with a bout of what we call around here snuggle fever.
He climbs on my lap while Im making out with my coffee and newspaper; he whispers, at 6:02 a.m.: The most important part of having a Mommy is loving her; he Titanics into the iceberg of my hips when Im cooking, thrusting his arms up toddler-style for me to lift him up. And I do.
Today, I held him close and patted his back, pretending to burp him, which was one of the high-level, advanced parenting skills taught to us in the neonatal intensive care unit.
When Col graduated to the Feed and Grow room after three months in Acute Care, I was cleared to try and nurse him once a day (each time was like hearing my name called at the Oscars. Rachel Turiel, please step up and address the audience of your 4-pound boy with your engorged breast, which is to say I was thrilled and nervous). After our nursing attempt, Id pass him to Dan, who would execute such skillful thumps on Cols tiny back that the emergent burps were like symphonies choreographed by a grand conductor.
This sounds like hyperbole, I know, but really, these visits to the hospital were the sun that the planet of my motherhood orbited for months.
The notion then that this bitty baby could be turning 8 was like pondering another galaxy, one devoid of the most ordinary things, like say, gravity and oxygen settings.
And holy moly, here we are. Eight.
And, oh, how I miss that rounded, wordless baby whose wide blue eyes tracked me like air-traffic control monitoring a plane coming in; or that funny, energetic toddler whod burst into the living room, announcing gleefully Uh oh! Uh oh! because hed sneakily flipped on his space heater (the best part of which was outing himself); or that 5-year-old who told me matter-of-factly Rosies new thing to get what she wants is just to grab you. And then was corrected by 3-year old Rose: I only do that to you, Coley.
But really, I dont want to go back in time, I like now best. I just want more now. Id yank the needle off the spinning record of our lives if I could, just to bask in the warmth of snuggle fever a little longer but not for too long because I already see that it keeps getting better. I just didnt want parenting to go quite so fast.
Not because its easy (easy! ha!), but because witnessing the growth and evolution of a child is exquisite. To love and be loved unconditionally is both like being encased in protective armor and having it shatter daily because its the most tender, vulnerable skin youll ever wear.
Happy birthday to a beautiful, creative, bright, evolving, 8-year-old boy.
Reach Rachel Turiel at email@example.com her blog, 6512 and growing, on raising children, chickens and other messy, rewarding endeavors at 6,512 feet.


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Saturday, August 27, 2011 – It's 11:00 and the groom is asking, "Why isn't our brunch set up at the pool?"
"Um, your farewell brunch is tomorrow."
"No, no … it's today!"
"Uh-oh … well, it says right here in the contract you signed, that brunch is on Sunday the 28th, that's tomorrow. But if you think it's today, then I guess it's today."
"Good, because we've got fifty hungry guests and family members waiting at the pool."
Now Magdalena's pretty expressive, and she's certainly shown concern before, but never quite like this. OMG, what are we going to do?!
"A" number "1" … is Chef Barry available? Yes, he's in the kitchen. Better yet, he has all the food on hand, but hasn't even started to PREP! Happily, he's not your typical chef. His response? "Let's go, I'll do the best I can."
All hands on deck … both guys working today from the maintenance department, Chris and Ryan, drop what they're doing and are immediately moving tables and chairs from the conference room down to the pool. So is Rob, the GM. The housemen stop stocking the linen closets with sheets and towels and are now bringing down table linens. Katie's gathering up everything we need for the bar. Antlers front desk staff is pitching in as they're able. Magda's coordinating with Barry, figuring out what we can prep the fastest (turns out to be the fruit tray) and get it down to the pool so the guests at least have SOMETHING.
"Greg, can you bartend?"
"Oh man, I would … I want to … I wish … but I can't. I've got an obligation I just CANNOT get out of."
"OK, who then?"
"Rob … you're elected"
"No sweat, only one problem … I wasn't really working today. I just happened to ride my bike in. That's why I'm wearing my biking jersey and shorts. It's all I've got."
"It'll have to do. Can you make a Bloody Mary?"
"Are you kidding?"
Fast forward twenty minutes … some guests are drinking Mimosas, others are munching on the food as fast as it comes out of the kitchen. The bride's family has gone from being livid and thinking that we're totally incompetent, to realizing that we are super-humanly compensating for a mistake that wasn't really ours. In minutes, their appreciation is over the top. Rob's tending bar in his spandex regalia, garnering more than a few questionable looks. That is, until people understand "the rest of the story".
Soon, we've served the breakfast burritos that Barry has miraculously put together in nothing flat. One of the best compliments of the day is when a groomsmen says, "I'm from Texas … we know a thing or two about burritos … and this is the best breakfast burrito I've ever had!"
Adding to the surreal nature of the morning, at one point Mr. Chatty Bartender Rob asks one of the guests, "So where are you all from?" "Thunder Bay" is the response. "No Way!" says Rob, "My BFF George "The Peach" Nickerson is from Thunder Bay!"
"Doc Nick's kid? On Algoma Street?" Ya shoor, yoo betcha. (just another Vail / small world episode)
Our only regret? Nobody took any pictures. Darn. Oh well. Bottom line, at the end of the day, we pulled off what would have been impossible for most others, but as they say, "No problem for high steppers like us."
Although he didn't focus on the "Miracle Brunch" as much as we might have, here's a copy of the actual review posted by the groom's father a short time later …


text: I would like to create daily logs of backup activity to a filename with a naming convention of the current date (MMDDYYYY.txt) format. I do not see where nnbackup supports this. If anyone knows how to do it using nnbackup or a 3rd party utility in conjunction with nnbackup I would greatly appreciate a reply.


text:
Everyday is silent and grey
I just can't resist posting pictures of my new chairs, seen here in situ in the parlour:These were something of an impulse-buy -- yes -- but I could not bring myself to say no. As you can see, they are ready for the festivity of tonight's annual Fondue Feast.
So are the wee-tiny Narcissus noses in the blue-and-white china pot on the end table:
Because I know some of you will inevitably inquire about the bag and brooch in the top-most image, allow me to preemptively indulge you.
The bag was custom-made for me by bayan hippo and the brooch is a Petula Precious by Miss Zaza. I love them together -- it's like each was made for the other.
Finally, some knitting content:It's my Saroyan scarf -- a rare knit for myself. I'm about halfway done.
Apologies for the (possible) overuse of the Morrissey-isms; I must have the ol' Mozzer on the brain these days.
11 comments:
- tamara said...
I am currently coveting those chairs. HARD> They are beautiful, and like you, I would have been hard-pressed to say "No", too.
Where, oh where, did you ever find them?
- December 31, 2010 at 10:46 a.m.
- spillyjane said...
tamara -- Thank you! They're from HomeSense, of all places.
- December 31, 2010 at 11:08 a.m.
- Rachael said...
I somehow ended up on a mailing list for a catalog called "Home Decorator's Collection," and I spent a whole lot of time this morning looking at chairs very much like that! Are they comfy?
- December 31, 2010 at 11:12 a.m.
- spillyjane said...
Rachael -- They are. I had been looking for chairs for a long time now and the combination of style and comfort has been an elusive one. These chairs do both exceedingly well.
- December 31, 2010 at 11:19 a.m.
- French Press Knits said...
Fondue and News Years go together so well- We always make sure fondue is part of the festivities on this day :)
- December 31, 2010 at 11:24 a.m.
- Ariane said...
chairs...... yum
- December 31, 2010 at 11:32 a.m.
- subliminalrabbit said...
Those chairs are AMAZING!
- December 31, 2010 at 12:56 p.m.
- Ruth said...
LOVE those chairs!
- December 31, 2010 at 4:10 p.m.
- Noreen said...
Knitting for yourself...bravo! That's one of my resolutions for 2011! longlakeyarns.net
- January 1, 2011 at 9:46 p.m.
- Jodi said...
One of my favorite songs! Love those chairs, btw.
Happy 2011!
- January 2, 2011 at 9:31 p.m.
- Leebot said...
Gasp! Now I see why you're so excited about those chairs. They're *shriek* FAAABUULOOOOUUUUSS!*endshriek* I love that fabric.
- January 5, 2011 at 3:34 p.m.


text:
About Zach Mollett
I could have sworn that the difficulty went up and that drove prices. I used to be able to mine 3-4 BTC a week, now I'm down to maybe 1.
That's a rather large leap.
To be honest, I had to check a few times to see if this was really done by NBC, since the production quality is awful and really amateurish, the sound mix is dreadful and the background music is too loud and out of place -- something way below the standard that I've seen done by NBC in the past:
This definitely wouldn't be something they'd put on television, notably because the video mentions MSNBC.com, most likely this was done by one of the websites' interns.
What are you trying to say? ;D
Remember the Alamo.
Or maybe he understands that the Pharmaceutical Market Access and Drug Safety Act will fix the issue wherein it will be wholly illegal to import drugs unless it is done by a registered company. Which would then mean that their website, since they are a registered company, would be legal to run and not subject to being shutdown.
Maybe he's like the majority of average people that had the legalese in the act read to him and he didn't manage to connect the nearly invisible dots connecting these contradictions.
Are you talking about the judge taking a bribe? I certainly hope not.
This sort of sheds light on how they run things.
The formatting on his website makes it pretty indistinguishable. But I also hope that it was intentional.
I was referring to the origin:
1590–1600; < Middle French, equivalent to pet ( er ) to break wind (derivative of pet < Latin pēditum a breaking wind, orig. neuter of past participle of pēdere to break wind) + -ard -ard
Unless he meant that they were violent wind-breakers.
Oops I did 10 years, but it's easy to divide by 10 :P
How many characters do the closing and name field allow? I'd end up writing the a counter position in, or put a hyperlink to a pastebin entry.
You summed up my feelings exactly. While I never have time to game on the consoles anymore, I still consider myself a fanboy of all things Sony. Heck I've got one of those mini-disc players, a PSP, an XBR4 television, countless pairs of headphones, used to have a Hi-Fi system, still have a CD/Clock Radio thing. Now that I've seen the eye of the storm, I'm not so sure that I'll be their bannerman much longer.
According to the policy posted to their website:
You will next walk through a metal detector, (or you may request a pat-down inspection instead). Additional screening occurs when an individual sets off the alarm on the metal detector, or if he or she is selected for the additional screening. This screening includes a hand-wand inspection in conjunction with a pat-down inspection that includes the torso. A pat-down inspection complements the hand-wand inspection. In order to ensure security, this inspection may include sensitive areas of the body. Security Officers are rigorously trained to maintain the highest levels of professionalism. You may request that your pat-down inspection be conducted in private.
Did you have any drug dealers living in the skunky apartments? If not, then they should have because according to you they'd get away scott free.
So if they yell, "Police! Open up! We have a Warrant!" that makes it less likely for you to pull a gun on them?
Grr... keep forgetting to sign into my account *mental note*
It could be construed as anything having to do with the internet and the overall security therein.


text:
|MLBPA News Release
Major League Baseball players will award $2,000 college scholarships to 18 outstanding high school students in recognition of their dedication to community service and tireless efforts to encourage others to get involved with causes they believe in, it was announced today by the Major League Baseball Players Trust. Each scholarship recipient is a member of the Action Team® national youth volunteer program created and administered by the Major League Baseball Players Trust and Volunteers of America.
Scholarship awards are based on the volunteer efforts, academic achievements and leadership skills of high school students serving as Action Team Captains -- those students responsible for planning and organizing Action Team-related volunteer activities and encouraging their peers to heed the call to get involved. This school-year, Major Leaguers and more than 500 Action Team Captains in 100 high schools across the country are working together to inspire and train the next generation of volunteers.
Since its launch in 2003, Action Teams of high school students and Major Leaguers have inspired more than 65,000 students to serve over 205,000 people in need. There are Action Teams in 33 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico and Japan, and each month the Action Team Captains participate in a conference call hosted by legendary broadcaster George Grande that features a Major Leaguer and an "Action Team High School of the Month."
Action Team Captains receive free posters, DVDs, T-shirts and brochures to help support their efforts. They are also invited to attend Action Team training sessions at the beginning of the school year, and, in recognition of their efforts and accomplishments, they receive free tickets to Major League Baseball games and certificates of achievement signed by Major Leaguers near the end of the school year.
Action Team applications and additional information, including upcoming events, can be received by sending a request to firstname.lastname@example.com or by visiting the Action Team website at www.ActionTeam.org.
Major League Baseball Players Trust scholarship recipients:
|William Appel
|Marysville, Wash.
|Marysville High School
|Maxwell Bailey
|West Deptford, N.J.
|West Deptford High School
|Allison Coburn
|Saco, Maine
|Thornton Academy
|Thomas Coward
|Alexandria, Va.
|St. Stephens and St. Agnes
|William Coward
|Alexandria, Va.
|St. Stephens and St. Agnes
|Angelina DeBenedittis
|MLK Jr. Early College High School
|Diana Dinh
|Everett, Wash.
|Mariner High School
|Stormie Garza
|Harlingen, Texas
|Early College High School
|Margaret Gorman
|Arlington, Va.
|HB Woodlawn Secondary Program
|Patrick Gorman
|Arlington, Va.
|HB Woodlawn Secondary Program
|Sanya Hines-Doctor
|P.E.T. Charter High School
|Jonathan Ibanez
|Waliuku, Hawaii
|St. Anthony Jr./Sr. High School
|Micah Leval
|Waliuku, Hawaii
|St. Anthony Jr./Sr. High School
|Aimee Lonneman
|D'Evelyn Jr./Sr. High School
|Chase Malynn
|Santa Clarita, Calif.
|West Ranch High School
|Simran Parwani
|Fox Chapel Area High School
|Tia Seki
|Waliuku, Hawaii
|St. Anthony Jr./Sr. High School
|Christine Vincent
|Arlington, Va.
|Yorktown High School
Through the Players Trust, Major Leaguers contribute their time, money and celebrity to call attention to important causes affecting the needy and to help encourage others to get involved in their own communities. In partnership with Volunteers of America, the national human service organization, the Players Trust created and helps administer the Action Team, a national youth volunteer initiative currently inspiring the next generation of volunteers in cities throughout the United States. For more information on the Major League Baseball Players Trust, please visit www.PlayersTrust.org.
Follow the Players Trust on Twitter @MLBPlayersTrust.
Follow the Action Team on Twitter @_ActionTeam.


text:
Working with other people? Struggling to
keep everyone on the same page?
It's time to try the Basecamp way.
Rallying people around a project and keeping everyone on the same page is already tough enough. And it's easy to make it harder than it needs to be.
Using multiple products, chatting constantly, or sending a bunch of emails around makes things more complicated. What's official? How do I see it all? Where's the right place to share something? It's a hot mess.
Come over to the Basecamp way and you'll have everything you need neatly organized in one place. It's a calmer, more peaceful way to work.
For 12 years and running, over 100,000 companies have adopted the Basecamp way of working. Not just tried, but signed up, said "ah-ha!", and never looked back. There's nothing else like Basecamp.
Basecamp is used by the best organizations across every industry
A place to work + a way to work
A Basecamp is a private, secure space online where people working together can organize and discuss everything they need to get a project done. See it, track it, discuss it, act on it. Tasks, discussions, deadlines, and files – everything's predictably organized in Basecamp.
Every time a new project or initiative comes up, spin up a new Basecamp in your account, name it ("Q3 Marketing Pitches"), invite the people involved, and keep everything related to that project neatly organized inside that Basecamp.
Now everyone knows where everything is, they know what they need to do, and nothing slips through the cracks. Basecamp even works over email – people who prefer email can simply reply to discussions via any email app without ever having to log into Basecamp.
How does it work? Why does it work?
Basecamp 3 and the unique mix of six
We've been studying highly productive groups for 16 years. We've discovered there are six core things every group needs to do their best work together. Basecamp 3 is the only product specifically designed around this bundle of six tools and methods. And they are…
- Message boards and comment threads. Basecamp's threads keep discussions on-topic and in-context so the whole story stays together in a way that's easy to follow and reference for the record later. You can comment directly on anything in Basecamp. Comments are designed in a way that people can respond over time as their busy schedules permit.
- Real-time chat/pings. Basecamp's real-time Campfire chats and Pings let you hash something out quickly, show work and get fast feedback, or just ask a question out loud when you don't know who to ask.
- Automatic check-ins. Basecamp's automatic check-ins surface what's on people's minds, what they've been working on, and what they plan on doing next. And it happens automatically on a recurring daily/weekly schedule so you don't have to personally nag anyone for answers.
- To-do lists. Basecamp's to-do lists let you organize and divvy up work to be done. To-do lists let you break down big chunks of work into easily digestable small lists that are simpler to attack, track, and complete.
- Docs & file storage. Basecamp's docs & files section lets you visually organize PDFs, Google Docs, images, or other files into folders so everyone on your team can find what they need on their own without having to ask anyone.
- A centralized schedule. Basecamp's schedule keeps track of all major milestones, deadlines, upcoming events, and to-dos with due dates. Dates are clearly posted so everyone can find out what's due when. You can add Basecamp's schedule to your Google, iCal, or Outlook calendar.
Hungry for more? See the full feature list.
A few final words + thank you
A note from our founder
Dear you,
If you're in charge of running a team, you've got a big responsibility. It isn't easy. We know what you're up against. We built Basecamp to lend a hand.
We built Basecamp because we need what you need: a system to help you stay on top of it all. To keep people on the same page, to organize and disseminate information, to discuss and make decisions official.
We knew it had to be easy to follow, find, and refer back to anything later. And everyone needed to know what they needed to do without having to ask someone else.
We looked at everything, and nothing else did the job. So we had to invent something new. That something was Basecamp. And for 2016, we just released the best version of Basecamp yet — the all-new, completely redesigned and reimagined Basecamp 3.
Everything we do at our company runs through Basecamp 3. Every person, every group, every department runs their work on Basecamp.
We're 100% committed to making Basecamp better every day. We've been in business for 16 years, we're debt-free, and we've been profitable since year one. We're here for the long haul.
We'd love for you to give Basecamp 3 a try. It's entirely free to try with no time limit. If you have any questions, or there's anything we can do to make you successful, please get in touch. Thank you!
Jason Fried, Basecamp CEO
P.S. If you tried Basecamp way back when, we invite you to try it again. Basecamp 3 is unlike any Basecamp before. We'd love to welcome you back home.


text:
Be sure to spare a moment for the heavens tonight.
That's because, from our perspective, the Moon and Jupiter will appear closer together in the sky than at any time until 2026.
The moon will be waxing, and at about 78 percent of full illumination. It should be a spectacular show and a good opportunity to discuss with your kids about the fact that Jupiter has many moons, including four large enough that Galileo Galilei saw them with the first telescope he built.
The key question is if our weather will cooperate. As of now, the forecast calls for 50 percent skycover tonight across the Houston metro area, which means there should be enough openings in the canopy of clouds to see this wonder.
So get outside and check it out, starting after sunset. The closest approach, as Steve Clayworth informs below, comes at 9:32 p.m. CT.


text:
In practice, incorporating a private-equity approach into your investment strategy isn't very different from long-term value investing, so utilizing it can make a lot of sense. I've been discussing this topic a fair amount over the past few days, and one subject came up several times: the use of more leveraged approaches to PE-like investing. This might particularly work for aggressive investors. If you are looking for the highest returns over time, you could do a lot worse than structuring your portfolio along the lines of a leveraged-buyout fund.
Leveraged buyouts have been around since the 1950s, but they really hit their stride in the 1980s. In short, the LBO fund buys a target company with mostly debt and a sliver of equity financing. The cash flow generated from the business is then used to pay down debt over time and rebuild the equity portion of the capital account. Later on, when the equity in the business has grown to several times the original capital invested, the company is sold, often via an initial public offering.
Granted, you and I may not be able to implement an actual LBO. However, we can find companies that have a post-LBO capital structure and the same potential for long-term asymmetrical payoffs.
I've done a quick and dirty backtest of highly leveraged companies with positive cash flows -- and I've found that, over time, this approach outperforms the market by a wide margin. Even more impressive, during equity investors' very difficult time over the past 12 years, the approach has achieved 5x the annual return of the overall stock market.
One of my favorite companies with an LBO-like capital structure is Coleman Cable (CCIX). This company is not reinventing the wheel -- it is in a very basic business, supplying electrical and electronic cable and wire for a wide variety of uses and industries. Coleman has taken on debt to finance acquisitions and offer everything from basic extension cords to cables for lighting and HVAC systems. It is a highly leveraged company, with $45 million in equity supporting more than $425 million in liabilities, including $328 million worth of long-term debt.
The highly leveraged model is working for Coleman, as the company has seen sales grow from $223 million to more than $867 million in the last decade. During the same period, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization have grown from $22.8 million to more than $76 million. Coleman's products are used by a wide range of industries that should enjoy strong growth over the next decade, so the company should be able to continue to growing at a strong pace. The bond market is a believer, as well. In spite of the high leverage, Coleman bonds due in 2018 trade at a premium and yield less than 5%.
Meanwhile, Goodyear Tire (GT) -- with a debt-to-equity ratio of almost 5x -- also has a very LBO-like capital structure. Equity of $1.2 billion supports almost $6 billion worth of long-term debt and an additional $163 million in short-term notes. The company has recently been struggling a bit due to weakness in international markets, which has hit earnings and sales. Management is focusing on increasing profitability even if this reduces sales, and that margin-centric approach should pay off as demand strengthens.
There is pent-up demand in the replacement-tire market, as the average age of vehicles on the road continues to rise, and sales to auto manufacturers are also showing signs of firming. More new cars feature Goodyear tires than they do any other brand, and it's a premium brand in the tire marketplace. So, if analysts are correct about strong auto sales in 2013, Goodyear will be a prime beneficiary. Sometime in the next few years, the stock should challenge the pre-market-crisis highs in the low $30s.
These are two examples of LBO-model investing that could pay off for aggressive long-term investors. Of course, this type of investing comes with some caveats. It is not for everyone, as the leverage necessarily makes it more volatile. Unless you are uber-aggressive, this strategy should only comprise a limited portion of your portfolio. In addition, as with most types of value-based investing, it pays to buy on down days and scale in and out of positions.


text:
I have had three conversations in the past week where people said, "I'm struggling in my faith." For each of them, the nature of the confusion or struggle was different. In the end, though, it was simple: they looked up to God, and they just felt like they couldn't see him.
It's not an unusual thing. We want to see God, or at least feel his presence, especially at difficult times or turning points in our lives. It would be ever so much better if we just felt that God, like a comforting parent, would be prodding us in the right direction, or saying "You're fine – keep going." But sometimes it seems he is nowhere to be found.
Over the past few weeks we have been hearing of the story of Job, the man who was tested in extraordinarily difficult ways. He lost his children, his wealth, and his health. His friends tried to help but really only made matters worse. He stayed faithful to God, but as more and more bad things happened to him, he asked God, "Why aren't you helping me out here? I'm feeling pretty alone right now." God, being an Old Testament kind of God, finally got a little annoyed with Job and said, "Kiddo, I've been with you from the start and I've been with you all along. Don't question me." And Job sat back and said, "I guess I was wrong to ask you questions. You were there all along, although I was so wrapped up in my own problems that I couldn't see you. I heard, but I didn't understand. I didn't see. Now I do."
Seeing God. It's what we seek, isn't it?
In our Gospel today, Bartimaeus is a blind beggar who calls out to Jesus and says, "Hey there, Jesus, help me out here!" I suspect Bartimaeus was like one of those folks who beg on the street corner. We see them every day as we drive to work, and they're a little annoying with their cardboard signs and sad faces. Begging is their profession, something that some of us would say that they choose to do for a whole host of reasons. But unlike the folks on the street corner, Bartimaeus had no other option. There was no work for a blind man. It may have been that he was turned out by his family. But I suspect that he was at that same spot every day except the Sabbath, calling out and asking for money from passersby. He may have gotten pretty good at recognizing particular people by the sounds they made: old Joshua had a bad limp, and always walked with his little dog, so the sound of their steps was a step-drag-patter-patter along the hard sand of the road. When Bartimaeus heard that step-drag-patter-patter, he called out "Joshua, old friend! Can you spare a few coins for a blind man?" Miriam had eight children, and he could hear them talking and fussing at each other from a quarter-mile away. As they approached, Bartimaeus would call out "Miriam, good mother! Can you give a coin or two to me in thanksgiving for your wonderful healthy children, who all have the sight that I lack?" When he heard the rolling of wooden wheels and the clop of hooves, he knew the Roman centurion was going past, and he didn't call out – he simply hid himself, because sometimes the soldiers would beat beggars who asked for alms at the roadside.
But one day, Bartimaeus sensed something different, a different energy around him. He heard people walking on the road, a good crowd of them by the sound of it, people whose steps he didn't recognize, voices he hadn't heard before. Yes, there were some of his neighbors in the crowd, but there were newcomers as well. And as they approached, the words left Bartimaeus' mouth before he even thought of them: "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"
He wondered if he was possessed by a demon, that he should say such words. He didn't know this Jesus. He had never met him before. He had learned in the temple that a Son of David would come and be the anointed one, the Messiah, but he had no way of knowing that this man, this stranger, was it. And yet, he knew, and he spoke. He could see behind his blind eyes who this man was.
The religious leaders, those Pharisees and priests, they seemed not to understand who Jesus was.
They could not see. But Bartimaeus understood and cried out. Even in his blindness, he could see who Jesus was.
Some people near the annoying beggar told him to be quiet, but he cried out again, "Have mercy on me!" And Jesus heard his cry. He stopped stockstill in the middle of the road and said, "Bring him over here." So the crowd, including those people who had just said "be quiet," guided him over to Jesus, this man whom Bartimaeus had never before met. And Jesus said "What do you want?" And the blind beggar said, "I want to see." And Jesus looked at him. Jesus knew that this man who was blind saw him, really saw him, in a way that the religious leaders did not. Jesus healed his eyes, praising his faith, but Jesus knew that his sight was already healed by that faith. Jesus simply repaired the mechanics.
That is the thing about sight. What do you see? When you meet a neighbor, do you see a middle-aged person with a slight limp and graying hair, or do you see the joy in his face that he's gotten a new job, or the loneliness after the death of a beloved one? When you come to church, even a church like this, to worship God, do you see the cross and the chalice and the cup or do you see the ineffable love and strength of the God who made us? What do you see?
Oftentimes, as Job discovered, it is hard to see God. We have to work to sense him among us, alongside us, within us.
But the gift of Christ in our lives is that we have been given someone who was human like us, someone who talked as we talk, who walked and got tired and enjoyed a good meal. When we see Jesus, though, we don't only get a picture of a human being. We get a window into what God looks like. We can see God, through Jesus Christ. We are not alone. He is like us, and understands us better than anyone can. He is with us, and feels our joys and our pain better than anyone can. He is in us, and sees the world in which we live with clarity, and sometimes with sadness.
Job had it right. We may have some sense of our Divine Creator – Job talked about hearing God – but it takes a special patience and a special faith to actually see God. And this place helps us see God, doesn't it? Look up at the blaze of colors in the trees. Look at the water running in the spring. Smell the crisp damp air and see the reds, oranges, and greens of newly harvested apples and pumpkins. God is here for us to see, and for us to seek, if we trust our faith and our senses.


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Friends of the Library to meet Sept. 25
The Southport and Oak Island Friends of the Library annual meeting will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 25, at the Southport Community Building, 223 East Bay St. in Southport. Guest speaker will be Wilmington Star News writer and author Ben Steelman.
Admission is free and the public is invited to attend.
Steelman is a co-author of "Wilmington on Film," which chronicles more than 25 years of TV and film production in the Cape Fear region. He will focus on productions in Brunswick County.
If you currently subscribe or have subscribed in the past to the The Brunswick Beacon, then simply find your account number on your mailing label and enter it below.
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Nokia has launched its HERE maps for both the iPhone and iPad. The app enables directions for walking, but not for driving, and provides public transport information and guidance. Built on Nokia's strong NAVTEQ backend services means that Apple consumers will be able to search for locations accurately (see The Amazing iOS6 Maps for more giggles).
Before folk chime in with the usual, "oh dear, Nokia's cosying up to competitors", the manufacturer has released an app that's less feature rich than what's available on Windows Phone 8. Making use of HTML5, users can save maps locally, as well as group places into collections, but the experience doesn't match what we have to boot - check out our preview of Nokia Maps version 3.0 on Windows Phone 8 for more information.
It's interesting to see the path Nokia is travelling down by releasing services on other platforms, but we'll have to see if the quality that's present in its map solution for iOS will match Windows Phone in the future. Microsoft is also supporting Apple's mobile platform with the release of its Xbox Live app, as well as SmartGlass to name but a few.
Source: iMore


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Jude, James, Alex and a whole band of kids just celebrated their big birthday number 3 and the theme for this years party was rainbows and a unicorn. The Unicorn was the only member in the group who was turning one. Beatrice had a special unicorn outfit just for the party. It wasn't easy to top last years amazing neon bash but Eunice, Sabrina, and their friends outdid themselves and managed to make this years celebration even more memorable than the last one.
Eunice designed the rainbow themed invitations complete with custom rainbow liners. Each kid was assigned a color of the rainbow and as you can see from this photo the parents matched!
This years party was held at Urban Recess in San Francisco on a Saturday evening. Urban Recess proved to be the perfect space since there are already so many built in activities for kids including train sets - which Jude loved-- slides, a climbing wall, and even a giant swing.
As a surprise the parents brought in a musical act this year and the kids loved dancing and singing along to the band Your Song My Song. Jaime Lee Currier and Eric Hart sing classic kids' songs, Beatles, originals, family favorites and lots of sing-a-longs.
The preparation for this years party of course involved lots of crafting. Together the parents made sweet little party hats (inspired by hats made by Jihan of Geronimo), a giant number 3 covered in rainbow streamers, t-shirts with the number three on them for the birthday kids, colorful cupcake liners and rainbow toppers, rainbow balloons from Sparky's, and of course a giant number 1 so Beatrice wasn't left out.
Happy Birthday to Jude, James, Alex, Ella, Raphael, Hugo, Lillian, & Beatrice! We can't wait to see what your 4th birthday party looks like!
All photos (excluding the giant number 3) taken by Sandra of Happy Morning.


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Missouri Cabins - Arcadia Valley, Missouri Ozarks, Ironton, MO - near Lesterville and Black River, MO
Pet Friendly Cabin Rentals - Southeast Missouri, Cabins near St. Louis MO
Lodging, Cabins near Johnson's Shut-ins, Taum Sauk Mountain, Elephant Rocks State Park &
Fort Davidson Historic Site
Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall Getaways - Romantic Getaways and Vacations near St. Louis, Missouri!
Pet Friendly Cabins!
Arcadia Valley Cabins
Cabins - sleep up to six
Children friendly accommodations
Pets are welcome!
Swimming Pool
Fishing on Property
Arcadia Valley Cabins are located 2 miles outside of Ironton, Missouri, in the beautiful Arcadia Valley, just 80 miles southwest of St. Louis. Whether you have a week or a weekend to spend, come stay at
Arcadia Valley Cabins
. The cabins are
perfect for a family vacation in the Missouri Ozarks
. The cabins sleep up to six, are
children friendly
, and your
pets are welcome.
There's a
pond where you can fish
; and
picnic table
where you can have a picnic lunch, just a short walk from the cabins.
Stouts Creek
is within walking distance of the cabins; splash, wade or fish in it. Other things to do can include relaxing at the cabins. The country setting provides a peace and quiet not found in the city. Take a walk, lay out by the
, read a book or simply enjoy the ambiance.
Come experience beautiful Arcadia Valley and its many treasures. Follow the Braille Trail through
Elephant Rock State Park
. Meander through giant pink granite boulders or picnic among the trees.
Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park
is a special place to visit. Waters from the East Fork of the Black River are "shut-in" by hard volcanic rock. Enjoy the natural waterpark with slides and chutes. Or overlook the beauty from the planked boardwalk. Visit the Interpretative Center or hike one of the many trails located throughout the park.
Fort Davidson
, a civil war historical site, has an interesting visitor's center. A diorama that lights up as the soldiers march toward battle, as well as, a brief film with the history of the area can be viewed. The Battle of Pilot Knob, a pivotal civil war battle, is re-enacted every three years. Come watch history unfold in front of you as 12,000 "confederate" troops surround the fort and its 1200 "union" inhabitants. The next mega event will be held September 2014.
The Taum Sauk section of the Ozark Trail features the Devil's Tollgate, the highest falls in Missouri, Mina Sauk Falls and the highest point in Missouri,
Taum Sauk Mountain
. The terrain is rugged through the
St. Francois Mountains
, but will provide solitude and beautiful vistas.
The area surrounding the cabins is plentiful with outdoor recreation opportunities and is a host to numerous special events such as
white water races
on the St. Francis River in the spring, the
Arcadia Valley
Mountain Music Festival
(spring and fall) with
Pickin' on the Square
every Friday night in between when the amateurs show off their talents. Other activities include golf, fishing, swimming, kayaking, hiking or biking, floating the Black River using canoes, rafts or tubes. Browse through the unique shops for antiques and other treasures.
Although your cabin comes with an oven and range, microwave, refrigerator and dishwasher and an outdoor grill you might still want to dine at one of the many local restaurants that serve country style food or award winning barbecue.
See our beautiful Arcadia Valley Region & Black River Recreation Area!
We look forward to your visit!
Turtle Rock Cabin
Poolside Cabin
Low Water Cabin
Romantic Getaways - Cabin Activities
Area Attractions
Arcadia Valley Cabins
11174 Highway 72
Ironton, MO 63650
cell 314-640-2564
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Bearcat Marketing
Bearcat Marketing


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SANTA ANA – A former foreign-exchange student convicted of embezzling more than $100,000 from the Girl Scout Council of Orange County was sentenced to jail time after pleading guilty to grand theft and forgery.
Mawufemor Biekro, 35, of Ghana was sentenced to five years and four months in custody. Under new California sentencing guidelines, he will serve his sentence as two years and four months in jail followed by three years under mandatory supervision, the Orange County District Attorney's Office said.
Biekro was also ordered to pay $102,479 in restitution to the Girl Scouts.
While working as a staff accountant for the Girl Scouts from June 2010 to February 2011, Biekro handled payroll and account ledgers, authorities said.
Prosecutors say Biekro stole from the Girl Scouts by forging 22 checks totaling $102,479. They say he forged two checks a month, using Excel spreadsheet reports to cover his tracks.
"What the defendant stole from was, from our perspective, beyond the pale," said Deputy District Attorney Chuck Lawhorn, who prosecuted the case. "He made a decision to embezzle money for selfish reasons that impacted a nonprofit organization that serves the needs of 23,000 Girl Scouts in Orange County."
Lawhorn said Biekro funneled some of the stolen money back to his home country of Ghana through moneygrams and Western Union payments. Biekro also made ATM withdrawals inside Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula and other Indian gaming casinos, where he is believed to have gambled with the embezzled funds, Lawhorn added.
Authorities say a supervisor discovered the financial discrepancies in February 2011 after noticing that a financial spreadsheet Biekro had prepared contained hidden columns with amounts entered in white font, rendering the type invisible.
Police say Girl Scouts leaders confronted Biekro about the irregularities, but he disappeared before police became involved by booking a one-way flight to Ghana.
U.S. Marshals, acting on a tip from Irvine detectives, arrested Biekro in Green Bay, Wis., on June 30, 2012, while he was trying to board a flight to Ghana at the end of a brief return visit to the United States. Biekro initially fought extradition, but Wisconsin authorities accepted a formal warrant from the Governor's Office, returning him to California to face criminal charges.
Officials with the Girl Scouts of Orange County previously indicated that the stolen funds were recovered through insurance.
Lawhorn noted that Biekro is also facing embezzlement charges in Los Angeles County, where he is suspected of stealing from an employer after fleeing from Orange County.
Contact the writer: 714-796-7939 or email@example.com


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Theft from Mackinaw Building
The Lansing Community College Police need your help in identifying this man:
Report #08-0513 The above individual is wanted for questioning in connection with a larceny that occurred in the Mackinaw building. If you have any information to the identity of this man, call LCC Police at 517-483-1800 or email Crime Stoppers LCC at firstname.lastname@example.com. You do not have to leave your name.
Police, Public Safety and Parking
Gannon Bldg, Room 2110
Phone: (517) 483-1800
Additional contact information »


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Meet Adria, an artist from St. Pete's Beach, Florida and winner of American Eagle Outfitter's Project Live Your Life. We asked Adria what it was like to live in the sunshine state and where she finds her inspiration for her art. Keep reading to learn more about Adria and be sure to follow her on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.
What's it like living in the sunshine state?
It's awesome being able to walk right across the street to the beach. It's nice to escape the super hot weather sometimes though!
Where are your favorite places to go in St. Pete's Beach?
The beach, Starbucks and anywhere there is a photo opportunity.
What sports do you partake in?
I used to do cheer-leading and track but now I just focus on my art and drawing.
You're an artist. What do you enjoy doing most?
I LOVE DIFFERENT FONTS. Inspiring people through what I'm inspired by is one of the best feelings in the world.
Do you have a particular artist you aspire to be?
No, I think you should have your own unique style because that's what makes you, you. Your artwork should be your own, not a mimic.


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Main Body
Leadership is more than just being able to re-envision or restructure routines and manage change. It encompasses the ability to lead other leaders, to create an environment that encourages your managers to build their own leadership qualities.
This course will enable you to identify the leadership attitudes in your company and includes exercises that will help you to identify your own place within your company in terms of leadership challenges.
Course content
This e-learning course contains the following:
- Carrying out a leadership inventory
- Stimulating leadership in your company
- Identifying leadership counter-indications in order to deal with them


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"However, as people of today we must ask ourselves: what is this original sin? What does St Paul teach, what does the Church teach? Is this doctrine still sustainable today? Many think that in light of the history of evolution, there is no longer room for the doctrine of a first sin that then would have permeated the whole of human history. And, as a result, the matter of Redemption and of the Redeemer would also lose its foundation. Therefore, does original sin exist or not? In order to respond, we must distinguish between two aspects of the doctrine on original sin. There exists an empirical aspect, that is, a reality that is concrete, visible, I would say tangible to all. And an aspect of mystery concerning the ontological foundation of this event. The empirical fact is that a contradiction exists in our being. On the one hand every person knows that he must do good and intimately wants to do it. Yet at the same time he also feels the other impulse to do the contrary, to follow the path of selfishness and violence, to do only what pleases him, while also knowing that in this way he is acting against the good, against God and against his neighbour. In his Letter to the Romans St Paul expressed this contradiction in our being in this way: 'I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want' (7: 18-19). This inner contradiction of our being is not a theory. Each one of us experiences it every day. And above all we always see around us the prevalence of this second will. It is enough to think of the daily news of injustice, violence, falsehood and lust. We see it every day. It is a fact.In his Christmas speech to the members of the Roman Curia, delivered yesterday, the Holy Father addressed a plethora of issues, among which he offered this his insight:
"What is often expressed and signified with the word 'gender' leads to the human auto-emancipation from creation and from the Creator. The human being wants to make himself on his own and to decide always and exclusively by himself about what concerns him.Predictably, some groups that encourage people to assert themselves against reality are upset. I especially appreciate the magisterium of the BBC's instruction, which seeks to answer the question What does the Bible actually say about being gay? Yes, that last remark was a sarcastic one, but what ridiculous pretension on the part of the secular media, a not uncommon occurence.
"But, in so doing, the human being lives against the truth and against the Spirit creator. Rain forests deserve, yes, our protection but the human being - as a creature which contains a message that is not in contradiction with his freedom but is the condition of his freedom - does not deserve it less."
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.


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Your One-Stop Shop for Custom Apparel Design
They say clothes maketh the man. We say custom apparel designs go one step further and fulfill a variety of personal and professional needs. The versatile medium that fabric is, it allows you to proclaim so many things clearly and eye-catchingly. Headz n Threadz understands this all too well, after all custom apparel and headwear designs are our specialty. Sports clubs, companies and individuals come to us when they need top-notch and highly affordable custom design solutions.
Register and save time!Register with us for future convenience:
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Our key publishers:
Comprehensive cloud-based web security for a safe, secure network
Other product variants may be available, please contact us or
request a call back
if you cannot see what you are looking for.
Free your business to take maximum advantage of Web 2.0 with convenient web protection through the cloud. McAfee SaaS Web Protection relieves you of the expertise, effort, and capital expense associated with on-premises solutions, letting you stay focused on business. The service protects your team from infection, malicious infiltration, lost productivity, and corporate risk. Managed by experts in cloud security, you gain effective and economical control over threats and undesired Internet access.


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Just wondering if anyone else is having issues with the QR on here.
The QR isn't a valid QR code, and both me and my partner, on two different machines, on both IE and Firefox, are getting the same image
And to top it off, the numerical code is not displaying either. If we log out, we get the eight _ where it should be, but as soon as you log in (Via Steam, Squeenix or Facebook account) it disappears and the entire text section below moves up.
Anyone else having this issue, or have a solution?


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A Little Webhook Can Go a Long WaySendGrid Team
The following is a guest post from Larry Silverman, CTO, EVP, and Co-founder of TrackAbout. TrackAbout wrote an open source service using SendGrid's event webhook to relay email delivery failure events to a HipChat chat room. Learn more about Larry and TrackAbout at the bottom of this post.
How TrackAbout Uses Email and Why We Chose SendGrid
Our web applications, like most, send email. They send email to employees at TrackAbout, to our users, and to people of our users' choosing.
Getting email delivered is significantly harder than most would think, largely because you have zero control over the whims of the receiving email server. One ill-configured, over-zealous "network security device" on the other end and your email gets eaten and your IP address lands on some global blacklist, impacting deliverability to all your other customers.
About a year and a half ago, we decided to outsource the sending of email to someone who was doing it right, SendGrid. Prior, we'd been sending email through a basic SMTP mailer service. It provided little visibility into drops and bounces and did nothing to help us understand if we were on blacklists. It also wouldn't DKIM sign our email, which is an important ingredient in ensuring successful delivery. We could have built up capabilities around our existing SMTP service or chosen a new email server, but we're not in the business of writing email tools or managing email servers. SendGrid is.
It was very simple to switch to using SendGrid. We just changed our application configuration to send mail to a different SMTP endpoint.
Even with SendGrid, the mail doesn't always get through. When it fails, SendGrid gives us some really nice reports to determine the cause of various kinds of failures like bounces and blocks. Often, a user has fat-fingered an email address, and it's just not routable. That mail will never get there.
We recently had a situation where an employee of TrackAbout configured a demo instance with a fake but routable email address, which caused us to send gobs of email to an unsuspecting company, to a user/mailbox that doesn't exist. It's a great way to get blacklisted for bad behavior. I don't recommend it.
We've also had users set up email alerts in our application that trigger based on some event happening with their tracked assets. When the intended target leaves their company, the email starts to fail. Again, pounding an innocent mail server can get you blacklisted.
Having a member of our Support staff monitor SendGrid reports is one way to stay on top of these kinds of email failures. But a push notification system would be much nicer.
How We Used SendGrid's Webhook and HipChat to Notify Us Of Email Delivery Failures
We learned that SendGrid, in addition to having a comprehensive REST-based web API, has this wonderful feature called a "webhook." The gist is that you can make SendGrid call a URL of your choosing when email is processed, dropped, deferred, delivered, bounced, clicked, opened, unsubscribed from, or marked as spam.
We use Atlassian's HipChat as our chat room solution at TrackAbout and we love it. We're in there all day. How nice would it be to get notified in HipChat when mail delivery fails? Very nice indeed.
What we wanted was a lightweight service to receive webhook calls from SendGrid and transform the posted data into a HipChat message to a particular chat room. There are some nifty companies out there that hook various cloud services together. The two big ones I've come across are If This Then That (IFTTT) and Zapier. Neither supported the exact scenario we wanted, and besides, this isn't a terribly hard problem to solve by rolling your own. So we did.
It took us about a day's worth of effort to create a webhook listener using Node.js and the Node Express framework. We deployed the code to Heroku from GitHub and we've open sourced the solution using an MIT license here:
(We make no representations or warranties regarding this code. It works for us. Use it, fork it, pull requests are welcome.)
Today we have a member of the Support team monitoring our HipChat room for email issues. We're tackling mail events as they arise instead of being surprised by them hours after the fact. In addition, we plan to integrate this webhook listening service into our trouble ticketing system so we can improve traceability of handled issues.
Thanks to SendGrid for providing such a great API and specifically, webhooks. Every SaaS company should think about adding webhooks to improve their offering.
Larry Silverman is the Chief Technology Officer, Executive Vice-President and Co-founder of TrackAbout. TrackAbout is a software-as-a-service solution that tracks, manages, maintains and optionally rents portable physical assets. TrackAbout's customers have huge investments in their assets and TrackAbout helps them maximize the utilization of those assets at every stage of their lifecycle. TrackAbout got its start in a niche vertical market called packaged gas distribution and has expanded into other markets such as home and durable medical equipment. For more information, visit trackabout.com.


text: Attempted to avoid ITV commentary by going to the Lass o Gowrie in Manchester which advertised football in your own language. Sadly we got a seat in front of the big screen which they put ITV on but they had Spanish tv on a smaller screen which was 4 seconds ahead of ITV so everytime anything interesting happened the reaction of the other half of the bar told us what had happened before we saw it. Left at half time. WAFD