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Chaplet of The Divine Mercy
Discover our popular guide to reciting the Divine Mercy Chaplet on rosary beads.... Read more
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"The Lord doesn't give up on anybody," said Fr. Seraphim Michalenko, MIC, "because we all cost Him too much, too much."
Dictating Divine Mercy
'Little Catholic Group' Prays for World's Despots
Divine Mercy is for everyone, right?
No one — religion or no religion, belief or no belief, saint or atheist, literally no one — is left out.
Fine, but do you believe it? No, do you really believe it? For example, is there Divine Mercy for Adolph Hitler? Josef Stalin? How about dictators living today, people like Aleksandr Lukashenka of Belarus, Joseph Kabila of Congo-Kinshasa, Kim Jong II of North Korea, and Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe? Are these thugs deserving of mercy?
The Little Catholic Group (LCG) of Malone, N.Y., not only thinks so; it is doing so.
The LCG, or Little Ones, have been praying the Chaplet of The Divine Mercy for the world's living dictators since April 5. Their prayer crusade began as the "Action" part of the group's participation in the "Why Catholic?" faith-sharing program sponsored by RENEW International. More on that later, but first, let's go to the mountain.
Father Seraphim Weighs In
We asked the man regarded as the world's top expert on Divine Mercy, Fr. Seraphim Michalenko, MIC, about the question. First, Fr. Seraphim answered with a sense of direction that reminded me of an arrow zipping to its target. "No one can know the person's state of soul at the moment of death." Fr. Seraphim reached for his dog-eared copy of The Diary of St. Faustina and read:
I often communicate with persons who are dying and obtain the divine mercy for them. Oh, how great is the goodness of God, greater than we can understand. There are moments and there are mysteries of the divine mercy over which the heavens are astounded. Let our judgment of souls cease, for God's mercy upon them is extraordinary (1684).
As reinforcement, Fr. Seraphim cited Pope Benedict XVI's pastoral teaching on Judas, the betrayer of Jesus. In an address on Oct. 18 last year, the Holy Father said that the betrayal by Judas remains a "mystery" that became part of God's saving plan for mankind.
"When we think of the negative role played by Judas in the history of Jesus," the Pope said, "we must insert in it the superior management of events by God." In God's hands, the betrayal became "an opportunity for the total self-giving of the Son for the redemption of the world." No one, therefore, can say anything definitive about the status of Judas' soul. He may be in heaven, for all we know.
Father Seraphim said both these examples "would apply to a man like Hitler. God often shows compassion on a person who couldn't care less [about Him]. Who's to say how far His mercy can reach?" Father added that, certainly, Hitler was a problematic case. "Hitler was into the occult, so we don't know to what extent that involved the evil one. But even with this, he could have had that last vivid moment that Jesus talks to St. Faustina about in the Diary [see passage 1698]. The Lord doesn't give up on anybody," Fr. Seraphim said, "because we all cost Him too much, too much.
"In the end," Fr. Seraphim says, "Jesus is the one who says 'Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.' He did it for those who killed Him, so would it be that astounding that Hitler could go to heaven? For isn't it possible that Hitler had someone praying for him while he was alive, at the moment of his death, and even after his death?"
The same would apply to Stalin, Mao, Tito, Mussolini, and anyone you care to mention.
'Why Catholic?'
Based in Plainfield, N.J., RENEW International is a Catholic evangelization ministry that sponsors programs for people and parishes to help them encounter God in everyday life. It began its "Why Catholic?" initiative three years ago in response to the U.S. Conference of Bishops' pastoral letter on adult faith formation, aiming to provide practical tools as well as concrete pastoral suggestions for evangelical outreach.
Since its launch, bishops, parish priests, and parishioners in more than 25 dioceses have signed up for the "Why Catholic?" initiative. One of them is the Diocese of Ogdensburg, N.Y., which includes Malone Catholic Parishes, with three churches in Malone and one in Chasm Falls.
Headed by Mary Steenberge, The Little Catholic Group originates from Notre Dame Church in Malone, whose pastor, Msgr. Dennis Duprey, and parochial vicar, Fr. Martin Cline, have been avid promoters of Divine Mercy. Besides Mary, members include Caroline Durant, Cyndie Richards, Theresa Kelley, Marie Fitzpatrick, and Linda Sauther.
The women individually volunteer in parish ministries and outreach programs. They serve as lectors and Eucharistic ministers. They visit nursing homes and hospitals. They volunteer with the Ursuline Associates, helping out the sisters. You can also find them working with Hospice and Literacy Volunteers. Clearly, these women practice what they heard preached. They hear, they roll up their sleeves, and they go to work.
Why Dictators?
"The dictator project began when I saw an article in Parade Magazine on the worst dictators in the world," Mary says. "We needed something for the 'Action' phase of our 'Why Catholic?' program. We all have our individual ministries, but we wanted to do something together as a group. When I mentioned the 'Parade' article to the group, the idea formed, and we decided to pray for the dictators and their souls."
The women agreed that to pray for this unique collection of individuals, Divine Mercy had to be brought into the picture.
"If we were going to pray for these souls, Divine Mercy was the [only] way to go," Mary says. "We went on the premise that God wants every soul, with no exceptions. We couldn't condemn these men because their consciences weren't formed they way ours were. We really couldn't condemn them for any reason whatsoever. Judgment is not for us. In praying the chaplet, we call on The Divine Mercy to somehow touch them."
All About Trust
The group put its trust in St. Faustina's Diary, which makes clear that Divine Mercy is all-inclusive. For example, "God will not deny His mercy to anyone" (passage 72) and "The greater the sinner, the greater his right to God's mercy" (423). With some "husband-y" help, the women made a large, three-panel poster that depicted color photographs of the despots, taken from a list they discovered on the Internet at www.arthuredelstein.org. The site has a comprehensive list of "The World's Dictators in 2007."
Each member of the group randomly drew a dictator for whom to pray, and some more than one. The group repeated this exercise with the other parishioners who joined the project, which Msgr. Duprey enthusiastically endorsed.
"Intercessory prayer is a basic foundation of our faith," says Msgr. Duprey. "Jesus Himself incessantly intercedes for us, and God calls us also to intercede for each other, even our enemies."
The poster board's left and right foldout panels depict the dictators; the large center panel features the image of The Divine Mercy surrounded by prayers of peace from various religions. They headlined the poster "The Power of Prayer / Prepare for Divine Mercy Sunday April 15." They sent the display to all four of Malone's parishes, challenging them to follow St. Faustina's repeated request of prayers for souls.
The Little Catholic Group bought and distributed 700 Divine Mercy pamphlets and organized the Novena to The Divine Mercy that ran from Good Friday to the Saturday before Divine Mercy Sunday.
At Mary's church, Notre Dame, Msgr. Duprey celebrated Divine Mercy Sunday with an 11 a.m. Mass followed by Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and confessions from noon to 2 p.m. From 2 to 3 p.m., Fr. Cline officiated at the Holy Hour, with Benediction. At 3 p.m., the Hour of Great Mercy, the Chaplet of The Divine Mercy was sung.
Prayertime for Hitler
Have any of the dictators been drawn to conversion and repentance? We don't know that yet, but we do know that the group did not stop praying for the despots on Divine Mercy Sunday.
"Our devotion didn't stop, because we pray perpetually," says Mary. "We each have a picture of a dictator, and some of us more than one. I have four: Teodoro Obaing Ngeuma of Mbasogo, Equitorial Guinea; Mswati III, Swaziland; Hosni Mubarek, Egypt; and Paul Biya, Cameroon."
If anyone in this quartet repents, my money's on Biya for the simple reason that the Marians of the Immaculate Conception have a mission in Cameroon, Africa. Thre is much good mojo flowing out of Cameroon, where Fr. Francis Filipiec, MIC, leads a contingent of Marian missionaries in the jungles of Atok, Cameroon.
Mary adds that at a recent Why Catholic? workshop titled "Scripture and Tradition," the group recruited among the 200 in attendance to join their prayer effort on behalf of despots.
"It was very interesting the reaction I had from people," Mary says. "Some would make a face and say, 'Ugh! I can't pray for them.' Others thought it was great."
Mary didn't give up easily on the ones who wouldn't pray. She would take a picture of the best looking despots and give one to a female resister saying, "Here's a good-looking guy, so maybe you can pray for him." That approach worked quite often.
"It's amazing how many Catholics do not understand that we have God's merciful image inside us," Mary says. "We are all created in His 'image and likeness.' So when God asks us to pray for souls, he asks us to pray for ALL souls. I don't see any exceptions there."
Springtime for Hitler? No. Prayertime for Hitler? Absolutely. And Mao, and Stalin, and ...
Our Lord asks nothing less.
Dan Valenti writes for many publications of the Marians of the Immaculate Conception. He also writes the Mercy Blog for this website.
Be a part of the discussion. Add a comment now!
Don - Nov 23, 2007
Thank you for your devoted work.
I will join with you in praying for these dictators.
Jeanne Marie - Jun 10, 2007
AMEN!!! What a wonderful Apostolate to spread. I pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, lost and found. So I guess I have been including those I had yet to place in a category. God Bless!
donna .e. - Jun 5, 2007
as much as we humans love to turn our eyes to the truth that there is a real and awful place called hell, it is a cold hard fact. it is part of Gods eternity. we dont know where anyone goes when they die, sometimes we can venture to guess by the life they led however it is love of jesus, knowing jesus, praising jesus and asking him to take over and guide your entire existance that helps you go up and not down. i used to deny hell because we go through hell on earth but God gave me to know that there truly is a dark abyss and some of us will stand at the edge looking down while the evil one is trying to get us to leap into the dark abyss, if we "choose" to leap then it is our choice ultimately, if at that moment we call his name and pray for his divine intervention he will come to you personally, with an army of angels, st. micheal and of course the blessed mother at his side, come and immediately save your soul and pull you back from the brink of "death". however if we choose not to call upon our blessed Lord or Mother and we do take that leap instead of the leap of "faith" by calling on him and his mother it is not his choice for us to do it is what we have chosen, we have to be the one to do that choosing because God made the number one rule in heaven to be free will. we shall all be held accountable to the last. of course he doesnt want to lose a soul but what of the souls free will? then he still doesnt want to lose the soul, but he gave us the ultimate gift of free will, period. I always will pray for the salvation of souls in pergatory and the conversion of sinners on earth, what happened to hitler etc. is not my business as with John his loved disciple (if he should want him to live until the last day) it is no ones business, now because hitler etc. is dead and the only thing we do know is that he is "somewhere in Gods Great Eternity". that is for the Almighty to know not me. i can only pray for the salvation of souls in pergatory if indeed that is where "these" types are then so be it. if not then so be it. it is not my business. i can only pray for all souls here, there and everywhere.
Iceman - Jun 4, 2007
This is not and should not be anything new. We were urged to pray for Russia during pretty much the entire Soviet era. Lenin, Stalin, Kruschev, Brezhnev and a lot of the others were hardly advocates of anything like a western democracy.
B1 - May 29, 2007
Freedom's comment as a German is more qualified than mine, but let me say that the Germans weren't the only ones who inflicted suffering "upon ourselves and others." All nations have done it. This is being done today in Darfur (a true holocaust the world wishes to ignore because, I guess, it's taking place in Africa) and in a myriad of other places. Hitler as a product of the historical forces that predated him, as well as the politics he brilliantly exp[loited, can be seen as an inevitability, not a mystery. As long as world historical individuals and the politics that explain them find that "larger trajectory" Freedom refers to (the "God trajectory"), Hitler (and Mao, and Stalin, and ...etc) will be the byproduct. Is there mercy there? There HAS to be, precisely because of the way Freedom so beautifully puts it: because of "god's clarity and understanding." It sees all and calculates ALL mitigating circumstances. Why wouldn't this result in the opportunity for mercy?
freedom - May 29, 2007
this is an interesting article and more so an interesting philosophy that would make us pray for dictators.
the prayers provoke some thinking: since i'm german and have thought a lot about the suffering that we inflicted upon ourselves and others, i feel more to pray for the enlightenment of our choosing faculty and the evolution of our souls.
hitler be where ever he may be, but as soon as our humanity's soul grows and is able to see clearly and strives to united with god's clarity and understanding, to become the world in his image god will be able thru us to bring us to the perfection that he is.
we can see hitler and what we germans did than is a true failure, but we see it in the context of our larger trajectory: to meet god in his essence and manifest his perfection this universe as himself. and this is the juice that makes us the hands and hearts of god to create the next new world for all of us on the path to unite with him.


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Friday, August 15, 2014
Smile When He is Taking Your Picture!
Posted by Fashion By He at 10:06 AM
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The King of Fashion --- He will be going through life commenting on fashion as He sees it. He comes here with no formal training in the matter, but He still does not think that makes him unqualified for the position.


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Please add your voice to our call for the enforcement of Owner Operator and Fleet Separation policies. Share the message with your friends and family. The economic viability of coastal communities depends on it.
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A Bright New Sunroom/
While it can be fun to work in existing pieces into a client's space, we don't typically get clean slates to work with. So when a client of ours moved into a new house and came to us to outfit her gorgeous, light-filled sunroom, we were excited. But let's get serious--we are always excited about design ;)
To top it off, she sent us this really great inspiration photo of her style.
That image was enough to instantly transform the space in our minds. With each project, we all see something slightly different for the end result. So when we have the conversation "what is everyone thinking for this room?" it's always fun to see what we have in mind--how different, and how similar our thoughts are. But this time we pretty much came together in unison:
Natural woods, warm neutrals, whites, muted kelly and lime greens, and natural greenery. It's a sunroom after all!
So let's see a few more inspiration photos of this sort of color scheme:
Those pendants! I need those pendants! Also a blueberry scone would be nice.
Great use of texture layering in this cozy sunroom. Notice how dark the walls are, yet the space still feels very light and airy. Also, if you fear you have a black thumb, fresh cut greenery always does the trick. I find the $6 bundles at Publix to be perfect for this--and they last two weeks sometimes! Talk about getting your money's worth!
I wish I knew who designed this bedroom. Because there are few things that I've loved more than this bedroom. The screened closet doors...the bed alcove...the perfect weight of those draperies...I think I'm spotting natural linen bed coverings. And does anyone else have a strong urge to run over to the window and open it up?
Loving the clean lines of this modern danish home--set off perfectly by the pop of green and the curves in that wonderful chair!
So now let's have a look at how we made the space work. The room is long, narrow and full of windows and white painted brick. The floors are a warm brown tile. A dream of a sunroom and blank slate.
Here's the floorplan:
Every wall in the room is filled with windows edge-to-edge--either to the outside or to the inside of the home. So we couldn't get carried away with large furniture pieces that would block the view or the light from entering the home from outside. The top and right part of the room lead to the outside, and the door at the bottom on that little side wall leads into the kitchen and breakfast nook. So we had to keep those paths open. Another important feature that the client wanted was a that everything remain comfortable as a gathering space for friends and family. So we created two spaces within the one: a small bar height area, and a comfy lounge and conversation area. The large piece to the far left is actually a daybed with a twin mattress--perfect for cuddling and naps!
We suggested a few spaces to place natural greenery--but we recommended getting as many as the clients were comfortable with. I've personally found gardening--even in home--to be quite enjoyable. It's peaceful, adds great texture to any space, and there's a small sense of pride watching a plant grow and thrive (and most importantly, not die). They're also inexpensive decor, and improve indoor air quality. Get over to your local nursery today and find out how you can incorporate some natural greenery into your home. Please do not use fake plants in your home! And please PLEASE do not use silk plants on top of your furniture or cabinets. Wanna impress a designer? That's step one.
Moving on...
Here's the moodboard for the room:
As you can see, we stumbled up on some navy throw pillows and decided to use that as a secondary accent color to the greens. We love it! We decided to go with wicker chairs for two reasons: the first was cost, and the second was overall durability. A lot of wicker chairs can be very comfortable with good cushions, and those cushions can be easily replaced to update the look of the chair (or if they just get worn out from use). We also didn't want many fully upholstered pieces because of the amount of sunlight coming in. That should always be considered when picking upholstery fabric for your space. If your piece has a lot of color and is in direct sunlight, expect fading to occur, and have a plan in action to prevent it--either light window coverings or a UV resistance (Sunbrella is very popular for this). However, either of these options can get pricey, so we went the most economical route ;)
And lastly, here's an elevation sketch of the conversation area wall:
These clients are natural light lovers (as we all should be!). So they didn't want heavy window treatments blocking out their light. Well, we thought of just about every way to add some sort of sheers or something to the windows, just to dress them, but with the way the windows are spaced and sized in the room, it would be either very difficult, or very expensive...but probably both. However, we did get away with adding them to frame out this comfy conversation and lounge area. Nothing to cover the windows, but just enough to add some softness and texture.
We even suggested a collection of artwork hung in the small space between the windows. We've seen this done a lot lately--even with installing mirrors over windows in bathrooms--and we love it. It's another very clever way to decorate your walls when your walls happen to be all windows. And this wall goes out to the side yard of the house, so it's not blocking any major views.
Do you love it? We do! I want that space in my own house!
Another one in the 3A books.
Do you need help with a blank slate in your home? Or even a not-so-blank slate that just needs some finishing? Read more about E-Design here, or contact us here. We would love to help create a space that's perfect for your style and needs.
Until next time!


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Kim, E Y; Battaile, J T; Patel, A C; You, Y; Agapov, E; Grayson, M H; Benoit, L A; Byers, D E; Alevy, Y; Tucker, J; Swanson, S; Tidwell, R; Tyner, J W; Morton, J D; Castro, M; Polineni, D; Patterson, G A; Schwendener, R; Allard, J D; Peltz, G; Holtzman, M J (2008). Persistent activation of an innate immune response translates respiratory viral infection into chronic lung disease. Nature Medicine, 14(6):633-640.
Tyner, J W; Uchida, O; Kajiwara, N; Kim, E Y; Patel, A C; O'Sullivan, M P; Walter, M J; Schwendener, R; Cook, D N; Danoff, T M; Holtzman, M J (2005). CCL5-CCR5 interaction provides antiapoptotic signals for macrophage survival during viral infection. Nature Medicine, 11(11):1180-1187.


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Cougar Revenger Mouse and Bunker Bungee Review
Published: 27th December 2016 | Source: Cougar | Price: £39.95 |
Starting with the Bunker Bungee, it's an excellent solution to the need to keep your cable free from friction and entanglement without taking up a big chunk of your desk. If you've never used one it would be easy to wonder exactly how much benefit they can have to your gaming, but if you have used one you'll understand. If you tire of your cable snagging on the desk edges, or resisting your movements or anything that is impeding your gaming capabilities then we heartily recommend a bungee to solve your issues, and the Cougar Bunker is an ingenious take on the genre.
The Revenger mouse continues Cougar's excellent range of gaming mice, barring one unfortunate design choice.
Starting with all the good parts it is difficult to look anywhere other than the Pixart 3360 sensor. It's high resolution optical sensor which brings incredible levels of accuracy to proceedings. A mouse is only as good as the sensor within and in the case of the Cougar Revenger it is very good indeed. Buttons are the near-standard Omron switches, and it seems that Cougar have used a slightly lighter actuation version. We're not even sure if such a thing exists in microswitch technology or whether it is the design of the mouse buttons themselves but they required a tiny bit less pressure to activate than most Omron switches we're used to. You get a very crisp, clean click. Lovely. The side buttons are also very nice to click and coupled to the high grip sides you are in full control at all times.
The software is fantastic with everything simply laid out - not as common as you'd imagine - and responsive. We always hold true to the "more control = better" mantra here at OC3D and the fact the macro editor supports both relative and absolute coordinates has to be loudly applauded. Why every mouse doesn't give this option is a bit of a strange one, but kudos to Cougar for implementing it.
The only negative has to be the trigger button behind the scroll wheel. It requires far too much pressure to be used reliably and you certainly can't bind it to anything you'll be using mid-game. We can't even see what benefits this system has over just putting a button there. It costs you accuracy, and anything that does that has to be counted as a negative.
However, if you look beyond that, or perhaps just ignore it, then the combination of a comfortable design, excellent lighting and a brilliant sensor still gives the Cougar Revenger our OC3D Gamers Choice Award. Just put a normal button at the top next time please Cougar.
You can discuss your thoughts about the Cougar Revenger Mouse and Bunker Bungee Review on the OC3D Forums.


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Missi Pyle Leather Clutch
Missi Pyle completed her outfit with a white leather clutch.
Missi Pyle Cocktail Dress
Missi Pyle was feminine and chic in a little white ruffle dress at the 2018 Winter TCA Tour.
Missi Pyle Strappy Sandals
Missi Pyle paired her dress with gold triple-strap sandals.
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You know that from little things big things grow and grow and grow.
This is an ideal category to benefit from Denis Linehan's Professional Sales System.
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The Art of Colby Jones
It's getting worse, folks!
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September 2013 - HKD Snowmakers' Facebook page, the Snowmaking Syndicate, has reached 600 likes! Thanks to everyone who has checked out our page and given us the thumbs up of approval. If you haven't had a chance to stop by the Snowmaking Syndicate yet, here are a few photos we've posted recently.
HKD Snowmakers Acquires the Controls Division of Sno.matic Controls and Engineering
Nate Ringquist joins HKD Snowmakers
NSAA Announces 2016 Sustainable Slopes Grant Winners
National Winter Activity Center, Vernon, NJ
Nomination Period Begins for the 2016 I Am a Snowmaker Award
NSAA Announces 2015 Sustainable Slopes Grant Winners
Ben Siefert Joins HKD Snowmakers
Thank you for joining HKD at our Snowmaking Demonstration at Killington, VT!
2014-15 The Great Snow Gun Round Up
2014 New England Summit and ISKINY - PSAA Expo
2014 NSAA National Tradeshow and Convenetion
2014 KLIK Manual Demo at Mount Snow
Whittier Canada On Snow Demo & Technical Show
SAM and HKD Debut I AM a Snowmaker
Loon Mountain Installs 100 HKD KLIK Hydrants
Raptor Loose at Eastern NSAA Winter Show
HKD Snowmakers is the Official Snowmaking Supplier to the U.S. Ski Team.


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Quickly and easily convert a compact refrigerator or chest freezer into an impressive two product homebrew beer dispenser just in time for your next barbecue or pool party with the Kegco Ultimate Homebrew Two Faucet Tower Kegerator Conversion Kit! It features a 3" diameter stainless steel draft tower that makes it perfect for outdoor applications. Like all of Kegco's conversion kits, this kit is made up the highest commercial grade quality components, including an intuitive dual gauge regulator and your choice of ball lock or pin lock keg couplers. We've even included a stainless steel drip tray, 32 oz. bottle of beer line cleaner, 16 oz. bottle of Star San sanitizer, and a faucet brush for hassle-free cleaning once your guests have all gone home. To guide you through ever step of the conversion process, every kit comes complete with detailed instructions, and our helpful product specialists are available at 1-800-710-9939 for troubleshooting.
Commercial Grade Double Gauge Regulator with Air Splitter:
Durably constructed to deliver a consistent flow pour after pour, this two product commercial grade dual gauge regulator features a T-style adjustment valve that makes it easy to adjust the pressure inside of the keg. The gauge on top of the regulator indicates CO2 pressure in the keg, while the gauge on the side indicates the remaining volume of CO2 gas. Includes a y splitter and two independent shut-off valves for dispensing up to two kegs at the same keg pressure.
Select between Ball Lock or Pin Lock Couplers:
Choose either ball lock couplers to tap Cornelius Pepsi kegs or pin lock couplers to tap Coke kegs. Both sets include both a gas in and beer out coupler for easy tapping of home brew kegs. The gas in comes with a 1/4" nut and 5/16" hose barb already attached, allowing you to quickly connect it to the same size air line that standard draft beer regulators use. The beer out connector has a 3/16" hose barb that connects to standard 3/16" beer line.
Surface Mount Stainless Steel Drip Tray with Cut-Out:
Constructed from easy-to-clean stainless steel for ultimate style and convenience, this drip tray has been perfectly designed to catch drips and spills under multiple faucet towers. It has a cut out that wraps around a 3" wide draft beer tower column for a custom looking fit, as well as a fast draining, precision louvered screen that lifts out for easy cleaning.
Keep your draft system clean:
This kit includes a 32 oz bottle of beer line cleaner, a 16 oz bottle of Star San sanitizer and a faucet brush to keep your system squeaky clean. Simply mix some of the beer line cleaner and water in your keg and run it though your lines like you're pouring a beer to remove protein and mineral deposits from the tubing. Sanitize your kegs with Star San, the most popular keg sanitizer on the market. It is non-toxic, odorless and tasteless and requires no rinsing when used under 300 ppm.
Note: CO2 tank is optional add on and shown for reference purposes
|Kit Guide
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|Average Customer Rating:
|(based on 4 reviews)
|charles (11-14-2017)
mechanicsville, va
|Great product! The only thing I would change would be to include 4" screws for the tower, the 3" screws included were not long enough to go all the way through the lid of the freezer I used, but that's a minor issue that only cost $3 to fix.
|Bottom Line:
|I would recommend this product.
|Nice addition
|Mikebrew (03-15-2017)
Lexington, MA
|This is really easy to install. The only thing that is not easy is that they make this for both commercial and home brew kegs, but they don't supply enough clamps for the home brew application.
|Bottom Line:
|I would recommend this product.
|nice equipment.
|ROB_n_RVA (08-08-2015)
|Quick delivery. Easy setup.
|Bottom Line:
|I would recommend this product.
|Looks good
|David (02-19-2014)
Kansas City
|I just finished building the kegerator. It looks really good and sturdy, but I haven't actually used it yet. I think it will work great. Everything I got was as advertised and arrived quickly. Only complaint is I got the cleaner pump with this package and since I had to cut the beer lines for the ball lock couplers the pump is now useless. Not sure why it is sold with this...I called Customer Support twice and they were available and helpful.
|Bottom Line:
|I would recommend this product.
Be the first to ask a question.


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High River Gold Mines Limited Spikes on Good News
Monday, January 17, 2011 at 07:13PM | Email Article | Print Article
As we can see from the above chart High River Gold Mines Limited (HRG) has spiked on recent developments as brought to us of Chris courtesy Charlwood as per his missive below:
January 16th, 2011
Symbol: HRG.TO
High River Gold Minority Shareholders,
It looks like things are heating up again for a possible Severstal/Nord Gold IPO on the LSE. I have posted links below to 4 recent articles. They state that pre - IPO marketing starts next week and that ex-Anglo American exec, Phillip Baum, is to become Chairman of Nord Gold. The articles mention Nord Gold's value at up to $3.2B pounds or US$5B. HRG made up approx. 57% of Nord Gold's total production in 9 months to September 30, 2010 (233k oz vs. 408k oz). Shareholders await drill results and the Prognoz bankruptcy decision to bottom out HRG's resource numbers, but on a production only basis, HRG's pro-rata value would be $2.85B or $3.39/share.
Q4 and year end results will probably be out on March 31 and the expectation is that HRG is back up to its Q2 production level of 87k oz. The average gold price in Q2 was $1195/oz whereas in Q4 it was $1389/oz - an increase of $194/oz. In Q2 HRG had $48.8M in cash flow. Assuming costs have remained the same, the extra $16.8M in revenues would bring HRG's cash flow to $65.6M. If so, then the current market cap of $1.02B has HRG trading at a low 3.9 times cash flow. At the end of Q3, HRG had $125.6M in cash and equivalents. HRG's third party stock holdings are currently worth $101M. Therefore, at the end of Q4, HRG should have $226M (cash, equivalents, third party stock) plus Q4 cash flow less exploration expenses. Perhaps we will see a net number over $250M or $.30/share.
As we wait for the Q4 results, we are hoping for announcements stating that our $101M of third party stock investments have been freed up for liquidation and that the Prognoz Silver bankruptcy has been resolved in HRG's favour. Also, we are expecting updates on exploration and drilling at Bissa, Zun-Holba and Irokinda mines.
Chris Charlwood
www.stockhouse.com - ongoing communication on HRG
It's official! This announcement came out a few hours after I sent my previous communication. Severstal/Nord Gold is referencing the Prognoz asset as if it will be retained in the portfolio - a positive sign.
Chris Charlwood
www.stockhouse.com - ongoing HRG communication
We are still holding on to our position in High River Gold Mines Limited and have no intention of selling any of this stock in the foreseeable future.
Over in the options trading pit, we now have 59 winners out of 61 trades, or a 96.72% success rate. If you have any questions regarding these trades please address them through their site where they will be handled quickly and I hope efficiently.
The above progress chart is being updated constantly. However, to see exactly how it is going, please click this link.
So, the question is: Are you going to make the decision to join us today, before we decide to cap membership.
Stay on your toes and have a good one.
Got a comment then please add it to this article, all opinions are welcome and very much appreciated by both our readership and the team here.
To stay updated on our market commentary, which gold stocks we are buying and why, please subscribe to The Gold Prices Newsletter, completely FREE of charge. Simply click here and enter your email address. (Winners of the GoldDrivers Stock Picking Competition 2007)
For those readers who are also interested in the silver bull market that is currently unfolding, you may want to subscribe to our Free Silver Prices Newsletter.
For those readers who are also interested in the nuclear power sector you may want to subscribe to our Free Uranium Stocks Newsletter, just click here.


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Advocates say a new rule the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized today would let new "mega" sized livestock farms, like this Hartford egg farm shown above, avoid meeting Clean Water Act restrictions as long as the businesses submit plans that promise they won't pollute water.
Eric Schaeffer, director of the Washington based Environmental Integrity Project called the new rule a "Halloween treat" for these farms in an e-mailed press release. Advocates like Schaeffer argue that lagoons and holding ponds that hold millions of gallons of liquified manure frequently overflow and pollute streams, regardless of the farms' plans.
The National Pork Producers Council called the new rule "tough but fair." Stay tuned for a likely lawsuit filed by environmental groups that seeks to overturn the new rule.


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The New Builders podcast covers this year's ApacheCon, where Apache leaders and industry speakers discuss the many benefits of open source projects.
Continue reading PODCAST: Open source stories from ApacheCon North America
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Happy Chinese Valentine's Everyone!
十五晚 ("Chap Goh Mei" in Hokkien dialect) is a term used to mark the end of the Chinese New Year celebration.
Chap Goh Mei is literally the 15th night of the 1st month of the lunisolar year. It is the last day of the Spring Festival (CNY) and also known as 元宵节 (Yuanxiao Jie) which is the Chinese version of Valentine's Day.
Do you know the story of 元宵 (Yuan Xiao) and why we eat them? In Singapore, eating 汤圆 (Tangyuan) is more common than eating Yuan Xiao as most of our Chinese ancestors were from Southern China.
Click here to read the interesting stories on Yuan Xiao.
Coincidentally, this year's Yuan Xiao falls on the same day as the Gregorian calendar's Valentine's Day.
Does it mean I'm going to eat a big feast to end the CNY celebration, be invited to a candlelight dinner and get two gifts for Valentine's? Fat hope 😉
And talking about hopes fat or skinny, the toto (lottery) for today's draw is S$10 million dollars! I am very tempted to go out and get myself a ticket but I think I stay home and be contented with eating this box of chocolate.
As promised in my previous post, here is the story of 月下老人 (Yue Xia Lao Ren) – The Old Man Under The Moon.
月下老人 or 月老 (Yue Lao) for short is the Chinese equivalent to the West's Cupid. He was the so-called god who unites people in marriage and had the power to make people fall in love like cupid. In modern times, when a person (male or female) is called 月下老人, s/he is likened to the legendary matchmaker from ancient China.
Story has it that once upon a time in the Tang Dynasty, a promising young man named Wei Gu was spending time in town with his servant when he ran into an elderly man who was then reading a book under the moonlight. Wei Gu asked what the book was about. The old man replied that the book was magical, "this book in my hand tells whether a person will get married or not and if so, who he will marry."
Of course, Wei Gu did not credit the old man and mocked him. Slighted, the old man took Wei Gu to meet his future wife. She was a 3 year old girl carried by an older woman coming towards their way. Seeing that the girl was so ugly, Wei Gu, although disbelieving, decided to get rid of her for good measure. He instructed his manservant to kill the little girl. The servant thrust a small knife into the little girl and ran away.
Fourteen years later, Wei Gu finally got married to the daughter of the prime minister. Her beauty was beyond description and they lived happily for many years.
One day, while they were at the pavilion watching the full moon, the wife signed heavily. Wei Gu asked her what's wrong. She related to him that she remembered a night just like this. The moon was shining brightly and her nanny maid had brought her out to town when a mad man tried to hurt her. She was 3 years old then. That's when Wei Gu realised that the elderly man was right.
Do you believe in 缘分 (Yuan Fen) – predestined relationship?
Happy Valentine's Everyone! 😀
Check out the recipe for Love at First Bite here.
Enjoy what SIA, our national carrier, has put up at Changi International Airport Terminal 3 for you.


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Art Galleries in Tasmania… which one to choose? Recently I spoke with Anne, the owner of Bowerbank Mill, a bed and breakfast property at Deloraine. She told me about the Fine Art & Craft Gallery she operates as part of her heritage B&B, and how busy she expects to be over the period coinciding with the Tasmanian Craft Fair.
Art Galleries: North
The Tasmanian Craft Fair is held in Deloraine during October each year and attracts over 200 exhibitors. It is claimed by the organisers (the Rotary Club of Tasmania) to be the largest working craft display in Australia. Largest or not, all profits raised go to community projects and it's a fantastic boost to the tourist numbers in the north of Tasmania.
We're looking forward to visiting the Tasmanian Craft Fair and will obviously report back via Think Tasmania on our findings.
Art Galleries: South
In the meantime, check out some of the art galleries in the greater Hobart region…
If you like this article about Tasmania, and you'd like to read more, just subscribe to our newsletter or join us on social media via Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Instagram. If you really like this article, and you want others to see it, you can choose one of the "share" options below. We'd love that!
Comments relevant to this article are always most welcome, just leave a reply below. But first… please confirm the date of this article. Have you found something current, or is this ancient information? Either way, thanks for your company and come back again soon.


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This is a post Dan wrote before he left for the Big Brother House. Enjoy!!
I've always been a huge fan of Big Brother. Back in the day I even used to watch the live feeds! It seems like every season the house-guests would bring some epic stuff into the house. Some of the stuff I would want to buy, because I liked it that much! The problem was trying to find the exact match of what people brought with them into the house. With that in mind I made a series of videos of explaining EVERYTHING I am bringing into the Big Brother house.
Most of the things I'm bringing in with me have stories behind them, which I am going to share with you in the videos. Other items I'm bringing in are what I call "vintage" meaning they are 4 years old and have already been in the Big Brother House. And of course, my wife and I did make a run up to Great Lakes Crossing Mall, to get some new clothes to bring in.
For every item that is still available, I will include an affiliate link to where you can buy them. Just so you are aware, if you purchase any items through the affiliate links, I will get a small commission from it. It doesn't cost you anymore money to purchase them through my links, but thank you in advance if you do!
I hope you enjoy the video below…..
What I Brought Into the BB House: Video # 4 The Dress Shirts.
The video cannot be shown at the moment. Please try again later.
Here are is the shirt avaialble to buy. Just click on the image to order:


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Have we forgotten Fukushima now?
THE MEDIA is a fickle thing… yet it's a very powerful thing. It decides what we pay attention to every day, it decides what's worthy of our attention, worthy of our time and consideration. At the moment there are a few topics dominating the headlines.
The on-going struggle with the 'senior bondholders' and the EU-IMF bailout dominates the broadsheets, and the Manchester United footballer, Ryan Giggs's sex life seems to be a priority for the tabloid media - no surprise there as ' sex sells', they want to sell papers, and people, it seems, want to read about sex. If they didn't, then the front page wouldn't be always about that! The mainstream media are also having a field day with David Norris's presidential ambitions, and how those same ambitions are floundering on the rocks.
But what about Fukushima? It seems we have almost forgotten that the tsunami and earthquake in Japan has left devastation of an incredible magnitude. There are occasional drips of information which inform us that it is still in trouble, major trouble.
We aren't paying attention to it because it's not on the front pages. But things are no better now than they were when we worried about the radioactive stuff, floating around the world high above us, in the atmosphere. Remember that in the early days following the disaster, radiation levels were detected at Dublin airport. I wonder has anyone checked lately?
More to the point though, what about the people there? What about the aftermath of that tsunami and earthquake, which made thousands homeless, which has left an exclusion zone around those nuclear plants that noone can enter, even at this point - over three months later.
But what about Fukushima now? The immediate response to any disaster in the world today is fantastic. People respond so generously and selflessly to the plight of those in need. When the news breaks, something stirs inside people to make then get up and try to do something, anything, to help. It one of the most amazing aspects of humanity, our ability to empathise. In those first few days and weeks after any disaster, people are brilliant. But what about three months down the line, or three years?
And in this time when there are so many things going on how can we move from our own worry, to being able to take part in the concerns of the world? In one of his many books, the great spiritual writer Henri Nouwen wrote: 'Maybe, for the time being, we have to accept the many fluctuations between knowing and not knowing, seeing and not seeing, feeling and not feeling, between days in which the whole world seems like a rose garden and days in which our hearts seem tied to a millstone, between moments of ecstatic joy and moments of gloomy depression, between the humble confession that the newspaper holds more than our souls can bear and the realization that it is only through facing up to the reality of our world that we can grow into our own responsibility.
'Maybe we have to be tolerant toward our own avoidances and denials in the conviction that we cannot force ourselves to face what we are not ready to respond to and in the hope that in one future day we will have the courage and strength to open our eyes fully and see without being destroyed.
'All this might be the case as long as we remember there is not hope in denial or avoidance, neither for ourselves nor for anyone else; and that new life can only be born out of the seed planted in crushed soil."
God knows when we have enough on our plate, and in those times when we are sincerely overcome with our own needs, but the rest of the time, we need to be aware and active in the troubles of today, so that they don't become the troubles of tomorrow. So, what about Fukushima?


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At Phacil, we strive to promote a culture that values honesty, integrity, high performance, and creativity. We are passionate about serving our military and our nation through fulfilling customers' missions. We are all part of one team—the Phacil Team—striving to be better tomorrow than we are today. Above all, Phacil encourages everyone to express opinions and ideas, and share in a commitment to excellence with our fellow team members and customers!
Phacilians work hard but we play hard too. From chili cook-offs in our favorite football teams' garb, to foosball tournaments, flag football leagues, cornhole, and the annual holiday cookie exchange (egg nog, anyone?), we have a lot of fun. Phacil provides a great work environment. Our office space is open, light and airy. Its comfortable atmosphere promotes teamwork, creative thinking, and – as a result – stellar accomplishments. Collaboration areas with whiteboard walls and round tables, are scattered throughout the space, providing settings where solutions are born to our customers' biggest headaches.
Phacil has high expectations for employee performance, but rewards are high as well. We embody a culture of mentorship, opportunity, and employee development. Executive management's doors are always open. While employees innovate and deliver jaw-dropping results for our customers, employee contributions are regularly recognized through bonuses and other rewards.


text: It's only been a few days since this season's Valentine's Day products began appearing in earnest, and we're already thoroughly nauseated. In fact, given the selection offered so far, we're surprised it took this long. Here's one that certainly doesn't help the cause: the "Heart Mouse" from, of all places, the Victoria and Albert Museum. (At least it doesn't profess its love for you, as did the last one seen in this space.) It's products like these that make the "FPS Gun Mouse" look better all the time.


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After Competitive Review, MDB Communications Retains DC Lottery Ad Account Valued at $35 Million Over Five Years
For Immediate Release
WASHINGTON (March 8, 2016)– After a competitive agency review, MDB Communications has been renewed as advertising agency of record for the DC Lottery and Charitable Games Control Board. The five-year contract, approved by the DC City Council, is valued at $35M.
"To have the DC Lottery select us again reinforces the importance of creating a culture that holds creativity and integrity among its highest values," said Cary Hatch, CEO of MDB. "Our focus on building innovative solutions and attention-getting creative – such as our recent 'Unless I Win the Lottery...' campaign – generates measurable results for the Lottery and the city of Washington."
Since its inception in 1982, the DC Lottery has awarded more than $3 billion in prizes, transferred more than $1.8 billion to the District's General Fund which supports essential services in the District, and has helped local nonprofits raise more than $125 million in support of social causes.
In addition to award-winning advertising across virtually every creative channel, from television to social to mobile media, MDB has built key strategic partnerships and experiential programs for the Lottery, including products and promotions with the International Spy Museum, the Washington Wizards and the Washington Capitals. MDB was also instrumental in creating DC Lottery Live, a street-level studio and performance space that serves as an entertainment showcase in the heart of the District.
"We are very excited to continue our partnership with the DC Lottery, and we look forward to bringing them ideas that generate sales and bring industry recognition," Hatch added. MDB will continue to provide account planning and strategy, creative services, and media planning/buying for the entire line of DC Lottery products.
About MDB Communications, Inc.
Founded in 1981, MDB Communications Inc. is a full-service, advertising and marketing communications firm focused primarily on branding initiatives for corporations, associations and non-profits. The firm has won more than 187 awards for client work and is headquartered in Washington, with affiliate firms in Asia/Pacific and Europe. MDB currently works with clients such as Fannie Mae, Destination DC, the DC Lottery, and Truth Initiative.
About DC Lottery and Charitable Games Board
Founded in 1982, the DC Lottery is the District of Columbia Government agency that regulates the sale of gaming products and charitable gaming activities in the District of Columbia. Since its inception, the DC Lottery has awarded more than $3 billion in prizes, transferred more than $1.8 billion to the District's General Fund which supports essential services in the District, and has helped local nonprofits raise more than $125 million in support of social causes. Visit dclottery.com for detailed information about the DC Lottery and Charitable Games Control Board.


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Saturday, August 29, 2009
Fresh Summer Ideas
I was gifted four cucumers the other day - For whatever reason mine didn't do well, so these ones were a real treat. There's nothing better than fresh cucumbers in salad, soup or sauces to make it taste "fresh" and "vibrant". So tonight's dinner is grilled chicken breast with Tzatziki and Orzo Salad with Chickpeas, Dill & Lemon. There's no better summer meal!
Orzo Salad with Chickpeas, Dill & Lemon
1 cup uncooked orzo
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 cup crumbled feta
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
1 19-oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3 T fresh lemon juice
1.5 T olive oil
1 T cold water
1/2 t salt1 clove crushed garlic
Cook pasta according to package and rinse with cold water and drain. Combine pasta, onions, cheese, dill and chickpeas in a large bowl, tossing gently to combine. Combine juice and remaining ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle over pasta mixture, toss gently to coat. Yields 4 servings - May be served warm or cool! (Recipe From Cooking Light)
Monday, August 24, 2009
Gardeners Combat Global Warming
Plants across the nation are affected by global warming - We have seen that many plants in your backyard are blooming earlier. Global warming will mean that many native and iconic plants may no longer find suitable climate conditions in major portions of their historic range. We, as gardeners can help combat this.
I found this download from The National Wildlife Federation - It's your's free to download!
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Easy Summer "Marina"
To make it is really simple:
1) Wash your tomatoes the cut them into chunks and drop them into a crock pot. I leave the skin on and use several varieties including cherry/grape tomatoes. You COULD parboil them and drop them into an ice-bath to remove the skin however.
2) Add other garden veggies including green peppers, onions, shallots, or garlic - As much or as little as you may like!
3) Add Italian seasoning (from your pantry). I probably use 2 Tablespoons per large crock-pot.
4) Cook on high overnight with the top off to evaporate as much water as possible.
5) The next morning blend all of the cooked down vegetables - I use a stick blender however you could throw it all in a food processor or blender. the skins will blend down really well!!!
You can either can the pasta sauce or throw it into jars/baggies or plastic containers to freeze for several months! I promise that your family will love you when you open this jar and pour it over your choice of pasta!
There is no real measuring involved, however if you are adverse to seasonings, then add the Italian seasoning the next morning after blending the sauce. Also if you prefer a sweeter sauce, add a bit of sugar to taste!
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Frenzied Blackberry Fool
Last week however, I received a message from my friend telling me that he thought he saw me on the property the day before. The thing was, he didn't see me pull up or even see where I parked my car, so he pulled out his spyglass to check it out and saw a woman with long-hair instead.
He thought that was odd, so he got on his tractor and rode out there to see what was up. Apparently the woman parked in the nearby cemetary and walked across another piece of private property to get to his blackberries. She said "Oh is this your place?" and "Where do you live?" (You can SEE the house from the back of his field, and you could plainly see where he came from on the tractor, so she must have been playing dumb.)
What I found very odd was that, there is in NO WAY that she could have SEEN the berries, or even followed the berry patch across the other property, as there were NO berry plants back there. In other words she must have previously KNOWN about the patch and trespassed into his property to get to it! Ordinarily I wouldn't say anything, except my friend is nice and told her he supposed it was OK that she was there - since she was ALREADY there picking. (He's much too nice in my opinion, i would have said to get lost - He didn't want the berries to go to waste though!)
Several days later I was out there picking again when suddenly another car drove back to the patch (It's at the very back of the property). I mean com'mon, once you get caught, shouldn't you just STOP with the pilfering? The woman pulled up and said "Hi mind if i join you?" I asked if Steve knew (my "provider") and she said Yes (which he really didn't "know" she was there that day) so I begrudgingly said, "I guess not."
I mean REALLY, what would you say to that? "Yea, com'mon over and pick where I am picking since you have already trespassed and KNOW that this field was here." Or "My berries are your berries, i'll just pick less today..." My friend even mowed around the bushes for the kids and I to better pick, which was also evident, so it's not like she couldn't have guessed that SOMEONE was already picking the prepped field!
Now I'm a pretty aggressive person when it comes to sportsmanship - My husband will tell you out-right to stand back because when I get into competitive mode it's a scary thing to see... So image this woman pulling up in her white truck and asking me "Do you mind company?"
I immediately jump into the super-speed mode, mowing around the blackberry plants like some frenzied fool - Pplucking ALL of the ripest, juiciest berries of the bunch and leaving the undesirable shriveled ones... I even plucked some that could have used another day in the sun, I was so competitive!
I'm sure she though "some nut-job", but I didn't like that this woman, who for all purposes DID NOT GET permission BEFORE she started picking, was back for more... That being said, it isn't my property, so I shouldn't feel this sort of entitlement, but I at LEAST had permission to be there!
So what does one do when a competitor moves into the field? Throw a curve-ball, spit-ball or other nastiness? Do you jump into the juiciest berries and leave nothing behind? I'm sure if you were nearby that day you would have hear the giant sucking noise as I went into vacuum mode - I can't believe the number of berries I picked that day. I even came back MUCH more often than I may have otherwise, just to thwart the pilferer.
I'd feel ashamed to admit this I suppose...
A few days ago I was chatting with a good friend about this encounter and mentioned the woman's name. My girlfriend said "Wait what was the name?" I told her again and she sounded rather puzzled. She asked again where my friend Steve lived, then asked about they type of car the woman drove, "Was it a white trailblazer?" "Oh I dunno, it was a white truck!"
My friend told me that her mother-in-law has been known to pick MANY berries, and in fact had a freezer filled with something liek 400 cups - YES 400 CUPS of berries!!! AND that was the general vacinity of where her mother-in-law MAY have been picking. My friend just couldn't understand why the woman introduced herself the way she had. A few days later, she asked her mother-in-law later if she had been "caught" (Although she is BY FAR much more PC than I!) and after a 30 minute conversation had her Mother-in-law admit that YES it was HER!
So my pilferer, the woman who trespassed and then played dumb, was none other than a very good friends mother-in-law!!! I laughed my butt off... What gets me though is that this woman felt there was nothing wrong with what she did in trespassing onto someone's property. Which brings me back to my original questions:
So what does one do when a competitor moves into the field? When another "forager" shows up what is the proper etticate? I know from shroom hunting that you simply don't walk into the area of the other 'shroom hunter, but in this case we were on PRIVATE PROPERTY! What should I, or could I have said?
Sometimes life just comes full-circle doesn't it?
Monday, August 3, 2009
How To Harvest Summers Garden Yield!
Warm Season Crops: Plant-by-Plant Guide to Harvest
Corn—Start examining kernels after silks turn brown. Kernels should be plump and run milky when pierced with a fingernail. The milky color signifies that sugars have developed. Clear juices indicate not-so-sweet corn—if you find clear liquid, you may need to wait up to a whole week to pick. Check ears in three to four days. Sweetness starts to diminish the moment ears are picked. For best flavor, cook corn the same day you pick it. If you must store it for a day or two, don't remove husks and keep ears cold.
Cucumbers—Pick fruit as soon as they appear fully formed and filled out. Cucumbers don't always pull easily from the vine; carry kitchen or garden shears to snip stems. Plants produce more steadily when fruit is consistently picked. Avoid allowing early cucumbers to grow too large or the vine will yield fewer fruits overall. Use cucumbers within 7-10 days of picking. If you're inundated with fruits, make some pickles.
Green beans—Once bean bushes and vines start blooming, check plants daily for ripe fruit. Pick beans when pods are small—about the thickness of a No. 2 pencil. French filet beans, however, yield thinner pods. Thicker pods, where the bean bumps are visible, can be chewy and woody. The more you pick beans, the more vines produce. Gather early beans as soon as they're ready; if they're allowed to ripen to maturity on plants, the crop will stop. Pull beans from vines with your fingers. Store beans in a plastic bag in the refrigerator and use within two weeks.
Herbs—For most herbs, flowering signals the end of the harvest. This is especially true of basil and oregano. Keep blooms snipped from plants to ensure flavorful leaves. Gather herbs by the leaf or stem. Strip leaves from woody stems of herbs like rosemary, basil, or thyme.
Sweet peppers—Pick green peppers as soon as they're fully colored, shiny, and full size. Most peppers will continue coloring and turn shades of yellow, orange, or red. To harvest peppers, use a sharp knife or shears to snip stems. Leave a piece of stem attached to peppers, which helps them to last longer. Store peppers in the refrigerator, and use within three to five days. Harvest peppers before frost. Use any that get frosted immediately—they won't store well.
Tomatoes—Ripe tomatoes don't need to be fully colored—pick them when colored at least halfway. Tomatoes should feel heavy for their size and come easily off the plant. Ripen picked tomatoes on a counter or windowsill. Don't refrigerate tomatoes, as they lose their flavor within two hours in the fridge. Avoid leaving tomatoes on the vine too long. Fully ripe tomatoes only keep two to three days on the vine.
Watermelon—Determining watermelon ripeness is almost more art than science. Watch several items to gauge ripeness. The visible rind should change colors, from bright to dull green. The part of the skin touching the soil shifts from greenish white to cream. Tendrils nearest the melon shrivel and turn brown. Rapping on the melon should yield a hollow, low-pitched sound. Test some unripe ones to train your ear for the wrong sound. Uncut watermelons can store up to two weeks in the refrigerator, but it's best to eat them at the peak of ripeness.
Zucchini—Pick fast-growing zucchini when fruits are 4-5 inches long. As soon as squash starts to form, check plants daily, looking beneath all leaves. Zucchini grows rapidly, and a fruit can easily grow to baseball bat size if it's hidden under foliage. If you pick faithfully, zucchini vines will produce for about a month. For true zucchini lovers, sow a second set of seeds about a month after the first one to extend the harvest season.
Creative Commons License / photo credits: Lowes


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There are many types of sandwiches. Among them are the almighty Subway five dollar footlong, the toasty Quiznos, and the harder to find TOGO'S. As a poor person who doesn't want to eat at McDonald's everyday, I find sandwiches to be an ideal lunch meal. As such, I have my favorite restaurants, and even my favorite locations within the same chain. These favorites are based on many factors, including how attracted I am to the sandwich artists. But among sandwich chains, there is one that stands out above the rest, and that is ThunderCloud Subs. Quiznos might be my least favorite of all the sandwich shops. The sandwiches are mediocre, yet priced high enough to suggest they are good. Quiznos is like the Apple of sandwich shops. It is selling you a brand name, an iSandwich if you will. It's no better than many other sandwiches, and actually fails in many areas, but your friends will know you're better than them if you eat it.
Subway is the staple of sandwiches, against which all other sandwiches can be judged. When you're looking for a medium quality sandwich and a medium quality price, this is where you go. The five dollar footlong isn't overly phenomenal, except that it is a foot of sandwich for five dollars, which is amazing.
TOGO'S is an angry sandwich. You can tell because they like to capitalize the letters in their name. The quality is going to be a bit better than Subway, and the price is going to be a little more. That being said, there's a good chance there isn't one near where you're working and you'll be going to Subway.
Enter the ThunderCloud. It is not often that I am entranced by a sandwich. In fact, until I went to ThunderCloud Subs, it hadn't happened at all. I had been visiting a friend in Austin, and he was on his lunch break. By chance, he happened to work next to this glorious sandwich shop and suggested we eat there. The meatball sandwich was on special, a large for $3. Well, okay. I like meatball sandwiches and for $3, I'm not going to complain. The sandwich artists were friendly, and the choices in sandwich were what you would normally expect. I had them make my very inexpensive meatball sandwich and took a bite. Immediately my mouth was filled with the dreams of angels, for this sandwich was unlike any sandwich I had ever experienced, and this was a very good thing. There was simply a miraculous quality to the ingredients that made for the ultimate meatball sub. I cannot speak for the other sandwiches, though I hear they are delicious as well, but this sandwich destroyed any chance that I could ever enjoy a Subway Meatball Marinara again.
Unfortunately, this sandwich cannot be consumed on a regular basis, for me at least. While the price for the sandwich when it is not on special is still reasonable, ThunderCloud Subs only exists in Austin, Texas, and I live in California. That being said, every time I visit, I make sure to stop by, and every time the sandwich astounds me. I know what I am getting into, but each time I rediscover the near orgasmic deliciousness of the ThunderCloud. I highly suggest if you are in the area that you check it out.


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The Wallace Center Programs Director will provide leadership within the Wallace Center for program management, fund development, and staff development. This position will work closely with the Wallace Center Director to optimize management of current programs and help grow the scope and size of our programs. Programming areas include those within Wallace Center's market based strategies that focus regional food systems, sustainable agriculture, food safety and capacity building through technical assistance and training programs. Program responsibilities will include designing, implementing and managing the completion of some or all project deliverables including evaluations and reporting. Additionally, the Program Director will manage staff and take steps to mentor and build their capacity for effective project management practices and professional development. As a member of the Wallace Center staff, the Program Director will initiate and direct program/project planning, development of funding, and preparation of major proposals, and when appropriate as part of the Enterprise and Agriculture unit as a whole.
Programs Director Job Listing.


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Earlier this year, leading Belgian-based bioethanol producer BIOWANZE, announced its readiness to invest in an integrated miscanthus value chain in order to realise its ambition of becoming fossil-fuel free on long term.
During a half-day event on April 4th, BIOWANZE presented a 25 hectares (ha) pilot project, which, if successful, will result in approximately 2000 ha of the lignocellulosic crop being deployed for energy purposes. Invited participants, namely representatives of the Wallonian Government's Agriculture, Industry & Innovation and Environment departments as well as academics and public and local authorities, were encouraged to raise their questions and concerns on the project.
Located between Liege and Namur in Belgium's Wallonia region, Biowanze's refinery has been processing wheat and sugar-beets into bioethanol since 2009, with an annual capacity of 300 million liters. By integrating a number of processes, this facility is also capable of producing a vast assortment of byproducts, such as gluten, feed and fertiliser, as well as all side-streams (e.g. electricity and steam).
Miscanthus will replace bran, a wheat processing residue, in its CHP unit, making it instead available as an ingredient for animal-feed or further high value molecule extraction, while producing renewable energy for the facility and the surrounding communities.
The pilot project will include the establishment of 25 ha of miscanthus in buffer strips, i.e. long linear strips along waterways, roads or select public buildings. Buffer zones to prevent soil erosion, nutrient leaching, contamination and flooding are some of the public services farmers provide in parts of this region: using miscanthus may be a suitable option for all these purposes, while also having a value as a feedstock, a win-win solution.
As a pioneer project, the plantation will be tested extensively to validate assumptions of economic, environmental and social feasibility. A vast array of satellite projects, involving academies and research centres will assess the crop's capacity in terms of phytoremediation, carbon capturing and impacts on biodiversity.
According to André Tonneaux, BIOWANZE's Director: "The company is not pursuing this project for financial reasons, as fossil fuels would remain significantly cheaper, at least presently. There is a concrete will to improve environmental performance and go beyond the minimum requirements. I dream of breaking away from fossil fuels entirely before my retirement, in 10-15 years."
If the pilot project will prove positive, and win the public's acceptance, BIOWANZE will scale it up beyond its initial 20km radius around the facility. In fact, the ambition of the Belgian group does not stop there: In a future stage, other uses beyond bio-energetic valorization could be integrated – thus establishing a biorefinery which will integrate fully in a 'bioeconomy' context.


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Self Help, That Really Helped.
The sad reality is that you most likely wont reach your thirties without having to work some personal issues out.
I'm no exception to the rule and towards the end of my twenties I became a voracious reader of self-help books. Some were very hollow and I would find myself flicking though the pages searching for the point, others had me transfixed from the get-go. Ignoring the bad, as they have most likely been donated or recycled at this stage, this article focuses on those special few books I will never be without.
I attended Tony Robbin's three day event which culminated with walking on hot coals and have seen many speakers and genuinely gained a lot from them. But whilst seminars, events and one-to-one counselling are quite pricey I have found books an accessible constant companion.
These are some of the books I will never throw out and would recommend to anyone:
Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom by Dr Christiane Northrup.
Dr. Northrup is a certified obstetrician who takes a holistic view to health and recognises the unity of body, mind, and spirit. Honestly I found this book so empowering and it really encouraged me to tune in my inner wisdom. It has chapters across every area of a woman's life and the stages her body will go through and is an incredible reference that I turn to time and time again. She writes in a way that is so comforting and weaves her beliefs on angelic presences, past life issues and energetic cords being real issues in our lives and forces to work with as we make our way through. This book has been a phenomenally successful bestseller since it was first published in 1994 - it has been revised and updated so make sure to buy the most recent copy. To give you an idea of here this is a really good interview with her -> Here
The Allergy Solution by Dr Leo Galland.
I first heard about Dr Galland on an interview on Hay House Radio on Dr. Northrup's show Flourish. In that hour he explained about inflammation which is something I didn't understand enough about, but most definitely experience and helped me understand fatigue and how diet and your home affects it. Having had many conventional tests expensively done and really felt none the wiser, this book has so much wisdom. There is a three day Power wash detox - which I have only done one day of - but it helps you zoom in intuitively on how you feel by cutting out the main culprits for a short period of time. If you're thinking of investing in allergy tests I highly recommend reading this and even trying the power wash first. It's a lot cheaper and will also give you better information for your one-on-one meeting if you decide to proceed.
Women, Food and God by Geneen Roth.
Staying in the food category, like many, I've had my own things to work out. What I will hand on heart say I know for sure is that it's an inside game and this book is like a dialogue with your mind. It's a much more complex issue than buying the right groceries or scanning a menu and adhering to points and this book really looks at the psychological issues. There's nothing to do with god in the book also, it's the idea of the governing concept that food has, nothing religious. After finishing this book I did quite a lot of journaling and I think developed a much more positive relationship, less highly charged than before, with food as a result of what I learned.
The Highly Sensitive Person by Elaine N. Aron.
This book came before Quiet - mentioned below - and was one of the first times I had ever heard the trait of sensitivity being described as a quality and an attribute to nourish and appreciate. It goes through various areas of your life to include relationships, work, travelling and learning to develop your voice. It's not shyness. People may confuse it. We all have certain muscles to build and this showed me how to build my social ones up to the extent that I now feel better able to stand up for myself than ever before. I turn to this a lot and think anyone who would categorise themselves as even a little introverted would benefit a lot from it.
You Can Heal Your Life - Louise Hay.
Louise Hay is considered the godmother of all self-help. She founded her own publishing company Hay House which is now the global leader in self-help titles after the success of this exact book exceeded anyones expectations. This book explains how many of our body conditions are playing out emotional patterns. She is an advocate for affirmations and a believer that everything we say has a direct effect and outcome in our life. I saw her speak at a Hay House event in Scotland and she was mesmerising.
Nonviolent Communication by Marshall B. Rosenberg.
The main message in this book is that in order to get our needs met we must communicate clearly. If we are not directly asking for what we need we cannot expect other's to make us happy and match those needs. I found this book fascinating and even going through business emails afterwards I noticed I was much more clearly communicating what I needed and what I would do. In years gone by I think we all had relationships or family dynamics where we expected people to 'just know' what we want. This book really helped me to understand how and why to communicate much more clearly and directly.
The Law of Attraction - Esther Hicks.
There are many books on The Law of Attraction and if you have a very early copy of The Secret DVD you will see Jerry and Esther Hicks feature. For reasons which they have explained many times they are not in the DVD anymore and to me this book and their work surpasses it. The Law of Attraction, that is the fact that what you think about and emotionally charge and draw to you in some form or other, is a fascinating concept and really puts a lot of self-responsibility on us. The book is channelled by Esther in a deeply meditative state but is surprisingly practical. If you want one book on The Secret, or the Law of Attraction then this is the one I recommend.
I assumed this book was solely for those who worked in very corporate environments so I avoided it for a while despite the hype. Last year I had a book voucher and it was reduced and I picked it up. On one of those genuinely warm sunny days we were so lucky to have I took it outside and started leafing through it and before I knew it hours had passed. This is a genuinely compassionate voice sharing an updated message on modern working life. I am sure there is much that applies more to the corporate world but personally even just the sharing of household maintenance between couple pointers were amazing. We're all living in a world where as women and men so much more is expected of us than ever before. This book is worth the fame and I am so pleased I didn't avoid it based on initial assumptions.
I've mentioned this book on my snapchat quite a bit as it's like the modern handbook for introverts. Whilst it might not immediately appear so on the surface a lot of people I know who have very large social presences are naturally quite quiet and naturally introverted. The key thing that is explained in this book is how valuable those qualities are, even though society tends to initially favour extrovert go-getter type personalities. Susan Cain gave an amazing TED talk which you can check out below. This book is one you want to take your time with. Through several readings it helped me reframe a lot of my negative associations around some social anxieties I had about the fact that 9 hours of Youtube and endless cups of tea beats any nightclub in my opinion!
Codependent No More by Melody Beattie.
Codependency is something I had never heard about before but in my own very general terms a way to summarise it is that if you find if your partner is having a bad day, you will automatically have a bad day and your empathy systems are in overdrive to the extent that it's not healthy. No book can heal a bad relationship but this book definitely helped me understand why some people 'disappear' in relationships and how to avoid it and stay true to yourself despite what's going on around you.
Dr. Doris Cohen has been a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist for more than thirty years. Her approach uses Hypnotherapy, Past Life Regression and Dream therapy. I have had several phone readings with her and always been blown away by her insight and intuitive guidance. I have a lot of dreams and sometimes wake up worried about the contents of them. I used to have a dream dictionary that was just something amusing whereas this delves into things much deeper showing how to recall your dreams, analyse them and gain understanding of the intuitive guidance they give. I found this very empowering, proving that our best wisdom genuinely comes from within, something we all need to be reminded sometimes. To book in for readings and more information see drdorisecohen.com
Anyway those are my favourite books. I find even if I've read some of them several times over the years, when I pick them up I get something new. Let me know if you have any books you think I would love in the comments below!
Lots of love,


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Charis Dumfries Saturday School
May 4 @ 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Our regular Saturday meeting for students of Charis Dumfries. Members of the public are welcome to attend one Saturday per term. Contact us for more information.
Charis Bible College Dumfries, ScotlandDumfries Campus
Equipping saints for the work of the ministry in Scotland. Two year ministry training college. Change your life, change the world.


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I was tagged by Little House in the Valley to take part in the "7 Links Project". This project highlights 7 of my past posts that directly relate to the following 7 questions, sort of a "blast from the past" type project. Trip Base initiated this project with the intention of uniting bloggers and bringing to light old posts that may have not gotten as much attention due to the blog's infancy at the time of posting. Without further adieu, I'll address each of the 7 categories below.
Your most popular post – My post about "No Poo" is by far my most popular post. I am always receiving comments and questions on this post, and it never ceases to amaze me the number of people that give it a try! No poo is basically a method of washing your hair without shampoo. It saves you money, limits the chemicals that touch your body, and is interesting, as it bucks the "normal" method of hair washing.
A post whose success surprised you –Where Have All the Housewives Gone? At 78 comments and counting! When I wrote this post, I didn't expect it to be quite as controversial as it ended up becoming. My stance on things is that I'm willing to listen to how others feel, so I always welcome views that are different from mine but respectful in tone.
The post that you are most proud of – The post where we finally became debt free, minus the mortgage. I can't stand debt, so it was such an amazing feeling knowing that we had paid everything off. We don't make a ton of money, so it's even more rewarding to know that we accomplished so much by sacrificing and prioritizing.
Your most beautiful post –Maybe my post about considering adoption? I don't think a financial blogger normally writes beautiful posts, so that's kind of hard.
Your most helpful post – I think my deodorant recipe is very helpful! I still use this deodorant recipe to make my deodorant, and it's still working fabulously. I like that when I run out, I just make more in my kitchen versus having to run to the store. Love that!
Your most controversial Post – My post about "family cloth", or cloth toilet paper, was pretty controversial. It's an interesting concept, but won't work for everyone. I think if you had a little one you were cloth diapering, it would be pretty easy.
A post that didn't get the attention it deserved –My post about natural laundry detergents was pretty interesting but didn't seem to gain a lot of response. Maybe everyone is making their own?
As part of the 7 Links Project, I have nominated the following bloggers:
* Living Well on Less
* Out of Debt Again
* Sense to Save


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BaselConnect officially registered as an Association (Verein)
On June 29, 2012 BaselConnect was officially recognized as a non-profit association, or Verein in Basel-Stadt
Download our record of registration (de) and our Statutes (en) for further information.
Rationale for founding the BaselConnect Verein
BaselConnect has been a strictly volunteer effort from the beginning. We have relied on the willingness of many individuals to contribute energy, knowledge and ideas as well as on the generosity of sponsors to hold the initial conference and follow-up activities. In order to maintain the non-profit status of BaselConnect, to protect it from being used for commercial purposes, and to be able to seek sponsorship to achieve its goals, a legally recognized association (Verein) was formed in June 2012 and registered in Basel-Stadt in July 2012.
The membership dues of CHF 50 per year will help to cover the expenses of having a bank account and other operational costs (postage, stationery, etc.). The dues are a kind of sponsorship that enable BaselConnect to continue to offer activities without charge to participants and to reach more of the community. All of the activities will continue to be volunteer driven and measures will be taken to ensure that the association will not be exploited for personal gain or commercial promotion. We are hoping that more local people and expats committed to promoting integration and intercultural exchange will join us and become actively involved.


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Mango March 2013 Lookbook
As the days are getting warmer, fashion is getting more irresistible. We love all these newest collections coming up and a strong desire to start a new shopping session is burning in us. Spanish brand Mango makes sure you manage to find everything you're looking for at affordable prices, bringing the newest Mango March 2013 lookbook. After releasing the complete Mango spring/summer 2013 collection, the brand launches this lookbook to reveal more Mango creations, more stunning spring trends and fresh ideas on putting these pieces together.
Femininity, a casual, yet elegant style and an effortless chic allure are the attributes defining every single item shown in the Mango March 2013 lookbook. The pieces manage to embrace the hottest spring/ summer 2013 fashion trends without going over the broad and looking impossible to be worn in the streets. You can find there the season's obsession " the ethnic trend, army touches, stripes, timeless black and white combos, passionate reds, harem pants and cool studs, which have proved to interest youthful and creative fashionisers a lot nowadays.
Overall, the Mango March 2013 collection is quite relaxed and simplistic, and even if we have the ethnic trend here, it's presented in the most subtle and feminine manner. Wholly, most of these pieces look quite versatile and offer a sea of mixing and matching possibilities. Getting a pair of skinny pants or jeans, some short tailored or denim shorts, mini skirts, blouses, tops, shirts, sweaters, blazers, vests and jackets, you can come up with one-of-a-kind looks that will hardly go by unnoticed. Besides them, the Mango March 2013 lookbook also shows sexy printed jumpsuits and dresses that are proved to work well for hot summer days.
Mango fashion is fabulous in every small detail. To this end, we can never omit the Mango shoes and accessories, which are quite diverse this season. The outfits shown in the Mango March 2013 lookbook are complemented with cool wedged sandals and gladiator ones, clutches, hats, bracelets and necklaces. Want to learn something more? Just visit a Mango store and shop at the same time!
Photos courtesy of Mango


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|United States Utility Patent
|Patent No:
|Date of Patent:
|Mar. 23, 1982
|Fresh-air breathing device and method
|William O. Holmes, 1331 Old Country Rd., Belmont, California 94402 (US)
|( * )
|Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this patent is extended or adjusted under 35 U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 days.
|Appl. No.:
|Feb. 25, 1981
|Int. Cl.3
|U.S. Cl.
|820/612; 820/714; 820/712; 820/024
|Field of Search
|128/200.24; 128/201.11; 128/205.25; 128/205.12; 128/205.27; 128/205.28; 128/205.29; 128/206.12; 128/206.15; 128/206.21
|References Cited
|820/6.1 2
|820/6.1 2
|820/7.1 2
|Eckert, Jr.
|820/1.1 1
|820/5.2 9
|Primary Examiner — Henry J. Recla
|Assistant Examiner —
|Attorney, Agent, or Firm — Phillips, Moore, Weissenberger, Lempio & Majestic
|Exemplary claim number — 1
|Art Unit — 335
[00001] The recent rash of fires in high-rise hotels and deaths occasioned thereby has given rise to the need for a breathing device and method for supplying a hotel guest and/or fireman with fresh air until he can be rescued. The device and method of this invention provide for the insertion of a breathing tube through the water trap of a toilet to expose an open end thereof to fresh air from a vent pipe connected to a sewer line of the toilet, to enable the user to breathe fresh air through the tube.
|4 Claims, 2 Drawing Sheets, and 5 Figures
|[00002] 1. Technical Field
|[00003] This invention relates generally to a device and method for breathing fresh air while entrapped in a room filled with toxic smoke, and more particularly to a breathing tube adapted to have an open end thereof inserted through a water-trap of a toilet to enable the user, exposed to toxic smoke inhalation, to breathe fresh air until he is rescued.
|[00004] 2. Background Art
|[00005] The recent rash of fires in high-rise hotels has resulted in the death of numerous people due to toxic smoke inhalation. Although the various fire departments involved expedited recovery efforts to save such people from impending death, the various toxic gases intermixed with the smoke, resulting from the burning of plastic furniture materials and the like, proved lethal within a very short time period. It has thus proven critical to provide the entrapped hotel guest with a source of fresh air or oxygen until the guest is rescued. Furthermore, experience has shown that the entrapped guest should remain in his or her hotel room, rather than attempt to proceed to the roof or any other floor of the hotel, to facilitate the rescue operation.
|[00006] A fireman, in performing firefighting and rescue operations of the above type, normally carries a canister of oxygen with him for breathing purposes. On occasion, the fireman will deplete his supply of oxygen to thus also subject himself to toxic smoke inhalation. Therefore, it would prove desirable to provide not only a hotel guest with a supply of fresh air, when needed, but to also provide such air to a fireman who may encounter the above type of emergency situation.
|[00007] This invention provides an economical device and method for ensuring a life-saving supply of fresh air to a person entrapped in a burning hotel room or the like, when the person is subjected to toxic smoke inhalation.
|[00008] The fresh-air breathing device comprises breathing means for being held in communication with a respiratory intake passage (mouth and/or nose) of the user and conduit means for communicating fresh air to such respiratory intake, including a first end connected to the breathing means and an open second end having sufficient flexibility and length for insertion through a water trap of a toilet. Carrying forth the method of this invention, such insertion of the conduit means or breathing tube through the water trap will expose the open end thereof to fresh air from a vent pipe connected to a sewer line of the toilet. The user may then proceed to breathe fresh air for life-saving purposes, until rescued.
|[00009] Other advantages and objects of this invention will become apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings wherein:
|[00010] FIG. 1 illustrates a person utilizing the fresh-air breathing device of this invention for breathing fresh air through the water trap of a toilet;
|[00011] FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the fresh-air breathing device;
|[00012] FIG. 3 is a sectional view, taken in the direction of arrows III--III in FIG. 2, illustrating an air filter that can be incorporated into the breathing device;
|[00013] FIG. 4 is an isometric view of the air filter; and
|[00014] FIG. 5 illustrates a modified breathing means for the air breathing device.
|[00015] FIG. 1 illustrates a fresh-air breathing device embodiment 10 of the present invention, shown held by a user for the purpose of breathing fresh air in a room filled with toxic smoke, such as occurs during a hotel fire or the like. The device is used in association with a toilet 11 having a bowl or water closet 12 connected in a conventional manner to a sewer line or soil pipe 13 for draining waste materials and water upon flushing of the toilet. It is well known that upon flushing of the toilet, a water trap 14 will form in the toilet bowl to block sewer gases from entering into the bathroom proper. Conversely, the water trap functions to prevent toxic smoke in the bathroom from passing thereby.
|[00016] It is common practice to attach a fresh-air vent 15 in the form of a pipe or stack to the sewer line to provide optimum operation of the toilet. The air vent normally extends upwardly through the roof of a structure, such as a high-rise hotel, to expose it to ambient fresh air, whereby suction-locking is avoided in the drain and water and waste are permitted to drain as freely as possible.
|[00017] The air vent will further function to expel sewer gases to ambient and release any back pressures on the toilet so that it does not gurgle when drained and waste products do not back up, particularly into lower floor toilets when upper floor toilets are flushed. It should be understood that this invention is equally applicable to other types of toilet constructions, such as wall-mounted toilets wherein the soil pipe would be connected to a backside of the toilet rather than to the bottom side thereof, as shown in floor-mounted toilet 11 of FIG. 1.
|[00018] Referring to FIG. 2, fresh-air breathing device 10 comprises a breathing means 16, shown in the form of a "soft" elastomeric (rubber or plastic) snorkel-type mouthpiece 17 having a teeth-engaging bite ring 18 formed integrally therewith. As shown in FIG. 1, the user is thus enabled to bite-down onto the mouthpiece to hold it in sealed communication with one of his respiratory intake passages (mouth). The breathing device further comprises a conduit means 19 for communicating fresh air from air vent 15 to the respiratory intake of the user.
|[00019] The conduit means or tube comprises a first end 20 connected to breathing means 16 and an open second end 21 having sufficient flexibility and length for insertion through water trap 14 and exposure to fresh air vent 15. First end 20 can comprises a rubber-based or plastic material formed in its illustrated bellows-type configuration, whereas second end 21 can be composed of a standard plastic tube material. A suitable bonding adhesive is utilized to secure mouthpiece 17 and second end 21 to first end 20 of the conduit means.
|[00020] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a filtering means 22 can be secured within the air passage defined throughout breathing device 10 to adsorb any noxious or toxic impurities which may be contained in the air inhaled by the user. For example, residual sewer gases might be present in sewer line 13 and intermixed with the fresh air emanating from air vent 15 when the device is being used for breathing purposes. The filtering means is shown in canister form to contain charcoal 23 and screens 24 for retaining the charcoal in the canister. The canister can be press-fitted and/or adhesively secured within second end 20 of the device or at any other desired location within the air passage defined through this device. For example, the canister could be formed with nipples (not shown) on each end thereof for securance between the first and second ends of the device in a similar manner by which a PCV (positive crankcase ventilation) valve is attached between hoses in an automotive engine.
|[00021] It should be further understood that breathing means 16 could take other forms, such as a mask-type breathing member similar to that employed on commercial aircraft for oxygen-breathing purposes, covering the nose and mouth of the user. In the latter application, as hereinafter discussed in reference to FIG. 5, it would further be feasible to connect a one-way check valve on the side of the mask whereby exhaling could occur through the check valve and the check valve would remain closed during the inhaling of fresh air through the device.
|[00022] In carrying forth the method of this invention, it is assumed that the illustrated user is subject to toxic smoke inhalation as a result of fire or the like. The user would normally flush the toilet to expel substantially all sewer gases from an open area or chamber 25 of the toilet that is in open communication with air vent 15. Such flushing will also automatically create a suction effect in sewer line 13 to draw fresh air into chamber 25 via the fresh-air vent. Water trap 14 will automatically be formed, as is well known.
|[00023] The user will then insert the second end of the breathing device into the water trap and place a hand thereunder to bend it past flanges 26 and 27 of the water trap and through the water forming the trap to expose the open end of the device to chamber 25. Once the level of the water trap is cleared and the open end of the device is positioned in chamber 25 to communicate with fresh air, the user can place his mouth on mouthpiece 17 and blow out any small amount of water which may have collected in the device upon insertion thereof through the water trap.
|[00024] The user can then start inhaling fresh air and oxygen through the device and exhale through his nose. The user can maintain this breathing procedure for hours and until he is rescued. A fireman who has depleted his bottled supply of oxygen can follow the same method to breathe fresh air. Even though the user may breathe-in a small amount of sewer gas, it is obvious that this small inconvenience is insignificant in comparison to the saving of the user's life.
|[00025] As suggested above and as shown in FIG. 5 snorkel-type mouthpiece 17 could be replaced with a face-mask type of breathing member 28 which covers both the mouth and the nose of the user's respiratory intake passages. In addition, and as mentioned above, a check valve 29 could be mounted in the face-mask so that the user can keep the face-mask constantly in sealed contact on his face, both during exhaling and inhaling.