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Harley knows the season is changing. The 7 year-old English setter comes out of her kennel in the early morning with a new "giddyup" in her step.
Harley knows the season is changing. The 7 year-old English setter comes out of her kennel in the early morning with a new "giddyup" in her step. Testing the cool breeze for the scent of anything interesting, she makes the rounds of the backyard, pausing to inspect shrubs for lizards that might be skulking there, checking out the bird feeders hanging in the dogwood trees for any feathery interlopers and sniffing around small mounds that might harbor careless moles.
A beautiful, sweet-natured dog, Harley is a hunter at heart and pointing upland birds, particularly bobwhite quail, is her specialty. She�s good at her craft, probably as fine a bird dog as I�ve ever owned � or who owned me. But, unfortunately, most of the quail Harley finds these days are the pen-raised kind, released on a shooting preserve before the hunt. It�s not that she can�t handle wild quail; she does that quite well. It�s just that there are so few wild "partridges" these days that hunting them in most places is a frustrating proposition. When the rare covey is found, it�s often so small that I like many other hunters, hate to take any birds from it.
It hasn�t always been that way. You can ask any bird hunter old enough to remember black and white television. They�ll tell you, North Carolinaused to be the buckle on what might be called the bobwhite quail belt. Up until the early 1970s, hunters with good dogs and reasonable shooting skills could expect to bag a limit of birds on any given day from around Thanksgiving to the end of February. Well before then, back to the late 1800s, this part of the country had a reputation for providing some of the finest upland bird hunting in the country. Wealthy sportsmen from points north made annual pilgrimages here to hunt in the long leaf pine savannahs and along brushy field edges that dominated the landscape in those days.
Up into the 1960s, North Carolinahad more farms than any state in the country. For the most part they were small, family-owned tracts where corn, soybeans, various vegetables and, usually, a patch of tobacco were grown. Because of the limitations of the equipment available in those days and the size of the farms, fields were usually small and bordered by brushy strips containing wild legumes like beggarweeds, lespedeza and partridge pea and grasses such as foxtail and ragweed. It was heaven for bobwhite quail, as well as for many species of songbirds and small mammals like cottontail rabbits. It was also about as close to the Pearly Gates as many upland bird hunters might ever get.
But then something happened. Like a disease that creeps into a person�s system with few obvious symptoms, the quail began to disappear. First it just seemed to be in certain spots. Fields that held so many bobwhites in the 1960s that teenagers like me could count of walking up coveys even without the help of a dog became empty. Hunters who regularly moved a half-dozen coveys or more in a day started finding fewer than half that number. At first, it was thought to be a localized anomaly, or a cyclical phenomenon that would reverse itself over time. But hunters, biologists and others who were familiar with the plaintive "bob-bob-white" that used to echo across fields and through the woods early in the morning realized they were hearing that call less and less often. And, it was not just in isolated spots, it was across the whole landscape. The quail were disappearing, not just in North Carolinabut throughout the southeast.
Early explanations focused on things like increased numbers of predators, widespread use of chemicals on farm fields, urbanization, the growth of pine plantations and less controlled burning in stands of mixed forest. State wildlife researchers, including some working with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) began studying those factors and trying to determine which one or, more likely, what combination of those were impacting quail. Biologists in different states tried different approaches. In Kentucky, for instance, over 3.5 million pen-raised quail were released over a 40 year period. At the Tall Timbers research area in Florida, the emphasis for a period of time was on the use of prescribed burns and establishment of food plots.
The efforts and determination of those wildlife professionals were admirable and they were supported at every turn by private groups like Quail Unlimited and Quail Forever. But the decline continued. Then, in 1995, a group under the auspices of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (SEAFWA) met in South Carolinato discuss bobwhite quail decline. The decision was made to develop a bobwhite recovery plan that would cross state boundaries and involve research throughout the country where wild bobwhite quail originally existed. The result was the Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative (NBCI).
The NBCI(which was changed to National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative in 2011) is unique in wildlife restoration in that it is region-wide in its scope. It involves more than 600 biologists across 25 states including dozens in North Carolina. It is also different from projects undertaken to restore deer, turkeys or waterfowl because, in the first two cases, that involved reestablishing populations of animals in existing habitat. In the case of waterfowl, it meant dealing with species that were highly migratory and had to be accommodated in different ways at different places.
The NBCIis a "unified strategic effort made up of 25 state fish and wildlife agencies and various conservation organizations to restore critical native grassland habitats and huntable populations of bobwhite quail." Based out of the Universityof Tennesseein Knoxville, the NCBI "provides national leadership, coordination and assistance to states and partners to accelerate implementation of efforts to restore bobwhite quail to its core range."
What this means is that, for the first time, there is a concerted, nationwide effort to bring the bobwhite back. Some of the NCBI�s work is focused on things such as:
- indentifying those areas on the landscape with high potential as quail habitat, estimated to be 600 million acres.
- developing a range-wide "prescription" for restoring viable populations of wild bobwhites, using such tools as prescribed burning and vegetation manipulation.
- forging national/regional relationships with private landowners and government at various levels that will ultimately benefit the restoration of quail and other upland species.
- encouraging governmental policies that will be of value to both landowners and wildlife. This includes things like subsidizing farmers to plant pastures in native grasses rather than fescue which is detrimental to bobwhites, songbirds and other species.
Mark Jones, a supervising wildlife biologist with the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, heads up this state�s quail-restoration efforts. Writing in the NCWRC�s fall issue of The Upland Gazette, he said, "If we really, seriously want to stand up and tackle this unfinished business of wildlife conservation, the NCBI matters. It matters because people matter. The NCBI offers a vision and hope; it can bring together, focus, and help unite the many people that are necessary to help solve the problem."
A lot of sportsmen who grew up hunting bobwhite quail around picked-over bean fields on frosty winter mornings hope he is right. So does Harley � she�s ready to go hunting.
Note: Information about the National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative (NBCI) is available online at www.bringbackbobwhites.org. To view the NCWRC�s Upland Gazette, go to www.ncwildlife.org and click on the "Upland Gazette" tab at the bottom.


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First, yeah totally that pic that Scott posted is distorted in such a way that in looks unlike the real thing. I've eaten L&B quite a few times and it never looks like custard. It's a good Sicilian pizza with a great sauce on top of the (little) cheese. Anyone I know who has had it that has any worthwhile opinion has enjoyed it.--Chau, retarding or not won't make much of a difference if it is only for a night. Do if it helps your schedule or just go straight to the bake once it is adequately spread and proofed in the pan. This is a forgiving style. The intensive mix I find to be unnecessary. The crumb of the real thing is pretty tender and I find I can get a medium-dense crumb with very gentle hand-mixing (and manipulating other factors) no problem. There are a few ways to arrive at the same end crumb characteristics.
John, it depends a lot on batch size. Say you are making enough for just one pie -- it is very easy to hand mix to the degree needed for the desired crumb.Also there is a "lower protein" version of the All Trumps and some have mentioned to me they believe the flour may not be the highest protein (someone who gives a tour that stops at L&B and is widely regarded as an expert on NYC pizza). Personally I am inclined to think it is some version of All Trumps in all likelihood but there is no certainty about it from anyone so far. Living near L&B I have it pretty regularly and I assure you that my AP based, hand turned/kneaded dough has a virtually identical crumb. In their store, L&B may very well mix a lot, but for those making a home sized version, I haven't found it to be at all necessary. If the pan proofing time is capped at "all it needs" vs a long time, the crumb is still pretty tight and a mid to high 60's hydration level is just about right also. Further, having some oil in the dough aids in keeping the crumb tigher than it would be otherwise. The people with the more open crumb are likely achieving that from having more water in their dough and a longer proof and/or longer time from last shaping/folding etc. and in some cases don't have any oil in their dough. If the oil is added at the beginning of dough making it shortens the gluten strands enough to mostly assure the proper crumb.
Thanks Scott. No can do on the pan until I can source a small steele or aluminum pan. I have a large aluminum pan, but it would make too much pizza. For now though, the ceramic pan works fine. I know what adjustments I need to make to make the ceramic pan work even better.
If anyone has a link for a good heavy duty 12x12 blue steel pan, I'd be willing to spend the extra money for one. Chau

subset: commoncrawl


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Review Group Week 180 - IMMORTAL WEAPONS #1
Hey you! Reader! Want to be a part of the GREATEST COMIC BOOK AND GEEK COMMUNITY on the web?! Well, they're not accepting new members, but we'll take anyone here, so why not sign up for a free acount? It's fast and it's easy, like your mom! Sign up today! Membership spots are limited!*
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Hey you! Reader! Want to be a part of the GREATEST COMIC BOOK AND GEEK COMMUNITY on the web?! Well, they're not accepting new members, but we'll take anyone here, so why not sign up for a free acount? It's fast and it's easy, like your mom! Sign up today! Membership spots are limited!*
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by guitarsmashley » Sat Jul 25, 2009 10:30 pm
I thought about including tiger love tug but it wouldn't have fit the review. And thanks for the catch.
by Punchy » Sun Jul 26, 2009 4:12 pmImmortal Weapons #1(of 5) - 'The Book of the Cobra' and 'The Caretakers Part 1' - Aaron, Suayan, Gaudiano, De La Torre, Evans, Lark, Lozzi, Swierczynski and Foreman'
Story - OK, I'm fired up, I've had 2 cups of tea, I'm going to rock the shit out of this review!
'Bring me my Victory wenches!', It was with these words, in Immortal Iron Fist #9, that Fat Cobra established himself as one of the best new characters to enter the Marvel Universe in the last 5 years. He had just summarily kicked the ass of our hero, and now he wants Wenches? Come on, what's not to love? Along with the rest of the Immortal Weapons, Cobra became a regular fixture in the title, helping Danny Rand fight off the forces of Hydra and then the demons of the 8th City. But he has remained a bit of a blank slate, only now are we getting his origin, under the capable hands of Jason Aaron. As a huge fan of what the writing team of Brubaker and Fraction and then Duane Swierczynski have done with Iron Fist and his crazy Kung-Fu world, I am pretty wary of seeing other writers enter the arena, but not so with Aaron, he has proven himself to be a fantastic writer, both on gritty real world stuff like Scalped or The Other Side, but also bat-shit off the wall material in his excellent Ghost Rider run, and the story of the Fat Cobra seems perfect for him. I have not read his Kung-Fu Wolverine mini, Manifest Destiny, but on the strength of this issue, I most definitely will. On top of the main story, we also have an Iron Fist back-up story by the regular creative team of Swierczynski and Travel Foreman, but I'll get back to that later.
The premise of the Fat Cobra origin is brilliant in itself, our hero has consumed so much booze and other intoxicants that he has forgotten his own life story, so he employs a researcher to find out for him, this framing device is brilliantly fitting with the character and allows Jason Aaron to show us how Fat Cobra's own perception of himself contrasts with what actually happens, and that contrast is large. Aaron takes us through all of the Cobra's history, and it is frequently hilarious in how it undercuts Cobra's mysterious bad-ass persona, his parents were not great Warriors, they were Pig Farmers, he was an Opera singer, he failed to defeat his version of Shou-Lao, it's a litany of failures, but Aaron also places it within real-world context, like World War 1. Fat Cobra's story is also woven into Marvel Universe history in a variety of fun ways, he worked with also-rans such as Ulysses Bloodstone and the WW2 Union Jack, and Aaron puts Cobra into some truly off the wall 'only in comics' situations, a Speed-Eating competition between Cobra, Volstagg and Hercules? Genius! Teaching Elvis Kung-Fu? Fighting Werewolf Communists on the Moon with Nick Fury? That is balls to the wall awesome, the type of crazy-insane stuff Aaron does with Ghost Rider each month, and it's the kind of imagination I want from a superhero comic. We also see Fat Cobra try to become an Immortal Weapon again, but fail and get ripped in half by the snake. But he grew his legs back! Awesome!
But this story is deeper than ironic wacky events, in one quite frankly brilliant and almost beautiful sequence, Aaron has Fat Cobra transition between a fight with a woman, to making love. Since Fraction and Brubaker launched Iron Fist, I've been a big fan of the silly kung-fu names they've used, and Aaron gets to unleash his inner Crane Master with some of his own, putting his own good ol'boy spin on it with the 'South Alabama Shin Stomp', which undercuts the pomposity of some of the names. In a clever move, these moves, which are the only words in this scene change into Kama-Sutra like sexual positions, it's a very clever idea, so instead of the 'Krakatoa Tigerstrike' we have the very exciting-sounding 'Tantric Thunder Thrust'. It's a brilliant use of language. The scene is expertly illustrated by Michael Lark, and is just genius, I cannot overstate this enough. This segment is set-up to the tragic reveal of Fat Cobra's life, this woman is one of many he has bedded, and this has consequences. We've seen him do whacky shit, but now we learn his dark secret. The only reason he was able to defeat the Snake Xiang Yao and become an Immortal Weapon was because he killed hundreds of his own children, who had come to kill him. It's a pretty shocking reveal, and one that seems to have split fans, some feel sorry for him, some see him as a mass-murdering almost villain. I'm not sure where I stand, but it doesn't matter, it's an incredibly ballsy idea, and a fantastic scene which makes the character fascinating to me, when Fat Cobra faces the enormity of his past, the silent page where he burns the book is heart-breaking. And in the end, Fat Cobra asks for more alcohol, perhaps to reblock his memories? Tragedy!
Overall, this was an excellent single issue, brilliantly fleshing out what was previously an awesome, but rather one-note character. Fat Cobra is now a part of Marvel History, in a way that makes sense, and we see all sides of the character, the fun-loving fat guy, but also a tragic figure, Fat Cobra is now a full, deep character, all in only one issue. Jason Aaron is a perfect fit for this crazy, brutal kung-fu world, and I would certainly not mind seeing him revisit Fat Cobra or Iron Fist himself again, maybe a Wolverine/Fat Cobra story? Let's hope the rest of these issues will do as good a job at exploring the other Immortal Weapons as Aaron does here.
The Iron Fist back-up story is a different type of Iron Fist story than we're used to, but a welcome one. Danny Rand has to deal with a troubled student of his, and the kidnapping of her brother by drug-dealers. It's a more grounded story, almost a crime story, and from his novels we know Duane Swierczynski is adept at these. For me, the character of Iron Fist has always been about a man who straddles two worlds, the magic insane fantasy Shangri-La of K'un Lun and the mean streets of 1970s Harlem. In the current volume we've seen lots of the fantasy, but not so much of the real world, and though this isn't the 70s anymore, it's still a good way for us to see this side of the character. It's too early to judge now, it's only 7 pages, serialised across each issue of the mini, but it's good so far, adding to the great package of this book. Could do with a bit more Power Man though.
Art - There are a lot of artists in this book, Mico Suayan handles the framing sequences of the Fat Cobra story, and his art is very strong, it is realistic, but not too realistic, and he handles the changing facial expressions of Fat Cobra well. The other artists are also suited to their sections, Roberto De La Torre handles the grittiness of the Cobra's early years and WW1 very well, and Khari Evans' bright cartoony style meshes well with the hijinks Cobra gets up too in his 'fun' years. I've already mentioned Michael Lark's segment, which is beautiful, I've liked his work for a while now, on Gotham Central and Daredevil, but this may be even better! Arturo Lozzi illustrates the scenes where Cobra kills his family, and he's an artist I'm not familiar with, and only a few panels at that, but he does a good job. One thing I did find interesting was that the flashbacks were done on a panel-by-panel basis, so on one page you will have art by 2 artists, Suayan in the present, and someone else in the past, it was an interesting way to go about the flashback structure and made the book flow very well.
Travel Foreman provides the art for the Iron Fist story and it's very different from his work on the ongoing, which was very kinetic and stylised, often to the point of being hard to read, but not so here, maybe it was the inks of Stefano Gaudiano which reined him in, but this is much better, it's still recognisably his style, but it's much more refined, I hope he continues to use this style.
Best Line - 'It was your kids'
by SuperginraiX » Sun Jul 26, 2009 4:13 pmThis comic was awesomely ridiculous.
Some of the scenes just got me to laugh out loud... or at least giggle. Soviet Werewolves on the moon? Nice. Where's the tattoos? Why does he only have them with one artist? Does he write them on with a marker? Inquiring minds, yo!
Anyway, it's awesome but still ridiculous. If you're looking at it logically, you've gotta wonder how this guy was able to nab all this information. Those Soviet Werewolves certainly didn't make the paper and I'd bet the government files were still very much closed. And why were his kids trying to kill him? Because he didn't know he was their daddy? That's motivation? I can see a few kids going for the kill but ALL of them? They should have worked a bit on why he had to fight his kids to the death. They already said why he was doing it: because they were trying to kill him. They just didn't do a good job establishing why the kids were. From the way it was described, he didn't even know he had kids even when he had the memories.
The back up story was pretty good stuff. The art could have been better (those eyes just stare at you) but the story had promise.
Immortal Weapons, you get a 7. You made me laugh.
by Punchy » Sun Jul 26, 2009 4:15 pmOops, this was a long one, but in my defence, there was 2 stories.
by SuperginraiX » Sun Jul 26, 2009 9:09 pm
Psh. Never apologize for a long review. It just means you had thoughts on something.
by Mr_Batman » Sun Jul 26, 2009 10:28 pmReview tomorrow
by Punchy » Mon Jul 27, 2009 5:47 am
Yeah, but some people get pissed off about it.
by ****** » Mon Jul 27, 2009 8:35 am
by MrBlack » Mon Jul 27, 2009 8:53 am
This review was better than your last one. Less fluff, more substance. There is a lot, but SGX was right that you just had a lot to say this time.
by Punchy » Mon Jul 27, 2009 9:28 am
What fluff was there in my Blackest Night review?
by MrBlack » Mon Jul 27, 2009 10:48 am
From memory, there seemed to be a lot of exclamation and some wandering into tangents that didn't directly bear on the book.
by Punchy » Mon Jul 27, 2009 10:51 am
I went off on a bit of a tangent about meta-commentary, but most of it I tried (maybe I didn't succeed) to keep it related to the book and how it spurred my thought process.
by thefourthman » Mon Jul 27, 2009 11:18 amI should review tonight. I have spent the weekend in bed with swollen glands. Why can't I ever be sick on a work day?
by Garofani Spruzzo » Mon Jul 27, 2009 2:51 pm
Infection of some kind?
That sucks, you know what else sucks? Did you digest the new eBay garbage today yet?
by thefourthman » Mon Jul 27, 2009 3:20 pm
Maybe, swollen tongue and glands.
what new ebay garbage? I been listing stuff all day, what did I miss?
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Quality instruments for discerning musicians.
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Australian musicians and craftsmen.
Concert Ukulele
Ukuleles with a scale length of 15" and an overall length of around 23"
Classic original shaped Ukulele with a body shape based on the acoustic guitar. For a good introduction to Ukulele body styles see the answers.com entry for Ukulele.
|Report for this particular instrument
|Originally from Bruceweiart Musical Instrumet Workshop in Vietnam. Received in excellent condition. Required minor nut filing. No other work needed. Fretwork excellent on this instument. Tested okay to offer for sale. Tested and setup by Dane Clarke at the workshops of MandoHarp Australia in Nambucca Heads.
|About the Tester
|Dane is a professional systems engineer, academic and musician who has played and sung for over forty years. He currently sings and plays harmonica, mandolin, mandola etc. with a celtic/folk/blues band, Headland and a celtic/gypsy band, The Gypsy Tarts. Dane has researched and practiced instrument maintenance, repair and tuning in earnest for the last five years or so (since retiring from full-time professional work), and during this time has often been privileged to meet and learn from some of Australia's premier artists and technicians. On the qualifications side of things, Dane has undergraduate degrees in Engineering and Business, and post-graduate qualifications in Information Technology and Education. He works as a part-time engineer and academic these days, and though he loves teaching computer engineering he enjoys himself much more when working on instruments and playing music!
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All MandoHarp instruments bought at a Buy it Now price now include a FREE, 6-month, return-to-base warranty against defects in parts and workmanship included in the Buy it Now price. Extended warranties and warranties for Auction purchases are also available for an addtional fee.RETURNS POLICY - MandoHarp Australia eBay Returns Policy increased to 14 days
Our MandoHarp eBay Returns Policy has now been doubled in length from 7 to 14 days. Please see our eBay Returns Policy listing at the bottom of all our item descriptions.
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At MandoHarp we play the instruments we sell! Each of our musician and craft associates has over thirty years experience within their area of expertise. MandoHarp supplies and repairs reed and string instruments for local music shops and individual musicians - we sell to our friends. At MandoHarp our pimary areas of expertise are Mandolins and Harmonicas, hence our name. We also have contracted associates who work with a wide range of instruments, especially folk. This is our first foray onto the internet and we look forward to meeting many new musical friends here. At MandoHarp we appreciate fine instruments and we want you to have them!
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At MandoHarp we like to get to know our customers - we're musicians and we like to get to know other musicians. We love to talk with musicians whenever possible [probably a bit too much! :)]. And especially musicians who are interested in our instruments. Please feel more than welcome to email (email@example.com) or phone us (61- 2-65685545) to discuss your music at any time.
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Cooking For Engineers
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Home-made MEAD
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Joined: 29 Jun 2007
Posts: 85
Location: Norwich, Norfolk, UK
Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 9:35 am
Post subject: Home-made MEAD
Most of my friends already know that I enjoy a glass or two of home-made Mead, and a few of them have had the pleasure of enjoying a glass or two with me. Some of them also reckon that I make a drop of good stuff, and if somebody wants to have a go at home-made Mead, Gareth's the one to ask. Yes, I have had a couple of mishaps, the most notable being the exploding bottles. you may be interested to know that my Mead has generated a great deal of anxiety, hilarity, panic, and a caption competition on another forum board (
) .
Well, it might surprise you to know that I have only been making Mead for 18 months. Anyway, I have been promising internet buddies that I would do a step by step Mead making write up for some time now. So here it is;
This is a batch that I began on the 2nd of January; I want it to run to about 9% ABV. So about 6-8 weeks should be sufficient brewing time. This time I will use a fermentation stopper before I bottle this batch.
To fill a 25 litre brew keg or bucket this is the recipe that I use;
7.225 kgs of Honey. I use cheap Asda brand honey which is 76p per 425 grams, so I need 17 tubs.
1kg of Sugar. I use either Granulated White, Soft Brown or Demerara. This batch is being made with Soft Brown Sugar.
10 tablespoons of Lemon juice.
15 grams of Yeast.
I find that Allinsons bread making Yeast makes much nicer Mead than commercially available wine making Yeasts from the local Home-Brewing shop.
13 grams of Pectin. This is optional, and I am not using any with this batch
Lots of filtered boiling water. I find my kettle to be very convenient for this, as the boiling water is not required all in one go.
First of all, you have to scrub out the brew keg or bucket. Give it a good rinse out, and then add about a gallon of cooled, filtered boiled water, and Milton sterilising fluid. Rather than fill the whole keg up I use the listed solution, fix the lid in place, and the slowly roll the keg or bucket for 30 minutes, ensuring that all the internal surfaces have been sterilised. Remove the lid, and then stand the Keg upside down, to drain. I like to then rinse it out with about 3 litres of filtered boiled water, just to remove any remaining Milton solution.
One of my Brewing Kegs.
17 tubs of Honey, and the Sugar ready to go.
A saucepan of hot (but not boiling) water to help thin the viscosity of the Honey.
Even when the Honey has been heated, not all of it will pour from the tubs. So I top the tubs up with boiling water from the kettle, and then stand them in hot water in my frying pan, stirring them well to dissolve as much of the Honey as possible.
Even that doesn't remove all the Honey from the tubs, so I repeat the processs.
When you have obtained as much of the Honey as possible from the tubs, add the Sugar, then fill the rest of the Keg up with Boiled, filtered water, and stir well.
Allow the mix to stand for 24 hours (with the lid on), so that it stabilises at room temperature. Then Add the lemon juice, this is the point when you need to make the initial base line specific gravity reading with a hydrometer. The next SG reading will be taken when you filter and bottle the Mead in a few weeks. Fix a sticky label on to the Keg, listing the date, ingreidents, and the initial specfic gravity reading.
The Maths are as follows:
To calculate an approximate alcohol by volume of your finished homebrew: Original gravity minus Final Gravity times 129=your approximate homebrew alcohol by volume (ABV).
For example, a homebrew with an original gravity of 1.050 and a final gravity of 1.015 would be calculated as follows: 1.050-1.015=0.035X129=4.51% ABV
Add the yeast, and again stir well. After approximately 30 minutes the fermentation process should have started (can you see the first fermentaion bubbles?)
Next, stand the keg in a place where the room temperature will be more or less constant, and forget about it for 6 weeks or so.
The Keg was placed in an empty kitchen unit. The idea behind this, is to keep the ambient temperature as stable as possible. My thermometer shows that the air temperature inside the cupboard is 62 degrees F, or 17 degrees C. Which although it is at the lower end of the scale for Mead making, will do more than an adequete job for me.
When the side of the keg is rapped wih my knuckles, I could feel that pressure had built up inside it, and a faint but consistant bubbling noise can be heard. Both of which are good signs for this Home Mead maker.
I know that this photograph of the brewing keg inside my kitchen cupboard is not it the most interesting one in the world. But there is Mead fermenting inside there.
When I moved, a few weeks ago, I found that I still have about 3 litres of Birch sap left over from last year's escapades. So in an another week or so I will be making a 10 litre batch of Birch Sap Mead, flavoured with 500g of Smoked, crushed, mixed Hazel and Walnuts.
I wouldn't mind trying to make a batch of Mead from Smoked Honey. I would also like to make a 10 litre batch of Mead each month, and to flavour it with what is available from the hedgerows as the months and seasons pass. Elderflower, Hawthorn blossom, Rosehips, Blackberries, Elderberries, Sloes, and Beech nuts come immediately to mind, but I welcome other suggestions.
My Christmas present to myself was a new mains powered Ryobi engraving set.
I also "laid down" 10 of Weston's 2 litre jugs of Scrumpy for Christmas (currently £2.99 each in my local Asda ---- part of the Walmart group), and obtained another 12 empty ones from posting an advert on Norwich freecycle. It is my intention to engrave these empty jugs, and then bottle off the Mead into these, so that I have something home produced to take with me when I visit my friends. I just need to finalise a design to engrave upon them.
Well on the way to obtaining empty 2 litre Scrumpy Jugs.
My new Mains powered engraving kit.
Right Guys, Please stick with me on this one, because in the next 10-14 days I will be filtering and bottling this batch of Mead, and I will also be starting the first batch of my flavoured Meads.
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Joined: 29 Jun 2007
Posts: 85
Location: Norwich, Norfolk, UK
Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2008 5:35 pm
Post subject:
The 25 litres of my New Year Mead is still ferckling away merrily, I reckon that it is already 4-5% ABV I have no idea what the real ABV is, or was, as I forgot to take a base specific gravity reading. The intention was to bottle it off during Valentine's weekend, but I was busy pursuing other activities. The plan now is to filter and bottle off this Mead over the Easter week.
I got a bit bored last night, so I had a 2 hour session in the Kitchen. Here are the results of that endeavour;
250g of Hazelnuts smoked by my friend Lloyd. Zapped with the blender, and ready with the rest of the ingredients for tonight's Mead making session.
2.55 kg clear Honey, 1 kg Granulated White Sugar, 250 g Smoked Hazelnuts, 4 tablespoons of Lemon Juice. Then fill to the brim with boiling water. Tomorrow, when it has cooled to room temperature and stabilised, I'll take a base hydrometer reading, add the yeast, and affix a BIP label.
It only took 20 minutes to do this 10 litre batch of speciality Mead.
All of the endeavours of last night's 2 hour session in the Kitchen;
10 litres of Smoked Walnut flavoured Mead (top)
10 litres of Smoked Hazelnut flavoured Mead (bottom)
10 litres of Summer Fruits Vinegar ready for boiling, simmering and reducing.
Yes, the Walnut Mead is much darker than the Hazelnut mead, which also took me by surprise too!
I have also obtained from my local Freecycle several 1 gallon glass demi-johns this week, and as I have decided to wait until Easter before filtering, bottling and racking the New Year Mead, I shall have a crack at making a Cyser. Which is a cross between Cider and Mead, I also have the opportunity to get on and complete both the engraving and glass painting.
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Joined: 29 Jun 2007
Posts: 85
Location: Norwich, Norfolk, UK
Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2008 9:06 pm
Post subject: Cyser making this evening.
Tedium set in yet again this evening. So I relieved it by making a gallon of Cyser.
3 litres concentrated Apple Juice (you should really use fresh pressed apple juice as you would for cider)
1 kg Granulated White Sugar
1.5 Kg Clear Honey
2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice.
3 g Yeast.
Boiling water to top up the Demi John
Bring the apple juice to the boil and simmer for a few minutes, stir in the honey, bring to the boil again simmer for 5 minutes. Add the sugar, stirring constanly. Bring to the boil, turn down to a gentle simmer.
Simmer for 30 minutes ,skimming off any scum.
Place the Demi John in a pan of cold water, bring up slowly to the boil, and pour the Cyser mix into it.
Place in a convenient spot to cool.
Tomorrow, I will top up with boiled water if necessary, add the 2 Tablespoons of Lemon Jucie, take the baseline SG measurement, add the Yeast, and then the fix the bubble trap in place.
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Joined: 29 Jun 2007
Posts: 85
Location: Norwich, Norfolk, UK
Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2008 1:27 pm
Post subject:
The two Demi johns of Cyser that I started on Monday evening have only just begun their fermentation process. That is possibly because of the low ambient temperature in my apartment.
The Demi john on the right started to ferment yesterday afternoon, and has gone into a manic style fermentation fervour. The Demi john on the left is considerably more sedate, only just beginning it's process. If you look careful at the one on the left you can see the layers that Honey, apple juice and sugar have settled out to. The sort of fuzzy, hazy layer that you can see at the surface is the actual area of the fermentation, which is slowly working it's way down the jar.
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Joined: 29 Jun 2007
Posts: 85
Location: Norwich, Norfolk, UK
Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 9:53 pm
Post subject:
I have been waiting for a break in the weather for over a week now. I have my Birch sap tapping kit ready to go, I have chosen the trees that I wish to tap and all I need now is a little warmth to get the sap rising.
No chance! It has been cold, wet, damp, miserable, and today it snowed, although the snow has all melted now, the temperature is possibly still to low to have a Birch sap tapping session this week.
Earlier this afternoon the tedium set in once again, and I consoled myself by setting off a 5 litre batch of Orange flavoured Mead.
2 litres concentrated Orange Juice.
500 grams White granulated sugar.
1275 grams clear Honey.
Hot water to top up
5 grams Allisons Bread making Yeast.
Bring the Orange Juice up to the boil. turn down, and simmer for 20 minutes.
Stir in the honey, and simmer for 5 minutes
Stir in the sugar and simmer for 10 minutes.
Skim off the scum, and pour in to a preheated Demi John, and top up with boiling water.
Tomorrow, when it has cooled to room temperature, and stabilised, I will take the initial Specific Gravity reading, and then add the yeast. As this flavoured Mead has an Orange juice base, I will fore-go the lemon juice to provide the necessary acidity for the yeast to begin working.
The local 99p stores have Lemon Juice currently in stock, and have an offer on packs 1.5 litres of Lemon Juice (2 X 750 mls), so if the weather has not improved by next weekend, and it still cold, I'll start off a batch of Lemon flavoured Mead.
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Joined: 29 Jun 2007
Posts: 85
Location: Norwich, Norfolk, UK
Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 11:51 pm
Post subject:
have been a little lazy here, and copied and pasted extracts from my Mead making blog on another set of forum boards.
About 18 hours on from finishing mixing up the 5 ltr batch of Orange Mead, and the temperature has stablised at 16*C or 62*F. The Yeast was added and the mix given a good stir.
One cup of tea, two slices of toast, and 30 minutes later, and it has begun to do it's thing.
This website might help a little;
Today's Mead making session.
Dark Grape Mead. The 99p shop had sold out of lemon juice by the time that I arrived there today. So I purchased the other items that I wanted and nipped over to my local Lidl. Their Dark Grape juice is a particular favorite of mine, and I usually buy it by the case full. Today it had been reduced to 59p per litre so I bought 2 cases. Well, what I can I say, I just had to make a batch of Mead from 3 litres of it.
3 Litres Dark Grape Juice
500 g Granulated White Sugar
1275 g Clear Honey
Boiling water to top up
5 g Allinsons bread making Yeast
26th of March 2008
This evening, I have taken a specific gravity reading from my keg of New Year Mead, the reading was 1.015. However I forgot to take an Initial baseline reading way back at the beginning, and so I will have to rely upon the two estimates given by J_P of either 1.107, or 1.088.
The first calculation equals 11.868% ABV, the second equates to 10.836% ABV. So for arguments sake I am going to call it 11%, but it is still fermenting albeit at a much reduced rate.
I now have a dilemma, as I have insufficient bottles and jugs to rack it all off, this presents me with three choices:
1) Let it ferment out with the existing Ingredients.
2) Add another 500 g of sugar, and let it ferment for a while longer, which will make it a fair bit stronger.
3) Stop the fermentation, add the finnings to clear the Mead. Get another ad posted on Freecycle for some more Demi Johns, and rack off into any Demi Johns that I might receive for the time being.
I still have two empty 10 litre capacity buckets with lids, and these have been ear-marked for the up and coming Birch Sap Mead, and I will not be needing the 25 litre Rota-Keg that the New Year's Mead is in for the batch of Elder flower for about another 6-7 weeks.
Hmm! Decisions, decisions, decisions.
28 th of March 2008
Decision Made !
Late last night I posted another ad on Norwich Freecycle, and today I have been offered several Demi Johns, and other bits and pieces of home-brewing paraphernalia from several sources, which I will be collecting over the next couple of days.
So to keep this thread going with some more interesting posts, I will be doing the following:
Racking the batch of New Year's Mead into the newly acquired Demi johns, allow the Mead to settle for a couple of days, then stop the fermentation with a commercially available Fermentation stopper, and then adding the finnings to clear my Mead, before racking it into the bottles for the final time. By doing everything in this order; it will be done in clear glass, and I will be able to photograph the process in its various different stages, allow me a little more time to obtain sufficient bottles, and to clear my keg for the up and coming Birch sap and elder flower Meads.
This will be a completely new learning experience for me, and it will be far better for me to continue the postings as everything progresses, so that other novice home-brewers can learn from my trials and tribulations.
Post Script.
I have had a cracking evening playing Backgammon, finishing off 65 pukas, and 4 match points ahead of my guest. On clearing up afterwards I noticed that the Dark Grape Mead that I started some 50 odd hours ago has begun it's fermenting process. :thumbup:
29th of March 2008
I had to go on a round trip of Norwich picking up the Home-brewing items that I had been offered on Freecycle.
Three stops around the city resulted in me receiving many items. several; hydrometers, thermometers, airlocks, bungs, an electric demi john heating collar, syphoning, and filtering kit, and 9 demi johns. 4 of them containing 21 year old Redcurrent wine (according to the labels), and 4 bottles of 16 year old Perry.
I have 5 of the demi johns filled with sterilsing solution, and tomorrow I will rack off the New Year's Mead into them for the first time. Later in the week I will be stopping the fermentation, and adding the finnings to clear it.
I popped over to the Home-brew shop at Hellesdon this afternoon to pick up some fermentation stopper and powdered finnngs. The freecycle demi johns are now sterlised, and so tomorrow I will begin this process, along with the now obligitory photos.
I have had a really good sort out of the items that I obtained from Freecycle, the vast majority of it is Boots brand home-brew equipment. One of the Hydrometers has a much greater range than my hydrometer. 1.170--0.980, my original hydrometer only has a range of 1.130--0.990. So I will be using the old Boots brand one from now on.
A quick trip to Lidl this afternoon to buy some of their most excellent Black pudding, resulted in me also purchasing 24 litres of Grapefruit Juice which was reduced to 53p/litre, so a Grapefruit Mead is a must for me to do later this weekend.
31st of March 2008
Grapefruit Mead making this morning.
A slight deviation in my quantities this time.
1700 g Clear Honey.
500 g Granulated White Sugar.
3 Litres of Unsweetened Concentrated Grapefuit Juice.
3 g Allinsons Bread Making Yeast
I have used more Honey and Fruit Juice than I would normally, and No boiling water to make up the volume this time. I am tryng to see if I can brew a Sweet and Sour Mead, if that makes any sense. :scratch:
When this batch begins to ferment, I only have enough room in the DJ for about 250ml of water to prevent frothing over. I'll just have to see how it goes.
This evening I have made a batch of Fruits of the Forest Mead.
3 litres Dark Grape Juice.
2 X 500g of Frozen Summer Fruits & Berries.
2 X 300g of Frozen Morello Cherries.
1700g of Clear Honey
250 g Granulated White Sugar.
3 g Allinson Bread Making Yeast.
Zap the thawed out fruit in the blender, add the dark grape juice bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes, pass through a sieve, add the other ingredients as per my other Mead recipes.
My Kitchen Windowsill this evening.
Left to right;
Grapefruit Mead, Orange Mead, Dark Grape Mead, Sweet Cyser, Dry Cyser, Fruits of the Forest Mead.
I have also added the powdered Fermentation stopper to my 5 Gallon Keg of New Year's Mead. I'll give it 2-3 days, then I will rack off, and add the finnings.
Righty 'O'.
I am off to prep and sterlise my Birch sapping kit ready for tomorrow.
7th of April 2008
I am pleased to announce that the 2 Cysers, Dark grape Mead, Fruits of the Forest Mead, Grapefruit Mead, and Orange Mead are still ferckling away with a manic fermentation fervour. The Birch sap tapping is going appallingly badly, in 3 days I have only managed to obtain a little less than 1 litre, and although I am not giving up on the sap tapping I am considering making a Lemon Mead this week, although a quick look out of my kitchen window indicates that the Stinging Nettles are starting to begin their new spring growth
Late last week, I added the fermentation stopper to the 25 Litre keg of New Year's Mead. After adding the stopper, I decided to leave it for 72-96 hours to do it's thing.
This morning I syphoned the Mead from the keg into 5 previously sterilised Demi johns, ready to add the wine finnings to clear the Mead of any sediments still in suspension. Initial filtration was through a standard fine wire mesh coffee maker filter. This was used just remove the larger lumps, and I am happy to report that only the one dead bug was found this time around.
Away She goes! into the first demi john
A close up of the fine mesh coffee filter. The addition of the spring clamps to hold everythng in place was one of my better ideas, and the syphoning tube with the little tap was invaluable for preventng a sticky mess.
The Wine finnings that I obtained from the home-brew shop up the road.
Bottle A contains Kieselol solution
Bottle B contans Gelatine solution, citric acid (E330) and Preservative (E202).
The correct dosage is 1-2 ml of each per 4.5 litres. Add A first, stir in well and leave for at least 30 minutes, then add B and stir in well. The instructions state that my wine/beer/Mead will be clear and ready for rackng after 24-72 hours.
Left to right;
DJ one. No Finnings added. This my control so that I can observe how quickly the finnings clear a DJ, and it's contents will be used as a taste comparission later in the week.
DJ two. This is the one from the bottom of the barrel (pun intended) and contains a lot of sediment in suspension. So I should get a good idea of how well the finnings work
DJ three, four, and five. Are just the first 15 litres syphoned from the barrel. Having what I consider a normal amount of sediment in suspension.
I'll continue with observations and photos at regular intervals over the next few days
8th of April 2008
Here is an update on the progress that been made, by the Wine finnings added to my Mead yesterday lunchtime.
Approx 45 minutes after adding the finnings.
The one on the left is the control DJ, without Finnings. The one on the right is the one with the sediment from the bottom of the keg with the finnings added.
All the DJ's this morning. As you can see, there is a significant difference in clarity
Left to Right. DJ1) Control, no finnnings. DJ2) Heavy sediment with finnings. DJ3, 4, & 5) the rest of the keg wth finnings.
A close up of DJ's 1, & 2, The model Knight in the foreground is for reference puposes. NOTE: Thats is not cloudiness at the top of the DJ, but an inverted refelection of the hedge outside of my kitchen window.
The model Knight placed directly behind the DJ to indcate the clarity of the contents. Again, there is an inverted reflection of the hedge and tree just outside of my kitchen window.
Saturday 12th of April 2008
I have asked the question about finnings, and more importantly none animal based finnings on one of the home-brewing forums. When I get a reply, I'll copy and paste it to here. :thumbup:
I have been off colour with a bad stomach for a couple of days, achieving absolutly nothing but self pity. However, I did clean up the 12 wired, flip top, beer bottles that I obtained from my local freecycle group.
Ironically, just after collecting my S/H freecycle bottles, my local homebrew shop a couple of miles up the road called me, to say that they now stock 500 ml capacity wired, flip top bottles @£12.99 per dozen, or £1.10 each. Which is considerably cheaper than either Thorns or Lakeland in the city, who both knock out exactly the same bottles at £2.99 each. It is a real shame that lagers gas me up and give me a wicked hangover and headache, as my local corner offie has 500 ml bottles of Grolsch with the wired flip tops @ £1.85 each. :q52:
I also picked up some cheap 100% Natural Pear Juice (complete with pulp, and nectar) this week, and so 2 litres of that have gone in to a demi john to become Pear Mead.
2 ltres Pear Juice.
1700 g Clear Honey.
3 Tablespoons lemon juice.
5 g Allinsons Bread making yeast.
I have not used any sugar in this one, as the Pear juice is extremely sweet. This batch of Mead has also been the most reluctant to begin fermenting, taking 4 days to even start. A quick surf around some of the home-brewing forums indicates that I could have been a little too quick to fit the airlocks. With the suggestion that Oxygen is required in the first 24-36 for the yeast to begin the fermentation process properly. I removed the airlock, gave the DJ's contents a really good stir and left it over night. By the following morning the fermentaton process had started. I left it until late that evening, when I topped up the DJ with cooled, boiled filtered water. By the next morning the fermentation was at the manic pace that I have become acustomed too.
My birch sap tapping is going appallingly badly. The weather this week probably being my downfall, as I have only managed to obtain about 2 litres of Birch sap from 5 trees. I am going to persist at this for 1 more week, before I write it off as a lost cause.
I am just about to set off, and go out Birch Sap Tapping for the afternoon. I wish to collect between 25 and 30 litres of Birch sap over the next 7-10 days, and will only harvest 2 litres of Sap from each tree tapped.
I do not expect my containers to be filled completely today, but will leave them out over night and collect them at some time tomorrow. However, I will take a few photos while I am out showing the methods that I am employing.
The basic Kit that I will use out on the common;
Cordless Pistol Drill, C/W 10mm dia Standard drill bit and a spare 10mm dia spade type bit.
Trimming knife to cut the tubing to length.
10 metres of 10mm dia plastic tubing.
5 X 2 litre Empty milk containers, washed out using Bicarbonate of soda, sterlised with Milton fluid, and thoroughly rinsed out. Note; The green caps for the milk containers have been drilled through to accomodate the plastic tubing (see the cap on the placed on the larger container).
2 X 5 litre containers (only 1 shown) for transporting the collected Birch Sap.
Birch sap is mainly used to make Beer and Wine, it is also drunk unprocesed from the tree. Being regarded a health tonic as it contains natural sugars, vitimins, minerals and trace elements.
However, I am involved here! :q33: :q33: :q33: :
Some of you may remember me making a most deliceous Birch Sap toffee live on Webcam (and consuming a little too much Vin Rouge in the process :ROFL: ). You may also recall me making a 10 litre batch Birch Sap flavoured Mead, which I managed to polish off about 3 weeks ago.
From this years harvest, 25 litres of Birch sap will be going straight into Mead production, the rest will be used for more toffee. Although I may save a few litres for use later on in the year, and I may try cooking a chicken breast or two in some.
To tap the sap, I have drilled a 10mm hole, 45mm deep, at 45 degrees (upwards) into the trunk of the Birch trees. A length of plastic tubing has been pushed approximately 10mm into the trunk of the tree. The other end is put into the top of the collection container.
I have tapped 5 trees this afternoon, and a little sap has already begun to collect in my containers. I will return tomorrow and see how much has collected in the contaners.
Appalling light condtions this afternoon, and so this is the best photo that I have managed to take.
A fortuitous afternoon out as I managed to obtain approximately 7 litres of Sap from 4 Birch trees. Tomorrow I will seal off the holes with a whittled plug from the branches of the trees, and then I will cover the wounds with some sterilised Fullers earth.
I also met a man out walking his dog with the rest of his family, and he was very iinterested in what I was up to. I also bumped into another friend, who I have not seen in a long time. We were both members of the same return work scheme 18 months ago, and she has agreed to accompany me to dinner one night.
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Joined: 29 Jun 2007
Posts: 85
Location: Norwich, Norfolk, UK
Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 12:21 pm
Post subject:
A link to my friend Lloyd's smoked foods web-site;
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Joined: 29 Jun 2007
Posts: 85
Location: Norwich, Norfolk, UK
Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 10:04 pm
Post subject:
A quick update on the progress of my Mead making.
The two Cysers, the Orange Mead, Grapefruit Mead, and the dark Grape Mead have all stopped fermenting, and have cleared by themselves.
I had a look in the cupboard this morning, having neglected my Mead making duties over the last month. I wanted to check the Birch Sap Mead's progress and start the preparations for Elderflower Mead making this weekend, so it now looks like I am filtering the ready Meads (along with a little sample or two) this evening.
I managed to bottle the ready Meads the other night, and what a wonderful experience that was.
Last night was another Mead making session. This time a Demi-John of Lemon Mead, and a Demi-John of Lime Mead.
Well that seems to be the Citrus flavoured Meads covered, and this afternoon I will go out and pick sufficent Elderflowers to make 25 Litres of Elderflower Mead. Tonight is Backgammon night, so I wish to have the Elderflower Infusion going before I leave. Tomorrow evening I will then reheat the Infusion and add the Honey and sugar to make the brew must (photos to follow).
Lemon Mead;
2 Litres of Lemon Juice
1700g Clear Honey
250g White Granualated Sugar
Boiled, Filtered water to top up.
5g allinson Bread Making Yeast.
The two tablespoons of lemon juice need to increase the acidity and kick start the yeast into acton are not required with this recipe. :ROFL:
Lime Mead;
2 Litres of Lime Juice.
1700g Clear Honey
250g White Granualated Sugar
Boiled, Filtered water to top up.
5g Allinson Bread Making Yeast.
If the local 99p shop still has the 2 X 750 ml bottle packs of Lemon juice on offer this weekend, then there will be a Lemon & Lime Mead started sometime next week.
Lemon & Lime Mead:
I am looking to make a 10 litre batch of a some what sharp, and almost tart Lemon and Lime Mead, which will hopefully turm out to be very refreshing but with a bit of kick to to it.
2.225kgs clear Honey
4 litres of Lemon Juice
2 litres of Lime Juice
500g of White Granulated sugarand
10g Allinsons Bread making yeast
Boiled, cooled filtered water to top up with.
P.S. This Mead must has cooled sufficently for the bucket to be moved, so I had a little taste. It is exactly what I am looking for; a sharp almost tart over honey sensation, which is enough to make you wince. Hopefully this one will ferment out quickly during the warm weather, and be ready for drinking at the August bank holiday weekend. Being just right to have as an over ice Mead spritzer with either Lemonade or better still soda water.
The 5 litres of Lemon, 5 litres of Lime and 10 litres of Lemon & Lime Meads would not start to ferment, probably because they were all too acidic. I remedied the situation by removng 1 litre of Must from each of the Lemon and the Lime mixes, adding another 500g of white granulated sugar, topping up with filtered, boiled and then cooled water, and 3g of Allinson's breadmaking yeast to each. After 24 hours the fermentation had begun, and was at the furiousily manic stage that I have become accustomed to.
For the 10 litres batch of Lemon & Lime Mead mix, I basically doubled the above listed rescue remedy; Drawing off 2 litres of Must and adding 1 kg white granulated sugar, adding the filter, boiled and cooled water and 6g of Yeast.
One week after the rescue attempt, and all three of these batches are doing well. So is the 25 litres of Elderflower Mead, and quick check of the Smoked Walnut, and Smoked Hazelnut Meads indicates that they are still fermenting, albeit at a reduced rate approximately six months after they were originally started: These two I am really looking forward to sampling this coming Christmas.
It will be the start of the Blackberry season in approximately 5-6 weeks. Blackberries are one of my absolute never to be missed favourites. This year for the first time I will be adding Blackberry Mead to my repetoire of Blackberry based preserves, Vinegars and other goodies. So for the month of July, I will not start any other flavoured Meads, but allow the others to catch up, be racked and bottled off. Freeing up some of my brewing equipment and valuable Kitchen cupboard and worktop real estate. It will also allow me the opportunty to stock up in bulk with more cheap clear Honey and sugar, in anticpactiation of a mammoth Blackberry Mead brewing and vinegar making session.
I have just this minute realised what I did last weekend. As I drew off the Lemon, Lime, and Lemon & Lime Must, to make way for additional sugar and water, I poured the excess down the sink; after the fact common sense, or hindsight; call it what you will............... I would have had another 4 litres of Lemon and Lime Must to be blended together and then started off to ferment. That's a whole Demi-John full.
I haven't got around to an accurate stock take yet, but I reckon that I have approximately 200 litres of, 15 varities of Mead in various stages of fermentation, or racking.
Gareth's six month Mead stock take;
25 litres New Year's Mead, minus 10 litres already consumed equals 15 litres
10 litres Smoked Walnut Mead... will bottle out at 8 litres
10 Litres Smoked Hazelnut Mead... will bottle out at 8 litres
5 litres Grapefruit Mead... will bottle out at 4 litres
5 litres Orange Mead... will bottle out at 4 litres
5 litres Fruits of the forest Mead... will bottle out at 4 litres
5 litres Summer fruits Mead.. will bottle out at 4 litres
5 litres Dark grape Mead... will bottle out at 4 litres
5 litres Dry Apple Cyser ... will bottle out at 4 litres
5 litres Sweet Apple Cyser.. will bottle out at 4 litres
5 litres Pear Mead. will bottle out at 4 litres
10 litres Nettle Mead... will bottle out at 8 litres
25 litres Elderflower Mead... will bottle out at 20 litres
5 litres Lemon Mead... will bottle out at 4 litres
5 litres Lime Mead... will bottle out at 4 litres
10 litres Lemon & Lime Mead... will bottle out at 8 litres
That is 150 litres of Mead in 16 different varieties, with a 20% loss of volume due to fermentation and bottling, equalling 120 litres for consumption
Still to come; 25 litres Blackberry Mead (at least), 10 litres damson Mead, 10 litres Elderberry Mead, 5 litres Sloe Mead, 5 litres Hawes Mead, 10 litres Rosehip Mead.
Others under consideration are; Almond Mead, Brazil nut Mead, Rose Petal Mead, Carrot & Parsnip Mead, and maybe a Peanut Mead.
I have just noticed that there will be a Mead competiton at the Suffolk Smallholders show next sunday.
What do you reckon folks, should I enter a few of my efforts?
I have decided to enter a few bottles of my Home-made Mead into the Suffolk Smallholder's Mead competition, but I have no idea on how to present my Meads in that competition.
I received the show schedule and the class entry forms today.
The Mead competition rules are pretty straight forward; any clear glass bottle of 70 cl or over. Two categories; Sweet Mead and Dry Mead. As my New Years Mead is reasonably dry, 1 litre of it in an Ikea flip top bottle will be entered.
The flavoured Meads presented a little problem, but a quick phone call to the show's secretary cleared that question up. I can enter the flavoured Meads into the class for any Home-made product containing honey as an ingredient, providing the recipe is also included. Therefore I have chosen the following; Orange Mead, the Dark Grape Mead and the Sparkling (as it is still fermenting ) Fruits of the forest Mead. I will also include a 500 ml bottle of My "Fruits of the Forest Vinegar," as I still have one bottle of the original batch left. This was the batch where I ran out of Sugar, and bunged in a jar of honey to make the recipe up to the correct volume.
Absolutely no preconceptions upon my part, but it would be very nice to walk away with at least one Rosette. .
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Joined: 29 Jun 2007
Posts: 85
Location: Norwich, Norfolk, UK
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 3:12 pm
Post subject:
All of my exhibits for tomorrow's Suffolk Smallholders show are now packed and ready to go.
1 Litre New Year's Mead in the Dry Mead category
1 Litre Fruits of the Forest Mead in the Honey used as an Ingredient category
1 Litre Orange Mead in the Honey used as an Ingredient category.
1 Litre Grapefruit Mead in the Honey used as an Ingredient category.
1 Litre Dark Grape Mead in the Honey used as an Ingredient category
1 litre Fruits of the Forest Vinegar in the Honey used as an Ingredient category.
It's a 40 miles drive each way, and I have to be there between 6 and 8pm this evening to enter them in the competion for tomorrows judging.
Photos to follow
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Joined: 29 Jun 2007
Posts: 85
Location: Norwich, Norfolk, UK
Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2008 6:07 pm
Post subject:
I was Knobbled!
My entry into class 9; Dry Mead was disqualified because I had displayed in the wrong type of bottle. Now, the rules stated a clear glass bottle of no less than 70cl was to be used. Well, I have 20 X 1 litre (100cl) glass, wire flip top bottles especially for for my Meads. According to the Judges, this type of bottle did not meet the show requirments.
The dark grape Mead entered in Class 16 was also disqualified......... Someone had ripped my recipe sheet in two and had stolen the half with recipe, leaving only the half with the method, and therefore my entry did not meet the full requirements when the Judges arrived to do the Judging.
The fruits of the Forest Vinegar was also disqualified from class 16. All of the exhibits had stood out over night in a tent. Obviously it had been cold enough for some of the Honey used as an Ingredient in the Fruit Vinegar to crystalise, and this was the reason for disqualification.
The Orange Mead, also entered in class 16 won first prize.
Last edited by Gareth on Thu Jul 24, 2008 8:33 pm; edited 2 times in total
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Joined: 19 Oct 2007
Posts: 1194
Location: central PA
Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2008 6:32 pm
Post subject:
congrats on the First!
I don't do competitions but I have heard some horrors about "the rules" so I reckon that's an item one must really pay close attention about.....
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Here's a classic piece of magic using the beautiful Johnson Chinese coins. The effect is so straight forward it defies detection. Two coins only are used. The Half Dollar is dropped into an envelope while the Chinese coin is slowly and fairly placed into your hand. Instantly they change places. Since no sleights are used, there is nothing for the skeptic to detect.
Includes a regular Chinese Coin
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text:
Hey, right on! I'd be glad to see it. I'm just about read to display my loose figures, and I'd love to do it in the order that they were released - that way you can see how the sculpts and articulation changed over time.
I have a good list on a excel file at home if ya need it or anyone else. It is pretty accurate.
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From The Files Of September 20, 1990 '90 The first frost of the fall came on Tuesday, a little earlier than the official start of the autumn season.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation faces fines of $5,000 from the state Fish Commission in connection with damage to stream beds and banks in Union and Licking Creek townships, Fulton County. Noss said the fines stem from the actions of PennDOT crews during routine channel cleanings near bridges over Patterson Run on Route 30 in Licking Creek Township and over Bear Creek and Stahle Run in Union Township.
James Bishop, better known as J.W., 14-year-old son of Jimmy and Cindy Bishop of Warfordsburg, remains a patient in the University of Maryland Hospital in Baltimore, awaiting a heart transplant. He suffers from Kawasaki syndrome, an acute, rare disease of unknown origin.
Ricky Schriever, Warfordsburg, and Denise Hess, Warfordsburg, applied for a marriage license at the local courthouse during the past week.
Trudy Mort and Randy Gelvin were united in marriage August 18, at Walnut Grove Church of God in Maddensville. Parents of the couple are Mr. and Mrs. Chalmer Mellott and the late Larry Mort and Mr. and Mrs. Rheon Gelvin, all of Hustontown.
Deaths: Matthew Anderson, Orbisonia; Anna Golden, Hagerstown; Ethel Iden, Hancock.
Susan McCord, Lt., U.S. Navy, is serving as a nurse in Saudia Arabia. She is the daughter of James and Anna Vincill of Warfordsburg.
Births at the Medical Center: a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Divelbliss of Warfordsburg on September 8; a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Russell Creager of Chambersburg on September 12.
30 Years Ago
From The Files Of September 18, 1980 '80 The former McConnellsburg Day Care Center, which was recently purchased by the Fulton Industrial Development Authority, was purchased by JLG Industries at a meeting of the Authority and JLG officials on Monday.
Letterkenny workers from this area who retired at the end of August included Leroy E. McGowan, Hustontown, with 34 1/2 years; Charles Williams, Shade Gap, 28 years service; and Thomas M. Hagie Sr., Orbisonia, with 35 years of service.
About 25 of the 80 workers laid off at the JLG Industries' plant in May have returnd to work.
Specials at the IGA: spaghetti, 99 cents, 2 lbs.; Filberts margarine quarters, 2 for $1; Crisco shortening, $2.09, 3 lbs.; sirloin tip steaks, $2.49 lb.; Glad wrap, 59 cents, 100 feet; fresh ground beef, $1.39.
The Fulton County Cowboys Youth League football team shut out the Fort Ritchie Mounties Sunday 12-0.
Births at the Medical Center: a son to Mr. and Mrs. Richard A. Miller of McConnellsburg on September 5; a son to Mr. and Mrs. Duane D. Clymans of Shirleysburg on September 6; a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Leroy M. Hall of Saxton on September 11.
Via Elaine Hann and Michael Alan Shaw were united in marriage on August 9 at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Hancock. Parents of the couple are Mr. and Mrs. Blaine E. Hann, Big Cove Tannery, and Mr. and Mrs. James E. Shaw, Needmore.
Deaths: John Abrams, St. Thomas; Mrs. Mary B. Stinson, Chambersburg; Kendra D. Kendall, Hancock; Edith H. Barton, Crystal Spring; Vincent T. Wiser, Shirleysburg; Virginia M. Barnhart, Hancock; Milford R. Brady, Big Cove Tannery; Helena Smith, Lancaster; Mrs. Dorothy Yaukey, Chambersburg; Otis Kerlin, Pennington, N.J.
40 Years Ago
From The Files Of October 1, 1970 '70 A Three Springs trucker escaped serious injury early last Thursday morning when his tractortrailer truck careened down the mountainside at the dangerous Cape Horne curve on U.S. Route 30, on the east slope of Tuscarora Mountain. Franklin James Wagner, 27, was admitted in an unconscious condition to Chambersburg Hospital for treatment of head and thigh injuries after his rig was demolished.
Former Gov. William W. Scranton has named a Hustontown resident, J. Robert Cutchall, as chairman of the 1970 Citizens for Scott, Brodercik, Scalera Committee in Fulton County.
Sgt. Malcolm Ray Foster, formerly of Wells Tannery and Saxton, was fatally injured on Saturday in a head-on automobile accident at El Paso, Texas. Foster, a son of C.C. and Marjorie (Buckley) Foster of Wells Tannery, died at the William Beaumont General Hospital in El Paso. A career man in the Army, Sgt. Foster was en route to his home in El Paso from Fort Bliss at the time of the fatality. He had been in the service for 17 years.
Mrs. Ethel Decker and Mrs. Frances Reed recently returned home from a European tour, during which they visited Holland, Germany, Italy and Switzerland.
Marriage licenses: Robert Lee James of Martinsburg, W.Va., and Kay Frances Diehl of Chambersburg; Edgar C. Mellott of McConnellsburg and Lucinda Mae Buterbaugh of McConnellsburg.
Dr. and Mrs. Robert Riggs spent the weekend in Somerset where his father is seriously ill in the hospital.
Mrs. James H. Shultz keeps record of the rainfall from a rain gauge in her backyard. Over Saturday and Sunday, the gauge showed that 2.7 inches of rain had fallen in Mc- Connellsburg, most of it on Saturday night.
Deaths: Mrs. Georgetta Comerer Daniels of Hagerstown; Deborah Louise Sigel, Needmore; Floyd Ritchey, Breezewood.
Births: a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Richard Ulsh of Mc- Connellsburg on September 20; a son to Mr. and Mrs. Charles Patrick Kelso of Warfordsburg on September 21; a son to Mr. and Mrs. Robert Ramsey of McConnellsburg on September 24; a son to Mr. and Mrs. James Morris Jr. of Hancock on September 25.
The Pentecostal Church of McConnellsburg was the scene of an impressive wedding ceremony on September 2 at 2:00 p.m., which united in marriage Miss Eliza Jane Cook and Jerry Andrew Clippinger. Parents of the couple are Mr. and Mrs. Jere Cook of Fort Littleton and Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Clippinger of Wells Tannery.
50 Years Ago
From The Files of October 6, 1960 '60 A total of 5,150 county residents have registered to vote at the November 8, 1960, general election, 2,885 of them Democrats, 2,231 Republicans and 34 nonpartisan.
The Fulton County Medical Center marked its 10th anniversary on October 4 with a record of 1,950 births and 91,900 admissions since it opened. The first patient treated there was Judy Daniels of Waterfall on October 4, 1950, after falling from a car. The first patient admitted was Mrs. Raymond Martz of Hustontown on October 5, and the first baby born was Victoria Louise Cutchall to Mr. and Mrs. Victor Cutchall of Hustontown, delivered by Dr. E.H. MacKinlay.
Carl Carbaugh, McConnellsburg, and Clyde Morningstar, Harrisonville, were the top winners in the Fulton County plowing contest held on Saturday.
The construction work on Interstate Route 70, which extends 7.55 miles between Warfordsburg and Deneen's Gap, is 93 percent completed and should be open for traffic this fall. Cost of the project was quoted at $5,176,771.
According to a preliminary report, the 1959 Census of Agriculture shows there are 901 farms in Fulton County with a total of 152,110 acres. The average size of a farm in the county was 168.8 acres and the average value, land and buildings, was $7,509.
The Borough Council, at the request of Mrs. John Mentzer, Fourth Street, voted to relocate the extension of East Walnut Street, 40 feet north, to avoid dividing the Mentzer property. Clear title for te new location will be given to the borough, and all legal expenses will be paid by Mrs. Mentzer.
The McConnellsburg school library will be open to the public Wednesday from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Saturday 10:00 a.m. to noon.
Marriage licenses were issued at the local courthouse last week to Grover Elwood Strait, Amaranth, and Doris Peck, Big Cove Tannery, and Fred Eugene Waite, Three Springs, and Naomi M. Strait, Knobsville.
Helen Strait, Harrisonville, and Larry Gene Barnhart, Hustontown, were married on October 2.
Births at the Medical Center: a son to Mr. and Mrs. Jack Morton, Big Cove Tannery, on September 27; a son to Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Mack, McConnellsburg, on September 29; a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Willis Murphy, Burnt Cabins, on October 2.
Ray L. Swadley, Needmore, and Edward L. Ritz, Warfordsburg, graduated from recruit training on September 17 from the Naval Training Center at Great Lakes, Ill.
Death: Mrs. Mary E. Hanks, Everett, formerly of Fulton County.
60 Years Ago
From The Files Of October 5, 1950 '50 A formal plea of not guilty was entered Monday by a 55-year-old Buck Valley man when he was called to trial in Fulton County Court on a charge that he ambushed and murdered his 34-year-old brother on the night of June 14. The case is still in progress at press time.
Mrs. Rena Ott was installed last week as president of the American Legion Auxiliary, with Mrs. Ruth Schmidt as first vice president and Mrs. Helen Buterbaugh as second vice president.
Ralph Swope, 15, has been in Waynesboro Hospital since August 1949, when he received severe burns trying to save his baby brother when their home near Needmore burned down. On Monday, Ralph was transferred to the Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia where plastic surgery to his face and modern scientific methods to cure his badly burned leg will be applied. The transfer to Philadelphia was made possible by a benefit backyard circus staged by Waynesboro school children interested in Ralph. Service clubs and individual contributions swelled their $5 profit to the needed amount.
After months of hard work, the new Fulton County Medical Center is now ready to receive its first patients.
Births: a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Dale Hunter of Mc- Connellsburg on September 27; twins, Mary Jane and Mark James, to Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Deshong of Harrisonville on September 27; a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. William D. Harr of Big Cove Tannery on September 29; a son to Mr. and Mrs. Preston Carbaugh of Cito on September 30; a son to Mr. and Mrs. Parker Bivens Jr. of McConnellsburg on September 30; a son to Mr. and Mrs. Walter Carl Hill of Warfordsburg on October 3.
The farm of M. Earl Truax of Warfordsburg was named this year's winner in the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's soil conservation contest.
Deaths: Edgar Allen Diehl of Amaranth; Olive Cromwell of near Maddensville.
70 Years ago
From The Files of October 3, 1940 '40 A total of 92 contestants, with their varied pets, were in the line of march for the first Pet Parade in this community, sponsored by the McConnellsburg Lions Club last Friday afternoon. Horses, ponies, mules, goats, sheep, calves, rabbits, pigeons, frogs, chickens, etc., were some of the various pets entered.
Death: Mrs. Deward Strait of Pleasant Ridge.
Kenneth Miller and Blanche E. Hess were married on September 30.
Henry L. Rufle and Anna B. Meyers were wed recently.
At a special meeting of the McConnellsburg Borough Council on Tuesday night, a representative of the Duncan Meter Corporation of Chicago was present and received an order for the installation of parking meters in town. Officials of the company say the meters will be installed and ready for operation within the next two weeks. In order to get a fair reaction from the public, the meters will only be installed along a portion of the Lincoln Highway. The meters will be the two-coin type and the parking meter hours will be from 8:0 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. every day except Sundays and legal holidays.
George S. Grissinger Jr. and Beulah Gertrude Thomas were married on Saturday afternoon.
Ray Thomas George and Doris Chase Sloan were married on July 29.
A proposed expenditure of $107,000 to develop an airport near McConnellsburg is included in the airport development program for Pennsylvania, which has been prepared by the Civil Aeronautics Board.
In an accident last Thursday, cars operated by W. Russell Kendall of Webster Mils and Charles Raker of Mc- Connellsburg collided on the road from McConnellsburg to Cito. Mrs. Kendall received brush burns and lacerations of the face and a compound fracture of the left leg. Mr. Kendall had several ribs fractured and sustained possible internal injuries. They were both taken to Chambersburg Hospital. No one in the Raker car was injured.
Rev. and Mrs. Charles Pittman, missionaries in Tabriz, Iran, and well known locally, left Tabriz for America on October 1.
Pennsylvania's $70,000,000 super highway, linking Harrisburg and Pittsburgh, was thrown open to the public at one minute after midnight on Monday. The dedication of the "dream road" will be held later, at which time President Roosevelt will be the principal speaker.
Quite a crowd of onlookers gathered to view a curious sight on Monday when the Joners family of Richmond, Ind., parked their 1906 model Brush car in McConnellsburg after it had successfully "conquered" Tuscarora Mountain. The car was a "one lung" affair.
Furman Hoffman Gyger Jr. and Laura Kirk Lodge were married September 28.
David D. Lynch, son of Rural Mail Carrier and Mrs. Jennings M. Lynch, has enlisted in the Air Corps. His brother, Robert, who has been in the service for the past five years, is now at Fort Bragg, N.C.
Mr. and Mrs. Harry H. Hamil celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary on September 24.
Death: James Schriever of Hancock. J.W. Deshong is seriously ill at his home here.
Patty Sheats marked her fifth birthday on Sunday.
Thomas Smith, 65, who resides at the home of Walter Bard near Harrisonville, was struck by a car on Saturday, receiving a broken right collarbone, lacerations of the hand, a fractured skull and a possible concussion.
80 Years Ago
From The Files Of October 2, 1930 '30 This issue reveals the reason why there was no paper last week. Edgar M. Krug, publisher of The Fulton County News, died at the Mont Alto Sanatorium on Friday afternoon, September 19. Death was caused by tuberculous meningitis, which followed an attack of pneumonia.
Other deaths: Mrs. Emaline Buterbaugh Sandretuer of Waynesboro; Harvey Lee Buterbaugh of Ayr Township.
Paul Hoover, son of Mr. and Mrs. Edward J. Hoover of Three Springs, was granted a commercial pilot's license on September 8.
A.C. Garland, for the past 12 years cashier of the Peoples National Bank of Lemasters, has been elected executive vice president of the Littlestown Savings Institution, a bank with assets of more than $2 million.
Milton McKinley Foor and Marilla Chloe Metz were married September 25.
Norman Carl Fix and Evalene Anna Daniels were married September 27.
Thieves stole about $30 from Sheeder's Green Grocery on Friday night. The same night, an attempt was made to rob the Ernest Harris Jewelry Shop and on Monday night, several pieces of meat, including hams, were stolen from D.A. Washabaugh's smokehouse.
Mrs. Levi Morton and ex-county Commissioner Cloyd Gress underwent serious operations last week at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital.


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Contact: firstname.lastname@example.com
Phone: 269-471-3162
Sabbath School U (University), a 30-minute, weekly television program broadcast around the world by the Hope Channel was produced at the Media Education Center (MEC) at Andrews University, Nov. 26-Dec. 2, 2007.
Sabbath School U involves a young, diverse panel of participants who respond interactively to questions posed by a moderator on the following week's adult Sabbath School lesson. The Sabbath School environment is enriched by these programs as they focus on the four basic principles of fellowship, outreach, Bible study and missions. Each program explores ways teachers and leaders can use these emphases to breathe new life into Sabbath School.
The outstanding talent pool combined with the television production facilities at Andrews University was a major factor in the General Conference Department of Sabbath School's decision to select Andrews University as the production venue.
The program format included a host and four panelists. Adam Deibert, a recent graduate of the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary hosted most of the programs. Anneke Valles and Duane Anglin, communication majors, hosted the remaining episodes. The fifty panelists were drawn from the student body and represented almost all departments of the university. At the beginning of each episode, panelists introduced themselves and stated their major field of study. Each episode concluded with the host informing viewers that the program was broadcast from the studios at Andrews University.
The production crew included one student from Ruth Murdoch Elementary School, several undergraduate and graduate students mostly from the Department of Communication and a number from the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary. The crew worked as video engineers, audio engineers, teleprompter operators, production assistants, floor managers and camera operators. Sabbath School U was directed by Patrice Jones, a graduate student in communication. Two episodes were directed by freshman Brian Fellows, an electronic journalism major.
Production of Sabbath School U gave our students an opportunity for a hands-on experience and provided a good understanding of the 'real world' in many categories of television production and electronic media. Although other production centers and Adventist universities have offered to produce Sabbath School U, Falvo Fowler, producer and assistant director at the GC Sabbath School Department is committed to partnering with Andrews to produce future programs. The next production date is tentatively set for Feb. 19, 2008, when the second and third quarters' episodes will be recorded.
The Media Education Center was established by Melchizedek M. Ponniah, assistant professor of communication. Ponniah also produces Scriptural Pursuit, a weekly television and radio program broadcast around the world. The MEC seeks to provide real-world media production experience for Andrews University students. To this end, the MEC partners with International Learning Systems, Good News Television, the Department of Communication, the College of Technology and the Lake Union Conference.
The quality programming produced by the Media Education Center provides ample evidence of the exceptional caliber of education offered at Andrews University. Ultimately, it plays a vital role in inspiring and equipping today's youth to fulfill the call to seek knowledge, affirm faith and change the world.


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392 - No Stranger To Group Sex, Brandy Taylor Sometimes…
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If there's a group fucking, Brandy Taylor is there. What a hot doll! She absolutely has a great time getting fucked in this video. Brandy Taylor screams and almost can't take it anymore. What her friends don't know is that she really loves letting guys watch as she gets down with groups of girls. Brandy Taylor seems quite satisfied, doesn't she?
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Last Friday's JC had a review of the Chief Rabbi's new Machzor for Rosh Hashono by Dr Jeremy Schonfield. The reviewer refers to passages in our prayers which are "evidence of an awareness that all is not well in God's relations with Israel", and is critical of the Artscroll translations which gloss over these themes and instead reflect "a simple piety often unworthy of the intellectual depth of the poetic writers".
I was reminded of the review when on Monday in selichos there appeared the following verses from Jeremiah (14:8-9): Why shouldest Thou be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night? Why shouldest Thou be as a man astonished, as a mighty man that cannot save?
It is no wonder that we Jews are such relentless critics because if our God doesn't escape our vitriol mere mortals can't stand a chance. In modern argot, the Prophet's words would translate as, why are You behaving like a wimp? Can't You get off Your butt and do something?
Dr Schonfield is right that this element of our relationship with God has largely gone. While in the selichos liturgy the poets lambast God for His treatment of His people, nowadays it is all sycophancy and fawning to a God to whom we owe everything, Who owes us nothing and the best we can do is stand like beggars at His table and wail for a morsel or a bone.
In fact one can go further and say that the Jewish God is almost dead. Fifty thousand people travel to Uman in the Ukraine to be with the dead Reb Nachman, many thousands travel far and wide to worship a living Rebbe, in Israel they worship the land as if that is the new vengeful and jealous Jewish deity, and meanwhile God is forsaken and no one will give Him the tough love He so often deserves.
Verses like the one above, the constant refrain in the selichos of "Arouse, why do You sleep', or sarcastic lines like 'we have spilt our blood for You yet have still not achieved Your forgiveness' remind us of our complex relationship with our God. That even if it was our destiny to be His sitting ducks at least we were given the privilege of speaking our mind to Him to ensure He doesn't get off lightly.
So how refreshing to have come across the oratory of a Rabbi Yehosua Szpetman who talked to God in the manner of the Prophets. Born in Lublin, Poland, he was a rabbi at the Nelson Street Synagogue in the East End of London during the 1930s and '40s and a collection of his speeches in Yiddish were printed in 1938. This is not a rabbi who minced his words when addressing his Creator even when doing so publicly in front of his flock. Times in 1938 were of course significantly different to our days but this was not a rabbi to turn on Jews when trouble befell them and tell them to mend their ways in the petty, childish speeches one gets to hear these days. Instead it was God who needed to mend His ways. Rabbi Szpetman did not turn Jew on Jew and try to unite Jews with their God by sowing division amongst His people. Nor did he turn on our enemies by spouting vacuous curses which serve only to stoke flames of hate and strife.
Instead his addresses are directed to God Himself. Challenging Him, Lambasting Him, calling Him to action. Like the Prophets of yore, he addresses an omnipotent God but only to point out his apparent impotence. Stop behaving like a god, he appears to be saying, and be a man for a change.
A Ksivo Vachasimo Toivo to all my readers and I leave you with Rabbi Szpetman in this extract I have translated from a fiery sermon for Rosh Hashono:
Let us ascend to the Throne of Honour, to the King who is King of kings, the King Who sits on a high and lofty throne! Let Him hear our call of the Shofar, let Him come out from his hideout , from His holy Curtain and let Him attend and receive our blasts, wails and trills of the Shofar, that are like a bitter cry.
Arouse like prophets and call, Arouse! Why dost Thou sleep, why art Thy like a stranger in the land…, like a wayfarer retiring to spend the night…, like a mighty who cannot rescue? Arise! Why do You sleep, You Guardian of Israel? Why are You like an alien, like a stranger in the world? Like a visitor, like a warrior in chains?
On this day of Rosh Hashono, from Your coronation, the Day of the Birth of the World, shed Your royal crown, the diadem and don sackcloths and ashes, so to speak, and come with us into exile. Let us together mourn, cry and wail for the enormous tragedy that has befallen the Jewish people. The whole world has been turned into an altar and its only sacrifice is the Jew. Let us together say remembrances on the mass graves, old and new.
Let our tears from distress fall on the Great Sea and seethe, boil and storm the ocean. Let the cry of the Shofar within our essence, the pain and indignity of the souls and bodies of the Jewish people make the desert tremble. Let strong oaks fall and let there leap flames of fire. The voice of the Lord is on the water, the voice of the Lord makes the desert quake, the voice of the Lord mines flames of fire, the voice of the Lord fells cedars.


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Latino Studies Minor
Latino Studies Minor
The purpose of the Latino/a Studies Minor is to teach undergraduate students about Latino/a experiences, cultures, and contributions to the United States. The Latino/a Studies Minor addresses regional workforce needs and strengthens the commitment to cultural diversity within the University academic community.
Upon completion of the Latino/a Studies Minor, students will demonstrate familiarity with the language, cultures, histories, and socioeconomic experiences of the rapidly growing population in the United States. Students enrolled in the Minor are exposed to issues, theories, and research about U.S. Latinos/as through a variety of disciplines. Students engage in service learning with Latino/a organizations as well as complete an academic research project that prepares them for graduate school.
The Minor is particularly effective when combined with majors that offer a natural organic relationship with the Latino/a population (such as business, education, and the social sciences). Graduates of the Minor will be more valuable and effective employees as they participate in an increasingly diverse workplace.
Contact the Director
Dr. Kimberly Mahaffy
Director, Latino Studies Minor
(717) 871-7481


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Managed in cooperation withSt. Johns River Water Management District
Eagle landing on nest
Lochloosa WMA surrounds Lochloosa Lake in southeastern Alachua County and helps protect the water quality and species diversity in the watershed. More than 11,000 acres of pine plantations and water oak and live oak ridges provide habitat for large populations of bald eagles, osprey, and wading birds. Eighteen listed species live within the area, including Florida black bear, fox squirrel, eastern indigo snake, wood stork, and sandhill crane. Recreational opportunities include hunting, fishing, wildlife viewing, hiking, bicycling, horseback riding, canoeing, and boating (no boat launches are located on the property). This area is a site on the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail. Children under the age of 16 are required to wear a helmet when horseback riding on public lands. All horseback riders must have proof of current negative Coggins Test results for their horses when on state lands. Check the regulations summary for information on equestrian access during seasonal hunts.
View FWC's Regulations Summary for Lochloosa for an area map, hunting seasons, permits, fees, rules regarding dogs and area regulations.
FWC Facts:Audubon Florida's Jay Watch program needs your help! Jay Watch Volunteers assist with monitoring populations of the endemic scrub-jay across the state.
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Petition available online to request 1921 Census be released!
Family history is important for a variety of reasons. Please click on the link to sign the petition below and ask the Federal government to make this invaluable resource available without delay!
Please join this campaign: http://chn.ge/17AhwSb.
Labels: 1921 Census, Canadian Census, Canadian expeditionary forces, CEF, family history, genealogy, petition