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Modern technology had given us so much. Self-driving cars, GPS, the Internet are one of the most prominent achievements of today's science. When it comes to gardening, it seems as if nothing had changed for a long time. Luckily, this is not entirely true.
Gardening hoses have made progress regarding functionality. Today, we have this kind of hoses which can be stretched to increase the reach significantly. The best expandable hose had to be found, and I did my best to do so.
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What Is An Expandable Hose In The First Place?
Every gardener needs a watering tube; there is no arguing about that. But why keeping things simple, when you can expand things further (pun intended)?
Imagine that you combine a bungee-jump rope and a hose. What you get is an expandable hose. Differing from the most commonly seen design, this one features outer layer which can stretch. Besides being excellent protection, this feature is great regarding saving space.
Also, the small size of these hoses reduces the amount of space needed for their storage. Furthermore, many of them are coming in a bag which can be carried around.
So, How To Choose The Best One?
To choose the crème de la crème of the gardening hoses, I had to determine specific rules upon which my decision will be based. Some factors listed here are apparent and can be seen right away, while others require a bit of time to show. In any case, here are my guidelines which helped me to find the best expandable hose.
The Material
One of the most critical factors which will determine the winner are the materials which are used to make extendable hose. Surely, artificially created ones are holding dominance over rubber and metal, but this is due to the nature of the product.
When it comes to non-expandable hoses, they are quite simple. A rubber tube with metal web intertwined inside as reinforcement.
However, expandable tubes cannot take this approach. Therefore, the majority of such tubes will have latex core, with a stretchable outer layer made of neoprene or any other resistant material.
The Length
This matter is somewhat different for every gardener. For example, I have several valves and spigots around my house, so choosing a very long hose is not what for I was aiming. However, if you lack in faucets, you can either pick a longer one and use it or to buy two hoses and join them together as one. The latter approach, however, is not the best solution.
Since water hose expands in length when the water is turned on, it has two sizes. One is when is not used, and is usually about 17 feet, while the other represents working length, and the majority of manufacturers will aim at about 50 feet in length.
The Connectors
Since hoses are used exclusively with spigots, they have to be attached to them somehow, don't they? The quality of connector usually dictates the price.
As I said when I was writing about sprinklers and sprayers, the top-notch quality material used for parts through which water passes must include brass, nickel, and stainless steel. These are very resistant to sunlight and cracking and are almost indestructible. However, when it comes to expandable hoses, plastics can be tolerated, as long as the manufacturer used quality one.
The Price
The matter of money was also crucial for me. Admittedly, I didn't want to save money on this item, since hoses are bought once in every couple of years in the worst case, but I didn't want to pay an insane amount of cash, just to get an average product.
Finding the balance might seem a lot more difficult than it is. However, this is where this text will help you. If something is expensive, I'll accent that. Also, on the other hand, if something is a good deal by me, I'll point out that fact as well.
Following Equipment
The hose itself is the most important thing I have looked for. Of course, some manufacturers have taken one step further, so many products will also have a carrying bag, so that you can store it during winter, or a carrying hook, which keeps your hands clean, and makes carrying of the hose much more comfortable.
Indeed, more equipment means higher price, so striking a balance between what is essential and what is just an excuse to take more money from me was of utmost importance.
The Products
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**Below, you'll find our more detailed reviews, but you can also click the links above to see current prices or read customer reviews on Amazon.
So, this is the fun part. Further below are listed five of the best products I have managed to find and test. As with all of my guides, there is one for each situation you can have. In case that you need the best of the best, that is number one. The "upgrade pick" gives something new, at the highest price, but is also intended for advanced users. Anyhow, I'm sure that you will find something which will suit your needs.
The Winner
Adoric Life Flexible Expandable 50ft Garden Hose – An Absolute Winner
Price on Amazon: from $29.99
The first thing which I have noticed about this hose is the brass. The ultimate sign of quality in my book, brass connectors are an accurate reflection of quality, and this model is not the exception.
The inner pipe of this hose is made of latex, which is highly resistant to leakage and bursts, which is excellent. The outer layer is made of quality neoprene and is retractable. This means that when detached from a water source, it goes back to its 17 feet of length, which makes thing quite natural when it comes to storing. Also, neoprene is thickly vowed so that sunlight won't damage it.
As for connectors, other than being made from brass, they sport screw system, but it surprised me that there is an aluminum shut off valve at the end of the hose. I didn't have to make that trip to the faucet to turn off the water! Solid and sturdy, without any leaking or dripping spots, connectors are apparently made with proper care.
Additional equipment is included as well, so I got a hose, a hook for storage and carrying, and a bag for storage during winter, as well as the sprayer with nine settings available. The glove used for car washing was thrown into the package as well, and this came as pleasant surprise. Even though I probably won't use it, it's good thing to have.
The price is excellent for this product, and if this would be a hose with a sprayer, I would still consider it as a good deal. With all of those additional things, it is understandable why this model is the winner.
Shade&Beyond 50ft Expandable Garden Hose – Almost The Winner
As I said earlier, the protective outer layer is virtually standard feature these days. If you don't need additional equipment from the winner, this is your choice.
The length of this hose is a standard one, about 50 feet when fully stretched, and around 17 once the water is turned off. Being extendable makes it convenient for storing as well. The connectors are made of brass, and screwing them was effortless and smooth. The only objection I had was the shut-off valve; its lever is made of plastic, so wearing and tearing was apparent after a while.
Also, the absence of equipment was a slight disappointment, since no hook is included, just the hose, sprayer, and a bag. Luckily, I had a few of those lying around, so I managed somehow. Of course, the lack of equipment dictated the price.
As for the amount of money needed for this model, it was a tad higher than I was expected, it should be considered as a drawback. Simply put, for a package with essential items, at least 5-10$ less would be great. Still, the quality is apparent, so you won't make a mistake if you decide to buy this one.
Homeme 50 Feet Expandable Magic Hose – The King Of Hoses
Price on Amazon: $41.98
Every once in a while comes a product which is confident about its quality. Homeme had managed to make one such.
The most distinctive thing about this hose is the apparent quality. The outer layer is the thickest of all featured in this list, so the protection is unmatched. In fact, it is so well-made that its serving time will be at least two or three times longer than others. The inner tube is made of the latex of several layers, so this is another quality segment of the product.
On every end of this 17 feet, a long hose is a brass-made connector, and they are of different types. Therefore, it is compatible with every faucet. Also, the shut-off valve is featured, so I could effortlessly turn off the water without walking through the wet grass. Of course, once the water is completely turned off, the hose shrinks from 50 to 17 feet.
Beside hose, this package provides a sprayer with eight different spray patterns. The quality of this item is transparent as well since the top of the shelf plastic is used. Also, it is delightful to touch, and it doesn't slip when gets wet. Also, the manufacturer included a bag for carrying as a gift, which is beautiful detail.
As for the price, it is high, there is no arguing about it, but when visible quality, long service time and lifetime warranty are taken into consideration, it is not that scary. More than "too expensive," this model can be described as a worthy investment.
Growgreen 50 Feet Expandable Hose – Short-Term Solution
Price on Amazon: from $32.95
In case that you are short on cash, GrowGreen gives the answer!
Another expandable hose, this one slightly falls behind regarding quality. The outer layer is somewhat thin and unimpressive. After several uses, I have noticed that it doesn't contract as well, so I think that the manufacturer should make a bit more effort to correct this.
Also, the money I believe was saved with bad protective layer wasn't luckily spared when it comes to connectors. Made of brass, with plastic shut off valve, they look pretty decent, although not as sturdy as I would like them to be.
No additional features are included, so it is no wonder that the price is rather low. However, since the quality is low, don't expect it to last longer than a couple of seasons.
WISLIGHT 100ft Expandable Garden Hose – For Those With Only One External Valve
Price on Amazon: $29.99
Wislight went one step further and made a hose with impressive 100 feet length. This was pretty convenient when I had to water the further part of the garden.
When you turn on the water, this otherwise uninteresting hose will show its true colors. Although it is black, it simply shines (pun intended). It will extend its quality outer layer to about 100 feet without much effort. I have also noticed that it has both connectors available (internal and external one), so no matter which tap you have, it will fit. Now, when I think about it, this hose could be described in one word – versatility.
As for joints, they are sturdy and heavy, so no breaking or leaking is possible. The material is thick enough to withstand standard PSI of the water system. Also, almost every sprayer will fit this hose, so if you have any, feel free to use it.
In case that you don't have a sprayer, it doesn't matter; the manufacturer included one made of stainless steel as well. It is also resistant to sunlight, rust, and breaking. All of those can be nicely packed into a convenient bag and carried to where they are needed.
The price stays in range with the other models, but when the length is considered, and that you are getting one year of warranty, it is evident that this is a rather good deal.
When all things are taken into consideration, it is clear that Adoric Life Flexible Expandable 50ft Garden Hose is the winner. Its price-quality ratio is the best among others, and that additional equipment is also a useful feature. However, its reliability and the quality of the material is apparent, so it is no wonder that for me it is a winner. Therefore, the best garden hose has been discovered, and it is up to you whether you will use it or not.
As always, feel free to leave a comment, opinion or advice in the comment section below.


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The word 'trope' may have negative connotations, but I don't necessarily think they're always a bad thing… Fantasy, for example, is a genre that is often accused of being 'tropey', but it's easily my favourite genre, and in a lot of cases, I think the tropes are an integral part of it. Yes, in the wrong hands' classic elements of fantasy can come across as cliched and tired. But when well executed we often recognise them and think – 'Yay! I love this type of character/setting/plot, etc.!' So here are 7 fantasy tropes that make me say yay! Dragons The… Read more »
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I'm Laura, a 26 year old, bright-haired bookworm, book blogger and writer from the North West UK.
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By: Ashley Conley
The Super Bowl of NASCAR is only 10 days away! Here are seven reasons why you should tune in or head to the track for some high-speed action:
1. There's a new sponsor and logo – In December, NASCAR announced a new primary sponsor for its premier series. What was previously known as the Winston Cup Series, then the Sprint Cup Series, will now be the Monster Energy Cup Series. In addition, NASCAR's signature multicolored logo has been upgraded to a more simplistic yellow, red and blue scheme.
2. There's a new format – This year's Daytona 500 will be the first race to run under a newly implemented format in place for the entirety of the 2017 schedule.
The Great American Race will feature three stages – two of 60 laps and one of 80 laps – totaling the usual 200 laps and 500 miles. A new points format will also be put into effect. You can check out the details here.
3. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is back – The man who's claimed the Most Popular Driver Award a whopping 14 years in-a-row is back to full health after missing most of the last season with major concussion symptoms.
Since the tragic death of his father, Dale Earnhardt, Sr., during the 2001 Daytona 500, this race has been especially significant for Dale Jr. and his fans. The 18-year veteran has two Daytona 500 championships under his belt and is a favorite to win another.
4. Jimmie Johnson is racing for a record-breaking eighth championship – After winning the 2016 title, Jimmie Johnson tied Dale Earnhardt, Sr. and "The King" Richard Petty for the most titles in NASCAR history with seven. This year, he's racing to break that record. Winning a third-career Daytona 500 could be the perfect start to accomplishing that goal.
5. The Young Guns – Ryan Blaney, Ty Dillon, Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, Daniel Suarez; the list goes on and on. NASCAR isn't just an old fashioned sport full of older men nowadays. The younger talents bring a whole different element of excitement and although some of them are only in their early twenties, they know how to give the veterans a run for their money.
6. A female will compete for the sixth-straight season – Danica Patrick will pilot the No. 10 Aspen Dental Ford Fusion for this year's Daytona 500. The Illinois native has 154 career NASCAR starts, the most of any female driver in the sport's history (you go, girl!). Statistically, Daytona has been one of her best tracks with two top-ten finishes and one Pole (2013).
Will this be the year she gets her first win?
7. The Big One – Although it's never pleasant to see anyone wreck while traveling 200 mph, The Big One is almost always inevitable at a track like Daytona. The exciting part about The Big One is that it can single-handily determine who's still in it to win it on the very last lap when the checkered flag waves. The ultimate crash can knock out 10, 12 or even more cars in a matter of seconds. Luck has to be on your side to win the Daytona 500!
The 59th running of the Daytona 500 is slated for Sunday, February 26 at 2 p.m. and will air on FOX (television) and the MRN (radio). Tickets can still be purchased online.
Cover Image: nascar.com
Ashley Conley is a senior journalism student at WVU. She aspires to become a writer or reporter in the sports industry upon graduation. You can follow her on Twitter @ashleyconleyyy.


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Absorbing your turmeric
Press release • Nov 15, 2016 12:25 GMT
Turmeric is an amazing spice with a huge range of health benefits. Research has shown that it's anti-inflammatory properties could have the power to heal a wide range of illness from cancer to depression. However turmeric is fat soluble and therefore when combined with a little oil the compounds are better absorbed by the body. Add black pepper which contains a substance called piperine and this boosts the body's ability to absorb even more - considerably upping the health benefits.
With this in mind www.tea4life.co.uk a small on-line tea retailer have launched a new tea "Turmeric Sencha". A wonderful warming combination of Japanese Sencha, organic coconut chips, organic turmeric and a little grinding of organic black peppercorns. The marriage of Sencha and turmeric with coconut result in a new superpower in the world of tea.
please email sam@tea4life for further information or to receive a free sample.
Tea4life is a small on-line retailer specialising in hand blended green tea. Founded by Sam Corti, a cancer survivor, all the teas offer maximum health benefits and are available at www.tea4life.co.uk.


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Lessons Learned as an Intrapreneur – Launching a Startup Inside Michelin
As the way we consume goods and services evolves, startup companies are disrupting traditional business models of large organization. These big corporations are rushing to adapt their rigid business processes to embrace the lean and nimble innovation methodology that has allowed the best new startups to thrive.
Wes Johnson, a corporate entrepreneur (or intrapreneur) tells his story of building an on-demand service startup, Michelin OnSite, inside of the Michelin Global Incubator. He will share the successes and pitfalls that come along when the entrepreneurial spirit and lean startup mindset is applied inside of a large global corporation.
Wes Johnson is an engineer, entrepreneur, and product developer based in Greenville, SC. Wes has held product development, engineering, innovation, and operations leadership roles at startups as well as Global 500 firms. Most recently he has co-founded Parmetric Inc. (www.parmetric.com), an online service that allows product developers to get parts manufactured faster and easier than ever possible before. Wes is a graduate of Clemson University (BSME), bona fide gearhead and lifelong tinkerer.
The Society Hall | 504 Rhett St. | Greenville, SC
· 6:00 p.m. Registration opens, networking and light food/refreshments
· 7:00 p.m. Program begins
· 8:30 p.m. Program ends
$25 non-PDMA members
$15 PDMA members/students


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India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday presented Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber, UAE state minister and group CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, with the "International Lifetime Achievement Award" for his outstanding contribution to the global energy industry, a statement said.Upon receiving the award, Jaber said that: "I am honored and humbled to accept an award that recognizes ADNOC's evolution, under the wise guidance of the UAE's leadership, as an oil and gas company of the future that is responding to the expanding energy needs of the growth markets of Asia and, notably, India.


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ca. 1965
with photographer guy bourdin for paris vogue, 1970
serge lutens in morocco
the moroccan home of serge lutens
jun rope by serge lutens, 1978
photographer, filmmaker, hair stylist, make-up artist, perfumer, art director & fashion designer. what didn't serge lutens do? (and do extremely well) his images were such a huge influence on me growing up - they were so exotic & beautiful & well, weird & i loved them. they were everything i was not & everything i aspired to be & do. what's amazing is how well they have held up & how current & relevant they still are. love.love.love.


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Béla Bartók
Duos for Two Violins
Zoltán Kodály
Duo for Violin and Cello
About This Program
Bartók and Kodály not only championed the folk music of their native Hungary, but internalized the rhythms, harmonies and melodies of that folk music into their own compositional language. Both spent years in the countryside of Eastern Europe collecting, notating and even recording thousands of original tunes, and essentially giving birth to the discipline of ethnomusicology. Hear the SPCO strings in dynamic performances of this folk-inspired music for duos.
Tickets for individual events will be available one month before the date of each concert. Tickets for individual concerts are $20 per person and include a drink of choice (wine, beer, craft cocktail or non-alcoholic house-made beverage) at each of the three concerts. Icehouse's gourmet American cuisine (appetizers, dinner and desserts) will also be available for purchase before, during and after the performance. Sign up for our email club to receive the latest updates on SPCO news, concerts and events.


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Woodcrest of Country Manor - St. Joseph, MN Groundbreaking
September 14, 2016
A groundbreaking ceremony was recently held for a new senior housing community designed by GLTArchitects. The new facility, located in St. Joseph, Minnesota, will be known as Woodcrest of Country Manor.
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July 11, 2016
Anderson Trucking Service (ATS) broke ground for a 20,000 square foot expansion to its corporate office on July 11, 2016. The ATS Corporate headquarters is a prominent landmark on the south end of St. Cloud, MN.
McGough Construction is serving as construction manager. Construction is expected to be completed in spring of 2017. Click
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Wilcox Family Dentistry is ready to move into their new location within the Franklin Business Center off of Franklin Ave, Sauk Rapids. The modern, dynamic space comes to life through the use of a gray color palette with vibrant green accents. An existing skylight was utilized and windows were added to provide natural light throughout the space. The 3,500 square foot space includes four treatment rooms and associated support spaces. Because this tenant build-out was being constructed in an adjacent building, Wilcox Family Dentistry was able to continue operations in their existing space without interruption until the new space was complete.
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When the new owners purchased the Franklin Business Center at 1201 Franklin Avenue Northeast in St. Cloud, they turned to GLTArchitects to redesign the building's exterior. The owner's wanted the building to have a more modern, iconic look. GLTArchitects developed numerous digital models to show various design and color options. The final design incorporates the look of stone and wood to highlight each tenant's entry. A second building with a similar aesthetic is planned to be built nearby.
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GLTA Celebrating 40 years of Design with Purpose
May 09, 2016
Entering 2016, we celebrate 40 years of providing accomplished design, value and service. As we reflect, we are filled with gratitude to our clients for allowing us to accomplish architecture that impacts the communities in which we all live. Their trust has also allowed us to achieve our goal of Design with Purpose. Check out our latest newsletter
Tags: Government / Public, Health Care, Higher Education, PK-12 Education, Private / Other, Senior Health / Housing, Senior Health Care
Mt. St. Benedict Monastery - Crookston Open House
April 24, 2016
Mt. St. Benedict Monastery in Crookston held an open house April 24 for the public to see the new housing the Sisters had just moved into that preceding fall. More than 500 visitors toured the facility and enjoyed the day meeting with members of the monastic community. Please read
for more details.
Tags: Senior Health / Housing
Country Manor plans St. Joseph Senior Living Facility
April 13, 2016
Construction is set to begin as early as July on a $16 million to $19 million senior living facility planned for a parcel of land near Kennedy Community School. Read
for more details.
Tags: Senior Health / Housing
Country Manor Announces Plans for Expansion, St. Joseph, MN
April 11, 2016
Country Manor Campus, partners with Alliance Building Corporation and GLT Architects to pursue the development of a new senior comapus in the city of St Joseph. The facility is expected to have 60 independent living units and 24 units for memory care. Commercial features would include Hair Salon, Chapel, Bistro and a Therapy/Wellness Center.
Country Manor Press Release
Tags: Senior Health / Housing
Senior Facility Coming to St. Joseph
March 07, 2016
The proposed facility would have 60 independent living units and 24 units for memory care. Commercial features would include a rehabilitation center, hair salon, chapel and bistro.
Learn more.
Tags: Senior Health / Housing
Franklin Business Center Construction is Underway
January 19, 2016
The project soon to become Franklin Business Center is underway .....read more..
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Corpse Reviver is a trio of great local musicians – Adam Kiesling, Mikkel Beckmen and Jillian Rae – and they didn't get their name from your grandad's super gross cognac-heavy hangover cure. And they're not a metal band either, although Corpse Reviver would be a freakin' sweet name for a metal band. They've taken on that name because their sets are derived from the 112 songs on the four volumes of Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music.
Of course, the name suggests the music on Smith's legendary collection of 78s from the 1920s (primarily) through the early 1940s is dead and forgotten. This was surely the case when the first three volumes were issued by Folkways Records in 1952, but less so today – American roots music is enjoying a healthy renaissance in recent years, and the Twin Cities has been more than welcoming to the trend. Many songs from the period, on and off the Anthology, have been adopted by local artists, and as Corpse Reviver proves, they have a robust relevance still today.
So this awesome trio with ties to so many other other local favorites of ours – including Steve Kaul's Brass Kings, Pert Near Sandstone, Charlie Parr, the Brian Just Band and the Blackberry Brandy Boys, to name a few – has been folk, blues and country tunes off the Anthology for a while now, and just finished recording an album at Underwood Studio this spring.
They played a set at Trampled by Turtles' anniversary extravaganza at First Avenue a couple weeks ago, and brought with them a limited, numbered edition (of only twenty-five!) of their not-yet released album, Volume 1: I'll be Rested When the Roll is Called. You can hear the entire record on their bandcamp page here or by using the handy player below. They are planning a full release of the album for this summer, or perhaps the fall if they decide to press LPs (yes, contact 'em through that Bandcamp page and tell 'em you'd buy an album!).
Mikkel Beckmen was kind enough to bring a couple copies of the disc to the shop, where it has taken up a residency in our CD player. We thought a fun way to introduce the album would be to present it above, and then collect the ten original recordings from the Folkways compilations below.
What is the Anthology of American Folk Music?
The Anthology of American Folk Music is a 1952 compilation album (actually a series of three double LP sets) culled from an incredible stash of shellac collected by Harry Smith. The eighty-four songs split over its six records had been commercially released on 78 rpm discs between 1927 and 1932, but were for all intents lost to the listeners even just two decades later. The range was chosen because it captures music created between the dawn of electronic recording and the substantial dip in country, folk and blues recordings that is caused by the Depression.
Smith is variously described as a Bohemian, an experimental filmmaker, an ethno-musicologist, and an eccentric (and he was all of these things), but his great contribution to the ages was as the coolest record nerd of his generation. Smith amassed blues, folk and country 78s at a time when they were considered worthless relics. Fortunately Folkways founder Moses Asche shared his feeling, and the label issued what is essentially the first and most awesome mixtape anybody ever made. The three sets were originally issued with identical covers – a sixteenth century engraving by Theodore de Bry – but have also appeared with other covers and packaging. Our own collection is on CD and has long since lost it's original packaging, so all that is left is a series of plain-looking double disc sets.
Original lps are fairly rare these days but the liner notes alone are worth the price of admission – Smith cut and pasted together his elaborate, idiosyncratic notes in a manner equal parts post-modern art and high school fanzine. His synopses for each track are thorough, insightful and witty. In all our years of collecting records we've found few examples of better, more compelling liner notes than Smith's.
The Anthology is credited as the single strongest catalyst of the folk revival that began in the early 60s, making its release a watershed moment in the history of traditional American music. Many musicians who had long ago laid aside their guitars and banjos were re-discovered by enthusiasts after their recordings were heard on the Anthology, most famously Mississippi John Hurt, who's 1928 recording of "Frankie" was included. Collectors found a 78 of his recording of "Avalon" shortly thereafter, and using its lyric "Avalon, my home town" tracked Hurt down, then give or take seventy years old, near Avalon, Mississippi. He recorded and toured for the remaining three years of his life.
Many musicians were inspired to launch their folk and blues careers by the music on the Anthology, including Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Dave van Ronk and others from the Greenwich Village folk scene in the early 60s. The music enjoyed an additional revival in the 90s when alt-country bands began to cover the songs – and others from the same time period. One of our favorite bands from that time is Uncle Tupelo, whose recording of "No Depression" by the Carter Family, led that song title to become a sort-lived buzzword for their genre and a healthy antidote to the woeful doom n' gloom of grunge rock.
A fourth volume of the Anthology was created in collaboration with the Harry Smith Archive in 2000, nine years after his death. It included music from a later period (records from as late as 1940) but followed the original collections' unique system of organization. Each volume had a distinct theme – the first three were Ballads, Social Music and Songs (usually about everyday subjects). Volume 4 took the theme Labor Songs. It also followed Smith's correlation of each volume with a classic alchemical element – water, air, fire and earth (volume 4 correlating to earth). Many songs on the fourth volume had already become revived favorites, and others have since. Volume 4 is currently out of print, which is sort of ironic when you think about it.
Corpse Reviver Volume 1: I'll be Rested When the Roll is Called
For your listening pleasure we have sequenced the ten songs selected by Corpse Reviver in their original form below. The intention isn't to compare them, but to provide a context and for those unfamiliar with the Anthology of American Folk Music an introduction.
Corpse Reviver have created exciting and new interpretations of each. Adam Kiesling and Jillian Rae perform the topical songs from the fourth volume with humor and warmth, and the ballads are approached with characteristic drive and fervor. Kiesling's playing throughout is subtle and evocative, just as it had been on his solo album, Unclouded Day, one of our picks for the top 10 albums of 2012. Jillian Rae steals the show in several numbers, including compelling solos in "John Johanna" and "East Virginia." Our favorite track on the album is "Wagoner's Lad" in which Kiesling's clean and sparse banjo picking is matched by Rae's rich and soulful voice, a perfect combination made all the better by Mikkel Beckmen's hypnotic rhythm.
Beckmen originally conceived the project, and in tracks like "Wagoner's Lad" his contribution is quiet but essential. At times his percussion sounds almost like a drum machine, having been expertly recorded and mixed by engineer Mark Stockert. At other times Beckmen strums and picks his washboard with the energy we've come to expect from his work with Steve Kaul's Brass Kings and Charlie Parr. Throughout, I'll be Rested When the Roll is Called, is one of the most enjoyable percussive albums we've heard in a long time.
These original recordings are from our CDs and LPs of the Anthology of American Folk Music. Most are from 1928 to 1932, but a few were recorded a little later. Several may be familiar to you, or contain lines or melodies you recognize from other sources. We hope you enjoy them, as well as the new recordings by Corpse Reviver.
"How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live" by Blind Alfred Reed
"Old Shoes and Leggins" by Uncle Eck Dunford
"The Wagoner's Lad" by Buell Kazee
"My Name is John Johanna" by Kelly Harrell
"Drunkard's Special" by Coley Jones
"No Depression in Heaven" by the Carter Family
"Country Blues" by Dock Boggs
"East Virginia" by Buell Kazee
"Down on Penny's Farm" by The Bently Boys
"I'll be Rested when the Roll is Called" by Blind Roosevelt Graves and Brother
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Trackback link: http://hymiesrecords.com/an-introduction-to-the-corpse-reviver-album/trackback/


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In a press release sent to US media organizations, CAIR said it welcomed the "special training about Islamic traditions" including the Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, which entails thousands of Muslims traveling to Saudi Arabia.
The TSA cultural sensitivity training includes details about the timing of Hajj travel, about items pilgrims may be carrying and about Islamic prayers that may be observed by security personnel.
Of all the bombshells that the authors of Muslim Mafia have exposed about the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the most explosive revelation — which aired yesterday in federal court — shook CAIR to its very foundations.
But CAIR the organization, attorneys for Muslim Mafia investigators revealed yesterday in court, legally doesn't even exist. It's not unlike the group's purported goals of protecting Muslims, helping law enforcement sniff out terror leads and upholding the best of American traditions– all Muslim Mafia proves to be deceptive shams.
In fitting irony, this comes to light in a court fight that the notoriously litigious CAIR picked to ultimately suppress the First Amendment and silence the damning discoveries that the book documents in intricate detail.
"CAIR is not a valid entity," explains attorney Daniel Horowitz's; motion to dismiss in the case filed in federal court in the nation's capital. From there–piece by piece–he dismantles CAIR's case.
Part of the research for Muslim Mafia stems from a daring six-month investigation by Chris Gaubatz — son of co-author P. David Gaubatz — and two young ladies. All three pretended to convert to Islam — he grew a beard, they donned veils — and landed positions as CAIR interns. In the process, they retrieved 12,000 pages of internal CAIR documents.
Those documents illustrate what the FBI, which severed ties to the organization, and members of Congress already acknowledge: that CAIR is a Saudi-funded, terror-front group that supports Hamas, positions interns and staffers in key congressional offices, and strives to undermine post-9/11 security.
WND Books recently published Muslim Mafia: Inside the Secret Underworld That's Conspiring to Islamize America, by the elder Gaubatz, a former federal agent and veteran terrorism investigator, and Infiltration author Paul Sperry. It alerted many Americans that CAIR, which bills itself as the nation's largest "mainstream" Islamic "civil rights" group, fronts not just for Hamas but also Muslim Brotherhood, the parent organization of al-Qaeda.
CAIR disputes the Justice Department designation and condemns members of Congress who, thanks to Muslim Mafia, demanded federal probes of the organization. Nov. 2, CAIR filed in federal district court in Washington, D.C., a lawsuit against the Gaubatzes.
CAIR is seeking punitive damages for trespass, breach of contract, conversion–the unlawful use of someone else's property–and breach of fiduciary duty. But CAIR does not defend itself against the book's claims. And the FBI has served a warrant asking for the same CAIR documents.
Taking Apart CAIR's Case. << Must read…
SourceJim Kouri


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Job Reference: KW040618
Job Type: Permanent
Location: Lewisham
Salary: DOE
Date Posted: 4th June, 20182018-06-04
Date Closing: 27th July, 201807/27/2018
Sector(s): Supply Teacher Jobs Manchester, London Supply Teacher Jobs, SEN Supply Teacher Roles, SEND Teaching Jobs
Agency: Castles Education
Mathematics ASC Teacher
Castles Education are assisting a client school in their search for a Maths ASD Teacher for a permanent post starting in September 2018.
This is an exciting opportunity to join a state of the art ASD School in South East London that teach students aged 4 – 19 who are on the autistic spectrum. The school has the most amazing facilities that their students and outreach services can access. To teach in this school is a fantastic opportunity for any teacher who wants to make every child matter and reach their potential.
To teach in this school the right candidate will need :
What you as an ASD teacher will get in return for teaching in this school would be:
Please send your CV to firstname.lastname@example.com or call 0203 137 1821.
We are fully committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, younger learners and vulnerable adults and we expect all staff and volunteers to share the same commitment. All positions will be subject to enhanced DBS checks, satisfactory references and will be exempt from the provisions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974


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Y60.G2 Upholstered Lounge Chair by Carolina. Loveseat, Sofa, and Bench also available.
Model Number(s): 689-1
Dimensions: 29"W x 29"D x 32"H
Manufacturer: Carolina
$1593 - $2768*
* The pricing represented is going through a website restructure. The price you see may represent suggested list price or suggested consumer price in a COM. Please confirm with your Source Four representative, CAP 20-20, CET or the manufacturer's price guide.


text: I am married to Ron who is the Vice President of the Esperanza Church council. We have been married for 15 years and have 3 boys: Will, Blake and Danny. I taught middle school for 9 years and currently work for Grand Canyon University as an online instructor for the College of Education. I love working with kids, and am very blessed to be our Family and Children Ministry Coordinator.


text: this Event is going to be off the hook. and right in our backyard. Located here in beautiful Buena Vista. The music and scenery are lined up. we are only waiting on a formal acceptance to be there to satisfy your festival hunger needs. so write Vertex and tell em that its not really a Colorado Festival with out Colorado Burrito Solutions Aka. WhiteWaterWraps!


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Ever since I came back from Kimberly Wilson's incredible Spring retreat, I've been doing a ton of art journaling. A Blog reader/friend asked that I do a post specifically on art Journaling and how it works exactly. I thought that was a great idea.
Because I'm working on an e-course about "Creative + Conscious Business" I wanted to make sure I had a dedicated note-book just for my business notes. Logically speaking this meant that I needed to start another art journal! It gave me the opportunity to document the process (or at least my process) a little better. This will mainly be a picture blog with supporting notes to help you along.
I'll be offering art Journaling evenings at the studio a few times a year, if you are interested let me know.
I start with lots of supplies, like the colorful tape and the sharpies above.
It's great to have lots of fun types of paper, stickers, tape, masking tape, and lots and lots of glues sticks! Visit your local art store or Michael's, visit the scrap-booking section for innumerable ideas!
Then you leaf through the magazines and you pull out images that appeal to you for any reason or if you are art journaling a certain theme you'd find things around that theme. It's your journal you do what speaks to you.
Here is a sample of the pages I created today...
If you were doing your own journal you could find some journal prompts and start writing with sharpies (they really work best) over the images. The pages become this beautiful mixed media collage. In this case I'm creating a business journal. I'm working with specific writing prompts about what I want my business to look like and action plans. I've even heard of people art journaling a business plan (I wish i had known about that before I did mine last year!!).
The cover...
Have you ever done art journaling? If so what do you like best? Share your pictures and experiences with us! I'd love to see what you come up with.
Here are a few journal prompts to get the juices flowing...
1) If you could tell your College Freshman Self one thing what would it be and why?
2) Are you doing what you love? If so what can you do to keep it up and if not what can you do to get you where you want to go?
3) If money were no problem what would you be doing right now?


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Last year I was determined to compete and complete in my first ever Triathlon event. After a few years of running marathons and other adventure races I wanted a bigger test. Triathlon combines 3 sports namely swimming, bike and running. For me and for many like me, one of the major challenges within this event is the swim. Last year I could swim a maximum of up to 50 metres, so if I wanted to achieve my goal I certainly needed to overcome this challenge.
Fast forward 15 months and I have now taken part in 5 different triathlons in the Sprint distance category. This is a 750metre swim, 20km bike and 5 km run - a great event. On Sunday past however I was attempting my first Olympic distance Triathlon in my home City of Belfast. This comprised a 1500metre swim, 37km bike and a 10km run. The challenge of swimming over a mile was pretty daunting for me, however what I have come to accept and understand is that with the right approach and work ethic, you can achieve any goal you put your mind to. In the last 6 weeks I have trained as much as I could to make sure I got through Sunday and achieve my goal.
I arrived down on Sunday morning running behind on time, which is not a great start, and before I knew it I was swimming up Belfast lough alongside the Odyssey complex with hundreds of other competitors. 35 minutes later I left the cold water and headed for transition. A quick banana and out of my wetsuit, on to the bike and away I went fro the 37km challenge. The bike for me is now the most challenging aspect of triathlon as quite simply I don't get out training on it enough.
I found the bike tough but did make it back to transition some 70 odd minutes later. I got my Nikes on and knocked back a quick gel and away I went again on my 10km run. The weather and the crowds were great and encouraging all of us on which is another unique part of the triathlon culture. The run was quite good and the longer I went the stronger I got. After 2 hrs and 45mins I crossed the finish line, and got my medal. A tremendous feeling of achievement overcame my body.
Looking back over the last 15 months I am very satisfied with my achievements in terms of my fitness goals. I am even more satisfied with the fact that it looks like my body is continuing to repair and heal itself. My Multiple Sclerosis has been stopped in its tracks and its a great feeling. I remember saying solidly for 3 years form 2007-2010, that I just wanted to feel normal again - even for a day. In the last 6 months with my diet adjustments and exercise regime, I have noticed that my symptoms continue to settle and my energy levels have grown. It really is an incredible feeling, which I never thought was possible.
So taking all this into consideration, I think that with 15 odd weeks left of 2014, I am now looking at my fitness goals for next year. Ironman France is the ultimate and if I can complete that course in June 2015, I will be extremely proud and hopefully my story of recovery, healing and perseverance will continue to help others believe that everything is possible.


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Ski to Sea
How it works: Real test of kayak leg depends on which way the wind blows
Where: Bellingham Bay from Squalicum Harbor to Marine Park.
Course length: Approximately five miles.
Approximate time to complete: 40 minutes for top finishers, around an hour for everybody else.
Quick description: On a normal race day, the finish line is only a zigzag across Bellingham Bay away, but afternoon winds three years ago forced the race committee to shorten the course for safety reasons. The course is set up to go from Squalicum Harbor to the Outfall Buoy, then back to Marker 1 at the log boom. It then heads southwest close to Boulevard Park around three other markers, before competitors beach their kayaks at Marine Park, run up the beach and ring the bell.
Sea kayak race chair: Mac Carter.
Bellingham Bay conditions chair: Larry Bussinger.
Finish line chair: Teresa Flinn.
Pre-race meeting: Noon at Zuanich Park.
Timing chip: The kayaker will receive the chip from the mountain biker, swipe the chip to record the finish time of the mountain biking leg, kayak across Bellingham Bay, swipe the chip to record the finish time for the kayak leg and ring the bell. The kayaker is responsible for swiping the chip twice (once at the start and once at the finish of the leg). The kayaker should also return the timing chip to a Ski to Sea volunteer at the finish line. Failure to return the chip will result in the team being charged $95 to replace the timing chip.
Marine Park beer garden: Talk about extra motivation to finish the race. Teams won't even have to make their way out of Marine Park to hit the beer garden , because there will be one at the finish line. Is there a better way to cap off the day than to sit back with a brew and watch other teams make their way across Bellingham Bay on a warm, sunny Sunday afternoon?
The race may be seen from Zuanich Point Park, the Bellwether development, the Bellingham Cruise Terminal, Boulevard Park or Marine Park. To avoid the parking crunch around Fairhaven, arrive early or ride a bike. Ski to Sea is offering a shuttle bus from Zuanich Point Park to Fairhaven with a stop at Boundary Bay Brewery. Organizers suggest taking advantage of ample free downtown parking.
Best place to watch the leg: Is there a better place than near the finish line in Fairhaven? Watch competitors finish and reunite with their teams and take in the awards celebration before heading to the beer garden.
Racers can take kayaks to the park on Saturday, May 29, and Boy Scouts will watch them overnight.
By this time of day you won't be dealing with changing weather, so clothing choices should be easier. Remember it is likely to be breezy on Bellingham Bay, and there could be splashes from waves.
Any water that kayakers bring should be easy to access without using your hands; CamelBaks, or something similar, would be ideal.
Coast Guard-approved life jackets must be worn at all times during the leg.
Male winners
2008: Dion Maxwell (Callen Construction Elite Equipment) 27:00*
2009: Eric Moll (Boss Construction 4 Western Football) 38:57
2010: Brandon Nelson (Beavers Tree Service) 43:03
2011: Zsolt Szadovszki (Barron Heating) 43:25
Female winners
2008: Heather Nelson (Kulshan Cycles) 31:29*
2009: Heather Nelson (Kulshan Cycles) 44:03
2010: Heather Nelson (Kulshan Cycles) 47:57
2011: Tracy Landboe (Boundary Bay Brewery) 52:36
* Course in 2008 had to be changed on race day because of unsafe conditions on the bay.


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A fire door plays a very important role in protecting a building from fire. Its role is a passive one, and is used mostly in commercial buildings, flats and offices. A good fire door will prevent fire from spreading and keep it contained.
Fire Doors are Made Up of Various Materials
There's a collection of different materials used to make a fire door, each an essential component to make the fire door effective. Any wrongly used components in the making of the fire door can render it useless and a potential risk.
If you have an escape door as well as a fire door, it should be correctly fitted with the right materials for it to operate effectively. You'll also find that appropriately used signage is essential and mandatory, so when there is a fire occupants can escape safely.
Check Your Fire Alarms and Extinguishers
You'll find that your alarms and extinguishers must be checked periodically to make sure they are fit for purpose. These checks will be placed in the hands of the responsible person/health & safety/risk management officer.
Who is Responsible For Fire and Escape Doors?
A competent person is essential for making sure fire doors and escape doors are working as they should, this will normally be a fire inspector. He will provide a report on the condition of the doors and make recommendations for improvements and any repairs.
You can go online or contact your local fire department to find out who your Certificated Fire Door Inspector is for your area.
How Often Should You Have Your Fire Doors Inspected?
The answer is that it depends on what type of building you have and who occupies it. If you are responsible for a hospital or school, then you may have to have your doors inspected more frequently due to the increase in foot traffic.
British Standards BS9999 recommends an inspection every 6 months, however keep in mind that it's your responsibility to make sure your doors are looked after and properly maintained on a regular basis.
Make sure your staff are trained on fire safety and make sure that only a Fire Door Inspector who's been certified can check your fire and escape doors.
Two Types of Fire Door
There are two types of fire door. The FDKS and FDKL, the first is a keep shut door, the second is a keep locked. They both perform different jobs, with the FDKS allows people to leave quickly when there's a fire, they're usually found in offices and corridors. The FDKL is usually attached a store room or cupboard, this type of room must be kept locked when not in use and immediately on exit.
Replacement Door – Quality Fire Doors
If you wish to purchase a fire door, then get in touch with us here at Replacement Door and we'll be glad to go through the choices and make suggestions on what's right for you. We'd like you to be happy with your purchase, as fire doors are so important, so don't leave it until you have a fire.


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A few months ago, while I was still in Vienna this summer, we did our annual Christmas photo shoot and I wore my favorite black and white evening dress. I love any excuse to wear a floor length dress, so it's a good thing I grew up in a country where balls are a frequent occurance and people really appreciate evening wear and dressing up. This dress is one of my mom's ISSA dresses that she's had for years, but it's simultaneously incredibly gorgeous and comfortable and probably one of my favorite dresses I've ever worn ( I even wore it to prom twice).
Below are my favorite black and white dresses!


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Robots & Donuts
Ever dreamed of keeping a butterfly in a jar forever? Now you can!
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker is a tale of giant robots and Cold War drama. It may be fantasy, but did you know that in the early 1960s, the US military actually had a giant robot?
making of
na základe hlasovania
Píšte nám na: info zavináč kox.sk
Some rights reserved 08 - 13


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Starting a business in Africa, could be a herculean process. Some individuals consider choosing a product or niche based mostly by yourself private ardour to be a recipe for disaster. Read the FDD and related materials carefully, get help from a franchise lawyer and an accountant to assessment authorized and financial paperwork, and discuss to as many current and former franchisees as attainable and go to their retailers.
This area is designed to help companies fascinated by doing enterprise with the Department of the Navy (DoN), perceive how DoN conducts its enterprise, and how they will identify business alternatives. Working as an employee or apprentice in your chosen subject for a period of time before changing into self-employed can give you the coaching and enterprise abilities and expertise essential to start out your own enterprise.
Everytime you evaluate an opportunity, ask yourself if there's really a need for the services or products. In Nigeria, Redbank is a brand new service that helps hospitals and sufferers rapidly and simply search and discover secure blood supplies in actual time through SMS.
By taking that bullet and offering companies for mundane tasks, you could possibly soon be transformed from a need into a necessity. Uber , a highly profitable multinational trip hailing enterprise, is without doubt one of the huge gamers harvesting the alternatives in Africa's urban transport market.
In a typical rack-jobbing business opportunity, the agent or purchaser enters into an agreement with the guardian company to market their goods to numerous shops by way of strategically-positioned store racks. The mission of the Department of Community and Financial Development (DCED) is to foster alternatives for businesses to develop and for communities to succeed and thrive in a global economic system.


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Job Description:
As a Java engineer, you will participate in complex integration projects (mainly for the Telecom, and Banking Industry) undertaking responsibilities relevant to your seniority.
- Bachelor degree in computer science, software engineering or equivalent
- 6+ years of professional development experience in Java/J2EE technologies and Java based Web Frameworks
- Object Oriented Analysis and Design Principles
- Web expertise is a prerequisite (Javascript, HTML 5, CSS, JQuery), and any experience with various frameworks and languages, will be greatly appreciated (Spring, JSF, etc.) Also adequate understanding of Javascript as a prototype-based scripting language.
- Knowledge and Experience of ORM (JPA, Hibernate).
- Experience with JBoss Application Server will be greatly appreciated.
We Offer:
- Competitive salary, and incentives according to the responsibilities undertaken.
- Trainings and Certifications
- Exposure to challenging projects with emerging technologies.


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Date Posted: October 14, 2015
Government Service Insurance System is offering emergency loans to 28,035 members and 5,019 old-age pensioners in Benguet, Kalinga, and Abra, which were recently hit by typhoon Ineng.
GSIS allotted over P584 million for emergency loan in Benguet and Kalinga, and more than P197 million in Abra.
Active members working or residing in the affected provinces are eligible to borrow if they are not on leave of absence without pay, have no arrears in paying premium contributions, and have no loans in default.
First-time borrowers may apply for a Php20,000 emergency loan. Those with existing emergency loan may borrow Php40,000, from which their loan balance will be deducted.
The loan is payable in three years or 36 equal monthly installments at 6 percent interest per annum. It is covered by a loan redemption insurance, which deems the loan fully paid in case of death of the borrower, provided that the loan repayment is up to date.
The deadline for application is October 31, 2015 for Benguet and Kalinga, and November 1, 2015 for Abra.
Active members may apply for the loan through the GSIS Wireless Automated Processing System (GWAPS) kiosks in any of GSIS's 42 branch offices, 14 extension offices, and 58 service desks; provincial capitols; city halls; municipal offices; large government agencies such as the Department of Education; 27 Robinsons Malls; and SM Super Malls in Manila, Pampanga, and Cebu.
Old-age pensioners are required to apply in person to avail of the Php20,000 pension emergency loan. If they are also active members, they may borrow only once.
Loan proceeds are electronically credited to the borrower's GSIS eCard or unified multipurpose identification (UMID) card.
Interested applicants who have further inquiries may call the GSIS Contact Center at 847-4747.


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Then I attacked the rest of the garden. Pulled out stakes, pulled out weeds, dug out weeds, dug out beds. I only got six beds done - the weeds were out of control. I really should weed in the summer, but this summer it was just so wet...
Then each of the beds I cleaned out (six down, ten to go, plus the new patch to prep if I want to use it next summer), I added my soil ammendments. Since I am still manure-short, I used greensand, rock phsophate, and domomite lime. I targeted the five beds that have had a sour smell since the first year I put them in (three years ago). Admittedly the smell isn't as bad, which means the soil must be improving, but every so often I get a whiff of it - a sure indication of acidic and generally poor conditions. Which also explains why the buttercups and other noxious weeds do so darn well here.
My day started at 9:00 AM, with a walk for the dog, followed by cutting up fat to render into lard. It ended at 6:30 PM with me pounding in posts for snowfencing to protect the cedar hedge from the deer this winter. Needless to say, it was a long day.
But, it's a good thing I did what I did, for this is what it looked like this morning:
That's the garlic, under the snow.
Crabapple bent under the snow.
After taking the dog for a very short walk, I turned him loose in the yard so I could knock the heavy wet snow off the apple trees. They still have their leaves (as you can see by the crabapple), so their branches were bent way down; the new apples were actually bent to the ground, an easy feat since they are mostly just a single whip of a stem.
Snow Falling on Crabapples


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Using Mcollective, puppet and yum-updatesd to keep systems current
I previously posted on my yum-updatesd puppet module. I felt that there was still a manual step involved. I looked around for the best way to add the (dangerous) ability to keep my systems up to date without demanding much of my attention.
Seeing as I don't really want to hire a minion, I looked around for existing mcollective plugins to do this for me. Nathan did some nice work making a yum-centric mcollective plugin, which I tweaked a bit and have repackaged as a puppet module.
I'll put this up on the forge once I get it supporting open-source puppet, as well as enterprise. Right now, it supports enterprise only.


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Not a lot of people know this about me, but I've almost exited programming at three different times in my career...because I wanted to get into project management at a high level. Ever since my first project management class in grad school, it just made sense to me...but after about 15 years in software it doesn't anymore. Let me explain how to fix it.
I got a newsletter last night from Screenhero announcing version 1.0. The problem is that in the announcement, they also announced a change in pricing that will probably kill a lot of what they have going for them. And I hate that. I REALLY hate that. I've worked for companies where we had to invest a lot of time cleaning up bad decisions, so maybe it bothers me a little more. I really like Screenhero though, so I'm going to try to help. I wasn't doing a good job of explaining myself to them via Twitter, so this should hopefully be a better explanation of what I was trying to communicate.
Lightning talk introduce pair programming based on information gleaned from RailsConf 2014. Bulk of the credit for this presentation goes to Chuck Lauer Vose of New Relic and Joe Moore of Pivotal Labs.
My name is Barry Jones and Brightball is my consulting company. We help business leaders understand the long term effects of their technical decisions as well as navigating the process of interviewing software developers.
I also blog about technical topics quite a bit. If you enjoy my writing and want to support the habit please use my referrals to help me pay for my servers with Digital Ocean, my DNS with DNS Made Easy and my email with Sendwithus.
If you just came here to learn by all means keep it up. Grab a book on Elixir, Phoenix, Go, encryption throughout history, hacking stories or running a business. Thanks!


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The Future Parc at the Cebit trade fair in Hanover, Germany is a place to showcase future technologies. I didn't go, but two of the products I read about caught my imagination and got me thinking. Here they are:
Tobii Technology's eye tracking system
It's one thing to use multi-touch to move things about on the screen, but it's quite another to simply look at something, and have the computer recognize where you are looking and move your pointer there. A blink or a tap on the keyboard and you've clicked. I'd love this technology simply to review how folks use software. It's hard to tell, but it doesn't look like the "device" is that intrusive for installation in regular computer displays. In fact, Tobii even sells eye tracking hardware to OEMs that can, "provide eye gaze point, eye/head position and pupil size data. … There are no external cameras or lightning units. … The user does not need to "do" or "wear" anything and can move freely. Tracking is fully automatic and high accuracy can be relied on regardless of glasses, contacts, eye colour, age, ethnic background or light conditions."
The Fraunhofer Institute's Face Finder
The Face Finder is a system that can find faces, human faces even in low lighting conditions and then recognize if the face is angry, happy, neutral, sad or surprised. Of course they say this could be used for targeting advertising (an original business plan, I know…) but I think there's potentially a broader application in terms of simply recognizing when it's appropriate to "interrupt" a user. In my opinion, computers should keep things quiet when we are "in the groove" in order to maximize our effectiveness. This kind of technology seems a great fit for answering the, "Is it okay to notify the user event x just occurred?"
Both of these inventions require a computer with a video camera or some sort of hardware video device. I don't know if you could build an eye tracking system with only one iSight video camera, or even if the video camera installed on my MacBook is sufficient quality for something like Face Finder, but every new Mac that ships with a built in video camera makes for more fertile soil in which innovations, just like these can sprout, grow and even take root.
One of the things I've always loved about Apple hardware is that you can't order a "stripped down" version of any Mac. How long has Apple included FireWire standard with every Mac? More recently the Apple remote is "default equipment" with any Mac and a built in video camera comes with any Mac that includes a screen. By keeping the "lowest common denominator" experience so feature rich, Apple is able to create experiences that simply start at a higher level. Both Apple and their developers can assume a certain quality of system that Windows developers fundamentally can't depend upon. In my opinion, this is one of the reasons it's always so exciting to be a developer on the Mac platform.
It's never too late to start! 🙂


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So I ran the NYC Marathon... {Coach Jason's Journey}
Sandy Tocci
I always disliked running while growing up and only ran in the Navy when I had to pass my Physical Readiness Test. I NEVER thought I would ever run a half marathon, let alone a marathon and honestly if it wasn't for this particular race being on my wife's bucket list, I still may have never had the marathon on my racing resume.
To be able to run the NYC Marathon, you have 3 options: qualify (with a really fast time that we're not at; YET!), enter the open lottery and get picked OR join an approved Charity and raise monies to support their cause. We both decided to enter the lottery back in January and come lottery day in February, Sandy got picked; but not me. Maybe it was in her cards and not mine; not sure but thinking about how awesome it would be to run this with her, I decided to run as a St. Jude Hero and raise money for their amazing cause.
Fast forward to 20 weeks out from the race where I started my race training… I have a VERY BUSY schedule (yeah yeah, just like everyone, right?). But to give you an idea, I get up at 4:30AM four days a week to teach HIIT classes at our Fit4Lyfe gym and then I work as a CEO of an Orthopaedic practice (M-F) from 9-5 to then return to Fit4Lyfe to teach night classes (3 days a week), get home around 8:15pm(ish), hang with my family, eat and go to bed by 10:30pm to do it all again. So, yeah, it's BUSY and hard to find the time for training BUT it's also the lifestyle I choose and one that my wife and I take great pride in.
My workout schedule included going to the gym on my 1-hour lunch break to do whatever type of HIIT/short runs I could fit in and then doing one long run each week which usually occurred Sunday mornings with Sandy. I would also hit as many Fit4Lyfe classes as I could and during the early part of our trainings, we would run from our home to Fit4Lyfe and take a class as well; you do what you gotta do when you gotta do it. Training was ROUGH and it also included training for my bucket list item, the 2017 OCR World Championship that occurred in Canada on October 13 -15; which I completed with our amazing Fit4Lyfe Team.
Everything was going really well with my training and all on schedule until I injured my foot in the 15K OCR World Championship race on October 14th. Now I stood 3 weeks out from my first ever marathon, injured and freaking out. I saw my doc immediately and followed orders, which included no activity up to the race--- this had to be one of the hardest things to do!
I showed up in NYC, worried (but I am really good at hiding that from everyone), as I was about to attempt to run 26.2 miles in one of the biggest marathons in the WORLD with my longest run (EVER) being 17 miles and not running at all in the previous 3 weeks! I was calm and collected on the outside until we attended the St. Jude's athlete luncheon. At this luncheon, Coach Kevin started to talk about all the amazing things about the NYC Marathon and how this was an incredible experience but he also mentioned how difficult this race was going to be and directly but indirectly said "if you didn't train, GOOD LUCK". I totally thought he was talking right to me right then and there… I started getting really nervous and doubting myself. You see, I pretty much doubt myself in every competition and I'm always nervous of failing and letting people down. I know it's not what most would think but this is the truth of what goes on inside. So to say that I wasn't nervous would be lying to all… I was the most nervous I've ever been!
Race day we get up at 430am to catch the St. Jude 530am bus from Central Park to Staten Island where we would then wait around until our 11am start time; talk about nerves on OVERDRIVE! I must have visited every single port-a-potty in that whole staging area as the more I sat around, the more my nerves would get to me. It was a rough start before the official start.
The "Village" set up was pretty cool. There were tents to hang out; Dunkin Donuts and other vendors were there and of course, plenty of Port-o-potties. We were hanging out in the St. Jude tent, well really I was pacing around a lot, for a couple hours and then it finally happened, they called our corral number. EEKS! We made our way over to the start line and then BOOM…a huge crowd of screaming people cheering us all on. WOW, SO OVERWHELMING!!! No turning back now, it's go time!
3, 2, 1, GO…and we were running the NYC Marathon! Things started SLOW as there were so many people in our way. The first mile was spent jockeying for a good position so our pace was a bit all over the place. At about mile 2 we were able to start hitting a regular pace and begin running our plan; just as planned.
Man o man a marathon is such a mental game!! I run a fair amount and ran a lot to train for this marathon but only a few miles in my mind started telling me that my legs hurt. At about mile 5, my quads were hurting (so my mind was telling me), then about mile 7 it was my knees and I thought "what happed to your quads hurting" as they weren't hurting anymore? We had a quick pit stop at mile 8 to say HELLO and grab some supplies from the amazing support group that was there for us (Kevin and Wendy Updegrove and Jessica Schoonover). That little break and cheer squad was a nice reboot for my legs as I felt fresh starting up again.
As the miles kept adding up, I really tried to focus on the crowd (which NEVER ended). All the people cheering, the signs, the kids giving high fives was absolutely amazing and helped take my mind off the fact that I was about to approach uncharted territory at 17 miles.
Runners talk about "The wall"? What the hell is that?? Did I hit it? I have no idea! All I know is at mile 16 I thought "HOLY SHIT, I HAVE 10 MOR MILES TO GO" and started doing math in my head to figure out how much longer I had to run. I mean you do know that every runner is a math genius, right? At this point I told myself to stop worrying about the miles and JUST RUN! That sounded good but mile 17 was approaching and now I was entering uncharted territory! Never had I run one step further than 17 miles and now I was a bit nervous…can I really do this? Will I fail? Will my body hold up?...those are just a few of the things that ran through my head at that time.
Mile 18 came and went, 19 came and went but things were starting to hurt worse with every step; especially my hamstrings which I thought at any minute were going to cramp up big time. We were approaching a bridge right before mile 20 and we saw our support group again and THANK GOD because I needed a break. We stopped, refueled and stretched and Sandy and I said we would start taking thins one mile at a time. After that pit stop I thought to myself "You got this, ONLY 6 miles to go"!
Those last 6 miles did not come easy. There were a lot of stretch breaks but we kept pushing forward at a decent pace. I told Sandy a few times to keep going as I was holding her back and I wanted her to hit our goal of 4 hours. However she would not leave me as much as I am sure it was eating her up inside.
The final stretch was absolutely frigging amazing! The crowd…honestly I don't think I can explain it. It was a sea of non-stop screaming, cheering chanting people. The energy was palpable and just what I needed to get me through the end. We finally turned into the park and I knew we had shy of 2 mile to go and I couldn't believe I was about to complete a marathon.
We approached the finish line like we started the race, together. I grabbed Sandy's hand and we stepped on that finish line together, sticking to our plan of completing this race side by side. It is because of her that I decided to run this race and her training plan that I followed to be ready for this race. Unfortunately we did not hit our goal time and I attribute that to not being able to run for three weeks prior to the race, but who knows. There really is a lot that goes into preparing and running a marathon.
People have asked me if I will run another marathon and my answer is "yeah, probably". Because now I want to know what I can really do, how well I can perform! This was an amazing experience and one I will remember; but it will also help me get better.
Again, I want to thank all of you amazing people that helped make this happen…my parents and in-laws for watching our little ones, the many people that donated to St. Jude's, Kevin, Wendy and Jessica for taking the trip just to support us, and every person that sent a text, phone call or FB post! Most importantly, THANK YOU, Sandy, you are my motivation… I love you!


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Having money's not everything. Not having it is. – Kanye West
Should I emphasize building wealth here on BML?
This is a question I've been wrestling with recently. Specifically, is building wealth an integral part of launching a life that matters?
Finding fulfillment for yourself and making a difference for others are the first two tenants of launching a life that matters.
But should I include building wealth as a third tenant?
Having Money's Not Everything
I grew up in an affluent suburb of Philadelphia and went to private school. I knew a lot of rich people. Many of them, in fact most of them were unhappy.
Rich people are dysfunctional. And having a lot of stuff doesn't fix that.
As a teen, I would openly say that I didn't want to make any significant money when I grew up. It just seemed to make people miserable. This drove my mom nuts.
In hindsight, there was a nugget of truth in my thinking, but in all honesty, I was naive.
Not Having It Is
After college I lived and worked in Oakland, as a part of a community service program. I worked at a homeless shelter as well as at a youth outreach center.
I met a lot of poor people. Many of them, in fact most of them were unhappy.
Poor people are dysfunctional. And not having money doesn't fix that.
By the second year of my service, I became one of those poor people. I wasn't making enough money to support myself and pay rent. I had medical bills that I couldn't pay.
It was nerve racking, and I was miserable.
And frankly, I still had a much bigger safety net through my personal network than any of the people that I served.
I promised myself that I would never be poor like that.
Wealth Is More Than Money
It's true. Having money's not everything. Not having it is.
It's clear that money is needed but it's also clear that money is not a sufficient end goal.
Perhaps then, it's best to look at money as a utility. Something that is used (for better or worse) to achieve other things.
The more I have thought about it, the more I am convinced that wealth (not money) is a worthy end goal. Here's a definition of wealth that I am working with:
Wealth is having an abundance of freedom to live life fully and serve others deeply.
Part of that freedom is financial freedom, no doubt.
You can increase financial freedom in one of two ways:
- Make more money
- Simplify
I am a huge fan of simplifying because it makes life easier to manage and focuses me on what matters. I am also a fan of making money because it can open new doors and provide new opportunities.
I'm just not a fan of becoming a slave to your money.
Therefore, I am coming to realize that it's not just acceptable but it's imperative that we emphasize wealth here on BML.
That we talk about how to make more money and keep an eye on simplicity. That we talk about how to best utilize money to live life fully and serve others deeply.
And so yes, I think building wealth is a worthwhile tenant of living a meaningful life.
What are your thoughts? Do you distinguish between wealth and money? Is building wealth a worthwhile third tenant?


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A Nov. 28 article about President Bush's trip to Baghdad misstated his arrival time. It was about 5:30 p.m. Baghdad time. (Published 12/2/03)
As Air Force One headed under a false call sign for its unannounced landing in Iraq on Thursday, the Boeing 747 passed within sight of a British Airways pilot who radioed, "Did I just see Air Force One?"
"Gulfstream 5," replied Bush's pilot, Col. Mark Tillman. As one of Bush's aides recounted, the British Airways pilot seemed to sense that he was in on a secret and replied archly, "Oh."
The trip, aimed at boosting soldiers' morale and steadying Bush's political standing, had been in the works for weeks, but only a handful of his closest aides knew about it beforehand. The chosen few had talked about it only on secure telephone lines.
A senior administration official told reporters that even some members of Bush's Secret Service detail believed he was still in Crawford, Tex., getting ready to have his parents over for Thanksgiving. It was just one reflection of the extraordinary preparation -- and secrecy -- that went into this most unusual presidential trip.
With just a few hours' notice, seven reporters and photographers -- half the size of the rotating pool of journalists that usually flies on Air Force One -- had been spirited Wednesday onto the secluded, secure tarmac at Texas State Technical College in Waco that Bush uses when he is staying at his ranch.
The reporters were forbidden to tell even their families or employers about the trip. They were told they would be handed new cell phones when they landed in Baghdad.
Reporters had previously been told, falsely, that Bush planned to spend Thanksgiving at his Prairie Chapel Ranch, and they were assured that nothing would happen. With Bush's public schedule blank, most of the regulars on the beat were home with their families. A few news organizations were keeping a watch that they had assumed would be pointless, and the reporters' idea of adventure was arranging to commandeer the kitchen of the Marriott to try to cook their first bachelor turkey.
The White House had tried to throw journalists off the trail by telling one of them that Bush would be making holiday telephone calls to a few soldiers in Iraq. White House deputy press secretary Claire Buchan announced at a briefing in Crawford on Wednesday that Bush would be joined at his ranch by his parents, the former president and first lady, and that the menu would include free-range turkey, chipotle sweet potatoes, Texas grapefruit and Prairie Chapel pecan pie made with nuts gathered on the ranch.
The pecans would have to wait.
Bush usually hitches Air Force One, where the magazine racks include Bassmaster, by riding from his ranch on the white-topped Marine One chopper. He also gets around in a motorcade of at least a dozen vehicles that includes staff vans, a communications truck and an ambulance.
To slip out unnoticed, neither would do. So Bush was driven to the Waco airstrip in an unmarked vehicle, with only a tiny Secret Service contingent. As Bush described the scene for reporters afterward: "They pulled up in a plain-looking vehicle with tinted windows. I slipped on a baseball cap, pulled 'er down -- as did Condi. We looked like a normal couple," he said, referring to national security adviser Condoleezza Rice.
White House communications director Dan Bartlett said: "If you were sitting outside the ranch waiting for the president, you would not have known the president just left."
This reporter, who represented newspapers in the media pool and provided a download for all his colleagues who could not be there, was first approached about the trip less than four hours before takeoff. I was talking on my cell phone on the front lawn of Crawford Middle School, where the White House sets up a media filing center in the gymnasium, seven miles down the road from Bush's ranch. Steve Atkiss, 26, deputy director of presidential advance, beckoned for me to climb into his mammoth white rented Dodge pickup.
Atkiss drove a few blocks to a concealed parking lot and told me to step out, that someone wanted to talk to me. Bartlett stepped out of his car, smiling mischievously at the surprise meeting.
"I have news," he said. "The president is going to Baghdad."
He said that I was going, but that I could not tell my employer or family what was up. It was 3:45 p.m. Texas time, and Atkiss told me that I should get changed and meet him at 5:30 p.m. in the parking lot of the Baylor University stadium where the Secret Service and military aides regularly cream the press corps in softball.
At the rendezvous, several of the magazine and wire-service photographers were still convinced that they were the victims of an extremely elaborate practical joke, and were plotting what they were going to do to with Atkiss when he finally came clean.
The two-vehicle motorcade from the softball field was joined by a white Jeep Grand Cherokee with Blake Gottesman, the president's personal aide, at the wheel, Deputy Chief of Staff Joseph Hagin riding shotgun and Bartlett in the back seat.
Bush's simplest movements, even a trip to the Crawford coffee shop or a speech a block from the White House, are usually accompanied by an entourage of 50 or more. For now, it was 12. With no security, Atkiss led the way to the Waco airstrip, getting caught in rush-hour traffic, a rare experience in the White House bubble.
The shades in the press cabin on Air Force One had been pulled down, and both doors were closed, so the reporters could not see Bush arrive or what personnel and firepower accompanied him. The reporters knew he was aboard only when they heard the engines rev.
Now, the plane was cruising at an average speed of 665 mph, Baghdad or bust. Richard Keil, a 6-foot-5 reporter for Bloomberg News whom Bush calls "Stretch," leaned across the aisle of the hushed press cabin.
"The president of the United States is AWOL, and we're with him," a grinning Keil said as he shoved aside his iPod headset. "The ultimate road trip."
After leaving Texas, the nearly empty plane streaked toward Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland to refuel and pick up Chief of Staff Andrew H. Card Jr. Six more journalists -- two wire-service reporters and a team from Fox -- joined the group at the refueling stop. They met in the parking lot of a Holiday Inn Express, and officials confiscated all their electronics gear, from television cameras to pagers, so they would not be tempted to make any record of the super-secret hangar where they would join the president's party.
The president has two identical planes, each of which becomes Air Force One when Bush is on it. The other is called "the spare," and they are rarely seen together. On this night, the president was to use the super-secret Air Force One hangar at Andrews to transfer to the second plane, which was fueled, catered and ready to go.
Bush's plane pulled into the hangar, where the ground is painted spotless white, about 10:45 p.m. Washington time. As he switched planes, Bush spotted the reporters.
The sound in the hangar was so loud that he could not be heard, but he held his thumb and pinkie apart, and raised them to his ear, in the symbol of someone using a phone, and mouthed, "No calls, got it?" He emphasized the point by crossing his arms back and forth in front of him. He made the "cut" sign to his throat and mouthed again, {grv}{grv}"No calls."
Air Force One took off for Baghdad 10 minutes later, and Bush was asleep within 20 minutes.
Much of the president's staff donned camouflage tops and bottoms, both for security reasons and to avoid spoiling the pictures.
The reporters were fitted for "ballistic vests" en route. "Anyone have a tailor?" asked the fastidious Keil.
A little after 5 a.m. Baghdad time, about 10 hours after takeoff from Andrews, the cabin lights were turned off and all the shades were down. Twenty minutes later, we touched down in Baghdad.


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Spielberg and Lucas don't think videogames are art…I disagree
Back in June, there was a panel at USC in which Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Don Mattrick sat in. They discussed several topics, but one in particular ruffled my feathers a bit. They both (the directors) made a case for videogames not being able to truly be art. Now before I delve into this I would like to mention I am a huge fan of both Spielberg and Lucas. These filmmakers have revolutionized the film industry in their own, very distinct ways. Spielberg has been the eye behind the lens of countless great films, and what more can be said about Lucas' Star Wars? Or their amazing collaboration for the Indiana Jones films? These gentleman's opinions deserve to be heard and taken into account, but I digress.
Now, videogames do differ from film for several reasons, with the biggest one being videogames are interactive. When watching a film, the viewer only engages visually and mentally. The interactivity in itself, as stated by Spielberg, is a determining factor for videogames to not quite be there on the level of film or literature as art: "the second you get the controller something turns off in the heart. And it becomes a sport." What is art then? Literature and film make us strongly feel emotions through what is being presented to us. The content we are absorbing scratches at our soul. We cry when the main character courageously dies for the noble cause, we wince when a character is experiencing excruciating pain and we laugh when a joke is planted just right. We take in the beautiful visuals of a Picasso or Vincent van Gogh with our hearts because when they pressed those paint brushes to the canvas they did so with love and care. All these representations of art have a common denominator: they emanate emotion.
So, do videogames emanate emotion? That depends on the game in question, just in the same way as only certain films speak to your emotions. Not every film is a testament of human creativity. With that being said, the propensity for bad games is still high because of their structure, which Spielberg eluded to. Games are meant to be played and unfortunately more often than not character and plot take a back seat to gameplay mechanics. Gameplay is not something I think can be artful and will agree with the esteemed directors in that regard, but that doesn't necessarily mean the contents as a whole should be disregarded. According to Lucas, "storytelling is about two things, it's about character and plot," but I think he missed something and that's in the execution of those two components.
One only needs to look at these last two years to see the maturation of videogames as a legitimate storytelling and visually artful medium. Let's look at some examples I think fit the description of film or even literature caliber stories. Three games stand out to me above all others when it comes to "character and plot." Those games are The Walking Dead, Bioshock Infinite and the sublime The Last of Us. These three games are all about "character and plot." The Walking Dead and The Last of Us are story-driven emotional roller coasters that tell the story of survival in a bleak world while also entrusting you in the care of a young lady. Throughout the journey strong paternal feelings are developed for the supporting characters who, at times, just steal the show. These are feelings that can not be duplicated in a film or literature because you are not a part of it; it's more of a journey.
Bioshock Infinite is a tour de force of creative storytelling that spans everything from racism, politics and even a heavy religious backdrop. Not to mention the setting of the floating city of Colombia is simply breathtaking. As far as visually appealing one would have to look no further than Journey. This game is basically poetry in motion as you make your way through the desert to a mysterious mountain. This game has no real story, I mean the main character doesn't even have a name, but that's not the appeal for this game: it's the visual direction. The slight undulations of the sand and the sun shining give the desert almost a vast ocean quality. The camera work only accentuates the experience by giving players breathtaking views of this enigmatic world.
There are many more examples of titles that give you so much more than just a standard gameplay experience, but those last games I touched on are trailblazing a new path to deeply emotional artful games. Again, just the way there are movies that don't do much for you, there are also games that fall in that category; there is just more of them since videogames are still a very young medium that haven't had enough time to flourish yet. Film, art and literature have been around significantly longer and are much more mature mediums.
With that I leave you with one recommendation: play The Last of Us. This "videogame" is strong enough to hold up to a good book or film and is also visually appealing. I guarantee it will illicit strong emotions from you and if that's a sign of things to come, then we have much to be excited about.


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Circle Po Ranch started as a hobby for Dr. Ben Po, M.D., and is located in beautiful upper Austin County. Originally setup to be a commercial cattle business, this hobby and passion quickly captivated the rest of the family. His son soon entered the show business and began showing cattle and accepting scramble certificates. In addition to commercial cows, Circle Po Ranch now features registered cows for show.
We believe being part of the beef industry means being steward of the land and our stock. On our beautiful ranch, we follow the principles of the beef quality assurance program. Animals are cared for with veterinary supervision and cows are handled respectfully: no abuse, no rough handling, no hot shots.
We believe calm cattle make for better beef.