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Stems. Ends. Odd bits. Leftovers. Overlooked and misunderstood things. Often chucked into the bin for lack of a better idea. Well let me tell you, one man's trash is this girl's treasure! I've always loved end bits and odd things. The end part of a roast beef carving where the fat and meat have caramelized into an almost-burnt butt of goodness. The rind of a hard hunk of cheese which I save scrupulously to toss into a pot of soup. Pig's ears. The sugary edges of brownies and cookies (I'm sure I'm not the only one here). The grub at the bottom of the pan. Celebrities who seem beyond all hope. I love them all.
In truth, I've been a bit of a scavenger all my life. As a child I used to collect old receipts with much relish and excitement, going through them and filing them away like they were documents of utmost importance. Now, I collect leftovers (even the tiniest bits!), bones, veggie stems and trimmings, the oil that renders when I fry bacon or chorizo – all are tucked away in the freezer until the time comes when inspiration, or necessity, hits and they come out to be reborn.
This dish is not technically made with leftovers – the long stems of kangkong (water spinach) are usually used in the same dishes as the leaves. I do feel though that there is something sadly afterthought-ish about them – like they were only used because their leaves were used and "saying naman" (what a waste) if we tossed out their stems (which make up more than half the plant!). So in save-the-underdog fashion, I set out to make a dish where the stems played the starring role (and the leaves became the afterthought) 🙂
This is inspired by a local dish called Gising Gising (which literally translates to something like "Wake up, wake up!") which typically uses green beans (string beans or what we call "Baguio beans") sliced thinly and cooked with coconut milk and chilli (I am assuming the chilli is supposed to be the wake-up call). It is usually flavoured with patis (fish sauce) and some powdered seasoning (Maggi or Knorr or whatever), but I decided to use bagoong (shrimp paste) instead because I think it works much better with kangkong.
Coconut Kang Kong Stems
- Stems from one bunch of kangkong, sliced thinly (roughly 1 1/2 cups when sliced as pictured on top)
- 2-3 pieces sili pangsigang/sili mahaba (long green chilli), sliced on the diagonal quite thickly (I slice it this way so some poor unsuspecting diner does not mistake it for the kangkong)
- One small red onion, chopped finely
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cm piece of ginger, peeled and sliced into rounds
- 1-2 rounded teaspoons of bagoong (shrimp paste)
- 1/3 cup coconut cream
- Canola or vegetable oil
- Freshly cracked black pepper
– Heat the oil in a wok or skillet. Add onions, garlic, ginger, and chilli and sauté until onions are soft and everything is fragrant.
– Add kangkong stems and bagoong (shrimp paste) and toss. Sauté until kangkong stems are bright green.
– Add coconut cream, stir, and cook until the cream bubbles and kangkong stems are cooked. Season with freshly cracked black pepper.
Although this is a recipe for the stems, if you haven't already used the kangkong leaves, and have them on hand, you can toss them in with the coconut cream and cook until wilted (which is actually what I did here). This is all about the stems though – letting this otherwise-considered-second-class part really shine as it is the crunch that gives this dish its engaging personality. The combination of shrimp paste, coconut milk, and chilli is something I borrow again and again from Bicolano cuisine (a region in the Philippines known for its liberal use of chilli and coconut milk!). And why not? It is a fantastic mix of richness, intense flavour, and heat that provides an exciting backdrop for our oft-neglected kangkong stems!
So don't knock the odd bits and off-beats. Those unlikely suspects that are left at the corner of a serving platter, or the edge of a dance floor, may just be what you never knew you always wanted!


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Pelican's Perch
by John Deakin
We 're talking of course, about the North American T-28 "Trojan." (Why, what were you thinking?) You'll recall that last month, John Deakin described his checkout in the Grumman F8F "Bearcat." This time, AVweb's resident warbird maven invites you along as he qualifies for his FAA Letter of Authorization in the T-28. Although the Trojan has only about half the horsepower of the Bearcat, it's a considerably more complex airplane. Why, even learning to operate the (hydraulically-actuated) canopy requires a groundschool session. Deak takes you through the highlights of his 14 ground and ten flight sessions with T-28 owner Mark Matye.
On Sunday, September 24, 1972, a major disaster killed a bunch of kids, and just about killed the warbird movement, too. An inexperienced pilot attempted to fly a civilian-owned, surplus North American F-86 "Sabrejet" (N275X) without proper training or briefing. The pilot was not aware of (or forgot) the peculiar characteristics of such aircraft, one of which is that if the nose is pulled up too early in the takeoff roll, so much drag is created that the aircraft cannot accelerate very well. This greatly lengthens the takeoff roll, and in extreme cases, may prevent takeoff completely, no matter how much runway is available.
F-86 Sabrejet.
On takeoff from Sacramento Executive Airport, the pilot tried to "pull it off green," didn't make it out of ground effect, overran the end of the runway, bounced up over a levee, plowed across Freeport Boulevard, and crashed into a crowded Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor, exploding on impact and killing 22 people -- 12 children and 10 adults, including two persons in a parked car. Another 25 persons were injured in the catastrophe. One eight-year-old survivor lost nine members of his family -- both parents, two brothers, a sister, two grandparents and two cousins. The 36-year-old pilot survived the crash with a broken arm and facial cuts. It was the worst on-ground death toll in California aviation history, and has been known ever since as the "Sacramento Ice Cream Parlor Crash. "
Fearful that the FAA might take Draconian action, the EAA, through its Warbirds section, got a small working group together in an attempt to solve the problem without grounding all such aircraft. That group hammered out a new "system," a sort of parallel to the normal FAA pilot certification process. This consisted of "Letters of Authority," (LOA) and "Letters of Operational Authority," (LOOA). The LOA is very similar to a type rating, and the LOOA is somewhat analogous to having a CFI certificate with authority to instruct and recommend people for the LOA.
The FAA and the group recognized that the problem was not the pilots who were already experienced in a number of such aircraft; their primary concern was the fellow with more money than brains, who was able to go buy any toy he wanted, and either go fly it himself without training, or allow some "good old boy" to do so.
Provision was made for those with experience, and initially, any pilot who qualified for five such LOAs could apply for an "Unlimited" LOA. ("Unlimited" does not appear in the regulations; it is an LOA that states "All types and makes of high-performance single- or multiengine piston-powered airplanes." There is no "unlimited" LOA for jets.) Later, the requirement was dropped to three, where it remains today.
As usual, solving one problem created at least one more, and it became obvious that there needed to be some system for getting an LOA in the first place. Yet another sub-group was set up, those with experience in one or more warbirds could get an "LOOA" which allowed them to train and recommend others for the LOA. Only the FAA issues the actual letters, and there are no temporary certificates.
In the end, any experimental aircraft with more than 800 HP or a Vne of more than 250 knots requires that the pilot have an LOA, and an LOOA holder must do the paperwork, the instruction, and the signoff. The guidance for this is found in FAA Order 8700.1 -- General Aviation Operations Inspector's Handbook, Chapter 32.
Having the "Unlimited" isn't a license to steal, however. It is still necessary to get a thorough briefing from someone who has an LOOA in the specific airplane, or one of the very rare "Unlimited" LOOAs, and get a logbook endorsement to that effect. This puts the LOOA holder on the spot if something goes wrong, so this is a real requirement.
Here are most of the types covered (the FAA is not good at keeping data like this up-to-date):
- Aero L-29 Delfin
- BAC Jet Provost
- BAC Lightning
- Casa HA-200 Saeta
- deHavilland Vampire (DH-115)*
- deHavilland Venom (DH-119)
- Douglas A-4 Skyhawk*
- Fouga Magister
- Gnat T-1
- Grumman F9F Panther
- Hawker Hunter*
- Lockheed F-104*
- Lockheed T-33
- Marchetti 211
- MiG-15*
- MiG-17
- MiG-21
- North American F-86 Sabre*
- North American F-100
- Northrup F-5 Tiger*
- Northrup T-38 Talon
- Saab J-35*
- Soko Galeb G2*
- Temco TT-1
- Vought F-8 Crusader
* Denotes that a two-seat version may be available.
- Bell P-39 Aircobra
- Bell P-63 King Cobra
- Boeing B-17 Fortress
- Boeing B-29 Superfortress
- Corsair
- Curtiss P40 Kittyhawk
- Curtiss SB2C Helldiver
- deHavilland Mosquito
- Focke-Wulf 190
- Goodyear/Vought FG/F4U
- Grumman F4F Wildcat
- Grumman F6F Hellcat
- Grumman F7F Tigercat
- Grumman F8F Bearcat
- Hawker FB-11 Seafury
- Junkers JU-52
- Lockheed P-38 Lightning
- Messerschmitt BF-109
- North American F-82
- North American P51H Mustang
- North American P-64
- Republic P47 Thunderbolt
- Vickers Spitfire
In a previous column, I bragged shamelessly about checking out in the Grumman Bearcat, and in another column a couple of years ago, about flying the Lockheed EC-121 "Warning Star."
That gave me two LOAs, and I began to have visions of getting the "Unlimited" LOA. So, I cast about, looking for an easy way (and cheap, after all, I AM still an airline pilot) to get just one additional LOA. There was also some time pressure, as the FAA is thinking about doing away with the "Unlimited." I mean, after all, if a system works, we might as well break it, right?
Enter Mark Matye, a local businessman and a private pilot with only about 1,200 hours in his logbook. Mark does have a lot of time in some "interesting" aircraft, including the single-seat Pitts Special, which he flew to and in air shows for years. He owns a gorgeous T-28C that he flies a lot, and in which he often gives instruction, mostly to friends. The FAA thought so highly of him, that they issued him an LOOA for the airplane, and he may be the only private pilot in history to hold one!
(Click photos for larger images.)
Since Mark would be the PIC for my training, I needed no "Training LOA," just the dual, and eventually his signoff and recommendation.
At first, frankly, I didn't have a lot of desire to fly the T-28. It's a big, expensive airplane, and while it's very good at converting money into that lovely radial noise, somehow it doesn't have the sex appeal of the Mustangs or the Bearcats. I don't quite know why that is, but I shared the general feeling about the airplane, and smiled at (and used) some of the names like "Toadstool," "Milkstool," "Washing Machine," "Kelvinator Mustang," etc. (Randy Sohn jokes about how he wears a gorilla mask whenever he gets roped into flying one, although gosh, I don't see how that would make any difference.)
At any rate, after talking with Mark, it appeared that this was my best bet to get the third LOA, and then the "unlimited," so we agreed to proceed. It's nice to have friends. He did explain to me, several times, that this would be no "pencil-whip" -- that his program had been approved by the FAA, and he fully intended to stick to it. He explained that his program is designed for the average Comanche pilot who wants to buy a T-28 and fly it safely, and he was not about to jeopardize his LOOA by short-cutting the training, either in time flown, or dropping any maneuvers.
This was a little tough to swallow, for I had just finished the program in the Bearcat, and no dual is possible in that single-seat airplane. I felt that, and the T-6 training leading up to it, was more than sufficient preparation for the T-28, and that an hour or two of dual in the milks... er, the T-28 should suffice for a signoff. After all, I didn't intend to solo the airplane, just get the LOA.
Mark was adamant, we were going to do it his way, full shot, or not at all. One of his requirements is that he wants his trainees to be fully qualified to go get his airplane, if he should leave it somewhere and then break a leg or something.
Since it is his LOOA and his airplane, how could I argue? So I grinned and made the best of it -- and I'm glad I did, because I ended up learning a lot, in spite of myself. I was also impressed that Mark was not intimidated by my time or experience, and maintained an excellent instructor/trainee relationship at all times. He did not assume that I knew the manual or had studied, and always covered everything in the preflight and postflight briefings. On the other hand, he never treated me like a moron (even if I did deserve such treatment a few times).
The first order of business with any new airplane is always the flight manual, and Mark gave me a reprint of the NATOPS (Naval Air Training and Operating Procedures Standardization Program) manual for the airplane. This was a bit of a surprise, for it is a more complicated airplane than I thought, much more so than the Bearcat, Mustang or T-6. North American apparently intended this to be the primary trainer for the military, a replacement for the North American AT-6 (SNJ to you Navy guys) from which trainees would graduate to the North American F-86, then the top-of-the-line fighter. The "feel" when sitting in the cockpit is very similar, as are many of the systems. Then again, perhaps that's just the North American "company culture."
I should not have been surprised at the complexity or the modernity, for the last Mustang was built in 1946, the Bearcat first flew in 1944, and the first flight of the T-28 was in 1949. The T-28 is indeed a more modern aircraft.
The engine is the much-maligned Wright R-1820, rated at 1,425 HP. It is a single-row radial with only nine cylinders, so more power is extracted from less displacement than many other radials. Some feel this also extracts a price in maintenance and reliability, and Mark shares this feeling. Of course, he pays the bills, so he should know!
Incidentally, the first T-28s ( T-28A) were somewhat underpowered, with only 800 HP, but they do have the advantage today of not requiring an LOA to fly them!
I was surprised to find the huge sliding canopy is hydraulically actuated. The lever for that is a real mousetrap for the unwary or careless, and Mark is very, very careful to block the beginner from moving it without a careful briefing, a demonstration, and another briefing, followed by another demonstration. Then I was allowed to move it, with Mark leaning into the cockpit, blocking me from disaster. I can see why -- the lever (duplicated in both cockpits) has no less than five detents, just to open and close the canopy! The center detent is "Off," or "Neutral," and shuts off hydraulics to the canopy. One detent forward closes it, one detent back opens it. Simple enough, even I got the picture on that. There is also a button on the handle that must be depressed to turn on the hydraulics when canopy movement is desired.
Two detents forward of neutral (the position shown here) unlocks the mechanism entirely, and allows the pilots to slide the canopy in either direction by hand. It's a big, heavy sucker, so I can see why North American chose to power it.
That's four detents. The fifth -- two detents to the rear of neutral --blows the canopy violently open with compressed air. There's no interlock or safety of any kind, so it would be very easy to carelessly yank that lever back to open the canopy normally, and go just a wee bit too far into the second detent, and "Thar she blows!" Some maintenance is required to return the system to normal, and Mark threatened to make me do it if I goofed, so I was always a bit wary about opening that canopy! There is also an external canopy handle that will actuate the mechanism by the air bottle, so it is advisable to read the placards, and then read them again.
The T-28 canopy provides a perfect opportunity to embarrass yourself -- by taxiing in and shutting down without first opening it. The prop stops, the mag switch is turned off, and you reach for the canopy handle, only to discover that without hydraulics, it's not going anywhere. Whenever that happened to me, I manfully resisted the temptation to just blow it open.
There is a hydraulic speed brake. This is a large barn-door type arrangement on the belly, a big slab with holes in it that drops down into the slipstream for drag. At normal speeds below 200 knots, it's noticeable if you pay attention, but not nearly as draggy as I expected from the size. There are very serious warnings against deploying it above 250 knots, as it will cause a violent pitch up. I didn't try that "feature."
The thumb switch to actuate the speed brake is located on top of the throttle, and the installation is most unfortunate, because in spite of Mark's warnings, I found myself constantly bumping it while moving about the cockpit doing other things. It's not that it's especially touchy, it's just unfortunately positioned and very easy to bump without realizing it. More than once, I found myself with the speed brake where I didn't want it, usually deployed. That switch really needs to be modified, perhaps with some sort of guard.
The gear and flaps are also hydraulic, as is the retraction for the tailhook, which works on this airplane. Pretty normal, except for one thing that made me burst out laughing. Apparently, with the landing gear handle in the UP position, sometimes the handle gets "locked" there by trapped hydraulic pressure. Now THAT is interesting -- in the Chinese sense! But even more interesting is the solution. One places the CANOPY handle in the neutral position, and pushes the button on the end of it! Apparently that electrically opens the valve that pressurizes the hydraulic system, which startles the landing gear handle enough to "unlock" it. I suppose the same effect could be had by turning off all electrical power, but neither is very intuitive!
Hydraulics are tied in with electrics, giving rise to some unusual procedures. With all units in the "inflight" position, the hydraulic system is shut down, and fluid just cycles between the reservoir and the engine-driven pump. With any of the components in any other position, the hydraulic system is pressurized by an electrically-actuated valve. (Electrical failure leaves that valve in the "pressurized" position.)
Brakes are a little unusual, in that they take their fluid from a standpipe in the main hydraulic reservoir -- but they are not power brakes, just the usual master/slave cylinder arrangement common to general aviation airplanes.
The electrical system is more complex than the usual single-engine warbird, with a "monitored" bus that will automatically kick off-line if the generator fails. It is also made more complicated by a system of switches that transfers control of almost all electrical controls between the cockpits.
This transfer switch isn't obvious, but does it ever have a lot of consequences! Most of the WWII-era aircraft had the primary controls in the front cockpit, with just the essentials in the back (and some, like the TBM, not even that!) The T-28 has almost everything in back as well as up front, so North American had to install an elaborate control system that will transfer control to either seat. Perhaps this is where Airbus got the idea for the control switch for the sidestick controllers?
The fuel system is blessedly simple -- just four bladders, two in each wing, with gravity feed through one-way check valves to a sump tank with a boost pump.
Fuel is either ON or OFF. Now there's a system I can handle! Well, there is one minor complicating factor -- the electric boost pump is always on, unless deliberately switched off for testing the engine-driven pump. That's a little odd.
Mark's T-28 course consists of 14 ground-training sessions and ten flight sessions. They are, ah, "thorough." Early on, I realized that most things are covered twice, and some three times or more, and this was after I thought I had studied the manual thoroughly!
Mercifully, there are no hours specified for each session, but the material to be covered is spelled out in great detail. We were able to do the first two ground sessions in one long sitting, another the following night, and two more the following day, for a total of five ground training sessions. We didn't move until Mark was sure I had the picture.
Then we did an afternoon flight. FINALLY, we got to the airplane!
Preflight is just like any airplane, but as usual, there are a couple of "special features." For one thing, the top of the wing is nearly six feet up, making mounting the aircraft a difficult chore if the flaps are still up. For this reason, the flaps are always left extended for parking, but for the same turkey who left the canopy closed and shut the airplane down, there is an external flap handle.
Pulling it vents the lines so that the flaps can be pushed down by hand (or by standing on them, from above), creating a ladder of sorts, with two kick-in panels for steps.
It's still a good stretch from the ground to that first step, so Mark thoughtfully provides a small stool for us elderly types. One giant step to the first kick-in step in the flap, then two more to the wing, and one more to climb into the cockpit, which sets high above the wing. This is a TALL airplane.
There is, in addition to the external flap control, an external canopy control. If the canopy is closed before the preflight, the unwary will be severely tempted to power it back with the handle marked for that purpose. Uhhh, nooooo dummy, that handle is for EMERGENCY opening of the canopy, by means of the air bottle!
To open the canopy, one folds out a small, unmarked handhold, and pulls the whole works back. I have not yet blown the canopy, but it would be easy.
I usually go straight to the cockpit, do a setup and check of everything there while standing on the wing leaning in, and I see no reason to do it differently on the T-28. Mags off, trim tabs centered, power on for a light check, chip-detector light test, battery voltage, fuel quantity, controls unlocked, etc., and power off again.
Then walk out on the wing to nearly the tip, and check the fuel quantity visually, secure the fuel cap and cover, and do a quick check of a couple inspection holes on top of the wing. I like to took at the tops and bottoms of wings for wrinkles, and that's a really good idea on this airplane, because to my shocked surprise, it is NOT a high-G airplane, being limited to only 4.0G.
One possible reason for this is the large "notch" cut into the belly for the access hatch. That has to take away a lot of structural strength that would be present with longitudinal members there instead. I looked for wrinkles in the fuselage around the notch, too!
All radials tend to accumulate oil in the bottom of the case, and many operators install separate electrically-powered scavenging systems to suck all the oil out, sometime after shutdown. Mark has this system, and also has a "pre-oiler," which will pressurize the engine oil system before starting, assuring early lubrication to critical parts. I know of no real data to support the efficacy of this, but it sure seems like a good idea.
It's a big, roomy cockpit, so I didn't have any trouble strapping in and getting organized, unlike the tiny Bearcat. This is a MAN'S airplane, not built around a runt!
Startup is conventional for the big radials, boost pump on, mixture "Idle Cutoff," shoot the fuel in with the primer to the blower area, and control the air with the throttle. By far the best way to start, with this type of primer. Once the engine is running smoothly on prime alone, oil pressure up, the mixture is placed in "Rich" ("Auto-Rich," or "Normal" in some), and when the engine floods from too much fuel, the primer is released. The short stacks do their job of converting gas to noise very effectively, even at idle.
It came time to move out, so I listened to the ATIS, promptly forgot the code letter (I'm bad about that, should write it down), and just before keying the mike, asked, "Hey Mark, did you catch the ATIS code?"
"Uhhh, are you going to tell me?"
For a split second, I'm sure the steam started coming out of my ears, but then I busted out laughing, retuned the stupid ATIS, got the code, and this time managed to remember it long enough to tell ground control. Good lesson, and y'know what? I haven't done that since. We were both laughing all the way to the runway, that day. In fact, we laughed a lot through the whole training program, there's no FAA prohibition that one can't enjoy this sort of thing - yet.
Runup is at the usual 1700, a couple of prop cycles, then a power check at field barometric manifold pressure, a mag check, flip the electric boost off momentarily to check the engine-driven pump, back on, run the checklist, and done.
With roughly the same weight and power of a Mustang, acceleration is very quick, and acceleration to 150 knots is effortless, even with a hefty climb angle. No, it's not a Learjet, but ever so much more satisfying, somehow.
It is very light on the controls, and has no unfriendly characteristics at all. It does require more trimming and constant re-trimming in all three axes than any other airplane I can remember, although the Mustang comes close. If your left hand isn't doing something, it is usually resting on the three trim wheels.
The heel of the hand can be used for roll trim, the fingers for the rudder, and the thumb for pitch. It's almost like a helicopter, if anything changes at all, all three trims change. I'm not much of a "fiddler" in any cockpit, but the T-28 lets you know right away when it's not happy with the trim setting. It's a good idea to preset about five units of right rudder trim before takeoff, because that's just about what you'll want right after the gear is up. I deliberately tried one takeoff with the rudder trim centered, and didn't notice any difference on the takeoff, but sure enough, as we stabilized in the climb, I had to reach over and crank in about five units.
The first "lesson" went well enough that Mark combined two in the same flight, for three takeoffs and landings, numerous configuration changes, slow flight, landing and go-around procedures, a total of 1.7 hours. We broke for a bite, reviewed the ground training sessions, briefed for the next flight, and launched late in the afternoon for another 1.6 hours.
And so it went, a ground training session and/or review, flight training, debriefing, and very often a review of prior work. At five hours, we began working on emergencies and abnormals, then recovery from unusual attitudes (VERY unusual attitudes!), spins, and forced landings.
Some extra time was used in hopping over the hills to the area west of Willy J. Fox Field (Lancaster), as Mark prefers the wide open spaces, flat terrain, and numerous landing sites there, as well as separation from airways for aerobatics. He's absolutely right, and I am ashamed to admit that I have not always been so scrupulous in avoiding airways when belly up.
One of the areas where caution is needed with all these airplanes is speed in the vertical descent. It builds at truly awesome rates, and can eat up many thousands of feet of altitude in a hurry. Recovery can often mean pulling more Gs than you might want with older airplanes, and that's even worse with older pilots! There have been a number of fatal accidents at airshows from this in recent years, it's a very easy thing to misjudge, and a very small difference in entry altitude, speed, and "pull" can make a very large difference in the altitude at recovery.
We were having fun with this at 12,000 feet, pulling up to the 45-degree climb, rolling inverted, and pulling over the top, then right on through the bottom of a loop, right up to the 45-degree climb again, letting the speed bleed off, and repeating in rapid succession. We were experimenting with various combinations of attitude and speed going "over the top," noting the speed gained, and altitude lost. It's an interesting maneuver, throughout. At the top, below 100 knots, it's very easy to pull a wee bit too hard, and get a positive-G stall, inverted. This can even be a less-than-1G stall, if you get slow enough. Pulling too hard coming down vertically can easily get into an accelerated, high-speed stall, recognizable by a harsh shudder. Relaxing just the tiniest bit of back pressure solves that. But the more you pull, the greater the G, and the more drag, which prevents excessive speed. It's a lovely exercise in energy management with rapidly changing parameters.
One thing you really don't want to do is pull much power off, because not only is that very hard on any radial engine (prop driving the engine, a real no-no), but in many airplanes, the prop disc can create so much turbulence that it blanks out the tail, and reduces control effectiveness.
We did about six of these in rapid succession, and I had been tensing my legs and gut before each one to resist the 4.0 Gs we were pulling. At about number three, I got behind, didn't tense up properly or early enough, and noticed the familiar "gray-out," normally not a problem. We pressed on, and I can remember that on each successive one, I was a bit further behind on tensing up my tummy and leg muscles, and each time things got a little worse. Oddly enough, the worse it got, the less I seemed to care. On the final one, I don't remember a thing after the vertical descent. Mark said it all looked normal, and my control inputs were normal, and we ended up in the 45 upline again, upright. I do remember just sort of drifting mentally, daydreaming, thinking of something else entirely outside flying. Then it seemed as if I was dreaming about flying "something," then it slowly seemed as if I was dreaming about flying a T-28. I became aware of Mark saying "Ok, get your nose down." "John, get your nose down." I didn't seem to be able to figure it out, but I was able to say, "Mark, take the airplane." He didn't get it the first time, perhaps I mumbled, but I repeated, "Mark, take the airplane!" He did, then dropped the nose to level, and within a few seconds I was back to fully normal, and took the airplane back.
"What's the matter?"
"I don't know, I got really disoriented there, for the last half of that."
Then I realized I'd just had my first case of "G-LOC," for "G-induced Loss of Consciousness!" Pilots have long known about "grey-out," and "blackout," from G loading ("Red-out" from inverted loads), but G-LOC has only become well understood in recent years. For more on the subject, see http://www.gretmar.com/webdoctor/g-loc.html.
A glance at the recording G-meter told me that I had done so at under 4.0G! I was mortified, had NEVER done that before, even at much higher loadings, in much wilder aerobatics.
What really shamed me was the realization that Mark had not suffered at all (or at least he said he didn't!)
In thinking it over, I came to a number of conclusions as to why this happened, this time. Some will sound like excuses, so be it.
I'm 61, and Mark is about ten years younger. He appears to be pretty fit and muscular, I'm 40 pounds overweight. I walk and run a lot, but the only upper body work I get is typing, which doesn't help with resisting Gs. Finally, I was not using oxygen at 12,000 feet, Mark was. I was not previously aware that makes a difference, but the literature I've read since strongly suggests that it does. I suppose I'm going to have to quit being a cheap airline pilot, and go ahead and pop for a full-face mask. The rapid rate of repetition, with no time in between for recovery, and my losing track of when to tense up didn't help. What a lesson!
The final session was a good review of everything, plus a landing after a simulated engine failure, zero flap landings and other system failures, pretty much a final check ride.
Mark wrote the letter recommending me for the T-28 LOA, and with that LOA in hand, the Seattle FSDO was kind enough to issue the "Unlimited" LOA.
Could this have been done in less time, for less money? Sure. I'm sure there's someplace where I could have studied the manual, gotten a good solid briefing, flown the airplane for an hour or three, and been signed off, complying with the rules, satisfying the FAA, and ending up safe enough. Even Mark admits that.
But Mark has a unique designation, and apparently the FAA has made it abundantly clear to him to if he doesn't stick to his plan for everyone, that designation can and will be taken away. I respect that, and I respect him for playing it straight. He is also a superb flight instructor, one of the best I've ever flown with, anywhere. His instructions are clear, correct and to the point, and repeated just enough to get the point home. He stays off the controls and out of the way in the air, and mostly keeps quiet until the maneuver is done, then he might have a very few well-chosen words of help, but most of the instruction will be done on the ground. Somewhere, he has learned to teach in a most effective way. I hope he gets the CFI, this business can use more like him.
There was a neat twist to the story. Mark was all set to take his Commercial check ride in his T-28, with an FAA Inspector from the Van Nuys FSDO, one Gary Hunt. Gary has extensive worldwide experience in many types of "strange" aircraft, loves the old warbirds, and has been supportive and helpful. But when the time came for Mark to take his check, Gary was out of town for some indeterminate period of time, and no one knew when he'd return. No other FAA types would touch the deal with a ten-foot pole, so Mark was despondent, figuring he'd have to go rent a 182 or something, learn to fly it, and then take the check in that. He'd found a young local CFI, Jeff Caruana, who had flown with him a lot in the T-28, getting him ready for the ride, and didn't want to have to start all over again.
Through the tender mercies of the Seattle FSDO and Inspector Dave Lehman (my POI there) and the very nice cooperation of the Riverside FSDO, I was able to get special permission to do his ride in the T-28, on a one-time basis. Mark was as nervous as they get, for this was only the second check ride he's ever had, and his private was in 1983. He was nearly a basket case when we sat down to do the oral, which I began with, "Now, you remember when you wouldn't tell me the ATIS code�"
He did an absolutely superb job, and now has the temporary in his pocket. If you'd like to fly a T-28, I can't think of a better place.
Be careful up there!
...John Deakin
Deakin is a 35,000-hour pilot who worked his way up the aviation food chain via
charter, corporate, and cargo flying; spent five years in Southeast Asia with
Air America; and joined Japan Airlines 33 years ago, where he was a Boeing 747
captain (until forced to move to the right seat recently upon reaching age 60).
He also flies his own V35 Bonanza (N1BE) and is very active in the warbird and
vintage aircraft scene, flying the C-46, M-404, DC-3, F8F Bearcat,
Constellation, and others. He is also a National Designated Pilot Examiner
(NDPER), able to give type ratings and check rides on 43 different aircraft

subset: commoncrawl


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Penn Engineering Receives Largest Research Grant in School History to Lead Robotics Consortium
PHILADELPHIA –- The University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science has received the largest single award in the School's 156-year history to help create the fundamental networks and technologies that will put unmanned machines on the front lines of battle.
The award is the MAST CTA, the Micro Autonomous Systems and Technology Collaborative Technology Alliance, and will incorporate more than $22 million in funding during 10 years from the Army Research Laboratory.
Penn will lead the multi-university research initiative tasked with creating cohesive teams of autonomous robots that can function effectively in urban and complex terrain. Participating universities will build new robotic systems, study novel approaches for robotic control and perception and develop new algorithms for intelligent operation of robots in unstructured environments. The goal is autonomous machines that operate with little or no direct human supervision and can support security or rescue personnel operating in dangerous environments. In venues as disparate as buildings and caves, the machines must be able to organize into sub-teams and clear and secure areas, track hostile targets in a three-dimensional environment and find victims or explosive devices by crawling, climbing, flying or hovering.
Vijay Kumar, chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, will lead the consortium, consisting of the University of California, Berkeley; Georgia Institute of Technology; the University of New Mexico; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; the Australian Center for Field Robotics; Vanderbilt University; and the University of Maryland. Using expertise in algorithms, artificial intelligence, communications, control theory, perception, robotics, sensing, signal processing and systems engineering, the Penn program, Autonomous Multifunctional Mobile Microsystems, will design a networked group of mini aerial and ground vehicles and sensors operating in dynamic environments. The project will look to nature for inspiration to create these machines and develop intelligent group behaviors that allow the network to perform tasks that cannot be performed individually.
Scaling down today's robots to tomorrow's micro-robots raises many technical challenges including perception and control with small sensors, actuators and processors; communication between members of the team with low-power antennas; and the development of intelligent group behaviors with small-scale, resource-constrained robots.
"Our goal is to combine scientific principles with new engineering technologies to make autonomous aerial and ground robots work together, work independently, adapt, survey and ultimately become a reality in the field," said George Pappas, professor of electrical and systems engineering and deputy dean Penn Engineering.
The team consists of Kumar; Pappas; Kostas Daniilidis, director of Penn's GRASP Laboratory of Robotics Research and Education; and Ali Jadbabaie, Mark Yim and Dan Lee of the GRASP Laboratory.


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Alberta Banff - Jasper Area Map
Alberta Banff - Jasper Area Map, Canada,You have found the webgate for Alberta Roadmap with links to other regional alberta maps. This alberta map links to alberta hotels and motels of alberta. Moteles de alberta mappa is the same as motels alberta map in english. Alberta roads and alberta highways are very good compared to the rest of the world. Alberta Banff - Jasper Area Map, Canada,Province of Alberta map, with clickable links to accommodation information of the different regions in the province of Alberta. If you're looking for an Alberta Roadmap this is the one! Province of Alberta road map, Canada Alberta Calgary Edmonton accommodation, Alberta HOTELS, Alberta Hotel lodging Alberta map MAP mountain canadian parks, Alberta MOTELS, Alberta motel travel map


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Submitted by Mike Krieger of Liberty Blitzkrieg blog,
The one election outcome I actually cared about yesterday went the way I wanted it. I am referring to Colorado's Amendment 64, which regulates marijuana in a similar manner to alcohol. It is basically full legalization of pot for adults over 21. It essentially:
- Makes the personal use, possession, and limited home-growing of marijuana legal for adults 21 years of age and older;
- Establishes a system in which marijuana is regulated and taxed similarly to alcohol; and
- Allows for the cultivation, processing, and sale of industrial hemp.
I'm proud to say that my state of Colorado led the way nationally by becoming the first state to legalize marijuana (although Washington passed a similar measure shortly after). I supported this Amendment and voted yes on it for several reasons.
1) Based on personal experience as well as observations of others I believe that marijuana is a much more benign drug than alcohol, and in fact I think its benefits to society outweigh the negatives. Like with anything in life, moderation is key.
2) I philosophically do not believe the Federal government should have any say in what people put into their bodies. This is not to say that I believe the full legalization of all drugs is ideal. For example, I would vote against the legalization of harder drugs like cocaine or heroin in Colorado if that was on the ballot. That's not to say I don't think it has a right to be on the ballot, it's just that I would vote against it. We have 50 states for a reason. These individual communities should be able to decide for themselves what they want to allow within their respective borders. The Federal government should have absolutely zero say on this matter.
3) It's about time we had a little confrontation with the Federal government on the issue of States rights. As has been documented endlessly, civil liberties have been decimated since 9/11 and the overreaction to the endless "war on terror." The Federal government has become bolder, more aggressive and increasingly tyrannical. While the degree is debatable the trend is not. Marijuana legalization provides the ideal battleground on the issue of States rights at the moment. The measure passed in a landslide in Colorado. 55% voted yes and 45% voted no. The people have clearly spoken.
So now this sets up a potentially epic battle. The Huffington Post put out a great article highlighting the potential confrontation in its article "Amendment 64: Will Colorado Voters Legalize Marijuana On Election Day 2012?" Here are some of my favorite passages:
However, the big unknown still is if the federal government would allow a regulated marijuana market to take shape. Attorney General Eric Holder, who was a vocal opponent of California's legalization initiative in 2010 saying he would "vigorously enforce" federal marijuana prohibition, has continued to remain silent on the issue this year.
In September, Holder was urged by nine former heads of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to take a stand against marijuana legalization again. "To continue to remain silent conveys to the American public and the global community a tacit acceptance of these dangerous initiatives," the nine said in the letter to holder obtained by Reuters.
The drug warriors say that states that legalize marijuana for recreational use will trigger a "Constitutional showdown" with the federal government.
Bring. It. On.
4) The "war on drugs" is violent, expensive and idiotic. As the years have passed, people have come to realize how ridiculous the "war on drugs" really is. The Economist recently published an excellent article titled: "Legalizing marijuana: The View from Mexico." In the article we discover the biggest losers would probably be the Mexican Drug Cartels:
The impact on Mexico could be profound. Between 40% and 70% of American pot is reckoned to be grown in Mexico.
In Mexico relatively few people take drugs. But many are murdered as a result of the export business. About 60,000 have been killed by organized crime during the past six years. Thousands more have disappeared. Many Mexicans therefore wonder if America might consider a new approach. Felipe Calderon, the president, has said that if Americans cannot bring themselves to stop buying drugs, they ought to consider "market alternatives", by which he means legalization. Vicente Fox and Ernesto Zedillo, the two previous presidents of Mexico, have reached the same conclusion.
As a result, it estimates that Mexico's traffickers would lose about $1.4 billion of their $2 billion revenues from marijuana. The effect on some groups would be severe: the Sinaloa "cartel" would lose up to half its total income, IMCO reckons. Exports of other drugs, from cocaine to methamphetamine, would become less competitive, as the traffickers' fixed costs (from torturing rivals to bribing American and Mexican border officials) would remain unchanged, even as marijuana revenues fell.
It's interesting that the two states to legalize marijuana both voted for Obama in this election. Will he now betray all these faithful voters? Based on his first term performance, you can count on it. Your move Mr. Holder.


text: Couple of questions about the Tyan S2568UGN. We have one running RH 7.3 and the current lm_sensors installed. 1. sync followed by poweroff brings the OS down but does NOT turn off the power. This even though ACPI is enabled in the BIOS. Have any of you been able to power down one of these boards from the OS to the point where it turns off the power? 2. Anybody have an appropriate sensors.conf file for this? The default one reads both CPUs and the motherboard at around 77C. Well, that's clearly not right since I can hold my finger against the side of the heat sink and it's warm but not uncomfortably hot. 45C, tops. Granted that's the outside of the heat sink, but it's hard to believe that there is a 30 degree difference. Similar CPUs in Asus A7V266E motherboards read only 57C from the on chip diode, and the mobo is only 28C. I don't know where the motherboard sensor is on the Tyan but the board itself couldn't have been much above room temperature. Which makes me wonder if there's any connection at all between the Temps coming out of the sensors program and what the actual thermistors are experiencing. 3. Is there a BIOS temperature monitor on this board? I looked and couldn't find one. Thanks, David Mathog mathog at caltech.edu Manager, Sequence Analysis Facility, Biology Division, Caltech


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The applicant shall prepare and submit an original and two copies of its proposed budget. The SF 424C must be used in the preparation of the budget data, and in accordance with the instructions and footnotes on the form.
The applicant shall also prepare and submit an original and two copies of supplemental data sheets. The sheets should display detailed breakdowns of the subtotals proposed for each of the class categories (Lines 1 - 16) on the SF 424C. When the applicant is to provide contributory matching funds or a cost sharing arrangement is contemplated, the Federal and Non-Federal share for each class category shall also be identified. If the applicant proposes third party in-kind contributions (the use of which is subject to the authorizing statute to provide assistance, and the applicable uniform administrative requirements), the supplemental data sheets) shall contain sufficient information to allow the Government to assess the value of the proposed contributions (e g, quantities, types, models, shelf-life, basis for valuation).
To the extent it is not duplicated when breaking out information on the SF 4242C, supplemental data sheets shall specifically address the following, as applicable:
- Identify each position to be supported under the proposed award by title.
- Briefly specify the duties of professionals to be compensated under this project.
- State the amounts of time, such as hours or percentage of time, to be expended by each position under thisproject.
- State the amount of compensation to be paid each employee, student or assistant under this project.
- State whether the proposed compensation is consistent with that paid to other personnel engaged in similar work both within and outside your organization
- Indicate the basis for computation of rates, including the types of benefits to be provided.
- Identify total Foreign and Domestic Travel as separate items.
- Indicate the estimated number of trips, points of origin and destination, and purpose of travel.
- For each trip, itemize the estimate of transportation and/or subsistence costs.
- Specify the basis for computation of each type of travel expense (e.g., current airline ticket quotes, past trips of a similar nature, federal government or organization travel policy, etc.).
- Indicate the estimate unit cost for each item to be purchased.
- Provide the basis for cost estimates.
- Briefly justify the need for items of equipment to be purchased.
- Itemize material and supply estimates by the nature of the expense.
- Provide the basis for cost estimates or computations (e.g., vendor quotes, prior purchase of similar or like items, etc.).
- Describe the products to be acquired, and/or the professional services to be provided.
- Provide a brief justification for any contractors selected.
- For professional services contracts, state the amounts of time to be devoted to the project, including the cost to be charged to this proposed grant award.
- Are any sole source contracts contemplated? Provide sufficient detail for justification of the use of a single source for contracts in excess of $10,000 with State, Local and Indian Tribal Governments, and in excess of $5,000 for all others.
- Indicate whether positive efforts have been made to utilize small and disadvantaged (minority) businesses where feasible
- List items by major or type (including miscellaneous items having a value greater than $25,000 or 10°/ of the total project estimate, whichever is less).
- State whether contingency reserves are included in this category and identify the kind of items and/or activities included in reserve.
- Provide the basis for cost estimates or computations.
State whether the amount required is based on a rate approved by a Federal Agency and identify the approving/cognizant Federal Agency.
- If no indirect cost agreement approved by a Federal Agency exists, state the basis for the amount requested.


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Lorraine (France)
Little is known of an Anabaptist movement in Lorraine. Refugees from Flanders, including a surgeon of Lille, came to Metz in 1538, and judging from a letter Calvin wrote to Farel, they must have won some converts. But their work was of short duration. They were taken prisoner; two were drowned in the Moselle, and one was branded and expelled.
In the 18th century considerable numbers of Mennonites whom Louis XIV had expelled from Alsace in 1712 settled in the duchy of Lorraine. From the Leber Valley (Ste-Marie-aux-Mines) they migrated over the mountains into the Saar Valley, and spread over the Lorraine plateau as far as the duchy of Zweibrücken. In the mountains they formed the Hang and Salm congregations, farther north the Welschland, the German-Lorraine, and the Bitscherland congregations.
When the rest of Lorraine came to France in 1766, Louis XV made inquiries about the Mennonites, but did not disturb them, since the reports were favorable. Some years previously he reprimanded an official who had wanted to compel the Mennonites living in the bishopric of Metz to have their children baptized.
In the 19th century the Mennonites moved westward, forming congregations that gradually adopted French as their language; some of the churches in the German-speaking area in northern Lorraine remained. In the four départements of Lorraine there were in 1935 some 800 Mennonites, in eleven congregations. In 1955 there were only eight congregations with some 750 souls.
The largest numbers of Mennonites were in the département of Moselle. Here in the German-speaking area there are two congregations: Sarreguemines, formerly Bitscherland, and Diesen, descended from the German-Lorraine congregation. On the linguistic border is Sarrebourg, derived in part from the Welschland and in part from the German-Lorraine congregations.
In the départements Meurthe and Moselle there are three congregations: Baccarat, Lunéville, and Toul, which originated chiefly from the Welschland and Salm congregations, with some additions from German-Lorraine and Zweibrücken.
In the Vosges département the Vosges (Darney) congregation was organized from the above congregations. In the département Meuse is the Meuse (Ligny) congregation, with the same origin as the above. The Salm (now Bénaville) and Hang congregations were made a part of Lower Alsace after the Franco-Prussian War, and are in the French-speaking area.
Hege, Christian and Christian Neff. Mennonitisches Lexikon, 4 vols. Frankfurt & Weierhof: Hege; Karlsruhe: Schneider, 1913-1967: v. II, 694.
|Pierre Sommer
|Date Published
Cite This Article
MLA style
Sommer, Pierre. "Lorraine (France)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1957. Web. 21 Apr 2019. http://gameo.org/index.php?title=Lorraine_(France)&oldid=145716.
APA style
Sommer, Pierre. (1957). Lorraine (France). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 21 April 2019, from http://gameo.org/index.php?title=Lorraine_(France)&oldid=145716.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, p. 395. All rights reserved.
©1996-2019 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.


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LocationSydney, Australia
ContractorBaulderstone Pty Ltd
Area32000.0 m2
Project Year2009
Text description provided by the architects. The first university established in Sydney was, with great vision and ambition, thoughtfully sited on a distinct rise overlooking the city, placing learning and the investigation of knowledge above the city, above mammon. The Neo-Gothic sandstone towers and cloisters of the East Range and Great Hall, modelled on Oxford, reflected the ambition and aspirations of the settlement of Sydney.
But this vision and ambition was lost in the pragmatics of post-war development. The dialectical relationship of city and campus was obscured at the same time as the University's public domain became a servant to the private motor vehicle.
The international competition for the New Law School was the most ambitious and significant development at the University since the great buildings of Edmund Blacket in the 1860s and Leslie Wilkinson in the 1920s. Architects selected to participate in this design competition included 3xNielsen (Denmark), Axel Schultes Architekten (Germany) in association with Stanisic Associates, Foster and Partners (UK) / Hassell Pty Ltd, Bligh Voller Nield, Donovan Hill / GHD / Wilson Architects, and Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp.
We interpreted this project as an opportunity to redefine and reinterpret the architectural dialectic between city and campus: to extend the public domain and create a new opening of the University to the community, parkland and city beyond, with the study of law balanced carefully at this edge; to transform a great turn-of-the-century campus, damaged by post war development, into a more open, welcoming environment reflecting contemporary social values and aspirations.
The complex and extensive programme for the project into podium and superstructures which allowed the creation of an extended public domain of lawns, terraces and plazas at the podium level, or Eastern Avenue level, the primary public artery of the campus. Within this solid podium are the library and teaching spaces accessed from the terraces and lit from above. Suspended above the podium are a series of superstructures that split and splinter the remaining programme into fragments that coalesce at moments of definition of the public domain.
These splintered forms are frozen or locked in position by three glass and metal elements and a spatial urban shaft.
A cubic glass atrium locks the fragments of the teaching form into spatial and urban alignment at the moment of primary vertical circulation.
A curvilinear profiled form of stainless steel penetrates the primary platform delineating the open space as a figure against the silent backdrop of the adjacent library stack, announcing the presence of the Law Library below as it draws in and reflects natural light. This library 'light tower' ventilates the spaces below, expelling warm stale air and naturally cooling the mass of the building as the evening temperatures drop via a 'night flushing' operation.
A louvered metal box extends the public circulation within the podium, reaching out towards the park in the form of a student lounge: a quiet suspended space over the green landscape, freezing the movement in a modest rectilinear moment.
The final and perhaps most significant locking of the splintered form is through the obscured spatial shaft of the campus, envisioned by Leslie Wilkinson, the University's first Professor of Architecture, that runs from deep within the campus through built form and open space. It runs through the project and extends out and released into the park and city beyond to create a broad opening of the campus.
It is at this moment – where the wide public steps fold the ground of the podium to meet the park – that the splintered forms of the Law Faculty building are separate and connected only by a thin glass bridge, or window: the informal meeting place of students and teachers, suspended at this threshold of city and campus.
It is this openness and transparency that marks the new open entrance to the University, with the splintered form above extending wide like an open door or hand that gestures invitation.
The splintered forms of the Faculty building are raised up above the podium to create a broad horizontal extension and connection with the park and city, making visible again the topographical positioning of the University on a gentle contemplative rise above the city.
The material of the splintered forms that define this edge and opening of the University are layers of glass and timber plywood louvers, suspended on fine stainless steel rods. These forms possess a kinetic grain that changes with the position of the sun and preferences of those behind the timber screens. The gentle curve of the plywood louver creates its own structural brace and rigidity while softening the daylight around its profile. The pairing of large louver above small allows a variation in light and shade, blocking the harsh glare and heat of the low eastern and western sun while preserving and directing views when seated within.
The ventilated triple-skin system of enclosure draws in and controls natural air circulating through and around the interior, tempering the environment to cool and heat as necessary. The varying grain of the timber screens and shades is overlaid with reflections of the park landscape and Neo-Gothic sandstone façades: a distilled reflection of the form, its means and its intent.
The project has also developed from a focus upon the process of learning – combining the structured and unstructured, the formal and informal, the expected and unexpected, and the physical with the virtual – all within an uplifting environment characterized by fresh air, comfort and natural light that seeks to both enable and inspire students.
Passive environmental solutions such as thermal mass, high performance glazing, thermal insulation, multi-skin facade systems, fixed and automatically adjusting shading systems, natural ventilation, night purging and the winter heating effect of the sun are augmented by mixed mode and displacement air conditioning systems, high efficiency lighting with individual control and occupancy sensors to reduce the energy impact of the building.


text:
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Mobile applications support on-the-go learning and enable your staff to study when and where it is convenient for them.
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Learn how London's Metropolitan Police Service empowered frontline officers with language skills to work within the city's multilingual and multicultural neighborhoods.
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CPCC Bond Request
A Good Investment. A Great Return.
Mecklenburg County residents will have the opportunity to support Central Piedmont Community College on Nov. 5. A $210 million bond referendum will be on the election ballot to help CPCC renovate existing facilities and build new classrooms and labs. These capital projects will help CPCC strengthen current programs and develop new ones to train Mecklenburg County residents for the jobs of today and the future.
CPCC is one of the largest colleges in the Carolinas, serving approximately 70,000 persons a year and offering nearly 300 degree, diploma and certification programs, customized corporate training, market-focused continuing education, and special interest classes. CPCC is academically, financially and geographically accessible to all citizens of Mecklenburg County. Established in 1963, CPCC is celebrating 50 years of service to Mecklenburg residents, business and industry.
CPCC's enrollment has grown 37 percent since 2006, and classroom and lab space has gotten tight. North Carolina has set a standard of 100-square-feet of instructional space per full-time student. CPCC currently has only 58-square-feet of instructional space per full-time student.
CPCC needs to renovate a number of existing facilities and construct new classrooms and labs to ensure it can offer the health care, advanced manufacturing and other high-tech job-training programs Mecklenburg County residents and industries will demand in the coming years.


text:
Still Life: Nike's 'Never Not'
Never Not, Part One
After two years of anticipation, the team movie from Nike Snowboarding is finally here. It is a story told in two parts. In Part One, which was released on Sept. 16, the action does the talking. In Part Two, the riders divulge the inside stories on the shots shown in Part One. Here are some photos from the making of the movie. Pictured here: Ethan Morgan takes a sunset stroll in Iceland while Danny Kass cuts through pow in Canada.
Here are some photos from the making of the movie. Pictured here: Ethan Morgan takes a sunset stroll in Iceland while Danny Kass cuts through pow in Canada.
Bennee and the Vets
Justin Bennee's been snowboarding for a while now and his part in "Never Not" proves that he's still got it. Bennee claimed the only hip-hop track in the movie and his riding hit as hard as the beats. Frontside transfer to tree bash.
Frontside transfer to tree bash.
Soul carve
The hallmark of a good snowboard movie is a segment that just makes you want to go out and rip turns in powder. Austin Smith delivers -- on this and more. He might even make you want to try a front 10!
Paper covers rock
Is this director Joe Carlino and Halldor Helgason playing a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors? Are their hands embracing in a bromantic moment? Missing the fist bump? Doesn't matter. These two did damage in the streets last season. Helgason's part is proof.
Morning commute
Nicolas Mller commutes to work in Alaska. He rode every one of those lines. Watch and see.
Twerking, Nico style
And here's Mller at home in the Alps, tweaked and flying through the trees. This guy has got the life. "Never Not" will make you want to move in next door.
Raise the Rüf
Gigi Rf nabbed the video's ender and, with impossible tweaks, perfect backside 180s and psycho AK lines, it's another part for the history books. All hail Rf.
Everything's Illuminated
Rf has a way of lighting up any terrain. Here it's with a method. In "Never Not" you'll see every other trick in his bag.
Turns earned
The heli can only get you so far in Alaska. Manuel Diaz and Gigi Rf make the last leg to the top of their lines on their own.
That's what the new Nike movie is: Hot fire. Mller, Rf and filmer Florian Eckhardt soak it all in.
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text:
EZ Notes Magnetic Music Board
(Piano/Staff (w/ ledger lines))E-Z Notes - E-Z Notes
EZ Notes Magnetic Music Board
(Piano/Staff (w/ ledger lines))E-Z Notes - E-Z Notes
Click to review
The E-Z Notes magnetic music board is an effective learning tool that is fun for students and flexible for teachers. �Because the magnets representing notes are so quickly and conveniently rearranged to suit the specific needs of the teacher, the board is easily adaptable to any of a vast array of teaching methods available today. �The board aids in improving music reading skills, enriching the understanding of music theory, and advancing a student's ability to sightread. �The E-Z Notes Kit includes a 9" x 12" two-sided metal board with a sturdy plastic frame; 10 black magnetic notes; eight red magnetic notes (for sharps); eight blue magnetic notes (for flats); a dry-erasable marker pen; a cloth eraser and an illustrated booklet with tips and ideas. �The first side of the Piano/Staff (with ledger lines) Board has a grand staff filling most of the area and a two-octave (plus 4 notes) keyboard at the top. �The second side has a grand staff (not including clefs) with dashed ledger lines above and below the staff. �Both the dry-erasable marker and magnetic notes may be used to instruct and demonstrate the placement of notes and clefs.
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text:
In development since 2010, Halo: Out With a Whimper is a fan-made project looking to take the franchise's frantic 3D gameplay and transfer it to the world of 2D platformers.
Going a little beyond your standard demake — of which there's been plenty of Halo offerings previously — this is going all out, promising a "story driven campaign", "the survival mode Firefight" and even stuff like armour customisation and stat tracking.
You can check out more about the project, which hopes to be playable sometime "this Winter", below.
Halo: Out With a Whimper [IndieDB]


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Yesterday we got the news flash that Anne Heche named her son Atlas and last week we learned that Erykah Badu chose Mars for her baby girl. Do we smell the beginnings of a trendlet?
Yes, some celebrity parents do seem to be intent on making little gods and goddesses–instant objects of worship– of their infants right from the get-go. Names that were previously considered too powerful for a baby to bear (after all, Atlas did carry the weight of the heavens on his shoulders, and Mars was the Roman god of war) now seem to have descended from Mt. Olympus into the realm of mortal possibility.
Of course, Atlas and Mars aren't the first mythic starbabies. Others include:
CALLIOPE — Patricia Arquette (middle name)
ICARUS — Lucy Sykes (middle name)
And there are lots of other names of ancient Greek and Roman gods, goddesses and muses that could work for a contemporary American baby, some of which are still commonly used in Greece, such as:
AJAX (beware the foaming cleanser)


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Lead running backs just don't drop into your laps in Week 12. Well, actually there are most likely three new starting running backs out there, but the circumstances that have created these opportunities are rare.
Just take my word for it, you're very, very lucky. If you're on the edge of playoff contention in your fantasy football league, help just came gift-wrapped four weeks before Christmas.
1. Thomas Rawls, RB, Seahawks
That Rawls is good is no surprise, but 205 rushing yards? Sure, the 49ers may be halfway checked out of this miserable season, but certainly not enough to allow the first 200-yard rusher in franchise history.
Rawls was a hot...


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Target retirement funds offer one-stop shopping for investors who want a "set it and forget it" retirement strategy. Instead of wading through scores of funds, investors can leave the portfolio strategy to someone else.
Think you might retire 15 years from now? Just pick the target retirement fund geared for those retiring between 2026 and 2030. Now you're all set.
But is this a smart strategy?
The good
Target retirement funds offer a simple choice. When you have 20 investment options, paralysis can set in. Fearful of making the incorrect choice, the decision is deferred. With target retirement funds, you just estimate your retirement date and then select the appropriate fund.
These funds build in a high degree of diversification in their portfolios. Target retirement funds are usually "funds of funds." So by purchasing a Fidelity Freedom 2030 Fund (ticker: FFFEX), you are purchasing their all-sector equity fund and twenty other Fidelity funds. Each of these funds holds hundreds to thousands of different individual stocks or bonds.
So not only do you avoid the risks in betting on a single company or sector, but you also get the benefit of spreading your assets between domestic and international markets, and alternative asset classes including commodities and commercial real estate.
Finally these funds regularly rebalance their holdings. They sell the winners within their fund mix and purchase those that haven't done as well.
The bad
By investing in target retirement funds, you're making a decision that a cookie cutter investment approach will be effective. When we design a recommended portfolio for a client, we not only ask about their risk tolerance but also about their financial goals and come up with the best path forward considering their current assets and future savings. Target retirement funds don't incorporate any information that is specific to your situation.
Even if you agree that a generic investment approach is appropriate, you'll be surprised to learn that each mutual fund manager has their own ideas about what an ideal asset allocation is for you. Fidelity's Freedom 2030 Fund is invested 62 percent in stocks and 38 percent in bonds, while the Vanguard Target Retirement 2030 Fund (ticker: VTHRX) is invested 79 percent in stocks. Which is right for you?
The ugly
Target retirement funds often have higher fees than funds that are invested in one asset class. For example, Fidelity's fund has an annual expense ratio of .71 percent. When compared to the Fidelity Spartan Funds with fees under 0.2 percent, you're paying a premium.
Finally, target retirement funds can increase your taxes if held in joint or individual accounts. Experienced financial advisors will help you with asset location -- the art of having specific types of investments in certain types of accounts, such as a Roth IRA. With a target retirement fund, you're less able to control the taxation of your portfolio. This will become even more important next year as the new 3.8 percent Medicare tax on investment earnings comes into effect.
So what's the final verdict? Target retirement funds offer a valuable choice for fund investors, especially those who are loathe to get professional advice or take an active role in investing. But that automatic approach has its costs and you won't know if a fund has the right investment mix for you without digging a little deeper.
Dave Gardner is a certified financial planner in Boulder and is admitted to practice before the IRS. He can be reached through his website at yellowstonefinancial.com.


text: I went to the grocery store after work this evening. I usually carry my own groceries out the door, but a pleasant lady who works at the store grabbed my cart and said, "Let's go." Got to my car and opened the back hatch and she was putting my bags in the car and noticed my two utility quilts that I made from sheets and said that they were so pretty she would have them on the bed, not in the car. I told her how I made them and why. Then she told me her Mom has a quilt top that she had made with her Mom and it still needed to be sandwiched and quilted and how they couldn't find a quilter to do it. She also said she would want me to make whole cloth quilts using sheets or fabric for her granddaughter(s) for Christmas. I told her I was not a professional, that I only quilt with a machine, that I quilt for fun and that my work is definitely not perfect, but she wasn't put off, she said she loved quilts but could not sew (boy would I love to teach her and I will be asking her if she wants to learn). Anyway, I gave her my name and a couple of phone numbers and told her to call me and we could talk about what she wants me to do. She was very excited to have met me which was really sweet. I don't know if or when she will call, but I think it would be great to help her out.


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Running Time: 86 minutes
Studio Name: Teen Sex Project
Series: Teen Sex Project
Categories: Amateur Teen Gonzo High Definition
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Amsterdam had to be the most international city I've ever visited. It was also the busiest in terms of nightlife and general tourism, not that this is surprising given the reputation that city has picked up over the years. That being said, the weekend after Easter, two friends and I got ourselves on a plane and headed out to this magnificent city to spend a long weekend enjoying ourselves. That weekend was probably the most relaxing trip I took during the Spring semester. While we got a lot done, saw what we wanted to see, I never felt rushed.
Getting to Amsterdam was something of an adventure, (un)fortunately. We literally got to the airport via taxi (the bus was taking too damn long to show up) a half-hour before the gate closed, and while I had checked in online the night previously, Michelle and Francesca had not. Francesca managed to get her boarding pass just fine but, for whatever reason, the machine refused to read Michelle's passport and didn't give her the boarding pass. Arguments with most unhelpful ticket ladies led to the threat of tears and finally one saint of an attendent made some calls and got Michelle her boarding pass. We booked it through security and to the gate, fairly throwing ourselves onto the plane in sheer relief. Too say we started off like nutters would not be an understatement. It's a good thing that none of us really put much stock in our public image (not that anyone was ever going to see us ever again) because we looked ridiculous.
Our first day in Amsterdam was spent on the free walking tour that took us through the main part of the city, including part of the infamous red light district. I won't elaborate too much on that portion of the tour, even though we took a specialized red-light tour later that evening, because we learned that a lot of the stereotypes and "common" knowledge is in fact false. However, I'm not entirely sure on the actuality of the situations, whether the girls in the RLD are under madams or essentially freelancers, so don't quote me on any of that! That being said, the city was definitely more picturesque than I expected. I had heard that Amsterdam was very clean, beautiful, and the people friendly but I was blown away by the buildings and canals and the people were great! Food was pretty good, too, though we were a bit more international in our food choices than usual, going for Chinese and Thai rather than typical Dutch food.
Oh dear, I'm looking through my photos now and of course, I've put them all up on FaceBook but they aren't in my iPhotos albums. Naturally. Hopefully they're of the same quality.
We had three target locations that we wanted to visit this weekend: Anne Frank's House, the Heineken Factory, and the House of Bols. Unfortunately, we were forbidden from taking photos in Anne Frank's House, so all I have to offer you is the sign outside of the building:
Having been to Auschwitz in my fall semester, it was interesting to see the living situation of a family that had been subjected to the horrors of the Holocaust, and being able to see original copies of Anne's diary, short stories, and novel was bittersweet. Apparently she'd wanted to be a famous author, and it's ironic that her trauma and death ultimately made that dream come true. Horrible irony, but true.
Our experiences with the House of Bols and the Heineken Factory were somewhat similar, though I enjoyed the prior more than the latter. I've become more partial to liquor over the year, and I still can't stand beer in any shape or form (though I spent a bit of time in Dublin recently trying to get over that with my friend Guinness). However, we spent more time in the Heineken Factory due to it being massive and more historically based than the House of Bols. We were taken through the entire process of brewing, getting tastes along the way that ended in two "free" pints of Heineken at the end of our tour. Apparently hops is what makes the beer bitter, but before that's added, it's actually relatively sweet. I'd drink beer if it tasted like that!
There was also one of those 4D rides that put us in the perspective of the beer as it went from grain and hops to the can. Of course, our expectations for this ride had been built up by other friends visiting previously, so I was thinking that we were in for a beer-can rollert coaster. It was a bit of a let down to be sprayed in the face with a bit of water and "boiled" under infrared lights.
Going to the House of Bols was something like entering a fun house that could kill epileptics. There were so many multicolored lights everywhere! Our entrance fee gained us two shots and a cocktail at the end of the tour, and the innovative part of the House of Bols is the number of liquor flavors they boast, over 300 developed and counting. One of the rooms had bottles lined up, stripped of their labels, and you were supposed to try and identify them by smell alone. That was the trippy room. It looked like a mad scientist's lab met gay pride parade. I was pretty impressed.
At the tasting bar, I decided on a Pomegranate Collins as my cocktail of choice, given the option between nearly thirty different kinds of drinks from the automated machines. We were provided with a recipe for every drink we were interested in trying, but since all of them have Bols liquor in them (it's frustratingly difficult to find in the States, only in NYC or San Fran), I don't foresee making any of them in the near future. I also picked the blood orange and butterscotch liquor taster shots. Butterscotch was definitely my favorite. It tasted like candy!
I had a fantastic time in Amsterdam. The city was beautiful and even though we stayed out late every night, I never felt unsafe. There were so many people around all the time and no one begrudged us asking for directions, even at 3 o'clock in the morning. Our tours were informative and entertaining, and the red-light district was not nearly as sordid as everyone makes it out to be. In fact, I think every woman could do with a glow-in-the-dark lingerie set at one point in her life! Christmas present, anyone? It'd be a riot. In any case, my time spent in Amsterdam has put it at in the list of my favorite cities, and I would love to go back one day. I certainly wouldn't mind living there, if given the opportunity!
PS: You notice I don't mention another major aspect of the Amsterdam reputation. Don't worry. It was around and definitely . . . interesting. ;D


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EVOC Training
The Emergency Vehicle Operator Course (EVOC) is a 100-hour driver training program that provides Basic School recruits with the special driving skills required to operate a vehicle under very demanding police patrol conditions. Students are first tested for visual acuity, glare recovery and reaction time, then receive classroom and hands-on driver training in two phases:
Phase I
The first phase is conducted in a controlled environment at the NYSP driver training facility. Instruction includes training in controlled braking, curved and straight backing-up, serpentine, skid pan, police turns, parallel parking, crash avoidance techniques and precision driving skills. To demonstrate their proficiency, students drive a specially laid-out course, both before and after receiving instruction.
These exercises cover the skills required to complete the final stage of Phase I -- the pursuit driving scenario. This exercise puts each of the students in a simulated pursuit driving situation where they are pitted against an instructor under controlled conditions. Students are required to perform divided attention tasks, such as conducting two-way radio communication while avoiding any possible hazardous situations during the pursuit. Students must determine whether to terminate or continue the pursuit based on existing conditions. If the decision is made to continue the pursuit, the student must maintain a safe following distance and complete the course without becoming involved in a collision with any objects or cones outlining the simulated roadway.
Phase II
In the second driving phase, conducted on public highways, students learn the proper techniques and skills involved in stopping and approaching violators. An experienced instructor plays the role of the violator and presents the recruit with various scenarios that police officers routinely encounter on patrol. This builds upon the driving skills and procedures learned in the first phase of driver training.


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As with many major failures on the part of Blizzard and other major game development companies, the consumer backlash was vicious and omnipresent. Blizzard failed to anticipate just how many people would try to play Diablo III, and were caught embarrassingly unprepared, leaving the game unplayable for the majority of launch day. Throughout the day, error 37, the error code that indicated that Blizzard's servers were not up to the task, trended globally on Twitter, even when Diablo III itself did not. That's the equivalent of having more people knowing about error 404 than the internet.
This was mostly because of the DRM package that Blizzard decided to apply to their series that traditionally had a single player component to it. When Blizzard announced this style of "always-on" DRM, consumers questioned the necessity of it, and also pointed out its flaws, namely that a break in the connection, on either end, would render the game useless until it was repaired. While it would be annoying to not be able to play because the internet went down on the consumer's end, at least the consumer could do something about it. The bigger fear was that Blizzard's end of the system would do down, or that further down the line, Blizzard would turn off the servers, and leave consumers with nothing but eight gigs of useless data. Lo and behold, day one, and the exact scenario that consumers warned against takes place in probably the most visible failed launch since Vanguard TV3.
In response, the consumers responded in more ways than merely Twitter. Blogs lit up, the forums caught fire, reddit upvoted "error 37", and perhaps most damaging, unhappy consumers crushed Diablo III's user score on Metacritic, driving it down to a 4/10 as of Friday night. A lot of the gaming news sites seized upon this, painting the unhappy consumers as "whiney-snot-nosed-brats" in some of the most sardonic, virulent, and condescending editorials I've ever seen.
This has been a landmark year in terms of consumer anger in the video game industry, and Blizzard hasn't been the only target. The problems that are causing these reactions are endemic throughout the industry. Capcom got busted selling "downloadable content" that was already coded to the disc for Street Fighter vs Tekken. Bioware got busted for the same thing with Mass Effect's "From Ashes" DLC, and also caught flak for launching not one, but two incomplete RPGs in the past six months. EA got busted attaching hidden expiration dates to the "Online Passes" that enabled multiplayer on several of their games, essentially tacking on a hidden subscription to games like Need For Speed. That, along with EA's forcing consumers seeking to download games online to go through their Origin program, which was revealed to be chock full of spyware, got EA rated the Worst Company in America this year.
In each of these scenarios, the gaming media rose up and defended the developers and publishers, castigating those who complained as over entitled whiners who were never satisfied. They fall back upon the same pedantic arguments as if it were religious dogma: Stop whining, It's just a game, there are more important things out there, the developers need to do this, and they need to make a profit. It's as if they have this carved on a damn tablet that they keep over their desk as they write these arguments.
Either they don't understand what's going on, or they're being apologists. This past year, and the trends that it has brought up stem from unacceptable levels of greed that would not be tolerated in any other industry. It's evolved far from its original roots, and the consumers will not stand for it. Each 0/10 vote for Diablo on Metacritic, or 1/5 review on Amazon, isn't an indictment of the game itself, it's a vote in protest of the policies that surround the game, and the company that produced it. The mighty have begun to become corrupt. I once said that Blizzard lost their right to say "Soon™" when they shoved an unfinished Cataclysm expansion out to release in order to beat the Christmas rush. Since then, they've released two absolutely garbage raiding tiers that had less content combined than T6 had on its own, they shoved Diablo III out the door without PvP or AH functionality, the two things that they explained made the draconian DRM package necessary, and upon D3's launch, they completely failed to prepare for the rush. This from the company that once scrapped Starcraft: Ghost entirely because it failed to measure up to their standards. Bioware has become even worse, having fallen from a company that produced Baldur's Gate, Knights of the Old Republic, and Mass Effect, to the company that shoved The Old Republic out literally missing half of the endgame raiding tier, launched Mass Effect 3 with a heavily plagiarized ending that only made sense if you understood the context that it was plagiarized from. Not only that, but they locked portions of the game as it came on disc, until you paid extra for the privilege of unlocking the content you already had on your computer, the same questionable practice that got Capcom's rating with the Better Business Bureau knocked down to below that of Bank of America. In no world should these failures be considered acceptable.
What I find most interesting is the lines of division that have formed. The gaming media, aside from good ole Tycho, continue to cling to the infallibility of the game developer in these business models. The people, aside from the consumers, who point out time and again that these policies are bullshit? Time Magazine, Forbes Magazine, the International Business Times, The Consumerist, The Better Business Bureau. I think that's very telling.
Developers have enjoyed a long detente with the consumers, one that they had admittedly earned through producing excellent products in an emergent field. However, they have not maintained their standards in recent releases, and there seem to be no signs of a spontaneous return to form. As such, it is up to the us, the consumers, to make our displeasure known through the tools at our disposal, until such time as they understand that just because Video Games are a relatively new industry, that does not give them license to financially abuse us. We wouldn't take this from any other industry. Why should we tolerate this sort of disregard here?


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halflife* digital is a full-service production and post company at the heart of New Mexico's film renaissance. We specialize in supporting filmmakers and agencies through the process of producing exhilarating content for theatrical and broadcast distribution.
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trulife* …news of the strange
Update: Crime After Crime
Director Yoav Potash and halflife* digital team up for success with Crime After Crime at Sundance 2011. Find out where you can see a screening of this powerful documentary.
Crime After Crime
CRIME AFTER CRIME is the exclusive documentary film on the legal battle to free Debbie Peagler, a woman imprisoned for over a quarter century due to her connection to the murder of the man who abused her. She finds her only hope for freedom when two rookie attorneys with no background in criminal law step forward to take her case.


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My conservative cousin from New York and his conservative wife offer this timely comment about our bowing president:
After seeing President Obama prostrating himself before the King of Saudi Arabia, we couldn't help but see the similarity between our feckless leader and the fictional US President played by E.G. Marshall in the Superman II movie. In the film, Marshall is compelled to bow before the outlaw General Zod from the planet Krypton in the White House. Zod, played by Terrence Stamp, bellows "Kneel before Zod" and our cowed president with no defense against the Kryptonite's superpowers, has no alternative but to comply.
The sad part is that our non-fictional president had an alternative to bowing, namely not bowing.


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Golden Skull now available for $2.99
This week Astraware released some more details on Golden Skull, a colorful puzzle game for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Today Astraware, the developer of games like Toy Bot Diaries, has released Golden Skull in the App Store for just $2.99. In Golden Skull you help Saeed on his journey through the Mayan ruins to recover the Golden Skull. By touching groups of sparkling gems you make them disappear and earn 5 gold coins. By removing larger groups of gems you get more coins, but if you run out of moves your journey will end. Read the rest of this entry »


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This a ceramic mask I finished last week that was bisque fired and painted with water colors. It is about 15 inches tall and weighs between 5 and 10 pounds. I have not made a mask in months, although it was something I used to do quite often. To see more check out my website at:
I thought this one was appropriate for "Trick or Treat" because it is kind of macabre and could be worn as part of a costume.
Please excuse the mediocre photo; although I think the lighting adds to the mood.