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Oct 3, 2002, 1:44 PM
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How Dr. Piton Dropped Tom's Pig
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By now, you've heard the rumours, the legend. Tales of haulbags hurtling earthward at terminal velocity, crashing through the canopy, and terrifying climbers a quarter-mile in each direction.
I wish to assure you that the preposterous myth is true.
So here's what happened, and how I blew it. I'm writing this here in the Aid Climbing Forum because this is relevant to all the systems that I teach here, and I want it on my "home turf" where everyone can read it again and again, so hopefully nobody else pulls such a boneheaded move!
We had just completed the
"Poison Pill" pitch on Scorched Earth,
a seldom-repeated hard aid route on the southeast face of El Cap between Native Son and the Trip. It is a variation on Aurora. We were probably only the fifth party to climb these aid pitches, so there was plenty of loose rock and suspect moves. I was relieved to find the climbing "reasonable" and didn't feel quite as terrified as I sometimes do. I would have graded the crux A5 pitch as
I try to save the
ratings for when I'm
The notation on the route topo concerning the Poison Pill was
"A4 - big and loose"
- it had my attention. It was one of those pitches where you stuff cams behind something so big you know that if it rips, then you, your partner, and all your gear will be swept off the wall in a massive and catastrophic disaster. Kinda like the aid pitch on
Iron Hawk
that climbs the loose apartment-building-sized block to the roof just left of
El Cap Tree,
only scarier because only four people had climbed it before me.
Was it A4, or was it A1? Hard to say - "it's all A1 til you fall!"
The Pill is an enormous left-facing flake - you get on top of it and make a few free moves rightward to gain a ledge perhaps a foot wide. Behind the ledge is a crack. Above the ledge two vertically-aligned bolts form part of the belay, but we were obliged to use the crack as well. I stuffed in a few 3" cams and hauled up the pigs while Tom cleaned.
I believe I mostly soloed the next pitch which was another
A4 Funfest
involving camming behind a loose and detached fragment of rock - we were leading in blocks to keep the ship moving - and I returned to the belay as it was getting dark. I had shouted down to Tom to ask him to get my ledge ready so I could just flop into it to drink my Olde English. So Tom stuck in a #4 Friend to hang my ledge from.
The next morning, Tom jugged one of the haul lines to reach the upper belay - he would haul while I cleaned. We cut the first pig free [my] and unloaded the belay partially. As I was getting ready to cut the second pig free, I discovered that the #4 Friend Tom had placed for my ledge was severely overcammed.
I'll delete the expletives here, and just say that I asked Tom to come down and see if he could remove it as I couldn't. [Not only does Tom
the Valley Giant 9" and 12" cams, but he is the best person to remove a stuck cam you will ever meet. When it comes to stuck cams, Tom emphatically "gets it."]
Before Tom could return to my lower belay, I took the haul line that he was about to rappel, and tied it into the Power Point with an alpine butterfly knot. This was necessary since the pitch was both overhanging and traversing, and Tom was left dangling in space thirty feet out and forty feet across, a thousand feet off the deck[!]
Tom jugged horizontally into the belay, and got off the haul line. Since it was time to cut the bag free anyway, I figured I might as well do it then, since it was the next logical step, and Tom would be busy trying to extract the Friend.
So I put Tom's ledge onto the haul line above the butterfly knot as we always do to "flag the ledge" during hauling.
Now you must understand the situation, as it's important to understand how I blew it.
First of all, I was a bit pissed. A bit frustrated that the Friend was stuck, a bit annoyed that we were moving too slowly, a bit angry that our Wank Factor was running so high. I just wanted to fricking get moving!
The belay was also a bit crowded. I was hanging on top of the pig with the ledge flagged. This is not a particularly easy operation to perform, as Tom's homemade ledge is both big and heavy. So it was hard to see stuff.
[ This Message was edited by: passthepitonspete on 2002-10-03 14:40 ]
Oct 3, 2002, 1:45 PM
Post #2 of 48 (21747 views)
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I have been asked several times why the pig
was not attached to the end of the haul line.
"We would never have had the pig unattached to the haul line," were comments I heard a few times.
Look, if you have your pig attached to the end of the haul line, then you are doing things
tie the pig to the end! [Except on a full-length pitch]
Here's what you do:
When the leader reaches the upper station, you zip up the anchor cordalettes, power point lockers, and hauling devices to him, along with the tops of the two haul lines. He sets up two hauling Power Points [assuming you have two pigs like we did], attaches the hauling devices to them, and then says, "ready to haul!"
The partner beneath then attaches the pig to the haul line with a butterfly knot
directly at that point on the haul line.
For example, if the pitch is 150' long and your haul line is 200', then you attach the pig with a butterfly knot right at the 150' point. This means that you have
fifty feet of lower-out line remaining,
since your excess haul line
your lower-out line.
It would be
to attach the pig at the
of the haul line, wouldn't it? Not only would you have to use a separate lower-out line, which you would have to rig, recover, and restuff, but you would also have to empty out and restuff fifty feet of haul line.
So the plan is to tie the haul line to the pig with a butterfly knot, then take the free end of the haul line, pass it through a locker as a munter hitch, have your partner above take in the little bit of slack in the haul line to pull it tight, untie the load release knot to let the pig go, and lower off the pig using the excess haul line as lower-out line.
So that's what I did - or at least, that's what I
I did.
I looked at the butterfly knot on the power point, the ledge flagged, took the free end of the haul line, put it through a munter, checked the knot, checked everything again, and then I
untied the load release knot
which secured the pig to the anchor using the
docking tether cord.
I untied the knot, and had just enough time to think, gee - that cord sure seems to be sliding through the carabiner quickly, I didn't think I left
much slack in the lower-out line.......
...when to my horror and amazement I watched the pig plummet earthward!
Oh shit.
Tom heard it, but it all happened so fast he didn't even get to see the show!
Climbers all over screamed in horror and amazement, and I felt like a total tool.
So here's what I had done - I had attached the butterfly knot to the power point of the anchor [remember, so Tom could jug back in] and had neglected to
untie and retie it to the suspension point of the PIG!
So the haul line was hooked to the
not the
And when I untied the load release knot, the pig just fell to earth.
Please note: I do
under any circumstance "back up" the load release knot on the docking tether with a daisy. If you do this, sooner or later you will forget to unclip the daisy, and find your pig hanging from it, impossible to unclip.
I just said to Tom, "I need a hug."
Tom laughed at our predicament - bless his heart - and all I could think about was, how do we get down?
[ This Message was edited by: passthepitonspete on 2002-10-03 14:47 ]
Oct 3, 2002, 1:46 PM
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See, the wall is
so overhanging
at this point that retreat is virtually impossible without tons of downaiding, and leaving tons of gear behind.
Truly, on big walls that overhang so, the
best retreat is to go up.
So that's what we did.
I did my best to put my stupidity behind me, tried not to "beat myself up" too much, and
decided to get on with things.
Turns out that the anchor was
fully expando,
meaning that it
when you apply weight to it. Removing the weight of the two pigs had the effect of unloading the crack, causing it to hopelessly squeeze the Friend. Tom assured me that when he placed the cam the night before when the anchor had been loaded, the lobes were not anywhere near as compressed as they ended up.
So future parties note: the anchor is expanding, and there is a booty twenty-two-year-old #4 Friend waiting there for you!
At this point, I had been making coffee for us every morning using water from my pig, so I assumed I only had four or six litres of water in my pig, which was the only pig remaining. Tom had pulled out a day's supply of water, so at least we had that.
I was quite concerned, worried even, that we did not have enough water to finish. The
temperatures were quite hot, and we had been consuming a lot. The higher you get on the
wall, the cooler it becomes, so I was hoping that would help. But I could see an
"epic in the making"
- I was expecting things to get pretty desperate.
But I had also come too far, and invested too much time, energy, and money, to bail too
easily. I would rather suffer than quit.
Tom was of like mind, and we pushed on.
We both survived that scorching day on a single litre of water, and were totally parched and dehydrated when we finally opened my pig that night. Imagine our surprise and delight when I discovered ten litres in my pig!
So basically, we hung in there, we rationed our remaining water - we were OK on food, and
we eventually summitted. The "locals" were amazed to see me pick up the pace from my usual leisurely one pitch per day, to three or four. I could have climbed faster, too, if Tom could have cleaned and hauled faster. I
climb quickly when I
to - it's just that I usually choose
Unfortunately, all of Tom's
Valley Giant
cams were in the pig I dropped, so we had to skip the
pitch, the most infamous on the route, which climbs the right side of the
Golden Finger of Fate
via a crack that begins as KB size, and increases to 24" via every horrendous offwidth dimension you can imagine.
We reached the summit a few days later having consumed our last drop of water, but we
were able to find a few water bottles left by previous parties, so we were OK.
Here are a few notes:
your pig before you cut her free! Pigs can fly, and yours just might have
wings, too.
Check her again,
just to be sure. That's what I should have done. My first and only check was wrong.
Never assume that you are
more bitchin'
than you really are -
is a dangerous sin in the big wall arena.
DON'T BAIL! If you have read my writing, then you know that it is imperative that you
steel your mind.
This is what we did. We suffered a bit, but we made it.
El Cap route #21 for the Tick List.
I am
Dr. Piton
Don't do as I
do as I
[ This Message was edited by: passthepitonspete on 2002-10-03 14:54 ]
Oct 3, 2002, 1:59 PM
Post #4 of 48 (21747 views)
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Written well, but I fell asleep before I got to the part where you dropped the pig. Which
is it on so I can go there ???
No slam Pete, just want the nuts and bolts.
Oct 3, 2002, 2:03 PM
Post #5 of 48 (21747 views)
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thanks for the insightful comment adam.
here you go:
bag wasn't tied to haul line. undid load release knot. bag falls to deck.
how is that?
Oct 3, 2002, 2:06 PM
Post #6 of 48 (21747 views)
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damn dr piton, that sounded like an epic in the first few paragraphs, but it seems you guys survived okay.
here's a question i've been meaning to ask for a while and which your predicament brought to mind anew:
what happens to the stuff inside a pig when it is dropped? i've read of people tossing their pigs on purpose at the summit of remote climbs (baffin and such). i wonder, do they just explode after their 3000+ft falls, spreading gear everywhere? if so, do the climbers then wander about for days cleaning it all up?
what's up with the 'tossing the pig' thing, anyway?
Oct 3, 2002, 2:44 PM
Post #7 of 48 (21747 views)
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Thanx Andy. I really
understand all the "technical nomenclature" of Big Wall climbing, so it's hard for me to follow.
Oct 3, 2002, 7:57 PM
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So I gets back from four days of fishing out on the Great Barrier Reef and I thinks to meself I`ll go check out the aid climbing forum on rock climbing dot com.
To quote Gomer Pyle USMC, surprarze, surprarze, surprarze (60`s TV comedy). Pete, what can I say, I can`t say anything cos I know ya beat yerself up pretty bad and ya put it all here and hung yerself up for the world ta see but one thing I`ve gots ta ask, did Tom give yer a hug.
Oct 3, 2002, 11:24 PM
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The most crucial element of the Big Cratering was this: that morning we decided that our normal two pots of coffee was taking too much time, so we only drank one.
And the rest is history.
Luckily, the Amazing Flying Whale (a grade VII haul bag hung below the pig with lightweight stuff) earned the Wee-Wee Big Wall MVP Award that day by gettings its catch line caught in the trees, thus sparing the Valley Giant stash from total destruction.
- Tom
[ This Message was edited by: apollodorus on 2002-10-04 02:45 ]
Oct 4, 2002, 12:39 AM
Post #10 of 48 (21747 views)
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The "technical nomenclature" in big wall climbing is pretty simple:
El Cap - big piece of rock
Pig - big bag full of stuff you try not to drop
Pete - somebody we like and you don't
W*nker - person who proclaims to have no interest in aid climbing but keeps posting snide comments about Pete in the aid forum and bores us all to death.
Simple enough for ya?
Oct 4, 2002, 1:23 AM
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OK. Enough antagonism. All that belongs here:
(click REFRESH to see more action clips)
evanmfreeman, to answer your question, it depends. The Pig and Blue Whale fell straight down through some oak trees, about 150 feet from the base of El Cap. The Pig hit hard, blowing out both bottom and side seams. Water bottles exploded, food cans exploded, but most of the stuff at the top was undamaged. Two flashlights and a headlamp worked fine, as did a watch I had in the top of the Pig.
The Blue Whale was on a catchline; the rope caught in some branches and suffered only minor damage: torn Whale, some dings and dents to my big cams. My sleeping bag was also on a catchline and didn't even get a tear in the stuffsack.
If it weren't for the trees, the damage would have been much worse.
Those guys that toss bags off Baffin normally use some sort of small parachute, which drastically reduces the impact. They probably also put the soft stuff at the bottom to cushion the blow. A trip report I read on the web talked about using empty water bottles with the lids lightly screwed on. They put them in the bottom of the bag, and the act like cushions.
For what it's worth, I recently talked to a Big Wall Legend who said that he doesn't toss bags anymore: too many blown out bags. But, he also admitted that he rarely climbs with haul bags anymore. The modern trend is to go light and fast. He's about 40 and still climbs hard 5.11 on big walls. He'll do a four-day wall in a 20+ hour push.
[ This Message was edited by: apollodorus on 2002-10-04 02:01 ]
[ This Message was edited by: apollodorus on 2002-10-04 02:51 ]
Oct 4, 2002, 1:27 AM
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I am so sorry to hear of your trouble, and I did indeed receive a phone call from the Valley today... detractors... Sheesh?
I do understand not only the nomenclacture of big walling but also the merits of "the better way", and have used the system myself enough to know it works. And to realize anyone could have done the same thing, as I read your wonderfully descriptive post I could see myself doing all of it like I was there with you! My hands are still sweating!?!
And I also know that nothing and nobody is perfect, and it is not called "the best way" for a reason.
I for one am not going to rub my good friends nose in this, as he does not deserve it. Pete has been hugely gracious to fess up the way he has and I admire him as much as ever.
But even more than anything I am glad it was just a haulbag of gear... Tragedies befall our friends out there in the climbing world all the time, and I am glad it was not so this time, and that Tom and Pete are alright.
And YES Pete, they were fully impressed with the push after the disaster, there was even speculation of you freeclimbing 5.10+ moves to make that kind of time... say you didn't come out of retirement!
[ This Message was edited by: krustyklimber on 2002-10-04 01:30 ]
Oct 4, 2002, 1:47 AM
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My congratulations to:
Taxeile: great post. You sum it all up - why does adam bother coming here??
Apollodorus and Krusty: for having the fortitude to skip over the incessent drivel that seems to pursue us into the aid forum.
Adam, you are always holding people to higher standards, why cant you just leave your feud with pete outside this forum?
We are honestly trying to have serious discussion, and your inputs are really detracting from the experience the rest of us are having.
Cant you just keep it constructive? The posts "I dont understand the nomenclature" are obvious child-like trolls - you have made 8 posts to the aid forum in the last 4 days! You know the system.
If for no other reason, just try to be constructive and thoughtful for the rest of us. Possible?
We will thank you for it.
[ This Message was edited by: fishypete on 2002-10-04 01:48 ]
Oct 4, 2002, 6:56 AM
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Congrats to Tom and Pete for pressing on despite the unforeseen challenge of losing a haulbag. Those with no bigwall experience (a.k.a. "wankers" or BWTs) who would criticize these fellows should consider the following quote:
"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points
out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds
could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who
is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and
sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes
up short again and again, because there is no effort
without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great
enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a
worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the
triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he
fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his
place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who
knew neither victory nor defeat." -- T. Roosevelt
Oct 4, 2002, 11:32 AM
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Thanks Glockman,
That sums it all up so well!
Teddy woulda made a hella bigwaller, eh?
Oct 4, 2002, 12:11 PM
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The thing about this that is so cool is that Pete and Tom have shared their mistake so that the rest of us can learn from their mistake and avoid doing the same thing ourselves. It takes cojones to admit a mistake, especially when one is known to be very proficient at the task involved. Kudos and thanks to you both for sharing and allowing the ones who want to to benefit from your error. Besides, you did not bail! You persevered, and Pete consistently says the difference between BWTs and BW climbers is the perseverance to keep on keepin' on, even in the face of adversity and despair.
[ This Message was edited by: rollingstone on 2002-10-04 12:12 ]
Oct 4, 2002, 4:41 PM
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As I read Pete's report, I couldn't help but wonder if the "traditional method" in this case doesn't have a little more merit than some have been giving it. Keeping the pig tied in all the time would quite simply have prevented this accident. With all the other "dedicated" gear being taken up, why not just take a dedicated lower-out line as well? It certainly doesn't have to be thick and heavy; some small diameter cord will do. There are a gillion uses for that kind of cord on a big wall anyway (cordelette, emergency rap anchor constrction, etc). Pulling up the slack before each haul is really not that hard either.
Regarding Pete's public confession, does anyone really think he could have avoided it? Guys like Pete and Adam have such a large "presence" here that there is no way they are going to avoid their flaws, faults and mistakes from "coming to light" anyway. Better to tell it in full than wait for someone else to leak it. If you present yourself as a "big name" then you have to be prepared to get shot at for your mistakes and even your apparent mistakes. If you present your way as the "better way" with the fervor that Pete does, then some who practice "another way" are going to have something to say about it.
I greatly appreciate Pete's willingness to share in detail the "how-to's" of some of his aid systems and methods. I have changed some of what I do because of his ideas. And I am very willing to accept the "style" with which he presents his information. Some simply are not that willing, and find Pete's "presentation" too pompous to accept. No matter what, you can't not feel something about the man.
Thanks Pete. However you present it, I appreciate the help.
Oct 4, 2002, 4:59 PM
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I didn't wade through all the details in the original post so forgive me if I've missed something but...if your pig for whatever reason has decided that is has wings do you really want it to be connected to your belay.
I've always climbed with the pig tied in to something at all times but after trying to imagine it falling...I wonder if indeed that is the safest technique.
Oct 4, 2002, 6:46 PM
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Twrock, if you keep the pig tied to the end of the haul line, you will have slack in it up until the moment the leader starts to haul. If the pig were to fly for whatever reason before that, it would seriously shockload the anchors. That is one of the main reasons to NOT have the pig tied to the haul line at all times, especially if you're using a static rope.
It's much better to depend on a separate tether for the pig, and attach the haul rope only after the leader has put it through the hauling device. Slack in a static haul line is a big no-no.
If you want some sort of back-up, 10 feet of dynamic rope tied to the straps and clipped to the anchor could be used. You could cut the back-up from an old lead rope. In fact, PTPP is retiring his lead rope, so he will have PLENTY for next season's back-up tethers. For our next wall together, I am going to make him have THREE back-ups on each pig. He can gradually work his way to one back-up over the course of many walls.
Oct 4, 2002, 7:14 PM
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Tom, I'm not trying to suggest that additional tethers shouldn't be used. That is a great idea. I'm just wondering if the "practice" of leaving the haul line connected isn't a good idea. "A chain is only as strong as its weakest link," and if the practice is to disconnect and reconnect a link every time between uses, you might eventually forget to do so. Obviously it can happen.
Concerning the possibility of the pig cutting loose unexpectedly and shock loading the system, there have been other suggestions made to protect the leader and the anchor. Tethering is one. For the leader, if your zip line is thin, that would probably break first. If you aren't using a zip line, you can attach the haul line to the leader with a short piece of thin cord that designed to "break away." In any case, having additional tethers would be a nice backup as well.
I don't care if it is Pete, Tom, or "newbie with a single post" proposing a different way of doing something. I want to understand it thoroughly before I decide to use it (or not). The "traditional way" became traditional because many very good climbers before us used it with success. In a few years some the the "better way" will become traditional as well. It will evolve and maybe someday some young guy will scoff at the "better way" ideas those old farts used back in the 2000's. In fact, I'm sure he will.
Oct 4, 2002, 7:30 PM
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I stand behind the system that I have suggested above. To me, it is indeed the Better Way.
Please note that I never suggested it was the
Best Way.
Dr. Piton technology is like a smorgassbord - put what you like onto your plate, and leave the rest in the bowl.
I am far too lazy to carry a separate lower-out line, and much more lazy to have to stuff extra haul line into a bag every haul, or stuff an extra lower-out line into a bag.
If you have spent any time on a big wall, you will realize
how much time
you spend stuffing ropes! It never fricking ends! When I get off a wall, the part of my body that hurts the most is my fingers from pulling and stuffing ropes, aiders, fifis, and every other piece of nylon you can imagine.
system that avoids unnecessary stuffing always
at least for me.
I do
use a separate backup any more. This is because too often I
to detach it before hauling, and my pigs end up hanging off of a carabiner and I can't lift them off without either cutting a sling, or else constructing a mini-haul.
The systems I propose are both
So is your car.
If you know how to drive, you will be safe, and you will get where you are going.
But if you do something
like pull into an intersection without checking in both directions, you will eventually suffer an accident.
This is what I did.
I didn't check, and I suffered an accident.
The best system in the world is no substitute for me doing something
I share my
in the hopes that others will avoid it.
What's lucky here is that nobody was hurt, and no gear was lost or damaged particularly.
And we made it to the summit - I am
for getting there.
I am
Dr. Piton,
and I am an
old fart.
Yet this question remains:
I do it?"
Oct 6, 2002, 11:25 PM
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You do it because you have single minded perserverance.
Oct 8, 2002, 11:19 AM
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Congrats on an awsome send a wild route under those conditions truly shows ones character. I don't know how many people know what a SICK SICK route scorched earth is. Put up by the head psychos robbie slater [think wyoming sheep ranch, and much desert tower sickness] and Leavitt. These two mental cases are truly masters of aid and extended trickery. Their mastery of the lovetron alone makes them worthy of worship.
And thank you for sharing the haul bag story. Truly informative as well as entertaining. May we all learn from your mistake and not have to repeat it ourselves.
PS stories like this make me want to get out and climb...this epitomises the adventure spirit. My mother could get on Realization but it takes big balls to pull off stuff like this
Pete you Rock!
Oct 8, 2002, 11:48 AM
Post #24 of 48 (21747 views)
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How Dr. Piton Dropped Tom's Pig
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yeahr youre right she would have to stick clip the first bolt and after boinking to it she probably couldn't pull a move. Don't get me wrong I really respect the athleticism and hard work involved in sport climbing. But for me climbing also means adventure.
Oct 8, 2002, 9:19 PM
Post #25 of 48 (21747 views)
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Question here Pete!
Where was the poop bag when all this was going on? Attached to the same line I suppose???
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The name alone begs curiosity: Columbus Leonard.
Throw in that he went from California to play water polo at MIT and you've probably got a story, yet it's even better when you learn that he was a pretty good baseball player who only turned to water polo because he hurt his arm before his senior year in high school and had to have Tommy John surgery.
But then add in his trip last spring to rural Nicaragua with an MIT class that came up with an invention that helped villagers store their orange juice longer so they could sell it later, and, well, the guy they call "Bus" is pretty good stuff.
"That's one of the best nicknames or assuring names I've ever heard," said first-year coach Mark Lawrence, who only joined his new team in mid-August and learned quickly his senior goalie was the rock of the team.
"He's one of two team captains we have [senior Nikola Otasevic from Serbia is the other], but he's our physical leader," Lawrence continued. "Bus is our verbal leader outside the pool and in the pool during games and practice, he's our physical leader. He's a leader in a lot of ways and inspiration for our young guys. He's definitely the guy everyone looks to, not necessarily for guidance, but they follow his lead. He fills that lead-by-example captain's role just naturally."
Leonard, 21, grew up in Mill Valley, Calif., just north of San Francisco, and played at St. Ignatius High School. The right-handed pitcher actually blew out his arm at a baseball showcase, he said, but he still played two seasons of baseball at MIT.
In 2010, he pitched in 11 games, all in relief, with a 5.49 earned-run average, certainly lending credence that his best time was spent in the pool. "I never got back in baseball to where I was before the surgery," he said.
After big polo seasons for MIT in 2008 and 2009, he backed that up last fall with another great campaign in goal, making 199 saves and 19 steals.
Leonard is majoring in environmental engineering with a minor in energy and a concentration in economics. He scored a 32 on his ACT he said, and went into this year with a 4.5 grade-point average on a 5.0 scale, and was an honorable-mention All-American last year. He named to the CWPA Northern Division first team and he has also found the time to be president of his fraternity, Delta Upsilon.
But consider the trip last spring break with three other students, taken with a class from MIT called Development Lab Energy in conjunction with a non-profit organization in Nicaragua. The original plan was to help "really rural" townspeople use a pedal-powered washing machine. But that was no good in this town "a three-hour bus ride and an hour-and-a-half hike" from the capital city of Managua.
"The purpose of the trip was to ask questions about different projects that we were looking at for the class and when we got back we decided on one of those projects to work on the remainder of the semester," Leonard said. "We went down with a couple in mind, but it turned out they wouldn't use a few of them after we asked questions. It would require extra work on their part and wasn't completely functionally. Like the pedal-powered washing machine. A community could only afford a few of them and if you put that washing machine in the center of town and there's a river that goes through there, they will only wash clothes in the river at the closest point from their shack houses. So if you put it in the middle of town, it would be too far to walk with the laundry.
"So the one we worked on was a plastic-bag heat sealer."
This is one of those where someone is saying only at MIT. Or, as coach Lawrence joked, "We have a team rule that we don't talk about math or sciences, only humanities, so I can be part of the conversation."
As it turned out, the farmers in the area grew oranges and what the MIT students came up with enabled them to process their juice and preserve it longer before selling it.
"We made a low-powered heat sealer so they could actually make a profit on their crop," Leonard said.
"It was delivered in August, just in time for their harvest season."
Leonard, of course, didn't get to make the return trip because water polo beckoned. But the impact of it on him remained.
"It was wild," Leonard recalled of his first trip outside the United States. "It was completely eye-opening."
MIT has a new coach, an interesting mix of young players with a few veterans, and, while MIT is Division III, it plays water polo in a league that includes DI teams such as Harvard, Brown, Iona and Fordham, and also an aggressive non-conference slate, that included a California trip in mid-September.
After graduation, Leonard hopes to be part of Teach for America for two years and then get into environmental engineering or something energy related. The Bus keeps rolling. Which begs one more question: How did he get his name?
"My great-great uncle's first job after coming from Italy to America was at the Columbus Café in San Francisco, but I think more than that my mom wanted me to have a unique name. So it was Columbus."

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Effective Leadership Development Remains Elusive. Understand the Keys to Unlocking Leadership Potential
08 November, 2012 | (01 hr)
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Despite all of the effort and investment in leadership development—innovative new modalities, business simulations, acceleration pools, 70/20/10 approaches, better diagnosis of strengths and areas for development—widespread improvement in leadership effectiveness remains elusive.
This webcast will explore the following:
- According to leaders, what development works and what doesn't?
- The effectiveness of Development linked with diagnosis.
- Prioritise potential (hi-po development)
- The transition trap and the importance of preparing leaders in advance
Who should attend
HR, Talent Management professionals and business executives who want to develop their expertise in business relevant leadership development.
Pre-qualification to attend the webcast
Participants should have a working knowledge of Talent Management practices to obtain the most value from this webcast
Steve Newhall
Steve is responsible for leading and managing DDI's UK operation. Additionally, he heads up the European sales and business development function.
Chris Burton
Chris has over 20 years international business experience with Mars and McCormick, and has worked in UK, across Europe and in Asia. He lived and worked in Taipei for four years as Managing Director for Mars Taiwan and Mars South Korea. After that, he was Managing Director of Mars Ireland for thre...Full Bio
Sara Murray


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Rare Speckled Moose Seen In Wyoming
The other day i noticed that the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation had posted a picture of a speckled moose that was seen and photograhed by Rick Friesen of Timmins, Ontario, Canada.
This was almost immediately followed by a pic from a fellow by the name of Kevin featuring a dappled moose seen in the Sunlight Basin outside of Cody and just east of Yellowstone.
Apparently a recessive albino gene does show up in moose and causes some color variations in 1 in 10,000 animals, making this one a one of a kind and more than an oddity in the Cowboy State.


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|The main gates on Kildare Street, Dublin
|The main entrance through which members of government enter, and heads of State are welcomed.
Leinster House, the beautiful, almost palace-like complex which is the seat of Irish government (Oireachtas), has evolved over time, beginning with the vision of James Fitzgerald, the Earl of Kildare, whose plan it was to have built for him the most stately Georgian mansion Dublin had ever seen.
Within the complex are the two Houses of the Oireachtas (National Parliament), comprising the Dáil Éireann (the House of Representatives) and the Seanad Éireann (the Senate).
James Fitzgerald commissioned famed German architect Richard Cassels to build what would then be known as Kildare House. Construction of the house took place from 1745 until 1747, in what was then an unfashionable area of Dublin known as Molesworth's Field; however, just as the Earl foretold, the area around Kildare house soon became the most desirable in the city. In 1776, when the Earl became Duke of Leinster, the house was renamed Leinster House.
It has been claimed that Leinster House was the model for Irish architect James Hoban when he created the White House. Born in county Kilkenny in 1762, Hoban studied architecture in Dublin, and would have had the opportunity to study the design of Leinster House.
In 1815 the third Duke of Leinster, Augustus Frederick, sold the mansion to the Royal Dublin Society for £10,000 and a yearly rent of £600. The Society made extensive additions to the house, most notably the lecture theatre, which later became the chamber of the Dáil Éireann.
After the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922, the new government took over part of Leinster House for parliamentary use. The entire building was acquired by the State in 1924.
Evidently the architect Cassels did not foresee the brilliant future of this magnificent house, because in the inscription on the cornerstone he makes reference to the house one day being in ruins. The Latin inscription translated to English reads as follows:
you light on the ruins of so great a mansion,
Click on photographs to view larger versions.
All photographs Copyright©irisheyesjg2012. All Rights Reserved.


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Taft defeats Robert F. Kennedy 10-0 on senior day
It was their final home game of the regular season and the Taft varsity softball team went out with a bang Tuesday afternoon when they pulled away to defeat the Robert F. Kennedy Thunderbirds 10-0.
With seniors starting the game, Taft got their offense going in the last half of the second inning by scoring four runs thanks to three hits highlighted by Cailtyn Emberson's run scoring double.
Taft added to their lead in the third inning when they scored two runs with one of them coming on Arizona Pilgrim's run scoring single.
With the winds picking up Taft's scoring reached a new level in the fourth inning after they hit two home runs with one coming from Pilgrim.
The game was called after the fifth inning due to the mercy rule.
Taft closes out the regular season Friday when they take on RFK in Delano.
For the full story, pick up Friday's Driller.


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PHILADELPHIA (AP) The Phillies got a big lift from their bench.
Freddy Galvis and Darin Ruf homered and Carlos Ruiz drove in go-ahead run with an eighth-inning sacrifice fly to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a 4-3 victory over the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night.
Ken Giles (3-1) struck out the side in a scoreless eighth to help the Phillies to their fifth win in six games.
Asdrubal Cabrera homered for the Nationals, who lost consecutive games for the first time since Aug. 4-5.
Cole Hamels took a lead into the eighth before giving up a leadoff homer to Cabrera. The left-hander was lifted for Giles after that batter, finishing with three runs allowed on eight hits with five strikeouts and a walk.
Gio Gonzalez (6-10) gave up three runs on six hits in six innings to extend his winless streak to nine starts. Gonzalez is 0-6 with a 4.35 ERA since winning his last game on July 5.
''He made a couple of mistakes that they hit out of the park, but he was competitive and threw his pitches for strikes,'' Washington manager Matt Williams said.
Galvis and Ruf were among the right-handed reserves manager Ryne Sandberg inserted into the lineup against the left-handed Gonzalez.
''Good energy,'' Sandberg said. ''Guys were hopping around pretty good and doing some good things with the bat, especially Freddy.''
Jonathan Papelbon pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 33rd save in 35 chances.
The Phillies scored the go-ahead run in the eighth off Tyler Clippard (7-3). Ben Revere led off and reached on an error by shortstop Kevin Frandsen. Revere originally was ruled out by first-base umpire Gary Cederstrom, but the call was overturned after a 2:59 delay. It was the second call of the game by Cederstrom that was overturned.
Revere stole second, went to third on Jimmy Rollins' fly out and scored when Ruiz flew out to deep center.
Gonzalez blanked the Phillies through four innings of two-hit ball before giving up two runs in the fourth. Grady Sizemore led off with a triple and Galvis hit a high fastball over the fence in left to put Philadelphia up 2-0. It was the first homer since last September for Galvis, who was recalled from Triple-A Saturday and had been 2-for-45 this season prior to the homer.
''We all know he can play, know he can hit,'' Ruf said. ''It's nice to have him come through and show what he can do.''
Ruf's two-out solo shot in the sixth gave Philadelphia a three-run advantage.
The Phillies clinched the series victory, giving them three straight series wins for the first time since last July.
Nationals: 1B Adam LaRoche was held out of the starting lineup due to back tightness. He pinch-hit in the ninth inning and flew out.
Phillies: OF John Mayberry Jr. (right wrist) played in his sixth rehab game at Triple-A Lehigh Valley Tuesday night. Mayberry is 4-for-18 with a homer in five games with the IronPigs.
Nationals: RHP Doug Fister (12-3, 2.38) makes his first-ever start at Citizens Bank Park as the teams conclude the three-game series at7:05 Wednesday night. Fister has given up just 13 homers this season but allowed two in his last start, Friday's 10-3 loss to San Francisco.
Phillies: RHP Kyle Kendrick (6-11, 4.93) has a 9.69 ERA in the first inning this season. He is 0-2 with a 6.39 ERA in two starts against Washington this season and 5-10 with a 5.00 ERA in 24 career starts versus the Nationals.
Ruf has posted an .893 OPS in 394 plate appearances since his debut in Sept. 14, 2012, which is the highest of any Phillies player with as many plate appearances over that stretch.
Cederstrom's first overturned call came in the first inning when replays showed Anthony Rendon was out at first on a groundout after the umpire had called him safe. The two reviews combined for a 4:42 delay.


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PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium will pay the U.S. Department of Agriculture $4,550 as part of a settlement over an investigation into the death of a 2-year-old boy who was fatally mauled when he fell into an exhibit of wild African dogs.
The zoo said Thursday the settlement isn't an admission of liability. It did not release any other details.
The settlement is not connected to the lawsuit filed by the boy's parents. Jason and Elizabeth Derkosh are seeking unspecified damages in the Nov. 2012 death of their son, Maddox. The boy fell over a wooden railing after his mother lifted him up to get a better look at the dogs.
The zoo has moved the dogs to other zoos and now houses cheetahs in the exhibit.
(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


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One of the three men accused of beating a raccoon to death with a baseball bat and machete on University Hill in November pleaded not guilty Monday.
Related Stories
- Aug 27:
- Last of three men who beat a raccoon to death in Boulder avoids felony charge with plea deal
- Apr 6:
- Lucas Holton, accused in Boulder raccoon death, takes plea deal
- Feb 23:
- August Noble, accused in Boulder raccoon death, accepts plea deal
- Dec 2:
- Three students charged with aggravated animal cruelty in raccoon beating
- Nov 17:
- Police: Boulder men were 'pumped up' while beating raccoon
- Nov 16:
- Boulder police: 3 beat raccoon to death with baseball bat, machete
Nicholas Foti, 20, is set to go to trial Aug. 27. The other two men previously accepted plea deals.
Witnesses said Foti, along with Lucas Holton, 19, and August Quinn Noble, 19, beat a raccoon to death in the 1000 block of 11th Street on Nov. 7.
Foti told police he hit the animal with a baseball bat to scare it, then decided to "put it out of its misery" when he saw that it was seriously injured, according to a police report. However, witnesses said the men were yelling "Get it!" in excited tones.
All three were initially charged with aggravated animal cruelty, a felony.
Holton pleaded guilty to one count of misdemeanor cruelty to animals Friday. He was sentenced to one year of probation and community service as part of his plea bargain.
Noble pleaded guilty in February to one count of false reporting and received a 12-month deferred sentence. A second count of aggravated animal cruelty was dismissed.


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Date(s) - May 14, 2018
7:00 pm - 11:30 pm
The Delancey, 168 Delancey St
Who to bring/invite
We attract a wide range of people who are in open relationships or identify as polyamorous. If you are curious about this lifestyle, or have questions about your current relationship, this is a great opportunity to meet like-minded people, many of whom are available for advice, support and just plain fun. We welcome you, solo or with your loved ones, and look forward to seeing the familiar faces that build this loving community.
Snacks/Drink Specials
Please bring snacks to share. You know, all the interesting people always gather around the food. As usual, please ask the bartenders for our drink specials – $5 whiskey, well-drinks, and selected beers.
Second Monday of every month
The Delancey – upstairs on roof deck
168 Delancey Street
New York, NY 10002
Phone: 212- 254-9920
Time: 7PM to Midnight
House Rules
Please view the RULES before attending and make sure your guests do as well. Your hosts will be wearing nametags and we love to meet & greet old and new attendees. Come over and say hello to us!!!
We look forward to seeing you!
Your Poly Cocktails hosts, O Man, Andy, Rocket, Jessica, Chrissy & Lisa


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I can't believe they want coffee.
Granted, it is 9:30 a.m. when I pick up my friends Jim and Lenora at the Portland airport. But in the weeks I've anticipated their visit, I've had beer on my brain.
Portland restaurant: An article in Sunday's Travel section on microbreweries in Portland, Ore., misspelled the name of the Indian restaurant Vindalho as Vindahlo. —
Jim is a home brewer — or was, back in the dark ages before the microbrewery renaissance. Some of my fondest memories of our long friendship involve conversations over bottles cooled in the crawlspace of his New Mexico house. So I was eager to show off, if not my own brewing chops, those of my new hometown.
With about 40 small breweries in town — new ones open so frequently it's hard to keep track — Portland has overtaken Munich, Germany, as the brewing capital of the world. But numbers alone don't capture Portland's status among true beer aficionados, the kind who would sooner quaff hemlock than a Miller or a Bud. There's something about this most livable of cities that encourages innovation.
"You've got to have the right culture of people," says Marc C. Martin, a local beer writer who is launching a brewery tour business. "Portland is eco-friendly, green, bicycling, Birkenstock-wearing — it's a culture that lends itself to unusual and unique things."
Nationwide, so-called craft breweries account for only about 4% of all beer consumed (in Oregon, it's 12%), but they inspire near-religious devotion. Oregon's breweries draw more tourists than its fabled wineries, according to a 2006 study conducted for the state.
But Portland is known for great coffee too. So from the airport we make a beeline to Helser's, a breakfast spot in the city's northeast quadrant, for caffeine and generous plates of buttermilk pancakes and salmon hash. Thus fortified, we head to our first beer tasting — at the Portland Farmers Market.
Do you sense a theme here? Portlanders are passionate about fresh, local food, whether vegetables, cheese or beer made from just-picked hops. Fueling Oregon beer mania is the abundance and variety of hops planted here. Beer's other key ingredients are plentiful as well: top-quality water, barley for making malt and a laboratory that is one of the nation's two main producers of brewer's yeast.
My goal at the bustling market, held Saturdays on the Portland State University campus, is a stall operated by Upright Brewing. Though just a year old, it is generating lots of chatter among beer geeks.
Jim lifts a small plastic cup of Gose beer to his nose and inhales deeply. The cacophony of the market fades. We could be in Paris for a wine judging.
"Citrus," he says. Inhales again. "Lemon."
He takes a sip, making little lip-smacking sounds. "Effervescent," he says. I can't tell whether he's just humoring me.
Upright is — and isn't — a classic example of Portland craft beer. It isn't "hoppy," a heavy-on-the-hops style that has come to define Pacific Northwest ales. But in creating something that's not typical, Upright owner and brewer Alex Ganum is very much in the Portland tradition.
Many of his beers are Belgian and French farmhouse-style ales. Gose is an obscure German-style wheat beer with the unusual addition of coriander and salt, the latter contributing that hint of sparkle.
We taste Upright's light and refreshing Four, named for the percentage of alcohol it contains, and the dry Flora Rustica, then go in search of a classic hoppy ale.
But man cannot live on beer alone, so first we stop at Quintana Galleries. Jim and Lenora are avid collectors of Pueblo Indian art from New Mexico. Quintana — owned, it turns out, by a former New Mexican — carries dazzling examples of Northwest coast masks, boxes and intricately carved panels.
The gallery is in Portland's Pearl District, blocks of downtown warehouses converted to shops, restaurants — and pubs. We stop at the first one we come to, Rogue Ales Public House, where we are promptly overwhelmed by the 32 beers on tap.
Jim orders the Juniper Pale Ale; he pronounces the after-taste more bitter than floral. (Bitter is not an insult but a characteristic of hoppy beer.)
Lenora has the Mocha Porter.
"Delicious," she says, "A hint of chocolate on the back of the tongue."
I settle on the Château Rogue Single Malt Ale with floral hops and a slightly sweet aftertaste. We nurse our beers at a sidewalk picnic table until the patchy sunshine gives way to rain. Fortunately, we're within dashing distance of Powell's City of Books, the grand dame of independent bookstores, with more than 1 million new and used volumes.
After an hour, we've browsed up a thirst.
The tiny Tugboat Brewing Co. is tucked away on a downtown side street. It is as different from the Rogue pub as a pilsner is from a stout.
Where Rogue is busy and a bit overwhelming, Tugboat has just six house beers on tap and a chatty bartender to guide our choices. The brew pub specializes in British-style ales, but its forte is its cozy ambience, with book-lined walls and wooden, lamp-lighted library tables.
Nixing plans for a brew-pub dinner, Lenora lobbies for Vindahlo, an Indian restaurant featuring Northwest ingredients. We feast on roasted pumpkin samosas with fresh mint chutney, saag paneer with house-made cheese, fresh spinach and tomato masala, and tender, organic lamb braised in coconut milk, chilies and curry leaves.
Like any self-respecting Portland eatery, Vindahlo has Oregon beers on tap. We order a hoppy, citric Double Mountain India Pale Ale, brewed in Hood River, Ore., and an amber ale from Eugene's Oakshire Brewing Co.
The next day we achieve Beervana.
First, the requisite coffee, from the Blue Kangaroo, my neighborhood roastery. Then a long ramble through Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge on the Willamette River, Portland's east-west divide. After walking up a thirst, we head to Hopworks Urban Brewery to quench it.
The 2-year-old Hopworks is the quintessential Portland brewery: Its ales are crafted from organically grown ingredients in an eco-friendly building. It even has a traveling bike bar: a locally built cargo bicycle that holds two kegs beneath an inlaid wood bar.
The beer itself is so enticing we order a sampler for the table: oversized shot glasses of all six of Hopworks' regular ales plus four seasonals, or one-offs. Our friendly waitress throws in a bonus — cask-conditioned versions of two of the beers. "They're all organic, so they're good for you," she assures us as she sets down the tray.
In a town where brewmasters are rock stars (albeit understated, Portland rock stars), Hopworks owner and brewer Christian Ettinger is Elvis. He makes beers to swoon over. Lenora favors a seven-grain stout made with Stumptown Hairbender espresso (that coffee thing again). I am intrigued by the Secession Black IPA, a dark ale that tastes like a pale one. Jim is looking rhapsodic over the Gold Medal-winning regular IPA, especially the cask-conditioned version, an unfiltered, unpasteurized ale with no added carbonation.
That night over dinner at Alameda Brewhouse in the city's northeast quadrant, we order vegetarian burgers (made with the brewer's spent grain) and down three fine examples of very different beers: a single-hop pale ale, an unusual Belgian-style IPA and a porter.
"How many breweries does Portland have?" Jim asks on the way to the airport.
"Forty," I tell him.
"We've barely dented them!" he says.
I know he'll be back.


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Health-Cost Pause Nears End
Americans Boost Spending on Doctors, Tests as More Regain Job-Based Insurance
U.S. health-care spending grew at a record low pace for a third consecutive year in 2011, according to federal figures released Monday, but signs are emerging that the slow growth may not last.
National health expenditures rose 3.9% in 2011, the same rate as in 2009 and 2010, when people cut back on their use of medical services amid the economic downturn. The figures were the slowest growth in the 52 years that government actuaries have tracked such spending....


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Meagan Gumble of Honesdale was recently named to the President's List at The State University of New York at Potsdam.
—Meagan Gumble of Honesdale was recently named to the President's List at The State University of New York at Potsdam.
Gumble, whose major is Women's and Gender Studies, was among nearly 900 SUNY Potsdam students who were honored for academic excellence.
President Dr. John F. Schwaller honored a total of 884 SUNY Potsdam students for earning the highest marks in the Fall 2012 semester.
To achieve the honor of being on the President's List, each student must have satisfactorily completed 12 numerically-graded semester hours, with a grade point average of 3.5 or higher.
SUNY Potsdam has a strong focus on academics, with its long history of excellence in the liberal arts and sciences.
To learn more about what makes the campus community so unique, visit www.virtualtour.potsdam.edu.
Founded in 1816, and located on the outskirts of the beautiful Adirondack Park, The State University of New York at Potsdam is one of America's first 50 colleges.
SUNY Potsdam currently enrolls approximately 4,350 undergraduate and graduate students. Home to the world-renowned Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam is known for its handcrafted education, challenging liberal arts and sciences core, excellence in teacher training and leadership in the performing and visual arts.


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August 17, 2005
Second-longest legislative session in Salem yields $75 million rainy day fund and a balanced state budget
Sen. Rick Metsger and Rep. Patti Smith are taking a break from politics — at least temporarily — after winding up the second-longest legislative session in Oregon's history.
Both elected officials are tired from the commute to Salem almost every day for seven months, but they are pleased with the outcome. They helped stow away $75 million in a rainy day fund for emergencies and the state budget has been balanced without any major cut in education.
Plus, more dollars have been allocated for transportation improvements and veterans' benefits. Oregon will also soon stringently regulate the sale of cold medicine to help stop methamphetamine production.
Smith, R-Corbett, and Metsger, D-Mt. Hood, were also successful in their bid to elevate the pear as the official state fruit. They believe the lead ranking under House Joint Resolution 8 can now be used as a marketing tool by Hood River Valley growers, and their peers throughout the state.
"This is just such a good thing for our agriculture industry. The pear is Oregon's top fruit crop and it deserves this distinction," said Smith.
With a Democratic Senate and a Republican-controlled House, it seemed unlikely to the bipartisan team in January that much would be accomplished.
"I think the Legislature finished with a very positive kick but it was a slow grind to get there," said Metsger. "We threw a lot of rocks at each other until the last two weeks when we began to play well together."
Indeed, sharply contrasting ideologies over land-use did stop any movement on Senate Bill 1037 to clarify the intent of voters with the passage of Measure 37. And House Bill 3481 to promote growth in the biofuels industry was also shot down because of conflicts over the fairness of pollution control tax credits for corporations.
Smith and Metsger ended up following the party line on many issues and often found themselves in disagreement. Metsger supported SB1037 on the belief that it, at least, laid out a uniform framework for processing Measure 37 claims. Smith felt the bill circumvented the will of a 61 percent supermajority who had approved the new law.
"I hate to say 'I told you so,' but it was just too complex an issue with too many divergent views for the legislature to resolve. Now the courts will make rulings and if people don't like those rulings then they will give us a clear direction," said Metsger.
"The people in this state have waited 30 years for fairness in the land-use system and we had the opportunity to give that to them. But the 'no votes' from people opposed to Measure 37 were loud and clear at the legislature," Smith said.
Metsger believed that HB3481 rewarded large companies for complying with existing emissions laws. Smith felt extending tax breaks provided an incentive for firms to research new fuel sources.
He became frustrated with the House refusal to raise any new taxes, or even reinstate the 10 cent per pack cigarette tax that was overturned by voters with Measure 30. He did not understand why the $10 minimum corporate tax could not be increased, especially since it has remained unchanged since 1931.
"With the House 'no tax' mantra we couldn't even have a discussion on these issues and that was disappointing," said Metsger.
Smith said with revenue up and forecasts steady, it was important not to levy taxes that would impede business growth or stop the state's climb out of a recession.
"The last thing that we needed to do to help our economic recovery was to raise taxes," she said.
Smith is disappointed that her bill to lengthen prison sentences and keep better track of sexual predators did not make it through the political labyrinth. But she is pleased to have gained approval for a two-year study on the environmental effects of adding fluorescent dye to anhydrous ammonia, a fertilizer used in meth production. If proven to be safe, the brightly colored dye allowed under House Bill 2485 is expected to discourage large-scale theft of the chemical from farmers since it will identify both thieves and meth cooks. Oregonians have also been directed by the legislature to get a prescription for many common decongestants containing pseudoephedrine, a key meth ingredient.
"We brought Oregon to the status of having the toughest meth laws in the nation. And I think that's a good thing," said Smith, who was appointed to Gov. Ted Kulongoski's Meth Task Force.
Metsger is very proud of his victory over the powerful utilities lobby to score better rates for customers. By sponsoring Senate Bill 408, he helped close the gap between the amount utilities charge rate payers to cover income taxes and the amount actually sent to state, federal and local governments. He predicts that monthly utility bills could fall by as much as eight percent for clients of large companies, such as Portland General Electric and PacifiCorp.
"This was the most rewarding and difficult bill that I've had. It felt good to beat out a powerful lobby group to protect rate payers," said Metsger.
Neither Smith, who represents District 52, nor Metsger, who serves District 26, have decided whether or not to run next year for another term in office. They both plan to make that decision once they have caught up on a backlog of work in their private careers; she as a rancher and he in public relations.
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WHEATLAND, Mo. -- Lucas Oil Speedway Presents KSPR Night at the Races this Saturday, May 10th plus the 5th Annual Area Business Expo. There will be tons of prizes, FREE stuff, and samples for everyone. Lucas Oil Speedway will also be offering special $5 ticket prices for all Adults, Seniors, and Youth! Kids 5 and under are still FREE.
The 5th Annual Business Expo will feature more than 30 local businesses with products on display and for sale. Don't forget it is Mother's Day weekend! Many of the vendors will have special gifts and give-a-ways just for Mom! Spectator gates will open one hour early this Saturday so there is plenty of time for fans to visit the businesses prior to racing action getting started.
This is your chance to spend an evening at the "Diamond of Dirt Tracks" and check out what your favorite local business has to offer.
Classes in action include the ALPS Food Stores ULMA Late Models, the Pitts Homes USRA Modifieds, the Carson's Corner Napa Factory Stocks, and the Tri-Lakes RV USRA B-Mods. The Carson's Corner Napa Factory Stocks will be running a special 25-lap $500 to win main event courtesy of The Triangle Quick Shop as the featured class of the evening.
Dwight Niehoff and Jake Williams are tied at the top of the ALPS Food Store ULMA Late Model points standings after two events as each have captured one win on the young season. Multi-time track champion Tommy Cordray sits just four points out of the lead with Ethan Young and Payton Looney tied for fourth in the standings only 28 points out of the top spot.
Nevada, Missouri's Jon Sheets occupies the top spot in the Pitts Homes USRA Modifieds as he sits just 21 points ahead of 2013 Track Champion Jason Russell. Another former track champion Mickey Burrell out of Fair Grove, Missouri holds down third with only three points standing between him and fourth place driver Jeff Cutshaw. Tim Setzer and Jason Pursley are knotted for a tie in the fifth spot, 82 points out of the lead.
Despite dominating the RACEceiver Victory Lane early in the season, Waynesville, Missouri's David Hendrix has only been able to eek out to a 38 point lead over Warrensburg's Marc Carter with four races in the books. Camdenton, Missouri's Kenny Carroll drove "Sweetheart" to a second place finish last time out and resides in the third spot followed by local favorite and former track champion Randy Gilmore in fourth. Republic, Missouri's Burl Woods sits in fifth after experiencing mechanical trouble the last time out.
Finally, in the Tri-Lake RV USRA B-Mods, the top-5 are separated by only 23 points as 2-time and defending track Champion Kris Jackson shows the way, but the gap is only seven points back to second place Mike Striegel after scoring an emotional win last time out. Rex Merritt, driving his old school black car and gold leaf numbers is just 13 points out of the top spot. Fourteen-year old Andy Bryant out of Fort Scott, KS maintains the fourth position with West Plains driver Logan Martin in fifth.
Don't miss a minute of the racing action or a second of the fun this Saturday Night at Lucas Oil Speedway!
Be sure to pick your copy of the Souvenir Program this weekend to get a preview of the 2014 season plus check out over $40 in valuable coupons available inside.
Saturday, May 10th, 2014 Information
Gates open at 4:00 PM Hot Laps at 7:00 PM and racing at 7:30 PM
Adults (16 and up) $5
Seniors (62 and up) $5
Youth (6-15) $5
Kids (5 and under) FREE
Family Pass $25
Pit Pass $25
Show your AAA Member Card at the gate to receive $3 off regular general admission prices. Advanced tickets are also available at www.LucasOilSpeedway.com.
A limited number of VIP Suites are available for Saturday's event. Please contact LaRay Hankins at (417) 282-5984 or via email at email@example.com.
Lucas Oil Speedway is located at Highways 83 and 54 in Wheatland, MO. A campground with shower and bathroom facilities is also available. With it's entrance located just outside the pit gate this sprawling scenic camping facility will continue to enhance the racing experience at the Diamond of Dirt Tracks. Click www.LucasOilSpeedway.com for more information and detailed directions to the speedway or call the Track Hotline at (417) 282-5984.
Race fans can go to www.LucasOilSpeedway.com to view the complete schedule for Lucas Oil Speedway's 2014 season, find detailed event information, get the latest news, and get complete ticket and campsite information. In addition, fans can get social with Lucas Oil Speedway by following @LucasSpeedway on Twitter, clicking "Like" at www.facebook.com/LucasOilSpeedway and on www.youtube.com/LucasOilSpeedway.


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I am writing this post primarily to members of Kishaba Juku and students of Sensei Katsuhiko Shinzato. However, it may also interest Karate students of all styles.
After many years of hard work, the Okinawan Karate and Kobudo Encyclopedia (746 pages) has recently been released. Shinzato Sensei was a member of the committee that worked on the book, and he is listed as one of the three primary authors.
The committee members were (to my knowledge, and not in any order): Shigeru Takamiyagi, Keicho Tabaru, Morio Higaonna, Toru Kadekaru, Miwa Kanazawa, Tokumasa Miyagi, Kiyoshi Tsuha, Katsuhiko Shinzato, Masahiro Nakamoto, and Masaru Agarie. I'm sure that you will recognize many of these great Karate Sensei. On my last visit to Okinawa, I was fortunate to meet Takamiyagi Sensei and Nakamoto Sensei, and to see Higaonna Sensei again (he had visited Hawaii earlier).
Shinzato Sensei wrote several of the Karate masters profiles in the book and other articles, including articles and profiles that appear on:
- pages 104~110
- pages 168~169
- page 179
- page 184
- pages 209~223
- pages 236~239
- pages 376~377 (Arakaki, Ankichi)
- pages 386~387 (Itarashiki, Chochyu)
- pages 395 (Iraha, Choko)
- page 396 (Ueshiro, Ansei)
- page 407 (Ohama, Nobumoto)
- page 408 (Omine, Chotoku)
- pages 412 (Kaneshima, Shinsuke)
- pages 413 (Kana, Kenwa)
- pages 413 (Kishaba, Chokei)
- pages 417 (Gima, Shinjo)
- pages 418 (Kyan, Shinei)
- page 418 (Kyan, Chotoku)
- pages 419 ~420 (Kyan, Chofu = Chotoku's father)
- pages 425~426 (Kushi, Jokei)
- pages 430~431 (Kojo, Kafu)
- page 435 (Shima, Masao)
- pages 441~442 (Shimabukuro, Taro)
- pages 448~449 (Shinjo, Heitaro)
- pages 484~485 (Nakasone, Genwa)
- pages 487~488 (Nagamine, Shoshin)
- page 489 (Nakamura, Seigi)
- page 490 (Nakamura, Yoshio)
- pages 492 (Narahara, Shigeru)
- pages 516~517 (Makabe, Choken)
- pages 527 (Miki, Jisaburo)
- pages 529~530 (Miyagi, Shikichi)
- pages 537 (Mutsu, Mizuho)
- pages 542~543 (Yagi, Meitoku)
- pages 544~545 (Yabu, Kentsu)
- pages 557~559
- pages 702~725 Karate chronology
Unfortunately, for many of us, the encyclopedia is in Japanese. However, it is hoped that there will be an English translation. But for me, the photographas are great! The list price of the book is 15,000 Yen (about 150 US dollars). I do not have information about where and how the book can be purchased yet. I received a copy as a donation to the Hawaii Karate Museum. When I get more information, I will post it.
I know that Shinzato Sensei and the other committee members have worked very hard on this project for many years. I feel that we, in Kishaba Juku, are very fortunate to have a Sensei who is not only technically amazing, but a scholar are well -- not to mention one of the nicest people you could ever have the good fortune of meeting. Also, many of us are so lucky that he is so fluent in English (at least for myself, I do not speak or write Japanese). Shinzato Sensei is just back to Okinawa after teaching in Slovenia.
Shinzato Sensei was also very considerate to include photographs and information about some of the great Karate master who visited and lived in Hawaii. I was personally very moved to see these.
I hope that you will have the opportunity to acquire or view the new Okinawan Karate and Kobudo Encyclopedia. Our museum's copy will soon be a part of the Hawaii Karate Museum Collection at the Hamilton Library of the University of Hawaii, Manoa Campus.
Congratulations and a big Mahalo (thank you) to all the writers and contributors to the new Okinawan Karate and Kobudo Encyclopedia!
Charles C. Goodin


text:
Fire Alarm Rainbow Knife
$ 32.00
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Not in the USA? No worries. Spend at least $75 to score free worldwide shipping.
Can I get a refund?
Sure thing! Simply contact us for our return address.
Returns are accepted for a full merchandise credit within 30 days of receiving your goods. We do not accept returns on lingerie, swim, adult toys, or sale items. Please allow your store credit to take up to 72 hours to process once we receive your return.
The store credit does not include original shipping costs paid (this does not pertain to customers who scored free shipping). Items returned with stains, odor, excessive hair, or damage will encounter a 25% reduction to store credit. Defective items will receive a replacement free of charge.
I received the wrong item, what do I do?
In the small chance that the wrong items are sent, if still in stock, the original items ordered will be resent free of charge upon return of the incorrect item. A return label will be provided to the customer. If the original items are not in stock, a store credit will be issued. Please understand we are human and it is our nature to make mistakes (however we aim for perfection when it comes to packaging your goodies). Shipping charges are final and cannot be refunded.
My item was returned to you, what happens now?
Domestic: If your package is returned to us, we will notify you immediately so we can get the package back to you ASAP after return costs are paid. The customer is held responsible for the re-shipment costs under any circumstance. If not paid, a store credit will be issued. International: International packages are not returned to the US. When making a purchase at Alien Outfitters the customer assumes all risk of confiscation en route. If customs should confiscate or return the merchandise to us, the customer is still responsible for all shipping charges including return shipping charges. Alien Outfitters is not responsible for confiscated items. Packages with invalid address will be treated as abandoned at your local post office.
|Mtech Ballistic Assisted Opening Knife Spring Assisted Opening Knife 4.75" Closed Length 3.25" Rainbow Stainless Steel Blade 3MM Thick Rainbow Blade Upper Flaming Cut Out Pattern on Blade Rainbow Finish Aluminium Handle Flaming Cut Out Pattern on Handle Includes Rainbow Finish Pocket Clip
RELEASE, ASSUMPTION OF RISK, WAIVER OF LIABILITY AND INDEMNITY AGREEMENT: By purchasing any item sold by AlienOutfitters.com, the buyer expressly warrants that he/she is in compliance with all applicable Federal, State, and Local laws and regulations regarding the purchase, ownership, and use of the item. It shall be the buyer's responsibility to comply with all Federal, State and Local laws governing the sale of any items listed, illustrated or sold. The buyer expressly agrees to indemnify and hold harmless AlienOutfitters.com for all claims resulting directly or indirectly from the purchase, ownership, or use of the item in violation of applicable Federal, State, and Local laws or regulations. Buyer further warrants that he/she is 18 years of age or older, and understands that some items sold by AlienOutfitters.com are dangerous if misused. Buyer expressly agrees to indemnify and hold harmless AlienOutfitters.com for injuries which may result from use of products sold by us. If you have further questions about your state laws please go here: http://www.knifeup.com/knife-laws/


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3:30 pm
MotorWeek "Volvo S60 T5 Awd" Road Test: 2013 Volvo S60 T5 AWD. Road Test: 2013 Ford Shelby GT500. Goss' Garage: Funnel Facts. D
4:00 pm
America's Test Kitchen from Cook's Illustrated "Slow-Cooker Revolution" Test cook Julia Collin Davison uncovers the secrets to cooking with a slow cooker. First, she teaches host Christopher Kimball how to make the ultimate Old-Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup. Next, she reveals the test kitchen's secrets for foolproof Pork Loin with Cranberries and Orange. D
4:30 pm
Passport to Adventure "Cruising The British Virgin Islands, Caribbean" Whether you fly, ferry, sail or motor to the islands, you be swaying like a palm in the tropical breeze by the time you depart. We'll explore the cays and bays of the BVI - snorkeling where pirates once buried treasure, climbing granite boulders at the "Baths", and hanging out with the local characters at iconic beachside watering holes. Combine all of that with learning to "pilot the ship", and you have a real adventure!. D
5:00 pm
Assassination: Idaho's Trial of the Century A dream team of famous attorneys converge on an Idaho courtroom in 1907. Idaho's best lawyers - James Hawley and William Borah - matched wits with Chicago's Clarence Darrow and Denver's Edmund Richardson. Re-enactment actors and extras, researchers, crew and others bring more than 200 Idahoans into this project to chronicle the trial of "Big Bill" Haywood, accused of masterminding former Gov. Frank Steunenburg's assassination.G
6:00 pm
Live from the Artists Den "The Wallflowers" It has been seven years since their last album, but the Wallflowers are back in full force for a performance before 600 invited guests at Bimbo's 365 Club, a San Francisco institution for more than 80 years. Frontman Jakob Dylan leads the group through an 18-song set, featuring new songs from their recently released album Glad All Over, and classics such as "One Headlight" and "6th Avenue Heartache."G
7:00 pm
Austin City Limits "Jimmy Cliff" The reggae legend opens the 36th season of the musical series by performing his hits and new songs from his album Existence.G
8:00 pm
Broadway: The American Musical "Putting It Together (1980 - Present)" Legendary as the "Abominable Showman," notorious producer David Merrick reconquers Broadway in 1980 with a smash adaption of the movie musical 42nd Street. But soon the biggest hits are arriving from an unexpected source - London. Producer Cameron Mackintosh redefines the business of show business as Cats, Les Miserables, The Phantom of the Opera and Miss Saigon become international blockbusters. Part 6 of 6G
9:00 pm
Best of Hymns of Thanksgiving Highlights from the annual shows filmed during the past five years include massed choir performances, solos by pianist Del Parkinson and inspirational narratives by Gov. Butch Otter and first lady Lori Otter.G
10:30 pm
Song of the Mountains Slice of Bluegrass; Patent Pending; Skeeter & the Skidmarks. D
11:30 pm
Austin City Limits "Jimmy Cliff" The reggae legend opens the 36th season of the musical series by performing his hits and new songs from his album Existence.G


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Asia's most expensive stock market should be out of gas, but there are signs it could have more room to run.
The Philippine stock market, Asia's strongest after Thailand, climbed 33 percent this year and 74 percent since reform-minded President Benigno Aquino took office in July 2010.
It's now Asia's priciest, trading at 17 times projected earnings, nearly double the Asia-Pacific average, according to Thomson Reuters data.
Brokers doubt the torrid pace will continue but expect modest advances in line with its strong economy, the fastest-growing in Southeast Asia, and eye the 6,500 mark in the benchmark index ahead of the country's first investment grade credit rating, possibly in the next six months.
On Friday, the market nearly hit its recent peak of 5,866.83 points in the main index after a pullback of around 4.5 percent in four days to Monday.
Although Goldman Sachs rattled the market with an underweight recommendation this month, a Reuters analysis of Philippine companies valued at more than $50 million shows that most brokers remain bullish.
(Read More: The Booming Philippines' Missing Link - Foreign Investors)
Over the last 90 days, broker recommendations have not changed materially,with the average rating score improving marginally to 2.39 from 2.47, with 1 being a strong buy.
While equity mutual funds invested in Southeast Asia have begun to look elsewhere for value, with their sights set on China and India, there has been no aggressive foreign selling in the Philippines.
Net Foreign Buying
Foreigners were net buyers of Philippine stocks in the first two weeks of December and snapped up 107 billion pesos ($2.6 billion) worth in the year to Dec. 12, nearly double from a year ago.
"The Philippines will not be the top performer, but it will definitely be outperforming emerging markets," said Paul Joseph Garcia, chief investment officer at BPI Asset Management in Manila.
He said the economy, which grew in the three months through September at the fastest pace since 2010, was likely to remain strong next year, supported by spending related to congressional elections in May, infrastructure projects and sustained consumer spending despite global growth worries.
Reuben Mark Angeles, research head at First Metro Securities Brokerage Corp in Manila, expects market volumes to remain brisk ahead of an anticipated investment grade credit rating for the country. Japanese fund managers were interested buyers, Philippine Stock Exchange President Hans Sicat said.
On Thursday, Standard & Poor's became the first among the three major credit-rating agencies to switch its outlook for the Philippines to positive from stable, moving just six months after its last upgrade. It said the country could be awarded investment grade status with sustained reforms.
But doubts have surfaced on the sustainability of the rally, with foreign money likely to move to new high-growth markets as the global economy slowly recovers.
(Watch Now: Philippines & Thailand: Asia's Bright Spots)
"We do not expect new headlines in the Philippine market in the coming six months, and so little reasons for new investors to venture aggressively into the market," said Mixo Das, an analyst at Nomura International (Hong Kong), which has an underweight recommendation on the Philippines.
But even without hefty foreign fund inflows, the market may be supported by local investors who now dominate trade, buying more than 939 billion pesos ($23 billion) worth of shares up to Dec. 14, data from the stock exchange shows.
Local investors, shunning low interest rates in debt markets, now make up 55 percent of the equities market volume. Foreigners used to dominate the market with a 60 to 70 percent share before the global financial crisis, said BPI's Garcia.
"This market has legs because not everyone is in yet. It is not a crowded market story," Garcia said.


text: Doyle Custom has just come out with a new kiteboard for the surf. The Monkey Wave is designed to maximize minimal wind and wave conditions. This board will handle all wind strengths and will make small mushy waves, and underpowered conditions come live. Check out this board and the rest of the line up at www.doylecustom.com