text:
Frankie Dairy & Calendar Giveaway!! {{CLOSED}}15:52
So excited to have a Frankie prize pack for giveaway thanks to Nation State (a kind of sister site to Mag Nation but for stationery). The ...
So excited to have a Frankie prize pack for giveaway thanks to Nation State (a kind of sister site to Mag Nation but for stationery).
The pack includes the hugely popular Frankie Diary 2012 ... seriously this diary sold out in a matter of weeks last year! and a Frankie Calendar.
To be in the running leave a comment on this post and a winner will be drawn using random.org Sunday night EST. Open to all readers - international included.
307 comments
so cute, cant wait to get the diary!ReplyDelete
Perfect. I love that calendar.ReplyDelete
Oh my goodness, winning this prize pack would absolutely make my month! The two would be perfect for my time as a grad school student! ECK!ReplyDelete
oh my, oh my! so cute, yes please :) xReplyDelete
oh how lovely this would be.ReplyDelete
Oh, I definitely wouldn't say no to this bundle of goodness!ReplyDelete
liss, prepare for a downpour, comments are going to go crazy on this post :)ReplyDelete
Totally lust-worthy!ReplyDelete
My 2011 Frankie diary has had such a big use this year, and the 2012 one looks even better!ReplyDelete
Love my Frankie Diary, can't wait to get the next one, it looks great!ReplyDelete
I need the new frankie diary already, this year's one is pretty full! xReplyDelete
I just book marked the website so I could pre-order a diary when I get paid on Saturday! What are the chances.ReplyDelete
Love it! Thank youReplyDelete
I love this diary, and am a long-time reader of your blog :) Would love to win!ReplyDelete
xo Mary Jo
Adorable :)ReplyDelete
oh lovely one, thank you so muchly:) xReplyDelete
oh my gosh. this would be perfection! perfection.ReplyDelete
wow. seriously lusting after this!ReplyDelete
Oh the calendar illustration is lovely! It looks like the sweet paintings by The Black Apple.ReplyDelete
Oh, so lovely! That's exactly what I need :)ReplyDelete
Oh yes please!ReplyDelete
Murphy x
Woo hoo! I was one of those who missed out on the Frankie Diary last year and am not letting it happen again this year!ReplyDelete
I love that calendar :)ReplyDelete
yay! What a great giveaway! I would love to win! ♥ReplyDelete
Oh Cute! I'd love a chance to win it! :)ReplyDelete
Can I say that I'm in love with that diary!ReplyDelete
If I'm that lucky lady who wins this calender, next year will become my year for sure! ;)ReplyDelete
Fingers crossed! :)
Nice! I love my Frankie 2011 diary, I don't want to miss out on the 2012 one.ReplyDelete
fingers and toes crossed!ReplyDelete
love the diary, have this years and it's great xxReplyDelete
Great giveaway! Love it.ReplyDelete
thankyou for the opportunity! xxReplyDelete
Oh this would be lovely! *pick me! pick me!*ReplyDelete
neat giveaway, the diary looks very cuteReplyDelete
Literally beyond cute!ReplyDelete
Wow! This is awesome- Frankie is the best :)ReplyDelete
Oooh, i really want one of these! So pretty! Fingers crossed..ReplyDelete
amazing. I want this. fingers crossed.ReplyDelete
sooo cute!!!! just love it <3ReplyDelete
Absolutely adorable!ReplyDelete
Cuteness! Meeeeeeee please! :))ReplyDelete
Wow... so beautiful!ReplyDelete
ma tanto non vinco mai... :-(((((
wow, they are lovely, I can see why they sold out so fast, what a great giveaway!ReplyDelete
I love that calendarReplyDelete
Yes please!ReplyDelete
omy so cute! I want to win! D:ReplyDelete
The calendar is simply gorgeous!ReplyDelete
These journal and calendar are so cute! I hope I'll win *fingers crossed* lolReplyDelete
Peace and love from Spain!!
Awesome, you know just what I like ^^ReplyDelete
ohmygoodness! the diary is lovely!!!!ReplyDelete
Awesome giveaway. Both diary and calendar are seriously gorgeous. :)ReplyDelete
Thanks for having this lovely giveaway(:
Dreamy Princess
Oooo I might get the diary this year - i've become alot more organised of late!ReplyDelete
Well if you can call writing lists in my phone organised. Ha.
Yay for you getting a fun giveaway like this :) x
Lovely! What a gorgeous giveaway prize!ReplyDelete
love love love love love it!ReplyDelete
This is a great give away prize. I love it.ReplyDelete
This would be amazing! The journal looks particularly gorgeous.ReplyDelete
Oh my, the're so cute! I'd really like that diary.ReplyDelete
amazing, I really wanna win the diaryReplyDelete
Oh that diary is just adorable!ReplyDelete
Oh, that calender looks gorgeous! I only realised today how close next year is. It's only 100 days to Christmas!ReplyDelete
I think I'm going to die of amazing-ness!! I NEED THIS! ♥ ♥ReplyDelete
What an awesome giveaway! I don't know anyone who doesn't covet the Frankie diary and/or calendar! <3ReplyDelete
great giveaway , thank you !ReplyDelete
tumblemumbo at gmail.com
it's so lovely!ReplyDelete
its beautiful!ReplyDelete
Yes please, these lovelies would get a good home here! xReplyDelete
Love, love, love this calendar!!ReplyDelete
Thanks for the chance !!
Last year I bought my sister-in-law one for her birthday thinking there woul d be plenty of time to get me one. For secret santa one of my assistants went looking for one (even calling Frankie to find out where she could order one) but no luck they were all gone .... hope I either win one this year or have better luck myselfReplyDelete
Gorgeous diary exactly what I need!ReplyDelete
Very beautiful - would love it on my desk :)ReplyDelete
Oh, I've been seeing the Frankie diary all over the blogosphere lately, and thought about buying one, too! But winning one and with the amazingly illustrated calendar on top would be an even better option!ReplyDelete
xx, Mirka
Next one looks even better than this years! Would love to win it!ReplyDelete
Both are adorable!!ReplyDelete
Carmen Ri.
After missing out last year I am super keen to get the combo this year- I especially love the calendar cover. I have been waiting to come into some more money to purchase both...ReplyDelete
Cute diary! ^^ReplyDelete
all i can say is : eeeeeee :DReplyDelete
thanks for the giveaway!
Perfection! Such a delightful prize :)ReplyDelete
oooh wow so lovely!ReplyDelete
So cute! I love autumnal colours!ReplyDelete
oh that calender looks so lovely!ReplyDelete
Ahh I would so so so love to win these! Beautiful! xReplyDelete
These are both beautiful, thank you so much for running this giveaway again! <3ReplyDelete
Very very beautiful stationery!ReplyDelete
They are beautiful!! I would love to win them :) thank you!ReplyDelete
omg i've been searching for something like this everywhere but couldn't find anything. lovely calendar journal.ReplyDelete
Wow, those are both so cute! An amazing giveaway! email@example.com
This is amazing! It looks so lovely.ReplyDelete
Thank you for this opportunity.
Ooh love love love!ReplyDelete
I visited the Frankie stall at last year's Melbourne Finders Keepers and have loved my 2011 diary ever since. winning this would be AMAZING!!
looks so lovely! email@example.com
what a fabulous give away...ReplyDelete
YEY! I want it!ReplyDelete
Oh my gosh I absolutely LOVE those, they will make organising my life so much easier and a lot more aesthetically pleasing than fluorescent yellow sticky notes! firstname.lastname@example.com
Love everything Frankie puts their hand to!ReplyDelete
- federicaFriday, September 16, 2011
I love it!! Last year was sold out :(ReplyDelete
What can I say? It's more Frankie loveliness!!ReplyDelete
Oh, is looks really, really lovely. Would be great to start my student-life with that one :)ReplyDelete
Oh I'm missing Frankie over here in the UK!ReplyDelete
I'd love to win one - I was about to order it yesterday but I didn't, maybe that was a sign, lol! No I love Frankie, wish I could get my hands on it here in Europe! xxxReplyDelete
Pretty pretty pretty! Wonderful giveaway!ReplyDelete
Oh I'm always on the lookout for cute diaries. I don't think technology will take that away from me and this one is definitely cute ;)ReplyDelete
Enter me please :) xxReplyDelete
oh my! this is just amazing! i've been looking for the perfect diary and this is it! :D!ReplyDelete
Oh my how cute and love the colours!!!!ReplyDelete
Absolutely lovely :) I wish you could get Frankie in shops in Europe!ReplyDelete
Would just love to win this prize and get a head-start on my organising next year!!ReplyDelete
no way! i sooooo hope i get this! :)ReplyDelete
oh it's that time of year again!ReplyDelete
argh! i love colourful diaries!
i'm torn between a frankie one or a kikki k one!
decisions decisions x
oh i would so like to win this! i've been drooling over the frankie diary already and thinking back and forth wether i should buy it, so this give away is perfect!ReplyDelete
so lovely!! i've been wanting to buy some of their journals and calenders, but shipping to the US is so expensive!!!ReplyDelete
So much pretty!! Thanks!!ReplyDelete
Umm.. Yes, please. I would love to take that journal off your hands.ReplyDelete
fingers crossed!:)ReplyDelete
Homgeebies! I just missed out on one last year. :(ReplyDelete
Bella x
2 of the things i love, journals and calendars! i really made an obsession with calendars the past 2 years and i have a journal ever since i was like 8.ReplyDelete
that calendar is SO beautiful! if only... sigh!ReplyDelete
toi.assanelli [at] gmail dot com
very cute! love frankieReplyDelete
i'm always looking for the perfect agenda/diary !ReplyDelete
i think i may have found love ans perfection with this one !!
I absolutely LOVE Frankie's gorgeous planner and calendar. I've been eyeing them for a few weeks now.ReplyDelete
i love!!!ReplyDelete
Little girl on the frontReplyDelete
Little girl in the time
Little girl planning 2012
Those diaries just keep getting better each year. Can't waitReplyDelete
That's so exciting! I can never get my hands on a copy of that. Maybe this year I'll have some luck.ReplyDelete
I hope i win. finger-crossed!ReplyDelete
So cute! k.sawa [at]vp. plReplyDelete
I hope I win this time! i love itReplyDelete
Cute! cant wait to get this! :)ReplyDelete
I really love it! I hope to win :)ReplyDelete
ciao dall'Italia
Wowowow, very cool! I'd love to win (:ReplyDelete
That diary would be perfect! Hope I win!ReplyDelete
lovely! i cross my fingers!!ReplyDelete
Love this giveaway! Crossing my fingers!ReplyDelete
amazing giveaway! :)ReplyDelete
My odds are slim but I'm trying anyway! I adore that diary.ReplyDelete
most adorable giveaway!ReplyDelete
Oh my goodness, how lovely!! I really hope I win!!! =^.^= <33333ReplyDelete
iiih! keeping all my limbs crossed, I really want to win these!ReplyDelete
Ahh I love this! So excited!!ReplyDelete
Please add me to the giveaway! Im a journal freak!ReplyDelete
so cute! :DReplyDelete
cool! I like her. :DReplyDelete
The diary is so cutee! Love it. Please include me in the giveaway.ReplyDelete
love their stationary!ReplyDelete
I would love to get this!!ReplyDelete
ah! i would love to win this! keeping my fingers crossed :)ReplyDelete
this is so lovely! fingers crossed :)ReplyDelete
just saw the same one on wishwishwish, it's beautiful!ReplyDelete
Wow,I loooove these! :)ReplyDelete
I was one of those people who got to the website too late! But I'm prepared for the 2012 one :)ReplyDelete
This is ever so cute. i save all my calenders bcos i write in what i do daily so i can always look back and rememberReplyDelete
The frankie magazine makes the most adorable diaries !ReplyDelete
So lovely! I tried to snag one last year, but was too late. Should have expected something this cute wouldn't last too long.ReplyDelete
oh so lovely! this would perfect for this new year.ReplyDelete
ooooh i love it so much! pick me pick me! :)ReplyDelete
I definitely want to be in the drawing!ReplyDelete
- susie chenSaturday, September 17, 2011
I do appreciate a beautiful diary.ReplyDelete
Thanks for this lovely giveaway :) I really enjoy reading your blog on google reader! :) Hope you're having a really great day! :)ReplyDelete
That is so cute! I am definitely in :)ReplyDelete
<3 Sharmaine Ruth
Ooh Frankie! So lovely.ReplyDelete
I'm definitely going to have to get these. They are a work of art <3ReplyDelete
it's beautiful! sucker for pretty stationary!ReplyDelete
I love giveaways. :) And I absolutely adore that journal! You have a sweet blog.ReplyDelete
wow, thank you so much! I have a boundless love for stationery and I think the frankie diary is the prettiest diary I've seen. :)ReplyDelete
I'm so sick of using virtual calendars and day books with no personality. This would be such a perfect way to start 2012!ReplyDelete
ahh its the perfect way to start university! plus, you can't even get it here in the us (: thanks for hosting the giveawayReplyDelete
if i win it will make being organized a complete treat.ReplyDelete
These are so sweet, I'll keep my fingers crossed!ReplyDelete
oh wow! ive been scouring almost everywhere I can think that sells journal for weeks now and still cant find the perfect one - this little beauty is well, perfect!ReplyDelete
what a great prize!
xx Lucy
Absolutely adorable! Love it!ReplyDelete
erinpiker at gmail dot com
wow, so lovely!ReplyDelete
Love it a lot! Perfect giveaway!ReplyDelete
Camila Faria
Yeah, I can participate!!! Love the calendar!ReplyDelete
I would love the diary! every year for christmas I get the calendar so It'd be wonderful if I could ditch my school diary for a lovely one.ReplyDelete
its so damned perdy! s_dicks@hotmail..co.ukReplyDelete
So cute! :)ReplyDelete
so cute, yes please lily!ReplyDelete
Love these ones... (so many comments!) !ReplyDelete
Ahh love Frankie Diaries, definitely a want.ReplyDelete
Wow, last year I looked for it everywhere but like you said, it was sold out..ReplyDelete
This year, as a recent graduate I'm broke and cannot buy it so luckily, i'll be the happy winner, for once :)
and oups, my address is http://twentythreehours.tumblr.com, forgot the ty in the link! (that's why i need a planner, i keep forgetting everything!)ReplyDelete
These are so sweet!ReplyDelete
or email@example.com
Very cute. :)ReplyDelete
I love your blog... Gives me that good ol' whimsical feel everytime...ReplyDelete
I'd like to have that pretty planner & calendar. Now who says organizing your life has to be boring.
Cham Cuartero
Davao City, Philippines
Ooh, I'd love to win one of these! =)ReplyDelete
Love the blog, by the way. x
This is adorable! I love it :]ReplyDelete
the first one turned out weird so i am trying again with a different account^^ but that's me above too!ReplyDelete
Eek! I would love a diary for 2012, I missed out last year.ReplyDelete
hope I winnn, so cuteReplyDelete
:) so. much. loveliness.ReplyDelete
aah, so lovely!ReplyDelete
the.inglenook {at} yahoo {dot} com
I just found my mom's diary from when she first met my dad! SO CUTE and a bit inspiring to start my own as well :)ReplyDelete
Kelly E.
I won this comp last year haha but I want it again! Ahhh frankie <3ReplyDelete
I loooove the Frankie diary! I totally missed out last year! And this one looks super cute!ReplyDelete
♡ Fox Whiskers


text:
It's not just a Friday; it's a Product Review Friday. And today we bring you a review of another wand-like massager. This product comes from our favorite retailer — Adult Sex Toys .com.
Here to tell us all about her new vibrator is Dr Dick Review Crew member, Christa.
Adam & Eve Rechargeable Magic Massager 2.0 —— $57.49
When I was like 17 I had my first orgasm and I did it with my aunt's Hitachi Magic Wand. I wasn't actually aiming for an orgasm, on the contrary. I had this splitting headache, that kind I would regularly get with PMS. I was staying with my aunt at the time and she handed me her Hitachi and suggested that I massage the back of my head and neck with it.
My aunt was this totally cool lady, so unlike my mother. When she handed me the vibe she gave me a little wink and closed the bedroom door as she left the room. I thought nothing of it at the time, but I soon discovered that moving the powerful massaging head from the back of my head to the side of my head and then to the back of my neck really helped alleviate my headache. I guess I just figured that if the massager felt this good on the upper part of my body, maybe it would help with my cramping. I gingerly moved the vibe along my torso. My nipples immediately sprang to life. As I moved it south the most pleasant sensations began to well up in me. Just for the hell of it I gingerly dragged the bulbous head of the Hitachi over my cunt. I was still wearing my jeans, but still I'd never felt anything like that before. Before I knew it, I'd discovered my clit and the rest is history.
Once I emerged from the bedroom and handed the Hitachi back to my aunt, and thanked her. I knew from her smile that she knew what I now knew. I loved and trusted that woman so much, In this regard; she was much more a mother to me than my own mother. Yet we never spoke about what had just happened to me.
Ya know what just kills me though? I can't understand why one generation of women can't just come right out with it and tell the next generation of women the secret of getting off. Wouldn't we do one another a great service if we did? This coy winking and nodding that happens between women, if it happens at all, is just bullshit, if ya ask me.
Well, that was more of a story then I anticipated telling, but it feels good to say that out loud.
All of this is a preface to my review of the Rechargeable Magic Massager from Adam & Eve. This thing rocks! It is every bit as powerful as my trusty Hitachi, but it is cordless. And that, my friends, makes it revolutionary.
I'm not gonna go on and on about a wand-type massager, like the Rechargeable Magic Massager, because if you are older than 18 and are still clueless about this type of vibe, then there's just no hope for you. However, if you're a younger woman, just discovering your sexuality, then you should immediately get yourself a wand massager. And I can recommend the Rechargeable Magic Massager with confidence.
There are several advantages of the Rechargeable Magic Massager, over the original Hitachi. This one weighs less than the original and it, as I said already, is cordless. The lighter weight Rechargeable Magic Massager will prevent wrist strain when jilling off. And it being cordless allows you to diddle yourself wherever you damn well please.
When my BF, Alex, and I hit the road for a little R&R, the first thing I pack is my Rechargeable Magic Massager.
Full Review HERE!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
'Fire in Ice': New Energy Source Found in Arctic
Scientists in Japan and the U.S. say they are moving closer to tapping a new source of energy: methane hydrate, a crystalline form of natural gas found in Arctic permafrost and at the bottom of oceans. Ben Lefebvre joins MoneyBeat. Photo: AP.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... ay ay mm mm ... we all know what to do so we talked about alot is red hot is growing here in the states ... will or else it is growing scientists are talking about ... drilling in the Arctic and on the ocean floor they're going places ... Alan never really been there before Ben Lefebvre ... here to talk about it ... ah did you know it seems I carry in our jet think of the thingy for the movie to think ... otherwise thinking that but what exactly is going on here tells ... Ch ... science is catching up with ... some private companies ... it's the Arctic monkeys that the ocean floor to basically find these things called it the hydrants which is basically natural gas ... trapped in ice ... and others on the way around are still backing areas I need Orbitz is ... to ... go up it's us or how many thousands of trillion cubic see in the Gulf of Mexico to ... buy ... a big if they didn't crack the code in its ... use is up about up saving too much in the teens environmental concerns it could be huge news source that that's the result ... that way ... because there's been such an atmosphere that this happens ... when the ... big boom prices going up because more profitable to drill ... PCs Cummins's for going places they weren't going before his is an extension of that ... extra attention ... yet in the hour ... those looking for when you get desperate the US for hire ... some of them are backing away because natural gas prices are so low it doesn't make sense for them and I love this right now but in places like Japan ... where there is no financial gets ready to be found ... in actual gas costs so much to ship over there it's really tantalizing been in the last step is usually a light basically producing in China produces all of their costs ... and so that that this is still certain exploratory thing going on right now says is something that this is this is years away ... sch yes she is the way it basically know how to reduce it ... the price that ... I've heard estimated to cost you know ... thirty three dollars the ... units to bring this up and it's basically you know I was excited when costing us now ... but it can lead you through ... the sixteen dollars for a ... British thermal unit ... it is you much more of ... a target ... in the sense that that thing where ... they would ... put it on and on and I think is right that's it that's the thing about ... the ... content design is no is no pipelines up there either ... the the ... it's one thing is that they ... had transported once they get to it I'm getting the photos he had ... the signs and where ... did media in the sea floor and it still is blurred because there's no they don't ... actually ... contain ... then the fever and accused him of talking about the Arctic think you're a much ... thank you


text:
A friend told me about how she'd planned on Skyline to the Sea, but couldn't go. Maybe I'd like to try it, she suggested. Skyline to the Sea is a rare thing in trail runs: a point-to-point race. Point A to point B. It doesn't get any more fundamental than that. I had to try it.
There's two routes: the more popular "50 km" course includes an added loop up and down a hillside. The simpler route is claimed to be a marathon: slightly longer than the 26 miles + 385 yards which defines that distance. For some reason I felt a hilly trail marathon would be easier than a road marathon. A trail, I reasoned, breaks things up, uses different muscles, and reduces the pressure of maintaining a target pace.
Preparation wasn't great. My issue was I'd raced two long trail races in the past two months: the Coastal Trail Runs Rodeo Beach 18-miler (with distance run at the end to make up for a short-cut I inadvertantly took) and the Pacific Coast Trail Runs 30 km race at Pirates Cove. Trail runners tend to do races as training by backing off on the pace, focusing on building endurance without digging themselves into a hole. I wasn't worried about holes: I ran each of these races to get the best results I could. Take what you can get was my philosophy. And I was pleased with how I did at the first race (until the wrong turn) and at Pirates Cove: decent results; an age-group ribbon.
A result was I spent a lot of time recovering from these runs. Two weeks from Rodeo Beach. Two weeks (although with a lot of cycling in there) at Pirates, as well. This was time I could have spent working more on endurance.
Leading to Skyline to the Sea I had a decent block of work. Runs of 11.2, 12.3, 9.5, and 10.0 on alternate days over a 7-day period. Then on a trip to visit family in New Jersey 2.5, 5.6 (with a 7 mile hike after), and 6.8 miles on consecutive days. The promising thing was I felt better as this block progressed. These runs gave me some confidence. The issue was none of my runs, on their own, had really prepared me for the considerable jump from 30 km to 43, the marathon distnce.
The long day of trains and plane from New Jersey to San Francisco left me depleted, however. Allergies left me tired in the five days between my trip and the race. I didn't do much during this time: a few short bike rides and, the day before the race, an easy 1.5 mile run. I'd done what I could and I had to rely on the stimulus of competition to get me through the big day.
Pacing was going to be really important. The run starts, we were told, with some single-track on which it would be difficult to pass. I wanted to be positioned in the the third row: the top 20 but not the top 10 runners. I didn't want to go off and try to match the pace of Leor Pantalat or Scott Dunlap. But on the other hand I didn't want to get stuck in slow-climbing traffic on the "rollers" which characterized the opening kilometers of the race.
But at least from my position, concerns about the "pack" were relatively unjustified. Things strung out quickly. I felt as if I were running comfortably, somewhat briskly but without strain. On the climbs I shuffle-steeped, avoiding the inefficiencies of a full run. On the descents, I did the best I could with my short stride. Stay loose, stay comfortable. I lost time on the descents relative to those around me, but seemed to gain it back on the climbs.
After cross-crossing Highway 9 a few times, I arrived at the 10.5 km aid station at Waterman Gap in 55 minutes. This was ahead of my 10 minute per mile target, but then there was serious climbing to come, so I expected to be ahead of pace by this point. I decided to save the Coke option for later to avoid burning out on it, drinking some Clif carbohydrate solution and water, refilling my now empty bottle which I carried on a belt (I also had caffeinated Powerbar GelBlasts, which I'd occasionally eat), ate a few Clif Bloks, and set off for the climbing I knew followed ... climbing I looked forward to.
The climb wasn't bad, but despite this, as I reached the top I was fatiguing. Not good. Still close to 30 km remaining, a distance I had only run on trails twice this year, and I was already tired. Of course I'd been tired all week, so lasting 13 km before fatiguing was an improvement. But 29 km is a long way to go, especially over challenging terrain. I decided I needed to really throttle back from what I'd already thought was a sustainable pace. Take it one hour at a time, thinking about turning the throttle back up after three hours.
And this helped. To my relief, the second hour passed fairly well. The next aid station, near China Grade Road, I drank some Coke and water, took a few more Clif Bloks, and again was back on the trail fairly quickly. And from here it was a relatively short, albeit hilly stretch to the third aid station, near park headquarters.
Along the way I managed to take one slightly wrong turn: I was running along China Grade road, which seemed wrong. I asked some passing hikers, and they directed me back onto the trail which paralleled the road. I was quickly back on track. This probably saved me a few seconds (fewer than 10) versus the trail: deja-vu from my accidental short-cut at Rodeo Beach. But I wasn't about to backtrack at this point.
Onward. I eventually reached the next stop at the Park Headquarters. I was starting to feel depleted again. My Power Shots were mostly gone, and I'd started dipping into my supply of Enduralytes. I was drinking well, I felt, but now more than two hours in, I felt like I was fading a bit again. So at this station I stopped for a bit, ate some orange slices in addition to drinking Coke and water, then set out again.
Soon after I took another wrong turn: finding myself this time at the parking lot at the Park Headquarters. I backtracked and got back on the route, which was flooded and thus had skipped my attention, deciding this was karmic accounting for my earlier mistake: payback of those few seconds gained with interest.
What followed was the most challenging part of the course. The path climbed over rocks, went up and down steep slopes, and generally made itself difficult. Normally all good stuff, but I found myself no longer power walking, but more like trudging up climbs, and carefully stepping over obsticles to reduce fatigue-causing impacts.
Hour three arrived as I was passing a hiking group from Team in Training. I asked what they were training for and two responded: one for the Grand Canyon and the other for a different hike. They were inspiring, but not enough to convince me to pick up my pace as I'd planned to do at this time. I decided to wait for the fire road and reevalute.
The fire road, the fire road! Just make it to the fire road which marked the final 10 km, I told myself. If I could make it to the fire road, everything would be good.
I managed to pass the waterfall which is the highlight of the Skyline to the Sea trail without noticing it. I was too focused on continuing my progress to the fire road and, from there, the finish. One step at a time. I was running okay on the flatter parts, walking on the climbs and descents. It seemed to go on and on and on.
A runner passed: one of several in this segment. I mentioned to him that surely the fire road was soon. He cautiously agreed.
And we were right. The trail opened up and volunteers pointed the direction home. "5.8 miles", one said, to the finish. I asked how far it was to the aid station. I'd forgotten from my study of the course match back up on Skyline. He didn't know.
I started to run, but my motivation to do so, my willingness to suppress the pain, wavered, hovering at the critical threshold, and then snapped. I simply had to walk. Just for a bit, I told myself. I'd walk until I'd recovered a bit, then slowly run it in.
But my exeriments in running all failed. Each time, I simply wasn't able to refind that rhythm to get me through the pain. It became clear this was turning into a little death march. Just keep moving, I told myself. Keep walking.
I was passed repeatedly here. Many on the 50 km route, some marathoners. Caitlin Smith, the 50 km women's winner and third overall, had passed me well before the fire road, happily telling me I looked good. But by this point, on the fire road, I dreaded these wishes. I just wanted to fade into the background. I hoped those passing would assume I was a day hiker. Too many did not.
I asked hikers and cyclists (which are allowed on the fire road section) how far it was to the aid station. Nobody knew. Nobody seemed to have seen it.
Finally a numberless, oncoming runner told me the aid station was just ahead. This perked me up: finally, relief. I was there soon enough. A volunteer cheerfully told me it was only 1.5 miles to the finish, but there was no way I wasn't going to stop and recover a bit. 1.5 miles can be a long way. So I ate pretzels, drank some carbohydrate solution, and even ate half a frosted Pop-Tart. I'd hoped the Pop-Tart would revive me, but it only made me wish I'd eaten Clif Bloks instead: the Pop-Tart was too sweet, too pasty. I wondered if I'd dropped it if it would decompose.
There was nowhere to sit at the aid station, which was a good thing: it got me back on the trail sooner. I really wanted to run it home from here, but again I was unable. So I walked: head down and fairly miserable. When I reached the finish (18th / 54), I felt no sense of accomplishment, no victory, just relief.
I found Juliana, who had given me a ride to the start and was here to support Bjorn, her friend. She was really positive, helping to raise my spirits a bit. The important thing, she said, was that I'd finished, and this was a good benchmark for the next time I did it. Next time.... usually at the end of a hard event I don't like thinking about a next time. But there was no doubt in my mind there would be a next time. I had to return: return and get it right.
As I lay on the ground, munching PowerBlox (whey protein + sugar), I overheard a woman say this was the hardest marathon course she'd ever run. That helped a bit.
So what did I need to get right? First, start a bit more conservatively. But really my problem was just lack of fitness: lack of the specific adaptations which allow cardiovascular endurance to be applied to running. I got 80% there: I just needed that extra 25% which would have had me succumb past the finish line rather than 5 miles before it. A month of solid training and I certainly would have had it. Not that I could have run more given the date of this run: you've got to follow what your body lets you do. But next time I'll have more preparation.
Three days later, I'm surprised how well I've recovered. No real workouts yet, although I can run up stairs and rode my bike to and from the train commuting to work. I'm ready to start doing some training rides again. Easy spins, nothing hard, but it's good to know I didn't dig myself into too deep a hole at Skyline to the Sea.


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Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, a new action adventure title, has been announced for release in 2013 for Xbox 360 and PS3.
Billed as the concluding chapter to the story of Lightning, the new game gives players direct control over the iconic heroine in a "constantly moving, expansive environment" in a quest to save a doomed world from complete destruction.
"We are pleased to reveal that Lightning is returning as the playable character in this title, and are excited to see how fans react to the more direct battle system and expansive environment that can be explored at will," said producer Yoshinori Kitase.
Motomu Toriyama, director added: "Increased levels of player freedom, customisation and connectivity with the real world, will ensure that this concluding chapter will be an exhilarating finale to Lightning's story."
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII key features:
Lightning under your control: Lightning will be the playable character - with a highly evolved range of techniques for battles and exploring the environment. Customise Lightning with a large range of different outfits and weapons; that affect not only the way she looks, but also her actions and abilities.
Action-orientated combat: A new battle system gives a level of direct control over the action unlike any Final Fantasy game, while having iconic elements that are known and loved throughout the series too.
A constantly moving, beautiful world: Stunning artistic direction depicts a doomed world filled with choice and diversity. Living, expansive environments featuring a rising and setting sun provide unique experiences for every player.
Use your time well: A world on a course for total annihilation presents unique challenges; where certain areas, missions, and people will only be available during selected periods. How will you use your remaining time?
A connected experience: Stay connected to Final Fantasy and its characters, with unique features that link the in-game world to the real world.


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If you run a netbook, a system with few memory, or just for the fun of it. Using RamZSwap helps your performance and is included since 2.6.33 and really easy:
1. Get and compile a current version of rzscontrol in the compcache package sub-projects folder.
2. sudo swapoff -a
3. sudo modprobe ramzswap
4. sudo rzscontrol /dev/ramzswap0 --verbose --init
5. sudo swapon /dev/ramzswap0
Enjoy! Check out lwn's tech info about it.
Update: Actually it does work for me in 2.6.33, but in 2.6.35 it does not work at all and the --backing_swap /dev/your-current-swap-partition support was removed.
Update2: You can make it work with a bit of source code modification. The author writes, though, that he will soon release a new version of both his kernel module and command line tool that can be installed and run in 2.6.35.
Fun with Compcache/RamZSwap
Related Posts : (random access) memory, performance, tipps
Categories: (random access) memory, performance, tipps
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Reader dnavusa tipped us to a Cannondale Stealth Concept Bike spotted on a design blog. First I thought, Cannondale survived the motorcycle failure? And then,
it's like an old madone + magic motorcycle + lefty derivative with a flat bar. I'm confused by it. What does this bike want to be?


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Lafourche Parish is a lot like Jamaica.
At least that's what Nicholls State University senior Ebby Ezema said.
Lafourche Parish is a lot like Jamaica.
At least that's what Nicholls State University senior Ebby Ezema said.
"I'd say the culture is very comparable," Ezema said. "The people are very friendly. They like to have fun, and they like to be entertained. Oh, and it feels like they have 8 million holidays."
Ezema should know.
Born in Nigeria, he grew up in Jamaica before moving to the United States to get his education. After three years of high school in Massachusetts — not nearly the same as Jamaica, Ezema jokes — he moved to Thibodaux to get degrees in international business and marketing.
Ezema said he moved to the U.S. because of the quality of the schools and the cultural education he gets outside the classroom.
"When I was in Jamaica, I wasn't exposed to a bunch of different cultures. It was basically all Jamaicans," he said. "The minute I got here I was meeting people from Vietnam and Mexico, just a whole bunch of different people."
Ezema is one of hundreds of thousands of students who flock to the U.S. every year for college. Despite economic woes and skyrocketing tuition costs, more international students are enrolling in U.S. universities every year.
During the 2011-2012 school year, a record 764,495 international students enrolled in U.S. universities, according to a study by the Institute of International Education.
That's a jump of 6 percent from the year before and the sixth straight year of increases.
Much of that growth is powered by a steadily growing influx of students from China — 23 percent more Chinese students enrolled in American universities last year.
The growth is also especially noticeable with undergraduate students. For the first time, international undergraduates outnumber international graduate students.
Overall, international students make up more than 3 percent of U.S. university students.
At Nicholls, 154 of the school's 6,606 students, or about 2 percent, come from abroad.
Courtney Cassard, the school's enrollment director, said Nicholls used to have more international students before budget cuts forced the school to cut back on some programs that were popular abroad, especially computer science.
But Cassard said the school's been gradually regrowing its international enrollment in the past few years.
At Nicholls, international students pay the standard tuition and fees for a nonresident student — $7,264.60 a year — plus a $60 fee. Cassard said the school has kept those rates low to encourage more international attendance.
Nicholls has an exchange program with a school in France and exchange agreements with a few Chinese schools. It also boasts a small Japanese student population and groups from Central and South America, especially Mexico.
"I think it's important for all of our students to be exposed to these different cultures," Cassard said. "The reason why they come to school is to soak up American culture, but they're very willing to share their own culture too, which is important to us."
In a news release praising the growth of international students, U.S. officials said studying abroad is a boon to both the students' native countries and the U.S.
"International education creates strong, lasting relationships between the U.S. and emerging leaders worldwide," said Assistant Secretary of State Ann Stock.
Stock said in the release that exchange students boost Americans' cultural understanding while giving the U.S. a good name abroad.
The study's authors argue there are more tangible economic benefits too. Exchange students are spending their college tuition money — one of the "largest life expenses" — in the U.S., mostly with money from their native countries.
That means a boost of about $22.7 billion to the U.S. economy in the form of tuition, fees and contributions while living here, the study estimates.
By working in the U.S., graduate researchers' breakthroughs are also patented here, meaning the U.S. often reaps the benefits.
Ezema said he hopes to get a job in the U.S. once he graduates in December.
"I like it here. Especially since I already spoke the language, I think I've fit in great," he said. "I'm going to have to keep working on the accent though. Sometimes the Cajun thing is too much for me to keep up with."
Staff Writer Matthew Albright can be reached at 448-7635 or at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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- Home
- Feeling Stuck, Page 22 (PAGE FULL)
- Sex and intimacy after betrayal
- Share Your Story: Finding Out, Part 5 (4 is full!!...
- Finding Out, Part 5 (Please post here. Part 4 is f...
- Stupid S#*t Cheaters Say
- Separating/Divorcing Page 9
- Finding Out, Part 6
- Books for the Betrayed
- Separating and Divorcing, Page 10
- Feeling Stuck, Part 23
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Extreme Measures: How Far Did You Go To Heal?
Stay with me here.
I'm not suggesting that you're not entitled to the blind rage my friend Dana felt when her husband finally confessed to a workplace affair with his boss, something he'd been denying for more than two years. Or that you're not entitled to the incredible pain associated with learning that the one person who you thought had your back...was flat on his back with another woman.
What I'm referring to are the extreme measures that some of us go to...or at least consider...in an attempt to stop the pain. Sometimes it can be exactly what's needed. For example, I know of one BWC member who burned her mattress after learning her husband had brought his OW to their bed. Extreme. But, she reports, cathartic.
I wanted to sell our house when I learned that "encounters" had taken place here. In our laundry room! (The least she could have done was throw in a load or two for me while she was screwing my husband...). I couldn't imagine the day when I could separate my whites and colors, without wanting to separate my husband's head from his body. I gave up the idea when I realized that it would likely be me packing up our lives and getting ready for Open Houses. It was all I could do to get dressed and brush my teeth; moving was just too extreme, even for me.
I know of Betrayed Wives who burned items they learned were given to their spouses by the OW. (Come to think of it, fire seems to be something of an obsession with betrayed wives.) Or demanded their spouses quit jobs if it was a workplace affair.
And, of course, the most extreme Betrayed Wife move of them all: Lorena Bobbit dismembering her husbands...ummm...member.
What's the most extreme move you made when faced with betrayal? Did it lead to healing? Or harm? Would you do it again? Or do you regret it? Share your thoughts...
7 comments:
- AnonymousMay 4, 2010 at 4:05 PM
I read his hidden journal, in its entirety, once I stumbled upon it. It included two lengthy love letters from his latest girlfriend in which she argued why he should leave me. It also included references to his having had affairs with at least 6 women over at least 10 years.ReplyDelete
Damn right I'm glad I read it! If I hadn't, I might never have known what a complete slime he was and why I'm way, WAY better off without him. (This doesn't mean I'm not still reeling from it all, 8 years later, because I still am. But I'm still glad I read it.)
- AnonymousMay 4, 2010 at 4:08 PM
oh I forgot--I also took a hammer to my gold wedding band and smashed it to pieces (on the concrete floor in the basement). very gratifying. when i told my 25-year-old daughter what I'd done, she was shocked and it seemed as if she thought I'd gone way off the deep end mentally. but I hadn't--and it felt good that if I couldn't hammer HIM I could at least hammer SOMETHING that shattered.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousAugust 13, 2010 at 7:13 AM
So far, all I have done is tore up the photo of the OW that he had hidden amongst his stuff. And I threw away a coffee cup she gave him for Christmas (he said it was from his cousin). I wanted to do much worse (take a sledge hammer to his beloved expensive motorcycle because his "ho's" sat on my part of the seat or drop his computer out of the 2nd story window or smash his cell phone with a baseball bat)...didn't do it, though, but the fantasy of it made me feel a little better for the moment! LOL! I haven't thought about fire for some reason...........ReplyDelete
I threw our rings into traffic. I emptied our bank account. I changed the locks. I put everything he owned in trash bags on the front lawn during the rain. All of this on D-Day and I don't regret a thing! I felt powerful and in control when everything around me was out of control. Very she-woman!ReplyDelete
Love it! I think it's critical to regain some sense of power. That feeling of betrayal being done TO us can completely destroy any sense of control we formerly felt over our lives. Getting that back is really important, I think, in moving us forward in a positive way.ReplyDelete
One expert I spoke with insisted that the angry betrayed wives weren't the one he worried about in terms of recovering...it was those who DIDN'T get angry.
- AnonymousOctober 28, 2010 at 4:34 PM
I completely lost it. I destroyed his stuff in front of him. Awards went flying across the room, glass smashing, ripped up the paper, screaming and crying. It was wonderful and terrible. Then I cut the crotches out of a bunch of his favorite clothes, trashed his shop, took a hammer the chair he had just bought while we were on vacation together. Mind you, I am NOT like this, and hate destroying things. However, he had just admitted to strippers and prostitutes and I was absolutely devastated and just let it all go. I destroyed his past in a pale semblance of how he had destroyed mine.ReplyDelete
- CuriousRozeDecember 7, 2017 at 6:00 PM
There were a few slammed doors and things thrown away. The worst thing I did was a few months later when I was having an angry outburst and trying to leave the house. I was in the car in the garage and my husband was trying to convince me to stay by keeping the garage door closed. So I backed right into it and destroyed it. I definitely regret it because not only was I unable to leave that night since I couldn't get the garage to open after that, we ended up paying over $3,000 for a new garage door!ReplyDelete


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The war in Afghanistan, as seen from the other side—or, better, another side.
"[H]ave you ever heard a story in which the evil person triumphs at the end?" So, three paragraphs into Pakistani-born, British author Aslam's (The Wasted Vigil, 2008, etc.) latest, a father, Rohan, asks his son, Jeo. Always careful, Jeo thinks for a moment before replying that the trouble is that on the way to defeat, evil people "harm the good people." Good and evil are porous categories: Jeo is a medical student, while his brother Mikal works at a gun shop, but both rise to the cause when American troops invade neighboring Afghanistan, joining the jihad against them. Jeo volunteers at a hospital in Peshawar, while Mikal crosses the border to fight alongside the Taliban; for his trouble, he is captured by American soldiers and subjected to interrogation that promises to become torture ("Mikal refuses to speak and they take him to a bare windowless room, attach a chain to his wrists, and...fasten the chain to a ring on the ceiling"). Suffice it to say that the tables turn. The saga of war and sacrifice stretches across the centuries—midway through the story, Rohan, benevolent but given to despair, finds himself wondering whether he has not been cursed in some way because his great-grandfather had sided with the British during the mutiny of 1857. Aslam finds poetry in scenes both ordinary and dreamlike ("the moonlight pale as watered ink"; "Rohan dreams of an American soldier and a jihadi warrior digging the same grave"). At times, the images he conjures seem improbable, as with an American commando who carries a snow leopard cub inside his shirt, but the writing is so assured and the story so urgent that it's easy to suspend disbelief.
Aslam sympathizes not with causes, but with people, and this is a memorable portrait of a people torn apart by war.


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Vader added today
Quote from: Jayson on July 16, 2010, 04:41 PMVader added today Obi-Wan & Boba Fett added too...Man, I might try for a Fett. That would be pretty sweet.
Vader added today
I have a feeling that once I see these in person at CV I won't be able to resist - especially with Fett there.
YES! Fett's in-stock over at the Gentle Giant website and I managed to order one!
Page created in 0.053 seconds with 19 queries.


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The New 'Boxtrolls' Trailer Shows Us How To Really Shake Hands
Eggs (Isaac Hempstead Wright) shows Winnie (Elle Fanning) the right way to shake hands in the brand new trailer for The Boxtrolls.
The Boxtrolls, monsters who live underneath the charming streets of Cheesebridge, crawl out of the sewers at night to steal what the townspeople hold most dear: their children and their cheeses. At least, that's the legend the townspeople have always believed.
In truth, the Boxtrolls are a community of lovable oddballs who are raising as one of their own an abandoned and orphaned human boy named Eggs. When the Boxtrolls are targeted by a villainous exterminator who is bent on eradicating them, Eggs must venture aboveground to save them, where he teams with an adventurous young girl to save not only the Boxtrolls but the soul of Cheesebridge.
Also featuring the voices of Simon Pegg, Toni Collette and Sir Ben Kingsley, The Boxtrolls opens September 26th, 2014!
"The Boxtrolls" Theatrical Trailer
Posted to: Elle Fanning, Movies


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MFA impressions: 11.37391.39, 11.44465 Complete series, from album: 11.37391.1-.54
Baichôrô Kunisada hitsu (on main image); Ryûsai (on fan inset) 梅蝶楼国貞筆、立斎
Artists' seals: toshidama (on main image); ga (on fan inset)
By 1911, purchased by William Sturgis Bigelow (b. 1850–d. 1926), Boston [see note 1]; 1911, gift of Bigelow to the MFA. (Accession Date: January 19, 2005) NOTES: [1] Much of Bigelow's collection of Asian art was formed during his residence in Japan between 1882 and 1889, although he also made acquisitions in Europe and the United States. Bigelow deposited many of these objects at the MFA in 1890 before donating them to the Museum's collection at later dates.
Credit Line
William Sturgis Bigelow Collection
Japanese, Edo period, 1864 (Bunkyû 4/Genji 1), 1st month
- Artist Utagawa Kunisada II (Kunimasa III, Toyokuni IV), Japanese, 1823–1880
- Artist Utagawa Hiroshige II (Shigenobu), Japanese, 1826–1869
- Publisher Tsutaya Kichizô (Kôeidô), Japanese
Catalogue Raisonné
Marks et al., Genji's World (2012), list #G554-39 (no photo); Kubo Tsunehiko and Sons Collection Ukiyo-e Hanga, Part II (2009), Edo #191-40
Vertical ôban; 36.9 x 25 cm (14 1/2 x 9 13/16 in.)
Accession Number
Medium or Technique
Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper


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CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Head coach Adam Foley is pleased to announce the incoming freshman class for the MIT water polo team, set to join the team in August. After losing four seniors to graduation this past year, the Engineers will welcome 10 new faces to the team in 2010.
Andrew Adams (Santa Barbara Calif./Santa
Barbara HS)
Elliot Avila (Claremont, Calif./Claremont HS)
Michael Basara (Fresno, Calif./Clovis West HS)
Chad Bean (Visalia, Calif./Golden West HS)
Craig Cheney (Newberg, Ore./Newberg HS)
Andrew Dorne (Orange County, Calif./Sage Hill HS)
Michael Farid (Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES/Dubai College)
Michael Liao (Newport, Calif./Corona Del Mar HS)
Dennis Smiley (Corona, Calif./Centennial HS)
Scott Stephens (Los Altos, Calif./Los Altos HS)
In 2009, the Cardinal and Gray secured its second-straight seventh-place finish at the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Eastern Championship with a 9-8 win over Iona College.


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So you're pounding a girl from behind then you put some fingers in her butt finishing by running the fingers across her chin from ear to ear creating Lincoln's beard in poo.
My woman was being a bitch, so I gave her the old Abraham Stinkin last night.
by Milk Factory April 08, 2009
buy the domain for your recipe blog


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- Description
These white 50mm Diameter Round labels can be printed with an EAN8 , Code 39 or any other type of barcode.
The labels are made from gloss white polypropylene and have a strong permanent acrylic adhesive
Prefix letters can be added to the beginning of the number if needed.
Any number can be printed and we can also print an incrementing number at no additional cost.
Just let us know what number to start from and let us do the rest!
These labels are supplied on rolls.


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March 13, 2008
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - In the inaugural meeting between both programs, nationally-ranked No. 20 Williams College recorded a 15-7 victory over MIT in non-conference women's lacrosse action on Thursday. Casey Flynn paced the Engineers (0-3) with four goals while Sarah Adkins tallied two goals and four assists for the Ephs (1-0).
Adkins earned her first assist on a strike by Whitney Thayer 2:50 into the contest. Flynn registered the equalizer and Erica Little put MIT ahead courtesy of a free-position shot at the 19:33 mark. Following a caused turnover by Sara duPont, Adkins found Tina Nawrocki for the first of her back-to-back goals. Whitney Kelly increased Williams' advantage to 4-2 when she connected on pass from Britt Spackman with 8:03 on the clock. Adkins recorded a free-position shot and converted a feed from Nawrocki to increase the margin to 6-2 at the intermission.
The Ephs struck twice during the first two minutes of the second stanza with Thayer and Julia Nawrocki posting the goals. Flynn snapped the string of seven unanswered goals by finding the back of the net at 20:57. Spackman countered with a pair of goals as Anne Marie Burke and Adkins earned the assists. The Engineers narrowed the gap to 10-4 when Laura Watson went end-to-end with 16:43 on the clock. An unassisted strike by duPont sparked a three-goal spurt that featured a free-position tally from Tracey Ferriter and a blast from Kelly. After Molly McCartin won the ensuing draw for MIT, Flynn quickly went to the cage for the hat-trick. Tina Nawrocki raised Williams' lead to nine (14-5) with 7:12 left to play, but the Engineers continued to attack. Free-position goals by Flynn and Stephanie Brenman cut the Cardinal and Gray's deficit in half (14-7) with 3:15 remaining. The Ephs maintained possession of the ball down the stretch as Alice Nelson capped the scoring inside the final minute.
In addition to collecting a game-high six groundballs, MIT goalie Monique Squiers totaled 10 saves. Teagan Andres bolstered the defense with four groundballs as Watson posted two caused turnovers.
Elizabeth Burns led Williams with five groundballs as Spackman, duPont, Thayer, and Tracey Ferriter each notched a pair of caused turnovers. Thayer tallied a game-high three draw controls while Julia Schrieber totaled 11 saves.
MIT will continue play on Monday, March 24 when it meets SUNY Fredonia in West Palm Beach, Fla. Williams will host NESCAC-foe Tufts University on Saturday, March 15.


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Bandwidth Inc. (NasdaqGS:BAND) has a Q.i. Value of 52.00000. The purpose of the Q.i. Value is to help identify companies that are the most undervalued. Typically, the lower the value, the more undervalued the company tends to be. The Q.i. Value ranks companies using four ratios. These ratios consist of EBITDA Yield, FCF Yield, Liquidity, and Earnings Yield.
Investors might have been ready to throw in the towel as the rally stalled recently. However, the panic subsided and growth-hungry investors came searching for their favorite stocks in the wreckage. Keeping things in perspective, the economy seems good, and so does earnings growth. Investors may be wondering where the money will be flowing in the second half of the year. Many people may assume healthcare and tech would be the easy targets, primarily because that's where the earnings growth is. Industrials and staples are no slouches for growth either, but they may be well fully-valued for their growth. Traders will most likely be honing their strategies that they created, trying to beat the market over the next couple of months.
Checking in on some valuation rankings, Bandwidth Inc. (NasdaqGS:BAND) has a Value Composite score of 70. Developed by James O'Shaughnessy, the VC score uses five valuation ratios. These ratios are price to earnings, price to cash flow, EBITDA to EV, price to book value, and price to sales. The VC is displayed as a number between 1 and 100. In general, a company with a score closer to 0 would be seen as undervalued, and a score closer to 100 would indicate an overvalued company. Adding a sixth ratio, shareholder yield, we can view the Value Composite 2 score which is currently sitting at 67.
A certain stock price rally by itself may not be sufficient evidence when making important investing decisions. To understand whether buying a stock at a higher price is justified by its long-term return potential, it is necessary to keep the finger on the pulse of underlying fundamentals. Following the latest data may help investors make the tough portfolio decisions. Investors may also want to set personal financial goals to help ensure that they are staying on the proper track. Financial professionals may be debating if global economic growth appears to be in a modest uptrend. This may have investors scrambling to study if developing markets are indeed growing with developed markets. This year could end up being the first year in a while where this has happened. The longer the bull market run, the tougher the investing decisions might be for the stock picker.
We can now take a quick look at some historical stock price index data. Bandwidth Inc. (NasdaqGS:BAND) presently has a 10 month price index of 1.45591. The price index is calculated by dividing the current share price by the share price ten months ago. A ratio over one indicates an increase in share price over the period. A ratio lower than one shows that the price has decreased over that time period.
Investors often closely follow fundamental and technical data. Even with all the evidence, it can be tough to determine if the economy and the markets are preparing for a whole new breakout run. With the recent trend resulting in a series of new all-time record highs, investors will have to put the pieces together to try and gauge how long the second longest bull market in history will continue. Some professionals are still wondering if the next recession is looming, and if a bear market is right around the corner. Investors commonly strive to locate the highest probability of success. The next goal may be to capitalize on what could become the most interesting part of the record bull market. Investors will most likely be concentrating on what has proven to work in the past, which may offer a better idea as to how successful the strategies will be heading into the second half of the year and beyond.
Bandwidth Inc. (NasdaqGS:BAND) has a current ERP5 Rank of 19179. The ERP5 Rank may assist investors with spotting companies that are undervalued. This ranking uses four ratios. These ratios are Earnings Yield, ROIC, Price to Book, and 5 year average ROIC. When looking at the ERP5 ranking, it is generally considered the lower the value, the better.
Looking at some alternate time periods, the 12 month price index is 1.79896, the 24 month is 1.96366, and the 36 month is 1.96366. Narrowing in a bit closer, the 5 month price index is 0.95326, the 3 month is 0.83824, and the 1 month is currently 0.92817.
Watching some historical volatility numbers on shares of Bandwidth Inc. (NasdaqGS:BAND), we can see that the 12 month volatility is presently 49.550400. The 6 month volatility is 49.794800, and the 3 month is spotted at 52.865400.
Key Ratios
Turning to some key ratios, Bandwidth Inc. (NasdaqGS:BAND)'s Leverage Ratio was recently noted as 0.000153. This ratio is calculated by dividing total debt by total assets plus total assets previous year, divided by two. The leverage of a company is relative to the amount of debt on the balance sheet. This ratio is often viewed as one measure of the financial health of a firm.
Bandwidth Inc. (NasdaqGS:BAND) presently has a current ratio of 3.01. The current ratio, also known as the working capital ratio, is a liquidity ratio that displays the proportion of current assets of a business relative to the current liabilities. The ratio is simply calculated by dividing current liabilities by current assets. The ratio may be used to provide an idea of the ability of a certain company to pay back its liabilities with assets. Typically, the higher the current ratio the better, as the company may be more capable of paying back its obligations.
The price to book ratio or market to book ratio for Bandwidth Inc. (NasdaqGS:BAND) currently stands at 7.465758. The ratio is calculated by dividing the stock price per share by the book value per share. This ratio is used to determine how the market values the equity. A ratio of under 1 typically indicates that the shares are undervalued. A ratio over 1 indicates that the market is willing to pay more for the shares. There are often many underlying factors that come into play with the Price to Book ratio so all additional metrics should be considered as well.
Ever wonder how investors predict positive share price momentum? The Cross SMA 50/200, also known as the "Golden Cross" is the fifty day moving average divided by the two hundred day moving average. The SMA 50/200 for Bandwidth Inc. (NasdaqGS:BAND) is currently 1.01299. If the Golden Cross is greater than 1, then the 50 day moving average is above the 200 day moving average – indicating a positive share price momentum. If the Golden Cross is less than 1, then the 50 day moving average is below the 200 day moving average, indicating that the price might drop.
C Score (Montier)
The C-Score is a system developed by James Montier that helps determine whether a company is involved in falsifying their financial statements. The C-Score is calculated by a variety of items, including a growing difference in net income verse cash flow, increasing days outstanding, growing days sales of inventory, increasing assets to sales, declines in depreciation, and high total asset growth. The C-Score of Bandwidth Inc. (NasdaqGS:BAND) is 4.00000. The score ranges on a scale of -1 to 6. If the score is -1, then there is not enough information to determine the C-Score. If the number is at zero (0) then there is no evidence of fraudulent book cooking, whereas a number of 6 indicates a high likelihood of fraudulent activity. The C-Score assists investors in assessing the likelihood of a company cheating in the books.
Investors often struggle with keeping their emotions in check when approaching the stock market. New investors can have a tendency to sell off winners too quick as well as hold onto losers for way too long. Some will argue that it is never a bad thing to take profits when they are on the table, but this can leave the investor with a large amount of regret if the stock continues to surge after selling. On the other end, investors may hold onto losers for way too long hoping for a bounce back. Holding out for better days can lead to even more exaggerated losses that can leave the investor with an even bigger feeling of regret. Battling to keep emotions separated from important investing decisions can be a big plus for investors over the long haul. Of course, this idea is easier to preach and much harder to follow.


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Book Spine Poetry
The divine Maria Popova of brainpickings.org has been celebrating National Poetry Month with book spine poetry – a form of found poem wherein the author creates poetry using the titles found on the spines of books. I think my favorite of hers (as of the writing of this blog post, she has posted four) is the New York one (her third – punctuation mine):
everything sings
a glorious enterprise –
this is New York.
But it could be argued that her first worked best as a standalone poem:
"I live in the future and here's how it works
waste and want
in pursuit of the unknown."
Beautiful, no? I think it's delightful, and decided to try my own hand at it using books from both work and home. I don't feel it's exactly what I wanted, but I enjoyed the process and will likely try again. This one is a poem of love and loss. I call it "Start to Finish".
"Great expectations;
relationship marketing
among the gently mad
(the rest of us).
Choose me.
The romantic period,
the last lonely Saturday,
Greek tragedies –
the end of the affair."
The books which contributed to the poem:
–Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
–Relationship Marketing by Ian H. Gordon
–Among the Gently Mad by Nicholas Basbanes
–The Rest of Us from Book Industry Study Group
–Choose Me by Evelyn Lau
– The Norton Anthology of English Literature: Romantic Period
–The Last Lonely Saturday by Jordan Crane
–Greek Tragedies by Grene and Lattimore
–The End of the Affair by Graham Greene
It would be wonderful to see/hear attempts from other people. Have you created a book spine poem? Leave the poem (or a link to the photo) in the comments!


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Norma,Your post as quoted above sent me back to the drawing board. But, this time, it was in respect of the Sloan dough. And, in that vein, I made two Sloan clone test dough balls. The results are in for the first Sloan clone test dough, which I will discuss below, and the results for the second Sloan clone test dough are pending, with completion of that test dough expected tomorrow. However, the results go beyond just a Sloan dough. The implications go beyond that specific dough, as will become evident below.To refresh your memory, you will recall that you conducted several hydration bake tests with the large Sloan dough ball that you purchased from De Lorenzo/Sloan when you and Trenton Bill visited that location and had one of their pizzas. You might also recall that I did a similar hydration bake test with a Sloan clone test dough that I created, with results that were very similar to the results that you achieved with the last two hydration bake tests you conducted on the purchased Sloan dough ball. If we assume that our results were valid, those results suggested that De Lorenzo/Sloan was using a relatively low hydration value. What we did not know is what other ingredients beyond flour and water were used to make the Sloan dough. I think it is safe to say that yeast in some form, and most likely salt, were also ingredients used to make the Sloan dough. Sugar and oil would have been logical candidates, but there was no evidence of such use. I concluded from some number crunching that I conducted at the time using the expanded dough calculating tool that something in large quantity was needed in order to make the total numbers work. I decided that oil was perhaps the missing link. So, my latest tests were calculated to see if a low hydration dough with a lot of oil will together create a dough with a good balance of elasticity and extensibility, and hopefully with little or no bubbling of the dough and skin formed therefrom.The first Sloan clone test dough was constituted as follows:Flour (100%):Water (53%):IDY (0.40%):Salt (1.75%):Olive Oil (1%):Vegetable (Soybean) Oil (4%):Total (160.15%):188.66 g | 6.65 oz | 0.42 lbs99.99 g | 3.53 oz | 0.22 lbs (43 degrees F)0.75 g | 0.03 oz | 0 lbs | 0.25 tsp | 0.08 tbsp3.3 g | 0.12 oz | 0.01 lbs | 0.59 tsp | 0.2 tbsp1.89 g | 0.07 oz | 0 lbs | 0.42 tsp | 0.14 tbsp7.55 g | 0.27 oz | 0.02 lbs | 1.66 tsp | 0.55 tbsp302.14 g | 10.66 oz | 0.67 lbs | TF = N/ANote: The dough (10.5 ounces) is for a single 14" skin; the corresponding thickness factor = 0.0683; the bowl residue compensation = 1.5%As you will see from the above formulation, I selected a hydration value of 53%. The oil was a blend of 1% olive oil and 4% vegetable oil, for a total of 5%. I could have used all vegetable oil, which might be what De Lorenzo/Sloan uses, but I decided to mimic the blend that De Lorenzo/Robbinsville is said to use. That way, I could compare the performance of the Sloan clone dough with the results I have gotten with my De Lorenzo/Robbinsville clone test doughs. I used 0.40% IDY because I was after a one-day cold fermented dough. For my test, I used KABF as supplemented with vital wheat gluten to achieve a protein content of 12.9%, which is the protein content of the Pillsbury Best Bakers Patent Flour. Procedurally, I made the dough using the same methodology as described in Reply 745 at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,25401.msg281529.html#msg281529. Again, that would allow me to compare the performance of the Sloan clone dough with the De Lorenzo clone test doughs. Since you used 10.5 ounces of the Sloan dough to make your pizza, I used the same dough ball weight. That meant that the thickness factor of my Sloan clone test dough was the same as yours, 0.0682.As I expected, the latest Sloan clone test dough ball increased quite dramatically in volume over the next day (I started the dough at night). It more than doubled in volume. However, there were no fermentation bubbles in the storage container I used (my standard Pyrex glass bowl). I decided to use the Sloan clone test dough ball after 18 hours of cold fermentation. I let the dough temper at room temperature for about a half hour, at which point the feel of the dough suggested that it was ready to be used. I then opened up the dough ball to form a skin. I had no difficulties doing so, using the edge of my countertop and gravity to open up the skin until I could lift it and stretch it out to size. Before I was done, I was able to stretch the skin to over 20". I was able to hold the skin at the edges although I don't believe that I could have tossed the skin. There were some soft bubbles in the skin but they more or less disappeared as I let the skin rest on my countertop. I would say that the Sloan clone test dough performed as well as the De Lorenzo/Robbinsville clone test doughs with much higher hydration but with small amounts of oil. What the above test demonstrates is that extensibility isn't solely a function of hydration. Oil used in large quantity can produce the same effect. Of course, the two factors combined (58% total in this case) are both implicated in the extensibility of the dough in which both water and oil are used. The other point I will make is that I could not have made the Sloan clone dough in my stand mixer if I did not use a lot of oil. It was knowing that that I decided to increase the amount of oil dramatically. It is also questionable whether I could have used my food processor to make a dough with low hydration and little or no oil. Even commercial mixers can struggle making low hydration dough (typically below an absorption rate of 50% or less), without oil, with caution being advised not to use anything beyond the first speed to mix and knead such doughs. My pending Sloan clone test dough uses considerably less yeast and a slight reduction in the amount of oil. Everything else will remain the same. This test is intended to establish whether the small amount of yeast will result in a dough that is easy to open and stretch and is also free of all bubbling, including when opened to form a skin. Of course, I have no way of knowing whether De Lorenzo/Sloan uses oil in its dough, or in what amount if they do indeed use oil in their dough. But we can safely say that the combination of low hydration and high oil will yield a skin that is nicely balanced between elasticity and extensibility.Peter
Tim,Your De Lorenzo's clone pizza looks very good. Your bottom crust looks excellent. What formulation did you use and what temperature did you bake at?Norma
Norma,That is one beautiful looking pie. Wish I lived closer to try a slice.TomN
Tim and Norma,I think that there is a stronger connection between the Trenton tomato pies and the New Jersey boardwalk type of pie, such as made at Mack's, whose origins were reported to be out of Trenton. See, for example, the boardwalk dough formulations that Norma and I played around with at Reply 1497 at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,9068.msg214914.html#msg214914, Reply 239 at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,9068.msg214914.html#msg214914, and Reply 307 at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,9068.msg99472.html#msg99472 and Reply 307 at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,9068.msg96977/topicseen.html#msg96977 (there are several others along the same lines). The Mack's boardwalk clones had crusts that were thicker (higher thickness factor) than the typical Trenton tomato pie crust, which made the crusts softer and chewier, and the Mack's pizza used a different cheese, but otherwise the two types of pizzas had quite a few similarities at the dough level. Sometimes that might not have been evident because of the way that Mack's, and others in NJ, swirled the sauce onto the pizzas in a spiral pattern. Peter
One thing about Delorenzo's, Trenton-style pie and the crunchiness of the crust that has long been claimed (by writers and by the Amicos) is that putting the cheese on first, rather than the sauce enables the crust to stay crunchier and more rigid. Do you think that the cheese-first process does, in fact, enable a crispier crust for the final product?And, does this "boardwalk" style usually put the cheese or sauce first? (Almost all the slice places I've ever seen have sauce first, but I am not familiar with this style, per se.)
Tim and Norma,I think that there is a stronger connection between the Trenton tomato pies and the New Jersey boardwalk type of pie, such as made at Mack's, whose origins were reported to be out of Trenton. Peter
Looking forward to your second test on a Sloan dough ball.
Interesting that you think there is a stronger connection between the Trenton tomato pies and the New Jersey boardwalk pies. Thanks for the links.I was wondering if you could please give a quick summary of your dough mixing method for the De Lorenzo clone. I looked at the previously quoted link but am still not entirely clear what you are doing. Are you still doing the 45 minute rest period after mixing and do you cover the dough during this time? Most of my dough has not been as extensible as I would have liked.
Norma,The second Sloan clone dough test was also a success. This is the dough formulation I used, along with the other relevant details as given in the notes:Sloan Clone Dough Formulation #2Flour (100%):Water (53%):IDY (0.18%):Salt (1.75%):Olive Oil (0.80%):Vegetable (Soybean) Oil (3.2%):Total (158.93%):190.11 g | 6.71 oz | 0.42 lbs100.76 g | 3.55 oz | 0.22 lbs0.34 g | 0.01 oz | 0 lbs | 0.11 tsp | 0.04 tbsp3.33 g | 0.12 oz | 0.01 lbs | 0.6 tsp | 0.2 tbsp1.52 g | 0.05 oz | 0 lbs | 0.34 tsp | 0.11 tbsp6.08 g | 0.21 oz | 0.01 lbs | 1.34 tsp | 0.45 tbsp302.14 g | 10.66 oz | 0.67 lbs | TF = N/ANote: The dough (10.5 ounces) is for a single 14" pizza; the corresponding thickness factor = 0.0682; bowl residue compensation = 1.5%; the dough preparation method is as described in Reply 745 at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,25401.msg281529.html#msg281529; I used KABF with VWG to increase the protein content of the blend to 12.9%, which is the protein content of the Pillsbury Best Bakers Patent Flour, and I placed a thin layer of fine cornmeal in the dough storage container (a glass Pyrex bowl).As you can see from the above formulation, I reduced the amount of yeast to slow down the fermentation process, and I lowered the total amount of oil (blend) by one percent. Everything else remained the same. The dough itself was left to cold ferment for 24 hours. Based on the spacing of the poppy seeds, the dough did not rise by much, about 20%. (It has cooled down considerably here where I live in Texas and my refrigerator compartment where I held the dough was quite empty.) So, I let the dough warm up at room temperature until the poppy seeds indicated a rise to about 67.5%. That took about 1 1/2 hours. I thought to let the dough warm up even longer but I wanted to see how it would behave at the 67.5% level. So, I opened up the dough ball using the edge of my countertop as aided by gravity. I had no trouble opening up the dough ball and stretching it to size (14"), and even beyond. The skin was robust but with a good balance between elasticity and extensibility. There were a few soft bubbles in the skin but they were hardly noticeable. As with my last Sloan clone test dough, it seems that a combination of a fairly low hydration level (53%) with a fairly high quantity of oil (4-5%) also has the capability of producing a dough ball that can be easily opened and stretched pretty much in the same way as a dough ball with a higher hydration value (e.g., 55-58%) and a relatively small amount of oil (e.g., 1-2%). Both methods will produce a stretchable dough with a nice balance between elasticity and extensibility. And there will be essentially no bubbling of the dough during cold fermentation and little or no bubbling in the skins. What seems to largely dictate the extent of bubbling in the skins is the yeast quantity, along with the degree of fermentation as reflected by the amount of rise of the dough during fermentation. In this regard, small amounts of yeast seem conducive to little or no bubbling in the skin. Of course, we do not know whether the De Lorenzo/Sloan dough is subject to bubbling, but that does not seem to be the case with the Robbinsville skins as best we can tell from the photos and videos of their skins. An additional advantage of a low yeast level is that it increases the window of usability of the dough once it comes out of the refrigerator or cooler. The dough balls can sit on the counter or work area for some time without fear of their overfermenting.As a side note, the total water content of the two Sloan clone test dough balls was around 40%. That is based on a flour which has a moisture basis of around 11-12%, which is typical of a flour by the time it reaches the consumer or after a period of storage at the consumer level. The 40% figure is also about what we derived from the hydration bake tests, using the same assumptions.Peter
Your side note about the total water content of the two Sloan clone test dough balls was around 40% is interesting and I guess I didn't recall that would have been based on a flour which has a moisture basis of around 11-12%. I really don't understand how the 40% figure is also the same as what we derived from the hydration bake tests.
Norma,As you will recall, the purpose of the hydration bake test is to determine how much water is in the sample of the dough subjected to the hydration bake test. In a basic dough recipe, the total water content of the dough comprises two parts: the water used in the recipe and the moisture content of the flour used in the recipe. The sum of the two numbers divided by the total dough ball weight represents the total water content of the sample. The moisture content of the flour will usually be a variable, but within a fairly narrow range. The moisture content is initially established at the miller's facility. It is typically around 14%. But by the time the flour moves through the transportation system and is stored in warehouses and eventually makes its way to the consumer or professional, its value might be as low as 11%. From that point on, the number might go up or down depending on humidity, age and other environmental factors. When I did the calculation of the water content of the recent Sloan clone dough, I more or less arbitrarily used a moisture content of around 11% and the final calculation yielded the 40% number mentioned above. Had I used other ingredients in my Sloan clone formulation, such as sugar, or had I used different amounts of salt and yeast, the calculation would have yielded a somewhat different value. But, in general, with the hydration and oil values I used, the final number would have been in the range of about 38-40%. For comparison purposes, for the last De Lorenzo/Robbinsville clone dough formulation I posted (#10), the calculated water content of the sample would have been about 42.7-44.6%, principally because of its higher hydration value. To know if that number is anywhere near correct, we would have to have a sample of a real De Lorenzo/Robbinsville dough and subject it to a hydration bake test. You will recall that that is what you did with the Mellow Mushroom and Pepe's doughs. The Mellow Mushroom calculations were a bit more complicated because we had to also take into account the water content of the molasses, which varied depending on the type and brand of molasses used. As for a Sloan clone dough formulation to test, I don't think that it would matter which of the two formulations you decide to use. I tried to test the outer limits by using a fair amount of yeast (0.40%) in one formulation and a small amount of yeast (0.18%) in the other, both for a one day cold fermentation. For your purposes, maybe something in the middle might be a good test. So, you might try the following formulation, also for a one day cold fermentation:Sloan Clone Dough Formulation #3Pillsbury Best Bakers Patent Flour (100%):Water (53%):IDY (0.28%):Salt (1.75%):Olive Oil (0.80%):Vegetable (Soybean) Oil (3.2%):Total (159.03%):189.99 g | 6.7 oz | 0.42 lbs100.69 g | 3.55 oz | 0.22 lbs0.53 g | 0.02 oz | 0 lbs | 0.18 tsp | 0.06 tbsp3.32 g | 0.12 oz | 0.01 lbs | 0.6 tsp | 0.2 tbsp1.52 g | 0.05 oz | 0 lbs | 0.34 tsp | 0.11 tbsp6.08 g | 0.21 oz | 0.01 lbs | 1.34 tsp | 0.45 tbsp302.14 g | 10.66 oz | 0.67 lbs | TF = N/ANote: The dough (10.5 ounces) is for a 14" skin; corresponding thickness factor = 0.0682; bowl residue compensation = 1.5%; the dough preparation method I have been using is as described in Reply 745 at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,25401.msg281529.html#msg281529.There is no way to predict whether the results using the above formulation will be like the results you got using the real Sloan dough, simply because we do not know much about the Sloan dough beyond the flour used. Peter


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Even irrigated fields have fallen well below yield expectations during years of severe, persistent drought, causing researchers to take a new look at our understanding of plant water use, irrigation timing and irrigation efficiency.
The USDA-ARS-National Peanut Research Laboratory has initiated a comprehensive, long-term, multi-crop research project to quantify the impact of irrigation methods and amounts on Southeastern agriculture. The Multi-Crop Irrigation Research Farm, located in southwest Georgia, involves collaboration with other USDA laboratories and agencies, land-grant universities, the Flint River Water Planning and Policy Center, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, the Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission and numerous other partners.
In addition to cotton, other crops planted in the farm's rotation system include peanuts, corn, soybeans, wheat and grain sorghum.
Beginning in 2001, researchers began looking at four irrigation scenarios on cotton at the Multi-Crop Irrigation Research Farm. These included sprinkler irrigation, subsurface drip irrigation, surface drip irrigation and no irrigation.
"Within these irrigation systems, we have nozzle and pressure regulators to put out different amounts of water," says Marshall Lamb, economist with the National Peanut Research Laboratory (NPRL). "If we tell the system to put out a full amount, it'll put out 100 percent. At the same time, we have spans that put out two-thirds or 66 percent and one-third. We also have a non-irrigated check."
Seven rotation sequences are used, consisting of peanut, cotton, corn and grain sorghum, he adds. "Basically, we use conventional-tillage and follow university recommendations on all tillage and other cultural practices. We use the University of Georgia irrigation scheduling system, and it has worked very well for us," says Lamb.
The subsurface drip irrigation system is on a 3-foot spacing, with drip lines on every row or every 36 inches. Researchers also are looking at subsurface drip irrigation on a 6-foot spacing, with drip lines between every other row, or one drip line services two rows.
"That's a capital investment issue because you'll have half the investment in drip tape if you go with the 6- foot spacing," says the economist.
The irrigation research site received good rainfall in 2001, notes Lamb. "We received almost 21 inches of rain during the 2001 cotton production year. But in 2002, we missed much of the rainfall and received only 12 inches or rain during the production year," he says.
In 2002, about 12 inches of irrigation was applied on the 100 percent scenario, 6.9 inches was applied on the two-thirds irrigation and about 4 inches was applied on the one-third.
"On the subsurface drip systems, we actually used more water, which is contrary to what we normally would think. We put out 14 inches on the 100-percent subsurface drip, 9 inches on the two-thirds and about 6 inches on the one-third system. We were forced to irrigate aggressively in 2002." On the 100 percent scenario, 6.9 inches was applied on the two-thirds irrigation and about 4 inches was applied on the one-third.
"On the subsurface drip systems, we actually used more water, which is contrary to what we normally would think. We put out 14 inches on the 100-percent subsurface drip, 9 inches on the two-thirds and about 6 inches on the one-third system. We were forced to irrigate aggressively in 2002."
Researchers developed an irrigation model designed to parallel the University of Georgia's recommendation for a yield goal of 1,200 to 1,500 pounds of cotton per acre, says Lamb.
In 2002, the 100-percent irrigated cotton received about 24 inches of water - 12 inches of rain and about 11.8 inches of irrigation, he says.
"Summing up the data from 2001, we averaged over 1,000 pounds per acre on the 100-percent sprinkler irrigated cotton. However, that was not significantly different from the two-thirds irrigated or even the one-third. And remember, this was a year of plentiful rainfall. "The 3-foot and 6-foot subsurface drips systems also made good cotton in 2001, but there was no significant difference in yields when comparing the irrigation amounts. All irrigation treatments were significantly better than dryland in 2001, with the dryland cotton making just over one bale per acre. So, irrigation did seem to pay in 2001."
In 2002, with much less rainfall than in 2001, the 100-percent sprinkler irrigated cotton made about 987 pounds per acre, says Lamb. The one-third sprinkler irrigated cotton made about 700 pounds per acre.
"We saw a bigger response to irrigation this past year. But what bothered us was the lack of response we saw from drip irrigation. We're not sure if it's a management problem or if it just didn't respond well in 2002."
The 100-percent irrigated 3-foot drip made about 700 pounds per acre in 2002. The two-thirds 3-foot drip made about 600 pounds and the one-third made just over one bale per acre. The same trend was seen in the 6-foot subsurface drip treatments. With only 12 inches of rainfall, the dryland cotton made about 189 pounds per acre.
"Drip irrigation may have a place for us in small fields, even though we saw a yield reduction in our tests. If you look at the investment cost per-acre, comparing center pivot and subsurface drip, subsurface drip is very much tailored to small fields where we don't have the ability to spread the fixed costs associated with center pivot irrigation.
"The break-even point of subsurface drip irrigation is cheaper in terms of investment costs, with the break-even point being about 55 acres. A field less than 55 acres — from an investment cost standpoint — is more cost-effective towards subsurface drip irrigation. As the field gets larger, the benefits accrue towards the center-pivot systems."
The recent price of cotton, says Lamb, has affected producers' return from irrigation. "On the 100-percent sprinkler irrigated cotton, we generated about $566 per acre, based on a price of 55 cents. In our cost-monitoring system, we had variable production costs of about $340, an irrigation cost of about $66 and picking costs of 9 cents per pound, giving us total variable costs of $507.
"This leaves a net return above variable costs of only about $59, and this doesn't include returns to land, fixed assets, management or overhead. Fifty-nine dollars isn't enough to cover all of that. Even a 1,000-pound-per-acre crop isn't enough to show a profit at these prices."
Each time a grower adds an extra input such as irrigation to his crop, a certain yield gain is expected in return, says Lamb. "You want to increase that input to a point to where the value of the yield gain is equal to the cost of that additional input. At that point, you've maximized your profit on that input.
"In looking at the three levels of irrigation in our tests, we were $190 short of reaching the profit maximization level on the 33 percent or one-third irrigated. On the two-thirds irrigated, we were $50 short. At 100-percent irrigation, the marginal revenue equals the marginal costs, which means we were at the profit maximizing level of irrigation."


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By Michele Langlo Nov 15, 2013 8
Methods of Self-Soothing
When Cody was younger he could become agitated at the drop of a hat. This usually led to an all-out tantrum. I tried many things to calm him. Back then, verbal communication did little because he could not communicate to me what had triggered his outburst. So if the trigger was not obvious to me I had no way of knowing what it was. Therefore, I couldn't remove it.
Sometimes even when I knew what set his rage in motion it was too late for pre-emptive action. Loud noises were often the catalyst for a sudden occurrence of fury. But I couldn't always prevent another driver from honking the horn, or another child from screaming, or accidentally dropping a metal pan on the floor. So damage control was essential.
If we were at home, and it was apparent what had precipitated Cody's outburst, I could usually hold him on my lap in a bear hug and we would rock while I whispered assurances to him that all was well. It usually only took a few moments before he was ready to resume his day. But if the trigger was not apparent then I had a multi-step system, which I had developed over time by trial and error, to ascertain what the problem was and then provide a solution that would make the world right again.
Through experience I learned that self-injurious actions were most always brought on by anger and frustration with himself. Screaming and running and hiding were usually the result of something that frightened him. And lashing out at someone or something was an expression of anger with that person or object.
When it was a matter of self-anger or frustration, I found distraction to be a good tool. I would take him to another room and offer options of different activities to do. Listening to soft music was particularly effective.
A fearful situation was usually pretty easily rectified. If I saw what made him afraid then a visual demonstration of why he didn't have to be afraid would work if his fear was unfounded. But if his fear was valid then removing the thing that caused the fear, such as a spider, would do the trick. However if it was unclear to me what caused the fear, then removing him from the area and using the rocking bear hug method would resolve the matter pretty quickly.
In the case of anger at another individual or object, separating Cody from the individual or putting the object up out of sight and sitting with him in a quiet area for a few minutes would usually work quite nicely.
These methods worked in public with a little planning ahead and some slight adaptations. For instance, if we went to the grocery store, making sure Cody was engaged in the shopping process was key to a smooth, uneventful trip. But if another child were to cause a ruckus then finding a quieter area of the store for a few minutes would work.
Cody is an adult now and he is able to express himself much easier than he could in his youth. And it's much easier to alleviate building tensions now than in the past. But he still has times when unpleasant stimuli will cause agitation. Now, many times he takes care of the matter on his own.
Distraction is rarely a part of our comfort repertoire anymore since he's able to at least tell me what will make him feel better even if he can't tell me what made him feel bad right away. I don't use the rocking bear hug method now but Cody will ask me to sit on the sofa so he can lay his head on my leg and have me lightly rub my hand over his hair. And now if he becomes angry with a person he knows to walk away, and most times he will put an object of anger up out of sight himself.
But these are just different versions of the same techniques I used when he was a child. Cody has just modified them according to his own abilities. I'm glad I was able to find these simple techniques worked back then, and very happy that they still work for Cody now.


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May 23, 2012
By -, -
VIDEO: Day One Recap
SALEM, Ore. – (Day One Results) The 61st annual NAIA Men's Golf National Championships hosted by FORE! Salem kicked off Tuesday at Creekside Golf Club under gray skies, as players fought through rain and wind with the University of Victoria (B.C.) holding a one-stroke lead after the tournament's opening 18 holes.
The No. 17-ranked Vikes carded a combined team total of 8-over 296 and are one-stroke ahead of No. 1-ranked Oklahoma City and defending national champions Oklahoma Christian, as the Stars and Eagles each posted opening scores of 9-over 297. Rounding out the Top 5 teams are William Woods (Mo.) and Johnson & Wales (Fla.), who are tied for fourth place with identical scores of 10-over 298.
"We played really well today," said Bryan Carbery, Victoria's head coach. "This is our weather, it's the Pacific Northwest. We love it. I feel real good after day one. The boys played real well. We have real talented team. They stepped up in the spring season. We brought in a recruit from the University of Texas, Carson Kallis, he made an immediate impact and helped us a lot."
Individually, Texas Wesleyan's Nathan Anderson posted the best round of the opening day with a 2-under 70 that included three birdies over his first four holes before shooting a combined 1-over par on his final 14 holes. The 5-foot-10 junior leads the field by one stroke over Oklahoma Christian's Vilhelm Bogstrand (71, -1) and a trio of players that includes Johnson & Wales' Colin Brennan, Victoria's Darren Hupfer, and Morningside's (Iowa) Brandon Thompson at even-par 72.
"I feel pretty good about my round today," said TWU's Anderson. "I started out real hot. I birdied three of my first four and then just hung on. It started raining and blowing, then I made some bogeys, but I got to 18 and I was two-under. I don't play in weather like this in Texas, it was wet, I got wet, and it was just really wet out there. It played really long; it was the longest 6,800 yard course I've played in my life."
William Woods' Morgan Hough and Our Lady of the Lake's (Texas) John Mulholland would provide the highlights of the day with a pair of hole-in-ones. Hough's ace came in the morning wave, as the senior registered his first-ever hole-in-one on the par-3, 176-yard sixth hole. In the afternoon wave, Mulholland from Melbourne, Australia, would drain the first ace of his career on the par-3, 161-yard 11th hole to book-end the unusual feat of two hole-in-ones in the same day in national championship play.
The second round will be played on Wednesday, May 23rd, at Creekside Golf Club in Oregon's Capital City with tee times beginning at 7:00 a.m. PDT on Hole No. 1 and 7:20 a.m. on Hole No. 10.


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Castello Pipes80 Total ( 6 Fresh )
Castello was created in 1947 by Carlo Scotti in Cantu, Italy. He wanted to hire craftsmen that would produce pipes that were beautifully shaped, finished, and top-notch in all aspects. The name of the brand was good marketing, as Castello is recognizable similarly in different languages as being "castle", something that is strong, well-made, and admired by many. His son in law, Franco Coppo, now runs the factory. Castello pipes have a tremendous amount of loyal followers and collectors. Each pipe is made by hand by one of six artisans from aged briar, and slab acrylic (in different colors) for stems with the tenons turned from the same piece of acrylic instead of a secondary tenon. Smooth finishes are available in many different colors, as are the rusticated 'Sea Rock' and sandblasted finishes. While the company chooses, wisely, to use few accents to detract from the bowl and stem, they often make good use of silver and a few other materials. Producing roughly 3,500 pipes in recent years, they are collected all over the world.