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I'm so excited to share this deeply insightful and highly inspirational interview with Jesse Wolf Hardin – a true pioneer in this resurgence of American folk herbalism. I've gained so much insight in reading Wolf's writings on the current state and direction of herbal medicine in North America, so I was thrilled when he agreed to participate in this interview. I promptly took this opportunity to ask Wolf some of my own pressing questions that have been nagging at me for years. I hope you enjoy reading Wolf's insights as much as I have!
Melanie: Thank-you so much for taking the time to chat with Herb Geek. I know how busy you are with your numerous projects and commitments, so I'm very grateful that you've been able to carve out some the time to share your thoughts and insights with us!
You have a unique perspective on herbalism and plant medicine. Can you share a bit about your background and how it has shaped your approach to healing with medicinal plants?
Jesse Wolf Hardin: We all come to this work – to the plants – on our own path, a personal and highly individualized winding from discovery to actualization. Some first become familiar with medicinal plants as they explore ways of treating their own limiting conditions, which evolves into using herbs to help others. Others grow up with an urge to serve, help and heal, beginning with an herbal study and practice but then expanding to include the necessary healing of families, neighborhoods and ecosystems. Deeper intimacy with plants may lead to deeper intimacy with nature in general, and to a reawakened sense of the enlivenedness, connectedness and sacredness of all things. Feeling empowered to take responsibility for the health of ourselves and those we care about can result in feeling empowered to speak our truths, grow some of our own food, stand up to injustice, and live our dreams in the face of all obstacles
I came to this shared place and work from a different angle. I felt drawn to a calling or mission from the time I was a very young child. I was observant of contradictions and injustices, attracted to truth and beauty, given to questioning the assumptions of so called "authorities," and developed insights into the workings of both nature and society. Even though I spent much of my childhood in the suburbs, I played hooky with fence lizards, kept counsel with vacant-lot weeds, and studied people from the anonymity of curbside treetops. As a young teen I put my body on the line at protests against the Vietnam War, volunteered to help the native elders of Big Mountain and the activists of Yellow Thunder Camp, used my odd and wild artwork to raise awareness of nature and spirit, and began to publish writings about the sensibilities, values and issues that I care about. In my 20s, my outlaw art gallery in Taos, New Mexico was pledged to infiltrate, affect and remedy the prevailing white-bread culture. Then I sold everything I owned including the engine out of our school bus home for the down payment on a river canyon sanctuary, awesomely inspirited but beleaguered land that needed my protection and nourishment as much as I needed its inspiration and refuge. I started learning about the animals and plants that should be here, becoming familiar with my first medicinal herbs thanks to a manual written by the inimitable Michael Moore, and initiating a process of riparian and botanical species restoration.
For over a dozen years I was a core organizer for the radical wilderness activist group Earth First!, melding music and entertainment with civil disobedience and media campaigns. In the 1980s I gave hundreds of public speeches and musical performances at rallies we called "The Deep Ecology Medicine Shows" and I worked to bring together conservationists and herbalists including by bringing Michael Moore to an Earth First! Rendezvous in the Southwest. I launched workshops and courses on spiritual ecology, that addressed the healing of our psyches along with the wounded natural world. I began to suffer symptoms from Hepatitis C in the 90s, nearly destroying my body with interferon before restoring much of my health with herbs. It had by then become clear that everything I have ever done has been in one way or another been in the name of healing: addressing the wounds of unnecessary wars and the injustices to indigenous peoples; the dissolution of natural ecocentric cultures and destruction of the Redwood and Fir forests; the extirpation of New Mexico Wolves and California White Sage; the unwholeness and stress of good people unsure of their rights, worth and abilities.
Partnering with Kiva Rose, her passion for herbs and herbalism resulted in our infusing ourselves deeper into this community, and our helping to inspire in this field some deep ecological sensibilities, a sense of vitality and purpose meant to sustain folk medicine through the many challenges ahead. We have dedicated ourselves to championing an herbalism that is accessible and empowering, individualized and personalized, diverse and wondrous… to plant, feed and water the seeds of a folk herbal resurgence, to encourage the organic growth of its aesthetic culture and earthen healing values. I brought to Plant Healer Magazine and HerbFolk gatherings my perspective as a child of nature, runaway street kid, community volunteer, wilderness dweller and ecological activist. In turn, herbalism has given me another important means for my healing… and a language and tools for me to help heal the bodies, psyches, communities and bioregions in need.
Whatever else I feel, I am dedicated and determined, grateful and appreciated… and fully excited about the possibilities of each purposeful healing day.
Melanie: Wow, that's beautiful. I got chills reading that. It's so true that we all come to this work on our own path, and that we all bring a diverse and unique background to the work. It's wonderful that you've been able to follow the thread of healing from addressing social injustices to restoring ecological health to championing a new paradigm for herbalism. It's quite a powerful trajectory!
In your book The Herbalists Path, you describe herbalists as being "marginalized by their interests and practices" and "a minority among all the health approaches and professions." This comes across as an astute but surprising observation since plant medicine is an important and valued component of countless cultural traditions. Can you elaborate on why this is the case?
Jesse Wolf Hardin: Regional systems of plant medicine were not only traditional but also essential for most if not all human societies from the very beginning. Our furry primate ancestors already self medicated, selecting and eating plants that they'd discovered helped to remedy their indigestion, infection, infestations, and other dangerous or uncomfortable conditions. When our kind migrated from the jungles of Africa into those iconic caves of Eurasia, they most certainly made it a mission to distinguish medicinal herbs from among the thousands of species they encountered, spreading them to dry just as folk herbalists might do today. Autopsies of some bodies found in ancient burial grounds revealed the presence of plant matter in their bellies, noses, and/or spread upon their chest… plant matter that when analyzed turned out to be from species with proven medicinal application.
Over the course of thousands of years, human fashions and customs changed relentlessly. People migrated from their old haunts, built cities where there were forests and farms, and exchanged their bows and arrows for firearms, and yet throughout it all plant remedies remained the most common and often the only viable treatments for what ails. The women of every household took responsibility for the basic health care needs of their families. The most adept women and men were sought out by others in need, becoming the de facto if usually unofficial community health care provider, assuming the mantle of healer by any name – Herbera, Medicine Man or Woman, Herbwyfe, Hedgewitch, Curandero, Wortcunner, Root Doctor. Professional doctors were rightly feared and distrusted, thanks to dangerous practices like bleeding the patient, and their early toxic pharmaceuticals containing Mercury and other poisons, making even the least effective folk herbalists seem like a better proposition in comparison. Herbalism until this point could truly be considered "mainstream."
By the 18th and 19th centuries, however, all this had begun to change. Doctors began organizing first as a profession, and then collectively as professional organizations that sought to not only qualify practitioners but also to ensure a monopoly for their vetted members. At the same time, big drug manufacturing companies were planning to run the competition – the small "mom and pop" makers of herbal remedies – out of business. The doctor and pharmaceutical organizations openly funded public relations campaigns against what they called "patent medicines," and lobbied for prohibitive legislation under the guise of guarding "public safety." The worst of the many popular plant-based decoctions were far less dangerous than the plethora of "modern" drugs that followed, of course, and yet by the early 20th century they were able to push through the legislation they desired, and in less than fifty years convinced the majority of the American public that community practitioners could no longer be trusted with their basic health care needs, that drugs are the best and only reasonable treatment for many problems while plants are either inconsequential or harmful.
Throughout, herbalism has continued to be developed and furthered, first by the likes of King, Beach, Culbreth, Scudder and Thomson, and again starting in the 1960s with folks like Jethro Kloos, John Christopher, David Hoffman, Michael Tierra, Rosemary Gladstar and Susun Weed revitalizing interest in plant medicine for the masses. Interest in herbal "supplements" has continued to increase in the last fifty years, and yet the vast majority of the population continues to associate the use of herbs with either ignorant country hicks or what they consider "New Age nonsense." There is a subset of licensed nurses struggling to recommend herbal alternatives without violating their professional codes and corporate regulations, but there are only a relative very few nurses and doctors who give herbal therapy a thought. This is the reality today, and we face further estrangement, regulation and possibly even official prohibition in the future.
This should tell us two things at least. First, that we need to consider the degree to which we hope to market to or influence the values of the dominant culture, and take into consideration how our attitude, image, language, education, level of competency, accreditation or non-professionalized folk approach effect our goals. Secondly, it should tell us that no amount of accreditation or professionalization would earn herbalism the support of the corporatized, pharmaceutical-centric medical system, that we need not feel inadequate or freakish for practicing "archaic" plant medicine. There is no work more important than the healing of bodies, psyches, spirits, and the land… and no greater role we could play today than embodying a holistic alternative to the separative mainstream paradigm of distraction and destruction, corporate greed and drug dependency.
Herbalism does not need mainstream acceptance to be valid or viable. As we discuss in the book The Plant Healer's Path, herbalism is an alternative stream, divergent, un-dammed, serpentine, free flowing continuous throughout the times of acceptance or nonacceptance, popularity or obscurity. It is incredibly empowering to look to one's own intuition, studies, research, and especially personal experience and results… for reassurance of the value of healing plants and the importance of this work. When we understand and accept the relative rarity and alternative nature of herbalism, we come to see how embodying the role of herbalist today is an act of liberation from a system and its lies, and recognize the natural world as place of reconnection as we take on the responsibility for our own health and the health of the people and even ecosystems around us.
Trends and even cultures will come and go, but there will always be a need for self-care, community health care, and plant medicines… and at least an impassioned and dedicated minority giving their lifetimes to the day-to-day furtherance of herbalism. I'm excited that this living thread – this story – is ours to live and tell.
Melanie: So the oppression of herbalists by modernized medical organizations and large pharmaceutical companies resulted in plant-based healers becoming marginalized and essentially criminalized for practicing these traditional forms of medicine. Yet as you explain, herbalism has persevered regardless of the social climate, and is not dependent upon popular opinion to endorse its validity or viability as effective medicine.
I really appreciated your interview with Paul Bergner in your book 21st Century Herbalists: Root Doctors, Radicals, and Rock Stars, where he describes the term herbalist as being somewhat contrived in the sense that there is no historical reference to an actual herbalist, whereas titles such as healers, midwives, and shamans, are more historically relevant. Paul Bergner describes herbalism as being a community rather than a profession, and in The Plant Healer's Path, you describe an herbalist as a role that one chooses or feels called towards. It seems that herbalism is the nexus point where plant healers of all backgrounds intersect, regardless of their career trajectory, profession, or level of interest. Would it be fair, then, to say that the term herbalist is more aptly an adjective than a noun?
Jesse Wolf Hardin: Yes, the plants are a point of intersection, and so too is the overwhelming intention to contribute to the needed healing. Beyond this common ground are myriad individual expressions, methods and means, providing the specialization and diversification that helps make the field and community balanced and healthy. One can be an herbalist clinician, herbalist teacher, herbalist cultivator, herbalist shaman, herbalist activist, an herbalist parent or herbalist artist to name a but a few, and in this sense "herbalist" functions as an adjective, an adjunct skill and view that bolsters and deepens all other activities from mothering to restoring watersheds, from remaking our society to growing and exploring spiritually.
You could just as easily say that the word "herbalist" is a verb, however, since it only describes what we are if it is what we do. A practicing herbalist needs to know many things in order to be effective, but knowing about herbs doesn't make one an herbalist. Grateful clients seldom say about an herbalist that "she knows so much," but rather, that "she really knows what she is doing."
"Herbalist" nonetheless serves us well as a noun when worn as a job description, a title emblematic of one's acceptance, ownership, embodiment and fulfillment of a recognizable purpose, mission and role. Once a person gets past their self doubt and self consciousness and says out loud for the first time "I am an herbalist," they and openly committing to doing their best to help meet a need that the population has for readily available, accessible, affordable holistic treatment and natural plant medicines.
Melanie: Thank-you. I believe that will clarify the term for many people who feel ambiguity around "what constitutes an herbalist" as well as how and when to employ the word as a title or adjective.
I love your vision of future medicine people proudly and boldly claiming their title, and integrating themselves in all aspects of community and place. I also appreciate that medicine is so often equated with an ingestible substance as opposed to a broader scope of practice that includes other modalities such as story, counsel, empathy, and healing touch to name a few. As Asclepias of Thessaly wrote, "first the word, then the herb, then the knife." Since you are so apt with semantics and etymology, would you mind sharing the way you personally define medicine?
Jesse Wolf Hardin: I would agree with Asclepias if by "first the word" he meant we first address the condition with inquiry and intake, verbal comforting or re-envisioning, discussion, counsel and advice. The addition of medicinal plants and foods, massage, realignments, acupuncture, massage and other noninvasive treatments can follow as appropriate, supporting the changes in attitude, perspective, diet and lifestyle that words explored and inspired.
The English word "medicine" derives originally from the Latin "medicus", "the physician," and commonly refers to ingested or injected agents of healing. We also hear, of course, that "laughter is the best medicine," that time is medicine for the grieving heart, and that love is medicine for the spirit or soul. In historic cultural terms, the word for "medicine" was usually synonymous with "power" – not as in power over somebody or something, but as in the power to act and affect. Ancient "hunting medicine" usually involved rituals of supplication and intent, but their purpose was to awaken the power to find and collect animals to eat. The medicine of the Seer was the power to see into the truth of things, to see the patterns in the movement of energies and progression of events. "Wolf medicine" might be the powers of discernment and courageous action.
To my reckoning, "medicine" is power, but more specifically the power to heal. This is certainly about more than the healing of illness and wounds, but also emotional, spiritual, social, cultural, and ecological healing, utilizing whatever medicine that each of us is born with, learns or develops, in order to contribute to health and wholeness. The word "heal" originally meant to "restore to soundness," and I would say medicine is anything that contributes to the regaining of soundness, wholeness, and animate vitality.
Medicine is more than tinctures and teas; it includes such things as empathy and concern, tending and touch, ritual or prayer, visualization and positive attitude. There is the medicine of nature and place, which my upcoming book The Healing Terrain will explore. There can be medicine in art and music, medicine in beauty; in reconciliation or resolution; in giving, and receiving. There is medicine in love, and medicine in a hug. There is even medicine in disruption, whenever habit and structure have proven unhealthy. It is for us to find our personal medicine: our individual mix of born gifts, special abilities and learned skills, our original innate power to affect other people and the world in meaningful, helpful and healthful ways. And then to identify, mobilize and utilize the many medicines around us and available to us – including but not limited to medicinal herbs – for the essential purpose of healing.
Melanie: Beautiful – and very well articulated.
I've often found that there's a sense of elitism within herbal circles in regards to whether an herbalist has an active clinical practice or not, with the prevailing notion that being a clinician not only makes you more credible, but also more respectable and worthy of the title "herbalist". Certainly clinical work is one way of generating and growing your knowledge, however it seems no less worthy for an herbalist to be in their apothecary or kitchen spending hours perfecting an herbal recipe – or in the field for days keying out plants and learning their growing patterns. I love how in The Plant Healer's Path you emphasize the validity of "clinical" work that occurs outside a formal clinical setting. Can you elaborate on why this kind of work is not only valuable, but also important?
Jesse Wolf Hardin: First of all, no one can tell you if you are worthy of being called an herbalist, not a professional organization, or a federal agency, or even our peers with more experience than us. We are made worthy simply by the strength of our intent and focus, and the degree of our efforts. Levels of competency are another issue, but are only proven by our results and effects over time. We alone can make the determination whether our knowledge, commitment and daily practice makes us an herbalist or not. And whether others call us an herbalist or not, will hinge on the good we do in working with plants.
I have three things to say in regard to "clinical." First, there are many different forms of – and means and venues for – clinical work. Second, not all important work with plant medicines is clinical. And third, even entirely non-clinical work with plants greatly benefits by a clinical-level commitment to increasing knowledge, maintaining accuracy, increasing efficacy, and adhering to ethical codes.
For our purposes here, "clinical" means directly working with people, personal interaction with the intent of helping them regain their health. This can certainly happen outside of a clinical setting, such as in client's homes, or even on the sidewalk with "street herbalists" like Chuck Garcia handing out shotgun remedies to the homeless, and herbal medics volunteering at the sites of natural and human-made disasters. Making herbal tinctures in one's kitchen can be done strictly by following a recipe, but the best formulas are created in response to observations and experiences, whether our own responses to herbs or the responses of the people we are trying to help. My partner plant-hearted Kiva Rose is primarily a creatrix, culture shifter, teacher and writer, with no time to take on new clients… but the power or "medicine" of her work comes in part from her solid up-to-date knowledge, and her clinical observations of and personal experiences helping people.
Melanie: So rather than emphasizing "clinical" skills, perhaps the emphasis should more aptly be placed on being effective intermediaries between plants and people in whatever capacity we choose, as well as ensuring that there is always a feedback loop that occurs; an external response to what we're doing that allows us to continually grow and improve our skills and efficacy as herbalists. Essentially, practicing herbalism in a vacuum without having these kinds of meaningful interactions would be the true pitfall for herbalists.
Michael Moore has famously said that "a good herbalist is a generalist, and I train generalists." While I appreciate and respect this sentiment, I'm also very motivated by the idea of herbalists following what inspires them, and creating a niche for themselves doing what they absolutely love to do. There's certainly a reasonable amount of general knowledge that is required in order to understand herbal vernacular and communicate effectively with plants, people, and herbalists. However, I love the idea of "purpose-based herbalism" where people pursue an herbal vocation that responds to their innate strengths and life's purpose. This feels so much more fulfilling than trying to conform to the common rhetoric of what an herbalist should be. I'd love to know your thoughts on this.
Jesse Wolf Hardin: Michael was right in that a broadly effective community herbalist needs to be versed in treating all the bodily systems from compromised organs to damaged psyches, with experience in adapting protocols to each of the constitutional types, age groups and so on. And there is probably the widest spread need for generalist community herbalists supporting the people of every neighborhood including the most remote, impoverished or developed. That said, it is just as important that there be plant healers called to studying and recounting the history, storytellers passing on the folklore of plants and healing, plant artists describing and creatively evoking the shape and spirit of medicinal herbs, medicine makers focused on bitters or skin care or treatment of certain diseases. And not even the most deliberate generalist needs to follow a template for how to be or do. There are no two herbalists alike, anymore than there are two snowflakes or fingerprints the same, and we are most effective as well as most fulfilled when we maximize our personal interests and delve deep into the specifics of what we are most passionate about. This is the way of to excel, in this matter of healing where excellence truly matters. And it is the way to fulfillment, in an age and society where few ever know what it's like to feel fulfilled.
Melanie: Yes, absolutely – so few of us ever have the luxury of experiencing fulfillment in our work and vocations, and yet this seems like the most basic and fundamental of all life's experiences – to live our life's purpose and do the work we feel most inspired to do. What I'm hearing you say is that becoming a purpose-based generalist in herbal medicine is really the way to go, and that while there is a general scope of knowledge that is invaluable for herbalists, there really is no template to follow for how to become an herbalist.
Rather than prioritizing the implementation of regulations and standards, as some within the field are doing, you emphasize the importance of sharing our own story – of collectively writing our own narrative. This portion of your book is a definite "call for action" where you present a very compelling case for why this is important, followed by clear guidelines for how we can each begin to effectively share our own story. In your opinion, what would be the ideal outcome from herbalists stepping forward and claiming their voice through story?
Jesse Wolf Hardin: All of life is a story, either composed by our selves as we create, form and direct our own lives, or largely written and directed by others – by controlling parents, critical teachers and peers, corporate driven media and advertising, fashion fascists, dogmatic religious leaders, political leaders and elected officials regulating every aspect of our existence. Our personal story, and our collective story as a community of healers, will only avoid being shaped by others if we take responsibility for shaping it ourselves. This is true in a very practical, not just metaphoric way. Herbalists, like any conscious group of well meaning people, can easily be misrepresented if we don't show ourselves, if we don't tell them and demonstrate to them who we are and what we are about. We can be controlled and even crushed if we do not assert ourselves and make sure the story turns out different. We can fall into traps of uninteresting conformity and unquestioning obedience into the system's ready-made script for us, with a prearranged progression, a shortage of dramatic depth, and a meaningless end.
Our personal fates, the fates of human kind and other life forms, all depend on the reclamation of meaningful purpose, on a radical rewriting of our stories so real and empowering that fiction pales… the remaking and healing and manifesting of our lives, and the glad telling of our tales.
Melanie: So essentially, our sense of power comes through owning and sharing our own personal stories, through being the primary writers of this script. If we want herbalism continue to evolve as a powerful vocation, then we need to own and share our personal stories as healers, artists, activists, scientists, and generalists. We need to define the story for ourselves rather than allow external forces to define it for us.
Consider the analogy of herb schools teaching students as being similar to fertile plants producing lots of seeds. In order for these seeds to be capable of sprouting and maturing themselves, then they have to be equipped for the elements through proper nourishment and hydration. One of the reasons I love your book The Plant Healer's Path is that it provides nourishment to those parched seeds – the herb students who graduated without a clear understanding for what to expect in the real world. Do you think herb schools have an ethical responsibility to teach this kind of information in order to ensure that their students are properly equipped for the current climate towards herbalism and challenges they'll face along their paths?
Jesse Wolf Hardin: Teachers have a responsibility to equip students in as many crucial ways as possible, and an honest description of the field and clear delineation of choices would be a necessary part of that.
I feel strongly that every student of plant medicine or healing should be aware of the educational and role options, as well as of the nuanced variables and useful criteria for each person to make their own best choices. This hasn't been widely presented in a cohesive way, and that is the reason I gave so much time to the creation of The Plant Healer's Path.
Melanie: Do you feel like there's a conflict of interest for herb schools to teach the information that you present in your book? Most herb students have paid quite a bit of amount money to attend herb school, yet teaching this kind of information essentially exposes the numerous pitfalls, challenges, and conundrums facing herbalists. Do you think there is pressure for herb schools to withhold this information and maintain the illusion that being an herbalist is an easy career choice with a clear revenue stream?
Jesse Wolf Hardin: I imagine a few highly commercialized herbal schools get more students when their advertising implies graduates can expect to fill paid positions. The schools I most respect, however, know they are appealing to men and women determined to further their understanding of plant medicine even with parents sometimes being unsupportive, even though neither job nor income are ensured. They are feeding people's passions and sense of purpose as well as equipping them with usable information that can inform their self-care and family-care, connect to the natural world and connect them nature, strengthen their confidence and belief in themselves, trigger what you could call a spiritual awakening or connection, and spur them to go for their goal and live and enjoy their life's dreams.
I can only hope that schools will make use of The Plant Healer's Path to help inspire and bolster their students on what is truly an uncertain but wondrous path of learning, being and doing… the very definition, by the way, of an adventure.
Melanie: Simon Sinek wrote a great book called Start With Why where he makes a very compelling case that any business, vocation, or movement is only as powerful and successful as its ability to understand and communicate the "why" in what they're doing. I really appreciate The Plant Healer's Path for precisely this reason – it calls the reader to explore and evaluate the deeper reasons of why they are using medicinal herbs, and to formulate their own answers to the numerous non-tangible "why" questions in the field of plant medicine. How important is it for herbalists to address these difficult and nuanced questions?
Jesse Wolf Hardin: I've worked hard to develop not just books but our Plant Healer Magazine and the annual HerbFolk gatherings, to serve those who question and seek, to inspire critical thinking, self belief and fervent action… knowing how essential it is that we all explore and address the many questions of our field and our time, and that we then act on our discoveries, conclusions and choices.
There are so many people, groups and agencies trying to tell us what to do, that the most urgent questions for us become "if?" and "why?" It is these questions that help us select and recognize and cleave to our genuine personal path of being and healing. Once moving purposefully on our path, we can daily make decisions as to the "when" and the "how."
And when it comes to important questions for you empowered plant healers on your own paths – listening with your hearts, listening to the land, resisting the naysayers, and daring to heed the call to meaning and mission – we must also loudly ask: "Why the hell not?"
Melanie: Brilliant! So, first answer "why," and then the "how" and "when" can easily be applied with a true sense of purposeful direction. Thank-you Jesse for your invaluable and thoughtful insights on some of the most compelling questions facing herbal medicine today. You are truly an agent of change and powerful culture shifter for the field of herbalism.
To read Hardin's latest writings as they come out, subscribe to the 250 pages long quarterly magazine Plant Healer at www.PlantHealerMagazine.com, and sign up for the free Plant Healer Newsletter at www.PlantHealer.org.
Hardin joins Kiva in presenting the ever-evolving HerbFolk Gathering & Celebration every September in the forests of northern Arizona, an event like none other. Click on the Events Page button at: www.PlantHealer.org
All photos copyright of Plant Healer Magazine.


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SolidWorks Enterprise PDM 2015 SP2.1 (x86/x64) Multilingual | 1.39 GB
SolidWorks Enterprise PDM 2015 - a software solution for safe storage, management and access to project data, allowing you to create new products faster and with better quality.
"SolidWorks Enterprise PDM 2015 SP2.1 (x86/x64) Multilingual"
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SolidWorks Enterprise PDM 2015 SP2.1 (x86/x64) Multilingual | 1.39 GB
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
So far, we have found very little information about Lewin. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>
We've added Lewin to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Lewin, please Contact Us.
About Lewin (Click for our profile page)
Our information shows that the community of Lewin is historic. The information below applies to the area where Lewin would have been located.
Time Zone: The area where Lewin was located is in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT)<2>
Elevation: 540 feet [164.59 m] above sea level<3>
GPS Coordinates (Latitude/Longitude)<4>
For the purpose of mapping and calculating distances, we have chosen a reference point within Lewin. The point that we are using is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.0043, Longitude: -86.1139 [Map]. In this case, the coordinates for Lewin have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
DMS - Degrees, Minutes, Seconds
Name of USGS Topo Map:<5> Gadsden West
Federal GNIS/FIPS Codes for Lewin
(For more about Federal Codes, see our Misc Page for Lewin)
About Etowah County
The community of Gadsden is the County Seat for Etowah County.
From the 2010 US Census (For more detail, see our Census Page for Etowah)
Total Area:<7> 548 sq. miles [1,420.9 km²] - of which 2.49% is water (13.64 sq. miles [35.3 km²])
Housing Units:<8> 47,454
Official Website: www.etowahcounty.org/
Federal GNIS/FIPS Codes for Etowah
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Pension debt costs hurt across state
SPRINGFIELD - Stacy Goodar was in her first year at a private hospitality management school when she learned she would lose several thousand dollars in state financial aid. Though she qualified for the need-based scholarship, the 22-year-old - like about 18,000 other students statewide - was cut off because Illinois' grant program ran out of money.
"It's why a lot of students drop out," Goodar said. "If you can't afford it, what else are you going to do?"
The college scholarships are just one casualty of the multibillion-dollar Illinois pension crisis continuing to wreak havoc with the state's budget, siphoning cash away from areas such as education, public safety and human services and jacking up the cost of borrowing money for the state and its cities, counties and school districts.
The financial crunch will only worsen after lawmakers failed to enact reforms in the legislative session that ended last week. If they don't pass a bill before the next session ends at the end of May, the state's unfunded pension liability - currently $96 billion - will have ballooned by another $2.45 billion.
Behind the nearly unfathomable numbers and often impenetrable debate at the Capitol, real people and programs are feeling the impact. There's less money for poor people to get medical care. More public employees are losing their jobs. Class sizes are surging. And taxpayers are paying more when their cities borrow money, thanks to what's become known around New York bond houses as "the Illinois effect."
Illinois' annual pension fund payment is expected to increase by about $1 billion to nearly $7 billion in the fiscal year that starts in July. That's more than 16 percent of the state's general funds budget, up from 6 percent in 2008.
As the share of money for pensions has grown, other areas have shrunk. In 2008, education received 30 percent of the general funds budget and health care accounted for 28 percent. This year, 26 percent went to education and 24 percent to health care.
Budget projections released Friday by Gov. Pat Quinn's office predict education funding will be cut by about $400 million in the next fiscal year. The forecast also calls for cuts to economic development programs and public safety.
"We've been living nothing but pain for the last several years in state government, and we know that we'll continue living nothing but pain until we solve this," said state Sen. Daniel Biss, D-Evanston, a sponsor of reform legislation.
Illinois' public-employee pension accounts are the most underfunded in the country, holding just 39 percent of the money needed to pay benefits promised to workers and employees. The shortfall is the result of decades of skipped or shorted payments, workers living longer and economic downturns that led to investment losses.
The governor had set a deadline for lawmakers to pass pension reform before the lame-duck legislative session ended last week and new elected officials took office. But the House adjourned Tuesday without taking a floor vote on a proposal. The new session started Wednesday, but lawmakers aren't expected to consider legislation until the end of this month.
Even then the issue will continue to be a hot potato. Among options are asking employees to contribute more toward their own retirement, requiring them to work longer in their careers, and freezing cost-of-living adjustments - all unpopular with public-employee unions. Quinn and other top Democrats also want to shift the cost of teacher pensions to local school districts, a move Republicans and some Democrats have opposed because they think it will lead to tax increases.
Meanwhile, local governments and taxpayers feel the squeeze of less state funding. DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin said cuts to human services forced DuPage County to close its juvenile detention center and enter into a contract with nearby Kane County to house its juvenile offenders.
Sixteen county employees were laid off, and some residents complained that if their kids got in trouble they were held miles away from their homes. But Cronin said the funding situation left the county with few options.
County residents also were affected by the crisis when the county issued bonds recently for a new storm water project. Though the county has a positive, AAA bond rating, it had to pay a slightly higher interest rate because it's in Illinois - a charge referred to as "the Illinois effect."
Other municipalities pay the same surcharge.
"Because the name and reputation of Illinois is so bad in the bond market, we all have to pay a bit more to make it more attractive," said Cronin, a Republican and former state senator from Elmhurst. "The state of Illinois has an impact on local government. It's profound."
On Friday, Fitch Ratings, a major credit rating agency, lowered Illinois' outlook to negative, signaling that if the state doesn't pass reform in the next six months its rating could be downgraded. Two other ratings agencies already have given the state a negative outlook, and Illinois is Moody's lowest-rated state.
Quinn has warned that another rating downgrade is possible if lawmakers don't act.
Goodar, meanwhile, transferred to one of the City Colleges of Chicago and took out another loan, bringing her own total debt to $15,000. She's still worried about how to pay the final $400 she owes for this semester at Kennedy-King College.
One of three kids in her family in college, Goodar says her mom is proud but the costs "take a toll on her."
"Hopefully no one else will come and say 'I owe more money,"' she said.


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Yip Foundation celebrates Chinese mid-autumn festival with dim sum brunch
A sure sign that autumn has arrived comes when the invitation to Under the Harvest Moon arrives. Under the Harvest Moon is the Nathan Yip Foundation's annual dim sum brunch, and if you don't buy your ticket immediately, well, let's just say that you'll wish you had.
This mid-morning feast of food and fellowship fills up fast, even when the venue is as spacious as King's Land Chinese Restaurant. Guests know they're going to get a fabulous meal that will include siu mai, beef lo mein, pan-fried dumplings, sesame balls and egg custard tarts.
The foundation's Associate Board, made up of young professionals, is well-represented, and it's a "must" for folks like Gerry and Frederick Miale, Luz and Kevin Centola, Jan Steinhauser, Agatha Kessler and David Thomson, who've been with the Yip Foundation since its start.
Jimmy and Linda Yip started the foundation after Nathan, their only child, was killed in an automobile accident 10 years ago. Nathan had a special interest in helping to educate children in poverty-stricken areas of the world, and the money raised by the foundation is largely spent on building schools and dormitories in China, Africa and Mexico. The foundation also supports literacy and mentoring programs in Colorado.
Agatha Kessler was mistress of ceremonies for the brunch and explained that the brunch coincides with the start of a three-day, mid-autumn festival that is as important a holiday in China as Thanksgiving is in the United States.
"It's the time when families travel to be with each other — and to eat," she said. "It's a special time for reunions."
In addition to Under the Harvest Moon, the Nathan Yip Foundation hosts a Chinese New Year Gala and chairmen Paul Mesard and Lisza Gulyas were at the brunch along with such others as Bei-Lee Gold and her mother, Cheng Leng Khoo, who will turn 100 in December; Kimberlee Nguyen; Melanie Grant; Dr. Dean Prina; Diana and Dr. Paul Docktor; Scott Richardson and Cynthia Treadwell; Deanna Leino; Louise Barish; Tania Florez; Rachel Chang; Bob Knous; and Fe and Burt Myers, whose daughter, Malia, is the set designer for comedian Joan Rivers' "Fashion Police" show on E!
Artist Jan Steinhauser was joined by Libby Bortz and Andy Hart, who had been her big sister when they were Sigma Delta Tau sorority sisters at the University of Michigan. David Thomson, president of the Nathan Yip Foundation board, was telling friends that he'd just started a new job: working in real estate acquistions for Inspirato, the luxury vacation club whose Inspired Giving arm has contributed significant income for a host of local nonprofit organizations, including Cancer League of Colorado.
As is her custom, Diana Lee created the floral arrangement for the restaurant's entry, which drew compliments from such as 7News anchor Anne Trujillo and her husband, videographer Mike Kalush; auctioneer Gary Corbett and Sharon Scott and Dr. Larry Chan.
Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314, email@example.com and @GetItWrite on Twitter


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Use the Child Maintenance Service or Child Support Agency (CSA)
Child maintenance is financial support towards your child's everyday living costs when you've separated from the other parent.
You and your ex-partner can arrange child maintenance yourself if you can agree. This is called a 'family-based arrangement'.
A family-based arrangement is a private way to sort out child maintenance. Parents arrange everything themselves and no-one else has to be involved.
Talk to Child Maintenance Options to get impartial information.
If you cannot agree
The Child Maintenance Service is for when you and the other parent cannot agree to a family-based arrangement.
You'll usually have to pay an application fee to use this service. You might also have to pay collection fees each time you make or receive a child maintenance payment.
You must talk to Child Maintenance Options before you can apply to the Child Maintenance Service.
The Child Maintenance Service can:
- try to find the other parent if you do not know where they live, to sort out child maintenance
- sort out disagreements about parentage
- work out how much child maintenance should be paid
- arrange for the 'paying' parent to pay child maintenance - the parent who does not have main day-to-day care of the child
- pass payments on to the 'receiving' parent - the parent who has main day-to-day care of the child
- look at the payments again when changes in parents' circumstances are reported
- review the payment amount every year
- take action if payments are not made
Manage your Child Maintenance Service case online
You can manage your case online by setting up a self-service account or logging into an existing account.
Child Support Agency (CSA) child maintenance arrangements
The CSA only handles existing cases. New applications are dealt with by the Child Maintenance Service.
Child maintenance arrangements made through the CSA will be ending by 31 December 2017.
Get someone to manage your case for you
You can ask someone else to deal with your Child Maintenance Service case for you.


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For lawful permanent residents whose alien cards are expiring and or have expired, the Center assists with the process of renewal. Quite often, this process involves the filing of a
form I-90.
However, it is possible that the filing of a form I-90 could trigger institution of removal proceedings against lawful permanent residents who may be deportable because such person may have been convicted of certain criminal offense, usually an aggravated felony or two or more crimes involving moral turpitude.
Again, the Center ensures that only applicants seeking renewals without deportable criminal convictions file such applications.


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Doors Logo Vector
Download The Doors Logo Vector File In Eps Format (Encapsulated PostScript) . The Total Size Of The Downloadable Vector File Is MB And It Contains The Doors Logo In .eps Format Along With The .png Image
Download doors logo only if you agree:
The above logo image and vector of doors logo you are about to download is the intellectual property of the copyright and/or trademark holder and is offered to you as a convenience for lawful use with proper permission only from the copyright and/or trademark holder. You hereby agree that you agree to the Terms of Use in compliance with the DMCA act of 1998.
|File Size
|File format
|Logo Starting With
|Upload Date
|July, 2014


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There are hundreds of thousands of iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad apps for just about everything -- so how come the one you need, the one you know just has to be there, is so hard to find? Enter TiPb's weekly feature where staff and readers alike sort through the App Store and help you find just the right App for That. This week, Darryl asks:
I noticed in your article about rotating pictures, you had drawn circles around the specific buttons you were talking about in your steps. I was just wondering if you used an app to do that. I have been endlessly searching for an app that allows you to draw over pics, screenshots, etc and still have yet to find one. Do you know of any? Let me know. Thanks for your help
I had actually used a desktop app called Skitch to draw the circles, but a dedicated iPhone app would be much more convenient! To see what we found for Darryl (and me!), follow along after the break!
Sketches 2 [$4.99 - App Store link] is an iPhone and iPad app that comes with various shapes and stamps to add to your photos. You can also switch to freehand mode and draw whatever you want. Additionally, you can add text and integrate apps to draw directions.
Once your sketch is complete, you can export it to your photo album, share it via twitter or email, or download your drawings to your computer in PDF (full vector format), JPG or PNG.
LateNiteSoft also has the classic Sketches availalbe on the App Store for a lower price of $1.99 [App Store link]. This version has fewer features and is not universal for iPhone and iPad.
Anyone else have any App for That suggestions for Darryl? Let him -- and all of us -- know.
Having trouble finding what you need in the app store? Head on over to our App and Game Feature Forum and let us know what you're looking for. The TiPb community will do our best to find you just the right App for That!
This post may contain affiliate links. See our disclosure policy for more details.


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Brynderwyn Hills Walk
The Brynderwyn range is one of the most prominent geographical features between Whangarei and Auckland, providing a tramping track with breath-taking views
Western Entrance
Time: Up to 6 hrs depending on whether you double back
Distance: 10km
Type: Tramping Track
Access to this walkway can be gained from State Highway 1 (approx 1 mile north of Dargaville turn-off) or from Massey and Cullens Road at Waipu. It is worth noting that unless you retrace your steps, a car is required at the exit points on these walks. It takes approx 4.5 - 5 hours to walk from State Highway 1 to the exit on the Mangawhai-Langs Beach Road.


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Kantar World Panel has released US smartphone market figures for the 3-month period ending June 2013. The report shows Android retaining 51.5 percent of the US smartphone market, while iOS follows in second with 42.5 percent. Windows Phone holds 4 percent, growing slowly but steadily (up 1.1 percent since last year).
Mobile operators were also included in the report with Verizon increasing its lead to 36.9 percent. Head past the break for more details.
With Verizon leading the pack in the US, AT&T remained in second place with 26.5 percent, Sprint in third with 13.8 percent and finally T-Mobile in fourth on just 10 percent. Dominic Sunnebo, Kantar Worldpanel ComTech global consumer insight director, states, "Verizon continues to lead in this second quarter of 2013, driven by its ability to provide a range of highly demanded brands and models, which has ultimately led to the carrier capturing the most sales from all three top OS brands."
It's not just about the mobile operators (or "carriers" if you're from the states). Smartphone platforms were also included in the report. Windows Phone sales between the operators are reported to be in line with Android (share-wise, that is), with Verizon contributing most to Microsoft's piece of the pie. While Microsoft is still lagging behind Google and Apple, the company is making progress.
Nokia has launched the Lumia 928, 920, 925 and Lumia 1020 in the US, as well as numerous more affordable Windows Phones. There's a long way to go and this report doesn't paint a pretty picture if you're analysing just how well Windows Phone is doing in the US, but one has to remember that Microsoft and its OEM partners are attempting to punch through a brick wall with nothing but bare knuckles. More hardware and operator support will help in the coming months.
As Belfiore and colleagues all stated in the past - it's a marathon, not a sprint.
Source: Kantar


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Huskers Capture Chip-N Club Crown
Lincoln - Temperatures cooled and winds calmed while the Nebraska women's golf team stormed to its first team tournament title since 2008, as the Huskers produced their best three-round Chip-N Club Invitational score in school history on Tuesday.
A day after golfers dealt with 100 degree temperatures and 30 mph winds, Tuesday's final round provided mid-80s and a light breeze to provide excellent scoring conditions. Nebraska took advantage by finishing with a three-round total of 874 (284-296-294) that included a final-round 294. The Huskers smashed their previous Chip-N Club team record score of 884, when they claimed their last Chip-N Club title in 2008. NU's 874 marked the second-best three-round score in school history, trailing only an 866 at the 2007 Mountain View Collegiate.
NU won the team title by 18 strokes, as Central Arkansas finished second (892) and Wichita State took third (901). Iowa (910) produced Tuesday's top round with a 293 to finish in fourth, while Missouri State (922) rounded out the top five in the final team standings.
"I am so proud of our team and the way they approached today's round," Nebraska Coach Robin Krapfl said. "They were not tentative at all. They attacked the course early and set the tone for another solid round. We left some shots out there today, but we played pretty well and closed out a tournament win."
Krapfl, who helped the Huskers to their 29th team tournament title in history, led Nebraska to its sixth Chip-N Club Invitational crown since 2003.
The Huskers produced a total team effort from their top four players in the lineup for the second straight day, highlight by Cassie Deeg's first career individual crown. The sophomore from Hugo, Minn., capped one of the best individual efforts in Chip-N Club history with a two-under-par 70 to close with a three-under 213 over 54 holes. Deeg's effort smashed her previous career-best total of 221. It also tied for the fourth-best score in tournament history, trailing only North Dakota State's Amy Anderson (2009) and Kent State's Martina Gillen (2001), who both finished with six-under-par scores of 210. Texas State's Linn Gustafson added a 212 on her way to a win in 2007.
While Deeg took medalist honors, the top four players in the NU lineup were not far behind. Steffi Neisen, who shared the tournament lead with Deeg after 36 holes, matched the best finish of her career by taking second at 217, which included a final-round 74. The senior from New Prague, Minn., notched the second top-five finish and fifth top-10 showing of her career, while posting her second-best three-round score as a collegiate player.
Fellow senior Katelyn Wright added the third top-five finish of her career by tying for fifth individually at 220. Wright, a native of Incline Village, Nev., carded her second-best 54-hole score as a collegian, including a final-round 73.
Jordan Chael capped an impressive collegiate debut by grabbing a top-10 finish of her own. The true freshman from Overland Park, Kan., tied for ninth with a three-round score of 224 that included a final-round 77.
Nebraska also received some solid efforts from young players outside the Husker lineup. Redshirt freshman Yoorim Kang close out her first career tournament with a final-round 80 to tie for 34th at 239. She finished one stroke behind sophomore Cassidy Stelzmiller, who also managed a final-round 80 to close in 33rd place individually at 238.
Nebraska enters Tuesday's final round with a 15-stroke edge over the second-place Sugar Bears (595) and a 19-stroke lead over Wichita State (599).
"It is gratifying as a coach to see your players' hard work pay off like it did the past two days," Krapfl said. "Our players have focused and committed themselves to getting better and it shows. Our team goal this year is to be the most improved team in the nation this year, and after one tournament we're off to a good start. We know we have a lot of work to do the rest of the way, though. This is just one tournament. It is a long season, but we're thrilled with a great start."
The Huskers hope to continue their early season momentum when they travel to the Minnesota Invitational, Sept. 16-17 at the Minikahda Club in Minneapolis.
2013 Chip-N Club Invitational
Host: Nebraska
Wilderness Ridge Golf Course (Lincoln, Neb.)
Monday, Sept. 9 - Tuesday, Sept. 10
Par 72 / 6,259
Final Team Standings
1. Nebraska - 284-296-294-874
2. Central Arkansas - 303-292-297-892
3. Wichita State - 307-292-302-901
4. Iowa - 306-311-293-910
5. Missouri State - 302-312-308-922
6. North Dakota State - 316-315-295-926
8. Houston Baptist - 320-319-309-948
9. Nebraska-Omaha - 327-318-322-967
10. Southern Miss - 319-336-314-969
11. South Dakota - 331-320-325-976
12. Texas A&M Corpus Christi - 321-323-333-977
13. Creighton - 330-330-336-996
Final Individual Results
1. Cassie Deeg, Nebraska - 72-71-70-213
2. Steffi Neisen, Nebraska - 70-73-74-217
3. Malin Senneryd, Central Arkansas - 73-71-74-218
4. Sarah Brown, Central Arkansas - 75-71-73-219
T5. Katelyn Wright, Nebraska - 71-76-73-220
T5. Meghan Schuetz, Wichita State - 75-69-76-220
T5. Shelby Phillips, Iowa - 76-77-67-220
8. Brenna Lervick, South Dakota - 76-71-75-222
9. Jordan Chael, Nebraska - 71-76-77-224
T10. Karly Grouwinkel, Iowa - 76-73-77-226
T10. Bryce Schroeder, Wichita State - 75-73-78-226
Nebraska Golfers
1. Cassie Deeg (So.) - 72-71-70-213
2. Steffi Neisen (Sr.) - 70-73-74-217
T5. Katelyn Wright (Sr.) - 71-76-73-220
9. Jordan Chael (Fr.) - 71-76-77-224
*33. Cassidy Stelzmiller (So.) - 80-78-80-238
*T34. Yoorim Kang (RFr.) - 77-82-80-239
*T54. Abbie Hunke (RFr.) - 78-84-86-248
T61. Morgan Smejkal (So.) - 85-83-83-251
*T61. Hannah Luebke (So.) - 85-83-83-251
* competed as an indiviudal outside the Nebraska lineup


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11 Nov 2018 - 08:33 PM
We hope you can join us on Sunday evenings for a great time of growing in Christ and singing His praises as a youth group. There's always plenty of food to go around and a new game to play too! (Youth Group is held in the Activity Building/Gym unless otherwise announced.)


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Kate Moss and Liu Jo have an extremely fruitful collaboration for some time now and it seems like things are getting better and better. If for the Liu Jo fall 2012 campaign the Italian label went for black and white imagery, this time the label opted for spectacular colorful images which match the sense of optimism, relaxed alternatives and gorgeous looks usually associated with the spring season. The new Liu Jo spring 2013 campaign brings plenty of gorgeous ensembles which are beautifully highlighted through simple yet enticing combos that ... Read More
Kate Moss fronts the new Liu Jo campaign for fall 2013. The British supermodel has been the Italian label's ambassador for three years now, however she still manages to surprise fashionistas with each new campaign. The new season ads, lensed by Solve Sundsbo, bring an interesting mix of elegant yet sultry options with an effortlessly chic flair.The Liu Jo fall 2013 campaign features both pieces which are suitable for the transitional days to come and warm jackets which will come in handy later on, when the cold days will make us want to reac... Read More


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MotoGP is the world's premier motorcycling championship, with a season of 18 Grands Prix in 15 countries, across four continents, bringing together the world's top motorcycle manufacturers and an elite crop of riders from every corner of the globe. The sport is a spectacular show, featuring the most technologically advanced, high-speed racing machinery being ridden by the most fearless and skilful riders on the planet.


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Fort Parker State Park
Things to Do
Fort Parker offers camping, picnicking, swimming in an unsupervised swimming area, fishing, bird watching, hiking, biking, canoeing, nature study and baseball/softball.
Overnight options at the park include campsites, screened shelters, cabins and group sites. There is a group facility with nine buildings, including a dining hall, game hall, and four barracks; it sleeps up to 96 people.
Use the Interactive Trails Map for a virtual tour of the park trails.
Detailed fishing and lake information for Fort Parker State Park Lake.
If you plan to swim at the park, read through our swimming safety tips before you come.
Equipment Rentals
Canoes and kayaks are rented daily during the season and upon request in the off-season. We also loan fishing gear for use in the park.
Ranger Programs
The park offers a variety of educational opportunities; check the calendar for upcoming events or contact the park for special tours.
Connect with us on Facebook and Instagram.
Get more information on the Civilian Conservation Corps, which helped develop this park and numerous others over 80 years ago, by visiting our CCC page that includes the interactive online exhibits and education resource, "The Look of Nature: Designing Texas State Parks During the Great Depression" and "A New Deal for Texas Parks."
Area Attractions
Nearby points of interest include Old Fort Parker, a replica of a fort erected in 1833 by Elder John Parker and other settlers from Illinois for protection from Indians; Confederate Reunion Grounds State Historic Site; and Fairfield Lake State Park.


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I had originally written this article for something else but the photos didn't turn out as well as I had hoped and the article got scrapped. Learning curve on the new camera and all. However the photos are good enough for the web use so... may as well post it. Someone may make use of it.
The Average Joe Bow Bag
As a bow paddler on a day trip room is something you dont always have a lot of and even the smallest day pack can often be too much when stowed up front. So things often get stowed behind you; but then you have to turn around to find it or go to shore to dig it out of a pack. This is annoying for things like rain jackets, cameras, or binoculars that are used quite frequently. You dont want to have them just sitting on the bottom of the canoe but there is an alternative.
Enter the bow bag; a perfect sized pack which does not interfere with legroom and is not as likely to get wet either as it is suspended above the bottom of the canoe where any water will collect. For this to work you must have a canoe with a grab handle in the front. Nova Craft, Old Town, and others fit these standard on their canoes but if you do not have them you can always install them yourself. The process is very easy and involves drilling a couple of holes and bolting the handle to the underside of the gunwales. Anyone can do it, the hardest part is getting the measurements right.
For the purposes of our Average Joe Bow Bag we do not want to spend a lot of money on a Frost River or Duluth style Bow Bag. While both are of superior design and construction the cost of ordering them from America can be quite high considering what they are eventually going to be used for. It is entirely possible to make them from household items or items purchased second hand at a fraction of the cost.
You will need some sewing skills and they do not have to be expert by any means. The most difficult part is installing the zipper. I hate working with zippers; you could avoid the zipper altogether and put a closure flap with a button or buckle on the bottom of your bow bag but I decided to go with the zipper anyhow; even though I hate them. I used a plastic zipper because they do not rust. They break easier but a bow bag will not be subjected to very much stress unlike most other canoe gear.
A good source of canvas for this type of project is a fabric shopping bag. It is fairly thin and easy to work with and quite common, I got a canvas bag at a second hand shop, some very strong button thread and a fairly robust plastic zipper to start with. The cost was well under 10£
Once the shopping bag was dissected into its various components, it became obvious that there was enough material for the project, and a few other bits for future use.
I dont spend a lot of time constructing patterns. Once I decide how large I want the project to be, I find an appropriate piece of card board to measure out a template. In this case, the bow bag had to hold a rain jacket and a camera, possibly a few other small items like paddling gloves or a rope. The sides of our bow bag are just rectangular pieces of canvas so there is no need to make a template for them. It is always best to make the side panels of any bag a bit longer than you think you need them when there are any curves to sew around because you inevitably run into problems unless you are an expert at machine sewing, so measure the distance around your pattern and add a few inches just to be safe.
With all of the parts cut out it is time to get sewing. The back top section of the pack is slightly larger than the front; the back is cut into two pieces to allow the larger top section to puff out more and to make it easier to stuff full. The top side panel is also wider for the same reason. For an easier pattern just make the front and back panels identical and make the side panel one long piece that joins at the bottom instead of two individual ones. If you are really good you can make a template for the side panel that allows the bag to taper from top to bottom. The main reason I stick with multiple smaller pieces though is to conserve fabric and make use of every last scrap.
- To turn all of this into a bag, you sew the back top and bottom pieces together turning the seam in. You will end up with something similar to the front panel, only larger at the top.
- Next sew the side bottom panel onto back bottom turning the seam inside the bag. Start in the middle at what will be the center of the bottom of the bag to insure the fabric doesnt come up short on one side or the other. If you have made extra long panels this isnt an issue. You can use pins to hold things in place if you wish.
- Now sew the side top panel onto the back top piece turning the seam inside the bag.
- Next sew the side top and side bottom panels together on both sides of the bag to finish the sides. With all of the seams turned in you should see at this point what the bag will eventually look like as you are about half done.
- The front part is a bit tricky. You can pin it in place if you want, but the best thing to do is turn the back section of your bag thus far inside out so all of the seams are now showing. Find the bottom center of the front panel and the bottom center of the side bottom panel on the bag. This is your start point for sewing, and this time, turn your seams out; this way when the bag is complete and turned right side out, all of the seams will be turned in and will not show. Dont forget to pin your zippers center to the top center of the front panel so you know where to stop sewing the front section. Marking the zippers length on you bag will show you how far to sew the front panel and where to stop, creating the opening.
- Sew the front panel to the rest of the bag from beginning at your start point at the center bottom. Sew up both sides to the spot to where your zipper will be installed. An area the same length as your zipper will be left open. If you want you can pin the zipper into place on the front panel and mark the fabric at the zippers beginning and end or you can sew it by eye. With the bottom of the front panel now sewn on you have your bag; you just have to turn it right side out.
- Adding the zipper involves the only complicated step in the sewing. Putting the zipper in place on the inside of the bag, sew one side of the zippers material to the inside of the front flap. You can roll the front panels fabric into a hem for a neater appearance. Just be sure that the zipper pull tab is on the outside of your bag and not the inside. Sewing the second side of the zipper material onto the inside of the top of the bag can only be done by opening up the zipper completely. It may be tricky sewing the second side on a machine. Depending upon your sewing machine you may have to finish things off with a few hand stitches. It is best to roll a hem here to so the project looks better.
- Once you have the zipper firmly sewn in place, pinch some fabric on the top of the bag in your fingers and roll it forward to cover the zipper. About a half inch roll is all that is needed to protect the zipper. Mess around with it a bit and get the flap just how you want it, then open the zipper again and carefully sew through the top of the bag one stitch line to hold the flap in place. Now zip up your zipper and add any finishing touches. I added a small piece of braided leather to the zipper to grab hold of.
Now with all of that seamstress stuff out of the way you can start the easy stuff; adding the leather straps to the back. This can be made out of fairly thin leather but not garment leather. An old belt would be perfect but for this project I used leather known as blacksmith sides left over from a pair of chaps that I made for a girl. It is very strong but quite thin and very easy to work with and was used for blacksmith aprons at one time. Buckles can also be salvaged from various sources but I bought new ones as they were only 55 cents each. Usually I like to go with brass as it does not rust but nickel is a good second choice.
Creating the straps from a larger piece of leather is easiest if you have a strap cutter like I do. You set it for the width you want and cut away. If you do not you can make straps with a utility knife and a metal straight edge. Another method is to stick a good sharp knife deep into a board or table and drive a nail in half way next to it. The distance between the nail and knife is the strap width. You use the nail as a guide post for the edge of the leather and push the hide into the knife, cutting the strap. This only works for thicker leather though, for thinner stuff you must cut a starter line into it about two inches and pull it through.
With the straps cut you need to make long holes for the tongue of the buckle to work through. An inch or so back from the end is fine; the straps will not be supporting any weight so fewer stitches are required. You can buy a tool to cut this hole or you can punch two wide holes an inch apart and remove the leather between them with a knife. With the tongue holes in place, now you mark and punch your stitching holes to secure the buckles and attach leather to canvas. As long as your stitch holes are about 1/8th of an inch apart even thinner leather should hold fine. After punching your stitching holes to attach the leather to the bag with a spring punch or an awl, fold the straps like a belt and with the smooth side against the bag , sew through the two pieces of leather and the canvas to attach the leather strap to the bag. If you think you are likely to fill the bag with rocks at any time then add a third piece of small leather on the inside for reinforcement.
- Hand sewing leather is fairly easy; take two leather or tapestry needles an about 12 inches of waxed linen thread, secure a needle on each end of the thread and run one needle through your first punched starter hole. Now just figure 8 sew, with both needles going through each hole until you complete all the holes. Tie off and the excess on the under side of the project.
With both straps sewn onto the bag, all that remains to do is to punch holes for the buckle tongues and you are done. Secure the bag to the grab handles of the canoe as tight as possible to mark the holes before punching them. You should not need to add further adjustment holes
When the project is complete you will have a canvas bow bag that should last for years for a fraction of the cost of the major sellers, and you will have had the joy of making it. It takes a few hours but is a fun little project for the Average Joe Paddler. This little piece of kit is popular with the ladies and is an excellent addition for any one who mostly paddles in the bow seat.


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Gov. Rick Scott signed a bill this month that could make him the most active executioner in modern Florida history.
Gov. Rick Scott signed a bill this month that could make him the most active executioner in modern Florida history.
Given the potential for the ultimate state power to result in the ultimate mistake, we hope that Scott's skepticism about government extends to the criminal justice system.
The bill includes a clemency process intended to prevent wrongfully convicted inmates from being executed. Scott must take that process seriously, but other reforms are needed to end the state's shameful distinction of leading the nation in death row exonerations.
The measure signed by Scott, called the Timely Justice Act, requires governors to sign death warrants 30 days after an inmate has exhausted legal appeals and a clemency review. The state will then have six months to carry out the execution.
The clemency review requires the state Parole Commission to investigate cases and recommend to the governor whether to sign the warrant or commute the sentence. There's reason to doubt the process will stop any executions: No governor has commuted a death sentence since 1983.
The Timely Justice Act sets the stage for as many 13 executions in the next year. Eight executions have already taken place in Scott's first term. It took Gov. Jeb Bush two terms to reach 21 executions.
The accelerated pace is troubling given that Florida has exonerated 24 death row inmates. That's about one exoneration for every three executions since the death penalty resumed in 1976.
The latest exoneree, Seth Penalver, was released after 18 years in prison. Frank Lee Smith spent 14 years on death row before dying of cancer in 2000, just months before DNA testing exonerated him.
The Timely Justice Act does contain provisions to help ensure death-sentenced inmates get proper legal representation. It re-establishes the northern office of an entity that represents those inmates in post-conviction proceedings. It had been abolished in a privatization project under Bush.
But more must be done to fix a flawed death-penalty process in the state. One big problem is that Florida is one of just two states that don't require a unanimous jury for a death sentence.
Other reforms could prevent people from being imprisoned for crimes they didn't commit. Texas, even with its reputation as a pro-death penalty state, has implemented measures to prevent the false witness identifications that are a leading cause of wrongful convictions.
It's up to Scott now to use the clemency process to prevent the state from executing an innocent person. He would do more to promote the cause of justice if he also embraced reforms to help ensure those cases never get that far.


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LODI - Wayne Brooks and Lester Williams had plenty to prove.
LODI - Wayne Brooks and Lester Williams had plenty to prove.
Stagg's two leading playmakers missed last week's game, suspended for conduct detrimental to the team during a season-opening loss to Modesto.
Talk about redemption.
Williams had an interception and two touchdown catches, and he returned the second-half opening kickoff 89 yards for a score in the Delta Kings' 49-3 win over Lodi on Friday at the Grape Bowl.
"Both of them had a really great week of practice," Stagg coach Don Norton said. "Both of them got the message we were trying to send."
Brooks finished 9 for 12 for 200 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.
"It was definitely important for me and Lester to have a big game," said Brooks, The Record's 2012 Player of the Year. "We started the season kind of slow, but we could feel this one building."
Williams said there was no way to predict how one-sided Friday night's game would turn out.
"I had no idea what to expect because I've never played against (Lodi)," Williams said. "I just wanted to work hard at practice and come out ready to play."
Daniel Ruffin had one touchdown run and one scoring reception, and Jamareus Harris and Kevin Johnson also scored for the Delta Kings (2-1).
Lodi (1-2) had success moving the ball at times, but the Flames - in their first year under head coach Robert Sperling - made key mistakes at critical times.
Lodi's Matt Whittock kicked a 26-yard field goal late in the first half. David Simon's 44-yard quarterback keeper put the Flames inside the red zone, and they'd get down to the 2. But a holding penalty moved them back and they eventually settled for 3 points.
But any momentum gained was quickly lost. On the first play of Stagg's ensuing drive, Williams took a screen pass from Brooks 79 yards for his second touchdown.
"We haven't played well in the first half of any of our games," Sperling said. "We just don't have any consistency. ... But, in this game, I really believe my kids fought in the second half and played a lot better."
Daniel Anaforian had one of the Flames' few big plays, an interception in the end zone late in the third quarter. It was his second pick in as many games.
Contact reporter Stephen Roberson at (209) 546-8272 or firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Happy New YearJanuary 01, 2004
There is a story I've always wanted to tell you. This is not it.
I can't say everything, in fact I shouldn't yet say anything. But I can refer you to the fact the Zen Garden's special notice has been down for some time now. I can tell you that a certain consulate in Buffalo has been moving in its mysterious ways.
I can tell you that family and friends are what's important, and if you do all you can every time to put them first, the rest is just details, and the rest doesn't matter, and the rest just works out.
2004 is already one of the best years I've ever had, and it has only just begun. Here's hoping yours is the same.
For those that are interested in such things as what other people read, my 2003 Booklist is up. It's about half of what I managed to read in 2002, but this past year was busier than most, to be fair. And there was no silly loser-makes-dinner month-long competition with my wife, also in the interest of fairness. (addendum — though she'll deny it to the bitter end, I won)


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February 09
We are not just a Nottingham Courier we can take Small Parcels as well as Large Parcels? In fact IROC are a Nottingham Courier were Large Parcel Delivery is just the tip of the iceberg! We are a Nottingham Courier who can take Bag Packs for those important Documents.
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We are a Nottingham Courier company a Derby Courier company a Leicester Courier company in fact whatever city you are in we are your local Courier Company just a Free Phone call away. But it doesn't end there we are International Couriers able to collect your package and get it there via Road , Sea ,or Air whatever your requirements we are International Couriers that collect and deliver cost effective solutions saving you both time and money on all your delivery requirements.
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There's something about leggings that's just so easy. Even if they're leather, even if they're neoprene, even if you're dressing them up. How could we not indulge in three easy-to-copy leggings outfits? These are a bit more sophisticated than your normal grab-and-go T-shirt pairing. From a rich color-and-texture combo to a look perfect work, these ensembles will have you rethinking the way you wear this wardrobe staple. But, don't worry, they're still super comfortable.
Edited by Christopher Michael Beer. Shot by Jack Pearce and Ed Herrera.


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Business Power Through Psychology
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CHAPTER PAOE I The Psychology of Salesmanship i
Creative Salesmanship
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SNOW HILL – Approximately $6.2 million needs to be cut from Worcester County budget requests to stay in line with projected revenue for fiscal year 2010 (FY10).
After months of estimations and uncertainties, it was revealed this week that the county's revenue for FY10 is estimated to be about $175.6 million, while budget requests of $181.8 million have already been fielded.
"What we budgeted for '09 is not going to match what's coming in," said Commissioner Bobby Cowger.
Consequently, as a result of a directive for the County Commissioners, all county departments have cut their budget requests for FY10 below what they actually received for the current fiscal year.
"Your departments have cut $7.7 million from the requested budget over the current year," reported county Administrator Gerry Mason.
Last year, the county operating budget encompassed $189.5 million when approved, a difference of $13.9 million in revenue over the two years.
Revenues are down because property assessments, and therefore property tax income, have fallen dramatically. Income tax revenue is down as well since unemployment is up. Tax revenue from real estate sales is also down, as is income from permits, licenses and other county fees associated with development. The state highway user tax revenue has been reduced, and state and federal grants have decreased.
The details of how the County Commissioners will handle the large discrepancy between requests and available money is unclear.
"Furloughs or layoffs have not been included in the budget because they're your purview, not your department heads,'" Mason told the commissioners Tuesday.
If the county's request to waive the Maintenance of Effort school funding requirement is successful, the 3-percent cut from the schools budget could save another $1.8 million.
One remedy the county cannot count on is a prior year surplus to carry into the new fiscal year. The actual number is uncertain, but Worcester staff affirmed that any surplus would be used to take care of an expected current year revenue shortfall.
Staff could not say what kind of shortfall the county could expect for the current fiscal year. According to Mason, staff is still going over February numbers to try and determine that figure.
"We just don't have the data to project out," said Treasurer Harold Higgins. "There's just too many variables out there."
Commissioner Virgil Shockley stressed the need for that figure soon, saying, "I just don't want to get blindsided."
"We think that we're going to make it based on what we know right now, but there's not going to be any left," said Mason.
There will not, however, be a positive variance, staffers feel.
"I don't think you'll have the money. There will be no carry over," Mason said.
The 2 percent set aside from fiscal year 2009 operating budgets, as commanded by the County Commissioners in September, will help with revenue shortfalls this year, officials said.
"It would help balance fiscal '09," said county budget officer Kathy Whited.
That 2-percent reserved against the end of FY09 will probably not cover the anticipated shortfall, staff said.
While Mason said Tuesday that he did not know how many county departments had actually set aside 2 percent of their operating budgets as instructed, Shockley confirmed later that most had.
The Worcester County Board of Education did not set aside 2 percent in September, according to Board of Education Financial Officer Vince Tolbert.
The school board voted in mid-July 2008 to create a $1,260,000 contingency fund against future cost overruns, to forestall a return to the commissioners to ask for more money to pay over-budget utility and special education costs, as has happened several times in recent years.
"The 2 percent is that money. We didn't consider setting aside an additional 2 percent. We took that action in July," Worcester Superintendent of Schools Jon Andes said.
Andes added that some of that money has already been used for excess utility costs and private duty nursing and other services for special education students. The balance of those contingency funds will carry over into next fiscal year for overruns.
The commissioners asked the school board to create a contingency fund last summer after an acrimonious argument over substantial overrun assistance and when it should have been requested.
The school board will not need to approach the commissioners to handle overruns this year, Tolbert said.
The public budget hearing will be held on May 5, at 7 p.m., in the Snow Hill High School auditorium. Residents will be given an opportunity to comment on the proposed budget. Historically, public education has dominated the discussion at this hearing, and this year should prove no different. The commissioners will approve the budget June 2.
"Your work is cut out for you," Mason told the commissioners.


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Tuesday was tough. I woke up early, voted without having to wait in line (my polling place has always been quiet) and spent the bulk of the day thereafter feeling like I had been physically rendered into ragged shreds of mixed emotions that mainly resembled a patchwork of grief. Being confined to the registers at work, restless, while polls across the country closed at their designated times, the ague that wracked my body and mind increased as the day sank heavily into night. On my dinner break things started looking up; I spent the hour with a politically like-minded coworker (and dear friend) at a local sports bar so decorated with festive balloons, streamers and flat-screen televisions that the effort needed to focus on what might really constitute "news" distracted my mind away from any results I didn't want to see, but nevertheless felt somewhat prepared to receive. When it was projected that my home state of Virginia was going to "go red," as red as a Virginia cardinal, my nerves slackened into an uncomfortable numbness.
Given the option to leave work early, I fled and hopped a bus to meet up with some friends at a bar I'd never been to or heard of. Trying to find a place unknown on such a night was absolutely frustrating and just when I was knitting my brow in consternation, bent over my cellphone feverishly texting queries to inebriated friends, a girl at the front of the bus began to squeal like a steam leak. Suddenly strangers were hugging, kissing and high-fiving me, dancing and falling all over each other on a crowded, careening Haight street bus with a horn-happy driver at the wheel. Images alike to those photos taken during the block parties that erupted at the end of World War II flashed to life in front of me and, maybe for the first time in my life, I felt the news. Everyone here would remember this night, the night the streets of San Francisco went wild for Barack Obama's victory and the end of eight years of George W. Bush.