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Rifle Rack
Lodgepole Frame, Offset 90s, 4x6
Low Profile Jewelry Rack and Barnwood frames
Aspen Jewelry Racks
Lodgepole pine back, aspen and willow accents
Hot Tub Towel Rack
Pine Board Back with Diamond Willow Pegs
Wedding Frame
Lodgepole Pine
Will Luxbacher's Bed
Constructed Entirely of Aspen (Both Peeled and 'Skinned')
Sunburst Headboard
Aspen, Lodgepole Pine, and Diamond Willow (Built on Commission for Elizabeth Tipton)
Rustic Adirondack Chair
The seat supports and middle back rest are Lodepole Pine
everything else is local aspen!
Aspen legs; the seat is an ugly board I found at the dump
and shined up...turned out beautiful!
Sunburst Bed, for Court's Birthday
Aspen, Cottonwood, Lodgepole Pine, and Diamond Willow
Barnwood base, diamond willow
Coat Rack
Fence Post Back, Aspen Pegs
New Backsplash
Ripped gross old tile backsplash / Routed out groove for extending electric line to an extra receptacle / Assembled some old barwood; planed, sanded, stained, and sealed it / Installed, still need GFI and cover
Supports are all fine-sanded aspen, shelves are hand cut lodgepole pine I rescued from the dump and planed and sanded until they looked and felt really nice. Coated with Tung Oil.
2 Stools
Lefty is completely fashioned of barnwood, while righty has lodgepole pine for a seat, aspen for legs, and diamond willow for a back rest.
Wall Lamp
Bottom shelf is barnwood, rest of lamp is diamond willow. Obviously I either need to do some trimming or get a smaller or large lampshade.
Stool (with back this time)
Lodgepole seat with aspen everything else
Coffee Table
Barnwood from the old bunkhouse
Dad's Desk, March 19
Basically done except for some more urethane on the desktop. I added a keyboard drawer and shelf/letter-rack system to support Dad's answering machine and printer.
Dad's Desk, March 18
Well it's starting to look like a desk now, so that's a plus. Since I don't ever "plan" any of my work, it can occasionally take me a while to get it just right. The cabinet/shelf on the right hand side looks simple but it took forever to figure out and execute. Anyways, I really think everything is coming along well, and I'm especially happy with the secret (not anymore) hidden compartment on the upper right.
Dad's Desk, March 17
It's coming along, but beginning to make a mess of the formerly spotless garage.
I still need to build a shelf system on the right-hand side, do some more sanding,
and stain everything that isn't going to be left aged.
Dad's Desk, March 16
Very Much in Progress
Barn Bar, March 3
The Front is Nearly Done!
The Barn Bar, In Progress, Feb 23
You can kinda see where I'm going with this picture.
Small Sunset Frame
Barnwood frame with plexiglass (that white line is just the sunglare)
The Barn Bar, In Progress
So far just the skeleton is mostly complete, it should
look completely different (if all things go as planned
[planned=made up as I go along]) when it is done. You can also see
some of the wiring advancements made in the barn during the fall....
yes, that is a chandelier. In the BARN.
Chief Mountain House Bed
100% Aspen, with neato diseased wood, worm burrows, and other abnormalities
New Lamp
Barnwood Base, the lamp itself is made from a really neat piece of diseased aspen, complete with worm burrows
Buffalo Bill Frame
2x2 Barnwood Scraps
End Table (On the left)
Barnwood Tabletop, Aspen Legs and Supports
Barnwood Seat and Legs, Aspen Supports
Claire's Stool
Barndood Seat, Aspen "Backrest" and Legs
Magazine Holder
Tongue and Groove Pine Panelling with the door from an ancient freezer
Courtney's Wall-Hanging-Thingamajig
Courtney asked me to make something that she could hang stuff from with hooks and knicknacks....so here is what evolved.
(Barnwood Back, Aspen Rack, Old Door Handle hanger, Old Leather Strap Hanger, Split Fence Post with Wire for Sunlasses/Earing, and a cow jaw because why not)
Johnson Family Burial Plot
Frame of ancient fence posts similar to those on the Johnson's ridge
Thumb In Dike
Barnwood back-frame and stained aspen front-frame
Courtney's Jewelry Box
Barnwood with aspen accents
Stool #1
Aspen Legs, Cottonwood seat
Stool #2
Aspen Legs, Cottonwood seat
Stool #3
Old Fencepost Legs, Cottonwood seat
Stool #4
Aspen Legs, Cottonwood seat
In the Cabin
Made for Jasmine's birthday
RanchWagon Shelf & Key Rack
Backing is Barnwood, Rack is Aspen, "RanchWagon" is chrome from old 50s Ford RanchWagon
Lamp #1
Lamp #2
Barnwood Base, Aspen Stem
Shingled with shakes from the old bunkhouse


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APMP Foundation Workshop
22 October 2013
Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP) studies show that organisations investing in certification have a much higher win rate than those who don't. To benefit from the certification scheme we are offering conference delegates the opportunity to take the first step on the proposal certification road: APMP Foundation.
Strategic Proposals, the leading proposal management organisation and approved training organisation of the APMP are running a Foundation workshop and exam the day before the main conference on the 22 October 2013 at the conference venue. Facilitated by some of the thought leaders in our profession, the Strategic Proposals workshop will guide attendees through the syllabus, prepare them you for the exam, whilst at the same time share some of our own pragmatic winning proposal hints and tips.
The course and exam is fantastic value at only £485 per person plus VAT. This includes the exam costs, materials and copy of the APMP's Proposal Guide text book.
Joinng instructions, revision suggestions and confirmation of booking will be issued on receipt of payment or valid Purchase Order number.

subset: commoncrawl


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On May 5, 2017, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and Congressman Jerrold Nadler announced a major milestone for the Cross Harbor Freight Movement Project: issuance by the Port Authority of a RFP for consultants to conduct the Tier II Environmental Impact Study and complementary advanced planning and engineering work. The Port Authority and the Federal Highway Administration completed a draft Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement that was published in November 2014, and following public hearings, stakeholder review and comment, a Record of Decision for the Tier 1 was issued by the FHWA in January 2016. The Tier II study will also evaluate an enhancement of the existing railcar float-barge operation.
There are only a handful of transportation options to cross New York Harbor and the lower Hudson River, and as a consequence, freight traffic currently shares severely congested crossings with cars and mass transit. Freight-related traffic congestion inconveniences everyone involved and imposes environmental and economic costs on the region.
If we don't take action, today's traffic-jams will get worse, and extend for longer and longer periods beyond typical commuting hours. Projected growth in demand for goods—combined with continued dependence on trucks traveling overburdened roads—will create even more congestion, environmental challenges, and safety concerns. It's not just your time at risk—our region's overwhelming dependence on trucking for freight movement increases the costs and environmental impacts of goods movement, while decreasing the reliability and speed of freight delivery and diminishing the safety of our roadways and infrastructure. With expected future growth in freight movement, truck vehicle miles traveled (VMT) will increase and so will the inefficiencies and adverse effects of our dependence on trucks for freight movement, including higher transportation costs, which would be passed on to consumers as higher prices for goods.
We need to move goods more efficiently. The region needs non-highway alternative freight movement options to increase reliability and resiliency, while reducing costs.
Overall, our region has a well-developed freight rail system, but it is far better developed and better connected to the national rail network west of the Hudson River than it is east of the Hudson River.
Critical rail connections to the east-of-Hudson market are remote, inefficient, or have capacity restrictions. The result? Our region is overwhelmingly dependent on trucks for moving freight across congested chokepoints to and from the east-of-Hudson counties.
A large portion of the region's freight shippers have a limited choice in terms of transportation mode. Consequently, highways leading to and serving the east-of-Hudson counties, and the communities they traverse, experience the greatest proportion of surface freight transport impacts, and freight shippers, receivers, and carriers throughout the region suffer the acute and chronic negative effects of growing highway congestion.
The primary purpose of the Cross Harbor Freight Program (CHFP) is to improve the movement of the freight across New York Harbor between the east-of-Hudson and west-of-Hudson regions. By improving the movement of goods across the harbor, the project would provide near-term and long-term improvements to the regional freight network, reduce truck traffic congestion, improve air quality, and provide economic benefits. The project's goals, and specific objectives under these goals, are the basis for developing the criteria and methodology for evaluating the project alternatives. We've identified several specific goals for the CHFP:
The project will evaluate how the goals may be accomplished at various levels of capital investment and over various time periods. Short-term and long-term improvements would address these goals to different degrees and at various levels of capital investment.
Public Involvement from members of communities throughout the designated study area is vital to this project's success.
Send questions and comments to:
Matt Masters
Director, New Port Initiatives
Port Department Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ), as project sponsor, and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), as lead agency, are working together on a Cross Harbor Freight Program (CHFP) to improve the movement of goods across New York Harbor and the lower Hudson River.
This evaluation is being conducted through a "tiered" Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), prepared in accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA). Projects requiring Federal agency approval must comply with NEPA. Major initiatives that have the potential to significantly affect the environment undergo evaluation in an EIS.
Tier I of the EIS effort involves analyzing a range of alternatives at a high level, including the degree to which they advance the goals of the CHFP (see "The Project" tab). At the conclusion of Tier I, a smaller number of alternatives – designated as Preferred Alternatives – will be recommended for more detailed study and analysis in Tier II.
The FEIS will be followed in 30 days or more by a Tier I Record of Decision (ROD), issued by FHWA as lead agency, which will serve to close out the NEPA Tier I evaluation. The ROD will identify which alternatives are selected for further study and potential implementation. It is important to note that neither the Tier I FEIS, nor the Tier I ROD, constitutes a final decision to implement any of the alternatives that have been under consideration.
For those alternatives that are advanced to Tier II, this next phase will include further detailed analysis and evaluation, by appropriate environmental, scientific, and technical experts, of potential environmental effects of the alternative(s) under review on local communities, such as traffic, air quality, vibration, and noise. In addition, Tier II will include consideration of detailed and specific mitigation measures to avoid or minimize any anticipated negative effects.
After a review of public and agency comments, two alternatives --- the Enhanced Railcar Float Alternative and the Rail Tunnel Alternative (a double track tunnel with vertical clearances to accommodate double stack intermodal service) --- were selected as "Preferred." The remaining eight Build Alternatives evaluated in the DEIS were not recommended for advancement to Tier II. The two Preferred Alternatives were selected based on a number of criteria, including:
Alternatives Considered
The Cross Harbor Freight Program considered a range of alternatives to address the movement of freight across New York Harbor, between the east-of-Hudson and west-of-Hudson regions.
The alternatives fall into these broad categories:
Considering the "No Action" Alternative is a requirement of the Cross Harbor Freight Program environmental review process, which is being conducted in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act. The No Action Alternative assumes none of the CHFP alternatives will be implemented, and that only those projects already committed and programmed in New York City, Long Island, and New Jersey rail lines and yards would be implemented. For example, we assume that under the No Action Alternative certain near-term improvements to the Cross Harbor railcar float operation, both at Greenville and at 65th Street Yard in Brooklyn, would be constructed.
These alternatives all entail the movement of freight utilizing a vessel or other water craft between points on the western and eastern sides of New York Harbor.
These alternatives all entail the movement of freight utilizing a tunnel from New Jersey to Brooklyn.
We invite you to view documents related to the Cross Harbor Freight Program.
Cross Harbor Freight Program Newsletters
Click here to view the Federal Register Notice of Availability of
the ROD
Final Tier 1 EIS
A presentation of the preferred alternatives and a response to comments made on the Draft Tier 1 EIS.
Draft Tier 1 EIS
A presentation of the various alternatives under consideration to meet the goals and objectives of the Cross Harbor Freight Program.
Draft Tier 1 EIS Hardcopy Repositories
A list of repositories where Draft Tier 1 EIS hardcopies are available.
Scoping Comment Summary
A summary of the response to comments from the late fall 2010 public comment period.
Public Information Session Presentation (5.2011)
A presentation from a local information session on Long Island about Cross Harbor Freight Program.
Scoping Information Session Presentation (10.2010)
A presentation from the regional scoping information sessions about Cross Harbor Freight Program.
Draft Scoping Document (9.2010)
The Draft Scoping Document has been issued to frame the environmental review to solicit public and agency input regarding the project alternatives and environmental issues currently under consideration in the EIS.
Draft EIS Methodology (9.2010)
The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) Methodology describes the process and methodology that will be undertaken for the development and evaluation of project alternatives and the preparation of the EIS.
Needs Assessment (9.2010)
To fully understand the existing freight market for the region and forecast its future conditions, a 54-county, multi-state Cross Harbor modeling study area has been established.
Alternatives Workshop: Development and Screening (03.24.10)
A Workshop supplement used during a discussion on the potential alternatives considered for the Cross Harbor Freight Program.
Technical Advisory Committee Modeling Workshop (12.17.09)
A Workshop presentation used to discuss modeling development and application, and to obtain Committee feedback.
Cross Harbor Freight EIS Stakeholder Committee (09.30.09)
A presentation to the Stakeholder Committee on stakeholder and public involvement, and an in-depth explanation of the EIS process.
NJTPA Freight Committee Presentation (02.17.09)
An early overview presentation of the Cross Harbor Freight Program.
DEIS prepared by NYCEDC (04.16.04)
2004 Study by NYC EDC. Appendices are not included – please contact the project team to arrange a viewing of the appendices.
All documents are in PDF format. You will need Acrobat Reader to open and view these documents; you can download Acrobat here for free.
The Federal Highway Administration and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey value public input as a critical part of the environmental review process. As such, the two agencies conducted a comprehensive public outreach campaign upon publication of the Tier I DEIS, to solicit public input and comment. This campaign included (among other things):
Some comments received expressed concern that certain alternatives might increase the level of local truck or rail traffic in local neighborhoods, resulting in air quality, vibration and noise impacts. Others sought more information about the type of freight that would be transported.
Other comments received were supportive of the Rail Tunnel Alternative or Waterborne Alternatives, or favored a combination of both waterborne or rail transport as a viable option – specifically the Enhanced Railcar Float Alternative or Waterborne Alternatives as a short-term solution and the Rail Tunnel Alternative as a long-term solution.
All on-the-record comments were carefully evaluated and taken into consideration during the deliberations about which alternative(s) would be recommended for advancement to Tier II for further study. As part of the FEIS, all comments received are summarized and documented in Chapter 12, Response to Comments, in the FEIS.
Send questions and comments to:
Mark D. Hoffer
Director, New Port Initiatives
Port Commerce Department Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com


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High School Academy
"Berklee City Music has really opened up my ears to new music and given me opportunities to play and to meet new people, and I couldn't ask for more from the program."
- Shaqed Druyan, High School Academy student
Music is your passion. You might even be considering it as a career. Take your training to the next level by applying to the City Music High School Academy. You will receive intensive instruction from Berklee faculty including:
- weekly private lessons;
- music theory and musicianship courses;
- ensembles; and
- master classes led by visiting artists.
The program is open to ninth- through 12th-grade students in the Boston area and takes place at Berklee College of Music on weekdays after school. You can apply beginning in March to start the following September, and students are selected for the program based on their application, audition, and interview. This is a scholarship-based program, so there is no cost to participate.
Contact Berklee City Music to learn more about the Berklee City Music High School Academy.


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Performance dashboards aren't just for executives
New customization features are making dashboard technology more common in cubicles -- not just corner offices.
Frost Bank IT executive Louis Barton is the driving force behind a new effort to bring executive dashboards out of corner offices and into cubicles.
Barton, executive vice president in charge of data warehousing and business intelligence at Cullen/Frost Bankers Inc., a $575 million bank holding company based in San Antonio, is one of more than 300 employees at his company using performance dashboards from Cognos Inc.
The company beta tested Cognos' latest product, Cognos 8, and hopes to implement it across even more of the company next spring, Barton said. "I'd say within 12 to 24 months we hope for 1,000 [employees using dashboards]," he said. "We hope to literally get this out to one-third of the company."
Barton's efforts are not unique. Improving technology means companies are using digital dashboards to give their employees more and more quick snapshots of business metrics and streamlined decision-making processes. Performance dashboards add value by, "reducing the cycle time it takes to analyze information and reducing the cycle time it takes to make a decision," Barton said. "There's value in knowing if the trend is going up or down one, two or three days sooner, because you can make a decision sooner. That means people are more productive."
Hurwitz & Associates, a research and consulting firm based in Waltham, Mass., recently surveyed 113 IT executives from U.S. companies with more than $100 million in revenue, to assess their demand for and requirements of dashboards. Of those, 60% had implemented dashboards in their companies while 40% planned a dashboard implementation in the next 18 months.
"Think about a dashboard as a collection of useful information for the decision maker," said Marcia Kaufman, a partner at Hurwitz. "You could put together last week's reports, manually summarize the information and have it in one place, but it took you so long, you needed it three days ago."
Barton said the bank's brokerage department alone spent "$100,000 per year in paper and people to produce a static report" before implementing Cognos. The same report is now available over the Internet, updated in real time.
Performance dashboards offer information on demand
"Dashboards are not a new concept. It's just that the technology has improved so that you're able to provide the information faster and across multiple data sources," Kaufman said. "The advantage, and why this is becoming much more prevalent, is that you're now able to collect the data on a more on-demand basis."
Survey respondents said on average the data they need to make a decision comes from six to 10 different sources. Using a dashboard to collect information from those sources into a single, real-time source led to significant improvements in decision making, according to 56% of respondents.
Dashboard vendors include Business Objects SA, Cognos, Hyperion, MicroStrategy Inc., SAS Institute Inc. and Bowstreet Inc. Larger companies like Microsoft, SAP AG and Oracle Corp. also bundle dashboard offerings in with other products. "A majority of vendors that we see have some sort of dashboard in use as the way to present their information," Kaufman said.
The Hurwitz survey found the reduction of manual and administrative work was the leading benefit of performance dashboard implementation, with 67% of respondents calling that a highly significant benefit. Other benefits include increased operational efficiency, and a faster response to changes in key performance indicators.
The survey report also pointed out that operating off multiple spreadsheets or similar data sources can lead to the use of inconsistent or incorrect information. "We can manage the business from a more focused set of screens and one system, instead of jumping from one system to another [like SQL, Microsoft Access or spreadsheets]," Barton said.
Nearly 40% of survey respondents spent between $100,000 and $250,000 on their performance dashboards. More than 50% of respondents said their companies saved $500,000 to $1 million as a result of their dashboard implementation, through improved decision making, productivity, profitability, customer satisfaction and a faster time to market for products. About 50% achieved a positive ROI in less than one year.
One surprising result of the survey, Kaufman said, was the importance respondents placed on being able to customize dashboards based on their specific roles. "In other words, the dashboards will look different and have different information depending on the person, like a sales executive versus the CEO," Kaufman said.
Let us know what you think about the story; email email@example.com.


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9 comments:
So fun! You guys are lucky to have such warm weather! It's still cold up here!ReplyDelete
He is so adorable!!!ReplyDelete
Your blog is incredibly beautiful, wowza. Found you via Kinsey's blog and I'm so glad I did. I'm your newest follower! xoxoReplyDelete
I love your blog, i found you on youtube originally :)ReplyDelete
I'm currently 18 weeks pregnant :)
Randomly came across your blog and had to say hi- what a wonderful feel this site of yours has! Happy to have found you and can't wait to read more... off to check out some previous posts! Have a wonderful week, sugar! xoReplyDelete
Gorgeous pics! Looks like they're having lots of fun!ReplyDelete
this is SO cute. they are so cute. wonderful pictures.ReplyDelete
ps: love the blog so much, i cannot wait to read more! keep 'em comin'! :)
love, rach.
I have recently found your blog and youtube videos, and I love them. xReplyDelete
Please visit my blog : http://blogs-and-mogs.blogspot.co.uk/
Wonderful pictures. What photo editing program did you use? Which edits did you use?ReplyDelete


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In the course of my research on open source and software patents, I came across this item from the Software Freedom Law Center. The SFLC is looking for a patent attorney who is "dedicated to software freedom."
Isn't that kind of an oxymoron? After all, this is the same organization that is on record arguing against software patents.
But on second thought, it's not a bad strategy. An attorney with experience before the U.S. Patent Office will know what the examiners are looking for in order to award a patent, will know the ends and outs of the process, and because of that, will also know better how to argue against patent awards for software that has already been developed in an open source or free software community.
Definitely an interesting development. I'm hoping to speak with an SFLC representative soon about software patents generally. Maybe I'll get a chance to ask about this as well.


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Fresh flowers for every occasion by Mary Jane Vaughan
Formerly trading as 'Fast Flowers'
Order online with Mary Jane Vaughan
Order by midday for same day delivery to our London postcodes.
We deliver personally to the following areas:
- SW1 to SW20
- SE1 and SE11
- W1 to W14
- WC1 and WC2
- NW1 to NW11
- EC1 to EC4
- N1 to N3
- N6 and N12
None of our flowers are sent by post.
For deliveries elsewhere please call us on 0800 854 236


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Whether you're victim to a black magic spell that has been put on you or not, it's important to keep a clean home and have good personal hygiene. To start from scratch and ensure negative energy isn't taking over your home, a spiritual cleansing ritual can get rid of the negativity. There is a spiritual house cleanse you can do as well as cleansing yourself. If you're not sure how to do a spiritual cleansing ritual, ask trusted spiritual advisors. If you've ever walked into a perfectly normal house and felt exhausted, uncomfortable or even afraid, then you realize the power of energy. Negative energy within a home can affect your life and your family much more than you realize.
When you keep your house clean, you're getting into all of the energy pockets the house has. Stagnant or negative energy can't live in any space you have if you move it around consistently. You may want to do a spiritual house cleanse when you move into a new home. Energy from someone else can be harmful to you. If you've had a string of bad luck, a spiritual cleansing of home is strongly recommended. If you are sensing any strange energy such as a ghost in the house, a house cleanse may be one way of ridding it. Spiritual cleansing rituals for whatever energy is living in your home can be conducted in a variety of ways. You may have access to a local and distant healers that can conduct prayers from afar. Miracle healers that are capable of offering the spiritual gift of healing to you and your home.
Personal hygiene can actually help your soul. Perhaps you were never given this type of spiritual information. When you cleanse your aura and personal energy, you clean away energy vibrations of other people you have been in contact with. The frequencies you're in contact with may not always run on a high level and can actually bring you down. It is recommended as one of the spiritual healing techniques to submerge yourself in a cleansing bath once a month. For hygiene in the bodily sense, you would continue with your daily hygiene routine also. Cleansing yourself daily takes away a lot of negative energy that has latched on. A ritual bath offers the spiritual gift of healing as you open yourself up to spirituality. There are many options on how to do spiritual healing, there are many prayers for spiritual healing that can assist in the process. Your body and aura become purified this way and you are able to begin anew. Black magic spells can often make your body odor smell potent but once black magic removal has occurred, the smell will dissipate. Meanwhile, as you learn how to pray for healing you will find that your mind becomes more at ease about your hygiene. The bath may not stop your body odor but in the meantime, it offers cleansing and allows you to make a fresh start. Scriptures on healing have spoken often about being baptized in water. Whether you're having physic healing, chakras healing or magnet healing, it is all based on cleansing of the negative energy. Cleansing of our physical self also cleanses our spiritual self.
Cleansing all aspects of your life is important for rebirth and positivity. Negative and stagnant energy in the home and also on your body doesn't allow you to move forward in life. Rejuvenation is key to continue moving forward and evolving. To have the things you want in life, you can't stand in just one spot. Energy is much more powerful than you realize, it can hold you back from the success and happiness you desire. Take care of your home and yourself and you will see rapid growth in return. For more information on black magic removal and spiritual cleansing visit the home of Talal.


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For almost as long as there have been motor vehicles, hit and run accidents have been a problem. However, new statistics show that these fatal accidents are on the rise all over the United States.
Getting compensation after a hit and run
If there is one thing worse than a car accident that isn't your fault, it's a hit and run accident that isn't your fault. You may be injured, your passengers could be hurt, and your car may be a mangled mess. Seeing the other driver speed off to avoid charges just makes the whole thing devastating.
What you should know about hit and runs
Although a hit and run is usually referred to as a type of accident, it is actually the action of the driver when he or she leaves the scene that is considered the true violation. A hit and run violation may involve everything from striking a pedestrian with a vehicle to hitting another vehicle or even striking a fixed object such as a fence or gas pump.
Do you know what to do following a hit-and-run accident?
The moments following a motor vehicle accident can be confusing for those involved. This is particularly true when the accident is a hit and run. Just what do you do following such an incident? In this post we will provide some tips on what to do if you are the victim of a hit-and-run accident.
Following collision motorists involved must remain at scene
When a vehicle driven by an individual who is following the rules of the road is struck by another vehicle, it can be infuriating. When the second vehicle fails to stop and leaves the scene of the accident it adds insult in injury. In addition to morally being the right thing to do following a collision, legally, drivers involved in crashes must stop as soon as it is safe for them to do so. This is true regardless of whether the vehicle struck was occupied at the time of the crash.
Two motorcyclists killed in Wisconsin hit-and-run accident
The sudden loss of a loved one in a motor vehicle accident is always difficult to handle. An already devastating situation is made that much worse when those involved in the incident leave the scene. Family members of two young people who recently died following a hit-and-run accident are facing this now. The two men were riding motorcycles when they were struck by a vehicle believed to be of the sport utility variety. Though this incident occurred in another part of the state, fatal hit-and-run crashes occur all too regularly in the Hudson area as well.
Truck fails to stop after hitting Wisconsin boy
It's a parent's worst nightmare--a child suffering serious injuries in a motor vehicle accident. Sadly, the parents of a Western Wisconsin boy are facing this very reality. Earlier this month the 9-year-old was involved in a hit-and-run accident with a semi.
Wisconsin Rapids police urge hit-and-run driver to come forward
As we've said before in past posts, hit-and-run accidents often leave victims with the worst sense of injustice because the driver responsible for causing the accident sometimes goes unpunished. Some of our readers may know this frustration firsthand and may still be holding out hope that police find the driver and hold them accountable for their actions.
Fatal hit-and-run accident leaves police with no suspect
Sometimes, readers of our blog hear tragic stories about injuries and deaths in motor vehicle crashes that happen in nearby states. While these accidents may be happening to other people miles away from residents here in Wisconsin, the aftermath that victims and their families go through is relatively the same. And like residents here in Wisconsin, the people involved in these accidents may also want to seek compensation from the person who caused their injuries.
Suspect in custody for hit-and-run accident involving student
Wisconsin police still have not released the name of the 41-year-old Milwaukee man in their custody who they believe was involved in a serious hit-and-run accident just days ago. Although charges have not been pressed at this time, police do believe that alcohol was the reason for the man's reckless driving that could have claimed the life of a 23-year-old Marquette University student.


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The strap-in high heels follow the notion of dancing pumps to some extent, which is characteristic of Victoria princess. The application of brilliant colors and ribbon straps brings about a type of fashion sense and groovy feelings. Pairing them with black leggings will be the wise choice of the pretty girls. The stiletto heel fitted with decorative details highlights the graceful contours of the female body. On formal occasions, the strap-in high heels will never let you down. If you are fortunate to be invited to a banquet, you are absolutely the stunning one with the magic weapon!
The "Erratic" is one fantastically glamorous and attention-getting sandal -- and it's one of those wonderful times when you don't have to choose which color to get, as this style rolls gold, silver and black into one sexy package. The 4.75 inch heel, platform sole, and wide straps would be enough to turn heads, but this sandal also includes gold- and silver-tone hardware, as well as tiny rhinestone embellishments. These high heel sandals would work wonders with a mid-length or shorter cocktail dress.


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Disc stuck in work bowl cover
Was the bowl very full?
There are several reasons why this can occur:
- Excessive pressure on the feed tube pusher
- A piece of food has become wedged between the Work Bowl Cover and the Disc.
- Overfilling the bowl with solids while using the slicing or shredding disc.
- When the bowl is overfilled, the items being sliced/shredded will begin to push the slicing/shredding disc into the Work Bowl cover as it rotates.
- The friction between the two pieces can melt the lid around the slicing or shredding disc and the disc can become lodged.
- Try to separate the disc from the work bowl cover, and remove any wedged food.
- If you are able to separate it, allow plenty of room for food movement when processing - do not overfill.
If these suggestions did not help, please Contact Us or visit our Service Locator.


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Mitt's Pennsylvania gamble
Until a week ago, Pennsylvania was virtually an afterthought in the presidential race.
Now, Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are making a late advertising and in-person push in the state, parachuting into the Keystone State this weekend for last-minute visits with scant days left to go in the race. It's a move that the Romney team bills as expanding the map and a sign of strength, Democrats call an act of desperation and observers within the state say is unlikely to pay off next Tuesday.
Story Continued Below
( PHOTOS: Final countdown to Election Day)
The news that Romney will campaign on Sunday in vote-rich Bucks County, a suburban Philadelphia area, and Ryan will stump in the Harrisburg area in central Pennsylvania on Saturday — coupled with more than $10 million in recent ad buys by the Romney campaign, the Republican National Committee and the pro-Romney super PAC there — is raising questions about whether the GOP ticket has a real chance there.
Not a single poll in the state since the start of the general election has shown Romney ahead, but he is closing in on the president. The most recent Real Clear Politics average in the state gives Obama a 4.6 percentage-point lead, and most polls in the last month put the president's advantage anywhere between 4 and 8 points.
There has been movement since the summer: a Franklin & Marshall poll released last week gave Obama a 4-point lead, compared with an 11-point lead in mid-September.
( Also on POLITICO: Gibbs: Romney in Pa. is 'desperate')
Terry Madonna, a longtime Pennsylvania pollster who conducts the F&M poll, said the tightening of the race in the state has largely been a reflection of what's happened in national polls rather than a sign that Pennsylvania in particular has become more amenable to a Romney victory.
"Romney has gone from a 7, 8, 9, 10-point deficit to a 4, 5, 6-point deficit in this state," he said. "Without being here, that's principally [based] on the tightening of the election nationally."
Romney political director Rich Beeson released a memo earlier this week outlining Romney's ability to play in Pennsylvania.
( Also on POLITICO: Clinton to Pennsylvania on Monday)
"Pennsylvania presents a unique opportunity for the Romney campaign. Over the past few years we have seen Pennsylvania voting for a Republican senator and a Republican governor, and Republicans win control of the State House in addition to the State Senate," Beeson wrote Tuesday. "The western part of the Keystone State has become more conservative (and President Obama's war on coal is very unpopular there), and Mitt Romney is more competitive in the voter-rich Philadelphia suburbs than any Republican nominee since 1988. This makes Pennsylvania a natural next step as we expand the playing field."


text: Ken MacLeod writes: > This should probably also have a parseCharacterStream() for upcoming > support of Unicode. Ken, I think using a file-like object is sufficient. I haven't looked at the implementation in it's current form, but we should be able to view a stream of unicode text as a file with read() and readline() methods that do the right thing. -Fred -- Fred L. Drake, Jr. <fdrake at acm.org> Corporation for National Research Initiatives


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Liverpool are set to open talks with French club PSG over a deal to sign former Newcastle United midfielder Yohan Cabaye.
The ex-Magpies man is on the fringes of life at PSG and admitted this week that he would consider returning to the Premier League in January.
And now reports say that Liverpool are prepared to take him, and are set to open negotiations with PSG over a deal.
Arsenal are also keen on the pass-master, but they're already well stocked with central midfielders, meaning Liverpool represents the best chance of game time.
PSG are thought to want about £20million for Cabaye and would be prepared to sell if somebody matched that asking price.
MORE: Ex-Liverpool striker Suarez runs off pitch during match for toilet break


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Over the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend I ran my second to last competitive race of the year at the Valley Harvest race weekend in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada. As the namer suggest it is harvest time this so there are plenty of farm markets, farms and orchards to explore and to find fresh produce. The colours of the leaves are also beginning to change which adds to the draw of the race. I grew up in this area and went to university here so for me it is always a treat to be back.
Along with the scenic courses and harvest atmosphere the race always has good swag and really provides good value for your race dollar. This year, all runners received a blanket and a light shell in lieu of the standard race shirt. Of course each finisher also receives a medal and the design always seems to be thoughtful and harvest themed.
This year, 2015, the race held extra meaning for me, five years ago, in 2010, I ran my very first race there, also of 10km. I had just started running consistently in the summer of 2010 and decided to run my first race at home, with sister and brother-in-law also in attendance; i ran the 10km in 1:09:38.
This year I had hoped to go sub 50 minutes as there are really only two hills to contend with and the weather is usually conducive for good times. Realistically I had not been putting a lot of effort into my running recently, having only run 85km for the month of September…but I was planning, regardless, to give my top effort. My girlfriend Nicola was also running the 10km, it was her first time at this race.
It was a bit cool the morning of the race with a bit of a north wind and cloudy. For us east coast runners it was almost just right, especially once you started running, you wouldn't notice the slight chill. I ran the first 5km in just over 26 minutes but was choppy with my strides, the 10km has a turnaround point just past the 5km mark and it was there that I noticed the front runners coming back, with their much more flowing, elongated strides that I realized that I needed to relax and be more efficient with my running. So I lengthened ,my stride a bit and used more of my muscles rather than just the turn over rate. i ran the last 5km about 20-30 seconds faster than the first 5km, so I ran a negative split but not quite the one that I would have preferred, finishing in a time of 52:01…If I had only kicked a little sooner 😉
Even though I didn't hit 50 minutes I actually was pretty happy as my sister and brother-in-law both finished their half marathons and Nicola ran a PB of 2 minutes for her 10km…she's getting speedy yo! Personally I was ecstatic to see that I had run this 10km around 17 minutes faster than 5 years ago, not bad for a guy who's actually getting older 😉 I'm realistic that it is unlikely I'll maintain this type of improvement level, I am encouraged that slowly but surely I'm improving my fitness and technique, becoming a more efficient and stronger runner.
Valley Harvest 10km Garmin Track
My only complaint with this race would be the gym where we gathered after the race smelled TERRIBLE! Honestly it was nausiating and this will need to be addressed for future events.
Overall I highly recommend this race, good value, good swag, harvest time in the valley and lots of distances to choose from; they offer a 50km ultra as well. I would suggest that you make this a goal race and then enjoy some time at the local wineries and the local harvest.
Thanks for reading
One foot in front of the other
Last race of the season: November 7th, Run the River 5km


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The Salvation Army has deployed multiple canteens (mobile kitchens) to two major wildfire areas in Northern California: the Butte Fire in Calaveras County and the Valley Fire in Lake County and Napa County. Teams are on the scene to serve meals for first responders and evacuees in both disaster sites.
Valley Fire
Canteens from various Salvation Army locations (Auburn, Napa, San Rafael and Santa Rosa) are in the affected area:
· Kelseyville High School (5480 Main St, Kelseyville)
· Clearlake Senior Center (3245 Bowers Avenue, Clearlake)
· Clearlake Walmart (15960 Dam Rd, Clearlake)
So far, more than 1,800 meals have been served. Along the meal service, The Salvation Army will also provide emotional and spiritual care to residents seeking that assistance.
Butte Fire
· Yesterday, Salvation Army canteens from San Francisco and Modesto arrived to replace a team from Lodi which had been serving in various sites in the towns of Valley Springs and Burson.
· The Salvation Army is now focusing efforts at two shelter locations: Jenny Lind Veterans Memorial District (189 Pine Street, Valley Springs) and Good Samaritan Church (4684 Baldwin Street, Valley Springs). The Salvation Army team is also utilizing the kitchens at the shelters sites.
· The Salvation Army is also serving at the Red Cross command center.
· Starting Wednesday, The Salvation Army will add a feeding location at the Calaveras County Fairgrounds, providing an additional 300 meals per day.
Since Thursday, nearly 3,000 meals have been provided for this fire scene.
Donation Information
Monetary donations are only needed at this time. The Salvation Army uses 100% of disaster donations in support of local disaster relief operations.
To give, http://salar.my/northerncaliforniawildfires or call 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769) and designate "Northern California Fires." Donations by mail may be designated "Northern California Fires" and sent to:
The Salvation Army
PO Box 348000
Sacramento, CA 95834
In-kind donations are not currently being accepted outside the disaster area. However, these gifts are vitally important to your local Salvation Army. To give items locally, visit www.SATruck.com or call 1-800-SA-TRUCK.


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We have been answering a lot of questions about NFA ( National Firearm's Act) items, the process and if they are legal.
What is legal in Wisconsin (given the proper paperwork):
It is legal to own and hunt with a suppressor (silencer)
It is legal to own a Short Barrel Rifle - barrel measured less than 16" from last fixed point to face of bolt and an overall length of less that 26"
It is legal to own a Short Barrel Shotgun - barrel measured less than 18" from last fixed point to face of bolt an an overall length of less that 26"
A Transferable machine gun made or registered before May 19, 1986
What is the process:
Find something you like and let me get you a price.
Pay for the item
Submit an ATF Form 4 - with pictures, fingerprint card and $200 for the tax stamp along with a copy of your Trust (if you have one)
Wait 7-8 months
Pickup the item from us and enjoy.
Do you need a trust?
No - but I would recommend one. A trust will allow you to legally share your items with trusted individuals (Family, very close friends, etc) without them getting a Felony weapons charge. Be careful though - whomever is on the trust has full legal ownership - so you need to choose the trustees carefully and wisely. The document can be amended in the future as your trustees change.
Don't have a trust?
We can help - we have a local (Milwaukee) based Attorney that can help you create your trust and get the process started for around $150. Have an existing trust that you need modified - he can help with that too.
Suppressor info:
Suppressors are sized for specific calibers - for discussion we will focus on three: 22LR, 45ACP and 308
22LR is typically directly threaded onto a the pistol or rifle
45ACP is a piston design and the correct piston (adapter) needs to be bought to fit the handgun that you are shooting. You can directly thread if your barrel does not cant when you shoot (1911s) but it is recommended that you have a piston style for striker fired handguns
308 rifle - these typically have a quick detach adapter that will allow your to move the can from rifle to rifle. These run from $75 to $100 per adapter but allow you to move the suppressor to multiple platforms.
What if I don't live in Wisconsin? I can't sell directly to you. But I can sell to your trust if you have a Trustee (Responsible Party) on your trust that is a Wisconsin resident.
I thought Trump was going to make Silencers legal?
There are bills in both the House and Senate to move suppressors from Type II NFA firearms to Type I firearms and to be treated much like a rifle. Don't hold your breath - the anti gun lobby is strong and the Republicans aren't exactly organized (re: ObamaCare repeal). The bills are stuck in Committee where they died in 2015. But - if they pass - the current bills read that they would refund Tax Stamps paid after Jan 9th, 2017 (one read refunds after Oct 2015) - but they haven't passed and the priorities for the NFA and gun lobby are on National Concealed Carry.
How much does it all cost?
22LR suppressors range from $100 to $500
9mm-45ACP Handgun (some work for 300BLK) - 600-1500
556/308 Rifle - $600-$2000
12g - call me
+ $200 Tax Stamp + Trust + Sales Tax
Don't know where to start? Call me.
If you haven't already - check out our facebook page and like us to see current projects, news and deals (www.facebook.com/Petersonfarmsusa/) or on the icon below
Let us know how we can help to be your custom solution
September 2017


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|Up a level
Wetherell, Mark, Atherton, Katie, Grainger, Jessica, Brosnan, Robert and Scholey, Andrew (2012) The effects of multi-tasking on psychological stress reactivity in recreational drug user of cannabis and MDMA. Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental, 27 (2). pp. 167-176. ISSN 0885-6222
Wetherell, Mark, Atherton, Katie and Sidgreaves, Martin (2008) The non-acute effects of cannabis on mood and perceived workload following a multi-tasking performance stressor. In: Psychobiology Section of British Pyschological Society Annual Scientific Meeting, 2008, Windermere, UK.


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An astonishing tradition of cruelty
(2007) 53 min.
March 30, 2009
by S. James Wegg
The romantic notion of enjoying a horse-drawn carriage ride through Central Park is forever spooked by Donny Moss' disturbing exposé of systemic inertia that leaves New York City's herd of draught horses at daily risk of injury, disease and deadly accidents. The blinders worn by the four-legged "beasts of burden" purposely give them a narrow view of the path ahead, yet many of those around them—owners/operators, drivers, grooms, the paying public and the preying politicians—employ a wilfully selective vision that has more inertia than an idle carriage when it comes to putting these animals out of their lives of misery.
Moss has carefully structured the chapters in a manner that initially invites the audience into the unbridled joy of moving about the famous park in a mode of transportation that goes back centuries then gradually peels back the layers of hurt (the graphics of the animal/auto collisions are not for the squeamish), anxiety (the normal trait of nervousness is hugely exacerbated by the sudden sounds, odours and flashing lights that pummel the pathetic creatures every block of their day) and dismal living conditions (incredibly, many of the stables are high rise "apartments" where a twice-daily trek up and down a ramp is the only way of gaining access to the squalid quarters—surrounded by hay, one match would burn the tenants to death before any alarm would be responded to).
While the owners declined to comment for the camera, one of the drivers, Petero, engagingly explains the business arrangement between him and his faithful steed, but cautions "Never trust your horse"—that's his key to success while navigating the busy streets. Incredibly, there is no driver's test to obtain a city licence (the written and oral exam is based on a prescribed manual whose traffic rules, fares and maximum load rules and regulations are often ignored) and just one ASPCA officer to ride herd over the ~175 horses and drivers.
As the film progresses, anger morphs into outrage as veterinarians provide gruesome detail of the largely invisible suffering (see blinders, above). In true civic style, concerned citizens come together to form the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages. British tourists are surprised that the horses don't live in the park and wonder why an area couldn't be set aside for them. The camera displays the inevitable streams of pee and uncollected manure that gives such a distinctive flavour to the Big Apple's fabled oasis. Why are dog owners compelled to collect their loved ones' waste but not their larger cousins?
Many other cities have managed to survive after banning this apparent tourist attraction. Will NYC follow suit? "We need a [human] death [first]" offers a disillusioned protester as the tragic ends of the once mighty beasts continue to mount either when "on duty" or with a nail-gun finding its mark after being sold off as meat for export to far-away diners who are not concerned with the provenance of their main course.
Still, this terrible trade would shut down of its own accord if only those incurable romantics could see the awful truth instead of viewing this equestrian nightmare through rose-coloured glasses. JWR
This illuminating and provocative documentary tackles the issue of inhumane treatment of NYC carriage horses. Most members of the public consider horse-drawn carriages to not only be romantic, but an integral part of their experience in New York City. The horses seem pretty to look at while riders relax on the carriage seats, but those deceptive comforts hide the harsh reality that lurks within the horse-drawn carriage industry. Those horses, which are inherently prey animals, simply cannot adapt to the strenuous conditions in New York City which include sounds such as car honks, screeching breaks and sirens that startle them along with the hard, unnatural pavement that gets swelteringly hot during the summer. To avoid getting too startled from their surroundings, the horses have blinders on the side of their eyes which obscure their peripheral vision. Numerous horses have been injured and some have been killed in accidents while other horses have merely collapsed from exhaustion. They have no room to freely roam around in open areas like they would do in out in nature and even their housing facilities have them living in small spaces, which look like jails, where they can't lie down to fall into a deep, comfortable sleep. Once carriage owners don't need them anymore, some of them send them out to a farm to peacefully retire them while others have them killed for meat, which is sold in other countries such as France and China. Director Donny Moss wisely includes interviews with a wide variety of people ranging from tourists, carriage drivers, veterinarians, animal rights activists and politicians to make for a well-balanced and insightful documentary. He also includes some graphic images of injured horses and one that dies by electrocution which feels shocking and disturbing. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) aren't really doing their job to ensure to safety of carriage horses and monitor the carriage drivers' actions because they're too understaffed. Meanwhile, insensitive politicians such as City Council Speaker Christine Quinn are too cowardly to support a bill to ban horse-drawn carriages. What happened to people's conscience? Are the profits of the horse-drawn carriage industry more important than the safety of horses? Even Mayor Rudolf Giuliani believes that if they were banned from New York City, it would hurt business in town because fewer tourists would come to the city. However, that's not the case in Paris where they're already banned. At a running time of 53 minutes, Blinders, manages to be a heartbreaking, profoundly illuminating and vital documentary. It will open your eyes, make you feel outraged and inspire you to demand immediate reform. Please click here to find out how you can take action and here to purchase the DVD. The film airs on the Documentary Channel on Friday, March 27th @ 7 PM ET, Monday, April 20th @ 10 PM ET and Saturday, April 25th @ 6 PM ET.
Number of times I checked my watch: 0.
Review on by Cynthia Fuchs PopMatters Film and TV Editor
Regular airtime: Friday, 7pm ET (Documentary Channel)
Peter Otero drives a carriage in Manhattan. As his horse, Junior, clops along in front of him, he looks back at the camera in his carriage and offers up some "history," pointing out Strawberry Fields and other sights along his route. His customers appear happy with the ride, noting especially its likeness to "scenic" qualities and its "old movies."
As Otero and the clients speak, the soundtrack in Blinders becomes almost unbearably clinky, so sweet and upbeat and faux-nostalgic that you're about o turn away after just a two minutes of it. And then, a skritch and a sharp turn: the documentary reveals that it is not, in fact, about these seemingly charming experiences, but is instead focused on "another part of the business, which is working in the streets." Subtitled "The Truth Behind the Tradition," Danny Moss' film goes on to lay out the New York industry's many horrors and abuses, from the miserable lives of the horses to the corrupt and cruel practices of the drivers and owners.
Plainly a labor of love and outrage, the film is at once heartfelt and sensational, limited by a low budget and amateurish craft, but expansive in its legal and political charges as well as its emotional effects. Elizabeth Forel, of the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages, initiates the argument, remembering "a horse named Spotty" who was spooked by a noise as he worked ("It's not unusual for horses to spook in the city," she notes, as they are by nature prey animals and not predators, fearful and skittish and quick to bolt from danger). Poor Spotty ran off, his carriage clattering behind him. A witness remembers, "This horse was really out of control," as the story ends badly: Spotty and his carriage smashed into traffic and he had to be put down. The film cuts to a newspaper headline proclaiming the event and a candlelight vigil for Spotty, both leading to the decision by Forel and her cohorts that they needed to "go for a ban."
Blinders goes on to present the pertinent issues, with intertitles posing categories from "Safety" to "Housing" to "Disposal" ("The horses are discarded like yesterday's trash"), as well as pointed questions with obvious answers ("Is it humane?"). Chris Berry, of the Equine Protection Network, points out the problem with preserving the past in this instance: on "crowded, congested streets, it just looks like a time warp" to see horses struggling to make their way, their metal shoes clanking on pavement, a surface completely detrimental to the delicate balance of a horse's physical structure. The blinders most of the horses wear don't quite save them from becoming afraid of sudden noises (horns, sirens, screeches, screams, jackhammers, crashes, barks) or movements ("Someone tossing a beer can nearby") . Not only that, Berry notes, the horses, being so fundamentally unable to cope, pose a risk to pedestrians or passengers in vehicles that might be hit by a flying carriage or 1,200 pound animal. Paramedic Danielle Cohen adds that the carriages, slow and unwieldy, impede ambulances' progress in emergencies.
If the safety factors are not enough to convince you that the carriages are a bad idea, the documentary points out the mistreatment of the animals. Though paying customers might assume that the horses go home to fields of grass or large box stalls where they eat fresh green hay and loads of oats, the truth is, the animals are typically neglected, their injuries (sores, lameness, malnourishment) left untreated or poorly treated (horses are sometimes "underwatered on purpose," reports an activist, so they will urinate less).
They live, more often than not, in standing stalls, on second or third stories in buildings with concrete floors, such that the horses never get a break from the hard surfaces that damage their hooves and legs by definition. (In one notorious case, a stable caught fire and 21 horses perished, as there was no legally mandated exit route from the upper floors.) The sad effects of close-ups of bloody wounds and emaciated ribs are compounded by shots of these stalls, where horses cannot lie down, cannot even turn around, but are instead forced to stand all night, heads hanging and eyes drooping.
If these images of distress and suffering remain mostly unseen (civilians are not allowed inside the stables), Forel recalls an incident involving a horse named Juliette (Forel names all the animals she cites, to reinforce the notion that they are individuals, with lives and feelings), who collapsed in central Park. Her driver beat her to get her to rise to her feet, creating a scene so disturbing that press gathered and a policeman passing by intervened by drawing his gun on the driver. "Juliette never did get up," intones Forel, "It was a terrible image that went out into the world."
Still, such public displays have not been enough to stop the practice. Though some efforts have been made to document abuses and present legal cases, these have been thwarted by political and financial interests. (Mayor Michael Bloomberg has called it a "great tourist industry," adding, "People love the horses," apparently unironically.) One clip has a documentary camera being assailed by a man in a face mask, yelling at the camera crew, "You got a fucking problem with the fucking horses? You pair of fucking wankers!" It's a disturbing scene, even without a horse in sight. Forel concludes, "What has to happen to make the city wake up is a death, unfortunately, the death of a person. Obviously the death of a horse hasn't done it." It's surely a grim thought, but as Blinders demonstrates, likely true.
Reviewed for CompuServe by Harvey Karten
Grade: B+
Directed by: Donny Moss
Written By: Donny Moss
Cast: Tony Avela, Chris Berry, Vicky Berry, Marjorie Caruso, Holly Cheever, Elizabeth Forel, Andrew Lang, Emily McCoy, Ingrid Newkirk, Sherry Ramsey, Jackie Vergerio, Jill Weitz – Veterinarians, drivers, tourists, animal rights members, politicians
Screened at: Critics' DVD, 3/6/09
Race horses and horses drawing carriages are both exploited for profit. But compare a photo of a race horse at http://horseracing.about.com/od/famoushorses/ig/Curlin-Photo-Gallery/ with one copied onto http://blindersthemovie.com and you'll see why some people with a strong sense of ethics would like to ban the equine animals from city streets. Even the horses that draw carriages around Central Park are a sad lot, when standing still waiting for the next customers to take romantic trips around the landscape. The other day, in fact, I was walking around Central Park, looking at some of these no-longer-noble equines. They were not in traffic, just parked by the curb and they looked awfully sad. They have every reason to be depressed: to see why, order a DVD through the website http://blindersthemovie.com. Here is what I found on that disk.
The tale opens on an idyllic scene. Central Park, New York City, in the summer. Lovers are walking arm in arm, some kissing. Horse-drawn carriages ply their trade, making tourist dollars for New York (assuming that the drivers pass on their takings each year to the New York State Department of Finance and Taxation). But something is wrong, even outside traffic lanes in the protected area of Manhattan's great, natural landmark. The heat of the asphalt can reach two hundred degrees, the horses having inadequate protection on their legs. The air is filled with fumes, resulting in some horses getting lung ailments. Horses freak out from noises, even as soft as the opening of a beer can, and certainly from police sirens. When they break loose, they can cause havoc as noted in some cases when people are run down and killed. Drivers ignore the law sometimes by acting like Ben-Hur to make the traffic lights, though the law calls for nothing faster than a trot. Drivers are distracted—on cell phones, talking to passengers, even reading the paper while working. These images are captured well under writer-director Donny Moss's supervision.
The stables are multi-story buildings, making evacuations in fire nearly impossible. In one case twenty-one horses at Brooklyn's Bergen Beach stable were burned to death on June 11, 2000. Some owners are kind, some are rough, yanking their steeds around, in one case even whipping a guy on the street who was taking down a license number. Speaking of licenses, carriage drivers do not need them and there is no road test to qualify.
If you think of writing to politicians, forget Mayor Bloomberg. He believes that the carriages are good for tourism, period. Yet cities that have banned the carriages suffer no loss of visitors: Paris, Beijing(!), Toronto, Las Vegas, Palm Beach, London, among others. Tony Avella, member of the New York City Council has introduced legislation to ban carriages but his fight is uphill.
Metaphorically, it's the people who summon carriages to ride around Manhattan, often right in the middle of traffic, are the ones with the blinders—just like people who unthinkingly wear fur coats.
The DVD is put together nicely, good resolution, a large number of talking heads mostly in favor of banning the trade. The luckiest horses are at least rescued by good Samaritans such as members of the New England Horse Rescue group, who pay about forty cents a pound to buy animals who would otherwise be sold to Japan for horse meat. They are released into an open field where they can do what they were meant to do. They are social animals that love to be with their own kind. and do not particularly like to be petted by New Yorkers, showing their displeasure by moving their heads from the eager hands. The production's greatest irony is that after devoting years of their sad lives to owners, who make a living from them, horses that are not rescued are euthanized via a nails driven into their brains, in one case serving as the film's most graphic image.
Unrated. 50 minutes 13 seconds. © 2009 by Harvey Karten Member: NY Film Critics Online
Released by McMoss Productions.
by Lisa Miller
* * * (Grade B)
Directed by Donny Moss
McMoss Productions//Unrated//Documentary//53 min
New York City officials state that a Central Park carriage ride is essential to the tourist experience, but few riders realize the horses used for this purpose live miserably. Each animal commutes two miles through congested streets that compromise their respiratory systems and batter their psyches. Over a 10-hour shift, hard asphalt injures, then ruins the horses' hooves and legs. After shift, the creatures trek several stories up steep ramps to reach standing room only stalls that prevent them from getting recuperative rest. Owners underfeed and underwater the animals to keep waste to a minimum. Some are beaten by cruel carriage drivers, some die horrifically in traffic accidents, others drop dead while pulling passengers over 130 degree asphalt. Following a few years of service they are slaughtered for meat. Paris, Beijing, and other major cities have banned horse drawn carriages, leaving NYC officials to blindly ignore the horses' plight. Deeply moved viewers voted "Blinders" the Genesis Award for Best Television documentary, but whether it can win relief for these noble beasts remains to be seen. Learn more at www.BlindersTheMovie.com. No special DVD features.


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I didn't wake up this morning knowing that I was about to stumble on the biggest pop culture conspiracy of our time, but—as the old saying goes—some were born great, some have greatness thrust upon them, and others (Harry Styles, specifically) are actually Bill Hader in a wig.
Here is a promo photo for Bill Hader and Fred Armisen's new IFC show, Documentary Now!
Here is a recent photo of One Direction's Harry Styles:
Harry Styles has been Bill Hader all along.
Contact the author at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Images via Madeleine Davies' Twitter, IFC, and Getty.


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QITAI, CHINA, 7th February 2018
Waking up in our hotel in Qitai on Wednesday 7th February 2018 I tried to think of it as just another day, just another bike ride. But I knew that wasn't true. It was a special day, it was the day when Dea and I were going to try to cycle the final eighty kilometres to Mori, the random Chinese town where I had restarted my attempt to circumnavigate the planet using only my bicycle and boats three years and four months earlier. I walked over to the window and peeled back the curtains. It was still dark outside, the street was empty. I could see a large mosque next to our hotel, and not far away the red and blue flashing lights of one of a great many police stations. Since Urumqi we'd not had any problems getting through the checkpoints, but those flashing lights reminded me that things could still be taken out of our hands at any moment. This wasn't over yet.
Dea made us some breakfast and then we went downstairs to get the bikes. As I pushed mine over to my bags I noticed a piece of red material was stuck to the handlebars. "What the hell is this?!" I said, thinking maybe I'd ripped off a bit of the hotel's curtains or something. One look at Dea told me it wasn't the reaction she was hoping for. "Sorry, did you buy this?"
"Yes. It's a special day, red is supposed to bring luck!"
And boy, were we going to need a bit of luck today.
We started cycling around 9:20 a.m. out of Qitai on the S303. I was nervous worrying about what could still go wrong. My hamstring felt tight, my knees felt painful. Not an injury now, please. I knew it was all in my mind. But what was not just in my mind was the creaking noise that was coming from beneath me, a noise that had been getting worse the last few days but that I could not place. It didn't sound too good though, a bit like my back wheel might collapse on me at any moment. Please bike, not now, hold it together, would you?!
We left Qitai behind, riding into the sunrise one more time. Actually it was pretty cloudy and we couldn't really see much of the sun, but I want to call my next book Into the Sunrise, so I'll have to put that bit in. The shoulder on the S303 was really good so to drown out the worrying noise from my bike I put in my headphones and listened to music. The tunes carried me away on a tide of memories. I thought back over so many things. I thought about starting out from Paris over four years ago, about how determined I was to do the whole trip only by bicycle and boats, how optimistic I was, how full of anticipation at the world of possibilities ahead. I remembered my first ride across Europe and Central Asia, the wonderful people I met, the memories I made back in 2014. And I remembered getting to the border post in Siberia, being told that I could not cycle across it. The guards standing there, telling me it was a 'car-only' border, eventually leaving me no choice but to get in a motor vehicle or face arrest for over-staying my visa. How devastating that had been, how crushing to have lost it all after 27,000 kilometres of cycling. How I hoped and prayed that wouldn't happen again now.
My cycle computer ticked over to 10 kilometres. Only 70 more to go.
I looked at Dea in my mirror and smiled. Oh, how amazing she is. What a miracle it was that we found each other in outer Mongolia, just a few days after that disappointment at the Siberian border. Meeting Dea happened because I had chosen to continue with my journey, to simply reset the circumnavigation somewhere in China. And she'd been with me ever since. Not always literally, but always so supportive. She'd given me the motivation to ride across China in 2014 only with the promise of getting to see her again. And she'd given me the motivation to ride across Australia in 2015, so that we could be reunited. And she'd given me the motivation to ride across Canada in 2016, for much the same reason. And in 2017 she had been by my side, joining me on this ride of a lifetime, and constantly impressing me with her resilience and determination, cycling with me all of the way across Europe and Asia and back to China. Across the deserts and over the mountains, she tackled every obstacle. It was so special to have been able to do all of this with her, and so, so special that we were finishing this together.
After seventeen kilometres we made a right turn off the S303 onto a smaller road. The S303 would have been a slightly more direct route to Mori, but back in 2014 I had cycled down from Mongolia and joined the S303 some thirty kilometres before Mori, so if we'd continued straight I would actually connect with my line at some random intersection, as I remembered it a horrible dirty crossroads, not the kind of place for special moments. Taking the small roads from here would instead lead us into Mori from a different direction, meaning I would only reconnect with the line in Mori itself, at the park where I had stood in front of a sculptue and told Sunny, an English-speaking Chinese girl who worked at my hotel, that I was off to cycle around the world. I had in my mind this perfect ending, where I cycled into the park with the Sigor Ros track Hoppipolla playing in my ears, mostly because it is the song that they always played at the end of Ben Fogle's Extreme Dreams, which was one hell of a TV show by the way, and here I was now achieving my own extreme dream.
20 kilometres cycled. 60 to go.
The small road took us south and it was climbing uphill and not so easy. I was tired, Dea was tired, but this was it. We were getting so close. I kept listening to music, kept going through the memories. I was riding in the Australian outback alone under a zillion stars, I was cycling across the Canadian prairies with Vivian, the Uzbek desert with Alex, the Kyrgyz peaks with Liz. I was everywhere all at once. I wasn't just cycling the last 80 kilometres, I was cycling every one of the 46,000 kilometres I'd cycled since I last saw Mori.
30 kilometres cyled. 50 to go.
We made another turn, east again. The road was flatter, and we had a tailwind. We picked up the pace. All we had to do now was cycle, this road would take us all the way to Mori.
40 kilometres cycled. 40 to go.
We stopped and ate some sandwiches, sitting at the side of the quiet road, looking out at the white fields. We didn't say much. I was still thinking. Thinking about my family back home. Thinking about my parents. Thinking about my life and how important all this was to me and how at the same time it didn't really matter. Thinking about all the people I'd met along the way, many of whom had daily struggles and problems in their lives I could not have guessed at, but almost all of whom had helped us or supported us or given us a smile or a wave or a beep of the horn. I was indebted to so many people. There were so many I wished I could thank. I could not have done this trip alone, and it would not have been worth doing if it were not for the incredible good-hearted nature of most of the world's citizens. As we continued cycling through a small town I wanted to wave at and thank all of the people that we passed, though they could not have guessed the magnitude of the moment that was fast approaching.
50 kilometres cycled. 30 to go.
We were flying now. Everything was so good. The road was flat and had hardly any traffic on it. We had a tailwind. The sun was out and the temperatures were quite comfortable. Music kept filling my head and I was beginning to feel euphoric. This was the final road to Mori, and everything had come together. It was one of those rare occasions cycling when absolutely everything was perfect, it really was. For the first time I became absolutely certain that we were going to make it, absolutely convinced. Then I heard an Alsation bark loudly and looked to my right to see it flying towards me. But it snapped back on its chain. It was as if the world had thrown everything at me, but there was nothing going to stop me now, nothing.
And then we came to a police checkpoint.
We tried to pass by with just a nod, but the policeman manning the road made us stop and show our passports. Another policeman, this one with a large rifle over his shoulder, came out of the building, took the passports and told us to follow him back inside. We were told to take a seat, while he tried to work our what a foreign passport was. "It's going to be fine," Dea said, but she could not know that. How many foreigners did they get out here at this small road checkpoint? What were they going to do with us? I twisted my hands nervously. My fate was no longer in them, it was in the hands of the Chinese police. Phone calls were made. More phone calls were made. The police ate some cookies and coffee. More phone calls were made. This was not looking good. It was taking too long. Something was wrong.
Half an hour passed, maybe 45 minutes. The number of police officers behind the desk had grown to six, but they were giving us no information. Were they waiting for a car to come to take us to Mori? We just didn't know. All we could do was wait. Then, finally, one of them translated something into English on his smartphone and handed it to us. I looked at the screen, and my heart sank.
Something happened in our county. Prepared for state of readiness. Cannot allow you entry. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Sorry for the inconvenience? Sorry for the inconvenience? I just cycled 46,000 kilometres around the world, and you're blocking the road with twenty-five kilometres to go, and you're sorry for the inconvenience?
You must return to original road.
I always knew this was going to happen. China was just too difficult. Of course it was going to stop me somehow. Of course it was. Dammit. Why had I got cocky? Why had I allowed myself to believe I was going to make it? Ahhhh!!!
"Go back home," one of the policemen found some English as we exited the building.
This event was undoubtedly a massive blow, but it was not a knockout punch, and we could not give up. We could not get to Mori this way, but at least they had not told us that we could not cycle. All we had to do was to retreat, and as we began pedalling back the way we had come, past that blasted Alsation again, there was still hope. We just had to go back to the S303 and try to get to Mori that way. But we didn't even need to get to Mori now, not really. All I had to do was to get to that intersection. That crossroads where I'd come down from Mongolia. We checked the map and saw that we didn't need to go all the way back, there was a road north from the small town we'd passed, and, while I wasn't 100% sure it was the right place, it looked like it led directly to the exact intersection I needed to get to. I was pumped again. I wasn't going to give this up.
The road going north was all downhill and I was so determined to get there I was just flying along. It wasn't going to be the perfect finish in Mori, but it didn't need to be, I just needed to get to that crossroads. It was all that mattered. I wanted to get there quickly, before the police could come along and tell us they'd made a mistake, we weren't allowed to cycle here at all, that we'd have to go with them. Roadside markers counted down to the junction. 10 kilometres, 9, 8, 7, I was pounding along at more then 20 kilometres per hour, Dea in my mirror doing her best to keep up, music still ringing in my ears as adrenaline pumped through my body. Was it really it this time?
We passed an expressway exit and the quiet road suddenly became filled with quarrying trucks. This wasn't particularly pleasant, but it was good, for the thing I most remembered about the crossroads was all of the trucks. We were probably in the right place. The end of the road drew nearer as I dived out of the way of a recklessly overtaking truck. Things could still go wrong. I was expecting to see a police checkpoint any moment, but none appeared. There was only three kilometres to go, then two, then one. I put on Sigor Ros and I kept pedalling. This was it, this was really it. Suddenly I was there. I burst out into the middle of the junction and it was the most incredible, surreal feeling of my life. It was a feeling I have never felt before. All of the trucks, all of the traffic had just disappeared, there was nothing, leaving me free to float into the middle of the crossroads, guaranteeing that I crossed the line I'd taken when turning east here having arrived from the north all those years ago. With Sigor Ros's inspiring melody in my head I felt amazing, I felt like I'd achieved something, in this, the most horrible, other-wordly of settings. It was a disgusting place really, with filthy red trucks parked up everywhere and litter strewn on all the verges, smoke pouring out from a skip. Yet what I experienced here was a once-in-a-lifetime feeling. A feeling that comes from achieving a dream one has fought so hard for for so many years and yet, a feeling tempered by only being 95% sure that I'd actually done it. I was not completely certain that this was the right place. I felt like it was possible I'd gone to Mori a different way, that I had this all wrong. Even as Dea offered me her congratulations there was still a small doubt in my mind as to whether I'd really made it.
"We'd better keep going to Mori," I said.
So we turned east on the S303. Mori was still some thirty kilometres away and we only had a couple of hours of daylight left, but we had some kind of summit fever and we had to try and make it there still. On we rode, me feeling a lot of strange emotions, believing I had made it around the world but still not quite certain. I wanted to get to Mori, I wanted to make sure. I was still cycling fast, desperate to get there. But Dea was falling behind a little and we needed to stop and eat something, we'd hardly had anything to eat all day. I noticed a short section of crash barrier and lent my bike against it. I looked up at some houses nearby and I saw something amazing. It was the world's worst basketball court. The two baskets were old and broken and didn't have nets, and they weren't even facing one another. It was a terrible example of a basketball court, it really was. But that wasn't what made it amazing. What made it amazing was that I had seen this basketball court before. I remembered it. I remembered photographing it. I remembered chuckling at it for being such a terrible sporting arena. And looking at it again now was amazing, for as I did so I knew, with one hundred percent certainty, that I had been around the world using only my bicycle and boats. A rush of emotion came over me again. I kicked some snow. Then I punched some snow. Sigor Ros was no longer playing. New Found Glory's turn of the century punk-pop classic Hit or Miss was in my ears (a song I doubt Ben Fogle has ever even heard) and I knew that from this moment on it was going to be one of my favourite songs. It had been one of my favourite songs before this moment, for one thing, but now it was even more special, for it was the backdrop to this most special of moments. Dea arrived, worried something had gone wrong having seen my snow kicking. But nothing was wrong. I hugged her. I had done it. We had done it.
With the goal achieved I suddenly felt completely and utterly exhausted. We no longer needed to make it to Mori and my body told me it wasn't up for cycling any more. We weren't going to make it before dark anyway, and the odds of there being another checkpoint before the town seemed very high. So we decided to call it a day and make camp under the road in a small underpass. We had not been planning to camp and did not have a lot of water. "Don't worry, I've got a litre and a half of liquid here," Dea said, pulling out a massive bottle of champagne. "Congratulations. I'm so proud of you."
I popped open the champagne, which turned out to be weak red wine, and Dea and I toasted the success of the day. What a day it had been, and what a journey. And looking at Dea I knew that there was no one I would rather have done it with, and no one I would rather be celebrating below a road in subzero temperatures with, than her.
We arose the next morning keen to ride the final few kilometres into Mori. Even though I had technically been around the world by bike and boats now it still felt like we had to make it to Mori. It had been our stated mission for over a month now, we'd made it kind of a big deal to get there, and getting back to the park which I had made my official start point was very important to me.
So you can imagine our dismay when, only two kilometres into our day, we came upon a police checkpoint. Once again we were told to go inside and hand over our passports, and once again we were made to wait for a very long time. After a lot of phone calls and a lot of looking at our passports, the message was once again passed to us that we would not be able to continue into Mori. I sighed. Why was this so hard? We were now only fifteen kilometres from the park, from the sculpture where I'd officially started, where I so badly wanted to get back to. But these policemen were serious, they weren't going to let us through.
We didn't back down. For one thing if we didn't get through here the only other way we could continue our cycle across China was to go all the way back to Urumqi and take another road further south, a 500 kilometre detour. But we had to get to Mori, we just had to. I showed them the address of the hotel that we planned to stay at, the one I'd stayed at three years ago. Do you have a reservation? they asked by translation. We did not, but a thought struck me. If Sunny was still there, and if we could get hold of her, maybe there was a chance she could help us. I asked the policeman to call the hotel and ask for Sunny. He tried, but it didn't work. Sunny was her English name, her Chinese name was different, whoever was answering the phone at the hotel didn't know who it was.
For over an hour we were in that police building, our passports on the policeman's desk, our bikes waiting outside, Mori fifteen kilometres away and a million miles out of reach. But we didn't give up. We called Claire, the English-speaking girl from the acupunctue centre in Urumqi, and asked her to call the hotel for us and explain the situation. She did that for us. People were still being so nice, so good to us. The drama continued, people asking questions, making phone calls. Then the senior policeman shouted out "Chris?" and I knew there was only one way he could know the shortening of my name. He passed me the phone.
It was her. We'd made contact. It was so good to hear her voice again. She remembered me so well.
"You told me you would come back, but I didn't believe it," she said, sounding, well, disbelieving.
We chatted for a little while, then I explained the situation, and asked if Sunny could talk with the policeman and try to convince him to allow us into Mori. She agreed to try.
Sunny and the policeman talked for a long time, mostly the policeman talked actually, then he hung up the phone. I couldn't really believe he did that, without passing it back to me to hear what he'd told Sunny. But some time later Sunny was back on the phone, and this time I got to talk to her. "He says you can come to Mori, but you have to come by bus. He says you can come by bus, or you can go back home to your own country. I'm sorry. It's the only way."
This was not what I had been hoping to hear. I couldn't do it. I couldn't come all this way around the world and then take a bus to the finish line. I simply could not take a bus into Mori. We would have to go back. I thanked Sunny for her help and said goodbye. It was so sad. We were not going to get our reunion after all.
I went to hang up the phone, but the policeman grabbed it from me just before I could. He spoke to Sunny again for a few moments. Dea and I looked at each other. We knew this was it. The gig was up. We wouldn't go to Mori on a bus, it would be just too tragic. We'd go back, at least as far as Qitai, where we'd try and work out what to do next. We'd given it our best shot. We'd given it all we had to get to Mori, but we had to face it, it just wasn't going to happen.
The policeman hung up the phone again, and handed us back our passports. "Go Mori," he said.
"Go Mori."
"By bicycle."
"Yes, yes. Go Mori."
We were in shock. We did not know what had just happened. The policeman seemed to have had a completely inexplicable 180 degree change of heart. There was no explanation for it, but we didn't hang around to hear one. We vaulted onto our bicycles and started pedalling towards Mori as fast as we could.
It felt like one final miracle. This was just meant to be. It really was. It had started to snow gently but that didn't matter. We just pedalled and pedalled. A police car came up behind us, lights flashing, and I held my breath, but it zoomed straight past us. I just kept going, kept turning the pedals, moving forwards. I wasn't going to give this up now. The town of Mori came into view. After 46,000 kilometres there it was again at long, long last. We crossed a bridge and were in the town, suddenly on a busy main road. The park was still a few kilometres away, and there seemed to be police cars everywhere. One of them kept slowing down next to us. Please don't stop us, please don't stop us now! I saw a policeman taking a photo of me through the car window, but it sped away. Our route was clear. On and on through the town we went, Sigor Ros in my ears again, and then, finally, there it was, the sculpture I recognised, my start and finish line, the park, there it was! And it was blocked off, surrounded by a fence topped with razor wire. Sigh.
We called Sunny. Her hotel was just around the corner and she was with us within a couple of minutes. I gave her a hug, so pleased to see her again, and so very grateful for all of her help to make it here. "Can we go into the park?" we asked her.
I was so close to the finish line, so very close.
"Not with the bikes. Pedestrians, yes."
"That's okay! We'll leave the bikes here."
"Okay, let's go."
And Sunny led us in through a security gate, past a guard, into the completely deserted park. We walked over to the sculpture, to the place where three years and four months and six days earlier Sunny had taken a photograph of me and my bike. My bike hadn't quite made it back (nice try, bike), but that was alright, I had someone much more special (sorry bike) to hold this time. Sunny took a photo of Dea and me, and Mission To Mori was complete. My journey around the world by bicycle and boats could finally be deemed a 100% complete success.
The three of us walked to Sunny's hotel where we sat and talked. She was such a sweet girl, she really was. I showed her a copy of No Wrong Turns, and pointed out the bit with her, when I'd been in Mori the first time. "This is amazing!" she said, almost crying. "I can't believe this. I can't believe you came back."
I told her that she could keep the book and it seemed to make her so very happy. She asked us both to sign it, and helped us come up with Chinese names so that we could do it in Chinese (my Chinese name translates into English as King Travel, while Dea's is Queen of Elightenment and Elegance). And this really was what it was all about. Achieving my goal of cycling around the world was great, sure, but here was what really mattered, the way it brought us together with people, allowed us to make friends and just make such special connections with people.
"I am so touched by this, I almost cry," Sunny said. "I think this is one of the best days of my life."
"Yes," Dea and I both smiled, "for us too."


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Tolkien letter to David Hicks
By Findegil
Tolkien letter to David Hicks
Feb 14, 2012
A typed letter signed by Tolkien, 12 January 1966, to David Hicks, London, is being offered for sale by University Archives for $3,900. 1 p., emboss-stamped as from 76 Sandfield Road, Oxford. The letter is reproduced on the dealer's website.
Wayne & Christina
Wayne & Christina


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Situated in a small village surrounded by the forest and the mountains of the Pyrenees, the RESIDENCE and the HOTEL LES MARQUISES are ideal for relaxation, but as well a perfect starting point to discover the region and its attractions.
From here you have access to the most beautiful sites of the Pyrenean Mountains or even Spain.
Hiking, Rafting, Mountain Biking are just some of the possible sport activities.
Pilgrims to the sanctuary of Lourdes (3km) will find it restful and affordable.


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6335 Portland Ave
Richfield, MN 55423
Richfield Reviews by Kerry Galbraith
As the snow melts and the weather gets warmer, I, like many Minnesotans, start to look outdoors for something to do. If you can relate, I'd highly recommend taking a stroll on the lovely paved paths of Veterans Memorial Park in Richfield. The park was quiet and serene on a Wednesday morning despite the unseasonably warm weather.
The park is home to Richfield's largest playground facility, which was in great shape despite the muddy spring conditions. Veterans Memorial Park is also home to several special events including the Richfield 4th of July Celebration, Urban Wildland Half Marathon/5k, and the Richfield Farmer's Market. Come summer, this park will be the perfect spot to enjoy the outdoor picnic pavilion, the outdoor pool, and the Adventure Gardens Mini-Golf & Malt Shop! The picnic shelter is available to rent in the summer and would be a perfect spot for a birthday party or family reunion.
Upon entering the park, it's hard to miss the beautiful All Veterans Memorial. From there, you can take the paved path that winds through marshland and passes by a partially frozen lake. Geese, ducks and redwing black birds have taken up residence in the marshy areas along the path. Whether you're biking, running or just taking a leisurely stroll, these paved paths provide the ideal setting. Benches line the paths for those who want to sit and take in the natural surroundings.
Though spring is just starting to creep in and there isn't much green yet, this park was still a lovely and serene place to spend my Wednesday morning. I can't wait to stop back in a few months and see the explosion of color and activity that is sure to come.
About Richfield Reviews
Richfield Reviews is your number one resource for learning firsthand what to expect from the local businesses before you visit them. We are real people giving you an honest and unbiased opinion about the atmosphere, products, staff, and much more. Learn more today about local restaurants, bars, grocery stores and much more by checking out the Richfield Reviews!
About The Author
This edition of the Richfield Reviews has been prepared by Kerry Galbraith. It is important to note that the author is not a professional critic, but just an average person telling readers about her experience at these facilities. These reviews are also not meant to be harsh critiques, but simply to let readers know what to expect upon their visit.


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Dance Class with Sue B. Dance Company
DSALA and Onstage Workshop are teaming up to present a monthly dance class and social for teens, ages 12 to 19.
The class will include an introduction to dance instruction, and will end with a free form dance party complete with music. Students benefit from learning not only fun dance moves, but also further developing the social and discipline skills that come along as an ancillary benefit of the dance process.
Fee: $15 per single class or $36 per session
Session 1
Saturday, February 16, 2019
Saturday, March 16, 2019
Saturday, April 20, 2019
Session 2
Saturday, May 18, 2019
Saturday, June 15, 2019
Saturday, July 20, 2019
Session 3
Saturday, August 17, 2019
Saturday, September 21, 2019
Saturday, October 19, 2019
To register complete the Hip Hop Dance Class Student Information.
Payment will be accepted on-site only!