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This was the final session in this period.
Both the player and I were a match (in my opinion) but we had different expectations. I have, I suppose, a narrow set of requirements that exclude certain roleplayer types that I perceive as an inherent danger to the healh of my marriage, my patience, or both.
The player wanted to expand the number of people, which was fine but I was not comfortable with entertaining multiple people I didn't know whom my wife might have issues with.
Ultimately it did not work out.
I've learned to allow a natural progression towards meeting and vetting gamers and I am now unwilling to push that as it results each and every time in a no win situation for all involved.
Here are the notes for the final session:
1.0 Brief Notes/Recap
Archire and party are now camping a small ways south of Dönus. Jenner has investigated the town and the party has decided to try and move around it.
Jenner came away with some papers. Not important at the moment, I just made it up but it's a hook later on if I want to use it for something.
Also, Fenrid, Archire and Jenner observed what was a combination of three patrols collectively enter then leave the town.
Also, Jenner has one of the Drow amulets now and Felonius and Archire have the rings of communication.
2.0 Overview
Karthin political situation and geography as it relates to this current scenario:
Near as I can tell from old notes, there is some sort of rebellion in Karthin. The border between Samarita (north of Karthin itself) has been closed. Apparently the party started north of the floating city of Samarita (Fenrid was never involved) journeyed south to the city and then south again to the border, whereupon the finally moved in to Vega, which is just south of the border.
According to my political map Vassilisa, where Archire (Tom) is headed is the southern most point of Karthin (Athenea).
The Circle was involved, an elaborate ruse by rebels against the Samaritan church and the Lorn church. There was a comment that a coup was going to take place in one file so I am assuming this is leading up to that with Ean Demmersling eventually conquering all and becoming the new High Lord - which I also believe is another case of a caretaker kind of thing.
Hmmm…looks like the coup happened and that IIRC their are armys from all the family houses sitting around Karthin (the city) but no overt action has been taken yet.
Well…found family note file. Nevermind it was there all along! Seems the coup had already happened when the old party intially started. So, events as mentioned above have been a direct result of this and all the house politicking.
According to the file, the families have war bands around Vassilisa, NOT Karthin! So, when the party actually arrives here they will be facing the fallout. I started Archire in November and this is actually the time frame of the last party so it all works out. Karthin will be in the midst of chaos when Archire arrives.
There is actual fighting inside Vassilisa for control, but this consists not of soldiers and fighting men but of servants, courtiers, lords and ladies as well as retainers and common folk. By law and family tradition no family/house army is allowed within a 10 mile radius of Vassilisa. That would include single or groups of soldiers. So, the fighting is being done with sharp and blunt objects being handled by untrained (or relatively untrained) people.
Note as well, that the document states that Conal Ward served Locke Corithsin. His sons served Larn and Cain Corithsin and supervised the building of the Wall of Larn (note, no longer the wall of Dayorr Corithsin).
I detail the above because sooner or later Archire will walk into this situation and I need to have the events sorted out.
Previous notes:
A word on the Jarhwahld: I am turning the clans into Viking (Nordic) types. It seems to fit better with the terrain. Hence all clan names will change and chiefs will have more Scandinavian sounding names. Kalkor remains the same. Although, now he is a fierce (and fearsome) Nordic type warrior. All the barbarians here are thusly equipped with axes, bows, spears and wear furs, leggings, etc.
Clans: Isulf • Helgi • Thidrandi • Anakol • Sigvat • Thorald • Ingjald • Mord • Asgeir • Isulf • Gunnisson • Unnulf. Twelve clans, all descended from their original chiefs with those names. In the case of Gunnison, descended from the son of Gunnis. Kalkor is of Clan Isulf, which is the ruling clan.
Note that the clans are treated as Scottish clans for the purpose of property. That is, the clan chief owns the territory and his clansmen work it. This is divergent from old Scandinavian clans whereby the territory was owned by the individual.
The Black Mountains are the home of Shann, who is a distant cousin of Kalkor Shann's territory (the Black Mountains) is under clan Isulf (the clann Shann was born into). Shann is a somewhat more of a thinker and less barbaric than Kalkor but that tends to be because the lands his clan lives in are far less forgiving of stupidity than those Kalkor lives in.
Shann descends from Önde who was given the Black Mountains to settle about 1000 years ago. Dönus (pronounced Due-nus) is their capital city (a large village really) that sits in a small valley within the pass that goes through the mountains. Dönus holds about 5000 people and is a fortified village using the natural cliffs of the area and the rock available. A large stream feeds the village from a sharp waterfall that overlooks the village.
Dönus is empty of warriors nearly all the time, except for reserves. These men are either always on patrols, hunting, gathering or fortifying positions elsewhere in the mountains. Shann's men have a number of hides, towers, caves and tunnels at their disposal for various uses. The rest of the village is home to the old (women are equal in clan society and serve as warriors), reserves and crafters. By crafters I mean those people whom make the items and goods the tribe needs. There is very limited farming and only on small plots inside the village. The clans tend to be a hunter/gatherer society.
Given the remoteness of the mountains, Shann's ancestors decided that it was an acceptable risk to allow some of their worgs into the wild. Over time large populations of them have grown and it is one of the marks of the clan warriors (as in other places) manhood to capture and tame their own worg mount.
Consequently, it will not be inappropriate for Tom to run into worg packs. Depending, Tom and the party may also run into clan patrols that are either patroling or hunting (either worgs or game).
Other things Tom and the party may run into could be one of these towers, hides or tunnels I indicated earlier. This could be used either as a safety or an encounter.
Some variables: If the party is captured whole they will be brought to Shann, who will bundle them up and have his men take them to Kalkor simply because there are magic users in the group. If only part of the party is captured but the clans do not realize there are more members, the same above will happen. If the clans do realize there are more members they will be hunted until all are collected and then sent to Kalkor. If the party captures clansmen there's really nothing they offer information wise that the party might be seeking. Shann himself has only provided men to work with the shadowy figures Kalkor has allied with - beyond the ones normally assigned to occupy and defend the Black Tower. The common clan warrior knows nothing about any of this and the party itself has zero idea about any of it (and it's doubtful it would hold any meaning to them at this time even if they did know).
Damanes. It is possible that Tom may run across a damane. If the opportunity presents itself and it fits, use a damane. Otherwise, these are rarely encountered. Those Shann may have are lesser damanes as Kalkor has demanded and received the best from all of the clans.
Final note. I am expecting some encounters with clansmen and their worgs. I am not expecting Tom to reach the Black Gate. Perhaps next week.
Further I am not expecting any diversions to the watch tower but should that happen the area is thick with barbarians. The drow and thanes will not be encountered just yet. However, the party would have to get through the thick of things just to find out what is going on. There's absolutely no reason save curiosity (they can't even see the tower, all they see is that the path forks) as to why they would be here.
However, stranger things have happened.
3.0 Scenario
Tom pointed out that if a party is avoiding a confrontation it's a good sign that they think they are underpowered. Something I'd not ever considered. Very useful.
Once again, I have stalled things. It shouldn't take four or five sessions to move through a pass. So, I am going to not delay at getting the party into the Jahrwahld proper any longer.
Tonights's session will open up with an attack in-force at night (four worgs, ten warriors, two damanes (with their slaves). There will be some warning, but the clansmen with worgs and damanes will be on them. The intent is to have the party fighting defensively, but it will not last too long.
Coming to their rescue will be a 12 man force of the HomeGuarde with a cleric of Athena. This force will push into the clansmen (who will know who and what they are).
I want to separate Tulla, Alshain and Tora from the main group. They are dead weight and I forget all about them in combat. That leaves my main group of Cyrill, Felonius, Fenrid, Jenner and Archire. Cyrill will be going as well, but that's later.
The HomeGuarde will quickly drive off the clansmen, but not before they take Tulla, Alshain and Tora with them.
The rest of the party is left face to face with the HomeGuarde.
The leader here is Ariadna Donkova. She is apx. 50yrs old and is a battle hardened veteran (10th level fighter). The cleric is Taras Oistrakh, 60 yrs old (12th level cleric). Ariadna's second in command is Taras Tsarev (35, 7th level fighter).
Ariadna will attempt to communicate with the party. Time is short, there will be reinforcements soon. She will tell them to follow her if they wish to remain alive. Cyrill will object (he's missing three people) but will go along.
The party can understand Ariadna. Her speech is stilted with many 'thees' and 'thoughs', 'shalts' and similare archaic language. It's a much older form of Common, but again - understandable.
Since Ariadna and her men are not fighting them the party might be inclined to go along. As I don't know what Archire's actions will be I assume he will.
In any case, whether he does not and runs away to track the party or does go along he will hear the same info as the rest (they WILL go along). The party will be led to a secluded safe area that the HG has been operating from.
Ariadne will also have questions. She wants to know what the party is doing her. No one has used the pass in generations. Felonius will do the speaking and all he reveals is a holy quest to reach Vassilisa.
The party will find out about the clans, the Jahrwahld, the damanes, Athena, the HomeGuarde, Karthin, Vassilissa and any other non-security type questions they may have.
Ariadne's concern will be that the party may have information useful to the HG. Delivery of the party to her superiors outside Bierwood (69-P, V15) will be her focus. So, she will offer to give the party two men who can lead them there and from there they can negotiate getting to Vassilissa.
Cyrill will take Ariadne up on this, but he does not wish to leave without the rest of the party members. A deal is worked out where Ariadne will help him get them back while the rest travel on. That will remove Cyrill from the party. So, now I have Fenrid, Felonius, Archire and Jenner. Cyrill, with the assistance of Ariadne (whom he will befriend (he has that character trait) will ultimately catch up to the party at Letheryn. Whether he will have the other party members with him I have yet to determine.
The two nameless HG men will easily guide the party to Bierwood. This will get them quickly past the Black Gate and into the Jahrwahld. Only prominent landmarks should be noted in this passing.
Bierwood: This city is in the holdings of Clan Helgi. Jahn Helgi is the current chief and he and Kalkor have a mutual hatred for each other. Jahn, however, is careful not to overstep his fealties.
The party will not be speaking to Jahn or anyone from Clan Helgi or the city. They will be taken directly to Irinei Romanov (no relation to the Romananov house). The HG maintains an armed fortress to the east of Bierwood, once of the facilities that is transparent to the clans. One of the armsmen with the party will deliver a note to Irinei.
The note basically states (the party does not know this) the circumstances of the party's appearance as well as the results of Ariadne's questions.
Holy quests are the domain of clerics and wise men, far above Irinei's paygrade. Other than capturing magicals he wants nothing to do with this. So, he will make the party a deal. He will give them escort through the HG 'ways' to a fort just outside the Shattered Lands (Dekmar). He will also give them a map detailing the correct path through the Shattered Lands. But once the party arrives (if it does) they must find and present themselves to Aegmarn of Letheryn. Letheryn is an abbey of Athena some 20 miles outside of Vassilissa. Aegmarn can deal with this. If the party will not agree then Irinei will have no choice but to take them to Aegmarn in chains. If the party does agree, but does not present themselves to Aegmarn within two months they will be declared hostile and their lives forefeit.
Irinei will send Aegmarn a note to expect them.
Note that there is no portal, no method of transport hither and yon from the Jahrwahld to Karthin proper. The HomeGuard itself must take the same paths through the Shattered Lands whenever they wish to come and go. Irinei is just refusing to spare the men beyond Dekmar.
If there is enough time we will play out the arrival at the fort at Dekmar.
For next time, this will be where Lucian and Caitlyn, Shane and Sia make their appearance.
Last note. Letheryn is where certain other answers about the situation in Karthin will be given and where the party will encounter Steuben and Adam. Steuben has been busy getting Adam down through Samarita to Vassilisa. Steuben will NOT be staying. His job at that point will be finished. Up to Felonius and Fenrid to figure out how to utilize Adam. And that will have to be done inside Vassilissa itself at the main church there. Vassilissa, which is currenty surrounded by various armies!
3.1 Descriptions
3.1.1 See
3.1.2 Hear
3.1.3 Feel (Touch)
Feel (Touch)
3.1.4 Smell
3.1.5 Taste(If Applicable)
Taste (If Applicable)
3.2 Contingency Plans
Contingency Plans. Design scenarios with alternate paths to success, alternate outcomes. Do NOT predestine characters or make assumptions of success, where failure will result in the failure of the scenario. Do not base outcomes on the success or failure of any one character (see above sentence). Make escape/rescue plans that do not appear contrived. Give the characters a way OUT!
4.0 Conditionals
5.0 NPCs/Creatures & Treasures [Stats]
NPCs/Creatures & Treasures [Stats]
6.0 Characters and Interactions
Characters and Interactions
7.0 Notes & Record-keeping
Characters and Interactions


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Independent journalists have a heart and need to be heard
There are two indisputable facts in the Jamal Khashoggi disappearance trauma. He was seen entering and never leaving the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and there is no doubt that Saudi leaders did not like what Khashoggi was writing and saying in The Washington Post and other media outlets.
This means that the disappearance of Khashoggi is related directly to his professional journalistic work and not to any political activism or rebellious efforts or even a particular ideological affiliation.
While governments, political leaders and even media organisations are trying to get to the bottom of this story and hold those responsible accountable, there is an equally important issue that must be addressed immediately.
Someone or more than one person must be given a chance to fill the gap that is now empty in the absence of Khashoggi and his important work of telling a different side of the story.
Strengthening independent journalism must be given a much higher priority. While it is crucial that such effort is needed in various Arab countries, there is a parallel need to fill the pages of newspapers, like The Washington Post, with the same type of credible journalistic opinions based on facts that are aimed at constructive criticism.
Some would argue that what we need is a revolutionary talk and a total rejection of the current autocratic rule in the Arab world. That is maybe important, but from our most recent experience with the Arab Spring unless such ideas are well thought out and properly planned, this can often represent a setback rather than a step forward.
Saudi authorities have many bombastic opponents around the world but the one that bothered them the most was the moderate voice of a professional journalist who is patriotic, yet, wanting a gradual change to a more accountable government, less reckless wars outside of the Kingdom and a respect for dissident voices.
Therefore, what we need is not a bombastic revolutionary talk as much as level headed realistic prose which speaks to the reality on the ground with the aim of moving it in the right direction.
International and regional media outlets should take a proactive effort to recruit and give space to independent Arab journalists who will apply rigorous professional standards in their writings.
One way of doing that can be creating content networking efforts. Cyber companies who have managed to win over the majority of humankind as their audience can play a great role in giving such voices airtime and space. Syndicate efforts, such as Project Syndicate, can also be put to work to propagate and give space to new ideas and original Saudi and Arab writers.
By giving space and airtime to independent Arab thinkers and writers, media outlets (both analogue and digital) around the world would be able to respond in a much more effective manner than simply curse the darkness.
An enlightening tsunami can do more to shake up autocratic rule than any political action or economic sanctions.
A serious effort giving space to independent Arab journalists will also have a critical side effect. It would ensure that any anti-freedom forces think twice and thrice before carrying efforts of silencing opposing views.
The disappearance of Khashoggi was clearly an attack against free press and independent journalism. This development can be an amazing opportunity to give voice to the voiceless and ensure that the voice of independent journalism will rise above and beyond attempts of world leaders to call independent journalism the enemy of the people and to falsely call professional content fake news.
Anyone that is serious about responding to this act will make a major contribution to an Arab awakening that exists just below the surface. This awakening is seen daily on alternative media, social media and on mobile WhatsApp groups. The majority of the Arab world today is young and wired and are eager to shed the past by looking to a future of freedom equality and democracy. Giving their voices space and time will unite the forces of good against those wishing to silence honest journalists.

subset: commoncrawl


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SAVE THIS DATE – Saturday, February 27th, 10 AM to 12 Noon.
Author Teri Pinney will be signing her book "The Missing Heart" at the Fort Pierce Library located at the marina. The sub-title of this book is "Chronicles of an Educator" and it is truly an eye-opener! Although the book is presented as fiction, look deeper and you will be able to see that this is the ugly truth about much of what happens in the all too often disfunctional school systems. Sad to think incidents such as those recounted in the book occur – but they do! A life time teacher herself, Pinney has now decided to do something to right the wrongs that exist in the system – she is running for the Saint Lucie School Board, Pinney deserves our applause for being a person who genuinely cares about the education of children.
Whether or not you have school age children, you should stop by the library Saturday morning and meet Teri; and by all means read the book!


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Mind the Gap focusses on action and positive change. Gender and diversity are central to our work globally in conflict management, ecological restoration (mainly in Africa and in arid lands), and change management for organisations and local groups.
We facilitate the development of community partnerships and run frequent seminars and coaching on project management, leadership and personal development.


text:
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The AUD/USD had some big moves in 2013. This volatility created many opportunities for Forex traders.
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The sheer size and liquidity of the Forex market means that someone's always buying what you're selling, and vice versa. Whether it's tea time or high noon, traders around the world never stop trading foreign currencies. This means you'll never be in a position where you can't exit a trade and close the position.
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US soccer aims to extend firsts tend at Jamaica
It's been a year of firsts for the Jurgen Klinsmann and the U.S. national team.
There was the first win over Italy, after 78 years of trying. And then the first U.S. win at Mexico, 75 years after initially venturing down to play their neighbors to the south.
On Friday night, the U.S. plays a World Cup qualifying match at Jamaica. And while the Americans have never lost to the Reggae Boyz, they also have never won a World Cup qualifier in Kingston, tying on four previous trips.
Klinsmann says the Americans should be confident. The team wants "to prove that we can get things done the right way."
The home-and-home series with Jamaica moves to Columbus, Ohio, on Sept. 11.


text: Business process models provide a 10,000 foot view of your business and help you to see the big picture from a process standpoint. You get a feel for the ebb and flow, the bottlenecks and the dead ends in your business. And you gain insight into the pathway to greater predictability, stability and efficiency. Some companies spend a lot of money buying business process modeling tools that create nice documentation but don't actually do anything. One of the things I like about Magic Software's iBOLT Integration Platform for JD Edwards (JDE) connectivity is that it gives me the ability to document my J.D. Edwards World or J.D. Edwards EnterpriseOne business processes from end-to-end - including (and especially) the applications and human workflow processes that take place outside JDE. In fact, JDE can take care of itself - I don't see as much need to document its processes. But it is in fact the processes outside of JDE that I really want to think about as this affects the efficiency of my business in innumerable ways. Since nearly everything ends up in JDE at one point or another, the efficiency of the integration and interaction is a key to business agility. Magic Software Enterprises provides a Business Process Editor with iBOLT for JD Edwards that provides business process modeling capabilities that include business functions or activities, business rules, resources, and performance measurement. The difference is that these business process models help me to identify the flows in my business that really do something. iBOLT for JD Edwards provides intuitive editing facilities that help you capture and maintain business-process knowledge and accurately reflect current business goals in the iBOLT for JD Edwards Editor's Business Process View. A business process is a graphical representation of business activities that represents the integration project from the organization's business perspective. The business process design helps you understand the business needs behind your integration project and how to relate these to the integration flows that should implement the business process activity. By the way, while the use of this editor is completely optional from a technical standpoint, from a business standpoint I consider it mandatory. And of course the models, the flows, the topology and all of the associated information with them can be used in documentation tools where I can begin adding written descriptions as a base for documentation of processes. This documentation is key to survivability and compliance. It is quite useful for auditors and essential to business process recovery efforts. The weakest link in any business process is the one person who understands it. So if you want to integrate your JDE using iBOLT for JD Edwards, don't forget the 10,000 foot view. From the big picture we can control the strategy of our business and as we extend into the details of our business, we improve the tactics.


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You've been lied to. How do I know? Because I was lied to as well and now I know better. I'm here to tell you the truth. You ready for this?
A "healthy lifestyle" does not consist of a specific set of rules done every day.
Don't get me wrong. Consistency to the same actions build habits and that's what we want in the longterm. BUT, the lie that discourages people like you and me is the illusion that we shouldn't be falling and failing after a certain time. How many times have I said "I'm a trainer for goodness sake! I should be able to turn down a freaking brownie!" or "I know ALL of the right things to do, yet I have gained 5 pounds? What's wrong with me?!" Have you said similar things? I'm guessing you have! Not because I'm guessing that you're a failure. It's because I'm guessing that you are HUMAN and growing and changing is part of a cycle, a journey and it includes failures…yes, even when you're a trainer.
I could write a really long post and go into the details of all of this, but I'm going to save some for later. The most successful people in the world, your healthy lifestyle role models, you know how they do it? They bounce back fast! If they have an obstacle, they bust through it. If they make a bad choice, they decide that the choice doesn't line up with who they are meant to be so they decide to choose differently the next time. If they get sick, have an injury, have a huge life changing event or they get down, they find a new way. Their old way may not work any more. They might have to develop new habits, but being healthy is a part of their identity so they find a new way to make it work.
So, if you're in a place where you have failed and you are stuck there, or you if you have found yourself in a place where you need to "begin again," and you need to figure out the best first steps to do it, I have a short "guide" for you. I hope it can encourage your heart, encourage the person inside of that skin to get up and get at it…again.
You can download it for free here bit.ly/411onthe101. I will follow it up with a few accountability emails. You can always connect with me on Facebook. I'd LOVE to help you walk through this new step forward. No more believing the lies of perfection and start embracing the process of change.More


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Many people enjoy shopping online, while others hate it. The haters just don't know what they're doing. Anyone who loves it can still learn more about getting the biggest rewards. The following article will be of help to those who want to save money while shopping online.
Check for promotion codes before you shop online. Online stores love providing discounts, and a simple search can help you find them. All you have to do to find an excellent discount is simply type the store's name and coupon. This is a great way to save money when you shop online.
Be careful purchasing an item from a retailer that is not familiar to you. You need to look out for signs like Cybertrust and Verisign so you can ensure retailer credibility.
If you shop online, always use a computer that has a secure Internet connection, preferably in your own home. Hackers scour Wi-Fi networks and public locations to look for potential victims, so avoid using them when shopping.
Online stores usually post product information that can help you make wise purchasing decisions. Reading through reviews written by people that have used the product can help you to make an informed decision. This is especially useful considering how many choices are available online for certain things.
If you frequently shop online, consider registering for services that offer free shipping. These services often provide a list of partner stores, and may even offer a free trial period you can use to try out the service and determine if it is worth it. Look at several different providers until you find the one you like best.
Try to shop with a retailer online that offers live support if you can. This will allow you to get questions answered in real time. Depending on what company you are dealing with, you might be able to ask about free shipping and other discounts. There are those willing to provide such benefits if you agree to place an order right away.
One of the joys of buying off the Internet is that you should never have to pay the full retail cost. Retailers often stick to a schedule when they advertise sale items. As long as you know when they're due, you can save a ton off the regular price. There's a lot of money to be saved if you can put off your purchases a while.
Look for digital coupons before you purchase anything. Many sites provide useable codes for lots of shopping sites. If you're not able to locate a coupon code for something on these sites, simply search using a search engine for the product's name plus "coupon codes". There may be something to find out there.
After reading this article you will know how to get the best deal on your online purchases. Sometimes you just need to use online fish suppy shopping because the item isn't available in your area. Now you can enjoy saving lots of money by shopping online.


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Earlier this week, we pointed to Brian Holmes' article on the troubling set of circumstances around artist Wafaa Bilal's latest work, Virtual Jihadi. As the situation has evolved, as has the public outcry from artist communities, we offer a round-up of resources on the subject.
Wafaa Bilal's "Virtual Jihadi" exhibit at RPI -- freeculture wiki
Coverage from Regine DeBatty of We Make Money Not Art
Coverage and discussion on Inside Higher Ed and GamePolitics.com
Call for letter-writing support by Ryan Griffis on Rhizome
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Do take the time to read some or all of them. The whole point of these efforts is to allow bloggers to showcase their writing and to help readers of this blog find other boating blogs of which they may have been previously unaware.
So get clicking...
Captain JP wins the prize for most entries, all related to his recent sailing trip in the Med...
- Bareboat Sailing with Sunsail in the Greek Aegean - "in general very happy with the package and would be happy to sail with them again."
- Sailing with Navionics iPhone Charts - "there was something on the paper charts which might have been a reef or it might have been a smudge due to a retsina spill, but which was it? Out with the iPhone, couple of drags and zooms, and yup it's a smudge!"
- Orei - "best bit: the marble bull so if that doesn't float your boat go elsewhere."
- Koukounaries - "best bit: the peace and quiet in the evening after the day trippers have gone."
- Steni Vala - "there really isn't much there."
- Skopelos Town - "best bit: the view from the bar."
- Pigadhi - "a winding down, tomorrow's the last day sort of place."
- Boil-in-the-bag - the pros and cons of wetsuits in summer - "some of us don't look that hot in rubber."
- Start racing - "racing a boat gives you objectives both in terms of where you point the boat and how to control the speed and direction of the boat through steering, trim and sail controls."
Timmynocky submitted Chepstow and District Yacht Club's 60th Annual Regatta - "Some boy racers (Jack?) were either taking it all too seriously or were worried that the beer might run out before they got back."
Sam Chapin wrote an unusual piece entitled Real View Four Tiller Man but it now seems to have disappeared from his blog. I can't think why.
Carol Anne wrote a review of the cult sailing movie Pirates of the White Sands - "the best 14 minutes you'll ever spend."
Bonnie wrote a Review of a New Sailing Blog! - "K and I have decided to sail an open 14 foot sailboat across the Pacific Ocean from California to Japan."
Steve Bodner educated us about the Z question - "To Z or not to Z? That is Z question."
Smilicus of Sailing Catch 22 opined on various online sources of sailing news in News Review - "Yachts & Yachting: a true Sailing News Site with Reports on regattas and other news of sailing right over the globe."
Adam of Messing About in Sailboats reviewed some Summer Reading - "Tillerman had a great idea. He has a lot of them actually." (Oops. How did that quote get selected?)
Yarg scared the bejeezuz out of us with Whitewater Rafting – The Out-of-Raft Experience - "I suggest to the guide that perhaps 360s should be limited to a horizontal plane."
Greg had a book review We the Navigators - The Ancient Art of Landfinding in the Pacific - "the book does an excellent job... of detailing how the indigenous sailors of the Pacific use only the things they can see to determine where to find land."
Tweezerman wrote a review of the magazine Practical Sailor - "the only thing they don't do well is give me a heads up on what items will be on sale at the Annapolis Sailboat Show."
Thomas Armstrong submitted a review of Nic Compton's biography of IainOughtred, A Life in Wooden Boats with some superb pictures of aforementioned wooden boats.
Some of my favorite reviews were from three "guest bloggers", writers without their own blogs who sent me reviews via email.
- O'Docker - Blog Commenting For Dummies - "just copy a comment from the CD and paste it into the comments page of your favorite blog. What could be easier?"
- Tobias - My Review of 50 Summers - "my life is full, my family loves boats, and we live in a sailing town. This review is definitely good."
- Jacob - GizmoTube© Review - "this review was intended to be unbiased; but after a few Dark and Stormys, provided by the manufacturer, I am not so sure anymore."
And last but not least (but actually a tad late) Zen wrote a review of his local boating consignment shop the Blue Pelican - "I found out their trick. They have even more stuff stashed behind stuff."
Oh, and I almost forgot, I wrote three pretty lame reviews myself...
- Jay Livingston's Laser Warm Up Routine - "Two thumbs up."
- Osprey Sea Kayak Adventures - "I will now write a review of something about which I know nothing: kayaking."
- Sailing World - "I'm certainly not going to renew my subscription this year."


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All parties for and against SAITM appear to be pursuing their own vested interests and attempting to score political brownie points, and statements are constantly made by parties that DO NOT MAKE any logical sense, by either party, so that when it comes to the debate and argument amongst citizens they are pontificating about this from THEIR UNDERSTANDING which they believe is right, and that is due to confusing reports by each side, all aimed at confusing, and not CLARITY of each parties' point of veiw regarding it.
Added to all this at a press conference JUST held with Media Heads, the President has added a further confusing set of statement by speaking in tongues like some kid of saint or holy man, in language that the listener DOES NOT KNOW how to interpret, and like religion, depending on your interpretation of the statement come to conclusions.
The latest salvo is that SAITM is to be listed on the CSE, when last we heard it was going to be taken over by the State to run under the AEGIS of the Government without being a burden on the Government. These kinds of confusing interpretations, meant to clarify are actually adding to the conflicting interpretations, and the public being none the wiser are now being treated to a pigs breakfast of UNTRUTHS!
So lets merely consider the statement of a PUBLIC LISTING of SAITM. If it is a Privatization of the Neville Fernando Hospital then it is straight forward. This is going to be the FIRST listed educational institution in Sri Lanka. So just as the first private medical college that charged fees has cause NO END OF CONFUSION, the SAME WILL HOLD for the listing, of the whole Institution including the Medical School which is JUST ONE PART of SAITM.
The same allegations can then be made if not more! As with a listing, the whole OBJECTIVE of the management is to maximize the return on Investment to the shareholders, and unlike an institution owned by one person, the profit motive is the total basis on which all management decisions will be made.
So if Private Hospitals are OK to run at a profit, and we know the many problems therein, due to unregulated pricing in a system where often, patients making life and death emergency decisions about their loved ones do not really have a choice, then here too there will be no guarantee of standards being met if profit is the overall objective. In terms of regulation, it is fraight with danger, as the state has little experience and knowledge in doing this right. It depends on who is given the task of regulating, and what their motivations are!
It must be remembered that most of the Medicine Practiced in the USA is of what they call NOT FOR PROFIT INSTITUTIONS that do not put shareholder returns at the top, but who try to ensure charges are made so that the institution is able to continue in operation. There is a HUGE difference if those hospital corporations are listed!
All this detracts from the main purpose of say, the Medical School @ SAITM. I believe it should be to provide the BEST possible academic instruction of ANY institution in Sri Lanka for the teaching of Medicine, bar NONE! As students pay a high fee, they can then pay for the best teachers, many of whom are moonlighting from State Sector, and instead giving of their best @ SAITM because they are PAID TO DO SO, and if they are not good they will be fired. At the state Medical Schools, even hopelessly inadequate academic staff can continue in service as NO ONE takes the firm decisions to remove, incompetent faculty.
The single most important argument for SAITM MUST BE that they actually provide a BETTER education than ANY state faculty, and at present as the teaching faculty at SAITM is better than any state medical school, the ONLY area which is used to belittle the quality is the lack of patients of ALL types of illnesses at the Neville Fernando Hospital in order to get the needed training in practical areas of medicine. That is merely a short term issue that can easily be overcome, and appears soon that Avissawella and other state hospitals can be used to provide the needed practical training to ensure they lack for NOTHING.
As can be seen, the detractors and protaganists are losing the wood from the trees, and need to re-focus on the objective of training the best doctors we can possibly train, both in state and in private and semi-private (KDU for example) institutions. If our only objective is to produce the most competent doctors, then we in Sri Lanka have nothing to worry about or care where they come from.
Frankly, due to the insistence on denigrating the skills of the foreign university qualified doctors, they are actually the most fortunate as they get sent to rural hospitals that Sri Lanka qualified state qualified doctors refuse to be assigned to. You only have to go to Trincomalee hospital to realize that most of the doctors are foreign qualified getting their training there, and one wonders where the Sri Lankan qualified ones have gone to!
Perhaps overseas with their free SL education, but I digress from the main intention of this essay to raise the readers awareness on the real issues we face as regards who or what is the BEST institution to get a Medical Education and why we think so with proof of that assumption, rather than let emotion get in the way of making a level headed analysis of each to come up with a fair assessment and for the user (patient) to then conclude who they would prefer to treat their illness in full knowledge.


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Several of the proposals were inspired by revelations that IRS employees improperly scrutinized several political groups seeking tax-exempt status. The bills would overhaul the IRS, cap spending on conferences and compensation at federal agencies and curb the regulatory powers of the Environmental Protection Agency and other agencies. Several of the proposals are expected to earn at least some Democratic support.
In an effort to build attention for this week's votes, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) used the Saturday morning Republican radio and Internet address to talk up the legislation. "These measures are a step in the right direction towards restoring trust with you -- the taxpayers," he said.
But a look at this week's scheduled votes in the the House and Senate shows that lawmakers completely failed to complete our suggested July to-do list, leaving several significant issues of concern unresolved until at least September.
With five days left on the legislative calendar before the break, there is still no agreement between the House and Senate on a long-delayed Farm Bill (current legislation expires Sept. 30); there is still no accord between congressional leaders and the White House on how to fund the federal government after Oct. 1; and both parties are already fighting over the next increase in the federal debt limit, which administration officials believe will be needed by October or November.
Will five weeks of separation do anything to help matters when Congress returns in September? Time will tell.
So what's the House doing this week?
The House begins debating and voting on the anti-abuse bills on Wednesday. Here's a review of the 11 bills:
1. Citizen Empowerment Act: This bill by Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-Kan.) would allow people to record telephone conversations with most federal employees. Current law only permits Americans to record conversations with Internal Revenue Service officials, and only after providing at least 10-day advance notice.
2. Government Employee Accountability Act: This proposal by Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) would allow federal agencies to place employees on unpaid leave if they are under investigation for certain serious offenses. The GOP-controlled House has passed similar legislation for the past two years, but it has been ignored by the Senate.
3. Government Customer Service Improvement Act: This bill by Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Tex.) would require the Obama administration to establish government-wide customer service standards, including target response times for phone calls, e-mails and benefits processing. The House passed a similar version last year, but it was never considered in the Senate despite enjoying bipartisan support.
4. Government Spending Accountability Act: Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-Tex.) hopes to place limits on non-military government travel spending and require detailed reports on conference spending by federal agencies. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee unanimously approved the proposal in March in response to several stories of lavish spending by federal agencies on employee conferences.
5. Common Sense in Compensation Act: Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) wants to prohibit any pay bonuses for federal employees for the rest of fiscal year 2013 and to cap bonuses at a maximum of 5 percent of salary through the end of fiscal 2015. Republicans have tried in vain since 2011 to put significant restrictions on federal worker pay, but the Senate has never agreed to do so.
6. STOP IRS Act: STOP stands for "Stop Targeting Our Politics" and the bill, sponsored by Rep. James Renacci (R-Ohio), would require the IRS to fire any employees "who take official actions for political purposes."
7. Stop Playing on Citizen's Cash Act: This proposal by Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Ill.) is in response to the IRS's high spending on employee conferences. The proposal puts a moratorium on IRS conference spending until the agency implements recommendations made by its inspector general.
8. Taxpayer Bill of Rights Act of 2013: This proposal, also by Roskam, would essentially codify a proposal already proposed by the IRS taxpayer advocate that would mandate better communication with and fairer treatment of U.S. taxpayers.
9. Energy Consumers Relief Act: Rep. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) wants to require the EPA to submit reports to Congress on the details of any new energy-related rule that would cost more than $1 billion. The measure also bars the EPA from finalizing any new regulation if the energy secretary and other relevant agencies determine that the new rule "would cause significant adverse effects to the economy."
10. Regulations From the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act: The REINS Act, sponsored by Rep. Todd Young (R-Ind.), would essentially give Congress final say on the implementation of new federal regulations. The measure would require that major regulations be contingent on congressional approval -- if a majority in each chamber does not vote "yes," the regulation is not enacted. The House passed a nearly-identical proposal in 2011, which was ignored by the Senate.
11. Keep the IRS Off Your Health Care Act: This is the "pièce de résistance" of the proposals. This bill by Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) would prohibit the IRS from implementing or enforcing any aspect of the 2010 health-care reform law. This proposal amounts to the 40th attempt in recent years to repeal, defund or deconstruct the health law -- all of which have been ignored by the Senate.
Before the House recesses on Friday, lawmakers are also expected to approve a plan to restructure the government's education loan program and complete consideration of an appropriations bill for the departments of transportation and housing and urban development.
And what about the Senate?
Capping weeks of debate over the fate of some of President Obama's nominees to key government posts, the Senate is slated to confirm three new picks to serve on the National Labor Relations Board and James Comey to serve as the next director of the FBI.
The Senate also plans to complete consideration of the transportation and HUD appropriations bill and begin debating a bipartisan energy efficiency proposal authored by Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and others.
Once lawmakers leave Capitol Hill on Friday, the House and Senate are scheduled to return to Washington on Sept. 9.


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by Peter Dickson
We are hearing a lot these days about two big subjects in education: charter schools and "closing the achievement gap" between schools in more affluent communities and schools in inner cities and poorer rural districts. What we are not hearing is these two subjects being discussed together.
In 2004, then State Senator Robert Martin published a comprehensively researched law review article that concluded that New Jersey's charter schools were systematically avoiding enrollment of economically disadvantaged and special education children. This practice seems to continue today, with some charter schools engaging in "cherry-picking" and others offering more of a boutique-style education, such as a recent proposed charter school that would specialize in Chinese language immersion. Still others are offering "virtual education," a concept akin to state-sponsored home schooling.
These are not the best uses of charter schools. For those parents and students who want it, home schooling or a Chinese language immersion program has ample merit, but it is certainly a questionable use of increasingly scarce taxpayer dollars.
As a result of these persistent problems and a lack of focus in the charter school movement, charter schools are not making enough of a meaningful contribution to providing the Constitutionally required "thorough and efficient" public education to those who aren't getting it under the current system. In particular, they are as a whole failing to address in a meaningful way the achievement gap. Whatever else charter schools should be doing, meeting this Constitutional obligation where it is not currently met should be the highest priority.
An overriding objective of allowing the use of public funds for charter schools was that they would offer new and innovative approaches to educational problems that public schools were not solving. The intention was that a competitive alternative would act to spur the public schools to improve their performance. A "cherry-picking" approach to enrollment does little or nothing to advance this objective. Since public schools don't offer immersion Chinese programs, a charter school with that mission accomplishes nothing by way of competition. The same is true of home schooling and virtual education.
Admission to charter schools is supposed to be by lottery. But cherry-picking is easy even in a supposed lottery admissions process. The charter leadership simply tells the less attractive students something like "our school isn't really set up to handle students like you" while telling the better students "you get a superior education here, just look at our test scores," which are based on prior cherry-picking successes.
Needless to say, no inner city school district has any need or desire for a Chinese language immersion school, nor would such a school do anything to close the basic achievement gap in language arts and math. Home schooling in broken or two-earner inner city families is a distant dream.
The statute that authorizes charter schools says they are to "assist in promoting comprehensive educational reform." The large majority of New Jersey school districts do a good job (or better, sometimes much better) and really do not cry out for charter school alternatives. We should be focusing on the districts with the hard cases: the economically disadvantaged, the English as a second language, and the special education students.
The few schools that do specialize in the hard cases have not received proper support and encouragement from the state. Perhaps this is changing, but the jury is still out. Last year New Jersey applied for and this year received a waiver from federal "No Child Left Behind" requirements. According to the waiver application, the Department of Education is "undergoing a fundamental shift from a system of oversight and monitoring to service delivery and support." These support services are to be offered by seven "Regional Achievement Centers," but it is hard to see how seven offices can effectively address deep-rooted and persistent educational under-achievement. Skeptics see bureaucratic layers and paperwork.
We also hear a lot of talk these days about individual responsibility and the need to make wise choices. Well, here's one way of thinking about that.
An 11th grader at a failing inner city school and an 11th grader at a wealthy suburban school were born with no differences to speak of. They were equals in every important respect. What happened since then? The suburban student made a smart choice: she "chose" the right parents. The inner city student "chose" the wrong parents. Neither one will ever make a more consequential decision in her lifetime. Obviously, these are not real choices, but what philosopher John Rawls called accidents of birth.
Charter schools have an important role to play, but they are not doing enough, and the state is not doing enough to promote and support this role for charter schools.
Peter Dickson is a partner at the law firm of Potter and Dickson in Princeton and represents the Emily Fisher Charter School, which has been ordered closed by the Department of Education. These views are his own.


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…and other stories from the Mongolian steppes.
I haven't done a travel post for a while. I have, however, done a fair bit of travelling.
An excellent thing about Doha is that from there you can get pretty much anywhere with relative ease.
So, naturally, with the whole world to choose from, I chose Mongolia.
It is hard to imagine a place that offers a greater contrast to Qatar then the one I arrived in after two plane transfers, a minor heart attack in Seoul when no-one seemed to know where I got my next boarding card, an excessively long line at immigration, and a scrum at baggage claim that made me grateful that I'm tall enough to see over the heads of most people.
Sandy, who I originally met in Doha and who has since moved to Ulaanbaatar as a teacher, picked me up from the airport and we drove back to his school on deceptively smooth roads that lulled me into a false sense of security about what our impending tour of Mongolia would entail.
Day one: In which two humps are better than one…
After an evening of curry and catch-ups and an unexpectedly long film (The View Beyond the Pines is excellent, by the way) we hit the road at a very reasonable 9am, having been introduced to our guide Khaliunaa, her husband Aba (our driver) and their three-year-old son, Tamulin, who would be coming on our trip with us.
Any trepidation I might have felt about spending the next several days with a three-year-old evaporated when Tamulin gave us a cheery thumbs up before settling into his car seat. He quickly became our trip's mascot, and the instigator of many driving break games. And a stealer of hats.
The first day offered a tiny insight into what awaited us a few sleeps in the future when the road randomly stopped and Aba casually turned his heavily laden two-wheel-drive Hyundai people carrier off road and continued as if everything was normal.
Which, as it turns out, it was.
We stopped for lunch at a collection of gers (what we would normally call yurts) and the four of us were offered a camel ride.
Living and travelling in the Middle Easy means that camel rides quickly lose their appeal. Camels are bumpy, uncomfortable, stubborn and have massive teeth.
Also, it was raining. Which we were assured was very unusual in the 'land of the blue skies.'
However, in a bid not to offend we agreed to the ride, and quickly found that the Mongolian bactrian (two-humped camel) is vastly more comfortable than its one-humped cousin (probably cousin, I'm not really sure how camel genetics work.)
We also realised that it wasn't entirely normal that we were all in a position to compare relative comfort levels of camels.
That first day, as the Mongolian steppes rolled past the car window, and an occasional lurch jolted me out of my revere as I watched some of the world's most beautiful scenery slide past me (when the windows weren't steamed up by condensation from the rain on the outside and too many bodies on the inside,) I felt slightly disjointed from the country.
It's beauty seemed alien and prehistoric, like at any moment raptors would rove down the hillside towards us, and scaled beasts would wing their way towards the distant treetops. The people were so friendly, and smiling and hospitable, but I was aware that I knew nothing of the culture other than what I had read, nothing of the language at all, and nothing of the hardships these nomadic families endured as the seasons shifted.
I had come to Mongolia fairly blind, with no guide book and few expectations. The extent of the wide open plains, punctuated by rolling hills, and the intensity of the culture, steeped in symbols of nature, caught me off guard.
On that first night I embraced the particular silence that comes from a total absence of a noise one is used to hearing, and bedded down for my first ever night in a ger and my first night for several months free from the humming background noise of construction and air-conditioning.
Oh yeah, we also got to see a rock that looks like a penis. Good times.
Day two: In which eagle attacks are the best kind of attacks…
It turns out that if you are going to spend a night in a ger it is better if you're not travelling with someone who needs to pee a lot.
Despite the occasional disturbance due to nature calling someone else, and a nearby dog that didn't seem to realise none of the other dogs were talking to it, I found my first ger experience remarkably comfortable.
The night-time urinator (who shall remain nameless for the purposes of this blog) redeemed themselves by providing life-giving coffee before we hit the road again and headed to Mongolia's ancient capital and associated temple.
Chengis (apparently Ghengis is wrong, who knew?) (well, the Mongolians, I guess) Khan founded the ancient city of Karakorum in 1220 (it wasn't ancient then, it was all new and the centre of a massive empire and stuff.) The city has been destroyed and rebuilt and razed and resurrected under various occupations since the time of the Khan, but it is still a very important part of Mongolia.
We roamed around the site of the capital and Erdene Zuu, the Buddhist monastery while Khaliunaa taught us about the symbols of Buddhism, showed us the spinning prayer wheel, and told us stories about the eight protectors of Buddhism.
While I love the theory and stories behind faiths, I also find being in buildings of worship to be uncomfortable and claustrophobic, so while people walked around an active part of the site, where monks prayed and incense burned, I stayed outside in the sun and marvelled at the existence of a sky so blue.
Lunch came and we sat with ancient walls on one side and horses on the other in a peaceful field off soft grass.
Shortly before lunch I accidentally attacked Sandy with an eagle, which is as much fun as it sounds. I would like to claim that it was all part of a plan, but the thing just launched itself off my arm straight at Sandy's face.
It was spectacular.
After lunch it was a 'short' 120km to our camp, and our first real understanding that people view distances with a different eye in Mongolia, which either has the fewest or the most roads in the world. Depending on your definition of the word 'road.'
It became standard to ask two questions each morning:
"How far are we driving today?"
"How much of that is paved?"
We could well have added "how much of it involves Aba selecting a mountain and driving over it?"
The man was a miracle driver and thought nothing of navigating mountain paths, pathless valleys and small rivers in his van. I think someone forgot to tell him it wasn't 4×4. As the days progressed, we all became aware that our journey, in many places, would not have been possible without Aba at the wheel.
The rain of the first day was burned out by the sun, and I began to feel an affinity for Mongolia as I watched the distant hills, shimmering with a blue haze.
We stopped for the night and stayed in a ger owned by a Mongolian family, many of whom have one or two extras to rent out to tourists and travellers.
I sat on a hillside watching as a seven-year-old who looked like he had been born in a saddle road past while an older boy skillfully herded cattle towards their pens.
After a trip to the hot springs, a blissful shower, and the even more blissful use of a lavatory with a seat, we fell asleep in our ger, disturbed only by the nearby huffing of yaks, and the occasional night-time pee-er.
Day three: In which I hit my head. A lot.
It turns out that gers are not built with height in mind. Particularly the doorframes.
You would think that once this lesson had been learnt once, it would not have to be repeated.
You would think incorrectly.
I'm pretty convinced I gave myself a mild concussion during the course of the day.
My general ineptitude aside, day three saw sporadic rain showers,the beginnings of carsickness an some of the most incredible landscapes I have ever had the fortune to lay eyes on. Rather making up for the rest of it.
Cross legged, eating delicious food prepared by our guide, watching eagles swoop past the rocky walls of a ravine, I realised I hadn't looked at a phone, or a laptop, or a TV since we had left UB. It was a remarkably liberating feeling when my normal days were spent tied to the news cycle.
Mongolia is what they mean when they say 'get away from it all' and by this stage in the journey I was playing Elliot Smith's 'Let's get lost' almost on loop as we drove through Mongolia's seemingly never-ending lands, sandwiched between the earth and a sky so blue it seemed unnaturally vibrant, like nature was trying to show you that it could do more than the washed out blue of its normal skies.
Because no trip is complete without pretending you're a Bond villain, we climbed a (fairly) dormant volcano that afternoon, finishing just as the heavens opened and the rains began in earnest.
We made it to our ger for the night and piled inside.
I drifted into unconsciousness to the sound of rain on the roof, bouncing off the round walls of our hut, while wood burned in the stove, hissing and crackling as it dried on the flames.
Day four: In which misery has a new face…
And that face is Mongolia's road network.
A 12-hour drive took us 280km further in our journey.
Teresa managed to pass the journey happily, seemingly immune to the gut-churning, unending rocking of the van as we bridged a path of rocks with the walls and were pushed from side to side.
Occasionally the path would flatten out, and a track might temporarily appear, and I would stop wishing for oblivion long enough to stare at the scene around me, the eagles, the ubiquitous ox, the disappointing piles of rubbish that dot the countryside.
Having just finished The Long Earth, I couldn't shake the feeling we had someone stepped sideways, into another earth, another time, another part of space that humans hadn't quite taken hold of yet.
We skipped stones over a river at lunch, and my misery subsided as I watched the jumps and ripples. It is hard to stay angry at a place for its lack of comforts, when it is exactly that which is filling you with contentment.
You can't pick the parts of humanity you want, and leave the rest behind. I wish you could.
Day five: In which we learn what three-year-olds dream of…
We spent the night in our guide's cousin's (or some other relative, it was difficult to be sure) house.
It was odd to be inside, and see how the more permanent homes were put together.
Sandy had said at the start of the journey that many of the houses would look fancy from the outside, but none would have indoor plumbing, and that was the case here.
We all slept on the floor of the living/TV/probably also someone's bed – room, along with Khaluna and her family.
In the middle of the night, Tamulin woke us up as he started wailing in his sleep until Aba calmed him down.
The next morning it turned out he had a nightmare, specifically that his favourite ball had fallen into the outhouse pit of human matter (and maggots) and could only be calmed down by being shown the ball. I think i would have cried as well.
We left late and drove to Khuvusgul lake, where we were looking forward to spending two nights and having a day of no driving.
We avoided the tourist camp and stayed further out of the way. But headed back to the tourist facilities and shelled out for a freezing cold shower in the dark and a close encounter with a nail that left me wishing I knew the symptoms of tetanus. (Spoiler: I don't have tetanus, but I did have an awesome scar for a while.)
After our shower the rain started in earnest. I also realised that the outhouse was slightly more exposed to the elements than was ideal. Once the rain abated I explored the gloriously peaceful lakeside and skipped stones until a curious herd of sheep wandered slightly too close for comfort.
The vast expanse of the Mongolian landscape is definitely an aid to clearing the mind, and just looking at the skyline had a calming effect that meant it really didn't matter that I had no internet, no phone signal, no awareness of any possible impending nuclear holocaust.
Clinging on for dear life as the van bounced its merry way along imaginary roads the day before meant my right bicep was aching so it was back to our snug ger and a roaring fire in the wood burning stove, and the sound of rain pattering off stretched cloth.
Day six – In which riding becomes a rainy day activity
At this stage, my notes say "land of the blue sky my ass." I think the rain was beginning to lose its charm.
Not to be deterred by a light downpour, we upped tools after lunch (is upped tools an expression? Did I just make that up?) and swung onto some deeply uncomfortable saddles, were mildly perturbed by the fact one horse seemed to be branded with a swastika (I know the buddhist symbol came first, but that one is the other way round normally, this one was the swastika way round) and set off through some woods and over some rivers and generally felt very intrepid until we realised our guide was about 13.
Anyway, it was ace. Having not ridden for years, it was still gratifying to dismount after 10km or so and be the most upright and least bandy legged among the lot of us (not including the Mongolians, obviously.)
Given the option of climbing a mountain in the rain for two hours to not see the view because of said rain, and going home in a car, we all unanimously, and almost wordlessly, plumped for the wussy option, went home, and played chess by torchlight.
We also discussed the obligation of travel (whether, when in a new country, you do things you feel obliged to do, in order to say you have done them, rather than because they are enjoyable at the time) and whether it would be possible to live in a ger for a ear (yes, if there was some kind of family unit or community to share up the wood-cutting, ger repairing, horse looking aftering tasks.)
Day seven – In which there was lots of driving and we saw a naked child in the middle of the road.
Um. There was a shed-ton of driving. Although about 20km of it was on a paved rad that hadn't existed a week ago and so surprised everyone when it appeared.
And our guides seemed unconcerned by the naked child and seemed to assume her parents were around somewhere, casually watching their child run around buttock-naked.
Also, Sandy stood on a spikey thing.
And the rain meant we had to help a bunch of people who had less awesome drivers than Aba and who got stuck in the mud on mountainsides driving tiny little city hatchbacks. Because that is totally normal.
And there was a lot of driving.
Days eight and nine – In which I was unconscious.
I don't remember much of this day and my notes have the unmistakable scrawl of me losing the ability to see straight.
We picked up some extra people to drive them in to town.
I slept a lot.
Then my headache went away at some point in the evening of day nine.
Day ten – In which I purchase the greatest hat in the history of the world.
Seriously. It's a trilby made out of baby camel wool. What else do you need to know.
We went to the gobi cashmere shop and got very over excited and bought lots of stuff (including a hat.) Then we did some lovely genteel hitch-hiking back in to town with a busload of German tourists in order to watch a cultural show.
The show was pretty impressive, although the dancing women had terrifying smiles and the painted heads of the prancing horses were the stuff of nightmares.
Day eleven – In which I fly to Korea
I flew to Korea.
Also, this blog is nearly 3,000 words. Whoopsies.
So, Mongolia, awesome right?


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Date: January 2013
Vincent Wong is an international speaker, the best-selling author of Step by Step Guide to Lease Options and a pioneer in sourcing property deals using technology and the power of the Internet. He has generated over 70,000 motivated seller leads since 2008, making him the leading property deal sourcer in the UK.
He founded Network Property Investments in 2006, a unique trading platform that has helped thousands of investors invest in property deals.
He is also known as one of the first investors in the UK to have used Lease Options, a method in which one does not require finance to invest in property, to help motivated sellers move on while making money for himself and investors.
In 2010, he successfully introduced lease options to Holland and Malaysia, allowing his students to do property deals without using any finance; something unprecedented in the real estate history in those countries.
Vincent began his career as a pharmacist working up to 16 hours a day. Despaired by not having the time nor energy to spend time with his family, he decided to further his education by obtaining an MBA from a top UK business school. Unfortunately his investment in his formal education had not materialised – he failed to get a job despite his advanced qualifications!
His involvement with property began when he made £40,000 profit in just one year of buying his first property in London back in 1999. Since then he has bought enough properties to give him enough passive income to enjoy his total freedom.
Now Vincent devotes his time to training people around the world how they can achieve the same.


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Being Lonely Helped Me Become A Better Person
Being lonely isn't something that is talked about or admitted in social circles. It feels shameful, embarrassing and like a personal failure. But it's something I've struggled with off and on for the past couple years.
It can be incredibly difficult at times, but I think in some ways being lonely has made me a better person. As with any struggle in life, there were good days and there were bad days. But I knew I had to do something.
What Is Loneliness?
Perhaps you've heard of the loneliness epidemic? There is a surprising amount of researching being done on the topic of loneliness, and research finds that it doesn't discriminate on age. Loneliness affects both young and old. According to Elizabeth Bernstein's Wall Street Journal piece, Alone or Lonely, the rate of loneliness in the U.S. has doubled over the past thirty years. In the 1980's only 20% of Americans reported being lonely, but today that number is up to 40%. This new research is especially pertinent in our modern society where social connection is supposedly easier than ever before thanks to the internet and social media. So why now are we facing a "loneliness epidemic"?
There are various theories of why people feel lonely. Being lonely doesn't necessary mean you are actually physically alone. There are many ways to be lonely – in a crowded room, in a relationship. But loneliness is more of a state of mind where one feels empty, on their own, or isolated.
One thing I've found really important to combatting my own loneliness is examining the quality of personal bonds I share with others. Not the quantity, but the quality. This wasn't an overnight process. There isn't a magic ticket out of loneliness and I know that there are seasons of life that come and go. In fact, it took me about a year to finally face up to doing something about this part of my life. I have close friendships and a loving family, so why was I feeling lonely? I recently read All At Sea by Decca Aitkenhead and this quote really helped me find clarity on one of the reasons why I was feeling lonely:
Only now do I understand that loneliness is not an absence of company, but of meaning.
That really resonated with me. My family moved across the country to Colorado last year and the past 12 months have brought a lot of change in my life. I bought a house, left my job and started a new one, got a second dog and faced tough relationship troubles. I started working from home and while it's amazing and I love it, it was a struggle to adjust to for the first couple months. I was used to being in an office surrounded by people, and all of the sudden I could go days without seeing anyone else but my barista or the mailman, and sometimes not even them. In fact, loneliness in freelancers is often higher than in traditional workplaces.
What Helped Me
I've always been the kind of person to face obstacles in life with persistence. If I'm unhappy in a job, I tirelessly search until I find a better opportunity. If I feel overwhelmed with managing aspects of my life (things like my mortgage and savings account) I figure out a way to figure it out. If I'm feeling depressed or anxious and feel unequipped to handle those emotions on my own, I go to my therapist.
Being lonely pushed me to do things I wouldn't normally do. I started fostering senior dogs through a local rescue which introduced me to a community of people who care about things I do, I co-started a book club with my friend Hannah, I tested new recipes, read more and went to more events than I normally do. I tried to do things that were slightly outside of my comfort zone, but not too scary that I wouldn't ever want to do them again. Going to local events was actually a big one for me. A few years ago I was a lot more active in the arts community here in Philly and I got burnt out from constantly saying yes to everything. That led to a year or two of not really pursuing a social life outside of work and my circle of friends. So I decided I'd start going to more events around the city, but only ones that really sounded interesting and I knew I would enjoy even if I felt socially awkward. Things like sour beer tasting, a new brewery opening up, a local tea tasting. I guess most of my interests revolve mainly around food 😛 Either way, slowly but surely I started to feel more connected with my community again.
Another tactic I used was scheduling. By scheduling out my day I started to regain the structure of a traditional workplace and it offered me a feeling of accomplishment as I moved through assigned tasks. It provided a structure to my day which helped me feel purposeful. In addition to scheduling out my work day, I started scheduling other aspects of my life.
Schedule Time For Solitude
Another strategy that helped me combat loneliness was scheduling time for solitude. Now I know that sounds like the exact opposite of what I was aiming for but for me, solitude is a time to reconnect with myself and to do things that I want to do simply for the pleasure of doing them. Things like reading, taking online classes, listening to podcasts, and watching informative documentaries. I love to learn and each of these activities distracted my mind and added purpose to my down time. I started to look forward to this hour or two of my day when I was intentionally scheduling a solo activity that was just for me. Solitude finally felt like a treat. I love how Lorie Helgoe put it when she wrote, "Solitude is not lack".
The past few months I've been feeling more like myself. I'm happier, engaged in more activities that I find meaningful, and balancing my life between social time and solitude. Experiencing loneliness was my opportunity to examine why I was feeling this way, and a chance to expand myself. Loneliness isn't fun, but it pushed me to acknowledge and address my needs and ultimately better myself for my own happiness.
I'd Love To Know…
Thanks for letting me share this piece of my life with you. This has been sitting as a draft for months and working up the courage to hit publish may have involved some red wine, but here we are. But I'd love to know…do you struggle with loneliness? How does it manifest if your life? How do you help yourself?
Helpful Links
- 5 habits to combat loneliness.
- Lonely by Emily White.
- The Age Of Loneliness Is Killing Us by Greg Monbiot.
- Researches Confront An Epidemic of Loneliness by Katie Hafner.
- Documentary: The Age of Loneliness.


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General Questions
class actions
Fire/Burn Injury
Filing A Lawsuit
insurance disputes
medical malpractice
motor vehicle accidents
nursing home abuse
overtime and wages
personal injury
slip and falls
social security disability
Workers' Compensation
General Questions
class actions
Fire/Burn Injury
Filing A Lawsuit
insurance disputes
medical malpractice
motor vehicle accidents
nursing home abuse
overtime and wages
personal injury
slip and falls
social security disability
Workers' Compensation
Motor Vehicle Accidents
How can an attorney help me after a car accident?
In a car accident, the accident is just the beginning of your problems. Navigating an insurance claim alone can be tricky, especially if the fault of the accident is disputed. In addition, insurance companies may try and settle your claim for less than it is actually worth. Hiring an attorney after an accident puts someone in your corner who knows your state's laws and the tricks insurance companies may try and play.
An attorney will focus on your case by gathering evidence, consulting with experts, and negotiating with the insurance company on your behalf, so you can focus on getting your life back on track. If it is necessary, an attorney might even take your case all the way to trial to get the compensation you truly deserve.
If you are in need of an experienced car accident attorney who will fight for you, our attorneys at Morgan & Morgan may be able to help. Fill out our free, no obligation case evaluation to find out more.
How long do I have to inform my insurance company that I was in a car accident?
Ideally, you should contact your insurance provider within 24 hours of the accident. Your insurance policy may stipulate that you only have a very specific amount of time to report an accident, but it may also use a vague term such as "within a reasonable time." It is therefore best not to wait too long to contact your provider. Not only so you don't get denied due to an arbitrary deadline, but also so you can get the often lengthy claims process underway.
I'm in a "fault" state. What does that mean if I'm in an accident?
In "fault" states, the insurance company of the at-fault driver is responsible for paying for the injuries and damage that were sustained during the accident. In states that do not have no-fault insurance, it is imperative to never admit fault at the scene of the accident or on the phone later with an insurance representative. There is a process for determining fault, and it is best not to prematurely take responsibility for the accident.
Allow the process for determining fault to play out through official channels, because even though you may think you were at fault for the accident at the time it occurred, investigation of the facts may reveal something different later on.
I'm in a "no-fault" state. What does that mean if I'm in an accident?
In no-fault states, policyholders are covered by their own insurance, regardless of who caused the accident. Known as personal insurance protection, PIP covers drivers regardless of if they were at fault for the accident. With PIP, your insurance company should cover compensation for lost wages and medical care. But the buck stops there. You can't pursue further damages, such as compensation for pain and suffering.
However, if your claim meets a minimum dollar threshold due to severe injuries or sky-high medical bills, you may be able to depart from the no-fault system and file a lawsuit against the at-fault driver. This threshold varies by state. Morgan & Morgan attorneys will help you recover the full compensation to which you are entitled, including pain and suffering.
Is getting into an accident with a motorcycle the same as a car accident?
Motorcycle accidents are similar, but there are differences.
You will want to follow most of the same recommended steps for what to do after a car accident. However, following a motorcycle accident, filing a claim with the insurance company may be different. This is especially true in "no-fault" states.
While Personal Insurance Protection (PIP) insurance is required in some states for cars and trucks, motorcycles are often excluded. This can mean filing a claim with the insurance company is much different in a motorcycle accident than a car accident. It may be worth consulting with an experienced attorney in your state to find out exactly what the state laws are.
Is getting into an accident with a truck the same as a car accident?
Unlike a car accident, where drivers deal with their own or one another's insurance company, commercial truck accident claims are rarely made against the driver of the truck. Most claims are brought against the trucking company, for whom the driver works, which can make recouping compensation more difficult for you.
Trucking companies are large-scale defendants who can make it more difficult to recover compensation. While minor accidents with other car drivers can be dealt with fairly simply — even if they do have their share of difficulties — truck accidents have more money at stake, often involve a company, and must consider Federal Motor Carrier Safety regulations.
What if I get into a car accident and I don't have insurance ?
It is never a good idea to drive without insurance. If you get into an accident that is your fault, you will likely face criminal and administrative fines, in addition to whatever costs associated with accidents for which you are deemed responsible.
The extent to which you are on the hook differs depending on the state.
In a "no-fault" state the other driver will, at least in theory, have his or her bills that result from the crash covered by their own insurance company, but only up to a certain amount. If costs exceed the amount the other driver's policy covers, they may try and sue you. If you lose, you will responsible to pay the costs out of your own pocket.
In "fault" states, it is likely the other driver will sue you for costs associated with the crash. Some insurance policies have an uninsured motorist claim, which covers the cost of an accident when a driver gets into an accident with a motorist who doesn't have insurance. However, once the insurance company resolves the claim, it may try and sue you to recoup the costs.
What if I get into a car accident with someone who doesn't have insurance?
It depends on where you live. If you live in a state with "no-fault" insurance, your insurance company covers your bills - to a point. If your medical bills exceed the amount your policy covers, your injuries may be considered "serious" or "significant" and you can pursue compensation outside the no-fault system through a lawsuit. In such a case, the other driver may have to pay you out of his or her own pocket, if you take them to court and win the case.
On the other hand, if you live in a state with "fault" insurance, things are more complicated. Since the other driver has no insurance for you to pursue compensation from, you can try and recover compensation directly from them in a lawsuit. However, if the other driver has few personal assets he or she may not be able to pay you what the court orders. Instead, some insurance policies include uninsured motorist coverage, allowing you to make a claim when the at-fault driver is uninsured.
What information should I obtain from the other driver immediately following a car accident?
The immediate aftermath of a car accident can be hectic. It is important to stay calm and remember to collect the information of the other driver involved in the accident, otherwise you may not be able to hold him or her accountable if they are at fault. It is recommended that drivers collect the following information at the accident scene:
In some cases the driver with which you were involved in an accident is not the vehicle's owner. In that case, be sure to find out to whom the vehicle is registered, and clarify the relationship between the driver and owner before you get the name and address for both individuals.


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"Posting to the Tesla Forums is now limited to verified Owners"
"Posting to the Tesla Forums is now limited to verified Owners"
Yes, a lot of chatter about this topic the last several days. You must send Tesla an email at the address listed at the top of the Forums page and then wait until they send you a confirmation email which then enables you to post to the forums.
I am glad they did that... I got verified < 24 hrs.
Can't they just confirm that I'm an owner from my logon since I have a M3 listed in my account with them?
For new topics only or both replys and topic making? Well if my reply worked here then I am either already verfied (never asked) or its just newe topics only.
@TAC only for new topics. Owners also get to see "Flag as Inappropriate" in red type at the bottom right of each and every post.
Ok thanks.
Ok thanks.
I was verified the same day I sent the request.
It's still a bit of a shame that would-be owners can't jump in and ask questions or participate, but because it helps with the trolls and spam, it'll probably be worth it.
@bpaul Non-owners can still reply to threads and there are already competing threads devoted to then to ask any question they wish. Non-owners can use google to search the forum (like we do) and then participate in threads by replying to them.
Or they can do what I do and just Hijack.
As an IT Director, I'm a little appalled at the lack of connectivity between the forums and my Tesla account. I already have to login with it, why can't you see that I have a car listed in that account?
Also, I just emailed and asked, in addition to verification, if they will allow pre-order users to post. They did pay something to Tesla, so I believe they should be able to post and ask questions.
This forum software is probably the 2nd worst software I have had to use. I imagine given it's lackluster featureset, it isn't all that easy to create those relationship. Probably required some custom dev even.
They should really hire someone to migrate the data to any number of open source forums. The community would be much better served.
I was told I need to log out and log back in.... Still trying to understand the use of never in the email
In my case I did not have to log out and back in. The status changed while I was reading a post. The isolation between forum and vital account info. is reassuring. Some hard firewalls are enforced for a reason.
The process of getting ownership status reflected in your account used to be automatic, but even then some people had to ask Tesla to update their account. When I ordered my first Tesla in late 2015, you got ownership privileges in the forum as soon as you placed the order — I don't know how it works now.
Don't really much care.........
I lost the ability to post a new thread a few days ago. Yesterday I sent a request for "owner status" to the email link at the top of this page. Today, the "Post a New Topic" button appeared.
Noticed I can now post without having to hit the verify I'm human button... Just type and hit save. That is a nice perk for being verified.
Testing this...
Well, I haven't verified my account yet. Are you able to see this comment?
I don't have the "flag as inappropriate" option for posts.
If you haven't verified your account you can't post new threads. But you can reply to threads others have started.
Yes the wording of the notification could be a little better!
This is dumb..needed to ask a question on here and now i cant post until they confirm I already own a tesla.....lame! lol
@JaMo_75D I get where you are coming from. But I've been a regular visitor to this site and if you saw all of the Chinese spam post just about a month ago, you would understand. I just took delivery of my car last Thursday. I just sent the email last night to get my posting rights.
My RHD Waiting Room thread has been mysteriously deleted :-(
Just when it was getting interesting...
So the only way I can let people know about it is to post here, since I can't create a thread now until I become an owner.
If only there were a way to ask a question without authoring a new thread. Oh well.
You can create a thread if you ask nicely.
Can't create a thread? Sew what?
Quick verification... non issue.
Quick verification? It's been a week since I sent email to forums@... Got message confirming the receipt of email but other than that no change to capability of posting on forum since then.
What is 'quick' for you?
12 hrs.
Actually, you should be able to log into your Tesla Account and under the Account tab there is option to register your account for the forums. This seems easier than sending an email to get verified.
It took less than a day for me and I am not even an owner. (Presumably it was a curtesy for a legacy user or they will verify users based on "not being a troll")
If you have really been waiting over a week I would try sending a followup email. And maybe clear your cookies that can cause websites to not update in odd ways sometimes.
My bad... apparently sometime in the past week they enabled the feature. I thought the message would've disappeared from the top but I guess it stays. Just noticed the 'post new forum topic' button is back.


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Commercial, Products, Services
By Staff Writer | October 12, 2011
Send Feedback
Colombia-based Helistar has purchased three EC145s from Eurocopter Mexico. Helistar will use the aircraft for oil and gas transportation as part of a five-year service contract with Ecopetrol. The first two helicopters are scheduled for handover in 2012, with the third arriving in 2013. This order increases Helistar's EC145 fleet to seven. The company also flies Bell 206s, 212s and 412s, as well as Russian Helicopters MI-8s and MI-171s.More: Namibia Police Orders EC145
Related: Offshore News


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My reassigned flights have been great! No problems at all. Got on my flight to SLC with my cookies! I have 3 big containers full of cookies, brownies and treats. Plus I have a muffin for me to eat, mags to read and the Christmas cards to hand out. And presents too! I feel like Santa Claus! Ho ho ho!!!
I met a nice woman on the flight. She lives in Merced, CA and was heading to Billings, MT. We talked about the Central Valley and SO CA, the FOG, Cars, jobs, our kids, the weather, elderly parents, vacations, and the holidays. We definitely bonded! Funny how people meet and just are comfortable with a stranger. It happens to me ALL the time.
Then the wait at SLC airport was quick. Now I'm on my Cinti flight. I love flying in and out of Salt Lake. The mountains are amazing! My flight is empty. Practically. I have a 3 seat row to myself. Yippee! I'm gonna stretch out, sleep, and try to watch the movie.
Can't wait to see everyone. I haven't seen them since October 3rd! I do miss them. But its a healthy missing them. Not neurotic, you know, like obsessing over missing them. Its good to let them grow up and miss them. They should have their own lives just as I should too.
Well I'm here! Merry Christmas! Let the celebrations begin!
Sent wirelessly via BlackBerry from T-Mobile.


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Reality Gold
by Tiffany Brooks
Pub Date
Pub Date
Talking about this book? Be sure to tag it using #RealityGold #NetGalley
"There are only two ways to survive Internet infamy: drop offline and
play dead or give everyone something bigger and better to talk about.
I've tried the first strategy. Now it's time to try the second…"
A year and a lifetime ago, Riley Ozaki was just an ordinary high school junior in San Francisco, stressing over boys and grades. But an ill-conceived editorial in her school paper brought her an internet avalanche of public-shaming and ruined her life.
Now Riley's on a helicopter dropping into a deserted island with nineteen other teens, to star in a reality show that will be her redemption. She has no other choice. National attention was what got her into this mess, and only the same level of exposure can get her out. Besides, Riley has a few tricks up her sleeve.
With a cast of vivid characters who will stop at nothing to win the show, a cursed island setting, and a priceless treasure waiting to be discovered, Reality Gold will drop readers right into a scheming web of lies, love, and betrayal.
Available Editions