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The Trans-Provence is an epic multi-day mountain bike stage race, which takes place annually in October across Provence, France. Juliana Bicycles rider Anka Martin took on the challenge once again this year, alongside a group of riders and friends who were determined to finish the ride from the Alps to the Cote D'Azur.
One of the most highly regarded races out there, riders are faced with enduro-style racing with timed stages, stunning scenery, hard climbs, steep descents and an atmosphere like no-other.
Anka – who crossed the finish line victorious as the first pro-woman – shares the thrills and spills of 6 solid days of MTB riding.
"The Trans-Provence is always the highlight of my season. It's a week filled with amazing, unknown, wild and crazy trails, where we trek up and over vast mountain ranges, starting near Sisteron and making our way all the way to the Mediterranean beach in Menton.
I love this point-to-point style adventure, where you are actually moving, pedaling and pushing yourself across mountain and valleys, and that sense of satisfaction that you feel when you get your first glimpse of the sea shimmering in the distance. That's what keeps me coming back every year for more.
Last year my team had some bad luck. Sven [Anka's husband] got heli-vacced off on the last day, then Jon Cancellier got carried out 200 meters from the finish line with torn ankle ligaments – not ideal. Mix in some crazy rain, thunder, flash floods and hailstorms on exposed mountaintops with not a tree in sight, and you can start to understand how a small group of riders started calling ourselves Team Dark Cloud.
Not satisfied to leave unfinished business, Team Dark Cloud had to come back this year to make sure that everyone completed the race, got to plonk themselves into the Med, and have a puff on the old victory cigar.
So here we are: Trans Provence 2013
Day 1: Clamensane to Digne
The day started off sunny and cheery, only to turn to shit as soon as we got to the top of the mountain for stage one. This was deja vu; the weather was exactly like last year, and how we came up with the name Team Dark Cloud to begin with. We had to laugh and just get on with it – was this to set the precedent of the week to follow?
I set of on my first special stage on day one in a hailstorm – this was going to be a long, tough week. The day was tough; we fought, slogged and dragged our bikes through clay and mud the entire day. By the end, I was knackered.
Day 2: Digne to Colmars
The sun was shining as we set off under blue skies on day two. We had a big old hike-a-bike to tackle first thing in the morning; just what we needed to loosen up our sore, aching bodies & awaken blisters from the day before!
Sunny skies lifted everyone's spirits and filled the day with banter, laughter and lots of war stories.
Day 3: Col de Champs to Guillaumes
This was a morning of big views and big mountains, as we got dropped off on top of the Col De Champs. It's a sight that will take your breath away, as well as being the gateway to the Maritime Alps – a sign that we're heading in the right direction.
The first special stage of the morning was a write-off for myself and many others too, starting off with getting lost, falling into a hole and then slipping and getting stuck in my bike on the wooden bridge right at the finish while the clock ticked away. On top of this I gave the bridge a good punch with my knuckles as I slammed into it – ouch.
All of this before a proper coffee.
Day 4: Guillaumes to St Sauveur sur Tinee
Once day three rolls around, your body has sort of got used to the shock of everything and you actually start to feel good and get into the swing of things.
We had surprise too; we got to ride a chair lift for two of the stages in the Roubion bike park. It was fun to change it up, but these were my worst two stages of the day – the trails were way too groomed and perfect I reckon. I didn't know how to ride normal stuff! But it was a good way to mix it up with all the other riders and hang out a bit.
At this point, we had no idea what Ash [the organiser] had in mind for us for the last stage of the day. I have no words to describe it. It was wild, very sparsely marked, super exposed, almost 30 minutes long and at the end of the day when you're already a write-off mentally and physically.
Most of us got lost somewhere along the way, crashed a few times, almost died a few times, but we all lived to share the stories at a local pub on the side of the road. It was awesome. Thanks Ash for keeping it real!
Day 5: Valdeblore to Sospel
So day four was supposed to be our easy day, to rest up for the biggest day of the week, but it sure didn't feel easy to any of us and day five was looming ahead.
It was a long slog heading out in the moon glow from the campsite and silently pedalling on through the morning fog. The fog never lifted and just got thicker as we made our way up into the mountains, creating quite a sullen atmosphere, as you didn't hear much laughter or chatter this morning. It took us about 3 hours before we reached the start of the first special stage that morning and we still had a long way to go.
My goal was to hold back and get through these next 2 days without doing anything silly – I was in the lead and I wanted to keep it that way.
All I had to do was not crash, flat or have a mechanical – easy huh?
Holding back is not easy when you're loving the tracks and you just want to pin it, but this is what had to be done. After the first 2 special stages, we had a bitch of a road climb to get to the 3rd stage – 20km on the road with super tacky tires and 6″ trail bikes aren't that enjoyable.
We got on with it, as that's what you do in this race, but we all cheered up when we were welcomed by local hero Nico Vouilloz at the start of the 3rd stage. How sick is that?
I think we all tried to pin it even harder after seeing Nico, but unfortunately Olly, our South African friend, was a bit too inspired and pinned it into some rocks, smashing his face and dislocating his shoulder pretty badly.
Our day was about to get a whole lot longer and Olly just inducted himself into the Team Dark Cloud crew. He got heli-vacced out of there, but the Team had another stage to finish up for the day, not the nicest thing to have to do after seeing your friend off in a helicopter.
We grabbed a headlamp from one of the shuttle vehicles, turned up the volume to some Irie reggae tunes, mellowed out and smashed out the final run of the day – which happened to be my fastest run after we all decided to go steady – oops! Having too much fun.
Day 6: Sospel to Menton – The final countdown!
Yes, the last day has arrived and we're all jonesing to get our tired assess into the Med, but we have to get there first. It was an amazing day exploring a whole new Sospel valley, even making a quick jaunt into Italy for a quick cappuccino after one special stage.
The stages were very physical, with uphill running, boulder clambering, challenging navigation and some long-ass sprints, or maybe we're all just tired from the whole week. But there was no rest day, and we had to work hard to dive into that sea in Menton.
On my last stage, I kept messing up, doubting myself, thinking that I was lost and that I was throwing the whole week away – even turning back at one point to double check a sign. It was amazing how my mind was playing tricks on me.
Anyhow, I got down, I made it, I kept my lead and I took the win. I was very, very happy, as this event is very special to me.
This is what riding mountain bikes is all about. It's the adventure, the camaraderie and all the experiences that make this event so special. It's wild, raw, dangerous and everything that I love about racing little bikes as fast as you can down crazy technical blind tracks.
This is and will always be what everyone keeps harping on about these days – "the spirit of enduro". Or as I prefer to refer to it – riding our bikes in sick places.
Cheers to Team Dark Cloud and every single person that completed the week – you guys and girls are awesome (especially the girls, as this is not an easy week). Heal up to all the injured riders too.
– Anka Martin 1st Pro Women's (32nd overall)
– Sven Martin 1st Masters (also 2nd Amateur & 15th overall)
– Chris Ball 1st Amateur (9th overall)
Cheers, Team Dark Cloud!
The blog post was first published on Anka Martins website; RideHouseMartin. All images, including headline image, copyright Sven Martin.


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We are four days from the winter solstice, a time where the days turn the corner from being the shortest back on their march toward June when they are their longest. It is a time of darkness and sleep and rest and recharging. I never really looked forward to the December 21st deadline until a few years ago. The date is insignificant - just another day in December - but as someone who isn't a huge fan of winter, December 21st has taken on a new meaning, given me a new hope.
I wouldn't go so far as to say I fall into depression in winter, but it is a more difficult time for me. Knowing that I have these feelings, I'm trying to be more cognizant of what is going on internally and make adjustments to try and stay ahead of the curve-of-whatever-it-is-I'm-feeling.
My goal is to try and appreciate the nuances of winter for what they are. If that means going to bed to read at 9:00 PM only to fall asleep by 9:45, well so be it. If it means keeping Christmas lights up well into January, as my wife and I have talked about, then so be that.
The other day as I walked to work, it was snowing lightly as I left home. By the 3/4 mark it was coming down in big fluffy flakes and despite the fact that I loathe big snowfalls, I had to admit it was kind of beautiful. (These kinds of observations will no doubt change in late January, but last week it was beautiful.)
And I am determined to make the best of whatever this season throws at me. If it snows, I plan on Cross Country skiing more. If it's brutally cold, I will hunker down at home and drive to work instead of walk. If it is sunny, I will relish in the sunshine. If it rains, well, it will melt some of the cursed snow.
At the same time, I will focus on connecting with my friends from church and I will know that it's okay to recharge, rest and restore. Naps will be my new gospel. I'll connect with my kids via texting and phone calls. I'll take my vitamin D and try and keep in shape.
All of this becomes a priority because I realize our time here is short. We can choose to dread winter and be crabby and downtrodden about the darkness and cold, or we can try and make the best of it and live life as if it was a gift. And on the down days, I am committed to fake it till I make it.
With Christmas coming in a short week, I cannot wait for my kids to come home. They bring their light and a new energy to the house that will carry us to mid January and I am grateful for that.
So, in this season of darkness and quiet, I wish the same for you and your families. I encourage you to find what it is that carries you through the next 90 days and latch on to it. Like Keith Richards said, "I'm glad to be here. I'm glad to be anywhere."
Blogging off...

subset: commoncrawl


text: Your Guide to Private Money Managers - Money Manager Review Home Subscribe Consulting Free Reports About Us Contact Us Help For a Free Tour of our Manager Performance Rankings Call 1-415-386-7111 Follow Us Interview Guest Interview: James Investment Research PO Box 8 Alpha,OH 45301 Telephone: (937) 426-7640 Fax: (937) 426-7097 E-mail: email@example.com Interview Quarter: 1Q2009 Barry R. James, CFA, CIC President & Portfolio Manager Barry, please tell us the history of your firm beginning with its founding in 1972. The history of James Investment Research truly begins years before its founding in 1972. My father Frank graduated from college and entered the U. S. Air Force in the 50's, and after a time he opened a brokerage account with his modest savings and began investing in stocks based on Wall Street research. The mixed results perplexed him. He noted that stock price movement offered a profit opportunity, but he was not able to achieve consistent success using Wall Street research. The roles of Air Force navigator (50 missions over Korea) and later a tour in Vietnam, husband and father of 3 boys kept him from further intensive work on this conundrum until the mid 60's. At that point, the Air Force sent him to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and designated him to teach graduate statistics at the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) on the Wright Patterson Air Force base in Dayton, OH. At Rensselaer he choose to study stock price trends as his dissertation study. With faculty support, he was able to procure a data tape with every trade executed on The New York Stock Exchange from 1926 to 1960 and was able to identify common characteristics that tended to be shared by stocks before upward, sideways and downward price movements. His dissertation, "The Implications of Trend Persistency in Portfolio Management is a seminal work in the development of relative strength, a tool used by us at James Investment Research and others worldwide to this day. His dissertation uncovered strong evidence refuting the random walk hypothesis of efficient markets. At that point, having been an actual investor for years, he further explored moving average investing and discovered a special effect he called Reinvestment Averaging which showed further profit possibilities. He was awarded a doctoral degree in 1967 and reported to Wright Patterson Air force Base as a member of the graduate faculty, serving as Chairman of the Quantitative Studies department and then Director of the Graduate Education Division. While teaching at AFIT, he naturally began augmenting his lectures on statistics with examples from his dissertation, until a fellow faculty member asked Dr. James to work part time at his local Dayton money management firm. Dr James began to manage portfolios in late 1972, right at the top of the bull market, and the Dow touched 1,000 one month later, then embarked on a bear market taking prices down almost 50%. His skill and expertise in fund management and the application of research principles served to largely conserve client capital and was a major boost to the new business relationship. The research and portfolio management duties were performed at James Investment Research, a tiny firm which at first was run out of our suburban Dayton home. I became an expert in charting, a chore I would handle after school. My brother recounts that he had to vacate his bedroom even on days off from school, as it was an office by day. The first SEC exam took place at our dining room table. Assets under management grew by word of mouth with the first goal being to afford a computer so that the tedious work of managing portfolios could be sped up via automation. Continued successful portfolio management brought assets of this unlikely firm to $1.1 billion in 1997. As criteria in the model favored, among other factors, positive and growing earnings, the dot com stocks so beloved by Wall Street in 1998 and 1999 were shunned by us as a bubble sure to burst. Clients unable to resist the siren song of "the new paradigm of eyeballs versus earnings" left in droves until assets under management bottomed at $475 million in 2003. To our credit, we didnt lay anyone off during this asset attrition. The company's directors recommended a heavier emphasis on marketing. Hiring a marketing director, shifting from a regional to a national focus, putting the proper distribution plan in place for the Firm's no-load mutual funds, and retaining a public relations firm helped assets under management to mushroom to $2.1 billion over the ensuing 5 years. Our strength in preservation of our clients' capital has recently been recognized by Barron's and Lipper. Who has been the guiding influence behind developing your investment research program? The guiding influence has clearly been my father, Frank James. He was aided in the early years by my older brother Frank III. Currently, my younger brother David, as Senior Vice President of Research and I, as President/CEO continue to develop, test and utilize our research program alongside our father. Since 1972, one of us, on a rotating basis, has performed our weekly market analysis and written commentary for both the stock and bond markets to guide our portfolio managers. That totals over 1800 weekends; clearly research is a passion of ours. Is your investment research strictly used in-house or do you share or sell it to others? In the Firm's early years, there was a view towards selling our research, but that never really got off the ground, to borrow a Wright brothers analogy since we are based here in Dayton, OH. Our investment research almost exclusively used in-house, however, we do share certain aspects with others. As mentioned, commentaries on both the stock and bond markets are written each weekend and delivered to the 7 members of the Investment Committee each Monday morning at 9:10 during a stand-up meeting in Dr. James' office. All remain standing so as not to get too comfortable and miss the opening bell at 9:30. These are the PM's marching orders should a shift in asset allocation have been made, or a change in the duration targets of our bond holdings. We also discuss any change in the market cap or sector weightings of our stock portfolios. Anyone may sign up at www.jir-inc.com to receive these comments via email around 10AM each Monday. This is a complimentary service. I believe about 3000 individuals and investment professionals currently get the reports. They are short and to the point, because if I am going to work my share of weekends, I'm not about to write a book each time. We further research content for a daily radio report delivered at 8:30AM on both AM and FM radio here in Dayton and in Richmond, IN. These are about 10 to 12 minutes in length and cover the economic news of the day as well as our thoughts about using the information. We explain what to listen for and what to do based on the numbers. The broadcasts are then made available on our website, www.jir-inc.com, where they can be accessed globally 24/7 for one week. Many investment professionals tell us they listen to these each day to help develop investment strategies as well as for talking points with their customers. What is the core of the Firm's investment philosophy? At James Investment Research, we know that capital preservation in down markets is actually more important maintaining and growing wealth than is peer-besting performance in up markets. Applying the classic Aesop's fable to investing, it is our philosophy that the tortoise wins the race. As so many learned in 2000-02, and then relearned in 2008, if your portfolio declines by 50%, you need to double the remainder to get even. At normal historic rates of return, some do not have enough years left to accomplish this. Fully participating in a bubble, by, for instance, chasing dot coms in 1999 or real estate in 2005-06, requires ignoring risk and we do not believe anyone ever hired us to ignore risk with their money. Your balanced portfolio garners most of your managed assets. Do you have an asset allocation strategy that guides you? Absolutely, and it is quite proactive. We note that some balanced managers reset their asset allocations at the end of a time period to preset levels. This is not unlike driving a car looking through the rearview mirror. We try to drive looking through the windshield. We set our allocations proactively to lower risk, consistent with our investment philosophy. Data are gathered at the end of each market week on over 100 macro economic factors. Some are short or long term in nature, but most are intermediate term indicators. We determine whether each is favorable or unfavorable and we are guided by the weight of the evidence in setting our allocation levels. We typically make 5% shifts and then continue to revisit the factors each weekend to see if more shifts are warranted. Over the decades, this discipline has tended to cause us to be early in our shifts, but has helped us avoid a lot of big potholes. What other types of investment products do you offer? In addition to our balanced product, we offer fixed income, all-cap equity, large-cap equity, mid-cap equity, small-cap equity, micro-cap equity and market neutral products For your investment process you use a top down approach. Please review for us how your investment model works. Beginning soon after Labor Day, work begins on our Economic Outlook for the coming year. Our Outlook covers the US Economy, Stocks, Bonds and International. Dr. James, David and I rotate covering the Economy, Stocks and Bonds each year, and our Senior Vice President and Portfolio Manager Tom Mangan covers International. In today's complex world, there are always positives and negatives for each section, and we identify as many of each as we feel are important. After carefully considering the pros and cons, we formulate our forecasts. These are vetted by the entire Investment Committee throughout November, and our formal Outlook is presented to our institutional and high net worth clients in December and to our James Advantage Funds shareholders in January. Make no mistake, though, this is not a side exercise for the enlightenment of our clients, the Outlook is our blueprint for how we will position portfolios for the year. Then, as previously described, asset allocation levels, average bond duration, and stock capitalization levels and sector weightings are fine tuned each week throughout the year. For actual stock selection within the capitalization and sector weightings, we employ a bottom up approach. The findings of my father's dissertation and our continued research over the past 3 decades have been refined in to a stock screening discipline that we run on over 8000 companies. Our factors fall into three categories, relative value, earnings and relative strength. Each stock earnings a ranking between 1 and 100, with a #1 ranked stock representing a "bargain stock" worthy of further qualitative review. In all this we look for relative value, positive and growing earnings, good relative price strength, preferably Wall St. neglect and management confidence. A stock ranked 100 would be the mirror opposite; possibly not making money, no votes of confidence on the part of management, poor relative price strength and trading at relatively high prices because Wall St. is in love with its potential. While it cannot represent actual performance, the attached chart shows the performance of stocks with different ratings. Every component of our research is reevaluated at least every other year to see how well it has been aiding us. Those components that have been more helpful will have their weighting in the overall process increased, while those that have lost some of their predictive luster will see their weighting decreased. Weightings are adjusted via exponential smoothing so as to never totally discard nor overweight a factor just because of its recent value to us. So how does all this work in practice? Let's assume a portfolio manager notes that his/her accounts do not own enough mid cap basic materials stocks to match up to the weekly research guidelines. (S)he further sees that no names on the Buy List fit the bill. After identifying all mid cap basic materials stocks well ranked by the model, (s)he will gather 2 additional port managers and/or research analysts around a Bloomberg terminal and decide which names to go to present at our next (twice-weekly) Investment Committee meeting. A 20-page report is prepared and delivered to the 7 IC members no later than the evening before the next meeting. Each is responsible for coming to the meeting up to speed on the candidate stock, ready for a rigorous debate. After said debate, a simple majority vote will place a stock on the Buy List, move a name from the Buy to the Hold List or from the Hold to the Sell List. Voting takes place in reverse order of seniority so the less experienced employees cannot coattail the more experienced ones. Portfolio managers must work from these lists in the management of their ports, however, they have time and price discretion. Some use technical analysis to aid them with timing and price points. While any PM may call for a review of and a new vote on any name at any time for any reason, reviews are automatic for Buy List names if their ranking falls out of the top quintile, and Holds whose ranking slips below 50. How do you manage the fixed-income portion of the portfolios? Again, conservatively. For us, fixed-income vehicles are "not stocks," i.e. a place to be when our research suggests equities are trading at high, risky levels. We therefore tend to prefer US Treasury securities of intermediate duration. Long Treasuries were instrumental preserving capital in 2008, but we realized that they would not help us as much in 2009. We researched and instead are employing sovereign bonds, high quality corporate bonds and even some municipal bonds that are government obligations. At some point in the coming years, we will add even more Treasury Inflation Protected Securities, or TIPS, as the massive stimulus program will likely lead to higher inflation. How important do you think stock picking versus asset allocation is to your client's overall returns? Obviously, asset allocation is the most important decision. Last year less than one in ten stocks rose in value while treasury bonds were about the only bonds that advanced. History shows the allocation decision is the most important one. However, when it comes to the difference between sectors and individual stocks, we have found the individual stock is much more important in achieving above expected results. How does a rapidly changing economic outlook affect your investment strategy? Good question. Fortunately, the research efforts we have refined over the last 36 years are forward looking. As a result, we tend to be more anticipatory and reactionary to current events. Historically, we have found that fundamentals actually drive the markets while the pundits usually ascribe the moves to some recent revelation. Our research has been particularly helpful in identifying lower risk periods, like we saw in early March. However, the longer term risks remain high and that drives our overall allocation structure rather than trying to chase a short term rally. What risk parameters do you look for in your weekly risk reports? We basically look at four general areas to try and identify risk levels. First we look at the economy and if a statistic is released during the week, by the US, state or a local government or by an association, it is likely that we look at it. After all, the stock market tries to anticipate the future of the economy and thereby it is necessary to look at it. Second, we look at monetary items and interest rates. Third, we look at sentiment readings, typically using it in a contrary fashion. Lastly, we look at internal measures of the market to get a feel for the health of market moves. What do you look for in a stock or bond that would define it as cheap and therefore a good buy? We prefer "bargain" to "cheap;" it just sounds less cheesy! For stocks, we look for well-run companies with positive and growing earnings; management confidence in the form of open market purchases with their own money, not cashless exercises and sales of stock options, or in the form of stock buybacks where the shares are retired, not just held for stock option programs; good relative price strength vis-à-vis peer companies and stocks overall; trading at reasonably low prices as measured against earnings, cash flow, book value etc. The fewer Wall St. analysts the better. We use bonds as a place to be out of stocks, not as a primary tool for appreciation, so we want safety and do not go down the credit quality scale. However, certain sectors of the bond market can be mispriced, as evidenced through excessive yield spread above treasuries. Please explain your small cap value product. By the mid-90's, many of our institutional clients had hired consultants who summarily took the asset allocation process out of our hands and began to hire specific large, mid or small cap equity managers, fixed-income managers and managers of alternatives like derivatives, commodities, and real estate. In this changing landscape, we needed to identify our differentiating strength. We noted that our unique, proprietary research produced better results the smaller the market capitalization, so we decided to create a small cap value product. It employs exactly the same methodology, techniques and discipline as our all-cap equity product, but we limit it to stocks within the capitalization of the Russell 2000. We automatically sell the stock if it grows larger than the capitalization range in the Russell 2000. Nevertheless, our typical capitalization is much lower than that of the Russell 2000. Please explain all the ways you limit your clients' downside risk. Let me begin my answer by explaining what we don't do. We don't use stop loss orders or sell because a holding has fallen by a given percentage. We continue to monitor all publicly traded companies daily for price movement, and twice a month via our rating system. We typically buy 1.5% positions, and trim holdings that grow to more than 8% of portfolio values. Maintaining a presence in all sectors and proactively setting sector weightings further limits downside risk. We maintain a caution list of small and micro cap stocks and generally limit our exposure to no more than 5% of shares outstanding and/or 5 days of average trading volume. We conscientiously monitor our capacity to manage assets and will close any product when it becomes evident that the results of our long-term, loyal clients would be diluted by any additional assets. How much of your analysis is "quantitative" versus "qualitative?" In other words, do you make decisions strictly by the numbers or do you allow for a degree of common sense to guide your investment decision making? A 30,000 foot examination of James Investment Research may well lead to the conclusion that we are a quant shop. In fact, we merely let our computer models narrow down the universe of over 8000 publicly traded companies in America to a more manageable top decile of 800 potential buy candidates upon which to perform extensive qualitative research before a name could ever end up on our Buy list. We wrote all of our own research software, so while it may appear quantitative, it was all created with sound, qualitative common sense. Likewise, we use technology to improve our productivity and better monitor process and results. Please explain why you favor sector analysis over fundamentals in picking stocks. Because it is less risky than overweighting in various sectors just because fundamentals say they are cheap. Just think of finance stocks in 2008, they were cheap but our discipline kept us from overweighting this area. In fact, it led us to underweighting finance stocks. You appear to be more of a "value" versus "growth" stock selector. Please explain the difference and if you favor one over the other. A value investor wants to pay 50 cents for something worth $1 to him. A growth investor may also view the asset as being currently worth $1, but is willing to pay $1 because he believes that its ability to grow will soon make it worth $2. Value investing is more the tool of choice of capital preservers, whereas growth investing is more often employed for capital appreciation. While we may be considered more of a value investor, we do consider earnings as an important item for consideration. It is important to note, however, that we are relative as opposed to absolute value investors. An absolute value investor will stay in cash when (s)he cannot find stocks trading for less than their perceived value. We remain fully invested in stocks representing relative if not absolute value. Also, please be reminded that fully 35% of our criteria are based on positive and growing earnings. We further note how each camp works for and against the other throughout a market cycle. Coming out of a bear market/recession, value investors are happy buyers of stocks trading at discounts to their perceived value, while growth investors haven't begun seeing the growth in earnings they so cherish. As the economy and market expand, discounts to perceived value dry up via market appreciation to the point where value investors are no longer willing to buy and may look to begin selling. Earnings may have begun to grow, causing growth investors to gladly buy from value investors. As the economy and the bull market mature, earnings growth may begin to slow. Value investors certainly won't pay above perceived value, so growth investors must find growth investors even more optimistic than they are to sell to. This is also known as the greater fool theory. Over the course of the market cycle, value investors have a natural crowd of investors willing to help them book their profits, growth investors do not. With the market's rapid decline in 2008, do you think balanced portfolios might become more popular with investors, versus portfolios consisting of only stocks? As I analyze net purchases and redemptions of the Funds within The James Advantage Funds family, there is no doubt that balanced portfolios are becoming more popular. Financial intermediaries such as consultants, brokers, registered investment advisors and financial planners perform the balancing function at their clients' portfolio levels, using stocks and bonds or specialized mutual funds. More often than not, however, new clients tell us they never heard from their intermediary to recommend or take risk-lowering action. Tax consequences of the change oftentimes overrule. Another pitfall is emotion on the part of both the intermediary or the client. Buying low and selling high is probably the most often quoted yet hardest to practice cliché in the world. This is because it is scary to buy low, since bad developments have caused others to fearfully sell assets down to low levels. Conversely, selling high involves stepping away while the party is in full swing, never much fun. It's not that we aren't fearful when we buy and don't wish we could greedily hang around when we sell. We simply force our heads to overrule our hearts, because we know that we know that no trend lasts forever, especially nowadays After all, employing the discipline to actually buy low and sell high is what we were hired to do in the first place. Please list James Investment Research's major principals, their backgrounds, and their day to day functions within the firm. Frank James, Ph.D, is the Founder and Chairman, and CIO of James Investment Research. Dr. James earned his Ph.D. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1967. Dr. James is a lead manager for the Balanced product. His dissertation, The Implications of Trend Persistency in Portfolio Management, provided a computer-based study of the price movements of every security listed on the New York Stock Exchange between 1926 and 1960. The results of his research in identifying securities with high probability of future appreciation continue to be used in the firm today. Dr. James was formerly in charge of the graduate management program, and a professor of Management and Statistics, at the Air Force Institute of Technology. His current responsibilities include overseeing the company's innovative investment management and research, and managing the firm's legal and financial matters. Dr. James maintains the firms dedication to providing its employees with a productive work environment supported by state-of-art technology. Barry R. James, CFA, CIC is President and Portfolio Manager with James Investment Research. Barry received his undergraduate degree from The United States Air Force Academy and his Masters Degree from Boston University. He joined James Investment Research in its beginning years before a tour of duty as an officer with the United States Air Force. He returned to the company in 1986. Barry currently oversees the management of James Investment Research and is a senior member of the Investment Committee. Thomas L. Mangan, MBA, CMFC is a Senior Vice President and a Portfolio Manager. Tom is a graduate of The Ohio State University and earned his MBA from The University of Notre Dame in 1974. Tom had over 20 years experience in trading and portfolio management, including positions in New York, London and Chicago before joining James Investment Research in 1994. He was Senior Vice President at Fuji Securities in Chicago prior to joining James. Tom is Director of Fixed Income and a member of the Investment Committee. In addition, Tom is Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the James Advantage Funds. He is also the Funds Chief Compliance Officer. Since 2000 Tom has served as an adjunct professor at Wright State University. David W. James, CFA is a Senior Vice President and a Portfolio Manager with the firm, and serves as an Investment Committee member. Davids responsibilities include a variety of research projects and statistical analysis. David started with the firm in 1981 and helped develop our computer model for screening stocks. Ann M. Shaw, CFP, is Chief Operating Officer and Portfolio Manager. Ann is a senior member of the Investment Committee and is involved in security analysis and client service. She received her Bachelors Degree from Capital University. Anns CFP designation brings essential knowledge and expertise to our individual client base. Anns management responsibilities include overseeing the day-to-day operations of the company, including human resources, MIS, trading, clearing and administration. Ann has been with the firm for 29 years. R. Brian Culpepper, MBA, CMFC joined the firm in 1995, and serves as a portfolio manager and serves as an Investment Committee member. Brian assists in research and helps analyze stocks and mutual funds. He is a graduate of Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio where he earned a double Bachelor of Science degree in Management Information Systems and Management. Brian received his MBA from Wright State University in 2005 and the Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor designation from the College for Financial Planning. Brian has been with the firm for 13 years. Brian Shepardson, CFA, CIC, has been with James since 1999 when he was hired as DTC administrator. Brian is also a lead manager for the Balanced product. Since that time, he has taken on many additional duties including analysis of stocks, bonds and mutual funds. Brian was promoted to a Portfolio Manager having earned his CFA designation in 2003. In addition to the Chartered Financial Analyst designation, he has also earned the Chartered Investment Counselor designation from the Investment Counsel Association of America and Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor from the College for Financial Planning. Brian obtained his BBA from the University of Cincinnati in 1996. Brian has been with the firm for 9 years. How can investors interested in your investment services learn more about your company? Do-it-yourself investors are invited to visit our 3 websites, www.jir-inc.com, www.jamescapital.com, and www.jamesfunds.com. Please note that offerings to invest in The James Advantage Funds at www.jamesfunds.com are made only by prospectus. Folks not on-line may have written information on all 3 product lines mailed to them by calling 1-888-426-7640. Investors are also encouraged to ask their financial intermediaries whether employing James Investment Research in one of these 3 ways makes sense. I see you provide daily market comments. How can someone find out how to be put on a list to receive them? The daily comments are available as streaming audio on our website www.jir-inc.com. At the same website, folks can sign up to receive our weekly market commentary via email. Both resources are provided free-of-charge. Manager Services | Site Tour | Site Map | About Us | Interviews | Contact Us © 2014 Money Manager Review TM. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Service | Disclosure & Privacy Statement1.


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|Project by Pete Santos
|posted 03-26-2014 06:52 PM
|1680 views
|0 times favorited
|6 comments
Metal piece was from Woodcraft when they had a sale on them, I think they were $4.99 each about a year ago, so I bought a dozen. handle is a piece out of the scrap pile, can't say for sure what kind of wood but it's an exotic that's hard as metal. Dense as heck. Dimensions of the handle are 4.5" x 1.75" x 1". Gave the handle a slight curve because the one I made before out of maple looked too boxlike. Sanding sealer and clear gloss poly. I drilled the hole and then tapped it. Since the wood was so dense I screwed in the bottle opener head and was barely able to get it to it's final position using a long dowel as a lever while the handle was in the bench vise. I was afraid I would strip the threads but not even close. Hard as metal. Graphics were made using my Epilog Laser.
Not very good at taking pictures so I took a couple in the hopes it would show correctly. Looks a lot nicer in person.
Thanks for looking.
-- Greatness is not found in possessions, power, position, or prestige. It is discovered in goodness, humility, service, and love.
6 comments so far
#1 posted 03-27-2014 05:46 PM
#2 posted 03-27-2014 06:57 PM
#3 posted 03-28-2014 12:04 PM
Opener is very nice and so are the pics. Nice use of small pieces.
-- Roger from KY. Work/Play/Travel Safe. Keep your dust collector fed. [email protected]
#4 posted 04-01-2014 03:32 PM
Cool bottle opener! Like the wood and finish. Great job!
#5 posted 04-15-2014 05:48 PM
-- Jeff, eastern Wa
#6 posted 02-09-2019 12:23 AM
-- Wood and Glass they kick (well you know) Have a great day - Dug
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In Arizona, once a "Final Judgment" resulting in a "Decree of Dissolution" has been finalized by the judge, it is possible to get that Decree modified by obtaining a "Modification." You would either seek to work with the judge in order to obtain a "Modification of the Decree" or you could attack the Court's Final Judgment. This can occur whether the judgment is fairly new, or whether it has been in place for quite some time. This website can only provide brief information on obtaining relief by way of modification, but it is always advisable to contact us or call us at (602) 254-8880 in order to set a free initial consultation with The Cantor Law Group. Each case is different, and it must be discussed on its individual facts. When attacking the judge's ruling directly, this is done by way of a "Motion for New Trial" or an "Appeal." If working with the judge, then this would simply be known as a "Modification."
Often times a person's circumstances will change and it then becomes necessary to ask the courts for a "Modification" of the prior court's "Decree of Dissolution." In Arizona, some of the factors that are looked to are the loss of a job; reduction of income; health issues; medical bills; and other issues which may arise due to the illness of a child. In order to insure that the Modification is granted, it is important to gather all witnesses and documentation which supports your claim that the Modification is immediately necessary. This is especially important if the change in circumstances is affecting the "best interests" of any child involved. At The Cantor Law Group, we have handled hundreds of modifications and are very familiar with the system. Contact us or call us at (602) 254-8880 in order to set your free initial consultation.
Modifications normally involve three different major categories:
- Modification of Spousal Maintenance
- Modification of Child Support
- Modification of Child Custody
It is extremely important that a list of all relevant information which may affect Modifications of a Final Judgment or Final Decree of Dissolution be prepared and provided to our office as soon as possible. Try and bring this list with you after you Contact us or call us at (602) 254-8880 in order to meet The Cantor Law Group for your free initial consultation.


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About Us
Digital technology has enabled us to discover the natural beauty previously invisible within minerals and semi-precious stones that are millions, sometimes billions, of years old like this rock-solid agate created by molten lava - yet looking like an Impressionist painting of waves.
Professor of Architecture Richard Weston became arguably the world's leading Indiana Jones digitally exploring this old/new world, and discovered that digitally printed satin silk produced the perfect combination of nature, tradition and high technology to "show off" the stunning beauty of these unique images.
The BBC agreed, and in 2011 Richard became the "break out" star of Britain's Next Big Thing TV series, and Vogue called him "the most unexpected new talent in British fashion".
Weston silk scarves have since then been among the very best selling brands in the iconic Liberty Scarf Hall, and in luxury stores around the world.
This is largely because each season we explore new universes, and identify new opportunities to combine natural beauty with digital technology.
We have "mineralised" flowers and trees, presented nebulae in deep space like never before, used Rennaisance techniques with oil paints to create digital Strizzate scarves, produced a unique set of birthstone images, and are currently exploring mineralising landscapes and iconic British locations.
On this website, we are proud to offer three categories of Weston products:
Sale Scarves: our wonderful digital printers near the banks of Lake Como in North Italy often produce a few more scarves than our retail customers have ordered, and we offer these a season later at substantial discounts. These are all perfect scarves, exactly as were previously available in Liberty and other luxury stores. New ones are added every month or so, and once sold most will never be available again.
Scarf Collections: Weston scarves have become collectors' items, and only on this website some of our most collected scarves - like birthstones and Strizzate - are permanently available. We also offer Current Season scarves at the same prices as retailers, but with free delivery.
Exclusive Products: exclusive to this website because they are new products, or because margins don't allow us to sell them through stores, or because they need an online environment to present the number, range and choices available. These include clothing and interior design products, products for men as well as women, and prints for home and office walls. You can even licence our images to use as you wish for personal and commercial applications.
So...welcome to the naturally exclusive world of Weston! Explore. Enjoy.


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XPO Logistics Pilots Labor Productivity Tools in Less-Than-Truckload
Machine learning optimizes dock operations
XPO's latest optimization tools compare real-time productivity rates with the number of active dock workers, using machine learning to predict how adjustments in labor levels affect productivity. The tools track motor moves (goods moved from dock to truck) against production targets and analyze productivity gaps to improve performance. The LTL pilot follows the company's successful introduction of workforce planning analytics in its warehouse operations in March.
The company expects to conclude the LTL pilot program in the third quarter and begin a phased roll-out of the new tools to its 274 US terminals.
Forward-looking Statements
This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of
Media Contact
The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.


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Bringing Innovative Human Capital,Diversity and Inclusion to Global Work Force
CHENNAI, INDIA -At Accenture India, select male employees are the bastions of diversity and inclusion (D&I). Carefully handpicked from the pool of middle management and senior leaders, these employees are sensitized to become advocates of diversity. A host of companies including Genpact, Pega Systems and Pepsico are now putting the focus on male employees in the organisation to lead, advocate and handhold women as they progress in their careers.
"D&I shouldn't be a zero-sum game. Men in the organisation need to be part of the process and when a man stands up and talks about diversity, it sends a strong message. Empowering women is not just a for women, by women initiative," said Dhanya Rajeswaran, director - HR, Accenture India. She adds that many thousand men are part of this journey at Accenture India. Among their various roles, they are expected to mentor and sponsor female employees who are identified for future growth. "There is difference between mentoring and sponsoring. Mentoring is acting as sounding board and providing career guidance. Sponsoring is being much more hands on - identifying which assignments play to her strength, making such opportunities available and playing an active role in shaping her career," said Rajeswaran.
At IT product company Pegasystems, Woman@Pega is a key initiative of the company. The company prides itself with having 57% women at the senior level. Krishnamurthy SV, senior director, industry applications, Pegasystems says makes their D&I goal easier by adopting a top down approach to replicate this success at all levels. "We have realised that this ratio is broadly the same at the entry level too. It is the mid management level where there is leakage and hence we put a lot of focus there," he said. As part of their Womentoring initiative, female employees are aligned to a mentor based on their needs. "It could be people management or picking up a new technology - a mapping is done so we find the right fit for the mentor and employee. 60% of our mentors are men," said Krishnamurthy.
With D&I initiatives being adopted in full swing in several large corporates, a challenge that comes along with it is an inherent feeling of exclusion. "Creation of women networking groups etc tend to create a feeling of exclusion for everyone else in the organisation. The idea of using men as allies is to be inclusive and make them a part of the process," said Saundarya Rajesh, founder, AVATAR group. With men constituting a statistical majority in almost all organisations, they are in a position to influence decision making and pass on values to the rest of the employees.
Rajesh says many of the successes she has seen with programs has been because of senior male employees in organisations she has worked with. For instance, Scope International ( now Standard Chartered Global Business Services) was among the earliest companies to have a program in place for second careers for women in 2006. "This was possible largely due to the efforts of Chandrashekhar Pingali, head HR at the company," Rajesh said.
AVATAR works with multiple companies including Accenture, Pepsico and Genpact for this program. "Every male ally is a true role model. We look several aspects like how many women they have mentored, how many careers have been salvaged and if they have a focus towards creating an anabling workplace, not just quarter on quarter revenues," said Rajesh.


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PC Advisor reviews the Top 5 best Windows 8 laptops you can buy in the UK right now.
- Rating:
- Reviewed on: 15 October 12
- RRP: £799 inc. VAT
Weighing just over 1kg, Toshiba's Satellite Z930 Ultrabook is quite a marvel of engineering.
- Rating:
- Reviewed on: 18 October 12
- RRP: £799 inc. VAT
The Asus Zenbook UX32A offers a familiar line-up of features for a cheaper Ultrabook.
- Rating:
- Reviewed on: 8 October 12
- RRP: £850 inc. VAT
The Samsung 550P7C is a capable 17in laptop with power to spare for general computing and Windows games.
- Rating:
- Reviewed on: 25 October 12
- RRP: £649 inc. VAT
The Lenovo IdeaPad U410 isn't the fastest Ultrabook we've seen, but it's difficult to complain about this laptop, given its designer looks and sensible price.
- Rating:
- Reviewed on: 10 September 12
- RRP: £899 inc. VAT
Sony's new S Series includes both 13in and 15in models with Ivy Bridge processors.
- Rating:
- Reviewed on: 16 October 12
- RRP: £699 inc. VAT
The HP Envy 4-1020ea is a good looking and well-made laptop for the price.


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Postgraduate Laws LLM (LLM, PGDip and PGCert)
Our world-class, Postgraduate Laws programmes are designed to meet a diverse range of needs. We offer a general degree and over 30 specialisations.
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By Tony Storey, Jun 27 2018 9:11PM
Sixteen members gathered in St Wilfrid's Church Hall on Monday 25th June for the club's Annual General Meeting.
Opening the meeting, the Chairman welcomed everyone and paid tribute to the committee members who had worked hard throughout the past season to ensure that everything ran smoothly and successfully. Wearing his competition secretary's hat, he went on to report that competition entries were slightly lower than last season's figure and the number of members participating over all the competitions was down by 4% from the previous season.
Programme Secretary, Joan Taylor, reviewed the various events that had taken place over the past season, including competitions, talks, workshops, outdoor shoots and the inter-club competitions. She then outlined the programme being planned for the coming season including our involvement in the Southern Counties Photographic Federation's print and PDI leagues
This was followed by Andrew Kendon's treasurers report and the acceptance of the 2017/18 audited balance sheet together with approval of the appointment of our auditor for 2018/19 - Paul Robinson. Despite a small fall in revenue over the past year, he proposed that the club should maintain members' subscriptions at their current rates. This was passed unanimously.
The Chairman then announced that Debbie Platt would be standing down from the committee to spend more time in her holiday home in Spain. She was thanked by the Chairman on behalf of all the members for her contribution to the club over the past six years. The remaining committee members were re-elected unopposed.
The Chairman then asked all members present to choose their favourite theme, of the six short listed, for next season's set subject competition. Following a show of hands, "Water" was the overwhelming favourite.
There followed an interesting and wide-ranging discussion about the recent decline in members attending club meetings, the possible causes of this and the difficulty the club has in retaining new members. A clear view was expressed that the club pays insufficient attention to supporting less experienced new members who may lack confidence and feel overwhelmed by the quality of pictures on show during competitions. To counter this trend, a mentor system was suggested as a way of providing one-to-one support to new members to help them find their feet and gain photographic confidence. It was also felt that promoting this message through the greater use of social media, including Facebook, might encourage new comers as well as bringing the club to the attention of amateur photographers and potential members living locally.
Prior to the AGM. members had been invited to submit entries for this new competition, comprising of a panel of any number of prints displayed on a sheet of A1 size board.
On the day, ten boards were on display, covering a variety of interesting themes and subjects, and members were invited to view and vote for their favourites. Following the count, the result was as follows: In third place came Dave Johnson's board entitled "SHUTTERFLY". Second place came Joan Taylor's board featuring the many thatched properties in Selsey. However, the winner was Andrew Kendon's board composed of colourful pictures of street art from around the world.
Thus concluded another successful season and AGM. All that remained was for the Chairman to remind everyone about the following important club dates:
• Presentation Dinner (Monday 9th July)
• Summer Exhibition (22nd to 27th August)
• Welcome Evening on Monday 3rd Sept - Members' 10 Minute Presentations !
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2008 M BMW 1 SERIES 1.6 116I SE 3d 121 BHPFULL SERVICE HISTORY ** NO ADVISORIES ON ITS LAST MOT **
- 92971 miles
- £82.50 6m Tax
- 139 CO² (g/km)
- Petrol
- £150.00 12m Tax
- Manual
- 48.7 Avg. MPG
- Ins. Group: 18
- 92971 miles
- £82.50 6m Tax
- 139 CO² (g/km)
- Petrol
- £150.00 12m Tax
- Manual
- 48.7 Avg. MPG
- Ins. Group: 18
- Details
- Features
- Finance
- Gallery
- PriceSOLD
- Fuel TypePetrol
- Body StyleHatchback
- Engine Size1597
- Number of Doors3
- Exterior ColourWhite
- Registered2008
- TransmissionManual
- Mileage92971 *
- Owners3
- Emissions139 CO² (g/km)
- Road Fund£82.50 6m Tax
- Road Fund£150.00 12m Tax
- Max Power120 bhp
- Max Torque118 lbft
- Max Speed127 mph
- 0-60 Time10.1 secs
- MPG Extra58.9 mpg
- MPG Combined48.7 mpg
- MPG Urban37.7 mpg
This vehicle has been sold.
Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the above information but errors may occur. Please check with a salesperson.
This vehicle has been sold.
M60ASF BMW 1 SERIES 1.6 116I SE 3d 121 BHP ** FULL SERVICE HISTORY ** NO ADVISORYS ON THE LAST 2 MOTS **WITH LOADS OF RECEIPTS AND PAPER WORK WELL MAINTAINED CAR . IN STUNNING WHITE WITH 17 INCH SILVER ALLOYS . REAR PARKING SENSORS .PRIVACY GLASS . BLACK CLOTH INTERIOR AUTOP STOP START . CLIMATE CONTROL A/C .CD PLAYER WITH PHONE CONNECTIVITY WITH FULL STEERING WHEEL ELECTRICS . SOLD WITH PRIVATE PLATE . wirksworthcars.com formally known as baileycroft vehicle sales is family owned business in Derbyshire. All our cars are fully HPI CHECKED . Finance is also available subject to status please feel free to call either Darryl on 07979 225347 , Sam on 07912 284421 or Paul on 07725979246 for any further help or to book a viewing. 'Lights On' Remainder warning buzzer, 17" 5 spoke alloy wheels style 256, 3 spoke sports leather steering wheel, 60/40 split rear seats, ABS/EBD, Auto climate control, Auto dimming interior mirror, Automatic Stability Control (ASC), Auxiliary point for auxiliary devices, Body coloured bumpers, Body coloured door handles, Brake force display, CBC - (Cornering brake control), Driver/Passenger airbags (Impact dependent), DSC - Dynamic Stability Control, Dynamic brake control, Dynamic Traction Control - DTC, Electric front windows + one touch + anti-pinch, Electric Power Steering (EPS) with Servotronic, Electrically adjustable door mirrors, Electronic immobiliser, Engine start/stop button, Exterior parts in body colour, Floor mats, Folding front centre armrest + storage, Folding rear seat head rests, Front door storage bins, Front fog lights, Front head restraints, Front isofix attachment + airbag deactivation, Front side airbags, Front sports seats with electric side bolster adjustment, Front/rear courtesy lights with soft on/off dimming, Graduated tinted windscreen, Heated door mirrors, Heated windscreen washer jets, Height adjustable front seatbelts, Interior light package - 1 Series, Isofix system on outer rear seats, ITS head airbags for front/rear, Load restraint lashing eyes, M sport suspension, Multifunction steering wheel with audio controls, On board computer, Outside temperature display, Pyrotechnically pre-tensioned front seatbelts, Reach + rake adjustable steering column, Rear parking distance control, Rear wash/wipe, Remote central locking, Run flat indicator (RFI) - tyre puncture warning system, Run flat tyres, Seat belt force limiter, Service interval indicator, Sunvisor with ticket holder, Thatcham Cat.1 alarm, Toolkit located under boot mat, Voice control system, Warning triangle and first aid kit, Windscreen wipers with adjustable interval
Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the above information but errors may occur. Please check with a salesperson.
The following documents are available for this vehicle:


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When a human being celebrates a birthday, you bring a gift. But when a luxury hotel throws a big-time anniversary blowout, you bring Brooklyn rapper, singer, and all around stylish motherfucker Theophilus London.
Tonight, Mr. London will be kicking out an acapella freestyle version of "Happy B-Day, Bitches!" (and probably an entire set of faves off his new full-length album Timez Are Weird These Days) in honor of the W South Beach's two-year anniversary.
And since homie's hanging around town, Crossfade called Theo's cell to ask him about all kinds of random shit, including SoBe, salads, and whether he prefers burned-out Biscayne motels to the swag-ass suites at the W.
Crossfade: You've hit up Miami a bunch over the last year. Is it always business? Or is there plenty of pleasure too?
Theophilus London: A year ago, it was all about pleasure. Now it's all about business.
Does that mean short trips? You're known to be a travel fanatic.
Yeah. Being a travel fanatic has made me learn that short trips is the only way to go.
So what? Like 24 blitzes?
Yo, I can get attached to a city, man. I'll be walking the streets at 4 a.m. in the night, lurking. And that's not good for five days in a row.
I guess there's not a lot of sleep involved.
No. My goal's to get together with the top five people, culture-wise, in the city. And usually, they're as crazy as I am. So it's just five crazy people in one room, ready to hit the town. No sleep.
Which crazy people will you be conferencing with in Miami? Do you already have a panel set up?
I'm trying to keep it light now. You know, the album just came out. I try to eat more salad. I try to chill. I just got up from a nap. And I rarely take naps. Everyone's surprised. But nah, I'm in the room, man. I'm trying to focus now.
You mentioned salad. What's your favorite SoBe salad?
I go light. A little arugula with a hint of lemon. Put a little fennel in there and I'm all good.
When you hit the 305, do you always stay at the W? Or do you prefer to lay your head in a burned-out Biscayne Boulevard motel?
Last time, my boy said they had to sleep with the door open 'cause the motel ain't have no AC. So I'm definitely down with some W shit.
What are the perks over at the W?
Yo, it's just a really good atmosphere. You know, you walk in the room and it feels like this your crib. You know what I'm sayin'? I take advantage of it. I get the hot towel, wash my face, put my laptop down. There's already wi-fi up in this shit. You got a whole lil' bar, a living room, a cool bathroom, two TVs, and a big balcony. You can just think, yo. You can walk around in your boxers.
Besides being a rad rapper and stellar singer, you're also known for your fashion sense. What did you pack for trip to SoBe? Accessories? Essentials? Contraband?
We just chillin'. We brought Raf Simons, Christian Louboutin, fuckin' Levis, some $5 t-shirts. That's about it.
You belong to a whole class of young musicians who've broken free of certain stale rap cliches. There's a little indie, pop, house, and other stuff in the work of Mr. London. Some people call it hipster-hop ... What do you think of that tag? Is it bullshit?
Nah, I think it's kinda real. I know there are a bunch of hipsters making music for no reason. And if you wanna call it hipster-hop or hipster clap or hipster rap or hipster rock, that's cool. But I never heard of the genre before. It's not on my iTunes genre list. You can't buy music under hipster-hop. I can't find any music under hipster-hop. So I don't know if it exists.
In the past, you've shouted out icons like Morrissey, Marvin Gaye, Elvis Costello, Teddy Pendergrass. How does someone get into such a wide and random array of music?
You know, checking out old records from before my time when the music industry was all about vinyl and fucking loaded like the movie business. I've been livin' it. So I wanted to check it out. And I wanted to see what music was about, other than the world of MP3s.
You just released your debut full-length album. What do you mean when you say Timez Are Weird These Days?
It's just what's been going on in my personal life. If I wrote a diary, you could probably name it Timez Are Weird These Days too. But it's a ten-song pop record about fantasy.
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You've admitted to having the title of your song "Love Is Real" tattooed on your body. Where, when, why, and how did that happen?
I was in Stockholm at midnight. There was blizzard. It was me and a girl. And there are only two tattoo parlors in all of Stockholm. They were closed. So we had to beg, buy them beers, and beg. It worked. And we both got it on our bodies.
Theophilus London as part of W South Beach's Two-Year Anniversary, hosted by W Hotels global music director Michaelangelo L'Acqua. Thursday, July 28. W South Beach, 2201 Collins Ave., Miami Beach. The party starts at 9:30 p.m. Call 305-938-3000 or visit starwoodhotels.com.
Follow Crossfade on Facebook and Twitter @Crossfade_SFL.


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Welcome to Suzin L. Chocolatier!
At Suzin L. Chocolatier, we have been handcrafting our sweet, creamy chocolates in small batches for over 25 years. In that time, our commitment to the highest quality ingredients has never wavered. We pride ourselves on the fact that our gourmet confections have become a tradition for so many families. We hope that you find our chocolates to be just as irresistible as we do. Enjoy!


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Eugene, OR
We cater to do-it-yourselfers.
645 Adams St.
Look no further. Heinke's Electrical & Lighting carries all the supplies for any electrical project you might have, from small jobs to rewiring an entire house.
We've been supplying do-it-yourselfers for 63 years and take pride in offering excellent customer service and the working background knowledge to answer all of your questions.
If you need help with a project, and we can't guide you in the right direction, we will recommend someone within the industry who can help you.
Meter bases
Electrical panels
Let us help you find what you're looking for at Heinke's Electrical & Lighting. Visit or call us today.
Heinke's Electrical & Lighting serves Eugene, Springfield, Cottage Grove, Junction City, and the coast.
Electric heaters
Circuit breakers
Electrical tools


text: Customer Feedback Home Our Services Online Ad Management Online Reputation Management Get Found On Google Marketing Copy and Video Chatbots and Messenger Marketing For Local Business Your Branded Mobile App Build Business With A Site Audit Other Services Call Tracking Lead Generation Web Design Blog – What Grows Business About Us Contact Us Your Business and The Coronavirus HOME Open Menu HomeOur ServicesOur ServicesOnline Ad ManagementOnline Reputation ManagementGet Found On GoogleMarketing Copy and VideoChatbots and Messenger Marketing For Local BusinessYour Branded Mobile AppBuild Business With A Site AuditOther ServicesOther ServicesCall TrackingLead GenerationWeb DesignBlog - What Grows BusinessAbout UsContact UsYour Business and The CoronavirusTop Menu Customers Feedback Hello, my name is Ron Hunt the owner of VIDDI LLC, ( VPeeps.com). I've had the opportunity of working with different marketing firms over the years. Working with B2B Resource Team LLC has been a breath of fresh air. I was actually shocked to see the attention that was paid to me personally and my company. No matter when I called they were right there to explain and serve my every need. The actual proof is on Facebook. In one week I accumulated more than 30,000 likes on my business page. This was attributed to the strategy and closest attention paid by the B2B Resource Team. I will be releasing a new app in February, 2017. I would be insane to look anywhere else for my marketing needs. Thank you B2B Resource Team. "Greg has the rare ability to analyze and synthesize thoughts and ideas into a focused and constructive framework. Greg's enterprising style and engaging manner instills a feeling of confidence and optimism, stimulating his clients to think "out of the box." Christine Michaels, LMHC, CEAP & Lonne L. Sterling, LMHC, CEAP "Peak Performance Solutions (now B2B Resource Team) led us through a process that improved our sales team communications and helped us move towards a high performance team. I began to see immediate response and benefits from my team as an important part of our new direction" " Charles Hicks, Xerox Sales Director Xerox "For more than two years, Employee & Family Resources has experienced positive benefits from the solid business experience and expertise of Peak Performance Solutions (now B2B Resource Team). From executive coaching and leadership development as part of our succession planning, to an 18-month new product development process, Peak Performance Solutions(now B2B Resource Team) has delivered measurably effective results." Paul Hedquist, CEO Employee and Family Resources CEO, Employee and Family Resources "Greg lead our organization in creating a culture of innovation. His consultation brought both energy and knowledge to this process. We look forward to continuing our work with Greg." Margy, COO, E&FR Employee and Family Resources "Greg's assessment of my new business' needs and his detailed proposal of services was just the beginning of the very professional service package he delivered in the enhancement of my website, creation and expansion of social media, and broad marketing strategy for my new business. With the patience of a saint, he is timely, professional, friendly and delivers on his work exactly as promised. I intend to contract him again and highly recommend Greg based on this outstanding experience with him" Mitzi Roca, President, NaviMed Associates President, NaviMed Associates "Working with Greg and the B2B team has been a wonderful experience. Not only do they take the time to listen to their clients in order to understand their needs and objectives; execution of their online marketing and pay per click strategies has been phenomenal. We will continue to work with them in the future and highly recommend them to others. They are definitely worth the investment. " Lenny Lomax, MD, President and CEO, UltiMaxx LLC President & CEO Ultimaxx Health "Greg is a consummate professional! He is a delight to work with, a true asset to our company. He keeps our eyes on the strategic view, while at the same time assisting us forward with critical tactical steps. I nicknamed coach because he applauds us for steps forward and gently nudges us when we need to pick up the pace to meet our desired goals." Kathryn Kittinger, Owner, Shoogie Boogie's cafe Owner, Shoogie Boogie's Cafe Reviews Contact Us B2B Resource Team LLC Sarasota, Florida, 34243 Call Us: (941) 256 - 2468 www.b2bresourceteam.com Address Ad Widget Free Ad FREE CONSULTATION (941) 256 - 2468 Consultation Banner Contact Us Today Email Name Phone Comments Contact Form MENU Open Menu Vertical Menu Attract New Customers Strong Marketing Strategies Social Media Integration Professional CopyWriting Proven Marketing methods and Tools Attract New Customers Make a Strong First Impression Get More Calls Attract New Customer Home Sitemap About Us Privacy Policy Terms of Service Select MenuHomeSitemapAbout UsPrivacy PolicyTerms of ServiceFooter Links © 2020 B2B Resource Team LLC Sarasota, Florida All rights reserved. Footer Text


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The mission of the BCCFA is to promote and support the practice and expansion of sustainable community forest management in BC. The purposes of the Association are to:
• Work to ensure the viability of community forest initiatives
• Provide education on community forestry issues
• Assist community forest practitioners in accessing resources required to succeed
• Promote community forest management as a strategy for community economic development
All of these purposes speak to the importance of extension in the work of the Association. We define extension as the dissemination of educational resources and expertise to community forest practitioners. It includes an array of communication and learning opportunities
Extension services are offered to BCCFA members within the following three categories:
a) as part of our core operations
b) through the UBC Extension Project, and
c) on a fee for service basis.
The Core Extension Services are provided by contract staff. Services include liaison with CFAs on requests for information, resources and problem solving. The level of service is limited by the funding approved by the board of directors in the annual Core Operating Budget. There are currently no funds to support travel of contract staff in the provision of these services.
The UBC Extension Project is funded by an anonymous donor through an agreement with the University of British Columbia to offer onsite information sessions to approximately 10 BCCFA member communities annually. Ken Day, Manager of the Alex Fraser Research Forest, and Susan Mulkey of the BCCFA, form the Extension Team. Sessions are free of charge and are held for about 3 hours per session.
The Fee for Service Extension stream offers the skills of Susan Mulkey and her expertise gained through 18 years of dedication to the success of community forest organizations. Susan is available to help community forests navigate the strategic planning process in an engaging and focused way. Drawing on the best practices in the Guidebook II, Susan can help with design of needed policies to bring focus and align expectations and priorities. With her insight and coaching, Susan can support problem solving and support with tricky issues such as clarification of respective roles and communication between board and paid staff, how to make the most of volunteer time and efforts and effective community engagement.


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« April 2011 |
| June 2011 »
My new artwork for Theo's wall!
May 30, 2011 | Permalink
Comments (1)
Theo: "I want to hit the baseball one million times!"
Mommy: "How about 20? I think that's a more attainable goal."
Theo (scowling): "Mommy, there are no goals in baseball! That's soccer!"
Here's Theo with the Oakland A's bat he got yesterday at Bat Day . . .which he can really swing!
May 15, 2011 | Permalink
Comments (2)
Theo just loves flowers. He loves to smell them and pick them -- which of course is a no-no in most places. The other day Jeff and Theo came home from a "boys afternoon" and Theo was carrying a bouquet of beautiful blooms. You should have seen his beaming face when he said "These are for you, mommy!" Ah, what a guy.
May 14, 2011 | Permalink
Comments (0)


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Design and Art are intertwined and they constantly influence each other. I personally think graffiti is street art developed by young people's need for expression in open spaces. Murals on the other hand are a re-defined version of graffiti that speak for the culture and struggles of the people.
Please join me, as we bike through the streets of San Francisco in search of unique and beautiful murals and graffiti art.


text: You can change your life with an addiction treatment program that works. It is not Malibu or a celebrity rehab centre. It is a comfortable and private place serving great food in a contemporary setting with medical care by experienced physicians and knowledgeable staff who understand addiction. What sets Crosbie apart is the contagious energy and enthusiasm that permeates this remarkable learning experience. Crosbie House becomes your safe "home away" and we will be there to help long after you leave. We are proud of our program because it works.


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The Berlin and Cambridge, Mass.–based artist Matt Saunders, who is represented in New York by Harris Lieberman, has been awarded the second edition of the Jean-François Prat Prize, which carries a €20,000 ($25,600) purse and includes a two-month show at the law offices of Bredin Prat in Paris. The other artists shortlisted for the prize were Guillaume Bresson amd Mathieu Cherkit, who will each receive €2,000 ($2,600).
The contemporary art prize was inaugurated by the firm last year in memory of Jean-Francois Prat, an art collector who cofounded it. The 2012 prize went to Farah Atassi.
Congratulations, Mr. Saunders.


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Costa Blanca
Ciudad Quesada, a perfect place to live all year
Ciudad Quesada is a large urbanization within Rojales became in a small and lovely village provided with all main services and many leisure points. The place has a wonderful location next to La Marquesa golf course. To enjoy the beautiful beaches of Guardamar del Segura only takes ten minutes by...Read more
El Pinet - La Marina (Alicante)
The Pinet is a residential area located in a unique enclave, flanked by the Mediterranean Sea and next to the natural park of Salinas, makes it an exclusive and idyllic place to live. Surrounded by great natural purity and its beaches awarded with the Blue Flag granted by the European Union,...Read more
Guardamar del Segura, a unique environment in the south of the Costa Blanca
The town of Guardamar del Segura is one of the main jewels of the southern Costa Blanca. Stands out the quality of his eleven kilometers of beach and stunning dunes, accompanied by a Mediterranean climate that guarantees ten months of sunshine and warm temperatures throughout most of the year....Read more
Orihuela Costa, a paradise designed to measure
Orihuela Costa is a set of developments located in a natural environment with some virgin spaces. Highlights include the Dehesa de Campoamor and pine forest, green care also three golf courses in a total area of 1,700,000 square meters have hosted major continental competitions. Residential that...Read more
Urbanization La Marina, the retirement dream
If the south of the Costa Blanca integrates features of British and Central European's way of life with the charm of climate, customs and Mediterranean people, La Marina's urbanization is one of the greatest exponents a short distance from San Fulgencio, the town that belongs and surpasses in...Read more
Finestrat-Benidom is the only place where you can enjoy the sun of Spain
Finestrat-Benidom is a unique place to enjoy the sun of Spain and about 30 minutes from the city of Alicante that has the international airport and the high-speed train station with which you can go to Madrid in just a couple of hours. Finestrat-Benidorm thanks to its geographical location...Read more


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Outside the Box, June 2006
Outside the Box was retired on April 25, 2018, to make way for the new and improved premium research service, Over My Shoulder.
If you're interested in joining John Mauldin, Patrick Watson, and the thousands of Over My Shoulder subscribers as they analyse important research several times a week, please click here to find out how you can subscribe for less than $10 per month.
The Leverage in the System and the Weak US Dollar
June 26, 2006
In my Friday letter, "Thoughts from the Frontline," I touched briefly on the Yen Carry Trade and its effects on asset prices. Just what should investors be concerned with and profit from in a market bent on volatility and anchored by a new seat at the Fed? My good friends at GaveKal have written an excellent and timely article on global liquidity and its implications for the markets.
Charles and Louis-Vincent Gave, along with Anatole Kaletsky, are each co-founders of GaveKal, a global...
Deflating The Housing Bubble
June 19, 2006
With so many variables to weigh in on, there has been a lot of speculation going around about how Fed Chairman, Ben Bernanke, is going to fare in his rookie season. The headlines of the financial press have been filled with reports of inflation and the dollar, but what of the U.S. housing market that once demanded so much investor attention?
This week's letter is from Paul Kasriel of The Northern Trust Company. Kasriel is Senior Vice President and Director of Economic Research, responsible for...
The Perfect Value Investor
June 12, 2006
With several of the market averages racking up significant declines, many are starting to wonder if this recent drawdown will present some value opportunities. My good friend James Montier has constructed an insightful study on the characteristics of value investing.
For those who are unacquainted with Mr. Montier, he serves as the Director of Global Strategy at Dresdner Kleinwort Watterstein, a London and Frankfurt based investment bank. He is also a prolific writer and author of the book...
Moral Hazards
June 5, 2006
Any time a central bank speaks there are scores of investors lined up and waiting to listen. Each is interested in any number of tidbits that might have a plethora of implications affecting his positions and portfolio. Even after the long-winded speeches and discussions, that action does not stop as investors continue to try and anticipate the next set of policies.
My readers are well aware of how keen I find the writing to be of Paul McCulley, managing director of PIMCO. In his global central...


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I have chosen to run in Ciucas mountains, along Bratocea Ridge, a rather easy but very spectacular trail running route. This is a popular route for hiking, trail running, ski touring and even mountain biking. It is easy to reach, as it starts from Bratocea pass, just by the 1A National Road. The route follows Bratocea ridge from the pass (1263m) up to Ciucas mountain top at 1952m. It measures about 7.5 kilometers one way with about 750m of accumulated elevation gain. We extended a bit the route with a short loop in the Peak area. Our route had almost 18 kilometers that we did it in 2h40.
On a beautiful day, with clear atmosphere, the views from this route are simply breathtaking. As Ciucas is a quite isolated peak located in the bend of the Carpathian Mountains, the views from the top open for more than a hundred kilometers in all directions.
Here are some photos I have taken on Saturday while running along this route.
|Bratocea Pass. Early morning, the car park is empty. It will be full later!
|Starting the run in the morning sunshine
|The route starts wit a winding dirt road through a large meadow
|View of Cheia Mountain Resort. It looks cold down there!
|Tigaile Mari rocks. These ate typical Ciucas rock shapes.
The conglomerate rocks are shaped by the strong winds that often blow here.
|The final ascent to the top
|A look east to the other side of the mountain
|A rock solid kiss...
|A look to the west from Ciucas Peak over the Bratocea ridge. In the distance Bucegi Mountains
|Looking towards south-west from Ciucas peak
|Looking towards north east from Ciucas peak
|The steep east side of the peak
|Bucegi Mountains still keeping some of last week snow
|Bucegi again...
|Looking towards North-west to Piatra Mare and Postavarul mountains
|Running with a view
|Last view of Bucegi Mountains before descending into the forest
|Back to Brasov on the 1A road


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Happy Taco Tuesday. If you're reading this on a day that's not Taco Tuesday, you are wrong. Every day is Taco Tuesday if you try…Read more
Tag: tacos
We learned about George Papadoupolus. A new book of David Bowie Photos is coming in 2018 We learned about a $25,000 taco. We learned some fun facts about…Read more
RIP Tom Petty The 2018 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nominees Announced A Bob's Burgers Movie is Coming in 2020 Glenn Danzig's Misfits Gloves Are On Sale Dogs…Read more
Taco Cat spelled backwards is Taco Cat. Taco Dog spelled backwards is God o Cat. Here are some photos of dogs and cats wearing taco…Read more
As quickly as Taco Bell gave us the Naked Chicken Chalupa, they will be ripping it out of our mouths and lives. As reported by the…Read more
The day is finally here, the "Naked Chicken Chalupa" is finally available nationwide and the Riot Fest staff decided to test them out so you…Read more
Americans eat 554 million Jack in the Box tacos each year. Yep. Jack in the Box sells over 1,000 tacos each minute that have been…Read more


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Where to find the best travel industry deals? Find Information travel agents and tour operators are looking for.
Home - Post your deals - Subscribe - Advertising -Contact
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Indianapolis International Airport Employs Telos ID Designated Aviation Channeling Service for Employee and Contractor Threat Assessments
Nation's Eighth Largest Cargo Center Benefits from Increased Efficiency and Flexibility of TSA-Authorized Service
Telos Identity Management Solutions, LLC (Telos® ID) has been selected by the Indianapolis Airport Authority to provide Designated Aviation Channeling (DAC) services for processing employee and contractor security threat assessments at Indianapolis International Airport.
"Timely employee threat assessments are essential to airport operations"
Telos ID is one of three vendors selected by Transportation Security Administration to provide airports and airlines with aviation channeling services, and is the first to be certified under the TSA agreement.
"Timely employee threat assessments are essential to airport operations," said Telos ID President Mark Griffin. "We welcome IND to the rapidly growing list of airports enjoying the efficiencies of Telos ID's DAC services."
Aviation channeling services are used to submit employee information to TSA to conduct the employee threat assessments that are required for individuals working in an aviation environment. TSA requires assessments to be conducted for all airport and airline employees with access to the secure areas of an airport, including baggage workers, ground maintenance workers and restaurant and retail employees.
Telos ID's DAC offering lets aviation-related employers more efficiently run their background check and badging operations. It meets TSA and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regulations for handling personally identifiable information, and as a Web-based solution, it allows users to securely access the system wherever they have an Internet connection. Telos ID also provides additional customer service options and more visibility and flexibility for its customers.
About the Indianapolis Airport Authority
The Indianapolis Airport Authority owns and operates Indiana's largest airport system. In addition to Indianapolis International Airport, its facilities include the Downtown heliport, Eagle Creek Airpark, Hendricks County Airport, Indianapolis Regional Airport, and Metropolitan Airport. IND has received several prestigious awards recognizing it as a leader within its class, including annual Airport Service Quality awards for performance excellence by Airports Council International. IND is the first airport in the U.S. to win LEED® certification for an entire terminal campus, and the airport has won recognition for excellent customer service, concessions programs, and art and architecture.
IND's economic impact in Central Indiana is more than $3.3 billion annually, and about 10,000 people work at the airport each day. IND serves more than 7 million business and leisure travelers each year and averages 135 daily nonstop flights to 33 destinations. Home of the world's second-largest FedEx Express operation and the nation's eighth-largest cargo facility, IND is committed to becoming the airport system of choice for both passenger and cargo service. For more information, visit IND's Facebook page at Indianapolis International Airport and Twitter page at @INDairport.
About Telos ID
Telos Identity Management Solutions, LLC (Telos ID) is among the world's leading providers of identity protection and management solutions to the Department of Defense, the federal government's National Security community, and commercial enterprises. Telos ID solutions and services offer control of physical access to military bases, office buildings, disaster sites, workstations and other facilities, as well as control of logical access to databases, host systems and other IT resources. Telos Corporation holds a controlling interest in Telos ID. For more information, please visit www.TelosID.com


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By Jim Dittbrenner
As an individual in the job search mode, you have been thinking about what you need to do. Friends have been pushing you for your resume. You have purchased, borrowed, or checked out from a library a book on resume samples. You are using your single resume as the cornerstone of your entire search; HOWEVER, there are only five situations that call for a resume:
- Providing your resume to a friend who will review and return or pass it on to a decision-maker.
- Answering an advertisement or job listing.
- Providing your resume, on request, to a prospective employer or recruiter
- Posting your resume on the Internet where you update it weekly.
- When you introduce your resume into the business discussions called interviews.
The following 10 elements need to be in your job search tool kit:
- Attitude. Attitude towards oneself and then toward the ability to effectively contribute. Knowing what it is that you wish to do next goes a long way towards success in your search.
- A written list of your accomplishments. Add to this list as you identify additional relevant accomplishments. Your list should reach 60 to 100 within a week, if you will look outside the box. Continue to add.
- Verbal presentations. Prepare and practice your verbal commercials. First, your "Tell me about yourself" 90 second commercial, then your 30 second commercials. The 90 second commercial speaks to who you are professionally, your competencies, your expertise, and should be "given" comfortably in less than 90 seconds. The 30-second commercial, which you will use most often, should speak to the expertise you bring to the table. Remember to practice all of these verbal presentations until you are comfortable in presenting each as "conversation."
- A professional, one page biography. This is a one page narrative of what you have done, emphasizing competencies and strengths, and written in the third person. You should also develop a chronological resume to use in your resume database.
- Target company list. Research specific organizations that interest you, research further until you have the names of the hiring managers or executives. Find sources to deliver your focused resume – this is Employee Referral at its best.
- Networking list. Identify and begin contacting the people you know personally, both personal acquaintances and professional associates. Continue to build both, volunteer, particularly for Membership type roles. Reason: Obvious.
- Professional References or Board of Directors. Identify and contact Superiors and Peers who will sing your professional praises to potential employers. Write their script for them. If you plan to work for five years or more, then create your own Board of Directors to serve both as References but more importantly, as counselors, mentors, and advisers throughout your career. These Board Members can make referrals on your behalf. Change Directors as needed.
- Resume Data Base. Develop and have accessible a data base for each element of the resume and cover letter, including: Accomplishment/Achievements, Objectives, Summary Statements, Profiles, Schooling and Training Programs and courses so you can "reach in" easily and draw out closely relevant statements that require the minimum wordsmithing to ensure always having a relevant, and unique set of documents.
- Tracking system. It is essential for you to maintain a record of your activities and contacts.
- Resumes. This is the last and least important (when doing a quality search) element, but still indispensable. A quality search requires a resume prepared for the specific opportunity with a specific organization. Remember, the resume's sole purpose is to get you an interview.
With the integration of the first nine elements above and the selected use of the resume you will add power, professionalism, and flexibility to your search. It requires time to develop the above documents as well as using them effectively, but it is well worth it. You are building a career, not just seeking a job, and building a career is easier when you use the right tools.
©D & A Industries, Ltd. – Re-published with permission from the author.
About the Author
Jim Dittbrenner is the owner and managing partner of D&A Industries. He strongly believes in service to his country and community. A second generation Army mustang, Jim works with transitioning military and their families in helping them find employment. This is his "pay it forward."


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The highest point within the UN defined borders of Israel.
While climbing Mount Olympus in Greece a few months earlier I had met and assisted two Israeli guys who said "When you decide to climb Israel's high point get in touch and we can climb it together!". Perfect I thought, So I did just that. I contacted them and I started planning and working on the logistics.
The mountain is located in the very north of Israel near the borders of Syria and Lebanon. Having been to Israel a few years ago albeit to Tel Aviv. I remember being pleasantly surprised at what a nice, modern welcoming and friendly place Israel and the Israeli people are certainly the feel of a European city with a great beach. A place I would certainly recommend. Unfortunately, due to the many years of political unrest around the area I was heading paired with the current civil war in Syria this trip lead for a more cautious approach and I was therefore pleased to have the Israeli guys alongside me.
The plan was to meet at my hotel in Haifa and we would then drive to the trailhead and climb the mountain. I flew from Birmingham to Sofia, Bulgaria then from there to Tel Aviv. A train from Tel Aviv to Haifa and headed to my Hotel "The Port Inn". I had emailed several hotels in that area beforehand mentioning my 100countryhighpoints project and asked if they could assist me while in Israel in exchange for promoting their hotel across my social media. I had several great proposals but the "Port Inn, Haifa" offered me free bed and breakfast while in Haifa and therefore was a no brainer and it was great! I spent the rest of the day sightseeing in Haifa along with heading to the harbour as my Granddad had sailed there just after the war while he was in the army.
The next morning the guys met with me as planned and we were soon heading towards Har Meron. Most of the journey was spent talking about our previous country high point we had climbed together Mount Olympus in Greece, along with a 6000m+ mountain I had climbed in Peru a few weeks prior!
The weather was cool and as we approached the trailhead we could see the top of the mountain was shrouded in mist. There was a path through vegetation and several springs along the first section which in summer would be most useful to refill water bottles and re-hydrate. The narrow dirt path meandered through trees and bushes on the lower slopes for a while although there were no steep sections and after a while, we found ourselves at a viewpoint. You could see over into Lebanon right in front of us and Syria in the distance to the right. I asked the guys how easy it would be to cross the border to either country from where we were.. They replied "very difficult" and shook there heads. A great deal of paperwork at a high level would be required! Even for themselves Israeli citizens.
After a few false summits, we came to a viewpoint which I had seen in several photos. The guys had brought their stove along so we sat and had a coffee although there was no view to admire! We were about 80m below the actual summit at this point as there are several radars and a large military facility occupying the main summit area. I knew several weeks prior that this would be quite a big hurdle to stand as close to the highest point as possible without the Israeli army or any of the many many cameras spotting me!
As the guys are Israeli they did national service and therefore were very accustomed to army/military regulations one of the guys was in bomb disposal. I said my aim is to stand as close to the actual summit as possible.. The one guy new the base and we walked up a military road near to the main gate and he said there you go, you can't go any higher! We were 60m short of the summit and it simply just wasn't acceptable for me at all! They were visibly surprised and unnerved by my plan, I pointed and said "I am going to stealthily head through the bushes and undergrowth along the right of the perimeter fence, follow it and then take a photo and video next to the radar on the top".
The last thing I wanted was for them to get into any trouble, So I said I was more than happy to go alone for this part as there was a high risk of getting caught sneaking around the facility! Not any facility but a military, Israel defence forces, aerospace control centre and early warning radar facility in Israel near the border of Lebanon and Syria!
They had a short conversation and we were soon all off heading through dense undergrowth. The pace was quick and we stooped so not to be spotted before long we were standing alongside the fence next to the radar on the highest point in Israel! I took the customary photos and video and we quickly headed down and back to the car via the military road route for speed.
On the way back the guys treated me to a meal, Hummus with peppers and onions, very nice indeed! As we had a few spare hours before I needed to head back to Tel Aviv we went to a high point which overlooked Haifa and ate Knafeh while enjoying the views!