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Today's News: Our Take - Walking Dead's Glen Mazzara Previews Upcoming War; Discusses His Exit
The Walking Dead kicks off the second half of its third season Sunday (10/9c, AMC), which marks the beginning of the end for former showrunner Glen Mazzara.
In late December, AMC announced that its megahit series - which drew a whopping 10.5 million viewers for its midseason finale - was renewed for a fourth season, but it would go on without Mazzara, who will be replaced by Dead writer Scott Gimple. This wasn't the first time that this has happened, either. Mazzara had actually replaced original showrunner Frank Darabont.
Walking Dead names new showrunner for Season 4
Despite his exit, Mazzara is still promoting the show because of his work on the latter half of Season 3. Below, Mazzara discusses his exit, any regrets he may have and then teases the impending war between the prison and Woodbury. Lest we forget, Daryl (Norman Reedus) is in the clutches of the deranged Governor (David Morrissey), who just lost his eye, and Rick (Andrew Lincoln) is going crazy, literally:
What does the build-up to the war between Woodbury and the prison look like?
Glen Mazzara: The Governor is taking in a lot of information and developing a plan. The veil is lifted from Andrea's (Laurie Holden) eyes, and she realizes that she is uniquely positioned in the middle between these warring groups. That leads to a lot of exciting and surprising character developments in the back half of the season and just some very interesting character choices. One of the things I'm really excited about is that Rick's group realizes that they have poked a tiger, and they are waiting for The Governor to retaliate. They have to decide what to do. Do they now strike first? Do they wait for that retaliation? We are, of course, building to big, kickass finale, but The Governor acts quickly, so I don't think fans will have to wait too long before blood is spilled.
The Governor is hell-bent on revenge and Rick is descending into madness. How is that even a fair fight?
Mazzara: Well why should it be a fair fight? I don't want it to be a fair fight. I want the odds stacked against our heroes. That's the interesting story. Right now, there is a very formidable component coming to that prison, and it's throwing Rick's group into disarray because people have different agendas and Rick's own sanity is cracking. Now, how does he try to - or can he even - save his group? That's the story.
While Rick is dealing with questionable sanity, will anyone step up as a leader?
Mazzara: That's part of what we do in the back half of the season. Now we get to spend time with some other characters. Glenn (Steven Yeun) comes to the forefront, but has a personal agenda. He wants revenge because Maggie (Lauren Cohan) was assaulted by The Governor. Maggie has her own thoughts about the nature of that assault. Hershel (Scott Wilson) has certainly stepped into the foreground too because he realizes Rick's a good man, has been a great leader, but now is perhaps not up to the task of defending the group. Everyone right now has an agenda. And even Carl (Chandler Riggs) has a plan. Carol (Melissa McBride) has thoughts. This is not the group that was at the end of Season 2 that was huddled by the fire, pleading with Rick to save them. These people are battle-tested and any one of them could take a shot at The Governor.
What will Rick do to actively try to gain some of his sanity back?
Mazzara: There's an episode that's coming up that deals with Rick trying to hold on to his sanity, and I really think it's going to be a fan favorite for the entire series. It's a very special episode. It's very different, and it's the curveball. Sometimes fans like curveballs, sometimes they don't, but it's a pretty exciting episode, so that question gets dealt with head on.
What makes this episode so different than the rest of what we've seen this season?
Mazzara: You'll know it when you see it.
Photo Gallery: Check out the best characters with eye patches, including the Governor!
How will Andrea's relationship with The Governor change now?
Mazzara: Andrea has been kept in the dark. Now she sees exactly what's going on. She has a lot of questions. She wants to reconnect with Rick's group and see things for herself. Back in Woodbury, The Governor, who's bent on vengeance, abdicates his role as leader of Woodbury and Andrea is forced into a leadership position to protect innocent people who The Governor begins to train into an army to march on the prison against the people that she loves. So, again, she's really caught in the middle. She's going to have to make some tough choices and she's going to have to deal with both the machinations of this coming war, but also with a lot of unresolved personal business with Rick, Michonne (Danai Gurira) and the others.
Will the group ever be able to trust Andrea again?
Mazzara: It's not quite the homecoming that she was looking for.
Is Andrea's relationship with Michonne irreparable?
Mazzara: There's always hope in the world of The Walking Dead and these are characters we care about, but it's not going to be easy. We do some surprising things to illuminate that relationship and there'll even be a peek into Michonne and Andrea's history.
How will both Michonne and Tyreese (Chad Coleman) have to prove themselves to be able to stay with the group?
Mazzara: The pressure is really on them to prove themselves, and that's not going to be easy because Rick is now convinced to some degree that he's the touch of death, that he incorporated these prisoners into his group and all of them except Axel (Lew Temple), are now dead. His own wife (Sarah Wayne Callies) and T-Dog (IronE Singleton) and many others died, so he does not want to be responsible for more lives. He doesn't want people to join his group, and yet they need numbers on their side if they're going to face The Governor.
How will being pitted against each other change the relationship between Daryl and his brother Merle?
Mazzara: Daryl and Merle (Michael Rooker) being pitted against each other is, in a sense, nothing new for Daryl because he's always pitted against his brother. He's always fighting his brother and trying to prove he's not the weak little brother. So from the minute he sees Merle, he's back where he started from and he really has to try to step up and hold onto the man he's become so that he doesn't fall back into the same old patterns.
Turning to your exit from the series, AMC released a statement saying it was because of creative differences. Were you surprised about the differing of opinion on how to move forward in Season 4?
Mazzara: No. I wasn't surprised. We've been working together for a couple of years now, and you just know when, or you can sense when, people are approaching the material from two different points of view, and that really was the case. There really were creative differences. We all thought it was best to just split amicably and I'm very proud of the work, and I'll let my work stand for itself. AMC will continue the show in the best way they see fit.
Will The Walking Dead ever flash back to the zombie outbreak?
There was a lot of shock on Twitter when it was announced, with your former colleagues Shawn Ryan and Kurt Sutter in particular coming to your defense. How did you feel about receiving that support?
Mazzara: The support that I received has really been very heartwarming and endearing, and I just appreciate everything that fans and friends have said and reached out. It's nice to know that people value my friendship and value my work, and it's really been a very positive experience for me, so I just thank everybody for their support and hope that fans are as excited about my next project as they are about this one, and I just feel a very, very special connection, so it was positive.
How does it feel now having put these final episodes to bed?
Mazzara: I feel good about it. I'm happy with those episodes. I'm happy with all of my cuts and the final product. It's definitely the story that I wanted to tell and I think it leads to a great satisfying conclusion, so I'm very happy with that. I'm slowly putting together ideas for other shows and films, so it's good productive time, and I'm going to go have lunch with Mike Scully, who I'm a big fan of, so that'll be fantastic, and I'm enjoying myself.
Looking back on the season, is there anything you regret doing that could've changed this outcome?
Mazzara: Absolutely not. This is the exact story that I wanted to tell. I wouldn't change a thing. I think this is a pretty exciting season. I think it's pretty remarkable given how complicated the show is through film. Our cast and crew worked so incredibly hard and we have a fantastic postproduction team. I'm just really, really happy with each and every episode. I think it's certainly a highlight of my career and I have just really have loved telling this story.
Walking Dead Postmortem: Who survived Woodbury? Where do loyalties lie? What's next?
What lessons have you learned during your time with The Walking Dead?
Mazzara: That is a great question. Do you have an hour? [Laughs] What's important about doing a genre show is it needs to remain grounded, and it needs to take its time. You do need to have action and a bit of heightened circumstances to it, but I think it does need to remain grounded and I think the key to that is the cast, and if the cast feels real and these are characters we care about and their reactions are grounded and not over the top, it feels real, and people will buy into the fantasy element. I am particularly proud of how well I was able to learn that lesson and keep that consistent for the entire season.
The Walking Dead returns Sunday at 10/9c on AMC.
View original Walking Dead's Glen Mazzara Previews Upcoming War; Discusses His Exit at TVGuide.com
Related Articles on TVGuide.com
- Will The Walking Dead ever flash back to the zombie outbreak?
- Walking Dead names new showrunner for Season 4
- Walking Dead Postmortem: Who survived Woodbury? Where do loyalties lie? What's next?
- Photo Gallery: Check out the best characters with eye patches, including the Governor!
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Alex and Thomas Huber Climb in Queen Maud Land
Stephon Siegrist and the Huber Brothers-three of Europe's top free climbers-embark on an Antarctic expedition to the spellbinding realm of the Queen Mound Land, and open the coldest chapter of their lives.
The plane's alarm went off as the landing wheels crashed hard into the Antarctic ice. We briefly touched down, then the pilot changed his mind and swept us back into the chilled air of Queen Maud Land.
We keep running out of landing strip, said the co-pilot, laughing. The plane circled and we dove back down for the fifth attempt.
The landing wheels smacked the ice again, and were thrown forward, only to be strangled back in place by our seat belts. The tiny airplane cracked and rumbled and eventually came to a halt.
That was tricky! the bush pilot admitted A little shocked to hear that, I raised an eyebrow and looked at the guy.
The door swung open. No wind, blue sky and nothing but ice. Miles and miles of ice. I walked down the plane's stairs and paused just before taking the first step onto the snow. I suddenly knew what Neil Armstrong felt like. The icy surface of Antarctica's fabled Queen Maud Land was just a foot away, but this would be a giant step for me.
The ice crunched under my boot, and it felt like I had woken up inside my dream.
Antarctica is the ultimate No Man's Land. It's the only continent without an indigenous human population, and there's a good reason for that. Antarctica is the coldest, windiest and driest place on earth, with the highest average elevation of all continents. Conditions here are cruel and brutal. The average wind speed is 25 miles per hour, and the average temperature in the dead of summer is minus 20- F. Even though this place is technically a desert, it contains 70 percent of the world's freshwater, of course, it's all frozen. Ice, more or less, is the only thing here. Antarctica is almost 1.5 times larger than the United States, but only .3 percent of this continent is not frozen water. To give that ratio some reference, imagine if every state in the U.S. was covered in ice up to 15,000 feet thick except for Vermont. The sheer weight of the ice sitting on Antarctica's bedrock is so great that if it melted the bedrock would rebound up to 3,000 feet in the continent's interior.
The history of this forbidding land is equally fascinating. Until relatively recently, Antarctica was a mythical place up there with Atlantis and the Seven Cities of Cibola the only mention of a giant barren landmass capping the southern half of the globe had been in stories told by the Ancient Greeks. But for thousands of years, those were only stories. It wasn't until 1820 that this fabled Southern Land was actually seen by a person, and not until 1821 that a human foot touched its shores.
No one paid much attention to Antarctica for the next 80 years. Then, as the 19th century drew to a close, the so-called Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration began. During the first 25 years of the new century, eight different countries launched over 16 major expeditions to Antarctica, spurring an intense scientific and geographic inquiry into this new frontier. The Holy Grail of these excursions, of course, was to be the first to reach the South Pole.
One of the most memorable tales of this age was that of Ernest Shackleton and the Great Southern Journey of 1908, when he and his team made it to within just 97 miles of the South Pole, the farthest south any human had been at the time. The team turned around and barely made it back to their ship having survived a 1,700-mile walk through the Antarctic tundra on half-rations of food. Shackleton returned home to England a hero and was knighted for his effort. In 1911, Roald Amundsen, a Norwegian explorer, officially became the first person to stand at 90 degrees south latitude.
Queen Maud Land is the name given to the territory of Antarctica that was claimed by Norway in 1939, an honor given to Maud of Wales, the Queen of Norway in the early 20th century, who was apparently pretty cool (she supported charity, music and art, liked to ski and dressed well).
It was only 14 years ago, however, that the Norwegian mountaineer Ivar Tollefsen first discovered the incredible mountains of Queen Maud Land. When my brother Alexander and I first saw his pictures of these big-wall granite incisors jutting out of the jowls of the icy flats, we were sold. One day, we vowed, we would go there.
We were determined and motivated, but didn't have the financial means to afford such a journey. You either have to be very rich or you need a good sponsor to have $45,000 to spend on a two-month climbing trip. Back then, Alexander and I were neither rich nor did we have a deep-pocket sponsor. Still, we kept the dream alive by starting an Antarctica savings account, and steadily added to it over the years.
In 2008, our situation improved. Not only was our Antarctica savings box half full, but we found a new sponsor. Adidas was enthusiastic about our project, and all of a sudden the wind was at our backs. The Swiss powerhouse Stephan Siegrist decided to join us, and we invited Max Reichel to film our expedition.
In Shackleton's era, just getting to Antarctica was an epic journey that could take over half a year and was an adventure in and of itself. Our flight to Cape Town, South Africa, the closest point to Queen Maud Land, was unspectacular and only 14 hours from our home in Berchtesgaden, Germany.
We had a two-day layover in Cape Town, where we bought 450 pounds of food, including plenty of salty ostrich meat, to get us through six weeks in the outback. That's when we got the bad news.
Our agency, TAC, or The Antarctic Company, told us that we wouldn't be the only people there. What? A French military expedition was going to be climbing in the same mountains and at the same time as we were. You spend $45,000 per person to go to the most remote and unique corner of the earth, to climb and experience total solitude and it turns out you might have to wait in line to rope up?
We could only hope that we'd get along with the French, and come to an agreement.
We were sitting in the Cape Town airport, enjoying our last taste of draft beer for over a month, when, shit, there they came: the French. I wasn't happy to meet them, to be honest, and even though they appeared to be quite nice, I was skeptical.
One hour and a few beers later, we had each explained our respective objectives and discovered two important things. First, the French were looking to do the North Buttress of the peak called Holstind, which is an adjacent, but totally different, mountain than the one we had in mind: Holtanna, a Norwegian name that means hollow tooth. Second, and most important, the French were actually nice.
Our goal was to establish a free climb up the West Face of Holtanna (8,694 feet). The West Face is an extremely large and gently overhanging 2,460-foot big wall. Would free climbing be possible in Antarctica?
There we were, finally. Just us, the tents, the mountains and the French. We had set up camp as close to the mountains as possible, but far enough away that we'd never find ourselves suffering in their long, cold shadows.
Our first night in Antarctica was rough. The temperature dropped to minus 22- F. It was late November, the beginning of summer in Antarctica, and the season when the sun never sets. At midnight, only the summits of the mountains are in the bright sun. It was magical, but the bright nights and frigid conditions took getting used to.
The next day, the French left to inspect the North Buttress of Holstind, while we beelined it to Holtanna's West Face. The closer we got, the more impressive the gigantic face became. It looked more and more like El Cap: 2,400 feet high and overhanging in its upper fathoms. A system of cracks on the left-hand side of the face offered the only sensible path. The wall was brilliant, but our hopes had dimmed: free climbing a project such as this, steep, compact, brittle and absolutely cold, had begun to seem impossible.
"Wow, a brutal face," Alexander said. "Rare, but beautiful."
We were a bit crestfallen, but we would try anyway. Alexander roped up and the adventure began. He started up an icy crack that in normal conditions would be 5.9. But it was minus 25- F, and even colder with the wind chill. This 5.9 felt like a 5.14a, or virtually impossible! My brother aided and free climbed, and fixed two pitches. It was all we could muster on the first day.
The next day I climbed to the upper end of the buttress and found two bolts. We were not the first ones here but we knew that. A Spanish team had tried the face eight years ago. The question, though, was how far had they gone? We traversed left and found more bolts. One pitch was even drilled like a sport climb. We hoped these bolts would end soon.
As I continued aiding, freeing and doing whatever it took to get up the face, I was encouraged by what I found. Up to this point, everything was free climbable, and nothing was harder than 5.11c/d. Maybe it would become warmer in December, and we'd be able to return and free climb this route. My day of leading was coming to an end. We fixed ropes, rappelled and returned to camp.
Until now, it had been blue skies day and night, but absolutely frigid. Nevertheless, our bodies were adapting to the cold, making micro adjustments to keep our internal temperatures normal. The next day, Stef was up to lead, and he did so in superior style. Every now and then, we ran into more bolts from the Spanish, but they were becoming fewer. I was belaying Stef, who was working steadily but slowly up an awkward chimney. All I could do was watch the rope crawl millimeter by millimeter out of the Grigri. Alex and Max had rapped down already to escape the growling wind. I was alone.
Half an hour later, Stef had climbed 10 feet. I swore under my breath. I hated this situation, this face and the fact that Stef was moving like an Antarctic sloth. But what could I do? I was sure he was doing his best. I just sat and experienced true despair.
Suddenly, I heard Stef yell from above, "Without climbing shoes, we don't have a chance!" Noooo, really? Did he just now realize that free climbing in mountain boots was limiting?
I pretended I didn't hear his dumb comment, and instead just said, Looking good, Stef. I was certain he felt my anger through the rope. His desperation turned to a burst of energy, and he managed to go on. Five minutes later, he was at a two-bolt anchor.
I arrived at the belay and looked up the wall. Now it was starting to get really steep! I saw three more bolts, the last one 30 feet up and with a carabiner clipped to it that suggested the point of retreat. Good. That was the end of the Spanish route, we hoped. We rappelled to join Alex and Max for a warm drink at camp.
Heavy storms kept us in our sleeping bags for the next two days. The temperature dropped down to minus 45- F and minus 65- F with the wind chill. Sleeping bag, or black fingers? The choice was easy.
A few days later, Alex and Stef advanced our position up the wall. It was the same old story. The climbing would not be harder than 5.11c, but it was just too cold to free climb. At every belay we needed to rest and desperately warm our frozen fingers. Halfway up the wall, the climbing began to get serious. The rock had become brittle and was flaking off like scabs.
We should just forget about free climbing, Alexander said, getting to the point. So we should just stop fixing ropes.
With that, we hauled everything up the face, and within an hour, had turned this unforgiving vertical world into a cozy portaledge camp.
Max filmed, Alexander belayed, Stef melted snow, and I hung from yet another bird beak placed in a thin A4 seam. The climbing was fully demanding, and I had to pause and take deep breaths. The hairline seam had taken all of my concentration and all of my bird beaks. I had to continually remind myself: Concentrate. Don't make a mistake.
Four hours later, and 50 meters higher, I reached the beginning of an actual crack. I built a belay, fixed the rope and returned to our Hotel Vertical frozen, hungry, exhausted. We melted more snow and wrapped ourselves up in our sleeping bags so only the tips of our noses stuck out. That night we all slept well, 1,000 feet above the endless ice desert of Antarctica.
In two days, we were in a position to summit. We gave the sharp end to The Weapon. Alexander moved fast, as he always does. The climbing had become less difficult, and he moved through the terrain quickly and all free. By 4 p.m., we were all standing on the summit of our new route, Eiszeit, or, Ice Age (5.10d A4, 24 pitches). As bad as the rock was, and as cold as the conditions were, this face and this line are beautiful, real gems. Ours was the third ascent of this mountain, and though we didn't achieve our goal of a new free route, we felt truly fortunate just to be on top.
After Ice Age, bad weather trapped us in camp for five days. The French had returned from their route, also successful. The high we felt from completing our respective routes had reached a crest, and we were now in a deep lull. Life was monotonous, the ambiance dull. We felt ill-humored and introverted. I felt hollow and couldn't escape the deep desire to step off the plane in Munich and hug my loved ones. But I was stuck in Antarctica for a few more weeks. I decided to focus on waiting for better weather.
None of us had showered in a month, and our beards had gotten long and scraggly. Fortunately, the weather was getting much warmer. Midday temps were up to 40-F and, it was only minus 22-F at night.
On the first day of cloudless skies, we returned to Holtanna to check out the North Buttress, which appeared to be easy enough to free climb, especially now that we had these warm conditions on our side.
What we found was one of the most unique routes I've ever done: a razor-sharp fin of rock that is incredibly exposed, but only 5.10- at its hardest! After 10 pitches of moderate climbing, we found ourselves, once again, on the pinnacle of Holtanna, only this time we had achieved our goal of completing an all-new free climb to the top of an Antarctic spire. Our new route, Skywalk, has a name that says it all. Though only moderately difficult, the beauty of this route is unmatched.
There was possibly enough time left for us to do one more new route, so we set our sights on Ulvetanna, or the Wolf Tooth. Nearly 10,000 feet high, Ulvetanna is about 1,000 feet higher than Holtanna, and is considered one of the most difficult mountains in the world. Despite a few storms here and there, we seemed to be getting quite lucky with the weather. We decided to go for it. Plus, with all the time we had been spending at camp, we were getting on each others' nerves. It was either go climbing or kill each other.
The forecast called for two days of good weather, so we had to climb fast. I left at 7 a.m., before the others, to start leading up the wall, while they hung back to gather the rest of our supplies. I pulled my sledge, lost in thought, excited to climb a new mountain, but even more psyched to soon be traveling home to my family. I enjoyed the two-hour hike, the complete solitude and the deep appreciation for this rare and beautiful vantage. At the base of Ulvetanna, I donned my crampons and set off.
I navigated a 40-degree snow slope, then reached 50-degree ice that took me600 feet up the face. I fixed a rope and soon the others caught me.
Division of labor is crucial to making it up any wall. The Weapon wanted to lead and we let him. Like I said, Alexander is fast and very good. My job became organizing camp and hauling gear. I went back down the slope, shouldered a heavy haul bag and nearly crumpled under its weight. The pig pulled me down, but I was stronger! Stupid swine!
The climb back took me an hour and by that time Alexander had completed the first pitch and was getting on with the second one. Great! My brother and Stef continued climbing, Max filmed and I organized our ledge, unpacking sleeping bags and pads, and melting snow. Tomorrow we needed to reach the summit or suffer through the forecast of gusty, bitter snowfall.
Stef and Alexander returned to the advanced bivy late at night, chilled to the bone but bright eyed. They were raving about the climbing, especially the 300-foot splitter crack in the overhanging shield of Ulvetanna's North Face. Like the Salathe Headwall, Alexander said. In our minds, it would be free climbable, but we knew we'd be forced to climb it in expedition boots and aiders.
The next day, it was my turn to lead and I eagerly jugged to Alexander and Stef's high point 150 feet up the Salathe Headwall crack. It was truly that good, and I screamed out into the Antarctic sky. Whoo!
I continued climbing up the headwall. Sixty feet up, the overhanging crack widened to a chimney and offered actual free climbing. I shoved and squeezed my way up the fissure, but Ulvetanna is a tough peak. Two hours of my fastest climbing later, there was still no end in sight. How big is this thing? At that point, I had no idea which way to go; left or right?
Alexander, which way? I called down to my brother, 100 feet below.
He looked up from the belay, studied the face, and said, Right!
OK, why not? I snaked my way up a chimney and found myself on a table-sized ledge just right of an easier-looking ridge that led to the summit. Now the climbing had become thrilling!
It was one of those awesome moments when you're doing a new route, onsight, and decisions none of them all that great have to be made. All around me the rock was brittle. Setting up a belay would be tough because the rock was so compact, and the last good belay was 15 irreversible feet below me. If I tried the sequence out right, there would be no turning back. Should I give up and drill a bolt?
No. I took off my gloves, ignored the cold and set off onto the unprotected face, past the point of no return. I crimped along a rail, and smeared and edged my boots on small granite crystals. I was actually sweating in Antarctica!
My mind started playing out disaster scenarios. What if something were to break? Don't ask! I thought about my little daughter, Philomea. Pull yourself together. Focus. Keep three points of contact on the wall.
After 20 more feet of nerve-wracking climbing, I was able to place my first good piece of protection, and soon I had reached a decent enough belay to bring up the team.
Going right, out to the ridge, had been the correct choice, and soon enough, we surmounted the technical difficulties and only had walking terrain between us and the summit.
On top, tucked into a little niche, we found a little Norwegian flag. We shook hands for the third, and final, time of our trip, and looked out over Queen Maud Land. Clouds surrounded us, and there was absolutely no wind. In fact, there was no sound at all.
It was completely silent, a perfect sound that not only gave us the route name Sound of Silence (5.11- A2, 20 pitches), but allowed us the freedom to experience deep reflection.
Thomas Huber is one of today's most prolific all-around climbers, with multiple first ascents in the Himalaya, such as the Direct North Pillar of Shivling (which won him the Piolet d'Or), and many first free ascents of El Capitan, Yosemite.
Who Owns Antarctica?
Though Antarctica comprises nearly a tenth of the world's land, it is technically owned by no one and there is no government here. Prior to 1961, seven nations, Argentina, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, France, Norway and the U.K., claimed eight slices of Antarctica. Norway came away with two claims: Peter I Island and Queen Maud Land. Each of these claims are only honored between the seven nations themselves; the U.S., for example, has no claimed territory here, and it also doesn't honor the claims of others.
Following World War II, when the most powerful countries were embroiled in the political battle to carve up every last remaining square inch of land on earth, people suddenly realized that no one owned Antarctica and that someone should do something about that before anyone tried to set up oil rigs or dump radioactive garbage there. In 1959, 12 countries signed the Antarctic Treaty System, which was the first diplomatic agreement established during the Cold War and which designated Anarctica as a scientific preserve. Basically, the Treaty says that you can't wage war, test weapons or harm the environment here. As a visitor to Antarctica, you are subject to the laws of your own country, but even that is unclear.

subset: commoncrawl


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TV Show Recaps - Dancing with the Stars Episode Recap: Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Dancing with the Stars boots its second couple - or should we say first after Dorothy's withdrawal last week? Did Wynonna and D.L. overcome their low scores? And who got two extra points?
Who's leaving? Who cares?! More important matters at hand: crowning the Twitter-voted prom king and queen, who each get two extra points. And they are... Jacoby and Zendaya. Shocker! Not. As if they'd be anyone else than a crowd-pleasing Super Bowl champ and a teen queen with 2 million Twitter followers. Both of them are also safe.
Neither of them gets the encore though. That, by Bruno's demand, goes to Sean and Peta only so Bruno can fulfill his dream and get leathered-out as the biker in their "YMCA" lineup. Shameless, just shameless. Not just Bruno, but the egregious Sean pimping. Sean = fetch. Not gonna happen.
Next two safe couples:
Kellie and Derek
D.L. and Cheryl
Yes, D.L. is still in it, but not before he gets his undies all in a twist after Len says that he would've scored him lower on re-watch. For someone who likes to dish it out (and often not well), D.L. sure can't take it. I am fine with him staying. He can't dance, but he did way more dancing than Wynonna did.
Next safe couples:
Sean and Peta
Victor and Lindsay
Lisa and Gleb, and Andy and Sharna are in jeopardy.
One of the better fluff pieces follows: Men Vs. Women: Who Has It Harder on the Show? The numbers: Women celebrities have earned more perfect scores and have a higher average, but men celebrities have won more Mirrorballs (eight to seven). All the pros' claws come out to defend the other sex, and Val, Derek and Mark awesomely call out the judges for rewarding male celebs more for personality than the females. So true. Guys get can away with the goofiest things on the show and be loved for it, but not the ladies. Double standards exist in the ballroom too!
Next two safe couples:
Aly and Mark
Ingo and Kym
Wynonna and Tony are in jeopardy. Lisa and Gleb are safe, which means Andy and Sharna, and Wynonna and Tony are the bottom two.
And the couple going home is... Wynonna and Tony.
Can't argue with this one. I am slightly surprised that her fan base didn't pull her through, but maybe they saw the hopeless cause too. Tony, you're a good dude. Maybe one day you'll get another good partner not of a certain age and not named Melissa Rycroft. Wait, who are we kidding?
What did you think? Was Wynonna the right call? Will Tony ever get another good contender? Do Jacoby and Zendaya deserve to be prom king and queen? Who do you think has it harder on the show: men or women? How desperately does Bruno want Sean to hand him a rose? Who's your current pick to win?
View original Dancing with the Stars Episode Recap: Tuesday, April 2, 2013 at TVGuide.com
Other Links From TVGuide.com


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More anti-fracking fervor could be headed to the ballot this year, as a new coalition this week announced plans to collect signatures as part of an effort to get a measure in front of voters in November that would give cities and towns more control over oil and gas drilling inside their borders.
The group, called Local Control Colorado, consists partially of anti-fracking organizations that have formed in Boulder and Broomfield counties over the last year or so. They include Our Broomfield, Our Longmont and Boulder County Citizens for Community Rights.
Laura Fronckiewicz, who helped lead the charge against fracking in Broomfield as part of the group Our Broomfield, said Tuesday it's clear that oil and gas drilling near where people live is becoming a flashpoint statewide.
"It shows me that a lot of people are concerned about this across the state," she said. "Who best to decide what should go on — you, your neighbors or somebody 15, 50 or 200 miles away?"
The group said it submitted language late last week to Colorado Legislative Services for a constitutional amendment to give local municipalities in the state more of a say over whether hydraulic fracturing — an oil and gas extraction method that uses large amounts of water along with sand and chemicals to draw hydrocarbon deposits out of underground rock — should be permitted in their communities.
Local Control Colorado's announcement comes on the heels of a similar — though more sweeping — ballot measure proposed last month by the Colorado Community Rights Network. That measure, also a constitutional amendment, would give local governments across the state the power to ban or restrict not just oil and gas drilling but other industrial activities now permitted by state law.
Both groups need to collect 86,000 valid signatures from Colorado voters by the beginning of August to get their respective measures onto the November ballot.
Commissioners, mayors object
Oil and gas drilling has become a hot issue as an increasing number of wells are drilled closer to residential areas along the Front Range. As of the beginning of February, there were nearly 52,000 active wells in the state, according to the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.
An increasing number of communities — including Boulder, Lafayette and Longmont — have spoken out or taken action against oil and gas operators by passing drilling bans or moratoria,
On Tuesday, more than 50 county commissioners, mayors and other local officials from across Colorado sent a letter to Gov. John Hickenlooper and state legislators urging them to take action to clarify the rights of local governments to use zoning and land use powers to protect the health and safety of their constituents from the impacts of oil and gas development.
"It is crucial for local officials to have the authority to regulate the pace and scale of oil and gas drilling within our communities, so we can ensure the health and safety of our residents, maintain local property values and foster our long-term economic vitality," Boulder County Commissioner Elise Jones said in a statement. "Without a common sense solution, cities, towns and counties are thwarted in making decisions that are in the best interest of their residents without the fear of expensive litigation."
The Colorado Oil and Gas Association sued Lafayette, Fort Collins and Longmont after voters in those communities passed fracking bans, asserting that oil and gas drilling should be regulated by the state and not local municipalities. The state also sued Longmont on the same basis.
No rulings have been issued in those cases.
Broomfield voters also passed a fracking ban in November, though the close call in that race has pushed the issue into the courts. A decision on the validity of the vote count could come sometime this week, after a judge heard arguments from both sides Tuesday.
Kelly Giddens, founder of Citizens for a Healthy Fort Collins, said in a statement accompanying the announcement about Local Control Colorado's efforts that "all communities deserve the right to protect public health, safety and property values in their own communities."
"Coloradans should not live in fear that the governor or the oil and gas industry will bring a lawsuit if you try to protect your family or property from fracking," Giddens said.
Fracking opponents claim that the practice threatens to contaminate air and water and can cause health problems for those who live near oil and gas operations.
Need 'predictability or certainty'
The industry has countered that fracking is an efficient way of extracting oil and gas with fewer surface impacts and has been used for decades without any evidence that the practice endangers human health.
Pro-fracking group Coloradans for Responsible Energy Development, in reaction to Local Control Colorado's announcement, said a measure like the one the group is proposing would jeopardize the tens of thousands of jobs supported by the oil and gas industry.
Coloradans for Responsible Energy Development spokesman Jon Haubert said the attacks on fracking are "irresponsible and unscientific."
He said creating a patchwork of regulations that vary from city to city would only serve to drive the industry out of Colorado.
"You have to have some sort of predictability or certainty," Haubert said. "If you have too many different rules between too many communities, it becomes too difficult."
He said dozens of businesses and chambers of commerce throughout Colorado have gone on record as opposing fracking bans because of their potential to damage the state's economy.
Contact Camera Staff Writer John Aguilar at 303-473-1389 or email@example.com.
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I promised in my post "How Not to Become Certified, part one," to share some of the judge's comments from my unsuccessful 2007 application to the Board for the Certification of Genealogists. I feel that this can be a valuable learning experience for those planning their own application for certification. Read the first post for my own opinions as to why that portfolio was unsuccessful.
Please note that the judging system in use at that time is no longer used by the BCG. However, the judge's comments are still appropriate. To learn about the current BCG judging process, read "The Judging Process" on the BCG website, and review the current evaluation rubrics.
This application received a mixed decision: one judge approved the application, two judges disapproved it. The BCG regulations require all mixed decisions to be reviewed by a fourth judge, whose decision is final. Below are comments from all four judges, both positive and negative, that address common problems that researchers have. I will not add my own commentary but allow the judge's words to speak for themselves.
[Regarding "Understanding & use of contradictory evidence"] "While noted as contradictory, no resolution was offered…"
"Did not apply the Genealogical Proof Standard."
"An efficient research plan would call for identifying the location prior to searching for a document."
"The abstract has entirely too many abbreviations, and the style changes from naming the devisee first, to naming the property first."
"The outline form for results works well."
"The applicant consistently referred to the typescript extract of a letter as a transcript. As he demonstrated with the document work, a transcript is a full, word for word, copy of a document. These few lines, taken out of a letter, are not a transcript."
"A lot of interesting information is still in the footnotes. Moving information from footnotes into the text would create a more interesting story."
"The text hinted at discrepancies, but did not develop the proof."
"It is disappointing ot read between the lines and see a competent genealogist, yet realize that the work presented in this portfolio does not meet the BCG Standards for Certification. The problems with the Case Study and report could be rectified with experience and attention to detail. However, due to the fact there was no attempt to apply the Genealogical Proof Standard or write a proof summary in any part of the portfolio, this judge is unable to recommend approval."
"Use a wide range of sources per standard 19."
"Heavy reliance on derivative sources."
"Some kinship proof weak, see standard 50."
"Proof summary inadequate, insufficient discussion, see standard 41."
"Need a wider range of sources, see standard 19."
"[T]he applicatioin guide states that applicants should show which of the three formats they chose for the case study. This was not done and therefore creates another area of uncertainty for judges."
"Judges do expect more biographical data and historical or cultural context in the Kinship-Determination report and the portfolio was weak in these areas."
"Footnote 5 might also be a possibility [for creating a proof summary] as it summarizes indirect evidence for the parents of Mary Lusby, but it wasn't developed into a proof summary."
"The Kinship-Determination project was the weakest part of the portfolio. There was very little biographical information, the format was not a recommended style, and it lacked the required two proof summaries. Without demonstrations of proof summaries this portfolio cannot be approved."
"It is unfortunate that although Mr. Hait has satisfactorily met many of the standards, several major ones are unmet and they are so serious that certification cannot be recommended. However, Mr. Hait is encouraged to learn from the judges' comments, correct the noted deficiencies and omissions, and later apply with a new portfolio that demonstrates what he has learned."
And I did just that.
If you would like to cite this post: Michael Hait, "How Not to Become Certified, part two," Planting the Seeds: Genealogy as a Profession blog, posted 16 Jul 2011 (https://michaelhait.wordpress.com : accessed [access date]).


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Weather-Stripping Windows with V-Strip
Windows are a major source of air leakage in buildings. But replacing windows is expensive, and often undesirable if the windows have a historic character. Installing self-adhesive plastic V-strip weather-stripping provides an opportunity for increasing the energy efficiency of older double-hung windows. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of plastic V-strip as an energy conservation measure, we asked the following questions:
- How well does plastic V-strip work?
- How well does it hold up over time?
- How can you tell ahead of time if a particular window will benefit from V-strip? For example, can this be determined during an energy audit?
- How long does it take and how much does it cost to properly install V-strip?
- How does plastic V-strip compare to metal V-strip, for savings, installation, cost, and reliability?
We installed self-adhesive plastic V-strip weather-stripping on wood-framed double-hung windows in six houses. In these houses, plastic V-strips reduced air infiltration by 5%–13%, with an average of 9.2% reduction. Average air infiltration reduction per house was 314 CFM50. We divided whole-house infiltration reduction by the number of windows in each house to find average air infiltration reduction of 20 CFM50. Average air infiltration reduction per foot of V-strip installed was 1.6 CFM50.
The installed cost of plastic V-strip was estimated at $2.75 per linear foot, about $35 per window on average, and $550 per house on average. These figures include material costs and labor costs at a rate of $58 per hour, which we obtained from the RS Means Repair and Remodeling Cost Data handbook (2010), for the classification of "building laborer." (It may be on the high side for our industry, but we wanted to be conservative.) Despite variations in window age and tightness, the installation of plastic V-strip was cost-effective in all six houses, saving an average of 54.7 therms of natural gas annually, or about $82 per year. This translates to a Savings-to-Investment Ratio (SIR) ranging from 1.2 to 2.3 for the six houses tested.
A comparison test of metal and plastic V-strip showed that metal performed better. The metal V-strip reduced infiltration by 8.5%, while the plastic V-strip reduced infiltration by 4.6%, when compared apples-to-apples for the same house. Metal V-strip, however, is more costly to install, and it does not fit on all windows; for example, it is often too thick to be installed between the sash and jamb of a typical double-hung window. Metal V-strip also makes windows far more difficult to open and close, whereas plastic V-strip only causes a small increase in the force required to open and close windows.
Here are some other things we learned:
- When installed carefully, plastic and metal V-strips hold up well over time.
- Surface preparation is very important. If surfaces are not prepared properly, plastic V-strips will not stick. Failures typically happen soon after installation if surfaces are not prepared.
- Both plastic and metal V-strip are vulnerable to "catching" at the window latch, unless they are installed in a way to prevent such a failure.
We experimented with two kinds of V-strip weather-stripping. The first was a thin, flexible plastic V-strip with an adhesive backing. The second was a significantly thicker, stiffer metal V-strip that required nailing. Plastic V-strip was installed on the bottom rail of the lower sash and the left window jamb. V-strips were placed along the bottom rail of lower sashes and top rail of upper sashes, as well as the top rail of the lower sash where the lower rail of the upper sash makes contact. V-strips were also placed along the parting beads or jambs, depending on where there was a wide enough gap for V-strips to be installed. The parting bead is typically a piece of wood that sticks out from the jamb and guides the sash. In other words, the sash sits between the stop and the parting bead. See Figure 1 for window terminology.
Blower door tests were run four times in each house—each test with a different window configuration. Test 1 was run with the storm windows closed, before any weather-stripping. Test 2 was run with the storm windows open, also before weather-stripping. Test 3 was run with the windows V-stripped and the storm windows closed. Test 4 was run with the windows V-stripped and the storm windows open. The width, height, gaps (between sashes and stops, and between sashes and side jambs), and total length of weather-stripping installed were recorded for each window.
In addition to the blower door tests, four windows in each house were arbitrarily chosen to undergo two more tests:
- The force required to open and close each window was measured with a force gauge before and after V-strips were installed.
- Windows were opened and closed 20 times to test for premature failure of installed V-strips.
Surface preparation is important. If surfaces are not properly prepared, plastic V-strips will not adhere and will fail prematurely. Our surface preparation included sanding (both with sandpaper and an abrasive pad), vacuuming and wiping with a damp paper towel.
The only failure we experienced occurred to V-strips located along the back side of the top rail of the lower sash, where the two sashes meet. When sliding the lower sash up, the V-strip would get caught on the window latch on the bottom rail of the upper sash. This problem was not limited to plastic self-adhesive V-strips; it also occurred for nailed metal V-strips. When operating windows normally, this snag was enough to rip metal V-strips from their nails, as well as completely detach or destroy plastic V-strips adhered to the rail's surface. To prevent this problem, we recommend that V-strips be installed on the front side of the lower rail of the upper sash. This problem occurred only during the test in which windows were opened and closed 20 times after initial installation of the V-strips.
To test the longevity of V-strips, we built a test rig with a double-hung wood-frame window and an automatic actuator, which repeatedly opened and closed the window. For this test rig we placed four V-strips (one on the stop, two on the jamb, and one on the parting bead). There was one strip on the lower rail of the lower sash, and two strips between the upper and lower sashes. Each V-strip location was tested with both metal and plastic V-strips. The window rig was opened and closed 15,375 times, with no separation of V-strips from the surface, and minimal signs of wear and tear. This number of cycles represents the equivalent of about 40 years of operation, assuming one open/close cycle per day.
Traditionally, both plastic and metal V-strips have been presumed to have fairly short lifetimes. The accelerated life testing showed that, if properly installed, both plastic and metal V-strips will mechanically last for over 40 years. We did not test for the impact of temperature, humidity, and UV exposure variations. Until such data are available, we recommend based on our experience that the life expectancy be treated as 15 years for plastic and 20 years for metal.
Avoiding Premature Failure
The key to avoiding premature failure is to properly prepare the surfaces, fasten the strips securely, install them in a manner in which they will not be caught or snagged by the latch, and avoid applying them at low temperatures. After installation of V-strips, windows should be opened and closed a few times to test for premature failures.
Other considerations
Although metal V-strips may be more durable, they are also much more difficult to replace when damaged. Plastic V-strips can be replaced without disassembling the window, and removing plastic V-strips is easier.
Installation Time
The average time it took to install plastic V-strips was 8.8 hours per house, or 22.4 linear feet per hour, or 34 minutes per window. By way of comparison, metal V-strips (for the one house where it was installed) took 11.3 hours, with 9.0 linear feet per hour, and 52 minutes per window. See Figure 2. It should be noted that in this house, the metal V-strip was only installed on the lower sash, so the important comparison is on the basis of linear feet per hour: The metal V-strips take more than twice as long to install, per linear foot, partially due to the fact that window sashes have to be removed for proper installation.
Material and Installation Cost
The cost per foot for V-strips (material only) was:
- Frost King V-strips (plastic) $0.22 per foot of material
- Niagara V-strips (plastic) $0.13 per foot of material
- Kilian Hardware V-strips (metal) $1.08 per foot of material
Average installed costs for the plastic V-strip, including both material and labor, and assuming a labor cost of $58/hour: $550/house, $35/window, and $2.75/foot.
By comparison, the metal V-strip was $7.49/foot to install. See Figure 3.
Installation Notes
Installing plastic V-strips required sanding, wiping, and vacuuming all surfaces planned for adhesion of V-strips. Often V-strips needed to be slid forcibly into place in the gap between the sash and the jamb, which was more difficult on tighter windows. Metal V-strips, on the other hand, required no surface preparation, although we had to take the sashes completely out of the frame for installation. Metal V-strip weather-stripping required more labor and the use of tools such as a nail gun, hammer, screwdrivers (for removing stops), and putty knives (for fitting sashes back into window frames).
Cost Effectiveness
In all six houses, with widely varying window tightness, adding plastic V-strips had a SIR greater than 1.0, which means installation was cost-effective, even while assuming the following:
- $58/hour labor cost;
- 7,400 heating degree days (this is for our central New York climate, and we know it's on the high side, but it offsets the high labor cost);
- natural gas at $1.50/therm;
- and life expectancy of 15 years for plastic V-strips and 20 years for metal V-strips.
The SIR was greater than 2.0 in two cases, and averaged 1.7 for the six houses. In one house, an apples-to-apples comparison of plastic versus metal V-strips showed that metal V-strips saved 60 therms annually, which translates to $90 per year in savings, and the plastic V-strip saved 32 therms annually, or $49 per year. The SIR of metal V-strips was 1.49 (See Table 1). The results for metal V-strips are based on tests in only one house, where the windows were very leaky, making results a little harder to generalize.
Do Storm Windows Reduce the Benefits of V-strip?
The results presented above are for windows with storm windows open. Most of the houses we tested did in fact have storm windows. With the storm windows closed, blower door test results found that average air leakage was approximately 60 CFM50 lower per house, which means houses were 3.2% less leaky (see Figure 4).
On average, the infiltration reduction achieved from the installation of V-strips when the storm windows are closed was 213 CFM50 or 6.0% per house. This translates to a 2.0 CFM50 reduction per window and an average SIR of 1.2. Only two of the six houses had SIRs of less than 1.0 when storm windows were closed.
When storm windows are closed, savings from V-strip weather-stripping are reduced. However for our closed storm window tests, we made sure to properly close each and every storm window. Often storm windows are not present or are not closed. In these instances, V-stripping windows will provide the additional savings of our "open storms" tests.
How Much Harder Is It To Open and Close the Windows?
We measured the force required to open and close the windows, before and after weather-stripping, with a force gauge and we found that V-strip weather-stripping does make windows harder to open and close. For metal V-strips, average measured force to open windows was 1.5 lbs before V-stripping and over 44 lbs (the limit of the force gauge) after. The force to close windows with metal V-strips went from 10 lb to over 44 lb. This increase in required force made windows with metal V-strips difficult to operate. Average measured force to open windows with plastic V-strips was 21 lb before V-stripping and 28 lb after. Measured force to close plastic V-stripped windows changed from 8 lb to 14 lb. Overall, plastic V-strips did not make the windows become significantly more difficult to operate.
Tests to Determine the Need for Weather-Stripping
How can we tell if windows need weather-stripping, for example, during an energy audit? There are a number of widely-used methods for testing whether or not a given window could benefit from the installation of V-strip weather-stripping. These include:
- An operable window moves and rattles when it is in a closed position.
- A length of thread or bathroom tissue held near a window or door indicates air movement through a crack.
- Outdoor light can be seen through a crack from inside the house.
- A piece of paper slides easily through a closed opening.
- Turning on exhaust fans in the house and seeing if smoke from a smoke puffer at the windows indicates infiltration.
We ran all of these tests and found that 5 of 19 windows tested across the six houses did not rattle, 12 of 19 windows did not show air movement with a thread or tissue, 8 of 19 windows did not indicate any light, 5 of 19 would not allow paper to be pulled through, and 4 of 19 did not show smoke movement when exhaust fans were turned on.
Although these tests are easy and convenient, each of the above tests was found to be inconclusive. For example, when examining the two windows in our study with the smallest gaps and the two windows with the largest gaps (as measured using a feeler gauge or calipers and a wooden shim), we found that there was no recognizable correlation to be made between the outcome of the tests to determine need for weather-stripping, and the window gap sizes. Windows on both ends of the gap spectrum rattled, allowed paper to be pulled through, allowed light to pass through cracks, and indicated air movement using either a length of thread or smoke.
We examined one further test, by measuring the gap with a feeler gauge. Figure 5 shows the average infiltration reduction (per foot of V-strip installed) graphed against the average gap, for each house.
For the six houses studied, as the average window gap increases, the infiltration reduction decreases. In other words, as the window gap gets bigger, the savings go down. But we also intuitively know that if the gaps had been extremely small, adding weather-stripping would not have reduced infiltration. So we added an extra known point to the graph at 0 gap and 0 savings, and ran a curve fit through the points, superimposed on the test results in Figure 5. This would indicate that if the gap is over 0.15 inches, there may be little savings, likely because the gap is too big for the V-strip to reduce infiltration. Also, as the gap gets very small, we expect savings to go down as well. It is hard to tell where the gap is too small. The figure might point to a gap of 0.02 inches, although at this point the window will likely start to get too difficult to open and close. Though this analysis requires a number of assumptions, based on our tests, we can confidently recommend V-strips for gaps between 0.07 and 0.12 inches. Extrapolating from our results, plastic V-strips will likely provide good savings down to gaps of 0.02 inches and up to gaps of 0.13 inches, but caution should be taken at the smaller gap sizes, to make sure the windows open and close easily, and at the higher gap sizes, to ensure that infiltration is in fact being reduced. For larger gaps we recommend using metal V-strips, keeping an eye on making sure windows are not made too difficult to open or close. Most importantly, inserting a shim and then using calipers on the shim is a fast and convenient way to assess windows for the suitability of V-strip during energy audits. As we noted, plastic V-strips worked in all six of the test houses, so if you cannot measure the window gaps, it is fairly safe to install plastic V-strip wherever it does readily fit.
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For more information on Taitem Engineering, visit www.taitem.com.
Installing plastic V-strips on double-hung wooden windows is a cost effective improvement—one that can be reliable and last for many years as long as the initial installation is done well. Though metal V-strips are better at reducing air infiltration, they can cause windows to become difficult to operate and require that window sashes be removed in order to properly install them. Plastic V-strips are cheaper, easier to install, and more versatile than metal V-strips and are therefore a good choice for reducing air infiltration in windows.
Safety Note: Please note that all work should be done in a lead-safe manner. Consult lead-safe best practices. s
The work described in this article was conducted by Taitem Engineering for New York State Homes and Community Renewal, as part of field training and technical assistance for the state Weatherization Assistance program. Bill King and Nick Kirk led the field measurements and reliability testing. Evan Hallas provided review and Beth Mielbrecht managed the project.
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- Cams & Valvetrain
- Camshafts
- Comp Cams Beehive Valve Springs
Advanced Beehive Valve Spring Technology
Comp Cams Beehive Valve Springs are revolutionizing performance street/strip applications! These valve springs deliver increased valve train stability while offering a reduction in weight. This is achieved with less spring pressure for better valve control and reduced weight of both the spring and the retainer. Using Comp Spintron testing equipment, the Beehive spring was engineered to maximize "harmonic resistance" through reduced mass and unique coil spacing.
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With highly reduced internal spring harmonics, engines equipped with these state-of-the-art Beehive valve springs rev higher and live longer as compared with other "performance" springs. For street/strip applications, these valve springs are the best choice possible. Because of the unique Beehive design, the valve train can handle more rpm and more aggressive cam profiles for occasional bracket racing but still retain durability for street driving.


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Sales Up, Profits Down? Wondering Why?
To understand the phenomenon of sales being up and profits being down, you first have to understand how 90–95% of current company owners in our industry got started. This may not be your story, but it is the story of many of today's owners. Most company owners used to be technicians working for someone else. One day, a little lightbulb went off, and they said to themselves, "You know what? The company is paying me $X per hour, and it's charging the customer this unbelievably high hourly rate. And you know what? If I went into business for myself, I could charge that high rate and I'd be rich!" So they thought about it for a few days or weeks, or perhaps even a few years, until one day they made the break and started their own business.
Normally, when you start your own business, you start out of your house or garage. What's your first major challenge? Deciding how much to charge. Most new owners simply find out what everyone else is charging, and charge the same, or maybe a little bit less. The first few years go pretty well. You have very little overhead and you're making money. No, you aren't making what you thought you would, but you still have the vision of one day turning your company into a real moneymaking machine! So everything goes pretty well for the first three or four years, and then a strange thing begins to happen. You find yourself doing more and more work but making less and less money. You look at last year's figures and find that sales were up 30% but profits were down! What's going on?
How long does it take the average company to realize that it has a foundational problem? Normally one to four years—not to solve the problem, but to realize that there is one! Going out of business is normally a three-step process. If you understand the steps, it might just save your company.
Step One, profits are down and cash flow is tight. The solution? Most contractors simply do more work. Instead of working five days a week, you start to work six or perhaps seven days a week. Eight-hour days for the techs become a thing of the past. Now you're working 10 or 12 hours a day. What's the net result? More cash flow comes into the company. You can now pay your bills. The problem seems solved for the next 6 or 12 months. For the next 6 or 12 months, it looks as if the problem is solved. Then you find yourself right back in the same position. Sales are up and profits down. It's time for Step Two to kick in!
Step Two begins the process of hanging on until things turn around. During those first few years you were in business, you made some money, remember? If you were smart, you pigeonholed some of it, and now it's time to invest in the company. Step Two finds you putting your savings back into the business to buy time until everything works itself out. The additional funds help cash flow and the extra cash buys a little more time. All is well for another year or so, and then it's back to lower profits and tight cash flow. Now it's time for Step Three.
Step Three is often the straw that breaks the camel's back. Sales are increasing, you're hiring more techs and buying more equipment, and your customer base is growing by leaps and bounds. The final step—mortgage it all! Your line of credit is maxed out and you're not paying your distributor because you need the cash to keep going. You get that second or third mortgage on your house, which buys you a little more time, but eventually you are right back to square one—out of cash, but now you have nothing left to draw from!
If this scenario sounds familiar to you, you are not alone. Many of today's companies have followed a similar path. There are two major problems in the trades industry today that put companies out of business. The first is improper labor pricing and the second is cash flow. If you are fortunate, you will experience these two problems before you go through the three-step process of going out of business.
Solving Improper Labor Pricing
To understand how to solve the problem of improper labor pricing, you have to understand what has happened to your company over time. When you started your company, you were paying very little in overhead. You charged what everyone else charged, and the profit margin was pretty good. As the years passed, however, overhead increased. As the company grew, the paperwork monster reared its ugly head. That required office supplies, printing, computers, part-time or full-time office help, and lots of other unforeseen costs. All of a sudden, the home office was too small. The company needed more office, storage, and warehouse space—and you were paying for more utilities, insurance, and maintenance. Meanwhile, the company kept on growing! You were paying for more techs, more trucks, more gasoline, more employee benefits, and still more insurance. To maintain growth, you had to start marketing your services, which cost money, and before long, it was too much for you to handle. You could no longer work in the field and run the company. So you moved from the field into the office, and guess what? Your salary just became another huge increase in overhead costs.
What happened? The company's cost of doing business has dramatically (but gradually) increased. What has happened to the hourly rate over that same period? Has it gone up enough to cover the additional cost of doing business while maintaining the desired profit margin? The answer is most cases is a resounding No! Worst of all, most owners don't know how much they need to charge to cover their real costs of doing business while generating a reasonable profit.
Charging the proper hourly rate is essential to profitable growth. If your hourly rate is wrong, nothing else really matters!
Calculating Your Hourly Rate
How do you calculate your hourly rate? It's really not all that complicated. Keep in mind, however, that hourly rates should be set based on cash flow (dollars in and dollars out), not on accounting numbers. There are two big differences between cash flow and accounting. The first is the way in which they handle the depreciation of equipment versus the cost of replacing equipment. The second is the way in which they handle loan payments.
Deprecation is an accounting term that refers to the cost you paid for the equipment years ago. Equipment Replacement Cost refers to what it is going to cost you to replace the equipment in the future. Equipment Replacement Cost then builds that cost into today's pricing. The net result is that you will be able to pay cash for equipment when it is time to replace it. You might say this is the first "system" the company is putting into place for future profitability.
The second difference between cash flow and accounting is the way in which they handle loan payments. Let's assume the company has a loan payment of $500 per month. Of this, $100 is interest and $400 is principle. From an accounting perspective, the $100 interest represents an expense, and only the $100 in interest shows up in the profit and loss statement. The other $400 is neither profit nor loss from an accounting perspective. However, from a cash flow perspective, the company wrote a check for $500, and the entire $500 needs to be built into the company's hourly rate.
The five steps of setting a proper hourly rate are as follows:
- Step One: Determine your real costs of doing business, from a cash flow perspective.
- Step Two:Determine how much gross profit you make by selling materials, equipment, and supplies.
- Step Three:Calculate your billable hours. Billable hours are the hours you can actually bill the customer.
- Step Four: Calculate your break-even rate. Subtract the gross profit you made by selling materials, equipment, and supplies from your total overhead cost. Next take the remaining overhead and divide it by your billable hours. The result is your break-even rate.
- Step Five: Build profit into your break-even rate by dividing the break-even rate by .85 if you want a 15% profit or .9 if you want a 10% profit.
learn more
If you are serious about setting proper hourly rates, you might want to contact Grandy & Associates at 1-800-432-7963 or visit HVACRedu.net.
Now that was quick and dirty, but it covers the basics. To learn more, click here for sample worksheets. These ten worksheets walk you through the process of setting proper hourly rates for a sample company. Keep in mind that you need to fill in the worksheets by department, in order to come up with proper hourly rates for each area of your own company.
Congratulations! You have just created the first system within your company. You now have a simple system to set proper hourly rates that will lead your company on a path of continued profitable growth.
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General Information
Our team of specialists and staff believe that informed patients are better equipped to make decisions regarding their health and well being. For your personal use, we have created an extensive patient library covering an array of educational topics. Browse through these diagnoses and treatments to learn more about topics of interest to you. Or, for a more comprehensive search of our entire Web site, enter your term(s) in the search bar provided.
As always, you can contact our office to answer any questions or concerns.
These are a few of our favorite links that we use often in our offices. Please remember that all information on websites, blogs, and social media is not medical advice. Nothing replaces a visit to your podiatrist.
American Podiatric Medical Association: http://www.apma.org
American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeon's consumer website: http://www.foothealthfacts.org
American Diabetes Association: http://www.diabetes.org
Surgery on the foot, ankle, or lower leg is usually performed by podiatric surgeons and orthopedic surgeons specializing in the foot and ankle.
Foot and ankle surgeries address a wide variety of foot problems, including:
- Sprains and fractures.
- Arthritis and joint disease.
- Benign and malignant tumors.
- Birth deformities.
- Bunions.
- Calluses and warts.
- Corns and hammertoes.
- Flatfeet.
- Heel or toe spurs.
- Neuromas (nerve tumors).
Many foot and ankle surgeries today can be performed in the doctor's office or a surgical center on an outpatient basis. They frequently can be performed using local anesthesia, in some cases combined with sedation. Most foot surgeries require a period of immobilization after the procedures with protective devices, such as a bandages, splints, surgical shoes, casts, or open sandals. Limited weight bearing, elevating and icing the foot, and keeping the area dry are commonly required for the first two weeks following surgery until sutures are removed. Most surgeons will encourage post-operative exercise of the foot and legs to speed recovery. In addition, many patients need additional therapy or treatments after surgery in order to aid in the healing and recovery process. These may include physiotherapy, orthotic devices, and special footwear. After sufficient healing time, which varies from procedure to procedure, most patients can resume wearing their usual footwear.


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American Idol: J.Lo Performs "I Luh You Papi" and Another Singer Goes Home
J.Lo still has it.
On Thursday's American Idol results show, the Top 10 became nine, but more importantly, judge Jennifer Lopez took off her judge's hat (and other things) to perform her new single, "I Luh Ya Papi."
American Idol: The Top 10 sing modern hits
For the results, skip to the bottom. But for now, a few highlights from the results show:
Ryan is hungry: The host with the most is lacking in carbs and protein apparently. Seacrest cannot shut up about some tasty-looking sliders that we see during the Idol contestants' dinner last night. Actually, we're craving one also...
Dexter's cold comfort: Country duo Florida Georgia Line sends a video message to Dexter, who covered their song "Cruise" last night. But as you can see below, those well-wishes may have been too late...
Jenny goes back to the block: J.Lo's performance of "I Luh Ya Papi" kicks off on a set that resembles a stoop in the Bronx, while she sings with past Idol contestants Jessica Sanchez and Allison Iraheta. Her combo of parka, sparkly Daisy dukes, wedge sneakers and a tight updo brings her old 'hood to life. Naturally she brings the moves, especially some literal head-banging -- in which she beats the back of her head with the palm of her hand -- that Harry Connick, Jr. is totally going to steal for his next performance.
First times: We love that the judges are sharing the first time they heard one of themselves on the radio. For Keith Urban, it was at a hotel in Tamworth, where country music is king in Australia. J. Lo and some friends squealed and started singing along in the back of a New York City taxi the first time she heard "If You Had My Love" over the airwaves. Harry was in junior high, and his group Octane was booed because the song was so bad. Ryan was in high school and was embarrassed by how he pronounced "Jon Secada."
Idol's Ben Briley: "My song choice got me sent home"
Tastemaker Showcase: Royal Teeth is a young band from New Orleans, which is why Harry loves them, and you know what? He knows music. But we're not really feeling them. They feel unformed.
Bottom 3
We're surprised about Majesty. She was rough last week, but this week she really did a good job on "Wake Me Up." Why aren't people voting for her? Well, it turns out Majesty and Dexter are safe, so that means MK is singing for the save. She pulls out "All of Me" again, which brought her to the finals. Not surprisingly, the judges decide to let her go (although J.Lo is totally crying). Bye-bye, MK.
Did the right singer go home? Were you fans of "I Luh Ya Papi"? Are you psyched for the super short and sweet 30-minute results show next week?
American Idol airs on Wednesdays at 8/7c and Thursdays at 9/8c.
View original American Idol: J.Lo Performs "I Luh You Papi" and Another Singer Goes Home at TVGuide.com
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Can Egypt's constitution withstand turmoil?
Tens of thousands of Egyptians protested outside the presidential palace on Tuesday. Egypt's first democratically elected president, Mohammed Morsi, faces fierce opposition to his policies.
More than 100,000 Egyptians protested outside the presidential palace in Cairo on Tuesday, fueling tensions over Islamist leader Mohammed Morsi's seizure of nearly unrestricted powers and the adoption by his allies of a controversial draft constitution.
The outpouring of anger across the Egyptian capital, the Mediterranean port of Alexandria and a string of other cities pointed to a prolonged standoff between the president and a newly united opposition.
Morsi's opponents, long fractured by bickering and competing egos, have been re-energized since he announced decrees last month that place him above oversight of any kind, including by the courts, and provide immunity to two key bodies dominated by his allies: The 100-member panel drafting the constitution and parliament's upper chamber.
The decrees have led to charges that Morsi's powers turned him into a "new pharaoh."
The large turnout in Tuesday's protests — dubbed "The Last Warning" by organizers — signaled sustained momentum for the opposition, which brought out at least 200,000 protesters to Cairo's Tahrir Square a week ago and a comparable number on Friday to demand that Morsi rescind the decrees.
The huge scale of the protests have dealt a blow to the legitimacy of the new constitution, which Morsi's opponents contend allows religious authorities too much influence over legislation, threatens to restrict freedom of expression and opens the door to Islamist control over day-to-day life.
What the revived opposition has yet to make clear is what it will do next: campaign for a "no" vote on the draft constitution in a nationwide referendum set for Dec. 15, or call on Egyptians to boycott the vote.
Already, the country's powerful judges have said they will not take on their customary role of overseeing the vote, thus robbing it of much of its legitimacy.
Morsi was in the presidential palace conducting business as usual as the protesters gathered outside. He left for home through a back door as the crowds continued to swell, according to a presidential official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
The official said Morsi left on the advice of security officials to head off "possible dangers" and to calm the protesters. Morsi's spokesman, however, said the president left the palace at the end of his normal work day, through the door he routinely uses.
The protest was peaceful except for a brief outburst when police used tear gas to prevent demonstrators from removing a barricade topped with barbed wire and converging on the palace.
Soon after, with the president gone, the police abandoned their lines and the protesters surged ahead to reach the palace walls. But there were no attempts to storm the palace, guarded inside by the army's Republican Guard.
Protesters also commandeered two police vans, climbing atop the armored vehicles to jubilantly wave Egypt's red, white and black flag and chant against Morsi. The protesters later mingled freely with the black-clad riot police, as more and more people flocked to the area to join the demonstration.
The protesters covered most of the palace walls with anti-Morsi graffiti and waved giant banners carrying images of revolutionaries killed in earlier protests. "Down with the regime" and "No to Morsi," they wrote on the walls.
"He isn't the president of all Egyptians, only of the Muslim Brotherhood," said protester Mariam Metwally, a postgraduate student of international law. "We don't feel like he is our president."
A giant poster emblazoned with an image of Morsi wearing a Pharaonic crown was hoisted between two street light posts outside the presidential palace. "Down with the president. No to the constitution," it declared.
"The scene at Itihadiya palace is a stab at the president's legitimacy and his constitutional declaration," opposition leader Hamdeen Sabahi told a private TV network. "The scene sends a message to the president that he is running out of time."
The massive gathering was reminiscent of the one outside the palace on Feb. 11, 2011 — the day authoritarian president Hosni Mubarak stepped down in the face of an 18-day uprising that ended his 29-year regime.
Shouts of "Erhal! Erhal!" — Arabic for "Leave! Leave!" — and "The people want to topple the regime!" rose up from the crowd, the same chants used against Mubarak. This time, though, they were directed at his successor, Egypt's first democratically elected president.
"The same way we brought down Mubarak in 18 days, we can bring down Morsi in less," Ziad Oleimi, a prominent rights activist, told the crowds using a loudspeaker.
In Alexandria, some 10,000 opponents of Morsi gathered in the center of the country's second-largest metropolis, chanting slogans against the leader and his Islamic fundamentalist group, the Muslim Brotherhood.
The protests fueled Egypt's worst political crisis since Mubarak's ouster, with the country clearly divided into two camps: Morsi, his Muslim Brotherhood and their ultraconservative Islamist allies, versus an opposition made up of youth groups, liberal parties and large sectors of the public.
Tens of thousands also gathered in Cairo's downtown Tahrir Square, miles away from the palace, to join several hundred who have been camping out there for nearly two weeks. There were other large protests around the city.
Smaller protests by Morsi opponents were staged in the Islamist stronghold of Assiut, as well as in Suez, Luxor, Aswan, Damanhour and the industrial city of Mahallah, north of Cairo.
"Freedom or we die," chanted a crowd of several hundred outside a mosque in Cairo's Abbasiyah district. "Mohammed Morsi, illegitimate! Brotherhood, illegitimate!" they yelled.
Earlier Tuesday, several hundred protesters also gathered outside Morsi's residence in an upscale suburb. "Down with the sons of dogs. We are the power and we are the people," they chanted.
Morsi, who narrowly won the presidency in a June election, appeared to be in no mood for compromise.
A statement by his office said he met Tuesday with his deputy, his prime minister and several top Cabinet members to discuss preparations for the referendum. The statement suggested business as usual at the palace, despite the mass rally outside its doors.
Asked why Morsi did not address the crowds, Muslim Brotherhood spokesman Mahmoud Ghozlan said the protesters were "rude" and included "thugs and drug addicts."
The Islamists responded to the mass opposition protests last week by sending hundreds of thousands of supporters into Cairo's twin city of Giza on Saturday and across much of the country. Thousands also besieged Egypt's highest court, the Supreme Constitutional Court.
The court had been widely expected to declare the constitutional assembly that passed the draft charter illegitimate and to disband parliament's upper house, the Shura Council. Instead, the judges went on strike after they found their building under siege by protesters.
Morsi's Nov. 22 decrees were followed last week by the constitutional panel rushing through the draft constitution in a marathon, all-night session without the participation of liberal and Christian members. Only four women, all Islamists, attended the session.
The charter has been criticized for not protecting the rights of women and minority groups, and many journalists see it as restricting freedom of expression. Critics also say it empowers Islamic religious clerics by giving them a say over legislation, while some articles were seen as tailored to get rid of the Islamists' enemies.
Associated Press writer Maggie Michael contributed to this report.


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AKRON — Fervor for a plan to carve northeastern Colorado into a 51st state has been cooled by legal barriers and a lack of public support, but commissioners from rural counties say they're not done fighting for better representation of their citizens.
Secession remained on the table during a Monday afternoon meeting of nearly 20 commissioners from Cheyenne, Kit Carson, Lincoln, Logan, Morgan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington, Weld and Yuma counties, as well as administrators and interested residents.
However, the counties now are contemplating the Phillips County Proposal, which would change the way state House districts are represented at the Capitol.
The plan, offered by Phillips County Administrator Randy Schafer, would have representatives elected by county, rather than by population.
"Rural residents are now a disenfranchised minority of Colorado," Schafer said. "National and urban values and needs are trumping rural values and needs."
Of about 70 people who attended the meeting in Akron, many said they were unhappy with laws passed during the legislative session earlier this year, including stricter gun laws, civil unions for gay couples and new renewable energy standards created by SB 252.
Also, rural residents are not seeing tax money return to their communities for road and highway improvement projects, even though they collectively generate some of the state's highest revenue, according to Weld County Commissioner Sean Conway, who floated the original plan to secede.
"I think the city people kind of feel like country people are just hicks. They tend to generally use us," said Washington County farmer John Lueth. "We just don't have that much of a voice."
Farms like his cost a great deal of money to run, and yet "they don't get that huge of a return of investment for the families," said Lueth, who attended the meeting with his wife and son.
Schafer said the new proposal faces its own legal hurdles. He cited Reynolds vs. Sims, a 1964 U.S. Supreme Court case that ruled state legislative districts must be equal in population.
"I am not very confident that we will get a beneficial ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court," Weld County Commission chairman Bill Garcia said. "I cannot put my faith in that body."
Garcia and Cheyenne County Commissioner Rod Pelton favored remaining focused on secession.
While it is possible that a secession question could be placed on the fall general election ballot, Pelton said he worries that another legislative session unfavorable to rural counties will have come and gone by the time a concrete plan from the Phillips Proposal is put together.
One thing seemed to be unanimous among commissioners and residents alike: Change of some kind is necessary.
When Conway polled the participants, asking them to raise their hands if they felt as though the needs of rural citizens have been ignored by state lawmakers, nearly every hand flew up.
That was proof enough that the fight should continue, Conway said.
Conway, who is general government chairman for Colorado Counties Inc., said he will approach that group's members to develop support for the Phillips Proposal, which would cover the entire state, not just the Eastern Plains.
Colorado Counties Inc. is a membership-based lobbying group that works with local governments on common issues.
Adrian D. Garcia: 303-954-1729, firstname.lastname@example.com, twitter/ adriandgarcia