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The results of this study are important for both regulators and auditors alike. Despite auditor concerns that a requirement to disclose CAMs would increase litigation risk, the results of this study indicate that they may actually reduce, or at the very least, have no effect on litigation risk. This is the case even when the subsequently identified misstatement is not related to the risks documented in the CAM. Furthermore, standard setters should take comfort in these findings as they weigh the potential benefits of adopting a CAM disclosure requirement because the results indicate that the implementation of CAMS would not increase the risk of litigation to auditors.
Brasel, K., M. M. Doxey, J. H. Grenier, and A. Reffett. 2016. Risk Disclosure Preceding Negative Outcomes: The Effect of Reporting Critical Audit Matters on Judgments of Auditor Liability. The Accounting Review 91 (5): 1345-1362.
These results provide new insight into conflicting results in contemporaneous studies that investigate the relationship between CAMS and auditor liability. The results will also be informative to the PCAOB and SEC because they highlight a potential unintended consequence of the proposed audit reporting model and reinforce the importance of the two oversight bodies considering the relationship between their regulatory actions.
Gimbar, C., B. Hansen and M. E. Ozlanski. 2016. The Effects of Critical Audit Matter Paragraphs and Accounting Standard Precision on Auditor Liability. The Accounting Review 91 (6): 1629 – 1646.
Though modest improvements have been made in recent years, confusion still exists as to the content and meaning of the auditor's report (e.g., users are confused as to the auditor's responsibilities, the audit process, and the level of assurance provided). The authors suggest that the communicative value of the auditor's report can be enhanced by including additional disclosures.
Church, B. K., S. M. Davis, and S. A. McCracken. 2008. The Auditor's Reporting Model: A Literature Overview and Research Synthesis. Accounting Horizons 22 (1): 69-90.
This study provides further support for the importance of office-specific characteristics on audit and financial reporting outcomes and provides evidence of the benefit of office-specific industry expertise. The study should be of interest to financial reporters and audit firms interested in reducing audit report lag times and to regulators and investors interested in increasing the timeliness of financial reporting information.
Whitworth, J. D., and T. A. Lambert. 2014. Office-Level Characteristics of the Big 4 and Audit Report Timeliness. Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory 33 (3): 129-152.
This study provides a number of contributions to auditing research. It is the first study to consider the efficacy of modifying the audit report to mitigate negative attributions of auditor performance. This mitigation technique responds to recent calls for changes in the audit report to improve communications to users. Further, examining the efficacy of this technique addresses the validity of claims that the use of an auditor judgment framework will enhance investor confidence. Finally, this study investigates investor assessments of the quality of auditor judgments. This focus is important given the significant role that investor confidence in the audit process plays for the effective and efficient functioning of the capital markets.
Wright, A. M., & Wright, S. 2014. Modification of the Audit Report: Mitigating Investor Attribution by Disclosing the Auditor's Judgment Process. Behavioral Research In Accounting 26 (2): 35-50.
The results of this study are important in realizing the investor's perception of audit quality as it relates to SAB No. 108 disclosures. Investors respond negatively to the quantification of prior period misstatement disclosures. The investor also distinguishes between misstatements that are waived by previous auditors and misstatements waived in the current year. Investors react negatively to misstatements that are disclosed in the current year. The investors also react to the importance of the client as it relates to the misstatements that are waived. Investors understand and react to the correlation between client importance, waived misstatements, and client retention. The results are important to understand that investors react to disclosures made under SAB No. 108.
Omer, T. C., M. K. Shelley, and A. M. Thompson. 2012. Investors' Response to Revelations of Prior Uncorrected Misstatements. AUDITING: A Journal of Practice & Theory 31 (4):167-192.
Since the reasons for auditor changes are rarely publicly revealed, the authors acknowledge that this study only shows an association, and not a causal relationship, between restatement announcements and subsequent auditor changes. While the authors attempt to control for all known determinants of auditor changes in the empirical testing, it is possible that the results are biased due to omitted variables.
For more information on this study, please contact Vivek Mande.
Mande, V. and M. Son. 2013. Do Financial Restatements Lead to Auditor Changes? Auditing: A Journal of Practical & Theory 32 (2): 119-145.
The increasing use of uncertain fair value measurements and other estimates in financial statements place an increasingly difficult burden on auditors, who are required to provide a high level of positive assurance that financial statements—including those containing items subject to enormous inherent estimation uncertainty such as those described above—are fairly stated in all material respects. The authors state that auditors are doing their best within the requirements imposed by standard setters and regulators, but also suggest that it is time for those who set and regulate standards to consider ways to more clearly convey where extreme estimation uncertainty exists within financial statements, and to reconsider auditors' ability to provide positive, high level audit assurance on these inherently uncertain estimates.
For more information on this study, please contact Steven M. Glover.
Christensen, B. E., S. M. Glover, and D. A. Wood. 2012. Extreme Estimation Uncertainty in Fair Value Estimates: Implications for Audit Assurance. AUDITING: A Journal of Practice & Theory 31 (1):127-146.
This study exploits variation in U.S. accounting standards to study the effect of rules-based standards on litigation. It provides evidence of an association between rules-based accounting standards and a lower incidence of securities class action litigation. This evidence informs the debate about switching from a more rules-based U.S. GAAP to a more principles based IFRS.
For more information on this study, please contact John McInnis.
Donelson, D., J. McInnis, and R. Mergenthaler. 2012. Rules-Based Accounting Standards and Litigation. The Accounting Review 87 (4): 1247-1279.
The audit reporting model has been an item on the recent PCAOB agendas. The findings of this study show there are still large gaps that exist between the intended communication of the audit report as stipulated in auditing standards and the perceptions by users, preparers, and auditors. This study provides evidence to be used in the current debate about updating the current auditor's report to provide more meaningful information.
Gray, G.L., J.L. Turner, P.J. Coram, and T.J. Mock. 2011. Perceptions and misperceptions regarding the unqualified auditor's report by financial statement preparers, users, and auditors. Accounting Horizons 25 (4): 659-684.


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Last month the HijiNKS ENSUE Patreon went over $1500, which means starting right now there will be 4 new comics a week! Thank you all so much for the support!
This is me at the end of every comic convention, but especially at the end of SDCC. There's nothing like being in a VIP room (that you somehow got into because you know a guy who know's a girl who worked on that one show with that other girl…), with an open bar, packed to the rafters with celebrities both legitimate, internet and otherwise and wanting NOTHING more than to hug your family and crawl into your own bed. The best party is almost ALWAYS on the last night and the last night is almost ALWAYS when you've lost all enthusiasm for partying.
This is certainly a charmed problem to have, but my goal is to share some honest truths about my weird life while also being somewhat entertaining. Hence my relating the mostly entirely true story of trying to convince my friends to leave the VIP Mythbusters party (in which Guillermo Del Toro and the Korean dude from LOST were in attendance… so was Skrillex, but that's a different story all together.) and catch an Uber back to our hotel so we get could a good night's sleep before our flight home the next morning. Home is where the heart is, and home is where the butt goes. Put that butt at your home. It goes there. It wants to be there. Put it there.
TARDIS Necklace from Science & Fiction

subset: commoncrawl


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PALO ALTO, CALIF. (Sept. 10, 4:45 p.m. ET) — Bill Moggridge, the industrial designer who designed the first laptop computer and was part of the movement to create tighter connections between the plastics and design industries, has died.
Moggridge was a co-founder of the global design group IDEO, based in Palo Alto, Calif. – a company that has worked with multiple plastics companies since it launched in 1991. He joined the Smithsonian Institution's New York-based Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in 2010, helping it tell the story of design to a wider audience.
The 69-year-old died of cancer on Sept. 8, Cooper-Hewitt officials said.
In the late 1970s, Moggidge was hired by computer maker GRiD Systems Corp. to design the packaging for a portable computer. Moggridge created a clamshell shape, with a screen on one side and keyboard on the other – the first portable computer to look like today's typical laptop.
"There are very few opportunities a designer has in his career to do something that is truly precedent setting," Moggridge said in a video memorial posted by Cooper-Hewitt on its website.
Though the "lightweight" computer weighed in at about 10 pounds and cost more than $8,000 – and GRiD itself was later purchased by Tandy Corp. – it led to more work by Moggridge with computer makers to further develop computers using different materials and new ways of interacting with computers.
"When I had an actual prototype and I took it home, I was amazed that everything I'd done wasn't interesting or important, and the thing that was really important was what was happening between me and the software behind the screen."
When he cofounded IDEO with David Kelley and Mike Nutall, Moggridge expanded the idea of what a design firm could do by bringing in anthropologists, engineers and others who would look to how people used the final product.
IDEO General Manager Tom Kelley noted that those anthropologists studied the way children brushed their teeth, research that helped designers create a children's toothbrush for Oral-B Laboratories with a "big, squishy" handle that was the best selling children's toothbrush for more than a year.
Since its founding, the design group has worked with office furniture manufacturers, surgical equipment makers, sporting goods companies, home electronic giants and created a range of products sold worldwide.
About 10 years ago, Moggridge helped connect IDEO with Eastman Chemical Co. as the Kingsport, Tenn.-based resin maker was making its initial moves to reach out to the industrial design community.


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In pondering this MO question and people's efforts to answer it, and recalling also something that I learned in my youth about using Morse theory ideas to prove some results of Lefschetz in the complex case, I seem to have learned two things -- things that I suppose are absorbed in the cradle by those who study algebraic geometry as opposed to learning it by osmosis -- or maybe I haven't got them quite right. Anyway:
(1) Blowing up a surface at a smooth point does not change the fundamental group, and (therefore ?) the fundamental group of a smooth projective surface is a birational invariant.
(2) Surfaces in $\mathbb P^3$ are simply connected, and more generally for a set $X\subset\mathbb P^n$ defined by a single homogeneous equation of degree $>0$ the pair $(\mathbb P^n,X)$ is at least $(n-1)$-connected. That is, the relative homotopy groups and therefore the relative homology groups vanish up through dimension $n-1$.)
(This is all over the complex numbers.)
Is this correct? And, taking off from (1), what are some other simple statements about invariants from homotopy theory that are birational invariants? And what are the first things to know about birational invariants that do not come from topology?
EDIT I wish I could accept more than one answer.


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Two Baltimore police officers arrived at a fellow officer's home to investigate a reported domestic assault. They heard a woman inside calling for help, and when nobody answered the door, they kicked the door in and brought Kendra Diggs out.
James Smith, 49, ran upstairs as an officer implored him to come and talk. The other officer stood on the sidewalk next to Diggs, her face bleeding from a small wound. A shot rang out from a second-story window, authorities say. Diggs, shot in the head, hit the ground, and Smith and his fellow officers commenced a six-hour standoff.
Details of the shooting and standoff this week emerged in a court hearing and charging documents Wednesday, the day after Smith is alleged to have killed his girlfriend and then barricaded himself in the West Baltimore home with a toddler who family members said was the couple's son.
Smith, an Army veteran and a skilled, highly respected police officer, released the boy and surrendered peacefully late Tuesday. Charged with first-degree murder and use of a handgun in a felony, he is being held without bail.
No lawyer is listed in court records for Smith. In court on Wednesday, a pretrial services official said Diggs, 37, and Smith, 49, had lived together in her house in the Sandtown-Winchester neighborhood for eight years. Diggs' aunt, cousin and neighbors said the two were engaged and planned to marry soon in the Bahamas.
Diggs left two children, Brandon, 20, and James Jr., 4. She had the younger boy with Smith, her cousin Sharifah Ahmed said. James Jr. was allowed to see family members Tuesday night but was placed in foster care overnight. Ahmed said Brandon is seeking custody of his younger brother.
Diggs worked as a Maryland Transit Administration bus driver for 13 years, an MTA official said. She was wearing her work uniform when the two Western District officers responded to the domestic call Tuesday, according to charging documents.
When the officers arrived at the brick townhouse in the 1100 block of N. Parrish St., police say, they heard a woman yelling, "Help me, help me."
A man shouted, "Go away."
After the officers escorted Diggs outside, police say, they saw Smith run upstairs, refusing to come down to talk.
Diggs had warned the officers he had a gun, police say. When the gunshot rang out, they fled for cover.
Under the threat of more gunfire, emergency workers were unable to reach Diggs, who remained on the sidewalk. After about an hour, tactical officers were able to pick her up and take her to an ambulance. She was pronounced dead at Maryland Shock Trauma Center.
On Wednesday, Diggs' aunt and cousin drove to her home carrying a teddy bear decorated with balloons that said "You're so special" and "You'll be missed." They placed the toy at the edge of her front lawn, inches from a bloodstain where Diggs had fallen.
Ahmed, her cousin, shook her head Wednesday as she stared at the immaculately manicured property — Diggs' pride and joy.
"She was an extremely happy, happy person," Ahmed said. "It was her first home she had ever bought, so she was just in love with it."
Fresh mulch surrounded green shrubs, flowers bloomed in a planter hung near the door and dragonfly and butterfly ornaments were affixed to the walls. The only glaring imperfection was the broken second-floor window, which revealed a ceiling fan light still burning inside.
Ahmed said family members are struggling with Diggs' loss — especially because they believe the officers should have taken her farther away from the home.
"The Police Department has a lot to answer for," Ahmed said. "When they got on the scene, why didn't they remove her immediately? … She was yelling for help."
Ahmed said she believes officers gave Smith the benefit of the doubt that he wouldn't do anything rash "because he was a police officer."
Baltimore police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi stressed that the initial response to the house is under internal investigation, as is the entire standoff.
"Internal affairs is looking at it in its entirety," he said. "We are pulling back the layers unequivocally to make sure there were no warning signs here."
He said the shooting of Diggs came suddenly and unexpectedly.
"They were talking to her, they were interviewing her when she was literally shot right in front of them," he said. "The window of time was very quick. … You're not expecting to go to a home of a police officer, someone you work side by side with, who engages you in a gunbattle."
He said Smith was not given any preferential treatment during the barricade.
"The minute he fired at that young lady and our police officers — he was treated as a suspect," Guglielmi said.
Guglielmi and pretrial services officials said Smith had never been charged with a crime before. He was honorably discharged from the Army in 1992, according to a statement in court Wednesday.
Smith, who worked in the motorcade unit, had tactical training and broad expertise. He was often assigned to motorcades with the Secret Service when high-profile officials came into town, Guglielmi said, and he was respected in the department.
Smith has received SWAT, aviation, traffic, tactical and motorcycle escort training.
"There was no prior history of domestic abuse that would have raised suspicion," Guglielmi said. "He was in one of the most specialized sections in the department, and that unit selects officers of extreme character, officers who are highly trained."
Police were cautious during the standoff because Smith's advanced training made him a dangerous suspect. Guglielmi said officers from Smith's own unit assisted in negotiations, as did a clinical psychologist.
Smith surrendered to police at 9:07 p.m. In an interview at the homicide unit, police say, he apologized for his actions.
Police say they recovered a gun from a bathroom in the house and found several shell casings near the second-floor bedroom window. It's not clear whether the gun was Smith's service weapon.
On Wednesday, Smith was led alone into the courtroom at the Central Booking and Intake Center shortly before 11 a.m. with his hands cuffed in front of him. He wore a bright pink shirt and dark slacks. He was led to a bench in the middle of the room where he sat breathing heavily, his eyes bloodshot.
District Judge Shannon E. Avery read Smith his rights and asked whether he had any questions.
"No, your honor," he said.
The state's attorney's office asked that Smith continue to be held without bail, and a public defender on hand for the morning's bail reviews put up no argument.
"Based on the extreme nature of the offense, I do find that the defendant is a threat to public safety," Avery said, ordering Smith held.
Baltimore Sun reporters Yvonne Wenger and Kevin Rector contributed to this article.


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Oakland's latest round in its campaign to save the nation's largest medical marijuana dispensary includes a statement this week from Mayor Jean Quan saying federal prosecutors should back off, and the federal government's own patent application lauding the therapeutic qualities of cannabis.
In papers filed late Tuesday with the magistrate who is considering the fate of the Harborside Health Center, lawyers for Oakland said patent and research records reveal that "the government believes in the medical efficacy of cannabis" - contrary to the Justice Department's insistence that marijuana is a dangerous drug with no legitimate use.
Cedric Chao, a lawyer for the city, cited a 2003 patent application by the U.S. government that said cannabis compounds are "useful in the treatment and prophylaxis (prevention) of a wide variety of oxidation-associated diseases," including certain types of strokes and immune-system disorders.
Chao quoted another patent application, by two government scientists in 2009, that referred to the "healing properties of Cannabis sativa," or marijuana, that have been "known throughout documented history."
"How can the government credibly deny the benefits of medical cannabis when the government itself is funding cutting-edge research proving the medical benefits of cannabis and seeking patents based on such research?" Chao wrote.
U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag filed suit in July seeking the closure of Harborside and the forfeiture of its offices at 1840 Embarcadero. She said the dispensary, which supplies marijuana to 108,000 patients, is violating federal drug laws.
On Dec. 20, U.S. Magistrate Maria Elena James is scheduled to consider a request by the building's owner, Ana Chretien, to shut down the dispensary and Oakland's request to put Chretien's motion on hold until James rules on the city's challenge to the government's suit. Oakland claims the federal statute of limitations required the government to seek forfeiture no later than 2011, five years after Harborside opened.
The city, which collects $1.4 million a year in business taxes from Harborside and other licensed dispensaries, submitted a sworn statement issued Tuesday by Quan in support of its case. She said Oakland adopted a permit system for medical marijuana suppliers after being told by federal officials that they would allow operation of facilities that complied with state and local laws.
If the federal government shuts down the dispensaries, Quan said, tens of thousands of patients "either will be forced to forgo their medicine or be forced into the back alleys and underground, illegal markets."
The city would be better off if the federal government would take the money from its fight against Harborside and use it "to instead increase our police force and assist Oakland with gun violence and investigations," the mayor said.
Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: email@example.com
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Oakland-cites-surprise-medical-pot-backer-4113767.php#ixzz2EwtYYYlA


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Rangers gearing for showdown with Felix
ARLINGTON -- The Rangers are expected to face Felix Hernandez during their three-game series with the Mariners next weekend in Seattle. Hernandez is scheduled to pitch on Sunday against the Indians. That means his next start will be either next Friday or Saturday against the Rangers at Safeco Field.
The Mariners are off on Thursday, so it will all depend if manager Eric Wedge wants to to pitch Hernandez on his normal four days' rest or if he'll use the off-day to give all of Seattle's starters extra rest. Either way, the Rangers are likely to face Hernandez at some point during that series.
The Rangers already beat Hernandez in Seattle this season. He allowed four runs in six innings in a 4-3 loss on April 11. Justin Grimm opposed him in that game for the Rangers and could do so again this time around. Grimm is scheduled to pitch next Friday in Seattle if the Rangers stay on rotation. Derek Holland would pitch the Saturday game in Seattle.
Hernandez is 12-17 with a 3.77 ERA in 35 career starts against the Rangers. That's his most starts and most losses against any team.


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On December, 19, 2005, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the Article IV consultation with Mali.
Under Article IV of the IMF's Articles of Agreement, the IMF has a mandate to exercise surveillance over the economic, financial and exchange rate policies of its members in order to ensure the effective operation of the international monetary system. The IMF's appraisal of such policies involves a comprehensive analysis of the general economic situation and policy strategy of each member country aimed at helping member countries achieve orderly macroeconomic and financial conditions and sustainable economic growth. IMF economists visit the member country, usually once a year, to collect and analyze data and hold discussions with government and central bank officials. Upon its return, the staff submits a report to the IMF's Executive Board for discussion. The Board's views are subsequently summarized and transmitted to the country's authorities.
Washington, D.C. 20431 • Telephone 202-623-7100 • Fax 202-623-6772 • www.imf.org


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Standing in the middle of a seemingly endless field of beautiful, bright yellow flowering canola, Dillon, S.C., grower Daniel Coleman says the new crop is proving to be a good fit into his family's farming operation.
Coleman is among a growing cadre of South Carolina growers, most in the PeeDee region of the state, who have begun growing canola for Hart AgStrong, a Bowersville, Ga.,-based canola oil processing facility.
He says the crop fits in well with other grain crops grown in the family farming operation headquartered near Florence, S.C. The plan, he says, is to grow canola behind corn, double-crop the canola with soybeans, grow wheat double-cropped with soybeans and then come back to corn.
In recent years he says soybean yields have held fairly stable at 40-plus bushels per acre. "Last year was a near perfect year for wheat and beans. We stayed on top of our double-crop beans and were able to get our canola planted by mid-October and our wheat planted prior to Thanksgiving," he explains.
Growing canola in the Southeast is a steep learning curve at best, but the young South Carolina grower says he has some excellent help from outside sources.
"The main go-to guy for us on canola is Brian Caldbeck, who works with Rubisco Seed Company in Kentucky. We planted three of their hybrid canola varieties, and Brian was here in person or looking at pictures I sent him all the time during the growing season," Coleman says.
He also got plenty of help from Mike Garland, who is crop development manager with Hart AgStrong. "Mike was riding with me in the combine when we cut our canola last year and pointed out some of the high yields we were getting in parts of different fields," Coleman explains.
"We averaged about 60 bushels per acre in the extremely hot and dry spring of 2012, which is about what most of the canola growers in this area averaged, but it was clear to see the potential of what we could grow, if we got everything right," he adds.
Garland says one of the side benefits of growing canola is improved soil structure, which should result in increased soybean yields in fields grown behind canola
Expects higher wheat yields
Coleman adds that he expects to see increased wheat yields in fields following canola, then soybeans. "We haven't harvested any of the wheat yet, but looking at the deep green color and vigor of the plants, we are expecting to see some yield advantages, he says.
Though canola has been grown sporadically over the past few years in the Southeast, production of the crop is very new to most growers and relatively new to growers across the U.S.
Currently, approximately one million acres of canola is grown in the U.S. While the Southeast has the climate to produce the highest canola yields, plus producing soybeans or another second crop, the region actually produces the least amount of canola.
Most growers in the Southeast know little about the crop, most thinking canola is a plant. Actually canola is rapeseed developed conventionally from breeding lines of Brassica napus and Brassica rapa. The name canola comes from Canada Oil Low Acid.
Canola seeds contain 40-46 percent oil with the remainder of the seed being processed into meal, a high protein livestock feed. The oil is an excellent feedstock for biodiesel.
It also has the lowest saturated fat and highest unsaturated fat of all vegetable oil, it's cholesterol-free and is a good source of the antioxidant vitamin E.
"Our whole farm is no-till, and if the planter or combine is running there's a real good chance I'm in it," Coleman says with a grin. "The first thing I had to learn was that canola requires the proper set up of planting and harvesting equipment," he adds.
He used plant sweeps ahead of the planter to move corn debris out of the way and to keep the planting rows clean. "We learned early on the importance of getting canola to grow close to the ground after planting. If you plant it in heavy litter, the crown, or rosette of the plant can be above the ground. If you get freezing weather, the litter will freeze and can kill the plant," he adds.
Trash sweeps helped
The trash sweeps help produce a good seed bed for the canola. He also plants canola between rows of the previous corn crop, which eliminates any mistakes he made planting the corn earlier in the spring.
"I used the GPS system on our tractor to plant canola the first year. By following the corn rows, it was easier to plant without the GPS system on this year. We use the GPS extensively on other crops, but planting canola in the corn row middles just makes it easier — takes away any errors in setting up the GPS system on the previous crop," he says.
"We also learned in our first crop of canola that the plants will tell you when they need fertilizer and when they need fungicide. We used the same amount of fertilizer on all our canola, but as the crop began to grow quickly in the spring, we could see light spots in some fields.
"We came back with additional nitrogen and these lighter spots quickly caught up with the greener canola" he adds.
Sclerotinia can be a problem in canola — we've had some, but not much of a problem with it so far, he says. However, it's easy to spot when you have the disease in a field and easy to manage with fungicides, he adds.
Coleman plants three different Rubisco varieties: Safran, which is a late maturing variety, Kronos, which is a mid-maturing variety and Dimension, which is a low vernilization, early maturing variety. The idea is to spread maturity out to give time to work in other crops.
And, the primary reason is to reduce risk of damage from weather patterns that typically generate high springtime temperatures and to take better advantage of sporadic rain that is common during the latter part of the growing season in the area.
Claire Caldbeck of Rubisco Seeds concurs with Coleman's use of several hybrids for risk management and notes that evaluations of winter canola germplasm in the Southeast were rekindled in 2004.
Research trials and commercial grower results demonstrated very quickly the adaptability and impressive field performance of conventional canola hybrids.
Driven by bushels in the bin
Caldbeck adds that ultimately growers' satisfaction with the crop is driven by "bushels in the bin".
The primary objective of Rubisco Seeds is to continually evaluate and introduce high yielding winter canola germplasm to regional farmers. Significant investment in hybrid testing in the southern U.S., including at Clemson University, in addition to continual development of best management practices are vital for the integration of this crop into innovative farmers' rotations.
Rubisco Seeds' hybrids are available through a network of retailers in the Southeast.
Coleman says this year's canola crop has been slowed by consistently cool late winter and spring weather. North Carolina recorded the fourth coldest March in history, and the South Carolina grower says conditions weren't much different on his family's farm, which is only a few miles from the North Carolina border.
Despite the cool weather, Coleman says he still plans to have the canola cut and soybeans planted by mid-June.
He will sell his canola to Hart AgStrong and says the company's willingness to set up buying and storage points with area growers will save him valuable time as he makes the transition from cool season to warm season crops.
Garland says, "Our company is committed to strengthening Southern agriculture one family farm at a time, working with growers like Daniel Coleman and his family in South Carolina."
He says AgSouth will continue to offer acre contracts with the opportunity to fix a basis before planting.
Trish DeHond is an area Extension agronomist for Clemson University, and she has worked with the Colemans and other PeeDee farmers to develop canola production in the PeeDee.
DeHond has worked with a number of South Carolina growers who are growing canola and says most are optimistic about growing the crop in the future.
"We are happy to see canola is making a comeback in South Carolina and also glad to have a strong market for this crop." Clemson Extension is conducting canola variety trials at the PeeDee Research and Education Center near Florence, as well as developing an enterprise budget for canola producers," she adds
Growers interested in growing canola this fall can contact DeHond or Gunter at Clemson University, Brian or Claire Caldbeck at Rubisco Seed Company, or Mike Garland with Hart AgStrong.
More from Southeast Farm Press
Pigweed has become $100 million per year problem in Georgia cotton
North Dakota grower says there's nothing to fear from genetically modified wheat
'Carry' is important consideration in grain marketing
Peanut white mold conditions hit Georgia
Newly formed rural crimes unit investigating Alabama cattle thefts
This may be the year to sell more wheat at harvest


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PegaWorld 2018 replays
Geared towards different industries, products, and a host of hot topics, PegaWorld 2018 has something for everyone. Check out this year's session replays below.
Customer Case Study
We are continuing the evolution at Cisco to deliver world class customer service. We started with Digital Agents to automate work, used Decisioning to...
Cisco Customer Service - Digital Agents, Intelligent Routing and now CSA Enabled People
Spark Talk


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Gross Domestic Product Deflator
From Conservapedia
(Redirected from GDP Deflator)
The Gross Domestic Product Deflator is an alternative general price index that reflects the importance of products in current markets baskets, rather than in base year market baskets, which become less relevant over time. Its formula is:
This formula differs from the CPI calculation in that current year quantities are used. The value of the GDP Deflator can be substituted for CPI values in the formulas for inflation and real GDP. Since the GDP Deflator reflects both price changes and substitutions away from goods that have become relatively expensive, it generally registers a lower inflation rate than the CPI.


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25 January 2013 | Regulatory | By BioSpectrum Bureau
Experts at the 2013 Asia PDC emphasize on the need to make the fight against pneumococcal disease, a top healthcare priority
Singapore: International and regional healthcare experts at the 2013 Asia PDC have urged the public to make the fight against pneumococcal disease in young children under five and in adults above 50 years, a top healthcare priority.
The experts met in Singapore to discuss the pneumococcal disease burden in Asia, the need for increased disease awareness and the importance of taking preventive measures to address the disease.
Pneumococcal disease describes a group of illnesses caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae, also called pneumococcus, and can lead to serious complications such as pneumonia, meningitis, middle ear infection and sepsis.
Older adults are equally susceptible and are at a risk of contracting pneumococcal disease. Pneumococcal pneumoniae is the most common form of the disease in adults and is one-of-the-most common causes of community-acquired pneumonia.
"Pneumococcal disease, including pneumonia, is a serious health threat for young children and older adults," said Associate Professor Daniel Goh, head, department of paediatrics, National University Hospital, and president, Asean Paediatric Federation, at the 2013 Asia PDC. "In addition, we are also facing new challenges, including the ageing population in Singapore and the emerging serotype 19A, which further highlighted the need to address this life-threatening disease."


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Hello, all. (:
Is it weird that all I ever blog is pics? Hmm, maybe so. Well, what's one more? ;] I worked on this one like CRAZY durring August, and I think it turned out purtty well. (: Enjoy! I used my new Wacom Bamboo and Corel Painter IX for this pic. Inspired by art from Tomer Hanuka. Cheers,


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Playing the piper: Ryan takes his show on the road
"A story! A story! Tell us a story!" shouts a chorus of young voices on Peter Ryan's newest CD.
Never heard of Peter Ryan? You must not have an aspiring thespian in the house.
Ryan has been creating and producing children's musical productions in Charlottesville for six years now, developing a significant following in the under-16 set. Typically, he stages two shows a year, each of which is an adaptation of classic children's literature to which he adds a modern twist, a bit of multigenerational humor, and original music. As long as parents pay the production fee, every kid who tries out gets to perform.
The new disc is called Dream On: A Musical Adventure, a sort of greatest hits from several Ryan productions strung together with a new storyline about a boy who gets lost in fantasy. The CD is currently available locally, but Ryan hopes to expand the collection to a two-disk set and market it, together with a book, nationally.
Ryan, who declines to reveal his age but appears to be well into middle age, started out as a fiction writer and playwright. Only out of necessity did he discover the joy of musical composition.
"I started writing [songs] because I needed them for plays," says Ryan, who calls writing music for kids "half inspiration and half fitting together the pieces of a puzzle."
Unmarried with no kids of his own, this Pied Piper of children's musical theater typically attracts upwards of 100 would-be actors for each production.
Ten-year-old Caitlan Tignor, who appears as "Lisa" on the CD and has performed in most of Ryan's productions for the past five years, loves being on stage. "It's really fun to memorize the lines and to be seen by all those people," she says.
Debbie Swanson, whose nine-year-old daughter, McKenzie, performed in the December production of Alice in Wonderland, says McKenzie had the time of her life thanks to Ryan.
"He's great with kids," Swanson says. "My daughter loves dancing and really enjoys Peter's wit."
But Caitlan's mother, Kinda Sandridge, who has helped backstage on several productions, offers a mixed review. "He's very artistic and writes wonderful stuff," Sandridge says, "but he's not good at delegating responsibility."
"I'm notoriously late," admits Ryan, saying the tedium of details bores him. "I'm more of an artist," he claims. "I'd make a terrible businessman."
Nevertheless, business has been brisk. He's now producing two runs with separate casts each season, and has begun creating shows in Richmond and in New York's Westchester County, where the formula he developed in Charlottesville is tempting even more children to the musical stage. With the possibility of a national market for his CDs, who knows how far this Piper's tune may soon be heard?


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Weiss expresses confidence in Belisle
Thomas Harding is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Hardball in the Rockies, and follow him on Twitter @harding_at_mlb.
DENVER -- Rockies right-hander Matt Belisle has given up six runs in his last five outings, including Friday night's Buster Posey home run in the eighth inning. The homer cut the Rockies' lead to one run, but the team held on for a 10-9 victory.
Belisle actually was good Friday for all but the homer pitch.
Manager Walt Weiss said he believes Belisle (1-2, 4.22 ERA) is in a good place.
"These guys are not going to be perfect every time out, but I think Matt's throwing the ball well, and he threw the ball well last night," Weiss said. "He threw a slider in the middle of the plate to one of the best hitters in baseball. I don't think it's a matter of Matt slumping."


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Alico New Guide
Historic Range: $199.99-$299.95
Reviewers Paid: $48.78-$275.00
4-star: 3
3-star: 1
2-star: 0
1-star: 1
This is my 2nd pair of Alico boots. I have the Summits also. These boots are made in Italy and the sizes run a little narrow. I have a somewhat wide foot so I bought the extra wides and people with a normal width may opt for the medium to D width. I also found that the sizes run large. I normally wear a 9.5-10 and in both pairs of Alicos I use 9's. Sierra Trading company is where I purchased both pairs. This is an excellent company with good customer service and pretty good prices. I highly recommend them.
The Alico Guides are a great looking, classical, old school boot. You may recall the old Raichle leather mountaineering boots from the 60s-80s. Stiff, heavy and those bright red laces. These Alicos are just about the same as those old Raichles. Very few of these old school heavy duty all leather boots are still being sold and you have to look around to find them nowadays. Limmer boots also come to mind but these excellent boots are very expensive.
I have hiked hundreds of miles, done some light mountaineering and backpacked a ton since the late 70s. I would say I am mid-level in experience. I used the old style Raichles till you could no longer get them and then switched to the newer, high tech boots that are sold today. I used these new style boots for around 7 years and I found that they have many short comings. Almost no support, poor waterproofness, they caused me various foot problems, are expensive and I destroy them in a season or two. After going through a half dozen pairs of Salomon, Merrell, Vasqe and the like, I decided to go back to the old style hiking boots 6 years ago and bought a set of Alico's excellent all leather Summits and I have been far happier ever since.
My Summits are still going strong but are down for a re-sole. The sturdiness of Alico's construction and their build quality is second to none. With proper care a set of Alico guides will probably last at least 5 years of hard use. Maybe I am just hard on my boots, but I could never get a pair of the newer high tech boots with their mix of synthetic materials and glued construction to last more than a couple years. I was always having them repaired or replaced. Having to shell out the $'s every time a set went bellyup got real old. My first Raichles lasted 10 and the Alicos have just about the same design and build quality. If these Alicos are anything like my old Raichles I suspect that I will get many years of service out of them. So even though they cost a little more up front, over the longterm I think I will be money ahead.
Another plus is that they can be re-soled for around $60, so you can get even more value out of a pair. The foot and ankle support on the trail is fantastic. There is no comparison to the "tennis shoe" hiking boots sold today. This is an all leather boot. No synthetics, no gore-tex, no plastic. The beautiful white glove leather interior wears good under hard use and does not cause blisters, at least for my foot. These all leather boots also breath surprisingly good. I use a liner sock with a medium to heavy wool sock to help wick moisture away and keep my foot dry and blister free. In contrast I was always getting blisters with the newer boots even though they felt great in the store. I think because the newer boots break down so quickly, your foot starts sliding around inside them. Also despite all the claims of Gore-tex linings and other high tech fabrics, the newer boots I have used just did not seem to breathe as well. I think these two things are what caused all the blister problems.
At nearly 7 in's tall, along with the stiffness of the leather and the heavy lacing, these Alicos provide excellent ankle support. Traction is good in all sorts of conditions. The Vibram soles are hard to beat although they do tend to clog up in muddy conditions. The one piece all leather uppers are very waterproof from the factory and it is easy to keep them that way. I never had any leaks or even dampness from my Raichles or Summits and I hike in the Pacific Northwest in very damp conditions.
I do a maintenance on the boots a couple times a year. First a good cleaning with a mild soap and a stiff brush, then a good quality leather conditioner like Limmer or Obenauf's. Finally seal them with Sno-seal or NikWax. In between major cleanings I may give them a quick cleaning and spray them with a silicon water proofer and I always dry and store them properly after use. These boots are heavy, no doubt about that. But honestly, you get used to the weight and they feel great on the trail. The weight has never really bothered me except on a couple of long hikes of 10 miles plus. The secure planted feel of these boots and knowing your foot is properly supported and protected is worth the extra weight to me. I guess it's a tradeoff.
Do plan for a long break-in period or these boots will hurt you. I wear them around the house at first, then outside doing routine daily activities for a few weeks. I soften them up with a good qualitly leather conditioner. If all else fails there is always the wet sock treatment, getting the boot semi wet inside to help it soften and mold to my foot. The Alico Guides didn't need that and after a couple weeks of normal wear they feel pretty good. I plan a couple 5-mile day hikes with them and will proceed to longer hikes if they seem broken in.
Bottom line: I would have given them a 5 star except for three things, Heavier weight, high initial cost and the long break-in period. I do recommend to anyone looking for a sturdy, well constructed, classically styled boot to take a look at the Alico Guides. If you do get a set, take the time to break them in and learn how to maintain them properly and you will have a "real" set of hiking boots that will serve you well for a decade or more.
Materials: Heavy 3mm leather uppers, Glove leather liner, Vibram soles, Norwegian welt construction.
Use: Day Hikes, Backpacking/40lb pack, Light Mountaineering.
Break-in Period: long, plan for it.
Weight: 3lbs per boot
Price Paid: $180
Traditional leather mountaineering boot.
- Nice all-leather boots, no seams
- Ball bearing lace guides
- Full gusset tongue, keeps water and dirt out
- Workmanship is good
- Custom VIBRAM dual compound soles—mountaineering
- Heavy
- Break in
- Laces are too short
Alico New Guide Men's Mountaineering Boot
Vibram soles, notice the rare green dot, explain please
Traction- SBR compound -
"Consisting of a compound specially designed for mountaineering footwear which ensures a good grip on different grounds."
"The green dot signifies a dual hardness compound which means the sole
would be more durable and harder and may not grip as well as a single
hardness sole. The red dot signifies fire compound. The Style #100 is
available in our Fire & Ice compound which offers good heat resistance
and slip resistance."
Linda Bradley
Vibram/Quabaug Corporation
This is the Nov 2016 model. Notice the ballbearing lacing guides.
Leather above ankle padding and double Velcroed tongues.
White glove leather inside—the removable insole pads are easily swapped out.
I just bought these boots online from Sierra Trading Post. The laces are too short.
Recommend using OBENAUF'S and SN SEAL.
I tried them on. They are going to need some getting used to.
There's a YouTube video on how to make breaking these in easier using lots of Dr. Scholls pads.
I will edit this review after a while with my progress.
2019: two years worth of hiking—not in summer (boots got some cleaning, put on some OBENAUF'S heavy duty Leather Preservative and SNO SEAL around the treads attaching the leather to the soles. Boots show almost no wear!)
Sierra Trading Post has them in stock Oct 2019 for $199, free S&H.
Source: bought it new
Price Paid: $149.99 with free S&H
$100 in October 2019?
1 year ago
I've been checking prices on these daily for 2-3 months waiting for my particular size to come back into stock...$199 has been the consistent price for these in that timeframe. $100 would be unreal!!
1 year ago
These boots are the backpacking boots on the market. Structural superiority and comfort. Old style Italian craftsmanship. A great boot for backpacking and mountaineering.
- 3/4 steel shank
- Soft leather lining
- Norwegian welt
- No cons
These Alico New Guide Mountaineering boots are a sensational pair of backpacking boots.
I have had them since July 2016. During that time I have hiked the complete JMT and did not have one problem. I did a 50-mile, break-in period and never had a hot spot or blister. On the John Muir Trail they performed outstanding. Great stability on wet rocks as well as scree.
The boot fits my foot and ankle like a custom made boot worth $1,000. The construction is old school Italian with a Norwegian welt that can be resoled many times. The boot is truly waterproof. If you use a good waterproofing material like Nikwax, then they will stay dry.
These boots have been thru water, snow, mud, and rock. They work great with crampons. I have found the New Guides to be excellent companions for any serious hiker.
Source: bought it new
Price Paid: $200
Welcome to Trailspace, Ron! Thanks for sharing your positive experience with the New Guides. Do you have any pictures you could add and share with others in your review? Also, what crampons did you use with them?
4 years ago
- Undeniably tough construction
- Classic good looking boot
- Comfortable and supportive with even the heaviest loads
- The first shoe I reach for everyday, no matter what I'm doing.
- High cost
- Long...really long break in period
- Difficult to source in my size in CONUS
It took me a while to find a pair of new Guides. I've been using Danner Mountain Light boots for many years. I thought I understood what it meant to break in a leather boot...clearly I was wrong. It was obvious to me from the moment I opened the box—the 7 plus pound box—that these were different.
These boots make my Danners and old Asolos feel like jogging shoes. The quality and durability is unbelievable. I use them for work and play. I basically wear them every day.
But be warned, it took me a month to break them in properly. And the crease above the toe box was digging into the top of my toes to the point of bleeding...a problem I remedied with saddle soap, leather lotion, a tennis ball, and a ratchet strap.
Since then, I've hiked a few hundred miles and work in them everyday. I'm a land surveyor, so my boots are part of my work. I usually walk several miles a day, on tough terrain. 90 days after getting them, I bought a second pair and put them in my office closet. Plan on rotating them when i finally need new soles.
I can't say enough good things about these boots. I carried 70 pounds of gear 70 miles one week, up and down power line trails and my feet never complained. I highly recommend layering your socks.
Source: bought it new
Price Paid: $275
Welcome to Trailspace, Brian! Thanks for sharing your review with us. I'd love to see some pictures of your boots in your review.
5 years ago
This is an old fashion boot, which explains its classic good styling, extraordinary build quality, and extreme discomfort. I've put over 1000 miles on my feet this year, and I am totally unsatisified with this shoe.
Out of the box the Alico is as stiff as a ski boot. But that is to be expected with a heavy duty boot. I did many short day hikes (around 10 miles) with these boots to loosen them up. After two months (120-150 miles) the boots continued to make my feet utterly sore. I started bringing sneakers in my pack to change into as the pain become unbrearable, still hoping the the boots would eventually break in.
Finally, I realised there must be a defect, so I brought them to my local cobbler. He showed me how the sole of the boot was cut improperly and was forcing me to walk on the outside of my feet, causing the pain I was experiencing. I had the problem corrected for $50.
This correction stopped the pain in the bottoms of my feet, but the boot continued to rub and create blisters on the tops of my toes where the crease in the leather folds into the toe box. The boots remain unwearable.
I have finally given up on these boots. I've spent a pile of money, and I am utterly unimpressed with the final product because as well built and attractive as the boots are, they cause my feet pain. Please note that the other reviewers have not come to the same conclusion as me, and it is possible that I was unlucky enough to get a lemon pair.
Nonetheless, I can't in good faith recommend this product.
I share your pain (literally), a local cobbler told me that my guides were made by two different people (L and R). I finally swapped in a pair of stock limmer midweights and am happier.
6 months ago
I love these boots! I have about 500 miles on them in two years. It takes bout 100 miles to break them in and then there is always traveling sore spots just when you think you are through with that. Have worn them in the cold and they are good to about 20 degrees but not colder. Keep them waxed and they will stay waterproof. Great support and protection from rocks other off trail problems. The edge really well and kick great steps in hard snow without throttling your feet.
I understood they run about a half size small so I got 11 and a halves, unfortunately, I needed 12, so my larger foot big toe tends to hit the end when walking down steep slopes, bummer. Make sure you are sized right and you can't go wrong. Stick to plastic boots in super cold.
Materials: Leather
Use: Heavy pack, dayhikes, everything.
Break-in Period: Ongoing
Weight: 3 lbs each
Price Paid: $180
When I first got these boots in the mail and opened the box the first thing that came to mind was Frankenstein, not because of how they look but because of the size of these boots. The boots in my opinion are beautiful, craftsmanship is wonderful. Unfortunately they are not colorful, besides the red laces, they are definitely not flashy, and chances are good that girls aren't going to be attracted banging on my door because of them. But those aren't reasons to buy these boots.
The first time I laced them up I felt like I was ready to climb the first mountain I could come across. Well that feeling drifted away as soon as I started walking in them. They are stiff, 4x4 board stiff. My feet haven't suffered yet, mainly my shins as the stiff leather tends to not give, but battle my ankle as it tries to move forward. I'm not worried and I know after a few more weeks the leather will give and the problem will cease.
The lower portion is extremely comfortable, and the toe box leaves enough room for my toes to wiggle, well actually almost extend to a fully perpendicular position to my foot. I would definitely recommend these boots.
Materials: Leather
Use: Anything that doesnt involve running or biking
Break-in Period: Ongoing
Weight: about 6lbs
Price Paid: $191 w/shipping
I am a guy who dislikes polymer guns, 4x4's with independent front axles, work wear that isn't made by Carhartt and plastic boots. I don't care if they are old school, that's what I am, old school. I love leather, nothing in the world wears, looks, or smells like it and these boots are leather.
Just like the clothes I wear, these Alicos will have to be beaten into submission but will give me years of loyal service. Although I am not a mountain climber I still demand footwear that won't leave my feet cripled and isn't made in China (no offense to the Chinese). I wore these boots for hours right out of the box and my dogs never whimpered once. If you're looking for a boot that isn't fancy, doesn't make a fashion statement, but is built like a brick sh_t house, then try on a pair of these Alico boots.
Materials: Leather
Use: Everything, everywhere
Break-in Period: It takes time.
Weight: approx. 3lbs each.
Price Paid: $179.95
I'd been looking at the ad for these boots at Sierra Trading Post but couldn't decide whether to spend the money for yet another ill-fitting boot that would gather dust in the closet and ultimately wind up at Salvation Army. Then I read Ron G.'s review and sizing recommendations. I too can get by with a 10 EE most of the time so knowing to order a half size larger was good information.
The boots fit well right out of the box and even though they're stiff and a bit heavy I can tell they're going to be my main footgear for the next several years. Much of my hiking is done in very rocky terrain where this level of foot protection really comes in handy.
I am not an ounce-counter so the three pound per boot weight is no big deal. Craftsmanship is important, though, and Alico is right up there with the best. Anyone who wants a long-term relationship with a traditional heavy hiking or light mountaineering boot would do well to spend the money for the Alico New Guide.
Materials: Perwanger leather
Use: Desert hiking and climbing, rocky country
Break-in Period: Perhaps 40-50 hours
Weight: 6 pounds per pair
Price Paid: $180
This is one big, heavy, serious, "old school" boot... and at a bargain price from Sierra Trading Post.
The New Guide is very old-fashioned, similar in design and construction to the old Fabiano mountaineering boots, with 3mm thick waxed Perwanger leather, a double-stitched Norwegian welt and big, thick Vibram Montagna outsole. This boot should not be considered a "hiking" boot, because for most people, this heavy of a boot will be a liability. I'd call it a "light mountaineering" boot, but it's significantly heavier than more up-to-date designs in this category. However, this boot is a thing of beauty, a real classic. For those who want to do some trekking like they used to do it, here's your chance.
If you always hike trails, even rough trails, this boot will probably be overkill. If you are a weekend 3-season backpacker, these boots will also probably be overkill. But if you bushwhack up and down rocky, rugged slopes with ice, snow, mud, swollen streams, thickets, and all manner of other obstacles, toting a large load on your back, you may find the New Guide to be a great budget boot. It's very supportive and protective, and really solid.
Fit-wise, I found that the New Guide runs small and narrow (just like the old Fabiano boots). For my 10-EE feet, I wound up with size 10.5 Wide. The toe-box could be roomier, but I have big toes, so this is unlikely to be a problem for those of you with more normal feet. The boots are still a bit tight when I wear my thickest wool socks, but I'm hoping they'll loosen up over the next year or so.
My pair weigh just a hair less than 6 lbs. That's heavy! The good news is that when I climb a snowy, icy Catskill or Adirondack mountain in winter, these boots keep me warm, dry and in control at all times. My strap-on crampons fit securely and the boots fit well in my MSR Denali snowshoes. I can kick steps in frozen soil or gain leverage on slippery boulders, no problem. I may not be running up the slopes in these heavyweights, but given enough daylight, I'll be sure to get there.
On my last hike, I found that the insides of the boots got a bit moist around the welt area. I wonder if that means the welts are leaking a little? I applied some Welt Seal just in case. In any case, my feet stayed dry and warm, wrapped in the soft leather linings. Maybe the moisture was from sweat?
These boots are breaking in well and becoming more comfortable every time I take them out. They're bombproof rugged, keep me warm, dry and safe, and they certainly do look cool in a retro sort of way. The only reason I'm taking away a star is because the New Guides are technically outmoded by today's lighter mountaineering boots. But I'm happy to wear my little pieces of history.
Materials: 3mm waxed Perwanger leather
Use: rugged backpacking, light mountaineering
Break-in Period: ongoing...
Weight: 6 lbs. for the pair
Price Paid: $180
As my father used to joke: "It's nice to see you get ahead -- you need one", which is how I felt when I was lucky enough to land these boots. We are talking absolutely top shelf quality Italian leather cobbler craftmanship. I'm not sure, but I believe that these boots may be a discontinued/closeout item, since the only U.S. place I could find them new was @ Sierra Trading. If you are lucky enough to find these either affordably new or even more affordably not too badly abused/used, I say jump on and into them!
They are heavier and stiffer than my '92 Vasque Sundowners (newer models of which are now made in China and I do not recommend those), so I know the Alico New Guide Mounatineering Boots will require a somewhat longer break-in period than other more highly marketed -- as in Madison Ave.'d -- brand names.
Alico's trademark tanning process is called Perwanger -- they claim "Perwa Leather gets waterproofed through a special tan procedure and continues to breathe." I've honestly yet to tramp in a stream with them because I'll wear them indoors during the evenings for a couple/few weeks to set their fit, but when I do get busy in them in my usual digs of the Cascades and Coastal ranges of the PacNW I will step w/the confidence of dry feet and great footing.
They are classified as a crampon beckoning mountaineering boot, but are not limited to those environs, and these days I seldom romp above the tree line favoring the more lush than sparse ecosytems. These boots are constructed to apply themselves like a hybrid (and not like the crappy bikes more dysfunctional than applicable to realities of multi-use). They are heavier than other options, around 3lbs each or 6+lbs for the pair, so you ounce counters will likely pass on them...to each their own, that's better than fine since there will then be more available for us who don't mind building up our lower extremity strength.
So, you may ask, that is if you muster intelligible affect amidst all the salivation, "How the hell did you manage to find them for less than 50 clams?" Well, doubtless I was kissed by the fates; But I can tell you in what nightspots I found the gals:
My Sundowners were seriously scuffed by a dozen years of use, but their leather integrity was still holding up and while their footing had failed me their barrier protection never did -- and I have to put the former slippage on the fact that they've needed a retread for a while now. But after pricing the cost of a new factory approved Vibram cover I began to think more in terms of getting new boots. Re quality my wants always exceed my means, so I decided to begin to research the low use/used boots options.
A few different outbackers used equipment sites can be found by virtually trekking through cyberland. There are good deals to be had, but I have to add sadly, they go fast and too many people seem like they are trying to pass on their poor purchase judgement to someone else, instead of taking more of the loss they deserve and finding a good home for their stuff. So my search broadened to the likes of not so exclusively wilderness enthusiasts sites like ebay and craigslists. Lots of time spent and I ultimately found mine on ebay with description notes like "hubby didn't want his...never used...minor scrapes due to box wear, etc." Looked to me like the boots never touched the ground, so I watched the competion which didn't seem all that hip to the potential promise. Did the research on them, decided to bid for them once @ auctions endgame (that's the trick, friends -- and I'm only sharing it because those who read this deserve to know enough not to bid earlier than that, that only pushes the prices ever upward -- a direction good for summits but not for deals). If the guy who I overbid wasn't kicking himself, he should.
You just have to do the legwork, but if you're looking at this then you already know that.
Good luck and happy trails. -paul
Materials: Perwanger waterproof and breathable leather
Use: mulitple from mountaineering to lighter hikage
Break-in Period: doubless longer than most, but even less doubtful well worth it...isn't that the fun of it?
Weight: 6+lbs per pair...you want great boots or skinny gams?
Price Paid: $48.78 (including shipping) I kid you not


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Auto Publishers Price Starting at
*Based on model year EPA mileage ratings. Use for comparison purposes only. Your atual mileage will vary, depending on how you drive and maintain your vehicle, driving conditions, battery pack age/condition (hybrid only) and other factors.VIEW OUR INVENTORY
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The 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee has added a number of meaningful updates to its flagship Grand Cherokee lineup. All models now include blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert for starters. The optional 8.4-inch infotainment system now comes with navigation and features further improvements upon its touchscreen software with better responsiveness and resolution. The new Limited X model comes equipped with unique front and rear bumpers, a SRT inspired hood, and sporty 20-inch wheels. Summit and Overland models are available with new wheel options and three new colors: Slate Blue, Green Metallic and Sting Gray.


text: Best Beach Wedding Hairstyles from Pinterest October 6, 2016 Natasha Blog (0) Aruba, Jamaica, ooh I want to take ya…Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama… The Beach Boys had it so right! Who does not love a sandy-sunny beach with that vast expanse of shimmering, blue water? As a wedding venue it truly is romance personified. But this nuptials setting does come with some concerns. Elemental ones, mainly: the possibility of wind, sandy gusts, and Poseidon forbid—high waves! A bride's hairstyle for the beach must of course be fashion forward, but it should also anticipate possible Mother Nature temper tantrums. No point in having intricate, tight curls pinned up high bouffant style – that balmy, breezy air has a tendency to play havoc with any over-contrived hair do. Plus, one strong wind wallop, and that carefully arranged coiffure shifts into an awkward configuration! Ooops! Cancel the photo ops! So what's a fashion-conscious beach bride to do? Twisting and Braiding Against The Wind Well, she can consult Pinterest about the latest bridal hair designs for a start. And Pinterest says: it's all about braids, twists, half up-dos and buns this year. And that's just fab, because these styles are so beach-appropriate—soft, and natural. And the best thing of all? The braiding acts a perfect shield for your tresses against any wind surprises. Bring it on, Zephyrus! Huff and puff away! If your locks are on the shorter side, not to worry. A good stylist savvy about extensions, can do wonders with any hair lengths and types to create all kinds of braided marvels. And the variations and permutations are endless: from the standard three-strand style to the nostalgic milkmaid or retro fishtail to the more sophisticated French or Dutch braiding. Pair it with a low bun to get that more polished sheen, a half up do for a more relaxed vibe, or a half-down for that young bride feel. Whatever mix-and-match you choose, the braided-bride look will rock on the beach. And if you're a Game of Thrones-obsessed (and who isn't?), this option has an added attraction. Is there a maiden in that iconic show that does not have a woven and twisted mane? Not likely. So, live out your own little Thrones fantasy at your dream beach wedding, at least hair-wise! Loosen It Up What's the beach all about? The sun and kicking back. And a looser hair style will make you appear more in tune with this setting. Think your quintessential California girl. That slightly messy, sexy, tousled type of up do is so on trend. The wisps blowing in the breeze may make your first kiss as man and wife slightly shaggy, but so what? Just laugh it off. The style is so charming and custom-made for seaside nuptials Ride The Waves But for that hands-down beachy look, go for waves. So in sync with the ocean! Oh, and practical! Have you ever tried to maintain straight, sleek hair with the mist spraying off the water and humidity? Impossible. But the wavy texture will stand up to the climate. And with flowers or marine-themed trinkets woven into the wreath on top of your wavy locks flowing and shimmering in the sun, you'll look like a beach goddess or a mermaid (sans the tail, of course). How divine! Absolutely—a seashore wedding can be super romantic and so boho. But, the wind, humidity, sandy gusts, and rain, are the stuff of many nuptials-on-the-beach nightmare stories. So prepare your tresses for any tough punches Mother Nature may throw. And with the help of these Pinterest ideas, do it without giving up your fashion flair. One more word to the wise, though: skip the veil. Chasing it down the shore in the middle of "I dos", or having it fetched back to the bridal party by a man wearing only tight speedos, is probably a memory you can do without!


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Micro Mesh MMX Sheets - Use these products for finishing metals and hard wood. This material is made to be used wet or dry, is made with a flexible cotton backing with polymer emulsion cushioning layer and large micron graded silicon carbide crystals suspended in an flexible resin bond. *the bond in the MX is less flexible than in the REGULAR so you can achieve a high gloss on metals. Abrasive colors of this product range from dark grey to light grey. *Grades 800 MX and 1200 MX are made with aluminum oxide crystals. This material is available in the following 13 grades, from coarse, to fine: 80 MX,100 MX,120 MX, 150 MX, 180 MX, 240 MX, 320 MX, 360 MX, 400 MX, 600 MX, 800 MX*, and 1200* Sheets are 6in. x 3in.


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Virginia.org giving prizes to visitors in May
Sweepstakes runs through month's end
Virginia tourism officials are hoping to draw 1 million visitors to the state's website in May, and they're giving away bigger prizes as they get closer to that goal.
The sweepstakes begins Tuesday and runs through May 31.
For every 100,000 visitors to Virginia.org, new prizes will be unlocked, including hot air balloon rides, kayak excursions, gas cards, state park passes and a shopping spree.
If 1 million people visit the site, one visitor could win a Virginia-centered family vacation that includes a stay at Virginia Beach, overnight at the Virginia Aquarium, front-of-the-line passes at Busch Gardens and an overnight stay in Colonial Williamsburg. Airfare, car rental and several meals are included.
People can enter up to 10 times by visiting Virginia.org/OneInAMillion and sharing the link on social media.


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The magic of The Sound of Music lives on in the minds and hearts of everyone it has touched. Now, Charmian Carr, who in 1965 captivated moviegoers as Liesl "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" von Trapp, tells what it was like to be a part of the film that has become a cultural phenomenon. It's all here: from how she got the role (and why she almost didn't) to romances on the set and wild nights in Salzburg; from the near-disaster during the gazebo dance to her relationships–then and now–with her six celluloid siblings. Charmian offers stories from fans and friends and a treasury of photographs. And she reveals why she left acting, what she learned when she met the real von Trapp children; and how The Sound of Music has helped her get through stormy times in her own life.
Forever Liesl celebrates the spirit of the movie and what it stands for: family love, romance, inspiration, nostalgia, and the joy and power of music.


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Dear Editor:
Having been a Union City tax payer for well over 30 years I wanted to comment on the policy in our community which authorizes free rides in the Union City Senior Citizen vehicle for the residents of Troy Towers on Mountain Road.
This just doesn't make sense to me. New Jersey TRANSIT buses pass by this building numerous times during the day.
It is common knowledge that the residents of the east side of Union City and Weehawken have much better bus service then those of us who live on the forgotten west side of Union City along with lower North Bergen.
Despite my concern about this, our current Union City mayor refuses to intervene in this important matter.
Can someone please explain to me why our Union City mayor supports this policy of class warfare
wizardry the residents of the building on our community who are certainly among the most affluent among us and still entitled to a service that all Union City taxpayers are subsidizing.
Back in 1986 when to my utter shock I was asked to become the director of the senior citizens program in Union City one of the first things I had to do was instruct one of our bus drivers that we could no longer use one of our vehicles to pick up his wife at work. I explained to both of them that it was a question of the insurance liability on the municipal vehicle should God forbid some sort of accident might occur.
In closing, it might be a good idea for our current mayor to have a chitchat with the individual responsible for overseeing the municipal insurance policies of our great city.
Tom Regan


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My favorite definition of an intellectual: "Someone who has been educated beyond his intelligence."
– Arthur C. Clarke, "3001: The Final Odyssey"
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I've been a Ronald Reagan conservative for 30 years now. This epiphany experience compelled me to write the essay below, which was the first of two essays written exactly 30 years ago for my school newspaper, The DePauw, during my senior year at DePauw University. I was 21 years old.
TRENDING: Employees melt down after learning company is publishing prominent conservative Jordan Peterson's book: Report
Note that this essay on aesthetics demonstrates a realization of the superior cognitive value of classical music over other forms of music years before a cottage industry of psychological research and the "Build Your Baby's Brain" music series became popular for pregnant woman to increase the intelligence of her baby in utero.
My first published opus
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Music: You Are What You Listen to
DePauw University (January 1983)
Give me the music of a nation and I care not who makes its laws, I will control its people. –Plato
Music, to the majority of the populace, serves as an indispensable part of life in America. We can listen to it while we do just about anything and take it with us anywhere we go.
Music is a tremendous force, evoking a gamut of human emotions. Aristotle said, "Rhythm and melody supply imitations of anger and gentleness … of courage and temperance … of virtues and vices in general which hardly fall short of the actual affections … for in listening to such strains, our souls undergo change."
The music that is considered "popular" today [makes] Henry Thoreau's prophesies in "Walden" even more despairing: "Even music may be intoxicating. Such apparently slight causes destroyed Greece and Rome, and will destroy England and America."
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Musical styles are consummate and serve a voluminous amount of objectives from worship to sound effects; therefore, I will limit my comments to the two most popular forms, "rock 'n' roll" and "pop" or "soul" music. Both of these musical forms, especially rock, have achieved unprecedented influence on the values of society.
In general, most of the songs glorify sexual immorality, occult worship, obstinate philosophies, drugs, incessant partying and drunkenness. But the central theme of our current "hit songs" is doubtlessly propagating sexual promiscuity, which is clearly manifested in rock, [hip-hop], soul and country music.
My condemnation isn't toward the people that advocate in their lives the exhaustive list of adjectives I listed in the previous paragraph; it is against those who cringe at the mention of any of those words in a regular conversation, but adulterate themselves unreservedly to the beat and the message of rock and soul music in practice.
As a music educator and a conscientious listener to only discriminating forms of music, I have come to recognize a definite link among the several popular varieties of music. In all cases the harmonic and rhythmic materials of rock, soul and country music are critical and viably significant.
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Many of Pavlov's experiments were conducted with a metronome to elucidate the effects of rhythms as a shaping factor. The rhythm of music affects the subconscious tremendously and leaves the unenlightened listener totally oblivious to the impending attack of the music's relentless beat and message.
In many circles today our popular music is unquestionably reverting back to savagery. One example of this is the atmosphere of the average rock or soul concert, for example, [those of] Journey or Prince. You have abundance of drugs, repulsive stage antics, deafening "music" and in many cases riots and uncontrollable havoc. It's all a result of what I call "the message of the music," which is geared to make one lose sight of reality and purpose for life.
As I mentioned earlier, it happened to Greece and Rome – a constant, repressive degradation in the musical tastes of society as a whole. Who is to say that history won't repeat itself since we obviously haven't learned from it?
The average listener doesn't consciously think about the music; he just experiences it. The music evokes subjective responses that eventually gain a subconscious control of the person's behavior. Plato stated it virtuously: "Give me the music of a nation and I care not who makes its laws, I will control its people." [Jesus said] "Ye that have an ear, let him hear."
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Playwright George Bernard Shaw said it best: "The more things change the more they stay the same." Here I am 30 years later fighting the same battle of ideas – Christianity vs. atheism, capitalism vs. Marxism, biblical theism vs. moral relativism, Natural Law vs. living constitutionalism – existential battles against Darwinian evolution, liberal fascism, education atheism, economic socialism and political progressivism I fought three decades ago at DePauw University … alone.
And people wonder why you don't (or can't) regularly read uncompromised conservative intellectuals as myself? The social and professional blacklisting real conservatives suffer in America is just too high a price to pay, so for the acceptance and praise of the left so-called conservatives become modern-day Neville Chamberlains … they choose appeasement! George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, Mitt Romney, Bob Dole, John McCain, John Boehner, Joe Scarborough, Condoleezza Rice, Gen. Colin Powell, David Brooks, Ambassador Jon Huntsman, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, Justice David Souter and Obama's current nominee for secretary of defense, Chuck Hagel, may be Republicans, but aren't real conservatives.
If it weren't for my colleagues Dr. Sam Vankin, editor of the GlobalPolitician.com, Joseph Farah, founder of WND.com, Dr. Levon Yuille of Joshua's Trail and several openminded bloggers who have ascended during the Internet Age posting some of my work online, I would have been merely an extinguished candle in a cold, cruel world of moral darkness.
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That's why liberal fascists like President Obama and the Democratic Socialist Party are working constantly behind the scenes to homogenize freedom of the press, to Nazify the First Amendment, to eradicate freedom of expression rights via the Internet and to compromise conservative talk radio by reviving the so-called "Fairness Doctrine," hate speech codes and other Gestapo regulations. Why? So that the Internet and conservative talk radio, like the rest of the Marxist mainstream media, will become merely a slavish appendage of the Democratic Socialist Party and President Obama's sociopathic ego.
Note: Part 2 follows next week.


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It's that time again. This month's Retro Gamer contains my six page feature on Teque/Krisalis Software. It's my fifth article for the publication. Between 1987 and 2001, working as both a developer of original games and conversions power house, Krisalis produced hundreds of games. As ever, putting the feature together was fun but a lot of hard work.
This time around, I was able to contact and interview quite a few of the people who were originally involved in the company. Krisalis was particularly close to my heart because they converted a lot of mainstream hits to the Acorn Archimedes series of computers, which was the system that I ran as a teenager. As ever, it was great to interact with people whose names I'd seen come up on the screen so often over the years. I doubt I could have imagined this sort of contact when I was a spotty teen, admiring their efforts. Thanks go to Shaun Hollingworth, Tony Kavanagh, Neil Adamson, Keith Birkett, Nigel Little and Matt Furniss for all of their help.
I don't have my copy of the magazine yet, but you can watch the editor of the magazine, Darran Jones, flicking through the latest issue on YouTube. There is a feedback thread for the issue on the Retro Gamer forum.


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