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September geese and teal offer early waterfowling opportunities (August 31, 2012)
Learn an outdoor skill at the 2012 Oklahoma Wildlife Expo (August 29, 2012)
Outdoor education on target with Oklahoma schools (August 27, 2012)
Partners' donations to play valuable role in conservation (August 23, 2012)
Waterfowl hunting seasons set (August 21, 2012)
Insect-borne disease connected to deer deaths in northeast Oklahoma (August 17, 2012)
Dove season opener just around the corner (August 17, 2012)
Review opportunity available for lesser prairie chicken conservation plan (August 15, 2012)
Quail organization invites supporters to annual banquet (August 15, 2012)
Wildlife Department receives slate of donations from important partners (August 13, 2012)
August 17: deadline for youth bonus antlerless deer hunt applications (August 1, 2012)
September geese and teal offer early waterfowling opportunities (August 31, 2012)
September is a big month for Oklahoma bird hunters, and not just for those pursuing doves. The resident Canada goose and September teal seasons both open Sept. 8.
Resident Canada goose season will run through Sept. 17, and September teal season will run through Sept. 23. Shooting hours for both seasons is one half hour before official sunrise to official sunset. Hunters can harvest eight geese daily and four teal daily.
Bluewing and greenwing teal are the first ducks to travel through Oklahoma as they migrate southward on their traditional journey to wintering grounds in Mexico and Central and South America.
To participate in the September teal season or resident Canada goose season, hunters must possess a resident or nonresident Oklahoma hunting license and a Harvest Information Permit (HIP). Additionally, hunters 16 years old and older must carry on his person a valid federal duck stamp and Oklahoma waterfowl license, unless otherwise exempt.
Hunters age eight to 30 years of age who have not completed the Wildlife Department's hunter education course can still purchase a hunting license and go hunting, but the license will have an apprentice designation and the hunter must be accompanied by an individual 18 years of age or older who is licensed and hunter education certified or exempt from license or hunter education requirements. The accompanying hunter must remain in sight of and be able to communicate with the apprentice hunter in a normal voice without the aid of any communication device.
A hunting license is not required for resident youth under the age of 16 (under 14 for non-residents) to hunt small game, but they still must be accompanied.
All waterfowl hunting is restricted to federally-approved nontoxic shot in all areas of the state. Possession of lead shot while hunting waterfowl is prohibited.
For complete regulations, consult the "2012-13 Oklahoma Hunting Guide" online at wildlifedepartment.com or in hardcopy anywhere hunting licenses are sold.
Learn an outdoor skill at the 2012 Oklahoma Wildlife Expo (August 29, 2012)
The 2012 Oklahoma Wildlife Expo is Sept. 29-30 at the Lazy E Arena just north of Oklahoma City. The Expo is the public's chance to try their hands at a range of outdoor recreation activities ranging from fishing at a stocked pond or shooting a shotgun to building a birdhouse or taking a ride in a kayak.
"The Expo is completely free, and visitors can try all kinds of outdoor activities and check out all kinds of booths designed to teach them about wildlife, the outdoors and conservation," said Rhonda Hurst, Wildlife Expo coordinator for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.
The Wildlife Department is partnering with a wide range of other state agencies, private individuals and outdoor-related companies and organizations to host the Wildlife Expo. The event is designed to promote and instill appreciation for Oklahoma's wildlife and natural resources and provide hands-on learning opportunities for all types of outdoor enthusiasts. The event is free and open to the public.
Activities range from free shotgun and archery shooting to fishing, kayaking, ATV riding, mountain biking and much more. Additionally, numerous learning opportunities are available at booths and exhibits at the Expo. Visitors can speak with wildlife biologists and outdoorsmen experienced in fishing, hunting, game calling, wildlife and fisheries management, reptiles and amphibians and more, as well as attend seminars on hunting dog training, common snake identification, Dutch oven cooking, turkey calling and fly fishing, among other topics.
"In short, the Expo is a celebration of everything outdoors in the state of Oklahoma," Hurst said. "We want you to leave the Expo with a new appreciation for wildlife and the hobbies of hunting, fishing and wildlife watching."
The Expo is Oklahoma's largest outdoor recreation event, drawing thousands of people each year. The Expo will be held at the Lazy E Arena, just north of Oklahoma City. Expo hours will be from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily Sept. 29-30. Admission and parking are free.
Outdoor education on target with Oklahoma schools (August 27, 2012)
Just eight years ago, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation began the Oklahoma National Archery in Schools Program (OKNASP). Today 350 Oklahoma schools and more than 40,000 students participate in the program annually, and it is leading the way for an entire suite of outdoor education programs offered to schools by the Wildlife Department.
Wildlife Department officials say that schools across the state have been catching on to the program offerings and partnering with the Department as the programs' popularity among students, teachers and administrators has continued to mount. Officials say the programs work toward building interest in a lifetime of enjoying the outdoors.
In addition to OKNASP the suite includes the Wildlife Department's hunter education, Oklahoma Fishing in the Schools and Explore Bowhunting programs as well as a new scholastic shooting sports program. The Wildlife Department provides curriculum for all of the programs and even offers equipment grants for OKNASP (includes just over half of the $3,000 cost of the kit), Fishing in the Schools (includes $500 to cover all costs of equipment), and Explore Bowhunting (includes $2,000 to cover all costs of teaching kit, provided by the Archery Trade Association and distributed by the Wildlife Department). While all grants are obligated for the coming year, schools can still apply and be placed on a waiting list. Potential sponsors can fund a local school of their choice as well by calling Colin Berg, education supervisor for the Wildlife Department, at (918) 299-6711.
"The Oklahoma National Archery in Schools Program was the spark that has led to these additional programs being offered to schools," Berg said. "It was 'true to its mark' with administrators, teachers and students and is now in 350 schools across the state. Over the last three years, we have continued to add these additional programs to the list of offerings we have available for schools."
Many schools are now offering all of the programs available in the suite.
Students who participate in OKNASP learn the fundamentals of basic target archery, but what really strikes a chord with every student is success they experience when their arrow thuds against the target for the very first time.
"That initial success clicks with a lot of students and drives them to succeed time and again, not only in archery but other classes," said Berg.
According to Berg, word-of-mouth has been an important tool in marketing OKNASP among participating schools.
"Teachers and administrators of active schools became our target to pass on training opportunities to neighboring schools," Berg said. "Our courses filled up on their own, and we no longer had to sell the program. The program was selling itself due to the success that teachers and administrators saw their students experiencing. We followed that marketing model as we added programs."
OKNASP is still the first step in bringing the education program suite into a school. Out of the 350 schools involved in OKNASP this year, more than 200 of them are teaching hunter education; 200 are also teaching Explore Bowhunting, designed to take archery a step further by applying it to wildlife conservation; 200 Oklahoma Fishing in the schools, which introduces students to the angling tradition; and 20 of these will be piloting the Department's scholastic shooting sports program that will introduce basic shotgun and firearms handling skills and competition.
According to Berg, the programs are about building success and developing an appreciation for and understanding of sound wildlife conservation.
"These programs spend a significant amount of time on wildlife conservation, survival skills, importance of firearms safety and ethics, and how to get close to nature," Berg said. And the Fishing in Schools Program covers a number of topics besides how to cast or catch a fish, such as the importance of good water quality, fisheries management and conservation as well as water safety. These are important topics that every Oklahoman should understand."
"Everyone's first thought is that this is something just rural schools are involved with," Berg said. "But Jenks, Owasso, Oklahoma City, Yukon, Bethany, Lawton, Broken Arrow, Enid and other large school districts are involved in these programs as well as a lot of smaller districts."
Berg said it is important for schools to take a hard look at the Department's suite of education programs to see just what they offer in educating well-rounded, conservation-minded students.
"Lots of kids today are connecting with the outdoors due to these programs being offered at their school," Berg said.
The first step for schools wanting to become involved in the Wildlife Department's outdoor education programs is to contact Justin Marschall, OKNASP coordinator for the Department, at (405) 522-1857. Once a school has a teacher trained in OKNASP, they qualify for the partial equipment grant from the Department, and by actually participating in OKNASP, they receive invitations to free training workshops for the other programs.
The Department's OKNASP Facebook page can be found at facebook.com/oknasp, and the Wildlife Department's website can be found at wildlifedepartment.com.
Partners' donations to play valuable role in conservation (August 23, 2012)
Partners of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation play a crucial role in benefiting wildlife, often donating funds that help accomplish a range of conservation initiatives. The Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission recently voted to accept nearly $40,000 in such donations from various partners.
Among the donations was $30,000 from the Oklahoma Station Chapter of Safari Club International, an organization dedicated to promoting wildlife conservation and protecting the freedom to hunt. The donation included $20,000 for the Wildlife Department's scholastic shooting sports pilot program and $10,000 for the Department's Operation Game Thief Trailer.
Since 1995, the Wildlife Department has been offering free instruction in basic firearms handling and wing-shooting techniques through its Shotgun Training and Education Program (STEP), exposing thousands of youth and adults to shooting sports through events such as the Oklahoma Wildlife Expo and other activities. Schools across Oklahoma have been so responsive to the Department's other educational opportunities that the Department is now working to introduce STEP to students as part of their classroom curriculum. Students at participating schools will have the opportunity to learn and develop safe firearms handling and shooting skills from trained instructors. The $20,000 donation from the Oklahoma Station will be used to provide grants for participating schools to obtain STEP equipment and training.
"We're absolutely delighted to be able to participate," said Sam Munhollon with the Oklahoma Chapter.
The Chapter's additional donation of $10,000 helps fund the creation of an Operation Game Thief Trailer, a 24-foot display trailer that can travel to events to showcase wildlife law enforcement efforts in Oklahoma and educate visitors on the importance of following the state's game laws.
Wildlife Department Law Enforcement Chief Robert Fleenor said the trailer is part of a successful program for educating the public and expressed gratitude for the Oklahoma Chapter taking the Department "under their wing" to help complete the trailer.
In addition to supporting the STEP and Operation Game Thief programs, the Chapter has helped fund recent black bear research efforts in northeast Oklahoma, the purchase of an airboat used by the Wildlife Department on waterfowl surveys and other wetland management tasks and more. The Chapter also partners with the Wildlife Department each year to hold an annual youth essay contest that provides youth a chance to share their feelings about Oklahoma's outdoors and to win great prizes, including a guided pronghorn antelope hunt in New Mexico. The chapter purchased eight elk for introduction into an existing herd in southeast Oklahoma and is a supporter of the Department's Hunters Against Hunger program, which coordinates the annual distribution of hunter-donated venison to needy, and the Department's Oklahoma Wildlife Expo.
The Commission also accepted $3,500 from the Oklahoma State Game Warden Association and another $3,000 from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation for the Wildlife Department Youth Camp, which hosts a group of teen-aged campers for one week each summer and teaches them about conservation, game laws, and careers at the Wildlife Department. The camp offers character-building exercises through training and recreation in areas like shooting sports, wildlife identification, ropes and rappelling, archery, turkey and waterfowl hunting, fishing, swimming, self defense, and wildlife and fisheries management and law enforcement.
Another donation of $1,000 was accepted from the Indian Territory Chapter of Quail Forever for prescribed burns, ridge-top clearing and water impoundments on the Spavinaw Wildlife Management Area.
Waterfowl hunting seasons set (August 21, 2012)
Oklahoma waterfowl hunters could be headed into a very successful hunting season.
According to U.S. Fish and Wildlife surveys, record numbers of ducks - including the third highest recorded number of mallards - have been surveyed on breeding grounds in the northern United States and southern Canada.
"A steady dose of cold temperatures and plenty of available water is going to be important in order for Oklahomans to get in on the best waterfowl hunting this year," said Josh Richardson, migratory game bird biologist for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. "Ducks are thriving, and hopefully cold weather will drive them south and they'll find plenty of good habitat in Oklahoma."
At its August meeting, the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission approved 2012-13 season dates and regulations for waterfowl and other early and late season migratory birds, like doves and September teal.
Every summer the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposes frameworks to states for structuring their migratory bird hunting seasons. The Service publishes the federal hunting season frameworks for these species after their meetings, and state wildlife agencies like the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation can then make their season selections within the federal framework guidelines.
Ducks, mergansers and coots
This year, waterfowl season in the Panhandle counties will run from Oct. 13 through Jan. 9, and youth waterfowl days will be Oct. 6-7. In Zone 1, which includes most of northwest Oklahoma (excluding the Panhandle) duck season will run from Oct. 27 through Nov. 25 and Dec. 8 through Jan. 20. Youth waterfowl days in Zone 1 will be Oct. 13-14. Zone 2 duck season dates will be Nov. 3 through Nov. 25 and Dec. 8 through Jan. 27, with youth waterfowl days slated for Oct. 27-28.
The daily limit of six ducks may include no more than: five mallards (only two may be hens), three wood ducks, two redheads, two pintails and one canvasback. The daily limit of mergansers is five, of which no more than two may be hooded mergansers, and the daily limit of coots is 15.
Geese and sandhill crane
Canada goose and light goose seasons both will run from Oct. 27-Nov. 25 and Dec. 8-Feb. 10, with white-fronted goose season spanning Oct. 27-Nov. 25 and Dec. 8-Feb. 3. Sandhill crane season will run Oct. 20-Jan. 20 (west of I-35 only). The daily limits for Canada geese is three; white-fronted geese, one; light geese, 20, and; sandhill crane, three.
Dove, teal, special resident Canada goose, rail, gallinule, woodcock and snipe
This year, seasons and regulations for dove September teal, Special resident Canada geese, rail, gallinule, woodcock and common snipe will be the same as last year, except for adjustments to calendar dates. See the "2012-13 Oklahoma Hunting Guide" for details.
To participate in any migratory bird season in Oklahoma, hunters must possess a resident or nonresident Oklahoma hunting license and a Harvest Information Permit (HIP). Additionally, hunters 16 years old and older must carry a valid federal duck stamp and Oklahoma waterfowl license while hunting any waterfowl species, unless otherwise exempt. All waterfowl hunting is restricted to federally-approved nontoxic shot in all areas of the state. Possession of lead shot while hunting waterfowl is prohibited. For full waterfowl hunting season details and regulations, consult the "2012-13 Oklahoma Waterfowl Guide," which will be available in the fall.
Insect-borne disease connected to deer deaths in northeast Oklahoma (August 17, 2012)
Biologists with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation say a viral disease has been confirmed in at least one deer and may be related to 10 others found dead near the Verdigris River in northeast Oklahoma.
According to Erik Bartholomew, big game biologist for the Wildlife Department, the disease that killed the deer has been in Oklahoma for several decades. The Wildlife Department receives scattered reports every year in Oklahoma and there are occasional small outbreaks like this one. The Department is continuing to monitor the area for other sick or dead deer.
"Epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) is a hemorrhagic disease caused by a virus and spread by the bite of a midge or small fly, usually during the late summer or early fall, when the midge becomes active," Bartholomew said. "This virus is not transmissible to humans."
Bartholomew added that the virus is not known to be transmissible from an infected deer to other deer through individual contact.
There are several forms of EHD. In a completely separate case this month, biologists with the Wildlife Department confirmed a sick deer in southern Delaware Co. tested positive for a similar hemorrhagic disease called bluetongue virus.
According to Bartholomew, some forms of EHD kill deer quickly while others simply make the deer sick for a while before recovering. The virus can lead to high fever, causing infected deer to seek water to cool off. Dead deer usually are found in or near water. In most cases, infected deer are in good body condition because the disease usually runs its course and kills the animal quickly. EHD is not a threat to humans.
At present, there are no wildlife management tools or strategies available to prevent or control EHD. Bartholomew said there is little concern about the outbreak having a significant impact on deer populations, and any outbreaks will be curtailed by the onset of colder weather.
"It's not something that we are worried about on a wide scale, but we do want to hear from people who see deer that appear to be sick," Bartholomew said. "We urge everyone to help us be on the alert."
The public should report any sick deer or deer that are acting abnormal to their county game warden. A listing of game warden phone numbers by county is available online at wildlifedepartment.com.
Dove season opener just around the corner (August 17, 2012)
Dove hunting season is fast approaching, and this year sportsmen have no excuse for not inviting someone along with them thanks to Oklahoma's annual Free Hunting Days Sept. 1-2. Resident hunters do not need to possess an annual hunting license or HIP permit while hunting on these days.
This year dove season will run Sept. 1 - Oct. 31, statewide, followed by another nine-day period open from Dec. 22-30, statewide.
According to Josh Richardson, migratory game bird biologist for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, areas with water and a native or agricultural food source should be good spots come September.
Despite it being hot and dry, Richardson said breeding counts were up at the start of the summer. Food resources have improved this year, but water still remains limited in many locations.
"The wheat crop was really good across most of the state this year," Richardson said. "But fall crops like corn, milo, and sunflower have had spotty production because of the heat and drought."
After Free Hunting Days Sept. 1-2, dove hunters will be required to have a hunting license or proof of exemption and a HIP permit, available free online at wildlifedepartment.com.
The daily limit for dove is 15, which may consist of any combination of mourning, white-winged and fully dressed Eurasian collared doves ("fully dressed" describes those birds without a head or fully feathered wing naturally attached to the carcass). However, there is no limit on Eurasian collared doves provided that the head or one fully feathered wing remain naturally attached to the carcass of all such birds while being transported to their final destination.
Full details and regulations for dove hunting are available in the current "Oklahoma Hunting Guide," available free online at wildlifedepartment.com or at any location where hunting licenses are sold.
In addition to dove hunting, squirrel season also is open during Free Hunting Days, and there are other year-round hunting opportunities available for species such as coyotes. To see a full list of hunting opportunities, consult the current "Oklahoma Hunting Guide."
Review opportunity available for lesser prairie chicken conservation plan
Parts of western and northwest Oklahoma hold some of the last remaining habitat for lesser prairie chickens. The birds are in decline, and efforts are underway by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and its partners to restore and conserve the bird.
Taken as a whole, the plan for conserving the lesser prairie chicken in Oklahoma is known as the Oklahoma Lesser Prairie Chicken Conservation Plan (OLEPCCP), which outlines focal "Core Areas" for lesser prairie chicken conservation. Based on comments received during the Department's recent public review and comment period for the OLEPCCP, additional changes to the boundary of several of the Core Areas have been proposed. The OLEPCCP planning team is currently soliciting review of and comments on the six revised Core Area boundaries (Core Areas 1, 6, 7, 9, 13, 15). Comments will be accepted via e-mail, mail, or hand-delivery. Log on to http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/wildlifemgmt/lepc/draft_planning.htm to view the proposed boundary changes.
E-mail comments should be sent to Alex Rizzo at firstname.lastname@example.com and should include "OLEPCCP Comments" in the subject line.
All USPS mail comments should be mailed to Attn: OLEPCCP Core Area Comments, Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, PO Box 53465, Oklahoma City, OK 73152.
Hand delivered comments will be accepted in the Wildlife Division Office (Room 215) at the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation Central office, located on the southwest corner of NE 18th and Lincoln Boulevard (1801 North Lincoln Boulevard, Oklahoma City). Hand delivered comments should be clearly marked "OLEPCCP Core Area Comments."
The deadline for submitting comments is 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012.
Quail organization invites supporters to annual banquet (August 15, 2012)
The seventh Annual Central Oklahoma 89er Chapter of Quail Forever fundraising banquet will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 25, 2012, at the Sportsman's Country Club in Oklahoma City. Quail Forever, a non-profit habitat conservation organization, was founded in 2005 as part of Pheasants Forever in response to the continuing decline of quail populations locally and throughout their natural range, working hand in hand with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and Oklahoma State University research biologists.
Membership dinner tickets are $55, spouse tickets are $30, and tickets for youth under 16 years of age are $15. This price includes dinner, a year's membership, a subscription to the Quail Forever Journal and a Quail Forever decal. Chapter sponsorships are available for as little as $250 as well as corporate sponsorships that include membership, dinner tickets and event recognition, and promotional opportunities via website and e-mail depending upon the level of sponsorship. Sponsorship information can be found by logging on to centralokquailforever.org.
"Becoming a Quail Forever member and attending the fundraising banquet is for the quail hunter and upland bird conservationist who wants to make a difference for quail and local wildlife," said James Dietsch, 89er Chapter founding chairman. "Quail Forever operates under the unique model of empowering its local chapters with the responsibility of determining how 100 percent of its locally-raised conservation funds are spent within the state. Quail Forever is extremely proud of its accomplishments, but the need for continuing conservation work is even more pressing than ever before. Become a part of our mission to preserve and restore critical upland wildlife habitat. Keep Oklahoma one of the premier quail hunting states in the nation and attend this year's event to help Quail Forever in its continued quest to preserve and enhance Oklahoma's wildlife and habitat."
Limited banquet seating is available, so reserving tickets, sponsorships, or corporate tables as soon as possible is recommended. Checks should be made out to: Quail Forever, 5937 N. Redmond, Oklahoma City, OK 73122. For more information, call (405) 415-5724, e-mail email@example.com or log on to centralokquailforever.org.
Wildlife Department receives slate of donations from important partners
At its August meeting, the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission voted to accept nearly $40,000 in donations that will help the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation accomplish a range of conservation initiatives.
The $40,000 was comprised of donations from several conservation partners, including $20,000 from the Oklahoma Station Chapter of Safari Club International for a scholastic shooting sports pilot program to be implemented by the Wildlife Department in Oklahoma schools; $10,000 from the Oklahoma Station Chapter of Safari Club International for the development of the Department's Operation Game Thief trailer used to educate the public on the importance of following game laws; $3,500 from the Oklahoma State Game Warden Association and another $3,000 from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation for the Wildlife Department Youth Camp, which hosts a group of teen-aged campers for one week each summer and teaches them about conservation, game laws, and careers at the Wildlife Department, and; $1,000 from the Indian Territory Chapter of Quail Forever for prescribed burns, ridge-top clearing and water impoundments on the Spavinaw Wildlife Management Area.
"It's our partners in conservation that enable us to accomplish all that we do for wildlife," said Richard Hatcher, director for the Wildlife Department. "The sportsmen and wildlife enthusiasts who make up the memberships of these groups that donated this money are going the extra mile to ensure Oklahoma remains a premier state for wildlife-related recreation and conservation.
The Commission also approved dates and regulations for the 2012-13 hunting seasons for ducks, geese, dove and other migratory birds.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service considers populations and habitat status for establishing migratory game bird hunting seasons at an annual meeting held in June each year in consultation with the four Flyway Councils. The Service publishes the federal hunting season frameworks for these species after the meeting, and state wildlife agencies like the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation can then make their season selections within the federal framework guidelines.
According to Alan Peoples, chief of wildlife for the Wildlife Department, surveys indicate what may be record numbers of mallards and greater numbers of other duck species on northern United States and Canadian breeding grounds than have been recorded in years.
In other business, the Commission also recognized three elementary girls who placed in the top five in the nation in their grade levels at the National Archery in the Schools tournament held in May in Louisville, Ky. Taking third place in the fourth-grade girls competition was Riane Tuthill of Chickasha. Birdie Maxwell of Parklane Elementary took fourth place in the fifth-grade girls division, and Faith Terrell of Chandler Elementary took fourth place among sixth-grade girls. About 370 Oklahoma students were part of the crowd of 7,804 youth shooters from the across the nation who competed at the shoot.
The Commission also recognized the owners of Spring Creek Farm and Twin Hills Ranch in Seminole Co. as the Wildlife Department's newest Landowners of the Year. Through the Landowner of the Year program, the Wildlife Department selects a landowner who has gone above and beyond to improve their property for wildlife habitat, and brothers Carl, Jerry and Lloyd Hendrix have done just that with extensive efforts on their properties to manage habitat and conserve wildlife.
The Commission also heard a presentation on the status, direction and goals of the Oklahoma Prescribed Fire Council. The group has 16 burn associations members, and local landowners can get plugged in to one of their local burn associations for help getting started using prescribed fire to manage habitat on their land. The burn associations also have equipment and can coordinate labor among participating landowners. A key component of the group's efforts is to obtain liability insurance for landowners wanting to conduct prescribed burns.
Richard Hatcher, director of the Wildlife Department, also recognized three employees for long tenure with the Wildlife Department. Gene Gilliland, assistant chief of fisheries, and John Skeen, wildlife senior biologist, were both recognized for 30 years of service, and Mark Howery, wildlife diversity biologist, was recognized for 20 years of service.
The Wildlife Conservation Commission is the eight-member governing board of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. The Wildlife Commission establishes state hunting and fishing regulations, sets policy for the Wildlife Department and indirectly oversees all state fish and wildlife conservation activities. Commission members are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate.
The next scheduled Commission meeting is set for Sept. 10, at the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation headquarters (auditorium), located at the southwest corner of 18th and North Lincoln, Oklahoma City.
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August 17: deadline for youth bonus antlerless deer hunt applications
Beginning deer hunters have a unique opportunity to participate in five bonus antlerless deer hunts that will take place on private land in Osage County (Oct 5-7, 2012), Ellis County (Oct 12-13, 2012), Kingfisher County (Oct. 13, 2012), Carter County (Nov 23-24, 2012), and Alfalfa County (Jan 11-13, 2013).
This year 55 youth will be drawn to receive one of the bonus private lands antlerless deer gun permits. To be eligible, youth must have completed their hunter education requirements prior to applying and must be 12-17 years old at the time of their scheduled hunt.
"These hunts are on private property and should provide young hunters a great opportunity to see some deer as well as a chance to harvest a doe," said Bill Dinkines, assistant chief of wildlife for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. "The Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission has endorsed the youth hunt program and we are thankful for the landowners' willingness to allow these kids the opportunity to hunt on their property."
To apply for a hunt, applicants must submit (mail or walk-in only) an index card with the following information:
Envelope should be addressed to: OK DEPT OF WILDLIFE CONSERVATION, Attn: Wildlife Division: "Private Lands Youth Deer Hunts," PO BOX 53465, Oklahoma City, OK 73152. All applications must be received by Friday, August 17, 2012.
Antlerless deer taken by selected applicants during these hunts will be considered a "bonus deer" and will not count toward the hunter's season statewide limit.
Applicants who are successfully drawn will receive a notification letter in the mail that includes specific information about their hunt and the deadline for purchasing required license(s) as listed below:
Resident Options (Ages 12-15):
Lifetime Hunting or Lifetime Combination License, or;
$10 CH Private Lands Youth Deer License***
Resident Options (Age 16-17):
Lifetime Hunting or Lifetime Combination License, or;
Resident Annual Youth Hunting + $10 CH Private Lands Youth Deer License*** or;
Resident Fiscal Year Hunting + $10 CH Private Lands Youth Deer License***
Non-Resident Options (Ages 12-17):
CH Nonresident Private Lands Youth Deer License***
***NOTE: The $10 resident or the $201 non-resident CH Private Lands Youth Deer Hunt Permits will be issued in lieu of the open season license and must be purchased through the Wildlife Department's central office. Apprentice-designated licenses will not be allowed due to the hunter education requirement.
For additional information, please contact the Wildlife Department's Wildlife Division at (405) 521-2730.
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subset: commoncrawl


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main: May 2007 Archives
Isaac Abrams, Cosmic Orchid, 1967
Day-Glo Days
You should see, if you can, "Summer of Love: Art of the Psychedelic Era," now at the Whitney Museum, N.Y.C., to September 16. This first-time survey of the art so many would like to forget comes full-blown, paradoxes and all, from the Tate Liverpool, curated by its director Christoph Grunenberg.
Certainly one strand of the art-history braid belongs to the spiritual in art. The two types of spiritual art are the propagandistic and the instrumental, the latter concerned with creating spiritual states, not just reporting, supporting or imposing previous ones. Historically, the two types are confused and/or intertwined.
It may be true that the making of, as well as the more obvious viewing of, stained glass windows caused ecstatic states, although I know of no records of such. We sort of know what happened when Jakob Boehme saw a glint of sunlight on a pewter bowl. The download began: "Though flesh and blood cannot conceive or apprehend the being of God, but the spirit only when enlightened and kindled from God...." (The Aurora, 1612). But we do not know what might have happened when any less extraordinary shoemaker saw his first Rose Window.
Clerics and laity may have been forced into joy, but were the designers and tradesmen who made the windows transported during their labors? I'd guess monks responsible for illuminated manuscripts, like the Book of Kells, might have had a hard time keeping their feet on the ground. And if a few Irish calligraphers were transported, why not glassworkers and even stone masons? An important and little-noted function of art is how it transforms its maker, not how it teaches or pleases or changes viewers. From this point of view, the knitting is more important than the sweater; the weaving is more important than the cloth.
Abdul Mati Klarwein, View of Aleph Sanctuary, 1963-1971
The Rewrite Marches On
Although a great deal of psychedelia may have been drug induced or drug inspired, as in a certain literary tradition (think de Quincey and Coleridge), Grunenberg makes the point that Psychedelic Art has been written out of the official art history now subsumed by the Minimal/Pop/Conceptual axis. This MPC alliance is not as strange as once might have been supposed, since each banished the hand.
Given the '60s art-world consumption of mind-altering substances and the inviolable tradition of alcohol abuse, the exclusion of Psychedelic Art is not about anti-drug puritanism but about power and dividing up slices of the economic pie. Surely the prohibition is not about taste, considering the bad taste endemic in academia and the world of galleries and museums.
What was or is so dangerous about swirling colors? Big Brother and the Holding Company? Be-In posters? Groovy nudies and spiritual symbols, about astrology and mythology? Like Grunenberg, I too think we should take another look at this despised and repressed art. The "Summer of Love" makes that possible.
Politics is pushed aside. There is no clear articulation of the Free Speech vs. Hippie (or Berkeley vs. Haight-Ashbury) divide. No real presence of the antiwar and black, women's and gay liberation movements, all of which had a lasting impact. Nevertheless, the formalist curatorial strategy does provide a certain clarity. Psychedelic Art, I should say, has not been repressed because it was anti-political (as both the Left and the New Left accused) or because it seemed to promote drugs. We all know what happened to Janis. She OD'd and it wasn't on Southern Comfort. By 1967, the dubious use of drugs as a spiritual tool became the use of drugs as recreation, opening the door to heroin and speed. The Summer of Love became the Bummer of Love.
No, Psychedelic Art got the kibosh because there was no room for it in the single-strand art history that dominates art discourse. The single-strand approach is a great sales pitch because it makes today's newest commodity seem inevitable, like the Dictatorship of the Proletariat or the Old Testament leading to the New.
In Grunenberg's catalog essay, he suggests that Psychedelic Art was too populist, too popular, too commercial, too decorative, too kitschy. I would add that Psychedelic Art was too "spiritual" and there was no academically sanctioned precedent for positioning spiritual art in the art market. Formally, Art Brut was the closest category, but what later became Outsider Art (with its own lively market now collapsing into Folk Art) was then owned by wine merchant Jean Dubuffet.
If some of the most characteristic psychedelic works were posters, album covers, and light shows, how could Leo Castelli make a living out of that? The graphic art is now highly collectible and Joplin's psychedelic Porsche is priceless. The light shows have come back to haunt us, re-jiggered as projected or time-based art.
Verner Panton, Phantasy Landscape Visiona, 1970-2000
All You Need Is a Little Bit of LSD
"Summer" embraces everything from walk-in meditation rooms, graphic art, light shows, films, sculpture, paintings (yes, even paintings). Also, as if to emphasize the curatorial formalism, we are jolted by a spectacular Lynda Benglis poured-latex floor piece, California Minimalist John McCracken's psychedelic forays, a triptych by political-Conceptualist Adrian Piper, design luminary Verner Panton's Phantasy Landscape Visiona II, and a Paul Jenkins stain-painting exercise. I never would have thought of Benglis, Jenkins, and Panton as psychedelic. Nor had I any inkling that McCracken and Piper, like the rest of the art world, had experimented with mind-altering substances.
More significant are paintings by nearly forgotten artists such as the under-appreciated painter Isaac Abrams and Abdul Mati Klarwein, whose walk-in trip-room (Aleph Sanctuary, 1963-71) is a high point of the exhibition -- no pun intended. And if you go to the Klarwein website you will see that the curator did pick the high point of this artist's checkered career. Also, on the Klarwein website I found this to share with you:
Anybody can classify me as they wish. In the fifties I was classified as an illustrator, even though my work consisted of paintings. And in the sixties my work was classified as psychedelic. So I took psychedelics to find out what it was all about. I found out I couldn't paint on them. I'll tell you about a funny episode. Jean Houston and Robert Masters put together a book called Psychedelic Art in the sixties, and they came to me... And they asked me, "What kind of psychedelics do you take when you're painting?" And I said, "I don't take anything when I'm painting. When I take psychedelics I get very horny, and I start going out to nightclubs and cruising." (laughter)
So they said, "Well, we can't put you in the book." I freaked out, because I wasn't in any book yet (laughter), and I said, "But I get my ideas when I'm high." And they said, "Alright, we'll put you in the book." Next they asked me for the names of other psychedelic painters, and I gave them a whole list, including Fuchs. I called them all up right away, and I told them, "Tell them that you're taking psychedelics!" And they all got in the book. (laughter)
And I certainly have to mention that the sound and light walk-in created by La Monte Young and Marian Zazeela's, Music and Light Box (1967-8) should have been given the entire third floor. Young is the founder of music Minimalism, and after he worked through his Zen koan music events, his Minimalism was extreme, as is audible here. With the group called Inside the Dream Syndicate (Tony Conrad, John Cale, and others) he went on to put a patent on the loud, really loud. Entering the concert hall, as I once wrote, was like walking into a solid pool of heavy water. You either woke up or went deaf.
Will we ever have a cross-media Minimalism exhibition that would include not only the sculpture we already know, but Young, Tony Conrad films, the architecture of Luis Barragan, cuisine minceur, Aram Saroyan's one-word poems, and Scott Burton's furniture? Will we ever mine the friendship between Young and Walter de Maria, Phil Glass and Sol LeWitt?
Of course, we may also read Psychedelic Art, like it or not, as anti-Minimalism with a vengeance, besting a thousand times over what was to be packaged as post-Minimalism --- hence the oddity of the inclusion of Benglis, who has usually been deemed a more orthodox post-Minimalist, i.e., Minimalism with soft materials. Grunenberg's most radical remark is that his exhibition will "challenge the myth of coherent movements and individual styles." Well, that's certainly loosening the bit, increasing the bite. He has a point. We tend to lop off art and art careers that do not fit marketing categories. Art careers get rewritten too, but usually not for the better. Each artist, each style has to be the equivalent of a sound bite.
* * *
Finally, now I can announce that I am not alone in my push for re-imagining or re-conceptualizing art history as a braid rather than a single, evolutionary strand. Artist and critic Mark Staff Brandl, obviously an Artopian, sent me a link from Switzerland to his review of David Carrier's book The Aesthetics of Comics. I suggest reading the whole thing, but here's a pertinent excerpt:
The future of both fine and comic art, to follow Carrier's suggestions, might not be posthistorical, but rather polyhistorical. This is an portentous expansion of art and art history. If I may be so bold, I would offer the author a useful metaphor for his philosophy. Media theorist Christian Doelker has supplied an alternative reading of the word text. While most literary theorists use the term to prejudicially favour reading over seeing, Doelker traces the term back to its root in weaving or a cable. This is a highly evocative image. I picture, in a very Wittgensteinian manner, an interwoven mass of filaments, some longer, some shorter, each a "history," each independent to an extent, yet touching on various others, some ending only to begin again farther on, all travelling nonetheless in certain concert...... Suggestively, Carrier.... offers us a philosophy which sees history as a cable of integrated stories; we have simply focused far too long on only one strand. Again to use Doelker's terminology, we could have an art history which is plurogenic (multistrand), as opposed to...monogenic (single strand) conceptions. This is a promising description of history, a welcome alternative to the end-tales now so predominant.
Obviously great minds think alike. I will leave aside for the moment the need to re-imagine history in general, and time itself.
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Alice Neel, Self-Portrait, 1980
Go Ask Alice, If You Dare
Have I said enough about maverick painter Alice Neel? You can read what I wrote in 2000, by going to my website . It's an insider's view, since I recount my experience as a nude victim for that merciless realist. On the other hand, I have heard my little essay is sometimes used as a prime example of storytelling as art criticism.
For another angle on Neel (1900-1984), one might turn to someone in her biological family rather than her art-world family. A documentary by her grandson Andrew Neel has recently been released. It's called simply Alice Neel, now showing in New York at the small Cinema Village movie house, and a trailer is available at the film's website. It skillfully blends new and archival footage to tell the Neel story: bohemian rebellion, free love, death and madness; poverty and empathy; and then, with a little help from her friends and a boost from '60s feminism - triumph. You know, it's just your same old, same old. But have you seen your grandma on Johnny Carson? Did your grandma paint you naked?
I usually hate artist bio-docs. This one is an exception, possibly because the basic material is so fascinating, and there are crucial twists and turns. Neel was dramatic without being self-dramatizing. Well, perhaps she was a little self-dramatizing. So is her grandson.
In some old footage, you see pre-pubescent Andrew jumping around nude in front of his grandma while she is trying to paint, which doesn't bother her at all. And later in the film, we witness the director's verbal altercation with his father, Hartley. Andrew is off-camera running the camera. And, let's put it this way, words are exchanged. Clearly our director/cinematographer has the Alice Neel gene, best described as an eye plus temperament. The smart thing here, as he admits, is that without the family dirty laundry and the director's presence, the film would turn into sentimental goo.
Neel, Joe Gould, 1933
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
As in his granny's paintings, there is a dark side expressed in Andrew's film. Late-night visitors pass through the sleeping room of young Hartley and Richard. The latter was apparently mistreated by Alice's benefactor, John Rothchild. And did I mention Richard's proclamation into his nephew's lens that you won't find anyone more right wing than himself? He was a teenage fan of Nixon, but Alice - the boys called her Alice -- successfully forbade him from even mentioning that villain's name in her presence. Hartley, who has more camera time, laments the toll of his mom's bohemianism. Before their birth she, like many other lucky artists, was on the WPA and then later, as a single mother, was helped by welfare. Hartley became a doctor; Richard, a lawyer.
Neel once told me, loaded brush in hand, she had hoped that at least one of them would turn out to be a ballet dancer. No such luck.
It is, of course, a nice feel-good peak that Neel in the end had a big exhibition at the Whitney and was on Carson's talk show twice. The talk-show sequences here are amusing indeed. But at what cost fame? Hartley, looking a bit depressed, has to admit that she was a good mother -- although unable to protect Richard from being kicked under the table by Rothchild.
I think that because Neel was doing what she wanted to do, which was to paint all sorts of riff-raff -- saints, sinners, and even eventually critics and museum directors - she was a better mother (and person) than if she had lived a horrid life of creative frustration. And took it out on her sons.
She chronicled the human comedy. And the tragedy. Late in life she had the devil in her eye. All her emperors had no clothes; and neither did anyone else. Everyone - sons, grandchildren, pregnant daughter-in-law, the Fuller Brush salesman - was naked to her gaze. I always tell people she was my real grandmother, my art grandmother.
After all, because of Neel's nude portrait of me, now in the permanent collection of the Whitney Museum, I had my Warholian 15 minutes of fame. The photo editor at the Village Voice, without consulting me, used it to illustrate my September 27, 1973, review of Neel's exhibition at the Graham Gallery.
The shock was not only the hairy frontal nudity, but the appearance that I might have chosen the illustration myself, never mind that I was writing about an exhibition that included the painting. Those were the so-called good old days. And Gregory Battcock, Jill Johnston and myself, like everyone else, were trying to make as much trouble as possible. Criticism had too many rules. Hadn't Walt Whitman written his own review of Leaves of Grass and published it in the Brooklyn Eagle, where he worked?
What people did not know was that I had no say about the photos. If you look back at the Voice art pages in that period you will usually see a disconnect between my writings and the photos. As a poet, I knew how to compensate with brief word-pictures of what I found more interesting. The photos-- as "a way of getting more art coverage" someone explained -- usually showed coy artists peeking through or around their awful sculptures, not the Earth Art, Conceptual Art, and Streetworks I was inserting into the art discourse.
That photo of my naked portrait and its bold display is probably why in a recent review of the film Alice Neel, a writer referred to the notorious painting of John Perreault. Or did the writer mean the painting of the notorious John Perreault?
In 2000, when there was a second Alice Neel survey at the Whitney, the postcard of my nude portrait was the gift-shop best-seller. As I explained in a gallery talk at the museum, my 15 minutes of fame was now reduced to five minutes. Now I can report that the unidentified flash of the naked me in Alice Neel is now my two-second moment of worldwide fame. Fame like everything else has speeded up.
Neel, Rita Red and Jackie, 1979.
Alice's Revenge
What we need now is a full-scale, scripted biography of Neel. I usually hate Hollywood, arty biographies. Lust for Life? Disgusting. But Neel's life, with all those opportunities for satire, drama, and social commentary, would be something worth seen acted out.
My art grandmother Alice Neel was a jolly Stalinist to the end, if you can imagine such a thing. I think she liked that my real great-uncle had been an organizer for the Wobblies and a bigamist. But maybe not. The Wobblies did not fit the party line.
And, what a sharp tongue! She used to say at lectures that if only she had a wife like X (a realist painter) she'd be famous now too. She once got Warhol superstar Jackie Curtis into the stuffy University Club in full drag, "to have lunch and to see the paintings." She told me, they were thrown out.
And she loved to gossip; she was a wicked, wicked gossip. She claimed to have painted the painting that allowed a certain famous art critic to get on the WPA as a painter. "And to this day he has never written about me," I remember her complaining.
Which famous art critic? My lips are sealed.
But once, just once, I did best her.
John, she said to me on the telephone, "I've finally done it I've painted the lowest of the low. I've painted a woman who gets paid for peeing on men." "But," I replied, "Alice, you once told me bankers were the lowest of the low." Pause. "You know, you're right. They are."
But here I think the most important thing for my Alice Neel Hollywood Movie is the casting. Although they never receive Academy Awards, casting directors are the unsung "writers" of many a movie. Choosing the right actors creates the characters. Of course, getting them to sign up is another problem, but we won't go there. The Alice Neel Story has cultural value, as well as sex, violence, and a Rocky ending to a rocky life. Besides, who wouldn't pay $12 to see a Norman Rockwell grandmother curse and talk about evil art world figures and corporate clowns, while painting all kinds of colorful characters in her Upper Westside living room, as the world goes up in smoke.
Ray Milland and Charles Laughton, The Big Clock, 1948.
Alice in Hollywood
Susan Sarandon has already played Alice, brilliantly, in The Secret Life of Joe Gould, so she might not want to repeat the role. And if the artist Louise Patterson in poet Kenneth Fearing's classic noir novel The Big Clock is Neel, then Elsa Lanchester played her too - in the first film version, directed by John Farrow in 1948.
Neel had painted poet and pulpster Fearing. They shared left-wing political views, and she considered him a friend. In The Big Clock book - now shelved in my local B&N in literature, not mysteries -- the artist has four children and not two; and a lover burns all of her art, not just the drawings and watercolors. In real life, dope fiend Kenneth Doolittle only burned the drawings and watercolors and then went on to slash the paintings. But Patterson's laugh and bitterness, bred of lack of attention, are much like Neel's.
The layered story is told through monologues. Here's a quote from the Alice/Louise chapter, recounting the artist's encounter with an investigator:
I looked at him through a haze of rage. He was another picture burner. I could tell it just by looking at his white, stuffy face. Another one of those decent, respectable maniacs who'd like nothing better than to take a butcher knife and slash canvases, slap them with paint, burn them. By God, he looked exactly like Pete. No, Pete's way had been to use them to cover up broken window panes, plug up draughts, and stop leaks in the ceiling. He was more the official type. His method would be to bury them in an authorized warehouse somewhere, destroy the records, and let them stay there forever.
Kenneth Fearing, The Big Clock, 1946.Reprinted by Orion Books, London. Page 146.
This is sort of what happened to Neel's WPA paintings. A plumbing company did indeed buy them to wrap pipes. Years later, someone I knew once found one nailed to a hot dog stand.
Perhaps by emphasizing Neel's dark side, Fearing was taking his revenge for her wicked 1935 portrait, in which he seems to be smirking over life and death. In any case, he has Alice/Louise willfully not identify a man she thinks is a murderer because she hopes to get one of her long-lost paintings back from him. He is a collector or her art, and that seems to excuse everything.
The "hero," George Stroud (drunkard, art collector, adulterer, and editor of a magazine within a Time/Life-type corporation), refers to the painting of a pair of hands holding a coin as The Temptation of St. Judas. This is perhaps a projection, but what or whom has Stroud betrayed by working for a publishing empire? Fearing himself sometimes wrote for Time magazine. Patterson calls the painting Study in Fundamentals. It sounds like something the real Neel might have painted in the '30s, which would indeed, by 1945, have ended up in a Third Avenue "antique" shop, on sale for a steal.
Cast of Characters
Young Alice: Drew Barrymore..... will be the film that confirms she can act; just think Poison Ivy.
Mature Alice: Angela Lansbury....has the looks, the humor and the spunk.
Carlos Enriquez, the rich Cuban Neel ran away with to escape Moore College of Art in Philadelphia and/or to escape the Main Line: Adrien Brody.... actually looks like Neel's portrait of Enriques.
Kenneth Doolittle: Robert Downey Jr.... because he knows how to chew the scenery.
Joe Gould, legendary author of the legendary "an oral history of our time": Jack Nicholson..... has that Joe Gould twinkle, although, as far as I know, does not have three penises, as in Neel's painting.
Jose Santiago, Richard's father: Antonio Banderas...has to be handsome enough for Neel to pursue, and he is.
John Rothchild , travel agent and life-long friend; John Malkovitch....no explanation required, aside from the fact that he is the best villain ever and the most droll. He looks like Rothchild too.
Richard Neel: Jude Law..... would have to dye or un-dye his hair, but otherwise cool and perfect.
Hartley Neel: John Malkovitch...no explanation required aside from the fact that it would be fun to see the actor play two different parts in the same film.
Nancy Neel (Richard's wife): Felicity Huffman... could really nail down Nancy's patience and fortitude in attending to her mother-in-law.
Andy Warhol: Rufus Wainwright... would have to bleach his hair, but he could really do Warhol's voice.
John Perreault: Nicholas Cage...he's hairy enough and we have the same eyes.
Neel, Kenneth Fearing, 1935
But who will play Kenneth Fearing, who not only wrote The Big Clock, but also
Aphrodite Metropolis:
Harry loves Myrtle--He has strong arms, from the warehouse,
And on Sunday when they take the bus to emerald meadows he doesn't say:
"What will your chastity amount to when your flesh withers in a little while?"
On Sunday, when they picnic in emerald meadows the look at the Sunday
They spread it around on the grass
And then they sit down on it, nice.
Harry doesn't say "Ziggin's Ointment for withered flesh,
Cures thousands of men and women of motes, warts, red veins,
flabby throat, scalp and hair diseases,
Not expensive, and fully guaranteed."
Harry says nothing at all,
He smiles,
And they kiss in the emerald meadows on the Sunday paper.
Who will play other Neel painting subjects such as Henry Geldzahler, Walter Gutman, Jackie Curtis, Annie Sprinkle, Meyer Schapiro, Frank O'Hara, Clement Greenberg's daughter, Harold Rosenberg, Robert Smithson, Dorothy "I'll scratch her eyes out" Pearlstein, Linda Nochlin, Gregory Battcock?
And who will have the nerve and the verve to direct Alice's Revenge?
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text:
3500 HealthPlex Parkway, Suite 201 Norman, OK 73072
3500 HealthPlex Parkway, Suite 201 Norman, OK 73072
Endocrine Center at the Heart Plaza
Norman Regional's Endocrine Center is dedicated to the treatment of patients with endocrine-related diseases and disorders. The center has two endocrinologists, Drs. Lubna Mirza and Tan Pham, who specialize in the treatment of disorders involving the body's glands and the hormones they secrete. These conditions include diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, thyroid disease and more.


text:
I see a few questions and answers about writing a book/thesis in LaTeX (here's one). But I would like to be able to compile reports separately as I write them to have a bunch of standalone documents. Is this possible without a lot of editing each time?
The context: every week for class I have to write a few summaries of the papers we read (some assigned, some just for my own benefit later). So I like the ability to compile each individually each week, then at the end of the semester bind them all into one "book" with pagination and a TOC.
Should I just make standalone articles each week, then edit all manually at the end of the semester into a book? Thanks!


text:
U.S. CEO to France: 'How Stupid Do You Think We Are?'
UPDATE: The WSJ's Gabriele Parussini has a piece from Paris on the letter, which she says "reflects broader concerns about France's industrial competitiveness".
Below is a letter from Maurice Taylor of U.S. tire manufacturer Titan to French industry minister Arnaud Montebourg, published Wednesday by France's Les Echos.
Mr. Montebourg apparently reached out to Titan in January to see if it might be interested in taking over a troubled tire factory in France; let's just say Mr. Taylor isn't keen on the idea.
In fact, "Titan is going to buy a Chinese tire company or an Indian one, pay less than one Euro per hour and ship all the tires France needs," Mr. Taylor concludes. But why get ahead of ourselves? Before that charming sign-off, he takes a shot at the French government, French unions, French workers and the U.S. government.
Alas, America isn't what it used to be: Insulting the French doesn't seem to be rewarded by the stock market, and Titan is down about 1% so far today.
The full letter, after the jump.


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Helga Wetzold, Realtor
440 Seaview Ct # 712 Marco Island FL 34145
Helga Wetzold
Real Estate Professional in Marco Island, Florida United States
Helga Wetzold has been a licensed Broker Associate for over 30 years earning several Top Producer awards in the real estate profession.
She graduated from college in Germany with a Bachelor of Science degree and later moved to the United States. Her real estate career began in Westchester County, NY and she was consistently ranked as one of the top Realtors in the community which she serviced.
After visiting the Marco Island and Naples area, Helga decided to make Marco Island her home. She and her husband had been sailors in the Northeast for many years and decided the great weather year-round was ideal.
She earned the designation of Certified Negotiation Expert, an achievement held by less than 1% of Realtors in the country. Helga is a member of the Marco Island Area Association of REALTORS®.
Languages: English, German
Designations: Certified International Property Specialist, Transnational Referral Certification
Premier Sotheby's International Realty
760 North Collier Boulevard, Suite 101
Marco Island, Florida 34145
United States


text:
|Frequently Asked Questions
We answer e-mails almost every day, and answer many questions time and time again. Please see most of the common questions that we answer in the faq. If your question is not answered here, please contact us!
Do users report that they can tell a difference between using the shower filter and not. In other words, does the water feel "soft"?
I can't say if the water is softer.. that would be a water softener.. I can tell you I personally, and others have reported softer hair, and skin because of the lack of the chlorine in the water after installing a shower filter.
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OptimizePress is a WordPress theme that lets users create sales letters, squeeze pages and other features for their online business. As noted in How to Build an Online Business From Scratch, using a template such as OptimizePress will speed up the process of building your website and will allow your site to function as a sales funnel as well as a blog.
This article will show you how to build an online business using OptimizePress.
Step 1: Secure Your Passwords, Files and Servers
WordPress is a great content management system, but it's prone to hacker attacks. Therefore, before you start working with OptimizePress, you need to harden your WordPress installation-and before you do that, you need to take a few steps to protect your computer and your data.
Here are a few recommendations.
- Get the latest virus and spyware protection programs on your computer. Options include Microsoft Security Essentials, Malwarebytes Anti Malware and CCleaner.
- Back up your database once a week. This process will vary with each hosting provider, so ask yours to walk you through the procedure. Another option is to purchase a commercially available program such as Backup Buddy.
- If you use File Transfer Protocol, upgrade to Secure FTP. You'll also need an SFTP program; one option is Win SCP.
- For additional security, use a hosting service that provide either a dedicated server or a server with only a few users. One example is Turnkey Internet.
- Keep your plugins to a minimum. Many security vulnerabilities have been exploited this way.
Step 2: Secure Your WordPress Installation
Once your systems are safe and sound, it's time to secure WordPress. Here's what you need to do:
- After creating your WordPress account, don't use the default "admin" password. Use a strong password with as many as 16 characters, such as W_Xfic_gyYxch__dx. Change your passwords weekly, too.
- Install the Limited Login Attempts plugin. By default, WordPress allows for unlimited login attempts. Limit Login Attempts blocks this after a number of retries; this makes a brute-force attack less likely.
- Install the Bulletproof Securityplugin, which claims to protect WordPress websites against XSS, RFI, CRLF, CSRF, Base64, Code Injection and SQL Injection hacking attempts. Bulletproof also addresses wp-config.php, bb-config.php, php.ini, php5.ini, install.php and readme.html files by using .htaccess WordPress security protection, according to its developers. If your installation is anything like mine, you'll have to take care of a number of settings before you can use this plugin. It's recommended that you make a backup before you proceed.
- Another security option is Better WP Security, which combines numerous WordPress security features in a single plugin. This, the developers say, helps users alleviate concerns about myriad plugins having conflicting features or leaving gaps in a site's security.
- The last option is the Timthumb Vulnerability Scanner, which scans your wp-content directory for instances of timthumb.php and upgrades them to a safer version.
WordPress offers many more plugins, though this should be more than enough for your needs.
Step 3: Install and Configure OptimizePress
Once you've purchased a copy of OptimizePress (for $97) and activated your membership, the next step is to download the template from the members area.
Next, launch WordPress. This where you'll upload the OptimizePress theme. Be aware that the file size is roughly 5 MB, so make sure that your installation will allow you to load large file sizes. (Your hosting provider will be able to determine this.)
To see what you can upload, click on Media: Add New and look at the Upload New Media section, as shown below.
Next page: You're halfway there...


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>>>boxscore gm2
MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – The Georgia College & State University softball team (11-24, 3-7 PBC) divided wins in a crucial Peach Belt Conference (PBC) doubleheader with USC Aiken (14-17, 6-8 PBC) Wednesday at the Peeler Complex. The Bobcats took game one 7-3, then dropped the nightcap 13-4.
Senior centerfielder Allison Schwimer (Cumming, Ga.) was 4-for-4 with four runs, a double and an RBI in game one. Sophomore Haley Burnett (Columbus, Ga.) went 2-for-4, driving in three, and freshman Kelsea Martin (Dacula, Ga.) echoed the 2-for-4, scoring a run.
The Bobcats took the lead in the bottom of the second when down 2-1, a Schwimer double plated Jessica Solomon (Douglasville, Ga.) who led the inning with a single. A single from Belourse Jean-Francis (Naples, Fla.) then gave Georgia College the lead.
Two more runs scored on a Lauren Potts (Gray, Ga.) pinch-hit single in the fourth, and then GCSU added another pair in the sixth on a Burnett single.
Burnett (8-11) got the win in relief, going 3 2/3 innings, scattering three hits and two walks for one unearned run. Pacer starter Kathleen Nichols (1-7) went the distance, allowing five earned runs on 12 hits.
Game two had a near comeback by the 'Cats, thwarted by a six-run sixth.
Down 7-1 after three, the Bobcats plated three runs in the fourth, cutting the score to 7-4. Jean-Francis led off with a single, scoring on a Burnett double one pitch later. A Solomon single to center brought Burnett home, then after a walk and a sacrifice bunt, a Potts sacrifice fly scored Solomon.
The 'Cats had the tying run at the plate in the fifth, but lined into a double play to end the threat. Then the Pacers responded with the big six-run inning to put it out of reach.
Burnett was 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBI, finishing at 4-for-7 with her fifth home run, two runs and five RBI for the day. Jean-Francis added a 2-for-3 effort with a run. USCA's Lauren Locklear was the big slugger for game two, going 3-for-4 with a triple, two RBI and two runs. Three other Pacers had two hit games.
Freshman Kristi Rodriguez (Marietta, Ga.) took the loss (3-6), going 3 1/3 innings, allowing five runs on four hits and two walks. USCA's Toni Flessate (7-7) got the complete-game win halted in the sixth, allowing all four runs earned on six hits.
The split puts GCSU at 3-7, ninth in the loss column for the PBC standings.
The Bobcats are back in action Monday, March 29 at 2 p.m., traveling to No. 10 Augusta State University.
The GCSU Department of Athletics, winners of the 2008-09 PBC Commissioner's Cup, sponsors 10 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. As a Division II program, Georgia College prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the Bobcats' multiple appearances in post-season competition as well as documented academic success and community-service involvement. Sign up at Twitter.com username GCSUSID for up-to-the-minute reports, and visit www.GCSUBobcats.com to nominate your favorite former Bobcats and Colonials to the GCSU Athletics Hall of Fame.


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This new, regular feature on NHLNumbers will share interesting stats-related posts from around the web almost every day.
Welcome. In this space you will be able to find the best analytical hockey writing from around the internet on a close-to-daily basis. Subject matter will include statistical evaluation, financial analysis, contractual issues, and (sometimes) closely-related tangential works. If you have something you would like to submit for a future edition (your writing or that of someone else) feel free to send it to me via Twitter @JoshL1220 or leave a comment.
Apparently Ilya Kovalchuk wants to stay in Russia, but can't. Kovalchuk told Slava Malamud of Sport-Express the following (via Fire & Ice):
"I want to stay in St. Petersburg but I have contractual obligations in the NHL, which will be hard to break,"
Malamud later clarified that Kovalchuk meant that he would return for the 2013/14 season. You could take this quote any number of ways. The obvious route is to play the "enigmatic Russian" card. Of course Kovalchuk wants to break his contract. He's Russian, isn't he?
Maybe I'm crazy (a distinct possibility), but I don't take it as Kovalchuk wanting to abandon the NHL. I see it as the quote of a man enjoying his time playing at home, lamenting the fact that he can't continue to stay to finish what he started this season. This seems like a completely overblown story, especially considering the fact that Kovalchuk has 13 years remaining on his deal. He'll come get his money.
More after the jump.
* The Dallas Stars are the latest team to offer an apology for the lockout.
* Fear The Fin looks at how the San Jose Sharks fared against the Pacific Division last year.
* Tyler Dellow published part two of his post attempting to answer whether or not the Oilers are playoff contenders.
* Pension Plan Puppets discussed the surprise firing of Brian Burke as President and General Manager of the Maple Leafs.
* We have two posts from Hockey Prospectus to finish us off today. John Fischer previewed the 2013 NHL Season. Rob Vollman wrote about underrated center Ryan O'Reilly.
Follow Josh and NHLNumbers on Twitter.


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How AI & Machine Learning Are Remaking Our World
San Francisco, California , United States
Join Western Digital, Bloomberg and Invited Speakers via livestream on Aug 25 as they discuss How AI and Machine Learning are Remaking Our World. More than 60 years since artificial intelligence was first defined as "the science and engineering of making intelligent machines," AI is headed for mainstream. The advent of deep learning, the power and possibilities of big data and the plummeting cost of computing power and storage, have made machine-learning technologies as ubiquitous as they are transformative. This half-day event will explore the vast promise of this technology revolution and weigh them against concerns over privacy, safety and control.


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Tech Announces Second Video Contest, Aug. 18, 2008
by Thomas Guengerich
SOCORRO, N.M., Aug. 18, 2008 – The New Mexico Tech marketing department is sponsoring another YouTube.com video contest for Tech students.
Tech students are encouraged to submit short videos depicting their views of the university. Students are encouraged to videotape classes, athletics, parties, scenery or anything else. Students can make videos that are funny or they can keep it serious.
Videos containing nudity, profanity or life-threatening stunts will NOT be eligible to enter the contest. Three minutes in length or less. A camcorder is available to be checked out from the Public Information Office in Fidel Center.
Videos should be submitted to marketing director Colleen Guengerich in the Public Information office by October 10.
Videos approved by the PIO office will be officially entered in the contest and posted on YouTube.com with Tech's blessings. The student whose video receives the most hits on YouTube by December 5 will win $500! Second and third place will receive prizes, too! Prizes awarded on December 8.
There is no limit to the number of people on a video team.


text: Welcome to the one-stop company for medical air transport out of Wisconsin. Air Ambulance World specializes in medical air transport and can make sure you or your loved one head to or from Wisconsin in the safest manner possible. We are involved every step of the way, from consultation, to transport, to working with your insurance to recuperate costs involved. Call or click Get Started below for your free medical air transport consultation with a Flight Expert now.


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Q. What is the minimum vertical clearance for overhead service conductors above a roof?
A. Overhead service conductor spans must maintain the vertical clearances as follows [230.24(A)]: a minimum of 8 ft above the surface of a roof for a minimum distance of 3 ft in all directions from the edge of the roof.
Exception 2: If the slope of the roof exceeds 4 in. of vertical rise for every 12 in. of horizontal run, 120/208V or 120/240V overhead service conductor clearances can be reduced to 3 ft over the roof.
Exception 3: If no more than 6 ft of conductors pass over no more than 4 ft of roof, 120/208V or 120/240V overhead service conductor clearances over the roof overhang can be reduced to 18 in.
Exception 4: The 3 ft vertical clearance for overhead service conductors that extends from the roof doesn't apply when the point of attachment is on the side of the building below the roof.
Exception 5: If the voltage between conductors doesn't exceed 300V — and the roof area is guarded or isolated — a reduction in clearance to 3 ft is permitted.


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- description
- product review
Item: Vbena Hair Straight Hair 4Bundle
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Hair Length:10 inches-20 inches is available, Very Soft, Healthy and thick
Hair Weight: 100g/bundles
Texture: Straight Hair 4Bundle , Natural Hair line, Soft, Comb Easily, Minimal Shedding, No Tangling
Pack: 4Bundle Deals
How many bundles should I purchase?
If you want to full fill one head, 3pcs will be okay. If the hair is over 18", 4pcs should be better.Also, if you do not have leave out, you could try to 3 bundles with closure, or 3 Bundles with frontal closure, it will save your more money.
What length should I purchase?
All bundles must be measured to the stretch. With that said, please keep in mind that you will need to accommodate for its curl pattern when selecting your desired length.
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'Hangar 6 R&D'
Hey, remember when 2K announced that The Bureau: XCOM Declassified was getting Xbox 360 exclusive DLC? Me neither -- I barely remember XCOM Declassified. For those of you who did enjoy it though, a brand new DLC campaign is on the way called Hangar 6 R&D, and it's set to launch exclusively on the 360 on October 8th.
It'll be priced at $4.99, and it stars Agent Nico DaSilva in a narrative that serves as a prequel to the core game. According to the developers it's more difficult than The Bureau proper, and it features a few new powers and perks.
XCOM [2K Games]
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W. Alan Webber: Growth is inevitable; vote "yes" on 4A
The Craig Rural Fire Protection District has been providing outstanding service to our community since 1921. We, as a community, are entering an era where growth is imminent and unavoidable. In the near future, we will more than likely see a new hospital and our local community college (CNCC) is going build a new facility. Let's not forget that Wal-Mart will be building and opening a new store as early as next year. With Wal-Mart will come other businesses, some of those will be small ones while others could very well be larger ones such as Lowe's, Home Depot, etc. We have all heard the predictions and wishes about what other business will follow.
The City of Craig is considering eliminating the moratorium on building heights within the city limits. New restaurants are opening all over town, new subdivisions are appearing everywhere. It is not only Craig or the surrounding area that we need to be watching — as Steamboat and Hayden open new businesses and their housing situation changes, Craig is sure to get overflow of some sort. This could again be in the form of new business and increased housing.
With this new growth comes an increase in the demand for our local emergency services. Increased demand means increased strain on an already overburdened department. With one of the lowest mill levies in the state of Colorado, your local fire department is in need of your support to help maintain the level of service we have all become accustomed to.
As secretary/treasurer for the Craig Rural Fire Protection District's Board of Directors, I can assure you that your 1.5 mill increase will be used to maintain and upgrade our fleet as is prudent and necessary. The CRFPD is evaluating the criteria that we will use to determine what and when equipment will get replaced. In community presentations, we talked about the 10-year capital equipment replacement plan. This plan does not end after 10 years; it is dynamic and perpetual. We will continue to evaluate the need for equipment replacement and upgrades indefinitely.
This money can also be used to upgrade the fire station as required to meet future needs. The CRFPD is a business and as the owner/operators of this business, the Board of Directors and our employees need to look into and plan for the future, our future.
Future full-time staffing is inevitable. Two scenarios that will force us to consider staffing are increased growth, and something we are already dealing with, difficulty recruiting and keeping firefighters. The increase in call volume that we are already experiencing and increased firefighting training requirements are increasing the time commitment to this service. Lifestyles in an area where there is so much year-round recreation available have created a situation where it is difficult to find people who are willing and able to dedicate the time necessary to be productive members of the department.
W. Alan Webber
Secretary/treasurer, Craig Rural Fire Protection District Board of Directors
Northwest Colorado rodeo athletes move into final day of state finals
After two days of competition at the Colorado State High School Rodeo Association State Finals, riders and ropers from Moffat and Routt counties are making their way into the home stretch.


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Many people are capable of being responsible gun owners. But there are also far more people than it is comfortable to think about who are not. By following systems similar to those we already have in place for licensing people to handle tasks that put others' lives in their hands, we could ensure that guns end up in the possession of far fewer people who should not carry them. Owning a gun should be an avenue that is open to anyone, but it should be challenging enough to weed out those who cannot prove they are qualified.
It would be nice if we didn't need such standards, which to many represent more unwanted restrictions on our freedoms, but the tragedy last Friday in Newtown — and all those that came before it — have made it clear that we do. Unfettered gun ownership is a test this country has taken and failed. The time for a nationwide conversation about guns is now, while we are still grieving, and just beginning to heal. If we wait to begin this debate until there is a week, or a month, when no gun violence occurs, we might be waiting a very long time.


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Game Information
There have been 99 plays since 14/03/2019.
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You are currently playing Gravitoss game for free on Arcade Spot. It is a single game out of a variety of games that you can play on Arcade Spot. Play more games like Gravitoss in the Arcade, Miscellaneous, and Physics gaming categories. If you enjoyed playing the game, give it a thumbs up. Free Online Games and Arcade Games are added every day. Arcade Spot will bring you the best games without downloading and a fun online gaming experience on the internet.


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I'm sure you have all wondered what I am eating for breakfast every morning. What could possibly sustain my interest every day of the week?
- 1/4 c. oatmeal with salt
- Sliced dried apricots
- dried blueberries
- roasted pistachios, unsalted
- chopped walnuts
- unsweetened coconut flakes
- flax seeds
- cinnamon
- freshly grated nutmeg
- soy milk
It is the breakfast equivalent of kale salad.


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Four friends met on Saturday morning for breakfast. They hadn't seen either other in quite some time and each had other plans during the evenings all weekend. So they decided to meet on Saturday morning for a leisurely breakfast instead. During breakfast, each friend ordered a different drink and breakfast meal during their visit and when it was time to leave, each got a different drink to go. Determine the first name of each friend, the drink (one was milk) and meal each ordered for breakfast, and the drink each ordered to go.
1. Brenda had waffles but not an espresso.
2. The friend who ordered the pancakes also ordered decaf coffee to go but didn't have cranberry juice.
3. The woman who ordered the omelet had water to drink but she wasn't Amy.
4. The two friends who ordered juice were Emily and the friend who ordered an egg sandwich.
5. The friend who ordered a cappuccino didn't order orange juice.
6. Melony ordered a hot tea to go.
If you enjoyed
this puzzle and want to play another one online, go
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Last Update
April 25, 2012


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Contact: Outer Banks Group, 252-473-2111
As a special experience for the visiting public and local communities, the National Park Service will be offering Full Moon Tours of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse the evening of Monday, June 4, 2012. Two tours will be given, one at 8:30 p.m. and a second at 9:30 p.m., each tour is limited to 30 people. Tickets must be purchased in advance. Full Moon Tour ticket sales will start on Saturday, June 2, 2012. The lighthouse ticket booth is open from 8:15 a.m. to 5:40 p.m. daily. Full Moon Tour tickets are non-refundable.
As there are no lights inside the lighthouse, climbers will navigate the 257 stair staircase using handheld flashlights. During the climb, park rangers will provide stories of the arduous duties of the lighthouse keeper. From the watch room, visitors will be able to view the light up close and in motion and hear of the operation of the beacon, past and present - a truly unique experience. Outside on the lighthouse balcony (weather permitting) climbers will get a glimpse of what the lighthouse keepers of old were able to experience - seeing that beam of light reaching out to sea and the startling reflection of the newly risen moon on the ocean.
Things to know:
1. Full Moon Tour tickets, limited to the first 60 purchasers, must be purchased in person, in advance, at the lighthouse ticket booth. Full Moon Tour ticket sales will begin Sat., June 2. It is anticipated that tickets will sell out early. Standard admissions fees apply - $7 for adults, and $3.50 for children (11 years of age and under) as well as seniors (62 and older). The lighthouse ticket booth, located at the lighthouse site, is open from 8:15 a.m. - 5:40 p.m. daily.
2. Each participant must bring a handheld flashlight with fresh, serviceable batteries.
3. All participants are required to be at least 42 inches tall and must climb the steps on their own - they can not be carried! If unsure, check with the park rangers before purchasing your non-refundable ticket. Also, keep in mind that some youngsters, although meeting height requirements, may not enjoy the dimly lit, sometimes claustrophobic environment.
4. Children 11 years of age and under must be accompanied by an adult (16 years of age or older).
5. For safety reasons, all participants must climb and descend with the group. No exceptions.
6. Know your limitations! The lighthouse is tall, dark, often hot, humid, and can be a challenge to climb. There are no internal lights or air conditioning.
7. All routine lighthouse safety requirements, as well as restrictions as to eating, drinking, gum etc., apply. This information will be provided to you when you purchase your ticket.
8. Tickets are non-refundable. If the program is cancelled due to weather, the ticket holder may exchange the ticket the following morning, Tuesday, June 5, 2012, between the hours of 8:15 a.m. and 9:15 a.m. for a replacement ticket useable only on June 5. This ticket will be for day climbing only.
Last updated: April 14, 2015