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Monthly Archives: March 2012
The Bayeux Tapestry: Sticking it to the man since 1066
Zach – Welcome back to Minimum Wage Historian, I'm your host, Zach and with me is my lovely and super intelligent co-host, Anna Komemne!
Anna – It's good to be here but I must say that preparing for today's topic was a bit…tedious. I'm not usually one for talking about art.
Zach – That's right, today we'll be discussing the Bayuex tapestry, the most famous work of medieval art.
Anna – But it's not really a tapestry.
Zach – Shhh. With us today we have famous Samurai warrior woman: Tomoe Gozen!
Tomoe – It is honor to be here.
Zach – Next we have Countess Matilda of Tuscany! She was a military contractor for the Pope and fought the German emperor.
Matilda – How long is this going to take? I have three gun tournament today.
Zach – And next we have the killer of Custer, Cheyenne female fighter, Buffalo Calf Road!
Buffalo – The buffalo burgers will done in a few minutes! The intern's watching the oven.
Tomoe – She had better not burn buffalo burger or I cut off her head.
Buffalo – Um…maybe I should go check on that. (Buffalo hurries out of room.)
Zach – Yes, lets not kill any interns here. Next we have Napoleon who….spent all last week in his room playing strategy games on line.
Napoleon – But I won! Apply the basics and the rest is simple.
Matilda – How about the basics of a bath? What is that orange powder on the front of your shirt?
Napoleon – Cheetos. The spicy kind.
Zach – Okay, let's get started. The Bayeux tapestry is basically a really long strip of cloth that was embroidered with what we could call a comic strip type of story.
Anna – Embroidered? Zach, you're increasing your vocabulary!
Matilda – It's a comic? Like a graphic novel?
Zach – Pretty much.
Matilda – I like the New Avengers and the Thunderbolts.
Tomoe – I like Battle Angel Alita, Gunslinger Girls and Perfect Girl Evolution.
Napoleon – I like Superman.
Anna – You would. He's on a power trip and has no personality.
Zach – The story that this "tapestry" tells is the Norman conquest of England in 1066 by William the Conqueror. For centuries everyone, including the Normans, thought it was a political piece of propaganda by self congratulating Norman occupiers
Matilda – Perhaps we should explain the two sides? The Normans are Vikings that settled in Northern France because they wanted to. It's hard to say "no" to a Viking.
Anna – And the English were Saxons that had invaded England when Rome Fell about five centuries prior.
(Buffalo returns with a tray full of buffalo burgers.)
Buffalo – I brought everyone buffalo burgers! Get it? They're made from Buffalo and my name's…
Anna – Yes, we get it. Thank you.
Napoleon – We appear to be one short. Where is mine?
Buffalo – We're short one? Oh, dear me. How ever did that happen?
(Napoleon watches as everyone else eats, delicious, juicy buffalo burgers…with bacon!)
Zach – Okay, that was frigging excellent.
Tomoe – So good. Brings much honor to you.
Matilda – I've never seen a buffalo before, but by Christendom if this isn't delectable!
Anna – Let us dive into the heart of the matter then! We will start at the beginning of the tapestry and follow the history that it teaches us. We will tell you the traditional explanation for what we see; the Norman version of how things happened, but then we'll tell you what it's REALLY saying.
Buffalo – So, where's the beginning? Wait, i think I found it. It's this picture here, right?
Zach – King Edward the confessor is king of England, but he doesn't have any children. This is a problem for a Medieval monarchy because now they have to find who will be king next.
Buffalo – That's a pretty silly system. How many useless wars did you all fight over this?
Anna – Most of them, I think. Not counting Turkish invasions.
Matilda – Or the Holy Roman Emperor trying to take power from the Pope.
Zach – Here we have a meeting with the King, Duke Harold and an adviser. So, the childless Edward sends Harold off somewhere. We'll get to "where" exactly a little later.
Anna – The Norman and traditional interpretation say that Edward sent Harold off to Normandy to find Duke William to declare him the heir to the English throne. Now, as we go through, we'll look and see if the story the tapestry tells is the Norman version or something else.
Matilda – We can see a servant interrupting the feast to tell them that the ship is ready.
Napoleon – Look at the little English men! Ha! In this so called "tapestry" you can see that the English always have long hair and little mustaches!
Zach – That is an excellent point. Yes, the English will always be shown with long hair and mustaches and the Normans and French (not the same thing) will be clean shaven with short hair.
Buffalo – Also, their ships look like Viking long boats.
Anna – Well, England's been under the thumb of the Vikings for a while and Normans are just Vikings that speak French.
Matilda – And I'm a German that speaks Italian!
Buffalo – Europeans are confusing. Why can't you all just stay in one place?
Tomoe – Is this Harold an honorable man or no?
Zach – Good question. The traditional Norman view says that Harold was an upstart that tried to steal the throne from the rightful heir, William. That Harold came to tell William that the throne is his but then steals it. We'll see how that plays out.
Anna – Harold's ship goes off course in a storm and lands on the territory of Duke Guy. Guy owned a small little dukedom and he got his money by seizing noblemen and ransoming them back to their kingdoms.
Tomoe – That is not a very honorable way of living.
Zach – No, no its not. But Harold finds himself captive of this Guy character. Keep in Mind that Harold is the top contender for heir of the throne, so basically Guy just won the lottery.
Tomoe – Wait a second. What are they saying? This is big meeting? Here Harold tells William he is heir to England?
Zach – Exactly! According to the Normans this is where Harold tells William that he will be heir. But look, the tapestry says nothing of the kind.
Buffalo – So…what is going on?
Zach – Look what Harold (the guy standing and gesturing) is doing. He's pointing the man behind him. The mysterious man has long hair and a mustache. He's English. At this time, William held as hostage two of Edward's nephews and according to the English, Harold was sent to secure the nephews' releases.
Tomoe – Does not look like Harold is telling William anything about throne, but begging for nephew's release.
Matilda – Wait, this tapestry wasn't made by the Normans, was it?
Anna – Nope. Normans didn't make embroidered art like this. Only the English.
Matilda – So, English people made this for their conquerors?
Zach – Yes! But they couldn't come out and say their side of the story. Going against the Norman conquerors was considered treason. So they hid their story in plain sight.
Napoleon – Who is the lady?
Zach – The Latin says "Where a Cleric and Aelfgyva…"
Buffalo – Where a Cleric and Aelfgyva what?
Zach – Exactly. Look at the bottom decorations. See the little naked guy? He's mimicking the priest and looking up the lady's dress. They think this lady was mother to a Viking king that also laid claim to the throne. This says that he was conceived in a scandal and so doesn't have any actual claim.
Buffalo – Ooookkaaayyyyy…..
Anna – We see William's army attacking a rebellious city. Harold is taken along and fights along side William. That was normal. In fact, his two hostage nephews are also fighting for William. It beats sitting in a cell.
Anna – But look! It also says "Here William gave arms to Harold." Basically that means that Harold is now under Williams authority.
Tomoe – Why would he do that? If he is heir to English throne, why would go under William's authority?
Naploleon – Simple! William made him! If Harold didn't agree, William would never let the poor wretch go home!
Zach – Correct. William wants to be king and if he could get Harold to proclaim him king, he wins.
Buffalo – Sad.
Tomoe – I don't care what Normans say, Harold fought bravely.
Napoleon – I wish I had half of William's luck.
Matilda – That one battle changed English history forever. The nobility spoke French and the Kings of England were technically vassals of the French King.
Anna – Which would lead to the Hundred Years war later on.
Zach – Duke William became "William the Conqueror, King of England" and he ruled with an iron fist. There's so much more to this story and to the tapestry. But I hope you've seen that for once, history was written by the losers who dared insert their story into a monument for the victors. They may have lost but they didn't give up.
Tomoe – They stuck it to the man.
Buffalo – I can always respect resistance.
Anna – For more of this story, check out "1066: the Hidden History in the Bayeux Tapestry" by Andrew Bridgeford.
Conquistadors get the longest killing streaks and unlock mad perks.
Zach – Welcome back to Minimum Wage Historian. I'm taking a break from writing books and painting Gundam models to talk about a subject that is just too butt kickingly awesome and absolutely horrible to not talk about.
Anna – That was weak, Zach.
Zach – Hey, I'm making it up as I go. I don't stress over every sentence like you do.
Buffalo – Can we get a little solidarity?
Anna – But of course.
Zach – So, as I was saying…what was I saying?
Cornwallis – I do believe that you were about to discuss the nature of today's conversation.
Zach – Yes, of course. Today my panel of historical guests and I will be discussing the Conquistadores!
Anna – We'll be discussing both the Spanish and the Portuguese and their bloodthirsty bid for gold and power.
Buffalo – Good one.
Anna – That's how you do it, Zach.
Zach – Whatever. We have a new panelist with us, Olga of Kiev!
Olga – Is good to be here darling. I so glad you accepted my request to on panel.
Zach – Well, it's not like we could really deny you.
Olga – Not unless you want house burnt down.
Just kidding.
Zach – (Nervous laughter.) Right. Of course. Um…so…we have Me, Anna Komemne, Byzantine historian, Buffalo Calf Road, American Indian female warrior who fought Custer. Lord Cornwallis, General of British army that fought George Washington and Olga of Kiev, Russian leader who converted to Christianity and killed everyone that ticked her off.
Olga – (laughs) Da! I lack great patience and I no turn so called "other cheek."
Zach – First, let's talk about the New World.
Buffalo – New world? That's so silly.
Cornwallis – It's new to us, my dear.
Buffalo – Is arrogance genetic?
Zach – Okay…let's talk about the Aztecs then.
Anna – The Aztecs were a society that ritually murdered thousands of people to their false gods. In one day they killed 40,000 people for one temple dedication. They had rotating teams of priests that would kill the victims and kick them down the stairs. That was greater than what the industrialized mass murder the Nazis were capable of. They would get these victims as tribute from their conquered "allies." Every city and town they beat in their ritualized wars had to surrender children to the Aztecs.
Buffalo – Like Hunger Games?
Cornwallis – Worse my dear.
Zach – I wouldn't imagine that the Spanish viewed this mass murder with a lot of tolerance.
Anna – Not at all. They thought they had come across a land of devil worshipers.
Buffalo – It's not like these conquistadors were saints either.
Olga – I am saint.
(Buffalo looks around nervously.)
Buffalo – Yes. Of course you are. Ha ha…. Well, these conquistadors only cared about two things; converting or killing the Aztecs and gold.
Zach – Right then, let's talk about the conquistadors. (If you can't figure out what "conquistadors" means then you either need to use bablefish or hide in a hole somewhere.)
Anna – At first glance, the conquistadors appear to be mindless, brutish, savage, merciless killers. This is only partially true. They weren't mindless. Far from it. They were actually quite intelligent. It is true that Spain at this time was he most fanatical Christian nation in Europe but there's an explanation for that. They had just spent the last few hundred years liberating Spain from the Moors. Also, they were fighting to Ottoman Empire for control of the Mediterranean. This produced generations of hard core, religious, hard hitting veterans with little upward mobility in Spain. So they began to seek their fortunes elsewhere doing the one thing they knew how to do, killing in the name of God.
Buffalo – Isn't that a Rage Against the Machine song?
Anna – And to top it off, they were huge fans of the Inquisition. They went after Muslims, Jews, protestants, protestants' dogs, and Catholics that just weren't Catholic enough. Before battle the conquistadors would have mass and confession with the small army of priests that they brought along with them.
Zach- These weren't the kindly "Father O'Malligun's playing bingo tonight" kind of priests, these were warrior monks that figured "if we can't convert these heathens, it's better to just kill 'em."
Cornwallis – I do say! I imagine that upon viewing the blood thirsty sacrifices of the Aztecs they grew rather cross.
Anna – That's a slight understatement.
Zach – When Cortez was surrounded and outnumbered in a desperate situation in the Aztec capitol of Tenochtitlan, he had the cahones to demand that the Aztecs throw down their pagan idols!
Olga – I like these Conquistadors! They have priorities straight. Russia during the so called "Great War" had priests and icons for every unit.
Anna – Spain became a repressive, xenophobic, war-like society that saw enemies everywhere it looked and showed mercy to none of them.
Buffalo – In short, the Aztecs happened to have their first meeting with the absolute worst Europeans they could possibly meet.
Zach – It was a perfect storm of fanaticism, aggression, experience, greed and intelligence.
Buffalo – And don't forget "evil."
Buffalo – They were after gold, but for gold's sake. Gold could buy them status. Gold could be sent to Spain to buy guns and ships to fight the Ottomans and Moors. Gold could decorate their churches. To them, gold was power. But here's my question. How fanatic were they? I mean, the Aztecs fought whole wars just to get human sacrifices and believe Cortez to be Quetzalcoatl, the white bearded god that promised to return one day. How were they compared to the Aztecs?
Anna – There's a difference between the two cultures. Both were highly religious and violent, but Spain had a long Western tradition of reason, logic and rationality. They had many myths and legends, but the Spanish were very much rooted in the real world. The Aztecs viewed the world in supernatural terms. When confronted with something new they either feared it or worshiped it. The Spanish on the other hand tried to figure out what was really going on and how best to exploit it. When they saw Aztecs doing horrible human sacrifices, they did not think "those must be devils!" No, they knew they were just men. The Aztecs on the other hand took months and months to finally wonder "Hmm…maybe they're not gods and maybe those centaurs might just be men on a strange animal." The Spanish had a tradition of rationalism that dated back to the Romans. Cortez was also educated and could read Latin and read the works of Julius Caeser.
Cornwallis – It seems we could have used the expertise of both Martel and Caesar. I do say that we British did not seek to exterminate the locals like these Spanish did. Our British colonies came seeking freedom of religion, not as missionaries with swords. The French merely wanted to trap fur and we British wanted to colonize. The Spanish just wanted to exploit and rule the locals.
Buffalo – Ha! Let's not go there Corny! I can talk about that all day.
Anna – Another tradition the Spanish brought was that they debated, even with Cortez. Common soldiers could propose ideas and talk to their leaders. No such freedom of thought or access to the leadership was available to the Aztecs.
Olga – Cortez allowed minions to question him? This is strange, da? I would never allow men to question me!
Zach – Alright, let's get down to the nitty gritty. I'll make a long story short. The Spanish came into Mexico, fought, explored and made alliances with the locals. They got to the Aztec capital and were greeted like gods. Gods that demanded all their gold. Some Aztecs thought that these strange white gods must eat gold. Well, their divine visitors soon wore out their welcome. Destroying shrines, temples, and killing your people might do that. Eventually the Aztecs said, "That's enough of this basura! Let's get these pendejos! There's 100,000 of us and only 500 of them!"
Buffalo – Where do you get your quotes?
Zach – My notes.
Buffalo – Where do you get your notes?
Zach – Somewhere.
Buffalo – Anyways…I'd get sick of a bunch of strangers coming into my home, killing my people and stealing our land. But that would never happen. No sir. Never. (that was sarcasm, btw) Well, understandably, the natives got ticked off and surrounded the Spanish in the palace. They would shoot arrows into the compound constantly and try to bash the doors in.
Anna – Cortes knew they couldn't stay there for long. Tenochtitlan was larger than any European city at the time, cleaner, and had bigger buildings. They called it the Venice of the New World. It was made on an artificial island in the middle of a lake and had causeways (long bridges) that led to the city.
Cornwallis – The Spanish were besieging there for months and after all food and water ran out, they realized that their situation was unsustainable. They had some choices before them. They could wait and starve to death. They could wait for the Aztecs to break in and swarm them with numbers, or they could fight their way out. They chose the latter.
Zach – Now, here's an example of conquistador ingenuity. They used the wood from the palace and built mobile fortresses that they could stab and shoot out from in safety. They'd sally out of the palace in these wooden tanks and clear the streets. One night, when they thought the streets were clear enough, they muffled their horses hooves and they all snuck out. They carried transportable bridges to make it over the canals and to the nearest causeway that led to shore. But, a few hundred Spanish wearing armor and carrying weapons weren't the stealthiest bunch and soon the whole city was in alarm and coming after the. The lake filled with their war canoes and attacked the Spanish from the sides as other attacked from behind. They would club the Spanish and drag them away to be sacrificed later. They seldom attacked to kill.
Anna – And that was a weakness of them! Cortez himself was clubbed and almost dragged away but was saved by his men.
Buffalo – And woman. Let's not forget Maria De Estrada! She was the only Spanish woman on Cortez's expedition. She fought on horseback and led several cavalry charges. Yes, she's an imperialist European, but we warrior women have to stick together.
Olga – See? Never show mercy to enemy. It's how I live so long.
Zach – The Spanish fought their way out of the city and onto the causeway that was broken in places. So, like a bad 8-bit Nintendo game, they had to jump from platform to platform while wearing heavy armor.
Anna – But their heavy armor also saved their lives. The Aztecs use weapons of stone and wood. They had nothing that could penetrate their armor or even their thick clothing at times. For every Spaniard they lost, they killed hundreds of Aztecs. It was like some ridiculous Anime.
Zach – They cut a bloody swath through the Aztecs. When they finally reached shore there was only a few hundred Spaniards left. They had lost most of their guns and all of their cannons. They only had a few horses left, most of those belonging to Cortez's right hand men.
Buffalo – And woman.
Cornwallis – At this point the Spanish were scattered and disorganized. If the Aztecs had pressed their attack they would have finished off the Spanish easily. But instead they took their captives and ran them back to their temple to celebrate their "Victory." They let the leader and his crack troops escape. I would hardly call that a victory, but I suppose that is the difference between European and Aztec ways of war. We fight to destroy the enemy's means of resistance. The Aztecs fought to prove bravery and collect sacrifices. I would never have made such a fundamental mistake.
Zach – So the Spanish retreated all the way back to the coast and stole, bought and bribed the Spanish there at Vera Cruz for more men and supplies. Then Cortez said "This just got real." He spent the next year gathering allies, destroying the Aztec's allies and means of supply to the island city and finally surrounded Tenochtitlan. They made battle barges that they hauled across the mountains and launched onto the lake. These boats had soldiers and cannons. With the boats protecting the causeways, they marched their army up the causeway with their cannons. Then began one of the most systematic and ruthless destruction of any city ever. When the Romans defeated Carthage, they left some of the more impressive parts alone. Not the Spanish. Block by block they progressed, demolishing every house and wall to make room for more troops and cavalry. They were destroying what was possibly the largest and most beautiful city in the world. Aztecs made pyramids larger than the Egyptians. Cortez didn't care. He wanted his gold and his revenge in that order.
Anna – This was no easy task. It took several months to progress through the city, fighting the whole way. When they finally captured the Aztec emperor, their victory was complete and the Aztec nation ceased to exist.
Buffalo – Not counting the plagues they brought, they were estimated to have had a kill ratio of over a thousand to one. But we can't ignore their native allies. They simply could not have done it in only two years without the thousands of natives fighting and working at their side.
Cornwallis – But their allies could not defeat the Aztecs without the Spanish.
Zach – Now let's talk about the Portuguese conquistadors for a bit.
Anna – The two Portuguese we'll be talking about are Vasco DeGama and Gaspar Correia. Vasco was the leader of an expedition. The Portuguese more on the side of explorers than say…bloodthirsty maniacs. Vasco went around the Horn of Africa and all the way to India where he set up shop. Along they way he had his official historian Gaspar Correia write down everything that happened. Well, Gaspar wasn't as concerned with accuracy as I was when I wrote the Alexiad. When Gaspar didn't know something, he would simply make it up. He would see a far off land from the ship and if they didn't stop there to find out what was there, he would just make it up. He'd write about flying people with two heads or fantastical monsters.
Zach – It so happens that Larry Correia, author of the Monster Hunter series, the Grimnoir series and the Dead Six series, is a descendant…probably…of Gaspar Correia! He's a novelist that…um…makes up stories about monsters and such for a living.
Olga – Must be in the blood, da? Like conquistadors, comrade Correia is also trained in so called killing arts.
Anna – We have a living conquistador with us today!
Zach – So, there you have it: conquistadors Vicious, brutal, merciless, greedy and insanely clever. Steel armor trumps stone weapons and it's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.
Anna – That was lame, Zach.
Zach – I know. Believe me, I know.
Olga – Do better next time or I cut out tongue.
Anna – In all seriousness, these were horrible, evil men that loved to slaughter people, sometimes for no reason. They destroyed one of the most beautiful cities in the world along with almost all of their historical records. If the destruction of the library of Alexandria irks you still, imagine the knowledge lost at the hands of these butchering zealots.
Olga of Kiev
Zach – Welcome back to another episode of Minimum Wage Historian! (applause) Today me and my co-host, the lovely and highly intelligent Anna Komemne, have a very special guest for you.
Anna – Special and prone to violence.
Zach – Now, now, she's a saint in your own church. Be nice.
Anna – Don't get me wrong, I love our guest! Just don't make her angry.
Zach – I'll try to remember that. Our guest is St. Olga of Kiev!
(Zach and Anna stand up as Olga walks out on stage. They shake hands and Olga sits down on the chair closest to Zach's desk.)
Olga – It is…how do you Americans say? Fantastico. Yes. Is fantastico to be here. Da!
Zach – Well, Olga, tell us a bit about yourself for our readers that may not know you.
Olga – Not know me? This is silly thing. Of course they know me! I first Russian to conv…converge? Convert! Yes, I first Russian to convert to Christian faith.
Zach – That's not all you're known for. You also embarked on a Kill-Bill style revenge fueled rampage.
Olga – Da, I had many enemies that would not have the courtesy of dying. I had to help them with the dying.
Zach – And help them you did. But before we get into that, let's talk about where you came from.
Olga – I from Pskov, city in Russia. I was born in 879. My father was Oleg of Novgorod. He from a Varyag family. Favorite color is the purple.
Zach – What's a Varyag?
Anna – In Constantinople we called them "Varangians."
Zach – Ah! Vikings! Yes your family was descended from Rus, the man that gave Russia its name. The Vikings sort of took over leadership in what was to become Russia.
Olga – Da, Zach. Norsemen they sometimes called.
Zach – So, then you married a nobleman by the name of… (Flips through notes.)
Olga – Igor of Kiev. Very noble family. Many Tsars.
Anna – You got "Tsar" from us Romans! (sighs) Or Byzantines as you may know us. You came down to Constantinople and were so impressed by our ceremonies and the glories of Hagia Sophia, that you felt you needed to emulate us.
Olga – Yes, we look for new religion. We need to be closer to other countries. Countries that weren't trying to kill us. I saw…what is word? Like Edward.
Anna – Sparkling?
Olga – No.
Zach – Glittering?
Olga – Yes! Glittering pictures in churches. Very beautiful. I want Kiev to be like Constantinople.
Anna – Mosaics.
Olga – We look at Jewish religion, but they no eat bacon. We look at Islam, but they no drink. Ever hear of Russian that does no drink? Nyet! Impossible. We invite Latin Catholics in, but they not as Edward as Orthodox in Constantinople so we send them packing. Maybe kill a few in process.
Anna – Glittering.
Olga – Da? Is what I said.
Anna – No, you said…never mind.
Zach – So, you went down to Constantinople and were so impressed that you decided to convert. Did you convert during your visit or after?
Olga – In Constantinople. But that was late in life. But Emperor Constantine VII and wife liked me very much. Constantine said (imitating manly voice)"You are fit to reign in this city with us."
Anna – Amazing. It takes a great deal to impress a Byzantine.
Zach – So, your blood soaked vengeance came before you converted?
Olga – (laughs) Da. I was young and my husband went to collect monies from the Drevlians, another tribe of Russians. He go there and they kill him. After they kill husband, they send twenty men to Kiev to propose marriage with Drevlian prince! They see woman on throne and think she weak and need man to protect her! Ha!
Anna – They killed your husband and then sent a proposal of marriage? That goes beyond barbaric and is just plain inhuman.
Olga – They want Kiev for themselves. They came by boat. I was angry. You can imagine, da? But I no act angry. I say "Great men, this proposal is good thing. My husband is dead and I need new one. But I want to give you great honor. Walking or riding horse is too good for you, da? So my people will carry you in boats to my palace in morning. Men waited to next morning and my people carry them in boats. They sit in boats with puffed chests and much pride. During night I had people dig trench in my palace. When people arrive carrying boats, they dump men and boats into trench! (laughs) I bend down at trench and say "You find this honor to your taste?"
Anna – That's horrible!
Olga – Isn't it? Next I send letter to Drevlians saying I accept proposal but my people no let me go unless you send you greatest, most important men to escort poor Olga to Drevlian city. They send greatest nobles they have and when they arrive I send them to big bathhouse. We Russians like three things; drinking, baths and…I no think of third one. Maybe just two. But important men go into bathhouse and my men close and lock doors. Then I burn bathhouse down. Men still inside of course.
Zach – Anna, please remind me to never piss off Olga of Kiev.
Anna – I'm writing that in my notebook right now.
Olga – So, then I go to Drevlian city. I send word to have feast ready for me with lots and lots of mead! We throw mourning feast for dead husband and I cry and cry while begging Drevlian men to keep drinking.
They keep drinking and all get very drunk. While men too drunk and pass out, I order my men to go and kill everyone. We kill…(counts on fingers) Five thousand.
Anna – You killed five thousand people?!
Olga – Da. Then I go home to Kiev and gather army. Drevlians send word that they want to talk. They give me anything so I no destroy their city. I go to Drevlians with my army. I no ask for gold or furs, I ask for three pigeons and three sparrows from each house. I say "You people too poor now. I no ask much." The Drevlians celebrate my kindness and gladly bring me three pigeons and three sparrows from each house.
During night I have soldiers attach fire brands to each bird and let them go. Little birds go back home to nests, da? When they go back to homes they catch thatch roofs on fire. No house escaped. Fire everywhere all at same time. Whole city burned down! People flee and army catches them. I kill leaders, give others as slaves, leave rest to pay tribute.
Zach – Wow…I guess times were rough back then. You should listen to a Prodigy song called "Fire Starter." You might like it.
Olga – I no like people killing my family. (shrugs) So, I rule for long time until baby son grow up.
Zach – But he didn't convert to Christianity, did he? But your grandson did. It was him that converted Russia to Orthodoxy, right?
Olga – Da, Grandson converted Russia. That other story. Not my story. When he was king he off fighting or hunting so much that I rule kingdom, not him.
Zach – But you're the first Russian Orthodox saint and for that they gave you the title "equal to the apostles."
Olga – Title fits, da?
Zach – (slightly afraid) Yes! Yes, indeed it does. Very much so.
Olga – Anna, we should have lunch sometime.
Anna – Of course! (also afraid) Whenever you want.
Olga – Good, good.
Zach – Well, that's all we have for you today. Remember, sometimes history can be stranger than movies and Russian saints have different ideas of being saintly.


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Roy, Robin and Caird, Sally
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This paper summarises the aims, methods and some results of a study of the influences on consumer adoption – and non-adoption – of established energy efficient and innovative renewable energy products and systems; the problems and benefits experienced by users of these low and zero carbon (LZC) technologies; and improvement ideas to make the products/systems more desirable and effective at saving energy and carbon.
The influences on adoption and effective use vary for the different technologies and include the socio-economic context, consumer attitudes and values and communication sources. Product/system characteristics are also crucial, and include functional and ergonomic utility; interconnectedness with other systems, 'green' and aesthetic symbolism, and cost.
Technical, financial and other ideas for reducing the barriers to adoption and tackling the problems experienced by users are a step towards a more rapid and effective take-up of these LZC products and systems.
|Item Type:
|Conference or Workshop Item
|energy efficiency; renewable energy; consumers; households
|Academic Unit/School:
|Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) > Engineering and Innovation
Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)
|Research Group:
|Innovation, Knowledge & Development research centre (IKD)
Design and Innovation
|Item ID:
|Depositing User:
|Robin Roy
|Date Deposited:
|21 Dec 2006
|Last Modified:
|11 Dec 2018 15:02
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Designing low & zero carbon products and systems � adoption, effective use and innovation. (deposited 21 Dec 2006)
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
>But I really don't see any difference from programmers (or
even somebodys who typeset text) perspective -- Cyrillic and
Latin "shapes" (glyphs) are the main visual difference but the
principle of writing, printing etc. is completely the same in
Cyrillic and Latin (compared to Arabic, Hebrew or anything). If
anybody knows any other difference than what can be now called
"the shape of glyphs" he is welcome to add to this discussion!
Now it sounds like you're arguing against your original
proposal to add additional characters for Serbian.
>I'd more precisley say: Serbian is written in TWO scripts:
Latin AND Cyrillic. Interchangeably! That's one small point
that people forget. And it's not the only one language with
that property, as far as I know.
Of course. I was assuming a context of Serbian written with
>The problem of calling Unicode "plain text" standard and
refusing to care about Serbian Cyrillic based on that is that
some languages represented by Unicode are completely printed AS
THEY ARE WRITTEN (which means that printing IS considerably
HARDER than printing Latin and Cyrillic).
This is no different than several other scripts covered by
Unicode without requiring the encoding of presentation forms.
>Because of that, Serbian Cyrillic seems to be in the danger to
be the only European language which would have to be rendered
only with these much more complex engines.
If this statement is at all true, then "European" must be
emphasised. I don't see at all why that's particularly
significant. Furthermore, there are already issues that need to
be addressed for other European languages: different languages
have different requirements for ligature formation (e.g.
Turkish dotless i), case mappings (e.g. Turkish dotless I),
tokenisation into text elements (e.g. <ch> digraph in Spanish
and (if I recall from 5 months ago) Czech). Serbian-Cyrillic is
by no means the only writing system for which people have
requested an addition "because otherwise it's the only European
language that's not adequately supported" but for which no
additions are in fact needed to provide adequate support. The
point is that the missing support needs to come from somewhere
>That's why I considered adding a few characters in Unicode --
only to match current practice. Everybody claims that is as
such only because of the compatibility -- that's exactly why I
analyzed idea of new characters -- to make Serbian Cyrillic
enough compatible with all these programs/systems/engines which
know how to print Latin and Cyrillic but do not know about
diffrence in Chinese scripts.
When discussing such compatibility, you need to look at
existing encodings. If you can point us to an existing standard
encoding that includes as distinct characters both Russian t
and Serbian t, then you may find more people willing to
consider the proposal.
>Even Unicode as standard does not expect that every
Unicode-compatible program MUST be able to represent all
scripts. Exactly because of that maybe Cyrillic letters (even
if they are Serbian!) should be considered as something which
SHOULD work on systems incapable to display different Chinese
Now why should I expect developers to consider support for
Serbian mandatory but for Chinese or Amharic or Khmer or Lahu
not necessary? I can just imagine Khmer or Thaana or Ethiopic
advocates getting on this list saying for their writing systems
just what you're demanding for Serbian. Developers still make
their own decisions as to what parts of Unicode they'll
support. I wholeheartedly agree with your desire to see the
industry provide support for your writing system, just as I
hope to see the industry support thousands of others. But I
don't think you're going to find the answer you're looking for
coming from Unicode.
Hopefully, you're bringing it up in this list has been
productive in making others aware of the need so that they know
that they need to provide support for the other technologies
that work together with Unicode to provide what you need. We've
already heard from Chris Pratley that MS Office apps are moving
in the direction of supporting language tag-based glyph
substitution, though of course will take time, so I see that as
an encouraging indicator that things are moving in the
direction they need to go.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.2 : Tue Jul 10 2001 - 17:20:58 EDT


text:
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Quid Pro Quo: Why Stand When You Can Sit?
"Quid Pro Quo offers the potentially provocative story of a journalist who uncovers a group of able-bodied people who pretend or desire to be disabled. But writer/director Carlos Brooks handles the subject matter in a somber and cautious manner, perhaps even to the point of indolence."
Posted by Steve at 3:22 PM 0 comments
Labels: Disability on DVD, DVD Review, Nick Stahl, Vera Farmiga
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Maurice: Heritage Foundation
"Maurice, a Merchant-Ivory production, is resolutely an example of British heritage cinema. But while it does reinforce British-ness and its ideal, it also offers one of the more frank and respectful depictions of homosexuality in 1980s cinema."
Posted by Steve at 6:56 AM 0 comments
Labels: Retrospective Review
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)


text:
¾ cup butter
½ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
1 cup sweet potato, cooked & mashed
1 egg
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
¾ cup quick cooking oatmeal
1 cup pecans
Beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
Beat in the sweet potato and the egg.
Stir in the flour, baking powder. cinnamon, nutmeg, and oatmeal.
Stir in the pecans.
Drop by teaspoons onto a greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes.


text:
[audio:http://www.matadorrecords.com/mpeg/perfume_genius/perfume_genius_rusty_chains.mp3] MP3
Hot on the heels of its second album, the loved Put Your Back N 2 It, Mike Hadreas's Perfume Genius project has released another song. The track, which is titled "Rusty Chains," was previously made available as a bonus on the iTunes version of that sophomore LP, but it is now being given away as a free download.
Sonically, "Rusty Chains" travels down a similar path as the songs on Put Your Back N 2 It. Backed by instrumentation comprised mainly of emotive piano chords and slowly paced drums, Hadreas' heart-wrenched vocal delivery drives the song in an attention-grabbing manner similar to that of his recent output. The two share lyrical similarities as well; according to Hadreas, the song is "for a man whose lover has died. He remembers a time, before his partner took sick, where everything felt safe and endless. He asks to be taken next, so they can be together again." Although no tracks on Put Your Back N 2 It touched on this exact topic, the themes of love, heartbreak, relationship issues, and emotional pain that this song addresses were all represented on the LP.
Grab a free download of the track above.


text:
Impossible Mission
What do you need help on? Cancel X
The aim of the game is to find the Secret Control Room and neutralize the threat to world security within 6 hours. To locate the Secret Control Room, the player will have to guide Alpha 1 through the labyrinth that Professor Atombender has constructed as his base of operations. The rooms are interconnected via a complex network of lift shafts and tunnels. Like other classic labyrinth games, Impossible Mission is simple to start, impossible to put down!


text:
Vine Arts is comprised of two young wine lovers, Jesse Willis and Jeff Jamieson. We are on a mission to stick a cork in wine snobbery and make wine fun, interesting and approachable. Through our company, Vine Arts Enterprises, we are looking to change the face of wine in our home base of Calgary, Alberta. For more on our company check out the website at http://www.vinearts.ca.
In his relatively short time in the business Jesse has established himself as one of Calgary's top wine professionals. After graduating from the International Sommelier Guild's diploma program in 2008, Jesse went on to become an ISG instructor, teaching wine education courses at SAIT. Jesse has worked at many of Calgary's top wine boutiques and has consulted for some of Calgary's top restaurants. In addition to being the co-owner and general manager of Vine Arts Wine and Spirits, Jesse serves as the wine director at Taste restaurant.
Jesse's passions include Crossfit, wine geekery, food and writing.
Originally from Regina, Saskatchwan, Jeff moved west in 2002 to open downtown Calgary's Saltlik Restaurant where he served as general manager. Jeff is one of Calgary's many campaigners and believes that the City is on the verge of becoming one of Canada's great food and wine destinations. As the proud co-owner of Vine Arts he is fulfilling his life long dream of owning his own business.
Jeff's passions include learning and teaching about wine, the Riders, foie gras and Champagne.
Feel free to drop Jeff a line at firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
The Psychiatric Patient Advocate Office (PPAO) was established in 1983 as an arm's length program of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to provide service to patients in the provincial psychiatric hospitals. Throughout its two decades of service delivery, the PPAO has become known as a partisan advocate for their clients, for its expertise in mental health legislation and patients' rights and for the provision of independent advocacy and rights advice services.
Many of the clients who approach the PPAO for assistance are vulnerable, perhaps because of their illness, not knowing where to turn for help, perhaps they aren't aware of their rights or how to exercise them, may be socially marginalized or disenfranchised, they may be isolated or simply don't have supports and services available to them. PPAO staff is often called upon to give a voice to the client issue, to assist them in self-advocacy efforts and to help them overcome the barriers they face in their journey to wellness and recovery. If we are to overcome the stigma and discrimination faced by those with mental illness we must work towards the creation of an understanding, inclusive and accepting society, to address inequities, dispel the myths of mental illness and advance the rights of all individuals. Advocacy helps to reduce the vulnerability of individuals with mental illness by protecting and advancing their rights and addressing power imbalances, improving their quality of life.
Individual Advocacy
The PPAO provides instructed and non-instructed advocacy services in accordance with four guiding principles: advocacy is independent, is accessible, uses avenues of least contest and is client directed. Throughout the advocacy process, the Advocate ensures that the client's legal and human rights are respected, that their self-determination, independence and autonomy are maintained and that they are able to make informed decisions in keeping with their values, wishes and beliefs.
Patient Advocates routinely address issues related to care and treatment, access to mental health services, admission and discharge and abridgement of legal and civil rights. Individual instructed advocacy issues could include: inappropriate use of seclusion and restraint; withholding property without legal authority; informed consent; allegation of abuse or assault; failure to involve the client in discharge planning; concerns about medication or treatment modality; access to clinical record; changing patient's legal status; and denial of privileges or visits.
At times, PPAO Advocates provide non-instructed advocacy. This usually occurs with the most vulnerable clients who may lack the ability to instruct an Advocate. Such patients may include those with advance stages of Alzheimer's or those with the most severe developmental or neurological impairments. When conducting non-instructed advocacy, the Advocate's actions are limited to redressing an abridgment of a legal right or therapeutic or social entitlement that imperils the incapable client's health, estate, personal security or human dignity.
Systemic Advocacy
Systemic advocacy addresses issues that affect a group of patients in a facility or across facilities. It also addresses mental health system issues related to law, policy, services and funding. As a catalyst for change, the Advocate works collaboratively with stakeholders, including hospital staff, to find resolutions to the issues and bring about change at both the micro and macro levels. For example, the PPAO has been advocating for mandatory inquests under the Coroner's Act when an involuntary patient dies while in a mental health facility. It is discriminatory that a mandatory inquest is held when an inmate dies in a correctional facility yet when a patient dies in a mental health unit the decision to hold an inquest is at the discretion of the Coroner.
Rights Advice
In addition to providing rights advice in the ten current and divested hospitals, since 2001 the PPAO has been providing rights advice to patients in Schedule 1 Facilities and those in the community who are placed on a Community Treatment Order. The PPAO has been designated as "rights adviser" by 54 of 59 Schedule 1 Facilities. In 2003 the PPAO provided rights advice on 18,378 forms and assisted clients in making 3,147 applications to the Consent and Capacity Board.
In-patients in mental health units have benefited over the past two decades from having a rights protection system in place, fortified by the law which requires prompt rights advice in nine mandatory situations and supported by an infrastructure that confirms that rights advice has been provided. This system has worked well in protecting the rights of inpatients, however, such protections have not been extended to those receiving care and treatment in the community as there is no legal requirement for them to receive formal rights advice.
Although Ontario has been a leader in the promotion and protection of patients' rights, there is still much to be done if we are to ensure that every individual with mental illness is aware of their rights and how to exercise these rights. There is an identified need for independent community-based advocacy and rights advice services as an integral and essential component of mental health reform.
To learn more about the work of the PPAO visit their website at www.ppao.gov.on.ca.


text: MPC Capital relies on in-house competence in the area of shipping. The ship manager and owner Ahrenkiel Steamship offers commercial and technical ship management primarily for containerships and bulkers. Contchart Hamburg Leer is an outstanding partner for chartering and ship management, and MPC Maritime Investments has the expertise when it comes to financing and structuring shipping investments.


text:
Welcome to Pack-Quip (Pty) Ltd
Established in 2007 and with more than 40 years combined experience, Pack-Quip prides itself in being a reliable cost effective crating and packaging company.
We specialise in the manufacturing of industrial crates as well as the packing of these products. Continuous research and development insure that we are at the forefront of new innovative packaging methods and materials.
These products are designed to endure the harsh African environment and meets international standards.
The three key elements that complete Pack-Quip are:
Key Services Offered:
Team Members
Combined Experience
Crate, Skid & Pallet
Leading Manufacturer of Crate, Skid and Pallets in South Africa.
Corrosion Control & Preservation
Specialized and Leading Expertise in Corrosion Control and Preservation.
Container Lashing, Strapping & Load Securing
Experts in Container Lashing, Strapping and Load Securing.
Pro Shrink, Barrier Foil & VCI Applications
Apply and Supplier of Pro Shrink, Barrier Foil and VCI Applications.
Turnkey Project Packing
Provide Full Turnkey Project Packing Services, based on Clients Requirements and Specifications.
Cladding, Cradles & Transport Blocks
Manufacturer and Supplier of Cladding, Cradles and Transport Blocks.
Our Core Services
South Africa
Based in Gauteng but due to client base we travel through-out RSA.
Registered with The Department of Agriculture, ISPM 15 certified. "HT" timber.
We offer Fumigation "MB" on request.
Trained & Qualified
All staff are trained and qualified in their various fields or expertise.
Health & Safety
Health and Safety is one of our primary objectives.
Costing Program
Costing Program available for easy quoting.


text:
PHOTO: Enjoy a Beautiful 180-Degree View from Burien by Maureen Hoffmann
Sometimes you just need a pleasant image to absorb and enjoy.
Recent studies even suggest that:
- people live longer if their homes are near a park or open green space
- students do better on cognitive tests when they view natural settings
- children with ADHD have fewer symptoms after outdoor activities in natural environments
With that said, and in light of some recent bad news, we encourage everyone to take a long, absorbing view at this great 180-degree panorama photo, courtesy Maureen Hoffmann, who adds:
There's a high point along the Indian Trail that has a 180-degree view out over Puget Sound: (left to right) Normandy Park, Des Moines, Redondo, Mt. Rainier (when visible), Tacoma, Maury and Vashon Islands, the Olympics (when visible). Always beautiful.
Of course you should get out and enjoy views like this in person, but for now you can click this image to see a larger version:


text:
Your spa stay at [Location] on [Date] will include: Arrive from 2pm. Robe hire and flip-flops. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Fitness classes, Spa and Relaxation experiences. Check out 11am, depart at 4pm.
Find out more about improvements at Henlow
You save £10 by booking online (discount already applied)
Book for 3 or more
Your spa day at [Location] on [Date] will include: Arrive from 9am. Robe hire and flip-flops. Arrival snacks and lunch. Fitness classes, Spa and Relaxation experiences. Depart at 6pm.
*Prices shown for stays are per person based on two people sharing while prices for days are per person.
The Treatment: Your nails will be filed to your desired shape and followed with a chosen nail colour.
The Reward: Improve nails with an instant dash of rejuvenation. Stunning results each and every time.
20 minutes


text:
The Lord and His Prayer
by Wright, N. T.•
In this book, the author discusses the Lord's Prayer phrase by phrase. He shows how understanding the prayer in its original setting can be the starting point to rekindle spirituality and a life of prayer. With his vast knowledge of the prayer's historical background, the author clarifies things which help to broaden our view of the world at that time.
Product Details
- Title: The Lord and His Prayer
- Author: N. T. Wright
- Series: SPCK Classics
- Publisher: SPCK
- Publication Date: 1996
- Pages: 96
- Christian Group: Anglican
About N. T. Wright
Nicholas Tom Wright, commonly known as N. T. Wright or Tom Wright, is Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at St. Andrews University. Previously, he was the bishop of Durham. He has researched, taught, and lectured on the New Testament at McGill, Oxford, and Cambridge Universities, and has been named by Christianity Today a top theologian. He is best known for his scholarly contributions to the historical study of Jesus and the New Perspective on Paul. His work interacts with the positions of James Dunn, E. P. Sanders, Marcus Borg, and Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury. Wright has written and lectured extensively around the world, authoring more than forty books and numerous articles in scholarly journals and popular periodicals. He is best known for his Christian Origins and the Question of God Series, of which four of the anticipated six volumes are finished.


text:
Facility Construction and Maintenance
We can fabricate and install a wide variety of facilities including multiple-well facilities, well head piping, separators, line heaters, compressors, tank farms, oil batteries, gas plants, pumpjack installations, and more. We offer experienced maintenance crews that can handle day to day needs as well as complex demands, including plant shut downs and turnarounds. We follow all ABSA approved quality control programs
We deliver high quality initiatives that meet the needs of both customer and land owners. We have worked on pipeline projects from 2" to 8" in diameter. We are capable of handling up to 12" diameter piping
Our welding program is capable of building flare stacks, pipe racks, metal stands, barrel docks, stair landings, and more
Please contact us to see what we have in stock or what we can custom build for your project
We have picker services from 2 ton to 40 ton and can do light hot shot. We have up to 34 wheel combination service
Road construction and maintenance, water sewers, yard ditch construction, dugouts, and more


text:
Your daily dose of conservative offsets to combat annoying liberal global whining.
Conservative Right Wing Stuff & Things > Bill of Rights & Constitutional Designs > Second Amendment Zone Conservative T-shirts > Second Amendment Zone 2.25" Button (100 pack)
If you want to get a closer look, click the "View Larger Image" link below.
Support the right to keep and bear arms with our new 2A Zone design. Show your support for the second amendment!


text:
The Paper Kites: Young from Oh Yeah Wow on Vimeo.
They say you can help prevent the oncoming of seasickness by keeping your eyes glued to the horizon. I found myself using a similar method while watching this video by the Paper Kites, and tried to maintain focus on the nose area. It's a bit dizzying, but beautiful all the same. 7 days to shoot 350+ faces, 10 days to assemble 4000+ photos. Great track as well.
Visit -> thepaperkites.com.au


text:
|- http://www.bid-master.com
Link Discover is human edited Paid web directory. It makes easy to find just what you are looking for with over maximum categories, featured and standard links. Directory of quality, family-friendly, spam-free and well organized site. - Read more
|- http://www.dirbidding.com
Top directory . power full general bidding directory organized by categories and human edited Highly promoted bid directory that offers deep links permanent listings . - Read more
|- http://www.biddirectory.ws
Bid Directory organized by category and human edited internet directory .Highly promoted bidding directory offering permanent deeplinks listings. - Read more
|- http://www.bidurposition.com
Bid Your Position- is a human edited bidding directory, that helps you to promote yours site & increase traffic. Bid Your Position- allows bidding for the top position on its homepage. Just Bid at a position for your site and rise above the others. - Read more
|- http://www.biddirectory.cc
general directory organized by categories and human edited deep links directory manage your listing , bid and take a way to the top of the list . Permanent listings on top position guaranteed.Higher your position promote you're site and increase... - Read more


text:
On Tuesday 10th july the Great Yorkshire Show started its 3 day event. As you probably already know on the Tuesday there was also a heavy downfall of rain to add to what we had already endured last week. The after effects of this rain left tractors pulling cars out of the field and car parks and stall holders packing up. This was a real shame for every one involved because the stall holders lost lots of money with the food stall holder reduced to giving away the food they could not sell. The staff and visitors were equally affected. The entrance gate staff lost their 3 day job and membership and ticket holders lost out on 3 days of fun they had already paid for. This years Yorkshire show was to be the busiest for decades. I know people have come from as far as Scotland for this event that only lasted 1 day. Now we will all have to wait again till next year and hopefully we might get some better weather.
How it should have been.


text:
Druantia is a Celtic goddess, Queen of the tree-faeries. She is the Protector of Trees, Knowledge, Creativity, Passion, & Fertility. I wish I was more like her. I love and adore trees. I seek and crave knowledge. I claim to be creative and passionate. And I am greatly blessed with fertility.
I'm just your average and not terribly unique suburban housewife/mother/domestic goddess. Actually, I'm not much of a domestic goddess, but I try. I sometimes am wonderful at keeping the house clean, the toys organized, and the meals planned and prepared. However, most of the time I'm merely trying to be good at it and only sort of limping a long.
I'm as full of dichotomies as the next person. I walk to the library and the grocery store when I can. I buy high efficiency light bulbs and appliances. I recycle. However, I also use disposable diapers and waste a lot of water.
I compare myself to others and then realize that I shouldn't compare myself to others and then I get mad at myself for comparing myself to others and end up feeling bad about myself rather than good which is the whole point of not comparing yourself to others. Know what I mean?
Here are a few more true things about me, some good and some not so good:
I believe in God and try to do His will.
I love my family fiercely.
I serve in my local church.
I love to play with and read to my daughter.
I waste too much time on the Internet.
I hate exercise.
I feel guilty a lot.
I read compulsively.
I rarely floss.
I am shy.
Do you relate at all to me? I hope you do. In fact, you probably do, because I am pretty ordinary, after all. That's one of the blessings of being ordinary. You can understand other people, and that can be a great gift. We should all strive to understand one another a bit more.
I think that's what this blog is all about, really. The more we understand each other, the more we realize that we are not alone in our struggles. There is great comfort and strength to be found in that.
1 day ago


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This is a Foosa. It's from Madagascar and it's endangered. It eats lemurs, which are also from Madagascar. I helped to excercise her by waving a scrub brush back and forth around her cage. She also likes playing with Elk-flavoured bubbles. She got really excited when we took the bubbles out and looked sort of sad when we put them away. She'll be getting a beautiful new habitat as soon as the zoo is finished.
This is Sophia the Jaguar I first met her when she was a baby.
This is a little porcupine I got to pat. I also got a few of her quills and one of her whiskers. This is the play ground that is under construction and that I got to play on.


text:
Many members on Affair Hub are regular callers of Affair Hub Live.It is not required to be registered on the dating site to use the chatline; anybody can call.
Just be careful not to be too explicit — at least until you are in a private conversation — or you will not make it through the moderators. Visit Site Affair HUB started as an affair dating website.
In 2015 they launched Affair Hub Live, which expanded their service offerings from purely online to phone.
Cam Voice allows you to see, hear and chat with friends all over the world through your web browser.
Our video is only live during our live hours, 7-10pm Eastern, Mon-Sun. Alternately, you can IRC to irc.mixxnet.net, channel #LRN.
There are, as of March 2014, on our Youtube channel.
You can also find any audio episode dating back to late 2006 via our MP3 Archives.
They insure that you are in a safe environment and there is no harassment tolerated.
As long as you abide by the rules, there is no way that you cannot enjoy your stay here.
Our Sex Chat Room which provides live webcam video chat room and more!
Zo Zo Chat or Chat Zo Zo is an extraordinary place to be and chat without registration.
You can watch us on You Tube during our live hours here. Finally, if you would prefer a no-frills webchat client, you can use this one.


text:
Retail Customers
If you are a retail store who would like to carry our products,
we would be happy to provide you with a
wholesale pricelist and order form.
Contact us for more information.
If you are an existing USG Works retail store customer,
click here for the latest order form with prices.


text:
Sketch Challenge #6
>> Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Hello there!!
Are you ready for a new sketch...and better yet, a chance to win some awesome Lily Bee products?
Here's this month's sketch!
|Love Love Love • layout by Lisa Day
2) Post your layout on our Facebook page (please include the title Lily Bee Sketch Challenge #6)
3) -OR- include a link to your project in the comments of this post. Please do one or the other, not both.
3) The deadline is Tuesday March 20th, 9PM EDT. We'll randomly pick one winner to receive some delicious Lily Bee products!
The most important rule is to have fun using the sketch and our fantastic Lily Bee products!!


text:
AN award-winning firm is displaying its support for Huddersfield's bid to become the UK Capital for Enterprise.
Lockwood-based KD Decoratives is backing the bid to win national recognition for the town.
The company - Kirklees Business of the Year in 2003 - supplies spectacular displays for shopping centres and theme parks worldwide.
Chairman Richard Kitchen-Dunn said putting Huddersfield forward as UK Capital for Enterprise was "a wonderful idea".
He added: "There are so many businesses in Huddersfield which have started out with nothing and are now doing extremely well.
"There are also many enterprising initiatives - such as the mill conversions - going on as well.
"Huddersfield has a positive story to tell."
KD Decorative is a prime example of the town's enterprising spirit.
Mr Kitchen-Dunn and his wife, Gloria, began running the business 26 years ago from a garage in Honley offering window-dressing services to retailers.
Today, the company supplies a worldwide market.
The family-run firm's Albert Street premises includes a 12,000sq ft showroom featuring many of its products.
A Toyland train takes customers on a ride through a Christmas wonderland with Santa Claus, reindeer, snowmen, elves, goblins and fairytale characters - many of them featuring animatronics, allowing them to move, talk and sing.
Clients include Disneyland Paris, the Trafford and Bluewater shopping centres, Alton Towers theme park and London's Natural History Museum.
KD has its own sculptors, artists, designers, installation and maintenance staff and technicians.
The bid to make Huddersfield Britain's Capital for Enterprise is led by regeneration company Huddersfield Pride.
Its bid goes to development agency Yorkshire Forward next week.
The agency will pick one bid from the area to the national finals.
Local people can vote for the bid or find out more on Freephone 08000 111120 or by visiting the www.madein huddersfield.net website to provide their own examples of enterprise in the town.


text:
Geared Up to Solve Your Problems
Started in 1988, our reputation has been built on
high-quality gear and gearbox repairs.
Give Us a Call, 24/7
We provide competitive products and services delivered by an experienced
team of professionals committed to excellence.
We will repair or reverse engineer any gearbox.
Atlanta Gear Works has been repairing gearboxes for 25+ years. We use our wide range of capabilities to provide you with the great customer service and quality repairs. If you have a question or need an estimate contact us with a few details about your company's needs.
What can we do for you?
We are the go-to choice for gearbox repair. Our focus is on providing competitive products and services delivered by an reliable, experienced team of professionals who are committed to customer service and safety.
Field Services
Experienced crews that can be sent to your plant to provide gearbox inspections and repairs.


text:
VSM challenges students to put their faith in Christ and impact their campus for Him. We want our young people to experience a full understanding of a personal relationship with God through faith in the gospel message of Jesus Christ.
Students work with adult mentors to learn influential leadership skills as they lead others to follow Christ. We provide an environment where students can learn what it means to truly be a disciple of Christ.
VSM Unplugged: Sunday Mornings
Unplugged happens each Sunday during the 9:30 worship time. This is a laid back experience of intensely studying God's Word! Because of the casual environment it's easy for anyone to get plugged in to Unplugged anytime.
VSM Live: Wednesdays @ 6:30
Middle and High School students share the Word, worship and hang out together.
800 E. Main St., Dallas, NC
View on Google Maps


text:
Developer Support Handbook
Paperback, 61 Pages
Price: $20.00
Prints in 3-5 business days
A handbook of tips for how to support an API developer community, covering documentation, forum support, issue tracking, communication, and more. Based on four years spent at Google Developer Relations, supporting some of the most popular APIs in the world.
Ratings & ReviewsLog in to review this item
There are no reviews for the current version of this product
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Product Details
- Copyright
- Pamela Fox (Creative Commons Attribution 2.5)
- Published
- March 25, 2011
- Language
- English
- Pages
- 61
- Binding
- Coil
- Interior Ink
- Full color
- Weight
- 0.67 lbs.
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Moscow ridicules Tbilisi attempt to lecture on human rights
The comment followed Tbilisi's comments on the bill granting foreign agent status for politically-active non-profit organizations.
Moscow drew parallels with Washington's attempts to interfere into Russia's sovereign law making process.
"Suddenly, the Georgian Foreign Ministry decided to throw in its two cents into 'saving democracy in Russia' by making a menacing comment on the NGOs bill adopted by the State Duma," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said on Wednesday.
Earlier in the week Tbilisi voiced its concerns about the conditions it would create in Russia for "foreign and international organizations whose work seeks to contribute to the development of civil society and to the protection of human rights."
In response, Moscow suggested that Tbilisi should stop ignoring claims made by international human rights organizations about the situation in Georgia itself.
"The best the Georgian authorities could to promote democracy in the world is to finally start addressing its own serious problems with the observance of democratic freedoms, human rights and rights of national minorities in their country," Lukashevich pointed out.
The UN Human Rights Council, the Council of Europe and other human rights organizations have repeatedly mentioned these problems, he said.
"As for [President Mikhail] Saakashvili's claim for the role as an international mentor on human rights – they are simply ridiculous."
Meanwhile, three people were put into jail for 15 days in western Georgia for disorderly conduct after shouting obscenities about Saakashvili, reports the Vzglyad news portal. Earlier, another person got 15 days for resisting the police after drinking beer next to the President – which, according to local custom is considered an insult.
Last week, Tbilisi City Court seized satellite dishes purchased by a local opposition TV channel Maestro as part of the ongoing investigation into an alleged vote-buying attempt ahead of the autumn parliamentary vote. The head of the channel called the accusations "absurd" and the prosecutors' actions "illegal."
Billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili the leader of Georgian Dream opposition coalition, and Saakashvili's main rival, was fined over $90 million. The opposition labeled the court ruling as politically motivated.
Another opposition member, the leader of Free Democrats and former Tbilisi envoy to the UN Irakli Alasania says illegal paramilitary groups have been set up in western Georgia on the order of the President. The aim was to "intimidate" and repress the opposition.
Former Georgian leader, Eduard Shevardnadze, has recently apologized for handing over power to Saakashvili saying it was his biggest sin against Georgia and its people.


text:
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Developer should be aware of Payment Gateway integration.
Developer need to be available for months because there are many tasks I will have.
Your hourly rate MUST be within the range I have shared on this post.
Thank you.


text:
Building Lightly
on the Earth
The green-building revolution offers Southwest homebuilders and contractors innovative ways to save money and the planet at the same time.
Story and photos by Donna Clayton Lawder
With apologies to Kermit the Frog, it's getting pretty easy to "be green" these days—at least when it comes to building. The "green building" trend that's sweeping the country combines materials and practices that are cost-effective, energy-efficient and kind to the planet.
Global Green USA, a Web site, says the construction and maintenance of buildings is responsible for 40 percent of US energy use and 30 percent of wood and raw materials consumption. Additionally, the site says, buildings are a main contributor to global warming by generating 30 percent of the country's CO2 emissions, the most significant gas related to climate change.
With landfills filling up and an increased awareness of dwindling natural resources, more people are considering things they never considered before when constructing or renovating their dwellings. Whether it's consumers looking to save some money or save the earth, whether it's builders jumping on a lucrative business angle or finding a practical outlet for their inner principles, the trend is undeniable and gaining momentum. Here in southwest New Mexico, an increasing number of builders are using various green building techniques, and a store has opened specializing in green products and building methods.
So-called "green" building materials are those composed of renewable rather than nonrenewable resources. They are considered environmentally responsible because their environmental impacts are considered over the life of the product—they last longer and/or are recyclable, keeping them out of landfills. They offer specific benefits to the building owner and building occupants, including reduced maintenance/replacement costs over the life of the building, energy conservation, improved occupant health and productivity, lower costs associated with changing space configurations and greater design flexibility.
There are a plethora of green materials and building techniques, and new technologies emerging and developing all the time, so it would be impossible to list them all here. But this is a sampling of some of the alternative building practices and materials taking root in southwest New Mexico.
Rohan Stites, owner of Adobe Techniques, an Arenas Valley construction company, employs green practices and materials on several levels. A long-time builder of and believer in natural adobe construction, Stites makes traditional adobe block mostly out of earth.
"Can't get much more natural than dirt," he says with a laugh. Stites makes natural block, with or without cement and stabilizers. It all gets sealed with stucco, after all, so there's no risk of your house or wall turning into a mud pie come monsoon season.
The wood Stites uses in construction is gathered from the Gila National Forest, with a permit from the US Forest Service, of course, and peeled by hand. Stites goes to collect the wood in a truck powered by biodiesel, the alternative fuel manufactured from waste grease (see the January 2006 Desert Exposure). In fact, Stites runs all his construction equipment on the stuff.
"The other day, I was running my Bobcat on Spaghetti Western grade," he says with a laugh, referring to the Silver City Italian restaurant.
But even the average citizen looking to build a little greener can do so easily these days. The green-building trend has gone mainstream, with "alternative" materials showing up in all kinds of places where regular hammers and nails are sold.
Home Depot in Las Cruces has climbed on board the green bandwagon, carrying a variety of more earth-friendly materials, according to Ryan Ruble, an associate in the store's construction department. He gives the example of a treated composite wood product that is "healthier" than the traditional pressure treated lumber.
Here are some resources for green building ideas, resources and materials cited in this article, and Web sites of interest to those looking to explore green building.
Conventional construction supply stores with green products:
Natural building and home products:
Papercrete and Padobe block:
Parabolic Stress-Skin construction:
Recycled furnishings:
Strawbale construction:
Sustainable community development:
Other Web sites of interest:
For other sustainability resources and previous installments in the "Living Within Our Means" series, see www.desertexposure.com/sustainability.
"You had to cut that old pressure treated lumber wearing a mask," Ruble says. "This new stuff costs a little bit more, but it's healthier to use. A lot of people are preferring it."
Ruble says the company started carrying alternative products about five years ago, in response to customer demand, .
Alex Munoz, a manager at Foxworth-Galbraith Building Supplies in Silver City, says the concept of green building is broad, and means different things to different people. "Some people want to know where things came from. Others want to know what it's made from or how long it will last," Munoz says.
"New things are coming out every year and we try to find advanced products, ecology-wise, that the customers are looking for," he goes on. "The environmental issues are on people's minds and they ask questions about the products, you know, 'How is it different?' and 'Why is it better?' People are definitely into it. They are seeking these products out. It makes sense to me that people want to use things that are not harmful to the environment."
Foxworth-Galbraith carries a line of decking, railing and landscape border products made from a composite of wood and plastic. The materials are long lasting, meaning they don't wind up in landfills after a few years, and don't need sealing and maintenance, thereby not using those chemicals.
Those who balk at the idea of blending wood with plastic, or who just can't think of any plastic product as being environmentally friendly, might consider the Nature Wood line of building products, Munoz says. The materials, designed for building decks and fences, come with a lifetime warranty. Instead of toxic chemicals, they are preserved with a copper-based biocide that deters rot and insect damage.
Seeking to satisfy those concerned with energy conservation, Foxworth-Galbraith also carries solar-powered attic fans. Ventilating, cooling and drying the attic space, the fans run on solar panels guaranteed to last for several years, promise easy do-it-yourself installation. Since no electricity is involved, the fans cost nothing to operate.
Entrepreneur Mattie Johnson is looking to make building with alternative earth-friendly materials even easier, putting a wide range of products—along with years of green building knowledge and expertise—conveniently under one roof. Johnson started her natural building materials supply company, Material Good, out of her home last year, and opened a showroom in a storefront in Syzygy Tileworks' new building on Bullard Street in Silver City this spring.
Consumers new to alternative building materials and practices can feel at sea amidst all the information available these days. So Johnson seeks to help the pro builder or homeowner find just the right mix of products and perfect, long-lasting building solutions.
"There are a lot of ways to go about this and a lot of things available," Johnson says. "Most times people have an idea of what they want. That's why they're coming to me. Or they've seen it in somebody else's home or researched something online. And then sometimes whole new worlds open up, and in looking at one thing, we find something else that's just the perfect solution for them."
Johnson graduated with a degree in history and studio art, and says her college years shaped and informed her eco-awareness, leading to the work she does today. "I did a lot of environmental policy work," she says, including a year of studying the ecology of Namibia, which she says is comparable to that of southwest New Mexico, and then serving a 10-week stint in the field there. "I saw many other ways to live during that time."
Sitting at her desk, she is surrounded by examples of the products she sells. A cork wall displayed behind her computer—far too nice to pushpin with messages—is actually a natural flooring. It has a long life, Johnson says, is cost effective, sound-deadening and eases strain on the body. What's not to love?
She pulls out a basket of flexible, colorful squares. These are more samples of natural flooring, in this case rubber-based. The speckles of color are delightful to the eye, and the colors range from neutral tans, creams and browns to purples, pinks, deep reds and brilliant yellow.
She stocks a product called American Clay, made in Albuquerque, a sample of which covers the half-wall enclosing her office space. A clay product containing no cement, it allows the consumer to add color and texture to interior walls, creating what Johnson calls a "breathing wall system." The application process," she says, is very "forgiving," as it can be manipulated and fine-tuned with just a little added water and smoothing.
Johnson considers earth-friendly building far from fringe or frou-frou. "Building this way makes so much sense on so many levels," she says. In addition to being gentler to the earth—curbing waste products and avoiding the use of toxic materials—green building practices can save consumers a lot of money."
Savings come not only in the actual installation costs, she says, but also from increased energy efficiency. In fact, she says, as energy becomes more precious, homes that are built this way will more likely hold their value.
Johnson points out that the flooring materials she sells are comparable to other "traditional" products and, in some cases, even cheaper. The unfinished cork runs about $3 per square foot. A natural bamboo flooring, which comes finished and releases no particles or splinters, is just under $5 per square foot. A natural linoleum product, called Marmoleum, is longer lasting than conventional linoleum, has an interesting finish, and costs $5 per square foot. That beautifully flecked rubber-based flooring starts at $6 per square foot.
"In addition to that, these products come with a 20- to 30-year warranty, so you're not ripping it out and replacing it in five to 10 years," she says.
Although green building materials sites are multiplying on the Internet, Johnson says she feels having a storefront showroom—a place consumers can visit not just virtually, but actually—is a big plus for her business. "People can do their research online," she says, "but that doesn't really give you a true idea of color, and that's very important when you are considering a big expanse of wall or floors going from one room into another. You can't touch things online and really experience how wonderful a texture is."
Another advantage is carrying goods the consumer can get nowhere else. Material Good is the only place in New Mexico carrying products by Ecotimber, a company that makes hardwood flooring out of wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. This means consumers can cover their floors with exotic woods like teak and Brazilian cherry without guilt, because the woods are certified to have been harvested sustainably, Johnson says.
"Besides, they're just beautiful," she adds.
Beauty is just one of the many reasons strawbale building expert and enthusiast Catherine Wanek has put years of energy, exploration and education into building with strawbales. "The thick, sculptable bale walls offer great aesthetic options," Wanek says, and the structures they create "feel great to be inside of."
Wanek says interest in strawbale building has steadily increased from about a dozen finished strawbale homes in 1993 to thousands of homes worldwide today. In China alone there are over 600 homes, plus schools and clinics built in the last seven years.
"Clearly strawbale building is catching on," she says.
One key reason is the technique's contribution to energy-efficient construction. "Straw bales have emerged as the missing link in passive solar design—cheap insulation. This allows informed designers to create homes that reduce energy consumption by 50 to 80 percent over conventional construction," she says. At R-2.7 per inch, an 18-inch wide bale equals an R-48 insulation effect. One California study indicated that such a "super-insulated" straw bale home could save as much as 75 percent of heating and cooling costs. This translates to direct dollar savings for the homeowner, and a corresponding reduction in the use of fossil fuels and CO2 emissions.
In sunny New Mexico, any type of building that takes advantage of solar technology has got to be a natural fit. Wanek identifies the four aspects of solar design: orientation of the building to make the most use of the sun's rays; insulation, which strawbale construction so perfectly provides; glass to let in the sun; and mass, both to hold and release energy.
"Actually, there's a fifth component," Wanek adds. "Passive solar design needs an active owner, someone who is conscious of the way the technology works, and does the necessary things—like raising and lowering blinds, opening and closing windows. It's not a hassle, but it takes awareness and action to make it work."
Strawbales are great building material for other reasons, Wanek says. Besides being durable, strawbale construction saves trees, using only half the timber of a conventional build. Sealed properly, the straw will not even rot—for centuries, in fact. There are 100-year-old strawbale houses in Nebraska, where the building style was invented, still completely sound.
Strawbales also are non-toxic and sound- and fire-resistant. They invite owner-builder involvement, a real community aspect that makes building green with strawbales, well, a lot of fun.
"It's like a party! It's just plain fun to get together with friends and build these things," Wanek says. "I've met some of my best friends among the worldwide 'community' that has sprung up around strawbale construction."
Wanek and her husband, Pete Fust, who together own the Black Range Lodge in Kingston, give presentations and teach hands-on workshops in strawbale construction. They also consult on designs and how to build strawbale houses to code, and offer how-to books and video resources.
Wanek has written a book on the subject, The New Strawbale Home (Gibbs-Smith, 2003), produced several videos, and is at work on a new book, Natural Building—Creating Beautiful, Healthy Homes, which will be published next spring.
"I'm hoping the lovely and sensuous qualities of contemporary natural homes will help open the door to renewed interest in building with less-processed materials," she says.
She and Fust love to give tours of their strawbale guest house, which they helped design and built for her parents to stay in when visiting, and which is available to lodge guests when mom and dad are not around. The walls are curved at the corners instead of at right angles, and inside it's finished with a clay plaster. Large windows and a wrap-around deck capture great views of the Gila National Forest.
"Most often the response is 'Wow!,'" Wanek says. "People love how it feels to be inside, and sometimes we get offers to buy it."
The Black Range Lodge is more than the home of one strawbale building example. The lodge has hosted four colloquia on natural building. In 2001, it was the site of the first training course for Building Without Borders, a nonprofit organization the couple helped found to share low-tech natural building solutions with poor communities and the Third World. Wanek will travel to China this July to document the successful strawbale building program there.
"We're part of the New Mexico Straw Bale Construction Association, and currently are working to update the state's construction codes to allow load-bearing bale building in our state," Wanek says. She should have no problem there: As strawbale building has developed abroad, enthusiasts around the world have looked to Wanek to help them get their strawbale building plans approved.
A woman in Australia looking to build with strawbales showed one of Wanek's videos to the appropriate permit-granting bodies. Her project was immediately green-lighted.
Around the time Wanek and Fust became interested in strawbale construction, they also started learning about Permaculture, a consciously designed system of building and lifestyle that seeks to create cultivated ecosystems that have the diversity, stability and resilience of natural ecosystems. Learning from and emulating Mother Nature, goes the thought, makes for a sustainable community structure.
Building sustainable structures, in all respects of the term, is the goal of Silver City builder and business owner Doug Lacy, who owns The Pet Health Shop, a holistic pet food and supplies store, and who is the owner/design-build consultant of Spiritpath Designs. His patented Parabolic Stress-Skin structures—walls, additions, chimneys and whole buildings—have been popping up all around Silver City and its environs. (See accompanying story for a first-hand account of one example.)
In the Silver Heights neighborhood alone, on the north side of Hwy. 180, four new adobe-looking enclosures have sprung up over just the past few months. One homeowner couple, obviously satisfied with their new wall and chimney retrofit, is having a Stress-Skin addition put on their home.
Lacy defines Parabolic Stress-Skin construction as a low-cost, earth-friendly technique with high thermal performance. The process of building with Stress-Skin technology is simple, and leads to an amazingly resilient structure.
The first step involves creating the special "skeleton" of the structure. Using a special apparatus that bends and folds 6-6-10 gauge wire, Lacy fabricates, on site, the custom-sized and -shaped remesh steel wire building blocks. The blocks are stacked and fixed in place, and the resulting wall can then be filled or left hollow.
A fiber-reinforced metal lathe is then laid over the entire exterior, and finally the intricately and geometrically reinforced armature is coated with a soft composite mix, through hand application or spraying, which hardens into a rigid shell. Surface shells are typically made from fiber reinforced with an ultra-high-performance engineered composite concrete, also called "Fiber Reinforced Reactive Powder Cement" or vapor-proof concrete, which, while structurally solid, allows flexibility. This prevents the cracking that many adobe walls show after some settling. In fact, Lacy says, the cushioning effect of the shell will stop a car and the structure will sustain less damage than a conventional solid adobe-style wall.
Construction of dwellings with Lacy's technique is nearly a complete opposite of conventional building methods. In a Parabolic Stress-Skin home, the walls and roof are built first, the floor added last and leveled to fit the structure. This system "lowers the eco-impact," Lacy says, as no traditional foundation is needed.
Stress-Skin construction is naturally well insulated and energy efficient, he adds. A Stress-Skin chicken coop he built—complete with ergonomically designed, round nesting roosts for the hens themselves—needs no heating system. The thermal mass of the structure itself has proven to provide adequate temperature control for happy, healthy birds, he reports.
In addition to its earth-friendliness, Lacy loves the design flexibility the Stress-Skin method of building makes possible. Often, he says, the design of walls, doorways and window frames will change as the homeowner's imagination becomes freer as the building is taking shape. One of his favorite designs—one he'd like to use someday in a sustainable planned eco-community—incorporates seashell-shaped windows, echoed in the structures' rounded walls.
But simple walls bring great satisfaction, too, Lacy says. "Take Marty Appley's wall for instance," he says of a Sliver City client. "It started as a plan that started to take shape as we talked about it. Then the shape started to transform, as the land and the forms around and people in the neighborhood contributed their two cents about how this design ought to be."
Lacy says conflicting design ideologies—a polite way of saying "opinions," perhaps—brought about discoveries and compromises. In the end, the final design that emerged was unexpected.
"Although just a wall, it is very special and balanced right down to the color." The wall enhances its surroundings the way the right mat board works with a framed painting, Lacy says. "The wall gracefully ties the whole rural townscape back to the earth in just one yard. Not too ornate, not too earthen either—you are subtly directed to notice all of the beautiful flowers, birds and plants around the wall and maybe just notice the day itself."
Lacy says his style of building is cheaper than conventional "stick and frame" construction. Conventional homebuilding-resource Web sites put the cost of the average "basic" new home construction at $95 to $165 per square foot.
"It's exciting to be able to offer people the means to build beautiful, creative homes for around $85 a square foot, or even less. I can build big, beautiful homes for rich people," Lacy says, "but that's not my goal. I'd much rather help more people build wonderful, sustainable homes, which are beautiful, have a low impact on the earth, and are cost-effective. This can make a serious dent in the cost of home construction for a lot of people."
Expanding his success and satisfaction of individual Stress-Skin homes, Lacy dreams of creating a green-built "off the grid" community, which he calls Shambhala Village. The "super earth-friendly" eco-village would incorporate not only homes built with green materials, but water and energy systems designed to be stingy on water use and to take advantage of the sunny, warm Southwest climate.
Composting toilets, integral rainwater collection technology and gray-water systems that re-use some household wastewater would lighten the water needs of such a community, he says. Solar power would reduce electricity needs.
"It's something I've always wanted to do," Lacy says, "to feel that connection to the earth, living 'off the grid.' What a feeling of independence!"
Though Lacy admits his dream community project is "sometime in the future," he is actively talking with builders and developers, and expects that in the sunny, dry Southwest, such a style of building would be "a natural."
Bruce McKinney of Pinos Altos also is dreaming of a sustainable future in the shape of an earth-friendly housing development. In May 2005, McKinney purchased a 110-acre parcel of land on Mountain View Road in Silver City, the remains of the Rio Vicente subdivision. Through his company, Silver Linings, he plans to build an eco-community within walking distance of downtown Silver City.
On a sunny afternoon, Silver Linings' development manager, Patricia Pawlicki, give a private tour of the property. Entry into the property is near a hiking trailhead. Students from the Aldo Leopold School in Silver City have been working on the trail this spring, she says. The trail cuts through the Silver Linings parcel, heading toward the Big Ditch and downtown Silver City. The rolling hills of the site stretch up from the creek on the west to Mountain View Road on the east.
Pawlicki gestures toward Rio Vicente's Phase I of construction, mostly simple manufactured homes set the usual distance apart. A generic, semi-sprawled neighborhood. Unremarkable. Like John Cougar Mellencamp sings, "Little pink houses for you and me."
"There's no cooperation there, no connection," Pawlicki says. "Everybody has to drive to the store in their own cars. There's no gathering place, just all these little houses, on their own."
The plan for the Silver Linings community will look quite different, Pawlicki says. Though the project is perhaps a year away from breaking ground, the "Vision Map" that is being shown to prospective builders shows housing clusters with large areas of shared open space. There is the possibility of it becoming a "greenhouse community," with many dwellings having attached greenhouses. The passive solar attachments will make the homes more energy efficient. Or there may even be a large centralized greenhouse that could provide a small cottage industry for the community's residents. Much is unformed at this point, she says, many doors of possibility are open.
To date, Silver Linings has gathered aerial photographs, made a topographical analysis and interviewed numerous potential partners for the project's development. A baseline environmental sensitivity analysis needs to be completed and compared to what the previous developer proposed in the site's planning. Silver Linings is seeking one or more persons to assist in developing the community's master plan, someone both progressive-minded and experienced in large-scale urban planning.
The company currently is meeting with potential green builders and suppliers of green building materials. One of the most exciting things about Silver City, Pawlicki says, is the emergence of a strong entrepreneurial spirit for green development in the community.
"It is forward thinking like this that makes the vision possible, and will certainly shape its future," she says.
A longtime participant in healthy lifestyle practices herself, Pawlicki speaks enthusiastically of permaculture and sustainability, and how that kind of thinking and planning are the backbone of this project.
"That's the difference here," she says. "I wouldn't necessarily see myself on board with some subdivision project. But this," she says, gesturing over the landscape, "this is different. This, as I see it, is the future."
Donna Clayton Lawder is senior editor of Desert Exposure.


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Everest Container Freight Station
Everest CFS is a new independent Container Freight Station in Christchurch. The CFS is based in Hornby with a 1400m2 modern facility.
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