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Copyright © 2012 All rights reserved.
Current Biology, Volume 22, Issue 1, R1-R4, 10 January 2012
Add/View Comments (0)We need to talk about nitrogen
Michael Gross
- The global nitrogen cycle spins faster and faster, as mankind releases more reactive nitrogen into the environment than natural processes do. Can nature keep up, or is this another global disaster following in the footsteps of the carbon dioxide problem? Michael Gross investigates.
Main Text
Exactly one hundred years ago, workers and engineers at the small town of Oppau near Ludwigshafen, Germany, were busy constructing a new factory that would start a more drastic change to global biogeochemistry than any other human intervention before or since. Towards the end of 1911, the chemicals company BASF had commissioned Carl Bosch to build the first industrial scale ammonia plant based on the procedure that Fritz Haber had developed in the lab at the beginning of the century, and which Bosch had managed to turn into a working technology in spite of severe doubts surrounding the feasibility of the high-pressure, high-temperature synthesis. The plant was designed to produce 30 tonnes of ammonia per day, and it duly started production in the spring of 1914.
Fifteen years earlier, the British Association's president William Crookes had startled the world with his prophecy of global starvation due to the limits of agricultural production. Thanks to the nitrogen fertiliser produced with the Haber–Bosch process, the world could avoid this predicted apocalypse — though the process also served the production of explosives used in a different kind of apocalypse. Today, human activities produce more reactive nitrogen than natural processes, and around half the nitrogen found in the proteins and nucleic acids of the seven billion people alive today comes out of a Haber–Bosch plant.
But will this massive human meddling with the nitrogen cycle, which even dwarfs the effects of industrialisation on the carbon cycle, including climate change, have any side effects that we may come to regret in the future? And do we even know what we're doing to our planet by doubling its nitrogen throughput?
Over the limit
At the beginning of December last year, the Royal Society held a two-day discussion meeting dealing with the current knowledge and uncertainties over the nitrogen cycle, followed by a satellite meeting addressing possible implications for policy and society.
Speaking at the discussion meeting, Jan Willem Erisman from the Energy Research Center of the Netherlands at Petten warned that the human impact on the global nitrogen cycle has already exceeded the limit of the planet's capacity by a factor of four, based on the assessment of Johan Rockström et al. (Nature (2009), 461, 472–475). "The Planetary boundary concept was introduced to estimate where boundaries are exceeded and where action is needed. For nitrogen the preliminary estimates show that with current food and energy needs and lifestyles the boundary is far exceeded," says Erisman. Compared to other global problems, the effect is comparable to biodiversity loss and exceeds the scale of climate change and ocean acidification, which are also affected by nitrogen imbalances.
It is still difficult to assess all the effects of the massive amounts of nitrogen that we have added to the cycle in the past 100 years, says Erisman, because the reactive nitrogen takes on several chemically distinct forms that cascade through various planetary systems, ranging from the oceans through to the stratosphere. Effects also span from the short-term and regional (NOx emissions contributing to smog) to the global and long-term. Nitrous oxide, for instance, can contribute to both climate change and ozone depletion in the stratosphere.
"The accumulation of reactive nitrogen, including both reduced and oxidised species, is a significant and growing issue for biodiversity in many parts of the world, especially in Asia," says Erisman. At least 62 hotspots or eco-regions, many of them in China or India, are under serious threat from nitrogen deposition.
Reactive nitrogen also affects the global climate, but while nitrous oxide (N2O) contributes to warming, the deposition of nitrogen compounds ultimately leads to cooling through several mechanisms, including nitrogen-containing aerosols. Current data suggest that the cooling may just outweigh the warming, which would of course be good news in the light of what's happening at the carbon front, but there are still large question marks attached to these results especially concerning the lifetime of nitrogen compounds and their long-term effects on climate change (J.W. Erisman et al., Curr. Opin. Environ. Sustain. (2011), 3, 281–290).
Modelling nitrogen
Outside of living cells and biomolecules, nitrogen has a more complex chemistry than the carbon cycle, involving several oxidation states, and several molecular species in the gas phase as well as in liquids and solids. Thus, human effects on the nitrogen cycle cannot be summarised in a single figure analogous to the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which is a key figure in the appreciation of man-made climate change and ocean acidification.
Therefore, scientists need sophisticated computer models to even begin to understand what's happening to the nitrogen cycle at regional and global scales, and to extrapolate trends to the future. At the Royal Society discussion meeting, Lex Bouwman from Utrecht University (Netherlands) summarised analyses and models describing changes to the terrestrial nitrogen cycle during the 20th century and extrapolating into the future under various scenarios.
Specifically, Bouwman looked at denitrification, a key process which oxidises nitrate and nitrite to molecular nitrogen via various intermediates including nitrous oxide (N2O). The process is mainly driven by soil microbes, but additional denitrification also occurs in manure storage systems, wastewater treatment plants, wetlands, and riparian zones, as well as in oxygen-depleted ocean water. A key question is whether natural denitrification in the soil can keep up with the man-made doubling of reactive nitrogen input, or whether it is lagging behind and allowing excess nitrates and nitrites to accumulate in the environment. An additional complexity of the issue is the fact that the gaseous intermediate N2O may be emitted into the atmosphere, where it can contribute to climate change and ozone depletion.
"The rates of both denitrification and N2O emissions have increased as a result of human intervention in the global nitrogen cycle," says Bouwman. Together with the increased input of reactive nitrogen, this adds up to an acceleration of the nitrogen cycle, which Bouwman expects to continue as a consequence of further population growth and economic development.
Although global soil denitrification has adapted to the changes somewhat and increased from 68 to 95 teragrams per year between 1900 and 2000, it cannot quite keep up with the massive increase in nitrogen input. This change comprises a stronger increase from agricultural soils and a loss of denitrification activity in areas under natural vegetation. Bouwman's analyses find that the global nitrogen budget surplus in soils (i.e. the input that isn't removed by harvest) has increased from 179 to 250 teragrams per year between 1900 and 2000.
Extrapolating the development until 2050 under four different scenarios, Bouwman's group has found that this increase is likely to continue under the two scenarios characterised by a reactive approach to environmental problems, while drastic changes in agricultural management would be necessary to stop and reverse it, as exemplified in the two scenarios with a pro-active approach to environmental problems. "The latter scenarios portray a rapid increase in agricultural efficiency, better integration of animal manure in agricultural systems, particularly in industrialised countries, and recycling of human urine as a fertiliser," Bouwman explains.
If the nitrogen budget surplus in soils is allowed to increase further, reactive nitrogen will accumulate in surface and coastal waters, warns Bouwman, and stimulate plant growth, decomposition and burial. Such eutrophication may have several negative consequences, such as loss of biodiversity, harmful algal blooms, including toxic ones, and hypoxia.
Regional imbalances
While some participants in the nitrogen cycle, such as the N2O released into the atmosphere, are mobile on a global scale and contribute to global problems, the soil and freshwater nitrogen budget is more of a regional issue, as the anthropogenic changes and their environmental impacts can be different in different regions.
As the runoff from farmland into the freshwater system is a key aspect of the regional budget, Gilles Billen from the CNRS at Paris advocates analysis on the basis of watershed regions, i.e. the areas that drain into a given river basin. Billen's group has conducted detailed studies of the nitrogen budget in the Seine and Scheldt watersheds, and have compared these to work covering the Mississippi, Ebro, and Hong rivers.
In order to characterise the nitrogen balance of individual watersheds, Billen's group introduced the concept of anthropogenic nitrogen autotrophy and heterotrophy. When the territory produces more food and feed (expressed in terms of fixed nitrogen) than it requires to sustain its population and livestock, it is described as autotroph, while in the reverse case it is described as heterotroph (i.e. it has to import fixed nitrogen to feed the inhabitants).
Furthermore, the researchers compared the anthropogenic nitrogen input with the amount of nitrogen fixed naturally and identified those watersheds where the anthropogenic input equals or exceeds natural production. "Watersheds that pass this symbolic threshold only cover 43% of the continental area, but they account for 84% of the global man-made output of reactive nitrogen," Billen explains. Many of these regions are also imbalanced in terms of the autotrophy/heterotrophy assessment, Billen says.
Analysis of the five river basins studied in detail shows that over the last 50 years, the Seine and Mississippi basins have become more autotrophic (self sufficient or exporting in terms of nitrogen in food and feed, helped by intensive farming and synthetic fertiliser), while the Ebro and Scheldt basins have become more heterotrophic, reflecting their specialisation in animal farming supported by feed imports from distant areas.
"The challenge of providing to all humans on the planet the diet they desire will undoubtedly require more directly reconnecting crop production and livestock farming and localising agricultural production and consumption," Billen concludes. "The idea that solving the problems of our hungry planet by further intensifying agriculture in the most productive regions of the world and by developing commercial trade of agricultural products should be considered with great caution," he warns.
Oceanic uncertainties
Nitrates and nitrites that escape the denitrification processes in the soils and wetlands will eventually end up in the coastal waters of the oceans, so it is important to understand what effects they may have there.
Maren Voss from the Leibniz Institute of Baltic Sea Research at Warnemünde, Germany, reported new findings regarding the oceanic nitrogen budget at the Royal Society meeting, but also emphasized remaining uncertainties over crucial processes surrounding the marine biogeochemistry of nitrogen compounds.
Denitrification in the oceans is strongly regulated by oxygen concentrations and also intertwined with the cycling of other elements, including carbon and phosphorus, implying that human alterations of the nitrogen cycling has major consequences for other biogeochemical processes and ecosystem functions and services, Voss says.
Recent research has uncovered an apparent imbalance in the nitrogen budget of the oceans, which isn't completely understood yet and may point to additional processes that remain to be discovered. The traditional view that bacterial denitrification is the only significant process removing oxidised nitrogen species from the oceans had to be revised after the discovery of anammox (anaerobic ammonia oxidation) and of denitrifying eukaryotes in tropical waters. Similarly, recent discoveries have also broadened the range of organisms involved in nitrogen fixation in the oceans.
Climate change is closely linked to the marine nitrogen balance, as changes in water temperature and the distribution of dissolved gases are likely to perturb the natural cycles. Conversely, the oceans are a major emitter of N2O, accounting for around 30% of the global balance of this compound, which acts as a strong greenhouse gas in the troposphere.
Oxygen-deficient zones in the oceans are of particular interest for the nitrogen balance, because only they can produce a net depletion of reactive nitrogen species. Stoichiometric calculations predict that complete anaerobic removal of organic matter of typical composition should lead to 71% of nitrogen being removed by denitrification and 29% by anammox. However, several studies in such zones in the Arabian Sea have found either much smaller proportions of denitrification or none at all. "There are several alternative explanations for this apparent deviation from theory, but as yet there is no consensus on this issue," says Voss.
"There are still major uncertainties in our understanding of the oceanic cycling of nitrogen," Voss concludes. These affect important issues such as the imbalances in nitrogen input and removal and their effects on ecosystems and biodiversity as well as the release of N2O and the mutual influences between the nitrogen cycle and climate change. In short, we are upsetting a system that we are only beginning to understand.
Most of the excess nitrogen from agriculture ends up in coastal waters and has to be denitrified there. "Up to now it seems that the human load is largely removed," says Voss. "However, when they turn anoxic — a phenomenon often observed along eutrophied coasts — this service of the system may be lost. In a consequence we would upload all the reactive nitrogen to the marine system."
Towards better management
At the satellite meeting on policy implications, experts attempted to tie up all the very diverse effects of human activity on the global and regional nitrogen cycles into a report with policy recommendations, which they aim to release in time for the Planet Under Pressure meeting in March.
"In essence it will call for a global approach to manage nitrogen that recognizes both its critical role in world food security and its polluting effects on air, land and water, from local to global scales," says Mark Sutton from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology at Edinburgh, who co-organised both meetings. "Finding agreement on better management of nitrogen in agriculture is a key challenge, especially as the global market for crop and animal products is often cited as a reason for not investing in clean nitrogen technologies."
Policy recommendations are also included in the European Nitrogen Assessment, edited by Sutton, Billen, Erisman and others (available as a book or as PDF files from http://www.nine-esf.org/ENA-Book). The document lists five key threats relevant in Europe, namely to water quality, air quality, greenhouse balance, ecosystems and biodiversity, and soil quality. It also recommends seven actions to change policies and management practices in agriculture (improving nitrogen use efficiency in crop production and in animal production, and increasing nitrogen value of manure) transport and industry (reducing emissions), wastewater treatment (recycling nitrogen from wastewater systems) and consumption patterns (energy and transport saving and reducing the consumption of animal protein).
The fact that the complexity of the issue even exceeds climate change, which has already proven a hard sale at the policy front, appears to be the biggest hurdle. As Jan Willem Erisman put it: "We might consider a nitrogen equivalent of the 2 degrees threshold."


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PUMA News Archive
August 2012
Battle of Giants
August 09, 2012
June 2012
A Street Art Explosion in Brick Lane
June 12, 2012Our obsession with street art around the globe has led us everywhere from the back alleys of Granada to the inner circle of Berlin's true graffiti pioneers. To wrap up this street art series, we couldn't think of a better hood to profile than the very nerve centre of London's rich and diverse urban art scene: Brick Lane.
May 2012
In Granada, Graffiti Rules the Streets
May 08, 2012Here in Spain, we prefer a side of eye-popping street art with our historical landmarks.
April 2012
Berlin Street Art: After Hours with SAM Crew
April 13, 2012For us, art isn't just something you see on a gallery wall. In Berlin, it's part of the urban landscape, and no night of underground sport is complete without seeing the latest street art.
Brazilian Graffiti Goes Global
April 03, 2012Fierce, colourful and undeniably authentic, graffiti street art is what's up all over the world. Whether we're coming home from another long night out in Paris, stumbling around the boroughs of New York City, or meeting up with our teammates in Berlin, what better backdrop for our adventures than street art brilliance? So when the legendary Brazilian graffiti artist Anarkia invited us to roll with her as she painted her latest mural, we were on it.
March 2012
Yaam - A Little Bit of Jamaica in Berlin
March 22, 2012From Iron Curtain to Tropical Paradise. Now That's Progress, Berlin.

subset: commoncrawl


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Social Networking for Fashion Doll Lovers
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Here's the deal. You need to separate the Save and Cancel buttons -- and the Save button needs to be in the far right corner, not the Cancel button.Here is the screen I'm talking about:http://i.imgur.com/F7fOW.pngIf someone is using RTM's Share function and hits "Cancel" instead of "Save", the ***ONLY*** difference they're going to see between a successful "Save" action and a "Cancel"-ed action is the "task added" pop-up text.I know this from personal experience, as if you are using a thumb instead of a finger, it is far too easy to cancel your action instead of posting it.And the righthand corner is the "sweet spot". Any corner of any screen is a "sweet spot" because of targeting. You really don't want to waste the righthand corner on a CANCEL action.Frankly, I'd rearrange that screen to be first cancel, then the plus-lines button, then the save button. That way, you've given the "sweet spot" righthand corner to the default action of saving, and you've put some space between the save button and the dangerous cancel button.Please do this. As it currently is, you've got a bad user-interface bug there.
Posted at 1:07pm on March 9, 2012
wcitypoe,Thanks for your feedback; I've passed this along to our development team for review.
Posted 1 year ago


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Anvil Unisex Heavyweight Ringer Tee (More Styles...)
Anvil heavyweight 100% pre-shrunk cotton t-shirt with contrasting collar and sleeves. Has a regular fit and retro look making it great for teams. Sizes: SM-2XL
Mens & Unisex Jump to: Tees Long Sleeve Tanks Sweatshirts Juniors / Women's Fitted Kids & Babies Accessories Description: In playing cards, a suit is one of several categories into which the cards of a deck are divided. Most often, each card bears one of several symbols showing to which suit it belongs; the suit may alternatively or in addition be indicated by the color printed on the card. Most card decks also have a rank for each card and may include special cards in the deck that belong to no suit, often called jokers. Western card decks use hearts, clubs, spades, and diamonds as the suits. Search: KING OF HEARTS, SUITS, CARDS, POP-ART
More designs in THE GRIFFIN PASSANT STREETWEAR-BUILT FOR SPEED


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Reader S
☆☆☆ Welcome to Reader S! ☆☆☆
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Welcome to my website. I make music in a wide variety of styles from experimental music in concert halls to fiddle tunes in the subways. You can listen to examples by clicking on the "mp3" link to the left. See below for upcoming events, links to purchase cds and watch videos and (down at the bottom) my artistic statement. You can now download my first CD, 7th Ave, from bandcamp by clicking here. Or if you would prefer a hard copy you can click here. On April 4, 2014 I will be bringing String Power back to The Tea Lounge (837 Union St., Park Slope Brooklyn) for a 9pm set. I'm working on new material for this 12 piece string ensemble- including a violin concerto for myself. I was the in-house violinist and pianist at the historic Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone Park from June 14 to July 8, 2012 and July 18 to August 12, 2013. I played solo performances 5 nights a week. It was an incredible experience playing at such a beautiful and amazing place and I met many wonderful people there and I'm happy to report that I will be returning this summer June 13 to July 7, 2014! Click here to watch my concert Becoming Human on youtube. I was very lucky to have such great musicians joining me on this project. The show took place May 20, 2012 at PS217 in Brooklyn and was funded, in part, by a grant from the Brooklyn Arts Council Creative Arts Fund. I'm very excited about Brood of Bau, a collaboration I did with the amazing $.99 Dreams. It is out now after nearly a year in the making.
In 2010 I edited and recorded the music for my family's home movies from the 60's, 70's and 80's.
In May 2011 at The Stone I presented an eclectic concert of (mostly) solo pieces written for 9 fantastic musician friends of mine. Click here to watch it on youtube. I played on guitarist/composer Aram Bajakian's great new album, Aram Bajakian's Kef, which is out now on Tzadik and is getting great reviews. Click here to read one. Click here to watch a funny promotional film from the '60's that I composed new music for. Click here to watch a video about my life as a subway musician. Click here to watch a video of a performance of my new piece Suspensions of Disbelief, by the Detour New Music Ensemble at Galapagos Art Space in Brooklyn. We had a very successful second performance of my concert, The Real (?) Me at Roulette on March 19, 2010. Gelsey Bell did an outstanding performance of This is the Real Me, which I wrote in collaboration with Gelsey. Lee Todd Lacks did a bang up job with the hatemail piece, Your (so called) 'Music' and Matt Crane and I tore it up on some improvised duo extrapolations of themes from This is the Real Me. Click here to read an interview about that concert. Click here to read program notes and see videos from the November 15 performance of this concert. I perform with folk musician Andrew James Jr., my own 12 piece group String Power (to hear samples and become a fan click here!), the violin/percussion duo Golden Crackers and in various other solo and ensemble contexts. I can also be heard busking in the NYC subway stations. My Artistic Statement: I am continually searching for my own way to combine all of the vastly different types of music I have played into one personal style. But music is about much more than any individual person. For me, music is about connection between musicians, between musician and composer, between musician and audience and between every person that has created music throughout human existence. Music is organic. A tune takes on increasing layers of meaning every time it is played. People may have completely opposing interpretations depending on what associations they have with a particular piece or style. Any assessments of the quality of a musical style are subjective. Everyone values music differently, depending on their experience. I want people to feel as though they have been taken somewhere when I play. I want to challenge people; this is when they are moved. Otherwise the music becomes like wall paper, in the background and not really noticed. But at the same time, music can be like a foreign language; you might appreciate the sound of it for a moment but you tune it out after a while because you cannot understand. Either way nothing is being communicated. I know what is like to move people with music. This feeling is immensely rewarding and when this happens, when people are genuinely affected by music, it is because both musician and audience are so engaged that they forget their egos and tap into something greater. The person in the audience, the musician on stage and the composer are all joined together and become part of music's endless stream.-Tom Swafford 2007 |
Copyright © 2007 Tom Swafford All rights reserved. Designed by Tony Greaves |


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I wasn't gonna say a word... cuz I haven't any room to talk!
Discussion on My Zam so far.... within the Zam Wesell Costume forum, part of the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy Bounty Hunters category; I wasn't gonna say a word... cuz I haven't any
I wasn't gonna say a word... cuz I haven't any room to talk!
dang becky...you should be finished...all the hard stuff seems done! looks great
okay john and becky...
here is a question i have for you...cut all my squares and getting ready to punch holes...thought id test dye a couple scraps for fun...
how long did you have to have your pieces in the dye minimum to get any resemblence of purple? I tried 1 tsp of red and 1 tsp of violet...put it in for 1/2 hour and its still brownish....looks good for the brownish red squares but nothing for purplish ones...
i deglazed the piece first...not that it needed it but i did....soaked it in water and im patiently waiting for a change
any suggestion cause im starting to think leather paint
getting better results with longer time frame! yippee!!!!
JD, I think it would depend on the leather colour to start with? Mine was was creamy pale.
the more dye you put into the batch the quicker it takes. The longer you leave it in the darker it gets.
Wetting them with water and then airbrushing does give a quicker more controllable result though.....?
Hooray! Getting closer!
Here are my shin gauntlets. I discovered the fact a pencil eraser can give a great weathered look to the shin edges. I used black wax shoe scuf cover, mixed in with leather balm, for the final weathering
Ones weathered, the other isn't so you can see the difference
Really coming along nicely!!!
Ok we need to make the vest, spray the belt. Fix eyelets, glue things and ... well... we are finished!!!!
Tried the bodysuit on today and its nearly finished hehehehe !!! Im soooo excited!!
How exciting!!!! Can't wait to see the finished costume! You're gonna look great!
Love the new avatar too!!!
keep up the good work! it feels good to have the body suit done doesnt it...really makes the progress feel earned!
Thanx for the compliment on the Avatar! John took the photo hehehe i was like "coooool neon stuff!" LOL
Yeah too right JD its such a relief to see its nearly finished!!!
We just completed the boots today. We used magnets to hold the toe guars on and a nut and bolt to hold the spikes into the guard. This baby isnt coming off!!! LOL
Also the helmet is totally finished with Veil heheh - we again used magnets as i dont have to struggle to clip or fasten anything to put the veil across, it fastens itself hehe.
One more important thing knocked on the head today....the harness to hold it all together. fully adustable and also able to be cliped out of so you can pee without it falling off you. Very important
'Accurate' looking hinge LOL, accurate black elastic brace but my addition and idea of a circular waist harness to help straighten and stabilise the lower abdomen parts. Don't know if anyone has done one of these?
The leather sqaures will be stitched onto the neoprene pants. Then the harness attaches with dungaree clips. 2 in front, one at the back. The harness is designed to be totally concealed by the vest, so we'll need to make 4 small cuts in that to slyly weave the harness around Becky. 2 for the chest plates. Then a further 2 for the circular waist harness. (each side of the zip)
Adjustable circular harness helps straighten the lower things (adjustable both sides) and keeps them in place as Becky jumps about
I wasn't going to say anything...
Can I ask where you got that hose??? It looks fantastic!!!!!
Actually MonCal came up with a harness system too... similar to yours but not exactly the same. He posted some pics here someplace... I bought my webbing and stuff already, just need to get it sewn together now!
looks good john and becky...seems too complicated though...dont really understand how you will get it all hooked up once the vest is on? im sure im just not seeing your vision
i still think im going with velcro on the back of the ab piece...i do like the suspender idea to hold the top in place though...i could see attaching the single to the back of the pants then over the shoulder and through holes in the top of the vest and connecting to the chest armor...makes sense to me...thats what we are going for as well...just with velcro to hold it in place on the ab plate....
btw...love the magnet idea for the veil...did you just sew it into the side of the veil both ways to hold it in place?
I'm not sure where the hose from originally. It was in the box of love I got from Qui Gon Ludo a while back. It's painted like that to exagerate the ribs
JD, yeah mate. Find a good matching thread. The magnet is attached with a criss cross stitch. When you come through to the public side of the veil, you just double back on yourself by about 1mm and go back in to make the criss cross. I can hardly see the sticthes.
The straps that end leather panels are the more permenant ones. The others attach with little slits in the vest. 2 are needed for the chest panels, the other 2 are low down behind the ad panel. The ab panel has a harness the goes through the vest, around your waist and clips on the back.
Finished my boots/shins today
Just need to dirty up the purple panel a little to look weathered.
Hands up who loves magnets I've done this to stop them from riding up when you walk.
I hadn't thought of that.... pretty good idea! ... I'm thinking you're too smart for your own good Becky!
How much more do you have to do?
Man this is awesome.
magnets are very cool...i again used velcro for the same purpose...
Thanks guys
Not much left to do at all really. I don't Becky realises how close she is now.
We're waiting for the undersuit to come back (that's just being alterred) and the vest too. Then that's it. Nothing left to build, just paint/spray
Spray belt and vest
Spray greeblie straps
Make the leg greeblie strap
Find a cool way to attch the hoses
Sit back an enjoy
Don't say that.... something will break or fall off... Or you'll be unhappy with something and want to re-do it.
And don't forget, once you're done, it's time for upgrades!
Can't wait to see the pics!
ahhhh...the world of upgrades...doing some already and jamie never even wore it yet..LOL
When not cruising in an S speeder, I've often wondered what a kick butt colour co-ordinated female bounty hunter would carry her rifle in...?
Then i thought, hmm maybe something like this?
This was made from the first set of neoprene I got my hands on. too thick and way too pale. nice to make a gun bag out of though. Sewing with neoprne is like trying to sew jelly.
I've left Becky with the option of a handle of putting her own strap on if needed. I'd better re-phrase that :shock:
I've also added sunglass lenses to Becky's scopes. That way you get a nice curve. Curved lenses look cool
I know one time at Dragon Con, didn't someone try and sew jelly or something?Sewing with neoprne is like trying to sew jelly
That's a really cool idea though - to protect the rifle!
Sounds like one time at Trooper Camp.....
Really guys you cant see the awesomeness of the lenses here, they are just like the cherry on the top of the cake!!!! Really i think my rifle is the most amazing thing ive ever seen and to think what it started out as!!! Its a real beast of a thing - heavy but i will be carrying it around until i drop!!! LOL
I really need the rifle bag too to stop me from being arrested!!! It looks so REAL!
I tried my bodysuit on at the week end but it is still too baggy and i am a bit fat for it i think LOL!!!!!!! Going to collect it this coming week end where it may finally hit me that i actually have, all thanx to John ... a top notch Zam costume. TY hun!!!! x *hug*
cool idea for the case....and did you say youre too fat for the undersuit...
unfortunatley the stretch material is none too forgiving for the ladies, but i think fat may be an aweful strong word dontcha think?
Yeah... I think you've got a keeper there... The costume and the guy!
When you get the whole thing together.. we want pics!!!
Well i think my undersuit is done!!!!!! Its just the finishing touches on the vest and then spray that and the belt together then .... all..... finnished ..... ...............
Its sooooooo tight tho my arms wont bend very well hahahaha!!!! Awesome job the seamstress has done tho she really took a lot of time and effort with it! My legs look a bit chunky but he the skirt will cover most hahah
What do you need to move your arms for??? Stop yer whining and get some pictures posted! We want to see it!
Eeeeeek - i just broke a seam lol. Im go too excited hahaha Have to take it back Wednesday and get it restitched. Its not very forgiving of my pear shape esecially as it squashes my boobs loads LOL!! I did take a pic tho - ill just have to host it etc
Come on Beks.
I'm dying to see a finished pic!! 8)
Pic of the bodysuit ... yes .. i have huge hips and thighs but hey i look thin-ish-er from the side Not very flattering but hey i have a big rifle to go with my big hips so anyone say anything, i swear youre getting see it firsthand (the gun not my legs lol)
That looks fantastic..! Wow!!!! What are you complaining about girl!??!
*John... please take that zam rifle and hit her upside the head.. Thank you!*
That is an awesome body-suit. Get the seam fixed (where-ever-it-is? and get the rest of the gear on and you're gonna be one kick-butt Zam!!! Can't wait to see the whole ensemble now!
Did you see that they announced the Celebration Europe Costume Contest?? Better get entered!!!
girl, have you lost your mind....????
that came out awesome...looks real good...stop making bad comments about yourself...lycra, spandex, neoprene....not a girls best friend but you pull it off just fine!
I love how all you girls take these undersuit shots with your head cut off...LOL
like we don't know it's you or something...too funny
Matching nail varnish too!
Looking great girl!
yeah I think it looks pretty cool on her too. We had a tough time getting the seamstress to make it thinner on Becky. We must have been back and forth about 10 times now. But yesterday she said, stuff it if you have time stay here, try it on I'll alter it, try it on, I'll alter it until Becky has what she has now.
she will fix it, I could fix it but her machine is way way better than any I've seen. Flies through fabric.
The vest is almost done too I've cut that out for her (she was too scared) and we stiched some of it. atm it's held at teh shoulders and stuck together with cellotape.
Should be done by Wednesday I think....hooray!!!
I don't know if anyone has ever made gloves before but I certainly havent!
Becky has gloves for her Zam anyway but I had a bit of white pig skin left over and decided to make a nice set of gloves for her. So soft and comfy, they're great.
Here's my first and proably last effort at making gloves.
Very complicated things. Especially with no pattern
They should look cool sprayed
yup..gloves are not easy thats for sure...when i redid my anakin rubies gauntlet that was bad enough trying to get it back together...thats why i grabbed the ones from the department store here...i though i sent you guys a pair? those are the ones i used
yep you sent a pair, thanks. Just felt I'd use up the spare pig skin
Where did you get the materials for the harness?
Hi Cressie (I'm John's, Becky's better fraction) the harness is just 1inch webbing and then the same thickness black elastic sewn in sections to help it stretch around her.
The leather panel bits are left over sections that came from Tandy for he skirt etc.
You can find that kind of stuff on ebay or in any habberdashery (great word). Usually sold in metres
oh yes, tomorrow sees the final steps in Becky's Zam. I'm off to the seamstress to finish the vest then it's back here to spray them all and put the eyelets in. I'll wait for Friday to airbrush them all when Becky's here
How exciting. I don't she realises how close she is . He he
Getting closer
All holes punched and I didn't fancy a headless horseman type photo so I can only hope it looks as good on Becky as it does on me
All that's left to do now is cut holes for the hoses and harness thingy, spray this, the belt and a spare set of gloves and she's a good un. he he heeeeee
You look lovely John.
The vest looks great too btw! Think it'll look better on Becky though! I'm excited to see the whole thing put together!
wow john...that hot!
vest does look killer..is that only one layer of pigskin?
Ta. Yep, it's only one layer JD.
I sat up late last night and thought stuff it, I'm finishing this. It's only one layer and atm laced together with thick sewing thread to get the idea. It should fit Becky nice as the lady in the shop is a similar size. She just helped me put the shoulder things on and then I did the rest.
It's folded back on itself where the rivet eyelts are and the rest of it is just facing that's glued back on itself. Seamstress' idea, and it's a good one!
well it looks fantastic in the pictures...i know from what ive seen in the dcb disk the vest does appear to have a lot more weight to it...a much thicker material than the 2 oz pigskin i bought...it also seams to have two layers to it..it just seems to be more like my motorcycle vest in thickness in the pictures...i too went with one layer and folded the edges back on themself and glued them...looks good but i think i may have a professional leather maker do one up for jamie some day that is a heavier weight and that has a more solid look to it
I dunno if it is 2 layers see. I'll have to look again.
It looks like its folded back on itself to help strengthen the eyelet line and seams but I dunno. Ours looks cool anyway so I'm happy with that
ya me too...i think the one we have going is plenty good for now...im thinking upgrades...if you check pictures....
4218 and 4360 you can actually see the stitching that holds the two layers together olong the eyelet area...i had orginally thought of sewing two layers together suede sides out and then reversing the material before sewing the whole vest pieces together...I may still try that on a second run vest when i get the extra cash to try an upgrade...
I think there is some padding in the vest above the bustline ... could that be what you're seeing as well JD? It makes it appear much heavier than a regular vest.
Not so Purple? Ever Wondered?
As John lives a way from me and as i didnt have all of the costume with me (no bodysuit, vest, greebs, cumberbund) after seeing the vest pics i got excited!!!!
Now i wanted to try it all on, but i didnt have it all and the bodysuit is a pretty important part Re: Coverage n all LOL
Anyway i have a black suit ive used for Catwoman and Black Cat so i thought what the hey!
I actually quite like it!!!
But i am worrying because i was getting quite hot and thats without the neoprene and layers of leather!!! lol
LOL MM and hey girl the less "padding" i can get away with the better!!!
Oh yeah and i dont have 1 eye lower than the other lol, i need to pad the helmet on 1 side as it falls down funny. (maybe i have a lop sided head haha)
Wow! That looks super cool! What a changling you are! Love the black vinyl. Zam stealth! Gotta pm qui gon ludo and ask about the hoses... Oh, and pshaw! John, great lookin vest. If you use a piece of leather as a reinforcement for the hoses to attach then you won't have to worry about it falling off, because the back connectors screw in. Just make sure that the holes aren't too big in the vest so that it doesn't slip off by accident.
Thanx hun!!! Means a lot from you! Oh and hey because im nearly finished i thought i better try and see what ID's were avaliable, Guess the first one i tried!!!! Gutted !!! ZamW LOL. We must think the same
That is awesome! Wooo-Hoo!!! Actually looks pretty cool with the black suit too...
Did you sign up for the costume contest yet? Huh?? Did Ya??
Yes ZIA - if you find out about those hoses.. please give a holler!!
Ah yes. I was wonderring where the other one was last week. I think Becky's lost it. Can you imagine how hurt she's gonna be if that's the case. LOL
The vest is ' hanging' atm. I'm hoping to get the creases out of it. Nightmare for that. We'll spray it later/tomorrow. That with the belt and gloves and it's a rap
hmmmm...dont know what to say becky, other than...meowwwww!! that is hot!
cat woman zam...now there is a concept i like!
patiently waiting an update on the finished beczam....
First time its all on and i felt like i was in a straight jacket all over LOL. How cool though to finally be a Zam. I saw it in the mirror for the first time and kinda couldnt believe it was me. Needs bits tweaking still as my hand plates kept falling off (we just stuck em on with tape for the photos)
Thanx you all sooooooo much for being here and posting up all the info and links and sources and advice for this costume over the years and years ive been trying to do it. Without you guys this would either have never been possible or would have taken years longer!!!
If anyone sees anything that could do with changing or improving then let me know, for example the hoses, we need to work those out better. The tension pushes the vest outwards. So how did you guys fix that?
Weight of the blaster on the belt, pulling down etc. How have others fixed that?
wow...looooooking good becky!!! I think you guys did a great job...as far as the hand guards...try some industrial strength velcro..thats what jamie and i used...as far as the hose issue...maybe some sort of snap on the inside near the hose connects to the under suit? on a second layer of leather in the inside? and maybe just a small wire from the holster to the skirt belt may help with the weight of the blaster and holster? just some quick ideas...
Absolutely A-W-E-S-O-M-E!
I'm sure a lot of blood/sweat/tears were put into that costume but it's wonderful. Great job!
This costume is renowned for being like a chameleon under different lights. Film set on Coruscant doesn't really help. I see what they mean now as there's no way it's that blue in places. LOL
Yay! What a glorious site! You better enter the costume contest at celebration and make us proud!
back handplates ~ the real thing has loops jb welded or E6000 glued on the back with sewing to keep them down. Industrial velcro is just a quick fix, not permanent enough. There is bendable wire that you can insert into the hoses to try to keep the shape, but moncal prolly has a better solution, as mine still don't bend right. More foam in the back of the vest to make it sit better around the arm holes. Foam on the back of the ankle gaurds, they will dig into the boot/ankle, and hurt like all get up. You might want to have a hard 8-10 oz. piece of leather to "back the cumberbund" in order to keep the pressure off.
ive used industrial velcro on the handplates on both my stormtrooper and my clone trooper and have trooped many troops in both...it has not budged and is still solid...you have to make sure you scrape up the area where they will stick to the glove so they have a good place to adhere...i also have placed a few tacks with thread around the edges of the piece on the gloves...it will not come off the handplate...the loop idea is a good one, as i started out with that on my stormtrooper. the only problem with that is i didnt like the way the loop felt on the palm of my hand and made my freedowm of hand movment somewhat limited, plus i was always pulling it into place as it would slide out of position a lot...if i understand ZIA's suggestion...
I was also thinking of putting a piece of heavy duty coat hanger inside the hose to hold the shape, but i thought you were curious how to keep the vest down so it wouldnt lift off your torso from the pull of the hose...i suppose the coathanger idea would help in that regard too
Last edited by JDFett; Jul 2, 2007 at 9:24 AM.
I agree with JD... I've used industrial strength velcro on my trooper handplates and on my Fett armor for years now and never had an issue. Industrial strength stuff is much stronger than people give it credit for.
Absolutely awesome! Now if I can just get my wife into SW costuming.
The pull off your torso hel;ps if the vest sits really tight on your torso. It doesn't lift off of me but does Becky.
Padding with foam may help?
YEEEEHAWWW!!! Congratulations Becky on a job well done!! You're a Zam now!!
Sure, there will be some tweaking to do... and things will always need to be glued/velcro-ed/snapped down... but YOU DID IT!!!!
You better be in that costume contest girl! Or you won't hear the end of it!!
Nonono, a metal loop under the handgaurds and thumbguards for sewing stitches on, like the ref shots. Sorry I didn't clarify ~ I have had industrial velcro on my zam handgaurds and thumbpiece and twice the thumbgaurds have fallen off. I can see the handgaurds not falling off because of the larger surface area, but I am now missing my thumb pieces. This is not the same as storm trooper handplates cause the thumb gaurds are small, and will fall /get knocked off a lot easier. Also, when it gets hot, your industrial velcro glue will slide a little and more problems with the thumb gaurds. I am NOT talking about an elastic loop around the handplates like troopers. I don't compare stuff with trooper stuff, because most of the stuff is on Zam is not vacformed. All of my imput is from what would be normally used on a Zam costume. Beck's handgaurds happen to be vac'd, but everything else is not. To be uber safe, it would be great to have both. Tacking loop and stitches on handguards and thumbguards. Also be prepared to lose your toe spikes, maybe not the toe guard (I don't know,the magnets are good for somethings, don't know how strong it will last for the toe gaurds-you'd be surprised how many times you kick things without knowing it), but the spikes will break - unless it is bendable resin or a foam. I feel like retiring, I have done sooo many events (more than 12) with my Zam. I am really really into durability/stability. And those are some of the first things to go. That and the hoses popping off the top. I think there is a screw in type method that you can use on the actual hose to keep it locked in. Oh, your mock hood shifting, now that would be a great place to use a piece of small velcro on both sides, so that it doesn't fly out towards one shoulder and get twisted.
Nothing is worse than after your first major convention, you lose 1/2 of your parts that you worked so hard on. Dragon con 03? Was my first and after about $3000 worth of work, half of my stuff needed repairs. I was mortified. I called it battle damage, but thank goodness I carried a repair kit on me. I am not knocking industrial velcro, it has saved me more times than you can imagine. But I am talking about "long haul" costuming. Perma-stuff so as not to worry about malfunctions in the future. Super glue and a heat gun is also your friend.
Last edited by Zam I Am; Jul 4, 2007 at 9:40 AM.
Thanks Yvonne
We used poppers on her stuff in the end.
Becky wasn't too happy with gloves I made so she has 2 until I fix them. So I thought poppers would be better as then she can swap the over.
They won't fall off as these poppers mean buisness! all the greeblies have them now too. Very thin clear plastic poppers. Good things
It's just the hose issue left to sort out now.
she'll waer it for the first time this weekend (if she doesn't pee herself in excitment first) so any tweaks will be raised then.
It's good someone like you, sho's done it a million times can say what will go wrong
I remember DC 2003.... Besides the heat issue.. You had issues with parts falling off or breaking! But you still looked awesome! You were a bounty hunter so of course you had battle damage!
Yeah, all the issues above I mentioned happened plus my blaster barrel fell off, and my helmet tabs broke at D'c 03.
Nope In all seriousness, I am rarely sarcastic. When he said plastic poppers, it threw me off, most of the zam "poppers" were metal, with the exception of ones that were unseen ~ Most of us can't see them to know if they actually used plastic ones, so it wouldn't have made that much of a difference. Example: back of the shin gaurds were metal snaps. So now I know, poppers are snappity snaps thanks. I'm used to "poppers" meaning an appetizer that is bitesize and "pops" into your mouth. Yum, jalepeno poppers !
Last edited by Zam I Am; Jul 4, 2007 at 10:46 PM.
Yep, poppers, press studs. Tomato, tomato lol
These little things.
The ones we used were 15mm. (smaller for the thumb plate) They're very flat, hand sewn and seem to hold up well
im assuming you epoxied one to the back of the plates and sewed the other to the gloves?
Yep. That's the beauty of these things. glue on one side (they've got a large surface area and are plastic anyway) and sew to the other.
how many did you do for the hand plates? im guess maybe three and then two for the thumb?
I was wondering what the heck "poppers" were too!! But was too ashamed to ask!
Great idea!!! Thanks for sharing that!!! s
hey ZIA, could you throw me a picture reference number...im curious as ive checked the disk i got and cant find any shots of the way the handguards are attached...thanks
they are in there somewheres. I used industrial velcro, but they did sew it or punctured it through with a wire.
ah yes DSC0439, good spot pet
Ah well, too late now. LOL
The only reason I used poppers was just incase we needed to put them onto another glove.
I used 4. 2 for each bit. the thumb bits are smaller though. So I used 2 sizes in all
2 large ones for the hands and then a smaller one plus a tiny tiny baby little one to keep the thumb bit level
Oh, Yvonne, thanks for losing all street cred and making a total fool of yourself by walking into Tandy's with a Zam standee. LOL. Ace dedication
Tomorrow is Becky's Zam debut............................................
Watch it all fall apart now
dont jinx yoursleves! LOL good luck becky!!!
ZIA, i saw those pics when looking but they really arn't totally decisive on the method. i almost kindof looks like someone epoxied some pins to the back of the handplates and then used the pin to go through the glove...like those flat back pin backs you can get...that may be another option if the velcro doesnt hold, but like i said...never had a problem and my stormtrooper gloves where the same way...velcro to the glove and velcro to the abs...worked great regardless of the hot temp in the costume
Last edited by JDFett; Jul 6, 2007 at 12:42 PM.
We'll all be cheering for you Becky!! Good luck tomorrow!!!
Don't feel too bad ZIA... last time I was at Tandy, the guy asked me what I was working on and I told him a Zam Wesell costume. He looked at me blankly. I said a Star Wars costume. He still looked blank and informed me he never watched Star Wars! He probably thought the heat had finally gotten to me... only 115 that day!
Actually, I find that snaps are really awesome for many other parts too ~ never used plastic poppers, but are a little more permanent too with the added "removable" quality. Great idea. I never used sanps for the hand plates or thumbguards. I wish I could've saved my thumbguards by using snaps instead of using industrial velcro. I used metal snaps (although the real costume used magnets for some pieces) for alot of the my pieces and they have stayed well - my chest plating top back, my 5 greeblies, the shinguards, hmmm, can't remember what else, don't understand why I didn't use snaps for the thumbguards and handplates... Would've made sense to, right?
Oh, btw, if you have poppers and if they act like the metal snaps, you shouldn't have any worries. Good Luck with tomorrow! Or is it today for all of you Uk'ers? Just make sure to have her jump around and act like a nut ~ that's always a good costuming parts test.
Oh since you said that you might be using another set of gloves ~ You might want to stay with the poppers idea. I think I remember doing a test with pins and sewing it with the glove on my first set - and my problem with durability for costume wearing was that I didn't sew it correctly and the threads came lose, and there was an "unevenness" and felt funny as I tried to lay the handguard flat on top of the glove, the hand plate was more straight than curved so it couldn't "hide" the pins as well. Also, my first set of gloves were too thin and I was afraid they would rip under the stress. Or, you could have it better fastened than I did and use the pins next time fer accuracy
I like that there are more options for fastening things, but one thing is for sure, I don't think Leeanna put as much stress on her costume as we will have with ours.
Last edited by Zam I Am; Jul 6, 2007 at 4:53 PM.
Becky's first troop went well. Nothing fell off and a few members public told her 'it was just a job' So at least some knew who she was
Amazing to see how your own costume changes in different light!!!!
This makes me think Yvonne got the right neoprene actually. Some look dark, some look pale but I've seen both these tones before
Shawn of the Dead, Yarp guy.
There are a few minor tweaks to do before CE. But nothing major
she is looking great! congrads on your first zam troop...bet there were a ton of ear to ear grins under that veil!
Becky you look AWESOME!!!! !!!!
I bet you never thought this day would come!!! Congratulations girl!!! Both you and John did a fantastic job on costume!!! :thumbup
Now we can't wait to see the pics from Celebration Europe and that costume contest... *nag nag nag*
That is a amazing Zam. It seriously looks awesome. Its nice to hear of nothing going awry on a first troop. Great pics by the way.
That looks awesome! Great job!! And you're right about the comments. It's nice when someone knows who Zam is. Kathy gets a lot of "purple lady" comments or sometimes it's Zam "Weasel"
Seriously though I can understand the relief of finally finishing it and the sense of accomplishment!!
Truly amazed here. It is obvious that "The Sniffer" himself will never do a Zam costume, however, he can admire the talent and beauty from afar. It is always a pleasure to see what comes from this board. Thanks for letting "yours truly" lurk here without giving him the boot! All of you are extremely talented.
The Sniffer Abides . . .
That is one AWESOME looking ZAM! It looks great beside Boba and the stormtroopers. Pair up with a Jango at an event somewhere and you've got a real treat for us Star Wars nuts.
Looks like all the blood, sweat, tears and money paid off.


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Internet: | Wired Internet, Wireless high-speed Internet access (complimentary), Paid wired internet |
Parking: | Paid parking, Paid Parking (limited) |
Airport shuttle: | Airport Transportation (surcharge) |
Rooms: | 15 |
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Never let it be said that horror posters don't strike inspiration. Or maybe it's "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery"? You may have performed one of those double takes here and there for good reason. Poster art (and in [...]
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Film Review: Saw – The Final Chapter – Blu-ray Review (2010)
It is really hard for me to believe that I've been talking about, reporting on and watching SAW films for the last 7 years. The series as a whole has gone through many changes since the ground breaking original chapter. [...]
Book Review: Sixty-Five Stirrup Iron Road - Author Various
March 11th, 2014
Reviewed by: seanofthedead
Category: Book Reviews
Book Review: Dead Hunger 6: The Gathering Storm - Author Eric A. Shelman
March 6th, 2014
Reviewed by: Dave Gammon
Category: Book Reviews
Book Review: Food For Thought - Author Jessica McHugh
February 23rd, 2014
Reviewed by: seanofthedead
Category: Book Reviews
Interview: Bill Oberst Jr. (Coyote - Children of Sorrow - Circus of the Dead)
March 6th, 2014
Interviewed by: Doc Rotten
Interview: Lord Zion - Codirector / Writer (Meet the Cadavers)
March 5th, 2014
Interviewed by: Andrew Hawnt