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Motorola Admiral
Reviewed by chirp_84 (Currently owns)
I was disappointed by David's formal review. He didn't seem to understand that us Nextel users require direct connect. It is sad that this device is being compared to an iPhone, GSII, or Razr. It isn't meant to compete with those flagship devices - noteably the reviewers think it is THAT capable, which is saying something. David did provide some vanilla details. I wish he would have used it for a couple weeks before writing an article about it.
Let's compare apples to apples. I owned an i580, i1, & i686. Because being able to chirp is a mandatory feature in a phone to me. There are many others out there just like me. Sprint is cancelling the Nextel service. That doesn't mean no more chirping, that means no more iDEN network. I hope all future direct connect phones are as good as the Admiral. There is no other chirping phone with a 5 MP camera. There is no other chirping phone with Android 2.3. Unfortunately there is another chirping phone with a 3.1" display - the i1, which sucks. And there is no other standard phone anywhere that gives you 1860 mAh in the battery. I think David owes us a better review.
The Admiral had some chirping issues in the first few weeks but a software maintenance release update hit my phone and now I couldn't be more pleased. It is just crazy to me that I can still chirp as reliably as my i686 but now have 3G speeds and all the features of a true smartphone. Not that i1 crap Motorola was calling a smartphone a couple years ago with Android 1.5 on it.
I posted another review on Sprint's website under the same pseudonym that I didn't want to repeat here, but I hope it helps.
The Breakdown
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- Design 9
- Display 10
- Camera(s) 10
- Reception / call quality 9
- Performance 9
- Software 7
- Battery life 10
- Ecosystem 9


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iOS: UI could use improvement
Whenever I am at school, I see iPhones. Sure, there are a smattering of HTC Androids, some Samsung Androids, and probably due to my proximity to Redmond, nearly an equal amount of Samsung Windows Phones. But for the most part, the dominant phone (besides random feature phones common in teens without jobs or money) is the iPhone. For good reason too: if somebody was to ask me what cell phone they should buy, I would recommend the iPhone 9 out of 10 times, because personal preference notwithstanding, it is fairly intuitive, generally gets the newest/most popular apps first, and most people I know have a general sense of familiarity with it. Until recently, I would have even described it as an attractive UI. However, a tandem of experiences have led me to reconsider that opinion. Here are the changes I would make to iOS to reclaim a leading position in UI against Windows Phone and Ice Cream Sandwich.
The first is the application dock:
The dock reminds me too much of Aero. And not in a good way: what inspired this post was the, in my opinion, welcome changes coming in Windows 8 desktop interface. Just as Metro clashes with the glassy look, the otherwise rounded edges of iOS look completely separated from the dock. Furthermore, the dock does not serve any purpose until you start to use three or more home screens worth of apps, and until then seems like it is simply there to fill space. In OSX, it serves its purpose well, and the apps for the most part are not curved rectangles, so there is not the contrast here. Honestly, as far as I can tell, the only real justifiable reason for the dock is for jailbreaking customization. I understand the intent of providing a bridge between the phone and the desktop, but those are two separate paradigms that do not need to be combined (mind you, this is subjective, and I feel the same way about Launchpad. YMMV). Somethings do not need to be on phones, like recycling bins.
My solution:
An omnipresent, modified multitasking widget. Instead of switching between all your apps (which are already available from the homescreen, it would show your four most recently used apps (as multitasking's first pane already does), with a swipe to the right revealing music settings (including modified ones for music applications). The biggest change is that a swipe to the right would allow for rapid network changing. A button would toggle between data and wifi, and a menu would be available for switching between networks. I made this mock up in two minutes using paint, so hopefully it would look better than that. A subjective improvement: a choice in textures other than the current fabric.
The second would be the difficulty of moving an app from one page to another. I am an anomaly, but it took me 18 months to find out that you can move which page an app is on without utilizing the dock. Still, I think that it would be more accessible if you could drag an app to one of the page indicator dots near the bottom of the home screen and release, sending that app to the page that matches the dot you dropped it on.
The third change that would majorly improve iOS in my opinion would be a consistent app interface. ICS has holo, and WP has metro. Change just for change is worthless, but I think it would be neat if each app had a consistent feel, so that it is not as big of a jump when multitasking. Additionally, I feel that the ability to choose what color the title is between apps would give more of a personality to it (much like the color themes in WP), so that at least in the core apps you do not see a rotation between blue, grey, and green.
For now, these are the only UI improvements I can think of, other than a total redesign of iOS, which is almost certainly not going to occur, widgets which Apple does not really have a taste for, and a weather app which actually changes on the home screen.
Oh, and mobile flash. /s
But I am interested to hear what others think about my ideas, and what your ideas are about how to improve the iOS UI. With Android with the capabilities of iOS, and Windows Phone being IMO more attractive and nearing at least hardware parity with WP8, I cannot think of anything that would compel me to change my phone to an iPhone with my next upgrade other than intuitive UI changes.

subset: commoncrawl


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Winning $1 million lottery ticket sold in the Bronx goes unclaimed
THE BRONX - Someone's chance at $1 million has come and gone.
The owner of a winning lottery ticket sold in the Bronx last year had until Super Bowl Sunday to claim their prize money, but the deadline passed without anyone coming forward.
The ticket was sold at the Future Beauty Supply store on 167th Street and Sherman Avenue.
Read More: Bronx Top Stories
The New York Lottery made a push last week for people to look for any old tickets they may have purchased in an effort to find the winner. It says $65 million went unclaimed last year.


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Our whole family delights in each puppy born at Creekside. Children play an integral role in the socialization and development of the puppies from the time of birth and assist in their care as well as making sure they get plenty of exercise! The puppies are included in all the happenings here on our 26 acres which produces a sound, highly confident, well-adjusted and happy puppy ready to go home and bond with you. We have found that early exposure to many different sensory stimuli within our safe environment affords the puppies an opportunity to develop a high level of confidence and adaptability.
One of our favorite activities to do as a family is to take the puppies on an outing down to the creek. We are blessed to have two creeks bordering our property, one of which is rocky and shallow, which allows us to introduce them to water at a fun and comfortable pace. This is a favorite activity for the puppies as well!
Your Creekside puppy gets LOTS of personalized love and care. We invest a great deal of time working individually with each puppy to make sure the transition to your home is as stress-free as possible for them and you.
We believe that providing high quality nutrition is extremely important in the growth and development of healthy puppies. Creekside puppies are given the best nutritional start possible because we feed a combination of raw and premium adult/puppy formulas with human grade ingredients. Good nutrition both during gestation and after birth is crucial to the foundational building blocks of health that will positively impact your puppy's health for a lifetime.
The raw portion of their diet includes fresh all-natural chicken, beef, lamb, eggs and goat milk produced on our pesticide/chemical free pastures from animals not fed genetically modified ingredients (GMO), antibiotics or hormones.
Our babies are introduced to solid food beginning at 3 weeks of age and are allowed to follow a natural feeding schedule determined by the mother dog which typically results in them being completely weaned by 7 weeks of age.
Data continues to indicate that repeated assaults on the immune systems of pets from unnecessary vaccinations are the source of a myriad of diseases including allergies and cancer. After studying immunization protocols recommended by Jean Dodds DVM and Ron Schultz DVM, we have adopted a limited vaccination schedule that consists of the Nobivac Puppy DPV for Distemper/Parvo given at 7-8 weeks of age. We recommend three doses at 3-1/2 week intervals.
We highly encourage the continued implementation of a very limited vaccination schedule for the lifetime of your dog.
We begin accepting reservations for puppies as soon as our anticipated matings are posted on the website. We do request a deposit at the time your reservation is placed to hold your position on the reservation list. Your deposit is held until the arrival of the litter so that your choice of gender can be verified.
If the litter did not produce your gender preference, you have the options to possibly swap gender within the same litter, transfer to a future Creekside litter - or the deposit will be returned to you. Deposits are nonrefundable after the litter is born. Cash payment of the balance is requested at the time of pickup or prior to air transport.
We DO NOT use cargo services for the transport of our puppies to their new homes. We do, however, offer a couple of other transport options if distance prevents driving to pick up your puppy.
1. We have a transporter who can travel with your puppy in the cabin of the plane from the Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) in Charlotte, North Carolina to the airport nearest you. This allows the puppy to ride in the cabin where they can be constantly monitored and reassured during the flight. Cost for this option varies depending on location in the USA (plus the price of the transporter's roundtrip ticket): $300 for the eastern half of the country and $400 for the western half. We supply the carrier needed for the transport.
2. We will meet you at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) in Charlotte, North Carolina for the puppy to be carried in the cabin with you. Cost for this option is $100 (plus the price of your roundtrip ticket). In addition, you must purchase a soft airline approved carrier for under your plane seat (cost approximately $60).


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SOURCE Car Care Council
BETHESDA, Md., July 8, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- If the heat of summer is wearing you down, it is likely taking its toll on your car's battery too. Contrary to popular belief, summer highs rather than winter lows pose the greater threat to battery life, according to the non-profit Car Care Council.
Sooner or later all batteries have to be replaced. Excessive heat and overcharging are the two main reasons for shortened battery life. Heat causes battery fluid to evaporate, thus damaging the internal structure of the battery. A malfunctioning component in the charging system, usually the voltage regulator, allows too high a charging rate, leading to slow death for a battery.
"When most motorists think of dead batteries that cause starting failure, they think of severe winter weather, but summer heat is the real culprit," said Rich White, executive director, Car Care Council. "Many battery problems start long before the temperatures drop. Heat, more than cold, shortens battery life."
Colder temperatures increase the thickness of the engine oil, making the engine harder to turn over, causing the battery to have to work more. These factors lead to harder starting.
To get the most life out of a battery, the Car Care Council suggests the following simple steps:
Driving habits such as frequent engine on/off cycles will cause more wear on the starter than a simple back and forth to work. Other factors include driving and weather conditions, mileage, vehicle age and excessive electrical draws like in-vehicle entertainment systems. Check the battery if you notice headlights and interior lights dim, accessories that fail to operate, or the "check engine" and/or battery light illuminated.
The Car Care Council is the source of information for the "Be Car Care Aware" consumer education campaign promoting the benefits of regular vehicle care, maintenance and repair to consumers. For a free copy of the council's popular Car Care Guide or for more information, visit www.carcare.org.
©2012 PR Newswire. All Rights Reserved.


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Alberta SR&ED credit - Legislation introduced
R&D Tax Update, November 2008 (08-7)
The cost of performing research and development in Alberta has now been significantly reduced. Legislation relating to the 2008 budget announcement for the Alberta Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) credit was introduced on November 6, 2008 and passed third reading on November 24, 2008.
Investment tax credit
For expenditures incurred in Alberta after December 31, 2008, a 10% refundable credit will be available on eligible expenditures, up to $4,000,000 per calendar year. This credit is only available to corporations with a permanent establishment in Alberta.
Eligible activities
Eligible activities for Alberta purposes are consistent with those for federal purposes. Any determination made by Canada Revenue Agency will be applied for the purposes of eligibility in Alberta.
Eligible expenditures
Eligible expenditures for Alberta purposes are also consistent with those for federal purposes. Allowable expenditures may include materials, labour, capital, contract payments, lease costs, and qualifying third party payments. For the expenditures to qualify, they must be incurred in Alberta.
Alberta eligible expenditures are reduced by any federal SR&ED investment tax credit (ITC) received in the immediately preceding taxation year, relating to expenditures incurred in Alberta after December 31, 2008.
Overhead is calculated following the federal methodology, using either the "traditional method" or the "proxy method". For Alberta purposes, the proxy amount is 65% of the eligible salaries and wages incurred in Alberta. The election to use either the traditional or proxy method must be the same for both the Alberta and federal claims.
Expenditure limit
The annual expenditure limit of $4,000,000 is shared amongst all corporations in an associated group. This limit can be allocated in a manner that is different than the allocation of the federal expenditure limit. Unlike the federal limit, the Alberta expenditure limit is not reduced by taxable income or taxable capital.
The Alberta expenditure limit will be required to be prorated for corporations that have a non-calendar year-end when calculating the 2009 ITC. It will also be required to be prorated for corporations with short taxation years.
Recapture of credits
In the event that an ITC is received on property in Alberta, that ITC will be required to be recaptured in the event that the property ceases to be located in Alberta. Other recapture rules have been introduced and are comparable to federal requirements, with the exception that the period relating to recapture on capital expenditures is twenty years for Alberta purposes as compared to ten years federally.
Filing deadline
The Alberta filing deadline is consistent with the federal filing deadline, namely, 12 months after the date on which the tax return is otherwise due.
About R&D Tax
Opportunities, issues and developments affecting the federal and provincial scientific research and experimental development tax incentive programs.
Page Last Updated


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Several weeks ago, I received an email from Lori Favre, Loyalty Marketing Coordinator from JetBlue, inviting me to participate in the Inaugural Champions for Arnold's Kids Latrobe Classic, a fundraiser for the Arnold Palmer Medical Center Foundation, and the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, an event that she had no way of knowing, had personal significance to me. As we taxied over to the edge of the Latrobe airport on Monday morning, I could see Mr. Palmer there waiting to greet us. It was a dream come true.
Thirty-six years ago, as a lad of 14, I had the opportunity to caddy for Mr. Palmer at The Beaconsfield Golf Club, near Montreal, Canada, where I had the chance to spend 5 hours inside the ropes, carrying his clubs, giving him yardages, and on request (and with trepidation), clubbing him. Watching him interact with the gallery and involving me in many of these interactions ("I don't know Marty. Are you sure it's a six-iron?" Yes, Mr. Palmer, it plays longer than it looks." Well OK, if you say so.") was an amazing experience. This picture appeared on the front page of the local paper with the heading, "Dream Come True", a succinct description of how I felt.
One of the stories that I shared several times on Monday was about the year following my day spent caddying for Mr. Palmer. In both years, I had my choice of bags. In 1977, the big three "names" playing at our event were Mr. Palmer, Lee Trevino and Ben Crenshaw. Despite being near the end of his competitive playing career, Arnold Palmer was "The King", and it was an easy decision. The next year, Jack Nicklaus was playing in the event, and I picked his bag.
I was working the reception area as the limos were pulling up, and as I was taking Mr. Palmer's luggage and clubs out of the trunk, he approached me. "Marty – good seeing you again. are you caddying for me again this year?" Can you imagine how I felt when I told him that, "No Mr. Palmer, I'm not. I'm caddying for Jack Nicklaus."? But he laughed it off as he said "Well at least you're moving up in the world!" If it's possible to feel bad about having chosen to caddy for Jack Nicklaus at the peak of his career, this would be that time.
As we boarded the JetBlue flight home on Monday night, I had a chance to reflect on the day, the experience and the nature of loyalty. Bear with me…
In a world where fame and celebrity are too often equated, what is it that makes Mr. Palmer so special? Arguably, Arnold Palmer is one of the most recognizable names and faces in the world, and everyone who has had the chance to meet the Man, has their own story. But as he made sure to greet us individually and to thank-us personally for coming to visit Latrobe, you understood completely the nature of the man. Can anyone imagine Justin Bieber, Alex Rodriguez or Tiger Woods waiting on the tarmac to shake your hand and to thank you, making you feel like somehow we were doing him a favour for being there?
Latrobe Country Club is where Mr. Palmer learned the game. His father, Deke Palmer was the greens superintendent, and you can imagine the young Arnold walking these fairways, losing balls, making putts. This was, and still is, his back yard.
If the golf course was his yard, the clubhouse felt like his home, an incredibly intimate setting, where you are enveloped by so much history. And there we were, invited into his "home", where Mr. and Mrs. Palmer made us feel as welcome as if it was their living room.
Arnold Palmer is a man, but he is also a brand. In fact, the event was a fundraiser for one of the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando. How are brands valued? It's no accident that companies carry a line on their Balance Sheets called "Goodwill", the value associated with that intangible, their brand. When you think of Mr. Palmer, the lives he's touched in his 84 years, but more importantly, the way in which he has touched these lives, you realize that the goodwill associated with "Brand Palmer" is unique and on a level that no one else can match. This is an important lesson for all of us, as we think of building our own "brand".
Goodwill = Value.
Another "brand" that has captured the essence of goodwill is JetBlue. I have been a very frequent flyer for the past 25 years, having flown ~3 million miles. But in all those years, all those airmiles, and all those "loyalty programs" that have sent me gold coloured bag tags, I had never had both the CEO and COO thank me for my business, as I had on Monday, when David Barger and Rob Maruster did so. My playing partners, Warren Christie and Scott Suter, both JetBlue pilots, did so as well. Prior to this week I was a loyal JetBlue flyer, but after this week, I will forever be a JetBlue evangelist, as will the other hundred or so participants in Monday's event.
Goodwill = Value
The goodwill generated by JetBlue, on a micro and macro level, based on their association with Mr. Palmer and their support of his cause, is a large multiple of the out of pocket. Of course, there is a commercial calculus that takes place when committing to a sponsorship, but when two brands agree to collaborate, their brands must be compatible or it feels contrived. The association between JetBlue and Arnold Palmer feels genuine, and I am sure that the incremental goodwill created will extend far beyond their sponsorship dollars.
Mr. Palmer has created an immeasurable amount of goodwill in his lifetime, and as a result, his fans have been loyal for decades. I'm in my fourth decade of being a fan, but it's an admiration based on respect and personal accessibility. I feel like the loop has been closed, as the memories of that 14 year old boy are now combined with a whole set of new memories of this 50 year old man.
Thanks to Arnold Palmer and the team at JetBlue for making this dream come true.
That's my .02!
Martin Suter


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I'm currently at the 39th International Symposium on Archaeometry in Leuven, Belgium, where I have a poster to present. I'll be writing a proper conference review when I return, but in the mean time I'll be making informal collections of the tweets and discussing the conference here on a daily basis. There are also collections from Monday (Stone, Plaster, Pigments, Chronologies) and Tuesday (Metals and Metallurgical Ceramics) if you're interested in earlier sessions.
This morning's session was on bioarchaeology, with a key note talk by Prof Richard Evershed0
You can find the programme and abstracts for the hundreds of oral and poster presentations in the Scientific Programme PDF.
No #Isa2012Leuven tweets from me this morning, and there are excursions this afternoon. Normal service resumes tomorrow!0
The Bioarchaeology and Biomaterials session was put together by Henk Kars, however it's not my area of expertise so I took a break from live tweeting.
Cynthia Debono Spiteri, who presented experimental work at #exparch6, presented Dairying in Neolithic lipid analysis today at #ISA2012Leuven0
Cynthia was presenting interesting work on tracing what people were doing with their pots and whether they were making dairy products or not: she had previously showed some of her experimental work looking at vegetable v dairy/meat lipid absorbtion into pottery at the Experimental Archaeology Conference UK.
Today the ISA team have been out and about, with the various excursions, visiting Ramoil, Antwerp, Ghent and Leuven0
As is traditional now at ISA, Wednesday morning's papers are followed by excursion(s). I enjoyed a very relaxing afternoon in the amazingly beautiful town of Leuven, which after the hectic first two days was rather a relief!
Drinking coffee and having a little chill out time in Leuven whilst my colleagues tour the town.0
A jolly Archaeometry crew #isa2012leuven http://twitpic.com/9r2rat0
By the evening everyone had returned to Leuven, and after some naps and relaxing, we enjoyed some of the excellent local food. Anyone wandering through the town would have seen many groups of archaeologists scattered across the bars and restaurants!
Tag Archives: archaeology
Fenland Council plan to scrap all pre-development archaeological assessment – roundup
Yesterday news of a Fenland Council announcement hit Twitter/Facebook and caused some real and unsurprising outrage amongst heritage people. I've done some digging to better understand the situation, so I thought I would share it with you.
First written, Jun 23, 13:20. Last update: 14:24 on Jun 27th 2011. I'm afraid that due to needing to prepare for a coming week of experimental metallurgy, I haven't been able to keep up with the debate after this point, so the below blog post only covers the early developments. The Facebook group has become a focal point for keeping track of the issue, so I encourage you to take a look there.
If you feel strongly about the issues discussed below, please consider signing the petition to object.
Check out the discussion of the NPPF below which looks like it could be an attempt by central government to deregulate planning protection and open up current law to allow local councils to push aside archaeological and heritage protections. It's important we keep an eye on this – it could pose a real threat to cultural heritage.
The speech
On the 21st of June at the 4th annual Cambs Times/Wisbech Standard/Fenland Council Building and Design Awards final, at Wisbech Boathouse, Alan Melton, the leader of the Fenland Council, gave a "defining policy statement and announcement of the year" (his words). This, and the fact that Cllr Melton is the Council Leader, seems to suggest that the speech should not be dismissed as hyperbole or off-target comment, and probably does represent the intentions of the Council. In addition if we examine the NPPF and budget documents discussed below (see Government Policy Angles below) Cllr Melton's words fit perfectly within the governments push to solve economic problems by 'prioritising growth' over any other aspect, including the environment, heritage, etc.
He stated that conservation rules would be relaxed and areas "zoned for development" in order to provide 11,000-16,000 new homes. He referred to the laws governing conservation of heritage and the environment as "scriptures of the new religion" and to those that supported them as "bunny huggers". The EDP ran a piece on it the following day – you can view it here. One interesting quote:
"I can announce tonight, that from the 1st July. A requirement for an Archaeological dig/survey will not be required. The requirement will no longer feature at pre-app. Or form part of the committee agenda. With one exception, in local known historical areas, such as next to a 1000 year old church. Common sense will prevail! (Neale Wade springs to mind) The bunny huggers won't like this, but if they wish to inspect a site, they can do it when the footings are being dug out."
The term 'bunny huggers' appears to originate from an interview by Prince Phillip with the BBC, where he used it to describe those who are vocal about animal welfare. Cllr Melton's use of the phrase seems calculated both to appeal to a certain type of person, and to be intentionally insulting to archaeologists, though other Conservatives have brushed over this as simply not great "but it sure beats the sort of dry, flavourless, super-politically-correct speeches we hear so often from other areas. And frankly, it was obviously a flippant and humorous remark – the diggers and delvers don't need to get so upset about it." I hadn't realised politics had devolved to the point where simply insulting those you don't agree with is acceptable activity.
The full text of his speech can be found here and on the Wisbech Standard site here. The Wisbech Standard followed up with an article on Thursday afternoon detailing some of the archaeological objections, and an almost identical article appeared on the EDP site about the same time.
The Councillor
It should be pointed out that Conservative Cllr Melton (c.59) used to be a bricklayer and then building site manager (see email below), so he probably has intimate knowledge of the construction process from the perspective of a developer, and I imagine a great deal of friends and networks in the development industry. He is currently listed as being a freelance quantity surveyor, health and safety consultant and project manager. Fenland Citizen listed his achievements in 2005 as almost entirely related to his ability to ensure development went ahead. He refers to "experiences I endured in a former life" which would suggest he has a negative outlook on archaeological and conservation requirements. He has just been re-elected in the May 5th 2011 elections.
It seems fair to assume a certain level of conflict of interest on this topic.
It is also interesting to note that Cllr Melton was suspended as Fenland Council Leader in 2005 for bringing his office into disrepute by disclosing confidential information to a local journalist. The suspension was the result of Cllr Melton revealing to a journalist that he has been found innocent of previous complaints to the Standards committee, prior to that ruling becoming public. It is unclear what those previous complaints concerned, however this may be linked to his stepping down as Chairman of the Local Government Association's Rural Commission in 2005 (thanks to eagle-eyed Matt for that).
Emails to Cllr Melton
With Cllr Melton's personal email address available on his Fenland Council page, many archaeologists have been sending him emails asking him politely to clarify his comments. One early reply to an enquiry is as follows:
"Long live Eric Pickles"
Eric Pickles is the Secretary for State for Communities and Local Government, a member of the Conservative party and was Chairman of the Party until 2010. Several emails have been submitted to Mr Pickles to see if he does agree with Cllr Melton, who seems to be somewhat of a fan.
Later in the day (Thursday) some slightly more intelligent responses were received:
"In a former life I was a building manager, and I know just how costly these investigations are. Particularly after the site has been criss-crossed with trenches, or site stripped. Footing excavation is normally to a 1M depth. Why not inspect with building control officers. Or is that too simple!
It is interesting that the of the comments I have received, only those with vested interests have shown alarm with no compromise. As I matter of interest, I am going to commission a survey of all digs over a period of years, and just find out how many have yielded anything of interest.
I also intend to make my comments available to the Minister."
Yes. Vested interests in the protection of our archaeological heritage and environment, and thousands of jobs. I think this reply is indicative of a lack of understanding of archaeology at all – what exactly counts as "of interest" to the councillor?
Cllr Melton also emailed Conservative colleagues to say the following late on Thursday:
"I don't tweet, but what a wonderful day. To be attacked by bunny huggers, historic lefties and the vested interested professional classes. Eric Pickles will be extremely proud of me."
I wonder if he realises that 'professional class' excavators and local government workers often earn barely above the minimum wage, and do the job because we want to add to human knowledge and to protect the valuable remains of our past. We don't do it for profit, which isn't something which can be said of most developers.
Clearly this behaviour is unfitting for an elected councillor, let alone the leader of a local council. A Freedom of Information request regarding archaeological heritage and bunny huggers, also detailed here, so it will be interesting to see what he has been saying about archaeology behind closed doors (or rather closed screens).
The archaeological reaction
The news that a local council is intending to summarily dismiss planning legislation and guidelines, potentially acting against EU and UK laws in the process, has caused significant shock and a wave of anger and depression across archaeologists on the web and social networks.
Over at Digging the Dirt, an excavation archaeologists' website, this has been summed up as an attempt to remove all archaeological planning conditions beyond watching briefs – though Cllr Melton's words to me make it unlikely that they'll even require the later. Digging the Dirt take an irreverent approach, a reaction to what seems like a truly farcical, unimaginable, ludicrous move by Fenland Council. They followed up with another entry on Friday the 24th, raising a very good point concerning the lack of any concrete statements of intent from any of the major archaeological organisations – CBA, IfA or English Heritage. These are the organisations we pay to lobby on behalf of the archaeological heritage, we expect something more than hot-air in response to this issue.
The Institute for Archaeologists released a pre-statement statement, stating that they are contacting Fenland Council to ascertain what this statement by Cllr Melton actually means. Still waiting on the actual statement from the IfA.
On the BritArch email list discussion has taken place, at least twice, along with sharing of Cllr Melton's responses to individual emails, including some rather strange and perhaps illogical statements by the councillor. Interpretation of these would seem to suggest that he has a fundamental lack of understanding of archaeology, and archaeological practice. In addition it is suggested he lacks an understanding of UK and EU planning legislation.
On BAJR Federation, an archaeologists' forum and website, there have been a number of threads. Cllr Melton's words have been interpreted as hypocritical – the Conservatives continue to 'bang-on' about heritage whilst clearly assigning it no real value – and again question whether Cllr Melton really understands planning structure within the Fenland Council itself. Do they not have their own plans which took years to design and implement and which, presumably, cannot be simply discarded?
Council for British Archaeology have issued a statement as part of The Archaeology Forum criticising what they see as "business-led planning that may find it too much to resist the temptation of setting aside inconvenient truths about the impact of development on the historic and natural environment". The statement indicates that they are in discussion with English Heritage and Cambridgeshire County Council to try and get some statement from Fenland Council or another body over Cllr Melton's statements. They close with a pointed remark about what this says about the enaction of the Conservatives' 'localism' agenda which is heavily reliant on 'business-led' and deregulated developments.
Rescue – The British Archaeological Trust (a member of The Archaeology Forum) have issued a statement here (Friday 24th June pm). They stated their fundamental disagreement with Cllr Melton's statements in very clear terms, and underlined the point that many people are making – that no matter how dire the economic situation, you cannot sacrifice the resources of the future to short-term gain. They also repeat the existence of EU laws regarding the protection of heritage – which we may have to rely on in the near future.
On Facebook there is a group to facilitate gathering information and communication in order to opposed the plans announced by Cllr Melton – you can join it here.
There have been limited blog responses, though there's one here at Janet E Davis' blog, where she discusses the fact that archaeologists of all people don't really like rabbits and the term 'bunny hugger' (used as an insult by Cllr Melton) is rather inappropriately applied! Another good one was posted on Thursday 23rd at Letters from Li Dongni, which discussed Cllr Melton's rather misleading statement that if archaeological investigation hadn't cost so much, more money could be sent on teachers/schools. As the author indicates, archaeological excavations cut into the developers profit, not the school's budget for teaching. Make sure you read the comments – the author makes a fantastic defence against a rather cowardly comment regarding their 'vested interests' somehow making the authors objections entirely unimportant.
On Monday 27th June a letter signed by 32 leading archaeologists was published in the Cambridgeshire Times and Wisbech Standard. I hardly expected that to mean all of the leading academic heads of university departments across the country and a number from the US and Sweden; the Chair of the Local Government Association of Archaeologists; the Editor of Antiquity, managing directors of a number of archaeological units; the Director of the Council for British Archaeology; the Research Manager and Curators of the British Museum, deputy vice chancellor of Cambridge University, and Lord Renfrew. When they said leading, they meant it!
In addition it seems that CBA director Mike Heyworth will be speaking on Radio 4 on the afternoon of Monday 27th June regarding this matter – colloquially termed bunnygate.
It remains to be seen whether Cllr Melton will issue an intelligent response to these inquiries, or whether we will receive clarifications from Fenland Council or Cambridgeshire Council over exactly what they really mean.
Wider reactions
So far there have been very limited reactions in the press, and no national press articles (that I have been able to track down). The Wisbech Standard and EDP are local papers running very similar (presumably the same author) pieces at the moment (see above), but the EDP does have a reader poll on its current article page – you can find it half-way down in a box embedded in the text. You have to vote to see the answers – but they currently sit around 90%+ against the relaxation of rules. The Cambridgeshire Times also has a quite generic article reporting the incident.
I also noticed on Sunday a lovely tongue-in-cheek discussion of archaeologists' feelings for bunnies over at the Bad Science Forums.
Fenland Council Policy and Strategy and the wider planning strategy
Future Fenland Policy
One early reader of this blog has noted that the Fenland Council itself has very clear guidelines regarding archaeology and monuments in its Core Strategy and Development Policies Preferred Options 2 document. This document appears to be a draft Local Development Framework (LDF) for replacing the 1993 and 2001 strategies currently in use, and was produced in September 2007. From what I can make of the labyrinthine Fenland Council website, it is in consultation at the moment (July-August 2011) and will be redrafted for re-consultation in January/February 2012.
This states:
"Policies and Plan will indicate that:
- development proposals at all sites of known or potential archaeological interest will require the submission of an archaeological evaluation/assessment by a suitably qualified person.
- development will not be permitted where proposals would adversely affect nationally important archaeological sites, including Scheduled Ancient Monuments
- where development is granted at sites of archaeological interest, the insitu preservation of remains is preferred. Where this is not justified or feasible, provision should be made for a programme of excavation, recording and reporting of remains to take place before development starts."
Current Fenland Policy
Perhaps more pertinently, the Fenland Council website states that the Neighbourhood Planning – Local Development Scheme (Third Revision March 2011), which is "the only Development Plan Document that we will produce for the foreseeable future as part of an innovative new approach to planning policy that will help deliver the Council's vision for growth within Fenland" is current practice. It states that the 'E6′ and 'E7′ policies from the 1993 plan "forms the basis for planning decisions in Fenland." If we chase this we can see that the 1993 plan description of the E6 and E7 policies are copies of PPG 16 – i.e. require all the standard archaeological protection and mitigation measures.
Thus an examination of Fenland Council's current planning policy indicates that Cllr Melton's comments are entirely out of sync with both the current planning policy and strategy, and the proposed new core strategies. So far there has been no statement from Fenland Council regarding this conflict, nor from Cambridgeshire County Council, though both are expected (as of 13:15 24rd June).
Government policy angles – a removal of restrictions?
Ben Jervis brought the following to my attention (thank you!). There is currently a 'National Planning Policy Framework practitioners advisory group' which might more accurately be described as four men (3/4 of whom are Conservatives) sitting in an office and agreeing to to scrap any clear planning guidance in order to allow economic growth. As has been discussed by others, having a planning system that gives legal priority to economic growth over all other aspects isn't the 'localist' agenda the Conservatives are triumphing, it's just a return to traditional Conservative ideas of letting corporate interests do what they want whether that's actually any good for society or not.
These four have put together an extremely brief document, which is either out for consultation already or will be so 'in the summer'. It looks like it might be the basis for the entire UK planning Strategy, and it's been drawn up in only six months by an extremely limited number of people with dominant Conservative politics. If this goes ahead (a final version is due January 2012) then Fenland Council's moves will be just the first of many – you can throw out any hope of the construction industry being tempered by environmental, cultural or heritage concerns (beyond the basic – don't build on top of Stonehenge type assessments), and look forwards to uncontrolled development across the country in the name of 'economic development' – a development which it seems likely will generate increased profits for developers with no requirement for tangible social benefits for the rest of us.
Unfortunately this NPPF document is an inherent part of the government's "Plan for Growth" statement (an attempt to Policy write our way out of recession), which contains statements such as (page 23) "introduce a powerful new presumption in favour of sustainable development, so that the default answer to development is 'yes'" and "set clear expectations that with immediate effect local planning authorities and other bodies should prioritise growth and jobs". This very clearly indicates that the NPPF is an inherent part of the governments plans to tackle economic difficulties, and one has to wonder whether Cllr Melton got the nod to test-run this scrapping of archaeological protection from further up the Conservative food-chain as a step towards introducing the NPPF in 2012.
The future?
Exactly where this is all taking us is unclear. If one local Council feels it can scrap archaeological and conservation process, including the archaeological 'guidance' issued by the UK government, then other councils may follow suit. But Cllr Melton is in for a rude awakening if he thinks he can just brush us aside. You cannot simply decide that archaeology is too expensive (and for whom – the developers?) to protect.
The first solid case where archaeology is clearly under threat from a development and the Council has failed to ask for suitable investigation or mitigation is likely to be jumped on. If Cllr Melton thinks that he is going to be cutting costs for developers and the Council this way, he is in for a surprise. Where PPS5 is ignored there will be complaints at local government level, appeals, official complaints at national level and potentially a move to take it to Judicial Review. Even putting aside UK law and guidance, Fenland Council's moves could be resisted through appeal to EU laws. With the development held up and the Council forced to defend its decision every step of the way, this unlikely to be a cost-cutting move.
I doubt any other Council will follow Cllr Melton's moves, no matter what words of 'support' he has received up to this point. They will be waiting to see what happens, and how the heritage sector responds. If we don't, and Fenland Council's decision is echoed across the UK, the shape of the archaeology profession in the UK is likely to be radically altered as other councils copy Fenland's approach.
However, challenges will only work if the NPPF document (discussed above) does not go through – we have to read and respond to this via our associations and MPs as soon as it goes to consultation. If the document goes through you can basically say goodbye to the protections that have allowed the UK to establish itself as a world-leader in heritage protection, with all the tourist buisness that attracts. Every year development results in archaeological excavations that enable us to understand more and more about our country, our origins, the people we came from, our identity as a nation.You can say goodbye to that, and to the thousands of archaeological practitioners who represent some of the best trained and most experienced in the world.
We stand to loose countless uninvestigated, unacknowledged, unrecorded archaeological sites and we will have no way of knowing what we lost. We will return to the bad old days of the 1960s, where local county archaeologists had to drive around the county peering over fences and into trenches in the hope of recording archaeology before it was destroyed by developers. Where only the biggest and boldest of archaeological sites were recognised and hastily recorded in the few weeks gracefully given by developers before the whole lot was bulldozed. Frankly, that's not a glorious past I wish to return to.
Viking food
I'm cooking dinner for some friends tomorrow, and in order to match a game we're playing I decided to do a 'Viking' style meal. This became a lot more difficult when I remembered it would have to be vegetarian!
Turns out that most of the meals referred to in texts of the right(ish) period are rather meat-based. This is unsurprising considering the only meals worth talking about are feasts and celebrations. There was mention of the Leek and Herb broth for injured warriors… but as I don't need to sniff anyone's open stomach-wounds to see if their guts have been punctured I decided against that.
In the end I used a small guide I found on the internet entitled Early medieval Norse food and feasting. This is 9th-12th century in its perspective, and is a handy crib-sheet on what ingredients one could get away with. It's actually by a re-enactment group from Australia, but I rather liked the tone and the information seemed accurate enough.Obviously I didn't bother checking it very hard because I'm just interested in grabbing ideas for a dinner, but I appreciated that it appeared to include a list of vegetable evidence that had been found in archaeological contexts.
Anyway, I've decided to go for a pea and watercress soup, honey-glazed roasted root vegetable (obviously without any potatoes!) and fresh bread and butter. I also recieved a rather helpful page on Scandinavian cheeses from Alun, and am looking forwards to trying out some Jarlsberg. If anyone else has any suggestions, let me know!
Historical Metallurgy Society
For anyone who's interested in the study of ancient and indeed industrial metal working and production, can I recommend the lovely Historical Metallurgy Society?
I am obviously a little biased in this respect as I am involved with the Society, but that's because;
a) the work they help to publish and coordinate is really interesting, and
b) they are lovely people to work with!
I'm reminded of this largely because I have completely forgotten to pay my subscription (which is only £6 for students!) and consequently I haven't received a copy of the newsletter (HMSNews) which means that once again it is only from someone else's comments that I know my last conference review has been published.
If you're working on sites with metallurgical debris, on debris itself or just interested in the history of industries, I can thoroughly recommend the society. And if you're a student it's a bargain!
Osborne's October 20th cuts – a personal assessment
I made the effort today to read through reports on the spending cuts announced yesterday evening. It's clear that they are going to have particularly pernicious affects on the poor and the disabled, but I was actually surprised to find that they'll have a pretty clear affect on my own situation.
Usually I find it hard to register such often vague, veiled and complex economic announcements in terms of my own position, but presumably because the cuts are so wide reaching and so brutal it's been rather easy to see how this will affect myself and other archaeologists.
On a day-to-day level, the increases in travel costs will make it increasingly expensive to visit my partner in Brighton and will increase the burden of travel costs within London. As these form the third and second largest parts of my budget respectively, this is likely to have a noticeable impact on my day-to-day spending. If it really does result in the predicted 30% rise in costs by the time I finish, that'll have a major impact on whether I can afford to spend all of my third year in London. If I have to chose to live at home, that's likely to have a negative impact on my work due to restricted access to books, papers, laboratories and pastoral support.
Considering the longer term and what will happen to me after I graduate the 40% cut to university teaching budgets and the fact that I am a humanities/social science person suggests that the academic jobs I might have hoped for after graduating will be few and far between.
I could fall back to public sector heritage management, which I have been doing on and off between university courses, but I think we all know that's likely to be disproportionately squeezed. Cultural Resource Managment/Heritage is likely to be seen as non-essential like libraries and youth centres, and unlike them no one sees the HER/SMR or County archaeologist on the high street. The public aren't likely to protest if HER/SMR staff, who are often on short contracts, aren't renewed and those centres slowly slip into mothballs. So no job there for me.
I don't have much experience excavating, but I might pass as a finds or post-ex specialist for a unit. However beyond the large public works still supported by the government (I'm looking at that A11 expansion!) I don't see a lot of promise for private sector archaeology either. The field hasn't picked up much since 2009 when redundancies were particular active, and if Osborne's gamble doesn't work and the private sector doesn't pick up the slack then new buildings won't go ahead and work will be scarce for archaeological units. With a good chunk of archaeology's well-qualified and experienced work force already unemployed, I don't fancy my chances hitting that field.
The only ray of sunshine in my job prospects upon graduation is the free museums, which the goverment is continuing to support (for how long I am uncertain). So the British Museum, who actually employ people in my specialisation, is still a good destination. But of course the local museums who run off council support are likely to again suffer the axe labelled 'non-essential', so I don't fancy my chances there much either.
With the predicted 40,000 job cuts for teachers, it's not even like I could re-train for that!
In short, it looks like a pinch in the short-term, and devastation to the majority of my job prospects in the medium-term. We all guessed the government didn't value archaeology, heritage or humanities teaching for more than lip-service and its potential for beautiful photo opportunities, but I didn't expect it to be so clearly demonstrated.
First thoughts: Museum of London's new Lower Gallery
This afternoon I visited the Museum of London. Although I am very familiar with the first floor galleries (prehistory to the medieval period) and I have to admit to being a little bit critical of some of these, I was really impressed with the new Lower Gallery.
I remember the days when I used to take friends or family to the MoL, and just leave when we had finished seeing the medieval stuff. My opinion of the lower gallery, with all its boring mayoral, city, alderman and guilds left-overs was never that high. I am not keen on large golden carriages.
But a while back they closed the whole level for a complete refit. I thought it would be a lick of paint and a bit of an improvement. My first impression this afternoon is that they've completely rethought, reanalysed and re-engineered the whole gallery.
Gone are most of the dull things I really wasn't interested, and as far as I could see only one golden carriage survived (moved away from the main area and into a corner). In its place is a set of galleries covering 1666 through to the modern day, with thousands of objects, loads of interactives and no namby-pamby ignoring of contentious political issues.
One display that really stuck in my mind was the section on the suffragette movement, which was a real surprise and actually quite moving. I've never seen a good display, or really any display, tackling that issue. There were also displays right into the1980s, and the Brixton riots. In addition to race rights, the curators covered things like ongoing feminist and sexuality struggles, and the poll tax riots. I was incredibly impressed that the museum had put so much effort into the modern displays, as due to the temporal proximity of the subject I find displays often feel a little half-finished and uncertain.
I'll admit that I was visiting purely for pleasure and wasn't engaging a critical eye, but the displays were surprisingly intricate, detailed, interesting and emotive. I will give the standard criticism of modern museum galleries – it was very difficult to get information on individual objects, and often the usual descriptive signs were completely missing. In addition we did get lost and completely missed a section of the gallery, so clearer signing would be really useful in enabling visitors to move chronologically (the galleries are supposed to be interacted with in that way).
I would have loved it if a more in-depth handbook was available for people like me, who really want to know about objects rather than passively marvel in the display. The Victorian section had some fantastic period photographs with great contexts and associated objects and costume, but I was really frustrated when they didn't always have any information cards. In addition, rather than number everything, the curators had little pictures of the objects on the information cards below, which were surprisingly hard to match up. It's very difficult to discern one black-and-white photograph from another when they are the size of a postage stamp!
That said the Victorian gallery and the one covering the period up to the first world war (together named 'People's City' by the curators) were really entrancing. I was captivated by many of the displays, and lagged signficantly behind my non-archaeology companion. Walking through the Victorian Street, which features a number of shop fronts and shop rooms fitted out with period objects and themes made me long to own a time-machine, and I always consider that a good mark of a recreation!
The whole trip was a little spur-of-the-moment, so a full review with photographs will probably have to wait for another time, but I can thoroughly recommend the new lower galleries. It's clear that rather than simply redesigning the previous galleries, the museum were incredibly brave and went for a complete and total revisioning of what the space could be used for.
The irony is of course that I found the experience rather passive because of the lack of information available on many of the pieces, despite the fact that the the gallery is supposed to be 'interactive'. I guess that's down to how I experience museums – I want to seek out new information and learn new things, rather than passively accept the veracity of the highly constructed and essentially completely faked 'scene' or 'experience' that the museum presents me with. But it was an extremely attractive, engaging and often emotive scene, I'll give them that!
Archaeology in Crisis?
I received an email a while back and completely forgot to mention this:
Schlanger, N., and Aitchison, K. (eds) (2010), Archaeology and the Global Economic Crisis. Tervuren: Culture Lab Éditions.
Note, i.a., chapters 4 (by Kenneth Aitchison, with annex 1 at end of volume) and 5 (by Anthony Sinclair) on the prospects for archaeology in the UK.
I haven't read it myself, but that's because it's 150 pages long and I'm not working in commercial archaeology at the moment. But I imagine that considering it's joint authored by Kenny Aitchison it'll be very relevant to the UK situation.
To Huttenberg, and beyond!
Well it's been a busy couple of days here!
Things have been a little stressful with the analysis of the Crosby Garret Roman cavalry parade/sports helmet. Not allowed to say much about that unfortunately, but will hopefully update at some point in the distant future after the sale and everything has settled down. The analysis went well though, and although we were pushed for time I managed a good number of analyses over a wide selection of areas, so I'm pleased with that.
Here's a selection of the internet pieces on the helmet:
M&H on the Tullie House appeal
BBC news piece with Georgie from Christies
Wikipedia entry (not convinced it's correct though)
Tullie House appeal
Guardian newspaper
PAS news statement
Harry Mount at the Telegraph opinion piece
Telegraph news piece
On a more personal note, I'm flying to Austria on the 28th of this month! I know, a surprise for me too. My supervisor had been talking about some material from the Huttenberg area for some time, but it's only in the last week that things have come together. Which is great, as this is the Ferrum Noricum area that I've mentioned before, but a little inconvenient as I have to travel there to sample before the 3rd October!
This has necessitated two rather rushed 'emergency' funding applications to the department and the Graduate awards scheme, in the hope that I can get money for the cost of such an activity. Inconveniently the trip falls between a change in funding structures so I can't access the money that would normally be put aside for this from my funding body, the AHRC.
But we are pressing on, and I booked plane tickets with the vile and detestable Ryanair today, along with travel insurance from someone a little less enraging. Words cannot express how much I dislike Ryanair, but they were £100+ clearly the cheaper (even after their devious little additions), so I shall be flying with them. I'm at the end of my quarterly scholarship and paying for the flights out of my own pocket means that I shall be reverting back to raman noodles for the rest of the month. But such is the price of academic progress!
Of course, there's just one tiny problem. I don't speak a word of German. What can go wrong!
HMS Accidental and Experimental Archaeology Conference
Last week I volunteered at the Historical Metallurgy Society's Accidental and Experimental Archaeology Conference. The meeting was organised by David Dungworth of English Heritage, and Roger Doonan of Sheffield University, and took place at West Dean College, near Chichester.
A number of UCL students arrived on Tuesday to help with the set-up for the conference, and I joined them on Tuesday evening. Normally volunteering at a conference is a good way of getting in cheap/free and not having to do too much. Not this time! We were crushing charcoal and ore, mixing clay, chopping wood and building furnaces! I can't remember the last time I was covered in so much dirt and dust.
The conference itself ran Thursday and Friday, with papers on Thursday morning and Friday afternoon, and seven or more experiments running on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. Thursday's focus was iron production, and Friday's was non-ferrous metallurgy.
I missed some of the Thursday morning papers due to helping out with the furnaces, but the papers I saw by David Dungworth, Roger Doonan and the Crews were extremely interesting. It was quite amusing to see Roger attempting to lever some theory into experimental archaeology, and he essentially gave a fantastic justification for undertaking reconstructions as a way of getting into the pre-historic mind.
Unfortunately the Crews weren't able to come to the conference, but their paper was given by someone else and it was interesting to hear the details of a number of unpublished experiments, as well as their own thoughts on experimental techniques. David's paper noted a number of inbalances in experimental archaeology, including the male dominance. Much to my irritation, but perhaps predictably, at least one of the commentators stated that women weren't strong enough to take part in many of the activities of iron smelting. I won't go into a long and protracted refutation of that, but suffice to say I made a good effort at disproving that.
The experiments themselves were really interesting. I was extremely lucky that Terry invited me to help him with his bloomery experiment, and I got to experience building and running a furnace. It was a fantastic experience and I came back from the conference extremely keen on taking part in more experimental work.
The real 'experts' (though they wouldn't allow anyone to call them that) were Lee Saunder, Shelton Browder and Stephen Mankowski who had travelled over from the US and were certainly the most successful of the experimenters, producing several blooms and demonstrating an innovative technique for creating steel from iron in a miniature furnace. Gerry McDonnell's furnace produced a bloom which when forged appeard to contain liquid metal – he had been attempting to produce cast iron so he may have been successful.
Whilst those experiments all ran on electric blowers, the hand-blown furnaces were less successful, though in most parts this was due both to the relative inexperience of the experimenters (at least when compared to the Americans!) and the focus on much older and less substantial structures.
It was remarked at the conference what a shame it is that we don't get together to experiment more often. Having so many experienced people in one place meant that it was really easy to get advice, opinions and information from a variety of different areas of expertise. The main problem is presumably the cost – the quantity of charcoal used over the two days was quite staggering. The real barriers to experimental work is this cost, as well as the difficulty in obtaining ores. Of secondary difficulty, but in the cases of city-dwellers still significant, is the difficulty in arranging a venue for the furnace and obtaining clays.
However the conference relieved all these issues, largely down to David Dungworth's hard work in providing all the necessary materials, even down to haemtite ores. As a result, it was a fantastic opportunity for both the experimenters who were able to share experience and debate long into the wee hours, as well as the attendees who were able to witness experimental archaeometallurgy in some cases for the first time. I know I for one have now got the bug, and desperately wishing I had a big enough garden to build a furnace in!
I think I can say that, from my point of view, the conference was a resounding success. The papers were good, the experiements were interesting and varied, and people were abel to get involved with them as much as they wanted to. Everyone was happy to have people volunteer for bellows duty! It was a fantastic opportunity to learn about experimental archaeometallurgy first hand, and to meet and talk with a good number of the researchers currently at work in Britain. The venue was absolutely beautiful, and almost entirely nothing like a college, and the catering and service were fantastic.
Whilst I imagine some of the experimental sessions could have lacked the immediacy of oral papers, all experimenters were more than willing to chat about their work and to accept volunteers if approached. All in all, a splendid way to spend a few days, and a brilliant chance to mess around in the mud with some really fantastic people!
Sort of published!
So it turns out that I am now sort of, kind of, published-ish!
Okay, so it's just a short review of the ESF funded Iron in Europe workshop I helped out at, and it's only the Historical Metallurgy's Newsletter which isn't peer-reviewed, but it's still rather cool.
Of course, I haven't actually seen it, because despite writing that and despite organising the Research in Progress meeting this autumn, I'm not a member of HMS! However one of my old supervisors told me about it, and said well done, so I assume it all looks fine.
And now I do actually have some sort of thing to put in the 'recent publications' box of CVs. Not much, but still – something!


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Reeco Richardson
Reeco Richardson trial: Reeco found guilty of misdemeanorComment
The only person to survive a fiery vehicle crash at Chevy Chase circle was put on trial for car theft. On Friday, a jury found him guilty of a misdemeanor charge of being in a stolen vehicle.
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Walk outs at factories
Workers at Remploy factories are holding two 24 hour strikes - starting today - to protest at Government plans to close or sell 54 UK sites, including those in Leicester and Stoke.
Remploy provides work for people with disabilities.
The Unite union is staging the 24 hour walkouts today and next Thursday.
A continuous overtime ban started last week.
– Sally Kosky, Unite union
"This vote for strike action demonstrates our members' disgust at the way they have been treated by the government's policies which are designed to throw them on the dole queue at a very difficult economic time."
Maria Miller, minister for disabled people, has told MPs the £320 million budget for disabled employment services could be spent more effectively.
– Maria Miller, Minister for Disabled People
"This is difficult news. We are doing everything we can to ensure that Remploy workers will receive a comprehensive package of support and guidance to make the transition from Government-funded sheltered employment to mainstream jobs."


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- Blogs and Reviews
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Been awhile
So yeah, it's been awhile since I posted in here and for that I apologize. I plan to write in here at least once a week if, for anything, at least to use as a blog/column. Not that I am conceited enough to think that my life is that interesting or that anyone really cares that much, but to at least keep some activity in this section.
To hear my reviews on stuff then you should really tune in to our PanelCasts. Bryan and I do our best to keep the show interesting and do so on a weekly basis. I may touch base on those things here but for the most part you should truly tune in there.
So, onward and forward and stuff.
I just spent the past 2 days reading Invincible and let me tell you, holy fuck is this a kickass series. Not to be confused with the other kick ass series, simply titled, Kick-Ass. Heh. If you haven't had a chance to pick up this series, now if the best time. It's written by Robert Kirkman who is also the writer of my one my favorite ongoing comicsThe Walking Dead. The man can write. I have to give it to him for that. So yeah pick up both series and read. Now!!!
I, also, spent the past few days at a few local coffee shops. I like to go to these places to read because it feels like that what I am there to do. If I try to sit at home to read I just get to distracted and never actually end up doing any reading. Now, I am not a fan of Starbucks so don't try to picture me there. I like to visit other locally owned shops. One of my favorites being Grounds For Enjoyment. Recently they started closing at 2 pm and for those of us that work during the day it means visiting this place is limited to weekends. I started going to Jazz N Java in Riverside. This place has, hands down, the most comfortable seats of any coffee shop I have ever been to. I easily lose myself there for at least 6-8 hours at a time. And I am not the only one. I notice that people that are there before me leave around the time I do. And the coffee isn't bad either. But having ventured to these places I have come to realize that they are all missing one thing. Decent snack/finger foods. Man just think how perfect the coffee shop of your choice would be if they served French Fries. I mean I would chow down on a bag of Fries and some decent reading. Sure salads and sandwiches and panini's are great, but a big bag of fries would last me all day there. Just a thought.
Things are going well for ZKS. The #0 issue cover has been finalized and ready. Here it is:
We are going to send it to the printers and get them made into posters. If you would like one the speak up or shoot me an EMAIL with your address and I will get one out to you. You can also track us down at Comic Con and get one there. We will leave a stack on the freebies table and maybe leave some at the High Tower booth if they let us. We will also have free copies of the #0 issue with us. So help yourselves to those as well.
4th of July is coming up. Looking forward to having fun there. Please leave a comment here and tell us what your plans for the holiday are. I personally will be hanging out with our artist, Justin White, and helping him break in his new house (yeah I know his site isn't done yet, I'm working on it dammit!!!!).
Bryan and I have Twitter accounts. Feel free to add us. Mine and Bryan's. Feel free to add me on Facebook as well, though everything I Twitter gets sent to Facebook.
I was bummed today to find out my best friend and Co-Creator of Forbidden Panel Ryanwon't be able to make it to Con this year. With him being in Wisconsin, Comic Con is the one time a year we get to hang out. And we have a blast. He will be missed. If/when you are out there, try to take as many pics as you can and post them on the site. Help him live vicariously through your photos. He would love it. Maybe we could all raise enough money to fly him out here, but we only have 3 weeks to make that happen.
Looks like we will all be split apart as far as housing goes this con. If you want to donate $700 to us so we could all be in one place that would rock. Or you could just send us $700 so we can party like rock gods. That would be cool too hehe.
FP will have a big turn out. We will be taking the floor by storm. Working on getting some shirts made so we will be easily identifiable. We are alway up for meeting up with our friends and fans, so please email us or twitter us and we will meet. Bryan is twice as socially awkward in person. If you are going speak up here as we are interested in knowing. I believe with the exception of Ryan we should be there in full force. The crew here seems to be growing every time I turn around and am glad to have them. They all have their own columns and I urge you visit them and see what they are up to.
Geek Girls is fast becoming a big hit. Bryan has been doing an amazing job with these. Please take 15 mins out of your day and give them a listen.
Comments and posts!! We need/love them. Please don't be afraid to voice your opinion on this site. We love it. Yes you have to register and yes you have to be approved. It's done so that we don't get spammed by bots. It's not an elitist thing I swear. Just register and then check your email for your approval email. Then post away.
Well thanks for reading this.
Now, what comic to read next…….
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Another month, another collection of awesome fights. Have you been naughty? Nice? It doesn't really matter - you're getting a great collection of fights this holiday season either way. These are my five favorite fights of the month. Share yours in the comments and in our poll.
5. Yuki Kondo vs. Rikuhei Fujii 12/5/2010 (Tokyo, Japan)
Yuki Kondo is one of the true legends of Japanese MMA. Bridging the gap between old school and new, Kondo has faced everyone from Frank Shamrock and Masakatsu Funaki to rising stars Rikuhei Fujii and Roger Gracie. Kondo fell to Fujii in a Cage Force bout earlier this year. Now the former King Of Pancrase is looking for revenge on his home turf.
4. Ben Henderson vs. Anthony Pettis 12/16/10 (Glendale, Arizona)
It's fitting that the WEC's final show would also feature its biggest fight. Sure, Urijah Faber starred in some epic contests, including high profile wins over Jens Pulver. But nothing can match the prize at stake here: a shot at the UFC Lightweight title and a potnetial UFC main event. I hope both guys enjoy this fight. The WEC was a great promotion, but for lightweights it was definitely a small pond. The winner of this one will soon be swimming in uncharted waters.
3. Kouichirou Matsumoto vs. SHOJI 12/11/10 (Tokyo, Japan)
Kouichirou Matsumoto is one of Japan's rising stars, a featherweight with the potential to make a big splash. His main sponsor is famous Japanese comedian Koji Imada who helps give Matsumoto leave to be a bit of a womanizing goofball. Shoji Marayuma is a fighter with a wicked standup game, so it should be a pretty exciting fight for the always exciting DEEP promotion.
2. Matt Lindland vs. Robbie Lawler 12/4/10 (St. Louis, Missouri)
Seventeen years in, and this tried and true matchup never gets old: grappler versus striker. Lindland was once one of the very best middleweights in the world. Can he return to form? Lawler is an opponent tailor made for his clinch em up and take em down style. If Lindland can't win here, I'm afraid his days as a top fighter are done.
1. Georges St. Pierre vs. Josh Koscheck 12/11/10 (Montreal, Canada)
Lame to pick the biggest fight of the month, possibly the year, first? Lame, Lame, Lame. But, in all honesty, tell me this fight doesn't have you a little stir crazy already? It's going to be amazing to hear the Canadian fans light up Koscheck and then go crazy for St. Pierre. And then they will fight. Has Koscheck grown enough to dethrone St. Pierre? Will the Canadian control where the fight takes place again? Or can Koscheck reestablish his wrestling dominance? I can't wait to find out.


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Basketball Prospectus's Projections for the Year: Bulls win 36 games OR Bulls win 45 games
Kevin Pelton's SCHOENE projection system is down on the Bulls -- having them winning 36 games and finishing 9th in the East. Bradford Doolittle's NBAPET system projects the Bulls to win 45 games and finish 5th in the East. Take your pick on who to believe, but clearly both have their flaws. SCHOENE has the Knicks(!) as the 6 seed in the East next year, whereas NBAPET has the Bobcats taking the 4 seed in the East. I think both of those predictions are pretty crazy, but hey, maybe you buy it.


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Authorities say two children were hit by a bus Tuesday afternoon in Avondale.
Emergency crews were called to the intersection of Forest and Harvey Avenue after police say a 7 and 10-year-old ran in front of the school bus. It happened around 2:45 p.m.
The children were not seriously injured and were taken to Cincinnati Children's Hospital as a precaution.
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Premium and Super Premium Subscribers Get a 20% Discount at MLB.tv!
August 4, 2009
You Could Look It Up
A Whiter Shade of Pale Hose
With all quiet after the trading deadline, a grab-bag o'thoughts. I didn't intend for this to be the case, but somehow things keep circling back to the White Sox:
This is, perhaps, reminiscent of acquiring an injured Jake Peavy when a healthy bat of some kind would seem more of a priority, but we all do the best we can, according to his own lights.
Steven Goldman is an author of Baseball Prospectus.
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|no reviews
Apartment Naples 2 is a self-catering accommodation located in Naples. WiFi access is available. The property is 500 metres from Spaccanapoli Street and 600 metres from San Gregorio Armeno. There is a full a kitchenette with an oven. Featuring a shower, private bathrooms also come with a bidet. Extras include a washing machine. If you feel like visiting th...
|Excellent - 1 reviews
If you are looking to book a central Naples townhouse in the Historical Center area, Sansevero Naples could be the right choice for you! This Naples townhouse offers free Wi-Fi. Multilingual staff can provide tour/ticket assistance. A safe is available at reception
Overall Rating - Excellent - 1 reviews
Excellent 10.0
We had the most wonderful stay here.. Dina and Vincent,who are mother and son, were so helpful, gracious and kind. The room was large with big windows opening onto a large rooftop terrace! It's on a busy street, but the flow of traffic fades into the background, at least for us since we live in Chicago and are used to city sounds. It is walking distance from many things and we loved walking the narrow little streets at night. It's also close to the metro and the train station. It's maybe a 15 min. walk (with luggage) or a one stop metro ride there. Breakfast was simple, delicious and generous, I recommend including it in your stay especially because you can sit on the roof while you eat! Before we came many people warned us to be really careful in Naples, that it was a little rough. It's rough around the edges, but we totally loved it! It is a city that feels comfortable and well lived in, and the people are really friendly! Thank you Vincent and Gina for everything, much love to you and see you on Facebook :))
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|Excellent - 80 reviews
Searching for bed and breakfast accommodation in Naples? Take a closer look at Conte Cavour! This Naples bed & breakfast offers an elevator (lift). Multilingual staff can provide tour/ticket assistance. Staff are available at the front desk during limited hours. Other amenities include a train station pick-up service
Overall Rating - Excellent - 80 reviews
|Excellent - 24 reviews
In the heart of the historical old town center, close to the cathedral, the Archaeological Museum and some of the best Restaurant and Pizzerie, there is the antique nunnery of Donnaregina Vecchia. This complex was built in the XIV century according to the willing of the queen Maria d'Ungheria. It is also located conveniently close to the marina, cruise ship...
Overall Rating - Excellent - 24 reviews
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Duomo 89 is only 150 metres from Naples Cathedral. It offers air-conditioned accommodation with a balcony. A sweet Italian breakfast is provided daily. With free Wi-Fi, classic-style rooms at the Duomo have a flat-screen TV, a safe and tiled floors. The private bathroom includes a hairdryer and free toiletries. Guests can use an internet point free of char...
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Looking for guest house accommodation in Naples? Why not try Dimora Napoletana! Dimora Napoletana offers a safe deposit box at the front desk. Staff can provide tour/ticket assistance. Other amenities include a train station pick-up service
|Good - 339 reviews
Hotel Des Artistes offers hotel accommodation in the Historical Center area. Your 3 star Historical Center hotel in Naples offers free Wi-Fi, a hair salon and an elevator (lift). Guests can also enjoy drinks as there is a bar/lounge. Multilingual staff at the 24-hour front desk can provide tour/ticket assistance, express check-in and express check-out. A saf...
Overall Rating - Good - 339 reviews
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Studio Casa Cavour Napoli is located in the center of Napoli. The property is 2.7 km from Piazza Plebiscito and 2.6 km from Royal Palace. The studio will provide you with a TV, air conditioning and a seating area. There is a kitchenette with a microwave. Featuring a shower, private bathroom also comes with a bath and bidet. There is an additional bathroom...
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Studio Casa De Gasperis Napoli is located in Napoli. Free Wi-Fi access is available. The property is 2.7 km from Piazza Plebiscito and 2.6 km from Royal Palace. The studio can accommodate up to four persons. The studio will provide you with air conditioning and a seating area. Featuring a bath, private bathroom comes with bidet. Extras include sofa. If you...
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Featuring free Wi-Fi access available in public areas, Bruno's Historic Home offers rooms in the very heart of Naples. The Duomo of Naples is 50 metres from the property. With a balcony, each air-conditioned room is equipped with a flat-screen TV. The private bathroom comes with a shower, bidet and free toiletries. A continental breakfast is served daily i...
|no reviews
Set 600 metres from Piazza Cavour Train Station, B&B Palazzo Anticaglia Luxury Napoli offers classic-style accommodation with a TV. Free Wi-Fi is available throughout. Rooms at the Palazzo Anticaglia Luxury Napoli B&B all come with a cooling fan, safe and private bathroom with bathrobes, a hairdryer and free toiletries. A sweet Italian breakfast is served...
|Excellent - 1534 reviews
The Palazzo Caracciolo is located in the 13th-century historic district at the heart of Naples, and is part of the MGallery collection. The building is steeped in history, having not only been the residence of the aristocratic Caracciolo family, but alsothat of Napoleonic general and king of Naples, Joachim Murat. The architecture of the hotel is imbued with...
Overall Rating - Excellent - 1534 reviews
Excellent 10.0
we stayed for one night and while staying at this amazing hotel we allready felt that we did not give Napoli enough time. the hotel located in the center of the old part of the city, friendly staff, very good service and great value for money, we would come back - this time for longer period
Excellent 10.0
Located in a residential area that gives a true feel of living with the locals. * euro cab fare to the Port/ Toledo St/ museums, ect... beautifully restored palazzo, try to get a room with a terrace looking over the street to have an incredible view of Mt Vensuvius. Staff was very friendly. Only minor issue involved the front desk attempting to charge us upon check in for a 5 day stay that had been entirely pre-paid via the travel agency 6 weeks prior. Make sure to travel with your printed receipt if this applies to you! As soon as I showed the manger my receipt, he repeatedly apologized and checked us in to our room. If cleanliness is important to you, you will love the twice daily maid service....we were thrilled to come home after a late dinner to find freshly made beds and new towels left over from our afternoon naps and freshening up.
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The Soggiorno Paradiso is housed in an elegant and impressive Baroque building. Very conveniently located in the heart of the historical centre, in the Decumano Maggiore quarter, the accommodation allows you to plan your visit to Neaples main attractions in a simple way. We offer our guests excellent customer service and quality. Enjoy your stay in Neaple...
|Good - 263 reviews
Located in Naples (Historical Center), Del Real Orto Botanico is minutes from Botanical Garden of Naples and Bourbon Hospice for the Poor. This 4-star hotel is within close proximity of Porta Capuana and Castel Capuano. Make yourself at home in one of the 36 air-conditioned rooms featuring refrigerators and minibars. Rooms have private balconies. Wired and w...
Overall Rating - Good - 263 reviews
Neighbourhoods in Naples
Landmarks in Naples
- Naples Town Hall (270)
- Castel dell'Ovo (127)
- Botanical Garden of Naples (176)
- Piazza Dante (294)
- Galleria Umberto (248)
- Duomo San Gennaro (275)
- Theatre San Carlo (235)
- Piazza San Domenico Maggiore (330)
- Virgil's Tomb (60)
- Stadium San Paolo (20)
- Castel Nuovo (178)
- Piazza del Municipio (270)
- Catacombs of San Gennaro (51)


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I am looking for recomendation for good drills for bolting granite. Specific model name/numbers would be helpful so I can try to find one for a good price. Also if you know please let me know the average # of 3/8"x3" holes one battery will drill in granite. EDIT: I am looking for a rotary hammer not hammer drill. I got a hammer drill and tried using it...FAIL! Hahaha. Thanks In Advance!
I have had good use with a Bosch 11536C. This is the compact lighter version, there is also a heavier duty version that is nice as well. Keep in mind that there is a difference between Rotary hammer and hammer drill.
DAMN that thing actually uses gun powder to fire the bolt in! Seriously recomendations for good rotary hammers?
Never seen anyone else use one but I have a 24v Makita rotary hammer that I really like. It's proven very durable. They make a newer model with Li-Ion batteries that looks really nice. EDIT: In retrospect the OP is either a troll or a totally novice bolter. Go find someone with knowledge before you destroy perfectly good rock faces.
Thank god you live in AZ. Seriously. You don't know what drill to even use. Sorry, but maybe get a mentor or someone who knows WTF they are doing to show you b/f you go "bolt granite". I like the peanut gallery chipping in with the ones they use to fasten studs to the foundation, great advice happening here. Yeah go with Dewalt.
Bolting isn't rocket science. Just remember if you are doing new routes with bolts, you need to be a craftsmen. You are creating something that other people will see/use. Ask yourself; is this line worth the bolts? Am I putting the bolts in the best possible place? Am I using quality bolts that will last a long time? I have a the Hilti TE-6A. 36Volt. It's super charged with 3X12Volt 7 amp hour batteries. I've no Idea how many holes I can get out of it. I drilled a bunch of holes in a super shitty talus area once to see( it was very hard basalt)...I gave up when I reached 20, 1/2"X4.5" holes and it wasn't even slowing down. I'll sell you that drill for $325 plus shipping. josh
Josh- I don't even need a drill and am tempted to jump on that deal
Just because I am asking for info on drills doesn't mean I don't know my head from my ass it means I don't like my legs going numb while hanging in a harness hand drilling bolts that take 1-1.5hrs per hole. I only use the proper hardware, and contact the developers of a crag and get their blessing before adding anything so STFU. Thank god all you pretentious SOB's live in CO not AZ.
Nick, $325 is a great deal for a TE 6-A. If you are serious about getting a drill that is an awsome price. I am not to sure about the "turbo" battery setup it sound heavy, but if it comes with the OEM Hilti batteries also that is a steel. Even if the batteries are bad you can have them rebuilt at Batteries Plus think they charg around $100-$150. I had one done at the Batteries Plus by Summit Hut on Wetmore so know they can do it.
I own the Bosch 11536VSR 36V - the thing drills holes in bullet granite like its butter, 30sec for 7inch hole. At 9lbs it's a tad heavy for lead... There's also the Bosch 11536C-1 36V which is like 6 lbs. I would def go with the 36V Lion if you can... amazing drill times and lots of holes! This site usually has good deals and some refurbished ones cheap. Got my 11536VSR with two LI new batteries, charger, and case for $400 even. www.cpotools.com/bosch-cordless-rotary-and-demolition-hammer>>>
Problem Solved! ;) In all seriousness, I have nothing worthwhile to add to the discussion. Just saw one of these in action a while ago and thought it was funny. It DID rip right through some stuff though.
Thanks to everyone who gave useful advice. I Actually found a nice deal on a bulldog that is already converted to run off SLA cells. So feel free to jump on the drill offered in this thread.
Thanks. I understand that when a young climber expresses interest in doing FA's (especially if they use bolts) that some people freak out. Let me assure people that I understand the gravity of the decision to place a bolt. I climb trad as much as I do sport and will only be bolting if necessary (the bolts I have placed have all been hand drilled to this point. This is an awesome apprenticeship as it makes you really think about where/how many bolts to place as each one takes 1-2 hours). I have contacted the developers of the areas I am thinking of working on and gotten their blessing to add my routes ect... I also am someone who believes in and enjoys mixed routes so if some of a route needs bolts but other parts take gear then only the needed bolts will be going in.
And I apologize for my SOB comment. I should have just let the haters I knew would respond and their hate just roll of my back, alas I am human.
This one: Lithium battery Bosch. 25-30 3/8" holes / battery pack, and light enough to climb with if you have to.
Perhaps I can clear up some misinformation posted earlier. NickMartel has it correctly. Not surprisingly, there is a case of mistaken identity, probably due to similarity in terminology and misleading advertising by manufacturers. A "rotary hammer drill" also informally known as "rotohammer" is exactly what Nick needs. A rotohammer typically has an electro-pneumatic mechanism (a piston creates the in-out thrust), SDS (or sometimes a spline type) chuck, and is heavier than a "hammer drill." Also more expensive. "Hammer drills" are generally light duty, with a percussive mechanical action created by cams (the in-out thrust is directly linked to the motor). Most (or all?) have a light-duty chuck for standard straight-shank masonry bits. They are suitable for the homeowner who wants to make a few holes in a concrete block wall to hang a plant or light fixture. Definitely not suitable for climbers' needs. These may look like the typical homeowner's portable electric drill, with an extra selector switch.
dostol, Do we have it correctly that you are you still defending your position that: "I would recommend that's it's 1) a hammer drill (obviously)" and "It looked like you're still not sure about whether to use a rotary hammer (which is a light version of a jack-hammer) or a hammer drill (which is what you need)" You still seem to have a lack of understanding about the difference between a "hammer drill" and "rotary hammer drill." Instead of standing by your gut, why not do your own research or read my post, above. You can try to convince us with how many thousands of holes you've drilled and how fine your gut is. Why not try to persuade us with facts and then cite your sources. That doesn't mean "Joe" and "Fred" on the jobsite who refer to the tool as a "hammer drill" becuse they don't want to utter the extra syllables of "rotary hammer drill."
On the job they're called roto-hammers. A hammerdrill is something your little Dewalt or Milwaukee drill comes equipped with. Out climbing we just call it the drill.


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By Lloyd Burr
Wellington Zoo went all out today as they held a farewell party for Happy Feet who sets off on his homeward journey tomorrow.
Thousands of visitors dressed up in black and white, had their faces painted, wrote their goodbye messages on a giant card and got to watch Happy Feet's final check-up.
The penguin had a full examination, has blood samples taken, a microchip inserted and a GPS tracker glued to his back.
The refugee emperor penguin even attracted Wellington City Mayor Celia Wade-Brown and television crews from Australia.
He heads away tomorrow on NIWA's research vessel Tangaroa and will be released four days later at 51 degrees south near Campbell Island.
Wellington Zoo's manager of veterinary science Dr Lisa Argilla will accompany Happy Feet on his journey home.
She will be assisted by two NIWA staff who have been trained to feed and care for the penguin over the last week.
A special travel enclosure, where Happy Feet will spend his four days on the ship, has been constructed and is ready to be occupied.
Happy Feet was found on Peka Peka Beach north of Wellington in June and Wellington Zoo took him in after he started eating sand and sticks.
While the media are not allowed to join Happy Feet for his entire journey home, 3 News will spend one night on the boat with him and he will be fitted with a GPS tracker so fans will still be able to keep track of his progress.
3 News


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In a document entitled Lessons Learned from the TEPCO Nuclear Power Scandal, released by the company and seen by The Times, TEPCO blamed its "misconduct" in 2002 on its "engineers' overconfidence of their nuclear knowledge". Their "conservative mentality" had led them to fail to report problems, the company said, resulting in an "inadequate safety culture".posted by zachlipton at 10:08 AM on April 4, 2011 [5 favorites]
PBRs are intentionally operated above the 250 °C annealing temperature of graphite...Rather than lose ourselves in the details, my point is that there exist reactor designs whose safety does not rely on a bunch of systems working 100% all the time. The PBR is one such design which hasn't been pursued commercially due to political and regulatory hurdles.
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Sometimes, especially during the holidays, we lose sight of important things like our health. We disregard the need to eat healthy and the dangers of eating sweets for several weeks straight and we begin to feel sick and often, we gain weight. This may just be minor weight gain, however – the problem happens when we gain so much weight that it's unhealthy. Losing that extra weight is extremely important for several reasons, some of which are listed below.
For Your Health
One of the most important reasons to lose weight is your health. Research indicates that with every pound overweight you are according to your BMI, you are taking weeks off of your life. It can also be difficult to keep up with children, walk up stairs, or stand up straight when you're carrying too much extra weight. Since most people want to live long, quality lives, it's essential people with extra pounds find a way to lose those pounds, such as with Slankekur.
Those who have extra pounds on their bodies often don't feel good about themselves. Being overweight often means you walk by a cute dress or pair of pants you can't fit into. Some people are so self-conscious about their weight that they refuse to go out in public or buy nice things for themselves. People who lose weight and keep it off often feel much better about themselves emotionally. This emotional well-being is important when it comes to other types of health, too.
No Worries about Weight Limits
Some things are simply not built for people over certain weights. Just like a full-grown adult wouldn't get on a child's scooter, people who are overweight can't get on machines that can't handle their weight. Unfortunately, amusement park rides, certain types of chairs, and fun activities such as bungee jumping all have weight limits, meaning that you can't do them if you're over a certain number of pounds. You should always be able to enjoy something you want to do, and if you lose the weight, you can.
When you are having difficulty losing weight, you can always try supplements such as Nutrilett to assist you. No matter what path you take when you finally decide to lose weight, make sure it's a healthy one.