text:
Monday - Friday 8am - 6pm (CST)
Saturday 8:30am - 7pm (CST)
Sunday 8:30am - 5pm (CST)
Monday - Friday 8am - 6pm (CST)
Saturday 8:30am - 5pm (CST)
1st level West, near Nordstrom
1014 Bellevue Square
Bellevue, WA 98004-5019
Sleep Number® Total Protection Mattress Pad
When you buy our Total Protection mattress pad with your new SLEEP NUMBER® bed, you'll receive a 10-year limited warranty to guarantee your mattress is protected from almost any stain life can throw at it. The ultimate in mattress protection is waterproof, stain resistant and hypoallergenic. 300-thread-count cotton cover features Nanotex® technology for long-lasting protection. Quilted polyester fiberfill. Laminated back. Fully elasticized polyester skirt fits mattresses up to 20 inches. Logic Label™ takes the guesswork out of where to start making your bed. Total Protection Waterproof Mattress Pads are made in China.
Warranty: 10-Year Limited Warranty.
Available Total Protection Mattress Pad Sizes:
Twin: 38 x 75
Twin Extra-Long: 38 x 80
Full/Double: 54 x 75
Queen: 60 x 80
Expanded Queen: 66 x 80
California King: 72 x 84
Eastern King: 76 x 80
Product care:
Machine wash cold with mild detergent. Tumble dry low gentle. Do not bleach, iron, or dry clean.
Questions? Call 1-888-411-2188
Bellevue Square Store
1014 Bellevue Square
Bellevue, WASHINGTON, 98004-5019View Store


text:
Friday, 11 June 2010
John B. Eichhorn, Chief Financial Officer, Tropos Networks
14 years of hormone therapy later, that goatee is his trophy.
16 comments:
- GigerPunk said...
Either far too much makeup, or photoshop or he's not a real person and is actually a latex dummy the company brings out for photographs at press events because the actual executives all look like Gerald Cumming
Brave shirt/tie/jacket material combo.
Button down collar loses him points.
- 11 June 2010 at 10:51
- Johah Blechman said...
I agree. Seems to kinda have that pasty gay metro look.
That's OK as long as you like pasty gays. Maybe if he bulked up some, and was more of a hulk like these guys in the San Francisco Gay Parade.... I dunno.
- 11 June 2010 at 11:49
- Johah Blechman said...
Photographer decided not to snap a lap portrait with John grasping one of his cherished books ....
- 11 June 2010 at 12:17
- Anonymous said...
I have to admit I do like the tie. A bold design, but intriguing nonetheless. The jacket is an interesting choice as well. I guess he deserves points for making all of this work somehow (as evidenced by us being more concerned about his face).
- 11 June 2010 at 20:15
- Anonymous said...
Some corporate photographers still haven't understood the 'less is more' rule to retouching.... unless they just enjoy using the strongest Glamour setting on Imagenomic's Portraiture plugin.
- 11 June 2010 at 20:33
- Anonymous said...
Man he looks like he needs to be on the registry for sex offenders
- 18 June 2010 at 19:37
- Flrarginergarivb said...
Great, trans jokes. Kicks us some mores! PLEASE! I don't get enough of that as it is. **sigh**
- 19 June 2010 at 02:43
- Joey said...
Doesn't that metro hulk on the right look like "Friends", Joey Tribbiani??? Or is it John Kenner again in drag ?
- 20 June 2010 at 02:02
- Men no me said...
cripes! Who dresses this man, a muppet? Checked shirt, diagonal stripe tie, houndstooth jacket. Are you f'n kidding me?
If he dresses himself, he must be one hell of a CFO.
- 12 August 2010 at 14:44
- Anonymous said...
the residing hair line is what gets me
- 28 June 2011 at 21:08
- Dan Eichhorn said...
Hey Bro,
Did you have a face lift lately?
- 28 June 2011 at 22:03
- Your mom said...
I don't care what shape you're in/or what you are wearing...you're still my #1 son...
Love & Prayers, mom
- 29 June 2011 at 05:17
- Anonymous said...
That's a whole lot of forehead--botox or photoshop?? You look pretty good to us!!!
EI Staff
- 29 June 2011 at 17:29
- Anonymous said...
- 27 January 2012 at 00:58
- Anonymous said...
Seriously - who dresses this guy? He can't have a wife. No woman would let their husband out of the house in this outfit. He looks like he could have been a "cool guy" at one point in his life, but has seriously become a complete CFO nerdly type, poor thing!
- 24 August 2012 at 04:58
- John Kenner Gay Pride said...
I tend to like the sports jacket. I think it has a lot of taste.
- 14 September 2012 at 04:04

subset: commoncrawl


text:
- Mitch SMith
- Katoomba
- Australia
This conversation is closed.
What are our true global economics?
I recently saw an estimate that human population is currently consuming 1.5 times the carrying capacity of the Earth.
This suggests that the resources we use - the plants and animals and energy required to keep us alive are generated by the planet ecology.
It suggests that the system, if left to itself, has a capital represented by sunshine, air, water, plants and animals.
It suggests that the carrying capacity for humans is like the "interest" on the global "capital"
The inference is that we are harvesting more than the interest and are well into the capital - harvesting at an exponential growth rate.
In other words, having eaten everything on the farm, we are now eating the farm. And there will be no more "interest" becasue there will be no more capital.
Like our global bank account is in free-fall.
One dimension of the assertion is that, by mass, the nitrogen in human beings is 1.5 the available nitrogen in the at-rest ecology.
Firstly, is this a valid assertion?
Are Earth resources truly finite as assumed?
Are the available resources measurable? If so - who has a good set of data we can use for modelling?
Secondly, if resources are finite and measured - and we are consuming capital exponentially - what are our options?
What lattitude do we have for increasing carrying capacity?
How far can carrying capacity be pushed?
Can we survive in a no-growth, or contracting economic model?
What are the options for population modification?
How long do we have?
These questions are not formulated to "troll" world views. I am asking questions that a lot of people should have rational answers for.
Please reply in the spirit of the questions. Data would be good, as well as well considered models that can be tested.
Also welcome are weblinks that have rational foundations - no ratbag theory please.
Closing Statement from Mitch SMith
I have digested available metrics and known models.
Like everyone else, I am finding that the non-linear factors render the numbers functionally useless. The modeling methods themselves seem to yield more information - but all models admit to not representing any comprehensive claim.
However, one thing is clear - the window of opportunity for business-as-usual closed sometime mid 1900's, the balance of carrying capacity against draw-down of fossil energy is well under way - capital is definitely being exponentially consumed and has a terminal point at around 2050 - at which point all life on planet earth will cease.
But this assumes business as usual based on what we think we know - as it turns out, we know very little.
So .. in this scenario - ignorance is bliss.
I the analogy of our common understanding, we are screwing the planet and the value it represents. So .. to stay within the things we understand - are we rape/murdering the panet - Or are we mating with it?
This distincion is the critical facto determining if a single human will occupy the universe past 2050.
2050 is a conservative estimate - I would recommend you start answering it now.
It might be too late for you, but you might have children.
If you value hope ..
Remember - hope is not required in the universe outside of your own skull.
What you do is important - to you.
I couldn't care less. _ I've made my choice.
edward long
Nov 28 2012: A rousing exercise Mr. SMith! How about a synopsis by way of a Closing Statement?
- +1
Nov 28 2012: hi Edward - working on it - there are a lot of numbers here, some of them a bit "rubbery", but should be able to get a useful aproximation..Nov 20 2012: First of all growing population ruining everything. India and China are most populous country in the world but India never build a law to prevent this. World are just running to reach GDP data this is worst thing in Economics. Look one example first you produce more and more carbon after that you just build some Solar Park and got some carbon credits . This is loop hole in our economics. People are more greedy this time so consumption are growing rapidly. This will hurt Mother Earth. Lastly I say global economy is growing but killing some basic things. Thanks Mitch to raise some great conversation.
Nov 26 2012: so China is better than India?
W. Ying
Nov 20 2012: Yes.
- +1
The world population is an imminent serious problem.
However, if we quit the INVALID happiness, we will have about ten times more of resources, including environment, on the planet.
Then, the problem is easy to solve.
(For INVALID HAPPINESS, see the 1st article, points 1.1-3, at https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=D24D89AE8B1E2E0D&id=D24D89AE8B1E2E0D%21283&sc=documents)
Nov 20 2012: Thanks for shring this W. Ying
I agree. Except, 10,000 years? why do you say that?
To me it seems like the time 10,000 to 11,000 years is when humans went wrong.Nov 19 2012: Getting at the "facts" of your question, let's admit, is too complex and even if a set of scientists were to know the truth, there will always be others who doubt. This is the nature of human communities. Never will there be universal agreement on anything.
But fortunately, reason presents another path which can cut through the complications to a healthy solution-- one which will also undoubtedly be popular.
The best way to reduce human population, is to arrange for an equitable and dignified share of the resources of our world. Families have many children for two main reasons-- one, as a sort of insurance policy for the parents in their old age, when the family is poor. Second, as a sort of spiritual mandate to fill the earth. Honoring the value of each individual and providing for the material dignity of every individual will eliminate the first impulse.
Then, we might, as a race, explore our spiritual intuition about the fruitful and multiply mandate. If indeed our Creator gave us this, it is because our Creator knew that our earth is limitless, in the same unimaginable way that our Creator created the earth in the first place.
But for the supposed scientific elite new world order powers that be, if there are any such, who might seek to see their fellow human beings as consuming cattle to be thinned out--God forbid-- let them first take the vile of poison, and thin out the earth in the most healthy of ways. Then let the true world order proponents--we who believe in the individual and inalienable dignity of all humanity-- do the job of resurrecting our great race...
Nov 19 2012: Roger,
So . you have given up?
I think you would benefit by finding God. He will bring some light back into your life.Nov 19 2012: The world still has a tremendous amount of resources.
They can be measured and they are measured by those who purport to own, control and mine them.
Therein lies a large part of the problem we perceive.
Ownership of resources (which is ludicrous, ridiculous and flat-out wrong), needs to be done away with.
The real ownership, so to speak, has to be (because it is) all life forms on the planet, including humans.
As it is right now, ownership involves money and money needs profit and profit breeds waste.
Economy is not money. It is economizing and not wasting. Still, far too many still hold on to a world view in which they will not have to (in their minds), lower their standard of living an inch. This means that there will have to be what I call collateral starvation, slavery, poverty, inequality, greed, crime and resource wars and death.
This, to me, indicates the management of the earth's resources are of utmost importance and cannot be allowed to be in the hands of a few. It is these current owners in fact, who allow rapid, wanton use, which produces waste, pollution, and scarcity, and drives prices up. Profit is more important than the planet and its inhabitants.
A free-for-all is not the only thing, we humans could dissolve into if we face the truth and begin taking management away from those who only want to keep the status quo - which is a catastrophe on the way. How we manage is of extreme importance.
If the ice caps melt, Denmark could jump to great power on resources alone, as they own Greenland.
Russia, about 1/6th of the earths land surface could finally access the enormous amount of resources they have had for years but couldn't get.
Antarctica has 200 mountain ranges and lots of resources once the ice caps are gone. What does this leave if we continue to allow ownership and money to rule?
Resource wars which are just those at the top engaging in their idea of a free-for-all, an idea they use to scare the public with, to keep believing we need them.
Nov 19 2012: Hi RC,
I'm not all that sold on the tremendous amount of resources thing.
This is why I couched the converstationin terms of capital and interest.
The resources thing is exactly what the problem is - we regard it as tremendous - it is not.
So .. say for instance I have $100 in the bank at 10% interest (where's that bank you might ask! ;)
If I am spending 2 dollars per year, I Will be out of "resources" in 10 years - because I am eating the capital.
However if I spend only a doallar a year, I can do it forever - because I'm only eating the interest.
Now there is good data to show that we (humans) are not only eating the capital, but we are eating the capital at an exponential rate.
I will observe that this "bank of the Earth" is brilliantly special - and unlike a money-bank,
Lets, for a moment, imagine all teh species on the planet as customers of the Earth-bank.
All these customers thrive on the interest of the resource-capital. We each withdraw our dollar per year - from the SAME $10 capital pool! And the resource capital does not diminish - because the species are the capital. So how can this be? Well, it can be - becasue each species has an increase - which is the interest from which the others withdraw. We are both capital and interest - and the really macical part is that no species withdraws the entire interest pool - and this allows the capital to grow.
Then, one fine day, one of the coins in the bank (humans) decides that it is not in the bank any more. Bit it continues to make the withdrawals.
This is not so bad at first it just reduces the growth of the capital.
But then, having forgotten to contribute to the interest - and keeping it all to himsef, the human starts growing at a faster pace. And as he grows bigger, he withdraws more.
At a certain point, he is withdrawing all the interest. At that point, all the other customers stop getting the interest required to sustain them and start joining the human in withdrawing the capital, (continued)Nov 19 2012: (cont.)
But the other customers ARE the capital. So what happens?
They start dieing.
This is what we call a "mass-extinction".
Once the threshold of interest is breached, everything begins to die at an exponential rate.
As we are seeing now.
So .. "tremendous resources" is a myth.
When you add to that the notion of "exponential doubling" you will see that the final doubling happens at the point where it "looks like" we still have half the whole world to consume - but that whole half goes in a flash.
It has been suggested that we are currently consuming 1.5 Earths of "interest" in "carrying capacity" .. which means that we are well into the final doubling. 3.5% growth has a doubling time of 20 years. The suggestion is that we have 10 years left before all humans - and possibly all life on planet earth will cease. But it will be less - because exponents accellerate - which means that we have only about 3-4 years.
It is true that we have mittigated the date of reconing through the use of fosilized capital, maybe got ourselves another 20 years.
As you observe, people don't like to give up their affluence. My father in law says "it's hard to get fome a horse to a donkey". You are not going to get them to do it by force.
It will take a cataclysm of biblical proportions - which is booked and on its way.
We need to return to being coins in the bank.
If the cataclysm does that for us, well, it's only a matter of time before the boom builds up and busts again.
If we can avert the coming bust - great, but if we can't, then any survivors will need to know that they cannot leave the bank.
So firstly, how long till the fall?
Seondly, what does it mean to be a coin in the bank? - and how do we get that meaning to propogate through the ages?Nov 14 2012: good job both of you:; this is not physics. Malthus is more than good enough forf Darwin and Wallace and hand-waving or back of an envelop work. Does anyone else do better? Look at what the American Chamber tries to tell us - Maybe, I don't have it completely right - More people = better. Herman Kahn never went so far. This is probably going to end up bad. If one is niave like most Americans. It will take awhile for the loss of the American Dream to sink in if Steglitz is right as I believe him to be.Nov 27 2012: Maybe the problem also lies in gratuitous consuming. The media, corporations and mining businesses work very hard in making us consume things we don't really need. On top of which Australia alone throws away millions of tonnes worth of clothing and products each year, which to me suggests excessive over-manufacturing.
Nov 27 2012: Well, most of what we are seeing there is a process of income shifting. Just happens to be China's turn to cop the low pay. Australia will soon be a big hole in the ground at the current rate of selling coal and iron ore to China in return for letting them urbanize.
There are only 2 parties: party now, and party later.
Everyone seem to be cramming themselves into the doors and windows of the party-now house - the bouncers are too drunk to care and are now just popping people up the chimney for larfs. The party house is getting taller and taller for the revellers but the foundations are still the size of a peasant bungalow
Some party huh? Feel that swaying and grumbling sound? is it the house tottering, or is it just the alcohol .. coke, grass, speed TV .. internet porn .. TED ..Utube facebook, Soma und majeeek mushrooms ..classic literature, beethoven and the graffitti of Pompei and 100 year old scotch at $10 a sip (nearly as expensive as water) or maybe maybe someone just f*arted - that would explain the crunching noises and bad smells.
Where's the loo? Maybe there's a window I can get out before the host sees me leaving? THere's certainly no clear path to the door ;)Nov 26 2012: are earth resources finite sa assumed?yes,of course.
Nov 26 2012: Hi Flexman.
I wish it was that simple.
However, if it can be shown that our resources can regenerate faster than we use them, then they are effectively infinite.
We will need some numbers to estimate the truth about this.
I am currently compiling data from sources offered here and will publish the estimate after the conversation closes.
If you have some numbers to add - please do so.
Nov 27 2012: I hope i can help ,but i don't have the data.
W. Ying
Nov 20 2012: Anything has its own OPTIMAL POINT; global population can not be an exception.
- 0
Obviously, the point is the best point that satisfies our life goal ---- keeping our DNA alive rather than anything else.
(For OPTIMAL POINT, see the 1st article, point 9, at https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=D24D89AE8B1E2E0D&id=D24D89AE8B1E2E0D%21283&sc=documents)
Nov 20 2012: This is true.
It is my belief that species have their own "shape" and this shape causes harmony with other species and the world. (http://www.ted.com/talks/stephen_wolfram_computing_a_theory_of_everything.html )
However, humans have lost their shape. Lost in the babble of imagination and the fearful noise of their fellows. Pretending to know what is going to happen without taking the time to calculate carefully - fearing death and sadness, persuing happiness without knowing what happines is. we create ricketty ladders high into the sky for 7 billon people afraid of the ground, and all the Earth is ripped up to make the ladder ever higher. And it will fall.
The heart goes out with genuine compassion. The fall is not necessary - if we find our shape we will come back off the silly ladder and live again in the world - back in the true place of genuine happiness, genuine sadness and genuine death - the place of genuine life.
I will still do the calculations. A sense of urgency might bring a few more back to life.
Once the numbers are done, then real debate can occur - on the numbers, not on the opinions.
It is OK to say "look - see there! It is heaven!"
But all the pointing and shouting is nothing - make a bridge instead, go there and say "here! Come to this heaven - there is the bridge!"
This is my belief. It means nothing until the bridge is built.
Nov 27 2012: Hey Mitch,
Someone told me our genetics are actually decreasing in strength due to over-breeding because cells can only divide so many times before they start to break down (or at least become structurally weaker).
It's funny because as someone who practises Taoism and Buddhism (certain aspects of that is), I often thought the energy of the Earth could only be divided amongst so many people before there's just not enough to go around. Judging by the amount of thoughtless clones roaming the Earth, I wonder how similar these theories are lol
Nov 27 2012: Hi Luke,
I haven't heard that about DNA .. what I have heard is that our own cells begin to get a bit loose at teh ends of the DNA .. it kinda stops protecting itself after a lot of splitting and the wear and tear of being in a human for a few years - the end bits are important for self repair. Oddly, the gametes(?) are incredibly well protected - the eggs and sperm things - and teh gonads are the most imortal parts of us. The radiation doesn't help.
But, essentially, the electrostatic bonds of the GATC are what they are - they don't change.
When the gametes pair-up in sexual union, the new DNA is pristine (give or take some copy errors, insertions, omissions and some of that wierd stuff where whole sections of Genes sort of swap places (transgenic? anyhooz).
Everything is local. It all depends on our field of perception - and perception is a dream blanket thrown on a reality that isn't there anymore. It's like the catching of a fish with a net made of illusions. THen we all get together and stitch together all our perception blankets using thread called communication - and because they are ghost blankets, no one knows which ones are real and which got made up on teh spot. The better ones arise from what the senses tell us. So it's all local .. and local to local for a certain distance - we cannot remember anything beyond what our grandfathers told us, so we dig up bones and make up stories about them. We dig up some dust on Mars and make up stories about it as well - have you noticed how they name the rocks our robots find? If I was a robot it would make me chuckle, but we name the rocks so that we can tell stories about them. If I was a rock it would make me laugh as well
Hey! I'm a rock from Mars and I'm famous! Was a time I had to be a Rock-Band for that!
THere is this thing in the IT biz called "fire-fighting" when the systems have gotten so out of whack it all has to be re-done. Risk deferal leads to tsunami's of risk coming home. It's only a matter of timeNov 26 2012: DNA is important.Nov 19 2012: Are we to control human population much like we control animal populations through harvesting? In hunting and animal control the populations are controlled by harvesting many more females of the species then the males. This may be one of the greatest moral crises for future generations. The Chinese have a head-start on this with policies started in 1979 to control population growth. The result of such Draconian family planning has resulted in the disparate ratio of 114 males for every 100 females among babies from birth through children four years of age. Normally, 105 males are naturally born for every 100 females (Rosenberg, About.com, China one Child Policy).
Nov 19 2012: One hopes that the "female education" factor kicks in before then.
This is one reason why I started this thread - if the balance is not reached before the other self-limiting factors set-in then we will be at the mercy of teh other self-limiting factors - the traditional agents of the cull: war disease, famine and pestilence.
Mucking around with global environmental factors also brings a new rider into play: anthropogenic system collapse.
And we always have our old friends: flood, storm and earthquake. And these sleeping dogs may well be awoken by anthropogenic meddling.
Having participated in constructing part of the ricketty ladder that 7 billion paople hang on, I observe that our magic promethian wonders such as money-economy, electricity, comunications and computers makes the rungs of that ladder ever-more spindly-thin with more and more resource going into shoring them up. For instance, the just-in-time logisttics network we were so proud of, leaves everyone starving in every city within 2 days of the distribution network failing. One decent solar flare will do the trick. The solar maximum did not arrive as it should have this year (11-year cycle) .. we may have been granted a reprive .. maybe .. just maybe, we will have another 11 years to get all the power stations and comms-lines shielded - it's a huge undertaking .. and maybe, just maybe, HAARP is not doing earth weather/energy control at all .. maybe it is manipulating the Earth magnetic footprint on the Sun to mitigate sunspots. No one has asked. Even so, the Sun is not a thing to dick with - we have zero idea what it actually is, and it might get p*ssed-off.
A lot of people keep looking to technology to save us, but when you look at it, most of the work is being done to mittigate work that went before. It's like an ever-shrinking spiral - not a growing fronteer as most suppose.Nov 19 2012: For fans of Hans Rosling, who offers great graphic representations of how all sorts of indicators of human welfare and environment have changed over time, continent by continent, here is a terrific link.
At this link you can select any of the several hundred indicators he tracks, and if you click the "visualize" button at the end of the row, you will get a graphic that shows how that indicator has changed over time and comparisons across continents.
http://www.gapminder.org/data/Nov 19 2012: Here are some studies I've compiled for you.
A study done by World Hunger Education Service Associates reveals that our world produces enough food to feed everyone, but that the principal problem is that many people in the world do not have sufficient land to grow, or income to purchase, enough food. http://www.worldhunger.org/articles/Learn/world%20hunger%20facts%202002.htm
A MIT report shows that we have 4000 years of untapped clean and renewable geothermal energy that can easily meet the energy needs of tomorrow. http://geothermal.inel.gov/publications/future_of_geothermal_energy.pdf
On top of that we have solar, wind, wave, tidal and piezoelectric energy sources as well.
More is coming, stay tuned...Nov 19 2012: "Firstly, is this a valid assertion?"
Both yes and no. The reason we think we are consuming more than we have is not because we don't have enough food or energy to meet our needs, but because we live in artificial scarcity created by the profit-based monetary system. For example: to keep the price on paper high, we need to cut down our rainforests to a minimum, so that people don't have free access to them. Why do you think there's no price tag on air? At the same time, studies show that we actually have enough food to feed the entire planet and enough energy to meet the energy needs of tomorrow. So a re-prioritization is needed.
"Are Earth resources truly finite as assumed?"
With the advent of nanotechnology we can utilize molecular engineering and turn all matter into whatever shape and form we desire thus creating technological abundance. But we are still limited to our natural resources on our planet, until we get technology that can mine resources from other planets.
"Are the available resources measurable? If so - who has a good set of data we can use for modelling?"
Yes, they are. NASA's 'Landsat satellite program' can be used to measure our present resources and keep track on them in real-time (so that we don't run out).
"Secondly, if resources are finite and measured - and we are consuming capital exponentially - what are our options?"
Replacing our profit-based economy with an access based economy where we preserve our resources and produce enough food, clean water and material to feed, clothe and shelter everyone.
"What latitude do we have for increasing carrying capacity?"
Nanotechnology or molecular engineering could be utilized to transform any matter to desired needs thus creating technological abundance.
"What are the options for population modification?"
Educating people about dynamic equilibrium. An educated population doesn't need control.
How long do we have?
That is dependent on what you do today to make a better tomorrow.
Nov 19 2012: Thanks Mats.
This is all good stuff, except 2 things:
Who are "we" - so virtuous that "we" presume to feed and clothe "everyone"?
Should "we" not ask: "What is preventing 'us' from doing it for 'ourselves?'"
It seems that some magic pixie has been going round teh planet and tapping everyone with the "nanotechnology" wand.
At least the tooth fairy leaves a coin ;)
Nov 19 2012: By "we", I obviously mean the evil social engineers and scientists that will rule this perfect Utopian society whilst brainwashing everyone to become our slaves, bwahahaha! No. I simply use "we" as a term to describe 'we human beings', everyone. Perhaps a bad habit, I don't know. I honestly don't get why people get so suspicious about it though! :p
Nov 19 2012: Hi Mats,
Ther is a great, but subtle, shift in understanding what's going on in the world.
I'm happy to promote that shift.
It has to do with passive and active frameworks.
Some things have to be "made" others must be "allowed".
Somehow, we have forgotten how to distinguish .. many assume that control is the answer. In that framework, all things are "made".
Personally, I believe that most things happen simply by virtue of the dynamics of an open system and need no control. ("open" meaning: can interact with surrounding systems - not "free-for-all").
Perfection is not a thing to aspire to. Capacity-to-adapt is far superior to perfection - and is a thing which can be achieved. But only in an open system.Nov 18 2012: Mitch, how are you planning to report on your modeling effort with the data you are compiling?
Will you post it as a summary here or a link to a document?
Do you have a rough target in terms of when?
Nov 19 2012: Hi Fritzie,
I will publish it in the closing statement of the conversation after the time-limit expires.
It is a lot of work, and I might have to contact others who have done "pre-digestive" work - to shorten the task. Perhaps Rosling can help a bit.
So . when? As soon as the numbers look useful.
Right now, my gut tells me that things are bleak in the sense of comfort, but hopeful in the sense that of the chance to undo the mistakes of millenia.
Everything is convergent in what is described as "singularity" where all the exponents go vertical to infinity - the question is the order in which these things go over the event horizon. It is this sequence that we all should understand.
Nov 19 2012: I do understand how big a job this is, having experience in statistical modeling myself. That is one reason I wondered whether you would be linking us elsewhere to a location where you have more flexibility in length and format.
I have that bias as well, always to look for hopeful angles and to work hard in areas where I believe I can make a difference.
I applaud your rolling up your sleeves and getting down to an analysis of data. Theory can take us only so far.
Nov 19 2012: Agreed.
Right now, I like everyone else, have the task to shut up talking and start doing.
Talk is altogether too seductive..
I better stop talking - my TED-cred is glaring at me like an accusation;)Nov 16 2012: Fritzie
"The typical Everyone, as I think you have mentioned often, Pat, knows essentially nothing about economics. While the antitrust act signed into law in the early 1890s, I think, was meant to protect consumers, over the years more careful scrutiny revealed that some parts, like prohibitions against price-fixing among those who should be competing is typically sensible, but lots of other prohibitions in the law, particularly in Sherman Act section 2, made no economic sense in terms of benefiting consumers."
My point is none of it did anything to benefit customers. What people don't realize is that when penalties are imposed on a company they simply pass it along to their customers. The robber barons of the time brought lower prices to the customer. I was pointing out to Mitch that the market takes cares of monopolies without the benefit of government meddling. As we saw with Montgomery Wards replaced by Sears replaced by Walmart. Hell even the mighty GM would be gone now if it weren't for government meddling.
Nov 16 2012: Are you assuming that new entry immediately undermines the price fixing or that a cartel is immediately unstable because of the benefit to a firm in the short run of violating the agreement? Or another argument entirely?
Maybe I should just post this article that represents the different arguments economists in the Chicago School tradition have taken on this issue: http://www.cato.org/pubs/regulation/regv12n2/reg12n2-debow.html
Nov 16 2012: I will read the link when I have time. I'm arguing for the prior in that especially today new entries in the market make any price fixing irrelevant. E.G. Microsoft was sued by the government for antitrust. 10 or so years later Apple is the richest company in the world if Google decides to write an operating system to go along with the 100 plus companies it has acquired not to mention internet advertising who is the monopoly now? This is a moving target whose speed is accelerating, what happens when the company just goes offshore? Like I said Montgomery Wards became Sears became Walmart became... The benefactor really is the consumer.
Unions are a similar mechanism as long as they are subject to market place they are just fine if they get of control the the companies that use union labor go out of business. But if they are a government union they do not have to answer to the market place as is painfully the case here in Calif. In which case the customer i.e. citizen simply goes to another state. When the union has federal influence then the citizen goes to another country which is what will happen.
Nov 16 2012: That was a shame about Microsoft. I was in IT at the time Gates got split .. we were all rooting for MS becuase all our integration costs would just go away - the cost of IT services would halve overnight along with speed-to-market .. Mind you, Gates would become emperor of the world in the bargain .. Being an Asperger's that might not be too bad becuase he had little interest apart from his passion for computers .. but his empire might end up problematic with his successor.
I think people should realise why we elect governments in democracies: we do it to have something occupying the dominant power-niche that has a modicum of transparency. Difference between democracy and dictatorship? Window dressing ;)
Now when the electorate gets all righteous about morals and ideals, things get outlawed that should be kept in-house (drugs, prostitution, porn, gambling etc) - those things outside law are incubators for warlords, and the government has to deal with them secretly - thus comprimising the government.
All large organisations suffer from this - at a certain point, the individuals personal agendas out-weigh the interests of the organisation and the thing starts to fragment. I would bet my left nut that the limit of stability os 200 persons per organisation - becuase that is the limit of our autobiographical capacity for effective social tracking - limited by the size of our brains.
Based on that, I am looking forward to the crash - I probably won't survive it, but hey-ho, I've had a brilliant life - our kids will do better.Nov 16 2012: I think you will be interested in the link when you have time You probably know the Cato Institute is a conservative think tank.Nov 16 2012: Ok I read it the author is saying that the new critics are not cogent in arguing that antitrust laws are bad for the free market.
I stick with what I have already said. The main area that I disagree with is that government intervention creates unintended consequences usually consequences that are 180 degrees of the stated purpose.
As I said before with the speed of change in the market place further makes the laws superfluous.
This is a video arguing antitrust the way I see it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8C4gRRk2i-MNov 16 2012: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8E_zMLCRNg
Nov 16 2012: I haven't yet had a chance to listen to your Ron Paul youtube, but I did the chirping cricket. Am I missing a message in that cricket?Nov 17 2012: I thought we were actually going to have a real conversation about economics with the serious link and all. I thought maybe you were up to going a couple of rounds with the champ? but alas it was just threatening noises, I seem to recall you stating that you take a certain amount of joy in taking the loud mouth student down a notch... Cricket sounds were to point out the conspicuousness of your reticence...
I respect all teachers if they are like you and really can teach. My disposition on economics is one of frustration in the ignorance of the subject by most. Not that I'm an expert, but most people are completely illiterate on the subject. And at this point we are circling the drain at an every increasing speed, to within 10yr the question I have is going to be Mad Max or a dystopian 1984.
Nov 17 2012: I meant no threatening noises, do not see you as a loud mouth student, and don't try to take students down a notch. I only like to see people (including students) consider views other than the one they most naturally hold. And I appreciate those willing to consider other reasonable and reasoned views.
I have not had time to listen to your video and will not until tomorrow. I think perhaps you might be retired, but I am not, so work obligations intervene sometimes.
Without the chance yet to see your video, I think I see two issues that drive the difference, perhaps, between your view and mine or for that matter between the two chicago-type views articulated in the link.
One is whether one believes that price fixing arrangements are challenged fast enough given market dynamics to prevent great consumer losses in the interval. Doug Ginsburg and the Reagan justice department said not necessarily to this (in the sense of needing to be considered industry by industry) and you say yes, always.
The second issue is whether the costs of the whole legal apparatus, both the direct costs and the costs in terms of inhibiting potentially positive economic behaviors by firms exceed the losses during the interval before market forces undermine price fixing.
By the way, I don't see any of this as "going rounds." People I respect hold both views. Neither view reflects ignorance of economics.Nov 18 2012: Yeah Pat, we need a great big bunch of honesty in this world.
What's wrong with anger? Why has respect fo it vanished in clouds of "freedom of speech"? When all that gets said is vacuous noise?
Why has everyone forgotten - That the "collective" is arranged around real humans not the other way around?
you have done a lot of work in the realm of finance, the closest I got was inventory accounting. But I did notice the psychopathy taking over everything .. not just corporations, but everything.
It seems that to live in this world, a human cannot be a human. I resent that. And I resent all those who run round pretending to be virtuous machines. And you have seen me - i get my chin way out there and see who can punch my lights out.
And I don't just do it here - I go up to any self-proclained expert, and test if they know more than me .. and guess what - none so far.
I hate all this - because I know we can do better, but .. right now, I give up.
All this stuff is just egos getting hits. I just spent a few hours with one of the leading "new age conspiracy theorists" and guess what I found? An empty gassbag (Tsarion) all aliens and schizophrenia that does not know life if it jumped up and bit their A**s - as good as Ayn Rand apologising for her paedophile father. Life-long inhabitants of foolish institutions with their hands out for politically-correct strokes - better than money for a failed human.
I'm outa here - it was fun for a while, but there's more important stuff to be getting on with.
I don't like money, I don't like law, i don't like all the pretentious rubbish that passes for "knowledge".
My advice, if anyone gives a damn is to just walk away - find your life, live it and forget about all the gass - better still, 300 million fat yanks on treadmills with pipes up their bums - and we solve the energy crisis. Not for the energy, but to just get them out of our faces.Nov 15 2012: Here is another site which, I believe, does what you are trying to do here in terms of gathering data from an array of sources:
That site also includes links to the many peer-reviewed journals that publish this sort of natural resource modeling.
The articles you find in such journals will include reference to the data sets the researchers used in their statistical work.
Nov 15 2012: Hi Fritzie!
Many thanks! This is a goldmine - it might not contain everything, but in combination with the NASA resource, it may indicate gaps in the equations.
I had an idea this would end up being time-consuming ... ah well.
I'll try to get some formulas and results published in the thread summary when it closes.
Nov 15 2012: Well, have fun. It has been a much studied question over the decades.
Nov 15 2012: Yes - but it's nice to have TED here where we can bring these studies to a wider population. I feel it is necessary at this time.
Fun will definitely be had! Not easy, but fun anyway.
Thanx for your contribution!
Comment deleted
Nov 15 2012: Hi Mike,
Good observations.
What the data does is to provide 1. starting points, and 2. Dynamic observations.
One can then try our hypothetical models to fit the observations - from which predictions can be made for testing the hypothesis.
So .. for instance: Total sunlight/day minus (total human consumption/day minus fossil energy consumption/day) only defines remaining at-rest capital.
That would be useful for determining trend of capital consumption.
The interest component of at-rest capital needs to be determined as a base-line upon which at-rest carrying capacity can be calculated.
To get that we need to derive the surplus component of total bio-mass. This could be done as an estimate of carbon sequester-rate. But it would have to be done with humans excluded. So we need to calculate the carbon intake/output by measuring food in - excrement-out which should give a carbon balance equal to total biomass population growth(all species). this should yield a positive figure equal to at-rest carrying capacity - and would equal the diversion of surplus carbon from fossil sequestration to human consumption.
Then we look at the human cycle - However, it is not clear if human excretion is re-entering the environment cyclically. We tend to dump our poo into toxic concentrations that are not easily metabolised by the biosphere. So there is one major factor that needs research. I.E. how much of human excrement returns to the available cycle, and how much goes into a kind of fossil sink? The difference would influence additional withdrawal of carbon from the global capital.
from these figures, you could take actual human energy consumption and subtract at-rest carrying capacity = energy consumption "over-shoot". Then when you subtract fossil energy consumption, you will be left with capital consumption of the biosphere. The change in this number over time will yield the curve of teh consumption accelleration - which will yield a termination point at which everyone dies.Nov 15 2012: BTW - the above does not factor-in peak-oil.
The onset of peak-oil will modulate the downward trend of capital consumption.
The techno-cornucopia-worshipers believe that the pealk-oil phenomenon will be headed off, but that church does not believe in capital consumption - so they are screwed sooner or later.
Departure from reality has always been a big problem for religions.
Comment deleted
Nov 15 2012: Thanks Mike,
What this exercise will do at the very least is to prompt the incisive questions if and when "solutions" are pushed on us. I would like the principle of empathy to survive me and my species if possible.Nov 18 2012: Hi Mitch,
Peak oil is a moving target. M. King Hubbert in the 1950's predicted peak oil would occur decades ago. Just when we thought peak oil had come and gone, a new technology, horizontal fracking brought vast reserves of oil and natural gas available for exploitation. I am not in favor of this but feel constrained to point out that some resources are indeed, finite, like native fisheries, but even here, we don't know how much aquaculture will increase our bounty from the sea.
In similar fashion we don't know how much natural gas is recoverable long-term because like most resources, there is a standard resource pyramid where the richest ore (or, for example, oil) are exploited first and then, as technology improves, a greater portion of the resource pyramid is exploited. The resource pyramid for oil is huge---and growing. We know about Canadian tar sands and the oil shales out west. What we didn't know was that a new technology, not a new energy source would later vastly increase peak oil reserves.
In similar fashion we don't know how much natural gas is recoverable---in this country our predicted reserves of natural gas have risen dramatically with the ability to frack the Marcellus and Utica shales. When you add to that the vast amount of methane clathrates on the continental slope and rise and we have vast additional resources of natural gas i.e. extending supplies.
A major source of metals isn't even being exploited yet. These are the vast tracts of seafloor that have manganese nodules littering the seafloor. Unlike terrestrial metals they may become a renewable natural resource. As they are harvested the waste metal, the iron, can be used as "seeds" to grow new nodules on the seafloor. The iron is also critical, as are the rich bottom waters, to building a complete new resource in what are called, "ocean deserts". These manganese nodule fields perhaps using windmill power for "mining" could increase by a massive amount existing aquaculture resources.
Nov 18 2012: Not to mention nano engineering.Nov 19 2012: Hi Richard,
Many thanks - these are cogent observations!
The delay of reconning seems endless. And this is the basis of the recent promethean philosophy. But it's still just an ideology - and, if Larouche is it's poster child, then it has an idiot at teh helm ;)
My anchor in all this comes from 2 places:
1. The Y2K glitch. I was deeply involved in getting a few companies over that particular crisis. I did the analysis of all the computer programs and took the empirical cost of non-action to the relevent CEOs. These were things like "what happens when year 99 becomes 00 in this program". Usually, the results were that accounting glitches would occur, bills would go un-paid and accounting systems would go into a series of glitches which would take about a month of fire-fighting to sort out. No business can afford to have accounts go off-line for a few days, let alone a month. It doesn't sound real sexy as a headline, but it was mission-critical. What usually happened as the projects were formed, was that the lack of a sexy headline prompted internal empite-builders to fluff-up the fear and win massive unecessay budgets. E.g. for one company I had costed a project consisting of a handful of programmers to take 3 months to fix the lot in about 1/4 mill. The actuial project employed Andersons consulting a year and a half project on 20 mill. And most the work was done by my littel project team anyway.. we stayed on to fix all the crap coming out of the Andersons team.
2. The other glaring example is the Gore/Monkton climate circus. The climate thing is real, but it's not nearly as sexy as these gentlemen need - to fluff-up a personal fortune based on fear-press.
I am not happy with technology-worship. I grew up in a mining town and I know what prometheus does to the earth and the people on it. Just have a look at the "oops sorry!" going on with the affect of cloud-seeding on hurricane Sandy.
People use new tricks blindly - and everyone pays.
Don't touch the methane!Nov 14 2012: I wouldn't say that overpopulation is the problem in the world. The problem is the industrial and manufacturing practices of developed nations; our priority has changed from meeting basic needs to indulgence, extravagance and more profits.
Despite the increase in manufacturing capacity, developing nations still suffer hunger and all sorts of inadequacy (of basic needs). So, it can not be said that the increased production is for the purpose of meeting needs of the increasing population.
Pollution and environmental degradation is as a result of the greed of a few.
Nov 14 2012: "Despite the increase in manufacturing capacity, developing nations still suffer hunger and all sorts of inadequacy (of basic needs). So, it can not be said that the increased production is for the purpose of meeting needs of the increasing population."
How so? As long as population meets, or exceeds the growth in manufacturing capability you will not see an increase in average standard of living.
"Pollution and environmental degradation is as a result of the greed of a few."
No, right now, with the existing infrastructure even taking care of the basic needs of 7 billion people will lead to much pollution and environmental degradation.Nov 15 2012: Hi Feyisayo,
I agree to some extent. From your perspective, you see dynamics at work that impact you.
But I am always troubled by the word "greed". I have observed that what many see as "greed" is no more than practice of "customary expectations". Within the wealthy countries, most people simply assume that it's OK to be burning the equivalent of 50-man-years of energy every single day. They have not known any other way. In developing nations, the people are transitioning from human/animal energy into petro-energy and they DO see the difference. IF a community was struggling along, but surviving with just man/animal energy, it looks like absolute total insane greed to be consuming 25 thousand times that energy. You would think "they must be sooo greedy!" but they are not - they simply have no memory of anything else. They do not know that a human can live very well on a fraction of the energy being consumed in the west.
The other thing you are not perceiving is that governments and companies are creatures - they are apart from the humans who make them and they behave like simple organisms - eating more and more. They eat power and money - these are things that only humans create, so they farm these humans to harvest the power and money. They get bigger and bigger and start fighting amongst themselves. And we can't perceive them directly becasue they do not exist in the real physical world - they exist in the community environment created by humans. We do not properly see them, they do not properly see the physical world.
They are: governments, corporations and religions - meta creatures that eat everything a human can feed them, staying alive on our effort and when it runs out, they send us out to get slaves, and when the slaves run-out they are forced to rip it from the Earth - to feed the bottomless hunger of these meta-creatures This is the greed you see.
It is borne of carnivorous diet and farming.Nov 14 2012: "Firstly, is this a valid assertion?"
"Are Earth resources truly finite as assumed?"
Yes, though we haven't maxed out all of them yet and more advanced technology enables us to do more with less (this progress has been too slow in the past but that may change now that population growth is finally slowing down).
"Are the available resources measurable?"
Yes, the supply of fresh water, fertile farmland, fishing stocks, mineral/metal deposits and usable energy can all be measured.
Nov 14 2012: Hi John,
Many thanks!
Can you add some links to sources?
So far we have:
Which is a fairly comprehensive catalogue.
But it would be nice to have independent sources for verification.
One time I was the statistics systems manager for a large retailer - we would routinely alter numbers provided to the national census and statistics authorities - this was done to manipualte strategy of our market competitors. Knowing that they would also go to private market stats companies, we also manipulated the numbers going there.
One has to be circumspect and evaluate the motives of information providors.Nov 14 2012: I don't buy the premise.
If you asked this when the population of the world was in the millions and you presented this concept what would they say if you asked them about 7 billion or today about 100 billion?
Peak oil is used as a metric of your concept. But as technology changes so does peak oil. If they perfect fusion reaction energy is irrelevant. Aluminum in Napoleon's time was more valuable than gold but then technology figured out how to make aluminum and it became cheap.
The resources are made scarce when they are manipulated by government to gain power
To answer your question, It should be as it has always been the Free Market.
Nov 14 2012: Did you ever notice, that on nuclear fusion your all beloved and all problem solving 'Free Market' adds only a tiny fraction on the overall research budget in this field?
In the US the main financier for this research is the taxpayer, also known as 'Manipulative Government' to some people and they support the National Ignition Facility (NIF), the MIT & Columbia University and the FRX-L (Los Alamos National Laboratory & Air Force Research Laboratory).
NF Research in France, Russia and Germany is funded by their governments too.
The only private Institution in the US I know of is the Lawrenceville Plasma Physics, which states, that they rised over $2M from private investors from around the world, after getting kickstarted by $300K from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
So the problem of this crucial technology change is not solved by the 'Free Market' at all, as it has no short term profit, no quick buck to earn in this sustainable and farsighted strategy of energy production.
This is why all this manipulative governments worldwide started their national budged conspiracies to corrupt their scientist to work on nuclear fusion and to hinder the 'Free Market' to do this work on its own.
It is interesting to see what you take for granted by and what you blame governments for, and this almost within a single sentence.
The average ROI time frame in private businesses I worked with is 2 to 3 years. Anything beyond that time and at certain levels of complexity, investment and uncertainty, is, literally, 'none of their business' anymore.
Also, resources are made scarce when they are manipulated by private companies to gain their power, which is then called monololy - on which I assume you deny their existence... :o)
By the way, are you a lobbyist of some sort? Because if not, you could certainly make some money here... ;o)
Nov 14 2012: Do you think that the government supplied us with flight? They subsidized Samueal Pierpoint Langley to the tune of $50,000 (about 1.3 million today) to build some part of an airplane the Wright brothers got zero. Langley returned nothing the Wright brothers brought us manned flight.
Did Al Gore bring us the internet? Yes a tiny fraction that does not resemble what we have today
Same with computers, automobiles, housing, or any other consume good
Your points are a myth.
Did government bring us any type of energy? I don't know but me thinks NO. Will they with fusion? I doubt it.
Nov 14 2012: For your safety, your government supplied you with a lot of flight!
Who do you think paid for the development and construction of the latest A10, B2, C17, CV 22, F14, F15, F16, F18, F22, F35, MH 53, HH 60 military aircraft in your country? And how much did this funding increase the know how of those companies, who got it?
Budget is neither guarantee nor substitute for passion, so don't mix them up!
And who got you space flight, the first man on the moon, satellite communication and GPS?
Only now private companies are jumping on a save and well known 'space delivery service', where the risks are known and they make quite a buzz out of it.
The internet was highly based on government institutions like DARPA, DOD and has many predecessors and fathers coming from those sides.
The points I made are, unfortunately, no myth, as private companies are limited in their risk-taking and therefore limited in many fields of technology development.
I am not saying, that the private sector does no good, as it would be false to say so, but I do not worship and believe blindlessly in capitalism, as it outweighs its benefits, does not serve the majority of the people, and creates imbalance in the distribution of wealth.
Capitalism without governmental regulation is nothing but anarchy in financial power, in which only a few people are free and the rest got to pay for them. The latest bail outs are good examples of how perverted the system has become to us, the people.
Nuclear fusion is a change for an alternative energy supply. Nobody knows if we'll make it, but if we do, I assume, it will be taken off the hands of the tax-payers and returned to them by private companies to let them pay THEIR profits. Mark my words on this!Nov 14 2012: Clearly you understand this in much more detail than I, Have a nice day.
After last week I would rather stick needles in my eyes than continue this conversation.
Nov 14 2012: I understand, it must be hard to live with a majority of fellow citizens who voted that ignorant ...
Good luck and be carefull with the needles... ;o)Nov 14 2012: Hi Pat,
I hoped you would join in - you provide good range for perspective.
So. you add the important observation: Humans are not good at concieving exponential or non-linear estimates.
You also point-out that the dynamics are not straight-forward.
The peak-oil analogy is just a nice, easy to comprehend, example.
But it does flush-out some of the main dynamics:
1. Is there a limit to technological efficiency gain?
2. Is there a limit to technological inovation? What are the time-limits to this inovation?
3. If free energy is within our grasp with inovation - do we have a plan for energy balance in our environment?
I can see potential in these things, but I don't want another nebulous god or a Jonestown temple of lemmings. The only way to tell the difference is to get the numbers and crunch them publicly - with participation from all.
Can you help us understand the free market a bit better?
If we know what it really looks like, we can get governments and others out of its way.
I suspect that what we have now is not a free market.
Here's one for you, something I have difficulty nailing-down:
How does the invisible regulating hand of supply/demand=price translate into satisfaction of the Maslow pyramid?
Nov 14 2012: I don't know if there is a limit to technology efficiency gain actually I don't know what that means
Is there a limit to innovation, Yes socialism
As far as balance goes I don't know
I have tried many times to make you and the others understand socialism better to no avail
The simplest way I can think of is to point out that the standard of living that we have today compared with a 100 years ago or 1000 years ago is because of the free market. Notice that those countries are gone or going and the standard of living is still here
There are no absolutes and the countries are always changing Countries like your Australia New Zealand Hong Kong and Singapore are at the top of the freedom scale North Korea is at the bottom.
By virtue of the fact that for an producer to sell his wares he has to have a customer which requires voluntary cooperation this activity forces the benefit of both parties. This allows self betterment of seller and typically helps the buyer to survive better both will be happy about the exchange and yes all of Maslow's needs are met.


text:
Overdrive Pedals
Diamond Cornerstone OverdriveThe Diamond Cornerstone is a unique, multi-stage overdrive/distortion pedal that is super versatile and produces incredible tube-like drive tones. With two discrete Gain controls, the Diamond Cornerstone is capable of a wide range of drive settings.$179.00
Diamond Pedals J-Drive MK3 Boost / Overdrive PedalThe Diamond Pedals JDR-3 J-Drive MK3 is a great dual function Boost / Overdrive Pedal. Clean boost, overdrive, or overdrive with a solo boost - this pedal does it all. The Diamond JDR-3 J-Drive MK3 is handmade with the finest components.$219.00


text: Seeking the perfect ingredient for deliciously wrapped gifts? Try Kate's Paperie signature ribbons! Satin ribbon is silky smooth, and adds a luxurious elegance to any wrapping job. Our satin ribbons are double-faced so you won't have to worry which side is showing. Available in a multitude of colors, our ribbons come on easy-to-store 11 yard spools.


text:
- Business Banking
- Personal Banking
- Commercial Loans / SBA
- Online Banking
- About Us
Country Bank Promotes Cybersecurity Awareness with Tips for Protecting Mobile Devices
The number of attacks on mobile devices is growing, in part, as a result of the increased popularity of mobile banking. According to a 2014 report by the Federal Reserve, 51 percent of smartphone users say they have used mobile banking in the past 12 months. Click here
Country Bank Celebrates Grand Opening of New Flagship Location on 3rd Avenue
Executives from Country Bank celebrated the grand opening of their new NYC flagship branch location at 655 Third Avenue between 42nd and 41st street on Monday, April 27. As a neighborhood bank, The Country Bank family looks forward to being part of the community and providing the personalized service you expect and deserve. Click here.
Country Bank Expands ATM network
For your convenience, Country Bank has expanded its ATM network to over 170 Rite Aid Pharmacy locations throughout New York City, the Bronx, Westchester, Brooklyn, and Queens. All Country Bank cardholders will receive surcharge free ATM access to withdraw cash and view account balances; making banking at Country simple and easy.
Sign up for E-Alerts and gain better control and protection over your money. Receive e-mail updates about account activities including notification of statement availability, balance alerts, and bill payment reminders. MORE»
Handle a variety of cash management and accounting needs online. MORE»
With Direct Deposit, you don't have to spend time or effort cashing checks. It's completely secure. MORE»


text:
With a new cupcake each week, picking flavors to have at their weddings was a challenge for my brides and grooms. Each couple had the opportunity to taste a year's worth of cupcake flavors and to then choose their absolute favorite cupcakes for their wedding. Try their choices and you might find that they are your favorites, too:
The Chosen Ones
14 Responses to The Chosen Ones
Elims23 March 3, 2009 at 9:02 pm #
Hi Stef!! I just had to share with you my success! After reading through all your stuff and trying various recipes and sharing them with friends and neighbors I was actually asked by my neighbor across the street to make the cake for her wedding. I turned her down and she came back and asked me about making some of my yummy cupcakes. I thought about it and gave in. Valentine's Day I delivered 260 cupcakes (5 different flavors) and 1 cake topper (yet another flavor!) She sent me this link for the photographer's blog the other day. I was very excited to see all she had to say and loved her pictures. Just thought I'd share it with you! Congrats on the future addition to your family as well!! Very exciting!!
Here's the link – Blog- http://starryeyedstudios.net/# (enter blog)
Dawn August 18, 2010 at 2:07 pm #
I made your Peach Tea cupcakes for a coffee tasting here at my workplace Starbucks Corporate offices in Seattle, WA. Oh my gosh they were such a big hit. Everyone wanted more and I only made one batch. What an amazing idea with the tea infused butter. So now I have been asked to please make them again only make more this time. Thank you for the GREAT recipe.
Anonymous July 4, 2012 at 6:42 pm #
When I was little my mom used to make a frosting that used white sugar and she boiled it on the stove….I thought for 7 minutes….(but it wasn't like your 7 minute frosting) it was quite granualy when it was done…have you ever come across a recipe like that? I have been looking for years for it & have not had any luck yet.
canada goose xxxl September 23, 2014 at 11:04 pm #
http://www.3horseshoespub.com/sito/canada-goose-baby-snowsuit.html canada goose baby snowsuit
Leave a Reply Click here to cancel reply.


text:
Our Adult Rehabilitation Centers
are funded by your donated goods.
Giving just got easier. Get our free app.
Commonly donated goods include:
- Appliances
- Automobiles
- Children's Clothing
- Furniture
- Household Goods
- Men's Clothing
- Miscellaneous
- Women's Clothing
Save Your Receipt
Your donation to The Salvation Army is tax-deductible.
IRS tips for deducting donations
3 Easy Ways to Donate
We'll Come To You
Schedule a pickup online
Drop Off Goods
Find a drop-off location
Donate Your Vehicle
We accept qualifying vehicles in
any condition – running or not.


text:
HOPE Programs
Federal Work Study
Transfer Students
Transient Students
Satisfactory Academic Progress
Financial Aid Checklist
Financial Aid Inquiries:
How do I apply for Financial Aid?
A: For student Loans, Work Study, Pell, and other types of federally funded aid you must complete a FAFSA online at www.fafsa.ed.gov
Do I have to reapply for financial aid each year? If so, why?
A: Yes, you have to apply for financial aid each year. You do this by renewing your FAFSA. Students must reapply for financial aid each year because financial aid eligibility is based on your income for the previous year. Therefore, because you and/or your parents/spouse's income could change from year to year, the FAFSA must be renewed to reflect these changes. Go to www.fafsa.ed.gov to renew your FAFSA online. *You do not have to renew E-HOPE or GSFAPPS applications; however, if you have not completed one and wish to be considered only for the HOPE scholarship and no need-based-aid, you can apply at www.gacollege411.org.
Can I use my financial aid funds in the campus bookstore?
A: Yes, each semester there are designated days in which you can use your leftover financial aid funds to purchase books and supplies in the bookstore. Simply present your Charger card to the cashier in the bookstore and tell them you wish to apply the balance to your financial aid. You may also order books from our campus bookstore to be mailed to you using your financial aid funds. Please keep in my that the bookstore does not know how much you owe in tuition & fees. It is your responsibility to be sure that you do not overspend in the bookstore.
What does being selected for verification mean?
A: The federal processor (U.S. Department of Education) randomly selects 1 out 3 for a process called verification. Georgia Highlands College, or the institution that is attempting to process your financial aid, must compare the information you provided on your FAFSA with actual documents (i.e. federal 1040 tax return(s), verification worksheets, etc.). Corrections must be made if any errors or discrepancies are found before aid can be awarded.
Why did I receive less in the Pell Grant and/or HOPE scholarship than the amount indicated on my award letter?
A: Usually this is due to the student not being enrolled full time. Both of these funds will adjust to the number of hours the student is enrolled in. The amount shown on your award letter is based on the student being enrolled full time (at least 12 hours). The HOPE scholarship book money will adjust as well according to enrollment. ($75 if the student is enrolled in 5hrs or less, $150 if the student is enrolled 6 hours or more).
How will I be notified about the Financial Aid I will receive?
A: Your award information will be posted for you to review on your Banner/SCORE account. Please review the Online Award letter option in SCORE to view all awards made to your account. Please note that the awarding process is 4-6 weeks. You can also check the status of your financial aid on our website, www.highlands.edu/financialaid
What happens to my financial aid if there is more than enough to cover my tuition?
A: Once tuition is paid using the available financial aid, any remaining amounts are sent out by mail only to the student's home address. If a student has paid their tuition prior to their financial aid being complete, the entire amount of financial aid will be mailed out to the student from the school to their home address. *If you are receiving a Stafford loan, make sure you take note of the lender fees deducted.*
How do I receive financial aid for the summer semester?
A: Financial aid is awarded to the student for the entire year. Therefore, the student is responsible for managing their financial aid so that they will have enough to cover summer tuition and fees. *If a student receives the Pell Grant and they were less than full time in the Fall/Spring semesters, there might be additional funds left from the total they were eligible for that can be used for the summer semester. *If a student is HOPE eligible, these funds are available each term of eligibility the student has. Please watch for updates on our website and in our offices regarding any forms that may be required for Summer Financial aid.
How does a dependent student receive financial aid if their parents refuse to give them the information needed to fill out the FAFSA?
A: Federal regulations do not allow schools to award dependent student's federal aid without the FAFSA being completed and signed by both parent and student. Unfortunately, there aren't many options in this situation. Financial Aid Administrators do have the ability to grant dependency overrides in certain situations. However, it should be noted that dependency overrides are only granted in unique or extreme situations, and must be supported by acceptable documentation. Please make an appointment with a Financial Aid Counselor if you feel you could possibly qualify for a Dependency Override.
What will happen if I withdraw from a class or withdraw completely from Georgia Highlands College?
A: If you drop a course(s) after drop/add but are still enrolled in at least one course, no adjustment will be made to your financial aid (which means no repayment of funds is required). If you totally withdraw from school, your aid will be adjusted based on the date of withdrawal = amount of aid earned for the term. You will be required to return the unearned portion of financial aid.
If you are receiving a student loan you must be enrolled in at least 6 hours at the time you receive your loans or it will be returned to your lender. If you fall below 6 hours after you have received your loan and remain under six hours for a period of six months you will have to begin repayment on your loan. However, if you pick back up to 6 hours or more before those 6 months, you will not have to begin repayment.
*Note, however, that withdrawing from a course can affect your academic progress (SAP) which will affect your financial aid.*
* Federal regulations require students to maintain satisfactory academic progress (SAP) in order to receive aid. To maintain progress, students must have a minimum grade point average of 2.0 and pass a minimum of 67% of all coursework attempted.
What if I apply for financial aid past the deadline?
A: The Financial aid office can still process your application past the deadline but you will be expected to cover all tuition and fees upon their due date and then get reimbursed if you qualify for Financial aid.
Will my financial aid transfer from one school to the other?
A: If you transfer to another institution during an academic year you will need to add that institutions school code to your FAFSA as well as contact that institution directly for the required documents for that institution.
How long will it take for me to receive my financial aid money?
A: Students should allow approximately 4-6 weeks after the financial aid office has a complete file on them to receive their funds. Students can check on the SCORE to review the status of their financial aid as well as see if there are any outstanding requirements on their file. Students with loans can also go to www.highlands.edu/financialaid to check their loan status.
How is my financial need determined?
A: Applicants applying for need-based aid must submit the FAFSA. When the FAFSA is processed, the federal government calculates the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). The EFC is an indication of a family's financial strength, and is a figure that a family is expected to contribute toward the cost of attendance at Georgia Highlands for that academic year. This contribution is deducted from the estimated cost of attendance, resulting in the estimate of your financial need. Please review our Application Procedures on the home page for other information regarding the process for Financial aid at GHC.
What options are available if I don't qualify for need-based aid?
A: Students whose applications result in low need or no need have several options to assist in paying for their Georgia Highlands college education. Students may wish to consider applying for a student loan or review institution scholarships available at www.highlands.edu/site/scholarships-new.
I am a Non-U.S. Citizen, can I receive aid?
A. There are several catergories of Non-U.S. Citizens. Studentaid.gov breaksdown the different catergories of Non-U.S. Citizens and the options available at studentaid.ed.gov/eligibility/non-us-citizens. Please make sure you review your eligibitlity status.
Douglasville Campus
5901 Stewart Pkwy
Douglasville, GA 30135


text:
KESS InHouse Wish Polyester Throw Pillow
16" H x 16" W Size
18" H x 18" W Size
20" H x 20" W Size
26" H x 26" W Size
KESS InHouse Wish Polyester Throw Pillow
Weights & Dimensions
16" H x 16" W Size
18" H x 18" W Size
20" H x 20" W Size
26" H x 26" W Size
|Location: Indoor
|Product Type: Throw pillow
|Color: Multi-Colored
|Shape: Square
|Cover Material: Synthetic
|Fill Material: Polyester/Polyfill
|Number of Items Included: 1
|Construction Technique: Woven
|Embroidered: No
|Pattern: Text
|Organic: No
|Tassels Included: No
|Reversible: Yes
|Washing Method: Spot clean only
|Drying Method: Lay flat to dry
|Product Care: Spot clean with a mild detergent
|Country of Manufacture: United States
|Size (16" H x 16" W Size): 16" Square
|Size (18" H x 18" W Size): 18"Square
|Size (20" H x 20" W Size): 20" Square
|Size (26" H x 26" W Size): 26" Square
About the ManufacturerKESS Inhouse sees home décor as a chance to add art to the home and to bring together a collaborative community of artists. Whether it's on the couch, in the kitchen or hanging from a wall, they believe that art enriches life and want to support the artists who make it possible. For this reason, a percentage of every KESS Inhouse sale goes back to the artist who created the design. KESS Inhouse curates every piece of artwork specifically keeping in mind the product line. They pride themselves on the quality and integrity of their company and home décor line. KESS Inhouse believes artists should be rewarded for their creativity, imagination, and ability to transform a blank surface into something remarkable.
KESS InHouse Wish Polyester Throw Pillow
Still have questions about this product? We're here to help
Customer Reviews
Tell Us What You Think!
Tell us what you think about this product. It will help us provide you with better products in the future and help your fellow shoppers make better purchases.Write the first review
OUR SKU # QSUN4648Wish Polyester Throw Pillow is also sometimes listed under the following manufacturer numbers: KIH018APW03, KIH018APW04, KIH018APW05, KIH018APWO2


text: Tina Turbin is a renowned Author and a Celiac and Gluten Free advocate. She researches and writes about the benefits of the Gluten-Free, Paleo-ish, Keto, and Lower Carb inclined diets while also supporting and promoting ethical companies she believes in. Tina's award-winning site, PaleOmazing, houses many of her multi-award-winning recipes and research articles. She founded GlutenFreeHelp.info, voted #2 .info site in the world in 2009 out of over 6.7 million other .info sites, turning it over to her celiac daughter Miranda Jade Turbin in 2012. Tina does 1 on 1 private consulting for a Customized-Diet and Lifestyle Change, The Home Kitchen Ingredient's Facelift and Restaurant Menu consulting. She is the CEO and Founder of TTAT, Inc. Founder of PaleOmazing.com, partner in two Los Angeles restaurants and co-owner of a café. Tina has released numerous award-winning eBooks, hundreds of articles, is a mother of three and also carries an additional title of award-winning children's author of Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy.


text:
Skip to content
Text Size
essence n. The intrinsic or indispensable properties that serve to characterize or identify something
This week I had the opportunity to participate in the Northeast Ohio Activities Professionals (NOAAP) conference. The conference title was "Cultivating Culture Through Wellness," and topics included: stress management, therapeutic dancing, and the power of touch . Spending a day in such a fun and nurturing environment made me realize why I am often drawn to the activities professionals at the skilled nursing facility where I occasionally work . A group of individuals, who are creative, artistic, and fun, seemed a good fit for an introduction to Voice Aerobics ™.
One of the most interesting and entertaining speakers of the morning was an aromotherapist. She talked about the therapeutic properties of essential oils, and their predating the development of most pharmaceuticals so widely used in our culture. She spoke about the role of scents and smell in activating the limbic system of the brain, evoking memories emotions, and mood. With dramatic flair, she discussed the Latin derivative for the word "essential" or "essence", and while doing so, made me begin to think about voice, as the essence of the individual spirit.
The day following the NOAAP conference, and after speaking to a Parkinson's support group, I gave further thought to why the essence of an individual is so linked to their voice. Similar to a scent that evokes a quick memory of a person or place, the sound of one's voice seems to also evoke reactions and responses from us that are quick and visceral. Beyond the message of the words, we respond and react to the pitch, the timbre, the tone, and when there is the absence of one's voice due to illness or injury, it can make us feel abandoned, and that a body, alone, will somehow not do.
Parkinson's classification as a movement disorder draws a great deal of attention to managing the physical symptoms such as tremor and stiffness. This is understandable since on a day to day basis mobility issues can be problematic for individuals with the diagnosis. But if movement is improving, and voice fading, than the essence of the individual is also beginning to fade. The husband who is walking next to his wife, but now with words that are inaudible, is fading from the relationship.
It is no wonder then, that improving or in some instances helping to restore voice, has become for me my work and my mission. The need to discover and develop ways to preserve and strengthen voice that are fun was reinforced to me this week as I moved, hummed, and played among the activity therapists. Preserving and improving voice as the essence of who we are, I hope was the take home message to those who attended the Parkinson's support group meeting, with a call to take action.
Mary Spremulli, MA, CCC-SLP resides in SW Florida, where she holds a speech- language pathology and nursing license with the mission of enlisting individuals in their treatment, and helping them express their personality & spirit through voice. She is founder of Voice Aerobics, LLC, a private practice, and is the author of Voice Aerobics DVD™, Voice Aerobics Grand Slam ™, and Voice Aerobics™ Songbirds CD, voice and exercise programs. The Voice Aerobics™ family of products blends the art and science of voice therapy into fun programs designed to be used independently by patients, and which may maximize function and reduce speech and voice symptoms associated with Parkinson's Ms. Spremulli has worked in the health care field for over 25 years, and has lectured nationally and internationally on health related topics. Ms Spremulli has published in the area of Clinical Ethics and Patients Education. For more information, please visit http://www.voiceaerobicsdvd.com or http://voiceaerobicsdvd.blogspot.com.
Browse current and archived blog articles written by caregivers, for caregivers.
May 2015
Part 2: Tips for Parkinson's Caregivers to help improve quality of life
April 2015
Tips for Parkinson's Caregivers to help improve quality of life.
December 2014
Keeping Watch
November 2014
Resources for People Who Care for Someone with Parkinson's
September 2014
I Don't Like Parkinson's, but I Love the People in My Life
August 2014
Baby, oh Baby?
July 2014
When the Caregiver Takes a Break
May 2014
Arriving at Thriving
March 2014
Adult Swim
February 2014
5 Disability Insurance Issues Worth Talking About
December 2013
DBS: How it changed darkness into light
November 2013
Family Caregivers Deserve Special Recognition
September 2013
Saving $49,500 for a Good Night's Sleep
August 2013
Growing Up with Parkinson's
July 2013
June 2013
I Wish I May, I Wish I Might
April 2013
5 Grab-and-Go Healthy Snacks for Parkinson's Caregivers
March 2013
5 Caregiving Tips for Lewy Body Dementia
January 2013
Lewy What?
November 2012
How to Support a Caregiving Spouse: Three Tips from My Other Caregiving Half
October 2012
Bobcats and Turtles
August 2012
Build a Ramp
July 2012
A Bathroom That Works
June 2012
Lessons in Care, Lessons in Time
May 2012
Welcome to CareZone
April 2012
Dignity and Empathy in Caregiving
March 2012
Notes from "Movers & Shakers with Parkinson": How You See Your Changing Roles
February 2012
PD Inpatient "Care": Inept, Indifferent, Incompetent, Insufficient, Injurious
January 2012
Caregiver Isolation as Cultural Disease
November 2011
How to Take Care of the Caregiver
September 2011
The Disregarded Costs of Agency Care
August 2011
7 Tips for Hiring Good Caregivers
July 2011
Parkinson's and Your Voice: The Essence of You
June 2011
7 Ways a Care Recipient Can Help Alleviate Caregiver Burnout
May 2011
Lessons Learned About Caregiving for a Person with Parkinson's and Alzheimer's Disease
April 2011
Communicating With Your Partner When Speech and Voice Are Declining
March 2011
Long Distance Caregiving
February 2011
Financial Planning Webinar for Caregivers
January 2011
Caregiving Tool: A Home Healthcare Management System
December 2010
Caregiver Sanity: Three Things I Try to Remember
November 2010
Appreciating Family Caregivers
May 2010
Good Body Mechanics for Caregivers by Kevin Lockette, PT
March 2010
Taking the First Step in Your Own Care by Carol Levine
Each month, we will feature a new column by caregivers on topic important for caregivers of people with Parkinson's disease. Read the latest column now.
© 2015 National Parkinson Foundation | Privacy & Terms of Use


text:
Find hotels & motels in Government Camp using the list below. Find cheap and discounted hotel/motel rates in or nearby Government Camp, OR for your upcoming personal or group travel. We list the best Government Camp, Oregon motel and hotel rooms. Browse the Government Camp area hotels to find the perfect lodging! Please use the provided map of the Government Camp hotels. Need 5+ Rooms? Secure Government Camp Group Hotel DiscountsThe Government Camp center point is about 1 mile from Mt Hood Skibowl Winter Resort and 1 mile from Downtown Government Camp.
Government Camp Hotels/Accommodations
Next 20 Government Camp Hotels > [1 - 20 of 50]
Next: See My Government Camp Hotels with Pricing >


text:
- Price Drops
- Free Apps
MechWarrior: Tactical Command
$7.99 $3.991 day, 16 hours ago
Battle Riders - Car Combat Racing
$1.99 $0.991 day, 18 hours ago
The Bluecoats - North vs South
$1.99 $0.992 days ago
Tower of Fortune
$0.99 Free!2 days, 6 hours ago
Pandemic: The Board Game
$6.99 $4.993 days, 14 hours ago
Super Hexagon
$2.99 $0.994 days, 7 hours ago
Infinity Blade
$5.99 Free!4 days, 11 hours ago
Infinite Warrior
$2.99 $0.995 days, 3 hours ago
Backbreaker 2: Vengeance
$0.99 Free!5 days, 3 hours ago
$3.99 $0.995 days, 7 hours ago
Wildfire Hero
$0.99 Free!6 hours, 44 minutes ago
A Relaxing All In One Solitaire Card Game for Coffee Breaks PRO
$1.99 Free!6 hours, 45 minutes ago
Meet You Plus
$4.99 Free!7 hours, 35 minutes ago
Black toy man-hero jump
$0.99 Free!7 hours, 53 minutes ago
$0.99 Free!8 hours, 1 minute ago
Halloween Nightmare
$0.99 Free!8 hours, 22 minutes ago
Cut the Chain for iPhone
$4.99 Free!8 hours, 43 minutes ago
Cut the Chain HD
$4.99 Free!8 hours, 43 minutes ago
Spunky Monkey
$4.99 Free!8 hours, 43 minutes ago
Bump In Pro
$4.99 Free!8 hours, 43 minutes ago
Latest Comments
1 week, 3 days ago
Here's my review… Terrible Controls: Download & Deleted
1 week, 6 days ago
Needs a review
2 weeks ago
Please, don't be another CoC clone. Be an RTS like Red Alert on iOS f.e.
2 weeks, 2 days ago
You bastards! I saw this headline out of the corner of my eye and thought for a brief wonderful…
Sponsored feature
Most Recent Top Rated
The Executive
Riverman Media LLC
Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions Evolved
Activision Publishing, Inc.
Desktop Dungeons
QCF Design
Fearless Fantasy
tinyBuild LLC
Legend of Grimrock
Almost Human ltd.
Halo: Spartan Strike
Microsoft Corporation
Implosion - Never Lose Hope
Rayark Inc.
Adventures of Poco Eco - Lost Sounds: Experience Music and Animation Art in an Indie Game
POSSIBLE GAMES Kft.
AG Drive
Engine Software
Electronic Super Joy: Groove City
Yazar Media Group LLC


text:
The BRITAX Infant Positioning Insert may be necessary for small infants to achieve a snug fit of the harness around your child. The Infant Positioning Insert has been tested and certified for use with the following BRITAX convertible car seats: ROUNDABOUT 55, ROUNDABOUT 55 Canada, MARATHON 70, MARATHON 65, MARATHON 70-G3, MARATHON 65-G3, BOULEVARD 70, BOULEVARD 65, BOULEVARD 70-G3, BOULEVARD 65-G3, BOULEVARD 70 CS, BOULEVARD 65 CS, PAVILION 70-G3, PAVILION 65-G3, ADVOCATE 70 CS, ADVOCATE 65 CS, ADVOCATE 70-G3, and ADVOCATE 65-G3.
Copyright © 2015 Britax. All rights reserved.
Contact Us
Privacy Policy
Human Trafficking Statement
Site Map
Email Newsletter Signup & Settings
Britax USA
Support Phone: 888-427-4829


text:
ACRL/ANSS Instruction and Information Literacy Committee
To investigate, review, analyze and develop standards and practices of information literacy and instruction in anthropology, sociology and related fields; to follow the ACRL Information Literacy Advisory Committee's guidelines for the development of subject-based IL standards; to recommend how ANSS IL standards and practices can be applied, adapted and implemented, and disseminates its findings; to co-sponsor/co-plan information literacy and library instruction related activities within ANSS, and work with appropriate and related ACRL/ALA committees and relevant scholarly organizations to address the latest developments and issues related to instruction, information literacy, librarian-faculty collaboration and other areas identified and recommended by the ANSS Executive Committee.
Displaying active committee roster as of 06/30/2015. Last retrieved on 06/30/2015. Members can log in to view full contact information for committee members.
Public Posts from ALA Connect
- Instruction and Information Literacy Committee Meeting (ACRL ANSS)
- Instruction and Information Literacy Committee Meeting (ACRL ANSS)
- 2013 Annual Conference Meeting Agenda
- Midwinter 2013 Meeting Minutes
- Instruction and Information Literacy Committee Meeting (ACRL ANSS)
- Instruction & Information Literacy Committee Meeting (ACRL ANSS)
- Information Literacy Standards for Anthropology and Sociology Students
The committee composition is determined by section leadership.
Get Involved
Volunteer applications for ACRL appointments are accepted through February 15 for service the following term, which begins July 1. Visit http://www.ala.org/acrl/membership/volunteer/volunteer for more information and a link to the volunteer form.
Staff Liaison
Megan Griffin
Program Officer
Association of College & Research Libraries
American Library Association
50 East Huron Street
Chicago, IL 60611-2788
Work: 312-280-2514
E-mail: email@example.com


text:
Decorian 10 Inch Step Hugger Landing Rug - Sandstone
Catalog Item # 55612
Please contact your nearest Camping World SuperCenter for availability.
Click Here to find your nearest store.
For information call 1-888-626-7576.
Ask a Question
Landing Step rug Size: 23 1/2"W x 10"D
Technical Specs
Weight: 1 lb.
Manufacturer: Prest-o-fit Inc
Mfg Part #: 434031
Be the first to review this product!
Ask a Question
Ask your question today to get answers from other owners of this product and Camping World staff members. If you have a question for customer service such as pricing, shipping or order information please do not submit your question through this form. Please contact Customer Service.


text:
Brett and Matt Berry, brothers in spear-fishing and free-diving, surfaced nearly simultaneously recently on a classic dive from shore off San Diego.
"I popped up first after I shot mine and I yelled for Matt," said Brett, who is older at 29 to Matt's 26. "I yelled, 'Matt, help me out. I've got a fish,' and he yelled back, 'You have one, too?' Turns out we shot our fish at the same time."
They had to fight off several sevengill sharks, overpopulated in our waters right now, to retrieve their fish, two huge white seabass. They shot them just below the surface, but had to go down into 40 feet of water to get them when they tangled up there. Any diver, whether in SCUBA gear or free-diving, would be proud to bring these specimens to shore. Brett's was the smaller of the two fish, called Grey Ghosts of the Kelp, at 43 pounds, while Matt's weighed in at 51 pounds. Recently, a 65-pound white seabass was shot by another freediver. The Big Biscuit hunt is on.
"My fish wasn't as big as Matt's, but it was just cool to shoot a fish this size at the same time as my brother," Brett said. "We weren't expecting anything because we just popped in for a shore dive. We mostly dive off a boat."
Matt is the more media shy of the two Berry brothers, so Brett handled the information download.
Brett, who has a private jet cleaning business, said he took extra pride in shooting the fish with a speargun he just finished building with the help of his buddy, Steve Rathfon.
"It was the first time I used it or fired it," he said.
The two Berry Boys learned to hunt and fish at the side of their father, talented wildlife artist and carver, Bob Berry, who has transformed the family home in El Cajon into a lodge straight out of Wyoming or Montana. In May, Bob Berry, a five-time World Champion fish carver and artist, will receive a World Show Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to taxidermy and fish carving for the last 50 years. He's only the third person to be so honored.
"We're proud of him," Brett Berry said. "He's a tough guy. We're going to go there for the ceremony."
Brett said he and his brother have been diving since they were kids and developed a tremendous love and respect for the sea and all its resources.
As freedivers, they are following the great wake left by the legendary swimfins worn by the sport's diving pioneers, the San Diego Bottom Scratchers, a legendary dive group formed in the 1940s of which just one member remains, James Stewart, a decorated research diver and retired instructor at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
Brett is events coordinator for the San Diego Freedivers Club, a group that has carried on the tradition of the Bottom Scratchers. But when you consider ocean closures and limited access due to the misguided Marine Protection Act, the fact these guys can shoot a double on white seabass speaks volumes for the tenacity of today's divers and anglers.