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Last edited by Zim; 02-10-2014 at 07:23 AM.
Now that deadline passed I'm curious if there were any other nonresidents here that applied for Pecos archery elk tags. Really hoping we draw. We have a drop camp lined up.
Last edited by Zim; 03-25-2014 at 06:07 AM.
I put in for the Pecos archery.
Which pool? Did you apply last year? The applicant numbers dropped last year for some reason. Can't figure out why, but I hope not many others noticed.
Last edited by Zim; 03-25-2014 at 06:06 AM.
If they didn't, they did nowbut I hope not many others noticed.
But it's too late for them to do anything about it now.
I did not apply last year.
How often are you guys running into other hunters in 45 archery? I don't hunt NM but have considered starting to apply for it. That's after I get somemore experience. I'd rather screw up in Colorado where I can hunt the same place year after year instead of messing up on a low odd tag.
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As a lot of folks already know, we don't operate Counter Culture Coffee shops. So, we rely on the people making our coffee and serving it to the public to ensure that the same level of attention to detail is given to brewing and serving our coffee as goes into sourcing and roasting it. (This is why we created our Counter Intelligence coffee education program , btw.) We're very grateful to the many high-quality shops, restaurants, and specialty groceries that serve and sell our coffees.
It's especially gratifying to have two of our friends and partners, Pavement Coffeehouse and Ultimo Coffee, be named the best coffee shops by Boston and Philadelphia magazines, respectively.
"One of the first places in Boston to offer pour-over and cold-brew coffees," noted Boston Magazine. "Pavement goes well beyond crafting lattes and cappuccinos (although these are fantastic here, too)."
And, of Ultimo, Philadelphia Magazine wrote: "The inviting staff, comfortable vibe and Counter Culture coffee would be enough to make Ultimo Philadelphia's best. That the Newbold spot shares space with Brew-a beer store-makes it the ultimate for a 2 p.m. pick-me-up followed by a 4 p.m. happy hour."
We're very proud of both teams and want to thank their owners, management, and staff for their hard work!


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Avron is a bustling venue and caters for small to medium size functions. The restaurant can hold 100 people for dinner, birthday functions, and other special occasions. The capacity goes up to 250 for cocktail functions. The restaurant has a contemporary feel and is family friendly. A great selection of sushi is also available. Avron is open for lunch from 10 am until 3 pm and for dinner from 5 pm until 10.30 pm.
Tembo Village Restaurant is set in a tropical garden overlooking the swimming pool and poolside bar. Guests can enjoy a continental breakfast, and deliciously grilled specialities, charcoal fired pizza, and freshly caught seafood from the Indian Ocean for lunch. Dinner is a three course meal with a selection of two starters, and a choice between a three-course meat, fish or vegetarian meal. The fish and prawns are particularly tasty, covered in a mouth-watering African inspired sauce and served with homemade risotto. End the night in style with a scrumptious lime cheesecake or vegetable crepe.
The Green Dolphin Restaurant is one of Cape Town's premier jazz hotspots. Located in the V & A Waterfront, on the water's edge, patrons can sit with Table Mountain as their backdrop, watching the seals at play while taking in the smooth sounds of some of the finest jazz the Mother city has to offer. Relaxed, intimate and jivey, the Green Dolphin is a popular haunt for tourists as well as Capetonians who are looking for a great night out.
The menu is varied and has a little something for everyone. With plenty of fresh seafood on offers, as well as delicious meat and vegetarian speciality, diners will be delighted. The seafood chowder and fresh mussels with a creamy white wine sauce with chilli, coriander and garlic are a must on the starter menu. And the venison kebabs and prawn and crayfish duo are a tasty treat for those with a bigger appetite. The wine list offers some of the finest wines from around South Africa, the perfect complement to any of the dishes on the menu.
With jazz every night of the year, fabulous food, unsurpassed views and a wonderfully warm and welcoming atmosphere, the Green Dolphin should be on everyone's list of places to eat in Cape Town.


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Deputies: Man kills wife, self in apparent murder-suicide
Published: Monday, March 4, 2013 at 8:48 p.m.
Last Modified: Monday, March 4, 2013 at 8:48 p.m.
When officers arrived at the home of Harold and Bronwyn Wilcox, 80, at 7771 S.W. 117th St. Road, just after 1:30 p.m. they discovered the woman dead on the kitchen floor. She was shot at least once, according to Marion County Sheriff's Office reports.
Officers then entered the home's master bathroom and found Harold Wilcox in the walk-in shower. He was dead of an apparent self-inflicted shotgun wound, reports state.
There were several notes left which included the couple's son's name and telephone number.
None of the notes mentioned a motive for the shootings, said Capt. James Pogue, sheriff's spokesman.
Officers were called to the home after another couple, who were friends with the Wilcoxes, found a box inside of their garage. The box contained a note which detailed what Wilcox was planning to do. A key to the Wilcox's home was left inside the envelope, according to reports.
The couple went to the home and found the couple dead. Harold Wilcox called the couple Sunday morning and asked if they were going to church. Nothing seemed strange about the conversation. The box was found after the couple returned from church, reports state.
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.


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May 28, 2016
Scientists at Harbor Branch in Fort Pierce have made an exciting discovery, a large quantity of sponge they say has some of the best cancer fighting potential of anything they've collected.
The sponge, Discodermalide is one of Harbor branches greatest success stories. It's now in human testing with a pharmaceutical company as a possible cancer-fighting drug.
Pancreatic Cancer, Lung Cancer, Breast Cancer, Leukemia, even cancer cells resistant to other drugs, all succumbed to the new sponge. Scientists now studying the sponge are trying to find the secret behind it's potency and how they can make more.
The sponge still doesn't have an official name, that's because harbor Branch is still pursuing a patent on it. Scientists hope to fast track their research and get a pharmaceutical company interested turning the sponge into a drug.
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As of yesterday our mobile devices (android phones) have have suddenly stopped syncing back to zimbra & outlook. If I make a change in zimbra it will propogate to the phone, but if a change is made on the phone it does not sync back to outlook or zimbra. They are all using the native active sync that came on the phone. I have been looking through the logs but don't see anything particularly useful (perhaps I am looking in the wrong place) but if anyone has ever encountered this or has any ideas I would appreciate any help/feedback/point in the right direction. I am currently searching the forums but any help is appreciated.
Thanks in advance


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Winston-Salem, NC -- Joseph M. Hester, a Forsyth County Schools teacher, is facing sex offenses charges for having an inappropriate relationship with a student.
Winston-Salem police said they received a call from administrators at Glenn High School that a teacher was possibly involved in an inappropriate relationship with a 15-year-old female student.
Hours later, police arrested 24-year-old Joseph M. Hester and charged him with:
He is in the Forsyth County Detention Center under a $ 500,000 bond.
Theo Helm, a spokesperson for Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools, said Hester is a first year teacher who teaches science at Glenn High.
"On the one hand, it should be common sense that you don't have a relationship with a student. Beyond that, it's something we educate teachers and employees about," Helm said.
Winston-Salem Police Lieutenant Rob Cozart added, "You understand that teenagers and children will make mistakes and show a lapse in judgment. It's the responsibility of the adult to make the proper decisions and to do the right thing in a situation. Obviously, in this situation, the adult made the wrong decision."
Investigators said no other victims have been identified at this point in the investigation. However, the case remains open while police continue to investigate.


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(Sports Network) - Former Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher has
announced his retirement from the NFL.
"After spending a lot time this spring thinking about my NFL future, I have
made the decision to retire," Urlacher said Wednesday. "Although I could
continue playing, I'm not sure I would bring a level of performance or passion
that's up to my standards. When considering this, along with the fact that I
could retire after 13-year career wearing only one jersey for such a storied
franchise, my decision became pretty clear.
"I want to thank all the people in my life that have help me along the way,"
Urlacher continued. "I will miss my teammates, my coaches, and the great Bears
fans. I'm proud to say that I gave all of you everything I had every time I
took the field. I will miss the great game, but I leave with no regrets."
More to follow...
The Sports Network


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WASHINGTON (WUSA) -- The Washington Wizards won, in my book. And you should count it as a 'W' in your book too.
If you walk away disappointed from Monday afternoon's 114-106 loss to the Houston Rockets, your expectations are completely out of whack, so much so, that you may as well not watch another game this season. Stop stressing yourself out over wins and losses because they are almost secondary at this point in time.
The Wizards are statistically one of the worst offenses of all-time and are very evidently a poorly put together roster. It took them 13 games into the season just to top 100 points. There are reasons to head home happy after losses in this 2011-2012 campaign; there's no need to be ashamed.
Why can we all be happy with this loss? Armed by the best performance of John Wall's career (38 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds, 4 steals) the Wizards actually played three quarters of inspiring basketball. They trailed by just four at halftime even with Houston shooting over 50 percent, and almost generated a memorable comeback. Wall looked like the number one overall pick this franchise has so desperately needed during the now 1-12 start.
"He was extremely impressive in how he played on both ends. John played with a great amount of passion," commented head coach Flip Saunders.
Before I shower lots of deserved praise upon Wall, there was a moment in which he royally screwed up. After an improbable 21-8 run, Washington trailed just 101-96 with a little over five minutes left. Wall corralled home a rebound, and started what looked like it was going to be a promising three-on-two fast break. But Wall telegraphed a would-be pass to Jordan Crawford right into the hands of Kevin Martin. That play sealed the Wizards fate.
Here's how/what/why John Wall was sensational Monday afternoon.
*His first turnover didn't come until the middle of the third quarter, and it came on a questionable call that could've been ruled a kick on Rocket Kyle Lowry. Usually, Wall's sagging body language accompanies his four-or-so turnovers. Not against the Rockets. Taking care of the basketball spurred Wall to play with certainty, the perfect amount of speed and as Saunders said, passion.
*Finishing. Wall made six layup/dunk combinations and missed just one near the bucket. According to Hoop Data, his shot conversion at the rim is still just 52 percent.
*Though they were mostly open shots, Wall was nailing jumpers, which to me was the biggest surprise of his outing.
By now you know that I haven't been the biggest John Wall supporter. I proclaimed that the Wizards shouldn't be building their entire future around the hopes of Wall becoming someone like Derrick Rose. I think Wall is better suited as the non-primary scorer. Against the Rockets, Wall shut me up, but I will stick by point number two in that article.
As amazing as Wall was today, he made two players on the court play better -- Jordan Crawford and Jan Vesely. Does Wall have the understanding to get JaVale McGee going when Wall is hot himself? Over time, that skill has potential to shine through.
The problem with every Wizard this year obviously has been consistently. 38 points isn't realistic to expect for Wall, but a string of 20-pointers would have the critics like myself silenced for the time being.
Other Observations
*The third quarter defines why the Wizards are the laughingstock of the entire sports world. In the blink of an eye Washington went from down 64-60 to down 80-64. McGee and Andray Blatche were both torched to flames on the defensive end by Samuel Dalembert of all people. The Haitian poured an unfathomable 14 third quarter points to ultimately devastate the Wizards.
*Some old school media types have a gigantic problem with McGee's off the backboard slam dunk. They say it displays lack of character and judgement, especially since McGee was having a stinker of a game. I'm in the opposite camp. McGee uses big plays like to get himself (and the fans) going.
Flip Saunders obviously agrees with the older media types and relegated McGee to the bench from 8:57 on in the fourth. Saunders cited his center's poor pick-and-roll defense as the reason he was parked on the pine. While McGee's eight points and 10 rebounds weren't necessarily terrible, it was quite the letdown from his dominance of the 76ers on Saturday.
*If Nick Young starts off a game poorly, he literally can't find his groove the rest of the way. A 1-for-6 start turned into a 3-for-12 finish and a seat on the bench next to McGee in the fourth.
*Jan Vesely's +11 was the highest overall scoring differential from a Wizard. I thought he defended Luis Scola as well as anybody on the team. It is becoming public knowledge that Vesely is a dreadful creator on offense, unless it's a fast break. I don't know if he will ever average over 10 points per game in his career. If Wall can throw together a few more games like he had today, Vesely should steadily improve.
Notable Quotables
"I just played basketball today, I think I made more jump shots and just found my way getting to the basket and the free throw line, but we came up short on a win." John Wall
"At times our defense looked really good but John Wall is kind of like a one man fast break out there." Rockets Head Coach Kevin McHale
"We got it down to five and then we just started making more mistakes. We have to capitalize more when things are going well for us." Andray Blatche
"No" Jordan Crawford on whether this can be considered a positive loss.
"You look at Chicago, a lot of times part of their bench finishes games. They can defend. We were having problems with defending [Kevin] Martin." Flip Saunders on why Maurice Evans and Jordan Crawford saw big fourth quarter minutes.


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May 24, 2016
Tallahassee, FL -- For two softball players, their dream of playing on the college level, was turned into reality Wednesday morning. Both signed scholarships with Wallace State.
"It's been one of my dreams since I started playing T-Ball," says Brooke Kinsey, a Madison County senior first baseman. "I've always wanted to go to college to play softball."
"I'm so thrilled and happy because I have worked so hard for this for ten years," adds Dani Ekberg, a Lincoln senior catcher.
Brooke Kinsey and Dani Ekberg play for two different schools, but have played travel ball with together since they were 11 years old.
"Me and Brooke go back a long time. First we played against each other, they were our rivals for a while. Then whenever I went on her team we were just great together."
That friendship helped lead to scholarships for both.
"I can't wait to start my journey with her because she's such a great person," adds Kinsey. "She'll keep me in line when my parents aren't there and I just wouldn't want it to be with anyone else."
"Going six hours away, it's nice knowing that there's someone there that will be there every step of the way with me," says Ekberg.
For one more season, one will be a Cowgirl, the other a Trojan. Next season, they'll be Lions.
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See All Contributors »
Late 3 pointer, jeez you are better than that, I would have said it was a bad shot even if it went in I think. Couldnt believe it.
Yeah, that was bad. Even was falling away from the basket IIRC
Originally Posted by huntt26
Yeah, that was bad. Even was falling away from the basket IIRC
Just something we cant have late in the second half of a close game, just cant.
That was a rough one, but I would have been cheering my butt off if he made it. The sad thing was that I think he could have easily taken his guy to the basket, as the backside was pretty clear for him.
Yeah I am sure he will be getting an earful from CFH
That play was bad. But you'll have that. I just hope he learns from it, focuses, and comes out ready to play next week.
Originally Posted by azepp
That play was bad. But you'll have that. I just hope he learns from it, focuses, and comes out ready to play next week.
I am sure he will.
Yes, that was not a smart shot.
On our biggest offensive possession of the game we decided on producing the worst possible outcome besides a turnover. Just shows we have a lot of room to grow still. Hopefully White figures it out.
I was surprised by that. He's taken some before, but none were at a worse time that one.
Agree. Terrible shot and adds to the convo about him needing a lot of work before making the big bucks. He should have slowed it down and ran the offense.
Honestly Im ok with 1 in the 1st half, maybe 2, just to pull out his guy so then he can drive past him , just frustrating.
Yeah that one shot lost us the game
(hopefully not needed)
Fred taught him who is boss. Expect a ****** off and disciplined ISU team come tourney time. We're gonna need it to take out a 1 seed.
It didnt lose us the game obviously, but making a good shot would have made it extremely interesting.
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Raising up scholars
Lifestyle | Seattle program is intense, but it helps low-income, minority students thrive in the classroom
"Raising up scholars" Continued...
Rainier Valley, on the southeast side of Seattle, has the most diverse zip code in America: It is home to 70 nationalities speaking over 20 languages. Gangs such as 74 Hoover Crips and Central District Bloods roam the streets. Although Rainier Valley only includes 8 percent of the Seattle population, 21 percent of the city's 2008 homicides happened there. Students who strive to excel academically encounter jeering, not cheering. Without support, most of these students will fail.
But some won't if Bob Hurlbut, a former Young Life staffer, has his way. Hurlbut founded Rainier Scholars in 2002. Since then the support program has been offering "early intervention, rigorous curriculum, high academic standards, [and] long-term comprehensive support" to low-income, minority students beginning in the summer before sixth grade and concluding with college graduation.
Hurlbut's office sits in a neighborhood where broken glass lines the street and protective metal bars cover the windows of Viet-Wah Super Foods. His office walls display student pictures, artwork, and banners from colleges like Dartmouth and Columbia that Rainier Scholars attend. On a bookshelf next to grape juice boxes is a framed quotation: "Everyone deserves opportunity, no one deserves success."
Rainier Scholars accepts 60 students, based on test scores and parental commitment, out of a pool of 1,000 fifth-graders. Scholars begin the program by studying 10 hours a day during a six-week summer academic boot camp. They continue all-day Saturday programs throughout the regular school year. During the first 14-month phase of the program, scholars attend the equivalent of 120 additional days of school, and complete more than 500 additional hours of homework. They study literature, writing, history, math, science, and personal ethics.
The intensity can be a shock to the scholars. Dana Marrero, a scholar accepted to Seattle's elite Lakeside private high school, says she was so excited when she received her acceptance into the Rainier Scholars program that she ran around the house screaming. On the first day of the program, reality hit: "I was looking at my shoes. I knew no one, I didn't know what was going to happen, I was blank." Marrero says she would go to Rainier Scholars, then come home so frustrated she would "take it out on whoever I saw: my cat, my mom, the fridge, anything. I would cry, have a little snack, do homework, cry again, do homework and cry at the same time." Everywhere she turned another big stack of homework waited to be completed.
Dina Anur, a senior in high school, has been a scholar for six years. The daughter of Ethiopian immigrants, Anur says that at some point "every kid wants to quit" the program. Nineteen students from her class of Rainier Scholars did quit. Anur often received "Unprepareds," meaning that she had not finished her homework from the night before. Angry and frustrated, she would storm home. Rather than giving sympathy, her mother would tell her, "That's what you get, you deserve it. OK, you need to do your work and focus."
One of Anur's hardest classes was literature, taught by Drego Little. He had 11- and 12-year-old scholars read 13 books, including To Kill a Mockingbird, The House on Mango Street, and The Odyssey. He expected Anur and her classmates to read critically and to be able to offer text-based evidence for their comments during class discussions.
Anur says Little required his students to memorize a piece of literature and perform it in front of the class. To help them develop confidence, Little took Anur's class outside and sent the scholars one at a time across the street to speak their pieces over the noise of roaring buses. Once, after her class had valiantly orated the pieces, arousing the attention of neighbors, Little took the whole class out for hot chocolate and donuts at Starbucks.
Today, Anur is a mentor to 10 younger girls. Two of her students are on probation, one for low academics and the other for an unruly temper. During community meetings Hurlbut gives mentors object lessons to teach to the younger students: "You have a choice, you can have this $1,000 Monopoly bill or you can have a real dollar bill, which do you want?" Through hard work students can achieve real success rather than counterfeit security.
By high school, scholars get accepted into some of the best prep schools in the city. Rainier Scholars make up about 5 percent of Lakeside, arguably the best private school in the Seattle area, with yearly tuition costs over $26,000. Exclusive schools such as Lakeside yearn for a more diverse student body and offer well-qualified low-income students nearly free tuition.
Generally, scholars find themselves going from low-income, ethnic middle schools to affluent white high schools. Learning to navigate among Ralph Lauren sweaters is often more difficult than taking Advanced Placement (AP) calculus. "Private schools were not built for our kids. We are sending our kids off to a hostile environment," says Hurlbut.
Anur says making the transition to Ballard High, with a student body of 1,600 mostly upper-middle-class white kids, was like stepping into another culture. Slang from her inner-city middle school-"tight," "wicked," and "rad"-was foreign to her classmates at Ballard. Anur says that because she is Muslim, kids were often "clueless and afraid to talk" to her. After one discussion of the Middle East during a sophomore history course, Anur's classmates were so careful not to offend her that she felt ostracized. Anur said that because she is black, one of her Ballard counselors told her not to bother taking AP classes because she wouldn't be able to pass them.
The statistics are not good for minority students. William Bowen, in his book Equity and Excellence in American Higher Education, analyzed data collected from 19 elite schools and found that only 6 percent of the students at these institutions are first-generation college students. Education expert Anthony Carnevale and economist Stephen Rose found that 74 percent of students at 146 top colleges came from the wealthiest quarter of the population. Only 6 percent came from the poorest quarter.
Through an intensive, supportive program, Rainier Scholars have a 100 percent college acceptance rate, with scholars attending 51 colleges, including Stanford and Yale. "We don't want scholars wondering about going to college-we want them thinking about which college they will choose," said Hurlbut.
This fall, Anur will attend Pacific Lutheran University, her top choice. Anur's victory is also a victory for the parents and teachers who saw potential and gave her a chance to rise above the statistics.
-Kira Clark is a Virginia journalist


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Growing Up Together
Teen Mom Finds Life Not All About Herself
February 10, 2013
WHEELING — Lynn never planned to become pregnant, but the experience has changed her life foreve....
Well, now isn't this special.
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She has a child out of wedlock and now she is the mother of the year? The only think I credit her with is not aborting the child or putting the child in a dumpster.
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All these mothers and babies supported by your tax dollars. Like Rusty1 says well, now isn't that special.
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Wow! What a dumb article! With teen pregnancy booming let's glorify it..NOT! So where's the daddy?
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When will people start taking responibility for "THEIR" actions? Why are we tax payers always stuck for the pleasures of "TWO" oeople????
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"...the moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; those who are in the shadows of life; the sick, the needy and the handicapped. " ~ Last Speech of Hubert H. Humphrey
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"A nation's greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members." ~ Mahatma Ghandi
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"There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land." Deuteronomy 15:11
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"There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land." Deuteronomy 15:11
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Keep talking Teabaggers...the more you do...the more the world realizes you speak out of both sides of your mouth....you only confirm your lack of reason and logic by ignoring key parts of the documents you claim to hold so dear....THE KEY to Christianity is love and charity...
"Jesus answered, If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.'" Matthew 19:21
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@ SARAH HARMON..What a dumb as-s written article. Says..Lynn never planned to become pregnant.. Than why wasnt she on the pill?Why was she messing around if she knew she could get pregnant? Or whomever the NON WORKING welfare dad was, why didnt he use precaution? I have seen better written , and more INTERESTING articles in the Sunday comics..
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To all the "negativities" commenting on this article--Do not judge, contrary to your perfectionism, these people are human, unlike you! I do notice a trend, though, I am thinking all of the negative, snide comments are from men, weak, snivling, holier than thougher's.
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Without intervention the cycle will continue. You notice the article says Lynn is receiving treatment. This is not a free lunch for her. She is learning how to break generational cycles of abuse, learning to nurture her child, life skills, and conflict resolution. Many individuals who come from what you would call decent homes will do not receive training and understanding in these areas... The alternatives are a life full of making it from pay check to paycheck and receiving government assistance perpetually, poverty, child neglect ,and worse prison... How do I know? I am a previous Crittenton client. I have not been on welfare a day of my life. My child is almost 19 years old and is a political science major, working to join the military as an officer,with the intent of running for public office, and is working to support herself. I own my home, and work for the third best place to work on Fortune's best places to work.
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Trust me, I m sick of my taxes increasing year after year just like you;however, without services like Crittenton we will be faced with greater problems. Lynn is receiving 6-9 months worth if treatment, so she will have a firm foundation to sustain herself and her child for the rest of their lives. I also want to add, Crittenton works hard to make sure they spend wisely, and have their own fundraising galas throughout the year to make sure their efforts continue. We spend more as a nation on special interest groups and running overseas to rescue the rest if the worlds issues than we do our own manyof the women who come through the doors of Crittenton have been beaten, sexually abused, and neglected. My experience was all of the women there with me fell into one of those categories. My only plea to those of you with negative remarks is to please, have a heart. You do not know where a person has been until you take a moment to understand where they have been.... Blessings.
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Charese, thank you for sharing your success story. And here's to all of the future success stories about to come out of Crittenton programs.
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As a parent of a WPHS Student I was aghast that they do not teach sex education in high school!
How can we expect to put a dent in teenage pregnancy when we don't even give our kids basic knowledge about sex?
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'Just because you have a kid, it doesn't stop you from future goals. You can always be what you want. Like I want to be a lifeguard this summer and I'll do it. It's not going to stop me from anything.'
That's great! I hope you thank God every day for your mother, who is willing to share your responsibility. Lucky, lucky you.
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Remember back in the day when people got married when a child was conceived? And tried to support the child. Instead of relying on the State and parents to do the job.. Been there..had a step daughter who came up pregnant....wic, ebt, 10.00 rent, free schooling and the list goes on...next let's have another..different bum and guess what now we need three bedrooms for 10.00 a month rent. As for you who like to quote Scripture..let's provide for widows and orphans 1st I'd like the see a follow up when this child is 14 and see how it's going..
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I don't know this post popped up on my news feed but it did. I was resident of Crittenton for 1 1/2 yrs,(1995-1996)I got pregnant with my son at 15 & got sent there, When I tell people my story the 1st thing I say is Crittenton was a blessing for me, I had therapy, structure & a support team I wasn't able to get from home, since my mother & entire family disowned me b/c I wanted to keep my baby.I was on probation for fighting & didn't care about anybody else. Crittenton provided me with the tools and knowledge I would need to survive as a young mother. I learned to care for my son on my own but if I ever needed help there was always someone there for me. I was able to leave after completing the program when my son was a 1. I went back to home town feeling better than I ever had, with their help I had my own apt & a job, I graduated HS with honors! I went on to become an RN, my son is now 16, honors student & doing very well, I am very thankful for Crittenton &
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text:
on CentOS 5.2
Zimbra 6.0
I run into this error
after I try to fix "Could not send message due to invalid address(es)"
So first I use this:
[firstname.lastname@example.com]$ zmprov ms mail.server.net zimbraMtaAuthHost mail.server.net
[email@example.com]$ postconf mynetworks
mynetworks = 127.0.0.0/8 192.168.2.100/32
so I rewrite (100 is the mail server)
[email@example.com]$ zmprov modifyServer mail.server.net zimbraMtaMyNetworks " 127.0.0.0/8 192.168.2.100/24"
stop and start server
after this the error has change to:
"A network service error has occured "(change back the settings, no luck error remains)
So I reinstall the certificate
Begin by generating a new Certificate Authority (CA).
/opt/zimbra/bin/zmcertmgr createca -new
Then I generate a certificate signed by the CA that expires in 365 days.
/opt/zimbra/bin/zmcertmgr createcrt -new -days 365
Next I deployed the certificate.
/opt/zimbra/bin/zmcertmgr deploycrt self
Next I deployed the CA.
/opt/zimbra/bin/zmcertmgr deployca
And I verify the certificate to be deployed to all the services.
/opt/zimbra/bin/zmcertmgr viewdeployedcrt
restart server no success
At start I was able to send mails from outlook and receive them.
Now is not working anymore.
So from a webmail problem now is transformed in an entire server problem.
Error: A network service error has occured
method: SendMsgRequest
code: service.FAILURE
detail: soap:Receiver
because I'm a beginer in zimbra configuration I only can guess what is the problem , I try all the solutions from the forum... Please direct me. Thank you


text:
WASHINGTON – Montgomery County is seeing fewer pedestrian fatalities, and County Executive Isiah "Ike" Leggett credits his pedestrian safety program.
The number of pedestrians killed by drivers continues to drop.
In 2008, 19 pedestrians were killed in Montgomery County. In 2011, the number declined to 11. In 2012, the number is now in the single digits.
Leggett says at the intersections where the highest number of crashes were occurring, collisions with pedestrians are now down 45 percent.
He says that's an indication his pedestrian safety program, which has been in effect for five years, is working.
But he says more needs to be done.
The timing on lights at more than half of the county's intersections will be extended to give pedestrians more time to cross. The current timing can leave pedestrians stranded on a traffic island or right in the middle of a busy road built for cars, not walkers.
The effort to make the roads safer includes designing roads and sidewalks with cyclists and pedestrians in mind.
WTOP's Kate Ryan contributed to this report. Follow @KateRyanWTOP and @WTOP on Twitter.
(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)
Sure, you could grill another hot dog. Or, you could try one of these 30 recipes for foods you never knew you could cook on the grill.


text:
Hi all,
I have a BES user that is not able to send emails from their BB device. The calendar updates successfully both ways. If user send an email from their desktop through the Zimbra it updates the sent mail in the blackberry. The user is also receiving email just fine. I have enabled logging for the connector but nothing I can really see that could be the problem. Any ideas on what I could do to troubleshoot further.


text:
Alex Gustafson Joins Iowa State's Cardinal Key Club
AMES, Iowa- Iowa State swimmer Alex Gustafson continues to prove in the highest way that she is an all-around student-athlete, inducted this season to Iowa State's prestigious Cardinal Key club.
The Cardinal Key was founded in 1926 to recognize outstanding leaders at Iowa State University. Only those will the following qualities are elected to the club. Nominees must have strong leadership activities while at Iowa State University and great service contributions to the community as well as the university. Applicants also must have scholarship achievements of high academic societies and academic scholarships as well as outstanding character.
Applicants must be a junior or senior standing as well as maintaining a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
"This is quite a prestigious award, being named one of the top leaders at Iowa State University," head coach Duane Sorenson said. "Ever since she has been a freshman, [Alex] has been a leader, will share what she thinks and does a nice job just helping others become better, as well as herself."
Gustafson is a native of Waukee, Iowa and recently was named a team captain for the 2013-14 season. She took 18th in the 200 freestyle and 23rd in the 500 freestyle at the Big 12Championship meet and was fifth on the year in the 500 and 1000 freestyle for the Cyclones.


text:
Thoughts on the Segway RMP 50 Omni
In general, we would not recommend the Segway RMP 50 Omni for use as the mobile base of a robot, unless you plan to use it in an environment with a flat, clear floor.
This realization came from informal testing of the Segway RMP 50 Omni in our lab on simple and common obstacles found in homes and other human environments. Specifically, we stood next to the Segway RMP 50 Omni and used a gamepad to drive it over a power cable, a small throw rug, and a doorway threshold. These informal tests resulted in the following problems:
- power cable got caught in the wheels
- throw rug was bunched up between the wheels
- the robot high-centered on the doorway threshold
If you do choose to use the Segway RMP 50 Omni, you should plan to add additional sensors for odometry, since the wheel encoders are not very informative due to wheel slip. You can learn about our approach to odometry using a light ring and camera that observes the floor from the following paper:
- Visual Odometry and Control for an Omnidirectional Mobile Robot with a Downward-Facing Camera, Marc D. Killpack, Travis Deyle, Cressel Anderson, and Charles C. Kemp, IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), 2010
You can also find some code for the Segway RMP 50 Omni in our open source code repository in the following directory:
- gt-ros-pkg/hrl/hrl_hardware_drivers/hrl_segway_omni
The repository can be downloaded from the following website:
Our code communicates with the Segway RMP 50 Omni through USB. The front and back robots that form the Segway RMP 50 Omni each have a USB cable that we connected to a single Mac mini. We used an open Python USB driver to communicate with them. You can find the code for direct velocity control of the Segway RMP 50 Omni at the following location in our repository:
- gt-ros-pkg/hrl/hrl_hardware_drivers/hrl_segway_omni/src/hrl_segway_omni/segway.py
One word of caution is that we rearranged the two robots that form our Segway RMP 50 Omni, so some modification to our code would be required to use it with a stock Segway RMP 50 Omni. We recommend putting the robot on a block so that the wheels aren't touching anything when you start your testing.


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text:
Still motoring and now there truly is no wind, barely a ripple, it is another beautiful day though, the water is now 28.7 degrees (feels like a bath) and the sun is very warm. Phillip took this photo of sunrise this morning.
Motoring for extended periods can be very frustrating. When at sea we all sleep in the aft cabins and my pillow must be no more than a meter above our big diesel engine. The engine bay is sound proofed but when trying to sleep it feels like lying on the bonnet of a tractor!
Last night we caught another Mahi Mahi similar size but didn't realise it was on the line, Phillip noticed it this morning and brought it in to discover it half eaten, basically a head and a spine trailing behind it, quite gruesome he said.
Currently our ETA is 10:30 tomorrow morning but there's ocean currents that come and go so our speed and ETA vary quite a bit, we'll just say around mid-morning. Looking very much to seeing land and Ale who will be waiting for us in Saint Lucia.
Mike: Now that we have only 1 day left I think I will miss the Atlantic. I've always associated the Atlantic with home in Ireland. It has been great to have had the opportunity to spend over 8 months in Europe and to be on the same timezone as the family and friends. Incidentally there is only 1 Irish boat in the rally called Emilija and the family are from Dublin. They are just off our port side at about 6nm now but they are motoring much faster than us (burning lots of diesel). Our next post all going well will be after we arrive, we hope you enjoyed our updates along the way.
OK now the wind has totally gone :(
We were motorsailing for a bit but now we're just motoring along as the wind is less than 7kts and dead on the nose. It's very depressing and not the flying finish to our crossing we were hoping for.
Also a bit disappointed ARC didn't send position report today, but now we're motoring anything could happen to our ranking. They say there is a motoring penalty and we have to record the number of hours per day under power but I don't know if it is a penalty as such or more just an equaliser with those boats who choose not to motor???
We are starting to see more yachts as we all converge on Saint Lucia now, we saw 4 today and spoke with them all on the radio. Good Fortune told us about their encounters some whales that stayed with them for two days! Possibly it was the same whales but soon after our conversation we saw two whales swimming at a distance and then shortly after that we nearly ran over one as they swam so close to us. Just like Good Fortune said, it too swam around our stern to get a better look. Such graceful creatures, lovely to see them.
We also spoke with Kantara, a british yacht who was asking for cooking gas, unfortunately we didn't have spare but in talking with them we also discovered they had no engine which also meant no electricity, woah! And now there is no wind they're going to have a very slow finish indeed. Another yacht asked if there was anything else they needed but they said no and were in good enough spirits.
Mike: Even though we're now motoring, we waited a lot longer than most boats in light winds before engaging the engine. So much so we had a boat motor up from behind us for a chat on the radio and then continue on. Most likely we've lost many places now. However, the silver lining with motoring is that its charging our batteries all be it at a very slow pace. Fred, Phillip and Ale (Phillip's girlfriend) are with us until the 15th of Dec and we were hoping to do some sightseeing before dropping them off at the airport on the south of the island. Therefore we need to work very fast once we arrive to get our batteries and chargers quickly sorted. Ale is actually waiting in St Lucia since Monday for our arrival, I notice the closer we get the bigger Phillip's smile becomes!
The wind is back, almost currently we're reaching (sailing across the wind) in 15kts and doing about 7.5kts which may just get us in on Wed 7th before sunset. We certainly lost time overnight with some averages around 5kts so we're all looking forward to downloading a new weather forecast today to see whether we'll make it or not. The idea of arriving in the dark doesn't impress us but there's not much we can do about that!
Hopefully too as we approach Saint Lucia we'll start seeing more yachts we as all converge on one place again. We can see one yacht this morning but nothing else since Fry Flyt yesterday. Just as I type this the nearby yacht called us on the radio, it was La Chunga II. Nice how everyone calls to say hi :)
Well Phillip's Mahi Mahi BBQ last night tasted beautiful and we also enjoyed a beer to celebrate the 2000 NM mark :) We even had enough fish for lunch today as well.
This morning was a beautiful clear sky and we were all starting to feeling good about being in Saint Lucia soon, the water is now 18.2 degrees and the air 30 degrees. Funnily we again spotted Fry Flyt as they passed within a mile of our stern. This afternoon though was very humid and sticky and the windy slowly dying shame the forecast is now for light winds tomorrow, there goes our Wednesday arrival. We needed to average over 7kts and as I write this (it's 7am Monday - end of my watch) we're down to 5.5kts :(
One of our lifetags has died (electronic bracelet we wear that alarms if we go over a certain distance from the boat i.e. fall overboard), took quite some time to workout what the cause was but cleverly Mike was able to isolate one - the man overboard alarm went off at least 7 or 8 times and it's VERY loud.
After dinner the sky went very grey and it looked quite foreboding as if we were going to have a big storm, we did get some rain but the wind didn't really do much other than to back to a southerly so that on our heading we were actually sailing to windward for a few hours, after 13 days of dead downwind it felt very strange indeed, like we were sailing the wrong way.
We got a bad jam in the mainsail last night after furling it in a squall, it went in OK but after the squall had passed we couldn't get it out again. This morning I had to go up the mast to help it out, something I've done a few times before but never in strong winds or seas. Few heart stopping moments when I lost grip on the mast and flew around the stays but managed OK and the sail is good again.
In a hope to improve the autopilot I 'got under the bonnet' and manually adjusted some of the software settings so it's works better in the heavy seas, realised all of my previous settings had been for relatively calm waters.
We've just passed through another timezone so Mike put all clocks onboard back an hour, inexplicably though he forgot to put back his own and came to relieve me on night watch an hour early, I didn't mind too much :) We've also just passed the 2000 Nautical Mile mark.
Just now Phillip caught a Marlin at least five foot! Phillip, Dad and I all saw it jump out of the water so can confirm this but unfortunately it took the lure on our weaker setup and Phillip was not able to slow it down any, it just keep taking line till it destroyed the reel and the line snapped. The clutch on the reel is now completely burnt out, the mechanism was too hot to touch and Phillip burnt his fingers.
Another update; We just landed a 5kg, 70cm Dolphin fish (aka Mahi Mahi or Dorado)!!! Finally we have a fish dinner. Funniest thing was while filleting it Phillip fell off the boarding platform into the water (he was tethered on) and his lifejacket inflated with quite a bang making us all jump (our lifejackets inflate automatically in water - see photo)! It was also two for the price of one as we found a flying fish in his tummy.
Finally we're starting to make realistic predictions about our finish now, we loosely looking at the morning of the 8th.
Mike: Spirits are great on Whippersnapper. We have 3 beers and 1 scotch ready to celebrate our 2000nm milestone. The route is approximatley 2800nm so only 800nm left or 5 days at our current speed but anything could happen between now and then. To my pleasant surprise, time has been going much faster than I expected and the journey is much easier. The sun is out every day at around 28 degrees and the water is currently 28.2 degrees which makes for excellent swimming, snorkelling and scuba diving when we arrive. Our new favourite TV series is 'The Killing' (thanks Lane) for those of you who are download pirates.
Dad has given us a new max speed, 15.2kts!!! (He actually saw 16.0kts briefly but you need a few seconds before the instruments will record it). He was hand steering on his morning watch and did a great surf down the face of a following wave.
We also saw Fry Flyt again last night. A Norwegian yacht we've been playing leap frog with since the 3rd day, they're in front, then we're in front, and so on. It's fun that we keep happening across them when most boats we only see once. I'm not impressed though because it's a much smaller 37 footer, (Hanse 370e) so we should be faster than it but I suspect they've a racing rig and sails to give them great speed. Dad is thrilled because back in Sydney he owns a Hanse 370e :)
Every second day we're sending and receiving emails, our internet connection is via our satellite phone and it's frustratingly slow but if we're patient it does work. Because its quite expensive we're only checking emails every other day. ARC send us weather reports (we also get our own to cross check) and daily position reports. It is fun seeing our position improve so much over the past few days, we were 75th a couple days ago and so eagerly awaiting the next daily position reports. We make bets each time on our new ranking.
Todays rig inspection found a bent shackle on the end of the preventer (line used to stop us accidentally gybing). We'd never really used a preventer much before the ARC but in these conditions with confused seas and heading dead downwind it's critical. When the wind gets much above 25kts and Whippersnapper takes a large wave on the quarter it's very hard for the autopilot to keep us on track and sometimes we do back the main. When this happens there's enormous pressure on the preventer. One job in Saint Lucia is to fit a much stronger permanently rigged preventer to make things easier for us.
Mike: We had our fastest day today covering 181.26nm. We hand steered most of our day time shifts in winds over 20 knots. It was great fun trying to surf the waves. Our daily range has now gone from our slowest at 134.6nm so it's good to know we're getting faster each day. It is also helped by the fact we're sitting in the Northern Equatorial Current (found above 15 degrees latitude) which can add 0.5 -1.0kn to our speed. The sky has got noticeably meaner looker now with huge black clouds passing over bringing strong winds and some rain with them. We have to be very alert at night for squalls. Like Phillip the other night I had a flying fish land at my feet during my night watch. They are a lovely blue colour and quite difficult to pick up to throw back overboard.
Except for Fry Flyt above we haven't seen any other boats for a few days now. It's strange to think 230 boats left Las Palmas together, heading in the same direction, at roughly the same speed give or take and now we don't see any of them around us.
The boat is going really well except that we blew up one of our two battery chargers the other day meaning we need to run the generator twice as long to generate enough power. We also try to cut back on power where possible so with less than a week to go and food supplies dwindling we were able to close down one of our two fridges this morning to save on power. We make water every day which is a real luxury as more than half the boats competing wouldn't have water makers onboard so probably wouldn't be able to shower frequently or wash dishes in fresh water etc.
Photo is Mike showing his navigational expertise on our Atlantic passage chart (a purist would never mark chart in pen Mike!).
Otherwise I don't feel like writing much about the day, firstly because I baked some bread which wasn't great (first time and I don't think I'll repeat the messy exercise), secondly because Mike and I spent the better part of the day unblocking the forward head lovely.
Last night though we did get our first taste of Atlantic squalls, only 30kts but with full white sails it was enough to make it scary on solo night watches. We bent a second stanchion when the auto pilot took us into a crash gybe and the preventer leant heavily on it (starting to accumulate a little list of repairs/replacements for St Lucia).
Right now we're rocketing along in 25-30kts winds partly reefed, averaging around 9kts and occasionally surfing up to 11, 12 & 13kts which is exhilarating. In these conditions we hand steer, partly because its fun but partly because the autopilots reaction are not quick enough when we're really pushing it like this.
Thrilled to see our ranking has improved so much, we're now 81st which is even better placed than we were after the first day. This is a corrected ranking that takes into account our handicap, so essentially it just means we're sailing better than average for our boat, still we're happy though. Alternatively on uncorrected time we're 112th overall or 7th within our class.
We caught a small Marlin today (see photo), he was a beautiful fish and while he may have fed us we couldn't bring ourselves to cut him up so after a quick photo shoot we sent him back for a hopeful exchange with his bigger brother. We also had another big bite in the morning that snapped a hook, we either seem to catch things too small or way too big!
Banana week is still going but it's starting to drag on a bit
Banana week is going well but it's also now yogurt week and cake week, we've so much food that needs eating! Phillip cooked us fillet steak for dinner last night with hand made chips, yum! Mike: When it came to provisioning for this trip we made sure we got a few treats. So naturally I got 10kgs of potatoes and the Murray-Walkers got 100kgs of sweet things like chocolate and cakes.
We're certainly starting to catch more fish, we think because the water is getting warmer (now 27 degrees). Yesterday we caught 5 before breakfast but all being smallish dorado we set them free again (see photo of one the the lucky ones). We did get a bite from a very big one this morning but he snapped the hook before we could get him aboard, bummer.
Heading further south has done us well, Winds have been 15-25 knots for the last 24 hours and it looks set to continue today. We had some watches yesterday average in the 7's and 8's yesterday which is great, our daily runs are improving. While we have the boat going great unfortunately the seas are awful, it's still a sharp and confused swell in which the boat really pitches around making sleep very difficult. Meal times are especially funny as we sit around the cockpit table and it's quite civilised except we have to eat one handed because you need the other to hold your plate. Mike and I have decided some bigger bowls and splades are a necessity going forward.
On a more problematic note, one of our battery chargers has blown. We'd actually ended up replacing our entire service battery bank in Las Palmas and while that is great now we can't charge them efficiently which means we're running the generator or the engine in neutral upto 8 hours a day, it's driving us all a little mad :( At first it was just a blown fuse in the charger but not having the correct replacement I hot wired it and on reconnection there was a big bang and some smoke, I think it's very dead now.
We are now though officially on course for Saint Lucia (following a great circle route), we also expect to pass halfway around lunchtime today.
PS: Last night Phillip got the fright of his life when on watch by himself in pitch black night a flying fish flew into the cockpit and hit him on the leg!
Mike: My friend, Lane, put me onto a great set of books (4 in all) called the 'Game of Thrones'. They made a TV series out of the first book last year and the second book is in production now. I'm really enjoying them and would recommend them if you have the time. We finished the Walking Dead and Entourage episodes that we had so we must choose a new one (hopefully not Glee!). When we reach half way today we will be the furthest possible distance away from land on this trip at 1350nm's or 2500km's.
A couple days ago we invented a new downwind sail configuration, I'll call it the twinakker rig (see photo). It's a little like twin headsails only one is our gennaker flown from the boom! 150m2, our secret weapon :) Only effective in light winds, it really helps when the gennaker is collapsing in the swell.
We've had three very big strikes at Phillip's lures in the last 24 hours, one fought for a few minute before breaking the line (24kg line), one bit the lure clean in half and another ripped the hook our of the lure. It's amazing when Phillip brings in the lures and you can see deep gashes and bite marks all over them. Still no big fish on board though maybe it's time for the 80kg line???
Today we'll mark 1000 miles towards St Lucia, we're going to celebrate with a beer at lunch! It's also the first day of Banana week. We had banana pancakes for breakfast, lunch I'm sure will be banana baguettes and I'm planning fillet steak with banana and cabbage salad followed by frozen chocolate bananas for dessert.
Apologies to all, apparently I've been including far to much jargon in the posts! I'll try to simplify things for our land lumber friends :)
The food dramas continue one package of our vacuum sealed mince was not vacuum sealed and has leaked blood all through one fridge, thanks again Mike for cleaning up that one!
We are slowly clawing back the places lost on day 2 when we were without our gennaker (big blue sail that makes us go fast), 96th overall now and 7th within our category of 17. I know some of you find it hard to believe we're not coming first but there's plenty of time to go and I'd also like to point out that of the yachts within our category ahead of us, two are racing yachts and the other 4 are significantly larger (larger yachts generally go faster) so we don't feel that bad right now :) Unfortunately we have no true sister ship to race against but there is is one previous model to ours which is a Beneteau Oceanis 473, we're 125 miles ahead of them. There is another Beneteau Oceanis 50 which is the same age as us but 4ft longer and we're 40 miles behind it which would seem about right. Mike would like to point out that during one of his night watches he had us going along at a record breaking 21.9kts in just 17kts of wind (in case we didn't believe him, he took a picture, see photo, SOG = Speed Over Ground). It's very impressive as it's over three times the normal average. Mike: Yes well what can I say, after all my years of sailing I know how to get the best out of whippersnapper. I got very excited until I looked at the track and noticed we were tracking backwards. We've decided either it was a huge current or a GPS error.
We are trying to stay a little competitive by making a competition of our daily watches with average speed but it's much more dependant on the wind than our individual expertise in sail trim. Dad is winning with an average speed of 8.0kts but that was done on the first day when we had the gennaker up in overly strong winds so it's unlikely to be beaten.
Phillip is still letting us down on the fishing front, we've a small competition running between us and some other friendly boats so we'd better catch something big soon there's ego riding on it.
Weather is fairly easy to watch at the moment, nothing really to worry about but we'd like a little more wind so just now we amended our course to get below the 19 degree north latitude in the next few days.
Mike: In less than 24 hours it will be one full week since we crossed the starting line. We should also pass the 1000nm point before then too, with only 1750nm left to go. Time has gone really fast, so far! One thing I didn't know before our presentations in the Gran Canaries is that its ok to throw all rubbish except for plastic overboard as paper, tins and glass are all biodegradable and don't adversely affect the ocean. So after one week we only have 1 bag of rubbish to store onboard - impressive. One thing I miss is the news and wonder what is happening in politics in Australia, Ireland and Europe. Is Malcolm Turnbull PM yet??? I have to say even though I'm bias that our Skipper, Hugh, is doing a fantastic job and is coming with great ideas to get the best out of our sails and rig. I'm sure we will arrive in St Lucia in the best possible time.
Day 5 Success on two fronts!
1. The seas calmed down enough so that I could climb the mast to and install a roller on the fairlead for our gennaker halyard. Finally we can fly the genakker again which I'm sure has boosted moral onboard. We've checked it a few times for further chafe but it's looking good so far.
2. We caught a young Dorado (Dolphin fish), only just big enough to eat but we managed an entree out of him. We've noticed the waters are getting warmer (25 degrees now) so hopefully more fish to come.
Day 6 Mike spent some time going through our fresh fruit and veg today, he washed all the grubs from the lettuce and removed the spoiled leaves which has left us with only about 1 full head. Shame, we'll be on cabbage much sooner than anticipated.
One lesson we've certainly learned is that we'll take a more proactive approach to our provisioning next time. ARC organised a few businesses to deliver to the boats and we just filled in order forms but I'm sure we'd be better off if we had sighted and chosen the fresh produce ourselves. We should have, for example, purchased bananas in a few stages of ripening, we have 100 green bananas on board and despite storing the hands separately throughout the boat I think we'll have 100 bananas to eat within a few days next week!
Our meat delivery has been beautiful though (we've loads of tender fillet steak) but again we're worried about the longevity because none of it was delivered frozen.
Weather wise we had a fantastic sail yesterday afternoon with the gennaker in 20 knots, averaging around 8kts for most of the afternoon but the winds died again overnight. Right now we're reaching along at just 5kts and Dad has just worked out he'll miss his flight at this speed we'd better lift our average again :)
Last night was our first night without any other boats around and still no one around us this morning this certainly is a big ocean.
PS: No more fish and Mike hasn't won a game of chess yet... very strange.
PPS: We're only dialling in with the Satellite phone email every couple days which is why these updates are coming in groups.
It sounds like u r having fun. Would u like a banana bread recipe? Please tell Phil I'm well and loving my holidays but every opportunity I have I check ur location. I hope Fred's calculation is not accurate otherwise u better speed up :-) Good luck Lots of love Ale
11/19/2011, Las Palmas
Gosh what a busy week! Just when we thought we had everything organised, off we go to a few ARC seminars and there's another list of jobs that need doing. We've been to seminars on rigging, provisioning, safety, weather, downwind sailing etc etc... Most have been really good and informative. We've also had a rigging check on board and a safety check both of which we're pleased to say we passed with flying colours. Whippersnapper has never been so well equipped, safe or heavily laden with provisions. All systems are serviced double checked and we're ready to go!
Dad has been an enormous help on Whippersnapper and Phillip arrived yesterday, with more surprises and some wonderful fishing gear. Phillip is going to be our master fisherman and we can't wait to catch some big tuna, dorado or even marlin! I've just installed a rod holder on the transom for him.
Being here has been fun, there are free sunset drinks every afternoon and a party or dinner every other night. We've met numerous other boats with similar ages and even some boats that we'll be sailing with all the way to Sydney. I think we'll all be great friends in no time and are already looking forward to spending time together in the Caribbean over Christmas.
In a couple of hours Mike and I will be attending the Skippers briefing to hear about the start, weather and other stuff. The current forecast is looking like we'll have a typical trade wind crossing which is great.
Tomorrow morning we'll head out early to get in some MOB exercises with Phillip and Dad before our start at 1pm. You can all track our progress online via the "Fleet Viewer", there is a link on the ARC homepage www.worldcruising.com/arc
While at sea we hope to use our new satellite internet connection to say in touch and hopefully post a few updates. We won't have access to our normal email accounts or phones but you could contact us on our satellite phone or send us an email (no attachments) to whippersnapper (at) mailasail (dot) com
Wish us all a safe and speedy journey across the atlantic!
Back at home we're enjoying the excitement for you all and watching the blog and fleet viewer web-site. Wonderful for you to meet other boats coming to Sydney eventually and sounds like fun for Christmas. Take care and I hope you have a great sail across the Atlantic. What a wonderful trip for your father and brother, Hugh and Michael! Take Care
Pip & Pam
11/12/2011, Las Palmas
Friday November 4th: Hugh and Michael shopped for fresh food and did some last minute jobs around the boat, a conference over weather with neighbour and then we left the Marina. The immediate forecast is stormy but short lived so we want to see if we can get through the straights and sailing before the wind dies. The wind was howling, rain was pouring and visibility appalling so after about an hour of motoring when we had some hail and 44kts of wind we turned around to an anchorage. The tide running into the Mediterranean can run at about 3kts so it is best to leave about 3 hours after high tide to get slack water. We'll see if the weather calms down after the next high tide.
Saturday November 5th: left the anchorage about 2am and motored for first 6 hours. There were large cargo ships everywhere and the AIS and radar were invaluable. At times it was quite hairy as they seem to loom out of the darkness. It was raining and blowing up over 30kts. We set just the genoa and still travelled over 10kts. It was dark, blowing, raining and very rough so we had full wet weather gear with harnesses and tethers. It was like this pretty much for the first 24 hours. We certainly learnt that all hatches, even those under the dodger needed to be shut tight. We had snacks rather than meals and needed lots of sleep. Both Michael and Hugh threw up (apparently for the first time), I have no idea what saved me. We did three hour watches and this worked well. The track to the canary islands is 232*M and 700nm. It is a highway for cargo boats as well as yachts.
Sunday November 6th: Michael woke me at 7am for my watch. Still dark but obvious that the weather had passed. Unfurling the main a batten pocket tore and the sail had jammed. Breakfast and then Hugh went up the mast. He had to pull the sail out of the mast by hand and had to go to the top to get it all out. This was done in an oily swell of about 4m. Michael controlled the halyard that Hugh was on while I tried to keep the boat nose on to the swell to minimise the mast movement. I guess when you have to you have to but I admire Hugh for just getting in and doing it. Mike came out with the dacron thread and it was fixed. I cooked a chocolate brownie which turned out more like mud cake than brownie but it tasted good. Late in the afternoon, a pod of dolphins came to check us out. They swam with us for about 10 minutes but could be seen close by for a while after that. Later still, a little bird flew around the boat then came on board and then flew into the cabin. It seemed totally used to doing this and looked like it was settling in for the night. We decided this was not good and shushed it out. Dinner was chicken cooked on the BBQ with rice and lettuce.
Monday, November 7th: Came on watch at 0100hrs with Whippersnapper under gennaker and main wing'a'wing in very little wind and traveling not very fast. It was a delightful evening with a big moon making a silver pathway on the water. This bliss was shattered when the topping lift on the main boom broke from flogging in the swell and I had to get Hugh and Michael out of bed to help fix it. Otherwise my watch was pretty uneventful. Being on watch in these conditions is no big deal, it is really a matter of checking the autopilot and the AIS for any other boats. Otherwise it is a good excuse for being on deck. Hugh and Michael fixed the topping lift so all is ok to unfurl the main if the wind lifts. Hugh has fixed a fishing rod they was given and is trolling for the big one but nothing yet.
Tuesday November 8th: Came on watch at 400hrs and all was calm. We were motor sailing in almost no wind and what there was was on the nose so really main up to reduce rolling. While I was sleeping, Hugh took some great film of dolphins on the bow. The water is so clear he could see them three meters or more down. He also caught a bonito but the fish meal will have to wait. After dinner we watched another episode of a TV series called 'The Walking Dead'. It is without doubt the the most violent, ghoulish film I have ever watched. But it is fun having it set up in the cockpit with the sound coming through the cockpit speakers. The ultimate outdoor theatre. The weather is great and getting warmer and because it so calm we are not wearing full safety gear.
Wednesday November 9th: It was a magnificent sunrise and at long last the barometer is heading down but only just. Very calm with only one other yacht in sight. Another pod of dolphins which I was able to film. Also caught another two fish. I mentioned that last night on watch I heard a clunk and, I thought, a change in the pitch of the motor. Hugh and Mike suggested it might be a bag on the propellor and sure enough when we stopped, reversed then forward several times a lot of small pieces of black plastic came off. It affected the efficiency by about 10%. Hugh put his head in the water with goggles on to check the propellor, he fell in but was out again just as quickly. Sighted land at about 1045hrs, the northern most island of the Canary group called Lanzarote. Last night while on watch, the autopilot cut out. The boat went sharp to port and started circling. I was below reading and raced up on deck to reset which was easily done but I realised I had absolutely no idea which way we were or should be going. Thank god for instruments. Now afternoon and day continuing as started. Hugh has broken out the new Australian flag and the Spanish flag.. We have seen countless turtles and some flying fish today. Using plenty of sunscreen but have not needed seasick tablets fore many days now. Doing plenty of kindle reading.
Thursday November 10th: Michael woke me early to take in our arrival at Las Palmas. It was early and not much happening but we were met and shown to our marina berth by one very officious gentleman in a RIB. I'm amazing at the number of cruising yachts here. Walked up to the ARC office and checked in and got the paperwork and put our names down for a number of seminars. Today was provisioning, weather and two handed crossing The seminars were great and really informative, similar to those put on at RPAYC for their Whitsunday cruise. We have not yet had the chance to look at Las Palmas as we have been busy with the seminars but we did have lunch at the yacht club which was very good and cheap. many people have stopped for a chat and already we have met quite a few and some from Australia. There is also a Hanse 370E in the ARC but I have not yet sighted it.
Hanging out for a morsel.
Stay safe
11/04/2011, Gibraltar
After seven months of cruising the Med we plan to leave it later today. We've been waiting for a 30/35kn southerly to blow past so we can motor through the Gibraltar Straits, sail out into the Atlantic Ocean and South 720nm to the Canary Islands to meet up with the other participants of the ARC rally in Las Palmas. Since our last update we've been berthed on a nice marina in the middle of Gibraltar called Marina Bay. We have spent most of the time busy getting the boat ready for the crossing and organising tradesmen to do the few jobs we couldn't achieve ourselves. While initially we were disappointed with the chandleries and the lack of tradesmen in Gibraltar, we got lucky and found excellent guys to do the required work. I'm glad to report Whippersnapper looks great and is very nearly fully compliant for the ARC rally. He has a new spinnaker pole, radar reflector, foredeck rails, clean turbo, some running rigging replaced, D3 stays tightened, new tri-colour/anchor light atop the mast and little things all over to prevent chafe (which can be a big problem on long tradewind sailing) and a multitude of other small jobs done.
We've hoisted up our ARC flag now and it's been great to meet people. A lot of the boats around us have done and are doing the same route so it's been very helpful sharing stories, ideas and knowledge. We also had good fun with our neighbours, James (UK) and Hayley (Aus), who sail on a lovely 56ft Oyster and were heading back to the UK for winter, thanks for the fishing rod!
Last Monday, we were very excited as we waited on the edge of the runway for Hugh's father, Fred, to land on his BA flight (gotta love the runway in the middle of everything). Alan Joyce I know you are Irish and probably reading our blog - know that we weren't happy with you grounding Qantas as it affected Fred's flight and he ended up having to reschedule to BA. It was great to welcome Fred back onboard and it rang home to us that the Atlantic adventure is upon us. Poor Fred had one huge bag of Luggage with most of its contents for us.
On Tuesday after the clouds cleared from the Rock, we ventured up in the gondola to see the views and the Monkeys. Gosh it was really cool with the views only coming second to the Monkeys. None of us realised just how many Monkeys were up there and how playful they would be around us. It was a real treat to experience Monkeys in the open like that. Fred even had one on his shoulder for a few seconds.
Yesterday we started the provisioning for the crossing and have turned the front cabin into a pantry. We bought at least 20 packets of rice, 20 packets of fun sized mars/milky ways/ snickers, 10 packets of par baked bread (they sold out we need another 15), 15 boxes of cereal, 18 cans of tuna and so on. We still need to buy lots more in Las Palmas. Gibraltar has been good but we're itching to leave now. It's a strange place with the mix of English and Spanish influences. Lots of high rise buildings lacking character and there is a big tourist industry with cruise liners. It also rains a lot, hopefully we've seen more rain in the last week than we will see for the rest of the trip!
Safe trip across fellas, looking forward to hearing about the first part of the crossing!
x L
10/25/2011, Gibraltar
We made it, our last stop in the Med, Gibraltar! To be honest it's not quite as we were expecting, I think we were expecting it to be smaller and with more sailing yachts. Sure it is small but big enough for a traffic jam we observed yesterday and instead of sailing yachts it's filled with huge cargo ships and surrounded by oil refineries and industrial land. Gibraltar Bay overwhelmingly a commercial port, the marina's are actually quiet small. We're a bit worried now because we need some service jobs done here and we think we may have been better off doing them in the larger places we've just visited.
Sailing past "The Rock" though is a sight we'll always remember and now we're in a very convenient anchorage just off the La Linea marina on the western Spanish side. We'll stay here while we co-ordinate what needs to be done before heading into Marina Bay on the Gibraltar side.
We arrived Sunday ahead of some bad weather predicted for Monday, 44 knots we had yesterday while on anchor. Whippersnapper does not sit well to the anchor in that sort of wind and he zigs and zags back and forth quiet uncomfortably. I'm sure it puts enormous stresses on the ground tackle and I think we need to find what is called an anchor sail that will keep our nose into the wind.
Yesterday when the rain and wind finally calmed down we walked into Gibraltar, quiet funny to walk through customs on the sidewalk and then straight across the airport runway. It honestly feels like the UK, we saw a red telephone box, red double decker busses, a "Bobbie" and we had Cottage Pie for dinner in a English Pub, plus it's cold, it's definitely jumper and long pants weather now.
Dad is arriving on the 31st and we're looking forward to having him onboard again. The three of us will make the crossing to the Canary islands (a passage of over 700NM) where we'll also meet up with my brother and take on the ARC (Atlantic Rally for Cruisers) Nov 20th.
10/25/2011, Malaga
While interested to see old Muslim capital Granada, the ancient palaces, fortress and gardens, we hadn't done quiet enough research so as to know we needed to book tickets in advance. Tipped off by the car hire we checked online and found it sold out for the next two weeks. Mike optimistically said lets just go and we'll sort it out there. Well, day tickets were still sold out but he did find 8.30pm Palace-only tickets available. So with 6 hours to kill we explored those grounds open to the public before heading across the valley to the nearby village of Albayzin. We had a great lunch of tapas and beer deep in the valley beside the river before later heading up winding streets to a square call Mirador de San Nicolås for sunset views over Granada and a breathtaking view across the valley at the Alhambra.
The night tour of the Nasrid Palace was wonderful, I've never seen such highly intricate & decorative internal surfaces. Being night time though it could have been lit a little more, in most parts it was just plain dark so we left slightly disappointed but still amazed at such an incredible building.
Today it's been raining all day and windy at times, we're in a marina in Malaga. There is quite a swell on the water and we even saw some surfers catching waves on the beach near the marina... surfing in the Med! Unfortunately for us some of the surge was coming into the marina and the parsarelle we were so proud of got caught behind behind our boat and damaged a little, though it looks easy enough to fix. We've been lucky enough with our weather so far, I'd say about 99.9% sunshine but the next three full days are predicted rain :(
We're moving on now to a marina in Mirabella (i'm down below while poor Mike is braving the elements in a thunder & lightening storm) and we should be in Gibraltar tomorrow evening. For once in our lives we're moving with the current (about 1 knot right now) so it's increasing our speed which is nice (though Mike is trying to persuade me its because he is so good at trimming sails now) :)
Your photos from Spain are amazing! Very inspiring! I'm counting the days to go to Barcelona (16 ;-) If I don't talk to you before then…good luck with the crossing and I will see you at the other side of the Atlantic. I will be definitely praying for the sea goddess for good wind and the best conditions so you can get in Saint Lucia safe and fast to join me on the beach ;-) I will make sure I have some drinks ready! Enjoy!!
10/17/2011, Catagena
(Photo is old lighthouse atop Dragonera Island) So we're now in Catagena (mainland Spain) and we're finally back in a marina, two nights at that! We've avoided marinas successfully since Rome, principally to save on cost but now we're on mainland Spain the exorbitant marina fees of late are all behind us and we're in "low season". When in Gibraltar we think we'll have a marina berth for just 10 euro a day!
Sadly though our time in the Balearics is over, I think we were there about 6 weeks in total. We loved the beautiful beaches and spectacular mountain scenery. I'm sure it was the most relaxed we've ever been aboard Whippersnapper.
Our last week in Mallorca (since Mike's last post) was very nice, we stopped at a few bays heading west from Palma along the southern coast. Calla Fornells in Santa Ponsa we anchored below one of the most beautiful gardens, it had all these raw marble terraces leading down to the water with planted flower beds and overhanging trees. I'm sure there's a photo in our gallery, we were told it was some famous movie star's house (forget the name) but it was just so beautiful, not over the top or formal, more whimsical I guess.
Cala Andratx I managed to lose a real of rope overboard but amazing we fished it out of 20M with our fishing line! Mike is still impressed with me for that one and laughs that the rope is the only thing we caught on the fishing line since we bought it :)
We ended our time in Mallorca in San Telmo, which is near Dragonera Island, we had a fantastic hike to the old abandoned lighthouse at the very top. It was built in 1850 and access is only via a very steep and winding path unto an altitude of 360M. The view from the top was like looking down from a plane, it gave you a sense of vertigo as on the western side the cliffs are shear right down to the water.
We had a wonderful day sail from Mallorca to Formentera on Saturday, a 25 knot Nor'easter blew us along at a fairly constant 8 knots and one surf saw us with a new speed record 13.4 knots! Unfortunately we opted to overnight at Formentera as the next day the wind only lasted till dinner time so we had to motor the remaining 14 or so hours to Cartagena.
Catagena is a surprisingly nice place, surprising because smell at the entrance to the harbour is was disgusting but once past that a historic city opens up in front of you. This morning we ran around the city and up to the Castilo Conception which overlooks a wonderful Roman amphitheatre and the city below.
We arrived in Palma two weeks ago today and up to yesterday hadn't moved the boat since. The reason for our longest time in the one place being we have found the perfect anchorage in the beautiful bay of Las Illetas. Hugh compares the bay to Balmoral - a nice calm bay with expensive houses. It also boasts a beautiful beach; cliffs that young guys come to rock climb daily, good snorkelling, fast free internet and a short bus trip to town. Our neighbours are mostly day boats and super yachts enjoying lunch and afternoon sun then moving off again but also a few live-aboard's like us staying for longer periods. The move yesterday was actually only to the marina 2nm away for fuel and back again. Palma Bay or Puerto de Palma is huge with nine different marinas beside each other and another six within close proximity. There must be berths for at least 8,000 boats of all different shapes and sizes and with most of the wharfs full you can imagine Hugh's delight when he goes 'boat-watching'. Another excuse to go to town almost daily has been the well-stocked chandleries. So we are using this time to prepare Whippersnapper for the Atlantic crossing on the 20th of November. As part of the ARC rally that we entered the organisers give a list of safety equipment that you need on the boat and prior to departure they will board the boat to survey that we have everything required and are consider fit to sail. So between the chandleries and our fast internet we're either purchasing items or getting deliveries sent to Sydney for Hugh's father to lug half way across the world, to Gibraltar where they are VAT exempt and Malaga because Beneteau says so.
Last weekend was a thrill for both of us. For Hugh because I left for Ireland so he had peace without me for the first time in 6-months. He spent all that time doing jobs on Whippersnapper and was surely in his element as the boat looked like new when I got back. In Ireland, I went to my friend Olivia O'Connor's wedding. It was a great day particularly catching up with all my Irish friends again. The next day was family day starting with a hurling match that my brother and nephew played together on, then a beautiful family gathering at our home house. I was nervous, as I hadn't been back there since dad passed away but all went well. Thanks all for a great visit, miss you already.
Our next port of call will be on the Spanish mainland, probably Cartagena @ 200nm away, however looking at the weather forecast and the lack of wind for the next eight days we may have to spend even longer than planned here in Palma. BTW hard luck Ireland against Wales this morning.
The only problem with reading your blog is my growing list of travel destinations. As always - looks fantastic. Not sure the Phillipe Stark super Gin Palace could be called democratic design!! Keep posting on the blog and the great photos - we love them
09/27/2011, Palma
After leaving dirty St Antonio we spent a few days cruising north up the west coast of Ibiza. Cala Brinirras and Cala Portinax were both very nice bays with crystal clear water. In Cala Brinirras there was a large rock that protrudes well above sea level. They say it looks like Queen Victoria sitting on her throne which to be honest it does although I think the likeness is closer to that of Lisa Simpson. I climbed it all the way to the top before jumping back into the water, quite a drop, made me feel fourteen years old again. Mike and I spent some time snorkeling around the base through schools of fish and large rocks. I was quite pleased with myself because I can now comfortably free dive down to 15M.
We arrived in Palma - Mallorca last night after a very wet crossing back from Ibiza. Probably the first time we've seen real rain in a good couple months. Today though it was beautiful, still reasonably warm but the air has a really clean/crisp feeling that reminds you the seasons are changing. Palma is famous for expensive marinas so we anchored the boat close to town in Cala Major from where we took our bikes ashore at the nearby yacht club in Cala Nova, from here it was just a 15 minute cycle into the town.
We both agreed that Palma is one of the most livable places we've been. Both the scenery and architecture are beautiful, it has wide well laid out streets and especially appreciated by us today a fantastic bike path that follows the waterfront all around the bay. The locals look fit many were out cycling, running, kayaking, walking, sailing, swimming or just enjoying the sunshine.
We rode past marina after marina filled with beautiful sailing yachts and super yachts. Today was also the start of the Class40 Global Ocean Race (we saw the actual start on the water in the afternoon). They had a little expo with all the sponsors and that was nice.
What was really special though was we somehow managed to get into a private Oyster boat show at the prestigious Real Club Nautico Palma. For those who don't know Oyster is a very famous British brand of cruising yacht. They are the Rolls Royce of cruising yachts with price tags to match. There were about 8 models on show from 46 to about 80ft. We went aboard the 46, 54 and new 57 footer, the 57 was just incredible, next time we do this we'll have one of those! They all had such a feeling of quality and opulence but at the same time dependability and strength. In no way did they feel delicate. A very different design from our boat being centre cockpit though, the aft cockpit (like ours) is certainly more spacious and more suited to warm climates but the centre cockpit has a nice feeling of security and the interiors more cosy, I guess that's the British climate influencing the design. Oyster are having their regatta this week starting Tuesday and I suggested to the sales agent that we'd be willing crew if any of the yachts needed extras, we left our phone number but I won't hold our breath too much.
Next we continued cycling towards the Cathedral of Santa Maria or "La Seu", a huge gothic cathedral partly designed by Antonio Gaudi. Unfortunately the entrance is rather hemmed in by neighboring buildings but it's spectacular none the less, you can get a good view of the side from the waterfront.
Lunch a pizza and large San Miguel in some square followed by a leisurely ride though the character filled back streets towards the yacht club. Bread, milk, beer and pastries at the local shop and a short dinghy ride home... a perfect day.
PS; I even managed to get wifi from the fancy hotel ashore, I walked into the lobby and asked reception for the username and password, he asked me our room number but I just suggested we were on the beach with guests and I didn't know their room, he asked for a name and I said Mr Walker, well luckily a Mr Walker was staying in room 402 :)
PPS; I think we may have ruined our batteries, our house batteries which clearly say "Advanced Sealed Technology" on the side are not actually sealed and to our dismay on inspection one morning I found you can actually remove the caps to add water (sealed batteries are common on some boats). The house bank in total took 5 liters to top up! I suspect they're fairly sulfated because they are no longer holding a charge well. We've made a promise to run the genset more often to a full charge and see it we can't breathe some life back into them through a process we now understand as equalization.