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If you're reading this from a feed reader or google blogger, I've redone my website at jasonhilimire.com. All the old entries are still available, but I ask you to point your browser to jasonhilimire.com as I'm now using wordpress for hosting.
For those who subscribe in feed readers here is the new url http://jasonhilimire.com/?feed=rss2
The blogger site, will sit for a bit then hopefully just point to jasonhilimire.com
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Site Revamp
If you're reading this from a feed reader or google blogger, I've redone my website at jasonhilimire.com. All the old entries are still available, but I ask you to point your browser to jasonhilimire.com as I'm now using wordpress for hosting.
Posted by Jason Hilimire at 6:54 PM 0 comments
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Feeling like crap
Not sure what's going on, but seem to have come down with some kind of cold. Perhaps this weekend was a bit too much volume for me? I felt fine on Monday and even fine yesterday, however, this morning I awoke with some tightness in my chest and a little head congestion. I wasn't feeling 100%, so I decided to sleep in a few extra hours. I still have my little cough, perhaps something was there all along and yesterday's short little ride weakened my immune system just enough for it to unleash all holy hell on myself. Hopefully it'll go away...
Yesterday's ride was short trip over to explore Bear Creek Park, found a few new trails that I had just been skipping past on my way to Green Mt. My legs felt ok as I rolled out the door and I, did 2 loops around the lake next door, fairly easy so Lizzy girl could run a bit. She was pretty excited, and took off, I actually had to ride a good clip to keep up with her. After her 2 laps, I headed over to Bear Creek and explored. My legs felt like crap. I ended up with an hour of ride time and it was nice to get outside for the day.
Hopefully, a few days off will allow me to get out for another good weekend of riding in the mountains again. After this weekend, I plan on taking a solid week or so off from the bike, regenerating some CNS credits and getting ready to kick-start the 2009 training season.
Bridget is coming out here this coming monday, cannot wait to see her!! It's gonna be pretty exciting time!
Posted by Jason Hilimire at 3:23 PM 0 comments
Labels: Colorado, mountain biking, News, Personal, training
Sunday, November 09, 2008
Big Weekend
I'm retired to the couch for the rest of tonight. It's been a big weekend of some great riding(for the end of the season anyways). I'm hosed currently, but I'm at least not coughing anymore!
Saturday, I finally finished my first cross race!! I'll happily take my place as the last finisher (at least I didn't get lapped). Last time I finished dead last was the first road race I ever finished. 2 years later, I was a Cat II. So I'll take it as lessoned learned. I rode all the way down to the course as it was just south of c-470. It was a good 45 minute ride down, and then I got in a good 30 minute warm-up. I put on a great show rolling to the set of barriers near the beach. My left foot never unclipped, and I barrel rolled right into the barrier and went down pretty hard. It was a nice display of form for all the fans, that were congregated in the area. After I dusted myself off, I was dusted in the race, but grunted it out and rode hard. The course was more mt. bike-ish with lots of singletrack, some fire-road, a paved bike path and some barriers thrown in for good measure. It was a super fast course. After the race, I rode back home. Within 10 minutes all the food I had brought was scarfed down. It didn't make much of a difference. I was bonking hard on the ride home, as I slogged up a little rise, I located a gas station and filled my stomach full of hostess orange cup-cake goodness and a snickers bar. Man, did it ever hit the spot. Within a few minutes I was back at it and hammered home. All said and done, I managed a good solid 4 hours of riding!
Today, I was up early and decided to grab the road bike and head up into the mountains. It was an awesomely beautiful day, warm and sunshine. I headed up to Evergreen, then decided to switch my route and head up towards Mt. Evans. Didn't make it to Mt. Evans, but made it up to around 10-11,000 feet or so before I decided to turn around.
|Elk Meadows From Evergreen to Squaw Pass
|Getting Colder as I get Higher From Evergreen to Squaw Pass
I climbed pretty much for 2+ hours till I decided to turn around, I was getting chilly just climbing as it was mostly in the shade. The views were just incredible, and the roads were lightly traveled and super twisty and fun.
|Beautiful Views From Evergreen to Squaw Pass
|The Rockies From Evergreen to Squaw Pass
There's a bunch more pics so click thru to view the album
The descent down was incredibly fun. However, I didn't expect to head that high up and was only wearing a vest and arm-warmers. Descending at 60kph and 25 degrees in the shade meant instant brain freeze. I had to stop a few times in the sun, take a few minutes to warm myself back up. I made it to Evergreen, teeth chattering and hands numb and hit up Starbucks for a coffee to warm-up. Once the blood was flowing again, I floored it the final 11 miles down to Morrison. It was an awesomely windy descent, mostly in the sun and the lower I went, the warmer things were, which made me happy!
All said and done, I managed another good 4 hours. It was a heavy front loaded ride as I hit 1800kj in the first 2.5 hours and only 400 in the last 1:30!
Posted by Jason Hilimire at 9:03 PM 0 comments
Labels: bub, Colorado, cross, epic rides, Personal, photos, Racing, training
Saturday, November 08, 2008
Potential Cross Training?
Yesterday made my way over to the FasCat Headquarters for the usual. Day to day stuff includes reviewing power files, answering emails, phone calls, and questions that come up. Yesterday, though was bit different, decided to earn some xtra coin and rake the lawn at the headquarters. I forgot how hard manual labor was. The leaves seemed to be never ending, and somehow I never managed to jump in a single pile. That was probably due to me being taxed from the effort. I figured this morning I'd wake up and my arms and back would be sore. Nope, my hamstrings are killing me! Must be from using my lead foot top pull the rake towards me. Guess, I need to expand my range of day to day activities so crap like this doesn't sneak up on me. Who knows, may be a good way to get some potential cross training in during the offseason.
After the leaves were all bagged up and ready, I headed home and saddled up for some openers. Went across the street here to Bear Creek Park, hit some buff singletrack, dirt roads and few sections of pavement. Railed out a few good efforts and feeling good. Except when I was heading into the wind, dang the wind was brutal yesterday. Luckily seems to have faded today. Temps are comfortable and a light wind should make for a good day of cross racing down at Chatfield. Gonna take the 470 path down to the course and ride back, should get a good warm-up and cool-down afterwards. Hopefully, I'll finish this race! Cross season has been brutal for me, but it will pay off in the end.
Tomorrow pending weather, I'm debating between a good 5 hour road grind in the mts or pulling out the superfly and hitting the dirt for same hours. I'd like to hit the road, as I really haven't been out and exploring yet.
Currently playing in iTunes: Everything's Magic by Angels & Airwaves
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Cross Practice
Yesterday was good hard day of Cross Practice in Boulder. Up early to make the drive up and to be there by 8am. At least waking up in the morning, there was a great reason to smile. I'm proud to be a believer.
But enough of that, wed was a tough hard day. My sinuses finally cooled their jets early tues night so I was set for the ride. I'm not sure what the name of the first park was, but it had a decent hill and some good climbs up and down it. I worked on my accelerations out of the corners, each time and was holding my own. I felt pretty good for the early morning lactic acid bath. From there we took a good ride over to E. Boulder park. En Route, I was hacking up a lung again. I did have my inhaler along with me and was able to use that to help keep it down, but it wasn't working that great. I sat out for the re-con lap then jumped in for the real deal. My legs didn't feel like much at this point, but at least the riding stopped me from coughing. Afterwards a small group of us put in some x-time rolling around some open space in South Boulder.
I've realized that I haven't been taking my singulair meds for the past month. The bottle of pills is sitting in my car. Completely forgot about them, most likely all my issues have to do with forgetting to take the little pink pill. Hopefully this hack will go away before the weekend. I wouldn't mind trying my hand at actually finishing an entire cx race down at Chatfield State Park. I'm not planning on racing sunday, even though there is one, and quite a few more coming up after that.
The plan for Sunday is to go out and do a nice long easy z2 ride in the hills, mix a good ride with some sightseeing. That sounds like some good fun!
Posted by Jason Hilimire at 9:18 AM 0 comments
Monday, November 03, 2008
Boulder Cup Weekend
This past weekend was the Boulder Cup weekend here in Colorado. I decided I was going to go out and try my hand at racing with the big guns. Nothing like lining up in UCI C2 and C1 races, with very little form, and not really any time on the cross bike. Needless to say it wasn't my best weekend.
At the Resevoir on Saturday, I managed all of a few hundred meters before my race was over. I double flatted almost instantly. I probably could've gotten a wheel swap from Mavic Support, but wasn't really worth it. When I got home, I managed to pull 11 goatheads out of the front tire and 4 out of the rear. Needles to say (pun intended!), I put some slime filled tubes in my cross bike for the rest of the season.
Sunday's race, at least I did manage a few laps! I was feeling pretty good pre-riding the course and liked the layout and flow overall. I managed to get there early enough to get a good warm-up and even catch a little bit of the women's race.
We were called up by our numbers for the Sunday race and I got a pretty good starting position, I held my own through the start and up the first set of barriers in the "Beer Garden", but after that things kinda went downhill.
The massive amounts of dust kicked around and the high intensity pretty much shut my lungs right down. 3/4 of way through the first lap and my engine was blown. I was having a hell of a time getting oxygen into my system and just trying to get around the course. The bonus was, I had no problems riding the sand pits each lap, they were kinda fun. I had to completely shut it down and pulled out after 3 laps. I headed over to medical as I forgot my inhaler, they didn't have anything, I was coughing so hard that I ended up throwing up a few times.
I coughed a bit last night, but the major issue has been sneezing. I can't stop, must've gotten some dust into my sinuses. I swear I've sneezed over 1,000 times since the race. I'm still sneezing this morning. Just want to it to stop!!
I'm off to the first "official" day at the FasCat Headquarters!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Busy past few days, but some great riding
My last post was a bit ago. Ever since moving out here to CO, things have been a bit of a whirlwind. It's been a super busy last 5 days, that's for sure. But it doesn't mean I haven't ridden my bike at all. How can one not when the weather is 75 and sunshine (meanwhile it's snowing back in NY!!)
I managed to get myself in gear and do a cross race this past sunday. Nothing like lining up against the pro/1/2 guys having very little time on the bike, at altitude and a lack of fitness. Somehow, I mistimed the start and was spit out the back immediately. I swear I never heard a countdown or anything similar. Chase hard, run up the sand, ride in the sand, run up the sand. It was a tough course, I ended up flatting at the start of my 4th lap and called it quits. At least I wasn't in last place though. So as if that wasn't enough, I went and signed up for the Boulder Super Cup Weekend, 2 UCI races in Boulder this weekend, Running with the big dog's again! Hopefully I'll do a bit better.
Speaking of dog's I managed to get Lizzy out on her first trail ride since she broke her pelvis. I took her over to Green mt. on the singlespeed on Monday. I'm guessing the loop was about 12-14k, but some good climbing. This isn't east coast trails, as she's stuck running the whole time and no place for short cuts. But, she did great! Even when she saw a herd of mule deer, she managed to heed my command and not chase!! Maybe that truck she hit, knocked some sense into her!
Today was a bit of an epic day. I was in Boulder at 8am for the group cross practice ride. There was around 100 people or so! We rolled over to the Elks club in town and did a nice 25 minute or so effort. Mine, was cut short as my tire was soft and I had to steal a pump and get some air in it as I was banging my rim all over the place and didn't have a spare tire. After some air in the tire, I managed to get some good quality work in. Shortly after we re-grouped and headed over to North Boulder Park and did a quick loop on the grass. I felt much better at that then at the Elks course, but I'm still getting used to the high intensity efforts.
The ringer for the day was the road ride with Jeff Kerkove. We met up after the cx ride, and he dragged me up Sunshine Canyon to Gold hill. Head over to his site for a nice video of me suffering in my 39x25. I need a compact.
How Badly? Here's my cadence from the ride
The little town on the top was pretty cool, and had a nice little store with some awesome homemade goodies and a kick-ass cast-iron stove!
Little Village of Gold hill
At least when I was grinding up the hill slowly, I was able to take in some epic scenery
Wasn't the only one suffering though!
Tomorrow night should be interesting, gonna meet a group for a night ride at Green Mt!
Posted by Jason Hilimire at 5:48 PM 0 comments
Labels: Autumn, Colorado, cross, epic rides, friends, lizzy, mountain biking, New Category, News, Personal, road cycling, training, weather
Friday, October 24, 2008
So, riding has been tough here in Colorado. I mean it's been really hard to get out the door, explore new trail, ride in the sunshine, blah blah blah. You don't want to hear me bragging :) But I got out yesterday with a fellow coach whom I met at the USOC Coaching Seminar in Colorado Springs. Jay G. is from up in Canada country, some province where polar bears outnumber people (he's the Alberta Provincial Coach).
We decided to head over thru Bear Creek, loop green mt and then up the Zorro trail to explore.
The Zorro trail is aptly named as its a crazy "z" across the mt. Picture doesn't look like much but it goes up a few hundred feet, then turns super tech at the ridgeline.
As you can see, we are up there a bit. It was a blast to pick thru the lines and play on the rocks a bit.
We did a bit of climbing as we ascended Green Mt. then Zorro, then back up Green Mt. a few times.
Good thing Lizzy wasn't with us!
This weekend is looking awesome (it's like 65 and sunny right now). I think I'm going to go out and ride the cross bike right now and run lizzy a bit. Tomorrow I plan on busting out the roadie and venturing into the hills for a bit. Sunday though should be a blast, I plan on getting my head bashed in as I enter the Men's Open Cross race. Hopefully I'll last longer than a few laps. At least there's beer. Oh and for more bragging rights, I'm going to the Avs v Sabres Game tomorrow in Denver!!
Monday, October 20, 2008
Beautiful Weekend
Even though yesterday was an incredible day, by the time I got home from the Coaching Summit, I was wiped out. I caught up on laundry and a few other household chores and generally just lounged.
Though Today, I made up for missing out yesterday. I was up early and took lizzy for a quick run around the reservoir. 2 laps x 2 miles. It's her first real run since she broke her pelvis. She did great, I was on the cross bike and had to work a few times to keep up with her. I ended up flatting and that pretty much took us home.
After that I kitted up and headed thru Bear Creek up to do a quick loop on Green Mt. Just put some time in and rack up the kj's.
|From Bear Creek and Heil Ranch
I hooked up with the new boss, Frank from FasCat Coaching for a spin around Heil Ranch. After riding at Green Mt. My idea of Colorado trails was blown wide open today. The trails were frigging awesome and super tech. Super rocky and requiring you to really work the bike the whole time. My pics really don't do the trail any justice. It was far too much fun picking the lines and riding the trail, than to stop and snap some pics. I might need to grab me a helmet cam sometime soon!
Ended up with about 2100kj for the day! And pretty worked over. Hopefully the weather holds out
I have no friggin clue why a blue line shows up on my pics, could be time for a new camera. I'm too lazy to go through each photo and touch up in photoshop. Click the link for tons more photos of the day
|From Bear Creek and Heil Ranch
|From Bear Creek and Heil Ranch
|From Bear Creek and Heil Ranch
Posted by Jason Hilimire at 12:47 AM 0 comments
Labels: 29er, Colorado, epic rides, FasCat, friends, mountain biking, photos, Superfly, training
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Colorado Springs
So I'm in Colorado Springs at the US Olympic Training Center, learning how to make people go fast. What else to do though when the seminars are over by 3pm other than go out for a group ride? I HAD to get on my bike as there is free food here and I am probably going to weigh 5lbs more when I leave this place
Enjoy the pics! I enjoyed the scenery that's for sure!
PS I have no idea why I'm getting a blue line across my pics, guess it might be time for a new one.
Posted by Jason Hilimire at 11:07 PM 0 comments
Labels: Colorado, photos, road cycling
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Another day at Green Mt
So I decided to give it another go at Green Mt. I mean what am I suppose to do other than ride my bike out here on the trails right? After feeling like death yesterday, I kitted up and felt like a million bucks. Didn't feel at all like I was dying or not getting any air in.
I headed thru Bear Creek (quickly) and climbed the switchbacks up the Green Mt. Trail, then descended the fire-road and hit the outer loop. Somehow, I missed the singletrack I rode up yesterday, as that's what I was really looking for as it woulda been a sick descent
Ride time was short, but I did nearly as much as yesterday in almost 40 minutes less ride time! That's a huge difference, plus my wattage numbers were up a ton as I was feeling great.
For the rest of this week I'm down in Colorado Springs for the Coaches Summit. Should be fun, but a bonus is that we are done around 3ish each day and plenty of people to ride with. And the weather looks great!
Posted by Jason Hilimire at 11:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: 29er, Colorado, epic peaks coaching, mountain biking, News, Personal, Superfly, training
1st Ride in Colorado at Green Mt!!
I'm now officially in Colorado. Made it here this past Saturday. I've since gotten settled in here with a friend in Littleton and managed to get out for a good ride yesterday on 2 trails that are right outside the door (Bear Creek and Green Mt.) Conditions were great, it was a little bit cool, but the sunshine was warm.
I'm gonna head out the door right now for another quick trip over to Green Mt., then I'm off to Colorado Springs for the Coaching Seminar for a week. Should learn some great stuff to make people fast! Hopefully I'll get in quite a few nice road rides while I'm down there.
Please, send oxygen instead of comments. I'm in need of some until I acclimate!
Posted by Jason Hilimire at 12:37 PM 0 comments
Labels: 29er, Colorado, mountain biking, News, Personal, Superfly, training
Monday, October 06, 2008
Busy, Busy
Been just crazy these past few weeks. Don't even know where to begin here on the blog. This past wednesday I did manage to get out for a good ride with the GBC and Hollow crew prior to my departure.
We hit up Shindagin Hollow for a few hours of play. The night prior we had played hard at the Hartman's. Suzanne served up some great chili, then it was time for some pool and mod racing. The mod crit quickly grew into a who could do better donuts. With that, we preceded to open the garage door and try to do them out on the wet driveway.
Needless to say, there was some fun that we had. Wednesday down at Shindagin was a great day. Fall foliage was in full bloom and the trails were in perfect shape.
We managed a huge crew (Jer-Bear, Casey, Der-Kaiser, Hanggi, Fry Guy, Marky Mark, Suz and I) for a wednesday afternoon. Mark was kind enough to lend me his Hi-Fi 29er. I made sure to put it to work hitting some gap jumps, riding 6 ft high skinnies, north shore bridge drops (and subsequent crashes) and tearing up the trails. Could a dualie be in my future?
The past few days were spent at a Coaching Seminar in Ypsilanti, Mi. I learned how to go real fast, and learned boat loads of info. It's going to come in real handy. Next week I have the Coaching Summit in Colorado Springs and plan on learning even more info. Believe me, if you want to be fast for next season, hit your goals, and have fun, there's nothing better than a coach
Posted by Jason Hilimire at 11:10 AM 0 comments
Labels: 29er, epic peaks coaching, epic rides, friends, gbc, Hollow, mountain biking, News, Personal, training, weather
Thursday, September 25, 2008
1 Week
7 days is all I have left of my time in NY. Next Thursday am, I depart for Boulder, CO. Going to be working for FasCat Coaching!! It's getting a bit close, I'm nervous, a bit scared. But this will be good, this is what I want and need. Finally the summation of a dream (moving to CO) is going to be reached.
Things have been hectic, and I've taken a few days off the bike to unwind. As a result, yesterday was perfect weather day for a little boat riding. Seeing as it's my last day to fit in a boat ride I obliged and my father and I headed out onto Seneca Lake for a slow cruise.
The lake was incredibly calm, and we just cruised down past all the houses and hung out south of the state park just off shore. Downed a few beers, chatted and relaxed in the sunshine. Couldn't have asked for anything more.
I even got to drive the boat back (I had to give captains duties back, when the William Smith Crew Team was entering the harbor at the same time as us). It's actually surprisingly easy to drive.
So after all that relaxing, I guess it's really time to get down to business. Start packing up, laying down my itinerary and get some last minute errands done this week
Currently playing in iTunes: Dancing Choose by TV On The Radio
Oh yeah, yesterday I spent 3.5 hours in the dentist chair getting a root canal done. Took a while, but the infected tooth is fixed and the pain has ceased, just means I've got to get it crowned when I get to CO. Anyone know a good dentist out there?
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Weekend Wrap (Full Report)
It was a long weekend of racing and driving in the car. Friday afternoon, I set out for the 4 hour drive north to my brothers place in Malone. Giving me about an hours drive to Whiteface Mt. for saturday's race.
Got there with plenty of time to play with my nephew Peyton, eat some gnocchi with homemade sauce by Grams and watch a movie. I managed to get a great night's sleep in and then get the the race right on schedule. However, I didn't really get a great warm-up in. Being as the race was new and recently scheduled it meant a small field (3 of us in the pro class), but it did mean we were all gonna get paid! That however didn't mean I didn't race my ass off.
The race started with a little prologue section with a climb, then onto the main course and up the access rd. Suffered a bit on the start and was struggling on the first lap, trying to get the legs together. I ended up losing sight of 1st place as he disappeared in the 1st section of singletrack. I surged hard, started to feel better and raced well over all. Race was a bit short at 1:40, but every one of my 4 laps was within 30 secs of each other, so I was at least nice and consistent. I did bag $250 for 2nd!! Everybody better hit this race course next year as it was one of the baddest and best ever!
Sunday (after a long drive home saturday) I headed down to Ellicottville for the Roots, Rocks and Ridges race. I think the last time I managed to do this one was about 5 years ago. There was good number of people and it was a great day for racing. Course started with a road prologue while we were lead over to Holimont and the start of the climbing. Didn't mean it was truly neutral though as we were clicking off a good pace on the road. Knowing the climb was coming up, I got near the front and stayed there trying to shake the legs out from the prior days efforts. Hit the climb and when it turned to dirt a small group of us split the main field. I was sitting at the tail end of the group around 4th/5th and came off on the climb prior to entering the singletrack. I was busy closing the gap to the rider in front of me, when I felt my rear tire was real squishy. I jumped off to throw a co2 in and didn't do much. I decided to tube it and it took me forever to get the valve stem out. Finally go the valve stem out, tube it and the co2 barely puts any air in, WTF!?! I spend forever hand pumping my mini pump (luckily does both), while getting passed by everyone. I got the tire up and ready to go and ended up behind a large smashed together group near the back. It was tight singletrack and I really wanted to get back to the front. Riders were dabbing and falling all over the place, I ended up having to use the "pro" lines to pass quite a few of the riders. After a few minutes being stuck behind them, I finally got free and clawed my way back up. I was surging and flying through the singletrack.
I was actually feeling really great overall. I managed to catch a bunch of riders. I did have to stop at one point and put some more air in my rear as it was still feeling soft. I shot up again and was catching more riders. Any chance I got, I was doing the Big Ring Challenge and hammering through the singletrack. I was creeping way up in position and just was catching 2 more riders when I realized I had a broken spoke. Took some time to get it out of the rotor and bend it around so it wouldn't get caught on anything. I managed to catch and pass back one rider, but ran out of trail catching the other.
Total time according to the powertap lost by flats and spoke: ~8:30. Unofficially according to mom, I was about 9 minutes down on first! I finished in 10th place, which I thought was incredible considering how many riders initially passed me. It was a great course and good ride and was happy to end my season on a strong weekend of racing!
Now it's time for 'cross
Currently playing in iTunes: Revelry by Kings of Leon
Monday, September 22, 2008
T minus 10 days and counting
Full Weekend Report coming tonight.
2nd place at Whiteface
10th at Roots Rocks and Ridges
Incredible courses and great competition. Loads of driving. I slept for 12 hours last night.
Posted by Jason Hilimire at 5:05 PM 0 comments
Labels: e-ville, mountain biking, News, Personal, Racing
Friday, September 19, 2008
New Bike Day
Yesterday was new bike day! One of the greatest days for bike racers. I got the email that my bike had arrived from the crew at Geneva Bikes and rushed out after work to start the assembly.
While Mark was finishing up his work, I did the unboxing, prep work and light assembly, aka I was the "fluffer" for Mark to come in and do the real stuff. I managed to do this 2x somehow as we grabbed the wrong size box originally and I had the bike assembled before we really noticed. So the 2nd time around I was quite good and a bit faster.
I've yet to give her a real ride in the dirt, but she sure is purdy' and I'll guess I'll have to get her dirty next week. For now though, here's some pics!
|From Cross 09
|From Cross 09
|From Cross 09
|From Cross 09
Today is some fast and furious openers, then head up to my brothers place in Malone and visit him and his family as they are all coming down to cheer me on at Whiteface in Lake Placid tomorrow (click the link for course pics). Looking forward to putting the number plate on this weekend. I'll have to be fast as I need to wrap up, drive home and get up early again to drive the opposite direction for the Root's Rocks and Ridges race in Ellicottville. Looks like its going to be an early start!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Getting Cold!
So with the nights coming much earlier than usual, I've got the flasher and a simple bar mount light on the roadie for safety (I also had my Ay-Up headlight in my jersey just in case), I still am able to venture out after work for a bit of training.
Yesterday evening, it was a decent 65-70 and sunny at 5:45 when I departed, comfy with my armwarmers on and vest in jacket. 6:30ish as the sun was below the tree line I was freezing my ass off. Wishing I had my knee warmers or even full leg-warmers. Luckily I had my vest in my pocket and was able to keep my chest warm, but jeeze I forgot how friggin cold it gets in the late summer/early fall time. By the time I got back home, my legs were a little numb and I think it dropped to 45-50 degrees or so (and it was dark).
Meanwhile the ride itself, not so great. I had plans to do a few sets of 5 min threshold intervals. Got through the first one feeling great, got 3/4 way through the 2nd and I started getting side stitches, WTF? I haven't had them since I ran xc in high school! I've never gotten them on the bike. I grunted away for a little bit more, then decided to just shut it down. It took a few minutes for the cramp to go away, after that I rolled along doing a bit of recovery then just ramped it up to some steady state. It was tough to do any effort as all the blood was holed up in the inside of my legs trying to stay warm! I've got no idea where the cramps came from, but hopefully they won't show up this weekend!
Here's a few more pics from this weekend at Burning Bike out on the trail!!
Posted by Jason Hilimire at 11:01 AM 0 comments
Labels: mountain biking, Naples, Personal, photos, power, road cycling, weather
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Burning Bike Festival
The first ever Burning Bike Festival was held at Ontario County Park this past weekend. OCP has come along ways, it was once just a stopover as the Finger Lakes Trail ran thru it. Now it's being fully utilized and many new (and awesome) trails have been put in, and are in great shape and ready to ride.
I skipped out on the Friday night festivities as it was pouring out and I had no desire to camp in the rain. I got everything together Saturday am and headed over to the park. While a few were out riding, I managed to get a ride in on the singlespeed (with my new Black Ops Carbon Fork!) with Evil Steve and Andy August. After a few loops they dropped off and I decided to put the SS to the test and descend down off the hill and over to Cutler to climb some hills and do some more descending. The fork and the bike ride great and it's a fun play bike.
After the ride it was chow-time and then over to camp. Original plans were for a night ride, but the heavy rains and beer consumption kept that at bay.
The Burning Bike
Evil Steve's Glow Bike
Schwarty having a Yee-haw contest
Schwarty moments later
It poured all night so Sunday was a crapshoot, but after a good hearty breakfast, and some consumption of non-alchoholic beverages, Casey, Jer-Bear and I headed out for a ride. We did a good loop around OCP on the slick trails, then decided to explore a trail we had never ridden. A top secret descent off the park. It was a great descent with a good mix of tech, super steep, super fast and fun. After that we headed over to Cutler and did a quick loop on the orange trail. It was a good day, a bit humid and windy, but much nicer than the prior day's tremendous rainstorms.
This week will be some short rides, wait for the cross bike and prep for the Whiteface Race and Roots, Rocks and Ridges race. My final weekend of XC racing!
back to laying on the couch.....
Posted by Jason Hilimire at 8:32 PM 1 comments
Labels: 29er, friends, highlander, mountain biking, Naples, News, photos, Superfly, weather
Friday, September 12, 2008
Feeling good
Yesterday, despite not wanting to truly get back on the bike, I managed to get in a decent road ride. Running late for the group ride as usual required the no warmup straight to tt mode for the 8 miles to the shop. Managed to get there only to find no one was there. So Jim and I headed out the door together and put in a good hour + into the wind heading south and chatting about the current political situation. It was a nice late summer/early fall day (not like today as it's raining).
The legs felt pretty good for the most part. I was able to put in a nice test on them for the ride home as it was hitting dusk (I did have lights though). I slammed it home and kept having to double check my numbers that I was putting out. I was feeling good and looking at the watts going, is that right? I managed my 2nd best 10 min power of the season for the ride home and it was dead flat! My best power was only 10w higher and that was while climbing! 2 100 milers back to back, I guess does a body good!
I've got one of these on order as the new Fisher Presidio is not going to be here in time for the cross season. I'll be looking forward to testing this bad boy out asap.
Also, going to be putting a Origin8 Black Ops Carbon fork on the Singlespeed. Will be looking forward to testing her out this weekend at the Burning Bike festival at OCP. Might be riding it all weekend!
Posted by Jason Hilimire at 11:27 AM 0 comments
Labels: News, Personal, power, road cycling, training
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Back in the swing with the Singlespeed
So it's been 2 days of sleeping and eating loads of comfort food after the Humbler. Seriously think I could have easily consumed 20,000 calories a day if I didn't stop myself.
Yesterday I pulled out the Singlespeed and headed over to glenwood in Geneva to stretch the legs a bit. Temps were cool and comfortable and the trail was in great shape. I had the 32x20 on and was a little bit overgeared for the place. I like the 32x19 a little bit better there. But it was good as I just needed to spin and keep it easy. It was a fun ride to just sling around the trails solo and whip out some laps. I felt really good physically, but didn't feel like going hard at any point.
I did however realize upon inspection that the front fork is bent and the wheel is mis-aligned. Tomorrow I'm going to swap it out with a Origin8 Black Ops Carbon Fork!
Tonight I'm going to pull out the roadie, hit up the group ride, and then get some xtra ride time in with the lights on the roadie.
Posted by Jason Hilimire at 1:39 PM 0 comments
Labels: 29er, mountain biking, Personal, road cycling, Singlespeed, training
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
08 Humbler Slideshow
Yesterday was worthless. I slept for 18 out of 24 hours. I'm still a little bit tired today, but no where near yesterday. I consumed probably 5x my recommended caloric intake also yesterday, and it was great. Eating is good!
Resting up today, then back to the grinder tomorrow
Posted by Jason Hilimire at 3:24 PM 0 comments
Labels: 29er, epic rides, friends, gary fisher, gbc, Hollow, Horrible Hundred, links, mountain biking, Naples, Personal, photos, Superfly
Monday, September 08, 2008
2008 Humbler
2008 Humbler is in the books. I'm completely wiped out today.
111 miles, 14,030ft of climbing, 12:19 of riding, 6229kj, 4 finishers. It took us 3 friggin years to finally complete our grandiose plan of ultimate misery.
Mark, Casey, Hanggi and myself soldiered on for the final loop. Spent, exhausted, sleeping in the middle of roads. We surged, we struggled, we finally slayed the dragon.
I'm exhausted today, far too exhausted to do a full write up currently. Pics and more to come
In the meantime, go buy my bike
Posted by Jason Hilimire at 4:29 PM 0 comments
Labels: 29er, epic rides, gbc, Hollow, Horrible Hundred, mountain biking, Naples, News, Personal, photos, Superfly, training


text:
Germany's national carrier made a 297m euros ($373.9m; £203.3m) profit on sales of 9.6bn euros.
The firm flew thousands of football fans in and out of Germany for the month-long tournament.
It has also taken over Swiss International Air and added to its Eurowings group.
Lufthansa's net profits were 85m euros, compared with just 200,000 euros a year before.
But although the performance was better than had been expected, shares in the firm dropped 1%.
Lufthansa said it now expected its operating profit for 2006 to beat last year's 577m euros.
The announcement came despite expectations that fuel costs would rise by 22% over the year.
The carrier is targeting operating profit of 1 billion euros by 2008.
It is in the process of expansion as it fights the threat from low-cost rivals in Europe such as Ryanair.
Most Popular Now | 56,514 people are reading stories on the site right now.";

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Dutch Eredivisie Standings
Eredivisie News
Ajax's Abdelhak Nouri out of intensive care after two-and-a-half weeks
Ajax midfielder Abdelhak Nouri has left intensive care two-and-a-half weeks after suffering permanent brain damage having collapsed during a friendly.
Man United's Timothy Fosu-Mensah praying for Ajax's Abdelhak Nouri
Manchester United defender Timothy Fosu-Mensah has told BBC Sport he is praying for former Ajax teammate Abdelhak Nouri.
Midfielder Mukhtar Ali leaves Chelsea to move to Vitesse Arnhem
Midfielder Mukhtar Ali has completed a permanent transfer from Chelsea to Vitesse Arnhem.
Dan Crowley departs Arsenal for Willem II on three-year contract
Teenage midfielder Dan Crowley has left Arsenal to join Willem II on a three-year deal, the Dutch club have confirmed.
PSV Eindhoven sign Marco van Ginkel from Chelsea on season-long loan
PSV Eindhoven have announced the signing of Marco van Ginkel from Chelsea on a season-long loan.
Ajax's Abdelhak Nouri suffers 'severe and permanent brain damage'
Ajax midfielder Abdelhak Nouri has suffered "severe and permanent brain damage," after collapsing during a preseason friendly game on Saturday.


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Little Wing Shawlette by Andee Graves
Welcome! You are browsing as a guestWould you like to see 69 projects made from this pattern and much more? create a free account What am I missing?
© Andee Graves
© Andee Graves
© Andee Graves
© Andee Graves
Little Wing Shawlette
This pattern is available for free.
A quick lacy shawlette that can be worn around the shoulders or snuggled up around the neck as as a cozy warm layer with a coat.
Pattern is worked from a long foundation with each row being reduced on the ends by one fan and increases in the center for the shaping. Side edging is worked with each row until final 2 rows, which create the bottom edging.
Foundation is worked with the smaller hook, Body of shawl uses the larger hook.
To increase size of shawlette add multiples of 32 rows to the Foundation, and 3 rows to the Shawl Body. Yardage requirements will increase to approximately 410 yards for +32 foundation and 590 yards for +64 foundation.
For more information, see: http://crochetuncut.com/index.php?option=com_content...


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Product Description
Basilic Milk Powder dispenser gives the flexibility for moms to carry only one, or may three serving of milk powder when going out with their love one.
Mother can take up to four serving and can added up to another 4 serving for those who have twin babies or more than 1 babies still with bottle feeding.
4 compartments milk powder dispenser.
Easy to dispense the milk powder - just remove the plug instead of removing the whole whole compartment.
Made from PP Material - BPA Free.
Last Updated @ 6/15/2015 5:22:48 PM
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Upon payment receive, we will ship the order item(s) within 3 working days subject to stock availability via courier service
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A flat rate of RM7 postage apply to all order for any shipment within West Malaysia and RM12 postage for East Malaysia for the first 1kg. The following kg is RM8
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Beware the temptation of the four-day week
I note the Herald has joined calls, at least tentatively, for a 20 per cent reduction in the working week with a pro rata reduction in wages and salaries, in response to the economic crisis ("Is it time to consider the four-day week?", January 24-25).
This proposal perpetuates a fallacy which has done the rounds of many an economic crisis before this. If one firm or industry could thus reduce its wage costs by 20 per cent, while no others did so, that firm or industry could reasonably expect that its sales revenue would be unaffected. But if all industries reduce wages in this manner, household income as a whole, and therefore household expenditure, will contract. The sales revenue of all firms and industries would be reduced.
If - as wage costs and household income are reduced - some other source of expenditure and sales revenue rose to compensate, one could hope for the contractionary impact on aggregate expenditure to be offset. The only possible such alternative in current circumstances is the public sector.
But have any of those who are advocating the wage reduction policy worked out how much government expenditure would have to increase to compensate for that contraction? And are they advocating such an increase?
Even if there were across-the-board wage reductions accompanied by at least compensating increases in government expenditure, the patterns of cost and spending reductions and of government spending increases would be very different in their impacts across different industries. There would be winners and losers.
Finally, there is a spectre haunting this crisis: deflation. The experience of Japan in the 1990s is a case study of what could result. Anything that might contribute to prices falling across the board should be avoided.
Tony Aspromourgos Professor of Economics, University of Sydney
As a nation, we don't even know what day it is
I agree with Mick Dodson that January 26 is an inappropriate day to celebrate our national identity ("Australia Day sparks brawl", January 26). But it is hard to pick an alternative because we have not yet done the crucial thing that ought to be commemorated on an Australia Day: declare a republic.
In the meantime I propose changing Australia Day to September 1. This date is already established as National Wattle Day, originally conceived in the wake of Federation as a day to demonstrate patriotism for the new nation. It now has wider significance as a day to celebrate our natural environment, our land - the one thing we all share. It is also the beginning of spring and so celebrates new awakenings.
Once we have decided for a republic, we should take care it is declared on September 1, and the two can merge.
Eileen Haley Leichhardt
The landing of the First Fleet did not just mark "invasion day" as indicated by Mick Dodson, but also the beginning of a horrific life of famine, disease and flogging for many convicts. Reconciliation is also about remembering all the suffering on which this nation was built. January 26 unites us more than any other day.
Fabienne Mackay Vaucluse
Apart from Mick Dodson's very pertinent points, our Sydney myopia blinds us to the fact that the rest of the country views Australia Day as a Sydney-specific event.
"Australia Day" is little more than foundation day for the colony of NSW. Other states have their own foundation days and have historically ignored ours.
Their enthusiasm extended little beyond the long weekend it provided - only recently have other states bothered to move the celebration to the actual day.
Our new national day should be republic day - whenever that occurs - and January 26 can revert to being foundation day for NSW.
Brendan Jones Annandale
Why not just sneak it back one day to January 25? That way everyone can celebrate a time when the country had deep history and further potential. It is the right time of year, when so many are at or just back from the archetypal Australian holiday, with sand between their toes, salt in their hair and laconic optimism for the new year as it starts in earnest. It should satisfy those who care, and the apathetic won't notice the difference.
Ian Wylie Woollahra
I strongly support Mick Dodson's call. Apart from the impact of European settlement on indigenous people, there is the simple matter that the nation of Australia was not founded until 1901. There is good reason to commemorate the arrival of Arthur Phillip's fleet as NSW Day, but it is sad that the true history of the birth of Australia as a nation lies uncommemorated.
The passage of the referendums by the individual colonies and of the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Bill on July 5, 1900, are not publicly commemorated. It seems the only celebration of that latter milestone was when Edmund Barton, Alfred Deakin and Charles Kingston, in the privacy of their London hotel room, joined hands and danced in a circle.
To bring about the establishment of a nation solely by legal and democratic process is still a lesson to the rest of the world and an achievement worth celebrating.
Gerard McEwen Glandore (SA)
Truth is, most people don't want censorship
Jim Wallace warns of the dangers of misinformation about the mandatory internet filtering plan, yet he wheels out a 2003 statistic that says "93 per cent of parents want a filter" ("Filtering filth will not tangle the net", January 26). Shouldn't he mention that the survey in question involved only 377 people? Compare this with the 95,000 people who have so far signed the GetUp! petition opposing the filter.
Or perhaps we need to consider the ridiculously low percentage of people who used the Howard government's free internet filtering software. In this case, actions speak far louder than outdated surveys when it comes to deciding what most Australians think about censoring the internet.
Karen Jackson Gympie (Qld)
Jim Wallace castigates GetUp! for omitting to mention that one of the filter products tested slowed access times by only 2 per cent. What Mr Wallace fails to mention is that this product was the worst at allowing through what it should not have, namely 13 per cent of the URLs on the Australian Communications and Media Authority blacklist.
So we can either have a filter that cripples access times but still fails to block 2 per cent of sites, or a filter that has a minimal impact on access times, but doesn't work.
Either way, this plan is right up there with boofheaded notions such as the Maginot Line and the motorbike ashtray.
Colin Kennedy West Pymble
It is legal for adults to own and consume X-rated materials in the privacy of their home. Yet the Government is attempting to censor this material, not by making it illegal, but by silent bureaucratic and technical means.
If X-rated material was such a threat to society, the Government would seek to criminalise its use and possession. I invite them to take such a policy to the electorate.
The market already provides filtering solutions, both PC-based and ISP-based. If it has failed to deliver these services to Australian households there is but one explanation - Australians do not want them. Until this changes, the Government has no mandate to impose them.
Jon Seymour Pyrmont
Dodson deserved honour
Tony Abbott thinks the Australian of the Year should have been Warren Mundine or Noel Pearson over Mick Dodson ("Australia Day sparks brawl", January 26). Why? Because they supported the Howard government's Northern Territory intervention?
This award may have been cheapened over the years by time and again going to sportsmen who have done little else in their lives, but it hasn't yet sunk as low as to become a quid pro quo for political favours.
Mick Dodson has worked tirelessly for Aboriginal people for many years, even when it meant being on the wrong side of everyone in power, and this award is a suitable and deserved honour.
Aidan Wilson Glebe
Tony Abbott accuses Mick Dodson of having "a very 1990s view of reconciliation". As opposed to his own 1950s view, I dare say.
Jeremy Adair Randwick
Tunnel vision won't help
Macquarie Bank and the State Government reckon a tunnel linking the Warringah Freeway to a new, elevated Spit Bridge will "attempt to solve the perennial problem of traffic congestion on the North Shore" ("$1b plan for tunnel and new Spit Bridge", January 26).
I think not. Every motorway or road tunnel built in Sydney over the past 40 years has done nothing but encourage greater car use. That's why traffic congestion in Sydney is a perennial problem. The only way to relieve traffic congestion on the North Shore is via a rail link to the northern beaches.
Jim Hope Coogee
Traffic always expands to fit the space available. Yet the Sensible Transport Action Group still clings to the absurd idea of a tunnel from the Spit Bridge to the city. A quick glance at the M5 (opened 2001) will reveal a static traffic jam from Liverpool to the CBD each morning and afternoon.
If the proponents of this tunnel are serious, let them fund it without a penny from the public purse. In the meantime, the Government should remove all transit lanes and replace them with dedicated bus lanes and a fleet of air-conditioned buses that run every 10 minutes.
Sensible transport is public transport, not car-dependency.
Harold Scruby Chairman, Pedestrian Council of Australia, Neutral Bay
I had never heard of the Sensible Transport Action Group, and a Google search reveals only two references to it - yesterday's article and another in the Herald from 2003. Some research into this group's foundation date, mission statement and membership base may prove of interest.
Tim Morgan Darlinghurst
Hospitals need student nurses
I can assure Andrew Hopton (Letters, January 26) the introduction of non-graduate nurses would greatly improve patient care and relieve stress. I did my training when it was hands-on in the wards and we had daily bedside and lecture room teaching.
When student nurses were removed from hospitals, leaving the graduate nurses to care for the patients, it put a huge strain upon the trained nurses. They found themselves using much time on tasks such as showering patients and making beds that had previously been done by students.
Introducing helpers to cover these tasks would leave the graduate nurse to do the work that only he or she can do. This is not a substitute for skilled graduate nurses but a relief from chores that are safely allocated to assistant nurses.
Kitty Krister Bellingen
Fact: UV rays cause cancer
Patrick Holly's assertion that there is "no conclusive evidence" that solariums increase the risk of skin cancer stretches credulity ("Nationwide curbs on solariums", smh.com.au, January 26). Holly acknowledges exposure to UV radiation emitted by the sun is an important factor in the aetiology of skin cancer, yet denies that the huge doses of UV emitted by solariums are a causative factor.
Holly's assertion is dangerously irresponsible. It harks back to the decades when the tobacco industry vehemently denied the addictive or carcinogenic nature of smoking. Smoking causes cancer. UV exposure, whether from the sun or from solarium use, causes skin cancer. Solariums should be outlawed immediately.
Peter Hauser Redfern
Bill of rights not a curb on state power
Bob Carr (Letters, January 26) is right that a country's mood, ethos and culture are key to maintaining civil liberties, but he then criticises the US bill of rights for the 170-year delay in enfranchising southern blacks.
Judges, like politicians, are part of a civic culture and interpretation of the law reflects the values of their society. A bill or charter of rights acts as a yardstick for acts and regulations and, under the proposal being considered, could be amended by Parliament at any time. Politicians by nature resent any curb on their legislative powers. As a result I would have expected to hear of any problems arising from the ACT and Victorian charters of rights, which make it clear that policy decisions remain with Parliament.
James Moore Kingsgrove
Who needs cheaper books? Bob Carr still reads enough for all of us.
Chris McGinness Erskineville
Carr v Marr. Now that's something I'd like to see.
John Lees Castlecrag
The persuaders
You report that an offer has been made by the Labor Party to Graeme Wedderburn to run Nathan Rees's office in exchange for a Senate seat ("Federal seat pledge lures fixer to Rees", January 26). Is this a bribe? If so, why isn't it illegal?
Chris Betar Rose Bay
Seeing red over Pink
Sunday Sunrise on January 25 aired the video clip for Pink's new song. It included a litany of violent acts, including bondage and various forms of assault against a male partner. Andrew O'Keefe's response was one of bemusement. It is ironic that he was able be so flippant, considering his role as a White Ribbon ambassador.
Agi O'Hara Camperdown
Pity the Scot who loses
Duncan Smith (Letters, January 26) is mistaken. Britain is made up of three nations, not four; Northern Ireland is added only when referring to the United Kingdom. And Jake Niall was correct. One only has to watch Sky News UK to learn that an Englishman is always English, but a Scot is British if he wins and a Scot if he is defeated.
Aidrian O'Domhnaill Allambie Heights
Hey, true red
Every day economists, politicians and financial pundits declare the devastating effect of China's slowdown on the global economy, and especially Australia ("The great stall of China", January 23). How long before we see a campaign to buy "Made in China"?
Marilyn Sawkins Killcare
Vatican hypocrisy
It's early to propose the most ludicrous quote of the year, but Archbishop Rino Fisichella must be a hot favourite ("Vatican upset over abortion change", January 26): a Vatican official criticising anyone else for "the arrogance of someone who believes they are right".
Derek Parker Mosman
Unofficially patriotic
Much as I love Australia Day, celebrating it by attending an official ceremony seems somehow, well, unAustralian.
James Cook Kalaru
Tennis crowd poor sports
The Herald describes the crowd rising to their new champion ("It's Jelena's day", January 26). In fact the crowd were disgusting in their bias. They applauded Alisa Kleybanova's faults and roared with appreciation at unforced errors. There was hardly a murmur when she levelled at 6-6 in the third set. One felt the crowd would have thrown their chairs at Kleybanova if they hadn't been screwed down.
Max Perry Maroubra
Sorry, Alisa Kleybanova, for the bias, the jingoism and the rotten sportsmanship you had to contend with at the Rod Laver Arena. You may be surprised to know that most Australians believe in "a fair go", and commend your play and behaviour under the most difficult circumstances.
Lois Pembroke Killara
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Two women have been fined for defrauding visitors as they walked through St Albans Cathedral.
Sofica Panaghita, 25, and Mirela Dumtiru, 22, took money from a number of people visiting the cathedral on Friday.
Staff became suspicious and alerted the council CCTV control room that two women were collecting money and personal details from people attending the cathedral and that their behaviour appeared suspicious.
The women, of no fixed abode, admitted fraud and were fined £100 at Hatfield Remand Court.
They were also ordered to pay £85 in costs.
Councillor Beric Read said: "This is a great example of how the police and Council CCTV service protects the interests of both visitors and residents of St Albans."


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by Staff Writers
Sydney (AFP) Jan 8, 2012
The anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd said three Australian activists were being held as "prisoners" by the Japanese harpoon fleet Sunday after sneaking aboard one of their vessels overnight to protest.
Sea Shepherd said it had helped the three men from the Forest Rescue Australia environmental group to board the Shonan Maru No.2 16 miles (26 kilometres) off Australia's west coast.
"The boats approached the Shonan Maru under the cover of darkness and the three negotiated their way past the razor wire and spikes and over the rails to successfully board the Japanese whaling vessel," Sea Shepherd said of the Forest Rescue trio.
They were now "being held as prisoners on board the Japanese vessel the Shonan Maru No.2" which had been tailing the Sea Shepherd ship the Steve Irwin and had "armed Japanese military personnel," Sea Shepherd claimed.
Japan's Fisheries Agency confirmed that three men who said they were Australian had boarded the Shonan Maru No.2 -- a surveillance craft -- and that there were coastguard officers on board the ship.
"Three men on a rubber boat quickly approached the Fisheries Agency's monitoring vessel and climbed to the ship," a fisheries official told AFP.
"Currently the Fisheries Agency is interviewing the men.
"This incident did not cause any injury to the (Japanese) crew (or) damage to the ship," he added.
Australian Attorney-General Nicola Roxon said Canberra was in contact with Tokyo to determine the Shonan Maru's exact location but no application had been made to bring the protesters ashore and they could end up in Japan.
"It appears that the laws that will cover (their) detention, for want of a better word, is the Japanese law," said Roxon, adding that the men's safety was the government's "top priority".
"We know there is a risk protest action will be taken and know there is a risk it might get out of hand in either direction."
"We now need to do what we can through diplomatic channels to see if we can support them to make sure that they can be returned safely and promptly to Australia," she added.
It is not the first time an activist has boarded the Shonan Maru No.2 -- New Zealander Pete Bethune was arrested and taken back to Japan to be tried after sneaking onto the ship during the heated 2009-2010 campaign.
He was handed a two-year suspended sentence and spent five months in prison.
In a statement Forest Rescue said it wanted to prevent the Shonan Maru from following the Steve Irwin back to the Southern Ocean.
The Steve Irwin had to return to Australia last week because another Sea Shepherd ship, the Brigitte Bardot, was damaged in high seas and had to be escorted home for repairs, setting back the group's annual harassment of the whalers.
Forest Rescue said it was "making a stand to assist Sea Shepherd Conservation Society in their campaign to end illegal whale poaching in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary."
"We are taking this action to remind the Australian government of their obligation to enforce existing laws pertaining to the prohibition of whaling ships in our waters," the group added.
"Forest Rescue are insulted and disappointed in our government for allowing the transit of whale poaching vessels in Australian waters."
The group has demanded that the Japanese return the protesters -- Simon Peterffy, 44, Geoffrey Tuxworth, 47 and Glen Pendlebury, 27 -- to shore and leave Australian waters.
Commercial whaling is banned under an international treaty but Japan has since 1987 used a loophole to carry out "lethal research" in the name of science -- a practice condemned by environmentalists and anti-whaling nations.
Australia has taken Japan to the International Court of Justice seeking an end to its annual hunts but one of the men who boarded the Shonan Maru, Peterffy, said not enough had been done.
"We are on board this ship because our government has failed to uphold its pre-election promise to end whaling in the Southern Ocean," he said, according to the Forest Rescue statement.
Follow the Whaling Debate
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Japan whaling fleet obstructed by activists
Tokyo (AFP) Jan 5, 2012
Anti-whaling activists have interrupted the Japanese Antarctic hunt for the first time this season, Japan's fisheries agency said Thursday. Two small boats from the US-based environmental group Sea Shepherd interfered with the movement of the harpoon ship Yushin Maru 3 for five and a half hours in the Antarctic Ocean on Wednesday, the agency said. The boats, lowered from the Sea Shepherd ... read more
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Skype Helps Gay Couple Get Wed Legally
Just when you thought the interwebs couldn't get any more awesome, it goes and performs a sweet new function in the name of love! The world's first "gay digital wedding" allowed Texans Thomas Mark Reed and Dante Karl Walkup to get legally married in D.C., without so much as leaving Dallas. Surrounded by their family and friends in their hometown, the happy couple Skyped in officiant Shelia Alexander-Reid from the capital, where gay marriage is recognized, and thereby made themselves officially husband and husband in the eyes of the law. The lovebirds vows were all part of the E-Marriage Project, set up by brilliant Michigan State University Law Professors Mae Kuykendall and Adam Candeub, as a way to circumvent some states' bans on gay marriage. Now, thanks to technology, love really conquers all! Suck it stupid, marriage inequality! [The Daily What]


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Join as a member. There's a certificate with your name on it.
I notice that many people are having troubles with the port 25 issue (which actually doesn't appear to be the issue - I've gotten the module working on two different servers, and both times the issue was the mail server), yet the module hasn't had a new version for a year and a half. I'm wondering if anyone is still working on this.
Comment #1NancyDru CreditAttribution: NancyDru commented
|» Fixed
Well, Hass just fixed another issue, so I guess he's still working on it.


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JR Bronson
Scene Info
Hole 1, Scene #02
- : 09-21-2015 |
- : 33:16 min |
- : 16 |
- Views : 1902
Adam Killian's huge balls hang out of a threadbare jock strap. Sitting on the floor in the corner of a padded cell, he tugs his cock while watching himself in black and white on a closed-circuit TV monitor. JR Bronson kneels on a cot nearby; he is blindfolded, sealed in plastic wrap from his neck to his ankles. Adam crawls to JR on his knees, rubbing his face against JR's butt cheeks. He chews through the plastic to sink his tongue thirstily into JR's hole. Sweat makes the plastic cling to JR's skin. Adam shreds the cling-wrap. He locks his arms around JR's ass in a full nelson, as if they were wrestling. Adam sniffs JR's armpits, bites his nipples, licks his neck. Still blindfolded, JR finds Adam's cock with his hands and guides it to his hungry mouth. Adam roars and stretches, a hairy beast in full heat. He yanks the blindfold off JR before he fucks him, riding deep and using the waistband of JR's jock strap as reins. They press together belly-to-back. Adam fucks JR in nearly every position know to man. JR's orgasm leaves a stream of cream from his nose to his navel. Adam jizzes across JR's ass and eats ever last drop before returning to his corner.
Scene Info
Jimmy Durano And J.R. Bronson, Scene #01
- : 06-19-2013 |
- : 52:56 min |
- : 7 |
- Views : 3083
Hot House Live returns to Palm Springs where Jimmy Durano and J.R. Bronson are hanging out on the set of our new Club Inferno movie. The jet-setting porn stars talk about their recent weekends in Los Angeles and Chicago where Jimmy took home the Grabby for Performer of the Year. At the request of the live viewing audience the guys break into some classic body-building poses and begin to compare muscles. After admiring each other's abs, biceps, glutes and legs J.R. gets down on his knees to worship one of Jimmy's biggest muscles: his fat uncut cock. J.R. makes a pig out of himself on Jimmy's huge meat before bending over and begging him to fuck his ass. Jimmy, the ultimate power-top, fucks J.R. hard.
Scene Info
The Sub, Scene #03
- : 02-25-2013 |
- : 20:24 min |
- : 15 |
- Views : 7548
J.R. Bronson earns his stripes when he submits to both Trenton Ducati and Rod Daily. Trenton finds J.R. riding a dildo with a ball-gag in his mouth. The muscled dom pulls J.R. off the bench and replaces the gag with his thick monster-cock. While he's fucking J.R.'s face Rod enters and jumps up on the bench so Trenton can suck his dick. The sight of Rod's huge cock proves to much for J.R. who gets in the middle and offers his muscular ass to the dominant duo. Rod steps up to pummel J.R.'s ass while Trenton stands over the moaning bottom and gets serviced by Rod's hot mouth. Trenton knows Rod loves to get his round bubble-butt pounded so he gets behind him and shoves his cock up Rod's ass, creating an off-the-rails fuck train. Rod pulls a load out of Trenton's dick with his tight hole so Trenton leaves, allowing Rod to finish the job.
Scene Info
Pack Attack 8: J.R. Bronson, Scene #04
- : 02-18-2013 |
- : 18:07 min |
- : 15 |
- Views : 5337
The entire pack is lined up taunting J.R. Bronson by stroking their huge cocks. J.R. loses control and screams for the guys to fuck him. James Ryder steps up first and shoves his cock in the bossy bottom's ass. The young tattooed stud pulls out so Luke Milan can take his place. Luke shoves all 10 inches up the muscle-stud's hole until Mario Costa steps up with his monster-cock. Mario drills J.R. hard until it's Doug Acre's turn. Doug takes total control, fucking the noisy bottom like a jackhammer. Levi Madison takes his turn punishing J.R.'s ass. Never satisfied, J.R. orders the gang bang to continue until each stud fucks him, dumps their load on his back, then leaves. The biggest load comes from J.R. himself who shoots all over his own washboard stomach.
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text: WASHINGTON (AP) -- The design for NASA's newest behemoth of a rocket harkens back to the giant workhorse liquid rockets that propelled men to the moon. But this time the destinations will be much farther and the rocket even more powerful.NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and several members of Congress joined Wednesday in unveiling the Obama administration's much-delayed general plans for its rocket design, called the Space Launch System. The multibillion-dollar program will carry astronauts in a capsule on top and start test launching from Cape Canaveral, Fla., in six years."This is a great day for NASA, I think, for NASA and the nation," Bolden said.Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., called it "a monster rocket." He said the holdup in presenting the design was so all the details would be in order, before the program was presented and defended by the administration."Will it be tough times going forward? Of course it is," Nelson told journalists. "We are in an era in which we have to do more with less -- all across the board -- and the competition for the available dollars will be fierce. But what we have here now are the realistic costs that have been scrubbed by an outside, independent third party."Nelson puts the cost of the program at about $18 billion over the next five years -- or $3 billion a year. Some estimates, however, are closer to $35 billion.The size, shape and heavier reliance on liquid fuel as opposed to solid rocket boosters is much closer to Apollo than the recently retired space shuttles, which were winged, reusable ships that sat on top of a giant liquid fuel tank, with twin solid rocket boosters providing most of the power. It's also a shift in emphasis from the moon-based, solid-rocket-oriented plans proposed by the George W. Bush administration."It's back to the future with a reliable liquid technology," said Stanford University professor Scott Hubbard, a former NASA senior manager who was on the board that investigated the 2003 space shuttle Columbia accident.NASA figures it will be building and launching about one rocket a year for about 15 years or more in the 2020s and 2030s, according to senior administration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the announcement was not yet made. The idea is to launch its first unmanned test flight in 2017 with the first crew flying in 2021 and astronauts heading to a nearby asteroid in 2025, the officials said. From there, NASA hopes to send the rocket and astronauts to Mars -- at first just to circle, but then later landing on the Red Planet -- in the 2030s.At first the rockets will be able to carry into space 77 tons to 110 tons of payload, which would include the six-person Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle capsule and more. Eventually it will be able to carry 143 tons into space, maybe even 165 tons, the officials said. By comparison, the long-dormant Saturn V booster that sent men to the moon was able to lift 130 tons.The plans dwarf the rumbling liftoff power of the space shuttle, which could haul just 27 tons. The biggest current unmanned rocket can carry about 25 tons.The size plans elicited an amazed "good grief" from Hubbard, who said it would limit how often they could be built or launched. Unlike the reusable shuttle, these rockets are mostly one-and-done, with new ones built for every launch.Some of the design elements, the deadline and the requirement for such a rocket were dictated by Congress.While the recently retired space shuttle's main engines were fueled by liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, it was primarily powered into orbit by solid rockets. Solid rocket boosters were designed to be cheaper, but a booster flaw caused the fatal space shuttle Challenger accident in 1986. The biggest drawback was that solid rockets can't be stopped once they are lit; liquid ones can.The new plan is to use a giant rocket powered by liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. Apollo, Gemini and Mercury flew into space on liquid rockets, and liquids fuel most of the world's unmanned commercial rockets. Russia's Soyuz rocket is liquid fueled too.During its initial test flights the rocket will use five solid rocket boosters designed for the shuttle strapped on its outside and will have shuttle main engines powering it on the inside. But soon after that the solid rocket boosters will be replaced with new boosters that should have new technology and may be either liquid or solid, the officials saidNASA figures it will spend about $3 billion a year on the plan, officials said. The key financial part of this arrangement is that NASA hopes to save money by turning over the launching of astronauts to the International Space Station, which orbits the Earth, to private companies and just rent spaces for astronauts like a giant taxi service. NASA would then spend the money on leaving Earth's orbit and the Earth-moon system.Hubbard worries that NASA has a history of spending way more than initially proposed -- the space shuttle cost about twice what it was supposed to -- and this new rocket system will drain money from other NASA missions.___AP Aerospace Writer Marcia Dunn contributed from Cape Canaveral, Fla.___Online:NASA: http://www.nasa.gov/


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Everyone's favorite "young" team with gobs of upside and an ultra-cool superstar wing as recently as a year ago, suddenly finds itself kept (barely) afloat by an aging point guard with a ton of old-man moves and moxie. This one is wrought with fun matchups, let's take a look at a few.
Jrue vs. Miller - This is the reason to watch, as far as I'm concerned. Miller is the definition of a wily veteran. Jrue is learning the ropes, some nights more quickly than others. Jrue should be able to blow by Miller off the dribble, but he absolutely must stay out of foul trouble. I expect Miller to try to take him down to the blocks, where Jrue is an excellent defender, but the myriad ball-fakes Miller will utilize could put a couple early ones on the kid.
Evan Turner vs. the player people compared him to, back when Brandon Roy had knees - Roy is a shell of his former self, and signed for big money. Turner has the word bust already on the tip of his detractors' tongues. Interesting matchup, to say the least. I expect Roy to take too many shots and Turner not enough.
Iguodala vs. Iguodala Light - Batum has gotten a ton of niche publicity this season, very interested to see how he handles Iguodala, and vice versa.
Brand vs. Aldridge - If you haven't been following this blog for long, let me quickly sum up my feelings on LaMarcus Aldridge: the guy sucks. Extremely inefficient scoring big man who loves to play like a small. This season, he's cut down on his long twos a bit, but he can't finish on the inside so it all adds up to a 50.2% TS anyway. I say if he's happy taking 20-footers all night, let him. Just don't accidentally motivate him to go down in the post with Brand guarding him.
Hawes vs. everything Hawes is not - Let's just say it's a good thing Camby isn't a couple years younger, or this would be a disgusting mismatch. As it stands, it's only gross.
Lou vs. Wes Matthews - Portland gave a second-year player $32M as a restricted free agent. He's been good for them coming off the bench, but he's taking way too many threes, and only hitting 31% of them. Lou is Lou. We need Good Lou to show up and lead the charge, having him outscore Matthews would be a good start.
Prediction: Sixers 100, Blazers 85. A two-game win streak, you heard it here first.
The tip is at 7pm, game thread will be up at 5:30.
by Brian on Nov 30 2010
Tags: Andre Miller | Basketball | Jrue Holiday | Portland Trailblazers | Previews | Sixers |
Tags: Andre Miller | Basketball | Jrue Holiday | Portland Trailblazers | Previews | Sixers |


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Temperature: -1.5° C (29° F)
Wind Chill: -6.1° C (21° F)
Seas: 2 to 4 feet
In the predawn hours, the CTD was deployed from the Baltic Room with a wind-driven snow blowing outside. It was dropped to a depth of 50 meters to allow for testing of the Fast Repetition Rate Fluorometer (FRRF). The FRRF is being used by Wendy Kozlowski and Mike Thimgan of Scripps Institute of Oceanography in productivity measurements. When the FRRF came topside, the CTD was again deployed, this time to 835 meters. Water samples were taken at 16 different depths.
The water is whats needed by the primary productivity and nutrient groups to begin their work. The labs they have set up here are quite impressive and now quite busy.
After the CTD was recovered, the BIOMAPER was launched. We cruised from survey site one and began tow-yoing BIOMAPER. Tow-yoing is when BIOMAPER (often referred to as the fish) is towed on a cable while being lowered and raisedresulting in a motion similar to that of a yo-yo. With the fish in the water, our speed had to remain between four and six knots so as to not skew results.
The survey portion of the cruise has begun. There are 84 consecutive survey stations planned. An around-the-clock blur of activity has begun. Check back to see what the different teams are up to and to see whats being learned.
Have a question for Mark or the SeaLab team about the expedition or life at sea in Antarctica? In every dispatch, Mark will answer selected questions from readers.
[Note: nationalgeographic.com does not research or copyedit dispatches.]
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Temperature: -1.0° C (30° F)
Wind Chill: -17.1° C (1.2° F)
Seas: 2 to 6 feet
Were on Station 10. Theres a raging snowstorm outside. Its 0300 hours. A CTD has just been recovered and MOCNESS is about to be deployed. It takes total concentration and an awareness of your surroundings to work safely in these conditions. The boat is heaving and awash with waves. Ice and snow are on the decks. There are cables under tension. MOCNESS goes in without a hitch.
The morning brings blue skies with clouds on the horizon. This should be a good day for bird and whale observations. BIOMAPER is back in the water. There have been a whole lot of solutions to be worked out. The team is hoping that things will run smoothly now.
A single humpback is sighted off the starboard bow. Catherine Berchok of Penn State University gets the word and rushes to deploy a sonobuoy so she can listen for its call. So far, only the sound of the ships engines. Ill recap the sightings and soundings tomorrow.
I have received many e-mails from people around the world who are following our expedition on nationalgeographic.com. Here are a few:
Q: I was reading about the extreme temperatures, and I would like to know, how do you possibly stay warm? Julie
A: The temperature range on the continent and on the water differ greatly. The extreme cold temperatures of the mainland are severe. You must remember that the freezing temperature of seawater is just about 28° Fand were not even in the ice yet. If you look at the temperatures on some of the dispatches, youll see that its mild compared to the temperatures at the South Pole Station, which can reach -90° F and below. Two of the keys are to stay dry and wear layers.
Q: Does the ozone hole that opens up periodically over Antarctica have any effect on the krill population? Gary
A: According to the scientists onboard the Palmer, the effects of the ozone hole on the krill population is indirect. The effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation directly on krill is minimized as the UV radiation is contained to the upper levels of the water columnabove the area in which krill are usually found. The phytoplankton on which krill feed however, are affected.
There also is a global warming link to the cycle of sea-ice formation. It has been observed that in the summer following peak sea-ice formation there is a bloom in krill production. This peak sea-ice cycle had historically been determined to be six years in duration. There is evidence that this cycle is now an eight-year event.
If you consider that the lifespan of an Adelie penguin is believed to be 12 to 14 years, the penguin would enjoy two krill blooms in its lifetime with a six-year sea-ice cycle. If the environmental frequency of sea-ice formation changes, it is almost certain to have an effect on the biological frequency of the penguin, which would in turn affect the krill as there is a shift out of equilibrium.
Remember, if you have a question, drop us a line!
Temperature: -2.1° C (28° F)
Wind Chill: -11° C (12° F)
Seas: 6 to 10 feet
Were at survey station 14. There will be a total of 84 survey stations. Its been a rather calm day that included a much-appreciated visit from the sun. A lot has been going on, which Ill include in future dispatches. Weve received questions via e-mail from many of you. Here are some of them.
Q: What gives krill its red color? Robert
A: Not all krill are red. Those that are, Euphausia superba among them, get their color from the pigment carotine in the algae they eat. The color red is also a defensive mechanism for the krill. Red attenuates quickly in the water column and helps the krill seem invisible to its prey.
Q: The description of your research area mentions hurricane-force winds. How do you and the team work in these kind of conditions? Also, during this time of the year can you observe or interact with any of the animal life, such as the penguins? Josh
A: The Palmer is a fine example of marine technology, a very stable platform. Weve not yet encountered hurricane-force winds but commonly work in wind conditions of 40 to 45 knots. Add to that a rolling sea and waves washing over the aft deck and you get an idea of what its like. Being aware of your surroundings and strictly adhering to safety procedures is essential in these conditions.
We can observe animals but not interact with them. Specific permits are required by the Marine Mammal Act to approach animals. We expect to observe Adélaie and Chinstrap Penguins in Marguerite Bay.
Q: Hi, I live in Mexico, and I have enjoyed your article a lot. I wish you well. My question is, have you tasted the krill and does it taste like regular shrimp? from Mexico
A: I have not yet tasted krill. I spoke with Eileen Hofmann to get the answer to this one. I think the specific word she used to describe the taste was nasty. Of course, this was a purely subjective response.
The shells of krill have a high fluoride content. This can result in a metallic taste. There was once an attempt to grind krill for use as chicken feed. It was a short-lived effort as the chickens began dying from fluoride poisoning. Krill are used in some salmon fisheries to give the nice pink color to the fish. Some countries do use krill as a staple of their diet.
Temperature: -0.3° C (31° F)
Wind Chill: -19.4° C (-3° F)
A very gray day. Fog and blowing snow. The whale and bird observers must hate days like this.
Visibility was limited to less than 1,500 meters. Were up to station 20 of 84. Catherine Berchok has been deploying sonabuoys with success. She heard a blue whale yesterday. For a typical deployment, Catherine might receive a call from either the bridge or Ari Friedlaender saying that they had sighted a whale. Shed then run to get the sonabuoy, making sure to have someone in the lab to record latitude, longitude, depth, and time. After deployment, its listening timesometimes for hours upon end.
Our first iceberg! Captain Mike Watson made radar contact with an iceberg. Visibility was poor so there was no visual sighting but it was exciting to know theres one out there.
Here are some more answers to viewers questions.
Q: I was just wondering how the weather is there now, how long you plan to be there, and how you like the cold down there.
A: Our cruise is scheduled to last until June 6. The weather has been generally overcast with lots of snow squalls and moderate to heavy seas. At the moment, it is snowing outside and the temperature is -0.5° C (31° F) with a wind chill of -14.4° C (8.5° F).
Q: What is it like to be able to go to a place where very few people have and will ever travel? Does the climate and environment both give you excitement as well as a sense of fear about such extreme cold temperatures?
A: I was on the deck one day watching the snow and waves being driven by the wind. The swells were 15 to 18 feet, and seabirds were flitting in and out of the whitecaps. I couldnt help but feel extremely humble and at the same time mesmerized by what lay before me. I imagined what it must have been like for the explorers who first charted this continent. To be out here on a wooden ship without charts must have been a tremendous challenge.
Temperature: -1.4° C (29° F)
Wind Chill: -21.2° C (-6° F)
Seas: 6 to 12 feet
What a variety of weather over the past 24 hours. When I began this dispatch at 0300 hours, there was a blizzard raging outside. Now, nearly 12 hours later, its sunny and clear, quite possibly the best day weve had on this trip.
A minke whale was sighted and Catherine Berchok put out a sonabuoy. A short while later a humpback was sighted. Catherine didnt hear the minke, but she did hear the humpback. From the bridge, I saw my first whale spout! And I saw the Southern Cross for the first time. Captain Mike Watson pointed it out to me from the helo deck.
Weve been working on the survey and mapping stations since April 29. We have just left station 25 of 84. The MOCNESS is just out of the water.
I bet youre wondering, if this research is about krill, then where are they? We have three ways of seeing the krill.
The MOCNESS has been netting krill and bringing them aboard since it was first deployed. The krill have been predominately juvenile, in the furcilia stage of development. Theyve been, on average, 6mm in length.
Another way we see krill is bioacoustically. The BIOMAPER II measures backscatter from bodies it reflects sound off in stepped intervals from 1 meter from a transducer to as much as 300 meters away.
The third way we see the krill is with the Video Plankton Recorder (VPR), which is mounted on the BIOMAPER II. The VPR is essentially an underwater video microscope that uses two video cameras (high and low magnification) and sophisticated software to detect in-focus plankton, automatically identify and count the different kinds of plankton, and plot their population sizes together with environmental variables (e.g. temperature and salinity) in real time. The VPR can also be deployed in several other ways, including from tethered remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and untethered robotic vehicles.
And what have we learned about krill? There are a large number of juvenile krill here, most likely from a huge spawn in February. The question is, will they survive?


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Schrock's Amish Farm and Tis the Season will host the 8th annual Christmas Down on the Farm on Saturday, Dec. 1. The entire farm is decked out with Christmas lights to put you in the holiday spirit. Bring your children or grandchildren, along with your camera and take pictures with Santa as they tell him all about their Christmas wish list. Take a sleigh ride and listen as the sound from the sleigh bells fill the air. After 3 p.m. you can visit the live Nativity and hear the West Holmes Varsity Choir as strolling carolers providing entertainment throughout the various shops involved. This is a family friendly event that will create Christmas memories to last a lifetime.
Children younger than 12 can decorate their own gingerbread house, make a craft ornament, dip their own candle, dip chocolates and decorate Christmas cookies (from 1-7 p.m., while supplies last). Buggy rides and train rides will also be available as well as a free wagon ride that will provide transportation from one location to the next (weather permitting). Stop in at the caf for a gourmet hot chocolate bar or melt-in-your-mouth delicious homemade apple fritters made by Mandy Beachy.
All of the shops at Schrock's Amish Farm & Village will be open until 7 p.m. and offer refreshments to visitors. Shops include Tis the Season, Ms. Gadgets, Berlin Leather, Berlin Pets, Gramma Fannie's Quilt Barn, Precious Petals, Quail Hollow Candle Shop, Berlin Antique Mall and Craft Mall. Schrock's Amish Farm & Village is located 1 mile east of Berlin on state Route 39. In the heart of Ohio's Amish country. www.TisTheSeasonChristmas.com


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- GROHE EcoJoy® technology for less water and perfect flow
- GROHE DreamSpray® perfect spray pattern
- GROHE StarLight® chrome finish
- SpeedClean anti-limescale system
- suitable for instantaneous heater
- Universal Mounting System. Fitting all standard shower hoses
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There are currently 355 users online. 43 members and 312 guests
Most users ever online was 4,561, 11-01-2015 at 23:20.
What model???BilliardPete Today, 04:31
Here was the camp spot in the sequoia... No hammock pics yet coming at a post near you. Maybe in a couple weeks!salrecon26 Today, 03:26
San fran sequoia coming soon!salrecon26 Today, 03:24
I wondered about this, since the Tentsile is crazy heavy, and it looks like you can do what the slackline people call a "primitive slackline"syc Today, 02:27
thankspeeeeetey Today, 02:09
Some suspensions require the second loop. Whoopie hook suspension would be one example and the Hennessy suspension is another.Dutch Today, 02:03
Just been using my hang calculator (see attachment), is it just a coincidence that the distance between your walls and the length of your hammock areGadgetUK437 Today, 01:56
It is true that the first couple times you use them they stretch. It is the weave tightening up. We weave them loose so buckles can bite on them. AfterDutch Today, 01:55


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WAITLIST ONLY -- Speakeasy: The Story of O
On Tuesday, June 7th, please join us in welcoming Robert Priest and Grace Lee (Priest + Grace) to the SPD Speakeasy to talk about their collaboration as Design Directors for O, the Oprah Magazine, and their work redesigning the print product while launching its first iPad app (We know Oprah loves her iPad!). Hear about repositioning a huge corporate brand across all kinds of platforms, working with the reality of a celebrity, and more -- just days after the Oprah show goes off the air, Robert and Grace bring it all to the Speakeasy!
Robert Priest and Grace Lee pull back the covers on the redesign of O, the Oprah Magazine, and the launch of its iPad app.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Helen Mills Theatre
139 West 26th Street (between 6th & 7th Aves), NYC
Doors open for seating at 6:30 PM
Presenation begins at 7:00 PM
SPD Members, $15 in advance ($20 CASH ONLY at the door, if tickets remain)
Non-Members, $25 in advance ($30 CASH ONLY at the door, if tickets remain)
Full-time Students & faculty with valid ID, $10 in advance ($5 CASH ONLY at the door, if tickets remain)
RSVP early! All tickets, and seating, are first come, first served. When tickets sell out, they're gone.
Online Ticketing for SPD Speakeasy: THE STORY OF O powered by Eventbrite


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Entrepreneurs and would-be start-ups have embraced crowd funding for the access to seed capital, potential customers and market feedback that the model provides.
But some start-ups are bypassing the established channels and using their own version of crowd funding to directly control interaction with target markets.
Crowd-funding websites like Kickstarter, Pozible and Indiegogo introduce product or project pitches to an online audience that has the opportunity to support them financially.
Melbourne technology start-up Ninja Blocks raised more than $100,000 on Kickstarter in March despite seeking $24,000 initially to build devices that connect appliances – washing machines and lamps – to the internet.
"The validation Kickstarter gave us made raising venture capital and angels [investment] easier because we could say there's an audience out there that has thrown down hard-earned cash to buy what we're going to make," co-founder and chief executive Marcus Schappi said.
Crowd funding was spawned from the idea that creative projects like films and art could be funded by micro payments from individuals in return for goodwill or insider access.
But it has gained popularity among product companies as a method of collecting pre-sales.
If funding targets are met on the websites, development begins and the project is financed without drawing on debt or the need for an equity partner.
Projects also get the benefit of direct customer relationships and feedback, market testing and an audience without using traditional advertising.
In return for the service, website providers like Kickstarter take a percentage of funds raised – usually about 5 per cent – for successful projects.
However, some businesses see the potential to bring crowd funding in-house and create a recurring customer database that could provide a sustainable revenue stream, rather than just one-off funding for a new product or project.
Naked Wines Australia was established in July this year and has sold more than 20,000 cases of wine, with a sales target of 100,000 cases in 2013.
The company acts as a conduit between winemakers and customers. Customers pay $40 a month for wine that is yet to be produced. That money is passed on to winemakers, which reduces their production risk. And Naked Wines takes a cut. With 4000 customers having signed up, to date, the company has an annualised revenue base of $2 million.
As a digital business, Naked Wines removes fixed bricks-and-mortar costs. The lower cost base means it can undercut physical retail businesses, leading to savings for customers, as well as offering a feel-good factor for supporting producers rather than buying mass-produced brands.
"The key element is the commitment and stickiness from customers," managing director Luke Jecks said.
"That allows us to make investment decisions for winemakers and we've got a database of customers ready to sell it to when that wine comes back."
A social element has been included in the website, allowing customers to create a profile, chat and connect. "It's probably a crude way of putting it but I think we're more of a dating agency for winemakers and customers. In the end wine is sold, but we are trying to introduce the winemaker and their story, that's what people are connecting with," Mr Jecks said.
"The next few phases of the evolution of social media will see the commercial and social linked together at launch and not as an afterthought."
The Australian Financial Review


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which one is better to use. is there a difference between them if so what are they? My big question is if I download wlm will it harm my computer.
which one is better to use. is there a difference between them if so what are they? My big question is if I download wlm will it harm my computer.
Getting Windows Live Mail won't harm your computer in any way.
Windows Live Mail is by far much much better then Windows Mail. It has several functions you won't find in Windows Mail, such as RSS Feed reader and integrated Windows Live contacts, which syncs automatically with your Windows Live account online and Windows Live Messenger contacts and many more. User interface is much better and there are lots of enhancements for e-mail composing.
If you're much into mail and RSS feeds give Windows Live Mail a try. If you don't like it you can always uninstall.
Hi bassfishser,
You can read up on the features of Windows Live Mail (WLM) here:
Windows Live Mail
The main differences is it supports Pop3, IMAP, HTTP website (EX: Hotmail) email, and is a lot more stable. Plus, WLM will minimize to a tray bar icon and has a separate Inbox for each email account. WLM will automatically import Windows Mail messages, accounts, and settings into it. Contacts will have to be manually imported from within WLM. (Tools, Contacts, File, Import, Address book for current Windows User.) To see the Menu bar, press ALT+M and check "Show all menus".
It will not hurt anything to install it. I would give it a try and see a how you like it. You can use it instead of Windows Mail or use both of them. If you do not like WLM, you can always just uninstall it.
Hope this helps,
Sure! you can try it for free!... and always be able to go-back to your "Windows mail"... by resigning all the messages you get by "Windows LIVE Mail"... since it has NOT the option to export messages in any way to match "Windows Mail" for that! it´s a shame!!