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Nate Bulmer, holding it down.
There was supposed to be a column last week. In fact, some of what you're about to read was actually written for that column, but then there wasn't a column. Why? I blame Lawrence Wright, whose new book on Scientology is so hideously addictive that your trusty columnist honestly did nothing but read it over a 20-hour period of time that may or may not have been a time during which he was supposed to be sleeping and/or eating, and when it came time to write about comic books–the comic books that you and I love, the comic books that have rightfully taken the place wherein my affections for family and friends once resided–all that could be mustered up was the regurgitation of bizarre anecdotes about Gold Bases and Going Clear and OT Levels, to say nothing of Tom Cruise tales. A man could live off Tom Cruise tales. I have all the evidence right here, in my heart which still beats after spending last week living off nothing but tales of Monsieur Cruise. So allow me to apologize, and then let's check in with ABHAY KHOSLA, who has something to say about Orson Scott Card, a man who is being allowed to write Superman comics despite the fact that he wears cream-colored suits, and people who wear cream-colored suits are, if I'm being frank, human shaped garbage that would benefit mostly from wholesale extermination. I don't mean to ruffle feathers, but unless you're a drug dealer in the '80s or a slave trader in the Civil War, you shouldn't go cream.
Creative visualization time: imagine Colonel Sanders tapping an orchestra stand with a severed horse cock embalmed in amber. He opens his mouth, his wet, red mouth and you see that pink quivering thong of a tongue that old buzzard used to famously lube up his dirty birds. He licks his lips, and then he smiles all nervous, he grins real quick. Then:
"Take it away", he says. "Take it away, Abhay."
So, DC hired a hate-monger and a leading member of an organized hate movement to write Superman comics a couple weeks back. Comics didn't have one of those, yet, a "leading member of a hate group." What else could DC do? Comics has the crazy woman-hater. The science kook with the "Earth is breathing" insanity. That guy who pretended to be a war hero or whatever the hell that was. It's got Frank Miller– there's a whole lot going on there. There have been some retailers who murdered people, right? So, murderers. Solid there.
Now, finally, finally, it's got "leading member of hate group" covered. So, where does that leaves us, Breakfast-Club-wise? Can comics get one of those doctors who switch all the sperm in a sperm bank with their own population-pudding, and then all the kids wind up looking like Dr. Spunkfingers? Let Dr. Spunkfingers write Power Pack or The Fantastic Four… after he washes his hands. Old ladies who put razors in Halloween candy– are those people real, and if so, can they write Nightwing? Would they want to? Putting razors into snickers bars– there's at least an art to that…
Can mainstream comics hire the Green River Killer? Is the Green River Killer willing to demean himself by working for Marvel or DC?
The hatemonger in question is Orson Scott Card. Here's a fun thing: one of Card's longtime friends is lesbian recording artist and author Janis Ian, who was married in August 2003 (and who has defended Card in the past): "We got married because we could. As a couple, we wanted the same rights and the same social recognition as our heterosexual friends have." Card writing about gay marriage in February 2004, six months later: "So if my friends insist on calling what they do 'marriage,' they are not turning their relationship into what my wife and I have created, because no court has the power to change what their relationship actually is. Instead they are attempting to strike a death blow against the well-earned protected status of our, and every other, real marriage. They steal from me what I treasure most, and gain for themselves nothing at all. They won't be married. They'll just be playing dress-up in their parents' clothes."
In his spare time, when he's not shitting on the happiness of his friends, Card hates Larry David, David Letterman, Magnolia trees, pet turtles, Martin Scorsese, and Woody Allen. As many people have noted, he's also called for the violent overthrow of the US government, though… I mean, haven't we all at this point? I call for the violent overthrow of the U.S. government every time I'm in line at Subway. Obviously, in the wreckage of society that ensues, the droogs and the wasteland dwellers would be more open to my ideas on forced sterilization and I think we could really make a positive difference. Look, you've been to Subway; you know what I'm talking about, no need to belabor this.
But that's just his personal life– professionally, he's a board member of the National Organization for Marriage, an organization denounced by, among others, the Southern Poverty Law Center and the NAACP (for also being pretty racist)(surprise!). I live in the state of California, where they've damaged the quality of life for countless people and burdened our court system with years upon years of nonsense, thanks to money from … well, from Orson Scott Card.
However, on the other hand, he wrote some books about robots or some shit, so ha ha, here we are. When do you separate the art from the artist?, thoughtful people asked, thanks to the guy who wrote a book about robots dressing up like dinosaurs to seduce unicorns while Bigfoot watches from a closet and jerks off his Bigfoot-dick. At least, that's what I'm guessing. Leader of active hate-group damaging actual human lives right now right this second in the world we live in vs. a story about cyborg elves using the puddle of Bigfoot-semen to glue leprechaun pubic hair to their faces so they have weird leprepube-beards, or some bullshit — it's a moral quandary for the ages.
But DC issued a statement siding with Card's "freedom of expression": "As content creators we steadfastly support freedom of expression, however the personal views of individuals associated with DC Comics are just that — personal views — and not those of the company itself."
It's good to know that mainstream comics supports the freedom of expression regardless of one's beliefs, creed, philosophy, politics, political activities, hate speech, leadership in organizations planning to use the divisive powers of race to promote hate, or traitorous beliefs that the government of the United States should be violently overthrown. Even if you're campaigning against basic human rights or dignity, including of other people DC has worked with in the past like Phil Jiminez, Chip Kidd, or the late Neal Pozner. Even if you hate Annie Hall or Goodfellas? Mainstream comics will support you no matter what.
Just as long you're not a black guy. They don't hire those.
Batman Incorporated #8
By Grant Morrison, Chris Burnham, Jason Masters
Published by DC Comics
Although you have to take it with all the "it won't last" caveats your trembling hands can contain, this death-of-a-super-hero character story is a ripping yarn, or a solid read, or a good 'un, whatever positive turn of phrase you like. All of these recent Batman Incorporated comics have been that, actually, good Batman comics about a big bad plot and a funny little sidekick, all laced with people kicking and punching and attacking and yelling about loyalty and trying. Burnham's action drawings are weird piles of bodies, flailing around in triangular panels and for every one that doesn't totally make logical sense, there are three in a row strong enough to force involuntarily chuckles. It's a funny melodrama, and while it closes on a tragedy whose drama is now so overdone as to be drained of oomph, the emotional punches that do work (Damian desperately protecting his adopted brother against his monstrous twin, the moment when he looks at the reader and, in Morrison's voice, says that he doesn't care what any of us thought) are as well executed as anything in the guy's catalog. No one–not a single person–is interested in reading another series of Bruce-Wayne-in-mourning comics though, so hopefully, we'll get to the Lazurus Pit sooner rather than later. Ignore the hype, try to forget the personalities. This, the comic itself, was an actual fun thing, and there aren't many of those.
Captain America #4, Punisher War Zone #5, Daredevil #23, Thor: God of Thunder #5
Published by Marvel Comics
One could write separate notices for each of these comics, in fact, there are websites so devoted to doing so that they now consider themselves worthy of actual human contact, and will often appear in public places, usually to complain about the lack of respect they receive for their 7 stars out of 10 reviews whenever they try to get press passes for toy conventions. Hell, some of those craven death-worshiping fascists have gone so far up their own asses that they actually think they have something to say that needs saying, when the reality of all their work is that they are merely water carriers for an industry that is composed off the fact that, 1 star or 10, they are a bunch of dumb motherfuckers who would buy a flipbook of their baby sister getting bludgeoned if it were in continuity and Jonathan Hickman drew a graph that bridged the confusing sequences. There's absolutely nothing spectacular about the four Marvel comics listed above, but they were all relatively tolerable ways to pass the time when the time needed passing, and they were all competently drawn with some occasional flourish. Would they keep you from killing yourself if you were hell-bent on doing so? No. But you can bet a lot of people ate bullets during the original Galactus saga, so that isn't a very good thermometer in the first place.
Justice League of America's Vibe #1 and Justice League of America #1 VERSUS Uncanny X-Men #1 and Guardians of the Galaxy #.01
By Geoff Johns, Andrew Kreisberg, Pete Woods, Sean Parsons, David Finch, Dale Murphy, Francisco Cabrera, Chris Bachalo, Tim Townsend, Al Vey, Jaime Mendoza, Brian Michael Bendis, Steve McNiven, John Dell, Justin Ponsor, Sonia Oback, Jeromy Cox
Published by Marvel and DC Comics
This is kind of interesting? Bendis and Johns are the two most dominant writers at their respective companies, and both of them seem to have ended up in a place in their careers where their bag of tricks is no longer that new and interesting, and both of them are making some pretty major (for superhero comics) moves in terms of which versions of superhero they will use to ply their trade–Bendis by leaving the Avengers for the X-Men, and Johns by quitting Green Lantern and expanding his Justice League duties. And from a certain perspective, these comics have a bit in common–both JLA and the Guardians are comics with heavy film interest, and both have rocky sales histories–while Vibe and Uncanny X-Men come bearing the faintest whiff of successful alpha males trying to prove they can be successful at difficult tasks, like pleasing the most irritable fanbase in comics (X-Men) or resuscitating a character who has no fanbase whatsoever (Vibe). Other than that, these comics are sort of exactly what you'd expect these guys to do. JLA consists of two people talking about their favorite superheroes in a room, and then they reveal they have made up a new team for their favorite superheroes to be on, and there are moments of super-intense violence that are kind of strange and over-the-top. All of that–characters obsessing over the perfect line up of super-heroes the way a hardcore fan would, those super-heroes being super violent–is standard Geoff Johns. Bendis' stab at Uncanny X-Men also steals from other other Bendis comics, with the conceit being that its actions are being described from the point of view of some guy who isn't revealed until the end of the issue, which leaves Bendis with a nice cliffhanger and a free pass to have multiple pages of people sitting in chairs and talking. Neither are very special comics, all tied up as they are in preparation for later stories, which any longtime reader of Bendis can tell you will never actually come. In that department, at least Johns has unpredictability going for him.
Turning one's eyes then to Vibe: what? A character whose greatest influence on the culture is that he historically served as an excellent example for what it looks like when people who only know stereotypes try their hand at writing non-white characters, in an industry where one of the most notable African-American characters is an ex-con who they don't even depict in a costume anymore, because they've decided "being a black guy" is enough? Hell, I even like this character–he appeared in the second comic book I ever read, and I'm not about to shit on those happy memories–and I still know that he doesn't have anything to offer. It's no surprise to see Johns (who has already quit the book) and Kreisberg writing like a couple of guys who woke up from a drunken weekend only to realize they'd signed a contract without reading the fine print, and are now hoping that a generic "clean up the neighborhood, get revenge for my family" spin around the block will get them to church on time. Over at Guardians of the Galaxy, the generic mill is running even hotter, with the only major difference being that there's less queasiness involved in the character's origin … or at least, there was before you get to the seventh page of this comic, when it becomes about how some alien that looks like Ryan Gosling impregnated some farm girl whose house he nearly destroyed before flying away and leaving her to die at the hands of a couple of aliens, who are then blown away by the product of that impregnation, who grows up to be a superhero who hangs out with Iron Man. You can't be too harsh on a comic that's a 0.1 issue–well, you can, but it's sort of like yelling at yourself–because being a 0.1 means its as unnecessary as it gets, and whatever happens will be efficiently recapped in about a sentence. In fact the "grows up to be a superhero" part described above is actually handled in just that fashion, with the hero going from a 9-year-old who just killed the aliens that murdered his mother to a dude talking to Iron Man in the course of a sentence. We'll give up on these two with the same brevity they gave up on themselves. Here's a dead mom for you:
So yeah, this is a cage match with a question mark. No winners to be found.
The Superior Spider-Man #4
By Dan Slott, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Edgar Delgado
Published by Marvel Comics
This is as disappointing as the third issue was a pleasure, which is too bad considering that Giuseppe Camuncoli remains one of the more interesting Marvel cartoonists in a long while. He's a good egg, this dude, but the only time he had anybody decent coloring him was on some throwaway issues of a comic called Dark Wolverine (featuring Daken, Wolverine's illegitimate mohawked bisexual son with tribal tattoos), and that was probably because nobody was paying attention. Ever since they started paying attention to Camuncoli–putting him on Spider-Man, having him be the launch artist for the aforementioned Daken when the character was given a short-lived ongoing–he's suffered tremendously, a victim of that shiny digital coloring that has to be one of the most bewildering of the many things super-hero comics readers tolerate. He's also an artist who is confusingly ill-served by Dan Slott–Camuncoli's work on Mr. Fantastic and the Daken character in Dark Wolverine was an excellent showcase for how super-hero artists should depict acrobatics, and there's no greater Marvel vehicle for acrobatics than Spider-Man comics. And yet here, it's clunky posturing framed from dizzied points of view. It's an ugly comic, and while that gives it an aesthetic parallel with its terrible plot–a mass-murderer named "Massacre" escapes, killing his way through multiple innocent people, including one character who first loses her eyeball–the end result is a nasty embarrassment.
Red Team #1
By Garth Ennis, Craig Cermak, Adriano Lucas
Published by Dynamite Comics
One of the most interesting bits of 2012's End of Watch is that, while its a supremely violent movie about South Central Los Angeles police officers, it's not actually about corrupt cops, but valiant true believers whose aw shucks fuck-you posturing works to conceal two near-cartoonish portrayals of overgrown Boy Scouts. It's a choice that seems impossibly difficult to have made, until one takes a step back and remembers that today's anti-hero fetish is a fad, a temporary flavor. (You get a point, marketing, but I'm onto you now.) It's relatively difficult not to immediately think of other forms of cop fiction while reading Red Team. The characters here are painted in the broadest of strokes, and the settings are all stock locations–the backyard beer conversation with the team was previously seen in The Shield's pilot episode, and the framing of an off-panel I.A. interrogator to present the narrative in flashback is so generic its difficult to think of a time when it ever did work–and the dialogue never fails to be cheap, obvious, or both. It's not a travesty–there's a brief scene here depicting the relationship between a couple of older cops that has possibility–but this is a pretty dismal effort from all involved.
Thunderbolts #5
By Daniel Way, Steve Dillon, Guru eFX
Published by Marvel
Adventure and superhero don't quite fit, so we'll just call this one an okay little violence comic. It's about a team of anti-heroes or outright bad guys put together by the Red Hulk, who is still some sort of military authority due to the fact that he used to be General Thunderbolt Ross and Captain America trusts him. I don't really understand either of those things. I was always under the impression that a consistent go-to thing in Hulk comics was that the Hulk wouldn't cause any problems if you left him alone, and General Ross therefore represented the destructive nature of humanity when we refused to compromise our rules, and were therefore responsible for the Hulk's destruction. There was always a general sense of Apocalypse Now going on with Ross too, the way he went after the Hulk like the world could die as long as the Hulk went with it. There was an entire comic book series that featured Ross as the Red Hulk and probably went deep into his motives, so it's possible that all of these sorts of questions have been dealth with–questions admittedly based on a imagined memory of what I think Hulk comics have been about, and not necessarily based off what they actually were about. But this Thunderbolts comic also prominently features The Punisher as a core member of the team, and is in fact at its absolute best when focusing on that character's actions or on the way that character's maniacal zealotry for slaughter affects the other members of the team, and yet this version of The Punisher behaves nothing like the Punisher character that has appeared in the last five years of Marvel Comics, and actually only makes sense if you view him as coming directly from Garth Ennis' "Welcome Back Frank" storyline, a silly black comedy of a comic from 2000 that was also drawn by Steve Dillon. Actually, nobody in this book–the Flash Thompson Venom, Elektra, the Punisher or the Red Hulk–behaves anything like what you might have seen in recent Marvel Comics. Deadpool, the one exception, is a fourth-wall-breaking meta-character whose entire post-Liefeld Marvel existence has been one of unreliability and taking the piss out of Marvel. The image above, while not tremendously funny, is an example of this, with Deadpool filling in the role of mandatory recap page, which, until this point in the story, the comic did not have. That inconsistency is really at its most amusing in the following example:
Not everything in that cover is inaccurate–the Punisher does make a face like that when he kills people, and Elektra, Deadpool and Venom at some point do hold weapons in a menacing fashion before using those weapons. But the Red Hulk doesn't roar, and the Leader–who is also Red now, although I have missed the part where that was explained–does not in fact wear a red hoodie and spit crazy fresh rhymes in the fashion in which he is depicted doing so on the cover.
See? His hoodie is green.


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Raghu N. Bhattacharya
Dr. Raghu N. Bhattacharya is a senior scientist at NREL. He received his PhD degree from IIT, Kharagpur, India in the field of Electronic Materials in 1983. Before joining NREL, Dr. Bhattacharya held several research positions at The Weizmann Institute of Technology, The University of Texas at Arlington and Brooklyn College of CUNY and developed wet chemical processes for the deposition of a variety of the thin film semiconductors that are important for energy conversion, storage and transportation. At NREL, Dr. Bhattacharya contributed to the research and development of 19.52%-efficiency CIGS solar cells using a Cd1-xZnxS buffer layer and was the leader of an effort to develop a low cost CIGS electrodeposition technology. He has published over one hundred and fifty technical papers in the field of processing PV materials and superconductors and has been awarded fifteen patents. He is the author of several book chapters. Dr. Bhattacharya served on various committees of technical conferences and delivered numerous invited lectures at national/international meetings. He is a visiting professor at Research Institute for Solar and Sustainable Energies (RISE), Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Korea. He was a "Technical Advisory Board Member" for "SoloPower", a private company at California. He is "Editorial Board Member of the "International Journal of Photoenergy," an open access journal that has been published since 1999 and also for, "The Open Surface Science Journal, Bentham Science Publishers."
Biography Updated on 1 March 2012

subset: commoncrawl


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PBi Pet Food Packaging Reclosure Options
Kelle Vandenberg
By Robert Hepburn, Vice President of Sales
We get a lot of questions on how to reclose petfood bags after the bags have been opened by the consumer.
There are many different answers to this question depending on packaging size, format of the bag, cost and particular needs of the brand manufacture and consumer demand.
The good news is that PBi has access to most current reclosure devices on the market so we have the solution for your specific pet food packaging needs.
What is a reclosure?
The primary closure on most of the packaging we stock and sell is a heat seal. The bags are filled at the production facility and then heat sealed closed using a heat sealer.
The consumer then opens the bag to use product. And unless the package is a single serve item, it must be reclosed. The method that consumer uses to close the package is the reclosure.
PBi Reclosures:
Press-to-Close Zipper (PTC Zipper): The most ubiquitous reclosure device for petfood treats and bags is the Press-to-close Zipper. There are literally hundreds of the different sizes and shapes of these zippers on the market. Models range from ezo-opening, to super-secure. Many are single track zippers, but are available in multiple tracks to increase the likelihood of reclosing. There are powder proof zippers. Zippers for liquids. Zippers with wide zip flanges (external or internal ridge, or rip, for strength) so the consumer can more easily grab the zipper to open the bag.
We have many zipper formats available in both our stock and custom printed packaging. Please give us a call to discuss your zipper options
The Pocket Zipper & Tear Tab: Is a combination easy-open/easy reclosure device. Installed on the front of the package, the tear/pull tab is a cutout tab that can be easily grabbed and torn open – allowing easy access to the bag. Below the tear line is the built in press-to-close zipper. The zipper functions the same manner as other zippers. Because the combination zipper is installed on the front of the bag, this allows the package to be fully opened at the production facility for ease of filling. This especially true with large treats and bones that need a wide open bag for filling but smaller open for removing the treat/bone.
Hook & Hook Closures: Similar to Velcro the hook and hook reclosure allows for a more positive closure than the zipper. We have partnered with Aplix® for their new EASY-LOCK - Hook to Hook Closure system. The closure addresses leak-resistant convenience, product protection and improvements in ergonomics for young and old. PBi offers the Aplix® EASY LOCK closure in both our stock and custom printed bags. Keep an eye out for additional details on our new stock product line.
Sliders: The slider addresses one of the challenges on the PTC zipper which is when the zipper gets too long, the likelihood of getting a complete closure is less likely – allowing product to spill. The slider, allows for a positive closure on big bags (15lb and above) where the thickness of the bag and the length of the zipper make the package difficult to close. PBi offers the slider bag in our custom packaging lines. Call for details.
The Tin-Tie: Commonly used on our paper bags, the tin-tie has been used on paper packaging for treat bags for 50+ years. Made of a malleable tin covered with paper. The tin-tie extends past the edges of the bag. To close, roll down the bag and fold the sides of the tin-tie back over across the bag. The tin-tie comes pre-applied to many of our treat bags or can be added as a separate item that can be installed on a bag.
Resealable Tape: Although this is not a common pet food packaging reclosure, we commonly see this for sealing coffee bags like side gusseted, quad seal, and block bottom bags. The resealable tape will secure the rolled top of the bag to the body of the bag. It can be used to close your bag for later use, and will keep product fresh. There is a flap at the end of each piece of tape without adhesive, making it easier to lift and reclose.


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I love it! Americans' obsession with gun culture.
>>Residents and visitors from other states may carry a concealed, loaded handgun in their vehicle provided the firearm is not carried with the avowed purpose of injuring someone.
So the only time you can't carry a gun is if you want to shoot someone. Like I'm going to admit, to the police, that I have a gun and I am on my way to shoot someone.
>>Travelers should rely upon a handgun for
personal protection while traveling through Vermont.
Rather than a howitzer?


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Roman Zabinski Aug. 19, 1931 to Jan. 7, 2014
Aug. 19, 1931 – Jan. 7, 2014
Roman Zabinski, longtime owner of Kolano Funeral Home and an avid photographer, died Tuesday in ElderWood at Amherst after a brief illness. He was 82.
A Buffalo native, Mr. Zabinski graduated from Albright Art School and Simmons School of Mortuary Science.
Mr. Zabinski began his career in funeral services in 1955, working for his in-laws, Frank and Josephine Pacer.
In 1977, he moved to Black Rock, where he purchased Kolano Funeral Home.
He retired partially in 1994, when his son, David, began overseeing operations at the funeral home.
An avid photographer, his works have been printed in "Photography at Mid-Century" and "The Photographer's Eye" – both published by the Museum of Modern Art. His work also has been exhibited at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and Artsphere Studio & Gallery.
Mr. Zabinski also was an active member of the Patterson Art Society, and a collection of his photos is in the permanent collection of the George Eastman House and Burchfield Penney Art Gallery.
In 1979, he was granted special clearance to take photos of Pope John Paul II at the Vatican.
He was a founding member and scoutmaster of Troop 259 at St. Luke's Catholic Church and served on the Troop Committee of Assumption Church and on the board of Dom Polski. He was a volunteer for St. Vincent de Paul Society and was a member of the Assumption Holy Name Society, the Grant-Amherst Business Association, Polish Cadets and Erie-Niagara Funeral Directors Association.
Survivors include his wife of 59 years, the former Marcella Pacer; a son, David; and four daughters, Tanya, Nina Gormley, Julie Zabinski-Smith and Amy "Rio" Ross.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 9:30 a.m. Monday in Assumption Catholic Church, 435 Amherst St.


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(From Breeders' Cup notes team)
Add Heat, listed at 20-1 morning line odds for the Breeders' Cup Marathon, the first race on the Oct. 25 World Championships card, was scratched by trainer Barry Abrams.
Abrams said the horse had a minor injury to the suspensory of his right front leg and was withdrawn from the $500,000 race that kicks off Saturday's Breeders' Cup World Championship card at Santa Anita Park.
Abrams, who is also partial owner of the horse, said the injury occurred Friday morning following a routine gallop on the Santa Anita main track.
He was coming off after galloping and the (exercise) rider said he was really feeling good," the trainer said. "There were a lot of horses around the gap (at the head of the stretch) where they all come off and he said he had his hands full steering him through all the company. He took a bad step and hurt the leg. Nobody's to blame; he just was feeling good and he was a handful."
Abrams said the leg was slightly swollen following the incident.
If I wanted to, I could probably still run him, but what's the point?" the conditioner said. "He's completely sound, but in a race like this you can't afford to take any chances. He'll live to fight another day. I believe all things happen for a reason. We'll find out what it is on down the line."
Add Heat, a closing third in the California Cup Classic Oct. 5 in his most recent start, was scheduled to be ridden by Alex Solis out of post two in the nine-horse Marathon field.


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Into the sunshine and blowing snow!
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Exiting Cherry Bowl into the Windy Crest section of the trail. LPWA 08, approximately 9 am.
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WMC and SP Lone Peak Winter Ascent 2008 (Trip Report)
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Object Title: Into the sunshine and blowing snow!
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Former NHL tough guy Georges Laraque is squaring off against an Ontario company that's behind a blood-spattered Enforcers series of trading cards celebrating legendary hockey brawlers.
Laraque says he signed off on the image rights earlier this year but was shocked when journalists approached him with the finished product.
Blood-themed graphics frame the photos of several classic enforcers including Laraque, Chris Nilan, Tie Domi and Bob Probert. There's also a card featuring Wade Belak, one of three former NHL tough guys who have died this year.
Laraque says the Enforcers series sends "a very bad message" to youngsters.
"I gave them two choices: take me off the card or remake my card without the blood," Laraque told QMI Agency.
"Nobody (in my camp) approved this (design)."
He mentioned the fact that Belak's mother decried the card series, which he says is in "very bad taste."
"She was very saddened by this and disgusted -- I believe that the timing is very bad," added the Montrealer who racked up 1,126 penalty minutes and 131 regular-season fights during his career.
Laraque says he will contact his lawyers to consider legal action, but the card company says the Enforcers series will hit shelves as planned on Jan. 19.
In The Game, based in the Toronto area, adds that the players have no artistic control over the design of the cards.


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Got stuck with a bad bridesmaid dress this wedding season?
You're not the only gal to have had to walk down the aisle in a disastrous dress—and we have proof!
Earlier this month we asked E! readers to share their ugly bridesmaid dresses and we're still giggling over the results.
From puffy sleeves to wacky color combinations (pink and purple, anyone?), these bridesmaids were forced to commit just about every fashion mistake known to man.
But, thankfully for us, these gracious gals have relived their fashion nightmares for our viewing pleasure …and perhaps as payback to the bride with bad taste?
Check out our ugly bridesmaid dresses gallery to see the worst reader-submitted looks, and to find out what these unlucky ladies had to say about their dreadful dresses!


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Online social networking in the field of organic and natural wellness coaching and general healthy lifestyles; personal coaching consultation in the field of personal relationships and spiritual purposes
Business in SAN FRANCISCO, CA


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Roasted in store and aged to perfection. We do not serve our coffee until days 7-21 to maximize freshness.
We only use the highest grade of single origin estate coffee beans, which come in rare and limited quantities from all over the world including Columbia and Papua New Guinea.
We like to perfect our roast, and therefore roast in small batches at a time to ensure quality. We care for our coffee one bean at a time.
We like to practice what we preach. We adhere to strict coffee standards, and our in house training ensures the customer receives utmost perfection and consistency in terms of quality and flavour each time.
Why not chat to our barista next time you order a Charlie Lovett coffee. They can tell you about the single origin blends and advise you on what to expect. We don't profess to know everything there is to know about coffee in the world. We like to focus on what we know, and do what we do well and with love. Until Charlie's mission is achieved, we will keep learning and improving each day with a tear in our eye and a smile on our face.
Charlie Lovett is on a mission to create the world's sweetest coffee Charlie's coffee shouldn't need sugar to experience our full flavor and sexy sweetness. Ask in store to join the anti-bitterness league of Australia. Our blend is ultra high in grade, medium bodied, with a milk chocolate flavour which is fused with a citrusy zing to develop a balanced "sweet as" coffee.
Single Origin is a term used when describing a coffee with a single known geographical
origin. This is generally a single farm or a collection of beans from a single province
or country.
We pay the highest price for the best quality single origin beans and roast them fresh in store as we believe It's the only way to bring you the freshest, tastiest single origin coffee's around.
Within a coffee farm, Micro climates create a unique character and higher quality
than the rest of the crop. This is due to elements such as shade, soil, temperature
and altitude. The production is very small and adds to their unique quality and
fetches higher prices.
Having a direct connection to the farmer helps us guarantee the quality of every last bean and provides our customer with the freshest boutique coffee possible.
One of our ongoing commitments is to attempt to inspire and work with the funniest, most interesting barista personalities. This means that with every cup you will get a smile, a funny story, or at least a cheeky wink!


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If you're not a regular listener to the "Howard Stern Show" on SiriusXM radio, you might not recognize the name Jon Leiberman. But, you should. As arguably one of the hardest working reporters in the city, Lieberman has now added the title of author to his already too-full resume.
Leiberman has co-authored, along with former criminal prosecutor and attorney Margaret McLean, "Whitey on Trial," an up-to-the-minute account of the trial of Whitey Bulger, one of America's most notorious mob bosses, who terrorized the city of Boston for decades while the FBI and the government stood idly by.
In the book, Lieberman offers up his first-person experience traveling the world with the FBI Bulger Task Force when Whitey was on the lam.
According to Leiberman, the book includes exclusive content such as:
- A letter from Whitey Bulger to Margaret McLean
- The only interview imprisoned FBI agent John Connolly has given about the Bulger trial in which he raises issues of Department of Justice cover-ups and documents still under executive seal
- Interviews with jurors and key witnesses (including the dead witness right before he died)
- Behind-the-scenes trial strategy from the prosecution and defense teams
The Bulger trial, which was oddly not televised, features elements that would easily make any big-screen production including nineteen gruesome murders, explosive testimony from convicted killers, a dead witness mid-trial, and evidence that the government, including the President, is shielding documents that would expose corruption at the highest levels within the Department of Justice today.
Leiberman's former boss, John Walsh, creator and host of "America's Most Wanted," gave the book high praise. "Leiberman helped me hunt Whitey for years with passion for all of his victims," Walsh said. "This book is truly an inside and compelling view of a legendary trial. McLean and Leiberman have written a must-read for true crime lovers."
In addition to his current gig as investigative reporter for the Howard Stern Show, where he routinely uncovers all types of news important in the Stern Show universe, Leiberman is an award-winning investigative correspondent, host, producer and victim advocate.
He also now hosts his own topical news show, called "Leiberman Live" on Sirius XM, and is also a crime contributor for CNN HLN and a crime blogger for the Huffington Post. Leiberman even taught an investigative journalism class for Mediabistro back in 2011 that was attended by none other than Stern Show wack-packer High-Pitch Eric.
Although the majority of Leiberman's reporting and commentary is dead-serious, some of his interviews with Stern Show personalities with names such as "Bobo," "Bigfoot," or "Angry Alice," can test his journalistic patience.
For example, during a recent radio show, one of Lieberman's guests was asked a question about Obama Care and the guest, who lives in upstate New York, replied that Obama Care "wouldn't affect him because he didn't live in the country."
"I try to maintain a cool demeanor and treat all my guests as equally important," Leiberman said. "No matter how outrageous my guests' comments might be."
For more information on Jon Leiberman, visit www.jonleiberman.com.


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Are you looking for some effective home remedies for broken bones? Broken bones are very common for only in the fragile limbs but for older people also. Anyone can suffer from fracture or break of a bone. You have to remember that some internal natural remedies can work to boost your rate of healing. On the other hand some external remedies can give you temporary comfort to swollen or painful limbs. When you have a fracture or break because of any accident then you can really consider some home remedies for broken bones. You will get your desired result quickly.
First of all you should eat half fresh pineapple everyday until your broken bones has healed. This particular fruit is one of the best home remedies for broken bones as it contains and enzyme called bromelain which can lessen inflammation and swelling. It is best not to take canned or processed pineapples as these may not give the desired effect. Calcium can make your bones strong. Take some calcium sources such as mustard greens, kale, collard, Brussels sprouts, broccoli and green leafy vegetables. Taking these foods can be the effective home remedies for broken bones these vegetable also contain magnesium, a bone-healing supplement.
While taking the home remedies for broken bones you should eliminate eating or drinking items which contain caffeine. When calcium can repair bones, this caffeine can have effects on the absorption of calcium. Your supplement and diet should contain zinc which can repair the tissue damaged caused by broken bone. Some foods such as lamb, beef, pork, turkey, chicken and seafood like salmon, clams, oysters, lobster contain high amount of zinc. Foods that contain vitamin C can encourage the development of collagen, a helpful component that helps the body to form healthy bones. So taking foods like cauliflower, papaya, lemon juice, oranges, strawberries, bell peppers can be the home remedies for broken bones.
Taking vitamin supplements like boron, magnesium and potassium can also be considered as home remedies for broken bones as these supplements that encourage in healing. You should raise the broken bone (ankle or foot) higher than your heart to encourage the healing process. If you do that then your fluid and blood will drawn away from the injury. The best way for elevating your broken bone is to stack some pillows at the end of your bed to use as a prop. You should remember that you have to eliminate drinking and smoking habit as soon as possible. The chemicals found in cigarette can work against the healing process of broken bones. If you really want to maintain the strength of your bones then you should avoid taking any alcoholic beverages besides taking home remedies for broken bones.
Ice is one of the well-known home remedies for broken bones. You should put a small bag full of ice on your injury every 15-20 minutes for two days. While using and applying all these home remedies for broken bones you have to maintain the instruction properly to get quick result. All these remedies are free from any kind of harmful side effects.
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Setback has Furcal frustrated
Setback has Furcal frustrated
LOS ANGELES -- Rafael Furcal came so close to a rehab assignment at the start of the week before a setback, and the Dodgers shortstop has been disappointed, frustrated, and everything in between since. He didn't see any improvement on Friday. "I'm doing everything right. I'm doing what they say, I'm working hard, and I still can't do anything," said Furcal, who's taking treatment but not participating in baseball activities at the moment. "It's a little worse than yesterday." Furcal's been on the disabled list with a lower back strain since Aug. 3.The injury is particularly worrisome for Furcal, who had disk surgery in 2008, and manager Joe Torre sees the weight Furcal is carrying.
"He's not in very good spirits," Torre said. "He's not angry, he's just down." "I feel so stupid right now," Furcal said. "It's unbelievable. I don't know what more I can do. I didn't do anything crazy and now this."


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© 1991 – Routledge
240 pages
First published in 1990. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.
'The delicate but … sure-footed sensibility and psychological penetration of the author … wins from a thoroughly rigorous philosophical analysis a host of ideas and suggestions for a philosophy of life and even for psychology itself - a rare combination.' - Brian McGuinness
'This vast project shows a rare mastery in the domain of linguistic philosophy and especially in the area of encounter between analytic philosophy and hermeneutics. ' - Paul Ricoeur, University of Chicago


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Chris Froome hopes to hit top form in final week of Tour de France
Chris Froome expects to be on his best form in the final week of the Tour de France as he fights to hold on to the yellow jersey in the closest battle this race has ever seen.
Just 29 seconds cover the top four as Team Sky´s Froome leads by 18 seconds from Italian national champion Fabio Aru, with Frenchman Romain Bardet a further five seconds back in third and former Sky rider Rigoberto Uran of Colombia looking ominous in fourth.
The race will head towards the Alps after Monday´s rest day, with stages on Wednesday and Thursday potentially decisive before Saturday´s time trial in Marseille.
Chris Froome, centre, and Fabio Aru, right, battle during the Tour de France
Three-time Tour winner Froome is used to beginning the final week of the race with a decent cushion to defend, but struggles in the Pyrenees saw him temporarily surrender yellow and left his rivals bunched up behind him.
However, after taking a different approach to his preparation this year, Froome believes he is just about to peak.
"I certainly feel as if I´m on an upward curve," the Briton said. "I came in with the least amount of race days ever coming into a Tour de France. I really do feel as if I´m coming up and the last few days have been evidence of that.
"I had a bad day in the Pyrenees about a week ago but hopefully I´m on track to be at my best in the last week."
Froome lost yellow on stage 12 to Peyragudes on Thursday but reclaimed it 48 hours later.
However, he had to be at his best just to retain it on Sunday as a broken spoke on his bike left him a minute down on his rivals at the foot of the Col de Peyra Taillade, and the 32-year-old had to go into the red just to save the day as Bardet´s AG2R La Mondiale team drove the race on.
The route for this year´s Tour is a big part of the reason everything is so close. There are only three summit finishes and very few time trial kilometres – with most of them still to come next Saturday.
Battles against the clock tend to strongly favour Froome, but he will not be lulled into relying on the time trial to claw back time knowing that Cannondale-Drapac´s Uran poses a strong threat in such a setting.
"Rigoberto is more the dark horse," Froome said when asked about his main rivals. "He slips under the radar a little bit. He´s probably the strongest time trialist of this group of GC contenders so with Marseille in mind he´s a big threat."
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* LLS sells $13.60 over WTI, up 60 cents from Monday
* HLS trades at $15.25 over WTI, off 55 cents
* Mars finishes down 30 cents, selling $10.60 over
* Transatlantic spread widens as roll trade looms
HOUSTON, May 22 (Reuters) - U.S. cash crude differentials
ended mixed on Tuesday ahead of June-July roll period trade,
which some analysts said could be busy and volatile.
Light Louisiana Sweet sold as high as $13.60 a barrel
over West Texas Intermediate, up 60 cents from Monday's
Mars sour weakened 30 cents from the previous day's
session, selling for a premium of $10.60. The flagship Gulf of
Mexico sour started the day offering at $11.35.
Heavy Louisiana Sweet fell 55 cents to sell for
$15.25 over WTI.
June WTI expired Tuesday, and Wednesday kicks off
three days of roll trade when cash traders make deals against
the expired contract to finish June pipelining plans by Friday.
June-July roll period could be busy and volatile, trading
consultant John Troland said.
"Some folks I've talked to think there is still a fair
amount of business to be done for June," Troland said.
Some buyers put off June deals as they awaited startup of
the reversed Seaway pipeline, he said. Seaway started in reverse
Seaway is expected to weigh on Gulf Coast crudes as it
brings crude from the U.S. futures trading hub at Cushing,
Oklahoma, to the major U.S. refining center at Houston.
The July-July WTI-Brent spread settled wider at
$16.56 in favor of Brent after ending regular trading at $15.95
on Monday. Such moves in the spread tend to support cash crudes.
On futures markets, June WTI expired down 91 cents at $91.66
a barrel. July Brent settled at $108.41, off 40 cents
from Monday's settle.
Futures prices fell amid concern about the eurozone economy
and hope for negotiations to ease tensions over Iran's nuclear
program, analysts said.


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NEW ALBANY — New Albany residents will get a look at the city's new liquor ordinance at a public hearing on May 7.
Local voters approved the sale of liquor and wine on March 19. The board of aldermen was to adopt an ordinance setting parameters not addressed directly by state law.
Mayor Tom Kent says bringing liquor sales to New Albany will help attract more restaurant chains to the city, if the population grows significantly. He says the first liquor permits may be granted within 30 days of the final approval of the ordinance.
Other cities have approved liquor sales, including Corinth and Senatobia. A liquor issue will be on the June 4 ballot in Philadelphia and Brookhaven. Petition drives are under way in other cities.


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Sunday 04 Rova 4707
Over drinks at the Rusty Dragon late the previous night, Larissa and MacGreggor agreed to meet the following morning to explore the Old Light a bit more. Larissa was intrigued by the story she'd heard of people entering the centuries-old ruins and never being seen again.
Sunday morning, just after sunrise, they met at the edge of the ruins, which are situated on a point overlooking the Varisian Gulf, at the edge of a sheer cliff. The cliff rises about 100 feet from the surface of the gulf. The base of the tower seems to rise out of the gulf itself, and appears to be built into the side of the cliff. The tower rises another 60 feet or so above the top of the cliff face, and is by far the tallest structure in the town of Sandpoint.
Larissa and MacGreggor scrambled over the chunks of worked stone strewn about the tower at street level and approached the tower proper. They found an opening that was about five feet tall and three feet wide, and scrambled through. Once inside, they climbed a path that had been worn into the pile of stone rubble that littered the interior of the tunnel. While dim, there was enough light to see, as they could see the sky through the top of the tower: apparently, the roof and floors of the tower had pancaked over the centuries into the pile of rubble they stood upon. While a few faded runes and weathered carvings were visible on the walls, time had defaced them beyond any translation. One image remained visible: a ceramic mosaic that clearly showed an immense tower with a huge flame atop it.
They then left this part of the ruins and took the stone stairs near Chopper's Isle down to the beach below to examine the base of the tower. The base of the tower rose out of the water, and waves broke against it. Strangely, while the rocks that jutted out of the breakers were covered with seaweed, mussels, and barnacles, the stone of the tower itself was eerily devoid of attached sealife. It also seemed far less eroded than one would imagine. Looking up at the tower, Larissa spotted a crack in the wall about 80 feet up that might just be wide enough for her to squeeze in. She attempted to free-climb the tower, but the stones were much smoother and were fitted more closely than she had reckoned, and the way up was too difficult. They returned to the street level of the ruins.
They re-entered the tower, and Larissa saw that the interior was much easier to climb than the exterior. She made it to the top of the tower, secured new ropes, and dropped them over the outside wall near the opening she'd seen below. MacGreggor climed up to watch, and she went down the rope and into the opening, pulling the end of the rope in behind her.
The opening was about six feet from a stone ceiling, with a jagged stone floor about 30 feet below her. The air inside was extremely foul. Looking up, she saw several hundred bats hanging upside-down from the ceiling, apparently asleep. Looking down, she saw two human skeletons sprawled directly below the opening, apparently people who had entered but not returned. The floor was strewn with guano-covered rubble. The room appeared to have originally been two different floors, and she surmised that the stone rubble on the floor was what remained of the floor and any interior walls. There were no obvious exits from the room, and Larissa had a bad feeling about the stability of either the floor or the ceiling, so she did not leave her perch in the opening. She did manage to see some Thassilonian inscriptions on the walls, including the passage "Behold the glory of Xin-Bakrakhan" and "Fear the [wrath? righteousness?] of Alaznist and her might." Larissa took note of these inscriptions and climbed back up. She and MacGreggor then descended the tower and returned to town. It was just before noon by then.
Meanwhile, Declan went to the cathedral to assist with the dawn ritual of Sarenrae and to chat with Father Zantus. Declan asked Zantus if he had any idea as to why the goblins would want to rob the grave of the former priest, but Zantus had no idea. Declan asked if any part of the church had survived the fire, to which Zantus replied, "Nothing. Well, nothing except the standing stones, but they were there before that chapel was built." He led Declan to a small grassy courtyard, in the center of which was a round stone altar surrounded by seven monoliths. All were made of polished basalt. The altar was unmarked by carvings, and each of the seven monoliths bore a single Thassilonian rune. When asked about the runes, Zantus replied, "I believe those were the Seven Virtues of Thassilon: wealth, fertility, self-assurance, abundance, self-improvement, righteousness, and rest. Obviously, this stone circle is of Thassilonian origin, and the native Varisians who lived here before the founding of Sandpoint used this as a place of worship. They had consecrated it to Desna specifically, and we later consecrated it to all of the deities that Desna counts as allies… including Sarenrae, of course."
That evening, MacGreggor, Charrone, Larissa, Ted, Halfred, and Declan met at the Rusty Dragon for dinner, and there they met up with Aldern Foxglove. Aldern bought dinner again (albeit a much less-lavish affair than their previous meal together), and confirmed that they would all meet by the North Gate the following morning for the boar hunt.
Moonday 05 Rova 4707 A.R.
The weather didn't bode particularly well for a hunt: the first cold winds of autumn blew through town on an overcast and muggy day, as drizzle spit from a slate-gray sky. Nevertheless, the group mounted the rented horses and took their boar spears in hand, and followed Aldern along the North Coast Road, eastward along the shore. At a crossroad about half a mile later, they took the much less-traveled Tickwood Road that runs between Tickwood Forest and Turandrok River. Unfortunately, the weather turned out to be an omen of what was to come.
About halfway through Tickwood, before the turnoff for the huntsman's road that Aldern intended to take, the group was waylaid by a band of gobin raiders. Six goblins positioned in trees alongside the road let loose a volley of arrows, and two goblin spellcasters attempted to ensorcell the party. Halfred dismounted and charged one of the spellcasters, and Charrone charged the other on horseback. Both hit, and neither goblin spellcaster was able to cast a spell off that had any effect. Charonne and Aldern were hit by goblin arrows, but the group managed to take down four of the archers and both spellcasters before the remaining goblins fled. Examining the fallen goblins, Charrone discovered that the shaman was still alive, and announced that she would be taking him back to town as a prisoner: perhaps he would have more information about Friday's attack on the town. Aldern tried to convince her to continue on the hunt, but was unsuccessful, and he reluctantly declared the hunt over to accompany her back to town, and the rest of the group followed suit.
Back in town, Charonne delivered the goblin to Sheriff Hemlock, who offered to let the party sit in on the interrogation once the goblin regained consciousness. The group then joined Aldern for a farewell dinner, as Aldern said he had business to attend back in Magnimar and would need to leave in the morning.
As dinner was starting to wind down, a local woman burst into the Rusty Dragon, with two young children in tow. Upon seeing the party, she ran up to them and exclaimed, "Thank Desna I've found you! We need your help! There's a goblin in my son's closet!"


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PHILADELPHIA — Neshoba County General Hospital and Nursing Home generated a profit of $3.5 million profit during fiscal 2012 after a $213,575 profit the previous year, according to audited financial statements.
The Neshoba Democrat reports the hospital had a loss of $1.9 million in 2010.
Hospital administrator Lonnie Graeber said overall expenses were reduced by about $2 million while revenue remained steady, leading to the 2012 profit.
Graeber said that for the first eight months of operations in fiscal 2013, the facility has shown a profit of $3.5 million.
"Our inpatient volume has increased about 40 percent this year," he said.
That is expected to rise with the new hospital now open.
"We have another real good financial year going," Graeber said.
The hospital and nursing home reported operating income of about $2.9 million for fiscal 2012, up from just shy of $90,000 the previous year.
The hospital's Board of Trustees ended its management agreement with Quorum Health Resources Inc. in June 2010. The company had managed the facility since 1993.
After the agreement was terminated, Thomas Bland, longtime administrator of Montfort Jones Memorial Hospital in Kosciusko, was hired as interim chief executive officer.
Graeber took over in November 2010.


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Computer software, namely, computer software for controlling and integrating enterprise-wide computer resources, applications, metadata, and data
Business in Lexington, MA


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Artist description:
Hi there Liz - You bring such joy to everyone on RMD!! Your artwork is so special and beautiful! I hope you have the very best Birthday ever, my friend!!! :-D
Java Draw Created Aug 13, 2011 460 x 640px Unless noted Copyright 2011 AuroraSkye.
We encourage you to submit a comment and let the artist know what you think of this drawing. Please log in or join to post a comment.
Post a comment
woah... is it me or this whorl art is hypnotising everyone in RMDians eye :O or... my eyes are hurting and should wear a spectacles? cause', THAT YELLOW COLOUR REALLY TRICKS MY EYE AND MADE ME DIZZY XD its fun to look in this drawing :) never bored !
it looks so shiny
this looks extremely 3D-ish to me :D it looks like the bottom-side view of a ledge o(OwO)o love how you used both dark and cool colors and made them flow~ :D what a great bday present ^^ 5/5~
Nice abstract!!Wonderful gift!! :D 5 hearts!!!!
lovely bright drawing for lovely Liz...Happy birthday from me too..
Very nice whorl
wonderful birthday gift ! love the colour waves in this drawing ! 5♥s
Awww, your description was so sweet. Happy birthday to Liz! I love the bold colors and the wavy-ness of this abstract drawing. It makes me feel happy hehe. I also like how the pattern is overlapping the vertical stripes in the background. 5/5 hearts.
Amazing abstract and a beautiful gift. 5/5
Very unique design! Wonderful BD gift for Liz. Happy Birthday Liz! Favs!


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Content EditThis page is to list forum trackers, not define the term. While i feel it's better served by a category, instead, this page is used as part of an existing fan-site listing navigation so left it intact. If this page was defining the term, as per policy, it would be under the singular of forum trackers, forum tracker, which is what Forum tracker is as the content of the articles are completely different. --
- <imagelink>http://www.zealvurte.co.uk/temp/sig-av/wiki_zeal.png%7CUser:Zeal</imagelink>
- <imagelink>http://www.zealvurte.co.uk/temp/sig-av/wiki_talk.png%7CUser talk:Zeal</imagelink>
- <imagelink>http://www.zealvurte.co.uk/temp/sig-av/wiki_contribs.png%7CSpecial:Contributions/Zeal</imagelink>
- <imagelink>http://www.zealvurte.co.uk/temp/sig-av/wiki_end.png%7CUser:Zeal</imagelink>


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about me
Over 10 years in business as a professional with experience in digital design, with the main focus on interaction design and user experience. I linger in the space where function and beauty intersect. I'm creative, ambitious and like to play with the newest toys.
I've worked with a large variety of clients from all around the world and have been involved in different projects from small to large, corporate to consumer, web & native apps, from concept through to detailed style guides. I'm committed to & inspired by my clients and always seek to construct a relationship to share knowledge and guidance in both directions.
I trust that a good process will always lead to good outcomes and always strive to offer as much context for my visions as possible to facilitate the collaboration of others more specialized in their vertical.


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Picking a Landfall Real Estate Agent–Avoid Desperate Realtors
Series on Picking Realtors–Landfall, Wrightsville Beach, Porters Neck…
A year ago I did a video blog series about how to pick the best realtors to work with. It addressed some intense and often awkward issues to consider when selecting an agent for a Landfall home for sale, a condo in Wrightsville beach, etc. The guidelines or principles are the same regardless of the location. Here's one video in the series:
Your Best Wilmington NC Real estate agents are not desperate for a sale


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User209050 (1) , | November 4, 2012
Great craft beers on tap...Gabe runs a decent establishment for tap craft beers. Limited bottle selection but solid 30+ Taps of Domestic and Global Craft Brews... $6-$7 per craft beer outside of happy hour..
country_side (1) | April 13, 2010
Great fun at happy hour lots to taste, awesome location easily accessable to the highway .. Beer selection is like 250 different types and they are always changing them..
blklab2007 (17) Connecticut | June 10, 2008| Updated November 8, 2011
I have been to this place three times now and certain things are getting better. first on the beer side, the taps they have are good for the area. location is nice because it is not in downtown like all the other area places where there is no parking and a crowd. the food on the other hand is mediocre. the first time i went with a group of ten during dinner and they could not keep up. seems they book a lot of large tables for parties. the food itself was hit or miss, nothing was great and a few things were terrible. service was bearable but they knew nothing about beer that was helpful. if you are going for the beer then it is a good choice and the atmosphere is casual. the online tap list is far better than what they are serving now, must have been the list from there opening a few months ago.
joebudzjoe (45) Connecticut | May 24, 2008| Updated October 15, 2009
When looking for a bar in Fairfield county with a wide selection of beers, you will usually find yourself in a stuffy, uptight WASP bar where every guy looks like a carbon copy and every girl is on her cell phone. This place is different. This is one of the few places in Fairfield country where the everyday man can find a world class beer. They have 30 beers on draft and the rotation is always changing. Even though the bartenders and wait staff tend to know very little about beer, you can't beat the $3 happy hour drafts from 4-8 every weekday.


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Drumroll gelieve … De winnaar van de 2012 award for the best colorwork from a crochet blogger is:
* Volgens Matt *
Best Colorwork Award
Today's Awesome Crochet Blog Award is for the person who does the best colorwork in their crochet. Personally I don't like to change colors much so I usually do solid or two-color pieces or I get my color from variegated yarns. Perhaps that is why I'm alway so impressed by people who do amazing work with multiple colors. I also think it's tough to work with a lot of different colors and get the magical combination of the right colors in each piece. Besides these colorful pieces are so much fun to look at on blogs. It's definitely something worthy of an award!
Over de winnaar
According to Matt started blogging last year but just popped up on my radar at the beginning of this year. To tell you the truth, I don't know a lot about Matt despite being an avid follower. This is one blogger who really lets his work speak for himself. I do know that he is from England and lives in Germany. He only started crocheting in 2010 and his first big project, niet verrassend, was een Zolder 24 project (which are always beautifully colorful). Matt now offers some great tutorials on his blog and is an inspiration to many of us.
3 Redenen van de winnaar Won
Er zijn veel, many wonderful bloggers who share colorful crochet work. I could have done one of these awards every single day this month and still had others that I liked. But ultimately I chose According to Matt for this award because:
- I love the way Matt combines boldly colored crochet with buttons and other mixed media. Take a look at Matt's Haak klok en oma vierkante knop kussen to see what I mean. It's tough enough to get the right colors in one medium, let alone in mixed media!
- I like Matt's range of colorful products. Check out his Ravelry page, Pinterest projects en Facebook photos to see the great variety!
- The blog design works so well with the photos. I love the white, uncluttered, clean design of this blog and how it makes the colorful photos of the work really pop.
Wat Is deze haak Blog Award?
Niet zeker wat deze prijs is alles over? Het is een van mijn jaarlijkse haak blogger awards, uitgedeeld op deze blog elke dag elke December. Leer alles over het hier.


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The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres got into a 6th inning brawl during last night's games at Petco Park, resulting in a broken collarbone for the Dodgers' $147 million pitcher, Zack Greinke.
It all started when the Padres outfielder Carlos Quentin rushed the mound after Greinke hit him in the arm with a wild pitch. All players on both benches and even the bullpen headed for the pitchers mound.
Greinke, the Dodgers' star pitcher, will be out for several weeks to recover from the injury sustained from the fight. Watch the incident unfold below.


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Gateway USA, LLC doing business as Clay Lacy Aviation, LLC (CLA-Seattle), underwent a rigorous third-party audit that resulted in the granting of the first Stage II IS-BAH registration in North America.
Only three other ground-handling operations in the world (all in Europe) have reached this milestone. CLA-Seattle was recognized as an International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling (IS-BAH) "Trailblazer" FBO by the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) in June of last year when they earned one of the first Stage I registrations.
During an independent audit performed beginning of June, CLA-Seattle successfully demonstrated that their systems, processes and procedures assessed at Stage I are maturing and continue dynamically to improve their ground handling safety performance and activities.
"Our congratulations go out to the management and teams at Gateway USA, LLC facility for their continued support and dedication to the IS-BAH programme. The first Stage II North American registration is a significant milestone. " said Terry Yeomans – IS-BAH Program Director.
The IS-BAH has been created for the industry by the industry. It incorporates a scalable safety management system (SMS) concept in all aspects of FBO/BAHA operations and is complementary with the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO), adopted globally by corporate flight departments.
Chuck Kegley, the General Manager of Gateway USA, LLC dba Clay Lacy Aviation, LLC stated,
"Safety is the foundation of our culture. The IS-BAH standards were developed using 'best practices' used widely in the international business aviation community and, as such, reflect the high level of operational safety that we continuously work to achieve. I wish to thank all of
those who worked so hard to make this achievement possible; including our safety partners at Baldwin Aviation and our Director of Safety, Richard Keltner."


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Congress back to doing nothing, Angry farmers welcome lawmakers, Woman pulls gun on Gowdy, Three Amigos back Berman, GOP's narrow path to Senate majority, McMahon files ethics complaint vs. Murphy
( firstname.lastname@example.com or @scottwongDC)
CONGRESS GETS BACK TO DOING NOTHING – My story in POLITICO this morning: "With the convention pomp and pageantry over, another production now begins on Capitol Hill — this one featuring meaningless show votes and theatrical hearings. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) will hold an oversight hearing this week titled: The Obama Administration's Abuse of Power. House GOP leaders will try to pass a bill to roll back automatic defense cuts — a bid to undo a law many of them supported in the first place. And Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) will continue to push a central plank of the Romney-Ryan campaign: a vote to repeal President Barack Obama's health care law.
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-- "Democrats will engage in the game, too, putting up jobs bills that have no Republican support and little chance of passing. To add more fuel to the 'do-nothing Congress' label, at least one chamber — the Democratic-led Senate — could adjourn as early as Sept. 21 for another seven-week recess, coming on the heels of the five-week August recess. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) will be playing 'prevent defense' through the Nov. 6 election, GOP aides said.
-- "'Taking their cues from a president who recently said the single greatest regret of [his] tenure was that he didn't tell the American people enough stories,' McConnell wrote in an email to POLITICO, 'Democrats appear ready to ride out the rest of the year spinning tall tales that the economy is doing fine while doing virtually nothing about the problems we face as a nation.' Don't blame us, Democrats say. The show votes are an 'example of Republicans wasting time that should be spent on finding solutions to the country's problems,' Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) told POLITICO. 'We're up to zero votes on Obama's jobs bills and more than 30 votes to repeal Obamacare.'" http://politi.co/QBbmm6
--Reid and McConnell have dueling op-eds in POLITICO blaming the other party for obstruction. http://politi.co/PhAGkU and http://politi.co/S2H1xn
--New York Times columnist Paul Krugman asks: "Does anyone remember the American Jobs Act?" Obama's jobs bill went nowhere because Republicans blocked it, he writes. http://nyti.ms/QeCgS9
-- Congress will try to do the bare minimum this month: It needs to fund the government past Sept. 30 but is struggling to pass a farm bill amid the worst drought in a generation, writes POLITICO's David Rogers. http://politi.co/Sx2m8H
-- Farmers will greet lawmakers when they return to Washington, protesting their inaction on delivering farm aid, reports The New York Times' Jennifer Steinhauer: "On Wednesday, the National Farmers Union and the American Farm Bureau Federation will hold a rally near the Capitol to press for the approval of a bill. A devastating drought over the summer has inflated commodities prices and ruined many crops, particularly corn in the Midwest." http://nyti.ms/QwsG1f
--The American Enterprise Institute has launched www.AmericanBoondoggle.com , which highlights how reforming farm programs could save more than $100 billion over the next decade without affecting the security of the food supply chain.
WOMAN PULLS GUN ON GOWDY – WYFF reports in South Carolina: "Authorities in Spartanburg arrested a woman Sunday who is accused of pointing a gun at a U.S. congressman. Police said they arrested the woman after she approached U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy while he was sitting in his vehicle in a church parking lot. According to the arrest warrant, 52-year-old Gloria Brackett pointed a gun at Gowdy because she felt he was following her. The report states Gowdy repeatedly told her he was not following her. It goes on to say Gowdy told the woman he was parked outside the First Baptist Church in Spartanburg waiting for his daughter to come out from a church service. The report indicates Gowdy drove off when the woman kept pointing her gun at him. Brackett chased him as he drove off, the report indicates." http://bit.ly/Qz019G
THREE AMIGOS ENDORSE BERMAN – Jean Merl writes for the L.A. Times: "Rep. Howard Berman, gripped in a tough reelection battle with fellow Democratic Rep. Brad Sherman for the same San Fernando Valley congressional district seat, is expected to get endorsements Monday from two prominent Republican U.S. senators. Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, plus Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, the former Democrat turned independent, will back Berman, the congressman's campaign confirmed Sunday. Although Democrats outnumber Republicans in the recently redrawn district 48% to 26%, both candidates have been courting GOP voters as well as those without party affiliation, who make up about 21% of registered voters there. Berman finished second, 10 points behind Sherman, in the seven-candidate June primary and has been scrambling to make up the difference." http://lat.ms/PVNKtl
GOP'S PATH TO SENATE MAJORITY NARROWS -- POLITICO's David Catanese interviewed more than a dozen GOP strategists about the likelihood Republicans will capture the Senate. The consensus: It will be a tougher road than even a few months ago. "The diminished mood is a product of unforeseen events — like Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe's surprise retirement — and underwhelming candidates. North Dakota and Montana, once thought to be fairly easy pickups for Republicans, have remained stubbornly close, thanks to weaker-than-expected GOP contenders and strong Democratic campaigns. Missouri's been moved out of the sure-win column after Todd Akin's debacle. And the GOP's once-high hopes in New Mexico and Hawaii are fading as the party confronts daunting blue-state demographics.
-- "It's a marked change from the beginning of the cycle, when most GOP operatives were brimming with confidence about netting the four seats needed to wrest power from Democrats. The new, hard reality is that the party's hopes hinge on come-from-behind wins in razor-close battleground races in Florida, Ohio and Virginia. 'Objectively, call it 50-50,' said longtime Washington power broker Charlie Black, who is confident about a three-seat gain but not sold that the party can reach four." http://politi.co/OA2XAn
WaPo, A1, "With Senate at stake, GOP awaits Akin's next move," By Rosalind S. Helderman and Jason Horowitz: "Three weeks after Republican Rep. Todd Akin upended the national political landscape by claiming that pregnancies rarely result from 'legitimate rape,' the race for Senate in this increasingly conservative state — and in many ways the battle for control of Congress's upper chamber — has settled into a waiting game. A Sept. 25 deadline looms. That's the last day Akin can petition Missouri courts to remove his name from the ballot — and comply with the near-universal calls from party leaders who think his comments have made unwinnable a seat they need for an easier path to a Senate majority. Akin's opponent, Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill, is waiting, too — hoping that Akin remains in the race but knowing that even if he does, reelection to the Senate is far from secure in a state that has turned sharply against President Obama." http://wapo.st/Nkgbnv
FISCAL CLIFF: CONGRESS IN PUNT FORMATION – Manu Raju and Seung Min Kim write for the hometown paper: "For all the hype surrounding the dreaded fiscal cliff on taxes and spending, an increasing number of lawmakers are starting to push for Congress to do what it does best when faced with a difficult decision: punt. If Mitt Romney wins the presidency, Republicans in Congress will block any action until he's sworn into office. If Republicans win the Senate, they'll stall any effort to solve the massive tax increase and spending cuts until they hold the gavels. And if it's a status quo election — President Barack Obama wins and Congress remains divided — negotiations may begin in earnest right after Nov. 6, but it will be hard to make a landmark deal before Dec. 31 given the resistance from House Republicans to any tax increases and Democratic unwillingness to overhaul entitlements." http://politi.co/TB82h8
-- Democrats are highlighting the divide between Romney and his running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan, over the sequester, writes The Hill's Jeremy Herb: "The Obama campaign on Sunday sought to spotlight a divide on the GOP ticket as it jumped on Mitt Romney's calling Republican support of the sequestration deal — including that of his running mate Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) — a 'big mistake.' The division between Romney and Ryan was on display during the Sunday news shows, as Romney criticized the 2011 Budget Control Act (BCA) on NBC's 'Meet the Press,' while Ryan defended his vote for the bill on CBS's 'Face the Nation.'" http://bit.ly/QBvDrG
-- Romney also said on "Meet the Press" he would keep some parts of Obamacare. http://bloom.bg/O6PRJk
--Under fire for his foreign policy credentials, Ryan said he has more international experience than Obama did when he was elected president. http://politi.co/QByn8J
RETURN TO CONGRESS UNCERTAIN FOR JACKSON, KIRK – Katherine Skiba writes for the Chicago Tribune: "Sen. Mark Kirk's plans are unknown because the senator and his aides won't comment. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.'s status is unclear because his people are saying plenty — but disagreeing with each other. Rick Bryant, Jackson's chief of staff, told the Tribune on Friday that the congressman had left Mayo Clinic, where he was treated for bipolar depression. The aide said he was 'hopeful' that Jackson would return to work Monday. But Jackson's wife, Chicago Ald. Sandi Jackson, 7th, cast doubt on his return in a text message reported late Friday by NBC-Ch. 5. 'Gonna be home under his doctor's care until further notice," she wrote. "Won't be back to work until the doctors give the green light.' The congressman's father, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, denied his son would be back Monday." http://trib.in/P4jTQn
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GOOD MONDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 10, 2012, and welcome to The Huddle, your play-by-play preview of the day's congressional news. Send tips, suggestions, comments, complaints and corrections to firstname.lastname@example.com. If you don't already, please follow me on Twitter @scottwongDC.
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TODAY IN CONGRESS – The Senate's back at 2 p.m. and will vote at 5:30 on the nomination of Stephanie Rose to be U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Iowa. On Tuesday, the chamber will hold a procedural vote to create a veteran's jobs corps.
The House is in at 2:30 p.m. with votes expected at 6:30 p.m. The chamber will consider up to 11 bills under suspension of the rules, including the Billfish Conservation Act, a Lions Club commemorative coin act, and a measure to allow the Capitol Visitors Center to accept and display a statue of Frederick Douglass in Emancipation Hall.
MYSTERY PACS – Shane Goldmacher writes for National Journal: "Noam Neusner, a former White House speechwriter for President George W. Bush, thought he had given $250 to Ohio GOP Senate candidate Josh Mandel. He hadn't. Instead, Neusner was one of nearly 3,000 donors who stumbled onto a network of look-alike campaign websites that have netted more than $570,000 this year in what some are calling a sophisticated political phishing scheme. … Such doppelgänger sites exist for nearly three-dozen prominent GOP figures, including presidential nominee Mitt Romney, House Speaker John Boehner, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, and donation magnets such as Reps. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota and Allen West of Florida." http://bit.ly/QwLjCo
McMAHON FILES ETHICS COMPLAINT VS. MURPHY – POLITICO's John Bresnahan reports: "GOP Senate candidate Linda McMahon has filed a complaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics against her opponent, Democratic Rep. Chris Murphy, alleging that Murphy violated House rules related to a home equity loan obtained from a bank he once represented as a private lawyer. In a Sept. 7 letter to the OCE, Corry Bliss — McMahon's campaign manager — asked for an investigation into whether Murphy 'has accepted a prohibited gift and used his official position to secure himself personal and political financial benefit.' The ethics complaint by McMahon is the latest flashpoint in a Connecticut Senate contest that Democrats had long assumed Murphy would easily win but has now emerged a potential sleeper race for both sides. The seat is now held by the retiring Joe Lieberman." http://politi.co/QyOXti
AUTHORITIES SEEK WHEREABOUTS OF RIVERA PAL – The Miami Herald's Manny Garcia and Marc Caputo reported over the weekend: "A key witness in a federal investigation involving U.S. Rep. David Rivera failed to show up for an interview with prosecutors and the FBI one day after agents raided her Miami apartment and removed her computer, cellphone and other items. Ana Alliegro's whereabouts are a mystery — even to her lawyer. … Prosecutors believe Alliegro played a key role as a go-between for Rivera and a former Democratic congressional candidate who might have broken campaign finance laws in his failed bid against a rival of the Republican congressman in the Aug. 14 primary. Alliegro had been scheduled to testify Thursday before a federal grand jury in Fort Lauderdale, but Padilla worked out a deal to speak directly to lead prosecutor Thomas J. Mulvihill and two FBI agents. …
-- "The case definitely involves politics. At issue: $46,000 in once-secret payments — many made with cash-stuffed envelopes — that candidate Justin Lamar Sternad used for mailers in his unsuccessful primary race against Joe Garcia, who now faces Rivera in the general election. Sternad's campaign finance disclosure reports initially gave no indication that he had paid for the mailers. He later amended the reports amid the FBI probe. Investigators have focused on Alliegro because she acted as Sternad's campaign manager. She may have first-hand knowledge of the source of the funds and whether Rivera was involved in funding the campaign of the political unknown, a part-time hotel worker." http://hrld.us/RBptru
MAN MEETS CARMONA, SURGEON WHO SAVED HIS LIFE – Pete Aleshire writes for the Payson (Ariz.) Roundup: "In a reunion campaign strategists can only dream about, [Chris] Walker showed up at Sunday's Payson reception for U.S. Senate candidate Dr. Rich Carmona to swap recollections about the day Carmona brought Walker back from the dead by cracking open his chest, stitching up major vessels torn by a bullet, bypassing Walker's heart and removing his shredded liver. The former U.S. Surgeon General, war hero and Tucson trauma surgeon recently sewed up the Democratic nomination and over the weekend opened his general election campaign against Republican nominee Rep. Jeff Flake, who has a Rim Country hometown advantages in the form of numerous relatives from his deeply rooted pioneering Mormon family. But Carmona won the hometown edge on Sunday, thanks to the dramatic reunion with the local fellow Carmona saved from a bullet through the heart." http://bit.ly/S2QEMA
FRIDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER – Jon Deuser was first to correctly answer that 1960 was the last time the presidential nominees of both major parties had never previously lost a primary or general election for state or federal office. The nominees that year were John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon.
TODAY'S TRIVIA – Loren Aho has today's question: Should Mitt Romney win the presidency it will only be the second time the president and vice president's last name (Romney/Ryan) begins with the same letter. Name the only president and vice president to share a last name that began with the same letter. First to correctly answer gets a mention in the next day's Huddle. Email me at firstname.lastname@example.com.
WEATHER – Sunny with a cool breeze and temperatures reaching around 80 degrees, according to ABC7's Brian van de Graaff.
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Re: Schmeiser fighting GMOs.
Percy has indeed made a big name for himself and his "cause".
Isn't it time though to step back and ask, after 20 plus years of GM crop cultivation, what harm have these crops caused?
Worldwide, proteins, starches, oils sourced from these crops have been safely ingested with zero ill effects. On the other hand, crop yields have risen dramatically and pesticide use dropped.
Protestors, environmentalists, innocent urbanites, choose only the side of the story they want to hear; meanwhile our farmers need to produce food to feed the billions.
Martin C. Pick,
Cavan, Ont.
Finally getting the distinct pleasure of sitting in one of those long lineups at the elevator to sell grain at a price somewhere hopefully near the cost of production. I had The Producer with me to occupy the hours. I came across a photo and article about a fellow who has built a 212 foot seeding unit, then puts it in a field dotted with random trees. Here's an innovator, I thought, but at the same time with no apparent knowledge of tree removal technology. An analogy here in my opinion can be made with what our present government has done with the wheat board — blind ideology without consideration for any pitfalls. Thanks for injecting a healthy shot of humour into my humdrum day.
Stephen Light,
Lloydminster, Sask.
One meaning for cognitive dissonance is to ignore or deny any information that conflicts with existing beliefs. If the Canadian Wheat Board Alliance is right, cognitive dissonance might reach epidemic proportions before the next federal election.
According to the Alliance, last February, with wheat priced $11.38/bu. at Vancouver, producers received $4.69/bu. or 41 percent of the selling price.
Under single desk, with wheat priced $10.61/bu. at Vancouver, producers received $9.99/bu. or 94 percent of the selling price.
Now, I don't care one little bit if MP David Anderson and MP Gerry Ritz suffer from a bad bout of cognitive dissonance but I feel compassion for those hard working producers who supported "market freedom" because of Conservative lies.
It is possible to get the single desk back and the first step is making sure the likes of Anderson and Ritz are not around after the next election. If a 50 percent drop in the farmer's share of the selling price won't do it, nothing will.
Bev Currie,
Swift Current, Sask.
I attended an organic chapter meeting in Muenster, Sask., and the grain transportation meeting in Raymore, Sask., March 8 and 9 respectively. The information brought forth at those meetings has compelled me to voice my concerns at our lack of awareness on the direction agriculture is taking today.
I am listening to the same story, over and over, but other than minimal fines imposed on the railways by the federal government, there is seemingly no action addressing the backlog of grain, the demurrage farmers are paying on waiting ships, the lost markets, and total confusion with grain shipments.
A new theory is circulating now and governments should not discount this as coffee shop talk, because it will likely come to votes. This is the story out there now.
With farmers looking at the complete picture now and into the future, the grain transportation problems not only include the railways but other players as well.
It may well be the grain companies, the multinationals, the railways and the governments of the day are working together in a bid to take complete control of agriculture in Canada, all to benefit the shareholder.
The promise to "help" farmers by advancing loans to pay previous and present expenses only digs the hole deeper, with multiple principals owing, plus interest, plus lost grain sales, lower prices at the farmgate, and to top it off, elevated operating expenses.
The grain industry is now poised to be taken over without a shot fired, so to speak, not too far removed from what (Russian President Vladimir) Putin just pulled off in Russia. The path to serfdom is just around the corner, or maybe it is already here and we have just been too busy to notice.
Bill C-18 is on the horizon, another takeover tool which is quietly being shoved through Parliament. UPOV91, part of the Agriculture Growth Act, I quote ,"should you decide to save seed from crop that you grow, you have the ability to do that and, again, just pay the royalty on the end when you sell it out", as stated by agriculture minister Gerry Ritz, Dec. 9, 2013.
There goes our foundation seed and will more than likely be replaced with GMOs, undermining organic agriculture completely, a real concern to me as I am an organic farmer.
I wonder if our urban, Metis and First Nation neighbours are aware of these actions, and I also wonder what their reactions would be if they were to research Bill C-18 in its entirety?
Politicians, do not forget, you do have a certain responsibility to us, who voted for you, and did so with the hope you would have our best interests at heart.
But there are some harmful decisions being made, especially at the federal level. Take note, there is the power of the vote, and as I was once told and I quote, "there is not a man on the property who can't be replaced in 10 minutes".
Believe me, I did see it happen, and that man was at the top.
My fellow farmers and I are one of the many "sheep led to slaughter," quite evident with the loss of orderly grain marketing in this country.
I do not understand why we did not get the chance to vote on the issue of the Canadian Wheat Board, or why we lost the hard assets we had paid for.
Our reputation for quality wheat, delivered in a timely manner, is gone along with the buyers who have gone elsewhere. Maybe whoever is behind this fiasco will get those markets back. We really doubt it. We do expect a reply from our elite politicians, but know this,regardless of reply, we will all be at the polling station next time, and will have our "neighbours" with us to vote.
Erling Brakefield,
Wynyard, Sask.
Too few hogs, too many processing plants, or just no planning?
"When Maple Leaf sneezes, Brandon, MB catches a cold. We need more hogs. 1800 people have light paycheques."(Brandon Sun, May 28)
Maybe it's because of our Canadian dollar comparison, and Manitoba hog producers are getting a much better price in the U.S.?
It seems the Hylife hog plant in Neepawa has no hog shortage problems.
In 2006, Manitoba had the distinction of being the No. 1 hog producer in Canada, over nine million animals.
Then in 2009 there were too many hogs, and barns were shut down, herds were culled, feed prices were high, and South Korea no longer imported hogs from Canada, and governments subsidized the industry. Now the complaints are not enough hogs?
And in the muddle of all this, the taxpayer is footing the promises of government to support and subsidize this industry. What's next?
An economics professor has this to say. "It would have been far less costly for taxpayers and certainly more friendly to the water sources, environment and the quality of life to the rural population to pay, yes pay bribe money to the hog industry and say a polite, "No thank you, we don't want your business and we are paying you to stay away."
It's clear this corporation, raising hogs as a meat exporting industry, is not economically sustainable without taxpayers cash and environmental subsidies.
If the industry can't succeed within the laws that are supposed to protect the public, our water sources and the environment, and refuse to adapt, then they must be allowed to fail.
John Fefchak,
Virden, Man.