text:
Washington (AFP) March 31, 2011
Toughened by a punishing annual migration in western Canada, a special breed of sockeye salmon has proved better able to survive environmental change than other members of the species, a study said Thursday.
The Fraser River in British Columbia has more than 100 distinct populations of sockeye salmon, many of them so fine-tuned to their environment that even slight changes in water temperature, river flow or elevation change could spell disaster.
"As climate change alters the conditions of the Fraser River watershed, our concern is that some populations may not be able to adapt to these changes quickly enough to survive," said Erika Eliason, the study's lead author.
But the Chilko salmon, named after a region of the river where they spawn, are proving more resilient than others, and Eliason and her colleagues at University of British Columbia believe it could be due to their harsher migration conditions.
"I like to call the Chilko population of sockeye 'Superfish,'" said Eliason, who explained they are conditioned by a migratory route that is extraordinarily difficult.
Eliason and colleagues studied eight sockeye populations for the study, which was published in the journal Science.
"This is the first large study examining how different populations of fish of the same species adapt to different environmental conditions during their annual migration," she said.
Scientists say the Fraser River, which runs some 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles), has already warmed by almost two degrees Celsius since the 1950s, with the last 20 years among the warmest on record.
Millions of sockeye migrate up the Fraser to spawn each year, but the species has been in decline since the 1990s. There have been mass mortalities during migrations, when between 40 and 95 percent of some populations have died, according to UBC.
The sockeye populations follow exact migration routes that vary by distance, elevation, temperature and current strength. Some have it easy, but not the Chilko.
The Chilko must swim more than 650 kilometers (400 miles) upstream, gain a kilometer (0.6 miles) in elevation, and pass through an area known as Hell's Gate, where the river shoots through a passage just 35 meters (115 feet) wide.
They do all this at the height of summer in a heroic effort to reach a glacial lake, where they spawn.
To assess the salmon's abilities to cope with changing environmental conditions, the UBC team had fish from the eight population groups swim through a large tube designed to simulate Fraser river currents and water temperatures.
The scientists measured the heart rates and metabolism of the adult salmon as they did so.
They found that when water temperatures rose above an optimal level, the salmon's ability swim declined, probably as a result of a weakening of their cardiovascular systems.
But they also observed that the Chilko sockeye seemed physiologically less sensitive to the difference in temperature and other environmental change. The most sensitive was the Weaver sockeye.
Eliason said the Chilko were able to "swim at higher and a broader range of temperatures" compared to other sockeye in the river.
"We believe it has to do with how they've adapted to cope with their difficult migration."
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text:
why bother?
But why would you bother? You are unlikely to get major discounts unless you had your entire software bundle coming from them. If they are hunting end users then they would surely purchase via the click to activate and no self respecting loon would go looking at Dell to buy software out of the blue.
Seems a niche area for them really.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
This issue is a variant of Detective Comics (DC, 1937 series) #540 [Direct].
There exist further variants.
Color credits confirmed by Anthony Tollin.
Continued from Batman (DC, 1940 series) #373.
Letters of comment from Chuck Sholea, Jeffrey Lowndes, Christopher Melchert, David Sheedy, S. Kenneth Kawano, Aisha Cruz and T. M. Maple.


text:
Police in New Britain are investigating after three people were randomly attacked on the street. All of the crimes are happening at night, in a neighborhood just off South Main Street.
Police say these crimes resemble the "knockout game," a game where the objective is to knock the victim unconscious by hitting the person in the head. Attackers aim to knock out innocent victims in one hit, just for fun. The game is gaining popularity across the country.
NBC Connecticut spoke to a neighbor who witnessed two of these attacks. She wished to remain anonymous, fearing retaliation. She spoke about the frightening attacks by her home near Cornelius and South Main in New Britain. "It's scary, I always have to have my eyes behind my back," she said.
That woman told NBC Connecticut last Friday night she watched a group of teens knock a man down for no reason. She claimed the victim was standing by his car when the teens approached him. "They acted like they were looking for something and came down the street and just punched him right in the jaw," she added.
When they took off, she called 911 and ran over to help. She said she witnessed a similar crime the next night. "A woman was walking. Two girls came from behind and pushed her and they took off running," she said.
She admitted the random nature of the attacks had her and other neighbors on edge. "Very scary…I'm scared to come out and to go to the store...I've never had this problem before," she said.


text:
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Through more than 40 minutes of play at Xcel Energy Center, almost nothing of consequence happened.
"That's their game plan -- limit chances against," goalie Ray Emery said. "It's a New Jersey type of game where you have to stay patient with them and not give them anything."
And when you least expect it, bam! Something happens to startle the building and it becomes an instant turning point.
Two Wild goals 57 seconds apart in the final period was all it took (see story) and it began with a spectacular play from Mikko Koivu, who threw a blind pass into the slot for Jason Pominville to finish.
"I thought it was by design," Emery admitted. "But I talked to him and it was one of those things where [the puck] hit the side of the net and it took me a second to realize it got over there because it hit that funny angle."
Said Koivu, "I got the puck and I had good speed down the wall. I wasn't sure if it was Pommer or Zach [Parise] in front, so I just tried to get it on tape and I did.
"Great shot going up high and buried. It was pretty tight for him, too. Good shot."
That made it 1-0 at 3:52 and then Charlie Coyle killed the Flyers off right after to ice it, at 2-0.
"Frustrating that they get two quick ones in the third," Emery said. "We played well after that to get back from it. But that's all it takes for a team like that, which is so defensive."
Flyers coach Craig Berube said he had no problem matching the Wild's defensive slant on the game and admitted he sensed all it would take was one big play -- like Koivu's -- to change the game.
"Definitely, they're a tight team. We played good defense, checked hard. They got the play there and got the goal."
If you're keeping score, that's 21 of 27 games for the Flyers in which they scored two goals or fewer.
This was the first shutout to the Wild since February 2003, when they blanked the Flyers in two games -- Feb. 10 and Feb. 12 of that year.
Loose pucks
• Claude Giroux was 15 for 23 (68 percent) on faceoffs, including a perfect 8 for 8 in the first period.
• Adam Hall was 83 percent in the circle, winning 5 of 6.
• Scott Hartnell -- not Zac Rinaldo -- led the team with five hits. Rinaldo had two.
• The Wild are now 9-3-2 against the Eastern Conference.
• This was first game in St. Paul between these two clubs since Nov. 24, 2010 -- a span of 1,104 days.
• The Flyers are 3-4-1 against the Western Conference. They are 2-1-1 against the Central Division.


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Sketch Challenge 350
2 Attachment(s)
Keywords: SC350 No spaces between letters and numbers, put a comma followed by a space between keywords. The keywords are all you need to have your card show up in the challenge gallery, having it in the keyword line covers more searches. Posting to this thread is not mandatory to play!
No due date for posting your card to any weekly challenge.
What is the Sketch Challenge: in Andreas words from SC08 (Andrea is the founder of the challenge): "You take the sketch I provided and use any stamp set, any accessory, and any kind of paper to make a card. So all of the cards have the same basic layout, but they all look very different."
-It is fine to flip the sketch, change panel sizes, shapes, card size and border as you wish (unless stated in the write up for the week), a little tweaking is fine but lets see those main elements of the posted layout please.
(The numbers and colors are requested from players so it's easier to read the layout, it means nothing towards colors used or number of borders when creating your project.)
Master Thread Find uploading and linking directions, files and links of past challenges.
Email Notification thread link
SCSketches Gallery (Layouts starting at SC01 to the present week.)
This Week
I found this layout on a card display at the stamp show in August and after checking the files I see we hadnt done it yet...amazing! If you like less layers the #2 layer can be omitted and it'll still be true to the layout, so take your pick and enjoy your time!
Here are three examples to get you started!
Cindy Hall
Rox71 (measurements in the description)
Gallery Submissions
You can find measurements in my card description linked above. Open the link and they will be at the top of the description.
The attachment will print out to actual size of an A2 sized card for most computers. A2 is 4.25 x 5.5 inches.
Printing directions are in the Master Thread linked above.
Awesome sketch today, Roxie! Thanks so much for the chance to make a sample for the challenge today! I LOVED getting to help out! :)
I was hawking the forum earlier to see if the sketch was posted... yeah! thanks Roxie.
~ Pam
I guess the good thing about being in MST is you get to see the sketches early
here's my card
Nice sketch, should make for a fabulous gallery! Hope I can play tomorrow!
Going to have to try this one; head willing. Angles and I don't get along well so that's why we call it a challenge.:D Thanks Rox for testing my comfort zone.
Here is my card. This was a very fun sketch!
This looks like it's going to be a fun challenge. I love all the angles.
This was fun :) I flipped the sketch and managed to get the strips of dp going the opposite direction, but I think you probably wouldn't notice if I didn't say...:)
Here's mine:
~ Happy, Happy ~
SC350 What a Elebration!
Loved this challenge!
here's my card:
SC350 What a Elebration! by Amisjag - Cards and Paper Crafts at Splitcoaststampers
Here is my AUTUMN GLORY.
Thanks for a fun sketch and for the beautiful sample cards - here's my Marigolds
A wonderful sketch, Roxie....especially for larger images. I went with your simplified version to make a more CAS card. Thanks!
Fun sketch even though I didn't like cutting the angle piece. lol Here is mine: SC350 Smile_ajh by bambi64 - Cards and Paper Crafts at Splitcoaststampers
GREAT sketch today!
Here's my submission
Another great sketch! Here's mine SC350 Happy Birthday by yo sam - Cards and Paper Crafts at Splitcoaststampers
Thanks Roxi for another fantastic sketch. Here is my card.
SC350 Diagonal wedding by Holstein - Cards and Paper Crafts at Splitcoaststampers
Love the sketch! Here's mine: SC350 Purple Halloween by jdmommy - Cards and Paper Crafts at Splitcoaststampers
thanks Rox!
This was kind of a tough one for me..anyway, here's my card for today, Thanks for looking!
Thanks for a great sketch! Here´s mine;
Carpe Diem
After jumping into the tea party yesterday, I thought I'd toss my hat in the ring on this one today. Here's mine: Go with all your heart
Thanks for lookin' and thanks for the challenge!
here's a quick one
Want yer blood
thanks for lookiing
Ohhhh, this is nice. So far, no time to THINK today, but I will get back to this. Thanks Rox. I really like this sketch.
Love this sketch Roxie - thanks!
Time to get your pumpkins! by Amaranthine - Cards and Paper Crafts at Splitcoaststampers
made just for you
You did it again my friend...thanks Roxie for another wonderful sketch here is mine..."Made just for you" by wendy2512 - Cards and Paper Crafts at Splitcoaststampers just love the sweetness of Sarah Kays work...take care all...:0)
Thanks for the sketch, Roxie, I needed an interesting one today! Here is my Sixty Years Old card.
Great Sketch and much needed today! Thanks!!!!
Autumn Birthday
Really great sketch to-day Roxie. Thanks. Here is my effort.
SC350 Wheelbarrows Full by Mrs Noofy - Cards and Paper Crafts at Splitcoaststampers
This one was a challenge for me, for sure!
Here's my Little Pickup card.
SC350 Buttons and Flowers by Crafty Julia
I love the Sketch Challenge diagonal format this week- the aqua, red and black color combination! I thought this button motif fabric attached with embroidery worked well here with these perky flowers. Enjoy!
SC350 Buttons and Flowers by Crafty Julia - Cards and Paper Crafts at Splitcoaststampers
Great sketch, Roxie! I think I will be using it alot -- I really like it. Here's my card -- Trick or Treat x 3.
Here's mine...I don't usually like diagonals but actually enjoyed trying something different!! Thanks for some motivation today!
Time for a Sketch SC350 by cjbapp - Cards and Paper Crafts at Splitcoaststampers
How fun! Mine is a clean and simple note from the pumpkin patch. : )
A Note from the Pumpkin Patch by T. Joy - Cards and Paper Crafts at Splitcoaststampers
Thanks, Roxie, for a very interesting sketch! Here's my Happiness Shared. Thanks so much for looking! I'll be back later to view and comment.
This was a great sketch!! :) Here is mine!
Follow Your Dreams
Thanks for the great, fun sketch this week!
Here's my card.
Fun sketch; here's mine: Fluffles Eeeeekk!!!
|All times are GMT -8. The time now is 11:34 AM.


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How to Afford a House When You're Spending All Your Money on Avocado Toast
avocado toast buying a house calculators home ownership houses millennials millionaires money real estate saving saving money
If you're a millennial and having trouble saving up for a home, Australian millionaire Tim Gurner has some simple advice for you: stop eating so much avocado toast. You'll never be able to save for a home that way.
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Will miracles never cease…does this mean I have to actually say something nice about Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer now?
The Arizona Senate is poised to pass an $8.8 billion state budget Thursday that includes the Medicaid expansion sought by Republican Gov. Jan Brewer as she embraces a signature part of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul law over the opposition of most GOP legislators.
The Arizona House passed the proposals early Thursday after working through the night, putting Brewer one vote away from a huge political victory that will expand health care to 300,000 more low-income Arizonans. Conservatives proposed more than 50 amendments and debated for more than 12 hours in an attempt to block the inevitable, but they didn't have the votes to stop the Medicaid expansion or the budget deal.(Washington Post)
What Brewer seemed to understand, unlike several of her GOP contemporaries, is that it made no sense whatsoever for states not to accept federal monies for Medicaid expansion; having long argued herself that it made no sense not to expand Medicaid coverage under Obamacare, it's only natural that she would buck conventional wisdom on the issue.
Now, this doesn't mean I suddenly think she's a nice person…but anytime someone on the opposite side does something good, we should at least give them credit where credit is due…


text:
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SBD Global/December 17, 2013/Media
Spanish Civil Guard Denies Investigating Lionel Messi's Father Following El Mundo Report
Published December 17, 2013
MESSIS RESPOND: SPORT reported the Messi family "has made public a statement." The statement said, "Leo Messi Management wishes to clarify the information published in El Mundo, which references Jorge Messi and the 'Messi & Friends' games from this year and last year. As the Interior Ministry and the UCO have made clear, Jorge Messi was never involved in this case. Nor was he investigated, called to testify or even accused" (SPORT, 12/16).
EL MUNDO REPORT: In Madrid, Herraiz & Alsedo reported that the "UCO has investigated since months ago a case of money laundering and drug trafficking, and at the epicenter of the movements is a name that stands out as a key piece of the puzzle: Jorge Messi." The case "has a look that makes it probable that it will end up in Spain's National Court, as it has international ramifications." The case began "with the discovery that events like sporting events and rock concerts were possibly being used by drug traffickers to launder enormous sums of money." There are "not specific figures, but we would be talking about millions of euros." The "suspected role of Jorge Messi would be one of a contact between the gangs and event organizers, a fundamental part of the framework." Government agents "suspect that Jorge Messi served as an intermediary to make his son and other athletes participate in the charity matches in exchange for a percentage of the money." The investigators believe that "the commission for Jorge Messi is between 10 and 20 percent of the laundered money, but they added that the investigation, which is very complex, is in its initial phase" (EL MUNDO, 12/16).


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Must watch
Must watch
epic lulz
actually kinda depressing
bipressing lulz, then
Nailed it.(both you and the vid, that is...)
+1 i had to watch it twice. Half way through my mind went to a place that was so far away i could see russia. gotta love those innate defense mechanisms...
since when does america need 'UN approval' to go to war
of course, he was against the test, before he was for the test.
- Ned
Since we signed the UN Treaty, shortly after WWII.
It doesn't. That was just the excuse to get around Congress having to declare war.
Ya see, if we have these treaty obligations that Congress has already approved... and it our treaty partner says he needs us... then the big Jeffe can just say GO.
Another Constitutional safeguard bypassed! Hooray for our superior politicians!!
Yes, I also was suprised by him saying that. War is bad, unless it has congressional or UN approval, then you can board your airplane, fly to a distance country and go on a killing spree with weapons you paid for with stolen money. You just need a bunch of guys to rubber stamp it and you are good to go. But otherwise, still a good video. High pace though.
Since we have pussies for leadership.
The results of global cooling are coming in;
"Houston - The cold weather experienced across much of the US in early February made its way deep into Mexico and early reports estimate 80-100 percent crop losses which are having an immediate impact on prices at US grocery stores with more volatility to come.
Wholesale food suppliers have already sent notices to supermarket retailers describing the produce losses in Mexico and the impact shoppers can expect. Sysco sent out a release(pdf) this week stating the early February freeze reached as far south as Los Mochis and south of Culiacan, both located in the state of Sinaloa, along the Gulf of California. The freezing temperatures were the worst the region has seen since 1957."
According to Sysco's notice sent out this week:
"The early reports are still coming in but most are showing losses of crops in the range of 80 to 100%. Even shade house product was hit by the extremely cold temps. It will take 7-10 days to have a clearer picture frome growers and field supervisors, but these growing regions haven't had cold like this in over half a century."
"Supplies of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and other vegetables from Mexico will be severely limited until at least March following an early February freeze."
Jerry Wagner, sales and marketing director for Farmer's Best, based in Nogales, AZ, said: "The end of February and the first half of March, there will be even worse shortages of product" than during the first part of February, The Packer reports.
Wagner called it "a miracle" if 20 percent of the cucumber crop survives. Yellow, green and grey squash took the biggest hit. "Some plants will come back but the vast majority is lost," Wagner added.
Sysco called the Mexico freeze an "unprecedented disaster" and noted the volatility of the matter in its release:
"With the series of weather disasters that has occurred in both of these major growing areas we will experience immediate volatile prices, expected limited availability, and mediocre quality at best."
that has nothing to do with the threads?
if you THINK you know what the fuck is going on with climate, go to climate progress or real climate and go to town......they, for some reason, think that the planet is warming....crazy, huh?......and the people there can play tag with globalcooling.warming/shitting/whatthefuckever.........
is its cooling, yer screwed
if it warming yer screwed
if they carbon tax yer ass, dont pay it.
leave me the alone with your long posts about poo-poo
"The results of global cooling are coming in"
Are these 8 words all it took to set you off? I'll go for 7 next time.
The rest is accurate info from a news story that will lead to higher food prices, not my fault.
yo! crevicareless:
YouTube - Buffalo Springfield - For What It's Worth
w/ video fr. Smotherz Broz (if U like stephen stillz): YouTube - Buffalo Springfield - For What It's Worth -Smother Bros show (oh---and neil young, too, playing harmonics)
M's ok, in my book, tf, fight club, OK, friend? peace.
Better version:
Buffalo Springfield - For What It's Worth (something's happening here) dedicated to Aaron Russo
Thanks for the support STP, appreciate it.
as they say in the capenters' union--they guys & gals w/ the golden hammerz, YouTube - Doug Clark & the Hot Nuts "Baby Let Me Bang Your Box Pt. 1"
as they say in the capenters' union--they guys & gals w/ the golden hammerz, YouTube - Doug Clark & the Hot Nuts "Baby Let Me Bang Your Box Pt. 1"
Actually, global warming = lots o food. Global cooling = real disaster, if it proceeds as it has in the past...
Move south.
"Global Warming" often, in geological terms,
has a nice little micro ice age directly in front of it.
Especially when its normal 26,000 yr cycle is augmented by a
retarded, masochistic, self indulgent, suicidal, "Global Parasite" humans.
Sadly it was pretty damn accurate. BTW - the cartoon character at 3:23 stealing my Social Security looks like William Banzai 7.
the social security bandit, bitchez†
don't listen to him Bill, you are much cuter even if not shaven!
Let me throw this thought and life example your way...I use Google Earth Pro increasingly as a basis for shared communication to accelerate conceptual project design and too bridge across professional boundaries. Fewer egos more product faster learning cycles and more fun - no boredom. We share our Knowledge spatially because it empowers better mutual decisions. We talk the same language. Know why? it makes me money by helping others make money. It's as if the physical and social sciences have found a common vocabulary. And imagine. plant earth. Occam's razor or what :)
In 2005 Marcus Hutter mathematically proved that shorter computable theories have more weight when calculating the expected value of an action across all computable theories which perfectly describe previous observations.
A theory of the post industrial world order and it's manifestation in the market as we knew it.
We are now fully entering the post-industrial cybernic age and are at the threshold of our next evolutionary step. if we make it. My theory is that Google, Microsoft, Intel and similar sectors are owned by government, just as the Chinese government owns all its multi-national corporations. For strategic management purposes. In the US we moved to what the tea & "pot" people call statism or facism.
We simply do not have a paradigm from which to understand what is happening to economies in highly modernized hyper-cyberconnected countries. From my vantage point, the US is becoming a knowledge creating factory that is empowering people all over the world to transcend the limitations of their physicality. So, when the physiological distance between peoples' physical reality and their cyber reality becomes to great ie., the dissonance becomes unsupportable; they act! Empowered people may not do much, but empowered, hungry people with a growing digisense (a sixth sense we are evolving) topple governments. A Egyptian Google executive in Egyt was one of - "the people" looked to for leadership in the recent Egyptian turmoil.
So here you go. We human beings are transcending borders and our limitations. Where that will lead nobody knows. As I've said before, as the pen and the written word enabled us to transcend our communication and knowledge boundaries The pen enabled an evolutionary step. Imagine if you will what nano-technology combined with our ability to create new living organisms through DNA programming. And that is just the beginning. We are in the process of another evolutionary step wherein we are loosing our survival reference points. That is where I see future value creation. We program and grow our furniture and walls are living light emitting photo algae that also purify the air. Crazy? Like trying to convince a Neolithic man his ancestors will walk on the moon.
Evolve or die bitches.
agree (with the parts I can understand anyway)
Why would you want to give Google all that information????
You realize, I hope, that YOU are the product Google sells to the people who actually pay them.
You make it sound like you have no choice in the matter of change. Self-defeatist technocratic attitude. You have all the choices. Now decide. Every dollar spent is a vote for the economy you want. Nobody is forcing you to spend your money.
I figure we are all going to reap the latter option. A good read... The Last Gasp. Fiction, but fun.
I am all for the intangible social aspect from Internet cyberspace hive mind sharing of information and the free exchange of ideas it provides.
When it comes to putting into practice real world reality on the street dealing with thousands of different personalities, the animal instincts take over and cannot be tamed. Virtually everyone looks out for their own wallet. Human behavior has not changed in 7,000 years and is not in danger of changing any time soon.
This is why we impose mortal conditions of restraint on ourselves acceptable to most of us. The Internet cannot do that.
The best social order we have devised thus far is called the US Constitution.
Must disagree, Mikey. IMO, Articles of Confederation are far superior to constitution. I need as little goobermint as posible. You like goobermint, move to N. Korea.
I too like as little 'goobermint' as possible, for the middle class.
For big business (including, no wait, especially banks), I like a lot of 'regulation'.
In fact, I think there should be a regulatory formula that favours the poorest and penalizes the wealthiest.
IE Reverse the status quo (in America, anyway)
It's callled a 'mixed economy', or 'indicative planning' and has been very successful where GS the IMF and all their cronies haven't been able to ef it up. (though not for a lack of effort, to be sure)
Bring on the junks and strawmen all you duped right wing loonies!!!
Why do you hate History?
Power corrupts. If your savior is government, you will be a slave.
Who said anything about a 'savior'?
Just trying to be realistic, pragmatic.
Realistic hypothetical:
Zero regulation means big business puts melamine in your milk and 10,000 babies die before everyone catches on and boycotts the company, if they can actually discover which producer it was.
Pragmatic hypothetical:
Zero regulation means that the handful of thugs you rail against today gain absolute control of your media, your food supply... shit, look around you, it's happening.
Zero regulation will essentially mean the exact same thing as absolute regulation.
While that may seem like a Zen koan... hell, maybe it should be.
Look, when I was fifteen I liked the idea of Anarchy too, and when I turned seventeen I realized that it was essentially the same ideology as pure communism (not Stalinism; for all you Americans hopelessly frozen in 1955), but when I turned twenty I had an epiphany:
Not all people are created equal, some are absolute and total assholes, and they like it that way. Whether it is by genetics or environment, it doesn't really matter (education may be able to remedy these handicaps-but that is another thread), so civil oversight of large populations in just plain necessary. And that involves some 'goobermint', some 'bureaucracy', some wasted capital (human sweat and tears). Less is better, of course, but to hope for zero is silly.
Better, IMO, to think of it as a limit function, as the variable representing 'goobermint' approaches zero, your happiness approaches infinity. Bro, I got news for ya, infinity might make up the universe, but your consiousness has a limited timeline.
You're delusional if you think the world, with this magnitude of population, will function smoothly in any other way.
But if you want to just tear it all down and 'let the chips fall where they may', I'm on board with that too. But trust me, some sort of organisation
How's the most regulated society in the entire history of mankind working out for you?
Life is simple. If a business screws the public, hang its executives. All of them.
Simple and not dictatorial.
Timmay cheated on his world bank 1099s. He is the "decider" for all tax recipets.
Whoops, I truncated myself up there.
To which society would you be referring RF? America? If so, I think you might want to take another shot at reading my post.
And I am doing fine, thanks for asking (!) But then again I have been extremely lucky, IMHO. "Some are born to sweet delight, some are born to endless night." and all that cal.
If a business kills a million people, but nobody can find them because they own all the media, and there is no civil oversight or institution to provide recourse, do they get away with it? Yes.
Life can be simple on an individual scale, but large numbers complicate everything.
FWIW: A dictatorship is one of the simplest forms of gov't, and I think you are going the route of confusing what I am talking about with Stalinism, which is the direction you have likely been conditioned to head since birth if anybody mentions certain words.
Honestly, unless you have 40 billion (at current exhange rates) in bullion on hand, what I am talking about would benefit you and yours greatly.
Try reading it again.
The march of history REQUIRES govt. to become fascist.
From time to time the Tree of Liberty...
Lather, rinse, repeat. Human nature is not changeable.
I'm not arguing with your high-minded ideology. I'm just saying it is doomed to failure as governments always grow and take away liberties. Reality bats last.
There is an "app" and/or sociology degree for that. All my hopes that Putin does not make good on his promise to kill the love child of John Edwards, trial lawyer, senator and candidate for vice president of the USA.
'High minded'? Hardly. Just observing existing political systems that have been in place, and functioning nicely, for quite some time. If 'reality bats last' it's hitting home runs today in a variety of nations. Not too hard to find successful examples of what I am talking about, either, if you are willing to take a look outside of your own screen door. And not one of them seem to be sliding down the slippery path to autocracy you've laid out for them.
On the other hand, in the home of the 'brave', or land of the 'free'...
The US is failing. Our shield over Europe will fail.
Expect changes.
Erm, I don't share your belief that 'America has been protecting the world', rather the opposite, IMO. More like America the imperialist nation dominated by a bloated Industrial Military Complex stirring up hornet's nests worldwide with the intent of keeping their contracts alive and moving by killing anything that is alive and moving. The poorer and less capable of fighting back the better, too.
Your prayers will be answered.
Good luck.
Well, I don't pray, but I can dance!
An atheist who believes in gov't is still just a theist.
No, I believe in being realistic. And reality is that you can't have civilisation billions of people strong without some degree of organisation, cooperation and regulation with civil oversight.
Your 'turn of phrase' is meaningless.
TD: "...oh I get it alright. It's very clever. How's that working out for you; being clever?"
Ans. "great...'
TD: "Well keep it up then..."
Excellent post!
Fuck ideologues!
simplistic, linear and Marxist. Marxism was born out the age of plenty brought on with the industrial revolution when the critical issue was how to divide the spoils of plenty. Marxism and capitalism are poor frameworks from which to address scarcity while maintaining global social harmony. We have to move beyond the political rhetoric born out of post feudal industrialism and look to creating a framework that works better for us now. Old reference points old solutions.
Due to the way the replies in this thread are unfolding, I'm not sure if this was a response to my advocating the standing success of 'mixed economies'
If it was: Read it again, you're missing everything.
Hint: a little from column 'A', and a little from column 'B'
Simplistic? Linear? Not likely. Perhaps easy to explain, but it in practice it takes skill to balance.
Upon reflection, I probably shouldn't have used the politically charged words of 'favours' and 'penalizes'.
Let's replace them with 'encourages' (the poorest) and 'closely monitors (the wealthiest) to maintain a net benefit to society'
IE it's simpler to raise yourself out of poverty through hard work than it is to maintain an extremely indolent lifestyle at the expense of other's labour.


text:
Crystal Dynamics, a Square Enix studio, has partnered with video game journalist, Geoff Keighley, to bring you the online series, The Final Hours of Tomb Raider, hosted by actor Zachary Levi (Chuck). The series will provide fans with behind the scenes footage that includes discussions with the cast, writers and a number of other key individuals, one of which being the voice of Lara Croft herself, Camilla Luddington.
Episode 1 was released on YouTube earlier this month.
Episode 1:
[yframe URL='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXD6VRSrUxQ']


text:
love the ending, time for beer
"I don't understand" the PFY says "We're not invited to any parties?" "Apparently not. The rest of the department are, but this is one Christmas you'll not be visiting any of the other departments!" "But we always go to departmental Christmas functions!" the PFY protests "We get things going and keep the momentum up. We get …
love the ending, time for beer
Just what I need at lunchtime.
Simon and PFY really ARE people people.
Brilliant episode, really gets you into the Xmas spirit
Good thing I work remotely...and am network admin as well.
It was inevitable once the Boss starting revealing the cost-cutting for next year, but welcome nonetheless
Simon owes me a new keyboard and Magic Mouse...
the the ending was pure class!!!!
other than something a little more permanent than paintball pellets, that is...
Not sure if it's been said, but I for one am really appreciating the return to weekly status. Many thanks to Simon for making Fridays great again.
Totally agree, love the BOFH stories they always brighten my Friday.
I would very much like to be able to do this in real life.
Anon, obviously.
Ah, no, I get it. You haven't order the freezer yet for the paintballs.
There you go - how to spend your end of year budget surplus before it gets cut..
- this was a public service announcement -
It's coming Tuesday. Your welcome to come round in the afternoon to try it out.
Best regards
Gordon Browns PA.
"½ frozen pellets"
I don't wish to be pedantic, but..
The basic diameter of a paintball is 0.68", not 1/2 (I'm assuming you meant inches)
There are other diameters available, but not in the 'high power' end of the market.
This is most closely appoximated by a solid nylon bearing of 11/16th diameter, available for 50p a throw if you buy 100.
Moral: Don't mess with me when I'm testing my markers out at home :)
½ frozen pellets --- as in not fully frozen pellets. half frozen in fact.
The size of the pellets wasn't mentioned. It says 1/2 frozen. To give them little extra bit of zing when they make contact.
Or.... they might have been pellets which were half frozen...
he meant 1/2 frozen.
As in, HALF FROZEN. So they hurt more.
... is that they meant half-frozen paintballs, kinda like it says.
(As opposed to fully-frozen paintballs.)
Have a beer, relax..... then take up Airsoft instead (I'm assuming the old rivalry still exists here - I've been out of the game for a few years)..
I believe that Simon meant that the paintballs were HALF frozen....
I could be that the pellets were half-frozen, no?
have friends who run a paint ball site, according to them if you want to do some damage its better to leave some paint balls on top of a radiator over night...
I'm guessing that it hardens the shell
See, this is why all this eco rubbish is never going to take off.
In his valiant effort to save 3 characters and associated energy, wear & tear, processing demands and power (read: carbon impact), Simon uses "½" instead of the word "half". And generated a lot of extra post as a consequences.
It's a bit like an eco-loo. Even when you've just taken a piss you end up flushing twice - too much eco means the small flush doesn't get the job done.
I hope this has lead to comprehension. But lead is a polluter, so maybe not..
Yes, I'm drunk. Why?
My bad :)
I forgot the first rule of pendantry. My only defence is that I had a 1/2 frozen beer for lunch :P
made the mistake of leaving a box out in the sun uncovered one day..the late evening matches were much more entertaining.
They make (or used to make) 1/2" paintballs, too. They were never so popular as the .68" ones, or even the .62" variety, though.
But perhaps the point was that the paintballs were half frozen..?
As for full-auto with cold paintballs, been there, suffered that. Playing on an unusually chill October morning, against a team armed with early Tippmann .62" auto-markers. The old 'linear revolver' sort. Caught several lengthy bursts at close range. The .62 balls don't burst as reliably as the.68 do, especially when cold...
Oh dear oh dear far too much pedantry. Tell you what, me with an Eclipse Ego set to Millennium ramping mode, and a case of Sterling's nastiest paintballs. You out in the cold with your top off. How does that sound ?? ;)
(For those that don't know Millennium ramping mode is about 10 paintballs a second.) :D
Paint grenade for the scenario ballers ;)
You only had a half at lunch? That's no excuse. Anything less than 3pt doesn't have any effect at all in BOFH-land...
How would paint ball pellets injected with a small amount of home made nitro go....... nah it's got to be illegal hasn't it?
They would go bang in the barrel when the compressed air blast hits them.
Sure - you could put nitro in your shells. But they'd probably go off in your own weapon...
I look forward to this silliness and wait for Friday :)
This one had me worried, but the ending cleared it up.
having used frozen maltesers (same caliber) in a particularly cheat filled game of Paintball I can attest to the efficacy of frozen foodstuffs as ballastic encouragement to correct thinking.
well played.
this one is far too aware of what has been happening, and WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE !
If he finds a new job after Christmas, we'll know that he is aware who is responsible. Let's face it, being "management" at BOFH's company is a life-limiting move, not just a career-limiting one.
How could they when management won't allow them to order proper hardware and tools to do their jobs? Those poor sods!
Thank you Simon. Laughing my giblets off after digesting my Thanksgiving Day leftovers.
Nothing too wrong with being a pedant, although in this case Simon was refering to paint ball pellets that were half frozen.
...but what are we going to read at the end of the year? Isn´t it a little too early for Christmas episode?
Will be December´s episode even more awesome, or did Simon blew it prematurely?
After all, corporate Xmas parties ARE already starting. Maybe they're following the Xmas article sales, they seem to start earlier and earlier - they start in August now, don't they?
The requirements for "free meals" to be swapped about "by accident" of course to those below pay grade 4.7 and those above get the vouchers, or perhaps a mishap could befall someone and the meals are made free again with beer and curry on a Friday, naturally down the pub of course.
Well of course security aren't going to see anything the camera system in the basement has got water ingress and thus isn't reliable, and I mean they are also those tiny little fixed domes that see fine 3 ft away but this is 25-30ft away no chance, that and security was too busy watching the football highlights on the TV..
Only 1/2 frozen Simon hmm I guess you want them to feel a little pain.. Hmm
Wait what is that sound and why is everyone now getting back in the lifts to go away - hmm Woooooooooossssssshhhh ophs they forgot to cancel the fire system test and the system is locked down and the value there just blew out...
It's cold inside there's no kind of atmosphere,
they are all along more or less
icicle forming round their toes...
Fun Fun Fun in the bas-e-ment.. :p
"Only 1/2 frozen Simon hmm I guess you want them to feel a little pain.. Hmm"
If the paint balls are fully frozen then all that happens is lots of pain, by half freezing them, you get pain, and paint mess all over the expensive suites , double win.
...of course, should go to the lower pay grades. Those above 4.7 can bloody well afford to pay! :-P
.. this whole requirement for meal vouchers should have yielded the purchase of new, ultra-high quality printers which just happen to be able to replicate meal vouchers at a rate of knots.
The ultimate result would be that the voucher scheme would run at a total loss, leading to the swift sacking of the beancounter (grade 4.7 and above) who came up with this idea. Nobody *quite* knows where he went, something went wrong when he was escorted out of the building, but for a while, strange sounds have been heard from the airco ducts in the basement.
In parallel, the immediate area surrounding the office appeared to have suffered a veritable plague of high quality printed false currency, with especially the pubs suffering. Typically, false currency tends to be discovered in the hands of anyone paygrade 4.7 and above, and staff turnover at those levels has thus been astonishing, with teh local jail unable to keep up with the arrests.
Anyway, just off the bat. I didn't plan to write this. Ignore me. It's Friday..
Cooling a paintball below freezing causes them to dimple causing poor trajectory, condensation develops on them as they return to room temperature and the shell gets too brittle. They either break in the marker or fly inaccurately.
68cal re-balls (re-usable rubber practice balls) however, would work perfectly!
(Even Paris wonders how this would work)
Ooh yes, good point. And don't bother dropping the marker from 280FPS to 200FPS as is recommended when using reballs. MWUHA HA HA reballs at 280FPS hurt like hell, as I know from experience !!
oh yes, it does still exist.
who the heck wants paintballs anyway, they go everywhere but where your aiming them
slow Friday afternoon on the Hell desk and then along comes this.
My day ends on a high.
Hoo! Hoo! Hoo! A classic line.
I was expecting to see the robots back in action with the upper classmen at the receiving end.
Well, most security people would be likely below grade 4.7. I bet they were out there shooting.
This is very rare to see BOFH been people person.


text:
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text:
A soldier from Calhoun who was killed in Afghanistan over the weekend served with the 1st Battalion of the 121st Infantry Regiment, an Army National Guard unit that has two companies based in Winder.
First Sgt. John D. Blair, 38, was killed Saturday when a rocket-propelled grenade hit his vehicle in Mado Zayi, Afghanistan, the U.S. Department of Defense said.
The 1st Battalion is based in Lawrenceville, but two companies are based in Winder.
Blair grew up and graduated from high school in eastern Kentucky, the Associated Press said.
He had been a member of the Kentucky National Guard before moving to Georgia, the AP said.
© 2017. All Rights Reserved. | Contact Us


text:
Over 1.8 million nonprofits and charities for donors, volunteers and funders
Causes: Animal Services, Animals, Crime & Law, Disaster Aid, Law Enforcement, Search & Rescue Squads
Mission: To raise, train & provide bloodhounds to law enforcement agencies.
Programs: During the year the foundation placed approximately 7 trained and registered bloodhounds with law enforcement agencies throughout the united states. Significant volunteer time has been provided to train these animals to be valuable assets for their law enforcement partners. Also provided hands-on training for canine handlers using in areas of search & rescue and training & trailing certification procedures.
to raise, train & provide bloodhounds to the receiving law enforcement agencies


text:
Midtown Greenway crossing closed this week
- Blog Post by: Tim Harlow
- January 7, 2013 - 10:22 AM
Bicyclists who use the Midtown Greenway crossing at 28th Street and Hiawatha Avenue will encounter a week-long detour beginning today.
Crews from Xcel Energy will block off the popular trail as they continue working on the Hiawatha Transmission Project. That projects consits of two 115-kilovolt underground transmission lines that will run along E. 28th Street. The lines will connect a new substation near Hiawatha with one being built about 1.5 miles away on Oakland Avenue S.
The Midtown Greenway crossing is expected to reopen on Friday.
During the closure, bicyclists will be rerouted by way of a marked detour. The Sabo Bridge will remain open during the closure.
© 2017 Star Tribune


text:
With the number of U.S. jobs requiring post-secondary education on the rise, the number of Americans with college degrees (or certificates) needs to follow suit. Every year, the Lumina Foundation publishes a report on our progress, which is slowly but surely headed in the right direction, despite the rising cost of tuition and, in turn, student loan debt.
By 2020, it's estimated that 65 percent of U.S. jobs will require post-secondary degrees or credentials. As of 2011 — the most recent year for which data is available — the number of Americans 25 to 64 with post-secondary degrees or credentials is 38.7 percent. Among young adults 25 to 34, the percentage is 40.1. As previously-published data shows, this represents a slow but steady rise:
- In 2008, 37.9 percent of Americans 25 to 64 held a post-secondary degree or certificate
- In 2009, 38.1 percent of Americans 25 to 64 held a post-secondary degree or certificate
- In 2010, 38.3 percent of Americans 25 to 64 held a post-secondary degree or certificate
As for the growth rate among young adults 25 to 34, it's jumped 2.5 percentage points since 2008.
Still, at this rate of growth, we are far from on-target for meeting the Lumina Foundation's Goal 2025 — 60 percent of Americans holding college degrees or certificates. And this is no arbitrary goal, but one obviously aimed at answering the call for the projected 65 percent of jobs that will require post-secondary education by 2020. This goal is challenged by the rising cost of tuition which Americans are increasingly having trouble with. Student loan debt is nearing the $1 trillion mark, surpassing credit card debt for the first time in history. What's worse is the state of delinquency rates, forcing college graduates to make tough decisions, seemingly impossible decisions, as student loans are not (worst-case scenario) dischargeable in bankruptcy.
The Lumina Foundation is a non-profit founded in 2000 with the aim of expanding access and success in education beyond high school. This is the fourth year in a row that Lumina has compiled and published numbers for the percentage of Americans holding post-secondary degrees or credentials.


text: August 1, 2013 SHARE Jim Ross has updated the Q&A section of JRsBarBQ.com, and below are some highlights: Can Bellator Overtake UFC: "They don't have to overtake UFC, and they won't come close, to be successful and profitable. TNA can become profitable and successful w/o ever approaching WWE's success. Both Bellator and TNA should simply focus on themselves and not worry about 'competition.'" "I know of no creative plans for Austin vs. HHH whatsoever and if I did know and it was confidential I would not divulge it. I'd surmise it is another attempt to increase internet traffic." "Heyman helps Lesnar immensely by keeping Lesnar alive on TV when Brock is not there." "I'd suggest Rock hasn't wrestled his last match but I also don't think that he will have many more. Hopefully one more. TBD" SHARE ON FACEBOOK SHARE ON TWITTER Dixie Carter Answers First Batch of #AskDixie Questions: Will TNA Sign Bill Goldberg?, King Mo/Rampage The Rock on a Potential Ring Return: "If I'd Never Wrestle Again, I'd Be Very Content with That" BellatorBrock Lesnarjim rossPaul Heymansteve austinThe RockTriple HUFCWrestlemania 30 Have a news tip? Attended an event and want to send a live report? Submit it now!


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You want to study extreme biology? Check out the python. These snakes can go a full year without food, and, once they do score a meal, their heart and liver nearly double in size. HHMI professor Leslie Leinwand's animal model of choice has turned out to be a great way to lure upper class students into hands-on biology.
Because python organs undergo such a dramatic response to feeding, they make an ideal study organism for Leinwand, who is interested in understanding how the genetic landscape of the mammalian heart shifts during feeding, exercise, pregnancy, and disease.
Leinwand, at the University of Colorado, Boulder, had been studying heart biology in mammals, including humans, for 15 years when her research took an unexpected turn. In 2006, she came across an article by reptile physiologist Jared Diamond exhorting researchers to think beyond typical model organisms and study animals with more "extreme" physiology.
Diamond was studying Burmese pythons, which can survive in the wild through these year-long fasts. Their heart and liver balloon after a long-awaited meal; then, within a few days, the organs revert to fasting size. Leinwand was intrigued that pythons thrive under physiological conditions that would be toxic to humans.
"Not only are they not sick [during fasting], they don't even lose muscle by virtue of not taking in nutrition," Leinwand says. "I read this article and said to myself, 'this is the coolest thing. I'm going to work on this.'"
So four years ago, Leinwand placed an order for Burmese pythons. Soon, a gaggle of baby pythons arrived, writhing and tangled inside a pillowcase and packed in a Styrofoam box. "People in my lab thought I had lost my mind," Leinwand remembers.
But she had a hunch her undergrads would think it was as cool as she did. With an HHMI grant, Leinwand developed a course that included a lecture program—"From Bench to Bedside: The Role of Science in Medicine"—and a lab-based class called the "Python Project." The course gives students a chance to learn fundamental molecular biology techniques and make discoveries about python biology.
Because of the novelty of working with snakes, and the fact that almost nothing is known about the genetics and molecular biology of pythons, she thought it would create an ideal learning opportunity.
The snakes are housed in a balmy room in the basement of the psychology department. Leinwand's laboratory assistant, Chris Wall, reaches into one of the bins with a gloved hand and deftly retrieves a dappled chocolate brown and tan Burmese python and drops it onto a scale. This 210-gram snake is nowhere near as intimidating as the 20-foot-long, 200-pound specimens that grow in the wild. Burmese pythons are really quite docile, Wall explains, though they can be testy when hungry.
Back in the classroom laboratory, 16 students look on as Wall makes a smooth incision along the length of the euthanized snake's glossy, muscular underbelly, explaining that snake organs are quite similar to humans', only greatly elongated. The young snake hasn't eaten in a month, so the tissues the class collects today will yield genetic information about its fasting condition. "So, pythons have no venom sac?" one student asks. "Nope, they just kill by constriction," says Wall. "They're actually really strong, and you'll see that the entire body, outside of the internal cavity here, is solid muscle."
Wall took Leinwand's course in the spring of 2008 and joined her research group immediately afterward. He has been accepted into a Ph.D. program in biomedical sciences at the University of California, San Diego, and says that Leinwand's course cemented his interest in becoming a researcher.
This semester, the students in Leinwand's lab are analyzing gene expression in a set of python genes that control liver proliferation. They huddle in small groups around their lab benches, painstakingly inspecting agarose gels containing amplified DNA samples from polymerase chain reactions they performed earlier that week. The gels separate DNA fragments by size, allowing the students to compare their amplified product against a standard of known size and identity. Next they will work with RNA derived directly from the python's liver tissue.
Several groups exclaim that they have successfully obtained the DNA product they were after. Kaisa Wallace-Moyer, a junior majoring in chemical and biological engineering, says she enjoys the ownership that comes with running experiments that don't have a predictable outcome. "It's just really cool knowing I get to come in here and do my own experiment," she says.
Senior Ashley Crary agrees that the hands-on experience is critical to learning the techniques. "It's scary but also exciting that we're actually practicing what we say we want to grow up and do."
Leinwand compares the python's dramatic heart enlargement after a meal to the beneficial heart enlargement that occurs in highly trained athletes. "If we can understand how the python does this over and over again throughout its life, it could lead to therapeutics that could promote improved cardiovascular health," she says.
She hopes the students' work will help paint a complete picture of the expression patterns of these python genes during the extreme metabolic shifts before and after feeding. But it's not just the experimental results that Leinwand is after. "My main goal is not the outcomes from the students' experiments," she says. "If they learn to be excited about research and to think scientifically, that would be a success. If great results are a by-product, all the better."


text:
Patrick the gorilla may have been a favorite among Dallas zoo patrons, but he was considerably less popular among his own kind — and now the 23-year-old simian will be moving to a South Carolina zoo where he can pursue a more solitary existence.
The 430-pound Western Lowland gorilla has lived at the Dallas zoo for well over a decade, reports the Dallas Morning News, but unfortunately was less than successful at forming tight relationships with the other apes residing in his exhibit.
Instead of romancing and perhaps breeding with females, Patrick sneered at them and nipped them, says Reuters — indicating that the great ape may harbor some less-than-progressive sexist attitudes.
Abandoned by his mother at a young age, Patrick was hand-reared by humans, which probably explains his lack of fondness for his own species, according to the Associated Press.
"It's become clear that he prefers to live a solitary life," said Dr Lynn Kramer, head veterinarian at the Dallas Zoo, to the AP. "This move will allow Patrick to continue to thrive while creating an opportunity for our four remaining males to form a cohesive bachelor group."
Patrick had been housed alone, but will be unable to inhabit his bachelor pad for much longer as the Dallas zoo has acquired two new gorillas. One of the new recruits became famous in Calgary for his "breakdancing," a tough act to follow for the people-loving but cranky Patrick.
Patrick's new residence will be the Riverbanks Zoo and Garden in Columbia, South Carolina, where he will be permitted to live a less socially fraught existence.


text:
Route Grade Votings
Total votes cast 46
Adjacent Routes
The left-hand crack from a niche gives steep jamming with a feeling of urgency despite its brevity.
I didn't experience even a mildly harrowing exit!
Have to agree. Was quite a nice route but not harrowing in the slightest.
An easy exit but very pumpy to get to it.
From below it looks VS but in the event the jugs are not as juggy nor the jams as jammy as they appear. Solid HVS 5a and worth its star.
Sheepishly seconded after getting spanked on the horror show next door. Still quite pumpy for HVS.
Easy enough, but too pumpy for the last of the day. No particular crux, but I agree it's harder then it looks from the floor.


text:
I have three baby quilts in my near future. Two must be finished by Christmas and the mothers are all family and I don't want to duplicate patterns. Any ideas for quick quilts that do not involve a printed panel. These moms know quilts and I would like to give them a patched quilt.
I saw a pattern called "Hugs and Kisses" on a site some where this fall. Shame on me I did not bookmark it. It looked like "x's" and "o's". Was this from any of you? I thought that might be a good pattern for one of these sweet new ones.


text:
Egypt Bars Gaza-bound Northern Irish Nobel Laureate
Mairead Maguire detained and deported just days after U.S. activist says Egypt police broke her arm.
Egypt on Wednesday detained and deported a Northern Irish Nobel laureate who had planned to travel to neighboring Gaza, French news agency AFP reported.
Want to enjoy 'Zen' reading - with no ads and just the article? Subscribe todaySubscribe now


text:
Tassal Tasmanian Salmon, an Australian salmon farming company, backed away from plans to dump treated wastewater from salmon pens into...
Europes water cooler industry is steaming ahead, with increasing merger and acquisition activity fuelled by sustained unit and volume growth. According to the 2002 West Europe Water Coolers report from leading drinks consultancy Zenith International, the number of machines installed by the end of 2001 had advanced 27% to 1,275,000 and consumption had surged 30% to 920 million litres. The rises in units by 271,000 and volume by 212 million litres were both record uplifts.
Industry consolidation has become a key feature, with 32 separate transactions recorded in 2001 and a further 26 in the first eight months of 2002. "Since last January, there have been mergers and acquisitions in every single West European country apart from Austria," commented Zenith Research Director Gary Roethenbaugh. "Europe now has some major cooler groups that wield influence on the entire bottled water sector."
Water coolers now account for over 2% of total bottled water volume and contributed over 10% of total bottled water growth in 2000 and 2001. The impetus added by the recent entry of Nestlé Waters illustrates the importance of coolers to small pack bottled water players. Already ranked number three, Nestlé is mounting a direct challenge to the European leaders Hutchison Whampoa (Watsons/Powwow) and Vivendi (Culligan), with pressure also being brought to bear by Suez (Chateaud'eau) and Eden Springs.
Despite growing maturity in the office distribution channel and testing economic times, the cooler opportunity remains robust," added Gary Roethenbaugh. "Aggressive marketing and pricing strategies are ensuring market buoyancy. At the same time, an increasing variety of smaller local operators are challenging the multinationals."
The United Kingdom remained by far the largest market in 2001, with 33% of the total units installed, followed by France on 16% and Italy on 10%. Growth was fastest, however, in the less well established markets of southern Europe led by Greece, Switzerland, Spain and Portugal.
Zeniths report concludes with a detailed analysis of the European market by value as well as volume and unit growth forecasts. Balancing out continuing high growth in emerging markets with a degree of maturity in others, Zenith expects the industry to reach the 2 million unit mark by 2004 and 2,000 million litres by 2006.


text:
Planting: August is the end of the summer vegetable season. At some point this month, you will pull out the old plants that are past useful production and prepare to plant winter vegetables. Broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, chard, collards, kale, greens, peas, spinach, beets, carrots and turnips. If you start your vegetables by seed, do it now in trays, or if root crops, plant in the ground now. If you buy transplants from the nursery, spend August at the pool and plant the garden in September.
This is a great month to shop for South African bulbs in the nurseries. Plant freesia, ixia, sparaxis and other fall/winter bulbs right away. For fall color, plant 4-inch to gallon-size plants of aster, chrysanthemum, rudbeckia, Russian sage, salvias, verbena, zinnia, gaillardia, or fall color selections in the nursery now.
Maintaining: Trim and prune everything that has spent blooms and needs refreshing. This includes daylilies and agapanthus. Cut suckers from the base of rose and fruit trees. Prune and train vines now while growth is supple and you can create the look you want. Do not trim fall bloomers like chrysanthemums. Fertilize
everything except deciduous fruit trees, cool weather lawns and California natives.
Fire season is here. Is your home and surrounding area prepared? For more information and help minimizing fire hazards for the landscape, contact the UC Cooperative Extension Office at (858) 694-2860, or the California Department of Forestry (www.fire.ca.gov/php).
Now for the soap box: Did some of your bedding plants and vegetables die in the heat but you felt you watered enough to keep them alive? Check to see how strong and extensive the root system was by tugging on the dead plant. Does it come up easily, with little root development? Or does it break off easily at the soil line? The latter could mean a root rot or stem rot that a drench with a fungicide and good soil management would have prevented.
Poor root development means that the roots did not have enough nutrition or time to develop vegetative top growth and the root growth to sustain the plant before the reproductive (flowers and fruit) growth kicked in. You must feed the roots. If you don't, you get a hungry and stressed root system, susceptible to disease and
wilt. To avoid this in the future, buy smaller plants that are still in the vegetative state (not blooming), prepare the soil with good nutrition and water-holding amendments, fertilize regularly the first month with a medium nitrogen and more phosphorus and potassium. And remember to mulch over the root system to retain moisture and shade the roots from direct, baking sun.
Uninvited guests: If you keep your plants well-fed and watered and stress-free, diseases and pests should be at a minimum. Watch for rust on daylilies. Cut old foliage to the ground and destroy, do not compost. Also watch for fire blight, a bacterial disease, which can infect plants in the Rosaceae family.
Water Wisdom: This month you will water your container plants several times a week. Keep the water where you want it, at the roots. To make your watering efforts last longer, use mulch around your plants' root systems. This will keep the water you apply from drying out so quickly. It also provides an insulating effect to keep the soil cooler and the roots less stressed in the hot weather. You will also notice fewer weeds, since a layer of mulch discourages weed seed germination.
Two more things to remember about August watering: Get the hose out and mist the plants occasionally in the morning or late afternoon. It washes off the pests and dust, and cools down the garden through evaporation. Yes, it creates humidity, but that benefits the health of your plants by lowering stress that heat can cause. Think of it as summer showers. And last, please remember the birds. They need a clean water source that will not harbor mosquitoes and is safe from cats.
- Contact freelance writer Tenaya Groff at firstname.lastname@example.com .


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After William Scott Tanksley's brief professional baseball career ended, he went back to a quiet life in his rural hometown of Kemp, joined Dallas Fire-Rescue and started a family.
Tanksley's decision to become a firefighter didn't surprise Blake Anderson, his high school and college friend and teammate.
"You have those guys who would lead by example and have others follow," Anderson said. "He was that guy."
Anderson and neighbors said Tanksley, 40, was always willing to help others. Police say he was helping a motorist Monday night when he was knocked off an overpass while responding to an ice-induced car accident in southwest Dallas and killed.
Tanksley's line-of-duty death drew an outpouring of support from friends, neighbors and city officials Tuesday. Those who knew Tanksley, who went by Scott, described the former college baseball star as a good neighbor, a talented craftsman, an avid hunter and a family man. He leaves behind three young children and a wife.
Tanksley and several other firefighters were helping a motorist around 8 p.m. Monday on the shoulder of the southbound Spur 408 overpass in the Mountain Creek area, Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesman Jason Evans said. The driver had wrecked in the icy conditions.
At the same time, someone headed south on the overpass lost traction on the ice as a result of "unsafe speed" and hit the wrecked car before striking Tanksley, according to the report. The report says the firefighter was "knocked over the west side of the bridge" and fell 56 feet onto the eastbound ramp of Interstate 20. Police said Tuesday there had not yet been any arrests or citations for the wreck.
Tanksley was taken to Methodist Dallas Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead of blunt-force injuries. His death was one of four Monday and Tuesday in North Texas attributed to treacherous road conditions.
"That road out there was horrible," Evans said. "There were so many accidents on that bridge you didn't know if that was what they were responding to or if there were other accidents that occurred since then."
Tanksley was the third Dallas firefighter killed in the line of duty in the last 10 months. The fire station where he worked — Station 12 on Wheatland Road — flew the American flag at half-staff on Tuesday.
Mayor Mike Rawlings extended his condolences to Tanksley's family and colleagues.
"His death proves what a dangerous job our firefighters are tasked with every day," he said in a written statement.
Dallas City Manager A.C. Gonzalez also paid a visit to the hospital early Tuesday morning.
"Scott was a fine officer for the fire department, but also a great family man, father and son to loving parents," Gonzalez said. "We're all heartbroken by his loss."
Tanksley became a Dallas firefighter in 1999, two years after he left organized baseball. His uncle, Tom Tanksley, was serving as a Dallas Fire-Rescue deputy chief at the time and later retired as an assistant chief.
Tanksley played parts of three years in the Minnesota Twins minor league system. The Twins drafted him in the 22nd round of the 1995 amateur draft out of Mississippi State University, a perennial college baseball powerhouse. Former Texas Ranger Will Clark and current Ranger first baseman Mitch Moreland both played for the Bulldogs.
Mississippi State baseball team spokesman Kyle Niblett said in an email Tuesday that Tanksley is remembered as "one of the best relief pitchers in our history."
College teammate Carlton Loewer, who pitched in the major leagues for the Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres, described Tanksley as "a bulldog" on the mound.
But off the field, Tanksley "was a real quiet guy, a nice guy," Loewer said in a telephone interview from Wyoming, where he sells real estate.
The Baltimore Orioles originally drafted Tanksley out of Kemp High School. But Tanksley chose college instead.
He was a Mizuno freshman All-American in 1993 and was the last freshman in Mississippi State history to throw a complete-game shutout. He ranks in the top 10 in school history in seven statistical categories. He also made the SEC Academic Honor Roll in 1995.
Town feels loss
The news of his death hit Kemp hard Tuesday.
James Whitehead, a neighbor of Tanksley's father and the Kemp city administrator, said he was "very saddened" by the firefighter's death.
"He was very much a family person," Whitehead said. "He'll be missed in this community."
Tanksley's father is an electrician in town. Neighbor Jim Hayes said Tanksley would usually help his father when he wasn't on duty in Dallas.
"Scott just worked all the time," Hayes said, adding that Tanksley "was a good neighbor" and a "fine fellow."
Friends said Tanksley also spent a lot of time with his three children, ages 4 to 13.
Hayes said Tanksley coached his son in Little League. The boy and Tanksley's daughter attend Kemp ISD schools, where Tanksley's mother and his wife, Wendi, used to work. The couple would have soon celebrated their 16th wedding anniversary.
Superintendent Sam Swierc said Tanksley's family is "well-respected and great supporters of the school district."
Swierc said when he found out about Tanksley's death, "it took me aback pretty hard."
Tom Tanksley told KXAS-TV (NBC5) that like any firefighter, Scott Tanksley was aware of the hazards of the job. But he said those thoughts never stopped his nephew.
"It's always in the back of your mind just how dangerous it is, and I'm sure it was in Scott's mind," Tom Tanksley said. "Scotty loved his job, he loved helping people and he loved working hard to provide for his family."
Staff writer Brandon Formby contributed to this report.


text:
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Since this is MY page and there is no teacher, manager, or businessman/woman asking me to do so, I am NOT going to write a bio (at least not now). I LOATHE writing them; it just feels so unnatural to do so. Don't get me wrong: I'd really like to hang and chat with whoever is interested, but writing information/credits/awards about yourself just feels so egotistical and stale and then to have to do it EVERY TIME you get a job, or take a new class. UGH! Feel free to ask questions and inquire though; I will be more than happy to answer them. Why start a page you may ask? I did it for Pokémon. :) I owe it all to Nintendo for making such an outstanding multi-million dollar franchise. Thank you for the support and love all these years and for tolerating my silence as long. I have enjoyed playing the games over the years and now I will attempt to debunk some myths, talk about the process, give some tips and share in the love and joy that is Pokémon.
Of course, I apologize if the above introduction has too much negativity, and I'll be adding much more to my page sooner or later, but for now, this is only a start. Thank you everyone! :D
☆GamerGeek☆ 20:26, 17 November 2012 (UTC)
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text:
" Author: Kate Mosse / Format: Paperback / Date of publication: 28 October 2010 / Genre: Modern & Contemporary Fiction / Publisher: Orion Publishing Co / Title: The Winter Ghosts / ISBN 13: 9781409103394 / ISBN 10: 1409103394 / Alternative EAN: 9781409112273 "
* Prices may differ from that shown
For my birthday, my Mum decided the best route to take was to buy a selection of books for me, this is normally the best bet as I will literally read any book written on any subject, though am afraid the one I will now review for you seems to be more style over substance for me.
The book in question is - " The winter ghosts by Kate Mosse".
It's 1928 and Freddie Watson has now been grieving the loss of his older brother George for nearly 10 years.
After finally succumbing to his grief and being institutionalised for a few months, he decided the only way to go was to wander across the word, never really connecting with others, but more observing from afar.
After driving to France and stupidly taking the chance to drive through the French Pyrenees in a very fast descending snowstorm, he thinks he has gone mad due to him being able to hear voices, though this is soon quashed when his car spins out of control and he has to dump and run.
He stumbles across an isolated little village that gives him refuge and offers to rescue his car, but he soon meets a beautiful young woman called Fabrissa who manages to touch his frozen heart for the first time in many years, though after spending a wonderful night with her as day comes she disappears and he finds that he holds the key to an 700 year old secret, one that will lead to a cave filled with horrors......
I have to say after reading the blurb on the back of the book I was initially very excited as this sounded really interesting to read, and hopefully not too predictable, which I am afraid was neither really!
The book starts with a desperately unhappy and grieving man, who has not only lost his older brother in the tragedy of war, but also has to live with the knowledge that his parents see him as the lesser son, so he also has regrets that it wasn't him that died.
The fact that his brother George was his only shining star in the family, the only one to love and protect him is the striking blow, the emotion of the grief the character feels is really well written, with the desolation and the inability to connect to others, whether through fear of more loss or whether through inability of emotion, the character seems believable.
As the book is set in the wilderness of France I did find a real problem with the constant French phrases used, as obviously the character had to converse with any characters he came into contact with there, the author did write translations straight after so thicko's like myself could keep up with the story flow, but to me I felt this distracted me somewhat from the storyline.
There is a small chapter or two at the books start that incorporates Freddie's grief, but also one that demonstrates how he is after the event has happened, including a small artefact he managed to recover from said situation, this was the drawing point for me, I was desperate to find out what this document meant, though after the big scene at the beginning of the book about it, it was actually made to feel quite flat when it is actually revealed at the end of the book.
This book is the title's namesake, so I was hopeful that there would be at least a little horror, though when the subject arises neither the reader or the character actually realises the scene and characters are no more than a memory stain in time, he relives a festival that has been taking place for hundreds of years, in honour of the dead, of which he is invited to on his arrival to the guesthouse e stays in after his car crash, though the one he attends ends up being the original one that the characters now celebrate in memorial.
The final scene seems quite insipid after the build up, though I suppose it could have been worse, with the final scene never coming (I have read books before like that, this would have been burned if that had happened! Lol!), with the final scene that explains the whole book neither being confirmed or denied as ghostly happenings or fever induced hallucinations, either way I felt a real sense of anti climax to the proceedings.
The book is written from the third person perspective and aside from the constant language differences I found this book easy enough to read, though really that exciting in places. The book however is incredibly atmospheric so from that point of view would definitely appeal to readers in search of that kind of read.
Price wise this is currently on sale as part of a "2 for £7.00" deal being run in Asda.
For more information on the author visit - www.katemosse.co.uk.
As much as I wanted to enjoy this book I really felt it was a letdown in many respects, so can only award this a couple of stars, one for readability (aside from the French!), and one for the emotion of the character, both of which made the book readable.
Thanks for reading x
If you like a bit of an old fashioned spook then Winter Ghosts is a perfect read. It is pretty short so you should be able to read it in a couple of sittings. Make sure those sittings on on a cold night with the curtains drawn and the fire stoked.
The novel is set in the post World War 1 era and has a very old fashioned charm about it. It is the kind of story you could imagine the BBC producing as a period Christmas drama.
The story focuses on a man who is lost in the world after losing his older brother in the war. He is travelling around France on the advice of his doctors after suffering a nervous break down. Whilst there he is in a car accident which leads him through the mountains to the remote French village of Nuell and the enchanting Fabrissa.
This is a beautifully written book. Mosse has a wonderful way of describing every detail of the environment the characters are in, you can taste the food they are eating and smell the pines on the mountain track they walk. You will be completely transported into another world.
This story is much more than just a novel about ghosts. Primarily it is about dealing with grief, guilt and learning to let go. It is about banishing the ghosts of your past that have been holding you back and moving on with them in your heart.
As someone who is terrified of the thought of dying myself, my favourite passage was this from chapter 4:
"No more panic or fear, only peace. I had the sensation of the light dimming and downy softness, like black feathers, and I hoped George had felt this obscure pleasure at the moment of his departing. No terror, most of all no pain. Just release. The sense of being welcomed home."
Simply beautiful.
The Winter Ghosts is the third of Kate Mosses' novels to be based in the beautiful Languedoc. It is certainly very different to both Labyrinth and Sepulchre and I think readers expecting a novel on the same epic scale of those two previous novels will be disappointed. However, I felt that the Winter Ghosts had its own unique charm that made it an irresistible read.
The story follows Freddie, a young man mourning the loss of his brother in WW1 and adventuring through France in an attempt to heal. He uncovers a chilling tale when his car crashes outside an isolated village; the story of the fate of the inhabitants of the village who disappeared over 700 years ago.
Mosse, true to form, tells the story in a fantastic way and really takes us into Freddies' world, albeit for a short time (don't expect to take as long over this as with previous Kate Mosse novels!). The story telling is so atmospheric and vivid that I really think that one can't but help completely getting lost in this book.
I do see why some other reviewers have given this book a worse rating than me, and I completely agree that it is perhaps a disappointing follow up to Mosses' two other fantastic novels. But taken on its own, this is a really enjoyable read and should be given a chance!
Being a huge fan of Kate Mosses' previous books, Labyrinth and Sepulchre, I had very high hopes for what was described as the follow up in the Languedoc trilogy. Winter Ghosts was the third and final instillation of this Languedoc series which was all set in France.
The book is about Freddie Watson, who whilst in a book store trying to translate an old letter, tells us his story. To tell us this story he takes us back to the 1920's where he is suffering the loss of his older brother from the Great War. Driving through France he, due to unforeseen circumstances finds himself in an isolated village called Nulle. In this village, at a social Gathering, he meets a very intriguing woman named Fabrissa and they share their stories. Fabrissa later asks for Freddies help in what is the main plot of the story.
The winter Ghosts took me a while to really sink my teeth into the storyline but I wasn't worried as this did occur with both Labyrinth and Sepulchre, however unlike the other two books, I guessed the ending rather quickly, which spoiled the book for me somewhat. What didn't help was that I had picked up Mosses' Novella named The Cave some time before and had read a good chunk of it (only stopped when I found out it was going to be made into a novel).
Kate Mosses' writing and descriptions are still in keeping with the other two and so the book does have some redeeming qualities but I found that it didn't move me as much as the other two had. With the others I felt great empathy with the central protagonists and once finished couldn't find a book to match up with its style. Both Labyrinth and Sepulchre have a unique beauty about them that is very clearly lacking in The Winter Ghosts.
The story line is good but the sequence of events made it too obvious for the reader to guess what exactly was happening. It was almost infuriating for me as a reader to read that Freddie Watson couldn't understand what was happening when to me it was so obvious.
Overall I would say this was a disappointment. Yet if you do not mind knowing the plots before you read or if you haven't read one of Mosses over books before I would certainly give this a go. I feel that my love of the other two has definitely prejudiced me against this book and because I was expecting so much more I never would have liked it.
This book still has that beautiful way of words that Kate Mosse is so good at and so is not an awful read (just not a very good one).
====What's It About?====
The Winter Ghosts is set in 1933 initially, where we meet the lead character, Freddie Watson, who whilst in a French bookshop, trying to get a medieval letter translated, is persuaded to tell the story of how he came to come across such a piece of writing. From here, the book mainly takes place in the 1920s.
Much of the story focuses on how Freddie is still mourning his elder brother, who was killed in the First World War. A troubled man, he's returned to the Nulle area of France -not far from where his brother died - when he loses control of his car in the snow. Forced to trek to a village for help, his life takes an unusual twist, when he meets Fabrisaa - a beautiful girl, whom he falls in love with.
Troubles erupt and it's up to Freddie to save the day, but can he?
====A Good Read?====
For me, no. There are lots of short sentences in the book, which could've been linked into a longer sentence. I appreciate it's done for effect, but that style of writing grates on me a bit. I also found the book to be rather dull. Most of the action happens in the last few of the 272 pages. I struggled to get into the story and at times had to force myself to continue reading.
The descriptions in throughout the novel are good and paint good images in the mind.
I did feel had the plot got into a better stride earlier on, the story could've been extended, however, I feel, although a short book, it's probably about right.
There's a fair bit of French in it, and as I didn't take French after the age of 14 at school, that lost me a bit.
====Never Judge a Book By its Cover====
So, so true in this case. The cover is gloriously designed in a rich, deep blue with sort of a snow effect around the edge and clear silver writing. This, you would think, paves the way for a rich, deep story, but alas, for me it lacked substance and in places, was predictable.
====Over All====
I haven't read any other of Kate Mosse's books, but I know on having given them to my sister as gifts, this one is far shorter than her other work. I have been told the short sentences is her style of writing, so I guess I can't hold that against her. But for me, this is certainly not the best novel I've ever read. At no point did I find it a page turner and although it could be read in a day, it took me a week as I kept on getting bored and putting it down. I'd suggest borrowing it from the library
The Winter Ghosts is a novel set ten-fifteen years after the end of the first world war, that is 1928 and 1933. The novel looks at grief over the loss of an older brother and the need for healing which only another person can give.
Kate Mosse wrote Labrynth and Sepulchre both are historical fiction with a bit of international espionage and are set in the Occitania which is now modern day France. Labrynth looked at the crusade and the Cathars in the 12th century, some people really loved it but it missed the mark in my opinion being too much of an adventure story and not enough proper literature. I haven't read Sepulchre, but Kate Mosse writing style is more Dan Brown than Frederick Forsythe.
Starting very briefly in 1933 with an upbeat man walking into a French bookshop with an old medieval letter, it soon develops into a monologue by the man about events 5 years previously in the same region of France. Taking the story back 5 years, a depressed and emotional man is driving through the French mountains when he's caught in a snowstorm, fearing for his life he finds an isolated village called Nulle. The man Frederick Watson, an Englishman has been carrying around the weight of the loss of his elder brother 12 years earlier in a First world war battle not far from the area he's driving through. The loss of his brother sent him into a spin and unhinged his mind for many years, even though he's been feeling better the loss of his brother still profoundly affects him.
Frederick burdened by the ghosts from the past goes to a village late night party, where he meets a beautiful women called Fabrissa who has ghosts in her past too. The pair run from the meeting and over the night talk about there loss and the ghosts they carry.
The book looks at loss, grief and redemption through conversation, it's a bit predictable at times and is short at only 272 pages. In fact, the book is a bit of a con really because it's only 272 pages, in large type and with wide borders, this is a book which could easily be read in an afternoon. the paper though is lovely and thick and you might be forgiven for thinking that your reading an old manuscript, the other plus is the gorgeous black cover with an inlaid tree in silver. However, I would be a bit annoyed if I'd paid £15 for it as it is a very short novel.
So in conclusion, this is a charming book in some ways with the character of Frederick one which the reader can easily engage with but it's predictable at times. The ghosts of the tale are an area that has been well looked over in the past by to be honest better authors than Kate Mosse, but the loss of a loved older brother is well written and at least believable many years after the event.
So I enjoyed it, it's an easy read in some ways about an emotive issue but as a piece of literature it's only fair to middling. So two stars for the writing and the concept and one extra for the books presentation.
As a huge fan of Kate Mosse's previous novels, Labyrinth and Sepulchre, I couldn't wait to get my hands on The Winter Ghosts. I met her in 2008, and she said she was working on the follow up to Labyrinth and Sepulchre, to feature the recurring character Audric Baillard. I assumed The Winter Ghosts was this follow up.
The Winter Ghosts takes place mainly in 1928, although the story is being told in 1933. A young Englishman, Freddie Watson, who lost his brother in the Great War, is travelling through the south of France, in the Corbieres/Languedoc region. He has a car accident, and seeks refuge in the village of Nulle, where he hears an extraordinary story, and meets the mysterious Fabrissa.
The first thing I noticed about The Winter Ghosts, before I even started reading it, was its size. It is half the length of the previous novels, perhaps less, and in addition the typeface is large and the text on the page has a lot of white space around it. There are also pictures, line drawings. In short (literally), it is not as substantial a novel as her previous ones, and I read it in one day. It is a very pretty book though, in hardback with no dustjacket, the cover is dark blue with silver print on it.
Starting the novel, I was filled with anticipation. Mosse writes beautifully about this region of France and its people, so I had high hopes for The Winter Ghosts. I wasn't disappointed - her style and use of language was wonderfully evocative, yet clear and easy to follow.
However, as I continued reading, I suddenly realised I was halfway through the book and the story had not properly got going. I was still in what would be the introduction of a longer novel, but it should have been long past in this short one.
I cannot fault the story itself, although I did see the twist very early, which I never have before with Mosse's novels - which makes me wonder if it is intentionally obvious. The story is engaging, well written and has the usual elements of suspense and a little fear. I think it would have benefitted from less introduction and more of the main story though.
Before The Winter Ghosts was published, Mosse published a story called The Cave as part of the Adult Quick Reads series. I haven't read it, but I know it is just a short version of The Winter Ghosts. I think that she wrote The Cave, and then decided to turn it into a novel; or perhaps wrote The Winter Ghosts and then shortened it. One thing is clear - The Winter Ghosts is a short novel, and is not the follow up to Labyrinth and Sepulchre that I expected. Audric Baillard does not feature in it.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Winter Ghosts, Mosse as usual has written an engaging and beautifully written story, but I think I expected too much of it. Or rather, my expectations were wrong. Had I realised it was not a follow up novel, I would not have compared it to the previous ones and not turned every page expecting Baillard to appear.
As it is, I would definately recommend The Winter Ghosts, as I would recommend Labyrinth and Sepulchre, but if you have already read them, remember this one is not connected to them!


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My fully justified, highly enthusiastic review of The Giaconda Dining Room just off Tottenham Court Road, where Australian Paul Merrony, pictured here, is the only chef in a one-person kitchen, did end by saying that the viability of the business rested solely on his broad shoulders.
Fate has unfortunately intervened. Cycling home from work on Halloween after what he subsequently described as 'a record week', Merrony had an accident that has resulted in a broken right elbow. Fortunately, he is left-handed.
The restaurant has been closed since then. It will re-open later this week but only at lunchtime. He will be serving 'a one armed chef menu' with his partner Tracey, usually in charge of the restaurant, now his right arm in kitchen in the truest sense of the word. Paul and Tracey will cook a menu that includes three or four first courses, main courses for two to share such as paella, grilled fish and steaks, and a couple of desserts.
Merrony thinks that it will be like this for at least the next six weeks but he signed his last email to me in his usually upbeat fashion, 'As ever onwards and upwards'.


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Two volunteers at the California Route 66 Museum in Victorville, Calif., have been nominated as the 2011 Most Inspiring Women by the city's Daily Press newspaper.
Charlotte "Chick" Kirk and Betty Halbe were nominated together, and apparently are such a strong combination, they have a nickname.
Some may have never heard of a Chickanbetty, but many in the Victor Valley have not only seen the only one in existence but say they are lucky to count Chickanbetty as their friend and inspiration.
"It's not Chick and Betty," said Jim Conkle, longtime Victor Valley resident and member of the California Route 66 Museum board of directors. "It's one word: Chickanbetty." […]
"Chick and Betty. What more is there to say?" chuckled Eldon Kingston about the women. "When you think of one you think of the other, then you think of the Route 66 Museum."
The report goes on to say that the two women not only helped get the museum started, but they've also logged thousands of volunteer hours there to greet tourists and provide tourist of the facility.
When the two heard they were nominated, they said it should go to someone else. "… There are so many women out there working and volunteering with cancer patients, battered women and the homeless," Halbe said.