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/r/AppalachianTrail FAQ
(Note: This is an on-going community effort at an FAQ. If you'd like to make an edit you can do so by going here )
What is the Appalachian Trail?
NOBO, SOBO, "thru-hiker", "section hiker", White Blaze? You guys throw around a lot of terminology...what does all that mean?
What is like to thru-hike the AT? What should a future thru-hiker be expecting the trail experience to be like?
-How many people to set off to thru-hike the trail actually finish it?
If I only want to hike a section of the AT, which section should it be?
-Resources for Section Hike Planning
Any etiquette I should know about as a beginner?
How long does a thru-hike take?
When do people generally start?
How many miles a day can I plan on covering?
How do you get food? What do you eat for 6 months in the woods?
-Buy-as-you-go versus Maildrops
-What kind of food does a thru-hiker live on?
Will I get eaten by a bear, or bit by a rattlesnake?
I've seen Deliverance. Should I be carrying a gun?
I want to plan a thru-hike. Where can I get more information?
What gear do I need for a trip on the AT?
What is the Appalachian Trail?
From the ATC website:
The Appalachian Trail is one of the longest continuously marked footpaths in the world, measuring roughly 2,180 miles (3515km) in length. The Trail goes through fourteen states along the crests and valleys of the Appalachian mountain range from the southern terminus at Springer Mountain, Georgia, to the Trail's northern terminus at Katahdin, Maine. Known as the "AT," it has been estimated that 2-3 million people visit the Trail every year and about 1,800–2,000 people attempt to "thru-hike" the Trail. People from across the globe are drawn to the AT for a variety of reasons: to reconnect with nature, to escape the stress of city life, to meet new people or deepen old friendships, or to experience a simpler life. The AT was completed in 1937 and is a unit of the National Park System. The AT is managed under a unique partnership between the public and private sectors that includes, among others, the National Park Service (NPS), the USDA Forest Service (USFS), an array of state agencies, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, and 31 local Trail-maintaining clubs.
Hiker Terminology:
AT--Short for "Appalachian Trail." Each letter should be pronounced.
Thru-Hiker--A "thru-hiker" is someone who has, or is in the process of attempting to hike the entire trail, and is generally defined as completing the entire trail within a calendar year.
NOBO--Short for "Northbound," describes the direction of the thru-hiker as they begin at the southern terminus at Springer Mountain and head north to finish their journey at Mt. Katahdin in Maine. Also known as GA-ME
SOBO--Short for "Southbound," describes the direction of the thru-hiker as they begin at Mt. Katahdin in Maine and worth their way south toward Springer Mountain in Georgia. Also known as ME-GA.
Flip-Flop--This describes thru-hikers heading any direction who choose to stop at some point along the way, travel to a terminus and head the opposite direction to complete their thru-hike. For example, a northbound thru-hiker leaves from Springer Mountain and makes it to Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. For any number of reasons, the thru-hiker then jumps ahead to Mt. Katahdin and travels south in order to complete their thru-hike back in Harper's Ferry.
Yo-yo--Describes a hiker who completes a thru-hike in one direction, and then immediately begins hiking the trail in the other direction. For example, one who starts in GA, hikes to ME, then hikes back to GA.
Section Hiker--Many hikers complete the entire AT in sections, hiking portions of the trail separately over the course of individual trips. Not all section hikers may have the intention of completing the entire AT. A "section" has no defined length - it can be half the trail, or just a few days. In thru-hiker parlance, a "section hiker" usually denotes someone hiking for a longer period of time than a "Weekender".
Weekender--A hiker on the AT who will be on the Trail for only a short period of time, most often a weekend.
Purist--A thru-hiker determined to hike every inch of the white-blazed Trail and not skip any part, no matter how short. The purity can go as far as backtracking across roads to compensate for being picked up on one curb and dropped off on the other, thus "skipping" the width of the roadway, or making sure to re-enter the trail from the same point when leaving the trail to use the bathroom. There is no "right way" to hike the trail, the matter of "purity" is up to the individual hiker.
White Blaze-- The entire AT length is marked by periodic 2"x6" white rectangular paint blazes on tree, posts, rocks, etc along the trail. Generally the trail is so well marked and traveled that maps are not necessary to follow it.
Blue Blaze-- Blue blazes are used to mark ancillary trails. They may lead to water sources, shelters, campsites, scenic overlooks, road access points, or foul-weather bypasses. There is generally signage at the intersection with the AT to explain where the blue blaze trail leads.
Zero Day--A day in which zero trail miles are hiked. Can be a rest day in town or on the trail, or an opportunity to get non-hiking errands completed.
Nero Day--A day in which almost no miles are hiked; usually into or out of town.
Green Tunnel--Trail under tree limbs, with forest or undergrowth on both sides. This is a large majority of the trail, though there are frequent and sometimes spectacular overlooks and rocky areas. Also the name of a video consisting of thousands of pictures stretching the entire trail.
Yellow Blazing-- Walking along a road, or getting a ride in a vehicle, to bypass a portion of the trail. "Yellow" refers to the road stripes. Generally a derisive term.
Aqua Blazing-- Similar to Yellow Blazing, but utilizing a waterway and a boat instead of a road and vehicle. There are a couple of trail portions, most notable Shenandoah National Park, where the option to canoe/raft a river that generally parallels the AT exists.
Slackpacking-- Hiking without your backpack, or with just day-hiking supplies. (hence having some "slack" in your pack) Typically accomplished by having someone with a vehicle dropping the hiker off at one place in the morning and picking them further on down the trail later in the day. Slackpacking is frequently combined with off-trail stays in hostels or trail towns, as it allows trail miles to be covered while still sleeping in civilization at night. It can be a topic of some debate (see "Purist" above), but since the hiker is still physically hiking all the trail miles, it is much less controversial than Yellow Blazing or Aqua Blazing.
Yogi-ing-- (as in "Yogi the Bear") Yogi-ing has been defined as "the good-natured art of 'letting' food be offered cheerfully by strangers without actually asking them directly". It should not be confused with begging. Yogi-ing is usually a form of informal barter: the thru-hiker trades answers to questions about their hike with day-hikers, picnickers, campers, etc, in exchange for an offer of food or refreshment.
The Thru-Hiking Experience:
Weather--Temperatures at the trail termini can be quite cold in the spring and fall, and snowfall can occur in the higher elevations of the southern Appalachians well into April. Summers in the central portions can be stiflingly hot, wih temperatures over 100 degrees F and high humidity. Rain is common throughout the trail; statistics indicate that hikers can expect to be rained upon 1 out of every 3 days.
Difficulty/completion rate--About 1 in 4 people who set out to thru-hike the trail will successfully do so. The reasons people quit certainly vary. It can be injury, difficulty, homesickness, running out of money, or just losing the desire to continue hiking. Many people who do quit, as much as 30% of the entire group of potential thru-hikers, do so very near the beginning of their hike. Reasons include going into the thru-hike with inadequate research and an unrealistic expectation of what the trail would be like. The AT is surprisingly rugged. Hikers who come in expecting to prance through fields of wildflowers are often dismayed when they instead receive days of trudging through mud and bugs.
Body Weight Loss--It is nearly impossible to carry, and eat, as many calories as a backpacker will burn in a day. Weight loss is not uncommon. Men in particular can expect to lose a significant amount of weight, in both fat as well as upper body muscle mass. Women tend to lose less weight than men, partially due to offsetting the fat weight loss with increasing muscle mass.
The "Trail Blues"--The "Trail Blues" are something many hikers go through along the way. Eventually, the length and/or difficulty of the journey weighs on them and they lose the passion for thru-hiking. For some, the Trail Blues lasts only a day. For others, much longer. It can lead to quitting the Trail, or it can lead to a further commitment to finish the Trail and complete the goal.
Suggested Section Hikes:
99.9% of the AT's 3 million annual users do not set off with the goal of thru-hiking the entire length of the trail. Their goal instead is to hike a much smaller portion of it, ranging from an afternoon's dayhike to a multi-week, or even multi-month hike of just a section of the trail. If hiking a section of the trail is your goal, the next logical question is usually, "Well, which section?" Not all of the trail's 2200 miles are equally exciting.
Below is a list compiled by Gramps14 of suggested section hikes:
-Planning Resources for Section Hiking:
Trail Etiquette:
There are no secret handshakes or anything like that. "Don't be a jerk" would probably be the best etiquette advice--just like in real life, most situations come down to that.
-- Little things that come up with new hikers on the trail:
-- A lot of thruhikers end up acquiring a false sense of entitlement. They think they deserve something out of people because they're thruhikers, and forget that not everybody gives a shit like they do. Be humble and appreciative, and don't get upset when you don't get a freebie from that family of campers with obviously too many burgers and brewskies. And it's easy to do in places like the Smokies and the Shenandoahs when they're full of stuck-up day hikers and weekenders that fill up the shelters before noon and crowd you out, nor do they want your stinky company ruining their good time.
--Don't mess with other peoples' stuff. It's pretty common for hikers to stash their packs by the side of the trail while they go down a side trail for water or a view. Just leave their stuff alone. However, if you find a lone item that seems to have been dropped or forgotten, it can be polite to carry it along to the next shelter and see if anyone there recognizes it.
--Remember that you're like a spokesperson for the trail, so try and project the right image when
you're on the trail or town. If you're staying in a hostel or hotel, clean up after yourself. The $40 you paid for the room doesn't cover cleaning up your leftover food or bere cans. Make it easy for them to like hikers. There are hotels along that trail that become "hiker unfriendly" because a previous hiker had trashed the place. On other trails, AT hikers do get a bad name for being arrogant or entitled. Just don't be that person and try and point it out when you see it. Some may be at an age where they can't see the damage they're doing and to them they're just having fun.
--Don't comment on other peoples' stuff as a way of saying what they're carrying is wrong or that they should have made a different gear choice. It's annoying. You'll see people trying to hike with 50 lbs. of stuff, but they'll figure out that it's too much on their own.
--If you snore really loudly, it is polite to tent it instead of sleeping in a crowded shelter (unless it's bad weather).
--A lot of tourists like to give thru-hikers food, which is great, but please don't go up and just ask for it. It makes us thru-hikers out to be homeless bums. See "Yogi-ing", under Hiking Terminology.
-- Not everyone wants to hear your music. Keep it to yourself unless you've asked permission of everyone nearby.
--Hikers go to bed early. Once the sun goes down bedtime is soon to follow. Please be respectful of that. In thru-hiker parlance, 9:00 pm is referred to as "hiker midnight."
Thru-Hike Length:
Generally a thru-hike takes 5-7 months, depending on a variety of factors including hiking speed and number of days off taken.
Typical Hiking Dates:
A typical NOBO thru-hike starts in March to early May, and finishes between August and October, with Baxter State Park closing to camping on October 15. Note: depending on the weather, the Rangers may close Mt. Katahdin to hikers earlier than October 15th.
A typical SOBO thru-hike starts in June to July, and finishes in November or December.
Hiking Speed:
Over the course of an entire thru-hike, the average daily mileage hiked is typically around 12 miles (19km) per day, but that number varies wildly over the course of the entire hike. Hikers generally start slow, achieve their maximum miles per day (as many as 25-30 miles or 40-50km) in the long days of mid-summer, and then see their miles per day come back down as the terrain at the end of the trail becomes more strenuous. It is good advice to resist the temptation to hike big miles every day at the start, since this can bring on stress injuries or knee problems. Keeping your average low at the start will help your body adapt and get your "thru-hiker legs."
Typically every 3-7 hiking days the AT passes close enough to, or occasionally directly through,a town that will provide an opportunity get off the trail and into civilization. For restocking one's food supply, there are two basic strategies: "buy-as-you-go" and "maildrops." These can be used separately, but are more often combined. Flexibility and adaptability are keys to success.
Buy-as-you-go--Buying all of your food at grocery stores and other shops along the way is becoming more and more popular among thru-hikers. It allows you to adjust and tailor your food supply to your changing needs and tastes. There is an uncertainty factor with this strategy: Not every trail town has a well-stocked grocery store. Sometimes a town will have a big grocery, sometimes a small one, and sometimes no grocery at all. One will probably have to resupply with food from a gas station or convenience on at least a few occasions.
Maildrops--The alternative to buy-as-you-go is to have packages of food and supplies, called a "maildrop," sent to you through USPS to receptive locations along the way (post office branches, hiker hostels, grocery stores, etc). By mailing yourself food you selected ahead of time, you can be sure of exactly what you will be getting and will not be reliant upon whatever you can find in town. There may even be cost savings from buying in bulk or preparing your own food (just be sure to factor the cost of packaging and shipping into the cost calculations). Maildrops are not without downsides: one must select food months ahead of time without knowing how needs may change along the way; tastes may change along the way and you may find that you no longer want to eat the food you've already bought and mailed; and maildrops can tie your hiking schedule to the post office schedules.
Most hikers end up using some combination of Buy-as-you-go and Maildrops. Even if not used for food resupply, the Maildrop system is useful for situations such as receiving care packages from home and swapping out gear as the seasons change.
The protocol for sending a thru-hiker maildrop is to address the package:
Hiker's Name ℅ General Delivery
City, State and Zip Code of Post Office
Please hold for AT thru-hiker, ETA __/__/__
Always use the hiker's real name, NOT their trail name, as the hiker will have to present ID to pick up the box. Typically the package will be held by the post office for up to 10 days to allow time for the hiker to arrive and pick it up.
Food On The Trail:
(Based on The Food Network's brief advice on eating well on trail post)
Eating on trail revolves around a few basic facts: there's lots of water on trail, you want to keep packweight down as much as possible, you need LOTS of calories, and bland repetition can lead most people to hate eating anywhere except in towns. I'm here to take all of that into consideration and give you as many options as possible.
Most people have a selection of staple foods that they can consistently eat without getting tired. The purpose of a staple food is to provide calories, bulk, and a comforting sense of fullness and warmth, all of which make hiking a lot easier. The problem is that all too often, people just stop with a staple food, and I'll work on correcting that in this article. When I say staple, I mean some sort of a dehydrated carb-based food that is light, can cook in the trail's plentiful water, and fills you up. The most common staples I know of are:
-Lipton Sides, of both the noodle and rice varieties
-Instant Potatoes
-Homemade or luxury (Mountain House) dehydrated meals
-Dried, precooked grains like quinoa, oatmeal, etc.
Most of the people I met on trail who were experiencing food fatigue did so because they were simply boiling their two cups of water, dumping in the staple, and eating. The flavor doesn't vary, and worst of all, this food alone does not give you a lasting sense of fullness. This is no reason to think that staples are a bad idea! What we need is to think of every staple as a kind of canvas upon which we can build a full meal! With every staple, I want you to consider in your shopping that you have four other main trail components that are not optional but ESSENTIAL to good eating: proteins, fats, vegetables, and seasonings. Let's explore:
No matter what your staple, a great lunch or dinner on trail benefits heavily from the addition of proteins. Not only do you get longer-lasting energy, proteins contribute to your body's natural process of rebuilding all those muscles you're destroying by lugging that damn pack up and down the mountains. It was not long ago that proteins were a serious problem on trail; luckily for us now, we have LOTS of great options for putting protein in a meal.
-Foil-pack tuna and chicken - The hiker's godsend. You will be able to find foil-pack tuna in every grocery store and many convenience stores on trail. The health-conscious should consider that mercury levels in tuna can theoretically have long-term effects if consumed in mass quantities, so keep that in mind. HOWEVER, if you do nothing else, you should consider carrying one foil pack of tuna or chicken with you per day of resupply. Tuna goes beautifully in any Lipton Side that's cheesy or heavily spiced, and chicken can go in just about anything. Food Network Tip (FNT) - consider adding the meat a minute before the meal is done. If you add it at the beginning, it can turn into a fibrous, mushy mass.
-Cured Meats - I was a HUGE fan of carrying cured meats on trail. The original purpose of curing meats was to make it possible to carry proteins without refrigeration, but a lot of people still fear getting food poisoning. Smoked sausage, kielbasa, etc, are outstanding for flavor and fat, and I had no problems carrying them in a pack for 3-4 days. You can carry bacon too! Most commercial bacon is water-cured, and will start to smell weird after a day or two, but FNT the local or store-brand stuff keeps much longer! Look for the more-expensive, thick cut store brands, which have MUCH less water in them, and they'll be good for a full 4-5 days.
This is where a hiker lives or dies. In my personal opinion, carrying fats can make the difference between making it to Katahdin or dropping out. They're that important. Every meal you cook should have SOME addition of fat, because it is by far the densest source of calories and by far the longest-lasting.
-Olive Oil - perfect in just about everything. I personally carried an 8-oz plastic bottle of olive oil at all times. The weight is worth it.
-Butter - the Food Network secret. If you buy store-brand butter, (FNT) remove the paper wrappers and slam the four sticks into a single or double quart ziplock bag. No leakage, and you have one of the best-tasting fats on trail. It will stay good for over a week. HOWEVER, Kerrygold or other high-quality butters are much firmer and keep even better than that! Treat yourself if you can.
-Cheese - All store-bought cheeses are perfect for thru-hiking. Do not worry in the slightest about them going bad during your 4-5 day resupply. Add cheese to everything, or snack on it alone. If the cheese gets some mold on it, you got it wet; just cut off the mold and feed it to someone's dog. Melt cheese in the water for your staples and be amazed at how much more delicious and filling all your meals are. Cream cheese is fuckin awesome. Parmesan, Romano, and other hard cheeses will last for a month in your pack, no joke, plus they are flavor bombs!
-Peanut Butter - It's almost all fat, and people love it. It makes a surprisingly good addition to meals, or alone in sandwiches or spoons.
Yes, veggies. Now, you may not be as crazy as I am, carrying a damn cutting board on trail, but certain vegetables are beautiful additions to your staples. Onions, peppers, garlic, asparagus, and pretty much any other non-starchy vegetable are excellent taste additions, and give vitamins and minerals as well. Eat the most perishable ones first. (FNT) Cut up your vegetables and throw them in your cookpot BEFORE the water, with oil/butter and spices. Let them saute for a minute or two, then add the water to pick up all that great flavor. Your meals will instantly be amazing. Don't forget about ramps! If someone shows you what the native trail onion, or ramp looks like, pick them and eat them like this whenever you can. They're free, and they don't weigh down your pack.
This is where I think the real artistry is. Most seasonings weigh relatively little for the huge amount of flavor that they pack, and will save you from food fatigue. You do NOT have to go crazy like I did, packing a full half-pound stuff sack. I did that so I could drop into shelters at dinner time and run around dumping spices in people's meals to make their lives better. Here are some very basic suggestions:
-Hot sauces! Wal-mart and other places carry 2 oz plastic bottles with flip tops that are perfect for sauces. Sriracha will make you the most popular person on trail. Even basic vinegar hot sauces can add a fabulous contrast to the bland bulk of your staples. This is two ounces you should carry with pride.
-Herbs and spices! If you're the type who loves camping with ramen, may I suggest carrying dried dill? Try it out yourself at home; it's an excellent foil for the saltiness of ramen. Black, white, and red pepper are FABULOUS in mashed potatoes and Lipton Sides: if you want to go hog-wild like I did, get a plastic pepper grinder, and amuse yourself by going up to people and asking, "Would monsieur care for any freshly-cracked pepper on his potatoes?" :D If you like more intense flavors, find a spice blend, like Italian seasoning, Cajun seasoning, or McCormick blends. I carried spices in half-sandwich sized ziplocs, and if the store container was large, I'd split it with others when I resupplied, or dump the bottle into my bounce box. (FNT) Try cooking trail foods at home with these kinds of additions, and decide what you like best!
-Dried veggies! Sun-dried tomatoes are so badass, I have to include another category for them. Put them in the water when you start cooking and be amazed at how something that
weighs so little can make your food so satisfying. You can go crazy with any other dried vegetables you find. I even carried those French's fried onions once, and they were bad-the-fuck-ass.
So, for hot lunches and dinners, take the elements above, and create a wealth of variations that aren't just amazingly tasty, but far more satisfying than basic trail food. Here are a few example recipes:
(FNT) If you carry a jetboil, like I did, or any other jet-cooker, you can make a motherfucking casserole on trail, and this was one of the things I would blow people's minds with. Saute vegetables and meats in oil with spices, add cheese and a Lipton side, and cook. At the end, take some cheese and a packet of crackers, smashed up inside the wrapper. Put the cheese and cracker crumbs ON TOP of your finished meal, and invert your burner like a cooking torch to toast and crisp the crust on top of your fabulous creamy casserole. Members of the opposite sex will line up to do you if they see this in action. ;)
In 2010, the summer was brutally hot, and I lived off of cold lunches for a change. If you've stocked yourself by my instructions, all you have to do is change out your staples! Buy packages of bagels, tortillas, or any kind of bread you can trust yourself not to smash in your pack, and go bonkers. Tasty sandwiches are filling and easy.
Your boring oatmeal can easily be spiced up with a pinch of salt, sugar or maple syrup, and CINNAMON. Don't forget the butter! I found that coffee was often annoying on trail, so I carried strong black tea, but when I found yerba mate, I fell in love! Look it up, if you don't know about it. It makes an excellent hot morning pick-me-up.
I don't have any revolutionary advice to give here. Let's get creative! Seriously, you'll find that your cravings will manifest themselves on trail. Make your own gorp; I personally chose just cashews and raisins, and kept a pound bag the whole time. Bulk candies make a lot of people happy.
I think people get bored of trail food because they don't realize how important variety is, and they think that cutting down on pack weight is more important than enjoying their meals. Eating in the style I'm proposing actually SAVES you money because you won't HAVE to go crazy every time you go to town, eating restaurant food as a respite for the bland-ass shit most people call trail food. But most of all, the satisfaction and nourishment of a delicious trail meal can make the difference between hiking and quitting. Get out there, hike well, and eat well. Bon appetit!
-The Food Network: GAME 2010
Most of the water a thru-hiker drinks comes from naturally occurring sources, such as springs and streams. The guidebooks and maps will typically list available sources along the trail. Most thru-hikers choose to treat the water to reduce the risk of consuming water contaminated with microorganisms such as giardia. Methods of water treatment include boiling, filtering, and chemical treatment.
The thru-hiker can expect to spend somewhere between $2,500 and $10,000 on the trip, with the $4000 to $6000 range being the most common in recent years. Hiking speed, number of overnight town stops, and personal habits such as drinking alcohol and smoking can all be big factors in how much a thru-hike will ultimately cost.
Animal Encounters:
Probably the first thing every prospective thru-hiker worries about are black bears (no grizzly bears exist in the wild anywhere along the AT). "They're more afraid of you" applies here as well as other black bear habitats. Most often, the bear will hear you coming and will run away before you ever see it. Sometimes, however, you will encounter a bear that is not so nervous around people, maybe because it has been fed before or because too many humans have been encroaching on its territory. If you come across a bear like this, it is best to clap or bang your hiking poles together and maybe give out a "Get outta here!" Almost always, the bear will then leave your area. If not, look at its feet and not its eyes, and walk backward away from it. Turning your back on any bear can encourage a predatory response.
Proper camping protocol says that you should hang a bear bag every night and sleep a good distance from your food. In practice, this doesn't often happen. Food is typically hung within the shelter, or only hung at head height when tenting. Even so, it is extremely rare to have any problem with a bear. However, it is best that you never cook in your tent, eat inside your tent, have any food or wrappers on your person when you sleep, and that you do not apply any scented lotions to your body at night. These would encourage any bear to investigate the smell and come too close for your comfort.
But all in all, it is a rare and wonderful experience when you encounter a bear on your thru-hike. You are likely to see enough that you lose any irrational fears about the animal, yet keep your respect for the powerful and beautiful creatures that they are.
Snakes are another animal you will encounter on your hike. Black snakes (also known as Rat Snakes) are almost always black in colour and are not venomous. Do not handle a black snake, however, as they have bad attitudes and their bite stings. You may also see a few garter snakes, which are also harmless.
There are two venomous snakes you may encounter along the way: the rattlesnake (we will use the general 'rattlesnake' term instead of specifying the four different kinds) and the copperhead. Both are pit vipers. The "pit" is a special organ in their head to detect heat. Both have a diamond-shaped head, whereas the black and garter snakes do not.
Rattlesnakes are more docile than you may think, and it is extremely rare for a hiker to get bitten. As rare as it is for a rattlesnake to bite in the first place, only 1 in 5 times that a rattlesnake bites a human does it inject venom. If you are bitten, apply light pressure (NOT a tourniquet) just above the wound using a strip of clothing.
Copperhead bites are not typically fatal except to the very young or old, or to anyone with any autoimmune issues. Still, the bite is one of the most painful snakebites around, causing a lot of pain and swelling. It is highly recommended that you seek medical attention for a copperhead bite.
Guns on the Trail:
Generally speaking, the AT is safer, from both an animal encounter and a human point of view than wherever you are reading this from right now. If you take into account the 3 million people who use the AT yearly and the number of incidents in which a gun would be useful, you have better odds of winning the lottery than of ever needing to use a gun in self-defense. Of course carrying a firearm is a personal decision, to be left up to the individual. A couple of points to be aware of should you decide to carry: The AT passes through 14 states, each of which has different licensing requirements which will make carrying a firearm legally in all those different jurisdictions very difficult. A firearm that's been hidden to avoid being seen carrying illegally will probably be so inaccessible as to be useless in an actual emergency. Also, generally speaking, the community of thru-hikers tends to be anti-gun. A hiker that is known to be carrying a firearm will find that other hikers are likely to go out of their way to avoid them.
Planning resources:
-Keep in mind that predictions about gear, mileage, arrival times, campsites/shelters made months in advance when not on the trail are rough estimates at best and likely to be wildly inaccurate- most thru-hikers plan out only the next few days and stay flexible.
-Postholer.com's interactive AT map can be very useful for getting an understanding of where the trail runs.
-The ATC maintains a Parking, Shuttles & Transportation page that lists Shuttle Services, Public Transportation options, as well as information on trailhead vandalism reports. Very helpful for figuring out the logistics of getting to and fro the trail for section hiking, or in case of emergency.
-For both pre-hike and on-trail planning, be it for a thru-hike next year or where to stop for lunch, the guidebooks are probably the single best resource available. There are currently two options for guidebooks:
-AWOL's The AT Guide, produced by David Miller
-The AT Companion produced by The ALDHA.
-Two good online resources for determining where to resupply along the trail are:
-The 5 part Re-Supply Along the Appalachian Trail article by Jack "Baltimore Jack" Tarlin at Whiteblaze.net.
-The 10, 12 and 15 day Thru-Hike Plans from The AT Guide.
Gear selection is as individual as each hiker is, and it's probably safe to say that no two thru-hikers have ever hiked the trail with the exact same set of gear. Gear is a topic of almost endless discussion amongst backpackers, but there is no "right" answer when it comes to gear selection.
Although not specifically AT related PMag's $300 Gear Challenge Gear List is a great resource if you're starting from a blank slate when it comes to gear. It covers everything you need to hike the AT, while spending as little money as possible.
Basic Gear Checklist--
Sleeping bag
Sleeping pad
Shelter (tent, tarp, hammock)
Headlamp or small flashlight
Water carrying (bladder or bottles)
Water treatment (filter or chemical treatment)
Stove, including fuel and lighter
Eating Utensil
Small knife or scissors
Small first-aid & repair kit
Guidebook, maps
Insect repellant (not needed immediately at the start for a traditionally-timed NOBO hike)
Toiletries (toilet paper, toothbrush, toothpaste)
Pen and paper (for journaling, trail notes)
Trekking poles
Backpack rain protection (pack cover or liner)
Stuff sacks (as needed for organizing gear)
Shorts or convertible hiking pants
Base Layer long-sleeve shirt and long underwear (for cold weather)
Rain jacket
Insulated jacket / fleece (for cold weather)
Wool / fleece hat and gloves (for cold weather)
Fit: Proper footwear should feel good right out of the box. Be sure to wear your selection on the incline available at good hiking stores. Facing the decline, your toes should not hit the front of the shoe, even if you simulate walking. Facing the incline, your foot should not lift much at all out of the heel, but be a pretty snug fit. Even boots should not require any real amount of breaking in before you go hiking, though any amount of breaking in beforehand never really hurts. An aftermarket insole for your shoes is recommended can improve both comfort and stability.
A thru-hiker has several choices for hiking footwear, each with their own pros and cons:
Pros: Long lasting
High level of foot protection
Frequently available as waterproof
Cons: Heavy
Heavy (this point is worth repeating)
Trail Runners / Hiking Shoes:
Pros: Lightweight
Cons: Less durable (expect to replace a few pair throughout a thru-hike)
Lower level of foot protection
Less waterproof
Barefoot Shoes:
Pros: Very lightweight
Cons Lower level of foot protection
Besides footwear to hike in, many hikers carry a pair of "camp shoes" with them, to wear primarily at shelters/campsite or in town. These can be quite nice to allow your feet to breathe after a long day of hiking, or to allow your hiking footwear to dry. Low weight and comfort are the most important criteria for camp shoes. Crocs, sandals and flip-flops are popular choices.


text:
Check out this first look at Dardevil: End of Days by The Great One Brian Bendis, David Mack, Klaus Janson, Bill Sienkiewicz and Alex Maleev!
Source: Press Release
As a long time reader of Marvel comics, this reporter has long felt what many of you probably feel: that Daredevil is a real prick, and he really needs someone to put him in his place with a major assbeating. Well, like-minded fans will find their dreams come true, as this preview of Daredevil: End of Days shows ol' hornhead getting his butt kicked from here to next tuesday by multiple adversaries. Daredevil's comeuppance has been such a long time coming that Marvel was unable to assign the book to a single writer and artist, as The Great One Brian Bendis and David Mack will be sharing writing chores, with art by Klaus Janson, Bill Sienkiewicz and Alex Maleev. Creators were lining up around the block to get a shot at the unpopular character.
"Daredevil just cheeses me off," said Bendis, who, in our imagination, says things like "cheeses me off." "He walks around all high and mighty with his radar sight and his lack of fear. Who does he think he is?!"
"He's a jerk, that's who he is," added Maleev.
"Daredevil is a jerk," agreed Kitty Pryde.
Daredevil: End of Days #1 is due out on October 10th, but with three artists on the book, it will probably be delayed until January 2014. Here's the press release:
Your First Look At DAREDEVIL: END OF DAYS #1
Marvel is pleased to present your first look at Daredevil: End of Days #1, from the creative tour de force of Brian Michael Bendis, David Mack, Klaus Janson, Bill Sienkiewicz and Alex Maleev! When Matt Murdock's greatest secret remains a mystery – there is only one man who can uncover it, investigative reporter Ben Urich! Witness the end of the Man Without Fear this October in Daredevil: End Of Days #1!
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS & DAVID MACK
Art by KLAUS JANSON, DAVID MACK, ALEX MALEEV & BILL SIENKIEWICZ
Cover by ALEX MALEEV

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Temporal range: Early Carboniferous, 340 Ma
|Holotype fossil from the Lower Carboniferous of Scotland, UK
|Scientific classification
Paton, Smithson & Clack, 1999
|Type species
|†Casineria kiddi
Paton, Smithson & Clack, 1999
Casineria is an extinct genus of tetrapod which lived about 340 million years ago in the Mississippian epoch. Its name, Casineria, is a latinization of Cheese Bay, the site near Edinburgh, where it was found. It lived in what was then a fairly dry environment in Scotland.
It is a transitional fossil noted for its mix of primitive (amphibian) and advanced (reptilian) characters, putting it at or very near the origin of the amniotes. The sole find is lacking key elements (most of the skull and the whole lower body is missing), making exact analysis difficult.[1]
Casineria was a small animal with a total length estimated to have been 15 centimeters. Its small size would have made it ideal for hunting the invertebrates of the Carboniferous.[2]
This earliest amniote had five fingers with claws on each hand, and marks the earliest clawed foot.[3] Claws being a feature intimately bound to the formation of keratinous scales in reptiles, Casineria would in life in all likelihood bear scaly, reptilian type skin.[4] In life, it would resemble a small lizard.
Likely to be among the first amniotes in the biological sense, it would have laid amniotic egg not dependent on being laid in water to survive, possibly hiding them in damp vegetation or hollowed out tree stumps. This has been inferred from the fact that Casineria was found in rocks showing a rather dry environment.[3] In the early Carboniferous period before the appearance of Casineria, vertebrates were primarily aquatic, only spending part of their time on land. Casineria and its relatives were the first vertebrates to live and reproduce on land.
In 1992, an amateur fossil collector spotted the remnants of this four-legged creature on the shore of Cheese Bay, Scotland.[5] For the next five years, the fossil languished at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh while researchers focused on other projects. Around 1997, work began to expose the remainder of the fossil from the surrounding matrix. The work revealed that the animal probably lived in an environment much drier than previously understood. The findings were first reported in the April 8, 1999 edition of Nature.[3]
While retaining a general build like those found in the amphibian reptiliomorph groups like Seymouriamorpha and Diadectomorpha, Casineria also shows features that tie it in with early reptiles, notably a generally gracile build with light leg bones, unfused ankles and toes terminating in claws. This would enable the animal to use their feet actively in traction, rather than as holdfasts, an indication of a primarily terrestrial lifestyle.[3] These traits show it was more closely related to amniotes than to other known reptiliomorph amphibians.
With its advanced features, Casineria may have been one of the very first true amniotes, and thus the first reptile under traditional classification. In phylogenetic parlance it would have been a stem amniote, close to, but outside the crown group Amniota (the group consisting of the last common ancestor of synapsids and sauropsids and all its descendants). Casineria pushes back the origin of amniote lineages much farther than was previously realized.[3] However, like with much of the basal tetrapod stock, the phylogenetic position is uncertain, and it has also been suggested Casineria is a basal temnospondyl amphibian.[6]
See also[edit]
- ^ Monastersky, R. (1999): Out of the Swamps, How early vertebrates established a foothold—with all 10 toes—on land, Science News vol. 155, No. 21, p. 328
- ^ "Casineria". Prehistoric Wildlife. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
- ^ a b c d e R. L. Paton, T. R. Smithson and J. A. Clack, "An amniote-like skeleton from the Early Carboniferous of Scotland", (abstract), Nature 398, 508-513 (8 April 1999)
- ^ Alibardi, L. (2008): Microscopic analysis of lizard claw morphogenesis and hypothesis on its evolution. Acta Zoologica: Morphology and Evolution, vol 89 (2): pp 169–178. abstract
- ^ http://www.jncc.gov.uk/pdf/gcrdb/GCRsiteaccount2916.pdf
- ^ Chapter 6: "Walking with early tetrapods: evolution of the postcranial skeleton and the phylogenetic affinities of the Temnospondyli (Vertebrata: Tetrapoda)." In: Kat Pawley (2006). "The postcranial skeleton of temnospondyls (Tetrapoda: temnospondyli)." PhD Thesis. La Trobe University, Melbourne.
Further reading[edit]
- Richard Monastersky, "Out of the Swamps: How early vertebrates established a foothold—with all 10 toes—on land", The Weekly Newsmagazine of Science, Volume 155, Number 21 (May 22, 1999)
- The Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures/Dougal Dixon


text:
|* Name:
|* Email:
|* Competitor link
|* Competitor price
All Natural 15 Day Detox by Shore Nutritional Supplements - Made in the USA!
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|Other ingredients: Gelatin, rice powder, vegetable magnesium stearate and silicon dioxide.
|CAUTION: This product is manufactured and packaged in a facility which may also process milk, soy, wheat, egg, peanuts, tree nuts, fish and crustacean shellfish. KEEP OUT OF THE REACH OF CHILDREN. DO NOT USE IF SAFETY SEAL IS DAMAGED OR MISSING. STORE IN COOL, DRY PLACE.
|SUGGESTED USE: FOR OCCASIONAL USE ONLY: 1 to 2 capsules taken at bedtime with 8 ounces of water or as directed by a healthcare professional. SHORT-TERM CLEANSING PROGRAM: 1 to 2 capsules taken at bedtime with 8 ounces of water for up to 15 days or as directed by healthcare professional. Do not repeat cleansing program for at least 6 to 8 weeks.
|Do not exceed recommended dose. This product contains senna leaves and cascara sagrada. This product is not intended for pregnant or nursing mothers or children under the age of 18. Do not use this product if you have abdominal pain, diarrhea or loose stools. Rectal bleeding and / or failure to have a bowel movement after the use of a laxative formula may be an indication of a more serious condition. Should this occur, or if you have a known medical condition and are taking medication, consult your physician prior to taking this or any dietary supplement.
|These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.


text:
MULESHOE Danny Ramirez and Lincoln Riley scored fourth-quarter touchdowns Friday as Muleshoe rallied past Littlefield 36-26 in District 2-3A.
The Wildcats (3-4, 0-2) built a 26-22, taking the lead with two touchdowns in the third period. Tyler Kirby hauled in his second TD pass from Taylor Allen, from 32 yards, and Theo Watson scored on a 1-yard run.
But in the final period, Ramirez scored from 73 yards out and Riley added a 1-yard TD burst as the Mules (7-0, 2-0) remained unbeaten.
Ramirez finished with 243 yards rushing on 29 carries and also had TD runs of 3 and 11 yards.
Allen was 11-of-18 and finished with 233 yards passing. Kirby had five catches for 136 yards, and J.D. Walls caught six passes for 97 yards.
© 2017. All Rights Reserved. | Contact Us


text:
Natural resources dynamics: Exhaustible and renewable resources, and the rate of technical substitution
No abstract is available for this item.
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Volume (Year): 31 (2006)
Issue (Month): 3 (September)
Pages: 172-182
|Contact details of provider:
| Web page: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/inca/30467
References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
- Huhtala, Anni, 1999. "Optimizing production technology choices: conventional production vs. recycling," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 21(1), pages 1-18, January.
- Rafael Lusky, 1976. "A Model of Recycling and Pollution Control," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 9(1), pages 91-101, February.
- Noel, Michael, 1978. "Resource extraction and recycling with environmental costs," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 5(3), pages 220-235, September.
- Krautkraemer, Jeffrey A., 1989. "Price expectations, ore quality selection, and the supply of a nonrenewable resource," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 16(3), pages 253-267, May.
- Edward Barbier, 1999. "Endogenous Growth and Natural Resource Scarcity," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 14(1), pages 51-74, July.
- Anderson, Kent P., 1972. "Optimal growth when the stock of resources is finite and depletable," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 4(2), pages 256-267, April.
- Smith, Vernon L., 1974.
"An optimistic theory of exhaustible resources,"
Journal of Economic Theory,
Elsevier, vol. 9(4), pages 384-396, December.
- Smith, Vernon L., "undated". "An Optimistic Theory of Exhaustible Resources," Working Papers 39, California Institute of Technology, Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences.
- Vernon L. Smith, 1972. "Dynamics of Waste Accumulation: Disposal versus Recycling," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 86(4), pages 600-616.
- Blackorby, Charles & Russell, R Robert, 1989. "Will the Real Elasticity of Substitution Please Stand Up? (A Comparison of the Allen/Uzawa and Morishima Elasticities)," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 79(4), pages 882-888, September.
- Morton I. Kamien & Nancy L. Schwartz, 1978. "Optimal Exhaustible Resource Depletion with Endogenous Technical Change," Review of Economic Studies, Oxford University Press, vol. 45(1), pages 179-196.
- Olson, Lars J. & Roy, Santanu, 2000. "Dynamic Efficiency of Conservation of Renewable Resources under Uncertainty," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 95(2), pages 186-214, December.
- Romer, Paul M, 1990. "Endogenous Technological Change," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 98(5), pages 71-102, October.
- Paul Romer, 1989. "Endogenous Technological Change," NBER Working Papers 3210, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
- Paul M Romer, 1999. "Endogenous Technological Change," Levine's Working Paper Archive 2135, David K. Levine.
- Li, Chuan-Zhong & Lofgren, Karl-Gustaf, 2000. "Renewable Resources and Economic Sustainability: A Dynamic Analysis with Heterogeneous Time Preferences," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 40(3), pages 236-250, November.
- Kemp, Murray C & Long, Ngo Van, 1980. "On Two Folk Theorems Concerning the Extraction of Exhaustible Resources," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 48(3), pages 663-673, April.
- Olson, Lars J. & Roy, Santanu, 1996. "On Conservation of Renewable Resources with Stock-Dependent Return and Nonconcave Production," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 70(1), pages 133-157, July.
- Olson, Lars J. & Roy, Santanu, 1994. "On Conservation of Renewable Resources with Stock-Dependent Return and Non-Concave Production," Working Papers 197800, University of Maryland, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics.
- Olli Tahvonen, 1997. "Fossil Fuels, Stock Externalities, and Backstop Technology," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 30(4), pages 855-874, November.
- Plourde, C G, 1970. "A Simple Model of Replenishable Natural Resource Exploitation," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 60(3), pages 518-522, June.
- Poul Schou, 2000. "Polluting Non-Renewable Resources and Growth," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 16(2), pages 211-227, June.
- R. C. D'Arge & K. C. Kogiku, 1973. "Economic Growth and the Environment," Review of Economic Studies, Oxford University Press, vol. 40(1), pages 61-77.
- Marian Radetzki & Carl Van Duyne, 1985. "The Demand for Scrap and Primary Metal Ores after a Decline in Secular Growth," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 18(2), pages 435-449, May.
- R. M. Solow, 1974. "Intergenerational Equity and Exhaustible Resources," Review of Economic Studies, Oxford University Press, vol. 41(5), pages 29-45.
- R. M. Solow, 1973. "Intergenerational Equity and Exhaustable Resources," Working papers 103, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Department of Economics.
- Mendelssohn, Roy & Sobel, Matthew J., 1980. "Capital accumulation and the optimization of renewable resource models," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 23(2), pages 243-260, October.
- Anderson, Dennis, 2001. "Technical progress and pollution abatement: an economic view of selected technologies and practices," Environment and Development Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 6(03), pages 283-311, July.
- Vousden, Neil, 1973. "Basic theoretical issues of resource depletion," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 6(2), pages 126-143, April.
- Tahvonen, Olli & Salo, Seppo, 2001. "Economic growth and transitions between renewable and nonrenewable energy resources," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 45(8), pages 1379-1398, August.
- C. G. Plourde, 1972. "A Model of Waste Accumulation and Disposal," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 5(1), pages 119-125, February.
- Dorfman, Robert, 1969. "An Economic Interpretation of Optimal Control Theory," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 59(5), pages 817-831, December.
- Di Vita, Giuseppe, 2007. "Exhaustible resources and secondary materials: A macroeconomic analysis," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 63(1), pages 138-148, June.
- Tahvonen Olli & Kuuluvainen Jari, 1993. "Economic Growth, Pollution, and Renewable Resources," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 24(2), pages 101-118, March.
- Jeffrey A. Krautkraemer, 1998. "Nonrenewable Resource Scarcity," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 36(4), pages 2065-2107, December.
- Lusky, Rafael, 1975. "Optimal taxation policies for conservation and recycling," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 11(3), pages 315-328, December. Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)
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text:
A Congressional Budget Office report on tax expenditures fails to consider the impact of incentives on employer-based retirement plans.
Or so says The American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries.
"CBO reports that they allocate the tax incentives to those who directly benefit from them. They also note that some of the savings resulting from the tax incentives is not new savings, but savings moved from non-tax-preferred accounts," said Judy Miller, executive director of ACOPA and director of retirement policy for the ASPPA.
"But without further comment, both of these remarks are seriously misleading when the subject is the incentive for employer-based retirement savings," she said.
With a tax-preferred employer-sponsored retirement plan, contributions to owners and highly compensated employees can only be made if the company also makes contributions to other employees.
When a small-business owner decides to put in a workplace plan, or a larger employer puts in a plan to benefit key employees, other employees get employer contributions that they did not have before. Only a small portion of this benefit is recognized in an analysis of the distribution of the tax benefit for these employees, even though this is a very direct benefit, not an indirect impact, she said.
If an employee with a 15 percent marginal tax rate gets a $2,000 employer contribution, the "benefit" for that employee is really $2,000. What shows up in the expenditure analysis is the marginal income tax rate plus the payroll tax rate times $2,000, or roughly $600, understating the true benefit for that employee.
In addition, the owner's tax benefit is not reduced by the portion of the current year tax savings that is transferred to employees in the form of contributions. The result: The owner's benefit is overstated and the employee's is understated, Miller said.
The impact of the nondiscrimination rules belongs in the discussion of whether or not new savings is created as well. An employer that "transfers" savings to a tax-favored employer-based account is creating new savings for the employees who now get contributions, regardless of whether or not there is new savings for the owner. This is precisely the result that was contemplated by incentives for employer-provided plans, but it's not reflected in an analysis of the distribution of the tax incentive, Miller said.
ASPPA estimates that for 2012, more than 70 percent of the defined contribution tax benefit went to families earning under $150,000. Like the CBO analysis, ASPPA's analysis does not recognize the transfer of the tax benefit from a small business owner to employees. If it did, the benefit would skew more heavily to families with more modest incomes.
The American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries is a national organization of more than 13,000 retirement plan and benefits professionals that serves as the educator, voice, and advocate for the employer-based retirement system.


text:
Managing the power in wireless sensor networks powered by energy-harvesting circuitry
1 Comment
Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are becoming ubiquitous. They solve problems in many applications. In building control, WSNs use light or RF energy to power motion detectors which turn lights off if nobody is detected in a room, to dim lights depending on the light level in a room, and to sense and report temperature for air conditioning or heating. In industrial control, WSNs use vibration energy or thermal energy to monitor and report the condition of rotating machines. In location tracking, they use vibration energy to enable GPS to sense and the cellular network to report the position of containers, trucks or rail cars.
All these applications harvest energy from the environment and so effectively have a limitless, battery-free energy source. They also avoid the time-consuming and environmentally-sensitive task of replacing and disposing of batteries.
However, these environmental energy sources are typically very low power. Since power is the rate at which energy is delivered, the problem becomes how to power wireless transmission, which requires higher power levels, from a low-power source.
Supercapacitors are well suited as energy buffers
Figure 1 shows power design before supercapacitors. The entire system must be sized for the load's peak power. In the example shown, the source must provide 2.6 A. Also, the internal impedance of the source means the voltage will drop from 3.7 V to 3.3 V during the peak load. The DC/DC converter enables this voltage drop to occur without interrupting operation of the load.
Figure 1: Power design before supercapacitors
(Click on image to enlarge)
The supercapacitor's high energy storage and high power delivery make it a good choice to buffer a high-power load from a low-power, energy-harvesting source, Figure 2. The source sees the average load which, with appropriate interface electronics, will be a low-power constant load set at the maximum power point. The load sees a low-impedance source that can deliver the power needed for the duration of the high-power event.
Figure 2: Supercapacitor as a power buffer
(Click on image to enlarge)
In this example, the average load power is only 0.75 mW. A low-power energy-harvesting source only needs to supply a little more than this power level (to overcome losses) to charge the supercapacitor, which then provides the GPRS module with the power required for transmission.
The supercapacitor is placed after the interface electronics, so the interface electronics and DC/DC converter can be sized for the average power of 125 μW rather than the peak power of 7 W. A discharged supercapacitor will look like a short circuit to the source, so the interface electronics must manage the inrush current when the source is first connected to a supercapacitor at 0 V.
Low leakage current
If an energy-harvesting source only provides a few μA of current, you do not want to waste a significant proportion of this on capacitor leakage current. Small supercapacitors have low leakage current, typically between 1 μA 50 μA, depending on the capacitance. However, this is the equilibrium level leakage current after the supercapacitor has been held at voltage for several days. Figure 3 shows the leakage current over time for a 150 mF CAP-XX GZ065 supercapacitor.
Figure 3: CAP-XX GZ065 Supercapacitor leakage current over time
(Click on image to enlarge)
Supercapacitor cell balancing
Supercapacitors are low-voltage devices and several need to be strung in series to achieve a practical working voltage. However, different cells will have slightly different leakage currents, but since they are in series, they must have the same current flowing through them. In this case, the cells will redistribute charge between themselves, adjusting their voltage so their leakage currents will be equal.
This leaves one of the cells in danger of going over voltage. The balancing solution that draws minimal current is an active balance circuit using an ultra-low-current, rail-to-rail op amp. The circuit in Figure 4 is an example of this and draws only 2 3 μA, including supercapacitor leakage current, once the supercapacitor has reached equilibrium leakage current.
Figure 4: Low-current active-balance circuit
(Click on image to enlarge)
The op amp chosen draws ~750 nA, supercapacitor leakage current is ~1 μA, and the current drawn through R12, R06 =250 nA if the supercapacitor voltage = 5 V, so total current ~2 μA.
In CAP-XX dual-cell supercapacitors, the two cells are matched by C. Because their voltages are balanced when first charged, designers can use a very low current-balance circuit to maintain balance.
All supercapacitors age over time, that is, their ESR slowly increases and their capacitance slowly decreases, Figure 5. The rate of aging depends on the supercapacitor operating voltage and temperature. The higher the voltage and/or temperature, the faster they age.
Figure 5: Aging, capacitance loss over time at room temperature, ambient relative humidity
(Click on image to enlarge)
Therefore, designers should size the supercapacitor so that the C is large enough and ESR low enough for successful operation at end of life, given the application's expected operating profile. Figure 6a and 6b shows Capacitance over time for 1 year for a CAP-XX GW214 supercapacitor at 3.6 V, room temperature (23°C).
Figure 6a and 6b: Model for solving the constant power case. Note that VSUPERCAP is not physically measureable, since C and ESR are idealized parameters within the supercapacitor.
(Click on image to enlarge)
Sizing the supercapacitor
Many people calculate the capacitance required by performing an energy balance:
Supercapacitor Energy, ½C (Vinit² – Vfinal²)
= Load Energy, ELOAD
=Average Load Power × Load duration
Therefore, C = 2 × ELOAD/(Vinit² – Vfinal²),
Vinit is the initial supercapacitor voltage and Vfinal is the minimum voltage the supercapacitor can discharge to at the end of the peak load.
However, this approach ignores ESR and is only a good approximation if the voltage drop from ILOAD × ESR <>final. There are two cases to consider:
1) Constant current
In this case, the load current is constant and does not vary with voltage, so as the supercapacitor discharges, and the load voltage drops, the load current remains constant. An LED is a good example of this type of load. The final load voltage is given by:
Vfinal = Vinit (ILOAD × ESR) ILOAD TLOAD/C
Now a supercapacitor can be selected with both C and ESR adequate to support the load for duration TLOAD.
2) Constant power
In this case, the load power remains constant, so as the supercapacitor discharges and the load voltage drops, the load current increases to maintain the VLOAD × ILOAD product constant. The input to a DC/DC converter is a constant power load, so this will be the most common case in energy harvesting applications. You need to solve:
Example: Supercapacitor interface circuit
The energy-harvesting source will typically have a maximum power transfer operating point, which is defined by a preferred output voltage. An example is the Vmax power point for solar cells.
The example shown in Figure 7 illustrates all the key features that might be needed in a circuit to interface an energy-harvesting source to a supercapacitor:
- Maximum power tracking, maintaining the output voltage or current of the energy-harvesting source so it delivers the maximum possible power.
- Over-voltage protection, to ensure the supercapacitor-rated voltage is not exceeded
- Active balancing to maintain the supercapacitor cells at the same voltage with a low-current circuit.
Figure 1: Example of a supercapacitor interface circuit
(Click on image to enlarge)
Keep these notes in mind for the schematic of Figure 7:
- U1 provides Max Power Point tracking. When Vsolar <>th1 - Hyst1, Q1 is turned OFF, When Vsolar > Vth1 + Hyst1, Q1 is turned ON. If the open circuit voltage of the solar cell > max desired Vscap, then overvoltage protection is needed.
- U3 provides supercapacitor overvoltage protection if required. When VSCAP > Vth2 + Hyst2, Q2 is turned ON, which turns Q1 OFF. When Vscap <>th2 Hyst2, Q2 turns OFF.
- R7 ensures Q2 remains off if Vscap is insufficient to turn U3 ON.
- MAX9017 dual comparator or 2 × MAX9015 chosen for U1, U3 since they only draw ~1 mA each and have a push-pull output, and include an internal reference.
- MAX4470 single op amp selected for U2, since it draws <1 μa="" supply="" current.="">1>
- D1 ensures the supercapacitor cannot discharge back into the solar cell if Vsolar <>scap
- D1 prevents the supercapacitor from discharging into the output of U1 when Q2 is turned ON due to over-voltage protection but U1 is low, trying to turn Q1 ON.
- R4 limits the current from the solar cell into the output of U1 when Q2 is turned ON due to overvoltage protection.
- When Q2 is OFF and Q1 ON, U1 will not charge the supercapacitor, since the U1 output will be at the same voltage as Vsolar (U1 is a rail-rail op amp) hence there will be no forward voltage across the body diode of Q2 to enable current flow.
Supercapacitors offer an important benefit for energy-harvesting applications, including the ability to buffer a high-power load from a low-power source in a small form factor, but they do not behave like classical capacitors. This article has explored some key properties of supercapacitors that engineers should understand when designing energy-harvesting circuits, and culminated with an example circuit that can be used as a reference design and modified for other applications.
About the Author
Pierre Mars is the Vice President of Applications Engineering for CAP-XX Ltd. , Sydney, Australia. He jointly holds three patents on supercapacitor applications. Mr. Mars has a BE electrical (1st class honors) and an MEng Sc from the University of NSW, Australia, in addition to an MBA from INSEAD, France. He is also a member of the IEEE.


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If you wish to contribute or participate in the discussions about articles you are invited to join SKYbrary as a registered user
Help:ICAO Search and Solution Centre
This is the Help Page for the ICAO Search and Solution Centre.
The ICAO Search and Solution Centre is currently under development and is available as a prototype. The ICAO Search and Solution Centre is one of the Skybrary subsites (a.k.a. Skybrary Solutions).
The current prototype demonstrates the capability to:
- Search through a single ICAO report, i.e. Air Traffic Management, Procedures for Air Navigation Services (Doc 4444).
- Ask a question regarding ICAO related information.
- Answer open questions by providing user-generated text and by annotating an answer with paragraphs of ICAO reports (in the prototype: Doc 4444 paragraphs only).
- Browse through closed questions, i.e. questions with an answer and appropriate annotations
Since ICAO reports cannot be provided to the Skybrary user base as single documents, the prototype is based on segmented or tree-like versions of ICAO reports, so that only segments of an ICAO report are available at any given time during interaction with ICAO Search and Solution Centre.
The next and final prototype is scheduled for March 14, 2008.


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The winner of the best gameplay demo at E3 is easily Dishonored from Arkane Studios. Arkane, a sister studio to Bethesda, counts Deus Ex designer Harvey Smith among its employees. The company developed Arx Fatalis and assisted with BioShock 2. You can see elements of all three games in Dishonored.
In both the demo and our hands-on, the ease with which stealth movement is handled is impressive. This is a game where measured players can have a real awareness of whats around them, and stay in control. Crouched movement keeps the player silent, while the ability to lean out from behind corners without being seen is key to keeping tabs on the movements of guards. Its immediately obvious whether a guard is blissfully unaware of the knife about to be plunged into his neck or not, because as soon as hes alerted, graphic novel-style lightning bolt icons flash red above his head.
Corvo moved about the complex with style, either avoiding or knocking out guards, and using rooftops and windows ledges to his advantage. Of course, his many powers came in handy too. The key ones for the stealth run were Blink which is essentially a short range teleport move, and invaluable for moving from cover to cover and crossing gaps; Dark Vision, which allows the player to see where guards and other people are through walls; and Possess, the aforementioned ability to merge your body with another, from fish and rats to humans. Powers are upgraded with runes, and these are found using a device called The Heart a steampunk heart that players can hold in hand: it beats faster the closer Corvo is to a rune.
I creep forward, using Dark Visiona type of thermal/x-ray vision powerto see how many guards are nearby. Dark Vision also shows the guards cone of vision to help avoid detection.
I lurch a little too close and alert the guards…then accidentally stand up like an idiot. At that point I may as well wave a flag and shout Im over here. Sure enough, guards pick up on my location, draw swords, and attack. One of them pulls a pistol. I die horribly while fumbling through my abilities with the game pad and longing for a mouse.
A couple deaths later I start to find my thumbs with the controller. Using the Blink (a short range teleport) ability, I quietly teleport to an adjacent, hidden area away from the guards and down below the street. I eventually come to a waterwheel. Riding the water wheel, it deposits me into a sewer which I use to ultimately gain entry to the building.
For the first showing they went with a more stealth oriented route complicated by attempting to kill nobody but the targets. It was beyond wild to see the character sneak up on a guard, choke him out, pick up the body and then teleport up on top of a taller structure to hide the unconscious man. Infiltration was done via possessing a fish of all things, going in through a drainage pipe and then hopping out. From here a series of careful teleports brought him through the brothel to the first target. Rather than confront him directly our protagonist can use a pipe in a nearby room to funnel steam in on the man and his prostitute companion. Then making your way upstairs to the second target, it's a simple matter of possessing him so he walks out onto the balcony and then blowing him off with a wind blast. Sneaking is complicated by seemingly very aware enemies and sound that moves realistically meaning a thick door might prevent you from hearing any enemies coming your way.


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Fri 23 May 2014
Filed under: News,On The Border
The Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge and border gates have been temporarily closed after Thailand's military declared a coup on Thursday.
After declaring martial law at 3 a.m. on May 20 due to unstable political situations, military of Thailand announced a coup at 4:55 p.m. on May 22.
The Thai-Myanmar border gates have been closed on Thailand's side for security reasons. As of May 23, border trade between two countries has been stopped.
A Thai security officer from the border said that this might only last a few days.
Thousands of travellers use Myawady-Mae Sot route everyday and trade volume through this route is over one million U.S. dollars every day.
Due to the temporary closure, the trade and currency market might be affected and Myanmar workers in Thailand might face difficulties, a resident of Myawady said.
In the past, Friendship Bridge was closed for 17 months because of construction of the Thaungyinn river bank wall. At this time, river crossing boats could be used.
Link: http://www.elevenmyanmar.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6227


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Rain or shine, car aficionados will be gathered in La Jolla Sunday for the annual La Jolla Motor Car Classic.
Early forecasts call for a bright sunny day that will play right into the hands of the collectors showing their antique beauties at La Jolla Cove and the organizers who hope the event will continue to grow.
Promote La Jolla leaders, who came up with the idea for the event five years ago, say the show is rapidly becoming a must-see early-season event for car aficionados.
This year's show will feature "really an amazing field of entries," with 145 cars entered in the juried section, from a 1932 Cadillac to a rare, 1956 Jaguar race car worth about $5 million, said Tiffany Sherer, executive director of the business improvement district.
More than 50 other cars are there just for the "show," she added.
Bigger draw
The Classic is gradually morphing into something much more than what it started out to be, she added.
"This show is growing every year, and in the future we'd like to see it become a weekend destination event that people travel all over the world to see," she said.
She said they're also encouraging visitors to dine and shop in the Village before and after the show.
One car buff who has participated every year in the classic car event is La Jollan Neil Wichard, from a family of antique car restorers on the East Coast.
"My dad was one of the first real big collectors in the '50s and '60s in New York," he said.
Dad's inspiration
He described his dad's collection as "one of the nicest in the country" and an inspiration to him.
"Over the years I've learned his lessons and followed his lead," Wichard said.
About 20 antique car restorers from around the nation will receive special recognition at this year's car classic.
"They're the ones who find these gems in barns someplace and bring them to a butterfly restoration," noted Wichard. "It's preservation of history."
Finding the gems
Wichard related a tale about an antique car his dad worked on years ago that's since been acquired by a close friend.
"My dad had found a very unusual 1931 V12 Cadillac Sport Phaeton," he said. "About six months ago, my friend here found it again and bought it. We're using it as the poster car for the show."
Once the car show begins, access along Coast Boulevard will be closed. Visitor parking will be offered for a $3 charge at Cave Street with shuttle service to and from the event.
Just in case
There's a contingency plan if the weather changes and it rains: The show will move to a tented area in the Kellogg Park parking lot at La Jolla Shores.
There's an admission charge for the first time this year, but those who don't want to ante up can still get a glimpse of the cars from outside the 4-foot-high fence that will encircle much of Cove park.
The Motor Car Classic costs about $80,000 to stage, part of which is underwritten by sponsors.
Promote La Jolla has pledged to return about $40,000 in anticipated profits to much-needed community improvement projects.
Judges will pay close attention to details during the Motor Car Classic. File
Classic cars will fill the Cove. File
If you go:
- La Jolla Motor Car Classic
- Sunday
- 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- La Jolla Cove
- Admission $15 in advance at
- $20 at gate. Children under 12, free.
- Parking for $3 at Cave Street; shuttle provided.


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Hugh Hubbard
Found 10 Records, 10 Photos and 1,374,518 Family Trees
Born in New York, USA on 10 Jan 1810 to Abner Hubbard and Catherine Webster. Hugh married Abigail Jones. He passed away on 20 Jul 1864 in Ft Atkinson, Wisconsin, USA.
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Surname meaning for "Hubbard"
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I have always wanted to fit an elliptical rudder to a Fenn, particularly a Mako 6 as it is my favourite ski. I can paddle an Elite but I prefer the 6 for all round stability and performance particularly in chop. Its main weakness is that the shark fin loses bite because of the ski's rocker and the fin's proximity to the tail causes the odd broach particularly in big swells.
I had the good fortune to paddle the latest Fenn creation last weekend – the Mako Elite Slim Line (SL). I'd heard that the boat was tippier than the Elite and I was curious to see how I'd handle it.
Sam Dawson was catching waves in his Fenn Mako XT at a favourite spot near South Sound, Grand Cayman. Suddenly his world turned upside down - literally. "I got caught by a wave and flipped off,'' Dawson said. "The wave took the surf ski away from me - I assumed never to be seen again."
There's a whole crop of new and updated surfskis from around the world. Here's a round-up of just some of them.
Dehydration is generally regarded as a Bad Thing when paddling. So, if a race is likely to be more than an hour long, paddlers take liquid with them - and where to stow it is a subject of considerable debate.
For many, the solution is to tape a bladder to the deck in front of the rudder pedals and to run a pipe back to the seat. Others prefer "Tripper" type PFDs that have a pocket on the back into which the bladder can be fitted. The pipe is run through a series of Velcro straps to the front of the PFD.
Both of these solutions, by adding weight above the centre of gravity of the ski, lessen stability.
This article describes a solution implemented by David Cade who lives in Hout Bay, Cape Town.
This summer will see the launch of a new ocean racing series on Sydney's Northern Beaches. Set to take over where the last major ocean racing series finished a few years ago the FENN CUP will bring back the excitement to the beaches.
When I lost my beloved carbon Fenn Mako6 at the end of a disastrous downwind, I took the opportunity to order a new carbon Mako Elite from Keith Fenn. Hearing of my dire ski-less condition he delivered a new one very rapidly and I've been paddling it for the last couple of months.
Most of us know the sadness and despair of breaking a ski, and usually the pieces are consigned to a dumpster. But when Dale "T-bone King" Lippstreu smashed his new Fenn Mako Elite Double recently at the end of a downwind paddle, he met the challenge full on.
[Three weeks ago, Dale Lippstreu and I did back-to-back Millers Runs in two different double skis: the Fenn Mako Elite Double and the Custom Kayaks Apex. Dale was the driver in both cases.]
[Editor: Dale Lippstreu recently bought a new Fenn Elite Double to race the doubles season here in Cape Town, South Africa. Here's what he found.]


text:
- Description
- View Full Specifications
- Year:
- 1995
- Length:
- 45'
- Engine/Fuel Type:
- Twin / diesel
- Located In:
- Brisbane, CA
- Hull Material:
- Fiberglass
- 2065-2961112
- Current Price:
- Sale Pending
FAST, High Performance Cruising Catamaran for sale. Her daggerboards make for great up-wind work, and excellent maneuverability. Capricorn Cat is easily sailed and cruised by a couple, and cruising up to 8 is a snap. She is a sleek, sexy machine that has been well-maintained and continually upgraded. She is ready to go NOW; you don't even have to change the oil! YOU could do the HA-HA THIS YEAR! Mexico is calling...YOU!
Please contact Monte Cottrell at +1619-363-3987
Additional Specs, Equipment and Information:
Boat Name
LOA: 45 ft 0 in
Beam: 26 ft 0 in
LWL: 45 ft 0 in
Minimum Draft: 4 ft 0 in
Maximum Draft: 4 ft 0 in
Displacement: 19000 lbs
Bridge Clearance: 67 ft 0 in
Total Power: 88 HP
Engine 1:
Engine Brand: Volvo
Year Built: 1995
Engine Model: 2003-T
Engine Type: Inboard
Engine/Fuel Type: Diesel
Location: Port
Engine Hours: 4472
Drive Type: Sail drive
Engine Power: 44 HP
Engine 2:
Engine Brand: Volvo
Year Built: 1995
Engine Model: 2003-T
Engine Type: Inboard
Engine/Fuel Type: Diesel
Location: Port
Engine Hours: 4472
Drive Type: Sail drive
Engine Power: 44 HP
Fresh Water Tanks: (100 Gallons)
Fuel Tanks: (100 Gallons)
Holding Tanks: 2
Number of cabins: 4
Number of heads: 2
Layout & Accommodations
4 cabins, 2 heads. Two forward berths are Queens; width x 8'L. Two rear berths are standard double width x 7'L. One head in each hull. Port side has work bench with lots of tools and storage. Starboard side has storage and space for a washer/dryer unit.
Wonderful, big galley-up layout keeps the cook up where the views are great, right in the middle of all the activities and conversations. LOTS of counter-top area and cabinet space, a big freezer and huge refrigerator (both with new compressors), counter-top-microwave, 3 burner/w oven propane stove, and double S/S. sink with two filters that make for safe and sweet drinking water. The table seats 7-9 guests
Deck & Equipment
Up front nets 7' x 20' w, behind the 33K/72.6 lbs ROCNA anchor, pulled by lofrans tigress electric windlass, with both foot and wired remote control buttons; forward pulpit seats are wonderful for spotting dolphins, flying fish, whales etc., or guests can lay in the nets and lean out over the cross-arm for closer, splash-in-your-face experiences.
Electronics & Navigation
The big nav. table holds (ALL new in 2013):"B&G", chartplotter with Simrad radar that ties in with 2 cockpit displays, including depth, true speed/SOG, wind speed, wind angles, COG, etc., the whole package. And there's more…,"THE"good VHF with digital SOS, speaker/mic in cockpit; and M-700 SSB/HAM with Pactor (upgraded) modem, enabling you to use sail-mail-etc. She also features a nice stereo/CD/FM with inside and spreader speakers.
Electrical, Power & Plumbing
Generator Model: Custom
Generator Operating Hours: 375
Generator Horsepower: 7
She has 2 x 225 amp 12v battery banks (only 2 years old) and each is 2-6v golf cart style batteries. TRACE inverter/charger give her 110v power, allocated as needed; all tied together with shore power/charging. You can also charge with genset, or the 4 solar panels on deck. DC/AC Electrical panel at nav station. Plumbing is pressure on demand, and includes a shower on the back steps.
Engine & Mechanical
Engine Manufacturer: VOLVO
Engine Model: 2003-T
Engine Year: 1995
Engine Horsepower: 44 each
Engine Hours (Port): 4472
Engine Hours (Starboard): 4464
Engine Type: Inboard
Engine Configuration : Dual
Fuel Type: Diesel
Volvo motors are 3 cylinder turbo 44HP, with sail drives. Both run great, and are easy on fuel. One motor has a 100A alternator, the other has a 150 A alternator, and she has 2 new 150A alternators as spares. Both motors and gen-set have high-end balmar regulators. "Gen" set is made up of a Kabota 7 HP diesel (375hrs), with a 200 amp alternator, and a high pressure pump for the 25 gal/p/hr watermaker
Sails & Rigging
Sloop rigged, double diamond on mast, roller furling on jib, 3 reefs on main, which drops all by itself into its "stack-pack", both made of super tough SPECTRA. Jib new spring of 2012. There are two big spinnakers, in 'socks'; one is red/white/blue and the second is yellow/black (bumble-bee). Both spinnakers are in great shape, and easy to launch and retrieve. Masthead LED tri-color/strobe included.
Additional Information
This is a VERY SERIOUS CRUISING CAT, has all the gear and spares needed to take off right now. Gear ground tackle, safety and emergency equipment and radios, dinghy/motor/wheels, and tools. In February 2012 the hulls were long boarded and painted, in February 2014 the entire deck was painted, and the bottom was stripped down to the gel coat, long-boarded, 2 barrier coats, long-boarded, and 3 coats of micron 33 were applied. New racing bottom 9/16 and Complete Buyer's Survey 9/16
The Company offers the details of this vessel in good faith but cannot guarantee or warrant the accuracy of this information nor warrant the condition of the vessel. A buyer should instruct his agents, or his surveyors to investigate such details as the buyer desired validated. Photos may not properly reflect the current condition of the actual vessel offered for sale. In some cases stock photographs may have been used.
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text: On Thu, Jul 5, 2012 at 4:58 AM, Peter Zijlstra <firstname.lastname@example.com> wrote:> On Wed, 2012-06-27 at 19:24 -0700, Paul Turner wrote:>> Now that running entities maintain their own load-averages the work we must do>> in update_shares() is largely restricted to the periodic decay of blocked>> entities. This allows us to be a little less pessimistic regarding our>> occupancy on rq->lock and the associated rq->clock updates required.>> So what you're saying is that since 'weight' now includes runtime> behaviour (where we hope the recent past matches the near future) we> don't need to update shares quite as often since the effect of> sleep-wakeup cycles isn't near as big since they're already anticipated.Not quite: This does not decrease the frequency of updates.Rather:The old code used to take and release rq->lock (nested under rcu)about updating *every* single task-group.This is because the amount of work that we would have to do to updatea group was not deterministic (we did not know how many times we'dhave to fold our load average sums). The new code just says, sincethis work is deterministic, let's thrash that lock less. I suspect 10is an incredibly conservative value, we probably want something morelike 100. (But on the flip-side, I don't want to time out on thewacko machine with 2000 cgroups, so I do have to release at SOMEpoint.)> So how is the decay of blocked load still significant, surely that too> is mostly part of the anticipated sleep/wake cycle already caught in the> runtime behaviour.RIght but the run-time behavior only lets us update things whilethey're running.This maintains periodic updates (and hence load-decay) on a groupthat's sent everything to sleep.>> Or is this the primary place where we decay? If so that wasn't obvious> and thus wants a comment someplace.>For a group with no runnable entities, yes. For a group with runnableentities this will also occur naturally about updates for theaforementioned runnables.I'll add a comment calling out the blocked case.>> Signed-off-by: Paul Turner <email@example.com>>> --->>> +static void update_blocked_averages(int cpu)>> {>> struct rq *rq = cpu_rq(cpu);>> + struct cfs_rq *cfs_rq;>> +>> + unsigned long flags;>> + int num_updates = 0;>>>> rcu_read_lock();>> + raw_spin_lock_irqsave(&rq->lock, flags);>> + update_rq_clock(rq);>> /*>> * Iterates the task_group tree in a bottom up fashion, see>> * list_add_leaf_cfs_rq() for details.>> */>> for_each_leaf_cfs_rq(rq, cfs_rq) {>> + __update_blocked_averages_cpu(cfs_rq->tg, rq->cpu);>>>> + /*>> + * Periodically release the lock so that a cfs_rq with many>> + * children cannot hold it for an arbitrary period of time.>> + */>> + if (num_updates++ % 20 == 0) {>> + raw_spin_unlock_irqrestore(&rq->lock, flags);>> + cpu_relax();>> + raw_spin_lock_irqsave(&rq->lock, flags);>> Gack.. that's not real pretty is it.. Esp. since we're still holding RCU> lock and are thus (mostly) still not preemptable.>> How much of a problem was this?, the changelog is silent on this.So the holding of RCU about these operations is nothing new (andindeed they should be much faster than before).As above, the bound is only for the crazy-large-numbers of cgroupscase where we don't want to sit on with interrupts disabled forever.I suspect it wants to be larger, but picked a fairly conservativenumber to start with since I also think it's not a big performancefactor either way.>>> + update_rq_clock(rq);>> + }>> }>> +>> + raw_spin_unlock_irqrestore(&rq->lock, flags);>> rcu_read_unlock();>> }>>>>>


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FULTON — The city of Fulton has awarded contracts for renovations of the Gaither House, one of the area's oldest homes.
The home will receive new brickwork on its chimneys, a new brick sidewalk, weatherproofing and a new roof. Work on these renovations is expected to begin within the coming months and organizers hope work will be completed before the end of the year. The cost is about $42,000.
The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reports that funding includes a grant from the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, the Fulton Community Volunteers and the city of Fulton.
The Gaither House, also known as The Cedars, has been an object of community support since 2009.
The property's owner, Fulton United Methodist Church, needed to take down the building, which was in dire need of repair, to make room for a new parsonage.
A small volunteer group, then-called Preserving Itawamba County's History — members of which later formed the Fulton Community Volunteers — asked city officials to claim the 150-year-old home. Group members, headed by U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock, offered to raise money to have the structure moved and, eventually, renovated.
In November of 2011, the Gaither House was moved about 200 yards west of its original location onto a small piece of property donated to the city by Fulton United Methodist Church. In 2012, the building was designated a historical landmark by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.
Built in 1859 by Pleasant Cates, the Gaither House is an example of the raised planters' cottage with Greek Revival details. Cates, who operated a cotton gin on the property, called the house "The Cedars" in reference to the line of cedar trees which continues to grow on the property.
In 1901, William "Bill" Gaither acquired the property and furnishings from Cates and his descendants lived in the home until 2007.
— Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal


text:
When it does, it will do so with a full compliment of seven members. Councilman Jermaine Burrell, after holding out for three months, nominated a representative during this morning's council meeting.
The City Council unanimously approved his nominee, C.J. Small, president of Small's Mortuary Inc., of one of the Mobile area's largest funeral homes.
The Citizens Budget and Finance Advisory Committee has no decision making power, but its advice is likely to carry weight with the City Council members, if only to reenforce their preexisting positions.
The seven member committee was set up by the council in May to get an independent look at the city's books and, hopefully, to help break a logjam frustrating the council's efforts to resolve the city's financial crisis.
The city faces a potential budget deficit of up to $29 million in fiscal 2013, which begins Oct. 1. The projected deficit could be halved if certain bills are deferred and some money is diverted from the city's saving's, but a balanced budget would still require significant cuts or new revenue.
Burrell had initially refused to appoint someone to the committee, which he said would only serve to muddy the waters.
This morning, though, he said in an interview that he'd changed his mind because the city was "coming to a critical juncture with the budget." Furthermore, he said, with Airbus committed to investing in Mobile and other economic development possibilities in the mix, it was important to have representation at the table.
Despite the considerable research and time that the committee has already invested, Burrell said that he is confident that he will be able to get Small up to speed in time to influence its recommendations.
The committee's next scheduled meeting, Thursday, is the last before it is scheduled to give its report.
The ordinance creating the advisory committee says that "Members should be knowledgeable of financial management, including knowledge of accounting or auditing principles."
Burrell said that Small's success in business qualified him for the job.
Small, reached by phone this afternoon, said he started his funeral home business in 2002 when he was 23. The business now employs 24 full-time and part-time workers at three locations, he said.
Updated at 4:06 p.m. to include comments from Small


text:
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Java Draw Created Oct 13, 2012 640 x 460px Unless noted Copyright 2012 princetonlvr.
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text:
that we are not alone!! (heroes)
I wish to take nothing but memories along the miles and leave nothing but all my smiles. Lets just say am the guy that your mother always warned you from hanging out with *evil laugh* Here's all my teenie weenie twaddle and tale of narcissism. I blog irregularly - because (sometimes) I tend to feel more lazy than a guy who drew a Japanese Flag! Stay insanely happy. *Yay*


text:
© 2002-2017
Encyclopaedia Metallum
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or higher.
I need to begin this review by saying I have no discrimination against the metalcore scene or any bands that participate in it. I'm also not a black metal elitist whom has hatred toward groups that try to fuse the unholy genre with something else. With that out of the way, I can honestly say I know why both the metalcore scene and the black metal elitists scorn Abigail Williams. I was originally suckered into buying this EP because I was convinced it would be a neat forgery of two separate sounds with a touch of creativity, but that's the exact opposite of what "Legend" is. Though the idea sounds promising, "Legend" is just a chunk of trash with few good moments.
Abigail Williams mainly focuses around the melodic riffing and drumming found in most metalcore groups. The guitar work resembles the typical "-core" trend with recycled melodic riffs that don't sound original or creative. Most of the riffs sound too much alike and it's hard to tell apart each song as they all sound way too similar. There are some average solos, but they can't uplift the overall guitar effort in any memorable way. The drumming has its moments, but like the guitars, it's all just the same stuff you'd find in any metalcore band.
I would assume people think Abigail Williams received their "black metal" influence from the symphonic keyboards used during "Legend," but I want to tell you otherwise. Ashley Jurgemeyer's keyboards are far from anything remotely black metal and sound gothic more than anything. The keyboards have a big role in "Legend," which is pretty cool from my standpoint. Jurgemeyer has some good lines throughout most of the tracks and she adds all the pleasant qualities to this EP.
The listener is damned to hear Ken Sorceron and his horrendous vocals throughout this twenty minutes of putrid shit. Sorceron sounds like that cretin from "The Lord Of The Rings" who was just punched in the throat. I usually don't have a problem with a vocalist that has a strange voice, but Sorceron is annoying beyond believe. Hearing this guy shout and growl is the audio equivalent of someone scratching a chalk board. The annoying mixture of screaming and growling spreads an illness of uncorrelated crap that almost drove me nuts. I typically don't mind the metalcore vocal style, but Sorceron's singing is probably one of the most horrid and appalling examples of it .
Abigail Williams is already digging their own grave with "Legend." The band's poor attempt at combining metalcore and what they call "black metal" is a formula for disaster that probably won't impress too many people. Nothing they do is consistent, enjoyable, or even remotely memorable, so just avoid Abigail Williams and their atrocious debut.
This review was written for: http://www.Thrashpit.com


text:
Keoki George Namauu
Found 10 Records, 10 Photos and 326 Family Trees
Born in Kalaoa, Hawaii, USA on 17 Apr 1892 to Mahua Namauu and Naioma Opio. Keoki George married Hannah Nihoa and had 11 children. He passed away on 16 Jan 1945 in Hi Buried Kalaoa Property, Papaikou, Hawaii, USA.
Family Members