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Red Dwarf: Series 3
The Movie
(Intro written on Jan. 2003)
For most people, it's very difficult to pick just one movie that
they consider to be their favorite movie of all time. This is why
most just compile a list of their favorites, so as to avoid
having to commit to just one title. I too fall into this category
and cannot name just one movie I like best, so I've created a
top-ten list of my favorite movies. I've then continued on to
make another list of ten, to round out a top-twenty list.
However, when it comes to TV shows, this is not the case. There
has always been just one show that infinitely stands out as my
absolute favorite TV show of all time. This show is the British
sit-com Red Dwarf.
Red Dwarf is a show that almost never got made. The
script had been proposed and rejected several times by the BBC
network. But eventually persistence and shear luck allowed
writers Rob Grant and Doug Naylor to see their quirky creation
become a reality.
The first episode aired in 1987. Red Dwarf was
considered a gamble at the time because network executives
believed a sci-fi comedy just wouldn't work. And they probably
would have been right if the show severely lacked that special
something to make it truly unique. Fortunately, Red Dwarf was
anything but ordinary. The show stood out because it was a comedy
first and foremost, and used science fiction to drive the story
forward. If the show would have got caught up in all the sci-fi
theory and science, it would most definitely have bombed, but
because it was very funny, and unique, it quickly became a cult
If you've never seen the show, and I'm sure many of you haven't,
then you're in for a real treat, because this show is the
funniest sit-com you're ever likely to see. Although, I am a
sci-fi fanatic, so I took to this show right from the start. Many
of you who aren't into sci-fi as much, may have to watch the
first three seasons before you get totally hooked. Now the first
season is a classic, and is essential to knowing the backgrounds
of the main characters, but the show really takes off in the 2nd
and 3rd seasons.
So, I'm sure you're dying to know, "what makes this show so
damn good?" Well I'm glad you asked. Red Dwarf
works so brilliantly because it is the perfect marriage of
excellent writing, hilarious characters, and unyielding
imagination. Take for instance the plot: Dave Lister (played by
Craig Charles), is a lowly chicken soup machine repairman who
gets in trouble for bringing a non quarantined cat onto the
enormous deep space mining ship, Red Dwarf. As punishment, the
slobby, curry eating, low life is forced to remain in suspended
animation, forgoing all wages until the end of their mission.
When Lister is woken from suspended animation, he finds that he
is the only remaining member of the crew still alive. A
devastating radiation leak had caused all the crew to die, and as
a consequence, Lister remained in stasis for three million years
until radiation levels reached a safe level. Now the only people
left to keep Lister company are Holly (Norman Lovett) a daffy
supercomputer with the collective IQ of 6,000 P.E. teachers,
Arnold Rimmer, (Chris Barrie) a holographic image of Lister's
annoying, self indulgent roommate, and Cat, (Danny John-Jules) a
humanoid life form that evolved from Lister's now ancient
pregnant cat. If this group of madcap characters can't make you
laugh, then there truly is no hope for you.
Now the show could have done just as well with these characters
alone, but thankfully the superbly written episodes make Red
Dwarf even funnier. Grant and Naylor really take advantage of the
creative liberty this type of show can give them, and as a
result, we see this dysfunctional crew undergo situations that
are exotic, intelligent, and always side splittingly comical.
If you like science fiction, and you like comedy, then you'll
fall completely in love with Red Dwarf. This is the
funniest and most entertaining TV show I've ever seen, and will
always remain as my absolute favorite. Owning the episodes by
themselves is worth double the price alone. So I'm thankful BBC
Video has given us this excellent two-disc set that all hardcore Dwarf
fans have been begging for. Red Dwarf has finally
arrived on DVD, and it's about smegin' time!
Series 3
BBC Video has been making us wait an entire year between
releases, (which is a little heartless if you ask me) but if the
DVD's keep turning out as brilliantly as these latest editions,
I'll gladly sit on my bum and count my chicken vindaloo recipes
for another year while waiting for seasons 5 and 6. Not only are
seasons 3 and 4 as good as the first two DVD releases, but this
time they've stepped it up a notch with improved video quality
and content. In short, these DVD's are a collector's dream.
Series 3 marked a major turning point in the comedy
series with three notable changes. The first and most obvious
change was with the cast. Robert Llewellyn joins the team as the
despicably courteous android Kryten. The character of Kryten was
introduced in an earlier episode in Series 2 but was
played by another actor. And usually when a character actor is
quietly swapped on a cult show, the fans aren't very happy, but
having watched Llewellyn work his magic throughout the years,
it's impossible to imagine ANYONE playing the part better. Also
joining the cast for Series 3 is Hattie Hayridge, who
replaced Norman Lovett as the loveable yet daft ship's computer
Holly. This cast member change was a little harder to swallow
mainly because Lovett's dry humor was so brilliant in the first
two seasons, but given Lovett's departure, Hayridge was a good
choice as she played Holly's female counterpart "Hilly"
in an episode in Series 2. Not to mention she's actually quite
The second notable change was the inclusion of Mel Bibby as the
new set designer. Bibby drastically changed the look of the show
despite having no money to do so. Gone were the life-sucking
grays and cheap rickety sets of the Red Dwarf series.
And in its place we saw bright white accents, more character
appropriate costumes, and (gasp!) some actual color. The late Mel
Bibby had an uncanny knack for turning nothing into something.
And to witness the fruits of his labor all one needs to do is
compare any episode in Series 2 to one in Series 3.
The improvements are inexplicably apparent and very much
The final change comes with the writing. Now it should be noted
that the writing in the first two series was outstanding, but in Series
3 creators Rob Grant and Doug Naylor began to step outside
the box with complex plot lines, such as the reversing of the Big
Bang (Backwards), mind swapping (Body Swap), and the discovery of
wacky dimensional portals (Timeslides). Not only did these
stories push the limits of what the average viewer might normally
comprehend, but it allowed for non-stop laughs as well. And
seeing that this was a sci-fi comedy after all, what more could
you ask for?
Series 3 consisted of six episodes. Here's a brief
breakdown of each:
Backwards: Rimmer (Chris Barrie) and Kryten
(Robert Llewellyn) get sucked into a parallel universe where
everything runs backwards. They find themselves back on Earth in
the 1980's and quickly set up shop as a variety act where they do
everything forwards. This episode is a fan favorite and concludes
with the memorable "barroom tidy" scene. Also, at the
end of the show we get to enjoy one of the funniest gags The Cat
(Danny John-Jules) ever performs. I won't spoil it for those who
haven't seen it, but let me just say you may not be able to sit
straight afterwards.
Marooned: Rimmer and Lister (Craig Charles) get
marooned on an ice planet with no food or means of communication.
Most of the episode takes place inside their ship with them
trying to keep each other company. The dialogue is witty and
hilarious, and as a result "Marooned" is Chris Barrie's
second all-time favorite episode. There are tons of memorable
lines and scenes from this episode, and is consequently a fan
favorite as well.
Polymorph: In this episode a genetic mutant
experiment gone wrong invades the inner confines of Red Dwarf.
The grotesque mutant (which looks like something straight out of
a Stephen King novel) feeds off of human emotion, and has the
ability to change into any form it wants making it difficult for
the crew to kill it. This is a great episode because the actors
really have fun with their newly transformed attitudes. Just
imagine Lister without fear, the Cat without vanity, Kryten
without guilt, and Rimmer without anger, and you can visualize
the comedy to follow. Great stuff.
Timeslides: Kryten discovers that a mutation in
his photo developing chemicals has caused his photographs to come
alive in their frames. When he turns the photos into projector
slides, the crew finds they can literally step into the
photograph and interact with the subjects. Lister uses this
discovery to his advantage by convincing a younger version of
himself to invent the "tension sheet" so that he can
become rich and famous, thusly never finding his way to the
coffin-like Red Dwarf. When he succeeds, Rimmer does what he does
best, namely, he screws everything up.
The Last Day: Kryten learns that his expiration
date is nearly up, and that he must terminate himself before his
new and improved replacement arrives. However he isn't sad
because he knows he'll be going to a better place, silicone
heaven. But after the crew throws him a rockin' going away party,
Kryten suddenly has a desire to continue living. This leads to a
hilarious standoff between the crew and the seemingly invincible
android replacement. This is probably one of the weaker episodes
in Series 3, but there are some funny moments.
In addition to the wonderful content, it just so happens that the
DVD is pretty darn great as well. Picture quality is
substantially better, and the arrangement of special features is
also improved. So, if you're a fan of the show this DVD must be
added to your collection. 'Nuff said.
The DVD
Red Dwarf Series 3 is presented in its original 4x3 full
screen aspect ratio. Picture quality is significantly better than
the first two seasons with pixelation noticeably improved. This
is good since pixelation was the only thing that really bothered
me about the first two DVD's. Also, picture looks to be little
sharper as well. I can't say for sure if the improvement is a
result of the transfer or the newer source material, but my hunch
is that the source material for this series was in better shape
than the first two seasons. But whatever the reason, I'll take
As with Series 1 & 2, this DVD comes with a Dolby
Digital 2.0 audio track. The sound on the first two DVD's was
excellent, and the trend continues here. Dialogue is crisp and
easy to hear, and the music and special effects sound every bit
as fresh as they did when they originally aired over the BBC
I was so happy with the extras in Series 1 & 2 that
I found myself completely satisfied. However, BBC video went the
extra mile to give us even more wonderfully entertaining behind
the scenes features that we would never had seen otherwise.
Here's a rundown of what's to be found on the special features
Audio Commentary: Here we have audio commentary
on every single episode given by actors Chris Barrie, Craig
Charles, Danny John-Jules, Robert Llewellyn, and Hattie Hayridge.
Usually when you bring in a group this large for a commentary
session you end up with a lot of voices overlapping fighting for
time to be heard, and that's exactly what happens here. But
despite not being able to hear what's being said all the time,
it's still very enjoyable. The actors are extremely proud of what
they did on the show, and just LOVE to talk about themselves,
which makes for some very funny discussions.
I had no difficulties whatsoever listening to every commentary on
this disc. I'm positive fans of the show won't either.
Deleted Scenes: Here you'll find 26 minutes of
deleted scenes from Series 3. Naturally some of the
scenes are more entertaining than others, but for true fans of
the show this featurette will be pure eye candy. For example
you'll see a slightly extended version of the now famous
"Wilma Flinstone" speech, eight jokes from Holly that
were rejected for the opening scene in "The Last Day,"
and the original footage of the full uncut growth of the nasty
Polymorph. Good stuff all around.
Gallery: This is huge collection of production
stills and behind the scenes photos. If you love the show, you'll
eat these things up.
Trailers: These are two trailers that were
recovered from "lost" BBC footage.
Mel Bibby Tribute: As I mentioned earlier, Mel
Bibby was the set designer for Red Dwarf. He is no
longer with us today, but his efforts shall always be remembered,
and this is a nice little tribute to him and his work. Here we
get insight to what he accomplished with a laughably modest
budget, and the cast members thoughts of him. (8:00)
Music Cues: This is still one of my favorite
features and I'm thrilled that these continue to find their way
on these discs. Here we have several of the music cues used
throughout Series 3. If you're a fanatic fan like I am,
then you can picture any number of scenes when you hear the songs
cue in. In many cases just hearing these songs make me smile.
Yes, I'm a sick man.
Hattie's DJ Diary: This is a wonderful (9:00)
home video made by actress Hattie Hayridge during one of the MANY
Red Dwarf conventions. This was hugely entertaining
because we get to see what goes on behind the scenes of a
convention. And if you're thinking the attendees of these
conventions must be similar to those found at say, a Star Trek
convention, you'd be dead right. But Red Dwarf fans have
something that a lot of other sci-fi fans do not: an acute sense
of humor. Hattie does a fantastic job taking us around the
facility and incidentally makes some very funny jokes of her own.
Model Shots: Here you'll find video footage of
the models used on the set of Red Dwarf Series 3.
Backwards Forwards: Now this was an unexpected
treat. This is the full length "Backwards" episode
played exactly as the inhabitants of the infamous planet would
have viewed the show. In other words, it's played backwards.
Well, backwards to us, and forwards to them. Get it? Watching the
show in this manner teaches us some interesting facts. Such as
what the club manager actually says when he chews out the Red
Dwarf crew in their dressing room. His speech is hilarious and
worth a watch for that alone. Also, I found it interesting that
the subtitles used for the young couple during the
bicycle-stealing scene were in fact different than what they were
actually saying. I don't know why the words were changed, but it
makes for interesting viewing now. You may want to fast-forward
(or would that be fast-rewind?) during the slow parts to get to
the good scenes, but this feature is worth a look and I'm very
glad it was included.
Smeg Ups: Like the first two DVD's here we have a
collection of scenes where the actors screw up their lines.
Although I have to believe with this oddball crew of actors there
must be more footage than this sitting around somewhere. Anyway,
these are ALWAYS funny and I'm very glad these continue to make
it into the DVD for each season. Keep 'em coming! (5:36)
Audio Book Clips: Here are snippets from the Red
Dwarf audio books "Marooned" and "Polymorph",
both read by Chris Barrie. These are interesting to listen to,
but aren't nearly as entertaining as watching the actual episode.
These are worth a listen, but you probably won't give them a
second look afterwards.
Food: This is a funny little featurette showing
us all the various times food was used throughout the show's run.
This is extremely entertaining to watch and worth a look. You may
even find yourself coming back for seconds. (3:36)
All Change: This was a pleasant addition to the
disc. This 80-minute feature packs in a wealth of actor, writer,
designer, and producer interviews to give us insight to the
making of Series 3. This featurette is simply fantastic,
giving us a look at the friendship and behind-the-scene stories
that only the makers of the show could tell. After the lengthy
25-minute introduction, they go into specifics about each episode
in Series 3. You'll learn things like how the snow in
"Marooned" was actually soap shavings that burned
Robert Llewelyn's eyes, and caused Craig Charles to spit bubbles
for hours afterwards. You'll also learn that Craig and Danny
John-Jules spent a little too much time partying when the cameras
turned off. This is great stuff. Check it out!
Final Thoughts:
This is the season where I feel the show really started to take
off. The story lines grew more bizarre and complex, and the
situations grew even funnier. If you liked Red Dwarf seasons
1 & 2, hold onto your hat because you ain't seen nothing
yet. If you're a fan of the show, buy this disc. It's the best
way to enjoy this fantastic British comedy series. Highly Recommended


text:
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
GHOP students 2007-2008/Max Shinn
From Joomla! Documentation
< GHOP students 2007-2008(Redirected from GHOP students/Max Shinn)
Hello! My name is Max Shinn (trombonechamp).
I am from Minnesota, United States.
I love writing music and Free Software. I use GNU/Linux as my desktop OS, and am in the process of getting my school district to use GNU/Linux on some of their computers as well. I am trying to teach myself more advanced PHP/Javascript. To practice, I made BernsteinForPresident.com. It is the website that wants to elect Leonard Bernstein as the president of {insert your home country here}. I made it to teach myself PHP, Javascript, and HTML, but I now use it as a homepage. It would be so much easier and the site would be more powerful if I used Joomla!, but Joomla! makes it too easy. I wouldn't learn anything about scripting languages if I used Joomla! :D
When I heard about this "contest" (why is it called a contest?) on lxer, I joined immediately. I have always wanted to help out the FOSS community on a larger scale than doing a lame PHP script. The first project I looked at was Joomla!. I used Joomla! 1.0.x earlier that year for a student council website, and fell in love with it. I looked down the list until the word "Compose" caught my eye. "I claim[ed] this task" and started my Joomla! journey.
It has been a lot of fun working with Joomla!. The community built around it is amazing. Many of the other FOSS projects I have seen have nothing but a couple people on a -dev mailing list.
I would love to see sub-forums. One for documentation, one for outreach, one for coding, etc.
This was a great experience. Thank you for giving me this chance of a lifetime!!!


text:
Notes: All timings are represented in 12-hour notation in local time of Ashburn, United States with DST adjustment (if applicable).Hours which are past midnight are suffixed with next day date. In Panchang day starts and ends with sunrise.
know more on Lord Ganesha
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text:
hope it's a good start of the holiday
enjoy being present for family & friends
try to be tolerant of those who drink
and remember it's not turkey that
makes you sleepy;
it's the other 3,000 calories we consume
Thursday, November 26, 2009
happy thanksgiving
Posted by Fireman John at 9:13 AM 3 comments
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
from Stanton Peele
there seems to be much contradiction
about the disease concept of alcoholism...
The Stanton Peele Addiction Website, November 20, 2009. This blog post also appeared on Stanton's Addiction in Society blog at PsychologyToday.com.
United States Changes Its Mind on Addiction - It's Not a Chronic Brain Disease After All
Nora Volkow and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) insist, based on peering at MRIs, that addiction is a chronic brain disease. You know - you saw it on HBO, and your kids learn this in school.
But, as I point out to Nora, she's looking in the wrong place. If you examine actual human lives, addiction is an interaction between people and their worlds that changes with time.
Now the NIDA's sister organization - the NIAAA or National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (remember, Joe Biden wants to change the names of both organizations because he knows addiction is a disease) - agrees with me.
According to Dr. Mark Willenbring, director of treatment and recovery research at NIAAA, "We're on the cusp of some major advances in how we conceptualize alcoholism."
This discovery, which I have described for decades , is based on the most sophisticated study yet conducted of Americans' drinking histories. Called NESARC (National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions), the study questioned a random national sample of over 43,000 Americans about their lifetime and current drinking.
Of this group, almost 4,500 had been alcohol dependent (read alcoholic) at one point in their lives. And, although 70% had never been treated or gone to Alcoholics Anonymous, most had ceased their alcoholism - even though most had not stopped drinking!
|Past Year Status
|Treated (n=1,205)
|Untreated (n=3,217)
|Drinking w/o dependence
|Source: Dawson et al. (2005).
About 30% of Americans had experienced some kind of alcohol disorder, including abuse along with dependence, but about 70% of those quit drinking or cut back to safe consumption patterns without treatment after four years or less.
Only a tiny minority (1%) fit the stereotypical image of someone with severe, recurring alcohol addiction that Alcoholics Anonymous, addiction disease proponents like Volkow, and American mythology consider typical. According to Willenbring, "It can be a chronic, relapsing disease. But it isn't usually that."
Take that, Nora!
According to the lead researcher on the project, Deborah Dawson, NESARC data show that alcohol use disorders are "less a mental disorder than a maladaptive pattern of behavior."
In a three-year follow-up of initial respondents, Dawson and her colleagues found that alcohol dependence was "strongly associated with changes in mental/psychological functioning." Alcohol dependence causes significant decreases in mental health and coping, but social functioning and mental health underwent "significant increases among those who achieved full and partial remission from dependence" (meaning alcoholics who continued drinking with either no, or reduced, problems).
Now comes the most amazing part. The increases in social functioning and mental health "were equally great for abstinent and nonabstinent remission from dependence, but improvements in bodily pain and general health were associated with nonabstinent remission only" (that means the alcoholics who reduced their drinking).
My Life Process Program is exclusively abstinence based - although we recognize the reality that lifetime abstinence rarely occurs. But government researchers - based on the best epidemiological research yet conducted - now inform us that people who recover without quitting drinking are healthier than those who quit altogether.
Go figure.
Posted by Fireman John at 12:52 PM 3 comments
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Monday quotes
Integrity is what we do, what we say, and what we say we do.
- Don Galer
The first step toward change is acceptance. Once you accept yourself, you open the door to change. That's all you have to do. Change is not something you do, it's something you allow.
- Will Garcia
I am learning to be patient and compassionate with myself as I gain the courage to be true to myself.
- Shakti Gawain
Mistakes are a fact of life. It is the response to error that counts.
- Nikki Giovanni
We all know a fool when we see one -- but not when we are one.
- Arnold H. Glasgow
It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow.
- Robert H. Goddard
You can preach a better sermon with your life than with your lips.
- Goldsmith
Happiness always looks small while you hold it in your hands, but let it go and you learn at once how big and precious it is.
- Maxim Gorky
You miss 100% of the shots you don't take...
- Wayne Gretzky
If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.
- Tenzin Gyatso
If a small thing has the power to make you angry, does that not indicate something about your size?
- Sydney J. Harris
Vision is not enough, it must be combined with venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps, we must step up the stairs.
Vaclav Havel
Posted by Fireman John at 11:37 PM 2 comments
Saturday, November 21, 2009
from jointogether.org
interesting article;
Drunk Drivers with Kids in Car Could Face Felonies in N.Y.
November 19, 2009
The New York state Assembly has passed a bill that would make it a felony offense to drive while intoxicated if children under age 16 are in the vehicle, the New York Times reported Nov. 18.
The bill also would require first-time convicted drunk drivers to install ignition-interlock devices on their cars to prevent repeat offenses.
Currently, only Arizona makes it a felony offense to drive drunk with children; about a dozen states require the ignition-interlock devices, which prevent the engine from starting if a breath sample reveals the presence of alcohol. New Yorkers convicted of felony drunk driving would face up to four years in prison under the bill.
The legislation follows a pair of impaired-driving cases in New York that caused the deaths of young children, including a crash on the Taconic Parkway that killed eight people and an incident where a drunk woman flipped her car on the Henry Hudson Parkway, killing Leandra Rosado, an 11-year-old friend of her daughter.
"Everyone who takes a drink and gets behind the wheel is going to think twice about driving whether there are children in the car," said Lenny Rosado, the victim's father. "My daughter's name and her death will make a difference."
New York Gov. David Patterson supports the bill.
Posted by Fireman John at 2:21 PM 1 comments
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
am I grateful today?
looking at the most important facets
of life regarding health; not only physical,
but mental, emotional and spiritual.
these were all gifts that I squandered for
many years. overweight, hypertensive,
depressed and morally bankrupt became
the norm.
even though it hasn't always been a smooth
continuous journey, I have to be grateful
for the ability and opportunity to get back
on the path.
so many friends have not survived the trip
after going back out.
life still hands me lemons;
but it's ok, as long as I don't add vodka!
Posted by Fireman John at 9:47 AM 4 comments
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Monday quotes
Your children will see what you're all about by what you live rather than what you say.
When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. And that's my religion.
It is prosperity that gives us friends, adversity that proves them
If you are lonely when you are alone, you are in bad company.
Self-trust is the first secret to success.
There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in.
It is never too late to be what you might have been.
Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow."
"If you see a friend without a smile; give him one of yours."
"Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do."
"Little by little one walks far"
"Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself."
"Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step."
"For every dark night, there's a brighter day"
"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream."
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."
"Look at life through the windshield, not the rear-view mirror"
Posted by Fireman John at 10:39 PM 2 comments
Saturday, November 14, 2009
the 16 steps
thanks to
1) We affirm we have the power to take charge of our lives and stop being dependent on substances or other people for our self-esteem and security.
Alternative: We admit/acknowledge we are out of control with/powerless over ________ yet have the power to take charge of our lives and stop being dependent on substances or other people for our self-esteem and security.
2) We come to believe that God/Goddess/Universe/Great Spirit/Higher Power awakens the healing wisdom within us when we open ourselves to the power.
3) We make a decision to become our authentic selves and trust in the healing power of the truth.
4) We examine our beliefs, addictions and dependent behavior in the context of living in a hierarchical, patriarchal culture.
5) We share with another person and the Universe all those things inside of us for which we feel shame and guilt.
6) We affirm and enjoy our intelligence, strengths and creativity, remembering not to hide these qualities from ourselves and others.
7) We become willing to let go of shame, guilt, and any behavior that keeps us from loving ourselves and others.
8) We make a list of people we have harmed and people who have harmed us, and take steps to clear out negative energy by making amends and sharing our grievances in a respectful way.
9) We express love and gratitude to others and increasingly appreciate the wonder of life and the blessings we do have.
10) We learn to trust our reality and daily affirm that we see what we see, we know what we know and we feel what we feel.
11) We promptly admit to mistakes and make amends when appropriate, but we do not say we are sorry for things we have not done and we do not cover up, analyze, or take responsibility for the shortcomings of others.
12) We seek out situations, jobs, and people who affirm our intelligence, perceptions and self-worth and avoid situations or people who are hurtful, harmful, or demeaning to us.
13) We take steps to heal our physical bodies, organize our lives, reduce stress, and have fun.
14) We seek to find our inward calling, and develop the will and wisdom to follow it.
15) We accept the ups and downs of life as natural events that can be used as lessons for our growth.
16) We grow in awareness that we are sacred beings, interrelated with all living things, and we contribute to restoring peace and balance on the planet.
while it may be sacrilege for some, to alter any facet of aa,
I find these steps to be absolutely on target for anyone
seeking continued recovery from drugs & alcohol.
sure many argue "it works if you work it";
I don't believe for a minute that many of the 90+ percent
of folks who never recover through aa, didn't do all
that was suggested to them.
it is the complex nature and power of addiction that
is resistant to treatment.
if only these 16 step meetings were more readily available...
perhaps many more could find the path to progressive wellness.
Posted by Fireman John at 11:21 AM 1 comments
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
from About.com/alcoholism
the 4 stages of rehab;
When you decide to enter a professional alcohol and drug treatment program, you will begin a journey through four distinct stages of rehab recovery as you learn to develop a clean and sober lifestyle.
The four stages of rehab described here - treatment initiation, early abstinence, maintaining abstinence and advanced recovery - were developed by the National Institute on Drug Abuse for its "Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment: A Research Based Guide" resource for healthcare providers.
In this model, recovery is a lifelong process.
When you reach out for help from a professional alcohol and drug rehab program, you begin the first stage of your recovery, treatment initiation. Whether you seek help voluntarily or are forced by circumstances to enter rehab, your recovery process will begin with you initiating professional treatment.
Once you have made a commitment to continue treatment for your substance abuse problem, you will enter the second stage of rehab known as early abstinence. This can be the toughest stage to cope with because of many factors, including continued withdrawal symptoms, physical cravings, psychological dependence and a host of triggers that can tempt you into a relapse.
After approximately 90 days of continual abstinence, you will move from the early abstinence stage of recovery to the third stage, maintaining abstinence. If you started in a residential treatment program, you will now move to the continuing or follow-up counseling phase of your rehab program on an outpatient basis.
One focus of this stage of rehab is obviously to maintain abstinence by avoiding a relapse. You will learn the warning signs and the steps that can lead up to a relapse.
4)The fourth stage of alcohol and drug rehab is reaching advanced recovery in which you have achieved long-lasting abstinence and have made a commitment to continue to lead a lifelong sober lifestyle. Advanced recovery, sometimes called stable recovery, usually begins after five years of sustained abstinence.
Throughout your continuing care phase of your professional rehab program, you have not only learned to maintain abstinence, you have also learned to make more healthy and productive choices in all areas of your life. Advanced recovery is living that healthy lifestyle for the rest of your life.
Posted by Fireman John at 9:22 AM 1 comments
Monday, November 9, 2009
Monday quotes
Don't let anyone steal your Dreams. Follow your heart, no matter what.
- Jack Cainfield
We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.
- Joseph Campbell
Everything you want is out there waiting for you to ask. Everything you want also wants you. But you have to take action to get it.
- Jack Canfield
You really have to look inside and find your inner strength, and say, "I'm proud of what I am and who I am, and I'm just going to be myself."
- Mariah Carey
How far you go in life depends on you being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and the strong. Because someday in life you will have been all of these.
- George Washington Carver
The capacity to care is the thing which gives life its deepest meaning and significance.
- Pablo Casals
Every winner has scars.
- Herbert N. Casson
There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm.
- Willa Cather
Star The most wasted of all days is that on which one has not laughed.
- Nicolas Chamfort
If you're still hanging onto a dead dream of yesterday, laying flowers on its grave by the hour, you cannot be planting the seeds for a new dream to grow today.
- Joyce Chapman
Real generosity is doing something nice for someone who'll never find out.
- Frank A. Clark
We are, each of us angels with only one wing; and we can only fly by embracing one another.
- Luciano de Crescenzo
Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.
- Marie Curie
Posted by Fireman John at 8:51 AM 2 comments
Friday, November 6, 2009
the state or quality of being serene, calm or tranquil.
This was the topic at last nights house meeting.
we are all familiar with the serenity prayer,
yet everyone has their own view of what
the feeling actually consists of.
In essence it is the exact opposite of the chaos,
insecurity and agitation of our former days.
What comes to mind for me is the Eagles song,
"peaceful easy feeling";
I like the way your sparkling earrings lay,
against your skin, it's so brown
and I wanna sleep with you
in the desert tonight
with a billion stars all around
'cause I gotta peaceful easy feeling
and I know you won't let me down
'cause I'm already standing on the
And I found out a long time ago
what a woman can do to your soul
Ah, but she can't take you anyway
You don't already know how to go
and I gotta peaceful, easy feeling
and I know you won't let me down
'cause I'm already standing on the ground
I get this feeling I may know you
as a lover and a friend
but this voice keeps whispering
in my other ear, tells me
I may never see you again
'cause I get a peaceful, easy feeling
and I know you won't let me down
'cause I'm already standing on the ground
'cause I'm already standing...
on the ground
Posted by Fireman John at 1:16 PM 1 comments
Thursday, November 5, 2009
asking for help
Not always the easiest task for many of us.
I know for this alcoholic coming in holding
on to ego, false pride, arrogance and a
"know it all" attitude, it was nearly impossible.
After all, I was a functioning alcoholic, or so I thought.
I had been holding onto the illusion of control.
As time went on it gradually became easier
to ask for help and guidance.
My way and only gotten me back to old
habits and eventually failure.
Today I seek knowledge from those who are
willing to share their experience.
In recent years I have become a student
of addiction and recovery.
Not only is it about knowledge, but how to
apply what I learn to my daily life.
Posted by Fireman John at 9:51 AM 3 comments
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
upcoming holidays
Soon a common topic in the rooms will
be the upcoming terror trilogy of holidays
Thanksgiving is commonly the easiest
to handle for most alcoholics
Not known for raucous celebration and ceremonial
toasts, the day we give thanks centers mainly around food
Though I do admit I did look forward to a good
wine with dinner , the main focus was usually on the next course.
Next up is Christmas, complete with work parties,
stressful shopping, decorating and for some,
dread of certain family members.
Many of us remember the constant availability of
spiked eggnog, aperitifs, and jazzy coffees,
along with the usual beer, wine and cocktails.
Having never been a fan of New Year's Eve;
which I always considered an amateur night,
it has been the easiest to handle in sobriety.
The best advice is to stay vigilant, talk about it,
and maybe hit a meeting.
accept that others can still drink safely.
It is comforting to know that we can be present
enjoy holiday festivities.
Posted by Fireman John at 10:35 AM 1 comments
Monday, November 2, 2009
Monday quotes
Where is home? Home is where the heart can laugh without shyness. Home is where the heart's tears can dry at their own pace.
- Vernon Baker
Luck? I don't know anything about luck. I've never banked on it, and I'm not afraid of people who do. Luck to me is something else: hard work - and realizing what is opportunity and what isn't.
- Lucille Ball
Solitude is fine, but you need someone to tell you that solitude is fine.
- Honore De Balzac
A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love.
- Basil
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.
- Melody Beattie
We all are born mad. Some remain so.
- Samuel Beckett
The fragrance always stays in the hand that gives the rose.
- Hada Bejar
Listening to your heart is not simple. Finding out who you are is not simple. It takes a lot of hard work and courage to get to know who you are and what you want.
- Sue Bender
Each morning the day lies like a fresh shirt on our bed; this incomparably fine, incomparably tightly woven tissue of pure prediction fits us perfectly. The happiness of the next twenty-four hours depends on our ability, on waking, to pick it up.
- Walter Benjamin
You stand outside the circle and wonder why you feel left out, unaware that you need your own permission to join the others - not theirs.
- Rusty Berkus
Blessed are those who can give without remembering and take without forgetting.
- Elizabeth Bibesco
There is a calmness to a life lived in gratitude... a quiet joy.
- Ralph H. Blum
We are co-creators with God, not puppets on a string waiting for something to happen.
- Father Leo Booth
I avoid looking forward or backward, and try to keep going forward.
- Charlotte Bronte
Posted by Fireman John at 12:01 AM 1 comments


text:
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Singapore, Filter
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IDA scholarships for PhD students in US and Singapore
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Warehouse fire delays Magtaa desalination by nine months
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Groundbreaking follows Singapore II desalination finance deal
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IDA leads Energy-Water Nexus Roundtable at Singapore week
The International Desalination Association (IDA) will support the Water Leaders Summit when it opens on 5 July 2011 at Singapore International Water Week.
Dutch to build ceramic membrane demo plant in Singapore
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Bridging loans sought for Singapore desalination plant
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Keppel in US$ 46 million water-reuse JV in Tianjin
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US$0.36/m³ price for Singapore's second desalination plant
Tuaspring Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of Singapore's Hyflux, signed a 25-year Water Purchase Agreement (WPA) with Singapore's national water agency on 6 April 2011 for the country's second and largest desalination plant.
Hyflux collaborates with Japanese bank
Singapore's Hyflux Ltd has signed a memorandum of understanding with Japan's Mizuho Corporate Bank to collaborate in the global water business.
Hyflux preferred for 318,500 m³/d Singapore desalination plant
PUB, Singapore's national water agency, has selected locally based Hyflux Ltd as the preferred bidder for the country's second and largest seawater desalination plant.
Tender later this year for Changi expansion
A tender will be called in the second half of 2011 for construction and installation of an expansion to Singapore's Changi Water Reclamation Plant using membrane technology.
IDA announces scholarship program winners
Students from Brazil and Singapore are this year's winners of the Channabasappa Memorial Scholarship awarded by the International Desalination Association (IDA).
First IDA Young Leaders tour completed
The International Desalination Association (IDA) Young Leaders Program (YLP) recently concluded its first global Educational Tour, reaching out to more than 2,000 potential future desalters in Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the USA.
Desalination worries for Hyflux in Libya
Singapore-based contractor Hyflux is "closely monitoring" the situation in Libya, where it is due to start work shortly on a 40,000 m³/d seawater reverse-osmosis facility under a contract awarded in November 2010 by the General People's Committee for Utilities (the Ministry of Utilities in Libya).
Chinese industrial wastewater job won by United Envirotech
Singapore-based United Envirotech Ltd, a membrane-based water and wastewater treatment company, announced on 8 February 2011 that it had signed a transfer-operate-transfer agreement with the management committee of the Nanpu Economic Development Zone in China to provide a 80,000 m³/d wastewater treatment plant and a 40,000 m³/d wastewater recycling plant.
Hyflux wins 40,000 m³/d SWRO plant in Libya
A contract for a 40,000 m³/d desalination plant in Tobruk, Libya, has been won by Hyflux Ltd of Singapore, the company announced on 15 November 2010.
Eight bidders for Singapore's second desalination plant
Eight companies/consortia had expressed interest in Singapore's second and largest desalination plant when the tender for the project closed on 23 October 2010.
ABS turbocompressors selected for Jurong MBR plant
Aeration for the membrane bioreactor (MBR) and the biological treatment tanks at Jurong Water Reclamation Plant, Singapore's largest MBR plant, is to be provided by ABS Turbocompressors HST.
November deadline for Singapore papers
Papers have been invited for the Water Convention held as part of the Singapore International Water Week, 4-8 July 2011.
Nitto Denko and Mitsubishi win Singapore MBR order
Microfiltration (MF) membranes for Singapore's largest membrane bioreactor (MBR) plant at the Jurong Water Reclamation Plant are to be supplied by Nitto Denko/Hydranautics and Mitsubishi Rayon Co.
Singapore tenders 318,500 m³/d SWRO desalination plant
A tender for a 70 MIGD (318,500 m³/d) desalination plant to be built at Tuas, Singapore, was launched on 30 June 2010 by the country's national water agency, PUB.
Second Singapore desalination plant to be launched soon
Singapore will soon be unveiling plans for a second desalination plant, Teo Chee Hean, deputy prime minister and minister for defence, said at the opening ceremony for the Singapore International Water Week on 28 June 2010.
Siemens working on MBR system and low-energy desalination
Siemens may launch a new membrane bioreactor (MBR) based wastewater treatment and reuse system in 2011. It will also be delivering a demonstration low-energy desalination unit to Singapore's Environment & Water Industry Development Council (EWI) by the end of the year.
NEWater plant No 5 opened in Singapore
Singapore's fifth and largest NEWater wastewater reuse plant was officially opened by Singapore's senior minister, Goh Chok Tong, on 3 May 2010.
Singapore Water Week convention programme published
The advance programme for the Singapore Water Week convention is now available for download on the event website.
Hyflux to build Singapore's largest MBR plant
Singapore's largest membrane bioreactor (MBR) plant is to be built by Hyflux Ltd under a Sing$ 35.8 million (US$ 25.4 million) contract announced on 23 February 2010.
Lanxess moves into water filtration membranes
Speciality chemicals manufacturer Lanxess AG on 21 January 2010 launched construction of a new plant to develop and produce membrane filtration technology at its site in Bitterfeld, Germany.
JGC and Hyflux to collaborate on water and desalination projects
Hydrocarbon engineering company JGC Corporation of Japan and NewSpring Utility Pte Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Singapore-based membrane technology company Hyflux Ltd, signed a joint venture agreement on 22 December 2009 to develop greenfield water projects including desalination in China.
Singapore signals more water co-operation with the Dutch
The Netherlands Water Partnership (NWP) and PUB, the national water agency of Singapore, signed a letter of intent on 22 October 2009 to boost collaborations undertaken by businesses and research institutions in the fields of science, technology and innovations in Singapore's water sector.
Papers invited for Singapore Water Week
Papers have been invited by 15 November 2009 for the 3-day conference during 29 June - 1 July 2010 that is one of the flagship events for the Singapore International Water Week.
Nominations called for Singapore water prize
Singapore International Water Week issued a call for nominations for the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize 2010 on 18 September 2009.
Changi wastewater reuse plant goes commercial
Stage 1 of the Sembcorp Changi NEWater Plant (SCNP) in Singapore has started commercial operations, according to a 26 August 2009 announcement from Black & Veatch, who provided full design engineering for the wastewater reuse plant along with construction support and commissioning services.


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A movie contest! It's about "classic movies" and this means they have to be at least 25 years old. The picture can be about every famous movie from around the world you consider a classic, but remember to mention the TITLE. Please choose a movie as your topic, no actors or Hollywood in general.
If you are new: Register a nickname by clicking on the REGISTER button in the menu on top of this page. Then you can upload your picture to the contest gallery. The pictures will all show up on September 16, before this they are hidden.
- The picture must be created at sp-studio.de and submitted here till September 15th, 11:59 PM (GMT+1).
No editing with additional software! No effects, color change, zooming. Just SP-Studio pictures.
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- Add a fitting English title & description (optional). You can link to reference pictures. No text like "VOTE!!!".
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- When the voting starts registered users can rate the pictures (1-5 stars) until September 30st.
- Vote fair! Don't manipulate results by telling friends to give you 5 stars and others 1 star or you will be banned.
1st place: Make a wish for a new SP-Studio item and I will draw and include it within a month (at least I try ;)).
1st to 5th place: You win your own User Gallery. If you already have one you can upload 30 more files to it now.
Janina's Choice: I might pick one additional person, if I think he/she deserves a user gallery. The score doesn't matter.
Good luck!


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Report: Mentally Ill Children Being Sentenced to Prison
LONDON — A report issued by The Prison Reform Trust here finds that children with emotional and mental health needs are more likely to go to prison than other young people because the Youth Justice System does not recognize their special needs.
The PRT report expressed concern that children with learning disabilities, mental health and other disorders may not be benefiting from the right to a fair trial due to their conditions and difficulties in understanding the legal system. Additionally, the report found that black children — already overrepresented in juvenile facilities — are being hit hardest.
"This in-depth report shows too many young people are in prison because their needs are not recognized or met," says Juliet Lyon, PRT director. "There is nothing fair about a system where things are not explained or understood and where youngsters are not properly represented or protected."
The failure to recognize students with such disabilities violates the spirit of Article Six of the European Convention on Human Rights, the report stated.
Diz Minnett, speech and language coach at the Association of Youth Offending Team Managers, and advocacy group that promoted the public understanding of youth crimes, predicted that acknowledgement of underlying issues could result in fairer court proceedings for the accused.
"A court faced with a sullen uncommunicative and defensive 17-year-old tends to view the behavior differently once aware that he has been assessed with communication difficulties, cannot understand a lot of the language being used, and is functioning at the level of a child 10 years younger," Minnett said.
The PRT report went on to find that local authorities and health agencies are not investing in grassroots organizations that might keep youth out of trouble, instead waiting to act until the child has gotten into trouble and is in the justice system.


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Terrific mid-size crossover SUV.
Sport Utility Vehicles
Editor: G.R. Whale
$27,895 Base Price MSRP
$40,955 As Tested MSRP
Model Lineup: Honda Pilot LX ($27,895); EX ($30,745); EX-L ($33,845); Touring ($37,045)
Standard Engine: 3.5-liter sohc 24-valve V6
Engine Options: 250-hp 3.5-liter V6
Standard Transmission: 5-speed automatic
Transmission Options: 5-speed automatic
Basic Warranty: 3 years/36,000 miles
Assembled In: Lincoln, Alabama
Model Tested MSRP: Honda Pilot 4WD Touring with DVD ($40,245)
Standard Equipment: leather upholstery, three-zone climate control, moonroof, power windows/locks/mirrors/hatch, roof rails, fog lamps, tow hitch, navigation/rearview camera, 10-speaker audio/XM radio/USB port, tilt/telescoping steering wheel, power heated front seats, sliding 60/40 folding second row with window sunshades, 60/40 folding third row, reconfigurable cargo area, console, conversation mirror, cruise control, message center, trip computer, DVD rear-seat entertainment
Options As Tested: none
Standard Safety Equipment: frontal airbags, side-impact airbags, curtain airbags, active front head restraints; electronic stability control, ABS, EBD
Optional Safety Equipment: all-wheel driveDestination Charge: $710
An eight-passenger Honda Pilot can handle four adults and four kids easily. It has useful cargo space beyond the third-row seats so you needn't fold any seats down to fit a week's worth of groceries. And with six cupholders in the second row alone, eight door cargo pockets and the ability to carry a 4x8-foot sheet of building material flat inside, finding a place for everything isn't an issue.
The majority of Pilots are all-wheel-drive models that allow another 1000 pounds in tow rating and provide better acceleration and climbing in snow. However, with the same tires and brakes, they don't stop or change direction any better than the front-drive version. If you don't tow near the maximum and live in temperate climes, the Honda Odyssey offers more room and similar flexibility and features for about the same tab as an equal-level Pilot.
In footprint and operation the Pilot is one of the most efficient eight-seat crossovers around, and offers models suitable for hard-core outdoor adventurers who define camping as a sleeping bag to those who wouldn't consider adventuring unless there's a Four Seasons within an hour's drive. And if you ever get tired of it, 95 percent of a Pilot can be recycled.
The Pilot was completely redesigned for 2009 and continues into 2010 with essentially no changes.
Honda Pilot comes in four variants with few options. Each model is offered with front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive (4WD). All mechanical and safety components and systems are identical across the range. Navigation comes only on top-line models, and the rear-seat DVD entertainment system is available only on the top two trims.
Pilot LX ($27,895) comes with cloth upholstery, front and rear climate control, steel wheels, five-speed automatic, Hill Start Assist, flip-up hatch glass, intermittent rear wiper/washer, power windows/locks/mirrors, tow hitch, tinted rear windows, automatic headlamps, cruise control, center console, visor extensions and illuminated mirrors, tilt/telescoping steering column, four front seatback pockets, six reading lights, reconfigurable cargo area, 60/40 split-folding second and third row seats, trip computer, seven-speaker system with 6CD changer and MP3 jack. Pilot LX 4WD ($29,495) adds the Real Time 4WD system.
Pilot EX ($30,745) upgrades with three-zone climate control, alloy wheels, security system, heated body-color mirrors, roof rails, fog lights, chrome exhaust tips, HomeLink, conversation mirror, eight-way power driver seat, XM radio, and exterior temperature indicator. Pilot EX 4WD ($32,345) includes the all-wheel drive system.
Pilot EX-L ($33,845) upgrades with leather upholstery and wrap for steering wheel and shifter, heated front seats, four-way power passenger seat, moonroof, a noise-reducing laminated windshield, and an auto-dimming inside mirror with rearview camera display. A rear-seat DVD system with 115-volt AC outlet is available ($35,445). EX-L 4WD ($35,445) adds Real Time 4WD.
The Pilot Touring model ($37,045) trims out the EX-L with a power tailgate, driver memory system, chrome side trim, signals in outside mirrors, trailer pre-wire, parking sensors front and rear, voice-recognition navigation with rear camera/Bluetooth/interface jog-dial control, second-row window shades, 512-watt 10-speaker audio system and USB port, and time/speed functions added to the trip computer. Rear-seat entertainment is optional, but treated as a separate model ($38,645). Touring 4WD ($38,645) is also available with the rear-seat DVD ($40,245).
Safety equipment on all Pilots includes front and front side airbags, three-row side-curtain airbags, Vehicle Stability Assist (electronic stability control), four child-seat LATCH positions, active front head rests, and eight adjustable headrests and shoulder belts.
Walk Around
Honda Pilot's styling was inspired by an ultra-rugged laptop computer, and while the new Pilot is certainly more rugged looking than its predecessor, it's also much cleaner with fewer indentations and carving in the body panels, more integrated lines, and a boxier shape that serves usefulness as well as it caters to image. Surfaces that aren't sloped inward at the roof pay dividends in head space and big-box cargo loading, and the three inches of extra length have gone between the axles and into the cabin.
With substantial chrome trim and eyebrows in the headlight housings, fog lights much higher in the bumper, and a hatch that tapers more to the sides than forward at the top, the Pilot looks wider it is. Viewed from dead astern the mid-size Pilot appears as bulky as the full-size Toyota Sequoia.
Panel crimps define the wheel openings, aiding the rugged look without adding width or bolt-on parts that might promote rust. The third-row side window has been separated by a thick chunk of sheetmetal, to no apparent detriment in driver vision or third-row comfort. The rear wiper has been parked off the hatch glass because that now opens separately, the hatch has a hefty pull handle with touch-point releases and is powered on the Touring model, and the bumper has a good cover so sloppy loading won't mar the paint.
All Pilots come with a Class III tow hitch and coolers required for towing; only a wiring pigtail will be needed from the dealer. The top tow rating remains 4500 pounds on 4WD and 3500 pounds on front-drive models, but the 4500 is no longer limited to boats or low-profile trailers. Roof rails are standard on higher trims and you'll probably be using the back bumper and door sills without a step stool or small ladder to load items six feet up.
In its most basic form the Pilot is derived from the same platform as the Acura MDX big crossover, yet the two do not share an engine, many features, or end-user purpose and philosophy. As a result, they differ dramatically in use.
Regardless of trim level, the Honda Pilot interior appears well thought out and assembled, with functional touches at every turn and a luxury factor that increases alongside price. In simple terms the base LX will do everything a Touring will do except reposition your seat and mirrors or open and close the power tailgate.
The cloth upholstery on LX and EX we found to be comfortable in temperature extremes. The cloth is a subdued design with just enough pattern to hide stains that become part and parcel of any eight-seat vehicle. One may desire more features from higher-priced models yet the basics are all here, including power windows and locks and air conditioning for front and rear. Just like the priciest Pilot, door armrests have soft cushioned elbow pads and there's no cheap feel in frequently felt surfaces. All trims offer four interior colors dependent on paint hue. Premium models are upgraded with nicely textured leather, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift lever, and more upscale door panel trim.
The front seats deliver good support for long-term comfort and bolsters on the seatbacks provide lateral support without imposing thigh cushions you'd have to climb over for every entry or exit. The power driver's seat on the EX adjusts in one more plane than the LX and is easier underway for minor improvements in finding the ideal position and height, yet we had no fatigue or wish for more after hours in an LX.
The middle-row seat provides essentially the same room as the front seats, including good toe space under the front seats. This seat split-folds 60/40 with the short cushion on the right side for easiest loading, both sides slide fore and aft for maximum flexibility or keeping that baby seat closer, the climate control is handy at the back of the console, and each door has two cupholders in the armrest and dual pockets below. Although it appears as merely a fixed cushion above the center armrest, the center headrest easily lifts and extends to a useful height.
The third row is easily accessible: One lift of the lever at kid's-eye height in the center row backrest tilts the seat and slides it forward for third-row access. As with all crossovers this is the restriction point as the rear seat offers good space and getting there is easy for limber kids and slender adults. Like the middle row, this seat splits to fold flat, has three usable headrests and offers storage on both sides. The optional rear-seat entertainment system is much the same as the top-ranked setups in the Odyssey and Acura MDX.
At least in LX and EX trims this is a jump-in-and-go kind of ride. No fumbling about looking for where to put the key (or a start button), a one-touch tilt-and-telescope function to put the wheel where you want it, and generally intuitive controls; for example, the intermittent wiper settings are defined by the number of raindrops to match precipitation to wiper speed. Stability system and park sensor (Touring) defeat switches are to the left of the driver so hooligans bent on embarrassing mom won't turn them off at an inconvenient moment.
Gauges appear as a clear overlay with black markings floating above a white background and red needles swinging between the layers. A foot-operated parking brake rides above a good dead pedal to rest your left foot on without pointing toes, and the shifter is next to the wheel on the left side of the central control area.
On most Pilots this area features an info display at the top for miscellaneous data, silver-trimmed audio controls, black-framed climate controls, a box-shaped bin at the bottom and an omnidirectional vent on either side. On the Touring it gets busier and ventures beyond that jump-in-and-go realm that frequently accompanies audio-video store showrooms on wheels.
At the top is a shaded navigation screen for the system that operates with voice recognition and delivers electronic breadcrumbs to retrace your off-road route back to pavement. Below that are a slim display for temperature data, the audio and climate controls, seat heat switches, a much smaller MP3-player size bin, and the interface jog dial for the navigation system.
That controller works like many, with a central function knob that moves in almost any direction to work through menus and lists. It's neither as infuriating as some systems nor as easy as the best, and some of the six hard keys surrounding it were difficult to read in daylight with or without sunglass, polarized or plain. Altogether there are about 50 buttons and switches in the center stack and another 13 (plus horn) on the steering wheel, so some familiarization is in order.
Above the glovebox is a segmented tray; the glovebox is deep but the door drops with surprising weight so keep knees clear; each door has two pockets in it as well, and it seems every bin/cubby/box has a rubberized floor to minimize noise and sliding contents. The center console could conceal an ultra-portable notebook or small purse if you configure it properly.
Pilot pilots will find the cowl line higher than usual for Honda vehicles but the view out remains good, the style lines in the hood somewhat helpful at defining the sides of the car in motion. With rear pillars too far away to be impediments, center rear shoulder belts and headrests stowed until needed, and good rear-wiper coverage, seeing out of a Pilot is a non-issue. All but the LX have a wide-angle mirror above the rearview mirror for keeping an eye on the passengers, but some lighter-colored dashboard edges make a minor-nuisance reflection in the side window glass by the mirrors.
The cargo area has as assortment of tie-down points and bag hooks. The cargo floor can be flipped up and latched against the third-row seatback, and the net inside it attached at the side, for a carrying basket/shelf capable of holding 22 pounds. This net is a few inches below the hatch-glass windowline, and since that now opens separately, small items can be loaded through the window opening without lifting the entire hatch. Below the cargo floor is more storage area but it is flat to be useful for carrying heavier objects when the net is deployed. There is also a compartment on the driver's side big enough to hold small service parts and a one-gallon jug for windshield washer refills or whatever.
There is perhaps no better demonstration of packaging efficiency than folding all the back seats flat and laying a 4x8-foot sheet of plywood, which is more than half as long as the whole car, flat on the floor, closing the hatch, and driving off with it completely out of the weather.
Driving Impressions
On the road, the Honda Pilot feels balanced, with sufficient power and brakes, decent ride quality and handling, and on 4WD models the ability to leave the pavement or tackle pre-plowed snow. Most owners won't go as far as a Pilot will go, but the rugged looks match vehicles that will go farther on a bad trail, so travel is best kept to scenic byways and mountain motorways.
The 3.5-liter V6 takes on a characteristic Honda growl when you push it and you'll need to be towing or accelerating uphill on an on-ramp to require such grunt. For the most part the engine is in the background, never silenced, never rough and never annoying. It now uses Honda's Variable Cylinder Management to switch off two or three of its six cylinders to save fuel; the ECO light on the dash shows when you are getting best economy and does not necessarily mean the Pilot is running on only three or four cylinders. Like the all-wheel drive system, the VCM is transparent to the driver and requires no action on his or her part, and apart from some front-tire spin under heavy acceleration from rest the front-drive model drives just like the all-wheel drive.
Among the host of three-row crossovers in the 3.5-liter to 3.8-liter V6 class, there isn't a wide range between the slowest and fastest and the Honda feels right in the middle. Where the others may enjoy a slight advantage is with six speeds in the transmission, and/or the ability to address each of them separately or in a Sport mode for quicker response. The Pilot shifter offers an OD Off switch which locks out the top two gears, so if you want fourth to control speed on long hill descents or winding roads you're out of luck. Toyota's Highlander and Mazda's CX-9 come to mind as better in these respects, and to a lesser extent, GM's Acadia/Enclave family.
Since the Pilot is among the lightest of the eight-seat crossovers the suspension can be tuned for ride comfort without requiring undue stiffness for control. It swallows up most road surfaces with aplomb and never bottomed out on dirt road whoop-de-doos when driven sensibly but briskly. No single noise source stands out and normal conversations are quite possible at highway speeds. The Michelin tires on the premium model may last longer or prove better in severe snow but you'd need instruments far more sophisticated than your behind to show any other advantage. The stability assist is one of the lesser intrusive such algorithms and if it comes into play you probably won't notice as you'll be busy wondering how you got into a bad situation.
Relative to some other recent crossover redesigns, the Pilot seems to ride a bit softer than the GMC Acadia and its GM siblings and has less body roll than the Highlander, though the Acadia may enjoy a slight advantage in steering feel. The most sporting drive in the segment is Mazda's CX-9 though we wouldn't venture as far from the beaten path in that as we would in a Pilot, and the Pilot is more maneuverable than any of them.
Brakes perform as well as they should be expected and all electronic braking aids are standard. If you see something bad about to happen, just stand on the pedal as hard as you can and keep steering you might just drive around it.
The 4WD models use all-wheel drive: They work full time and offer no low-range gearing. The 4WD models deduct 1 mpg from EPA ratings.
The Honda Pilot offers plenty of cargo and people versatility in an efficient package, with towing capacity for light loads and the available confidence of all-wheel drive.
NewCarTestDrive.com correspondent G.R. Whale filed this report after his test drive of the Pilot around Riverside, California.
Top Cars


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Biologists from the American Museum of Natural History and the City University of New York have found that grizzly bears are roaming into what was traditionally thought of as polar bear habitat, the Canadian province of Manitoba, where they are officially listed as extirpated. The preliminary findings were published in Canadian Field Naturalist and show that sightings of Ursus arctos horribilis in Canada's Wapusk National Park are recent and appear to be increasing in frequency.
A grizzly bear sighting in August 2008 spurred researchers to look through records to get a better picture of the bear population in the park. There was no evidence of grizzly bears before 1996, not even in the trapping data from centuries of Hudson Bay Company operation. But between 1996 and 2008 the team found nine confirmed sightings of grizzly bears, and in the summer of 2009 there were three additional observations.
"The opportunistic sightings seem to be increasing," says Linda Gormezano, a co-author on the paper. "This is worrying for the polar bears because grizzly bears would likely hibernate in polar bear maternity denning habitat. They would come out of hibernation at the same time and can kill polar cubs."
A grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos), photographed in Wapusk National Park, Manitoba, Canada, on August 9, 2008.
(Photo Credit: Linda Gormezano)
Before this study, researchers thought that the barren landscape north of the Hudson Bay was an impassable gap in resources for potentially migrating grizzly bears. But some U. arctos horribilis have managed to move from their historic ranges in the Rockies, the Yukon, and Nunavut, probably because of their flexible, mixed diet of berries and meat. The potential gap was navigable, and now some grizzly bears have reached the abundant caribou, moose, fish, and berries found to the south in Canada's Wapusk National Park.
"Although we don't yet know if they are wandering or staying—the proof will come from an observed den or cubs—these animals will eventually be residents of this national park," says Robert F. Rockwell, a research associate at the Museum and a professor of Biology at CUNY. "The Cree elders we talked to feel that now that grizzly bears have found this food source they will be staying."
"A big question is how to deal with these new residents," continues Gormezano. "In Canada, both the polar and grizzly bear are federally listed as species of special concern. In Manitoba, the polar bear is provincially listed as threatened while the prairie population of the grizzly bear is listed as extirpated."
Grizzlies Roaming Into Polar Bear Habitat
By News Staff | February 22nd 2010 11:00 PM | Print | E-mail


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I've swum since I was younger with different swim groups. After my son was born I joined a masters swim club at UVic. I was a member for about a year and regularly went to practices 2-3 times a week. It's more like an organized swim with a workout provided and you swim at your own pace. There were about 15 people UVic masters when I swam with them, sometimes as little as 3 showed up in the winter, up to 10 in the summer. This past September I joined the Victoria Masters Swim Club that swims out of the Crystal Pool. More competitive of a group, but fantastic coaches, and you get excellent instruction. I joined for the year but stopped going to practices when I got really sick with a chest cold this past March. I now swim on my own three times a week. As my midwife said, yes swimming is excellent now, but probably not the type you are used to in this stage of pregnancy = take it easy. With a group of people I find I push myself to keep up with them, which is great when you aren't pregnant but not ideal at the current time.
I swim between the Crystal Pool and Commonwealth now. Crystal I have a pass from master club with, and Commonwealth I have a punch card. I think drop in is about $5.
I finally found a pregnancy lap swim suit and love it. We ended up ordering it online, from a recommendation on my post from my first pregnancy… thanks! We ordered the size they suggested for the size my regular suit was and it ended up being too large, so I ordered another one a size smaller. I still have the unused medium size thinking I may get big enough to fit into it near the end, but not sure if I will need it now. It's a Lycra suit, so won't last much longer than this pregnancy as the chlorine tends to eat them quickly. Not pregnant I wear a polyester suit now, which lasts and lasts and lasts… as the sales people say you will get tired of the style way before it wears out! I have to have thin straps on my polyester suits otherwise I get chapped marks on my neck and it looks like I have hickeys all the time. Putting on Vaseline on my neck prior to a swim workout also used to help. Lycra does not bother me.
Pools in Victoria….. now I am a swim snob. I like swimming laps in a pool with other people that obey swimming etiquette. Fast lane for fast swimmers, swim up the rope and down the middle, etc. Hard to find when swimming with the public. I find the cooler the pool, the more I can swim, and the less tired I feel. For example if I swim 1000m at the Commonwealth Pool in their competition pool, I swim faster and am less tired than swimming the same 1000m at the Crystal Pool.
I think the Commonwealth competition pool is the coolest pool in Victoria. Runner up is UVic's McKinnon pool. Then perhaps the Crystal Pool, then Gordon Head…. Oak Bay Recreation Center being one of the warmest (those are the pools I frequent). None of this is scientific, it's just how I feel when I get in and based on how I swim. I've never been to Juan de Fuca Recreation Center pool but have heard good things. Their kiddie pools apparently are among the warmest, so you aren't too cold when you are with your little one not moving to keep warm and their larger pool I've also heard is nice to workout in.
Not being pregnant Commonwealth and UVic are my top choices for the best swim workout (out of the above). However pregnant the Crystal Pool works well as it cuts down on the Braxton Hicks when I get into the water, which seem exacerbated by the colder water.
Only issue with the Crystal is their large theft problem. I have started wearing my key to my locker on me now while I swim and take only my towel and shampoo to the pool deck. I heard of a swimmer in my club that left only her clothes in a locker, unlocked, and came back and someone had stolen her pants. Her pants!!! Who steals pants? She had to walk out in a towel. The other day a woman brought her back pack with her purse in it to the deck while she swum, which was within her sight for most of her swim. She picked up her bag and her purse was gone.
Swimming is also excellent for pregnant women. It's not only weightless workout, it also helps get the baby into optimal fetal positioning.
Speaking of fetal positioning it seems my little one, as of my last midwife appointment a few days ago, is now head down. At this stage, I am 30 weeks along, my midwife reminds me that baby still has room to move and can move back to be head up and that is perfectly normal, but reassuring that she is head down for now.


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Toronto, ON – The Toronto Rock (2-1) fell by a score of 8-7 to the Philadelphia Wings (2-0) on Saturday night at Air Canada Centre in front of 11,703. The Rock carried a lead into the late going, but were unable to close things out in front of their fans on home floor.
Nick Rose continued his sensational play in the opening quarter of the game holding the visiting Wings scoreless. The Rock dented the twine on a pair of occasions to lead 2-0 after one quarter.
Philadelphia finally got on the board 5:20 into the second quarter breaking up Nick Rose's 20:20 of spotless goaltending. Each team tallied once in the second quarter and the Rock carried a 3-1 lead into the half.
The Wings rallied with a pair of behind the net dunk goals to draw even at 3-3 early in the second quarter. The Rock got goals from Kasey Beirnes and Garrett Billings to regain their two-goal edge through three quarters.
After Philadelphia scored the first goal of the fourth quarter, Colin Doyle scored a pair to stretch the Rock lead to 7-4. The Wings were far from dead as they struck for a pair of goals just 30 seconds apart with just over 5 minutes to play to draw to within a goal. Kevin Crowley scored his third of the game to tie the score 7-7 with 2:14 to play.
With well under a minute to go, Philadelphia's Drew Westervelt set up behind the goal and cut back and dove out from behind the goal and tucked the ball behind Rose in the Rock goal to give the visiting Wings the win with just 11 seconds left.
Colin Doyle (2 goals, 2 assists) and Garrett Billings (1 goal, 3 assists) each had four point nights to lead the Rock offensively. Stephan Leblanc, Patrick Merrill, Kasey Beirnes and Josh Sanderson all scored once for Toronto.
The Rock will play back to back games for the second time in three weeks when they host Minnesota next Friday night at 7:30pm at Air Canada Centre and then travel to Rochester next Saturday to face the defending NLL champion Knighthawks. For the best ticket in town, please call 416-596-3075 or visit www.torontorock.com.