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There is an irony to the fact that there are companies who make their living turning out crappy phones model after model, and then someone like Apple comes in and shows them how it's done. The iPhone just might live up to the hype, but it's not perfect. Yet.
I've been using the iPhone for the better part of a day. It arrived here at CrunchGear HQ at 9:41 AM. I'm the kind of guy who's nearly comatose on a Saturday before noon, but I was excited when I hear that the FedEx guy was at the door. I knew what he had for me, and I've been waiting for it for quite awhile. I ran to the front door and there was a box from Apple with my name on it, along side a snarky FedEx delivery guy. Whatever, he wasn't going to ruin my iDay.
Since then, I've done about everything with it you can, and I'm happy to say that the things that it does it tends to do quite well. Sadly, there are things older phones can do that the iPhone simply doesnt even attempt. The interface is a dream come true, there's no doubt about that. Handset-wide, it's a pleasure to use and doesn't have any learning curve that anyone remotely familiar with computers couldn't conquer in moments. I've handed it off to several first time users over the last two days and asked them to complete a task, and after some initial orientation and jitters, nobody had a problem.
When it comes to Apple's core business, it can be said that the iPhone is a solid musicphone, probably the best I've ever used. The iPod program should really be called iTunes, as it's much more similar to the desktop implementation than the portable hardware. Coverflow works fast and flawlessly, though if you've songs or albums not listed in the iTunes cover databases, it's not as attractive. You don't have to use it, but I can't imagine anyone not wanting to.
The photo application is basic as can be, but it works. Traditionally, photo apps and camera apps were combined into one, whereas here they're separate. Personally, I like the one-touch access to my camera. When my friends are doing something foolish, I don't want to have to tell them to "hold that pose!" when the five-oh could be along any moment, and the iPhone delivers here. The photos aren't great, typical of modern cameraphones. They're better than most, however, so that's something. One major concern of mine is the lack of a flash. The iPhone is marketed towards 20-somethings who are young and hip. The young and hip are often in dark bars, and dark bars require cameras to have a flash. Hopefully version 2.0 will address this. Again, this is personal preference on my part, but high-ends phones tend to have this feature. And does your phone do video? This one does not.
The idea that version 2.0 of the iPhone will fix it is a phrase I've said often today, as the iPhone isn't quite what it could be. Besides lacking a flash, the phone is only 2.5G, meaning it's slower than any handset on the market of comparable cost. I know I'm not the first one you've heard this gripe from, but it's a glaring omission that can't be dismissed.
Besides the pokey network speeds and the mediocre camera treatment, the iPhone isn't something I'd wish on anyone who sends more than the occasional text message. Most phones allow you to compose a message and send it to several contacts simultaneously. The iPhone allows you to send one message to one person at a time. I can't live like this. When I'm on the move, which is all the time, I have to keep my posse updated to my current whereabouts. Sending one message at a time rather than 5, 6, or 26 is seriously going to cut into my socializing time. This should be fixable with a simple firmware upgrade, and as I'm surely not the only one with this problem, I see it in the future. This is another matter of personal preference, but yet another feature common on low-end phones that Apple chose not to include.
Oh, and that one-text-at-a-time can't include photos or video. For being so hi-tech, you'd think the iPhone could send an MMS message, but it cannot.
You know that we like to complain that CDMA carriers cripple the Bluetooth on the handsets they carry? The iPhone does it too, which totally sucks. I've got a number of Mac's with Bluetooth, and the idea that I can't just send a photo from my iMac to my iPhone via Bluetooth makes no sense at all.
That's the bad, but the good might just outweigh it. Besides being a superb music device, the Web browsing capabilities are awesome. That's the only word for it, "awesome". Multitouch with Safari is the most intuitive way to browse the Web sans mouse-and-keyboard that I find myself wondering where it's been all my mobile life. Even at an "extreme zoom-out", I can navigate a page and find what I'm looking for. And the browser delivers the Holy Grail of mobile Web browsers that nobody else has been able to touch: multiple browsing sessions. Firefox and Safari for desktops have tabs (and that other browser). Safari on iPhone has multiple, scrollable windows. I really can't describe how they work, but it's worth checking out.
Pages render fairly quickly and have full formatting, a very nice feature. While some more advanced features are absent, you won't miss them. It just works.
The smaller widget apps are fantastic as well. Weather and Calendar fast and exactly what you're looking for, and the same can be said for Stocks and Calculator and even Notes. I personally think they should all be wrapped up in one larger application, but hey, my last name isn't Jobs.
The last big app we learned about for iPhone was YouTube, and it's pretty awesome. Videos look fantastic on the screen, partly because of the amazing optical hardware, but we're getting into that a little bit farther down. The search works well and vids load up quickly in H.264. Not everything is available, though. Word is that's to be fixed by early winter, so that doesn't go on the negatives list by any means.
Google Maps is a little tricky. While there's no GPS involved, it's easy to manage. Anyone who's used the Palm OS version should find it easy to find their way around. In fact, it's maybe too easy: while centered into my home in Seattle, I couldn't figure out where to type in a search term. Turns out it was the same place I used to locate Seattle. I was fully expecting a separate search box, but then I always think things are going to be harder. It's fast and accurate, and for some might be reason enough to push them over to the iPhone camp.
So we've got through a lot of features, which was expected. What's really intriguing about the iPhone, though, isn't just how easy it is to get around these capabilities (it is), but rather the attractive package they're presented in.
Design-wise, the iPhone isn't a homerun, it's a grandslam. Besides all th features mentioned above, it also makes voice calls on AT&T's GSM network. We've heard fussiness from other blogs about how it's a pain to make a simple phone call. These people must be idiots. While it's not as fast as opening a clamshell, unlocking the phone is a piece of cake. Hit the Phone icon, and you're set. I can't find anything wrong with the way the iPhone does it.
It's the hardware that sells it, though. Anyone who sees the iPhone in action starts to salivate with envy and lust that only Apple can generate. The phone just feels right. The size and shape are perfect, the screen is huge and bright, even in direct sunlight (it was a nice weekend in Seattle). The weight is firm. Not heavy, but firm. There's no other adjective in my spellcheck for it.
Speaking of the screen, it is a little bit smudge-prone, but the same goes for any phone. I can't see why some are unhappy with how it works.
Apple did borrow one thing from the Treo line of smartphones: the popular ringer mute switch. It's as welcome here as it is on the Palm handsets, and is a lifesaver at movies.
After all is said and done, the iPhone's not perfect, but as a first effort, it excels. There are some missteps, but nothing that Apple won't be able to fix. Most of the problems I have with it are due to the type of phone user I am. I'm a fan of mature features that most people wouldn't use, usually in a complex smartphone form. Thus, the iPhone in its first incarnation is not for me. But if you're living in the world of RAZRs or Samsungs or other regular phones, then the iPhone is going to blow your mind. Even if you are a seasoned phone snob, you can't ignore that most aspects of the iPhone are lightyears ahead of what anybody else is doing, and in all the industry-changing ways we've come to expect from Apple.
Check the iPhone out. Don't be scared of it. It's intimidating right up until you get your hands on one, then it becomes magnetic. While it's not for everybody, it will be eventually, but chances are pretty good that it's for you right now.


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Mirko Garasic's book investigates the principle of autonomy and, in an oblique way, joins the chorus of voices disenchanted with the tyranny of autonomy. I say oblique because he does not simply reorder the four famous principles of bioethics by trying to knock respect for autonomy from its pedestal, but employs a number of practical cases to demonstrate what I, not he, might call the abuse or misuse of autonomy. Apart from its rarefied formulations by Kant and, to a lesser extent Mill, autonomy has distinct social and political dimensions that shape its outsized role in bioethical deliberations. This is not a new argument but Garasic puts the case much more bluntly: the bioethical and medical community respect autonomy when it enhances their power, and disrespect autonomy when it diminishes their power. These claims appear early on but are most pronounced in the last two chapters of the book devoted to the dilemmas of force-feeding hunger strikers.
In a compelling fourth chapter, Garasic juxtaposes the Dax case (where medical authorities disrespected his autonomy not only to save his live but because he was, presumably, a compatriot) and the case of …
Competing interests None declared.
Provenance and peer review Commissioned; internally peer reviewed.
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- Author meets critics: responses

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Shawn Vougeot (voo-ZHOH)
of the 2005 Great American Song Contest
of among over 4,000 songs worldwide...
Vougeot & Dave Pickell won the Grand Prize of the 2003 Great American Song Contest for their power ballad "Walls of Glass"
This is unheard of! Only one other artist has placed in the top five more than once over the past seven years. But to get the biggie, the Grand Prize, twice within two years - shazaam!
Vougeot -I've been meaning to write ever since I bought your CD at the AR (National Animal Rights) conference last summer. I love your music and voice; I play your CD over and over! I look forward to hearing more of your music whenever I can. Thank you for using your beautiful voice and powerful songs for the animals!Grace HoldenArlington, VA


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Lot's of people suffer with an anxiety disorder of some kind, yet it is still very misunderstood. Even when you have an anxiety disorder yourself it can be confusing, so it's understandable why there are lots of misconceptions about anxiety. I asked the members of a blogging group what they would like people to know about anxiety and here are there responses:
I wish people knew that you don't to look like something is wrong when you are experiencing anxiety. I've gotten really good a faking a smile. – Stephenie @Blended Life Happy Wife
First, I wish other people knew that it isn't something we can just "turn off". The feelings may be irrational but they are very real to those who suffer from anxiety. Second, if you have anxiety you are not alone and you are not crazy. So many others understand and are here for you. Third, I wish people knew about essential oils and how they can help with anxiety! I have been able to completely get off anxiety medication through the use of essential oils. There are other options out there than medication with all the awful side effects. Above all, stay strong and never give up on hope Jennifer @ Essentials Of A Healthy Life
I think it's important to know that anxiety (like many other things) is not one size fits all. It's different for everyone. Some can control it better than others, but it is still very real for each person who suffers. I think the first step to learning to control it, is understanding where it is coming from. Knowing what causes my anxiety allows me to pinpoint exactly what I can do to work with it rather than against it. – Elizabeth @ Elizabeth Hutchins
I have bad anxiety. I wish people understood that I like things to be structured because if I know what is going to happen and when it takes a lot of pressure off. I am not OCD I just need to have some control over my environment. – Michelle @ A Bustling Home
I've had panic disorder which I now have medication for, but it was by far the most terrible experience of my life, and I am chronically ill. Anxiety is worse than chronic illness in my experience. – Lianne
That anxiety is just as prevalent with kids. Many parents struggle with not recognizing the signs in their kids, or not knowing how to help. Find help from educated sources so that you can help them deal with these emotions. – Yvette
That even though you may look like you have it together, are smiling/laughing, or even made it out with friends to a social event, you are still struggling on the inside and it can sometimes take great lengths to do all those normal things. So, sometimes you have to excuse yourself early and go home or simply step away for a while because depending on your situation there may be many triggers for you. – Claudia @ Sour Then Sweet
I wish people would understand that even when all is good in your world, it still happens. Its not always about stress, distress or sadness.. That sometimes talking about it makes it worse so don't pressure someone to talk on your time, just let then know your open to talking if/when they are comfortable talking about it. That while yes there are triggers and sometimes we can figure them out, sometimes we have no clue who, what, why or how it came on. Sometimes it last seconds, sometimes hours.. That sometimes a person with anxiety lives in a world of chaos and contradictions that only exist to them… – Kelli
It isn't easy to just turn it off. And it can come up at any time. Just hug me! Deep pressure helps! – Abby
I am a wife of an anxiety sufferer. It is extremely difficult to handle anxiety attacks when you have never experienced one yourself. It is upsetting and sometimes scary as anxiety is so much more 'real' than I ever realized before. My daughter now shows signs of similar problems so I'm really in the deep end! Katherine @ TwinPickle
I want people to know that it takes a lot for me to come to an event or party. That I had to try and breath to keep my heart from pounding out if my chest. That I had already gone over hundreds of scenarios and what I will say and how I will react once I walked it because I want to feel in control. That things like not finding a familiar face, not finding a table to sit at, or being left alone while others go be social can cause crippling fear. I know it's irrational but I am afraid. If you see someone off by themselves, not talking to anyone and looking ready run, going over and talking to them will greatly help their anxiety. I also want to say, don't make small talk. If you come over and engage me in conversation, I will want actual conversation. Don't ask about the weather cause that won't cut it. Us with social anxiety want to be with people but it takes such an emotional toll on us we need a day to recover. Respect that part of ourselves. – MacKenzie @ Wild Unruly and Loved
Mine started at 15 years old and I'm know 58 and still have panic attacks. I have learned to cope. After all these years there are still now explanations and little help. I have done so many therapies and tried medication and still the anxiety prevails. I kept mine a big secret for years, but once I decided to tell everyone, even my mother, what was going on with me I could relax more which helped. – Jere
I have been diagnosed with general anxiety disorder, panic disorder which ultimately lead me to begin having Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures in 2012. (PNES) I began suffering from anxiety and panic induced seizures 5 months after my second child was born while working a high stress career. Ultimately I believe it was the anxiety I had over having to return to work when my baby was just 6 weeks old and then working more than 50 hours a week (because I had to) that lead me to have such a huge break. I was hospitalized. Then baker acted (I apparently said I wanted to die, which I do not remember saying) Then they pumped me full of meds that caused me to have serotonin syndrome which lead to more seizures. After 30 days in the hospital in Orlando area I was transferred to Shands in Gainesville where I was finally diagnosed and treated properly. I have been seizure free for 3 years and, while I still deal with anxiety at times, I am a 100% different person now through therapy and medication. I tell you all of this because I want people to know that if left untreated it can HURT you. It is real. It is not your fault. You can make changes (like diet, coping and environment) that will drastically change your life for the better – Jamie
I feel that there is not enough talking about postpartum anxiety. – Maddalena
I wish people knew that I can't control my anxiety. I'm plagued by things big & small in my past and they bother me, regardless of my situation, good or bad. – Jody
That meds can actually be critical for certain sufferers, and telling them to "just" exercise more/eat x, y, or z/don't eat x, y, or z is not just frustrating and unhelpful, but can be harmful as it stigmatizes what could be lifesaving medication and can force the sufferer to choose between functioning on medications or having a relationship with the person without medications. – Noelle
That severe anxiety can cause psychosomatic illnesses, which can become a vicious cycle of causing more anxiety. I used to get terrible stomach aches in social situations or during stressful periods of my life. I saw doctors and they could find nothing medically wrong, but the pain and symptoms were real. Sometimes friends and family would think I was just pretending. – Kristin
I wish other people knew I can't just not be anxious. I can't just stop all my fidgeting and moving around or nervous habits. If I could turn them off so easy I would – Chelsea
That I'm not trying to be a pain when I always need to plan ahead. I need to be able to mentally put myself in a situation before going there/doing it to lessen the chance of a panic attack, especially if I'm taking my kids. Also, that as a mom I am naturally a very protective and watchful person, so that shouldn't be confused with my anxiety. The big difference is that while I and another mother who doesn't have anxiety but is protective may both not let our children get too far ahead of us walking down the street, I will suddenly be sure that something terrible is going to happen. I will have very graphic images play out in my mind of what could happen to them, and suddenly I'll have a hard time breathing. That I can be having a wonderful time with family, then I'm suddenly overwhelmed by the thought of them dying and I start shaking. I would like to second other comments about not being able to turn it off or just relax because someone is telling me that everything is actually fine. – Tina @ No, YOU Need To Calm Down
Be more understanding when I'm raging out. Probably means I'm having an anxiety attack. Stay calm and help me breathe thru it. I'll return to logic eventually. – Pamela
Anxiety is so much more than just worrying about something. Sometimes as an introvert with anxiety I just need time to "recharge" from how draining it can be. It's nothing personal, and I do appreciate the concern but telling me to stop worrying or calm down isn't going to help anything. I'm doing the best I can. – Jami
I suffer with anxiety, especially social anxiety. For me, doing the one thing which I think I cannot do helps. For example, if I don't think I can leave my apartment, I actually feel SO much better when I leave the environment and hang out with my friends. Oh and that eating right, limiting the alcohol, and sleeping well does wonders. As well as taking your medication regularly. – Cassidy
That anxiety is not always visible to others. Sometimes a person can look calm on the outside and feel torn apart with anxiety inside. – Alyssa
Nutrition plays a huge role in anxiety. Mineral deficiencies such as inositol, magnesium, calcium, and vitamin deficiencies such as certain B vitamins, can be an underlying cause of anxiety and nervousness. Understanding which foods contain these vitamins and minerals but also knowing which foods can block the absorption of these vitamins can make a huge difference in relief of symptoms. – Maryann @ Nutritionally Independent


text: VasesPosted by papercutartist in Paper Cut Art / Handmade Papercut / Papercut Art / Shop On Nov 27 2011The Flower Vase series of Paper Art pieces feature beautiful handmade Paper Cut artworks encased in corked glass tubes. The designs are all unique and not all of them are flowers! 40 Diameter x 130 mm VasesSunday, November 27, 2011papercutartist0 « Wearable Paper Cut Art – Limited run unique Accessories – ...Alice in Wonderland – Contemporary Japanese Kirie – Kirigami »


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Avoiding Default, Whatever the Cost
Wall St. or people's stomachs? The Venezuelan government picks Wall St. How come?
Bloomberg News recently came out with this article titled "Venezuela Refuses to Default. Few People Seem to Understand Why".
The question is fair:
Why does a country that's so starved for cash keep honoring its foreign debts? In other words, how does it justify shelling out precious hard currency to wealthy bondholders in New York when it can't pay for basic food and medicine imports desperately needed by millions of impoverished citizens?
As Ricardo Hausmann noted, this moral choice is odd, to say the least. And it's even odder when you think that the guys that paid over $36 billion to Wall Street in the last 20 months are the self-proclaimed socialists that run the country.
According to Bloomberg, few people understand the government's choices. But working as economist in the fixed income market, I think that's simply not true.
Despite the apparent oddity, the reason for paying debt above anything else, as explained by market players across the spectrum–Hedge Funds, most Swiss/European Private Banks, Dealers, and local investors, and several of the guys on Daniel's tenedores categories–is clear:
The government conceptualizes default as a long-term "game over"
The main arguments go as follows, and partly related to the theories mentioned in the Bloomberg piece:
- Venny/PDVSA officials deem the overseas assets seizure risk as too high to consider voluntary default.
- High-ranked government officials (Maduristas or not) see themselves in power for several years more, and the risk of losing access to international capital markets in the long-term is a ni de vaina kind of choice.
Let's dig las patas en el barro to explain each argument.
First, you can argue like Francesca Odell did in the Bloomberg article that PDVSA's "structured sales contracts makes it difficult for them to be interrupted by a legal challenge". In criollo and more detail, that means that PDVSA's oil sales are designed so that the oil shipment is property of the buyer as soon as it reaches the ship in Venezuelan ports.
By design, bondholders will have a tough time seizing oil shipments in case of a default. What they will actually be able to seize the ship, provided it's PDVSA's property. But, if that is true, why is the self-proclaimed socialist government still paying Wall Street?
Well, because the lawyers paid by Wall St. (especially "vulture-like" hedge funds) are already preparing like sharks smelling blood for the day the government decides to cut its veins. And PDVSA has a lot more of strategic overseas assets than just ships. I've talked to these lawyers and the government most certainly has as well. They're scary.
Second, government boliburgueses think they cannot afford to lose access to international capital markets in the long run, which will reopen if oil prices recover in time. They want every potential source of dollars available for 2019 because they think they will stay in power.
Just imagine what Maduro imagines (supuesto negado):
After avoiding a Recall Referendum in 2016, and with oil prices above $65 p/b for most of 2017, 2018 and 2019, a voluntary default in 2016 could tear down my chances of financing a populist binge before the next presidential elections. Chinese loans will not be enough.
I think in the end, the government's willingness to pay is driven by this end-game. That's why if we see a default in Venny/PDVSA, it will probably be an ability to pay issue, not a willingness to pay problem.
If such day comes, que Dios nos agarre confesados.
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Kiara, is a "liliger", the offspring of a lion and a female liger. Yes, the same sort of liger mentioned in Napoleon Dynamite by the film's crazy-haired protagonist. She was born at the Novosibirsk Zoo in Russia and while adorable as heck, Kiara's existence raises concerning questions about the motivations of some in animal "conservation".
As the National Geographic points out, it is extremely unlikely Kiara would have been conceived in the wild. Outside of zoos, tigers and lions are kept apart by distance, geography and behaviour, so the odds of them mingling are remote.
According to Craig Packer, an expert at the University of Minnesota's Lion Research Center, lions are "very sociable and cooperative" while tigers are the complete opposite. As such, it's uncertain how poor Kiara will deal with these very different psychological prerogatives as she matures.
So why breed such a hybrid in the first place? As Packer states:
"In terms of conservation," he said, "it's so far away from anything, it's kind of pointless to even say it's irrelevant."
Perhaps it's for the spectacle? I'm sure Kiara will draw the crowds. If that's the case, her story is a sad one indeed.
Video: ITN News


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Durance Blue Jacquard Place Mat
This is an authentic, top quality, Jacquard-woven French place mat, imported from Provence in southern France. In a Jacquard placemat the pattern is woven directly into the fabric. This place mat is made of a 60% cotton, 40% polyester, teflon treated fabric. It's a beautiful faded blue and has a finely detailed and delicate floral design. It measure approximately 15 x 20 inches.


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PRODUCTION NOTES for CALL OF THE BABY BELUGA
by Suzanne Chisholm and Michael Parfit, Co-directors
The relationship between humans and whales is amazing story of both death and and love. We've always been fascinated by that story and the complex social animals at its heart. We spent several years documenting the story of Luna, a solitary orca on Canada's west coast, and our filmmaking work over the past fifteen years has focused on the human relationship to our planet.
All whale species worldwide have been impacted to some extent by human activities, but perhaps none more so than the belugas who live in the St. Lawrence River, Canada's busiest waterway. A story about the endangered beluga whales of the St. Lawrence was a natural one for us, so we pitched it to CBC's flagship nature program, The Nature of Things.
With support from the Canada Media Fund, we did some preliminary work on the film in the summer of 2014. Michael and I are a two-person film crew. (And we happen to be married to each other). We loaded our cameras, camping gear and toddler son Christopher into our single-engine Cessna 182, and flew from our home on a tiny off-grid island in British Columbia to Tadoussac, Quebec.
In Tadoussac, we met with Robert Michaud, the scientific director of GREMM (Group for Research and Education of Marine Mammals). Robert has been studying this population since 1983. He took us out on his research boat, the Bleuvet (named for the French word for a yearling beluga calf, which is often bluish in colour) and we had the good fortune to see belugas almost right away.
Most Canadians don't realize that the St. Lawrence River's estuary offers some of the best whale-watching opportunities in the world. It's a unique ecosystem, and it is literally the only place on the planet where you can see both belugas (an arctic species) and blue whales (who usually like warm water) in the same place, at the same time.
We didn't see any blue whales, but we saw lots of white ones. Belugas are adapted for arctic living, so it's strange that these whales are here at all. They are leftover relics from the Ice Age, and they have found an abundance of food here because of an unusual upwelling of cold water, created by strange underwater topography, which creates ideal conditions for marine life.
Once there were about 10,000 belugas here, but hunting, pollution, and environmental changes in the ecosystem have left just 900 survivors. There are many striking things about this group of belugas, but most troubling is the fact that despite the end of hunting and a cleanup of many of the contaminants in the river over the past few decades, the latest research shows that the population is declining.
Public appreciation for the belugas has grown exponentially since the days when they were hunted, but the belugas' greatest allies are the dedicated scientists and conservationists who are working diligently to protect them. Thankfully, much of the belugas' critical habitat is now protected via the efforts of the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park.
In addition to our warm welcome from Robert and the GREMM team, we enjoyed excellent cooperation from the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park personnel, who provided us with filming permits. We spent a couple of weeks in the summer and fall filming and interviewing scientists like Robert Michaud from GREMM, Nadia Ménard from the Marine Park, Véronique Lesage from Fisheries and Oceans, and Stéphane Lair from the University of Montreal. We then we produced a full proposal and short demo reel for The Nature of Things. By December, 2014, the project was greenlit for production. We were Quebec-bound.
Our experience in the past — with film, books and magazine articles — has shown us that spending lots of time in the field is vital to capturing the essence of a story. This is of especially true with filmmaking, when having the right footage is crucial, but it's also true in a general sense: you can't just go to a place for a few days and expect to get to know all the people and issues. And this beluga story involved not only people, but whales, landscapes and issues that were not necessarily simple or straightforward.
We knew we wanted to be based in Tadoussac for most of the scientists' research seasons, but since Tadoussac is a very popular destination with tourists – and thus short of summer accommodations – we instead rented a house in nearby Sacré-Coeur for five months in the summer and fall of 2015. We had a few trips to the area for winter filming, house-hunting, and a spring trip to interview key characters like Dr. Véronique Lesage on Ile-aux Lièvres and Dr. Pierre Béland in Rimouski. Finally, in June, 2015, we arrived in Tadoussac with our car (driven all the way from British Columbia), toddler, dog, and special filming permit from the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park. We were ready to stay.
Of course, in documentary filmmaking in general, and wildlife filmmaking in particular, things often don't go exactly as planned. Two days after we arrived in Quebec, we found ourselves heading even further East: to Liverpool, Nova Scotia, to cover the story of a young beluga who had shown up in the harbor, alone. Robert Michaud and his team were interested in identifying the young solo wanderer. Was this whale from the endangered St. Lawrence group, or perhaps from the Arctic?
We loaded our car (again) with cameras, toddler and dog, and this time we were also carrying a specialized cross-bow from Robert's team, which could help researchers in Nova Scotia collect a biopsy of the lone beluga. We arrived in Liverpool just in time to accompany the team from Marine Animal Response Society out on the water. It turned out that the little beluga went right up to the boat, so the team didn't even need the cross-bow.
It also turned out that after genetic testing done by Dr. Tim Frasier at St. Mary's University in Halifax, the wayward whale was identified as a St. Lawrence whale.
In Liverpool we filmed Catherine Kinsman of the Whale Stewardship project, who has worked with solitary belugas since 1998. There are management issues associated with these so-called "solitary sociable" but to us, one of the most fascinating things is the underlying mystery: why do some belugas venture so far from their home and families?
We headed back to Quebec. In early July, the third member of our team arrived for the summer: David Parfit. David is Michael's son, and he handles our location sound, music composition, and also some of the filming, including most time-lapse photography. Our team spent the days filming Robert and his team as they ventured out daily on the water on the Bleuvet. We also spent time on the Parks Canada research vessel, the Alliance, filming the work of ecologist Nadia Ménard and her team.
One of the most unexpected – and dominant – features of our filming was the use of drones. Drones, or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are a relatively new thing in the filmmaker's arsenal. They allow for filming from the air, and besides the new visual perspective these small flying cameras provide, they are also an unprecedented tool for observing and researching wildlife.
Michael and David made many early-morning drone-filming trips to Pointe-Noire, where the Saguenay River flows into the vast St. Lawrence estuary, and where belugas love to hang out. Michael piloted the drone, and David quickly became drone-catcher extraordinaire. They also brought the drone on all the trips on Robert's research vessel, capturing footage that showed behavior of belugas that even Robert, in his 30 years of working closely with these animals, had not seen before.
Michael is an accomplished pilot (he has flown more than 7,000 hours) and although the skills required for drone operation are not identical to those required for flying a small plane, the caution, focus, and understanding of flight principles are vital. It's also crucial to be considerate of other people, and most of all, to exercise extreme care while flying the drone in the vicinity of any animals.
Our filming permit from the Park specified certain restrictions, which we followed very carefully; we can say with sincerity that the presence of the drone did not seem to negatively impact the belugas – or park visitors. Many of our shots were taken from directly above the belugas, and they never seemed to even notice the drone, even when it was relatively close. If we consider how belugas could have reacted to a low-flying helicopter, it's clear to us that drones will be an increasingly important tool, not only for filmmakers, but for the researchers – like those portrayed in our film – whose ongoing work is the only hope for the survival of this fragile population.
Belugas are an arctic species. Travelling to the Arctic was a natural part of making this film, especially because some fascinating beluga research is happening right now, in a remote place in Nunavut called Cunningham Inlet. Dr. Valeria Vergara, a research scientist from Vancouver Aquarium, is studying the vital contact call that beluga calves and their mothers use to communicate with each other. For the past couple of summers, she's worked in the pristine Arctic, recording and studying beluga vocalizations. In mid-July, Michael and David flew from Quebec to Nunavut to film Valeria's groundbreaking work. They stayed for a week at Arctic Watch, and filmed hundreds of belugas from Valeria's land-based research station.
One of our personal goals when we film wildlife is to be non-invasive and respectful of their habitat; that often means making a deliberate choice to not pursue shots that might otherwise be cool. Again, the drone proved invaluable, as it allowed us to record Valeria's work without disturbing her research subjects. Her research is an important part of our film, especially because the following month, she came to Tadoussac to work on a pilot project with Robert Michaud.
Michael and David returned to Quebec with amazing footage, which we started cataloguing right away. We had our production office set up in the sprawling basement of our rental house in rural Sacré-Coeur. With several computers and dozens of hard drives humming away, film editing is a different world than it used to be when you captured footage from video tape.
Evenings were spent in the office, and days were spent out on the water, or hiking out to beautiful Baie-Ste-Marguerite, a small bay about 25 km up the Saguenay Fjord from Tadoussac, where belugas congregate and tend to stay for extended periods of time. To access the bay from land, you have to hike about 3 kilometres along a well-maintained trail. The trail leads to the Halte de Beluga, an observation platform where naturalists from SEPAQ (Quebec's provincial park system) are stationed for the summer. At the overlook, visitors can watch the belugas from land in a completely non-invasive manner.
Lugging all our camera equipment out on the trail became a chore, so the hefty jogging stroller that used to carry Christopher (our 3 ½ year old) soon became a work-horse for hauling cameras, tripods, drones, and batteries out to the Halte de Beluga. (Christopher, meanwhile, proved capable of doing the hike on his own two feet and on his tiny bicycle.)
The month of August saw many visitors to Tadoussac. We hosted Valeria Vergara, who flew from Vancouver with her daughter Martina. It was fascinating to film Valeria's acoustic work with Robert. We were also pleased to meet Leone Pippard, who travelled from New Brunswick to talk about her groundbreaking beluga work, which dated back to the 1970s, when she first arrived in Tadoussac in a funky camper. Leone was instrumental in raising awareness of belugas. She helped get them on the endangered species list, and perhaps most importantly, she pushed for the creation of a park to protect critical habitat. Leone maintains a good friendship with Robert, more than thirty years after first meeting him.
We realized, after watching Leone and Robert meet up with each other at Pointe Noire, that this story of the St. Lawrence belugas is one of longstanding collaboration and cooperation between the many human players, and is characterized by persistence and passion. We soon came to think of this group of scientists and conservationists as superheroes, each fighting long odds, in their own way, for the survival of these urban whales, the belugas.
One sunny day in August, while Michael and David were out on the boat with Robert Michaud and his team, and I was in the office doing mundane producer paperwork, I got a phone call. A dead beluga had just washed ashore at Les Escoumins, about a 45-minute drive away. I loaded my cameras, and drove to Les Escoumins, arriving just before Robert and the guys arrived by boat.
The dead beluga was a female, and her carcass looked perfect; she was obviously young. She would be taken the following morning to the necropsy lab at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the Université de Montréal, where Dr. Stéphane Lair would determine the cause of her death. This was an important part of the story, so we decided that Michael and David would go and film the necropsy. As it would happen, the necropsy was scheduled for the evening of Michael's and my 20th wedding anniversary, so we didn't exactly have a fancy dinner with champagne.
August vanished, and with the onset of September, David had to return to British Columbia, but Michael and I were not ready to leave. We extended our house rental into October. In September we spent several days out on the water filming Véronique Lesage, who works with a team from GREMM to collect beluga skin samples. The samples help Veronique analyze beluga pregnancy rates and beluga diets, and some of the samples are sent to Tim Frasier's genetics lab in Halifax, Nova Scotia, for further analysis.
The results of Veronique's study won't be available before our broadcast, but her ongoing work reminds us that the process of science is slow and tedious. Robert and Veronique also started a project to attach satellite tags to belugas, to try to find out their winter range; unfortunately, none of the tags stayed on the whales long enough to record the belugas' winter travels – another reminder of the difficulty of working with wide-ranging wild cetaceans.
By October, it was time to say au revoir to Quebec and make a beeline home to British Columbia, where we would finish the film. We all left a piece of our hearts in Quebec. We loved being there, and we all got very attached to the mighty and magnificent St. Lawrence River, its people, and its animals.


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The results of the 2011 NTEN survey of the NTEN and The NonProfit Times communities regarding technology staffing, budgets, and practices are now available in this report.
Since 2006, NTEN has produced the annual Nonprofit Technology (formerly "IT") Staffing and Investments survey and report for the nonprofit sector. The reports are valuable tools for organizations as they gauge their own investments and practices against others, as well as an important resource for the nonprofit and technology sectors as it chronicles how the nonprofit sector invests in technology — from staffing levels to technology budgets
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Nearly 1,000 nonprofit professionals filled out the latest annual survey, sponsored by NTEN and The NonProfit Times, providing us with another year of benchmarks and data concerning: salaries, outsourcing, organizational structure, and other aspects of Nonprofit Technology practices.
You'll find in this year's report:
- Improved Benchmarks: Apply these to your own budget planning and grant proposals
- Improved "Technology Adoption Level" assessment
- A new "Technology Effectiveness Score"
- And, of course, salary and budget data to compare your own to!
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In this game, you came to stay in a Japanese throne house. But unfortunately, someone locked you from outside of the house. You have to find the way to escape from there by finding useful objects, hints and solving puzzle. Good luck and have fun.
©2005-2020 FLASH512. COST: 0.014s Feedback


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They shook the mountain caves at night,
They broke the boulders, cracked the cliffs,
They mocked the flags on sunrise snow,
They howled around the prayer wheels.
Then far beyond the mountain's pull
A gentle chant, the plateaux's thought,
Was caught in clouds and spiralled up
To join the Karakoram's breath.
They stopped a while to hear the chant,
Put down their knives of Yengisar.
Then, furrow-browed, they went on back
To breaking wilderness and peace.
For all their noise, they heard the change:
They sensed the myths had rearranged.


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Gojee, a design-driven recipe sharing website which has grown its user base to over half a million, is today debuting mobile apps for iPhone, iPad and Android devices. The company, which raised $2.8 million in funding this July, has often been described as "a full-screen Pinterest," Gojee co-founder Michael LaValle tells us this morning. And now that the company is starting to see traction within the "foodie" space, the plan is to go after other verticals next, including perhaps home decor, art and fashion.
The company originally launched in July 2011, with the idea to create a mobile/tablet-like experience for browsing recipes, but decided to put it on the web first, says LaValle. From there, they watched how users interacted with the service, and what sort of things they wanted to do with Gojee, prior to releasing these mobile apps today. The iPad version of Gojee feels a lot like using the website, except that it's swipe-enabled, you'll notice. Meanwhile, the smartphone apps have a more vertical experience, but are still quite similar to the overall feel of the website.
Gojee, whose design aesthetic earned it a nomination for "Best Design" at the 2012 Crunchies awards, currently sources its content from a network of over 300 independent food blogs. And these sites are carefully chosen. "We care a lot about the design of the blog, and we care about the part of the world they're from," says LaValle. "We like [the recipe] to have a story behind it," he adds.
Users on the website, or now in the mobile apps, can browse through the recipes, and get inspired by the big, beautiful photos – similar to how people are inspired to order food at a restaurant in real life: by seeing a picture on a menu or tabletop ad, or seeing a dish on another person's plate, and thinking to themselves, "yum, that looks good!"
The company is now thinking about when and how to integrate a few other features users are asking for, including organization of favorites into categories and support for uploading users' own images. No ETA on when those options will become available. You can download the new mobile apps from the company's website here shortly, or directly from Google Play or iTunes, or by searching for "gojee."


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Nature's concert hall
Four Winds Festival is more than just exquisite music. It's also 30 acres of open and wooded parkland, an open-air amphitheatre with grassed tiers that drop gently down to a stage framed by a lake that reflects the changing colours of the sky and is home to the frogs that sing along. We call it Nature's Concert Hall.
The completion of the Windsong Pavilion–our purpose-built, indoor recital hall–and the Sound Shell marks a new beginning for Four Winds. The site is an important centre for our community, the region and beyond, where world-class cultural events will play out against the backdrop of our beautiful surroundings.


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Di Jamiekan Nyuu Testiment (JNT)
Jamaican Creole English - Jamiekan
Audio Bible
The Jamaican New Testament (Di Jamiekan Nyuu Testiment)
This translation, published by the Bible Society of the West Indies, was published in 2012.
If you would like to find out more, please visit the Bible Society of the West Indies at http://biblesocietywi.org/.
You can purchase a copy of this translation in the UK from the British & Foreign Bible Society, please visit http://shop.biblesociety.org.uk/.
Read Version Download The Bible App Now


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It is a testament to the ineptitude of Work and Pensions Secretary Iain 'Sunken' Smith that his flagship scheme has been sent back to square one – listed as "reset" by the government organisation responsible for grading its progress.
Mr… Smith (otherwise known as RTU or Returned To Unit, in tribute to a lifetime of failure) is determined that Universal Credit – which rolls all the major benefits into a single payment which the government can manipulate to make life extremely uncomfortable for claimants – will be his legacy; the achievement that marks him out for posterity.
Well, it will certainly remind us all of the man's nature. Universal Credit has been beset with one false start after another and remains capable of handling only the simplest of tasks while promising miracles – and when it fails to deliver, its faults are explained away with implausible excuses.
The latest is that…
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In a recent article, a South Africa author highlights the frustrations of many Blacks associated with racial bullying. In the post-apartheid era the racial challenges continue to thwart any efforts for progress. Eliminating racial bullying will require transforming the perceptions that Whites have regarding Blacks.
In the article, the author points out how racial bullying is manifested. For example, the Department of Education in Mpumalanga suspended a principal and two teachers from Hoërskool Reynopark in Witbank after a teacher subjected a black student and his mother to racist bullying. In another incident, the Gauteng Education Department found the Curro Foundation School in Roodeplaat racially segregated students.
The author continues by ascertaining that the prestigious schools cater to White middle-class parents. These parents are more effective and successful in getting what they want for their children in these schools relative to black middle-class parents. On the other hand, Black parents have to involve either the Department of Education or the police to get some racially integrated schools to take their complaints seriously. They know that this is correct because a Black father of a matriculant who had been enduring racist bullying at an East Rand school had to open a case of common assault against his racist bullies.
It is evident, that the Whites in South Africa who desire to continue to perpetuate racism intend to use education as that vehicle. When jeopardized or confronted the only response is to resort to racial bullying.
Why would racist White South Africans resort to racial bullying?
Racial bullying is treating someone differently, or an offensive action against a person simply because of their skin color, culture, religion, nationality or ethnic origin.
What Black South Africans must understand is that racial bullying is the foundation of the apartheid culture for the country.
Under apartheid, the rights, associations, and movements of the majority Black population and other ethnic groups were curtailed by White minority rule. Apartheid used forms of systematic segregation which were established by the state authority in the South Africa country, against the social and civil rights of Blacks because they were Black.
The racial segregation in South Africa started in colonial times under the Dutch Empire, until 1795. Afterwards, the British took over the Cape of Good Hope. From 1960 to 1983, 3.5 million non-White South Africans were removed from their homes, and forced to live in segregated neighborhoods. Non-white political representation was abolished in 1970, and in the same year Black people were denied citizenship. The government continued the process of apartheid by segregating education, medical care, beaches, and other public services. They continued this process by providing Black people with services that were often inferior to those of White people.
White people in South Africa have long benefited from the fruits of apartheid. They have had an opportunity to build generations of wealth. They have had an opportunity to build a future for their families for which they believe in the post-apartheid era seems to be jeopardy. Since South Africa was built on racist bullying, they believe and have been taught that this is the vehicle for continued survival.
Now that they are in a post-Mandela era, White South Africans are more frightful of their future and the future of their families. At the inception of the post-apartheid era many people believed that democracy and Black majority rule in South Africa would bring chaos and bloodshed.
Overcoming racial bullying in South African schools will require:
- Use school media to portray the positive images and stories of South African Black students
- Begin an extensive training program that will result in a 80% Black teaching and education administrative force
Finally, institute a process that eliminates racial bullying in schools by promoting positive racial teacher student classroom relationships in South Africa.
Related Articles
Racial bullying a reality in SA schools
Watch: Sikh boy takes on racist bully in UK after he is attacked
Racist bullying plagues Calgary family in mostly-black housing complex, mother says
South Africa: Racist Bullies At Racially Integrated Schools
Dr. Derrick L. Campbell, Ed.D. www.positiveracialrelationships.com PO Box 1668 Blackwood, NJ 08012
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Mythic time
It is evening, and the falling darkness makes the world look smaller and closer in every direction. Time, however, seems vaster than before. Or rather it moves more slowly and therefore seems longer. I am disappointed to find myself checking the time very often. You have no appointments! Why does this habit cling?
A Hindu philosopher remarked that the clock was a Christian invention. Time is running out, the end is coming, there is no recurrence. (The hour-glass, I think, would be a better symbol of this kind of awareness, because the clock repeats itself forever.) The prospect of eternal recurrence is terrifying for Hindus; and so, the way to shock them into deep realization is to threaten them with just that. Christians, he said, are shocked in the opposite way: by the prospect of not recurring – by the once-for-all quality of life. This, the philosopher claimed, turns Christians into the minute minders that they are.
It is true, we have often regarded time in the manner of misers, hating the loss of the years. Yet we also go to great lengths to waste time. We want it both ways: we want to squander and dissipate our treasure and yet, impossibly, we do not want it to diminish. If our time is us (as it is), then confusion about time is confusion about ourselves. We are afraid to live, yet we want to live forever.
I have found that I am never more conscious of the clock than when I have forgotten for a while the meaning of my life and have given way to dissipation. When one fails to understand something there is an urge to measure it. It seems that when other structures of meaning fall away, the forward march of the minutes is the only structure left.
In William Faulkner's novel, The Sound and the Fury, Quentin is about to commit suicide, when he takes his watch and breaks the glass, then pulls off the hands. "The watch ticked on. I turned the face up, the blank dial with little wheels clicking and clicking behind it, not knowing any better." The destruction of even this final structure symbolises the loss of all meaning. "I could hear it, ticking away inside my pocket, even though nobody could see it, even though it could tell nothing if anyone could." There is no past and no future: no history and no adventures. Not only Quentin's own life but every event in history has lost its meaning: "Christ was not crucified: he was worn away by a minute clicking of little wheels."
In other stories by Faulkner there is a reaching towards a different kind of time, called 'mythic time': the perpetual present of ritual. When ritual is performed, the past event becomes present again. This kind of time is not linear like clock-time; it is recurrent, even cyclical if the myth is related to the seasons or other natural processes. William Barrett related this to the primeval sense of time in Homer's epics. "The audience knew the story in advance; it was only a question what episode they might desire to hear.... The myth is thus perpetually present with them, renewed whenever the bard might appear. The siege of Troy takes place again and again, and Achilles will pursue Hector around the walls of Troy forever."
Homer's world seems a long way from here and now, yet it was from listening to the storytellers on the Blaskets that George Thomson found the key to 'the Homeric question'. With his own eyes he saw what an oral tradition looked like when it was written down for the first time. He compared those two worlds, so distant from each other in time and place, and saw how each produced a literature that retained all the signs of a long oral tradition; the two kinds of storytelling, oral and written, were intertwined in a wholly distinctive way.
So many thoughts, books, writers filing past the mind….They are like thoughtful visitors; and part of their thoughtfulness is that they know when to leave. But they have left behind them an atmosphere of peace and deep restfulness; perhaps this is what 'mythic time' feels like.
Mythic time: somewhere along here lies the answer to too much nostalgia. And somewhere along here there opens a path to contemplation.
From Take Nothing for the Journey: Meditations on Time and Place, Donagh O'Shea
(Dominican Publications, Dublin 1990, 2nd ed. 2013)


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Alberta.ca > Agriculture and Forestry
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada established a benchmark site network in the early 1990s to monitor soil quality change over time on reference agricultural landscapes. This approach assumes that monitoring selected soil variables for 10 or more years will show changes in soil conditions. An alternative approach is to compare cultivated and uncultivated (native) soils in a landscape. This approach requires less research time and provides an estimate of changes in soil characteristics over the entire cultivation period. Opportunities for such research are rare in the agricultural parts of western Canada. An opportunity presented itself in conjunction with work at the Provost (05-AB) benchmark site. A parcel of native land only 1.6 km away was studied and sampled using the same methodology. The similarity of the two sites provided an opportunity to examine soil attributes that approximated conditions prior to cultivation, and, by comparison, to assess changes brought about by 80 years of cultivation.
Literature Review
The impact of soil erosion on soil quality has been investigated using long-term cropping system studies1,2,7 and retrospective views of management-induced soil changes by comparing cultivated with uncultivated soils in the same landscape6,7. Differences in organic C content are commonly studied in both approaches. Analysis of cesium-137 (137Cs) redistribution in landscapes is a tool that can be used to estimate erosion rates3,4,6,8,9,10 in either approach.
Study Description
The Provost benchmark site was set up in 199011. A parcel of uncultivated land located 1.6 km from the benchmark site was characterized and sampled in 1991, using the same methodology5,11,13.
Site characterization, sampling design, sample collection and preparation, and analytical methods have been described previously11,13. A stratified random sampling design using transects12 was used to measure variability along a slope from crest to depression. Topsoil and subsoil samples were collected at each sampling point (10-m interval) along each transect. The cultivated site had nine transects with 64 sampling points, and the native site had seven transects with 61 sampling points. Thickness of topsoil, organic C content, and 137Cs activity, all analyzed according to slope position, are featured here.
Cesium-137, from radioactive fallout deposited mainly in the mid-1960s, was used as a tracer to estimate soil movement3,8,10. Cesium-137 isotope activity was converted from a weight to an area expression (Bq/m2) using bulk density and sample depth. (A becquerel (Bq) is the unit of activity of a radioactive source and is defined as one disintegration per second.) Soil redistribution in the cultivated landscape was estimated using the average 137Cs level at the native site (1704 Bq/m2) as a baseline value to separate erosion from deposition (137Cs depletion vs enrichment)10. Net soil erosion rates for the cultivated site were estimated with a model based on the relationship between annual erosion rate and the fraction of 137Cs remaining relative to the number of years of erosion9. Modifications to the model account for tillage dilution by mixing of subsoil into the Ap horizon8 and for increasing thickness in the total A horizon due to deposition4.
Major Findings
Site description
Both sites occur on hummocky to undulating moraine. A veneer of loam textured, waterlaid material caps the clay loam - loam textured till, mostly on lower parts of the terrain. Backslope soils are mainly Orthic Dark Brown Chernozems grading to "eroded" or thin soils on hilltops and Humic Luvic Gleysols in depressions.
The native site was grazed "fairly heavily" (in the words of owner Bill Carter) for about 60 years from 1906, lightly for another decade, not at all since the late 1980s. The cultivated site has been cropped since 1912, primarily in a fallow-wheat rotation. Tillage was mainly by plow until about 1950 and by deep-tillage cultivator since then.
A horizon (Topsoil) type and thickness
One of the most striking differences between the sites is the type and thickness of the uppermost soil horizon. The surface horizon at the cultivated site is mainly Apk (plow layer with calcium carbonates) on hilltops and Ap (plow layer) on backslopes to depressions. Thickness of the plow layer is quite uniform (Figure 1).
An Ah horizon (topsoil enriched with organic matter) of highly variable thickness (Figure 1) dominates the native site. It has significantly more organic C than the Ap horizon (Figure 2). To compare C content in layers of equal thickness, a "simulated plow layer" (simulated Ap) to a total depth of 11 cm was calculated for crest, shoulder and backslope positions at the native site. Bulk density and relative thickness of each layer making up the simulated Ap were used in the calculation. This process also estimated the dilution effect of the subsoil on the organic C content of the "initial" plow layer.
Figure 1. Average thickness of the uppermost A horizon on toposequences at the two Provost sites
Figure 2. Average organic C content of the uppermost "topsoil" on topsequences at the two Provost sites
Losses of soil organic C and erosion rates
The difference in organic C content between the native and cultivated sites is much greater than differences among slope positions within each site (Figure 2). Cultivated Ap horizons have roughly one-third the organic C content of native Ah horizons. A fairer comparison should include the simulated plow layer which estimates the condition of the first Ap in 1912. Results for the simulated Ap (Sim-Native, Figure 2) suggest that the initial Ap horizon on hilltops and backslopes had about half the organic C content of the native Ah due to dilution by the underlying subsoil. So, roughly half the organic C of the initial Ap was lost, when compared to the 1990 cultivated Ap, on these same slope positions (Figure 2).
The initial dilution of soil C is in fact only an apparent loss because the same mass of organic matter was still in the soil system. But as cultivation and cropping continued, processes of erosion and mineralization became important. With the loss of topsoil at a hilltop site, dilution no doubt continued.
Erosion, which includes the downslope movement of soil by cultivation as well as losses by wind and water, was calculated as net soil erosion rate (En, Table 1). Values were greatest on hilltops (crest plus shoulder). Somewhere along the backslopes, deposition from upslope areas became greater than erosion, resulting in net deposition. This likely resulted in another type of dilution that this study did not address - the deposition of upslope material lower in organic C than the material it covered.
Table 1. Estimated organic C losses and net erosion rates on an average toposequence at the cultivated site
There was no direct way, with our data set, to calculate mineralization. So, it was estimated as the remainder, assuming that values for the three processes (dilution + erosion + mineralization) total 100%. Note that dilution plus erosion for the crest soils totals 107%. We feel that erosion has been slightly overestimated using the 137Cs methodology.
Applied Questions
Do we have to make measurements to show the impact of intensive cultivation or can the effects be seen in some fields?
Cultivation and soil movements have commonly left a visual imprint on hilly landscapes in the Prairie region. Hilltops (knolls) in the cultivated site are clearly visible, when in fallow, by their grayish colours in contrast to darker soils on adjacent slopes. The grayish colours also identify the soils with the lowest organic C content. But the data show that there is lower C content throughout the cultivated landscape (Figure 2).
How did the soil change over time?
The first plowing undoubtedly had a significant impact on the hilltop and many backslope soils in this landscape. Even shallow plowing depths of 3 to 4 inches (personal communication from farmer Bill Carter) probably mixed the native Ah horizon with some of the underlying B horizon at many locations. Carbon, nitrogen and nutrients would have been diluted in the first Ap horizon. This trend likely continued over the ensuing decades, especially with the advent of tractor power and the deep-tillage cultivator, and was probably intensified by erosion and mineralization processes. Within several years, the new Ap horizon likely began to include calcareous C-horizon material in places.
Which type of erosion is most important in this landscape?
According to the landowners, episodes of wind and water erosion have occurred from time to time. But there seems insufficient evidence to suggest that these could account for the relatively high erosion rates determined for the site. Cesium-137 data allow estimates of total movement, and do not differentiate among wind, water and tillage processes. Therefore, in the opinion of the researchers, the mechanical action of tillage implements is the major cause of soil erosion at this site.
1. Campbell, C.A., Zentner, R.P., Janzen, H.H., and Bowren, K.E. 1990. Crop rotation studies on the Canadian prairies. Research Branch, Agriculture Canada. Publication 1841/E. 133 pp.
2. Ellert, K.M. 1995. Cropping systems for a sustainable future: long-term studies in Alberta. Canada-Alberta Environmentally Sustainable Agriculture Agreement. 40 pp.
3. De Jong, E., Villar, H. and Bettany, J.R. 1982. Preliminary investigations on the use of 137Cs to estimate erosion in Saskatchewan. Can. J. Soil Sci. 62: 673-683.
4. De Jong, E., Begg, C.B.M. and Kachanoski, R.G. 1983. Estimates of soil erosion and deposition for some Saskatchewan soils. Can. J. Soil Sci. 63: 607-617.
5. Finlayson, N.M. Provost benchmark site - native site monitoring. Draft report for Agriculture Canada. Land Resources Network Ltd., Edmonton, AB. 21 pp.
6. Gregorich, E.G. and Anderson, D.W. 1985. Effects of cultivation and erosion on soils of four toposequences in the Canadian prairies. Geoderma 36: 343-354.
7. Janzen, H.H. 1995. The role of long-term sites in agroecological research: a case study. Can. J. Soil Sci. 75: 123-133.
8. Kachanoski, R.G. 1993. Estimating soil loss from changes in soil cesium-137. Can. J. Soil Sci. 73: 629-632.
9. Kachanoski, R.G., Miller, M.H., Lobb, D.A., Gregorich, E.G. and Protz, R.D. 1992. Management of farm field variability I. Quantification of soil loss in complex topography. II. Soil erosion processes on shoulder slope landscape positions. Final Report no. 38. Technology Evaluation and Development Sub-Program, Soil and Water Environmental Enhancement Program. Agriculture Canada, Harrow, ON. 156 pp.
10. Kiss, J.J., de Jong, E. and Rostad, H.P.W. 1986. An assessment of soil erosion in west-central Saskatchewan using cesium-137. Can. J. Soil Sci. 66: 591-600.
11. Walker, B.D. and Wang, C. 1994. Benchmark site documentation: 05-AB (Provost, Alberta). Centre for Land and Biological Resources Research, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Edmonton, AB. CLBRR Contrib. No. 95-03. 22 pp.
12. Wang, C. 1982. Application of transect method to soil survey problems. Research Branch, Agriculture Canada, Ottawa, ON. Tech. Bull. 1984-4E: 34 pp.
13. Wang, C., Walker, B.D., Rees, H.W., Kozak, L.M., Nolin, M.C., Michalyna, W., Webb, K.T., Holmstrom, D.A., King, D., Kenney, E.A. and Woodrow, E.F. 1994. Benchmark sites for monitoring agricultural soil quality in Canada. Soil Quality Evaluation Program Technical Report 1. Centre for Land and Biological Resources Research, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, ON. 76 pp.
Return to CAESA Soil Quality Program Research Factsheets
This information is provided by B. D. Walker, K. Haugen-Kozyra and C. Wang.
Phone the Ag-Info Centre, toll-free in Alberta at 310-FARM (3276), for agricultural and forestry information.
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Ned Stilzman called yesterday to thank me for his birthday man thong. As an aside, he informed me of the growing suspicion his five-year-old daughter will become a serial killer. He thinks Jackie enjoys torturing insects and tiny animals and he fears where those sadistic tendencies may lead.
By way of example, he shared his daughter's most recent disturbing episode involving an attempt to play ping pong against the wall of their house … using "Mr. Hoppy." Mr. Hoppy wasn't actually a ping pong ball; rather, he happened to be an unlucky frog Jackie found in their backyard. Unfortunately, the competition did not end well for Mr. Hoppy. Although Ned halted the "game" immediately, by the time he arrived, Mr. Hoppy had in his words already been fully "frogilated."
I winced at the tale (hating the very thought of harming most living creatures – mosquitoes and flies excepted), and I sympathized with my friend's concern. But I also told him not to worry, "yet," advising: "Sure she might turn into a mass murderer, but just as likely she'll grow out of her sadistic ways."
More comfortingly, I reminded Ned of my own equally disturbing behavior as a little boy. I'd tortured more than my fair share of insects and small critters, before I thankfully lost interest in such depravities. In fact, coincidentally, one of my last crimes against nature involved a frog. Although my "frogilation" story wasn't exactly apples to apples, I still thought the tale might benefit Ned.
As I told him, one day at sleep-away camp during the summer of my tenth year, I caught a frog at the lake.
Because campers weren't permitted to have pets in their bunks, I decided to send it to my brother for safekeeping. I poked a few holes in an envelope and tossed in a couple of dead bugs, knowing the importance of air and nutrients. Then I added the amphibian, along with a note to Frank asking him to take care of the "leperd frog" I'd placed in the envelope.
About a week later, I received a reply from Frank. It said:
Got the frog. Surprised you didn't include a letter explaining your intent. But not to worry, I figured it out. So, thanks! With a little garlic and butter, it was delicious!
Aghast at the tragedy, I spent the next hour crying hysterically and wailing to one and all: "My brother ate my frog!" A counselor eventually grew concerned enough to place an emergency call to my parents. When my father answered, I sobbingly told him of the atrocity. Dad waited until my story petered out and then assured me: "Richard, your brother did not eat any frog. He got an envelope from you with a letter, but there was nothing else in it. Please, calm down and go play with your friends."
Much relieved, I concluded that an envious postal worker must have coopted the frog for his own. I hung up the phone, but not before hearing a shout bellowing from the receiver: "Frank!!!!!"


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To order images and/or obtain permission to use them commercially, please contact the KSHS Reference Desk at firstname.lastname@example.com or 785-272-8681, ext. 117.
For more information see the Copyright and Permission FAQ.
Illustrations from Harper's Weekly magazine depicting Exodusters. As life in the South worsened for Blacks after the Civil War, many left for more promising lands. Thousands came to Kansas in a great exodus (hence the name "Exodusters") during the 1870s, attracted by the state's free-state reputation established during the territorial era. These three illustrations are captioned, "The Colored Exodus - - Scenes at Topeka, Kansas - - From Sketches by H. Worrall." Henry Worrall was an early Kansas artist.
Creator: Henry Worrall
Date: 1879
Item Number: 209875
KSHS Identifier: 1980.228.15
Collections - Museum
Community Life - Arts and Entertainment - Art - Printmaking
Date - 1870s - 1879
Home and Family - Daily life - Settlement
Objects and Artifacts - Communication Artifacts - Documentary Artifact - Newspaper - page
People - African Americans - Exodusters
People - Notable Kansans - Worrall, Henry, 1825-1902
Places - Cities and towns - Topeka
Places - Counties - Shawnee
Thematic Time Period - Immigration and Settlement, 1854 - 1890
Type of Material - Objects and Artifacts


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praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.
Psalm 150:5 (NIV)
When Wendy and I were on our cruise we had the pleasure of being entertained nightly by the B.B. King All-Stars, an amazing group of Memphis based musicians. One night late in the week the band gave the vocalists a break and played a jazz set. They jammed on one tune that continued to build and build in intensity as each musician took solo turns. Towards the end of the song as things reached a fevered pitch, the drummer took off on a frenzied drum solo. I've seen, known and played with many drummers in my life. I have never seen anything quite like we witnessed that night. Cymbals crashed, sticks splintered and shattered as he beat the drums, threw caution to the wind, and lost himself in wild abandon. By the end of the song, he'd broken the snare drum.
In the introductory liner notes of some of the psalms you'll see the Hebrew word shiggaion. No one knows for certain what the ancient musical term means, but the transliteration hints at a word picture of someone reeling as if intoxicated. Scholars suggest that these psalms were raucous songs intended for people to worship with the same loud, ecstatic, wild abandon Wendy and I witnessed in the musicians and drummer.
Wise King Solomon wrote that there is a time for everything under the sun. Certainly, there is a time for thoughtful, respectful quiet worship music. One of the most important lessons I've taken from the psalms is that there is also a time for shiggaion.


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Originally pressed by Paula-Kayne in the pressbook Josie Maran in Last Chance Hotel
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Hello and Welcome to the world of Faerie Rose Press! Last year, I started this website and this has been a love and a sincere joy to able to share what I know and what I am currently learning about the writing process. Each day I learn something new and with everything that I learn is give me more knowledge and insight on how writing is like creating magic.
I have always said that since day one, that this site would be changing through growth for nothing is set in stone. I have been flexible in what I have posted and the way that I have presented the information. Furthermore, I have presented the content on this site in a way that may not have been presented or addressed like no one else.
My goal has always been to be able to encourage others to go find and take on their own writer's journey, and to make their journey their own. This even means making mistakes along the way and to acknowledging the weak stories that we may have written.
Granted, in the year that this site has been created, I have published four short stories and a poetry collection on Amazon, and I have been working on several novels. I know this is where I need to work on one novel at a time. But I still have the goal to finish one of my novels and to get it published. But I'm not only writing, I'm also creating book covers for what I have written.
Also in the same year, I have created a sister division of publishing, Elderwood Publications. The parent company for both Faerie Rose Press and Elderwood Publications has also been created, Moonspinner3 Books. Faerie Rose Press is for works of fiction written in the genre of fiction. Elderwood Publications is for works of fiction in other genres.
Through every step that I have taken through this year, I must say a huge thank you to all of you for your continued support. This is regardless if this is the first time that you visit this site, or the hundredth time. Thank you and I hope that you find something that helps you through out the days that you consider as your writing days. Just remember to create magic through the use of imagination and to use that imagination to unleash your creativity. Further more take time to create, write, grow and to inspire.


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Jun 26 2014
Team Support Group monthly meeting
This evening our Team Support Group met at our Ladybridge Hall Base / HQ for its monthly meeting.
Our Team President (A former Bolton MRT Team Leader) Bob Hutchinson attended in his capacity as a link Officer between the operational call out list membership of the team and the seven Support Group members who attended tonight.
Forthcoming team displays at which the support Group will be attending, and Team Collection Days organised by the Support Group formed the basis of tonight's agenda.


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Whither Goest Interest Rates?
- By
- Apr 02, 2014
Common wisdom among economists is that if you forecast a specific number, don't forecast the date when that number will occur, and vice versa. This applies to interest rates. I am 99.9 percent certain the yield on the 10-year Treasury note will hit 5 percent, but don't try to pin me down on the date. I'm willing to go on record that it won't be this year, and I'm also going on record that the 10-year yield will end 2014 higher than 2.73 percent, where it was perched on March 31. I might get more specific at the end of this article if you twist my arm.
The reason I don't like to be pinned down is that the 10-year yield and its sidekick, inflation, have confounded analysts throughout the recession and recovery, now approaching the end of its fifth year. Early in this cycle, the favored scenario among many was that the Treasury Department and Federal Reserve would have to pursue a policy of low interest rates/high inflation so households, businesses and governments could repay their massive debts from the financial crisis with inflated (less valuable) dollars – the ultimate bailout. But it didn't turn out that way. Despite stimulus packages and rounds of quantitative easing to keep interest rates low, inflation remained tame and in fact has fallen below the Fed's target rate of 2 percent for the past two years. Meanwhile households and businesses have shed their excess debt while the federal government's deficit has returned to historical norms thanks to sequester-mandated spending cuts and improving tax collections – all without any whiff of inflation.
Some financial analysts developed a following by hammering the Treasury Department and Fed for their unconventional policies, which, they argued, would trigger higher (if not hyper-) inflation or, even worse, another round of financial contagion spreading through global markets. These analysts sought to attract defensive-minded clients who had been hurt by the financial crisis and were willing to believe that the U.S. and/or European governments were setting the stage for another one. These analysts convinced their clients to hedge against this risk just as the Fed was setting the table for a raging bull market in home-grown, garden variety stocks.
What, you might ask, does this have to do with commercial real estate? Our industry owes a tip-of-the-hat to ex-Fed Chairman Bernanke who, though he was slow to recognize the gathering storm clouds, was quick to embrace strategies that delivered the dramatic recovery of property prices and the more measured recovery of leasing markets, which promise to gain momentum this year. I've read articles recently suggesting this period of low inflation and interest rates could go on for years. Just remember, however, that nothing lasts forever: not the financial monster that nearly swallowed the world, nor the economic stability that has endured for the past five years, earning strong returns for investors in stocks and real estate.
Fortunately for analysts who go out on a limb, people tend to have short memories. So, despite my description of the pitfalls, let me risk answering the question posed in the title of this piece. The 10-year Treasury yield will end the year around 3.5 percent, about 50 basis points higher than where it began the year. This will signal both an improving economy and a return of inflation back to the Fed's target level of 2 percent. But if I'm wrong, I don't want to hear about it. Deal?


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|Member since:
|January 04, 2006
|Last visit:
|January 04, 2006
stolenangel has posted 0 links and 2 comments to SportsFilter and 0 links and 0 comments to the Locker Room.
As for the boy comments, just because you have met the required age in which society deems you an adult. It does not however justify your level of manhood. There are many black, white, hispanic, asian, and all the other ethnic backgrounds of the male population that I may consider a BOY. Any male that feels that they can play the role of and man and jump ship when they feel the lack of freedom and choice is a boy in my book. Taking the responsibility of arming yourself and others with wisdom, knowledge and respect, THAT'S A MAN. Clarett had chosen to be irresponsible. Choosing to leave boyhood and entering manhood is not respected by age but by development.
posted by stolenangel at 02:24 PM on January 04, 2006
I am black and a product of the same Ghetto that Clarett was from. Born and raised on the Southside of Youngstown, OH., even attended school in Columbus, OH. Clarett never left the ghetto he just moved into a bigger version of Youngstown. If you have never been there; DON'T TAKE IT THERE! You will never understand what it takes to survive. I don't excuse the actions that were expelled but they are understood. Society placed sport contenders, entertainers of music and show on pedestals. When they succeed in providing you with entertainment and a since of pleasure, all hail to the great one. When they become disappointments you're ready to burn them at the stake. Yeah, yeah, I know-if they choose to live the life of fame and fortune they choose to be some kind of role model for society and the youth that surrounds them. Whatever, on that dumb notion, I blame every parent, guardian and/or caretaker of today's youth for allowing them to embrace these individuals as role models. Show them that GOD is the SUPREME role model. If you don't believe in my GOD, show them a single mother with two kids, going to school and working full time, graduate with honors and move from the ghetto, later to be married, successful and a homeowner. Or a man who played the dope game for years only to realize that his next play will land him in jail or the grave, later to be married, very successful and a homeowner. When you leave the ghetto you should leave your ghetto fabulous lifestyle behind. To reiterate Clarett never left the ghetto or the lifestyle. Assumptions that success and money will change someone are made by those who lack integrity, it's a temporary covering that unveils the moment you lose yourself to the vultures that call themselves your fan-friend. My fan-friends motivate my drive to succeed in a life that is best for my family and me. Not for them to gain any worldly pleasure. I'm disappointed in Clarett because he let himself down and those that just wanted the world to see one success come from the GHETTOS of Y-Town. Don't get it twisted, there are a lot of us doing well outside the walls of Y-Town but our statue in society it not recognized by all to see; Only the most important ONE knows our trials and tribulations. Welfare or the lack of possiblities do not make someone lose their way and start robbing people. Clarett lossed himself and missed out on showing us all his full potential. He is still young I pray that he will grow from this and turn his life around.
posted by stolenangel at 01:41 PM on January 04, 2006


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How to Trim Inkberry Bushes
A type of holly, inkberry bush (Ilex glabra) is noted for its dark black berries that help beautify the garden through the winter. It is an evergreen shrub grown in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 9 that typically grows 6 to 8 feet tall with a nice rounded shape. This particular bush, though, tends to become leggy with green growth only on the upper half. To prevent your inkberry from becoming an eyesore in your landscape, to improve its overall appearance and to keep it healthy, pruning is a must.
Use sharp hand clippers to lightly trim an inkberry bush to shape and to control its size before it begins to grow again in late winter or early spring. The top of the shrub should be narrower than the base to allow sunlight to penetrate to the lower limbs. Otherwise, the lower branches will lose their foliage and the shrub will appear leggy.
Rejuvenate an inkberry bush that is woody or leggy at the bottom. In late winter or early spring, cut the entire shrub down so it stands about 18 to 24 inches tall. You might need a pair of loppers or a pruning saw to effectively remove thick stems without tearing them. It might take several years for the inkberry to grow back to its original size, but it will look much healthier.
Remove limbs that are diseased, dead or insect-infested to keep an inkberry bush in good health. Conduct this type of pruning as needed, cutting the branches back to a healthy part of the shrub. If your bush looks less than desired after pruning, in late winter or early spring cut it back hard to rejuvenate it and restore it to its original shape.
Things Needed
- Hand clippers
- Loppers or pruning saw


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Discussion in 'Work-In-Progress Mods' started by thatoneaicoder, April 9, 2017.
Testing an AI in the PA:T community mods.
FYI - the AI is about to change.
But not enough to invalidate (most) work done now
Btw, no need to put it in Community Mods if you're still developing it. Community Mods will display local mods.
Separate names with a comma.


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Former Avs star Forsberg will practise with team, possibly eyeing a comeback
DENVER - Former NHL MVP Peter Forsberg will practise with the Colorado Avalanche to see if he is in shape for a possible return to the team.
The Avalanche said Friday the 37-year-old Forsberg will join the squad during a morning skate Saturday before an afternoon game against the Boston Bruins. He will talk about his intentions after the workout.
Forsberg won two Stanley Cup titles with Colorado and was the league's MVP in 2003. He has played sporadically in recent years because of a troublesome right foot.
Jean Martineau, a senior vice-president for the team, said Forsberg's agent, Don Baizley, reached out to general manager Greg Sherman, asking if Forsberg could test his foot and overall conditioning against NHL-calibre players.
The Avs readily agreed.
"Obviously, knowing our bond and the great history with Peter and the organization, we want to help him find out where he's at," Martineau said.
The Swedish star's last appearance in the NHL was with the Avalanche during the 2007-08 season. He had one goal and 13 assists in nine games. He was hampered that season by a groin injury.
"I need to see where I am physically and practising with NHL players is the best way to find that out," Forsberg said in a release.
The bruising but skilful forward returned to the Mile High City last September as part of a celebration to mark the 15th anniversary of Colorado's 1996 Stanley Cup championship.
He said back then he wasn't completely ruling out a comeback, but was at peace with whatever the future held.
Forsberg remains a fan favourite in Denver, his No. 21 sweater still one of the most spotted in the Pepsi Center crowd.
Part of that may be the intensity he brought to the game, something the fans haven't forgotten. Forsberg had his spleen removed during the Avalanche's run to the Stanley Cup in 2001.
He spent nine seasons with the Avalanche before heading to Philadelphia following the NHL lockout in 2004-05. He wore a Flyers sweater for 1 1/2 seasons before being dealt to Nashville.
Forsberg returned to Denver late in 2007-08, but was limited in the regular season because of a nagging groin injury.
But it's his foot that's given him the most trouble, robbing him of ice time and chunks of his career. He was with the Swedish team Modo last season, but played only 23 games due to his chronic foot ailment.
In an interview last September, Forsberg said if he had any qualms with his career, it was that he couldn't get his surgically repaired foot quite right.
"Of course, I'm sour that if (retirement) happens, I didn't get to quit on my own terms," said Forsberg, who's guided the Swedish national team to gold in the Olympics and world championships. "But I can't go around thinking I had a bad life. It's been a good hockey life for me anyway."
And it might not be over just yet.


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Dialing 1-800-888-8839. Ring ring ring ring....
op: Thank you for calling Texas Tourism, did you see our number on tv?
me: yes ma'am
op: Thats great, did you get an extension?
me: no
op: what channel were you watching?
me: 10
op: umm...what network is that?
me: uh...wkrp, I think
op: No, I mean like the history channel or the weather channel or something like that...
me: oh, I don't know
op: ok, may I have your name?
me: yes
op: umm...and your name is?
me: travis
op: ok travis, and your last name?
me: do you need that?
op: ...if you want us to send you the travel guide....
me: Does it have to be my real last name or can I make something up?
op: I don't know...
me: ok, it's smie
op: and how is that spelled?
me: with an S
op: S-M-E-E?
me: no, S-M-I-E
op: ok and I have that as travis smie, spelled T-R-A-V-I-S S-M-I-E, is that correct?
me: don't you think it's strange that you texas tourism people are in Kansas City, MO instead of texas?
op: uh, sir, we just answer the phones for them and send out travel guides
me: so you don't really know anything about texas?
op: well I wouldn't say that...
me: are there cows in texas?
op: I'd think!
me: but you don't know?
op: listen sir, we're really busy, do you want the travel guide?
me: why do you think I called?
op: ok, may I have your address sir?
me: yes
op: and your address is?
me: 166 roop st.
op: that's 166 R-O-U-P st.?
me: no ma'am, that's R-O-O-P...
op: ok, and may I have your zip code?
me: 25880
op: and that's Mount Hope West Virginia, area code 304, may I have your phone number?
me: WOW!did you memorize that?
op: umm...no, it shows up on the computer...
me: in reddish orange letters?
op: um...yeah
me: I met this girl the other day, she was so nice! really pretty to, big brown eyes, really long, soft light brown hair...
op: umm...that's nice sir...can I have your telephone number now sir?
me: sure
op: and it is...
me: 877-2226
op: that's 304-877-2226?
me: yup
op: and where do you plan to visit in your trip to texas?
me: I'd like to visit the Roy Orbison museum in Wink Texas
op: and that's in winkler county?
me: yes ma'am, named for the civil war hero henry w. winkler
op: and what would you like to do during your stay in texas?
me: celing fan
op: excuse me?
me: um...watch television, get high, beat up old people, the usual stuff...
op: um...ok
me: before you go, sometimes I get these really nice spiral curls to the sides
of my face, kinda like jewish people, but it only happens about two or
three times a month, you wouldn't know how to make that happen more often
would you?
op: uh...no
me: hmm...oh well....
op: well your travelguide should be there in about two weeks...
me: two weeks? why so long?
op: we send all travel guides out @ the end of the week to get better bulk
shipping rates...
me: so if I ordered like 50 of those for someone they'd all get there @ the
same time?
op: you can only order one sir
me: are you sure, I've got 10 already
op: good bye
me: merry christmas!
op: *click!*
by Matt Burns (firstname.lastname@example.com)


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Definition 1 of 1
Adjective. April 3, 2013, Word of the Day
The state of a salted leech, for example. When pride is crushed and one is emotionally crumpled and you can see it manifest on the person. A truly sad sight.
From the Tamil word, "Surungu" which is close to twisted but in the reductive, crumpled manner of something severely dehydrated.
It was damn funny man, when Hrithik Roshan came to Madurai Meenakshi temple no, they told him sorry no foreigners inside the sanctum sanctorium! Heroes didn't even know who he was. His face became fully suringified!
Added 2011-07-06 by Studmuffin


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GRXN provides a customization service. All customers must provide the base shoe to be customized. GRXN can help source base shoes for a small sourcing fee.
If you are interested in getting a pair of your shoes customized, please contact us by filling out the below form. A GRXN team member will reply with next steps. We appreciate you reaching out.


text: Health / binge drinking Binge-Drinking College Kids Are Happier Study finds drinking is associated with social status By Evann Gastaldo, Newser Staff Posted Aug 20, 2012 9:25 AM CDT Copied (Shutterstock) (Newser) – Well, this certainly won't help convince any college students to cut down on their boozing: A new study finds that those who binge drink are happier with their social lives than those who don't—and suggests that drinking in college may be more motivated by social factors than by an actual desire to get smashed. It found that those with a higher social status (in the case of the college that was studied, students who were white, wealthy, or members of frats or sororities) were more likely to binge drink. story continues below But the binge-drinking seemed to play a definite part in that happiness. High-status students who didn't binge drink reported being less happy socially. And low-status binge drinkers were more satisfied socially than their non-binge-drinking counterparts. "They almost seemed to move themselves up a little bit, or to put it in more efficient language, they now have higher levels of social satisfaction," the researcher who was quick to note that she thinks binge drinking "is a terrible thing," tells LiveScience. The study defined binge drinkers as those who drank four (for women) or five (for men) drinks in one sitting at least once every two weeks. (Read more binge drinking stories.)


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Well, how many of us expect a superb ravishing rose fragrance? I am pretty sure nobody who has ever used it before….
Surprisingly (or not) Rosehip oil most certainly does not smell like roses. In fact, in its pure state (without any added ingredients) Rosehip oil should only have an oilish smell and nothing of the contrary.
Main fact is, Rosehip oil is made out of seeds and not rose petals as one would imagine. However, there are companies who sell rosehip oil mixed with other oils / odour enhancements, moulding the entire mixture with various fragrances.
In my view, mixing Rosehip oil with any other oil would diminish its properties, making it less fit for purpose. Of course, as mentioned before, I always aim to keep it simple and effective in its organic and cold pressed natural state, making it part of my daily routine.
Curious how this oil can become part of your routine? Follow my ebay link below and purchase your gorgeous glass ruby Rosehip oil bottle (with pipette to make your life just a little bit easier):