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Dear Family & Friends,
A note of thanks to all who have helped Charlie and myself since our auto accident on June 27, 2012. We come from a very loving community and appreciate all the love, prayers and generosity shown to us. A special thank you to all those who prayed us through this event, and all those who carried food to us for weeks on end. Thanks to Dr. Bagge and Johnson Physical Therapy for their excellent care.
Most of all Thank you to our Dear Lord and Savior who saved our lives and is in the Miracle business. We are a Miracle and are so grateful to be here to tell the story of His Love and Protection.
Charlie and Flo Porter


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October 26. 2013 7:33PM
Ted Siefer's City Hall: It was a week of finger-pointing in Manchester politics
By TED SIEFER
New Hampshire Union Leader
Manchester dog park leaders criticized by former member
It was a slow week at City Hall, but with the election just a couple of weeks away, the same can't be said for the campaign trail - and things are getting a little nasty out there. Let's start this campaign edition of the column with the question: Is the city Republican Committee trying to jettison Alderman-at-Large
Joe Kelly Levasseur
When the city GOP puts out its mailings and ads this week touting its slate of candidates, Levasseur won't be among them. The committee recently voted to adopt a policy that it would not support candidates who "bash" fellow Republicans, in the words of
Tammy Simmons
, the committee's interim chairman.
There is, of course, one Republican in particular that Simmons was referring to, Mayor
Ted Gatsas
, with whom Levasseur has had a frosty relationship, to put it mildly.
"That was a significant concern for us," Simmons said. "It's no secret that he has been publicly bashing fellow Republicans, and the mayor is a very big part of the Republican team in Manchester."
Levasseur said he was insulted by the move. "I've disagreed with (Gatsas) on a few occasions," he said. "I don't agree with myself 200 percent of the time. How am I going to agree with
Teddy Gatsas
200 percent of the time? I'm not a lemming following people over a cliff. I have constituents' concerns in mind every time I vote on an issue. I don't vote party lines; I vote my conscience, which is conservative," he said.
Levasseur added that he was a former chairman of the city GOP and had helped raise "thousands of dollars" for candidates.
Gatsas said he had nothing negative to say about Levasseur, nor did he want to comment on the matter; it was the GOP committee that came up with the policy, he said.
But Levasseur sees Gatsas' fingerprints all over the decision. He notes that
B.J. Perry
, the mayor's campaign manager, is one of the four board members on the committee, and no Republican in the city has coffers so overflowing as Gatsas.
Levasseur is facing two Republican challengers:
S. Daniel Mattingly
Will Infantine
. (Democrat
Dan O'Neil
is a likely lock for the other at-large seat.)
Infantine had recently become chairman of the GOP committee until he temporarily stepped down; he said he didn't want there to be any perception of a conflict of interest during the campaign.
Infantine and Levasseur are buddies, but lately some distance has opened up between them. "The Will and Joe Show" on Manchester Public Television is now "The Joe Kelly Levasseur Show." Infantine insists he took a leave as co-host when he became the GOP chairman; the show has guests of all political persuasions, but he didn't want to be seen as "beating them up."
Infantine says he and Levasseur are still friends, and for his part, he thinks Levasseur will be a top vote-getter on Election Day, as he was in 2011. "Some people don't like his style, but when it comes down to it, he stands there and fights. People respect that," he said.
Levasseur says he hasn't raised a whole lot of money to do his own advertising, but then he's probably the most well-known politician in the city next to Gatsas. And he still has his old signs from 2011 that he's putting up, the ones that list Levasseur and Infantine together, as a joint ticket.
- - - - - - -
There was a certain irony in Ward 10 Alderman
Phil Greazzo
having to explain himself to someone from the Attorney General's Office last week. A critic of the Manchester Dog Park Association lodged a complaint against the group, which Greazzo co-founded, over whether it was properly registered.
Greazzo, of course, is often on the other end of complaints filed with the AG's Office. He alleged campaign finance irregularities against state Sen.
Lou D'Allessandro
when he ran against him in 2012. And he's done the same against his current opponent,
Bill Barry
, who is considered formidable.
As Greazzo has noted, Barry didn't register with the city as a political action committee even though he collected campaign donations in the name of such an entity. Barry called it an oversight, and he subsequently did file a report for his PAC with the city. Greazzo's latest AG complaint concerns the fact that Barry never filed reports with the Office of the Secretary of State when he ran for Hillsborough County sheriff in 2012. The AG's Office is investigating the matter and is expected to have a report soon.
"I already see a pattern of hiding things from voters," Greazzo said. "If that pattern is happening at the state and city level, you can't just say, 'Oops, I didn't know.'"
Greazzo said the report Barry belatedly filed with the city also raises concerns, in particular the fact that most of the money came from public sector unions - and the largest single contribution, $1,000, came from the "Gabby PAC," which was established by former U.S. Rep.
Gabrielle "Gabby" Giffords
, D-Arizona, who was shot in the head. That group, Greazzo has noted, is "working to reduce Second Amendment rights nationwide."
"The only conclusion I can draw (for not disclosing his donations) is that they came from special interest groups or unions, whose contracts he'll be voting on if elected," he said.
Barry insisted there was nothing inappropriate about his sheriff's campaign and that he kept careful records of its finances. "The AG's Office is way too busy to waste time investigating me. They got the girl missing in North Conway. They don't need this," he said.
Referring to Greazzo's allegations, he said, "It's upsetting to me and my family, for these people to keep throwing mud at my campaign."
As for the check from the Gabby PAC, Barry said he met Giffords and her husband over the summer and was very impressed. "She's an American hero," said Barry, who is a retired police officer.
He said he never asked for the money, and that the only aspect of gun control he supported was increased background checks. "I'm all for the Second Amendment. I'm a gun owner myself. But as far getting them off the Internet or guns shows, we've got to make sure there are no loopholes," he said.
- - - - - - -
On Thursday, the city GOP sent out a press release noting that three Democratic candidates for alderman and school board seats had unpaid property tax bills. Ward 9 Alderman
Barbara Shaw
owes $2,077 for her 2013 tax bill; Ward 6 school board member
Dan Bergeron
owes $2,018; and Ward 4 school board candidate
Amy Bradley
owes $1,852.
"Every homeowner knows full well that their property taxes are due July 1st," said
Tammy Simmons
, the acting chairman of the committee, in the release. "For Alderman Shaw or School Committeeman Bergeron to have the audacity to vote for increases in spending that results in their constituents paying higher taxes when they are negligent in paying their own is insulting to the residents they are supposed to represent."
Shaw had amassed a more-than-$10,000 debt in unpaid tax bills earlier this year, but has since paid them down. "My finances are my problem," she said. "I do the best I can to make ends meet. Sometimes I get behind, but I always get caught up at some point. When a constituent calls me and says I have problem I need help with, I don't ask, 'Did you pay your taxes?'"
Bergeron also cited unique financial circumstances. "When I returned to full-time work, I did so with the confidence of a decision well made, and of course, a few payment plans," he said in an email.
There is a bit of wrinkle in Simmons' news release. It turns out she also is behind on her payments to the city; she's hasn't paid her sewer bills in three years and has a debt of $1,261, according to the city tax collector's website.
Liz Kulig
, the chairman of the city Democrats, this was the "definition of hypocrisy."
"Or maybe not paying your tax bill is a requirement to be a Republican Party Chair in New Hampshire," Kulig said.
Simmons made the point that she's not running for office. "Like so many people in Manchester, I struggle to make ends meet," she said in a follow-up email.
"This is why I think it is so important that we elect folks that believe in responsible spending and live within its means so that the residents of Manchester can continue to live within theirs."
Ted Siefer may be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow him on Twitter @tbsreporter.

subset: commoncrawl


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Billing hikers: The future of search and rescue?EDITORIAL
February 02. 2013 10:52PM
New Hampshire has to come up with a new way to finance search and rescue missions, and Rep. Gene Chandler is on the right path.
Rep. Chandler, R-Bartlett, has introduced a bill (House Bill 256) that would charge, on a sliding scale, everyone who has to be rescued by the state if lost in the woods, capsized on a lake, etc. Currently, the state charges only those who are found to be negligent, and for the most part they do not pay.
It is not Chandler's proposal to charge for all rescues that has the most merit. There are some good reasons why the state might not want to do precisely that. Rather, the strength of Chandler's bill is that it begins moving the state away from its long-standing practice of funding searches and rescues with fees on people who make up fewer than half of all rescues: hunters, fishermen, boaters, snowmobilers and ATV riders.
The existing funding structure is a matter of convenience. It is easy to charge people to register vehicles or obtain licenses. There is no easy way to charge people for hiking or walking in the woods. The state cannot put a toll booth at every trail head. It cannot very well make hikers obtain licenses to use public lands, either. But hikers account for more than half of searches and rescues. What is the state to do?
We could simply pay for them with general taxation. Or we could dedicate a portion of the rooms and meals tax, as Susan Arnold, vice president for conservation of the Appalachian Mountain Club, has suggested. But both of those go against the old-fashioned New Hamsphire tradition that the user should pay, to the greatest extent possible, for specialized services.
Chandler would combine his minimum rescue fee ($350-$1,000) with a "hike safe card" available to hikers. Buy the $18 card, and if you have to be rescued, it's covered. That is a creative idea well worth considering. It would give hikers peace of mind while also encouraging them to think more seriously about trip preparation.
HB 256 will not provide full funding for searches and rescues, and more deliberation is needed about the pros and cons of the plan. But Chandler has moved the conversation in a new and promising direction, and legislators need to give this proposal serious consideration.


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Deroy Murdock: Obama lives large while Americans struggle to get byBy DEROY MURDOCK
April 04. 2013 7:10PM
"Shared sacrifice" is one of President Obama's favorite mantras. Translation: The White House shares your money while you sacrifice.
Amid the alleged horrors of the sequester, truly shared sacrifice is the last thing on Obama's mind. The American people are enduring 0.4 percent GDP growth and 7.7 percent unemployment. A record 48 million citizens are on food stamps. Meanwhile, those in America's royal palace are enduring tropical beaches, country clubs and ski resorts.
As Joseph Curl recalled in Sunday's Washington Times, the Obamas rang in 2013 in a 6,000-square-foot, $8 million estate in Oahu's Paradise Point. That's when Obama played his 100th presidential golf round, one of five during the First Family's 17-day Hawaiian getaway.
The First Lady and her daughters skied Aspen, Colo., in February. Some like it hot. So, Obama rode Air Force One to Palm City, Fla., where he swung his clubs with Earth's now-No. 1 golfer, Tiger Woods.
Not to be outdone, Clown Prince Biden greeted 2013 in the Virgin Islands. He slid down the slopes of Snowmass, Colo., in February. That month, Biden visited Europe. He and his entourage invested $459,338.65 in tax money for 136 rooms tied to Biden's one-evening sleepover in London. Biden stopped overnight in Paris. Rather than rely on, say, the U.S. Embassy's car fleet, Team Biden spent $321,665 for limousine rentals. This reportedly was just for Biden's party; Biden himself appropriately used his secure official vehicle, which was flown with him.
Meanwhile, Uncle Joe could have stayed, essentially for free, at the magnificent, 60,000-square-foot American ambassador's residence. Instead, Team Biden bunked at the Hotel Intercontinental. That one night cost U.S. taxpayers $585,000.50.
Late March found the Obama daughters on spring break in the Bahamas. They enjoyed the Atlantis resort, which boasts three breeze-caressed beaches, 11 swimming pools, and a 141-acre water park.
After their fun in the sun, Malia and Sasha frolicked in the snow. "The Sun Valley Ski Patrol confirms the girls were enjoying the wonders of the mountain," Idaho's KMVT-TV revealed.
Easter found Biden on South Carolina's posh Kiawah Island for five days. Located 15 miles from Charleston, Kiawah's lush golf facilities are world-famous. These include the Ocean Course. Greens fees: $353.
Obama whipped out his putter on Easter Eve. He and some pals played Andrews Air Force Base's course. This was Obama's first golf round since the sequester, his sixth in 2013's first quarter, and his 115th as President.
No one begrudges Obama, Biden, and their families some relaxation from the pressures of their duties. And who can blame the Obama daughters for wanting to cavort with their school mates?
However, as Americans struggle by the millions, such self-indulgence is like devouring a double cheeseburger, fries, and a milkshake right in front of someone who is fasting on Yom Kippur. This soon grows unnecessary, unseemly, and uncaring. And expensive, as Secret Service agents, advance personnel, motorcades, helicopters, and jumbo jets facilitate such extravagance.
Obama literally endangers the American public by padlocking airport control towers and releasing criminal illegal aliens from federal custody, so that this country's citizens squeal beneath the sequester. Instead, Obama should set an example and save taxpayers millions by tempering his and Biden's monarchic lifestyles.
This gluttony would be easier to tolerate if Obama did his job. Instead, in violation of federal law, Obama's budget is now two months overdue. The Budget and Accounting Act of 1921 requires that the President's spending plan reach Congress by the first Monday in February. What on Earth have some 500 Office of Management and Budget employees done since Feb. 4? If Obama won't busy his OMB staffers with budgeting, they should conduct White House tours. Instead, troupes of Girls Scouts touring Washington are barred from the Executive Mansion. Message: Let them eat cookies.
Obama now reigns over Versailles on the Potomac. And America's taxpayers are the vassals who bankroll the opulence of King Louis-Barack and Michelle Antoinette.
Deroy Murdock is a Fox News contributor, a nationally syndicated columnist with the Scripps Howard News Service, and a media fellow with the Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace at Stanford University.


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It's a boy! The first baby born in 2013 at Wayne Memorial Hospital's New Beginnings Birthing Suites, Joseph William Yorks, arrived in the world on January 1st, 2013 at approximately 6:19 p.m.
The first child for parents Susan and Joshua Yorks of Waymart weighed in at 7 pounds, 4.5 ounces and stretched 19 inches long. Little Joseph was welcomed by New Beginnings staff with a "First Baby of 2013" basket full of items both practical and fun—from onesies to toys.
Both parents admitted Joseph did not come into the world without some hard work, more than a few hours labor, but they were very happy to have a healthy newborn. The baby was delivered by Thomas O'Brien, MD, a board-certified obstetrician with the Women's Health Center, Honesdale, part of Wayne Memorial Community Health Centers.


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FARMINGTON — Police announced on Monday they have apprehended a suspect they believe invaded an elderly woman's home on Sycamore Boulevard last week, saying that when the man resisted arrest they used an electroshock weapon to subdue him.
Donald Nisbet, 26, of 77 Bunker St., Apt. 1, was arrested on Oct. 15 and charged with robbery and burglary, both felony counts, as well as criminal threatening, false imprisonment, obstructing the report of a crime or injury and four counts of criminal mischief, all misdemeanors, for a crime committed on Oct. 14. For acts committed later that evening, Nisbet is also being charged with one count of criminal mischief and resisting arrest.
He was ordered to be held $5,000 cash bail, and arraigned in Rochester Circuit Court the same day as his arrest.
On Oct. 14, an 85-year-old woman reported her front door was "smashed in" just after 9 p.m. at her home on Sycamore Boulevard. Nisbet allegedly entered her bedroom, demanding jewelry and money, before allegedly "ripping apart" the woman's jewelry box, throwing drawers toward her. Nisbet also reportedly demanded a key to the victim's lockbox, which he attempted to open.
The woman then tried to call a relative nearby but Nisbet reportedly took the phone away from her and told her not to leave her bed. According to the witness's account, Nisbet then went to the woman's living room and dining room, flipping over furniture as he moved through the house.
The suspect then fled the scene.
Farmington Police Chief Kevin Willey said approximately two hours later, at approximately 11:30 p.m., police received another call from a nearby resident, reporting a disturbance in the area. Willey said police are still investigating what the disturbance was and declined to comment further on that incident.
When police arrived on scene, police found Nisbet, who allegedly tried to evade police by running through the nearby woods, in the area of Campbell Commons. Officers reportedly used a taser on Nisbet when a scuffle ensued.
"One officer attempted to take him into custody," Willey explained. "He was struggling with that officer so a second officer was forced to use a taser on him, in order to gain compliance."
Nisbet has a lengthy criminal history, according to police.
In June, Nisbet was indicted on a second-degree assault charge for allegedly attacking a 26-year-old man in Farmington by punching and kicking him several times outside a residence in November 2011. Nisbet was returned to Rockingham County House of Corrections for a "probation violation" around that time.
Nisbet was then indicted in September of this year on one count of burglary for an incident in Farmington on April 23. The Strafford County Attorney's office alleges Nisbet entered a residence on Spring Street on that day with the purpose of committing theft. He was released on $5,000 personal recognizance bail based on a ruling out of Strafford County Superior Court.
Willey said the information obtained on the incident of the home invasion was gathered through physical evidence and numerous witness interviews.
"The forensic evidence still needs to be analyzed," Willey said, commenting on information he provided Foster's last week. "What we have at this point is an extremely strong, circumstantial case that is based upon witness interviews and other types of physical evidence that we have already obtained."
Though he said he does not believe any more charges are forthcoming at this time, Willey said the investigation into the incidents of Oct. 14 is ongoing.
Asked about the condition of the elderly woman, Willey said police have been working to update on her on developments in the case.
"She's still shaken," he said. "The good news is that she does have relatives that live nearby. We've been in regular contact with her in order to reassure her that this case was successful, and in this case, (had) a quick resolution."
Anyone with further information on the case is urged to contact Detective Brian Driscoll with the Farmington Police Department at 755-2731 Ext. 105.
A indictment is not an indication of guilt; rather, it means a grand jury found sufficient evidence to warrant a trial.
Arrest made in Farmington home invasion: Police say suspect smashed in front door, threatened 85-year-old woman
FARMINGTON — Police announced on Monday they have apprehended a suspect they believe invaded an elderly woman's home on Sycamore Boulevard last week, saying that when the man resisted arrest they used an electroshock weapon to subdue him.


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Home » Song » AGREN, JIMMY: Glass Finger Ghost
AGREN, JIMMY: Glass Finger Ghost
Slide guitarist Jimmy Agren with a fine collection of Beefheart influenced pieces, wonderfully played. He's also a mean harmonica player, manodolinist, sometime percussionist and singer. Guests include Mats Oberg and Morgan Agren (who's drumming on this record is frighteningly good), and vocalists Freddie Wadling and Magnus Olsson. Beautifully deployed additive rhythms, always moving, with nothing extraneous or unnecessary. This is an impressive, world-class record that rips from start to finish. I can't praise it too much.
Code: UAEdisc12
Price: £14.50


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Last week we reported that ASOS had announce their new menswear trend – Beach Hut. Well the look is in, and its pretty awesome. Check out some of our favourite looks from the collection in the gallery below.
The Lost Beatles Photographs by Larry Marion
We can't wait for the new comprehensive pictorial book of lost photographs of Britain's greatest music export, The Beatles, to come out. Written by Larry Marion with the help of The Beatles' US Tour manager Bob Bonis, the book features everything from on stage performances to rehearsals and light-hearted behind the scene moments. The book is being published by Harper …
135 Years of Jockey
Last week Brandish was invited to celebrate 135 years of Jockey Underwear, at an impressive international catwalk show. The show saw the brand go back to its roots, showcasing a number of heritage pieces from its original collection in 1879, before introducing some of Jockey's more updated collections for A/W 2011. GQ Editor Dylan Jones, hosted the night and provided …
Meet Orlando Bloom at Selfridges this Thursday
On Thursday March 17th, globally renowned actor and the face of the BOSS Orange Man campaign, Orlando Bloom will be making a personal appearance in the Beauty Hall in Selfridges London. If you, or more likely your girlfriend, would actually like a chance to meet him you probably need to join the queue now.
London Fashion Week – Acne Fall 2011 collection
When Acne creative director Jonny Johansson was asked about the Men's Fall 2011 collection he shrugged and stated "All the tailoring—I thought that was in the moment, something fresh. I'm tired of all this heritage, the older models or whatever. It's time for something young." Here at Brandish we completely agree! The collection includes a series of overcoats paired with …
Lotus Originals launches at Menswear day
Today to coincide with London Fashion Weeks's Menswear day, Lotus cars launches its brand new luxury apparel line, Lotus Originals. The collection includes a cohesive range of luxury apparel, leather goods and performance outerwear which aim to reflect the craftsmanship, heritage of Lotus. We love the Hand-crafted luggage which is available in four styles; a tan weekend bag, a smaller …
Paul Weller attends Vauxhall Fashion Scout to watch his son model
Today at the Vauxhall Fashion Scout showcase, Paul Weller showed up with his wife and children to watch his son, Nat, model in the D-Gnak show. The famous rocker watched as his son modeled a variety of outfits from Korean born designer Dong Jun Kang. The rock star looked on proudly and applauded at the end of the show when …
Vans California Washed Pack
The Vans California Washed Pack, were released this month as a part of their spring collection. Produced with a unique washed effect, they have that worn-in vintage look that usually only get after wearing your shoes into the ground. They are available in various styles including the Authentic Deacon CA and Slip-on Deacon CA in four colorways of stone washed …
London Fashion Week – Paul Costelloe
This morning for the 10th consecutive season Irish designer, Paul Costelloe, kicked off London Fashion week with his very sophisticated yet colorful collection for Fall/Winter 2011. Costelloe cites 'home grown fashion' as the inspiration for the collection. From Harris tweed from Scotland, luxury plaids and herringbones from Ireland, and beautiful bright cashmere wool from England, this collection is truly reflective …
30 Years Of i-D Magazine.
On August 12th we see the release of i-D magazine's 30th birthday issue. Featuring covers with Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell and Lady Gaga famously only showing only one eye it's set to be a great issue with a them of 'now, then and next'. "30 years – whoosh, more than an instant in i-D's lifeline – it's a generation. Three …
Rick Owens A/W At Oki-Ni.
The first drop of the Autumn Winter installment of Rick Owens' fantastic collections has become available to purchase from Oki-Ni. Featuring now classic Rick Owens silhouettes such as long-line tops biker leathers and drop crotch trousers the first drop is his casual offerings. There is so much left to come as you can see from the 'Gleam' show.
iPad Release Date Announced.
Apple have announced that the iPad will become available in Britain on the 28th of May and the 16GB WiFi model shall retail at £429. I was in New York a few weeks ago and played around with one in the Apple shop and it is actually amazing. It fills a space in your tech life which you didn't know …
Trend Transition… Eyebrow-Free Faces?!
Back when she started out, Karen Elson had her eyebrows infamously off-ed at the suggestion of Steven Meisel. She catapulted to international fame fronting high-fashion campaigns and covers from W magazine to Italian Vogue. All this would suggest that the loss of one's eyebrows is actually rather beneficial- a debate being started over on the Daily Mail website. In the latest Givenchy advert, model Adriana Lima shows off a pair of bleached brows and the Daily Mail is as always on the attack.
Esquire Singular Suit Project featuring Kim Jones, Jeremy Deller, Patrick Grant & Antony Gormley
Esquire has brought together some of our favourite designers and our most art-throb artists for the Singular Suit Project which opens at Somerset House on July 31st.
Patrick Grant from Savile Row tailors Norton & Sons teamed up with one of our favourite artists, Turner Prize winner Jeremy Deller to produce a US-style boilersuit which accumulates patches as mementoes of the wearer's life.
Patrick Grant from Savile Row tailors Norton & Sons teamed up with one of our favourite artists, Turner Prize winner Jeremy Deller to produce a US-style boilersuit which accumulates patches as mementoes of the wearer's life.
Wireless: Daniel Merriweather vs Tinchy Stryder
Displaying two very different menswear styles Daniel Merriweather and Tinchy Stryder put on their best togs for their appearances onstage at Wireless.
Daniel Merriweather, best known for his vocals on the Mark Ronson version of The Smiths' 'Stop Me' opted for a tweedy jacket, shirt and tambourine, accessorised with a pair of aviator shades.
Giles Deacon's second range for New Look hits stores on the 15th
Giles Deacon for New Look, one of the few designer X high street collaborations for men returns next week with another collection, featuring a selection of shirts, t-shirts, jeans and knits.
We like that the New Look collections are a chance to see Deacon's lighter take on fashion with witty t-shirt prints and bright colours. Hopefully we'll see see pieces which push boundaries a little more in future collections but as always it's baby steps for menswear.
Yves Saint Laurent Menswear SS10
We're still playing post-Glastonbury catchup with all the menswear shows, but the collections have set the cogs in the cranium a-whirring. First up is YSL's collection, which features the director, Samuel Benchetrit's son lazing around a hotel room Nouvelle Vague style. The clothes themselves seem to be a mix of high-low tailoring and rock chic. Looking forward to seeing this in more detail.
Paris Menswear SS 2010: Paul Smith and models dance to "Thriller" during finale
From our womenswear blog, Catwalk Queen…
As tributes for Michael Jackson continue to pour in, Sir Paul Smith made the ultimate gesture to the late King of Pop during his closing menswear show in Paris yesterday…
Brandish Exclusive! Interview with Nickque Patterson, Fashionisto Supreme pt1
Nickque Patterson is setting the London fashion world alight- slowly but surely. As a stylist, DJ, designer and all-round fashionisto persona, Nickque is one of those people for whom every street is a real-life catwalk. Whether in front of the camera as a model or working behind the scenes orchestrating an edgy editorial, Patterson knows the trends and makes fashion happen.
Ever so fortunately, he was excited to be interviewed for Brandish and after the jump we have his full interview. Prepare for shoes described as 'elite,' Nickque's self-decided role as the "Jesus of Fashion" and grooming-secrets (just check out the hair!)
We love him!


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�180,000 fine after jail data loss
The Ministry of Justice has been fined £180,000 by the data watchdog for serious failings in the way prisons have been handling information relating to inmates, victims and visitors.
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) served the Government department with the penalty following the loss of a back-up hard drive at HMP Erlestoke prison in Wiltshire in May last year.
The hard drive, which was not encrypted, contained sensitive and confidential information about 2,935 prisoners, including details of links to organised crime, health information, and history of drug misuse, as well as material about victims and visitors.
Information was being insecurely handled at all 75 prisons in England and Wales
The ICO's investigation into this blunder discovered the prison service did not realise that an encryption option, designed to protect data on back-up hard drives, needed to be turned on to work correctly - meaning information was being insecurely handled at all 75 prisons in England and Wales.
The loss of the Wiltshire hard drive followed a similar case in October 2011, when the ICO was alerted to the loss of another unencrypted hard drive containing the details of 16,000 inmates at HMP High Down in Surrey.
In response to the first incident, the Prison Service provided new hard drives to 75 jails across England and Wales.
But the ICO found that the Prison Service did not realise the encryption option on the new hard drives needed to be turned on to work correctly, meaning highly sensitive information was insecurely handled by jails across England and Wales for more than a year.
ICO head of enforcement Stephen Eckersley said: " The fact that a government department with security oversight for prisons can supply equipment to 75 prisons throughout England and Wales without properly understanding, let alone telling them, how to use it beggars belief.
"The result was that highly sensitive information about prisoners and vulnerable members of the public, including victims, was insecurely handled for over a year.
"This failure to provide clear oversight was only addressed when a further serious breach occurred and the devices were finally set up correctly.
"This is simply not good enough and we expect government departments to be an example of best practice when it comes to looking after people's information.
"We hope this penalty sends a clear message that organisations must not only have the right equipment available to keep people's information secure, but must understand how to use it."
The Prison Service has experienced a turbulent period as official statistics revealed a leap in the number of on-the-run inmates in the last year, as well as an increase in deaths in custody and a rise in the number of jails considered to be ''of concern''.
Meanwhile, a raft of reports from the Prisons' Inspectorate have exposed failings in a number of jails across England and Wales.
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Speaker 94
Utterance: 20
Gender: M
Interview language: Italian
Location: Viozene, Liguria, Italy
Standard Romance language prompt: vendili
Standard Romance language prompt translation: sell them
Phonetic transcription: ",veŋdi'ɾi"/home/crlling/CRL/releases/20140917230212/public/sound_files/speaker94_20.wav
Sound File:
|Clitic position (single verb): enclisis
|Displaced stress: yes
|Geminate consonant: no
|Interrogative: no
|Negation: no
|Prepositional complementizer: no
|Pronoun 1 form: l
|Pronoun 1 gender: masculine
|Pronoun 1 number: plural
|Pronoun 1 person: 3
|Pronoun 1 role: DO
|Stress: final
|Unknown element: no
|Verb 1 auxiliary: no
|Verb 1 gerund: no
|Verb 1 imperative: yes
|Verb 1 infinitive: no
|Verb 1 modal: no
|Verb 1 number: singular
|Verb 1 participle: no
|Verb 1 person: 2
|Verb 1 tensed: no
CRL © 2018. Lori Repetti & Francisco Ordóñez. Stony Brook University, NY. All Rights Reserved


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Friday, October 12, 2012 - Lukas and Ondra - Screen Test RAW - FULL CONTACT
Lukas and Ondra - Screen Test RAW - FULL CONTACT
We invited newcomer Ondra Krahul in for a screentest and paired him up with Lukas Pribyl to see how things went. During the interview, at the start, Ondra professes to being a little nervous at doing something with another guy for the first time. But his nerves don't seem apparent as he begins kissing Lukas. Or, indeed, as his hand drops to Lukas' groin and begins to feel his cock. Ondra takes Lukas' cock out of his undies and wanks it, making it nice and hard. Then he works his way down the body to start sucking on that hard cick. He really sucks it well and then Lukas fucks it into Ondra's mouth. With his underwear off Lukas' ass is also available and Ondra fingers it somewhat, until Lukas takes over and plays with it himself. Ondra removes his underwear as he continues sucking on Lukas' hard cock. Then we see that Ondra is rock hard too and Lukas returns the favor by going down and sucking on it. He sucks it and has his mouth fucked as well before moving so that his can sit his tight little ass down on the cock. Lukas rides up and down on Ondra's big, hard cock, until Ondra takes over, fucking upwards into that tight ass. The guys change position, with Lukas bending over and Ondra's dick is wedged deep in his ass for more fucking. Ondra is certainly doing a great job, for his first time and continues with it as they change to missionary position. Lukas wanks himself hard as he is being fucked. Soon he is ready and shoots his load all over the place. Ondra pulls out and dumps a huge, creamy load over Lukas face. Lukas then kisses the spent cock and takes it in his mouth to clean it off. What a great screentest this is, with Ondra really showing what he can do. Lukas, as ever, was wonderful too.
... more about Lukas and Ondra - Screen Test RAW - FULL CONTACT further in this newsletter
Our Coming Soon Set Preview
Petr Kluk and David Smetak are paired in a lovely duo. David actually did a stills shoot for us a few years ago. They have a little chat and it seems that David has never done anything with a guy. But when Petr suggests kissing David readily agrees. The kissing goes very well and David moves down Petr's body, kissing as he goes, while slipping a hand into Petr's underwear. Very soon he has that cock out and is sucking on it. For a first timer he certainly does very well. They both lose the underwear and David continues sucking before moving to a very hot 69. Petr is on top, gorging on David's big, hard cock. David, meanwhile, is sucking on Petr's balls and then his cock too. Petr really gets into it and pulls David's legs up, so that his ass is available. His tongue quickly gets to work on that hot hole. As they move again we get a great view of David's ass, so big and beautiful. Petr kneels for David to suck on his cock some more, and he really goes for it. Then Petr takes things further. His finger slips into David's hot ass and works in and out he gets that hole opening nicely so it is soon ready for some cock. Petr doesn't disappoint with that either, as he slides into David's ass and fucks him nice and deep. David certainly takes it very well indeed and soon wants to ride it. He sits himself down on that throbbing dick and rides it hard and fast. His own hard cock is bobbing around as he works his ass on Petr's dick. The David grabs his dick and wanks it while Petr fucks him hard. Soon he shoots a big creamy load while Petr continues to fuck him. The fucking speeds up until Petr is ready to shoot his load. David comes off the cock and grabs it, wanking the cum right out of it. Both fully spent they guys kiss to end a wonderful scene.
You can watch my Vlog for this Newsletter by clicking above or by going over to the Blog : http://www.wheuro.com/?p=10653
The weather has turned wintry in Prague today, coat, scarf and gloves time. First such day this year. Mr. Geoff is now on his way back to the UK. We're all alone again.
Yesterday, the guys filmed our October/November Wank Party out at the Old Mill. Mr. Franky did the backstage work. Looks exciting. And I've published the first of several Sneak Peeks on the Blog:
Ondra Krahul's Screentest, with Lukas Pribyl starts us off today, and what a lovely scene it is too. That is followed by Jan Reznyk's Erotic Video and Kamil Pohoda's Session Stills.
Our castees today are Lukas Dal, Jarda Brouk and Milan Barabas. Three good looking guys, all with their own particular merits. But my choice will be Lukas Dal.
MESSAGE ABOUT LINKS TO THE OLD WH WEBSITE - WILLIAMHIGGINS.com ARCHIVES:
Please be aware that the link www.williamhiggins.com takes you to this brand new website now. If you bookmarked our old website in the past and you want to keep the bookmark as a shortest way to access the old WH website you need to change the link in the bookmark to:
You do not need to remember this link, you can conveniently get to the old WH Website - WilliamHiggins.com Archives anytime you need through the "WH 2001-2010" in the top menu of the new WilliamHiggins.com website.
Today's Weather in Prague
Introducing a BRAND NEW WEBSITE SWNude.com
We are proudly introducing a brand new Nude Submission Wrestling website SWNude.com
A membership website for fans of nude submission wrestling.
We will be posting a wrestling match each Friday there, anouncing it here in the WH Newsletter. So there will be always a new content available to the SWNude.com website members for weekends ;-). At present there is 30+ nude wrestling matches on the SWNude.com website and there will be always a new one each Friday while our production is at present shooting at least two completely new nude wrestling matches in a month.
The website is now acessible through both www.SWNude.com and www.SubmissionWrestlingNude.com domain links.
Please, feel free to take a FREE TOUR of our new website HERE.
ONLY NOW YOU CAN GET SWNUDE.com FOR A SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY PRICE!
Mikhail Nesersev vs Anton Kretek
Anton and Mikhail are both very well built guys who are proud of their bodies. They wrestle very well and are evenly matched, especially in the first half of the bout, as their naked bodies are entwined, striving for ascendancy. Half way thru they oil each other`s beautiful bodies and then things get more difficult. One, though, manages to gain the upper hand, pulling away to attain a very hard fought victory.
Mikhail Nesersev vs Anton Kretek at SWNude.com
We have launched our all new Kink only site with no solos. It's not for the feint hearted. Do take a look (if you dare):
At present, Members of CzechGuysNextDoor will be able to access the new site with their user information. If you have problems, write firstname.lastname@example.com
Latest Sets At Our NEW STR8HELL.com Website
Open Set "Kamil, Ondra and David RAW - AIRPORT SECURITY"
Open Set "Martin Pudil - TICKLING"
Members of CzechGuysnextDoor.com - to log in the member's section of the new STR8HELL website use your present username and password, if you forgot your password or encounter a log in problem please feel free to contact us at: email@example.com
Non-members - you are welcome to browse our complete content - each regular set contains free video preview and free photos, if you decide not to become a member of our website you can also buy sets separately (we huge, well organized and easy to search library of models - there is always few models you may like) you can pay only for what you really want see ;-). You are always welcome to come back.
All members of www.CzechGuysNextDoor.com get a free access to STR8HELL.com till the end of November 2011!
Please use your present CzechGuysNextDoor username and password to log into the members area.
We have terminated updates to CzechGuysNextDoor.com website. CzechGuysNextDoor.com website will stay online, but now only as an archive of all CzechGuysNextdoor.com sets. Anyone who wants to access CzechGuysNextDoor.com Archives needs to have a STR8HELL.com membership. STR8HELL.com will continue with most of the czechguysnextdoor.com projects. Anyone who joins STR8HELL.com will gain access to two websites STR8HELL.com and CzechGuyNextDoor.com Archives which contain 2500+ sets. STR8HELL.com has exactly same features and controls as NEW WilliamHiggins.com website.
Direct access to CzechGuysNextDoor.com website is now through the link: archive.czechguysnextdoor.com or through "Archive Sets 2004-2011" links on the new STR8HELL website.
Thank you for your loyalty to CzechGuysNextDoor.com website,
William Higgins
BurnDVD.tv Website Latest Updates
Starting today you can download our videos in Full HD quality 1920x1080px!
Please remember that most of the videos available on BurnDVD are easily able to be downloaded with a single link, but some of the very large files, such as the newsletter DVDs have to be split into three separate links, as detailed below.
The videos with very large file sizes are now split into more than one part, using a program called HJSplit. If you wish to buy one of these larger videos to Burn to DVD, you will receive a link for file and then it is a simple process to join the downloaded files together to make the .iso file for Burning to DVD.
You can see all the available videos at www.burndvd.tv
Before downloading any videos to burn to DVD I advise you to read the BURNDVD Manual, which explains how you can burn the file to DVD. The file is an ISO file which contains all the required DVD files. The process for burning to DVD is fully explained.
The BurnDVD manual is easy to follow, with a step by step guide. Burning a DVD is easy to do, though it is helpful if you have previously burned DVDs or CDs.
The manual can be viewed here: BURNDVD Manual
Anyone who has any problems understanding the manual, or burning their download to DVD, or indeed any questions about this service please email firstname.lastname@example.com . Geoff will be happy to assist you.
You can view all the available downloads at www.burndvd.tv, by clicking the on the categories. A direct link to the latest files available will be published in each newsletter.
Our Latest Sets at www.BurnDVD.tv
Today we have Ondra Krahul's Screentest, with Lukas Pribyl and Jan Reznyk and Airport Security – Kamil Rezek, Ondra Krahul & David Kadera and Kamil Pohoda's Backstage Video.
The direct link to "SCREEN TEST - Lukas and Ondra"
The direct link to "Jan Reznyk"
The direct link to "AIRPORT SECURITY - Kamil, Ondra and David"
The direct link to "Kamil Pohoda - BS"
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William Higgins Newsletter readers are able to obtain a discount on the price of BURNDVD downloads by using the coupons that we will be publishing in each Members Newsletter. The coupon published in each newsletter will be valid for a period of 7 days.
Copy today's coupon code here: 79zbdf3
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The Chillicothe House of Prayer raised more than $10,000 at its second annual "Show God's Love" banquet held Saturday at the Mervyn Jenkins Expo Center.
More than 150 people attended the event, which included silent and live auctions, a catered meal and comments from a guest speaker, as well as remarks by a few individuals active with House of Prayer functions.
Funds raised through table sponsorships, donations, and the auctions will help fund the overall ministry of the House of Prayer, said mission director Greg Hughes.
"We are not self-supporting," he said. "We need help from the community, and the community has been very gracious to us to help us expand our ministry opportunities."
The guest speaker for the evening was Matt Moore, a Chillicothe native who works as quality manager for Cargill, Inc., in Blair, Neb. He is the son of David and Debbie Moore, and grandson of Vince and Millie Moore. He reflected upon his upbringing, which also included church mission trips he took with Greg Hughes.
"I grew up with many good examples of value and the importance of helping others," he said.
Moore spoke about the types of poverty in Northwest Missouri and all that the House of Prayer does in the community to lend a helping hand.
Societal norms think that poverty is not having money to provide for one's existence, he said.
"Money plays a large part in one's ability to survive — to be able to buy food, buy clothing and afford shelter — but, if you think of survival in a broader way, we can think about things like emotional poverty, physical poverty, spiritual poverty."
"The ways we experience poverty varies," he said. "The fact is that everyone needs something. Every human is poor in some way, at some time."
He challenged those in attendance to consider Saturday night's benefit not only as an opportunity to raise funds for the House of Prayer, but to consider the event as a calling.
"To truly impact poverty, we need to think other than just financially," he said. "People hurt for more than just money."
In rural Missouri, as in other parts of the country, there are people who are emotionally hurting, physically in need, or spiritually destitute.
"That's why a mission like the House of Prayer is so very important in our community, because it ministers across those needs," he said. "The more you and I strengthen it with our gifts, the better this ministry becomes."
Breaking the cycle of poverty is about reaching out to someone in need and ministering to them, Moore said. He closed his comments by encouraging those in attendance to think about how they can show God's love to impact financial, emotional, physical or spiritual poverty that is taking place all around.
"Reach out and create a personal relationship with someone in need in your community," he said. "I can guarantee you that two lives will be enriched."
Also speaking during Saturday's event was Holly Caselman, food director at the House of Prayer. She said the meal program has grown quite a bit and that meals are now served three days a week. Around 100 meals are prepared each week.
Caselman said that she leads a class through the House of Prayer that teaches life skills to young mothers, including cooking, and has Bible studies. The House of Prayer also has a resource room for the distribution of food, clothing and toiletries.
Daniel Savage, Youth and Family director, talked about the way the House of Prayer is reaching children in need.
"To say that we work with kids who are in need would be an understatement," Savage said. "We have kids that are very, very needy for attention, and for a positive role model in their lives. It's challenging, but it is definitely rewarding."
Hughes encouraged those in attendance to become involved in helping through various functions of the House of Prayer.
"When you participate, you help us give a hand to someone in need," he said. "We try to see ourselves more as a hand up than a hand out, so they will reach their God-given potential and be the people that God's called them to be."
David Blackburn was the auctioneer for the evening.
$10K for House of Prayer
The Chillicothe House of Prayer raised more than $10,000 at its second annual "Show God's Love" banquet held Saturday at the Mervyn Jenkins Expo Center.


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The Anasazi Heritage Centers new winter-season exhibit Ancient Skywatchers of the Southwest showcases prehistoric astronomical markers in the Four Corners region. The images are the work of explorer and photographer John Ninnemann, and will be displayed from Nov. 23, through April 27, in the museums Special Exhibit Gallery.
The Anasazi Heritage Center will host an opening celebration with a book signing and lecture by Ninneman at 1 p.m on Sunday, Nov. 25. Ninnemann will sign his book, Canyon Spirits: Beauty and Power in the Ancestral Puebloan World. During the lecture, he will explain the tradition of the skywatcher among the Pueblos and how it illustrates the importance of astronomy in the early Southwest.
Ninnemann has spent decades studying the rock art and architecture at remote archaeological sites. His work captures significant alignments of the sun and moon that mark important points of the Pueblo year. Ancient Skywatchers of the Southwest was produced by the museum of the Center of Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College in Durango.
People throughout the ancient world especially those who survived by farming, such as the Ancestral Puebloans paid close attention to the annual rhythms of the earth and the corresponding movement of heavenly bodies. The longest and shortest days of the year were often commemorated by annual ceremonies among early people. Marking the years mid-points at spring and fall equinox likewise helped determine ideal times for planting and harvest.
The Ancestral Puebloan people had a deep interest in celestial events. Their understanding of astronomical cycles is reflected in the architecture and rock art they left behind. Some buildings included oddly-located windows through which the rising sun would appear on a specific date. Sometimes a shadow or a sunbeam falling across a rock art image would signal the change of season.
More remarkable is evidence that builders of Chimney Rock Pueblo near Pagosa Springs (now a National Monument) anticipated a cycle of the moon that only repeats every 18.6 years. The lunar standstill moonrise at its southernmost point is rarely noticed, even by modern people, and its meaning to the Chimney Rock people is a continuing mystery. The pueblos builders chose a site where the standstill moon rises between a pair of natural stone pillars. Periodic construction and remodeling at Chimney Rock took place mainly during lunar standstill years.


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WASHINGTON (AP) — Guest lineups for the Sunday TV news shows:
ABC's "This Week" — Secretary of State John Kerry; Maen Areikat, ambassador and chief representative, PLO Delegation to the U.S.; Ron Dermer, Israel's ambassador to the U.S.
NBC's "Meet the Press" — Kerry; Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.
CBS' "Face the Nation" — Kerry; Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y.; former U.S. special Mideast envoy Martin Indyk.
CNN's "State of the Union" — Kerry; Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.; Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas; Robert Turner, Director of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in Gaza City
"Fox News Sunday" — Kerry; Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas; Robert Menendez, D-N.J.; and Bob Corker, R-Tenn.


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Museum of Family CampingMay 23. 2013 2:34PM
Bear Brook State Park
157 Deerfield Road
Allenstown, NH 03275
Ph: 603-485-3782
The Museum of Family Camping is dedicated to Roy B. Heise (1910-1991), whose dream it was to open a museum to display his collection of camping memorabilia, along with other treasures depicting the history of family camping.
You'll find a pair of 100 year old folding "binoculars" that also serve as magnifying glass and compass, an 1895 sleeping bag in remarkably good condition but weighing 10 times more than the modern version, A 1938 travel trailer and a 1947 tent trailer, among many others. Also, flip through old photos, watch a video about camping in the early days and reminisce abour your own camping experiences.
Website: Museum of Family Camping


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The global war on terrorism is often seen as a clash between Western civilization and "extremists" in the Muslim world.
The global war on terrorism is often seen as a clash between Western civilization and "extremists" in the Muslim world.
But a new book, "The Thistle and the Drone: How America's War on Terror Became a Global War on Tribal Islam" by Akbar Ahmed, argues that "tribalism is at the heart of the war on terror" — and that this concept has been largely ignored by the United States government.
Harrison Akins, a graduate of Maryville High School and son of Darrell Akins, founder of Akins-Crisp Public Strategies of Oak Ridge, said that the conflict is really between tribal societies (the thistle) and the United States (drone). Harrison spoke to the Rotary Club of Oak Ridge last week.
The Ibn Khaldun Research Fellow at the School of International Service of American University (his alma mater) in Washington, D.C., Akins was the chief researcher for Ahmed's book. He has given talks on the book's topic to audiences at the House of Lords, the U.S. Embassy, the Brookings Institute, and the U.S. Capitol.
"It is tribal societies that are being targeted, and it's from tribal societies that violence emanates," Harrison Akins said.
Like the prickly thistle, which thwarts your attempts to remove its flower intact while causing your hand to bleed, the tribes that America is fighting on the borders between nations fiercely resist encroachment into their areas and live by an ancient code of honor that goes back 6,000 years.
That code of honor emphasizes revenge ("an eye for an eye" between tribes or clans) and regulates tribal behavior. Tribal societies act independently of the central government in the nation where they reside.
As an example, Akins noted that the Chechens, who have been brutalized by the Russians for hundreds of years, have the same code of honor. Additionally, 18 of the 19 hijackers responsible for more than 3,000 deaths in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania in the 9-11 attacks were Yemeni tribesmen.
And Osama bin Laden, who was born in Yemen, referred to tribal concepts in his rhetoric.
"According to bin Laden's bodyguards, 95 percent of Al Qaeda's members were Yemeni tribesmen," Akins stated.
In Ahmed's book, the drone, just like the thistle, is a metaphor. It is also America's primary weapon used in the war on terror — a remotely controlled, pilotless missile that targets tribal terrorists in the mountains or deserts on national borders.
"The drone is a weapon that can be operated by a young man sitting in Las Vegas, Nev., killing people in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen with a single keystroke," Akins said. "The drone represents the technological advancement of the age of globalization.
"The U.S. needs to be aware of the tribal dynamic because, by being unaware of it, we are inadvertently making the violence even worse. The more violence you use, the more violence they will respond with."
Innocent villagers where the tribes operate have been injured or killed by drone strikes, and the violence from terrorist attacks has caused death and suffering throughout the West.
What actions could lead to peace and stability?
Akbar Ahmed, who worked as a government administrator in Waziristan in the 1970s, understands tribal society in northwest Pakistan. According to Akins, Ahmed believes that the keys to peace are to give tribal societies autonomy and respect, to work through the tribal structure, and to help the innocent people develop their own security forces so they can root out the violent criminal elements.
Although the U.S. military understands this concept, the military shouldn't be involved lest the tribal societies think they are being invaded.
Akins said that the book gives examples of regions where tribal societies and central governments are cooperating in achieving peace such as Indonesia, northern Iraq, Albanians in Macedonia, and the southern Philippines.
Carolyn Krause is a frequent contributor of various news items to The Oak Ridger.


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Executive councilor: $75 an hour too steep for education consultantBy DAVE SOLOMON
New Hampshire Union Leader
July 10. 2013 8:54PM
PETERBOROUGH — Executive councilors balked at approving a $117,000, one-year consultant contract for the Department of Education after they learned the consultant, former Somersworth school superintendent Karen Soule, was on payroll as a full-time employee of the department as recently as April.
They tabled the request in a 4-1 vote, with Councilor Ray Burton, R-Bath, opposed, pending more information from Education Commissioner Virginia Barry.
Councilor Colin Van Ostern, D-Concord, who was teleconferenced into the Wednesday meeting at the Peterborough Town House, raised the question when he observed that Soule, a Manchester resident, was only being contracted for 30 hours a week.
"That's a pretty eye-popping rate by state government standards," he said from the hospital where his wife had just given birth earlier in the morning.
Councilor Chris Sununu, R-Newfields, agreed. "This will be one of the highest-paid consultants we have in the state, above a lot of our IT consultants. While I understand there is a lot of value there, $117,000 for 30 hours a week, that just seems a little steep," he said.
Councilors asked if the department might be better off by posting and hiring a full-time, salaried employee.
"We would prefer full-time employees," responded Barry, who said the position was necessary to comply with requirements the state faces now that it has received a federal waiver from the No Child Left Behind law.
The waiver, announced on July 5, requires the state to create an accountability program for teachers that links their evaluations to student achievement, particularly in the lowest-performing schools in the state.
"We need to be sure there is a teacher evaluation and leader evaluation system in place that makes a connection between teacher accountability and student achievement," she said.
Barry said Soule was well-qualified for the position, having served two years in the department as director of the Bureau of Credentialing and administrator of the Professional Standards Board; and was the only applicant for the $75-per-hour consulting job.
"She was doing two full-time jobs," Barry said.
That triggered some tough questioning from Councilor Chris Sununu, R-Newfields.
"So here's someone who worked in your department for two years, then quits and gets hired in your department for $117,000, and there was no one else who even applied for the job?" he said. "There's something fishy here, and if not, then I'm concerned you guys are not doing a good job at getting these opportunities out to the general public before handing them to your own staff."
Request tabled
The councilors agreed to table the request until Barry can provide more details as to how much Soule was making in her job with the department, and the circumstances surrounding her decision to resign and apply for the consultant position, which is paid for with 85 percent federal funding.
Barry did not return phone calls from the New Hampshire Union Leader after the meeting seeking that information.
She told councilors the timing between the granting of the waiver and the state budgeting process did not allow her to post and fill a staff position, although the consultant position was posted in April, she said.
"It is very difficult to hire people in the Education Department with the salaries we have," she said. "We've been sitting on a Title I coordinator position for a year and a half."
Schools with a large low-income student populations receive federal Title 1 funds and must comply with federal regulations.
"The salaries in the field are not commensurate with what we pay in the department," she said. "We are losing a lot of good people. They leave the department and their salaries double."
Burton spoke up in support of Barry's request.
"The Department of Education is so closely tied to the federal government that it must be a really tough job to be a commissioner of education in any state," he said. "If you don't dance to their tune, you run into trouble."
Prior to her work with the state Department of Education and as superintendent in Somersworth, Soule was a special education director, building principal and a Title I coordinator. As a member of the Professional Standards Board she assisted in the updating of standards for state educators and was a key player in initiatives that reduced the state's high school dropout rate.
Education New Hampshire Politics Social issues Top Section Stories


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Disengaged: Obama's lousy excuseEDITORIAL
May 19. 2013 2:11AM
One can only imagine how Harry Truman might have handled the scandals that have engulfed the Obama admini-stration in the last few weeks. To imagine that, though, one would have to assume that the facts are as President Obama presents them: For months, or years in some cases, he has had no clue what the State Department, the CIA, the IRS and the Justice Department have been doing.
Last week, the President said he first learned of two major scandals - the IRS targeting conservative organizations and the FBI obtaining Associated Press phone records - by reading about them in the press. His spokesman has said that the White House was not involved in shaping Benghazi talking points that were written by the CIA (with direction from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's legal counsel, among others), and the President himself has said there is no scandal there at all, despite four Americans being killed on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks - after numerous signs of increased terror activity in the area.
Truman famously kept a sign on his desk that declared "The buck stops here." A corresponding sign on Obama's desk would read: "What buck?" The President said of the Benghazi scandal, "there is no there there." That is untrue regarding Benghazi, but perfectly true about his administrative abilities. The President, by his own admission, is vastly unaware of what goes on in the government over which he was hired to preside (hence the word: "President").
This President is far more interested in presiding over tee times, campaign stages and the delicious meals served at $50,000 per-person fundraising dinners. He rarely attends even his national security briefings. His disinterest in actually running the leviathan that he so passionately endeavors to enlarge is warning enough that trusting this man with even more power and authority is a self-evidently horrible idea.


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From Dalí to Rembrandt, 9 Artists Whose Mothers Became Their Muses
The Art Genome Project
Image rights: Courtesy Blanton Museum of Art
The Teaching Collection of Marvin Vexler, '48, 1997
James Abbott McNeill Whistler changed the course of art history with his radical techniques and adoption of Asian design principles, which emphasized a two-dimensional flattening of painted forms and their arrangement into abstract patterns. A London-based expatriate, Whistler embraced and promoted the doctrine that art should not serve narrative, but rather project the artist's subjective feelings through the handling of the medium. His revolutionary methods changed existing approaches to oil paint, pastel, watercolor, etching—even interior design and the decorative arts. The flat, expressive, and radically simplified forms in his Venice pastels, and his use of fluid blue and gray pigments in his abstract nocturnes, altered how his contemporaries like Édouard Manet and Edgar Degas saw and understood art. He scandalously named one of his most famous paintings Arrangement in Grey and Black, No. 1 (1871), suggesting the reduction of a portrait of his mother to an arrangement of formal elements.
American, 1834-1903, Lowell, MA, United States, based in London, United Kingdom
From Dalí to Rembrandt, 9 Artists Whose Mothers Became Their Muses
The Art Genome Project
A Boston Gallery Imagines a "Scandalous" Contemporary Collection for Isabella Stewart Gardner
What Is Tonalism? (12 Essential Characteristics)
David Adams Cleveland


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February 16. 2013 8:09PM
Manchester man killed in Auburn snowmobile accident
Staff Reports
AUBURN — A Manchester man was killed and his 9-year-old son seriously injured when their snowmobile struck a rock near Lake Massabesic Saturday afternoon.
Officials confirmed the victim was Keith Ryan Jr., 41.<br/<br/>
Auburn Fire Chief Bruce Phillips said emergency responders were on the scene within minutes after the accident and performed CPR on the man. He was taken by ambulance to Elliot Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the chief said.
The boy was seriously injured and also taken to the Manchester hospital.
The man and the boy were both wearing helmets, but sustained serious injuries to other parts of their bodies, according to Fish and Game.
Fish and Game officials said the pair were riding together on a single snowmobile around 3:30 p.m. in Front Park. According to witnesses, the two hit a bump causing the machine to accelerate rapidly. Both were ejected from the machine and thrown onto rocks. The machine also continued into a rock, launching it about 72 feet through the air and into a small brook, authorities said.
The father and son were riding with another friend who was behind them on a separate snowmobile when the accident occurred. The friend called 911. Two nearby fishermen also witnessed the accident and ran over to help and stood by until rescuers arrived on scene.
Auburn police and fire departments, Derry Fire and Rescue, Manchester Water Works and NH Fish and Game Conservation Officers responded.
"This incident serves as a reminder for all riders to use due care and caution at all times when operating snowmobiles and" off highway recreational vehicles, said Conservation Officer Geoffrey Pushee.


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This category contains a list and associated pages of vehicles in all GTA games. A vehicle is only considered a vehicle if the game classifies it as such. Static map objects like the USS Numnutz and interactive transport like the Jetpack are not classified as vehicles and therefore should not be in this category.
If you are creating a vehicle page, please add it to this category by placing [[Category:Vehicles]] at the bottom of the page and a relevant subcategory.


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Lady Wildcats hold South to 11 points
A couple of days after facing South, the Taft varsity girls basketball team squared off against them again with the same results following a 33-11 victory over the Lady Rebels Friday in the first game of the Taft High basketball tournament.
Taft provided all of the scoring in the seven minute first quarter by scoring 10 points with Kennedy Kunce and Neher teaming up for eight of the points. Neither team scored much in the second quarter with the Lady Wildcats edging out South 4-3.
The Lady Wildcats picked up the scoring with 13 points in the third quarter while the defense limited South to two points. Taft wrapped up their total with six in the final quarter with South scoring six.
Taft played one more game tonight. Taft wraps up the Wildcat tournament Saturday with games at 10 a.m. and 1:45 p.m.
To read the full details about the South game along with the rest of the tournament, pick up Tuesday's Driller.


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Tougher cellphone restrictions sought for NH driversBy BILL SMITH and PAUL FEELY
New Hampshire Union Leader
September 28. 2013 11:31PM
CONCORD - A new effort to limit the use of cellular telephones by motorists will be launched in the state Legislature next year, reflecting public concern over the hazards posed by distracted drivers.
Two lawmakers have asked the state Legislative Services Bureau to draft legislation to toughen state laws on cellphone use and distracted driving by people behind the wheel.
New Hampshire prohibits reading and sending text messages while driving and has a prohibition on two-handed use of any electronic device.
The state has no law making it illegal for a driver to use a hand-held cellular telephone, but it does regulate cellphone use under a wide-ranging distracted driving law.
For more than 30 years, state law has prohibited drivers from using radiotelephones, the technological great-grandfather of today's cellphones. That ban was enacted as part of legislation limiting drivers' use of citizen band radios during the CB craze of the early 1980s.
Rep. Sylvia Gale, D-Nashua, has submitted a request that legislation be drafted specifically to prohibit the use of cellphones by drivers.
"I'm going to take another stab at it, and I have a highway safety expert sending me some model legislation," Gale said. "I think we all experience it every day: People not paying attention while on their cellphones."
Gale said she is undecided whether the ban should make cellphone use while driving a violation or misdemeanor.
Rep. Laura Pantelakos, D-Portsmouth, chairman of the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee, also has filed a legislative service request seeking to toughen state laws that prohibit distracted driving.
She would back a ban on cellphone use by drivers and would extend the state's ban on sending text messages to holding a cellphone while driving.
"I'd like to stop (drivers) from talking on the cellphone and missing my bumper by a half inch," Pantelakos said. "I'd like to not see people riding with kids in their car in the back seat and going by me and reading a newspaper or punching their computers."
At least one major cellular telephone industry trade group has no plans to oppose further restrictions on cellphone use by motorists.
John Walls, vice president of CTIA, the former Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association, said the group does not oppose state action to restrict cellphone use by drivers. Walls said CTIA - which represents cellular service providers and the makers of cellphones and cellphone software - reached its position more than a decade ago, before cellular telephone use exploded.
Widespread practice
According to Distraction.gov - a U.S. Government website dedicated to educating the public about distracted driving, particularly cellphone use and texting while driving - at any given moment in America, 660,000 drivers are using a cellphone or an electronic device while navigating roads filled with cars and trucks, bicycle riders, motorcyclists and pedestrians. That statistic has held steady since 2010.
Eleven states, the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands prohibit all drivers from using handheld cellphones while driving. On Oct. 1, Florida will become the 41st state to ban the practice of texting while driving. The District of Columbia and Guam also ban texting while driving.
But data suggests these legislative actions have failed to curb the rise in distracted driving accidents. According to a 2012 study by the Governors Highway Safety Bureau, a nonprofit association representing the highway safety offices of each state, 15 states say their distracted driving crashes have increased, 11 say they have decreased, and 16 report the same rate of crashes since their respective laws took effect.
"Restrictions on cellphone use do not appear to be making the crashes go down faster in states that have the laws," said Russ Rader, senior vice president at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a driving research organization,
Risk-benefit analysis
In 2000, a study done for the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis concluded, "While there is evidence that using a cellular phone while driving poses risks to both the driver and others, it may be premature to enact substantial restrictions."
The Harvard researchers cited economic analyses that claimed banning cellphone use by drivers didn't make economic sense when weighed against "the benefits that such communications provide."
But people who have been involved in accidents or near-accidents caused by cellphone-using motorists say it is an issue of safety, not economics.
Robert Vanderbeck of Bedford, who asked Gale to file her bill banning cellphone use by motorists, said his daily trip along Route 3 through the Merrimack Valley convinced him there is more than economics to the risk and benefit of a ban on cell use by drivers.
"I drive from Nashua to Bedford and see people weaving a little bit, going slow in the passing lane and sometimes changing lanes when I'm there," Vanderbeck said. "Somebody changed lanes with me while babbling on the phone and forced me into the breakdown lane."
Evidence of the dangers of distracted driving goes beyond the anecdotal.
In 2011, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association, 3,331 people were killed in crashes involving a distracted driver, compared to 3,267 in 2010. An additional 387,000 people were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver, compared to 416,000 injured in 2010, according to the NHTSA.
Handheld vs. hands-free
Some would limit cellphone bans to hand-held devices and allow Bluetooth and other hands-free cellular use.
A 2008 study done at the State University of New York at Cortland found little difference in reaction time between a driver using a handheld phone in a traffic emergency and one using a hands-free device under the same circumstances.
That study, led by Joy Hendrick a professor in kinesology at SUNY, measured how long it took to recognize and react to the need hit the brakes.
"When they were using any type of cellphone device, they were more than 20 percent slower than when they were not talking on the phone; there was no difference between hands-free and handheld," Hendrick said.
Hendrick's area of academic interest is in exercise science, which includes the study of movement and the way the brain decides how and when to move.
"It's actually the thought process of the conversation that is the slowing factor," Hendrick said.
"Usually it is a more thought-provoking conversation with someone on a cellphone than with somebody in the car, and somebody in the car is aware of what is happening, and they will stop the conversation if they see something happening," she said.
Gale said that while her bill likely will include a ban on handheld cellphone use by motorists, she's not inclined to ask for a ban on the use of hands-free devices, partly because it's hard to tell if someone is talking on the phone when a device is not in their hand.
"I think there are some traffic-safety experts that would contend that anything that takes your 100 percent attention off the road, to speak into a speaker whether its in your hand or not, would be equally dangerous," she said. But, she added, "I'm just going to go for the obvious ones, the hand-held devices that can be obvious to the officer in passing"
Young drivers
At least seven states have banned use of handheld phones by drivers, and at least 29 others prohibit their use by young or inexperienced drivers. There's good reason for that, SUNY-Corltand's Hendrick said.
"In terms of attention capacity, for younger drivers the driving function takes up more of their available attention than more experienced drivers," she said.
And that makes texting while driving, particularly by young people, especially dangerous, Hendrick said.
"Texting is a motor type of task, and it has more attentional demands regardless of how expert they are at multi-tasking," she said.
The ubiquitous nature of text messaging has prompted manufacturers and governments alike to try to make peace with technology.
In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo last week announced plans to set up a series of comfort stations for texting - areas where a motorist can pull off the highway and read and send text messages.
Some cellphone manufacturers, such as Apple Inc., have configured devices to eliminate the need to read and type in sharing short messages. Models of Apple's iPhone allow a user with a Bluetooth connection to verbally answer text messages that are read to them by Siri, the iPhone's automated nagging device.
Still, legislators such as Gale are firm in the belief that further restrictions are necessary. She says she's prepared for the arguments that restricting cellphone use in cars is restricting personal freedom.
"I think, for everyone's safety on the roads, that anything and everything that I can do to assure that my mother, sister, brother, daughter, son, neighbor, friend or fellow legislator are assured a higher measure of safety on the highways is my responsibility and my obligation," she said.
Politics Accidents Travel and commuting Traffic Concord Top Section Stories


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A brief look at how Zorua sprites have changed over the years.


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Visit the websites of the Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing and the Oncology Nursing Forum to subscribe annually or purchase journal articles.


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BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — Hulu is now the exclusive streaming home for the full run of Comedy Central's bad-boy animated series, "South Park" — all 244-and-counting episodes.
New episodes will continue to also appear on Comedy Central's website as well as the website of South Park Studios.
The announcement was made Saturday at the summer TV critics' tour, where the "South Park" creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, made an unbilled appearance.
They didn't stay long.
"Tomorrow we have to start another new episode," said Stone.
The pair, who introduced "South Park" to an unsuspecting Comedy Central audience in 1997, have since built an empire that includes films, a video game and their record-breaking Broadway musical, "The Book of Mormon."
Asked why they have stuck with the punishing "South Park" grind this long, Parker explained that the show for them "is sort of the band. We go into the studio once a year and make an album, and each episode is a song. We still write and direct each episode ourselves, and that's the nuts-and-bolts of everything.
"It would be pretty jarring to live without it."
Contact Frazier Moore at http://twitter.com/tvfrazier


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March 05. 2013 6:17PM
Bad judgment: On honoring Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce was elected President of the United States in 1852. He also was born and raised in New Hampshire. Those two factors alone seem to be the motivating force behind House Bill 576, a bill to have the State of New Hampshire declare Nov. 23, Pierce's birthday, Franklin Pierce Day. Those factors are not nearly enough to justify such an honor.
Winning the presidency certainly is a notable accomplishment. But it is what one does with that office that determines whether honors and glory are later justified.
Franklin Pierce started his political career promisingly enough. He developed an affection for John Locke and Andrew Jackson and was bold enough to volunteer for military service in the Mexican War (during which he twice fainted after being injured by his own horse).
Alas, Pierce was no Jackson or James K. Polk. Elected to the U.S. Senate, he resigned after the Whigs won a majority. Chosen as the Democratic nominee for President by party stalwarts in the proverbial "smoke-filled room," he won the White House on the popularity of the party Andrew Jackson had built. Once in office, he quickly unraveled Jackson's legacy.
Jackson was the most fervent of unionists. Though a Tennessean and a slave owner, he despised the hare-brained doctrines of secession and nullification and saved the Republic in the 1830s by making clear that he was willing to go to war to preserve it. Pierce fell in with the wrong factions in the Democratic Party and became both tool and spokesman for noxious "states' rights" arguments Jackson found appalling. His mishandling of the slavery question and national expansion reignited dormant embers, the flames of which later engulfed the nation.
Noting Pierce's role as a willing pawn of slavery interests, the House Executive Departments and Administration Committee has voted - unanimously - against HB 576, saying it "was unwilling to perpetually honor such a person." Those words might have been more biting had the authors encountered Pierce's criticism of Abraham Lincoln, made July 4, 1863, the day after Gettysburg: "How futile are all our efforts to maintain the Union by force of arms."
The man who would have dismantled the Union to avoid war has a statue and portrait at the State House and a highway named after him. Let the state give him no further honors.


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Lawmakers want to know why FBI was unable to stop Boston bomberBy REUTERS
April 22. 2013 10:12PM
WASHINGTON - Lawmakers will question senior security officials this week about whether the FBI mishandled information on one of the Boston bombing suspects flagged as a possible Islamist radical by Russia two years ago.
Top investigators are to brief the full House today about the failure to spot the danger from Tamerlan Tsarnaev, one of two ethnic Chechen brothers suspected of carrying out the bombings.
Lawmakers want to know why the FBI discounted the older Tsarnaev brother as a possible threat after interviewing him in 2011. The following year, he flew to Russia and visited the southern regions of Dagestan and Chechnya, where Islamist militants are active.
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham accused the FBI of "dropping the ball" on Tsarnaev, 26, who was killed Friday morning.
On Monday, he questioned why Tamerlan Tsarnaev's online connections to radical websites did not cause the FBI to identify him as a potential threat and suggested that the country may need to alter privacy laws to allow closer tracking of online activity.
The full Senate is expected to receive a briefing from intelligence officials later in the week, aides said.
"We're going to have to sort it out," said Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, which will be briefed on the case during a closed hearing today.
She declined further comment.
Graham said he had spoken to the FBI Monday, which explained that Moscow did not reply to later U.S. requests for more information about the suspect.
"This is an example of where we need better cooperation," Graham told a news conference. "They indicated to us that they never received any input from the Russians after the 2011 inquiry," said Graham, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.


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DENVER - With the Legislature now firmly in Democratic control, it's a sure thing that Colorado gay and lesbian couples will soon be able to enter into civil unions to help them share property, children and health care rights.
But the long-sought goal for same-sex couples in Colorado is being overshadowed byevents in Washington.
In the spring, the U.S. Supreme Court will take up two cases that could determine whether states like Colorado can ban gay marriage.
Meanwhile, other states are moving faster than Colorado.
Last month's elections marked the first time that voters in other states - Maine, Washington and Maryland - opted to legalize same-sex marriage.
The votes prompted Wendy Haugen and Colleen Dunseth of Durango to announce their engagement.
"We had been talking about it for a while, but after the elections, we decided to announce it, because it seemed like there is some hope," Haugen said.
But in Colorado, the best they can do in the near-term is a civil union. A civil union grants rights and responsibilities identical to marriage under state law, but the union is not recognized by the federal government for tax and inheritance purposes.
Legislators say they will introduce a civil unions bill when the Legislature convenes Jan. 7 and pass it quickly.
The issue rattled the Legislature last year, when House Republican leaders shut down voting and killed nearly two dozen unrelated bills so they wouldn't have to bring civil unions up for a vote.
Civil unions passed the Senate last year with support from all 20 Democrats and three Republicans. Only one of the Republican supporters - Durango's Ellen Roberts - remains in the Senate, but Democrats retain their 20-15 majority and will have enough votes to pass civil unions once again.
In the House, Democrats now enjoy a 37-28 majority. At least two House Republicans also support civil unions.
Given the math, opponents have stopped arguing in public against civil unions.
Incoming Speaker of the House Mark Ferrandino, D-Denver, sponsored last year's bill. In the days after the election, his email was filled with people asking him to sponsor a bill to repeal Colorado's ban on gay marriage, but he said that's not on his agenda yet.
"I don't think we're there yet as a state," said Ferrandino, who will be Colorado's first openly gay speaker of the House.
"What I want to do is make sure couples in Colorado, families in Colorado have the recognition and legal protections that we can afford them under the Colorado constitution. So civil unions is the right thing to do," Ferrandino said.
Haugen, who moved to Durango six years ago, said she has always felt welcome in the town. But this year's supercharged political environment was uncomfortable for her and her partner.
"I've seen a lot more anger," Haugen said. "We've been called names and had our tires slashed as a direct result of homophobia in the past year."
And while the couple will get a civil union once the bill passes, Dunseth is really waiting for action out of Washington.
"I'm not convinced it's going to have any staying power until the Supreme Court rules on it," Haugen said.
The court will take up two cases this year.
The first case targets the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibits federal benefits to same-sex couples in states that allow gay marriage. It passed Congress by a wide bipartisan majority and was signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1996. Clinton now advocates its repeal.
Plaintiffs in the second case seek to overturn California's Proposition 8, a 2008 voter-approved law that bans same-sex marriage. Colorado voters passed a similar ban in 2006, so depending on how the court rules, Colorado's ban could be overturned as well.
Laura Latimer and her wife, Ellen Paul, got married in California before Proposition 8 passed.
Latimer is still interested in the politics of the issue, but often domestic chores and caring for their son take precedence, she said.
She has a ho-hum attitude about the upcoming civil unions bill.
"I think we would sign up, get a civil union, and then worry about who's cooking dinner that night," Latimer said.


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product description
Related Products:
Asai PM (SG2)
O'Malley, Daniel
Artisan Made
Blade Style - San Mai
Chef Knives & Santoku
Distal Taper
Japanese/Asian Knives
Stainless - Damascus
Stainless Steel
Wood - Amboyna Burl
Maker: Asai & O'Malley (collaboration) (click to see more by this maker)
Item num: 91796
*** This is handmade and one-of-a-kind ***Blade length: 10.00 in.Total length: 15.00 in.Blade height (at heel): 2.10 in.Blade thickness (near bolster): 0.12 in.Item weight: 9.30 oz.Shipment weight: 12.9 oz.Blade: Deeply etched stainless nickel Damascus san mai with SG2 powdered metallurgical stainless steel, Rc 64-65Bolster: Satin finished pinned steel bolsterHandle: Presentation grade stabilized amboyna burl
Description: This one-of-a-kind knife is a collaboration between bladesmiths Asai and Daniel O'Malley. During one of his visits in Japan, Mr. O'Malley met with Asai to discuss the possibility of working on a series of collaborative knives. Asai would forge and finish the blade. Mr. O'Malley would finish the tang and bolsters, completing the knife with deluxe handles better fit for the Western market.
The gyuto is modeled after the French pattern chef's knife. Longer and slimmer than the santoku, it is well suited to slicing and chopping -- an ideal general purpose chef's knife. The long blade is needed for the sawing motion required to cut meats and fish and the thin blade keeps the weight low and the balance perfect.
This knife was hand-forged by Asai beginning with an SG2 powdered metallurgical (PM) stainless steel core (hagane). The smaller crystalline size of this PM steel results in superior edge holding when compared to nearly any stainless steel. The central core is surrounded by many layers of deeply etched nickel Damascus. These many layers of steel result in a surface that helps food release from the knife's side when cut. This time consuming process creates a knife with outstanding edge holding and beauty. The blade is distal tapered for optimal balance and has an extremely thin, keen edge for the highest performance.The handle was formed from presentation amboyna burl. A single piece of wood was cut so as to have the wood's complex grain pattern travel across the distal tapered tang. The convoluted pattern of the wood nicely reflects the suminagashi pattern in the blade. Stabilized wood holds up well to the demanding environment of either a home or commercial kitchen. The handle is profiled so as to be very comfortable and provide a secure hold. It swells palm moves into a slimmer waist, and swells again as it approaches the back. Two hidden bolt rivets and a complex mosaic pin secure the scales to the tang. The rivets are stainless steel and have been profiled to match the wood. The mosaic pin combines stainless steel with copper. This knife feels as good as it looks.
Availability: Not currently available