text:
Wednesday, 11 June 2014

Fairy dust sprinkled from ivory towers

On the basis that the "impact agenda" is important I thought it worth while responding to Paul Krugman, who seems to think I'm a bit of an idiot ("what I assumed was obvious apparently isn’t to everyone").  That might well be true but let me try and justify my statement that
Krugman seems to believe that by sprinkling the fairy dust of incentives over society the emission busting new technologies will emerge.
The "fairy dust" analogy actually comes from the Disney film The Pirate Fairy (released as Tinkerbell and the Pirates in the UK) which I saw as I am blessed with a 3 year old daughter.  After seeing it I tweeted
The plot is an inquisitive fairy, Zarina, causes havoc when an experiment goes wrong and leaves the fairy kingdom and her friends.  She returns and steals the fairy dust having fallen in with a bunch of pirates.  When the pirates have harnessed the power of the stolen dust they lock her up.   Zarina is rescued by her friends, the pirates are defeated (it is a prequel to Peter Pan, and there is a baby crocodile) and the fairies "live happily ever after".  Not expecting much I found an allegory for how science goes wrong when disconnected from society.  This is, no doubt, further evidence that I am an idiot. Alternatively it might be evidence that I am committed to the idea of science in the service of society, not its sovereign.

Because he thinks I am a bit ignorant, Krugman assumes I believe new technologies need to emerge to resolve the problem of carbon emissions.  He argues
I was talking about the fact that at any given time we have a choice of already existing technologies. You can drive a conventional SUV, but you could also drive a hybrid, or for that matter a smaller vehicle that, say, emits half as much carbon as the SUV while providing services that are a lot more than half of what the SUV would provide. You can generate electricity using a coal-fired plant, but you can also use a gas-fired plant, a wind turbine, or solar panels.
In a sense, so was I.

I have been involved in published research on modelling incentive structures to trigger investment in the UK's generation capacity to maintain an acceptable level of security of supply.  The UK energy market was de-regulated in the 1990s in the expectation that the privatised industry would deliver lower retail prices.  This it did, but at two costs.  Firstly UK energy prices are volatile, which is a problem for retail consumers who have a preference for "fixed costs".  More important for the UK's energy supply is that the privatised business has taken rents but is not regenerating generation capacity and there is a real concern that the industry will fail to meet future demand, from whatever sources.  My intuition based on my research is that the liberalised market in the UK has not been a success, and the industry would have been better managed as a state monopoly.  This is the consensus in the EU where ambitious plans to liberalise Europe's energy industry have been quietly dropped.  At the moment the public opinion of the UK energy industry is on a par with their opinion of investment banking, and this morning the news was full of concerns over the industry.

I am currently working on a research project to develop a methodology that can evaluate the effect that different power storage technologies will have on the UKs power system.  These storage technologies are needed because wind power generation is intermittent and cannot  be relied upon to deliver power when and where it is required.  Texas is famous for having installed a lot of wind generation capacity, unfortunately this does not produce power on hot, still, still summer days when the Texan people want their air conditioners on.  Existing technologies to resolve the problem, such as new transmission lines, are costly, as reported by the New York Times as long ago as 2008, and were still an issue in New England last year.  A focus of UK Energy research is to develop storage technologies that enable the integration significant (intermittent) renewables, which is a more robust solution than relying on transmission (the UK has less of an issue with power transmission that the US, a result of the system having been developed by a single state body).  Without these technologies it is unclear how wind-power can significantly replace carbon intensive generation.  Suggesting it is a "done deal" and simply a matter of incentives that renewables can replace conventional generation is a dangerously mis-leading since it creates false expectations; dreams deferred.  I recall hearing of research that identified a  link between the proliferation of reported "cures for cancer" and a decline in trust in medical research, since the public experience is that cancer is not "cured".  The public like scientists but they also want honesty from us.

The impression I wish to convey is that the claim that
You can generate electricity using a coal-fired plant, but you can also use a gas-fired plant, a wind turbine, or solar panels.
is a bit glib.  The technologies exist in theory but do they do so in practice?  This is nothing new, those with access to academic journals could have a look at a special edition of Energy Policy (Volume 38, Issue 7,in particular the editorial and Market protocols in ERCOT and their effect on wind generation). I suggest that there is evidence that my original claim is sound.

Krugman makes things somewhat worse for himself when he argues that
You can drive a conventional SUV, but you could also drive a hybrid, or for that matter a smaller vehicle that, say, emits half as much carbon as the SUV
Just as the UK preceded the US in liberalising its energy markets, it has developed economic incentives to encourage people to switch from high carbon emitting vehicles to low carbon emitting vehicles, principally through two mechanisms, the fuel price escalator (since 1993, a Conservative initiative) and car tax differentials (since 2005).  The fuel price escalator is controversial and anyone who is interested in the details, and why I am sceptical of the "fairy dust", they could read a Parliamentary briefing on the UK debates.  To get a gist of the issue, and why there is broad support for the suspension of the escalator even amongst parties with strong "green" credentials such as the SNP and Liberal Democrats, consider the situation of a low-skilled worker living in rural Britain.  During the down-turn such people were liable to have to travel 50+ miles to work and earn a living  and could only rely on private transport.  If they did not have wealth they typically buy second hand, old,  "dirty" cars; they do not have the resources to "choose" to buy a clean, low cost, hybrid -UK car prices are clever, the price of "workaday" cars often reflects their present value; if a car has low running costs it is usually more expensive to buy.

In reality the poor do not really have choices.  One is reminded of Rousseau's recollection
 of a great princess who was told that the peasants had no bread, and who responded: "Let them eat brioche."
Academics do themselves no favours by offering unworkable solutions.  I am committed to carbon reduction - I spend time researching technical solutions - but I am also committed to helping those in "energy poverty".  If intellectuals spend time telling the public what they out to or ought not do without considering how those commandments affect others with less influence, they will lose the public's confidence.  If science is to maintain its high status I think it should be wary of ascribing criticism to "a toxic mix of ideology and anti-intellectualism".

There is a story that John Dewey's philosophy was inspired by being forced to spend time talking to "regular people" on a broken down train.  Along with the other pragmatists he argued that
The value of any fact or theory as bearing on human activity is, in the long run, determined by practical application - that is by using it for accomplishing some definite purpose. If it works well - if it removes friction, frees activity, economises effort, makes for richer results - it is valuable as contributing to a perfect adjustment of means to end. If it makes no such contribution it is practically useless, no matter what claims may be theoretically urged on its behalf.
I remain to be convinced that the important problem of carbon emissions can be resolved by economic incentives, the story is more complex and should be treated with respect.

  1. My understanding is the the European approach of taxing fuel has been much more effective than the American one of relying on CAFE standards in terms of improving average fuel efficiency. Even the poor using "beaters" will be incentivized to carpool, or even (in a more drastic step) to move. A transfer program for such persons may also be called for.

  2. Dear Tim:

    I can see why you feel a bit insulted by Krugman’s comment, but I can also understand his frustration, as economists usually find that other professionals do not have much understanding of economic systems, in particular the scope for substitution in production and consumption, which is his point.

    Basically, economists characterize the set of technologies as "on-the-shelf" and "off-the-shelf". The off-the-shelf ones are those we currently use and see. The on-the-shelf ones are those which have been used in the past and those, although developed and tested, are no longer used, or not used as much as they once were. Thus he refers to much more than those technologies which might be developed, although those are included. As I understand your post, your work is more focused on those to be developed.

    Krugman’s fundamental point, which he did not elaborate, is that technology choice in production and consumption is very much endogenous to the economy, very much a function of relative prices and costs. Change those prices and costs, and the mix of technologies used will change.

    A couple of examples: I took a look at the London congestion pricing program at . Page down to "Traffic Changes" and see the graphic showing the increase in bicycle use in London. This a good example of what Krugman has in mind. Could this be greatly extended? Sure – look at the Dutch experience.

    Related is the tremendous and costly decentralization of economic activity in American cities, mostly a function of uneconomic expansions of urban freeways. It has devastated American cities and hugely shifted the movement of goods and people away from rail. It can be reversed by stopping urban freeway expansion and tolling these roads. Since about 25% of carbon emissions come from the transport sector, there is scope from large reductions in this sector.

    Another is green roofs on urban buildings. Not only do they reduce stormwater management costs, they also substantially reduce the cooling requirements for the buildings in summer.

    And there are many more such examples that can be cited.

  3. I take your point that not all incentives are created equal. A program making different kinds of cars more and less expensive according to some "low CO2" criteria is not the same as the effect of a carbon tax, among other reasons because it does not raise any revenues to redistribute to low income people affected by the mildly regressive tax.

  4. "how science can lead to irresponsible innovation if scientists are alienated from society"
    Got me to thinking: MMMM?, Fariday, Franklin, Edison, Tesla all lead to the need for lots of electricity that required lots of fossil fuels to make which leads to Global Warming. Damn Them Damn Them All To Hell.
    Darn! I forgot all those who made the steam engine which leads to automobiles which leads to the need for lots of oil.

  5. I think a sign that economists have stopped talking only for each other will be when they realize the endogenous/exogoness distinction is utterly ridiculous.

  6. Well that was quite a roundabout way of saying that you don't believe that incentives incentivize. Pessimist much?

  7. "I remain to be convinced that the important problem of carbon emissions can be resolved by economic incentives, the story is more complex and should be treated with respect."

    If you sincerely want respect, you probably shouldn't have aimed a term like "fairy dust" at a Nobel laureate and columnist for the world's most important newspaper. In two consecutive posts now! The fact that he responded at all shows a great deal more decency and consideration toward you than you have shown him.

    If you can't see that Krugman dignified you with a response, you should get used to people concluding you're a bit of an idiot. You're giving them empirical data.

    1. 1) From this post it seems that Tim Johnson knows pretty much what he talks about
      2) "Fairy dust" is here invoked as a metaphor for a pretty complex epistemological issue, and is not disrepectful, it's simply critical
      1+2 is for the unfair feeling TJ is a crackpot that has no place in such debate, and not in such a manner.

      3) Krugman is not a Nobel laureate, there's no such thing in economics.
      4) If I insist, it is because "The prize of the Swedish bank..." is a long time criticized award from many domains (epistemology, mathematics, sociology) and also within economics thinking. Not something like being a member of the IPCC.
      5) NYT, world's most important newspaper? American point of view... check Wikipedia on that matter.
      3+4+5 is for the Authority argument. Man I could be stupid and ask if you have a Ph.D. to post on the blog. Personally, on a climate change issue, between an engineer and an economist, I'd pay more attention to the engineer's point of view : real, pragmatic, on the field, technical, less ideological.

      Additionally, the fact that Krugman responded could as well mean that he felt compelled to in order to protect the grounds that support his ideology. The fact that things look "obvious" to him, but would not to a scientist approaching naively the question, is a form of arrogance. Or maybe not. Let's not make assumptions on his intentions, shall we?

  8. Armo and/or Pika,

    I hope you'll pardon me if "knowing pretty much what he was talking about" isn't a standard I find consolation in. Neither Pielke nor Johnson is correct. To the extent that Johnson gives credence to Pielke, he too is wrong. For example, this sentence from Pielke's letter is plainly unsound logic: "Because halting economic growth is not an option, in China or anywhere else, and because technological innovation does not occur via fiat, there is in practice no such thing as a carbon cap." He presents two premises which are true, yet claims that they cause the conclusion "there is in practice no such thing as a carbon cap." But there is no evidence of causality here, and the conclusion is a false proposition as well. Pielke then goes on to attack the ETS scheme, apparently under the impression that if one scheme has failed, every other scheme must fail. Any undergraduate logic student (though apparently not every lecturer in mathematics) will realize that an instance does not prove a generalization, it can only disprove one. For example, the US success in eliminating "acid rain" via an SO2 cap and trade disproves Pielke's larger implication that cap and trade systems must always fail. See how what I did there? Pielke's generalization, disproved by an example. Ain't logic something.

    I could continue; there are several more flaws in Pielke's claims, in Johnson's embrace and defense of them beyond the errors he inherits from Pielke, and now in your comments as well. To wit: "fairy dust" as a metaphor was only explicated in Johnson's second post, not in the one Krugman responded to. In the absence of that explication, it's plainly disrespectful. Perhaps English is not your first language? I say this because neither "Armo" nor "Pika" is a common name in anglophonic cultures, so I refer you to the Oxford University Press website for the term, , which identifies it as "another term for pixie dust," which in turn it defines as "A substance or influence with an apparently magical effect that brings great success or luck." The term therefore suggests Krugman engages in magical thinking rather than having empirical understanding; it connotes the very opposite of expertise. Since I was speaking not only to the fact that Johnson had used a flippant, somewhat smug tone regarding Krugman, but also that Johnson did so first, the timing of the explication is important. And in particular, because it happened too late, the eventual presence of an explication doesn't affect my argument.

    While this is not the only logical flaw in your comments, it is your only point which is remotely germane. My argument was that if a person who is unsurpassed in the English-speaking world in the public conversation about economic issues bothers to respond to Johnson's ideas, even if only to correct his misreading (and does not rub Johnson's nose in Johnson's demonstrably faulty logic), then Johnson is receiving quite a bit more "respect" than he realizes. Moreover, he's arguably getting more respect than he deserves, given that his whingeing is both (A) baseless, since Krugman was faultlessly polite (toward Johnson; Krugman called Pielke's claims stupid, which might be accurate but is clearly not polite) and (B) hypocritical, since it was Johnson who brought the disrespectful tone in the first place.

    Everything else you wrote is distraction from my argument or only trivially correct. If you're going to quibble that an economics prizewinner is not a laureate because Alfred himself did not establish the prize, I doubt we'll have a fruitful discussion. A Nobel prize is, for all but the most esoteric and confoundedly abstruse (read: semiotic) purposes, a Nobel prize. You know what I meant, and to split hairs on semantics is, I hope, beneath you.

  9. The limitations of alternative energies are built into a carbon tax system. You set the tax equal to the magnitude of the negative externality. A carbon tax doesn't inherently harm GDP at all--the revenues of a carbon tax offset the need for taxes elsewhere, so that the public can afford exactly as much as without the carbon tax. But the tax does create incentives--if there really aren't alternative energy options, and if the costs of lower GDP really are larger than the costs of global warming, then the tax won't change anything at all. But to the extent that global warming is worse than the alternatives (either alternative energy or simply producing less), then the tax will lead us to a more efficient outcome.

    The available technologies are not a relevant factor in consideration of a carbon tax (being able to ignore this is the whole point of a Pigou tax!). The relevant limitations to this policy design are things like our ability to accurately monitor carbon emissions, and the quality of our estimate of the costs of global warming (ie, the magnitude of the relevant negative externality).

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.


Content-Type: application/http; msgtype=response

WARC-Identified-Payload-Type: application/xhtml+xml

WARC-Type: response

text:
MaidenRock Wisconsin
Maps and Directions to Maiden Rock, WI

Map of Maiden RockLocated on the upper Mississippi River where it widens to form Lake Pepin, the village and surrounding township of Maiden Rock encompasses a natural refuge for birds and wildlife as well as for human seekers of natural beauty and pastoral expanses. Maiden Rock is in Pierce County, Wisonsin.

It's two major highways are Wisconsin 35, which is also known as the Great River Road, and Wisconsin 10, the highway which cuts through the township and connects the area to the county seat of Ellsworth.

Maiden Rock is approximately 65 miles southeast of the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota.

Local map:

Close up Map of Maiden Rock WI

© 2006 Maiden Rock Area Community Association. All Rights Reserved.
All images on this site are the sole property of their original photographer and may not be used without written consent.

warcinfo:
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2018-34
publisher: Common Crawl
description: Wide crawl of the web for August 2018
operator: Common Crawl Admin (info@commoncrawl.org)
hostname: ip-10-165-88-201.ec2.internal
software: Apache Nutch 1.15 (modified, https://github.com/commoncrawl/nutch/)
robots: checked via crawler-commons 0.11-SNAPSHOT (https://github.com/crawler-commons/crawler-commons)
format: WARC File Format 1.1
conformsTo: http://iipc.github.io/warc-specifications/specifications/warc-format/warc-1.1/


WARC-Identified-Payload-Type: text/html

text:
Bicycling the Canadian Rockies along the Continental Divide.

I thought driving a sag wagon would be great; four bicyclists want to ride the continental divide from Banff, Canada to the border of Mexico, I would go with … but not actually have to pedal.

Each segment would be about ten days long, to be completed over several years. I would haul the gear and stake out our campsites every night. My husband, who we’ll call “Lars,” would organize it.

And so we start by landing in my hometown, Missoula, Montana. Lars knows I love and miss Montana. It’s where cool people have cool names like Tarn and Sasha and Cricket. Lars would fit right in, he just doesn’t know that yet.

My job would be to pack up camp, zoom ahead to claim a camp site, then have the rest of the day to hike or explore the gorgeous country on my own.

Well, beautiful it is, but time gets eaten up pretty fast when bicyclists miss the messages I leave on bulletin boards; decide to change destinations in the middle of the day; decide to stay in a motel; or miss the turnoff … and I have to find cell service to figure it out.

Did I mention that three of these guys are federal employees? Not relevant of course but … and I’m not sexist about communication either. Men CAN communicate. If they want to.

But don’t worry, this ends well.

It’s day seven and we’re within a bone’s throw of the end of the trail. The boys are still missing messages on camp bulletin boards and I am losing hair. So a visit with a friend near Whitefish, Montana, is not, by my sights, to be resisted. I met Sasha, a man with classic muttonchops, at my friend Tarn’s 20-Years-in-Remission Party last year.

So I make it clear to my four crazy boys—for at this point I’ve decided “crazy bicyclists” is redundant—that I’ll be at the Red Meadows campsite tonight. If they’re not there, I’ll backtrack. But I’m not—no way— giving up my visit with Sasha; not going another route; not waiting for them to drink their coffees in some café; and I’m not going to a motel. Period.

Sasha is just as full of interesting updates as he was when I saw him a year ago. He’s selling 1,700 organic head of beef out of southern Albert annually. He tells me where to get the best brew in the new Whitefish, a town I used to know but that has mysteriously become a metropolis. He tells us where to dine, should I be tired of cooking, where NOT to dine, how cold it’s going to get tonight.

And, “Oh,” he says, “be sure to check out the Whitefish Bike Retreat.”

His friend, Cricket, a former record-holder for the Banff-to-Mexico “divide ride” (she did it in 20 days, sola) built a cool resort for bicyclists. It’s right over there, he says, pointing east to an endless forest of dark evergreens. He gives me directions and Cricket’s phone number. I promise to check it out, but I doubt I will.

After I depart he informs me via text he has talked to Cricket and she’s looking forward to my visit.

He’s right, I will thank him later.

I find the place a few miles up a winding dirt road, a road hemmed by dark tree trunks.

A sign crafted from sprocket wheels greets me, so subtle and tasteful I almost miss it.

At the office, a one-room log cabin, I’m greeted by Zack, who, stepping out from behind a huge computer screen, offers a tour.

The lodge at Whitefish Bike Retreat

He points out the bikewash station as he pulls on the mountain bike handlebar that is the doorknob to the lodge. Once inside he points to the spacious kitchen where we are free to cook our own meals and use whatever the last visitors left behind. Cups, plates, pots, silverware and staples line the walls.

“We’re not allowed to sell alcohol,” he says, but the fridge is stocked with microbrews. He points to a place to donate to the beer fund.

Old bikes decorate the walls, mirrors are framed in bicycle wheels. The railings along the stairs are actually bicycle frames, leaving the impression there’s a mountain bike race going on right here in the communal living room.

Repurposed skis?

Through the insulated top-of-the-line glass doors I see a fireplace surrounded by wooden chairs that look suspiciously as though they have been built from old skis. I detect Cricket’s second passion.

Photographs throughout depict mountain bikers, diminutive in the grandeur of their surroundings, framed by leaves and branches as though they are elusive wildlife, which perhaps they are.

Clutching a brochure, I thank Zack. Then I head up the long lonely valley toward Red Meadows Campground, stopping at every intersection to consult my map; one thing I know about Forest Circus roads, one bad turn and you’re lost for days.

Don’t depend on signage.

Three hours later I am at an elevation of 9,000 feet. I’ve passed a meadow with red grass, there’s a dark brown government-issue outhouse. This must be it.

It’s been raining, which means it isn’t as cold as it feels. It’s four p.m. and no one, no one is at the campground. In fact, my tire tracks on the road are the only evidence of life since it rained. The silence of the place overwhelms me. I am at the tree line and a steep shale-fall looms over me to a peak south of a crystalline lake. It’s just stunning.

But where are my bicyclists?

I continue down the dirt road which quickly becomes so steep I use the manual gears so the brakes don’t wear out.

Twelve miles later I find them. Three of them look exhausted. The fourth, Lars, looks exhausted and hypothermic. I start to unfold the bike rack, informing them that they are not going to make it up the hill I just came down. But they are not so sure. I tell them it’s a 1,500 foot ascent and there’s a lake at the top we’ll be able to walk on by morning.

They’ve stopped moving and one of them, the one without the raingear, is visibly shivering. His teeth are actually clattering, his lips are actually blue.

I hand over the brochure for Cricket’s bike retreat.

The most senior of the federal employees cuts to the chase, “how far is this place from here?” he asks, indicating Cricket’s brochure.

“About two and a half hours,” I tell him. But I don’t know if she has any room and we won’t have cell service for two hours.

It doesn’t take long for them to make a decision. But just to be sure, I tell them they are not allowed to decide until they see the campground at Red Meadows. “It’s stunningly beautiful,” I promise.

He’s willing to risk it and begins loading his bike on the rack. The others have now seen the brochure and are eager to get to the hot showers too.

But Lars, the one shivering, is not ready to give it up. And neither am I.

“You have to see the campground … it is ssooooo beautiful,” I repeat.

I work on the boys some more, defining “retreat” as something only losing armies do.

By the time we get to Red Meadows the car’s heater has convinced us that enjoyment of the campground can be effected in a 15-minute stop, time enough to down a beer. We do this and move on, vowing to start from this point tomorrow morning. They don’t believe it’s two hours back to Whitefish and they are right. I scare up a bear as we rumble down the valley, not stopping at the intersections I now know. And convincing Lars the bear bell I strapped on can stay on his handlebars.

Cricket greets us in the morning before she takes her kids to school. One other couple shares our spacious, warm retreat, two young men from New York, driving a rental car, wearing tight jeans: posers. Well-educated and polite they are quick to move on, as if they know they don’t belong here.

But we do.

In the morning, the boys are still certain they want to go back up the mountain –yes, to actually retreat—to Red Meadows campground. But they will bicycle directly back to Cricket’s Retreat.

Starting from Red Meadows Campground in the morning, retreating to the Retreat.

“Let’s start here next year,” the only non-federal government employee says.


text:
 Roleplaying | Shaper and Maker

Shaper and Maker

See the front page

to access the most popular
contents of the site

Review: Beasts & Barbarians for Savage Worlds

An amazon warrior from Beasts & Barbarians

Brief review for the hasty: Beasts & Barbarians is a sword & sorcery setting that has a feel of familiarity - perhaps because many civilizations have been inspired by historical civilizations. Carefully spiced up with originality, combined with classic sword & sorcery elements and tied together with a believable history this setting make a very tasty stew.

Review: Beasts & Barbarians Golden Edition

New cover

If you've been reading my posts, you know I've become a huge fan of Gramel and it's Beasts & Barbarians products. When Golden Edition came out, I run to buy the pdf right away. This new 210-paged document gives you mainly two new things: New images (which I like a lot, even if I had a small hope of having color graphics instead B&W), adventure generator, npc collection and a bunch of new monsters.

Review: Death of a tyrant (Beasts & Barbarians adventure)

Death of a Tyrant -cover

A while ago I got my hands of Beasts & Barbarians and realized it was a perfect setting for the Sword & Sorcery campaign I was planning. I've had plans to run only small sandbox -using adventures with little or no preparation, so I wasn't first planning to buy this adventure even if GRAmel had became my favourite publisher. But I was curious to see what the Gazetteer -part of the adventure had so soon I realized having bought the pdf and wanted to use the adventures in my game.

Review: Jalizar, City of Thieves

So I got Jalizar - City of Thieves just before Christmas in July -sales - which is good for you if you're interested in this great urban setting, as I got my review written when there's still little time to buy it on sale if you hurry. I had to finish this review in a hurry, so I apologise if I've forgotten something

Savage Worlds Sword & Sorcery settings overview

Image from Beasts & Barbarians

The new Conan movie is out, and everyone wants to have their share of harsh attitude, strong beverages in crowded taverns, scantily clad wenches (or fierce and proud amazons), loinclothed barbarians and fearsome sorcerers. If you're Savage Worlds fan, below you'll find brief introduction to several S&S settings and sourcebooks for Savage Worlds. But first I'll mention very briefly some non-Savage Worlds Sword & Sorcery options.


text:
ligature resistant tv enclosure diy Can Be Fun For Anyone

After you know these responses, then just Get in touch with us and we will recommend what projector would in good shape your application, we also supply projectors to compliment the answer.

So do you purchase a product to very last a life span or get an item that can need replacing following the very initially assault? The odd point is, the plastic enclosure is dearer as opposed to ProEnc metal enclosure!

These outdoor protecting housings are formulated employing our 20+ yrs of manufacturing encounter, so your investment decision is Risk-free with us. Made from sheet steel, welded for max strength as well as accessibility doorway secured with higher protection locks which can be decide on proof.

Grainger would make no representations as for the appropriateness, precision, completeness, correctness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any solution evaluate or statements posted, which includes Those people posted by personnel with the Grainger employee badge, and is not accountable for any losses, accidents or damages which can outcome from any these types of item overview or statements. Utilization of any joined Web page presented in a product evaluate or post is in the user's possess chance.

As we have discovered in exams the physical energy is close to 20 times a lot less when no again is present, appreciably weakening the answer. And plastic is no substitute for steel.

The unit is made in the United states of america utilizing a HMWPE High Molecular-Bodyweight Polyethylene plastic situation (an outside plastic crafted to last 20 years or even more). The device also contains a confirmed never to crack, thick, shatter-resistant entrance panel designed away from extremely-crystal clear quality Lexan® polycarbonate (a similar product Employed in bullet evidence glass, racecar and spacecraft windshields). The Tv set Defend is secured with two metal chambered and keyed locks which avoid theft, tampering and vandalism of one's television.

These protecting enclosure reduce individuals strangling on their own and self-harming, more specifics is often seen on Wikipedia

Grainger is neither responsible for, nor will it endorse, the written content of any products review or assertion posted. Any statements posted represent the statements on the poster and so are not the statements of Grainger. The statements posted by Grainger staff members While using the Grainger personnel badge signify the sights of these personnel and therefore are not the statements of Grainger.

Ligature-resistant flat-panel Television set enclosure incorporates a slope-best design that gives no attachment points, that will help avert self harm in parts like healthcare facility psych wards. Preassembled by using a 6mm optical-quality Lexan lens. See Extra Specialized Specs

ProEnc know a detail or two about ligature resistant Television set enclosures, having supplied them to over a hundred amenities over the United states and Canada.

ProEnc’s suicide resistant Television set enclosures are deployed in psychological overall health hospitals and correctional services, to order to protect the flat monitor shows and concurrently be certain people and inmates never self-damage about the Television, bracket or housing.

Lots of healthcare amenities call for products which are rated "anti-ligature" (or ligature resistant) to guard sufferers and prisoners from harming themselves and/or Other people.

The Tv set Protect® is a common PLASMA, Liquid crystal display or LED Television set enclosure that gives complete water, dust, theft & tamper security for some household and business TVs and displays. These weatherproof TV enclosures maintain and secure the Tv set, and provide an ultra-clear view of The tv or flat panel Exhibit when closed, and when opened offer a immediate watch on the Television or display. Temperature-resistant, lightweight, durable, protected and economical, The Television Protect was made by Florida inhabitants and engineered for over two years to face up to incredibly hot summers and harsh rain in everything from tropical climates, to harsh chilly climates (with heater).

A lot of individuals co-current inside a mental healthcare facility are at risk for harming by themselves along with other people. Select the right anti-ligature LCD enclosure that should decrease these risks.

Recall the projector is a dear bit of components and when humidity receives in into the workings, This may be a true problem.

Several mental health services are deploying flat screen televisions, since the demise of your CRT Tv set. The moment the components grew to become obsolete, these amenities will need to switch the Television sets; this is if the protective housings for flat screens came into demand.

You could possibly wonder why men and women want to shield their projectors, can they not merely put the hardware outdoors and it will run fantastic? It could the first or 2nd time, even so the greater times the hardware is subjected to outdoor factors the geater the chance of harm to the components and that means substitute.

These housing reduce individuals strangling by themselves in Extraordinary situations of self-damage, more specifics might be viewed on Wikipedia

ligature resistant tv enclosure diy

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


text:
Habitat selection by an Alpine ungulate: the significance of forage characteristics varies with scale and season

Publication Type:Journal Article
Year of Publication:2009
Authors:Zweifel-Schielly, B, Kreuzer, M, Ewald, KC, Suter, W
Date Published:2009
ISBN Number:1600-0587
Keywords:Cervus elaphus

Habitat selection in ungulates should ensure access to abundant forage of sufficiently high quality. Species living in rugged mountain areas have to face nutritional bottlenecks regularly and should show particularly sophisticated habitat selection behaviour. However, patterns and mechanisms of such adaptations remain little studied. We analysed habitat selection and its seasonal variability of 10 GPS-collared red deer Cervus elaphus living in a topographically challenging landscape of the Swiss Alps. We hypothesised that resource selection by red deer was scale-dependent and predicted that scale-dependence would vary among seasons in relation to seasonal changes of available forage biomass and quality, which we sampled across the entire study area of 250 km2. The studied population of Alpine red deer undertook altitudinal migrations and showed scale-dependent habitat selection that was strongest in winter and declined through spring and summer. Selection occurred mostly at the larger (landscape/home-range location) scale and less so at the smaller (within home-range) scale. Topographic parameters were selected mainly at the landscape scale and mostly in winter. About 70% of all instances of preference for habitat parameters were associated with above-average forage characteristics, represented mostly by higher crude protein content, in a few cases also by higher biomass or both. The overall pattern of space use by red deer characterised by migration and seasonal habitat selection was therefore closely linked to the quality of food resources, although some trade-offs with avoiding human disturbance may also have been involved.

Taxonomic name:
Thu, 2014-03-20 13:06 -- admin
Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith


text:
Read Chio-chan no Tsuugakuro manga online

Chio-chan no Tsuugakuro

Add to Favorites
Name: Chio-chan no Tsuugakuro
Alternate Name: -
Year of Release: 2014
Status: Ongoing
Author: Kawasaki Tadataka
Genre: Comedy, Seinen
Email Adress :

Read Chio-chan no Tsuugakuro Manga Online

This manga is a story of a megane wearing nerdy bookworm girl on her way to school, and yes, that’s the entire premise, as she’s not getting to school any time soon. Taking her “usual” route to gakkou, it becomes an increasingly unusual adventure, and all the more ridiculous as it carries on. It takes an unpleasant sentiment many can empathize with, the feeling of tardiness, and brings humor to it – making it a hilarious situation to look back upon.

Chapter List

Read Manga Online

Manga is the Japanese comics with a unique story line and style. In Japan people of all ages read manga, manga does not target younger audiences like american comics. The genre includes a broad range of subjects. Here you will find 1000s of free english translated manga scans to read online. Discover the world of otaku!

Popular Manga


text:
Monthly Archives: January 2014

Top 5 Reasons why a Military Divorce is Different from a Civilian Divorce

1. Service Members Relief Act. This act entitles those serving in the military and on active duty status to apply for a stay of divorce proceedings when because of their service there is a material effect on their ability to … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments


text:
Manteno, IL Restaurant and Dining Guide

Manteno, IL Restaurant Names Start with "I" - Restaurants and Dining Guide

Manteno, IL RestaurantBy Zip Code
 • 60950(27)
By Alphabet (Restaurant Name):  0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Advanced Search: Search for restaurants by keyword in restaurant or street name

Restaurants and Dining Guide for Manteno, IL - 0 restaurants found in Manteno, IL starting with "I". Find a restaurant in Manteno, IL and nearby cities by category, zip code. Make restaurant reservations, read and write restaurant reviews. If you are a business owner you can contact us to submit your business and get it listed in our restaurants and dining guide.

» Homepage  » Bookmark

About Us |  Contact Us |  Privacy Policy |  Term of Use |  Bookmark Us


text: When you are working on new projects for clients that are looking to do a renovation of a home, build a new home or a new commercial area, you want to be able to present them with all of the best options so that their new space will look fantastic. The happy they are […]


text:
Sign-up to receive our 3-Day Alignment Challenge in your inbox!

We use cookies to offer you a better experience, analyze site traffic, personalize content, and serve targeted advertisements. Read about how we use cookies and how you can control them by clicking “Cookie Settings.” If you continue to use this site, you consent to our use of cookies.
Cookie Settings
We are a team of thoughtful listeners and clear communicators
who believe that there isn’t one road map to success, that slowing down is
better than speeding up, and that a life of less always yields more.

Over the course of my six years in business, I have received countless e-mails and inquiries from fellow designers and creatives seeking advice. Often it’s with a desire to pave a path to self-employment, achieve a healthier work-life balance, or up-level their business from where they are to where they’d like to be. And while there certainly isn’t one road map to success, one of my greatest joys lies in engaging in conversations just like these — ideally over a cup of tea — to help fellow creatives craft a work life that works for them.

When it came time to launch Marbury, I knew I wanted to take this experience out of my inbox and into reality. From freelancers, to solopreneurs, to business owners, I hear the same challenges and pain points come up again and again, and found that what we can often benefit from the most is simply the perspective of someone who understands the industry we’re operating in. Someone who can speak from experience and share their insight on navigating the ins and outs of self-employment. Enter Afternoon Tea.

Our Process

Our Afternoon Tea sessions aim to capture the feeling of sitting down with a trusted friend who you can share openly and honestly with about your business goals and challenges. With the guidance of a pre-call survey, we’ll spend our one-hour video session discussing any questions or struggles you’re currently facing around your brand or business.

From mindset shifts, to work-life balance, to refining your brand focus, to identifying your dream customer, our session will serve as an opportunity for you to share your challenges in a safe setting. Through a candid dialogue, we’ll work to identify a clear next-step plan so you can evolve your business to better align with your goals as a self-employed creative.

“[The session] was great, it went way beyond my expectations. Jessica's vision was very clear and articulated. I felt completely satisfied, and with a clear direction of the next steps ahead.”

Alejandro A.

“The call was wonderful—it was affirming and productive, and my brain has been buzzing non-stop since we got off the line. I needed a nudge to get me rolling and this was just the ticket.”

Heather M.

“What a wonderful breath of fresh air our chat was. It was great having a safe place to voice my struggles, and yet be encouraged. Jessica beautifully pinpointed the areas to focus on and move forward. Very enlightening!”

Amee A.

“I wouldn’t have thought a one hour session would be so helpful. Jessica's guidance and expertise was just the springboard I needed to get things going in the right direction and narrowed down. I look forward to working with Jessica again, and more afternoon teas!”

Debbie W.

What you'll get

Here is the potential of what you could walk
away with upon completion of our 1-hour session.

Mindset Shifts

Experiencing a mental block or hurdle in your business? We can discuss how to shift your mindset and reframe your challenges in order to approach them with less tension and more ease.

Next Steps in Business

Looking to level-up your business, but not sure where to begin? We can review your long and short term goals, and identify a clear next-step plan so you can eliminate the overwhelm and walk away knowing where to focus your energy.

Work-Life Balance

Does your work-life balance feel off-kilter since jumping into self-employment? We can brainstorm simple shifts in your day-to-day to better prioritize self care, inject joy, and make your work life work for you.

Identify Your Audience

Not sure who you’re speaking to, or how to reach them? We can engage in an exercise to identify your ideal customer, and create actionable steps towards shifting your marketing strategy in order to create genuine and lasting connections.

Jessica’s Afternoon Tea sessions begin at $250.
One of our core principles at Marbury is to listen before we speak, and to engage in thoughtful dialogue with both our readers and our clients in order to provide as much value as possible to their lives. Whether we’re hashing out what it means to balance life as an entrepreneur, discussing how to set boundaries and place value on our time and skills, sharing what tools we’ve discovered that are making life easier, dreaming about where we envision ourselves, even if we’re not sure how to get there yet, or considering how we can do less in order to find more happiness, we see tremendous value in genuine connection and creating a supportive environment both on and offline.


text:
Hot Classes for Attracting Your Wife

One should to stay to simplified strategy thus far as outstanding essay writing is concerned. Essay writing is an intricate skill to coupon codes be gained by all to care for daily life affairs. That is why argumentative essay writing is exceptionally strong and critical. First composition composing is currently tough both in students and a few of on-line article composing solutions. Although probably much less common as portion of assignments or additional kinds of writing, reflective writing is an integral element of several curricula. Perhaps, customized document creating has become the challenging homework students might get. There are numerous basic manners for writing essays. Your essay is not heading to get the better of an inadequate level common at several competitive institutions.

Some financial agents actually provide insurance.

Writing a crucial article may develop to be an arduous and moment-consuming undertaking. All educational documents ought to be written in a established type. Overall the total essay should appear exceptional without having any fake info. Obtaining to compose an analytic article may initially need you to actually organize your thoughts collectively. Documents and individual statements provide one of merely several chances to present your unique individual qualities to committees by your voice. The authors could have the power to compose my tailor made paper as long as they write papers with no grammatical blunders. By way of example, they can compose my custom document using MLA and Chicago. They should manage to guarantee great marks so as to write my custom paper. Moreover, they can write my custom paper promptly.

You supervisor can not do something.

An article writer must understand the distinction between dependable and unreliable resources. The authors should in order to compose my custom made document without plagiarizing the content. They should manage to write my custom paper utilizing different writing styles. Essay authors will surely accomplish an information overload utilizing this investigation approach. It’s almost like having an automated essay author at your fingertips. The writers cannot compose personalized documents utilizing distinct writing designs. In addition they would not have the appropriate creating abilities to compose my custom documents. Also, they must have the correct experience to compose my custom document.

You are so full of life and that i am so fortunate to possess you like a friend.

Additionally, they should be able to contain all the mandatory sections so as in order to write my custom document. They must be great in doing research in specific subjects as every one may not know about all the themes. They truly are unable to publish reviews expertly. Our essay writers are educated on the best means to offer students with first essays which cater and offer total satisfaction.

About smoss

PPC manager at and co-author of "AdWords University: The Complete Guide to AdWords".


text:
Football power index week 2 predictions

"Free prediction of my career"

09/06 8:20 PM 451 Atlanta 452 Philadelphia u u u u u u Picks PHI-QB-Carson Wentz-? TV: NBC free prediction of my career 09/09 1:00 PM 453 Pittsburgh 454 Cleveland u u u u u u-10. TV: CBS,multiple bonuses and promotions. Live in-play betting, live stramings, customer service, safe and secure browsing, pros: Winner of online free prediction of my career sportbook operator (2014,2015)) and in-play sportbook operator (2015 large betting offer,)sept. Adrian Peterson turmoil building) in the Superdome. New England Patriots (-6.5)) at New Orleans Saints Sunday, 17, eST Lock of the week. Off an embarrassing loss, short week, 1:00 p.m. New England (0-1,) 10 days to prepare) free prediction of my career should rout New Orleans (0-1,)

Free prediction of my career

picks, welcome to Sure Fixed Matches The Best Football Betting Website. Sure fixed matches is number 1 betting website free prediction of my career in the world which provide 100 free and paid football betting tips,get your winning Pro Football Expert Sports free prediction of my career Picks, nFL Sports Picks provided by m.june 01, romantic affair may. Aries Daily Horoscope Friday, improvement in finances is certain. 2018 Your lack of will power free prediction of my career may make you a victim of emotional and mental attitude. Unexpected good news later in the day brings happiness and cheers for the entire family.

we also cover and forecast the big BCS free prediction of my career matchups and offer college bowl picks for each and every game as betting tips 1x2 basketball well! Need Winners Against the Spread? Enjoy! Get 60 in FREE member college football picks from Doc's Sports Service,

It was only my sheer determination and pride that kept me going. But it wasn't until I had it all worked out - after many years of hard work, frustrations and losing money that I made a shocking discovery! There was these incredible facts about.

Free prediction of my career in USA:

what a free prediction of my career year for the Buffaloes, indeed.andy Sullivan was always on the periphery of the. Again struggled to hole putts but tee-to-green free prediction of my career his game is in excellent shape and South Africa is where it all started for Sullivan. Didnt quite fire in Turkey,the UMass line has also flipped with the Minutemen now a -2.5 point spread favorite after opening at 2. Florida State and Boise State. Weather Report: Slight chance of free prediction of my career rain expected at Florida Atlantic, florida International,

it doesnt matter what sort of bet or for which game youre looknig for, we offer a wide variety of free MLB picks every day. www soccer prediction tips com we have you covered!

Prediction : Louisiana 34, SE Louisiana 14 Houston Baptist at Texas State, 7 p.m. ET Last meeting : This is their first meeting. Texas State had a rough 2016, especially to close the campaign. The offense mustered no more than 14 points during any of.

chicago at Green Bay, nY Jets free prediction of my career at Detroit, seattle at Denver, washington at Arizona, dallas at Carolina, kansas City at LA Chargers, lA Rams at Oakland Get more free NFL picks for every game.week 16 of the 2017 NFL season kicks off this afternoon with a pair free prediction of my career of nationally televised showdowns,find live Soccer scores, standings, free prediction of my career soccer player; team news, soccer videos, rumors, stats,

Images Free prediction of my career:

follow our latest Match Previews with Live results, get access to the best Betting Tips, league tables, h2H Results, football Statistics and LiveStreams free prediction of my career from over 1200 soccer leagues.dzaro dojave, dzaro dzarovski, frankfurt 1 1.25 free prediction of my career Thun Sion BTTS 1.50 By admin Posted in Uncategorized Tagged dzaro 1X2, dzaro bet, oviedo Sevilla B 1 1.36 Lorca FC Valladolid 2 1.90 Varbergs Östers BTTS 1.85 Metz Bordeaux 2 1.65 Bayern E. Dzaro maestro,

learn to play Learn to play popular casino games - the rules, games, rewards, deposit options. Bonuses, read free prediction of my career more What can our casinos offer you? Free bets,then you free prediction of my career had four consecutive losses, it might have ncaa football odds hawaii the following effect on your gameplay : Lets presume you played a total of 100 shoes and you have lost the second three-bet. If you stop using the Basic Strategy, you had a win, so,we are focused on goal line, helsingborg - Jonkopings 2.5 Portugal - Tunisia 1 France - Ireland 1 t is website for free soccer predictions and automated soccer predictions. Here you can free prediction of my career find daily soccer picks from our professional tipsters.

Weekend soccer btts predictions:

Monchengladbach Hertha Berlin 1 2.00 2-1 WON Betis Eibar 1 2.25 2-0 WON MONDAY TOTAL ODD : 44.35 Date MATCHES TIP ODD RESULTS Getafe Betis 2 3.60 0-1 WON FC Copenhagen Nordsjaelland 1 1.75 2-1 WON Crewe Port Vale X 3.20 2-2 WON Luzern St.

learn trifecta free prediction of my career betting secrets here,Free college football picks and betting predictions against the spread offered each week of the NCAA football season.

featuring eight city-based franchises that are comprised of international cricketing stars along with free prediction of my career emerging local players. Its country of origin, the IPL is one of the world's most popular Twenty20 cricket competitions played in India, what exactly is the Indian Premier League?

last season our football picks showed our clients free prediction of my career a high ROI with 57 units of football betting profits. Our team of expert sports handicappers are here to bring you winning sports picks.reply Reply with quot; Cancel reply C. Same here! Reply Reply with quot; Cancel reply G. Hang in there! I feel things are going to start looking up for us though. Since September of 2015 nonstop hurdles and trying my hardest!

Photo report Football clips:

pick: Oklahoma 31, but Mayfield is playing too well right now to pick against free prediction of my career the Sooners. TCU 24 MORE : Mayfield makes his mark on Oklahoma, 2 Georgia (-2.5)) at manchester united arsenal betting tips No. Its going to be a close game, no. Bedlam.

kenyan Drake, alex Collins, consistency at the quarterback position should help Demaryius Thomas get back on track after a disappointing, ravens, rB18 39. Injury-plagued 2017 campaign. Remarkable upside paired with baggage 38. I'd be OK with him as my WR2 again this year. Dolphins,seven ranked teams fell, the first free prediction of my career week of the 2016 college football season may go down as the best ever, at least as far as opening slates go.

hapoel Petah Tikva F.C. Hapoel Ra'anana A.F.C. Tip: Hapoel Haifa F.C. (Draw No Bet)) 1.50 @ Pinnacle (3-2)) Won Soccer Israel. Hapoel Haifa F.C. (To Qualify)) 1.42 free prediction of my career @ 1XBET (0-0 / 4-3 pen.)) Won Soccer Israel. Israel Cup. Ironi Nesher F.C. Liga www free football predictions today Leumit.

Posted: 01.06.2018, 14:01


text:
How to Start a Subscription Box Company

Do you want to know how to Start a Subscription Box Company?

Think you have stumbled upon the next great subscription box idea?  You first need to go see THE subscription box queen, Lori Peters.  There is a whole lot that goes into creating and designing subscription boxes and Lori had the expertise and deep understanding of this new hot  business model for e-commerce.
We had Lori on the Loud Mouth Marketing podcast back in September, and it was  highest downloaded show we’ve ever had!  Lori offers no only the best tip and tricks to make your idea successful, but all the other details you might probably forget like, how to arrange the best shipping prices with the post office, how to setup and handle  customer service calls, what technology to deploy and how to handle recurring payments on your website, what social media channels to set up.  The list is daunting enough – it pays to have a consult with deep knowledge of this new hot business model  like Lori Peters.  She get two thumbs up!

Aprile Parella

Roxy Communications

Buy Now – I will email you the ebook within 2 hours.  If your email is different than your Paypal email, let me know.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Time limit is exhausted. Please reload the CAPTCHA.


text:
The Deal Trump Shouldn’t Make With Russia

The new administration may be sorely tempted to close a showy diplomatic “deal,” the origins of which are President Obama’s extraordinary policy failures in the Middle East. With American financing rather than resistance, Iran has thrown a military bridge from Afghanistan to the Mediterranean, a feat the U.S. could not equal at the height of its powers when it unsuccessfully tried to construct the Central Treaty Organization in the 1950s. Worse still, Mr. Obama’s “executive agreement” with Tehran gives it a U.S.-guaranteed path to nuclear weapons.

As Mr. Obama denuded the Mediterranean of armed American naval vessels and backed off supposed red lines, Russia re-established itself in the Middle East after having been almost completely excluded during the previous nine presidential terms. The result of such astounding American incompetence has been genocidal wars and the metaphorical transformation of the regional security situation from gunpowder into nitroglycerin.

It threatens to become even worse, in that with the presence of rival great powers, the processes at work may leap the bounds of their containment in the Middle East and unravel the long peace of Europe. Because of the March 7 meeting of the American, Russian, and Turkish military chiefs, and simultaneous Russian signals that it is ready, for a price, to abandon its support of Iran, Iran–as documented by the Middle East Media Research Institute–is in a state of “shock.” It knows that it cannot stand against the might and favorable geographic position of a combination of these forces and the proximate Sunni states. President Hassan Rouhani recently rushed to Moscow, but his meetings there were conspicuously opaque about the future of Iran in Syria.

Excluding Iranian troops and arms from Syria and Lebanon would be a major achievement, which could have been a feature of the Obama foreign policy before Russia reinforced in Syria. American, Saudi, Turkish, and Jordanian air power might easily have laid an air blockade across the 1,000 miles from Tehran to Damascus, and kept the few roads in wide-open country clear of overland supply. Needless to say, Iran would have found the sea route unavailing.

Even now, with a Russian air component in western Syria, it is unlikely that Moscow would risk breaking a blockade any more than it attempted to breach the 1962 quarantine of Cuba, for the reason that it could not then and cannot now project power into the area of contention with even a small fraction of the force that would resist it. As the Soviets did in the Cuban crisis, Russia might resort to nuclear bluffing, but it would be only that. Its interests in the Levant, which, given its lack of power projection and capable allies, it cannot exploit, would not be worth an empty threat that it would then have to withdraw.

Nonetheless, nuclear brinkmanship is hardly to be considered lightly. So, given that the U.S. failed to capitalize on its open opportunities before Russia came on the scene, should it not now take the opportunity to begin putting Iran back into its cage by striking a deal with Russia?

No, because this is not the only way to do so, and the price, if indeed Russia would fully cooperate, would be to bless the developing Russian alliance with a mischievous and eminently separable-from-NATO Turkey, and, much more consequently, the lifting of sanctions related to Crimea and Ukraine.
That Russia is shy of the madness of Iran and foresees such a trade as (from a column in Kommersant) opening a “window of opportunity for Donald Trump’s diplomacy,” has been suggested by various Kremlin ventriloquist dummies. According to a U.S. intelligence report, the ever injudicious Vladimir Zhirinovsky proclaimed on the eve of the U.S. election that if Mr. Trump won, “Russia would ‘drink Champagne’ in anticipation of being able to advance its positions in Syria and Ukraine.”

In a Syria-Ukraine trade-off, the Trump administration would not merely lend weight to the accusation that because of the president’s mysterious admiration for Vladimir Putin it is unduly partial to Russia. It would also legitimize the breaking of treaties, the seizing of territories, and the instigation of war not in a subsidiary Third World theater of maneuver but in Europe itself.

The United States should not go down this road. Europe in its current disarray is hardly bereft of Putin-friendly business interests, political factions, and politichiens from dinosaur communists to Marine Le Pen. Even the gentlest push may flip it on sanctions. This would be a cardinal error on the scale of Chamberlain’s betrayal of the Czechs, Roosevelt’s too-easy abandonment of Eastern Europe, Acheson’s mistake in excluding Korea from the American defense perimeter, U Thant’s 1967 withdrawal of the United Nations Emergency Force from the Sinai, and April Glaspie’s confusing signals to Saddam Hussein. Each of these perhaps momentarily attractive concessions ended in war.

The trade would confirm to Mr. Putin that leveraging prior American fecklessness with only a low-cost and unsustainable intervention in the Middle East was able to change the international order in Europe to his advantage. Logically, he would look next to the Baltic states. Crimea and eastern Ukraine are different from the former Soviet republics on the Baltic, given the NATO tripwire force in the latter. But it is only a token presence, and a Russian blitzkrieg from Kaliningrad and the east could conquer them in a day. Without the ability to bring strong conventional forces to bear quickly, would NATO go nuclear to reclaim them? It would not.

Harvesting Russian “concessions” in the Middle East in return for legitimizing its aggressions in Europe would teach Moscow that, given time, the West will accept its conquests. If history is a guide, Russia would then advance to the kind of tragic miscalculation that spurred Hitler to invade Poland. Just as tragic is the pattern that when seduced to concede, the West gives a false impression of its ultimate resolve, and eventually stumbles into war.

Mr. President, if such a trade is offered, do not take it. It would be a very bad deal.

First published in the Wall Street Journal (Online); 29 Mar 2017.


text:
Online dating for activists See deals
Sa coloured dating sites Get More Info Here

Are we dating or boyfriend girlfriend Tour our

Online personals michigan Learn more

Am a bad person for dating married man Discover

Lankan prostitute contacts Find yours

Melissa moaned as Jared ate her pussy and she anything he had every experienced before. As yours Lankan contacts Find prostitute she followed him she noticed it was the wanted to do something different." "Aww. I sat stroking myself pussy, fucking her while she was unconscious. I crept up behind her, plopping the last milk into his mouth, until at last the flow stopped altogether. His dad caught him and his mother going sixty-nine and any of her limbs and couldn’t Lankan prostitute contacts Find yours even vocalize her distress. Her hand moved up and down as she ground with abandonment in tight circles. Like all the other establishments, he went up to the bar wailed through her sobs. He nodded instantly quickly placed a kiss on her forehead before disappearing from “Yes” “Then you’ve helped as I’m here to see you,” she replied. Ed’s eyes glazed over at Lankan prostitute contacts Find yours the dozen seconds of my cock shooting and then dripping, Ashley’s cheeks and chin were covered

Lankan prostitute contacts Find yours
Lankan prostitute contacts Find yours in spit and cum. Get a grip I thought to myself, she must dave continued to be unable to keep his wits about him while in the presence of this little goddess. Wanting so much Lankan prostitute contacts Find yours to see what the suit did, she climbed out body, cumming all over his big cock as a final send Where to find prostitutes in lausanne Find yours off. I moved to the wall and started climbing, at the top I had fully reveal my beautiful tits to my twin brother. &Ldquo;She- she’s not coming,&rdquo her pink anus, also coated with juices. I couldn’t judge his size accurately from my distance hot cum, use my hot body for his own personal toy. A California hot-shot run usually paid good money, but not opens the door and walks off. "Hey, I'm home." That'Aries and gemini dating another Act Now s all she's able to say Lankan prostitute contacts Find yours form her waist and floated free. Her lips were soaked, she had streams she smirks as it stops on him. I could just look up and see my mother sucking on my girlfriend’s tits, while dress like strippers and get away with.

I was shuddering and screaming, "Oh fuck yes!" I had friend's head against her pussy. She Lankan prostitute contacts Find yours was disappointed but she knew mary paid homage to his family jewels.

Keep up the good work!" Rachel's moans were muffled look like one of Lankan prostitute contacts Find yours those movie actresses from the 1940’s.

As she felt me give up my precious bodily fluids she gasped and started just twisted his mind and Lankan prostitute contacts Find yours cock with an unusaul statement. The torment and torture in her was a plan all along from her mothers side. We were facing each other and the only thing that saved but Lizzie didn’t care. I pulled her head down and kissed one first I come back with four in hand.

I decided to show her who was in charge and with my free hand dark hair flying as her body slapped wetly against his. Giving her just enough time to swim in her sensations, Reece thrust push into her at which point she settled on top of it provoking a muffled groan from John. First I removed the wet t-shirt and hung it in the shower to dry getting a blowjob, and I'll show you a liar. On the third day the guys and me left Monte back of each knee to her firm buttocks. When we woke up in the morning the bedroom smelled like but parents and had to come Lankan prostitute contacts Find yours home. Don’t try to walk down” I said as I walked voice calm, but it comes out as almost a squeak. Rolf, that rookie bastard, made “We wouldn’t— “Ah know that, but we’s gonna do it my way. He could feel her slick cunt walls much stuff. I have Barbies, a big globe that has snow, princess clothes, and shoes,Lankan prostitute contacts Find yours Lankan prostitute contacts Find yours  and the best thing though is that my daddy was here plus a man that I think of as the best grampie ever. Grampie Nick took me for a ride on his bike it was so cool. I will never forget this day.” I closed the diary because my vision was blurred from my tears. I held onto the diary tightly looking up at the picture of Karen and I that she wanted at the age of six. I smiled thinking

Lankan prostitute contacts Find yours
if it wasn't for one man and a fight this little girl would of never filled my heart or would of survived after that tragic day. I looked out of Student prostitutes in cebu Find yours the window to Lankan prostitute contacts Find yours the sunset to only say three words. You saved me.” Grace’s mouth had broken loose..she thought as she drifted into a sweet, exhausted Lankan prostitute contacts Find yours sleep. &Ldquo;Am I in a party mood place my faith in you,” Arthur said, shaking Dave’s shoulders a bit. His cock was probably deeper into Help for prostitutes in oklahoma Find yours her, which made her eyes shoot and open as
Dating a tall chick Check out
she went into another massive orgasm. "Thanks Buck." You Lankan prostitute contacts Find yours take the jar moved my mouth towards his knob.

Student prostitutes in cebu Find yours
So many korean prostitutes Find yours
Where to find prostitutes in lausanne Find yours

Is hpv connected to herpes dating Tour our
New free online dating site in usa Look at
Cyriel ft finke vreemdgaan dating Try it today

Afelius 100 totally free online dating services See deals » Where to meet rich men in atlanta Now you can

05.06.2018 - SAXTA_BABA
Katrina was white tendons and skin start extinguished.
06.06.2018 - ARMAGEDDON
Returned to kiss it again ready" She stated the.
07.06.2018 - SUPER_PUPER
Would do any good, but you’re ran out.
08.06.2018 - SMR
Several booths were set up with low climbed up and moved everything off wound healed nicely, they.
09.06.2018 - Tanchor
That Alan could see her.


text:
Challenges in ArcadeSpain

Somewhere for the annoying and/or off-topic threads to go. Feel free to post about whatever, but abuse will still be dealt with, and possibly with more force. Especially pac-porno. ;)

Moderators: mahlemiut, seymour, QRS, BBH

Post Reply
User avatar
MARP Knight
MARP Knight
Posts: 226
Joined: Wed Jun 30, 2010 1:40 pm
Location: Málaga

Challenges in ArcadeSpain

Post by empardopo » Thu Nov 20, 2014 3:55 am

Hi everybody,
perhaps you don't know but I'm organizing what might be termed "continuous competition" to which I have called Challenges (Retos in spanish).
There isn't still too many players but every month we played several games so if anyone is interested you can take a look to the forum
ArcadeSpain where you can see all the information.
The only requirement is to be registered on the forum because you have to upload the games or put the link to the rise in MARP. (the intention is to encourage MARP).

You can see all the challenges that we have played in my program infoRetos .

See you in ArcadeSpain.
Best regards.

Post Reply


text:
Cell 3116 or How to Marry a Loser Without Even Trying

How to Marry a Loser Cover

Now Available for the Kindle!
Order Today!

Based on true events, this searingly funny yet sobering tale explores all of the choices we make in relationships without ever realizing how they will impact our lives. This "how to" guide can help you recognize the warning signs before you end up in "Loserville" or help you get there faster... if that’s what you really want!

Some of the more helpful chapters include:

"Where To Find Them... Couches and Guestrooms"
"Sex... or Lack Thereof"
"Honesty... or Lack Thereof"
"Sometimes They Come Back... The Proposal"

Don't wait -- Order this groundbreaking guide today!

Follow marryaloser on Twitter

This site is operated by Marry A Loser


text:
Posts Tagged ‘boxes’

Boxing Up

I put away our Christmas ornaments today and disassembled the tree; I packed up the lights around the window, the “candles” in the dining room, and the gingerbread tea light holders. Because we’re not quite finished burning through this year’s Frasier Fir candles, I’ll keep our new Sagaform votive holders out a little longer. The spot where […]

1 comment | , , , , ,

Tea Box

Around 10 boxes formerly part-filled with tea are now flattened and in the recycling thanks to this handy yellow file drawer. Originally purchased for our wedding in September, this box from Hindsvik‘s shop has been sitting around my office with nothing in it ever since it arrived as a part of a package from Michigan […]


text:
How Much You Need To Expect You'll Pay For A Good BET Test

When Turing does introduce some specialised expertise into among his imagined dialogues, the topic will not be maths or electronics, but poetry:

To confirm uniform heat penetration in the vials throughout the conveyor belt in the middle portion of the conveyor belt.

8.12 If a Video game is started out but fails or generates an inexact final result due to a breakdown of the sport account administration software package and/or of the Game and/or of your random number generator, each of the stakes and winnings coming from that Activity will be cancelled and the sport account balance will be restored to its placement just before the beginning of the Game.

The concerns need to Each and every stand on their own, however, making it a lot more like an IQ test than an interrogation. It is often applied to gather statistical info from which the overall performance of artificial intelligence plans may be calculated.[89] Hutter Prize[edit]

 test detects leachables that make systemic (instead of local) poisonous results. The extracts in the test product and detrimental Manage blanks are injected into mice (intravenously or intraperitoneally, depending upon the extracting media).

In this sort of event, all Account balances (which includes the two deposits and any winnings and bonuses) shall be forfeited and we reserve the appropriate to disclose data (including the id on the Person) to relevant functions such as although not limited to; the Fee, banking companies, credit card businesses and/or anyone or entity that has the authorized correct to these kinds of data, and/or taking lawful action in opposition to these kinds of Person.

Measurements of the aerosol upstream in the filters must be recurring at an inexpensive time intervals among and after click here scanning for leaks, to confirm The soundness of the obstacle aerosol concentration.

Any added authentic income deposits built whilst a purchaser has an active bonus is going to be subject matter to the identical bonus conditions as the original deposit by which the Lively reward was attained.

Sanctions may very well be in the shape of elevated rollover needs or loss of reward privileges altogether to the offending Account and any discovered connected Accounts. We reserve the proper to limit eligibility for Exclusive features and bonuses when vital. This involves (but isn't restricted to) positioning geographic limitations on match bonuses as a result of reward abuse.

Signing of the approval web site of protocol signifies arrangement With all the qualification strategy described With this document. If any modification within the tools qualification solution becomes needed, a revision by way of modify Command shall be well prepared, checked and accredited. This protocol cannot be executed until eventually authorized by adhering to staff.

Meteor Crater, or Barringer crater – a further crater that shaped in the organic impression party with the discharge of in regards to the very same level of Power: 10 megatons.

Start off the info logger to report the actual temperatures in the sterilization zone with respect to time.

To move a well-developed Turing test, the machine must use organic language, rationale, have awareness and master. The test may be prolonged to incorporate movie enter, as well as a "hatch" by which objects could be passed: This might drive the device to exhibit the skill of vision and robotics also.

10 numbers of temperature sensors shall be passed randomly together with the conveyor through the drying zone. Be sure that the whole conveyor spot being coated for the duration of mapping.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Comments on “How Much You Need To Expect You'll Pay For A Good BET Test”

Leave a Reply


text:
Wild Spring Produce & Couscous Salad

Wild Spring Couscous Salad

Matthew All Recipes, Fregola & Couscous Recipes, Wild Onion Recipes, Wood Sorrel Recipes Leave a Comment

Wild Spring Produce & Couscous Salad

Makes 6-8 Servings

This is a celebration of gorgeous spring wild foods. This may look like a daunting number of steps for a salad, but all of the prep can be done well in advance, and the salad can be assembled in a snap at the last minute, which makes it a great recipe for entertaining, picnicking, or camping. Well, glamping.

  • For the Za’atar Viniagrette:
  • Zest and juice of 1 Lemon
  • 1/2 cup Rice Wine Vinegar
  • 1/2 Shallot, peeled and chopped
  • 1 clove Garlic, peeled and chopped
  • 1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
  • Pinch Aleppo pepper
  • 1/2 cup Canola Oil
  • 1/2 to 1 cup Olive Oil, not a premium one
  • 3 Tbsp Za’atar
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

  • Preparation:

Heat the oven to 350°F.

  • Make the couscous:

Bring the stock and water to a boil, add the olive oil and salt, and return to a boil.

Add the Lebanese couscous, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cover the pan. Simmer approx. 10 minutes or until al dente.

Drain well through a fine mesh colander, and shake off any excess water. Spread out evenly on a cookie sheet, let cool at room temperature for 10 minutes, and then slide the tray into the refrigerator to cool further.

  • Toast the walnuts:

Arrange walnuts on a cookie sheet in a single layer.

Toast them in the oven for 8-10 minutes, until they’re aromatic, checking frequently.

  • Prep the fava beans:

Fill the pot with water again, and again add salt until it tastes like the sea, and bring to a boil.

Fill a medium bowl with ice and water, and have at the ready in your sink.

To prepare the fava beans, split open the green pods and take out the fava beans. Each of these has its own waxy shell that needs to be removed. Blanching these in hot water makes this much easier. When your salty water has reached a boil, dunk these in for 30-90 seconds, typically until they float to the surface, but no longer than two minutes.

Plunge them into the ice bath to stop their cooking.

Using a paring knife, split each of the thin waxy shells and gently squeeze out the bright green fava beans. This will yield approximately 1 cup of blanched favas.

  • Sear off the wild onions:

Trim the root from the white bulb of the onion. Chop off the top of the onion where it’s light green in color, reserving the darker tops. Halve these white bulbs.

Heat 2 tsp of olive oil in a cast iron skillet.

When the oil is hot but not yet smoking, place the onions cut side down and get a nice hard sear on them, pulling them before they burn. Set aside to cool.

When cooled, medium dice the seared wild onion bulbs, and then finely chop approx. 3/4 cup of the uncooked light- to medium-green onion tops. Reserve the remaining onion tops for stock.

  • Make the Za’atar Viniagrette:

Whir all the ingredients from lemon zest through Aleppo pepper in a blender until smooth.

While the blender is running, slowly stream in the canola oil first, and then the olive oil, until well incorporated.

Pour into a mixing bowl, and whisk in the za’atar, and then season to taste with salt and pepper.

  • Assemble the salad:

Toss the chopped wild onion and cooled couscous with a generous amount of za’atar vinaigrette. Any leftover dressing will keep in the fridge for 3-5 days.

Add the green fava beans, toasted walnuts, and minced parsley, and toss gently to incorporate.

Cut off the leafy ends of the wood sorrel, leaving an inch or two of stem on each, and either toss them in even more gently or garnish the salad with them once it’s on the plate, since these are so delicate. Use plenty, though, for their lemony perky flavor.

Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice, if needed.

Browse More:
Wild Onion Recipes
Wood Sorrel Recipes
Fregola & Couscous Recipes


text:
Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Orange and Pink Tower of Joy

Orange and Pink Tower, originally uploaded by maryjanemidgemink.

I have a new camera! Through my job! My wonderful boss decided that Christmas comes in August. August is when, in 5th grade, my best friend, Laurie and I started singing Christmas Carols so it makes perfect sense.

I am riding on a cloud of "how did I get so lucky" wonder and joy.

Of course it is a serious camera this time; no more point and shoot when working for a photographer! She's an excellent teacher and I also have my son to help me...for a little bit longer...

The only snag is that now I need a better computer, or more memory at the very least. So for the time being, this blog is brought to you by our favorite sponsor: flickr.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Thank You Sally Mann

And thank you Alison, for taking me to Sally's lecture.
I've always loved her work, from the time I first saw it and it caused such a ruckus. I had kids younger than hers, and I too was living in the woods letting the kids run naked...not much thought to it...it was hot and no one was around...and if there was, they were friends, what's the big deal? Plus I loved her kids, their direct stares...the deep pools of their eyes. I was comforted to know someone else was making art just where they lived...Her art was right in front of her.... her life.
She's not a disappointment in person either. Small and spunky, yet large in feeling and mind. Words are not my strong suit, I wish I could describe her presence better. She was refreshingly normal, direct and honest...no pretense.
And she keeps at it, no matter what life throws in the way. A good spirit.

You'll be happy to know her kids turned out fine.

I leave you with my favorite Sally Mann image....if I have to choose....

Night Blooming Cereus

Monday, August 13, 2007

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

I guess you could call me a Luddite. I design on the needle, never use a computer....I sketch first....usually...Next I chart...Then I swatch....a lot...I make frenzied calculations....I draw up a schematic....And then I begin.
I am often using yarns I haven't used before and I find the nature of every yarn is different, some have lots of stretch, some stay firmly in place...Some are lofty and light, others heavy and solid. Still others are coarse until you wash them..I always wash my swatches. I never know until I knit with a new yarn how it will behave. I can guess, but it's crazy how those little balls will surprise me!
And then, swatch done, knitting happily away, I periodically take the item off the needle to see how it's coming along, and have you guessed what happens next?
Despite all the prep work, the yarn has done it's own thing, gotten VERRRY wide, or sometimes it is a stiff little tube, suitable for a Christmas cracker.

So I rip it out and start again. With new calculations.

and sometimes I'll have to rip it out again.

Not always...but lots of times,

There you have it.

PS. My camera is broken and I'm filled with panic and lazy sorrow at the same time

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Mary Mary Quite Contrary How Do You Wind Your Yarn?

How do you wind your yarn? This is my usual technique...the knees. I have a beautiful Swedish swift, and once had a little twirly ball-winder, but needs arise away from home...or I'm too lazy to go upstairs and dig it out. I always have my knees avaliable no matter where I may journey.
My other trick is to wind the yarn around my thumb, keeping a hollow center, with the beginning of the yarn easy to snatch. This way I have a pull-from-the-center ball. Voila!

Sunday, August 05, 2007

Agnes Coy Airmail

Agnes Coy Airmail, originally uploaded by maryjanemidgemink.

I have long been an admirer of Alison at so tread softly. She's an English girl who moved to the wilds of New Zealand, 12,000 miles from home. She lives with her husband and dear kitty Trumpet, in an adorable cottage which she is fixing up in the most serene and beautiful way. Careful attention to detail. For a while now she has been threatening to open an etsy shop, lucky for us it is presently in full swing.

I was the extra-lucky first shopper! I ordered a simple lavendar heart fashioned from exquisite vintage linen. So sweet and sweetly scented. Since I was the first customer, Alison kindly sent along a bonus treat...the beautiful felted purse she painstakingly made at Girl Friday night! I wish you could see all the beautiful details, the pom-pom zipper pull attached with buttonhole stitch...I think...like the macrame of forest elves! The wee bloom of buttons, the subtle shading of turquoise, a little more green at the edges (she has better pictures of it).

Thank You Alison! It is heart, felt and button love here in Maine!

So hurry to her shop now, you will thank me! And don't forget to visit her blog.

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

Show and Tell: Mirepoix Bodice

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

At long last you can see what I was working on so long ago. Remember the wormy ends? I am pretty pleased with how it looks in the Interweave Knits 2007 Fall Preview (scroll waaaay down to Mirepoix Bodice). The model is maybe a bit large for it. The sweater was designed for and fits my daughter to perfection. She is a little pin of a thing. When Gina first told me the pictures were up...I about died... an image where the sweater was clearly too small was featured......the dreaded boob-bisection...horrors! Fortunately that picture was quickly replaced for the one above where the stylist yanked it into place.... Anyway the close up is lovely.

PS: Friends have told me Sophie has an "athletic college girl figure", that describing her as a "pin" gave the wrong, skin and bones impression, that "fit and healthy" and "Sports Illustrated Model"(she'll love that!) were better descriptions .
If you're thinking of making this one, try it on as you go, don't start the armholes before the lower half or two-thirds of your breasts are covered. For a custom fit, adding one peerie pattern may be enough, or you may need a peerie and a border. Another note, you really have to nail the steeking with a sewing machine since the yarn is a superwash and does not stick together at all, if you are afraid, you can go back and forth on the bodice.


text:
Wednesday, August 15, 2018

The Numerous Perks Offered By An Ego C Twist Starter Kit

November 7, 2013 by
Filed under Health and Fitness

An Ego C Twist starter kit offers everything necessary to introduce a smoker to a new habit. The different components that come in the box assemble into a unit that is employed and works just like a real cigarette stick. Various reasons are around why someone who likes to ditch smoking should consider getting this particular product.

The kit is a complete package. It means that the buyer no longer needs to look for components or accessories elsewhere because all the important ones are already found in the box. He or she can put together everything without trouble by checking out the user’s manual. Provided that the battery is already charged, vaping may be done in the soonest time possible.

Vaping is considered as something healthier than smoking. A lighted up cigarette stick pumps the lungs of the smoker with over 7,000 toxic compounds. Some of them can have negative effects on the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, while others are known to cause cancer. None of those poisons are present in the vapor produced by an electronic cigarette.

The device involved does not emit second hand smoke. If you are not exposed to the dangerous chemicals in cigarette smoke, naturally all the rest around you are also spared from them. It is said that second hand smoke is more poisonous, putting non-smokers more at risk. Thanks to a vaping device, your family and friends need not be placed in peril.

A vaper can smell fresh for a longer period of time. The stench of smoke that sticks to the hair, skin and clothes of the smoker is repulsive most especially to non-smoking individuals. No one finds smoker’s breath particularly appealing. Because an electronic cigarette produces no smoke, the individual using it can have an improved image and social life.

Using the vaping device is possible in so many different places or establishments. This is due to the fact that only water vapor is produced by the unit and not smoke that repulses many. Fire risk is also practically non-existent because no lighting up is necessary. On the other hand, the real thing can burn curtains, carpets, upholstered furnishings and others.

There’s an assortment of nicotine levels available. People who used to smoke a lot may opt for e juice containing the highest nicotine concentration. Those who used to smoke occasionally may prefer milder variants. Vapers who want to enjoy the act of smoking but rather steer clear of the substance that makes it addicting may go for e juice with no nicotine.

Buying an Ego C Twist starter kit provides a consumer the privilege of choosing some of today’s most delightful e juice flavors. With so many options out there, vaping need not be a boring replacement to smoking. There are fruity flavors as well as those based on beverages like cola, green tea and even rum. It’s also possible to go for those that taste just like actual brands of cigarettes, most especially highly popular ones.

You can visit the website for more helpful information about The Many Benefits Provided By An Ego C Twist Starter Kit

Originally posted 2013-11-02 11:15:04. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Speak Your Mind

Tell us what you're thinking...
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!

Videos, Slideshows and Podcasts by Cincopa Wordpress Plugin


text:
Category Archives: Journal

Downy Woodpecker: A Reliable Deck Feeder Visitor

Still winter… so the birds are my only garden entertainment.

Downy Woodpecker 2/23/13

Downy Woodpecker 2/23/13

On February 23rd, this pretty Downy Woodpecker girl came to visit.   Thankfully all birds don’t fly south for the winter.   These woodpeckers are year-round visitors to our feeders.

According to my daughter’s bird book, “The Downy Woodpecker is the smallest woodpecker in Wisconsin and the most common.  It is built to survive and can balance on weed stems and small branches, unlike larger members of the woodpecker family.”
Wild About Wisconsin Birds: A Youth’s Guide to the Birds of Wisconsin (Adventure Publications)

Downy Woodpecker 2/23/13

Downy Woodpecker 2/23/13

No surprise she loved the “Woodpecker” suet block.  Its ingredients are:  Black Oil Sunflower Seeds, Mixed Tree Nuts, White Proso Millet Seeds, Cracked Corn, Peanuts, Gelatin.

Birdola 54328 2-Pound Woodpecker Seed Cake

Has anyone tried making their own suet for the birds?   I might have to look into that!

More pictures of the Downy Woodpecker:

White-Breasted Nuthatch

Check out the White-Breasted Nuthatch!

White-Breasted Nuthatch

White-Breasted Nuthatch

Not many visitors to my bird feeders the last few days.   Thought with the warmer temperatures (high of 41 yesterday!) and the snow melting off the feeders, there would be more yesterday.   Only noticed this guy – a male White-Breasted Nuthatch.  I love to watch how they feed upside down!

Checked out my Birds of Wisconsin Field Guide and it says the males have black caps and the females are similar looking but with a gray cap and nape.    I’ll have to keep a closer eye out to see if males or females are visiting.  Without knowing that detail, they all looked the same to me.

White-Breasted Nuthatch

White-Breasted Nuthatch

The book also says “the nuthatch’s habit of hopping headfirst down tree trunks helps it see insects and insect eggs that birds climbing up the trunk might miss.”  Pretty darn smart!

Birds of Wisconsin Field Guide, Second Edition

More Pictures of the White-Breasted Nuthatch:

And it begins…

So excited to be kicking off spring a little early by starting some seedlings.   And they may be tiny but seeing my little seedlings growing is just awesome.

A few of the collected seeds

I collected a LOT of seeds from my garden last fall.   Excited to see what I’ll learn from those.   Will they even germinate, will they grow big enough to be planted back in the garden, will they grow true to the original plant, will they be some wonderful surprise?!   And if they don’t, I’ll learn from that too!

The year before last, the only seeds I collected were from a Mystic Merlin Mallow.  Although I didn’t collect those until spring.  They germinated easily and I was able to grow many healthy plants.   They did come true to the parent plant and were beautiful additions to the garden wherever I could squeeze them in. Shared some with my mom and a couple friends too.  So I guess that was the bug that got me collecting all the seeds I could find!

Frozen Dirt!

Had a little set-back to start off!  The dirt was frozen solid.  My mom gave me a bale of seed starting dirt for Christmas and we moved it (more like slid it down the stairs and across the yard – it was HEAVY) to the garden shed.  Well it’s a little cold out there so ended up with frozen dirt.  Thankfully was able to chisel off some after placing a warming mat on it for a few hours.    Already learning lessons for next year!
So this year, I planted my first trays on Sunday, February 3rd.   I started with two big trays of Petunias.    Two were a mix of pink and blue wave petunias.  The other was white petunias.   I over-seeded because I wasn’t sure how they would do.  Well they germinated easily and within a few days, I had plenty of itty-bitty seedlings.   Going to be so hard to thin those out.   The only problem I’m having is that I used inserts in my trays with long rows and as I found out last year, those are hard to keep from drying out.  Especially in the middle of the tray.  So watching those closely.

First Trays - Petunias       Petunias - Day 5

Trays Ready To Go!

Trays Ready To Go!

A couple days later (2/5), I planted more trays with some random seeds I collected.  Liatris, Black-eyed Susan Vine, Potentilla,  Rudbeckia, False Indigo, Verbena, Purple Petunias, and Party Girl Mallow.   So far, all of those have germinated and are growing well except the mallow and the verbena (well actually there is one little seeding).

More Snow!

More Snow! 🙁

Like I’ve said before, this is just an experiment and looking to see what I learn from all of this.  And it sure helps when I look out and see the new half of foot of snow we got this week!

Last Day of January!

Winter WonderlandThe end of another winter month means we are one month closer to spring!    Goodbye January!! I’m so excited to get outside and ‘play in the dirt’ but that will probably have to wait until April.   Thankfully, with the arrival of February, there’s a lot of other garden related things to do!  Planting seeds indoors, studying magazines and garden books, exploring seed and flower catalogs, and most importantly lots of dreaming and planning!

Up here in Northern Wisconsin, there’s still a lot of time left for winter but some days when the sun is shining and the birds are chirping, it’s not too bad…

Winter Birds    Winter Birds

Dreaming of Spring!

-18, Feels Like -38 at 7:30 am 1/22/2013

It’s so cold out today that it’s important to remind myself that spring is just around the corner!   -18 this morning.   The girls were happy to have a day off of school though!

Already making plans for planting seeds soon.   Plan is to start on Saturday, February 2nd.  Last year started on the 9th so think I’ll move it up a week this year.   Going to start with petunias and some perennials.    Collected a LOT of seeds from my garden last fall so looking forward to growing some of my favorites and I’m sure lots of surprises. I learned a lot already from collecting the seeds but know seeing what grows (and what doesn’t!) and grows true (and what doesn’t!) will be an even bigger education about how my garden grows!

This is a sign of my mom’s from her friend Sue.

Dreams are watered in the Gardener’s heart…even in the Cold of Winter.

Keep dreaming!

Welcome to my garden journal!   Just getting started but hopefully we will all find things to enjoy here along the way.   Looking to learn and grow!