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Sunday, October 12, 2008

The Bible: I Have Questions

"Hell, if granny doesn't know, do you think I will?!"
Warning: This post may rile your feathers, piss you off, or you may want to stone me, but this is my blog so...

Any true scholar has an open mind. Not so open that your brains fall on the floor, but you are open to learn. Well, this scholar was forced into taking theology classes at Rockhurst University by an atheist. Before you gasp and write angry letters to the university saying how atheists shouldn't be allowed to teach a class on theology, open your mind. In my opinion, atheists are great unbiased teachers. It's not that they are devil worshipers, they just don't believe in anything. They teach facts. I like facts. Before you go getting all bent out of shape, I am also a Christian & I believe in faith (it's even tat'd on my wrist in Arabic).

As a child, I was raised by two parents who met in theology school. I figured they should know everything there is to know. Problem is, they had to much faith and not enough facts. My biggest question was always, how the Bible was written. The answer I always received was: Prophets were inspired by God. Call me cynical, but that answer just simply isn't acceptable to an inquisitive mind. My next question, was how? I imagined prophets sitting in a room lit with a single candle and a quil pen as God spoke to them. At times, I hear the voice of God, but it sure isn't enough to write a whole book about. Maybe I'm just not prophetic enough.

I finally got my answer in 2006.

The Bible was writen over a course of many many MANY years. Each book of the Bible has a specific purpose and an agenda. The scrolls were collected and stored at churches, then the version known as the King James Version was translated during his rule...around 1611. Take a break from reading my blog and Wiki: Authorized King James Version. I'll wait....

I'm not doubting that the men who actually wrote the original words of the Bible aren't holy, but I'm questioning the intent of the 47 scholars that edited this holy book. I quote:
"The king gave the translators instructions designed to guarantee that the new version would conform to the ecclesiology and reflect the episcopal structure of the Church of England and its beliefs about an ordained clergy."

If this doesn't raise questions in your mind, I don't know what does. The purpose of this post is NOT to turn people away from God, I'm just raising questions & looking for answers. I'm no historian, but I know for a fact that rulers don't always have the purest intentions in mind. They often use their power to push their own beliefs on others. I also know for a fact that the original Bible consisted of several more books that have mysteriously dissapeared. What information did those books contain? How much of the original content from the surviving books, actually made it into this version that so many Christians hold dear to their hearts? What exactly was the Church of England's "ecclesiology" and "episcopal structure" in 1604 when translation began?

My next concern has to do with the actual translation of the Bible. I'm speaking of the very first step: Translating the books of the Bible from their original languages into English.

I studied Latin for 3 years and Spanish for 3 years. I know how difficult the process of translating things can be. Among the obvious roadblocks and plain 'ol human error, think about the words in other languages that simply don't exist in English. English doesn't even have a direct equivalent word for them. I can give you a few examples:
  1. Waldeinsamkeit (German): the feeling of being alone in the woods
  2. Ilunga (Tshiluba, Congo): a person who is ready to forgive any abuse for the first time, to tolerate it a second time, but never a third time
  3. Esprit de l’escalier (French): a witty remark that occurs to you too late, literally on the way down the stairs…
I wonder how many words in the original texts of the Bible left scholars searching for ways to explain them in English? How many words were simply mistakenly mistranslated?

My last concern is about the actual content in the Bible. I've heard several conflicting instructions. A few pastors have told me that the Old Testament is the "Old Law" and is no longer followed. You should only follow the New Testament, the "New Law." I don't think all Christians got the memo.

After you figure out weither to pay attention to both testaments or pick just one, you have to then choose which instructions to follow and which to classify as outdated and ignore. One verse in the Bible says you shouldn't play with the skin of a pig. Does that mean football players are comiting a sin? Another part says women should not dress in men's clothing. Pant suits were once considered mens clothing. Do I need to ask God for forgiveness for owning a few? Should protestors be stationed outside of Express, The Limited, and Banana Republic for selling them? It only seems fair since they stand outside of Planned Parenthood and harass pregnant women.

What gives any one the right to choose to ignore these principles but follow principles that deem sex before marriage or same-sex unions a sin? In stating this, I'm not stating any of my personal beliefs. I'm merely asking questions.

Google: Inconsistencis in the Bible

The list is endless. I don't feel the need to elaborate.

I am more spiritual than religious. I beleive in a close and personal relationship with God/Jesus. I believe in prayer or just having a conversation with him. I take the Bible for what it is. I think it contains great stories of how God has worked in people's lives. It's kinda like one big book of testimonies. I believe it can be a great source of wisdom, but I'm not going to follow it to the letter. If that makes me a bad Christian then oh well. God knows my heart. The part I will follow to the letter is the 10 Commandments. They make the most sense to me and I whole-heartidly believe that God wrote them himself. If you notice, they aren't judgemental, they don't condem other people, and most center around the famous Golden Rule. In my opinion, that's what Christianity is all about. God's love.

Mz. Quanta said...

Another interesting post to say the have raised many issues so let me try to be as thorough as possible.

First off, I'll say that it is a good thing to question your spiritual foundation if it prompts you to define what you believe in for yourself. However, there is a fine line between curiosity and doubting God.

I ran into this same issue about a week ago. After talking with my manager at work about some discrepancies he found in the Bible and from other research I began to doubt my faith because he raised some serious questions.

I'd like to use a scripture, if I can, to answer your question about the new testament overriding the old testament. Matthew 5:17-18
17"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

The problem with interpretations is that some people take them out of context and force others to question God's Word vs. the lips that preached it. We cannot base our faith on what man does - he will as we all do fall short. What gets me is that it is so easy to doubt the Bible, yet we accept so many other books without question.

I'm not knocking your for your post, but let's be real about it. We both went to Lincoln and used some of the same some of the same tales of american and int'l history. Did you for one second question the validity of say a battle mentioned about WWII?

Let me bring another scripture into this thang. Hebrews 11:1
1Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. If we rely on what our limited brains can comprehend we will always have a stumbling block in our faith - at some point you either accept the Bible as truth or not.

We cannot pick what we want out of the Bible because it is all that we understand. Prov 3:5
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Just because we do not understand something or a particular scripture is unexplained does not mean the Bible contradicts itself and is invalid. We were born into this world so it existed before us and it will exist after we're long gone so it is unrealistic to even think we will find all of the answers. In my opinion, I might not understand every passage in the Bible, but for me to question any part of it would invalidate the rest. It has not been proven wrong and I don't think there is any book that has been published that I can say the same. It is the only guide we have to learn how to live a Christ-like life. Do you think God would allow us to be led by a false manual?

Love ya boo

Jaz said...

I'm in no way questioning my faith. Like i said at the beginning of the post, it's tat'd on my wrist and faith is the only reason I actually even believe in God. The scripture you quoted from Matthew actually proves one of my points on the problems I have with the Bible. If whoever who wrote that verse is actually speaking about all the laws listed in the Bible (which were actually more "laws" of the church at the time NOT God's commandments) then everybody is committing sins they don't even know about, like playing football & women wearing jeans. By quoting a verse from the Bible you brought up a whole nother issue I didn't even talk about. It's why I don't like sermons. People take a verse or two from the Bible and use them to get their message across ignoring the actual context of the verse.

Just as I don't doubt the history we read in our history books, I look at them the same way I do the Bible. I take it in strides. I don't doubt what they say happened, happened. I do know it's not the whole story though. Just as textbooks and history as we know it was written with a purpose, so was the Bible. I'm not doubting that things in the Bible didn't happen, my concern is with what those 47 scholars did while editing it. Unlike history, where Black people were left out of the books, but we can go to other sources to find out the "real deal," doing that with the Bible is hard to do. In the end, the Bible is nothing more than a historical textbook that we consider holy.

In reading your comments I think you misunderstood the post. I'm not questioning if the Bible is true or not. I'm questioning how the King James Version came to be a "Version." If the Bible we read is merely a version, that means that other versions have existed before this one did. Again, I direct you to Wiki to look that one up.

In the end, I'd be happier with a book containing ALL of the original scrolls. The KJV is an "authorized" version. You may shoot me for saying this, but the way it was edited/compiled was done in the same way that propaganda is done. It's meant to push the ideologies of its commissioner.

When reading this and forming my belief structure, I take all of this into consideration. That's why I consider myself spiritual instead of religious. For the sake of mainstream classification purposes I am considered a Liberal Christian. I'll follow the 10 Commandments to the letter and consider the rest, wise suggestions. I consider the 10 Commandments to be "the law."

The Bible isn't a false manual by any means. I just personally feel that people don't follow it correctly or understand its purpose.

Mz. Quanta said...

Okay, it seems I might have misunderstood the meat of your post so let me back track a little to clear up some stuff.

Is it that you are questioning the Bible or the writers of it?

I asked myself what would change if more parts of say the Book of Matthew were released or maybe even Revelations. But then again I'm trying to figure out what would it take to change my train of thought. I don't think you're a bad christian for wanting the entire story. Do you think any of the parts that are missing would contradict what's in our Bibles today? If you can agree that the Bible was an inspired text, then all of the missing chapters were written by the same individuals and they should be written in the same perspective.

From what I can understand in your comments, you also question the motive and interpretation of the Bible and even some of the ministers preaching it today.
If we posted a scripture on Facebook, I guarantee we'd get 100 different interpretations of it - it comes down to have experienced God for yourself I hope and you've seen his gracious side as well as his corrective side. Therefore, you are aware of what His character traits are...pick one verse out of the Bible and let's discuss whether it coincides with God's character or man's agenda. It's the only way we can begin an unbiased dialogue and maybe teach each other something.

The fact that you grew up in a house full of strict theologists is probably an underlying reason why you have trouble taking the Bible as literal as your parents have taught you. Church-goers can be very judgmental, it is hard to live your life by a strict set of rules and then condone the lives of others that live outside that set of rules. If you are a Christian, then you push God's agenda and not your own - people will not feel judged but convicted and know that every word you say is rooted in love. It is never my intention to show you how to implement faith in your life or how to read the Bible.

Let's just agree to be honest, open to criticism and most importantly focused on living a Christ-like life vs. a self-governed one.

Jaz said...

I'm questioning the EDITORS of the Bible. The people who got hold of the complete set of scrolls, the original translations, and decided what to include and what to ignore. I don't think these lost scrolls will contradict what the Bible currently has to say, but it will raise some eyebrows to say the least. With the exception of women such as Ruth & Ester, the Bible is pretty tough on women. What if one of those lost scrolls contains new information? What if one of those lost scrolls simply refers to God as a SHE instead of a HE? I have no idea what information is contained in them. Not many people do.

No books of the Bible were written from the same perspective. Some books of the Bible are actually letters written to a certain group of people for specific reasons. Other books, like the gospels, are accounts people have of what happened from their points of views. Some books like Proverbs simply document wise words. What if one of those lost scrolls should have been included with the gospels? That means we are missing a whole book of even more things that Jesus did while he was on Earth.

It's not the verses that display man's agenda. It's the actual included books and the books that were left out. Just as preachers pick and choose scriptures that support their arguments/sermons, those 47 Scholars/Editors picked and chose books of the Bible that got their message across.

I don't even deal with ministers in this post. They are ordained, but they are humans. Plus, all are not the same. I'm happy that you realize there would be 100 interpretations of one verse. That's a flaw. People say that being Gay is a sin, but the verses they use to back it up can be interpreted many ways. Some interpretations support their argument, and others don't. It also leaves room for loopholes. Let's say a transexual man & a transexual woman get married. In essence, this is a union of a genetic man & genetic woman. Where is the sin? I dare a southern Baptist in Mississippi to facilitate their wedding and think he'll still have a congregation once the wedding ceremony is over.

That's why I like the 10 Commandments. There is no interpretation of them. You can't get more simple than these rules.

My parents following the Bible to the letter should mean that I would follow suit. After all, that's how I was raised. Not to question things. Unfortunately, that's not how God made me. I've always questioned everything around. I've always questioned conventional thought. It's like I was never born with that "veil" that W.E.B Dubois spoke of in his book Soul of Black Folk. Unlike the majority of people, I'm not scared to see the world for what it is and understand all sides of it. I'm that rare person who sees the world in color while others see it in black & white then argue with me that color doesn't exist.

What people consider laws in the Bible, they were actually laws of the land during Biblical days. They aren't necessarily "God's Laws." The only laws God ever gave us were the 10 commandments. I'll end this comment with 5.

* DEUTERONOMY 22:13-21
If it is discovered that a bride is not a virgin, the Bible demands that she be executed by stoning immediately.
If a married person has sex with someone else's husband or wife, the Bible commands that both adulterers be stoned to death.
* MARK 10:1-12
Divorce is strictly forbidden in both Testaments, as is remarriage of anyone who has been divorced.
The Bible forbids a married couple from having sexual intercourse during a woman's period. If they disobey, both shall be executed.
* MARK 12:18-27
If a man dies childless, his widow is ordered by biblical law to have intercourse with each of his brothers in turn until she bears her deceased husband a male heir.
* DEUTERONOMY 25:11-12
If a man gets into a fight with another man and his wife seeks to rescue her husband by grabbing the enemy's genitals, her hand shall be cut off and no pity shall be shown her.

Mz. Quanta said...

This discussion is kinda going in circles...the fact that there are 100 interpretations of the same scripture is a flaw in the reader, not the Bible.

You said that if the missing scrolls re-surfaced it would not contradict the word that has already been brought forth so why is it so important? If God is referred to as SHE vs. HE that might change our interpretation but the essence of who HE is. He's not a man or woman in the sense we're used to.

You have listed 5 scriptures but you made no comment on why they are important. Do they contradict each other?

See I think again that you are focusing on the messenger and not the message. All of those scriptures are self-explanatory and require no elaboration. Yes, they are very strict and are not followed to a tee. Does that mean the Bible is questionable or people's obedience of the word?

Jaz said...

I actually can see how all the interpretations can be a flaw on both parts, but the questions I raise in my post have nothing to do with the interpretation of the Bible verses. It has to do with the manner in which the King James Version of the Bible came to be a Version. What about the other "Versions?"

If you re-read the paragraph above where I posted the Bible verses, you'll see why I posted them. I posted them to show items the Bible lists as "Laws" that were actually laws of the land/church at the time and not actual Laws from God like Christians understand them to be. I also posted them as examples to my point of how Christians pick and choose which of these "Laws" they want to follow. When identifying sins, Christians look to these "Laws" and quote scriptures containing them, but ignore "Laws" like the ones I referenced. Again I say, Why ignore some rules but live by others? This further supports my decision to only follow the 10 Commandments as I believe they are the only "Laws" in the Bible that are actually "God's Laws."

To your question about knowing why the missing scrolls are important, I'll simply ask you this. Would you purchase a book if you knew it wasn't complete and things were missing? I highly doubt it. You'd go to the store and demand your money back. If it's something like a history book that you'll be tested on, I know for a fact you'd be pissed if it conveniently left out the years from when the Slave trade first began to when the slaves were freed. Although knowing that information won't contradict history as you know it, you'll be missing information from what happened in your past. It might be nice to know that your ancestors were enslaved for a couple hundred years or so. I'm just sayin. Plus, if you consider yourself to be an intellectual person, you should have an inner desire to know the whole story even if it doesn't radically change any of your prior information. If I'm basing my life around something, I want the whole story.

Saying the scrolls could possibly refer to God as SHE was just an example. I don't know what those scrolls contain. I guarantee that even one reference to God as SHE would fuel a feminist movement though. As a woman, you must know and understand the bigger picture. I agree, it doesn't change the character of God, but that simple reference would have a huge impact on Christian women everywhere. The fact that men allowed the highest possible ruler to be refereed to as a woman, is a powerful statement.

Again, my focus is not on the messenger in terms of Christians spreading the Gospel or Ministers/Pastors in the church. The flaws with that are obviously to immense to even waste my time exposing. Any random person can see those visible flaws.

I think you may find it helpful to Wiki or Google the term: "Liberal Christian." If you read it with an open mind, I feel you will be able to better understand how I view things. At the root of everything, I view the Bible as a historian would view any historical document. That's what the Bible is, an historical document people have deemed as sacred. You also need to understand that although I raise questions about the Bible, I don't find it questionable. I find the way people use it and how they view it to be questionable.

To understand how I view things, you may also want to read Soul of Black Folk by W.E.B Dubois. He speaks about a "veil" of conventional thought people unknowingly wear. I don't have that veil. Although my views on things are as unpopular and unconventional as Martin Luther's were back when he nailed that document to the church's front door, I'm only speaking the truth. He was also only speaking the truth. People just don't want to take that chance to open their eyes and see the world in color instead of black and white. New things can be scary for some.

I mean, who actually wants to "question" the use of the very document they base their life around. If you don't ask questions, you'll never gain true knowledge. In my quest for biblical knowledge, I've reshaped my views on the Bible and have gained a stronger relationship and awe of God in the process. In a book compiled by imperfect & self-serving humans, God's true law (The 10 Commandments) shines like a 160 watt bulb in a dark room with no windows or doors. The red, highlighted, words or Jesus in the Gospels shines just as brightly. While the rest of the Bible places sin and punishment in most cases, in the same sentence, these two pieces of the Bible don't. No amount of editing can change that. This one example of the differences in their words versus the words of man in the Bible make my core faith in the holy trinity stronger.

If you take anything at all away from this post, I want you to realize that it's dangerous and unwise to label many things as sin. Christians need to leave that up to God. I'm saying, just because a screwdriver isn't going to be any use to you as a measuring cup doesn't mean it's not going to work when it comes time to putting a screw in something. People need to use things for their intended purpose. The parts of the Bible people use as a LAW book weren't meant for that purpose. People need to take the Bible for what it is and look to it more as an extremely thick book containing TONS and TONS of testimonies of the wonderful things God has done for his people.

Mz. Quanta said...

I went to Wikipedia and have a better understanding of who liberal christians are.

As I have said I respect your opinions babe. We both agree to not view spirituality as a black and white issue. However, you require more of a factual basis than I do and that's a foundation that we will not agree on. I vowed that I would take Him at His word and since I do not have another book besides the bible (despite the version) it is all I have and I've accepted that.


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Monday, February 16, 2009

He's like water.

He drifted into my life and I allowed his strong current to wrap me up in a whirlwind love affair. I ended up with a serious case of love jones, and well he....was nourishing to my soul.

He caused my juices to flow then rehydrated me over and over and over again.

He washed away the residue left from being hurt by other men. His gentle tide and peaceful sounds as he crashed against the shore put my mind at ease.

One day I went to his banks to find refreshment and he was gone. The space he once occupied had turned to dry desert land.

I did my rain dance hoping he'd return. Return he did. With a furry.

Before I knew it, his waters became turbulent. He dumped the underbelly of his sea onto me and had me wondering how something so naturally pleasant and cleansing to the soul could leave everything in ruins.

Just as quickly as the storm began, it ended. The waters became calm and I was left hurt and angry.

I stood at his banks and yelled and cursed. When he didn't respond I filed a complaint with Neptune, the God of the Sea.

I returned home exhausted.

Just as I had begun teaching myself to go without, he comes back. His familiar gentle rolling seas are ready to embrace me. His salt water has turned fresh. His hues of blue are deeper.

I drank from him once again. As his nourishing liquids entered my body I sensed a change. His spirit wasn't as wild. His intentions weren't as selfish. His focus was completely on refreshing me.

I took a chance and plunged into him. I swam out far then floated on my back, eyes fixated into the sky. I finally let go of the control and trusted his current to guide me.

He is strong yet gentle
He is peaceful but forceful
He is nourishing to my soul

He is like water.

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and update your bookmarks! See ya there!!! :D

May 3, 2011

After hell

Dorothy is a "collective of like-minded people working on unlike-minded ideas." Their message may be simple but brilliantly effective. Toy soldiers that take on a narrative that innocence protects you from. This soldiers have return from combat and are frozen each in there own fogotten state. .We always hear about the wars and combats but never the aftermath of a personal battle this people have to face on there own.

"The hell of war comes home. In July 2009 Colorado Springs Gazettea published a two-part series entitled “Casualties of War”. The articles focused on a single battalion based at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs, who since returning from duty in Iraq had been involved in brawls, beatings, rapes, drunk driving, drug deals, domestic violence, shootings, stabbings, kidnapping and suicides. Returning soldiers were committing murder at a rate 20 times greater than other young American males. A seperate investiagtion into the high suicide rate among veterans published in the New York Times in October 2010 revealed that three times as many California veterans and active service members were dying soon after returning home than those being killed in Iraq and Afghanistan combined. We hear little about the personal hell soldiers live through after returning home."

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Nadra ID Cards Re verification will Start Soon Chaudhry Nisar

According to the ARY News Tv Channels Chaudhry Nisar Interior Ministry of Pakistan says Nadra ID Cards re verification process will start soon. Plan will be ready in next 48 hours. After the death of Mullah Mansoor leader of Tehreek-e-Taliban a Nadra issued ID Card was found near the dead body in Balochistan province of Pakistan. Heavy Bribe was paid to the Nadra officials and officers to get this ID Card. Making Pakistan more secure re verification of ID Cards becomes more important.

Soon we will share more news and procedure about the re verification of the Nadra’s issued ID Cards. Stay tuned for more updates.

Nadra Cards Reverification


text:
Better way to indicate that one of my ebooks has been updated.

Great site O' would be really helpful on the 'Your Accounts' page if you gave a visual indication that an ebook has been updated - i.e. the Updated date is later than my Added date. Perhaps show the Updated date field to be green in this case? This would save me from having to scan all my books and compare the two dates for each to see if I need to download a later copy - my list is getting rather long! I see you can sort by the Updated column but that does not help very much in this case.

2 people like
this idea


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Friday, 21 October 2016

The Hex

I love radio drama, and this adaptation of M.R. James' 'Casting the Runes' is good fun. A nice pre-Hallowe'en listen.

Jason Newton said...

Nice. It's been some time since I heard that.

Here's something else by Robert Aickman

Kind Regards

valdemar said...

Thanks, Jason!


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text: [ Bands ] [ Pictures ] [ News ] [ Tourdates ] [ Contact ] [ Hell Over Hammaburg ] Home > > Bands > > Alte Promo > > False Icons Fotos God Complex False Icons www.falseicons.com Release: 13th Planet Records / Soulfood 21.11.2008 (GER) Info: False Icons will be releasing their debut CD, God Complex, in November 2008 on 13th Planet Records. The band features industrial rock veteran John Bechdel on vocals, guitar and keyboards; Brian Broadt ..boards, vocals and guitars; Mark Panek on drums; and Dave Brown on bass. Mixed and produced by Ministry’s Al Jourgensen God Complex combines elegantly layered keyboards, heavy guitars, deep bass, sophisticated atmospheric touches and John’s unique vocal style. Dark and powerful, God Complex is an inspirational journey of imagery and emotion that is sure to capture the attention of fans of powerful, extreme music the world over. Each track on God Complex creates its own separate world - a synthetic landscape of sounds, rhythms and dark, airy melodies. Bechdel’s descriptive lyrics and unique vocal style deliver an intriguing series of futuristic visions, life’s journeys and mysteries. His eloquent guitar lines swirl through Broadt’s hard-charging electronic beats and occasional heroic vocal rants, carving their way through plethoras of synthesizers. God Complex is a dense, layered and kaleidoscopic collection of songs created by a quartet of adept musicians and more importantly, music fans with an unbridled zeal and enthusiasm for creating adventurous music. John Bechdel is one of the great behind-the-scenes figures on the international industrial rock scene. Though his name might not be immediately recognizeable to your average rock fan, a short perusal of his resume shows he is one of the great unsung heroes of the genre. From playing organ in the family funeral home as a young man to unleashing sonic keyboard assaults for 50,000 sweaty European festival goers, Bechdel is no stranger to musical performance. Bechdel has recorded and toured the world for over twenty years with an impressive array of seminal artists including Ministry, Fear Factory, Prong, Killing Joke, Murder Inc. and Ascension of The Watchers. Through it all however, he always had a vision of leading his own band and this dream was fulfilled when he and Brian Broadt formed False Icons in 2002. The roots of False Icons were planted in Central Pennsylvania in the late ‘90’s. Bechdel had been composing his own music throughout his career as a supporting musician and was looking for the right people to bring his artistic vision to life. He moved from the city to a rural-but-progressive area nestled in central Pennsylvania and met Broadt, a songwriter, guitar player and vocalist with the regionally prominent indie rock band Deckard. Broadt was also an adept computer technician able to apply his tech skills to create richly textured electronically-rooted compositions. This pair realized they had similar musical styles and visions, and began composing music which wove together electronica and industrial rock, resulting in the sound that would define False Icons. Having already established his impressive credentials as a keyboardist and sound programmer, Bechdel stepped out from behind his keyboard to showcase his vocal and guitar work in the new unit, and his songwriting skills matured and really came into their own. With their conceptualization of the False Icons aesthetic crystallized, Bechdel and Broadt began building the perfect live band to perform this music and make their sound still darker and heavier. False Icons’ first recruit was Mark Panek, a professional touring drummer conversant with a full-range of musical styles after 20 years of roadwork who joined their ranks in 2004. From the very first time they played together it was apparent that Panek was perfect for the False Icons’ sound and shared John and Brian's musical vision. Mark’s solid, polished rhythms and tribal tom work proved the perfect complement for FI’s electronics-driven rhythms. In 2006, they completed the group’s line-up with Blues/funk bassist Dave Brown. Panek and Brown’s contributions took False Icons’ music to a whole new level, fully fleshing out the band’s live presentation. In their live performances complemented by interactive real-time computer-generated visuals, False Icons offers a sensual and visceral sonic and visual experience, incorporating tribal tom rhythms, rock and dance beats, fast electro-pulsating sequencers, samples, loops, deep bass grooves and early punk/metal influenced guitar creating a dynamic full-spectrum tapestry of sound. In addition to putting the finishing touches to God Complex this past year Bechdel brought his musical expertise to Numinosum, the full-length debut of Burton C. Bell’s Ascension of The Watchers, and was touring keyboardist for Ministry’s phenomenal 2008 “CuLaTour.” Line-up: John Bechdel - Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards Brian Broadt - Keyboards, Vocals, Guitar Mark Panek - Drums Dave Brown - Bass [ Promotion ] [ Publishing ] [BILD] [BILD] [BILD]


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Business – Sussex County Post Serving the heart of Sussex County Thu, 23 Mar 2017 00:02:45 +0000 en-US hourly 1 110079664 Delaware Electric Cooperative board approves rate decrease Thu, 16 Feb 2017 00:43:50 +0000 GREENWOOD – Delaware Electric Cooperative’s board of directors voted on Feb. 15 to approve a rate decrease for all 93,000 co-op members.

Co-op president and CEO Bill Andrew proposed the rate change in January.

The measure will lower electric bills by five percent and will take effect on March 1.

The rate decrease will save the average family, using 1,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity, $6 per month, or $72 per year.

“Falling wholesale power costs and member participation in our Beat the Peak program allowed us to take this action,” said Mr. Andrew. “While there is no guarantee rates will remain this low, the Co-op currently offers the lowest annualized electric rates in the State, and that’s something we’re very proud of.”

For more information on the rate changes please visit our web site at

Delaware Electric Cooperative is a member-owned electric utility serving 93,000 member-owners in Kent and Sussex Counties, Delaware.

Allen Harim wastewater agreement with Artesian will eliminate discharge into creek Fri, 27 Jan 2017 23:40:21 +0000 HARBESON – Allen Harim has reached an agreement with Artesian Wastewater Management, Inc., that means the poultry company’s Harbeson chicken processing plant will at some point in the future no longer discharge any wastewater into nearby Beaverdam Creek.

During the next 18 months, Artesian will construct a pipeline that will take the facility’s treated wastewater to Artesian’s Northern Sussex Water Recycling Facility north of Milton. From there, Artesian will use it for spray irrigation on agricultural land.

“This will be a game changer for our Harbeson facility,” said Allen Harim President and CEO Joe Moran. “We’ve been discussing this idea with Artesian for nearly nine months and we are pleased to be able to move forward with this plan. Our goal all along has been to reduce our impact to Beaverdam Creek, and this solution eliminates it altogether.”

Allen Harim was granted a “change in scope” to its planned wastewater treatment plant upgrade (known as Phase Two) from Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) last month.

During Phase Two, the company had planned to build additional wastewater treatment units, a filtration unit and a water reuse plant. Instead, Artesian will manage the disposal of all the treated wastewater generated at the Harbeson facility.

DNREC, which loaned Allen Harim $11.5 million to finance the expansion and upgrade of its wastewater treatment facility, also agreed to direct $5 million of the remaining loan balance to fund a one-time impact fee to Artesian, which will be making a $17 million investment in infrastructure for the disposal of the treated wastewater.

The Environmental Protection Agency also approved the new plan.

“Artesian is very pleased to provide a solution for Allen Harim that will allow its treated wastewater to be reclaimed for irrigation, thus reducing nutrients in our rivers, streams and bays while also making farming more financially viable,” said Dian C. Taylor, President and CEO of Artesian.  “Use of reclaimed wastewater for irrigation of agricultural land preserves groundwater supplies and maintains the local natural water cycle,” she noted.

Headquartered in Seaford, Allen Harim operates a chicken processing facility in Harbeson; a hatchery in Dagsboro, a breeding operation in Liberty, NC; and a hatchery and feed mill in Seaford.

The company employs more than 1,750 people in the United States, as well as more than 230 independent growers and 20 company farms across Delmarva.

Outstanding small business honorees land Georgetown chamber salute Thu, 26 Jan 2017 04:22:32 +0000

Clothing Our Kids received the Small Business Trailblazer Award at the Greater Georgetown Chamber of Commerce installation and awards luncheon. From left: State Rep. Ruth Briggs King, Mary Rio and Glenn Schuster of Clothing Our kids, and GGCOC president Angela Emerson.

GEORGETOWN – Votes are in. Envelope, please!

Two volunteer organizations, a business focused on healthcare information technology and another now known around the globe for superior hospitality garnered honors Wednesday at the Greater Georgetown Chamber of Commerce installation and awards luncheon.

The CHEER Community Center was the stage as the chamber saluted four recipients in three Small Business of the Year categories for 2016.

Clothing Our Kids received the Small Business Trailblazer Award, the Joseph Patrick Fabber Memorial Foundation was the pick for Non-Profit of the Year while Microtel Inn & Suites and SecureNetMD shared the spotlight as 2016 Outstanding Business Leader of the Year.

The Joseph Patrick Fabber Memorial Foundation was honored as the Small Business Non-Profit of the Year. From left, Vincenza Fabber, Michael Fabber and GGCOC president Angela Emerson.

Chamber president Angela Emerson said all of the candidates are businesses or organizations that are run well and “actively work to improve the quality of life in their community.”

State Rep. Ruth Briggs King, who represents Georgetown in the 37th District, presented tributes from the state House of Representatives and Senate to award honorees.

Clothing Our Kids

Founded by Mary Rio in 2012, Clothing Our Kids is a 100-percent volunteer organization that works to provide clothing, shoes and coats to at-risk elementary throughout Sussex County.

Working exclusively with 33 school nurses, Clothing Our Children distributed more than 15,000 items to more than 3,500 students.

“Their mission is to ensure that no child in Sussex County ever misses a day of school because he or she does not have clothing or shoes to walk to school in,” said Rep. Briggs King.

“We really appreciate this,” said Ms. Rio. “We’ve been around for five years and we’re starting to get out there now.”

SecureNetMD was one of two Outstanding Small Business Leader of the Year recipients. From left, State Rep. Ruth Briggs King, and Casey Fitzgerald and Rob Nicholson of SecureNetMD.

Ben Gray, manager of the Microtel Inn & Suites, accepts the Outstanding Small Business Leader of the Year Award. At left is State Rep. Ruth Briggs King; at right Greater Georgetown Chamber of Commerce president Angela Emerson.

Joseph Patrick Fabber Memorial Foundation

Founded by Vincenza Fabber in 2013, the JPF’s mission is to secure a drug and bully free society while preventing suicide and preserving life. It is a local, 100-percent volunteer organization that assists children, adolescents and families that are struggling with depression and related disorders.

“Thank you. We are honored and humbled,” said Michael Fabber, executive director.

Microtel Inn & Suites

Built in 2014, the Microtel on U.S. 113 has achieved worldwide recognition, having claimed three major awards – Microtel Motel of the Year, Front Desk Employee of the Year and overall Wyndham Hotel of the Year – at the Wyndham global conference in Las Vegas in 2016.

“We have worked extremely hard. We opened up in 2014 and in a year and a half we became the No. 1 Wyndham hotel in the entire world,” Ben Gray, Microtel general manager. “It is not because of me. It is because of the people that we have in Georgetown. I always love to tell, when we accepted this award in Las Vegas in front of 6,000 people … everybody asked me, ‘What state is Delaware in?’ I can guarantee you, by the time I left everyone knew where Delaware was.”

With a prime focus on healthcare, SecureNetMD strives to deliver the region’s most comprehensive IT solutions in healthcare technology with next-generation solutions “that allow healthcare providers to get back to focusing on what is important – improving patient care,” Rep. Briggs King said.

“We ’d like to accept the award and say a big thank you to the community, supporting us as we grew.,” said Rob Nicholson.

For about a year and a half, SecureNetMD has also been working to develop a tech culture.

“The county has been very instrumental in building out the technology infrastructure, bringing broadband to the area. We’ve really stepped up and partnered with the Delaware libraries,” said Mr. Nicholson. “Beyond our servicing our clients we are also really interested in developing a tech culture down here and giving our kids and our grandkids the opportunity, the option to move back after college.”

Gov. John Carney was a special guest speaker.

Rep. Briggs King administered the oath to chamber officers and directors for 2017.

Greater Georgetown Chamber of Commerce officers and directors for 2017 take the oath.

President: Angela Emerson, Sussex County Association of REALTORS®

1st Vice President: Linda Price, Fulton Bank

2nd Vice President: Judy Dean, Re/Max Associates

Secretary: Ben Gray, Microtel & Beacon Hospitality

Treasurer: Anthony DelFranco, Cheer

Three Year Director: Bruce Rogers, Bruce Rogers, PA

Three Year Director: Glenn Sweeten, Edward Jones

Two Year Director: Josie Cicerale, Lavender Fields

Two Year Director: Bill West, Town of Georgetown

Two Year Director: Paco Hernandez, Premier Staffing Solutions

One Year Director: Ray Hopkins, Servepro of Sussex County

One Year Director: Christopher Moody, Delaware Technical Community College

One Year Director: Helen Kruger, Kruger Trailers

Millsboro chamber’s Central Sussex Bridal Show March 12 at Cripple Creek CC Sat, 14 Jan 2017 04:14:51 +0000 DAGSBORO – Are you recently engaged?

Need ideas for an upcoming wedding?

The 22nd Annual Central Sussex Bridal Show can be one-stop-shop source for ideas, planning and connections to services.

The Greater Millsboro Chamber of Commerce will stage its annual event Sunday, March 12 at Cripple Creek Golf & Country Club in Dagsboro.

The show will run from noon to 3 p.m.

Vendors will be on hand to help plan that special day. Door prizes provided by vendors will be awarded throughout the event.

Admission is $5; all brides get in free.

Vendor spots are still available.  For more information contact the Greater Millsboro Chamber of Commerce office at 934-6777 or visit

Delaware Electric Cooperative proposes rate decrease Tue, 03 Jan 2017 14:11:19 +0000 GREENWOOD – Delaware Electric Cooperative’s board of directors is considering a rate decrease for all 93,000 member-owners.

Co-op President and CEO Bill Andrew has requested the rate change and, if approved by the board, rates for those served by Delaware Electric Cooperative would drop about five percent.

The rate decrease would save the average family using 1,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity $6 per month, or $72 per year. While the co-op’s rates have been adjusted periodically over the last decade, they remain the lowest in the state of Delaware.

Co-op members save $300 per year in energy costs, compared to the average rates charged by Delaware’s other electric utilities.

“Electric cooperatives were founded to provide safe and reliable energy to members at the lowest possible cost,” said Mr. Andrew. “We are excited to be able to lower rates for everyone at a time when the cost of everything else seems to be going up. Wholesale power costs are falling and at DEC, we work hard to keep other costs under control, maintain an efficient workforce and promote programs like Beat the Peak.”

Beat the Peak is a voluntary program where members conserve energy during times when the price of energy is high. Since its inception in 2008, the program has saved co-op members $24 million. Beat the Peak is being used by nearly 100 not-for-profit utilities across the country.

The rate decrease would result from a series of changes to how members’ bills are calculated. The Power Cost Adjustment would be lowered and the delivery charge would be increased, resulting in a net five percent decrease for all members in all rate classes.

The co-op’s board of directors will hold a public hearing on the proposed changes on Wednesday February 15 at 6 p.m. at Delaware Electric Cooperative’s headquarters, 14198 Sussex Highway, Greenwood, DE. After hearing comments from members, the board will vote, during the meeting, on the proposal.

While the co-op is able to lower rates right now, there is no guarantee rates will not have to be changed in the future. “The energy markets are constantly fluctuating and changes in the weather, natural gas supplies and government regulations could all result in rate changes down the road,” said Andrew.

For more information on the rate changes please visit our web site at

About DEC

Delaware Electric Cooperative is a member-owned electric utility serving 93,000 member-owners in Kent and Sussex Counties, Delaware. For more information visit or or follow on Twitter and Facebook.

Sussex County approves plan to complement Downtown Development District program Wed, 02 Nov 2016 17:29:22 +0000 GEORGETOWN – Sussex County is making its own down payment on a plan to boost and help rejuvenate Delaware’s towns and cities.

County Council at its Nov. 1 meeting, agreed to set up a matching local incentive program that will complement Delaware’s Downtown Development Districts initiative, which provides rebates of up to 20 percent of construction costs for qualifying residential, commercial and industrial redevelopment projects in designated districts throughout the state.

So far, eight communities have been awarded designations, including Georgetown, Laurel, Milford and Seaford in Sussex County.

The program’s aim is to redevelop Delaware’s commercial business districts by incentivizing and driving private investment in the hearts of towns and cities, some of which have seen their town/city centers fade in recent decades as new development shifted elsewhere.

Sussex County will join the effort, providing a 50-percent match, up to $10,000, to any state grant for eligible, approved projects in the designated Sussex districts.

The county will set aside $100,000 in funding from realty transfer tax reserves for the grants.

Sussex County Council for 2015: from left, seated, Samuel Wilson, R-Georgetown, and Michael Vincent, R-Seaford; standing, Robert Arlett, R-Frankford; Joan Deaver, D-Lewes; and George Cole, R-Ocean View. At the Jan. 6 meeting, Mr. Vincent was re-elected council president and Mr. Wilson was re-elected vice president. (Special to the Sussex County Post)

Michael Vincent

County Council President said the county is proud to be a partner in the program, which has already helped attract a multi-million-dollar waterfront residential development project in Seaford.

“Economic development is everyone’s business: the state, the county and the towns,” Mr. Vincent said. “Sussex County needs to be at the table with our partners to help leverage those private dollars that invest in our communities and make them stronger.”

Georgetown welcomes new JD Shuckers restaurant Tue, 25 Oct 2016 02:38:21 +0000 GEORGETOWN – Monday, it became official: JD Shuckers Georgetown is open for business.

Town of Georgetown, Sussex County and elected state officials joined the Greater Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and many others for the long-awaited opening of the second JD Shuckers seafood grill and raw bar in southern Delaware.

“It has been a long, long journey to get here,” said Jamie Davis, whose first JD Shuckers opened in 2006 on SR 24 near Rehoboth.

The Georgetown restaurant is along SR 404 near U.S. 113 in College Park, which is bustling with development.

Sun Behavioral Health plans to break ground on its new behavioral health hospital in College Park on Nov. 2.

“This is one of the busiest intersections in the state,” said Marisa Erdman, vice president of marketing for the Onix Group and project manager for the JD Shuckers venture. “We think it has fantastic visibility and great access and will serve as the heart for everything we are doing here at College Park.”

Jamie Davis raises the scissors after snipping the ribbon at the Oct. 24 opening of the new JD Shuckers restaurant in Georgetown.

Mr. Davis is partnering with Ken Adams, his “silent” partner in the Georgetown restaurant. Both are 1982 Sussex Central High School graduates.

“This is the spot,” said Mr. Adams, a site contractor with Melvin Joseph Construction.

This all may have come about thanks to a phone call from Georgetown Mayor Bill West.

Mr. Davis said he noticed that the retail space was available and made the phone call.

“I wasn’t really serious,” he said. “I was just kind of curious.”

While noting that Georgetown would welcome a restaurant where family and friends could go “blow off some steam,” Mr. Davis didn’t think he could swing it solo.

“Then I got a call from Bill West. He said, ‘You’ve got to do this,’” said Mr. Davis.

His initial response was he felt he didn’t have the time or money for such a project.

Mr. Davis said the mayor urged him to get up Kenny Adams, an old classmate. That led to Jack Riddle and Community Bank. The rest is history.

“Kenny said, ‘All I want is a restaurant to go to in Georgetown,’” said Mr. Davis. “With that we shook hands and the deal was made. And Bill, I’m glad you made that phone call.”

The restaurant will create at least 85 full-time or part-time jobs, Ms. Erdman said.

In addition to fresh seafood, the menu includes steaks, pork and chicken, with emphasis on local.

A photograph of fallen Georgetown police officer Chad Spicer who died in the line of duty in September 2009 hangs on an entrance wall.

Design features barn-beams and rafters, an open ceiling concept and a private dining area.

“This was from concept to design a custom build,” said Ms. Erdman.

Change in leadership of Georgetown chamber Sat, 15 Oct 2016 23:43:13 +0000 GEORGETOWN – There is a change in leadership of the Greater Georgetown Chamber of Commerce.

Chambers were alerted last week that the Greater Georgetown Chamber of Commerce board of directors have accepted the resignation of executive director Karen Duffield.

Ms. Duffield’s final day with the chamber was Friday, Oct. 14.

In the interim, the board of directors will be in charge of daily operations.

“Soon, we will appoint an interim director as we will begin our search for an executive director who can lead the chamber to bigger and better things in the coming months and years,” Angela Emerson, GGCOC president, said in a correspondence to chamber members. “We thank Karen for her years of dedicated service and we wish her well on her future endeavors.”

Ms. Emerson said in the very near future, a committee comprised of chamber members will be formed to begin “searching for our next executive director. In the interim, the office will remain open and staffed and your questions and concerns will be addressed in a timely manner.”

“Thank you for your patience as we work toward a better future for the Greater Georgetown Chamber of Commerce,” Ms. Emerson said.

More local the pledge as Weis Markets expands into Sussex Mon, 10 Oct 2016 17:26:53 +0000 SUSSEX COUNTY — Pledging more local and expanded customer offerings, Pennsylvania-based Weis Markets is set to expand into southern Delaware this Friday with the opening of four former Food Lion supermarkets.

A six-day conversion of Food Lion stores in Millsboro, Millville, Lewes and Rehoboth is slated to be finalized for the Oct. 14 Weis Markets openings.

“We will be additive; our goal is to keep products that Food Lion customers are used to while adding our own,” said Weis Markets Communications Specialist Jennifer Sands. “While we will expand in all departments, including produce, we intend to add more natural, organic and gluten-free products.”

The newly converted stores will offer a variety of local products in addition to the more than 3,000 Weis brand products, which offer brand name quality at an affordable price. Weis Markets has a long-standing history with local farmers and will continue to partner with local growers to provide shoppers with fresh and affordable food, including a wide selection of organic produce, baked goods, quality meats and fresh dairy items.

This Food Lion supermarket in Millville is one of four  that closed last week  in Weis Markets’ expansion into southern Delaware. Following conversion, the four new Weis stores are scheduled to open Oct. 14.

“Our goal is to build on our advantages as a locally focused retailer that offers a strong combination of quality, value and service,” said Kurt Schertle, Weis Markets’ chief operating officer. “As part of this commitment, we plan to expand variety in every department.”

Ms. Sands expanded on Weis Markets’ role as a locally focused retailer.

“We will be bringing in many products that are grown by local farmers,” said Ms. Sands. “In addition to making our own Weis Quality Ice Cream, we also make our own Weis Quality milk in our plant in Sunbury, PA.  We use milk sourced from local dairy farms in both of these products.  We will also introduce our other affordable Weis quality products throughout the store.”

The four Food Lion stores were scheduled to close Oct. 8 followed closely by the conversion process.

The four new Weis Market supermarkets in Sussex County are located on John J. Williams Highway, Millsboro; Old Mill Road, Millville; N Village Main Blvd., Lewes; and Miller Road, Rehoboth Beach.

These openings will give Weis Markets a store count of 191 with a Mid-Atlantic presence in Delaware, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, West Virginia and Pennsylvania, Ms. Sands said.

Weis Markets plans to open 13 stores in the Fredericksburg, VA area by the first week of November, Ms. Sands added.

Former Food Lion employees have been offered employment opportunities with Weis.

“We are hiring the current staff. As long as they are interested in working for Weis Markets, we are interviewing them and subsequently hiring them,” Ms. Sands said.

Mr. Schertle added, “We are reaching out to the Food Lion associates who work in these stores and look forward to hiring and ultimately welcoming them to our company.”

Weis also offers special shopping incentives.

“We will have specials every week and customers can find those specials in our printed circulars and online at,” said Ms. Sands. “We will be mailing our Weis Preferred Shoppers Card to former Food Lion customers and if they don’t receive one in the mail, they can sign up at the store.”

In July, Weis Markets, Inc. announced it had reached a definitive agreement with Food Lion, LLC, to purchase the assets of 38 Food Lion supermarket locations in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.

This is the company’s second major acquisition in 2016. In August, it completed the conversion of five Mars Super Markets in Baltimore County, Maryland.

“It’s an exciting time for our company as we grow and expand into new territories, and we’re grateful to our associates and loyal customers for their continued support,” said Mr. Schertle.

Allen Harim celebrates Harbeson plant renovation Wed, 10 Aug 2016 12:56:05 +0000 HARBESON – Allen Harim on Monday celebrated the poultry processor’s multi-million-dollar investment in its Harbeson processing facility.

Delaware Governor Jack Markell, U.S. senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons, U.S. Rep. John Carney and state and local dignitaries attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the re-opening Allen Harim’s newly-renovated chicken processing facility.

From left, Sussex County Councilman Rob Arlett, State Rep. David Wilson, State Sen. Brian Pettyjohn, Sussex County Council president Michael Vincent, U.S. Rep. John Carney, U.S. Sen. Tom Carper, Harim Group Chairman Hong-Kuk Kim, Allen Harim CEO Joe Moran, U.S. Sen. Chris Coons, Delaware Agriculture Secretary Ed Kee, State Rep. Harvey Kenton and State Rep. Steve Smyk.

From left, Sussex County Councilman Rob Arlett, State Rep. David Wilson, State Sen. Brian Pettyjohn, Sussex County Council president Michael Vincent, U.S. Rep. John Carney, U.S. Sen. Tom Carper, Harim Group Chairman Hong-Kuk Kim, Allen Harim CEO Joe Moran, U.S. Sen. Chris Coons, Delaware Agriculture Secretary Ed Kee, State Rep. Harvey Kenton and State Rep. Steve Smyk.

Allen Harim has invested $30 million thus far on the renovation project and expects to invest another $10 million by the close of 2017, with the goal of developing a more productive, efficient and sustainable facility.

On hand for the Aug. 8 event: Hong-Kuk Kim, chairman of Harim Group, Allen Harim’s parent company. Mr. Kim traveled from South Korea for the ceremony. He spoke about the company’s growth and outlook for the future.

“As we grow our operations in Delaware and expand across the United States, we remain committed to supporting both the local communities in which we operate, and the U.S. chicken industry of which we are proud to be a member,” Mr. Kim said.

In June, Allen Harim consolidated its processing operations, bringing it all under one roof at Harbeson.

The move was meant to take advantage of every aspect of the newly renovated facility. Allen employs more than 1,650 people in Delaware.

17 ALLEN Harim gov, korean and CEO

Delaware Governor Jack Markell, left, joins Harim Group Chairman Hong-Kuk Kim, and Allen Harim CEO Joe Moran as they prepare to cut a ribbon celebrating the grand re-opening of the the Harbeson processing plant.

“I’m pleased that Allen Harim has chosen to expand in Delaware and I’m encouraged by the positive impact it will have on job creation here at the plant and on the hundreds of family farms who supply this facility,” Gov. Markell said. “This investment is a strong expression of confidence in Delaware’s workers, our vibrant agriculture community, and government and business leaders who work together to create an excellent climate for growth and opportunity.”

Upgrades were completed across nearly every aspect of the 190,000 square-foot facility. A great deal of attention was paid to upgrade the employee experience. The main entrance was renovated with a welcoming three-dimensional mural that includes a blossoming tree, embodying the translation of the Korean word “Harim” as “summer forest.”

New lighting, an upgrade of the employee cafeteria, completely new restrooms, a new human resources department area, new conference and meeting rooms, and a new employee equipment room were all added.

The plant was reconfigured to allow the installation of new equipment to meet rising customer demands. A new waste water treatment facility and the construction of a solar farm, both major steps in the company’s sustainability efforts, were central areas of the project.

“A tremendous amount of hard work has gone into the renovation of the facility, and there is no doubt that we are well-positioned for growth said Joe Moran, CEO of Allen Harim. “We are now better positioned to meet our current and future customer demands across the U.S., and we will do it more efficiently and sustainably than ever before.”

The Harbeson plant processes 230,000 chickens a day for its traditional Allen Harim® brand, the all-natural, “never-ever antibiotic,” 100 percent veggie-fed Nature’s Sensation® line and the Oasis® brand. Each line includes fresh whole birds and parts, tray pack bone-in parts, and boneless chicken products.

The company sells products under its own brand names and under private label to grocery stores all across the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast. Ingredient products are sold to a range of customers across the country. Allen Harim customers include Whole Foods, Chipotle, Applegate, Panera, Raising Cane’s, Market Basket, Foodtown and Shop Rite, among others.

Headquartered in Seaford, Allen Harim operates a chicken processing facility in Harbeson; a hatchery in Dagsboro, a breeding operation in Liberty, N.C., and a hatchery and feed mill in Seaford.

The company employs more than 1,750 people in the United States as well as more than 230 independent growers and 20 company farms across Delmarva.


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Gardens Across America - Watering Edition

Checking in with the Gardeners Across America this time returns to a whole new scene. I am amazed at how quickly plants grow. Even the unattended weeds in my backyard (that I have no access to!) have completely taken over. Those weeds have grown without any water but rain. But how do people – in various parts of the country — water their garden these days with water conservation on their minds?

So – again, here are our gardeners – read on to find out how their gardens grow (and where the water comes from)!

Mike Lieberman  – California – Balcony gardening
Mike prides himself in learning gardening the old fashion way, trial and error. He says, “I might have a vegetable garden, but I grow food.” Follow what Mike is growing on his blog, Urban Organic Gardener.

Simran Sethi  – Kansas – Yardshare
The award-winning journalist and associate professor at the University of Kansas has decided to share her big backyard in Lawrence. Read “Sharing the Yard” on about the beginnings of her yard-share last year. Find out more of out what Simran is up to.

Tess and Jack Kenney  – Wisconsin – Mushroom farmers and more
Tess, an active member of Victory Garden Initiative and the Kilbourn Gardens in Milwaukee, and her husband Jack are growing mushrooms, onions, asparagus, blueberries and more and are also composting in a newly built bin. Read Tess' organic food posts on

Wendimere Reilley  – Florida – Backyard aquaponics and more
The Health Chic, herbalist, author & TV host, growing lettuce and more in her backyard aquaponics systems. Check out what the Health Chic is creating.

Anne Dailey  – Maine – Big garden (really big – though read Anne’s newest answer… not so big in Maine – just from my NYC perspective!)
Writer, activist and aspiring agrarian, gardening on a 30 x 40 plot with two fruit trees and some berries too! Keep up with Anne on her website.

Mike in California

How are you watering your plants? I know you have a balcony and self-watering containers… is the water coming from rain? The kitchen sink? Tell us how it’s working!

I change out the water in my containers about once a week or so. For the containers that I am starting seeds in, I water from the top on a daily basis. I also do my best to not waste water and reuse as much as I can. Since I make my own nut and seed milks, I'll use the soak water in my garden to water it. When I was living in NYC, I used to shower with a 5-gallon container and use the shower to water my plants. Now that I'm in LA, I have carpeting and am a bit more hesitant to drag the water across the carpet.

Simran in Kansas

Your garden looks beautiful! How do you gauge how much water it will need… and where does the water come from? Is there a balance between rain water and supplemental watering?

Water is such a crucial issue and question. (There are some great resources on how and where we use water here: Most of the water that’s used in my garden comes from the sky. In the future, all of it will. I am committed to growing drought-resistant crops whenever possible and I desperately need to build some rain barrels to capitalize on what nature gives us. And, I am ever-hopeful I can divert water from my home into my yard. (I took my class to Oakland to learn about greywater capture and am now determined to try it here in Kansas) Sally just planted melons! I can’t wait for the harvest.

Tess and Jack in Wisconsin

How are you watering your plants? I know you have a pretty big garden – are you collecting rain water? Watering from the hose?

As for watering, we use both rain barrels and the city water from the tap.  We have been really lucky as this spring and early summer months in Wisconsin have not been dry.  The weather was very cold here and so it seemed we really didn’t have much of a spring.  Some of my friends are experimenting with Ollas. (see :  We can get you a picture of the Ollas in a garden setting for the next entry. We did not put Ollas in our garden this year but look forward to trying them out next year. Our strawberries are off the chart this year, sweet and plentiful.  Earlier we sent pictures of our newly planted apple trees and we did see some blossoms, which resulted in our first apple. So we are pretty excited to be harvesting our first apple.  In addition our blackberries and raspberries are ready to burst into full color.  To celebrate we bought an old fashion ice cream maker and we can’t wait to try it out with all these wonderful berries.

Wendimere in Florida

I asked the other gardeners about their watering processes… how does watering work with aquaponics? Do you need to add water on a regular basis? I know you also collect rainwater, do you use this for the aquaponics and for your other watering needs?

At The Health Chic House 95% of our outside water usage comes from our rain barrel systems.  All edibles, including the aquaponic system are watered 100% through our various rainwater catchment systems.  We did plant some new bamboo this year as a natural fencing alternative and this required the use of some city water during a few of our dry spells.  Plants grown with rainwater seem to be hardier and more resilient to disease, especially in combination with the use of worm compost.  Plus, I prefer my edibles to not be nourished with chlorinated city water as I do feel that this affects the quality.  Rain Barrel systems are inexpensive and easy to start and can be installed even without gutters as shown in the photo of the 3 barrel interconnected system.  By the way, this system is very unique as it uses a pumping system that is connected to a time controlled micro-irrigation system.  Absolutely brilliant for any lazy gardener, like myself.

Anne in Maine

How are you watering your garden? I know it’s pretty big – are you collecting rainwater? Watering from the hose? Tell us how it is going!

Well the garden is in; and it’s looking good!  There are far too many tomatoes, but they have such lovely names (Aunt Ruby’s German Green, Azoychka, Hillbilly, Amish Paste, etc.) and I couldn’t keep myself from over-seeding back in May.  The dry and sweet corn, beans, and salad greens are up; the potatoes are going strong; the peas are trellised and flowering; and the garlic sending up those delicious scapes.  So far I think I'm on track, with the exception of that darn fence installation. The cedar poles are here, but we've got to rent a post-hole digger this weekend to save my back for the real farm work.

So. The question:  How do I tackle watering?

The short answer is that I cross my fingers for rain.  The long answer is, well, long.  After we purchased this house a year ago, we discovered that our only water source was a 12 foot dug well lined with stone.  During the summer months we keep a constant watch on it, but even with our conservative use, it sometimes runs dry, and we have to turn off the water for a day until it recharges.  This means, of course, that watering the garden is not an option.  A drilled well is a couple of years and a few thousand dollars away, and so I cross my fingers for rain.

For the most part, we were lucky last year – it rained about once a week, at most every two weeks, enough to keep the plants happy, healthy and growing.  I've also learned that what looks dry isn’t always dry – healthy soil retains more moisture than you would think.  So as long as you can dig down a few inches, squeeze a fistful of soil and have it somewhat hold together, you're probably fine.  Still, sometimes you need more water than the sky provides.

Ironically, given our well problems, we have two streams that run year-round on the property.  Neither is in a location that can be accessed with any type of irrigation pipe, but they're there, and they're flowing. When the situation gets desperate, I pick up the watering cans, put on my imaginary bonnet, and start hauling water Laura-Ingalls-Wilder-style.  It doesn’t take all that long, and crouching by a gently-flowing stream in the woods while collecting water has its charms. With a little effort, I'm able to use an abundant natural resource to keep my garden growing.  At some point we'll have a drilled well, and it will all be a non-issue, but I imagine I'll look back on these days with a mix of fondness and amusement.

As a side note, I feel compelled to mention that while I take pride in the “Big Garden (really big)” label, my garden is small to moderate in size by Maine standards. I recently had an impromptu chat in Goodwill with a woman in her sixties who maintains a 60'x80' garden and cans hundreds of jars of vegetables every year!  In order to keep up appearances, I'm expanding my garden by one bed. It will soon be filled with rare dry bean varieties, bringing the main garden space to 35'x40' + two 3×3 herb beds.


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320wde_Obama-Makes-Rodents-Rage Even rodents run away from these two. Some would write, “even other rodents run away from these two” — which also works well to describe the disgusting performance from the White House Rose Garden earlier this week by Mexico’s President, Felipe Calderon, as he visited this nation, the U.S.A. Calderon was met by the Contrarian-In-Office, Barack Obama in a dual display of something akin to a junk-dump, cosmetically enhanced to appear as something of value, this rude, crude denigration of our nation by people who you might, at least, expect not to break the plates when you invite them into your home (after paying their fares to get there).

(Select image above to view larger file size.)

Calderon and Obama glowered and condemned this nation — our Constitutional structure as a nation. They glowered and denied our nation’s sovereignity (“we are not defined by borders” gloated Obama) but eagerly affirmed Mexico as “sovereign” nation — and that was but a very small portion of a great big pile of donkey-shiite from both of them.

Many a former U.S. President would have ushered such a person out of the White House if not onto a waiting plane and out of the nation (at least yanked the microphone privilege) but, no, there was Barack Obama in the Rose Garden — and the next day, there were the Democrats in Congress — applauding and rewarding such scurrilous, insulting, threatening, ingrate behavior by another nation, right there in the Capital of our nation.

Recall that Prime Minister Netanyahu when visiting (or trying to visit) the White House didn’t get so much as a mutual dinner with Obama, the Dalia Lama was ushered out the backdoor through the walkway heaped with trash, the Queen of England received an IPod (with Obama’s speeches on them) and a grubby hug from the wife, Obama was “too tired” to share a meal with France’s President Sarkozy (I get the impression that Obama doesn’t like to “eat with Jews“), but he was eager to stand “shoulder to shoulder” with Calderon as he insulted the U.S. based upon lies before the public. Next day, Congressional Democrats were eager to jump up yet again with thunderous applause for same, while in many other circumstances, Obama can’t maintain himself upright, except when he’s golfing weekly and playing around with other balls.

Has the Audacity of Dope taken over our federal government? Certainly it has taken over what at some point may have been character among Democrats, Obama among them.

Moreover, after many years gaining an education in the U.S., Calderon wouldn’t so much as politely speak English in our nation but insisted on delivering his acerbic nasties in Spanish — we the public understand that Calderon surely knew he was doing so for purposes of being intentionally insensitive (or, to be blunt, he was being rude and intentionally so and that was even before one considered his rude, nasty remarks).

Then Calderon goes to Congress and delivers his badly-spoken (at least he tried this time) lying, bash-America lecture, and the lying, bash-America Congressional Democrats responded with several standing ovations. It was a disgusting, utterly contemptible display to behold: by Calderon, his ungrateful, ingratiating, deceitful charges against the U.S.A. and the equally ungrateful, deceitfully charging Democrats so pleased to enjoy the lying-bash-America lecture by Calderon, as so often before by Obama. Bash America, get a lush State Dinner from Barack and the Democrats.

However, the wonder isn’t that a visiting guy as President of another nation would be so exceptionally rude here as Calderon was, nor that the predictably treacherous Democrats would so enjoy rewarding such, but that we have a President and Crew who would be so eager to both reward and participate in such.

Did Barack Obama take his Oath of Office for the Presidency in jest? Because he continues to prove that he doesn’t take it seriously and that, indeed, he not only doesn’t take it seriously but that he appears to loathe the Oath and the document — our Constitution — he swore in that Oath to “protect and defend” and to “preserve and uphold”.

The flint being used by Obama and his treacherous Left (that includes Calderon with his blasts of lies) is Arizona’s SB 1070. It’s being reamed by the Left (Obama, Calderon, Congressional Democrats, Leftwing-associated interest groups) as POSSIBLY or potentially “enabling discrimination”.

ANYthing can “enable discrimination” and every single individual discriminates in every day of our lives: watch this channel, reject that food, don’t turn there, turn here, better neighborhood, less security concerns, reject that proposal, accept that proposal, return this call, don’t return that call, vote for him, vote for her, not for them…

Be that as it may, the point on a legal basis, however, what’s “scribed in stone” as to Arizona’s SB 1070 is that there cannot be any use of “nation of origin” or “race” or “ethnicity” as cause to question anyone by law enforcement.

And, in fact, those motives are expressly forbidden by SB 1070 — law enforcement there is forbidden to use those motives as reason to stop and question anyone as to immigration or “citizenship status”. Law Enforcement can, however, pose those questions to anyone they’ve already stopped for other possible/likely violations, at an officer’s discretion: it’s an “in the course of” situation, if law enforcement wants to question you, they do so and if, during that questioning, they have reason to question your “immigration status” then they can do so then, but not as a primary motive.

Compare that, however, to our nation’s federal immigration laws, which DO allow law enforcement to question anyone on the basis of race, ethnicity, nation of origin and more. That is, these aspects — that which Calderon and Obama and the Democrats and their Leftwing groups call “discrimination” — are allowed to be questioned by law enforcement under federal immigration laws.

Irrationally, however, the criticism is lobbed on Arizona’s SB 1070 — and the reason why that’s taking place is essentially deceitful politics being waged for purposes of discrediting (or trying to) any enforcement of immigration laws (because the federal isn’t enforcing them and the current bunch representing the federal is working to bring anyone to ruin who asserts that these laws should be enforced, such as the state of Arizona, among others, as also by the majority of the American people who support Arizona’s SB 1070 and enforcing against illegal aliens).

Yet there’s no denigration of the federal laws (that have been in effect for decades now) but Arizona is being denigrated by the Left as the Left both lies about Arizona’s SB 1070 and lies by omission about “possible discrimination” as being some recent emergency-type-cause.

The bottom line is people in general are not being taken aside by law enforcement in the state of Arizona nor out of it because they “look like” some “illegal alien”; however, their presence as aliens in the U.S. is a legal offense and is taken into account when they’re questioned for other reasons (point-of-entry agents are the exception, when documentation is required in most cases for entry into the U.S., regardless of color, kind, whatever).

What is going on is a simple deflection-agitation game by Obama (disgusting beyond words as he’s in the White House at the present and there’s at least some expectation that the man/woman in that Office would be honoring that Oath of Office he/she took; in Obama’s case, he clearly violates it and has on numerous occasions, seems quite proud of himself for doing so, too). They DO “get it” as to what Arizona’s law does, they just want the agitation they’re seeking by lying about SB 1070 and pushing to derail enforement of federal laws, as also honoring the obligations of their jobs in the federal government.

What their objective appears to be — Obama’s, Administration’s, Democrats, Leftwing associated groups — is to inflict as much public harms on anyone in the U.S. who seeks to enforce our Constitution, especially as to immigration and other aspects that potentially restrict or impugn foreign interests from harming our nation.

That arrives at a grim conclusion: Obama doesn’t want to protect this nation and the rest of the Democrat “associates” are eager to assist in claiming they’re serious about defense and laws while they are entirely not so, not when those laws and that defense might strengthen this nation.

Whatever good Calderon might be doing in Mexico, for Mexico (so say some in the media, that he’s making headway in contending with Mexican and Latin American/South American drug cartels — meanwhile, I wonder if he’s simply ‘looking good’ by comparison with the much worse that is Mexico, meaning, Calderon as standard on anything beneficial indicates very bad overall conditions that provides him a push upward by degrees of “less bad”), because what we, the citizens of the U.S.A., see and hear from this guy is that he’s scurrying the little pathway to the big pile of junk called amnesty for illegal aliens and more billions of U.S. dollars for Calderon in Mexico.

These are not things beneficial to the U.S.A. — forget Calderon’s bad manners for a moment, look at what he’s requesting (by way of insulting us, whatever) — these are not things or positions that are beneficial to the U.S.A.

Mexico’s Calderon Scolds Arizona While Mooching from U.S. Taxpayers

Mexico’s verbose President, Felipe Calderon , is the largest contributor of illegal aliens living and working in the United States today. While no one knows exactly how many Mexicans reside in this country illegally, the advocates of “open borders” claim the number of illegal Mexican aliens in The U.S. is between 10 and 15 million.

Yet, conservatives put the number of illegal aliens living in the U.S. at 25 to 30 million. While visiting the U.S. this week, the head of Mexico’s corrupt government slammed Arizona for passing it’s immigration enforcement law. Calderon, standing right next to President Barack Obama, blasted Arizona as if he were the President of the United States. But instead of Obama telling Calderon to “cool his jets,” Mr. Apologist joined Calderon in denigrating Arizonians.

Both Presidents failed to tell American citizens that thanks to the Federal Reserve Bank and the financial industry, Mexicans living and working in the U.S. transfer about $25 billion to the Mexican economy. In addition, Mexican criminals and moochers cost taxpaying citizens and legal immigrants almost $350 billion per year, according to syndicated columnist Frosty Wooldridge.

And America’s banking industry is aiding and abetting these lawbreakers and there appears to be no one in Washington, D.C. — including President Obama — interested in conducting an investigation into this corruption.

…Remittances sent by Mexicans topped $15.5 billion in the first few months of this year, 20 percent higher than the amount sent during the same period the previous year, according to Mexico’s central bank, and this year’s annual figure is expected to hit a new record. Savings scraped together by nannies, painters and others working abroad are now Mexico’s second-largest source of foreign revenue, after oil exports and ahead of tourism, according to analysts interviewed by the WSJ…

My nominee for ‘Hypocrite of the Week’ – President Calderon
— by Juanell Garrett, Kansas City Star

…President Felipe Calderon of Mexico came to Washington.

On Wednesday he appeared with President Obama on the White House lawn and said, “In Mexico, we are and will continue being respectful of the internal policies of the United States and its legitimate right to establish in accordance to its Constitution whatever laws it approves. But we will retain our firm rejection to criminalize migration so that people that work and provide things to this nation will be treated as criminals. And we oppose firmly the S.B. 1070 Arizona law given in fair principles that are partial and discriminatory.” (From transcript, courtesy of the Chicago Sun-Times.)

Yesterday Calderon appeared before Congress and got a standing “O” from the Democrats when he condemned the Arizona law. (See here at 2:10) Attorney General Eric Holder was the last one to stand which made me wonder, “Did the dude finally get around to reading the bill?”

So why am I calling the president to the south a hypocrite? Have you ever looked at the Mexican Constitution? Chapter 3, page 16 on the link, deals with foreigners. I quote: “Article 33. Foreigners are those who do not possess the qualifications set forth in Article 30. They are entitled to the guarantees granted by Chapter I, Title I, of the present Constitution; but the Federal Executive shall have the exclusive power to compel any foreigner whose remaining he may deem inexpedient to abandon the national territory immediately and without the necessity of previous legal action. Foreigners may not in any way participate in the political affairs of the country.”

Do you doubt that Calderon deserves the “Hypocrite of the Week” title (– Continued).

A Sickening Spectacle
— by Guy Benson

Yesterday, the leader of a foreign nation — visiting Washington as a guest of the American people — stood before the United States Congress and denounced a democratically enacted state law. Apparently taking his cues from his American counterparts, the Mexican president condemned a bill that either (a) he has not read, or (b) he has read, but chooses to intentionally distort for political purposes. For example, during his remarks, Mr. Calderon incorrectly asserted that Arizona’s law “introduce[s] a terrible idea of using racial profiling as a basis for law enforcement.” The legislation explicitly forbids racial profiling.

On Wednesday, appearing at the White House, Calderon again assailed Arizona for passing a law that “is forcing our people to face discrimination.” Charles Krauthammer asks the incisive questions:

If they’re his people, well what are they doing in the United States? If they’re his people, why do they leave Mexico, abandon his country, to live under the jurisdiction and the laws of the United States?

Calderon surely knows the answers to both queries — but he’s content to overlook them and shift blame for his own country’s dysfunction so long as the gravy train of American remittances continues to prop up its economy. Perhaps Mr. Calderon also forgot to prepare a passage in his speech excoriating his own nation’s draconian and discriminatory (by comparison, and by his own standard) treatment of illegal immigrants…(— Continued).

2 C O M M E N T S

  1. Kini says:

    1. -S- says:

      Thanks, Kini, always great to hear from you.


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Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Unlock 'em!

When you are deleting a file in Windows, sometimes you can get errors like "Cannot delete file: Access is denied", "The source or destination file may be in use", "The file is in use by another program or user. Make sure the disk is not full or write-protected and that the file is not currently in use".

This happens if the file that is being deleted is still loaded in memory. So before deleting it, it has to be unloaded from memory. Unlocker is a small freeware which just does that. Once its installed, it adds itself in right-click context menu. One has to just right-click on the "locked" file and click "Unlock". This opens the Unlocker through which the file can be unlocked. Afterwards, the file can be deleted easily.

Get it here.

Anonymous anuj said...

nice !

that's a nifty utility

11:48 AM
Blogger Abhinav Sood said...

5:00 PM
Anonymous Varshita said...

I get those messages way too often. Now thats pretty helpful !!

1:30 AM
Blogger adam dee said...

Nice share. I also want to recommend an alternative tool "Long Path Tool, useful in situations where you see these error
messages: Cannot read from source file or disk, there has been a sharing violation, cannot delete file or folder, the file name you specified is not valid or too long, the source or destination file may be in use and many other file managing errors.

1:24 AM

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Friday, 30 November 2007

Questi giorni quando.....

.....vieni il belle sole - Couple of things to note here: that is without doubt the best high speed trailer I've ever had - mind you on the way back from Sterling this day, third lane 90 on the M6 earned me some bonus points ! On arriving to pick the Miura up we were met by the sound of a smoke alarm going off in the house - no answer at the door and a peek through the letter box revealed the cause. The car vendor was face down in a puddle of special brew on the door mat and there was a smouldering 6 inch hole in the carpet producing a very un-pleasant cloud of smoke where his fag had fallen from his burnt fingers. Quick soak from the garden hose through the letter box woke him up and put out the fire. I have vague memories of taking him and his girlfriend (who looked remarkably like Mini the Minx) for a curry after loading up, they travelled in the back of the pick-up with a bag full of Special Brew. On days like these - eh.

Thursday, 29 November 2007

Burnt Sienna

It all happened VERY quickly after this moment! No3 in the CX archive (Red 22 Saloon). Coming back from collecting a new Tigre engine for the Jungman in Albacette, I found a handful of 12g shells amongst the debris in the foot well, thinking this might cause a scrape at the next border post it was deemed wise to dispose of them. Not wanting to waste the cordite and pass up the oppotunity of a 100mph whoosh ............. The car actually filled with smoke in a split second and the deluxe velour roof lining caught fire like gasoline vapour, taking most of my hair with it. Needless to say the Spanish motorway police were very cool about the whole incident. Fantastic skid marks (not just mine) which the police wouldn't let me photograph - sorry.

Wednesday, 28 November 2007

Max torque.............

........from zero revs. Just in case you weren't sure - getting your hands on a flat torque curve is a good thing. Being a novice I was sadly denied the opportunity of hauling some rolling stock to fully appreciate the joy of steam power on this occasion - but frankly, load or not, winding this thing up was a hoot. When you get anywhere near a chance to have a go, fight your way over the push-chairs and get to the front of the queue regardless.

La Belle France

A little more revealing for those with a strong enough constitution. Twin cam side-valve, twin plugs, twin ignition. Outboard of the cam drives, and gear driven also, are the twin output shafts, one driving the coolant pump and the other driving the beautiful Scintilla magneto. There is a secondary coil ignition system running a second set of plugs, switchable to either or both. Unit head/barrels cast in pairs are the order of the day here. The strength of the LaFrance engine design is in simple solid engineering, as a result these run for ever. (84 yrs so far). A few guest appearences here: nice pair of Tilley lamps and a cute little British Anzani outboard hiding in the shadows, and of course the Matchless G3 nosing in.

Tuesday, 27 November 2007

On Safari

A tow hitch has proved useful more than once. Leaving The Dolphin Hotel in Gt Yarmouth early one morning I moved off without waitng for the suspension to rise and took 40 foot of railings with me, having snuggly parked the ball hitch in the fence the night before. The incident depicted here was the result of poor hand-brake adjustment, a domino effect resulted in the Fiesta being written off (see the misaligned door), the Astra van behind that badly hurt and the Balisha beacon behind that taking a lie down - three down and hardly a scratch ! This particular CX (number 4 of 5) was a diesel (filler cap patina), very sluggish but a tough old bruiser and certainly did some damage over the years.

Monday, 26 November 2007

Up In Smoke

I may well have been watching a bit of Cheach & Chong when exploding car noises caused me to stick my head out of the window and see my beloved Ami Super going up. Of the 1/2 dozen Amis in the archive, at least 2 were Supers. Fantastic 1015cc of stealth rocket. I reckon to have posted some of my best A-B times in this great little car. Inboard discs were impossible to keep cool and after a hectic few miles could actually boil the fluid and render themselves all but useless. Brake fire was the suspected cause of this disaster. Ooh - is that a bit of Volvo C202 action going on in the background - great truck - swimmer too.

Steady as she goes. So comfortable was the old CX that minor off road excursions generally went un-noticed. Unfortunately this resulted in a write off (bent chasis,as demonstrated by the cracked windscreen). This is only a part of the CX archive, most of them ended up poorly but carry a good tale.

Saturday, 24 November 2007

Low Life

Very poor image quality again I'm afraid (this may become a theme).
Ah now then - the old Vought F4U (Corsair). The thing I love about this plane is squirreled away in the design brief - MORE POWER -. Earliest models where producing in excess of 100 horses for each of the 18 cylinders. To get anywhere near max use of the power (later well over 2000 horse power) a massive 13ft+ prop was required. Flying at this sort of altitude becomes a whole new discipline with these statistics in mind ! Piloted here by Pierre Dargue (sadly no longer with us). I managed to snap this shot as I fumbled to get the instamatic out of my pocket. Most of the camera shake is caused by the noise, I'm sure. PS I've just done some basic trig on the full print and calculate the prop tip to be around 22 feet off the ground in the original picture. The second (top) pic is simply included for those who don't think size matters or don't know what 13ft+ looks like.

Friday, 23 November 2007

Chain Drive

Ah - the old American LaFrance '23 pump truck. Shown here in '90 odd, freshly arrived from Mr Halbert E Fillinger III, this litle number is ex Chicago FD and about to be shortened a little, rid of it's twin wheel rear hubs and hit the road for general touring duties. The 9 litre straight 4 side-valve is not the most efficient motor I've ever run but with the flywheel reduced by 28 lbs and the crank balanced it goes some. Braking at the rear only with massive drums is somewhat hairy thanks to the external-band emergency brake preventing the poor cast drums from getting rid of any heat - smell good though.
Is that a bit of early '70s R4 showing itself behind the MF35 ? Wot next ?

Sat Nav 2

At the risk of being repetitive I felt this warrented inclusion in these pages. I appreciate the image quality is poor but my memory is pretty sharp. As you can see this is Portugal, again mid '80s. The sat nav system here is fitted to the bonnet of a rental Renault 5. This modified version includes significant up-grades including the provision of bread rations to sustain adventurers. I notice the positon indicator has a more manicured and altogether more feminine appearence. Not sure about the fags but they could be Fortuna

Tuesday, 20 November 2007

Sat Nav

This is the satelite navigation system installed on the bonnet of my '76 Dyane 6. No doubt you've recognised the Ronis car keys as favoured by M. Citroen. This picture was actually taken in July 1984 at some point in an expedition that required much taking of wine and food - this may become a common thread. It is worth pointing out that I have run in the region of 25 Citroens over the years and no doubt some will feature in these pages over the coming months.

Monday, 19 November 2007

A start

I have fired up this picture by way of a start. I happen to be engrossed in a long drawn out rebuild of a Series 2A and the process bears a not inconsiderable resemblance to my blog publishing. As you can see this is what is known in the trade as a "fresh air" workshop (garden). Out of shot is a very decrepit chain hoist tied to the loader bucket on the front of my 434 International.

The title of this blog would suggest a leaning toward transport or engineering as a background but I am sure this will prove not to be the case. The theme was actually inspired by some 16mm footage I saw years ago of blackthorn scrubland being re-claimed to agriculture in the '50s employing horses, traction engines and crawler tractors all working alongside each other - what a fantastic representation of the first half of the twentieth century.

My favourite observation of the last few days would be the scene I came across in my local on Saturday - I did not have a camera with me or you would be able to share the very vivid image I carry in my head - ( now blogging, I will of course be sporting a camera at all times). The image is of a pub table littered with the usual accoutrements of a lunch time social, a pair of pewter pint pots, one a little new for my taste but the other proudly displaying perhaps a century's patina and a few dents, mid-game card hands face down, cribbage score board looking pretty even, (un-used Swan Vestas of course) and an open packet of B&H. The latter giving us the clue as to the where-abouts of the two card card players - outside having a fag ! Poor sods.