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Five O'Clock Friday: Stay Hydrated
Make sure you get enough water this weekend.
Mused by David No comments:
Links to Related Musings: Beer, Friday, Humor
Irish Bet
A Texan walks into a pub in Ireland and clears his voice to the crowd of drinkers. He says, "I hear you Irish are a bunch of hard drinkers. I'll give $500 American dollars to anybody in here who can drink 10 pints of Guinness back-to-back."
The room is quiet and no one takes up the Texan's offer. One man even leaves. Thirty minutes later the same gentleman who left shows back up and taps the Texan on the shoulder. "Is your bet still good?", asks the Irishman.
The Texan says yes and asks the bartender to line up 10 pints of Guinness. Immediately the Irishman tears into all 10 of the pint glasses drinking them all back-to-back. The other pub patrons cheer as the Texan sits in amazement.
The Texan gives the Irishman the $500 and says, "If ya don't mind me askin', where did you go for that 30 minutes you were gone?"
The Irishman replies, "Oh… I had to go to the pub down the street to see if I could do it first".
Hat tip Common Sense Evaluation.
Links to Related Musings: Beer, Guinness, Humor
Cavalier IDPA
This weekend I again made it to the monthly IDPA match at Cavalier. The temperature was in the upper 70's when I left the house Sunday morning, but had risen to the upper 80's by the time I was shooting. That's not too bad for July in Virginia, especially with the occasional breeze that passed through.
The first stage was a quick stage with 6 paper targets and a couple of steel poppers. All targets were engaged from behind cover from several shooting positions. I had to take a couple make up shots on the steel, and again on the final target where I was attempting head shots. I still did okay on the stage, with zero down, but that was my clue that I needed to slow down and pay more attention to the front sight.
Stage two had seven targets and started in the center of a wall, where we first ran to the left to engage a couple targets, than across to the other side for a falling steel popper. After that we opened door in the center to engage a target from cover, before moving through the door to find other targets among the walls. I was down 1 for the stage
An interesting challenge was presented on Stage 3. You begin mid-stage, engaging a couple targets while retreating up range. Crossing the stage there was another target to be found. Finally, there were three targets that had to be engaged from behind both vertical and low cover through a picket fence. Once down and shooting under the "wall," only two of the targets could be seen. To engage the third, you had to shift positions to be further over to the right. Some of the younger, more nimble shooters shot the first two targets from kneeling, then dove into a prone position to find the last target. I chose to take a knee for the first two, and then make sort of a hop, switching knees, to the next position to finish. It may not have been graceful, but it got the job done with zero down on the stage.
Finding the last three targets behind some barrels and through the fence was somewhat difficult too. A number of shooters ended up engaging one of the first targets twice, and not engaging the final target at all. IDPA rules allow you to view the targets from the shooting positions, but you can't dry fire the stages and rehearse your positioning. That's something I've commented previously that I like about the sport, but this stage I was thinking I'd sure like to try it before I'm shooting!
Stage 4 required us to make short sprint before shooting and included the longest shots of the match. We started mid-bay, facing down range. At the start we had to run back up range to a table behind a barricade, where we had staged all our magazines. We drew and loaded the gun and engaged three targets from each side of the barricade.
The match ended with a really fast and challenging course of fire. Standing about 7 yards from two drop turners, the gun was holstered and the drop turner activation rope held in the weak hand. At the start signal you pulled the rope and drew the gun, or if you were thinking, drew the gun then pulled the rope, activating the targets. Quick shooting was required to get two hits on each target before they disappeared. I had a -1 and -3 hit on each, but at least got all four shots off and on paper.
I was pleased with my hits and time overall. Since I don't get much practice time on the range these days, each match is really a practice for the next. The match was a lot of fun, with some different challenges. It was also very efficiently and quickly run, our squad was done shooting by around 11:30. I found the "Classic Vinyl" station on the radio, turned it up loud, and had a pleasant drive home through the country side.
Links to Related Musings: Cavalier IDPA, IDPA, Match Journal, Shooting Sports
Five O'Clock Friday: George Thorogood
Mood music.
Better yet, invite a friend.
Links to Related Musings: Friday, Humor, Music
Warping the Calendar
The tap room at Sierra Nevada Brewing posted this to Twitter on July 21...
Our new Oktoberfest is now available at the @TorpedoRoom! Come try a sample or take home a 6-Pack. pic.twitter.com/oZfcxLFrat
— Torpedo Room (@TorpedoRoom) July 21, 2015
Despite the name, Oktoberfest actually starts in September, and we're used to seeing Oktoberfest in late Summer. But, July? That's just silly.
That said, I'm looking forward to trying this when it's available in stores, in August or September.
Links to Related Musings: Calendar, Oktoberfest, Sierra Nevada, Summer
Beer, Good. Frosted Glass, Bad.
As I walked by the hotel lobby bar during a visit to Blacksburg this week I spied three tap handles; Hardywood Park Singel, Devils Backbone Vienna Lager and Foothills Hoppyum IPA. That was the entire draft lineup. "This will be good," I thought. I knew how I'd relax at the end of the day.
Late in the evening, as Colleen and I sat down for a late beer and snack, I noticed a Budweiser tap had been added but still, three out of four isn't bad. I was impressed. Then as our beers were set in front of us, we just looked at each other and shook our heads. Frosted glassware! Not just cool, but I can't even hold the glass iciness.
Foothills Hoppyum awaits the thaw
With such a fine selection, it was surprising to see how the beers were served. Obviously somebody is placing good beer in the lineup, but missed the memo about serving them. Buyer, brewers, distributor, somebody should care.
Anyway, once the ice melted, the glasses dried, and the lake that had formed on the bar mopped up, the beers were quite enjoyable.
Mused by David 7 comments:
Links to Related Musings: Devils Backbone, Foothills Brewing, Glassware, Hardywood Park, Hotels, Serving Temperature
Bier mit helium!
I laughed until my face hurt...
Yea, it was published on April 1, but it's too funny not to share.
Links to Related Musings: Beer, Beer Review, Humor
Rivanna IDPA Match
Saturday morning I headed out to Charlottesville for the monthly Rivanna IDPA match. It was a hot and humid morning (i.e., Virginia, Summer) but tolerable. None of the stages required drawing from the holster, so no concealment garment was needed for the match, which was a nice treat given the temperature.
The first stage I shot had eight targets arranged behind various barrels in a V-shape. Starting at the center of the stage, you engaged the targets while retreating. The arrangement required swinging from side to side as you backed up, being careful not retreat past any unengaged targets.
The next course of fire had the targets set up in a narrow "alley" down the range. All targets required three hits, and no extra shots were permitted. You started with the gun in the week hand at low ready and engaged the left most target with three shots, weak hand only. The next target out was engaged strong hand only. Target #3 required head shots only, and the remaining three were shot freestyle. I was pretty pleased with this stage, although I missed one of the head shots.
Next up was a really interesting and fun stage. All targets were engaged while seated and required three hits on each. At the start you pushed back on a falling popper, putting a swinging non-threat into motion in front of three targets to be engaged in tactical sequence. After that, there were two almost hidden targets down range to take care of. I missed matching the cadence of the swinger and had to wait for it to pass at one point, but overall was happy this run.
The final stage consisted of just three targets in a line; the gun and all reloads were placed on a barrel in the center. The twist was that the targets were to be engaged in sequence with only two shots, three times through. If you reversed direction each pass, the shot count went 2-2-4-2-1-reload-3-2-2. I had to think about that one.
I was pleased with my scores and finished well, despite the one miss and a few -3 hits. It was a fun match with interesting shooting, and thinking, challenges. Working hard in the heat, the SO's kept everyone moving through the stages quickly and efficiently, and I was on the road home, with the A/C going full blast, around noon. There was plenty of time left in the day to mow the grass, dinner out with my wife, and of course relaxing with a good beer.
Links to Related Musings: IDPA, Match Journal, Rivanna Action Pistol, Shooting Sports
Naked Guy Likes Hams and Hamm's
This is taking your love for bacon, and beer, a bit too far.
MILLERSVILLE, Pa. (KRON) — A Pennsylvania man is facing a charges after a nearby farmer busted him in a barn having beers with his pigs. In the nude.
64-year-old Larry Henry told police, "I just like pigs" when they found him in the hog barn June 26 about 10:15 p.m.
According to the story, Henry was enjoying Hamm's beer. I wasn't aware they still made Hamm's, but it's a MillerCoors product so not exactly on my radar.
See "'I just like pigs' naked man drinking beer arrested in barn" if you really want to read more.
Links to Related Musings: Beer, Crime, Drunks, Factory Beer, Hamm's Beer
These Quotes
"Do you really know what Islam is? There's this misconception that Islam is a violent religion. Muslims are actually peaceful."
-- Yasmeen Abdulazeez, sister of Chattanooga muslim terrorist, 2010
"Michelle and I hope today brings joy to all of your homes, both here in the U.S. and around the world. From my family to yours, Eid Mubarak!"
-- White House statement, just hours after the Chattanooga muslim terrorist attack
Links to Related Musings: FUBO, Islam, obama, Quotes, Terrorism
Cooling Off at Center of the Universe
After a quick and fun pistol match at Black Creek, I decided to stop by Center of the Universe Brewing in Ashland to cool down with some good beer. Even though I pass by the brewery fairly often, I haven't had a chance to stop in for a couple of years. COTU has a large outdoor patio, but I opted to sit at the bar, in the air conditioning. Hopefully any leftover, um, perspiration, wasn't picked up by the other patrons.
The first thing I noticed, to my relief, was the glassware. During my last visit, the beers were being served in plastic cups. I was happy to see proper glasses being used. I started out with the newly released 2015 Wort Share Session IPA. This 4.5% ABV ale was very tasty. The aroma was mild but citrusy. I was surprised by the fresh, "juicy" citrous flavor. The beer was very light bodied and refreshing. My glass was emptied quite quickly.
Wort Share Session IPA
As much as I enjoyed the Wort Share Session IPA, I was even more interested in trying another of the brewery's beers. I was intrigued by the Main St. Virginia Ale listed on the chalkboard. It's an Altbier, a style that I enjoy, but one which many breweries' attempts have often been disappointing. I've only had a sip of this one during the prior visit. The beer was not available on draft, only cans at this time. ("Yes, in a glass, thank you.") The beer poured a dark amber color with a beige head. The aroma was sweet malt and yeast. The flavor profile had a rich malt backbone, with grass, biscuit and grain notes with a pleasing bitter finish. No disappointment with this one!
Soon I was sufficiently "cooled down" from the pistol match and it was time to head for home. I was glad I made the time for the short detour. The beers I had at Center of the Universe were refreshing and quite well done. I just might have to make this a regular part of my mid-week shooting plans. Most of the COTU beers are available in cans, so at the very least, I'll be picking up some "to go" supplies.
Links to Related Musings: Beer Review, Center of the Universe, Craft Beer
Wednesday Fun Match
Instead of the normal weekly IDPA match at Black Creek, this week's event was designated a "fun match." This was done to make a short, quick event, in deference to the heat and humidity, and possibility of storms. Even though we shot in IDPA divisions the similarity ended there. Three plates racks were set in front of three "Q" style targets to create a stage shot in three strings.
For all strings the shooter started facing up range, hands above shoulders, gun holstered and loaded to division capacity. The first string required two hits on each paper in any order, and all the red plates knocked down. On string two, the three paper targets were engaged in tactical sequence, followed by the white plates. The final string required the paper to be shot in tactical priority and tactical sequence before knocking down the blue plates.
The narrow "down 0" area on the paper targets made for a nice challenge. It's also been a few years since I got to shoot at a plate rack. I needed a few make up shots on the first two attempts, but cleaned it the third time. Of course, that third run was when I had my only miss on paper! Overall though, I was pleased with my shooting.
Even though the match was short, total time shooting was just 48.3 seconds before penalties, it was still worth the trip. I had debated about going at first, but I had a good time shooting, and enjoyed getting in even that bit of range time. Since I can't get in much good practice due to restrictions at my local range, I'll take the opportunities I get. To top it off, on the way home I had time to stop by Center of the Universe Brewing to cool down with some good beer. And that's a story for another post.
Links to Related Musings: Black Creek IDPA, IDPA, Match Journal, Shooting Sports
Musical Interlude At The Job Site
Just because...
Links to Related Musings: Construction, Music
Dinner, Beer and the Evening Parade
Friday evening we made our annual trek into Washington, DC to enjoy the Evening Parade at "8th and I," the Marine Barracks Washington. In order to avoid driving, and parking, in DC we make an extended travel routine; drive to the southern most Metro station, take the subway into the city, and walk the last few blocks. It's long and time consuming, but easy.
We plan our trip to include a leisurely dinner at Molly Malone's Saloon. The pub is directly across the street from the Marine barracks, which means we can relax and not worry about the time needed to arrive at the parade. It's also a chance to try out local beers.
I opted for a beer, and brewery, I was not familiar with, Rowdy Rye Beer from Atlas Brew Works. The beer pours a dark cola color with a tinge of caramel with a thin, but persistent beige head. The aroma is bready and sweet with a hint of citrus. An earthy flavor base combines toasted bread, peppery spice and a touch of sweetness. It's somewhat ESB-like. My light-fare dinner of grilled wings allowed me to squeeze in a second glass before heading over to the festivities at the Marine barracks.
The Evening Parade is an impressive event in an historic setting. The music and pageantry, and the precision drills, never fail to impress. Despite it being a July evening in the city, the temperature was not overly oppressive, and we even had a nice breeze on occasion.
After the long trip home, as with previous trips, I had to be up early in the morning to head out for a pistol match. Unfortunately heavy rains caused the cancellation of the event, but not before I was up and showered. I even went out to the rendezvous point where I was to meet some new shooters going to the match, in case they hadn't gotten the word. It was a disappointing turn of events as this was the second time in a week that my plans for shooting had been cancelled. Instead, I had a lazy Saturday at home; which I guess in itself is not all a bad thing.
Links to Related Musings: Atlas Brew Works, Beer Review, Craft Beer, Evening Parade, Marine Corps, Washington DC
Counting Change Is Hard
Everyone has stories to tell of kids working the cash register these days who can't make change, even when the computer tells them how much to give back. Here's a contender for the Hall of Shame.
I stopped by the local Rite Aid and made a purchase totaling $5.78, for which I handed the cashier a twenty dollar bill.
Register Dude: "Do you have 78 cents?"
Me: "No I do not."
RD: Hands me $15 and says, "I'll have to give you the last 4 dollars in quarters."
Me: Stares.
RD: Starts counting out quarters...
Me: Stares some more...
Shaking my head I realize I have $5.00 in my wallet and some change in my car. I return the $15 and ask for my $20 and I say I'll get the exact change from my car.
I return from the car and hand register dude $5.80 for my $5.78 purchase. He puts the money in the register, and...
HANDS ME A $20 BILL IN CHANGE!
I tell RD he only owns me 2 cents, and at this point he is totally lost. Fortunately the manager notices there's an issue and comes over. I tell her I appreciate the offer but I am not owed $20 in change. I got my 2 cents in change, and as I left the manager had not yet spoken, but was only looking at RD in disbelief.
And this is why they have to put directions on shampoo bottles.
Links to Related Musings: Education, Money, Shopping, Stupidity
BadWolf Brewing Expansion Video
BadWolf Brewing in Manassas is nearing the end of a major expansion. Manassas' first nanobrewery is growing, in a big way. Starting with this:
And growing to this:
That the first brew on the new system is an ESB is exciting to me. It's one of my favorite styles, so I definitely need to plan a visit. Soon.
Links to Related Musings: BadWolf Brewing, Craft Beer, News, Virginia
Five O'Clock Friday: To Each His Own
Received from a friend:
After a Beer Festival in London, all the brewery presidents decided to go out for a beer.
The guy from Corona sits down and says, "I would like the world's best beer, a Corona." The bartender dusts off a bottle from the shelf and gives it to him.
The guy from Budweiser says, "I'd like the best beer in the world, give me 'The King Of Beers,' a Budweiser." The bartender gives him one.
The guy from Coors says, "I'd like the only beer made with Rocky Mountain spring water, give me a Coors." He gets it.
The guy from Guinness sits down and says, "Give me a Coke." The bartender is a little taken aback, but gives him what he ordered.
The other brewery presidents look over at him and ask, "Why aren't you drinking a Guinness?"
The Guinness resident replies "Well, if you guys aren't drinking beer, neither will I."
Order well this weekend.
Links to Related Musings: Factory Beer, Friday, Humor
Premium Beer
"I'll have water, please. Thanks."
Links to Related Musings: Advertising, Factory Beer, Humor
Spencer Devon Soleil Levant Witbier
We headed down to Spencer Devon Brewing Friday for dinner, and specifically to try out the new Soleil Levant Witbier being debuted that evening. I had read the release announcement and description posted the brewery's Facebook page, and was intrigued.
Members of two local homebrew clubs, the Fredericksburg Brewing Insiders and The Stafford Brewers Club, teamed up with our brewers to design, test, and brew this beer. We took a traditional wit recipe, which uses wheat and coriander, then added a little rye malt, some orange zest and hopped it with Azacca hops. The result is a crisp, slightly tart, mildly spiced, citrusy and tropical Witbier, the likes of which you've never tasted before.
There was a short queue for a table when we arrived, but while we waited a couple of seats opened at the bar. That being our seating preference we jumped to grabbed them and soon had our drinks in hand.
Soleil Levant pours a bright yellow-orange color, with a very thin head. The aroma is rich citrus over biscuit notes. I could detect the traditional wheat flavors, but they are topped and enhanced by juicy, tropical fruit notes; grapefruit, pineapple, with a hint of lemon zest in the background. The finish was clean with some lingering citrus flavor left behind.
The beer is very refreshing and flavorful. The ABV isn't noted in the description, but I'm guessing it's on the low end. We both opted for another glass of Soleil Levant Witbier with our meals. Colleen rarely has a second beer with dinner, but she opted to have another pint of this Summer beer. As for me, I lean towards the hoppy beers, and will typically order a Pale Ale or IPA, (Spencer Devon Lauck's Island IPA for example) but this Witbier had enough bold citrus flavor to satisfy me as well. The photo above was taken by Colleen when our second round was delivered.
We had a very enjoyable dinner while we enjoyed the beers. Spencer Devon is quickly becoming one of our favorite stops for good food and good beer.
In case you are wondering about the name, Soleil Levant is a tribute to the The Rising Sun Tavern, the oldest tavern in Fredericksburg.
Links to Related Musings: Beer Review, Craft Beer, Food, Fredericksburg, Spencer Devon Brewing
Independence Weekend Range Time
After shooting two IDPA matches in the past week, the only shooting-related activity I had planned for the Independence weekend was gun cleaning. But then a friend texted Thursday evening asking if I wanted to hit the range Friday morning. As much as I prod my friends to practice, I really wasn't in a position to say "no."
We met early in the morning, and except for someone shooting what sounded like a cannon on the rifle range, we had the place to ourselves. No range officers to tell us we're shooting too fast, or remind us about target rules. (The latest decree from on high is that "Targets supported by wooden fabricated stands are less acceptable because of the debris that might be left.") We set up our "less acceptable" stands and had a couple hours of fun and good practice.
The end result of a good practice
Most of our range time consisted of drawing from the holster and firing one, two, or three hits on the target. After each mag's worth of shooting we moved to shoot a different distance, to mix it up a bit; shoot at 7 yards, move to 15, to 10, to 20, etc That's about as much "training" we're allowed to do there. Despite the limits, we both still considered it a beneficial practice, and fun.
This was also chance to get more feel for shooting without my (now incorrect) prescription shooting glasses. It's a little odd to not see the targets and other distant objects clearly, but at the same time, it's quite thrilling to see the sights in sharp focus. With the old mono-focus prescription, I did need to squint the non-dominant eye when shooting from beyond 12-15 yards. Without any Rx, that's not necessary. Even with the out-of-focus targets, at 25 yards I was able to put 8 of 10 shots in the down 0 zone, with the remaining two in -1. (Disclaimer: Results in practice are no indication of future results in competition.)
I think I was able to shoot as accurately and as quickly, if not more so, than with the prescription inserts. Perhaps I've been forcing the issue in trying to see both distant and close up through my shooting glasses. Without my glasses I can see in the distance well-enough to find targets, and recognize people, although I wouldn't drive a car without them. Even fairly close in, I couldn't pick out the holes appearing in the target, but I was also usually aware when I pulled shot. I'm looking forward to more shooting and experimentation with vision and sight picture. (Fixed it.)
Links to Related Musings: Eyes, Independence Day, Practice, Range Time, Shooting Sports
Irony. And Oppression.
I have some fired brass to ship off to an ammo supplier for credit. So on the day we celebrate our Nation's independence I headed to the local post office to pick up a few Flat Rate boxes to prepare the shipment. I found it ironic, and extremely irritating, that in order to support an interest that is guaranteed by the 2nd amendment, I must give up that very same Constitutional right.
During the drive I was thinking about the people who promote, pass, and enforce limitations on the our liberties, especially the 1st and 2nd Amendments, and how they have willfully and consciously made a decision to ignore the Constitution of the United States. Their motives should worry free men.
Links to Related Musings: 2nd Amendment, Freedom, Government, Oppression, The Constitution
Getting into the spirit of the day.
A little slow, but a noble effort.
I began my Independence weekend celebration at the range. The sounds were music to my ears, though they couldn't be described as melodic.
Links to Related Musings: Freedom, Independence Day, Music, Shooting Sports
These Old Eyes at the IDPA Match
I've written about my experiences with vision correction and shooting previously. It's been just over a year since I last updated the lenses in my shooting glasses and a regular eye exam about 3 months ago showed no significant change in my vision. However, recently I've begun see a less than sharp view of the sights when using the prescription inserts. Earlier this week during some dry fire it became abundantly clear (heh) that I wasn't seeing the front sight in focus. I wrote it off as being due to low room light, and I found the practice session went a lot better not wearing the Rx glasses.
At this Wednesday's Black Creek IDPA match as I did a few practice draws in the safe area, even in the filtered sunlight, it was still difficult to see a outline of the front and rear sights. Removing the prescription insert from my glasses allowed a very sharp sight picture. I finally decided to shoot the match without the Rx inserts. Sure the targets were blurry, but they're supposed to be with a proper sight picture, right?
The match went pretty well for me. As always, the match director made good use of the single shooting bay by using the same targets in multiple stages, and shooting them from different positions and with different requirements. Stage 1 started with the gun on a barrel, shooting six shots through a tunnel created by a sideways barrel and barricade combo, to a target with only the center portion available. One miss and one low shot left me 6 down. The narrow and blurred target zone gave me a good feeling of the vision challenge to expect on the rest of the match.
The next two stages involved shooting four targets from cover behind stacks of barrels and wooden wire spools. Each of the targets required 3 hits each. The shooting order and gun start location changed between the stages. There were options on how you engaged the targets, and most of the views were fairly limited.
The fourth and final stage made use of the entirety of targets and props that made up the first three courses of fire. There was an added twist of requiring a varied number of hits on the targets. We started at the first stage, and put a minimum of two hits on the narrow target through the barrel. Next, we advanced toward the positions used for stages 2 and 3. The right two targets required 3 hits each, and the last two on the left required 4 hits each. Positioning was interesting as there were numerous ways to shoot the stage, all the while keeping in mind cover and engagement order. I lost track of my shot count at the last position, between a reload and a quick malfunction clearance, so ended up putting extra shots on the targets. It all worked out in the end as I finished the stage down 0.
It was a fun, but hot, match. I didn't have time to shoot a second gun this time, but after the clean finish on the last stage it was good to stop while I was ahead! The lack of focus in the distance didn't appear to have much of an effect, and by the end of the match, I didn't really notice. I couldn't see my hits on the targets but they say you should "call your shots" anyway and not look for the holes in cardboard. I've talked to some other shooters with distance correction who just accept the blur of targets in the distance when shooting. I'll wait a bit before deciding if I need to update my prescription. I do especially like the idea of not looking through a double layer of lenses, and I found I didn't need squint my left eye to pick out the front sight. I recently switched to a fiber optic on the front sight which also helps in finding that front post.
Sometimes the limitation in shooting is the equipment, not the store-bought stuff, but the parts we are born with.
Links to Related Musings: Aging, Black Creek IDPA, Eyes, IDPA, Match Journal, Shooting Sports


text:
To all my clients, friends and family, thanks for a great 2012.
Representing many of the movies I went out to see this year are - going clockwise from the lower left - an Engineer from "Prometheus", Merida from "Brave", the Amazing Spider-Man, James Bond from "Skyfall", Tinker Bell from "Secret of the Wings", Captain America from "The Avengers", Kitniss from "The Hunger Games", Batman and Catwoman from "The Dark Knight Rises", Barnabas Collins from "Dark Shadows" and Ted. Thanks too to Normal Rockwell.
What to Blu: This Week's New Retailer Exclusives on Blu-ray & DVD
Today begins a new series I'll be writing from time to time highlighting new and unique Blu-rays releases, in today's case, retailer exclusives.
This series was inspired last week after creating and sharing the info sheet you see on the left. I did for my Disney friends, particularly those tending to aspiring Disney princesses. These Blu-ray titles come in special storybook packaging, meaning the case itself is a Disney read-along storybook, but each would only be available from one retailer. So I shared the infographic to make sure my friends were aware of their options in case they'd prefer these versions to add to their Disney video collection over the standard versions would could be bought from any store or online retailer. Friends voiced their appreciation, some telling me they added the dates on their calendars to make sure they wouldn't miss them.
Then, I realized I could do this for other future retailer exclusives that come out on Blu-ray. I look up this stuff for myself anyway, so why not share it? It would be a great regular feature to write about. So here goes!
But first, a bit of background.
How I Got Blu
I started buying Blu-ray Discs in 2008. That was the year I took the big financial plunge and invested in both a new 37" Samsung HDTV and a PlayStation 3 (PS3). I remember vividly the Christmas season before while out shopping at Best Buy for presents seeing one of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies playing on several HDTVs on display inside the store. Those flatscreen demos did their job. They got me intrigued and finally hooked on the notion of upgrading my home entertainment experience from age-old standard definition to high definition. Several weeks of online research uncovering the difference between 420p, 1080i and 1080p (including many visits and much debt owed to Blu-ray.com's FAQ page) plus a call into Chase Visa to request a reduction of my annual percentage rate to further encourage me to charge more $$$ on my Disney Visa (a reduction Chase granted!) paved the way to this silly little habit I now embrace: building my Blu-ray collection.
What To Blu
My first Blu-ray Disc
Now geared up for high def at home, I continued my search on the web for more movies to watch on Blu-ray. Remember, this was the infancy period of Blu-ray. And Blu-ray Disc had just then only won the war it fought against another high definition format, HD-DVD. Studios had been releasing titles on one, the other, or both formats, and for such a risky investment until a clear winner was declared, the number of films that were released on either format then were just drops in the bucket compared to the number of titles released today, when consumers have learned much more about Blu-ray, become comfortable with all the inherent techno-babble, and the cost of HDTV coming down.
I ended up visiting two websites a lot during this time, High-Def Digest and Blu-ray.com. Their most important assets were the Blu-ray Disc reviews, and I pored through them often. First I looked for films out on Blu-ray that I was familiar with or had seen. For the few titles out on Blu-ray that I owned on DVD and was willing to upgrade, I traded in my old DVDs at my local FYE for store credit to offset some of the costs to buy them on Blu-ray now. (By the way, this habit of upgrading your DVD copies to Blu-ray is known among Blu-ray enthusiasts as "double-dipping", and we put it out there just to say we're both stupid but passionate about the need to re-buy the better version of something we love. Wait until I post a blog about my years buying and re-buying Star Trek on home video - Sheesh!)
But except for Disney films, which supported the Blu-ray Disc format during the HD format war and thus released a fair amount of their titles on Blu to help the cause, there wasn't a lot of my favorite films out yet on Blu-ray that first year, particularly my genre and geek favorites like Star Trek (Paramount chose to debut the original TV series on HD-DVD first; it didn't come out on Blu-ray until a couple years after) or Star Wars. So I looked at other titles that were fairly unknown or previously unseen by me, those which rated very high by reviewers in their video or picture quality (PQ), because frankly high definition video was the eye candy that I fell in love with. And that is when I learned of the term "blind buy".
Blind Blu Buying
My first Blu-ray digibook
I started looking through what folks talked about on Blu-ray.com's discussion boards. There, I found many others new to Blu-ray diving in to watch whatever movies was out on Blu-ray at the time and posting their armchair reviews about their PQ. I obviously felt a kinship with these other people who've embraced Blu-ray, so I was very interested in what they shared on the boards.
Those who took a chance to watch a movie without ever having seen it before coined the phrase blind buy, that they would blindly select a movie to buy and watch it with the hope that it would turn out to be a good choice, telling on the boards what they thought about the Blu-ray either way. To fill my appetite to regularly use my new PS3 and watch new stuff in HD on my new HDTV that first year I owned it, I ended up doing the same thing, blind buying Blu-ray movies. Some of those early purchases included films and documentaries I'd never seen before like Baraka, How the West Was Won, Band of Brothers, and the documentary series Planet Earth. Because of the feedback from the boards and reviews from the home pages, I chose these almost purely because of the high praise their PQ received. Turned out that I loved these choices, and I was more than pleased to discover that not only was their PQ excellent, but their content overwhelmingly entertaining too!
Limited Blus: The Retailer Exclusives
My first SteelBook case
Now I learned other Blu-ray Disc details during my time as a Blu-ray collector, including the main reason that's inspired this particular premiere blog entry.
As the popularity of Blu-ray Disc grew, some U.S. retailers were given the opportunity by studios to offer unique, limited edition versions of more popular titles and make them available only through their chains. These retailers were mainly Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Amazon and for a time FYE aka Sam Goody aka Suncoast Motion Picture Company. And as a collector who enjoys unique packaging and bonus material, I discovered I needed to pay really close attention to what "retailer exclusives" might be offered in addition to the standard versions that every store in the country would sell, because I just might prefer getting one of these retailer exclusives that include an extra bonus disc of material or include a unique action figure or coming a neat new packaging appropriate to the movie than just a plain ol' plastic Blu-ray case. Just like the Disney storybook packaging I discussed at the top of this article.
So whenever there's a new title coming out that I "must buy", I make sure to do some due diligence and see whether any of the store chains listed above are offering their own exclusive. This week, there happens to be a number of retailer exclusives coming out for one popular family film debuting on Blu-ray that may also be worthwhile choices for some early bird Christmas shopping. What a perfect opportunity to showcase retailer exclusives for you!
E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial debuts on Blu-ray Disc & DVD on October 9, 2012
Standard edition Combo Pack
E.T. is debuting on Blu-ray Disc this week. Now to be candid, I own E.T. on DVD and I don't really go back and re-watch it very often, altho' there were a few of times I pulled it out because I was assigned an E.T.-related design job. But in looking over what retailer exclusives there were for this title, I was surprised to find as many as I did. And I have to admit a couple naturally caught my eye.
Amazon's exclusive features a replica of the spaceship from the movie. Press a button on the side and not only does the top split open to reveal where your Blu-ray Discs are located, but a ramp in the bottom half slowly opens to reveal E.T. standing on it. Plus it actually lights up and even plays John Williams' "Flying" theme from the movie. Here's a video of it in action. But if you want to get it, I think it might already be sold out.
SteelBook cases are made of metal with plastic trays fitted inside to hold the discs. They're very popular with collectors, but it's a popularity I don't share. SteelBook is a patented design too, and collectors know that. There've been knockoffs produced that aren't true SteelBooks but similar-looking metal media cases. But the difference only matters to SteelBook fans. Most likely, you don't care a hill of beans or Blus about it either! But if you want your E.T. Blu-ray to come inside an authentic SteelBook case, Target is the only place for you to go.
Best Buy's retailer exclusive of E.T. comes inside a digibook. A digibook is essentially a hardcover book, and the Blu-ray Discs are contained inside, either located on plastic trays mounted on either or both of the front and back inside covers or within specially-designed, reinforced pages. Being a book, a digibook naturally provides the opportunity to include 20-40 or more pages of content with the purchase of your Blu-ray that you nornally couldn't get with just buying it inside a standard plastic Blu-ray case, which might come with an insert if you're lucky. However, some Blu-ray enthusiasts criticize digibooks for being a tad taller than those standard plastic Blu-ray cases, effectively ruining that perfect, even height you achieve when you stand a digibook among your neat row of plastic Blu-ray cases on your shelf. Whatever.
The last retailer exclusive I found for E.T. comes from Walmart. In promotional jargon, it's what's called an "in-pack" because the premium item, in this case a plush toy of E.T., is packed inside of a larger box holding the standard Blu-ray release.
Prometheus also debuts on Blu-ray Disc & DVD on October 9, 2012
In additional to E.T., there is another high-prolife title debuting on Blu-ray this week. It's Ridley Scott's summer faux-prequel to his 1979 sci-fi classic Alien, Prometheus.
The only retailer exclusive I found for it will be at Target. It will include a "photo booklet," essentially a softcover pamphlet, that will be packaged with the standard Blu-ray Case packaging of the film. The material presented in the photo booklet is taken from an amazing book called Prometheus: The Art of the Film. I first flipped through this book at the San Diego Comic-Con this past summer, and it not only has gorgeous art and photographs surrounding the making of Prometheus, but also a lot of notes and concepts by Scott that further explain what he might have meant in the movie that he didn't necessarily explain in the movie.
Naturally, all of these retailer exclusives are limited to what quantities each chain elected to produce. Most times, they sell out in the first week or two. Other times, you might still find them even a month later (which likely means the chain ordered way too many). It depends. There are also options to preorder online and have it shipped to your home or perhaps arrange to pick it up in person from a store location near you. I usually elect to go out and get the bloody thing in my greedy little hands on the first day of sale (which 99 times out of a 100 is on a Tuesday for DVD and Blu-ray titles). It also allows me to look through the copies out on the shelves to pick one that looks the best. This is especially important to me in cases like if it includes a slipcover sleeve (I want one that ain't dinged up!) or a premium toy figurine inside (I want the one that's painted perfectly!). It's the anal-retentive collector in me, and I make absolutely no apologies for it.
Most titles' prices may be discounted significantly the week they go on sale. This is as much to stimulate sales as better a studio's chances of getting to say a week later that "Our (insert movie title here) was the number one selling title last week!" But who cares about that. For any title, a good sale price on week one makes for a good idea to get the best price at all when buying it when it first comes out.
Also note that all of these editions including the standard edition includes the movie on both a Blu-ray Disc and a DVD. So if you don't own a Blu-ray player yet, the studios thought of you (to buy their movies) as well.
This time around, my votes goes to the Best Buy digibook for E.T. and picking up Prometheus at Target. I love digibooks and even generic booklets, way more than SteelBooks and plush toys. And while as a product designer, it would've been great to own the Amazon exclusive, I think that one's simply out of my budget right now even if Amazon would let me place an order for it. Of course, I could always order it from Amazon UK. And theirs includes the digibook that I love. In additional, Amazon UK even has a plussed out retailer exclusive for Prometheus as well. But let's save talking about international Blu-rays for a later time, shall we?
Thanks for reading. I hope you found this helpful. Definitely more news about future Blu-ray retailer exclusives to come!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Festive bloom for the Garden Centre Group as Christmas sales soar
By This Is Money Reporter
Updated: 16:08 EST, 8 January 2012
Britain's biggest garden centre chain outshone the faltering high street with a 17 per cent jump in Christmas sales.
The Garden Centre Group, which has 129 outlets in England and Wales under brands including Blooms and Wyevale, benefited from a 90 per cent surge in sales of plants and a 147 per cent jump in sales of pet products.
Spring in its step: Britain's biggest garden centre chain outshone the faltering high street with a 17 per cent jump in Christmas sales
The strong Christmas performance resulted in an 8 per cent increase in sales across 2011, up 5 per cent on 2009.
Gloom as Tesco reveals its worst Christmas sales for decades
Is Kodak about to join the humbled giants? Once-household names can fall victim to march of history
The update comes as advisers at Rothschild oversee the potential sale of the business, which is thought to be worth about £300million.


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The Hidden Benefits of Solar Powered Energy
October 9, 2017 by Kerry Kilpatrick 1 Comment
Are you a solar-powered energy user? Have you considered adopting solar as a source of power for your home or business?
If you answered "yes" you're in good company. According to a recent report from the International Energy Agency, electricity generated from the sun is the fastest growing source of energy in the world.
"Solar power was the fastest-growing source of new energy worldwide last year, outstripping the growth in all other forms of power generation for the first time" The Guardian
Free, renewable and clean are some of the most compelling benefits for converting to solar-powered energy instead of traditional fossil fuel-sourced energy. While those benefits are just some of the factors driving a surge in solar installations, there are many hidden benefits that merit attention.
The hidden benefits of solar sourced energy were clearly spelled out in a recent report by the Institute for Energy Innovation. The report was created in an effort to educate policy makers attempting to manage rapid changes taking place in the power grid. Those changes reflect the move from the historical centralized source of energy generation to a grid that encompases distributed generation (DG).
"Driven by declines in the cost of solar components, greater competition among solar installers, and growing familiarity with solar DG and its benefits, national solar DG has expanded by more than 50 percent annually over the last four years" Institute for Energy Innovation
The Institute for Energy Innovation's report is titled Solar Energy in Michigan: The Economic Impact of Distributed Generation on Non-Solar Customers. While the report merits an in-depth review by those involved in the energy industry, the jargon and acronyms make it a bit overwhelming for those already sold on the "free, renewable and clean" aspects of solar powered energy.
The list below is an attempt to convey the report's valuable information (without jargon or acronyms) detailing the many hidden benefits of solar:
Improved Reliability — when Hurricanes Irma and Maria destroyed the power lines on the island of Puerto Rico the vulnerability of a centralized grid was graphic. One story from the island clearly illustrates the improved reliability associated with generating energy at distributed or on-site locations: "While his competitors wait for diesel to restart generators knocked out by Hurricane Maria, flower grower Hector Santiago is already back in business because of solar panels powering his 40-acre nursery in central Puerto Rico."
Reduced Demand — facilities or homes generating all or most of their electricity on location will use less energy from the grid. Any reduction in overall grid demand for electricity results in a reduced need for building additional expensive power generating plants.
Less Wasted Energy — when electricity is transmitted along power lines there is loss that naturally occurs. The greater the distance from the source, the greater the loss. Think of it as attempting to water a garden using a garden hose with holes in it. The amount available at the end is less than the amount produced at the source. The U.S. Government estimates 5% of the energy generated for the national grid is lost during transmission. When electricity it generated on-site the waste is kept to a minimum. Less waste equals lower cost of electricity.
Improved Resilience — resilience is the ability to recover quickly. Imagine being told it will take four to six months before electricity is restored after a storm! When energy is produced in "distributed" locations, instead of at a single source, there is less vulnerability and an increased capacity to recover quickly.
Predictable Energy Costs — electricity generated from burning fuel (oil, gas, coal) reflects a cost related to the price of the fuel. If fuel prices increase the cost of electricity has to rise. Because solar does not require fuel, the resultant cost of the electricity is not subject to fluctuations and the resultant cost of energy is predictable throughout the life cycle of the equipment.
Clean and Quiet Communities — because the operation of generating electricity from the sun doesn't create smoke or use noisy machinery, the choice for solar is a proven advantage for communities concerned about health.
Clean Jobs — solar is driving a dramatic growth in "green collar" jobs. These jobs require advanced skills and offer a premium wage due to their technical nature. According the the United States Department of Energy "The solar workforce increased by 25% in 2016"
"In the event of a giant storm like Maria, microgrids and smaller-scale electricity generation would have made it more difficult to decimate the entire system." Green Tech Media
To paraphrase one of the conclusions from the Institute for Energy Innovation's report, the growth in distributed energy, represented by multiple solar generating installations attached to the electrical grid, helps reduce the overall costs and risks of centralized energy production and distribution. It represents an overall net benefit to society.
"the growth of solar DG systems in most cases helps to reduce overall costs and represents a net benefit to all utility customers." Institute for Energy Innovation
When the many benefits of solar powered energy are clearly understood, it should encourage both private and public decision makers to do everything possible to promote the adoption of solar. Even without an understanding of all the benefits of solar, a rising demand coupled with plummeting costs makes solar energy one of the preferred sources of generated energy today and into the future.
See Also: Ten Questions To Ask Before An Energy Efficiency Upgrade
Lillian Schaeffer says
I like how you mentioned that solar power improves reliability of energy because you don't have to be dependent on someone else producing your power. My sister lives in an area where the power quite regularly goes out. She's going to be starting a business, and not having power could really affect how profitable her business is. Maybe she should invest in solar power right away so she can maintain a constant business.
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Loony for books
Swedish favorites
Make Me Bad by R.S. Grey (ARC)
This book was the epitome of how I want my rom coms; quirky and relatable with all the feels.
It follows Madison, a quirky children's librarian who's been a good rule abiding girl all her life, as she decides that enough is enough. It's time to step out of her comfort zone and try to live life to its fullest. The question is, how to begin. So, when an unexpected opportunity steps into her library, she takes it.
R.S. Grey has a delicious sense for tension and an endearing knack for portraying relationships (both romantically and other) that makes the whole story even more addicting. Throw in some great references, swoon worthy scenes and believable storyline, it's no wonder that Make Me Bad swaggered up to the top of my rom com favorites before I'd even finished half the book! If you like reading romance or are curious about romantic comedy, this is your candidate. Be prepared to smile a lot. I know I did! 😊
Links to Amazon and Goodreads.
I was issued a warning: stay away from Ben Rosenberg.
As Clifton Cove's resident "king", he thinks he's entitled to anyone and anything.
The trouble is, I've spent my whole life following the rules and playing it safe. I know what it feels like to be the good girl. I'm the police chief's daughter and a librarian—for adorable children, no less. My wardrobe consists of colorful sundresses and baggy jeans. I might as well have a Post-it stuck to my forehead that reads: Yup, she's a virgin.
An all-nighter with a fictional hunk is about as exciting as my life gets, until one day, fate decides to take pity on me and shove me straight into the path of Mr. Off-Limits himself.
Just as I suspected, every inch of him promises to be my demise. Up close, he's tall, menacing, dangerously handsome—the type of man who's never spent a single moment worrying about the opinions of others. A well-behaved girl would do as she's told and avoid him at all costs, but I'm overdue for a little rebellion.
No more Friday nights sprawled out on the couch in my comfiest pajamas. No more wishing I had the courage to misbehave.
Everyone thinks Ben is going to ruin me.
They think he'll chew me up and spit me out.
Well, Ben…go ahead.
Tempt me. Taunt me.
Make me bad.
Nightchaser by Amanda Bouchet (ARC)
"Some ends are just a new beginning…"
This book sucked me in from page one and didn't let go until the end. Right from the start you get a feel for the main character Tess and the dynamic of her family of misfits. It was so well done, and I was already invested in the story from chapter one. The interactions and dialogue reminded me of an urban fantasy and I'm all for an urban fantasy in space.
The characters were layered, and each had their quirks, flaws and good qualities. I was especially intrigued by the main character's backstory with her family and unfortunate childhood. I don't want to go into too much detail and spoil things, so you'll have to read the book to see what I'm talking about.
The worldbuilding was great, with a society and hierarchy that felt very believable (and quite horrifying if I'm honest). The whole situation in that world was bleak with the tyrant Overlord repressing creativity and spontaneity for the sake of so-called peace. A peace that meant constant fear of both the authorities and your neighbors (who could turn you in for so little as a colorful clothing choice). Not a fun existence…
Tess Bailey and her crew have been on the run for years, doing what they can to try to ease the misery of less fortunate areas of the universe. The latest Robin Hood-like heist don't go as planned though and draws the attention of a vicious military general. In a bid to repair their ship after an ill-fated run-in with said general, they take a chance and lands on a well populated planet. There Tess gets to know Shade Ganavan and as events unfold, she must decide if she can trust him with more than the repairs of their ship.
Even though I felt like one of the twists could have benefitted from being harsher, I still liked it and felt very satisfied when it was revealed. Overall, I loved this story and if you also love reading about kickass rebel heroines and heroes with hearts of gold, this book is for you!
Published by Sourcebooks Casablanca.
Granted through Netgalley.
Big thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this treat!
Empress Unveiled by Jenna Morland (ARC)
Now this was a nice surprise. I knew that I would most likely like or love this book since it was an Oftomes release and they have very talented authors already and seem to have an eye for finding new great ones, but I still wasn't expecting the original-ness of this story. Especially the mythology and world-building intrigued the heck out of me. (And that Empress tree really made me envious. Where can I get one?!)
Empress Unveiled is about a 17-year-old girl named Swayzi with a mysterious terminal illness. Nobody knows the cause of her sickness, and the doctors are stumped. Supporting her she has her youthful mom and two best friends Tyler and Penelope. One day she meets an electrically intriguing boy who seems to be a miracle cure for her illness, but this meet will unearth a whole lot of other things. Like other realms, beings, magic and what she's actually capable of herself. All of a sudden, she's got a destiny and a path to follow, but will she be able to leave her mom and friends to follow it?
I love how Jenna Morland has twisted and created elements and beings that most of us has met in other settings before but giving those elements new context and rules. I don't want to spoil too much, because I really enjoyed reading about it without knowing too much myself BUT I loved it. Just so you know. There's also a love triangle in this, but it's not an obnoxious or a mean one. It's actually one of those where I don't know which one I think she should pick. By the end of a book I usually know what I feel about the love interest and if there's two – which one I would pick. Not this time. I almost hope that some irredeemable quality in one or the other character appears in book 2 so I can choose. 😉
So, if you're looking for your next YA fantasy read I highly recommend checking this out! 🙂
Published by Oftomes Publishing.
Saving Death by R. L. Endean (arc)
This book took me a while to get into, but about halfway through everything came into focus and I sailed through the pages. At first, it was mostly character driven and it was very interesting to follow Ava's character development when she struggles with grief while also trying to bond with her love interest. Despite this, I would still have welcomed some more worldbuilding or "plot roots" to give the story more bulk in the beginning, but once the plot was revealed it was well worth the wait; being intriguing, filled with smart twists and suffused with the kind of mythos that you wish you'd been the one to think of first. This debut was full of potential and gives an exciting promise of an even better sequel. I highly recommend this gothic romance for anyone looking for an atmospheric YA read!
You can find here: Amazon, Book Depository, Adlibris and on Goodreads.
Colliding Skies by Debbie Zaken
March 6, 2018 March 6, 2018 2 Comments
It may be unwise to chase a starlight, but I'll gladly take the risk to continue chasing one with Skye!
4,5 ⭐
Colliding Skies has all the fun elements of a YA sci-fi romance with coming of age, adventure, advanced technology, invasion by aliens and of course the girl-meets-boy scenario. The getting to know someone and falling in love part is one of my favorite sequences of YA and romance novels, and Debbie Zaken does a very good job of describing that chemistry between her main character Skye and her two suitors. It's interesting how the characters twist and turn within their perspectives. Each reacting on events in their own way and having to navigate the consequences of their choices.
I thought the overall pacing was good and the storyline believable within its premises with a good balance between light and heavy topics. What happens if an alien race, or any group of people, were to insinuate itself with your government and proclaim only good intentions? Do you welcome them or question their motives?
Read the synopsis here: Goodreads
Get your copy here: Amazon or Bookdepository
Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine (ARC)
This wasn't a book that made me feel highly excitable, where I was left feeling like the story was almost going too fast for me to keep up. This was a steady influx of tense adrenaline in the pit of my stomach. You know the feeling, the feeling of wondering when the other shoe will drop and there's bound to be trouble afoot. Don't mistake my description for a dull read, because believe me when I say that there's plenty of action in this story. It's the way it's told that make you feel all anticipatory. There's a sense of danger through the whole thing and the characters are well cemented to further strengthen it all. They are well thought through and oh so clever. I loved the whole thing from start to finish, though I do warn you of the prologue. It can seem a little dry, but you'll need that backdrop to get familiar with the world of the Great Library. It's worth every word of academic style dryness, as it gives you an overall perspective for when you meet the main character Jess and the other players in this story.
This is a different setting than Caine's other books but her storytelling is as good as her Weather Warden series. It pulls you in and stays with you during the day when not reading. You'll not be sorry to pick this up!
Jess Brightwell is the son of a black market dealer who specializes in acquiring and selling books in a world where books have been outlawed for the safety of both the humankind and the books themselves.
It's about a world obsessed with words, with books, with knowledge. It's a world where these things are strictly controlled by an organization named the Library who believes that the wrong kind of information can corrupt the denizens of the world and that humans thus need to be protected against themselves. Though no one may own a real book, it's thought of as a sin to deprive the masses of the wisdom of the written word and so when the discovery of alchemy produced the mirrored tablet, the Library enabled everyone, even the lowest of the low, to have access to all the great (approved) works that's ever been written. It's a time of enlightenment where everyone can read and write, and to be chosen by the Library to preserve and protect the written word is an honor and a privilege.
For Jess, this means a life of constant danger. As his father's son he's meant to spy for the family business of black market dealings and no things are as valuable as original books in a world where they are the rarest item out there. And the best and worst place to acquire these rare books? The Library's HQ of course, in Alexandria.
I'm really looking forward to read about how Jess and his friends fare in the next installment of the Great Library series, Paper and Fire. 🙂
I received this copy from the publisher (Berkley Publishing Group) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. To see the beautiful cover for this book, check it out on Goodreads or Amazon. It's amazing!
The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater
First of all, Maggie Stiefvater nailed it with this series. I love Blue, Gansey, Adam and Ronan to pieces. Henry was a surprise and I really liked that he got a bigger part in their final story. I loved the creepy goosebumps-inducing name and the insight of their Enemy. Let's just stamp the whole thing with a I LOVED THIS and move on shall we?
The only thing I can think of that might have brought it down a notch in the Raven King, for me, was this: I liked the way that she built up the storyline by inviting other perspectives, BUT it was also a bit confusing at times. One, two or three of the "new" characters (that until now has been a peripheral influence at best) were to me a bit confusing when they were introduced in a couple of chapters like they were the main characters to this story. Or that the characters themselves at least thought so. Not a big deal to be sure, but it left me a bit unbalanced and wondering if I've missed something in the earlier storyline. Are there bits of the story that I've forgotten from the previous books or are there novellas I haven't read yet?
Anyway, overall this book (this series really) was awesome. Such a great adventure!
If you haven't read this series yet, I really recommend that you read them in order as the Raven King is the conclusion to the Raven Cycle. The first book is called The Raven Boys and it's there that you'll first meet our dynamic group of main characters.
Blue lives with her mom and family at 300 Fox Way, a house filled with psychic women. For sixteen years she's been told that she will kill her true love by a kiss. The longest standing prediction in 300 Fox Way. So when Blue, who has no psychic powers herself other than being an amplifier for such gifts, sees a spirit of a boy on the corpse road for the first time – there can only be one explanation. Either he's her true love or she's killed him. Or rather she will, within a year.
As fate would have it, she meets this boy named Gansey shortly after her vision of him on the corpse road. Even though she can't imagine falling in love with Gansey, she's determined to find out the truth and to prevent his death. So when she gets the chance to be involved in his search for the legendary king Glendower alongside his two friends Adam and Ronan, she takes it.
Amber Smoke by Kristin Cast (ARC)
Spontaneous reaction upon finishing this book? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! That ending was the major of cliffhangers with some author-snark thrown in at the end. "The End…For Now." I mean, come on! First she gets me invested in the characters, builds up the drama and basically uses the epilogue as a cliffhanger of evil? Genius! The gauntlet has been thrown and I must get my hands on the sequel pronto.
So, to move on and summarize… I loved Amber Smoke!
It's about Eva and Alek finding their way to each other, their destinies being intertwined with that of the ailing Tartarus. In the realm of the Underworld the prison Tartarus is failing under a curse and tormented souls of the damned are escaping to the mortal realm, wreaking havoc and heralding an apocalypse. Alek, warrior son of the Furies, is sent on a mission by his mothers to find Eva, the descendant of Pythia, who is not yet aware of her ancestry or destiny, before everything falls apart. Though finding this lost daughter of the Oracle proves harder than Alek thought.
The whole story, characters and feel of the world is (not the same but) precisely what I was expecting after having read the first 3 books in the House of Night series which Cast co-authored. I did feel as though the story could have used a bit more something to solidify the relationships and given the whole thing more fluidity. Like a couple of more events to give the characters (and reader) a chance to feel the connection between both them and the plot. To get a more solid grip on everything. Or maybe that's just me being greedy for more and not ready to let go of the story about Eva and Alek.
If you've read The House of Night series, or The Black Jewels series by Anne Bishop, that may not have anything in common other than being built on the premises of other mythological dimensions, the characters that move between and their impact on one another plus the general feeling of them, I think you'll really like Amber Smoke.
I received this copy from the publisher (Diversion Books) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Girl in the Shadows by Gwenda Bond (ARC)
I haven't read that many books with a circus as a backdrop and having read this I don't understand why, because this book was entertainment of the highest trapeze. Suspenseful with a hint of darkness, but an easy read and quite lovely all together. I loved every minute of this!
It's about a girl named Moira who dreams of becoming a great magician, performing intricate showy illusions in Las Vegas like her father. There's one small hitch though. Her father is not keen on the idea of his beloved daughter following in his footsteps, in fact, he won't even give her a chance to show her skills and shuts her down every time she tries. So, when an invitation to the great Cirque American lands by her feet by accident she takes her chance and who could blame her?
The Miraculous Moira gets a shot at her dream. Little does she know there might be a reason her father was so adamant about keeping her away from magic all these years. Any magic at all…
This book is a stand-alone, though technically Girl in the Shadows is the second book set in this world. The first book published was Girl on a Wire. In retrospect I would have read Girl on a Wire first, because this story's somewhat based on the first one and both revolve around the same artefact. It made me very curious about Jules, Remy and Dita from Girl on a Wire who Moira befriends upon arriving to the Cirque American, and their adventure.
BUT! This does not diminish Girl in the Shadows at all! So, if you have a chance to read Girl in the Shadows? Take it! 🙂
I received this copy from the publisher (Amazon Skyscape) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. To see the beautiful cover for this book, check it out on Goodreads or Amazon. It's gorgeous!
The Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout
I had my doubts about this series. I've read part of a trilogy by Jennifer L. Armentrout a couple of years ago where I LOVED the first book, was a bit put off by the second and couldn't stomach the third. Then, at this year's book sale in February I found the first book in the Lux series in the bargain section. I'm glad I did decide to pick up something by this author again.
The Lux series is delightfully well-balanced with action, romance and moral conundrums. The big plus being the consistency in writing and story through book 1-4 and they're a solid 4 stars so far. I find that sometimes the first couple of books in a series is usually the best and the rest just kind of…degrades. Rarely to the extent that the books are unreadable, but they're often not as interesting as the first one(s). For example, the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind, the Anita Blake series by Laurell K Hamilton and the Nightrunner series by Lynn Flewelling. I freaking love these three, but the first books in either series is just genius compared to the ones that came later.
The first book introduces Kat who's just moved to West Virginia with her mother. Kat's life so far revolves around books and blogging about them (bonus points, right there). Having lost her father to cancer and with a mother that's trying to stay afloat, she's learned to take care of herself in her everyday life. She's basically do an infusion of tumult, of the infuriating but hot neighbor variety. It's just her luck the disturbed neighbor and his friendly sister are aliens. With baggage. Suspicious, two-faced government baggage.
There are five books in total and I have the Kindle version of Opposition waiting for me to read. 🙂
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3/5 *
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Donald Trump Says He Will 'Never Concede' Despite Authorizing Biden Transition
By Michael Hein - November 25, 2020 12:22 am EST
President Donald Trump tweeted that he will "never concede" the 2020 presidential election on Tuesday, hours after authorizing the Biden teams transition process. Under mounting pressure to stop holding up the transition, the General Services Administration ascertained the election results. Trump later took credit for this ascertainment on Twitter, then contradicted himself.
"What does GSA being allowed to preliminarily work with the Dems have to do with continuing to pursue our various cases on what will go down as the most corrupt election in American political history?" he wrote. "We are moving full speed ahead. Will never concede to fake ballots [and] 'Dominion.'" This reference to a debunked election conspiracy theory earned Trump another warning from Twitter that his information "is disputed." The president is not only continuing his legal challenges to the election results, but his spread of misinformation as well.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 24, 2020
Trump went on to retweet supporters, including anonymous far-right Twitter accounts and actor Randy Quaid. Among these messages was a call for an in-person re-vote, the message "I concede NOTHING!!!!!" and more conspiracy theories. Amid these, he wrote: "Are you listening Republicans?"
So far, neither Trump, his legal team or any other investigators have turned up real evidence of mass voter fraud, election tampering or other problems in the 2020 presidential election. However, misinformation about these investigations is on the rise, with Trump playing no small part in spreading it. Political analysts are increasingly concerned about the impact all this will have on American democracy itself.
According to a Forbes report, legal scholars say there is little chance Trump's latest call for a complete re-vote will go anywhere. There has never been a re-vote in American history, and even some Republican lawmakers who have supported Trump through his conspiracy theories are now taking this as their opportunity to step back. On Friday, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz told Fox News that the "standard for holding a new election is extraordinarily high."
TIME TO MAKE OAN & NEWSMAX RICH. FOX IS DEAD TO ME! pic.twitter.com/IhnDXCJ7a7
— Randy Quaid (@RandyRRQuaid) November 13, 2020
Meanwhile, the official start to the transition is good news for President-elect Joe Biden, who came under fire last week when his campaign asked supporters to make small-dollar donations to support an independent transition. That move outraged many, as they let Biden know on social media.
With the transition underway, the path is clear for Biden to be sworn in on inauguration day in January and for the entire process to move forward as usual. Trump's legal challenges can still move forward, but given the severe lack of evidence to support them, chances are they will go nowhere.
Disney World Stops Selling New Annual Passes
Cowboys for Trump Founder, Who Vowed to Return With Guns to Capitol for Inauguration, Arrested by FBI
Inauguration Rehearsal Evacuated After Fire Several Blocks Away
FBI Reportedly Vetting All 25,000 National Guard Troops Being Deployed for Inauguration
South Bend Police Union Ruffles Feathers With Santa Claus Photo Featuring Potential Offensive Symbol
Twitter Suspends Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene for Election Misinformation
AirBnb Owner Slams Group of Capitol Rioters Who Stayed at His Rental With Scathing Review
Donald Trump's Twitter Ban Showed Immediate Change in Misinformation Shared on Social Media


Bike running like a dog? This section might well answer your questions. Posting restricted to registered users.
I've just managed to fit a set of 3 Yamaha Banshee / YPVS 350 reed valves to my trackbike NS475.
It involved quite a bit of grinding out of material from the inlet castings to squeeze them in but looks like it will work well in conjunction with, bored inlet rubbers and NSR250 32mm carbs. To avoid having to bore too much out of the manifolds and avoid them splitting I've machined the outside of the carb stubs to reduce the external diameter so they fit easier.
I should be doing some dyno testing with this set up in the next few weeks so will be hoping to better my best bhp figure of 84 (my road bike, with standard reeds and carbs) to ??
How did this end up working out ?


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3MATCH URL: https://static.rappler.com/images/sting-manila-20121208-carousel.jpg
Sting comes to Manila
The Sunday, December 9 concert, a part of his "Back to Bass World Tour," promises to be a celebration of all of his hits
Pia Ranada
@piaranada
Published 6:48 PM, December 08, 2012
Updated 6:48 PM, December 08, 2012
MANILA, Philippines - Sting has arrived in Manila!
His Korean Air flight touched down at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport early morning Saturday, December 8, in time for his concert Sunday, December 9, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
A legal alien. Sting arrives in Manila for his December 9 concert.
Sting, an English musician whose real name is Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, first became famous as the lead vocalist and bassist for The Police, a New Wave band that brought to the world such songs as "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic," "Every Breath You Take," and "Message in a Bottle," among others.
After the group disbanded, Sting went on to pursue a highly successful solo musical career. He is responsible for the extremely catchy Karaoke favorite, "Englishman in New York" as well as other hits such as "Fields of Gold," "Fortress Around Your Heart," and "If I Ever Lose My Faith In You."
The December 9 concert, a part of his "Back to Bass World Tour," promises to be a celebration of all of his hits, including those from his years as frontman for The Police. In fact, the name of the tour presages what fans can expect from the concert because, aside from singing, Sting will be playing his principal instrument, the bass guitar.
True Sting die-hards will also be pleased to know that the concert is a promotion of his newest 3-CD-DVD box collection that includes "Sting 25 Years" and "Sting: The Best of 25 Years."
A fan has his photo taken with English musician Sting at Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
If you're lucky, you may buy your concert tickets from any Ticketnet outlet or you can get them online at www.ticketnet.com.ph. Ticket prices are as follows:
P 15,840 (VIP)
P 10,560 (Patron)
P 7,920 (Lower Box A)
P 5,810 (Lower Box B)
P 3,700 (Upper Box)
P 1,030 (General Admission) - Rappler.com
Filed under:Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner•Smart Araneta Coliseum•Sting


This is the only kit made specifically to fit Defenders.
Machined from high quality aluminium billet the 4 port manifold has individual ports for the front diff, rear diff, transfer case and the fuel tank.
The kit includes the manifold block which is fitted with 4 x 6mm push in fittings, 4 x sintered stainless steel filters, 6mm air line, 4 x air push in joiners and zip ties.
Cut the supplied airline into 3 equal lengths, thread the lines in the direction of the two brackets.


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Earth's Magnetic Field in Trouble – Flip Could Happen Sooner Than Expected
Kelly Dickerson | Scientificamerican
Changes measured by the Swarm satellite over the past 6 months shows that Earth's magnetic field is changing. Shades of red show areas where it is strengthening, and shades of blue show areas that are weakening.
Credit: ESA/DTU
Earth's magnetic field, which protects the planet from huge blasts of deadly solar radiation, has been weakening over the past six months, according to data collected by a European Space Agency (ESA) satellite array called Swarm.
The biggest weak spots in the magnetic field— which extends 370,000 miles (600,000 kilometers) above the planet's surface — have sprung up over the Western Hemisphere, while the field has strengthened over areas like the southern Indian Ocean, according to the magnetometers onboard the Swarm satellites — three separate satellites floating in tandem.
The scientists who conducted the study are still unsure why the magnetic field is weakening, but one likely reason is that Earth's magnetic poles are getting ready to flip, said Rune Floberghagen, the ESA's Swarm mission manager. In fact, the data suggest magnetic north is moving toward Siberia.
"Such a flip is not instantaneous, but would take many hundred if not a few thousand years," Floberghagen told Live Science. "They have happened many times in the past."[50 Amazing Facts About Planet Earth]
Scientists already know that magnetic north shifts. Once every few hundred thousand years the magnetic poles flip so that a compass would point south instead of north. While changes in magnetic field strength are part of this normal flipping cycle, data from Swarm have shown the field is starting to weaken faster than in the past. Previously, researchers estimated the field was weakening about 5 percent per century, but the new data revealed the field is actually weakening at 5 percent per decade, or 10 times faster than thought. As such, rather than the full flip occurring in about 2,000 years, as was predicted, the new data suggest it could happen sooner.
Floberghagen hopes that more data from Swarm will shed light on why the field is weakening faster now.
Still, there is no evidence that a weakened magnetic field would result in a doomsday for Earth. During past polarity flips there were no mass extinctions or evidence of radiation damage. Researchers think power grids and communication systems would be most at risk.
Earth's magnetic field acts like a giant invisible bubble that shields the planet from the dangerous cosmic radiation spewing from the sun in the form of solar winds. The field exists because Earth has a giant ball of iron at its core surrounded by an outer layer of molten metal. Changes in the core's temperature and Earth's rotation boil and swirl the liquid metal around in the outer core, creating magnetic field lines.
[read full post here]


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, pseudònim dEithne Patricia Ní Bhraonáin, és una cantant i compositora irlandesa de música New Age.

Biografia
Pertany a una família de músics, l'any 1982 es va unir a Nicky i Roma Ryan amb la intenció de compondre bandes sonores per a pel·lícules: el primer encàrrec important que va rebre va ésser pel documental britànic The Celts emès cap al 1987 per la BBC. L'èxit arribà amb la publicació de Watermark (1988), que va donar lloc a l'esquema general que prendrien els seus discs.

Juntament amb alguns instrumentals, acostuma a tenir un lloc a la cançó en la seva llengua materna, el gaèlic, i de tant en tant en llatí. Tanmateix, ha fet petites incursions en altres idiomes, com ara el gal·lès, l'espanyol, les llengües imaginàries d'El Senyor dels Anells o, més recentment, el japonès. Tot i això mai ha deixat de banda l'anglès. La varietat lingüística, va acompanyada de varietat musical amb un to relaxant (o ambiental) en la major part de les seves cançons.

Els seus discs, construïts de vegades partint de melodies atomitzades, entusiasmen els seus seguidors, encara que també provoquen rebuig entre els seus detractors, i això comporta que no hi acostumi a haver una opinió equànime entre ambdues parts. Una de les característiques de les composicions d'Enya resideix en realitzar gravacions per superposició de veus modificades mitjançant sintetitzadors que continuen sonant diferent al que es publica en el món de la música moderna o lleugera.

A diferència d'altres cantants actuals, Enya compon i produeix les seves pròpies obres, porta fent aquest treball des del 1987 i encara continua traient col·leccions al mercat, cosa que no està a l'abast de tots els cantants actuals. Una altra diferència entre Enya i altres artistes de música lleugera o moderna és que Enya no ofereix pas concerts.

Discografia
 Enya (1987) La BBC preparava una sèrie documental sobre la vida dels celtes anomenada the Celts (els celtes) i va encarregar a Enya la banda sonora: la composició, que va comportar deu mesos de treball, va agradar tant a la BBC que es va decidir a publicar-ne una selecció com a disc independent, fins i tot abans que la sèrie fos emesa. El títol va ser-hi simplement el d'"Enya".

 Watermark (1988) És el disc amb el qual la cantant irlandesa es va donar a conèixer a escala mundial. A més de l'èxit comercial del single "Orinoco Flow", és un treball que conté cançons en llatí, com ara "Cursum perficio", o en gaèlic, com "Na Laetha geal m'óige". Tanmateix hi inclou lletres en anglès tant populars com "Orinoco flow".

 Shepherd Moons (1991) Segueix amb l'estructura establerta en el seu darrer àlbum i la consolida. "Shepherd Moons" conté un dels seus majors èxits, "Caribbean Blue", així com altres cançons com "Book of Days" o "Ebudæ", emprades en l'ambientació de pel·lícules produïdes per aquella època.

 The Celts (1992) És una reedició del seu primer àlbum que millora el so de la gravació original i substitueix la cançó "Portrait" per una altra versió 'Out of the Blue'.

 The Memory of Trees (1995) És el disc instrumentalment més complex mai creat per Enya. "The Memory of Trees" és la cançó que obre el disc i que dona nom a l'àlbum, ve seguida per la famosa "Anywhere Is". El disc conté sons molt més complexos i cors de veus molt elaborats. A l'Estat Espanyol arribà a col·locar-se durant diverses setmanes a la llista dels més venuts.

 Paint The Sky With Stars (1997) Recopilatori al qual Enya qualifica de diari musical que inclou dues cançons noves: "Only If...", que fins i tot va arribar a l'octava posició de la llista dels 40 principals, a més inclou el tema que dona nom a l'àlbum (paint the sky with stars). En aquest any Enya també va publicar "A Box of Dreams" on la recopilació de temes de la seva carrera es fa molt més extensiva al llarg de tres àlbums temàtics especials: Oceans, Clouds i Stars.

 A Day Without Rain (2000) El disc més venut d'Enya, sobretot gràcies a la tragèdia de l'11-S i al fet que el famosíssim "Only Time" va ser emprat per il·lustrar l'esdeveniment a les televisions i ràdios dels Estats Units. Artísticament parlant, podria considerar-se la seva visió de les quatre estacions de l'any. És molt breu i presenta com a novetat el major pes que dona als sons de corda (violins i violoncels, sobretot en "pizzicato").

 Amarantine (2005) Després de l'èxit obtingut el 2002 per la seva col·laboració a la primera de les pel·lícules d'"El Senyor dels Anells", tres anys més tard va arribar el treball més recent de la irlandesa, al qual s'han incorporat un grapat d'innovacions formals. En aquest disc, d'atmosfera molt més calmada que el seu anterior treball i on es pot apreciar la seva veu de manera molt més directa, hi ha tres cançons en una llengua fictícia, el "loxian", creada pel seu lletrista, Roma Ryan. Per primera vegada no hi ha cap tema en llatí o gaèlic i n'hi ha un en japonès: "Sumiregusa". No obstant l'edició especial nadalenca del 2006 sí que inclou un tema en llatí: la nadala clàssica "Adeste Fideles", inclosa juntament amb altres tres més: "We Wish you a Merry Christmas", "The Magic of the Night" i "Christmas Secrets".

 And Winter Came... (2008)
 Dark Sky Island (2015)

Guardons
Premis
 1993: Grammy al millor àlbum de new-age
 1997: Grammy al millor àlbum de new-age
 2002: Grammy al millor àlbum de new-age
 2007: Grammy al millor àlbum de new-age

Nominacions
 1990: Grammy al millor àlbum de new-age
 2017: Grammy al millor àlbum de new-age

Referències

Enllaços externs

 Web Oficial d'Enya

Cantants irlandesos
Productors musicals
Guanyadors del premi Grammy
Persones del comtat de Donegal

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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16 May 20 Emerging City Champions Selected to Lead Innovative Urban Projects
Image: Emerging City Champions 2015 Erin Salazar's sketch.
Press release originally posted on the Knight Foundation website.
Successful Applicants Receive $ 5,000 to Implement one Project and Are Supported with Ongoing Mentorship and Leadership Training for One Year
MIAMI – May 16, 2018 – Twenty community leaders from cities across the United States have been selected to participate in the 2018 Emerging City Champions fellowship program. The program provides leadership development and funding for young civic innovators with unique solutions to improve public spaces, transportation and civic engagement in their cities. Now in its fourth year, the program is led by 8 80 Cities, a nonprofit organization based in Toronto, Canada, and funded by the John S. and James. L. Knight Foundation.
Emerging City Champions is open to young people between the ages of 19-35 in the 26 communities where Knight invests. Each year, hundreds of people apply to participate in the program. Submissions are evaluated based on the potential impact of the project idea, demonstrated capacity and leadership qualities of the applicant and level of innovation applied to the challenge.
The successful applicants receive $5,000 to implement one project and are supported with ongoing mentorship and leadership training for one year.
"In order to create cities that reflect the needs and preferences of the people who live within them, we need to tap voices from within. The Emerging City Champions program works to advance this goal, providing an outlet for rising local leaders to build ideas that make their city better. We are excited to see the impact that this new group of champions will bring to their communities," said Lilian Coral, Knight Foundation director for national strategy.
Participants of this year's program will bring diverse talents and experiences to their work as Emerging City Champions. Many will build on their ongoing work in their communities, while others are starting new ventures with support from the fellowship program.
"Each year, the Emerging City Champions bring bright ideas, enthusiasm and unique perspectives to tackle pressing challenges and needs in their communities," said Amanda O'Rourke, executive director of 8 80 Cities. "Past participants have exceeded our expectations with their creative and low-cost, but highly impactful projects for improving public spaces, mobility and civic engagement. This year's cohort is an impressive group, and we look forward to seeing how this opportunity brings their ideas to life and also gives them new tools and experiences as leaders in their communities."
The 20 participants will meet in Toronto, Canada, for the Emerging City Champions Studio. From June 15-19, participants will meet with established city builders and program alumni, visit examples of innovative public spaces in Toronto and develop their project plans. The Studio provides an opportunity for participants to strengthen project management, communications and community engagement skills that will help them hit the ground running when they return to their cities. The Studio also creates a collaborative environment where participants bond with one another and establish a support network of their peers.
The Emerging City Champions will begin implementing their projects after returning home from Toronto. In one year, their cities will have new and enhanced public spaces, programs and organizations to create more vibrant and successful communities.
More information is available at www.emergingcitychampions.org.
2018 Emerging City Champions
Aberdeen, South Dakota
Matthew Klundt will create an escape room game in downtown Aberdeen where players will participate in a hands-on class deconstructing the methods and means of how it was made.
Josy Jones will work with community members to create a series of live theatre events that celebrate the stories and history of their neighbourhood.
Kai Wick will launch Interactive Bus Stop, a placemaking project to improve the experience of using public transportation by bringing playful and interactive interventions to bus stops across the city.
Amir Naeem will bring jukeboxes to public spaces along the light rail transit line that will play music after users provide an idea or thought about the community.
Christine Edwards will develop a toolkit and event series that will provide information to make it easier for residents to interact and connect with Charlotte's municipal government.
Alexis Adams-Wynn will host Comedy Commons, an annual comedy show filled with jokes and roasts about the human experience of being neighbours across Detroit's MorningSide, East English Village and Cornerstone Village neighbourhoods.
Timothy Jackson will repurpose vacant lots into pollinator way-stations that will support the development of native plants and provide horticulture education and therapy opportunities for residents
Emily Montgomery will launch an interactive and engaging art installation that will be created through a participatory outdoor art studio on a downtown sidewalk and alleyway.
Rebekah Radtke will lead a collaborative design process to activate an underutilized lot and create a community gathering space between the University of Kentucky campus and downtown Lexington.
Tonja Khabir will support residents of the Pleasant Hill community in re-envisioning a cultural asset through collaborative planning, a block party event, arts-based programming and simple streetscape improvements.
Trevor Ditzler will temporarily close a portion of NW 79 Street to cars to host a community-led event featuring fun programs for people of all ages with the purpose of sparking new ideas and solutions to improve safety and accessibility in the neighbourhood.
Dena Ferrara Driscoll will develop a temporary storefront to serve as a public space where visitors can incubate ideas, build relationships and develop solutions to address persistent city challenge related to urban planning, transportation and governance.
Hanae Mason will lead a collaborative process to transform Lovett Library Park into an inclusive and accessible public space through organic and scheduled events and activities.
Gabriela Sanchez will produce a multi-disciplinary live theatre program in a public space that will create culturally-resonating performances that celebrate the voices of women and girls of colour and foster intergenerational dialogues.
Kyree Holmes will cultivate talent in young people to prepare them for careers in the user experience field by providing formal training where participants co-develop design solutions for real-life challenges in the city.
Elizabeth Zalanga will create a cohort-based mentorship and training program for high-school girls from underrepresented and underserved backgrounds that equips them with the knowledge, skills and confidence to become the next generation of civic leaders
Emily Schwing will pilot a new visitor's map for Emma Prusch Farm Park in East San Jose that will offer visitors fun and engaging suggestions on what to do or see in the park and surrounding neighborhoods.
Matthew Quevedo will work with residents to collect and share unique stories that celebrate the history and cultural identity of various communities across the city.
Viviane Nguyen will work with residents and collaborate with local governments to develop strategies for using Rock Springs Park as a hub for information and interventions that will mitigate flood impact in the neighborhood.
Samuel Lapp will create a pop-up music truck with a mobile stage and recording studio to encourage collaborative music creation and host live performances in parks and public spaces throughout the city.
Emerging City Champions, Toronto, fellowship


Dorcas Kasinde of Congo emerged as the winner at the third edition of Miss Africa 2018 Calabar. She was one of the twenty-five girls who came from across the continent compete for the crown. The Congolese beauty was crowned in a glitzy event held at the Calabar International Conference Centre hosted by South African personality Bonang Matheba and Nigeria's very own member of the 'Sweet Boys Association' Ebuka Obi-Uchendu. She walks away with 35 000 USD and a brand new SUV. Get to know her more by checking out her profile here.


Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Association (Society for Soil Conservation Saskatchewan) undertook to establish a pilot project to offer carbon credits from agriculture. Carbon credits will offset the greenhouse gas issuers of greenhouse eliminating the conversion to direct seeding (no-till cultivation). Farmers from across Canada will receive payments in exchange for their participation.
The project has been validated by the "Environment Canada Emissions Removal and Mitigation Pilot Project" (PERRL). The objective of the pilot project is to learn more about all aspects of the carbon trading process with carbon sinks in agricultural soils.
For now, participation is limited to members of soil conservation organizations in Western Canada and the Innovative Farmers Association of Ontario.
The area will be limited to 100 247 hectares or acres per producer. Producers will practice direct seeding and culture with minimal ground work. They must meet a number of requirements: do not incinerate waste and does not completely eliminate the growth of culture.
The equivalent amount of carbon dioxide removed (sequestered in the ground) will be determined using a protocol developed by PERRL. Producers will receive $ 11,08 ton of sequestered carbon dioxide. Payments differ depending on soil types and productivity.
Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Association believes that agriculture has the potential to help Canada reach more than 20% of its Kyoto target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Source: Express newsletter AgriSuccess Farm Credit Canada, April 15 2005 (click here).


Two Chicks On Books: Blog Tour- SISTERS OF BLOOD AND SPIRIT by Kady Cross Meet Wren and Lark and a Giveaway!
Blog Tour- SISTERS OF BLOOD AND SPIRIT by Kady Cross Meet Wren and Lark and a Giveaway!
I am so excited to be able to host a stop on SISTERS OF BLOOD AND SPIRIT Blog Tour! I adore Kady and her books and can't wait to get my hands on a finished copy of this one to add to my collection! I have a character comparison and contrast post today and make sure you enter the giveaway below fro some awesome prizes!
Haven't heard of SISTERS OF BLOOD AND SPIRIT? Check it out!
Wren Vs. Lark - Compare and contrast the two sisters - maybe something along the lines of the cover with two separate lists of personality traits/quirks/likes/dislikes?
Okay, this was really interesting to do! Thanks so much for hosting me.
· Both have blue eyes.
· Both are devoted to each other.
· They are both brave.
· They both believe that if people knew the *real* them they'd be afraid.
· They finish each other's sentences, or say what the other is thinking.
· They can make each other very angry.
· They can make each other very happy.
· Each believes that her sister is truly all she has in the world.
· They see themselves as halves of the same whole. That's not to say that they're not their own individual selves, but they feel stronger together.
In her other life, Kady Cross is a USA TODAY bestselling author of more than twenty books. She is lucky enough to have a husband who shares her love for the slightly twisted and all things geek, and a houseful of cats with whom she shares her darkest secrets. When she's not listening to the characters in her head, she's either trying to formulate the perfect lip gloss or teaching herself to solder. She has a weakness for all things girlie, sugar skulls and boots. Her love of books and makeup borders on addiction—of which she never, ever wants to be cured.
Thanks to the amazing team at Harlequin Teen each stop on the tour will be offering up a copy of SISTERS OF BLOOD AND SPIRIT, so be sure and follow along for more guest posts, interviews and chances to win! To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter form.
Wow, I hadn't heard of this book before, but it sounds really interesting! Definitely adding this one to my Goodreads.
Great post! I love the list!
This is such a unique concept! I love how each sister has such a different personality from the other.
I LOVED the Steampunk Chronicles! XD I can't wait to read more from her!
This book sound very interesting and I love the cover! Thanks for the giveaway!