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Bill Inzeo Of Zebra Technologies On The Future Of Retail
By David Liu
Customer First, Always — Know what they want, what they care about and that those things will continually change, so be prepared to proactively adjust when those needs start to shift.
As part of our series about the future of retail, I had the pleasure of interviewing Bill Inzeo.
Bill Inzeo, Global Retail Technology Strategist.
Bill Inzeo is the Global Retail Technology Strategist for Zebra Technologies, responsible for identifying the most impactful technology solutions that align with the top challenges facing Zebra's retail customers today, and in the future.
Prior to joining Zebra, Bill was the Senior Director of Strategic Analytics, Systems and Support for Walgreens Asset Protection Solutions. In his role at Walgreens, he was responsible for maximizing the profitability of 9,000+ retail locations and was one of the company's Subject Matter Experts for Total Retail Loss, leveraging technology and analytics to optimize Walgreens inventory performance, enable the Walgreens associate team and deliver a differentiating customer experience.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
Thank you for having me! Happy to share more about my previous experiences, and where I've been that's led me to Zebra. I was a retailer for 15 years leading corporate teams largely focused on Loss Prevention. The teams I led were focused on capabilities like leveraging analytics and technology, building proactive programs to deploy to the retail stores and really pushing the envelope on how to think about retail. We challenge ourselves to think about where efficiencies and incremental profitability and loss reduction could be achieved and how we could streamline the operations while we were at it. Often, we leveraged software solutions in the Zebra portfolio, in addition to Zebra hardware. Which made the transition to my time here at Zebra even more fitting. When the opportunity to join Zebra and oversee the global retail technology strategy came up, it seemed like the right next move for me to implement what we were doing at Walgreens, but for all of Zebra's current customers looking to solve for current and future challenges.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
I think the most interesting story and achievement has been how the team has redefined how work was done in Loss Prevention. In a relatively short amount of time, we completely reimagined how our field team was organized and shifted our resource to deployment to be data driven, putting the resources where the greatest loss prevention needs were, not just based on where stores are located. From there, we evangelized our broader company to adopt the Total Retail Loss framework (a framework and report commissioned by the Retail Industry Leader's Association (RILA) that expanded the scope of opportunity within our group to not be singularly focused on inventory loss and theft, but also the operational breakdowns that happen every day in retail and cause unintended losses. This really empowered our company to take a closer look at where there could be opportunities for improvement, completely within our control, and more widespread because they were non-malicious in nature.
With that framework in place, we then were able to implement a software platform that allowed us to push alerts when we identified breakdowns in the operation and more traditional loss, so our operational approach was action oriented and not focused on reviewing reports and dashboards. This was a massive force multiplier for us as we demonstrated the effectiveness of this approach within the Loss Prevention division and subsequently working with the operations team to adopt the platform as well, taking the user base from hundreds of people to thousands.
Are you working on any new exciting projects now? How do you think that might help people?
We're very focused on the increase in adoption of online ordering in retail with options like Buy Online, Pickup in Store (BOPIS) or Buy Online, Pickup at Curb (BOPAC). As customers gravitated to these options at unprecedented rates, driven by the pandemic, it introduced a significant amount of cost and complexity into retailers' operations. All of those orders being picked in a store are being "shopped" by an employee instead of the customer. That introduces an incremental need for labor that didn't exist previously and adds to the workload of associates in the store. Couple that with the challenge of labor availability, our customers are also seeking technology to help them optimize and automate how they utilize their labor and how they manage their other major investment, inventory. This brought up questions like, "How can technology help improve inventory accuracy? How can technology help make sure the right products are in the right place at the right time, and dynamically adjust as things change? How can technology help ensure that the work being done, by the associates whose time is already so precious, is the highest value work?" We've been building a portfolio of hardware and software solutions that help answer these exact questions and needs identified by our customers and teams. That is something we're very passionate about at Zebra!
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I have been fortunate to have both leaders and peers that have been very supportive over the years. While I won't point out a singular person, and the list I'm grateful for is longer than your readers probably want to read, what I'll share is this. What always drove success for our collective teams, for us as a leadership team, and for how we collaborated more broadly across the organization, was focusing how we worked, cross-functionally, on "The Three Cs":
Communication — be clear and transparent with one another)
Collaboration — we're all in this together so when we can help each other, we should…and did
Consistency — let a set of guiding principles lead how you show up…then, everyone always knows where you stand and what to expect from their interactions with you
That is how we built trust, coalitions, and ultimately truly strong partnerships within our leadership team, and across the broader organization.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
I've been fortunate to get the opportunity to lead teams that built tools and solutions for hundreds of thousands of retail store associates, at any given point, and millions of them over my 15 years in retail. All of our solutions were always focused on the same thing — how can we make our store team members' jobs easier so they can best take care of our customers? When you think about it, that's a pretty profound impact you can have on a massive group of people over the years. The solutions our teams were building and deploying would have a direct impact on the store associates day-to-day. That impacted how their day went, which impacts how they talk to their families at the dinner table that night when they ask, "how was your day?" and impacts how their customers' experience went while they were in our stores. We were keenly aware of the reach, and impact, we could have with a successful deployment of a solution, and equally important, had a high level of focus and respect for what happened when we didn't get it right so we could learn from that.
So, when it comes to bringing goodness to the world, I think our success allowed us to do that the way we did most things — bring goodness to our team members and they will spread that goodness to their customers in their interactions as they care for their needs. That's a reach that could impact 100+ million people over the years!
Ok super. Now let's jump to the main questions of our interview. The Pandemic has changed many aspects of all of our lives. One of them is the fact that so many of us have gotten used to shopping almost exclusively online. Can you share a few examples of different ideas that large retail outlets are implementing to adapt to the new realities created by the Pandemic?
I touched on this a little earlier. It's all about optimization and automation right now. How can I automate my inventory management tasks? How can I leverage software to automate the oversight of my operations levering the data I already have? What role can RFID and computer vision play in delivering real-time inventory visibility to support the online customer demand, especially when orders need to be fulfilled in a store and not a distribution center (DC) or fulfillment center? Where are there opportunities for me to drive digital optimization and automation leveraging capabilities like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)? How can I better handle the higher volume of returns coming back from the increase in online shopping? On average 30% of online orders are returned, compared to 7% of brick-and-mortar purchases. That's another new level, and type, of complexity. What's the future of checkout going to look like? We're already seeing unprecedented levels of adoption for self-checkout (both on the parts of retailers and their customers). What will the next evolution(s) look like?
Retailers are asking all of these questions and looking at these areas to find ways to optimize their operation while still meeting the ever-evolving expectations of their customers for more value and faster turnaround times, while providing a safe shopping experience.
The supply chain crisis is another outgrowth of the pandemic. Can you share a few examples of what retailers are doing to pivot because of the bottlenecks caused by the supply chain crisis?
Retailers have really broadened how they think about their supply chain network, and the power of the visibility across that network to most profitably meet customer demand, while managing through challenges like Supply Chain bottlenecks. Because, at the end of the day, if you can't get new inventory into your own network of "nodes" (DCs, Fulfillment Centers, Stores) you have to maximize how you leverage what you already have in your network. We're seeing retailers really focus on optimizing functions like their merchandise planning so they can do more short-term planning, and decisioning, to allocate and reallocate the inventory they do have to best satisfy customers online and, in the brick-and-mortar stores. They are looking to solutions with capabilities like AI/ML to augment what they have in place today, or sometimes replace what they have.
How do you think we should reimagine our supply chain to prevent this from happening again in the future?
I don't know that it's a reimagining as much as an accelerated evolution toward where we are headed. Bringing next levels of visibility across the supply chains, from the boat, to the port, to the truck, to the dock door, to the other truck, into the back of the store and on the shelf for the customers. Each of those steps is an opportunity for visibility of that inventory which can be used to help deliver what will ultimately be needed to absorb future supply chain disruptions; and that is the ability to pivot and adjust, quickly, to the environment and make better decisions, faster, to meet the demand.
In your opinion, will retail stores or malls continue to exist? How would you articulate the role of physical retail spaces at a time when online commerce platforms like Amazon Prime or Instacart can deliver the same day or the next day?
Absolutely. Brick-and-mortar retail stores are here to stay. Online offerings will continue to be highly relevant to customers as well. That said, retail customers continue to express that they intend to continue to shop in stores, in addition to online. The majority of shoppers prefer a blended shopping experience of online and in-store.
The so-called "Retail Apocalypse" has been going on for about a decade. While many retailers are struggling, some retailers, like Lululemon, Kroger, and Costco are quite profitable. Can you share a few lessons that other retailers can learn from the success of profitable retailers?
Retailers that are having success, and will continue to have success, are first and foremost customer led. They have a strong connection with their customers, have clear line of sight to their needs, and can react when those needs and expectations change or evolve. They're also dedicated to innovation and constantly open to challenging the status-quo. Doing something because it's how it's always been done is the worst reason to avoid change. The winning retailers have embraced that notion and are looking to technology to help them evolve with their customers, as the environment around them changes daily. In fact, 73% of respondents in Zebra's 14th Annual Global Shopper Study indicated that they expect the latest technology in stores. Dynamic, agile, and focused on continuously innovating for their customers is the recipe for success.
Based on your experience and success, what are the five most important things one should know in order to create a fantastic retail experience that keeps bringing customers back for more? Please share a story or an example for each.
Retail is People — No matter what decision you're making, or solution you're building, the people (associates and customers) are the priority. If you're laser-focused on doing best for them, and listening to their feedback intently, you will succeed.
Challenge the Status-Quo, Constantly — Retail looks so different today than it did 50 years ago, even 20 years ago. Pharmacies have drive-thrus, checkouts can be self-service, kitchens are being designed with virtual reality and augmented reality. All of those evolutions came from people willing to ask 'why?' And, importantly, continue to ask 'why.'
Retail is the Ultimate Team Sport — There are so many interdependencies in retail, and handoffs across the organizations from Supply Chain, to Merchandising, to Marketing, to IT to Operations, to Loss Prevention. The retailers that find ways to truly collaborate, cross-functionally, for the greater good are delivering next level change and customer experiences.
Focus on the Positive and Deal with the Negative — There are always problems to solve and issues to fix in retail. That will never change. Being solution obsessed will position you to deal with the inevitable challenges. While you're doing that, celebrate the wins and focus the teams on what's working! It's so much more impactful to teach what great looks like, and celebrate it, than to just focus on what's not working. You can, and should, do both.
Thank you for all of that. We are nearly done. Here is our final 'meaty' question. You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I can't claim this to be the start of a movement, but more of a build of one that's out there. Be kind to one another. There's no shortage of challenges in retail, and let's face it, life in general. We were always better when we took challenges on together, and we did that because we trusted one another. That trust was earned, and it starts with kindness.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
You can find me on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/billinzeo
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
You're quite welcome. Thank you for taking the time to chat with me.
About The Interviewer: David Liu is the founder and CEO of Deltapath, an award-winning unified communications company that liberates organizations from the barriers of effective communication. Liu is known for his visionary leadership, organic growth strategies, and future-forward technology. Liu is highly committed to achieving a greater purpose with technology. Liu's business insights are regularly featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur Magazine, Tech Crunch, and more.
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Oliver Dylan
Aestheticism, Pop Culture, Evil & Oscar Wilde
Geoff Klock at The Old Stone House
Mon, Oct 16 at 7:30 p.m. | 90 minutes
Oscar Wilde popularized the idea that Beauty, rather than Truth or Goodness, should be the aim of art
Oscar Wilde popularized the idea that Beauty, rather than Truth or Goodness, should be the aim of art -- and by extension pop culture. It was an idea that gave us stunning paintings that are just splashes of color and movies that are pure roller coasters. But did removing accuracy and moral aims from art lead us into our current predicament where we blame stories for preaching violence, patriarchy, racism and sexism? Join us on Oscar Wilde's birthday at the Old Stone House to discuss.
Teacher: Geoff Klock
Geoff Klock has a doctorate from Oxford and is a professor at BMCC-CUNY. He teaches philosophy (mostly the philosophy of art), Shakespeare, canonical poetry in English, parables, and film (mostly movies about movies, and David Lynch). He is the author of four academic books on things like television shows and superheroes and has been cited 290 times.
Venue: The Old Stone House
Add to Calendar Oct. 16, 20177:30 p.m. Oct. 16, 2017 America/New_York Think Olio | Aestheticism, Pop Culture, Evil & Oscar Wilde Oscar Wilde popularized the idea that Beauty, rather than Truth or Goodness, should be the aim of art None
What is Think Olio?
Think Olio is here to put the liberation back into the liberal arts.
Classically, the liberal arts, were the education considered essential for a free person to take an active part in civic life. To counter a humanities that has been institutionalized and dehumanized we infuse critical thinking, openness, playfulness, and compassion into our learning experience.
Read more about our mission, our story, and how we are doing this.
Scenius Membership
If Friday night lectures, museum field trips, and living room salons sound like your kind of thing, then you've found your people. We can't wait to welcome you to the Think Olio Scenius. More info
Other Upcoming Olios
The Tyranny of Happy: Contemporary Over-Performance
Location: at Online
Teacher: Jeanne Proust
Communities Fight Back: Meeting our Needs During Capitalist Crisis
Teacher: Lauren Hudson
Defund the Police?
Teacher: Briana Toole
Jan. 28, 2021, 8 p.m.
Bioethics: On Living and Dying
Feb. 9, 2021, 7:30 p.m.
Deschooling & Decolonizing: Creating The Third University
Teacher: Kashema Hutchinson
Indigenous Peoples and Settler Colonialism
Teacher: J. Kēhaulani Kauanui
Feb. 18, 2021, 8 p.m.
The Tao, The Five Elements & Self Care: Meeting our Physical, Emotional and Spiritual Needs During A Time of Madness
Teacher: Darryl Aiken-Afam
March 4, 2021, 7 p.m.
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Liaisons Host an Olio
Olio: A miscellaneous collection of art and literature.

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The schedule is all set for the sixth annual Philly Wine Week, which as usual will kick off with Opening Corks on Sunday night, March 31, and continue through next week.
Activities featuring international, national and regional wines will take place at nearly 60 locations throughout the city and suburbs. Opening Corks this year will take place on the 19th floor of the Bellevue Hotel, from 6 to 9 p.m.; it features a gala atmosphere, with a variety of wines and appetizers to satisfy everyone's palate. General admission tickets are $65/person.
Born out of the success that Philly Beer Week has experienced since it was created in 2007, Philly Wine Week has been adding venues, sponsors and participants with each passing year. Jill Weber is a Philly Wine Week board member since its inception who opened Jet Wine Bar at 15th and South streets in 2010 to "open guests' eyes to the world of wines beyond Italy and France." She said in an email that she has noticed increased visibility for the event this year.
Rolling into the new year, here are some suggested visits for those looking to explore the wines and wineries of eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
As has been the case since the first year, attendees will have an opportunity to taste what's being made around the region.
One establishment that has been at the forefront of showcasing local wines is Martha, 2113 E. York St., in Philly's Kensington section. This year is no exception, with vermouth from Channing Daughters on Long Island, wines from Lancaster County's Vox Vineti and Lehigh County's Hackett Winery, and the annual wine dinner with Anthony Vietri and his premier selection of Va La Wines from Avondale, Chester County. Click this link to the Martha schedule and click here to read more about three superior Pennsylvania producers: Vox Vineti, Va La and Galen Glen.
All in all, there will be varietals and hybrids you like from all over the world and other wines (and grapes) that you'll get the opportunity to sample for the first time.


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Book Lives
Owen C. Sharkey
Professor of Psychology
Affiliated Organization
Owen Francis Sharkey
Caroline (Carrie) Marie Sinnott.
Owen Sharkey (1922-2014)
Owen Charles Sharkey was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on 28 October 1922. He was the eldest son of Owen Francis Sharkey and Caroline (Carrie) Marie Sinnott. Owen had two younger siblings, Ida May (born 10 March 1924 in Kamsack SK) and William A. (born 9 June 1926 in Kamsack SK).
His mother Caroline Marie Sinnott was born in Morell, Prince Edward Island, and his father, Owen Francis Sharkey, was born in Cardigan, Prince Edward Island. The two were married on August 9, 1921 in PEI.
The Sharkey family lived in Western Canada for the first six years of Owen's life, primarily in Kamsack SK, very close to the Manitoba border. When Owen's father, Owen Francis Sharkey, died on 17 August 1929 in St. Boniface, Manitoba, Carrie and the children moved back East, but not directly to PEI.
In the 1930 U.S. Census, Carrie, young Owen, Ida, and William were living in Boston MA with Carrie's older sister Mary, a public school teacher.
In 1931, they (although it may just be Owen and his brother William) moved back to PEI and Owen went to school in Morrell. For High School Owen went to Prince of Wales College and after graduating went to Levis PQ to learn French. In 1940 Owen came back to PEI to study at St. Dunstan's University. During his time at SDU he maintained the highest aggregate academic score for all four years of his time as a student.
By October 1940 Owen's mother and sister were living in Dorchester MA, a neighbourhood of Boston. Both Carrie and Ida were living there in 1941, when Carrie petitioned for U.S. citizenship. Owen remained in Charlottetown, and his younger brother lived in Rollo Bay PEI at the time of her application.
According to an edition of the Red & White published in 1943, Owen Sharkey was elected president of the student council. He graduated from St. Dunstan's University in 1944 with a Bachelor of Arts.
In 1948, Owen was ordained at St. Augustine's Seminary in Toronto. Immediately after his ordination he returned to St. Dunstan's University where he worked for six years. Owen was a dedicated scholar. During the summer months, between 1952-1956, he studied Educational Administration and Psychology at the Catholic University of America.
Owen left St Dunstan's to take his Masters in Psychology at Dalhousie University. While at Dalhousie, he worked as a notary for the Halifax Regional Tribunal (a court for the Catholic Church). He graduated with his Master's degree in 1958, the same year his mother, Caroline Sharkey, died in Massachusetts.
After completing his masters, Owen Sharkey began his PhD at Columbia University in New York. He returned to St. Dunstan's in the fall of 1961, as he finished up his doctoral thesis. His PhD thesis paper focused on the theory of Achievement. He proposed that positive people, with high self-acceptance, fared better than negative people with a drive to be successful. Since Owen had already returned to St. Dunstan's University in the midst of his thesis, he employed freshman students, in Fall of 1961, to test this theory. He created a test to see if student success was determined by how content or discontent they were. In January 1962 he officially rejoined the faculty as a psychology professor.
After receiving his doctorate Dr. Owen Sharkey continued to work for St. Dunstan's University for many years, and was still there when it became the University of Prince Edward Island in 1969.
Owen was a well loved Psychology professor, and later became the head of the Psychology Department. He was also the SDU Registrar for a number of years.
Owen Charles Sharkey died on 7 November 2014 in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Charlottetown, at the age of 92.
1891 Census of Canada. Census Place: Lot 53, Kings, Prince Edward Island, Canada; Roll: T-6382; Family No: 42
1901 Census of Canada. Census Place: Lot (Township/Canton) 53, Kings, Prince Edward Island; Page: 15; Family No: 125
1911 Census of Canada. Census Place: 16 - Part - Lot 52 and 53, Kings, Prince Edward Island; Page: 12; Family No: 114
1921 Census of Canada. Census Place: Lorne Valley, Kings, Prince Edward Island; Reference Number: RG 31; Folder Number: 103; Page Number: 11
1930 United States Federal Census. Census Place: Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts; Page: 4B; Enumeration District: 0392; FHL microfilm: 2340686
The Boston Globe. 4 July 1958, p.22.
Boston Massachusetts City Directory, 1930, for year ending August 1931, page 1891.
Father Sharkey Re-joins Faculty 29 January 1962, page 4.
Obituary for Ida May (Sharkey) Jay
Obituary for Owen C. Sharkey
Owen Sharkey and Carrie Sinnott Marriage Record, PEI. PARO. RG19/s3/ss6: Marriage registrations, 1921.
Owen T. Sharkey Death Record, PEI. PARO. Patriot newspaper, 31 December 1929.
Petitions and Records of Naturalization , 8/1845 - 12/1911 ; NAI Number: 3000057; Record Group Title: Records of District Courts of the United States, 1685-2009; Record Group Number: RG 21. National Archives at Boston; Waltham, Massachusetts.
Red & White 1943, page 28.
SDU Expands Facilities, Courses, As Student Body Mushrooms. Charlottetown Guardian-The Evening Patriot. 27 February 1963, p.25A.
UPEI Communications: Former Faculty Member Owen Sharkey Passes Away.
SDU Digital Archive. Class of 1944.
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Destinations: North America
Rookie In The Rice
Jack Hirt - November 03, 2010
A northern Minnesota blast and cast adventure.
By Jack Hirt
Climbing into Craig's duckboat at the backwoods landing felt like stepping through a time warp. Though in my 60th year, I felt every bit as giddy as a 12- or 13-year-old kid would on his first duck hunting adventure. I don't know why, And I sure can't explain it. But that's what happens to me every time I get a chance to do something different, to try something new in our wonderful world of wildfowling. An odd sensation? Maybe. But it's one I never hope to lose.
Though we were past the middle of October, the damp, mild air wedged between the steaming marsh and the low-hanging scud felt foreign and downright unpleasant given our northern Minnesota latitude.
Though I gave it little thought then, the unseasonable weather wasn't going to prove the only surprise on this trip.
I was invited by a longtime friend and owner of McArdle's resort on Minnesota's famous Lake Winnibigoshish, Craig Brown.
While most of our conversations over the years have naturally revolved around the essence of how, where, when, and on what Big Winnie's walleye, perch, and pike are biting; we were forced to stray from fishy subject matter, to that of Craig's professed, but seasonal passion for northwoods waterfowling. And that piqued my interest.
It was only natural that I found his tales of gunning the ringneck flight in the area's rice lakes and marshes particularly compelling. Partly because if they'd have come from anyone else I'd have quickly dismissed them as totally unbelievable, and partly because it sounded like so much pure and simple fun. Given the facts, I really had the itch to see and experience it for myself.
Now, understand that Craig is one of the top-producing fishing guides on Big Winnie. Day in and day out, he simply goes about his job in a very unassuming, matter-of-fact manner. And it's from the same low-keyed, understated perspective that he speaks of his rice lake hunting.
"It happens every year at about the end of the third week in October. One day the marsh is empty, the next it's full of ringnecks. Sometimes they come in overnight. Then the next morning, packed tight in with the coots, they're literally bouncin' right off of the boat as you motor through the rice under pre-dawn's cover of darkness. Heck, I've seen 'em so thick we reached out and caught 'em barehanded as we motored along," Craig explained.
Like I said, if I'd heard this from anyone but Craig, I'd have blown it off.
"In other years, even on light-winded, bluebird days," he continued, "I've sat out in the swamp getting little more than sunburned, when first one flight of 20 or 30 birds suddenly appeared in what had for hours, been an empty western sky, only to dive-bomb into the rice like it's their long lost home, in the span of mere seconds.
"Aw, we'd probably have missed anyway," Craig noted as a matter of consolation.
Craig Brown motoring through the marsh. A shallow water motor works best when hunting in areas chock-full of wild rice.
This vanguard flock is soon followed by another, then another, then still more as, in an amazing ringneck parade, the sky never empties the rest of the day. And before it's over, this part of their migration'¦one that would seemingly have no explanation other than that the calendar simply called for it'¦would have our rice lake fairly littered with ringnecks. And that's when the real fun begins!"
When the ringnecks are in, the word spreads like wildfire. "Early on, the shooting is next to nonstop," according to Craig. "But it's definitely not easy. Still, it's not a matter of if you'll get your birds, but rather when and with how many shells."
While a few birds will give his stool of diver blocks a look, most will just do a high speed flyby in flocks of one to 20 or so birds.
Sometimes the little buzz bombs are well within range. But more often than not they're on the margin, departing the rice each morning to parts unknown, apparently to feed unmolested. Then they return each evening running'¦'er'¦flying the gamut in a command performance as they go to roost.
"You wanna be set up 'Right Down Broadway,'" Craig emphasizes, "Smack dab in the middle of their flight path, if you can."
Though spectacular while it lasts, hunting pressure can put an end to the festivities in a matter of days, sending the ringneck flight further along its migratory way. "Timing," Craig offers seriously, "can be everything."
Long story short, I knew the spin Craig put on his rice lake hunting meant we could be in for something special that first morning.
But after setting our mixed rig of ringneck and mallard blocks bulldozing into the tulies and erecting the boat's blind, the day's only grudgingly gathering light showed my partner's face to have an unsettling look of concern. I had to ask.
"Well," Craig offered, "Things don't look good. We'll have to see. But we sure didn't move a lotta ducks on our way in here."
"It'll be what it'll be," I replied adding, "Don't worry. We're huntin' and that's all that matters. I'm just happy to be here."
I really was, and I think Craig knew it.
So we enjoyed a morning in the marsh that unfolded as a throwback to many of those of my eastern Wisconsin-based youth.
The stark exception being the world of wild rice in which we were set up. The cattailed, mucky, bottomless marshes I grew up in were rice free.
The day's first birds, a knot of teal of all things, totally surprised us. Streaking in low and from behind over the tall tulies, they nearly flew our hats off. Not a shot was fired. Then two small flocks of blurr-winged divers--mere black silhouettes, darting low and temporarily lost against the dark background of the distant tree line--shot by at fringe range, leaving us to only shrug our shoulders and shake our heads.
With the fullest of harvest moons rising, my host suggested we might forego some of the evening's sleep in favor of a little after hours pluggin' for walleyes. I was all over it.
Dawn's sunrise brightens any decoy spread.
Wound tight by then and somewhat on edge, I suddenly caught a glimpse over my left shoulder of a pair of birds rocketing our way. Without time to warn Craig, I popped up, swung hard to pull some daylight on the leader, and touched one off. My first Minnesota duck--a ringneck appropriately enough--cannonballed the rice 30 yards out.
Sadly, that lucky shot proved atypical of those that followed.
There weren't a lot of birds to begin with, and those that were there offered marginal shooting at best. Complicating matters, as is typically the case in marsh hunting, was that we were more than a little indecisive.
But we were careful; careful not to drop birds into the thickly matted rushes thriving on the floating bog behind us. I had my Lab with me, but I'd been warned, and I could see why. That tangle of ugly stuff was no place for a dog, particularly an old and deaf one like Tanner.
By mid-morning, the flight, such as it was, had come to an end. Though we had but one limit between us--a mixture of mallards, bluewings (that should have been long gone), and ringnecks (the bulk of which were apparently yet to come)--we'd made some memories and agreed all was pretty right with our world.
A morning which had brightened into a beautiful Indian Summer day had us thinking in terms of Craig's backup/bonus plan; a little late season fishing.
After a quick sandwich back at the lodge, we jumped into Craig's big Lund. With its 200 horse Merc Verado hummin' us along, we slid over Big Winnie's becalmed waters. We were one of only three boats we could find on its entire 70,000 acres. Unlike during the season, it was nothing to have the spots to ourselves.
Now, we didn't light 'em up by any means, but we had no trouble pickin' up enough fat, jumbo perch and eater walleyes for a suppertime fish fry. It proved a pleasant couple hours, and a welcomed late season bonus to the year's angling. But while we fished, I constantly kept my eyes glued to the skies; pretty, but empty skies that didn't bode well for the morning hunt.
And if disappointment was what we expected, well, that second morning didn't disappoint.
Under high, blue, cloudless skies, the hunt was a bust, except for a solitary greencap and the one of two ringnecks that decoyed so nicely right at shooting time and we should have had.
Still, it was hard to complain. It was a beautiful autumn morning in Minnesota.
Craig had some business to take care of that afternoon, and a nap suited me just fine.
With the still balmy conditions, we passed on the evening hunt.
Knowing this was no whim on Craig's part, I suspected we might be in for something special.
Where those fish were during daylight, I can only imagine, but it was after dark that evening that Winnie's 'eyes, in numbers and in size, came out to play. Craig had 'em wired, and rarely did we motor more than a few minutes down the targeted breakline that one of us didn't either hookup, or experience a swing and a miss.
A couple divers that looked at the author's spread a little too closely.
With the latter being just as common as the first, it was strange to have so many fish pound our stickbaits, full of sharp trebbles and traveling at nearly 2 mph that did not get hooked up. But with all the excitement, there were no complaints.
Time flew as we landed walleye after chunky, gold-plated, hard-fighting Winnie walleye, all of which were released. We boated a good number of 23- and 24-inch fish, and Craig capped the outing with a well-fed 26-inch beauty that still fell short of his professed, and I could see realistic goal for the evening of a trophy 30-incher. Though not always the case, nighttime proved the right time for some outstanding fall fishing.
The 'eyes were still biting when we reluctantly packed it in. A few hours of sleep suddenly became a pressing need.
With a decent, but still warm breeze, and a high, thin cloud deck, the next morning's outlook was much-improved from that of the day before. Still riding the night-fishing high, we were more than ready to take whatever the rice would give us, looking for the frosting on the fishing cake.
Just after shooting time, several bunches of bluewings worked us tight, surrendering a bird or two to each volley. A couple loner mallards--the only two we'd seen show any interest in robo duck during all our hunts--hit the water hard, and a solitary drake woodie--one of a pair trying to sneak by from behind--didn't make it past my end of the boat.
The good news was that there were a few more flocks of ringnecks around. Some would have provided decent shooting if we had seen them in time. Others sucked us into some tough, ineffective long range gunning.
"Aw, they were really out there," one of us would offer an excuse for yet another whiff.
"Those were too long," the other would add after more of the same happenings.
That was our excuse on those 40-yard crossers...and we were stickin' to it.
Our last day's hunt proved a sampler of what could have been.
It was a classic raw, dark-clouded affair, with a wind that for the first time had a little bite to it. We were on our toes at shooting time, ready to go to battle. But the enemy, at least at first, was a "no show." Then it started to happen.
A trio of ringnecks shot by well out of range, then hooked back as they should have, locked in on their Judas brethren.
A mixed bag in the Minnesota rice.
Our guns spoke in unison, and the leader folded like it hit a wall. The second bird in line splashed down head-up, drawing followup fire that let the third escape. It was a cripple claimed...if only we'd have remained that lucky.
The next flight of ringnecks caught us both looking in the same direction. The wrong direction. "Darn'¦I hate it when that happens," Craig muttered, although somewhat amused.
When we made the same mistake only minutes later it didn't strike us as quite so funny.
Now, it's going to happen--some birds are always going to sneak through. Especially in the relatively tight confines of the rice marsh where cover can be at a premium, and hunters, of necessity, have to hunker down tight. While missed opportunities are part of the game, nowhere is it written that you have to like it; especially during times when you're presented with precious few.
Tough as blown opportunities are to swallow, missing is even worse.
Knowing it was our last hunt, we were probably pressing a bit. But that's not an excuse.
And there were a few times--most notably when we made our move too late and had to rush our shots--that we did little more than blow holes in the sky, or in the water behind the streaking ducks.
After one such volley, we just slumped back down, looked at each other and laughed, not really questioning why.
When I mentioned as much, Craig replied, "I think my son Nate nailed the answer to that question one day last season. After we'd once again come up empty he asked with a knowing grin, 'Why is it when we shoot and miss, we laugh about it?' Then he answered his question with another. 'Because it's fun?!'"
Well, Craig and I continued to have fun that morning.
Yeah, we missed some more, and we scored a few more times, too. But we lost three birds as well; one which we folded just out over the open rice, but not far enough to prevent the gusting wind from blowing it back, and out of reach into the thick stuff.
And two that we dropped, but being only wounded, dove immediately upon impact, never to be seen again. As much as we hate it, lost birds are part of the rice marsh hunt.
Though not a slam dunk, that last morning in the rice had a little of everything.
We hunted. We shot. We missed. We laughed. And counting our lost birds as bagged, we still came up a couple of birds shy of a two man limit. While the result in terms of birds bagged was decent at best, the overall experience was more than every bit worth the effort.
In the end, it's the potential of this rice lake hunting--potential for tons of pure, simple, good old fashioned wildfowling fun--that impressed me the most.
And sure, it's no doubt it would have really been something to have timed the migration perfectly. But then, being a rookie in the rice no longer and still having The Big Show to look forward to is not such a bad deal, either.
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T.J. Miller, who plays the bong-hitting, forward-failing, quasi-entrepreneur Erlich Bachman on HBO's Silicon Valley, won't be back for the series' just-announced fifth season. "The producers of Silicon Valley and T.J. Miller have mutually agree that T.J. will not return for Season 5," HBO said in a statement.
Miller's blustery, pompous and hilarious character has been a key part of the Emmy-nominated series since its 2014 launch. But the actor and comic has been busy elsewhere. He is working on films including The Emoji Movie, Walden and Ready Player One, along with booking a stand-up tour that launches August 18. HBO will cull a Funny or Die-produced comedy special from the tour finale in his hometown of Denver.
The news of Miller's departure comes the same day HBO announced it had renewed the series for a fifth season. The current season comes to a close with the June 25 season finale. (HBO also renewed Veep, for a seventh season, with the same upcoming finale date).
Earlier this month, Miller helped launch the Emoji Movie marketing for Sony Pictures by parasailing onto the Cannes pier to present the clip.
And last December, Miller made news of a different kind when he was arrested for a tussle with an car service driver. He joked about the incident within days when he appeared as host of the Critics Choice Awards on A&E. Though he teased throughout the show that he'd address "the elephant in the room," he never did.


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Trip Ideas / Sample Itineraries
Alaska 12 Day Trip Ideas
12 Day Alaska Highlights of Southcentral & Interior
Mid-May through mid-September
Anchorage, Girdwood, Seward & Kenai Fjords, Homer, Talkeetna, Denali National Park, Fairbanks
With 12 days, you'll be able to get a real flavor for many of Alaska's iconic highlights. You'll begin among the glaciers and marine wildlife of Kenai Fjords National Park and visit the artsy town of Homer. Then you'll head to the authentic pioneer town of Talkeetna before spending a full 2 days surrounded by the majesty and wildlife of Denali National Park. Finish up in Fairbanks, where you'll have the opportunity to cross over into the rugged Arctic before finishing up in bustling Anchorage.
Arrive in Anchorage - Overnight in Seward
Today you'll make the 2.5‑hour drive from Anchorage to Seward, with a scenic stop in Girdwood. Along the first portion…
1 View on Map
Today you'll make the 2.5-hour drive from Anchorage to Seward, with a scenic stop in Girdwood. Along the first portion of the drive, look for Dall sheep and beluga whales. Grab some lunch in Girdwood and visit the 1898-era Crow Creek Mine, where you can pan for your own gold; go for a hike; or ride the Alyeska Resort Aerial Tramway for a spectacular panoramic view. Then drive 90 miles to the quaint seaside town of Seward. Explore the shops and galleries or go for an outing in a kayak. Either way, make time for a visit to the Alaska SeaLife Center—an aquarium and research facility where you can get an up-close view of Alaska's unique marine creatures, like Stellar sea lions and harbor seals, as well as birds like puffins. Also, don't miss the unique opportunity of walking right up to the face of a glacier! Exit Glacier is just a 10- to 15-minute drive from town; a 20-minute walk brings you right up to the mountain of blue ice, where you can listen to it crackle.
Day & Overnight in Seward
Jaw-droppingly beautiful, Kenai Fjords National Park plays host to some of the state's most spectacular fjords and glaciers. And several…
Jaw-droppingly beautiful, Kenai Fjords National Park plays host to some of the state's most spectacular fjords and glaciers. And several great tour operators offer half- or full-day cruises that take you out to witness their majesty and experience the thrill of a calving glacier. You'll also be on the lookout for wildlife like whales and sea otters. Interested in fishing? Book a charter and head out angling for halibut, salmon, lingcod, and rockfish.
Drive from Seward to Homer
It will take about 3.5 hours to drive from Seward to Homer; look for volcanoes along the way, and when…
It will take about 3.5 hours to drive from Seward to Homer; look for volcanoes along the way, and when you reach the west coast of the Kenai Peninsula, take time to soak in the beauty. Homer is Alaska's capital of halibut fishing fishing, but this charming town offers many delights beyond fishing, including art galleries and wildlife. Go for a walk along the Homer Spit, the narrow finger of land that stretches into the bay, and keep an eye out for otters and eagles.
Day & Overnight in Homer
You'll have all day today to explore this town and try some of its many activities. Fishing here is both…
You'll have all day today to explore this town and try some of its many activities. Fishing here is both a business and a passion, thanks partly to the monster-size halibut in the nearby waters. Take a half- or full-day fishing charter to angle for them, or cast your line for salmon instead. You can also hop a scenic flight to Katmai or Lake Clark national parks, where you can experience the magic of seeing bears in their natural habitat. Love to hike? Kachemak Bay State Park has some of the state's best hiking, just a 20-minute water taxi ride away. Or take a 45-minute fast ferry to the remote and fascinating town of Seldovia.
Scenic Drive from Homer to Anchorage
Today, you'll drive back to Anchorage, which will take almost 4.5 hours. If you have time, drop by the 200-acre…
Today, you'll drive back to Anchorage, which will take almost 4.5 hours. If you have time, drop by the 200-acre Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, where you'll get an up-close view of some of the state's unique creatures. Another option is to visit Portage Glacier, where you'll often see big blue icebergs along the shore of the lake by the parking area. Take the one-hour boat cruise to get close to the glacier, or spend time at the Begich Boggs Visitor Center to learn more about this special area.
Day & Overnight in Talkeetna
From Anchorage, travel to charming Talkeetna by car (2 hours), train (3 hours), or bus (2.5 hours). Then explore the…
From Anchorage, travel to charming Talkeetna by car (2 hours), train (3 hours), or bus (2.5 hours). Then explore the one-block main street, ducking in and out of the quaint shops and restaurants, like the legendary Talkeetna Roadhouse, which has been around since the early 20th century. And take a tour. You're close to Denali, so go flightseeing and check out the mountain up close; you could also take a guided walk, a rafting trip, try ziplining, or go for a thrilling jetboat ride.
Drive from Talkeetna to Denali National Park
Depart from Talkeetna for iconic Denali National Park, either by car (2.5 hours), train (4.5 hours), or motorcoach (4 hours).…
Depart from Talkeetna for iconic Denali National Park, either by car (2.5 hours), train (4.5 hours), or motorcoach (4 hours). Head to the park's visitor center to start getting acquainted with this vast expanse of nature. And try an activity! Go flightseeing and get a bird's-eye view of the vast Alaska Range as well as the summit of Denali. Enjoy some river rafting, go for a guided hike, or take a Jeep/ATV tour and drive yourself over the tundra.
Day & Overnight in Denali National Park
Today, you'll spend all day exploring the beauty of this park. Private vehicles are not allowed beyond mile 15, so…
Today, you'll spend all day exploring the beauty of this park. Private vehicles are not allowed beyond mile 15, so you'll explore by bus. Opt for the National Park Service's hop-on, hop-off transit bus, or take a narrated tour. Spend 7-8 hours traveling 62 miles into the park on the Tundra Wilderness tour, or take 12 hours and go all 92 miles to the end, at Kantishna. Along the way, look for wildlife and of course, North America's tallest peak.
You have another full day in Denali! Now that you've seen the length of the Park Road, spend this day…
You have another full day in Denali! Now that you've seen the length of the Park Road, spend this day taking a tour. You've got a lot of options. Go flightseeing and get a bird's-eye view of the vast Alaska Range as well as the summit of Denali. Enjoy some river rafting, go for a guided hike, or take a Jeep/ATV tour and drive yourself over the tundra. Tonight is a great chance to experience dinner theater: It's a great meal, a fun show, and a dose of Alaskan history all at once.
Drive from Denali National Park to Fairbanks
Travel from Denali to the largest city in interior Alaska by car (2 hours) or train (4 hours). If going…
10 View on Map
Travel from Denali to the largest city in interior Alaska by car (2 hours) or train (4 hours). If going by train, you'll get in in the evening. If you're driving, though, you have the flexibility to arrive earlier. Take the extra time and check out the University of Alaska Museum of the North, where you'll get a fascinating glimpse of the cultures and wildlife that call this part of Alaska home, as well as a deep dive into contemporary Native Alaska art. You can also drive over to see the Trans-Alaska Pipeline and witness this feat of engineering.
Day in Fairbanks or Anchorage
Today you have a choice: Spend another day in Fairbanks and enjoy more activities, or make the one-hour flight back…
Today you have a choice: Spend another day in Fairbanks and enjoy more activities, or make the one-hour flight back to Anchorage. If you fly back, go exploring in Alaska's largest city. Walk or bike the dramatic, 11-mile Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. And go on a city tour via trolley or bike to get an overview, or join a brewery tour and sample some of the innovative suds being brewed here.
Fairbanks / Anchorage
It's your final day in Alaska, so enjoy it! If you've stayed in Fairbanks, you'll fly back to Anchorage today. If you're already in Anchorage, spend some more time exploring. Get an in-depth picture of the city and state at the Anchorage Museum, or visit the Alaska Native Heritage Center for a dose of history and culture. Don't forget to pick up some souvenirs before you depart!


Or several bottles of "NAWS"
So it looks like the CR-Z has that same 4.29 final drive. It also has a half-gear taller 6th gear. The entire transmission won't swap because there's an IMA motor in between the engine and transmission. I'm wondering three things. 1. Will the final drive swap over? 2. Will the 6th gear work as a replacement 5th? 3. Where do you acquire such parts???!!
Oh, hello there! The 07-08 Fit has the same 4.29 final drive as well. Much more likely to find one of those.
Another fill, this time 57.7 mpg / 669 miles.
Highway mileage is a challenge. As best as I can find, the Fit's drag coefficient is 0.33 or 0.34 (Civic 0.32). Being a taller car, it also has a higher frontal area than the Civic (+9%). That's a combined increase of 16% aerodynamic drag. Then there are the gear ratios.
Any plans to reduce drag coefficient?
I'm pondering things. One probable one is the CR-Z's engine under tray. I hear it's a near match. It covers back past the oil pan.
I'd love the Fit EV's wraparound rear spoiler, but the only one I've found is for sale in Japan for $500!
The rear wheels are set pretty far into the wheel wells, making skirts a possibility. At least I could do Phil Knox style front-and-top partial skirts.
Then again, maybe I'll just plan to stay off the highway.
"Better aero: it's not just for highway any more!"
Oh, and it's 200 lb heavier as well. 2500 vs 2300. All that combined, in the tool, makes for 92 mpg @ 30 mph instead of 103 mpg. To get back to 103 I need to reduce the Cd from 0.34 to 0.27.
BTW, I'm reading that some of the JDM Fit final drives are much taller: 3.23? That's Civic VX/CX tall.


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In of March (16-18th) Rowan Gate Primary School welcomed visitors from Ireland, Portugal and France as part of a 2 year Comenius project, which links schools across Europe in an art and cultural appreciation.
The 'Smart through Art' project has encouraged pupils to develop their creative skills and has given them an opportunity to share similarities and differences between cultures and countries. The project aims to develop children's understanding of global citizenship and promote European Unity and cooperation, demonstrating to wider communities that children from six different school can work together to achieve common goals. Additionally this project has provided the funding for children form Rowan Gate to visit Portugal, France and Ireland.
See Press release
Photographs in press release were courtesy of Peter Hughes at Photography by Phiish.
www.phiish.co.uk info@phissh.co.uk Tel: 07595985403
Thank you Peter for all your help and support.


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The Ride Sun Valley Bike Festival presented by Scott Sports has announced the Sun Valley Shimano Super Enduro races set for Saturday and Sunday, June 29-30.
Four all-mountain stages on Bald Mountain with over 11,000 vertical feet of descending and a pump track stage await riders in the land of flowy singletrack.
Registration for the Sun Valley Shimano Super Enduro opened Feb. 13 and is capped at 250 racers. Visit ridesunvalleysuperenduro.athlete360.com.
With a $5,000 purse for the Pro Open Category, the Sun Valley Shimano Super Enduro offers four different downhill stages and one bike park stage for riders to test their skills and abilities to keep the throttle wide open.
"This style of racing suits Sun Valley perfectly. The trails are fast and ripping and more about speed and flow than sheer technical skill which makes it possible for all levels of riders to compete and have a blast," said event director Greg Randolph.
"Scott Sports has been on board with Ride Sun Valley since the inception of the festival," added Adrian Montgomery, marketing and public relations director for Scott Bicycles.
Recently named as an IMBA Epic Ride Center, Sun Valley has become one of the nation's mountain bike meccas, Randolph said. Ride Sun Valley will also play host to the USA Cycling Marathon Mountain Bike National Championship in 2013-2014.
- July 5-6 MASSV Music Festival.
For more details on registration, events, course maps, and other information about Ride Sun Valley, visit ridesunvalley.com.
Sponsorship for Ride Sun Valley is still available. Interested companies and individuals should contact Greg Randolph at greg@visitsunvalley.com.


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Review: George Strait back with 'Cold Beer Conversation'
By Adrian Peel Oct 17, 2015 in Music
"King" George has released his first new studio album since 2013's "Love Is Everything," proving that despite giving up touring, his recorded output remains as prolific as ever.
In September 2012, George Strait announced he was quitting the road after more than 30 years of non-stop touring, stating that his 2013/2014 run The Cowboy Rides Away would be his last. He was quick to point out, however, that he intended to carry on recording and also made it clear he would still be doing the odd show.
The 63-year-old record breaker, inducted into The Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006, certainly seems to have kept his promise to carry on making music as Cold Beer Conversation is his second album of new material in as many years and his 29th overall.
In 2014, a year that turned out to be a pretty busy one, he also put out a live CD, The Cowboy Rides Away: Live from at &T Stadium, and a Christmas compilation entitled A Holiday Collection.
Cold Beer Conversation, released on September 25 and produced by Strait and Chuck Ainlay, begins with "It Was Love," an at times fairly boisterous song that I can imagine being a big hit on today's country radio - and that's not a compliment. Much better is the second track "Cold Beer Conversation" a gorgeously laid-back number steeped in nostalgia.
Launched back in April, "Let It Go" was the album's first single. Written by Strait, his son Bubba and Keith Gattis, the song - with its chilled out vocal delivery, steel drums and handclaps - pleasantly recalls the beach-friendly vibe of Kenny Chesney and Jimmy Buffett, as well as Strait's own material of that nature, such as his 2005 take on the Merle Haggard classic "Seashores of Old Mexico."
The western swing of "Goin' Goin' Gone" keeps the party mood going and features some exquisite fiddle and steel guitar. The moving "Something Going Down" completely changes the pace before the artist's ode to his home state (penned by Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally) "Take Me to Texas" reminds us of where it all began.
Growing up near the border, George Strait has always displayed a strong Mexican influence in his work, both musically and in terms of content - something I examine in detail in my book Tequila, Señoritas and Teardrops: Musicians Discuss the Influence of Mexico on Country Music.
Here that ongoing presence can clearly be heard, thanks to the accordion on "Stop and Drink" and "Wish You Well," the latter also throwing "Mexican beers," "the border" and "dark-haired señoritas" (popular tried-and-tested themes) into the mix.
Perhaps the most inward-looking moment comes in the form of "Everything I See," one of three songs the star co-wrote, which sees him fondly recalling his father who passed away in 2013. The last track "Even When I Can't Feel It" also majestically brings out his pensive side.
In recent years George Strait albums have been a bit of a mixed bag, with the singer often accused of being on "autopilot," due to the fact that he made several of his records in the very relaxed atmosphere of Key West, Florida, at Jimmy Buffett's Shrimpboat Sound Studio.
I'm not quite sure where this one was recorded, but despite one or two less worthy tracks, it's really rather good. If I were to award it stars, I would give it four out of five. Welcome back, George!
Cold Beer Conversation is out now and can be purchased here.
More about george strait, cold beer conversation, Country music, Merle haggard, Kenny chesney
george strait cold beer conversati... Country music Merle haggard Kenny chesney Jimmy buffett bubba strait keith gattis Country Music Hall o... Nashville Texas USA


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The Other Side of Pollard: Damage, Duplicity – and Justice
Kenneth Lasson
Even in the icy world of international espionage, it is still somewhat startling that "equal justice under law" is little more than a palsied proverb.
Consider these three cases of law and perfidy:
From November 1992 to September 1994, U.S. Navy Lt. Commander Michael Schwartz delivered secret American defense information to Saudi Arabia. Schwartz was indicted for violating various federal statutes as well as the Uniform Code of Military Justice. He pleaded guilty, and was given an "other than honorable" discharge from the Navy. No fine, no prison – and no comment.
In fact the government is remarkably mum about Mr. Schwartz. Neither the Clinton Administration nor the Pentagon will disclose any information concerning his case – nor, apparently, has the Senate Intelligence Committee shown even a modicum of curiosity. Was any formal protest ever lodged against the Saudis? Do they continue to recruit American spies with impunity? Have they returned (or acknowledged) the stolen documents? Inquiring minds may want to know, but they're not going to find out by asking the Navy or the White House. Or could it be that the United States fears offending its oil-rich ally – much the same way as during the Persian Gulf War when it ordered our soldiers to risk their lives defending the richest Arab monarchy, but not to celebrate Christmas on Saudi soil?
In 1986, Major Yosef Amit, who served in elite intelligence units of the Israel Defense Forces, was arrested at his home in Haifa and charged with providing classified military information to the United States. An Israeli court found him guilty and sentenced him to twelve years in prison. But in October of 1993 Amit was pardoned by Israeli President Ezer Weizman, and set free.
Few Americans would know anything about Amit were it not for the fair-mindedness of Senator David Durenberger. In 1987 the former chairman of the Senate's Select Committee on Intelligence disclosed that the United States had "changed the rules" by using "an Israeli to spy on Israel, and he got caught." he was referring to Amit, but nothing ever came of his comment save for a scathing rebuke of Durenberger by then-Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger.
This was not the only recent case of Americans spying on Israel. In the past ten years at least two Americans on academic and industrial exchange programs have also been caught gathering secrets – one from the nuclear research center in Nahal Soreq (south of Tel Aviv), the other at a state-owned weapons development company in Haifa. Israel's response? Simply to ask both agents to leave the country at once.
Where is Schwartz now? Amit? The American scientists? Neither the American nor Israeli governments seem to know, at least not according to the Pentagon and the IDF.
There is no such problem with Jonathan Pollard, whose whereabouts everyone knows. Pollard is the former Navy intelligence analyst who was arrested in 1985 and charged with passing classified information to Israel. The federal prosecutor engineered a plea agreement under which he would seek leniency in exchange for cooperation – then (after the defendant pleaded guilty) promptly reneged on his promises.
The judge not only ignored the plea agreement, but solicited a secret memorandum from Weinberger that offered up all sorts of speculative evidence and specters of unprecedented treachery. Neither Pollard nor his lawyers were ever able to challenge the last-minute charges proffered against him. Weinberger called him one of the worst traitors in history; the judge sentenced him to life in prison; the duplicitous prosecutor recommended that Pollard never be paroled.
And indeed he hasn't, already having served thirteen years of by far the harshest sentence ever meted out for a similar offense. Where is Schwartz, who gave American secrets to the Saudis? OrAmit, who gave Israeli secrets to the United States? The U.S. and Israel know the full and precise extent of the damage done by the two of them – and that the damage done by Pollard was paltry in comparison. In thirteen years not one stance has surfaced (or documented in the Victim Impact Statement authored by his prosecutors) of any actual harm caused by Pollard.
Why have these three been treated so differently? All we know is what we've seen. The U.S. Government – which expressed official outrage at Israel's "arrogance" and "ingratitude" in the Pollard case – has handled the Saudi-Schwartz situation with kid gloves and virtual silence. The Government of Israel – which for twelve years had claimed that Pollard was part of a rogue operation, but has now been forced by its own Supreme Court to acknowledge that he was formally and officially an agent of Lakam (an ultra-secret intelligence unit of the Ministry of Defense) – has sent back American spies with barely a slap on their wrists.
Why are these cases different? Because, we can reasonably surmise, of the causes being pursued.
With the Saudis, it's petro-politics: Oil among allies is a powerful balm for soothing the slights that come with the territory in the world of international intrigue and espionage. With the Israelis, a different standard is at work. There is ample reason to believe that Weinberger and his minions exploited Pollard for two purposes: to call into question the "dual loyalty" of American Jews, and to put Israel in its place as a strategic but beholden ally. Saudi Arabia's oil, after all, is much more marketable than Israel's democratic pragmatism; the Jewish State's chutzpah is somehow deemed more galling than that of the morally bankrupt House of Saud.
What's the difference between Amit and Schwartz on the one hand, and Pollard (the lone spy of the three who was caught out in the cold, and has been kept there) on the other?
Only that "equal justice under law" does not apply – nor does the damage done matter – when there are greater political "causes" to pursue.
Kenneth Lasson is a law professor at the University of Baltimore.
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You had better believe them
News of Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (January 14-8, 2020)
Michael Kuttner - January 17, 2020
The new year has started off, as predicted, in spectacular fashion with more inflammatory rhetoric against Israel. For those who naively believed that 2020 would...


text:
Q: Wrong result from IsNumeric() in VB.NET I have a function in VB.NET that loops through values and attempts to convert it to a decimal if IsNumeric is True,
Dim Value As String

If IsNumeric(Value) = True Then
    Rate = CType(Value, Decimal)  <--- bombing here
End If

I've found that when the function receives the value 603E43 IsNumeric evaluates to True for some reason and then bombs on the conversion. Why would IsNumeric be true in this case?

A: See http://support.microsoft.com/kb/329488
IsNumeric returns true if it can be converted to a double which is true for 603E43
The value is however larger than what a decimal can hold
You could use the Decimal.TryParse funcion as a working alternative. See
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/9zbda557.aspx

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Trust us, calling this mechanized beast a "Segway tank" is the best description possible. The creation of inventor Ben Gulak, his skateboard-on-treads is being touted as the next evolutionary step in mechanized warfare. How? Judging by the awful photo shopped pics on the DTV Shredder site, soldiers are supposed to ride this baby and charge off to battle. Mr. Gulak and co. even showcased their pint-sized APC last month in a Detroit conference. For the skinny on this monster, we suggest you read on.
Having gotten an eyeful of its promo videos we found that strangely enough, for a vehicle so attractive a specs list is unavailable. What you're served on the homepage instead are lots of vids showing how the DTV works in any kind of surface. Still, deep inside you hear that inner kid is squealing with delight. You want one bad, even if the worst terrain you'll ride it on is a pristine backyard.
Judging by the promotional literature, its uses are broad. Go to war with it, lug the wounded to safety, even convert it into a miniaturized RC tank. That last bit is a little too Terminator for comfort. We know we've been saying this a lot lately, but somewhere out there SKyNet is laughing its evil laugh.


At a BYU-Idaho devotional Jan. 26, Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve emphatically extolled the virtues and blessings of obtaining higher education, noting that by seeking advanced learning students not only prepare themselves for a career but for eternity as well.
"Please be true to yourself," Elder Nelson said. "Honor — yes, even demand — highest expectations from yourself. Pursue your education as a priority of the highest order. Gain all the education you can. With us as Latter-day Saints, education is a religious responsibility. 'The glory of God is intelligence' (Doctrine and Covenants 93:36). Your personal intelligence — your personal identity — is everlasting and divine (see Doctrine and Covenants 93:29)."
According to Elder Nelson, students may experience their "own scholastic Sacred Grove equivalent," a moment of resolution to avidly obtain and absorb higher education. He reached back across several decades to share with students his own epiphany, the time he made a promise to himself to pursue a specific vocation.


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The shaped charge splits the case, the rocket motor takes care of the rest.
Ever see the Delta 241 failure? It blew up 1500 ft off the pad. It was due to a solid rocket motor failing, then triggering the destruct system. Best explaination I've heard used is a "war zone"... And yes the launch crew was int he middle of it inside a bunker when it happened.
"The Linear Shaped Charge, installed in the systems tunnel over 70% of the motor case, cuts through the motor case to allow rapid combustion of all propellant, destroying the SRB's. the ET, and the Orbiter"
Given the perfect impulse density which F2/NH3 offers, not to mention nice exhaust velocity, practically in the O2/H2 ballpark (see RS-68), I'd like to ask you how would the ammonia perform combined with other oxidizers, like O2, HTP, or N2O4? Would any of these combinations ever work?
HTP is 98% hydrogen peroxide, RP-1 is rocket grade kerosene and C7H9 is quadricyclene or RP-X2 (an exotic hydrocarbon fuel). O2/H2 (liquid oxygen and liguid hydrogen) has the best exhaust speed, but a very poor density, which makes it a bad choice as a first stage propellant (that's why the Delta-IV is so huge). A good combination is O2/RP-1, but there are better combinations, such as HTP/RP-1 which will give 15% more performance, plus it has the advantage of being non-cryogenic at the disadvantage of being unstable in the presence of impurities.
So in answer to your specific question about O2/CH4, that performs worse than O2/RP-1 in a first stage. This means your fuel tanks will need to be about 20% larger in order to have the same performance as O2/RP-1. Against O2/H2 it performs much better. Your fuel tanks will be about 47% smaller (the actual percentage depends on the required delta-v for the first stage, larger values will decrease this amount, but even to orbital speeds, O2/CH4 will still perform better).
For an upper stage, mass is all important, so the high exhaust speed of O2/H2 means that's the best propellant to use.
By the way, for single stage to orbit, my second paper shows that any combination O2 or HTP with any other hydrocarbon fuel will outperform O2/H2. A good choice is O2/RP-1, but O2/C7H8 gives 13% more performance.
Thanks for the papers, just got the chance to really read through them. I do have a few nits to pick, however. This "density impulse" you use, it looks like it arbitrarily assumes that mass ratio scales linearly with propellant density. Tank mass seems like it roughly would (assuming: constant pressure, spherical tanks or constant height/radius cylinders), but I was curious if there's anything empirical covering the other systems as well. Or am I looking too much into it, and first stage tank mass so dwarfs the other components that a linear scaling is fair? Secondly, I was a bit thrown off by the assumption used in defining density impulse. You basically use the ln(1+x)=x assumption, but that's only valid for pretty small x, say about 0.1. So that assumption would only work for mass ratio of 1.1, at best (assuming ~450 Isp, to high-side ballpark) a first stage delta-V of just 421 m/s.
This "density impulse" you use, it looks like it arbitrarily assumes that mass ratio scales linearly with propellant density. Tank mass seems like it roughly would (assuming: constant pressure, spherical tanks or constant height/radius cylinders), but I was curious if there's anything empirical covering the other systems as well. Or am I looking too much into it, and first stage tank mass so dwarfs the other components that a linear scaling is fair?
Yes, tank mass is roughly proportional to tank volume. In the near single stage to orbit (NSTO) paper I plot engine mass (kg) to propellant flow rate (kg/s) against thrust. I found a variation from about 2 to 4 kgs/L with thrusts from 0 to 8 MN. So, there is a constant term, plus some linear term dependent on the thrust.
I believe the constant term comes about from pipe and turbo pump sizes being inversely proportional to propellant density. So for the same thrust, a low density propellant will require a bigger engine than a high density propellant, simply because the pipes and turbo pumps will be bigger. However, thrust structure mass will be proportional to thrust which is where I think the linear term comes from.
Secondly, I was a bit thrown off by the assumption used in defining density impulse. You basically use the ln(1+x)=x assumption, but that's only valid for pretty small x, say about 0.1. So that assumption would only work for mass ratio of 1.1, at best (assuming ~450 Isp, to high-side ballpark) a first stage delta-V of just 421 m/s.
Yes, for a very close approximation, the delta-V's need to be quite small. However, if we are just interested in seeing which propellant is better as a first stage, then Figure 3 in the NSTO paper (attached below) quite clearly shows that up to about a delta-V of 3 km/s, the delta-V approximation using Id is quite valid. At higher delta-V's there is some cross over in the curves. For example, above 6 km/s O2/C7H8 performs better than HTP/C7H8. That is below dv = 6 km/s, the high Id of HTP/C7H8 allows it to perform better, while above dv = 6 km/s the better exhaust speed ve of O2/C7H8 allows it to perform better. This implies that for a traditional first stage, it is better to use HTP/C7H8. For an SSTO vehicle, O2/C7H8 is better to use, which is why I chose that propellant in this paper for my NSTO vehicle.
Updated table. We see that NH3 does not work so well with O2, N2O4 or HTP. I've also added some hydrazine N2H4 results. This gives a new record for impulse density with F2, a staggering value of 5506 Ns/L, 50% greater than O2/RP-1.
You might also note that F2 burns with water H2O quite well! F2 also burns with any hydrocarbon, literally sucking the hydrogen off and leaving a carbon soot. With H2O it leaves O2 in the exhaust! F2 also burns with HTP quite nicely, having the highest density combination, which gives it a high impulse density.
I don't see much reason to mess with potentially explosive and/or toxic fuels or oxidizers, performance increase would not be worth it.
Additional complexity of handling them securely is adding some costs, and still, can't be made 100.00% safe.
Would you like to read reports about poisonous spills from US rockets?
Would you like to put astronauts atop a rocket with 700 tons of concentrated hydrogen peroxide (as opposed to "a rocket with 700 tons of LOX")?
Does anyone know a good reference text for ascent trajectories? I found some old Pascal code by our very own Steven Pietrobon and some papers that didn't go into a lot of depth. I'd like to write some code to get decent payload estimates to L1 for various Jupiter variants. I have a couple of years of experience with numerical simulation, but I know next to nothing about aerodynamics.
I was always puzzled by the fact that smaller rockets can put smaller proportion of their weight into orbit. For example Falcon 1 can put 500kg, or 1.3% of launch mass, while Falcon 9 can put 10t or 3.1%. Why is that? They use same components, same manufacturing, same engines (apart from merlin<--->kestrel switch) etc.
Also Elon Musk said that they choose F1 size so that is as small as possible and capable of reaching orbit (can't remember where I read this, I'll search for it later). Does that mean that there is some lower cutoff mass for a launch vehicle?
I don't see any theoretical reason for this. For delta-v only important thing is mass fraction. I mean, what are the practical problems to make, for example, rocket with a mass of 100kg that can put like 1kg into orbit?
Attached is a small simulation I wrote in Quick Basic. It has a very efficient numerical integration routine and the basics of aerodynamics built in. You should be able to use the aero stuff in what you are doing.
Thanks! Any recommendations for books if I want to learn more?
Nikola, also for your question there are some things that every rocket has to have. A 3x rocket doesn't need a 3x flight computer. The closer one starts to that minimum function and payload rocket, the more payload one gets for a slight growth in the overall size. Look at Athena I vs Athena II and Falcon 1 vs 1e.