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Tag Archives: residential schools
Canadian Comics, Indigenous Comix, Indigenous Issues
Political Comix Review: The Outside Circle
November 15, 2017 MiniMac Leave a comment
If you like beautifully written and impactful graphic novels, if you care at all about social issues, and you have the tiniest spec of curiosity about the impacts of Canadian colonialism and its lasting impact through generational wounds, YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK. Yes, I just went all caps. And yes, I genuinely think that 'The Outside Circle' deserves it. It is complicated, powerful, and undeniably insightful in ways that linger long after you have turned the final page.
Title: This Outside Circle
Author: Patti LaBoucane-Benson
Illustrator: Kelly Mellings
Publisher: Anansi
Genre: Graphic Novel, YA Fiction, Fiction
But let me start with a disclaimer. This graphic novel is not for the faint of heart, and likely not altogether suitable for young children. The social issues touched upon include gang violence, drug use, poverty, incarceration, abuse, and the systematic destruction of families and cultures. It needs to be read, it needs to be discussed, but it is best suited to older teens and adults. And while the subject matter isn't the lightest, the presentation is such that it is easily approachable by students, scholars, and independent readers alike.
The style and colours in this book made a tremendous impact on me, and I had to read it through several times in order to appreciate the depth of the details and nuance. I enjoyed the ongoing transformation of masks throughout, the tattoo motif, the circle series, and the repetitive use of smoke and fragmentation. I also found the variety of panels and page layouts to be engaging, and I really appreciated the break from tradition western aspects and transitions. The layering of Aboriginal and pop-culture iconography was beautifully done, and the balance created through the imagery made it easily understandable despite my limited understanding certain cultural motifs. The result is a fast paced, engaging, and visually appealing experience.
I was instantly, and irrevocably, wrapped up in Pete's journey from the very first page. The very meta nature of the opening page of story, showcasing a storyteller, expounded further by the narrator stating 'let me tell you a story' had me going daaaamn. I know it doesn't sound super amazing in a review, but the layers in the book are so very meta, and I like meta – especially when it comes across without feeling at all pretentious! Now add in the integration of key documents on residential schools, the Bagot Commission, the 1867 Indian Act, and some painful and startling statistics; I couldn't look away. I cried during the family mapping exercise (if you haven't figured out by now that I am a crier, where the heck have you been?), and cried even more at Bernice's funeral and when Ray came to visit Pete in prison.
I am in love with how everything came full circle in the end, and I know that this isn't always the case in the real world. But it was really was a touching and uplifting way in which to end this story. But more than anything, I am in love with how LaBoucane-Benson actively invites readers to become part of the narrative and to become part of the healing process.
Would I recommend this book? HELL YAAAASSSS! Especially to Canadian junior and senior high school teachers and librarians. 'The Outside Circle' is impressive, empowering, massively educational, and yet ultimately a story of hope. It is incredibly efficient in breaking down stereotypes, helps readers to understand and identify injustices present in Canadian society, and humanizes issues that too often reduced to statistics. This is an absolute must read!
This is a guest post by Jessica Macaulay, a censorship-fighting school librarian that continually advocates for diversity and equality in collection representation. She is an unashamed comics geek and advocates for their inclusion for readers of all ages and levels, and is dedicated to changing the student and parent perception of what school libraries are and should be. Hop on over to Minimac Reviews for more reviews of books and comics like this one.
Anansianti-indigenous racismCanadian comicsCanadian graphic novelscolonialismFirst Nationsgenocidehealing from traumaintergenerational traumaKelly MellingsPatti LaBoucane-Bensonreconciliationresidential schoolsteaching colonialismteaching reconciliationthe outside circleYAYA graphic novelsyoung adult fiction
Anthologies, Indigenous Comix, Interviews
An Interview with ONE TRIBE Anthology Editor James Waley
April 29, 2014 hughgoldring 1 Comment
'One Tribe Anthology' editor James Waley sat down to answer some questions about the upcoming release. We posted questions about the aesthetic, political and practical implications of the undertaking. His thoughtful reply is below!
What is the One Tribe Anthology? What is the origin of the name, "One Tribe", and how was that chosen to represent the work?
The ONE TRIBE anthology is a non-profit book published by Jack Lake Productions in association with James Waley of Pique Productions as a fundraiser in support of the SHANNEN'S DREAM campaign which carries on the outstanding and courageous work done by the late Shannen Koostachin of Attawapiskat to improve the learning environment of First Nations schools in Canada.
Continue reading An Interview with ONE TRIBE Anthology Editor James Waley →
aboriginalanthologiescomicsFirst Nationsfundraiserindigenoud comixIndigenous Comicsindigenous comix monthinterviewsjames waleyjason eaglespeakernativepolitical comicsresidential schoolsshannen's dream
History, Native Comics, Political Comics, Politics in Canada
"A Residential School Graphic Novel" by Jason Eaglespeaker
March 14, 2013 adastracomix Leave a comment
Quite some time ago, I made a preview post about a comic book that I hadn't yet gotten my hands on: A Residential School Graphic Novel, by Jason Eaglespeaker out of Calgary, AB. A few weeks ago, the book arrived and I feel that the review is now long overdue.
Title: UNeducation Volume 1: A Residential School Graphic Novel
Author/Illustrator: Jason Eaglespeaker (with dozens of community names listed under "contributors")
Published: 2011 by Jason EagleSpeaker via "The Connection" in Calgary, AB – with support from Alberta Foundation for the Arts and Canada Council of the Arts
You can tell that Eaglespeaker isn't messing around: he has a vision and he means business. This project has the righteous and unwavering purpose of educating native and non-native alike on the raw and real history of the residential school system and its effect on the first peoples of this land.
In addition to loving comic books, I am also a lover of zines, political literature, scrapbooks—in general, I am fascinated by ideas and how people choose to convey them.
Eaglespeaker's Residential School Graphic Novel is a mix of all four of the mediums that I mention. There are original comic narratives here, mostly told in the Black Foot language. There are scores of newspaper clippings, compiling news coverage from around Canada of residential school abuses, even murders, that have never been solved. Overarching this are quotes and core ideas about the residential school system that the author has selected to point out some fundamental truths: quotes like Dr. Duncan Campbell Scott, Deputy Superintendent General of Indian Affairs in 1920, who said:
"I want to get rid of the Indian problem. Our object is to continue until there is not a single Indian in Canada that has not been absorbed."
…and so, generations of children were torn away from their families. Their heads were shaved, their clothes were burned, their bodies were bruised until they stopped speaking their language. Generations of children never learned what it meant to be a parent, because they had none. Family units and knowledge of the importance of those roles within a community began to disintegrate.
The format reminds me a lot of a zine: different sections use different methods of conveying these ideas. The beginning has quotes and newspaper clippings; the next section is oriented to look like a newspaper, called 'Residential School News' (it looks like the cover of Weekly World News). In it, the author uses his natural talent with slogans and sound bites to talk about some of the many issues that can be addressed with regard to residential schools: the psychology of being born with this severe emotional and cultural baggage, the storm of emotion at knowing that this baggage is not his people's fault—that it was imposed, through the school system, by law; likening the treatment of native children to the treatment of POW's in war-time; searching for what remains of native culture; and finally, settlement. Resolution. Eaglespeaker points out that the last residential school closed in 1996. (That's right 1-9-9-6, as in less than 20 years ago).
Towards the end of the book are several short comics. The first depicts a native mother having her child torn away from her. The text is in Blackfoot, which, as a non-speaker of the language, emphasizes the realness of the story. It also makes me feel like I don't have control—I'm an outsider, a bit, I guess—as I'm reading it, and I can only imagine flipping that around and being in her position as she approaches the residential school, asking for her child, and everyone is talking in English. Or the next scene, where the children are in school, and a nun slams a little boy's head on his desk for speaking in Blackfoot.
Monochrome colours in the residential school depict a drab existence, devoid of culture or anything from the children's previous life (their clothes are thrown away, and their hair is chopped off.)
The following comic is about two children who attempt to escape from the residential school. They finally make it home to their family, but the strip ends with their parent explaining that they have to go back to the school (it was written into law at the time).
The final comic is of a reality that I don't believe I've ever seen in a comic, ever. I will note that I ordered the "uncut" version of the book, and that there is a PG version available for schools and younger audiences.
It is (essentially) titled "Will the circle ever end?" and depicts a young native boy who is the victim of repeated sexual assault at the hands of a white man of his residential school. It is unclear exactly who this paedophile is, but he is depicted as some kind of priest or pastor. The panels themselves are crumpled, torn, burned in some sections, taped back together. It's so terrible and intense. Finally it depicts the boy growing into a man, and he himself has now become a predator-within his family and community. He then is charged and sent to jail, where he again becomes a victim of the other inmates. The story ends with the man, now old and out of life, holding up a black and while photograph of himself as a child. Below the panel are the words, "…my life is unredeemed."
The volume, as a whole, is a tour-de-force on the realities of this history. Residential Schools are a behemoth of an issue: so many ideas, concepts and debates stem from it—one of the reasons it's such a crime to dismiss it, or downsize is as "a native thing", ignoring the fact that it would not have even been a "native" issue if whites had not imposed it upon them for a century.
Eaglespeaker rightly sees it as a past, a history, from which stem many, many, many stories. In this book, you're looking at the system from the past, the present, and the future looking back; you're feeling the abuse as the native and reading the first-person quotes of government officials, seeing how they justified the atrocities. It is well-rounded and no-holds barred. I'm extremely grateful for its existence, and hope it reaches every school, every student, every corner in this country, and beyond. It's about time this book has come into being.
For more on Eaglespeaker's work, his full catalogue of published work can be found on The Connection.
canadian historycomicsgraphic novelsjason eaglespeakerNative historyresidential schools
Art Activism, History, Political Comics, Politics in Canada
Sneak peak on Indigenous Comic artist Jason Eaglespeaker
October 6, 2012 adastracomix Leave a comment
I'm in the midst of bringing you an interview with the creators of MAYDAY: A Graphic History (The Graphic History Collective), but in the meantime, I want to share a website that I just stumbled upon this morning.
Residential School Graphic Novel – by Jason Eaglespeaker
This project literally made me do a double-take… Wow. Great cover concept. I came across the project writer Jason Eaglespeaker (Calgary, AB) in an article about grant writing in Broken Pencil. If you look on his website, The Connection, you'll find a ton of amazing projects available (including an illustrated Bannock recipe- what more could you ask for?).
Not only does this initiative take on a fundamental political/cultural/social issue in Canada (I would even call it "THE" fundamental issue in Canada) of Canada being occupied Indigenous territory- but the approach is immersion–that is, made for people who aren't familiar with these concepts. As a writer and reader who thinks a fundamental hang-up of the politically conscious is preaching to the choir, I know, at face value, that this is a book that I'm really going to appreciate and learn from.
Anyways, I'm obligated by reality and my 50 hour/week day job to only take one review project at a time, so an actual review (you know, where I've read the book first) will have to wait. …But this guy's work has really got my attention.
Check out more of Eaglespeaker at:
http://eaglespeaker.bigcartel.com/
EaglespeakerIndigenous historyIndigenous rightsnative rightspolitical comicsresidential schools


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Averaging Valuations Shows U.S. Stocks More Dangerous Than 1929 Peak
As U.S. stocks continue to ratchet upward to new levels of overvaluation there has been a larger chorus of reasons to justify the valuations as reasonable. The following chart from DShort averages four of the major valuation metrics, which helps provide a smoothing process to show it is not just one measurement of stock price valuation that is reaching extremes; it is all of them combined.
The measure shows U.S. stocks are now more dangerous from a valuation perspective than the peak in 1929, when stocks proceeded to fall 89% after they peaked. Click for larger image:
You may look at the chart and say we are well away from the peak of insanity during 2000, and the S&P 500 only fell by 50% following that peak (if that comforts you). What is rarely discussed is the bulk of the overvaluation in the market during that period was concentrated among a small part of the technology sector (the NASDAQ fell by 80%).
If you look at the median valuation of stocks today you see the market as a whole is far more overpriced than it was in 2000 because there is not an outlier dragging the entire market upward. The following chart shows the median price to earnings ratio has already reached a record high:
As well as the median price to cash flow:
The S&P 500 did not have four consecutive down days in 2014, which has never happened. We are approaching 800 straight trading days without a 3% decline.
Investors in the market today do not believe a decline is even possible, never mind actually worry about it. The bears have disappeared and there is a larger and larger crowd of bulls that spend their time now taunting anyone who discusses the possibility of a market downturn.
This time around the entire market is in a bubble, not just a select sector, and every sentiment indicator has been shattered over the past 18 months with euphoria. None of this means U.S. stocks will turn down tomorrow, but when it begins I anticipate the level of fear and panic being equally as strong as the euphoria we are experiencing today.
For more see: The Fed Will Not Stop The Coming Crash In U.S. Stocks
"When buying a used car, punch the buttons on the radio. If all the stations are rock and roll, there's a good chance the transmission is shot."
- Larry Lujack
"There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen."
- Vladimir Lenin
"Bull markets bail you out of your mistakes. Bear markets make you pay for them."
- Dick Russell
"We should be careful to get out of an experience only the wisdom that is in it and stop there lest we be like the cat that sits down on a hot stove lid. She will never sit down on a hot stove lid again and but she will never sit down on a cold one either."
"It's waiting that helps you as an investor, and a lot of people just can't stand to wait."
- Charlie Munger
"One of the best rules anybody can learn about investing is to do nothing, absolutely nothing, unless there is something to do. I just wait until there is money lying in the corner, and all I have to do is go over there and pick it up. I wait for a situation that is like the proverbial shooting fish in a barrel."
- Jim Rogers
"Capitalism without financial failure is not capitalism at all, but a kind of socialism for the rich."
- James Grant
"Everything that needs to be said has already been said. But since no one was listening, everything must be said again."
- Andre Gide
"When people are getting richer and richer but they're not actually producing anything, it can't end well."
- Louis CK
"Chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken."
- Warren Buffett
"Interest on the debt grows without rain."
- Yiddish Proverb
"Investors should remember that excitement and expenses are their enemies. And if they insist on trying to time their participation in equities, they should try to be fearful when others are greedy and greedy only when others are fearful."
"Men who can both be right and sit tight are uncommon."
- Jesse Livermore
"Most investors think quality, as opposed to price, is the determinant of whether something's risky. But high quality assets can be risky, and low quality assets can be safe. It's just a matter of the price paid for them."
- Howard Marks
"None are more hopelessly enslaved than those that falsely believe they are free."
-Goethe
Bull markets are born on pessimism, grow on skepticism, mature on optimism, and die on euphoria. The time of maximum pessimism is the best time to buy, and the time of maximum optimism is the best time to sell.
-Sir John Templeton
"People only accept change in necessity and see necessity only in crisis."
-Jean Monnet
"Do you want to sell sugared water for the rest of your life? Or do you want to come with me and change the world?"
-Steve Jobs
"The market can stay irrational longer than the investor can stay solvent."
- Keynes
"The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function."
- F. Scott Fitzgerald
"All our life, so far as it has definite form, is but a mass of habits - practical, emotional, and intellectual - systemically organized for our weal or woe, and bearing us irresistibly toward our destiny, whatever the latter may be."
-William James
The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.
- Stephen Hawkings
Illusions commend themselves to us because they save us pain and allow us to enjoy pleasure instead. We must therefore accept it without complaint when they sometimes collide with a bit of reality against which they are dashed to pieces.
- Sigmund Freud
If you think you can or think you cannot, you are correct.
-Henry Ford
If something cannot go on forever, it will stop.
-Herbert Stein
Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.
-Thomas Edison
"There's one good financial idea every decade or so, and 5 to 10 marketing ideas a week."
- Eugene Fama
"It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor."
- Seneca
"A bank is a place where they lend you an umbrella in fair weather and ask for it back when it begins to rain."
- Robert Frost
"It isn't bold to print money. It will be bold to withdraw it later."
- Jeff Frank
"Government bonds once offered risk-free return. They now offer return-free risk."
- Jim Grant
"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever."
"At this juncture, the impact on the broader economy and financial markets of the problems in the subprime market seems likely to be contained."
- Ben Bernanke, March 2007
"In economics things take longer to happen than you think they will, and then they happen faster than you thought they could."
- Rudiger Dornbusch
"I don't write about what I know. I write to find out what I know."
- Patricia Hampl
"Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth."
- Mike Tyson
"You can have comfort, or you can have value. You cannot have both."
"No very deep knowledge of economics is usually needed for grasping the immediate effects of a measure; but the task of economics is to foretell the remoter effects, and so to allow us to avoid such acts as attempt to remedy a present ill by sowing the seeds of a much greater ill for the future."
- Ludwig von Mises
There is no means of avoiding the final collapse of a boom brought about by credit expansion. The alternative is only whether the crisis should come sooner as the result of voluntary abandonment of further credit expansion, or later as a final and total catastrophe of the currency system involved.
-Ludwig von Mises
"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect."
"The longer the markets disobey basic rules of valuation, the bigger the opportunity for good investors to reap the benefits. Value investing works precisely because markets become dysfunctional at times."
-John Coumarianos
Requiring a central bank to print money to increase government's purchasing power invariably ignites a hyperinflationary firestorm. The result through history has been toppled governments and severe threats to societal stability.
- Alan Greenspan
"It is well enough that people of the nation do not understand our banking and monetary system, for if they did, I believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow morning."
- Henry Ford
"I'd be a bum on the street with a tin cup if the markets were always efficient."
-Warren Buffett
"While the government struggles to save one crumbling enterprise at the expense of the crumbling of another, it accelerates the process of juggling debts, switching losses, piling loans on loans, mortgaging the future and the future's future. As things grow worse, the government protects itself not by contracting this process, but by expanding it."
-Ayn Rand, 1974
"Men it has been well said, think in herds; it will be seen that they go mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, and one by one."
-Charles Mackay
"Give me control of a nations money supply, and I care not who makes it's laws."
- Amschel Rothchild
These are personal observations on the market and the economy. I am not a financial advisor. Please consult with one before making any financial decisions.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Distinguishing fact from fiction about alcohol
Does James Bond's favorite tipple really taste better when shaken rather than stirred? Martinis should be shaken, not stirred true, for most people's taste. James Bond ordered his vodka martinis "shaken, not stirred," but is there really any difference? Yes there is, according to a team at the University of Western Ontario in Canada.
Does James Bond's favorite tipple really taste better when shaken rather than stirred?
Martinis should be shaken, not stirred true, for most people's taste. James Bond ordered his vodka martinis "shaken, not stirred," but is there really any difference? Yes there is, according to a team at the University of Western Ontario in Canada.
They studied the ability of the classic martini, made with gin and vermouth, to deactivate hydrogen peroxide, which is a potent source of free radicals. They showed that martinis were more effective at deactivating hydrogen peroxide than their main ingredients alone. For reasons that are not clear, the shaken mix was twice as effective as the stirred mix.
But does the resulting cocktail taste better? One suggestion is that an agitated martini contains more microscopic shards of ice, giving it a more pleasant texture or "mouthfeel." However, the most likely reason for Bond's preference seems to be because it helps reduce the taste of residual oil left over when vodka is made from potatoes, the base vegetable used at the time Ian Fleming wrote his books.
Other than that, check out these tall tales and improbable truths about alcohol:
1. Drinking coffee will get you sober faster.
False. Caffeine might wake you up, but it won't lower your blood alcohol level. In fact, a cup of coffee may make it harder for you to realize you're drunk, according to Thomas Gould of Temple University, Philadelphia, Pa. In experiments on mice, reported in Behavioral Neuroscience, he found that caffeine — the equivalent of between one and eight cups of coffee for humans — made the rodents more alert but did nothing to reverse the cognitive impairment caused by alcohol, such as their inability to avoid stimuli they should have known were unpleasant.
In other words, a shot of caffeine after a binge may simply fool drunk people into thinking they're sober.
2. Beer, then liquor, never sicker. Liquor, then beer, never fear.
False. There's no chemical interaction between these drinks that makes you feel particularly bad the next day. It's the total amount of alcohol consumed that matters. Perhaps when you've already had a skinful of beer you'll drink more shots, and more quickly, as your self-control will be reduced.
What's less clear is whether darker drinks such as bourbon are more likely to give you a hangover than a clear spirit like vodka. The idea that they do appeared to be confirmed by a study at Brown University. One possible difference is that the dark drinks have a higher concentration of congeners, the by-products of fermentation.
However, another study, at Boston University School of Public Health, found no connection between the intensity of the resulting hangover and the type of alcohol drunk. Clearly, more research is required.
3. Hanging a spoon in the top of an opened champagne bottle preserves its fizz.
False. It's hard to imagine how a spoon could trap bubbles, but it's the experimental evidence that counts. To investigate, New Scientist asked people to blind taste champagne which had been opened and stored either with or without a suspended spoon, and rate the fizz against freshly opened champagne.
The result? A spoon has no effect at all. The most likely explanation for the myth is that an opened bottle of champagne keeps its bubbles for much longer than most people expect.
4. Elephants get drunk on marula fruit.
False. There have been anecdotal reports of drunken elephants for years, and a team from the University of Bristol in the UK recently found that fallen marula fruit naturally ferment to an ethanol content of around 3 percent. They calculate, however, that this means that to get drunk, an elephant would have to consume "a diet of only marula fruit at a rate of at least 400 percent normal maximum food intake." This, as they say, "seems extremely unlikely."
Perhaps another intoxicant is responsible. Elephants also eat marula tree bark, which is home to beetle pupae traditionally used to poison arrow tips.
5. Dmitri Mendeleev established the optimum alcoholic strength for vodka.
False. Vera Grigorieva of the Oval vodka company in Moscow, Russia, laid this myth to rest at a conference last year in Budapest, Hungary. She found that vodka with an alcohol content of around 40 percent by volume was introduced at the end of the 17th century, long before Mendeleev was born.
Yet the man behind the periodic table did study how the volume of ethanol-water solutions varies with concentration. He found a minimum occurs when ethanol and water are mixed in a ratio of 1:3. His work played no role in formulating regulations for vodka manufacturers, but it's now being followed up by a team of Russian and American scientists who are searching for a way to measure molecular structure in vodkas, to see if this varies in different brands, and whether it might be linked to perceptible changes in taste.
6. Wine consumption explains the 'French paradox.'
False. French people suffer a relatively low incidence of coronary heart disease, despite having a diet rich in saturated fats. Some suggest that this phenomenon, known as the French paradox, is linked with drinking red wine, which contains a chemical called resveratrol.
In fact, the amounts found in red wine are too small to be responsible, said Dirk Lachenmeier, of the Chemical and Veterinary Investigation Agency in Karlsruhe, Germany. Epidemiological evidence shows that the health effects of alcohol are generally the same, irrespective of the type of drink. It's the amount of alcohol that matters. There's some evidence that moderate alcohol consumption may protect the heart. However, the risks for cancer of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, liver, bowel and breast all rise with the amount of alcohol consumed.
7. Only quality wines form 'legs' or 'tears' on the side of the glass.
False. After a sip of wine, "legs" of liquid typically form inside the glass. But they're not an indication of quality, rather of alcohol content. Legs or tears arise because wine is, essentially, a solution of ethanol in water, and this mixture has a much lower surface tension than pure water.
When the solution wets the side of the glass, alcohol rapidly evaporates from the thin layer on the glass surface. With less alcohol, this layer has a higher surface tension so it pulls on liquid from regions of lower surface tension, and higher alcohol. As a result, the wine flows up the sides of the glass. When enough liquid gathers at the top, drops form, and when they are heavy enough, they roll down, leaving tracks resembling tears.
The phenomenon of liquid flow driven by surface tension gradients, which occurs in many other places than wine glasses, is called the Gibbs-Marangoni effect. The legs might be interesting to watch, but they don't reveal whether the wine is any good.
8. Absinthe is a hallucinogen.
False. Of the drinks that purportedly contain chemicals with an extra kick, absinthe is perhaps the most infamous. In 19th-century Europe, it was blamed for causing hallucinations, mental instability and criminal behavior. The "green fairy" enjoyed by Ernest Hemingway, Oscar Wilde and Vincent van Gogh developed such a reputation that most European countries banned it early in the 1900s.
The ingredient of this electric-green spirit that was supposedly responsible is wormwood, an aromatic, bitter shrub that contains a chemical called thujone. But thujone is not a hallucinogen.
Nor does it have a cannabis-like action, though it is toxic to nerve cells and causes seizures at high concentrations. According to work published this year by Dirk Lachenmeier of the Chemical and Veterinary Investigation Agency in Karlsruhe, Germany, it is not present in significant quantities.
The consensus today is that absinthism was either simple alcohol poisoning — some absinthes were 70 percent alcohol, nearly double the strength of most distilled drinks — or caused by methanol and other adulterants found in some cheap liquor.
8. You'll get drunk faster if you drink through a straw.
False. Unless you suck alcohol through a straw more rapidly than you glug, drinking through a straw does not raise your blood alcohol level faster than other ways of drinking. The myth that it does may have arisen because drinks which come with straws often have a fruity flavor that masks the taste of alcohol, making you more likely to down them faster. Another possibility is that straws are more often used by women, who metabolize alcohol differently from men, and who may therefore be more susceptible to its effects.
9. Ale drinkers will develop a beer belly.
False. Alcohol is highly calorific. A liter of continental lager contains about 350 kilocalories, and a typical British pint of bitter is about 170 kcal.
If anyone is going to notice the belt-busting effects of beer it should be the Czechs, who consume more beer per person than drinkers in any other country. Yet a study of almost 2,000 Czechs published in 2003 in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition failed to find a link between the amount of beer consumed and the size of the drinker's stomach. A subsequent analysis of data from a different group of drinkers did find a slight but statistically significant increase in their girth, yet this remains unpublished.
10. There are plenty of ways to defeat a hangover.
False. Anyone hoping to neutralize the excesses of a night on the town by turning to hangover cures will be disappointed. After reviewing evidence for the curative benefits of bananas, aspirin, Vegemite, fructose, glucose, artichoke, prickly pear and the drugs tropisetron and tolfenamic acid, Rachel Vreeman and Aaron Carroll at Indiana University concluded in a paper published two years ago: "No scientific evidence supports any cure or effective prevention for alcohol hangovers."
The truth is that other factors, including lack of sleep, smoking, overeating, snoring and all those other activities that occur during and after a heavy night also play a part, making a truly effective treatment for hangovers unattainable. As for the hair of the dog, it does not take a toxicologist to point out that a couple of pints at 8 o'clock next morning simply makes a hangover last longer.
Your best hope? That you're one of around a quarter of drinkers naturally resistant to hangovers. According to a team led by Jonathan Howland at the Boston University School of Public Health, that's probably a result of genetic differences in the way alcohol and acetaldehyde are metabolized.


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Home A & E SBIFF 2012 Virtuosos Award: Andy Serkis Awarded for Performance Capture Skills
SBIFF 2012 Virtuosos Award: Andy Serkis Awarded for Performance Capture Skills
Oscar Fabic Cortez
Photo Also by Oscar Cortez
In the world of acting, Andy Serkis stands nearly alone in representing the growing field of motion captured performance. While his name may not be well known to many households, his characters certainly are; they include Gollum in "The Lord of the Rings" film trilogy, King Kong in the 2005 remake, Captain Haddock in "The Adventures of Tintin" and Caesar in "Rise of the Planet of the Apes." What these characters all have in common is that they are all computer-generated characters, to which Serkis provided the crucial human elements of voice, body movements and facial expressions.
His performance as the ultra-intelligent chimpanzee Caesar, whose safe and privileged upbringing in his human foster family suddenly changes to a brutal prison environment, caught the attention of many who praised Serkis' nuanced skill in this portrayal. As a result, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival honored him, along with five other outstanding actors and actresses, with the 2012 Virtuosos Award, which recognized exceptional and standout performances in this year's wide array of films.
"I'm just thrilled," said Serkis. "I'm really excited, and it's an amazing thing to be surrounded by such fantastic acting talent, and for people to finally realize that performance capture technology is just another way of recording an actor."
Not one to take all of the credit, Serkis praised his fellow award winners and the team of technical experts who helped him "create" Caesar.
"The visual effects team does a great job," said Serkis. "The animators are serving and honoring the actor's performance, and then they do their incredible work of costuming and giving you great digital makeup for the performance."
While many have lauded his work, some critics wonder if performance capture is deserving of the kind of recognition usually given to "normal" acting.
"I think part of the problem is that there's a lot of ignorance born out of the fact that they don't understand the process," said Serkis. "Crucially, the most important thing is that the authorship of a performance-the moment the actor begins to live, breathe, feel and express emotions-doesn't happen in post-production, it happens on set with the other actors and the director."
Until performance capture began to emerge as a useful technology in film acting, most computer-generated films lacked the realism and truthfulness found in live action films. Before the technology, computer-generated characters often seemed uninterested, detached or indifferent. However, with the rise of performance capture, which has been tied closely with the rise of Serkis's acting career, characters like Caesar, Kong and Gollum have begun to connect with audiences and critics in the same soul-touching way that the award winning performance of a live actor captured by standard cameras can. With the Virtuosos Award, Andy Serkis's work may just begin to receive the widespread recognition of talent that the SBIFF, and his peers, recognized.
While the SBIFF Virtuosos Award embraced rather than eschewed Andy Serkis for his distinction in motion capture performance, it also recognized other actors and actresses for their breakthrough performances. Honored along with Serkis were Demian Bichir ("A Better Life"), Rooney Mara ("The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"), Melissa McCarthy ("Bridesmaids"), Patton Oswalt ("Young Adult") and Shailene Woodley ("The Descendants"). The ceremony, held at the Arlington Theatre, began with yet another media swarmed red-carpet event, which glamorous as it was, held no comparison to the entertainment that was the ceremony itself.
Actor after actor one-upped another in comedic bursts during their speeches, such as when Serkis emerged from an onstage tunnel without his shirt, recreating his Caesar pose while bare-chested. Even actress Melissa McCarthy, who was unable to attend the event due to a sudden bout of laryngitis which left her unable to talk, left her own indelible impression on the crowd with a funny thank you note that said, "You all leave me speechless." The night's event, from its impressive ensemble to its high jinks and highlights, certainly left everyone breathless.


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Screentalk (12)
First Hand - A New Breed of Hero
This extended episode of First Hand sees a couple at an economic crossroads, and making the decision to move into self-employment. After finding their jobs in Auckland compromised, Alec and Sheena McDonald set out to find and buy their own dairy in a small North Island town. They end up in Awakeri, near Whakatane. The lifestyle transition is far from trouble-free, as the couple must negotiate the worlds of bureaucracy and banking to insure their new business stays afloat. The documentary provides insights into running a small business during a time of economic reform.
1998 Hero Parade
Marching girls and boys, Camp Mother and Camp Leader and synchronised lawnmowers dance down Auckland's Ponsonby Road in a celebration of gay pride. The theme of this edition of the (nearly) annual 90s street parade was Age of Aquarius, fitting given the heavy rain. The parade went ahead thanks to sponsorship from Metro magazine, after controversy when the City Promotions Committee declined the request for funding. The parade attracted 70 floats, and up to 200,000 spectators. Among those watching are Julian Clary and Shona Laing, who is one of the judges.
Reluctant Hero
In 2007 Willie Apiata, of the NZ Army's elite SAS unit, was awarded the Victoria Cross for carrying a wounded soldier to safety while under fire in Afghanistan. This documentary had exclusive access to Corporal Apiata, from the moment he was told about the VC to his decision a few weeks later to gift the medal to the nation. The shy soldier struggles to deal with his sudden celebrity, and military bosses have to cope with the dual demand of handling media interest in the VC win while still keeping the work of the SAS relatively secret.
Kevin Milne: Fair Go hero...
Interview, Camera and Editing – Andrew Whiteside
Kevin Milne is one of New Zealand's most popular TV presenters after more than 20 years on Fair Go. In that time he won settlements worth millions of dollars. Before Fair Go, Milne was a reporter for Eyewitness News and the TVNZ lifestyle shows Production Line and Then Again. He has also been a presenter on the travel show Holiday and Fair Go spin-off Kev Can Do. Milne left Fair Go at the end of 2010.
Jay Laga'aia - Action toy hero and trans-Tasman actor...
Jay Laga'aia is an in demand actor on both sides of the Tasman, having appeared in a number of popular film and TV roles in both New Zealand (Heroes, Gloss, Marlin Bay, Xena and Street Legal), and Australia (Home and Away, Water Rats, Bed of Roses). He says his most memorable achievement was having an action toy created in his likeness after appearing as Captain Typho in Star Wars.
More Legendary NZ TV Moments
This collection celebrates more of the legendary TV moments that Kiwis gawked at, chortled with, and choked on our tea over. In the collection primer Paul (Eating Media Lunch) Casserly chews on rapper Redhead Kingpin's equine advice to 3:45 LIVE! and mo' memorable moments: from a NSFW Angela D'Audney to screen folk heroes Colin McKenzie and the Ingham twins.
This Giant Papier Mache Boulder is Actually Really Heavy
This science fiction comedy ended up becoming a three year labour of love for director Christian Nicolson and his crew. Inspired by memories of old school sci fi like Blake's 7 and The Six Million Dollar Man — in those long ago days before computers transformed special effects — the film follows three geeks plunged into an alien world which inexplicably resembles a B-grade movie. The project was born as one of 750 entries in low budget contest Make My Movie; it was runner-up. In 2016 the finished film won Best Comedy prizes at genre festivals in London and Boston.
Before They Were Famous
Buckle up as we blast from the past Russ le Roq, gameshow host Paul Henry, tweenaged Kimbra and catwalk model Rach. Paul Casserly primes the collection: "pig out on these pre-fame Kiwis, gaze upon their fresh faces and remember the good times, before they were famous, before they became household names, movie stars, action figures and flavours of ice-cream."
The Temuera Morrison Collection
He learnt kapa haka as a child. He learnt to smoulder on Shortland Street. He punched a country in the guts with Once Were Warriors. Temuera Morrison has starred in Māori westerns, adventure romps, and cannibal comedies. In the backgrounder to this special collection, NZ On Screen editor Ian Pryor traces Temuera Morrison's journey from haka to Hollywood.
The Billy T James Collection
Billy Taitoko James is a Kiwi entertainment legend. His iconic 'bro' giggle was infectious and his gags universally beloved. This collection celebrates his screen legacy, life and inimitable brand of comedy: from the skits (Te News, Turangi Vice), to the show-stealing cameos (The Tainuia Kid), and the stories behind the yellow towel and black singlet.


Description: The Ride with Pride program provides a Metro Transit commute card (annual bus pass) to Veterans. The service is curb-to-curb. Metro mainline buses are accessible, but this is not a paratransit pass. Service area is the Metro Transit boundaries.
The Ride with Pride Metro commute cards are available to Veterans with VA disability status or have a needs-based VA pension.
Contact the Dane County Veterans Service Office at (608) 266-4158.


text:
If you are partial to acronyms, you can think of SOFTlab as a Studio Of Fantastic Things and a place that fosters experimentation through our work. On the other hand, SOFTlab was created with the idea that a group of designers with diverse interests can take on a wide range of projects in exciting and unexpected ways. Rather than a large group of experts our eclectic team relies on curiosity, difference, and experimentation to expand the bounds of what we can do with contemporary technology and ideas. Allowing us to be more nimble, malleable, and soft.
SOFTlab is a design studio based in New York City. The studio combines a research-based design practice with an interest in how technology, craft, and materials come together in ways that explore the boundaries between architecture, other disciplines, and the public.
We are a mix of artists, listeners, geeks, dreamers, teachers, believers, programmers, and architects. Above all, we are curious designers. Our curiosity is driven by the idiosyncratic nature of the world and the expectations people have of how they engage with that world and each other. Rather than rationalize or give order to that world we are inspired by its peculiar messiness and seek to reframe it through our work. While technology can be seen as simply an alibi for innovation or progress, we see technology as an opportunity to enable new perspectives of where we might find unexpected possibilities, playfulness, and beauty in an increasingly complex world. Ultimately, we strive for our projects to elicit a sense of wonder and a rethinking of our relationship to each other and the world around us.
We work at a wide range of scales and for many types of clients from cities to corporations to civic institutions and arts organizations. Our interests lie less in defined project categories, but more in those projects that straddle disciplines, industries, and mediums. While design is a big part of what we do, it does not end when production begins. We produce most aspects of our work from programming to fabrication to installation.
Our approach always starts by exploring contextual conditions and effects. This context can be anything from a place to a project brief. By examining found conditions, we create interventions that become an extension of something existing that might not be readily apparent. We develop our work as a translation of the often dynamic phenomena on the site. In that way, our work forms an experiential contextualism, rather than a literal one. The specificity of the connection to the site is made through active engagement with people. This allows us to achieve projects which are unexpected, yet become appropriate as they unfold.
We have produced projects for a number of clients and in cities around the world over the past ten years. You can browse our work by year, location, and client below.
Year: 2010 / 2011 / 2012 / 2013 / 2014 / 2015 / 2016 / 2017 / 2018 / 2019 / 2020
Location: Alexandria / Atlanta / Bangkok / Barcelona / Cologne / Dubai / Frankfurt / Hualien City / Lexington / London / Los Angeles / Lyon / Melbourne / Miami / Milan / Munich / New Haven / New York / Ningbo / Paris / Perth / Philadelphia / Prague / Raleigh / San Francisco / Santo Domingo / Seoul / Shenzhen / Sydney / Venice
Client: 21c Museum Hotel / 23rd Street Partnership / 3M / Adobe / Behance / Blue Marlin / Center for Architecture / City of Alexandria / Elga Wimmer Gallery / EPFL+ECAL Lab / Etsy / Eyebeam / Facebook / Frankfurter Kunstverein / Glass Trösch / HP / IBM / Innisfree / Intel / Lincoln / Metropolitan Museum of Art / New Museum / New York Hall of Science / Pentagram / Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority / Pratt Institute / RAB Lighting / Signal / Sonos / Southbank Centre / Storefront for Art and Architecture / The Architectural League of New York / The Atlantic / The Creators Project / The Lake & Stars / Two Bridges Neighborhood Council / Van Alen Institute / Vice / Vornado Realty Trust / Wexford


text:
South Africa and Rajasthan Royals all-rounder Chris Morris is 'relieved' to be safely back home after witnessing 'chaos' unfold once Covid-19 cases in the IPL bio-bubble came to light.
Morris, along with his 10 other South African players, have reached home after the IPL was suspended following six cases of Covid-19 -- four players and two coaches from three different teams.
"Look, obviously I'm relieved," Morris, who is currently undergoing a 10-day mandatory quarantine at home, told iol.co.za.
Morris said they came to know about the Covid cases in Kolkata Knight Riders -- Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier -- on Sunday night.
"The moment we heard that, when players are testing positive, inside the bubble, then everyone starts asking questions. The alarm bells definitely started going off for all of us," he said.
"By Monday when they postponed that game (between Kolkata and Royal Challengers Bangalore), we knew the tournament was under pressure to continue."
The T20 league was suspended after Sunrisers Hyderabad's wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha and Delhi Capitals' Amit Mishra tested positive on Tuesday.
Later, Chennai Super Kings' bowling coach L Balaji and batting coach Michael Hussey also contracted the virus.
"I was chatting to our team doctor, whose room was across the hallway from my mine in the hotel, and Kumar (Sangakkara, the Royals' head coach) came around the corner, and drew his finger across his throat, and then we knew it was over," said Morris.
"And then it was chaos! The England guys especially were panicking because they needed to isolate in hotels in England first, and apparently there weren't any rooms."
Gerald Coetzee, who was named the replacement for Australian Andrew Tye, had arrived in India only last week and Morris said he tried to comfort the young pacer as he was panicking a bit.
"I know poor Gerald was panicking a bit, I mean he's only 20 and all this is going on," said Morris, who was the costliest IPL buy ever with a whopping Rs 16.25 crore contract.
"I tried to keep him under my wing a bit and made sure he was ready when the 12.30am pick up came at the hotel. It was eerie, it was just a handful of us in that whole hotel at the time."
There was criticism of the league happening at a time when a devastating health crisis was unfolding outside the bubble with more than 3000 people dying every day in India.
"For me, this was always a two-fold thing; on the one hand we're playing a tournament, all happy and smiling in a bubble, while outside so many people are suffering," Morris said.
"On the flip side of it, there was the fact that by playing, we were ensuring people actually stayed at home, watched us and at least had something to smile about or something else to think about - even if it was being unhappy with how we played in a game - for three hours each night."


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Cole Swindell Announces 2022 Down to the Bar Tour
Brian Lawdermilk, Getty Images
Cole Swindell has announced a headlining tour for early 2022. The Down to the Bar Tour will begin on Feb. 17 in Peoria, Ill., and include dates through early April in New Hampshire.
The country hitmaker lists 16 dates on the newly-announced tour, including three in his home state of Georgia. Opening act Travis Denning ("After a Few") is also a Georgia native. Ashley Cooke will also open the tour, with tickets going on sale in most cities on either Dec. 10 or Dec. 17.
Swindell's tour news comes days after releasing "Never Say Never," a duet with Lainey Wilson. The song was country music's most added at radio earlier last week, giving both singers a good start towards what they surely hope will be another No. 1 radio airplay single. Wilson last try "Things a Man Oughta Know" hit No. 1, while Swindell has two in a row with "Love You Too Late" and "Single Saturday Night."
Cole Swindell's 2022 Down to the Bar Tour Dates:
Feb. 17 — Peoria, Ill. @ Peoria Civic Center
Feb. 18 — Ralston, Neb. @ Ralston Arena
Feb. 19 — Park City, Kan. @ Hartman, Arena
Feb. 24 — Nampa, Idaho @ Ford Idaho Center
Feb. 25 — Everett, Wash. @ Angel of the Winds Arena
Feb. 26 — Spokane, Wash. @ First Interstate Center for the Arts
March 10 — Macon, Ga. @ Macon City Auditorium
March 12 — August, Ga. @ William B. Bell Auditorium
March 17 — Norfolk, Va. @ Chartway Arena
March 18 — Savannah, Ga. @ Johnny Mercer Theater
March 24 — Independence, Mo. @ Cable Dahmer Arena
March 25 — Sioux Falls, S.D. @ Sanford Pentagon
March 26 — Mankato, Minn. @ Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center
April 1 — Waterloo, N.Y. @ del Lago Resort & Casino — The Vine
April 2 — Wilkes-Barre, Pa, @ The F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Artist
April 3 — Hampton Beach, N.H. @ Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
You'll find much more than just the Top 10 Country Songs of 2021 on this list. Enjoy the 21 best country songs of the year, based on Taste of Country staff and country music fan opinion, plus commercial data (sales, streaming, airplay).
To be considered, the song must have been released in 2021 or have actively charted for a portion of the year (see "Wine, Beer, Whiskey"). New artists including Lainey Wilson, Larry Fleet and Morgan Wade crack the top songs list, while hitmakers including Thomas Rhett, Jason Aldean and Luke Combs make the Top 10.
Let us know your favorite song of 2021 on Twitter, or email us at staff@tasteofcountry.com.
Source: Cole Swindell Announces 2022 Down to the Bar Tour
Filed Under: Cole Swindell
Categories: Colorado – Mesa County News


Smiling Goat Ranch is hosting the Go Autism Family Fun Walk, the Western Slope's first-ever autism awareness walk, at 2 p.m. Sunday in Carbondale on the Rio Grande Trail.
Smiling Goat Ranch, an affiliate of the internationally acclaimed Horse Boy Method, brings the healing effects of horses, movement, nature and supportive community to help kids with autism and veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, said a statement from the ranch. Smiling Goat does not charge families for services.
Registration begins at 1 p.m. at the Carbondale rodeo grounds. There is no fee to register, but organizers are encouraging participants to get walk sponsors. Anyone who raises $100 by walk day will receive a free T-shirt.
The just-under 5K walk will start at the Carbondale rodeo grounds and proceed on the Rio Grande Trail to Town Hall in Carbondale, where an aid station awaits participants. The aid station will be staffed by Ascendigo, a locally based autism camp.
The Glenwood Springs High School Junior ROTC color guard will lead the walk. The members have also been helping to build a playground at Smiling Goat and working on building the program's sensory walk.
Smiling Goat Ranch will follow the walk with a party, when the JROTC members will unveil the new playground. Food will be catered by Chef Susie Jimenez and will cost $15 for adults and $5 for kids. Kids under 5 are free.
Registration for the walk is online at http://goautismfamilyfunwalk.eventbrite.com. For more information, visit http://www.facebook.com/smilinggoatranch or call 970-379-1383.


For the US Department of Defense (DoD), killing people isn't all that complicated. A budget of more than US$600 billion per year buys a whole lot of tanks, guns, and bombs.
For that, we've got the Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Development Program (JNLWD).
The program's purpose: to develop weapons and other devices military personnel can use to incapacitate targets without outright killing them.
As explained on the program's FAQ, the goal of the JNLWD is to fill the gap between "shout and shoot" (truly, we should all be grateful the armed forces acknowledge that such a gap exists).
The JNLWD's latest breakthrough is the Non-Lethal Laser-Induced Plasma Effect (NL-LIPE) system. They recently gave Defense One a look at the in-development device. And it's truly a sight to behold.
Here's how this device is useful.
You could use a stun grenade, a blinding flash of light and noise that leaves the enemy disoriented and stunned. Those only work if you're close enough to throw them, though.
And maybe you have some good guys standing in between. How do you blast the enemy but not the good guys? That's where the lasers come in.
Eventually, though, the military thinks it could get the device to work at distances of tens of kilometers, David Law, head of JNLWD's technology division, told Defense One.
Law also said the researchers believe they're very close to getting their device to outright "speak" to them, but the creepy almost-voice it already produces would likely be enough to get any enemies to turn tail.


Barring a few bonkers exceptions, menswear on the Oscars red carpet tends to lean heavily on tradition. The 89th Academy Awards wasn't all that different, really. Dev Patel killed it in a white jacket and black trousers while everyone from Justin Timberlake to Andrew Garfield stuck to classic black tuxedos. And then, surprise! —a couple of guys wore blue.
A few attendees did complete their outfits with something a little more statement making than the typical bow-tie, however. Accessories that had a political message popped up in a few places. Here are a few that caught our eye—and the deeper meaning behind each of them.
Ruth Negga, Karlie Kloss, and Hamilton's Lin-Manuel Miranda were among the stars who wore a blue ribbon tonight as part of the American Civil Liberties Union's "Stand with ACLU" initiative. The organization's efforts in fighting against the recent immigration ban have inspired a massive surge in new members.
Casey Affleck also wore the ribbon at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, along with a shirt that spelled out "Love" in Arabic.
McCraney, who wrote the source material for Moonlight, wore a red ribbon tonight to show support for those living with HIV/AIDs. McCraney's mother, a heavy drug user, died of AIDs-related complications when he was just beginning to build his career as a playwright at the age of 23.
E!'s Brad Goreski didn't stop with aviator glasses when it came to statement-making accessories, adding a GLAAD pin to his lapel. The pin is meant to show solidarity with all marginalized groups, including the gay and lesbian communities. The cast of Moonlight also wore the pins at the Independent Spirit Awards.
Even if making a political statement wasn't Pharrell's primary objective here, the move still sent a message about gender that feels relevant right now. The debate over transgender rights is one of the core issues dividing Americans right now, so a man showing up to the Oscars in a Chanel pearl necklace—the kind typically reserved for "ladies who lunch"—can't mean nothing. Right Pharrell?


No matter where you live, whether it's in New England or down in the Southwest, the summer months can be brutal. A warm summer's day can mean extreme internal temperatures for your vehicle, they may be uncomfortable for you but they're damaging your car.
After living in the high desert of Colorado for 18 years, where our summer temps reach 105 degrees and it's sunny 360 days of the year, I've picked up a trick or two about sun and heat protection.
These most often come as sprays and wipes. I'm sure everyone has their favorite products, I'm partial to the wipes as they're easy to use and they store well in the car (my favorite brand rhymes with Farmer Call). They make my car look great and help protect it from sun damage and make the slightly damaged areas look great!
The best place to park is a covered parking garage, but under a shady tree or in the shadow of a building is a great option as well. This helps keep the internal temperature down and protects the interior from UV damage.
Which leads us to taking care of your car's exterior.
If you park under a tree keep your eye out for either sap, fruit, or the possibility of bird poop as all of these things can lead to car damage over time. Keeping your car clean is better for the paint and clear coat as you can get small scratches that can worsen over time.
If you use a self-service car wash, leave that brush wand in its holder. The bristles and dirt left in the wand can damage your clear coat and paint.
Wax acts as a 'sunscreen' and general protectant for your paint and clear coat. You can either get a synthetic or natural (carnauba) wax. People will tell you one is better than the other, and it's up to you who you think is right.
It's important to check your tire pressure when the weather starts heating up. Over or under inflated tires can lead to a dangerous blowout. Having a tire pressure gauge in your glove box is a cheap and easy way to do that. You can find the correct PSI for your car listed in your vehicle owner's manual as well as on a sticker found in the glove box, vehicle door edge, doorpost, or fuel door.
If you have any warm weather car tips we'd love to hear them! Send them to us on Twitter or Facebook.


text:
Q: Find and delete lines containing multiple patterns in a file I have a list of strings and want to find and delete lines containing these strings in a file. A short example of the list of strings is listed as below.
File S

1Mo 32,33
2Mo 7,26
2Mo 7,27
2Mo 7,28

And a short example of the file is as follows.
File A

1Mo 32,33 I love you.
2Mo 7,26  I like you.
Hi 1,2  This is not so fun.
Ab 3,4  I am stupid.

My expected output is like this:

Hi 1,2  This is not so fun.
Ab 3,4  I am stupid.

I tried to use the following command, unfortunately I failed:

grep -f file S  file A|awk '{print $0}'

I searched the related question, but most of them focus on deleting the line with one specific pattern. I Does anybody know how to deal with this issue? Thx.

A: In AWK, the code would be:
NR == FNR {
    line[$0]++;
    next;
}
!line[$1" "$2]

As an one liner:
awk 'NR == FNR {line[$0]++; next;} !line[$1" "$2]' file_S file_A

A: $ grep -vF -f file_S file_A
Hi 1,2  This is not so fun.
Ab 3,4  I am stupid.

This uses the strings in file_S to get the lines in file_A that does not contain any of those strings.
-v inverts the sense of the matching so that lines without a match are passed through, and -F tells grep to treat the strings as fixed string and not like regular expressions.

A: awk -F "|" '{if($1 != "1Mo") if($1 != "2Mo" ) { print $0;}}' inputFile > OutputFile

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: Modifying a variable class attribute I'm trying to modify a class attribute based on the argument given. I'm just getting into python but I can't seem to find a way to do it without using a dictionary. Is there a pythonic way to do this?  See example below
class Ship:

    def __init__(self, name):
        self.name = name
        ship_type = {"schooner": [50, 30, 18],
            "galleon": [30, 14, 14]
        }
        self.max_weight = ship_type[name][0]
        self.speed = ship_type[name][1]
        self.poopdeck = ship_type[name][2]

    def upgrade(self, attribute, value):
        self.attribute += value

Someship.ship.upgrade(speed, 10)

I can write out a different method for each attribute but I feel as if there has to be something like this.
I apologize in advance if this has already been answered but I couldn't word it right if there is.

A: You are looking for the setattr and getattr functions. Your upgrade method can be implemented as
def upgrade(self, attribute, value):
    setattr(self, attribute, getattr(self, attribute) + value )

A: Change the update method to update an existing attribute by using the builtin functions hasattr(), setattr() and getattr().
def upgrade(self, attribute, value):
  if hasattr(self, attribute):
    setattr(self, attribute, getattr(self, attribute) + value )
  else:
    raise AttributeError("Can't upgrade non-existent attribute '{}'.".format(attribute))

Note that I'd also use the __dict__ attribute to make setting up your instances easier:
class Ship:
  # types is a class variable, and will be the same for all instances,
  # and can be referred to by using the class. ie `Ship.types`
  types = {
    "schooner": {'weight':50, 'speed':30, 'poopdeck':18},
    "galleon": {'weight':30, 'speed':14, 'poopdeck':14},
    "default": {'weight':11, 'speed':11, 'poopdeck':11}
  }
  def __init__(self, name):
    self.name = name
    # we update the instance dictionary with values from the class description of ships
    # this means that instance.speed will now be set, for example.
    if name in Ship.types:
      self.__dict__.update(Ship.types[name])
    else:
      self.__dict__.update(Ship.types["default"])

  def upgrade(self, attribute, value):
    if hasattr(self, attribute):
      setattr(self, attribute, getattr(self, attribute) + value )
    else:
      raise AttributeError("Can't upgrade non-existent attribute '{}'.".format(attribute))

ship = Ship("schooner")
print(ship.speed) #=> 30
ship.upgrade("speed", 10)
print(ship.speed) #=> 40


Want to know what it's really like working with Big Astronaut? Take if from Factor 75.
We've worked extensively with Factor 75 for the past year, and have successfully transitioned their development to an awesome in-house team! Woohoo!


At approximately 7:15 a.m. Sunday morning, September 2, 2018, Delaware County Sheriff's Deputies and members of the Downsville Fire Department and Emergency Squad responded to a 911 report of a motor vehicle accident on County Highway 7 (Cat Hollow Road) in the Town of Colchester. Upon arrival at the accident scene, Downsville Fire Department members found the involved vehicle fully engulfed in flames.
Following fire suppression, it was determined that the vehicle's driver was deceased. There were no passengers in the vehicle.
Investigation by Delaware County Sheriff's Deputies and Investigators determined that driver, 41 year old Anthony C. Driskell of Unadilla, NY, was traveling in a southerly direction on County Highway 7 when he lost control of his vehicle, left the roadway and struck a tree.
The cause of this accident remains under investigation.
Deputies were assisted at the scene by members of the Downsville Fire Department, Fred's Towing and the New York State Police.


text:
Vorst Nationaal (Frans: Forest National) is een concertzaal, ontstaan in 1970, gelegen in Vorst (Brussel). Vorst Nationaal heeft een capaciteit van meer dan 8000 toeschouwers. Het is een van de bekendste en best uitgeruste concertzalen in België. Gemiddeld zijn er 130 voorstellingen per jaar. De bouw van de concertzaal kwam er omdat de concerten alsmaar groter werden en te klein voor in de kleinere zalen.

In 1995 volgde er een verbouwing waarbij de capaciteit werd verhoogd en het licht en geluid verbeterd werden. In 2005 waren er plannen voor een nieuwe zaal aan de grens met Drogenbos en Sint-Pieters-Leeuw. Die moest bijna twee keer zo groot worden (12.000 tot 15.000 zitplaatsen) en had er tegen 2010 moeten staan.
Op 3 september 2008 werd echter bekendgemaakt dat de eigenaar van Vorst Nationaal, Music Hall Group NV, afziet van de bouw van een nieuwe concertzaal.

Later waren er plannen van het Brusselse gewest voor een verhuizing naar de Heizel in het kader van het NEO-project. Music Hall kantte zich echter tegen die verhuizing en bleef bij de site in Vorst. De nieuwe concertzaal op de Heizel, Paleis 12, werd ondertussen geopend.
In 2013 nam de Sportpaleis Group de uitbating van de zaal op zich, terwijl Music Hall Group de eigenaar bleef. Het jaar nadien volgde er opnieuw verbouwingen, waarbij de stoelen genummerd werden en nieuwe foyers werden voorzien. Een van deze foyers bevindt zich in een oude backstageruimte waar er een 'Wall Of Fame' gecreëerd werd, doordat artiesten persoonlijke boodschappen op de muur schreven. Deze kan bezocht worden door het publiek.

Externe link
 Website Vorst Nationaal

Theaterzaal in Brussel
Concertzaal in Brussel
Bouwwerk in Vorst

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Satellite phone rental with unlimited airtime only $75 weekly!
One week rental is $75 with unlimited airtime!
Two week rental is $100 with unlimited airtime!
Three week rental is $125 with unlimited airtime!
Four week rental is $150 with unlimited airtime!
One week rental insurance is $29. $250 deductible applies.
Globalstar GSP-1700 Rental includes case, battery, ac charger and car charger. Available for instore pickup.
Outside of Home Zone minute rate is $1.99 and includes any long distance charges.
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Click the button below to add the Globalstar GSP-1700 Weekly Rental Only $75 with unlimited airtime! Available for in store pickup! to your wish list.


+ * Moving pages or content elements (tt_content) around in the system via a page tree navigation.
+ * @return string Wrapping icon image.
+ var $doc; // Backend template object.
+ var $content; // Content for module accumulated here.
+ * Constructor, initializing internal variables.
+ * Creating the module output.
+ $hline.= '<br /><input type="hidden" name="makeCopy" value="0" /><input type="checkbox" name="makeCopy" value="1"'.($this->makeCopy?' checked="checked"':'').' onclick="'.htmlspecialchars($onClick).'" />'.
+ // Print a "go-up" link IF there is a real parent page (and if the user has read-access to that page).
+ '<img'.t3lib_iconWorks::skinImg($this->doc->backPath,'gfx/i/pages_up.gif','width="18" height="16"').' alt="" />'.
- $modTSconfig_SHARED = t3lib_BEfunc::getModTSconfig($this->page_id,"mod.SHARED"); // SHARED page-TSconfig settings.
+ $modTSconfig_SHARED = t3lib_BEfunc::getModTSconfig($this->page_id,'mod.SHARED'); // SHARED page-TSconfig settings.


Cynthia Jacelon, PhD RN-BC CRRN FGSA FAAN, has been appointed as Interim Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the College of Nursing through August 2020. Prior to this appointment, Jacelon directed the College of Nursing's PhD program for six years and has been teaching at UMass Amherst since 1994. She became a tenured professor in 2015.
Certified in gerontological and rehabilitation nursing, Jacelon is a rehabilitation clinical nurse specialist, and a Professor at the College of Nursing, University of Massachusetts Amherst. She is a Fellow of both the American Academy of Nursing and the Gerontological Society of America. In addition to more than 35 years of nursing practice with older adults and teaching nursing students, Jacelon's area of research and expertise is promoting dignity, function, self-management of chronic health problems, and independence in older adults. In her research, she has explored the role of older individuals in affecting the outcomes of their hospitalization, the processes used by community-dwelling elders to manage chronic health problems, the meaning of dignity to elders, and the role of smart environments in promoting elders' independence. Jacelon's work on the concept of dignity is internationally recognized, and her instrument to measure dignity, the Jacelon Attributed Dignity scale (JADS) has been used in several places around the globe including Greece and Iran. Currently, she is working on developing a tablet-computer application to support self-management in older adults. Jacelon is the Principal investigator of the NIH-funded UManage Center for Building the Science of Symptom Self-Management.


text:
Hawai'i Forest Bird Surveys
Monitoring Populations Trajectories
Hawai'i is home to one of the most unique and spectacular native bird faunas in the world, but tragically also one the most threatened. Of the 54 historically-known endemic passerines, only 24 are known to be currently extant, of which 14 are listed as endangered by the State and Federal government. An additional ten species that are listed are not currently known from existing populations and have likely gone extinct in the last 30 years. Many forest bird populations are restricted to limited ranges and continue to slowly disappear from even these restricted areas. A few, however, appear to be developing tolerance to avian diseases and have spread into lowland areas. All populations of native forest birds are being adversely affected by avian disease, predation, habitat modification from feral ungulates and invasive weeds, and competition with alien species. Climate change is expected to worsen these conditions as increasing temperatures and drought allow the movement of mosquitoes carrying avian malaria into high-elevation refugia. Management programs are needed to halt the decline in these populations and restore them to safe levels. Basic information on forest bird population status, distribution and trend; and condition of habitats is needed to guide management actions and to provide insight on limiting factors and their control. Once management has begun, data on population trends is essential to evaluate effectiveness of management actions.
Statewide forest bird surveys were begun in the 1970's by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to obtain baseline information on population status and distribution for all native and introduced forest birds in the state. The Hawai'i Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) participated in those surveys and surveys were completed for Hawai'i, Maui, Moloka'i, Lana'i and Kaua'i. Multi-agency statewide forest bird surveys were resumed in 1988 with DLNR in the lead as coordinator. These surveys target areas known to harbor endangered or range-restricted populations. The surveys are needed to evaluate statewide trends in native forest bird species status and distribution, and identify uniform trends, problems and changes in avian community composition.
In addition to general surveys for all forest birds, many endangered forest birds have declined to such critically low numbers that intensive searches are needed to monitor their status and to locate remnant populations to enable initiation of recovery actions.
Forest bird surveys are conducted on each of the main islands on a 5-year rotation basis. The order of the 5-year cycle will include East Hawai'i (Ka'ū), West Hawai'i, East Maui, Moloka'i and West Maui, and Kaua'i, in each respective year. Additional sites on these islands and on O'ahu will be surveyed as funds allow. Surveys are conducted in key native forest bird habitat. Surveys use the same transect lines established during the statewide surveys in 1988, as well as additional transects needed to fill in range gaps. A Variable Circular Plot (VCP) point count census technique is used to survey for status, distribution, and abundance of native and introduced forest birds. Data collected include date, time and weather condition; species and number, type of observation and distance from observer; and plant phenology as appropriate. Additional field surveys and observations may be done to collect information on species activity and behavior and reproductive condition. A VCP data analysis computer program is used to summarize data and calculate population statistics and density estimates.
Additional monitoring may be done to assess habitat status and condition including the presence and abundance of avian diseases, predators, and food resources. Avian diseases will be assessed by monitoring presence and abundance of malaria carrying mosquitoes and/or by surveying resident bird populations for signs of avian disease. The presence and abundance of predators will be assessed using snap or live traps.
Rare bird searches will be conducted using existing trails and transects or newly established transects. A combination of general searches, tape call-back, and station counts will be used to locate and determine status and distribution of rare birds. New technologies such as drones or automatic sound recorders (songmeters) may also be used if deemed appropriate.
Cooperators in this project include the U.S. Geological Survey Biological Resources Division, USFWS, National Park Service, The Nature Conservancy of Hawai'i and private partners. The Division project leader is the Nongame Staff Biologist in the Honolulu, Administrative Office.
To monitor the status and distribution of native and introduced forest bird populations and their characteristics, particularly threatened or endangered species, in selected forest areas throughout the State of Hawai'i.
To conduct rare bird searches for and find populations of rare and endangered species.
To determine status and condition of forest bird habitat including key components such as presence and abundance of avian disease, predators or food resources.
Disseminate findings to cooperators and public.
Information generated through this study will be utilized by DLNR and other conservation-oriented agencies in monitoring status, distribution and population characteristics of forest birds to develop programs for the preservation, enhancement, and recovery of threatened or endangered birds and their habitats including updating and revising tasks and priorities in recovery plans.
Data on population size, characteristics, distribution and trend and the status and condition of habitat will be used to assess biological and ecological requirements and limiting factors and identify key habitat areas where ecosystem management actions will be most effective.
Surveys conducted in wildlife sanctuaries, Natural Area Reserves, forest reserves, and selected private land where active habitat management programs are being implemented will provide information on population trends and be used to evaluate the effectiveness of management actions. Management actions will be expanded or modified depending on the response in bird populations.
Survey information will also provide a data base with which to make assessments and recommendations on potential impacts of proposed land use actions and development projects in areas inhabited by forest birds.
East Maui was last surveyed in the spring of 2017. Read a full report here. Also check out our Spring 2017 Newsletter.
Save the Forest, Save the Birds
It takes a community of dedicated individuals and support to make conservation happen
Donate Now!Act Now!


"Raadhuisstraat" [Townhal street] is the main through-road in the Old City Centre - located between "Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal" and "de Prinsengracht" a well-known shopping street in the center of Amsterdam. The street originates behind the Royal Palace the former Town Hall or City Hall of Amsterdam.
Situated close to " de Negen-straatjes [the Nine Little Streets] the street is noted for its shopping where vendors sell goods varying from handmade chocolates to high-end fashion – jewellery - personal goods and home/lifestyle decorum.
Further down the street towards "de Westertoren-Westercurch" you may like to explore "de Jordaan" located right across the bridge after "de Westerkerk" where you can wander through the many narrow streets where you can get a good view and plenty opportunity for taking pictures and above all get shopping ideas at "de Rozengracht" and the many side streets of the old quarter "de Jordaan" the many art galleries and artist ateliers are. You also find yourself close to the house of Anne Frank at the Prinsengracht 263-267.
On the Corner of "Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal" behind the Royal Place on the "Dam" square you find the "Magna Plaza" one of the most stylish shopping centers of Amsterdam which is housed in an elegant 19th century Neo-Gothic style building - one of the few shopping malls in Amsterdam worthwhile visiting.
Magna Plaza the former Post office building is a great place for boutique shopping - gifts/souvenirs – fashion designer clothing – jewellery and accessories.
On the three floors of this shopping mall you'll find major world fashion brands like Mango - America Today- Guess jeans shop etc. On the top floor you find Ristretto an Italian coffee shop on the second floor The Views restaurant - ground floor a brasserie Italian style bar "Ovidius" where on sunny days you can relax & rest from shopping outside on the corner of "Spuistraat" on a terrace watching the world go by.
Crossing through this rich colorful city with all its ancient neighborhoods offering all kind of opportunities buying the most extravagant clothing & accessories of all variety and price categories.


What are Reggae songs Usually about?
There is a wide spectrum of topics covered by Reggae music but you will tend to find a lot of songs dealing with Love. Of course, you will find a strong representation of tunes uplifting the 'Herb".
Politics is another area that gets a lot of attention from Reggae artists. For us though, we would say our favourite songs are the spiritually uplifting ones.
Do you know any conscious Reggae artists?
Is that a trick question? I think you'll find that most Reggae artists tend to be conscious as a result of the nature of the artform. Reggae lends itself to positive and uplifting music so you tend to find that this is mainly the kind of music that artists make. Check out our artists' section to learn more about Reggae artists and take your pick of anyone and you'll discover that their music is mainly conscious.
Can I submit my Reggae Music Video to you?
Yes, of course. We accept submissions and you can do so easily via our submission form. Please bear in mind though that we focus specifically on the promotion of Reggae music so music videos from any genres outside of that will not be accepted.
Do you offer marketing services for Reggae Acts?
That is not something that we do specifically at the moment although the idea of the site is to promote Reggae music in general. Of course, we are always happy to feature any news and updates from the industry so feel free to send us any press releases or info of that sort.
How many Reggae Artists are there in the world?
Wow, that's a tough one. We would definitely say hundreds maybe even thousands. We are doing what we can to put all the artists in one place so maybe in a few years, we'll be able to give you a more accurate answer.
How do you spell Reggae?
Do you struggle with knowing how to spell Reggae?
We get asked this many times - How do you spell Reggae? Well, I'm sure you've seen the answer to this in the question but just for clarification, the correct spelling is R-E-G-G-A-E. Some people commonly get confused with the last two letters putting it as E-A instead of A-E.
Can white people sing Reggae?
Do you mean general? If so, of course, they can unless they're living in some dictatorship that restricts freedom of expression. If you're asking if there are any credible white Reggae artists, the answer again is yes. Just take a look at artists like Gentleman or the Reggae band SOJA. You won't be disappointed with the music you hear.


When Ravens Fall is a marvelous novella with an old Norse setting. If you love stories like Beauty and the Beast, How to Train Your Dragon, and feisty heroines like Cimorene in Dealing with Dragons then you will love this book. Follow Astrid, the daughter of the town dragon-slayer as she takes it upon herself to change her own fate and attempt to change the fate of her entire town. A curse has been laid upon her village, and each year, one girl is chosen to attempt to break the curse… but each year, the girl is sent home in disgrace. Astrid's name is not eligible to be entered into this trial, due to the fact that she is not a servant, but when she willingly throws her marker in with the others, fate appears to twist to her whim.
Like everything I've read by this author so far, the story started out right in the middle of the action. This can be a little disorienting and confusing at first, but I enjoy that the set-up is sort of skipped and left for later. Immersed in the moment with each character, I had to let the backstory surround me and figure things out as I went. But Ms. Jezowski unwraps her stories so well, that the mystery and lack of immediate understanding of what all is going on is well worth the read and the wait, and she ties up most of the mystery by the end of the story, so don't worry that you'll be left still wondering what in the world is going on. You will be left wanting more… but that's not a bad thing!
I loved the characters. I loved the story. I loved the writing style. There are princesses and dragons and questions about true love: what is it? Can it truly triumph over all?
This is a beautiful tale. A coming-of-age. A fairy tale romance. A tale of self-discovery for many of the characters. And all of these elements are woven together into a veritable tapestry of words. It is a short, quick read, and will keep you on the edge of your seat all the way to the end.
The only negative remark I have to offer is that because it is so short, there are a few things I still don't really understand. I wish that more pages could have been devoted to the dragon and how he played into the entire story, and maybe a little bit more backstory for Baldur and Kenna so that I could understand them a bit more. But even without those things, I loved this novella and I definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys fairy tales and dragons.
I really liked all the characters, but Astrid was my favorite.


text:
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Every pet owner wants what is best for the furry member of the family especially when it comes to their comfort and entertainment.
Finding the best cat tree that will make your feline purr with delight can be challenging. Any options you are interested in should be thoroughly researched before a purchase is made.
Considerations like the age of the cat, how many cats in the household, and how the design of the tree fits into your home décor are among some of the considerations that need to be factored into the purchase.
The following cat tree reviews should hopefully give you some indication of the different options available and which ones might be right for you.
The Go Pet Club Cat Tree is one of the best-looking cat trees I have ever seen on the market. The 'faux fur' exterior is a dark blue that will go with most color schemes, and the design is attractive and modern.
This piece of cat furniture will give your home a modern look and give your cats a stylish place to lay their heads.
The material is made out of a sturdy wood that will not bend under the weight of your cats and will remain stable regardless of how active the animals are.
The Go Pet is also the perfect cat tree for large cats because of the width and strength of this piece of furniture.
This cat tree is a fantastic four level feline country club that doesn't take up too much space width-wise.
You will need to set aside a good chunk of real estate for this tree in the place your cats prefer to spend their time like by the window or the door.
This tree is 50″ wide and 72″ high, so it definitely won't be inconspicuous, but it is so attractive that you will love what it adds to the look of your home.
If you have multiple cats, this cat tree will be versatile enough to satisfy all of them, from the smallest of kittens to the eldest of cats.
With its modern angles and white exterior, the Armarkat Condo should fit in with any decor.
The material that covers the pressed wood is a soft fleece that your cat will love to lie down on, and the poles are covered with a white string that cats love to scratch and rub against.
The beds that sit on the highest posts are sunken in like a shallow box so your cat can settle in and relax without having to perch.
This cat tree stands at a little over 4 feet tall and 5 feet in width. It is a great size for a large cat or multiple cats because it can withstand lots of activity without bending or tipping.
The tree features one large 'condo' for sleeping on the second story and tons of space on the steps.
This cat tree is perfect for an older cat that doesn't require too much in the way of exercise. It comes complete with a furry hammock for your cat to doze that stands about 1 ½ feet off the ground.
The hammock has metal in the lining, so it remains comfortable but also durable enough to hold heavier cats. The base of the tree is made with the same long fur and provides a second comfortable place for your cat to lay their head.
The pom-pom that hangs from the bottom of the hammock provides entertainment for your pet as do the scratching posts wrapped in sisal rope. The beautiful faux-fur and off-white color will fit in with any home's decor so you don't need to worry about clashing.
This is a single-cat tree, which stands less than 2 feet high and 2 feet wide. The hammock is strong enough to support a large cat but no more than that.
The base is broad enough to make this tree stable, but the style doesn't provide for much movement anyway, so stability is not an issue.
If you are looking for a simple and comfortable place that your cat can snooze in and occasionally play, then this tree is excellent.
This is a fantastic piece of furniture for any cat with four levels of scratching posts, cat condo and even a private staircase that leads to the napping area.
The soft beige material is made with a faux fur that is soft to the touch and creates a comfortable surface for your pet to sleep or sit.
The wide base is stable enough to keep the tree from wobbling when there is movement. There are also some fun cat toys that come with the unit to keep your pet occupied.
This is a medium-sized cat tree that is large enough to accommodate multiple cats in a household.
The top of the tree stands at 52″ high which gives enough exercise space for your active cat. The width is less than two feet so you can easily fit it into a corner without overwhelming the room.
This is an innovative design that uses a 'spring-loaded bracket' to attach the cat tree to any door that measures 79″ to 82″.
This piece of cat furniture can go into any room and is comfortable and light enough to carry easily. The scratching post is made with sisal rope which is strong enough to hold up against even the most active feline.
The four levels of steps are done with a soft brown synthetic which make them comfortable for sleeping and intense climbing.
The cat tree will span the entire height of any standard door but with a shallow depth, so it doesn't stick out into the room.
Your cat will enjoy climbing the four levels of steps on this tree especially if they are particularly active, but you won't feel like they are in the middle of the room.
There are some height requirements for the brackets to make sure your doors are the right size.
The price of this tree is on the high end, but the portability of this unit and ease-of-use make it worth the extra money.
This pet tree looks more like an elaborate tree-house than a piece of cat furniture. With three levels including a cat house and sturdy rope stairs, your cat will have a blast climbing all over this tree.
The deep brown faux-fur is attractive and rustic looking and covers the sturdy pressed wood that holds this unit together. Other great features include the long rope toy that your cat is sure to enjoy playing with and the sisal rope scratchers.
The four-tiers include the base, the cat house, the day-bed and the perch which are all attached to sturdy poles covered in rope. Your cat will never get bored climbing all over this piece of furniture, and they will get all the exercise they need.
This cat tree is very broad which does make it one of the sturdiest pieces of cat furniture in this category but can be difficult to place in your home.
The Go Pet Club Cat Tree is on the expensive side due to the solid construction, and extra-large cat house makes the extra cost worth it.
This cat tree is one of the unique looking pieces of furniture when compared with the other units in this review. The soft white material covers the entire tree which makes it a pleasure for your cats for sleeping and playing.
The little hammock on the bottom level is a perfect place for a short nap while the large cat house on the second level is built for longer snoozing or just lazing around.
There are enough posts and steps to keep your pet busy all day and even enough room for a friend or two. The bottom two scratching posts are made with a strong sisal rope so your cats can scratch away without getting their paws stuck or wearing out the material.
This cat tree is 52″ high, and the width is large enough to accommodate several cats at the same time but not so large that it will feel like the tree is too big. All the features on the cat tree are broad enough to fit even larger cats comfortably.
This is priced in the medium range which makes it a great deal considering the quality, unique design and features.
The Simple Sleeper is perfect for a house with multiple cats and enough space to fit this multi-tiered cat tree.
This piece of furniture comes with two cat condos in medium and large, three posts, a long set of stairs that lead to the top condo with toys and perches for your cat to play with.
The entire set is covered in a soft blue material that should be easy to fit in with your home decor. The top perches are held up with scratching posts that are covered with sisal rope and have multiple toys connected to your feline's entertainment.
This is the largest of the cat trees in this review at 73″ inch high and 2 feet wide, so if you have a nice corner with a high ceiling, then you shouldn't have any issue finding a place for this unit.
The size of the cat condos and perches should be large enough to fit a medium-sized cat comfortably or several smaller cats.
The price is fantastic for what you are getting with this cat tree compared to the others in this category. It is in the medium price range, but the features, quality, and size make it worth much more.
The Simple Sleeper is very aptly named, as the simplicity of the design is perfect for cats that are in need of a comfortable bed and scratching post, but no bells or whistles.
The plush carpet makes this tree a pleasant place for our cat to take a nap or just laze around after a day of exploring.
The taller of the two scratching posts is robust enough to stand up to even the most enthusiastic scratchers, and the other post is a nice soft place for a healthy scratch. The base is broad enough to provide support for the two beds if they are both occupied.
This is a small cat tree that stands at a little over 3 feet high and under two feet in width. It takes up little space so you should never feel like it overwhelms the room. The size is designed to accommodate one or two cats of varying sizes.
You have probably spent some time decorating your home so that all of your furniture matches or there is some semblance of style to your décor.
Buying the best cat tree that fits in with the color scheme you have chosen or type of furniture you have is important.
If it doesn't match, your cat's condo will stick out like a sore thumb, and you will be unhappy with your purchase.
Look very carefully at the color and bring home a swatch just to make sure the colors don't clash. You can even ask if the cat tree you are interested in comes in different shades.
If your cat likes to sit near the window during the day because it is warm and sunny, then don't put the cat tree on the opposite side of the room.
Chances are, your feline will ignore the tree until the evening hours, and you will have wasted your money. Also, make sure that the area you are putting it in doesn't have any exposed electrical wires or heating vents that could hurt your pet.
You don't want to purchase something that will overwhelm the room, just as you don't want to get too small a tree for an adult cat.
You should be able to fit in the space you want and have it blend in with the surroundings, not towering over the furniture.
If your cat is older and not able to climb too well anymore, a shorter tree may be in order, so the animal doesn't hurt him or herself while climbing.
If you have a kitten, then you may want to get a tree that is shorter, so they don't fall and hurt themselves.
Kittens tend to be very energetic but clumsy, and they don't always know when something is too high for them.
For an older cat that is slowing down, you may want a shorter tree because they will probably not venture up too high due to arthritis or just plain fatigue.
Buying a tree that suits your cat's energy and experience will make both of you happy because your money will be well spent and your cat will have an appropriate home.
Easy to put together– If you are struggling with the installation of the cat tree then you may end up getting frustrated and returning it.
Where you buy it – Buying a cat tree from a place that specializes in such things will ensure you get the right advice.
The clear winner is the Best Choice Products Deluxe 52-Inch Cat Tree Tower Condo because of a number of features you get with this unit as well as the sheer size of it.
There is so much for your cat to do that they will never get bored which means less time scratching your furniture.
This tree is a great price for a number of features you get with it and the attractive design and soft material will make a great addition to any home.


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Integrate your KentPOS™ e-management Solution to your Website & Digital Menu!