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After PAX: The Death of Magic at PAX
All that lives must die, Passing through nature to eternity.
– Hamlet: Act 1, Scene 2
I've been to PAX West eight out of the past nine years, venturing specifically for Magic: The Gathering (the only one I've missed when my daughter had surgery). I feel like I have some expertise when I say this: This year was by far the worst effort put forth by Wizards of the Coast to do anything Magic related at PAX West. The only major event they produced was one panel about the worldbuilding of Ixalan for an hour. And that was it. How you found it was a blurb in the main schedule, not even a mention on DailyMTG.com.
It was embarrassing.
Let me amend that:
I was embarrassed for Wizards of the Coast.
When I've written these After PAX pieces, I was trying to give you a little bit of the atmosphere of Magic-related PAX. They aren't really reviews as it's not something that one can experience again. I tried to examine what was WotC doing to promote their latest set and their actions at the convention itself.
For years the draw was the Magic Party where they would debut cards with music, food, drinks and a bunch of people including WotC employees. Over the past few years the party was toned down but the increased presence of Magic was there. Two years ago there was a huge Eldrazi arm crushing a police car on the street. Last year, they took over a whole theater for Kaladesh and the huge street wide banner hanging on the skybridge displaying Saheeli Rai for all of the PAX attendees to see.
This year, an hour long panel with two preview cards.
And as much as it would be easy to blame WotC for this, it's not their fault.
There's one clear reason for this complete drop off, but I have a feeling that there were to other factors that contributed to this choice that made it a bit easier. The elephant in the room:
Hascon.
Hasbro, the toy company that owns Wizards of the Coast, is starting their own convention. Following in the footsteps of Disney and Blizzard, Hasbro has many well known IPs they believe they can put together a convention including Transformers, My Little Pony, Nerf, Monopoly, D&D and Magic: The Gathering. Hascon is happening September 8-10, 2017.
Also known as the week after PAX.
Look, I get it, you have several profitable brands you want to lump into one place and get them to intermingle and earn more money from them. I'm not faulting Hasbro one fault. This is how I imagine the conversation went 8 months ago.
"Hello Wizards of the Coast, what's happening? This is you parent company, Hasbro."
"Hey Hasbro, what's going on?"
"We hear you guys are pretty good at throwing parties and having pretty cool presentations that show passion for your product."
"We're starting our own convention for Hasbro brands and would love to replicate what you do at this," [Pauses, reads printed out email] "'Penny Arcade Expo' for us."
"Well, that would mean twice the work for us but we have a good team and we can come up with something. When is it?"
"September 8-10."
[Pause] "The weekend after Labor Day?"
"Sure, you can promote your Fall set, we've got our My Little Pony movie coming out in October and we'll be coming off the heels of a hot summer where the new Transformers dominated the box office."
"That's the weekend after PAX."
"PAX?"
"Penny Arcade Expo."
"Oh, is it? Well, since we do own your company, ummm, I'm gonna need you to go ahead and come in on that date. "
[Pause, sigh] "We'll throw something together."
"Yeah, that would be great."
WotC employees were so proud last year with all of the work they put into it to make it the best event they could.
Magic at PAX 2016:
Inventor's Fair
Magic World Championship
Spellslinging
Opening Program
Worldbuilding Panel
Kaladesh Mechanics Panel
Drive to Work Live
Creative Q&A Panel
PAX Invents the Card Panel
Improv Show Live
Kaladesh with the Pros Panel
Deck Building 101 Panel
Blogatog Live
Inventors' Spellslinging Showdown
Closing Program
They even flew in various content creators from around the globe from various social medias to cover the event in their own way. I figured that was going to the be the new baseline moving forward.
Now I know it will never be topped.
This year at PAX:
A roving few WotC employees handing out swag
Artist Steven Belledin sitting at a table by himself (At least Saturday)
Here's what's going on at Hascon:
25th Anniversary Show
Iconic Masters Draft/Release
Spellslinging with WotC employees (3 days)
Blogatog Live!
Playing M:TG Arena (Magic Next)
Artists signing
Here's the thing: I know it seems like I'm being selfish. "They're taking away cool Magic event from where I live and taking them somewhere else. I'm really salty about this." But this is not about me here. Yes, they do some really cool things here in Seattle, but I didn't attend every panel last year and I barely watched the World Championships. This is more about the audience you're trying to capture.
The worldbuilding panel asked how long the packed house audience had been playing Magic. A few were under a year. Most were over three years. These people were your long term "willing to spend money on a product-not just trying it out" customers. The viewers on Twitch and following along on Twitter (which was quite a few personalities tweeting this along with me) were the same audience. This weren't new players because there was no place for them at PAX this year. (Quick aside that must be said, the panel itself wasn't bad, it was great. My issue is that it was the only such production).
I'm sure there's market research done about how much money was put into PAX and how much that earned vs spent. Was this a worth while investment of their advertising money? Honestly, that's what Cons are, they're huge advertising opportunities for your brand. It's about brand recognition, player acquisition and player retention. Someone up at Hasbro decided that the money and effort put into PAX would benefit them better at Hascon.
And this is where we get into the Disney/Blizzard comparison. You have a rabid fanbase who will throw money at an IP and so collecting the IPs you control and host it at one event makes sense. Only Hasbro deals with toys, and WotC. They have Star Wars at Hascon, but only for the toys and for some reason Chewbacca Mom. Marvel, with Stan Lee, Guardian of the Galaxy Director James Gunn which facilitate, you guessed it, the toys. There's also a Sesame Street Show and Photo Opportunity for 2 hours on Friday (Twice as long as the presentation of Magic at PAX). The only heavy non-WotC/non-toys media there is Transformers movie with Mark "Say hi to your mother for me" Wahlberg and rapper Flo Rida.
Wait, Flo Rida?
I don't know. Hasbro is calling this con "The Premier Hasbro FANmily Event." And that makes sense with their demographics of people who love toys (so, kids and almost the entire PAX demo). Maybe this is a way to introduce the My Little Pony loving girl to a Dinosaur/Pirate world based on Mesoamerica and to try roleplaying D&D. Maybe this is player acquisition.
But now Magic has almost no presence at any other Con. We're ignoring places that draft because all you need is some tables and product (and that's all Cascade Games did here at PAX. Hey, a prize wall! How thoughtful. But sure, go ahead and shove the Magic players in the Annex which is underground and the furthest point away from the main hall (I know that Magic has been in the Annex before but usually it wasn't JUST the bottom floor where this year seemed like a token location)). Magic has no presence at GenCon, DragonCon (which made sense because it was the same weekend at PAX), E3, PAX West/East/South/Australia, and the New York Comic Con. The only major other one left is San Diego Comic Con where there's exclusive Planeswalker card swag and a Maro panel.
Wizards of the Coast didn't even get a booth at PAX West. You know, where they work 20 minutes away and represent Seattle gaming? No both to buy swag or to tempt attendees walking by with the 30 card intro decks they give away for free. Those used to be in the swag bags for people to play with while they're waiting in line. That's advertisement. I had to buy a Magic tie at the ThinkGeek booth, and I've wanted one of those things forever. Why no booth for WotC? I'm sure they had to get everyone ready for next weekend: Hascon.
But why should WotC advertise Magic and D&D at all? They are both known at the top of their genres as the game to play. Mainstream media has already classified these two brands as THE geeky hobbies. Why should they even care about spending money at geeky conventions where people already know about them? Simple, buyer's remorse.
What if you threw down some money for a game, but don't see it played anywhere? Nobody talks about it and you don't see it displayed at your local large convention. Surely the game must be a bust, right? Why did you spend all that hard earned money on cardboard that you can't play? Even though WotC is trying to push players to go to their LGS, for the kid who bought a precon at Walmart then heading to GenCon to see nothing from WotC, why should they spend more time and money to this game if it's not at THE gaming convention?
As I said, these booths and panels are not just for people like me. I will spend money on the game for quite a while since I love it and I have that brand loyalty. Letting people ask questions to the makers of the game is a huge bonding moment for that player. You've got the emotional connection locked up. In the past I've walked around PAX watching people play those 30 card intro decks picking up Magic for the first time in a few years or showing their friends how to tap mana for the first time. This is how Loading Ready Run got back into Magic and now they're one of the largest content creators of the brand. To help grow and firmly root players in the game, there has to be presence at conventions. Otherwise, they will go somewhere else. Why should you support a game when it feel like it's abandoned you?
While I certainly place a huge amount of blame on Hascon, there are two other factors that might have played into this (but no where near the impact). First, I feel that the leaks earlier this year wiped away the possibility of previewing more cards. I fully support WotC going after the person who stole the sheet and people like that should be punished. Since it was so far in advance, it allowed them to pivot, show off the cards, and possibly do away with some of the low effort ideas they had going at PAX.
This other factor is what I believe is the final nail in the coffin in WotC leaving their former PAX structure in the rear view mirror. Even if Hascon is a flop there has been a major shift in Magic to get rid of the need of any huge production at PAX:
The shift to the 3-1 model.
By making each set a large set and quite possibly on a new plane three times a year, the effort to go through celebrating one plane at the beginning of the fall after the Core Set doesn't make much sense. In past years WotC wanted to introduce the new plane we, the players, were going to spend an entire year with. Then two years ago we shifted to the Big-Small model and there were two planes a year we were visiting. I believed that the natural outlet would then be PAX West go with the Fall set and PAX East go with the Spring set. That plan fell apart after two years and now we're shifting to the 3-1 model. It would take a huge amount of effort and time to do this at every PAX (Timed pretty closely with each new set coming out). I could see the money people and Hasbro going, "Do we really need this?"
No, you most likely do not.
So, where does that leave us?
It all depends on how Hascon performs. Hasbro is going to give this experiment more than one year, but this is the best shot they have of it succeeding. As I mentioned before, they're coming off the coattails of a Transformers movie a few months ago and a My Little Pony movie coming this October. Magic is releasing its big set of its final block in a few weeks and a new Star Wars movie comes out in December (Hasbro controls the Star Wars toys). If there ever was a year to try this out, this would be the year. If Hasbro can show at least any amount of success with this sales-wise for the next few months they try and run this out a few years. Should there be a lack of interest, next year might be the last year.
I'm not trying to wish Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast any ill-will with this. But to pull out of almost every con that you've done in the past or continue not to show up is a bit silly. Yes, there's a bunch of people who know what Magic is, but you still see Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo still getting booths at PAX so they're in the public eye. I'm not looking for anything that has resembled years past, but to backtrack this much for last year points squarely at Hascon. And it's disheartening. And confusing.
I know that WotC employees were hugely psyched and proud of their work last year with the Kaladesh effort at PAX (and every year). They should be. This is in their own backyard and to get your company to go and celebrate their new product to show how proud they are, that has to boost company morale and get more involvement from the community.
This is all a guess, a very educated guess. If I'm way off the base here, I'm only saying that this is how it's perceived. So this is a plea to Hasbro. You know that Magic: The Gathering is one of your most successful brands, you've said it as much in your quarterly reports:
*Hasbro's total gaming category, including all gaming revenue, most notably MAGIC: THE GATHERING and MONOPOLY, which are included in Franchise Brands in the table above, totaled $273.3 million for the second quarter 2017, up 20%, versus $227.7 million in the second quarter 2016 and up 15% to $526.6 million for the six months 2017 versus $458.8
million for the six months 2016. Hasbro believes its gaming portfolio is a competitive differentiator and views it in its entirety.
Second quarter 2017 Franchise Brand revenues increased 21% to $545.7 million driven by revenue growth in TRANSFORMERS, MAGIC: THE GATHERING, NERF and MONOPOLY.
Look, I get it that the cost/benefit analysis plays heavily into this, but examine at how you're trying, yet again, to head into the digital market with Arena trying to catch up with Blizzard's Hearthstone. People can be loyal to more than one brand so you need to fight for attention. You have a money making machine with Magic, and the people at Wizards of the Coast do great work. Let them be proud of their product besides at a convention of your own. Take back Gen Con, reclaim PAX, give them an opportunity to shine at NYCC and storm at SDCC. Don't expect them to throw a party at each one, but have a booth, give a few panels, show off your talent, have some exclusives (Just don't go overboard with the prices). How hard is it to produce a T-shirt, or a limited print poster, or a pin, or plush toy to sell at a booth to drive traffic there?
Two years ago, WotC had a huge Eldrazi arm crushing a police car right next to the entrance of the convention. It was the talk of the event. Last year WotC had something going all 32 hours of PAX, hosting thew Wold Championship of Magic and took over an entire theater. This year, all that was at PAX was an hour long panel with PowerPoint and letting some third party hold drafts in the basement of the convention center. The video game ARK: Survival Evolved had two life size dinosaurs you could ride and take pictures of. That sounds like a cool promotion that could go viral. In fact, I know that WotC has a new set with dinosaurs releasing in a few weeks.
I heard that from an hour long panel that was barely advertised. I sure as hell couldn't find it any other information in the convention. How can you be the world's leading card game if you don't even show up?
RIP Magic Events at PAX: 2009-2016
Author MTGColorPiePosted on September 6, 2017 Categories Ixalan, PAX, UncategorizedTags Ixalan, Magic: The Gathering, PAX, Wizards of the Coast
One thought on "After PAX: The Death of Magic at PAX"
C. Bedford Crenshaw (@Palaguin) says:
I am still annoyed they left Origins and Gen Con. Those two cons MADE Magic, and where's the gratitude?
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Australia launches critical minerals office
United States Geological Survey director Jim Reilly and Minister for Resources and Northern Australia Matt Canavan formalising a US-Australia critical minerals partnership. Image: Geoscience Australia.
The Australian Government has opened a Critical Minerals Facilitation Office in Canberra to support the development of the nation's critical minerals sector.
The office will work with all levels of government, industry and the science and research sector to develop Australian critical mineral resources and to maximise opportunities within the field.
Former senior official in Treasury, Prime Minister and Cabinet Jessica Robinson will lead the office, bringing with her experience in developing critical minerals and foreign investment policy.
The launch follows Federal Minister for Resources and Northern Australia Matt Canavan's announcement in November 2019 when Australia formalised a partnership with the United States to develop critical mineral supply chains.
"We have the potential to become an international powerhouse in the supply of critical minerals with increasing demand from rising use of electric cars, renewable energy and smart phones," Canavan said.
"Australia has abundant reserves of critical minerals and rare earths and the Government is committed to developing world-leading projects which improve diversity of supply in the global markets."
Australia and the United States will further develop a detailed plan to support joint action when senior officials meet in Washington in late February, complementing a range of actions Australia is pursuing with other key international partners including Japan, India and Europe.
The Export Finance Australia, Defence Export Facility and Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility will also offer financial support for Australia's critical minerals projects.
The Critical Minerals Facilitation Office will work closely with the funding facilities as well as the Clean Energy Financing Cooperation, as it helps critical mineral projects to gain access to finance.
Australia is one of the world's top five producers of critical minerals including antimony, manganese, ilmenite and rutile.
It is also the second largest producer of rare earths, accounting for 13 per cent of global production.
https://www.australianmining.com.au/news/australia-launches-critical-minerals-office/

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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MORT KÜNSTLER: THE GODFATHER OF PULP FICTION ILLUSTRATORS
"I learned how to compose, how to tell a story. There's no way I could have done what I did later if I hadn't had all that men's adventure magazine work." —Mort Künstler
Known today as "America's Artist" for his popular and much admired historical paintings, it was in the wild world of men's adventure magazine illustration that Mort Künstler honed his ability to present large-scale action while never losing sight of essential details. It led to a mastery of capturing conflict in paint—both the spectacle, and the human cost.
At long last, The Men's Adventure Library brings an unequaled selection of Künstler's finest pieces from the men's adventure magazine era back into print in this bold, colorful collection, available in both softcover (forthcoming) and expanded, deluxe hardcover editions.
From the explosive intensity of battles on the sea and in the air, to taut, face-to-face showdowns and animal attacks, every page explodes with action, color, and artistry.
No. 11 in The Men's Adventure Library series
Edited by Robert Deis & Wyatt Doyle
deluxe hardcover $39.95 abridged softcover (forthcoming)
Posted by New Texture at 8:42 PM
Labels: books, Men's Adventure Library, Mort Künstler, New Texture Books, Robert Deis, The Godfather of Pulp Fiction Illustrators, Wyatt Doyle
EVA: MEN'S ADVENTURE SUPERMODEL out now
Model. Pin-up. Actress. Singer. Writer. Royalty.
Eva Lynd's multi-faceted career touches every aspect of 20th century popular culture. A Swedish countess turned model for leading illustration artists and top glamour and pin-up photographers of the era, she also appeared with some of the biggest names in entertainment on both the silver and small screens. So much more than a pretty face, in this lavishly illustrated volume drawn from her personal archives, Eva Lynd shares her story in her own words and pictures, including encounters with Salvador Dali, Sophia Loren, Cary Grant, Sidney Lumet, Elia Kazan, Peter Lawford, to name a few.
The latest installment in the acclaimed Men's Adventure Library series from editors Robert Deis and Wyatt Doyle, Eva: Men's Adventure Supermodel chronicles Eva's remarkable career as a model, pin-up, and actress, with hundreds of photos and artwork includes artwork from pulp masters such as Norm Eastman, Al Rossi, Mike Ludlow, and James Bama. Plus never before seen pin-ups and previously unpublished photos from Eva's personal archive.
A big, deluxe 186-page hardcover, Eva: Men's Adventure Supermodel is also available as an abridged 114-page softcover with alternate cover art that focuses primarily on Eva's work in men's adventure magazines (MAMs).
Preview 40 pages of Eva on Issuu.com here.
Eva: Men's Adventure Supermodel
deluxe hardcover $45.95 abridged softcover $24.95
Labels: Eva Lynd, Eva: Men's Adventure Supermodel, Men's Adventure Library, New Texture Books, Robert Deis, Wyatt Doyle
Jimmy Angelina in KMAC Museum's First Triennial
Jimmy Angelina (The Last Coloring Book) will show new work at the KMAC Museum in Louisville as part of their first triennial, and the inaugural Vernissage.
From KMAC:
Vernissage (noun): French for Art Preview
Announcing Louisville's Newest Tradition! KMAC Museum's Board of Directors is pleased to invite you to our inaugural Vernissage. This year's event is in celebration of KMAC's first Triennial, a showcase of contemporary art of the Commonwealth. Meet the exhibition artists and be the first to view their works, specially created for this show.
Come dressed in your favorite cocktail attire! Enjoy cocktails and exhibition viewing starting at 6 PM along with dinner at 8 PM featuring the best of the late summer harvest with food curated by Mary Wheatley & Rebecca Johnson of Atlantic No. 5.
Meet the artist:
Jimmy Angelina's work pulls from an interest in music and film. While his visual style recaptures the mise-en-scène, montage, and storyboard aesthetics associated with classic cinema, it also aligns with the sampled, cut-up, collage appearance of early punk rock flyers. He blends the spindly pale figures of Egon Schiele with the texture of a vintage engraving, recalling illustrations found in American comics and political satire magazines from the 1970s and 80s, composite images that distill the pages of publications like Cahiers du Cinéma and MAD Magazine. Learn more about Jimmy Angelina at www.jimmyangelina.com or at Jimmy Angelina - Drawing & Illustration and be one of the first to see his work at Inaugural Vernissage on August 23rd.
More details and ticket information on the event's page on Facebook, here.
Labels: events, Jimmy Angelina, Louisville, The Last Coloring Book, The Last Coloring Book on the Left
[Ralph Whittington 1945-2019]
It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Ralph E. Whittington (Clinton, Maryland), who passed away on August 6, 2019, at the age of 74. Ralph began his 36-year career at the Library of Congress out of high school and retired in 2000 as a curator of the main reading room.
Ralph dedicated much of his life to archiving erotic films, magazines, and materials related to the adult entertainment industry. He served as a consultant to the Museum of Sex in New York City, the Erotic History Museum in Las Vegas, and the Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Sexuality, which granted him an honorary PhD. Ralph's work was featured in The Washington Post, Spin magazine, Rolling Stone, and numerous other publications. Ralph also appeared on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, The Howard Stern Show, and other radio and news programs, and was the subject of two documentary shorts by filmmaker Jeff Krulik, who dubbed him the "King of Porn."
Ralph had a wide range of additional interests, from motor sports and automobile history to attending high school football games, following athletic careers, and was always in search of a good barbecue joint. Also a lifelong music fan, he built a prized collection of rare and historically important R&B records, which have been donated to the Library of Congress.
He was included in 2008-2009's Dictionary of International Biography and in multiple editions of Who's Who in America and Who's Who in the World. Ralph is survived by a daughter, Amanda, her husband, Mike, and a grandson, Spencer. A celebration of Ralph's remarkable life will be scheduled at a later date.
https://simplicitycfs.com/book-of-memories/3940224/Whittington-Ralph/
"King of Porn" (1996) d. Jeff Krulik
A Farewell to the King
What I'll miss most about Ralph is his shamelessness.
It's at the very heart of "King of Porn," Jeff Krulik's 1996 documentary profile. Over 6 minutes and 40-odd seconds, we're introduced to Ralph, and Ralph's world: His love of high-performance automobiles, his prized record collection, his taste for fine, fine tobacco…and a glimpse of his gargantuan, ever-expanding archive of pornography and sex-related materials—all exhaustively, methodically catalogued, inspired by the exacting standards favored by Ralph's employer, the Library of Congress. (A glimpse of the collection is the most the documentary can manage; even a feature-length study would only scratch the surface of Ralph's decades of accumulation, to say nothing of Ralph's thoughts on each item's relevance, and the reasons for its inclusion.)
"King of Porn" raised all kinds of questions. Who was this odd, unprepossessing middle-aged man in jacket and tie, with his hypnotic yet indefinable, possibly Southern accent? What was any one man possibly doing with so much pornography? And he works at the Library of Congress? And he's living in his mother's basement? Has he no shame?
Media interest in Ralph and his collection was duly piqued, and with Ralph's willingness to accept high-profile public ribbing with good humor, the jokes just about wrote themselves. He made an ideal subject for quirky human interest stories, whether for Spin or Rolling Stone or the hipper urban weeklies. Ralph found himself the subject of media interest from all corners of the globe. He courted this attention, and he embraced it when it arrived. Shamelessly.
And then there's the jewel of Ralph's collection, an oft-replayed VHS documenting an occasion when his research crossed the threshold into participation: An explicit sex tape in which Ralph performed with busty industry vet Chessie Moore. (The shoot was a highly unconventional fan club perk.) Ralph took great pride in his participation, and it was a rare houseguest indeed who escaped Ralph's company without a screening. (An eager Ralph showed it to me with great fanfare, after much advance hype, and his enthusiasm on the day was only slightly undercut by a few minor delays—first, in identifying the correct VHS tape; then, owing to technical difficulties with his ancient combination TV/VCR. In the end, he set me up in an impossibly cluttered guest bedroom, shutters drawn, to view it in solitude. Then, about halfway through the 20-minute-or-so running time, he startled me by suddenly popping his head into the room like a good ol' boy jack-in-the-box, bellowing, "HOW WE DOIN'?") Shamelessness on top of shamelessness.
Despite the wide recognition of the historical value and sociological interest in what was once considered cultural detritus, be it old comic strips, antique signage, or vintage cereal boxes, anything to do with pornography is still going to set tongues clucking. And candor about the stuff we avail ourselves of when the real thing is not an option (or use to supplement it when it is)—well, good luck with that. Serious documentation is not a priority.
Ralph saw this, and determined his role in the scheme would be a practical one. He recognized that there could be no fair hearing without evidence, no informed discussion without access. With no one else stepping up for duty, Ralph set about collecting that evidence himself, in as impartial a manner as he could. The ultimate evaluation of the material and determination of its importance was something he saw as best handled by others, somewhere down the road. Ralph simply assumed the responsibility of ensuring there would be historically relevant, adequately catalogued samples to consider.
That's really an essential part of the story that was easy to miss in media accounts of Ralph and his collection, as on The Howard Stern Show, where Ralph was pitted against a Stern staffer in an ill-advised trivia quiz. But trivia-on-demand wasn't Ralph's strong suit; he was a big picture guy. Among the 4-hour DVD compilations, XXX-video ad slicks, and glossy beaver mags in Ralph's carefully organized archives, one also finds vintage news clippings, like a snip about the introduction of the first swim trunks for men, a scandalously permissive development in its time. And obscure antique bawdy house coins, minted and distributed by whorehouses more than a century ago as in-house currency. ("House poke-her chips," I can hear Ralph punning.) And so on. So while who did what to whom in scene three of a dirty babysitter DVD from 2003 was unquestionably of interest to Ralph, his larger mission was charting the evolution and development of sexual mores and attitudes, via a wide variety of sources.
Consider for a moment just how daunting a prospect that is. Understand that the costs of such a venture are coming out of the volunteer's own pocket. Then ask yourself, who but a true blue, card-carrying horndog would even consider such an endeavor? Who else would be equal to the task? Who but a relentless, utterly shameless horndog like Ralph could even maintain the pace?
He couldn't collect everything, of course. He followed current events, monitored the adult entertainment industry, and coordinated his efforts with video wholesalers sympathetic to his mission. He collected, indexed, and archived material he felt was historically important, which could be broadly broken into items relevant to the history of the adult entertainment industry, and items that uniquely reflect their era.
Accordingly, in conversations about his work, he was quick to separate provable, quantifiable facts from opinions or even reasonable assumptions. Even his "King of Porn" sobriquet required an asterisk in his view, since the title was initially conferred upon porn icon/casualty John Holmes, and has more recently been associated with porn survivor Ron Jeremy—both of whom, Ralph insisted, were infinitely more deserving of the honorific.
There was an unusual clarity to Ralph's conversation when talk turned to sex, and talk always turned to sex. His attitudes were frank and remarkably unencumbered by prevailing social and societal norms. Library of Congress co-workers remember Ralph casually—shamelessly!—reading Hustler like the morning paper while carpooling to work. But his candid, unapologetic positions on matters considered controversial or inappropriate seemed honest reactions based on his own inclinations and experience. No political agenda. No social agenda. Ralph just really liked sex, porn, and just about anything to do with either, and he wasn't shy about it. It was an interest—an obsession—that led him to his life's work—work he approached with care, and took on at considerable personal expense. Box after impeccably catalogued box of old Seka tapes, swing magazines, Monica Lewinski novelties.… Dismiss it as a big waste of time if you like, plenty have.
Not that how anybody else might feel about any of it appeared to factor prominently in Ralph's thinking. I liked to believe this was not so much him not giving a damn what other people thought, so much as his attention was occupied by what he saw as other, more pressing matters—like sex, dirty movies, fast cars, and old records.
It's too soon to know if history will smile on Ralph's efforts, if he will emerge in the final analysis as some kind of ahead-of-his time gonzo sociologist, X-rated free-speech champion, or latter-day hero of the sexual revolution. These are determinations better left to others. But I do know that Ralph was, by his own proud accounting, a cradle-to-grave horndog, that he truly loved sex and porn and sexy porny things, without apology. And that he put his time, his money, and his love of porn into his small, mostly unloved, not-yet/maybe-not-ever appreciated contribution to the sum total of human knowledge. Lofty talk for a lot of porn, but that is the truth of it.
He didn't do it because he thought it was brilliant stuff (though obviously, he liked a lot of it, a lot). He did it because, whatever your feelings about it, it's part of who we are in this time and place, and if he didn't document it, probably no one else would.
He saw an opening, and he filled it.
© 2019 Wyatt Doyle, all rights reserved.
Posted by New Texture at 3:30 AM
Labels: Chessie Moore, Jeff Krulik, Ralph Whittington, Wyatt Doyle
Kate Smith, etc.
I'm not sure who was the first to shout "Kate Smith!" in a crowded hockey stadium, but it's a question worth asking. Certainly there are many who consider themselves left of the dial who are also petty people, but most of the people I know or know about who are working for change now don't have a lot of spare energy to research, let alone campaign against, offenses of a singer popular decades ago, as they are too busy fighting for things like housing, employment, and access to health care. Let's call that point A.
Point B: As any hack stand-up will tell you, hockey is a sport widely understood to be predominantly played by and enjoyed by white males, and it has a reputation for indulging physical violence more than most sports do. Now, who would be most interested in establishing a hot-button issue that might unify or even mobilize a group they perceive as being white males who might be receptive to violent behavior? I'm not sure what a left-leaning agenda gains from poking this particular bear. So as usual, it seems to me that it's the scumbags with power who have the most to gain from pursuing new ways to drive wedges and foment discord among groups of working people -- particularly at a time when a lot of working people are pushing back against the moneyed and powerful.
Point C: Before getting all riled up about how nothing is safe and no one is sacred, maybe the thing to be thinking about is not how hyper-sensitive some people are, but rather, just how many of our nation's sacred cows were involved in some very problematic shit. Some were steeped in it, while some simply walked in with a bit on their shoe; but it all got shit on the carpet, and it all helped us grow accustomed to the smell to the point of near passivity about it. So instead of freaking out over the uppity-ness of those calling such offenses out, consider another perspective. Namely, "Goddamn, look how racism, sexism, bias, and ugly thinking has been woven into damn near every move we've ever made as a nation!" If that doesn't give you real pause, you might not actually be as American as you think.
Point D: All people are flawed, and all people are problematic. This is the truth of us, despite decades of A&E Biography et al simplifying the lives of the influential for easier public consumption. The best way to honor someone we perceive as "great" on some level is to recognize that their life, like everyone's, is/was a balancing act between their flaws and limitations and their capacity for greatness. That the best lesson a life lived well can offer us is how they got past all the bullshit -- internal and external -- that threatened to capsize them and pull them under. These are the real lessons best taken from those we admire -- seeing them as they were as clearly as we're able. I like statues. I especially like that birds shit on them. I think of it as nature's way of reminding us of that balance I'm talking about.
Point E: Fuck hockey, fuck all pro sports (that corrupt, murderous, soul-taking industry), fuck meaningless, compulsory patriotism, fuck blind, two-fisted, uncritical allegiance to any person, place, or idea, and most of all, fuck any and all who would divide us by introducing arguments for the sole purpose of playing into and shoring up our fears and prejudices. In situations like this, "Who called the tune?" is just about always more interesting -- and relevant -- than whatever gets everyone so steamed in the first place.
Finally, Happy Borgnine Saturday! Because despite everything, it is Borgnine Saturday, and that's something worth celebrating.
Labels: Borgnine Saturday, current events, Ernest Borgnine, Kate Smith, Philadelphia, Wyatt Doyle
CONTINENTAL/INTERNATIONAL by Jon E. Edwards OUT NOW
NYC soul punk legend Jon E. Edwards' career-spanning collection Continental/International is here at last!
File Under: Party Soul. The cream of legendary performer Jon E. Edwards' hard-to-find studio recordings and unheard music. Includes the title song from the award-winning documentary Jon E. Edwards Is in Love and collaborations with Tony-winning artist Stew (Passing Strange, The Negro Problem). Soul grooves, punk energy. Funky bubblegum and heartbreak. Swagger and class. Continental/International. CD and download available everywhere from New Texture. Get it here.
Kicking it off right, here's the video for the album's first single, "Business Card," co-written with Stew:
Director: Will Vaultz / willvaultzphotography.com
Producer: Nicky Vegas / @nickvegasnewyork
Jon E on Instagram: @echelonltd
Album producer: Wyatt Doyle
Labels: Jon E. Edwards, new music, New Texture Music, New York City, Nicky Vegas, Will Vaultz, Wyatt Doyle
POLLEN'S ACTION Unleashed!
Available NOW: The Men's Adventure Library proudly presents Pollen's Action, the big, new, hard-hitting collection of vintage pulp fiction illustrations by the late grandmaster Samson Pollen, edited by Robert Deis and Wyatt Doyle.
One of the greatest illustration artists whose work appeared in vintage men's adventure magazines (MAMs) from the 1950s to the 1970s, Pollen's specialty was action—dynamic, outrageous, larger-than-life action. His inventive compositions, experiments in perspective, and passion for visual storytelling made for a combustible mix, and Pollen embraced MAMs' freewheeling, over-the-top approach to entertainment, painting hundreds of jaw-dropping, explosive scenes captured at the moment of detonation.
Illustrating work from authors like Mario Puzo, Richard Stark, Norman Mailer, Ed McBain, Richard Wright, Don Pendleton, Erskine Caldwell, Walter Kaylin, Robert F. Dorr, and countless others, Pollen's immersive illustrations transported adventure-hungry readers from jungles to battlefields to raging seas to mean city streets. Samson Pollen painted it all—spectacularly.
The Men's Adventure Library follows the first-ever collection of the artist's illustrations, Pollen's Women, with Pollen's Action, a deluxe new volume collecting the cream of the artist's high-octane action paintings. Includes background and commentary by the editors and an introductory essay by the artist.
Created in collaboration with the artist, Pollen's Action is available as a 138-page deluxe hardcover from New Texture; buy it via Amazon HERE.
Preview 46 pages of the book:
Posted by New Texture at 12:36 PM
Labels: books, Don Pendleton, Mario Puzo, Men's Adventure Library, New Texture Books, Pollen's Action, Richard Stark, Richard Wright, Robert Deis, Robert F. Dorr, Samson Pollen, Walter Kaylin, Wyatt Doyle
BLACK CRACKER / Josh Alan Friedman
ONE MAN ARMY / Gil Cohen
LIVE A LITTLE / MANZAPPACZEWSKI
THE GODFATHER OF PULP FICTION ILLUSTRATORS / Mort Künstler
EVA: MEN'S ADVENTURE SUPERMODEL / Eva Lynd
CONTINENTAL/INTERNATIONAL / Jon E. Edwards
POLLEN'S ACTION / Samson Pollen
JIMMY ANGELINA / Jimmy Angelina
CUBA: SUGAR, SEX, AND SLAUGHTER
SUB-SUB LIBRARIAN, EXTRACTS ON A / Eric Reymond
NIMRODIA / Eric Reymond
JORGE AMAYA DOESN'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE / Wyatt Doyle
POLLEN'S WOMEN / Samson Pollen
BUTY-WAVE IS NOW CLOSED FOREVER / Wyatt Doyle
I WATCHED THEM EAT ME ALIVE
THE LAST COLORING BOOK ON THE LEFT / Jimmy Angelina and Wyatt Doyle
I NEED REAL TUXEDO AND A TOP HAT! / Wyatt Doyle
BARBARIANS ON BIKES
TEACHER TALES / Richard Adelman
MAP OF THE MOON / Map of the Moon
THE LAST COLORING BOOK / Jimmy Angelina and Wyatt Doyle
A HANDFUL OF HELL / Robert F. Dorr
SING-SONG SONGS / Stanley J. Zappa
SIXTY GODDAMMIT / Josh Alan
POP'S COOKIE DUSTER / Don and Lee Doyle, Annette Debevec
DOLLAR HALLOWEEN / Wyatt Doyle
CRYPTOZOOLOGY ANTHOLOGY
I'VE GOT HEAVEN ON MY MIND / Rev. Raymond Branch
TELL THE TRUTH UNTIL THEY BLEED / Josh Alan Friedman
HE-MEN, BAG MEN, & NYMPHOS / Walter Kaylin
NU LUNA / Andrew Biscontini
WEASELS RIPPED MY FLESH!
STOP REQUESTED / Wyatt Doyle, Stanley J. Zappa
DEVIL MAY CALL. The shocking new thriller directed by Jason Cuadrado, from a screenplay by Cuadrado and New Texture's Wyatt Doyle. Visit the film's official website HERE.
Available now on DVD and VOD from Lionsgate.
Back in print from Fantagraphics!
Victoria Doyle
Men's Adventure Magazines: Pulp Mags of the '50s, '60s & '70s
Rev. Raymond Branch
BlackCracker.fm (Josh Alan Friedman)
The Unaksed Question (Andy Biscontini)
Eric Reymond's CLOG (Cardboard Log)
Map of the Moon
Andrew Biscontini's nulunaverse
Kendra Steiner Editions
This Day in Quotes
Quote Counterquote - Uses & abuses of famous quotations
Andy Biscontini's Every Dog's Day
Mini T: Hollywood Blvd.'s Little Big Entertainer
John Blum
Off jumps jack... (Terri H.)
The Dixon Society (Bill Dixon)
Vanina Marsot
Jason Cuadrado's Monstrous Nature
Jason Cuadrado's Tales From the Dead
Lunchtime Comics
Felber's Frolics (Susie Felber)
Rammed Earth Is For Everyone
MORT KÜNSTLER: THE GODFATHER OF PULP FICTION ILLUS...
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Golfer Jhonattan Vegas made a James Bond-like entrance on Thursday's British Open at the Carnoustie. The helicopter of the Venezuelan native landed on the venue, less than two hours before his 10:31 a.m. tee time.
German manufacturer Mercedes kept Lewis Hamilton after signing the British Formula One driver into a two-year deal. The 33-year-old Hamilton looks to outduel fierce rival Sebastian Vettel in this weekend's German Grand Prix.
Relatives of Scott Beigel, Aaron Feis, and Chris Hixon were on hand to receive the Best Coach Award at the 2018 ESPYs. The three gave their lives to save countless students during a school shooting.
Emotions ran high in a pick-up game on Monday in Virginia after an unidentified man called the cops after being fouled hard. Both players did not press charges and the game resumed after the police left.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. earned around $275 million in 2018, a bulk of which came from his fight against UFC star Conor McGregor. Mayweather's earning in 2018 pushed him past the $1 billion mark in terms of career revenues.
Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva agreed to a one-year suspension after USADA declared that his second positive test stemmed from a tainted supplement. Silva could return to the UFC on Nov. 10.
Ohio State University is facing a lawsuit after four former wrestlers accused the university of turning a blind eye to the sexual advances of Dr. Richard Strauss. The legal team believed that Strauss harassed over 2,000 students in the university.
Reigning champion Rory MacDonald headlines the list of 10 welterweight fighters who will see action in a tournament arranged by Bellator. MacDonald boasts an overall record of 20-4 as an MMA fighter and 2-0 in Bellator.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic wants to get his hands back at two-division world champion Daniel Cormier. Miocic lost the heavyweight belt to Cormier last July 7 at UFC 226.
UFC featherweight champion Cris Cyborg shocked fight fans after implying that her bout with bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes would be her last in the UFC. The fight between Nunes and Cyborg is rumored to take place at UFC 232.
Australian cyclist, Richie Porte won't be challenging Chris Froome for the overall victory of the 2018 Tour de France. Porte decided to pull out from the competition after suffering a miserable crash in Stage 9.
Former world No. 1 Novak Djokovic dominated South African Kevin Anderson in their Wimbledon final showdown en route to a 6-2, 6-2, 7-6(3) win. Djokovic now has four career Wimbledon titles to his name.
Serena Williams made it to her first Grand Slam finals since giving birth to her first child in September 2017. Williams lost to Angelique Kerber in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3.
Eighth-seed Kevin Anderson scored a historic win over John Isner to claim the first seat in the Wimbledon final. Anderson will take on the winner of the Rafael Nadal-Novak Djokovic match in the championship round.


Somewhere In Colorado This Week!
Colorado snow storms are one of the big weather stories this week along with the years' first tropical depression hitting South Carolina. Wait, did I say snow storm AND tropical depression? Yes! Maybe not one for the record books, but it is not that often you have snow storms and tropical storms the same week in the continental United States.
Right on the heels of one of the best ski seasons ever, Colorado timeshare resorts are ready for spring and summer. Springtime and summer are magnificent in Colorado! Whether you plan on renting a timeshare or using the one you already own, Colorado timeshares get you close to all the best things to do in the Rocky Mountain State. Fishing, white water rafting, hiking, birding, camping, or just seeing the sights are just a few of the things to enjoy while surrounded by some of the world's most spectacular mountains.
Grand Timber Lodge, The Christie Lodge-Phase 1, Wyndham Pagosa, Falcon Point, Eagle Point, Marriott's Mountain Valley Lodge, Gold Point Condominiums, Streamside at Vail Evergreen, Streamside at Vail-Birch, and Sheraton's Mountain Vista.
Any of these Colorado timeshares would be a great choice. Grand Timber Lodge has been the best seller for a number of years now. It is hard to find a true ski in ski out timeshare resort of this quality.


text:
How To Parkerize Steel
Parkerizing: Applying an anti-corrosion and lubricating phosphatized surface treatment
Parkerizing is an electrochemical process that creates a protective iron-phosphate layer on the outer surface of steel. It protects the steel from corrosion and also increases its resistance to wear. The resulting surface is irregular on a microscopic scale. This produces a grey matte finish that holds water-repelling lubricant. The overall result of protection against oxidation and wear makes parkerizing superior to bluing for protecting guns.
First, some warnings
This is not the way to parkerize steel, but it is one way to do it. It might work for you. In the process, you might somehow manage to avoid burning down your house and poisoning yourself, your family, and your kittens. But I doubt it. Done correctly, this can still be downright dangerous. Don't try this at home.
Finally, I'm no metal-treating guru. I just helped a friend do this and I took the pictures.
CAUTION: Technical data and information contained herein are intended to provide information based upon the limited experience of individuals under specific conditions and circumstances. They do not detail the comprehensive training, procedures, techniques and safety precautions which are absolutely necessary to properly carry out similar activity. Always consult comprehensive reference manuals for details of proper training requirements, procedures, techniques and safety precautions before attempting any similar behavior.
OK, that should be adequate lawyer repellent...
Now for some background
Of course those are cases and not bullets. Cats are notorious for their poor grasp of technical terminology, not to mention their typing and English grammar....
Parkerizing is an electrochemical method of protecting steel from corrosion and it also increases resistance to wear. That's electrochemical as in chemical reactions which take place in a solution at the interface of an electron conductor (a metal or a semiconductor) and an ionic conductor (the electrolyte), and which involve electron transfer between the electrode and the electrolyte or species in solution. It does not mean that electrodes and wires are involved at all!
Parkerizing is the creation of an iron-phosphate layer on the outer surface of the steel, producing a grey matte finish that helps to protect from corrosion and increases wear resistance.
The protection is in two parts. First, the iron-phosphate layer itself is protective. Second, the surface is bead blasted before the parkerizing chemical bath, producing a surface that is irregular on a microscopic scale. This irregular surface is somewhat porous so it better holds lubricant.
There are several related techniques, but generally they involve a phosphoric acid (H3PO4) solution with key ingredients of zinc or manganese, with varying amounts of nitrates, chlorates, and copper, the solution being heated to 88-99°C, close to the boiling point. So, instead of the boiling lye of bluing, parkerizing uses boiling acid. It's nasty at the opposite end of the pH scale.
Different metal salts in the solution produce different colors of non-reflective finish:
Zinc Light to medium grey
Manganese Light to dark grey, or black
Iron Dark grey to black
Military Handbook
Phosphate and Black Oxide
Coating of Ferrous Metals
Phosphating can interact with a coating of cosmoline over a period of years to produce a light greenish-grey color. I know that this sounds like an odd thing to mention, but the elusive green tint is the Holy Grail of the Garand restoration community because it is what is seen in WWII-era M1 Garands that were subsequently stored packed in cosmoline. My server logs show that a lot of people who find this page through Google were searching for something like
green parkerizing
Some people try soaking parts in various combinations of lubricants in seach of the green shade. Usually it involves cosmoline, but also different cutting oils, axle grease, and so on. See this ODCMP forum page for some discussion of this.
On To The Project
Norinco corporation applies a nearly black and sometimes uneven bluing to their products, like this M1911A1 slide. The finish was unevenly blued and nearly black, and it seemed to be optimized for the collection and display of fingerprints. Having seen some nice parkerized finishes, my goal was to remove the bluing and parkerize it.
The first picture shows the frame in its original finish — nearly black.
Another page shows how to remove bluing with vinegar, click here to see that process.
Norinco M1911A1 pistol frame, in original blued finish.
The original blued finish has been removed in preparation for parkerizing.
Here are the slide and the frame after the end of the debluing process. The parts were rubbed with extra-fine steel wool and lightly oiled.
Time to move on to the parkerizing!
There was a delay between the removal of the bluing and the parkerizing — the parts were lightly oiled for storage between these steps. But as described below, all oil must be removed before parkerizing.
All oils must be removed before the parts are dipped in the parkerizing solution. Brake cleaner can do the job. Here begins the section that must be done "in a well-ventilated space".
Brake cleaner is basically an aerosol spray of hydrocarbon solvents. Acetone, methyl-ethyl-ketone, and so on. This can says "non-chlorinated", but chlorination is about the only organic chemistry not contained in this spray can.
Be careful to always use non-chlorinated parts cleaner spray! Chlorinated sprays can produce deadly poison gas.
Do not eat.
Do not apply directly to forehead.
Do not use while smoking a hookah.
Spray the parts down, and then handle them only in ways that will not transfer any skin oil to the metal.
You could do this in some more complicated way. Clean cotton gloves over rubber gloves, and so on.
However, we found that we could just handle the parts using paper towels that had been sprayed with brake cleaner.
Brake cleaner: Cheap and effective!
The parts must be carefully bead-blasted. The guy who bead-blasted this did a very nice job.
Thoroughly clean the parts with brake cleaner after the bead blasting. Some skin oil probably got transferred to the parts, and brake cleaner is cheap and easy to use.
That is an old 100% cotton towel. I would be very careful to only use 100% cotton towels. Spraying the organic solvents of brake cleaner onto synthetic fibers might result in a real mess!
Bead blasted pistol frame and slide, ready for parkerizing.
Close-up view of bead blasted surface.
The result is a very light colored surface, nearly colorless. The de-blued steel was grey, probably due to some surface oxidation. I would describe the bead-blasted color as silver. The bead blasting has also given it a matte rather than a polished finish. The matte surface finish is probably the reason for the perceived color transition from grey to silver.
It is a dull matte grey, as opposed to a shiny silver mirror finish, because the bead blasting has made the surface irregular on a microscopic scale. The tiny pits capture oil, and their dense spacing along with the oil's surface tension means that the entire surface should be protected by a very thin film of oil.
We used Brownells parkerizing solution.
It's a mixture of phosphoric acid (H3PO4) and nitric acid (HNO3), with manganese salts in solution.
Phosphoric acid, H3PO4
Nitric acid, HNO3
Brownell's manganese parkerizing solution.
A gel containing phosphoric acid is what is called naval jelly, a thick gel that can be applied to surfaces to remove rust. Phosphoric acid is also a component of soft drinks leading to lowered bone density. It is also used in dentistry and orthodontics as an etching solution to clean and roughen enamel surfaces of teeth. I am not making this up.
Nitric acid was first synthesized around 800 CE by the Arab (or maybe Persian) chemist Jabir ibn Hayyari. Not that you really need to know this to parkerize steel, it's just a shout-out to the Arab and Persian scientists who gave us so much of chemistry (alcohol is an Arabic word), mathematics (algebra is also Arabic, while algorithm is based on a Persian name), early cryptanalysis, and so on.
The Brownells solution is used after being diluted with water in a 1:8 acid:water ratio.
Remember your chemistry lab safety, start with the water:
Do as you oughta,
Add acid to water.
Muhammed al-Khwarizmi, whose name is the origin of the word algorithm.
Extremely important:
Use a stainless steel pot for the process! Or a cast-iron pot that will become parkerized on the inside the first time it's used.
Heat the parkerizing solution. We're doing this on a camp stove in a garage.
Also important:
A reasonably well-ventilated work area. You are about to heat an acid solution to near the boiling point, and this produces some nasty vapors.
Since the brake cleaner also needs ventilation, you're probably doing this in the same area you where you were cleaning the parts. However, do not have your brake cleaner anywhere near your open flame!
Carefully heating the parkerizing solution on a camp stove.
We aimed for a temperature of 170-180°F / 77-82°C, at least in the sequence shown on this page.
Different temperatures produce different surface finish colors. The finish also varies with the mixture of acids and metal salts.
We heated the parkerizing solution to 170-180°F or 77-82°C.
The acid/manganese solution is a fairly colorless and clear solution, it looks like slightly greenish water.
It starts fizzing as soon as you immerse steel. Very fine bubbles come off all the steel surfaces. The solution turns a more distinct green color.
You also get some flakes in suspension in the fluid. It looks like tiny scraps of paper, as if you had accidentally dropped some tissue paper into the solution.
We strung stainless steel wire through as many parts as possible so we could more easily remove them when the fizzing, reflecting the electrochemical reaction, stopped.
Parts disappear into the parkerizing solution.
Vigorously fizzing parkerizing solution.
Larger parts like the slide and frame led to more vigorous fizzing.
All parts were finished after about 6 to 7 minutes at 170-180°F / 77-82°C.
Here is a video recorded during a different session. We lowered the small parts into the solution using a stainless steel ladle with three 1/8" holes drilled near its center.
The solution started fizzing almost as soon as the parts are submerged, you can clearly see this in the video.
Video showing how the solution starts bubbling as soon as the parts are submerged. This shows small parts lowered into the solution in a stainless steel ladle.
The parts were fished out of the parkering solution and submerged in warm water.
For parts without through holes, we just threw them into the pot and fished them out with stainless steel hemostats.
American Science and Surplus is a good source of lab gear, including stainless steel hemostats and Pyrex beakers.
A cool water bath stops the parkerizing reaction.
Spraying the newly parkerized parts with WD-40.
After the parts had cooled and been vigorously sloshed around in the water, they were removed, dried, and dropped into a plastic pan to be sprayed with WD-40 spray lubricant.
Some people claim that the WD-40 stops the parkerizing process. However, it sure seems to me that the parkerizing is done by the hot acid bath in the presence of metal salts. Removing the part from the hot acid and metal salt bath and flushing it with water has far more to do with ending that chemical process than any spray of WD-40.
The WD-40 spray is good, but it surely serves mainly to remove the water and any remaining acid. Make sure to thoroughly spray the parts with WD-40, fully coating and thus flushing the water away from all surfaces.
Do not be frightened by the bandaged thumb!
That had nothing to do with the parkerizing project!
The important final step is to rub gun grease into the parkerized surfaces.
The parkerized surface is rough and effectively porous on a very fine scale.
These pictures show the frame after it has been reassembled. Of course, the lubricant must be rubbed into all surfaces before starting the reassembly. This is necessary to protect all of the surfaces, including the internal ones.
The external surface now has a microcrystalline structure which can be impregnated with oil, This oil not only protects the surface from wetting and undesired oxidation, but it also provides lubrication.
Refer to the field-stripping guide in reverse to reassemble it.
Lubricating the parkerized M1911 before reassembling it, using red "all weather high-tech" grease and a small bottle of Remington's teflon-containing "Rem Oil".
Close view of newly parkerized surfaces.
Preparing to reassemble the parkerized M1911.
Reassembly complete! View of the left side ...
... and the right side.
Now, what if you're parkerizing something and you want to avoid parkerizing some part of it? For example, an M1 Garand barrel and you don't want to parkerize the bore, chamber, and gas cylinder mounting surfaces?
Just keep the solution away from those surfaces. For the example of the M1 Garand barrel, use appropriately sized rubber stoppers in the muzzle and chamber, and electrical tape over any external surfaces to be protected.
We wondered — what would happen if you tried to parkerize the spring steel clips used in the M1 Garand?
These pictures show that it can be done, and the result looks pretty good.
In the first picture, the left-most clip has been parkerized while the other two have not. The second picture shows a closer view of the parkerized clip.
It's not clear how concerned you need to be about oxidation of these clips, but they certainly can be parkerized!


Construction on Stockland's exciting, new, $297 million masterplanned Pallara community in Brisbane's south-western growth corridor has begun with an official on-site ceremony celebrating the launch of the project today (Wednesday, August 31, 2016).
Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk turned the first sod at the 720-home residential community, which is located just 19 kilometres from the Brisbane CBD. Pallara is offering first home buyers, upgraders and investors one of the last remaining opportunities to build a brand new home close to the heart of the city.
Pallara has already attracted strong buyer interest with a rush of customers pre-registering online to be amongst the first to acquire one of the 100 lots that have been sold from early land releases over the last few weeks.
Kingsley Andrew, Queensland General Manager at Stockland, said the official launch represented a major milestone for Brisbane's newest community, which is set to make home ownership dreams come true for a new generation of Australians.
"We have worked closely with Brisbane City Council and local stakeholders for many years, carefully planning Pallara so we can deliver the best possible outcomes for the community,'' Mr Andrew said.
Mr Andrew said the high number of early sales at the 122 hectare masterplanned community had exceeded expectations. "We have been delighted by the extraordinary interest in our new Pallara community to-date," he said.
Pallara offers excellent value for new home solutions that suit a wide range of budgets and lifestyle needs, with the average block priced from $260,000. The community's innovative house and land packages start at just $455,000 and townhouses will be available from a starting price of $395,000.
The family-friendly community, which will eventually be home to more than 2,100 people, will provide easy access to major employment destinations and enjoys close proximity to education, health and retail services.
Residents will also have easy access to public transport with future bus stops near the entrance to the community and two future Translink bus stops located within Pallara.
The community is adjacent to an existing district park, and will feature two new local parks, a neighbourhood centre with retail, medical and childcare facilities and a business park.
According to modelling undertaken for Stockland by leading consultancy group Urbis, the Pallara project is expected to generate a total of more than 2,680 jobs during the development phase and around 840 jobs in perpetuity.
Stockland will dedicate 56 hectares of conservation area beside Oxley Creek – making up almost 50 per cent of the total land area encompassed by the Pallara community.
The creation of Pallara will include a massive rejuvenation of local biodiversity in the Oxley Creek catchment area under a multi-million dollar investment program to be undertaken by Stockland.
For more information about Pallara, go to www.stockland.com.au/pallara, visit the new Pallara Sales and Information Centre on the corner of Gooderham Road and Brookbent Road, Pallara, or call 1300 619 561. You can also follow the community's progress on Facebook at www.facebook.com/stocklandpallara.


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When you find yourself with a flooded basement there's more to worry about than just the damage it can cause to your home. Water damage can also be dangerous to you and your family's health. Floors, sub floors and walls can all be damaged by even a little water, and worse, wet and damp areas can be a breeding ground for mildew and mold.
Take all safety precautions BEFORE starting clean-up or moving forward on resolving your flooded basement crisis.
When heavy rain or snowfall was the cause the flood, wait until the water recedes.
Contact the city if you notice any downed power lines.
Contact your utility company or fire department if you notice any gas leaks outside your house.
Walk around the outside of your home looking for any structural damage.
Turn off the gas supply to your house.
Turn off the electricity to your house.
If your basement has flooded, there's a very good chance that your electrical appliances and outlets have come in contact with water. Before entering your flooded basement turn off the electrical supply to your house. Always use caution when turning off your electricity. NEVER stand in water when turning off electricity!
Since wood is not an effective conductor of electricity you can use a stick or broom handle to switch the main circuit breakers to the OFF position.
If your home is older and uses a fuse box, you can still use a stick or broom handle to flip the main switch to OFF. Then, with the main power off, unscrew and remove all of the fuses.
After taking the necessary safety precautions you can begin ventilating your basement and cleaning up.
Open doors and windows in your basement to help remove any fumes from your home. Large fans or blowers can also be helpful in moving fumes outside.
Gas Leaks: A flooded basement can result in a gas leak. Contact your utility company or fire department immediately if you smell gas. Don't re-enter your home while you wait for authorities to arrive.
Electric Shock: Electric appliances and electrical outlets could put you at risk of a life threatening electric shock. Turn off the circuit breakers to your basement's power if you can do so safely. If at all possible do not go into your basement. Electricity and water can be a deadly combination.
Structural Damage: The structural integrity of your home is seldom affected with floods, but it does happen. If you suspect this type of damage has occurred, call a professional contractor and stay out of your basement.
Raw Sewage: If your basement flooded due to rain, it's not uncommon for the water to contain bacteria from raw sewage. You should only enter your basement if you are wearing protective clothing to prevent your skin from coming into contact with the water. Wear safety glasses and a face mask and be sure to thoroughly wash anything that the water touched.
The first thing you need to do is determine what caused the flood and make sure that no new water is flooding your basement. Find out where the source of the water is coming from and either stop it yourself or contact a professional.
Outside Water: If the source of the incoming water is from outside the house then the problem is often due to heavy rain or snowfall. Check your home's foundation for damage as this issue could be the result of a foundation drainage failure.
Sewage Blockage: If the water in your basement is dirty and there is a strong, unpleasant odor, there's a good chance the cause was from a sewage backup. Never flush the toilet, operate a dishwasher or washing machine, or run any water that would use a drain. Doing so will likely add more water to your flooded basement. You can rule out an internal plumbing problem by checking the sinks, waste pipes and toilets.
Broken Supply Pipe: If the water is clean and coming from the ceiling, there's a good chance that a water supply pipe burst. In this case, find your home's main water shut-off valve and turn it off to stop the incoming water.
It's possible that you can skip this step and do the clean-up yourself. However, in some cases hiring a professional is the best choice.
Small Flood: Most small floods can easily be handled by the homeowner if the issue wasn't caused by a sewage backup. However, there are certain steps that should be taken to properly and safely clean areas that have been water damaged.
Broken Water Pipe: If your incoming water pipe burst we highly recommend contacting a professional plumber to repair the leak. Depending on how much flooding your basement has experienced, you may want to contact a professional for clean-up as well.
Sewage Backup: If you're confident that your toilets and sinks are not blocked, there may be an issue somewhere else along the sewage line. Call your municipality. They'll send someone out to inspect the flood and determine if the problem was in the city's sewer line. If it was, they'll take responsibility to have it repaired. However, keep in mind, that if the problem is within your home's waste water drainage system you'll need to hire a plumber.
Outside Standing Water: If your home had or has standing water around the foundation you should look for structural damage. If you suspect that the structural integrity of your house has been compromised DO NOT go inside. Contact a building inspector if you find any damage.
Water Surrounding Appliances: If the flood water has reached your electrical outlets and appliances you should NEVER touch anything. Turn off the electricity at the circuit breaker if you can do so safely and call a professional electrician.
Gas odor: If you smell gas or rotten eggs get out of your house immediately and call your utility company or fire department.
Contacting your insurance agent will not only help you determine if your policy covers flood damage, but your agent can also be a great source of advice regarding clean-up procedures and contractors. Your agent has likely helped other clients and knows from experience who to call as well as the answers to other questions you might have.
Photograph anything that was damaged due to the flood and throughout the clean-up and repair experience. Remember, you can never have too many pictures! Keep all receipts from contractors and materials.
Now the real work begins! There are 3 steps to cleaning up a flooded basement.
Your first priority is to drain the water from the basement. After the water is out, it's time to clean and sanitize the entire basement. Once the area is clean. all of the remaining moisture needs to be removed until the area is totally dry.
Homeowners frequently clean the mess from a flooded basement themselves, particularly if the damage wasn't severe. However, if you don't have the time or energy to take on a project of this size or you're unsure of the proper steps in completing the task, there are many flood clean-up services available for you to hire.
One advantage of using a professional service is they are normally very effective in dealing with mold and other contaminates that often occur after a flood.


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Q: Options for rendering svg using haxe/nme There seems to be a couple of different projects with this goal, with different levels of completion. I have just done a quick search, but that was my first impression. So I thought I should ask, anyone who has tested some different options? What was your experience?

A: I use SVG with Haxe and was a smoth experience, first I create all my svg's with inkscape and then manipulate it with jquery extern so you have something like this
var width:Int = seatmap.innerWidth();
        var vsvg:SVGElement = cast(new JQuery("#seatmap").find("svg")[0],
            SVGElement);
        var height:String = vsvg.getAttribute("height");
        if (height > 1200) {
            vsvg.setAttribute('viewBox', "0 0 1200 "+ height);
        }else if (width <= 1200 && width > 1024) {
            vsvg.setAttribute('viewBox', "0 0 1500 "+ height);
        } else if (width <= 1024) {
            vsvg.setAttribute('viewBox', "0 0 1900 "+ height);
        }

also you can change attributes on the fly
new JQuery("#xxx-" + aaa.bb).attr("fill-opacity","1");
new JQuery("#aax-" + aaa.bb).attr("fill","#ff0");

You could use the Rafael.js and D3.js externs for haxe to render content on the fly, working with the javascript externs is the same as javascript but you have strong types and avoid the javascript weirdness.
Hope this helps.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Joseph Ibeh
Joseph Ibeh is a Mandela Washington Fellow and Senior Editor at Space in Africa. He writes about Africa's NewSpace companies and emerging national space programs.
Home Press Release South Africa's Minister of Science and Technology Commends the SKA Team
South Africa's Minister of Science and Technology Commends the SKA Team
Official Statement by South Africa's Minister of Science and Technology
The MeerKAT radio telescope shortly before completion. Source: Phys.org
Minister Kubayi-Ngubane applauds SKA team for completion of key infrastructure designs.
South Africa's Minister of Science and Technology, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, congratulates the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) team of engineers for the successful completion of all essential infrastructure designs required for the first phase of the project to build the world's most powerful radio telescope.
The SKA, a collection of telescopes spread over long distances that will combine to unlock the universe's mysteries, will be constructed in South Africa and Australia, with later expansion planned for both countries as well as other African countries. The international collaboration to build the SKA is being led by the SKA Organisation (SKAO) headquartered in Manchester, United Kingdom.
For the last five years, two engineering consortia have been hard at work at their sites in Murchison, Western Australia and the Northern Cape, South Africa respectively, designing all the essential infrastructure required for construction of this complex global project to get underway. This includes access roads, power, water and sanitation, buildings, antenna foundations, and the communication, security and site monitoring equipment required to support the SKA telescope.
The South African consortium, Infrastructure South Africa (INSA), was led by the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO), which designed, built and operates the 64-dish SKA precursor telescope, the MeerKAT.
In June and July 2018, after nearly five years of collaboration both within and between the two consortia, both teams had successful critical design reviews and subsequently made final refinements to their designs. In order to pass the critical design review, the proposed designs had to demonstrate compliance with SKA "Level 1" requirements.
Following the successful review of the key infrastructure components of the SKA – considered a major engineering victory – the project will now move on to the bridging phase. This phase will bring together all the individual detailed designs of elements of the SKA and integrate them on a system level. A system critical design review will be conducted in December 2019, after which the project will enter the procurement phase, followed by construction once the establishment of the SKAO as an intergovernmental organisation has been concluded.
"I am proud of the sterling work by our engineers who are part of the SKA project," said South Africa's Minister of Science and Technology, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane. "SARAO, led by the National Research Foundation, has provided world-class infrastructure for the MeerKAT, which has already attracted other international radio astronomy instruments to the SKA site in South Africa.
"I have no doubt the expertise and best practice developed during the delivery of this precursor telescope enabled the INSA consortium to meet the SKA Organisation's stringent standards for infrastructure design," the Minister added.
"We wish the SKAO well for the system critical design review at the end of 2019 and the development of the construction proposal for approval by the intergovernmental organisation."
South Africa's Department of Science and Technology has already invested more than R760 million in infrastructure for the MeerKAT radio telescope, which was completed and launched by Deputy President David Mabuza in July last year, at the site 90 km from the town of Carnarvon in the Northern Cape.
Minister Kubayi-Ngubane looks forward to her official visit to Rome next month for the signing of the SKA Convention, following four rounds of negotiations over the last few years. Italy, which led the multilateral negotiation process, was the first country to initial the document. The Minister will then proceed to the SKA Global Headquarters in Manchester, UK.
Issued by the Ministry of Science and Technology
Square Kilometer Array
SGAC opens call to host the 3rd African Space Generation Workshop
AARSE 2018 Conference Proceedings to be published under the series: Southern...


Josh Denny visited local hot spots across Atlanta to experience some of the city's most-massive eats. Find out which restaurants he went to and what he tasted.
The Big Bayou Monster is indeed a monster of a meal — a 30-pound monster, that is. It measures a whopping 9 feet long and is filled with no fewer than seven items, including shrimp, gator and oysters. After being battered and fried, they're piled inside bread and finished with a creamy, caper-studded remoulade. "You somehow got as much flavor in this thing as you did size," Josh told Henry, the chef and namesake of this down-home eatery, after going in for a face-first bite.
Josh deems the Ultimate All in One a "breakfast behemoth," and at 24 inches wide, there's no doubt why. This 15-pound platter brings together seemingly every item on a classic breakfast menu: fluffy pancakes, sausage, bacon, fried chicken and waffles, and, of course, friedeggs. 12 eggs, actually. "It takes a whole kitchen to make this," Josh notes as he watches firsthand the various components come together. While the sausage bits are griddled right inside the flapjacks, the bacon strips are layered between them, and the other fixings are piled on top.
Meat lovers, you've met your match here. The five-pound Death by Sandwich features five smoky barbecue picks (juicy pulled pork, brisket, cheesy sausage, ribs and bacon), all of them stacked on bread with tender collard greens, cool slaw and crispy onions. According to Josh, the beauty of this hefty sandwich is more than what meets the eye, thanks to all the flavor that's crammed inside. "The greens are cooked perfectly. They've got that just that delicious bitterness," he says. "It cuts through all of the savory flavors of the meat."


This year, the QSWP is celebrating it's 75th anniversary, and we would like to invite all current and former members to join us at a celebration event taking place at Gilwell Park on Saturday 5th October 2019.
The event will include a drinks reception, an evening meal, and entertainment. For more information and to register to attend the event, please visit http://www.qswp.org.uk/75th.html.
The Queen's Scout Working Party – QSWP – is a national Scout Active Support unit that supports the Scout Association with the running of major national Scouting events, particularly those for Queen's Scouts. The QSWP was formed in 1944 to provide the Scout Association with a dedicated group of volunteers from across the country to support the running of major high profile national events. To this day, we still provide a reliable, friendly and professional team of volunteers able to turn their hands to a wide range of duties, working alone or as part of a team. Representing the Scout Association at such large scale events often puts the QSWP in the public eye, demonstrating how Scouting is even more applicable today than ever before.
Only those who hold the Queen's Scout Award are eligible to join the QSWP before their 30th birthday. The high profile nature of events, friendly people and fun outlook contribute to the success of the working party with it being regarded by many as the natural progression for those Queen's Scouts wanting to strive and put that little extra something special back into Scouting.
The QSWP supports many events throughout the year, ranging from national Scouting events such as the Queen's Scout Reception and the St Georges Day Parade at Windsor Castle, to major non-Scouting events like the Festival of Remembrance and Remembrance Cenotaph Parade. Equally important are Scouting events – both national and local – that boost the profile of the QSWP. In addition to the core events, the QSWP offers a wide and varied social calendar.


text:
Maruti continues to bet big on CNG cars
Target Date - March 31, 2022
When everyone is going aggressive on Electric Vehicles (EVs), Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) continues to focus greater and greater on CNG cars.
It expects it's CNG car sales to almost double this fiscal year over 2020-21.
Key points to note –
Around 1.9 lakh CNG cars were sold in the country in FY 21 with MSI alone retailing over 1.6 lakh units. It expects this number to be around 3 lakh cars in the current year i.e., FY 22.
Over the last few years, MSI has witnessed significant growth in CNG car sales. It sold 74,000 units in 2016-17; around 1 lakh units in 2018-19; 1.05 lakh units in 2019-20; and 1.62 lakh units in 2020-21.
Out of the total of 15 models that MSI offers, CNG option is available in 7 models currently and more models will be included gradually. CNG option is currently available in Alto, S-presso, WagonR, Eeco, TourS, Ertiga and Super Carry. MSI is expected to soon offer it also in the newly upgraded Celerio.
Maruti's bullishness on CNG is due to the lower running costs, proven technology and increasing network of CNG stations across the country. CNG is expected to reach across 330 cities by next year compared with 143 cities three years ago and 293 cities currently. Compared with 1,400 filling stations, there are 3,300 stations currently with an expectation of 8,700 in the next 1.5 years.
MSI continues to work very differently from what the majority believes. It was the first car maker to have discontinued offering diesel vehicles last year. Reason – reducing gap between diesel and petrol prices.
At that time it seemed like a poor strategy. However, it does seem to make sense now. In 2013-14, diesel cars accounted for 60 per cent of the overall sales, now it has come down to less than 17 per cent.
Likewise, MSI has been very vocal about why EV adoption would take time.
In the interim, they have identified CNG to be the alternative and if one ignores the EV narrative, CNG does seem to make lot of sense… and the numbers are proving it.
Nitin Jain
Maruti has announced registering cumulative sales of 1 Million CNG Vehicles. This includes 7 car models (detailed in the main post) as well as 2 Commercial models – Super Carry, Dzire Tour-S.
The company is also planning to produce 600,000 CNG vehicles in FY23.


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Tourist Attractions in Zhejiang
Admiring Plum Blossoms At Lingfeng
Gaoting Mountain Scenic Area
Yandang Mountain, Ningbo
Baoguo Temple , Ningbo
Ling Yin Temple, Hangzhou
Mt. Putuoshan Scenic Spot
Holidays : China: Zhejiang : Attractions : Qiandao Lake (Thousand-Island Lake)
Qiandao Lake (Thousand-Island Lake)
Located in Chun'an County of Zhejiang Province, the Qiandao Lake is among the first 44 national scenic spots proclaimed by the State Council, and also the largest national forest park at present. It is a man-made reservoir formed during the construction of Xin'anjiang Hydropower Station in 1959.   ÂÂ
The Qiandao Lake National Forest Park covers a forested area of 448 square kilometers, with a forest coverage rate of 81%. The dense forests have purified the air of the surrounding areas. The water area of the Qiandao Lake amounts to 573 square kilometers and has an average depth of 34 meters and the visibility of 7 meters. As national first-class water, it is so pure that it can be drunk directly.
Embraced by green hills, the Qiandao Lake has a superexcellent entironment with numerous species of wild birds and rich resources. It has 1,786 kinds of plants and abounds in tea, mulberry, wood, and bamboo. With 87 kinds of freshwater fish in the lake, the annual volume of fish caught reaches over 4,000 tons. The lake is also famous for its fruits of four seasons, such as persimmon without fruit stone, sweet spun gold jujube, mountain walnut, dried freshwater fish, and dried wild brake tender leaves.   ÂÂ
The whole lake area is divided into five small parts, namely the northeast part, the southeast part, the northwest part, the southwest part and the central part. After large-scale reconstructions in recent years, the lake formed 14 scenic spots of 6 sections including the Xian Hill, the Screen Peak, the Plum Peak, the Dragon Hill, the Animal-Series, and the Stone Forest.
The Qiandao Lake has a promising future with its fascinating scenery and excellent entironment. It will become one of the world hot scenic spots along with the further improvement of traffic, exploitation of tour resources and enhancement of reputation.
Zhejiang Tour Packages


The vibrant and creative cultural hub of the Northern Beaches, Manly Art Gallery and Museum (MAG&M) was the first metropolitan-based regional gallery in New South Wales.
MAG&M has a fine collection of early modern paintings by artists such as Antonio Dattilo-Rubbo, Tom Roberts and Grace Cossington-Smith; one of the finest collections of studio ceramics in Australia; and a museum which features a range of exhibits focused on local history and culture.
MAG&M also presents a creative program of changing visual arts and museum exhibitions. Temporary exhibitions include touring shows, artist surveys and national group focus exhibitions.
The Manly Art Gallery and Museum has a design shop selling souvenirs from the Gallery as well as a unique collection of cards an other items such as jewellery, accessories, bags, design objects and ceramics made by local artists.


Here it is then, that half century mark. Picking out the perfect 50th Birthday Gift now becomes a much more delicate procedure than finding a birthday present has ever been before. It's got to be something brilliant, something special. Something that will celebrate the great age they've reached, without quite drawing attention to it too much... You want them to still feel as though this milestone is being appreciated, without reminding them too much that middle age now has her talons deeply embedded!
Just because they're a few short years from that bus pass though, doesn't mean they have too much to worry about. We've all heard those people claiming that life only starts at 50, and we want to believe them. We want to celebrate those people who get this far in life and know how to continue partying. We want all 50 year olds to know that this isn't the beginning of the end, this is their moment. So treat them to something fabulous to celebrate this massive event and encourage them to carry on being great in to their fifties, sixties and beyond!
From Birthday surprises with personalised messages or their age on them, to smart sophisticated presents that suit a true lady or gentleman of their years and wisdom, flick through these great gift ideas and give something incredible to a special 50 year old on their birthday.


text:
Elite Runners Race for National Titles at Grand Blue Mile
Posted 9:45 pm, April 23, 2019, by Staff Writer
DES MOINES, Iowa -- More than 4,000 runners competed in the 10th annual Grand Blue Mile in downtown Des Moines Tuesday. The top races included the Men's and Women's USATF 1-Mile Road Championships.
More than 30 elite milers competed for the national title and a share of the championship prize purse.
In the men's championship division, Tripp Hurt finished first, running 4:04.21. Brandon Lasater and Nick Harris finished in second and third place, running 4:04.42 and 4:04.44, respectively.
In the women's championship division, Nikki Hiltz set a course record in 4:30.09. Heather Kampf and Hannah Fields finished in second and third place, running 4:31.95 and 4:32.61, respectively.
A total of $30,000 in prize money was given away to the top finishers. Each men's and women's champion took home $5,000.
Other races included the Grand Blue Mile's recreational and competitive divisions and the Mascot Madness Charity Challenge.
In the mascot race, Drake University's Spike and the Des Moines Menace's Maniac won their respective divisions. They each were awarded a $1,000 prize for their charitable foundation.
To find the complete results from this year and previous Grand Blue Mile events, click here.
Topics: grand blue mile
The Jankowskis are Running for Hockey
Man Dies After Collapsing Near Finish of Dam to DSM Race
Family Confirms Identity of Man Who Died Running Dam to DSM Race
Hot Temps, Fast Times at State Track Meet
Des Moines Chosen As Potential Ironman Host City
Roosters Get Footy
Downtown Des Moines Farmers' Market Opening Weekend
Grand View Sweeps St. Xavier, Clinches Spot in NAIA Final Four
Iowan Premiering Film Following Journey in Alaska's Iditarod Trail Invitational
Des Moines Will Host Ironman 70.3 North American Championship in 2020
Gray's Lake Park Closes for Resurfacing
Father Remembers His 'Superstar' Son Who Collapsed at Dam to DSM Race
New Des Moines Art Center Exhibit Explores Queer Influence in Art


GenF20Plus is the amazing herbal supplement that belongs to class of nutritional supplements called as the HGH releasers. The product is widely used in boosting the body's production of the growth hormone through stimulating activities of pituitary gland of the body. Just like other HGH releasers, this product can even increase the muscle tone in an effective way, help in weight loss, increase the metabolism of the body, increase overall energy level and energy conversion thereby offering a younger looking skin and overall appearance.
Many people read the GenF20Plus reviews to know if they face any side effects from the product. Honestly, there are no side effects that can be suffered from this product. In case you undergo the HGH injections, you may experience some ill effects as HGH is one among the strongest hormones present in the body and so getting injections might trigger some unforeseen results.
GenF20Plus is presently the top most and highly popular HGH releaser brand. Its popularity and fame is not just a matter of chance or luck, but the design helps it to gain all the attention. GenF20Plus is the cGMP product that means every pill of GenF20Plus meets the manufacturing quality needs that are set up for Biopharmaceuticals, pharmaceuticals, biologics and other health related devices firms.
GenF20Plus is the great supplement product that helps to fight and kill the seven signs of again in a natural way. You can have a look at the GenF20Plus reviews and get to know about the product.
The use of this product does not cause any side effects. This is one of its main advantages. We are able not to limit ourselves in it.
That is really cool to have the sites like that.I ma really greatful for the information shared.


Mason is a very good school. Problems with housing, parking, tuition are a typical of most colleges or universities. But from an academic standpoint, Mason is on par with higher rated schools. And no school is perfect, so keep that in mind.


Many of the physicians and nurses (older, wiser and with institutional history) in the system died in this disaster. The medical school will need help from others to rebuild its institutional knowledge, include women's health and SGBV as well as preparation of and practicing of guidelines for Ebola and other infectious diseases for medical and nursing students. As of April 2014, the medical school did not discuss women's health (except for pregnancy) nor did they discuss gender based violence, mental health among other important issues that will have an effect on future outbreaks. In the next few months we should expect a resurgence of PTSD left over from the war and pushed over by grief from the losses from Ebola. There are little to no resources to deal with PTSD, grief and depression that will resurge.