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Predator management by state wildlife agency biologists questioned. Use of scenic U.S. 12 for megaloads across north central Idaho likely dead
Impressions of Savory Institute International Conference
By George Wuerthner On June 29, 2013 · 29 Comments · In Cattle
Boulder, Colorado. This past week the Savory Institute sponsored an International conference in Boulder, Colorado with a title of "Transforming the Landscape: Using Holistic Management to Create Global Impact". The conference featured Allan Savory, a former Rhodesian game warden and parliament member. For forty years Savory has been promoting the idea that rangelands suffer from too much rest—in fact Savory claims that if ungrazed by livestock grasslands will become "decadent" and die. He advocates using what he calls "herd effect" to stimulate grass production.
If you are familiar with the debates between the timber industry and environmentalists over old growth forests, you may notice some similarities. Loggers for decades said we had to cut down forests to "improve" forest health by removing the "old decadent" trees to promote young "vigorous" forest growth. What both Savory's prescription and those of the timber industry have in common is that they are essentially economic concerns disguised as biological fact.
Grasslands do not care whether they are maximizing forage production—that is a concern for ranching, but it's not necessarily important to ecosystems. Just as there are many ecological benefits to old growth forests, there are ecological advantages to old growth grasses that seem to be completely overlooked by Holistic Management advocates.
Savory's talk hasn't changed significantly over the years. He's still making the same arguments that desertification is caused by what he terms overrest, which is to say the absence of domestic livestock grazing. His assertion that vegetation not grazed by domestic animals ignores the fact that all grasslands are grazed by native herbivores from nematodes to grasshoppers to ground squirrels to elk to zebras or guanacos depending on the continent, but not always by cattle or sheep. There is really no such thing as an "ungrazed" or "over-rested" grassland.
Savory asserts that we must use cows to reverse desertification to save the world. I'm all for reversing desertification—but since livestock are among the major factors contributing to global desertification, I'm a bit skeptical that they are a solution to this problem.
Needless to say Savory's prescriptions have found favor among many livestock advocates. It's convenient to suggest that grasslands "need" livestock to be healthy—just as the timber industry suggests forests need logging to promote forest health—and conveniently make a profit at the same time.
The evidence for the assertion that grasslands "need" domestic livestock grazing is based upon economic values. Under certain conditions, some studies suggest that livestock grazing may increase above ground biomass as plants strive to repair the damage done by animal cropping. (However many of those studies are done in controlled labs where water and nutrients are unlimited–and competition with other plants is non-existent). Since grasses require leaves to photosynthesize, loss of these leafy materials causes a plant to reallocate energy from roots to the production of new leaves. The cumulative effect of this compensatory growth may result in greater biomass production–assuming conditions for regrowth exist–i.e. there is no drought or the plant has not entered the dormant season.
However, interpreting this as a "benefit" distorts what is occurring. Just as I can demonstrate that coyotes will respond to trapping, poisoning and shooting and compensate for these losses by producing more pups, does not mean that coyotes "need" to be shot, poisoned and trapped.
Savory is a genius of promotion, and his latest claim and twist on his prescriptions is hitching his wagon to climate change. Not only do grasslands require grazing to be healthy, but in grazing rangelands, Savory asserts by happy coincidence, one can reduce global warming through sequestration of carbon in the soil.
It's a message that is popular across the political spectrum. Right wing conservative ranchers love hearing that what they are doing is actually good for the planet, while urban liberals love the fact that they can eat "grass fed" beef and feel like they are saving the world.
There are many problems with many of Savory's assertions and claims which I will take up momentarily; however, I want to acknowledge first that some of his observations and prescriptions are based on sound observations.
WHAT WORKS IN HOLISTIC MANAGEMENT
A corner stone of Savory's Holistic Management is an emphasis on timed compact grazing. In other words concentrating livestock on a small area so that they have little choice but to consume everything, then moving the animals to a new pasture to give the area time to recover from the grazing impacts. These ideas are not new—though they may sound revolutionary to people who haven't studied range science. But various permutations of timed grazing coupled with extended periods for recovery has been a pillar of range management for decades.
The other major component of his management scheme is planning and monitoring—which is essential to any good enterprise—something that is not new or distinctive. Nevertheless many ranchers have operated their ranches for decades using techniques and ideas that worked for their grand pappy. Adopting Holistic Management often does lead to improvement in both range condition, and their bottom line, in part because concentrated livestock more efficiently removes vegetation and extended rest allows the plants to recover from the negative effect of herbivory.
However, efficient consumption of forage is not the same as sound ecological condition. Like a new diet plan that inspires people to actually monitor what they eat, Holistic Management often works better than what they did previously, which usually included no planning or monitoring.
Savory's genius is his ability to incorporate in his talks what may appear to be contrary positions, therefore appeals to a wide diverse audience. People tend to hear what they like, and ignore the rest. So when Savory says grasslands require cattle to be healthy and we need more cows not less—the ranchers cheer him on. But he also says that we must reduce fossil fuel consumption and burning, grow local food, get rid of industrial agriculture, and reduce global warming and thus environmentalists and liberals are captured by his rhetoric as well.
Indeed, I agree with him on these last statements myself. However, though I agree that we should reduce industrial agriculture, burning of fossil fuels and so forth, I don't necessarily get to the conclusion that he offers: that the solution is to raise more cattle on more land.
LACK OF SCIENCE
Savory's speech was littered with jabs at science and the scientific method. He continuously suggested that universities, scientists, government agencies and others interfered with creativity and new approaches. Certainly we can all find examples of where world view and mind set interfere with thinking outside of the box. Savory was not the only speaker who castigated the scientific method. There is a reason for this distrust of science in particular—much of what Savory suggests as truths are disputed by scientific studies.
Replication is a hallmark of the scientific method. One must be able to get the same results as another person to be considered valid. In many instances, scientists looking at various components of Savory's claims have not been able to duplicate his successes. He and his supporters have a pat answer to those scientists and studies—Holistic Management is about adaptation—continuously monitoring and tweaking management so that it's impossible to duplicate results. Every ranch and situation is unique they assert, so the scientific method is not an appropriate way to judge Holistic Management's effectiveness.
Because of his distrust of science (even though he uses a lot of scientific sounding words to describe why Holistic Management is superior to other methods), there were few scientists presenting at the conference. Rather the conference was loaded up with testimonials from practitioners—ranchers and others who swore they saw measurable differences in the land due to Holistic Management. Perhaps they have—I have no reason to doubt their experiences.
Nevertheless, the observation of something and the reason given for that observation can often be wrong. I can observe that the sun circles the Earth—and if I were an ancient Roman, I might conclude the Earth is the center of the Universe. How observations are interpreted is important to furthering our understanding of the world. Science helps us understand and interpret observations more clearly.
The few scientists that did appear as speakers at the conference were a bit more guarded in their statements. One scientist from the Nature Conservancy, for instance, chastised Savory and other speakers for calling grass "decadent" no doubt uncomfortable with that negative description of something that is perfectly natural—old growth grass plants.
Another scientist from the U of Wyoming threw a dart at the carbon sequestration saying that in arid grasslands productivity is so low that little new carbon sequestration can occur. She emphasized that there was a lot of carbon in grassland soils, and the best strategy was to protect that carbon storage, but she suggested that the only benefit to proper livestock management is that it would not deplete carbon storage.
The scarcity of scientific presentations was a hallmark of the conference. For instance the first panel discussed how livestock grazing improved carbon sequestration. Who were the "experts" on carbon cycles? Peter Byck, a film maker, Courtney White of the Quivira Coalition, a livestock advocacy group, and Jim Howell of Grasslands LLC, a ranch manager for an investment group. Carbon cycling is a very complex and specialized topic, yet these panelists acted as if they understood the chemical and other factors related to carbon sequestration. Perhaps the only reason no one challenged their presentations is that most of the audience likely knows even less about carbon cycles so has no way to evaluate the statements from the panelists.
It is true that a great deal of carbon is stored in rangeland soils given the percentage of the terrestrial ecosystems that are considered rangelands. However, it is also true that grazing arid grasslands as found in the American West does not significantly increase carbon storage and can reduce it by disturbing soils.
This was followed by a discussion of markets and how markets could be used to influence agricultural producers. The panelists included John Fullerton of Capital Institute, Hunter Lovins of Natural Capital Solutions, and Woody Tash of Slow Money fame. Though I agreed with much that these innovative thinkers had to say about economics, none had any expertise in atmospheric chemistry, range science or even ranching, yet were enthusiastic in their endorsement of livestock production as a cornerstone for global carbon reduction.
What was a common theme of the conference is the total buy in to the assertion that livestock grazing can significantly reduce global carbon—but the scientific evidence for such carbon reduction is weak and conflicting.
COWS ARE A MAJOR SOURCE OF METHANE
Furthermore, none of the speakers discussed the elephant in the room regards livestock and greenhouse gas emissions. Livestock are among the biggest sources of methane, a gas that is far more efficient at trapping heat than CO2. Even more damning are some recent studies that suggest that grass-fed beef produce more methane than cattle fed high quality grain and other feedstock. This is largely because grass is relatively poor forage and must reside in the rumen longer for digestion—all the while rumen bacteria are producing methane. Nevertheless whether grass fed or grain fed, a full accounting of all the energy inputs would likely conclude that any sequestration attributed to livestock grazing is dwarfed by the greater contribution to GHG resulting from livestock production.
And so it went. A number of speakers asserted that with rising human population we have no choice but to produce more beef to feed a starving world, never once mentioning that reducing population is a far better goal than increasing beef production. It never ceases to astound me that ranchers in the US seem to believe that starving Africans are going to pay for imported American beef to satisfy their hunger. If they can't find the money to buy much cheaper food like rice and beans, it seems absurd to think they would benefit from more cattle production.
Most of the afternoon and the following day featured testimonials from various Holistic Management advocates from around the world. Indeed, on the agenda this was titled "Stories from around the World." Stories are good ways to communicate ideas, and all these testimonials were heart-felt and I am certain in many instances, the positive changes described were real. I felt more like I was at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting where each person tells how they used to mistreat the land until they discovered a way out of this abuse by adopting Holistic Management.
Nevertheless, as with earlier presentations there was a paucity of hard evidence —the kind that scientific treatment could document. In many cases, what was presented as improvement in range condition was real—at least in the mind of the story teller. Confounding abiotic effects that could be responsible for the observed "improvements" resulting from increased precipitation or changes in timing of spring green up and so forth were not discussed.
Nor were there significant side by side controls without livestock grazing. In most situations, the Holistic Managers took badly managed ranches and turned them into better managed lands. Those telling the stories related how they had significantly increased their stocking rates (number of cattle), and "improved" the range condition by eliminating "decadent" grasses. And perhaps they did.
ECOLOGICAL IMPACTS OF LIVESTOCK
However, it is important to note that increasing stocking rates due to more efficient utilization of a ranch's grasses is not the same as protecting ecological processes and/or biological diversity. For instance, the intensive grazing strategy advocated by Savory variously called "mob grazing" "short duration grazing" or other names, so completely removes cover that it is no longer suitable for ground nesting birds or hiding cover for small rodents.
The near completion loss of flowers and other forbs can negatively impact pollinators like butterflies, bees, or species like hummingbirds that depend on finding certain plants blooming during a short and specific period of time.
The heavy "hoof action" of large numbers of livestock bunched together destroys soil crusts which are important to protecting soils from erosion and reducing weed invasion. Hoof action can also compact soils reducing water infiltration.
The unnatural concentration of manure from large herds of livestock is often a source of water pollution and nutrient enrichment that can negatively impact water quality. So called "decadent" grasses are important for capturing snow in the winter, and thus increasing water storage, not to mention they help to shade soils reducing soil evaporation.
And the efficient grazing of an entire ranch increases the possibility of livestock spreading exotic weeds everywhere.
Since livestock often spread disease to wildlife, introducing domestic animals into every nook and cranny of a ranch or grazing allotment increases the chances that wildlife will contract diseases.
And one can't be putting the bulk of forage into an exotic animals like cattle without significantly reducing the food available to other native herbivores.
In the American West where nearly all ranching operations rely on irrigated hay and pasture, the production of beef also contributed to dewatered streams. Irrigation water storage is also the chief reason for the construction of western dams which fragment aquatic ecosystems.
None of these negatives are unique to Holistic Management, indeed are common to most livestock operations to one degree or another.
Furthermore, there is a wide variety in vegetation, soils, precipitation, timing of precipitation and evolutionary history in what we term "rangelands" that Savory fails to acknowledge. For instance, sub-tropical grasslands in Africa that receive 20-30 inches of precipitation during the growing season and have a very long evolutionary history with large herds of herbivores are very different from say the Great Basin desert in the western US with less than 10 inches of winter precipitation during the dormant season and no recent evolutionary history of large herds of grazing mammals.
Bison, for instance, were absent from the Great Basin, and asserting as many Savory and his supporters suggest that vegetation in this region requires "herd' effects conveniently ignores this ecological fact of life.
MORE LIVESTOCK EQUALS GREATER DOMESTICATION OF THE EARTH
In the end the conference did not offer more new insights into Holistic Management. Other than trying to tie HM practices to carbon sequestration, most of the arguments in favor of Holistic Management were a rehashing of the same material that Savory has offered up for decades. There is still a huge lack of hard data demonstrating any significant advantage to Holistic Management over other well managed livestock operations. And the new claim that livestock grazing is the salvation for climate change needs a lot more research with controlled situations and full accounting of trade-offs (do more cows negate any benefit that may result from carbon sequestration—if indeed livestock grazing actually promotes this?).
I think that most of the ranchers and others who are advocates of Holistic Management are among the innovative thinkers in the livestock field. But the most important question that is never broached is whether raising more livestock and domesticating even more of the Earth for human benefit is ultimately a wise strategy.
29 Responses to Impressions of Savory Institute International Conference
Barrie Gilbert says:
You pretty well summed it up. I spent my academic career hearing from our Range Dept. how cows were good for the public ranges when managed well. Trouble was, no-one could show me a producer who was doing it. Cattle have destroyed watersheds, increased erosion, killed off the Greater Sage Grouse since the late 19 Century yet I saw a proposal at Utah State to use sheep to rehabilitate range for grouse. Nobody in Utah or Colorado uses findings of Dr. Clait Braun, who called it like tit was (over-grazing). He spent his life studying grouse and ptarmigan…its all there. And he is still trying to get the deniers to get the message.
It would be interesting to see what peer-reviewed studies that Savory has published.
That you George W for that wonderful summary. I can only hope that the REVA Act will be enacted and that third party, scientifically honest, conservation-minded people (like the people on this subscription) will be able to purchase those allotments and manage to bring the range back.
Jim Seko says:
A wise person has the ability to let go of long held beliefs based on new evidence. I remember when I thought a vegetarian diet was a healthy diet. Then I learned about B-12 deficiency in vegans. Then I learned about the vast difference between grass fed and CAFOs. Grass fed beef is every bit as healthy as wild-caught salmon but MANY people still have the FALSE impression that red meat is unhealthy. It annoys me when vegetarians preach that red meat is unhealthy WITHOUT making a distinction between grass fed and CAFOs. Then I learned there are three kinds of omega 3 essential fatty acids and two of them can't be obtained from a plant-based diet. The more I learned about nutrition the more I became convinced that conventional wisdom regarding the health benefits vegetarian diets is wrong AND these myths are perpetuated by vegetarians with a strong bias against eating meat. Furthermore, many vegetarians are not satisfied with eliminating meat from their own diet. They want to sell other people on the idea. I see the same exact pattern among vegetarians regarding Allan Savory. It's an emotional reaction by vegetarians who don't want this to be true even though, if it is true, it might save the planet. From now on, you can't use the argument that red meat is bad for our health or bad for the environment. Feel free to eliminate anything you want from your diet but don't try to recruit people based on false claims.
I'm not a vegetarian. Problem with your statement is, grow more food for people, the population will continue to grow, which means have to produce more food and produce more commodities for an ever increasing population. Sooner or later, the crash will come.
Zero population growth is the answer.
Jim:
I think your response confuses vegetarians who are motivated by health reasons with those motivated by animal welfare concerns. In my experience, there are far more of the former than the latter.
More importantly, there is compelling scientific evidence that the consumption of red meat is associated with increased risk of chronic diseases (e.g., heart disease) and more recently, mortality (see: http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1134845). This paper summarizes data from two studies of more than 100,000 Americans:
Meat is a major source of protein and fat in most diets. Substantial evidence from epidemiological studies shows that consumption of meat, particularly red meat, is associated with increased risks of diabetes,1 cardiovascular disease (CVD),2 and certain cancers.3 Several studies also suggest an elevated risk of mortality associated with red meat intake. However, most of these studies have been performed in populations with a particularly high proportion of vegetarians (such as Seventh-Day Adventists in the United States4 and several studies in Europe5). A recent large cohort study6 with 10 years of follow-up found that a higher intake of total red meat and total processed meat was associated with an increased risk of mortality. However, this study did not differentiate unprocessed from processed red meat, and diet and other covariates were assessed at baseline only. Furthermore, to our knowledge, no study has examined whether substitution of other dietary components for red meat is associated with a reduced mortality risk.
Therefore, we investigated the association between red meat intake and cause-specific and total mortality in 2 large cohorts with repeated measures of diet and up to 28 years of follow-up: the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS) and the Nurses' Health Study (NHS). We also estimated the associations of substituting other healthy protein sources for red meat with total and cause-specific mortality.
We analyzed data from 2 prospective cohort studies: the HPFS (initiated in 1986, n = 51 529 men aged 40-75 years) and the NHS (started in 1976, n = 121 700 women aged 30-55 years). Detailed descriptions of the cohorts are provided elsewhere.7- 8 Questionnaires were administered biennially to collect and update medical, lifestyle, and other health-related information, and the follow-up rates exceeded 90% in each 2-year cycle for both cohorts.
Results. We documented 23 926 deaths (including 5910 CVD and 9464 cancer deaths) during 2.96 million person-years of follow-up. After multivariate adjustment for major lifestyle and dietary risk factors, the pooled hazard ratio (HR) (95% CI) of total mortality for a 1-serving-per-day increase was 1.13 (1.07-1.20) for unprocessed red meat and 1.20 (1.15-1.24) for processed red meat. The corresponding HRs (95% CIs) were 1.18 (1.13-1.23) and 1.21 (1.13-1.31) for CVD mortality and 1.10 (1.06-1.14) and 1.16 (1.09-1.23) for cancer mortality. We estimated that substitutions of 1 serving per day of other foods (including fish, poultry, nuts, legumes, low-fat dairy, and whole grains) for 1 serving per day of red meat were associated with a 7% to 19% lower mortality risk. We also estimated that 9.3% of deaths in men and 7.6% in women in these cohorts could be prevented at the end of follow-up if all the individuals consumed fewer than 0.5 servings per day (approximately 42 g/d) of red meat.
Conclusions. Red meat consumption is associated with an increased risk of total, CVD, and cancer mortality. Substitution of other healthy protein sources for red meat is associated with a lower mortality risk.
I would sure like to believe that eating grass-fed beef will lead to better health outcomes, but I haven't seen any science to suggest that this is the case? Perhaps you are familiar with some?
Mark L says:
Good info JB. Does the study define which animals are part of the 'red meat' crowd?
"In each FFQ, we asked the participants how often, on average, they consumed each food of a standard portion size. There were 9 possible responses, ranging from "never or less than once per month" to "6 or more times per day." Questionnaire items about unprocessed red meat consumption included "beef, pork, or lamb as main dish" (pork was queried separately beginning in 1990), "hamburger," and "beef, pork, or lamb as a sandwich or mixed dish." The standard serving size was 85 g (3 oz) for unprocessed red meat. Processed red meat included "bacon" (2 slices, 13 g), "hot dogs" (one, 45 g), and "sausage, salami, bologna, and other processed red meats" (1 piece, 28 g). The reproducibility and validity of these FFQs have been described in detail elsewhere.9- 10"
There has recently been put forward a good hypothesis (meaning it needs to be tested further and makes sense to me 😉 ) that much of the cardiovasular danger from red meat comes not from its saturated fat and cholesterol. Instead it is due to its inherently high concentration of carnitine.
Carinitine is an essential nutrient, but too much of it is dangerous. Fortunately, your body makes most of the carnitine it needs.
The chemical itself is beneficial, but it stimulates the growth of a certain kind of flora (microbe) in your gut. A short burst of carnitine from red meat (or presumably from a supplement too) will do no harm. In fact there is evidence it increases your energy level.
However, continual dosing (eating) of high levels of carnitine cause increased growth of a bacterium in the gut that digests digests L-carnitine and turns it into a compound called trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO). TMAO causes arteriosclerosis in (mice at least).
In terms of human evolution this makes sense. Killing a large animal with its red meat was likely relatively rare in a hunting and gathering society and cause for a feast. Such a short term burst of carnitine would not sustain much of a change in gut flora.
However, a civilized, wealthy, society with easy access to red meat, day after day, would over time greater alter the microrganisms that share our food, and do a good part of our digestion for us, for both good and ill.
There is an added complication. It turns out that the red meat effect is stimulated even more when the red meat eaten is processed meat.
For those who take L-carnitine supplements for energy and muscle building, it would be best to rethink this. Read Red Meat May Clog Arteries Because of Gut Bacteria. Scientific American on-line (and other places).
In terms of human evolution this makes sense. Killing a large animal with its red meat was likely relatively rare in a hunting and gathering society and cause for a feast.
Excellent post. I have wondered about this myself, and of course it is also similarly true for the diet of a predator.
Growing up not wealthy, I didn't have a lot of red meat in my diet either, (more of a 'Sunday Dinner' type thing) so I think that is why it was easier for me to eat less of. Pork, seafood, poultry, stews, and of course breads and potatoes. Lamb was a treat too.
Today I don't eat red meat, very, very little pork (bacon), poultry and seafood. Some vegetarian substitutes for dairy are surprisingly good.
Paul Sheldon says:
Well put! As with old growth forests, many advocates of holistic management fail to discuss the holistic web of life embodied in intact grassland watersheds prior to the importation of invasive, exotic herbivores and the invasive, exotic plants and weeds that accompanied them. I haven't seen any analysis of tilth, soil microbes, or diverse flora and fauna comparing holistically managed range lands with heritage grasslands. Wes Jackson might have some info at the land institute, but I think most out their work is on food crops, not forage.
Good critique. Savoy seems like someone who would make something up just to get himself promoted, read, and bought into for by those who benefit from his theories (i.e., cattlemen and sheepherders). I really have a problem when someone says unequivocally "more is better" without the support of overwhelming cold scientific fact. Like a house of cards, his arguments should come tumbling down someday.
mikepost says:
Holistic is the key word. When our fire management pratices are not in tune with range management and forest management practices, then GW is not entirely correct. There is some truth to the position that if it doesnt get burned it should get cut or grazed on some kind of managed basis.
Valerie Bittner says:
Immer Treue writes: "Problem with your statement is, grow more food for people, the population will continue to grow, which means have to produce more food and produce more commodities for an ever increasing population. Sooner or later, the crash will come.
Right on all accounts!! Also, the Brazilian Rain Forest ("lung of the Earth)is being decimated at an astonishing and unsustainable rate in order to clear the land for soybean harvesting in order to feed the meat craze in China because China has run out of land for this purpose.
I remain hopeful that humanity can shed the livestock strangle hold on our imperiled ecosystems via laboratory grown meat (ref: SCIENCE NOW story about muscle growing in a lab in the Netherlands a/k/a the "$350,000 hamburger" recently manufactured/showcased in a London restaurant).
No, NEGATIVE population growth is the answer — the ONLY answer.
If the human population of the planet were limited to no more than about 500 million people, and if the wealth were distributed more or less equally, ever human on the planet could enjoy a comfortable, western European life style, as it existed in the middle or late 1970s, and it would be sustainable — we could live IN PERPETUITY at that level off the interest on the bank account. Above that, we're spending the principal faster than whatever interest accrues : It's not sustainable.
We're now at over seven billion and counting — 14+ times what's sustainable.
NEGATIVE human population growth is the ONLY way to get us on the road to sustainability; everything else only postpones the inevitable.
ZeeWolf says:
I agree with you, alf. The zero population boat sailed some forty years ago. The issue that needs to be addressed is how we get from 7 billion to 1/2 a billion. That is, how do we get to your number without genocide, plague, nuclear war, etc… The burgeoning human population is the elephant in the corner that nearly everyone ignores.
Educating women seems a good start. Seems to bring population numbers down whereever it's done
Snaildarter says:
Studies have show that when women are in control of their own bodies and contraception is available they have families with about 2 kids. Given that about 20-30% of the population does not want to reproduce at all,depending on which culture you are in, so the problem is solved easily. Unfortunately in much of the third word, women are still property and religions often get in the way big time. A 1/4 of the so called prolife movement in this country do not believe in contraception at all.
Alf,
Before you start "reducing" the worlds population, you've got to get it to stop growing. 500 million, at least at this time is utterly ridiculous. The world infrastructure would collapse.
Regardless, back to the topic of this thread, Savory's plan is well, rather unsavory for the world.
Re: "Savory's genius is his ability to incorporate in his talks what may appear to be contrary positions, therefore appeals to a wide diverse audience. People tend to hear what they like, and ignore the rest."
Does anyone care to opine who else this describes??
Does Lysenko come to mind, and what he did to Soviet agriculture?
Immer Treue,
Yes, but we have far more Lysenkos with political influence right here in America than the Soviet Union ever did. They sound the death knell of the country.
Any and all politicians – doublespeak and each side only hears what they want to hear. I don't know why we keep falling for it.
So red meat on a seasonal basis might make more sense (and avoiding processed meat). On a historical level, this may better reflect our traditional consumption habits. Dumping red meat for lent (or beyond) seems like a decent idea. Any comparitive stats on fish, turkey or chicken in the study?
Ida Lupine writes:
Agreed. Double-speak is especially TRAGIC in the case of innocent and voiceless wolves where the best available deal substituted for the best available science.
Where our famous wolf recovery coordinator extolled one moment: "the best available science is the bottom line" and the next, dismissed the value of science (defined as "knowledge"): "Wolf management has nothing to do with science. It's all about how many wolves people will tolerate."
And let's not forget: "A little blood satisfies a lot of anger." (in reference to the 2,000 wolves taken out by Wildlife Services PRIOR to delisting).
Terrible. It should be reworded to say "a lot of blood satisfies little anger." They always want more blood and have an endless supply of anger, it seems.
Valerie – where did these quotes, presumably from the Fish and Wildlife Service's wolf recovery coordinator Ed Bangs, originate?
Too many humans,too many cows and too many people who distort the facts like Savory.
ZeeWolf writes:
Here you are:
KQED (on-line) interview: "Retired U.S. Recovery Coordinator on Wolves and California." (full quotes from Ed Bangs): "Wolves kill livestock much less frequently that you'd believe. I find it amazing still, given almost unlimited opportunity, that there's as few depredations as there are. But resolution of some of those conflicts has involved killing wolves. We've killed nearly 2,000 wolves in the past 20 years."
"You have to remember wolves and wolf management has nothing to do with reality. I mean we can give you facts, you know, all the biology stuff. That isn't what people talk about. They're talking about what wolves mean to them symbolically. years due to livestock depredation."
also: NY Times.Com" "Hunting Wolves Out West: More, Less?" (12/16/11); Helena Independent Record: "Montana's Wolf Man."; High Country News: "Not Your Average Bureaucrat."
ZEE WOLF and others:
"the best available science is the bottom line" SHOULD BE:
"The bottom line is science is being followed." (Helena Independent Record: "Montana's Wolf Man.")


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Icelandic yogurt, also known as Skyr, is thicker than Greek yogurt and very high in protein. It is thick to the point where some people like to thin it out with added milk. However, we love it just the way it is.
Icelandic yogurt is typically made from non-fat milk and live cultures. However, brands like Siggi's manufacturer 2 percent and whole milk Icelandic yogurt.
The Icelandic yogurt is strained several times to remove the excess liquid, which results in a super thick texture and a high protein content. The protein is approximately triple that of regular yogurt for many brands. Additionally, Icelandic yogurt contains probiotics (good bacteria), which help with digestion and aid the immune system.
The taste is a slightly sour but still pleasant enough to eat. The store-bought skyr can be found in a wide variety with added fruit, which tends to dim down any sour taste. As with Greek yogurt, Icelandic yogurt can be used to make a long list of foods, such as desserts, dips, and smoothies.
Although it is called "Icelandic" yogurt and is popular in Iceland, it has become increasing available in the United States. Depending on where you live, a few of the major brands can be found at place like Whole Foods, Kroger, and Target and Meijer. A single-serve Icelandic yogurt typical sells for approximately $1.25 a container here in the Midwest.
We have listed a few brands below if you are interested in trying them out. Each of the manufacturers websites have a "where to buy" section, which allows you to type in your zip code to find the nearest selling store.


France Richemond is a Parisian, but she grew up on the Azur Coast. At 16, she gives up on her studies, takes up photography, journalism and watercolor...Before resuming her studies with passion. During her history master, France is dreaming of dealing with the mythical Joan of Arc, but, in the end, she studies a medieval religious furniture while joining the School of the Louvres.
Having then joined the circle of museums, she started writing a thesis on a private collection, but then, Nicolas Jarry offered her to collaborate and write together an Historical-fantasy novel... To hell with the thesis! It will give birth to « Sphinx », followed by « Sea People ». Then, the collaborated on a first Comic scenario: « The Rose et The Cross».


Save The Frogs Wish List: Please send us a gift we need! - SAVE THE FROGS!
Save The Frogs Wish List: Please send us a gift we need!
Want to help SAVE THE FROGS! get the gear we need to do our jobs as efficiently and safely as possible? Please have a look at our brand new Wish List webpage. Thanks in advance for helping us SAVE THE FROGS!


Landlords across the country will no longer have to dig through endless piles of paperwork or struggle with dead beet management companies to control every aspect of their rental properties.
Created by two engineers who have a combined 9 years of property management experience, TheLandlordApp is a complete solution for any landlord who manages his or her own properties. The App will maintain flawless records for IRS, which are exportable to excel, store all relevant tenant information, calculate cash flow for all properties, and even advertise on Craigslist. This truly will be the only tool you will ever need. The innovative design and intuitive feel are easy enough for a novice but powerful enough for advanced users. To learn more about TheLandlordApp, and how it can simplify your life, visit The Landlord App website.
The LandlordApp 1.5 is $9.99 USD (or equivalent amount in other currencies) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Productivity category.
The Milner Group, founded in 2010, is an interactive company based in Huntington Beach, California and Detroit, Michigan. Our focus is the development of next generation mobile applications for today's leading smartphones. We specialize in building productivity enhancing applications for the iPhone, Android, Blackberry, and Windows Mobile devices. Copyright (C) 2011 The Milner Group. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPod and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.
A perth property buyers agent must have this application in order to have an ease in managing the properties that they sell to people. It would be easier for them to present details to their clients if they all got them in his smart phone.
I agree. This kind of application is indeed very enticing. I wonder if this application is also being used by companies and agencies that offer house for rent in Makati Philippines. I believe this would be a great help in property management as well.
I have already tried this app in managing my Philippine real estates investments. It was really user-friendly but in my opinion is a bit pricey. Nonetheless, I am enjoying its use.
Extremely interesting blog post thanks for sharing.
graphic design uk This is a really good read for me. Must agree that you are one of the coolest blogger I ever saw. Thanks for posting this useful information.


Math Mammoth Addition 1 is a self-teaching workbook dealing with the addition concept and addition facts within 0-10. The first lessons in the book concentrate on adding within 0-5, introduce missing addend problems, comparing, and teach several important properties of addition. The second part of the workbook practices memorizing basic addition facts where the sum is less than or equal to ten. The book is most suitable for first grade, though is not tied to any grade level. Selected answers are appended..


Jellice Pioneer Private Limited Taiwan Branch (Singapore) is located in Pingtung, Taiwan. It is the only gelatin factory in Taiwan, and the largest fresh porcine & fish skin gelatin facility in Asia.
Headquarter, Jellice Japan, was established in Sendai, Japan, 1941. Altogether, there are 5 Jellice gelatin factories in the world with total capacity of 12,000 tons annually; JELLICE EUROPE in Emmen, Nederland (porcine skin), JELLICE CHINA in Shangdong, China (bovine skin), JELLICE INDIA in Cuddalore, India (bovine bone), JELLICE TAIWAN in Pingtung, Taiwan (porcine and fish skin). JELLICE is the Top 10 gelatin manufacturer in the world.
JELLICE has a wide selection of products; gelatin (porcine, fish, bovine, poultry), collagen peptide (porcine, fish & poultry), specialty collagen (extra-white, low-Sodium, juice CP), collagen tri-peptide (HACP). We are able to customize and provide gelatin/collagen peptide from other origins such as shark or poultry gelatin and juice collagen peptide.


Cheap but CLEAN hotel near Diablo?
Trek Session 88 DH Changes for 2010?
Whats the better dh bike?!?!?!
7point as a DH rig??
NPS 4X @ Southwest Extreme Video.
N*. I got a place, you got my ticket?
Info on new Giant Faith FR ?
Northstar, Should i get a Reign X1, X2 or something else?
DH ? XC ? Freeride? What?
Los Olivos DH Race Sunday!
661 kyle strait knee sizing - loose or tight sizing?
what platform petals to get?
trading my ride, should I??
Website to buy a dh bike?
Need Help Guys! What the F has happened to this cassette?
Fort Bill: Did anyone notice..?
Quick question and quick answer.
Crested Butte Has a New Race Course?
New bike park open & hosting NPS 4X this weekend + PICS!!!
Moving to Bozeman, anybody know the area?
Current World Cup DH standings?
Which spring in a FOX 40 and 230lbs rider?
uzzi vpx owners: which spring weight are you running?
Gravity East @ 7 Springs (6/13-14) - Any Takers?
Best resort in the west, and how much better is Whistler?
Anyone use a Lyrik for FR?
What do you wear under/over your armour?
Should downhill tracks go downhill?
Gravity Lites are they really that weak?
Best way to fix spring clunk on a 888 rc2x?
Need 09 Boxxer Brake caliper adapter for this weekend!
Finally, the "new/old" Intense M1 is finished . . . for now.
Any one using 661 Tomcat knee pads?
First downhill season - a little nervous!
Anyone using strokers for DH?
Fort Bill - who y'all got ya money on?
what forks are X-Fusion/Intense running?
V10 bearing needed over here!
New xt lever good upgrade from older saint?
Fathers Day DH Event @ Sunrise Mtn. Arizona!!
A few Blackrock race pictures.
Marzocchi ROCO: Mounting hardware with tighter tolerances?
How long before the real deal?
TLD Pants - Modification to fit?
Need help sourcing Santa Cruz V10 rear shock!
Nomad + 24" wheel for DH = madness?
Rent or Ship for Whistler?
Actual Weight of Saint M810 Crankset?
What do you think of this wheelset?
Need You opinion guys on a frame dent, is this something to worry about?
WTF Its the Commencal Bottlerocket!
Anybody ridden the 2009 deetraks yet?
Chain retention for trail riding and playing around?
US OPEN DH 2009 Vid.
Problems - pull/lift/pop the front wheel?!?!?
guide won't work on a nomad?!?!
cutting my steer tube...quick tips?


text:
Off-duty New Jersey cop shoots ex-wife, puts gun to head before surrendering
By Daniel Craig
Shooting Police
An off-duty New Jersey police officer shot and killed his ex-wife with his 7-year-old daughter in the front seat of his car, The Asbury Park Press reports.
According to authorities, Sgt. Phillip Siedle of the Neptune Township Police Deparment chased his ex-wife Tamara Siedle through the streets of Asbury Park, New Jersey, when Tamara crashed into a parked car.
Phillip Seidle then walked up to her car, firing several shots into the driver-side window. Officers nearby responding to an unrelated accident began to speak to Seidle, who put the gun to his own head following the initial shots.
Police officers were able to talk Seidle into letting them take his daughter out of the front seat of his car. Seidle then fired several shots into his ex-wife's windshield, and put the gun back to his own head, leading to a 30-minute standoff before agreeing to surrender to police.
A witness told The Asbury Park Press that Seidle was yelling at his wife about custody battles. The couple's divorce was finalized last month, and together they had nine children between the ages of 7 and 24.
According to The Associated Press, Tamara Seidle was taken to the hospital following the shooting where she died shortly after.
Seidle has been charged with murder, unlawful possession of a weapon and endangering the welfare of a child.
Read more from The Asbury Park Press here.
Read more Shooting Police Asbury Park New Jersey

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Sweetwater re-launches inSync
Sweetwater, the third-largest music instrument and pro-audio retailer in the U.S., has re-launched inSync, the industry's leading resource for daily music news and product research.
Sweetwater, the third-largest music instrument and pro-audio retailer in the U.S., has re-launched inSync, the industry's leading resource for daily music news and product research.
Sweetwater.com's home page has been completely redesigned, providing greater ease of use for searching and browsing music instruments and pro-audio gear, plus, for the first time, inSync, Sweetwater's proprietary news, information, research, product demo, and rich media feature, has been given a prominent position "above the fold" on the homepage.
Back in 1997 when the web was just getting started, Sweetwater first launched inSync, and it has been updated nearly every weekday since. Its purpose was not to just to share news about the industry or new gear, it was educational as well. From the beginning, inSync included a "Word for the Day" and "Tech Tip of the Day," to help readers understand new terms and get the most out of their equipment. Edited by Editorial Director Mitch Gallagher, the new inSync will feature daily, often hourly, updates, including music industry news, product reviews, videos, tech tips, buying guides, interviews, and much, much more in one easy-to-use interface.
Also, over the years, Sweetwater has created more than 1,450 videos and more than 20,000 informational and technical articles, dealing with virtually every aspect of the gear Sweetwater sells and services. These have now all been integrated into inSync, and are categorized by subject and can be easily searched or browsed. Whether you want to find product reviews for guitars or tech tips for your iOS device, everything is now just one or two clicks away.
Chuck Surack, founder and president of Sweetwater, says, "The re-launched inSync will serve as the central hub for all educational resources at Sweetwater.com. We are setting a new industry standard for providing the most complete and up-to-date information, in a variety of formats, on everything musicians, recording engineers, producers, and other music professionals and amateurs need at their disposal.
Hundreds of articles from print newsletters and catalogs are now available online, as well, with rich media, including images, videos, and audio demos embedded into the articles. Readers can join the conversation in the comment section under each article or share articles via social buttons for Twitter, Facebook, and more.
Since its "sneak preview" launching in February, inSync readership has gone up by a factor of 20. Thousands of daily readers flock to inSync for the latest news, and more than 150,000 customers receive the inSync e-digest, a free weekly newsletter summarizing everything from the past week into a single e-mail.
From the beginning, Sweetwater has been committed to providing accurate and useful news and research. The re-launched inSync will continue and expand on this tradition with its newly designed, all-inclusive, and easy-to-use interface.
Check out inSync at www.sweetwater.com/insync


You're hilarious! I'd have been dead by mile 3...Flat Stanley did great! And you're kinda my hero!!
Bwahaha! I love the race report!
Congrats!! That is amazing! Flat stanley made me giggle! I'm sure someone will give him a flat medal too!
Totally smiled throughout this whole post :) I wish Flat Stanley could run a race while I just hung on to him!
congrats on a successful run. completing any run is success in my book! Loved flat stanley and his view!
Congratulations, you were amazing!!! YES, 6:30 was way too early to start abstaining, but you will know better next time. I actually think about three hours head of time is plenty. My, how I have giggled and enjoyed the stories of your new running partner!! I'm glad he didn't end up in a cow patty. What struck me was how excited the boys get with Lunchables. So like kids...with all the amazing homemade lunchables you make them with animals and everything, you would think that would spoil them for just plain old Lunchables, who would want them after seeing your great lunches? I guess kids want anything that they can't have!
My youngest son had Flat Stanley a few years ago. Stanley went to London, Virginia, Colorado and to the White House. President O. actually did send him back, along with a letter and family photo.
Flat Stanley hid himself in my suitcase a few years ago when we went to Maui. He's a tricky fellow!
WOW. First you totally rock, Lisa. You are inspiring and have the best attitude to bring Flat Stanley along for the race! Congrats. Is your shirt UNI as in Northern Iowa?
I am sure it was the extra weight of Flat Stanley that made those hills seem so tall! I loved reading this, congrats on the race!
You are amazing! :-) Flat Stanley makes me smile. I have wonderful memories of my kids Flat Stanley projects from when they were in 1st grade.
You are very inspiring, Lisa!
Congratulations! I agree you rock!!
Wow, I think your time was great! I have never been able to run that fast!
I love the Flat Stanley story and photos. So funny! And your kids were soooooo adorable at their little picnic.
Way to go...you and Flat Stanley!!
Great job! I love how you wore Flat Stanley!


Right in the heart of Parkville, Missouri, is Parkville Nature Sanctuary, a 115-acre wildlife preserve with about 3 miles of trails. There are a few options to choose from when it comes to trail distance. For the easier trail, take the .9-mile Old Kate Trail, which is a loop that travels along the valley floor and is very toddler-friendly and relatively flat except for a few short inclines that are doable for little legs. If you want something longer, add on White Tail Trail for another 1.5-mile loop with a bit of an uphill climb. There are a couple of interesting stops along the way worth noting, as well as plenty of benches along the trail for breaks to nurse, eat, sightsee or simply relax. The Girl Scout cabin provides picnic benches that is a great stopping place for snacks and to let the kids down from the carrier and get their wiggles out. But the highlight is the waterfall, and the best time to see it is after a heavy rainstorm when it's at its fullest.
Dragonflies and butterflies also live at the sanctuary, so make time to stop and enjoy them on the trail. If the kids are looking for additional adventures, there are a few geocaches hidden on the trails. Be careful on the bridges when it's wet or icy as it can get pretty slippery.


Women in the workforce generally earn less than men. While the gender pay gap is narrowing, it is still significant. The difference in wages, coupled with other factors, can lead to a shortfall in retirement savings for women.
All else being equal, these factors mean women are more likely than men to face a retirement income shortfall. If you do find yourself facing a potential shortfall, here are some options to consider.
Estimate how much income you'll need. Find out how much you can expect to receive from Social Security, pension plans, and other available sources. Then set a retirement savings goal and keep track of your progress.
Save as much as you can. Take full advantage of IRAs and employer-sponsored retirement plans such as 401(k)s. Any investment earnings in these plans accumulate tax deferred — or tax-free, in the case of Roth accounts. Once you reach age 50, utilize special "catch-up" rules that let you make contributions over and above the normal limits (you can contribute an extra $1,000 to IRAs, and an extra $6,000 to 401(k) plans in 2017). If your employer matches your contributions, try to contribute at least as much as necessary to get the full company match — it's free money. Distributions from traditional IRAs and most employer-sponsored retirement plans are taxed as ordinary income. Withdrawals prior to age 59½ may be subject to a 10% federal income tax penalty.
One way of dealing with a projected income shortfall is to stay in the workforce longer than you had planned. By doing so, you can continue supporting yourself with a salary rather than dipping into your retirement savings. And if you delay taking Social Security benefits, your monthly payment will increase.
It's not uncommon for women to invest more conservatively than men. You may want to revisit your investment choices, particularly if you're still at least 10 to 15 years from retirement. Consider whether it makes sense to be slightly more aggressive. If you're willing to accept more risk, you may be able to increase your potential return. However, there are no guarantees; as you take on more risk, your potential for loss (including the risk of loss of principal) grows as well.
When planning for your retirement, consider investment risk, inflation, taxes, and health-related expenses — factors that can affect your income and savings. While many of these same issues can affect your income during your working years, you may not notice their influence because you're not depending on your savings as a major source of income. However, these common factors can greatly affect your retirement income, so it's important to plan for them.


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Kiss – 'Gene Simmons' – Album Review (The Kiss Review Series)
Published on September 3, 2020 December 23, 2020 by 2loud2oldmusic
The second Kiss solo album in the review series is none other than the Demon himself, Gene Simmons. Gene's album was released on the same day as all the other band members on September 18, 1978. And Gene had the distinction of being the highest ranked album on the Billboard charts at #22, however, that doesn't mean it was the best of the bunch.
Gene approached his album a little different than the other members. Gene wanted as many people as he could possibly get to appear on his album. And he delivered a smorgasbord of guest including Joe Perry from Aerosmith, his current girlfriend Cher, Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen, Bob Seger, Helen Reddy, Donna Summer, Michael Des Barres and an unknown artist at the time Katy Sagal (you know her as Peg Bundy from Married with Children). And an interesting note on the album is that Gene did not play bass on it at all, that was handled by Neil Jason.
Gene's album was also the most diverse of the bunch. His songs covered the expected Rock genre, but there was a little funk, a little pop heavily influenced by The Beatles, a little Disney-ish and included all sort of effects and even string orchestration and a choir. It was a hodge-podge, mish-mash of a whole lot of stuff. This didn't help make it an easy listen as it didn't have the best flow, but it gave you a lot to listen to and not knowing what to expect.
My copy of this album does have the Gene poster inside, however, there is a slight rip in the upper left hand corner, otherwise in great shape. As you can see below, it does look fantastic and when you piece it together with Paul's, the puzzle is starting to take shape.
The first two pieces of the puzzle…
Now that was all that I had with this copy. I did have the album sleeve as below, but no merchandise order forms for Gene. So not quite a complete package, but the poster is still probably the best part and most sought after.
And that is enough background on the album. I think it is time we dive in to the album and see what there is to say about all these songs. And away we go…
The album opens with the song "Radioactive" which was written by Gene Simmons, as was all but 2 songs. This song was the only single from the album and it has Joe Perry (Aerosmith) on guitar, Eric Troyer (ELO) on piano, Allan Schwartzberg (Mountain) on drums and Bob Seger on backing vocals. A pretty stellar line-up. The song opens with a prelude that is very evil, sinister and demonesque which was filled with string ochrestration and it cuts away to the song. The prelude was removed from the single if you were interested that little fact. The song doesn't really match the intro as it is fun and upbeat compared to the evil that came before. It is straight-up rock song that probably leans a little more pop friendly. A good song all on its own.
"Burning Up With Fever" is up next and was actually considered for the 'Destroyer' album and if you want to hear the demos for that version, check out Gene's The Vault as there are two different demo for this song. John Shane Howell does a little classical guitar as the intro before the song kicks in. This is the most Demon song on the album and would've fit on a Kiss album. A little heavier which for Gene is always good. You get Donna Summer on backing vocals to keep the guest train running.
Next you get "See You Tonite" which is actually a song Gene wrote prior to even Wicked Lester and the demo is also on 'The Vault'. Gene was heavily inspired by The Beatles growing up and it is obvious with this track it has a very Beatlesque quality to it. A light, mid-tempo pop song. The backing vocals are Mitch Weissman & Joe Pecorino (from Beatlemania) to help give it that Beatles quality.
Then we get the darker song with a nasty bass groove called "Tunnel of Love". I would say this another typical Gene song and it has a lot of guitar players on it with Joe Perry back for another go at it, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter (Steely Dan/Doobie Brothers) and Richie Ranno (Starz). My guess is Joe got the solo which is good. Backing vocals had Donna Summer again sharing duties with the usual backing vocals by Katy Sagal, Gordon Grody, Diva Gray, Franny Eisenberg, Carolyn Ray (Aka Group with No Name). Since this is more like I would expect from Gene, I like this track a lot. Now, here is an interesting tidbit for you, on Gene's 'The Vault', the demo for this song is there and the guitars and drums are played by none other than Eddie and Alex Van Halen. It is pretty cool and you can hear Eddie lay down a little of his magic there.
The final track on Side 1 is "True Confessions". Another track considered for 'Destroyer', but totally would not have worked so thankfully left off. Also, demo is on 'The Vault'. This version has Helen Reddy on backing vocals along with The Citrus College Singers. This might be more of an R&B track and too much on the backing vocals and I am not a particularly huge fan of this one. Overall pretty cheesy of a song.
Side 2 kicks off with "Living in Sin" which features a speaking part by his then girlfriend Cher. It opens with Gene doing more a speaking vocal before they kick in the instruments and the song really begins. This is a fun Gene song and would've fit with Kiss albums so again, this was one I enjoy. There is a part where the phone rings and Gene answers hearing a crazed fan fawn all of Gene and that person is Cher. It is a little funny.
"Always Near You / Nowhere to Hide" is up next and is a pure ballad. And one of the best ballads Gene has ever done. I love this song. It was taken from a demo called "Always Near You" (which you can hear the demo on 'The Vault' of course). There is a Beatles influence on this one as and some fine backing vocals by the Group With No Name and Gene hits some really high notes at the end as it builds to a climactic finish.
The song then goes straight in to a guitar riff for the next song "Man of a 1,000 Faces". Gene wrote this one back in 1974 and has tried to re-work it numerous times before settling on this version for the solo album (2 versions of the demos are on 'The Vault' – do you care about knowing that??). Another song that is not what you'd expect from Gene but one that works. It is not quite a ballad and not a full on rocker. There is some symphonic orchestration to this one which adds some maturity to the song and I feel really elevates Gene's song writing ability. The song is a highlight for me on the album.
"Mr. Make Believe" is another unexpected song from Gene that works so well. With this album we are seeing a softer side of Gene that I am sure no one expected. This song is pieced together from two demos, one called "One More Chance" and the other "Mr. Make Believe". They took the best of both and created a simply beautiful ballad. You get the verses from "One More Chance" and the chorus of "Mr. Make Believe". Both are on 'The Vault'. If you listen to this one, you can hear the early British pop influence on the song.
Now we get a song we've heard before on a prior Kiss album called "See You in Your Dreams". Gene wasn't happy with the original version on 'Rock & Roll Over'. The biggest difference on this is the backing vocals are the women from the Group with No Name. The Kiss version rocks out a lot more and is better in my opinion so not sure a remake was necessary at all. Plus, the song gets a little too repetitive for my liking.
And lastly, we get the totally pointless cover of "When You Wish Upon A Star" which Gene wanted on here to show his love for Disney. This song just kills the whole vibe of the album and for me is unlistenable. I keep looking for a version of the solo album without this track, but sadly there isn't one…but there should be!!
Radioactive – Keeper
Burning Up With Fever – Keeper
See You Tonite – Keeper
Tunnel of Love – Keeper
True Confessions – Delete
Living in Sin – Keeper
Always Near You/Nowhere to Hide – Keeper
Man of 1,000 Faces – Keeper
Mr. Make Believe – Keeper
See You in Your Dreams – Delete
When You Wish Upon a Star – Delete
The Track Score is 8 out of 11 or 73% which is pretty decent. When comparing this to the other solo albums, it is not my favorite, but it is not the worst either. I think there are some great Demon-type songs on here and then some great songs that show a different side of Gene that are well worth listening to as well. I did find the album a little disjointed and a little all over the place with not the best flow. He did have some great guest on here that the others don't do which is a plus, but it still didn't take it to the next level. Overall, I would give this a 3.5 out of 5.0 Stars as I do like Gene and will pull this out to hear on occasion. I do love having all the demos on 'The Vault' to see where a lot of the thoughts were on the earlier versions. Some great history to own.
Next Up: Kiss – 'Peter Criss' (1978)
Check out the rest of the series if you have time!!
The Kiss Review Series:
Wicked Lester and the Progeny Demo Sessions (Bootleg)
Kiss – Kiss (1974)
Kiss – Hotter Than Hell (1974)
Kiss – Dressed to Kill (1975)
Kiss – Alive! (1975)
Kiss – Destroyer (1976)
Kiss – "Flaming Youth" 45 Promo Single – Bonus Edition (1976)
Kiss – Special Kiss Album For Their Summer Tour (1976)
Kiss – The Originals (1976)
Kiss – Rock & Roll Over (1976)
Kiss – Love Gun (1977)
Kiss – Alive II (1977)
Kiss – Double Platinum (1978)
Kiss – Paul Stanley (1978)
Kiss – Gene Simmons (1978)
Kiss – Peter Criss (1978)
Kiss – Ace Frehley (1978)
Kiss – Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park Movie (1978)
Kiss – Dynasty (1979)
Kiss – "I Was Made For Lovin' You" (1979) – 12″ & 7″ Singles (Bonus Edition)
Kiss – Unmasked (1980)
Peter Criss – Out of Control (1980)
Kiss – Music From The Elder (1981)
Kiss – Killers (1982)
Kiss – Creatures of the Night (1982)
Kiss – Lick It Up (1983)
Kiss – Animalize (1984)
Wendy O. Williams – WOW (1984) (Bonus Edition)
Kiss – Animalize Live Uncensored (1985)
Kiss – Asylum (1985)
Kiss – "Tears Are Falling" 7″ Single (Bonus Edition) (1985)
Kiss – Creatures of the Night (1985 Re-Issue)
Vinnie Vincent Invasion – Vinnie Vincent Invasion (1986)
Black N' Blue – Nasty Nasty (1986)
Ace Frehley – Frehley's Comet (1987)
Kiss – Exposed VHS (1987)
Kiss – Crazy Nights (1987)
The Bootleg Series:
Kiss – 'Accept No Imitations' (Bootleg Series) – Album Review (ASYLUM TOUR)
Kiss – Look Wot You Dun to Me (Bootleg Series) – Album Review (CRAZY NIGHTS TOUR)
Kiss – The Summer of Satan: The Devils Ride Out! (Bootleg Series) – Album Review (DESTROYER TOUR)
Kiss – Return to Capital Center (Bootleg Series) – Album Review (DYNASTY TOUR)
Kiss – With Fire & Thunder (Bootleg Series) – Album Review (HOTTER THAN HELL TOUR)
Kiss – Northhampton PA March 19th, 1975 (Bootleg Series) – Album Review (DRESSED TO KILL TOUR)
Kiss – The Hottest Show On Earth (Bootleg Series) – Album Review (THE HOTTEST SHOW ON EARTH TOUR 2010)
Kiss – All the Way to the Ball Room (Bootleg Series) – Album Review (Australian Tour 1995)
Kiss – Kiss of Thunder (Bootleg Series) – Album Review (The Rising Sun Tour 2006)
Kiss – Agora Ballroom 1974: The Cleveland Broadcast plus Bonus Cuts (Bootleg Series) – Album Review (THE KISS TOUR)
Kiss – Hotter Than Hell: Radio Broadcast 1976 (Bootleg Series) – Album Review (ROCK & ROLL OVER TOUR)
Kiss – The Tickler (Bootleg Series) – Album Review (LICK IT UP TOUR 1983)
Kiss – Barbarize (Bootleg Series) – Album Review (ANIMALIZE WORLD TOUR 1984 – North American Tour)
Kiss – They Only Come Out At Night (Bootleg Series) – Album Review (ANIMALIZE WORLD TOUR 1984 – EUROPEAN TOUR)
Kiss – The Box Set:
The Box Set (Part 1 of 6)
The Box Set – Disc One 1966-1975 (Part 2 of 6)
The Box Set – Disc Two 1975-1977 (Part 3 of 6)
The Box Set – Disc Three 1976-1982 (Part 4 of 6)
The Box Set – Disc Four 1983-1989 (Part 5 of 6)
The Box Set – Disc Five 1992-1999 (Part 6 of 6)
Gene Simmons – The Vault:
Part 1 – The Grand Opening
Part 2 – Disk 1
Part 10 – Disk 9
Part 11 – Disk 10
Part 12 – The Bonus Disk
Part 13 – The Best Songs of the Vault
Part 14 – The Worst Songs of the Vault
Part 15 – The Final Verdict
Categories Album Review, Rock•Tags Burning Up With Fever, Cher, Gene Simmons, Joe Perry, KISS, Living in Sin, Man of 1000 Faces, Mr. Make Believe, Radioactive, Solo Album, The Vault, When You Wish Upon A Star
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76 thoughts on "Kiss – 'Gene Simmons' – Album Review (The Kiss Review Series)"
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text:
<?php

namespace app\modules\post\models\base;

use Yii;
use app\modules\post\Module;

/**
 * This is the model class for table "tbl_post".
 *
 * @property integer $id
 * @property string $title
 * @property string $alias
 * @property string $desciption
 * @property string $content
 * @property integer $category_id
 * @property string $image
 * @property string $meta_title
 * @property string $meta_desciption
 * @property integer $created_by
 * @property integer $created_date
 * @property integer $publish_date
 * @property integer $updated_date
 * @property integer $views
 * @property boolean $active
 */
class PostBase extends \yii\db\ActiveRecord
{
    /**
     * @inheritdoc
     */
    public static function tableName()
    {
        return 'tbl_post';
    }

    /**
     * @inheritdoc
     */
    public function rules()
    {
        return [
            [['title', 'category_id'], 'required'],
            [['content'], 'string'],
            [['category_id', 'created_by', 'views'], 'integer'],
            [['active'], 'boolean'],
            [['title', 'alias', 'desciption', 'image', 'meta_title', 'meta_desciption'], 'string', 'max' => 255]
        ];
    }

    /**
     * @inheritdoc
     */
    public function attributeLabels()
    {
        return [
            'id' => Module::t('general', 'ID'),
            'title' => Module::t('general', 'Title'),
            'alias' => Module::t('general', 'Alias'),
            'desciption' => Module::t('general', 'Desciption'),
            'content' => Module::t('general', 'Content'),
            'category_id' => Module::t('general', 'Category'),
            'image' => Module::t('general', 'Image'),
            'meta_title' => Module::t('general', 'Meta Title'),
            'meta_desciption' => Module::t('general', 'Meta Desciption'),
            'created_by' => Module::t('general', 'Created By'),
            'created_date' => Module::t('general', 'Created Date'),
            'publish_date' => Module::t('general', 'Publish Date'),
            'updated_date' => Module::t('general', 'Updated Date'),
            'views' => Module::t('general', 'Views'),
            'active' => Module::t('general', 'Active'),
        ];
    }
}


text:
Can a smart basketball make you a better player? There's a good chance.
Siq's Bluetooth-powered ball can track your makes and misses — which could be a game-changer for personal analytics.
Ian Servantes
It's a motion countless basketball players at every level have taken at the free throw line. The ball is tossed with a backward spin from approximately chest level, bouncing back up to be repeated as desired.
Normally, it's a calming routine, a way to gain composure for what should be the easiest shot in the sport but is anything but. With a new smart basketball, however, the action takes on a whole new meaning. Earlier this year, a company named Siq soft-launched its smart basketball capable of keeping track of your shot count in addition to several hyper-specific data points. It syncs with an app on your phone via Bluetooth, and to start the connection you simply send the ball on its way to a bounce with a backward spin.
Other companies have produced their own smart basketballs before, but none have reached the level of function as Siq's. Using internal sensors that add just 3 grams of weight, the ball can track not only your makes and misses, but also the precise angle of your shot, the ball's in-air rotation rate, and even the distance from which you've shot.
Data is life
Siq
The ability to track such data points isn't entirely new, but it typically requires a robust system of cameras that can cost thousands of dollars. The New York Knicks, for example, began using this year the Noah Basketball tracking system, which starts at $5,000 for installation and captures many of the same statistics. Siq's smart basketball, however, costs just $99 in addition to a $7 monthly subscription fee to use the app.
Endorsers for the smart basketball include the professional shooting guards Duncan Robinson of the Miami Heat and Kayla McBride of the Minnesota Lynx, but Siq is after the amateurs, the high school, AAU, or other youth players who are already keeping track of their makes and misses via pen and paper. Siq CEO Erik Anderson said Robinson told him he would manually record 400 to 500 shots each day on a notepad as a child and that his mom still has copies of his training logs.
The app makes a "ka-ching" sound for each shot made — gamifying what is quite literally already a game.
Siq's basketball was in development for five years before going public, beginning delicately with sensors taped onto the ball. As time went on, the company was able to streamline the design and the final product has now been certified by FIBA for play in Olympic-caliber games. Siq owns 24 patents for the technology inside its basketball, and eventually it could be used for other sports as well.
All that's required to use the smart basketball is the ball itself, a phone, and a hoop with a net. (Made shots can't be recognized when going into a bare rim). Makes and misses are the most simple feature but also the most crucial. The app makes a "ka-ching" sound for each shot made — gamifying what is quite literally already a game. And while that might sound ridiculous to those of us who can still remember a more analog life, it may be more appealing for a key demographic for Siq, the youth.
Know your shot
"When you're in your backyard shooting the basketball, I don't know how many hours I spent as a kid doing that or how many shots I took," Anderson told Input. "But now, a 13-year-old or a 10-year old can go out and track how many shots they took, how many were swishes, the release point, the shot speed. Those things actually translate a player's game to the next level even more than most people realize."
One thing Siq does not do is coach. It provides the raw statistics, but those numbers are then up for a player or coach to assess and use as a basis for changes to shooting form. The price point for Siq's basketball and subscription service is much cheaper than the systems professional teams use, but it still may not be affordable for every family with a young hooper in the mix. Their coach, though, may be able to afford the investment more easily — and the sensors are actually capable of differentiating between numerous players shooting the same ball.
I was actually hesitant to have such robust data on my game, merely because I thought it would be embarrassing
Siq says the exterior of its ball is exactly the same as the ones not equipped with technology that we're used to. On the hottest day of the year thus far in New York City, I tested Siq's basketball and found no discernible difference in feeling compared to the Spalding TF-500 I normally play with and brought for side-by-side analysis.
I got up a mere 21 shots in the 96-degree heat, and the app told me I made 48 percent of them with an average release angle of 61 degrees. My average release speed was 1.68 seconds, while the ball's average spin rate was 1.47. 19 of the 21 shots were made in a "relaxed" manner, i.e. not directly from a pass or off the dribble, while I attempted another two layups. My shot form was consistent on a scale of 8.3 out of 10 — which was the most encouraging data point of all.
Smart... with a purpose
Charging Siq's basketball is not an issue, as its battery life is approximately 550 hours. In other words, it would take a full year of hooping for an hour and a half each day before the battery dies. With that much use, any basketball would wear out and need replacement. By opting for Siq's $13 subscription, customers will receive a new ball every year without needing to buy a new one separately.
Anderson said he's been encouraged by the number of former NBA players, a crowd notorious averse to technology and analytics in basketball, who've told him they love the smart basketball. And if a bluetooth-synced basketball still sounds superfluous, consider this — we're already tracking our runs via apps, and Peloton brings analytics to at-home cycling. Is doing the same thing so crazy for hoops, especially for a child with dreams of playing in college or even professionally?
After getting my hands on Siq's basketball, I certainly don't think so. I was actually hesitant to have such robust data on my game, merely because I thought it would be embarrassing. But now that I've started getting advanced analytics for my shot, I'm eager to spend the summer adding a higher spin rate — professional players typically average three rotations per shot — and boost my success rate from a 48-percent figure that was already higher than I'd expected.
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