As regular readers of this blog know, I started a camera-trapping project here in Bell County in June of last year. I've chased mountain lion reports from one end of the county to the other. I have yet to capture a photo of one of these elusive big cats but remain hopeful. There continue to be periodic sightings of a cougar in the general area around my camera locations but things seemed to have slowed down quite a bit. It is possible the big cat has moved on.
While not getting that cougar photo to this point, despite sightings very close to my camera locations, has been frustrating, the project has not been a failure. As is often the case with these sorts of things, something very good has come out of it…just not the good thing I targeted in the beginning.
would be interested in viewing the photo."
"Not too much doubt what you are looking at in the photos – probably a mother and a youngster.
Would you mind taking a moment to give me a location of the sighting – it doesn't have to be specific just something like "where Rocky Road crosses Sandy Creek" would be fantastic. That will give me enough information to plot the sighting."
To make a long story a bit shorter, because of my photo, the distribution map for the river otter will be changed to reflect the presence of the species in Bell County. The timetable on when this will take place is not clear but it will happen the next time the map is updated. The documentation of a known species a few counties west of where it is supposed to be may not seem like an important discovery but it is actually kind of a big deal in wildlife circles. I am very, very pleased by this turn of events and think it really shows that even an amateur naturalist, with extremely limited resources, can accomplish some pretty cool things.
So, a project that got started, and continues, with the hope of getting a photo of a mountain lion has reached its high point with an accidental photo of a pair of river otters.
I wanted to take a moment and wish everyone a Merry Christmas. It is my prayer that you all have a blessed holiday and a prosperous and peaceful new year.
I look forward to what the new year may bring.
"If I trim myself to suit others I will soon whittle myself away."
I try to keep this quote in mind when others give me a hard time about my interest in cryptozoology and other "non-mainstream" topics. I am who I am.
I may not be the one who solves the sasquatch mystery but it will be someone a bit like me. Someone who shakes off the ridicule and vitriol directed at them by those who spend life on the sidelines and stays true to himself. Someone who shakes off negativity and naysayers to do what they say couldn't be done. Someone who, even when it was tough, did not whittle themselves away to suit others.
If you live somewhere along the I-45 corridor near Webster, Texas and your child comes home and says that he/she saw Santa's reindeer running down the road…believe it.
Well, they weren't Santa's reindeer (as far as I know) but there were reindeer dashing about on and near I-45 yesterday. It seems a petting zoo was transporting a couple of its reindeer when the trailer in which they were being towed came loose from the truck. Somehow, the door to the trailer came open and the two reindeer made a run for it.
Webster police, after fielding several calls from surprised local residents regarding the reindeer, dispatched several units and helped round up the runaways. Neither the reindeer nor anyone else was injured during the incident.
Santa Claus didn't come to town (it's not time, after all) but a couple of reindeer did.
I guess it is just that time of year.
I was finally able to get out and check my game cameras here in Bell County this past weekend. I was over a week past due on checking them due to inclement weather and a bad cold. I have to admit that I'm a huge sissy when it comes to colds. Any sort of injury I can handle ok. Sprains, strains, contusions, broken bones…I'll handle them. A bad cold? I'm done. In any case, the skies cleared up, the water ran off, and I started to feel better so I got out and got it done this past weekend. I'm glad I did.
I again failed to capture an image of the mountain lion(s) that have, until recently, been spotted on a regular basis in eastern Bell County. Even so, I was able to retrieve more than 700 quality images from 3 of the 4 cameras. I say 3 of 4 because the bungee chord holding up one of my two Cuddeback cameras snapped shortly after deployment. I have a security chain on the camera that kept it from falling into the creek bed but it did fall down to the base of the tree and somehow got twisted so that it faced the trunk. So, nothing of value was captured on that camera. The other three cameras (Cuddeback Excite, Moultrie M80 GameSpy, Wildgame Innovations IR2) all performed very well.
The Moultrie captured a few interesting videos as well as getting some nice photos. At some point, the camera was twisted and shaken by an unseen animal. I'm guessing it was a raccoon. Easily 2/3 of the pictures taken were of raccoons which makes one of them a likely culprit. I would add that this is exactly the sort of video some people would put forth as evidence of a sasquatch tampering with the camera. Many would say no other animal was capable of shaking and shifting the camera in such a manner. So, keep my little video example here in mind the next time you see a similiar clip and it is offered as indisputable evidence of sasquatch behavior.
Despite the camera being shifted and moved around it continued to get some nice shots.
This camera is programmed so that when triggered it snaps a photo. It then immediately begins taking video. One video was a great insight into the behavior of whitetail deer during the rut. The camera captures a fully airborne doe leaping into the creek as if something was chasing her. The video, which started immediately after the photo was taken, shows a buck trot up, sniff the air, and then proceed to follow the object of his desire. Whether she ever decided to cooperate or not I cannot say but the video is exactly the sort of "behind the scenes" look you can get with a game camera. I love seeing clips of even the most common animals behaving naturally. I find it fascinating.
The Wildgame Innovations IR2 is easily the least expensive camera I have in the field. It actually performs pretty well. The photos it takes during daylight hours are very, very good. The nighttime shots, when most of the action takes place, are, unfortunately, not nearly as sharp. The sensor detects movement at an acceptable range but the flash is too weak to light these targets up sufficiently. The result tends to be shots that are murky and not sharp if the subject is on the periphery of the sensor range or washed out images if the subject is close to the camera.
I was especially pleased with the performance of the second Cuddeback Excite camera. As I've mentioned before, this is an old veteran of the TBRC's Operation Forest Vigil. It has been an old warhorse for a long time now. One of the great things about this camera is that it takes color photos at night. This capability produced one of my favorite shots of the set when it captured an unusually reddish-colored coyote. He is quite striking and his coloration stands out starkly when compared to a more typically colored coyote that was also photographed.
The Cuddeback captured the widest variety of animals of any of the three cameras this time around. Included were the pictures below showing a black opossum and a striking bobcat with a very leopard-like coat.
I checked the distribution map provided as well and found that, according to known county records, no river otters have ever been documented in Bell County.
All of this being the case, I got very excited about this photo. Could these be the first river otters ever documented in Bell County, Texas? Short of that, could this photo prove that otters, once extirpated from central Texas, be rebounding? Well, maybe. I have been informed that unless an actual specimen has been taken from a county, a species is not considered "documented" there. In other words, river otters may have been seen, possibly even photographed, in Bell County before but since no one has trapped or shot one and presented the body as proof to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department the species is not considered to be present.
I submitted the photo to several biologists who all have confirmed that the subjects in the photo are river otters. I also sent an email to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department explaining that I had a photo of river otters taken in Bell County and asked if they wanted to view the photo. I sent the email Sunday night. It is now Wednesday night and I've heard nothing back from them as of yet. If I don't hear back from them in the next couple of days I'll contact the local office in Temple.
Regardless of whether this photo will officially "document" otters in Bell County, I feel very fortunate to have captured it. Otters, at best, are very rare in this part of the state and I think it is an incredibly cool addition to my wildlife photo collection.
There was some bad news. The Cuddeback that took these great shots was a victim of rising water after several storms blew through the area a couple of weeks ago. The camera was never completely submerged but some moisture did get into the camera causing the lens to fog up. While the camera still showed power, no photos were taken after the flooding event. I feel very fortunate that the compact flash card was not ruined. Currently, I am attempting to dry the camera out. Once it is dry and cleaned of mud I'm hopeful it will continue to function.
Even though the big prize that would be a mountain lion photo eluded me again, I feel very good about this last set of photos. I remain hopeful that I will eventually get a shot of one of these big cats. Even if I don't the otter photograph proves that you just never know what you might get a picture of if you are patient and allow cameras to sit undisturbed for long periods of time. I'm due to check the cameras again in 4-5 weeks.
The following article originally appeared on the website of the Texas Bigfoot Research Conservancy and is reprinted here with permission.
In Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana, anecdotes about huge, hairy, apelike creatures said to dwell in the deep woods and, occasionally, near the peripheries of rural communities, have accumulated for centuries. Many of these accounts were related by highly reliable and trustworthy individuals, people who had nothing to gain by telling their stories.
Indeed, in many cases, these witnesses became the subjects of much ridicule, even among close friends and relatives. To the present day, most witnesses hesitate to share their incredible stories of seeing this strange, undocumented animal. Their reticence should come as no surprise given the treatment of the subject by the mass media and some mainstream scientists.
There are many skeptics; their concerns are legitimate. Skeptics demand to know why no skeletal remains have been found; they want to know why no hunters have killed one, or why no driver has collided with one on a secluded country highway. Would not a large primate, skeptics ask, leave an undeniable, discernable mark on the environment in perhaps the same manner as mountain gorillas (Gorilla gorilla beringei)? Such questions are not invalid. Expecting skeptics to accept the likelihood of such a species existing beneath our proverbial noses may be asking just a tad too much. Nevertheless, the body of anecdotal accounts and accompanying evidence seems to indicate just such a possibility.
Contrary to what some may assert, most hunters do not generally shoot at anything other than their intended game. While there are exceptions, most hunters will definitively identify their targets and normally just do not shoot at unknown or unidentified prey. That said, there have been a few scant reports of sasquatch shootings; most were relayed through second hand sources. Further, most of those few reports that were related to shootings indicate that the shooters either missed or did not immediately bring the fleeing sasquatches down.
Skeletal remains are rarely found of any common, large, wild animal, so it should not be surprising that the skeletal remains of a sasquatch are not readily available. The acidic forest soils and muddy river bottoms found in the preferred habitat for the sasquatch tend to work in tandem with scavengers to quickly eliminate the remains of deceased animals. Finding a cougar (Puma concolor) carcass as a result of a natural death would probably be most analogous to finding a sasquatch carcass, although the most conservative estimates of cougar population densities most certainly are far greater than even the most liberal estimates of sasquatch population densities.
There have been a few unsubstantiated reports of near misses of sasquatches by drivers, and given the probability that many encounters go unreported, it is possible that a sasquatch could have been hit and killed by a moving vehicle. However, realistically, given the probable rarity of these creatures along with their intelligence and caution, the odds of such an event occurring seem almost non-existent.
There are some discernable signs that possibly indicate the presence of sasquatches (thus the noticeable effect on the environment), however, the signs are easily disregarded by someone unfamiliar with purported sasquatch behavior. For example, there are numerous reports of bigfoots breaking branches, trees, and saplings, and to a lesser degree, constructing nest-like structures.
Tree damage, possibly done for the purpose of marking trails or territory is discernable, but oftentimes hardly stands out among deadfall and ice or wind-broken trees. Most people would miss or casually dismiss such signs. It is unlikely that a typical wildlife biologist or anyone not knowledgeable on this subject, upon observing sasquatch-related limb breaks, would ever suspect a sasquatch as the culprit, even in the absence of any other readily apparent explanation. The characteristic twisting accompanying such breaks would appear to require enormous strength that can only be accomplished by something with hands. Nest-like structures, purportedly built by sasquatches, have been found by researchers in areas of sightings.
Another contention often heard is that the thousands of credible reports from throughout North America are, in one way or another, the products of human imagination. The contention is that many of the witnesses are intentionally lying about what they encountered and are actually themselves the perpetrators of hoaxes, or the witnesses are simply mistaken and are misidentifying what they saw or heard. Or, as the argument goes, many of the witnesses are simply victims of practical jokes and/or hoaxes. All evidence aside, it may seem more plausible to consider that there actually is an undocumented animal that is prompting thousands of reports than it is to believe in an unrelated series of hoaxed sightings and misidentifications.
It should soon become evident to anyone who seriously and objectively delves into and studies the numerous credible sightings that many of the reports themselves are quite compelling. It is difficult to totally dismiss as fabrications all the reports that have accumulated from so many credible witnesses over so many decades.
However, the essence of the research presented here does not focus on the validity of any individual report, but on the body of reports as a whole in order to ascertain any correlations and patterns that may exist. When one impartially studies the sum total of all the reports it becomes evident that there do indeed seem to be correlations and patterns that could be representative of a living species.
Among these correlations, particularly in Texas, is the likelihood of sighting reports in areas with certain amounts of annual rainfall. The same pattern is also evident in the body of reports that originate in other states where there are divergent rainfall totals in different parts of each state, such as Oregon, Washington, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Montana, Colorado and California. (Conversely, in states with widespread abundant rainfall totals, such as Arkansas and Louisiana, a rainfall total/reported bigfoot encounters correlation is not evident). There is also a pattern of reported sightings along rivers, creeks or lakes. Reported sightings and human population densities seem to have some correlation, as does the distribution of alleged bigfoot sightings and areas viewed as suitable black bear habitat.
John Green, journalist, author and renowned sasquatch researcher, first touched upon the association of reported sasquatch sightings and annual rainfall totals in his 1978 book Sasquatch: The Apes Among Us. Though the book was written nearly thirty years ago, the passage of time has not diminished its relevance. On the contrary, the increase of credible reports since that time has served to further validate Green's thesis. He determined that eighty percent of the reported sightings and alleged footprint finds in North America occurred in areas receiving more than seventeen inches of annual rainfall.
When this observation is applied to credible Texas reports and is represented on a map, discernable patterns seemingly indicative of a living species emerge. In Texas and Oklahoma, roughly ninety percent of the credible reports occur in areas that see at least thirty-five inches of rain per year, or in the eastern third of the state(s). Since the vast majority of Texas and Oklahoma reports are aligned with rainfall patterns, it is possible to dispute allegations of fabrication or mistaken identity. It is not rational to assume or propose that people living in areas with more than thirty-five inches of annual rainfall are more likely to submit a hoaxed report or misidentify what they saw than people living in areas with less than thirty-five inches of annual rainfall. While a few reports have originated in areas with lower amounts of rainfall, they appear to be sporadic and isolated, possibly due to a natural propensity of wildlife to use watercourses as travel routes; if the sasquatch is a legitimate species, it makes perfect sense that it would also use watercourses as travel routes.
While portions of far western Texas and Oklahoma are certainly semi-arid, the eastern sections of both states receive abundant annual rainfall. These areas are heavily forested and feature an abundance of waterways and lakes; they are very much ecological clones of the two neighboring eastern states of the region, Arkansas and Louisiana.
The combined total amount of forestland in the four-state region equates to roughly 65,000,000 acres, or 100,000 square miles (the size of the state of Oregon). According to The Online Handbook of Texas, there are roughly 22,000,000 acres of forest in Texas alone; per the Arkansas Forestry Association, there are roughly 19,000,000 acres of forest in Arkansas; the Louisiana Forestry Association reports that there are 14,000,000 acres of forest in Louisiana; Oklahoma has approximately 10,000,000 acres of forest as indicated by the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry.
While the forestlands of Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma may be somewhat more parceled, or discontinuous, than northwestern forests, it is obvious that they are enormous in scope and depth, contrary to the misperceptions of some. Wildlife biologist Dr. John Bindernagel, who visited the region in 2001 and 2002, was struck by the richness and scope of the region's forests, which are predominantly mixed deciduous, as opposed to the largely coniferous forests of the Pacific Northwest. Dr. Bindernagel recognized the value and productivity of deciduous forests in terms of wildlife habitat and he pointed out that large species of mammals living in the southern forests would almost certainly require smaller home ranges than in northern coniferous forests.
Almost without exception, reported sasquatch sightings occur near water. This is even true with the relatively few reports originating in the drier regions of Texas and Oklahoma, where sasquatches are reportedly seen generally on or near waterways or lakes in thick brush or dense riparian vegetation. Most wildlife researchers and hunters would quickly reinforce the observation that many mammalian species often use rivers and creeks as travel routes. Since water is essential for the cycle of life, animals regularly congregate near or at least dwell primarily in areas featuring bodies of fresh water. Both Texas and Oklahoma have an abundance of rivers, creeks, swamps, reservoirs and lakes, particularly in their eastern regions. It is also reasonable for a large number of reported sightings to occur in or around swamps, river bottoms or bayous, since a reclusive, shy animal would find seclusion and sanctuary in such areas.
When a river basins map is viewed with an overlay of reported encounters and an annual rainfall overlay, it becomes evident that most alleged sightings have occurred along waterways and lakes and in areas with thirty-five inches or more of annual rainfall. Many reported sightings in Northeast Texas have occurred in the Red River Basin along the Sulphur River or Red River and/or their adjoining reservoirs or creeks. Many reported encounters have also occurred in the Red/Sulphur River watershed in southeastern Oklahoma, southwestern Arkansas and Northeast Texas. Similarly, the Sabine River Basin, extending from Southeast Texas into Northeast Texas has also generated quite a few reports. In Oklahoma, the Canadian River Basin is not without its share of reported encounters. In Southeast Texas, in what is called the Primitive Big Thicket (encompassing the Sam Houston National Forest and the Big Thicket National Preserve area), the Neches River Basin, Trinity River Basin and San Jacinto River Basin have had many reports through the years as well as in recent times. In fact, Southeast Texas is the most prolific area in Texas for reports of bigfoot sightings. Likewise in Oklahoma, the most prolific area for reported encounters is also in its southeastern region. It should come as no surprise that the southeastern regions in both Texas and Oklahoma also receive the highest amount of rainfall for both states, with totals as high as sixty inches per year in spots.
Although the East Texas river basins have generated far more reports, the Brazos, Colorado and Guadalupe basins have also had occasional reported sightings. These three basins average less than thirty-five inches of rainfall per year, but they typically have dense vegetation and trees in the riparian margins. Given that the vast majority of Texas and Oklahoma reports follows rainfall patterns and occurs along waterways, the notion that these reports are simply the result of the misidentification of known animals, wishful thinking, and/or deliberate fabrications seems flawed.
There is yet another interesting correlation with the distribution of these sighting reports. For the most part it appears that most reported sightings in the four-state region occur in counties with lower human population densities. There are a few exceptions. However, 100% of the sightings reported from counties with higher populations still occurred in areas that were along the peripheries of or outside of the realm of human development (such as in Montgomery County, Texas, in the Sam Houston National Forest, an area of consistent reports). Actually, suitable wildlife habitat often exists close to urban and suburban areas. That being said, reported sightings that have occurred on the edge of small towns and larger cities are by far the exceptions.
In fact, it seems that where human populations increase, reported sasquatch sightings decrease. Where human populations decrease, reported sasquatch sightings may increase. The reputed shyness of the sasquatch is only further girded by this human population correlation. This observation is further enhanced by the inference from reports that sasquatches are nocturnal, or at the very least, crepuscular. Not only do the reported sightings seem to suggest that sasquatches live in areas of low human population densities, along waterways, and in areas of high annual rainfall, but they may be most active when humans are not, which is at night. The notion of fabrications and mistakes is unrealistic in light of these correlations.
While Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana have resident populations of black bears (Ursus americanus), there remains the question of whether or not the 12,000,000 acres of dense forest in East Texas can support even a small population of large omnivores such as the sasquatch. After all, black bears no longer roam the Piney Woods of East Texas. But did black bears disappear from East Texas because of a shortage of suitable habitat? No, or so says the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Biologists conducted a black bear habitat suitability study in four areas of East Texas: the Sulphur River Bottom (51,000 acres), the Big Thicket National Preserve (97,000 acres), the Middle Neches River Corridor (247,000 acres), and the Lower Neches River Corridor (312,000 acres). The purpose of the study was to determine the suitability of habitat in East Texas for the black bear, a large omnivorous mammal. The study is relevant because there may be a correlation between purported sasquatch and suitable black bear habitat. If an area is suitable for a large omnivore such as the black bear, it seems reasonable to posit that it is just as likely to be suitable for a small population of omnivorous sasquatches.
One part of the study dealt with food availability in summer and winter; all four areas scored very high. Biologists calculated a strong favorable rating for the availability of protection and concealment cover in all four areas. In the category of human/bear conflict zones, a less than favorable rating for the Big Thicket National Preserve was determined, but a moderately to strongly favorable rating was found for the other three areas.
Overall, the study indicated that the most suitable region for bears among the four study areas was the Middle Neches River Corridor, followed in order by the Lower Neches River Corridor, the Sulphur River Bottom, and the Big Thicket National Preserve. All four areas have had an abundance of bigfoot sighting reports.
Environmental suitability issues were also addressed by another group of scientists. While the curators of Chimp Haven in Northwest Louisiana probably do not spend too much time contemplating black bear habitat factors, they do devote much of their time discussing and evaluating primate habitat. According to their web site, Chimp Haven provides a permanent home for chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) retired from biomedical research, the entertainment industry, and those no longer wanted as pets. Their new sanctuary, presently under construction, is planned to accommodate 300 chimpanzees, animals which may be the closest relatives of sasquatches. Due to its ecology and climate, Chimp Haven curators believe that Northwest Louisiana is ideal primate habitat. Western Louisiana and East Texas are virtually ecological clones. It should come as no surprise that Northwest Louisiana was selected as the new site of Chimp Haven's operations, given what we believe about sasquatch habitat.
In conclusion, several observations serve to dispel the notion that bigfoot sighting reports in Texas and Oklahoma are not the result of actual encounters. The reports, based on recent as well as older credible encounters, continue to accumulate and show no signs of abating. If one chooses to take the reports seriously and the apparent associated ecological patterns, as has been done in this paper, debates regarding the existence of this species are replaced by new issues such as those pertaining to ecology, distribution, behavior, and population densities.
Alley, J. Robert (2003). Raincoast Sasquatch. 351 pp. Hancock House, Blaine, Washington.
Bindernagel, J.A. (1998). North America's Great Ape: The Sasquatch. 270 pp. Beachcomber Books. Courtenay, B.C., Canada.
Distribution of Precipitation in Oklahoma map. Provided by the online Web Atlas of Oklahoma.
Fahrenbach, W.H. (1997-1998). Sasquatch: Size, Scaling, and Statistics. Cryptozoology Vol. 13: 47-75.
Garner, Nathan P. and Sean Willis. (1997). Black Bear Habitat Suitability in East Texas, featured in Wildlife Research Highlights, pages 18-19 (.pdf). Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Austin, Texas.
Gould Ecoregions of Texas map (.pdf). Provided by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department GIS Lab.
Green, J. (1978). Sasquatch: The Apes Among Us. 492 pp. Hancock House Publishers Ltd., Saanichton, B.C., Canada.
Natural Regions of Texas map (.pdf). Provided by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department GIS Lab.
Natural Subregions of Texas map (.pdf). Provided by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department GIS Lab.
Oklahoma Ecoregions map. Provided by the online Web Atlas of Oklahoma.
Population of Oklahoma map. Provided by the online Web Atlas of Oklahoma.
Precipitation in Texas map (.pdf). Provided by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department GIS Lab.
Surface Hydrography of Oklahoma map. Provided by the online Web Atlas of Oklahoma.
Texas River Basins, Major Bays and Streams map (.pdf). Provided by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department GIS Lab.
Texas Sightings Database. TBRC Report Explorer. Texas Bigfoot Research Conservancy.
The Vegetation Types of Texas map (.pdf). Provided by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department GIS Lab.
Vegetation in Oklahoma map. Provided by the online Web Atlas of Oklahoma.
Watersheds Across Oklahoma map. Provided by the online Web Atlas of Oklahoma.
Tales of giant catfish patrolling the deepest waters of Texas lakes and reservoirs were very common in the area where I grew up. Even the occasional fisherman and/or outdoorsman in southeast Texas knew of these tales. Most of the stories from my youth centered around giant catfish that allegedly hung out near the dam of B.A. Steinhagen Reservoir in east Texas. The catfish of "Dam B," as most called the lake, were said to be large enough to swallow a man whole. So intimidating were they, the story went, that several divers who had been sent down to inspect the dam refused to re-enter the lake once getting an eyeful of these beasts.
If you missed the article you are in luck. The Port Arthur News has posted the 2005 article online. I don't know how long it will be there so go check it out ASAP. You can access the article here.
The stories of giant catfish continue to circulate to this day. I heard a rehashed version of the story I mentioned above just the other day. The only difference is that the giant fish had allegedly been seen in Lake Belton. Another factor in the recycling of these stories is a photo that has been making the rounds for years. The photo shows two men holding up a mammoth catfish. The version I received said the fish had been caught in Lake Texoma. The only problem is that the fish was a Wels catfish (Silurus glanis). This particular species is native to Europe and not North America. From what I can tell the photo is real. The story surrounding it is bogus. It is not unlike the story of the Brokenbow gar I wrote about a while back.
It seems the stories of giant catfish will continue to live on whether the fish actually exist or not. I don't know if these fish are real. If they do exist, their size has very likely been exaggerated. Even so, every time I'm tossing a crankbait along the rip-rap in the shadow of the Lake Belton Dam I think about what might be lurking in the deep water beneath me.
It makes me smile every time.
Those of you who have kept up with my camera-trapping project in Bell County, Texas may have noticed that I'm overdue on checking my cameras. As you can see from the schedule in the right margin of this page, the cameras were due to be checked on Saturday 12/3. Due to what has become an increasingly rare weather anomaly here in Texas, several days of heavy rains, I had to put off checking the cameras this past weekend.
Temperatures have ranged from the 30's to the 40's, winds have been high, and, according to my rain gauge, we've received a little more than 4" of rain since last Friday. In addition, I've been flat on my back with a very nasty cold. The rainy weather is actually wonderful news for the drought-stricken part of central Texas in which I live so I didn't really mind putting off the camera check for another few days. I'm sure the creek bed in which I've placed the cameras is full of water at the moment, which would make traveling from camera site to camera site difficult. All of this being the case, I decided this was a good weekend to stay inside and watch football. The plan now is to get out and service the cameras no later than this coming weekend. It is supposed to warm up some and the rain is going to stop. I'll give the creek a couple of days to recede and then get on out there.
I have had a report that one mountain lion has been seen in the vicinity within the last two weeks. The spot where the latest sighting allegedly took place is less than two miles from the camera location. I already know that multiple species are using this creek bed as a travel route. My hope is that eventually the mountain lion that continues to be reported will show up there as well.
As always, I'll post the latest pictures once I retrieve them.
Most people who follow wildlife and ecological issues to any degree are familiar with the problems that invasive species are causing in various parts of North America. The plight of Florida officials fighting the exploding Burmese python populations in the Everglades is well documented. Other invasives are making headlines and causing major problems for native species as well. Zebra mussels, snakehead fish, feral hogs, and Asian carp are all causing problems to some degree in different regions of our nation. I'm willing to bet that one invasive species, that is causing major damage to the ecology of Texas, is not on the radar for most people. The invasive animal in question? The burro.
The burro (Equus asinus), which might best be described as a small, feral cousin to the donkey, is wreaking havoc on the ecology of far west Texas. Particularly hard hit is the Big Bend area the Lone Star State. The burros are, and have been for some time, entering Texas from Mexico. The animals are aggressive and extremely territorial. Kevin Good, a special assistant with the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department says that the burros are commandeering watering holes and chasing other animals away from them. According to Good, they are also contaminating natural springs in the Big Bend area with their feces. The severe drought Texas is suffering makes each spring and watering hole vital. If native species are not able to drink due to aggressive burros or because the water has been contaminated they are going to suffer.
Good says the burros are stressing native populations of black hawks, gophers, mule deer, and, especially, bighorn sheep. Bighorn sheep populations have plummeted in the last few years and officials are concerned that competition from burros could doom them in Texas.
Sohatra Sarkar, professor of integrative biology at the University of Texas at Austin has spent years studying burro populations in Texas and Mexico. He agrees with the TP&WD that the burro population is out of control and poses a very real threat to the bighorn sheep population.
The question then is what should be done about the problem? For the TP&WD the answer is simple. Eliminate them.
To carry out this goal of eliminating the invasive burro population the TP&WD has taken to hunting them. Park rangers are combing the 300,000-acre Big Bend Ranch State Park, one of the state's most rugged and isolated locales, with rifles in search of these burros. It is believed more than 300 burros are spread across this vast park. So far, park rangers have shot 128 of them. This approach is not allowed everywhere in the area, however. In neighboring Big Bend National Park the burros are protected by federal law. Here state officials are forced to try to round up and capture the burros. This is expensive and extremely difficult work. The burro is very intelligent and is adept at avoiding capture. Those that are corralled have to be screened for parasites and diseases and are then taken to auction.
As would be expected in today's world, the treatment the invasive burros are receiving is not sitting well with some. Animal rights groups are up in arms and some local residents remain firmly in the corner of the burros. Bumper stickers and placards showing support for the burros can be seen in and around Alpine, Texas and protests are beginning to get louder. Three dozen, or so, people attended a rally last month protesting the killing of burros in the region. Protesters sang songs and read burro-inspired poetry. They also suggested alternatives to shooting burros like darting and sterilizing them. The protesters did not seem to have any useful suggestions as to how to fund such a program, however.
Adding to the situation is that burros are incredibly difficult to round up. The rugged terrain and the high level of intelligence of these animals conspire to make capture all but impossible in many instances. It is very simply one of those things that is easier said than done. To illustrate this point, Good recounts an effort made three years ago to corral the burros. A burro rescue group was hired by the state to go into Big Bend Ranch State Park and catch as many burros as possible. Despite their best efforts the group failed to catch a single animal.
It really isn't surprising that these burros would have some strong support. The animals are a living link to the past. The first burros and donkeys came over from Europe with the Spanish in the 16th century. The smaller burros quickly became the pack animal of choice for the arid and dry regions of the New World. The feral burros populating the southwest now are the descendents of the domesticated Spanish stock. The image of the grizzled old prospector leading his burro through rocky terrain is iconic. These burros are, in many ways, living history.
I wonder if the problem isn't more widespread than the TP&WD might suspect. Back in the spring of 2010, while on a trip to the Sam Houston National Forest, I heard a "donkey" braying early one morning. I was nowhere near a farm or any other sort of private property. A group of my fellow TBRC members camped in the same location a couple of weeks later and not only heard the "donkey" but managed to get a photo of it. We surmised that this guy had escaped from a local and gone feral. I wonder now if he might not have been one of these burros that had somehow managed to make the trek into east Texas. The SHNF is certainly a long way from the Big Bend country but it makes me wonder.
As unpleasant as it may sound to animal rights folks, the only real solution is to eliminate the invasive burros of west Texas. They are cuter than a feral hog or a snakehead but no less destructive. The native species of our state need to be protected from all invasives. It does not matter if that invasive is an ugly boar hog, a dangerous reptile like a Burmese python, or a fuzzy brown-eyed burro. Trapping, rounding up, and/or tranquilizing and sterilizing these burros is just not practical. The state simply has to, in my opinion, continue with their efforts to eliminate these invasive animals. Having said that, I also think that any rescue group or individual interested in trying to capture these burros should be allowed to do so free of charge. The TP&WD should make interested parties register with them, report where they will be attempting their round-ups, and inform them of how many, if any, burros were removed. This would involve little more than setting up a database on the part of the state and allow those who find the shooting of these burros abhorrent to put their money where their mouth is, so to speak.
One thing is for sure. The problem cannot be ignored any longer.
Source: Jervis, Rick (2011). Wild burros wreak havoc on Texas ecology. USA Today online. Sourced from here December 1, 2011.


Hungry? Need a quick meal? This is the recipe for you! I got all my ingredients at Aldi so this meal cost next to nothing; not only were our tummies happy, but so was our pocketbook.
My husband said this was quite possibly the best soup he has had in his 26 years of life. I guess I will be making this one again! We left the meat out, but you could easily add cooked, shredded chicken or cooked Italian sausage.
Bring stock/broth to boil, add tomatoes and tortellini, cook until tortellini are tender. About 12 minutes.
Turn heat off, add spinach and stir.
Once soup is dished into bowls add a sprinkle of Parmesan. ENJOY!


text:
Maltese Contingent for XVII Mediterranean Games
Thursday, 21 June 2018, 10:08 Last update: about 3 years ago
Shooter Brian Galea chosen as flag bearer
The Maltese Olympic Committee has announced the contingent that will be representing Malta at the forthcoming XVIII Mediterranean Games which will be held in Tarragona, Spain between the 22nd June and the 1st July.
The Games will see eleven Maltese athletes join over 4,000 athletes representing 26 National Olympic Committees from the three continents surrounding the Mediterranean Sea: Africa (5), Asia (2) and Europe (19).
Team Malta will be taking part in Athletics, Bowls Golf, Shooting, Weightlifting and Wrestling.
"The Mediterranean Games are considered as a stepping stone for the Olympic Games in the level of competitiveness, with the difference that participating nations are limited to those countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. The level of competition in these Games has therefore increased over the years," explained Julian Pace Bonello, President, Maltese Olympic Committee. "We are pleased to see our athletes join this international experience from which we are sure they will benefit."
The first athletes to compete will be those taking part in Shooting and Weightlifting competitions which will kick off on Saturday 23rd June.
"First of all, the MOC would like to thank the National Federations for their full co-operation with the Director of Sport and the Committee to ensure that athletes followed the guidelines to achieve the Minimum Qualifying Standard in order to be eligible for consideration, we are confident that they will be giving their best," continued William Beck, Deputy President and Chef de Mission. "We are pleased to note that all athletes and coaches will be accommodated within the same complex. This, I believe is important for moral support especially in view of the timing of these Games which are at the same time as the football World Cup. We hope and trust that the Media, despite the magnitude of the World Cup will still give our athletes their due attention."
The MOC contingent will also Include MOC Secretary General Mr Joseph Cassar, Director of Sport Mr Ivan Balzan, Assistant CDM Dr Lucienne Attard and Technical Director Mr .Mario Micallef. Mr Julian Rizzo Naudi will be the team's physiotherapist.
Team Malta's Flag Bearer at the Opening Ceremony which will take place on Saturday 23rd June, will be Trap shooter Brian Galea, who won Bronze Medal at the XXI Commonwealth Games held in April 2018.
Team Malta Contingent
Lisa Marie Bezzina, Charlton Debono. Official: Ivan Rozhnov
Stefano Farrugia. Official: Stefano Giani
Andrew Borg, Daniel Holland, John Junior Micallef Vereslt. Official: Henning Schulze Doring
Eleonor Bezzina, William Chetcuti, Brian Galea. Officials: Frans Bugeja, Jimmy Bugeja
Yazmin Zammit Stevens. Official: Jesmond Caruana
David Galea. Official: Jesmond Giordmaina
Martial Arts: Conor McGregor blasts…
National futsal team to play two…
2020 edition of Go Sport Attard 10K to…
Tenpin Bowling: Youth Nicholas Muscat…
Weightlifting: First competition of…
Malta Mountain Bike community ready to…
Unstoppable Debono rules the Three…
James Galea (Jr.) wins the first 1st…

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Call Us Today! (818) 249-0147|ajmulkern@cs.com
Receive the Executive Compass Bimonthly Column
How Does Strategic Advising Work?
Bi-Monthly Column
HOLIDAY PARTIES: NET WORKING OR NOT WORKING?
November 22nd, 2019|Leadership|
The season for holiday parties has arrived. Leaving aside family events and work group activities, entrepreneurs tend to look upon such events as an opportunity for a combination of fun and celebration together with a chance for additional networking that will result in potentially profitable business connections. My own experience and observations are that the better the chance for good
TRUST YOUR EMPLOYEES…OR NOT?
June 10th, 2019|Leadership|
James Madison, fourth President of the United States and one of the drafters of the Constitution, famously said that no limits on government would be necessary if we were ruled by angels. Of course, we know better regarding the human capacity for wrong-doing. Yet when academic advisers to management write about how leaders should exhibit great trust, it is almost
DO YOU KNOW A TEAM WHEN YOU SEE ONE?
February 21st, 2019|Leadership|
Editor's Note: Team Formation, the topic of this article, is the sixth of the Six Engines of Entrepreneurial Ascent®, which are detailed at https://mulkernassociates.com/leadership/six-engines-entrepreneurial-ascent. Everyone in business accepts without question the critical importance of teams and teamwork. The terms are treated almost with reverence. Yet much of the time, I respectfully submit, we do not seem to know what we
February 13th, 2019|Leadership|
Editors note: The following article co-authored by Tony Mulkern and Cynthia Flynn, Esq., appeared in the February 2019 edition of Los Angeles Lawyer, the magazine of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. Cindy Flynn is the founder and managing partner of Hackler Flynn & Associates, a boutique law firm in Los Angeles and Irvine that focuses on employment defense. In the
ACCOUNTABILITY: COMMITMENT OR LIP SERVICE
February 9th, 2019|Leadership|
By Tony Mulkern Discussion about accountability is as much a part of executive conversations as goals, objectives, standards, and bottom line. It is also seems among the most difficult concepts to define or make stick. Patrick Lencioni, author of the outstanding book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, considers one of the most difficult tasks for members of an executive
DON'T LET SUCCESS BE YOUR DOWNFALL
November 17th, 2018|Leadership|
By Tony Mulkern Jeff Bezos, founder, chairman and CEO of Amazon, and the richest person in the world, recently said that he wants his employees to "be afraid" and to "wake up every morning terrified." Presumabaly he was exaggerating, because Bezos knows something about what motivates achievement, and terror is usually debilitating. What he is referring to is the fifth
Executive Compass Column
Receive the Executive Compass, executive leadership advice published bi-monthly. Signup includes a free download of the Secrets of Exit and Succession Planning eBook. Subscriber email is not shared or sold to any parties.
LEADERSHIP IN CRISIS by Tony Mulkern January 13, 2021
CAN YOU HANDLE A BOOM? October 27, 2020
All Times Are Turbulent August 4, 2020
We are committed to respecting your privacy. We collect your information to provide you with the best possible service. We will not e-mail you for marketing purposes in the future unless you have given us your consent.
Tony Mulkern, Ph.D.
Mulkern Associates
Copyright 2013–2018 Mulkern Associates | All Rights Reserved
Download "Secrets of Exit and Succession Planning eBook".


What Makes them unique is that they have added features over the decades that none of their competitors sport, such as surveys, an event management tool, and social campaigns. These all contribute to the varied collection of email alternatives available, as well as automations and newsletters that are recurring.
On top of these choices, they also boast a Marketplace with over 400 programs and integrations which cater for even the most market of products. Yet despite features and these flashy numbers, interest in Constant Contact appears to be according to Google Trends. Reason for us to take a better look at Constant Contact's ins & outs and check if it's still applicable in the 21st century.
If You're choosing an email Marketing tool for the business, you can do much worse than Constant Contact (which starts at $20 a month). If you would like to test a few of the features out without committing the company offers a trial. This review looks specifically at the Email program, which supports up to 500 contacts. Were it not for a few unexplained technical hiccups, Constant Contact might have been an easy pick for our first option.
How does Constant Contact pile up against the Contest for businesses with 2,500 connections in its advertising database? It carries a price tag that is $45-per-month that is high. Many email advertising programs also have a cap on but Constant Contact does not.
Constant Contact is Simple to Use and has plenty Of help options, starting with the data icons helpfully located next to fields and choices describing what they are, extensive Knowledge Base coaches accessible at a toll-free amount, and articles. Constant Contact has a Task page which lists the status of various tasks, such as uploaded contacts, so you understand what's happening in the background.
Phone support Isn't 24/7 but the hours are Still fairly generous, moving from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. during the week, also 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends. Chat is available, and the brokers will also call you to ensure you have.
Constant Contact offers a number of programs Based upon the size of your subscriber base. The cheapest plan is $20 a month for as many as 500 subscribers and $45 for up to 2,500. A mid-tier plan costs $195 for $10,000 subscribers and $335 for 50,000. Price-wise, it is not too different from Campaigner. You can register for other add-on providers, for example EventSpot ($20 per month for one occasion; $25 for up to five occasions ) for event registrations, and research ($10 per month) to conduct polls (all of which are included at no additional charge on the Email Plus plan). The Basic account comes to keep images used from the campaigns with a Library. MyLibrary Plus ($5 per month) expands your storage to 1 GB. Newsletter Archive ($5 per month) generates a widget which may be added to a site on which you can display links to around 100 mails. If you would like your customers to be able to see your messages that are older, this is a.
The free trial Provides you access to all of You can only send up to 100 emails although these attributes for 60 days. The trial is a superb way to get accustomed to the platform to get a restricted number of messages. Once you are certain about the stage, update to the paid version and start blasting away. There's also a 30-day money-back guarantee, which can be unusual in this space.
Once you're satisfied with your newsletter, It is possible to send it right away or schedule it for after (in 5-minute periods, such as 3:05 a.m., 3:10 a.m., and so on). We couldn't locate a recurring schedule to send messages on a daily, weekly, or yearly basis the way Campaigner does, or to send messages based on the local time in the receiver's location, as GetResponse can.
The company recently announced a new Attribute named Action Blocks, which allow marketers to include polls or RSVP cubes to standard emails. This permits recipients to answer messages with one click without having to leave the email inbox and also go to a web page.
You are able to track once you've sent a newsletter By using the accounts tab Its achievement. The dash displays the basics, such as opens, clickthroughs, bounces, and unsubscribe requests. A useful bar chart shows open prices and a graph compares performance across multiple campaigns. Users may also pick up to five emails to compare high speed results side by side. The report has a convenient Refresh button so you may observe real-time outcomes. It is not like MailChimp in which you have to manually load the pages. When we opened emails and clicked on the links, they had been enrolled almost immediately.
The Resource Center offers links to Info about average clickthrough rates by industry. You may even look at relative metrics to find out if your level of engagement with your customers is improving or declining over the previous 3 months. The cellular app is handy if you want to see the effort functionality from your mobile device.
When we used the shape to manually put in an Address, we repeatedly received an error message but it didn't say what had gone wrong. We were motivated to hit the last button to return and resolve the problem but we couldn't because the page had died from our browser (Firefox) cache. After a couple of tries, the entire page crashed. This was an odd experience, to say the least. Constant Contact has ensured us has greatly improved since our first test and this is not likely to happen again.
The document upload import, and CRM Migration alternatives, on the other hand, were secure and easy to use. We believe most people would wind up using one of these choices. We tracked the upload improvement under"Contacts: Activity" and was informed while the import was finish. Like Campaigner, Constant Contact allows other disposable speeches and Mailinator. It is too bad many services do not follow the case of GetResponse$15.00 at GetResponse, which filters out known disposable domains. Constant Contact instead flags contacts that are inclined so the user can decide whether to eliminate or keep them to be other or transactional such addresses.
Our only quibble with the Contact Manager is That it's a hassle. After we pasted our listing and cut, we dropped in addresses. We did not have other fields, such as address or name. We needed to load each listing and update the fields, to bring this. This was straightforward because the pages were slow to load in our testing. Since we could see the whole list in Contact Manager, then it might have been nice to be able to just click on the lost field, enter, and just keep going straight down the page. Lesson learned: Be certain to have all of the relevant fields before uploading the titles populated.
Constant Contact also enables you to produce forms That customers can use to sign up for emails and newsletters. These forms may be hosted either on your site or on Constant Contact's servers. You can section the consumers based on if they used the form or other methods, which may be helpful. The business also recently announced a new sign-up form editor that's designed to allow users to produce inline forms which can be embedded on a website in addition to pop-up forms that could be customized to show after a fixed amount of time or when a visitor tries to leave the website, the company said.
Constant Contact demands you to verify that You already have approval from your record! You can't use set addresses such as [email protected] or [email protected] addresses or distribution lists as there's no way to confirm you have permission from each person getting messages sent to this address. You can create autoresponders, listed under the Generate button, to ship when a user is added to some list. We used the templates to construct a newsletter that was Welcome .
If you do not need these Additional features, But then Constant Contact is an excellent option. Should you need a bit more flexibility in your marketing plan, then have a look at email advertising Editors' Choices Campaigner and MailChimp instead.
That is because, unlike other tools, for example Editors' Choice marketing automation systems Pardot and HubSpot, Constant Contact does not does not provide branching logic. Instead, it focuses to start automation campaigns. By way of example, an automation workflow can be started by you whenever someone joins a listing or accomplishes a milestone, such as a birthday or anniversary as a customer. You can not alter automationsbased on whether someone opened an email, forwarded an email, or clicked on a link inside the body of the email.
Automation platforms automatic, more smart and, well, compared to advertising tools, create life easier for marketers and personalized for customers. In addition, Constant Contact does not offer A/B testing (they do offer subject line A/B testing), no research marketing addition, and also the limited workflows you can create do not offer you drag-and-drop builders, that can be pretty much standard nowadays. If you require automation for interactions with customers Constant Contact is a trusted automation system. However, if you would like sequencing and flexible workflows that adapt to your customers' specific activities, then Constant Contact is not strong enough to compete in the marketing automation space.
Nowadays, the Matter, is that there are plenty of other email Tools offering even greater than Constant Contact, and also for a whole lot less money. This includes not just features, but also user experience. In reality, for the amount you pay with Constant Contact, you could find yourself using stronger tools like ActiveCampaign and GetResponse.


Our staff of experienced professionals understand the industry and with over four years of experience in working in California's legal framework we understand every facet of managing a business in the industry and are here to help. From concept to completion, AgDynamix will audit your existing business documentation, permitting, and licensing to help you understand what needs to be done to either finalize or manage your business more effectively. Find out today how we can assist you. For a limited time only we will offer new clients a complimentary consultation of ONE HOUR! Please note that most initial appointments run up to 2 hours. Please be sure to provide AgDynamix with all of the documentation you have pertinent to your project for this assessment.
Please note that AgDynamix is by appointment only. Though our staff can assist with basic administrative tasks, compliance support must be pre-coordinated even if you are en engaged client. Also note that our in office hours are from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm and our phone hours are 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
AgDynamix employs a strict process for intaking new clientele and gathering and auditing documentation. It is important that all clients maintain engagement through the compliance process in order to ensure that they are working towards achieving full compliance. Our staff are here to assist you with troubleshooting issues related to your business from time to time that may arise as well as assist with filing and reporting services subject to hourly billing. If you feel you would benefit from any of our administrative support services or would be interest in yearly administrative support packages please let us know.
Farm Labor Contracting Licensed & insured (FLC LIC#00242053) (Payroll, Labor, & Human Resources) COMING SOON!
Farm Labor Contracting (FLC LIC#00242053) COMING SOON!
AgDynamix is Humboldt County's only compliance and management firm that specializes in Agricultural Planning and Management.
We are seeking a pool of candidates to fill multiple types of positions.
If you feel you have skills to fulfill one or more of these areas, we want to hear from you. Some of these positions are subcontracted positions and are subject to hourly billing to client accounts.
Please bring in physical copy of resume with references and cover letter. Resume's without references and cover letters or in any other form will not be accepted for review. We expect you to do your research and learn about the Company before applying.
Proficient in Microsoft Programs, QBO or QBE, Zoho, Sales Force or other similar programs.
Copyright © 2016-2018, AgDynamix • Powered by Precision Intermedia • All rights reserved.


text:
NS_ASSUME_NONNULL_BEGIN

@interface UISlider (Spec)

- (void)slideTo:(float)value;

@end

NS_ASSUME_NONNULL_END

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Brew Crime the Pilot
June 25, 2018 December 9, 2018
Welcome to the first Episode of Brew Crime our Craft Beer and True Crime podcast. This episode deals with two very different stories with an accidental tie in.
Gilles de Rais – In 15th century France he was a nobleman, war hero, comrade in arms to Joan of Arc! Disillusioned by the King that did not protect his comrade he became a serial killer. Guilty of slaughtering over 100 innocent children. Or was he?…
This story paired with 3 Monts from Brasserie De Saint-Sylvestre of France.
Photo from www.thefamouspeople.com
Headstuff
The murder of Dimebag Darrell – Former Pantera guitarist and then current Damageplan guitarist was performing on December 8, 2004 in Columbus Ohio when a gunman opened fire. This is the story. A portion of Pantera 5 Minutes Alone was used under the Canadian Copyright Law for Fair Use.
This story paired with R&B Brewing Ursos Arctos Russian Imperial Stout of Vancouver.
Photo by Gregg Maston
CBS News article
TRU TV story
Posted in: Podcast | Tagged: craft beer, dimebag darrell, gilles de rais, indie beer, murder, Podcast, serial killer, true crime
Brew Crime is coming
Episode 1 – On the Road One Last Time
2 thoughts on "Brew Crime the Pilot"
morbidmorag says:
I hope you found me when you googled "GdR + innocent", or my life has been wasted. I'm not even French!
Nor am I a descendant – his line died out in the early 1500s, anybody who claims to be a descendant is lying. Just someone who hates injustice, & this is the biggest injustice of all time. Does it matter? Well, what if it was you? 600 years after your death & people are still hurling insults at you because you're supposed to have done horrible things that you didn't do. Would you think that was OK?
These weren't FRENCH people who were pro England. G was tried in Brittany, an independent duchy. Jean V alternated between supporting the French & English sides, but signed a treaty with England halfway through the trial. The Bishop of Nantes, who was also Chancellor of Brittany, was pro England his whole life (for excellent political motives). He led several embassies to London & was widely believed to have taken bribes from the English. G was THE pre-eminent French war hero after Joan, & he was trying to revive her memory. In fact, his play implied she was a saint. Join the dots.
Also, there is no eye witness testimony except for that produced under torture by G & his two servants (not his cousin. His two cousins both escaped: one of them, Roger de Bricqueville, lived with G's daughter & her husband & finally the king gave him a pardon). Most of the evidence was hearsay. A lot was of the order of "I saw a man in Machecoul looking for his son" & "Yes, I knew a couple who had a child who went missing". There were very few family members in court. When detailed accounts are given, they're contradictory in the extreme: at one point G is in two places at once. A lot the (fewer than forty) named victims disappear in Machecoul, Brittany when G is recorded as living in Tiffauges, France.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. I'm writing a book. The real story is much more interesting than the myth!
Sorry for the late reply. I am guessing you may not have listened to the episode as at the end of the story Beck brings up the fact that he was likely not what he was accused of doing. She started the research and near the end found the information that it could be all fake. It is a great story regardless so it was told with the caviet at the end.
Thanks for leaving the comment though. When will the book be released?
Leave a Reply to Mike Cancel reply


Planning your honeymoon? Instead of traveling abroad, look for honeymoon tour packages India. Not only will it be more economical, but there are also some amazing options in our country's backyard. India has plenty to offer — from snow-capped mountains to sun-kissed beaches.
This is one place that needs little introduction. Known for its beaches, parties and relaxed atmosphere, Goa has far more to it than the stereotypical beach party. On your honeymoon, you can book into a hotel with a private beach and just relax and enjoy in some of India's best hotels. Explore the old Goa's nooks and crannies and enjoy it's delicious food.
The white beaches of Lakshadweep are stunning, if somewhat secluded. Only 10 of this archipelago's islands are inhabited. Lakshadweep's many charms include secluded lagoons and coral reefs! Then there is the mesmerizing psychedelic sea with its changing hues of green and blue. It may not be a luxury destination, but it is far from the madding crowd and particularly great for its unspoiled coral reefs.
This is a land that has inspired songs, poems, artists and leaders. Described often as 'heaven on earth' Kashmir is as stunning as you have always been led to believe! The snow-capped peaks, miles of orchards and the most amazing food you will ever eat — you will find plenty to see and do. Don't forget the mandatory shikara ride on the Dal lake and boathouse stay.
Once you visit the Andamans, you wonder why it's not at the top of honeymoon tour packages India. Well, the tourists' loss can be your gain since you won't have to fight the crowds. Only a few of these islands are inhabited and some are forbidden for visitors. It's white beaches and verdant jungles are the perfect backdrop to some of the most amazing diving sites in the country.
This is the city of lakes in the middle of a desert state — what can be more romantic than that? Udaipur lives up to the charm of its popularity. A relatively smaller city with stunning palaces and forts one associates with Rajasthan.
God's Own Country is truly a beautiful place, one which can seep into your very soul. With stunning beaches and equally beautiful hilly areas, Kerala is like a treasure trove to be discovered at a leisurely pace. The must-do here are the beach stay, an Ayurvedic massage, houseboat stay and a visit to its spice, coffee or tea plantations.
These are our top picks for honeymoon tour packages India. What's yours?
Travel agencies play an important role in streamlining an entire tour of a family. A vacation becomes very if you hire a travel and tour agency. You don't have to spend much energy trying to explore the new areas of an unknown place. They can guide you and suggest you through your entire journey. Though the importance of Indian travel agency has declined since the invention of the internet as people can get to know about everything over the internet, still travel agencies are the best to be taken help from.
Indian travel agency would help you to book the best and affordable hotels, flight and also would suggest you with the best places to hang out, eat and sightseeing. The Internet doesn't always help; it may at many times provide you wrong information. Thus it is wise to take the help of a local agency who is well acquainted with the place.
To survive in the competitive market, travel agencies have cut down their rates so as to attract as many clients as possible. Travel agencies in any way are not able to make huge profits as they only get a small amount of commission from the hotels and flights which they recommend to their clients. Some travel agencies even do not charge an extra additional fee.
Indian travel agency can make complex trips a lot easier. If you do not have much time to research about the places you are intending to visit, leave it entirely upon them. They can streamline your entire journey. After this, book the hotels and flights which are suggested by them. This would not make your task easier but also save a lot of time.
Travel agencies are important but somewhere or the other it is losing its importance because of the immense use of the internet. People are clearing all their queries by checking the reviews which are posted on the internet by the people who have already visited that place. But whatever you get over the internet might be right, but 'quality' information can only be achieved by the travel agencies. Internet would never let you know about the minute details of a local area.
Sure, Indonesia is far more than Bali, but this tropical paradise still attracts people in droves. The reason it has remained a firm favorite for the international tourist is because of its unique spirit — a mix of spirituality, serene happiness and its many temples. With top class hotels and services, Bali also scores as a luxury destination. It's the perfect place to switch off, swim in its many infinity pools and enjoy the legendary Balinese hospitality.
The batik art in Indonesia is a class above any other version. The batik artwork can be seen everywhere — from masterly framed creations to lampshades, colourful shirts, skirts and sarongs. You will not be able to resist these eye-catching creations, we recommend that you learn the art at one of the many art classes. You can find these classes in almost every city. But Yogyakarta and Surakarta is one of Indonesia's well known centres. Join a class and watch a masterpiece come to life!
How can you miss a close encounter with the legendary Komodo dragon? Fierce, majestic and mysterious, the dragon is one of Indonesia's top draws. Located in the Lesser Sunda Islands, the Komodo National Park was founded to protect the world's largest island. Today it is a UNESCO World Heritage Sites well as one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature. Equally enthralling is the marine life around the Komodo islands.As part of the Coral Triangle, it is also worth visiting for its rich marine biodiversity.
One of the most memorable features of Indonesia is its serene and soothing spirituality. Not surprisingly then that it is also a land of majestic temples — notably the 9th centuryBorobudur temple and the nearby Candi Prambanan from he same era. The first is the largest Buddhist monument in the world, home to more than 500 Buddha statues. Candi Prambanan while the is a Shiva temple which until recently was unknown. It was discovered by a Dutchman in 1733 buried deep in the jungles of Yogyakarta.
These are our top picks of things to include in an Indonesia vacation package. Happy exploring!
A tour package is one of the best ways through which you can plan your vacation. A tour package is a proposal or is an offer where a travel company arranges for your tickets, hotel bookings and also fixes the travel itinerary for you so that you can visit all the popular places of tourist attraction of a place and make the most out of your vacation.
Even then there are certain points that must be borne in mind so that you can get the best returns from offers such as Bangkok Tour Package From India. Let us take a look at these points.
The Number of Nights Stay – This is very important and becomes all the more imperative when you look ahead to cover a large number of spots and places in one visit. In this context, you must have an idea of all the places and the cities where you will rest for the night. Do a good research on the cities and see that whether you would actually want these cities to be included and to what extent.
Hotel Bookings – Be sure of checking with the hotel when you find their names in the offer package such as Bangkok Tour Package From India. Tell the travel company about your preferences, like if you want non vegetarian food from the hotel. They will be doing your bookings accordingly.
Spots Of Visit/Research – Do a good research of the place that you will be visiting. Do not rely on the expertise and the knowledge of the travel company alone. If there are certain spots of attraction that have not been included in them and yet you wish to visits them then do mention the same to the company. This can help to make your trip a lot more fruitful and enjoyable.
Price – Packages such as Bangkok Tour Package from India are quite expensive. You can get a large number of companies in the market who can give you similar offers. In order to avail the best deal, it is imperative that you do a good research on the available companies, compare their offers and also their prices and then make your choices. This can help you have a better deal.
Planning your tour with the help of packages is one of the best things that you can do, however, to avail the best deals the above-mentioned points are certain criteria that must be borne in mind.
Egypt is one of the most beautiful places in the world. The trip to Egypt is not similar to trips to other countries and moreover, it is very hard to survive in a country like Egypt. There are certain rules and restrictions in this country which must be abided by the travelers also. If you've got an Egypt travel package, then don't forget these tips.
The scenario in Egypt is different from various other countries. They have a bidet spray nozzle built in, but no one would prefer to have a setback. So it is important to carry enough toilet paper that lasts long.
Scammers are very common in Egypt and their solo target is the travelers. So it is important to take care of your belongings and not fall prey to the scammers. When you take an Egypt travel package, the companies provide you a travel agent who will stay with you on the trip and keep you safe.
These are some of the things to remember and if you are a woman then do not let any Egyptian men touch you as it is considered as a mistake there. Enjoy your Egypt tour with affordable Egypt travel packages.


Yesterday, our household successfully finished the first day of school, finally. Let me take you back a few weeks.
On the week of August 20th, Bekah and started preparing for school by timing the walk from our house to the front door of her new elementary.
On Thursday of that week Matt and sat through our much needed Kindergarten Parent Orientation, but my mind was so distracted by the fact that a guy name Harvey was a about to spin into our town. We left the meeting, spent a good hour bewildered by the site of empty shelves at our local HEB, then received a frantic phone call from Shelby who was watching the littles. Morgan chose the night before a hurricane's planned arrival to have her first emergency room visit.
Come to find out we may have slightly overreacted, but I am telling you it looked like she had been stabbed in the face, there was blood everywhere. Miss thing took a nose dive (or was catapulted off - depending on which story she wants to tell) off a recliner and landed face first onto a pile of toys. She wound up busting her lip and scrapping all the skin off her gums (hence the blood).
At first she was planning on staying overnight telling us about how she was going to eat dinner on the silver tray (that holds medical tools normally), then she moved to "what is taking these people so long." We were seriously there for no more than fort-five minutes then proceed to spend an hour at the pharmacy with frantic people trying to get their prescriptions re-filled before the storm. As our favorite dentist, Dr. Joe said over a week later (we were supposed to go in right away, but Harvey) it will be unremarkable and that's they way it's healed, not a single sign of trauma.
The next morning Bekah and I walked up, in the rain, to the school to meet her teacher, who we already love!!!
We talked to her teacher about Bekah's need to lighten up this year, we will see how that goes.
Later that day, which was Friday, I got to talk to my other girls, the college ones! I got dorm tours including a look at their food supply. We talked about stranger danger and what to do during a tornado. I love these girls and LOVE how much fun they are having!
I hate to even type this, but on Saturday I kind of enjoyed Harvey. Having everything closed and everyone hunkered down gave me prime opportunity to organize and prepare for school the following Monday, but all that relaxing quickly faded as the tornado warnings started going off and I can say, "things got real, really fast."
We spent just about all night moving the girls into our of shelter, we all slept down stairs as the wind blew in and brought the massive rain. I slept, maybe, two hours that night after I realized how fast the water was rising outside of our house. I was just praying for the sun to come up quickly.
Even though the water came up way higher than it ever has before, we were spared. I could go into a entire post about the week that followed, the tears for friends as they evacuated their homes on boats, the tears for people in our community who lost everything in side their homes and for the lives that were lost during Harvey. It was a week I don't want to re-live though signs of him are still very present.
Morgan got to return to school after just a week delay.
She insisted on putting her leg up for all the pictures.
They rolled out the red carpet.
Bekah and Shelby were with me for another week before going back to school.
Give me a minute to catch my breath because this girl started her Junior Year in High School while also turning 16 in the same week. But she hasn't yet realized that I HAVE TO take a picture of her every single year!
So, I followed her out of the house with my flash going. Maybe next year she will be more patient with her mother. Meh, next year she will be a Senior - CRY!
Speaking of crying, I was actually able to hold it together for Bekah's first day. I only believe that was possible because I was so busy at work and that distracted from the fact that I have a kindergartener already.
It felt good, this week, to get back into a schedule while establishing new routines. I have loved the conversations that happen while on our school walk.


Being a professional, published writer, I love titles. Titles, in my opinion, are the bread and butter of starting a story. Titles lurk everywhere. Take this morning, for example.
I live in a country setting. Deer, fox, racoons, and even Big Foot make the woods around my house, home. The trash bin sits down in a little hollow. Every morning, I ease down the trail wondering what animal I'll see. One morning. I saw a coyote, a white one. I was thrilled.
This morning, Alvin the Chipmunk and Peter Rabbit were hanging out together. Ding! Ding! Ding! What a great title!
Chipmunk and Rabbit: A Tale of two unlikely friends and the Adventures they Share Hmm . . . sounds like an award winning children's story for sure.
Bored with your day? Look for titles, they're waiting to be shared.
This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged chipmunk, rabbit, RH Burkett, Ruth B. Bookmark the permalink.
Love your new blog, Ruth – glad to see you on WordPress too! Titles are always one of the hardest things for me to find, but I can't write the story until I have the title.


The wolves are some of the most feared animals in the forest—they're fierce, bold, and strong. Have you seen growling wolf tattoos?
Hands across the sea tattoo for @maxthepug11 thanks man!
If you wish to make your life more fun, or you find a wolf animal as an inspiration, think of colorful wolf tattoos that can brighten your day.
Rose half sleeve #neotraditional #tattoo #neotraditionaltattoo #tattoos #neotrad #traditionaltattoo .
Live Fast Die Last. #дмитрийречной #скуднаяпалитра #подзабитьсяуречного #тату #татуировка .


text:
DIFFICULT ISSUES
ICOM International Conference
21–23 September 2017, Helsingborg, Sweden
Conference On Tour
What We Have Learned
Bridging History with the Present
Conference Info, Welcome, call for presentations, football violence, collective grief, memorial, conference speaker, indigenous peoples, museum work, photographs, violence, suffering, wax museums, uncanny, neutrality, mythology, vikings, master narrative, gender, intersectionality, Media, Self-censorship, role of museums, conflict, legacy, dialogue, engagement, interpretation, de-accessioning, photography, policy, cultural identity, social memory, local museums, community building, education, presentation of wars, traumatic experiences, science, diversity, methodology, fine art, tradition, critique, vandalism, russian minority, everyday culture, collaborative museum, Poland, museum boom, memory culture, politics of memory, LGBTQ, inclusion, immigration, latino, refugees, trafficking, conservation, holocaust, mental illness, moral challenges, digital humanities, open data, legislation, dark history, Lapland, identity, dark tourism, collections, participation, conference poster, ICOM, national museums, Sites of Conscience, human rights, conference_coverage, race, Person museum, problems, forgetting, perspectives, examples, ways of leaving out, Call for Papers, poverty, personal narratives, exhibition, Helsingborg, Helsingor, museums as social agents, promotion, professional development, FAQ, Code of Ethics, museum ethics, discussions, professional ethics, museum employees, local society, sensitive issues
Gepostet 2017-08-20 10:53:54
Publishing photographs of deceased online has begun in Finland quite recently. The focus of this paper is in the challenges of open data publishing of images representing such a taboo motif. The paper describes how two Finnish memory organization succeeded in giving online access to difficult cultural heritage in their photography collections, and discusses the legal and ethical issues which were raised during the process.
Study concentrates on Finnish photographs of deceased dating around the turn of the last century. As a source of photography sampling we use Finnish National Digital Library, Finna (www.finna.fi). Finna provides open access to collections of Finnish museums, archives and libraries. We use methods of digital humanist theory to gather the research data, and concentrate on the images from the Photography Collections of The National Board of Antiquities and Helsinki City Museums Archive of Photographs.
In the late 19th and early 20th century post-mortem photography, departed were photographed and memorialized in studio or in the funeral. Sometimes the departed were accompanied by funeral attendees or family.
The legal background of this work is based on the Finnish copyright and protection of privacy laws. Open access to digital images raises questions about museums' ambitions, breaches of individual rights and use permissions, along with question of a proper way to present dead people in the internet or in mass media. Releasing images as open data passes the responsibility from the museum to the user.
Our study is the first attempt of Finnish museums to create good practices for publishing historical photographs of deceased online. It attempts to initiate the discussion of the ethical and legal issues to a larger professional audience, and to enhance cooperation, joint decision making, and sharing information among museums.
Satu Savia is art historian and curator from Helsinki City Museum, Finland. She has worked as project manager and senior researcher. Current projects focus on photographic collections care and development. Savia has published books and articles of history of photography and museum guidelines.
satu.savia[at]hel.fi
Hanna Talasmäki is art historian and curator. Previously she has served in Helsinki as researcher in museum sector. Talasmäki has worked as researcher in many digitalizing projects at The National Board of Antiquities. She has published articles and books of history of photography and medallic art.
hanna.talasmaki[at]nba.fi
Image: Atelier Apollo, 1911, Unknown child in her coffin. Helsinki City Museum.
Konversation wird geladen


text:
Is it time to rethink the operating system?
By Brien Posey / March 15, 2018 March 14, 2018
As someone who has been working in IT in one way or another for most of my life, I have had the chance to see firsthand just how much the concept of an operating system has evolved over the last 30-plus years. Today's operating systems barely even resemble the prehistoric ones that were considered to be cutting edge back in the 1980s. In spite of all the advances, however, I can't help but wonder if it may be time to take a step back and rethink the operating system.
Remember DOS?
As a kid growing up in the 1980s, my operating system of choice was MS-DOS. DOS was an acronym for Disk Operating System. If you used a PC back then, you pretty much had to use DOS. If you have never seen DOS before, it looked almost exactly like the Windows Command Prompt. You can see MS-DOS 6.22 running in a Hyper-V virtual machine in the figure below.
As operating systems go, DOS was super-lightweight. Early versions ran from a 360KB (yes, kilobyte) floppy disk. Subsequent versions were a little bit larger, but still incredibly small by today's standards. To put the operating system's size into perspective, check out the figure below. The entire operating system, in this case, consists of 48 files and is less than 3MB in size.
Please don't misunderstand me. Even though it may be time to rethink the operating system, I'm not suggesting that we all need to go back to using DOS. As much as I love the fact that the DOS was super-lightweight, DOS had a major shortcoming, which I will talk about in a moment.
The Windows operating system was created to address DOS's one big glaring problem. Even so, the Windows operating system's architectural significance went largely unnoticed. This is probably mostly due to the way that it was marketed. Take a look at one of the early television commercials for Windows, which basically implied that Windows is so easy to use that even your grandma can figure it out.
[tg_youtube video_id="Y7jlEghfk3I"]
Another particularly amusing example of early marketing of the Windows operating system was this little gem in which Steve Ballmer channeled his inner used car salesman in a TV pitch that rivals any of those late-night "but wait, there's more" infomercials.
[tg_youtube video_id="ka3s7mOAOfQ"]
As if that weren't bad enough, I showed this ad to my wife, and she asked me if Microsoft ever followed up with an ad portraying Steve Ballmer as a mob boss who tells potential customers to "buy Windows now, or else Clippy gets it."
OK, I couldn't resist having a little bit of fun with some of the old Microsoft ads, but let's get back to business. What about that major DOS shortcoming that I mentioned? Well, back in the days of DOS, most applications came with a setup program that allowed you to specify your PC's hardware configuration. To show you what I mean, I dug out a game that was released in 1988 and ran the setup program in a virtual machine. You can see what it looks like in the figure below.
Even though this screen capture was taken from a game, almost every application at that time used a similar setup program. This included business applications. A typical business application might, for example, ask the user to specify their graphics card, their modem type, and their printer type.
The idea of an application setup probably doesn't seem that unusual. After all, most of today's Windows applications still rely on a setup wizard. The reason why setup was so problematic in the days of DOS was that there were no operating system-level device drivers, beyond keyboard and mouse support. Every software vendor had to write its own video drivers, printer drivers, etc. This wasn't just a pain for the developers, but also for the consumer. Imagine having to check the specs on the back of the Microsoft Office packaging to find out if it will work with your printer, and you will begin to get a sense of what it was like to buy software in the 1980s. At one time, I owned three different printers because there was no one single printer that would work with all of the applications that I used. The struggle was real!
As you have probably already figured out, the reason why Windows was so significant wasn't because it had a pretty point-and-click interface, but because it allowed device drivers to exist as a part of the operating system stack. Suddenly, it didn't matter what printer you owned, or what kind of graphics card was installed on your PC. If it worked with Windows, any Windows application should be able to use it (as long as the hardware met the application's minimum requirements).
So with that in mind, compare early versions of Windows to what we have today. Back in the day, Windows consisted of a kernel (or a command interpreter), a user interface, and a device driver repository. It was everything that was needed for an application to run, and not much more (although Microsoft did include apps such as Notepad and Solitaire). Today, Windows 10 still has the basics covered but also includes countless features that don't technically have anything to do with the operating system's core job, namely running applications. For example, Windows 10 includes a virtualization engine, a mixed reality engine, and even native support for biometrics.
Now please do not misunderstand me — I absolutely love the Windows 10 mixed reality environment, and I can't imagine getting through a day without using Hyper-V. Even so, I can't help but wonder if it may be time to move at least some of the Windows 10 features out of the operating system and into standalone applications. Remember the screen capture that showed the size of DOS 6.22? The ISO file for Windows 10 Pro with the Fall Creator Update is nearly 4GB in size, as you can see below. The Windows 10 multi-edition ISO is over 5GB in size. Does an operating system really need to be that bloated?
Back to bare bones?
Personally, I would love to see Microsoft create a really bare-bones desktop operating system containing a basic GUI, a driver stack, a network stack, and not much more. Such an operating system would theoretically be blazingly fast because the OS is so lightweight. If properly constructed, such an OS could also be far more secure than any modern version of Windows. That's because the chance that an OS will contain exploitable security vulnerability is proportional to the size of the code base. The more code an OS uses, the greater the chance that the code will contain an exploitable flaw.
Sadly, I think that a minimalist Windows operating system will remain a pipe dream. It would be difficult for such a stripped-down operating system to run existing Windows applications. Besides, Microsoft has drawn sharp criticism from customers almost every time that it has ever tried to remove an operating system feature. Consider, for example, the difficulty of running applications on Nano Server (before Microsoft turned it into a container only OS), and the related backlash that Microsoft received from its customers and you can begin to get a sense of how a super-lightweight desktop OS might be received.
Still, the concept of a super-lightweight OS might not be a complete fantasy. The existence of operating systems such as Chrome OS demonstrates interest in the idea of a lightweight and secure operating system.
For those who are not familiar with Chrome OS, it is an operating system created by Google for use on Chromebooks. Chrome OS is designed to be secure and resistant to tampering, with most apps running solely in the cloud. While there is something to be said for having locally installed applications that you can use without Internet connectivity, Google's Chromebooks seem to have carved out a niche, with their widespread use in schools because of their security, durability, simplicity, and long battery life.
Personally, I can't really see myself using a Chromebook because the devices are too limiting. However, a thin client device might make a good alternative because of its ability to run applications remotely, without limiting users to running cloud-only apps like Chromebooks do.
Too large and bloated
As much as I love certain aspects of the Windows operating system, I think that the OS has become far too large and bloated. Slimming down the OS would be a healthy thing, but it remains to be seen how to best shrink the operating system without hurting the people who depend on the operating system in the process.
Static vs Dynamic IP Address
Most people are familiar with Internet Protocol (IP) Addresses, but many people don't know you have 2 types. In this article, you'll learn about static…
Types of Attack Vectors and How to Prevent Them
An attack vector is a cybersecurity term that describes a method used by a cybercriminal to gain access to your computer or network. These attack…
How to Break a String in YAML over Multiple Lines
YAML is a human-readable data serialization format. You can use it to store data for programs, and as an alternative to XML. YAML files are…
Skills That Every DevOps Engineer Needs in 2022
The DevOps engineer role is gaining popularity. Companies expect you to know the software application lifecycle end-to-end. To compete within the industry, you'll need to…
Brien Posey is a freelance technology author and speaker with over two decades of IT experience. Prior to going freelance, Brien was a CIO for a national chain of hospitals and healthcare facilities. He has also served as a network engineer for the United States Department of Defense at Fort Knox. In addition, Brien has worked as a network administrator for some of the largest insurance companies in America. To date, Brien has received Microsoft's MVP award numerous times in categories including Windows Server, IIS, Exchange Server, and File Systems / Storage. You can visit Brien's Website at: www.brienposey.com.
2 thoughts on "Is it time to rethink the operating system?"
I hate Windows 10, i am having such an issue at the moment, i changed account back to standard from administrator now i can't access anything to change it, the UAC box only gives me the no option, have been googling everything to fix it, starting in safe mode but it now no longer accepts my admin password, looking like a complete re-set of windows, just Microsoft getting too smart and not listening to anyone, stick with 7 folks.
Maybe you could try Linux then…


text:
Crops /
Rising diesel prices coming
Posted Apr. 3rd, 2019 by Glen Hallick - MarketsFarm
(Dave Bedard photo)
MarketsFarm — Higher diesel prices are on the horizon for Canada and the U.S. in 2019.
GasBuddy.com senior petroleum analyst Dan McTeague pointed to an increase in overall demand, combined with a slowdown in heavy oil production and the federal carbon tax as well as pending IMO 2020 regulations — that is, the International Marine Organization's planned reductions in sulfur content for all marine fuels, from 3.5 per cent to 0.5 per cent, by Jan. 1, 2020.
"It's the perfect trifecta of bad news," McTeague said. "While (people) may be upset with the gas price increase… they will be even more upset with the increase on diesel, which affects the price of everything."
The analyst suggested people also keep a watchful eye on the value of the Canadian dollar relative to the U.S. dollar. There has been some speculation that the loonie, currently valued just above 75 U.S. cents, could plummet to 62 during the course of 2019, he said.
"If that's the case, look for another 13-cent increase," McTeague said of diesel prices.
Phil Flynn of the Price Futures Group in Chicago said the lack of heavy oil has been taking its toll. Diesel prices in the U.S. are at their highest average so far in 2019, at US$3.08 per gallon, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Flynn suggested an increase to US$3.20 per gallon is possible.
"With farmers about to start planting, that will increase demand," he said.
A big part of the problem has been oil production cuts by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), led by Saudi Arabia, Flynn said.
Added to that has been the U.S. embargo on imports of Venezuela's heavy crude, which used to fed refineries on the Gulf Coast, on top of the inability to ship a sufficient amount of heavy crude from Canada, as the Keystone XL pipeline remains incomplete.
"If that were built, we would be getting a lot more of that heavy Canadian crude," he said.
— Glen Hallick writes for MarketsFarm, a Glacier FarmMedia division specializing in grain and commodity market analysis and reporting.
Tagged Canadian dollar, carbon tax, crude, diesel, diesel prices, Gulf Coast, heavy oil, Keystone XL, OPEC, per gallon, planting, refineries, Venezuela
AGCanadaTV
AGCanadaTV: In Case You Missed It – Your National Ag News Recap for the week ending July 12, 2019
AGGronomyTV
July 1 – July 15: Fertilizer won't pay off without a plan: Episode 1 Fertilizer return on investment: the science behind determining the ROI sweet spot from fertilizer.
More Aggronomy TV Videos