Cobie Smulders: I'm in "The Avengers: Age of Ultron"
Continuing promotions for her upcoming flick "Delivery Man," Cobie Smulders stopped by the set of "Breakfast Television" in Toronto on Friday (November 8).
The "How I Met Your Mother" star donned a light blue dress that was covered by a black pea coat as she greeted her fans outside.
"I am really excited to read the script because they are introducing Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch into the Avengers universe and the bad guy is going to be very interesting," she later added.
Stay linked with GossipCenter for the latest info on "The Avengers: Age of Ultron" slated to hit theaters May 2015.
James Spader Signs On To ??The Avengers: Age of Ultron?
"The Avengers" World Premiere: A Complete Look!


text:
The Role of Dreams in "Epic of Gilgamesh"
By Douglas Matus
••• Photos.com/Photos.com/Getty Images
"The Epic of Gilgamesh," which recounts the adventures of an ancient Mesopotamian king, is considered one of the world's oldest literary works. While based on a historical figure, the hero Gilgamesh lives in a mythological realm of gods, monsters and portents. Several distinct dream sequences in the standard version of the epic lend insight into its symbolism and allegorical weight, along with ancient man's understandings of the divine and afterlife.
Communication Between Gods and Men
Throughout "The Epic of Gilgamesh," dreams serve as conduits between gods and men. Gilgamesh's dreams of the meteor and axe in Tablet One are interpreted as omens of the god-sent Enkidu. In Tablet Four, Gilgamesh prays to Shamash, the sun god, for visions about the monster Humbaba. Gilgamesh later becomes frustrated in his quest for the sage Utnapishtim and entreats the god of the moon, Sin, for a dream. In Tablets Six and Seven, as the gods deliberate over and ultimately condemn Enkidu, they grant the beast-man a vision of the proceedings as they occur.
Visions of the Future
Many of the dreams experienced by Gilgamesh and Enkidu serve as portents of future events. In addition to their function as foreshadowing, these dreams serve to underscore the notion of fated heroes with preordained destinies. These portents also provide insight into ancient Mesopotamian religious beliefs and suggest notions of predestination and the timelessness of the divine. Gilgamesh's mother, the goddess Ninsun, correctly interprets his dreams in Tablet One as prophetic of the arrival of Enkidu. In Tablet Seven, Enkidu foretells his own demise with a symbolically complex vision of the underworld.
Dream Symbolism
Gilgamesh and Enkidu both have dreams with strange symbolic images. The meteor and axe that appear in the first two dreams, representative of Enkidu, inspire feelings of sexual possessiveness in Gilgamesh. The meteor, which falls from heaven, represents the god-sent nature of Enkidu, while the axe represents Enkidu's role as a battle companion. The sexual connotation symbolizes Gilgamesh's strong feelings for his male companion, which he previously only associated with sexual desire. A bird-man greets Enkidu in his nightmare of the underworld, and the dead appear cloaked in feathers. The avian emphasis reflects a deeply-rooted symbolic association of birds with the souls of the dead, also present in imagery and stories from Hindu and Egyptian mythology.
The Role of the Seer
Certain figures serve as explainers of dreams and fulfill a priestly role as interpreters of divine messages. Ninsun, the minor goddess associated with wisdom, displays her affinity with the divine when she accurately explains Gilgamesh's odd visions in Tablet One. The wild-man Enkidu, who represents man in a state closer to nature and the divine, also accurately interprets dreams. Enkidu optimistically explains away Gilgamesh's terrifying visions of Humbaba and promises Gilgamesh's victory over the monster. In Tablet Seven, Enkidu correctly understands his own nightmarish vision of the underworld. Enkidu also receives a comforting vision from Shamash that describes Gilgamesh's mournfulness in the aftermath of his death.
Columbia University: The Development and Meaning of the Epic of Gilgamesh
California State University, Northridge: The Gilgamesh Epic
Myths Encyclopedia: Birds in Mythology
Douglas Matus is the travel writer for "West Fort Worth Lifestyle" magazine, and spent four years as the Director of Humanities for a college-prep school in Austin. Since 2005, he has published articles on education, travel and culture in such publications as "Nexus," "People's World" and "USA Today." Matus received an Education Pioneers fellowship in 2010 and an MFA from CalArts in 2011.
Photos.com/Photos.com/Getty Images
Hindu God of Creation & Destruction
Powers of Arion in Greek Mythology

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Higher vector spaces As far as I know there are different ways to categorify the notion of vector space/module. These appear (for example) when trying to find extended TQFTs. There are at least two ways (presented at $2$-vector-space at nLab and more generally in the article on $(\infty,n)$-modules):

*

*The 2-category $\mathsf{Vect}_2$ whose objects are $k$-linear categories, $1$-morphisms are functors and $2$-morphims are natural transformations;

*The 2-category $1\text{-}\mathsf{Alg}$ whose objects are associative $k$-algebras, morphisms are bimodules and $2$-morphisms are bimodules morphisms.

The two are linked by some kind of Tannaka duality: there's a functor $1\text{-}\mathsf{Alg} \to \mathsf{Vect}_2$ (described here) that maps an algebra $A$ to its category of modules $\mathsf{RMod}_A$, an $(A,B)$ bimodule $N$ to the functor $- \otimes_A N$, and a bimodule morphism to the associated natural transformation.
I think this is fully faithful but not essentially surjective. Am I right? How to describe the essential image of this functor? A category in the image has to at least be monoidal and rigid, for example. Is the image possibly the fully dualizable objects?

A: As I already noted in the comments: A $k$-linear category is equivalent to a module category iff it is abelian, cocomplete, and there exists a compact projective generator. This is a version of Morita's theorem, which can be found e.g. in this article by Bernhard Keller.
For the question about which functors are equivalent to tensor functors the answer is given by Eilenberg-Watts theorem stating that these are exactly the functors which are right exact and preserve small coproducts (see e.g. Athens following article in nlab: http://ncatlab.org/nlab/show/Eilenberg-Watts+theorem )

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Are you still writing your to-do list down on a legal pad? Even worse, does your office look like a tie-dyed mess of brightly colored Post-it notes reminding you of upcoming appointments and to-dos? It's time to step into the era of digitization, starting with your task list! That is a bold statement but you must go digital with your task list to be the most efficient and effective. It's essential! Unless you're obsessed with the old school method and could care less about improving your productivity, take advantage of current technology and reap the many benefits of going digital!
When your tasks are on paper they tend to multiply rapidly and find homes in random places. A sticky note on your computer screen. A jotted memo on the back of a client file. A reminder on a paper napkin from a lunch meeting. By having your task list digitized, you are able to capture all of your tasks and reminders in one convenient, centralized location. It's like a one-stop shop for all of your to-dos and reminders.
How would you feel if you misplaced or lost the notebook you wrote down all of your tasks inside? Would you freak out? That's a given. You would also likely struggle to remember your tasks. What if you couldn't find the contact information of a prospective client you were supposed to call that you had written down? There went that potential business. This exact scenario happened to one of my clients last week. She lost several hours looking for a phone number on a note she misplaced. Don't let that be you! If you go digital and activate the appropriate settings, your task list will be backed up online so you will never lose it.
Along with digitizing your task list comes the ability to integrate it with your calendar. You can best utilize this feature in two ways. First, if you have a task scheduled for a particular day you can clearly see it when you are inside your calendar scheduling appointments. That visual reminds you that even though you have an open block of time on your calendar, you do not necessarily have adequate time for a meeting. Secondly, you can use the integrated calendar feature to prioritize tasks based on the time you have between appointments. This ensures you do not overschedule yourself with appointments or tasks.
Your inbox is not your task list so stop treating it that way! If you use your inbox as a task list you will repeatedly inundate yourself with others' requests of you instead of accomplishing what you need to do. Working reactively through your inbox prevents you from moving forward with what is most important to you. Since many tasks are initiated from emails, it is wise to set up one-click integration to easily add pertinent information to tasks during their creation. You can only take advantage of this time-saver if you use a digital task list. This is a strategic time-management method you can use when you process your emails. If you use Outlook, utilize the quick steps to add emails to your task list with just one click.
As entrepreneurs, we are always on the go. Being mobile has thus become a necessity! Your tasks and ideas come to you at all times of the day, not just while you are conveniently sitting at your desk in front of your computer. Having your task list sync to your phone and other devices will enable you to capture tasks as you think of them. Have a bright idea for a marketing campaign while waiting for the receptionist to call your name? Simply create a task to research the idea right there on your phone! The task will be on your computer when you return to the office and are ready to complete the task. Having your task list synced to all your devices will also provide convenient access to your list so you can view and complete simple tasks while out of the office.
Never forget a re-occurring task again. You know, the repetitive ones that fall off your radar as afterthoughts but are still necessary. Tasks like purging your files, following up with past clients, paying bills, or even just changing your air filters. Going digital with your task list means anything you want to consistently be reminded to do can be automated as a re-occurring task daily, weekly, monthly or annually. This removes the inefficacy of repeatedly typing and writing tasks that require completion on a re-occurring basis, not to mention just plainly forgetting to do them.
Categorizing your task list is a bit more advanced but it can prove to be very beneficial. Categorizing enables you to quickly prioritize because you can group together similar tasks for greater efficiency. Initially, I suggest tracking the types of tasks you spend your time on and grouping them as either Administrative or Revenue Generating. This will help you stay focused on your goals because it forces you to identify the area of your business that will benefit from completing each task and the order you should complete them. If you want to take categorizing to another level, you can use specific categories for each project or division in your business.
Often times written task lists are missing the most important information – the due date! If you do not have a digital task list, you are probably only creating to-do lists for one day at a time. Any uncompleted tasks then get rolled over (hopefully) to the next day. Many of those tasks don't need to be accomplished that day or even the next, but your attention is constantly being drawn to them. By assigning due dates to each task on your digital list, you will not need to look at tasks until the appropriate time, thus freeing up time and energy to focus on tasks that do require your immediate attention. Applying due dates is how I successfully maintain over 200 tasks on my task list without feeling overwhelmed. I only look at the current day's tasks unless I am performing my weekly review.
Going digital efficienizes (I love my made-up word) your task list! Truth be told, there are many days you will not complete all of your tasks, or maybe any of your tasks in rare circumstances. It is super-efficient to have those tasks automatically roll over to the next day. Making the move to digital means saying goodbye to re-writing your uncompleted tasks over and over again.
Your next sensible question might be, "What program will give me all of these great features?" I use and love Microsoft Outlook® for my task manager. The software gives me all the features I mentioned and more but it is by no means the only program or app that offers task list management. To optimally benefit from digitizing your task list though, I highly suggest you not settle for any program that lacks one of the aforementioned features.
As many of you may have adopted the mantra "Once you go Mac, you never go back," and work strictly on Apple products, I should mention that the Mac version of Outlook® does not have all of these features. I run a dual operating system on my Mac laptop so I can use the fully functioning Microsoft Outlook® software when I am away from my office. I have an Android phone so the app I choose to sync my task list with is Tasks for Microsoft® Exchange by Basili ltd.
Still not ready to take the leap?
If these nine reasons did not persuade you that going digital with your task list is a must for your business, I am not sure what could. If you aim to be efficient and effective with your time and increase your productivity, you must take advantage of the multiple benefits of operating off a digital task list. The ripple effect of increased productivity in your life, including the ability to get stuff done anytime, anywhere, could be mind-blowing!


text:
International Conference Honors Haslam Analytics Professor
Hamparsum Bozdogan received an award for his academic contributions at the International Conference on Information Complexity and Statistical Modeling in High Dimensions with Applications (IC-SMHD-2016) last month. Bozdogan was one of five globally renowned statisticians to keynote the conference in Cappadocia, Turkey.
"This conference provided a wonderful opportunity to foster collaboration among top scholars who span the globe," Bozdogan said. "I believe we achieved our intended theme of advancing the field a step beyond its current boundaries by bringing researchers together to create value and develop long-lasting relationships."
Ninety academics from 16 countries presented their work during the conference. The event opened with a special ceremony honoring Bozdogan for his work in the domain of information complexity and model selection in high dimensions, as well as his dedication to future scholars in the field.
"Hamparsum has dedicated his career to the creation and dissemination of knowledge through his scholarly research, his teachings and his personal and professional mentorship of many Ph.D. students," Charles Noon, head of the Business and Analytics Department, said. "He has also developed and maintained the special relationship that exists between our respective research communities in Tennessee and Turkey."
Professor Olcay Arslan from Ankara University in Turkey chaired the conference, with Esra Pamukçu and Elçin Kartal Koç, doctoral and post-doctoral students of Bozdogan's, coordinating the program and the award.
Bozdogan helped found several statistical modeling conferences at the University of Tennessee and in Turkey. He has mentored and produced more than 20 domestic and international doctoral students. He has held the McKenzie Endowed Professorship at the Haslam College of Business since 1999.
In his research, Bozdogan uses statistical modeling to help medical diagnoses. He has edited six books and currently is writing two textbooks. He has published 70 articles on statistical modeling and model selection with applications to data mining. His data analytics work has provided new prognostic tools in healthcare analytics and benefitted early detection of illnesses from heart disease to breast cancer, as well as other societal applications.
iconmonstr-paper-plane-1-(1)-(1) facebook2 twitter-bird linkedin22
UT Supply Chain Faculty Named Among World's Top Researchers
Report: Tennessee Economic Growth Will Continue at a Slower Pace in 2020
Haslam MBA graduates' starting salaries show record growth in 2019
Haslam Undergraduate Business Ranked No. 27 by Poets&Quants
Google, UT Team Up to Train Students for 21st Century Economy


text:
"effortlessly inspires fascination amongst the audience"
Released in 2007, There Will Be Blood is another film that has long been on my radar but I have simply never had the opportunity to watch it. With the backdrop of a rainy Monday afternoon, I had no idea just how arresting, fascinating yet disturbing my experience of this Paul Thomas Anderson-directed masterpiece would be. To anyone who has not yet seen this film, make sure you banish your phone or any other electronic device so you can fully immerse yourself in one of the most outstanding films of the 21st century.
The indication that there will be perfection in There Will Be Blood is exhibited as early as the opening sequence. After the introduction of eerie classical music and the arid setting of New Mexico, we are introduced to an anonymous miner desperately searching for silver. Little do we know that this tenacity foreshadows the vicious and amorality of the protagonist, revealed to be oil prospector Daniel Plainview. This character, who I think will go down as one of the most memorable characters in all of cinema history, is brought to life by the one of the greatest living thespians on the planet, Daniel Day Lewis. I cannot even articulate how masterfully Lewis morphs into a man, or rather a monster, fuelled by greed, hatred, selfishness and ruthlessness. With his nonchalant usage of physical and psychological abuse, Plainview is a complex character in every sense who effortlessly inspires fascination amongst the audience. It's fair to say that while There Will Be Blood has a really strong supporting cast, the film simply does not work unless you have a lead actor as or more committed or talented than Lewis.
In addition to the strength of Plainview as a character and an Academy Award winning performance, the story of There Will Be Blood is a marvel in its own right. Unlike most films longer than 2.5 hours, the pacing is taut and expertly constructed, and you witness Plainview's downfall as if he were a family member or a friend. Unlike most films about hubris or moral corruption, There Will Be Blood does not have the supporting characters openly comment on the nature of the protagonist, but allows you to remark at him as the story progresses.
I think There Will Be Blood will stand the test of time for two distinct reasons: not only does it examine the greed of oil barons past and present, but it dives into the psychology of an ordinary man who is motivated by self-interest and is contemptuous of his own friends, religion and any potential competitors.
What makes There Will Be Blood a near-perfect movie is not just its virtuosity towards story and character, but towards its execution. The Oscar-winning cinematography, courtesy of Robert Elswitt, doesn't rely on fancy camera movements or a variety of angles, but rather, the composition and framing of the drama, exquisitely shot on Panavision XL 35 mm. The realism is heightened by the usage of real pyrotechnic explosions and the arid location of Marfa, Texas, and it consistently feels like you are partaking in the experience. The tension is heightened by Jonny Greenwood's unsettling and sporadic classical score, and helps transport us back to the early 20th century.
There are very few films since There Will Be Blood that are brilliantly executed across all fronts that have you holding your breath the entire time. If Hollywood even dares to remake this film with a shoddy cast, weak visuals and a rushed script, I know for a fact that there will be blood.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens - new thoughts
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and...


text:
Five things we won't miss about the VHS video recorder
Remember pulling the tape out of the recorder to find it looking like this?
In a world where the pocket calculator was as close as many of us got to technology, the video recorder seemed like it had come from outer space (or possibly off the set of Tomorrow's World).
A whole world of television viewing opened up in the late 1970s with TV shows and the latest(ish) films available to watch whenever we wanted.
Now, that all seems like a very long time ago, with Tivo and Youtube making that pioneering video tech look like it came from the Stone Age. So with the news that the world's last video recorder will roll off production lines in Japan later this month, here's five things we won't miss about VHS.
Chewed-up tapes:
Nowadays it would take a hard disk crash to wipe out all of your data, but in days of video yore, your recordings were more fragile, being committed to a half-inch wide mexal oxide-coated tape being fed between mechanical rollers. Head cleaning tapes didn't seem to do much good, with 'tracking' problems distorting the picture and cause a weirdly warbly sound. And just one kink could cause destroy your wedding video in a disastrous snarl-up.
Missed shows:
Gone are the days of browsing the video shop.
Being able to capture TV programmes forever was science fiction at first, but soon we were beset by first-world problems, such as simply forgetting to record a show, or worse still, a delayed transmission or human error meaning that we ran out of tape - imagine Murder She Wrote stopping dead just before the killer's revealed.
Video Plus:
Technology came to our rescue as the video recorder evolved. Newer models could use Video Plus, where a (usually) six-digit code could be used to automatically select the correct programme to record. Assuming, that is, that you had enough tape (see above), or your mother hadn't unplugged the video to do the hoovering. And the newspaper got the code right (ahem).
Video shops:
These days we can hit a couple of buttons to watch a film. Back in the day… you'd have to schlep it down Blockbuster or Azad or your local video shop. And woe betide anyone who had forgotten to rewind their previous rental. Fines would be incurred. And late returns would also incur a penalty - after all, video shops were just like libraries (remember them?) but with blaring telly screens and popcorn.
Other people:
But the most heinous crime anyone could commit in the world of VHS (and Betamax, and V2000) was to use someone else's video cassette for their own recording. Imagine watching Game of Thrones and 20 seconds into the Red Wedding, up pops Mary Berry going on about soggy bottoms. That's what us video recorder users had to contend with (except with The Sweeney and Fanny Craddock)


Best diving masks of 2019. Marco tells you all about it!
Which criteria should a diving mask meet?
a strap, so that the mask stays on the head.
There are different types of diving masks on the market, each of which suits other preferences. It is therefore impossible to name one product as the best diving mask of 2019. I like to show you the differences between our most sold products, so that you can make a conscious choice for your dive mask.
What do you pay attention to when purchasing a diving mask?
Which diving mask is most suitable for you depends on various factors, such as the size, the silicone skirt, and the glasses.
Diving masks are available in different sizes. So you have diving masks that are especially suitable for children's faces, for narrow adult faces and for standard adult faces. If you want to know if a mask fits well, put it on your face without attaching the band behind your head, and breathe through your nose. If the mask pulls a vacuum, you know that the size is good.
For the silicone skirt you have the choice of a clear (transparent) or dark look. The choice for one of these two options depends on your own preferences. Qualitatively, there are no differences. People choose clear silicone because of the light transmittance and the wider field of view. Do you want to remove the extra light and ambient shades for a quieter view? Then you will probably choose a diving mask with dark silicone. Not only the color, but also the material can vary per diving mask. The cheaper masks are often equipped with some stiffer silicone material that we had in the past. Diving masks in the mid and high-end class feature smoother and softer silicone material which is easy to fit to the shape of your face, resulting in greater comfort.
There are two options for masks in terms of glasses, 2 glasses or 1 continuous glass. In terms of visibility it does not matter which type of glasses you choose. But beware: do you wear glasses or lenses and would you like a diving mask with glasses on strength? This is only possible with diving masks with separate glasses. For this, I refer you to the blog 'Diving mask with glasses on strength'.
The diving masks in the entry level and middle class are not equipped with anti-reflective glasses. The high-end models of diving masks are equipped with anti-reflective glasses and often also offer UV-420 protection and colored glasses. The anti-reflection coating on the glass allows for greater contrast and a calmer view.
More information about a diving mask?
Would you like more information about our diving masks or would you like advice on which diving mask is most suitable for you? The staff at Lucas Divestore are happy to assist you. Feel free to contact us!
Which Surface Marker Buoy is suitable for your dive? Bjorn explains!


text:
Travel day! Villavieja to Bogota, Colombia
We were up a little late again yesterday morning. Because of the itchy rash, I haven't been sleeping much and so when I am actually sleeping in the morning, Ruth just allows me to sleep. That's all fine and dandy, but we should be getting up earlier on travel days.
We paid our bill at the hotel in Villavieja. Nice friendly little town and we would have liked to have stayed longer if it hadn't been so darned hot!
Amazing scenery at Colombia's Tatacoa Desert (part 2)
We're in Bogota now (that story will come tomorrow morning!), but we still wanted to continue this morning's post. So you might want to read that first if you haven't already. It's available here...
http://www.travelwithkevinandruth.com/2015/11/a-bumpy-ride-to-colombias-spectacular.html
Okay...so if you've read that part we can now continue with our desert tour!
A bumpy ride to Colombia's spectacular Tatacoa Desert (Part 1)
The only reason we came to Villavieja was to see the Tatacoa Desert. But during the day from 10:00am to 4:00pm, it's too hot to do anything else but laze around. So other than going for breakfast, that's exactly what we did until about 3:00pm.
At that time, we walked down to the central plaza and made arrangements with a "moto-taxi" to take us into the desert.
Travel day! San Agustin to Villavieja, Colombia.
You never quite know what to expect on a travel day. Sometimes everything goes smoothly, and other times it does not.
Yesterday was a "does not" kind of a day!
The odd statues at San Agustin, Colombia
Yesterday morning, we walked down to the main road and took the local bus to the archaeological park. It's only a 3 km walk, but we decided to take the 1,200 peso ($0.55 CAD) bus.
We had already paid the admission fee via the park passport we had bought during the tour yesterday.
Busy day, including Colombia's highest waterfall...
Yesterday morning we were sitting at the table here at the hostel, having a hot chocolate and just finishing up writing the blog when the girl from the hostel comes over with a guy who does jeep tours of the area. We had wanted to do one of these tours because it's the only way to see some of the sights we wanted to see.
But he was leaving right then! In fact, the jeep was waiting outside with four other people already in it, and he was looking for two more passengers to fill the vehicle.
Not many birds, but lots of butterflies!
We came to San Agustin to visit the archaeological park here, but we heard rumors that it was to be closed on Tuesday. It's supposed to be open every day of the week, so we figured that the only way to find out for sure was to walk on over there!
The main part of the park is 3 kms (1.9 miles) from town, so if it ended up being closed at least we would get a walk out of it!
Travel day! Popayan to San Agustin, Colombia.
Had to get up fairly early yesterday to get to the bus station at a decent hour. We had read that the road between Popayan and San Agustin is in pretty bad shape at some parts, and that the 135 km (84 mile) journey would take 5 hours.
Got up, went out to get some take away breakfast stuff, stopped at the BanColombia ATM to get some more pesos then back to the room to grab our bags. As we left the hotel, we flagged down one of the thousands of little yellow taxi cabs, and paid him 3,000 pesos ($1.36 CAD) to take us to the bus station.
No better, but no worse...
Went for a walk around town yesterday morning. Stopped into a place for breakfast and ended up having lunch. We weren't really presented with a menu, and by the time we finished talking to the guy about what to have we ended up with plates of rice and meat again. A little expensive too...with the hot chocolate it came to 24,000 pesos ($10.92 CAD) for the two of us.
Too funny. I know that's still dirt cheap, but it's more than we have paid at other places.
A visit to a Colombian doctor...
Not for Ruth this time though. Fortunately, her kidney infection from a week or so ago seems to be all better.
This time, it's my turn.
About five or six days ago I noticed a rash appearing on the left side of my right calf. I've had this twice before in the past couple of years, both times while in Mexico. But this time it got much worse.
Travel day! Buga to Popayan, Colombia.
Yesterday was a travel day, and while some travel days go smoother than others...this was one of the worst. Not terrible, really...just not one of the better travel days we've had.
At least we woke up to some sunshine and blue sky.
The bus terminal in Buga was located just over 1 km from our downtown hostel, so we decided to walk it.
Six miles in the Colombian jungle
Yesterday, we signed up for a guided tour to a waterfall done through the Buga Hostel where we're staying. There is a local guy, Pipo who runs inexpensive tours to several nearby locations.
There was one other couple who went with us, Courtney and Joel from Florida. The five of us met in the lobby here and then walked a few blocks to take a local bus into the countryside.
Exploring the city of Buga, Colombia
Went for a walk around the small city of Buga, Colombia yesterday. Population here of about 98,000 people. It's not on the international tourist trail at all. Most people head straight to the city of Cali, about 70 kms (43 miles) away.
But in doing the research, we couldn't find much of interest to us in Cali, plus we've had several locals tell us it's not the safest city. So we are going to skip it.
Travel day! Filandia to Buga, Colombia.
We paid our bill at Bidea Hostel in Filandia. 186,000 pesos ($88.35 CAD) for three nights. A little overpriced compared to some of the other hostels we've stayed at in Colombia. Two things that typically have bothered us about these hostels...the kitchen facilities available to the guests have been substandard in our opinion, and they seem to have a massive shortage of hooks and hangers in Colombia, because none of the hostels that we have stayed at have enough of them!
Seriously, for something so simple...buy some hooks for the walls and put up some shelving in the rooms! And yes, we did mention this to the young owner before we left.
The fascinating scenery at Valle de Cocora, Colombia
This area is why we came to Salento to begin with. Of course we had seen pictures on the web while doing our research for this trip, and that was the instigator to come here. But pictures never do it justice, and that's certainly the case here. Being there in person is far better.
Ruth had not been feeling well last week, so we never made it there on our schedule. But we weren't leaving the area without seeing the giant wax palm trees! So we hung around a few more days until Ruth recovered. Yesterday, was the day...
Nice lookout tower...but it's closed.
Supposed to be breakfast included at this hostel, but as we watched the girl put it together yesterday morning we realized there wasn't much for us. Sure, coffee and tea, but we had already made our own hot chocolate anyhow. She brought out a big plate of chopped up papaya, and there were a couple of bananas and some bread and jam. That's it. Of course we couldn't eat the bread...so we left for our hike still a little hungry.
We stopped at a bakery. It's common in this area to get "pan de bono" which is a really soft cheese bread made with corn flour. It's really nice actually!
Travel Day! Salento to Filandia, Colombia
We really enjoyed our stay at El Mocambo farm hostel near Boquia, Colombia. It's a beautiful, tranquil spot. But, we had to move on...mostly because we couldn't extend our stay there, otherwise I think we probably would have!
El Mocambo has a shuttle service to bring you in to Salento at 8:00am, so we were up at 6:00am yesterday morning in order to get packed up and have breakfast before we left.
The town of Salento, Colombia
Yesterday, we relaxed for the morning and then went into Salento in the afternoon. This morning we are checking out of where we are staying and they only accept cash. We stayed two days more than we planned, plus we have to pay cash at the next place we are staying too so we had to find an ATM.
Otherwise, our cash supply would have been running low.
Hike to a waterfall
Ruth doesn't like being cooped up, so despite the fact that she was not feeling 100%, she wanted to get some fresh air. So she said she felt well enough to try the hike to the waterfall, and if we had to take our time and rest along the way, then so be it.
She did come for breakfast and get some food down, so that was a good start.
Not a great day
Yesterday's post was titled "Ruth is feeling better" but unfortunately things went downhill shortly after that and she had a bit of a rough morning. She spent most of the day in bed, and by afternoon was resting and feeling a bit better. Not much of an appetite for dinner, but she did come and sit up in the common area for a while in the evening.
So, no hike to the waterfall to show you yet, and we've extended our stay here until Saturday morning.
Ruth is feeling better...
Ruth has been having some pain and irritation from a bladder or kidney infection of some kind. Like most women, she's had these before at times. Not fun, and they're even less fun when you're traveling. So yesterday we decided we had better do something about it and get some antibiotics.
One of the girls at the hostel had some with her and gave some to Ruth to get treatment started before we went in to town.
Travel day! It's always an adventure...
Before we left Kolibri Hostel in Pereira, we walked over to the nearby Bancolombia and used the ATM. This time, we hit the button for 600,000 pesos ($292 CAD) and it worked fine. So we seem to have found a bank that works with our Canadian debit card. Two out of two times so far.
We went back to the room and packed things up. The bus to Salento was supposed to leave the terminal at 11:30am, and we wanted to be there early in case it fills up. Supposedly there's not another one until 4:30pm.
We've had enough of city life...
When we woke up yesterday morning, the sun was shining. We were trying to decide between a walk up the road into the hills behind the hostel, or a walk into downtown to see the cathedral. I checked google maps, and the road up into the hills only goes for 2 kms (1.3 miles) so we decided to head into the city.
Pereira is a modern looking city of about 380,000 people. Not a lot to do here in the city itself, and it's certainly not on the radar for most visitors to Colombia.
A lot of effort goes into the perfect cup of Colombian coffee!
What a fun and interesting day we had yesterday! No trip to Colombia is complete without a visit to a coffee farm, and when we heard great reviews about a small family run operation that was nearby, we knew this was the perfect one for us.
Don Manolo coffee farm is located just ten minutes outside the Pereira city center. It cost 9,000 pesos ($4.41 CAD) to take a taxi from Hostal Kolibri to the farm itself.
Travel day! Manizales to Pereira, Colombia.
We got up yesterday morning, had the included hostel breakfast at Hostal Kaleidoscopio, and asked the owner Martha if we had time to go for a walk to the monument overlook before check out time. She said "sure", and so we got our bags packed first, and then went for a walk.
This is the monument we were trying to get to a couple of days ago when it started raining and then we were sidetracked by paranoia!
Originally, we were planning on going from here (Manizales) directly to Salento. However staying at a hostel means that you're often talking to other travelers from around the world and sometimes that can give you ideas for different things to do in the area.
I had read that Pereira was more of a working class town, and there's not a lot to do there. But we spoke to five young guys visiting from Ireland and they had toured a small coffee plantation near Pereira and they insisted that it was such a good tour that we really should do it.
So we are going to!
Better to be cautious...
Yesterday morning we did some internet and then went to the common room for breakfast. Breakfast is included in our room cost of 60,000 pesos ($28.00 CAD) here at Kaleidoscopio Hostel, and our host Martha even cooks it for you.
She was a little surprised when we asked for arepas instead of toast...most people want the tourist breakfast. And she was so apologetic that she didn't have any and promised to have some for this morning's breakfast.
October Expenses
Yes, I know...we never did publish our September expense report. I've been trying to be so good about that too, because I know that some of you are interested.
But rather than rehash old news, I'll just give you the total. We spent about $1,400 CAD in September. About $550 of that was motorhome related...new shocks, a new inverter, and the inspection and registration for Saskatchewan plates. Not a bad month overall...I wish October had been that cheap!
Travel day! Medellin to Manizales...
Yesterday was a travel day for us. It's only 192 kms (119 miles) from Medellin to Manizales, but it's on a twisty two lane mountain road where you're lucky to get over 60 km/h (36 mph).
Lots of beautiful scenery though, to keep you occupied for the four to five hour bus ride!
Grocery shopping in Medellin, Colombia
Yesterday was a day of rest...up until we had to climb the hill back up to the house where we've been staying!
The city of Medellin is in a valley, but the suburbs have grown up into the very steep hills of the surrounding mountains. So it's not bad walking down to the grocery store, but walking back up is definitely exercise.
The best view in the world?
Maybe. It certainly ranks right up there among the best views that we've ever seen.
Yesterday we did a day trip to El Penol and the little tourist town of Guatape. El Penol is a rock monolith that has 740 steps that you can climb to get to the top, and it overlooks a beautiful lake that was formed when the Colombian government built a hydro electric dam in the early 1970's.
Exploring central Medellin
Spent the day yesterday exploring central Medellin. The temperature has been great...lows at night around 16C (62F) and highs during the day around 25C (77F). But, it's only just now getting towards the end of rainy season, so although it can be nice and sunny one minute, it can be raining the next minute.
And that's pretty much what happened yesterday.
A bumpy ride to Colombia's spectacular Tatacoa Des...
A lot of effort goes into the perfect cup of Colom...


Stack and unstack function in R are two important functions.
Stack function in R stacks a data set i.e. it converts a data set from unstacked form to stacked form.
Unstack function in R unstacks a data set i.e. it converts the data set from stacked form to unstacked form.
Lets use the "PlantGrowth" data set to demonstrate unstack function in R. PlantGrowth data set is shown below.
Lets use the above data frame to demonstrate stack() function in R.


Update from Foster home. Beau had both eyes removed due to a severe condition. He is very friendly, house trained and can get excited which is great for being 10! Great with kids and other pugs. He gets around really well for being blind. Would be fine in an only dog household. He can do a couple of stairs but more then that a gate or a closed door should be in place.


Formerly The Grossman Institute - The University of Chicago Neuroscience Institute came to us citing a dissatisfaction with support from their previous development team, slow website load times, and a need to rebrand the Institute. They wanted a new site that was simpler to navigate and to manage. They also wanted to make it easy to engage their audience and attend their events.


text:
Kamala Harris Claims She Was A Progressive Prosecutor, But Her Record Tells A Very Different Story
As Senator Kamala Harris rises in the early presidential polls, she is facing increasing scrutiny over her record as a prosecutor in California. In 2004, Harris became district attorney of San Francisco. She held the post until 2011, when she became the attorney general of California.
We speak with Lara Bazelon, a professor at the University of San Francisco School of Law. In January, she wrote a piece in The New York Times titled "Kamala Harris Was Not a 'Progressive Prosecutor.'"
In it, Bazelon writes, "Time after time, when progressives urged her to embrace criminal justice reforms as a district attorney and then the state's attorney general, Ms. Harris opposed them or stayed silent. Most troubling, Ms. Harris fought tooth and nail to uphold wrongful convictions that had been secured through official misconduct that included evidence tampering, false testimony and the suppression of crucial information by prosecutors."
Link to Story, Transcript and 16-Minute Video
Kamala Harris Was Not A 'Progressive Prosecutor'
Worst of all is Ms. Harris's record in wrongful conviction cases.
By Lara Bazelon
The New York Times (1/17/19)
SAN FRANCISCO — With the growing recognition that prosecutors hold the keys to a fairer criminal justice system, the term "progressive prosecutor" has almost become trendy. This is how Senator Kamala Harris of California, a likely presidential candidate and a former prosecutor, describes herself.
But she's not.
Time after time, when progressives urged her to embrace criminal justice reforms as a district attorney and then the state's attorney general, Ms. Harris opposed them or stayed silent. Most troubling, Ms. Harris fought tooth and nail to uphold wrongful convictions that had been secured through official misconduct that included evidence tampering, false testimony and the suppression of crucial information by prosecutors.
Consider her record as San Francisco's district attorney from 2004 to 2011. Ms. Harris was criticized in 2010 for withholding information about a police laboratory technician who had been accused of "intentionally sabotaging" her work and stealing drugs from the lab. After a memo surfaced showing that Ms. Harris's deputies knew about the technician's wrongdoing and recent conviction, but failed to alert defense lawyers, a judge condemned Ms. Harris's indifference to the systemic violation of the defendants' constitutional rights. …


text:
Ex-Pfizer scientist Mike Yeadon claims he could prove COVID vaccine batches are illegally different
Ben Armstrong spoke with former Pfizer scientist Mike Yeadon on the January 10 episode of "The Ben Armstrong Show" about vaccine manufacturing. They discussed how 90 percent of the reported adverse effects of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines came from less than 10 percent of the released vaccine batches. As Armstrong put it, to have such […]
MEDICAL MARTIAL LAW: Bill filed in Washington to create "strike force" to hunt down and "involuntarily detain" the unvaccinated
State legislators in Washington have filed a bill that would authorize the creation of a "strike force" that will be used to "involuntarily detain" people who remain unvaccinated against the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19). The bill is known as "WAC 246-100-040." It is a proposed revision to the state's COVID-19 pandemic protocol as laid out by […]
SGT Report: Evidence of using vaccines for mass murder undeniable
The SGT Report finds new evidence of premeditated mass murder via experimental mRNA Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines, and it presented facts that can no longer be ignored in its January 6 episode. "You've sold us out to globalism. You are working for your globalist partners. I wonder how much they're paying you to betray Canada," […]
The Pete Santilli Show: Mass formation psychosis and COVID as a bioweapon – Brighteon.TV
Alex Jones talks about mass intentional homicide in the community in the January 10 episode of "The Pete Santilli Show," where he shared that the medical-industrial complex "is nothing but a bunch of government minions." He also said that in this communist, state-run system, the government guidelines have nothing to do with promoting life. He […]
Ivermectin documented as "miracle drug" for COVID-19 that could save millions of lives – so why aren't health officials endorsing it?
The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted just how politicized medicine has become in the U.S. and around the world. From the way that the media stifled all discussions of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) despite many physicians saving patients with it and doctors lost their jobs for discussing their successes with it, to the nonsensical insistence on vaccines and […]
Dr. Malone and Naomi Wolf say that Fauci committed "premeditated manslaughter of millions of people"
The latest release from Project Veritas has prompted Dr. Robert Malone, the inventor of mRNA (messenger RNA) technology, and author Dr. Naomi Wolf to call out Tony Fauci and his friends for committing "premeditated manslaughter" against "millions of people." Malone appeared alongside Wolf, who is also a former adviser to Bill Clinton, on an episode […]
The Stew Peters Show: Vladimir Zelenko's life-saving, effective COVID-19 protocols demonized in favor of vaccines – Brighteon.TV
"COVID-19 as a bioweapon that is designed to isolate humanity and create a pathologic pathogenic fear that stakeholders use to manipulate people into an irrational course of action." Dr. Vladimir Zelenko, a known family physician said. According to him, even if the entire population of the whole world contracts COVID-19, "the death rate would be […]
US going through what's now known as a "mass formation" phenomenon
The United States is currently suffering from a phenomenon called "mass formation," where social anxieties over a common threat lead to less-than-sober groupthink due to a strong community desire to combat the said threat. This can occur in any number of species, such as mega-flock behaviors in birds to ideological narrative acceptance in humans. Around […]
Twitter slaps down Project Veritas moments after exposing major Fauci "gain of function" research lie with ban from platform
Project Veritas has become one of the most powerful forces in investigative journalism over the past several years, publishing bombshell after bombshell while doing the job the 'mainstream media' is supposed to do. But the organization has paid a steep price for being good at what it does, including, most recently, being targeted by the […]
CDC's Walensky now admits that covid vaccines "can't prevent transmission" … so what's the point of vaccine passports?
In a recent interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, Rochelle Walensky, queen of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), admitted that Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) "vaccines" do not prevent transmission of the so-called virus. Walensky explained to Blitzer that what the jabs "can't do anymore is prevent transmission" – but when did they ever […]


text:
Anand Tucker
Anand Tucker Explained
Birth Date: 1963 6, df=yes
Birth Place: Bangkok, Thailand
Anand Tucker (born 24 June 1963) is a film director and producer based in London. He began his career directing factual television programming and adverts. He co-owns the production company Archer Street.
He was scheduled to direct Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, but in May 2006 was replaced by Chris Weitz.
Tucker was born in Thailand to an Indian father and German mother. He attended Island School[1] and moved to the UK at the age of 18.
He has one child with his partner, director Sharon Maguire.
As Director
Saint-Ex (1996)
Shopgirl (2005)
And When Did You Last See Your Father? (2007)
Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1983 (2009)
Leap Year (2010)
Gothica (an ABC pilot series) (2013)[2] [3]
Indian Summers (2015)
A Forest of Mirrors
Kensuke's Kingdom
Sabriel
The Inside Outside Man
The Girl at the Lion d'Or
Web site: Archived copy . 2010-03-07 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110727183948/http://www.ishk.org/files/personal_history/history_06.html?is_sess=147d028995aea75d7084b383949b4d4b . 27 July 2011 . dmy .
Web site: Gothica (TV 2013) . . 18 March 2013.
Big Thunder Mountain TV show gets ABC pilot order . Hibberd . James . 29 January 2013 . . It's described as 'a sexy gothic soap set in present day that weaves together a mythology that incorporates the legends of Dracula, Jekyll and Hyde, Frankenstein and Dorian Gray among others'. . 18 March 2013.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Anand Tucker".


Welcome to our wholesale shop! We sell Catholic wholesale rosary beads, religious bracelets, one decade rosaries, keyrings, medals, centers, connecters and crosses. Please browse our shop to see our great value prices and beautiful items.


The organisation is making a donation to the Queensland Premier's Flood Relief Fund and offering direct assistance to employees and their families affected by the floods.
It will also match employee donations to the relief fund and distribute non-alcohol products to emergency workers and affected residents.
The company's distribution and production facilities in south east Queensland are still operating.
The company said in a statement: "Many Foster's employees have spent the last days and weeks supporting friends and family, assisting customers to repair and maintain businesses, with many preparing their own homes for potential flooding."


As if all the other benefits of trees and hedging to the landscape aren't already enough, they're a godsend to horses, too! In amongst the hedgerows is also a good source of forage for them and can provide variety in their diet… but be careful what you plant as some can be harmful.
Breathing…oxygen in, carbon dioxide out. Remember this from your schooldays? Without our lungs, we simply couldn't survive. And likewise, without trees, the green lungs of our planet, we'd struggle to breath.


text:
"No evidence" that compulsory mediation is better than voluntary
Posted by Nick Hilborne
Australia: Rules in two states considered
There is no evidence that making mediation compulsory rather than voluntary produces better results, a review by the Scottish government has found.
The review of five international jurisdictions, including England and Wales, also found that the role of lawyers in mediation could be essential in ensuring good decisions and "useful, fair settlements".
Researchers said the debate over whether mediation should be a voluntary or mandatory process was "divided within and between jurisdictions and clearly has ideological overtones", depending on how mediation is defined and what its "ultimate goal" was seen to be.
"In terms of outcomes for users, there was no conclusive evidence that favoured mandatory systems more than voluntary or vice versa.
"The evidence is conflicting, with some studies favouring one system, some another, and some stating that there is limited or no difference in terms of outcomes between voluntary or mandatory systems."
A study of voluntary and mandatory schemes of mediation in small claims and common pleas courts in the USA found that mandatory mediation had lower rates of settlement than voluntary mediation.
However another US study, of court-ordered mediation in employment cases, showed that compulsory mediation improved settlement rates.
The Scottish review found that all jurisdictions operated "under the assumption that time and cost savings can be made" by using mediation, despite "the limited empirical base".
The involvement of lawyers, which could add to costs, "may be important to justice as parties have the advice and guidance needed to make good decisions and create useful, fair settlements".
The review went on: "Though lawyers may not always be on board with mediation, their role in ensuring quality justice is important, therefore finding a balance between representation and costs, and ensuring education and information about mediation to all stakeholders, is important.
"Most felt that parties were best served with the full support of legal advice in mediation, wherever this came from (i.e. mediators require legal knowledge to support self-represented parties or lawyers should attend)."
The review took the form of a literature review and discussions with "key informants". It covered civil and commercial mediation, excluding family law.
The jurisdictions studied were Australia (New South Wales and Queensland), Canada (Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario), England and Wales, Ireland, and the USA (Florida, Maryland and Ohio).
Settlement rates varied across these jurisdictions, ranging, in general, from 40-90%, with "outliers" on either side.
However, the review concluded that "success" in mediation could be difficult to define.
"A mandatory requirement to try ADR may mean more people seek private mediation or other ADR and settle before reaching an official programme, which may mean that programme statistics of use are low or settlement rates on the official programme are low due to more complex cases reaching that stage."
Mediation could also encourage parties to "take the skills learned back with them to their communities" and improve their ability to deal with disputes themselves in future.
"The very knowledge of what is being measured as 'success' may encourage people to work towards it to the detriment of other things: for example, if settlement is key this may risk increased pressure to settle on parties."
Researchers concluded that it was "necessary to think through what 'success' would look like for any planned system of mediation and whether there should be several measures working in conjunction" rather than one single measure.
The review added that mediation "should not be seen as a panacea, but used where appropriate. It should be a part of giving users access to a range of dispute resolution processes, including trial".
In a major review published last December, the Civil Justice Council called for a 'notice to mediate' system used in Canada to be considered as the first step towards a more "automatic" system of ADR, but found "virtually no support for blanket compulsion".
By clicking Submit you consent to Legal Futures storing your personal data and confirm you have read our Privacy Policy and section 5 of our Terms & Conditions which deals with user-generated content. All comments will be moderated before posting.
Complex regional pain syndrome and personal injury claims
Complex regional pain syndrome is a poorly understood chronic pain condition (lasting more than six months) in which a person experiences persistent severe and debilitating pain.
Eclipse unveils latest version of TouchPoint+
West End law firm Campbell & Co select Proclaim Case Management solution
Pinkney Grunwells selects Proclaim Practice Management solution from Eclipse


Visit the Plans tab at the top to learn more about my prices and get started today. (Limited Spaces Available) This service is nationwide for all clients! Meanwhile, here are some of the perks you can except when using my services!--can't be beat.
Full online login access to my fitness software that you will be able to access 24/7 anywhere with your own dashboard--full personalized to your training needs.
Downloadable iPhone and Android mobile fitness app.
Custom training program that's made just for you and your fitness goals.
Custom nutrition plan & MyFitnessPal integration or Excel w/ my mobile fitness app.
Workout reminders that send alerts straight to your electronic devices i.e cellphone, computer, tablet.
Unlimited exercise video previews and demonstrations, including my YouTube workout videos.
Integrated 1-click chat messenger with your personal trainer, me, instantly.
Social Media integration with Facebook and Twitter.
Online Calendar that displays your entire month's training, check-ins, weigh-ins, and more!
Gym, Home Training, or both types of workouts can be made customized just for you!
Please Note: HangTight with MarC Personal Training is located in Atlanta, GA (EST Zone). Please be advised if you are ordering an online program or have questions after 9pm EST, you will be contacted by a me via your email first thing in the morning the next day. Thank you in advance.


text:
PG 1 PG 2 PG 3 PG 4 PG 5 PG 6 PG 7 PG 8 PG 9 PG 10 PG 11
Thu, 2 Nov 2006 SUBJECT: CH-3Cs TO NKP
76 was one of the two original CH-3C's transferred from TAC with crews to Det 1, 38th ARRS, NKP in July 65. The other one was 85, which was shot down with Lilly's crew! I had probably the only combat rescue unit with both 43's and H-3's! With the old engines, it couldn't pickup much, and we could out run it at 10,000 ft with a H-43, because of it blade stalled at about 65kts. I have pictures of it at NKP (looking painted black) but I seem to remember that was a dark green, the only canned spray paint we could get our hands on to sheep dip it! George Martin can confirm this. He, Phil Stambaugh, Fred Liebert (dead now) were the original Jolly Greens who flew missions along beside us (Naked Fannies). We picked up 8 pilots out of NVN (H-43 - five; H-3- three) from May thru October 65. I think I had a mission in it with Freddie Liebert in Laos. He wouldn't take the time to let me off at a Lima Site and I became a gunner in the back. Of course it could have been 85 as we can't find our "Mission Reports", either! (JOE BALLINGER)
Sat, 28 Oct 2006 SUBJECT: PFLASH
This system (PFLASH) shows a lot of promise for our guys forward in the middle East. We've lost far too many folks and acft to brown out conditions since Desert Storm, though most in Iraq and Afghanistan, post 9/11. This system is being developed on our Pave Low MH-53s and if test kit protoype proves successful, and funding continues to be a non-issue, we'll have it on our last remaining 53s in 07-08 when the last of them ocassionally based here at Hurlburt, when not if the fight, are supposed to be sent to the bone yard. Much as many of us hate to see the Sikorsky war chariot, that it's proven to be, phased out, at least it's leaving service as it entered, born in battle and, it'll fly it's last missions in combat in the middle East before the final journey West. Quite a legacy it leaves, as many of us can testify. As to Jim's question, it'll work in snow as well, not that 53 will ever see snow again unless it's in the mountains of Afghanistan. Two guys in my shop were on that test and say it's awesome, as the briefings support. I'll try and get a picture to send some time soon. It's still pretty propietary. (TOM GREEN)
Thu, 19 Oct 2006 SUBJECT: MARS
I was MARS at DaNang in 68. Flew 59 missions 1/2 of them were in NVN. Yes there are plenty of stories to share. One quick one. The Bug aborted early, went into the Chutes just off of Tiger Is NVN. It became a race to try and get it before it went into the water. We were at orbit 10K ft. and many miles away. We went into a high speed decent with our poles deployed (scary) max speed should be 50 kts. We did get up over 70. The catch was done with the bug about 20 ft from the water. Then with it half way to stow position the winch stopped, so we flew for the next hour with the bug over 100 feet below us. What I never can forget was the radio on guard calling Bandits heading south from Squid and Oyster the 2 biggest MIG bases. But we made it back and delivered the Bug intact. We always flew twice a day on these. Sometimes they went clean and neat. (HARVEY MELTZER)
Mon, 9 Oct 2006 SUBJECT: JERRY "MAD-DOG" MICHAEL SHRIVER
I have seen this before but did not save it. Then when I went looking for it again I couldn't find it. Thanks....I've now saved it in my "Shriver" file. By the way, I've heard Shriver say "I've got 'em right where I want 'em-surrounded from the inside." on more than one occasion. One time was on the mission where I got my first DFC. During my Green Hornet tour we probably put Shriver and his team into the field 20 times or more and I don't ever remember us pulling him out on a normal extraction. His were always 'emergencies'. He seemed to always stir something up and get into fire fights. He loved to run into bambo thickets (said "Charley" was scared of bambo snakes and wouldn't follow the team) and get pulled out on the strings. I remember to this day how his eyes looked as he would talk about how many of the enemy he had killed on a mission. I can only describe them as the eyes of a killer who loved what he was doing. Truley a warrior and I'm extremely proud to have known him. Jerry gave me my MACV SOG plaque (which I still have) one day at FOB II after we had pulled him out of the shit the day before, might have been after the DFC mission or some other one, but I don't remember anymore.
By the way, I don't mean to imply that my bird put him in and pulled him out over 20 times, but my bird did get it's share of it and I think I've probably put him and his team in 'indian country' at least eight or nine times. Probably pull him out just as many times as well. (JIM BURNS)
Fri, 1 Sep 2006 SUBJECT: ALASKAN HH-3Es
There were fifteen 69-model H-3's built and when I was with the 5040th (73-75), we had the last 12 or 13 H-3's built (69-05800 thru 69-05812). 69-0598 & 0599 went to Thule, Greenland. These birds were built with factory modifications for the arctic mission. I remember that they had higher output heaters, additional insulation and I think there was something additional with the hydraulic system (but CRS on this one). Maybe Lew can find some references to this in his T.O.'s.
Shortly after the 5040th de-activated and the 71st ARRS took ownership of these birds, several of them ended up being transferred to Florida and Arizona bases....it just always struck me as kinda funny and ironic that several of these birds built with extra's for the Arctic mission ended up flying from tropical or sub-tropical locations.... (JIM BURNS)
Wed, 23 Aug 2006 SUBJECT: FIELD ENGINE CHANGE
I don't remember any thing about a special rig for engine change self contained on the bird. But I do know that all helicopter people can figure out just about everything. I once changed an engine out in the US using a local tow truck, and rigging a "jin" pole and hand winch. (HARVEY MELTZER)
Wed, 12 Jul 2006 SUBJECT: HIGH FLYING
I also remember that a short time after the over 30k altitude record was set, while on a local flight out of Suffolk County AFB, N.Y., my pilots decided to see just how high we could get. We gave up and stopped climbing (not because the bird wouldn't climb, but because we had had enough) at around 12k. We were over the North shore of Long Island at the time and when he stopped climbing he entered an auto-rotation, down to about a 100' over a potato farm field. It seemed like it took forever to get back down. We probably violated all sorts of regulations doing this with no chutes or oxygen on board.....but what the hell!!!....it was fun. Flying over the 'trail' at altitude while at NKP reminded me of that flight in the HH-43B and also reminded me that I didn't especially like being that high in the HH-43B and I sure as hell didn't like being that high in the CH-3E, especially when we were getting shot at with AAA. (JIM BURNS)
Mon, 10 Jul 2006 SUBJECT: H-43 RECORDS
The following is from Wayne Mutza's book:
"The H-43B distinguished itself in the record-setting arena, breaking eight world records, four for E-1 helicopters (all gross weights) and four for Class E-l.d helicopters (3,858 to 6,614 pound gross weights). The first record was established in FAI class E-1.d on 9 December 1959 when a H-43B piloted by two Air Force pilots attained an altitude of 29,846 feet! The standard H-43B, in mission configuration, topped the previous record held by a Soviet MI-4 helicopter, which flew to 21,982 feet on 12 March 1959. On 25 May 1961 a H-43B reached an altitude of 26,369 with a 2,204-pound payload aboard, exceeding the previous mark of 24,491 feet set by a Soviet MI-4 on 26 March 1960. The type then went on to claim three time-to-climb records on 24 October 1961. The successive distances and times were 9,842 feet in 2 minutes, 41.5 seconds; 19,684 feet in 6 minutes, 49.3 seconds; and 29,426 feet in 14 minutes, 30.7 seconds.
In the Class E-I.d category, a H-43B achieved an Altitude Without Payload record on 18 October 1961 by attaining an altitude of 32,840 feet. For Distance in a Closed Circuit, a H-43B traveled a distance of 655.64 miles on 13 June 1962. And for Distance in a Straight Line, a H-43B traveled a distance of 888.44 miles." (JIM BURNS)
Sun, June 18, 2006 SUBJECT: HOT REFUELING
I came across this shot and it reminded of the times when we went from NKP into Nam and hit the hot refuel pits. There was always a guy with a dozer or some other piece of heavy equipment standing by to literally shove or take you off the pits if you failed to depart as soon as you refueled. No screwing around here. We refueled from the bladders as I recall.
I seem to remember when we stopped to refuel normally watching the Hueys slicks hot refueling. The pilot would hop out for a quick smoke while the other guy refueled. I don't remember if the Army slicks had a GIB or not want to say just the two in the cockpit. Could be I CRS.
(JERRY BUCKNALL)
Tue, 9 May 2006 SUBJECT: M. A. S. T.
M.A.S.T is for Military Assist in Safety and Traffic. We had the program in Montain Home, Idaho. Coordinated with the highway patrol or state troopers, whatever they were called. We would land right at the accident site then transport to the hospital. Probably a precurser to "Life Flight". That was quite awhile ago. (JERRY BUCKNALL)
Mon, 8 May, 2006 SUBJECT: SUSPECTED GROUNDFIRE
Yeah both Pickering & Conover were good guys.I have a funny story about Maj. Pickering. We were on a mission somewhere in the delta & I was sitting in the back of the Pedro, we didn't have doors on the back & the PJ Clyde Ross was sitting by the side door. This was everyone's first combat tour & we very rarely had to fire the M-16's. Well I saw this flash just outside the rear of the chopper & heard a loud bang at the same time, I rolled back on to the floor & said we've been hit. Pickering said the controls feel funny & he was getting excited. Well ole Ross pipes up that he saw some one in a rice paddy & he shot at them. I said are you crazy. We couldn't convince Pickering that there was nothing wrong with the flight controls for the rest of the mission.Funny now but not then.
(BILL CRAWFORD)
27 Apr 2006 SUBJECT: NEVADA NUCLEAR TESTS
The Huey was used to support the nuclear test site in Nevada . I use to fly up there on occasions to provide aerial photo coverage of the underground test. You ask, what was there to photograph? Upon detonation the ground would rise up and shutter simultaneous with a brilliant light from a mile plus underground. After about 20 minutes the ground would start to settle and when finished settling there would be a large/deep cone shaped depression. On a couple occasions that one mile deep core blew right out of the hole. One hell of a sight to witness. (KELLY DAY)
Sat, 22 Apr 2006 SUBJECT: H-13
We used H-13s at Edwards to give Astronauts 50 hours of training as a precursor to flying the Lunar Lander. (KELLY DAY)
Sat, 22 Apr 2006 SUBJECT: APOLLO CAPSULE
How about Launch Site Recovery at Cape Canaveral during the Apollo Program. I was involved in that program when I was with the 48th ARRS at Eglin AFB in Florida. We staged out of Patrick AFB and were Orbiting just outside the Launch Area just in case there was a screwup. We were supposed to recover the Astronauts in the event they had to Jettison the Capsule for some reason or the other. We never had to recover anybody but we were there in case. There is an interesting story about this Mission. I wasn't on this one but during the initial testing to see if the HH53B could actually pick up the capsule out of the water they used a mockup of the Appollo Capsule made out of Boiler plates. Well when they dropped it from the C-130 it must have gotten damaged when it hit the water and started taking on seawater. Before the Helicopter could get over the capsule, drop the PJ and attach the sling it really took on a lot of water. Subsequently when they tried to pick up the Capsule it was too heavy and they almost overtemped both engines as well as coning the main rotor blades at a very steep up-angle. They finally dragged it to the beach where the mission was aborted. The Helicopter had to have both engines, rotor blades and Main Gearbox changed. To the best of my knowledge, we never tried that again. (J D ADAMS)
Thur, April 20, 2006 SUBJECT: FUEL TRUCK INCIDENT
That's interesting! That was the time period that I was at Tyndall. I graduated from Basic Helicopter School In June 1960 and was sent to Tyndall as 43130 (three level). Left Tyndall in Dec. 1960. Maybe you remember me as the dummy who ran head-on into a refueling truck with a Coleman. That happened about three days before I was due to leave. There were two or three other guys from my class that were there at the same time. One was Marvin Eads & Billy Smith. I can't recall the others. Something else, About 6 of us flew X- country in an H-21 all the way to Pittsburgh, Pa. That is where I was born & raised. So my Mom & Dad came down, picked all of us up and spent the night with them. Then we flew back the next day.----I should say the next THREE days.
(PHIL ARMSTRONG)
Mon, 17 Apr 2006 SUBJECT: YH-16
The YH-16 was being developed for the USAF as a long range rescue bird for B-36 crews possibly being shot down over Alaska. You know in basic training, about half way through, they tell you what you'll be doing after basic, school, etc,etc. My assignment was for B-36 center fire control on, but that was CX,because the B-36 was CX. The YH-16 was cx because the B-36 cx & possibly because of the crash. Anyway, I was sent to Eglin right out of basic with a direct duty assignment as a OJT 43010 for the YH-16 program. So were about 15-25 other mechanics right out of helicopter school. Here we sit with one H-19, shitload of mechanics, no YH-16. Some were transferred out, some went to T-33's, I went to be A/c/c on a B-25 for about 3 months, then latter went back to the H-19, C/C, flight status. (RON SMITHAM)
Sun, 16 Apr 2006 SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL SUPPORT
To the best of my knowledge, Eisenhower was the only President the USAF transported. As I said, the secret service wasn't happy with the single pilot concept. This is all second hand history I got from Jerry"Speedy" Larsen as he was in the original H-13 presidential outfit. The Army & Marines both had H-34's, two pilots & at one time the Army & Marines took turns transporting the Pres.. The Army had a bad accident record with the Presidential birds & lost the service, the Marines taking over the complete mission, "Marine One". USAF had "Airforce One", Army & the 1st HS took what was left.
(RON SMITHAM)


So yeah, still behind but getting there! Maybe I'll be able to get back on track with a reasonable post schedule this week? In other news, this super low-effort cover seems to be the most popular (or at least, the one to elicit most responses) of all the Instagrammed covers! Who knew blatent gore could go so far! Or maybe the cover models were just a bit too sparkly, lol.