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Humanscale Moves Full Speed Ahead Towards a Net Positive Future
Humanscale believes that a bold vision must be supported by concrete actions. The newly released annual report details tangible steps taken to make the world a better place.
New York, NY – August 2017 – Humanscale, the leading designer and manufacturer of ergonomic office products, has fully embraced the undertaking to create a net positive future through initiatives that go beyond sustainability and give back to the world. With a commitment to transparency, the company's 2016 Corporate Social Responsibility Report details impressive changes that reflect bold vision and inspiring leadership.
Key Achievements:
The first company to achieve full Living Product Challenge certification, meeting the stringent sustainability standards set by the International Living Future Institute, Humanscale offers two Living Products: the Diffrient Smart chair and Float table. The seal signifies that Humanscale's manufacturing facility and the organization as a whole meet rigorous standards in a number of categories. For instance, its manufacturing facility features an advanced system that captures rainwater; the only water used for all aspects of production. Energy use in the building is tracked annually, and a solar panel system generated nearly 225% of the energy used to manufacture the Living Products in 2016. During the certification process, Humanscale created a system to work towards diverting 90% of the facility's waste from landfill — a challenge that required a thorough review of the production line, the facility, and staff management to ensure waste is properly sorted and recycled. The International Living Future Institute also evaluated Humanscale's environmental impact beyond company walls, looking to the brand's extensive restoration project in Cambodia with WWF, showcasing its success in establishing a restorative impact.
Humanscale's environmental philosophy compels them to take challenges further than required, never settling for "good enough." This mission extends to every aspect of the brand's operations. After completing an in-depth audit of materials and ingredients used in its Living Product Challenge certified products, Humanscale opted to extend this process to its entire line of products. Recognizing that consumers are more informed and environmentally conscious than ever, Humanscale has bolstered its commitment to material transparency. Health Product Declarations (HPDs) and Declare labels are just two new standards for fully disclosing product materials. Declare labels document 99.9% of the ingredients in a given product while HPD labels are evaluated and managed by the HPD Collaborative. This not-for-profit organization provides a standard format for disclosing product content, emissions and health information. Today, Humanscale has published more HPDs than any other manufacturer in the industry.
The Work Continues:
Humanscale is working hard to identify the materials and ingredients found in every single product as it aims to create completely, toxin-free solutions and raise the standard of transparency for all manufacturers. We've recently refined our Design for Environment process to ensure that materials are thoroughly vetted before any product can go into production. To start, Humanscale products avoid using Chrome 6 (which can be both a carcinogen and a reproductive toxin) and Formaldehyde (a known carcinogen). The company is actively working to completely eliminate Polyvinyl Chloride or PVC (dioxins released during the processing of PVC can cause health problems) from its products.
While these recent accomplishments and actions deserve recognition, they reflect just the first wave of Humanscale's efforts to create a net positive future. With an aim to change manufacturing into an enterprise that's ultimately self-sustaining and replenishing, Humanscale is an active member of The Net Positive Project, a partnership of nonprofits and businesses who believe companies have the potential to positively affect the world, rather than simply reduce their negative impact. This relatively new organization is working to finalize its framework for achieving and tracking impact.
Informed with a precise understanding of its impact as a global manufacturer, Humanscale continuously takes the most challenging but impactful path towards making the world better for all living beings. To support its mission and stay on track, Humanscale has partnered with several external associations such as the ILFI (International Living Future Institute), WWF (World Wildlife Fund), and CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project). The brand also values its accreditation from a number of external initiatives such as LEED offices/showroom, FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and the Living Product Challenge.
Media Contacts
Danielle McWilliams / Katie Bone
Novità Communications
firstname.lastname@example.com / firstname.lastname@example.com
Cecil Yau
+852 2581 0570


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RMNB Week in Review: The Week From Hell
Photo credit: Patrick McDermott
This is probably not a week that you want to remember in great detail, things didn't go, uh — exactly as planned, but don't worry, we'll whip right through this quickly and painlessly and move along, there's another game tonight, so there's no time for moping. The Caps went 1-3-0 this week with losses against the Lightning, the Canes, and the Sens. Sad trombone. And just because a TSN commentator chose to utter the words "How could things get worse for the Washington Capitals?", Alex Ovechkin also suffered a lower-body injury, didn't participate in multiple team skates, and missed the game in Ottawa. Despite all this, the week did end on a good note when Ovechkin caught the Brooks Laich fever and unexpectedly declared himself ready to go, and then promptly scored against Montreal in a game that the Caps won. It's a huge relief that it ended well, but I think most of us are just glad this week is over.
Elsewhere in the NHL, lots of other people were having bad weeks too. The day after it was revealed that his "upper-body injury" was probably a concussion, Jonathan Toews crashed his car into a pole, Pavel Datsyuk had knee surgery that will put him out for two to three weeks, Vincent Lecavalier is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury, and the Maple Leafs goalie tandem is testing their franchise's patience, Jeff Carter, on the other hand, had probably about the best week that he's had in nine months as he was traded out of Columbus to the LA Kings, which is good news for him because it's probably exhausting to keep up a sulk for that long.
In case you were wondering the most important question, though — how does everything in the world apply to the Washington Capitals? — we'll break it down for you after the jump.
By 11 years ago

subset: commoncrawl


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You can password protect a directory on your Windows hosting account by removing the "Read" directory permission for that directory. The result of removing this permission is that you can only access that directory using your hosting account's primary FTP user's user name and password.
This process restricts directory access to the primary FTP user only.
To verify your settings, go to www.yourdomain.com/customdir, where yourdomain.com is your domain name and customdir is the custom directory you just created or updated. When the login prompt displays, type your hosting account user name and password to view the contents of your directory.
You can also use an ASP script to password protect your directory. This would require a bit of programming on your part. See the User Authentication section at HotScripts.com for some examples.
NOTE TO FRONTPAGE USERS: Microsoft FrontPage manages all directory and subdirectory permissions on your website. If you created custom directories on your website, or you are using another tool to build and or manage your website, switching to FrontPage may cause some difficulties. It overwrites all of your directory permissions and may make your Website unusable. If you have FrontPage Extensions activated in your Hosting account, you will not have access to the Permissions feature in the FTP File Manager section of the Hosting Control Panel.
For additional information on limiting Web directory access, see Removing Web Access to Directories on a Windows Hosting Account.


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In any interview on the woes of America's infrastructure, conducted with a civil engineer, city planner, energy researcher or water resource manager, a reporter will eventually be lectured on the subject of money. There's never enough being spent, according to the professionals, and the gap between the to-do list and the funding is always increasing. Fix one bridge, and meanwhile three more will pass their expiration date and start to emit the scent of decay. Repair one leaky levee, and an entire county will sink another inch below sea level.
These discussions, and at Popular Mechanics we've had hundreds of them over the past few years, are often tinged with resignation and nostalgia. Oh, to be a civil engineer in the bountiful days of the 1930s, 40s and 50s! No one we talked to in recent years thought the spending of old would return in our pinched era. The reason was the national debt, which isn't just the elephant in the room, but the blue whale or the brachiosaurus. The number as of December 2008 is $10.664 trillion, which is 74 percent of the country's GDP, a higher proportion than we've seen since the 1940s, and twice as high as it was in 1980, when the figure began climbing steeply. With that much debt, erudite people always thought the nation could never find the money for a big push on infrastructure.
That, of course, was then.
More From Popular Mechanics
Over the weekend, Barack Obama added some more detail and resolve to the plan politicians have been trumpeting for a major spending initiative come January 20, 2009, while the new president's handprint is still warm on the cover of the inaugural Bible. The number could be $500 billion or even $700 billion, which for once is actually more than the experts have called for. (A much-cited study by the American Society of Civil Engineers said that America's spending shortfall was about $600 billion over five years.)
Popular Mechanics has no position on whether or not the infusion of cash will quickly create good jobs, resurrect the middle class, fuel an economic recovery or simply create more work sites for our readers and ourselves to gawk at. (Wow, cool crane.) But we have definite opinions on how the money can be put to good use. No one, not even Congress, can spend $600 billion (to choose a middle number) at once. The money will be doled out a mere half-billion or billion dollars at a time, and that means that thousands of potential projects will be considered and lobbied for. Here are four general principles that the public and our leaders should keep in mind as we make go, no-go decisions.
Rule 1: Reward Competence
Seems obvious, yes? But since political leaders are talking about employing people and stimulating the economy, it's easy to see how cost overruns and blown schedules might be tolerated as long as paychecks are going out and invoices from Joe's Cement and Job Creation are coming in. We've got to resist this tendency. The Big Dig, the ambitious program to reroute Boston roads to reduce traffic snarls, was a good idea when it was approved back in the 1980s, but after work got started, there were too many contractors and subcontractors with flabby schedules and little accountability. It was supposed to cost $2.6 billion, but the spending eventually rocketed past $14 billion. Once the main tunnel opened, years behind schedule, hundreds of leaks were discovered, and then a section of ceiling collapsed, killing a 38-year-old mother of three. There's an engineering adage that says you can have something built well, fast or cheap: Pick any two. But let's not read the wrong message in that. Beware projects that are slow and expensive; it's often a sign that quality is suffering, too.
In contrast, look at Minnesota's new St. Anthony Falls Bridge, built to replace the I-35W span that collapsed on August 1, 2008. Regular readers of Popular Mechanics know about this project, which we have pointed to before. It deserves attention as an exemplar of how infrastructure should be done: The new bridge was finished far ahead of schedule, in less than a year, at a steep but not unusual cost of $250 million. And it will last much longer than the structure it replaced.
The companies involved in the project earned a bonus of several million dollars for finishing it early. They would have lost $200,000 a day if the project missed its deadline. Such incentive programs have worked in other projects around the country. The Minnesota project's success also stemmed from the state's design-bid process, in which competing proposals included everything from planning through ribbon-cutting. (The traditional method would be for the state to independently hire contractors for the various stages of the project.) The winning team of FIGG Engineering, Flatiron Construction and Manson Construction had ironed out the details of how they'd work together before ever getting the contract--and their fees were riding on their ability to cooperate.
It helped that the bridge was designed by Linda Figg, a brilliant and forward-looking engineer. (Got a bridge project and want to look like a star? Call Figg.) Some of the innovations used in the St. Anthony Falls project, such as self-consolidating concrete, saved time and money, while enhancing quality. That old engineering truism might need to be revised.
Rule 2: Fund Goals, Not Technologies
SunPower Corporation's best "back-contact" photovoltaic cell can produce energy (in the form of electricity) equal to 23.4 percent of the energy (in the form of radiation from the sun) that hits its surface. That's 50 percent better than a conventional solar cell, and a good argument for why the incoming administration should throw its weight behind back-contact PV cells. But wait. "Concentrating" PV panels could hit efficiencies of 45 percent in the next couple of years, demonstrating why this technology should be the new standard, instead. Think we're done? Nope. Stirling Energy Systems uses a thermal solar system to achieve efficiencies of 31.25 percent on a commercial scale, at a low cost and with no need to source silicon, an increasingly sought-after and expensive material. Solar thermal is arguably the most practical solar technology right now--a real competitor to coal on cost--and will be relatively easy to scale up. Maybe this is the best candidate for that governmental stamp of approval.
See the problem? Corn-based ethanol looked like a good idea, too, until someone did the science and the arithmetic and realized that it may be no better for the environment than plain old diesel fuel. That didn't stop Congress from slipping corn ethanol provisions into the 2007 energy law (pdf), a piece of legislation yea-voting Senators brought up while campaigning for the Iowa caucuses a few weeks later. Leaving cynicism aside, we can sympathize with the lawyerly minds on Capitol Hill. Iowa's icy rural roads and the decision of whether to wear the John Deere or International Harvester baseball cap were small hurdles compared to the blizzard of technical jargon, engineering diagrams and physics lessons the senators no doubt tried to absorb while crafting the legislation in fall 2007.
Perhaps we need more engineers in Congress. In the meantime, political leaders would do well to leave the technical decisions to others and try to focus their vision thing: Promote broad goals rather than specific machines and materials. To stick with our energy theme, reward utilities for adopting renewable, efficient methods of generating electricity without specifying just what those methods should be. Give more research funds to the Department of Energy and the country's national laboratories, which have played a critical role in developing all sorts of alternative energy. Fund demonstration projects in everything from carbon sequestration to renewable diesel. (Yes, it exists.) Speed the adoption of a new generation of Energy Star standards to help manufacturers build appliances that can communicate with the electrical grid, reducing loads at peak times and helping prevent blackouts. And find ways to reduce the built-in subsidies enjoyed by extractive energy industries such as coal and petroleum, which put renewable energy technology at a competitive disadvantage.
As a further example, you want to help lower- and middle-class homeowners make their homes more efficient to relieve pressure on power plants, refineries and drilling rigs? Then reward them for the efficiency, not the path they choose to get there. Geothermal might make sense to some people, foot-thick insulation to others. Solar? Wind? Extra-thick sweaters and calisthenics combined with low thermostat settings? It's all the same as far as fuel consumption and carbon emissions go.
Automotive technology is an especially telling place to examine the distinction between supporting a technology and supporting a goal. At Popular Mechanics, we really like plug-in hybrid electric cars, which can run on batteries charged overnight at home, or by burning fuel. These cars can dramatically reduce fossil fuel consumption. Both the president-elect and other leaders have promised to encourage the development of PHEVs. That sounds good, but a PHEV tax credit or direct subsidy would leave out Aptera, a new car company that is about to start selling a super-efficient pure electric car. In fact, the Aptera is so aerodynamic and lightweight that even a gasoline-powered version might get 120 miles to the gallon. Europeans already drive clean-diesel cars that can go 70 miles per gallon--with nary a plug-in lithium-ion battery in sight.
So what's better than a PHEV incentive program? One alternative would be to institute "feebates," a scheme floated by Amory Lovins, the founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute. People who bought the least efficient vehicles available would pay a hefty fee, while people who bought the most efficient ones would get an equally fat rebate. A system like that might lead to a nation of low-carbon-emission vehicles run on everything from electricity to compressed air to Flintstones foot power. A subsidy of PHEV vehicles, on the other hand, might do a lot of good, but it might also be enough to resurrect the Hummer H1--heavier and more inefficient than ever, but equipped with a charging port to pull in electricity from the grid, and largesse from the taxpayers.
Rule 3: Invest in Information
It's hard to keep up with the numbers, but there are about 150,000 structurally deficient or functionally obsolete bridges in the United States--less than there used to be, by the way. We are making some progress. So which of these bridges should be at the top of this fix-or-replace list in the new era of ample funding? Hmm, no one really knows.
Currently, bridge inspections are conducted every two years (sometimes more often) by a couple of guys who do stuff such as peering at the pilings and running their hands over the concrete and rivets. Most of these inspectors are probably dedicated and skilled professionals who could do an adequate job, if only they had microscopic vision, sensitivity to minute changes in the deformation properties of bridge materials, and the ability to monitor every stress point in every structure under their care, 24 hours a day, year-round.
Researchers are rapidly developing automated monitoring systems for bridges, and Popular Mechanics has reported on several of them. As an example, a sensitive "skin" created at the University of Michigan can detect deformations and widening cracks by tracking changes in electrical conductivity. The first thing a bridge-loving Congress should fund is modern monitoring equipment. (Let the individual departments of transportation choose the systems.) These technologies are certainly cheaper than new bridges, and they allow engineers to prioritize repairs, detect signs of rapid and dangerous deterioration, and even design better structures for the future.
The same principle applies to all sorts of infrastructure. No one knows how many miles of levees wind their way through America's lowlands, or how many lives they guard, or how many burrow-loving mammals are scratching out homes beneath them, to their own detriment and ours. Given the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina, the episodic drowning of portions of the Midwest and the perpetual threat hanging over the heads of Arnold Schwarzenegger and the other residents of Sacramento, Calif., you'd think we'd pay more attention to these humble mounds of earth and rock. We need a levee database and better computer modeling of flood patterns, and we need them quickly.
Better information also can make the electrical grid more efficient. In fact, it is the secret ingredient in the "smart grid" that Barack Obama and other wonkish types like to talk about. The term covers a lot of territory, but basically it means adjusting the generation, distribution and use of electricity on a moment-by-moment basis to increase efficiency and decrease the likelihood of power disruptions. On the end-user level, household appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines would be informed when the grid was nearing its breaking point because demand was peaking, and cycle off long enough to avert disaster. On the transmission level, sophisticated systems would more quickly detect signs of trouble in the grid, and act to keep the problem from spreading. The system could more efficiently shift electricity from one portion of the grid to another, allowing utilities to meet demand without increasing capacity. More R&D is needed to figure out how to collect the vast quantities of data involved and, more difficult, how to manage and interpret it all on a moment-by-moment basis. But the potential is tremendous, and the technology comes with a ready-made bumper sticker: The Smart Grid: Knowledge is Power.
Rule 4: Address the Biggest Problem
And the winner is...water. We can pour the concrete to fix every highway, and some decade soon we may even figure out fusion and stop worrying about energy, but the amount of freshwater in the world is fixed, and it's not enough. Soggy Atlanta had severe water shortages last year. Three more years of drought, and Lake Mead could drop below the level of one of the major intake valves supplying Las Vegas. And climate change is likely to make things worse, a point made at a joint PM/National Science Foundation conference last spring by Pat Mulroy, the general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority. The solutions could involve everything from greatly expanded use of gray water to the adoption of subsurface drip irrigation systems, of the kind pioneered and widely used in Israel. We've got to fix a lot of old-fashioned leaks in municipal water systems across the country, and it would be wise to develop a national water monitoring network to track both quantity and quality. The most important initiative would be to carry out difficult, honest negotiations over how farmers, factories and residents will have to change the way they use, pay for and think about water in the future.
Of course, it would also be possible to spend vast sums to build immense waterworks projects and carry supplies across hundreds or even thousands of miles. Such colossi would create jobs and stimulate at least some corners of the economy. On the other hand, they wouldn't solve the long-term water problem. At least in this case, money isn't enough.


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A Sweet Approach to Carbon Nanospheres
(December 2005)
The remarkable transformation of naturally abundant carbohydrates including simple sugars to highly porous elemental carbon nanospheres readily occurs in aqueous solutions that are heated just above the boiling temperature of water in a closed system. Under such conditions, these molecules (made up of one part carbon and one part water) actually dehydrate even though they are dissolved in water.
Magnetic resonance and in situ light scattering measurements have been used to probe the dehydration dynamics, yielding molecular clues about the process by which the spheres form. In the initial stages of dehydration, the evolving microscopic carbon spheres spontaneously assemble in a manner analogous to that by which a detergent emulsifies a mixture of oil and water. Subsequent loss of water by these assemblies leads to further coalescence of microscopic spheres to larger spheres thereby generating a grain-like structure with attendant interconnected porosity.
This highly regular and porous form of carbon can be isolated with sphere diameters ranging from tens of nanometers to tens of micrometers depending upon processing conditions. Ease of preparation, chemical robustness, and resident hierarchical porosity are attractive for applications ranging from sequestration of contaminants in air or waste streams, as catalyst supports for petrochemical production, and as electrically conducting phases in energy conversion devices including fuel cells.
This research was done by PNNL scientists Gregory J. Exarhos, Yongsoon Shin, and Li-Qiong Wang and by Brown University graduate student Chunhua Yao.


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SEATTLE (JTA) – A judge declared a mistrial in the case of the gunman who shot up the offices of this city's Jewish federation.
The King County prosecutor vowed to retry Naveed Haq, 32, who claimed he was not guilty by reason of insanity.
The jury said it could not agree on all but one of the 15 counts of murder and attempted murder against Haq, whose July 2006 shooting spree at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle left one woman dead and seriously injured five.
Jurors deliberated for eight days after a six-week trial that featured testimony from 32 prosecution witnesses and 16 for the defense.
"Substantial justice cannot be done," Superior Court Judge Paris Kallas told a packed Seattle courtroom Wednesday. "There is no reasonable probability of the jury reaching an agreement. I declare a mistrial."
Prosecutor Daniel Satterberg said he hopes to try the case again in six months. A hearing to select a new trial date is scheduled for June 12.
In a news conference following the mistrial announcement, Satterberg told reporters that the mistrial would not seriously harm the prosecution's core arguments and emphasized his continued commitment to the case.
"The attack by Naveed Haq upon the women inside the offices of the Jewish federation remains one of the most serious crimes ever committed in this city," Satterberg said.
Haq kidnapped a 14-year-old girl to gain entrance into the building and began shooting as he reached the federation's second-floor reception area.
He spewed anti-Israel and anti-Jewish slurs during the attack while decrying the Iraq war and Israel's 2006 conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon. Haq made similar comments on a video shown in the courtroom prior to the trial's start.
According to a court memorandum, Haq told a 911 operator during his shooting rampage, "I'm not upset at the people, I'm upset at your foreign policy. These are Jews. I'm tired of getting pushed around and our people getting pushed around by the situation in the Middle East."
A self-proclaimed Muslim of Pakistani ancestry, Haq had driven 227 miles from his home in eastern Washington to Seattle, stopping to test-fire his two handguns along the way. Two weeks before the shooting he had researched Jewish organizations via the Internet to choose his target. He went on Mapquest for directions to the building.
After the shooting, Haq was coaxed into speaking with 911 operators by a pregnant Dayna Klein, who covered her abdomen with her arm to protect her unborn child. The wound left her without use of the arm.
"He said nothing," Klein testified during the trial. "He shot at his first opportunity. He was aiming for me and I put my arm in front of my abdomen."
Haq surrendered to police without further incident and complied with directions from police while in custody, officers testified in court.
Federation CEO Richard Fruchter expressed disappointment at the jury's inability to reach a verdict on all but one of the 15 counts against Haq.
"We are extremely disappointed in this hung jury," Fruchter said. "He made anti-Israel and anti-Semitic statements, but somehow this was not enough."
During deliberations, the six men and six women of the jury told the judge they did not understand the legal meaning of concepts like "right from wrong" and whether Haq knew the "nature and quality" of his acts.
Prosecution witness Robert Wheeler defined the terms for the jury under direct questioning from prosecutor Donald Raz.
The terms "nature and quality," testified Wheeler, "is when he acts with an objective or purpose to accomplish a result that constitutes a crime."
To determine whether Haq understood right and wrong, Wheeler said one must ask, "Was he capable of understanding the consequences of his actions? Can they perceive risks to themselves and to others? Did he know where he was, who he was, and what he was doing at the time? Could he follow directions?"
Jurors made five requests to Kallas during their deliberations, but none were to clarify language or for a review of the 20-minute surveillance video from security cameras at the Jewish federation recorded the afternoon of the shooting.
Haq initially was charged with nine felonies, including aggravated first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder, all with the use of a firearm. Other charges included kidnapping and burglary for taking Kelsey Burkum hostage and unlawfully entering the federation building.
Haq also was charged with malicious harassment under the state's hate crimes law.
Jurors found Haq not guilty on first-degree attempted murder for the shooting of Carol Goldman. The charge is expected to be lowered to second-degree attempted murder for the next trial.
According to doctors who treated him for a decade, Haq suffers from Bipolar 1 disorder with psychotic features including schizoaffective disorder, delusions, hallucinations and depression.
Once a promising student at the University of Pennsylvania–he has degrees in biology and electrical engineering – Haq became withdrawn and moody shortly after enrolling in graduate school, according to the medical experts.
The defense's central medical expert, Dr. James Missett, a Yale University-trained addiction and forensic psychiatrist, told the court that Haq was and is severely mentally ill, and was exhibiting manic and aggressive behaviors as well as deep depression on the day of the shootings.
However, two counselors who evaluated Haq three days before the shootings testified that he was having no side effects from his medications and seemed to be feeling well. They said he was even looking for work.
Haq was on six prescription drugs, including lithium, for his mental disorders. Defense attorneys had hoped to convince the jury that the combination was toxic and that a change in medications before the shootings had induced side effects that spurred his rampage.
Two shooting victims, Goldman and Cheryl Stumbo, who were in court nearly every day voiced disappointment and shock at the verdict. Still, they said they would be back when the next trial starts.
"I'm ashamed that I live in a society where the seriously and chronically mentally ill can legally purchase handguns," Stumbo said after the mistrial. "How can it not be obvious to our elected representatives that the right to live and work in a safe environment trumps the right of dangerous people to buy and use deadly weapons?"


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St. Patrick's Day can be a wild holiday. Especially with pride on the line.
Back in college, I made the *wise* decision of coming to Chicago with my on-again, off-again boyfriend (we were off-again at the time). It was St. Patrick's Day weekend, and we went out to a large Irish bar for the evening.
It was there that the competition started.
Since we were "off again," somehow we decided to see who could pick up the hotter girl first. (A number of lemon drops- part of the reason why I haven't done shots since- did influence this decision.)
Next thing I know, I'm chatting up a Brazilian girl (whom I had decided was the hottest girl in the bar). We started dancing (some other things might have happened, too…), and then that's where some deleted scenes occur (I know that I was found dancing upstairs with her, but the rest of that is a little bit hazy, especially after I saw some of the pictures that I really don't remember taking all that well).
The next morning, I had this text in my phone.
"I had a great time last night. Call me sometime. -Camille."
Let's just say I won.
Competition Worthy Irish Colcannon
perfect for your St. Patrick's Day throw-down (or when you're recovering the next day)
5 large russet potatoes (about 3-4 lbs worth)
- 2 leeks
- 1 + 3 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 bunch green onions
- 1 small head cabbage
- 1 c fat-free greek yogurt
- 1/2 c fat-free sour cream
- 1 c fat-free half-and-half
- Salt
- Pepper
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Wash and peel potatoes (or you can skip the peeling part if you have a food mill). Cut into large cubes. Boiled in salted water until easily pierced with a fork.
- Cut off the ends of the leeks. Slice in half (nearly down to the root) and rinse in cold water. Slice thinly.
- Saute leeks in 1 tbsp butter and olive oil until soft. Set aside.
- Remove outer leaves from cabbage. Cut into quarters, then slice thinly. Boil in the plain water until tender (this took about 8-10 minutes). Drain.
- Slice the green onions thinly.
- Drain the potatoes. Mash until very smooth (or use that food mill). Add the butter, half-and-half, greek yogurt, and sour cream.
- Add the leeks, cabbage, and half the green onions.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve with reserved green onions on top.
This makes a LOT of potatoes (so perfect for your get-together), but if making for a smaller crowd, it can easily be halved. Though it does warm up perfectly in the microwave if you'd rather just have leftovers.


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condition : excellent
all items are inspected carefully for any flaws, however all items are preloved and minor flaws may be missed. We don't accept returns or refunds unless there's been a significant error in the condition rating of the item. Thank you so much for supporting our little shop + saving the earth, one piece of preloved clothing at a time!
condition ratings :
new with tags : brand new, tags still attached
new without tags : brand new, never worn or washed, tags removed
excellent : no notable flaws, wash wear, garment obviously well cared for
very good : light wash wear, obvious wear but not significantly affecting quality
good : wash wear, fading, but no obvious stains, holes etc
play condition : significant damage including small holes, staining, missing buttons etc. Best suited for outdoor/messy play, daycare.


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Apple released another test build of Mac OS X 10.5.7 to developers this weekend—the fourth since the first test build appeared in late February. The latest build contains only one known issue, though, which is a good indicator that it will be ready for release sooner rather than later.
According to the developer notes published by World of Apple, build 9J34 includes fixes for AFP issues, an issue with sleeping machines waking randomly, a problem syncing Mail signatures, and—oddly—an issue with HFS and magneto-optical disks (apparently someone is still using those). Apple also saw fit to include an updated Speech Dictionary. The list of fixes now totals 94.
Apple is asking developers to continue keeping an eye on the same focus areas as the last build, though the notes specifically ask that they focus on Flash Player, USB flash drives, and MobileMe syncing. The only known issue is that the current Safari 4 beta, now the default browser for Snow Leopard test builds, still won't install on 10.5.7.
Given the short list of fixes and the one known issue, in addition to the increased frequency of build releases, we still believe 10.5.7 is still on track for a late-March or possibly early-April release.


text:
For years, Cisco CEO John Chambers has been saying that users should be able to get any content, on any device, at any time. It's a vision that Cisco is expanding this week with the announcement of its new Videoscape platform at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.
The Videoscape platform is an effort to build out a network video delivery platform using IP
that can work across multiple devices. The technology is based on assets that Cisco acquired last August, and uses Linux as its base operating system.
"We think that with Cisco together with our service provider partners, you can completely change the TV and video experience down to any device and make it much more simple," Chamber said during a CES press conference.
Sitting behind much of Cisco's Videoscape technology is intellectual property that Cisco gained as part of the acquisition of privately-held ExtendMedia last August. The operating system of the former ExtendMedia technology is open source Linux.
"The majority of Videoscape runs on Linux, including Videoscape Media Suite, and other pieces," a Cisco spokesperson told InternetNews.com. "If you run Windows DRM, there are some Windows pieces in there too."
At launch, Cisco has five products as part of Videoscape, including endpoint, cloud and networking components. At the client side, there are Videoscape media gateway and IP set-top box products which are engineered to handle multiple forms of content. Cisco is no stranger to the set-top box market, after buying into the market in 2005 with the $6.9 billion acquisition of Scientific-Atlanta.
Cisco is also building Videoscape software clients that will extend the same video capabilities to smartphone, tablets and other mobile devices. Cisco did not provide specific details during their press conference about which mobile platforms Videoscape will be available on.
From the service provider perspective, Cisco is offering the Videoscape Media Suite which is technology that enables service providers to manage and publish content. Finally, there is the Cisco Conductor for Videoscape, which is a service orchestration technology that helps handle subscriber management.
Chambers also sees the Videoscape platform as being further enabled by Cisco's traditional routing, switching and security technologies.
"As you think about this, you might think the network is in the background making this happen with dumb pipes, but this is where service providers and Cisco are working together," Chambers said. "It's everything from the access points with the ASR 5000 and 9000's and the capability to have a high-end router that can do a billion videos."
The video optimized ASR 9000 router was first announced at the end of 2008 with the promise of over 6.4 Terabits per second of service capacity.
Sean Michael Kerner is a senior editor at InternetNews.com, the news service of Internet.com, the network for technology professionals.


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Complete - Used
Since its inception, BIGFOOT has been the leader of the pack in innovation and development in the monster truck industry. Get ready for some mind blowing 4x4 care crushing action starring "The Original Monster Truck", BIGFOOT. Three vehicle categories: light (amateur) monster truck, Pro-Stock monster truck and Pro-Modified monster truck. Course configurations for each vehicle category. Monster Truck Power-ups. Variety and depth in racing environments.


text:
Download PDF version of map (3,9mb)
Discover the Outaouais Gourmet Way through our four proposed itineraries! You will discover a large selection of agri-tourism destinations that will enchant you. These destinations will delight your interest and ignite your desire to learn more about the region agri-food sector and its artisans.
Stops on the map are made of different service categories that will help you discover how impressive our products are through outings at the farm, at restaurants, at public markets, at gourmet boutiques or at the shopsof tableware and kitchen accessories artisans.
Find the gourmet within you and live the experience of the Outaouais Gourmet Way!


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The radio room on the USS Missouri Battleship is now being operated by the Battleship Missouri Amateur Radio Club. The main antenna KH6BB uses is the broadband discone on the bow (in the red square above).
- If you are a licensed ham and would like to help operate the station, see the KH6BB listing on qrz.com.
- For an aerial view of Pearl Harbor and the ship, go here.
- For a photographic tour of Radio Central and the various antennas on the ship, go here.
- QSLInfo: KH6BB QSLs 100% on receipt of a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE). The QSL is a standard 3.5 x 5.5 inch card so oversize envelopes are not needed. Mailing address is: Battleship Missouri Amateur Radio Club 98-1547 Akaaka St Aiea HI 96701-3051 USA.
- The USS Missouri BB-63, the world's last and most famous battleship, is moored on Pearl Harbor's historic Battleship Row. Today the Missouri is open to the public and serves as a reminder of America's proud legacy of strength, honor, sacrifice, and freedom. The official site of the "MIGHTY MO" can be found at www.ussmissouri.com


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Q: I have a security/fire alarm system that links to an emergency call center via my VoIP telephone service. If the power goes out, will my alarm system be disabled?
A. If you don't have some sort of backup power system, both your alarm and the VoIP phone service it connects to will be kaput. To prevent a power outage from taking down your whole system, you'll need some sort of generator or battery backup.
It's likely your alarm system already has a battery backup just for its wiring, sensors and alarms. (Otherwise all a thief would have to do to disable it is cut the power.) Your VoIP telephone system is another matter. You likely have one of two configurations: If your VoIP service comes through your Internet service provider, then both your VoIP router and broadband modem may be in one box; if your VoIP provider is a third party, then you may have two separate boxes. But neither configuration will work if the power cuts out. So you'll want to invest in a battery backup system.
More From Popular Mechanics
Since you won't need to power a full-blown computer during an outage, you can buy a relatively low-power 300- to 750-watt UPS (uninterruptible power supply) for $50 to $150. A UPS is essentially a giant battery that stays plugged into a wall socket, always on the alert for any power interruption. Most of the time, the UPS passes power directly from the outlet, but it switches to battery power when the power is lost.
How quickly the UPS switches over to battery power will depend on the quality of your UPS. You can test yours by unplugging its cord from the wall and seeing if any of your devices lose power momentarily. A good UPS will advertise a quick switch-over.
Besides the switch-over time, you'll need to factor in capacity. The larger the capacity of the UPS, the longer it will be able to power your devices. In your case, two routers aren't going to pull very much power, so an average unit should be able to last several hours. Many vendors have charts that explain how long their UPS will power something at a certain wattage. Use a tool like the Kill A Watt to measure the draw of your broadband modem and VoIP hardware, or refer to the manufacturers for projected wattage and do the math.
Be sure to test! An alarm system over VoIP on a UPS is a risky solution, so if you aren't going to spend the money for a hard-wired, plain old telephone line, do yourself a favor and make a few test calls over the VoIP system when it's running off the UPS power.
APC Back-UPS BE 750G ($100)


text:
This 3'x5′ Nyl. Vanuatu Flag comes with extra heavy, white polyester canvas heading with nylon rope and galvanized thimbles for added strength. This flag is 100% made in the U.S.A. Limited quantities available. Please call customer service for additional information.
3'x5′ Nyl. Vanuatu Flag
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text:
Welcome to Crockett County, Texas
Linked From
Greetings from West
Texas, my name is
Cindy Koegel and I am the county coordinator for Crockett County.
Come back and Visit often and watch these pages fill up with history
and information. If you have any information,
suggestions or comments please feel free to email me. I will
be updating and adding information often. If you have any photos or
information on landmarks, ancestors, or of the cemeteries here in
Crockett County please send them to me and will be glad to get them
Back to Texas AHGP
Back to The TXGenWeb
The TXGenWeb Project
Back to USGenWeb
Mike Basham Memorial The TXGenWeb County of the Month Award The
TXGenWeb has initiated a program to recognize the efforts of county
sponsors to provide outstanding resources and assistance to county
If you would like nominate a county for this award - make your
nomination here -
County of the month form!
Copyright © 2002-2011 by Cindy Koegel and a
special thanks to Charlene Beauchamp for all the hard work that she has done in
getting Crockett County started.


text:
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Halloween Exchange
Posted by Deborah at 8:35 AM 8 comments
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Worlds Above
This is my latest release, "Worlds Above". The verse is from an old Quaker sampler and I used vintage Tundra 40 ct from Lakeside Linens to stitch it. We just returned from San Francisco where the weather was delightful and I was able to celebrate my birthday and my daughter was able to visit with one of her friends from Japan. The photo of my son was taken at Golden Gate Park.
Posted by Deborah at 4:28 PM 4 comments
Labels: new design
Monday, October 08, 2007
A couple finishes
I've actually finished a few pieces that aren't my own and am getting ready to start a Merry Cox piece for a class in November. The top is from Birds of a Feather and is for my sister. The bottom is from Ewe and Eye and Friends and is call "Christmas Sampler".
Posted by Deborah at 4:25 PM 8 comments
It was a busy September and it's about to get busier so I thought I'd post a few photos before I take off again. The big excitement for me was a trip to Utah with friends. We had a great time in Salt Lake visiting all the sites, the needlework and quilt shops and getting in the mood for fall since the weather cooperated and was beautiful. We spent the first day visiting the Temple, the Tabernacle and Brigham Young's home (bottom photo). I was pleased that the president of the SWANs made time to meet us for lunch and it was great to get to meet her and know her. The next day we made a trip to Ogden and visited Jill Rensel's studio and Shepherd's Bush where I was pleased to see a model of my design "Heaven Above". The witch photo was taken at Gardener Village, a site with restored Utah homes turned into fun little shops. Overall, it was a nice, relaxing getaway with good friends.
Posted by Deborah at 4:15 PM 3 comments


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Uniq Creation's Essensual ($39) is among the early iPad mini cases to incorporate a hard shell and Smart Cover-style lid into one unit; it's also the first to replicate the iPad mini Smart Cover's three-column design. Available with a red, blue, or black faux leather lid, the case is slim and useful. And unlike the comparable Odoyo AirCoat, this one doesn't have issues with the cover unintentionally locking or unlocking the iPad's display.
Essensual holds the iPad mini in a very plain black plastic shell, which runs all the way to the edge with the side switch and volume buttons, but leaves a sliver of the top and bottom edges exposed. In addition to one long opening exposing the speakers and Lightning port on the bottom, there are individual holes for the headphone port, microphone, and Sleep/Wake Button. It's really as basic as it gets.
The lid is a little bit more interesting. It feels just slightly thinner than the Smart Cover, and the faux leather clearly looks different than the polyurethane material Apple uses. Otherwise, the cover is very similar; it folds along the same lines and can be turned into a viewing or typing stand. Uniq Creation did leave out magnets to hold the shape, so the stand instead relies on the weight of the tablet to stay in place. The company did include magnets to automatically wake and sleep the iPad mini. Thankfully the cover can move around a fair amount without triggering the system inadvertently.
Essensual isn't terribly exciting, but it does its job and it does it well, much like many of Uniq Creation's accessories. It's certainly more economical than purchasing a Smart Cover for pretty much the same price, only to then add on a rear shell at additional expense. The slim size is appreciated too. Ultimately, Essensual is a very good option, and deserves our strong general recommendation.
Our Rating
Company and Price
Company: Uniq Creation
Website: www.Uniqcreation.com
Model: Essensual
Price: $39
Compatible: iPad mini


text:
Revista Clínica Escuela de Medicina UCR-HSJD, Volumen 1, Número 2
Browse by
Recent Submissions
ENDOCARDITIS INFECCIOSA EN EL HOSPITAL SAN JUAN DE DIOS 2000 A 2010 (2011-02-01)In our country, there are few studies that assess the clinical evolution of the patients with Infective Endocarditis (IE) as well how oftenthose patients get complicated. Also, there is no clarity about the antimicrobial ...
GENERALIDADES SOBRE INMUNOTERAPIA (2011-02-01)In the past few years there has been an explosion in the development of new therapeutic alternatives for immune therapy. Its main role is in oncology, however, each day they are more useful to treat autoimmune diseases. ...
SÍNDROME HEMOFAGOCÍTICO ASOCIADO A LINFOMA T PERIFÉRICO NO ESPECIFICADO DE HÍGADO, ÓRBITA Y A HEPATITIS B (2011-02-01)We report a 52 years old male patient who presented with acute inflammatory rightperiorbital process and febrile syndrome. Hepatosplenomegaly was documented, a rightretro orbital mass, without lymphadenopathy,with laboratories ...


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I was going to title this in the singular–"My Very Bad Habit"–but I can't, even in jest, pretend there's only one. This is the one of which I'm most ashamed, and therefore (perversely) the one I'm writing about. I spent some thirty-five years turning up my nose at people who indulged in this same habit, which is maybe why I still tend to refer to it euphemistically in reference to myself. I'll say "I'm going to step outside," or even "I'm going to indulge in my Bad Habit," never… okay, here it comes… never "I'm going to smoke."
When I was a kid, I actually had an allergy to cigarette smoke–probably it's too bad I outgrew it. Although as I think about it, I have an "allergy" of sorts to alcohol too (I tend to break out in stripes and handcuffs!) and that didn't stop me drinking…
Thirty-five years as a non-smoker, and then I hit A.A. There's just one "Smoking" Meeting in town, and wouldn't you know, that was the Meeting I loved. I didn't fit in there, but that was the meeting where I was sure to laugh my ass off, as well as take something home that I needed to hear that day. Three, four, five times a day I'd have my ass in a seat at the Little Red House, sitting in a cloud of smoke and Healing. And after a couple months of breathing everyone else's smoke, I figured finally I'd find something to smoke that I actually liked, and smoke that. Vanilla Cheyennes, there we go. Less than two bucks a pack, and I like them. So easily is a Very Bad Habit born.
I know better. Of course I do–I have a degree in biology, for crying in a bucket. And an aunt who died horribly of lung cancer (younger than my husband is now) when she'd never smoked in her life. And for the short term, talking about right now, those consequences weigh on me much less heavily than they should. As I flippantly remark sometimes, comparing this Very Bad Habit to my previous VERY Bad Habit of vodka, "At least smoking doesn't turn me stupid."
Except that it IS stupid, I know this. Both my mother and my children would take issue with that remark–and the anxiety I cause them with my smoking is what has already led to my cutting back. Maybe I'll even quit–although not today. In the meantime, it's an odd dynamic when I'm around either of the generations sandwiching me–when I do "step outside" I do my best to do so unobtrusively, because I know it causes them anxiety. Maybe it's silly, this "open secret"–just a little bit ago I waited for my mom to go into an appointment before I lit up, then jumped like a guilty teenager when she came back out for something she'd forgotten. She laughed at my reaction, and reminded me that she does know I smoke… Yeah, but I just try (impossibly) to be invisible about it. Writing about it today being an obvious exception, given that my mom does read here…
So… Why smoke? I'm not looking to "justify" the habit in writing about it, but to explore it–today I'm asking the question of myself.
Sometimes a smoke is… a unit of time. It's a pre-set number of moments in which I step away from everything, sit alone, breathe deeply, focus my thinking… or look around me and stop thinking for a minute. Very often these are the moments when I'm moved to pray.
Occasionally… a smoke is an excuse. Sometimes I need a minute to compose myself, and sometimes it's better to excuse myself outside for a few moments (even against my usual priority of unobtrusively indulging) than to react on my first response. When I'm upset to tears by seeing the effects on my children of the "parenting" by their other biological parent, for example–better for me to recuse and regroup than badmouth the
bastard dad in their hearing.
Often a smoke is a brainstorming session. When my fingernails go silent on the computer keys, I go light up. Almost inevitably, I know what I'll write next (and have some of it phrased out in my head) by the time I come back inside.
And–aside from the obviously physically addictive properties of smoking–there's the fact of my own addictive personality. The "functions" of smoking in my life don't replace how I used drinking, although there are similarities in the approach. An Addict has rituals associated with an addiction–might be anything from checking the wallet in the morning to assure yourself there's sufficient cash for the stop at the liquor store after work, to the pouring of the drink, the activities or times of day when a drink would be in hand… When we cross-addict to other activities, sometimes our rituals cross over too. A "ritual moment" now isn't the pouring of a drink, but the flick of a lighter. In cold weather I have a callus on the side of my thumb because it takes a few flicks to get the thing going, with the spark wheel chafing my thumb.
For a couple years part of my ritual was the lighter itself–a refillable silver flip-top embellished with a cross and a skull, which my stepson bought for me. It got confiscated at the Lewiston Idaho airport a few months ago–after having made it through half a dozen other (bigger!) airports on other trips, the folks in Lewiston deemed it dangerous and took it. I haven't had the heart to replace it, so today I'm using a disposable pink Bic–which I actually won at our regular smoke shop for answering the posted trivia question: "What is a Gallophobic Englishman afraid of?"
Even our smoke-shop is part of the "ritual" aspect of smoking… Run by a big tattooed Christian biker with a braided beard who goes by Hyster (like the forklift), who hugs and kisses us both–and who pledged, after our alcoholic relapse last year, that he'll not sell alcohol to either of us. A selfless promise, given that he knows full well we could buy somewhere else if we were going to buy–but I have faith that he'd hold to it. (God willing, we won't make it an issue ever.) Keoni and I used to kiss in the humidor there, although it's been under construction with a remodel lately…
I'm actually not sure how much of my habit is a physical addition–it's true that I get a little tense and cranky if I don't have at least a few smokes in my day, but I don't know if it's physical, or if it's just because I want to smoke. I do know that my vanilla Cheyennes don't pack as much of a "punch" as most–when I bum another kind of smoke from a friend, it usually makes me dizzy–so my crankiness may be merely (or mostly) a matter of childish dissatisfaction over an unsatisfied want.
From a practical standpoint, all the "uses" of my smoking could be substituted as effectively (and more healthfully) with an egg timer… Although that would lack the act of smoking itself, which I still enjoy. I don't feel moved to make the exchange… Today.
I'm thinking back to high school, when a classmate once asked me, in the dark at a night-time extra-curricular event, if I had a light–and then realized who I was and fell all over himself apologizing for even asking. I'd been amused rather than offended by the question, but yeah, I was that much of a goody-goody. With the advent of FaceBook and the re-connecting of the old high school class, my classmates have pretty universally expressed shock at the fact of my Alcoholism–as if there were a "type" of person who becomes an alcoholic, or a type who doesn't. And in a strange coming-full-cycle moment, that same boy who'd been horrified over asking me for a lighter contacted me through FaceBook to ask what a man does when he doesn't know how to stop drinking.
It's a lesson all around, I suppose, in making Assumptions. If I'd had a moment's opening to speak amidst his profuse apologies before he fled in embarrassment, I could have told him I did own a lighter. (I used it to light the burners in chemistry lab.) And both of us would have been astonished if we'd had a fast-forward button to reveal to us the conversation we'd be having twenty-some years later, and our respective roles in that conversation.
There was a kid in rehab with us, sweet-faced eighteen-year-old still drugged up on meds from the psych ward and doing what the rest of us called the "Thorazine shuffle"–I remember him grabbing me at the shoulder, staring at me intensely (the most focused I ever saw his eyes) and telling me insistently, "YOU don't LOOK like an alcoholic!" It seemed hilarious at the time–what a silly thing to say to a fellow "inmate" of the rehab ward. He was standing in line at the time to get his cigarette for one of the scheduled smoke breaks. Eight times a day the nurses doled out one smoke each to all the smokers, and escorted them into the fenced courtyard for their smoke breaks. In all the weeks I was there, I was the only non-smoker in the bunch–at least until Keoni (my favorite person on the ward, and now my husband) started forfeiting his smoke-breaks in favor of staying and chatting with me. Eight times a day, we had ten minutes to ourselves while everyone else went outside, and by the time we checked out of rehab, he was a non-smoker as well.
I had a conversation once with the Director of the Rehab Ward–a recovering Addict himself, bless his understanding heart–about the apparent irony of providing smoke breaks to people who were trying to break addictions. He observed (wisely) that in comparison to the immediately life-threatening problems posed by our collective other addictions–the ones for which we'd all been committed there–smoking was not a priority problem, and trying to mess with it at that point could interfere with the more critical Recovery. I also remember his reaction the time I was lined up alongside the smokers, waiting for them to get their smokes and clear out so I could ask the nurse for my deodorant… The Director looked startled to see me in the line, and blurted out, "You're not a smoker are you?" I had laughed at the Thorazine Kid's statement that I didn't "seem like" an alcoholic, but I embraced the Director's assumption that I didn't "seem like" a smoker. The lesson to me, perhaps, is that Assumptions are dangerous, when I can be so wrong even in my own assumptions about myself.
I'm a Smoker. For today, anyway. Not a wise habit, though maybe I'm slowly growing some wisdom in other things. Or… maybe that's an assumption I shouldn't trust.


text:
The first of multiple parliamentary investigations of the federal government's aborted deal with WE Charity to run a volunteering program begins this afternoon.
The House of Commons finance committee is set to hear from Youth Minister Bardish Chagger and some senior public servants as it probes how WE got a sole-sourced contract to administer the $900-million program.
The Canada Student Service Grant is aimed at students who haven't been able to find work this summer, offering up to $5,000 toward education costs in exchange for 500 hours of volunteering.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has admitted he should have recused himself from the decision to award the contract, given his family's links to the group co-founded by brothers Craig and Marc Kielburger.
The federal ethics watchdog has opened an investigation into Trudeau's role in the awarding of the contract after requests from opposition parties.
The average time to complete an investigation is seven months.
And now ethics commissioner Mario Dion will also investigate Finance Minister Bill Morneau's decision to take part in the cabinet vote.
In a series of tweets this morning, Dion's office says the commissioner will probe whether Morneau violated two sections of the conflict of interest law.
One of Morneau's daughters is employed by WE Charity.
Last week, Morneau apologized for not recusing himself from the decision to award WE the student grant program contract.
WE gave up the contract amid the controversy two weeks ago.
The government has since taken control of the program, but has been struggling with the details while the summer ticks by.
The Canadian Press
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text:
2000 Ford Mustang Cobra R - Really A Racer
Tim Brown's '00 Cobra R Struts Its Stuff In The Heat Of Competition
Horse Sense:
A strict diet brought Tim's Cobra R from a portly 3,610 pounds to a more svelte 2,980 pounds. Weight distribution was improved from a 56.5-percent front-weight bias to just 53.5 percent. Part of the improvement comes from the carbon-fiber hood (9 pounds versus 48 pounds) and fiberglass doors (10 pounds each versus 85 pounds each) from fellow Canuck Larry Lefler.
It's funny how times have changed. Back in the '60s, when a manufacturer assembled a run of special competition models, the majority of the cars were actually put to work on a race track. In the Ford world, legen-dary machines such as lightweight 427 Galaxies, Thunderbolt Fairlanes, and Shelby GT350 R-models stand out in such regard.
Perhaps because such cars became sought-after collector pieces, 1993's resurrection of factory-built competition Mustangs saw the new racers immediately in the crosshairs of modern collectors. We're talking Cobra Rs here, and while some have been raced with varying success, the ultimate Mustangs of 1993, 1995, and 2000 have made their biggest mark simply by virtue of their ultralimited production and high-performance stature. To own one is to have a legitimate piece of history and the opportunity to enjoy a high-water mark in Mustang performance-though such enjoyment takes all forms. While plenty of owners have chosen to cherish their R-models on static display, we see others running hard at club-oriented open tracks, and a few-such as Vancouver, British Columbia's Tim Brown-have actually gone for the competition.
We should be up front and mention that Tim is in a unique position most Cobra R owners don't enjoy. You see, he owns two '00 Rs-one is completely stock and the other is the racer you see here. Talk about having your cake and eating it too! Of course, it helps that Tim is a successful Ford dealer, operating the family business started by his grandfather more than 50 years ago-Brown Brothers Ford in Vancouver. We suppose there's a certain liberty one may feel in substantially modifying an ultrarare piece, knowing you have a pristine stock example at your beck and call as well. Regardless, we applaud Tim for entering the fracas of racing with such a rare beast.
After taking delivery of the car in June 2000, Tim racked up 3,000 miles of street driving before diving into serious modifications. As nicely equipped as the Cobra R came from the factory, an intent to race in GT1 and SPO road-race classes meant big revisions would be necessary. However, it's interesting to note which original parts still remain after race prep was completed. This includes a stock 5.4 mod motor and its Carrillo rods, Canton oil pan, and March underdrive pulleys. Likewise, the McLeod aluminum flywheel and Tremec six-speed still see duty, as does the Fuel Safe cell out back.
Race prep for the '00 occurred in two main phases. The first saw a gutted interior, Lexan quarter and rear windows, fiberglass doors, a full cage, a NASCAR style fueling coupler, a differential cooler, revised rear suspension geometry, a larger engine oil cooler, a race exhaust, and a myriad of other tricks and tweaks. Much of the work was performed by Specialty Engineering in New Westminster, British Columbia, while spraying the cage and doors in a matching hue was done by J&F Collision's Russ Bradley.
The first competition test occurred shortly thereafter at Thunderhill Raceway in central California. Tim, an accomplished racer who honed his skills in a tube-frame GT3 Ford Probe, qualified well in the 50-some-car field-seventh overall and fourth in class. Unfortunately, just over an hour into the 12-hour enduro, a front rotor cracked at the hub, sending Tim to an off-track excursion and early retirement. Since this was essentially the team's first test, they chalked up the experience to lessons learned and returned home to regroup.
The 5.4 '00 R engine is always a sight to behold. Rated at 385 hp from Ford, Tim believes it now pushes about 50 more thanks to a custom computer processor from SVT and an '01 Lightning mass air. At our shoot in late 2002, the SVT-spec engine had proven up to the task so far, though Tim expressed concern should he damage the unavailable and unique R-model cylinder heads. He was eagerly looking forward to the new Ford GT engine program, which should fill the pipeline with good parts for the 330-cuber. Just before going to press, however, Tim told us that Ford Australia is introducing a new Falcon known as the FPV GT. This hot new four-door sports a modular 5.4 DOHC engine replete with "improved" Cobra R cylinder heads-and we thought Mercury's new Marauder was a neat piece! If Tim has need for replacement heads anytime soon, it appears his source could be Down Under. Check out the FPV GT at www.fordperformancevehicles.com.au/.
Phase two of the race prep began with a startling brake upgrade. Those are Porsche Turbo binders you see when the giant three-piece wheels are removed up front, sporting radial-mount, four-piston aluminum calipers and 13x1.3-inch rotors. Of course, these components are far from bolt-on, and Andy Pearson at Specialty Engineering modified the spindles and fabbed full-floating aluminum hats to make it all come together. But why use Porsche brakes when other upgrades might have been easier to install? It seems the Porsche components are surprisingly affordable-at least in Canada-and if you have Andy's expertise, why not?
Once the front brake modifications were made, attention was turned to the rear, where the formerly front Brembo calipers and 13-inch rotors resided during our shoot. That changed in the intervening months, as Tim explained he has achieved better balance by running two-piston PBRs. Specialty Engineering finished the whole thing off by installing a Tilton pedal assembly, a Tilton brake-bias adjuster, and dual master cylinders.
Another addition in the name of longevity came in the form of a trans-mission oil cooler, which, as does the diff cooler, receives cooling air from a quarter-window scoop and circulation via a Tilton pump. More attention was paid to the suspension as well, with major changes coming from a combination of predominately Kenny Brown components. Up front, the company's tubular K-member and control arms are used with Koni double-adjustable struts and Eibach coilover springs. In the rear, Kenny Brown modified the stock IRS subframe with revised pickup points, while KB lower and custom upper control arms, Koni double-adjustable shocks, and Eibach coilovers complete the arrangement. True to form, Andy revised some of the control arms for full race use, with the same story for the front and rear sway bars.
With the second round of prep complete, Tim and his support team were ready for another go at competition. An eight-hour race at Portland International Raceway was encouraging, as the car made it through seven hours of pounding before a suspension component broke with the car running in the top 10. With more experience and more sorting, the best finish to date is an '02 International Conference of Sports Car Clubs (ICSCC) event in Portland, Oregon, when the R qualified on the front row for separate SPO and GT1 races. That flash of brilliance proved more than momentary, as the race results were a Second in SPO for Tim and a First in GT1 for co-driver Tony Morris Jr.-promising performance indeed!
Winter's off-season will have given Tim and company some time to review their efforts so far and ready the '00 for another go-none of which would happen without the dedicated crew of Don MacLean, Chris Shorman, and Geoff Holmes. Wish lists for upgrading a race car never seem to end, and in this case they include still bigger binders from Baer/Alcon, custom long-tube headers, and an engine freshening that will bump the compression ratio at a minimum-and possibly include some head and camshaft massaging.
Whether all the goals will be achieved before race season remains to be seen, but it would appear the guys are on the right track. A full race schedule probably isn't in the cards due to the more developed nature of Tim's Probe, but the plan is for Northwest sports car racing to be well aware of what Ford's factory special is all about. It seems only fitting it be that way, for it's not particularly remarkable when marque devotees slather the R-model with respect. What's far more meaningful is that the opposition has reason to know the Cobra R even exists!
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text:
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Lumumba Sayers sent Scott Smith head over heels on the way to a quick submission victory.
For the eighth time in eight career fights, Sayers didn't go past the first round, and he ultimately tapped out the middleweight veteran with a 94-second guillotine choke.
The fight was part of the main card of "Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey" at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. It aired on Showime following prelims on Showtime Extreme.
Sayers worked quickly and tagged Smith with lunging punches to the head and body. He then shot for a double-leg takedown and took Smith to the mat. Then, as Smith worked his way back to his feet, he worked his own guillotine choke, but Sayers scooped him and tossed him over his back.
Once there, Sayer slapped on a guillotine choke of his own and forced the tap-out at the 1:34 mark of the round.
So what's next for the fast-rising 185-pounder?
"Whatever Strikeforce puts in front of me," he said. "I'm not going to call anyone out. I'm taking it one step at a time. I'm humble. The Lord is leading my steps and guiding me right now."
Sayers (6-2 MMA, 2-1 SF) now owns five first-round submissions and one first-round knockout in six career wins. Smith (17-10 MMA, 3-5 SF), meanwhile, has hit the skids with his fourth straight loss.
Up-to-the-minute "Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey" fight results include:
- Lumumba Sayers def. Scott Smith via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 1:34
- Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza def. Bristol Marunde via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 3, 2:43
- Sarah Kaufman def. Alexis Davis via majority decision (29-29, 29-28, 29-28)
- Roger Bowling def. Brandon Saling via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 1:15
- Pat Healy def. Caros Fodor via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 3, 3:35
- Ryan Couture def. Conor Heun via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 2:52
For more on "Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey," check out the MMA Events section of the site.
(Pictured: Lumumba Sayers)


text: Chisinau (Kishinev), the capital of the Republic of Moldova, is blessed with a fascinating mix of period architecture dating mostly from the second part of c19th and the first half of the c20th, reflecting the evolution of architectural tastes of the Russian Empire, Romania and the Stalinist Soviet Union. The city contains a number of attractive Art Nouveau style edifices, the most spectacular being a recent remodelling of a Fin de Siècle house, which I encountered during my recent Chisinau trip. The edifice is mentioned on the well documented website "Centrul Istoric al Chisinaului", which is a comprehensive database of architecturally valuable buildings in the historical centre of the Republic of Moldova's capital. At the entry detailing the house, which was compiled before the start of the remodelling project, is mentioned that the façade used to be Art Nouveau (named "modern" in the terminology of the Moldovan architects), but completely erased of its decoration during the vicious 1990s post-Soviet property boom. It seems that in the intervening time an enlightened proprietor has decided to bring something back from the edifice's former glory, as the photographs, which I was able to take from the street, amply testify. In my opinion is a tasteful remodelling and it might also be in the spirit of the original decoration that adorned the house, as I believe the owner had access to old plans and photographs from which the contemporary designer could guide him/her/self. It reminds me of another Art Nouveau project from scratches which takes place in Bucharest, which I documented in 2010 on this blog. I believe that this particular instance is a positive development for Chisinau, and the post-Soviet world, in raising the awareness and appreciation about the local architectural heritage that suffered so much during the two world conflagrations of the c20th, the Soviet era or the most devastating for heritage last two decade since the Soviet empire fell.


text:
originally published September 9, 2010
I started the morning off on a bum note by boarding the wrong subway train (which caused me to miss The Town), but other than that, the day went off without a hitch. I found the new homebase of the Festival okay, spotted Karina Longworth (who like most critics of note looks part cartoon character), got mistaken for a stand-up comic (am I the only one who feels bizarrely contrite when this happens?), and managed to park my ass in a cinema just as Stone was beginning to unspool. As an aside, I now see a real upside to holding the press screenings at the Scotiabank instead of the Varsity, as the larger auditoriums are cutting down on the last-minute scrambles to find a seat; at both of my movies today, the first few neck-straining rows were almost entirely empty. It's a throwback, really, to the good old days of the Uptown.
Stone opens...if not promisingly, then intriguingly, with stand-ins for young Robert De Niro and Frances Conroy experiencing what is presumably only an uglier-than-usual day in a loveless marriage as she announces she's leaving him and he threatens to throw their baby daughter out the window if she does. Though this incident is never actually revisited directly, it informs every aspect of the De Niro character, a parole officer who uses his cases as a moral yardstick against his own transgressions and, as we've seen, treats his wife like a prisoner. Into his life enter convicted arsonist Stone (Edward Norton, doing voices now) and Stone's wife (Milla Jovovich), who's intent on expediting her husband's release through her considerable sexual charisma. Director John Curran (We Don't Live Here Anymore, The Painted Veil) frustrates: he has a nice eye for widescreen tableaux and good editing instincts, but despite their dramatic promise his films are crock-pots instead of pressure cookers, and Stone, like his previous work, never peaks in any way that could be conventionally described as satisfying. All kidding about his Travoltan croak aside, Norton is quite good, but the real stars of the show are Jovovich and the woman photographing her, Maryse Alberti, who shows her documentary roots in a close-up of the actress's blotchy legs, only to reveal a deepening interest in all the individual parts--the gumdrop toes, the antenna nipples, the dewy lips--that make up this authentically beautiful creature. De Niro is, alas, uninspired, and it doesn't help that his younger self is played by Enver Gjokaj, an actor with some of the hunger and tabula rasa range De Niro used to have; "Dollhouse" fans will wish for more flashbacks that fail to materialize. Worthy of further exploration: how Angus McLachlan's screenplay echoes the one he wrote for Junebug.
Post-Stone, I leapfrogged across the lobby to the much-anticipated I'm Still Here, which I have to FORCE myself not to type as I'm Not There. Here's my take on the whole Joaquin Phoenix-quits-acting-for-hip-hop thing: yes, it's a hoax--and what's pissing him off in this film is that everybody sees through it. (It suggests he's not a very convincing actor after all.) There are scenes in this movie, like when Puff Daddy tells Phoenix he doesn't like his music enough to take it on as a producer, that are just too well-timed in the vein of embarrassment comedy. Apropos of which, I liked Puff in this a lot more than I expected to: he has this great lecture about the democratization of the entertainment industry disrespecting the hardworking, talented people who deserve to be in it. Ben Stiller's cameo is heroic, too, and we infer real vitriol in his mocking impersonation of Phoenix at the 2009 Academy Awards. I also believe that Phoenix genuinely desired a break from (traditional) acting, that I'm Still Here is going to be as difficult for him to live down as a season of "The Surreal Life" would be, and that he needs a hug. And a Bowflex. Ian's got a full review of this one in the pipeline.