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Ecology Without Wilderness: Tending the Global Garden We Call 'Nature'
Too often, ecologists focus on attaining an ideal that's no longer possible. An excerpt from the new book, Rambunctious Garden.
We have lost a lot of nature in the past three hundred years--in both senses of the word lost. We have lost nature in the sense that much nature has been destroyed: where there was a tree, there is a house; where there was a creek, there is a pipe and a parking lot; where there were passenger pigeons and Steller's sea cows, there are now skins and bones in dimly lit museum galleries. But we have also lost nature in another sense. We have misplaced it. We have hidden nature from ourselves.
Our mistake has been thinking that nature is something "out there," far away. We watch it on TV, we read about it in glossy magazines. We imagine a place, somewhere distant, wild and free, a place with no people and no roads and no fences and no power lines, untouched by humanity's great grubby hands, unchanging except for the season's turn. This dream of pristine wilderness haunts us. It blinds us.
Many ecologists spend their lives studying the most pristine places they can find, and many conservationists spend their lives desperately trying to stop wilderness from changing. We cling to fragments of "virgin" or "old growth" forests, to the "last great places," the ever-rarer "intact ecosystems," but they slip through our fingers. Like slivers of soap, they shrink and disappear. And we mourn. We are always mourning, because we can't make more of such places. Every year there are fewer of them than the year before.
Yes, nature is carefully managed national parks and vast boreal forest and uninhabited arctic. But nature is also the birds in your backyard; the bees whizzing down Fifth Avenue in Manhattan; the pines in rows in forest plantations; the blackberries and butterfly bushes that grow alongside the urban river; the Chinese tree-of-heaven or "ghetto palm" growing behind the corner store; the quail strutting through the farmer's field; the old field overgrown with weeds and shrubs and snakes and burrowing mammals; the jungle thick with plants labeled "invasive" pests; the carefully designed landscape garden; the green roof; the highway median; the five-hundred-year-old orchard folded into the heart of the Amazon; the avocado tree that sprouts in your compost pile.
Many conservationists are opening up their definitions of nature and embracing a whole suite of possible goals beyond the familiar "pristine wilderness" goal. They find that when they do, they can use all sorts of new tools and approaches. But even those who are interested in expanding their conception of nature run into problems. The notion of a stable, pristine wilderness as the ideal for every landscape is woven into the culture of ecology and conservation--especially in the United States. Take the baseline. Virtually every scientific study of environmental change uses or assumes a baseline. Baselines are reference states, typically a time in the past or a set of conditions, a zero point before all negative changes. In the past, a place's default baseline was often before Europeans arrived. Today, as we learn more about how indigenous inhabitants of places from Australia to the Americas changed their surroundings, it is sometimes set to before any humans arrived. For many conservationists, restoration to a prehuman or pre-European baseline is seen as healing a wounded or sick nature. For others, it is an ethical duty. We broke it; therefore we must fix it. Baselines thus typically don't just act as a scientific before to compare with an after. They become the good, the goal, the one correct state.
But ecosystems are slippery, and setting a baseline is not straightforward. The Hawaiian islands are some of the remotest islands in the world, home to hundreds of species that live nowhere else, many of which are rare and at risk for extinction. Earlier ecologists might have used 1778, the year Captain James Cook landed in Hawaii, as the baseline date for the island chain. But restoring the islands' ecosystems to the way they were in 1777 would be restoring them to a state very much shaped by the Polynesians who had been living there for at least one thousand years: a semidomesticated landscape filled with species the Polynesians brought with them, including taro, sugarcane, pigs, chickens, and rats, and missing others, including at least fifty species of birds, who were hunted out by the first arrivals.
But if we set a date thousands of years back, safely before any humans arrived, we run into another problem. Ecosystems are always changing, whether humans are involved or not. Ancient forests with trees thousands of years old may feel timeless to us. We are a short-lived species with a notoriously bad grasp of timescales longer than a few of our own generations. But from the point of view of a geologist, a paleoecologist, or some other expert with "deep time eyes," ecosystems are in a constant dance, as their components compete, react, evolve, migrate, and form new communities. Geological upheaval, evolution, climatic cycles, fire, storms, and population dynamics see to it that nature is always changing. On Hawaii, volcanic activity wipes the slate clean on any given slope every few hundred years, and occasional new arrivals to the islands, washed ashore or drifting in on the wind, adapt to their new home and find a place for themselves in its ecosystems.
Once we pick a date from amid this muddle, another problem emerges. Even when we use all the scientific tools available to look backward in time, from fossil pollen records to the climate information enshrined in tree rings, we don't always know what places looked like thousands or even hundreds of years ago.
The final and perhaps most vexing issue with prehuman baselines is that they are increasingly impossible to achieve--either through restoration or management of wild areas. Every ecosystem, from the deepest heart of the largest national park to the weeds growing behind the local big-box store, has been touched by humans. We have stirred the global pot, moved species around, turned up the thermometer, domesticated a handful of plants and animals, and driven extinct many more. We have definitively changed the entire planet, and it is getting increasingly difficult to undo all these changes at any one place.
In Hawaii, the lush tropical plants out the hotel window looked gorgeous, but I knew that many of them had been introduced by people and were now considered a threat to the native species. I also knew that Hawaii has been called "the extinction capital of the world," and that a whole list of beautiful birds are either gone or near gone. And yet the islands are thick with conservationists who have not given up on the ideal of Hawaii as it once was.
My first stop was a group of experimental field plots testing the feasibility of restoring lowland forests on the Big Island's wet side. The plots are hidden in a forest on the Hawaii Army National Guard Keaukaha Military Reservation. Growing on flat land with plenty of rain, most forests of this type had been cleared for agriculture. What was left, or what grew back, is now dominated by plants from places other than Hawaii.
Rebecca Ostertag of the University of Hawaii at Hilo explained why these "invaders" are so prevalent on Hawaii. Hawaiian plants, having evolved in isolation for up to 30 million years, generally grow slowly and use resources less efficiently than continental plants, which evolved with more competition. Similarly, Hawaiian birds and animals are mostly helpless against introduced diseases. Avian malaria has knocked off many bird species; there were no mosquitoes on the islands until recently, so birds there never evolved any defenses to the mosquito-borne disease. Hawaiian raspberries and roses have even lost their thorns, and Hawaiian mints their minty defense chemicals, because there were no plant-eating animals around to fend off. Such mellow Hawaiian species are pushovers for the scrappier mainland species that humans brought to the islands. Today half of the plants in Hawaii are nonnative. In many lowland forests only the large trees are native; under them grows a carpet of introduced seedlings, just waiting for the day the giant natives fall. Some ecologists call such places "forests of the living dead."
At the army base, mynah birds from Asia stood in the road. The air was soft and humid. Ostertag and I met up with her colleague, Susan Cordell of the U.S. Forest Service, and a graduate student named Joe Mascaro from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. Together we headed out to the study plots. After hopping a fence intended to keep out feral pigs, we pushed through a jungle of foliage from everywhere: trumpet tree with its huge star-shaped leaves, a native of Mexico, Central America, and Colombia; bingabing, a small tree with big parasol-like leaves, from the Philippines; tasty strawberry guava, from the Atlantic Coast of Brazil; purple-flowered Asian melastome; "Koster's curse," a little shrub originally from Mexico and parts of South America; and albizia, another immigrant from Southeast Asia. Many of these species were introduced not only deliberately but methodically--aerially seeded in the 1920s and 1930s after large forest fires to prevent erosion. The experts figured that Hawaiian plants would grow too slowly to do the job effectively. The resulting cosmopolitan forest is green and dense, with creepers hanging everywhere. Underfoot, dead leaves like starched, crumpled brown napkins made a terrific crunch.
Suddenly we stepped into a clearing. Here plants were spaced widely apart, with black lava rock covered in chartreuse moss visible in between. This was one of the study plots: small squares in which every single non- native plant had been ripped out by hand. To get these spaces to a purely native state, researchers had to pull up and remove almost half the vegetation, a process that took about a week's worth of labor per thousand square feet for the initial clearing and epic bouts of weeding thereafter. As a result, the plots look a bit sad and empty, like someone's living room in the middle of a move-out.
Here, I could get a better look at the typically less showy Hawaiian natives, including tree ferns; lama, a hardwood in the ebony family; the vaguely Mediterranean-looking 'ohi'a tree with feathery bunches of bright red stamens; and the sweet-smelling maile vine, used for making fragrant leis.
The plots weren't created to be showplaces, however, but as experiments to see whether a native Hawaiian forest would bounce back if all the introduced species were removed. With all those aggressive tropical invaders exiled, would the native flora tap into the soil nutrients, rain, and newly available sunlight and grow vigorously to fill up the space? When I visited, it had been five years since the experiments began. Disappointingly, the mature native trees had grown very little. As Ostertag and Cordell put it, "The native trees may either be responding to the treatments very slowly and still undetectably, or they may be unable to respond at all." The researchers were pleased, however, to see quite a few native seedlings appear on the sun-dappled forest floor.
These removal plots were weeded out for a specific experiment. But they also represent, in miniature, what many conservationists would love to do for huge swaths of the planet: rip out the introduced species, make way for the natives, and return the area to the way it used to be, making the baseline the goal.
But their baseline just isn't achievable without spending a huge amount of money and time. "I think that people that are interested in protecting Hawaii's flora and fauna have resigned themselves to it being in postage-stamp-size reserves," said Cordell, sadly.
Of course, Osterag and Cordell's forest is in particularly bad shape. But are ecosystems that aren't so trashed perhaps redeemable? The answer is no, at least not in Hawaii. As we thrashed through the nonnative-dominated forest that encircled the weeded plots, Ostertag and Cordell mostly saw failure. But Joe Mascaro, the grad student who accompanied us, saw something less value-laden. He saw the future, and as an ecologist, he found it interesting. He saw plants interacting together in new ways, with new creatures dispersing their seeds, new competitions for resources. He expects that there will be some casualties when species come in contact for the first time--"local extinctions and whole ecosystem types that will evaporate," he predicts--but he does not expect that the resulting ecosystems will be worthless just because they are changed. They will still store carbon in the bodies of their trees, keeping it out of the atmosphere where it would contribute to global warming. They will still harbor many species. They will still smell cool and green. At the very least, he says, they should be studied, because they are probably more representative of today's Earth than any so-called "pristine" forest. "These ecosystems, like it or not, are going to be driving most of the natural processes on Earth," he says.
We are already running the whole Earth, whether we admit it or not. To run it consciously and effectively, we must admit our role and even embrace it. We must temper our romantic notion of untrammeled wilderness and find room next to it for the more nuanced notion of a global, half-wild rambunctious garden, tended by us.
Excerpted from Emma Marris's Rambunctious Garden: Saving Nature in a Post-Wild World (Bloomsbury USA)
Image: Plot in Hawaii with all non-native species removed. Emma Marris.


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Lumina Foundation Gives $800,000 to Evergreen's Enduring Legacies Reservation-Based Project
OLYMPIA, Wash. -- The Enduring Legacies Reservation-Based Project, a partnership of The Evergreen State College, Grays Harbor College and the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, has received an $800,000 award from Lumina Foundation for Education. Lumina Foundation is an Indianapolis-based, private foundation dedicated to expanding access and success in education beyond high school.
The three-year Enduring Legacies Project seeks to increase college access and success for reservation-based Native American students through more cohesive degree and transfer programs, stronger student support services, and more engaging curriculum provided by an innovative multi-institutional and tribal partnership.
The project partners worked together to establish a hybrid distance learning Associate of Arts degree through Grays Harbor College that is fully transferable to four-year colleges. The online courses will be offered via WashingtonOnLine (WAOL), which serves community college students throughout Washington state. The AA program combines culturally appropriate online courses with community-based instruction. Faculty at community colleges throughout the state developed the online courses. Among the cooperating institutions that agreed to present proprietary courses through Grays Harbor College and WAOL are: North Seattle Community College, Skagit Valley College, South Puget Sound Community College and South Seattle Community College.
Upon completion of the AA degree, students may transfer to Evergreen's upper division Reservation-Based Program, which serves six tribal communities: Makah, Muckleshoot, Nisqually, Port Gamble S'Klallam, Quinault and Skokomish. This BA program features a culturally relevant liberal arts curriculum taught on-site in the participating tribal communities.
Evergreen's Academic Vice President and Provost, Don Bantz, said he sees great potential in the new partnership. "This could be a prototype for Indian education," said Bantz. "It's a combination of distance learning and high touch learning. Evergreen is grateful to the Lumina Foundation for supporting our continuing efforts to develop curriculum and facilitate partnerships among the tribes, government agencies and other educational institutions."
The Lumina Foundation grant funds extensive student and faculty support services, including a program coordinator and on-site study leaders for the AA program and annual faculty development workshops for both the AA and BA programs.
In addition, the project partners will work in close collaboration with tribal communities to develop specific curricular units, or case studies, based on key issues of concern to tribes. Case study topic areas to be developed in collaboration with a tribal advisory board might include topics such as restoration of natural resources, indigenous research, tribal self-governance, education, health, and economic development. Five colleges have agreed to field test these case studies: Salish Kootenai College, Northwest Indian College (both two-year tribal colleges), Grays Harbor College, Fairhaven College at Western Washington University, and Bainbridge Graduate Institute.
Upon completion, the case studies will initially be used in Evergreen's undergraduate programs and in the college's Master of Public Administration Tribal Governance Program.
Lumina Foundation is one of the many organizations scheduled to participate in a special celebration event recognizing the Reservation-Based Transfer Program in Native American Studies that is offered through Grays Harbor College and Evergreen. The celebration will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 20 at 3 p.m. at the Quinault Beach Resort in Ocean Shores. The gathering will honor the program that represents a partnership among several tribes and colleges in the state of Washington. The event is open to the public.

subset: commoncrawl


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Thursday, July 05, 2007
Potato Pancetta and Mint Salad
So while I was flicking through the pages of Jane Lawson's Cocina Nueva it wasn't surprising that I found myself instantly attracted to her vinaigrette based potato salad. Having been thoroughly impressed with her Coca I knew I wouldn't be disappointed with this salad. Rather than parsley, it uses mint and the dressing also contains garlic, Dijon mustard, lemon juice and sherry vinegar. Along with Kipfler potatoes there's one other ingredient and this is crisp cubes of Chorizo.
Alas I didn't have Chorizo on hand but did have Pancetta and it proved to be a most adequate replacement. If eating meat isn't your thing then there's enough flavour in the dressing to more than satisfy - perhaps the addition of some roasted nuts will give you that contrasting textural element.
Potato Pancetta and Mint Salad
Mint Dressing
1½ tablespoons Sherry Vinegar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
pinch of sugar
20mls lemon infused extra virgin Olive oil
40mls extra virgin Olive oil (or just use 60mls extra virgin Olive oil)
large handful mint, finely shredded
500 grams Kipfler potatoes (or your favourite waxy potato)
1 thick slice pancetta, cut into small dice (or 1 chorizo, cut into small dice)
Make the dressing:
Place the vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, mustard and sugar into a bowl and whisk together. Drizzle in the oil, whisking constantly so as to emulsify the mixture. Sprinkle over the mint and just stir through. Let this sit to allow the flavours to infuse.
Cook the potatoes:
Choose potatoes that are roughly the same size - it just means that when it comes to boiling them they will roughly take the same time.
I prefer to boil the potatoes with their skins on - you can then choose to use them in the salad either skinned or skin on.
Cook the pancetta:
While the potatoes are boiling, place the pancetta/chorizo pieces into a hot pan and cook until crisp. You'll find that they release a bit of fat while cooking so make sure you drain them well on paper towels,
Assemble the salad:
When the potatoes are cooked, remove them and slice them into 2cm/¾inch thick pieces. Place them into your serving dish along with the drained pancetta pieces.
Spoon over the dressing and toss well - as the potatoes are warm they really take on the flavours of the dressing.
Serve at once.
This is a salad that is wonderfully fresh but also quite zingy due to the presence of garlic and lemon juice. It's extremely easy to eat and you may find yourself unwilling to share...or perhaps that's just me.
Tagged with Savoury
7 comments
Yum! If I hadn't made potato salad last night, I'd do this one tonight. Maybe tomorrow.....ReplyDelete
Ohhhh that looks really delicious!!! Made the zucchini flowers again and used the polenta, think I needed to add a bit of salt and possibly oregano to the batter. Stuffed with goats cheese and spinach and they were yummy!!! Thanks again!!!ReplyDelete
Potato salads are always good, Haalo - but yours is magnificent!ReplyDelete
Thanks Lorena - I'd very happily have this tomorrow ;)ReplyDelete
Thanks Pat - the fun is in the experimenting and the eating, I'm so happy to know you are enjoying them so much!
Thanks Patricia!
- AnonymousJuly 05, 2007
The recipe sounds delicious and the photos are fantastic - perfect!ReplyDelete
I like Kipfler potatoes and the combination with vinegar and mint sounds fab to me. I much prefer this to potato salads made of mayo.ReplyDelete
Thanks Maninas!ReplyDelete
Totally agree Nora - this is just so light and fresh, it's a pleasure to eat.


text: Gene, Andy, and David LeBlanc support doing "outreach" on this issue, and another Board member has suggested the same thing. Given that the draft will become publicly viewable in the Editorial Board archives later this week - and so far it looks like it doesn't require a lot of changes - it seems like this would be a good time to begin outreach to others. My only suggestion is to make sure that it's clear that what we've written is a draft only. Any comments or concerns? - Steve


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7 dead in spreading US meningitis outbreak
At least seven people have died and 91 have fallen ill in the United States in a worsening meningitis outbreak tied to a contaminated drug, updated figures showed Sunday.
Cases have been identified in nine states, with the hardest-hit being Tennessee, where 32 people have been diagnosed with the fungal infection and three have died, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Michigan is the second-most infected state, with 20 cases and two deaths, so far. Cases have also been noted in a vast region spanning Florida, Maryland and Minnesota.
In its latest bulletin, the CDC urged doctors to "actively contact" any patients who received doses of the potentially contaminated steroid injection—typically used to treat back pain—as far back as May 21.
The public health agency said symptoms of fungal meningitis, which has a very long incubation period, include fever, new or worsening headaches, neck stiffness, sensitivity to light, new weakness or numbness, increasing pain, redness or swelling of the injection site.
The rare infection—which inflames the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord—often goes undetected until it is too late because its flu-like symptoms can be mild at first. But meningitis is not contagious in this form.
Early detection and treatment—requiring a hospital stay to administer intravenous anti-fungal medications—can prevent permanent damage.
An initial investigation found that Tennessee clinicians who administered the contaminated drug "had no way of knowing" there was anything wrong with it and found "no lapses" in their standards, according to the state's health commissioner John Dreyzehner.
"The evidence indicates this is a product issue," he told reporters on Friday.
A multi-state investigation is underway to determine the cause of the outbreak, but the Food and Drug Administration said it had detected a fungal contaminant in a sealed vial of the drug produced by the New England Compounding Center in Massachusetts.
While further testing is required to confirm it was the source of the outbreak, the company has issued a voluntary recall of all of its products and shut down all operations.
Officials posted a list of the 75 health care facilities that received lots of the contaminated drug at: www.cdc.gov/hai/outbreaks/meni … -facilities-map.html
(c) 2012 AFP


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Welcome to the RUWDEC website
Rural Women Development Center (RUWDEC) is a non-governmental and not-for-profit organization that aims at improving the living standard of the local communities for sustainable development.
RUWDEC seeks to promote and enhance economic growth through social organization, project development, community health management, natural resource management, information technology, training and appropriate land use.
RUWDEC strives for excellence in rendering its services for the development of the local communities. This is done by using a dynamic and innovative approach to ensure community participation, to foster change and sustainable development in the local communities.
The process to ensure sustainable development includes continuous planning through which local communities can derive enormous benefits from the unexploited potential of their environment. This implies that the application of appropriate methods and resource management techniques designed to bring satisfaction in an equitable way, needs joint effort in effecting the desired change.
Please learn more out our programmes, achievements and our ongoing projects, or contact us for more information.


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How much do you know about strokes? Did you know that it's the leading cause of adult disability and the third leading cause of death? It is, but 80 percent of strokes can be prevented! Take this quick true/false quiz to learn what you can do for yourself and those you love to prevent stroke.
True. Even children have strokes, but most people who have a stroke are over 65. Depending on your risk factors, such as high blood pressure, smoking, and diabetes, you may be at much higher risk for stroke than most people.
True. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), stroke is more common and more deadly for African Americans than any other ethnic or racial group in the United States. Obviously, race is a risk factor you cannot change, but knowing you are at greater risk is a good reason to find out what you can change to prevent stroke, for example, get help for diabetes, high blood pressure, and if you smoke, quit!
False. According to the National Stroke Association, even though most women believe they are more at risk of dying from breast cancer, stroke kills twice as many women as breast cancer every year. Stroke is also the leading cause of death among Hispanic women.
True. If you smoke, you are twice more likely to have a stroke than someone who has never smoked. The good news is it's never too late. Quitting or cutting back today will also reduce your risk.
False. A recent study showed that middle-age people with blood pressure only slightly above normal are 68 percent more likely to have a stroke than those with normal blood pressure. Even though your blood pressure is too low for your doctor to prescribe medication, you are at risk and should focus on losing weight, exercising, and watching your salt intake.
Learn how SCAI is advancing patient care »


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A petition to move Halloween to the last Saturday of October has more than 44,000 signatures.
Started three months ago on Change.org, the petition – which says a holiday deserving of a full day shouldn't be crammed into two rushed hours on a weekday evening – is nearing its goal of 50,000 names.
From parents lamenting the chaos of getting home after work and getting kids ready, to teachers stressing out about the sugar-fuelled mayhem they endure the following day, all seem to agree that having Halloween on the weekend only had upsides.
"I am signing because I am an elementary school teacher. Halloween is massively disruptive to learning when it falls on a Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. Saturday is the perfect day," wrote one supporter.
Safety was also a theme that ran through the comments.
"This makes so much more sense! Parents are racing home in their cars from work while kids are running to their friends' houses … it's a safety concern!" wrote another.
What do you think?
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It's already been widely noted that the premise of the upcoming Monsters University is remarkably similar to that of Revenge of the Nerds. It's obvious, then, that the two should somehow be merged, and that's exactly what Lance Ford did in this trailer mashup, taking the audio from the former and matching it up with shots from the latter.
It… kinda works, actually. Any other ideas for mashups like this? Comments below….
HT: Geekosystem


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Meatless Monday: An impressive way to grill a whole cauliflower
Last summer, the hip way to handle cauliflower was to treat it like a steak.It was a trick that started in restaurants and quickly trickled down to home cooks looking for fresh ways to make an often-overlooked...
Last summer, the hip way to handle cauliflower was to treat it like a steak.
It was a trick that started in restaurants and quickly trickled down to home cooks looking for fresh ways to make an often-overlooked vegetable a little more interesting.
Most recipes call for cutting a head of cauliflower into thick slabs that remain intact during cooking. The slabs are seasoned and often grilled, and the result is a delicious, impressive and substantial dinner.
But recently I read about a whole new approach to cooking cauliflower, with "whole" being the key. The food website KitchenDaily.com posted a fascinating recipe for spicy whole-roasted cauliflower in which the entire head is coated with a spicy cumin-yogurt sauce, then slowly roasted. The result is a lightly crisped exterior and a tender interior, all of which is cut into slices like a pie.
I had to try it. But I also had to adapt it. After all, it's summer and I firmly believe anything that can be done on the grill ought to be done on the grill.
I also wanted an even crunchier exterior, something savory and a little salty, but that also would play up the textural contrast with the tender interior.
My solution was a well-seasoned blend of almond flour and egg. I simply overturned the head of cauliflower into a bowl of this coating, then set it on the grill right side up.
Note that the trick to getting the insides tender without burning the outside is a gentle heat. Indirect grilling is the best bet for this recipe.
Battered and Grilled Whole Cauliflower
1 large head cauliflower
1/2 cup almond flour
1 egg
1 tablespoon whole-grain Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon water
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Splash hot sauce
Heat a grill to medium-high, then prepare it for indirect cooking. On a charcoal grill, bank the lit coals to one side. On a gas grill, turn off the burners on one half of the grill. Coat a large sheet of foil with cooking spray.
Use a paring knife to trim away any leaves and protruding stem from the bottom of the cauliflower. Be careful not to cut into the head; you want it to remain intact.
In a shallow bowl large enough to fit the overturned head of cauliflower, whisk together the almond flour, egg, mustard, water, lemon juice, smoked paprika, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Overturn the cauliflower into the bowl, turning and moving it to coat it as completely as possible with the mixture.
Set the head of cauliflower, right side up, on the prepared foil. Spoon any of the almond flour mixture remaining in the bowl over the cauliflower, making sure it is evenly coated.
Set the cauliflower (on the foil) on the cooler side of the grill. Cover the grill and cook for 1 hour, or until lightly browned outside and tender insider (you can check by inserting a paring knife at the center).
Let the cauliflower cool for 5 minutes, then slice into wedges as you would a pie.
Makes 4 servings.
Preparation time, from start to finish: 1 hour, 10 minutes (10 minutes active).
Nutrition information per serving: 130 calories (70 calories from fat), 7 grams fat (1 g saturated, 0 g trans fats), 45 milligrams cholesterol, 11 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 4 g sugar, 7 g protein, 620 mg sodium.


text:
Last March, a very satisfied user of the Honeywell Wi-Fi Thermostat left a product review on Amazon.com that shed some light on an unexpected benefit of the smart home – revenge.
The reviewer wrote that his wife had left him, and then moved her new lover into the home they once shared, which now featured the Honeywell Wi-Fi thermostat. The jilted ex-husband could still control the thermostat through the mobile app installed on his smartphone, so he used it to make the new couple's lives a little less happily ever after:
"Since this past Ohio winter has been so cold I've been messing with the temp while the new love birds are sleeping. Doesn't everyone want to wake up at 7 AM to a 40 degree house? When they are away on their weekend getaways, I crank the heat up to 80 degrees and back down to 40 before they arrive home. I can only imagine what their electricity bills might be. It makes me smile. I know this won't last forever, but I can't help but smile every time I log in and see that it still works. I also can't wait for warmer weather when I can crank the heat up to 80 degrees while the love birds are sleeping. After all, who doesn't want to wake up to an 80 degree home in the middle of June?"
In the past year, more than 8,200 of the 8,490 Amazon users who have read the review deemed it "useful."
Colby Moore, a security research engineer at security firm Synack who has tested smart home products for vulnerabilities, says some of these products still feature the kinds of inherent vulnerabilities similar to the one described in that Amazon.com review. And even some of the devices that are capable of resetting users or credentials fail to make it simple enough for the everyday consumer.
"I would say on leading products, you can reset users, you can reset credentials and things like that," Moore says. "The problem is that some of this stuff starts to get kind of technical, and I think that's where a lot of these vulnerabilities come down, at least currently. The manufacturers don't design them securely, and rely on the end user to secure them."
For example, many customers don't even think to change passwords on smart home devices because they may not even consider them technology products that can be hacked like a PC. That's how more than 73,000 internet-connected cameras were found to be streaming their footage on the web in November. Customers never changed the default passwords, many of which are available online as basic product information, and unwittingly allowed hackers to stream the private footage from cameras that they had initially purchased to feel safer.
Many companies in the Internet of Things and smart home market are taking security seriously, Moore says. Specifically, Moore says Nest products, including the connected thermostat and the Dropcam camera, are very difficult to hack outside of a lab setting.
A lot of the lower-end smart home products, however, make it to the market rife with vulnerabilities. One example Moore cited was the Foscam camera, which is one of the least expensive on the market and which Moore says is "super prevalent."
"There are oftentimes directory traversal vulnerabilities that let you read out kernel memory and dump passwords and things like that," Moore says. "So essentially what that's saying is you can go out there, find someone's camera [on the] internet, and have remote access to it without knowing the credentials."
In another case, Moore says Synack researchers tested a smart home security system, the kind typically for sale at a "do-it-yourself kind of home store," and were able to disable it, enter the home, then re-activate the system again once they left.
"The alarm would never go off, and when the user came back it would appear that nothing happened," Moore says.
Moore says there is potential for hackers to start packaging attacks targeted at smart home products and distributing them on a wide scale. Although he hasn't seen it in the market yet, Moore says it is "very plausible" that attackers could begin selling pre-packaged smart home attacks on the black market, similarly to how some PC malware attacks are sold, enabling even the less-skilled criminal to exploit cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the smart home.
"One thing I have seen or have heard about is people out there scanning their local IP space and finding IP cameras within people's homes, garages, or outside their house, and being able to watch the inhabitants and see when they're home and deduce their pattern of life – if you know someone's pattern of life, you know when they're not going to be home – and using these cameras and intel to rob someone's house intelligently," Moore says. "So I certainly can perceive that someone can package up a very nice utility to go out there and look for cameras local to you and use it as a robbery tool."
Another potential distribution method is by altering the products themselves. If attackers can access the devices before they are sold – by tampering with inventory or even by purchasing a connected camera and returning it to the store with malware pre-loaded onto it – they will be able to control them as soon as the user installs them.
To test this approach, Moore says Synack researchers purchased several popular IP cameras, altered the hardware, and re-packaged them with a shrink wrapper they purchased on eBay. When they asked their co-workers around the office to distinguish between a brand new product and the one they had altered and re-packaged, they found that no one could see a difference, Moore says.
"So I think that really is a true avenue that an intelligent hacker can use, especially in rich neighborhoods or rich areas where targets might exist," he adds.
Moore says that the higher-end smart home products are being designed with security in mind, and as the market matures, he expects the rest of the products to eventually follow suit. However, security standards for the Internet of Things are still a work in progress, so for the time being, consumers may still find themselves exposed to these vulnerabilities.
"A co-worker put it to me the other day, 'we have the technology for air bags, and we're mandated to put them in our cars,'" Moore says. "We have the technology for good security for these Internet of Things products, but no one is telling anyone or forcing them to put it in. So manufacturers, if they chose to, they could do these things right. The technology is available. They just aren't doing it yet."


text:
Software Map
Project Tree
Now limiting view to projects in the following categories:
Programming Language :: R [Remove This Filter]
Topic :: Spatial Data & Statistics :: Ecological Analysis [Remove This Filter]
Natural Language > Spanish
Browse By:
1 project in result set.
|0. Function value data spatial prediction - geofd implements some methods for making spatial prediction of functional correlated data
|Activity Percentile: 0.00
Registered: 2010-05-13 08:53


text:
280292 P.O.BOXSan Francisco, CA 94128ph: 16503455600fax: 16503458800alt: email@example.com
Welcome to ACE Limousine & Sedan Service.
We operate the premier luxury Airport Limo and Sedan Service in the San Francisco Bay Area. For luxury transportation to and from San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose Airports, give us a call and we promise you the best service.
Toll Free: 1-800-439-4075International & Local (650) 345-5600Fax: (650) 345-8800Email: firstname.lastname@example.com


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The Aluminator
An all-aluminum supercharged 540-inch big-block is the crowning jewel of Stuart Adams' '69 Camaro
When the average guy purchases a completed car, the last item on the agenda is to disassemble the car and make even more modifications. However, Stuart Adams isn't your average hot rodder, he's a highly skilled optometrist who had a "vision" for his next Camaro. When he found this '69 Camaro wearing Daytona Yellow and black, it lacked some of the equipment he wanted. His vision included mini-tubs, but didn't let that stop him. The deal was struck.
To help build a picture of the revisions made to this Camaro, we have to take a ride back in time. Just a few years ago, this '69 Camaro was a ZL-1 clone. It was built with all the correct factory parts, including the most distinguishing option, the all-aluminum 427-inch GM big-block engine. The car was a collector's dream car. Jody Bernard purchased the clone with visions of bolting on a few parts so the car would be more fun to drive without cutting it up. Since the body, paint, and everything else was flawless, the car turned into a street car most would be afraid to drive. He installed a bunch of g-Machine equipment, including Baer brakes on all four corners, 17-inch wheels and tires, and fuel injection.
In normal hot rodding fashion, Jody wasn't happy with that combination for long. He wanted the car to perform much better around corners and in a straight line. The front suspension and powerplant had to be revised. Jody came across a sweet deal on a Wayne Due front clip (Wayne is known for bolt-in Camaro and Nova front subframes for adapting the late-model Corvette front suspension), so he swapped out the old GM subframe and swapped in the new one. The power was addressed by swapping out the GM aluminum block and installing a 540 cubic-inch Arias Century aluminum block that could reliably handle more than 600hp. These 6-bolt main blocks are typically found in Pro-Outlaw and Blown Alcohol applications, so holding ludicrous amounts of power would not be an issue. Jody added an ATI D-1SC ProCharger with an overdrive pulley to pump out some serious horsepower. During early stages of tuning, the supercharged combination produced 15 pounds of boost and pounded the dyno with nearly 1000 hp at the crankshaft. To confidently harness that kind of power, a Fab-9 rearend with all the best parts and 4.11:1 gears replaced the GM 12-bolt rear axle. Jody also installed a Tremec TKO 5-speed transmission to do battle between the engine and the differential. With pump-gas, this combination netted him a whopping 19 mpg on the highway.
The interior was in great shape and basically stock. The Corbeau seats had been previously installed to control the occupants when putting the updated suspension through its paces. Further modifications were requested to bring the cabin to current specs. A DSE steel dash insert was painted to accent the body color and the new Autometer Ultra-Lite gauges. A new Vintage Air system was installed to keep the car comfortable in any climate. Dynamat was installed from the firewall to the rear seat in order to keep some of the unwanted road and car noises to a minimum. More noise was minimized with a coated exhaust system fabbed up with Flowmasters and an x-pipe. With less outside audio input, Stuart would be able to hear the tunes coming from the Sony sound system. The rear seat area was modified by DSE when the Deep Tubs were installed, but they were able to retain function of the factory fold-down rear seat, which is a plus for Stuart and his family.
The engine compartment went through a complete overhaul as well. Stuart recalls telling Kyle, "I want the engine compartment to be as uncluttered as possible." He also wanted a uniform look under the hood; he wanted to see two things--aluminum and black. These requests took some careful planning to execute. In order for the firewall to be smoothed, the stock and aftermarket components that previously adorned it were relocated out of sight. They moved the Optima yellow-top battery to the trunk for better weight distribution, while cleaning up the vacant space in the engine compartment. DSE fabricated an entire cold-air intake system out of aluminum, which has an air box that tucks behind the grill where it shares tight quarters with the Rally Sport headlight mechanisms. While they were at it, they ditched all the bulky vacuum-operated headlight door equipment and converted the system over to a much more compact electric system. Knowing that Stuart wanted a sanitary-looking engine compartment, the DSE crew built custom shrouds to cover the air-box, hood latch, and BeCool radiator. The aluminum and black color combination was fairly easy to execute, since the 540 Arias block, heads, intake manifold, supercharger, and many other components were aluminum. Earl's black hoses and black anodized fittings were used throughout to complement the look. All the other components were painted, coated, or anodized to carry out the theme.
Once the car was completely reassembled, tuning and tweaking of the Fuel Air Spark Technologies (FAST) fuel-injection system was necessary to adjust for the new intake system. To keep Stuart out of trouble with the government officials, installation of a larger pulley producing 7 pounds of boost and dropping the power closer to 800 hp was agreed upon. (Stuart would like to thank Dave Henniger of FAST for his fuel-injection expertise.)
The newly revised car has classic body lines, but drives and handles like a late-model muscle car...on steroids! Stuart's Camaro is no longer a ZL-1 clone. The combination of talent and vision has earned this flawless all-aluminum big block powered g-Machine a new title. Stuart has the perfect name: The Aluminator.


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Census Bureau Releases Most Up-to-Date Statistics for Every Community Nationwide
The U.S. Census Bureau today released findings from the American Community Survey — the most relied-on source for detailed, up-to-date socio-economic statistics covering every community in the nation every year — for the combined years from 2006 to 2010.
Consisting of about 11 billion individual estimates and covering more than 670,000 distinct geographies, the five-year estimates give even the smallest communities timely information on more than 40 topics, such as educational attainment, income, occupation, commuting to work, language spoken at home, nativity, ancestry and selected monthly homeowner costs.
"These estimates are ideal for public officials to use to make key decisions," Census Bureau Director Robert Groves said. "School boards will find them helpful in forecasting demand for classroom space, teachers and workforce training programs, and they will be a tremendous asset to planners in identifying traffic concerns and building roads and transit systems to ease commutes. Local governments will also find them useful in forecasting needs for services such as police and fire protection."
Today's release is based on completed interviews with almost 2 million housing units each year from 2006 through 2010. By pooling several years of survey responses, the American Community Survey can generate detailed statistical portraits of smaller geographies. The Census Bureau issues new sets of these five-year estimates every year, permitting users to track trends in even the smallest of areas over time.
Visitors to the Census Bureau website can find their community's estimates in the American FactFinder database. Release


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B2B Bouletta
Flex Cover Back Leather Case for iPhone 12 Pro Max | Snake Leather - Black
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Flex Cover Back Case for Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max 6.7" is produced from genuine leather in high quality with experience of years by first class workmanship and meticulous work.
It is a quality product that you will use for a long time by love. If you will get a gift, you can be sure that it will be appreciated.
Product Highlights
It is a handmade genuine leather case.
It provides easy access to charging and earphone ports.
Its plastic covers are elastic.
It is very slim to keep and using it easy in pocket or bag.
The lightweight frame provides structure, stability and safety.
After using, this case will have natural appearance.
This case can protect across to falling down through durable structure
Also, camera elements were used easily thanks to this case.
This product is 100% perfect fit for Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max 6.7".
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We will ship your order on the same day if it is placed between Monday and Friday before 13.00 (G.M.T). Orders placed between Monday and Friday after 13.00 (G.M.T) will be shipped the following working day, those placed after 13.00 (G.M.T.) on a Friday will be shipped the following Monday.
Delivery Time
United States of America-Canada: 2 business days.
Europe: 1 business day.
For further information about other countries and other shipment procedures, please check the link.


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Question about Maytag Performa LAT2500A
Posted by aesop_68 on
The LR error on your non-spinning Maytag Neptune is usually, though not always, accompanied either by a burn spot or a blown fuse on the Motor Control Board.
Maytag upgraded the motor and motor control board because this problem was so prevalent. Big rash of these a few years back... and insludes replacement instructions with the kit.
The LR code means "locked rotor" which is just a way of saying the control is not seeing the motor turning.
The image below contains the wiring diagram for this washer as you requested but there are some other things to consider.
Usually when the LR code is displayed the motor has stopped turning for some reason.
By definition the LR code means the control has tried to turn the motor but was unable to.
The error code can be caused by to large of load, to much soap/suds in the water or a problem with the spin bearing.
The cause of the LR message can be little problem like suds or a major problem like the spin bearing and sometimes it's difficult to pin down.
You don't mention in your question if the LR code occurs every load or once a week.
Try running a rinse and spin cycle empty and see if the washer completes the cycle.
The 2nd image contains the information on how to enter and run a diagnostic cycle which may help pin the source of the problem down.
This test completes all functions of the washer is a short time. It will fill, tumble, drain and spin all is a few minutes.
At the end of a successful test cycle a PA should display which means "Passed" and is what you want to see.
Image 1: http://media.fotki.com/1_p,sqwrrqkkqkstsftxgtqsskgwtqkq,vi/kkwrfdskkxkgbffwfww/1/1303472/5961857/image53872img-or.gif
Image 2:http://media.fotki.com/1_p,sqwtrsgdwsqtqsqxgtqsskgwtqkq,vi/kkwrfdskkxkktggsfsw/1/1303472/5961857/image53908img-or.gif
From another source..."Installing replacement motor, motor control harness, and motor control circut board.
Pretty easy install. On a scale of 1 to 10 (ten being hardest) I'd call it a 3.5. If you can use a screwdriver, a wrench, and have played with legos before, you can probably do this job. It took me about 3 hours to do, but this was with inferior tools, and two smoke breaks included.
Minimum tool requirements: Adjustable-head cresent wrench (8 or smaller handle), phillips head screwdriver, utility knife.
Recommended tool equirements: Small ratchet with socket set, ratcheting screwdriver with phillips head and small socket attachments, brew.
The instructions are pretty clear. Once you pull the front panel off, there are two braces at 45 degree angles on the lower corners of the washer. The instructions don't ask you to, but I would remove the brace on the left to make life easier. This gives your arm more room to work and makes it easier to pull the motor out the front.
They ask you to remove the wiring harness from the motor first and then pull the harness out with the control board. My wrench was too big to get to the bolt to remove the harness from the motor. All I did was cut the harness - since they supply a new one - then pull out the control board, then pull out the motor. As far as getting the pulley off, slip it on and off at the large wheel, this is much easier than taking it off at the small motor drive shaft. The only other thing of note is to make sure you look at the diagram for the conectors a few times before you snap it together. There are a few ways you could hook it up wrong so pay attention. There should be no loose ends when you finish. Also, I couldn't get the flange back on on the rear acess panel when closing it up, but it doesnt seem to serve muc purpose besides asthetics, so I tossed it.
The $200 for the parts and shipping was well worth it. I saved about $150-250 to do it myself...."
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About Comilla
Comilla District (Chittagong division) with an area of 3085.17 sq km, is bounded by Brammanbaria and Narayan Ganj districts on the north, Noakhali and Feni districts on the south, Tripura (state of India) on the east, Munshi Ganj and Chandpur districts on the west. Annual average temperature maximum 34.3?C, minimum 12.7?C; annual rainfall 2551 mm. Main rivers are Meghna, Gumti and Dakatia.
Comilla (Town) stands on the bank of the Gumti river. It consists of 18 wards and 46 mahallas. It has an area of 11.47 sq km and a population of 168378; male 52.56%, female 47.44%. Literacy rate among the town people is 60.3%. In the suburb there exists the Commonwealth War Cemetery Memorials, Muktajuddha Museum at Mainamati Cantonment and bangladesh academy for rural development, Mainamati Museum, Comilla Cadet College at Courtbari. Comilla Town is blessed with the memories of national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam. Nazrul Islam married twice in life, one at Daulatpur of Muradnagar upazila of the district and the other at Comilla Town. Those places have been marked with memorial plates. Poet Rabindranath Tagore visited Comilla twice. Ustad Muhammad Hussain, Fazle Nizami and Kulendu Das have enriched the cultural heritage of the town. Ustad Ayet Ali Khan established a musical institute here.
The Comilla region was once under ancient Samatat and was joined with Tripura State. This district came under the reign of the kings of the Harikela in the ninth century AD. Lalmai Mainamati was ruled by Deva dynasty (eighth century AD), and Chandra dynasty (during tenth and mid eleventh century AD). It came under the rule of East India Company in 1765. This district was established as Tripura district in 1790. It was renamed Comilla in 1960. Chandpur and Brahmanbaria subdivisions of this district were transformed into districts in 1984. Comilla district has 5 municipalities, 54 wards, 148 mahallas, 12 upazilas, 1 thana, 180 union parishads, 2704 mouzas and 3624 villages. The upazilas are comilla sadar, barura, chandina, daudkandi, laksam, brahmanpara, burichang, chauddagram, debidwar, homnA, muradnagar and nangalkot; the municipalities are Comilla Sadar, Barura, Chandina, Daudkandi and Laksham.


text:
Customer Reviews
Watch Real Customer Testimonial Videos
About Dehumidifiers
A dehumidifier is a self contained unit that removes excess moisture from a home's air. Inside the dehumidifier, a fan draws the home's air through a filter and over cold coils of the unit to condense the moisture. When the moisture on the coils increases, it drips off of the coils into the collection container. This moisture then drains out of the collection container. The dry air then passes through the hot coil to heat it back up to room temperature. The dehumidifiers available here can attach to your home's duct system to automatically dehumidify the whole house, a separated living area, or both.
Benefits of dehumidifying your home include the following:
- Reduces humidity levels without cooling
- Better comfort control
- Improves indoor air quality by lowering the chance of mold, mildew, and bacteria
- In new construction homes a dehumidifier can reduce the size of ducts required
- Saves money by reducing the size of cooling equipment


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Gift Cards - we've got it covered!
Redeemable against any of the services
we offer in the Inn and Salter's Tavern
Cookery Demonstrations, Wine Dinners,
Tavern & Inn Dining, Shop, Afternoon
Teas and various accommodation
Order to pick up in person, have them
mailed or if you're in a real pickle, we
can email one to you immediately!
Gift Card Terms & Conditions
Gifts Cards at The Robert Morris Inn & Salter's
Gift Cards may be redeemed against any goods and services: packages, cookery demonstration lunches, wine dinners, shop, wine pairing dinners and much more!
The following terms and conditions shall apply to the Robert Morris Inn Gift Card (the "Card"). By their purchase and use of the Card, the purchaser and/or cardholder hereby agree as follows:
1 The Card may only be used for purchases at The Robert Morris Inn & Salter's Tavern - any services and any time.
2 Gratuity cannot be covered by the funds on the Card
3 The Card can be purchased for any agreed value and will carry balances of the same amount
4 Cards may be part redeemed as often as desired until such time as the full value on the Card is used. On partial use and upon request we will inform you of the balance outstanding
5 The Card is not redeemable for cash. If the value of the Card is less than the value of the items purchased, the cardholder must provide an additional payment in order to complete the purchase
6 Please safeguard this Card. If the Card is lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed, only the balance then remaining on the Card will be reissued and only so long as an original receipt is presented
7 The Card will expire five years from the date it was purchased
The use of this Card constitutes acceptance of these terms and conditions. Any terms or conditions above deemed unenforceable shall be severable and the remaining terms and conditions enforceable. Enforcement of these terms and conditions shall be governed under the laws of the State of Maryland as if purchase of the Card were a contract wholly entered into and wholly performed within the state of Maryland.


text:
90s Party
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Printed front and back with a rich vibrant design, these socks are the perfect way to complete your outfit.
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text:
Clue: Word suggestive of marriage
We have 1 answer for the clue Word suggestive of marriage. See the results below.
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text:
Foresight's report on the future of food and farming covers the ground, but seems to be blind to disruptive change
The recent UK Government Foresight report on the future of the global food and farming system can't be faulted for a lack of ambition. It takes on the whole of the global food system, and looks out to 2050. Much of what it says is valuable (and the supporting papers look to be a useful research resource), and this is to be expected, given the calibre of the advisers the project was able to draw on. But there are some telling gaps, and these largely come from a lack of decent futures work in the report. Some of these gaps have been pointed up by some of the other work that's been published recently on food and its wider impacts. This will be a long post, so I'm going to split it into two parts, the first about the Foresight report, the second on its limits.
I was asked to review the Foresight report for meeting organised by the Food Ethics Council (I'll link to their meeting report when it goes on their website), and this summary is based on that. The starting question for the project (not included in the report) is, "How can a future global population of 9 billion people all be fed healthily and sustainably?", and the report summarises the characteristics of a well-performing global food market in 2050 as follows:
- the supply and demand of food balances, and food is affordable
- food prices are stable
- there is global access to food (and hunger has been ended)
- food has lower carbon emissions
- biodiversity and ecosystem services are maintained.
The challenge, of course, is getting there. And the starting point is not so good. Right now 925 million people suffer from hunger, and much agricultural land is being degraded by poor farming practices. And it's worth emphasising that one of the things I liked about the report was the repeated focus on the seriousness of hunger as a continuing problem, perhaps the result of development academics such as Lawrence Haddad being among the expert advisers.
Knowledge transfer could triple Africa's yields
There are six important drivers of change, the report says, which won't surprise anyone who's looked at these issues: Global population increases; increasing intensity of individual demand; climate change; national and international governance of food systems; competition for resources (energy, water, land, energy); and changes in consumer values. And there are some relatively easy wins, it says, including reducing waste, reducing demand for 'high impact' foods – basically red meat – and improving governance and knowledge transfer. The last of these could double yields in Russia and triple them in Africa.
From a futures perspective, though, the work has weaknesses. This is a vast complex system, but there is barely a feedback loop to be seen in the report or its supporting papers. My futurist colleague Wendy Schultz, who also presented at the Food Ethics Council meeting, looked at the caveats to the work which modelled future outcomes (opens pdf). It has used some widely employed and well-respected models, but the authors note – in Table C4.2 – the assumptions they have not addressed because they involve uncertainties or are hard to quantify or model. These include climate variability, the impact of pests and parasites, human behaviour and values, technological change, and 'high-impact, high-uncertainty [so-called] 'black swan' events'.
The rise of urban agriculture is a blindspot
In other words, pretty much all of those factors which might have the potential to create disruptive change have been excluded from the modelling. Elsewhere, the report mentions such factors without ever quite getting its teeth into them. It touches on changes in consumer tastes, but doesn't seem to believe there's much chance of a significant change in consumption patterns over 40 years (even in the face of the acute resource pressures it has described). And although there's discussion of agricultural land, it seems to miss – completely – the rather strong trends we see, everywhere, towards urban food production and the blurring of the distinction between agricultural land and other productive space.
So what is to be done? "No single approach can meet all of the complex challenges… decisive action is needed across a wide front". The report lists 12 priority areas (p34-37, opens pdf), which are not in an order of importance:
- Spread best practice.
- Invest in new knowledge.
- Make sustainable food production central in development.
- Work on the assumption that there is little new land for agriculture.
- Ensure long-term sustainability of fish stocks.
- Promote sustainable intensification.
- Include the environment in food system economics.
- Reduce waste – both in high- and low-income countries.
- Improve the evidence base upon which decisions are made and develop metrics to assess progress.
- Anticipate major issues with water availability for food production.
- Work to change consumption patterns.
- Empower citizens.
Is this enough? Perhaps not. Oddly, governance is a quick win, but not a priority area. The report states boldly right at the beginning that "Nothing less is required than a redesign of the whole food system to bring sustainability to the fore", but nowhere starts to develop the tools which would help people develop a vision of what such a re-design might look like, as if it doesn't want to say 'boo' to power. It seems to take a relatively uncritical view of global and open markets; indeed, whenever the politics of food threatens to break the surface, the report seems to move swiftly on. I'll come back to this in the next post.
The picture at the top of the post is from the Anne of Carversville blog, and is used with thanks.


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Growers should prepare for larger soybean seed in 2014
MINNETONKA, Minn.– Dry weather conditions during the growing season followed by late season rains may be the cause of larger-than-normal soybean seed this year, which can affect planter performance and ultimately yields. In response, Syngenta has taken several steps to improve the planting experience with its line of NK soybeans.
Along with running plantability tests on all seed lots after conditioning, the company is conducting additional pre- and post-conditioning tests and quality processes to ensure a more uniform seed size which will provide a better customer experience.
"Our mission is to help farmers grow more soybeans," said Doug Tigges, soybean genetics product manager at Syngenta. "We added a polymer to NK soybeans treated at our facilities to enhance soybean seed plantability and flowability, and changed to a new concentrated red colorant on seed treatments to distinguish this next generation of seed."
Larger-than-normal soybean seed has become more common the last two growing seasons. According to outreach researchers at the Purdue University Extension, growers should be aware of the size of their seed so they can properly prepare their planters. To ensure proper planter calibration, the following tips are recommended:
• Run a sample of seed to make sure planter monitors are working properly.
• Match disc size and air pressure to seed size on vacuum metering units.
•Use a talc or graphite lubricant to improve seed flow and prevent bridging.
In addition to following manufacturers' recommendations for smoother planting, growers should be aware of the importance of seed selection. "While the growing environment and genetics play key roles in seed size, the most important consideration for growers is selecting varieties that are tailored to meet their specific field needs and maximize the yield potential of every acre," said Tigges.
Growers wrapping up their seed selection still have time to purchase high-performing seed. Syngenta announced that 16 new NK brand soybean varieties, fitting a wide array of field conditions and ranging in relative maturity from 0.07 to 5.9, are available in limited quantities for spring 2014. These high-yielding varieties offer a combination of Genuity Roundup Ready 2 Yield® herbicide tolerance, soybean cyst nematode (SCN) resistance, Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) resistance and four of the new launches are stacked with STS herbicide tolerance. The addition of these new products expands the current offering, which enables soybeans to start strong and for you to grow more soybeans.
For more information visit SyngentaSeeds.com.


text: What is there not to love about hand crafted squirrels, bunnies and owls? And as if you weren't overdosing on cute enough just yet, check out these cats in crocheted hats! This bunch of crocheted cool comes to you from the xmoonbloom store on Etsy – our favourite home of hand created goodness. That's not all you can pick up at xmoonbloom though, and if you're feeling adventurous and want to create your own crocheted creatures you can even buy patterns at the store which give you all the clues. So if you are a big kid at heart or your cat needs a new do, then drop by xmoonbloom. Meow!


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There are many reasons that sabermetrically inclined writers and fans are frustrated with their old school counterparts. The Hall of Fame voting debacle is probably Exhibit A, in which the very same people whose job it was to report on issues like steroids but failed to do so for decades now sit in self-righteous judgement of the "cheaters" who ruined the game by increasing attendance and inflating revenue. But for me personally, their most unforgiveable sin is their intellectual laziness.
Consider modern metrics such as FIP or WAR. As combinatorial, and more importantly – evolving – metrics, there are legitimate questions to be asked about their relative importance, design and efficacy. Handed down by God to Moses, these were not. And if the legacy sportswriters had considered them carefully, and discarded one or all for failures they perceived after studying them in detail, few if any in the sabermetric world would complain. These types of criticisms, after all, are relatively standard in sabermetric communities, where debates still rage on the merits of Baseball Reference's WAR versus Fangraphs' version.
Instead, however, the old school (with notable exceptions like Peter Gammons) treats them with disdain, undeserving of legitimate consideration – where they will deign to acknowledge such measurements at all. The origins of this attitude are variously attributed to fear, ignorance and arrogance, but whatever the cause the manifestation is laziness. A failure to study the latest research in your field – whatever field that might be – is nothing more or less than an intellectual failure. This is bad enough.
What is worse, however, is that many long tenured baseball writers don't seem to be motivated to do even basic research – forget the advanced metrics. The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo, an unfortunate successor to Peter Gammons' Notes column at that paper, is a case study in this behavior. Here's Fire Joe Morgan, six years ago, on a piece of Cafardo's:
Would like to just make note of some ordinary, run-of-the-mill shoddy research in a major metropolitan newspaper, The Boston Globe.
If this was a one time event, so be it. It's a bit unexpected to see at a major media outlet, which has editors in place to catch such things, but mistakes happen. This is, however, something of a habit for Cafardo.
- In September his Sunday column suggested that BJ Upton could be a trade candidate this offseaon. Upton was, in fact, a free agent, and eventually signed with the Braves. A simple check of Cot's Contracts provides information on current contractual status for any player in the league.
- In this past Thursday's mailbag, when questioned about potential pitching project signings to complement the major league staff, he answered with "You have guys like…Ben Sheets out there as well." Which would be fine, except that Ben Sheets retired in October after a brief comeback attempt with the Braves. A Google query of "Ben Sheets" returns the retirement story in the top five results, assuming one missed the announcement at the time.
But it was an answer about Rick Porcello that grated the most. In the mailbag, Cafardo was asked about a potential Detroit/Boston swap involving Andrew Bailey and Porcello. And in the interest of full disclosure, this was a trade I myself had proposed:
Detroit is rumored to be willing to trade the young starter, who has been negatively impacted by the club's poor defense, and having lost Valverde to free agency they're currently projected to enter the season as a division favorite backed by a rookie closer who throws hard but has little idea of where the ball is going. Match that to our current bullpen surplus, which includes two capital C closers, and it would seem that there's at least the basis for a conversation between the two teams. Which, to his credit, Cafardo agrees with. But then he went on to say:
Don't know how good Porcello will be as he seems to be declining.
Declining? Based on what? Here are Porcello's FIP numbers for the four years he's been in the league:
- 2009: 4.77
- 2010: 4.31
- 2011: 4.06
- 2012: 3.91
So, the exact opposite of a decline. What about his strikeouts (K/9)?
- 2009: 4.69
- 2010: 4.65
- 2011: 5.14
- 2012: 5.46
Low enough to be concerned overall, but certainly not indicative of a decline. Maybe his walks are spiking? Here's his BB/9:
- 2009: 2.74
- 2010: 2.10
- 2011: 2.27
- 2012: 2.25
That's not it: he didn't walk that many his rookie year, and he's never again walked even that many. And as far as declines go, this year was better than last. Has he become home run prone, perhaps? How many is he giving up per nine?
- 2009: 1.21
- 2010: 1.00
- 2011: 0.89
- 2012: 0.82
So he's been given up fewer home runs on a rate basis every year he's been in the league, in other words. Not that Cafardo would trust it, but what do Porcello's WAR numbers look like?
- 2009: 2.0
- 2010: 2.0
- 2011: 2.7
- 2012: 2.9
According to the advanced metrics, then, Porcello's value is climbing rather than declining. As a traditionalist, however, Cafardo is probably most concerned with ERA. Maybe that points to a decline?
- 2009: 3.96
- 2010: 4.92
- 2011: 4.75
- 2012: 4.59
It is true that Porcello has never again equalled his rookie ERA (which advanced metrics indicated was unsustainable), but it is categorically untrue that his ERA indicates a decline. It's evidence of the contrary, in fact. After a sophomore slump, Porcello has improved in every year since, in nearly every measurable statistic. Which you would never know if you read – and relied upon – Nick Cafardo. Undoubtedly, there are conversations being had in Boston right now about how it would be unwise to trade for Porcello in light of his "decline."
This to me is a fundamental violation of the trust journalism depends on. Shouldn't a reader be able to trust that a simple declarative statement from a senior writer at the newspaper with maybe the best history of sports journalism in the country roughly corresponds to the known facts? How can readers take anything Cafardo says at face value at this point, when his history demonstrates conclusively that neither he nor his editors are doing even basic research? This seems to be the definition of contempt for the reader.
When old school writers claim, then, that newer fans or writers are angry about being stuck in the proverbial "mother's basement," then, don't buy it. We're frustrated because the people charged with informing the public about the game of baseball – and who style themselves as its gatekeepers – have become too lazy to even use Google, and are proud of that.


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Ever since my spring break visit to Scottsdale, I have been obsessed with the scent of orange blossoms. The orange trees were teeming with their impossibly pungent flowers, and rekindled my passion for its very special perfume. Luckily it didn't take long to quell my obsession, as I had something awaiting me at home that would satiate my orange blossom needs.
I mentioned in an earlier post that Ayala of Ayala Moriel Parfums had treated me to a lovely "thank you" package after staying with me in Portland. Fortuitously, not only did it include the Vetiver Racinettes soap that I reviewed, but also a sample of Zohar, her orange blossom soliflore.
The beauty of Ayala's creations, even her soliflores, is that they are never simple, and Zohar is no exception. There's no doubt this is an orange blossom fragrance from start to finish, but it has an interesting and beautiful progression that maintains a surprising amount of depth. Even Zohar's opening which is bright and full of citrus clarity is not a zesty blast. The yuzu and petitgrain are more sweet than bitter, allowing for a richness which is a prelude to the ambery nature of things to come.
The luminosity of the top notes becomes a little hazy, the buzz of musky honey and the fuzzy legs of bees dance around the trees. Just as Ayala had in mind, Zohar morphs into "an orchard in full bloom." It's slightly animalic, with hints of fecund soil and overly ripe fruit. Jasmine and tuberose mingle with the orange blossoms, but do not overpower them. They do their assigned job of enhancement, and are allowed to shine only ever so slightly.
Regarding the amber, I mentioned that it makes its first impression at the beginning of the Zohar experience, but only subtly. It isn't until the heart and base of the fragrance that the fullness of the amber develops into one that is deep, warm and uniquely honeyed. I think it is this honey-amber aspect of Zohar that makes it so rich and ripe, giving it the fertile fruit orchard atmosphere Ayala strove to create. (And successfully did so.)
Zohar also comes in an Anointing Body Oil, which is just as lovely as the perfume, but slightly different. The body oil plays with the brighter, crisper notes of Zohar and is less about the amber. I am more aware of the petitgrain in the oil, and it exudes a cleaner almost sun-dried laundry quality. It's a beautiful companion to the perfume, and as to be expected, they meld seamlessly when layered. I love how the oil makes the perfume just a little more crisp, which provides the opportunity to appreciate Zohar from another perspective.
Like all off Ayala Moriel Parfums' products, the Zohar Anointing Oil and Zohar perfumes are 100% all natural.
Zohar EDP $48 for 4ml, $120 for 15ml. Body Oil $25 for 15ml. Please see Ayalamoriel.com for more sizes and pricing information.
Images: Picture of Orange Tree is mine. Zohar image is courtesy of Ayala Moriel Parfums.


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The More The Merrier
Hey, all you classic film buffs out there! Hey, all you folks who enjoy seeing films set in our very own city! Tomorrow's TCM "Road to Hollywood" event is made just for you.
As companion events to its Classic Film Festival that's taking place in Hollywood, Turner Classic Movies has organized several one-night-only screenings around the country, with each city showing a film set there. So, Bostonians can watch The Verdict, or Chicagoans can watch The Lady from Shanghai.
But we here in DC might be the luckiest of all! Tomorrow night at the Avalon Theatre, TCM will be showing The More The Merrier (1943). This classic of the screwball comedy genre stars the always hilarious Jean Arthur (whom you'll recognize from that other DC-based classic, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington) and Joel McCrea, and features an Oscar-winning performance by Charles Coburn. They're all jammed together in one tiny apartment, when DC was stuffed full to the gills with war workers and soldiers during World War II. Naturally, hijinks ensue! If you've ever lived in those thousands of housing units that popped up all over the District and its immediate environs during the war, you'll have a special appreciation.
The More The Merrier is hilarious, but it's all in service of a great love story. It's famous for one of the most romantic and sexy scenes in all of classic cinema:
We've all had a moment like that, right? When you don't want to say goodbye, or hang up the phone, or close the door at the end of the night.
The screening will be hosted by TCM's weekend host, Ben Mankiewicz and George Stevens, Jr. Tickets can be downloaded for free here, but seating is limited and first-come, first served so get there early! I know I won't miss it.


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Getting Funding for Your Growing Business
Use these steps to determine if now is a good time to get financing.
Q: I'm interested in applying for financing for my business. What's your advice?
A: Obtaining financing is an essential part of launching a new business or expanding an existing company. The process of applying and gaining approval for business financing, however, can be a daunting process. In fact, lengthy applications and cumbersome approval processes often deter many businesses from even applying.
Before you apply, be sure that you have considered whether or not this is the right step for your business. While additional funds may help your business grow, they will also increase your debt and eat into your company's profits. Talk about your need for business financing with an advisor before you proceed.
If you do determine that your business needs financing, here are seven tips you can use to improve your chances of getting approved:
- Determine what type of financing you need. Lenders can assist you by providing funds through different types of business loans. In general, types of business loans include term loans and revolving lines of credit. In addition to these traditional forms of debt financing, you may want to investigate whether equity financing, also known as venture capital, is a viable option for your business's capital needs. Become knowledgeable about these types of credit products and choose which one is right for you. For more information on different types of loan products, contact your local lender or visit the SBA'sWeb site.
- Prepare a business proposal. A well-thought-out and detailed business proposal is one of the most important items you can bring to a lender or investor. The proposal should include a description of your business, the amount of funds requested, the purpose of the funds and the amount that you will contribute. The proposal should also include a description of collateral and the sources of repayment. This proposal will serve as the basis for your financing application.
- Have a third party review your proposal. Before you meet with a lender or investor, you may want to have an experienced evaluator review your business proposal, especially if you are a start-up or a first-time borrower. By doing this, you will be strengthening your application, making it easier for the lender or investor to reach a favorable credit decision. There are several business support groups whose members could counsel you on how your proposal looks. One source of counseling available to small businesses is the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE), which is sponsored by the SBA. Other counselors might include accountants, financial advisers or more experienced entrepreneurs in your line of business.
- View your credit report. A borrower's credit history will provide a lender or investor with important information concerning your ability to meet your commitments. Be sure that you are aware of what is in your credit report in advance of your meeting with a prospective lender or investor. This way, you can correct any errors or prepare explanations for any anomalies before they ask you about them.
- Locate a lender or investor. Shopping around for a lender or investor is an important process. At your disposal are banks, credit unions, specialized commercial lenders and venture capital companies. In addition, you may want to consider lenders that participate in the SBA's 7(a) loan program or a venture capital company participating in the SBA's Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) program. If you are having difficulty securing financing, institutions participating in SBA's programs may be willing to work with you.
- Character counts. When evaluating your application, lenders or investors will of course look at your business proposal, your financial condition and projections, and your credit report. However, they will also pay attention to your character. As a result, be sure to present yourself and your business well--be professional, organized and confident.
- If you are not approved, get feedback. If your application is not approved, ask the lender or investor to provide you with the reasons why. Some of the reasons they may give for denying financing include: insufficient owner's equity in the business, a lack of established earnings record, a history of slow or past-due loan or credit card payments, or insufficient collateral. Make sure you find out the reasons why you were turned down, as this information will help you qualify the next time you apply.
After only four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) was named Ranking Democratic Member of the House Small Business Committee by her colleagues in February 1998, making her the first Hispanic woman to serve as chair or Ranking Member of a full committee in the history of the House. She has been a vocal advocate of American entrepreneurship and has established numerous small-business legislative priorities, encompassing tax regulations, access to capital, federal contracting opportunities, trade, technology, health care and pension reform, among others.
The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author, not of Entrepreneur.com. All answers are intended to be general in nature, without regard to specific geographical areas or circumstances, and should only be relied upon after consulting an appropriate expert, such as an attorney or accountant.


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If you're like most Americans, you don't wear a wristwatch. But a growing number of electronics companies are betting you'll slap one on your wrist if it's more like a smartphone than a simple timepiece.
Over the past year, Sony and local startup Pebble have released devices called "smartwatches" because they take on some of the functions of a smartphone. In the near future, those devices will be joined by many others including, if the rumors are true, Apple's much buzzed about iWatch.
But just what is a smartwatch and why would anyone want one?
At least as they exist today, smartwatches are accessories to smartphones. Some have touch screens and run apps, but they're designed mainly to allow users to interact with or view information from their phones. Instead of having their own connection to the Internet, they connect to users' smartphones via Bluetooth.
Smartwatches deliver notifications, telling users when they've received text and email messages, showing the caller ID for incoming calls and alerting users to new Facebook or Twitter post.
They also allow users to control apps on their phones. Users can answer calls and start playing their music or fast forward to the next song by tapping buttons on their smartwatch. And working with apps and sensors on the phone, they can allow users to keep track of their workouts, showing the distance run or time elapsed.
Oh, and they also tell time.
But, you might note, you can already do all of these things with your smartphone. Why would you need another device?
The answer, advocates and analysts say, is that there are times when it's easier to simply glance at a watch than to interact with your phone.
Say you're listening to music on your phone while running and want to jump to the next song. Instead of pulling out your phone, waking it up and finding the music controls — a difficult proposition while you're jogging along — you could simply press a button or two on your wristwatch. Or say you are in a meeting, but want to know if your spouse calls or messages you. Glancing at a watch might be less obtrusive or rude than constantly staring at your smartphone.
"There are folks out there that are tied to their phone; their phone is their life," said Angela McIntyre, an analyst who covers the wearable technology market for technology research firm Gartner. "Being able to have a second screen for your phone on your wrist, so you don't have to take out your smartphone and do things with it when it's inconvenient, could be useful for them."
And soon, smartwatches may do a lot more. Both Sony and Pebble are encouraging software developers to make apps for their devices. Already, owners can play simple games on Sony's gadget or use it as a remote control for their smartphone's camera.
In the future, smartwatches may even replace smartphones by including cellular and Wi-Fi radios. Those would allow users to make and receive calls or send messages directly through their watches without having to carry around a phone. And they could allow users to unlock the doors of their car or set their home alarm with just their watch.
"What you do on a phone now or a tablet now, ultimately, you can do most or all of those on a watch," said Marshal Cohen, who covers the watch industry as the chief retail analyst at market research firm NPD Group.
Some early adopters find smartwatches useful. Cupertino voice actor Dana Marks said he ordered a Pebble because he thought it would be less distracting and annoying to receive notifications on it than the audible dings his smartphone made.
With the Pebble, "I don't have to keep pulling my phone out of my pocket and unlocking it to see what's going on," said Marks, 67.
San Francisco resident Julie Price, a distance running coach and health game developer, said she got interested in the Pebble because of its potential as a fitness watch. Price, 39, says she now wears her Pebble all the time, whether she's running or not. One of the things she loves about it is its caller ID feature.
"I first thought that was so silly — you can't take your phone out of your pocket?" she said. "But it's really, really helpful."
Of course, not everyone is enthusiastic about smartwatches or the potential demand for them. Americans largely gave up wearing wristwatches when they started using cellphones, noted NPD's Cohen. Convincing them to wear a watch again — or, for younger consumers, for the first time — may take some effort.
Their appeal is also likely to be limited because they are smartphone accessories rather than independent devices. Not everyone with a smartphone will buy or even want an extra device to carry around, analysts note.
And for now, few consumers see a real need to have one. Technology research firm IDC recently surveyed consumers, assessing their interest in various smartwatch features. Not one of the features registered strong interest from more than 15 percent of consumers.
"In terms of level of interest, that's incredibly low," said Jonathan Gaw, a consumer technology analyst at IDC.
What is a smartwatch?
While its functions may change in the future, for now it's a wristwatch that allows users to interact with and control their smartphones.
What can you do with it?
Receive alerts for things like incoming text messages and emails; see the caller ID for incoming calls; control certain smartphone apps, including music players; and track workouts.
Who's offering them?
For now, there are only a handful, notably from Sony and local startup Pebble. But many more are expected to come on the market over the next year or so, including, potentially, models from Samsung, Google and Apple.
How much do they cost?
Sony's SmartWatch sells for around $90. The Pebble watch costs $150. Models of the MetaWatch start at $130.
Source: Mercury News research


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Target audience profiling plan
Create a plan to determine the target audience for your product or service. Marketing professionals can use this accessible template to help identify the audience for a product or service and how they want those consumers to perceive their company. Find companion templates in the Marketing Strategy set by clicking the See Also links above.


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Here are downloadable PDF forms for some of our most common service requests regarding coverage. If you wish to make one of the following changes to your coverage, simply click on the appropriate link below to download a PDF form which you can print, complete and mail to Manulife.
Term Life
Term Life Insurance and Major Accident Protection brochure (PDF)
Term 10 Life Insurance brochure (PDF)
Term Life versus Term 10 Life Insurance Plans comparison (PDF)
Term Life Insurance application (PDF)
Term 10 Life Insurance application (PDF)
Learn about our insurance in one convenient, easily printable piece.
Form: Change account information
Change your address, phone number or email. Set up or change how you pay.
Mail: Change of information form (PDF – English)
Mail: Change of information form (PDF – French)
Form: Change your smoking status
If you have not used any form of tobacco, nicotine substitutes or tobacco cessation products for 1 year (12 consecutive months), you may be eligible for lower premiums. Once approved, your lower premiums will start on your next premium due date.
Mail: Non-smoker change form (PDF – English)
Mail: Non-smoker change form (PDF – French)
Form: Change your beneficiary
Update or change the beneficiary of your life insurance policy.
Mail: Beneficiary designation form (PDF – English)
Mail: Beneficiary designation form (PDF – French)
Sample certificates:
Term Life Insurance policy (PDF)
Major Accident Protection policy (PDF)
Child Life and Accident Insurance policy (PDF)
Disability Income Protection
Disability Income Protection Insurance brochure (PDF)
Disability Income Protection Insurance application (PDF)
Sample certificate:
Health and Dental
Brochure: Health and Dental Insurance brochure (PDF)
Discover what your Health and Dental coverage includes and how to make the most of it.
Brochure: Health and Dental plan comparison (PDF)
Sample policy: Health and Dental sample policy (PDF)
Critical Illness
Criticall Illness Insurance brochure (PDF)
Critical Illness Insurance application (PDF)


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Despite suffering a first-round submission loss to Frank Mir on Saturday, Brock Lesnar collected a cool quarter-of-a-million dollars in his UFC debut.
The former NCAA Division I national wrestling champion and World Wrestling Entertainment performer was the highest-paid fighter at UFC 81, according to paperwork acquired by MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) from the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
UFC 81 took place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas and aired live on pay-per-view.
Mir earned a base salary of $80,00 for the fight — which was the fourth-highest behind Lesnar and main-event fighters Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira ($200,000) and Tim Sylvia ($100,000).
The total disclosed payroll for the event was $892,000.
The full list of salaries included:
- Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira ($200,000) def. Tim Sylvia ($100,000)
- Frank Mir ($80,000) def. Brock Lesnar ($250,000)
- Nate Marquardt ($52,000) def. Jeremy Horn ($25,000)
- Ricardo Almeida ($40,000) def. Rob Yundt ($5,000)
- Tyson Griffin ($36,000) def. Gleison Tibau ($11,000)
- Chris Lytle ($24,000) def. Kyle Bradley ($4,O00)
- Tim Boetsch ($12,000) def. David Heath ($6,000)
- Marvin Eastman ($14,000) def. Terry Martin ($12,000)
- Rob Emerson ($16,000) def. Keita Nakamura ($5,000)
All the winning fighters received pay that awarded 50 percent "to show" and 50 percent as a "win bonus" — except for Lesnar, who would have earned a $200,000 win bonus.
Now, the usual disclaimer: the figures do not include deductions for items such as insurance, licenses and taxes. Additionally, the figures do not include money paid by sponsors, which can oftentimes be a substantial portion of a fighter's income. They also do not include any other "locker-room" or special bonuses the UFC oftentimes pays.
In other words, these are simply base salaries reported to the NSAC and do not represent the total amounts earned by each fighter.
For complete coverage of the event, including the list of winners for fight-night bonuses, be sure to check out MMAjunkie.com's UFC 81 archives.


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ceibo trees, Jama Coaque Art, Jama Coaque Sellos Manos, Jesus Jazz & buddhism, Lisa Brunetti art, Patricia Adams Farmer, Rain Jama Ecuador January 2013
After six months of extreme dry weather, typical of this dry rain-forest climate, the clouds turned on their taps and kicked off the new year with slow gentle rain. And more rain. And more rain. And more rain.
Friends from Colorado are in town to check on their home that's under construction in the area. I've upgraded from a life ankle deep in mud on the river to a short stay at a cute hostal while they are here. (The photo above shows the road between my house and town.) All's fine here, though the internet has been painfully slow. I have had problems sending emails, commenting on other posts or replying to WordPress comments. Continue reading