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DAY 2 And the FINALE of The American Speedfest Weekend at Brands Hatch showcasing some impressive and High Powered Machinery Ready to do Battle out on Track to see who can become the Victor of each of their Respective Classes. Lets see what Happened and Who was the First to Cross the Finish line to take Victory.
Angelo American Formula 5000's-(Race 2 Results)
With A Very Fast Paced and Quick Qualifying Session Yesterday it was time for the Drivers to head out and take part in their Race to see who could achieve Victory.
In First Place and taking the Victory was (Greg Thornton) in his Chevron B24 with a Best Lap Time of 47.660 and an Average Speed of 88.84mph. An Incredible Victory for A Top Class Driver in Formula 5000 Racing.
In Second Place was (Neil Glover) in his Chevron B37 with a Lap Time of 48.128 and an Average Speed of 87.96mph. Another Class Example of How to Handle to Torque and Power Output of these V8 Monsters.
Finally In Third Place was (Mark Campfield) in his Chevron B24 with A Lap Time of 48.227 and an Average Speed of 86.31mph. Very Fast Paced and A Fantastic Effort By Mark to Stay in Tight Amongst The Leading Two Cars.
A Brilliant Display of Driving and Skill shown by the Angelo American Formula 5000's Drivers and Some Incredible Racing to Watch.
Congratulations to Greg, Neil and Mark for putting on one Hell of a Race and to all the other Drivers Racing as well.
Bernie's Sports and V8's-(Race 3 Results)
Bernie's V8'S Showcasing some of the Best V8 Machinery from the Past 30 Years. During Qualifying a Very Fierce Battle was Taking Place at the Front of the Grid but Lets See Who came out Victorious Amongst the Competitors.
In First Place was (James Plant) in his Austin Healey 106 with A Lap Time of 53.293 with an Average Speed of 79.92mph around the Indy Circuit. A fantastic British Car being Driven Hard for the Victory was a Wonderful site to be hold. An Incredible Drive by James.
In Second Place was (Simon Cripps) in his MGB V8 Roaster with A Lap Time of 53.398 and an Average Speed of 79.97mph. Incredibly Fast and Very Close to James in Terms of Pace. A Super Driver and a very Super Car to go with it.
In Third Place was (Michael Saunders) in his Ford MK1 Escort Mexico with A Lap Time of 53.280 and an Average Speed of 79.67mph. A Mighty Drive by Michael to Achieve that Third Place with some Good Battles taking place thought the Field. A Very Well Done to Michael.
A Brilliant End to The Bernie's V8's at Brands Hatch and some Super Driving from James Simon and Michael with all Three of them Being very Close to One Another Thought the Race. Congratulations on the Victories and a Very Well Done to everyone Else for also Putting on some Fantastic Battles thought the Pack.
Legends Cars Championship-(Race 6 Result)
The Little Pocket Rockets were back again for Another Day of Exciting Racing on the Indy Circuit. With Qualifying Yesterday Showing a very Packed Grid Lets See who Managed to take that All important Victory that Will Decide the Winner.
In First Place was (John Mickel) in his Legend Ford Coupe with A Lap Time of 55.997 and an Average Speed of 76.05mph. A Storming Drive by John showcasing what it Really Means to be a Legends Car Driver with his Incredible Skills and Determination Lap after Lap.
In Second Place was (Miles Rudman) in his Legend 34 Coupe with a Lap Time of 55.82 and an Average Speed of 75.98mph. A String and Very Quick Drive from Miles Keeping Pace with John and making sure he did not get away easily with that Victory. Fantastic Drive.
In Third Place was (Will Gibson) in his Ford Coupe 34 with A Lap time of 55.361 with an Average Speed of 75.97mph. An Awesome Drive from Will to Keep up with both Miles and John and to see his Car flying Around the Circuit was a Truly Spectacular site as was the rest of the field. Well Done Will.
An Awesome Day of Legends Racing showcasing a lot of High Speed Battle's Thought the Field and Some Very Competitive Racing This Year between Drivers. Good Luck in the Championship all And Keep Working Hard to Achieve Greatness this Season.
NASCAR Whelan Euro Series-(Race 2 Result-Pro)
Euro NASCAR-Pro was up Next and after putting on a Thunderous thunderous Display Yesterday in Qualifying it was time to see what Each Driver could do during the Race and who would be brave enough to make those all important overtakes to take the Victory in Euro NASCAR.
In First Place was (Loris Hezemans) in his Ford Mustang -Hendricks Motorsport) with A Lap Time of 50.145 and an Average Speed of 70.29mph. Amazing Speed and a very Tricky Circuit to Race in a Nascar Congratulations Loris on a Stunning Victory.
In Second Place was (Gianmarco Ercoli) in his Chevrolet Camaro-CAAL Racing with a Lap Time of 50.174 and An Average Speed of 70.26mph. Another Very Quick and Fantastic Drive from Gian to Grab Second Place and a Good Example of Fast Paced Car Control. Congratulations Gian.
In Third Place was (Sebastiaan Bleekemolen) in his Ford Mustang-Team Bleekemolen with A Lap Time of 50.519 and an Average Speed of 70.24mph. Fantastic to see all three drivers really going for it and pushing their machinery to it limits as well as seeing them race in such close formation during the Race. Congratulations Sebastiaan a Very well Deserved Third Place.
An Amazing Set of Victories in Euro NASCAR PRO showcasing some of he Best Drivers from Around the world competing for as Victory and the eventual Championship Win. Good Luck Everybody and Keep Racing Hard all Year Long.
Euro NASCAR 2 Series-(Race 2 Result 2)
Euro NASCAR 2 was up next and Some Young Rookies shown Yesterday In Qualifying just What They have in them to be Promoted to NASCAR Pro as well as some new faces joining the Series. After Qualifying Yesterday lets see how the Drivers Did and Who Took the Victory.
In First Place was (Tobias Dauenhauer) in his Ford Mustang-Hendricks Motorsport with A Lap Time Of 50.242 and an Average Speed of 85.46mph. Congratulations Tobias a very well controlled and Fast Race Pace from you to take the Overall Victory.
In Second Place was (Simon Pilate) in his Chevrolet Camero-DF1 Racing with a Lap Time of 50.209 and An Average Speed of 85.12mph. A Very Quick and Capable Drive from Simon showcasing some very quick Car Control at High Speed and keep the Race right up to Tobias in First Showing just how Competitive Driving one of these cars is. Congratulations Simon.
In Third Place was (Advait Deodhar) in his Ford Mustang-CAAL Racing with A Lap Time of 50.328 and an Average Speed of 85.07mph. A Mighty Drive and a Very Strong Mind seen while Watching Advait Race showing his True Potential during the Race and Keeping up well with both Second and First Placed Drivers. Congratulations Advait.
A Super End to the Day of Euro NASCAR Racing and seeing both Pro and Class 2 Races really showed just how Capable thease Cars are. Congratulations to al of the Drivers as well as the Top Three Drivers from Each Class. Good luck In the Remainder of Your Season. And Remember Go Big or Go Home.
Pick Up Truck Championship-(Race 2 Result)
Pick Up Trucks were up next and from Yesterdays High Speed Qualifying it was shaping up to be A Race that would be Fought very Fiercely Between drivers for the Victory. With Light Weight Space Frames and A Lot of Horse Power Under the Bonnet it was time to see who was the Bravest and the Fastest Around the Indy Circuit. Lets See what Happened.
In First Place was (George Turiccki) in his Pickup Truck 2000 with A Lap Time of 52.606 and an Average Speed of 63.76mph. Really Fast From George and Leaving most of the Field in the Dust with his Experience and Driving Skills behind the Wheel of His Pickup Truck. Congratulations George. A Well Deserved Victory.
In Second Place was (Allen Cooper) in his Pickup Truck 2000 with A Lap Time Of 52.808 and an Average Speed of 63.73mph. Allen Keeping very close with the Leader George thought the Race and constantly was putting pressure on him right up to the end. An Awesome Drive from Allen and a very well controlled Pickup out there. Congratulations Allen.
In Third Place was (Reece Jones) in his Pickup Truck 2000 with A Lap Time of 52.784mph and an Average Speed of 52.784mph. Incredible Drive Reece showing a Very Determined Mind and a Focus that could be seen within his Driving Ability. Congratulations Reece.
Pickup Truck Racing Showcasing some of the Best of Speedfest at Brands Hatch with The Top Three in George Allen and Reece being so close together towards the end of the Race. Congratulations to all of the other Drivers who also showed some Fantastic Fighting thought the Field. Keep Working Hard and Good luck in the Rest Of The Season.
Speedfest Silhouettes-(Race 2 Result)
The FINALE To the Weekend had to be the Mighty Fast and Quick action Paced Speedfest Silhouettes showing off some of the fastest Machinery on track with Modified Aero and very Fast Determined Drivers. During a Lightening Fast Qualifying Session Yesterday Let's see who is going to be the one taking home the victory and Tasting that Champagne at the End of The Day.
In First Place was (Ray Harris) in his Ginetta G40R with a Lap Time of 50.721 and an Average Speed of 73.71mph. A Lightening Fast Drive from Ray to take the Victory and that Ginetta was looking very Beautiful out on track indeed. Congratulations Ray.
In Second Place was (Mike Thurley) in his Ginetta G40 with A Lap Time Of 51.086 and an Average Speed of 73.57mph around the Indy Circuit. Very Fast and Right on the Heels of Ray in his much more Powerful R Variant. An Incredible Charge for Victory Mike and a Sterling Drive. Congratulations Mike.
In Third Place was (Ian Hales) in his Vauxhall Tigra with A Lap Time of 51.199 and An Average Speed of 73.45mph. A Super Effort and Drive from Ian and his Skill behind the wheel is what Really Helped put that Car into Third Place A Well Deserved Position. Congratulations Ian.
Super Silhouettes showing some very Determined and Quick Drivers out there and the Incredible Cars that they have built and Race are a true sight to be hold. Congratulations to Ray, Mike and Ian for putting on some superb Driving skills thought the Race as well as to all the other Drivers fighting it out thought the field. Good Luck in the season and Looking forward to seeing who can Take the Championship Crown.
This Brings an End to American Speedfest8 at Brands Hatch for
the 2021 Season. Another Year of Hight Speed High Action and Adrenalin Filled American Racing. Congratulations to all of the Race Winners and Participants in this Years Speedfest and I look forward to Seeing you all do Battle Again Next Year. Until then........GO BIG OR GO HOME.
This is the Bluejacket I'm building.
The average daily high in Austin in the dead of Winter is 62 degrees. Factor in the comfort of the pilot house and we shall boat on Lake Travis in the Winter.
The BJ25.5 has berths for three, adequate cockpit space for a couple of chairs along with two built-in seats. One reason I selected this boat over the BJ 24 was the extra seats in the pilot house for passengers when the weather turns foul. More importantly, the B25.5's scale of the pilot house to the hull length is most pleasing to my eye. If you don't break out into a smile when viewing your boat at anchor, you have selected the wrong boat.
When I tell folks I'm building a wooden boat, (I guess I should call it a "composite" boat) no doubt they believe I must be out of my mind as they think leaks, rot, high maintenance and obsolete building materials.
In regards to longevity and subsequent maintenance issues, the Bluejacket's marine plywood monoque hull ("welded" plywood panels into a one piece structure) is sheathed in abrasion resistant Xynole polyester fabric laminated on with waterproof epoxy resin. Consequently, no wood in the hull is in direct contact with the water. The exterior (other than decorative trim) of the rest of the boat will be covered with either epoxy or fiberglass so no wood on the deck or roof structures will come in direct contact with the elements. Bilge areas are coated with three coats of epoxy. Yes, if any of these coverings are breeched, rot could be a consequence. Traditional wooden boat builders may scoff at the use of plywood as well as stitch-and-glue but lack empirical data supporting their opinions which seem to be based solely on failure situations where builder practices not the material was at fault. I expect to have used 35 gallons of epoxy when my boat is finished.
My so called " fiberglass" sailboat has 1/2" plywood between the fiberglass deck surface and interior fiberglass liner. If the bedding on a deck fixture fails, this wood core around the hole could rot. Twice I have removed all deck fittings on my sailboat and rebedded them. The proper approach would be to drill oversized holes and fill with epoxy and after curing drill the proper size hole. This will be done on my Bluejacket to prevent rot around a bolt hole.
Now the payoff for using plywood. Using same weight as a comparison criteria for a given panel foot print, plywood has greater panel strength than fiberglass or steel. The key element in the performance and economy of operation of the Bluejacket is light displacement. My Bluejacket without an engine and tanks empty, will weigh about 2,000 lbs. Looking at fiberglass boats of a similiar beam, length and accomodations, I believe the Bluejacket weighs at least 1,000 lbs less than the fiberglass boat.
If I was considering a large displacement hull for bluewater sailing and expect that sooner or later I will ground on a reef, I want a steel hull. If I want to eliminate rot and corrosion from my vocabulary and want lightweight, I specify exotic fiber materials, and costly construction techniques employing resin infusion, autoclaves, etc. If I want lightweight and durability for an amateur home construction environment, I build a composite boat featuring quality marine plywood.
So...no construction material can claim absolute superiority over other materials for all occasions. It all depends on how the boat will be used and the desired construction environment and budget.
Yup, when running in a displacement mode, the lightweight Bluejacket won't carry her way as well as a heavier boat. But at the gas pump, the Bluejacket and her tow vehicle will prevail. All boat designs are compromises.
Plywood has some insulation qualities thus cabin interiors don't sweat as much as fiberglass. Foam core construction in the Bluejacket's foredeck and pilothouse roof will help mitigate surface temperature extremes. Foam flotation under the cockpit and pilothouse soles enhance safety. Based on my experience of crewing on wooden sailboats, I speculate that the Bluejacket may be quieter than a similiar sized fiberglass boat when the hull is bouncing off waves. We shall see.
My Bluejacket has an 8' beam but more importantly in regards to compliance with state specified legal trailer widths, the fender to fender width of my recently purchased aluminum trailer is 8'. This trailer weighs 1180 lbs.
I am using high end Joubert British Standard 1088 Okoume marine plywood. I selected Joubert Okoume because of its light weight, cold molding flexibility, splinter free cutting and defect free surfaces. I speculate the cost premium will be recovered in reduced fuel costs. A downside of okoume is that it has less rot resistance than other plywoods. With my manic attention to building tasks such as sealing all plywood edges with epoxy, and quickly addressing any future maintenance needs, I expect no rot issues.
My boat will be powered by a 60-70 hp four stroke outboard. While inboard engines have many advantages, I for one will not miss stuffing boxes, engine mounts, engine alignment, exhaust elbow issues, loss of interior space, etc.. Performance and economy of my boat will be similiar to the proven Bluejacket 24. A Bluejacket 25.5 owner reports 2 1/2 gallons per hour of fuel usage running his boat at 16 knots. Power is a Yamaha 70 four stroke (253 lbs).
My Bluejacket with engine, equipment, fuel and aluminum trailer should weigh less than 4,000 lbs thus within the prescribed tow rating of my 4WD Honda Pilot. I expect no problems in regards to a short tow to our community's boat ramp. However, I harbor no illusions concerning potential destruction of the Pilot's drive train if I tow the Bluejacket up lengthy 6% interstate grades. In addition, with the white knuckle factor at Interstate speeds with adjoining truck traffic, I suspect I may be upgrading to a longer wheel base, heavier and more powerful tow vehicle.
Edit: in May 2015, I purchased a 2011 Nissan Armada Platinum 4 wheel drive vehicle in Austin Texas (thus no rust.) This 5,900lb SUV with 385 lbs of torque has the same running gear as a 1/2 ton Titan pickup truck and is equipped with the factory tow package that includes rear spring airbags and supporting compressor. This gas sucking beast will be primarily used for towing and our Texas to Maryland commutes. We shall use our Hondas for daily driving needs.
Other Bluejacket build sites:
www.flickr.com/photos/ed_boat/
www.flickr.com/photos/bluejacket28/
www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150284696947578.38723...a
www.flickr.com/photos/58798913@N03/
www.flickr.com/photos/73563075@N02/
www.flickr.com/photos/chas231/
Edit. 07/16/2012:
Ray Macke has constructed two powerboats from plans from Glen-L. The following site contains his very well written travel logs of boating primarily on the Tennessee River. Inspires one to travel in his foot steps.
Rock n' Ropes and is rated as one of the top adventure activities available in New Zealand.
An average degree of unfitness and a genuine fear of heights is quite acceptable. Hesitant participants are slowly worked up to the height, this builds confidence and allows participants to complete activities which many think initially would not be possible. The tremendous sense of personal achievement, camaraderie, fun and enjoyment experienced often far exceeds participants expectations.
It was 59 AUS for the half day. Their WWW is here. It was a great day. Even though I have skydived, bungeed etc. I hate heights. I hate the idea of falling. That's why I like to face those fears through adventure sports. This was scarier than bungee etc. We climbed 7 different situations.
They included
Two Wire Bridge
Approximately 10 meters above the ground, you simply traverse along two wires. A great ropes course starter.
Burma Bridge
After climbing the pole you simply stroll across the cable while holding on to the ropes
Rickety Bridge
With nothing to hold onto, you walk or shuffle across the bridge before repeating the exercise in reverse.
High Log
This one often seems impossible. You walk across the log (and it's not flat on top) before again reversing back along.
Heebie Jeebie
You traverse along a foot cable using two diagonal ropes for support. Technique is the essence to the success on this one.
Giant Trapeze
The ultimate head trip and a true leap of faith. Climb the 13 metre pole, stand on top (nothing to hold on to) before leaping forward to grab a trapeze two metres out in front of you.
Giant Swing
The Giant Swing is exactly what it says and more.
An experience you won't forget.
Multi Vine
You'll love or hate this one. Traverse the foot cable with the aid of just a few dangling vines for support.
They were all hard. I thought I would never do the High Log especially walking backwards but I managed them all even though I was S*^& scared all the time.
Read more and see more pictures at my blog: Rotorua and Taupo - New Zealand (Governemnt Gardens, Rock N Ropes) ,
Ten Vikings, five blue-bearded trawlerfolk, seven goslings , ten strategically placed coconuts, two dragon's heads and an inflatable monkey may sound like the contents of the average ten year old's toy box (maybe not the coconuts)... but in this case they were the signs that again the North East Skiffs were in town. Joined by good friends from north of the border (apologies if the staged start etc meant we didn't get a chance to catch up with you all) we all ensured that skiffs were well-represented amongst the 40 boats in this year's Great Tyne Row. 25km, 100s of rowers and supporters ... and sunshine to boot .... what could be better?
Normally these write ups start with the alarm clock on the day itself. Today however, I feel we have to take a step back in time and recognise the sterling efforts of those individuals across all the clubs who've designed, stitched, cut, glued, painted, knotted, inflated, baked, sought, bought and gave so much of their time and energy to present the boats and crew costumes to such an amazing standard. These things always take significantly more time than the casual observer would credit (seriously, weeks in some cases), so go on... you all know who you are... give yourselves a hearty and well deserved three cheers hip hip ........ hip hip........ hip hip.......The effort was worth it!
That said, it was an early alarm that roused this week's intrepid explorers from their limited slumber (previous paragraph explains lack of sleep). Following a quick hustle for fur, ropes and daggers and a spot check of shields, dragons head, furry seat covers and drums, we headed out on the first of the day's trips to Newburn.
On arrival we joined the flurry of activity as boats arrived, trailers were cleared and dispatched and last minute adornments were added to boats and rowers alike. (it's great to see the themes emerging...) Others may have to add detail as we were quickly whisked away, taking the trailer and return vehicle down to Tynemouth. Kindly the powers that be had closed the central motorway so we were diverted numerous times before reaching our destination. Here the organisation kicked in with a friendly welcome and a cordoned off car park (trailers left / cars right.. lovely!) our attempt at a quick dash back via alternate route was thwarted by the closure of the quayside and after spiralling in circles a few times we were back en route and in Newburn (just) in time for the briefing over on the other bank, foregoing breakfast in place of information and some snappy trackers.
Briefed, dressed and GPS'd .. we were off, the river and wind affording us assistance and we were all too thankful that the row wasn’t 24 hours earlier. It became quickly apparent that we weren't the only boats to get dressed too up as a flurry of bumblebees, turtles, ballerinas (complete with swan's head on the bow) and the whole Mad Hatters Tea Party passed by, exchanging smiles , waves and wishes of good fortune. This kinship is part of the reason we do what we do!!!
Onlookers from the various paths and jetties also waved and cheered , with Conor (our self-appointed PR officer) ensuring all got a wave or a twirl of the axe back in return (occasionally accompanied by a "Viking grimace" for effect)
Passing under the bridges on the Tyne is always special but to do it in full Viking regalia, rowing to a pounding drum with axes raised high and the echoes of our Nordic shrieks rebounding from the iconic bridges and buildings definitely got the hairs on the back of the neck tingling. Thanks to those gathered on the Millennium bridge for their support and cheers of encouragement.... this only added to the occasion.
Just past the bridges we paused for a quick regulation "cake break" to enable us to regain formation and take on valuable nutrients (jam and sprinkles) then we off for the second half.
At one point I feared a doping scandal would cloud the day as suspicious packets were observed being thrown from the Whitburn vessel to their fellow skiffies. Upon closer inspection these turned out to be "Fisherman's Friends"(keeping to theme!) which hopefully do not appear on the sport’s list of banned substances.
It became clear that we were getting close to the last mile or so as we noticed the size of the company we were in. Monster propellers stuck out from the water and huge ferries suddenly made our "massive" skiff feel very small. We did however balance this argument with the fact we were significantly more attractive (and modest)
From the outset it was our plan to finish together (Blyth, Whitburn and ourselves) and the final run home took some delicate oar work and tight control as three coxes worked together to ensure that that we crossed the line in perfect unison (down to the second) . As the old Viking fishing and skiffing song goes (roughly translated and with a great deal of artistic licence) " T'was bow to bow and with matching strokes, finished six merry maidens and nine canny blokes!"
Finishing horns blown, it was time for a blast around the corner into Tynemouth so full pull to arms and away into some really bouncy waters (thanks to the safety boats for their care and attention). This is what skiffs are designed for and it was great fun to get the bow in the air. After a brief burst of nausea, and some hilarity-linked timing issues we were back on form making good progress and surfed smoothly to shore to the joyful strains of a steel band playing "in the mood".
Back at beach there were lots of volunteers waiting to help us land and get the boat over the rocks safely (thanks again folks). At one point we were in such close company carrying the boat that my fur leg wrappings were caught underfoot by a following trawlerman, almost taking my baggy trousers with it and risking exposure of the horse-hair undercrackers beneath (it's all in the detail). Thankfully for all, the wrappings gave way and we proceeded uncompromised with modesty still intact.
Safely on dry land we were warmed to see familiar faces from home had made the journey to greet us. Many photos were taken and inevitable oar comparisons made (this time even more pronounced as light carbon fibre oars were compared with our "tree trunks"
Refreshments ranged from the traditional (rustic bread being broken to supplement the mead and soup rations) to the more modern (beer and burgers) and some wonderful fusion (a drinking horn full of "Fosters") Katie's blue cheese quiche being especially noteworthy (only wished I asked to use one of their magnificent swords to cut it)
The haven was by now full of people and boats and there was a real buzz was about the place. Presentations followed, with well-deserved recognition given to those who have organised the event and helped out (hat's off folks!) and all crews enthusiastically supported each other as winners were announced. It was then that the impact of our approach of camaraderie and unity became obvious as we made history by being presented not only the eagerly expected "enjoying the view" pennant for joint last place, but we also were awarded the joint fastest skiff in class as we all had indeed finished together. Magic!
Full results are available on the website, but special awards were given to "Just for the halibut!" for best dressed crew, Swan Lake for best dressed boat and St Andrews gaining the Harry Clasper award for breaking a rudder and using an oar to help steer ... to all winners and competitors well done!!
I made the final pilgrimage to Newburn to retrieve the car (thanks to the wonderful Ian and Elsie for the lift) whilst the boats were packed, fond farewells made and best wishes exchanged. Thanks too for the patience of those who waited in Tynemouth for that final pickup. It was indeed a sleepy trio of Vikings that stood on the curb when I arrived back, all traces of boats and rowers gone and even the ice cream man was looking at his watch.
Quickly replenished and revived by a homeward pitstop we reflected on another absolutely cracking adventure in grand company…..
OK fellow adventurers..... Where next ??????? (hum the theme tune of your choice!!)
Parkinson Takes Down Fanning to Claim Golden Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach
BELLS BEACH, Victoria/Australia (Sunday, April 24, 2011) – Joel Parkinson (AUS), 30, has claimed the 2011 Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach presented by Ford Ranger over compatriot and former two-time ASP World Champion Mick Fanning (AUS), 29, in an electric Final in solid six-to-eight foot (2 – 2.5 metre) waves at Bells Beach.
The second stop of the 2011 ASP World Title season, the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach celebrated its 50th year of operation this season and the Southern Ocean delivered one of the best swells in recent history for the world’s best to sink their collective fangs into. Today’s Final ran in front of a capacity crowd at Bells Beach, maxing out as early as 11am with cars lined back to the center of Torquay, and the elite ASP Top 34 delivered in sensational fashion.
Leaving little to chance in the highly-anticipated Final, Parkinson opened up with an 8.53 on the first ride of the heat and drove the nail into the coffin with a Perfect 10.
“To me, Mick (Fanning) has been the form surfer of the event and I was never going to take him lightly,” Parkinson said. “I think we both had the same game plan of getting the first good one that came through and putting the momentum behind us. We scrapped for that first wave and I got the nod. Even though it was a mid-8, I knew I needed a lot more to hold him off so I just kept the pressure on from there.”
Today’s victory marks the third Bells title for the Gold Coaster and his 10th elite tour win overall.
“It’s incredible,” Parkinson said. “It’s not so much the fact that I’ve won the event, but more so that it’s the 50th anniversary. It feels that much more special. We’ve had such good waves too. I can’t remember the last time that Bells had such good waves. I’m so excited. I can’t believe this.”
Parkinson, who’s last two ASP World Title campaigns have been marred by injuries, is adamant that he is 100% healthy this season and surfing better than ever.
“I definitely feel like I’m back,” Parkinson said. “I feel like I’m surfing better than I was back in ’09 before I hurt my ankle. I’m feeling fit, I have some really good boards under my feet and I’m excited for the rest of the year.”
Parkinson vaults from 9th to 2nd on the ASP World Title Rankings.
Fanning, who last rung the bell as a wildcard in 2001, was the in-form surfer of the event, consistently notching the highest single-wave scores and heat totals from Round 1 onwards. However, the lightning-fast natural-footer was unable to overtake his Gold Coast sparring partner in the Final.
"It was a tough Final," Fanning said. "For some reason overtime we have a heat he gets in sync real early. I tried to fight back but it was too little too late. Surfing against your mate is just like surfing against anyone else you've just got to go out and think about yourself and catching waves and getting scores. To have a mate beat me makes it a bit easier to swallow, but I'm still fired up for the rest of the year."
Fanning moves from 13th to 6th on the ASP World Title Rankings.
Jordy Smith (ZAF), 24, 2010 ASP World Runner-Up, cruised through to the Semifinals of the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach despite admittedly feeling out of rhythm throughout the event.
"It was a nice last wave, but it was a pity I didn't get any before that," Smith said. "I've felt off all week so to get a 3rd is pretty good. I've got two 3rds now, which is kind of frustrating because you want to make the Final, but that's how it goes sometimes. 3rd is better than 5th.”
Smith further cements his position at ASP World No. 3.
Adriano de Souza (BRA), 24, flew the South American flag high through the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach, scalping a number of high-profile competitors before falling to Parkinson in the Semifinal.
"I found my rhythm in the heat against Kelly (Slater)," De Souza said. "But against Joel (Parkinson) I couldn't find any waves. I'm so frustrated because I wanted to ring the Bell, but I'm really happy with my result. Kelly is my hero, 10 x ASP World Champ, he just didn't get any waves, then it happened to me in the next round. It happens to everyone. Next up is my home event in Brazil, I hope Brazil is proud of me and Jadson (Andre) for doing well at this event."
De Souza goes from 9th to 4th on the ASP World Title Rankings.
Kelly Slater (USA), 39, reigning 10-time ASP World Champion and current ASP World No. 1, suffered a surprise elimination at the hands of De Souza in this morning’s Quarterfinal clash. The young Brazilian left little room for the Champ to respond and an admittedly out-of-rhythm Slater saw his Bells Beach title defense cut abruptly short.
“It's not my day, not my week and that happens,” Slater said. “For some reason you don't make the right choices and you're not in sync with it, I'm definitely not in the zone this week at all. Every heat of mine has had slow surf and then when there were, waves I was on the wrong ones. It's the way it goes, you win some you lose some.”
Slater’s Equal 5th at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach sees the American holding the lead in the race for the 2011 ASP World Title heading into the next stop in Brazil.
“We're two events in and I've got a 1st and a 5th so I'm averaging about a 3rd, you want to be there and higher,” Slater said. “These kind of waves favor the best guys, the guys you're going to expect to be at the top at the end of the year and all those guys are still in the event. A 5th isn't that bad a result, but when all the guys who you expect to be in the world title hunt finish higher than you it feels like a 17th.”
Highlights from the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach presented by FORD will be available via www.live.ripcurl.com
The next stop on the 2011 ASP World Title season is the Billabong Pro Rio in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from May 11 – 22, 2011.
For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com
RIP CURL PRO BELLS BEACH FINAL RESULTS:
1 – Joel Parkinson (AUS) 18.53
2 – Mick Fanning (AUS) 13.26
RIP CURL PRO BELLS BEACH SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 16.33 def. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 12.00
SF 2: Mick Fanning (AUS) 18.87 def. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 17.23
RIP CURL PRO BELLS BEACH QUARTERFINAL RESULTS:
QF 1: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 16.66 def. Owen Wright (AUS) 13.16
QF 2: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 18.00 def. Kelly Slater (USA) 11.24
QF 3: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 14.16 def. Chris Davidson (AUS) 11.10
QF 4: Mick Fanning (AUS) 17.46 def. Jadson Andre (BRA) 14.03
RIP CURL PRO BELLS BEACH ROUND 5 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Owen Wright (AUS) 14.17 def. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 9.26
Heat 2: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 13.97 def. C.J. Hobgood (USA) 13.66
Heat 3: Chris Davidson (AUS) 16.03 def. Michel Bourez (PYF) 15.37
Heat 4: Jadson Andre (BRA) 14.37 def. Tiago Pires (PRT) 13.93
ASP WORLD TITLE RATINGS (After Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach):
1. Kelly Slater (USA) 15,200 pts
2. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 14,000 pts
3. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 13,000 pts
4. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 10,500 pts
4. Tiago Pires (PRT) 10,500 pts
Photo ASP/Kirstin
I like this one, because there's a lot to see. Different colors, textures, lines, objects and the nice shadow. See the large version.
Kavalcare Solar System for Jhpiego Mid-Wife Clinic Dec8, 2014
Every year, 12,000 women in Pakistan die of birth complications. The Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) Services Component, implemented by MCHIP/Jhpiego, aims at preventing maternal, newborn, and child deaths by ensuring skilled birth attendance (SBA) through a total market approach, empowered community, timely referral of obstetric and neonatal complications to an emergency obstetric and newborn care (EmONC) facility, and improved access to child care.
Lack of electricity in remote areas is a major issue that often leads to obstetric complications and newborn deaths. Refrigerated storage is vital for the effectiveness of life saving drugs and vaccines. Ice boxes are used in remot areas of this purpose but it is an ineffective method especially when easy availability of ice is a problem. To overcome these issues, Lodhie Foundation in association with Maternal and Child Health Integrated Program/JHPIEGO, extended its Kavalcare program and provided a Solar Powered System to a remote clinic located at village Haji Usman Jhakro near Makli, District Thatta. System provides sufficient power to operate a small refrigerator, a fan and 3 lamps 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. It was designed, manufactured and installed by Shaan Technologies private Limited Karachi. After installation of Solar System in August 2014, this small remote clinic is serving a community of 10,000 plus persons who lives in village Haji Usman and surrounding areas. On an average 10 patients visits this clinic each day. Clinic also provides up to 15 birth attendance and new born care in a month.
Name of Village HAJI USMAN JAKHRO, MAKKLI, District Thatta
Name of Midwife. Zoriyat.
Surrounding population 10,000. (Ten Thousand)
Delivery in Solar Light 10 to 13 per month.
OPD patient / day 10.
System Installation Date Aug/12/2014
That's right! My first VLOG!
Check it out: www.averagebetty.com/videos/vlogger-challenge-one-video/
Vote for me in the Tasty Awards #4 Best Comedy Series, #5 Best Home Chef in a Series, and #8 Best Female Host in a Series.: www.surveymonkey.com/s/viewerschoice2011
Maclura pomifera (Raf.) Schneid., syn.: Maclura aurantiaca Nutt., Ioxylon pomiferum Raf.
Osage orange, Bois d'arc, Horse apple, Monkey ball, Hedge apples, DE: Osagedorn, Milch Orange, Osage-Orange
Slo.: navadna maklura, divja pomaranča, osaški pomarančevec
Dat.: Aug. 30. 2017
Lat.: 44.83560 Long.: 14.72956
Code: Bot_1083/2017_DSC02975
Habitat: poorly maintained garden in outskirts of a small town; almost flat terrain, sandy ground; full sun; dry place; elevation 34 m (110 feet); average precipitations ~ 1.000 mm/year, average temperature 12-14 deg C, (Sub)Mediterranean phytogeographical region.
Substratum: garden soil.
Place: Adriatic Sea, Island Rab, north outskirts of town Lopar; Kvarner bay, Rijeka region, Croatia EC.
Comment: Maclura pomifera is a tree native to relatively small area of south-central North America (Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas) (Ref.4). Today it is introduced to several European countries (in 1818) including Slovenia and Croatia and elsewhere. It is mostly planted in gardens and parks. As a plant, which is resistant to cold winters it is not bound to Mediterranean only where it was photographed. The plant resembles to some extent orange tree (apart of the fruit color, of cause), however, botanically it is not related to them and belongs to mulberry family (Moraceae).
Maclura pomifera tree has several uses. In USA it was most frequently used as a 'barbed wire' hedgerow shrub. Namely, the plant is full of very sharp, long and strong spines particularly nasty on new shoots. Dense thickets of young plants are almost impenetrable. Thousands of miles of hedgerows and about 200 millions trees (Ref.:4) were planted in USA, also as a protection of soil against winds in thirties of the last century. However, with the advent of barbed wire all this is gone. Also medical uses are known and its wood is of high quality. It was traditionally used for tools, bows, etc. as well as excellent, high energy firewood.
Ref.:
(1) Personal communication with Dr. Robert Brus, University of Ljubljana
Department of Forestry, Slovenia
(2) M.A. Fischer, W. Adler, K. Oswald, Exkursionsflora für Österreich, Liechtenstein und Südtirol, LO Landesmuseen, Linz, Austria (2005), p 544.
(3) A. Martinči et all., Mala Flora Slovenije (Flora of Slovenia - Key) (in Slovenian), Tehnična Založba Slovenije (2007), p 230.
(4) R. Brus, Drevesne vrste na slovenskem (Tree species of Slovenia) (in Slovenian), samozaložba (2012).
© S. Vincke. The field huts at Crozet have not been designed with tall Dutch people in mind!
Manuel Ballesteros and me.
if you went to somervilleopenstudios.org and took all of the images from all the artists that described their work as "figurative" and averaged those images, you'd get this
(all sizes for detail). This area is in the wet tropics, the wettest part of Australia. Average rainfall here in the Babinda/Innisfail area is 160 inches a year (4 metres), with some years going as high as 250 inches. This area is in the Belenden Ker Range, part of the Australian Great Dividing range. The two peaks in the range are Bartle Frere and Belenden Ker itself, both just short of a mile in height (5287 feet for Bartle Frere [1622 metres], highest in Queensland). The highest rainfall recorded on Belenden Ker was 11 metres (440 inches) and often it exceeds 6 metres a year. The Boulders is situated between the two peaks, about 8 or 10 km from each.
The Boulders is a popular tourist site and it is old volcanic with giant granite boulders, a gorge the water has formed, and wet tropical rainforest. In 2006 it suffered winds of 250 km/hour in Cyclone Larry and many trees were either blown bown, shredded or lost the top half. This really opened up the canopy. In just one year the trees have shot out with new growth and young ones are rising from the forest floor. It is quite ironic to see the crystal clear water from the ranges, at the Boulders, rushing away to the Johnstone River, then to the sea when so much of Australia is in drought. When I was there last in April 2007, I estimated some million litres of water is “wasted” every 10 minutes. After the floods of February the estimate was somewhere around a million litres a second flowing to the sea between Townsville and Cairns.
I hope in these Boulders photos (I will post about 20 in all), you will sort of see how lovely and awesome the place is. My camera does not do it justice. If I had an EOS you’d really see what it is like. Hope you enjoy them.
Pushkar (Hindi: पुष्कर) is a town in the Ajmer district in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is situated 14 km northwest of Ajmer at an average elevation of 510 m and is one of the five sacred dhams (pilgrimage site) for devout Hindus. According to Hindu theology, the pond at the Katas Raj temple Near Choa Saidan Shah in Chakwal District of Pakistan has a theological association with Shiva; it was formed by the tears of Lord Shiva which he is believed to have shed after the death of his wife, Sati. The story goes that when Sati died, Shiva cried so much and for so long, that his tears created two holy ponds – one at Pushkara in Ajmer in India and the other at Ketaksha, which literally means raining eyes, in Sanskrit. It is from this name that the word Katas is derived. It is often called "Tirth Raj" – the king of pilgrimage sites – and has in recent years become a popular destination for foreign tourists.
Pushkar is one of the oldest existing cities of India. It lies on the shore of Pushkar Lake. The date of its actual origin is not known, but legend associates Brahma with its creation.
Pushkar has many temples. Most of the temples are not very old because MANY TEMPLES WERE DESTROYED DURING MUSLIM CONQUESTS in the area. Subsequently, the destroyed temples were rebuilt. The most famous among all is the Brahma Temple built during the 14th century CE. Very few temples to Lord Brahma exist anywhere in the world. Other temples of Brahma include Bithoor in Uttar Pradesh, India; Khedbrahma in Gujarat, India; village Asotra near Balotra city of Barmer district in Rajasthan; Uttamar Kovil (one of the Divya Desams) near Srirangam, Tamil Nadu; Mother Temple of Besakih in Bali, Indonesia; and Prambanan in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The Pushkar lake has 52 ghats where pilgrims descend to the lake to bathe in the sacred waters.
Pushkar is also famous for its annual fair (Pushkar Camel Fair) held in November.
ETYMOLOGY
Pushkar in Sanskrit means blue lotus flower. Hindus believe that the gods released a swan with a lotus in its beak and let it fall on earth where Brahma would perform a grand yagna. The place where the lotus fell was called Pushkar. Pushkar word may be derived from word 'Pushkarni'means- lake. It may be derived from word Pushpa means flower and Kar means hand.
HISTORY
Pushkar is one of the oldest cities of India. The date of its actual founding is not known, but legend associates Brahma with its creation.
According to legend, Brahma was in search of a place for Mahayagna and he found this place suitable. After a long time, Brahma came to known that a demon, Vajranash, was killing people here so the Lord intoned a mantra on a lotus flower and killed the demon. During this process the parts of flower fell on three places which were later known as Jyaistha, Madhya and Kanistha Pushkar. After this Brahma performed a yagna to protect this place from demons. The consort of Brahma, Saraswati, were needed to offer Ahuti for the yagna but she was not there that time so Gayatri, a Gurjar girl, was married to brahma and performned yagna. This act made first wife of Brahma, Saraswati, angry and she cursed Brahma saying that he would be worshiped in Pushkar only.
The Mahabharata says that while laying down a programme for Maharaja Yudhishthara’s travel, “Maharaja after entering the Jungles of Sind and crossing the small rivers on the way should bathe in Pushkara". And, as per Vaman Purana, Prahlada on his pilgrimage to holy places visited Pushkarayana.
A Gurjara Pratihara ruler of Mandore, Nahadarava, restored this tirtha in the seventh century. He got the place cleared and the lake restored by making an embankment on the side of the river Luni. He rebuilt old palaces and built twelve dharmashalas (resting places) and ghats on three sides of the lake.
According to Rajputana Gazetteer Pushkar was held by Chechi Gurjars until about 700 years ago.Later Some shrines were occupied by Kanphati Jogis.
There are still priests from the Gurjar community in Pushkar temple, known as Bhopas.
The sage Parasara is said to have been born here. His descendants, called Parasara Brahamanas, are found in Pushkar and the surrounding area. The famous temple of Jeenmata has been cared for by Parasara Brahmans for the last 1,000 years.
It is also the venue of the annual Pushkar Camel Fair. In 1901, the town was part of the Rajputana Agency had a population of 3,831.
PUSHKAR FAIR
Pushkar fair continues for five days and these five days are a period of relaxation and merry-making for the villagers. This fair time is the most busy time for them, as this is one of the largest cattle fairs in the country. Animals, including over 50,000 camels, are brought from miles around to be traded and sold. Trading is brisk as several thousand heads of cattle exchange hands. All the camels are cleaned, washed, adorned, some are interestingly shorn to form patterns, and special stalls are set up selling finery and jewellery for the camels. Camels at the Pushkar fair are decorated with great care. They wear jewellery of silver and beads. There are silver bells and bangles around their ankles that jangle when they walk. An interesting ritual is the piercing of a camel's nose. It has more than 400 temples including the only one temple in India dedicated to the Hindu God Lord Brahma, the Creator of the Universe.
According to Indian mythology, after visiting all the Hindu pilgrim towns and temples (Four Dhams), if Pushkar is not visited for worship, then salvation is not achieved. According to the Hindu calendar Pushkar Fair commences in Nawami (ninth day of fortnightly phases of moon) and ends in Purnima (Full Moon) in the month of Kartika (October or November according to the lunar calendar). In Pushkar, one of the biggest Cattle Fair is also held for trading purposes and the best cattle in all categories are awarded. Countless people in their colourful attire gather to take a dip in the Holy Lake and pray to the deities. The whole town comes alive with vibrant folk music and dances, magic shows, horse and camel races and various other traditional entertainment competitions.Pushkar, with more than 12 local fairs and festivals of 10–15 days duration is a year round destination. It is a mellow town by the great lake of Pushkar amidst the perfume of jasmine and rose flowers. About 4,000 to 6,000 visitors from all over the world come to Pushkar everyday.
PUSHKAR LAKE
The prime attraction of Pushkar is the Pushkar Lake which is considered sacred like the Mansarovar Lake in Tibet. Pushkar has become a place of Hindu pilgrimage because of this holy lake. Legend has it that this lake was consecrated to Lord Brahma, the creator of the universe when a lotus dropped from his hand into the vale and a lake emerged in that place.
BRAHMA TEMPLE
The most important temple in Pushkar is the Temple of Lord Brahma, one of the holy trinity of Hinduism. The temple enshrines a life-size idol of Lord Brahma.
SAVITRI TEMPLE
This temple that is located at the top of the Ratnagiri Hill is dedicated to Savitri, the wife of Lord Brahma. The temple houses a statue of Goddess Savitri.
WIKIPEDIA
Average model from Anson, quite nicely scalled but detailing is too chunky, particularly that body line. 1/18.
Head Coach Hugh Freeze will average $4.9 million per year for the next four years. Read "Ole Miss Invests in Football Program" on HottyToddy.com. #HottyToddyNews (Photo by John Bowen)
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Here's a a full shot from average cam app. Being able to shoot portrait or landscape with tripod mounted iPhone is sweet.
Sarek National Park (Swedish: Sareks nationalpark) is a national park in Jokkmokk Municipality, Lapland in the north of Sweden. Established in 1909–1910, the park is one of the oldest national parks in Europe. The shape of the Sarek park is roughly circular with an average diameter of about 50 km (31.07 mi). The park has about 200 peaks over 1,800 m (5,900 ft), 82 of which have names. There are approximately 100 glaciers in the Sarek National Park.
Sarek is a popular area for experienced hikers and mountaineers. There are no marked trails or accommodations and only two bridges aside from those in the vicinity of its borders. The area is among those that receives the heaviest rainfall in Sweden, making hiking dependent on weather conditions. It is also intersected by turbulent streams that are hazardous to cross without proper training. The delta of the Rapa River is considered one of Europe‘s most noted views and the summit of mount Skierfe offers an overlook of that ice-covered, glacial, trough valley.
(Wikipedia)
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In 2015 and 2016, we pursued two 10+ days long autumn hikes across the unspoiled wilderness of Sarek national park, Lapland, Sweden - definitely one the most beautiful and remote regions in Europe and a true incarnation of the "deep north" expression.
It's difficult to describe Sarek and what it may mean for anyone who hasn't been there yet. It's a special place. A hidden gem. A delight. It's a place where adventure is not only ensured; it's an unavoidable and essential part of the trip. Remote areas, mighty peaks, glaciers one may see only from hills and not from valleys. Unmarked trails, cold glacial rivers, birch woods, reindeer, moose, and other animals.
Some call it the last European wilderness. I don't give a nickname; it would be incomplete and not fitting. Sarek is unique.
-For my average sized accessories, I like to use sets of clear, plastic drawers. I do have two larger sets of drawers, that stand on the floor and have wheels. The larger sizes are best for bulky accessories like pets, sporting goods, Bratz helmets, etc. But the depth of the drawers also suits accessories that I have many of, like Barbie purses, which require extra space.
-Instead of tossing all the accessories loosely inside each drawer, I like to subdivide them (unless of course the items are really bulky). To organize them further I use several different things: I make trays from recycled cardboard (shown here inside the open drawers), I use recycled containers from margarine, mushrooms, etc (obviously they are squeaky clean), or for the deeper drawers, I use small containers. This way it is easier for me to find a specific accessory in a short amount of time.
-Each drawer is specifically labeled and the sets of drawers are filled with like items. So I have one set for Barbie food and dishes, another for Bratz accessories, etc.
-For extremely small items, like doll jewelry or silverware, I use tackle/jewelry boxes. Once again, these are available in a variety of sizes and styles to suit whatever specific needs I have. One of the ones I use was made for fishing tackle. It has very deep compartments with removable slides. The items in here could be stored in the drawers if I wanted to, since they are small, but not teeny tiny. But I like how compact it is, and that I didn't have to spend time making little dividers/boxes for it. Not to mention it only cost a few dollars secondhand. Some of my clear boxes were made for jewelry supplies. There are types of these boxes that have removable dividers. This is best for small, but not microscopic accessories. The sections are fairly deep, and therefore can house small, but somewhat bulky things like hair clips, hair dryers, journals, etc. The other clear box on the left has fixed dividers. This is ideal for those ridiculously small, slim things, like Lil' Bratz accessories, makeup, silverware, etc. When I've put these kinds of super small items into the other style box, they have managed to slide underneath the removable dividers. So obviously in order to keep these kinds of accessories organized, fixed dividers work best. Since these boxes are clear, it is very easy to see what is inside, which makes finding specific items a breeze.
-As always, all my accessories are squeaky clean before I put them away. By not needing to dump my accessories on the floor in order to find what I need, this ensures that they stay fresh and don't get squalor on them (unless of course I'm using them for a photo or something). I also make sure that all the drawers and organizers I use for these items are clean too. There is nothing worse than putting a clean doll accessory into a filthy tackle box!
Video:
Smilax aspera L., syn.: Smilax mauritanica Poir., Smilax nigra Willd., Smilax pendulina Lowe
Family: Smilacaceae
EN: Sarsaparilla, Rough bindweed, Common Smilax, DE: Raue Stechwinde
Slo.: hrapavi oponec
Date: Oct. 14. 2023
Lat.: 44,80257 Long.: 14,36931
Code: Bot_1552/2023_DSC1119
Picture file names: from Smilax-aspera_raw_30 to Smilax-aspera_raw_34.
Habitat: Bushes located between the village and the shoreline on nearly flat terrain, calcareous ground; half shade, at an elevation of 6 m (20 feet); average precipitation ~ 1,000 mm/year, average temperature of 12-14 °C, Sub-Mediterranean phytogeographical region.
Substratum: soil.
Place: Croatia, Rijeka region, Kvarner Bay, island of Cres, village of Miholašćica, near the seashore at the village's boat mooring.
Camera: Nikon D700 / Nikkor Micro 105mm/f2.8
Comment on Flickr album Smilax aspera: Smilax aspera is a Mediterranean, creeping, thorny shrub that can grow up to 15 meters high. It is found in almost all countries around the Mediterranean Sea. The plant is resilient and features small prickles on most of its parts. Notable characteristics include small prickles on the leaf stalk and the margins of its leaves. This easily recognizable morphological trait distinguishes Smilax aspera from a few other Similar plants growing in the same habitats. The leaves are deep green, leathery, hard, and shiny, with a very distinctive shape. However, the plant exhibits considerable variation, particularly in terms of leaf shape. At times, even the characteristic prickles on the leaf margins may be absent.
Smilax aspera is dioecious, meaning the male and female reproductive organs are found in two separate plants. My pictures of the flowering plants on Cres Island (Fig. 30-34) show male plants with flowers that have stamens but lack pistils. The flowers are small, pale whitish-yellow-green, and not particularly attractive. However, the berries are very decorative. When ripe, they are deep red and shiny, although they can also be a red-brown or even black color.
The plant is common and can be found almost everywhere along the mainland and the islands of the eastern Adriatic Sea shore.
Ref.:
(1) M. Blamey, C. Grey-Wilson, Wild Flowers of the Mediterranean, A & C Black, London (2005), p 484.
(2) A. Martinči et all., Mala Flora Slovenije (Flora of Slovenia - Key) (in Slovenian), Tehnična Založba Slovenije (2007), p 729.
(3) T. Nikolić, Flora Croatica, Vaskularna flora Republike Hrvatske, Vol. 3. Alfa d.d.. Zagreb (2020), p 636,
(4) (x) I. Schӧnfelder, P. Schӧnfelder, Kosmos Atlas Mittelmeer- und Kanarenflora, Kosmos, (2002), p 266.
In the search for a better musical experience extracting better sound from my recent iFi DAC upgrade and get more pleasure in the sound presentation I discovered SOTM products, I searched for information of network streamers and similar user opinions about them, saw videos and all that I can find about on the web, and after reading lots of average consensus of users in their with their experience, and after some weeks acquired an SOTM sMS-200 Ultra without listening.
I have to admit that acquiring without listening is risky decision, and sometimes you could end with a unit that do not give any positive enhancement to your system. The intent was to remove my noisy Mac Pro from degrading the sound of the DAC, is this case an iFi iDSD Pro that has galvanic isolation but is very sensible to all cables and accessories before it, as any other DAC the quality of the USB connection is primordial to a better sound experience.
You can clean your computer USB, but you will pay the same or more than buy a optimised and clean dedicated computer exclusively for audio.
It’s that quality USB connection I was searching and found it on the SOTM sMS-200 Ultra, it impressive how a single device for giving you a great USB link affects the final sound.
Computers are terribly noisy devices, electricity in an apartment is full of noise, that contaminates the computer, processor, motherboard, fan, hard drive, external devices with bad power supply’s, even software resource needs generate noise, and that noise affects the link that is made from the computer to the DAC.
Any user like me trying to get better audio will start a journey of cleaning that USB transmission with galvanic isolated solutions, USB regenerators and re-clockers, and many other solutions that exist on the market and stores that clean the USB signal. Some of devices at every step give you an extra more, or a different presentation, or change the total presentation, sometimes in a good way, other times not accomplishing what they promote or I expect for the price
What did SOtM do, they produced a small audio optimised network computer to connect to your DAC by USB, it has an optimised and excellent internal clock board, but they build it with high quality audiophile components, for me they have made something very special that results very well on my system.
The SOtM SMS-200 Ultra is a simple audiophile network streamer for the only propose to pass the bits to your DAC in the cleanest way possible.
The sMS-200 Ultra supports various audio standard protocols like the Roon RAAT, HQPlayer, LibreSpot, Minim Server, Airplay, Bubble UPnP, DLNA, Squeezelite, and runs a light linux optimised version for audio called Eunhasu that can be upgraded with more functionality and add support for future DAC hardware.
Their service and support has been very receptive to beginner questions, with fast reply and helpful responses, thats a thumbs up for support. For me, product support is one of the most important features of any product.
The sOTM sMS-200 Ultra is an awesome product it made a big change for the better to my music enjoyment… The final result is based on my personal system, room, cables, and could be different on your system, but one thing I have certain, If anyone tries one of this units the change will be noticed for the better.
When I dedicate some of my time to write about it, it’s because I the product quality and benefit it gave me. Is common that the new upgraded unit is better than the last used solution, and the big motive I upgraded an stayed in the system. But regarding the presence I feel now when I listen to a good album, the SOtM sMS-200 Ultra is one of the best upgrades I have done in the last few years, and the upgrades where a lot.
Apart from some rock concerts, small jazz groups and some classical music concerts, my live music experience is not that active, I will not compare the real presentation that I can achieve, but instead the enjoyment the SOtM offered to me from my system, and with it came a new musical experience. The difference of hearing a real orchestra in plain euforia is something that I never heard any system being capable of, the real thing is a more powerful experience that any system or my small one can reproduce, I herd systems close to that reality with prices impossible to archive by a normal person, but with my hardware limitation, the emulation of the artist presence was upgraded to a new level.
All of this to explain that is difficult to quantify how better in my case the SOtM is compared to reality, but I can quantify listen experience before and after the SOtM, and here it goes.
The SOtM is all about music, after changing the in the box power supply for an SBooster it really shines, the music presentation grows a lot, and the speakers grow the sound to a huge presentation, the sound is so big that the room feels larger, a friend of mine when showing the music, started to look behind searching for surround speakers on the back wall, the SOtM sMS 200 Ultra really made the presentation of some albums impressive. One example of this is the Pink Floyd track On The Run from the Dark Side of the Moon album, or tracks from the album Blood from This Mortal Coil.
The SOtM sMS-200 Ultra is musical and not aggressive in any way, and has this 3D way of presenting the sound a sensation of magical sweetness without loss of information, I am loving it and ordered an SPS-500 Power supply with silver cable, it deserves the best friend to complement and shine even more.
The sound from my Mac Pro was somehow a little bi dimensional when compared to the SOtM, the highs sometimes where to much, and lacked the dimension that the SOtM has, it sounded ok but was not holographic like the sound I have now, and lacked some musicality, some albums where too harsh and very aggressive to be played, this doesn’t mean a bad recording will sound good, the bad will sound always bad, but good recording elevate your experience in a way with the SOtM that the computer did not acomplished.
When used with a good DAC and a quality usb cable, in my case the iFi iDSD Pro DAC and the Audioquest Diamond USB, it gave me impressive results connected to my Focal Solo 6be.
I find the SOtM sMS-200 Ultra very sensitive to power cables, I used Audioquest tornado cables on the iFI and SOtM, and they proved to result very well in my setup.
So I think audiophiles will love it, for me is not an option to revert back to my Mac Pro as a USB source.
If you are using a DAC connected to your computer, you have to try an SOtM streamer and see what you have been loosing in sound with your computer, and pair the SOtM with a good and decent power supply and it will really shine.
www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/hundreds-of-americans-will...
Hundreds of Americans Will Die From COVID Today
Over the past week, an average of 491 Americans have died of COVID each day, according to data compiled by The New York Times. The week before, the number was 382. The week before that, 494. And so on.
For the past five months or so, the United States has trod along something of a COVID-death plateau. This is good in the sense that after two years of breakneck spikes and plummets, the past five months are the longest we’ve gone without a major surge in deaths since the pandemic’s beginning, and the current numbers are far below last winter’s Omicron highs. (Case counts and hospital admissions have continued to fluctuate but, thanks in large part to the protection against severe disease conferred by vaccines and antivirals, they have mostly decoupled from ICU admissions and deaths; the curve, at long last, is flat.) But though daily mortality numbers have stopped rising, they’ve also stopped falling. Nearly 3,000 people are still dying every week.
We could remain on this plateau for some time yet. Lauren Ancel Meyers, the director of the University of Texas at Austin’s COVID-19 Modeling Consortium, told me that as long as a dangerous new variant doesn’t emerge (in which case these projections would go out the window), we could see only a slight bump in deaths this fall and winter, when cases are likely to surge, but probably—or at least hopefully—nothing too drastic. In all likelihood, though, deaths won’t dip much below their present levels until early 2023, with the remission of a winter surge and the additional immunity that surge should confer. In the most optimistic scenarios that Meyers has modeled, deaths could at that point get as low as half their current level. Perhaps a tad lower.
By any measure, that is still a lot of people dying every day. No one can say with any certainty what 2023 might have in store, but as a reference point, 200 deaths daily would translate to 73,000 deaths over the year. COVID would remain a top-10 leading cause of death in America in this scenario, roughly twice as deadly as either the average flu season or a year’s worth of motor-vehicle crashes.
COVID deaths persist in part because we let them. America has largely decided to be done with the pandemic, even though the pandemic stubbornly refuses to be done with America. The country has lifted nearly all of its pandemic restrictions, and emergency pandemic funding has been drying up. For the most part, people have settled into whatever level of caution or disregard suits them. A Pew Research survey from May found that COVID did not even crack Americans’ list of the top 10 issues facing the country. Only 19 percent said that they consider it a big problem, and it’s hard to imagine that number has gone anywhere but down in the months since. COVID deaths have shifted from an emergency to the accepted collateral damage of the American way of life. Background noise.
On one level, this is appalling. To simply proclaim the pandemic over is to abandon the vulnerable communities and older people who, now more than ever, bear the brunt of its burden. Yet on an individual level, it’s hard to blame anyone for looking away, especially when, for most Americans, the risk of serious illness is lower now than it has been since early 2020. It’s hard not to look away when each day’s numbers are identically grim, when the devastation becomes metronomic. It’s hard to look each day at a number—491, 382, 494—and experience that number for what it is: the premature ending of so many individual human lives.
People grow accustomed to these daily tragedies because to not would be too painful. “We are, in a way, victims of our own success,” Steven Taylor, a psychiatrist at the University of British Columbia who has written one book on the psychology of pandemics and is at work on another, told me. Our adaptability is what allowed us to weather the worst of the pandemic, and it is also what’s preventing us from fully escaping the pandemic. We can normalize anything, for better or for worse. “We’re so resilient at adapting to threats,” Taylor said, that we’ve “even habituated to this.”
Where does that leave us? As the nation claws its way out of the pandemic—and reckons with all of its lasting damage—what do we do with the psychic burden of a death toll that might not decline substantially for a long time? Total inurement is not an option. Neither is maximal empathy, the feeling of each death reverberating through you at an emotional level. The challenge, it seems, is to carve out some sort of middle path. To care enough to motivate ourselves to make things better without caring so much that we end up paralyzed.
Perhaps we will find this path. More likely, we will not. In earlier stages of the pandemic, Americans talked at length about a mythic “new normal.” We were eager to imagine how life might be different—better, even—after a tragedy that focused the world’s attention on disease prevention. Now we’re staring down what that new normal might actually look like. The new normal is accepting 400 COVID deaths a day as The Way Things Are. It’s resigning ourselves so completely to the burden that we forget that it’s a burden at all.
In the time since you started reading this story, someone in the United States has died of COVID. I could tell you a story about this person. I could tell you that he was a retired elementary-school teacher. That he was planning a trip with his wife to San Diego, because he’d never seen the Pacific Ocean. That he was a long-suffering Knicks fan and baked a hell of a peach cobbler, and when his grandchildren visited, he’d get down on his arthritic knees, and they’d play Connect Four, and he’d always let them win. These details, though hypothetical, might sadden you—or sadden you more, at least, than when I told you simply that since you started this story, one person had died of COVID. But I can’t tell you that story 491 times in one day. And even if I could, could you bear to listen?
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Kavalcare Solar System for Jhpiego Mid-Wife Clinic Dec8, 2014
Every year, 12,000 women in Pakistan die of birth complications. The Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) Services Component, implemented by MCHIP/Jhpiego, aims at preventing maternal, newborn, and child deaths by ensuring skilled birth attendance (SBA) through a total market approach, empowered community, timely referral of obstetric and neonatal complications to an emergency obstetric and newborn care (EmONC) facility, and improved access to child care.
Lack of electricity in remote areas is a major issue that often leads to obstetric complications and newborn deaths. Refrigerated storage is vital for the effectiveness of life saving drugs and vaccines. Ice boxes are used in remot areas of this purpose but it is an ineffective method especially when easy availability of ice is a problem. To overcome these issues, Lodhie Foundation in association with Maternal and Child Health Integrated Program/JHPIEGO, extended its Kavalcare program and provided a Solar Powered System to a remote clinic located at village Haji Usman Jhakro near Makli, District Thatta. System provides sufficient power to operate a small refrigerator, a fan and 3 lamps 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. It was designed, manufactured and installed by Shaan Technologies private Limited Karachi. After installation of Solar System in August 2014, this small remote clinic is serving a community of 10,000 plus persons who lives in village Haji Usman and surrounding areas. On an average 10 patients visits this clinic each day. Clinic also provides up to 15 birth attendance and new born care in a month.
Name of Village HAJI USMAN JAKHRO, MAKKLI, District Thatta
Name of Midwife. Zoriyat.
Surrounding population 10,000. (Ten Thousand)
Delivery in Solar Light 10 to 13 per month.
OPD patient / day 10.
System Installation Date Aug/12/2014
This is more like it. If I put on my Nitpick Pants, I would note that it could have been a little bit brighter, and maybe there's a little bit of a rose-colored cast to it. But there's really nothing wrong with this shot.
The average Military retiree roughly serves over 20 years, now let’s times that by 7 and it relates to these Soldiers. K-9s of the 289th Military Police company, 4th Battalion, 3d U.S. infantry Regiment have fulfilled their military tour.
Today The Old Guard says goodbye to six military working dogs assigned to the 289th MP Company, 4th Battalion, 3d U.S. infantry Regiment with an awards ceremony on Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, VA February 6, 2015.
These K-9’s served multiple functions both here at home and abroad, with numerous deployments in support of Operation Enduring Freedom where they protected our Soldiers outside the wire.
So what happens next for man’s best friend? They have all been adopted by their handlers and will continue life outside the Army supporting their service-members in a different manner, as companions.