Autumn is consistently a great time to visit, with the foliage adding so much in spectacular, rich colors. And even during the latter part of the season, there is something so special about the bareness of many trees and vegetation. The nice thing as an observer of nature’s critters is that the birds are so much more visible. Even if they are at a fair distance, at least, one can appreciate their features. Also, many fall berries and other fruits and nuts, often with bright colors and interesting shapes, accentuate the landscape as seen only at this time of year. Here we happened to notice this peculiar tree with its odd features; however, when inspecting closely, it became apparent that the deep winding cuts spiraling from one end to the other was the result of a suffocating vine. The strangulation had to be so intense to leave such an indelible impression, but somehow, it seems as though the tree had survived it and the vine was detached and likely on its last leg. The wonders of nature . . .

The late, Doris Duke, had left a wonderful legacy in converting her magnificent estate into a Natural Wildlife Preserve for the public’s education and enjoyment. The paths throughout the estate offer such splendid scenery. One is forever exploring, always seeing something subtly beautiful. There are always pleasant surprises, from the general scenery to the world of the wildlife, even tiny insects and flowers are enjoyable to observe. The bucolic nature of the preserve is so relaxing—akin to meditating while experiencing the landscape. The beauty of visiting Duke Farms is that so many incredible views are there simply by observing all of the surroundings. Spotting new and fascinating wildlife—both animals and plants—always adds to the experience.

 

World’s Best Surfers Ignite Aproador to Complete Round 1 of Billabong Rio Pro

 

APROADOR, Rio de Janeiro/Brazil (Tuesday, May 17, 2011) – After a week of lay-days, the world’s best surfers tore into consistently changing conditions at the lefthand pointbreak of Aproador to complete Round 1 of the Billabong Rio Pro.

 

Stop No. 3 of 11 on the ASP World Title Series, the opening day of men’s competition saw ASP Dream Tour veterans earn the day’s top scores while defending event winner Jadson Andre (BRA), 21, made an impressive entrance in the Billabong Rio Pro’s opening round.

 

Kelly Slater (USA), 39, reigning 10-time ASP World Champion, got off to a strong start to open his Billabong Rio Pro campaign. Slater unleashed two furious tail-drifting backhand turns to notch the day’s highest single-wave score of a 9.00 (out of 10) midway through his bout to overtake ASP World Tour rookie Julian Wilson (AUS), 22, and event wildcard Peterson Crisanto (BRA), 18, after nearly missing the start of his heat.

 

“That 9 felt good,” Slater said. “I went down to grab my jersey and there was some confusion. By the time I got out, the heat had already started and Julian got that first one. It wasn’t a good start. I knew there were going to be some good ones and I just had to be patient. That one good wave actually let me bottom turn and hit the lip, most of the waves were soft and had a lot of horizontals.”

 

Slater, who finished runner-up at the Billabong Pro last year, was also quick to admit that several goofy-footers will be tough to beat at the lefthander of Aproador and noted that the natural-footers will need to be especially selective in their wave choice at the Billabong Rio Pro.

 

“A little left like this is going to play well for goofy footers,” Slater said. “Owen (Wright) and Jadson (Andre) are probably frothing on it and licking their chops ready to go. We (natural footers) have been on our frontside at Snapper and Bells and now it’s their turn. We’ve just got to try and be smart. Mick (Fanning) looked good and there are waves out there to do it, you’ve just got to be smart.”

 

Taj Burrow (AUS), 32, opened his Billabong Rio Pro campaign with a sharp backhand attack by belting two Arpoador lefthanders to the tune of a 16.83 (out of 20) on his first two waves to earn the highest heat-total of the day. The Australian veteran notched his Round 1 heat win over dangerous Brazilian rookie Alejo Muniz (BRA), 21, and event wildcard Ricardo Santos (BRA), 20.

 

“It was kind of scary for a second there, right when they decided to start the competition the wind started howling, but then it cleaned up heaps,” Burrow said. “I got two fun ones at the start so I’m happy.”

 

Jadson Andre, defending event winner, reveled in Aproador’s lefthanders with a combination of aggressive carves and snaps to take a convincing Round 1 heat victory with the support of the Brazilian crowd behind him.

 

“I’m so happy to be here competing in Brazil and I love Aproador, I feel like a local,” Andre said. “I’ve competed here several times before and have friends here. I know everyone says I should feel pressure as defending champion, but I’m not worried about it. I’m just thinking about the next heat. That’s what I did last year.”

 

Mick Fanning (AUS), 29, two-time ASP World Champion, slowly built momentum in his opening Billabong Rio Pro heat, eventually igniting two lefthanders by combining a series of seamless backhand turns to notch a 15.07 heat total to advance directly through to Round 3.

 

“It was tricky trying to find the right one out there, but I watched the heat before and noticed that guys that were doing turns back-to-back were getting scores, so I tried to concentrate on that,” Fanning said. “They weren’t the biggest waves, but they just allowed three turns straight away.”

 

The Australian talent also expressed the importance of advancing directly through to Round 3 with Brazil’s ever-changing conditions.

 

“It’s really good to skip as many rounds as possible, especially here in Brazil where it can be really unpredictable,” Fanning said. “I’m stoked to get through Round 1 and I’ll go back and assess what’s going on and hopefully keep going.”

 

Billabong Rio Pro event organizers will reconvene at Aproador at 7am local time tomorrow morning for a possible Round 2 start.

 

To watch the Billabong Rio Pro LIVE log on to www.billabongpro.com

 

For additional ASP information log on to www.aspworldtour.com

 

Billabong Rio Pro Round 1 Results:

Heat 1: Owen Wright (AUS) 13.60, Heitor Alves (BRA) 7.67, Bobby Martinez (USA) 7.47

Heat 2: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 11.84, Adam Melling (AUS) 11.16, Kai Otton (AUS) 7.90

Heat 3: Taj Burrow (AUS) 16.33, Ricardo Santos (BRA) 11.17, Alejo Muniz (BRA) 10.60

Heat 4: Mick Fanning (AUS) 15.07, Simao Romao (BRA) 12.36, Dusty Payne (HAW) 11.66

Heat 5: Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 8.13, Jordy Smith (ZAF) 8.07, Igor Morais (BRA) 6.34

Heat 6: Kelly Slater (USA) 15.17, Julian Wilson (AUS) 14.37, Peterson Crisanto (BRA) 3.84

Heat 7: Jadson Andre (BRA) 14.33, Gabe Kling (USA) 10.66, Bede Durbidge (AUS) 7.90

Heat 8: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 13.56, C.J. Hobgood (USA) 10.80, Josh Kerr (AUS) 7.43

Heat 9: Damien Hobgood (USA) 12.00, Raoni Monteiro (BRA) 11.10, Tiago Pires (PRT) 10.93

Heat 10: Cory Lopez (USA) 11.54, Chris Davidson (AUS) 10.00, Michel Bourez (PYF) 8.57

Heat 11: Daniel Ross (AUS) 14.90, Adriano de Souza (BRA) 14.67, Kieren Perrow (AUS) 8.96

Heat 12: Taylor Knox (USA) 15.03, Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 14.70, Joel Parkinson (AUS) 8.34

 

Photo ASP/Scholtz

    

Since it began in 2006, the Oakland Art Murmur has been described in military terms, “Hipster Invasion” being one of the most prominent. Young white artists pushed out of San Francisco due to sky-rocketing rents moving into the ghettos of Oakland and building a community for themselves there. The issues were all there: Gentrification, cultural appropriation, and the definition of art. Yet what started with a small collective of seven galleries coordinating their calendars to each participate in a “First Fridays” art walk has doubled and continues to grow. And although more established, some of those core issues remain.

Two years before the Oakland Art Murmur began, the <a hrefWeekend Wake-Up was forming in the midst of a different type of gentrification, in the newly built Fruitvale plaza. Both movements started small and proceeded to build up a community around their events. Yet, while the Art Murmur, by its nature, remained in a specific region, the Weekend Wake-Up consistently reached out to new communities, neighborhoods and populations, ending up at the steps of Rock Paper Scissors. Thus, a strange yet beautiful collaboration was born.

Rock Paper Scissors (RPS) exemplifies the Art Murmur’s Do It Yourself hipster aesthetic. However, under their surface, they are reaching beyond their cultural stratosphere through one of the few non-judgmental populations left: the youth. They offer classes at MetWest high school as well as airbrushing and other fashion related activities at the1ir site on Telegraph Ave.

While supporting RPS’ stated goal to “strengthen local communities and encourage sustainable practices and alternative models,” the Weekend Wake-Up brings a rawer form of culture to the table, reminiscent of the neighborhood before cafes and condos. It’s a challenging synthesis, but organizers from all sides of the collaboration are excited by a hip-hop resurgence in the area.

Leading the way is COV Records, a community based music and recording center for youth, whose studio at 28th and Telegraph is only 5 blocks away from RPS. COV artists have been to regularly sell their CDs at the Art Murmur, who have proven to be an interested market.

April 4th marks the first time that the Art Murmur will actually experience a performance by those same COV artists. Accompanied by Lunar Heights’ emcees Jern Eye and Spear of the Nation as well as Knobody from the Hieroimperium, the youth plan to give the murmur a full dosage of all four elements of hip-hop. Expect the unexpected as spray-can legends Crayone, King 157, Dzyer and Rush put on a live aerosol demonstration and DJs Jus Jones and Smokestack serve up classic old skool breaks for the b-boys and b-girls. Other performers include NaR, a queer Arab hip-hop crew; Kensho Kuma, Virtuous, a locking showcase by Groovmekanex, and a special set by Ms. Bashir the Songbird featuring DJ Twelvz. Hosted by Orukusaki.

For more info, visit www.weekendwakeup.com

  

Since it began in 2006, the Oakland Art Murmur has been described in military terms, “Hipster Invasion” being one of the most prominent. Young white artists pushed out of San Francisco due to sky-rocketing rents moving into the ghettos of Oakland and building a community for themselves there. The issues were all there: Gentrification, cultural appropriation, and the definition of art. Yet what started with a small collective of seven galleries coordinating their calendars to each participate in a “First Fridays” art walk has doubled and continues to grow. And although more established, some of those core issues remain.

Two years before the Oakland Art Murmur began, the Weekend Wake-Upwas forming in the midst of a different type of gentrification, in the newly built Fruitvale plaza. Both movements started small and proceeded to build up a community around their events. Yet, while the Art Murmur, by its nature, remained in a specific region, the Weekend Wake-Up consistently reached out to new communities, neighborhoods and populations, ending up at the steps of Rock Paper Scissors. Thus, a strange yet beautiful collaboration was born.

Rock Paper Scissors (RPS) exemplifies the Art Murmur’s Do It Yourself hipster aesthetic. However, under their surface, they are reaching beyond their cultural stratosphere through one of the few non-judgmental populations left: the youth. They offer classes at MetWest high school as well as airbrushing and other fashion related activities at the1ir site on Telegraph Ave.

While supporting RPS’ stated goal to “strengthen local communities and encourage sustainable practices and alternative models,” the Weekend Wake-Up brings a rawer form of culture to the table, reminiscent of the neighborhood before cafes and condos. It’s a challenging synthesis, but organizers from all sides of the collaboration are excited by a hip-hop resurgence in the area.

Leading the way is COV Records, a community based music and recording center for youth, whose studio at 28th and Telegraph is only 5 blocks away from RPS. COV artists have been to regularly sell their CDs at the Art Murmur, who have proven to be an interested market.

April 4th marks the first time that the Art Murmur will actually experience a performance by those same COV artists. Accompanied by Lunar Heights’ emcees Jern Eye and Spear of the Nation as well as Knobody from the Hieroimperium, the youth plan to give the murmur a full dosage of all four elements of hip-hop. Expect the unexpected as spray-can legends Crayone, King 157, Dzyer and Rush put on a live aerosol demonstration and DJs Jus Jones and Smokestack serve up classic old skool breaks for the b-boys and b-girls. Other performers include NaR, a queer Arab hip-hop crew; Kensho Kuma, Virtuous, a locking showcase by Groovmekanex, and a special set by Ms. Bashir the Songbird featuring DJ Twelvz. Hosted by Orukusaki.

For more info, visit www.weekendwakeup.com

  

Since it began in 2006, the Oakland Art Murmur has been described in military terms, “Hipster Invasion” being one of the most prominent. Young white artists pushed out of San Francisco due to sky-rocketing rents moving into the ghettos of Oakland and building a community for themselves there. The issues were all there: Gentrification, cultural appropriation, and the definition of art. Yet what started with a small collective of seven galleries coordinating their calendars to each participate in a “First Fridays” art walk has doubled and continues to grow. And although more established, some of those core issues remain.

Two years before the Oakland Art Murmur began, the Weekend Wake-Upwas forming in the midst of a different type of gentrification, in the newly built Fruitvale plaza. Both movements started small and proceeded to build up a community around their events. Yet, while the Art Murmur, by its nature, remained in a specific region, the Weekend Wake-Up consistently reached out to new communities, neighborhoods and populations, ending up at the steps of Rock Paper Scissors. Thus, a strange yet beautiful collaboration was born.

Rock Paper Scissors (RPS) exemplifies the Art Murmur’s Do It Yourself hipster aesthetic. However, under their surface, they are reaching beyond their cultural stratosphere through one of the few non-judgmental populations left: the youth. They offer classes at MetWest high school as well as airbrushing and other fashion related activities at the1ir site on Telegraph Ave.

While supporting RPS’ stated goal to “strengthen local communities and encourage sustainable practices and alternative models,” the Weekend Wake-Up brings a rawer form of culture to the table, reminiscent of the neighborhood before cafes and condos. It’s a challenging synthesis, but organizers from all sides of the collaboration are excited by a hip-hop resurgence in the area.

Leading the way is COV Records, a community based music and recording center for youth, whose studio at 28th and Telegraph is only 5 blocks away from RPS. COV artists have been to regularly sell their CDs at the Art Murmur, who have proven to be an interested market.

April 4th marks the first time that the Art Murmur will actually experience a performance by those same COV artists. Accompanied by Lunar Heights’ emcees Jern Eye and Spear of the Nation as well as Knobody from the Hieroimperium, the youth plan to give the murmur a full dosage of all four elements of hip-hop. Expect the unexpected as spray-can legends Crayone, King 157, Dzyer and Rush put on a live aerosol demonstration and DJs Jus Jones and Smokestack serve up classic old skool breaks for the b-boys and b-girls. Other performers include NaR, a queer Arab hip-hop crew; Kensho Kuma, Virtuous, a locking showcase by Groovmekanex, and a special set by Ms. Bashir the Songbird featuring DJ Twelvz. Hosted by Orukusaki.

For more info, visit www.weekendwakeup.com

 

Hey Everyone! This is a phrase I struggle with everyday. My husband consistently tells me I am beautiful and I struggle to get over my past of being called exactly the opposite. I heard this song yesterday called "Beautiful" By MercyMe. It hit a soft spot in my heart. Here is the thing, the past is the past. I have a loving husband and family. I am done with hurting. I am done with the past. From today on, I will grow. I can't guarantee that I won't have unhappy days now and then, but I will try to be the best I was made to be. Peace and Love

 

Here are the Lyrics:

 

The days will come when you don't have the strength

When all you hear is you're not worth anything

Wondering if you ever could be loved

And if they truly saw your heart they'd see too much

 

You're beautiful

You're beautiful

You are made so much more than all of this

You're beautiful

You're beautiful

You are treasured, You are sacred, You are His

You're beautiful

 

And praying that you have the heart to find

Cause you are more than what is hurting you tonight

For all the lies you've held inside so long

And they are nothing in the shadow of the cross

 

You're beautiful

You're beautiful

You are made so much more than all of this

You're beautiful

You're beautiful

You are treasured, You are sacred, You are His

You're beautiful

 

Before you ever took a breath

Long before the world began

Of all the wonders He possessed

There was one more precious

Of all the earth and skys above

You're the one He madly loves

Enough to death

 

You're beautiful

You're beautiful

In His eyes

 

You're beautiful

You were meant for so much more than all of this

You're beautiful

You are treasured, You are sacred, You are His

You're beautiful

You're beautiful

You're meant for so much more than all of this

You're beautiful

You're beautiful

You are treasured, You are sacred, You are His

In Rome, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Italian President Sergio Mattarella.

The President of Ukraine expressed gratitude for Italy’s steadfast support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as its consistent focus on Ukraine during Italy’s presidency of the G7.

"I recall all our meetings, and they always concluded with us finding solutions to very complex issues. One of the most challenging is protecting the rights of people in Ukraine, as well as defending our sovereignty and territorial integrity. I am very pleased that your position in supporting Ukraine, our people, and our children has always remained unwavering," said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The Ukrainian President provided an update on the situation at the front lines and on Russia’s ongoing missile terror targeting civilians.

During the meeting, the leaders discussed the continuation of military assistance to Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his appreciation to Italy for its significant military-technical support, including the approval of the 10th aid package.

He emphasized the importance of coordinated actions by partner countries to end the war with a just and lasting peace.

The President of Ukraine also commended Italy’s firm stance on maintaining and enforcing sanctions against Russia.

A key topic of negotiations was the return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia.

The President thanked Italy for its care and support of Ukrainian orphans currently residing in Italy because of the Russian aggression.

The leaders also discussed preparations for the International Ukraine Recovery Conference, scheduled for July 10–11 in Rome. Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that Italian experts could join the restoration of Ukraine’s cultural heritage.

President Zelenskyy extended an invitation to President Mattarella to visit Ukraine.

Business surveys in Latin America consistently show that skills gaps are a serious bottleneck to firm growth and competitiveness. Lack of responsiveness by providers of technical education and professional training is often blamed for this situation. What innovations are possible to improve the quality and relevance of those programs? What role should governments, employers, universities, and civil society play in shaping the approach to technical education and professional training in Latin America? What can we learn from reforms in the region and abroad? The Dialogue and CAF - Development Bank of Latin America hosted a wide-ranging full-day seminar that brought together academics, policymakers, and other experts from the Western Hemisphere to discuss the future of technical education and professional training in Latin America.

TIDE POOLIN'

 

Leo Carrillo beach in Malibu is consistently one of my favorite places to visit and photograph. I just love climbing around the rocks and investigating the tide pool. There are several ways to get there, but I usually take the 101 North to Malibu Canyon, head south over to Pacific Coast Highway, then West (a right turn) on PCH approximately 25 miles until you hit Leo Carrillo. From the Valley to Leo it's about a 45 minute to hour drive each way. The tide pool is just in front of the #3 lifeguard tower (and incidentally, dogs are allowed on leash from this tower and continuing west up the beach). I just google low tide Malibu to find out the best time to go there and check out the tide pool. Usually there's a several hour window about an hour before to an hour after low tide that's good. If you go after that, the waves usually are just hitting the rocks too hard and it can be dangerous to stand there. I always see tons of starfish (many different colors including orange, light blue, and purple), sea anemones (they are really fun to touch), mussels, crabs (little teeny black ones and bigger red ones), and even little fish swimming in the watery crags and crevices of the tide pool rocks. And I've spotted dolphins and whales from this beach. After an outing at Leo Carrillo, I always stop at this little food shack called Malibu Seafood, located just before you find yourself back at Malibu Canyon. It's totally no frills - you order food inside, wait for your number to be called, and find an open bench to sit down. My fave meals there are swordfish with rice pilaf and salad (the ranch is really good), fish and chips, clam chowder, or a pot of steamed clams in a nice broth.

 

Leo Carrillo State Park / Malibu photos by Lydia Marcus

 

As seen on my blog: fotonomous.blogspot.com/2008/08/tide-poolin.html

Mike Krause knows the challenges sales leaders and business professionals face every day, having sold well over $100 million in products and services in his twenty years of professional sales, consistently achieving high levels of success in sales, management and training. He is a seasoned veteran of driving and achieving quantifiable results across a wide array of business models and organization sizes.

 

Since running his first lemonade stand at the age of seven, Mike’s proven approach to sales is to roll up his sleeves, jump into the trenches with his client’s salespeople and do whatever it takes to teach them his customized tools, tactics and strategies to generate income and strengthen positive branding.

 

From building a landscape company from inception to 130 accounts in two years to being recognized as a top producer in each of the Fortune 500 companies for which he worked, Mike always exceeds his goals. Mike funded his undergraduate education at St. Bonaventure University with his landscaping company and later obtained a Master’s degree in Strategic Leadership with a concentration in entrepreneurship from Roberts Wesleyan College.

 

After spending over twelve years in Corporate America, Mike discovered his true passion in helping business leaders and sales professionals achieve their sales objectives more rapidly through his highly effective selling processes. His previous book, Sell or Sink: Strategies, Tactics and Tools Every Business Leader Must Know to Stay Afloat! is available online through Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

 

My latest book, SMART Prospecting: That Works Every Time! (McGraw Hill, March 2013)blends old school proven sales strategies with new age tactics and technology that make all sales people more productive and more effective. My clients have measured 40 to 65 percent growth in prospecting calls and increases of 22 percent in closed sales. In fact, Brian Tracy, universally acknowledged self-help author, motivational speaker, entrepreneur, business coach and keynote speaker − and 18 other top selling experts − endorse SMART Prospecting, “This is a terrific, intelligent book that shows you how to get in front of more and better prospects−faster than ever before.”

 

Today, Mike Krause is the president and founder of Sales Sense Solutions, Inc. where he delivers measurable results with his clients using Fortune 500 strategies, tactics, and tools. The company’s mission is to customize Fortune 500 sales experience and success systems for small and mid-sized companies. In addition to his thriving consulting work, Krause is an in-demand speaker and has received numerous awards for his acclaimed training programs. In his spare time, Mike enjoys piloting his sailboat on the Great Lakes, having successfully earned his marine captain’s license three years ago.

 

Visit: mdkrause.com/

 

To your sales success!

 

Michael D. Krause

585-704-6453

Author | Consultant | Strategist

www.MDKrause.com

Best Selling Author:

SMART Prospecting That Works Every Time!

MADRID RIO

  

Madrid Río es un parque de la ciudad española de Madrid, consistente en una zona peatonal y de recreo construida entre los años 2006 a 2012 en los dos márgenes del río Manzanares, en buena parte sobre el trazado soterrado de la vía de circunvalación M-30,1​ desde el nudo Sur hasta el enlace con la A-5. En 2016, el proyecto se hizo con el galardón Veronica Rudge Green Prize in Urban Design de la Universidad de Harvard por su diseño e impacto social y cultural en la transformación del río

Entre 2003 y 2007 se llevó a cabo la obra de soterramiento del arco oeste de la M-30 en el ámbito del río, obra que hizo posible la eliminación del tráfico en superficie y la consiguiente liberación de más de cincuenta hectáreas de terreno ocupado anteriormente por las calzadas. A esta superficie se sumaron otras casi cien hectáreas correspondientes a los diferentes suelos infrautilizados adyacentes a la autopista.

 

Tras la construcción de los túneles afloró una herida vacía formada por un rosario de espacios desocupados, que atesoraban la potencia latente de convertirse en nexo de unión de un corredor ambiental de casi tres mil hectáreas dentro del término municipal, que se extiende desde El Pardo hasta Getafe y que enlaza importantísimas áreas verdes de la ciudad como la Casa de Campo, el Parque de la Arganzuela o el Parque del Manzanares Sur.

 

Por tanto, los beneficios obtenidos al enterrar la antigua autopista, obviamente, no han quedado reducidos a la mejora de ciertos aspectos de la movilidad urbana, ni siquiera a la rehabilitación local de los barrios, sino que pueden adquirir en un futuro próximo, una dimensión de gran escala que necesariamente deberá repercutir en las relaciones entre la ciudad y el territorio, entendidas en su mayor alcance. La enorme trascendencia para la ciudad de los espacios liberados como consecuencia del soterramiento de la M-30, llevó al Ayuntamiento de Madrid a convocar un Concurso Internacional de Ideas para concebir y proyectar los nuevos espacios libres en el entorno del río. El concurso lo ganó el equipo de arquitectos dirigido por Ginés Garrido y formado por Burgos & Garrido Arquitectos, Porras & La Casta y Rubio & Álvarez-Sala y West8, con la solución para la construcción de un parque urbano de más de ciento veinte hectáreas, que ocupa la superficie liberada por el soterramiento de la autopista. Los inicios del proyecto pasaron por el intento de comprender en su totalidad las cualidades geográficas de la cuenca fluvial. Las características del territorio y la diversidad de sus elementos naturales constituyen un conjunto de claves que han sustentado muchas de las ideas contenidas en el proyecto.

 

Sumariamente, la estrategia del éste se basa en la convicción de que, a través del río es posible conectar la ciudad, expresión máxima de la acción artificial, con los territorios del norte y el sur de Madrid, en los que aún perviven los elementos naturales propios de la cuenca fluvial. El río se convierte en puerta o enlace entre interior urbano y exterior territorial y, a través de sus márgenes, se establece la continuidad y la permeabilidad, hasta hoy aniquiladas por los sucesivos anillos concéntricos, hollados por los cinturones viarios, M-30, M-40, M-45, M-50 …, que fueron el resultado de aplicar a la red circulatoria los modelos de movilidad propios de mediados del siglo XX.

 

El proyecto se ha concebido en sucesivas aproximaciones o escalas a partir de las que se ha aplicado la reflexión sobre el campo de juego, obteniendo respuestas o soluciones diversas, desde el ámbito territorial o estratégico al local o específico.

 

En la escala territorial se han establecido los parámetros de partida para que, en el medio plazo, sea posible la regeneración de las márgenes del río en toda su longitud, como verdaderas áreas de integración entre el paisaje y la actividad humana, bajo un entendimiento contemporáneo capaz de superar el antagonismo implícito en el binomio urbano-rural.

 

En la escala metropolitana, a través del proyecto y de su concepción como gran infraestructura, se lleva a cabo la incorporación del corredor que se extiende sobre los bordes fluviales a su paso por la ciudad como parte del GR 124 (Gran Recorrido de la Red de Senderos Europeos) que ya, en 2011 se podrá transitar en toda su extensión, desde Manzanares el Real hasta Aranjuez.

 

En la escala urbana, el proyecto incorpora el río como doble línea de fachada inédita y configura un conjunto enlazado de espacios verdes que se infiltra en la ciudad; establece en la superficie un nuevo sistema de movilidad y accesibilidad; incrementa la integración y calidad urbana de los barrios limítrofes al río; protege y revaloriza el patrimonio histórico y detecta áreas de oportunidad que, sobre este ámbito de nueva centralidad, serán capaces de generar un cambio potencial del conjunto de la ciudad en el largo plazo.

 

En la escala local, la propuesta se ejecuta como una operación radicalmente artificial, materializada sin embargo con instrumentos eminentemente naturales. No se debe olvidar que se actúa mayoritariamente sobre una infraestructura bajo tierra. El proyecto se implanta sobre un túnel o, más bien, sobre la cubierta de un conjunto complejísimo de instalaciones al servicio del viario enterrado. Un edificio de hormigón de más de seis kilómetros de longitud, con enormes y determinantes servidumbres y con una topografía cuya lógica obedece exclusivamente a la construcción de la infraestructura, que emerge inopinadamente sobre el suelo y con la que ha sido necesario negociar. Sobre esta edificación subterránea, la solución adoptada se ha basado en el uso de la vegetación como principal material de construcción. El proyecto establece como estrategia general la idea de implantar una densa capa vegetal, de carácter casi forestal, allá donde sea posible, es decir, fabricar un paisaje con materia viva, sobre un sustrato subterráneo inerte, modificado y excavado para el automóvil, sobre una construcción que expresa por sí misma el artificio máximo.

 

Las familias, formas y asociaciones de especies vegetales seleccionadas provienen de la extrapolación del estudio de la cuenca del río y su adaptación, en cada caso, al medio urbano específico. La ordenación de los distintos entornos y su caracterización como lugares de uso público se ha producido teniendo en cuenta, por un lado, las funciones requeridas y las necesidades detectadas en cada distrito y por otro, la capacidad de conformar espacios habitables, inherente a los conjuntos organizados de vegetación de distinto porte.

La solución se concreta en tres unidades de paisaje principales. Primero, el Salón de Pinos, o corredor verde que discurre por la margen derecha del río. Es la estructura que permite la continuidad de los recorridos y reacciona en su encuentro con los puentes existentes dando lugar a distintos tipos de jardines de ribera (Jardines bajos de Puente de Segovia, Jardines del Puente de San Isidro, Jardines del Puente de Toledo y Jardines del Puente de Praga). Segundo, el enlace definitivo del centro histórico (representado por la imagen imponente del Palacio Real y la cornisa elevada de la ciudad), con la Casa de Campo, parque de más de mil setecientas hectáreas. En este entorno se incluyen la Avenida de Portugal, la Huerta de la Partida, la Explanada del Rey y los Jardines de la Virgen del Puerto. Tercero, la ancha franja sobre la ribera izquierda donde se sitúa el conjunto del Parque de la Arganzuela que incluye el centro de creación de arte contemporáneo de Matadero, y que representa la mayor superficie de espacio verde unitario de la propuesta.

 

Además de estas tres grandes operaciones paisajísticas coherentes entre sí, el proyecto propone ciento cincuenta intervenciones de diferente carácter, entre las que destaca el sistema puentes que dotan de un inédito grado de permeabilidad al cauce. Se han desarrollado soluciones sobre más de veinte puentes o pasarelas sobre el río, rehabilitando las siete presas, reciclando algunos puentes existentes y creando nuevos pasos, unas veces con un lenguaje silencioso y otras, intencionadamente expresivo. Como en una acción microquirúrgica el proyecto incorpora, eslabón por eslabón, una cadena de fórmulas de integración del río en la ciudad y de la ciudad en el río. Son elementos que garantizarán el contagio de los nuevos valores de las orillas regeneradas sobre los ámbitos y barrios cercanos. Con este efecto de resonancia, se prevé una sucesión de operaciones que aseguren una renovación de gran alcance. Desde ahora y de manera irreversible, se está fraguando una radical metamorfosis, sin precedentes para la ciudad de Madrid.

La superestructura lineal del Salón de Pinos es el elemento que organiza la continuidad de recorridos a lo largo de la ribera derecha del río. Está construida sobre los túneles en su práctica totalidad y tiene un ancho medio de treinta metros. Sobre la losa de hormigón que cubre el paso de los automóviles se han plantado más de 9.000 unidades de diferentes especies de pinos, de diversos tamaños, formas y agrupaciones con un marco de plantación forestal. Los ejemplares han sido seleccionados fundamentalmente en campos en los que hubiese posibilidad de extraer plantas con morfologías naturales (troncos no lineales, troncos dobles, troncos inclinados, etc.) De este modo se obtiene una prolongación controlada de los pinares de la sierra situada al norte de Madrid que parecen extenderse hasta el confín de la ciudad. Estos árboles han sido anclados a la losa de los túneles mediante cables de acero y bridas biodegradables, para potenciar su estabilidad y el crecimiento de sus raíces en horizontal sobre el paquete de tierras disponible. No obstante, este paseo se encuentra frecuentemente con estructuras de gran valor urbano o patrimonial.

 

Dos ejemplos simbólicos de esta intersección son los puentes históricos de Segovia (1582) y de Toledo (1732). En estos enclaves el salón reacciona como espacio de estancia, ampliando sus límites y ofreciendo un diseño específico, con árboles de ribera de hoja caduca y alineaciones de setos y bancos de piedra. Las actividades integradas en el salón se incorporan con un lenguaje coherente con su carácter forestal. Un claro ejemplo de este procedimiento lo forma el conjunto de áreas de juegos infantiles, diseñado específicamente como un sistema completo de formas naturales.

 

Jardines del Puente de Segovia

 

El puente de Segovia está declarado Bien de Interés Cultural. Fue construido a finales del siglo XVI por el arquitecto Juan de Herrera, por encargo de Felipe II. El proyecto de ajardinamiento de su entorno conforma una excepción en el ámbito del Salón de Pinos, constituyendo un ensanchamiento de éste y ofreciendo un modo diferente de aproximación al río. Los jardines se ordenan mediante una serie de líneas de traza orgánica que modelan sucesivas terrazas que descienden hacia el río. Estas líneas están construidas con unas piezas de granito de gran formato que sirven también de bancos. Entre ellos se extiende una superficie de hierba de bajo consumo hídrico arbolada con diferentes especies de árboles frondosos de ribera de la familia de los populus. En las inmediaciones de la fábrica almohadillada del puente se han construido dos estanques de agua limpia sobre los cuales, por un lado alza una fuente monumental de 16 chorros con forma de ciprés y por otro se extiende un pequeño jardín de lirios acuáticos. Los estanques son accesibles mediante unas gradas de piedra que se acercan a ellos hasta sumergirse.

 

Jardines del Puente de Toledo

 

Los jardines del Puente de Toledo constituyen una de las áreas más significativas del Proyecto Madrid Río, ya que se están situados en un enclave de excepcional importancia en el que el Salón de Pinos se encuentra con uno de los puentes monumentales de Madrid, el puente de Toledo, construido entre 1718 y 1732. El proyecto aprovecha dicho monumento en un doble sentido: Por un lado se compone un espacio concebido para ser visto desde lo alto del puente que se convierte así en un mirador privilegiado. De este modo los jardines ofrecen una nueva e inédita panorámica de Madrid ya que sus trazados dibujan un enorme tatuaje que se extiende como una alfombra sobre la superficie, reproduciendo un motivo figurativo vegetal. Por otro lado, los jardines incorporan el Puente de Toledo, que es una estructura barroca diseñada por el arquitecto Pedro de Ribera, como un objeto al que admirar, al que tocar y bajo el que pasar. La disposición de los setos está organizada de modo que conforma una serie de líneas que toman como referencia los jardines barrocos de la época borbónica, aunque están trazadas con un lenguaje contemporáneo. Asimismo en este punto se ha construido un graderío que permite la máxima aproximación a la lámina de agua del río, y la mejor contemplación de los arcos del antiguo puente.

 

Segunda unidad de paisaje: La Escena Monumental

 

La vinculación del centro histórico y el barrio de La Latina con la Casa de Campo ha estado vedada a los peatones de forma secular. El nuevo contacto, que ya es posible por la desaparición de los automóviles bajo tierra, ha sido resuelto con diversas intervenciones que asumen el carácter monumental y panorámico de esta zona, en la que el zócalo elevado del Palacio Real (germen primigenio del nacimiento de la ciudad) contacta con el río. Se han propuesto diferentes soluciones afrontando con extremada atención el contexto en el que se sitúan: La “Explanada del Rey”, explanada abierta pavimentada con un gran patrón figurativo y que sirve de gran atrio ante la Casa de Campo. La huerta de la partida, que es un recinto cerrado en el que se han plantado diferentes retículas de árboles frutales (perales, manzanos, moreras, granados, higueras, nogales, avellanos, etc) acoge un extraordinario mirador de la cornisa. La avenida de Portugal, convertida en un bulevar pavimentado por calceteiros portugueses y poblado por cuatro especies de cerezos (Prunus avium, P. avium ‘Plena’, P.yedoensis y P.padus ‘Watereii’ ) permite la contemplación de una espectacular floración que se alarga más de un mes en primavera. Por último, los jardines de La Virgen del Puerto, en la otra margen del río, estructurados mediante la disposición de parterres orientados según los ejes de los principales acontecimientos urbanos del área: el puente de Segovia, el puente del Rey, la avenida de Portugal y la puerta del Rey que ha sido restaurada y resituada según los datos disponibles en la cartografía histórica de Madrid.

 

Plataforma del Rey

 

En el acceso monumental que enlaza el centro histórico de Madrid con la Casa de Campo, antiguo cazadero real, destaca la Explanada o Plataforma del Rey, que es un espacio abierto de una superficie aproximada de 14.000 m2 y un frente paralelo al río de poco menos de 250 m. El destino de este espacio es el de formar un escenario capaz de acoger diferentes manifestaciones cívicas (conciertos, celebraciones oficiales, actividades culturales, etc.) en un entorno de extraordinaria calidad ambiental, que permite contemplar la Cornisa Histórica de la Ciudad. Este lugar está conectado con el Salón de Pinos y forma parte de él, aunque por exigencias de su uso, sea un área casi desprovista de arbolado. En ella el principal elemento organizador es el pavimento que, de forma muy suave, se adapta a una topografía que integra todas las emergencias de los túneles hasta hacerlas imperceptibles. En este pavimento las pequeñas piezas de granito y basalto forman un patrón que desciende desde la Avenida de Portugal y se esparce sobre la superficie del suelo a una escala en aumento progresivo. Dicho patrón vincula la plataforma con el pavimento proyectado en la avenida. De este modo la Plataforma es un elemento que liga de manera natural importantes piezas del escenario monumental que se produce en este punto, como son el Puente del Rey, la Casa de Campo, la Avenida de Portugal y el Salón de Pinos.

 

Huerta de la Partida

  

Se trata de un espacio recuperado que en las pasadas décadas se dedicó a albergar uno de los principales nudos de la autopista. La propuesta de regeneración de este lugar incluye varias operaciones: En primer lugar la construcción de una tapia, a veces opaca, a veces permeable que constituye un cierre que confiere al recinto el carácter de huerto cerrado. En segundo lugar, el modelado artificial del terreno, regularizando su superficie y tallando un único plano inclinado de suave pendiente que se desliza hacia el río. En tercer lugar la plantación de diferentes agrupaciones de árboles frutales (granados, moreras, manzanos, perales, avellanos, almendros, higueras, olivos y nogales) que se incorporan en el entorno describiendo cuadrantes reticulados con sutiles variaciones de orientación. Por último, se ha proyectado una ría húmeda que describe la trayectoria del Arroyo Meaques, actualmente entubado y oculto. Este proyecto ha sido fruto del estudio minucioso de la historia del lugar, ya que en el pasado, cuando Felipe II adquirió esta finca después de establecer la capitalidad de Madrid, en esta posición se plantaron algunas huertas que producían el alimento necesario para los trabajadores de la Casa de Campo.

 

Tercera unidad de paisaje: La Ribera del Agua. Arganzuela y Matadero

 

En la margen izquierda del cauce la ciudad se separa del río. El ejemplo más importante de la propuesta en esta orilla es el nuevo Parque de la Arganzuela, construido sobre antiguas dehesas de pasto de uso comunal. En este entorno se construyó el Matadero Municipal, notable ejemplo de arquitectura posindustrial de la segunda década del siglo XX. Con el soterramiento de la autopista, Madrid dispone ahora en este punto de 33 hectáreas de espacios libres que forman el mayor parque del proyecto. Éste se ha concebido como un gran espacio en el que el río se ha retirado dejando su huella ancestral. Está organizado con diferentes líneas que se entrecruzan, como surcos por los que pasó el agua, dejando entre sí espacios para distintos usos. Estas líneas, de carácter marcadamente longitudinal, son los caminos de distinta especie que recorren el espacio de norte a sur.

 

Paseo junto al matadero

 

Un camino más plano y ancho (el Camino Rápido), otro más sinuoso y de pendiente variable (el Camino Lento) y una franja empedrada de márgenes frondosos (el Arroyo Seco), que vertebra el centro del parque. La construcción del espacio se plantea como una gran arboleda que contiene varios paisajes, algunos más naturales y otros más construidos, configurados por una variación de especies, alturas, densidades y texturas. De este modo el parque, concebido como un retazo de la cuenca del río, incorpora tres áreas botánicas: bosque mediterráneo, bosque atlántico y fronda de ribera. El carácter de estos paisajes interiores está relacionado con los trazados longitudinales del parque, con árboles que siguen los caminos y las sendas, con sotos y bosques que emergen sobre la topografía. La textura boscosa se intercala con las superficies plantadas de aromáticas entre los caminos y el Arroyo Seco. Siguiendo la orilla izquierda del río, se dispone una franja húmeda y verde, con una pradera de césped que se inclina hacia el agua. Una constelación de fuentes ornamentales y un conjunto de tres láminas elípticas de agua pura introducen este elemento como materia narrativa que relaciona las distintas asociaciones de vegetación. Cada fuente presenta un distinto juego sonoro y visual y se rodea de pequeñas laderas plantadas de frutales que remiten a la imagen de los jardines de las leyendas o del Paraíso. Las líneas entrelazadas que estructuran el parque permiten la formación de recintos en los que se han situado importantes instalaciones para el recreo al servicio de los usuarios de todas las edades. En él se incluye un campo de fútbol , dos pistas de patinaje y tres importantes conjuntos de juegos infantiles. El parque así mismo incorpora el conjunto dedicado a la creación de arte contemporáneo de Matadero, como una gran dotación cultural que vive dentro de él. A través de los caminos se accede a las naves del antiguo complejo, cuya rehabilitación está a punto de finalizar. El diseño de los trazados permite entender la relación entre Matadero y el parque como un continuo entre el río y la ciudad.

 

El sistema de puentes sobre el río

 

La implantación de puentes sobre el Manzanares se lleva a cabo como una estrategia global, es decir, como un conjunto en que cada elemento resuelve problemas puntuales detectados en el entorno próximo, pero también forma parte a su vez de un sistema integral de conectividad transversal de acuerdo con la relación entre la ciudad y el río. Las unidades de este conjunto son de diferente carácter: puentes y presas rehabilitados o reciclados, puentes rodados existentes acondicionados al nuevo sistema de tráfico ciclista y peatonal, puentes singulares que constituyen hitos en el recorrido del río, pasarelas funcionales situadas en los nodos de máximo tránsito transversal y puentes de grandes luces que enlazan los recorridos del parque con los territorios exteriores a la ciudad al norte y al sur, haciendo realidad la principal aspiración territorial del proyecto.

 

Entre los puentes existentes destaca la operación llevada a cabo con las siete presas que han sido convertidas en pasarelas peatonales a través de su restauración integral y la incorporación de un tablero de madera accesible. En segundo lugar dentro de esta serie, se debe destacar el reciclaje del puente rodado de la M-30 que cruzaba el río al sur del Puente de Segovia, reconvertido en un puente peatonal y ciclista que incorpora un talud plantado con pinos. Entre los puentes singulares cabe mencionar el puente con forma de Y construido con cajones de perfiles metálicos, que evoca el lenguaje de los puentes ferroviarios del s. XIX colgados sobre los desfiladeros forestales y los puentes gemelos de hormigón que se dan acceso al complejo Matadero, proyectados como elementos de paso capaces también de configurar un espacio al que se ingresa, como pabellones que gravitan sobre el río, pero que verdaderamente pertenecen al parque.

 

Pasarela de Almuñécar

 

Fabricada de una sola pieza con fibra de carbono, para salvar una luz de algo más de 40 metros. Se sitúa sobre el único tramo del cauce que carece de cajero de hormigón. Su diseño final responde a las capacidades del material con que está fabricada, extremadamente ligero y resistente.

 

Restauración de Presas

 

Las siete presas que regulan el río a su paso de la ciudad han sido restauradas y puestas al servicio del nuevo sistema de pasos transversales. Sus mecanismos y exclusas han sido reparados y se les ha incorporado un tablero accesible de madera y una escala de peces para favorecer la continuidad de la fauna subacuática a lo largo del río.

 

Puente Oblicuo

 

Esta estructura viaria coetánea de la M-30 se ha reciclado para incorporarla al Salón de Pinos como un paso privilegiado a través del cual los peatones, los ciclistas y los árboles pasan de una a otra orilla. La losa aligerada que componía el tablero de hormigón postesado se cortó y apeó reforzándose para soportar las cargas debidas a su nuevo uso.

 

Puente del Principado de Andorra

 

Es uno de los nuevos puentes singulares del proyecto. Está construido por jaulas de perfiles abiertos, de expresividad algo arcaica, que toma como referencia las estructuras ferroviarias sobre los desfiladeros boscosos que se construyeron en Europa y Estados Unidos a finales de siglo XIX. Antes conocido como Puente Y, en julio de 2011 se le cambió de nombre al actual de Principado de Andorra, para agradecer al gobierno de Andorra la construcción del Puente de Madrid en Andorra la Vieja.​ Se escogió este puente para nombrarlo como Principado de Andorra porque representa también la geografía de Andorra: el país pirenaico está formado por dos valles, el del Valira del Norte y el del Valira de Oriente, los cuales confluyen en Escaldes-Engordany y se convierten en uno solo, de nombre Gran Valira. Esta disposición de los valles y sus ríos es similar a una Y.

 

Puentes Cáscara

 

Son dos puentes gemelos construidos con una lámina de 15 cm de hormigón autonivelante que forma una superficie con doble curvatura, de la que cuelga el tablero. Se conciben como dos pabellones a los que acceder para cruzar el río. Su bóveda se ha ornamentado con un mosaico creado por el artista Daniel Canogar.

 

Pasarela de la Princesa

 

El canto necesario para el funcionamiento de la pasarela se incorpora en las barandillas que en realidad conforman una pareja de vigas de alma llena y rigidizadores verticales. El lenguaje de la pasarela es intencionadamente sobrio.

  

Mike Krause knows the challenges sales leaders and business professionals face every day, having sold well over $100 million in products and services in his twenty years of professional sales, consistently achieving high levels of success in sales, management and training. He is a seasoned veteran of driving and achieving quantifiable results across a wide array of business models and organization sizes.

 

Since running his first lemonade stand at the age of seven, Mike’s proven approach to sales is to roll up his sleeves, jump into the trenches with his client’s salespeople and do whatever it takes to teach them his customized tools, tactics and strategies to generate income and strengthen positive branding.

 

From building a landscape company from inception to 130 accounts in two years to being recognized as a top producer in each of the Fortune 500 companies for which he worked, Mike always exceeds his goals. Mike funded his undergraduate education at St. Bonaventure University with his landscaping company and later obtained a Master’s degree in Strategic Leadership with a concentration in entrepreneurship from Roberts Wesleyan College.

 

After spending over twelve years in Corporate America, Mike discovered his true passion in helping business leaders and sales professionals achieve their sales objectives more rapidly through his highly effective selling processes. His previous book, Sell or Sink: Strategies, Tactics and Tools Every Business Leader Must Know to Stay Afloat! is available online through Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

 

My latest book, SMART Prospecting: That Works Every Time! (McGraw Hill, March 2013)blends old school proven sales strategies with new age tactics and technology that make all sales people more productive and more effective. My clients have measured 40 to 65 percent growth in prospecting calls and increases of 22 percent in closed sales. In fact, Brian Tracy, universally acknowledged self-help author, motivational speaker, entrepreneur, business coach and keynote speaker − and 18 other top selling experts − endorse SMART Prospecting, “This is a terrific, intelligent book that shows you how to get in front of more and better prospects−faster than ever before.”

 

Today, Mike Krause is the president and founder of Sales Sense Solutions, Inc. where he delivers measurable results with his clients using Fortune 500 strategies, tactics, and tools. The company’s mission is to customize Fortune 500 sales experience and success systems for small and mid-sized companies. In addition to his thriving consulting work, Krause is an in-demand speaker and has received numerous awards for his acclaimed training programs. In his spare time, Mike enjoys piloting his sailboat on the Great Lakes, having successfully earned his marine captain’s license three years ago.

 

Visit: mdkrause.com/

 

To your sales success!

 

Michael D. Krause

585-704-6453

Author | Consultant | Strategist

www.MDKrause.com

Best Selling Author:

SMART Prospecting That Works Every Time!

Consistent with the Indian flair for colour and decoration, most of the trucks were adorned in some way.

TIDE POOLIN'

 

Leo Carrillo beach in Malibu is consistently one of my favorite places to visit and photograph. I just love climbing around the rocks and investigating the tide pool. There are several ways to get there, but I usually take the 101 North to Malibu Canyon, head south over to Pacific Coast Highway, then West (a right turn) on PCH approximately 25 miles until you hit Leo Carrillo. From the Valley to Leo it's about a 45 minute to hour drive each way. The tide pool is just in front of the #3 lifeguard tower (and incidentally, dogs are allowed on leash from this tower and continuing west up the beach). I just google low tide Malibu to find out the best time to go there and check out the tide pool. Usually there's a several hour window about an hour before to an hour after low tide that's good. If you go after that, the waves usually are just hitting the rocks too hard and it can be dangerous to stand there. I always see tons of starfish (many different colors including orange, light blue, and purple), sea anemones (they are really fun to touch), mussels, crabs (little teeny black ones and bigger red ones), and even little fish swimming in the watery crags and crevices of the tide pool rocks. And I've spotted dolphins and whales from this beach. After an outing at Leo Carrillo, I always stop at this little food shack called Malibu Seafood, located just before you find yourself back at Malibu Canyon. It's totally no frills - you order food inside, wait for your number to be called, and find an open bench to sit down. My fave meals there are swordfish with rice pilaf and salad (the ranch is really good), fish and chips, clam chowder, or a pot of steamed clams in a nice broth.

 

Leo Carrillo State Park / Malibu photos by Lydia Marcus

 

As seen on my blog: fotonomous.blogspot.com/2008/08/tide-poolin.html

The Corvette has been a consistent seller for GM, through good economic times and bad.

 

So it's a mystery why this particular economic downturn has sent Corvette sales into the proverbial toilet; down by almost 2/3 since 2007. It's a sign of extreme loyalty to this car within the company that the Corvette survived GM's bankruptcy, when the Solstice (indeed, the entire Pontiac division), Sky, and the Corvette's brother-under-the-skin, the Cadillac XLR, all went extinct.

 

Why have Corvette sales suddenly hit the doldrums? It may be that consumers increasingly see a two-seat car as impractical, even though, according to the Government's Office of Technology Assessment, 95% of all work commutes and 83% of all car trips are taken with ONE person in the vehicle. Isn't it more impractical to buy a 5000 lb, 13mpg, 8-passenger SUV to haul 50 lb. bags of manure home from Lowe's once a year, or a bunch of Little Leaguers to an away game once a week?

 

But perception is perception, and even at Porsche, the sales situation with the 911 is sufficiently dire that, for a short time, Porsche was promoting it as a "family car" on the basis of its vestigial rear seats.

 

But back to Corvette. Maybe the upcoming 2014(?) C7 will bring things back to 30,000/yr. volumes.

 

Or maybe GM will have to live with 10-15K as the new normal. In any case, GM would be foolish indeed to get rid of the one car that sets almost every American male jaw to drooling, whether they admit it or not. Or maybe they can pitch its relative ease of driveability and 25mpg highway gas mileage to well-to-do, professional women.

 

Just tossing out ideas here, but the idea is to keep it in production, and the way to do that is to increase sales, by any means necessary. Something like Dean's recent pitch for eggnog as an Easter beverage, too. Or Swanson in the '50's, inventing TV dinners (now frozen entrees) to get rid of an oversupply of leftover Thanksgiving turkeys. Whatever it takes, folks.

Interior: a consistent and simple interior, lofty tower arch, fan- vault to tower, 6-bay nave with octagonal piers to 4-centre arcade, flat pitched compartmental timber ceiling on cambered beams to plain corbels and decorative spandrels to arch braced; aisles with flat beam roof with 'ridge' and plates richly moulded. At bay 6 rebuilt mediaeval screen, and above this a Cl9 openwork timber 'chancel arch'; beyond screens aisles con- tinue as organ loft and chapel, but clear-story windows in these 2 bays have cusped transomes. Chancel with plain walls except at Sanctuary, sedi- lia with 'nodding ogee' heads, possibly earlier than rest of church and piscina with canopy over; C19 reredos. Roof as nave, but carried on angel corbels. All floors C19 red, black and cream tiles. Pews and fittings generally part of 1870 restoration, some mediaeval glass fragments in win- dow 8 to south aisle and in lady chapel including east window, otherwise series of consistent and well coloured C20 designs. At west end of north and south aisles two stone coffins associated with the St Kenelm legends. Brasses in south aisle to Margaret CRUMPE, 1647; Bridget SLAUGHTER, 1652; above these a large slate slab beautifully inscribed to John Warren de Great, not dated; other brasses to Elizabeth Harvey, 1685; Richard CAELEBS, 1670; Christopher MERRETT, 1624. Brasses in north aisle include John MOUNTLOW, 1693; Elizabeth DAUNCE, 1727; Thomas MARKLEY, 1671; and a fine incised stone slab to Michael BROADWAY, 1723. In tower arch large Royal Arms, time of Geo III, John Burnham and Thomas Fisher recorded as church-wardens. A fine alms chest on a pillar in bay 2 of north aisle. This is a remarkably con- sistent, but restrained design replacing a decayed earlier fabric: for a brief period in the C15 the parishioners worshipped in the nave of the immediately adjacent Abbey (now completely destroyed). EH Listing

Feral Swine Research Project – Savannah River and Southern Research Station (SRS)

 

Consistent collaboration and support by the USDA Forest Service Savannah River wildlife program, the Southern Research Station, and its partners, has enabled the ability to monitor, analyze and publish concerns relating to invasive feral swine populations and the economic security and safety of agricultural food sources.

 

The wildlife program at Savannah River is renowned for their consistent and long-term collaboration with Forest Service Research, State and Private Cooperators, and universities. The program consistently conducts and enables operational work to accommodate any questions and data needs the agency and our cooperators encounter. One wildlife project integrates invasive swine control efforts with research data needs to reduce both ecosystem damage and animal vehicle collisions.

 

Feral swine have been identified among the 100 most invasive species in the world, having expanded their range such that they now occur in both North and South America, Africa, and Australia, as well as many islands throughout the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean. In addition to ecosystem and property damage, feral swine destroy agricultural crops, contaminate water sources, and spread diseases that impact human, livestock, and wildlife health. The wildlife program and cooperators have compiled and provided data spanning nearly four decades from the Savannah River Site feral swine control program for management and research analysis. Data recorded by the wildlife program far exceeds that typically collected and, in this case, includes details on body size, sex, age, litter size, location, and date of each animal removed.

 

The impacts of these efforts are clearly demonstrated in a recent Journal of Wildlife Management article, published by the Savannah River National Laboratory and the USFS Southern Research Station, addressing invasive feral swine populations and the influences of a rural landfill. Invasive feral swine populations scavenging at the landfill have larger body sizes (creating greater damage during swine-vehicle impacts), larger litters, and reach higher densities than those occurring throughout the rest of the forest. The authors also presented these findings at multiple venues including the Canadian Ministry for the Environment.

 

These effects present unique challenges to population management, control, public safety, and disease transmission, including a heightened risk of the spread of African Swine Fever (ASF). If ASF-contaminated products were disposed of in the landfill and later consumed by the local feral swine population, the resulting infection could easily spread from feral swine to domestic pig and have serious adverse consequences for commercial pork operations. The continued collaboration between Savannah River’s wildlife program with Forest Service Research and our cooperators enables the ongoing scientific research and future findings needed to continue and target sound, effective management for control of this destructive, invasive species.

  

TIDE POOLIN'

 

Leo Carrillo beach in Malibu is consistently one of my favorite places to visit and photograph. I just love climbing around the rocks and investigating the tide pool. There are several ways to get there, but I usually take the 101 North to Malibu Canyon, head south over to Pacific Coast Highway, then West (a right turn) on PCH approximately 25 miles until you hit Leo Carrillo. From the Valley to Leo it's about a 45 minute to hour drive each way. The tide pool is just in front of the #3 lifeguard tower (and incidentally, dogs are allowed on leash from this tower and continuing west up the beach). I just google low tide Malibu to find out the best time to go there and check out the tide pool. Usually there's a several hour window about an hour before to an hour after low tide that's good. If you go after that, the waves usually are just hitting the rocks too hard and it can be dangerous to stand there. I always see tons of starfish (many different colors including orange, light blue, and purple), sea anemones (they are really fun to touch), mussels, crabs (little teeny black ones and bigger red ones), and even little fish swimming in the watery crags and crevices of the tide pool rocks. And I've spotted dolphins and whales from this beach. After an outing at Leo Carrillo, I always stop at this little food shack called Malibu Seafood, located just before you find yourself back at Malibu Canyon. It's totally no frills - you order food inside, wait for your number to be called, and find an open bench to sit down. My fave meals there are swordfish with rice pilaf and salad (the ranch is really good), fish and chips, clam chowder, or a pot of steamed clams in a nice broth.

 

Leo Carrillo State Park / Malibu photos by Lydia Marcus

 

As seen on my blog: fotonomous.blogspot.com/2008/08/tide-poolin.html

The RAC aka 4th Emergency Service ?

 

Ever since its foundation in 1897, RAC has been consistently at the forefront in developing motoring services - from introducing uniformed patrols in 1901 and roadside emergency telephone boxes in 1912 right through to the present day when they boast the world's most advanced computer systems to deal with calls for roadside assistance.

 

RAC Members enjoy access to an enormous range of motoring products and services throughout their driving lives, ranging from the familiar and much appreciated roadside assistance in the event of a breakdown to continually updated legal and technical advice and up-to-the-minute travel information.

 

In March 2005, Aviva plc acquired RAC for around £1.1 billion. The acquisition brings together RAC's powerful brand and customer base with the expertise and leading position in motor insurance of Aviva Insurance (part of Aviva). Aviva is the UK's largest insurer. It is a leading provider of life, pensions and investment products and one of the largest Financial Adviser providers. Aviva plc is the UK's largest general insurer with a market share of around 14%, with a focus on insurance for individuals and small businesses.

 

Under Aviva's ownership, RAC disposed of it's non-core operations during the period between 2006 and 2010 (including Lex Vehicle Leasing and other Lex businesses, RAC Vehicle Solutions, RAC France and British School of Motoring), receiving proceeds over £0.5bn. As a result, RAC is today a streamlined group, focused on providing breakdown services with insurance, legal and motor claim services complementing its core breakdown offering.

 

RAC is headquartered in Birmingham with approximately 4,000 dedicated staff operating from four bases throughout the UK and provides motor-related services to both consumers and corporate clients. RAC offers vehicle and breakdown services through a nationwide, branded patrol force, focusing primarily on vehicle repair and recovery. In 2010, RAC;s patrol force of approximately 1,800 patrols attended to 2.5 million rescue breakdowns. In addition, RAC provides motor insurance broking services. RAC also offers a suite of legal and motor claims services, which provide both consumers and corporate customers with legal cover and advice as well as a range of claims management services.

 

During the 23 years since the first RAC Report on Motoring was published in 1988, it has become widely regarded as the voice of Britain's motorists.

 

With 1,100 drivers contributing their views on the state of the motoring nation, the annual RAC Report on Motoring reveals that, in 2009, issues such as greener driving have taken a back seat. The report also highlights worries about the economic downturn and new figures regarding younger drivers.

find out more about RAC Report on Motoring

 

No-one knows more about motoring than RAC. Throughout our history, and right up to the present day we've both championed the rights of drivers, and done everything we can to make lives easy for them.

 

The RAC Foundation is an independent body, established in 1999 to carry out research into motoring issues and to take on the role of protecting the interests of the motorist. The Foundation carries out regular opinion surveys of RAC Members and has, in the course of its campaigning work, taken up many of the issues which they have raised.

 

Since RAC Motoring Services was bought by Lex Service PLC (now RAC Ltd), they no longer have any formal connection with previous owners, the members of the Royal Automobile Club in Pall Mall, London. Should you wish to contact them, their address is 89-91 Pall Mall, London SW1Y 5HS

 

The Department for Transport's objective is to oversee the delivery of a reliable, safe and secure transport system that responds efficiently to the needs of individuals and business whilst safeguarding our environment.

 

The SURVIVE Group is a partnership between the Highways Agency, the Association of Chief Police Officers, the breakdown/recovery industry and other road service providers. The SURVIVE Group has been established to improve the safety of those who work on the road network and the travelling public and is also dedicated to the promotion of driving safety.

Awards

 

At RAC they love driving - and their passion really shows. They believe their patrols are the best on the road and really go the extra mile for members. While commitment to members and to outstanding service has been recognised in a number of awards.

 

www.flickriver.com/photos/celestialtoymaker/

27 January 2013 – The Government of Afghanistan and the humanitarian community in the country launched an appeal on 26 January to the international community to provide US$ 471 million to meet the growing humanitarian challenges in 2013.

 

Download the Common Humanitarian Action Plan 2013

  

Launching the 2013 Common Humanitarian Action Plan (CHAP) in Kabul, the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan, Mark Bowden, stressed the need of greater international assistance for Afghanistan which he said has consistently ranked at the bottom of the global Human Development Index.

 

“It (the appeal) is not aspirational. It is actually based on what we think the real costs of meeting the needs of population are,” said Mr. Bowden. He added that the ongoing security transition would have a “significant economic impact” on the Afghan population and international assistance would be all the more important.

 

The 2013 CHAP sought the international assistance for humanitarian preparedness and response centred around five strategic areas: protection of civilians; reduction of mortality and morbidity; assistance to displaced, returnees and host communities; restoration of livelihood for the most vulnerable; and addressing the cross-cutting issues like gender, environment and resilience.

 

Led by the UN Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), all humanitarian actors in Afghanistan – including donors, the Humanitarian Country Team and Afghan officials and humanitarian workers – participated in the consultative process to prepare the CHAP.

 

“Thirty-four years of conflict and recurrent natural hazards have left the population in a state of deep vulnerability, and many people‘s coping mechanisms are exhausted,” said the 42-page appeal document. “In addition to an internally displaced population of 450,000 people, Afghanistan also has the largest population of refugee returnees in the world—5.7 million people, with many more to come from neighbouring Pakistan and Iran.”

 

Last year’s appeal for US$ 448 million was only 48 per cent funded, hindering major humanitarian work in the country which was the fourth-least-funded crisis in proportion to requirements among the 22 humanitarian appeals globally, according to the 2013 CHAP for Afghanistan. The top five donors in 2012 were the United States (40%), Japan (26%), European Commission (9%), Canada (5%) and Germany (5%), with 15 per cent of the amount carried over from the preceding year.

 

Talking about the poor funding, Mr. Bowden, who also serves as the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan, said, “In a country which is ranked to be one of the highest in terms of humanitarian needs, this sort of performance is very distressing.”

 

Afghanistan’s Minister of Rural Rehabilitation and Development, Wais Ahmad Barmak, said although the Government’s capacity to respond to emergencies had been enhanced, it had no adequate budget for disasters. He expressed his hope that even if all of US$ 471 million appeal can’t be funded, at least “70 or 80 per cent” would also work.

 

For 2013, the Humanitarian Country Team has made “a very strong plea to donors to proactively align their support around the strategic priorities and response plans outlined in the 2013 CHAP and ensure that it is fully funded”, wrote Mr. Bowden in the 2013 CHAP document.

 

The 2013 CHAP features a ranking of provinces according to need. The ranking reflects the best-available information while acknowledging gaps in data. The top five provinces are Kandahar, Ghazni, Helmand, Khost and Kunar, “reflecting the high prevalence of conflict-induced needs in the south and south-eastern regions”.

 

The United Nations humanitarian chief announced last week, on 21 January, the allocation of US$ 17 million from an emergency account to boost humanitarian operations in Afghanistan. The UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) selected Afghanistan among 12 "poorly-funded" crises for allocation of some US$ 100 million on the basis of the severity of humanitarian need and an analysis of funding levels, according to the UN News Centre.

 

Referring to his recent visit to Kandahar, Mr. Bowden said the number of international organizations active in the province decreased from 21 three years ago to just four now. He also expressed his regret that not even a single project in the province was funded through last year’s appeal.

 

“It is not just Kandahar, but the provinces in the south need to be prioritized in a very different way,” he told yesterday’s Kabul event, which was attended by members of the press, humanitarian actors, donors and Government officials.

 

Although the total number of security incidents against humanitarian workers decreased in 2012 compared with 2011, the humanitarians experience considerable difficulties in securing humanitarian access to priority need areas. “Most significantly, the abilities to access people in need, conduct assessments, travel to programme areas, and monitor and evaluate programme activities are considered as constrained to a moderate to severe degree,” said the CHAP document.

 

Giving a donor perspective, Oliver Owcza from the Embassy of Germany in Kabul said the donors would focus on “those groups which are the most vulnerable”. He also identified three main vulnerable groups in Afghanistan: displaced and returnees/refugees, people affected by natural disasters, and those living in remote and inaccessible areas of the country. “Germany has been and will be a contributor in humanitarian funding in Afghanistan. In the past year, we provided roughly US$ 25 million for various humanitarian projects,” said Mr. Owcza.

 

By UNAMA Kabul

 

Related articles:

 

1. Ahead of harsh winter, UN agencies begin distribution of ‘cold package’ in Afghanistan’s northeast

 

2. Aid agencies warn of serious consequences unless Afghanistan’s growing humanitarian needs are met

 

3. UN’s Afghanistan humanitarian chief seeks international support to meet growing challenges

 

4. Donors conference in Tokyo pledges US$ 16 billion for Afghanistan's development

 

5. UN boosts assistance to victims of avalanche in northern Afghanistan

 

6. Humanitarian Coordinator's statement on the Badakhshan avalanche

 

7. Where Afghan humanitarianism ends and development begins

 

8. The humanitarian community launches its 2012 appeal for Afghanistan for US$ 437 million

Written By: TilakPokharel

 

Photo: UNAMA / Eric Kanalstein

Consistent with support voiced by three-quarters of respondents during the just-concluded Liquor Policy Review, Parliamentary Secretary John Yap is endorsing liquor sales in grocery stores.

 

Learn more: www.newsroom.gov.bc.ca/2013/11/grocery-store-liquor-sales...

"-Actress, Amber Valletta Supermodel, Kirsty Hume , at New Chanel Boutique Opening and Charity Event, hosted by Entertainment Manager Kathleen Checki of Simply Consistent Management."

SIMPLY CONSISTENT INC.

simplyconsistent.com/artist-management

"-Chanel Boutique."

"-Kathleen Checki."

"-Checki."

"-Simply Consistent."

"-Simply Consistent Management."

"-Actress, Amber Valletta."

WASHINGTON - Consistent with the initiatives outlined in the 2011 Beyond the Border Action Plan, Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson and Canadian Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Steven Blaney signed the Agreement on Land, Rail, Marine, and Air Transport Preclearance Between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of Canada. This new agreement reaffirms the United States and Canada’s commitment to enhancing security while facilitating lawful travel and trade, and supersedes the existing U.S.-Canada Air Preclearance agreement signed in 2001. Official DHS photo by Barry Bahler.

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Business surveys in Latin America consistently show that skills gaps are a serious bottleneck to firm growth and competitiveness. Lack of responsiveness by providers of technical education and professional training is often blamed for this situation. What innovations are possible to improve the quality and relevance of those programs? What role should governments, employers, universities, and civil society play in shaping the approach to technical education and professional training in Latin America? What can we learn from reforms in the region and abroad? The Dialogue and CAF - Development Bank of Latin America hosted a wide-ranging full-day seminar that brought together academics, policymakers, and other experts from the Western Hemisphere to discuss the future of technical education and professional training in Latin America.

KEY AREAS OF EXPERTISE – WHAT WE DO!

 

We help organizations build solid, consistent, ethical leadership and a culture that engages employees and brings out the best in each of them. We partner with companies to create teams of people that are committed to getting the job done while keeping the customers’ best interests at the heart of their work.

 

With an eye on superior quality, we have selected eight (8) key areas of managing and conducting business most essential to ensuring personal and corporate success. The core structure of every service we provide, including training, has been developed in-house by our training and business development units. We do not provide off-the-shelf, one-size-fits-all, solutions.

 

• Soft-Skills Training & Management Development

• HR Management Consultancy & Training

• Executive Search & Manpower Placement

• Personal Development & Executive Coaching

• HSSE – Training & Consultancy

• Public Courses & Seminars

• Business Writing & Communication Skills

• English Language Training

• Developing Personal Skills for Leadership

• Team work skills

• Problem solving

• Career Progression

• Interview training

 

For more information, please call Remilyne Lacorte, Training Coordinator

+974 7756 4809

/ +974 5517 0285 Remilyne.lacorte@qccd.net

 

Known for its consistent river mouth surf break, Sayulita was "discovered" by roving surfers in the late 1960s with the construction of Mexican Highway 200. Today, Sayulita is a prosperous growing village of approximately 5,000 residents. Hailed as a popular off-the-beaten-path travel destination, Sayulita offers a variety of activities such as horseback riding, hiking, jungle canopy tours, snorkeling and fishing.

Business surveys in Latin America consistently show that skills gaps are a serious bottleneck to firm growth and competitiveness. Lack of responsiveness by providers of technical education and professional training is often blamed for this situation. What innovations are possible to improve the quality and relevance of those programs? What role should governments, employers, universities, and civil society play in shaping the approach to technical education and professional training in Latin America? What can we learn from reforms in the region and abroad? The Dialogue and CAF - Development Bank of Latin America hosted a wide-ranging full-day seminar that brought together academics, policymakers, and other experts from the Western Hemisphere to discuss the future of technical education and professional training in Latin America.

TIDE POOLIN'

 

Leo Carrillo beach in Malibu is consistently one of my favorite places to visit and photograph. I just love climbing around the rocks and investigating the tide pool. There are several ways to get there, but I usually take the 101 North to Malibu Canyon, head south over to Pacific Coast Highway, then West (a right turn) on PCH approximately 25 miles until you hit Leo Carrillo. From the Valley to Leo it's about a 45 minute to hour drive each way. The tide pool is just in front of the #3 lifeguard tower (and incidentally, dogs are allowed on leash from this tower and continuing west up the beach). I just google low tide Malibu to find out the best time to go there and check out the tide pool. Usually there's a several hour window about an hour before to an hour after low tide that's good. If you go after that, the waves usually are just hitting the rocks too hard and it can be dangerous to stand there. I always see tons of starfish (many different colors including orange, light blue, and purple), sea anemones (they are really fun to touch), mussels, crabs (little teeny black ones and bigger red ones), and even little fish swimming in the watery crags and crevices of the tide pool rocks. And I've spotted dolphins and whales from this beach. After an outing at Leo Carrillo, I always stop at this little food shack called Malibu Seafood, located just before you find yourself back at Malibu Canyon. It's totally no frills - you order food inside, wait for your number to be called, and find an open bench to sit down. My fave meals there are swordfish with rice pilaf and salad (the ranch is really good), fish and chips, clam chowder, or a pot of steamed clams in a nice broth.

 

Leo Carrillo State Park / Malibu photos by Lydia Marcus

 

As seen on my blog: fotonomous.blogspot.com/2008/08/tide-poolin.html

The consistent creme de la creme of the Grade 1 bands and inspiration to all us pipers and drummers across the world.

King David is consistently one of the best eating apples here in it's season. It can tolerate drought and still produce a crop. The taste is very rich, like eating rich fresh apple juice with a hint of spice. It also makes great cider.

2025 was a really good year for moths in my garden and further afield, the consistently mild and calm evenings through late Spring in to Summer was a huge contributing factor to the diversity and numbers.

 

Species wise, it was my best year in the garden with 672 species recorded in my tiny village garden. Field trips were also very profitable with always something of interest turning up for the effort.

 

This was my first year of dipping into larger battery territory, running 1 or 2 traps from a 1500wh battery pack, this will easily run a couple of actinics or a 160w blended bulb for 6 hours, more than enough time during the summer months.

 

It allowed me to drive to other areas of fenland or woodland and drop it off with a trap, further away from the main base of operations (where the heavy generator would be sited).

 

Happy mothing all and I will see you in the new year.

 

1. Caloptilia falconipennella 25/03/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) Netting at dusk seems to always throw up a good moth or two, and on a warm late March evening this was no exception, with several Caloptilia species including a garden first falconipennella which was dissected by Colin Plant. It is one of the less recorded species of Caloptilia in the county, particularly in adult form.

 

2. Mompha jurassicella 08/04/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for Cambs) Whilst out in the garden, I spotted a small moth fluttering around our shed during late afternoon, and luckily it landed! I shouted 'You are quicker than me, grab a pot'. He ran back and returned with practically a jam jar! which was way too big and wouldn't sit flush on the shiplap wood, so I told him to go and get a glass tube, quickly potted up I could already see what it might be, a regular moth in my old Herts haunt, a potential Mompha jurassicella, a few weeks later and dissection proved it to be correct.

 

3. Leucoptera laburnella 17/04/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) Conditions were fairly good for late April, and with highs of 17 degrees and little wind, it was time to put the net to good use once more out on the patio. I spent close to an hour searching the sky and sweeping at tiny specks in the sky, hoping that they were moths. Now you see, when I first started this dusk netting game, I found it very difficult to differentiate between a fly and a moth, now I think i've finally cracked it. In basic analogy, flies dance and moths flutter, it's as simple as that, and once you get your eyes adjusted it becomes a breeze. The best moth netted was an extreme tiny, a Leucoptera laburnella and a garden first.

   

4. Choreutis nemorana 27/04/25 - Stetchworth, East Cambs (New species for me) New moths for my records are few and far between now, having chased moths for nigh on two decades. So you can imagine my excitement when I saw a presumed Nettle-tap, land on a leaf whilst at work, which then turned out to be my first Choreutis nemorana. I ran back to the van for a pot (my prune tub), came back and it was still there! Note to self (again), when you've used a pot up in your pocket the previous day, replace it ready for the next day.

 

5. Cydia servillana 28/04/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New species for me) The best moth on a busy April night was a new moth for me, netted at dusk (the deadly method strikes again) a spankingly fresh Cydia servillana was very pleasing. I did have the lure for this particular species hanging in my garden at the time, so maybe just maybe it was mildly attracted to the scent? who knows, but it was the first time i've used the lure in the garden.

 

6. Coleophora otidipennella 30/04/25 - Chippenham Fen, East Cambs (New species for me & 2nd for Cambs) 69 species were recorded over the 4 hours at my local fen despite it rapidly cooling down after midnight. Best moth for me was a confirmed Coleophora otidipennella, a fairly distinct looking Coleophora with streaky white stripes on a grey background.

 

7. Grey Carpet 11/05/25 - Cavenham Heath, West Suffolk (New species for me) I did my (what it turned out to be) annual trip to Cavenham Heath during May, I really must do more than 1 trip a year here in 2026. It is a superb site and i've had great success in the daytime netting, although the Horse-flies can be quite problematic. A single Grey Carpet was a new moth for me. It is a nationally threatened species with it's UK stronghold around the Thetford area, so it was nice after 3 years of trying to see one, to finally nab the moth.

 

8. Teleiopsis diffinis 11/05/25 - Cavenham Heath, West Suffolk (New form for me) Amongst 10 Teleiopsis diffinis recorded on the night of the Cavenham Heath trip, one stood out as being 'odd' an unusual brown form that seems rarely recorded was worthy of a mention on this list.

 

9. Phtheochroa schreibersiana 17/05/25 - Fordham Hedgerows, East Cambs (New species) A few minutes in, netting at my local mature hedgerows, I didn't expect to get a new moth for me! A slightly shabby but equally impressive Phtheochroa schreibersiana. This fantastic little micro that came from a mixed deciduous hedge. With only a handful of Cambs records, I considered it an extremely lucky capture during an hour walk with the net.

 

10. Tinagma ocnerostomella 28/05/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) The best moth of the night was the rare and tiny Tinagma ocnerostomella, with it's fairly plain grey speckled wings and it's distinct 'Terminator' eye. The eye proved very hard to get a photograph of as the light wouldn't play ball. The moth was a nightmare itself to calm down as it raced around the pot even after fridging it. Then I lost it! with just a pot photo oops. Then luckily I caught another and then another. I think I ended up recording 5 during the course of the year.

 

11. Alder Kitten 30/05/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New species for me) A gloriously marked Alder Kitten was the highlight of a busy trap of 80 species, a May record for here. This completes the Kitten checklist for my garden.

 

12. Elegia similella 09/06/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (2nd for Cambs) Elegia similella Represented the 878th moth species for the garden at the time of going to press, and a second record for Cambs to boot. A moth that was more regular in broad-leaved ancient woodland in my old stomping ground in Hertfordshire. Even better was that I recorded another on the 26th.

 

13. Monochroa tenebrella 13/06/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (3rd for Cambs) After recording the first and the second of this species for Cambs in years past (In the garden and at Chippenham Fen) It was great but less surprising to record another at home. Sheep's Sorrel is its foodplant, and there are areas where it grows in dense sporadic patches locally.

   

14. Monopis fenestratella 19/06/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (Not seen in Cambs since 1877) Probably my best moth of the year, a drab little Tinea species. Luckily it didn't need the chop to get to species level. Monopis fenestratella is a jittery Tinea species that just wouldn't sit still. Finally it cooled down in the fridge for a few hours I was able to get it under a hand lens and notice that it wasn't all the same colour, with pale patches dorsally and ventrally, and a distinctive opaque window marking (fenestra meaning window in Latin). A new moth for me, and even more exciting was that it hadn't been seen in the county since 1877, which was the 1st British record! Since there have been less than 12 records nationwide.

 

15. Scarlet Tiger(s) 25/06/25 - Chippenham Fen, East Cambs (Sheer Abundance) The most shocking thing that happened on my late June trip to Chippenham Fen was a huge influx of Scarlet Tigers, counting over 500 in and around one trap, and a further 200 odd in the grass and on the walls, I then went to the next trap, and it was the same! All 4 traps were like this, so a conservative estimate would be around the 2500 mark, utter madness and sadly it was hard to see past them all and pick out the micros.

 

16. Small Mottled Willow 29/06/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) A migrant moth that has particularly good years and on others it is almost absent. This year was a good one, and I was lucky to bag two, one at home and one at my local nature reserve.

 

17. Hornet Moth 04/07/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) When I got home from work, I did the lure bucket trap rounds and saw a large yellow moth buzzing around inside one of them. It was to be a garden first Hornet Moth (In the initial excitement I mis-identified it as a Lunar). An excellent garden record and the 9th Clearwing species to be recorded in my garden, even better was that overnight I had two Hornets arrive at my trap, so it was nice to pop them side by side, showing the differences and also the similarities side by side.

 

18. Ypsolopha vittella 06/07/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) At the start of July there was a real drop in species and numbers of moths, with cooler conditions throughout the day and night, a north breeze was blowing into the garden (being north facing made this worse). But it was well worth the effort of getting up at 4am, as there was a tiny non-descript moth on one of the outer egg trays that I didn't initially recognise.

 

A quick fumble with a glass tube and it was safely retained for a better look.

 

The moth turned out to be Ypsolopha vittella, a first for the garden and the 8th species of Ypsolopha to be recorded here.

 

19. Mompha sturnipennella 10/07/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) A species I am familiar with from trapping on chalk grassland in Hertfordshire a couple of times. The biggest of the group, and when fresh like this one, sports black longitudinal streaks.

 

20. Depressaria sordidatella 10/07/25 - Hadstock, NW Essex (3rd for Essex) A second visit to this small nature reserve yielded some lovely moths. Of note was at least 20 Magpie Moths. One micro really stood out as something different, and indeed it was. I sent the moth off to Chris Lewis in Essex, and the genitalia dissection came back as Depressaria sordidatella a moth I recorded once on my parents old farm in Hertfordshire, a similar chalky habitat and both sites being roughly 400m above sea level. This record being the 3rd for Essex.

 

21. Isophrictis striatella 13/07/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) An unexpected species here. The caterpillars feed on the stems of Tansy & Sneezewort, neither of which I have seen locally. There are currently 7 county records, all at one site on the south Cambs/north Herts at RSPB Fowlmere, so a very good record indeed, and only my 2nd record of this species having taken my first one in Bedfordshire in 2021.

 

22. Acrobasis tumidana 14/07/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (2nd for garden) Another migrant that has done well this year, much like the Small Mottled Willow. I recorded 4 in the garden in 2025. It can be distinguished from the similar Acrobasis repandana by the ridge of reddish raised scale tufts next to a white crossbar.

 

23. Ground Lackey 17/07/25 - Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk (2nd for Norfolk) My first time at this site, which is technically a car park near the sea, I won't over-glamourise it! It did well though, with a spectacular female Ground Lackey, only the 2nd record for Norfolk, a female was found out of habitat in Norwich in 2013. My previous records have come from Dungeness.

 

24. Scrobipalpa nitentella 17/07/25 - Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk (New species for me) A new moth for me, and there were several present to the trap nearest the sea. It is listed as one of the more regular Scrobipalpa along the coastlines of Norfolk.

 

25. Dark Crimson Underwing 18/07/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New species for me) Some real quality moths as we headed just past the peak of moth trapping. A brand new moth for my records, a stunning Dark Crimson Underwing took top spot, the third Catocala species to grace my garden trap (Red & Blue being the other two). I have seen this moth before at Bramfield Woods in Hertfordshire, where two came to Trevor Brownsell's trap, but it felt like cheating ticking them off!

 

26. Scythris limbella 18/07/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) The best micro on the same night as 'big red', were not one but two Scythris limbella. My first encounter of this species was in 2017 in Hertfordshire.

 

27. Jersey Mocha 19/07/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden & 2nd for Cambs) A cooler night and it seemed the early rise wouldn't be worth it, with lots of repeats of brown moths. However, it only takes one moth to be worth it. Jersey Mocha was rather unexpected to say the least. It was to be the 2nd county record for Cambridgeshire, with the 1st one recorded in 2019 in Stretham. My first one was also extremely unexpected when Ian Bennell and I took one in Hertfordshire in 2016, nearly a decade ago! And then a second one turned up on the 8th of September, unbelievable.

 

28. Hellinsia carphodactyla 16/08/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) I was extremely pleased to pot up a Hellinsia plume species on the fence early evening in mid August. This is my second of this genus after taking Mugwort Plume (Hellinsia lienigianus) 3 years on a trot. This newest addition being the Citron Plume (Hellinsia carphodactyla) and was the 909th species for the garden.

 

29. Dark Spinach 19/08/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) Another new macro moth was a really fresh Dark Spinach on the 19th of August. It is one i've taken a few times before in Essex, and more recently in nearby Norfolk, a stunning looking moth.

 

30. Coleophora lineolea 20/08/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New species for me) Coleophora lineolea is a species I have never seen before, so I was very pleased to get two to my trap late on in the year. I must get out more to look for the larval cases next year.

 

31. Chevron 02/09/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) An expected species eventually I guess, a regular species at Wicken & Chippenham Fen and I've also taken it over the border in Norfolk a few times. Lively and hard to photograph!

 

32. Apomyelois bistriatella 08/09/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New species for me) Back on the 8th of September I potted up a rather dark pyralid that was flittering around the trap. initially it looked like a dark Ephestia species, but when brought inside and under a hand lens in good light, revealed that it was infact the scarce moth, Apomyelois bistriatella.

 

A new moth for me and my garden. There are a few records from one site in Cambridge but that is it (although there are no photographs available I assume these records are correct).

 

33. Four-spotted Footman 09/09/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) Best moth of the night went to the migrant Four-spotted Footman. A seemingly good year for this species in the south and east. I recorded another a week later and whilst on holiday in Hampshire back in August.

 

34. Agonopterix propinquella 17/09/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) A very welcome Agonopterix propinquella was potted up on a breezy night, I get subpropinquella regularly here, the slightly larger cousin to this species.

 

35. Epinotia caprana/maculana 16/10/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) The most interesting moth of the night was a medium sized micro moth, a tortrix spotted on the vanes of my actinic trap. Identifying it as one of the Epinotia species, things would get trickier now once it was potted!

 

A unincolorous form, so not easy to identify. I've ruled out sordidana on the darker hindwing, and leaning more towards caprana with the dark streak present, but then it could be maculana! A difficult one that will no doubt lead to dissection eventually, unless someone can enlighten me. Specimen retained for the time being.

 

36. Crocidosema plebejana 07/11/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) Crocidosema plebejana, a small migrant moth much like Plutella xylostella and Udea ferrugalis. I get these sporadically at various sites, but never in the garden, until this night.

Over 20 day one pounds for one of the most consistent anglers one tour--Alton Jones. That smallmouth, I believe, weighed 5-4.

 

Day one of what will perhaps be called the greatest smallmouth bass tournaments of all-time. Over half the field weighed more than 20 pounds in rough conditions on Lake Mille Lacs. Mille Lacs is the finest smallmouth fishery in the world, and it showed, with bag after bag of beastly brown bass brought to the scale.

 

2016 Bassmaster AOY Championship (Grand Casino). Onamia, Minnesota.

FOR 40 years, Ernie Wise was half of the greatest comedy double act in the history of British television, Morecambe and Wise.

 

Wise, the smaller in stature (a disparity in height being the feature of all the finest comedy duos), was the butt of Eric Morecambe's jokes, referred to as the one with the "short, fat, hairy legs", and teased about his non- existent toupee with the words "You can't see the join".

 

It was Wise who opened each show with the greeting, "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the show", and revelled in boasting of "a play wot I wrote", while Morecambe proceeded to sabotage such literary efforts, determined to knock his supposedly pompous partner down a peg or two.

 

"What do you think of it so far?" Morecambe would ask, replying himself, in ventriloquist style, "Rubbish!"

 

Morecambe and Wise's Christmas shows were consistently ratings-toppers, with audiences of as many as 28 million, and stars queued up to appear on screen with the pair, often only to be sent up.

 

Glenda Jackson performed with Morecambe in a pastiche of a Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers dance routine that finished with the Oscar-winning actress vanishing over the top of a staircase that led nowhere.

 

The newsreader Angela Rippon danced deftly across the screen in an evening dress split to the thigh.

 

The conductor Andre Previn leapt into the air while conducting his symphony orchestra so that Morecambe, playing a Grieg piano concerto rather amateurishly, could see him over the piano lid.

 

Even the former prime minister Harold Wilson appeared in one sketch.

 

The list of personalities who joined Morecambe and Wise on screen down the years read like a roll-call of Britain's finest actors and entertainers.

 

The joke was that Wise would grovel to these luminaries while Morecambe treated them with contempt and consistently forgot their names.

 

Morecambe and Wise had originally modelled their cross-talk act, combining quickfire gags with visual jokes, on the film giants Abbott and Costello and the more short-lived but hugely popular Wheeler and Woolsey - to whom they bore a remarkable physical resemblance - but their brilliant timing later caused critics to liken them to Laurel and Hardy.

 

In their act, crafted in music halls and variety theatres, Wise was the straight man, on the receiving end of Morecambe's buffoonery and insults, although this one-sidedness gradually changed as greater subtlety and characterisation took over.

 

The partnership ended only with Morecambe's death in 1984, which left Wise with the task of rebuilding his career.

 

Although he never reached the same heights as he had with his bespectacled partner, he branched out to work as both a West End stage actor and television game-show panellist.

 

He was born Ernest Wiseman in Leeds in 1925, and had his first taste of show business at the age of seven performing in northern working men's clubs alongside his father, a railway porter, in the amateur double act Carson and Kid, later known as Bert Carson and His Little Wonder and, at times, The Two Tetleys, after the local beer.

 

It was a songs-and-gags act but also included the youngster performing a high-speed clog dance.

 

"The faster I danced, the faster the crowds threw money," he later recalled.

 

He made his professional debut in January 1939 in the bandleader-turned- impresario Jack Hylton's stage production of the popular BBC radio programme Band Waggon, alongside Arthur Askey and Richard Murdoch, at the Prince's Theatre, London, after being auditioned by a talent-spotter, Bryan Michie, who had tipped off Hylton.

 

Just a couple of weeks after the production opened, the 13-year-old Wiseman was brought in to add a juvenile flavour to the proceedings, earning six pounds a week, three times his father's weekly wage.

 

It was Hylton who changed Wiseman's stage name to Wise.

 

In the same year, he was chosen to star in Bryan Michie's stage "discovery" show Youth Takes a Bow, again presented by Jack Hylton.

 

Sitting alongside the former bandleader in a Manchester cinema, Wise watched an audition at which the comedian John Eric Bartholomew did impressions of Flanagan and Allen and Fred Astaire.

 

Bartholomew, who had made his debut as a "gormless" comic in variety at the Empire, Nottingham, and was later to adopt the name of his Lancashire birthplace, Morecambe, joined Michie's touring show, but it was Wise who gained rave reviews as "the Jack Buchanan of tomorrow", "the young Max Miller" and "Britain's own Mickey Rooney".

 

Spurred on by Bartholomew's mother, Sadie, the pair eventually formed a double act, which they first performed as Morecambe and Wise at the Empire Theatre, Liverpool, in 1941, while still in Youth Takes a Bow.

 

They subsequently appeared two years later in the George Black revue Strike a New Note, which starred the legendary comedian Sid Field, at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London, although they were only understudies in that and performed their double act just twice.

 

However, they gained good broadcasting experience by landing regular work in the BBC radio series Youth Must Have Its Fling.

 

Then both went their separate ways to do National Service, Wise joining the Merchant Navy and Morecambe - after working for a short time with the comedian Gus Morris - becoming a Bevin Boy down the coalmines, only to be discharged after 11 months with a weak heart.

 

In 1947, the two met again by chance, when Morecambe joined Lord George Sanger's Circus and Variety Show as feed to the resident comic, who turned out to be Wise.

 

Standing in the centre of the circus ring, wearing dinner suits and gum-boots, they would sometimes perform with not a soul in the audience.

 

After the show folded, they eventually found an agent who booked them for a show at the Walthamstow Palace, in east London, where the duo were billed as Morecambe and Wisdom because there was already an act called Campbell and Wise on the bill.

 

They subsequently entertained the troops with Ensa (the Entertainment National Service Association) and performed at the famous Windmill Theatre in Soho, and in nude touring shows, providing comic relief in between the star turns.

 

After further work in variety theatres - working their way up to become second on the bill to international entertainers such as Lena Horne - and guest spots in the radio show Workers' Playtime and a long run in the broadcast revue Variety Fanfare, they landed their own series, You're Only Young Once, in the BBC's northern region, which cast them as owners of the Morecambe and Wise Detective Agency, with a guest celebrity bringing the pair of bungling sleuths a new case to tackle each week.

 

Then, in April 1954, the duo began their first television series, Running Wild, but the six BBC shows proved a disaster and took them several years to live down.

 

During that time, they continued to develop their act on radio and in summer shows.

 

After regular appearances in 1960 on Sunday Night at the London Palladium, the following year they bounced back on to television, on ITV, with The Morecambe and Wise Show.

 

It ran for seven years and established them as major stars.

 

It was during this series that they adopted a Johnny Mercer number, "Two of a Kind", as one of their theme tunes. Later, "Bring Me Sunshine" was to become their trademark song, played at the end of the show as they exited with a hornpipe-style dance, hands behind backs.

 

Their venture into feature films, with three comedy-thrillers - starting in 1965 with The Intelligence Men, followed by That Riviera Touch and The Magnificent Two in each of the following years - was less successful.

 

The Morecambe and Wise humour was never successfully translated to film, with storylines that were far removed from their usual patter and a method of shooting that did not suit their off-the-cuff style, but lack of success in this medium did nothing to abate their small-screen popularity.

 

They even travelled to America to appear regularly on The Ed Sullivan Show and had their own series, Piccadilly Palace, made in Britain by Lew Grade for screening in the United States.

 

The ITV show finished in 1968, when Eric Morecambe suffered a heart attack, but he recovered and The Morecambe and Wise Show switched channels, with Eddie Braben replacing Dick Hills and Sid Green as scriptwriter a year later after work lured the original writers to America.

 

The duo's 10 years at the BBC proved to be their most popular.

 

The series was a ratings topper and the annual Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show became an institution.

 

The sight of Morecambe wearing glasses on the side of his head and slapping Wise across the face was a guaranteed audience-puller and enticed some of the biggest stars to join them in front of the cameras during this time - so it was a blow to the BBC when the pair returned to ITV with their show in 1978.

 

They were lured back by Thames Television with the promise of more money and a chance to appear in films but, with a change of scriptwriters, The Morecambe and Wise Show never reached the heights it had done and only one television film was made, the poorly received Night Train to Murder (1984).

 

The BBC cashed in by repeating old programmes under the title Morecambe and Wise at the BBC and repackaging them into 70 half-hour shows for screening in America.

 

The move to ITV also saw Morecambe and Wise making a guest appearance in The Sweeney (1978), with Regan and Carter conducting an investigation at a club where the pair were supposedly performing in cabaret.

 

A year later, Morecambe suffered his second heart attack and had to undergo open-heart surgery.

 

Then, in 1984, after finishing a real-life stage show, at the Roses Theatre, Tewkesbury, in Gloucestershire, he died of another attack.

 

His death, at the age ot 58, signalled the end of British television's best-loved comedy duo, who had appeared in five Royal Variety Performances.

 

Picking up the pieces of his career, Wise had the difficult task of being the straight man who had to find new vehicles for his talents.

 

He performed in cabaret in Australia in 1986, played the chairman, William Cartwright, in the London West End musical version of the unfinished Dickens novel The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Savoy Theatre, 1987), which ran for only 10 weeks, and Det Sgt Porterhouse in the farce Run for Your Wife (Criterion Theatre, 1988) and was on television as a regular panellist in What's My Line?, as well as appearing in three Telethons in New Zealand and one in Australia.

 

He acted in the American television comedy series Too Close for Comfort (1985) and, back in Britain, presented The Morecambe and Wise Classics, featuring some of the duo's finest performances from their BBC shows.

 

Wise was also the subject of This is Your Life (1991) and a 40 Minutes programme subtitled The Importance of Being Ernie (1993), which charted the problems of facing up to life as a solo performer after years of endearing himself to the nation as half of a double act. "We were ordained for each other," he said. "I wouldn't have teamed up with anybody else, only Eric. It was like a marriage."

 

Morecambe and Wise wrote two autobiographies together, Eric and Ernie (1973) and There's No Answer to That! (1981), as well as several other books based on their television shows, including The Best of Morecambe and Wise (1974) and Morecambe and Wise Special (1974).

 

Wise later wrote his own autobiography, Still on My Way to Hollywood (1990).

 

Ernest Wiseman (Ernie Wise), comedian and actor: born Leeds 27 November 1925; OBE 1976; married 1953 Doreen Blyth; died Wexham, Buckinghamshire 21 March 1999.

 

www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-ernie-w...

2025 was a really good year for moths in my garden and further afield, the consistently mild and calm evenings through late Spring in to Summer was a huge contributing factor to the diversity and numbers.

 

Species wise, it was my best year in the garden with 672 species recorded in my tiny village garden. Field trips were also very profitable with always something of interest turning up for the effort.

 

This was my first year of dipping into larger battery territory, running 1 or 2 traps from a 1500wh battery pack, this will easily run a couple of actinics or a 160w blended bulb for 6 hours, more than enough time during the summer months.

 

It allowed me to drive to other areas of fenland or woodland and drop it off with a trap, further away from the main base of operations (where the heavy generator would be sited).

 

Happy mothing all and I will see you in the new year.

 

1. Caloptilia falconipennella 25/03/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) Netting at dusk seems to always throw up a good moth or two, and on a warm late March evening this was no exception, with several Caloptilia species including a garden first falconipennella which was dissected by Colin Plant. It is one of the less recorded species of Caloptilia in the county, particularly in adult form.

 

2. Mompha jurassicella 08/04/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for Cambs) Whilst out in the garden, I spotted a small moth fluttering around our shed during late afternoon, and luckily it landed! I shouted 'You are quicker than me, grab a pot'. He ran back and returned with practically a jam jar! which was way too big and wouldn't sit flush on the shiplap wood, so I told him to go and get a glass tube, quickly potted up I could already see what it might be, a regular moth in my old Herts haunt, a potential Mompha jurassicella, a few weeks later and dissection proved it to be correct.

 

3. Leucoptera laburnella 17/04/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) Conditions were fairly good for late April, and with highs of 17 degrees and little wind, it was time to put the net to good use once more out on the patio. I spent close to an hour searching the sky and sweeping at tiny specks in the sky, hoping that they were moths. Now you see, when I first started this dusk netting game, I found it very difficult to differentiate between a fly and a moth, now I think i've finally cracked it. In basic analogy, flies dance and moths flutter, it's as simple as that, and once you get your eyes adjusted it becomes a breeze. The best moth netted was an extreme tiny, a Leucoptera laburnella and a garden first.

   

4. Choreutis nemorana 27/04/25 - Stetchworth, East Cambs (New species for me) New moths for my records are few and far between now, having chased moths for nigh on two decades. So you can imagine my excitement when I saw a presumed Nettle-tap, land on a leaf whilst at work, which then turned out to be my first Choreutis nemorana. I ran back to the van for a pot (my prune tub), came back and it was still there! Note to self (again), when you've used a pot up in your pocket the previous day, replace it ready for the next day.

 

5. Cydia servillana 28/04/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New species for me) The best moth on a busy April night was a new moth for me, netted at dusk (the deadly method strikes again) a spankingly fresh Cydia servillana was very pleasing. I did have the lure for this particular species hanging in my garden at the time, so maybe just maybe it was mildly attracted to the scent? who knows, but it was the first time i've used the lure in the garden.

 

6. Coleophora otidipennella 30/04/25 - Chippenham Fen, East Cambs (New species for me & 2nd for Cambs) 69 species were recorded over the 4 hours at my local fen despite it rapidly cooling down after midnight. Best moth for me was a confirmed Coleophora otidipennella, a fairly distinct looking Coleophora with streaky white stripes on a grey background.

 

7. Grey Carpet 11/05/25 - Cavenham Heath, West Suffolk (New species for me) I did my (what it turned out to be) annual trip to Cavenham Heath during May, I really must do more than 1 trip a year here in 2026. It is a superb site and i've had great success in the daytime netting, although the Horse-flies can be quite problematic. A single Grey Carpet was a new moth for me. It is a nationally threatened species with it's UK stronghold around the Thetford area, so it was nice after 3 years of trying to see one, to finally nab the moth.

 

8. Teleiopsis diffinis 11/05/25 - Cavenham Heath, West Suffolk (New form for me) Amongst 10 Teleiopsis diffinis recorded on the night of the Cavenham Heath trip, one stood out as being 'odd' an unusual brown form that seems rarely recorded was worthy of a mention on this list.

 

9. Phtheochroa schreibersiana 17/05/25 - Fordham Hedgerows, East Cambs (New species) A few minutes in, netting at my local mature hedgerows, I didn't expect to get a new moth for me! A slightly shabby but equally impressive Phtheochroa schreibersiana. This fantastic little micro that came from a mixed deciduous hedge. With only a handful of Cambs records, I considered it an extremely lucky capture during an hour walk with the net.

 

10. Tinagma ocnerostomella 28/05/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) The best moth of the night was the rare and tiny Tinagma ocnerostomella, with it's fairly plain grey speckled wings and it's distinct 'Terminator' eye. The eye proved very hard to get a photograph of as the light wouldn't play ball. The moth was a nightmare itself to calm down as it raced around the pot even after fridging it. Then I lost it! with just a pot photo oops. Then luckily I caught another and then another. I think I ended up recording 5 during the course of the year.

 

11. Alder Kitten 30/05/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New species for me) A gloriously marked Alder Kitten was the highlight of a busy trap of 80 species, a May record for here. This completes the Kitten checklist for my garden.

 

12. Elegia similella 09/06/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (2nd for Cambs) Elegia similella Represented the 878th moth species for the garden at the time of going to press, and a second record for Cambs to boot. A moth that was more regular in broad-leaved ancient woodland in my old stomping ground in Hertfordshire. Even better was that I recorded another on the 26th.

 

13. Monochroa tenebrella 13/06/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (3rd for Cambs) After recording the first and the second of this species for Cambs in years past (In the garden and at Chippenham Fen) It was great but less surprising to record another at home. Sheep's Sorrel is its foodplant, and there are areas where it grows in dense sporadic patches locally.

   

14. Monopis fenestratella 19/06/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (Not seen in Cambs since 1877) Probably my best moth of the year, a drab little Tinea species. Luckily it didn't need the chop to get to species level. Monopis fenestratella is a jittery Tinea species that just wouldn't sit still. Finally it cooled down in the fridge for a few hours I was able to get it under a hand lens and notice that it wasn't all the same colour, with pale patches dorsally and ventrally, and a distinctive opaque window marking (fenestra meaning window in Latin). A new moth for me, and even more exciting was that it hadn't been seen in the county since 1877, which was the 1st British record! Since there have been less than 12 records nationwide.

 

15. Scarlet Tiger(s) 25/06/25 - Chippenham Fen, East Cambs (Sheer Abundance) The most shocking thing that happened on my late June trip to Chippenham Fen was a huge influx of Scarlet Tigers, counting over 500 in and around one trap, and a further 200 odd in the grass and on the walls, I then went to the next trap, and it was the same! All 4 traps were like this, so a conservative estimate would be around the 2500 mark, utter madness and sadly it was hard to see past them all and pick out the micros.

 

16. Small Mottled Willow 29/06/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) A migrant moth that has particularly good years and on others it is almost absent. This year was a good one, and I was lucky to bag two, one at home and one at my local nature reserve.

 

17. Hornet Moth 04/07/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) When I got home from work, I did the lure bucket trap rounds and saw a large yellow moth buzzing around inside one of them. It was to be a garden first Hornet Moth (In the initial excitement I mis-identified it as a Lunar). An excellent garden record and the 9th Clearwing species to be recorded in my garden, even better was that overnight I had two Hornets arrive at my trap, so it was nice to pop them side by side, showing the differences and also the similarities side by side.

 

18. Ypsolopha vittella 06/07/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) At the start of July there was a real drop in species and numbers of moths, with cooler conditions throughout the day and night, a north breeze was blowing into the garden (being north facing made this worse). But it was well worth the effort of getting up at 4am, as there was a tiny non-descript moth on one of the outer egg trays that I didn't initially recognise.

 

A quick fumble with a glass tube and it was safely retained for a better look.

 

The moth turned out to be Ypsolopha vittella, a first for the garden and the 8th species of Ypsolopha to be recorded here.

 

19. Mompha sturnipennella 10/07/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) A species I am familiar with from trapping on chalk grassland in Hertfordshire a couple of times. The biggest of the group, and when fresh like this one, sports black longitudinal streaks.

 

20. Depressaria sordidatella 10/07/25 - Hadstock, NW Essex (3rd for Essex) A second visit to this small nature reserve yielded some lovely moths. Of note was at least 20 Magpie Moths. One micro really stood out as something different, and indeed it was. I sent the moth off to Chris Lewis in Essex, and the genitalia dissection came back as Depressaria sordidatella a moth I recorded once on my parents old farm in Hertfordshire, a similar chalky habitat and both sites being roughly 400m above sea level. This record being the 3rd for Essex.

 

21. Isophrictis striatella 13/07/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) An unexpected species here. The caterpillars feed on the stems of Tansy & Sneezewort, neither of which I have seen locally. There are currently 7 county records, all at one site on the south Cambs/north Herts at RSPB Fowlmere, so a very good record indeed, and only my 2nd record of this species having taken my first one in Bedfordshire in 2021.

 

22. Acrobasis tumidana 14/07/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (2nd for garden) Another migrant that has done well this year, much like the Small Mottled Willow. I recorded 4 in the garden in 2025. It can be distinguished from the similar Acrobasis repandana by the ridge of reddish raised scale tufts next to a white crossbar.

 

23. Ground Lackey 17/07/25 - Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk (2nd for Norfolk) My first time at this site, which is technically a car park near the sea, I won't over-glamourise it! It did well though, with a spectacular female Ground Lackey, only the 2nd record for Norfolk, a female was found out of habitat in Norwich in 2013. My previous records have come from Dungeness.

 

24. Scrobipalpa nitentella 17/07/25 - Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk (New species for me) A new moth for me, and there were several present to the trap nearest the sea. It is listed as one of the more regular Scrobipalpa along the coastlines of Norfolk.

 

25. Dark Crimson Underwing 18/07/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New species for me) Some real quality moths as we headed just past the peak of moth trapping. A brand new moth for my records, a stunning Dark Crimson Underwing took top spot, the third Catocala species to grace my garden trap (Red & Blue being the other two). I have seen this moth before at Bramfield Woods in Hertfordshire, where two came to Trevor Brownsell's trap, but it felt like cheating ticking them off!

 

26. Scythris limbella 18/07/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) The best micro on the same night as 'big red', were not one but two Scythris limbella. My first encounter of this species was in 2017 in Hertfordshire.

 

27. Jersey Mocha 19/07/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden & 2nd for Cambs) A cooler night and it seemed the early rise wouldn't be worth it, with lots of repeats of brown moths. However, it only takes one moth to be worth it. Jersey Mocha was rather unexpected to say the least. It was to be the 2nd county record for Cambridgeshire, with the 1st one recorded in 2019 in Stretham. My first one was also extremely unexpected when Ian Bennell and I took one in Hertfordshire in 2016, nearly a decade ago! And then a second one turned up on the 8th of September, unbelievable.

 

28. Hellinsia carphodactyla 16/08/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) I was extremely pleased to pot up a Hellinsia plume species on the fence early evening in mid August. This is my second of this genus after taking Mugwort Plume (Hellinsia lienigianus) 3 years on a trot. This newest addition being the Citron Plume (Hellinsia carphodactyla) and was the 909th species for the garden.

 

29. Dark Spinach 19/08/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) Another new macro moth was a really fresh Dark Spinach on the 19th of August. It is one i've taken a few times before in Essex, and more recently in nearby Norfolk, a stunning looking moth.

 

30. Coleophora lineolea 20/08/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New species for me) Coleophora lineolea is a species I have never seen before, so I was very pleased to get two to my trap late on in the year. I must get out more to look for the larval cases next year.

 

31. Chevron 02/09/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) An expected species eventually I guess, a regular species at Wicken & Chippenham Fen and I've also taken it over the border in Norfolk a few times. Lively and hard to photograph!

 

32. Apomyelois bistriatella 08/09/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New species for me) Back on the 8th of September I potted up a rather dark pyralid that was flittering around the trap. initially it looked like a dark Ephestia species, but when brought inside and under a hand lens in good light, revealed that it was infact the scarce moth, Apomyelois bistriatella.

 

A new moth for me and my garden. There are a few records from one site in Cambridge but that is it (although there are no photographs available I assume these records are correct).

 

33. Four-spotted Footman 09/09/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) Best moth of the night went to the migrant Four-spotted Footman. A seemingly good year for this species in the south and east. I recorded another a week later and whilst on holiday in Hampshire back in August.

 

34. Agonopterix propinquella 17/09/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) A very welcome Agonopterix propinquella was potted up on a breezy night, I get subpropinquella regularly here, the slightly larger cousin to this species.

 

35. Epinotia caprana/maculana 16/10/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) The most interesting moth of the night was a medium sized micro moth, a tortrix spotted on the vanes of my actinic trap. Identifying it as one of the Epinotia species, things would get trickier now once it was potted!

 

A unincolorous form, so not easy to identify. I've ruled out sordidana on the darker hindwing, and leaning more towards caprana with the dark streak present, but then it could be maculana! A difficult one that will no doubt lead to dissection eventually, unless someone can enlighten me. Specimen retained for the time being.

 

36. Crocidosema plebejana 07/11/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) Crocidosema plebejana, a small migrant moth much like Plutella xylostella and Udea ferrugalis. I get these sporadically at various sites, but never in the garden, until this night.

VMI consistently reaches the top ten in the Forbes list of the best public colleges in the United States.

From www.forbes.com/2009/08/06/best-public-colleges-opinions-c...

 

To view large

robertmillerphotography.smugmug.com/Architecture/Best-of-...

  

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

 

Toronto is Canada's largest city, the fourth largest in North America, and home to a diverse population of about 2.8 million people. It's a global centre for business, finance, arts and culture and is consistently ranked one of the world's most livable cities.

 

Toronto is a city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario, with the original city area lying between the Don and Humber rivers.

  

For more information on visiting Toronto visit:

www.seetorontonow.com/

 

For more information on visiting Canada visit:

us-keepexploring.canada.travel/

  

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About this day of the trip:

 

Day 2

Niagara Falls - Niagara Falls Canada - Toronto (83 miles)

 

We will continue our tour Niagara Falls by heading into Canada to take the Hornblower Cruise boat ride and see an informational movie at the IMAX Theater. We will also ascend the Skylon Tower. The tour then departs for Toronto, ON, one of Canada's largest cities. There we will visit the CN Tower and guests will have the option to take a Lake Ontario Cruise. During the winter when the cruise is not running, we will instead visit Casa Loma. We will have dinner in historical Chinatown.

 

Niagara Falls Canada, Canada

 

Skylon Tower This observation tower on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls offers a bird's-eye views of one of the world's favorite natural wonders. The tower stands 520 feet from street level and 775 feet from the bottom of the falls.

 

Rainbow Bridge The Rainbow Bridge across the Niagara River connects Niagara, Ontario to Niagara, New York. It is an international landmark and impressive architectural feat. In addition to private vehicles, pedestrians and bikes can cross the bridge for a small toll.

 

Niagara Falls IMAX This amazing movie experience, presented on an unbelievable IMAX screen, chronicles more than 12,000 years of history and examines human interaction with the falls from ancient time through the people-- like you-- who come to see them today.

 

Hornblower Niagara Cruise Get ready to get wet: this world-famous boat ride takes passengers as close to the falls as it is possible to get. Formerly Maid of the Mist, Hornblower now runs Niagara cruise operations on the Canadian side of the Falls.

 

Skylon Revolving Restaurant Lunch The impressive Skylon Tower, jutting into the air above Niagara Falls, features the Revolving Dining Room, a one-of-a-kind eatery the makes a full revolution every hour. Sitting just below the observation deck, guests can enjoy views and food!

 

Toronto, ON

 

Lake Ontario Cruise Lake Ontario Cruises offer gorgeous views of the city of Toronto from the waters of Lake Ontario, one of the famous Great Lakes of North America. See the city of Toronto and the surrounding area in a new way!

 

Toronto City Hall This unique building complex is one of the most famous in Toronto, and also the home of the city's municipal government. The Toronto City Hall offers self-guided tours which are available in five languages (including English).

 

University of Toronto Routinely placed in the top 30 institutions of higher learning in the world, the University of Toronto has been educating the masses since 1827. Widely considered the best university in Canada, it is known for its pioneering research.

 

Casa Loma This century-old Gothic-style house in Toronto was originally the home of financier Sir Henry Mill Pellatt. Today, it serves as a museum that showcases the history of life in Toronto and what life was like in the early 1900s.

 

CN Tower Toronto's CN Tower is a Canadian icon and one of the most recognizable North American buildings. Made entirely of concrete, this massive monolith was the tallest structure in the world at the time of its completion in 1976.

 

Ontario Legislative Building The Ontario Legislative Building in Toronto, Ontario, Canada is the seventh structure to function as the parliamentary building of the province of Ontario. This impressive building is in the Richardsonian Romanesque architectural style and was built in 1893.

 

Chinatown One of the largest Chinatowns in North America is located in downtown Toronto, Ontario. Toronto contains several Chinatowns. This one is the oldest, dating back to the 1870s, and the historical area features many authentic groceries, restaurants, and shops.

 

Toronto Chinese Dinner Treat yourself to a specialty dinner in one of the largest Chinatowns in the Western Hemisphere! Freshly-cooked meats and vegetables decorate the windows of the esteemed restaurants, from whole cooked ducks to beef ribs and so much more. Enjoy!

 

Deluxe Hotel: Crowne Plaza or similar

 

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3-Day Niagara Falls, Toronto Canada Tour from New York

 

Tour Code: 655-68

 

July 11th, 12th, 13th 2014

 

Visit:

 

Watkins Glen State Park New York

 

Niagara Falls, NY USA

 

Thundering Water Cultural Show

 

USA / Canada international border crossing on Rainbow Bridge from New York United States of America to Ontario Canada

 

Niagara Falls, Ontario Canada

 

Skylon Tower

 

Niagara Falls IMAX

 

Hornblower Niagara Cruise

 

Skylon Revolving Restaurant Lunch

 

Toronto which is the largest city in Canada

 

Lake Ontario Cruise

 

Toronto City Hall

 

University of Toronto

 

CN Tower

 

Ontario Legislative Building

 

Chinatown

 

Toronto Chinese Dinner

 

Thousand Islands, Ontario Canada

 

Thousand Islands Cruise

 

Thousand Islands Cruise Breakfast

 

Thousand Islands Tax and Duty Free Store in Lansdowne, Ontario Canada

 

Canada / USA international border crossing Thousand Islands Bridge from Hill Island, Ontario, Canada across the Saint Lawrence River to Wellesley Island, New York, United States of America

 

For more information on the 3-Day Niagara Falls, Toronto Canada Tour from New York visit:

 

www.taketours.com/new-york-ny/3-day-toronto-niagara-falls...

 

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Hashtag metadata tag

#Canada #Canadian #Toronto #TorontoCanada #CityofToronto #TorontoCity #CityToronto #Ontario #TorontoOntario #TorontoOntarioCanada #LakeOntario #The416 #HollywoodNorth #TO #T.O. #Tee-Oh #TeeOh #T-dot #Tdot #CNTower #VisitToronto #VisitCanada

 

Photo

Toronto city, Ontario province, Canada country, North America continent

July 12th 2014

No surprise, it’s consistently one of the most popular articles on our site: Five Signs Your Dog Loves You. But Dog knows there are many ways your pup might show his devotion. So with Valentine’s Day approaching, we figured it was time to update that list. Here then, are five more signs,...

 

holicpet.com/2017/05/10/five-signs-dog-loves/

Business surveys in Latin America consistently show that skills gaps are a serious bottleneck to firm growth and competitiveness. Lack of responsiveness by providers of technical education and professional training is often blamed for this situation. What innovations are possible to improve the quality and relevance of those programs? What role should governments, employers, universities, and civil society play in shaping the approach to technical education and professional training in Latin America? What can we learn from reforms in the region and abroad? The Dialogue and CAF - Development Bank of Latin America hosted a wide-ranging full-day seminar that brought together academics, policymakers, and other experts from the Western Hemisphere to discuss the future of technical education and professional training in Latin America.

Business surveys in Latin America consistently show that skills gaps are a serious bottleneck to firm growth and competitiveness. Lack of responsiveness by providers of technical education and professional training is often blamed for this situation. What innovations are possible to improve the quality and relevance of those programs? What role should governments, employers, universities, and civil society play in shaping the approach to technical education and professional training in Latin America? What can we learn from reforms in the region and abroad? The Dialogue and CAF - Development Bank of Latin America hosted a wide-ranging full-day seminar that brought together academics, policymakers, and other experts from the Western Hemisphere to discuss the future of technical education and professional training in Latin America.

The 53rd annual Bon Odori Festival at Camp Zama was held Aug. 4. The festival is consistently the largest bilateral event of the year for U.S. Army Japan, this year attracting more than 30,000 visitors to the installation. The festival featured live entartainment, games for children, a variety of ethnic foods, bilateral sports, and a fireworks show.

 

About the United States Army Garrison Japan:

 

The United States Army Garrison Japan and its 16 supported installation sites are located in the island of Honshu and Okinawa in Japan. The USAG Japan mission is to support the Headquarters, U.S. Army Japan / I Corps (fwd) to ensure mission readiness and the quality of life of the Army community in a sustainable, transforming joint and combined environment.

 

The USAG-J area of responsibility spans 1,500 miles from north to south of Japan. Camp Zama, home for both HQ USARJ and USAG-J is located approximately 25 miles southwest of Tokyo in the cities of Zama and Sagamihara in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. The Camp Zama base cluster includes Sagamihara Housing Area and Sagami General Depot.

 

Akasaka Press Center is located in the center of Tokyo. The Akizuki/Kure area near Hiroshima is an ammunition depot. Yokohama North Dock is a port facility in the city of Yokohama, a major commerce port and a popular shopping area. USAG Torii Station is located 980 miles southwest of Camp Zama on the island of Okinawa.

 

We are the Army's home in Japan and the "Garrison of Choice" for Soldiers, Civilians and their Family members. We are committed in becoming the leader in the U.S. Army Installation Management Command by providing world-class installation services.

 

-----

 

To learn more about USAG Japan, please visit:

  

Official Website - www.usagj.jp.pac.army.mil

 

Facebook - www.facebook.com/usagj

 

Flickr - www.flickr.com/usagj

 

YouTube - www.youtube.com/usagjapan

 

Vimeo - www.vimeo.com/usagj

 

Twitter - www.twitter.com/usagjapan

 

Slideshare - www.slideshare.net/usagjapan

 

USARJ This Week on YouTube - www.youtube.com/usarjthisweek

  

TIDE POOLIN'

 

Leo Carrillo beach in Malibu is consistently one of my favorite places to visit and photograph. I just love climbing around the rocks and investigating the tide pool. There are several ways to get there, but I usually take the 101 North to Malibu Canyon, head south over to Pacific Coast Highway, then West (a right turn) on PCH approximately 25 miles until you hit Leo Carrillo. From the Valley to Leo it's about a 45 minute to hour drive each way. The tide pool is just in front of the #3 lifeguard tower (and incidentally, dogs are allowed on leash from this tower and continuing west up the beach). I just google low tide Malibu to find out the best time to go there and check out the tide pool. Usually there's a several hour window about an hour before to an hour after low tide that's good. If you go after that, the waves usually are just hitting the rocks too hard and it can be dangerous to stand there. I always see tons of starfish (many different colors including orange, light blue, and purple), sea anemones (they are really fun to touch), mussels, crabs (little teeny black ones and bigger red ones), and even little fish swimming in the watery crags and crevices of the tide pool rocks. And I've spotted dolphins and whales from this beach. After an outing at Leo Carrillo, I always stop at this little food shack called Malibu Seafood, located just before you find yourself back at Malibu Canyon. It's totally no frills - you order food inside, wait for your number to be called, and find an open bench to sit down. My fave meals there are swordfish with rice pilaf and salad (the ranch is really good), fish and chips, clam chowder, or a pot of steamed clams in a nice broth.

 

Leo Carrillo State Park / Malibu photos by Lydia Marcus

 

As seen on my blog: fotonomous.blogspot.com/2008/08/tide-poolin.html

Born in Victoria, BC, Canada in July of 1965, Warren is a pioneer of highly detailed comic art.

 

He has adhered to fine art sculpting principles throughout his long career and is considered the most consistently representative comic sculpture in the world.

 

As a youth in the Fairfield area of Victoria, Warren was encouraged by a number of mentors and teachers to sculpt in the free-standing form, a practice he has never strayed from. One of his funniest memories was when he was a young and impressionable teenager in an advanced sculpting class. Warren was enthusiastic when the teacher said they were going to sculpt a live model one evening. He was not quite prepared as the beautiful woman completely disrobed on the stage in front of the students. Being the shy, youngest member of the class he quickly turned around and sculptured a very long haired woman rising out of a rock at the waist. The model was not pleased with his work but the teacher loved it!

 

warren stratfordWarren soon began to concern himself with his lifelong objective: portraying the variations of humor and atmosphere brought on by comical things he thinks about. Rather than copy others as was the traditional practice of young artists, Warren learned from people around him, from the landscape itself, and from the works of his older contemporaries. Warren’s representation of humor are based on his observations of people he meets and interviews.

 

He often shows natural color by breaking it down into its different components as a prism does. Eliminating dull and boring from his palette, Warren rejected entirely the academic approach to comic sculpting.

 

Warren gIn the Signature Series Warren allows his vision of light to dissolve the real structures of his subjects. To do this he chose simple subjects, making several humorous studies of the same subject at different occupations or activities.

 

Warren shares his time between Asia and his home town Victoria. Look for more Signature Series as Warren is always finding humor wherever he goes.

 

Warren’s work is particularly well represented in shops around the world. It is also included in many famous private collections.

Feral Swine Research Project – Savannah River and Southern Research Station (SRS)

 

Consistent collaboration and support by the USDA Forest Service Savannah River wildlife program, the Southern Research Station, and its partners, has enabled the ability to monitor, analyze and publish concerns relating to invasive feral swine populations and the economic security and safety of agricultural food sources.

 

The wildlife program at Savannah River is renowned for their consistent and long-term collaboration with Forest Service Research, State and Private Cooperators, and universities. The program consistently conducts and enables operational work to accommodate any questions and data needs the agency and our cooperators encounter. One wildlife project integrates invasive swine control efforts with research data needs to reduce both ecosystem damage and animal vehicle collisions.

 

Feral swine have been identified among the 100 most invasive species in the world, having expanded their range such that they now occur in both North and South America, Africa, and Australia, as well as many islands throughout the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean. In addition to ecosystem and property damage, feral swine destroy agricultural crops, contaminate water sources, and spread diseases that impact human, livestock, and wildlife health. The wildlife program and cooperators have compiled and provided data spanning nearly four decades from the Savannah River Site feral swine control program for management and research analysis. Data recorded by the wildlife program far exceeds that typically collected and, in this case, includes details on body size, sex, age, litter size, location, and date of each animal removed.

 

The impacts of these efforts are clearly demonstrated in a recent Journal of Wildlife Management article, published by the Savannah River National Laboratory and the USFS Southern Research Station, addressing invasive feral swine populations and the influences of a rural landfill. Invasive feral swine populations scavenging at the landfill have larger body sizes (creating greater damage during swine-vehicle impacts), larger litters, and reach higher densities than those occurring throughout the rest of the forest. The authors also presented these findings at multiple venues including the Canadian Ministry for the Environment.

 

These effects present unique challenges to population management, control, public safety, and disease transmission, including a heightened risk of the spread of African Swine Fever (ASF). If ASF-contaminated products were disposed of in the landfill and later consumed by the local feral swine population, the resulting infection could easily spread from feral swine to domestic pig and have serious adverse consequences for commercial pork operations. The continued collaboration between Savannah River’s wildlife program with Forest Service Research and our cooperators enables the ongoing scientific research and future findings needed to continue and target sound, effective management for control of this destructive, invasive species.

  

Another photo of what I believe to be an Atlantic flyingfish during take-off. This one shows the pattern on the extended pectoral fins fairly well. This seems to be consistent with the description at enature for Atlantic Flyingfish:

Pectoral fin dusky with pale central triangular area extending from middle of anterior rays to rear margin of fin.

 

This is also consistent with the illustration in Robins and Ray, Field Guide to Atlantic Coast Fishes (Houghton-Mifflin, 1986), plate 18, though they show the pectoral fins as outright black with the white triangle in the middle. They also mention that the caudal (tail) fin is dusky, visible in the photo of the fish in "flight".

Note how the fish has the pectoral fins (wings) extended while it powers through the water with its tail beating. They do not just jump into the air and spread their wings--they are taxiing for take-off! Surely somebody has done high-speed video of this--it is so neat!

 

Cheilopogon_melanurusPCCA20070623-3949B2

Shortly after the Chrysler takeover of the Jeep product line, they committed what many diehard Jeep enthusiasts considered blasphemy- SQUARE headlights on a Jeep! Oh the horror! Although this design was consistent with vehicle styling of the era, it only lasted a few years before they switched back to the traditional round headlights. Many YJ owners went as far as swapping the front sheet-metal to an older CJ style so as to have the round headlights.

 

I too shared this mentality for many years until I ran across this one for a price I just couldn't pass up. It was a bone stock 1988 Olympic Edition Wrangler when I acquired it. A search into its history showed that it was a loaner vehicle during the 1988 Olympic Games, meaning it was driven by one of the USA Olympic athletes during the competition then sold to the general public. It's one of the last Jeeps to use the decades old leaf-spring front axle and carburetor induction designs. Pretty much bullet-proof after you retrofit the problematic 28 year old electronics and change the engine oil. Although a little tired looking by the time I got it, it had great bones and no rust. All it took was a little freshening up, a few inches of lift, and a paint job to become a vehicle that I get asked if I want to sell every time I take it out somewhere.

 

I've owned several of the older round headlight CJ's, but this square headlight ugly-duckling Jeep will remain in my stable to be passed on to the little guy on the front! Due to the proven design and interchangeability of parts spanning at least 30years, there's no doubt he'll be able to keep it going for another decade or two.....

by Bill Kliewer, The Golf Warehouse (TGW.com)

 

Putting is one of the more challenging aspects of the game, but it can also be the most rewarding if consistently done well. Developing a good stroke is key to reducing scores, and the right putter can help get you there. If you’re one of many golfers struggling with consistency, the following sticks may provide the extra edge you need.

 

TaylorMade Rossa Monza Spider

 

When developing the Rossa Monza Spider, TaylorMade focused on increasing forgiveness to give players more consistency on miss-hits. The steel wire-frame and strong aluminum core allows weight to be distributed to the perimeter of the putter, and the “wings” extending back from the club face help to move the center of gravity toward the rear. These features combine to give the putter a high moment of inertia (MOI) so the club head twists less on off-center hits. The battle-tested putter was used by PGA Tour star J.B. Holmes to win the 2008 FBR Open.

 

Odyssey Sabertooth

 

The technology used to make the Sabertooth is as cutting edge as the putter’s sleek design. Highly prominent are the “fangs” on each side of the club head which distribute weight to the outer-most limits for a high MOI. The head is also fitted with a White Hot XG insert which makes for a soft and responsive core that delivers exceptional feel. Additionally, the aiming channels make it easy to align putts, so more shots will find their way to the hole.

 

NIKE IC Series

 

Because concentration is of utmost importance in golf, Nike’s new IC series is optically designed to allow the eyes to focus on the ball. Engineers analyzed the color of various putting surfaces when developing the line’s distinct green color. As a result, each IC putter blends into the background and the alignment aides standout, so golfers can focus on making perfect contact. Each of the five models has a CNC milled face to promote a soft feel, making these clubs a great fit for anyone’s bag.

 

Mizuno Black Carbon Series

 

Mizuno and legendary designer Bob Bettinardi teamed up to develop this series which delivers exceptional feel and fantastic results. Designed using Feel Impact Technology, these milled putters dramatically reduce the area where the ball makes contact with the face for an extra-soft feel. Choose from one of three unique models including the BC1 and BC2, both of which are heel-toe weighted blade putters, or the mallet-style BC3. Each putter is crafted from a single piece of carbon steel to increase shot consistency, and the black chrome finish helps to reduce glare.

 

Scotty Cameron Studio Select

 

Each golfer is different, which is why Scotty Cameron’s custom shop will tailor each Studio Select putter to fit anyone’s style. Factory-interchangeable weights in the heel and toe allow for multiple length-weight options in this series, which includes four blade-style putters. A high toe profile corrects the tendency to raise the toe at address which causes golfers to push the ball left, and the CNC milled face delivers fantastic feel.

 

Bill Kliewer is Senior Equipment Advisor of The Golf Warehouse (TGW.com), the world’s largest online golf store.

 

Consistent with support voiced by three-quarters of respondents during the just-concluded Liquor Policy Review, Parliamentary Secretary John Yap is endorsing liquor sales in grocery stores.

 

Learn more: www.newsroom.gov.bc.ca/2013/11/grocery-store-liquor-sales...