"So I caught this fish and it was this big!"

Cornell Labs:

(www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_White_Pelican/id)

Pelecanus erythrorhynchos

ORDER: PELECANIFORMES

FAMILY: PELECANIDAE

One of the largest North American birds, the American White Pelican is majestic in the air. The birds soar with incredible steadiness on broad, white-and-black wings. Their large heads and huge, heavy bills give them a prehistoric look. On the water they dip their pouched bills to scoop up fish, or tip-up like an oversized dabbling duck. Sometimes, groups of pelicans work together to herd fish into the shallows for easy feeding. Look for them on inland lakes in summer and near coastlines in winter.

Size & Shape:

A huge waterbird with very broad wings, a long neck, and a massive bill that gives the head a unique, long shape. They have thick bodies, short legs, and short, square tails. During the breeding season, adults grow an unusual projection or horn on the upper mandible near the tip of the bill.

Color Pattern:

Adult American White Pelicans are snowy white with black flight feathers visible only when the wings are spread. A small patch of ornamental feathers on the chest can become yellow in spring. The bill and legs are yellow-orange. Immatures are mostly white as well, but the head, neck, and back are variably dusky.

Behavior:

American White Pelicans feed from the water’s surface, dipping their beaks into the water to catch fish and other aquatic organisms. They often upend, like a very large dabbling duck, in this process. They do not plunge-dive the way Brown Pelicans do. They are superb soarers (they are among the heaviest flying birds in the world) and often travel long distances in large flocks by soaring. When flapping, their wingbeats are slow and methodical.

Habitat:

American White Pelicans typically breed on islands in shallow wetlands in the interior of the continent. They spend winters mainly on coastal waters, bays, and estuaries, or a little distance inland.

collection of the artist- I did quite a few of this series, my hill was rendered with a brush I made from a whisk broom. My facture,the back and forth, methodical yet vigorous arc like scratch work to gradually build up the surface of the hill, embeds a residual energy into these pieces. The same thing could be said for the pallet knife work in some of my other Hill Series work, but that tool when used for application of the pigment cause's a more random and given to chance build up... integrating "coincidence" into the working method.

PRESIDIO OF MONTEREY, Calif. -- It was a double Cinderella story for the Presidio of Monterey volleyball championship Jan. 30 and the 229th Military Intelligence Battalion. Fourth-seeded Company D took on the loser's bracket entry, second-seeded Company A, that was a player short for the championship. The Black Sheep methodically won in the required two matches to become champs over Co. D, 25-12, 19-25, 15-6 and 24-13, 10-25, 15-13.

Official Presidio of Monterey Web site

Official Presidio of Monterey Facebook

PHOTO by Steven L. Shepard, Presidio of Monterey Public Affairs.

Catacombs, Montparnasse, Paris

I decided that today was a day for going underground, and I set off to Montparnasse to visit the catacombs. These are a vast maze of tunnels under Paris originally used for quarrying the stone out of which the city's main buildings are constructed. In the late 18th Century, the state of the city's churchyards had become so disgusting that the city removed the bones from all of them. They were brought here at night, the carts coming from the centre of the city accompanied by torch-bearing acolytes and priests chanting the requiem Mass. A skull count showed that almost six million corpses were removed in this way. They were buried deep underground, but these people being Parisians the skulls and bones were arranged in a neat and methodical way, a meaningful chaos. Layers of tibia and femurs are crowned by a layer of pelvises and skulls, and so on. Each churchyard was grouped together, and a plaque shows which parish provided the skeletons.

The work was interrupted by the French Revolution,which provided plenty more corpses for when the work was resumed. Altogether about a kilometre and a half of tunnels were filled with the remains of dead Parisians, and you can walk through them on a winding route under the streets around Montparnasse station. In fact, this is just a tiny fraction of the tunnels. The catacombs extend for hundreds of kilometres under the city, many of them rarely explored and difficult of access. Because of this, they are regularly broken into by intrepid adventurers, and many legends have grown up about parts of the network. However, my favourite story is one which is true.

In 2004, a group of police cadets on a training exercise were given the task of tracking an imaginary criminal in a part of the network which was little known. They got into the system through a manhole, and when they were about a hundred feet underground something rather odd happened. They triggered a motion sensor which set off the sound of barking dogs. Thinking that it was part of the exercise, they headed onwards only to come out into a vast cavern which had been fully equipped as a cinema. An anteroom had been equipped and fully stocked as a bar, and there was also a film storage room. When the cadets reported what they had seen, the electricity board were sent in to work out where the invaders were getting their electricity from. Instead, they found the wires all cut, the equipment removed, and a sign saying 'Don't try to follow us. You'll never find us.'

Perhaps the cineastes had got fed up with waiting to get into the system officially, because this was the only place all week that I encountered a serious queue. Worse, I was just in front of a small group of people who talked constantly in very loud voices. She was an American who obviously lived in Paris, and they appeared to be young relatives who'd come to stay. She was taking them down the catacombs, and the price to be paid for this by the poor kids was to suffer her pretentious nonsense. She went on about spirituality, and homeopathy, and psychoanalysis, and the inner energy, and so on. Fair play to the kids, they responded enthusiastically enough.

And then she got out some of her stream of consciousness poetry, and started reading it in a loud voice. Well, goodness me. I was put in mind of something the graphic artist Alan Moore said when he was in Hollywood helping turn his 'V for Vendetta' into a film, and he was asked at a director's lunch why he lived in Northampton, England. "Because it keeps me grounded", he replied, and I thought that this was exactly right. It was like the opposite of this pompous woman, although to be fair to her I expect that if I went to live in Paris I would also disappear up my own backside.

The catacombs are brilliant, worth every minute of the queuing time, worth every insufferable stream of consciousness adjective. And then I went and did some shopping.

You can read my account of my travels at pariswander.blogspot.co.uk.

Firefighter Rob Snyder uses a drip torch to ignite the Willis Project Area training range’s dry grass in a slow, methodical manner on April 22, 2021. Removing this hazardous, dry vegetation in the spring when conditions are moderated allows for the greatest degree of control and produces less smoke and burns for a much shorter duration than a wildfire. Photo by Graham Worley-Hood, BLM AFS

Steve and Kaylan considers a Massimo Vitali print.

I attended this year’s Look3 photography conference (a festival/conference that celebrates the work of documentary photography/photojournalism and those behind the images). To hang around a large group of people who dedicate their lives to telling visual stories is a powerful experience. To do so with deeply thoughtful image maker friends beside you is even more so. This blog is titled “The Process of Remember” for a specific reason. It is a way for me to remember my personal journey on this earth in a meaningful and methodical way with a deliberate slowness of pace that allows me time to soak in more deeply things past that I would rather soon not forget. Look3 was one of those moments in my life. So perhaps for the next month, this page will be used as a daily vehicle allowing me to patiently practice the process of remembering. These images are a collection of my vision and feelings from the past several days.

To kick off my Look3 posts, I feel it appropriate to start with a picture of my friend Kaylan (click here to see it). Her strong, pretty and complicated look/expression feels like the perfect symbol of what this festival is all about---that more often than not, thoughtful image makers have a way for expressing more than a simple set of information in a picture. The truth that images have the potential to say a great deal more to us than a simple recording of history.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush and his top aides publicly made 935 false statements about the security risk posed by Iraq in the two years following September 11, 2001, according to a study released Tuesday by two nonprofit journalism groups.

"In short, the Bush administration led the nation to war on the basis of erroneous information that it methodically propagated and that culminated in military action against Iraq on March 19, 2003," reads an overview of the examination, conducted by the Center for Public Integrity and its affiliated group, the Fund for Independence in Journalism.

According to the study, Bush and seven top officials -- including Vice President Dick Cheney, former Secretary of State Colin Powell and then-National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice -- made 935 false statements about Iraq during those two years.

The study was based on a searchable database compiled of primary sources, such as official government transcripts and speeches, and secondary sources -- mainly quotes from major media organizations. See CNN viewers' reactions to the study »

The study says Bush made 232 false statements about Iraq and former leader Saddam Hussein's possessing weapons of mass destruction, and 28 false statements about Iraq's links to al Qaeda.

Bush has consistently asserted that at the time he and other officials made the statements, the intelligence community of the U.S. and several other nations, including Britain, believed Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.

He has repeatedly said that despite the intelligence flaws, removing Hussein from power was the right thing to do.

Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Press Secretary Ari Fleischer each made 109 false statements, it says. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz made 85, Rice made 56, Cheney made 48 and Scott McLellan, also a press secretary, made 14, the study says.

"It is now beyond dispute that Iraq did not possess any weapons of mass destruction or have meaningful ties to al Qaeda," the report reads, citing multiple government reports, including those by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, the 9/11 Commission and the multinational Iraq Survey Group, which reported that Hussein had suspended Iraq's nuclear program in 1991 and made little effort to revive it.

The overview of the study also calls the media to task, saying most media outlets didn't do enough to investigate the claims.

"Some journalists -- indeed, even some entire news organizations -- have since acknowledged that their coverage during those prewar months was far too deferential and uncritical," the report reads. "These mea culpas notwithstanding, much of the wall-to-wall media coverage provided additional, 'independent' validation of the Bush administration's false statements about Iraq."

The quotes in the study include an August 26, 2002, statement by Cheney to the national convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

"Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction," Cheney said. "There is no doubt he is amassing them to use against our friends, against our allies, and against us."

www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/01/23/bush.iraq/index.html

U.S. Forces Afghanistan service members maintain security and return fire as rain falls during an attack Sept. 13 that lasted into the early morning hours. Insurgents attacked the International Security Assistance Force Afghanistan headquarters and the U.S. Embassy in Kabul Sept. 13 with small-arms fire from outside the secure zone surrounding these compounds. Afghan and coalition forces trapped the insurgents in the partially-constructed, multi-story building they were using as a firing position, and conducted a methodical, floor-by-floor clearing operation.

Sint Bavokerk in Haarlem, the Netherlands. It became the main church of Haarlem in the 1400's, and its organ is one of the great Organs of the world. When the organ was completed in 1738, it was the largest organ in the world. Famous composers like Mendelssohn, Handel, andMozart played on the Haarlem organ. Herman_Melville had this to say about it in Moby Dick:

"Seeing all these colonnades of bone so methodically ranged about, would you not think you were inside of the great Haarlem organ, and gazing upon its thousand pipes?"

methodical

I have no idea how many times I've flown over this spot. It's on a major jetway from SoCal to the east, so I'm constantly criss crossing the skies above it. Each and every time I'm pissed off thinking about all you photographers down there grabbing the good light. If I'm having a lucky day I'll create a big nasty contrail for you. I always try to time my bathroom breaks such that I'm doing work right as we cross over the Kofa range so I can try to drop a big chunk of blue ice on your asses.. Then I went to visit the Kofa's for myself and I couldn't BELIEVE that they didn't shut down air traffic over the region for me. The nerve! So we had a sunrise with nothing but HELLA nasty contrails. I finally just gave up, stacked as many ND's as I could on lens, and went for a several minute exposure just as the sun was rising. I would like to say that I had carefully planned this composition and was sitting on it waiting for the light, but I was running around this region like an absolute butthead trying to find something cohesive. I was running out of time, so this is where my tripod ended up. Fast forward to the evening. After a long day of scouting and picking cholla quills out of Breezy's ass (see other story on Medusa), the light started to fade and a gorgeous sunset ensued. As is typical, it was happening in ALL the wrong directions. So there I go again, running around like crazy trying to come up with something facing the best light. If waddling was a sport I would be an Olympic athlete. I waddled over hill and dale, through cactus, over cactus, through brush so thick I couldn't see my shoes. Waddled up hills, down hills, around the back of this mountain range, up one side and down the other. I probably did 3-4 miles of random criss crossing waddling during the golden hour and twilight. As is typical, I came home with nothing for the effort. Except for a MAJOR problem. I got ready to hoof it back to the rental car so reached into my camera bag to grab the keys.... which were not where I usually leave them. Huh. I must have put them in my pocket? Nope. Despite the desert cold starting to settle over the evening, I noticed a small bead of sweat on my forehead. I turned on my flashlight and started to methodically rip my bag apart. I'm trained to handle emergency and crisis, so naturally I had crap flying everywhere as absolute panic set in. No matter how you sliced it, the keys were gone. They were not in my bag, and they were not in any of my pockets. I swept my flashlight around the landscape and realized that they must have fallen out somewhere in my mad waddling. If you've been to this region, you know that it's an absolute MESS of cactus, brush, rocks, holes, hills, pits, and washes. And I had run across ALL of it. What was going to happen next began to work its way into my mind. We were probably 10 miles from a main road, and getting to this area is no picnic. I had no cell service. It was getting cold and my coat was locked safely in the car. NOBODY comes up here. Oh, and I had rented the car in San Diego, 4+ hours away. I could imagine that the only people who were going to be less happy about this than me were the folks at Budget. I had absolutely no idea what to do. I was now fully sweating, but I figured I had better save my strength for the 10 mile hike back to the road in the middle of the night that I was looking at having to make with no food and very limited water. Then it got worse. Much MUCH worse. It's one thing when your bone headedness screws up your day. It's another thing entirely when your bone headedness screws up someone ELSE's day. I was going to have to tell Breezy that the next 24 hours was going to go VERY differently than planned. We had bonded over the cactus in ass situation, and I felt closer to him than every before, which was just going to make my confession harder. After a mile hike I found him, happily shooting stars over the mountain range not far from where this image was made. "You get that light, Son??!!" He asked. I felt the sick rise up in my stomach. He was so free and gleeful, blissfully unaware of the horrific fate which I was about to bestow upon him. I could barely get the words out. "We are totally Effed, Son. I don't know what to tell you. I'm just sick". "What happened?" he asked. How could he be so calm? Oh yeah, because he thinks my memory card is full or something stupid. Not that we are about to become snake and coyote food. "Dude. Just.... Dude. I lost the keys. They fell out of my pocket somewhere out there" I swept my arm across the landscape for dramatic effect. "What?" He asked. Clearly he was in shock. "Dude, you gave me the keys like 3 hours ago when I went to put my hoodie back in the car." *Blink. Blink.* "Oh yeah........" via 500px ift.tt/1qSoyVd

Deliberate, methodical, and precise Jiu Jitsu technique

The water buffalo or domestic Asian water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) is a large bovid originating in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and China. Today, it is also found in Europe, Australia, and some American countries. The wild water buffalo (Bubalus arnee) native to Southeast Asia is considered a different species, but most likely represents the ancestor of the domestic water buffalo.

Two extant types of water buffalo are recognized based on morphological and behavioural criteria – the river buffalo of South Asia and further west to the Balkans, Egypt, and Italy, and the swamp buffalo, found from Assam in the west through Southeast Asia to the Yangtze valley of China in the east. The origins of the domestic water buffalo types are debated, although results of a phylogenetic study indicate that the swamp type may have originated in China and was domesticated about 4,000 years ago, while the river type may have originated from India and was domesticated about 5,000 years ago. Water buffalo were traded from the Indus Valley Civilisation to Mesopotamia, in modern Iraq, 2500 BC by the Meluhhas. The seal of a scribe employed by an Akkadian king shows the sacrifice of water buffalo.

At least 130 million domestic water buffalo exist, and more human beings depend on them than on any other domestic animal. They are especially suitable for tilling rice fields, and their milk is richer in fat and protein than that of dairy cattle. The large feral population of northern Australia became established in the late 19th century, and smaller feral herds are in New Guinea, Tunisia, and northeastern Argentina. Feral herds are also present in New Britain, New Ireland, Irian Jaya, Papua New Guinea, Colombia, Guyana, Suriname, Brazil, and Uruguay.

CHARACTERISTICS

The skin of river buffalo is black, but some specimens may have dark, slate-coloured skin. Swamp buffalo have a grey skin at birth, but become slate blue later. Albinoids are present in some populations. River buffalo have comparatively longer faces, smaller girths, and bigger limbs than swamp buffalo. Their dorsal ridges extend further back and taper off more gradually. Their horns grow downward and backward, then curve upward in a spiral. Swamp buffalo are heavy-bodied and stockily built; the body is short and the belly large. The forehead is flat, the eyes prominent, the face short, and the muzzle wide. The neck is comparatively long, and the withers and croup are prominent. A dorsal ridge extends backward and ends abruptly just before the end of the chest. Their horns grow outward, and curve in a semicircle, but always remain more or less on the plane of the forehead. The tail is short, reaching only to the hocks. Height at withers is 129–133 cm for males, and 120–127 cm for females. They range in weight from 300–550 kg, but weights of over 1,000 kg have also been observed.

Tedong bonga is a black pied buffalo featuring a unique black and white colouration that is favoured by the Toraja of Sulawesi.

The swamp buffalo has 48 chromosomes; the river buffalo has 50 chromosomes. The two types do not readily interbreed, but fertile offspring can occur. Buffalo-cattle hybrids have not been observed to occur, and the embryos of such hybrids do not reach maturity in laboratory experiments.

The rumen of the water buffalo has important differences from that of other ruminants. It contains a larger population of bacteria, particularly the cellulolytic bacteria, lower protozoa, and higher fungi zoospores. In addition, higher rumen ammonia nitrogen (NH4-N) and higher pH have been found as compared to those in cattle

ECOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR

River buffalo prefer deep water. Swamp buffalo prefer to wallow in mudholes which they make with their horns. During wallowing, they acquire a thick coating of mud. Both are well adapted to a hot and humid climate with temperatures ranging from 0 °C in the winter to 30 °C and greater in the summer. Water availability is important in hot climates, since they need wallows, rivers, or splashing water to assist in thermoregulation. Some breeds are adapted to saline seaside shores and saline sandy terrain.

DIET

Water buffalo thrive on many aquatic plants and during floods, will graze submerged, raising their heads above the water and carrying quantities of edible plants. They eat reeds (quassab), a giant reed (birdi), a kind of bulrush (kaulan), water hyacinth, and marsh grasses. Some of these plants are of great value to local peoples. Others, such as water hyacinth, are a major problem in some tropical valleys, and water buffalo may help to keep waterways clear.

Green fodders are used widely for intensive milk production and for fattening. Many fodder crops are conserved as hay, chaffed, or pulped. Fodders include alfalfa, berseem and bancheri, the leaves, stems or trimmings of banana, cassava, fodder beet, halfa, ipil-ipil and kenaf, maize, oats, pandarus, peanut, sorghum, soybean, sugarcane, bagasse, and turnips. Citrus pulp and pineapple wastes have been fed safely to buffalo. In Egypt, whole sun-dried dates are fed to milk-buffalo up to 25% of the standard feed mixture.

REPRODUCTION

Swamp buffalo generally become reproductive at an older age than river breeds. Young males in Egypt, India, and Pakistan are first mated at about 3.0–3.5 years of age, but in Italy

they may be used as early as 2 years of age. Successful mating behaviour may continue until the animal is 12 years or even older. A good river male can impregnate 100 females in a year. A strong seasonal influence on mating occurs. Heat stress reduces libido

Although buffalo are polyoestrous, their reproductive efficiency shows wide variation throughout the year. Buffalo cows exhibit a distinct seasonal change in displaying oestrus, conception rate, and calving rate. The age at first oestrus of heifers varies between breeds from 13–33 months, but mating at the first oestrus is often infertile and usually deferred until they are 3 years old. Gestation lasts from 281–334 days, but most reports give a range between 300 and 320 days. Swamp buffalo carry their calves for one or two weeks longer than river buffalo. It is not rare to find buffalo that continue to work well at the age of 30, and instances of a working life of 40 years are recorded.

TAXONOMIC HISTORY

Carl Linnaeus first described the genus Bos and the water buffalo under the binomial Bubalis bubalus in 1758; the latter was known to occur in Asia and as a domestic form in Italy. Ellerman and Morrison-Scott treated the wild and domestic forms of the water buffalo as conspecifics whereas others treated them as different species. The nomenclatorial treatment of wild and domestic forms has been inconsistent and varies between authors and even within the works of single authors.

In March 2003, the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature achieved consistency in the naming of wild and domestic water buffalo by ruling that the scientific name Bubalus arnee is valid for the wild form. B. bubalis continues to be valid for the domestic form and applies also to feral populations.

DOMESTICATION AND BREEDING

Water buffalo were domesticated in India about 5000 years ago, and in China about 4000 years ago. Two types are recognized, based on morphological and behavioural criteria – the river buffalo of the Indian subcontinent and further west to the Balkans and Italy, and the swamp buffalo, found from Assam in the west through Southeast Asia to the Yangtze valley of China in the east. The present-day river buffalo is the result of complex domestication processes involving more than one maternal lineage and a significant maternal gene flow from wild populations after the initial domestication events. Twenty-two breeds of the river type water buffalo are known, including Murrah, Nili-Ravi, Surti, Jafarabadi, Anatolian, Mediterranean, and Egyptian buffalo. China has a huge variety of buffalo genetic resources, comprising 16 local swamp buffalo breeds in various regions.

Results of mitochondrial DNA analyses indicate that the two types were domesticated independently. Sequencing of cytochrome b genes of Bubalus species implies that the domestic buffalo originated from at least two populations, and that the river and the swamp types have differentiated at the full species level. The genetic distance between the two types is so large that a divergence time of about 1.7 million years has been suggested. The swamp type was noticed to have the closest relationship with the tamaraw.

DISTRIBUTION OF POPULATIONS

The water buffalo population in the world is about 172 million.

IN ASIA

More than 95.8% of the world population of water buffalo are found in Asia including both river and swamp types. The water buffalo population in India numbered over 97.9 million head in 2003, representing 56.5% of the world population. They are primarily of the river type, with 10 well-defined breeds comprising Badhawari, Murrah, Nili-Ravi, Jafarabadi, Marathwada, Mehsana, Nagpuri, Pandharpuri, Toda, and Surti. Swamp buffalo occur only in small areas in the north-eastern part of the country and are not distinguished into breeds.

In 2003, the second-largest population lived in China, with 22.759 million head, all of the swamp type with breeds kept only in the lowlands, and other breeds kept only in the mountains; as of 2003, 3.2 million swamp-type carabao buffalo were in the Philippines, nearly three million swamp buffalo were in Vietnam, and 772,764 buffalo were in Bangladesh. About 750,000 head were estimated in Sri Lanka in 1997.

The water buffalo is the main dairy animal in Pakistan, with 23.47 million head in 2010. Of these, 76% are kept in the Punjab. The rest of them are mostly in the province of Sindh. Breeds used are Nili-Ravi, Kundi, and Azi Kheli. Karachi has the largest population of water buffalos for an area where fodder is not grown, consisting of 350,000 head kept mainly for milking.

In Thailand, the number of water buffalo dropped from more than 3 million head in 1996 to less than 1.24 million head in 2011. Slightly over 75% of them are kept in the country's northeastern region. The statistics also indicate that by the beginning of 2012, less than one million were in the country, partly as a result of illegal shipments to neighboring countries where sales prices are higher than in Thailand.

Water buffalo are also present in the southern region of Iraq, in the marshes. These marshes were drained by Saddam Hussein in 1991 in an attempt to punish the south for the uprisings of 1991. Following 2003, and the fall of the Saddam regime, these lands were reflooded and a 2007 report in the provinces of Maysan and Thi Qar shows a steady increase in the number of water buffalo. The report puts the number at 40,008 head in those two provinces.

IN EUROPE AND THE MEDITERRANEAN

Water buffalo likely were introduced to Europe from India or other Oriental countries. To Italy they were introduced about the year 600 in the reign of the Longobard King Agilulf. As they appear in the company of wild horses, they probably were a present from the Khan of the Avars, a Turkic nomadic tribe that dwelt near the Danube River at the time. Sir H. Johnston knew of a herd of water buffalo presented by a King of Naples to the Bey of Tunis in the mid-19th century that had resumed the feral state in northern Tunis.

European buffalo are all of the river type and considered to be of the same breed named Mediterranean buffalo. In Italy, the Mediterranean type was particularly selected and is called Mediterranean Italian breed to distinguish it from other European breeds, which differ genetically. Mediterranean buffalo are also found in Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Albania, Kosovo, and the Republic of Macedonia, with a few hundred in the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Hungary. Little exchange of breeding buffalo has occurred among countries, so each population has its own phenotypic features and performances. In Bulgaria, they were crossbred with the Indian Murrah breed, and in Romania, some were crossbred with Bulgarian Murrah. Populations in Turkey are of the Anatolian buffalo breed.

IN AUSTRALIA

Between 1824 and 1849, water buffalo were introduced into the Northern Territory from Timor, Kisar, and probably other islands in the Indonesian archipelago. In 1886, a few milking types were brought from India to Darwin. They have been the main grazing animals on the subcoastal plains and river basins between Darwin and Arnhem Land since the 1880s. In the early 1960s, an estimated population of 150,000 to 200,000 buffalo were living in the plains and nearby areas.

They became feral and are causing significant environmental damage. Buffalo are also found in the Top End. As a result, they were hunted in the Top End from 1885 until 1980. The commencement of the brucellosis and tuberculosis campaign (BTEC) resulted in a huge culling program to reduce buffalo herds to a fraction of the numbers that were reached in the 1980s. The BTEC was finished when the Northern Territory was declared free of the disease in 1997. Numbers dropped dramatically as a result of the campaign, but have since recovered to an estimated 150,000 animals across northern Australia in 2008.

During the 1950s, buffalo were hunted for their skins and meat, which was exported and used in the local trade. In the late 1970s, live exports were made to Cuba and continued later into other countries. Buffalo are now crossed with riverine buffalo in artificial insemination programs, and may be found in many areas of Australia. Some of these crossbreds are used for milk production. Melville Island is a popular hunting location, where a steady population up to 4,000 individuals exists. Safari outfits are run from Darwin to Melville Island and other locations in the Top End, often with the use of bush pilots. The horns, which can measure up to a record of 3.1 m tip-to-tip, are prized hunting trophies.

The buffalo have developed a different appearance from the Indonesian buffalo from which they descend. They live mainly in freshwater marshes and billabongs, and their territory range can be quite expansive during the wet season. Their only natural predators in Australia are adult saltwater crocodiles, with whom they share the billabongs, and dingoes, which have been known to prey on buffalo calves and occasionally adult buffalo when the dingoes are in large packs.

Buffalo were exported live to Indonesia until 2011, at a rate of about 3000 per year. After the live export ban that year, the exports dropped to zero, and had not resumed as of June 2013.

IN SOUTH AMERICA

Water buffalo were introduced into the Amazon River basin in 1895. They are now extensively used there for meat and dairy production. In 2005, the buffalo herd in the Brazilian Amazon stood at roughly 1.6 million head, of which 460,000 were located in the lower Amazon floodplain. Breeds used include Mediterranean from Italy, Murrah and Jafarabadi from India, and Carabao from the Philippines.

During the 1970s, small herds were imported to Costa Rica, Ecuador, Cayenne, Panama, Surinam, Guyana, and Venezuela.

In Argentina, many game ranches raise water buffalo for commercial hunting

IN NORTH AMERICA

In 1974, four water buffalo were imported to the United States from Guam to be studied at the University of Florida. In February 1978, the first herd arrived for commercial farming. Until 2002, only one commercial breeder was in the United States. Water buffalo meat is imported from Australia. Until 2011, water buffalo were raised in Gainesville, Florida, from young obtained from zoo overflow. They were used primarily for meat production, frequently sold as hamburger.[38] Other US ranchers use them for production of high-quality mozzarella cheese.

HUSBANDRY

The husbandry system of water buffalo depends on the purpose for which they are bred and maintained. Most of them are kept by people who work on small farms in family units. Their buffalo live in very close association with them, and are often their greatest capital asset. The women and girls in India generally look after the milking buffalo while the men and boys are concerned with the working animals. Throughout Asia, they are commonly tended by children who are often seen leading or riding their charges to wallowing places. Water buffalo are the ideal animals for work in the deep mud of paddy fields because of their large hooves and flexible foot joints. They are often referred to as "the living tractor of the East". It probably is possible to plough deeper with buffalo than with either oxen or horses. They are the most efficient and economical means of cultivation of small fields. In most rice-producing countries, they are used for threshing and for transporting the sheaves during the rice harvest. They provide power for oilseed mills, sugarcane presses, and devices for raising water. They are widely used as pack animals, and in India and Pakistan also for heavy haulage. In their invasions of Europe, the Turks used buffalo for hauling heavy battering rams. Their dung is used as a fertilizer, and as a fuel when dried.

Buffalo contribute 72 million tones of milk and three million tones of meat annually to world food, much of it in areas that are prone to nutritional imbalances. In India, river-type buffalo are kept mainly for milk production and for transport, whereas swamp-type buffalo are kept mainly for work and a small amount of milk.

DAIRY PRODUCTS

Water buffalo milk presents physicochemical features different from that of other ruminant species, such as a higher content of fatty acids and proteins. The physical and chemical parameters of swamp and river type water buffalo milk differ. Water buffalo milk contains higher levels of total solids, crude protein, fat, calcium, and phosphorus, and slightly higher content of lactose compared with those of cow milk. The high level of total solids makes water buffalo milk ideal for processing into value-added dairy products such as cheese. The conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) content in milk ranged from 4.4 mg/g fat in September to 7.6 mg/g fat in June. Seasons and genetics may play a role in variation of CLA level and changes in gross composition of the water buffalo milk.

Water buffalo milk is processed into a large variety of dairy products:

- Cream churns much faster at higher fat levels and gives higher overrun than cow cream.

- Butter from water buffalo cream displays more stability than that from cow cream.

- Ghee from water buffalo milk has a different texture with a bigger grain size than ghee from cow milk.

- Heat-concentrated milk products in the Indian subcontinent include paneer, khoa, rabri, kheer and basundi.

- Fermented milk products include dahi, yogurt, and chakka.

- Whey is used for making ricotta and mascarpone in Italy, and alkarish in Syria and Egypt.

- Soft cheeses made include mozzarella in Italy, karish, mish, and domiati in Egypt, madhfor in Iraq, alghab in Syria, kesong puti in the Philippines, and vladeasa in Romania.

- The semihard cheese beyaz peynir is made in Turkey.

- Hard cheeses include braila in Romania, rahss in Egypt, white brine in Bulgaria, and akkawi in Syria.

- Watered-down buffalo milk is used as a cheaper alternative to regular milk.

MEAT AND SKIN PRODUCTS

Water buffalo meat, sometimes called "carabeef", is often passed off as beef in certain regions, and is also a major source of export revenue for India. In many Asian regions, buffalo meat is less preferred due to its toughness; however, recipes have evolved (rendang, for example) where the slow cooking process and spices not only make the meat palatable, but also preserve it, an important factor in hot climates where refrigeration is not always available.Their hides provide tough and useful leather, often used for shoes.

BONE AND HORN PRODUCTS

The bones and horns are often made into jewellery, especially earrings. Horns are used for the embouchure of musical instruments, such as ney and kaval.

ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS

Wildlife conservation scientists have started to recommend and use introduced populations of feral domestic water buffalo in far-away lands to manage uncontrolled vegetation growth in and around natural wetlands. Introduced water buffalo at home in such environs provide cheap service by regularly grazing the uncontrolled vegetation and opening up clogged water bodies for waterfowl, wetland birds, and other wildlife. Grazing water buffalo are sometimes used in Great Britain for conservation grazing, such as in Chippenham Fen National Nature Reserve. The buffalo can better adapt to wet conditions and poor-quality vegetation than cattle.

Currently, research is being conducted at the Lyle Center for Regenerative Studies to determine the levels of nutrients removed and returned to wetlands when water buffalo are used for wetland vegetation management.

However, in uncontrolled circumstances, water buffalo can cause environmental damage, such as trampling vegetation, disturbing bird and reptile nesting sites, and spreading exotic weeds.

RESEARCH

The world's first cloned buffalo was developed by Indian scientists from National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal. The buffalo calf was named Samrupa. The calf did not survive more than a week, and died due to some genetic disorders. So, the scientists created another cloned buffalo a few months later, and named it Garima.

On 15 September 2007, the Philippines announced its development of Southeast Asia's first cloned buffalo. The Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD), under the Department of Science and Technology in Los Baños, Laguna, approved this project. The Department of Agriculture's Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) will implement cloning through somatic cell nuclear transfer as a tool for genetic improvement in water buffalo. "Super buffalo calves" will be produced. There will be no modification or alteration of the genetic materials, as in genetically modified organisms.

On 1 January 2008, the Philippine Carabao Center in Nueva Ecija, per Filipino scientists, initiated a study to breed a super water buffalo that could produce 4 to 18 litres of milk per day using gene-based technology. Also, the first in vitro river buffalo was born there in 2004 from an in vitro-produced, vitrified embryo, named "Glory" after President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Joseph Estrada's most successful project as an opposition senator, the PCC was created through Republic Act 3707, the Carabao Act of 1992.

IN CULTURE

Some ethnic groups, such as Batak and Toraja in Indonesia and the Derung in China, use water buffalo or kerbau (called horbo in Batak or tedong in Toraja) as sacrificial animals at several festivals.

- Legend has it that the Chinese philosophical sage Laozi left China through the Han Gu Pass riding a water buffalo.

- According to Hindu lore, the god of death Yama, rides on a male water buffalo.

- The carabao subspecies is considered a national symbol in the Philippines.

- In Vietnam, water buffalo are often the most valuable possession of poor farmers: "Con trâu là đầu cơ nghiệp". They are treated as a member of the family: "Chồng cày, vợ cấy, con trâu đi bừa" ("The husband ploughs, the wife sows, water buffalo draws the rake") and are friends of the children. Children talk to their water buffalo, "Bao giờ cây lúa còn bông. Thì còn ngọn cỏ ngoài đồng trâu ăn." (Vietnamese children are responsible for grazing water buffalo. They feed them grass if they work laboriously for men.) In the old days, West Lake, Hà Nội, was named Kim Ngưu - Golden Water Buffalo.

- The Yoruban Orisha Oya (goddess of change) takes the form of a water buffalo.

FIGHTING FESTIVALS

- Pasungay Festival is held annually in the town of San Joaquin, Iloilo in the Philippines.

- Moh juj Water Buffalo fighting, is held every year in Bhogali Bihu in Assam. Ahotguri in Nagaon is famous for it.

- Do Son Water Buffalo Fighting Festival of Vietnam, held each year on the ninth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar at Do Son Township, Haiphong City in Vietnam, is one of the most popular Vietnam festivals and events in Haiphong City. The preparations for this buffalo fighting festival begin from the two to three months earlier. The competing buffalo are selected and methodically trained months in advance. It is a traditional festival of Vietnam attached to a Water God worshipping ceremony and the Hien Sinh custom to show martial spirit of the local people of Do Son, Haiphong.

- "Hai Luu" Water Buffalo Fighting Festival of Vietnam, According to ancient records, the buffalo fighting in Hai Luu Commune has existed from the 2nd century B.C. General Lu Gia at that time, had the buffalo slaughtered to give a feast to the local people and the warriors, and organized buffalo fighting for amusement. Eventually, all the fighting buffalo will be slaughtered as tributes to the deities.

- "Ko Samui" Water Buffalo Fighting Festival of Thailand, is a very popular event held on special occasions such as New Year's Day in January, and Songkran in mid-April, this festival features head-wrestling bouts in which two male Asian water buffalo are pitted against one another. Unlike in Spanish Bullfighting, wherein bulls get killed while fighting sword-wielding men, Buffalo Fighting Festival held at Ko Samui, Thailand is fairly harmless contest. The fighting season varies according to ancient customs & ceremonies. The first Buffalo to turn and run away is considered the loser, the winning buffalo becomes worth several million baht. Ko Samui is an island in the Gulf of Thailand in the South China Sea, it is 700 km from Bangkok and is connected to it by regular flights.

- "Ma'Pasilaga Tedong" Water Buffalo Fighting Festival, in Tana Toraja Regency of Sulawesi Island, Indonesia, is a very popular event where the Rambu Solo' or a Burial Festival took place in Tana Toraja.

RACING FESTIVALS

Carabao Carroza Festival is being held annually every May in the town of Pavia, Iloilo, Philippines.

Kambala races of Karnataka, India, take place between December and March. The races are conducted by having the water buffalo (he buffalo) run in long parallel slushy ditches, where they are driven by men standing on wooden planks drawn by the buffalo. The objectives of the race are to finish first and to raise the water to the greatest height and also a rural sport. Kambala races are arranged with competition, as well as without competition and as a part of thanks giving (to god) in about 50 villages of coastal Karnataka.

In the Chonburi Province of Thailand, and in Pakistan, there are annual water buffalo races.

Chon Buri Water buffalo racing festival, Thailand In downtown Chonburi, 70 km south of Bangkok, at the annual water buffalo festival held in mid-October. About 300 buffalo race in groups of five or six, spurred on by bareback jockeys wielding wooden sticks, as hundreds of spectators cheer. The water buffalo has always played an important role in agriculture in Thailand. For farmers of Chon Buri Province, near Bangkok, it is an important annual festival, beginning in mid-October. It is also a celebration among rice farmers before the rice harvest. At dawn, farmers walk their buffalo through surrounding rice fields, splashing them with water to keep them cool before leading them to the race field. This amazing festival started over a hundred years ago when two men arguing about whose buffalo was the fastest ended up having a race between them. That’s how it became a tradition and gradually a social event for farmers who gathered from around the country in Chonburi to trade their goods. The festival also helps a great deal in preserving the number of buffalo, which have been dwindling at quite an alarming rate in other regions. Modern machinery is rapidly replacing buffalo in Thai agriculture. With most of the farm work mechanized, the buffalo-racing tradition has continued. Racing buffalo are now raised just to race; they do not work at all. The few farm buffalo which still do work are much bigger than the racers because of the strenuous work they perform. Farm buffalo are in the "Buffalo Beauty Pageant", a Miss Farmer beauty contest and a comic buffalo costume contest etc.. This festival perfectly exemplifies a favored Thai attitude to life — "sanuk," meaning fun.

Babulang Water buffalo racing festival, Sarawak, Malaysia, is the largest or grandest of the many rituals, ceremonies and festivals of the traditional Bisaya (Borneo) community of Limbang, Sarawak. Highlights are the Ratu Babulang competition and the Water buffalo races which can only be found in this town in Sarawak, Malaysia.

Vihear Suor village Water buffalo racing festival, in Cambodia, each year, people visit Buddhist temples across the country to honor their deceased loved ones during a 15-day period commonly known as the Festival of the Dead but in Vihear Suor village, about 35 km northeast of Cambodia, citizens each year wrap up the festival with a water buffalo race to entertain visitors and honour a pledge made hundreds of years ago. There was a time when many village cattle which provide rural Cambodians with muscle power to plough their fields and transport agricultural products died from an unknown disease. The villagers prayed to a spirit to help save their animals from the disease and promised to show their gratitude by holding a buffalo race each year on the last day of "P'chum Ben" festival as it is known in Cambodian. The race draws hundreds of spectators who come to see riders and their animals charge down the racing field, the racers bouncing up and down on the backs of their buffalo, whose horns were draped with colorful cloth.

Pothu puttu matsaram, Kerala, South India, is similar to Kambala races.

WIKIPEDIA

Obtain training on the fundamental task of a housekeeping attendant. This program gives emphasis on the standard procedures in maintaining a hotel room, wash room and proper bed making. Participants will be exposed to the ins and outs of the industry starting from maintaining a quality staff, preparing, organizing, and planning to the methodical details of cleaning each are of the hotel.

The hotel industry is booming again. Job prospects are rising. Five-star hotels and restaurants in the United States, Europe and Asia specifically in the Philippines are actively recruiting people to work as hotel staff.

Increase your chances of landing a hotel job. With our Professional Housekeeping certificate course, learn from the best industry practitioners in a 1st of its kind hotel environment. Our 3-month modular competency programs put you on the top of the list of prospective hotel employers.

Black Knights on Patrol

The men and women of Task Force 3-66 are actively patrolling western Paktika province, taking the fight to the insurgents. Since assuming responsibility for the area, the Black Knights have been methodically clearing district after district to allow the provincial government to provide security and development. Western Paktika is essentially a rest stop for insurgents linked to Sirajuddin Haqqani traveling from Pakistan and continuing west. The heat, elevated terrain, and harsh landscape of Paktika province are unforgiving allies of these enemies of Afghanistan. With limited road networks the primary mode of travel here is walking. The relentless training planned and executed by the leaders of Task Force 3-66 back in Germany is now paying off.

A small, dark heron arrayed in moody blues and purples, the Little Blue Heron is a common but inconspicuous resident of marshes and estuaries in the Southeast. They stalk shallow waters for small fish and amphibians, adopting a quiet, methodical approach that can make these gorgeous herons surprisingly easy to overlook at first glance. Little Blue Herons build stick nests in trees alongside other colonial waterbirds. In the U.S., their populations have been in a gradual decline since the mid-twentieth century. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Little_Blue_Heron/id

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image by Photo George

copyrighted: ©2015 GCheatle

all rights reserved

locator: GAC_7252 02

Black Knights on Patrol

The men and women of Task Force 3-66 are actively patrolling western Paktika province, taking the fight to the insurgents. Since assuming responsibility for the area, the Black Knights have been methodically clearing district after district to allow the provincial government to provide security and development. Western Paktika is essentially a rest stop for insurgents linked to Sirajuddin Haqqani traveling from Pakistan and continuing west. The heat, elevated terrain, and harsh landscape of Paktika province are unforgiving allies of these enemies of Afghanistan. With limited road networks the primary mode of travel here is walking. The relentless training planned and executed by the leaders of Task Force 3-66 back in Germany is now paying off.

Title: Blue Skies / Tanner Wolfe, artist

Art form: 2-D

Medium: 35mm transparency/slide film

Year created: 2011 Tanner describes his offering:

Description of work: This piece is entwined with my work as a cinematographer. In filmmaking, the filmmakers must place each image next to each other in a way that drives the story forward. Each of these images leans into the next, promoting it and supporting it. My goal for this image was to be freed (a little) from the constraints of this rigid narrative process, but I also created for myself a very rigorous process in the physical creation of the image. This piece was created by using three 35mm still cameras, shooting in tandem. To document an image I shot 2 to 4 frames with the top camera then the same amount with the middle camera and so on for the bottom camera. Each frame in this piece was pre-visualized methodically, so that these pieces would all work as a whole. This process meant that 6 rolls of 36 exposure film all had to be shot, so that they could be aligned later to create the larger images. This piece deals with hope, but also with the crowding fears that shut out possibility.

Height: 1 feet

Width: 9 feet

Depth: 1 feet

Showing at Women's City Club

Although herself white, Amelia Edwards made a considerable contribution to black history through her study of Egypt.

Born in 1831 in this house in Wharton Street, Clerkenwell - which now bears a commemorative blue plaque - she travelled extensively, and in particular came to love Egypt. During the 1870s she came to deplore the routine plundering of Ancient Egyptian artefacts, and set up and funded the Egypt Exploration Society to promote the proper study of Ancient Egypt and the systematic and methodical researching of its treasures.

Edwards died in 1892 in Weston-super-Mare, having lived near Bristol since 1864. On her death she bequeathed her collection of Egyptian antiquities and her library to University College London, together with a sum of £2,500 to found an Edwards Chair of Egyptology - the first occupier was, at her own behest, Flinders Petrie, whom she had supported since 1880; his painstaking recording and study of artifacts would set new standards in archaeology. She is buried next to her partner, Ellen Drew Braysher, in St Mary's Church, Henbury, Bristol; in September 2016 English Heritage gave Edwards' grave Grade II Listing, describing it as a "landmark in English LGBT history".

**************************************************************

Avril Nanton is one of the few black professional tour guides, and leads a number of walks in London that explore the city from a black perspective. Photos are from her Islington Walk.

www.avrilswalksandtalks.co.uk

Ox year people are dependable, ambitious, calm, methodical, born leader, patient, hardworking, conventional, steady, modest, logical, resolute, and tenacious. Can be stubborn, dogmatic, hot-tempered, narrow-minded, materialistic, rigid, and demanding.

The Rock Warbler is the only Australian bird limited to NSW. In fact it only occurs in the Sydney sandstone region, where as you can see it is well adapted. This bird was working his way methodically along the bank of densely vegetated Glenbrook Ck, snatching insects or whatever from crevices for the 100m that I followed him. A closer shot appears adjacent to this one in my stream.

www.flickr.com/photos/morbius19/sets/72157637073316856/ Additional photos in the Set.

Starring Edward Kemmer, Sally Fraser, Buddy Baer, Morris Ankrum, Bob Steele, Oliver Blake, Joline Brand, Billy Dix. Directed by Richard E. Cunha.

youtu.be/Spo6hrSm5c0 Full Feature.

Brief Synopsis

After the residents of the small mountain town of Pine Ridge anxiously gather to discuss the mysterious death of local Harold Banks, Sheriff Parker reveals that Banks died from a severe beating, prompting the townspeople to speculate over the recent spate of animal deaths and question whether the tales of an ancient Indian curse may be true. Teenage brother and sister Ann and Charlie Brown scoff at the legends, but Indian Joe declares that if the locals continue to disregard his ancestral burial grounds in Devil's Crag, there will be more violence. After Parker dismisses Joe's warning, a townsman advises the sheriff to question scientific researcher Wayne Brooks, who was seen quarreling with Banks earlier that week. When Parker questions Wayne, however, Wayne insists that he and Banks had a simple disagreement. Soon after, Professor Cleveland and his daughter Janet arrive in town and Wayne recognizes Cleveland as the famous archaeologist whose lectures he attended while in college. Wayne offers the professor his services and at dinner that night Cleveland explains that he and Janet have been searching for the remains of a Spanish conquistador, Vargas, later known as the Diablo Giant, who abandoned the military to hunt for gold in the mountains. Later, Wayne takes Cleveland and Janet to his cabin to show them the artifacts he has unearthed, the most important of which is a live reptile that Wayne believes is centuries old. Cleveland is excited by the reptile's discovery and after piecing together a European crucifix from Wayne's relics, insists that they return to the site where they were found. The next day after Wayne, Janet and Cleveland set up camp at Devil's Crag, Parker arrives and reprimands Wayne for leaving town without his permission. The following morning as Wayne prepares breakfast, he hears a gunshot and discovers Joe nearby. After Wayne explains that he and the Clevelands are searching for ancient artifacts and will respect the Indian burial grounds, Joe thanks him for his honesty, but cautions him that the area is dangerous. Later, Cleveland and Wayne begin a methodical search of the area which continues for several days without success. On their final afternoon, however, Janet detects a metal object underneath an enormous log. Wayne and Cleveland dig under the log and discover an armored helmet, breast plate and several weapons, which Cleveland establishes are of Spanish origin. The men are more excited when they discover a skeleton, and Cleveland returns to camp to catalog the artifacts and begin his scientific paper. That afternoon as a rain storm threatens the site, Wayne finds an ancient axe handle, but is unable to dislodge it from the ground. Wayne returns to the camp, and soon after, the storm breaks and a bolt of lightning strikes near the log. The enormous figure of Vargas, the Diablo Giant, then rises from the ground clutching the axe. The next morning Cleveland and Wayne are stunned to find the axe gone and the ground disturbed. A medallion on the ground confirms Vargas' identity, prompting the men to wonder if the giant, like Wayne's lizard, has returned to life. Later when young Charlie comes by the camp, Cleveland, Wayne and Janet ask him not to reveal their discovery of the Spanish armor, arguing that it will bring townspeople to disturb the site. That evening, Vargas stalks the campsite and when the men discover the armor and medallion missing, they remain on guard. Further down the hill, Charlie frets about leaving Ann alone as he prepares for work, but she assures him she is safe. The following morning, as Wayne tells Cleveland they should report their suspicions of the awakened giant to Parker, the sheriff arrives with the news that Ann has been found brutally murdered. Parker arrests Wayne, claiming that Ann was clutching the Spanish medallion, and reveals that Charlie identified it as the one found by Wayne. Insisting that he is innocent, Wayne suggests that whoever stole the armor and medallion must have killed Ann. Parker agrees to question Joe, but when they find him murdered in his cabin, Parker takes Wayne into Pine Ridge. Cleveland follows them into town and after his departure, Janet is abducted by Vargas. In town, when Parker leaves Wayne unattended in his car momentarily, Cleveland appears and drives Wayne back to Devil's Crag, where the professor reveals that he took a plaster cast of a huge footprint which he believes will confirm that Vargas has returned to life and perpetrated the murders. Parker and the townsmen follow Cleveland and Wayne, but when they learn of Janet's disappearance and hear Cleveland's story about Vargas, they help search for her. Soon the men corner Vargas, and he attacks and kills several before he is wounded and escapes, leaving Janet unhurt. While the injured men are taken back to town, Parker apologizes to Wayne for not believing in his innocence. Charlie asks to help search for Vargas in retaliation for Ann's death, but when Wayne and Parker refuse, sneaks away on his own. Later the sheriff, Wayne and Cleveland hear shots and find Charlie badly wounded . While Parker goes for help, Cleveland remains with Charlie and Wayne pursues Vargas alone. Wayne catches up to Vargas at a windmill and after a brief fight, chases the giant to a bridge across a dam. As Cleveland, Janet and Parker arrive, the wounded Vargas topples off the bridge into the water below.

Felix Mendelssohn

The extensive papers of Felix Mendelssohn are a testament to his remarkable creativity and energy, and also to his collector's instincts. A methodical man, he made neat lists of his books and manuscripts, and was a great compiler of albums- which he would fill with his correspondence, with the watercolors he made on his travels and with manuscripts by writers and composers he particularly admired. Mendelssohn's papers are now in the Bodleian thanks to the foresight, determination and generosity of two Oxford sisters, Margaret and Helena Deneke, who in the mid twentieth century befriended the composers' descendants.

Conducting batons belonging to Felix Mendelssohn

Mendelssohn was presented with a number of gifts in the course of his career. They include a conducting baton of unknown provenance, finely carved in ebony with an ivory handle and silver tip. It is kept with a working baton made from whalebone covered in white leather. Mendelssohn was one of the first conductors to use a baton in England, and it was of great use to him when he directed English orchestras such as the Philharmonic Society.

"... if they minde to give bookes of their owne stoare, or otherwise, if they shall send to yow, or to me, the names of such as they could spare, I will choose out those, that I doe want: which must be an answear to all men."

Sir Thomas Bodley, 1601

www.flickr.com/photos/morbius19/sets/72157637073316856/ Additional photos in the Set.

Starring Edward Kemmer, Sally Fraser, Buddy Baer, Morris Ankrum, Bob Steele, Oliver Blake, Joline Brand, Billy Dix. Directed by Richard E. Cunha.

youtu.be/Spo6hrSm5c0 Full Feature.

Brief Synopsis

After the residents of the small mountain town of Pine Ridge anxiously gather to discuss the mysterious death of local Harold Banks, Sheriff Parker reveals that Banks died from a severe beating, prompting the townspeople to speculate over the recent spate of animal deaths and question whether the tales of an ancient Indian curse may be true. Teenage brother and sister Ann and Charlie Brown scoff at the legends, but Indian Joe declares that if the locals continue to disregard his ancestral burial grounds in Devil's Crag, there will be more violence. After Parker dismisses Joe's warning, a townsman advises the sheriff to question scientific researcher Wayne Brooks, who was seen quarreling with Banks earlier that week. When Parker questions Wayne, however, Wayne insists that he and Banks had a simple disagreement. Soon after, Professor Cleveland and his daughter Janet arrive in town and Wayne recognizes Cleveland as the famous archaeologist whose lectures he attended while in college. Wayne offers the professor his services and at dinner that night Cleveland explains that he and Janet have been searching for the remains of a Spanish conquistador, Vargas, later known as the Diablo Giant, who abandoned the military to hunt for gold in the mountains. Later, Wayne takes Cleveland and Janet to his cabin to show them the artifacts he has unearthed, the most important of which is a live reptile that Wayne believes is centuries old. Cleveland is excited by the reptile's discovery and after piecing together a European crucifix from Wayne's relics, insists that they return to the site where they were found. The next day after Wayne, Janet and Cleveland set up camp at Devil's Crag, Parker arrives and reprimands Wayne for leaving town without his permission. The following morning as Wayne prepares breakfast, he hears a gunshot and discovers Joe nearby. After Wayne explains that he and the Clevelands are searching for ancient artifacts and will respect the Indian burial grounds, Joe thanks him for his honesty, but cautions him that the area is dangerous. Later, Cleveland and Wayne begin a methodical search of the area which continues for several days without success. On their final afternoon, however, Janet detects a metal object underneath an enormous log. Wayne and Cleveland dig under the log and discover an armored helmet, breast plate and several weapons, which Cleveland establishes are of Spanish origin. The men are more excited when they discover a skeleton, and Cleveland returns to camp to catalog the artifacts and begin his scientific paper. That afternoon as a rain storm threatens the site, Wayne finds an ancient axe handle, but is unable to dislodge it from the ground. Wayne returns to the camp, and soon after, the storm breaks and a bolt of lightning strikes near the log. The enormous figure of Vargas, the Diablo Giant, then rises from the ground clutching the axe. The next morning Cleveland and Wayne are stunned to find the axe gone and the ground disturbed. A medallion on the ground confirms Vargas' identity, prompting the men to wonder if the giant, like Wayne's lizard, has returned to life. Later when young Charlie comes by the camp, Cleveland, Wayne and Janet ask him not to reveal their discovery of the Spanish armor, arguing that it will bring townspeople to disturb the site. That evening, Vargas stalks the campsite and when the men discover the armor and medallion missing, they remain on guard. Further down the hill, Charlie frets about leaving Ann alone as he prepares for work, but she assures him she is safe. The following morning, as Wayne tells Cleveland they should report their suspicions of the awakened giant to Parker, the sheriff arrives with the news that Ann has been found brutally murdered. Parker arrests Wayne, claiming that Ann was clutching the Spanish medallion, and reveals that Charlie identified it as the one found by Wayne. Insisting that he is innocent, Wayne suggests that whoever stole the armor and medallion must have killed Ann. Parker agrees to question Joe, but when they find him murdered in his cabin, Parker takes Wayne into Pine Ridge. Cleveland follows them into town and after his departure, Janet is abducted by Vargas. In town, when Parker leaves Wayne unattended in his car momentarily, Cleveland appears and drives Wayne back to Devil's Crag, where the professor reveals that he took a plaster cast of a huge footprint which he believes will confirm that Vargas has returned to life and perpetrated the murders. Parker and the townsmen follow Cleveland and Wayne, but when they learn of Janet's disappearance and hear Cleveland's story about Vargas, they help search for her. Soon the men corner Vargas, and he attacks and kills several before he is wounded and escapes, leaving Janet unhurt. While the injured men are taken back to town, Parker apologizes to Wayne for not believing in his innocence. Charlie asks to help search for Vargas in retaliation for Ann's death, but when Wayne and Parker refuse, sneaks away on his own. Later the sheriff, Wayne and Cleveland hear shots and find Charlie badly wounded . While Parker goes for help, Cleveland remains with Charlie and Wayne pursues Vargas alone. Wayne catches up to Vargas at a windmill and after a brief fight, chases the giant to a bridge across a dam. As Cleveland, Janet and Parker arrive, the wounded Vargas topples off the bridge into the water below.

Picture shows:

TX: TBC

(c) Studio Canal/BBC 2011

THE AWAKENING is set in 1921, in a post-war world of loss where the bereaved seek solace in spiritualism. Haunted by the death of her fiance, Florence Cathcart (REBECCA HALL) spends her time debunking supernatural claims, using methodical and rational explanations to disprove the notion that the dead can still haunt us. So she feels compelled to accept a request to go to Rookford, a boarding school in the countryside where a boy has recently been found dead and rumours about a ghostly boy hunting the school are causing panic amongst pupils and parents alike.

WARNING: Any images attached to this e-mail are solely for use by the recipient organisation and may not be forwarded to any third party without prior agreement with Origin Pictures.

You will be considered to have accepted these terms unless you raise any queries regarding them on receipt of the images.

It honestly wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Took me just under two hours, and I was painstakingly methodical about the steps and making sure I knew what each screw looked like and that it went on the tape in the proper order and was labeled.

Just back from Hamlet in Stratford, working through the book Gavin leant me on Microsoft Expression Blend. It will be nice to learn a tool methodically for once, not just piecemeal. The triptych is the book, me doing an exercise from the book, and a screenshot from the exercise I'm working on.

It's all very methodical and clinical but those fish hooks are medieval looking...

By Bonitta Best Special to the Journal

DURHAM — Winston-Salem State went into Saturday's CIAA Championship Game with nothing to lose. And for a while, the Rams played like they were going to lose.

But the team came up with the big plays when it counted to defeat Bowie State 17-14 before a near sellout crowd at Durham County Stadium.

Kicker Will Johnson nailed a 23-yard field goal with 2 seconds left to give the Rams the come-from-behind victory. It is just the second time in CIAA championship history a game was decided by a field goal. The win is the Rams' third league title since 2011 and 11th overall.

“We’ve been playing in spurts all year long, but we finally saved our best game for last,” said coach Kienus Boulware of Winston-Salem State. “We played the old Rams defense today, and the team that we were looking for all season came to play.”

Redshirt freshman quarterback Rod Tinsley Jr. completed 15 of 27 passes for 175 yards and one touchdown, but, most importantly, no interceptions.

Tinsley led the Rams on their final drive from their 19-yard line down to the Bowie 6 that set up Johnson’s winning field goal. Senior running back Tyree Massey, who came up 57 yards short of reaching 1,000 for the season, converted on a big third-and-9 with a 12-yard run up the middle to keep the drive going.

“People doubted us all season,” said Tinsley, who was named the game’s co-MVP. “It was a hard-fought game, but we wanted to show everybody that we could do it, and we put it all together.”

Bowie State scored first on a methodical, 20-play, 86-yard drive that used up 6 minutes, 38 seconds. The drive was helped along by a fake punt on foiurth-and-7. Punter Christopher Palmer rumbled 13 yards for a first down to keep the drive alive. Quarterback Nyema Washington scored from the Rams' 1 on a sneak to put the Bulldogs up 7-0.

Both offenses stalled with a combined seven straight punts between them until Washington found wide receiver Kerrick Pollock with a 64-yard TD strike for a 14-0 lead with 1:19 left in the half.

But the Rams' offense found life. Tinsley led WSSU on a four-play, 75-yard drive in just 1:04 that culminated in Massey’s 4-yard run.

After going scoreless in the third quarter, WSSU started its rally in the fourth quarter. Starting at the Bulldogs' 45, Tinsley hit wide receiver Reggie Wilkins twice: the first for 25 yards and the second a 20-yard touchdown pass.

Meanwhile, WSSU’s defense kept the pressure on Washington. The Rams sacked Washington six times, the final one coming to force a Bowie State punt that set up the Rams’ winning drive.

“The defense played our best game all year,” said All-CIAA defensive end Michael Bloomfield, who finished the game with six tackles, five for loss of 19 yards, and four sacks. “We love being the underdog. This is the Winston-Salem State Rams Bowl game now.”

For Bowie State, it was a sad déjà vu. The Bulldogs lost the 2005 CIAA Championship to N.C. Central 26-23 on a last-second field goal.

“We didn’t do a good job of finishing plays,” said coach Damon Wilson, whose team is ranked No. 2 in Super Region 1. “They made the plays at the end, and we didn’t.”

WSSU 0 7 0 10 — 17

Bowie State 0 14 0 0 — 14

BSU – TD Nyema Washington 1 run (Christopher Palmer kick)

BSU – TD Kerrick Pollock 63 pass from Washington (Palmer kick)

WSSU – TD Tyree Massey 4 run (Will Johnson kick)

WSSU – TD Reggie Wilkins 20 pass from Rod Tinsley (Johnson kick)

WSSU – FG Johnson 23 FG

Attendance: 4,577

U.S. Forces Afghanistan Protective Service Detail Sgt. Jaclyn Guzman from California maintains visual surveillance as shots are fired and explosions erupt from a building in Kabul, Sept. 13. Insurgents attacked the International Security Assistance Force Afghanistan headquarters and the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Tuesday, with small-arms fire from outside the secure zone surrounding these compounds. Afghan and coalition forces trapped the insurgents in the partially-constructed, multi-story building they were using as a firing position, and conducted a methodical, floor-by-floor clearing operation.

PRESIDIO OF MONTEREY, Calif. -- It was a double Cinderella story for the Presidio of Monterey volleyball championship Jan. 30 and the 229th Military Intelligence Battalion. Fourth-seeded Company D took on the loser's bracket entry, second-seeded Company A, that was a player short for the championship. The Black Sheep methodically won in the required two matches to become champs over Co. D, 25-12, 19-25, 15-6 and 24-13, 10-25, 15-13.

Official Presidio of Monterey Web site

Official Presidio of Monterey Facebook

PHOTO by Steven L. Shepard, Presidio of Monterey Public Affairs.

March.

Walking daily and without hesitation, but when i walk fast i get a binding sort of arch pain, not supposed to be "normal" yet so i guess i should power through it. Uneven ground is my nemesis, also trying to move quickly to adjust balance or shift weight; not gonna happen, i have to move methodically. Spots are from heat rash and hives; not having much hot swelling lately, but when i do it's big and fast and itchy as fuck.

From and including: Monday, September 27, 2010

To and including: Saturday, March 5, 2011

It is 160 days from the start date to the end date, end date included

Or 5 months, 7 days including the end date

Clapper Rail

Lewes, Sussex County

Delaware

August 16, 2014

This Clapper Rail walked down the canal methodically looking for prey along the edges, and at times wading in belly deep water. We were very lucky to get such close studies of this one!

Barely Methodical Troupe

Photo: Chris Nash

Black Knights on Patrol

The men and women of Task Force 3-66 are actively patrolling western Paktika province, taking the fight to the insurgents. Since assuming responsibility for the area, the Black Knights have been methodically clearing district after district to allow the provincial government to provide security and development. Western Paktika is essentially a rest stop for insurgents linked to Sirajuddin Haqqani traveling from Pakistan and continuing west. The heat, elevated terrain, and harsh landscape of Paktika province are unforgiving allies of these enemies of Afghanistan. With limited road networks the primary mode of travel here is walking. The relentless training planned and executed by the leaders of Task Force 3-66 back in Germany is now paying off.

as with her usual departures, i mostly keep out of the way while she packed.

i try to stay awake but i almost always end up falling asleep while she methodically stows dried mango, polvoron, and other sweet contraband in her luggage.

then she’d nudge me awake whispering that it’s time to go – i realize i dozed off again while she stayed up and got ready to go. as with her usual departures, she would already be checked-in via internet, allowing her the luxury of an extra hour spent not waiting at the departure gate. so she takes her time. somewhat.

we drive off, rather, i drive her to the airport where we make it in 15 minutes as the flight to new york from manila usually takes off in the early morning. as with her usual departures, i almost immediately feel sad with an urgent desire to scarf down some breakfast.

i drove through mcdonald’s again, after I dropped her off. But not right after driving through krispy kreme for the kids.

It's "the Night of the Arts" here in Tampere. Lots of happenings... Dance theatre called MD here are having "Dancing Moominvalley" show in their repertoire. They bring characters to the street today.

I love her, look at those shoes! Fabulous!

Fillyjonk (Filifjonkan in Swedish, Vilijonkka in Finnish) - Known as The Fillyjonk in some English translations, the first we hear of is the late theatre director in Moominsummer Madness (the Rat is his widow) and the young Fillyjonk who joins the Snork Maiden in the late night jaunt to the wishing well. Later we meet the wonderful psychological study of the Fillyjonk Who Believed In Disasters in Tales from Moominvalley. Not a single moment of fantasy or joy, only duties and discipline; she is an extremely methodical person tied down with principles and has a deep rooted belief in prestige and tradition. Nevertheless, after a catastrophe, The Fillyjonk can be freed from the trammels of social expectation and can discover the joys of freedom, irrationality and self-expression. Deep inside she has had a wish to live freely as the Moomin family does, without any worries. Fillyjonks resemble humanoid rodents; they are tall and thin, with long muzzles and raccoon-like rings around their eyes.

More about Moomins:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moomin

The Best Craft Party Ever: Starry Night Cafe, hosted by Methodical Coffee and Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams

It was mesmerizing to watch this Black Brown execute a slow and controlled climb down this tree. Every move was taken with care as he maneuvered out of the tree.

Location: West Hartford, Connecticut, United States of America

A mature maple tree needed to be removed from next to a neighbor's house. This crew, using a crane, a "cherry picker" and a ground crew methodically took the tree apart. Professional, efficient job.

Catacombs, Montparnasse, Paris

I decided that today was a day for going underground, and I set off to Montparnasse to visit the catacombs. These are a vast maze of tunnels under Paris originally used for quarrying the stone out of which the city's main buildings are constructed. In the late 18th Century, the state of the city's churchyards had become so disgusting that the city removed the bones from all of them. They were brought here at night, the carts coming from the centre of the city accompanied by torch-bearing acolytes and priests chanting the requiem Mass. A skull count showed that almost six million corpses were removed in this way. They were buried deep underground, but these people being Parisians the skulls and bones were arranged in a neat and methodical way, a meaningful chaos. Layers of tibia and femurs are crowned by a layer of pelvises and skulls, and so on. Each churchyard was grouped together, and a plaque shows which parish provided the skeletons.

The work was interrupted by the French Revolution,which provided plenty more corpses for when the work was resumed. Altogether about a kilometre and a half of tunnels were filled with the remains of dead Parisians, and you can walk through them on a winding route under the streets around Montparnasse station. In fact, this is just a tiny fraction of the tunnels. The catacombs extend for hundreds of kilometres under the city, many of them rarely explored and difficult of access. Because of this, they are regularly broken into by intrepid adventurers, and many legends have grown up about parts of the network. However, my favourite story is one which is true.

In 2004, a group of police cadets on a training exercise were given the task of tracking an imaginary criminal in a part of the network which was little known. They got into the system through a manhole, and when they were about a hundred feet underground something rather odd happened. They triggered a motion sensor which set off the sound of barking dogs. Thinking that it was part of the exercise, they headed onwards only to come out into a vast cavern which had been fully equipped as a cinema. An anteroom had been equipped and fully stocked as a bar, and there was also a film storage room. When the cadets reported what they had seen, the electricity board were sent in to work out where the invaders were getting their electricity from. Instead, they found the wires all cut, the equipment removed, and a sign saying 'Don't try to follow us. You'll never find us.'

Perhaps the cineastes had got fed up with waiting to get into the system officially, because this was the only place all week that I encountered a serious queue. Worse, I was just in front of a small group of people who talked constantly in very loud voices. She was an American who obviously lived in Paris, and they appeared to be young relatives who'd come to stay. She was taking them down the catacombs, and the price to be paid for this by the poor kids was to suffer her pretentious nonsense. She went on about spirituality, and homeopathy, and psychoanalysis, and the inner energy, and so on. Fair play to the kids, they responded enthusiastically enough.

And then she got out some of her stream of consciousness poetry, and started reading it in a loud voice. Well, goodness me. I was put in mind of something the graphic artist Alan Moore said when he was in Hollywood helping turn his 'V for Vendetta' into a film, and he was asked at a director's lunch why he lived in Northampton, England. "Because it keeps me grounded", he replied, and I thought that this was exactly right. It was like the opposite of this pompous woman, although to be fair to her I expect that if I went to live in Paris I would also disappear up my own backside.

The catacombs are brilliant, worth every minute of the queuing time, worth every insufferable stream of consciousness adjective. And then I went and did some shopping.

You can read my account of my travels at pariswander.blogspot.co.uk.

U.S. Forces Afghanistan Deputy Commander-Support, Maj. Gen. Timothy McHale, gives encouragement to service members maintaining security and returning fire during an attack, Sept. 13, that lasted into the early morning hours. Insurgents attacked the International Security Assistance Force Afghanistan headquarters and the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Tuesday, with small-arms fire from outside the secure zone surrounding these compounds. Afghan and coalition forces trapped the insurgents in the partially-constructed, multi-story building they were using as a firing position, and conducted a methodical, floor-by-floor clearing operation.

PRESIDIO OF MONTEREY, Calif. -- It was a double Cinderella story for the Presidio of Monterey volleyball championship Jan. 30 and the 229th Military Intelligence Battalion. Fourth-seeded Company D took on the loser's bracket entry, second-seeded Company A, that was a player short for the championship. The Black Sheep methodically won in the required two matches to become champs over Co. D, 25-12, 19-25, 15-6 and 24-13, 10-25, 15-13.

Official Presidio of Monterey Web site

Official Presidio of Monterey Facebook

PHOTO by Steven L. Shepard, Presidio of Monterey Public Affairs.

Gavin Heath was born in Cape Town, South Africa on October 23, 1961. Gavin was exposed to a variety of cultures and experiences courtesy of eclectic and progressive parents.

At age six, young Heath would meet, play and dance with the tribal cultural known as Ndebelle. He and sister Colleen would circle huge fires, echoing strange and rhythmical chants while anticipating the next ceremonial dance step. By daylight Heath would join the Ndebelle youth patiently watching the elder women methodically decorate their thatched mud dwellings. The brightly painted and highly contrasting geometric shapes and cultural motifs would slowly unfold and most certainly entertain. These were indeed beautiful gifts for all to share.

Heath would revisit these incredible people as an adult and one day pay tribute to their culture and peaceful heritage.

"I remember well the Ndebelle. These proud people maintained their culture, positivism and dignity.

Gavin Heath has been creating glass art since 1987 and has been exhibiting his work at the Sawdust Art Festival and the Festival of the Arts for 20 years.

He is available for custom installations and also teaches private classes in glass blowing at his Laguna Beach studio.

You can find his artwork at auction.

When not making art out of glass Gavin travels the world surfing in the most remote areas he can find.

(949) 395 4976

gavinheath@mac.com

artglass.tv

Catacombs, Montparnasse, Paris

I decided that today was a day for going underground, and I set off to Montparnasse to visit the catacombs. These are a vast maze of tunnels under Paris originally used for quarrying the stone out of which the city's main buildings are constructed. In the late 18th Century, the state of the city's churchyards had become so disgusting that the city removed the bones from all of them. They were brought here at night, the carts coming from the centre of the city accompanied by torch-bearing acolytes and priests chanting the requiem Mass. A skull count showed that almost six million corpses were removed in this way. They were buried deep underground, but these people being Parisians the skulls and bones were arranged in a neat and methodical way, a meaningful chaos. Layers of tibia and femurs are crowned by a layer of pelvises and skulls, and so on. Each churchyard was grouped together, and a plaque shows which parish provided the skeletons.

The work was interrupted by the French Revolution,which provided plenty more corpses for when the work was resumed. Altogether about a kilometre and a half of tunnels were filled with the remains of dead Parisians, and you can walk through them on a winding route under the streets around Montparnasse station. In fact, this is just a tiny fraction of the tunnels. The catacombs extend for hundreds of kilometres under the city, many of them rarely explored and difficult of access. Because of this, they are regularly broken into by intrepid adventurers, and many legends have grown up about parts of the network. However, my favourite story is one which is true.

In 2004, a group of police cadets on a training exercise were given the task of tracking an imaginary criminal in a part of the network which was little known. They got into the system through a manhole, and when they were about a hundred feet underground something rather odd happened. They triggered a motion sensor which set off the sound of barking dogs. Thinking that it was part of the exercise, they headed onwards only to come out into a vast cavern which had been fully equipped as a cinema. An anteroom had been equipped and fully stocked as a bar, and there was also a film storage room. When the cadets reported what they had seen, the electricity board were sent in to work out where the invaders were getting their electricity from. Instead, they found the wires all cut, the equipment removed, and a sign saying 'Don't try to follow us. You'll never find us.'

Perhaps the cineastes had got fed up with waiting to get into the system officially, because this was the only place all week that I encountered a serious queue. Worse, I was just in front of a small group of people who talked constantly in very loud voices. She was an American who obviously lived in Paris, and they appeared to be young relatives who'd come to stay. She was taking them down the catacombs, and the price to be paid for this by the poor kids was to suffer her pretentious nonsense. She went on about spirituality, and homeopathy, and psychoanalysis, and the inner energy, and so on. Fair play to the kids, they responded enthusiastically enough.

And then she got out some of her stream of consciousness poetry, and started reading it in a loud voice. Well, goodness me. I was put in mind of something the graphic artist Alan Moore said when he was in Hollywood helping turn his 'V for Vendetta' into a film, and he was asked at a director's lunch why he lived in Northampton, England. "Because it keeps me grounded", he replied, and I thought that this was exactly right. It was like the opposite of this pompous woman, although to be fair to her I expect that if I went to live in Paris I would also disappear up my own backside.

The catacombs are brilliant, worth every minute of the queuing time, worth every insufferable stream of consciousness adjective. And then I went and did some shopping.

You can read my account of my travels at pariswander.blogspot.co.uk.

One of calming activities is finding nice sticks while out on walks, taking the bark off and letting them dry in the sun. Then I spend days/weeks/months sitting outside slowly and methodically sanding them down. I work in stages increasing the fineness of the grit to nearly buffing it. I then use local beeswax (often infused with herbs or hemp) and a microfiber cloth to bring the surface to a protected smooth shine. There is no “purpose” to this really, just something nice to do with my hands when my anxiety is high. Plus other than keeping stocked on sandpaper and beeswax, it’s more or less a free activity which I also love.

In conclusion, this car has provided me with a different perspective on our scene. It does not have the best paint job or the most expensive wheels. It doesn't even have the fastest engine, but it has the one ingredient that is most important to me: passion. Due to recent personal developments and their effects on my health, it has become a part of me and has provided me with a new lease on life. My passion for this car extends not only to its aesthetic appeal, but to the people and ideas behind it's rich heritage. It retains the original methodical spirit of its creators long ago. Their passion for the unconventional and the pursuit of aiming higher will flow on. Through their efforts, they have unknowingly created a shining symbol of a bygone era. An idea, a vision, and a plan for it's survival in today's harsh economic climate. It is ready for battle, and with a little creativity and ingenuity, it will win the war.

In our culture, this idea and those who share it, my friends, are truly the last bastion of our time.

...Continue to Rear Cover for Epilogue...

A small, dark heron arrayed in moody blues and purples, the Little Blue Heron is a common but inconspicuous resident of marshes and estuaries in the Southeast. They stalk shallow waters for small fish and amphibians, adopting a quiet, methodical approach that can make these gorgeous herons surprisingly easy to overlook at first glance. Little Blue Herons build stick nests in trees alongside other colonial waterbirds. In the U.S., their populations have been in a gradual decline since the mid-twentieth century. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Little_Blue_Heron/id

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image by Photo George

copyrighted: ©2015 GCheatle

all rights reserved

locator: GAC_7170

Granite rock, which is brought in by barge, is methodically placed in the Piankatank River near Gwynn’s Island in Mathews County Virginia. The rock is the basis for the newest, 25-acre oyster reef in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. The Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is overseeing the more than $2 million sanctuary reef project in partnership with the Virginia Marine Resources Commission and the Nature Conservancy. (U.S. Army photo/Patrick Bloodgood)