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Letters to the Community SOAPBOX
Letter: Does Darrell Issa Represent Your Views on Climate Change?
Sarah Mosko, Santa Ana
You might not know it, given who was recently elected president, but Americans everywhere want their government to tackle climate change. An impressive national survey of over 18,000 adults by The Yale Project on Climate Change Communication found that in all 50 states a solid majority, 60 to 78 percent, of the public both believe global warming is happening and 66 to 81 percent favored regulating carbon dioxide (CO2) as a pollutant.
A breakdown by individual districts revealed a similar pattern of opinions, even in historically conservative areas like Orange County. For example, here in California's 49th Congressional District, represented by Darrell Issa, 72 percent of people surveyed said they believe climate change is happening and 74 percent want CO2 regulated as a pollutant. Given that we live in a representative democracy, one should expect Issa's actions to reflect the opinions of his constituents. It's not clear that he has in the past, but there are signs he is coming around.
He's long been an outspoken skeptic of governmental initiatives to slow global warming and even voted in the last Congressional year in favor of repealing rules establishing limits on CO2 emissions from power plants as set by Obama's Clean Power Plan (S.J. Res. 23 and 24). However, he recently took the bold step of joining the Climate Solutions Caucus, a nascent bipartisan coalition of now 34 House members (evenly split Republican-Democratic) dedicated to solving climate change. Whether or not his razor-thin win to retain his seat last November has anything to do with this apparent shift, he should be applauded for doing the right thing.
Next, he should also step up and co-sponsor the first all-Republican House resolution introduced on March 15 calling for action on climate change.
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Larry Kramer April 24, 2017 at 9:27 pm Reply
Well written letter. For those interested in knowing more about climate change we are starting a local chapter of Citizens' Climate Lobby on May 13 in San Clemente. Register at occlimateworkshop.eventbrite.com.
david davison May 2, 2017 at 7:08 pm Reply
While I haven't made up my mind on man's role in climate change, I am suspicious when its proponents attempt to shut down all debate and declare the issue settled. Well, it isn't settled for this atmospheric physicist:
Joanna Clark May 24, 2017 at 10:10 am Reply
David, you should spend some time reading and comparing peer reviewed scientific articles from both sides of the argument. Less than three (3) percent question the reality of climate change. When you read those articles, take the time to see who is funding their research. The same thing was done five decades ago to cast doubt on the connection between smoking and lung cancer.
Take time to read what we know about the causative factors behind the great Permian extinction of 251 million years ago, where roughly 96-percent of all life went extinct. The changes that caused the extinction took place over hundreds of thousands of years. Today, those same changes are occurring, but they are occurring over a period of hundreds of years, not hundreds of thousands of years.
We are seeing large dead zones were there is insufficient oxygen to support life. We are seeing ocean acidification that is destroying the bottom of the oceanic food chain.
We have just experienced a six year severe to exceptional drought, and it is not over yet. Yes, the recent heavy rains recharged our reservoirs, but the vast majority of the rain did nothing more than cause flooding and mudslides on its way to the ocean. We still have an approximate 11 trillion gallon water deficit as a result of the drought because we have drained the majority of our aquifers.
And then there is the issue of sea-level rise. As our oceans warm, they expand. Glaciers melt and collapse, and the same is happening to the giant ice-sheets of Greenland and the East and Western ice-sheets of Antarctica. As they collapse a significant rise in sea-level occurs. It is already occurring. Take a trip to Miami, Norfolk, or the islands of the Pacific, like Tuvalu.
Do I trust Issa. No. It will take more than joining the climate caucus or co-sponsoring a climate protection bill. For now, I will just cross my fingers and hope.
Joanna Clark May 24, 2017 at 6:37 pm Reply
Clarification: add "in our oceans" and replace "were" with "where" in paragraph 3 after "large dead zones."–i.e. We are seeing large dead zones in our oceans where . . . ,
Here is some funding information re: Richard Lindzen, author of the above article on climate change, courtesy of Source Watch.
"In a biographical note at the foot of a column published in Newsweek in 2007, Lindzen wrote that "his research has always been funded exclusively by the U.S. government. He receives no funding from any energy companies." (Emphasis added). However, analysis of Peabody Energy court documents showed that the fossil fuel company backed Lindzen, proving that Lindzen was lying."
"Ross Gelbspan, journalist and author, wrote a 1995 article in Harper's Magazine which was critical of Lindzen and other global warming skeptics. In the article, Gelbspan reports Lindzen charged "oil and coal interests $2,500 a day for his consulting services; [and] his 1991 trip to testify before a Senate committee was paid for by Western Fuels and a speech he wrote, entitled 'Global Warming: the Origin and Nature of Alleged Scientific Consensus,' was underwritten by OPEC."
"A decade later Boston Globe columnist Alex Beam reported, based on an interview with Lindzen, that "he accepted $10,000 in expenses and expert witness fees from fossil- fuel types in the 1990s, and has taken none of their money since."
From the above, it is pretty clear that Lindzen has been part of the Merchants of Doubt team.
David Davison May 26, 2017 at 12:51 pm
@ Joanna Clark
Here is Patrick Moore, co-founder of Green Peace on global warming:
David Davison May 26, 2017 at 12:46 pm Reply
@ Joanne
Nothing you've said above refutes anything Lindzen said. This is the problem I have with activists when they ignore the arguments, facts, or data that doesn't comport with their view point and instead, claim that those opposing their views are in the pockets of big oil or some other nefarious, greedy corporation.
I believe nuclear power is the smart move and the way to go in this nation (and world) and supporting the theory that man's activities measurably effects global warming advances the recognition of the need for nuclear power because per MWHr of electricity produced, NP has the least effect on the environment and produces no GHGs.
Now, if the climate is heating up because of man's activities (no one disputes the planet is heating up), WHY did the planet heat up during the Roman warm period (when temps were hotter than today), or the medieval warm period when grapes were grown in Scotland? What was man doing during these warming periods that caused such a heat up? Does any scientist dispute that there have been both warming and cooling periods throughout history (climate is always changing) and that if the planet is coming out of an ice age (mini ice age lasted roughly from 1300-1800), by definition, the planet is heating up.
However, when the IPCC endorses the theory of man's role in climate change, one cannot simply dismiss them because of ideology or views on how policies enacted to combat climate change effect the economy. Although AGW theory is not a great interest of mine, I usually find myself on the other side of the equation precisely because those advancing the theory seem so unwilling to discuss its weaknesses and wish to shut down all debate. The claim that 97% of all scientists accept global warming appears to be the usual, if only response from its adherents, a response and a figure I find suspicious. See below on a discussion (I don't agree with all of his points) of this figure:
Joanna Clark May 28, 2017 at 10:48 pm Reply
David, for nearly 800,000 years CO2 average 280 parts per million (ppm). Beginning with the beginning of the Industrial Age, atmospheric CO2 levels have steadily increased. Here is some history on Moore,
"Patrick Moore is a Canadian environmentalist, often referred to incorrectly as a founder of Greenpeace, who believes that humans are not to blame for global warming. [49] According to a statement by Greenpeace, "Patrick Moore frequently portrays himself as a founder or co-founder of Greenpeace, and many news outlets have repeated this characterization. Although Mr. Moore played a significant role in Greenpeace Canada for several years, he did not found Greenpeace."
"While Moore was a leading figure with Greenpeace Canada, and worked with Greenpeace International between 1981 and 1986, he was not a co-founder of Greenpeace. Moore broke away from Greenpeace after he concluded that "[…] the environmental movement had abandoned science and logic in favor of emotion and sensationalism." Greenpeace contends that "what Moore really saw was an opportunity for financial gain. Since then he has gone from defender of the planet to a paid representative of corporate polluters."
"In 1991, Patrick Moore established a consultancy business called Greenspirit Enterprises "focusing on environmental policy and communications in natural resources, biodiversity, energy and climate change."
"After he left Greenpeace, Moore began work with the Nuclear Energy Institute front group, the Clean and Safe Energy Coalition (CASEnergy). Moore stepped down from his leadership role at CASEnergy in January 2013, however said he would remain an active member."
"Moore has also worked for the mining industry, the logging industry, PVC manufacturers, the nuclear industry, and in defense of biotechnology. In October 2008, Greenpeace issued a statement distancing itself from Moore, saying he "exploits long gone ties with Greenpeace to sell himself as a speaker and pro-corporate spokesperson, usually taking positions that Greenpeace opposes."
Moore is the "chairman and chief scientist" of Greenspirit Strategies Ltd., a PR company that "work with many leading organizations in forestry, biotechnology, aquaculture and plastics, developing solutions in the areas of natural resources, biodiversity, energy and climate change."
"As of 2014, Moore was listed as a Board Member of NextEnergy, a Canadian energy services company."
"Moore has been criticized for his relations with "polluters and clear-cutters" through his consultancy and has earned his living since the early 1990s primarily through consulting and publicly speaking for a variety of corporations and lobby groups such as the Nuclear Energy Institute."
David, take the time to read "Merchants of Doubt." Numerous individuals have profited by spreading questionable information. The did it in the 50's to convince smokers that smoking did not cause lung cancer.
Joanna Clark May 29, 2017 at 8:41 am Reply
David, you wrote "believe nuclear power is the smart move and the way to go in this nation (and world) and supporting the theory that man's activities measurably effects global warming advances the recognition of the need for nuclear power because per MWHr of electricity produced, NP has the least effect on the environment and produces no GHGs."
The problem with nuclear is two-fold. Like oil and gas, it is a finite resource, requiring considerable fossil fuel to recover. Second is the half-life of the expended fuel. No one wants, or likes, it stored in their backyard.
Instead:
How about we cover the California aqueducts with solar, thus conserving water while producing energy?
How about covering every strip mall and major Mall parking lot and parking garage with solar panels, and include a minimum of five EV charging stations providing up to one-hour free charging while shopping?
How about mandating all new residential and business construction include solar, like Lancaster and Sebastopol have done?
How about replacing our public transportation with fuel cell powered buses, trains (Europe is already testing and will start deploying by 2020, if not earlier)?
How about replacing those 18 wheeled diesel powered trucks with fuel celled powered trucks?
How about building wind farms?
These are just a few of the things we could be doing to transition from both nuclear and fossil fuels.
David Davison May 31, 2017 at 1:39 pm Reply
Joanna, regarding the founding of Greenpeace, wiki had this to say:
"Because of the early phases spanning several years, there are differing views on who can be called the founders of Greenpeace."
It's understandable, given Moore's justifiable criticism of Greenpeace, that Greenpeace itself would minimize his role in its beginnings. And can anything Greenpeace says be taken seriously when in response to a lawsuit against them for defamation, Greenpeace claims, farcically, that they can't be sued because their claims are supposed to be recognized as hyperbole?
https://energyindepth.org/national/greenpeace-claims-immunity-from-lawsuits-because-its-claims-are-hyperbole/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2016/05/31/no-peace-for-greenpeace/?utm_term=.a0c30ba317ef
How does Greenpeace's statement here comport with YOUR statement above: "Numerous individuals have profited by spreading questionable information."? Greenpeace profits from the excesses of its claims, claims they know are bogus but which bring in millions in donations. Greenpeace has been criticized by many and not just for their false claims.
Do you remember when Greenpeace damaged the lines and geoglyphs of Nasca, a world heritage site in Peru?
As for nuclear power being a finite resource, Thorium is an extremely abundant resource and should be exploited to the fullest extent possible. We live in a radioactive world receiving radiation from cosmic sources, from elements in the earth, and from the food we eat. We even receive radiation from the people next to us. Storage is only a political problem as fuel can be reprocessed (currently illegal but a process we used to do, like other nations still do) to make additional fuel insuring we have a fuel supply long into the distant future.
I fully support additional research into solar power but currently, it is too expensive (w/out government subsidies) and solar panel production is a very nasty, polluting process the toxic metals of which (as far as I know) have no half-life, ie., last forever. I have solar panels on my roof, bad for the country, bad for the state, but great for the home owner since the government, ie., tax payers, pick up 30% of the tab. It is like a regressive tax; seen any solar panels on poor peoples' homes? Should the pollution aspect be solved along w/ the cost, I would fully support solar panels atop the CA aqueducts.
I don't like mandates, they stink to high heaven but should the above be solved as I describe, I'd be for carpeting houses, malls, and parking structures w/ panels and let the market decide prices for EV charging stations.
Providing the economics pencil out, I am all for the innovation you describe. However, we cannot place all our eggs in a basket that is weather dependent unless you are willing to do without power when the weather fails to cooperate. The sun doesn't always shine (in fact only at best, half the day) or the wind blow. Battery production is again, a nasty environmental process and am unsure how well giant banks of capacitors (they've been used for years but unsure of the scale) would work.
Remember, thus far, as solar and wind usage increases, so does the use of natural gas. Ivanpah Solar Plant has been a complete waste of money and is illustrative on how NOT to proceed.
I got my data from Greenpeace. IGiven that Moore has become a shill for the the fossil fuel polluters, he is now longer creditable.
You state How does Greenpeace's statement here comport with YOUR statement above: "Numerous individuals have profited by spreading questionable information."? Greenpeace profits from the excesses of its claims, claims they know are bogus but which bring in millions in donations. Greenpeace has been criticized by many and not just for their false claims.
Do you have first-hand evidence of this, or are you just repeating Fox News?
I suggested in the beginning that you read the peer-reviewed research on both sides of the argument. Have you bother to read any of the peer-reviewed evidence?
There are at least three studies where researchers combed thousands of peer-reviewed journal articles to separate those claiming climate change is a threat from those claiming it is not a threat.
Let's assume you have a child who has been ill for a couple of weeks and seems to be getting worse. You take your child to a local hospital E.R. By the end of the examination, multiple doctors have examined your child. Nine tell you immediate surgery. One doctor tells you surgery is unnecessary. They have all looked at the blood work and CTscan results. Who would you trust?
Ninety-seven percent of the scientists involved in climate change believe we are in danger. Three-percent believe it's not a threat.
Sea-level rise, is it a threat. We're safe for now, but go visit Miami or Norfolk at high tide. Go visit the Inuit of Alaska. They are being force to move their villages to higher ground, or go visit the Pacific Islanders of Tuval, or Ebeye. I spent two years on Kwajalein in the 70s, and I suspect they are having problems, as well,, because Ebeye is the next island up, about three-quarters of a mile, and they have been experiencing flooding at high-tide.
Our glaciers are receding at an accelerated rate. Likewise the Greenland and West Antarctic ice-sheets are collapsing at accelerated rates.
David Davison June 5, 2017 at 11:19 am Reply
John Holdren, President Obama's science adviser, wrote these words in his book from the early 1970s, "Global Ecology: Readings Toward a Rational Strategy for Man."
"It seems, however, that a competing effect has dominated the situation since 1940. This is the reduced transparency of the atmosphere to incoming light as a result of urban air pollution (smoke, aerosols), agricultural air pollution (dust), and volcanic ash. This screening phenomenon is said to be responsible for the present world cooling trend — a total of about .2°C in the world mean surface temperature over the past quarter century. This number seems small until it is realized that a decrease of only 4°C would probably be sufficient to start another ice age. Moreover, other effects besides simple screening by air pollution threaten to move us in the same direction. In particular, a mere one percent increase in low cloud cover would decrease the surface temperature by .8°C. We may be in the process of providing just such a cloud increase, and more, by adding man-made condensation nuclei to the atmosphere in the form of jet exhausts and other suitable pollutants. A final push in the cooling direction comes from man-made changes in the direct reflectivity of the earth's surface (albedo) through urbanization, deforestation, and the enlargement of deserts. The effects of a new ice age on agriculture and the supportability of large human populations scarcely need elaboration here. Even more dramatic results are possible, however; for instance, a sudden outward slumping in the Antarctic ice cap, induced by added weight, could generate a tidal wave of proportions unprecedented in recorded history…"
https://patriotpost.us/opinion/49405
In 1970, the late George Wald, nobel laureate from Harvard University, predicted, "Civilization will end within 15 or 30 years unless IMMEDIATE ACTION is taken against problems facing mankind."
Paul Ehrlich (of "The Population Bomb" fame) the same year predicted mass starvation between 100-200 million per year during the next 10 years (from 1970). Previously, Ehrlich had predicted Britain wouldn't exist by the year 2000 and that within 10 years (from his statement in 1969), all important animal life in the sea would be extinct.
In 1975, Nigel Calder warned, "The threat of a new ice age must now stand alongside nuclear war as a likely source of wholesale death and misery for mankind." The same year, C.C. Wallen of the World Meteorological Organization, stated that, "The cooling since 1940 has been large enough and consistent enough that it will not soon be reversed."
In 1970, ecologist Kenneth Watt stated, "The world has been chilling sharply for about 20 years. If present trends continue, the world will be 4 degrees colder for the global mean temperature in 1990 but 11 degrees colder in the year 2000. This is about twice what it would take to put us into an ice age."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpxGPZDB2fA
All of the above statements do NOT mean that the present climate alarmists are wrong, but it does suggest that we need more than simple assurances that the "97%" of scientists agree and that these "scientists" need to start answering the objections and criticisms with something more than just "it's settled".
David Davison June 3, 2017 at 7:31 pm Reply
"I got my data from Greenpeace."
That was your first mistake. Did you not read in the links I posted above where Greenpeace got sued by Resolute Forest Products for defamation and Greenpeace's defense was to admit that their own accusations and claims were to be taken as hyperbole, not fact, ie., they don't accurately reflect reality. It is therefore, Greenpeace who lacks credibility and can't be trusted. Where has Patrick Moore stated anything untrue, inaccurate, or like Greenpeace, acknowledged his claims are hyperbole?
"
"Do you have first hand evidence…"
Yes, view the articles I posted above, consider that Greenpeace has received millions in donations, and consider Greenpeace's admission of engaging in hyperbole, a practice that convinced donors of the need to send them funds. Here is what one of the above articles had to say:
"The common purpose of the Greenpeace Enterprise was to target Resolute with a disinformation campaign that could be used to fraudulently induce millions of dollars in donations from individual donors and foundations that could be used to fund the salaries of the enterprise members and its leaders, perpetuate more fraudulent fundraising, and expand the campaign to direct attacks on Resolute customers that would provide even more powerful fundraising opportunities. . . ."
"In perpetuating this fraudulent scheme, Greenpeace has developed a playbook that is readily recognizable. It identifies or manufactures a hot-button environmental issue; disseminates sensational, alarmist, and false claims about impending calamity related to that issue; targets a high-profile company to vilify for the impending calamity, including by staging fake videos, photographs, and other evidence (such as staging animal slaughters by Greenpeace members impersonating others, and misrepresenting ordinary trees that have fallen as "ancient trees" harvested by its targets or photos and videos of one location or event passed off as another); bombards supporters with urgent requests to "DONATE NOW"; and directs extortive demands, tortious interference, and other illegal conduct at its targets and their customers. When Greenpeace's extortion succeeds, it insists that its target publicly endorse its campaign and lies,which it then uses to drive more donations and attacks."
"97% say…"
FALSE! Please view the 5 minute video I posted above on how the 97% figure was derived. This also demonstrates that your doctor's diagnosis analogy is just a straw man argument because 90% of doctors do not state the patient needs "immediate" surgery just as 97% of scientists do not state global warming is an immediate problem caused predominantly by man. Yours is a FALSE dichotomy.
"Our glaciers are receding…"
Yes, and Al Gore claimed in 2007 that within 7 years, summers at the North Pole would be ice-free.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVttichSzFk
When alarmists, or scientists make claims DEMANDING the world, our nation, and/or even I, do X,Y, or Z to "save the planet for our children" , claim the science is settled and suggest those who remain skeptical are akin to flat earthers and merit prosecution, and all I see are a string of unfulfilled predictions, I become suspicious.
Heretofore, global warming has not been a big interest of mine. As its proponents have become increasingly shrill and demands more urgent, I believe I will take your advice and read more of what this faux "97%" has to say. I cannot ignore the scientific gravitas of the IPCC but neither will I abdicate responsibility for all thinking as apparently so many who push this agenda have done. Perhaps I'll be persuaded, but I'll be looking for answers to questions like these:
1)Since the earth's climate has always changed going from warming periods to ice ages, what caused the former warming periods such as the Roman warm period (when it was warmer than today) and the little optima, roughly 1000-1300 AD since man was not the cause?
2)What caused and/or why did we come out of the mini ice age, lasting roughly 1300-1800, since man was not the cause?
3)I understand that it is claimed by global warming scientists that the planet was heating up all through the 20th century (actually, since the end of the last mini ice age, 1800) but that only since about 1950 was the cause due to man's activities. If this is accurate, what caused the heating up prior to 1950?
4)If scientists are going to take such a narrow slice of time (since 1950) and base their predictions (and do so based in great part on computer models) for planetary temperatures into the future, then why should people believe their predictions when temperatures since 1998 (the hottest year), have stabilized if not actually gone down?
5)If CO2 is the greatest component or predictor of earth's temps (as CO2 levels are undeniably rising), what does that tell us about times in the distant past when CO2 levels were far higher than today and man's activities could not be attributed to this rise? Why must CO2 level rise be predominantly man's responsibility and why must temperature increase be based almost entirely on the rise of CO2 levels when the graphs I've seen show they don't correlate over time?


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By Matthew Cookson
Jerry Hicks's campaign connects with members
everything is still to play for in the battle to be the next general secretary of the Unite union. Voting ends on Friday of next week.
Jerry Hicks
Rank and file candidate Jerry Hicks is pushing hard in his challenge to the full-time officials left winger Len McCluskey, right winger Les Bayliss and Gail Cartmail.
Whoever wins the election to lead Britain's biggest union, with 1.3 million members, will have an important say in the course of the struggle against the Tories.
Jerry's campaign is winning wide support across the union. He and his supporters are calling for activists to make a major effort to win more votes in the last week and a half.
"I've just had a fantastic week campaigning in Scotland, mainly in Edinburgh and Glasgow," Jerry told Socialist Worker. "Wherever you go a pattern is developing.
"So many members haven't voted. This shows that there is a massive disconnect between the members and the union and that the machines that would traditionally have got the vote out are broken.
"There is a great depth of cynicism towards the union. I spoke to refuse workers in Edinburgh early one morning.
"They'd seen their wages 'equalised' down 17 months ago, meaning many of them are between £3-5,000 worse off, and the union had done nothing about it.
"I was speaking to 30 or 40 of them when another guy came in who'd just seen a leaflet. He was shouting at me, thinking that I was a union official.
"His colleagues had to say that I was a member just like them.
"This is where we've ended up, with a member so angry with the union that he wanted to attack an official.
"After that, the refuse collectors have been campaigning for me in Edinburgh.
"I spoke to a rep in the parks department in Glasgow. He told me that his section meeting had said they were voting for me, even though the branch has nominated Len McCluskey.
"Anyone active in the campaign can see that there is going to be a poor turn-out. We should be encouraging members to open their mail and read the election statements.
"If they compare me to the other candidates and then cast their vote, I am confident that they will put a cross next to my name.
"There's a real chance we could win this election."
To get involved email [email protected] For more information go to www.jerryhicks4gs.com
Race bias in court sentencing
Campbell in hot soup over war
Reject this unsafe and divisive Southern rail deal
Yorkshire ambulance strike against deskilling

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"World AIDS Day is held on 1 December each year. It raises awareness across the world and in the community about HIV and AIDS. It is a day for the community to show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died of AIDS related conditions or other conditions associated with HIV.
The national World AIDS Day theme for Australia in 2019 is Every Journey Counts. World AIDS Day aims to encourage Australians to educate themselves and others about HIV; to take action to reduce the transmission of HIV by promoting prevention strategies; and to ensure that people living with HIV can participate fully in the life of the community, free from stigma and discrimination.
As a community and as individuals, there is a lot we can do in relation to HIV. Working in partnership with people with HIV, we can encourage others to understand how HIV is transmitted. We can support people to access testing, treatment and care, as we know that commencing treatment at the early stages of HIV results in better health outcomes and reduces the likelihood of onward transmission.
Show your support for people with HIV on World AIDS Day by wearing a red ribbon, the international symbol of HIV awareness and support."
Community Workshop in Acknowledgement of World Aids Day 2019
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Camera: FUJIFILM X-S10 Focal length: 300mm Exposure: F6.3 1/1600sec ISO 400 Film Simulation: Velvia
Maximum magnification ratio is 1:2, absolutely amazing for an all-in-one zoom lens
At the 18mm wide end, the lens attains an MOD of 0.15m (5.9 in) and a maximum magnification ratio of 1:2. With an amazing working distance of 5mm (0.2 in)2, you can get as close as you want to your subject while capturing the background. This opens the doors for a style of expression that is exclusive to wide macro photography.
2 When shooting with an MOD of 0.15m (5.9 in) at the wide end, the distance between the subject and the front tip of the lens is approximately 5mm (0.2 in). Use precaution so that the front element does not touch the subject when shooting at MOD.
Camera: Sony α6600 Focal length: 18mm Exposure: F3.5 1/500sec ISO 100
Uncompromising optical performance throughout the entire zoom range
The 18-300mm F3.5-6.3 VC VXD is a high-resolution all-in-one zoom lens created through TAMRON's persistent pursuit of outstanding image quality. The optical construction includes several special lens elements, specifically four LD (Low Dispersion) and three hybrid aspherical lens elements. These elements help to produce clear, sharp images from the center to the corners. Chromatic aberration and other optical aberrations are well corrected. In addition, the BBAR-G2 (Broad-Band Anti-Reflection Generation 2) Coating suppresses ghosting and flare, which commonly occur in backlit scenes. Throughout the entire zoom range, the 18-300mm F3.5-6.3 VC VXD provides both high image quality and soft creamy bokeh.
Camera: Sony α6600 Focal length: 300mm Exposure: F6.3 1/200sec ISO 100
Equipped with TAMRON's proprietary VC
VC/ON
VC/OFF
Simulated viewfinder image.
This lens incorporates TAMRON's proprietary VC mechanism to minimize the effect of camera-shake, which is likely to occur in the telephoto range. It displays its ability to perform when shooting handheld under low-light conditions such as indoor or when shooting at night. It effectively reduces the degradation of picture quality. Using AI technologies, the lens will choose the compensation characteristic for videography at focal lengths of 70mm or less.
Circular Aperture
Moisture-Resistant Construction
BBAR-G2 Coating
Fluorine Coating
Zoom Lock switch
Circular aperture to produce a smooth-edged bokeh
A 7-blade diaphragm is configured to retain a smooth, circular-shaped aperture opening even when stopped down by two stops from the wide-open aperture. This produces a smooth-edged bokeh in background highlights.
Moisture-Resistant Construction protects your lens
For greater protection when shooting outdoors, leak-resistant seals throughout the lens barrel help protect your equipment.
BBAR-G2 Coating delivers stunning clarity and contrast
Camera: Sony α6600 Focal length: 61mm Exposure: F8 1/2000sec ISO 100
TAMRON has long been an innovator of coating technologies that prevent ghosting and flare. Second-generation BBAR-G2 Coating is a groundbreaking advancement that provides vastly improved performance compared to the original BBAR (Broad-Band Anti-Reflection) Coating. The coating corrects for ghosting and flare to an unprecedented extent and renders fine subject detail with true clarity and stunning contrast even under backlit conditions.
Fluorine Coating for protection and safe cleaning
The front surface of the lens element is coated with a protective fluorine compound that is water- and oil-repellant. The lens surface is easier to wipe clean and is less vulnerable to the damaging effects of dirt, dust, moisture, and fingerprints.
The 18-300mm F3.5-6.3 VC VXD has a switch that can lock the zoom ring at the 18mm focal length if desired. This prevents the unwanted extension of the lens barrel due to the weight of the lens during transportation.
The Exterior
F3.5-6.3
(diagonal)
77°24'- 5°30'
(for APS-C frame mirrorless format)
Optical Construction
19 elements in 15 groups
Minimum Object Distance
0.15m (5.9 in) (WIDE) /
0.99m (39 in) (TELE)
Maximum Magnification Ratio
1:2 (WIDE) / 1:4 (TELE)
φ75.5mm
Length*
125.6mm / 4.9 in (Sony)
125.8mm / 5 in (FUJIFILM)
620g / 21.9 oz (Sony / FUJIFILM)
Aperture Blades
7 (circular diaphragm)**
Minumum Aperture
F22-40
Standard Accessory
Flower-shaped hood, Lens caps
Sony E-mount, FUJIFILM X-mount
* Length is the distance from the front tip of the lens to the lens mount face.
** The circular diaphragm stays almost perfectly circular up to two stops down from maximum aperture.
Specifications, appearance, functionality, etc. are subject to change without prior notice.
This product is developed, manufactured and sold based on the specifications of E-mount which was disclosed by Sony Corporation under the license agreement with Sony Corporation.
September 24th, 2021 (Sony)
To be released (FUJIFILM)
MTF Chart Guide
Optical Construction (19 elements in 15 groups)
MTF (Modulation Transfer Function) curves describe to what extent the tested lens can faithfully reproduce contrast of the subject in images it captures.
The closer the 10 lp/mm (line pairs per millimeter) curve (the thick line for low frequency) in an MTF chart to "1" of the vertical axis (the higher up), the higher the contrast reproduction performance of the tested lens will be. The closer the 30 lp/mm curve (the thin line for high frequency) to "1" (the higher up), the higher the resolving power and thus the subjective sharpness of the lens will be.
Lens performance differs depending upon directions. Solid lines show performance in the sagittal (radial) direction while dotted lines indicate performance in the meridional (circumferential) direction. When sharp lenses capable of delivering uniform optical performance over the entire image field are tested, MTF charts show curves plotted in good balance.
Performance characteristics of photographic lenses cannot be expressed with only MTF charts. There are other factors that are expressed in different methods, such as taste of softness and degrees of compensation of various aberrations. But you can use MTF charts as a scale to measure lens performance.
Live Photos [with EXIF data]Click on the photo to see the original image
Camera:Sony α6600
Focal length:18mm
Aperture:F3.5
Shutter speed:1/1600sec
Image size:6000px× 4000px (11.3MB)
Aperture:F5
Shutter speed:1/160sec
Image size:6000px× 4000px (9.8MB)
Focal length:300mm
Lens Cap (CF67II)
Supplied Accessory
Lens Hood (HA036)
ProductsGo to page >
Catalog DownloadsGo to page >
18-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD
Model B061
PDF・623KB
General Lens Catalog
The entire TAMRON lens lineup in one catalog.
TAMRON 18-300mm F3.5-6.3 (Model B061) with Photographer Woody Lau
FUJIFILM X-mount
TAMRON 18-300mm F3.5-6.3 (Model B061) with Photographer Klaus Wohlmann
TAMRON 18-300mm F/3.5-6.3 (Model B061) with Photographer Philip Ruopp
Tamron 18-300mm F/3.5-6.3 (Model B061) Promotional Video


Leidar® Control System has now been used in both UBD and MPD operations and we are working hard every day to make it the best there is out there. In addition to deliver the best control system, we now also design and deliver everything you need to upgrade your existing MPD/UBD package to perform beyond today's standard. Nontraditional sensor packages, smart choke manifold solutions, electric actuators, control cabinets and backup power, all integrated in custom drilling packages is something we now do to make sure the user gets a system that works.
Straume® Hydraulics Simulator is, in addition to be used in everyday in-house testing and internal and external training of our Leidar® Control System, now the hydraulics engine in Oiltec Solutions hiDRILL Simulator. This joint venture project with Oiltec Solutions, partly funded through Skattefunn, is showing to be very promising and we hope to share more details on this in not to long.


I write software, I code in C/C++, Swift, Java, Python, and Clojure. I use mainly Mac OS X and sometime Linux.
I enjoy travelling, cycling, and playing guitar.
I play poker, mostly 6-Max No Limit Hold'em and Pot Limit Omaha online.
I am a FOSS guy, I don't really care if you use any code or content from this site. You don't need to ask for my permission, and you don't need to give me any credit.
However, please do not use any photo you find on this site, whatever your reason might be, the answer is no.
If you need to contact me, drop me an email to jimmy at jimtkm dot com. I cannot promise you will get a reply from me, but I will try.
If you need my public key, you can get it at keybase.io.


4-H Acres is owned by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County.
4-H Acres is a rural nature facility located at 418 Lower Creek Road in Ithaca and owned by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County. Facilities include a commercial kitchen, covered BBQ pit, pole and horse barns and nature trails.
Located at the front of the property, Kiwanis Hall is the main building at 4-H Acres. It contains two large meeting rooms (Middle Room capacity-49 and Sherman Room capacity-113); all fully heated. The building has restrooms and a kitchen facility with a commercial range. A covered barbeque pit just outside the building is great for cookouts of any size - the perfect addition to a family reunion and ideal as a fundraiser for community groups.
Behind Kiwanis Hall is a lovely lawn area with open space for outdoor activities such as a volley ball or a softball game. Mature trees provide shade, and the facility's picnic tables can be used in the sun, shade or under a covered picnic area attached to the hall.
Kiwanis Hall also has a Commercial Kitchen available. Please see the Commercial Kitchen Use Agreement if interested and reach out to the contact listed below for further information.
Please be advised that all contract materials, including a certificate of liability insurance and the signed rental agreement must be delivered to the 4-H office at least 10 business days prior to the event. This allows for the contract to be approved by our insurance provider.
This facility offers 9360 square feet of covered space. It has bleachers, gates that can be arranged as pens, three box stalls, and permanent tie stalls. A manure ramp makes for easy disposal of animal waste. No matter what you plan outside, it will fit under the pole barn in the event of inclement weather - from a volley ball game to a community dance! The Pole Barn also is available for storage rental (boats, cars, recreational vehicles) from October 1-May 1. Rates are: length of vehicle x width of vehicle x $2.00. Reach out to the contact listed below to secure your space!
An idyllic setting surrounded by woodlands, yet accessible from the main facility, the horse barn contains 16 tie stalls and 4 box stalls. It is immediately adjacent to the 60 ft x 50 ft rustic riding ring.
The 4-H Acres property includes numerous nature trails, many with markers that identify items of natural interest. These woodlands are part of a larger forested area, all teaming with wildlife.
Bowker Hall is a focal point for overnight stays at 4-H Acres during the summer months. It offers multiple restrooms and shower facilities to accommodate groups interested in a private, overnight camping experience.
4-H Acres is owned by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County. The facilities are maintained by private donations and facility rental fees.
NOTE: Many rentals and non-4-H meetings are held at 4‐H Acres, 418 Lower Creek, Ithaca, NY. These rentals are not programs of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County and the use of 4-H Acres does not imply endorsement of this program or activity by CCE-Tompkins.
Special group rates may be available.
$125.00/day or portion and/or night for use of Kiwanis Hall, including front kitchen; $150.00 winter rate from October 1 to May 31.
For more information, get in touch with the contact listed at the bottom center of this page.
Thank you for considering. Please contact Megan at met38@cornell.edu if you are interested in donating.


text:
Freezing Rain Events that Impacted the Province of New Brunswick, Canada, and Their Evolution in a Warmer Climate
Chartrand, Julien; Thériault, Julie Mireille et Marinier, Sébastien (2022). « Freezing Rain Events that Impacted the Province of New Brunswick, Canada, and Their Evolution in a Warmer Climate ». Atmosphere-Ocean, pp. 1-17.
Adresse URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07055900.2022.2092444
Winter storms in eastern Canada can bring heavy precipitation, including large amounts of freezing rain. The resulting ice accumulation on structures such as trees and power lines can lead to widespread power outages and damage to infrastructure. The objective of this study is to provide a better understanding of the processes that led to extreme freezing rain events over New Brunswick (NB), Canada, during past events and how they may change in the future. To accomplish this, freezing rain events that affected the power network over NB were identified and analysed using high-resolution convection-permitting simulations. These simulations were produced from 2000 to 2013 climate data and using the pseudo global warming (WRF-PGW) approach, assuming warmer climate conditions. Our results show that through the process of cold air damming, the Appalachians enhance the development of strong temperature inversions, leading to an increase in the amount of freezing rain in central and southern NB. The occurrence of freezing rain events generally decreases by 40% in southern and eastern NB, while the occurrence of long-duration events (>6 h) increases slightly in northwestern NB in the WRF-PGW simulation. Overall, key local orographic effects that influence atmospheric conditions favorable for freezing precipitation were identified. This knowledge will enable us to better anticipate the impact of climate change on similar storms.
Article de revue scientifique
© 2022 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
freezing rain, wet snow, convection permitting climate models, climatology, winter storms
Centres institutionnels > Centre pour l'étude et la simulation du climat à l'échelle régionale (ESCER)
Faculté des sciences > Département des sciences de la Terre et de l'atmosphère
Julie Mireille Thériault


A personal assistant who works for you 24/7 — it sounds rather tempting, doesn't it? Dreams of such a helper anywhere you go are transformed into a business idea in many branches, and hospitality is just on its way.
Any of your customers would gladly gain an instant access to needed information, so maybe it's time to consider a new business idea for your company? An AI-powered concierge app is a right decision — you'll win hearts of your customers before artificial intelligence conquers the hospitality market. Follow us if you want to know more details and all the benefits.
4. Wider audience and more loyalty to your brand. Mobile solutions are available to people all over the world. Having your own app means that your brand becomes more recognizable on the market (especially when there are not many hotels using such apps). Higher recognition in combination with a unique user experience create a cocktail named "exquisite brand loyalty" — the goal of all companies.
We hope now you're almost sure about creating your own mobile app. Let's look at the very core of your future tool — the main features that build a positive impression for a traveler.
2. Integration with third parties that will provide your visitors with more services. Local Scene is a service provided by Hilton Honors — ordering an Uber drive with the app, users get recommendations about hotspots in the city. And Fun Finder from the same app contains data about events and special offers nearby.
6. The loyalty program with a personal account. This is another important feature which you can find in each app we're describing today. It is very important to make your app interactive — mobile users get higher scores and very pleasant discounts with them. It's up to you how you can reward the visitors who prefer your hotel over other places, but it's definitely worth adding to your app's functionality.


Military service in the Russian Army is compulsory for young men aged 18 to 27, with some exceptions. After the mandatory term is over, they can remain in the army on a contract basis. Women who want to serve in the military can also join the contract army. To become professional soldiers, the new recruits undergo special training. The men build on the skills and experience they gained while they were conscripts, while women learn combat techniques from the very beginning.
Anna and Pavel are in Nizhny Novgorod region to attend the army's "survival school" for would-be contract servicemen and women. As the two have already undergone training in several very different Russian Army regiments and even completed the dreaded "psychological assault course", they feel they know what army life is about. However, they soon discover they still have a lot to learn. Their new commanders prove to be highly demanding when it comes to discipline. They are not impressed with Pavel's frivolous haircut or Anna's assortment of grooming products.
The two will have to toughen up if they are to reach the standard of professional soldiers. To help them make the transition as fast as possible, the commander decides to roll some tanks over them. Before Anna and Pavel can engage in battle with the tanks, however, they need to learn some vital skills. Anna has to throw a live grenade for the first time in her life. Meanwhile, Pavel learns what to do when someone's trying to choke you to death.


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Identity Check: Avoiding Abusive GDPR Requests
02.09.2019 | Categories: Consumer Rights; Data Security;
GDPR rights aim to ensure transparency of data processing, and to enable individuals to have a say in which information on them is stored. Replies to related requests may contain sensitive information, if not a copy of all data retained. If, for example, an access request is faked by someone simulating another's identity, GDPR rights may be abused for privacy intrusion – and lead to unauthorized disclosure of personal information to third parties.
The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) grants individuals several rights regarding their personal information against anyone who processes it. Data subjects are entitled to request access to the data relating to them and to receive it in a structured, common and machine-readable format (data portability). Furthermore, under certain conditions, they have the right to erasure, to rectification of inaccurate information, to restrict the processing and to object to it.
As the British data protection supervisory authority and one of the German authorities explicitly acknowledge, the threat of third-party abuse justifies measures in order to prove the identity of an individual exercising his or her rights under the GDPR. We summarized its advice, depending on the media channel used to file the request. A spoiler in advance: There is no clear answer, it all depends, like often in data protection law, on an individual risk-assessment, particularly the nature of data concerned.
Request by e-mail
In case of an access request by e-mail, two cases have to be distinguished, depending on whether the access request comes from an e-mail address:
that is known to the data controller and that has been verified before, e.g. by clicking a confirmation link during a registration process. In that case, identity can be regarded as verified.
that is unknown to the data controller and therefore has not been verified yet. In such case, data controllers may demand additional proof of identity.
Where additional proof is required, businesses may choose between different measures:
The data subject may be asked to provide a blackened copy of its ID, only revealing name, postal address, date of birth and period of validity. For receipt of such documents, high data security standards must be met. Data controllers may either publish a public key for end-to-end encrypted mailing or provide the inquirer with a browser-based solution to upload the document in an HTPPS environment.
Identification is also possible via intermediary service providers under the electronic Identification, authentication and trust services (eIDAS) standard. eIDAS is a European legal framework for safe proof of identity, which is put in practice by, for example, the German "online ID". eIDAS solutions are not yet popular and widespread with EU customers.
Another option is to use video-ident processes. With this procedure, the inquirer starts a video call, in which photos of the person and its ID are taken. In case your company outsources the identification process, when choosing a service provider, attention should be paid at its data protection standards.
For the decision on which of these procedures is used, companies should consider the nature of data and the level of the security that the respective procedure offers. For example, where sensitive data like health information, private communications on a dating platform or extensive user profiles are concerned, it is advisable to apply the video-ident process as it offers high level of security. Companies dealing with low-risk data may rely on ID copies, which are less burdensome for customers and probably cheaper for the company to review.
Request by user interface
The easiest way to grant access to GDPR rights is to integrate respective options into the app or website interfaces of password protected login areas. Where the user has proven identity by knowledge of the password, he or she can generally be regarded as identified. However, a German supervisory authority calls the use two-factor authentication "desirable" in order to mitigate the risks for users with weak passwords.
Request by telephone
Where customers raise GDPR requests during a phone call, companies may ask standard security questions about, for example, the date of birth or the postal address to prove the inquirer's identity. A German supervisory authority notes that such information is not "really" secret, and that such procedure should not be used where sensitive information is concerned.
Request by mail
In case companies receive GDPR requests by mail and the inquirer indicates that he or she want to further communicate by mail also, companies may reply and demand a printed and blackened ID copy, containing only information on name, postal address, date of birth and period of validity.
Are you compliant with the GDPR?
Under Art. 27 of the GDPR, many non-EU companies must appoint an EU GDPR Privacy Representative. To find out now if your company is subject to this obligation
Who is EU-REP.Global?
We are data protection service provider based in Germany, focused on compliance services under the EU General Data Protection Regulation. If you want to know more,


Blog Update: Re-Organization of Archives!
Hi guys! If you have noticed anything about the blog during the past few weeks, you will see that the site has gone under some big renovations. I've changed the background, the sidebar and footer widgets, and various pages. Cayli has sadly left us, so it will be mainly me posting along with Kelsey. I have also taken over our Instagram account, so please go follow me at @LILbooKlovers!
One update I really want to shed a lot of light on is our archives, which you access on our dropbar menu or on the links I'm providing below. Over the past few weeks, I've categorized every review, interview, and guest post into various categories based on the age group of the featured book. For example, interviews are sorted between Children's, Middle Grade, Young Adult, and Adult.
Why did I re-organize our archives? In January, as the blog gained some growth, I saw that more and more educators and librarians are subscribing and viewing the blog, which touched my heart so much. Knowing that I am assisting educators in their search for the right books for their students inspires me to continue blogging, and to show my support and make navigating the site easier, I decided to categorize each blog post type into age groups. This allows viewers to figure out which books are MG, YA, Adult, and Children's and which books are in series and are standalones. I really hope that this will help you discover new books and learn more about unfamiliar and your favorite authors!
Thank you so much for reading this update, and please go check out the archives! I appreciate all your continual love and support!
What have been some of your favorite posts on LILbooKlovers?
Tempests and Slaughter Blog Tour: Review — How It Reinforces My Love of Fantasy!
Hi guys! I am super excited to be a part of the Blog Tour for Tamora Pierce's newest book Tempests and Slaughter, which released just a few days ago! You do NOT want to miss Tamora's newest novel, which includes not only an action-packed story you don't want to leave but also an exclusive poster you can find only in the first printed edition. The poster is beautiful and features a quote by the author, which you can find out what it is on my Bookstagram account. Go check it out!
Disclaimer: Thanks so much to Rockstar Book Tours and the publisher for sending me a finished hardcover in exchange for a review for the blog tour! This will not affect my review in any way.
When I first realized how thick this book is–a whopping 455 pages–I first felt overwhelmed. Considering how I had only a week to finish this book (I received it two weeks ago, but I write blog posts on the weekends), I did not know whether I was going to finish it or not. However, once I started Tempests and Slaughter, I became hooked. The further I went into the novel, the more attached I became with the characters and the storyline. It's as if the book became a part of me, for I carried it with me everywhere and I jumped into the world of Carthak when life became tough. I felt like I grew as a person alongside Arram, Varice, and Orzone. As I write this review, I'm realizing how much I miss the Academy and everyone from the Masters to the Mages to the Gladiators.


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Juan de Flandes, auch bekannt als Johannes von Flandern (* um 1465; † 1519), war ein niederländischer Maler, der überwiegend in Spanien von 1496 bis 1519 wirkte. Sein eigentlicher Name ist unbekannt, allerdings zeigt die Rückseite eines ihm zugeordneten Werkes die Inschrift Juan Astrat, die auf den Namen Jan van der Straat schließen könnte. Der Name Jan Sallaert, ein Künstler in Gent um 1480, könnte auch in Frage kommen.

Leben

Um 1465 wurde Juan de Flandes in Flandern geboren. Da seine Arbeiten Ähnlichkeiten mit Werken Joos van Wassenhoves, Hugo van der Goes und anderer Genter Künstler aufweisen, nimmt man an, dass er in Gent in die Lehre ging.

Es ist nur nachgewiesen, dass er Hofkünstler von Isabella I. von Kastilien in Spanien wurde. Sein Name tauchte 1496 in Rechnungsbüchern auf, und 1498 wurde er dort "Hofmaler" genannt. Bis zum Ableben Isabellas 1504 stand er in ihren Diensten. Nach ihrem Tod führte er in Salamanca von 1505 bis 1507 sakrale Arbeiten für spanische Kirchen aus. Da seine Frau im Dezember 1519 in Palencia als Witwe genannt wird, nimmt man an, dass er sich später dort aufgehalten hat.

Werke
Die deutliche Mehrheit seiner Arbeiten befindet sich in Sammlungen außerhalb Spaniens und stammt aus der späteren Schaffensphase, in der er sich religiösen Themen widmete. So findet man je vier Teile eines großen Altarpaneels einer palencianischen Kirche im Prado und in der National Gallery of Art in Washington. De Flandes porträtierte häufig die königliche Familie, aber er schuf auch eine Isabella gewidmete Gruppe von kleinen (21,3 × 16,7 cm großen) Flügelaltarplatten, die sich größtenteils in der königlichen Sammlung in Madrid befinden.

Seine Arbeiten weisen eine von niederländisch-gentischem Stil und spanischem Geschmack geprägte Mischung auf. Er hat ein hoch entwickeltes Gefühl für Raum und Licht und versteht es, den Raum in eine Folge schmaler Ebenen zu teilen. Seine späteren Arbeiten zeigen manieristische Züge.

Literatur
 Carl Justi: Juan de Flandes. Ein niederländischer Hofmaler Isabella der Katholischen. In: Jahrbuch der Preußischen Kunstsammlungen 8 (1887), S. 157–169.
 Max J. Friedländer: Neues über den Meister Michiel und Juan de Flandes. In: Der Cicerone 21 (1929), S. 249–254.
 J. O. Hand & M. Wolff, Early Netherlandish Painting. Washington/Cambridge 1986, ISBN 0-521-34016-0 (Digitalisat).
 "Prado": Museo del Prado, Catálogo de las pinturas. Ministerio de Educación y Cultura, Madrid 1996, ISBN 8487317537.
 Chiyo Ishikawa: The Retablo de Isabel la Católica by Juan de Flandes and Michel Sittow. Brepols, Turnhout 2004.
 Pilar Silva Maroto: Juan de Flandes. Caja Duero, Salamanca 2006.
 Matthias Weniger: Sittow, Morros, Juan de Flandes. Drei Maler aus dem Norden am Hof Isabellas von Kastilien. Verlag Ludwig, Kiel 2009, ISBN 978-3-933598-55-4.
 Alberto Velasco, Francesc Fité (Hrsg.): Late gothic painting in the Crown of Aragon and the Hispanic kingdoms. Brill, Leiden/Boston 2018.

Weblinks

 Nationale Kunstgalerie, Washington
 Juan de Flandes bei Artcyclopedia
 Juan de Flandes bei Web Gallery of Art

Einzelnachweise

Maler (Spanien)
Altniederländischer Maler
Maler der flämischen Renaissance
Niederländer
Geboren im 15. Jahrhundert
Gestorben 1519
Mann

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
The General Situation
Is that fire in your eyes or the glow of machines?
What's the General Sitch?
I'm just saying...
Tandem bikes: for the active codependent.
All public restrooms should have locks that indicate whether they're vacant or occupied.
I would pay extra for an edition of the New York Times with no opinion pieces.
Evite should run reviews and ratings from party guests.
Prius drivers are the worst.
Someday I'd like to have a washing machine that's not at knee-level.
Train travel is better in the abstract.
Artists should have websites indicating where their works are on display, the way musicians' websites list upcoming shows.
Why is stand-up comedy in movies always so terrible?
Nothing kills the vibe at a restaurant bar like a laptop.
Is a "knowledge base" ever useful?
Houseguests are like newborns: Great pains should be taken to keep them asleep.
Sometimes I think everyone I know is on the spectrum.
previous lyrics
Don't let the chlorine in your eyes blind you to the awful surprise
I think I lost it, let me know if you come across it
Time is like a clock in my heart
Walk beside me, not behind me. Feel my unconditional love
You always knew you were tired, but then where are your friends tonight?
It's too late tonight to drag the past out into the light
This may come as some surprise, but I miss you
I walked home smiling—I finally had a story to tell
I kissed you in a style Clark Gable would have admired. I thought it classic
If you knew how I felt now, you wouldn't act so adult now
Under the kitchen light, you still look like dynamite
The culture is lit, and if this is it, I had a ball
I was dreaming when I wrote this, so sue me if I go too fast
I never wanted to be your weekend lover
Sometimes I wish for a mistake
Downstairs the party is going full swing. The people we came with haven't noticed a thing
It's not safe to go out, it's not right to stay home. Listen, my advice is to carry a gun
And anyways I'd rather listen to Coltrane than go through all that shit again
Up to Lexington, 125—feel sick and dirty, more dead than alive
Whoever brought me here is gonna have to take me home
I hear you knockin', but there ain't nobody home
What's practical? What's logical? What the hell, who cares?
I don't know what I knew before, but now I know I want to win the war
Tell me something that you mean, not just what comes to mind
I don't know my future after this weekend, and I don't want to
I see you driving sports cars, ain't hitting the throttle, and I'll be down to do a hundred, top down and goggles
Sing me another love song, but this time with a little dedication
You got a look in your eye when you're saying goodbye, like you want to say hi
I'll settle for a cup of coffee, but you know what I really need
Adventures in Hyperlocalism (27)
Celebrity Dreams (3)
Conversations (237)
Howard the Pug (79)
I Love-Hate New York (148)
I'm Just Saying... (28)
Kristin Scott Thomas (20)
Mixtape (31)
Nutmegger (2)
Sentences I Wish I'd Written (2)
Vocab Lesson (18)
What I Learned in the NYT (24)
Gates of Heaven
The house we're renting is in Montecito, east of Santa Barbara. Montecito is one of the prettiest places I've ever seen: The land itself is beautiful, and then instead of getting crapped up like so much of California, it got preserved and even improved. Exploring it is endlessly rewarding to the eye, with a mix of architecture and wildly varied—and established—flora. Palm trees are next to pines, eucalyptus trees are surrounded by citrus trees, and so on. As you can see above, there are oak trees everywhere; as you can see below, people go to great lengths to let them be (because you get in trouble if you don't).
Whether Montecito is right for us remains an open question. There's more to life than beauty, probably, and I'm still not sure we belong here—or, more to the point, that we'll be welcomed. Not because we're gay, but because I don't know how we'll ever come into contact with other people. The human aspect of Montecito is not what I would call warm: People's walls are up. Literally! Most houses have gates, and while I don't like them in principle—in part because they make good housepeeking difficult—some of them are gorgeous.
The move out West wasn't just meant to be somewhere different, but to live differently. Despite the fact that I'm typing this now, I'd like to spend less time at a computer, and more time outside. Swimming doesn't count, even though swimming outside can be transcendentally beautiful. (Perhaps I'll wax poetic about that some other day.) So this afternoon, when Adam went for a hike—I declined because we're not supposed to hike on muddy trails—I took a walk. One of the ways that Montecito has retained its unsuburban charm is that there really aren't sidewalks, making a walk stressful at times, but not compared to New York.
Our house abuts a part of town that real estate brokers, and likely no one else, call the Golden Quadrangle, which sounds like part of a Harry Potter title or something Edward Gorey could spin a tale around. I don't find it especially special, but it does have a ton of excellent gates. The older the wall and ironwork, the more excited I get. Paging Norma Desmond....
Sometimes the trees get me as much as the gates.
The cloudy photo above was actually from the day before, but the trees are so good I had to include it. And look at this heavenly oak-lined allée.
And this little pedestrian gate....
I even like the ones you can't see.
But I wouldn't want to live behind one, particularly a grand one. My style is more this carport flanked by trees.
P.S. Doesn't it seem like a good idea to let emergency vehicles through the front door? Or however they heck they want?
P.P.S. I'm serious about the carport. And as "God" is my witness, I will one day paint a mailbox. Zebra is not out of the question.
Look Who's Stalking
Before going to the big Saturday farmer's market, Adam and I inevitably stop at the French Press coffee shop across the street. The other morning, we had to sit inside, because there had been rain earlier. "Check out the man at the counter," Adam said. "The way that orchid is positioned, it looks like it's tucked behind his ear." I took a quick peek, chuckling as I turned back toward Adam—he was right—and that's when I realized that the man was the manager of the market, who continues to resist my pleas to volunteer. Now he probably thinks I was laughing at him.
Unfortunately, ways to help the market keep coming to me, so I think I'll write a Hail Mary letter. If specific, constructive suggestions don't appeal, I'll move on. And I won't hold it against the market, which continues to be a highlight of the week. This time, we bought more Satsuma tangerines; spigarello, a rabe-ish green that the New York restaurant Hemlock would memorably roast; "fancy" medjool dates, so tender you can hardly believe they're dates; avocados, of course; celery; a bunch of luscious lettuces; fava beans; and two bottles of wine from Piedrasassi, a winemaker that the folks at Racines in Tribeca had recommended to Adam. He's always on the hunt for local wines that aren't big and fruity.
The favas lacked flavor, but their springy greenness was welcome in the fava mint crostini pictured above. The star so far has been the celery, which we used in this excellent salad by Joshua McFadden of the Six Seasons cookbook. Real celery—versus that Foxy crap at the supermarket—is so herbaceous and interesting that it'll blow your mind. And the rest of the salad is a classic Franny's combination (McFadden worked there for a while): a little crunchy (almonds), a little salty (Parmesan), a little spicy (red pepper flakes), a little acidic (lemon juice), and a little sweet (dates).
P.S. Can we encourage the phone companies to stop putting random digits above the random codes texted as two-factor authentication? (And now Chase is sending out eight-digit numbers, without a space or a dash to break them up.) It must be a nightmare for anyone with dyscalculia, which I just learned is "generally seen as the mathematical equivalent to dyslexia."
Get the Party Started
Last night, in an effort to meet people, Adam and I went to a wine dinner. We didn't know anything about the winemaker, but we like the restaurant, so it was worth a shot.
We arrived five minutes late to find no space at the table. Someone had brought extra people, and the restaurant didn't realize we had yet to show up. We were afraid the staff would seat us somewhere else, alone—not at all the point of the outing—but they found room to add a two-top and chairs at one end.
The other guests all knew each other: One couple, who belonged to the winery's club, had invited everyone else. The folks to our left were fun and friendly. We got along well, and I managed to curb my don't-get-out-enough mania. (They both work from home; it's possible we were all manic.) They shared restaurant and real estate advice, and all four of us floated out the possibility of seeing each other again. And I hope it happens! The ball is in their court.
So far, it was as good as we could hope for. Then a man from the other end of the table came over to join us. He was personable, with the confidence of someone who's used to being liked. We chatted for a while. He and the woman near me talked about when they were going to make leather goods again—a mutual hobby—and he showed us the bag he had made for his wife, which he had with him, which only seems strange in retrospect. In any event, that got Adam to telling this rather tangential story about former neighbors of ours who ran an S&M leather store out of their apartment. He made the mistake of saying the company's actual name, which led to our new acquaintances looking at the website for far longer than they really should have, exclaiming, "Floggers!" and "Ball stretchers!" every now and then. Adam and I both noticed that they were physically demonstrative with each other to a degree that we're not with our friends. Then the guy turned toward us....
Guy: Do you like to party?
Me: I guess that depends?
Adam: I don't know what you mean, but the answer is probably no.
This morning, Adam found an explanation on Moving to LA Today: "When someone asks if you 'party,' they are asking if you do drugs. They are not talking about marijuana because marijuana is so common that it is not considered to be a drug. [...] They are asking if you do cocaine or meth." It rang a bell from my wild-oats days, not that I was into that stuff, so I'm pretty confident that's what this was about. "If you do and you say yes," the post continued, "you'll probably make a new friend on the spot. If you don't, say goodbye forever because people who 'party' rarely hang out with people who don't." On one hand, our new friendship might be over before it had even really begun. On the other hand, always better to be invited than not!
P.S. The food was delicious. Below: a pizza with absinthe béchamel and local mussels. Too rich to eat more than a slice, perhaps two.
I met a friend, Amy, for lunch today. We know each other from New York City, but she and her family moved to the area a couple of years ago. The venue was fascinating: The Waypoint Cafe, alongside the Camarillo airport, and sort of midway between us. The restaurant was packed. We arrived at noon and had to wait 20 minutes.
"You're getting one of our best tables," said the hostess.
"Amy, did you tell them who I am?" I said. Dad humor, and I don't even have kids!
The view of the planes was neat, although the wide openness of the airport sky might also be part of the appeal—it's rare for a restaurant to have that much empty space outside.
Amy and I nattered at each other like two people who work from home and don't get enough socialization. Her stories were much better than mine. The best one: On a guys' trip, a friend of Amy's husband shared not just a rather outré proclivity, but also photos of him doing it to his wife. Who was visibly pregnant. Amy and I spent a good 10 minutes trying to unpack it all. Later, I emailed her: "Perhaps you should give your husband carte blanche so that next time one of his friends shares a perversion, he can say, 'Oh, Amy is totally into that, too.'" It's nice to make people feel less alone, right?
On the drive south, I thought I might overeat, but I controlled myself, ordering just the tuna melt—you don't see those very often, at least in my life—and fries. I had to force myself from wolfing it down, because I had done Master's Swimming this morning, and I was ravenous. I'm not so intimidated by the class anymore, but the jargon remains baffling. Actually, it's a combination of jargon and math. The board we get shown is pictured below. The instructor quickly runs through it at the start, but you try following along at 6 a.m. And then we get told again before each set, when we're exhausted.
I've learned what the numbers mean, but I have trouble with most of the words—and that's true even after I've done the workout. To make matters worse, for the initial 3x100 @+20 set, I thought I understood that we were basically swimming three 100-meter laps in 1:50 (our lane's 1:30 "base time" plus 20 seconds). Then the guy ahead of me kept going after the first lap! I followed along, of course. After the second lap, he stopped and apologized. I'll take any social interaction I can get.
P.S. When my parents were here, Adam cooked steak with, among other things, the marjoram-anchovy "salsa verde" from Ignacio Mattos's Estela cookbook. The "salsa verde" was a bit heavy on the raw garlic, but otherwise delicious, so he made it again the other night. If you love marjoram, like we do, and find it a flavor you don't get often enough, I highly recommend this. Here's the recipe (but you might want to cut back on the garlic): Using a mortar and pestle, pound 1.5 to 2 garlic cloves with a pinch of gray salt until it's almost a paste. (The coarse salt helps break down the garlic.) Add two anchovies and pound to break them down and incorporate them. Stir in the 1/2 cup coarsely chopped marjoram, then pour over enough oil (1/4 cup-ish) to cover. Also, it helps if you have a fabulous mortar and pestle like the big, beautiful one I bought Adam for Christmas.
Adam's mom, Barbara, came to Montecito for lunch—she moved to the nearby town of Ojai a few years ago—and a postprandial visit to Seaside Gardens in Carpinteria. Barbara had given Adam a gift card for Christmas, and we have a few empty pots that would liven up a barren terrace, if only they had plants inside.
The nursery is spectacular, with dramatic mountain views. (The photos don't show the noise from the adjacent freeway, a small price to pay.)
The colors and textures had me all jazzed up. The plant in the first photo below, in particular, spoke to me. It was fluffy. But Adam was hell-bent on something that flowers.
I spent a while watching the chickens, naturally. This one would hop straight up in an unsuccessful effort to eat something on the plant poking through the fence.
I was feeling the place to such a degree that I weighed whether to buy an owl figurine (before coming back to my senses—obviously you'd have to have at least a dozen to make it work).
I found Adam in the succulent area, because we also need something for two shallow pots that the previous tenant left behind. Succulents love this climate, and they remind us of our old house, which had them all over. Then again, that house had pretty much everything. As one visitor said, "It's like the last owner bought one of everything in the Burpee catalog."
So far, everything I've described is the traditional nursery area, where you can grab a pot of your own. But the three-acre spread also has demonstration gardens, showcasing plants of various regions. While a bit muddy from the recent rain, the paths make for a nice stroll—and the variety of flora is astounding. This is where I found Barbara having a wander. February is early spring in Santa Barbara; as a result, much was in bloom.
I was transfixed by something called a Basterkobas, which is quite attractive when it has leaves (judging from a later Google image search).
But my favorite plant—I made a pilgrimage just to see it—is the Mexican Grass Plant. The photos don't do it justice. It's a perfect sphere, and the blades bob in the breeze.
And I had no idea that it shoots up a huge flower, like an agave (which it probably is).
Back at the counter, Adam was checking out. He said I chose this plant because I said it was pretty—undoubtedly true, but if we bought everything I declared was pretty we'd have more plants that we'd ever know what to do with.
Who Likes to Watch?
Adam: [Blah blah blah] nefarious [blah blah blah].
Me: I think the second syllable might be pronounced fair instead of far.
Adam: No, it's ne-far-ious. That word has come up a lot in my life.
Me: [Laughs hysterically.]
That's for anyone out there who misses the conversations I used to post. I'd love to include more, but we come into contact with so few people, and Adam has his guard up more now that he knows I'm always on the sniff for new material. (For the record, I was right.)
Unrelatedly, in the past couple of years, I've noticed that every time I see someone socially we end up talking about which TV shows we're watching. On one hand, we could all use some direction, given the sheer amount of programming out there. On the other hand, I don't want to talk about TV! I don't generally want to watch it! And yet Adam and I seem to be watching it more than ever. As for whether this is a new golden age of television, I'll admit that there's more good television now than in past decades. I do wonder, however, whether the proportion of decent shows to dreck has changed all that much.
Better to have something to say than nothing, though, right? In which case, should someone ask what I like these days, I'd recommend two shows, both on Netflix. The first is "Sex Education." I swore long ago that I was over anything set in a high school—Jesus, who cares?—but the show gets by on the charm of its characters and the actors who portray them. (The plotting can be painful.) A special shout-out goes to Gillian Anderson, as the smart, sexy mom—it's about as far as she can get from "The X-Files," and she's tremendous.
The second show is "Call My Agent," or "Dix pour cent" (Ten Percent) as it was originally called in France. The director, Cedric Klapisch, is the man behind L'Auberge Espagnole and its two sequels. I love that movie! And "Call My Agent"—imagine "L.A. Law" about agents—has a similar brisk sensibility, although to be honest, I've only seen the first episode.
Then again, if you're on Netflix, you should really watch Bull Durham while it's available. I was thinking recently about how much I loved that movie, and how I always wish it would play on airplanes, so I was beyond delighted to see it resurface. Everything about it, except for Kevin Costner's baggy chinos, has held up beautifully. The comedy—and romance—come from the characters, not the situation, something we don't see enough of these days. And it's incredibly sexy. This would be the most famous scene:
Last but not least, if you like a good art movie, I highly recommend Pawel Pawlikowski's Cold War, and it benefits greatly from a large screen, so see it soon. I don't recall another film that manages to be so hot and so cool, simultaneously.
Lost in the Supermarket
My diet plan, such as it is, has two main principles: Don't buy stuff you know is bad for you; and exercise often, ideally first thing in the morning and before eating anything. Ever since I've been working from home, the first rule has become even more important—when I get stuck or bored, I'll inevitably wander into the kitchen to see what there is to eat. Not that I have to look, because I can tell you everything that's edible in my kitchen at any given time, particularly foods that don't require preparation. The corollary to rule #1 is that if you buy healthy stuff, you'll eat it—especially if you hate wastefulness—so I also try to make sure there are apples and nuts around at all times.
Alas, there has been backsliding since we moved. First, my sister brought a box of Wheat Thins (Adam's kryptonite) and a basket of other treats. Then, to ease the transition, I went through a phase of picking up little indulgences. Back in New York, it was easy not to purchase, say, Pepperidge Farm Bordeaux cookies: Whole Foods doesn't sell them, so I rarely would've had the opportunity, except perhaps for the food aisle of a Duane Reade or Walgreens, which is akin to what you'd find in a gas station. In Santa Barbara, I've had to get used to a new supermarket—two new supermarkets, because one is on the way home from the pool—which means going down every aisle searching for items, which leads to buying cookies. (What about those biscotti? I hear you asking. Rationing anything I bake is easy. I don't want to have to do it again.)
Anyway, I can't deny enjoying the Bordeaux cookies, the Nabisco Chocolate Wafers (like Oreos, minus the filling), the Sun-Maid raisin bread, and the McConnell's peppermint ice cream with Nabisco Chocolate Wafers crushed on top. And I frequently get a kick out of the packaging, which offers a window into contemporary America.
One can only imagine the focus groups with millennials sharing that they didn't realize how English muffins work.
P.S. The Vons supermarket in Montecito—and perhaps other locations—hires developmentally disabled men and women to do the bagging, which is fantastic. I've always enjoyed bagging my own groceries, so it has taken significant will power to stand uselessly while someone else does it. But I do get more time to look at the magazines.... Are there really people who will pay $7 for real estate listings?
Falling on My Head Like a Memory
By the end of my week in solitary, I was getting a little tetchy. The prospect of being housebound for a day, due to the evacuation order, was not at all pleasing, even with Adam back home. I had baked the fennel almond biscotti by 10 a.m., only realizing midway through that the recipe I found online didn't call for almonds. Whatever, the biscotti are pretty good. At 12:30 p.m., I took a deep 90-minute nap. During a lull in the storm, Adam and I managed a short walk, and we finally met a neighbor, who seemed unhinged in the right way—like the heroine of a screwball comedy. At 5:15 p.m, I poured myself a Maker's and Maple, a drink I discovered at Houseman restaurant in New York City. (It's as simple as it sounds.) Maybe that's a swell day to you, but the new, extra-active me was agitated.
The good news is that yesterday's rainfall fell short of fears, although it was certainly substantial: Several roads were flooded, and the freeway was closed, which strikes at the heart of Californians. From our perch on the hill, we could see the muddy runoff along the Pacific coastline.
After I took that photo, the rain started up again. It has been raining all day today. It's raining now. And it'll likely rain tomorrow, and maybe Tuesday. I'm not complaining; we had a house here during the big drought, and watching plants die was miserable. But I am bored with it. Hiking and biking are out of the question, so I had to go do yoga this morning. I love yoga, but I don't love doing it here. This being California, you'd think there would be studios everywhere. Not only are there not, most of the studios in Santa Barbara focus on hot yoga, and I sweat enough during yoga as it is.
The studio I used to go to in New York was all business, yoga as fitness with only a dollop of spirituality. The studio I've tried here is much more idiosyncratic. On my first visit, while I was waiting for class to start, a staffer plopped down a big bowl of unpeeled carrots. Snacks?
On my second visit, the instructor told me to use a strap to bind my arms. I was trying to do it when she took over, grabbing the strap and yanking it tight, until my arms were pulled down straight in front of my chest. "My safe word is pineapple," I said. I try not to crack jokes at yoga—it doesn't seem right—but the situation needed defusing. "I can tie you up all over!" she replied.
And on the third visit, the instructor talked a lot, most of which I was able to successfully ignore. For some reason I snapped out of my reverie in time to hear this: "And do you know why Native Americans do a rain dance? Because it works!"
P.S. I loved Eddie Rabbitt's "I Love a Rainy Night" when I was a kid, and in college, I very much wanted Irish singer Luka Bloom to cover it (probably because of the way he sings "love" in his version of LL Cool J's "I Need Love"). Bloom came to Duke to play a small concert, and at one point, he asked if anyone had a request. "I Love a Rainy Night!" I yelled, and he looked at me like I was speaking in tongues.
A Little Rain Must Fall
I didn't post yesterday because I had nothing worthwhile to say, and anyway, daily posts would be overwhelming for everyone. Also, recent posts have felt more diary-ish than I would like, which might normally make me wish something interesting would happen—except an evacuation order appears likely to be issued for the area. Five inches of rain are forecast for the next four days, with half of that coming tonight. Last year, torrential rain soon after a big wildfire led to debris flow—what we used to call mudslides—that killed 23 people and caused widespread destruction. Naturally, folks around here get nervous when a large storm approaches. I certainly feared the worst yesterday, when I woke up early—intending to go to another 6 a.m. Master's Swim class—and heard a loud booming noise. The lightning that soon followed was a relief.
So, let's hope for a few days of nothing too interesting.
The big update: I introduced myself to the farmer's market manager this morning! He said he hadn't seen my emails, and he took down my info. I hope something works out, because I really do love everything about the market, even the slug that I found crawling on the kitchen island this morning. (It must have been hanging out in the peach blossoms I bought on Tuesday.) When I scooped it up on a piece of paper to take it outside—magic carpet ride!—it retracted its head and tail till it was half this size. It looked like bird poop.
Those peach blossoms were indeed a sign of spring: The trees are starting to flower all around town. If I used to know that eucalyptus trees have flowers, I forgot it.
Adam comes back tonight, assuming we don't decide to spend the next couple of days in L.A. Our house is just outside the evacuation zone, but getting around town could be tough, not that there's much to do in the rain. I feel good about my list from Day One: I braved the Masters Swimming class, and tried to do another one, but I was thwarted by that thunderstorm. (You can't swim outside if there's lightning.) I met the farmer's market guy. I hiked the shit out of these hills. And I cooked a lot, including Melissa Clark's red lentil soup and a rather tasty grain bowl (roasted carrots, pearl couscous, harissa yogurt, mache, and boiled eggs). I decided to save the biscotti for a rainy day....
P.S. A few years ago, I recommended my optometrist to my friend Mitch. She's a great doctor, and I thought we had a nice rapport. Today, he texted me that she just asked him, "You're moving to California soon, aren't you?" And I thought being mistaken for Adam was bad.


Tony skates everything and does it better than anyone, making it look fun as hell with the most insane, out of control-looking style out there.
There's nobody more exciting to watch just cruising a park and it's been that way since he first appeared in old 411 VHS tapes in the nineteen nineties, flying around the Santa Rosa skate park. Since then, TNT has been around the world a hundred times over, drank your beer, kissed your girlfriend, won Thrasher Magazine's coveted lucky 13th Skater of the Year award, had multiple Vans Signature pro models, made a baby boy named Waylon with another on the way, married his drummer Trixie con Leche (Ashley), made a time capsule-worthy video part for Transworld's In Bloom, been the Beauty and the Beast tour two-time MVP, had more covers than we can count and generally laid havoc where ever he roams. When it's all said and done, Tony is going to be remembered as a guy that did it his way.
Stale tuna to my own reach around… Is that weird?
Pure Cop. Chicago police bustin' crackheads, arsonists, prostitutes and suicide bombers…seemed like a good read.


BATON ROUGE - The state will pay less money to the Miss USA Pageant than initially agreed, according to the Lieutenant Governor's Office.
Originally Louisiana state officials agreed to pay $50,000 cash as part of an incentives package to have the Miss USA pageant held in Baton Rouge. That was before Miss Universe CEO Donald Trump made controversial comments about Mexican immigrants which caused NBC and Univision to refuse to air the program.
The pageant dropped millions of viewers as a result, even after Reelz Network agreed to stream it online. Because of the drop in exposure for Louisiana, Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne said they state will only pay half the agreed-upon amount, or $25,000.
"It's not what we bargained for, at the $50,000 dollars obviously, because we didn't get the NBC coverage," Dardenne told News 2. "But we're grateful to Reelz Network for stepping in and providing a great show, and providing an audience for the pageant which I thought was absolutely essential."
The Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board will still pay its $15,000 commitment. Visit Baton Rouge still owes $75,000 for its incentive package, but hasn't said how much of it they will pay.


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US Mint Gold Eagle Bullion Coins on Track for Third Best March
by CoinNews.net on March 14, 2010 · 1 comment
American Gold Eagle bullion coins are not on the same fiery pace seen in 2009 or during the Y2K "scare" in 1999, but the latest United States Mint sales figures show they are on track to record their third best ever March.
With the first two weeks of this month now history, US Mint sales of the gold bullion coins have reached 39,500. Buyers will need to scoop up another 48,501 during the next 2 1/2 weeks to pass March 1998 and earn the third best March ranking.
Any slack in sales however, and the month will likely fall to fourth place — only 16,501 more are needed to attain that spot.
U.S. Mint Gold Eagle Coin Sales in March (1987 – 2010*)
*Sales though to March 12, 2010.
Volatile gold prices have made it an interesting year for American Eagles, with buyers trying to ride the surges and dips. There is no better example than last week when gold plunged $33.50 in New York and $28.75 in London. The fall brought gold prices back toward their 2010 starting level. Gold ended 2009 at $1,104.00 an ounce. The Gold London Fix came in at $1,106.25 an ounce on Friday, which is a 0.2 percent increase for the year.
The yellow metal has been fixed as low as $1,052.25 and as high as $1,158.00, as the following gold graph from Kitco Metals Inc. highlights:
London Fix Gold Prices: January 1, 2010 to March 12, 2010
Despite the swings, Gold Eagle sales in January and February were relatively even, with 85,000 sold in the first month and 84,000 in the second. Year-to-date sales now stand at 208,500. The following chart shows how the eagles have performed during the first three months of the year since 1987.
U.S. Mint Gold Eagle Coin Sales: January – March (1987 – 2010*)
The Mint does not sell bullion eagles directly to the public, but instead to a small group of authorized purchasers who in turn resell them to precious metal providers, investors, dealers and collectors. These coins do not have a mint mark, unlike their numismatic counterparts.
The Gold Eagle series was launched in October 1986. For more information about this year's bullion coin, to include specifications and design details, visit the coin information page: 2010 Gold Eagle Coin.
US Mint Silver Eagle Bullion Coins Top 5.3M in March Sales
2014 American Platinum Eagle Bullion Coins on Sale March 10
American Silver Eagle Coins Rally in March, Capping U.S. Mint Quarterly Sales Record
March weird month when coming to buying bullion gold and silver coins. When price of gold and silver rises, investors will buy more coins. Since Gold and Silver were used back in stone age, and remain the one of the best investment together with Platinum and Palladium!
US Mint Sales Report Sources
The US Mint provides CoinNews.net weekly sales figures for its collector coin products. It is these reports that are used as the source for our articles on the subject. The bureau on its website also publishes updated bullion coin sales every weekday. These US Mint sales are presented in our daily gold articles.
US Mint Sales - Last Four Articles
US Mint Sales: Updated Figures To Dec. 16
US Mint Sales: 2019 Youth Coin and Currency Set Debuts
US Mint Sales: 2019 Pennsylvania American Innovation Dollars Debut
US Mint News - Most Recent
CCAC to Review WWII 75th Anniversary Coin and Medal Designs
Visit U.S. Mint Website


Life has gotten in the way of my blogging over the last month and a half, but I'm definitely going to get some postings up this weekend about General Conference. It seems that most times I'm at work for one of the sessions, but this weekend I'm off, so I'm going to watch all conference sessions at home. This will also include the Priesthood Session. My father and I talked about it, and we think we'll watch this one and April's conference at home, and then when my son is 12 for next October's conference, we'll go to the Church so he has that tradition of going out with us.
I have no insight whatsoever into what will be shared this weekend, but I assume that much of the same themes we've heard in other meetings this year will be continued. The Work of Salvation, along with strengthening families will be hot topics for sure.