Author: Matthew Petch
Source: ezinearticles.com

If your iPhone or iPod touch is getting a little grumpy, crashing and freezing there are things you can do solve the problem and help ensure it doesn’t happen again.

Reboot
Your iPhone/Touch is really just a pocket computer and like all computers if left running for days or weeks on end it can start to develop a few issues that cause it to occasionally crash. When your devices screen turns off or when you press its power button at the top’ it is not actually completely powering down but rather going into a sleep mode in a similar way to your desktop computer. Like a computer it will occasionally need a complete restart. To do this hold down the power button at the top until a red slider appears and drag the slider to completely turn off your device. Don’t worry all of your data will be retained. Turn it back on by holding the power button again for a second or two. Be aware that its quite normal for your device to take a minute or so to start up from cold.

Force Quit
So what do you do if you’re in the middle of using your favorite app and suddenly it just stops responding? It wont scroll, the buttons wont work and even the, “iPod touch“, main home button of your device wont take you back to the home screen. Its not like a computer where you can just switch to the desktop and force it to quit! Well actually it is in a way. If an app just stops responding hold down the home button for six or seven seconds. This is the iphone equivalent of the Force Quit on a mac or End Task on Windows.

Forced Restart
If your entire device has completely locked up and you can’t even shut it down using the above method there is a way of forcing it to restart. Hold down the power button as above but this time hold the home button at the same time until you see an Apple logo appear. This will actually force the machine to completely restart which will again take a minute or so.

Replace a troublesome application
If you have completely restarted your device but there is still one particular application that insists on crashing, you could try replacing it with a fresh copy. First of all delete the troublesome app by holding your finger down on it until it starts to jiggle. Tap the x that appears in the top left corner of the icon. It should be noted that if you delete an app which was purchased on your device (rather than on your computer) before ever syncing, the app will be lost for good and you will need to download a new version from the app store. The app has now been deleted and can be replaced with the copy in iTunes on your computer. Plug your device into your computer and wait for iTunes to open. In iTunes click your device icon in the column on the left and then click the Applications tab in the main window. Make sure the app you deleted from your device is selected to sync then hit the Sync button in the bottom right. A new copy of the app will be loaded onto your device.

Replacing your settings
No amount of restarting will help if it’s the actual data on your device that is corrupt. Luckily Apple has provided a way to replace key data. Open the settings application and select General.Scroll down to the bottom and select Reset. The first two items in the resulting list are Reset All Settings and Erase All Content and Settings. Ignore the following four items. Settings are all the ways in which you have customized the device for your own use and content is the media and data you have loaded on to it. Resetting settings will restore your device to its initial condition but keep all of the media you have added to it. Erase all content and Settings will completely restore your device to its original condition when, “iPod touch“, first purchased. If you now re sync your device with your computer it will be populated with a nice fresh copy of your content.

I do hope this information has helped you restore your iPhone/Touch back to the smooth running device it was when you first starting using it and prevents further frustrations in the future.

Matt Byron Petch started his career as a product designer before moving into the world of digital design and has been an Apple (and Windows) product user for about 20 years.
http://www.appletap.com

LOL Surprise Post! tonight i will spill some secrets on the new FlameGame3.5 (A.K.A FG3E) … mostly the charecters!

Flame The Hedgestick: He’s the hero! although he has a heart of gold, it’s buried beneath A small mountain of sarcasm, short temper, and the odd ability to throw fireballs. he was made a celebrity in Hedgetown when he heard it was being terrorized by a large dinosaur (as seen in FlameGame1). He has a secret crush on Violet the Hedgestick.

Violet The Hedgestick: A new character introduced in the new Plotline for the Expansion Pack! she’ll join flame on his ‘epic’ quest to stop Freeze’s insanely evil plans. she can’t throw anything (Plants are her specialty) but she’ll be able to solve several puzzles in the new *EXPERIMENTAL* Bonus Puzzle Stages. She has a secret crush on Flame, believe it or not!

Shock The Hedgestick: Another new character that ALSO has a crush on Violet, but he’s not afraid to show it. he’s often aggressive and even forceful about it, but he’s usually rewarded by having a large hardcover book, nearby manhole cover, or just about anything else heavy, smashed over his skull. He serves no other purpose than an opening miniboss… or does he?Of COURSE that’s all! right? RIGHT? Right!

Freeze The Hedgestick: The Main Protagonist in the Flamegame series. THIS time, he not only aims to take over the world that most A.Z.I games take place on (where ever that is), but he also has a bone to pick with Flame and all around him… a huge, electrical, spiky bone, at that. he’s also found away to mass-produce robotic clones of the ice demon he recreated and took control of, Black Ice. he even has an entire plant dedicated to doing so. Now, HOW does he do THAT?

BOR-12: robotic clones of an Apocalypse-Bringing demon known as Black Ice. Pictured here is BOR-12, AKA Boris, minus his Admiral Cap. without it, he basically looks just like all the other clones. Go Figure. Those who played (and beat) the Original FG3 should remember that the monster could hover around the room and shoot Frozen Fireballs at it’s victim. Flame narrowly escaped being turned to frosty cinders.

Other Facts:

• FG3E Means “FlameGameThreeExpansion”. What? “X” would sound kinda generic, no?
• the violet that Violet wears in her hair should look a little better in the actual game.
• There is a possibility of Puzzle stages, however, I have no idea how they’ll work. (XP)
• 4th Wall Breaks will be inevitable, in one scene, Flame even accuses Shredster (ME) of creating a terrible plot for the game!

Oh, and one more thing: STEAL THESE SPRITES AND DIE!!!

Today is Thanksgiving and now the holiday stuff really begins in earnest.  I’ve been doing some Christmas shopping here and there the past month or so, maybe even longer.  When I see things I know my kids will want or like, I snag it and put it back. I don’t even know that they need anything else, to be honest.  I know they have way too much already in the way of toys, so I’ll probably just hold off on anything else.  I think Santa will be bringing the good stuff this year and mom is giving the clothes, you know, the boring stuff!

I wrote an earlier post about feeling guilty for having only my in-laws over today.  I’m not feeling that any more.  they all got along just fine without us.  And to be perfectly honest, it was nice just the 6 of us here having a nice quiet meal to celebrate family and give thanks for our health and each other.

I bought a spiral cut ham, made mashed potatoes and fresh green beans and a green salad and we called it good.  And it was just enough to get us all good and full.  Which is the point, not to have so much left over that we’re eating ham and mashed potatoes for weeks on end!

One recipe I tried today was new. The name that’s on it is Topsy Turvy apple pie.  It’s basically an upside down apple pie.  You put pecans and a blended sauce of butter, brown sugar and corn syrup in the bottom of the pan, then put a crust over that, top with sliced fresh apples and the second crust and bake.  When you serve it, invert it on a serving dish so you see the pecans and caramel sauce. All I can say is O.M.G.! It was so good!  My father-in-law was raving about it and I was pretty happy about it myself.  I love apple pie and there are so many variations on that theme.  but to hit on one that is just hands-down a knock-out makes me very happy.  Served warm with vanilla bean ice cream and I’m a happy girl!  I’m so full from eating 5 hours ago, I probably won’t have dinner!

My suggestion to you, if you see a recipe that looks interesting to you, don’t be shy, try it out.  And if you’re afraid you’ll have too much of something, it’s a great way to make friends with your neighbors, school teachers, firefighters, etc.  I love to bake, but the problem is, I like to EAT it too!  Many times, I’ll get in that baking mood and make a batch of cookies and rather than freezing them for later addition to my thighs, I’ll share them with my neighbors.  Or, if you want to keep them for yourself, you can alway freeze them.  Be sure they’re cooled completely and put them in a freezer storage bag and press out as much air as possible.  sometimes I even double-bag it, just to prevent any freezer burn that may occur.  Also use a sharpie and write on the bag what is inside and the date, that way, you won’t have any questions.  Like I do sometimes when I get something out and think, ‘now when did I put this in there?’

Enjoy and have a very happy Holiday! Or if you’re Canadian, have a great weekend!

The master of auto-tune is back with another auto-tune R&B mucky bounce of a track. T-Pain has many a hater and I’m sorry to say I’m one of them.  His stupid manner of singing about girls and sex witticisms is getting on my fucking nerves. Freeze was ok (bearable if you are a sleep and the songs on mute). So just leave our eardrums alone you bloody cochlea bursting auto-tune moron… as the for the song itself ….. its actually ok!

T-Pain – Take your shirt off —-Score 2/10

My second freeze after over 70+ hours…which is not a terrible record by any means, but still, I’m nervous. Was in Point Lookout and I fast traveled to the boardwalk area only to have the music get all glitchy and then poof…FROZE. Hadn’t been playing for very long at the time either so maybe it is just the DLC. Think good thoughts, everyone.

Water charges in Scotland should be frozen next year, the Water Industry Commission for Scotland says…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: ocean current. For a different topic see compare cities. The blog is also related to: sea temperatures.

Enthusiastic English language fan Mike, from near London, Ontario, has contacted us to ask the question: “Why do people say they are ‘fit as a fiddle’? Fiddles are neither fit nor unfit, are they – I mean, it’s not like they work our or anything? And what about ‘cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey,’ what’s that all about??”

Whoa there big fella – only one question to a customer. Although, in this case your questions are interesting enough to deserve a generous response. So… Let’s start with “fit as a fiddle.” When the term was coined – probably around the mid-1500s – in England, “fit” meant “suitable” or “appropriate,” in the way we might now say “She is well suited for the job,” or indeed, “She is fit for the job.” So in that sense “fit as a fiddle” means “as suitable to the purpose as a fiddle is suited for playing.” So “She is as well suited for the job as a fiddle is for playing,” would be a correct use of the old adage.

 As for the frozen brass balls on the poor monkeys, the expression in no way means what it sounds like, and is a lovely example of what happens to expressions when the meaning of the words change over time. Depending on which authority to check – and why not stick with Mr. Grammar Rant while you’re here anyway? – the reference may be to the brass plates, called “monkeys,” used to store cannon balls at shore batteries during the era of sail – during much of the British Empire, in other words. These plates has a small lip around the edges that held the cannon balls in place in a small pyramidal shape. The story is that when the weather turned brutally cold these brass monkeys would shrink enough that, on occasion, the balls would tumble off. Hence the expression: cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey.

An interesting footnote is that in equally brutally hot weather, people would comment that it was “hot enough to melt the tail off a brass monkey,” the “monkey” in this reference being to a kind of brass cannon – “gun” actually – on board ship that had a handle – or tail – used to aim the gun. But that’s a different kettle of fish…

Hope that helps, Mike, and thank you for the question.

Next up, naughty punctuation…

Hot-Cold Gel Pack, Microwave or Freeze Review

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-SKU (MODEL#): SP-08577. -Manufacturer: Hawk. -Material: Various.. -Usage: Sports Medicinal Use.. -Package Dimension: 5.5″ X 8.5″ X 1″.

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Console Games Refrigerators

Did your pond freeze over? Melt the ice by placing a hot pan in the surface, but never smash the ice.

Fa sembrare il computer si bloccava spesso, per nessuna ragione al mondo? So che ho avuto questo stesso problema sul mio computer un po 'indietro, mentre stavo facendo il mio lavoro. Anche se avevo avuto solo 1 programma acceso in un momento, il mio mouse sarebbe solo congelare all'improvviso, e la mia tastiera non risponde. Tutto sullo schermo appena smette di muoversi, e non c'era modo di recuperare da esso diverso da quello di riavviare il PC con il tasto di accensione.

Ci possono essere molti effetti nocivi per laNon spegnere il PC in modo corretto. Diversi da quelli di perdere tutto il lavoro prezioso che si stava lavorando su qualche tempo fa, il computer si può iniziare ad avere più errori in futuro, perché non è stato spento correttamente. Se questo è il vostro problema, vi è una cura per essa e che sarà spiegato in questo articolo. Ho scoperto che il motivo principale per cui i computer blocco è dovuto ad errori o cattive voci nel Registro di sistema del computer. Quasi tutti gli utenti di computer non ha idea di che cosa sonofile del Registro di sistema, o come fare per risolverli.

Fondamentalmente, il Registro di sistema del computer è altrettanto importante come qualsiasi altro componente del PC. Essi sono i file che istruire il computer esattamente come avviare programmi, come gestire loro e come chiuderle. Nel corso del tempo, ci saranno più errori e più nel Registro di sistema, che causa i programmi per ottenere "bloccati" più frequentemente. Semplicemente hanno idea di cosa fare dopo.

Per risolvere questo problema, ho scaricato Registro di buonaIl software del pulitore e sono riusciti a ripristinare il mio Registro di sistema indietro alle sue impostazioni originali. Il computer non ha congelato di nuovo e si mise a correre molto più velocemente anche. Se si desidera ripristinare il Registro di sistema, visitare il link al sito qui sotto per saperne di più sul software top riparazione del registro.

Related : Cordless Drills Dewalt Sunglasses Brand Elidas Talk Cristinas talk about health

182. The subscriber should also only initiate court action to pursue the debt as a last resort and when it is appropriate and fair to do so. [Reproduced with the kind permission of the British Banking Association -see link below]

The only time I can see that court action is justified is where it can be clearly shown there is BOTH ability to pay AND wilful avoidance of resolving the matter on the part of the debtor.

Whatever the history of the creation of the debt – and there can be more than one side to this – the issue at the collection stage is about both the position of the debtor, and the reasonable actions to determine resolution.

Now bear in mind that resolution may be achieved in many ways. The debt may be completely written off, without any call on the debtor in the future. It may be frozen on any basis from not chasing it at all, to regular contact; here the intervals of contact should relate the fact that freezing is going to be a response to small likelihood of payment. Annual contact should be sufficient.

There may be token payments, of say £1 a month. But here the use of this should be sparing, as this can cause problems for poor and disabled debtors. It is likely that the debtor has more than one creditor. Not only may the total pounds be noticeable, but the costs of paying can add 50 percent or even more.

The Debt Management Plan is not available where monthly repayments total less than £100 a month. At lower figures there is no way of using an intermediary, including charities, to distribute the total repayment.

Where there are a number of creditors it would be a good move for creditors to organise a clearing house for these payments. And that would permit something even more in keeping with fairness.

A debtor is generally required to treat all their creditors equally. But if only a pound or two a month can be afforded it is hard to divide; unless there is a clearing house that gathers many such payments, doing the computer-easy calculating and accounting, and passing sums on in bulk to the appropriate creditors.

It isn’t brain surgery. And not even rocket science!

Joseph Harris, Debt Control Man
Author: Control Your Debt Crisis on Your Own Terms
http://www.controlyourdebtcrisis.co.uk

The new Lending Code is here http://www.bba.org.uk/bba/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=1758
The MALG 2007 submission to the review of the code is here http://www.moneyadvicetrust.org/download.asp
And the Treasury Select committee view is here http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200405/cmselect/cmtreasy/274/27406.htm#a18

Freezer Herbs

Fresh herbs are a bit of a rarity here.  In due course we’re hoping to have a small herb garden up and running but clearly that’s a mid to long term solution.  In the meantime we have to make do with what’s available in the fruitaria, the fruit and vegetable shop.

Unlike in the UK supermarkets simply don’t stock many herbs regularly.  Corriander is widely available, and is absurdly cheap, but it is considered more a salad leaf than a herb.  Basil grows very well and is often cultivated in huge pots in restaurants to deter flies.  There’s a place in Larnaka that has an avenue of basil trees five feet tall for that very reason.

Those apart both of our regular fruitarias tend to have a single box of cut bunches of herbs.  Sometimes there’s a bunch of chives, occasionally some mint, and from time to time rosemary and thyme may make a rare appearance.  So, when we find something we tend to buy it and then try and figure out how we can make it last.

With that in mind, some of the lightly woody herbs not only freeze well but do so in such a way to reduce the necessary prep work.  How can this not be a good thing?!

So …

• Wash the herbs, discarding any stalks that are damaged or tired
• Line up the stalks as much as possible and place them in a sturdy freezer bag
• Place the bag in the freezer, flat on the freezer plate if possible
• Periodically (and ideally when the freezer is open for something else) rub the stalks, through the sealed bag, between your hands
• Smile as you realise that all of the work of stripping the leaves is being done for you by the freezer
• When the stalks are pretty bare snip a corner off the bag and decant the leaves into small container(s)

The total work is probably less than 10 minutes.  In return for that you get a handy stash of fresh herbs with no wastage.  The herbs can be used straight from frozen, just as you would fresh.

Freshly washed thyme

Bagged and ready for the freezer

Part-way through the freezing process. Leaves at the bottom, stalks near the top

Snip the corner from the bag, decant. No mess, no waste and very little work

Source:

At lunch today, my colleagues and I listened to the TMA’s Webinar entitled “2010 Credit Market: Will the Credit Squeeze Continue?” I thought I would take few moments to recap here, in what I call “plain-english”, some of what I learned.

As an FYI, The Turnaround Management Association (“TMA”) (www.turnaround.org) is the only international non-profit association dedicated to corporate renewal and turnaround management.  I am an active member of the Pittsburgh chapter and serve as its Treasurer.

I am also a Certified Turnaround Professional-D, a certification program facilitated by the TMA that creates an objective measure of the experience, knowledge, and integrity that is necessary to conduct corporate renewal work.  I believe I am one of only 6 CTP’s in the city of Pittsburgh and the only CTP in Pittsburgh who is also a lawyer.  I have a “D” after my designation, indicating that I am still in the process of completing the experience component of the designation.

I am a big fan of webinars in general, particularly the TMA’s webinars.  They are usually every month or so.  See Webinar Archive. http://www.turnaround.org/Development/archive/WebinarArchive.aspx.  The webinars are always enlightening, and often, if not always, are at lunch (convenient time).  The discussions usually reference larger deals, though, and my firm The Meridian Group (www.themeridiangrp.com) is usually engaged in smaller transactions involving middle-market companies ($10 million to $150 million revenue).

The panelists today were:

• Arnie Dratt, Hilco
• Gary Holtzer, Weil Gotshal, & Manges, LLP
• Jason Perri, Apollo Capital Management
• Robert Podorefsky, GE Capital
• David Resnick, Rothschild, Inc.
• David Gozdecki, GE Capital

KEY TAKEAWAYS  (Primary SOURCE: TMA Handout):

1.  Who or what impacts interest rates and sources of capital?

ANSWER: The Federal Reserve.  (for non-finance types, you may be wondering, what is the Federal Reserve, anyway?  The Federal Reserve is an independent central bank accountable to Congress with the power to coin money and sell its value.  It uses 3 tools to tighten or expand the money supply: i) facilitating the buying and selling of U.S. government securities; (ii) altering the amount of funds that commercial banks must hold in reserve against deposits; and (iii) adjusting the  discount rate or interest rate charged to commercial banks.  See also http://www.thisnation.com/question/033.html.)  In this recession, it is the goal of the Federal Reserve to “reestablish a sustainable positive feedback loop between the financials markets and the economy.”  But, what influences the Federal Reserve? 

ANSWER: The labor markets.  Although the U.S. unemployment rate surged to 10.2%  in October, 2009, reaching double digits for the first time in 26 years, the job loss trend shows continued improvement from June, 2009.

ANSWER: The level of market anxiety.  Anxiety has been easing, as measured by the S&P 500 Volatility Index which displayed peak anxiety in October/November 2008 and a gradual waning of such anxiety, returning to almost normal levels reached from July 2007 to September 2008.

ANSWER: Bond spreads. Bond spreads (yields on different bonds with similar maturity dates) have been narrowing, as indicated by BB Composite bond spreads (10-year maturity in basis points) hitting a peak high in January 2009, and now returning to June, 2008 levels.

ANSWER:  LIBOR (the interest rate that banks charge each other for one-month, three-month, six-month and one-year loans).  LIBOR has adjusted significantly  downward, hitting a peak on October 10, 2008, around 4.5% to about .25% in November, 2009 for both the 1-month and 3- month LIBOR.

ANSWER:  Lending Standards.   Tight lending standards have begun to ease, as evidenced by the declining percentage of banks that tightened standards for commercial & industrial loans and the declining percentage of banks that increased loan spreads.

ANSWER: Home Sales/Starts.  U.S. existing home sales are still low but are stabilizing and returning to levels reported in September of 2007.

ANSWER:  U.S. business inventory turnover.  Inventory turnovers are adjusting downwards again as measured by inventory to sales ratios.  The inventory/sales ratio is a measure of how long it would take to deplete inventories at the current sales pace (in months).   As of September, 2009, the ratio was 1.32 months down from about 1.45 months reported at the beginning of the 2009 year.  The lower the number, of course, the better.

ANSWER: Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (for non-finance types, GDP is an  inflation-adjusted measure that reflects the value of all goods and services produced in a given year).  GDP is expected to continue to rise.  As of the 3Q of 2009, real GDP grew at a rate of 3.5% (that is, from the second quarter to the third quarter).

2.  So we know that with the credit freeze, the issuance of capital has been restricted.  How will borrowers handle the impending “maturity bubble” though and what does all of this mean in terms of restructuring strategies?

The panelists informed that there will be a “maturity wall” or “bubble” re: borrowing facilities.  Many of the institutional loans issued prior to the current recession will mature in 2012, 2013, and 2014.  Borrowers now are beginning to address these maturities via extensions and paydowns.   How are they making the paydowns?  Where will borrowers obtain capital for new transactions?

•    More bonds are being issued to refinance bank debt.  Bond spreads have tightened as appetite for credit has increased, in turn, generating a flurry of new issuance activity.

•    More deleveraged IPO’s are taking place (for my non-finance colleagues, an IPO, or initial public offering, is when a privately-owned company issues shares of stock to be sold to the general public for the very first time).  These shares are being sold at diluted values but nonetheless, the sales are raising capital for the company to pay off existing debt, hence the term “deleveraged.” 

•    Mezzanine loans are increasing.  Mezzanine capital is a subordinated debt or preferred equity instrument that represents a claim on a company’s assets which is senior only to that of the common shares.  A more expensive financing source, mezzanine financing can be structured either as debt (typically an unsecured and subordinated note) or preferred stock.  Compression in the credit markets  has decreased the availability of junior debt capital, but thereby uniquely positioning mezzanine loans to benefit from lower high yield and second lien volumes.

•    More borrowers will need covenant relief.  Since financial covenants were set in a much more robust environment, companies are expected to need relief from such covenants.  This may provide lenders an opportunity to re-price loans, thereby increasing returns.

•    There has been a significant rise in pre-packaged bankruptcies.  (for the non-lawyer types, a pre-packaged bankruptcy is a plan for financial reorganization that a company prepares in cooperation with its creditors that will take effect once the company enters bankruptcy.  This plan must be voted on by shareholders before the company files its petition for bankruptcy, and can result in shorter turnaround times.).  See related article http://www.totalbankruptcy.com/blog/the-year-of-the-prepackaged-bankruptcy/.

CONCLUSION: Although 2009 was a peak year for defaults on high-yield bonds as well as commercial and industrial loans given overleveraged companies and the macroeconomic recession, the pace of defaults, however, continues to decline, global economic data shows improvements and, according to our panel, there is “growing optimism for a reasonably strong economic recovery.”  YEAH!!!!

I look forward to watching what happens to retail during this upcoming holiday season.  I will keep a close watch and report back here.  With coupons and Starbucks gingerbread lattes in hand, my sister is dragging my mother and me out on Black Friday!!!

If you are wishing you could extend your gardening season but think it’s all over when the first frost hits, you have a whole world of winter gardening awaiting your growing pleasure.  You just need to pick the right things to grow, to give them adequate protection, and to expect them to grow a bit more slowly because they’ll be getting less sun.

It may surprise you to know that one of the nation’s most famous four-seasons farms is in Maine.  Granted, Maine’s coastal waters keep it from being as cold as, say, Minnesota, but it still gets awfully darn cold.  The folks at Four Seasons Farm are real experts, but you can get a start on small-scale winter gardening here with me.  Let’s get first to the seed.

For winter gardening, you obviously need to pick vegetables that are ordinarily geared for colder weather.  Do not expect to grow anything that seed packets label “tender” without a lot of energy-intensive protection, which is not sustainable.  That means you will most likely not be successful growing peppers, squashes of any kind (winter squash isn’t called that because it grows through the winter but rather because it keeps through the winter), cucumbers, melons, or most beans.  You can, however, grow everything in the cabbage and broccoli family , most greens, many root crops, and certain herbs.  For example, basil and parsley prefer warm weather, but chervil and cilantro like it cooler.  If a seed guide recommends early spring or late summer planting, you may be able to get a winter harvest.  If anything requires pollination, expect to do it yourself with a tiny paintbrush, because the buzzies who usually do the job won’t be out and about.

Now let’s talk about protection.  Winter gardening requires you to cover crops through the coldest weather.  If you only have an occasional light frost, you can do the job with old sheets.  If you expect regular freezing weather, begin by adding mulch around tender plants and especially root crops.  Then cover with plastic or glass, being sure that the plants do not touch the covering; plants that touch the covering may freeze.  Building raised beds make covering much easier.

Here are plants in a raised bed in early February, having started their life in early January and survived several nights down to almost 0 degrees F. I built the raised bed to fit an old window that my neighbor was replacing.  I placed the window directly on top of the wooden frame (made out of scrap wood).  On warmer days, you can slide the window back or use a small piece of wood to raise one end and let the cold frame vent hot air.

This pup-tent style grow house can be found in many forms on the internet and works well if you need something taller:   Note that I did not remove ice and snow after a storm.  Those are going to be a consistent 32 degrees F, so if the air temperature is much colder, the snow actually serves as a blanket.  Just know that it reduces light, so you need to get it off eventually.

That brings me to my last warning on winter gardening.  You’ll find that crops grow much more slowly in the winter.  They also may germinate less well, so you may want to overseed.  (You can always eat the thinnings, as we did from the cold frame shown above.) Still, you’ll find that the plants will take off as soon as the sunlight starts coming back, giving you an early spring harvest that will be the envy of your gardening neighbors.

 L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N  L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N  L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N  L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N  L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N  L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N  L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N  L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N  L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N  L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N  L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N  L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N  L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N  L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N  L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N 

I N H A L T A U S H A L T E N –  I N H A L T A U S H A L T E N
I L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N I
N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N N
H L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N H
A L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N A
L L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L
T L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N T
A L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N A
U L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N U
S L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N S
H L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N H
A L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N A
L L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L
T L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N T
E L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N E
N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N N
I N H A L T A U S H A L T E N – I N H A L T A U S H A L T E N

 L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N  L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N  L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N  L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N  L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N  L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N  L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N  L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N  L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N  L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N  L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N  L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N  L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N  L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N  L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N  L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N L E B E N L I E B E N 

It is no slightest doubt that everyone in India has experienced what really is global warming. The average temperatures have gone up in the last few summers, and even the winters and rainy seasons are showing abnormalities from their behaviors over the last few years. Indeed, this is ‘global weirding’ or rather ‘climate crisis’ that would define the thing better.

But, what really caused global warming? Industrial revolution for one, heavy pollution caused by it another and there might be numerous such reasons. But, how do we know that we have landed in a state of global warming? Of course, anyone who has experienced summer in any part of India would know better. But, any symptoms that would convince the rational mind? Yes, in fact there are many. If you haven’t seen Al Gore’s documentary, ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ you must watch it once. I would rate it 5 stars, as it is a must watch for everyone today. From the official website of An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore, I could get some science behind this. The symptoms are listed below and are sourced from the website climatecrisis.net (official website of An Inconvenient Truth). Do visit the website, it has a good music track played once the website is accessed. Other initiatives from Al Gore are the website of WeCanSolveIt, TakePart, RepowerAmerica.

Image from www.cranberg.com

Carbon dioxide and other gases warm the surface of the planet naturally by trapping solar heat in the atmosphere. This is a good thing because it keeps our planet habitable. However, by burning fossil fuels such as coal, gas and oil and clearing forests we have dramatically increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere and temperatures are rising.

The vast majority of scientists agree that global warming is real, it’s already happening and that it is the result of our activities and not a natural occurrence.¹ The evidence is overwhelming and undeniable.

We’re already seeing changes. Glaciers are melting, plants and animals are being forced from their habitat, and the number of severe storms and droughts is increasing.

Ja Mensch. Flashmobs kennt wohl inzwischen jeder. Niemand sollte sich mehr wundern, wenn auf einmal die gesamte FuZo anfängt zu tanzen, komischerweise alle Menschen dem einen hinterherlaufen, der von nichts weiss oder, oder, oder….
Dieser Flashmob war dann aber so ziemlich die coolste, die ich in der letzten Zeit gesehen habe…

The air was only down to 40 degrees at my house last night. I thought my garden veggies were safe. Unbeknownst to me, just 15 miles to the northeast, a cold wind blew. At the family acres, home to the larger of my two garden plots, Winter made a visit.

On my lunch hour, I drove over to pick some greans. Initially, I wondered if the large recently active burn pile, full of tree branches and old unusable lumber, had burned too closely or too hotly, scorching or choking my two rows of green bean plants. They are nearest the burn pile. It was an immediate reaction. Then, a moment later, I realized that the damage was from the freeze that evidently occurred last night. The leaves and vines of my formerly prolific grean bean plants were wilted, discolored, and sad.

I paused and reflected on the cyclical nature of…well, nature! Far from being upset at the loss of my green bean plants, which had produced so easily and abundantly for me all Fall, I was joyous at having participated in the natural process of the seasons. The experience was as tasty as the beans had been. Besides, I have four large bags of assorted green beans in my freezer, and my lettuces are doing well still.

Here is a picture of the green bean plants, now on their way back to the soil.

Here is the last green bean harvest of the season (and some dill). I picked the small beans too, since they had grown as much as they were going to grow.