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You could sow a new hybrid grass named Festulolium. This hybrid was developed by scientists in Britain, funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). They’re suggesting it for other temperate regions too.

This grass grows fast – food for grazing livestock. And it grows deep roots, so it retains water within the soil. That might mean that if farmers sow Festulolium, they’ll be able to reduce their land’s risk of flooding. Not just their own land. When there’s too much water about, floods spread and rivers burst their banks. Perhaps Festulolium will help.

Here’s the peer-reviewed science about Festulolium. It’s a cross between perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis).

L. perenne and F. pratensis are common and widespread in Britain, often included in grass seed mixes because they make good forage. They hybridise easily, in fact their natural hybrids are common and widespread too. So why the excitement about Festulolium? Because unlike the natural hybrids, it’s been selectively bred to make it a useful grass for farmers.

I’m grateful to my fellow blogger Abdul Raziq Kakar (raziqkakar) at camel4all (Camel, Food Security and Climate Change) for drawing attention to Festulolium.

Petroleum has been in existence since humanity discovered it about 4,000 years ago. The material and its uses have evolved greatly over the millenniums. After 4,000 years, what does the global picture of oil look like? Where is it going? Should we be concerned about our dependence?

America alone consumes 18.9 million barrels per day. The world picture of oil dependence has changed in recent decades. More and more people have become dependent on this substance.

What constitutes a barrel? The standard measurement of a barrel is 42 gallons of crude oil. This is broken down into several categories. The largest part, about 19 to 20 gallons, is used for gasoline after it is refined. Another 9 to 10 gallons is used as diesel fuel, followed by 3 to 4 gallons being used for jet engine fuel. Other materials, like lubricants and heating oil, only make up about a gallon or two a piece. Much of the remaining oil is used for products like petroleum jelly, car tires, perfume, and virtually anything made out of plastic.

In order to establish some perspective, America consumes nearly 19 million barrels a day – or around 554,116 gallons per minute – and produces roughly 10 million barrels of oil to compensate our use. The only nations to produce more than the United States are Russia (10.2 million barrels/day) and Saudi Arabia (11.4 million barrels/day). The next closest producer is China clocking in at a reasonably smaller 4.3 million barrels/day. America consumes a little less than a quarter of all the oil that is produced.

A natural progression in processing might have us ask just how much of this stuff do we actually have left to produce?

The answer is not very much. We need to examine our reserves and our use before we know how much we really have.

Saudi Arabia has the world’s largest proved oil reserves – about 262 billion barrels. Venezuela  comes in at a close second with roughly 211 billion barrels accessible beneath the surface. Canada is next in line – using their unique oil sands – amassing just over 175 billion barrels. If our top three oil producers manage every drop out of their wells and earth, it would total 648 billion barrels of oil. Combining all the nations of our world, we collectively have access to an estimated 1,380 billion barrels of oil contained in the Earth with current drilling technology.

Humanity as a whole consumes 87 million barrels of oil per day. 

If we continue on our current trend of oil consumption (assuming the consumption curve remains flat) and assuming all these numbers are current and accurate, that leaves us 15,862 days of oil use before all the wells run dry – or an estimated 43 years. I am sure there are geologists and plenty of others who would gladly argue with my mathematics. Depending on how and what you count as “oil” fuels, numbers run anywhere from 25 years to 50 years of reserves, depending on estimated usage in the future. So what happens when we run out?

Lucky for us, we have seen what an oil shortage can do to a nation. In 1797, President Jimmy Carter placed an oil embargo on Iran. In a panic, pumps ran dry and lines were long for any available fuel. Even in 1979, the United States was heavily dependent on oil for our vehicles. Unfortunately, the only insight we gather is that things get ugly when there is not enough oil to go around. With this in mind, it should be known that we need to take action now in order to be prepared.

What can we infer, using history, about where humanity will head in the future with less oil, or no oil?

There are three alternatives to resolving this energy crisis : 1) Locating more of the resource (increasing production) , 2) Making the oil last longer (efficiency), and 3) Replacing the current resource (new technology).

1) Exploring and recovering more oil is happening, but not in amounts that will alter the future. For example, in 1995, North Dakota’s Williston Basin was estimated to contain 150 million barrels of oil. That number has grown to 7.4 billion barrels of oil – not even enough for one year of the United States’ consumption. Unless we unearth these types of results in many, many more oil fields, we cannot count on this as a way to extend our oil production in a way that will shape humanity in the long term.

2) Toyota introduced the Toyota Prius in 2000, the breaking point of the new millenium. The idea was to make a vehicle that still used gasoline as a fuel source, but was much more efficient than the standard vehicle. These hybrid cars use a gasoline powered engine in combination with an onboard battery. The drawback to this technology is that the Prius still uses gasoline and the batteries on board these cars contain Rare Earth Elements – elements that are expensive, tough to find, and expensive to process. While the intentions are well mannered, the idea itself does not solve our problem.

3) New technology – namely the invention of better fuels – will most likely be the shift we see, or rather, the choice we make to extend our future. We can infer this from a few observations. Investment in alternative fuels is strong. Alternative fuels are being experimented with widely in the United States. From used cooking oil as fuel to pneumatic engines running off compressed air, countries around the world are looking for ways to be prepared for the future.

It is likely that a future without oil will look much the same as now – cars with four wheels zipping around massive road and highway systems. The difference might be what the air smells like and the clean exhaust leaving the tail pipes.

For further study, this is a great place to explore.

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ATLANTA, GA – May 16, 2013 – (Motor Sports Newswire) – The 918 Spyder embodies the essence of the Porsche idea: it combines pedigree motor racing technology with excellent everyday utility, and maximum performance with minimum consumption. The task faced by the development team was to create the super sports car for the next decade with a highly efficient and powerful hybrid drive. Developing the car from scratch, appropriately beginning with a sheet of white paper, allowed the team to come up with a no-compromise concept. The entire car was designed around the hybrid drive. The 918 Spyder therefore demonstrates the potential of the hybrid drive to a degree never seen before: the parallel improvement of both efficiency and performance without one being at the cost of the other. This is the idea that has made the Porsche 911 the most successful sports car in the world for 50 years. In short, the 918 Spyder will act as the gene pool for the Porsche sports cars of the future.

The 918 Spyder reveals its close links to motorsport in a variety of ways. It has been designed, developed and produced by Porsche engineers who build race cars, in cooperation with series production specialists. A great deal of insight gained from the development of Porsche race cars for the 24 hours race in Le Mans in 2014 is thus integrated into the 918 Spyder – and vice versa. The structural concept of the 918 Spyder with a rolling chassis as its basis – a basic vehicle that can be driven even without a body – is race car tradition at Porsche. The concept of the V8 engine originates from the LMP2 RS Spyder race car. The load-bearing structures, the monocoque and subframe, are made of carbon fiber reinforced polymer. Porsche has many years of experience with this high-strength, lightweight construction material and has again achieved top results with the development of the series production 918 Spyder. Many parts of the super sports car come from manufacturers who have a proven record as suppliers for motorsport vehicles.

Hybrid drive brings advantages in terms of driving dynamics

A key message of the 918 Spyder is that the hybrid drive from Porsche is a plus for no-compromise driving dynamics. Drivers can experience this thanks to the unique all-wheel drive concept with a combination of combustion engine and electric motor on the rear axle and the second electric motor on the front axle. It is based on knowledge gained by Porsche during motor races with the successful 911 GT3 R Hybrid. Due to the additional, individually controllable front drive, new driving strategies for extremely high, safe cornering speeds can be implemented, especially for bends. Furthermore, the advanced “boost” strategy manages the energy of the electric drive so intelligently that, for every sprint with maximum acceleration, the full power of the 918 Spyder can be tapped into by simply pressing the accelerator down fully. In short, the 918 Spyder allows even drivers without motorsport training to experience the potential of advanced longitudinal and transverse dynamics.

The Porsche 918 Spyder also has the potential to break many records. The current lap time for the North Loop of the Nürburgring is 7:14 minutes. This time was achieved in the presence of international journalists during test drives in September 2012 – more than a year before start of production. The 918 Spyder prototype was therefore approximately 20 seconds quicker than the Porsche Carrera GT. More test drives on the Nürburgring North Loop will follow. An even more important factor is that the 918 Spyder surpasses previous models and competitors by far in its efficiency as well. As a plug-in hybrid vehicle, it systematically combines the dynamic performance of a racing machine with low fuel consumption. To sum it up: maximum driving fun with minimal fuel consumption.

Carbon monocoque guarantees lightweight design with a low center of gravity

The 918 Spyder utilizes the best state-of-the-art technologies, taken straight from motor racing, to achieve its top performance. The entire load-bearing structure is made of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) for extreme torsional rigidity. Additional crash elements at the front and rear absorb and reduce the energy of a collision. The car’s unladen weight of approximately 3,715 lbs. (3,616 lbs. with “Weissach” package), an excellent low weight for a hybrid vehicle of this performance class, is largely attributable to this concept.

The drivetrain components and all components weighing over 110 lbs. are located as low and as centrally as possible within the vehicle. This results in a slightly rear end biased axle load distribution of 57 percent on the rear axle and 43 percent on the front axle, combined with an extremely low center of gravity at approximately the height of the wheel hubs, which is ideal for driving dynamics. The central and low position of the traction battery directly behind the driver not only supports efforts to concentrate masses and lower the center of gravity; it also provides the best temperature conditions for optimum battery power capacity.

Chassis with race car genes and rear-axle steering

The multi-link chassis of the Porsche 918 Spyder is inspired by motorsport design, complemented by additional systems such as the PASM adaptive shock-absorber system and rear-axle steering. Basically, this incorporates an electro-mechanical adjustment system at each rear wheel. The adjustment is speed-sensitive and executes steering angles of up to three degrees in each direction. The rear axle can therefore be steered in the same direction as the front wheels or in opposition to them. At low speeds, the system steers the rear wheels in a direction opposite to that of the front wheels. This makes cornering even more direct, faster and more precise, and it reduces the turning circle. At higher speeds, the system steers the rear wheels in the same direction as the front wheels. This significantly improves the stability of the rear end when changing lanes quickly. The result is very secure and stable handling.

Porsche Active Aerodynamic (PAA) for different driving modes

Porsche Active Aerodynamic (PAA), a system of adjustable aerodynamic elements, ensures unique and variable aerodynamics; its layout is automatically varied over three modes ranging from optimal efficiency to maximum downforce and is tuned to the operating modes of the hybrid drive system. In “Race” mode, the retractable rear wing is set to a steep angle to generate high downforce at the rear axle. The spoiler positioned between the two wing supports near the trailing edge of the airflow also extends. In addition, two adjustable air flaps are opened in the underfloor in front of the front axle, and they direct a portion of the air into the diffuser channels of the underbody structure. This also produces a “ground effect” at the front axle.

In “Sport” mode, the aerodynamic control system reduces the attack angle of the rear wing somewhat, which enables a higher top speed. The spoiler remains extended. The aerodynamic flaps in the underfloor area close, which also reduces aerodynamic drag and increases attainable vehicle speeds. In “E” mode, the control is configured entirely for low aerodynamic drag; the rear wing and spoiler are retracted and the underfloor flaps are closed.

Adjustable air inlets under the main headlights round off the adaptive aerodynamic system. When the vehicle is stationary and in “Race” and “Sport” mode, they are opened for maximum cooling air intake. In “E-Power” and “Hybrid” modes, they close immediately after the car is driven off in order to keep aerodynamic drag to a minimum. They are not opened until the car reaches speeds of approximately 81 mph or when cooling requirements are higher.

From comfortable to race-ready: five modes for three motors

The core of the 918 Spyder concept is its distribution of propulsive power among the three power units; their cooperation is controlled by an intelligent management system. To best exploit these different approaches, the Porsche developers defined five operating modes that can be activated via a “map switch” on the steering wheel, just like in motorsport cars. On the basis of this pre-selection, the 918 Spyder applies the most suitable operating and boost strategy without driver intervention, thus allowing the driver to concentrate fully on the road.

Quiet and elegant: “E-Power”

When the vehicle is started up, the “E-Power” mode is the default operating mode as long as the battery is sufficiently charged. In ideal conditions, the 918 Spyder can cover approximately 18 miles on purely electric power. Even in pure electric mode, the 918 Spyder accelerates from 0 to 62 mph in seven seconds and can reach speeds of up to 93 mph. In this mode, the combustion engine is only used when needed. If the battery’s charge state drops below a set minimum value, the vehicle automatically switches to hybrid mode.

Efficient and comfortable: “Hybrid”

In “Hybrid” mode, the electric motors and combustion engine work alternately with a focus on maximum efficiency and minimum fuel consumption. The use of individual drive components is modified as a function of the current driving situation and the desired performance. The Hybrid mode is typically used for a fuel economy-oriented driving style.

Sporty and dynamic: “Sport Hybrid”

In more dynamic situations, the 918 Spyder selects the “Sport Hybrid” mode for its power sources. The combustion engine now operates continuously and provides the main propulsive force. In addition, the electric motors provide support in the form of electric boosting or when the operating point of the combustion engine can be optimized for greater efficiency. The focus of this mode is on performance and a sporty driving style at top speed.

For fast laps: “Race Hybrid”

“Race Hybrid” is the mode for maximum performance and an especially sporty driving style. The combustion engine is chiefly used under high load, and charges the battery when the driver is not utilizing its maximum output. Again, the electric motors provide additional support in the form of boosting. Furthermore, the gear-shifting program of the PDK is set up for even sportier driving. The electric motors are used up to the maximum power output limit to deliver the best possible performance for the race track. In this mode, the battery charge state is not kept constant, rather it fluctuates over the entire charge range. In contrast to Sport Hybrid mode, the electric motors run at their maximum power output limit for a short time for better boosting. This increased output is balanced by the combustion engine charging the battery more intensively. Electric power is thus available even with several very fast laps.

For pole position: “Hot Lap”

The “Hot Lap” button in the middle of the map switch releases the final reserves of the 918 Spyder and can only be activated in “Race Hybrid” mode. Similar to a qualification mode, this pushes the traction battery to its maximum power output limits for a few fast laps. This mode uses all of the available energy in the battery.

Main propulsion: the race car’s eight cylinder engine

The main source of propulsion is the 4.6-liter, eight cylinder engine that produces 608 hp of power. The engine is derived directly from the power unit of the successful RS Spyder, which explains why it can deliver engine speeds of up to 9,150 rpm. Like the race engine of the RS Spyder, the 918 Spyder power unit features dry-sump lubrication with a separate oil tank and oil extraction. To save weight, components such as the oil tank, the air filter box integrated into the subframe and the air induction are made of carbon fiber reinforced polymer. Further extensive lightweight design measures have resulted in such features as titanium connecting rods, thin-wall, low-pressure casting on the crank case and the cylinder heads, a high-strength, lightweight steel crankshaft with 180 degrees crankpin offset and the extremely thin-walled alloy steel/nickel exhaust system. Striking features of the V8 are that it no longer supports any auxiliary systems, there are no external belt drives and the engine is therefore particularly compact. Weight and performance optimizations achieve a power output per liter of approx. 133 hp/l – the highest power output per liter of a Porsche naturally aspirated engine – which is significantly higher than that of the Carrera GT (106 hp/l) and outstanding for a naturally aspirated engine.

Unique race car design heritage: top pipes

It isn’t just this engine’s performance but also the sound it makes that stokes the emotionality of the 918 Spyder. This is attributable first and foremost to the so-called top pipes: the tailpipes terminate in the upper part of the rear end immediately above the engine. No other production vehicle uses this solution. The top pipes’ greatest benefit is optimal heat removal, because the hot exhaust gases are released via the shortest possible route, and exhaust gas back pressure remains low. This design requires a new thermodynamic air channeling concept. With the HSI engine, the hot side is located inside the cylinder V, the intake channels are on the outside. There is another benefit as well: the engine compartment remains cooler. This is especially beneficial to the lithium-ion traction battery, as it provides optimum performance at temperatures between 68 and 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Consequently, less energy needs to be used for active cooling of the battery.

In parallel in the drivetrain: hybrid module

The V8 engine is coupled to the hybrid module, since the 918 Spyder is designed as a parallel hybrid like the current hybrid models from Porsche. Essentially, the hybrid module comprises a 115 kW electric motor and a decoupler that serves as the connection with the combustion engine. Because of its parallel hybrid configuration, the 918 Spyder can be powered at the rear axle either individually by the combustion engine or electric motor or via both drives jointly. As is typical for a Porsche super sports car, the power pack in the 918 Spyder has been placed in front of the rear axle, and does not have any direct mechanical connection to the front axle.

Upside-down for a low center of gravity: Doppelkupplung

A seven-speed Doppelkupplung (PDK) transmission handles power transmission to the rear axle. The high-performance transmission is the sportiest version of the successful PDK; it has undergone a complete redesign for the 918 Spyder and has been further optimized for high performance. To ensure a low mounting position for a low center of gravity of the entire vehicle, the gear unit was turned “upside down” by rotating it 180 degrees about its longitudinal axis, in contrast to other Porsche series. If no power is required on the rear axle, the two motors can be decoupled by opening the decoupler and PDK clutches. This is the action behind the Porsche hybrid drive’s typical “coasting” with the combustion engine switched off.

Independent all-wheel drive: front axle with electric motor

On the front axle, there is another independent electric motor with an output of approximately 95 kW. The front electric drive unit drives the wheels at a fixed ratio. A decoupler decouples the electric motor at high speeds to prevent the motor from over-revving. Drive torque is independently controlled for each axle. This makes for very responsive all-wheel drive functionality that offers great potential in terms of traction and driving dynamics.

Lithium-ion battery with plug-in charging system

The electric energy for the electric motors is stored by a liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery comprising 312 individual cells with an energy content of about seven kilowatt hours. The battery of the 918 Spyder has a performance-oriented design in terms of both power charging and output, so that it can fulfill the performance requirements of the electric motor. The power capacity and the operating life of the lithium-ion traction battery depend on several factors, including thermal conditions. That is why the battery of the 918 Spyder is liquid-cooled by a dedicated cooling circuit. The global warranty period for the traction battery is seven years.

To supply it with energy, Porsche developed a new system with a plug-in vehicle charge port and improved recuperation potential. This vehicle charge port in the B-pillar on the front passenger side lets users connect the storage battery to an electrical supply at home to charge it. The charge port is standardized for the country of purchase. The on-board charger is located close to the traction battery. It converts the alternating current of the household electric supply into direct current with a maximum charge output of 3.6 kW. Using the supplied Porsche Universal Charger (AC), the traction battery can be charged with a conventional wall plug in seven hours from a ten ampere rated, fused power socket a US 110 Volt household electrical supply, for example. Furthermore, the Porsche Universal Charger (AC) can be installed at home in the garage using the Charging Dock. It enables rapid and convenient charging within approximately two hours, irrespective of regional conditions. The Porsche Speed Charging Station (DC) is available as an optional extra. It can fully charge the high-voltage battery of the 918 Spyder in just 25 minutes.

Pioneering control concept: clear organization of the cockpit

The driver is the focus of all technology in the future Porsche super sports car. A cockpit was created for the driver that is typical of the brand and pioneering in its clarity. It is partitioned into two basic areas. First, there are the controls that are important for driving, which are grouped around the multifunction steering wheel, combined with driver information displayed on three large round instruments. Second, there is the infotainment block that is housed in the lifted center console, which was introduced in the Carrera GT. Control functions, e.g. for the automatic climate control system, wing adjustment, lighting and Porsche Communication Management (PCM), including a Burmester high-end sound system, can be intuitively operated by multitouch with a new type of black panel technology.

For even higher performance: the Weissach package

For very performance-oriented customers of the 918 Spyder, Porsche offers the “Weissach” package. These modified super sports cars can be recognized at first glance by special colors and designs that are based on legendary Porsche race cars. The roof, rear wings, rear-view mirrors and frames of the windscreen are made of visible carbon. Parts of the interior are upholstered with Alcantara instead of leather, and visible carbon replaces much of the aluminum. Sound insulation has been reduced. The emphasis on performance is not just visual: very lightweight magnesium wheels reduce unsprung masses; gross weight was reduced by about 77 lbs. The benefits are experienced in further improved dynamic performance. Other references from motorsport are six-point seatbelts for driver and front passenger, optional film-coating instead of body paint, as well as additional aerodynamic body parts in visible carbon.

Porsche redefined: a new super sports car for a new decade

The 918 Spyder continues a long tradition of super sports cars at Porsche; as technology platforms, as the driving force behind both car emotion and car evolution and as the ultimate sports cars of their decades: the Carrera GTS, the first Porsche Turbo, the 959, the 911 GT1, the Carrera GT. More than any of its predecessors, the 918 Spyder is providing key impetus for developing technologies for future vehicle concepts. It offers a complete package of components that reflect Porsche DNA – more concentrated than ever before.

Technical Specifications – Porsche 918 Spyder

About Porsche Cars North America

Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (PCNA), based in Atlanta, Ga. is the exclusive U.S. importer of Porsche sports cars, the Cayenne SUV and Panamera sports sedan. Established in 1984, it is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Porsche AG, which is headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, and employs approximately 220 people who provide parts, service, marketing and training for 190 dealers. They, in turn, work to provide Porsche customers with a best-in-class experience that is in keeping with the brand’s 63-year history and leadership in the advancement of vehicle performance, safety and efficiency.

At the core of this success is Porsche’s proud racing heritage that boasts some 30,000 motorsport wins to date.

Follow us: www.twitter.com/Porsche and www.facebook.com/Porsche and drive.porsche.com/us

For Porsche apps: http://www.porsche.com/usa/entertainment/apps/

SOURCE: Porsche Cars North America, Inc.

####

Chris Harris : It’s not a finished car, and there was virtually no time, but when Porsche asks if you want a quick spin in a development 918 you get on the plane.

Enjoy the Video…!

One thing that really sticks in my mind that I may not have mentioned is our own back yard. Avione of Errington is a personal project of mine to stimulate growth within the community, and a monumental task of biblical proportion for one man to step up to the plate and JUST DO IT. I can only point people in a direction of change that obviously hasn’t been working from what society dictates us to do. I personally love nothing more than to buck the system with testicular tenacity for something that has never been done before on the internet as a self supporting business helping struggling families and showing them they have options and anyone can do this in their community, neighborhood, raising funds for your kids school or fire department … the list is endless if you can think outside the box.

This is a sample of the board/genealogy tree I use to promote within my community and it’s all about supporting our kids, keeping the family unit in tact. This may look hypothetical to you, to the parents I have discussed this project with is gaining with much interest within the community and extremely simple to implement anywhere in the world. The bottom board may be created by a student who’s an economic major and points his classmates in a direction of change covering their tuition fees. As a responsible parent wanting to start a home based business all you have to is make like Nike and just do it. If you follow the same basic rules that have come naturally in nature for 1000′s of years you will succeed, you also have the support of the Diamond Team members helping push you into a consistent cash flow.

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Thanks to Ellie for the following post – Ellie has 4 wolfdogs, plus also fosters additional wolfdogs from time to time for Wolfdog Rescue.

‘So where do I start? Life with a small pack of Wolfdogs? In a 3 bedroom semi? 2 kids, 3 cats and various reptiles?
Well for a start, it’s life changing! Gone is the party girl who squealed at a dead bird laid at my feet by a feline! Welcome the ‘mad wolf lady’ who carries ‘road kill’ bags in the glove box and thinks nothing of giving that bunny on the side of the road a mark out of 10 before pulling over and doing the walk of shame to collect the still warm furry; smiling that fresh dinner is free tonight for my pack. My cheeks have burned on many occasions as the passing cars have almost hit the curb straining to see if this bird has actually just done what they thought!
I can honestly say the first 3 months with my first wolfdog pup nearly broke me. The constant screaming through crate training, the arms covered in holes and scratches as we tried to work through mouthing and jumping up. Many tears were cried, convinced we were never going to be able to give her the home she needed.
Then one day something snapped, as I was trying to fight off the now 5 month old pup who was growing rapidly. Instead of shouting ‘no’ or ‘making like a tree’ or any other of the so-called tips. I snapped, grabbed her collar, pushed her into the kitchen, shut the stair gate. And ignored her, couldn’t even bare to look at her, and suddenly something changed. The look of complete sadness and rejection on her face. Ah ha! Progress! She hated being ignored and removed from the ‘den’….. It was the worst form of punishment for her. These dogs are so pack orientated, removal from that security blanket means certain death to a wild puppy.
And that was when I truly fell in love with these dogs. The mouthing almost immediately stopped! If she did, she got rejected by the pack. She now wanted to please me, to be loved by me, and to be safely within the realms of her human pack.
And that was when we got her a play mate…..Double trouble!
We realised that getting wound up didn’t help, instead we learned to laugh at the holes in the garden and the love of chewing only ‘left’ shoes.
We also learned the most important word in any wolfdog owners vocabulary when they’ve done something silly, naughty or just simply unexplainable. We learned to take the shredded rug on the chin, the stolen mobile carefully buried with just the corner sticking out the ground made us chuckle at the sheer cheek. And when we gave them the ‘glare’, and they knew they were heading for time out…. We just looked at them and said ‘REALLY????’
Tongue comes out, ears go back, head drops and that whole body submissive wiggle comes waggy tailed at you, and you have to just laugh.
So we added a few more to the pack. All with their own role and rank. Only after the first one, we never chose the other 3, they came as fosters or rescues. Along with several others we helped. Nervous, scared, sometimes abused. We let them live with our happy pack, and watched them flourish in a calm, loving but sometimes a bit crazy house. Most left to go to their new forever homes feeling safe and secure that humans were protectors, and the backbone of their pack.
A few chose to stay with us, a few still come back to visit us.
Never again will I have a clean, tidy, hair free home. My garden will never win any village show prizes. My door frames bear the scars of them learning scratching at the doors if I leave the room doesn’t get me to come back any quicker, I always come back for them anyway.
But never has my home been happier than with the sound of tails thumping against kitchen cupboards, the odd sneaky bone found down the back of the sofa, and occasionally, a howl or two.’

Ellie’s Pack

The hybrid has arrived!!

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

       I was expecting to find Stefan looking like his new, devil-may-care self, but when I saw him in the lobby, he looked worse than ever. His cheeks were sunken and his hands shook despite his efforts to control them. He reminded me of a painting I had once seen entitled Death Walking, and it wasn’t comforting to think that given my newfound knowledge, this might have been a truer assessment than I would have liked.
       “Stefan, are you all right?” I asked as I came to a halt before him. His eyelids flickered, but that was the only sign of life my question elicited. I stared at him for what felt like an eternity. After about five minutes, I realized there would be no response. He was as still as the marble statue of Francesco Foscari we had seen adorning the Doge’s Palace that morning. To Stefan at that moment, I did not exist. His eyes were focused on something at the far end of the lobby. As I turned my attention to the point where he was gazing, I saw a flash of gold.
       “My ill luck be damned,” I swore under my breath. I would be forced to spend an evening in the company of that silver-tongued devil after all. What a night this would be. But as I looked again, relief washed over me. I had been mistaken. My fears, and Stefan’s seeming trance, had exaggerated the entire situation. The man idling in the opposite corner of the lobby resembled Salei only slightly. We were safe, for now. Vladec Salei was close, I could feel him, but he was not here—not yet. If we hurried, we might be able to throw him off the scent, for this night at least.
       I spoke to Stefan again. This time, a flicker of recognition registered in his eyes, and he seemed to come out of his coma.
       “Oh, Eric. I didn’t see you standing there.”
       The tone of voice in which he said this sounded drained of all life. It was all I could do to restrain myself from checking for a pulse to ensure that he was still living. “Stefan, you look…horrible,” I stammered, giving up the charade.
       “Well, I would, wouldn’t I, seeing as how I haven’t had a good rest in days.”
       I felt a pang of alarm at the admission. What had happened to him within the last hour to make him look so haggard? Days, he had said, but I knew it had only been two, impossible though it seemed, since Nadia had knocked me unconscious in the courtyard of Castle Bran.
       I would have given the world to be back in London at that moment, but if there was one thing Roderick had burned into my mind, it was to never flee from a situation because of fear. And what had I to fear anyway? Just the fact that a strange man and his coterie had attached themselves to us in Paris, and we had since been subjected to terrors I had not even experienced in my worst nightmares? Nonsense! Well, that was what my step-father would have liked me to believe, but I was of a different mind.
       I took Stefan by the arm. “Come, I’m getting you out of here at once.”
       For all his seeming lack of strength, the grip Stefan clasped my arm in was crushing. “What?” he said. I winced at the hatred in his voice. “Leave before I give you your surprise? No, no, Eric. It is your nineteenth birthday today, and, by God, we are going to celebrate in Continental style!”
       He released my arm and sauntered toward the door as if he possessed all the energy in the world. He was losing the battle with his better nature, and this realization plunged me into a despair that nearly drove me to tears, for once the other half won out, he would not only be lost to me, but to anyone who could have helped him before he fully succumbed.
       I watched dumbly as the porter opened the door for him. I was mildly surprised to hear Stefan wish the man “good evening” in perfect, unaccented Venetian. When had he mastered Italian, let alone the Venetian dialect? Stefan, whose first language was Romanian and who only learned to speak English out of, as he said, a highly inconvenient necessity? This ability must have been just another facet of Vladec Salei’s “gift.”
       I stood there growing angrier by the second, only noticing after a good three minutes that Stefan was waiting for me to join him on the pier.
       For what must have been the thousandth time that night, I second-guessed my course of action. I vaguely sensed that he was taking me somewhere dangerous, yet I couldn’t let him loose in a strange city when he was obviously struggling to control something he had not yet learned how to master. The sane thing to do would have been to run as far away from him as I could while I had the chance, but the situation was not as desperate as that…yet. There was nothing for it but to join him.
       Stefan was already getting into the gondola by the time I arrived at the pier. I expected the gondolier to be garrulous or start singing as soon as I took my seat, but the man seemed bent and cowed and had a strange abstracted look in his eyes, as if he were an automaton carrying out a duty he had no interest in.
       The gondola drifted slowly down the canal as I took in my surroundings. The night was brilliant, with millions of stars dotting the sky. A full, blue-tinted moon peeked out from behind a few stray clouds and illuminated the water, which glowed faintly green in the moonlight.
       I tried to think up something to say to Stefan, but was unsuccessful in my attempts. He, in turn, showed no inclination to talk during our journey, but instead draped his arm over the side of the gondola and let his fingers trail along the water’s surface, his eyes remaining transfixed on the moon. The one thing I had to stop myself from asking him was how he had enjoyed his hour with Vladec Salei. By the time I thought up a banal comment on the beauty of the night, something that could not possibly be construed as intrusive, we had arrived at our destination.
       “Here we are!” Stefan boomed, coming suddenly to life and nearly upsetting the gondola. “A splendid taverna, don’t you think?”
       I had to laugh in spite of myself because the so-called “taverna” looked more like a palazzo. Dozens of flaming chandeliers were affixed to the building’s exterior. Everywhere you looked, from the balcony on the fourth floor to the pier at the entrance, people were milling about with goblets grasped in their hands. “Rather a misnomer, don’t you think?” I said.
       “This is no laughing matter, my good son,” Stefan said. For that one instant, it was as if the old Stefan had returned, so jovial and natural was his tone. But when he looked back at the taverna, all his joviality vanished and a vacant look entered his eyes.
       “La Dimora di Notte,” he said, almost reverentially. He closed his eyes and stood there as though he had been transported by some unknown bliss. I was already wary of this nocturnal escapade, but upon hearing the name of the place, a chill went through my body. I involuntarily looked over my shoulder, certain my eyes would light upon a face I was not prepared to see.
       “The Dwelling of Night?” I asked uneasily.
       Stefan’s eyes flickered open, and he seemed to regain his composure. His moods were so erratic that it was almost impossible to determine how he would react in any given situation. A mere word, question, or glance, however harmless it might have seemed, could have sent him into a rage or the deepest melancholy. He was becoming as changeable as Vladec Salei.
       “Roughly translated, yes,” he said, shaking his head as if to clear his mind. “Catchy, isn’t it?”
       “A rather strange name for a tavern, don’t you think?”
       “Not at all!” he said, smiling. His better nature was at the forefront. How long this would last, I could not say. “It is night, people dwell here. It’s all very fitting. The top floor is where we are headed. Come, step lively. We’ve already tarried long enough.”
       Stefan punched me in the arm and we headed down the pier toward the brass double doors, which swung open ceremoniously before we reached them. I thought they had opened of their own volition and was momentarily startled until I saw that a porter was standing on the inside. Stefan said something to the man in an undertone I couldn’t catch and jerked his thumb back at me. The man laughed suddenly and Stefan joined in his mirth, sharing in the private joke that had no doubt been made at my expense.
       I smiled despite my annoyance and followed Stefan up the first flight of stairs. At the first landing, I noticed that there was a passageway that led off to a private room. The door was closed to public eyes, but the sounds that pierced through the brass told of some great revelry taking place within. I could hear glasses clanking and voices raised in jubilation. Someone let out a screech that sent chills down my neck, but I was apparently being oversensitive because a great burst of laughter followed what I had thought was a cry of pain.
       The stairwell did not match the undoubted opulence of this secret room, however. The walls were whitewashed and peeling in several places. There was no light at this stage. Had it not been for the brilliant golden beam that was visible underneath the doorway of the private room, this entire landing would have been cloaked in almost total darkness.
       “Isn’t it divine?” Stefan gushed, obviously feeling right at home.
       “That wasn’t exactly the word I was thinking of,” I answered.
       “Oh, stop being a prude, Bradburry.”
       My head snapped up at the sudden use of my surname. He had never called me Bradburry before, even in jest, and the fact that this had occurred in such a disreputable place as I was discovering this “taverna” to be, filled me with a sense of foreboding I could not repress. Only one other person had ever called me that—Vladec Salei.
       We walked up to the second landing in silence and were making our way to the third, when I was nearly knocked off my feet. The man sagged against me and didn’t seem to be conscious, until I collared him and he came to life with a vengeance. He rushed me like a thing possessed, his arms flailing about, his fists punching madly at the air, but I countered with a blow to the jaw that sent the man reeling. He staggered back against the wall, clutching his face and moaning pitifully, and I was astonished to see that the man who had attacked me was our gondolier.
       “Well, look who we have here!” said Stefan in that same perfect Venetian he had used before, shocking me by going over to my assailant and placing his arm around the man’s shoulder as if they were the best of friends.
       I’d heard of being kind to one’s enemies and turning the other cheek, but this was ridiculous.
       “What an unfortunate incident,” he said soothingly. I half expected him to pat the man’s hand as if he were merely a child who had fallen and scraped his knee. “Now, do the sensible thing and get upstairs and refresh yourself, my good man. Off with you, now!”
       The man looked as bewildered as I was, but upon hearing that he was not going to be detained, relief registered on his face and he scurried up the stairs.
       “You must be kind to these poor wretches,” Stefan said magnanimously, straightening his jacket, although this action wasn’t necessary, since he had taken no part in the scrum. “He is in obvious need of stimulants. Besides, he is our ride home.”
       “I think stimulants are the last things he needs. The man is obviously drunk beyond reason. Who knows how many more of his friends are waiting to ambush us upstairs. And how did he even get upstairs before us, for that matter? And if you think for one moment that I am going to get into the same gondola as that raving madman, well, you don’t know me at all. I think it’s time we left.”
        “Absolutely not!”
       His voice reverberated through the vacant stairwell like a clap of thunder. His face clouded over so dramatically and his eyes grew so dark that only the huge black pupils were left visible. I stared in horror at what I could have sworn was no longer Stefan, but a demon released from the bowels of hell.
       Just as quickly as the fury had come, it vanished, and Stefan was once again himself, or as near to himself as the other side of his nature would allow him to be.
       “We’ve come this far already,” he said in a soothing tone I had never heard him use before. “Are you, the ‘Man of the Hour,’ going to let one drunken reveler spoil the entire evening?”
       I looked at him warily, knowing it was just another trick, this cajoling of his, to get me to go on. I had no desire to spend another minute in this wretched place and was on the verge of making my feelings known, when I suddenly felt the urge to discover what it was that Stefan and the other patrons found so enticing about this mysterious fourth floor. Against all my better judgment, I gave in. The pull of this place, coupled with my inordinate curiosity, was becoming too strong to resist.
       “Very well,” I agreed.
       “Splendid! Come, the hour is growing late.”
       I watched him dart up a few more steps before I began to trudge along behind.
       As we passed the third landing, I noticed for the first time that Stefan was carrying a cane of some sort. Why he hadn’t used this to stop my attacker was beyond me, and the thought that he had had a weapon handy and had done nothing with it made anger well up inside me all over again.
       I hurried after him, trying to catch a better glimpse, since the light was growing a trifle brighter at this stage. But when I finally saw it, I wished I hadn’t. My heart somersaulted in my chest. The top of the cane was made of gold and had been carved into the shape of a beast’s head.
       A wyvern’s—exactly the same as the pendants the vampiresses had worn.
       The only difference was that the gems that were set into the eye sockets were emeralds instead of rubies, yet they still sparkled with an unearthly intensity. I had never seen him with that cane before, but the sinking feeling in my stomach told me it had been a gift from his newest and dearest friend, for it had been personalized just for Stefan. The eyes were green like his, not red like Salei’s had been when he had revealed himself to me, if only for an instant. This wyvern was fiercer and more striking than the others. I wondered if it had been designed to symbolize Stefan’s transformation into a monster more powerful than even Vladec Salei.
       “So it has begun…” I said, but the words faded away.
       We had finally reached the fourth floor.
       I thought I was standing on the threshold of a seraglio. Silk hangings of red and gold, crimson and brilliant ochre, met my eyes everywhere I looked. The room was nearly full to capacity, with people lounging about on overstuffed cushions or sitting at one of the few tables scattered around the chamber. As I looked up, I saw several gold chandeliers dangling from the frescoed ceiling. Each chandelier contained a single candle that guttered in a red Venetian blown-glass holder. The effect was striking yet eerie, since the lights cast a reddish pall over the room, making everyone appear to be bathed in blood.
       I looked over at Stefan to see if he shared my concern, but he was smiling so broadly I thought his face would split.
       “What did I tell you?” he said, taking my arm and guiding me over to an empty table at the farthest end of the room. “A birthday to remember!”
       Stefan signaled to a waiter and ordered the man to bring us two glasses of the taverna’s finest wine. The man gave me a sidelong glance that made me feel decidedly unwelcome, then bustled off to the elaborate, mirrored bar at the other end of the room. There must have been over a hundred bottles of wine encased in the intricately wrought Venetian glass holders resting on the bars’ shelves. I had no desire to join Stefan in fraternizing with our neighbors at the next table—whom he seemed to be getting along famously with—so I decided to make a count of the bottles to keep my mind occupied until the drinks arrived.
       I had counted twenty bottles before I noticed the gondolier sitting at the bar, glowering at me over the rim of his wine glass. My mood did not improve when I saw that he was advancing to our table, our drinks set atop a golden platter he was carrying.
       He placed Stefan’s glass down first. After Stefan gave him a pointed look, he set the other glass before me.
       “Grazie,” said Stefan, but the gondolier was already walking back to his post at the bar.
       “I’m not drinking that,” I said, pushing the glass into the center of the table. “Why in the world would he be giving us our drinks?”
       “A member of the brethren.”
       “Beg pardon?”
       “It’s a guild they have here,” he said, waving his hand dismissively. “I remember reading about it before we arrived. Quite powerful, I’ve heard. Its members are not limited to a single profession.”
       He was mocking me. I could see his mouth beginning to lift in a maddening smirk, a smile that was half sardonic and half secretive, as if the fate of the world depended on the answer to a riddle only he knew and would never share.
       I looked away from him in disgust, my eyes lighting upon the goblet I had refused. In all the tumult, I had not paid attention to the contents of the glass. Now that I studied it, I realized that it was the most viscous looking drink I had ever seen in my life. It did not look anything like wine, but rather resembled a thick, red-black custard. I felt sick just staring at it. Stefan shouldn’t drink that. Who knew where it came from and what it even was. I reached for the glass, but stopped myself before my fingers could close around the stem. Something distracted me, something I hadn’t noticed until that moment.
       Everyone else in the taverna was downing the same drink.
       “At last,” Stefan said, eying the glass hungrily. “It has to be drunk in one fell swoop, so the locals say. Well, when in Rome, eh, old friend?” And before I could answer, he set the glass against his lips, tilted back his head, and the liquid was gone. After a minute, he let out a satisfied sigh and opened his eyes. “Not bad,” he said. “Not bad at all.”
       Stefan signaled to the gondolier again. “Another two glasses of Sangue di Vita for me and my friend here,” he said in Venetian. By the time the gondolier turned away, Stefan had claimed my glass and drunk the wine in that goblet, too.
       “Tell me, Eric,” he said, licking a droplet from the corner of his mouth. “Have you ever tasted blood?”
       My mouth was so dry I could barely find the voice to answer him. “What an odd question…”
       “But a valid one. Well, have you?”
       “I’ve cut my lip before, so yes, I suppose I have tasted blood, but…”
       “Not your own, you foolish boy.” He let out a short, derisive laugh and leaned in so that he was only a few inches from my face. “I mean the blood of another.”
       “Good God, Stefan, of course not!”
       “Pity…”
       I jerked away from him in horror. There was such genuine disappointment in his voice when he said this that I believed he had finally gone insane.
       “Stefan, this is madness,” I said, my voice cracking in spite of my resolve to remain calm, “listen to yourself. What are you saying?”
       “I’m saying that there are things in this world you cannot understand. Things you don’t even want to imagine.”
       “And why should I be concerned about any of this?”
       The gondolier returned with two more glasses of the wine. Stefan inclined his head in thanks, took the goblet between his fingers, and looked me dead in the eyes. “Because, my dear Eric, I have tasted the secret knowledge. I know how much to say and when to pull back. I know what to see and not see. And now that I have become whole again, I can never go back. All these things he has given me. Better than my supposed mother and father ever could. For that, I owe him my life and allegiance.”
       “Stefan, this is nonsense!” I cried. My voice echoed off the walls of the suddenly silent room. Apparently, my outburst had made our table the center of attention. Dozens of bloodshot eyes were now leering at us. And all of those eyes looked…unnatural. It was something about them, the way they were illumined in the darkness, as if they possessed a light all their own. Of course, it could have been the sheen that occurs when one has had too much to drink, but I doubted that was the reason. I had seen the same glassy look in the eyes of the gondolier when he had attacked me.

© 2010, 2013 Melika Dannese Lux and Books In My Belfry, LLC. Unauthorized use or reproduction of this excerpt without the author’s permission is strictly prohibited.

]]> http://sandyspringsford.wordpress.com/2013/05/15/most-fuel-efficient-sedan-in-america/ Wed, 15 May 2013 13:30:02 +0000 Sonal http://sandyspringsford.wordpress.com/2013/05/15/most-fuel-efficient-sedan-in-america/

2013 Ford Fusion Energi

Plug-in hybrid most fuel efficient sedan in North America
by: Andrew McCredie
via: The Vancouver Sun

The company has launched five electrified vehicles in the past 18 months, the latest being the Fusion Energi, a mid-size sedan that made big news right out of the box when the US. Environmental Protection Agency proclaimed it North America’s most fuel-efficient sedan. Its 108 MPGe city rating bested the Toyota Prius plug-in by 5 MPGe (see info box for explanation on MPGe). The Fusion Energi metric conversion is 1.9Le/100 km in all-electric mode and 4.5L/100 km in hybrid mode. [Read more]