text:
Wells Fargo & Corporate WFC reported better-than-expected effects for its first quarter on Friday.
Wells Fargo reported first-quarter FY23 earnings expansion of 17% year-over-year to $20.73 billion, beating the consensus of $20.07 billion. The corporate posted an EPS of $1.23, when put next with $0.91 a yr in the past and beating the consensus of $1.13.
Wells Fargo stocks fell 0.1% to near at $39.64 on Friday and added 0.1% in as of late’s pre-market buying and selling consultation.
Those analysts made adjustments to their worth goals on Wells Fargo following profits announcement.
- Citigroup reduce the fee goal on Wells Fargo from $52 to $50. Citigroup analyst Keith Horowitz maintained a Purchase score.
- Raymond James raised the fee goal on Wells Fargo from $47 to $48. Raymond James analyst David Lengthy maintained a Robust Purchase score.
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DIY tipper for tiller
Homemade cars, tractors, ATVs and ATVs
DIY car tipper
Self-made tipper for a car made by hand: drawings, photos of homemade designs.
We present to your attention a simple and practical lift-tipper for a passenger car.
Materials for making homemade products:
- Upright post and horizontal beam are made of rectangular tube 40 x 80 x 3 mm.
- The traverse is made of a pipe 40 x 20 x 2 mm.
- Supports from a round pipe with a diameter of 50 mm.
- A pipe that rests against the wheels of a car with an approximate diameter of 50 mm (you need the pipe to freely enter the support pipes), 3 meters long.
- The arm is 1 meter long.
The lift itself.
The tipper device works as follows: two bolts without nuts are inserted into the holes on the vertical rack, one bolt is under the beam on which the machine lies, the second fixes the lever.
To raise the machine by 10 cm (this is the distance between the holes on the vertical post), you need to remove the fixing lever bolt, move the lever to the next hole and fix it by inserting the bolt.
Pulling the lever up while the beam on which the machine lies will not pass the next highest hole. As it goes through this hole, without releasing the lever, we rearrange the bolt into this hole. With such permutations, these two bolts, and we raise the car, the whole process takes no more than a couple of minutes.
Also included are drawings of a tipper for cars.
What adapter designs exist?
With this attachment, you can greatly simplify the use of the tiller. After all, it acts as a transitional link connecting the unit itself with other functional elements: nozzles for planting and hilling potatoes, flat cutters, a plow. By installing equipment, you can automate gardening work as much as possible. For example, when using special equipment with attachments, you can increase the working speed from 5 to 10 km / h.
There are several types of adapters. In general, the structure is a trolley attached to the rear of the tiller, equipped with a comfortable seat
Some models are equipped with a lifting lever, which greatly simplifies the control of the mechanism and the movement of the unit itself on the site. Other adapters, in addition to agricultural work, can also be used for transporting goods. They are equipped with a special body. The adapters can have short or long drawbars, depending on their function. Short drawbar models are designed to work with light tillers, while long drawbar models are designed for heavier implements.
There are also models with a telescopic drawbar on sale, as well as those in which you can adjust the track width.
The adapters are fixed to the tiller using a single enlarged hitch, which consists of two parts: the first part is needed to connect the equipment to the unit. And the second acts as an adjustable adapter between the equipment itself and its lifting mechanism. To increase the number of implements used simultaneously, the adapters are equipped with a double universal hitch.
Tiller adapter: how to build a good do-it-yourself seat cart?
Stage # 2. production of main parts
The frame of the structure is made of metal pipes and corners
The body of the structure is made of steel sheet. The height of its sides is made no less than 30 cm.
When making stands for the adapter wheels, you can use the diagram below
The simplest option for making a coupling assembly is a 15 cm long pin, which is stuck into the hole in the drawbar of the U-shaped motoblock “towbar”. The disadvantage of this option is quick wear: under the action of a freely rotating trailer, the hitch holes are quickly broken. To reduce wear, it is advisable to lengthen the U-shaped chain.
Stage # 1. drawing up a kinematic diagram
To ensure the balance of the structure and prevent additional overloads at the design stage, it is necessary to draw up a kinematic diagram. You can make it yourself or use a ready-made version.
This circuit was developed for the manufacture of an adapter designed to operate on the Neva trailer
Assembling a simple structure
A simple adapter model is a metal frame. It is made from a pipe with a rectangular cross-section 1.7 meters long. At one of the ends of the pipe, a 0.5 meter long pipe is welded perpendicularly, which will serve as the basis for attaching the racks for the adapter wheels. The height of the struts themselves from the wheel axle to the top point is 0.3 meters.
For the manufacture of the structure, you can use the wheels removed from the garden cart. They can be installed on bushings, which are quite simple to perform on a conventional lathe. Bearings of the appropriate size are put on the finished bushings.
After that, the braces must be attached to the central pipe and the hubs of the wheels of the adapter by welding. The length of the products depends on the angle of their inclination relative to the structure. The square adapter frame can also be made in any size. In our case, this is a frame of 0.4×0.4 meters. To equip the attachments, a channel 0 with a length of 0.4 meters is welded to the rear end of the frame. The assembly and connection of the side pipes of the structure is carried out using bolts.
The seat is placed on a metal support that is welded to the central tube. The adapter is ready for use.
Arrangement of a multifunctional model
For the manufacture of a multifunctional device, you must prepare:
- Steel pipes and corners;
- Sheet steel;
- Two wheels;
- Comfortable sitting;
- Welding machine and tool kit.
This adapter is a multifunctional model. It can be used for basic agricultural work and for transporting goods over uneven terrain over short distances. The structure can be equipped with such agricultural implements as a plow, harrow, tiller, potato digger. Snow scraper can be attached to adapter during winter months.
The main elements of the equipment are: the frame and hitch devices, as well as the wheelset and seats
The manufacturing process of the adapter at home takes place in several stages.
Stage # 3. installing the seat
On the backbone frame of the adapter beam, stepping back 80 cm from the front edge, fix the seat. It is fixed with bolts. The adapter is ready. It remains only to check the functionality of the multifunctional device.
DIY trailer adapter
With the help of this unit, the tiller can be easily converted into a mini tractor, which makes it possible to automate a large number of work on the processing of the personal plot. The design of the trailer adapter consists of the following elements:
- Metal supporting frame.
- Cross bar.
- Governing bodies.
To make a supporting frame, you should use a pipe of any section, the length of which ranges from 1.5 to 1.7 meters. On the one hand, a device for attaching to the tiller is welded, and on the other, a transverse beam. The width of the second element is selected in accordance with the dimensions of the tiller’s wheelbase. Then braces are attached to the bar to increase the rigidity of the structure and wheel stands.
Most often, additional units are attached to the tiller adapter by means of a single hitch. You also need to think about controlling the equipment, and the best option in this situation will be a lever, switching which will lead to a change in the position of the auxiliary devices.
The last step in creating a trailer adapter is to install the seat, and for this, a stand is attached in the middle of the crossbeam.
Homemade disc hiller
The optimal type of hiller for a personal plot is disc. When working with it, it is not required to apply great efforts, and when the speed of movement is reduced, the power increases. Do not forget that the disc hiller is a universal tool, because it can be used not only after planting crops, but also during their growth.
The design of this type of attachment is not very complex and includes:
- Screw type talers.
Thanks to the presence of talers, it becomes possible to adjust the angle of inclination of the working discs. It is this factor that affects the depth of their immersion in the soil and the force applied during work.
Discs can be taken from worn-out agricultural equipment, for example, an old seeder, or made of high-quality steel, the thickness of which is 1.5-2 mm. The outer edges are bent, and a hole is drilled in the center for attaching to the frame.
How to make attachments for a tiller with your own hands
the tiller is one of the most useful and demanded technical devices among those used on the personal plot. However, this statement is only valid with optional equipment. If the size of the cultivated land plot is small, then it is advisable to purchase branded units. That is why the question of how to make attachments for a tiller with your own hands is popular.
- Homemade devices for the tiller
- DIY trailer adapter
- Homemade disc hiller
- Making a potato digger
Homemade devices for the tiller
The list of accessories is not limited to a mower, plow or harrow. This list is long enough, and no other tiller has such a strong package. After calculating the amount that the purchase of all the necessary equipment will cost, many refuse this venture. It should also be remembered that not every model can be considered universal.
Simply put, when purchasing units for one tiller, it is very difficult to guarantee their operation on another. However, if there is a desire and a certain baggage of knowledge, many additional devices can be made independently.
Their drawings are often found on the Internet, but it is important to make sure that they are compatible. When developing attachments from scratch, you need to focus on the available tiller model.
Making a potato digger
This unit is able to significantly facilitate the work of harvesting all tuberous crops, not only potatoes. Among the main structural elements of the unit, it is necessary to highlight:
- Welded frame.
- Drum cleaner.
- Editorial node.
A ploughshare is a movable element of a potato digger and can be made of sheet iron. The cut plates should be sharpened, but at the same time all edges should be blunt so as not to damage the tubers. Frame fabrication should also be straightforward. To solve this problem, you will need a corner, channel No. 8 and a profile pipe. Frame sizes are selected individually, and the required amount of materials is determined on site.
The main element of the entire structure of the unit is the editorial unit. To make it, you need two metal cylinders, into which the connecting sleeves are then installed. After that, it is necessary to make the hubs from a metal pipe, the diameter of which is 25 mm. They are used for attaching sprockets, pre-fastened to bushings by means of keys.
The most difficult to manufacture is the cleaning drum, which consists of two roller chains with 94 links each. The chains, in turn, are mounted on special rods, and then the finished element is attached on two axes. The result is maximum mobility.
The torque from the tiller motor is transmitted to the share connected to the casing. During movement, the angle of inclination changes, and digging movements are performed. To adjust the angle of inclination of the working element of the structure, and, consequently, the depth of the dig, you can make a slider. An excellent material for the manufacture of this part will be fluoroplastic.
Homemade products to Tiller Neva
Attached and trailed equipment significantly expands the functionality of the trailers. Some equipment is included, such as cutters, but the rest must be purchased. If you purchase the entire arsenal of additional devices for the Tiller Neva, then it will be too expensive, therefore, homemade products and inventions from improvised means are so in demand.
What adaptations for a tiller can be made at home?
- Adapters, trolleys
There are detailed articles and videos on the Internet on how to make these devices. Also an important improvement for the tiller is the muffler. It comes out of the box as part of the exhaust system, but does not always cope with noise suppression. You can make a quiet muffler according to this scheme:
tiller do it yourself
The advantage of a homemade tiller is in its price. If it is assembled with high quality, then its characteristics will not be inferior to the factory ones.
It is necessary to determine which area will be cultivated by the tiller, and what features the soil has. It depends on how much power the engine should be.
The motor will fit from other agricultural equipment (from a chainsaw), but in this case it is necessary to supplement it with a forced cooling system. You also need to create a frame to which the engine, wheels, handle will be attached.
Homemade dethatcher attachment for tiller or cultivator (Under 20)
information on how to make a tiller with your own hands can be found here:
Homemade variator for tiller
The variator allows you to smoothly change the speed without sudden jerks, saves fuel by transmitting torque. Tiller motors are often used as a generator to provide electricity to living quarters, local areas, and also to operate lathes.
A homemade variator can be made in different ways, the easiest is to use a ready-made variator, which can be altered for a specific tiller. Another way is to use finished parts from gearboxes and other mechanisms. Also, parts can be made independently, subject to the availability of special equipment (hot stamping is required for discs). Diagrams and videos for creating parts and assembling pulleys are easy to find on the Internet.
You can make a variator from wheel hubs, the main thing is to make a hole diameter suitable for the crankshaft. In addition to pulleys for the variator, a belt is needed, which is one of the most important parts. The belt must be strong and all parts of the variator must be regularly lubricated.
What can be done from a tiller
The use of specialized equipment allows us to solve a wide range of tasks. However, some owners want even more features from the tiller.
Homemade products are constantly inventing something and showing what can be done from a tiller. Upgraded adapters turn into mini tractors, you can also create a snowmobile, swamp vehicle, ATV. Replacing the wheels with a caterpillar track, you get a motorized towing vehicle.
These and many other amazing homemade products, ways to create them, drawings, etc., are available at the link: https://specmahina.ru/motoblok/samodelki-iz-motobloka.html
The dump is a necessary device that is needed at any time of the year. The front knife is used to clean snow, plan the area, dig holes and move bulk materials. Such equipment for the Neva tiller is of good quality, but not everyone can afford it. Do-it-yourself dumps require minimal financial investment. By installing the front knife on the Neva tiller, you can solve many household tasks. With levers and hydraulics, a homemade shovel can also be used as a loader.
To make a blade, you will need the following tools:
- welding machine;
- electric drill;
- Angle Grinder;
- acrylic paint;
- barrel 200 l;
- reinforced rubber;
- sheet steel 5 mm;
- profile pipe 40×20 mm;
- paint and brush;
- bolts and ties.
Before making a dump, it is necessary to calculate the correspondence of the power of the tiller to the size of the bucket. Excessive loading leads to rapid wear of parts and mechanisms of the unit. Depending on the weight and power of the machine, shovels are made 60-100 cm wide and 20-30 cm high.
DIY snow removal homemade products for the tiller are made in the following sequence:
- Marking the barrel, sawing it into 3 identical parts vertically. Cutting 1 piece into strips 5 cm wide.
- Fastening 2 blanks with bitumen and rivets. Aligning the edges of the product. Bucket reinforcement with transverse struts.
- Fastening of sheet metal strips along the edges of the shovel. This is done with welding or bolts.
- Drilling bolt holes. Attaching a rubber strip to the bottom of the bucket.
- Shovel hitch making. It is done by attaching a piece of pipe and a semicircle of sheet metal to the blade by welding. Holes are made on the sector to adjust the angle of attack. A self-made snow removal device is attached to the tiller bracket with an adapter from a profile pipe.
The finished product needs to be cleaned and painted. All bolted connections must be lubricated regularly to prevent corrosion.
Homemade loader from Tiller
A loader from a tiller is a necessary thing in the household. Buying a ready-made forklift is very expensive, it is necessary only if there is constant work with the transportation of goods, clearing the area, etc. Mostly forklifts in the household are used to remove snow and transport various goods, so it will be cheaper and more rational to make a forklift with your own hands.
Craftsmen are constantly coming up with new versions of this equipment, so there are many modifications, among which there is a suitable option for everyone. A loader can be assembled from special parts, or you can use what many have in garages. Parts from old cars and motorcycles are suitable.
the tiller must be equipped with a powerful engine. The heavier the loads, the more powerful the equipment should be. Even tillers with 15 hp motors. lift no more than 250 kg. Counterweight is required.
As a basis, you can take the drawings of the fracture mini-tractor. The frame is made of a channel, the fracture unit is a fist from a VAZ, a steering column and shortened axles from any car, a P40 hydraulic valve, a bucket can be made independently, or you can use a ready-made.
Reducing unit noise
Even the most modern and expensive cultivators make a lot of noise during operation, especially at high speeds. This factor greatly tires the operator and can serve as a reason for the deterioration of relations with neighbors. A homemade muffler will help to solve the problem. This is a task that is within the reach of any craftsman with initial skills in handling iron.
In order to make a muffler for a tiller with your own hands, you will need the following tools and materials:
- welding machine;
- Angle Grinder;
- electric drill;
- aluminum clamp;
- stainless steel 2 mm thick;
- metal shavings.
Having collected everything you need, you can begin to improve the exhaust system.
This is done in the following sequence:
- Make 2 tubes of oval section from stainless steel. The diameter of the pipes should differ by 1-1.5 cm. Fasten the pipe joints with a welding machine.
- In a pipe with a smaller diameter, make a maximum number of holes with a diameter of 8 mm. Wrap it with metal shavings. Coil up the shavings with steel wire.
- Insert the smaller pipe into the larger one. Fix them in position with steel bars and welding.
- Attach the muffler to the exhaust pipe and secure with a hose clamp.
The noise level after such an improvement will decrease several times. The service life of a homemade muffler will be at least 5 years. So, being content with little, you can significantly improve the conditions for agricultural and other work using a tiller.
Potato digger for tiller
Potato diggers of various types are very popular among farmers. These devices save people from hard manual labor, speeding up the harvesting process several times. The tiller digger has a very simple design. It can be made from metal that remains after the construction and repair of the house.
To work you will need:
- Angle Grinder;
- welding machine;
- electric drill;
- heavy hammer;
- profile steel pipe 20×40 mm;
- reinforcement 12 mm;
- tin (preferably stainless);
- bayonet shovel without handle.
The attachment to the tiller is made in suspended or trailed (modular) design. The hanging tool only digs out the tubers, leaving them lying on the surface for subsequent manual harvesting. The modular-type potato digger not only extracts the crop from the ground, but also collects it in a mobile container on the chassis.
The digger is made in the following sequence:
- Drawing up a drawing. The width of the digger should be within 25-30 cm.The angle of attack of the point is taken perpendicular to the opener so that the tool does not burrow into the ground.
- The reinforcement is cut into pieces of a given length. Using a hammer and anvil, they are given the required bend.
- A container for tubers is assembled from a profile pipe and sheet metal. The chassis or runners are welded to the container frame. Runners are made from pipes, and the chassis is taken from an old stroller, cart or lawn mower.
- The holder and reinforcement rods are welded to the shovel. The drawbar is welded to the holder, which is fixed to the assembly container. Connections are made movable by bolts or hinges.
- Rust and weld build-up are removed. The finished product is treated with an anti-corrosion agent and painted.
Adjustment and adjustment of the digger is carried out using stands and steel ties.
In the kit for the digger, you can immediately make a disc hiller. This tool will be needed when planting tubers after they have been buried in a plow trench. Hillers are made from old pot lids, profile pipes and bolts. A trolley is assembled from pipes and small wheels, onto which holders for lids are welded at a certain slope. After sharpening on the stone, the discs are mounted on the holders.
Do-it-yourself car tipper lift
Homemade lift tipper for a car: photo and description of manufacture.
Greetings! Started putting the body in order to make it more convenient, made a homemade tipper lift.
Since the Audi is a heavy and large car, the material also required serious.
So, you need 4 pieces of pipe 40×40 mm, wall thickness 3 mm, length 2 m. The rest. improvised means. two corners, the size is not important and two pieces of channel for the upper and lower stops.
Between the two pipes that lift the car, after the first test, it was necessary to weld a meter-long pipe remainder, for strength. Thus, the structure has acquired the required rigidity.
The pulling force is obtained using a 3 ton hydraulic jack. The holes in the vertical beam are 12 mm in diameter and are in 10 cm increments, since the jack travel is 11 cm.
This is how it all works:
I put the lift under the front spar and, by rearranging the lower stop and the upper stop pin, I easily raise the car by about 40 degrees, after which it becomes convenient to perform the necessary manipulations on the bottom and sills.
And there is something to do here. There was once a rear jack here. It looks scary, but in fact, everything can be solved.
Well, that’s fixed. Everything is end-to-end and with a continuous seam. The metal is taken from the old door from C4. During the welding process, VAGovskoe fat melts and fills our patch from the inside, providing anticorrosive. Outside, then we will also do it right. There is a similar problem in front:
In general, a convenient adaptation turned out to be for car repair.
Raising and lowering the car takes about fifteen minutes with smoke breaks. All this is kept quite reliably, under the wheels I put wheel chocks, and under the rear part. a suitable stump for insurance. I recommend to everyone!
Required tools and materials
There is a certain set of tools that are required to make a coupler, but they do not include anything exotic. Usually, everything that is required to assemble such parts is on the farm of any owner who cultivates his land plot. The following tools are required:
- welding machine;
- Angle Grinder;
- drill or drilling machine, drill bits for metal;
- measuring instruments (tape measure, ruler, square);
- fasteners (bolts, studs).
It must be emphasized that in this case it is very important that the holes that you will drill into the parts exactly coincide with the bolts and studs. a backlash in diameter is undesirable, since it will shorten the service life of the used attachments and trailers. At the same time, during the manufacturing process, it makes sense to first make holes in the part with a smaller diameter (from 5 mm), and then expand with wider drills (up to 12-16 mm, depending on the diameter of the bolts). this approach will speed up and facilitate this part of the work, at the same time allowing you to align the holes as accurately as possible.
For the manufacture of the case, you can use a channel of a suitable size, and if there is none, you can cut out a part from a metal sheet.
The option of an adjustable hitch is very convenient. this design will allow you to attach attachments of different classes, generations and brands. Even if at the moment this design is not relevant, do not forget that different devices may appear on the farm over time, and the possibility of convenient aggregation of any of them will significantly expand the choice, allowing only to proceed from the desired performance characteristics of the equipment.
Tiller hitch selection
Any attachment or hitch for a tiller, be it a harrow, hiller, mower, trailer or any other equipment, is attached with a hitch. If the basic part is not suitable, the owner has a choice. to purchase a suitable one or to make a hitch for the tiller with his own hands. In any case, when deciding which version of the node can most closely match the tasks that the unit performs, a number of points must be taken into account, including:
- features of a tiller or cultivator;
- the scope of the unit. the functions that it performs;
- equipment that must be aggregated with it;
- the need for versatility.
Based on this, you should carefully familiarize yourself with the most frequently used structures and navigate in the choice, based on the features of the one that is best suited in this case.
In this video, you will learn more about the hitch:
When choosing a hitch for a tiller, it is worth taking as a basis the most suitable type of part. There are several types:
- single / double. used in the presence of different types of weights, depending on which ones are used and in what quantity;
- reinforced. optimal for heavy units; its distinctive feature is that it is more massive. it has a greater thickness and length, which allows additional equipment to go deeper into the ground;
- adjustable. providing the ability to change the angle of the shaft, due to which you can adjust the level of attachment attachment and thereby increase the efficiency of work;
- universal hitch. allowing aggregation with several models.
If the hitch to the tiller of the desired design is not on sale or there are some of your own requests for it, it is not so difficult to make it yourself, since we are talking about a fairly simple device. Some craftsmen, who prefer to make many “accessories” to the tiller with their own hands, make a “pipe-in-pipe” coupling for the tiller trailer, make it from a cardan, from a crosspiece, from other improvised parts left over from various mechanisms. The owners of such devices note that it is not difficult to make such a unit, and share their experience and drawings of the coupling for the tiller.
Assembling a hitch for a tiller with your own hands involves the use of drawings. There are quite a few different options available, but it is optimal to take the most suitable one as a basis and adjust it taking into account the parameters of your technique. The drawing should show the following details:
- two U-shaped components, identical in all respects, but with a different number of holes. 6 in one, 8 in the other;
- body, including two threads with diameters M12 and M16 and equipped with a connecting structure for fastening with one of the nodes;
- adjustment component. a lever located on the body of the part, its design consists of a screw connected to the bracket and for convenience has a handle; it is important to provide for the correct direction of the bracket. only up or down and in such a way that it does not interfere with the operation of the tiller;
Since the unit in any case provides for a connection with a hitch, the details of the placement of the connection can be studied in its standard instructions.
DIY Tiller Hitch
Auto mechanic specializing in agricultural machinery
Some owners of small agricultural machinery purchase it, initially counting on the versatility of the unit, others buy it for one specific purpose, and over time they can expand the range of tasks that a tiller can do. But in any case, the fulfillment of most of the functions on the arable or adjacent plot is provided by various attachments, which are attached with the help of such a part as a hitch to the tiller and, in fact, serves as the key to its versatility.
Often, the owners of agricultural units find that the factory equipment is far from perfect, the design of the coupling is not suitable for the current needs of the land economy, or is simply not reliable enough. Fortunately, there is always the option to equip your tiller with a hitch that will maximize your performance.
The hitch can be done by yourself
Do-it-yourself hitch for a tiller
The great advantage of a home-made device is that the owner takes into account his requests and makes it based on the input he needs: tiller model, load, attachment parameters.
But the first thing to consider is that in any case there will be an increased load on this node, so it is important to pay careful attention to the dimensions, design and level of strength of all parts of this part. Correctly specified parameters of the device will provide the most reliable aggregation with the tiller, the necessary mobility of the unit and the durability of its use.
When deciding on the design, pay attention to the dimensions of the towbar of your tiller and the features of the attachments (already available and the one that is planned to be purchased). The primary task is to ensure maximum compatibility of the unit with all necessary attachments and trailers. Equally important is the ease of use and the possibility of aggregation with equipment with different parameters.
The main working part, as a rule, has a U-shape and serves as a bracket, which, through the holes in it, is fixed to the chiller. The attachment stand is attached to the other side of it.
Before assembling the hitch, carefully read the instructions.
To make a universal joint, you need the most even horizontal surface. a workbench or work table. The scheme for manufacturing a trailer device (hitch) for a tiller is as follows:
- Make the markup in accordance with the drawing: mark the contours of the parts on the workpiece.
- Use a drill or drilling machine to make holes according to the markings. Make sure of their accuracy using a caliper and a bolt (stud), which will be used for fastening. Achieve the optimum bore diameter where there is no play or jamming of the fasteners. Countersink the holes. this will facilitate further work and protect you from injury.
- Weld the joints. It is best to use electric welding, in which heating occurs only at the joints without much damage to the working qualities of the metal.
- Assemble the part. Connect the bracket and channel with bolts. If your design has an adjustment mechanism, fix it as well.
Important! Fasteners, with which the hitch is fixed to the tiller through the holes in the nodes, must be of the same quality and strength as the part itself.
Let us remind you once again that the part is manufactured in order to maximize the versatility of the tiller. With an optimally suitable hitch, convenient aggregation and long-term efficient operation of any mounted or trailed equipment, including a plow, harrow, hiller, potato planter, various types of mowers, trailers and any other devices, is possible. And since the fastening elements on different equipment may differ, which often complicates the possibility of their compatibility with the tiller, it is the successful design of the hitch and the possibility of its adjustment that solve this problem.
After assembling the part, it is important to attach it correctly. The installation rules are simple enough, but it is important to adhere to them. The actual connection of the equipment to the tiller is reduced to a very simple action: you need to align the holes of the hitch and the hitch and fix them with bolts or pins. Radial holes allow you to adjust the position of the connector during operation. After installation, you need to tighten the elements of the threaded fastening of the unit with the tiller. After that attachment is connected.
After the initial aggregation of devices, a final commit will follow, which must be done immediately before starting work. The regulating components (screws) should be loosened, the optimum fixation level should be found, and then tightened with wrenches. Depending on the design, a removable threaded axle can be installed on the bracket, into which an M16 screw is screwed.
And there are a few more recommendations to be made. To preserve the working qualities of the metal and increase the durability of the part after assembly, it is advisable to cover with an anti-corrosion compound or paint for metal.
Considering the possibility of adjusting the structure in different ranges, it is possible to set radius grooves and fix them to zero. After starting work, it is necessary to carefully observe the connection during the first meters of movement and, if necessary, make additional adjustments. The presence of a control lever allows you to change the level of fixation and fix the attachment for a greater or lesser plowing depth.
You need to think over everything to the smallest detail, so that during the assembly of equipment there are no difficulties. To do this, you need to understand:
- screwing, riveting or welding will connect non-separable units and parts;
- how axles, bearings, bushings, hinges will be connected;
- which seat is better to install (simple or rotating);
- from what to make an emphasis on the legs for the parking;
- Do you need a tipping body, to which you will have to add a mechanical tipper or a self-dumping unit with a special handle;
- which unit of attachment to the tiller to select (on bearings, bushings or articulated).
Having dealt with all these questions, you can start preparing a list of necessary materials and calculating the approximate cost of the future trailer.
Do-it-yourself multifunctional trailer for a tiller: stages of work, video instruction
Having decided on the dimensions and sketching a drawing, you should calculate how many meters of rolled metal and how many channels will be needed to make a homemade trailer. This is necessary in order to protect yourself from unnecessary costs for the purchase of unnecessary parts and fasteners.
Required materials and tools:
- welding machine;
- steel corners 40×40 mm and 50×25 mm;
- timber measuring 50×50 mm;
- boards 20 mm thick;
- cutting pipes of round and rectangular cross-section;
- complete wheels with hub.
The future trailer will consist of four main units connected by welding.
- The frame is assembled from scraps of pipes and corners of 40×40 mm and 50×25 mm and the frame is connected by welding.
- The body is made of 20 mm planks, the nodes of which are then sheathed with steel corners.
- With the help of three supporting beams, the role of which is played by wooden beams, the body is mounted on the trailer frame.
- Wheels are installed on the structure. Before this, it is necessary to sharpen the ends of the axle rod so that its diameter matches the dimensions of the hub bearings. It is necessary to follow the length of the rod. When assembled, the wheels must not protrude beyond the rims of the body.
- Through the corner supports and gussets, the rod is welded to the body of the longitudinal hinge and the side members.
- The trailer will be attached to the tiller using a do-it-yourself console. The lower part of this element is the axis around which the pivot unit rotates. The upper part should be made so that it follows the contours of the hiller holder. The console is attached to the attachment bracket.
- To make the wheels of the trailer work independently of the wheels of the tiller, and make the equipment easy to operate, it is recommended to insert the drawbar into the body of the longitudinal hinge and secure with thrust rings.
The tiller trailer is ready. Now you can fix the footrest and the driver’s seat, from which the equipment will be controlled.
Do-it-yourself trolley trolley: dimensions, drawings, video
Equipment such as a tiller is an excellent assistant when working in the field, garden, country house or farm. To expand the capabilities of the equipment, you can attach a towing device to it and transport soil, garbage, crops, tools and other heavy or bulky goods. You can make a trailer for the tiller with your own hands, spending just a few days on it. The result is an irreplaceable assistant that will facilitate further work.
Simple trailer for the “Neva” tiller
To start making a cart with your own hands, you need to prepare the following materials and tools:
- duralumin sheet with a thickness of 2 mm;
- steel sheets with a thickness of 0.8 mm;
- springs and wheels;
- steel pipes 25×25 and 60×30 mm;
- welding machine;
- Angle Grinder.
The trailer frame will be a one-piece structure mounted on a frame grille. For its manufacture, two traverses 25×25 mm must be made transverse and pipes 60×30 mm must be attached to them so that the result is a lattice.
Two longitudinal pipes are welded to the finished lattice, on top of which a 25×25 mm strapping is attached by welding. Sheets of steel will serve as material for the sides, which are cut to the required dimensions and welded.
The turn of the beam has come, for the manufacture of which two channels will be needed. The elements are inserted into each other, after which the wheel axles are put on one of the ends of the resulting part.
The spar is connected by means of springs, the end of which should be put on the beam axle and the shackle axle. Then, the central part of the springs must be welded to the same beam with stepladders.
Last but not least, you need to make a drawbar with your own hands from 60×30 mm pipes. They should be docked and, by welding, one part should be attached to the trailer, and the other to the side members.
A simple tiller trailer is ready. I would like to note that experts recommend using a welding machine to connect its parts. Such a mount will allow you to operate the structure for a long time.
First of all, you need to think about what size the trailer should be so that it fits a certain tiller, and it is convenient to use it. After that, you will need to sketch a drawing or a sketch of the trolley, on which to display the structure from different angles, put down all the dimensions and draw the nodes.
Homemade trailer to the tiller from car parts
Having drawn up a drawing in advance and prepared the necessary materials and tools, you can assemble such a trailer with your own hands in 1-2 days.
For work you will need:
- front axle shafts from Zhiguli or Moskvich;
- channel 65 mm along the body length;
- corners 60×60 mm;
- two pipes 2 m long;
- one pipe 60×40 mm, 3-5 m long;
- welding machine.
The bearing part of the structure will be the axle, which is made from a channel. Its length depends on the length of the future trailer. On both sides of the channel, the axle shafts from the car are connected by welding. Profile pipes are installed on top:
- One pipe is centered. She will act as a drawbar. Its length must be selected in accordance with the dimensions of the hitch.
- Two-meter pipes are laid along the edges of the channel, in the place where it meets the ends of the axle shafts. As a result, the channel joint must divide each pipe in half.
- Short pipes are laid parallel to each other and fastened perpendicularly with corners.
To ensure the structure of strength and rigidity, profile corners or pipes should be pulled from the front corners of the trolley. Joints can be bolted or welded.
The trailer frame is ready. Now you can install on it a simple wooden body made with your own hands, a seat and attach it to the drawbar.
After watching the video instructions and studying the article, you can understand that in order to make a trailer for a tiller with your own hands, you do not need to be a designer or mechanic. To implement the plan, you will need a drawing, the necessary tools, materials and a little desire and free time.


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Posts tagged itunes
Shaun, Gordie and cameraman Safwan celebrate outside the gig in Montreal upon discovering No Bad Days is finally on itunes.
Posted 3 years ago
inspired by the work of SAUL BASS, ART GOODMAN and DAVE NAGATA.hitchcock typeface by MATT TERICH. tumblr theme by MATTHEW BUCHANAN.

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Homes and businesses in Dewsbury were left without power for seven hours yesterday (Thursday).
But the people of Eastborough came together – with one taxi firm using a hired generator to dole out cups of tea to thirsty residents.
Power was lost in the Eastborough area just before 2pm. It is thought nearby workmen cut through an underground power cable by accident.
Northern Powergrid said 76 customers were affected.
Among them was Oakwell and Rex Taxis, which has its headquarters in the area. Phone lines were down and customers left stranded.
The firm’s director Fayyaz Sayed said: “It was very chaotic. Our back up generator only lasted for one hour.”
The company has 220 cars and does 80 school runs for Kirklees Council. “Imagine the amount of disruption that caused,” said Mr Sayed. “There was panic.
“Lots of people were stranded. People literally couldn’t get through to us. We let a lot of people down.”
The firm were forced to hire a generator from Progress, based in Brewery Lane. They had it up and running by about 6.30pm.
“People saw that our lights were on, so they came in and we made them cups of tea,” said Mr Sayed.
The cost of the generator hire was in excess of £1,000, he added.
Norther Powergrid said power was restored at 8.40pm.
They were unable to comment on who was responsible for the outage until they had completed their own investigation.

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13 Aug 2016
Alex is gone and the Yankees have called up Austin and Judge. It’s pretty exciting and even more so is the lineup for today’s game which features both of them and only two players over 30.
11 Aug 2016
Two more days. That’s all we have left of A-Rod and it won’t be a quiet two more days thanks to a mistake Joe Girardi made on Sunday and the NY media.
Sunday Girardi said A-Rod could play in all three games at Fenway if he wanted. Tuesday he didn’t follow through, admitting he made a mistake and was human. That’s not good enough for the media and they are going to absurd lengths to portray A-Rod as a victim.
Start with their attempt to equate A-Rod not playing to Jeter hitting second in his final season. Yes, Jeter should not have hit second, but think about the differences between Jeter and Alex for a minute. Never, and I mean never, did Jeter do anything to embarrass the Yankees. By contrast A-Rod has done plenty and also sued the club a few seasons back. Girardi didn’t want to embarrass Jeter and while it wasn’t his best move, it was an understandable one. Alex doesn’t deserve that benefit of the doubt and Girardi can’t pretend he is trying to win games and use Alex as a regular this week. That’s the bottom line there.
Next go to this notion that the Yankees owe A-Rod something. They owe him the remainder of his contract, about $26-million, that’s it. They will have paid him almost $400-million for his 13 years in the Bronx. They don’t owe him a majestic farewell or a spot in the lineup, but they are going to give him that tomorrow. That’s fine, but its also enough. These same writers defending A-Rod will be the first to attack him when he signs with another club next spring. You can count on that. Let’s get that distraction out of the way now. Alex doesn’t owe the Yankees anything either. He played and they determined he wasn’t useful anymore so they cut him. That gives him the right to go and find another team to play for and he should not be criticized for a lack of loyalty if he does that.
Finally, let me add my own conspiracy theory to what happened this week. Yankee management is not thrilled with having to cut A-Rod, but they know it is the right move for the future of the franchise. They orchestrated the Friday sendoff to sell a few more tickets instead of doing it on Sunday like they should have. They also realized that the less they let Alex play this week, the more he will want to play for someone else in the future. While it won’t cut the bill they owe him by much, a season on another team’s roster means $500,000 the Yankees save. I would bet they would be happy to save it.
The circus closes in 48 hours. I won’t miss it.
8 Aug 2016
If you had told me back in 2004 that Alex Rodriguez and the Yankees would go to only 1 World Series together, I would have bet you anything that you were wrong. The Yankees had just lost the 2003 World Series, but it was their sixth appearance in the last eight Fall Classics. Adding the best player on the planet seemed like a guarantee for plenty of more Octobers in the Bronx.
But we didn’t know that baseball was changing and A-Rod was a major jerk. Team like the Red Sox were better than the Yankees at exploring new ways to win. A-Rod alienated most of his teammates immediately by doing things like requiring the clubhouse attendants to put the toothpaste on his toothbrush. Those Yankee teams of the mid-2000’s were more talented than the results they produced and I think that has a lot to do with how divided they were.
Alex kept making himself look bad while putting up enormous numbers. He preened and pressed for attention and then committed the cardinal baseball sin of trying to upstage the 2007 World Series by opting out of his deal during the final game. Yet all was forgiven when the Yankees weeks later not only took him back, but gave him a raise. His ten-year contract guaranteed him $275-million and additional money for the milestone home runs he was going to hit as he pursued the record.
Brian Cashman was absolutely right yesterday when he said that the Yankees don’t win the 2009 World Series without Alex, but that was a heck of a price to pay for the 13 years he was under contract. Some people feel sorry for Alex which is hard for me to fathom. He became fabulously wealthy playing baseball, yet cheated the very sport he professed to love multiple times. He was benched because he simply didn’t add any value to the team, not because of some vendetta by management against him. Give credit to Hal for not only swallowing a big check in releasing Alex, but taking the high road. It would have been very easy for the Yankees to simply cut him yesterday without another thought. Instead, they gave Alex a way to leave with some dignity.
I hope Alex takes advantage of the opportunity. He can head back to Miami next weekend and then pour his efforts into helping younger players grow. If I were him, I would play the long game doing everything I could to bolster my image for a shot at the Hall of Fame. Alex could follow Mark McGwires path and coach, staying involved in the game he loves and helping other player succeed.
But I don’t think that will happen. I suspect he will start working out and leaking stories about it. He will work out at first base to gain some competency there and Loria and the Marlins, looking for another gate attraction after Ichiro, will bring him into camp next March. So think of this only as a good-bye to the Yankees, not baseball.
With the subtractions of A-Rod and Beltran, the Yankees no longer have a permanent DH. This has big implications for the future.
First off it means that Brian McCann stays a Yankee unless someone absolutely backs up a truck for him. (Remember he has the most home runs as a catcher since 2014 and is still very good defensively). The Yankees can shuttle him and Sanchez between DH and catcher, giving Sanchez a chance to grow into the job while learning from a really good source.
Second it means that someone else is going to come up and play. I suspect it will be Tyler Austin and the Yankees will give him every chance to show what he can do, but Aaron Judge won’t be far behind. And if Austin and Judge show they are ready over the final months of the season, you can bet that the Yankees trade Gardner or, if they somehow could, Ellsbury, this offseason.
7 Aug 2016
A few minutes before the start and nothing has leaked. The only possible hint of what might be coming is the news that Tyler Austin isn’t in the Scranton lineup today. If Alex as being removed from the roster, Austin would make a lot of sense as his replacement. I’ll update as events progress
11:01- Jack Curry who usually has a great read on the inner workings of the team says this is going to be some form of good-bye but he expects Alex to stay in an advisory capacity
11:02-The Yankees have scooped themselves, issuing a press release stating that Alex will play his final game on August 12th and then become a special advisor to the club through 2017
11:04- Alex will be reporting directly to Hal Steinbrenner under his advisory contract
11:05- Alex can barely speak while holding back the tears.
11:08- Choking up multiple times, A-Rod thanks a number of people
11:10-Hal apparently reached out to A-Rod to facilitate this
Reading between the lines Hal gave A-Rod a choice: do this or we will cut you
11:14- Alex asked Hal for the chance to play one last game in front of the fans and his family
11:24- Alex has been told he will have a few at bats on Friday, but nothing has been guaranteed beyond that
11:28- Cashman says he wasn’t part of the conversation in regards to this deal.
11:33- Cashman says Alex will get everything he is owed money wise.
5 Aug 2016
Buster Olney is reporting that Mark Teixeira will announce his retirement today, effective at the end of the season.
It makes sense, he has been hobbled by injuries. The question now is does he want to go out a Yankee, or would he accept a trade to a contending team? (IF a contending team wanted him).
2 Aug 2016
I know that most of us would like to see the Yankees give all the playing time to young guys now. But, that simply isn’t realistic. While the Yankees have done good work moving out some of the road blocks for younger guys, more remain. The problem is that most of the older players, who aren’t playing well, are still due substantial salaries. And while I would like the Yankees to cut A-Rod and Sabathia right now, I can’t expect that they would cut over $50-million of remaining payroll. You also have to remember that 30 of the Yankees remaining 58 games will be played under September roster rules, so they will have plenty of chances to sit some of the older guys extensively. Here’s what I think should happen with a number of the big names
A-Rod- If you listened to the GM last night, he was not kind about Alex’s play. I still don’t think that will equal his release as the Yankees don’t want to pay him the $27-million they still owe him for nothing. But, I also think the idea that A-Rod would walk away for a cent less is foolish. He is going to get paid, the Yankees just have to figure out how to do it. I suspect something like this will happen. A-Rod will continue to play sparingly and at some point in the near future, he will get “hurt” running out a ground ball. His DL trip will last until September when he will be activated and not play much at all. Before the final week of the season, the Yankees will announce he is retiring and becoming a special assistant to Brian Cashman. That will be the cover they use to give him some dignity while they pay him $20-million next year. Maybe it doesn’t happen exactly like that, but Alex isn’t going to be back in 2017.
Teixeira- I bet the Yankees have already put him on waivers and if a team is so bold as to claim him, he will be gone tomorrow. Assuming that doesn’t happen, I suspect he stays and plays pretty frequently until September 1st. The reason for that is that the Yankees could conceivably trade him once he is through waivers and if a playoff team suddenly needed a first baseman, they might be interested. If that doesn’t work, he is mostly a bench player on September 1st and a memory after the season ends.
Sabathia- Barring a miracle shoulder injury in the next few weeks, he will be under contract next year at $25-million. However, his last six starts have been bad and unless he turns it around, he will be a bullpen piece by September 1st. And if that happens, I suspect the Yankees will talk to him about allowing a trade where they will pay almost all of his salary to get him out of here before the 2017 season starts.
Some other names of note. McCann is above-average offensively and good defensively. Sanchez looks like a real find, but with Byrd coming back from injury and no set DH, McCann could easily fit in as a C/DH/1B next year depending on need. Gardner is probably the most likely to go as he is relatively cheap and the outfield could get crowded fast. The Yankees would gladly let Ellsbury go on a waiver claim, but no team would be dumb enough to claim him I think. Headley has been great since May 1st and of all the positions, third is the one with no obvious successor right now. The remaining rotation is all under contract for next year, and I suspect the Yankees will spend the rest of this one trying to decide if they want to keep Eovaldi or Pineda around past 2017.
1 Aug 2016
Over the last seven days the Yankees have formalized a new vision that their previous actions hinted at. Consider the 2014-15 offseason. The Yankees handed out two free agent contracts- four years each to Miller and Headley, but avoided the entanglements that they have jumped at in years past. They also traded for youth, bringing in Eovaldi and Didi to try to remake the roster. Connect those dots to last year’s trade deadline where their “big” move was acquiring Dustin Ackley, a young guy with promise and a bad track record. Then they became the only team in MLB not to sign a major-league free agent this offseason. All of these developments suggested to me that the Yankees were changing the way they did business, but this past week has confirmed it. The Yankees aren’t going to try to spend their way to success. They are going to look to develop talent and then supplement that with free agency. That’s a welcome change
The Yankees did some of their best work in ages this past week. They got a high-end shortstop prospect and a projected middle of the rotation guy for Chapman plus Adam Warren. They turned Andrew Miller into their potential left fielder of the future, a piece of the rotation and picked up two very promising bullpen arms. They got the #4-pick overall in the draft from last year for Beltran.
But there is more work to do. The Yankees now have just over 1/3rd of the season left to see what some of their younger guys can do. That means Severino goes back into the rotation. It means Green and Cessna get some pitching chances. It means that Refsnyder and Hicks get regular at bats, but also guys like Sanchez get a shot to show some things. That’s going to cause some changes with some of the older players, lets scope that out tomorrow.
1 Aug 2016
2:55- We kick things off early with news that the Yankees and Rangers are close on a Beltran deal.
3:00- Word is Dillion Tate, #4 overall pick last year will be part of the trade
3:02- Rangers will apparently trade Joey Gallo to Brewers for Lucroy
3:03- Tate plus 2 more players reportedly heading to NY
3:04- Tate injured his hamstring in April and hasn’t shown the velocity he had last year, but this would be a great return for Beltran
3:07- Jay Bruce is going to the Mets if the Reds agree on the medicals
3:10- Joel Sherman raises the question of if the Beltran deal goes through do the Yankees bring Sanchez up and use him and McCann as DH/C?
3:16- Joel Sherman reporting that Yankees are working on a Nova trade
3:18- Nick Cafardo reporting that what the Red Sox have offered hasn’t interested Chicago much in regards to Chris Sale
3:22- Mets trying to get Bruce and Lucroy
3:26- Joel Sherman reporting that Ben Gamel will fill Beltrans roster spot if trade happens
3:28- Buster Olney reports Mets are out on Lucroy
3:30- Pirates interested in Nova according to Rosenthal
3:31- Jack Curry reports Yankees getting Tate, Eric Swanson and Nick Green for Beltran
3:34- Joel Sherman confirms Curry’s report and adds that Mets trade for Bruce is going through
3:38- Ken Rosenthal reporting Jessie Chavez going from Toronto to LA
3:40- Rangers apparently going “hard” after Lucroy according to multiple sources
3:42- Yankees have announced Beltran trade
3:45- Olney reports Yankees are talking to multiple teams about Nova
3:47- Rosenthal reports Lucroy is headed to Texas
3:50- Chad Jennings reports that Gamel is on Yankees active roster
3:53- Jeff Passan says Joey Gallo is not in deal for Lucroy
3:57- Rangers getting Jeffress in Lucroy deal too.
3:59- Nova to the Pirates per Jon Heyman
4:02- Matt Moore to Giants per Joel Sherman
4:10- Chris Sale staying put according to Heyman
4:13-Everything is quiet, could it all be over?
4:20- Nova trade is for infamous PTBNL. Not a shock
4:28-That’s a wrap. Remember trades can still happen, but guys need to pass through wavers first. That means Yankees still could sell some of their big contracts. I’ll add a post later recapping it all.
31 Jul 2016
The Yankees have shocked me, and I think a lot of people, by trading Andrew Miller to Cleveland this morning. Now that we can see they are clearly sellers, what do they do from here? I would say the focus needs to be on clearing out the roster of parts they won’t use in the future and getting good looks at guys they want to use in the future. So, here are the guys that need to go.
Beltran tops the list because he is hitting well enough that the Yankees wouldn’t want to lose him without receiving a draft pick back. The problem is that offering him arbitration is risky because he might accept it and be on the team next year at around $17-million. The Yankees can’t let that happen, so they need to move him now.
Nova is next because he isn’t good enough for a qualifying offer and the Yankees are clearly ready to move on from him. Trade him for a bag of balls or release him. They need to use his spot in the rotation for looking at guys like Severino, Green and Cessna.
A-Rod needs to go because rebuilding teams don’t waste spots on 41-year old, lefty-hitting DH’s. If they want him to fake an injury until September 1st when rosters expand, that’s fine to, but he can’t be on the active roster anymore.
Those are the “big 3” the following guys should be moved if possible.
Sabathia- I don’t know if it is possible to trade him, but the Yankees should try to get him out the door.
McCann- Sanchez is out of options next year and obviously the future at catcher. If Atlanta is interested in a reunion, the Yankees should try to make that happen.
Gardner- I would rather trade Ellsbury, but realistically that isn’t happening. The Yankees are suddenly getting flush with outfielders, moving Beltran will help, but they need to make more room to look at other guys.
The Yankees also need to look at some of their younger players in more depth.
I know Aarron Hicks has been abysmal, but the Yankees have to keep trying him for now and seeing if he is worth keeping a roster spot for. They should also get guys like Mason Williams and Ben Gamel back on the active roster to see what they can do. Severino should be back in the rotation and ideally Green or Cessna too. Refsnyder plays somewhere almost every day and Sanchez is brought up to start learning the bigs for real. When September rolls around, Judge makes his debut. The Yankees have 59 games left to figure out the best team to put out there in 2017. No time to waste!
The Yankee have apparently acquired Tyler Clippard for Vincente Campos Clippard was a Yankee prospect back in 2007 and got sent to Washington for Jonathon Albaladejo in a trade that did not work out for the Yankees because Clippard became a pretty good bullpen arm and Albie didn’t He is signed through next year, but gives them a veteran arm in a bullpen that is pretty much Betances and Warren with a bunch of rookies Campos was the second piece of the Pineda trade and has been hit by injuries, but has made it to AAA this year. Problem with him is that he is probably out of options and would need to stick on the roster next season. Still not sure I would have traded him for Clippard but these are the Yankees and we can’t expect them to abandon all of their tendencies in a week.


Dream Park is the largest amusement park in Egypt and one of the two that I'd describe as being of international standard. It features three roller coasters, all off the shelf models from the Vekoma catalogue. As such there isn't a huge amount that one can say about them that hasn't already been repeated in these pages ad nauseum; be that as it may it is worth documenting the relative comfort of the Roller Coaster (#1324), easily the best bonus helix suspended looping coaster I've been on. It could even be barely classed as rerideable, showing that the local engineers clearly know their stuff; we'd also have willingly repeated both the Family Coaster (#1325) and the Dark Ride (#1326).
Beyond the coasters the park itself was spotlessly clean, colourful, and well themed. More than anything else it reminded me of Kuwait Entertainment City, and while that was certainly in part due to the Arabic signage (and clothing) it was also due to the general feel of the park. It proved a remarkably pleasant park to just relax in rather than just tear around the place; indeed it seemed like many of the locals were doing just that, as many of the rides had far more spectators than passengers.
I've never been a particular fan of spin rides, but I'll occasionally do one given the right motivation. Dream Park is home to that monument to tedium, a Huss Condor, which has as its sole redeeming feature a large height which can on occasion provide excellent photo angles. For whatever reason the queue for this ride was one of the longest in the park, but after half an hour I was finally on board. Sadly, a misbehaving camera ruined the best opportunity for the shot I wanted, and I didn't have the energy to queue a second time.
27th February 2009
Magic Land is located a few miles down the road from Dream Park. First impressions were hardly welcoming, with the entrance gate leading onto what appeared to be a large and for the most part empty road. However, a brief walk brought us round a corner and into the ride area which was far more promising. Though far smaller than Dream Park there were still plenty of attractions, and closer inspection revealed an decent sized indoor area too.
The number of people that can be fit in a Mack Wild Mouse car appears to depend on your country. In England, recent changes to the local rules mean a maximum of two, and those must wear truly unnecessary seat belts that have been retrofitted to a ride that was never designed to feature them. In the United States, that number expands to one per seat. In this park, however, we saw several instances of six simultaneous passengers on the Wild Mouse (#1327). Needless to say this extra weight ensured the cars took corners at top speed, making this one of the more intense wild mouse coasters I've been on. The only black mark was operational policies; though the ride featured ten cars, the staff were only allowing two on circuit at a time for reasons best known to themselves.
It was a similar story on the otherwise excellent river rapids ride, a Hafema built model that was running no more than five boats today. Given that the pumping system costs the same to run no matter how many boats are on course this made no sense to me, as it wouldn't have an impact on costs. The highlight of the ride appeared to be a ferris wheel lift system and giant splash (pictured above) that was unfortunately not in use today; presumably it only operates in warmer weather as it looked to be utterly drenching.
27th February 2009
We'd been warned prior to this trip that Koki Park was, to put it gently, not entirely up to the standard of the two magnificent parks visited earlier in the day. Be that as it may, none of us were quite prepared for what we found; a location that can really only be described with a single word; ghetto. The park is only a few kilometers away from the most famous tourist attraction in the region, the Giza Pyramids, but one glance was enough to see that no sensible tourist would ever deign to visit; other than one apparently new flat ride the majority of the attractions ranged from run down to positively scary.
The latter category included the sole coaster. It was just possible to observe the remnants of the pink paint the Wacky Worm (#1328) might once have worn; the local climate having almost completely eliminated it. The train was no better, it being scuffed and scratched beyond any operational ride I've seen. More worrying was the state of the lap bars, with one distorted badly out of shape and several others missing outright. This was not a ride that would get insurance coverage anywhere else in this world. Having said all that, it proved great fun to ride, not least due to the obvious parallels with the Final Destination movies. Additionally, the trim brake on the drop was out of order, resulting in easily the strongest laterals I've ever experienced on a ride of this type.
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The action is almost ready to begin.
Australian helmer Patrick Hughes has been chosen by Sylvester Stallone to direct The Expendables 3, the third installment in Stallone’s all-star action movie franchise.
Hughes doesn’t have the gig yet. Sources say he is flying in shortly to meet with the heads of Millennium, the company behind the franchise. He is expected to get the offer.
Hill is a relative newcomer with one feature film under his belt: Red Hill, the acclaimed 2010 thriller that starred Ryan Kwanten as a city police officer having a hell of a first day in a country town.
Expendables 3 is expected to welcome back the majority of its action stars, including Jason Statham and Dolph Lundgren. The producers hope to also add Wesley Snipes as they eye a shoot in late July-early August.
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These days, there’s almost no such thing as an album that doesn’t leak. So it was all the more impressive when Beyoncé, one of the world’s biggest pop stars, released her self-titled fifth album near the end of 2013 with no promotion and no indication that a new album was coming so soon. It was a genuine surprise in a pop-culture climate in which those are few and far between, and considering how many people were involved in making the “visual album” (and the high-budget video that accompanied each track), it was basically a magic trick for Beyoncé to accomplish the feat of releasing it without warning.
For her next act, Beyoncé managed to release Lemonade, another fully formed and daring album with elaborate visuals to go along with it, with just as little build-up as her prior album. It’s as if David Copperfield made the Statue Of Liberty disappear only to do the same to the White House a few years later—with each grand, unexpected release, she raises an already high bar and makes it more difficult for her to top herself. But to let the critics and the Twitterverse tell it, Beyoncé more than ably bested her last album, along with the rest of her discography. The longform music video, which debuted on HBO with nothing more to announce it than an oblique message on her long-dormant Twitter account, is the most breathtaking work of her career. And the music is the most sonically bold and experimental Beyoncé has ever made. Between the fully realized visuals and the startlingly confessional lyrics, Lemonade is such a giant leap forward, it’s hard to believe it came from the same girl who once fronted Destiny’s Child.
The shock would be warranted had there been no activity between “Bills, Bills, Bills” and her current output, but ever since Beyoncé launched her massive solo career with 2003’s Dangerously In Love, there have been indications of her broader ambitions. In hindsight, it’s hard to see her career progression as anything but intentional, the result of her desire to earn her place among history’s greatest mononymic pop stars. Beyoncé has released a ton of awesome songs, so making an hour-long mix of her greatest hits is no challenge. This mix is something different—a road map of the stylistic departures that foreshadowed her overarching career goals early on. Not all of these songs represent Beyoncé’s best work, but they do represent her as an artist more interested in making interesting failures than ho-hum hits.
The earliest indication of Beyoncé’s sonic ambitions came in the form of one of the least memorable songs from Dangerously In Love. “Gift From Virgo” seems like an afterthought next to radio-ready singles like “Baby Boy” and “Crazy In Love,” but it’s a radical experiment compared to the hits. Beyoncé borrows Shuggie Otis’ 1974 instrumental “Rainy Day,” but she doesn’t just sample Otis, she sings in an almost improvisational style over the entire piece. It’s punk as fuck in a “talent imitates, genius steals” kind of way, and Beyoncé frequently referred to to “Virgo” in interviews at the time, boasting about its lack of a proper hook. Given Bey’s tendency to record far more tracks than she plans to use, it seemed odd that “Virgo” made the cut, but it makes perfect sense within the context of her efforts to think beyond current pop-music trends.
Her second album, B’Day, was a grower, an album that initially seemed too raucous and beat-driven for a voice as powerful as Beyoncé’s. “Get Me Bodied” was one of the more instantly appealing songs on the album, catchy and danceable enough to make up for the absence of her melismatic flurries. Swizz Beatz’s track is exclusively made up of percussion and the occasional bass rumble, and the melody is child’s play for Beyoncé. But it’s become one of her most durable dance tracks from an album that demonstrated Bey’s willingness to try different approaches in service of an dance floor-focused album concept. At the time, B’Day seemed like a step backward, but in hindsight, it’s one of the early incremental shifts that led to her current output.
Beyoncé’s signature single bears some similarities to “Get Me Bodied,” namely its focus on percussion and rap-like rhythmic patter. The key difference is the musicality of “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It),” which features an unassuming guitar lick and futuristic sound effects. The most interesting and telling part of “Single Ladies” comes in the second part of the earworm hook, when the synthesizer strikes an ominous, haunted-house tone, as if to strike fear in the hearts of commitment-phobic men everywhere. The song and video—one of the best of all-time according to Kanye West—also marked the formal debut of Sasha Fierce, a musical alter-ego not unlike David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust or Prince’s Camille, two of the global icons after which Beyoncé has modeled her career.
Of the many leaps forward on Beyoncé’s self-titled album, the most dramatic is her experimentation with length and structure. “Haunted” is one of three tracks on the album that pushes past the six-minute mark and stitches two songs together to form one massive statement. The first half, subtitled “Ghost,” finds Bey rapping about her frustration with music and the industry around it (“All the shit I hear is boring/All the shit I do is boring”) and ends with a quip about the song’s lack of commercial appeal: “Probably won’t make no money off this/Oh well.” The second half, from which the song takes its title, is reminiscent of a song Beyoncé’s made a lot a money off of. The song’s final push brings back a far darker version of the dread-inducing synthesizers from “Single Ladies,” then transforms again into a slinky, sexy refrain. To add to the track’s otherness, she employs an all-male complement of backing vocals in another one of her musical firsts.
Hip-hop production has long been the norm in contemporary R&B, and early on, Beyoncé embraced hip-hop beats as much as anyone, as evidenced by how many rappers used the “Crazy In Love” beat on mixtapes. The producer of “Crazy In Love,” Rich Harrison, returned to provide one of the hottest beats on B’Day, Beyoncé’s most on-the-nose hip hop record before she started to broaden her musical palette in earnest. Harrison builds “Suga Mama” on an obscure funk sample that seems tailor-made for an MC, but provides a perfect accompaniment to Bey’s gender-flipped braggadocio. While she sang about being an “Independent Woman” with Destiny’s Child, in “Suga Mama” she takes the gender wars further. She’s not just capable of holding her own financially; she’s the financier, taking great pride in her ability to cater to her man’s whims. Despite never being released as a single, “Suga Mama” got its own video directed by Beyoncé and long-time collaborator Melina Matsoukas, an early indication of her Michael Jackson-like desire to pair songs with visuals whenever possible.
“7/11” currently sits atop Beyonce’s list of most-played tracks on Spotify, which is quite a distinction for a B-side. The track was released with the expanded “Platinum Edition” of the self-titled album, an ideal deployment of the track considering how different it sounds from the rest of the record. It’s smaller and simpler than the rest of the album, with a tinny trap beat and auto-tuned vocals that make it sound like a throwaway club track, but it’s also proof of her willingness to try almost anything once. The accompanying video is the real marvel, bearing out Beyonce’s frequent claim that she’s most drawn to the songs and ideas that seem the most fun. The adorable video, self-shot with a smartphone camera and a selfie stick in a messy hotel suite, is the most endearing and human thing Beyoncé has ever made, one of many cases of extreme synergy between her songs and her videos.
Like history’s biggest pop stars, Beyoncé works with name producers, but also loves to discover and highlight less prominent songwriters. For her self-titled album, one of the lesser-known writers who got the call was Caroline Polachek, half of the Brooklyn-based indie-pop duo Chairlift. “No Angel” started as Polachek’s sketch of a song before she concluded that its coquettish lyrics would be better suited to a sex kitten like Beyoncé. Along with producer Boots (who also produced “Haunted”), Polachek and Beyoncé fleshed out “No Angel” into one of the album’s most appealing tracks, with a bare-bones beats that draws attention to Beyoncé’s breathy vocal. The vocal is also slightly pitchy at some points, and though she had Auto-Tune at her disposal (since she employed it on “7/11”) Beyoncé chose to leave the vocal as-is, bolstering her claims of trying to eschew perfection in favor of something more interesting and alive.
For years, Beyoncé has been experimenting with different ways of promoting her new music and tantalizing her notoriously rabid fanbase. Those experiments began with the release of “Run The World (Girls),” a feminist anthem sonically unlike 4, the album she released two months later. Between its militaristic drums and Major Lazer sample, “Run The World” was unlike anything Beyoncé had released, and was the first example of her tactic of releasing a somewhat baffling teaser single before delivering a traditional album down the line. Once Beyoncé had gotten her fans used to the idea of her playing with radically new sounds, only to soothe them later with more middle-of-the-road R&B, she took away the safety net. Pop musicians often struggle with the conundrum of wanting to try new things without alienating core fans, and Beyoncé figured out how to have it both ways.
“Flawless” is another one of Beyoncé’s two-songs-in-one tracks, and the first of the two, “Bow Down,” is reminiscent of “Run The World” as another of her weird outlier singles that signals the imminent release of a new album. The second, “Flawless,” is one of her female empowerment anthems and begins with a portion of Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Ted Talk speech entitled “We Should All Be Feminists.” Lemonade finds Beyoncé pushing her themes, concepts, and imagery to radical new heights, but “Flawless” laid the groundwork for it by showing that despite empty braggadocio like “Bow Down,” Beyoncé had a lot more on her mind.
One of Beyoncé’s many collaborations with Pharrell Williams, “Work It Out” was overshadowed by its association with Austin Powers In Goldmember, Beyoncé’s silver-screen debut. Had the song been released independent of a film featuring a less-than-auspicious acting debut from Beyoncé, it might have been better appreciated as an indicator of her outsize ambition. “Work It Out” is a charming slice of neo-funk, and Beyoncé’s performance is more reminiscent of James Brown and Aretha Franklin than of her soul music contemporaries at the time. The song’s similarity to pro-black musical luminaries is an early example of Beyoncé’s willingness to inject blackness in places where it isn’t expected, and had she performed it during the Super Bowl, it might have hastened The Day Beyoncé Turned Black.
Beyoncé’s 4 is the weakest-selling of albums, which has served to obscure how interesting and bold it is. Prior to the release of the self-titled album, “Countdown” was Bey’s most eclectic and daring track, a sonic gumbo that combines elements of dancehall, Afrobeat, and Latin pop and a Boyz II Men sample. It has a strong groove without ever settling into one, and features a clever video that references Audrey Hepburn’s look and performance in Funny Face, yet another influence that reveals Beyoncé to be a cultural omnivore.
The lead single from B’Day was a bold, brassy R&B stomper, the second album’s answer to “Crazy In Love,” with bright horns and a rap verse from her husband Jay Z. While the song was classic Beyoncé, the video, directed by Sophie Muller, was not. With Beyoncé dancing and twirling in scenic, natural settings and in front of richly patterned interiors, it’s her earliest nod to the aesthetic she brought to fruition with Lemonade.
“Yoncé all on his mouth like liquor,” Beyoncé taunts in the first section of the epic sex jam “Partition,” her most explicitly erotic song yet. Female pop stars often use their sexuality to signal a new direction in their careers and public personas. But where most flaunt sexuality as an expression of youthful abandon before settling into more “mature,” modest identities, Beyoncé waited until she was a wife and mother to express her sexual side. This bold rejection of the Madonna-whore dichotomy speaks to Beyoncé’s broader interest in expressing herself as a whole person, whether she’s talking smack about going down on her husband in the back of a limousine, or confessing her pain and insecurity after discovering that wasn’t enough to ensure his fidelity.
Lemonade is more confessional than anything Beyoncé has ever done, but the first portion of “Mine,” from the eponymous release, was Beyoncé’s first time exposing her private life and inner turmoil in her music. “Been having conversations about break-ups and separations / I’m not feeling like myself since the baby / Are we gonna even make it?” she sings, hinting at postpartum depression and the marital strife that eventually boiled over in Lemonade. Beyoncé is a conceptual artist whose medium is pop music, in the grand tradition of someone like Madonna, but with a greater willingness to blur the line between her public and private selves.
Like “7/11,” “Why Don’t You Love Me” was released as part of an expanded version of I Am…Sasha Fierce, so it remains among Beyoncé’s lesser-known tracks. But it’s one that belies Beyoncé’s musically adventurous spirit. The track came from production team the Bama Boyz, who sent music for Beyoncé to listen to after working on an album with her sister Solange Knowles. According to them, they initially left the track out of the bundle of music they sent to Beyoncé, fearing it would be too weird for her, only to be surprised when she wanted it. Beyoncé could have had a massively successful career recording “Crazy In Love” facsimiles for her entire career, but she’s grown into a global phenomenon by continuing to pick, and do, the weird thing no one expects.
Total time: 60 minutes

domain: entertainment


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AIM needs to inspire, educate, and provide more opportunities for the next generation to enter the agroecology workforce. From elementary school to college, we need to foster interest in natural resources, teach the importance of conservation, and provide young people with the requisite tools and pathways to pursue further education or professional opportunities in related education, trade, science, etc. fields.
The goal of the classroom and community engagement resources provided in conjunction with AIM Illinois newsletters is to help educators discuss conservation agriculture topics and foster excitement for the future of agroecology with their students. Check out our first lesson plan, “What is conservation agriculture?” to launch students into discovery and reflection regarding best management practices and producer challenges.
Subscribe to the AIM monthly newsletter and follow AIM Illinois social media to receive future lesson plans and related materials to engage young adult audiences in agroecology and innovation topics.

domain: agronomy


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Have you saw that the yogurt area of a lot of grocery stores has almost taken control of the dairy aisle? It’s getting harder to discover more traditional milk foods, such as home cheese and sour cream, amid the sea of yogurt options. But it just makes good sense that a food with as numerous health advantages as yogurt be given prime real estate in the supermarket.
What are the Health Benefits of Yogurt?
First off, let us not forget that yogurt originates from milk. So yogurt eaters will get a dose of animal protein (about 9 grams per 6-ounce serving), plus several other nutrients found in milk foods, like calcium, vitamin B-2, vitamin B-12, potassium, and magnesium.
However one of the words we’re hearing a growing number of concerning yogurt is “probiotics.” Probiotics are “friendly bacteria” that are naturally present in the digestion system. Live stress of these “excellent bacteria” are likewise discovered in lots of yogurt products. While more research study has to be done, there’s some evidence that some pressures of probiotics can assist enhance the body immune system and promote a healthy digestive tract.
Probiotics made news just recently when a class action claim was filed versus the Dannon Co. over marketing for its Activia and DanActive products, where the company utilizes trademarked probiotic pressures. Activia is a yogurt marketed as being “clinically proven to help manage the digestion system when consumed daily for 2 weeks,” while DanActive is a drink marketed as being “scientifically proven to help strengthen the body’s defense systems,” according to company website.
The claim, filed by a California law practice, declares that Dannon participated in a “massively deceptive” advertising campaign about those items’ “scientifically” and “clinically” shown health advantages not offered in other yogurts.
However Dannon is challenging the fit. “The scientifically substantiated advantages of Dannon’s items are validated not only by the scientific journals that have actually reviewed and published the findings, however also by the millions of highly pleased consumers who enjoy Dannon’s items,” the company states in a press release.
Regardless of this dispute, the health benefits of yogurt are so outstanding that many health-conscious individuals make it a day-to-day routine. And each year, a growing number of research is released adding insight into the health gain from consuming yogurt.
Consuming yogurt routinely in your diet has many health benefits. But first let us know what is yogurt.Yogurt is prepared when a starter culture of excellent bacteria are added to pasteurized milk.
The bacteria act on the sugars present in milk to create lactic acid. It gives a thick creamy texture with appetizing taste to yogurt. Commercially available yogurt consists of included ingredients such as fruits and sugar to enhance its taste.
What Are The Main Contents In Yogurt?
- Vitamin B2 (riboflavin).
- Probiotic bacteria.
- These are the 3 main contents of yogurt.
Benefits of Eating Yogurt
- Yogurt benefits in gastrointestinal problems: due to its active bacterial cultures yogurt is natural option for digestive tract issue. It is used in lactose intolerance, constipation, diarrhea, inflammatory bowel conditions, stomach ulcers, decreases incidence of colon cancer. The benefits are attributed due to modifications in the bacterial plants and improving the body immune system yogurt makes when taken in.
- Calcium material in yogurt assists to lower osteoporosis in senior individuals.
- Candida yeast infection is brought under control by consuming yogurt daily in their diet. Specifically women suffering from diabetes have higher take advantage of consuming yogurt.
- If you team yogurt with flaxseeds, you enhance its health advantage. Flax seed which is abundant omega- 3 fat and fiber provides included benefit.
- Lowers the risk of hypertension. Studies recommend people consuming low fat yogurt, have lesser chance to develop hypertension.
- The enzymes present in yogurt assistance to improve the body immune system to combat the infection.
- If you eat two portions of yogurt in breakfast, it helps to manage your appetite whole day. It is not certain, but the protein content in yogurt might be accountable for it. By doing this it assists in individuals who want to lose weight in a healthier way.Benefits of yogurt for skin: because ages, yogurt is important natural cosmetic active ingredient in skin care. The enzymes and lactic acid present in yogurt relieves and hydrates the skin. It is a great moisturizer of dry skin. It is the solution for sunburn as it relieves the pain and enhances redness.
- When used on scalp, it avoids hair fall, it nurtures the hair root and avoids dandruff.

domain: food


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Here’s my much awaited Devil’s Food Cake. I’ve never made a cake from scratch at home before (I don’t count the ones I’ve done in culinary school). It was much easier with my stand mixer, so I may do this again soon. Grant wants me to make some pies, though. He’s more of a pie man.
Anyway, here are the ingredients for the cake:
1/2 cup of unsalted butter
3 ounces of unsweetened chocolate
2 cups of sugar (in the container with the chives on it)
2 1/4 cup of flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt (in my red salt pig)
1/4 cup of milk
1 tsp white vinegar
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease and flour two 9 inch cake pans. Instead of flour, I used cocoa powder as this was a chocolate cake (never too late to add a little more chocolate flavour!).
2. In a small pot, melt the chocolate and butter. Make sure you do this carefully over low heat. You don’t want that chocolate to burn (it gets grainy and nasty). As soon as the chocolate is in small lumps, I took it off the burner as the residual heat melted the rest. Set aside to cool slightly.
3. Beat the eggs and sugar together. They should lighten up. Add the cooled chocolate and butter and combine well.
4. Sift the flour, baking soda and salt together. You don’t want any lumps in the flour. Add to the mixer and combine well. Don’t overbeat the batter. You don’t want the gluten to develop. This will make chocolate bread.
5. Add the milk and vinegar and mix again. If using a stand mixer, remove from the base and mix by hand to make sure all of the ingredients are incorporated.
It was a little stiff at first when I put it into the cake pans. It was almost like a brownie batter. It didn’t pour, but I had to divide it amongst the two pans and even it out and push it into the sides. Honestly, I was worried about how the cake would turn out, but I don’t like to play around with recipes for baking. I tasted the batter and it was delicious (Note: Do not try this at home as there is a risk of salmonella. I like living on the edge.).
When it came out of the oven, it had sunken in the centre. Not too sure why, but I’ll have to try another recipe next time.
The buttercream frosting came out fantastic, though. I got the recipe from epicurious. The ingredients are as follows:
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
3 sticks unsalted butter (1 1/2 cups), room temperature
6 tabelspoons of water (not shown)
3/4 cup of sugar
3 large egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1. Ok, melt the chocolate in a small bowl in the microwave. Keep a sharp eye on it. The recipe calls for bittersweet chocolate, but I only had semisweet, so I just cut back a little on the sugar.
2. In a small saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil. Stir just until the sugar is dissolved, then don’t stir it anymore (this prevents crystals from forming). The recipe calls to use a candy thermometer and remove from the heat when the syrup reaches 248 F, but I couldn’t find my candy thermometer. I just boiled it rapidly, then removed it from the heat. It worked fine.
3. In your stand mixer, beat three egg whites with a small pinch of salt until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. With the mixer on at medium-high speed, stream in the hot sugar syrup slowly. Don’t let it get on the beaters or the side of the bowl. Continue to beat for about 7-10 minutes or until the mixture is completely cool. Ignore the mess on the counter by focusing on the frosting. The spinning beater blade is hypnotic.
4. Cut the butter into pieces and beat into the mixture on medium-high speed, piece by piece. It looks really weird, clumpy and like it’s about to break, but it will thicken up as you add more butter. After all of the butter is added, beat a little longer until mostly smooth (you’ll have to turn it off for a minute to check, the beaters make it look kind of lumpy, but it’s not). Add the cocoa powder, melted chocolate and another pinch of salt. Enjoy the cloud of cocoa powder that you inhale as you forget to reduce the speed of the mixer. Chocolate coughs rule.
6. Remove the bowl from the mixer and mix with a spatula. It looks (and tastes) perfect!
I iced the cake (forget the pastry bag right now) and put it on the smallest cake pedestal I could find (it’s the only one I have and is apparently for tiny, doll cakes). I know you’re usually supposed to put pieces of parchment paper under the cake to remove when you’re done and have a clean stand, but I just wiped it down with a paper towel.
Mmmmm. Cake. It’s not that pretty (not that hideous, either), but it tastes good! And I just filled the sink holes in the centre of the cake with extra frosting, so who cares?
It appears the reason it was fairly dense is that I forgot to add the cup of water to the cake batter. I’ll have to remake it! LOL.


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Valdez receives 2 years for dog abuse
JOHNSTOWN — The judge sentencing serial dog abuser Bentley Valdez on Wednesday to two years in the local Fulton County Jail said she wished she could have sent him off to state prison.
But County Court Judge Polly A. Hoye told the Stratford man — whom she referred to as a “hermit” — she was limited statutorily to a couple years incarceration.
Valdez, 56, of 404 County Highway 104, was convicted in February of 17 animal cruelty-related counts in the animal cruelty case involving deceased French mastiffs that became known as the “Stratford 22” case.
“It’s quite clear this is not something that happened overnight,” Hoye stated.
The judge told Valdez that while he receives plenty of food and water in jail, it is a contrast to the “pain, fear and misery” he put his dogs through. She told him “people like you belong” in state prison.
“I deem you to be unfit to ever own any companion animal again,” Hoye said.
Fulton County District Attorney Chad Brown said that Hoye on Feb. 14 — after the verdict — ordered Valdez remanded to the Fulton County Jail without bail. He has been incarcerated there since.
During his three-years of post-release supervision, she said authorities will monitor whether he owns pets.
Sentencing was based on a County Court jury’s Feb. 14 guilty verdict convicting the defendant of two felony counts of aggravated animal cruelty. He was also convicted of 15 misdemeanor counts of failure to provide sustenance or care.
State police last year found nine deceased French mastiffs in various locations on Valdez’s property. One had been in critical condition and 12 others in various states of emaciation. The case against the defendant reverts back to an investigation that began on April 5, 2017 at Valdez’s residence. Arriving state police troopers observed none of the dogs had food or water in their pens or inside a porch. Ten remaining living dogs eventually found homes, Surviving dogs reunited in October in Broadalbin in a celebration of their adoptions.
Valdez showed no emotion as Hoye read off the sentence for all 17 counts, including recitation of some of the dogs’ names. It was a mixture of concurrent and consecutive counts that symbolically meted out several years, but in reality only equated to two years maximum time at the Fulton County Jail.
Valdez issued a written statement to the court without speaking. Several members of his family attended the proceeding at the County Courthouse.
Brown said the judge, with her sentence, was legally trying to insure Valdez “serves every day” of the two years, although he will get credit for time served.
Following sentencing, animal rights activist Kathy Baker, who was involved in the case, was emotional and fought back tears.
“The judge did a wonderful job,” she said.
Baker called the case — in which Valdez turned himself into state police after officers contacted him about animal abandonment at his residence — “disgusting.”
Prior to sentencing, Brown pushed for the two-year maximum. The district attorney said Valdez had made “numerous excuses” for his actions, but none were realistic.
“The jury found all these excuses without merit,” Brown said. “The time for these excuses has now passed.”
Brown said that at one point, Valdez, who is disabled, traveled four hours to Long Island to seek medical treatment while his dogs suffered.
“To say these dogs were malnourished is an understatement,” he said.
Assistant Public Defender Allen Day, who represented Valdez, told a different story of a man who he said loved his dogs. He said his client — a former corrections officer — “came to Stratford for the benefit of his dogs.”
“His life and his money was spent on the dogs,” Day said.
The defense attorney, who asked for “leniency,” said Valdez bought hundreds of pounds of chicken to feed the dogs.
“All of this is support that he did, in fact, provide food and water for these dogs,” Day said. “There is a lack of any intent on his part to harm these dogs.”
But Hoye stated the jury “did not credit his version of events.”
“The jury found the people’s case was proven beyond a reasonable doubt,” the judge said.
Hoye said Valdez’s dogs were “underfed for months.” She said some of the dogs were found in bags and the fact some died meant some were put out of their misery after they “suffered terribly.”
Following his conviction by jury in February, Brown stated: “This prosecution was made possible only because of the hard work by all involved. Sadly, these beautiful dogs suffered for an extended period of time at the hands of the defendant. This verdict by the jury is for all of the French mastiffs located on April 5, 2017, the deceased dogs, including Dog No. 10 and Agnes, and the remaining living dogs — Maude, Walter, Lola, Ruth, Martha, Maggs, Captain, Edna, Gertrude and Margery.” One French mastiff was believed to be roaming the Valdez property in February.
Brown said veterinarians found multiple deceased dogs and other dogs malnourished. Brown said evidence showed one mastiff was on a couch and a necropsy showed no food in the entire digestive tract. He said one vet said it would take at least two months of starvation to reach that condition. Two other mastiffs, both dead, were located in the porch and were in burlap bags stacked on top of each other.
Another dead mastiff was located in an enclosed outdoor shed on the property, while two other dead mastiffs were located in separate cages outside the residence. Two more deceased mastiffs were in burlap bags inside a barn.
Brown said that in addition to the nine deceased French mastiffs, a dozen living ones were in various stages of malnourishment.
The James A. Brennan Memorial Humane Society provided food, shelter and treatment for numerous physical issues.
Michael Anich covers Johnstown and Fulton County news. He can be reached at email@example.com.

domain: law