fishnsled

I'm not the one trying to pass myself off as a musician......

Do you think you could at least finish a couple of songs???

A case of beer, pizza and an open invite to everyone and the job just might get done......better make it 2 cases of beer.

Well said Cliff. So sorry for your loss Chris, always tough when we loose a good friend.

Very sad news indeed. My deepest condolences to you and your family Simon.

Mercury Pollution in the Great Lakes Region: Nearly Forgotten, but Not Gone ScienceDaily (Oct. 11, 2011) — The scope and intensity of mercury pollution in the Great Lakes region is much greater than previously reported, but additional mercury controls should bring needed improvement, according to a new summary of scientific research on the subject. [/url] Despite general declines in mercury levels in the Great Lakes region over the past four decades, mercury concentrations still exceed human and ecological risk thresholds, especially in inland lakes and rivers, according to the report Great Lakes Mercury Connections: The Extent and Effects of Mercury Pollution in the Great Lakes Region, published in Springer's journal Ecotoxicology. Also, new research indicates that for some species of fish and wildlife in particular areas, mercury concentrations may again be on the rise. While the risk of elevated mercury concentrations to human health is well known -- all of the Great Lakes states and the province of Ontario issued fish consumption advisories due to high mercury -- new studies cited in the report suggest that adverse effects of mercury on the health of fish and wildlife occur at levels much lower than previously reported. "The good news is that efforts to control mercury pollution have been very beneficial," says David C. Evers, Ph.D., executive director and chief scientist at Biodiversity Research Institute, and the principal investigator in the Great Lakes study. "However, as we broaden our investigations, we find that fish and wildlife are affected at lower mercury concentrations and across larger areas, and that impacts can be quite serious. For example, we found that estimated mercury concentrations in the blood of common loons were above levels that are associated with at least 22 percent fewer fledged young in large areas of the Great Lakes study region." The report represents the work of more than 170 scientists, researchers, and resource managers who used more than 300,000 mercury measurements to document the impact and trends of mercury pollution on the Great Lakes region. A collaboration of the Biodiversity Research Institute in Gorham, Maine, the Great Lakes Commission based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, the project is the product of a binational, scientific synthesis sponsored by the Commission through its Great Lakes Air Deposition Program, funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The research details how mercury pollution is changing over time. "When we analyzed lake sediments, we were surprised to see such a strong connection between mercury loadings to the region and mercury emissions in the region," says Charles Driscoll, Ph.D., University Professor of Environmental Systems Engineering at Syracuse University and co-principal investigator on the project. "We documented a 20 percent decline in sediment mercury deposition from peak values around 1985. This decline was concurrent with a 48 percent decline in mercury emissions from sources in the Great Lakes region and a 17 percent increase in global emissions, clearly illustrating the benefit of controlling domestic emissions. It is likely that additional national and regional air emission controls would result in further declines in mercury contamination of the Great Lakes region as well as other areas of the U.S. and Canada." Among other findings, the report points out that the northern reaches of the Great Lakes region are particularly sensitive to mercury and that, despite improvements, fish mercury concentrations remain above the EPA human health criterion in these sensitive areas. "The decline in mercury contamination of fishery resources across much of the Great Lakes region is very welcome news," says James G. Wiener, Ph.D., Wisconsin Distinguished Professor at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, and co-principal investigator in the study. "However, the fish in many of the region's inland lakes and rivers exceed important human and environmental health thresholds. For instance, we looked at six commonly eaten game fish and found that average mercury concentrations in these fishes exceeded the EPA human health criterion in 61 percent of the study region." Dr. Wiener further noted that some long-term mercury trends appear to be changing. "The observations of recent increases in mercury concentrations in some fish and wildlife populations in the region is also cause for concern, because we do not understand why these increases are occurring." Atmospheric emissions are the primary source of mercury deposition in the Great Lakes basin; the report projects that further controls on those emissions "are expected to lower mercury concentrations in the food web, yielding multiple benefits to fish, wildlife, and people in the Great Lakes region." Mercury

I thought this was worth it's own topic but added the link to Phil's post. There's nothing like a mind-blowing Photoshop feature to kindle the nerdy fire that burns in our collective loins, and this latest effort -- demoed at Adobe's Max 2011 event -- has our loins positively ablaze.It's a de-blurring feature that takes your rubbish blurry photos and makes them look beautifully crisp and clear, through the healing power of algorithms. It's in early stages at the moment, but here's what we can glean from the video below -- turn it up to 720p for the full effect. The software analyses the image you want to un-blur (de-blur? Help us out with some lingo, Adobe) to figure out the direction in which the camera was moving when the photo was taken. Once it's devised that, it edits the original photo, compensating for the camera's movement. The results, as you can see in the video, are impressive. You'll see several photos de/un-blurred, including a section of text. If the tech made it into the next version of Photoshop, then it could bring CSI-style zoom-and-enhance nonsense a little closer to reality. Those blurry spy-shots of new gadgets could finally be turned into crystal-clear images, and miserable ruined holiday photos could once more be made scrapbook-worthy. We're not sure this is as mind-blowing as the content-aware fill from Photoshop CS5 that lets you remove cows (among other things), but it's close. Adobe

Agree. Might be interesting to try blowing it up and using the new Adobe deblurring feature when it is released, very impressive for sharpening blurry images. Would be interesting to see if it could help you out. Check out the link and watch the video. Adobe

Friends, fishing and a great meal - sounds like a great way to kill some time.

I wonder if this could really ever happen to me??? Been years since I've hit the rivers. Great report Brian, thanks for posting.

Incredible!

Looks like a great weekend for the family Dan. Sucks about closing up the cottage but nice to get it done while the weather is nice. Thanks for the report.

Just incredible! Sweet hawgs there guys, thanks for posting. I've heard of double bagging a nest (garbage bags) and just let the wasps die off. Maybe triple bag that one, looks huge!

Awesome!! You'll cherish those memories for a long time.

Great shots Joey. Size does matter eh?

2 different gauges with similar readings as quoted. Don't think it was the gauge. Have tested it since against a couple "old school" gauges I have and the readings are the same. Just found it weird that tire pressure could change that much. I'm usually on top of these things but had some other stuff on my mind as of late. Tires are topped up and will test them on the next trip to see what kind of different reading I get from cold to hot the next time.

I think we should have a Monster, Giant and Behemoth forum along with a Fishing Only forum........Probably should have a rant/complaining forum as well then some people's time wouldn't be wasted........

I always carry one as well, going to extend the power cord so that I can easily reach the trailer tires. Good tip Lew.

Checked for that as well but it was at psi. My buddy that was with me drives trucks for a living and has never seen that kind of a difference before in his 20+ years of driving either. Checked with a buddy who is a mechanic and he's scratching his head too. Thought I'd put it up here and see what the experts had to say.

I have a digital tire gauge and it was at 39psi. Went to the gas station and use the gauge on hose and read just shy of 80psi. Grabbed my gauge and checked both tires on trailer and one was 77psi and the other was 76psi. I usually run the tires at 45psi and are cold rated at 50psi. Some good info guys and a few laughs.

The other day I took a pressure reading on my trailer tires and they were down a bit. Didn't think it was too bad and drove to a gas station that was easy to get into about a 1/2 hour away. Once there there pressure reading was double what it was previously. Does tire pressure normally change that much? Should you fill your tires to the maximum cold rating? Just curious as I've never see that before and it certainly wasn't a hot summer day.

I couldn't agree with you anymore. If even for a couple of days, it is soooo worth doing. Thanks for the report.

Lots of great people here willing to lend a hand. Had some problems with my washer a few months ago, Paul made a couple of suggestions to try first and then offered advise on parts if need. Followed his suggestions and haven't had a problem since. Saved me a few bucks on a repair call and possibly parts I didn't need. One of the many good ones here.