“Female Friendly” LED Lighting Products…Seriously?

February 25th, 2010

Mini Tac TorchAn LED lighting manufacturer is preparing to “unveil female friendly lighting products” at an upcoming home and housewares show in March, according to a recent press release. Female friendly? Gimme a break. If that doesn’t shout, “Women are inferior!”, I don’t know what does.

Apparently, the company’s research shows females are expressing a growing interest in their LED lighting products, so they decided to develop a new line of products that cater to women. I’ll stop here and say, kudos — they’re analyzing the numbers and attempting to capitalize on a trend — but their delivery is downright degrading. I mean, doesn’t the term “female-friendly” imply that women have difficulties using conventional flashlights?

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Camper Missing in Deschutes Falls Area

February 24th, 2010

Jeff "Jay" NelsonThe search continued today for a 20-year-old man who went missing Saturday while camping near Deschutes Falls in Washington state. Police believe the camper, Jeff “Jay” Nelson, may have fallen off a cliff during the middle of the night.

Officials said Nelson and his friends went to bed at about 11 p.m. after setting up a campsite near the Deschutes River. On Saturday morning Nelson was gone, although his sleeping bag and other gear were still there. Friends, family, and local officials began organized rescue efforts Saturday morning and afternoon. Local rescue dive teams began searching the Deschutes River on Sunday.

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R.I.P. Sam Hamilton, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Director

February 22nd, 2010

Sam HamiltonSam D. Hamilton, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, died Saturday after suffering from chest pains while skiing in Colorado. He was 54.

Coast extends its sincerest sympathies to the family and friends of Mr. Hamilton and wishes to express gratitude for the hard work and dedication he displayed during his years of service.

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Spring Chinook and Sturgeon Seasons Set for Oregon and Washington

February 19th, 2010

odfw_logoOregon and Washington just adopted spring Chinook salmon and sturgeon fishing seasons for the Columbia and Willamette rivers yesterday during a joint state hearing, according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW).

The Columbia River spring Chinook seasons are based on a forecast of 470,000 returning upriver spring Chinook, said ODFW. As a conservative measure, the two states decided to adopt a 40 percent buffer, leaving a combined harvest guideline of 17,200 fish in the sport fishery downstream of Bonneville Dam. Similarly, the sturgeon seasons are based on a recreational harvest guideline of 19,200 fish, including 3,600 in the Willamette.

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Is Camping Gear Really Romantic?

February 16th, 2010

C53RI was perusing some online camping blogs today when one led me to an interesting pair of articles by Bill Sassani. He wrote two articles for Valentine’s Day, one highlighting outdoor gear gifts for men and one doing the same for women. Now, call me a traditionalist, but I didn’t exactly know camping and hiking gear was on the approved list of gifts to buy for Valentine’s Day. Apparently, they are.

Now, I’ll concede that there’s a good argument for men, but I don’t know if his gear gift-giving opinion on women will stand up. Listen to one of his opening lines:

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