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Cheltenham Festival hero Very Wood bids to make it two from two over fences in the Dobbins Outdoor Catering Florida Pearl Novice Chase at Punchestown on Sunday.

The five-year-old was a shock 33-1 winner of the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle at Prestbury Park in March, but disappointed on his final appearance of the season at the Punchestown Festival.

He bounced back to form on his return to action, however, jumping well in the main on his way to making a winning start over the larger obstacles at Galway last month.

Trainer Noel Meade said: "He was good in Galway and did it well. He's never going to go and win very easy as he's a lazy sort of horse, but we were happy with him on the day.

"He's been good at home since, this is a good race and we'll see how we go."

Very Wood is one of three runners for Gigginstown House Stud in a six-strong field, with Michael O'Leary's operation also represented by the Willie Mullins-trained Security Breach and Thunder And Roses from Dessie Hughes' yard.

Mullins also saddles Indevan, who since his disappointing chase debut at Kilbeggan in June has notched a hat-trick of successes, most recently striking impressively in the Grade Three Like A Butterfly Novice Chase at Tipperary.

Speaking on his website http://www.wpmullins.com, the champion trainer said: "Indevan was really good on his last couple of runs and is a course winner. He will like the trip but would possibly prefer better ground.

"Security Breach will love this ground and trip but his hurdle form suggests he may not be up to this."

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Dobbins Outdoor Catering Florida Pearl Novice Chase (Grade 2) 2m 6f

SIERRA VISTA, Ariz. -- The U.S. government now patrols nearly half the Mexican border by drones alone in a largely unheralded shift to control desolate stretches where there are no agents, camera towers, ground sensors or fences, and it plans to expand the strategy to the Canadian border.

It represents a significant departure from a decades-old approach that emphasizes boots on the ground and fences. Since 2000, the number of Border Patrol agents on the 1,954-mile border more than doubled to surpass 18,000 and fencing multiplied nine times to 700 miles.

29 Photos

Unmanned aerial drones are becoming more prevalent -- and, as the technology develops, increasingly smaller

Under the new approach, Predator Bs sweep remote mountains, canyons and rivers with a high-resolution video camera and return within three days for another video in the same spot, according to two officials with direct knowledge of the effort on condition of anonymity because details have not been made public.

The two videos are then overlaid for analysts who use sophisticated software to identify tiny changes - perhaps the tracks of a farmer or cows, perhaps those of immigrants who entered the country illegally or a drug-laden Hummer, they said.

About 92 percent of drone missions have shown no change in terrain, but the others raised enough questions to dispatch agents to determine if someone got away, sometimes by helicopter because the area is so remote. The agents look for any sign of human activity - footprints, broken twigs, trash.

About 4 percent of missions have been false alarms, like tracks of livestock or farmers, and about 2 percent are inconclusive. The remaining 2 percent offer evidence of illegal crossings from Mexico, which typically results in ground sensors being planted for closer monitoring.

The government has operated about 10,000 drone flights under the strategy, known internally as "change detection," since it began in March 2013. The flights currently cover about 900 miles, much of it in Texas, and are expected to expand to the Canadian border by the end of 2015.

The purpose is to assign agents where illegal activity is highest, said R. Gil Kerlikowske, commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, the Border Patrol's parent agency, which operates nine unmanned aircraft across the country.

See original here:
U.S. drones now patrol half of the Mexican border

People in the city have in general welcomed Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation'smove to remove the fences around open spaces in the city. They feel it would give them better access to these places as well as help in maintaining them well.

On November 13, dna had reported that the civic body had decided to remove the fences around open spaces in the city one by one, so that they stay open to the public. It would also enable BMC to check if contractors responsible for maintaining them are doing their job.

On Tuesday, BMC removed the fencing around the one-acre garden beside the Oval Maidan near Churchgate, and around a garden in Vikhroli East. The civic body has also started work on removing the fence around the garden north of Oval Maidan facing the high court building. This work is expected to be completed in a day.

Jason Fernandes, a Santacruz resident, said, "We are happy that BMC has taken this step. At times, access (gates) to these parks remain locked, preventing residents from entering them. And many a time, grass is not trimmed; they overgrow making the garden look eerie. Removing fences would hopefully help make gardens clean and inviting."

Fernandes also said BMC should ensure that people don't encroach on these spaces.

For Matunga-based activist Nikhil Desai, it's a welcome move. He also want fences around traffic islands removed as they unnecessarily adds to BMC's expenditure. "It's a good move. There are many traffic islands in my area from where fences should be removed. However, BMC should be careful about removing fences around bigger gardens, as that could invite drug addicts and other anti-social elements to camp there."

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Gardens now look more inviting!

LANSING, MI-- The latest attempt to keep the peace between farmers and their neighbors is the recommendation that beehives be blocked from nearby properties by a solid 6-foot-high fence or hedge to redirect the flight path of the bees.

The Michigan Small Farm Council is crying foul at the suggested change to the 2015 state's Generally Accepted Agricultural Practices,the official guidelines to which commercial farmers must adhere to be assured protection from nuisance lawsuits under Michigan's Right to Farm law.

In an action alert to other council members, member Wendy Banka wrote: " This could be a very long fence indeed for someone with five acres and hives less than 200 feet from the property line. For someone in a residential area, it could mean complete enclosure of the yard with a solid 6-foot high fence."

The new rules state that hives that are less than 200 feet from a property line require the erection of a solid fence, wall, or dense vegetative barrier from the ground to at least 6 feet in height, that must extend from the line of sight of the hive to the neighboring property.

The GAAMPsare opened for tweaking every year, with public hearings to discuss changes recommended by the committees of experts who are assigned the task of making sure practices are kept up to date. Last year, changes stripped Right to Farm protection from farmers keeping animals in many suburban and urban areas, changes approved over vigorous protest from many of the affected farmers.

This year's public input meeting and review period has been scheduled for 9 a.m. Dec. 12 in order to gather comments on the 2015 drafts of the state's GAAMPs. The Council is urging its members to ask the Commissioners of Agriculture to reject the proposed changes to the Beekeeper portion of the Animal Care GAAMPs.

"We have searched requirements in other states and even in other countries and have found none that require this kind of barrier, even in urban areas," the Action Alert says. "Furthermore, the proposed changes are not accompanied by any evidence that the erection of such barriers are necessary or helpful to the farmer, the neighbor, or the bees."

Public comment will be taken on all of GAAMPs for which changes have been proposed: Manure Management and Utilization, the Care of Farm Animals, and Site Selection and Odor Control for New and Expanding Livestock Facilities.

The GAAMPs regarding Pesticide Utilization and Pest Control, Farm Markets, Nutrient Utilization, Cranberry Production, and Irrigation Water Use have no proposed changes for 2015.

The GAAMPs public input meeting will be held in the Lake Superior Conference Room at the State of Michigan Library and Historical Center, 702 West Kalamazoo Street, Lansing. Written comments may be submitted to MDARD's Environmental Stewardship Division, P.O. Box 30017, Lansing, MI 48909 and postmarked no later than Dec. 12, 2014, or sent via e-mail to WilcoxR2@michigan.gov by 5 p.m. on Dec. 12.

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Privacy fences around Michigan bee hives proposed by Department of Agriculture

[German Cover] World Without Fences - The Lady and the Tramp 2
I #39;m sorry for any mispronunciations, I don #39;t talk German at all *** Hey everyone! After my dear Vaney0 covered Let It Go in Hebrew for me (Go watch it!! ...

By: DisneyHebrewSub

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[German Cover] World Without Fences - The Lady and the Tramp 2 - Video

Frozen Fences Podcast: Episode 1
The first ever Frozen Fences podcast.

By: Frozen Fences

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Frozen Fences Podcast: Episode 1 - Video

Franklin Lakes The Borough Council last week turned down a proposal to allow eight-foot-high deer fences after debating over several months whether to introduce an ordinance adding them to its building code. Currently six-foot fences are allowed, but effective deer fences are two feet higher.

"I've decided it doesn't make sense," Mayor Frank Bivona said at the councils meeting Nov. 6. "First I was for it and now I'm against it."

Bivona said he had spoken with residents and the code official and determined the issue is better left alone.

"The fences work better where there are large lots," Bivona said. "I reviewed Alpine's ordinance and they have more property up there."

"I think you're right," Councilwoman Ann Swist said. "We don't have that kind of space here."

While the mayor and council agreed there is a deer problem in the borough, they worried about the appearance of such fences.

"These fences won't fix our deer problem," Bivona said.

Link:
Council rejects proposal to permit 8-foot deer fencing

PHOENIX Sandy Alderson expects Citi Field to have "pretty close" to similar dimensions to Shea Stadium next season. The Mets have already begun work on moving in the walls in right-center and right field.

At Shea, right-center field ranged between 358 feet at its shallowest and 396 feet at its deepest. Right center-field was 390 feet from home plate at Citi Field this season.

"I don't think what we're doing should be that controversial," he said.

Alderson says that with the new fences the Mets would have hit 17 more home runs last year and given up 10 more, so a net gain of seven for the season. Alderson has said that Curtis Granderson would have netted seven more home runs in 2014 with the changes.

"Last year was an off year for David (Wright) so it's hard to make a measurement there," he explained. "Curtis will definitely be benefiting. Lucas (Duda) would be benefiting from it. And our goal on the pitching side is just to make sure that we got pitchers that strike people out and have a decent ground ball ratio and aren't at risk.:

The move was made, in part, Alderson said, because of aesthetics. He cited an appeal to see more scoring and runs.

"I actually have a preference for a little more offense in games," he said. "We do want to entertain people. At some point, 2-1 loses its cache, panache."

He added: "I think we're in the entertainment business. ...Those are great and I love those games but I like 10-8 too."

Alderson wanted Citi Field to become more of a "neutral" ballpark.

Mike Vorkunov may be reached at mvorkunov@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Mike_Vorkunov. Find NJ.com Mets on Facebook.

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Citi Field to have Shea Stadium dimensions after fences moved in

To ease public access to gardens and maidans in Mumbai, the civic body has begun to remove the fences around them. This will also help monitor the maintenance of open spaces, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation says.

The civic body on Tuesday removed the fencing around the one-acre garden beside Oval Maidan near Churchgate; and around a garden in Vikhroli East. "We have also started work on the garden north of Oval Maidan, facing the high court building, and should complete the work in the next two days," said a gardens department official, adding, "We will then move on to the other reserved grounds and play grounds in the city."

Additional municipal commissioner SVR Srinivas, who is in charge of open spaces and gardens, said, "It is important that all open spaces remain open to people. The fences around open spaces were not only making them inaccessible to people, but also blocking the view."

He added that with fences removed, the BMC can monitor the maintenance of the open spaces more more effectively. "We can check if the contractors responsible are cleaning up the garden regularly," he added.

The civic body owns 1052 vacant open spaces in the city, and has already awarded to private contractors the maintenance contracts for around 700 of these.

The removal of fences around open spaces comes at a time when the BMC's comprehensive policy on open spaces is pending with the group leaders of the BMC for almost eight months. It is yet to be sent to the state government.

Read more:
Walk right in: BMC removing fences around gardens to ease public access

SIERRA VISTA, Ariz. The U.S. government now patrols nearly half the Mexican border by drones alone in a largely unheralded shift to control desolate stretches where there are no agents, camera towers, ground sensors or fences, and it plans to expand the strategy to the Canadian border.

It represents a significant departure from a decades-old approach that emphasizes boots on the ground and fences. Since 2000, the number of Border Patrol agents on the 1,954-mile border more than doubled to surpass 18,000 and fencing multiplied nine times to 700 miles.

Under the new approach, Predator Bs sweep remote mountains, canyons and rivers with a high-resolution video camera and return within three days for another video in the same spot, according to two officials with direct knowledge of the effort on condition of anonymity because details have not been made public.

The two videos are then overlaid for analysts who use sophisticated software to identify tiny changes perhaps the tracks of a farmer or cows, perhaps those of immigrants who entered the country illegally or a drug-laden Hummer, they said.

About 92 percent of drone missions have shown no change in terrain, but the others raised enough questions to dispatch agents to determine if someone got away, sometimes by helicopter because the area is so remote. The agents look for any sign of human activity footprints, broken twigs, trash.

About 4 percent of missions have been false alarms, like tracks of livestock or farmers, and about 2 percent are inconclusive. The remaining 2 percent offer evidence of illegal crossings from Mexico, which typically results in ground sensors being planted for closer monitoring.

The government has operated about 10,000 drone flights under the strategy, known internally as "change detection," since it began in March 2013. The flights currently cover about 900 miles, much of it in Texas, and are expected to expand to the Canadian border by the end of 2015.

The purpose is to assign agents where illegal activity is highest, said R. Gil Kerlikowske, commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, the Border Patrol's parent agency, which operates nine unmanned aircraft across the country.

"You have finite resources," he said in an interview. "If you can look at some very rugged terrain (and) you can see there's not traffic, whether it's tire tracks or clothing being abandoned or anything else, you want to deploy your resources to where you have a greater risk, a greater threat."

If the video shows the terrain unchanged, Border Patrol Chief Michael Fisher calls it "proving the negative" showing there isn't anything illegal happening there and therefore no need for agents and fences.

Read more:
Drones patrol half of Mexico border