Paperback bestsellers/mass market

Computers Monitor, a photo by yum9me on Flickr.

Envy is the third entry in Ward's Fallen Angels series. About book one, Covet, PW said, "Ward provides the combination of fun, thrills, and gratuitous sex she's best known for. Fans of the Brotherhood, clear a shelf: your next series addiction has just begun." According to the author's bio, "Writing has always been her passion and her idea of heaven is a whole day of nothing but her computer, her dog, and her coffee pot." (Since today's issue contains our Pets & Animals feature--see p. 24--we feel obliged to mention Ward's beloved golden retriever.)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

In PW's June 6 Romance feature, Singh said, "Writing is so very right for me that even when it's hard, it's still the only thing I can imagine doing, the only thing I want to be doing." About her fourth Guild Hunter novel, PW said, "Singh's vampires, angels, hunters, and archangels engage in global power struggles within a complex larger story that new readers will find challenging. An engrossing narrative, vivid characters, and a well-imagined world mitigate those difficulties, resulting in a heart-pounding and strongly emotional read."

Woods's 19th title to star detective-turned-lawyer Stone Barrington --the first was New York Dead, back in 199l--enjoyed a six-week hardcover run at the beginning of the year. In a recent interview, Woods was asked about the increasing practice of authors co-writing (see today's Fiction and Nonfiction lists). His reply: "I am opposed to collaborating, because then you have to give the other writer half the money." Re the author's next opus, due Sept. 20: far be it from us to spill any plot-related beans ... but the title is Son of Stone.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
"'Could we take his legs off?' 'Take Eddie's legs off? How?' 'I have a hacksaw under the front seat,' Roma added.... Because she was a veterinarian she had a number of things in her vehicle that other people didn't.... 'But don't they detach somehow?' Wrong thing to say. Maggie laid a protective hand on Eddie's thigh. 'Do your legs detach?' she asked."
--From Kelly's Sleight of Paw
Paperback Bestsellers/Mass Market

Last Weeks
September 19, 2011 week on list

(1) Port Mortuary. Patricia Cornwell. 3 2
Berkley, $9.99
ISBN 978-0-425-24360-2

(2) American Assassin . Vince Flynn. 4 2
Pocket, $9.99
ISBN 978-1-4165-9519-9

(3) 1105 Yakima Street. Debbie Macomber. 2 2
Mira, $7.99
ISBN 978-0-778-31251-2

(4) Envy. J.R. Ward. -- 1
Signet, $7.99
ISBN 978-0-451-22945-8

(5) The Confession. John Grisham. 8 8
Dell, $9.99
ISBN 978-0-440-24511-7

(6) Lost Empire . Clive Cussler with 18 2
Grant Blackwood. Berkley, $9.99
ISBN 978-0-425-24361-9

(7) Game of Thrones. George R.R. Martin. 11 25
Bantam, $8.99
ISBN 978-0-553-59371-6

(8) The Reversal . Michael Connelly. 1 3
Vision, $9.99
ISBN 978-0-446-55675-0

(9) Viscount Breckenridge to the Rescue. 9 2
Stephanie Laurens. Avon, $7.99
ISBN 978-0-06-206860-6

(10) The Emperor's Tomb. Steve Berry. 17 2
Ballantine, $9.99
ISBN 978-0-345-50550-7


(11) Canyons of Night. Jayne Castle. 5 2
Jove, $7.99
ISBN 978-0-515-14988-3

(12) Strategic Moves. Stuart Woods. -- 1
Signet, $9.99
ISBN 978-0-451-23445-2

(13) A Clash of Kings. George R.R. Martin. 12 22
Bantam, $8.99
ISBN 978-0-553-57990-1

(14) Archangel's Blade. Nalini Singh. -- 1
Berkley, $7.99
ISBN 978-0-425-24391-6

(15) A Storm of Swords. George R. R. Martin. 15 22
Bantam, $8.99
ISBN 978-0-553-57342-8

Source Citation (MLA 7th Edition)
Donahue, Dick. "Paperback bestsellers/mass market." Publishers Weekly 19 Sept. 2011: 18. General OneFile. Web. 9 May 2013.
Document URL
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA267710085&v=2.1&u=22054_acld&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w

Gale Document Number: GALE|A267710085

Standardization Roadmap for U.S. Electric Vehicle Deployment Released

Safe, a photo by chad^michael on Flickr.

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) announced recently the release of a "Standardization Roadmap for Electric Vehicles -- Version 1.0", developed by the institute's Electric Vehicles Standards Panel (EVSP). The Standardization Roadmap assesses the standards, codes, and regulations, as well as conformance and training programs, needed to facilitate the safe, mass deployment of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure in the United States.

"The roadmap delivers on its promise to pave a smoother road to the large-scale rollout of electric vehicle technology," said Jim Matthews, EVSP co-chair and director of technical standards and standards policy at Corning Inc. "From the economic and environmental points of view, the timing couldn't be better. EVs offer the potential to significantly reduce our nation's dependence on imported oil, create well-paying jobs through the establishment of a broad, domestic EV industry, and reduce on road vehicular emissions."

Developed by interests in the automotive, electrotechnical, and utilities industries, as well as from standards developing organizations (SDOs) and government, the Standardization Roadmap is intended to:

Facilitate the development of a comprehensive, robust, and streamlined standards and conformance landscape for electric vehicles; and

Maximize the coordination and harmonization of the standards and conformance environment domestically and with international partners.

Available for free download, the Standardization Roadmap focuses on plug-in EVs -- both full-battery electric and plug-in hybrids -- and the charging infrastructure needed to support them given current range limitations of plug-in EVs on battery power alone. Standardization issues that relate to consumer adoption, including EV safety, affordability, interoperability, performance, and environmental impact, are considered. Support services, including training of emergency first responders, vehicle technicians, electrical installers, and inspectors, as well as education of authorities having jurisdiction, building owners, and consumers, are also addressed.

Targeted toward a broad audience of stakeholders, the Standardization Roadmap identifies standards, codes, and regulations that already exist or that are in development, as well as gaps where new or revised standards are needed, along with related conformance and training programs that respond to those needs. Included are recommendations with prioritized timelines for when standardization should occur, as well as the identification of appropriate SDOs that may be able to do the work. Harmonization efforts already underway or that may be desirable are also discussed.

The Standardization Roadmap is supplemented by the ANSI EVSP Roadmap Standards Compendium, a searchable spreadsheet which inventories standards that are directly or peripherally related to each issue identified in the roadmap, while also identifying related issues to which the standards potentially apply.

"The release of the Standardization Roadmap for Electric Vehicles -- Version 1.0 is a critical step forward in facilitating mass EV deployment in the United States," said S. Joe Bhatia, ANSI president and CEO. "This effort relied upon the collaborative work of experts from the public and private sectors and across industries, all focused on the common priority of enabling the EV market to expand and thrive."

Work to develop the Standardization Roadmap began in June 2011 and eventually involved representatives from some 80 leading organizations. The majority of work was carried out electronically via seven working groups focused on energy storage systems, vehicle components, the vehicle-user interface, charging systems, communications, infrastructure installation, and education and training. Two plenary meetings were held to identify issues and refine an initial draft of the roadmap in a face-to-face setting.

Given the dynamic nature of standardization, and as the ANSI EVSP continues to assess the progress of standards and conformance programs and any gaps requiring further discussion, it is envisioned that the Standardization Roadmap will be periodically updated going forward. In this way, it will continue to serve as a living document to help guide, coordinate, and enhance the standards landscape in support of the widespread deployment of EVs and charging infrastructure. Comments on the content of the roadmap and on next steps for the EVSP can be submitted to evsp@ansi.org, or via a brief online survey.

"All of us stand to gain when we work cooperatively to carve out a vision for EV technology in a way that is effective, efficient, and economically beneficial for U.S. industry and safe and effective for consumers," added Jim Pauley, EVSP co-chair and senior VP of external affairs and government relations at Schneider Electric. "Version 1.0 of the roadmap does just that, but an ever-evolving technology needs an ever-evolving and coordinated approach. We are excited to continue this important work, and I would encourage anyone who downloads and reads the document to give ANSI their comments and feedback."

Source Citation
"Standardization Roadmap for U.S. Electric Vehicle Deployment Released." EC&M Electrical Construction & Maintenance [Online Exclusive] 23 Apr. 2012. Home Improvement Collection. Web. 1 May 2012.
Document URL
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA287441612&v=2.1&u=22054_acld&it=r&p=PPHI&sw=w

Gale Document Number: GALE|A287441612

Body blindness: how to get past a distorted self-image

Mind Power-1, a photo by nisarga111 on Flickr.

CAN'T TEAR yourself away from cataloging your imperfections in front of the mirror? The source of your problem maybe a visual processing error in the brain.

Pathological preoccupation with perceived defects in one's appearance is known as body dysmorphic disorder.

Sufferers often lose the ability to see the entire self that the supposedly defective parts fit into. (Someone with a normal-sized nose can become convinced that it dwarfs the whole face.) Many undergo repeated cosmetic surgeries and struggle to form meaningful personal relationships. The risk of suicide is high.

Until recently, blindness to one's true facial or body configuration was thought to be psychological. But UCLA psychiatrist Jamie D. Feusner has recently found that the tell-tale fixation on details might stem from a problem with big-picture perception.

While looking at blurred photos of their own faces from inside an fMRI machine, those with BDD showed far less activity in brain regions responsible for fitting visual details into composite forms than did healthy controls, Feusner observed.

The reduced responsiveness to the visual gestalt extends beyond faces to inanimate objects. A follow-up study revealed a similar dip in activity in the same brain areas when BDD sufferers viewed images of houses.

"The brains of people with body dysmorphic disorder don't seem to process the holistic picture well," says Feusner, who believes the perceptual error underlies the distorted self-image that defines BDD. "Their brains fail to provide a context for the visual details they're focusing on." Because the reduced neural responsiveness encompasses images that have nothing to do with appearance, Feusner believes that "BDD may result from a general perceptual deficit."

But psychiatrist Katharine Phillips, a BDD expert at Brown University, cautions that the studies still need to be replicated. "It's not clear," she says, "whether the abnormalities contribute to the development of the disorder or result from the disorder." Nevertheless, she acknowledges, Feusner's research fits with her own clinical observations.

Both psychiatrists agree that the findings could be a tool in the treatment of BDD. "The goal," Feusner says, "is to get BDD patients to say, 'Hey, I may not be seeing myself accurately because of something that's happening in my brain-not something that's an actual reality.'" YOURSELF

SEE YOURSELF CLEARLY

Those with BDD typically undergo treatment with one or more approaches:

* SSRIs: Antidepressants can ease BDD symptoms, says Feusner, but must be given in larger doses than those typically recommended for depression.

* Cognitive behavioral therapy: Strategies such as exposure therapy can help reduce BDD symptoms overtime, says Phillips. Patients can learn to look in the mirror without zeroing in on defects or engaging in negative self-talk.

Schreiber, Katherine

Source Citation
Schreiber, Katherine. "Body blindness: how to get past a distorted self-image." Psychology Today Mar.-Apr. 2012: 41. Psychology Collection. Web. 20 Apr. 2012.
Document URL
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA284323432&v=2.1&u=22054_acld&it=r&p=PPPC&sw=w

Gale Document Number: GALE|A284323432

Scrapping plans for a badger cull trial in Wales is a 'devastatingblow' for farmers, which will put back efforts to tackle bovinetuberculosis for years, industry leaders have warned

Environment Cause., a photo by Danisraposo on Flickr.

Scrapping plans for a badger cull trial in Wales is a "devastating blow" for farmers, which will put back efforts to tackle bovine tuberculosis for years, industry leaders have warned.

Environment minister John Griffiths has opted for a vaccination policy to reduce the disease in Wales after reviewing scientific evidence and has urged the farming industry to work with him on this.

"At present I am not satisfied that a cull of badgers would be necessary to bring about a substantial reduction in cases of TB in cattle," he told a Plenary session of the Welsh Government.

But Carl Padgett, president of the British Veterinary Association, said it was clear that the decision was based on politics not science. "It will potentially set back our efforts to tackle this devastating disease by many years," he said.

"The Science Review states that no scientific evidence exists to assess whether vaccinating badgers will reduce the incidence of TB in cattle. Vaccinating infected badgers has no effect and we know that there is a high level of infection in the badger population."

John Griffiths set out what he termed as the government's "challenging and progressive plans" for dealing with bovine TB over the next four years.

He acknowledged that TB had a significant financial and social impact on farmers in Wales and insisted he was personally committed to the eradication of the disease in the principality.

He had considered a number of options.

"After careful consideration I have decided to pursue a badger vaccination project within the Intensive Action Area,'' he said.

The minister has asked Wales' chief veterinary officer, Dr Christianne Glossop, to design a five-year vaccination programme which will begin in the Intensive Action Area. Other areas where vaccination could be expected to contribute to TB eradication will also be considered.

But the Farmers' Union of Wales questioned the feasibility of vaccination. The union's bovine TB spokesman, Brian Walters, said: "According to the experts who have conducted the most significant research to date into badger vaccine, it would require a massive trial covering thousands of square miles of land just to establish whether vaccination can have an impact on cattle herd breakdown.'' He accused the Welsh Government of a "cowardly betrayal" of Welsh farmers.

And Stephen James, deputy president of NFU Cymru, said vaccination had no chance of success unless diseased badgers in the IAA were culled first.

Plaid Cymru's rural affairs spokesman, Llyr Huws Gruffydd, said the relationship between government and the farming community was at its lowest point since devolution.

But RSPCA Cymru said it was relieved at the decision on vaccination. It strongly believes vaccination coupled with increased levels of cattle testing, improved bio-security and control on the movement of cattle is the way forward.

Source Citation
"Scrapping plans for a badger cull trial in Wales is a 'devastating blow' for farmers, which will put back efforts to tackle bovine tuberculosis for years, industry leaders have warned." Farmers Weekly 23 Mar. 2012. Environmental Studies and Policy. Web. 30 Mar. 2012.
Document URL
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA283954773&v=2.1&u=22054_acld&it=r&p=PPES&sw=w

Gale Document Number: GALE|A283954773

Invisible Cities

Invisible Cities, a photo by tonyhall on Flickr.

Co-writer/director Wes Anderson and co-writer/actor Owen Wilson were still riding high from the critical acclaim of their 1996 debut film, Bottle Rocket, when they began their next project, 1998's Rushmore. It's here that Anderson and Wilson flourished after years of mentoring by legendary writer/director/producer James L. Brooks (who executive produced Bottle Rocket). The duo wrote a script that perfectly walks the fine line of tonality between witty comedy, physical comedy and, most importantly, believable drama. Many films strive to achieve such greatness; Rushmore pulled it off flawlessly. Upon further study of Anderson and Wilson's original script, it's clear that the biggest lesson they learned from Bottle Rocket was the fine-tuned editing necessary to pull off comedy. A look into their 9/11/97 draft shows more than a few places where jokes linger, or are followed up by too many weaker jokes that, if left intact, would have lessened the power of the prime jokes. Overall, the draft reads very closely to the finished film, save for a few exceptions.

On page 13 when Max Fischer walks next to Mr. Blume's moving car, they have a brief conversation that defines both Max's character and the important themes that continue throughout the film. After being asked by Blume, "What's the secret, Max?" Max replies, "You just have to find something you love to do and then keep doing it for the rest of your life. For me it's going to Rushmore." A moment later twins Ronny and Donny knock Max off-screen. Tonally the scene starts intimately and ends on a solid piece of physical comedy. Interestingly, there was a brief exchange before the scene's strongest moment that Anderson and Wilson bravely excised, even though it remains the best comedic dialogue lost from the film.

Max:


How's the concrete business?

Mr. Blume:


Oh, I don't know. By the time you hit 45 you've been fucked over so many times you don't really care anymore.

Max:


I'm sorry to hear that.

It's funny, but tonally ineffective. As written, the scene ran the emotional gamut from self-pity to intimate enthusiasm to physical comedy. During Anderson's recent interview with Creative Screenwriting about The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou [Vol. 12, #1] he talked at length about continuing to battle tonal issues; this shows that his approach works best when limiting the shift to two tones for a scene.

Anderson and Wilson created a few rules of their own regarding physical humor, and they cut brief bits of snappy dialogue that interrupted comedic visuals. An example is the deleted dialogue when Mr. Blume reaches back to smack the twins and Ronny says, "Remember what Mom said. Hugs not hits." It's a cutesy line, but follows up a far funnier physical action. Dialogue like this appears in early drafts of many comedies where it's unclear how successful the physical comedy will play. For the sake of a fluid read a follow-up joke is usually thrown in for added effect. These often get cut closer to production, as was the case here, but the sooner writers can identify and eliminate these comedic crutches, the brighter the script's true humor will shine.

Like all writers, Anderson and Wilson occasionally had to trim the fat. In this next case, the trimming provided another laugh. During the finished film Max calls Mrs. Blume for a mysterious rooftop meeting regarding Mr. Blume and sirens drown out what Max says to her. Onscreen, the scene works because it's brief and codified; originally it included over a page and a half of expository and superfluous dialogue that Anderson and Wilson smartly cut, including this bit where Max explained the purpose of the meeting:

Max:


Your husband's banging a school teacher, pardon my French. I thought you should know.Silence.

Mrs. Blume:


Why are you telling me this? Are you trying to hurt Mr. Blume? Or are you trying to hurt me?

Max:


I have no reason to want to hurt you.

Mrs. Blume:


Then you're trying to hurt Herman.

Max:


That's correct.

Of course this is redundant because the next scene begins with a hotel clerk asking Mr. Blume how long he'll be staying, and Blume responds, "Indefinitely. I'm being sued for divorce." By cutting the fat, Anderson and Wilson increased the effect of a far superior joke, while simultaneously following the golden rule of comedy: brevity is the soul of wit.

Source Citation Goldsmith, Jeff. "Lost Scenes." Creative Screenwriting 12.2 (2005): 14. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism Select. Detroit: Gale, 2008. Literature Resource Center. Web. 26 Mar. 2012.
Document URL
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CH1100074342&v=2.1&u=22054_acld&it=r&p=LitRC&sw=w
..

Gale Document Number: GALE|H1100074342

Indian Ocean set stage for humans: temperature shifts dried out EastAfrica 2 million years ago

---

Fossil, a photo by kawwsu29 on Flickr.

Scientists may now be able to explain one of the key events that shaped human history: why East Africa got drier starting around 2 million years ago, with forests giving way to grasslands on which the genus Homo further evolved. Ocean temperature changes, especially the arrival of a strong warm/cool difference along the equator in the Indian Ocean, could have triggered the change.

"Those gradients are responsible for shifting rainfall towards or away from East Africa," said Peter deMenocal, a paleoclimatologist at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in Palisades, N.Y. He presented new details about his idea on February 17.

Researchers infer that East Africa started shifting toward grasslands by looking at the proportion of fossils of grazing animals, which peaked around 1.5 million years ago. Around this time Homo began to develop new tools, diversify into new species and make its first tentative forays out of Africa.

But despite a raft of theories, scientists haven't been able to explain what triggered the drying responsible for the shift to grasslands. The ocean gradient idea might do the trick, deMenocal said.

"At first blush it doesn't seem intuitively obvious, but what controls rainfall in the tropics is where the warm water is," he said. More rain occurs where the ocean is warmest, because water can more readily evaporate and fall back as rain.

DeMenocal and his colleagues looked at deep-sea sediment cores, representing the last several million years, drilled across the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Most strikingly, a site in the eastern Indian Ocean and another in the western Indian Ocean show temperatures tracking similarly until around 2 million years ago, when the eastern site warmed and the western site cooled. If so, then the cool waters off East Africa would have dried out that part of the continent, deMenocal said.

Next the scientists ran computer simulations that erased the east/west temperature difference and showed what might happen if temperatures were the same along the equator across the Indian Ocean. That change shut down a type of atmospheric circulation, making East Africa wetter than it is today.

Taken together, deMenocal said, "I think this is pretty solid evidence for a transition to more open conditions [in East Africa] at this time." What kicked off the change in ocean temperatures, though, remains a mystery.

Other, more recent climate changes may have also shaped the course of human evolution, said Andrew Weaver, a climate scientist at the University of Victoria in Canada. At the conference he reported new simulations looking at climate changes that happened about 105,000 years ago, around the time modern humans, Homo sapiens, were moving out of Africa.

When the northern ice sheets dumped great icebergs into the ocean, freshening the water there, rain belts in Africa also shifted, Weaver reported. In this case, the change may have dried out much of northern Africa, compelling H. sapiens to leave its birth continent.

Witze, Alexandra

Source Citation
Witze, Alexandra. "Indian Ocean set stage for humans: temperature shifts dried out East Africa 2 million years ago." Science News 10 Mar. 2012: 10. General Science Collection. Web. 17 Mar. 2012.
Document URL
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA283156718&v=2.1&u=22054_acld&it=r&p=PPGS&sw=w

Gale Document Number: GALE|A283156718

(Web-Page) http://computer.tutor2008.googlepages.com/tutor2

(Album / Profile) http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=5745&l=970be&id=1661531726leonard.wilson2009@hotmail.com

Outfitting on the cheap.(CenterShots).

archery gears, originally uploaded by uBookworm.

We are all sick of hearing about the economy, so I'll just skip that part. Value is in, so for this column I'm going to focus on helping you buy archery gear with an eye toward getting the most bang for your buck.


You can buy a new bow. That is always fun. But I have given some thought to several items you can buy for a combined total of $140 that will have more impact on your accuracy than a new bow. Let's take a look at these value-added hunting aids.

Back tension release: I have written plenty about them. Now, it's time to actually buy one--and learn to use it. You want the bow shot to take you by surprise just as it does when you are shooting a rifle. After a summer spent practicing with a back tension release (they have no trigger and fire through a turning motion of your hand), you will be much better at making a surprise shot by squeezing the trigger of your normal hunting release.

The cheapest back tension releases are called spikes. You can expect to pay about $60 for a spike from companies like Carter Enterprises and T.R.U. Ball.

Big peep sight: When it is bright daylight, no peep sight seems too small; however, in low light on an overcast evening, it seems there is none large enough.



Well, now you can buy a 1/4-inch diameter peep sight from Jim Fletcher Archery or a 1/4-and 5/16-inch peep from G5 Outdoors. The Fletcher model is cheapest at just under $5. Our budget can sure bear that bite given the new peep will definitely improve visibility while aiming. To keep from giving up accuracy with the larger peep sight, consider centering your entire pin guard inside the peep's view rather than just one pin.

High-performance fletching: The goal is to reduce wind planing by increasing the arrow's spin rate. I really like New Archery Products' 3 1/8-inch QuikSpin vanes. The arrows definitely spin faster; there is no doubt about that. Certainly, there are others on the market that have the same properties. Many top hunters are now using Bohning Blazers, for example. For 36 fletchings, we will have to shell out about $20. Also consider Norway Industries' new Fusion vane.

Compact broadheads: Everyone knows mechanical broadheads are accurate, but not everyone wants to use them. Some new, compact, fixed-blade heads have short bodies and small blades set at sharp angles to reduce blade surface and wind planing. Examples include the Wac 'Em Triton, Rocky Mountain Turbo, NAP Nitron, American Sonic, Wasp Bullet and Muzzy MX-3. Total cost for six of these is a bit over $30.





Arrow squaring device: I've started using G5's ASD (Arrow Squaring Device) every time I make a new batch of arrows. The heads seat square to the shaft. Straight broadheads mean straight arrow flight.

The ASD sells for about $45. Rather than borrowing from mom and dad, we're going to get two buddies to chip in $15 each. We can pass it around.

Straight nocks: Your nocks need to be perfectly straight or they will drive the arrow off course. Think about all the abuse nocks take when you repeatedly pound arrows into each other all summer. You can buy a dozen replacement nocks for about $ 10. Money well spent.

We just spent $140, and you should be shooting at least two times better. Who says you can't buy better shooting?

Budget Bows

Let's say you actually do need a new bow or are looking to upgrade. There are several very good choices out there. I shoot literally dozens of different bows every year. As long as the grip feels good, most of them shoot accurately. So, if you can't afford the high dollar bow, don't worry about it. You'll tag just as many animals with one of the value-priced models.

There are a number of good bows on the market selling for under $500. Most of the bow companies have bows in this price range. You just have to ask. Even if you have plenty of money to spend, these are still good choices. Most are good-looking, high-quality bows you can be proud to carry in the field.

Arrows You Can Afford

Carbon arrows have been coming down in price each year and are now affordable enough to forget about aluminum--unless you just like large diameter arrows for some reason. You can find lower priced carbon shafts in finished arrows for around $65 per dozen from www.edersbow.com. These are economy grade shafts from top name manufacturers. I'd buy these every single time. They are straight enough for good accuracy at all bow-hunting distances.

You can also get good deals on arrows from your local pro shop. And if you don't need a full dozen, you can always buy six.

Keep Your Budget In Sight

I wouldn't compromise too much on sights. They are a vulnerable accessory that can really cost you big time if you buy low quality. Make sure the sight you select has at least three fiber-optic pins that are well protected for their entire loop out from the sight body and into the pin's head. Unfortunately, most of the good sights on the market are very expensive, some pushing $200. They are quality instruments, but budget breakers nonetheless.

There are a few models that fit my criteria for value. I would sure love to find several for under $50, but the options at the low end of the price range are very limited. Take a look at the Cobra Boomslang for about $65 and the Copper John C-4 (which they make for Cabela's) for around $40. Impact Archery's Collector is another good choice at $55, as is their Fiber Tech sight at just under $40. You can find both at www.keystsonecountrystore.com. The Axion Simplex three-pin is also a solid sight for around $60.



Rests At A Good Price

I have written extensively about my love for simple archery products, and I can sure echo that sentiment when it comes to selecting a rest for hunting. You can spend more and get fancy, micro-adjustable rests, but you run the risk one of those screws will come loose when you can least afford it.

Basic rests that will repeat their position indefinitely are all you need. You never have to wonder if the rest is going to hold the arrow in the right place. Those are the only ones I will consider here.

I am a big fan of drop-away rests and full-capture rests. These simplify tuning and ensure the arrow will be resting in the correct place when you hit full draw. Some can be expensive, however.

Once again, Cobra comes through with value. Their Diamondback Drop Away rest sells for around $40. HHA's Dart Drop Away is also in the $40 range. The GWS Strike Force is a drop-away model that sells for an amazingly low $25. NAP's new QuikTune Freedom drop-away sells for around $50. The Trophy Taker Xtreme SL also falls into that price range. The Whisker Biscuit Quick Shot at $50 also is a solid value.


Buying A Used Bow

Of course, I don't have to say this, but it is buyer beware when purchasing used equipment. I have bought several used items off eBay over the past few years, and most of the time the transaction works out fine. I have been burned a few times, though. Shop carefully and you can expect to get a top name bow with minimum use for about half of current retail.

If you've been wanting to upgrade your bowhunting gear but have been scared to unload a lot of cash this year, you can still improve accuracy tremendously with careful attention to value. You can put together a great hunting bow and still have cash for little things like feeding your family and paying the electric bill!

Source Citation
Winke, Bill. "Outfitting on the cheap." Petersen's Bowhunting Aug. 2009: 14+. General OneFile. Web. 28 Dec. 2010.
Document URL
http://find.galegroup.com/gps/infomark.do?&contentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tabID=T003&prodId=IPS&docId=A201676086&source=gale&srcprod=ITOF&userGroupName=22054_acld&version=1.0


Gale Document Number:A201676086

(Web-Page) http://computer.tutor2008.googlepages.com/tutor2

(Album / Profile) http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=5745&l=970be&id=1661531726leonard.wilson2009@hotmail.com