Register now for Bass Pro Shops sponsored 5th Annual ‘Media Day at the Range’

Dear Industry Writers, Editors and Publishers:

With the support of Bass Pro Shops, the 5th annual Media Day at the Range will be held on Monday, January 18, 2010. The event will be held at the Boulder City Pistol & Rifle Range, Boulder City, Nevada from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. This event will give you the opportunity to handle and shoot new products being introduced at SHOT Show from many of the industry’s leading manufacturers.

We are expecting more than 60 manufacturers to register for Media Day and since we will continue to take reservations until December 1st the list will continue to grow. Many new exhibitors to Media Day have already registered! What better way to get a jump on next year’s new product line-up all in one place.

The day will consist of visiting with a wide range of manufacturers both from the shooting and non-shooting community and you will also have an opportunity to interview company representatives about their new product line-up. The day will include refreshments and lunch. Transportation will be provided to and from the range as well as from several of the other shooting events taking place that day.

You may register at by visiting www.media-day.com. Click on the Writer Registration tab which will direct you to a short form to complete. Please be sure you pass this information on to all individuals from your publication or broadcast property who may want to attend, we don’t want anyone to miss this event.

On behalf of all the attending manufacturers we look forward to seeing you at the range and please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

Best regards,

Cathy Williams

CMG Marketing & Events, LLC

47 Sunlet Bend

Kiawah Island, SC 29455

703-587-7142 (office & cell)

703-852-4361 (eFax)

Visit our website - www.cmgmarketingandevents.com

Editor, heal thyself 2

Here’s hoping that last post on editing (especially the cringe-worthy number 10, from our own book) was amusing, and also explained a bit of what editors look for, which is, well, everything. Sometimes even the dates of historic events.

One author wrote: “The Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as the Battle of Wounded Knee . . .” Oops.

The Battle of the Little Bighorn was June 26, 1876, in Montana; Wounded Knee was December 29, 1890, in South Dakota. Fourteen years and 400 miles apart, and with opposite outcomes, the former a defeat of the US Cavalry, the latter a defeat of the Sioux.

Editors spend a lot of time looking stuff up.

Many astute readers have requested a follow-up post “with the answers” (so to speak) explaining the errors in the ten examples given earlier.

Here are the original sentences from the previous post, with the erroneous word or words in boldface, and my explanation below each one.  So, without further ado:

10. This is a great place to get views out over the pretty lake and the marsh, with a variety of birds and incest to see throughout the year.

No, that would be insects.

9. Rivers that sweep slowly through lush valleys and pastureland will have a tendency to freeze quicker than rivers that carve their way through a swift, majestic, boulder-filled canyon.

(The swift canyon darted away!) Rivers can be swift. Canyons can’t. Canyons pretty much stay in one place, not moving at all, never mind swiftly. Rewritten as “. . . than rivers that flow swiftly through majestic, boulder-filled canyons.”

8. Watching the troupe of lowland gorillas wander through their habitat, Gail could imagine she was on an adventure in deepest Africa.

A troupe is a group of dancers or other entertainers who perform together. For gorillas, it’s a troop.

7. The Green River below Flaming George Dam offers great fishing for rainbow trout.

The correct name is Flaming Gorge. If George is flaming, someone fetch a fire extinguisher.

6. Utah’s Green River below Flamingo Gorge Dam is one of the most famous trout streams in the West.

The correct name is Flaming Gorge. There are no flamingos in Utah.

5. A wool baklava is an excellent choice for hunting in late fall and will keep your face and head warm even in the coldest weather.

(If you put baklava on your head for a hunting trip, you might attract bears–and hunting guides will deduce you’re new at the game.) Should be balaclava, the Russian word for a knit garment that covers the face and head. Baklava is a delicious Greek pastry made with phyllo dough, honey and walnuts.

4. Boats are usually dropped down embankments alongside the canoe launches using a variety of wenches, homemade slides, and plenty of elbow grease.

Should be winches, mechanical devices for lifting and moving heavy objects. Wench is a lewd, disrespectful olde English term for a tavern serving girl, reflecting on these women’s supposedly loose morals.

3. Quietly, I set up my Predator Shooting Sticks, upholstered my Magnum Research .45-70 pistol and laid the barrel on the sticks.

Did you upholster it in leather, or did you go with a subtle pastel fabric? Should be unholstered.

2. The gays at Southeastern Anglers make their living on the river, and know the stream and its trout better than anyone else.

Should be guys. It’s amazing what a single letter can change.

1. One day, we were fly fishing for strippers in front of singer Jimmy Buffet’s shorefront home in the hamptons.

Should be stripers, for striped bass, Morone saxatilis. (Did you try the stuffed mushrooms at the buffet? They’re delicious.) The famous singer’s (“Margaritaville”) name is Buffett. Should be The Hamptons (cap. T and H), which refers collectively to the townships of Northampton and East Hampton on Long Island, New York, where people like Jimmy Buffett have bought shorefront real estate.

I admit that last one is a bit obscure, but in editing, as in many other areas of life, the devil is in the details.

Bill Bowers

Get your ‘p’s and q’s’ and all the other letters straight

So my daughter looked at my hat with the letters NWTF on it and exclaimed, “Mom! Why are you wearing that on your hat? Don’t you know what that stands for?” Well, look it up in the Urban Dictionary (What ever happened to the days of Funk & Wagnall’s?). And, you’ll see that NWTF also stands for something else that I would NEVER wear on a hat, or say. Read more

Radio 107: ‘Radio IT’ has nothing to do with computers

When Deb Ferns, author of Babes with Bullets ™, released her book in early 2006,  she wasn’t prepared for the numerous requests for radio interviews she received. Now, 500 + radio interviews later, she shares with members of The Women’s Outdoor Media ingredients for a giving a good radio interview. And stay tuned for more tips down the line on how to host your own radio show, as for the last two years Deb has co-hosted a weekly show in Tucson called Business & Banter. FYI – if you joined in after Radio 101 began, check the archives at The WOMA to catch up! Read more

Unexpected surprises: why paying attention pays off

Enterprise Network is a networking group I’d heard of in Phoenix. I was invited to their last meeting by their incoming president, Linda Lang, whom I had met while keynoting the annual meeting of the California Association of Community Managers.

They had a panel of real estate experts: Holly Eslinger of Exclusive Homes and Land, John Foltz of Realty Executives, Martha Appel of Coldwell Banker and Sam Wercinski, former Arizona Real Estate Commissioner. Their topic was business survival strategies. You would think this was about real estate–but it was more about leadership.

Here are the unexpected surprises I noted down that, I believe, should be relearned and reemphasized by every employee and leader in today’s business world, especially with all the unrest facing us each day.

• Eliminate status quo and complacency.

• Think about the competitors coming together to solve industry downturn. What are you willing to share?

• Act sooner and take responsibility first.

• Get back to the basics. Think employee retention.

• Listen and be 100% present–otherwise people lose their own value.

• Do not buy into the panic. This will increase employee productivity.

• Control your anxiety level. Be part of team conflict resolution.

• Till the soil now for planting the future harvest. The guru? Chris Brogan.

• Cross train and mentor. Think communication development.

• Print out positive e-mails, add a personal note and post for all to see.

• Say thank you. Do it often and mean it.

• You create the attitude of your group. This is personal responsibility.

• Start conversations about expenses and revenue with everyone.

• Think about coaching for salespeople vs. running a print ad.

• Invest in people and value current customers.

• Always think of self-regulation.

What skill, thought or action is helping you cope in your job?

Marsha Petrie Sue

Just call me Bass Babe…and I don’t mean the fish!

My husband, Rick, has been trying to teach me to play acoustic guitar for years so we could play together (he’s been playing for around 35 years). He even bought me one that I’d pick up occasionally and on which I’d attempt to make a chord.

I could never get all my fingers to place the right amount of pressure on three different strings at the same time and besides, those little thin strings HURT. I just didn’t want to learn how to play badly enough to wait for calluses to take away the pain. Needless to say, my guitar spends a lot more time in the case than it does in my hands.

Just before I turned 50, I was watching a bluegrass band play special music in church one Sunday morning. I was particularly interested in watching Dave, the bass player.  Hmmmm….a bass guitar has only four strings – and they’re FAT – and you only have to play one at a time.  I announced to Rick after church that I bet I could learn to play a bass.

Instead of reminding me that I never played my guitar, he happily picked out a nice INEXPENSIVE acoustic/electric bass guitar for me. He even bought me a small amp so I could hear myself play. I remember him telling me then that he’d get me started but I’d have to buy my own electric bass.

“Why would I want an electric bass?” I scoffed. That was two electric bass guitars and five bass amps ago.  I was on my way to becoming Bootsy Hambone, Bass Babe for Diezelfitter.

Turning 50 sure started a new chapter in my life. Not only did I pick up the bass guitar, but I also followed Babbs (Barb Baird) into the woods. What started as a business relationship has grown into a firm friendship and I’m learning more about the joys of becoming an outdoors woman every day. I’m sure she still snickers when she remembers the navy blue snowsuit and toboggan I wore when I accompanied her to the woods around my home here in the Ozarks to hunt for does last fall. She took her gun. I took a camera.

We sat on the side of a hill for hours. My butt got numb and we never saw a single deer, doe or buck. I had the time of my life! Just as picking up the bass guitar started my metamorphosis into Bootsy Hambone, that little trip into the woods was the beginning of my entry into the outdoors.  Since then, I’ve been to NWTF with Barb and fellow member of The WOMA, Tammy Ballew. While we were there, we met another member, Tisma Juett, for the first annual The WOMA IHOP breakfast. These women were so cool and they did things I’d never dreamed of doing – like shooting guns and hunting wild game.

Somehow, I truly believe there must have been an outdoors woman inside this tekkie chick all along just waiting for the right time to fly the coop and go outside to play.

Right after I started playing the bass, Rick bought me a T-shirt. I proudly wore it to a concert in St. Louis knowing that it identified me as the musician I now was. We went to eat before the show, and the waitress, after reading what was on the front of my T-shirt, proudly exclaimed, “My boyfriend likes to fish, too!” What would YOU say to someone wearing a t-shirt that has “Got Bass?” printed across the front?

Move over, Mae West, there’s a new PFD in town

If you’ve ever watched movie classics, you’ll know the amply endowed actress Mae West, whose famous line, “Come up and see me sometime,” has inspired many a comical line or two. Mae also inspired the nickname of the inflatable life preserver, invented by Andrew Toti, which the War Department bought the rights to in 1936.

Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs) are really nothing to joke about, as they can save your life and also, in most cases, “It’s the law!” Women and children no longer have to endure wearing bulky life preservers built for men. Even dogs get their own PFDs these days.

Recent developments in the world of personal flotation devices (PFDs) have led to improvements in these “must-haves” for various water sports and activities. Whereas a life jacket is built to flip you over in the water so you’re facing upright, PFDs either have a limited or no turning ability. A PFD is designed to help you float. Their advantage is comfort, and the fact that people will keep them on while on the water.

Some women’s PFDs even sport built-in foam cups with jog bra style neoprene tops for paddling and sailing. You want to be snug as a bug in your new PFD. A loose-fitting PFD is about as bad as not wearing one in the first place. And remember, in order for your PFD to work, you have to wear it!

Here are Gear Gal tips for choosing the perfect PFD:

• First of all, make sure the PFD has a United States Coast Guard approval number and understand regulations and requirements in your state.
• Then, do the math regarding buoyancy. According to the National Marine Manufacturers Association, most adults need 7-12 pounds of buoyancy to keep their heads above water. More buoyancy = more lift. How much lift you need depends on your body weight and fat, lung size, clothing and water conditions. The more physically fit you are, the more buoyancy you need.
• Find the PFD appropriate for your activity on the water. Some are better for paddling or fishing than others. Talk to the sales associates and read the manufacturer’s information.
• Try on the PFD you’re thinking about buying and close it up – zip it, buckle it, adjust the straps.
• Make sure it will fit comfortably over the type of clothes you’ll wear under it – whether it’s a bikini or a parka.
• Try out paddling motions or casting motions and check to make sure your armpits and shoulders aren’t getting chaffed.
• Finally, kneel or sit down and raise your arms. Ask someone else to raise the PFD by its shoulder area as high as it will go. If the neck goes to your chin, it’s too big.

Types of PFDs

• Type I (off-shore lifejackets) provide the best protection and flotation and are designed to roll most unconscious wearers face-up. Ferries often carry these lifejackets.
• Type II (near-shore buoyancy vests) belong in calmer waters and will turn unconscious wearers face-up. Designed for waters where is a good probability of a quick rescue.
• Type III (floatation aids include the new lines of PFDs and will not turn an unconscious person face-up.
• Type IV (throwable devices) – ring buoys and floating cushions.
• Type V are intended for special uses, like exposure suits in Alaska and are difficult to put on in the water.

Fact:

According to the Personal Flotation Device Manufacturers Association, 9 out of 10 drownings occur in inland waters, most within a few feet of safety and involving boats less than 20 feet long. Most drowning victims had access to a PFD, but did not wear it.

Get ready for a ‘Night Out Against Crime’

National Night Out: America’s Night Out Against Crime kicks off Tuesday evening in neighborhoods across the nation. If your community is holding an event, look closely – you may find an NRA Certified Instructor, Eddie Eagle, or a Refuse To Be A Victim® Seminar on the schedule

In Fairfax, Virginia, several events will feature Eddie Eagle GunSafe materials for both parents and children. “The night is really about getting out, meeting your neighbors, and raising awareness about community safety,” Law Enforcement Activity Division’s Glen Hoyer told NRAblog.

In the Cleveland, Ohio area, NRA Certified Instructor Kim Rodecker will represent Concealed Carry Courses at the National Night Out held at the Steelyard Commons. “Our table will be in the parking lot of the Home Depot,” Rodecker told NRAblog. “We’ll be promoting the NRA and the second amendment cause, as well as quality firearms instruction.”

Cardiac syncope . . . Never heard of it? Perhaps you should

Since launching Prois Hunting Apparel in 2008, I have had the amazingly good fortune of finding wonderful people throughout this crazy journey.  While they are too numerous to list, I feel very compelled to mention Kim Zimmerman from Sand Springs, Montana.

We were introduced through a mutual love of hunting, but what struck a chord is that Kim is also a registered nurse. We began to speak about our medical careers and the paths we took leading us away from a lifelong choice of being caregivers.  Kim, a former cardiovascular nurse, packed her bags and left California for the rural reaches of Montana.  She introduced me to her new “calling,” www.carolsvoice.org.

Kim recently lost her mother, Carol, to cardiac syncope–a common, albeit underdiagnosed heart disorder. She has taken the pain from the untimely loss of her mom and channeled her energy into education and outreach about this disorder.

“My goal is to educate as many patients, caregivers and hospitals about this disease in hopes of changing hospital protocols in efforts to better detect cardiac syncope,” states Kim. Apparently a girl who doesn’t shy away from a challenge, Kim established Carol’s Voice as a nonprofit organization as a means to educate the masses.

That said, I felt it important to share some information about cardiac syncope on First Aid Afield. Realizing that this particular article is not fraught with the gruesome trauma details that I so love, it is the perfect forum to discuss a disease process that is often undetected and remains a silent killer.

Equally important is the fact that Kim is a lover of the outdoors and exemplifies what it means to take a chance and chase what is truly important in life. With that, here are the facts:

SYNCOPE (pronounced SIN-ko-pea) is a brief loss of consciousness and posture caused by a temporary decrease in blood flow to the brain, usually accompanied by falling. It typically has a spontaneous recovery. It is a common clinical condition that affects approximately one million Americans annually.

It is classified into four categories: reflex mediated, orthostatic (due to position change, such as standing up), cerbrovascular (disruption of blood flow in the brain) and cardiac (due to irregular heartbeats).

In most cases, people who have syncope recover quickly and are not at risk of further episodes once the current episode subsides. Unfortunately, some causes of syncope are quite dangerous and may indicate that sudden death is imminent.

Carol’s Voice was created to bring public awareness to the fourth type of syncope, CARDIAC SYNCOPE. The most serious of all syncope, cardiac syncope accounts for 10-30% of all syncopal episodes and is caused by a reduction in blood flow and oxygen to the brain brought on by episodes of abnormal heart rhythm or blood pressure, and has the highest rates of morbidity and mortality.

The first-year mortality for cardiac syncope is 20-30%, against 5% for noncardiac causes and 10% for syncope of unknown origin. Sudden death occurred in 17% of cardiac syncope cases.

Cardiac syncope can be due to a heart or blood vessel condition that interferes with blood flow to the brain. These conditions may include an abnormal heart rhythm (arrhythmia), obstructed blood flow in the heart or blood vessels (coronary artery disease), valve disease, aortic stenosis, blood clot, or heart failure.

Patients with underlying cardiac disease are at greater risk for recurrent syncopal events than are any other patients with syncope. Compared with all other patients with syncope, patients with cardiac syncope have almost double the risk of all-cause mortality, and an increased risk of fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular events. A cardiac cause is found in only 3% of patients who have no previous diagnosis of heart disease.

PHYSICAL EXAM:

The physical examination should focus on vital signs, cardiac, vascular and neurological systems. The cardiac exam should assess volume status, valvular heart disease, and arrhythmias (irregular heart rhythms).

ADDITIONAL TESTING:

An electrocardiogram (EKG) should be ordered for all patients with syncope. Abnormal EKG findings are common in patients with syncope. However, a normal EKG in a patient with syncope is also important.

Twenty-four-hour Holter monitoring is indicated when there is an increased likelihood of arrhythmic syncope. This includes syncope with EKG abnormalities, known or suspected heart disease, patients with syncope that was preceded by palpitations, syncope when lying down or with exertion, and patients with a family history of sudden cardiac death.

If the 24-hour Holter monitor is negative, then prolonged electrocardiographic monitoring (an event monitor or loop recorder) is indicated.

Echocardiography (echo) is unlikely to be helpful in the absence of known cardiac disease, a history suggestive of cardiac disease or an abnormal EKG. However, in patients with syncope who have a history of heart disease or an abnormal EKG, echocardiography is useful.

Exercise testing (stress test) can diagnose ischemia, tachyarrhythmias (fast, irregular heartbeats), and exertional syncope.

Intracardiac electrophysiologic studies (EP studies) can be used to discover heartbeat conduction abnormalities that predispose patients to irregular heart rhythms.

Tilt table testing is used widely for the evaluation of patients with unexplained syncope and is particularly important in those with structurally normal hearts. Tilt table testing uses changes in position to reproduce the symptoms of the syncopal event by inducing a slow heartbeat or low blood pressure.

UNEXPLAINED SYNCOPE:

For patients with more than two episodes of syncope and no diagnosis on “routine” testing, an implantable loop recorder is the tool of choice. It is simple to insert, relatively painless for the patient and lasts 14 to 18 months.

Smaller than a pack of gum, the loop recorder is inserted just beneath the skin in the upper chest area. The procedure typically takes 15 to 20 minutes. Once inserted, the device continuously monitors the rate and rhythm of the heart. Upon waking from a “fainting” spell, the patient places a handheld, pager-size device, called an activator, over the implanted device and simply presses a button. This information is stored and retrieved by the physician.

EVALUATION OF SYNCOPE:

A serious problem in the evaluation of syncope is the lack of a gold standard against which the results of diagnostic testing can be assessed. How far do we go when the initial findings are negative? Should there be a protocol for patients with multiple unexplained episodes? Why are they released from hospitals without extensive testing? There are algorithms (methods of solving a problem by repeatedly using a simpler method) written by prominent physicians for the diagnosis of syncope. Why are they not followed by every physician?

There are institutions where any patients presenting with syncope have initial evaluations that include screening, tilt table testing, blood volume determination, hemodynamic testing and autonomic nervous system testing. How many lives could we save if we were to adopted a gold standard, if we were to change or add to the standard of care by our hospitals and physicians? Carol’s Story can tell you of one such life.

Kudos to Cazadora

It’s not every day you get a pair of duck waders named after your blog name. Kudos to NorCal Cazadora, aka The WOMA member Holly Heyser, who recently field tested and advised Cabela’s on the design of women’s waders. If you received the Waterfowl edition of the catalog recently, you’ll see her on page 209, and you can read about the experience at her blog: http://norcalcazadora.blogspot.com/#0

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