Affiliated To The Angling Trust & Eaca November 2009 Thoby Wood: Fill & Download for Free

You have discriminating tastes in blades. Benchmade makes great knives!I have carried many brands of factory blades, but I keep coming back to Benchmade. They are my first choice when it comes to purchasing factory blades:Here are merely a few of my go-to EDC's. As far as sharpening them…I have my work cut out for me.Benchmade knives are a great product with a lifetime warranty. You don't need to invest in a sharpening system (if you're willing to wait 4–6 weeks turnaround time).Benchmade sharpens for life!Simply send your knife to the factory, and they will put that out-of-the-box-razor-sharp edge back on for you.It's free!Warranty ServiceBenchmade uses quality steel, offers a huge variety of styles and steel, and they have excellent customer service.The customization options Benchmade offers are beyond compare.Griptillian drop-point customized in Benchmade custom shop. Fallout glow scales commissioned by private artist, separately.I love the online customization shop. You can fully customize your knife by choosing model, blade shape, steel, and also add customized graphic etchings to the final product! No two will look the same. You can put your name on your knife at the Benchmade custom shop:Custom Landing PageAfter going to all that trouble of ordering the perfect Benchmade, would you chance wrecking it with an inadequate sharpening system?Respect your Benchmade.Whether assisted openers or flick-of-the-wristers, they're all blink-of-an-eye fast. I especially love the convenience of an ambidextrous locking system like the patented Benchmade AXIS® lock (which, for a Southpaw like me, is definitely a treat). Much respect.Benchmade doesn't offer bargain-basement cheap knives. The most inexpensive Mini-Griptillian sells for around $90, if I remember correctly.(does that seem cheap to you?)Inexperience and intimidation—that’s what usually keeps people from buying a respectable sharpening system to fit their collection.Some systems take too long when you're sharpening a bunch of steel at one time (like my husband and I do).Some of the sharpening systems are too fast, too slow or are not user-friendly to those who aren't in the practice of maintaining their own steel.Some simply don't work on harder steel.S30v (if I remember correctly) is a stainless super-steel.It's hard.But I believe it is an internet myth that it’s nearly impossible to sharpen.Diamond. That will get the job done. Diamond sharpening stones will do the trick. No steel is a match against the hardest substance available in abrasive sharpening stones.Diamond is expensive, but I believe if you're willing to fork over a good chunk of change on your pocket EDC*, it would also behoove you to take care of your investment, and not to waste money on a cheaply-designed maintenance system which won't work.You've seen them.They advertise the impossible, and leave you feeling frustrated (and may even ruin your blades).You know the sharpeners I'm talking about, don't you?Those automatic fixed-angled kitchen grinders I see in so many kitchens today (it's enough to make me cringe).How could someone pay $1,000’s of dollars for a nice set of kitchen knives, then turn around and pay less than $30 for a sharpening system to maintain them?Would you wash a Ferrari with generic dandruff shampoo?This was the first photo I snagged from Amazon. The “Ferrari” of cheap sharpeners. Don't believe the 5-star reviews. You'll ruin your edges with automatic electric grinders like this. The sharpening process should not be convenient, rather meticulous and careful. It should also fit the specific angle specs to your blade.As with any power grinder, please wear protection! Shaving fine bits of metal and steel dust from your blade can lead to health problems.Especially if you're using an industrial-strength belt grinder like this:As a pianist, I've never dared put my fingers up against this bad boy, but my husband does.I've tried almost all the options in sharpening, but I hope you realize this is merely one person's opinion and not an authority, by any means.I've learned you should go with whatever is comfortable for you. Personal preference. It's up to you.My husband and I have long since retired the stones. We have far too many knives to maintain, and have found that although water stones may be relaxing and meditative, they are also tediously slow, and may be better for those people who have fewer knives to maintain.The Ken Onion Work Sharp is a good product which is available in several model designs, but it is not for novices attempting to sharpen a bunch of expensive blades at one time.It is very fast. (Almost too fast). It's a miniature grinder/blade-eater. It's the scaled down version of our industrial belt sander. I find it intimidating to use on my expensive blades. But if you want fast…that’s an excellent option. Please practice on your cheap knives before attempting to sharpen your good ones. Sharpening removes steel from the blade, it shouldn't be confused with honing, (such as by leather strop) which only succeeds in reshaping the pre-existing steel burr on your edge.Sharpening is like shaving, whereas honing is like exfoliating the outer layer of skin.(Is that too girly a comparison for you?)I've ground cheap practice blades to mere teaspoons in a blink of an eye with the Work Sharp.It's aggressive, but if you know what you're doing, it’s so fast and convenient! It's a good product.https://m.northerntool.comThe Lansky system is good, but the setup isn't user-friendly. The angle is not intuitive, which is why we had to mark the holes in the stand ourselves. It can be clunky at times. Even though the angle guide is confusing, it is a good system—but it’s slow to set up:I would rather go flat-stone to Lansky. Either method is pretty slow, though. Especially with S30v.I'm going to play “Goldilocks” here, and recommend the “just right” option:Our newest system—The Wicked Edge, was an investment well worth the money, in my opinion.At a fixed-angle, it has a guided–arm system, which shaves both sides of the blade at once! No need to stop and flip the blade, or even detach and reset guide arms. Simply lock your knife into the vice, and go. It is difficult (probably impossible) to shave too much metal off with a guided arm.The angle will be symmetrical on both sides of the blade, cummulating in a perfectly met-edge at the center line.An example of a shot blade under 10x magnification. You don't need a close up to see the irregularities.It doesn't take any pressure. Glide the varying stones or leather strop over your blade and your angle is always set. There is a pair of diamond tuners included.Ooooh! Pretty steel. Straight. Sleek. After sharpening.It's probably impossible to take off too much steel. The fixed guide arms won't allow you to dig in too deeply.Downward view of blade clamped into vice. Guided left arm at precise angle against blade.Right arm against blade—perfect simultaneous angles.It's intuitive and good for beginners.An additional digital angle guage might help you determine settings, no matter which system you choose. Additionally, a dark permanent marker inked at the blade line will show how much steel is being removed during the sharpening process. Both are inexpensive alternatives to determine precise angles.A Digital angle guide runs less than $20 dollars.Man, I wish I'd gone with Wicked Edge before spending so much money on other systems!It's easy!I know an 8-year-old who uses a Wicked Edge (under supervision, of course).Wicked Edge is all its cracked up to be— in my opinion.The fixed guides allow you to precisely repeat the angle without messing it up. This is of vital importance when sharpening a blade— that you can accurately repeat the previously chosen angle is important. The guided system is easy to reset to each blade once you know your angle. It will be sharpened equally on both sides simultaneously and will always resharpen to the exact angle you need.IT WILL CUT.Precisely equal bevels on both sides of the blade. That's the key to creating a fine edge! I've proven it with magnification, haven't I?There are several stones included with the system, as well as diamond and leather stropping blocks for quick tune-up angle honing.With Wicked Edge, you'll fine-tune your blades to arm-hair shaving, paper slicing sharpness.Although not cheap (it runs about the price of three good Benchmades), Wicked Edge is the best sharpening system to protect your steel investments.I trust it on all my customs.(I am not compensated by, nor affiliated with, the Wicked Edge company for this review.)*EDC=Every Day Carry(all photos mine unless otherwise indicated)

I come from a humble family background that stresses on education more than anything else. Realizing the job prospects, I was convinced to take up Science and pursue engineering for easy job placements. No sooner I got a job than I realized that my vision and aspirations do not match with the stream. Hence, I marched towards Delhi to prepare for UPSC. Since I did not prefer coaching for the preparation, I shifted with a friend near JNU in 2015.That’s when I fell in love, not with a person, but an institution. While I was busy falling in love with the huge campus – its greenery, the serenity, peacocks, Nilgai, the PSR (a beautiful spot within the campus), my friend, a politically active alumnus of the University always used to be busy at Dhabas, especially the Ganga Dhaba. While the samosas costing Rs 5 were worth enjoying, the conversations around weren’t.They used to talk about some big words like democratization, institutional crisis, Lyngdoh Recommendations. To a person who failed at understanding the course, she studied for 4 years, understanding these words, let alone arguing on the topics, was impossible. So, for me, JNU was a one-stop solution to cheap food, grocery shopping, and admiring nature.But slowly the aura of JNU started attracting me. It started first when I saw a guy wearing a skirt. There he was walking, wearing a skirt on the main road near the Sabarmati Dhaba, which is one of the most crowded spots of the campus. It was hysterical to me, even though he seemed pretty confident of his fashion sense and the Janta around found nothing laughable about it. After giggling for a minute or two, I realized I was the only person finding the scene amusing. Since when is a guy wearing a skirt in vogue?In my world, people would not just laugh but would also question the sexual orientation of the concerned. Then after a few days, I saw a bald girl which was again not supposed to be a big deal. There was no fashion trend as such on the campus. Women used to come out of hostels and even go to attend colleges the way they wanted to go. They weren’t necessarily supposed to be those women who are said to bedainted-painted with makeup.Dressing up seemed like a personal choice – those who wanted to wear, did, those who didn’t, who cared? For a girl who used to be warned by her warden during her college days not to go to mess wearing nightgowns, it was too much of an experience. The worse to be observed was a common mess for girls and guys. It was a cultural shock. Adding on, women used to go to the men’s hostel. That was outrageous.My curiosity was at its peak when I saw women leading sloganeering and leading protest march. Before that, I never realized women had voices with such amplitude and pitch, except when cockroaches and lizards are around, or so was taught to me by cinema (well, I grew up watching Yeh Bichchhu Mujhe Kaat Khayega! You can do the math). There were 24×7 accessible hostels and dhabas. There was a separate hostel for women living with their children and husbands.I met a single parent of 2-year old who used to access the library at night after putting her child to sleep. She was pursuing her PhD. My hostel used to get closed at 7.30 PM, never really cared how long the library was accessible. Hence naturally, this kind of arrangement was unique to me. It may sound silly to the readers, but to me, all of a sudden, the concept of institutionalization made sense.You see, that woman didn’t have to depend on anyone. Of course, her struggle in life was for her to write in her journal or publish as an autobiography, but she didn’t have to be at the mercy of someone to experiment with what she thought was possible. She had a child to raise, money to earn, and a degree to complete. And somehow she managed to do all three.All this institution did was offered a campus that gave her the right to study, provided for a hostel customized to her requirement, ensured a place to study, and a safe and secured environment where she could commute without any fear. All that lady had to do was to muster courage and determination that she can be both an amazing mother and a meritorious scholar, which, my friend, is not an easy thing to do in itself. The world I come from, you can be both only with society’s approval, which is a rare thing. I was impressed! And slowly the debates and discussions on the Dhabas started making sense.I Saw Men Deliberating Over Women’s Rights Even When There Was No Woman In The groupI witnessed a forward-caste Bhumihar passionately arguing why OBC reservation is important and a Muslim, disappointed with the backwardness of his community, stressing on religious reforms as the need of the hour. I won’t go into the merits of the respective arguments, but the fact that people could question things beyond their comfort zones startled me. Can I possibly question something even when it is in my favour – this thought gave me nightmares! I thought I was supposed to be feminist because I have personal stakes there.Can there be a journey beyond the destination? I had started questioning myself. At that point, I had realized I was infected. And damn, I loved the infection! But. Yet. Still. I have no academic affiliation to JNU. I do not understand the Left. I do not know the difference between CPI and CPI(M). I do not know, in detail, who Lenin was and what he did in the Soviet Union. I still do not understand Politics, and no matter how much I admire Ravish Kumar, JNU’s heartthrob, watching him daily is not my cup of tea (you see, ignorance is indeed bliss).But so is the case with many so-called JNUites. Many of them do not know answers to these questions either. This I can prove from the fact that the turn-out percentage in the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) election has never crossed the 70% mark. Not everyone there is interested in understanding ideologies or running an election campaign or having one’s political party. They are just students and at the end of the day, it’s just another college where students bunk classes, study a night before exams, loiter around, break and mend their hearts, and have fun.But to me, what differentiated this institution from the rest, and perhaps what people beyond its walls do not understand, is that the books there talk.The subject topics and lessons are just not touched upon during semesters but are embraced and criticized, both at the same time. If, as a student, one can see campus infrastructure suitable to the needs of the Divyang pupils, as a citizen, one is bound to question why the same cannot be provided in general in the public domain. They do need a job and easy placements, but as students of Social Sciences, it’s their job to experiment with their respective subjects.You see, the word ‘Social Science’ has the word ‘Science’ in it. Even these scholars have experiments to conduct. Just that their laboratories are society, the Constitution, State and Law, and their arguments, questions, and dissent are their white coats. My defense around JNU is nothing on the grounds of Constitutional Democracy, Freedom of Speech, and Dissent. I don’t understand what they mean. I’m leaving those angles reserved for the actual students of the University.I, an illegitimate child of JNU, am trying to shed light on the public legacy the university has been leaving for its students with, each passing generation. It gives a personality to a student.A feminist of Delhi shapes the perspective of a timid never-out-of-home Bihari girl. It makes a student from Uttarakhand wonder about the background of a radical Leftist from Kerala (I must mention here that contrary to the common understanding, the campus is not ‘laal’ per se as right-wing student organizations have a comparable fan-base).The dedication of a political party is judged by the sole of the campaigners’ chappal, not by how elite the candidate is. The ‘Forty Seconds Rule’ is a self-correcting golden rule running through the veins of the campus that only a student living in the campus knows about and follows. The campus gives a glimpse of a true democracy when the candidates are first answerable to the JNU Janta during the Presidential Debates before expecting votes. In a nutshell, the university has a space for everyone, everyone belongs to everyone.If you still doubt, attend both Holi and Iftar party on the JNU campus. Trust me, I’m not romanticizing. Having said that, I won’t credit this institution for everything I have amassed so far. I can arrogantly say that somehow the constitutional principles were injected in me by my mediocre middle-class family. I was never taught how to identify a person’s caste by one’s surname. And that’s a very difficult thing to do given that I particularly belong to a so-called forward caste of a backward state of the country.However, it was as if the mechanism to synthesize the broad discrimination amongst people was disabled by my parents. My engineering college introduced me to a bunch of people who embraced me beyond regional barriers and gave me a larger perspective on life. I did carry the Preamble with me when I went on a blind date with the University.But JNU made me question myself. It made me uncomfortable. Then it slowly made me respect myself for what I am. It was confusing and chaotic at first. As a student, I knew I never wanted engineering, but JNU made me realize nobody forced me to take one.However ill-conceived, it was my choice. As a woman, it helped me decide what kind of a person I would want to marry and where to say “No”. As a person, it made me tolerant enough to listen to others even if I do not agree with their opinions. As a citizen, it taught me that it’s okay to question everything and have my understanding of the subject. It’s called scientific temper. I am constitutionally bound to build it. That made me question: ‘Why to question’. It may appeal otherwise to others, but we all need to have our answers to this question.While I was busy falling in love with the huge campus – its greenery, the serenity, peacocks, Nilgai, my friend always used to be busy at Dhabas, especially the Ganga Dhaba.“The Campus Teaches You How To Question And Not What To Question”Today, I have an answer. One needs to question because it’s only when one questions and finds answers to, that one finds an organic connection to the subject matter and become passionate about the causes. A woman going to men’s hostel does not put her in a questionable position. The society is still so apprehensive of the two sexes in one room that it doesn’t recognize that it’s one of the best ways of gender sensitization.In a time when we are recognizing the ‘existence’ of LGBTQ community, should we still really be restricting the presence of two opposite sexes sans a guardian in one room? The campus teaches you how to question and not what to question. That’s the purpose of a college, and by extension, of education. We have to understand that questioning itself does not throw the matter into its existential crisis.Questioning enables one to understand something in every possible angle, for the greater good. For example, it might frighten one when a doctor prescribes one to go for an ultrasound. But does that mean that the patient is essentially suffering from a disease? Ultrasound is merely a diagnostic technique and one having any disease is a possibility. But is there any other way to identify the problem a patient is suffering from? You may argue by saying that many colleges in India offer such opportunities and the environment. To that, I say ‘Great’.My intention is not to showcase how JNU is unique. On the contrary, I intend to express that there should be many more colleges like JNU. The country is in dire need of an institution where students go to attend classes because they are motivated to learn, and not because they have been compelled to do so. The red-walled buildings of JNU inspire me to be a better person.

Depending on which angle you’re coming at for affiliate marketing, you are either want to:Promote other people’s services/productsFind a platform to power your own affiliate programThe good news is that in general, the answers to these two questions are usually the same.As an affiliate, I’ve had success promoting products from the following platforms:Shareasale - This was one of the first platforms I started using. They have a huge selection of products to promote. Everything from WordPress plugins to beds and clothes.Impact (previously ImpactRadius) - Another rock-solid platform. I occasionally get pitches from brands via this platform and some of those pitches have been with accepting. Like Shareasale, they have a large selection of vendors to promote from various verticals. UI is better than Shareasale though.Awin (previously AffiliateWindow) - This company actually owns Shareasale. They have a different selection of vendors than Shareasale though, so it’s worth being part of both. Some of these vendors are much larger brands, for example Hotels.com and EE.Partnerstack - This is a newer platform on my list. I first found out about it because I joined a brands affiliate program via their website. And it turns out, Partnerstack have a marketplace that contains some great B2B startups that I didn’t know had affiliate programs. Well worth checking out.Avangate - This one has been around for years and their UI feels quite dated, but they’ve got a lot of software related products you can promote via their platform.As a sidenote, I’d recommend reading this article that we published on my website recently: 11 Best Affiliate Marketing Platforms And Networks To Make You More Money.The above platforms are great because they allow affiliates to search for programs to promote. And on the flip side, some of these allow brands to search for (and pitch) affiliates - it’s a win-win.That said, if you are looking for an affiliate management solution for your own product(s), you’ll have a lot more pro’s/con’s to consider.A few of the stand-alone affiliate programs I’m a part of also use the following:AffiliateWP - If your site runs on WordPress, this is one of the best plugins around.FirstPromoter - OptimizePress recently switched to using this affiliate management platform. As an affiliate, I’ve found it easy to use and had no issues with it at all. Well worth considering.GetAmbassador - I’ve promoted quite a few products that use this platform. I’ve hit a few road bumps with it a long the way, but overall, it’s been solid. However, several companies I’m an affiliate for have recently moved away from this platform.And it’s worth noting that even if you want to find a platform that powers your own affiliate program, consider feedback from the affiliates that will actually be promoting your product. They’re often the best people to ask.I hope this helps!