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Revista Brasileira de Ciência do Solo
versão On-line ISSN 1806-9657
Rev. Bras. Ciênc. Solo vol.34 no.5 Viçosa set./out. 2010
Growth promotion of pineapple 'vitória' by humic acids and burkholderia spp. during acclimatization(1)
Promoção do crescimento do abacaxizeiro 'vitória' por ácidos húmicos e Burkholderia spp. durante a aclimatização
Lílian Estrela Borges BaldottoI; Marihus Altoé BaldottoII; Luciano Pasqualoto CanellasIII; Ricardo Bressan-SmithIV; Fábio Lopes OlivaresV
IProfessor at the Universidade Federal de Viçosa Campus Florestal (UFV Campus Florestal). Rodovia LMG 818 Km 6, CEP 35690-000 Florestal (MG). E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
IIProfessor at UFV Campus Florestal. E-mail: email@example.com
IIIProfessor at Laboratório de Solos, UENF. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
IVProfessor at Laboratório de Genética e Melhoramento de Plantas, UENF. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
VProfessor at Laboratório de Biologia Celular e Tecidual, UENF. E-mail email@example.com
In vitro propagation of pineapple produces uniform and disease-free plantlets, but requires a long period of acclimatization before transplanting to the field. Quicker adaptation to the ex vitro environment and growth acceleration of pineapple plantlets are prerequisites for the production of a greater amount of vigorous, well-rooted planting material. The combination of humic acids and endophytic bacteria could be a useful technological approach to reduce the critical period of acclimatization. The aim of this study was to evaluate the initial performance of tissue-cultured pineapple variety Vitória in response to application of humic acids isolated from vermicompost and plant growth-promoting bacteria (Burkholderia spp.) during greenhouse acclimatization. The basal leaf axils were treated with humic acids while roots were immersed in bacterial medium. Humic acids and bacteria application improved shoot growth (14 and 102 %, respectively), compared with the control; the effect of the combined treatment was most pronounced (147 %). Likewise, humic acids increased root growth by 50 %, bacteria by 81 % and the combined treatment by 105 %. Inoculation was found to significantly increase the accumulation of N (115 %), P (112 %) and K (69 %) in pineapple leaves. Pineapple growth was influenced by inoculation with Burkholderia spp., and further improved in combination with humic acids, resulting in higher shoot and root biomass as well as nutrient contents (N 132 %, P 131 %, K 80 %) than in uninoculated plantlets. The stability and increased consistency of the host plant response to bacterization in the presence of humic substances indicate a promising biotechnological tool to improve growth and adaptation of pineapple plantlets to the ex vitro environment.
Index terms: Ananas comosus, plant growth-promoting bacteria, diazotrophic bacteria, humic substances, inoculant, biofertilizer.
A propagação in vitro de abacaxizeiro produz mudas uniformes e sadias, mas exige longo período de aclimatização antes da transferência para o campo. A adaptação ao ambiente ex vitro seguida da aceleração do crescimento das mudas de abacaxizeiro é um pré-requisito para a produção de maior quantidade de material propagativo vigoroso e enraizado. A combinação de ácidos húmicos e bactérias endofíticas pode ser uma tecnologia útil para reduzir o período crítico de aclimatização. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o desempenho inicial do abacaxizeiro 'Vitória' propagado por cultura de tecidos em resposta à aplicação de ácidos húmicos isolados de vermicomposto e bactérias promotoras de crescimento de plantas (Burkholderia spp.) durante a aclimatização em casa de vegetação. Os ácidos húmicos foram aplicados nas axilas das folhas basais, enquanto as raízes foram imersas no meio bacteriano. Foram observados incrementos no crescimento da parte aérea com a aplicação de ácidos húmicos (14 %) e bactérias (102 %) quando comparado ao controle, com efeito mais pronunciado no tratamento combinado (147 %). Da mesma forma, o crescimento das raízes aumentou 50 % com ácidos húmicos, 81 % com bactérias e 105 % com o tratamento combinado. A inoculação conjunta aumentou significativamente o acúmulo de N (115 %), P (112 %) e K (69 %) nas folhas do abacaxizeiro. O crescimento do abacaxizeiro foi influenciado pela inoculação com Burkholderia spp. reforçada pela associação com ácidos húmicos, que resultou em maior massa da parte aérea e raiz e maior conteúdo de nutrientes (N, 132 %; P, 131 %; K, 80 %) quando comparado com mudas não inoculadas. A consistência da resposta da planta hospedeira para bacterização na presença de substâncias húmicas aponta para uma ferramenta biotecnológica promissora para melhorar o crescimento e a adaptação de mudas de abacaxizeiro ao ambiente ex vitro.
Termos de Indexação: Ananas comosus, bactérias promotoras de crescimento de plantas, bactérias diazotróficas, substâncias húmicas, inoculante, biofertilizante.
Pineapple is predominantly propagated vegetatively, from adult plant parts obtained after fruit harvest (d'Eekenbrugge & Leal, 2003). This method is somewhat limited by the irregular size and low number of pest and disease-free plantlets. In vitro propagation provides larger amounts of healthy and uniform plantlets (Teixeira et al., 2001). However, prior to transplanting to the field, the plantlets need a long adaptation period due to the incomplete morphological development, i.e., the reduced root systems, leaves with thin cuticle and external periclinal walls of epidermal cells and low stomatal density (Barboza et al., 2006). The acclimatization period of pineapples varies from 6 to 8 months in the greenhouse until the plants reach a height of 200 - 300 mm - an appropriate size for field transference (Teixeira et al., 2001). This lengthy period is the major limitation of a more widespread use of in vitro pineapple propagation.
Plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) can reduce this time. The application of inoculants or biofertilizers containing PGPB can accelerate growth of pineapple plantlets during acclimatization (Mello et al., 2002; Weber et al., 2003; Baldotto et al., 2010). Increased pineapple dry matter in response to inoculation was reported for Burkholderia cepacia in plantlets of 'Smooth Cayenne' and for Asaia bogorensis in plantlets of 'Cayenne Champac' (Weber et al., 2003). On the other hand, the foliar application of humic acids isolated from vermicompost at 15 mmol L-1 of C promotes significant growth of shoot and root systems as well as nutrient accumulation in leaves of pineapple 'Vitória' during acclimatization (Baldotto et al., 2009).
Humic acids comprise a set of heterogeneous organic molecules, self-assembled in organic aggregates, stabilized by H bonding and hydrophobic interactions, present in soil, water, sediments, and organic residues (Piccolo, 2002). It was previously observed that humic acids can act as plant growth promoters, particularly in the root system (Façanha et al., 2002; Zandonadi et al., 2007) and nutrient uptake (Chen et al., 2004). Recently, Marques Júnior et al (2008) evaluated the use of PGPB (Herbaspirillum seropedicae) and humic acids on heat-treated sugar cane and observed significant plant growth.
The pineapple variety 'Vitória', released in 2006, has promising characteristics in terms of producer and consumer acceptance, with fusariosis resistance, thornless leaves, cylindrical fruits with yellowish rind, white pulp with high sugar content and good tillering (INCAPER, 2006). However, similarly to other pineapple varieties, the growth of this cultivar during acclimatization is slow. The use of combined applications of humic acids and PGPB could be a viable strategy to increase biomass and improve acclimatization of in vitro-propagated pineapple plantlets.
The aim of this study was to evaluate plant growth and nutrient accumulation of pineapple variety 'Vitória' propagated in vitro in response to humic acid application isolated from vermicompost and plant growth-promoting bacteria (Burkholderia spp.) during acclimatization.
Plant material
Pineapple plantlets (Ananas comosus L. Merrill) 'Vitória' (INCAPER, 2006) were provided by the Laboratório de Biotecnologia - BIOMUDAS. The plantlets were propagated in vitro in glass (baby food) pots and kept in MS medium as described by Murashige & Skoog (1962), without addition of growth regulators and vitamins. The in vitro plantlets were kept in a room with a 25 µmol m-2 s-1 flow of photosynthetic photons at 25 ± 2 ºC and a photoperiod of 16 h. After three months of cultivation, the plantlets were transferred to new MS medium in test tubes. For the following experimental stages, plantlets with approximately 1.5 g fresh matter were selected.
Bacterial growth and inoculation
Diazotrophic bacteria of the Laboratório de Biologia Celular e Tecidual, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro were used. Both bacteria Burkholderia sp. UENF 114111 and Burkholderia silvatlantica UENF 117111 can solubilize phosphate in vitro (Baldotto et al., 2008), and were isolated from plants of Ananas comosus (L.) Merrill 'Smooth Cayenne' which came from an area of the Integrated Agroecological Production System, Embrapa Agrobiologia, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Santos, 2008).
The bacteria were grown in liquid DYGS medium (Döbereiner et al., 1995) for 24 h, in a rotary shaker at 120 rpm and 30 ºC. For bacterial inoculation, the plantlets were removed from the test tubes and washed in sterilized water to remove the cultivation medium. Next, the roots were immersed in 10 mL of bacterial medium (108 cells mL-1) for 30 min. The substrate was infested with the same medium (Mello et al., 2002). In treatments containing humic acid, plantlets were previously placed in baby food glass pots containing 50 mL of humic acid isolated from vermicompost at a concentration of 15 mmol L-1 of C for 24 h (Baldotto et al., 2009).
The main characteristics of the humic acid from vermicompost were determined in previous tests (Baldotto et al., 2007; Busato, 2008) as follows: 485 g kg-1 C, 25 g kg-1 N, C/N ratio of 19.4, 3,040 and 2,850 mmolc kg-1 of carboxylic and phenolic acids, respectively. The control treatment was immersed for 30 min in autoclaved DYGS medium. Later, pineapple plants were transferred to 1.0 dm3 pots containing substrate Plantmax Hortaliças® for an accclimatization period of 90 days in a greenhouse. Every 14 days during acclimatization, all plants were treated with 5 mL of nutrient solution (Hoagland & Arnon 1950). The treatments containing humic acids were treated with additional 5 mL of AH (15 mmol L-1 of C) applied to the basal leaf axils of the pineapple plants by an automatic pipette.
Growth analysis
After 90 days of acclimatization, the plants were collected to measure the following variables: root fresh matter (RFM), shoot fresh matter (SFM), root dry matter (RDM) and shoot dry matter (SDM), after drying by forced air ventilation at 60 ºC for seven days. The foliar area (FA) was estimated by the Leaf Area Meter model LI-3100, LI-COR, USA.
Nutritional analysis
After drying, leaves of the pineapple plants were ground in a Wiley grinder (mesh 60 cm-2). Then the powder was sulfuric acid-digested combined with hydrogen peroxide to determine the total contents of N, P, K, Ca, and Mg. For N, the Nessler Method was used and for P molecular absorption spectrophotometry (colorimetry, at 725 nm wavelength), after reaction with ascorbic acid and ammonium molybdate. The K content was determined by flame photometry and the Mg and Ca contents by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. All analyses were performed according to the commonly used methods for pineapple (Baldotto et al., 2009). Nitrogen, P, K, Ca, and Mg contents were estimated by multiplying the shoot dry matter and quantity of the considered nutrient.
Bacteria counting
Bacteria in roots and shoots were counted by the Most Probable Number (MPN) method (Döbereiner et al., 1995). Samples of 1 g of roots and 1 g of shoots were ground in 9 mL of saline solution (NaCl, 8.5 g L-1) and these dilutions (10-1) were serially diluted, by diluting 1 mL of the original dilution in 9 mL of saline solution and repeating this procedure until the 10-7 dilution. Aliquots of 100 μL of the dilutions were transferred to glass bottles containing 5 mL of JMV medium (Döbereiner et al., 1995). The bottles were incubated for 7 days at 30 °C. After this period, the bacterial growth was evaluated by the presence of a white film on the medium surface. The number of bacteria was obtained by consulting the McCrady Table with three replications per dilution.
Experimental design
An orthogonal experimental design [(2+2+1)+1], with five replications was used to investigate the effects of the Burkholderia sp. UENF 114111 (B1), Burkholderia silvatlantica UENF 117111 (B2), bacteria and humic acid from vermicompost, Burkholderia sp. UENF 114111 + HA (B1+HA) and Burkholderia silvatlantica UENF 117111 + HA (B2+HA), humic acid from vermicompost (HA), and control (-) without application of humic acid and bacteria. The experiment had a randomized complete block design and each experimental unit consisted of one pineapple plant per pot.
Statistical analysis
The results were submitted to variance analysis and partitioned using mean contrasts (Table 1) according to Alvarez V. & Alvarez (2006). Then the data were analyzed by the F test (10, 5 and 1 %).
It was possible to observe differences in pineapple plantlet growth during the acclimatization period due to inoculation with plant growth-promoting bacteria combined or not with humic acids (Table 2). The advantages of bacteria inoculation on plant growth and nutrient content were quantified using the orthogonal experimental design (control vs. B, Table 3). In fact, the leaf area increased 52.03 cm2 compared to the control, a relative increment of 97 % (Table 3). Inoculation with Burkholderia increased both fresh and dry matter of the root and shoot system, resulting in 115, 112 and 69 % higher N, P and K contents than of the control, respectively (Table 3).
The use of Burkholderia combined with HA also enhanced the effect of PGPB inoculation in comparison to the control (control vs. B+HA, Table 3). The leaf area increased 122 %, and shoot (147 %) and root (105 %) growth increased with inoculation in the presence of HA, compared to the control (Table 3). Furthermore, increases of 132, 131 and 80 % in the amounts of N, P and K, respectively, were also observed in the treatments with Burkholderia and HA, compared to the control. The effect of HA isolated from vermicompost was additive. In fact, a significant effect of the contrast B vs. B+HA on pineapple growth was observed, while HA vs. B+HA considerably enhanced growth of shoots (116 %), roots (36 %), leaf area (111 %) and nutrient accumulation (N 93 %, P 102 %, K 75 %) (Table 3).
The inoculation of pineapple plantlets with endophytic diazotrophic bacteria was effective and increased bacterial population in the shoot and root system by 2 and 3 log units, respectively (Table 4). The HA did not change the most probable number of bacteria in the root system (Table 4).
A biostimulating and biofertilizer effect of Burkholderia (PGPB) in the presence of humic acid (HA) from vermicompost was observed in this study, resulting in growth and nutritional increments of pineapple 'Vitória' plantlets during acclimatization. The period of pineapple acclimatization is critical due to the low growth rate of roots and shoots. In this phase, structural and physiological adjustments of plantlets to ex vitro conditions are crucial for the success in the subsequent phase, i.e., field transplantation (Barboza et al., 2006). Therefore, technologies that promote growth of in vitro-propagated pineapple plantlets may have a significant impact on the pineapple production system.
The absence of growth or nutrient accumulation after the 90-day acclimatization period suggests that the response to foliar HA application to promote growth of pineapple plantlets might be a time-related process, since Baldotto et al. (2009) observed differences only after 150 days of acclimatization.
Plant response to a low HA concentration is similar to the activity of auxin-induced cell proton pumps ? (Canellas et al., 2002; Zandonadi, 2007). The apoplast acidification loosens cell walls and cells become susceptible to the action of vacuole turgor pressure, resulting in cell expansion (Hager et al., 1991). This mechanism is known as acid-growth theory (Rayle & Cleland, 1992). In addition, the gradient generated by proton pumps contributes to energizing secondary active transport and increasing nutrient uptake (Sze et al., 1999).
Recently, Canellas et al. (2008) verified that organic acid exudation by roots increased in response to HA application. These organic acids may disrupt HA aggregation (Piccolo, 2001) by releasing bioactive molecules previously stabilized by weak ligands, such as auxin units (Façanha et al., 2002). Burkholderia also synthesize and secrete organic acids (Rodríguez & Fraga, 1999). This fact could partly explain the synergic effect of HA and bacteria on the development of pineapple plantlets.
Inoculation with Burkholderia proved to have a significant effect on pineapple growth and nutrient accumulation compared with the control (Tables 2 and 3). Plant growth promotion in response to Burkholderia inoculation was also observed in the pineapple cultivars 'Pérola' and 'Smooth Cayenne' (Weber et al., 2003). Other plant species such as: tomato, maize (Jiang et al., 2008) and vitis (Ait Barka et al., 2000) also take advantage of the interaction with Burkholderia. The genus Burhholderia includes phytopathogenic bacteria (Burkholder, 1950), endophytic diazotrophic bacteria (Perin et al., 2006) and symbiotic strains of the beta-rhizobia group that induce the formation of nitrogen-fixing root nodules in host plants (Rasolomampianina et al., 2005). The strains used in this study are endophytic diazotrophic and Burkholderia silvatlantica was reported for the first time associated with maize and sugarcane (Perin et al., 2006). In addition to biological nitrogen fixation, some other mechanisms are involved in the PGPB action, e.g., phosphate solubilization (Anandham et al., 2007; Jiang et al., 2008), phytohormone production (Jiang et al., 2008), activation of ACC deaminase (Pandey et al., 2005; Jiang et al., 2008), siderophore synthesis (Jiang et al., 2008) and biocontrol (Cain et al., 2000; Vandamme et al., 2007). The Burkholderia spp. used in this study have the ability to solubilize calcium phosphate (Ca5(PO4)3OH) and zinc oxide (ZnO), secrete indol, and act antagonistically in vitro to the phytopathogenic fungus Fusarium subglutinans f. sp. ananas (Baldotto et al., 2010).
Owing to the differences in mechanisms of plant growth stimulation, Burkholderia may potentially be used in the production of inoculants and biofertilizers (Vessey et al., 2003; Anandham et al., 2007), aiming to increase plant growth with a low environmental impact. However, considering the high genomic plasticity and great capacity of adaptation to new environmental conditions of Burkholderia spp, and also that some strains are pathogenic to plants (Burkholder, 1950), animals and humans (Valvano et al., 2006), Compant et al. (2008) emphasized the need for more studies about the risks of dispersion of these bacteria in agricultural environments.
The MPN counts showed that, regardless of HA application, the immersion of the root system efficiently established the endophytic association. Previous studies involving sugar cane and maize (Marques Júnior et al., 2008; Conceição et al., 2008) showed increases from 10 to 100 log units in bacterial populations associated to the host plant. More studies should be carried out in order to evaluate the peculiarities of the combined bacteria-HA application in pineapple by structural and biochemical characterization. As reported by Weber et al. (1999), the low number of bacterial cells found in the non-inoculated treatments might be attributed to the presence of natural populations of diazotrophic bacteria associated with pineapple plants.
Although positive responses to application of HA isolated from vermicompost in concentrations from 10 to 80 mg L-1 of C have been widely documented in literature (Façanha et al., 2002; Quaggiotti et al., 2004; Zandonadi et al., 2007), the magnitude of these responses indicates the need to intensify the studies involving the chemical structure of humic substances and its relation with bioactivity and mechanisms of interaction with plants. In addition, studies explaining the synergic effect of the combined application of HA and endophytic diazotrophic bacteria on plant development are recommended.
The results obtained in this study show the possibility to use the combination of PGPB Burkholderia and bioactive fractions of organic matter in the form of HA in the preparation of biofertilizers and inoculants, which could increase pineapple plantlet adaptation to the ex vitro environment, reducing the acclimatization period. It is a promising alternative that could improve the production of uniform and healthy plantlets.
1. Humic acid from vermicompost and diazotrophic bacteria of the genus Burkholderia, separately and even more when combined, promoted the growth of the aerial part, root system and contents of N, P, K, Ca and Mg in pineapple plants 'Vitória' cultivated in vitro, in the acclimatization phase.
2. The combined use of humic acid from vermicompost and Burkholderia did not affect the population of endophytic diazotrophic bacteria in the roots of pineapple plantlets.
The authors thank the Laboratory Biomudas for the supply of pineapple plantlets; National Council of Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), National Institute of Science and Technology (INCT/CNPq), Carlos Chagas Filho for Research Support of the State of Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ) for financial support; Dr. Pedro Henrique Monnerat (UENF) and Sr. José Acácio da Silva (UENF) for their help with the nutritional analysis. This research is part of the Doctoral thesis of the first author, who acknowledges the fellowship provided by UENF / FAPERJ.
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RAYLE, D.L. & CLELAND, R.E. The acid growth theory of auxin-induced cell elongation is alive and well. Plant Physiol., 99:1271-1274, 1992. [ Links ]
RASOLOMAMPIANINA, R.; BAILLY, X.; FETIARISON, R.; RABEVOHITRA, R.; B´ENA, G.; RAMAROSEN, L.; RAHERIMANDIMBY, M.; MOULIN, L.; DE LAJUDIE, P.; DREYFUS, B. & AVARRE, J.C. Nitrogen-fixing nodules from rose wood legume trees (Dalbergia spp.) endemic to Madagascar host seven different genera belonging to á- and â-Proteobacteria. Molec. Ecol., 14:4135-4146, 2005. [ Links ]
RODRIGUEZ, H. & FRAGA, R. Phosphate solubilizing bacteria and their role in plant growth promotion. Biotechnology Advances, 17: 319-339, 1999. [ Links ]
SANTOS, S.T. Biogeografia de bactérias culturáveis associadas às fruteiras tropicais. Campos dos Goytacazes, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, 2008. 105p. (Tese de Doutorado) [ Links ]
SZE, H.; LI, X. & PALMGREN, M.G. Energization of plant membranes by H+-pumping ATPases: Regulation and biosynthesis. Plant Cell, 11:677-689, 1999. [ Links ]
TEIXEIRA, J.B.; CRUZ, A.R.R.; FERREIRA, F.R. & CABRAL, J.R. Biotecnologia aplicada à produção de mudas: Produção de mudas micropropagadas de abacaxi. Biotecnol. Ci. Desenvol., 3:42-47, 2001. [ Links ]
VALVANO, M.A. Infections by Burkholderia spp.: The psychodramatic life of an opportunistic pathogen. Future Microbiol., 1:145-149, 2006. [ Links ]
VANDAMME, P.; OPELT, K.; KNÖCHEL, N.; BERG, C.; SCHÖNMANN, S.; DE BRANDT, E.; EBERL, L.; FALSEN, E. & BERG, G. Burkholderia bryophyla sp. nov. and Burkholderia megapolitana sp. nov., moss-associated species with antifungal and plant growth promoting properties. Inter. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol., 57: 2228-2235, 2007. [ Links ]
VESSEY, K.J. Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria as biofertilizers. Plant Soil, 255:571-586, 2003. [ Links ]
WEBER, O.B.; BALDANI, V.L.D.; TEIXEIRA, K.R.S.; KIRCHHOF, G.; BALDANI, J.I. & DÖBEREINER, J. Isolation and characterization of diazotrophic bacteria from banana and pineapple plants. Plant Soil, 210:103-113, 1999. [ Links ]
WEBER, O.B.; CORREIA, D.; SILVEIRA, M.R.S.; CRISÓSTOMO, L.A.; OLIVEIRA, E.M. & SÁ, E.G. Efeito da bactéria diazotrófica em mudas micropropagadas de abacaxizeiros Cayenne Champac em diferentes substratos. Pesq. Agropec. Bras., 38:689-696, 2003. [ Links ]
ZANDONADI, D.B.; CANELLAS, L.P. & FAÇANHA, A.R. Indolacetic and humic acids induce lateral root development through a concerted plasmalemma and tonoplast H+ pumps activation. Planta, 225:1583-1595, 2007. [ Links ]
Received for publication in October 2009 and approved in August 2010.
(1) Part of the Doctoral Thesis of the first author developed at the Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro (UENF).


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English is a universally known language that is spoken worldwide by native English speakers. According to babbel.com 1.5 billion people speak English (20% of the people on the planet) however only 360 Million of these speak English as their native language. People who speak English as a second language (ESOL), ESL students and people who use business English as their operating language are multiplying.
Often selecting to teach English abroad where there are many teaching opportunities and ESL programs. A teacher training certificate program is sometimes even included with a teacher job when the demand is high; native language skills are the primary requirement for being an ESL teacher.
For the English language learner who is serious about English proficiency, there are many options and the choice to hire an English language teacher or tutor for language instruction is popular. This is often in a group learning environment where students can master listening skills, reading skills, writing skills and most importantly speaking skills.
Studying can help English learners overcome the academic language challenges. Photo Source: Unsplash
Every ESOL English education program will work with the student to help them do well on their coursework and exams but in a group setting some students can struggle. Although the option for private tutoring could help English learners overcome the academic language challenges. There is a lot to learn English vocabulary, English grammar, English conjugation, or English expression.
It is essential to know how to master this beautiful and crazy foreign language. However, in in the learning journey, comprehension challenges can occur, for those with limited English and even for those language students with a more advanced understanding. Some parts of the curriculum, pronunciation or grammatical terminologies could block your language acquisition. This can be frustrating so let's look at some complex English and how to overcome these challenges. Let's go!
The only time a word doesn't have a vowel is if it is actually an English abbreviation or acronym.
Whether it is British English, American English, or English from anywhere else in the world. Like all languages, English is just a matter of learning grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation and some context. With practice, you will know how to master it and take the road to fluency.
I have heard ESOL Student say that English could be one of the most complicated languages to learn in the world. But everything is relative, and everyone has their own point of view on it. Some learn quickly and give an endorsement for how easy the language is, and others struggle and curse the difficulty. But the fact remains that the English language does have many complexities and some small complex sentences, which should be learnt when studying the language.
One challenge comes from pronunciation because each English speaking country pronounces words differently and has a different use of vocabulary. With your pronunciation, you may or may not be understood depending on where you are. This is not just an issue for students it is also a difficulty for native English speakers. If you can bring a considerable focus to how to pronounce English and are able to focus on a target country such as British English. You will find this is a simple solution for this challenge.
The English language does have many complexities. Photo Source: Unsplash
The complex sentences to pronounce, are useful to learn because they prove to be outstanding examples of the originality that can sometimes show up in the English language. But it is important to understand especially when you have basic English that is not important to use complex sentence or phrases. English has over 600,000 words you can find the best way that you feel comfortable expressing yourself. However, you should be able to understand someone if these structures are used. You can do this with exercises of memorisation, syllables practice, English grammar quizzes and above all practising the pronunciation.
Words are what define complex sentences and how they are put together. The rhythm of the sentence and the length of the words can create some complexity and be difficult for the non native English learner to learn and for teachers to teach.
This language uses constructions that are sometimes foreign to us, especially when the structure of the phrase or linguistics are so different from our first language or how we create our daily and verbal communications. This is why it is important to be well focused when learning a language, and also aware of how to can communicate in your style using the vocabulary that you are learning.
No matter how hard you study, there are always abbreviations, words, sentences, terms, phrases and vocabulary. Which can appear to be very complicated to pronounce, not to mention reading writing or speaking. You can find these complexities whether you are bilingual or not.
What Defines A Complex Sentence In English? Photo Source: Unsplash
These words highlight the point that some English words are difficult to pronounce because you must first hear them to get the right pronunciation before you can know how to say them. If you are not used to them, even if you are linguistically gifted, have lived abroad in English speaking countries or are celebrated for your multilingual English skills.
You will one-day fall prey to these problems. When this happens just learn the word and file it to memory and move on. I can say this with certainty because even Native English speakers can pronounce words wrong too. The rule of having to hear the word before knowing how to pronounce the word is not just reserved for the ESL classroom. It is something that all English speakers face native or not.
Tongue Twisters are incredibly difficult sentences created to challenge and improve your pronunciation. They are notoriously tricky to pronounce, but they are fun and can genuinely help with your English. These are not used in normal conversation and are only a pronunciation exercise used to improve your speech. Here is a small selection:
Honestly, there are too many of these challenges in English to list them all, but these examples highlight a few of the issues that you may face. This is especially true if you travel abroad to different English speaking countries where different terminology and vocabulary are used to communicate. But be happy in the knowledge that all English speakers face this problem and not just ESOL students or people who are not native to the English Language. This is great because when you make a mistake or don't understand something you will have everyone around you to help and not only that they will understand your struggle.

subset: commoncrawl


text: On February 11 2017, Claire performed to a capacity crowd of 12,000 at the Myer Music Bowl, bringing the work of Australian composers and percussion to a new audience of open minded punters. Golden Kitsch was a huge success and was received with a standing ovation. The concert was broadcast live in ABC Classic FM. Listen here:http://www.abc.net.au/classic/content/2017/02/11/4615168.htm


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Pacemaker ICD FAQs
Most new ICDs can act as both pacemakers and defibrillators. An ICD monitors your heart rhythm and will deliver an electrical pulse to your heart to stop a fast rhythm. All ICDs have backup pacing for rhythms that are too slow.
We often use devices in conjunction with medications. In general, you will not be able to stop all your heart medications; however, your doctor may need to adjust your medications post-implantation.
Cell phones available in the United States (less than 3 watts) generally do not appear to interfere with or damage pacemakers. However, it's best to avoid keeping your cell phone in your breast pocket on the side of the device. It's probably better to use the phone on the opposite ear, as well.
The procedure to implant a pacemaker/ICD is typically done under local anesthesia but can change based on your health and the device implanted. It does not require open-heart surgery, and most people go home within 24 hours.
At first, you may be aware of the device and see a slight bump in the skin. The device is very small, about the size of two small silver dollars stacked on top of each other, and weighs about an ounce or less. ICDs are typically slightly larger in size than a pacemaker. If the ICD sends a shock to the heart or "fires," the person will feel this as a jolt or kick in the chest.
If your medical condition or lifestyle changes, your device may need to be adjusted. Most adjustments are done noninvasively using a device called a programmer. This is a specialized computer that communicates with the pacemaker/ICD using magnetic signals via a "wand" or loop placed over the device.
Most devices will last at least 5 to 7 years, after which the battery will need to be replaced. In general, replacing a pacemaker generator may be done on an outpatient basis.
After implantation of a pacemaker/ICD you will be able to participate in the activities you enjoy. Your doctor will have more information on activities you may need to avoid, but typically you can resume your normal daily activities after full recovery from surgery.
You may be able to enjoy exercise with your pacemaker or ICD, but check with your doctor first.
Yes, you can travel by air with your device. Airport security detectors are generally safe, but let airport security staff know you have a pacemaker/ICD. You should carry your device identification card with you at all times for safety purposes and especially when you travel. Airport security may ask you to present your card.


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In April Dr Duncan-Smith travelled with the Interplast team to Mongolia for the Bright Blue Mongolia project.
This year Dr Duncan-Smith was the head Plastic Surgeon that took part in the trip, along with Nurses Tanya Karal and Leonie Simmons and Occupational Therapist Diana Francis. The local doctors included Dr Galbadrakh (Head of the Burns Unit) and Dr Bayasaa (Burns Surgeon).
The key activities of the trip included relationship building with the local burns team, the undertaking of needs assessment, outpatient sessions, formal lectures over 2 days and 2 days of operating on acute and reconstructive burns cases with a heavy emphasis on education and supervision of the local surgeons utilising the techniques shown.
Operations were carried out in a mentoring / teaching style to initially show a technique and then the local surgeons being supervised using that technique. Over the course of the week the team consulted with 120 patients and operated on 7.
After the success of the trip, plans have already been made to return next year.


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On 16 June 2017 the Board of CPA Australia announced an independent panel to conduct a review of claims raised by members and other stakeholders (including staff members). The objective of this Independent Review is to address claims that may impact the reputation of the organisation, the value of accreditation, and the confidence of members.
This website is the principal portal for members and stakeholders to access content relating to the review, follow the review's status and make submissions to the independent panel.
We would like to apologise for the recent unavailability of this website. This was due to a technical error and has now been rectified.
Nous Group, Independent Review Secretariat


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Subscribe To Prototype: Three Different Ways To Pre-Order Updates
I've already subscribed
If having the option of only receiving special items via pre-ordering a game from one retailer was a pain (maybe because you're not fond of that retailer), rest assured that Activision will quill your qualms with multiple ways of pre-ordering Prototype.
A lot of gamers out there aren't particularly fond of GameStop, but for those of you that are you should find it exciting to know that you can drop by your local GS and pre-order Prototype to receive an Alex Mercer Collectible Action Figurine, plus…A 2-sided Critical Hints Location Map / Poster.
For gamers who prefer GameStop's arch-rival, GameCrazy, it will suit you well to know that they, too, are offering pre-order goodies for Prototype. GameCrazy pre-orders will result in receiving a free Limited Edition Hard Back Art Concept Book.
Last and certainly not least, for gamers who are fed up and done with the brick and mortar retail outlets for video games, you can take comfort in the news of being able to pre-order Prototype from one of the largest online consumer market places, Amazon. Those who pre-order from the big 'A' will receive a Limited Edition PROTOTYPE Comic from Wild Storm.
For more information on Activision's shape-shifting action title, Prototype, feel free to visit the Official Website. For more gaming news, info and updates, be sure to stay tuned in with Blend Games.


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'A Court of Thorns and Roses' was hands down one of the best books we read last year, and when the sequel popped through our letter box on release day we gobbled it right up! SO. GOOD.
We just need some more people to talk to about 'A Court of Mist and Fury' so we're giving away 10 copies for you guys to read and review! And then gossip about it with us, obvs.
This You Review is now closed! Congrats to the winners @official_dahabo, @CreativelyRaye, @BookLoves_, @TazKetchum, @jesscgolding26, @fxrnamber, @sabahzubair, @BooksLara, @startingtospark, @ShannenCarrigan.
We need 10 MP!ers to read and review 'A Court of Mist and Fury'. All you need to do to be entered is: follow @maximumpopbooks, RT the following tweet and fill in this easy form!
We need 10 MP!ers to read & review #ACourtOfMistAndFury by @SJMaas. Flw, RT & fill in form: https://t.co/6AEpE4dLx7 pic.twitter.com/URZmKwPXqZ
— Maximum Pop! Books (@maximumpopbooks) May 16, 2016
Don't want to risk it? Grab your copy here!
Don't forget that you can get all of the latest news on Sarah and her brilliant books at www.worldofsarahjmaas.com!
Read it already? Tell us what you thought @maximumpopbooks!
- Alexandra Bracken reveals her writing process and the books coming up on her TBR
- We reckon you're more "bluff" than "buff" when it comes to historical YA fiction. Want to prove us wrong?
- Are you a watcher or a player? Do you have the 'nerve'? Watch the trailer and find out!
- MP! Review: 'The Square Root of Summer' is the read for the upcoming season. Trust.
- Can you master the most difficult Derek Landy quiz EVER?
- It's impossible not to fall in love with the new cover for Jennifer Donnelly's 'These Shallow Graves'
- Twitter just can't handle all the feels caused by 'The Crown' by Kiera Cass
- Writing YA: What's my genre?


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Why celebrate all these Jewish holidays? Haven't those been done away with?
There are seven Feasts or Holy Days commanded in the Bible – four in the Spring, and three in the Fall. It's true, Jews had been observing these Feasts for 1,400 years before Yeshua's birth. But what if Yehovah set those dates as days He intends to fulfill specific prophecies in Yeshua's lifetime and His second coming? Wouldn't you want to know which dates those were? Let's recount what happened on the Spring Feast dates during Yeshua's lifetime. (more…)
Thank Goodness for The Feast of Tabernacles!
Natural disasters of Biblical proportions, terrorist attacks, civil unrest – the headlines bombard us. The low level hum of a looming turmoil grows louder. Thank goodness for The Feast of Tabernacles!
The Feast of Tabernacles, called Sukkot in Hebrew, is the seventh and last Feast in God's holy days. It looks back to God's unlimited provision for the Israelites as they sojourned 40 years in the wilderness. During the seven days of Sukkot, we spend time in our flimsy, homemade shelters to remind us of our complete dependence on God. Sukkot also looks forward to the Millennial Age where we will "tabernacle" with Yeshua eternally.
But there's an often overlooked aspect to this Feast. (more…)
The Feasts of the Lord: Going Through the Motions
Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread, Feast of First Fruits, Pentecost, Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, Feast of Tabernacles – lots of Feasts, each with different instructions for observing them. Sometimes when we're just starting out observing the Feasts, or approach a new season of Feasts, we can easily think of all the instructions and do's and don'ts, and forget the richness of each Feast. It can feel – and in fact become – like we're just going through the motions.
I can imagine that's how the Hebrews must have felt when they heard the instructions for the first time as well. Exodus 12 is 50 verses full of instructions for Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the instructions are not exactly intuitive or logical. What were they to make of killing a lamb and smearing its blood on their door frames? Had that ever saved them from death before? Was this a common practice? And what's so bad about leavened bread? What does that have to do with saving their firstborns? (more…)


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Talk about bitter irony. A mere two days after Oak at Fourteenth, one of Boulder's best new restaurants and bars, erupted in blazes after a "false" ceiling of the restaurant caught on fire, Food & Wine magazine released its listage of the country's best new bars -- and Oak at Fourteenth, whose top-notch beverage program is commanded by cocktail king Bryan Dayton -- is among them.
Food & Wine scribe Kate Krader, who gives shout-outs to only seven bars in the entire country, including two in New York and one each in San Francisco, Chicago, Venice and Pasadena (plus Grant Achatz's "too new to review" restaurant/bar in Chicago), trumpeted American watering holes that "celebrate the handmade, the historical and the locally sourced."
And in her salute to Oak at Fourteenth, she gives the platform to Dayton, while extolling the food temple's brazenly "boozy" cocktails -- most notably Ginger's Lost Island.
We serve mocktails, low-alcohol drinks, high-alcohol drinks, eclectic wines and geeky beers. We basically want to turn people on to great imbibing options," says mixologist Bryan Dayton, an alum of Frasca Food and Wine. Among the boozier drinks at this New American bistro: the mezcal- and cardamom-laced Ginger's Lost Island--great with a dish from the wood-burning oven, like the lamb T-bone.
There's no word yet on when Oak at Fourteenth will reopen, but on the restaurant's Facebook page, where dozens of heartfelt comments have been posted, there's also a heartfelt dose of gratitude from the staff:
If you like this story, consider signing up for our email newsletters.
You have successfully signed up for your selected newsletter(s) - please keep an eye on your mailbox, we're movin' in!
We really can't express enough how much we appreciate all the support we've received from our friends and local businesses. We're so fortunate to be part of such a wonderful community. We're in the process of assessing the damages and will do our best to let everyone know how things are going. You all have been a silver lining on this very tough day. Thanks.
Stay tuned to this space for updates from Laura Shunk on Oak's reopening.
In the meantime, congrats to Bryan and his crew on the much-deserved accolades.


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Maybe the biggest and toughest basketball league in the world was exactly what Steven Adams needed.
The Oklahoma City Thunder is certainly getting its money's worth with Adams. Which, compared to some of its superstar roster, is not actually that much.
Adams is quickly proving to be one of the finds of last year's NBA Draft, averaging over three points and four rebounds per game, and his Kiwi charm is making him a very likeable figure throughout the NBA. Not with everyone, though.
Adams has already seen himself involved in altercations, which have resulted in star players such as Vince Carter, Zach Randolph and Nate Robinson being either ejected from the game or suspended. Maybe this is what helped the Thunder advance in Game Seven of the first round of the playoffs.
Now his Oklahoma City Thunder team find themselves in the Western Conference Finals, and Adams is going to have an even bigger role to play than before. The Thunder have lost star centre-forward Serge Ibaka to a calf injury which has put a serious dent in the Thunder's hopes of advancing to the NBA Finals.
And here's the change: Adams has already been immense this post-season for the Thunder, playing a massive role in their Conference Semis win over the LA Clippers (damn you, Stevie). But this injury to Ibaka will see a massive increase in playing time for Adams. Nick Collison will most likely get the start; however, Adams will be playing big minutes off the bench to add to his 40 in Game Six against the Clippers. If OKC go small, then Adams' defence will be critical against Tiago Splitter, or even the great Tim Duncan in the post. Adams' shot-blocking ability will also be critical here, as Ibaka is the current league leader in blocked shots, something OKC will greatly miss against the Spurs.
I don't think anyone probably imagined Adams would have this great a role to play in his opening season in the NBA. But no one doubted how ready he is for the big stage.
He's been huge so far for OKC in the post-season, and expect that intensity to go up another level as they look to advance past the Spurs to head to their second NBA Finals in three years.
I'm picking this series to go to seven, with OKC picking up the crucial away win to take the series.


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Law Firms in Cambridge
Cambridge Lawyers
Cambridge, Ontario
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During the year 1973, the city of Cambridge was established as a merging of the cities and towns of Hespeler, Galt and Preston, and other areas of North Dumfries and Waterloo. Cambridge City was originally owned by the Six Nations Indians, that was later obtained by William Dickson. These days, the city is a cosmopolitan area which has a population of about 200,000. It is minutes away from metropolitan cities and near three international airports and three border crossings in the US.


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EONS (Elementary objects of the Nervous System) is the perfect modeling platform to study the dynamic interactions between synaptic elements in a friendly manner. There are no complicated equations to write: all the elementary models are predefined using state of the art models.
EONS consists of a graphical modeling platform containing the major elements that comprise a glutamatergic synapse (both pre- and post-synaptically). These elements parameters as well as the underlying synaptic geometry can be modified.
EONS is a parametric model of a generic glutamatergic synapse that takes into account pre-synaptic mechanisms, such as calcium buffering and diffusion, neurotransmitter release, diffusion and uptake in the cleft, and postsynaptic elements, such as ionotropic AMPA and NMDA receptors, their distribution and synaptic geometry, as well as metabotropic glutamate receptors.
EONS is a parametric model of a generic glutamatergic synapse [1] that takes into account pre-synaptic mechanisms, such as calcium buffering and diffusion, neurotransmitter release, diffusion and uptake in the cleft (including glial glutamate uptake), and postsynaptic elements, such as ionotropic AMPA and NMDA receptors [2], their distribution and synaptic geometry, as well as metabotropic glutamate receptors [3]. EONS is a unique platform that allows to study the dynamic non-linear interactions that take place between the various synaptic elements to shape synaptic transmission and plasticity.
EONS is being integrated with the NEURON simulator in a multiscale framework to extend the simulated spatial scales from biomolecular level to network level.
Fig.1: Schematic representation of the different levels of complexity addressed in the multi-scale modeling platform. Molecular mechanisms, such as the AMPA receptors, are represented by a 16-state kinetic model (ref: TBME, 2011). At the subcellular level, these mechanisms are geometrically coupled, based on their location in the cell (presynaptic, extracellular, postsynaptic, or along the dendritic tree); the resulting changes in postsynaptic currents are then injected in a CA1 pyramidal cell neuron, which can be studied in isolation, or within a network.
Below is an example of the use of EONS in which we study the effects of an AMPA receptor modulator on AMPA receptor current (biomolecular level), synaptic transmission (synaptic level) and subsequent neuronal excitability (neuron level). The modulator changes the AMPA receptor current in a dose-dependent manner (Fig. 2).
Fig. 2: Effects of different concentrations of the positive AMPA receptor modulator, CX614, on the current going through AMPA receptor channels in the synaptic modeling platform resulting from a 1ms long single pulse of 1mM glutamate.
These changes affect overall synaptic responses through a change in AMPA-mediated current. The synapses are then placed on the dendritic tree of a CA1 pyramidal cell and we study the effects of changes in modulator concentration on the cell's response to a stimulation pattern thereby allowing us to study how excitability is affected at the neuronal level (Fig. 3).
Fig. 3: Effects of different concentrations of the positive AMPA receptor modulator, CX614, on postsynaptic somatic potential of a CA1 hippocampal neuron in response to a random inter-pulse interval stimulation at a mean frequency of 4 Hz. Responses are shown for a 300 millisecond window. In the presence of CX614, note the increase in frequency of action potentials (*). Bottom: Timing of the postsynaptic spikes at various concentrations of CX614; presynaptic action potential (input) is compared to the timing of the postsynaptic spikes. Note that spikes occur earlier with increasing CX614 concentration.
The framework developed allows for incorporation of a high level of details at the molecular level into larger scale simulations. It is currently being extended to allow for simulations spanning (i) higher temporal scales and (ii) higher spatial scales (up to circuit-level simulations). Details of this example study are available in [4].
In parallel to this work, we are developing a non-parametric version of EONS that captures the complex non-linear dynamics of our synaptic platform in a computationally extremely compact envelop. Preliminary benchmarks indicate over a thousand-fold increase in computational speed, with virtually identical results.
[1] J.-M. C. Bouteiller, M. Baudry, S. L. Allam, R. J. Greget, S. Bischoff and T. W. Berger, "Modeling Glutamatergic Synapses: Insights into Mechanisms Regulating Synaptic Efficacy," Journal of Integrative Neuroscience, vol. 7(2), pp.185-97, 2008.
[2] Ambert, N., Greget, R., Haeberlé, O., Bischoff, S., Berger, T. W., Bouteiller, J-M. C., Baudry, M., Computational Studies of NMDA Receptors: Differential Effects of Neuronal Activity on Efficacy of Competitive and Noncompetitive Antagonists. Open Access Bioinformatics, August 2010, Volume 2010:2, pp. 113 – 125.
[3] Greget R., Pernot F., Bouteiller J-M. C., Ghaderi V., Allam S. L., Keller A. F., Ambert N., Sarmis M., Haeberle O., Faupel M., Bischoff S., Berger T. W., Baudry M., Simulation of Postsynaptic Glutamate Receptors Reveals Critical Features of Glutamatergic Transmission", PLoS ONE 6(12): e28380. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0028380.
[4] Bouteiller J-M. C., Allam S. L., Hu E. Y., Greget R., Ambert N., Keller A. F., Bischoff S., Baudry M., Berger T. W., Integrated Multi-Scale Modeling of the Nervous System: Predicting Changes in Hippocampal Network Activity by a Positive AMPA Receptor Modulator, Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, October 2011, Volume 58:10, pp. 3008-3011.
EONS Team:
Jean-Marie C. Bouteiller, PhD
Sushmita Allam, PhD
Eric Hu
Mike Huang
Viviane Ghaderi


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'BORO boss, Spencer Day was delighted to see goalkeeper, Craig Bradshaw pen an extended deal until the end of the season earlier this week.
"Craig is loving his time at the club," he said with a smile. "He's done fantastically well for us so far and this deal is a reward for that.
"Hopefully this will settle him down and he can stay free of the injuries that have given us cause for concern from time-to-time.
"I want to see him get back to the form that I know he is capable of because he is one of the best goalkeepers at this level."


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By Chuck Tidmore
Sports Informaton Assistant
MONTGOMERY, Ala, -- The Huntingdon women's tennis team defeated Piedmont 7-2 in Saturday's USA South Athletic Conference match.
The regionally ranked Lady Hawks earn their 13th win of the season and sit second in the USA South West Division with a 5-1 conference record. Piedmont falls to 3-4 in conference play and 7-10 overall.
Huntingdon jumped out to a 3-0 lead after taking all three doubles matches. The No. 3 team of Josie Waddell and Kacey Stephens cruised to an 8-0 win while the No. 2 team of Heather Tabor and Caroline McBroom won 8-2.
The No. 1 doubles team of Dusty Catala and Mariah Bastos won 8-6 to complete the doubles sweep.
In singles play, Huntingdon won four matches to take the win. Josie Waddell (No. 2) won 6-4, 6-1, Mariah Bastos (No. 3) won 6-2, 7-6 (7-3), Heather Tabor (No. 4) won 6-1, 6-3 and Clayton Waring (No. 6) won 6-2, 6-0.
The Lady Hawks will play Maryville College on Sunday at Wesleyan College. Match time is set for 2:30 p.m.
Match results
No. 1: Morgan Buchholz (PC) def. Dusty Catala (HC) 6-1, 6-4
No. 2: Josie Waddell (HC) def. Amanda Blackwell (PC) 6-4, 6-1
No. 3: Mariah Bastos (HC) def. Simona Floyd (PC) 6-2, 7-6 (7-3)
No. 4: Heather Tabor (HC) def. Durden Smith (PC) 6-1, 6-3
No. 5: Karina Rivera (PC) def. Caroline McBroom (HC) 6-3, 6-3
No. 6: Clayton Waring (HC) def. Valeriya Zhurakovskaya (PC) 6-2, 6-0
No. 1: Bastos-Catala (HC) def. Buchholz-Blackwell (PC) 8-6
No. 2: Tabor-McBroom (HC) def. Rivera-Smith (PC) 8-2
No. 3: Waddell-Stephens (HC) def. Tabea Soelter-Tattiana Burkett (PC) 8-0
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Though the WWE has been plagued by ratings ups and downs this year, the company definitely had a headline-grabber on its hands with the bizarre feud that sprouted between wrestling superstar Stardust and Arrow star Stephen Amell. What began as a weird social media-based antagonism became a tag team match at SummerSlam some months back, and Amell's contributions to the sports entertainment world were recognized on Monday night in the form of a WWE Slammy Award for Celebrity Moment of the Year. I believe a shot of the Congratulations Arrow is called for.
The Slammy Awards have been going on regularly for the past 8 years – and sporadically for the years before that – and it's Amell's first win. The award, announced on Monday Night Raw, had some pretty heated competition for, as Stardust continues to refer to him, Oliver. Amell's high-flying pay-per-view debut beat out Jon Stewart's devious SummerSlam appearance (which got him manhandled the next night), Kevin Owens powerbombing rapper Machine Gun Kelly off of the main stage, soccer star Wayne Rooney slapping King Barrett on Raw, and the cast of Entourage introducing Zack Ryder on Raw. While Stewart's bit was pretty great, it's hard to argue that Amell won this hands down.
Not that everyone was so pleased with the victory. Later on that night, Tom Phillips' Slammy Award video was taken over by Stardust, who hilariously took Amell's win in stride and then stole his award. Check out the silliness in the video below.
Man, watching Amell and Stardust scrap on Raw and then later at SummerSlam was great, but I'm so very into the verbal battles that these guys put each other through. Watching Stardust in the ring is fine, but I could spend all day listening to his lunacy. (He's also got thoughts on Star Wars: The Force Awakens elsewhere on the Internet.)
And to be expected, Stephen Amell wasn't silent about his award getting stolen. Here's what he had to say on Twitter. Also, check his retouched Twitter bio.
To be fair, there is no real antagonism happening between Cody "Stardust" Rhodes and Amell, as the two followed up their SummerSlam match with a charitable event. But that doesn't mean that the faux bad blood has stopped flowing, and we may very well see more of Stephen Amell in the squared circle in 2016.


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I'm inclined to cut Puck some slack. He's obviously smitten:
It's not like he's playing with Lauren's feelings for kicks or a bet. He, probably for reasons he doesn't understand, is into her. When it comes right down to it, Puck is not the brightest crayon in the box. Take this exchange:
Puck: "What is this place?"
Lauren: "It's the library."Cute but not too bright. Just the way I.... Never mind! I think he honestly felt that song said what he wanted to say to Lauren. He wants her to know that she rocks his world. He doesn't understand how she could be offended. When you think about it, Fat Bottomed Girls was an obvious choice. Puck is a rocker. He's not going to sing Billy Joel or Bruno Mars. He's unable to fake twee enough to sing Big Girls (You Are Beautiful) by Mika.
There are worse songs. Brand New Car by The Rolling Stones and Little Red Corvette by Prince jump immediately to mind. If you thought those songs were about automobiles you have been asleep at the wheel baby! There are a lot more out there. Fat Bottomed Girls is a relatively harmless song.
I hope Lauren realizes that Puck didn't mean to hurt her. He was just being his cute, oblivious self. I know nothing about Lauren or her background. The toughness is probably a facade she's worn for years. Watching the video of Puck's performance I don't see anger in Lauren's face. Bemused or incredulous but not angry . Maybe she's just too good at hiding her feelings. We'll have to see as the story develops.
I hope she and all the rest of those offended cut the poor boy a little slack.
Read my other Glee related posts here


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As we noted last week, GOP delegate process is far more complicated than the mainstream media leads people to believe. The primary process is not always as simple as winning the most votes and therefore winning the most delegates. This has only been the case in winner-take-all elections, of which there's only been two, so far: Florida and South Carolina.
In states which hold caucuses, to date Iowa, Nevada, Colorado, Minnesota and Maine, there have been two functions. Round 1, is a "beauty contest" and usually consists of a straw poll. These make good headlines and continue the dramatic storytelling of candidates surging and frontrunners flailing. Round 2 is a bit trickier and contains multiple cycles of selecting delegates. In caucus states, choosing delegates first occurs at a local convention, which then chooses delegates to a state convention, who in turn choose the delegates to go to represent their wishes at the National Republican Convention in Tampa. Imagine Wolf Blitzer explaining this to you. Can't? That is not surprising.
While anecdotal, evidence exists that Dr. Paul's slates have dominated the process in terms of selecting delegates who choose delegates. While Dr. Paul's campaign is confident, their facts will have to face a reality check in all these caucus states – but those are outcomes no one will know for at least 3 months. One interesting event is for certain, in Iowa last week, A.J. Spiker was elected State Republican Party Chair. Mr. Spiker happens to be a key Paul supporter, a fact which begins to lend credibility to Dr. Paul and his campaign. Their campaign walking away with a sweep of Iowa delegates doesn't seem so crazy now.
This domination of the organizational process by Dr. Paul should come as no surprise and is only starting to warrant investigation by mainstream sources. Doug Wead, adviser for the Paul campaign, explained the Republican nominating process in depth on a recent edition of The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC. As he explained, unless delegates chosen by the candidate's campaign are in fact chosen in a primary, then no delegates should be prematurely allocated to that candidate. The Washington Post is also catching on, with a recent article detailing this issue vis-à-vis the Maine Caucuses while making similar points.
In that article, Dr. Paul supporter explained:
"The delegate race (matters more), for sure," said Alex Lyscars, a 21-year-old student and Paul supporter from Portland. "I mean, I don't really care about the straw poll as long as the delegates are representative of what's going on. (Paul) can win straw polls anywhere he wants, but if he's not getting the delegates, it doesn't really matter."
Back on Maddow's show, Wead also asserted that Dr. Paul may in fact win the most delegates in Nevada once precincts totals are taken into account. Nevada, unlike other states, is a pledged caucus. Due to election complications in 2008, Nevada went to a bound delegate process whereby the caucus determined delegate allocation. While Gov. Romney was the recent statewide winner overall, delegates were also allocated between each of Nevada's four Congressional districts, with 3 delegates a piece. Translated, this means the true breakdown of "who-got-what" in quantifiable terms may not be known for several weeks.
However, taking what both the Paul campaign and Mr. Wead state as true, it is plausible that Dr. Paul will get all the delegates from Iowa, Colorado, Maine, and Minnesota. That puts him at 125 delegates, far more than Gov. Romney has in reality as of right now.
Don't fight a battle if you don't gain anything by winning.
Wead also made a salient point that Dr. Paul and his team are expertly playing by "the rules", which they allege were created by the RNC to benefit Gov. Romney. The RNC created proportional allocation rules to avoid Gov. Romney being shut out of large chunks of delegates in the South under statewide winner-take-all rules because he could not carry a true Southern state because of his LDS faith.
Due to this, the Paul campaign is clearly having a major and minor role on the Romney campaign. In caucus states where Gov. Romney support is weak and religious conservatives might actually control the delegate selection process, the large number of Paul supporters turning out in caucuses actually thwart anti-Romney candidates from amassing any significant amount of delegates. Anti-Romney candidates being Sen. Santorum and Speaker Gingrich. This is particularly so due to tax rules that thwart religious organizations from being politically active.
The Republicans find themselves in this situation because of a process that shuts out ordinary voters by design. Maine's recent caucus turnout was the size of one or two moderately large California high school events, while there are over 200,000 registered Republicans in the state. Top Republicans are calling for a review of the methods used in Presidential caucuses after a series of vote-counting issues in three early states. All of this suggests the caucus system may not be a viable option going forward.
Party rules have effectively increased the importance of caucuses by pushing them to the front of the process. The RNC allows only four states to hold their contests before March, but that rule doesn't apply to caucuses, which don't technically have a direct impact on the allocation of delegates. The Republicans in turn need to think about abolishing the caucus system all together.
The Republicans would benefit from the California process that has primaries – and only primaries - actually nominating candidates for President. It would increase turnout. They should also open their primary for President as California has and then allocate delegates on a proportionate basis. Those delegates chosen would then be bound to their candidate until released.
Whether Gov. Romney will be the Republican nominee is still unknown. But thanks to Dr. Paul and his caucus strategy, Sen. Santorum needs a statistical miracle to see the light of day from the Oval Office. To be viable he'll need to collect over 400 delegates. Given the schedule, and the continued Gingrich presence, it's a scenario unlikely to happen. Adding to the implausibility, it's looking like Sen. Santorum might not be on several state ballots, including Indiana, a state where his "blue collar" message may have significant resonance.
To the extent that Dr. Paul's loyal voters increase overall turnout, the new allocation rules actually benefit Gov. Romney. While he may be getting less delegates than might otherwise be the case, these same rules prevent either Sen. Santorum or Speaker Gingrich from meeting thresholds to get any delegates. Whether Dr. Paul can win a winner-take-all statewide Republican primary one-on-one against Gov. Romney will be tested in Virginia. Dr. Paul is by no means insignificant to this race, neither in delegate count nor campaign strategy.
Dr. Paul deliberately chose to run as a Republican but is as close to a viable Independent candidate that we have this Presidential election cycle. It is fascinating to see his campaign play the Republican establishment game more aptly then their traditional candidates. The media narrative of candidate surges throughout the primary process has never included Dr. Paul. He is not even included on delegate count graphs of some mainstream news outlets, despite most of their numbers being just plain wrong.
But, could Dr. Paul be in the lead?
It would make for a dramatic climax to the frenzied Republican primary season, no?


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Happies > Crappies
Friday, March 1, 2013
Saving the bad for last... Here are my HAPPIES:
1. It's March!! I visit T in Hawaii THIS month!
2. This relates but is different: Our countdown is in the TEENS!
3. Today is Friday - the weekend is so close.
4. It's sunny today:)
5. Spring is right around the corner :) Winter, I'm so over you.
6. I'm doing some shopping on Saturday. Yay!
7. I signed up to do the Rugged Maniac obstacle run with my girlfriends in June- so excited!
8. My lovely blog followers list keeps growing - thank you for taking the time to read my rambles :) xoxo
& now for the crappies ...
1. Due to T's night schedule, we don't get to speak much because our schedules are opposite.
2. Bar review course and bar exam fees are so expensive. Why must everything cost thousands of dollars?!
3. I can't work out due to my neck injury so I feel like I'm getting out of shape.
4. I'm tired and I was in school just 12 hours ago. Need. a. nap!
I'm glad my happies outnumber my crappies and that it was hard to even think of crappies.
Happy Friday everyone!
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Location: Road Town, Tortola, BVI
We woke up to the remnants of a squall like the world was upset it was our last day. After our foul weather gear was rain soaked and breakfast we all cleaned our bunks and set into giving back to the vessel we all call home. It was our way of thanking Ocean Star for the safe passage and experience to clean her up all nice for the next voyages. The B.A. was fun and it was nice to know we were treating our home well, after all as Dan says "boats have souls." If that's the case, Ocean Star now looks like the prom queen. After B.A. we signed out of our crew duties, regained our passports and readied ourselves for a nice, emotional final dinner. None of us can think of a negative word towards this experience it has been epic. We will never forget the friends, skills and points of self realization we've gained from this journey. 40 days I would never change.
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Our 40-day Caribbean voyage is perfect for those seeking an adventurous study abroad experience but don't have the time to spend an entire semester at sea. You'll develop sailing and scuba diving skills, complete two academic classes while visiting some of the most incredible islands in the Caribbean.View Details


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Should you worry about GDPR
We are currently in the grace period for GDPR. Should you be worried? With a potential fine of 4% of your organization's revenue for each penalty, the regulation has teeth. GDPR is a case where size doesn't matter. I sat down with PivotNine's Justin Warren and CommVault's Nigel Tazor to discuss the impact and considerations.


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30 Mar
This term year 8 students took part in a STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) challenge. Their aim was to stop the spread of infectious disease in a third world country like Kenya.
The students formed groups of their choice and had to design, build and test a working model that would collect rainwater that could be used by pupils to wash their hands when in school.
Students had to:
- work out the cost of their materials and that of their final product
- produce educational materials explaining why hand washing is important in preventing the spread of infectious diseases in a format they would find engaging and learn from
The year 8s came up with brilliant designs which they re-drafted until they were happy with their final designs. They then built their model and as part of their class presentation showed the rest of the year group how their model worked. They also came up with very good educational materials ranging from videos to leaflets and posters.
They should be very proud of their efforts!
Mrs Roelofsz


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Healthy Aging For Dummies
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People are becoming increasingly knowledgeable about managing their health as they age. Healthy Aging For Dummies explains how people can embark on a healthy lifestyle that will enable them to feel young, both mentally and physically, even as they're getting older. It covers tips and advice on choosing the ideal physician; starting an exercise program; learning to meditate; taking the right vitamins and herbs; dealing with or preventing heart disease, cancer, and dementia; replacing negative thinking with positive thinking; and building memory and learning skills.
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Amazon Web Services suffered a massive outage back in April, one that caused all sorts of havoc developers. So, here's one way that Amazon is giving back to those who use its platform. The company just announced that it will be lowering the price for its AWS Data Transfer service. Effective July 1, the company will no longer charge for data transfer in. At the same time, it has lowered prices for data transfer out in the U.S. and Europe, providing double digit savings to some customers.
"…. A customer transferring 10 TB in and 10 TB out of one of these regions in a month will save 52% on internet data transfer with the new pricing. A customer transferring 500 TB in and 500 TB out of one of these regions in a month will save 68% on internet data transfer with the new pricing," the company writes.
Customers of the company's CloudFront content delivery network also will see savings of as much as 43 percent once the new pricing takes effect on July 1.
In a note to customers, AWS said that it has reduced pricing more than a dozen times in the past four years. Here's a closer look at the old and new CloudFront pricing plan.
UPDATE: Amazon isn't the only one cutting prices on cloud computing services. Just a few hours after learning about the AWS price cut, we received word that Windows Azure Platform also plans to offer free data transfers in both peak and off-peak times as of July 1.
"This change can potentially result in cost savings if your application currently has large amounts of inbound traffic or if you have large quantities of existing data that you want to migrate to the Windows Azure platform," the company wrote in a message to customers.
UPDATE: An astute reader points out that Microsoft initiated the price cut, pointing to this June 22 story from Mary-Jo Foley which notes that inbound data transfers through Azure will be free as of July 1. It is interesting to see these two tech titans of Seattle jockey over the cloud computing battlefront. Think we'll see more of that in the future?


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5 Tips for Creative Holiday Gift Wrapping
5 Tips for Creative Holiday Gift Wrapping
Tips by Lauren Wells, Lauren Wells Event Design + Styling
Photos by Briana Moore
Gift Wrap Bar Event Hosted by Olives & Grace
Use simple recycled papers like kraft paper or white kraft paper to wrap each gift. Environmentally friendly and cost effective! If you prefer patterns to plain, you can paint or draw on the paper to make your own patterned wrap.
Use washi tape when wrapping. it won't matter if your creases are perfect, because the tape will be so cute.
Tie the present with twine or ribbon - you can use jute twine or bakers twine, or even leather cording or muslin ribbon.
Gift tags! Use hang tags, gold foil tags or even slices of birch to write out who the gift is for.
Add a special something. We used fresh greenery (which also smells great!) to finish off each gift, but you could use anything to add that final touch; an ornament, a pinecone, a candy cane.
t.e.l.l. New England


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BAGHDAD — Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, struggling for his political future in a snarled, months-long contest to form a new government here, warned Wednesday that failure to return him to power would lead to Iraq's descent into the violence and sectarian strife that dominated the country when he took over in 2006.
At times confident and joking, occasionally combative, Mr. Maliki said in an interview that he would resist efforts to curtail his authority if he did return. Only a strong leader, he insisted, could navigate the challenges ahead for a country bracing for an American military withdrawal and still beset by the remnants of an insurgency.
Mr. Maliki's remarks were defiant, even stubborn, and underlined one of the seminal issues in the crisis that followed Iraq's landmark parliamentary elections in March and in the prolonged negotiations that have ensued to form the next government: in a country with a history of dictatorship, what power will the prime minister wield?
"I will not be a prime minister with the job of a traffic cop — 'You can go now,' 'you can come,' " Mr. Maliki said in his office, where he heads a caretaker government. "I will be either a prime minister, under the Constitution, or not a prime minister at all." Stripping the prime minister of powers, he said, "would lead to a weakening of control over the country, and those responsible will be blamed for its collapse."
Speculation on the return of Mr. Maliki, who turns 60 this month, would keep any Las Vegas odds maker busy. His remarkable ascent from relative obscurity with a mix of impetuosity and decisiveness has won him popular support and united much of Iraq's political class against him.Continue reading the main story
The 89 seats he won in the 325-member Parliament fell far short of his advisers' estimates. Outpolled by a secular and Sunni coalition led by Ayad Allawi, a former interim prime minister, he and his allies spent weeks trying unsuccessfully to change the results with recounts, court challenges and campaigns to disqualify winning candidates.
But Iraqi politics these days are a carnival house of mirrors, where no one really believes, much less trusts, anyone else. Promises are made in the vaguest of terms. "There are no red lines" is as close as anyone usually gets to a commitment. Mr. Maliki's incumbency alone — and the baggage each of his rivals carries — has led diplomats and even his detractors to suggest that a second term still remains an even bet.
"I expect to," Mr. Maliki said of returning to power.
The new Parliament convenes Monday, in a session that will be largely symbolic, as both Mr. Allawi and Mr. Maliki's coalitions fight over who has the right to form the next government. Mr. Allawi insists that he does, as the top vote-getter in the election. But Mr. Maliki has cited a court opinion that would give that right to an alliance he formed with a rival Shiite coalition in May. Together, they are just four seats short of a majority.
That new alliance seems shaky at best. The two have yet to even agree on a name for their union, and Mr. Maliki seemed to acknowledge Wednesday that there was trouble. He said negotiations were still under way with what he described as "some elements" of the rival Shiite list, and he signaled his willingness to reach a separate deal with the faction that was long most adamantly opposed to him — the followers of Moktada al-Sadr, a populist cleric whose candidates polled second only to Mr. Maliki's among Shiite voters.
"There are steps toward reaching an agreement with the Sadrists," he said.
The talks are intricate even by Iraq's standards, with its distinctive mix of the intimate and the combustible, where bargaining shows a remarkable propensity toward deadlock. Outwardly friendly rivals often go back decades, having shared time in exile.
Yet the stakes they are negotiating are perhaps higher than at any time since the United States overthrew Saddam Hussein in 2003. The issues range from the fate of the contested city of Kirkuk to the very power of the prime minister and the cabinet around him.
Some politicians have suggested that they would sanction Mr. Maliki's return only if he agreed to reorient power away from the prime minister's office and vest it in the cabinet. Mr. Maliki has in the past complained that his post already lacks authority — burdened by a cabinet that answers to individual parties and not to him. In the interview, he rejected more restrictions, suggesting that any compromise would be difficult.
"Every country needs a strong leader, but especially Iraq, because of all its problems and challenges and because it is not stable," Mr. Maliki said, his tone turning sharper. "If he's not firm," he added, "he'll turn into a feather in the face of the wind."
Dour, with a stern bearing, Mr. Maliki has won support not for his charisma, often lacking, but for what Iraq is no longer — a country mired in a sectarian war, sections of its territory ruled by insurgents, and its capital too dangerous to roam at night. His admirers respect his decisiveness, crucial, they say, in having dealt with Iraq's challenges.
"If the state is led by a weak leader, the old days will return, I fear," he said.
But Mr. Maliki's willingness to test the limits of his authority by gathering power in his hands and sending the military against militias and even his own rivals has angered many. His critics contend he is overly insulated by a small circle of advisers, prone to suspicion and given to taking disputes personally. His animosity toward Massoud Barzani, the Kurdish president, was well known; he has not met Mr. Allawi in years.
In the interview, he spoke darkly of neighboring countries' intentions; they were interfering, he said, in every party but his. Saudi Arabia, Syria, Jordan, Turkey and Iran all share borders with Iraq, though Mr. Maliki declined to single out any of them. (The United States, he said, "was more an observer than someone intervening in this process.")
Despite what some saw as Mr. Maliki's own demagoguery in fanning anti-Baathist sentiments before the vote, he blamed his Sunni and secular rivals for playing the sectarian card, encouraged, he said, by those same foreign powers.
In a candid moment, though, he acknowledged his own disappointment about an election and a country where political choices were still dictated by identity. "We thought we had gone further in eradicating sectarianism than reality has shown," Mr. Maliki said. Regrettably, he said, the election had returned Iraq to "Square 1."Continue reading the main story


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Round Expanded Steel Table, Portable Frame
Table Top Color: Sage
Seat Color: Sage
Frame Color: Black
Round Expanded Steel Table, Portable Frame
Round picnic tables are the perfect shape for group conversation.
This classic style works in any venue and is guaranteed to give years of all-weather beauty and performance.
Item №: F1113
Dimensions: 29"H x 76"Dia.
Weight: 189 lbs


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Knitcircus Fall 2010 Release
This is it, the big day, and our biggest issue ever.
Please come on over to Knitcircus and check it out.
Wendy Johnson's kicking off the Giveaway-Palooza on Wendy Knits today! So visit her for a chance to win a Fall 2010 Pattern Collection of your very own.


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Flight instructors often find their jobs initially frustrating because even the most promising students tend to make the same mistakes on a daily basis. After teaching for a decade or two, however, the routine pattern of student pilot errors becomes more apparent. Adept instructors learn to reiterate certain lessons before flight time begins, and a well-timed reminder can sometimes condition a student into following good habits. Students who aid their instructors by learning to recognize and account for the most common pilot training mistakes can graduate sooner and become better pilots in the real world.
Being Afraid to Ask for Help
Every student consciously knows the importance of asking for help, but nervous students often forget the lessons they have learned while actually in the cockpit. It is true that adapting to the real flying environment takes time, and that is why pilots are required to complete a set number of flight hours as part of any training program. However, a student's goal is to learn, and education is facilitated by asking questions. Students who ask questions can, therefore, learn the basics faster to move on to more advanced instruction. Furthermore, asking a simple question is a lot better than making a simple mistake. Students who ask what might appear to be the most obvious questions tend to graduate at the top of their class.
Forgetting to turn off the Master Off
While it is best to use a checklist to help remember all the details of preflight, flight, and post flight, leaving the beacon in the on position could also help you remember to shut the master switch off. Doing so will causes the likelihood of the battery running dry . You won't be really happy when you have to jump start the plane.
Trusting GPS Without Thinking
Autonomous drones are a feasible reality in the modern world, but demand for pilots continues to grow because human reasoning skills cannot be replaced by a computer. Pilots, therefore, should never blindly trust their GPS without first running the presented information through their human cognition. Many students perceive their GPS system as being perfectly accurate, so they think they can use it to make precise maneuvers. Unfortunately, many pilots have found themselves in dangerous situations due to GPS mapping errors, and students will usually get to witness a few GPS glitches before they earn their license. Students should learn to use the full range of flight controls to verify the information presented on a GPS system.
Failing to Give a Flight Full Attention
Succumbing to distraction while in the cockpit is one of many prevalent student pilot mistakes. Students can get distracted by the excitement of flying a real plane or by scenery on the ground below. When the initial excitement of flying wears off, many students become very inattentive. Some students even start doodling or playing with the controls. Flight schools are required to screen out students who are susceptible to distraction, and no reputable instructor will let a student graduate if they demonstrate a regular pattern of inattentiveness. Getting distracted is one of the most costly student pilot mistakes, so pilots in training should make a conscious effort to practice the learned skill of focusing while in the air.
Not Being Careful During Inspections
Pilots are ultimately responsible for their own planes, and, therefore, they must verify that their plane is safe to fly before taking off. Mechanics and their supervisors do their best to prepare a plane for a flight, but the reality is that mistakes can still be made. The astute eye of an attentive pilot provides the final level of assurance needed to keep the flight crew and passengers safe. Many pilot training mistakes are easily noticeable by instructors, but careless inspections are harder to detect. Even if instructors do not go out of their way to catch student pilot errors during inspections, students should work to learn everything they can from their instructor about inspections to prevent a potentially fatal mistake later in their career.
Landings are hard to get used to. One minute you're aiming directly at the runway and the next you're supposed to transition to a pitch-up attitude and land smoothly with the nose high. It's a challenging transition to make and one that takes a lot of practice to master. Your instructor will probably repeatedly tell you to flare over and over again, and you'll probably get tired of hearing it. But it's true that many students flare too early or too late and land flat the first few times. Getting the flare just right is probably the most challenging and rewarding part of flying.
Ignoring the Checklist
Never disregard the importance of a checklist,i if you are an experienced pilot or new student pilot. Even if you think you have a checklist memorized, it's best to back it up with an actual checklist.
Avoiding Common Pilot Training Mistakes
The common thread among student pilot mistakes is failing to pay close attention. One of the core goals of flight school is to teach aspiring pilots how to pay attention during stressful situations. However, close attention is not only needed during a crisis scenario. Students who make a continuous effort to learn how to be attentive in everything they do will both impress their instructors and graduate sooner.


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Pentaco Construction Ltd is a privately owned construction company working throughout East Anglia. We deliver projects across a wide range of market sectors on both traditional and Design & Build contracts.
The success of the business has come from providing the professionalism of a national contractor, but with the approach of a family business that cares about every project we carry out. Whether it is refurbishment works, fit-out or new build, we approach every project with the same enthusiasm and aim to leave the customer delighted with the service they have received from Pentaco Construction.
We have a growing reputation for delivering a quality product and service and are proud of the level of repeat business and recommendations from our existing customers. We are able to offer a very competitive edge to any pricing scenario as our overheads are generally lower than the larger organisations.
Market sectors where we currently operate include:
|Hospitals, Health Centres, Doctors Surgeries, Mental Health
|Pre-school, Primary, Secondary, Further, Higher
|Care Homes, Private Developments, Social Housing, Individual Houses, Barn Conversions
|Office, Car Park, Bank, Hotel
|Retail Shed, Shopping Centre, Stores
|Warehousing, Manufacturing facilities, Waste Transfer
|Sporting facilities, Community buildings, Fire, Police, Ambulance, Prisons
We undertake contracts as the Principal Contractor both on a traditional basis and as the Design & Build contractor. Under a D&B contract we work with both the client's professional team where they are novated to us or with design teams we employ directly. In either case we believe it is important, on any design & build project, to take a proactive approach to working with the client and the design team to ensure the scheme provides best value for the customer, delivering all their needs whist being as cost effective as possible.


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Watch Now
1 service
Walking along a twisted path on their way to Ecruteak City, Ash, Misty, and Brock feel a loud noise and a slight rumbling coming from behind them. It happens to be a runaway Tauros, with its trainer in close pursuit. After nearly avoiding being trampled, Ash spots an unsuspecting old man down the road. Knowing the man is in real danger, Ash slides down the hill to save him.


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I did get my hair colored/highlighted before OCI interviews--nothing drastic, just some subtle highlights/lowlights that covered up the gray. In fact, I'm not quite sure what the stylist actually did, but it looked nice, and completely natural. And it's faded very naturally--no roots showing up.
But I think the gray hair wanted revenge.
Because before? It was all pretty much in my bangs, at the front of my head.
And now?
It's EVERYWHERE.
Okay, maybe not on the back of my head; I don't know, I can't look at it very closely. But there are gray hairs ALL over the rest of my head now!
I may hit that "full head of silver" sooner than I thought...


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25 Stunning Breaking Bad Fan Artworks
Breaking Bad is one of the most popular television dramas at the moment. It's being watched by millions and is an amazing example of what a television drama should be all about. The main character is Walter White, a school chemistry teacher who is suddenly diagnosed with cancer. To help pay for his medical bills and leave money behind for his family he starts to produce methamphetamine and aims to produce only the best. The story simply unfolds from there.
As with any highly popular television drama, it draws in fans who love it so much they produce some amazing examples of artwork to show their appreciation.